Elite US Research Articles

THE CONFLICTING ISRAELI-TERRORIST IMAGE

This study employs the conflicting images concept and literature on the norms of professional journalism to explore how two elite US papers managed the narrative of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict when an Israeli citizen committed a terrorist attack against Palestinians living in the occupied territories. It concludes that violations of ideal expectations can interact with the norms of professional journalism to disrupt a narrative, facilitate a narrative's “repair,” and, contradictorily, retard that same repair work: The New York Times and Washington Post grappled with the meaning of the event to assess its compatibility with their narrative. The study calls for research to determine under what conditions, if any, conflicting images lead to narrative revision.

Revealing and Reframing Apocalyptic Tragedy in Global Warming Discourse

Through a critical rhetorical analysis of US elite and popular press coverage of global warming, this essay explores the structuring presence and implications of apocalyptic framing. We found that the hallmarks of apocalyptic rhetoric-a linear temporality emphasizing a catastrophic end-point that is more or less outside the purview of human agency-permeate selected discourse. Two variants of the apocalyptic frame impact human agency: tragic apocalypse constitutes global warming as a matter of cosmic Fate; and comic apocalypse suggests that mistaken humans have a capacity to influence (within limits) the global warming narrative's end. We conclude with suggestions for structuring climate change communication in ways that enable more members of the public to become active advocates for, and participants in, mitigating global warming.

Framing the Mohammad cartoons issue

The purpose of this article is to investigate how Swedish and US elite newspapers framed the publication of cartoons of the Muslim prophet Mohammad in a Danish newspaper in September 2005, and the events that ensued from that publication. These cartoons proved to be very controversial, and, since the original publication has been reprinted several times, continue to stir controversy. In order to investigate how different frames emerged in the news coverage, the study includes all news articles published in the selected newspapers during a six-month period from the first publication of the Mohammad cartoons. Methodologically, the study uses quantitative and qualitative content analysis. Theoretically, the study is based on framing theory and international news determinants. The results show some interesting differences as well as similarities. In the conclusions, four propositions that might be explored in future research are offered.

Foreign policy and the framing of the 2003 Iraq War in elite Swedish and US newspapers

This study investigated the framing of the Iraq War in the elite newspapers in Sweden and the USA during the official war period, 20 March—1 May 2003. The content analysis revealed significant cross-cultural differences in the framing of the war in terms of tone, frames and use of sources. The differences in framing were consistent with the characteristics of the national political environment and foreign policy stances in each country.

Analysis of gene-derived SNP marker polymorphism in US wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars

In this study, we developed 359 detection primers for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) previously discovered within intron sequences of wheat genes and used them to evaluate SNP polymorphism in common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). These SNPs showed an average polymorphism information content (PIC) of 0.18 among 20 US elite wheat cultivars, representing seven market classes. This value increased to 0.23 when SNPs were pre-selected for polymorphisms among a diverse set of 13 hexaploid wheat accessions (excluding synthetic wheats) used in the wheat SNP discovery project (http://wheat.pw.usda.gov/SNP). PIC values for SNP markers in the D genome were approximately half of those for the A and B genomes. D genome SNPs also showed a larger PIC reduction relative to the other genomes (P < 0.05) when US cultivars were compared with the more diverse set of 13 wheat accessions. Within those accessions, D genome SNPs show a higher proportion of alleles with low minor allele frequencies (<0.125) than found in the other two genomes. These data suggest that the reduction of PIC values in the D genome was caused by differential loss of low frequency alleles during the population size bottleneck that accompanied the development of modern commercial cultivars. Additional SNP discovery efforts targeted to the D genome in elite wheat germplasm will likely be required to offset the lower diversity of this genome. With increasing SNP discovery projects and the development of high-throughput SNP assay technologies, it is anticipated that SNP markers will play an increasingly important role in wheat genetics and breeding applications.

Genetic dissection of fruit quality components in melon (Cucumis melo L.) using a RIL population derived from exotic × elite US Western Shipping germplasm

Growing environment dramatically influences melon (Cucumis melo L.; 2n = 2x = 24) fruit development and quality. Consequently, the characterization of quantitative trait loci (QTL) controlling melon fruit quality for application in marker-assisted selection (MAS) requires an assessment of genotype by environmental interactions, trait correlations, and QTL efficacy. Therefore, fruit quality traits [soluble solids content (SSC), mesocarp pressure (MP), fruit diameter (mesocarp + exocarp; FD), seed cavity diameter (endocarp; SCD), seed cavity to FD ratio (C:D), fruit shape (FS), and percentage of exocarp netting (PN) at time of harvest] were examined in 81 recombinant inbred lines (RIL) at two growing locations (California. and Wisconsin, USA) to identify the map position and consistency of QTL for MAS in a Group Cantalupensis U.S. Western Shipping market type background. RIL developed from a cross between U.S. Department of Agriculture line USDA-846-1 and ‘Top Mark’ were used to identify 57 QTL in both location tested (SSC = 10, MP = 8, FD = 6, SCD = 9, C:D = 8, PN = 6, and FS = 10). The QTL were distributed across 12 linkage groups and explained a significant portion of the associated phenotypic variation (R 2 = 4–29%). Twelve of such QTL were consistently identified in the two locations tested [SSC (ssc7.4 and ssc10.8), MP (mp7.2, mp10.3, and mplg7.5), SCD (scd1.1, scd5.4, and scd8.5), C:D (cd2.1), and PN (pn2.1), FS (fs1.1 and fs2.3)]. The map positions of 18 QTL (FS = 7, SSC = 6, C:D = 3, SCD = 1, and PN = 1) were in equivalent (i.e., collinear) genomic regions with previous studies in Group Inodorus-based maps. Six of the collinear QTL were detected in both locations in our study (ssc7.4, ssc10.8, fs1.1, fs2.3, pn2.1, and scd5.4). The collinearity of these QTL with those identified in other maps, and their consistency across diverse growing environments portends their broad applicability in melon MAS.

(Re)constructing women: scaled portrayals of privilege and gender norms on campus

How are privilege and/or particular gender norms for women spatially (re)produced over time and how are they challenged and changed? In interviews and mental mapping exercises with 32 students and graduates of an elite US women's college from graduating classes spanning 1937 to 2006, women's class and gender norms and expectations are found to have been produced, reproduced and reworked in their everyday experiences during college. Participants portray these norms through the scales of the body, institution and extra‐institution in regards to the particular social and physical space of the campus. Participants’ experiences, as depicted in these scales, indicate that class norms remained stable over generational cohorts, but gender norms shifted drastically because the privilege found within and granted by the elite women's college campus allowed for and prompted such changes. Transformations of women's gender norms also correspond with changes in the larger social sphere with a particular split in how participants could enact their privilege to alter their gender norms before and after the late 1960s.

Detection of QTL for yield-related traits using recombinant inbred lines derived from exotic and elite US Western Shipping melon germplasm

The inheritance of yield-related traits in melon (Cucumis melo L.; 2n = 2x = 24) is poorly understood, and the mapping of quantitative trait loci (QTL) for such traits has not been reported. Therefore, a set of 81 recombinant inbred lines (RIL) was developed from a cross between the monoecious, highly branched line USDA 846-1 and a standard vining, andromonoecious cultivar, 'Top Mark'. The RIL, parental lines, and three control cultivars ('Esteem', 'Sol Dorado', and 'Hales Best Jumbo') were grown at Hancock, WI and El Centro, CA in 2002, and evaluated for primary branch number (PB), fruit number per plant (FN), fruit weight per plant (FW), average weight per fruit (AWF), and percentage of mature fruit per plot (PMF). A 190-point genetic map was constructed using 114 RAPD, 43 SSR, 32 AFLP markers, and one phenotypic trait. Fifteen linkage groups spanned 1,116 cM with a mean marker interval of 5.9 cM. A total of 37 QTL were detected in both locations (PB = 6, FN = 9, FW = 12, AWF = 5, and PMF = 5). QTL analyses revealed four location-independent factors for PB (pb1.1, pb1.2, pb2.3, and pb10.5), five for FN (fn1.1, fn1.2, fn1.3, fn2.4, and fn8.8), four for FW (fw5.8, fw6.10, fw8.11, and fw8.12), two for AWF (awf1.3 and awf8.5), and one for PMF (pmf10.4). The significant (P </= 0.05) positive phenotypic correlations observed among PB, FN, and FW, and negative phenotypic correlations between PB and AWF and between FN and AWF were consistent with the genomic locations and effects (negative vs. positive) of the QTL detected. Results indicate that genes resident in highly branched melon types have potential for increasing yield in US Western Shipping type germplasm via marker-assisted selection.

Linkage disequilibrium in European elite maize germplasm investigated with SSRs

Information about the extent and genomic distribution of linkage disequilibrium (LD) is of fundamental importance for association mapping. The main objectives of this study were to (1) investigate genetic diversity within germplasm groups of elite European maize (Zea mays L.) inbred lines, (2) examine the population structure of elite European maize germplasm, and (3) determine the extent and genomic distribution of LD between pairs of simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. We examined genetic diversity and LD in a cross section of European and US elite breeding material comprising 147 inbred lines genotyped with 100 SSR markers. For gene diversity within each group, significant (P<0.05) differences existed among the groups. The LD was significant (P<0.05) for 49% of the SSR marker pairs in the 80 flint lines and for 56% of the SSR marker pairs in the 57 dent lines. The ratio of linked to unlinked loci in LD was 1.1 for both germplasm groups. The high incidence of LD suggests that the extent of LD between SSR markers should allow the detection of marker-phenotype associations in a genome scan. However, our results also indicate that a high proportion of the observed LD is generated by forces, such as relatedness, population stratification, and genetic drift, which cause a high risk of detecting false positives in association mapping.

‘… Another important group that needs more cultivation’: The council on foreign relations and the mobilization of Black Americans for interventionism, 1939–19411

This article explores the role and influence of the elite US east coast organization, the Council on Foreign Relations [CFR], on the mobilization of Black Americans for aiding the Allied war effort in 1939–41. It examines the Council's wide-ranging campaign, arguing that the CFR, through two ad hoc organizations, the Committee to Defend America by Aiding the Allies and Fight For Freedom, mobilized blacks despite their political and economic marginality, because the rhetoric of freedom and democracy which characterized the war against Hitler brought into focus America's own racist practices. This denotes the first time that US elites recognised the foreign policy implications of domestic racism. Attempts were therefore made to mobilize blacks as part of a war campaign that also demanded domestic racial reform, prefiguring the Black-led ‘Double V’ programme of victory over racism at home and abroad.

Dietary Supplement Use by U.S. Athletes Participating in the 2000 Summer Games

Introduction: The use of dietary supplements has been a common practice for US Olympians and Olympic hopefuls for well over two decades. However, data on dietary supplement use by US elite athletes is limited. Data that does exist indicate that use has increased, as has the variety of supplements used. Processing athletes for the Summer Olympic Games in Sydney offered the opportunity to collect data on dietary supplement use by athletes comprising the U.S. Olympic Team. Methods: Team processing was conducted at ASW Naval Base & Bayside Convention Center, San Diego, California from August 15 to September 13, 2000. Athletes were processed as teams, prior to departing for Sydney. One step of the physical exam process was completion of the Athlete Medical History Form. Three questions on dietary supplement use were included on the medical history form. A team physician or certified athletic trainer reviewed the self-reported data with each athlete after completion of the form. Questions elicited information on frequency of supplement use, types of supplements taken in the past year, and reasons for use. Each of the questions allowed for multiple answers. Frequencies were performed for all variables concerning supplement use, stratified by gender and sport. Correlations were computed to identify relationships between supplement use (frequency, type and reason) and sport classifications. Analysis of variance was used to determine differences in gender, sport, types of supplements and reason for supplement use. In 1988, 66% of the athletes on the U.S. Summer Olympic Team were surveyed on use of ergogenic aids (Miles, 1991). While the instrument utilized was different from the one used in the study reported here, some comparisons of data were possible. Results: There were 602 athletes from 28 sports on the Olympic Team roster who were processed for Sydney. Completed medical history forms were obtained on 543 (90%) of the athletes, 241 females and 302 males. Group size ranged from 123 athletes on the track and field team to one athlete on the badminton team. Two hundred and twenty-two female athletes reported using dietary supplements, whereas 272 male athletes said they did. This represents 92% of the females and 90% of the males, with a combined average of 91% from whom data were obtained. Responses to frequency of use ranged from “never” to “daily”. Reasons for using dietary supplements included: 1) to correct an inadequate diet 2) to increase muscle mass/body weight 3) to lose weight 4) to prevent illness and disease 5) to treat a medical condition or an injury 6) to increase energy 7) to enhance performance and 8) no specific reason. Of surprise to the investigators was that 33% of the athletes who reported taking supplements reported taking herbals. In 1988 only 1% of those completing a supplement survey reported taking herbals. Discussion: It is known that elite level US athletes have historically reported a higher use of vitamin/mineral supplements than the general public. Prior to this survey, it was not possible to estimate, with any degree of accuracy, the percentage of Olympic athletes taking dietary supplements. Comparing this data to data from surveys on limited numbers of Olympic athletes and a 1988 survey conducted during team processing, indicate that not only has the use of dietary supplements increased, but also the number of substances taken.

Established Pluralism: US elite media discourse about China policy

In the post-Tiananmen and post-Cold War era, China has not only lost its strategic alliance with the US against the Soviet Union, but has stepped in to be seen as the US's imagined enemy. The New York Times 's discourse about China policy from 1990 to 2000 consisted of three "ideological packages": containment, engagement, and globalization, which represented different strategic variations on the same ideological theme of peaceful evolution. The elite media discourse is characterized as "established pluralism". First, it represents a plurality of viewpoints within the established policy contour and the official circle. Second, it tends to domesticate foreign realities in the course of constructing Orientalist discourses. Third, this diversity-within-unity is routinized in the institutionalized structure and practice of the elite press.

Cloning: A study in news production

In retrospect, the 1997 media furor over the cloning of Dolly the sheep was remarkable not so much for any lasting effects on opinion or policy it might have produced as for changing the frame of public debate about biotechnology generally to one that explicitly incorporated ethical considerations. This essay discusses the nature and implications of this shift, based on the author's study of elite US newspaper coverage of this controversy up to and just beyond Dolly's momentary fame. While ethical considerations found their way into mainstream media discourse about biotechnology in ways that had previously been uncommon and that may have had significant influence on the subsequent history of the debate, this happened with little visible long-term disruption of status quo institutional control over outcomes. The cloning debate may even have diverted public attention from some aspects of the biotechnology controversy at the same time as it created new public space for ethical debate over others.

INCIDENCE OF EXERCISE-INDUCED BRONCHOSPASM IN ELITE WINTER SPORT ATHLETES

1692 The purpose of this project was to determine the incidence of exercise-induced bronchospasm (EIB) among US elite winter sport athletes. Subjects included members of the 1997-1998 US National Team and 1998 US Winter Olympic Team in the sports of biathlon, cross-country skiing, figure skating, hockey, Nordic combined, and speedskating. EIB screening was conducted in conjunction with an "actual competition" (Olympic Trials, World Team Trials, World Cup Event) or "simulated competition" (time trial, game), which served as the exercise challenge. Standard pulmonary function tests (PFT) were performed preexercise and 5, 10, and 15 min postexercise. An athlete was considered EIB-symptomatic based on a postexercise decrement in FEV1 greater than 10% (Kaplan, 1995). (Table)TableAmong those found to be EIB-symptomatic were athletes who won one team gold, one individual silver, and one individual bronze medal at the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympic Games. In general, these data suggest a higher incidence of EIB among elite winter sport athletes relative to "physically active people" (5-15%).

Detection of loci affecting milk production and health traits in an elite US Holstein population using microsatellite markers

Quantitative trait loci (QTL) affecting health and milk production traits were studied in seven large half‐sib US Holstein families by using the granddaughter design. Genotyping for 16 markers was completed and marker allele differences within and pooled‐across families were analysed. Potential QTL were identified for somatic cell score (SCS), fat yield, fat percentage, protein yield and protein percentage. Three markers (BM203, BM4505 and BM2078) were associated with significant effects for different traits and, after further analysis, may be useful in marker‐assisted selection in specific families. Comparisons between these data and previously identified QTL support the location of a QTL for milk yield and protein yield on chromosome 21.

Characterization of rice ( Oryza sativa L.) plants regenerated from salt-tolerant cell lines

Cell lines were established from the seed of two elite US rice lines (L-202 and M-202) as well as Indica rice varieties Pokkali, IR 28 and IR 42. Salt-tolerant cell lines were selected from these callus cultures by a single step selection process on tissue culture medium containing 1% (0.171 M) NaCl. Plants were regenerated from the salt-tolerant lines. The salt selection process and regeneration of the embryogenic callus had minimal adverse effect on subsequent plant growth, since the regenerated plants were vigorous, have flowered and in most cases were fertile. Seed was collected from the regenerated plants and the germinated seedlings were tested for salt tolerance. The R2 seedling salt tolerance was compared for plants regenerated from salt selected cell lines of L-202 that had been maintained on 1% NaCl for 1, 4 and 5 months. Heritable improvement in salt tolerance was obtained in R2 seedlings from one plant that had been regenerated after 5 months of selection on salt-containing medium. These results indicate that short-term salt selected rice callus contains many embryogenic calli that do not carry heritable changes in the salt tolerance phenotype and therefore necessitates screening for the tolerance phenotype in the progeny of the regenerated plants. Thus, as shown in the case of L-202 (R4), prolonging the selection process in vitro for rice improves the likelihood of regenerating plants with improved salt tolerance.

Confronting Southern Africa Solidarity Work

The history of US policy in Southern Africa has been depressingly consistent. Because US government agencies and major corporations were so closely tied to the ruling white minorities of the region, it was only when majority forces rose up in armed rebellion and seized power that some members of the US elite were willing to accept the fait accompli of majority rule. But even then, there were powerful conservative forces that sought to “roll back” the advance of popular movements in countries like Angola and Mozambique. The Reagan administration sought to hold back the tide of leftist victories in southern Africa by giving Pretoria the international protection it needed to bring its neighbors to their knees.

Confronting Southern Africa Solidarity Work

The history of US policy in Southern Africa has been depressingly consistent. Because US government agencies and major corporations were so closely tied to the ruling white minorities of the region, it was only when majority forces rose up in armed rebellion and seized power that some members of the US elite were willing to accept the fait accompli of majority rule. But even then, there were powerful conservative forces that sought to “roll back” the advance of popular movements in countries like Angola and Mozambique. The Reagan administration sought to hold back the tide of leftist victories in southern Africa by giving Pretoria the international protection it needed to bring its neighbors to their knees.

Confronting Southern Africa Solidarity Work

The history of US policy in Southern Africa has been depressingly consistent. Because US government agencies and major corporations were so closely tied to the ruling white minorities of the region, it was only when majority forces rose up in armed rebellion and seized power that some members of the US elite were willing to accept the fait accompli of majority rule. But even then, there were powerful conservative forces that sought to “roll back” the advance of popular movements in countries like Angola and Mozambique. The Reagan administration sought to hold back the tide of leftist victories in southern Africa by giving Pretoria the international protection it needed to bring its neighbors to their knees.