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Eduardo Bonilla-Silva’s work on colorblind racism has become a prominent theoretical framework for analyzing racial attitudes, ideologies, and discourses in the contemporary United States. However, the scholarship has yet to produce an empirically rigorous, quantitative assessment of colorblind racism to document the theory’s generalizability and assess it as a theory of racial attitudes. In this article, we build upon the rich body of qualitative research to develop a novel measurement model of colorblind racism using nationally representative survey data. We then use the model to estimate the impact of adherence to colorblind beliefs on support for affirmative action policies and awareness of structural disadvantage. Our findings indicate a good model fit, and that awareness of structural disadvantages acts as a mediator between colorblind racism and affirmative action support. We use our findings to develop colorblind racism theory, especially regarding structural disadvantage, both empirically and theoretically; we also consider the implications of these findings and colorblind theory more generally for the study of racial attitudes in the post-Trump era.

Borrelia mayoniiis a recently discovered bacterial spirochete that causes Lyme disease and is transmitted by the blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularisSay (Acari: Ixodidae). To date, B. mayoniihas been isolated from two vertebrate host species in Minnesota: field-caught white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopusRafinesque; Rodentia: Cricetidae) and American red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicusErxleben). Here, we describe the first detection of B. mayoniiin field-caught eastern chipmunks (Tamias striatusL. (Rodentia: Cricetidae)) from northern Wisconsin. During our study, we captured 530 unique small mammals and found an infection prevalence of 23.50% in field-caught eastern chipmunks (4/17) and 1.19% in Peromyscusspp. (5/420). Mean larval and nymphal burdens were determined for captured Blarina brevicauda(0, 0), Glaucomys volans(0.29, 0.14), Myodes gapperi(0.27, 0), Napaeozapus insignis(0, 0.25), Peromyscusspp. (1.88, 0.11), T. striatus(1.06, 0.65), and Sorex cinereus(0.09, 0). The high B. mayoniiinfection prevalence in eastern chipmunks suggests that the species may be an important reservoir for B. mayoniiin the Upper Midwest.

Introduction:Ex-vivo generated autologous CAR T cell therapy has transformed the treatment of hematologic malignancies, driving deep and durable responses in patients refractory to conventional therapies. However, multiple challenges including complex manufacturing, high cost, and toxic pre-conditioning regimens limits access to these therapies. To overcome these challenges, a novel lentiviral vector platform, VivoVec™, is being developed. The VivoVec™ platform comprises lentiviral particles surface-engineered with a multi-domain fusion (MDF) protein assembled from T cell activating and costimulatory ligands along with a CAR transgene payload, designed to provide an off-the-shelf solution for generation of CAR T cells in vivo. Here we have evaluated the performance of VivoVec™ particles in multiple preclinical models. Following a single VivoVec™ particle injection, CAR T cells are efficiently generated in vivoand expand in response to cognate antigen, eradicate target antigen expressing cells, and form CAR T cell memory populations, in the absence of lymphodepleting chemotherapy or exogenous supportive cytokines.

The blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis Say, is the primary Lyme disease vector in the eastern United States. Both immature stages of I. scapularistake blood meals from mice belonging to the genus Peromyscus. Mice are active during the night and spend the majority of diel periods in nests. Thus, immature I. scapularishave a greater opportunity to drop from Peromyscushosts while in nests compared with the forest floor. Here, we collected 11 Peromyscusnests during a 3-mo period during which the immature I. scapularisare known to be active. We then examined nesting materials for the presence of I. scapularis. Immature I. scapulariswere detected in 64% of Peromyscusnests examined. Additionally, 55% of the nests contained at least one Dermacentor variabilisSay larva. Eighty-seven percent of all larval ticks found within nests were blood-fed. Because Peromyscusspp. are highly competent reservoirs of numerous tick-borne pathogens, the ticks that detach in their nests may be important for the maintenance of tick-borne diseases. However, further studies are needed to determine the fate of the I. scapularisthat detach in Peromyscusnests.

ABSTRACTAssessing the impact of events on the evolution of online public discourse is challenging due to the lack of data prior to the event and appropriate methodologies for capturing the progression of tenor of public discourse, both in terms of their tone and topic. In this article, we introduce a geovisual analytics framework, CarSenToGram, which integrates topic modeling and sentiment analysis with cartograms to identify the changing dynamics of public discourse on a particular topic across space and time. The main novelty of CarSenToGram is coupling comprehensible spatiotemporal overviews of the overall distribution, topical and sentiment patterns with increasing levels of information supported by zoom and filter, and details-on-demand interactions. To demonstrate the utility of CarSenToGram, in this article, we analyze tweets related to immigration the month before and after the 27 January 2017 travel ban in order to reveal insights into one of the defining moments of President Trump’s first year in office. Not only do we find that the travel ban influenced online public discourse and sentiment on immigration, but it also highlighted important partisan divisions within the US.

Colorblindness is often conceptualized as a set of deeply held but unrecognized ideological tenets. However, we believe that colorblindness has also now become an explicit cultural discourse involving self-conscious claims and specific convictions. To illustrate this point—which has both conceptual and empirical implications—we introduce the notion of colorblindness as identity. We define this concept as subjectively meaningful, self-asserted identification with colorblindness. We use data from a nationally representative survey to explore the social determinants of colorblind identification and assess its relationship to both colorblind ideologies and standard attitudinal measures. We find that a relatively large percentage of Americans across racial lines identify as colorblind. Furthermore, such identification is connected to racial ideologies but not all tenets of colorblind racism. For white Americans, colorblind identification is associated with decreased perceptions of social distance, but not support for policies designed to ameliorate the effects of racial discrimination. We conclude that colorblind identification is a unique social phenomenon, connected to views on race but not always in the ways that existing research would predict. We also suggest directions for further exploration of the depth of colorblindness as an identity form and implications for theorizing colorblind discourse more generally.