Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Global Communication: Theories, Stakeholders and Trends

Global Communication: Theories, Stakeholders, and Trends. Thomas L. McPhail. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon, 2002. 272 pp. $47 pbk. There is nothing misleading about the title of this book. It is an accurate description of what McPhail provides and the structure he uses for presenting much useful information and some thought-provoking ideas on the topic of global communication. For a number of reasons, including the end of the cold war, the pattern of mergers and acquisitions in media industries, and advances related to the Internet and satellite technologies, international journalism and global communication are in the midst of some significant changes. The approach taken here for addressing these changes, and for organizing the book, is found to the right of the title's colon. Although not actually labeled as such, each of the twelve chapters seems to focus on either theories, stakeholders, or trends in global communication. Depending on a reader's background and interests, this can work quite well or be a little frustrating. Those chapters dealing with stakeholders are thorough, if perhaps a bit too descriptive, in listing basic information about the histories and status of U.S. and foreign media companies, wire services, advertising agencies, and international organizations. Details are given about how multinational conglomerates have formed and where they seem to be headed. Among the more interesting of the "stakeholder" chapters are the two that deal with international bodies involved in communication issues. Chapter nine is a reading that could stand on its own as a most worthwhile discussion of UNESCO. Chapter ten presents a fascinating overview of the International Telecommunications Union and Intelsat. These chapters cover events and shifting positions concerning New World Information and Communication Order debates and raise matters of increasing importance about the development and global regulation of media technologies. The theory component of Global Communication: Theories, Stakeholders, and Trends is based largely on world-system theory, a critical theory of social history and cultural change first articulated in the 1970s, and the theory of electronic colonialism, a media dependency explanation elaborated on by McPhail in two editions of a Sage book by that name in the 1980s. Other theories and research traditions, including cultural imperialism, development journalism, functionalism, and structuralism are brought up but dismissed as outdated or inadequate for providing full understanding of modern global communication conditions and outcomes. The book does an excellent job of relating electronic colonialism and world-system theories and adopts the nomenclature of the latter throughout. …
GPU-Based Hyperstreamlines for Diffusion Tensor Imaging

We propose a new approach for the visualization of hyperstreamlines, which offers potential for better scalability than the conventional polygon-based approach. Our method circumvents the bandwidth bottleneck between the CPU and GPU by transmitting a small set of parameters for each tube segment and generates the surface directly on the GPU using the classical sphere tracing approach. This reduces the load on the CPU that would otherwise need to provide a suitable level-of-detail representation of the scene, while offering even higher quality in the resulting surfaces since every fragment is traced individually. We demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach by comparing it to the performance and output of conventional visualization tools in the application area of diffusion tensor imaging of human brain MR scans. The method presented here can also be utilized to generate other types of surfaces on the GPU that are too complex to handle with direct ray casting and can therefore be adapted for other applications.
Identification of a Transcytosis Epitope on Staphylococcal Enterotoxins

ABSTRACT Staphylococcal enterotoxins (SE) are exoproteins produced by Staphylococcus aureus that act as superantigens and have been implicated as a leading cause of food-borne disease and toxic shock. Little is known about how these molecules penetrate the gut lining and gain access to both local and systemic immune tissues. To model movement in vitro of staphylococcal enterotoxins, we have employed a monolayer system composed of crypt-like human colonic T-84 cells. SEB and SEA showed comparable dose-dependent transcytosis in vitro, while toxic shock syndrome toxin (TSST-1) exhibited increased movement at lower doses. Synthetic peptides corresponding to specific regions of the SEB molecule were tested in vitro to identify the domain of the protein involved in the transcytosis of SE. A toxin peptide of particular interest contains the amino acid sequence KKKVTAQELD, which is highly conserved across all SE. At a toxin-to-peptide ratio of 1:10, movement of SEB across the monolayers was reduced by 85%. Antisera made against the SEB peptide recognized native SEB and also inhibited SEB transcytosis. Finally, the conserved 10-amino-acid peptide inhibited transcytosis of multiple staphylococcal enterotoxins, SEA, SEE, and TSST-1. These data demonstrate that this region of the staphylococcal enterotoxins plays a distinct role in toxin movement across epithelial cells. It has implications for the prevention of staphylococcal enterotoxin-mediated disease by design of a peptide vaccine that could reduce systemic exposure to oral or inhaled superantigens. Since the sequence identified is highly conserved, it allows for a single epitope blocking the transcytosis of multiple SE.
Infodemiology: Tracking Flu-Related Searches on the Web for Syndromic Surveillance

BACKGROUND Syndromic surveillance uses health-related data that precede diagnosis and signal a sufficient probability of a case or an outbreak to warrant further public health response. OBJECTIVE While most syndromic surveillance systems rely on data from clinical encounters with health professionals, I started to explore in 2004 whether analysis of trends in Internet searches can be useful to predict outbreaks such as influenza epidemics and prospectively gathered data on Internet search trends for this purpose. RESULTS There is an excellent correlation between the number of clicks on a keyword-triggered link in Google with epidemiological data from the flu season 2004/2005 in Canada (Pearson correlation coefficient of current week clicks with the following week influenza cases r=.91). The "Google ad sentinel method" proved to be more timely, more accurate and - with a total cost of Can$365.64 for the entire flu-season - considerably cheaper than the traditional method of reports on influenza-like illnesses observed in clinics by sentinel physicians. CONCLUSION Systematically collecting and analyzing health information demand data from the Internet has considerable potential to be used for syndromic surveillance. Tracking web searches on the Internet has the potential to predict population-based events relevant for public health purposes, such as real outbreaks, but may also be confounded by "epidemics of fear". Data from such "infodemiology studies" should also include longitudinal data on health information supply.
A high-resolution pulse-Doppler underwater acoustic navigation system

A high-resolution underwater acoustic pulse-Doppler navigation system has been developed and tested at sea. The system provides continuous, highly accurate tracking of underwater and ocean-surface platforms in a fixed 50-km2navigation net. Three reference buoys, moored 20 m from the ocean bottom, provide the navigation net used by shipboard processing equipment. Each reference buoy contains an acoustic transponder, used to obtain the acoustic travel times from the transponder to the platform, and a continuous-tone beacon, used to obtain the Doppler shift due to platform motion. The system is capable of determining the position of a platform with respect to the reference net with an error of 2-3 m. The relative position of the platform on a fix-to-fix basis can be determined within several centimeters over short time intervals (\approx 10min).
The natural life cycle of new media evolution

This article analyzes the evolution of the internet, with special emphasis on its impact on older media in their struggle to survive. The analysis is based on a 6-stage, natural life cycle model of new media evolution, comprising birth (technical invention), penetration, growth, maturity, self-defense, and adaptation, convergence or obsolescence. Our universal model melds several elements of previous theories and analyses from disparate fields such as media history, marketing, technological diffusion and convergence, while adding a few new aspects as well. The model’s three contributions lie in expanding the scope –quantitatively and qualitatively –of new media’s development stages (beyond the three or four stages noted by others); emphasizing the interaction and struggle between old and new media; and analyzing ‘functional-life after appliance-death’of media transformed/co-opted into something old/new. Applying this model to the internet enables us to better understand its future evolution and the survival chances of older mass media.
Bedside Handover: Quality Improvement Strategy to “Transform Care at the Bedside”

This quality improvement project implemented bedside handover in nursing. Using Lewin's 3-Step Model for Change, 3 wards in an Australian hospital changed from verbal reporting in an isolated room to bedside handover. Practice guidelines and a competency standard were developed. The change was received positively by both staff and patients. Staff members reported that bedside handover improved safety, efficiency, teamwork, and the level of support from senior staff members.
PERIPHERAL VASCULAR DISEASE Original Studies Infrapopliteal Drug-Eluting Stents for Chronic Limb Ischemia

Objective: We report our experience with the elective placement of below-knee, drugeluting stents in patients with chronic limb ischemia. Background: Infrapopliteal percutaneous transluminal angioplasty has been associated with a lower rate of procedural success and high rate of restenosis because of the small size of the tibial vessels and the prevalence of calcified and diffuse atherosclerotic disease. Prior published data reports 3-year patency rates below 25%. Bare metal stents have been reported in bailout situations. Drug-eluting stents have markedly reduced restenosis compared to bare metal stents in the coronary vasculature, but there is little data supporting the use of these devices below the knee. Methods: Elective placement of drug-eluting stents in infrapopliteal lesions was performed on 10 patients with severe (≥Fontaine Stage IIb) claudication (n 5 1) or limb-threatening ischemia (n 5 9) (rest pain, nonhealing ulcers and gangrene). Results: A total of 17 drug-eluting stents were electively placed in 12 below-knee arteries in 10 patients, resulting in an average of 1.7 6 0.7 stents per patient. The mean lesion length was 24.8 6 10.9 mm, the mean total stent length was 38.3 6 19.1 mm, and the mean nominal stent diameter was 2.8 6 0.3 mm. One patient required target vessel revascularization (TVR) at 3 weeks because of stent thrombosis. TVR was 10% at 12.4 6 6.5 months of follow-up. Clinically driven angiography in three different patients was performed at 4, 15, and 16 months and confirmed drug-eluting stent patency in each case. Conclusions: The use of below-knee drug-eluting stents is feasible and appears to be safe in our small series of complex infrapopliteal lesions causing chronic limb ischemia. The occurrence of a single case of stent thrombosis warrants continued observation in this cohort. Prospective clinical trials will be necessary to confirm the benefits and justify the costs of this strategy for treating patients with infrapopliteal culprit lesions and chronic limb ischemia. ' 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Trust into Collective Privacy? The Role of Subjective Theories for Self-Disclosure in Online Communication

In order to build and maintain social capital in their Online Social Networks, users need to disclose personal information, a behavior that at the same time leads to a lower level of privacy. In this conceptual paper, we offer a new theoretical perspective on the question of why people might regulate their privacy boundaries inadequately when communicating in Online Social Networks. We argue that people have developed a subjective theory about online privacy putting them into a processing mode of default trust. In this trusting mode people would (a) discount the risk of a self-disclosure directly; and (b) infer the risk from invalid cues which would then reinforce their trusting mode. As a consequence people might be more willing to self-disclose information than their actual privacy preferences would otherwise indicate. We exemplify the biasing potential of a trusting mode for memory and metacognitive accuracy and discuss the role of a default trust mode for the development of social capital.
An efficient group key establishment in location-aided mobile ad hoc networks

Mobile Ad hoc Networks (MANETs) create additional challenges for implementing the group key establishment due to resource constraints on nodes and dynamic changes on the topology. To facilitate the deployment of group key agreements in MANETs, a range of distributed algorithms have been proposed. However, for a given level of security, these algorithms incur linearly increasing communication and computational costs. In this paper, we present two scalable maximum matching algorithms (M2) to deploy binary tree-based group key agreements in MANETs. Furthermore, the proposed technique is lightweight since it uses the Elliptic Curve Diffie-Hellman key exchange in place of the regular Diffie-Hellman and also does not require third-party's support. The performance analysis shows that our distributed M2 algorithms reduce key establishment's round number from O(n) to O(log2n) and our novel group key establishment decreases communication cost and computational overhead significantly.
Evaluation of the Biofidelity of the HIII and MIL-Lx Lower Leg Surrogates Under Axial Impact Loading

Objective: Lower leg injury risk is commonly assessed using an anthropomorphic test device (ATD). The current standard leg (the HIII) has been shown to have low biofidelity due to its geometry and material properties. A new surrogate (the MIL-Lx) was developed to address these issues, specifically for anti-vehicular mine blast scenarios but with potential applications to high-force crashes in the automotive industry. Before it is adopted for use, the MIL-Lx must be evaluated under impact loading to ensure that it represents the natural lower leg response. Methods: Axial impact loads were applied to both the HIII and the MIL-Lx at impact velocities of 2 to 7 m/s using a pneumatic impacting device. Testing was also conducted with the foot removed from both surrogates to enable comparison with previous tests of isolated cadaveric tibias at noninjurious and injurious (i.e., fracture) levels. To evaluate the effect of a boot on load attenuation, the HIII was impacted with and without a hiking boot. Results: Forces in the MIL-Lx were between 25 and 100 percent of those in the HIII (depending on impact conditions). The use of a boot reduced the peak force by approximately 65 percent at the highest impact velocities. The MIL-Lx fit the data from noninjurious cadaveric tibia tests with R2 = 0.83. Conclusions: The MIL-Lx is a new surrogate that represents the response of the natural tibia under axial impact loading better than the HIII. The inclusion of a boot has a significant effect on loads in the leg and may influence injury assessment results. The MIL-Lx will be a useful tool for predicting lower leg injury risk over a wide range of impact velocities.
Prevalence and Risk Factors of Respiratory Symptoms Among Home-Based Garment Workers in Bangkok, Thailand

This study aimed to determine the prevalence and risk factors associated with respiratory symptoms. A cross-sectional study with random sampling method was employed and 300 home-based garment workers (HBGWs) were recruited. Risk factors, including personal factors; knowledge, health preventive behaviors, and skill of self-health surveillance, working condition, and respiratory symptoms were assessed. Data were collected using self-reported questionnaires. Prevalence of respiratory symptom was 22.3%. Majority of participants were female (78%). Mean age and working experience were 37.38 years (SD = 10.70) and 13.58 years (SD = 8.71), respectively. Allergic respiratory symptoms (odds ratio [OR] = 16.5; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 8.61-31.7) and garment dust exposure (OR = 12.3; 95% CI = 6.49-23.3) were significantly associated with respiratory symptoms (P < .001). Logistic regression analysis indicated history of allergic predicted the respiratory symptoms (OR = 12.96; 95% CI = 4.24-39.55). HBGWs who had serious allergic symptoms and high exposure to dust were at risk of respiratory symptoms. Therefore, preventive program for garment dust exposure among HBGWs is needed.
Hydrodynamic Simulations for the Nuclear Morphology of NGC 4314

We performed smoothed particle hydrodynamic (SPH) simulations to study the nuclear morphology of the barred galaxy NGC 4314. We have constructed the mass models based on the results of a profile decomposition into disk, bulge, and bar components. Our models have three different nuclear structures according to the assumption about the nuclear bar: no nuclear bar, a synchronous nuclear bar, and a fast nuclear bar. Our SPH simulations show that the morphology of the nuclear region of NGC 4314, which is characterized by an elongated ring and/or spiral of newly formed stars and H II regions, aligned nearly parallel to the primary bar, can be understood in terms of the secular evolution driven by the nonaxisymmetric potential. The slightly elongated and aligned nuclear ring of NGC 4314 can be formed by the strong barred potential and the moderate central concentration of the bulge mass, with and without a nuclear bar. However, the nuclear spiral pattern cannot be developed without a nuclear bar. The nuclear bar of NGC 4314 seems to rotate faster than the primary bar, since the nuclear morphology induced by the synchronous nuclear bar is much different from the observed one.
Anticipatory postural adjustments prior to step initiation are hypometric in untreated Parkinson’s disease: an accelerometer‐based approach

Background and purpose: Anticipatory postural adjustments (APAs), prior to step initiation, are bradykinetic in advanced Parkinson’s disease (PD) and may be one of the factors associated with ‘start hesitation’. However, little is known about APAs in the early stage of PD. In this study, we determined whether body‐worn accelerometers could be used to characterize step initiation deficits in subjects with early‐to‐moderate, untreated PD.
Maximum SNR decision-feedback equalization with FIR filters: filter optimization and a signal processing application

An alternative approach to filter optimization for decision-feedback equalization with FIR filters is presented. The optimum feedforward and feedback filters under the design criterion of maximum SNR instead of minimum mean-squared error (MMSE) are derived. After a short review of the MMSE solution, it is shown, that both solutions are equivalent, if a bias in the reference tap, inherent in the MMSE solution, is removed. Finally, the derived solution is used to solve a problem in signal processing, namely factorization of a nonnegative function. This procedure may be superior to the traditional factorization techniques in certain applications.
Diagnostic Significance of Ultrasonographic Measurements and Median-Ulnar Ratio in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Correlation with Nerve Conduction Studies

Background and Purpose We determined the reliability of ultrasonography (US) measurements for diagnosing carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) and their correlation with symptom duration and electrophysiology findings. We determined whether the ratio of the median-to-ulnar cross-sectional areas (CSAs) can support CTS diagnoses. Methods The pisiform CSA (CSApisiform), swelling ratio (SR), palmar bowing, and CSApisiform/ulnar CSA (CSAulnar) measurements made in two subgroups of CTS patients (having sensory affection alone or having both sensory and motor affection) were compared with controls. CSAulnar was measured in Guyon's canal at the level of most-protuberant portion of the pisiform bone. Results The values of all of the measured US parameters were higher in patients with CTS (n=50) than in controls (n=62). CSApisiform could be used to diagnose CTS of mild severity. All of the parameters were positively correlated with the distal latency of the compound muscle action potential, and all of them except for SR were negatively correlated with the sensory nerve conduction velocity. A CSApisiform/CSAulnar ratio of ≥1.79 had a sensitivity of 70% and a specificity of 76% for diagnosing CTS. Conclusions Only CSApisiform measurements were reliable for diagnosing early stages of CTS, and CSApisiform/CSAulnar had a lower diagnostic value for diagnosing CTS.
A projected gradient-based algorithm to unmix hyperspectral data

This paper presents a method to solve hyperspectral unmixing problem based on the well-known linear mixing model. Hyperspectral unmixing is to decompose observed spectrum of a mixed pixel into its constituent spectra and a set of corresponding abundances. We use Nonnegative Matrix Factorization (NMF) to solve the problem in a single step. The proposed method is based on a projected gradient NMF algorithm. Moreover, we modify the NMF algorithm by adding a penalty term to include also the statistical independence of abundances. At the end, the performance of the method is compared to two other algorithms using both real and synthetic data. In these experiments, the algorithm shows interesting performance in spectral unmixing and surpasses the other methods.
Investigating professional development: Early childhood music teacher learning in a community of practice

Professional development experiences for teachers have often been organized as in-service days, a workshop or class, and other such one-time events planned and organized by someone other than practitioners. Researchers advocate for professional development that by contrast is teacher-centered; is situated in practice; is an ongoing process; fosters collegiality, collaborative inquiry, and critical discourse; and is linked to improving student learning (Ball & Cohen, 1999; Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 1999a; Díaz-Maggioli, 2004; Nieto, 2003; Wilson & Berne, 1999). Several researchers illustrate the importance of focusing on teachers and teacher learning in the workplace (Shulman, 1997b; Guskey, 1995; Darling-Hammond & McLaughlin, 1999; Wilson & Berne, 1999). The music education profession has long recognized the importance of teacher education. While researchers have placed a focus on preservice music teachers’ learning, they are only beginning to explore issues related to the development of inservice music teachers’ professional knowledge and practice. Research on group strategies such as communities of practice, collaborative action research, and lesson study for the professional development of music educators in schools is limited, and is almost non-existent for early childhood music and community music schools. The intent of this study was to generate understanding about collaborative conversations among early childhood music teachers, and the extent to which such conversations can function as professional development for those teachers.