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Social media platforms are known to foster extremist rhetoric and ideologies, including antisemitism. Antisemitic conspiracy theories are often spread via mainstream social media platforms, especially during times of civic unrest. The COVID-19 pandemic created an opportunity for the alignment of long-standing antisemitic conspiracies with an international health crisis. This paper applies a mixed-methods approach of data analysis and qualitative coding to examine connections between COVID-19 conspiracy theories and antisemitism in US tweets. We identify six prominent categories of COVID-19 conspiracy present on Twitter (now known as X), each of which overlaps with common themes seen in antisemitic conspiracy theories. This conspiratorial content may be less likely to violate social media hate speech policies but nonetheless contributes to extremist discourse.

Paraxial protocadherin (PAPC) and fibronectin leucine-rich domain transmembrane protein-3 (FLRT3) are induced by TGFbeta signaling in Xenopus embryos and both regulate morphogenesis by inhibiting C-cadherin mediated cell adhesion. We have investigated the functional and physical relationships between PAPC, FLRT3, and C-cadherin. Although neither PAPC nor FLRT3 are required for each other to regulate C-cadherin adhesion, they do interact functionally and physically, and they form a complex with cadherins. By itself PAPC reduces cell adhesion physiologically to induce cell sorting, while FLRT3 disrupts adhesion excessively to cause cell dissociation. However, when expressed together PAPC limits the cell dissociating and tissue disrupting activity of FLRT3 to make it effective in physiological cell sorting. PAPC counteracts FLRT3 function by inhibiting the recruitment of the GTPase RND1 to the FLRT3 cytoplasmic domain. PAPC and FLRT3 form a functional complex with cadherins and PAPC functions as a molecular \"governor\" to maintain FLRT3 activity at the optimal level for physiological regulation of C-cadherin adhesion, cell sorting, and morphogenesis.

Bacteria belonging to the family Acidimicrobiaceae are frequently encountered in heavy metal-contaminated acidic environments. However, their phylogenetic and metabolic diversity is poorly resolved. We present draft genome sequences of two novel and phylogenetically distinct Acidimicrobiaceae members assembled from an acid mine drainage biofilm metagenome.

Two current technologies used in biosensor development are very promising: 1. The sol-gel process of making microporous glass at room temperature, and 2. Using a fluorescent compound that undergoes fluorescence quenching in response to a specific analyte. These technologies have been combined to produce an iron biosensor. To optimize the iron (II or III) specificity of an iron biosensor, pyoverdin (a fluorescent siderophore produced by Pseudomonas spp.) was immobilized in 3 formulations of porous sol-gel glass. The formulations, A, B, and C, varied in the amount of water added, resulting in respective R values (molar ratio of water:silicon) of 5.6, 8.2, and 10.8. Pyoverdin-doped sol-gel pellets were placed in a flow cell in a fluorometer and the fluorescence quenching was measured as pellets were exposed to 0.28 - 0.56 mM iron (II or III). After 10 minutes of exposure to iron, ferrous ion caused a small fluorescence quenching (89 - 97% of the initial fluorescence, over the range of iron tested) while ferric ion caused much greater quenching (65 - 88%). The most specific and linear response was observed for pyoverdin immobilized in sol-gel C. In contrast, a solution of pyoverdin (3.0 μM) exposed to iron (II or III) for 10 minutes showed an increase in fluorescence (101 - 114%) at low ferrous concentrations (0.45 - 2.18 μM) while exposure to all ferric ion concentrations (0.45 - 3.03 μM) caused quenching. In summary, the iron specificity of pyoverdin was improved by immobilizing it in sol-gel glass C.

White supremacist extremist groups are a significant domestic terror threat in many Western nations. These groups harness the Internet to spread their ideology via online platforms: blogs, chat rooms, forums, and social media, which can inspire violence offline. In this work, we study the persistence and reach of white supremacist propaganda in both online and offline environments. We also study patterns in narratives that crossover from online to offline environments, or vice versa. From a geospatial analysis, we find that offline propaganda is geographically widespread in the United States, with a slight tendency toward Northeastern states. Propaganda that spreads the farthest and lasts the longest has a patriotic framing and is short, memorable, and repeatable. Through text comparison methods, we illustrate that online propaganda typically leads the appearance of the same propaganda in offline flyers, banners, and graffiti. We hope that this study sheds light on the characteristics of persistent white supremacist narratives both online and offline.

Hispanics/Latinos are the largest ethnic minority in the United States—but they are far from being a homogenous group. Mexican Americans in the Southwest have roots that extend back four centuries, while Dominicans and Salvadorans are very recent immigrants. Cuban Americans in South Florida have very different occupational achievements, employment levels, and income from immigrant Guatemalans who work in the poultry industry in Virginia. In fact, the only characteristic shared by all Hispanics/Latinos in the United States is birth or ancestry in a Spanish-speaking country. In this book, sixteen geographers and two sociologists map the regional and cultural diversity of the Hispanic/Latino population of the United States. They report on Hispanic communities in all sections of the country, showing how factors such as people's country/culture of origin, length of time in the United States, and relations with non-Hispanic society have interacted to create a wide variety of Hispanic communities. Identifying larger trends, they also discuss the common characteristics of three types of Hispanic communities—those that have always been predominantly Hispanic, those that have become Anglo-dominated, and those in which Hispanics are just becoming a significant portion of the population.

There is increasing pressure on institutions of higher education to accurately measure student success. What was once thought of as a way to develop students holistically via a liberal arts degree, higher education is now often regarded as a means to an end: a well-paying job. Lost in the drive for quantifiable data is the holistic development of individuals who are capable of interacting with and influencing the world around them. Thus, higher education struggles to respond to market pressures while maintaining a focus on wholly developing individuals. In this research study, it is proposed that student “success” should include household income, critical thinking, psychological capital, and psychological well-being. Furthermore, research is needed to identify predictors that lead to whole student development. Interpersonal relationships were proposed as a critical predictor of holistically developed students; specifically, interpersonal relationships with fellow students and faculty mentorships. It was further purposed that these factors are moderated by student internship/work experience. This study was conducted using an online survey of 250 respondents and utilized regression analyses to assess the relationships between the predictors and the proposed outcomes of holistic education. Amazon’s Mechanical Turk was used to recruit participants (N = 369) who completed an online survey. The sample included slightly more males (57%) than females (43%), and a median age of 32. Hierarchical multiple regression was used to analyze results. Strong positive main effects were found for both personal relationships (β = .636; R2 = .405, p < .001) and faculty mentorship (β = .551; R2 = .304, p < .001) on holistic student development. Internship/work experience value also exhibited a positive relationship with holistic student development (β = .376; R 2 = .141, p < .001). Together, the three factors accounted for a substantial proportion of the variance in the holistic student development (R2 = .496, p < .001). The hypothesized two-way and three-way interactions were not significant. Results suggested that there is a link between personal relationships, faculty mentorships, internship/work experiences, and the outcome of wholly developed students, but those relationships did not interact in a synergistic manner.