bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Latissimus Dorsi Transfer in Posterior Irreparable Rotator Cuff Tears
Authors: Anastasopoulos Panagiotis P. , Alexiadis George , Spyridonos Sarantis , Fandridis Emmanouil
Published: March 2017

Background:

Massive rotator cuff tears pose a difficult and complex challenge even for the experienced surgeon; inability to repair these tears by conventional means designates them as irreparable, while management becomes quite taxing. Several operative options have been suggested for the management of such lesions with varying degrees of success, while it is imperative to match patient demands and expectations to the predicted outcome.

Methods:

Research articles are examined and key concepts are discussed, in order to provide an evidence based review of the available literature. The anatomy and pathomechanics along with the indications, contraindications and surgical techniques are reported.

Results:

Transfer of the Latissimus dorsi has been used with success to restore shoulder function in deficits of the posterior rotator cuff. Although it can be used in a variety of settings, the ideal patient for a Latissimus dorsi tendon transfer is a young and active individual, with no glenohumeral osteoarthritis that has a severe disability and weakness related to an irreparable posterior cuff tear.

Conclusion:

Tendon transfers have proved to be a successful treatment option in salvaging this difficult problem, providing pain relief and restoring shoulder function. Despite the excellent functional outcomes and pain suppression following operation, a variety of factors may affect the outcome; thus making indications and preoperative assessment a valuable component.
The Impact of Re-tear on the Clinical Outcome after Rotator Cuff Repair Using Open or Arthroscopic Techniques – A Systematic Review
Authors: Galanopoulos Ilias , Ilias Aslanidis , Karliaftis Konstantinos , Papadopoulos Dimitrios , Ashwood Neil
Published: March 2017

Background:

It is generally accepted that rotator cuff repair gives satisfactory results in the long term, although most studies have so far shown a fairly high rate of structural failure or re-tear. The purpose of this review study is to assess whether failure of the repaired cuff to heal could negatively affect the functional outcome.

Methods:

This article includes an extensive Internet PubMed based research in the current English-language literature including level I to level V studies as well as systematic reviews.

Results:

According to this extended study research, the results are mixed; certain reports show that patients with a healed rotator cuff repair have improved function and strength compared to those with structural failure, whereas other studies support the generally perceived concept that tendon re-tear does not lead to inferior clinical outcome.

Conclusion:

Further high-level prospective studies with larger numbers of patients and longer follow up are needed to overcome the current debate over function between healed and failed rotator cuff repairs.
Reverse Shoulder Arthroplasty for the Treatment of 3 and 4- Part Fractures of the Humeral Head in the Elderly
Authors: Gigis Ioannis , Nenopoulos Alexandros , Giannekas Dimitrios , Heikenfeld Roderich , Beslikas Theodoros , Hatzokos Ippokratis
Published: March 2017

Background:

Proximal humeral fractures in elderly patients present with severe comminution and osteoporotic bone quality.

Reverse shoulder arthroplasty has lately been proven beneficial in treating patients with complex proximal humeral fractures. The above technique is recommended and has better results in elderly than in younger individuals.

Methods:

We performed a literature search in the databases Pubmed, Medline, EMBASE and Cochrane Library for published articles between 1970 and 2016 using the terms: proximal humerus fractures and reverse shoulder arthroplasty.

Results:

Significant benefits with the use of reverse prosthesis, especially in patients older than 70 years with a proximal humeral fracture, include reduced rehabilitation time as well as conservation of a fixed fulcrum for deltoid action in case of rotator cuff failure.

Compared with hemiarthroplasty and internal fixation, reverse prosthesis may be particularly useful and give superior outcomes in older patients, due to comminuted fractures in osteopenic bones.

However, significant disadvantages of this technique are potential complications and a demanding learning curve.Therefore, trained surgeons should follow specific indications when applying the particular treatment of proximal humeral fractures and be familiar with the surgical technique.

Conclusion:

Although long-term results and randomized studies for reverse prosthesis are lacking, short and mid- term outcomes have given promising results encouraging more shoulder surgeons to use this type of prosthesis in proximal humeral fractures.
Arthroscopic Findings in Anterior Shoulder Instability
Authors: Hantes Michael , Raoulis Vasilios
Published: March 2017

Background:

In the last years, basic research and arthroscopic surgery, have improved our understanding of shoulder anatomy and pathology. It is a fact that arthroscopic treatment of shoulder instability has evolved considerably over the past decades. The aim of this paper is to present the variety of pathologies that should be identified and treated during shoulder arthroscopy when dealing with anterior shoulder instability cases.

Methods:

A review of the current literature regarding arthroscopic shoulder anatomy, anatomic variants, and arthroscopic findings in anterior shoulder instability, is presented. In addition, correlation of arthroscopic findings with physical examination and advanced imaging (CT and MRI) in order to improve our understanding in anterior shoulder instability pathology is discussed.

Results:

Shoulder instability represents a broad spectrum of disease and a thorough understanding of the pathoanatomy is the key for a successful treatment of the unstable shoulder. Patients can have a variety of pathologies concomitant with a traditional Bankart lesion, such as injuries of the glenoid (bony Bankart), injuries of the glenoid labrum, superiorly (SLAP) or anteroinferiorly (e.g. anterior labroligamentous periosteal sleeve avulsion, and Perthes), capsular lesions (humeral avulsion of the glenohumeral ligament), and accompanying osseous-cartilage lesions (Hill-Sachs, glenolabral articular disruption). Shoulder arthroscopy allows for a detailed visualization and a dynamic examination of all anatomic structures, identification of pathologic findings, and treatment of all concomitant lesions.

Conclusion:

Surgeons must be well prepared and understanding the normal anatomy of the glenohumeral joint, including its anatomic variants to seek for the possible pathologic lesions in anterior shoulder instability during shoulder arthroscopy. Patient selection criteria, improved surgical techniques, and implants available have contributed to the enhancement of clinical and functional outcomes to the point that arthroscopic treatment is considered nowadays the standard of care.
The “Purse-string” Technique for Shoulder Stabilization, Description of the Technique, Long term Results and Literature Review
Authors: Arealis Georgios , Rodrigues Joana Bento , Hope Natalie , Levy Ofer
Published: March 2017

Background:

Over the last 2 decades arthroscopic stabilization and Bankart repair has gained popularity due to the advances in materials and surgical techniques. Results of arthroscopic stabilization have been similar to open without the risks of it. The number of anchors used has been suggested to be very important in “spot-weld” arthroscopic stabilization however the “purse-string” technique (PST) can achieve similar results using only one anchor.

We describe technique and long term results from using the PST and search the literature for other papers regarding PST.

Methods:

Between 2003 and 2013 a total of 193 patients were operated. Patients included those with anterior instability. Using PubMed relevant studies reporting results of PST were identified.

Results:

Mean follow up was 2 (range 0.5 to 3) years. 9 (4.7%) patients experienced recurrent instability. Almost all patients (97%) returned to their sporting and leisure activities and all professional athletes went back to the same sport. One more UK centre reported 6.1% recurrence in 114 patients at 4 years follow up. These results are similar to the published 11% recurrence of instability after “spot-weld” arthroscopic techniques at 11 years clinical follow-up.

Conclusion:

This study indicates that PST is safe and effective alternative method for the treatment of anterior shoulder instability. In this technique with one anchor simultaneous repair of labrum, creation of an anterior bumper and capsular shift can be achieved. It has the advantage of being cheaper, faster yet efficient with good long term results and leaves space for revision anchors in case of recurrence.
The Relationship of Amount of Resection and Time for Recovery of Bell’s Phenomenon after Levator Resection in Congenital Ptosis
Authors: Goel Ruchi , Kishore Divya , Nagpal Smriti , Jain Sparshi , Agarwal Tushar
Published: March 2017

Background:

Recovery of Bell`s phenomenon after levator resection is unpredicatable. Delayed recovery can result in vision threatening corneal complications.

Aim:

To study the variability of Bell’s phenomenon and time taken for its recovery following levator resection for blepharoptosis and to correlate it with the amount of resection.

Methods:

A prospective observational study was conducted on 32 eyes of 32 patients diagnosed as unilateral simple congenital blepharoptosis who underwent levator resection at a tertiary care center between July 2013 and May 2015. Patients were followed up for 5 months and correction of ptosis, type of Bell`s, duration of Bell`s recovery and complications were noted.

Results:

The study group ranged from 16-25 years with 15:17 male: female ratio. There were 9 mild, 16 moderate and 7 severe ptosis. Satisfactory correction was achieved in all cases. Good Bell`s recovery occurred in 13 eyes on first post-op day, in 2-14 days in 19 eyes and 28 days in 1 eye. Inverse Bell`s was noted along with lid oedema and ecchymosis in 2 patients. Large resections (23-26mm) were associated with poor Bell`s on the first postoperative day (p=0.027, Fisher`s exact test). However, the duration required for recovery of Bell`s phenomenon did not show any significant difference with the amount of resection. (p=0.248, Mann Whitney test). Larger resections resulted in greater lagophthalmos (correlation=0.830, p<0.0001). Patients with recovery of Bell`s delayed for more than 7 days were associated with greater number of complications (p=0.001 Fisher`s Exact Test).

Conclusion:

Close monitoring for Bell`s recovery is required following levator resection.
Assessment of Dietary Supplementation in the Treatment of Vitiligo
Authors: Smith Mallory K. , Mohammad Tasneem F. , Hamzavi Iltefat H.
Published: March 2017

Background:

Vitiligo is the most common acquired pigmentary disorder in the world. Due to alterations in physical appearance, vitiligo is a psychologically devastating disease. Although treatment options exist, a cure for this disease has yet to be discovered. Of recent interest in vitiligo is the relationship between diet and disease.

Objective:

To review various dietary modifications and supplementation used in the management of vitiligo.

Materials and Methods:

A thorough evaluation of recent literature using the keywords “vitiligo, diet, supplement, antioxidant, vitamin, mineral, zinc, copper, gluten-free, celiac disease, alternative medicine” in the NCBI PubMed search function was performed.

Results:

A total of 39 relevant articles were reviewed and critically evaluated.

Conclusion:

Initial studies regarding the treatment of vitiligo through dietary modification are promising, although further studies are needed in multiple populations to explore the therapeutic value of these interventions.
Family Health Conversations have Positive Outcomes on Families - A Mixed Method Research Study
Authors: Dorell Åsa , Isaksson Ulf , Östlund Ulrika , Sundin Karin
Published: March 2017

Background:

Having a family member living in a residential home affects the entire family and can be hard to handle. Family members require encouraging and open communication support from nurses during and after relocation to a residential home. A Family Systems Nursing intervention, “Family Health Conversations” (FamHC) was conducted in order to strengthen the health of families having relatives at residential home for older people.

Objectives:

The aims of this study were to evaluate the responses to the Family Health Conversations in families with a member living at a residential home for older people and to integrate the empirical results with a theoretical assumption upon which the intervention was based.

Methods:

A mixed methods research design was used. The Swedish Health-Related Quality of Life Survey and the Family Hardiness Index were administered before and 6 months after the intervention. Qualitative data was collected by semi-structured interviews with each family 6 months post-intervention. The sample included 10 families comprising 22 family members.

Result:

Main finding was that FamHCs helped family members process their feelings about having a member living at a residential home and made it easier for them to deal with their own situations. FamHCs helped to ease their consciences, improve their emotional well-being, and change their beliefs about their own insufficiency and guilt. Seeing problems from a different perspective facilitated the families’ thinking in a new way.

Conclusion:

These findings showed that FamHC could be an important type of intervention to improve family functioning and enhance the emotional well-being.
Vehicle-Pedestrian crashes at Intersections in Dhaka city
Authors: Rifaat Shakil Mohammad , Tay Richard , Raihan Shariar Mohammad , Fahim Abrar , Touhidduzzaman Shah Mostofa
Published: March 2017

Background:

Pedestrians are some of the most vulnerable road users, especially in large congested cities in developing countries. In order to develop appropriate countermeasures to improve safety, research has to be conducted to understand the factors contributing to vehicle-pedestrian collisions.

Objective:

This study aims to identify the factors contributing to intersection crashes in a developing country context.

Method:

A Poisson regression model was applied to police reported crash data from the capital of Bangladesh, Dhaka.

Results:

This study finds that an increase in vehicle traffic and the presence of police officer, footbridge, bus stop, solar panel and waste deposit facility were associated with an increase in the number of vehicle-pedestrian crashes, whereas an increase in pedestrian volume, roads with the same number of inbound and outbound lanes, roads with greater number of lanes, and the presence of traffic signal, commercial area or offices, speed breaker and rail crossing were associated with a reduction in the number of vehicle-pedestrian crashes.

Conclusion:

While the results of most traffic and engineering factors are consistent with those obtained in previous studies in developed countries, some of the results on human related factors and unusual road furniture are atypical and require more locally targeted countermeasures.
On Limited Length Binary Strings with an Application in Statistical Control
Authors: Makri F.S. , Psillakis Z.M.
Published: March 2017

In a 0 - 1 sequence of Markov dependent trials we consider a statistic which counts strings of a limited length run of 0s between subsequent 1s. Its probability mass function is used to determine the chance that a stochastic process remains or not in statistical control. Illustrative numerics are presented.
Some Canadian Perspectives on Communication Research
Authors: Meisel John
Published: March 2017

It is always comforting to begin an intellectual discourse with a truism. To do so disarms a potentially rebellious audience by indicating that it is not about to be shocked out of its well-worn mental boots. Thus reassured, the listener or reader is likely to receive the presented message with a sense of benign benevolence. Furthermore, at this stage in the proceedings, the receiver is still alert and fresh and so unlikely to be lulled into sleep by confronting the obvious. I shall, therefore, open with a truism.
Communication and Martial Law
Authors: Anderson Robert S.
Published: March 2017

When military officers take control of governments they frequently seize and hold by force the key media installations. The complicated and unstable relation between communication and martial law that ensues is the subject of this collection of articles. Originally presented and discussed at the 1987 Canadian Communication Association meetings in Montreal, these papers present the dynamics of the unstable relationship between communication and martial law in four countries: Poland, India, Chile and Bangladesh. We have also invited commentary from a number of other scholars, who describe the experience of South Africa, Israel, Korea, and Sri Lanka.
Alternative Popular Communication: The Response to the Chilean Dictatorship
Authors: Gilbert Jorge
Published: March 2017

This article deals with the development of an alternative popular system of communication in Chile as a direct response to the military regime which overthrew the constitutional government of President Salvador Allende September 11, 1973. The rigid control imposed upon the means of communication and cultural expression in general, generated a peculiar response on the part of the popular sectors of the country.
Research-Creation: Intervention, Analysis and “Family Resemblances”
Authors: Chapman Owen
Published: March 2017

“Research-creation” is an emergent category within the social sciences and humanities that speaks to contemporary media experiences and modes of knowing. Research-creation projects typically integrate a creative process, experimental aesthetic component, or an artistic work as an integral part of a study. The focus of this article is how this practice contributes to the research agenda of the digital humanities and social sciences. We discuss how the term has been articulated in academic policy discourses and examine some prominent academic analyses that describe the practice of research-creation. We then unravel, enumerate, and expand upon the concept of research-creation from the purview of Ludwig Wittgenstein’s notion of “family resemblances” before moving to a discussion of four modes of research-creation: “research-for-creation,” “research-from-creation,” “creative presentations of research,” and finally “creation-as-research.”
Sensory, Sonic, and Symbolic Features of a Collaborative Media Art Practice
Authors: Baljko Melanie
Published: March 2017

The “Lo-fi” project applies iterative and prototype-based processes to a collaborative media art practice. The project has entailed several modes of experimentation: electronics, sound, programming, interactivity, iterative design and evaluation. The prototypes and interactive artworks that have been built through the project are treated not only as works for exhibition but also as objects of study, examinable both in terms of empirical research outcomes and in terms of their symbolic import for viewers and interactants. We discuss a methodology for gathering data in a gallery context, based on the inaugural exhibition of the first Lo-fi artwork, Push/Pull (2009).
Content Analysis and Press Coverage: Vancouver’s Cultural Olympiad
Authors: Low Duncan
Published: March 2017

Increasingly, local cultural communities are called upon to support global mega-events such as the Olympic Games with the promise that they represent a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” for the host arts community. With regard to Vancouver's 2010 Cultural Olympiad, it is now clear that there have been some unintended consequences for Vancouver’s arts community. This research note, taken from a wider 2010 Cultural Olympiad impact study, explores one aspect of the mega-event’s promise—increased national and international press profile through press coverage.
From Marshall McLuhan to Harold Innis, or From the Global Village to the World Empire
Authors: Tremblay Gaëtan
Published: March 2017

The author presents a personal reading of the pioneering contribution to communication studies made by two Canadian thinkers: Marshall McLuhan and Harold A. Innis. Running counter to the general trend stressing their similarities, he highlights their differences. Rejecting their techological-determinist standpoint, the author proposes a comprehensive and critical summary of their analytical frameworks and methodologies, seeking to assess the influence they have had on his own perspective, tracing the contributions they have made to the evolution of communication research. The author’s viewpoint is condensed in the title: we should go back from McLuhan to Innis, from a framework inspired by the global-village metaphor to one based on the expansion of empire.
Public Benefits or Private? The Case of the Canadian Media Research Consortium
Authors: Edge Marc
Published: March 2017

The broadcasting regulator Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission established its Public Benefits program in the late 1970s. It eventually came to require a minimum 10 percent of the value of acquired broadcasting licences to be devoted to worthwhile initiatives. A portion of a CAD $230-million Public Benefits package in 2000 was devoted to funding a Canadian Media Research Consortium (CMRC) established between several universities. Mandated to “focus on the development of Canadian data for use in media planning,” the CMRC issued its first report in 2003, which was criticized for flawed methodology and cited as an example of “administrative” marketing research performed to the benefit of media owners rather than to the benefit of the public. The CMRC issued a five-year retrospective study in 2008 that addressed some of the earlier methodological flaws and perhaps, as a result, reached different conclusions.
Without Favour: The Concentration of Ownership in New Brunswick’s Print Media Industry
Authors: Couture Toby D.
Published: March 2017

This article examines the history and current state of ownership concentration in New Brunswick’s print media industry. At the time of writing, Brunswick News Inc. owns every English language daily, the majority of weeklies, and almost all French-language newspapers in the province. Moreover, the family-owned Irving group that owns Brunswick News Inc. also owns hundreds of other businesses operating in dozens of different sectors in the province, a fact that has raised concerns regarding media ownership concentration. Drawing on the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index, this article quantitatively evaluates the claim that there is excessive concentration in the province’s print media industry. This analysis is supplemented by recent allegations of anti-competitive behaviour and editorial influence exerted by the Brunswick News papers, most notably that of the flagship Telegraph-Journal. The article concludes that the evidence broadly supports these allegations, and that there is therefore an increasingly strong case for Canada’s Competition Bureau to take action.
The Pornography of Poverty: Reframing the Discourse of International Aid’s Representations of Starving Children
Authors: Nathanson Janice
Published: March 2017

Canadian perceptions of developing countries are often dominated by images of starvation, despair, and crisis. The result is that people see not solutions to development challenges, but perpetual problems. One cause of these perceptions may be fundraising messages that present distorted portrayals of the developing world. Images of buzzing flies, begging eyes, and bloated bellies flood television screens and print media in an attempt to pull at heartstrings and garner donations. This article examines the problems of representation in development advertising and explores its evolution over a six-year time period using an ideological analysis of select communications materials produced by three child sponsorship organizations. It then proposes framing theory as one possibility for developing more balanced representations and asks whether current advertising practices are more in line with its propositions.
Young Canadians’ Apprenticeship Labour in User-Generated Content
Authors: Shepherd Tamara
Published: March 2017

This article introduces a political-economic framework for analyzing young people’s production of user-generated content (UGC) as a kind of apprenticeship labour. Based on case studies of four young Montréalers engaged in creating user-generated content, the author developed the apprenticeship-type model of UGC labour to denote a process by which online immaterial labour or “free labour” coincides with self-directed and informal job training, channelled specifically toward a career in the creative industries. The 20- to 24-year-old participants’ online activity is seen as a non-remunerated training ground, driven by the promise of notoriety that begets autonomous future employment in areas such as fashion, music, and journalism. Throughout this process, young people must constantly negotiate their autonomy; negotiated autonomy is precisely what they are apprenticing into through UGC production, where uncertainty and flexibility serve as the hallmarks of new media working conditions.
“The colored lady knows better”: Marketing the “New Century Washer” in Canadian Home Journal, 1910-1912
Authors: Kinahan Anne-Marie
Published: March 2017

This article is a small-scale study of eight advertisements that appeared in Canadian Home Journal between March 1910 and June 1912. Marketing a range of washing machines manufactured by Cummer-Dowswell, Ltd., a Hamilton-based company, the ads are significant for their racialized representations of women’s labour. Featuring a White woman in four ads and “Aunt Salina,” a Black “wash woman,” in four ads, their visual address hinges on racialized dichotomies. I analyze how this advertising campaign employed “race” to “sell” an ideological view of gender, labour, and the myth of technological progress through the linking of Black women to pre-industrial technologies and White women to technological progress.
“It’s Not Easy Being Green”: The Greenwashing of Environmental Discourses in Advertising
Authors: Budinsky Jennifer , Bryant Susan
Published: March 2017

Under the political framework of free-market fundamentalism, corporations are appropriating environmental discourses through green capitalism and greenwashing. For environmental emancipation to occur, it is important to problematize the corporate discourses that put a price on nature and obfuscate the domination of nature by capital. The authors use an environmental political-economy framework to examine the ways particular products are represented through television advertising. Using a multimodal critical discourse analysis, they analyze three representations—Clorox Green Works cleaning products, the Ford Escape Hybrid, and Toyota Prius motor vehicles—in order to deconstruct and analyze how specific advertisements operate and how they contribute to problematic environmental discourses.
Earth Observation and Signal Territories: Studying U.S. Broadcast Infrastructure through Historical Network Maps, Google Earth, and Fieldwork
Authors: Parks Lisa
Published: March 2017

This article engages with three different modes of Earth observation—historical network maps, Google Earth interfaces, and fieldwork—to develop the concept of “signal territories” and elucidate a critical approach for studying U.S. broadcast infrastructure. This approach: 1) highlights physical infrastructures—technological hardware and processes in dispersed geographic locations—as important sites for historical and critical analysis in media and communication studies; 2) explores multiple modes of infrastructure representation—ranging from cartography to phenomenology, from hand-drawn maps to digital interfaces, from circuit diagrams to site visits; and 3) foregrounds the biotechnical aspects and resource requirements of broadcast infrastructures, probing their dynamic operations and complex materialisms. Engaging with what Richard Maxwell and Toby Miller call a “materialist ecology” of media, the article explores what is at stake in understanding media infrastructures from up close and afar.
Un–Black Boxing the List: Knowledge, Materiality, and Form
Authors: Young Liam Cole
Published: March 2017

This article examines “the list” as a material form, attempting to foreground its integral yet often overlooked role in human communication, administration, and thought. Taking a media materialist approach, the article first presents a brief history of the list that examines certain contexts in which it has been operative. Secondly, it presents a case study from the field of popular music (Bob Mersereau’s Top 100 Canadian Singles) to demonstrate how a contemporary cultural list functions epistemologically. Because the list is a form so resistant to definition, the author focuses on functions—not what a list is, but what it does. Ultimately the article argues that quotidian forms like lists can tell us much about the dynamics at play between human beings and the material circumstances in which they enact thought and action.
Commentary: The Other Mobile TV: ATSC MDTV Broadcasting In Canada
Authors: May Steven James
Published: March 2017

This commentary describes an approach for delivering television content to mobile phones in Canada using over-the-air broadcast signals. Over-the-air television broadcasting to mobile phones is available to our American neighbours but has not been implemented in Canada. We report on a test of mobile TV services, demonstrating access to U.S. signals from Canada. While it is technically feasible to deliver over-the-air mobile broadcasting in Canada, it is likely that vertical integration in the broadcasting and communications sectors is creating barriers to the development of this service. The commentary concludes with some thoughts on how mobile digital television services could be developed for Canadian viewers.
Problematizing Social Uses of Information and Communication Technology: A Critical French Perspective
Authors: Granjon Fabien
Published: March 2017

In France, the study of social uses of ICTs has given rise, since the 1980s, to a community of researchers referred to as the “sociology of uses” (sociologie des usages). Under this common label, many sociological works have been developed, primarily focused on the concept of use. In this article, we would like to briefly recall the main theories which have been the basis of research concerned with the social materiality. We would then like to recall some of the scientific requirements for the conduct of research that aim to describe and explain the social uses of ICT in an empirical and theoretical dialectic. Finally, we suggest a few ways to support a critical sociology of uses that could assess the social facts it examines.
Between Public Space(s) and Public Sphere(s): An Assessment of Francophone Contributions
Authors: Aubin France
Published: March 2017

The concepts of public space and the public sphere, still associated with Jürgen Habermas’ 1962 publication (and appearing in French in 1978), The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere, have given rise to a great deal of theory-centred production in a variety of disciplines. These concepts have been revised by several authors and according to different objectives. Perhaps most ambitions among them is the desire to design a more realistic proposition—to deliver justice to “real-life” society. In this article, I attempt to contribute to this goal by reviewing certain developments in theory circulating in the French language since the 1990s (and quite often originally written in French) while taking into account the reconciliation (however lukewarm) of the question of the public sphere between disciplines concerned with social movements and democracy.
Journey of a Researcher
Authors: Tremblay Gaëtan
Published: March 2017

The author offers here a personal account of the development of communication research in Québec, remembering the most significant steps of his career as a researcher. He recalls his training years in social sciences, his beginnings at UQAM, his involvement in starting up graduate studies and founding the GRICIS research group, publishing the journal TIS, team researching and international cooperation. A contribution to the historiography of information communication sciences in Canada.
The Theory of the Cultural Industries: A “Milieu” for Building Dynamic Knowledge
Authors: George Éric
Published: March 2017

Over the past 40 years, important work has been done on cultural industries through the close collaboration of researchers in Québec and France, to the point that it has become a question of the theory of cultural industries. In this article, I first examine the institutional contexts that have supported the development of research on this theme within French and Québécoise research groups. I then focus on discussions around the very nature of “the cultural industry” as a research object, as well as its unique characteristics. Thirdly, I address another issue of debate among the protagonists of this text, the concept of a “social logic” (or “model”). Finally, I conclude with a few open-ended questions with the goal of deepening research in this domain.
Social Media in Remote First Nation Communities
Authors: Molyneaux Heather , O’Donnell Susan , Kakekaspan Crystal , Walmark Brian , Budka Philipp , Gibson Kerri
Published: March 2017

ABSTRACT Community resilience in First Nations includes ties to people both inside and outside the community, intergenerational communication, the sharing of stories, and family and community connectedness. This study, based on a survey of Internet users in the Sioux Lookout region of Northwestern Ontario, explores the link between social networking sites and community resilience. The region is home to some of the most isolated First Nation (indigenous) communities in Canada. Cultural and familial links between these communities are strong, yet until recent use of the Internet, maintaining regular communications to strengthen cultural ties was challenging. This study examines the links between travel and communication online, the ways in which social media are used to preserve culture and maintain communication, and the implications of social networking for community resilience.
Of Trojan Horses and Terrorist Representations: Mom Bombs, Cross-Dressing Terrorists, and Queer Orientalisms
Authors: Magnet Shoshana , Mason Corinne Lysandra
Published: March 2017

This article employs anti-racist feminist theory to respond to a document published by the Department of Homeland Security United States in 2008. This document communicated the threatening possibility that women would use burqas or pregnancy prosthetics to hide bombs. Focusing on this report, the authors explore how the bodies of Muslim women have become spectacular in the post-9/11 period. Working at the intersections of gender, modernity, and visibility, they demonstrate that representations of Muslim women as threats is a new Orientalist discourse that justifies aggressive interventions against Muslim women, including new technologies such as backscatter X-rays.
Gender and Genocide: A Research-as-Creation Project
Authors: Rashid Azra
Published: March 2017

Nationalism, rooted in the word nation, binds individuals to an imaginary homeland by virtue of shared characteristics, ethnicity, and landscape. Feminist scholarship has demonstrated that nationalism is gendered, crafted to serve masculine privilege. Genocide occurs when nationalism, itself a product of imagination, creates imaginary subjects, who fight over imaginary homelands, and the site of violence becomes women’s bodies.
Human Trafficking and Media Myths: Federal Funding, Communication Strategies, and Canadian Anti-Trafficking Programs
Authors: De Shalit Ann
Published: March 2017

This article looks at debates over human trafficking by considering the linkages between federal funding, media myths, and non-governmental organization (NGO) activities and by examining the textual and visual content of NGO websites. By highlighting the ways in which NGOs echo government communication strategies, we argue that these debates are constrained not only by the current political terrain, but also by an ingrained and problematic anti-trafficking discourse. Further, we interrogate the language and emotive appeals of NGOs that receive federal funding for anti-trafficking programming through the exploration of counter-discourses developed by both scholars and independent organizations that are critical of dominant narratives and policies. We conclude by suggesting that alternative narratives and media strategies are needed for the development of more nuanced and authentic conceptions of labour, migration, and sex work.
Pour une approche communicationnelle des enjeux scientifiques et techniques
Authors: Quet Mathieu
Published: March 2017

This article reviews work that has examined situations, practices, objects and processes of communication in scientific and technical domains. It seeks to define the specificity of the communicational approach within the field of Science and Technology Studies (STS). It emphasizes the significance of the critical aspects of this approach during its emergence in the 1970s as distinct from other currents of research constituting the communicative approach in STS during the 1980s and 1990s. The discussion highlights the challenges of attempting to simultaneously address the singularity of forms, objects and situations while also accounting for the dynamics of space and time that affect communication issues within the STS field.
Algorithmic Media Need Democratic Methods: Why Publics Matter
Authors: McKelvey Fenwick
Published: March 2017

Algorithms increasingly control the backbone of media and information systems. This control occurs deep within opaque technical systems far from the political attention capable of addressing its influence. It also challenges conventional public theory, because the technical operation of algorithms does not prompt the reflection and awareness necessary for forming publics. Informed public deliberation about algorithmic media requires new methods, or mediators, that translate their operations into something publicly tangible. Combining an examination of theoretical work from Science and Technology Studies (STS) with Communication Studies–grounded research into Internet traffic management practices, this article posits that mediating the issues raised by algorithmic media requires that we embrace democratic methods of Internet measurement.
Users as Co-Designers of Software-Based Media: The Co-Construction of Internet Relay Chat
Authors: Latzko-Toth Guillaume
Published: March 2017

While it has become commonplace to present users as co-creators or “produsers” of digital media, their participation is generally considered in terms of content production. The case of Internet Relay Chat (IRC) shows that users can be fully involved in the design process, a co-construction in the sense of Science and Technology Studies (STS): a collective, simultaneous, and mutual construction of actors and artifacts. A case study of the early development of two IRC networks sheds light on that process and shows that “ordinary users” managed to invite themselves as co-designers of the socio-technical device. The article concludes by suggesting that IRC openness to user agency is not an intrinsic property of software-based media and has more to do with its architecture and governance structure.
A Semiotics of Infinite Translucence: The Exoteric and Esoteric in Ismaili Muslim Hermeneutics
Authors: Karim Karim H.
Published: March 2017

The complex juxtaposition of private practice and public visibility/invisibility of contemporary Ismaili Muslims has certain parallels with other religious communities, but it exhibits unique features. This community adheres to an esotericism that has shaped its hermeneutic and communication practices. In a seeming paradox, the group is also extensively engaged in the public sphere. However, its communal institutions are limiting the dissemination of texts pertaining to the religious addresses and biography of the group’s leader, Aga Khan IV. He is instead increasingly turning to architecture to communicate the community’s worldview by using design in a symbolic manner.
Stewarding the Subtle Politics of Technical Objects: Perspectives on the Immediacy of Evangelical Worship Practice
Authors: Baker Laurie
Published: March 2017

In the worlds of technology trade events and training conferences in the United States, evangelical volunteers learn to steward audio, video, and lighting devices for the creation of immersive worship ecologies. This article explores how technology stewards learn to understand their relationship to technology. It asks: what does attending to the lively capacities of animated technologies used for worship reveal about the role of technology stewardship? It is argued that technicians, through the training events explored, learn to understand their role as technology steward through attempts to render technology invisible, transparent.
The Capacity for Mobilizatioin in Project-Based Cultural Work: A Case of the Video Game Industry
Authors: Legault Marie-Josée , Weststar Johanna
Published: March 2017

Though dissatisfied with some management practices and working conditions, like most high-tech knowledge workers, videogame developers remain reluctant towards unionization. This article examines the factors of collective action among developers as an example, using data gathered from an international survey and interviews. We conclude that developers meet some conditions conducive to collective action but face many obstacles as well, both to collective action and to unionization proper. This does not lead us to share the belief of a decline in collective action, but rather raises the issue of conflating union action and collective action. Our study reveals how unsuited the general North American trade union system is to their situation, as it is to project-based environments and knowledge workers in general.
Branding History at the Canadian Museum of Civilization
Authors: Aronczyk Melissa , Brady Miranda J.
Published: March 2017

In October 2012, the Canadian Heritage Minister announced that the Canadian Museum of Civilization, the country’s largest and most popular museum, would be renamed the Canadian Museum of History. In addition to the new name, three strategies—a strategy of engagement, a strategy of authority, and a strategy of expansion—were elaborated by museum and government officials as part of the transformation. We examine these three strategies as an example of the Harper government’s attempt to “brand” Canadian identity and history in its own image, arguing that the strategies were designed expressly to paper over near-unilateral changes in the museum’s mandate and transformation. Ultimately, these changes have problematic implications for the democratic management of cultural production in Canada.
Producing Reality: Television Formats and Reality TV in the Canadian Context
Authors: Quail Christine
Published: March 2017

This article explores the rise of formatted reality production and consumption in Canada, paying particular attention to their impact on global and local industry and culture. Attention is paid to how cultural production in the Canadian television industry is implicated in contemporary global and national political economic contexts. The study utilizes a political economic framework in order to situate industry reports, conferences/trade shows, ratings data and interviews with industry members. The overall objective is to better understand the Canadian landscape of original reality television, Canadian format adaptations, and imported formatted American format adaptations. At issue are funding mechanisms, technology, policy, and culture.
Toward a Cybervictimology: Cyberbullying, Routine Activities Theory, and the Anti-Sociality of Social Media
Authors: Arntfield Michael
Published: March 2017

Existing research on cyberbullying has consistently overlooked the role of victims in online offending, as well as victim behaviour as both a facilitator and predictor of digital predation. This article offers an interdisciplinary critique of existing research and proposes a new framework of cybervictimology—traditional victimology in the context of cyberactivities. The framework points to cyberbullying as being best explained by Cohen and Felson’s (1979) routine activities theory of crime. Because one of the main criteria of “traditional” corporeal bullying is repetition, the routine activities of victims in social media environments are key facilitators in the bullying process; they serve as advanced indicators of victimization in a space where anti-social behaviour is comparatively tolerated—and even celebrated—in the absence of suitable guardianship.
A History of Suicide Reporting in Canadian Newspapers, 1844–1990
Authors: Richardson Gemma
Published: March 2017

This article explores Canadian reporting on suicide and the ways it changed over 150 years. Archival research on the reporting practices of two long-standing newspapers presented here shows that suicide was not always taboo in the media. In fact, the silencing and tiptoeing around reporting on suicide only began in the mid-twentieth century. Early newspaper accounts frequently included reports on suicides, both local and far removed, including details on the exact manner of death. As public perceptions of suicide, and the laws surrounding it, gradually shifted from considering the act a crime to considering it an aspect of psychiatric malady, reporting on suicide changed. Once suicide became an untouchable subject in newsrooms the stigma became entrenched, making it hard to address in any meaningful way for decades.
Media Ecological Moments in Flusser
Authors: Zhang © Peter , McLuhan © Eric
Published: March 2017

This article presents a few media ecological moments in Vilém Flusser’s work. The key motifs covered include: media as simulations, alphabet versus syllabary, miniaturization, retrieval, history versus post-history, line versus surface, inebriation and perception, chamber music, and negentropy.
The Digital Economy and Variegated Capitalism
Authors: Alvarez León Luis Felipe
Published: March 2017

This article sets out to conceptualize the ways in which the development of the digital economy (Malecki & Moriset, 2007) can be understood within the framework of variegated capitalism (Peck & Theodore, 2007). In doing so, it explores the question of how communication technologies interact with place-specific institutional, political, and economic configurations to shape the geographically differentiated construction of an economy centred on the production, distribution, and consumption of digital information. These interactions are examined through the development of geolocation technologies and their impact on a variety of approaches to jurisdiction over the Internet.
Images of Essence: Journalists’ Discourse on the Professional “Discipline of Verification”
Authors: Shapiro Ivor , Brin Colette , Spoel Philippa , Marshall Lee
Published: March 2017

The verification of factual accuracy is widely held as essential to journalists’ professional identity. Our rhetorical analysis of interviews with award-winning and semi-randomly selected newspaper reporters confirms this professional norm while revealing a preference for four types of image to describe verification methods. Spatial and temporal travel images paint verification as an embedded but adaptable heuristic process. Images of conflict suggest verification as a weapon and a shield against implied enemies. Journalists speak of vision both literally as the preeminent tool of verification, and figuratively as a metaphor for interpretation. Meanwhile, a fourth and seemingly predominant image—that of storytelling—functions to integrate the images of travel, battle, and observation and the different forms of professional identity that they connote. The quest for truth through storytelling likewise suggests a rich, if ambiguous, sense of good journalism as combining the instruments of fact with the craft of fiction.