bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Boom and Bust in Australian Screen Policy: 10BA, the Film Finance Corporation and Hollywood's ‘Race to the Bottom’
Authors: Burns Alex , Eltham Ben
Published: January 2017

In recent years, a narrative has emerged in the Australian popular media about the box office ‘unpopularity’ of Australian feature films and the ‘failure’ of the domestic screen industry. This article explores the recent history of Australian screen policy with particular reference to the ‘10BA’ tax incentive of the 1980s; the Film Finance Corporation of Australia (FFC), a government screen agency established in 1988 to bring investment bank-style portfolio management to Australia's screen industry; and local production incentive policies pursed by Australian state governments in a chase for Hollywood's runaway production. We argue the 10BA incentive catalysed an unsustainable bubble in Australian production, while its policy successor, the FFC, fundamentally failed in its stated mission of ‘commercial’ screen financing (over its 20-year lifespan, the FFC invested A$1.345 billion for A$274.2 million recouped – a cumulative return of negative 80 per cent). For their part, private investors in Australian films discovered that the screen production process involved high levels of risk. Foreign-financed production also proved highly volatile, due to the vagaries of trade exposure, currency fluctuations and tax arbitrage. The result of these macro- and micro-economic factors – often structural and cross-border in nature – was that Australia's screen industry failed to develop the local investment infrastructure required to finance a sustainable, non-subsidised local sector.
Next-Generation ‘Filmmaking’: New Markets, New Methods and New Business Models
Authors: Ryan Mark David , Hearn Greg
Published: January 2017

Digital production and distribution technologies may create new opportunities for filmmaking in Australia. A culture of new approaches to filmmaking is emerging, driven by ‘next-generation filmmakers' who are willing to consider new business models, from online web series to short films produced for mobile phones. At the same time, cultural representation itself is transforming within an interactive, social media-driven environment. Yet there is very little research into next-generation filmmaking. The aim of this article is to scope and discuss three key aspects of next-generation filmmaking: digital trends in film distribution and marketing; processes and strategies of ‘next-generation’ filmmakers; and case studies of viable next-generation business models and filmmaking practices. We conclude with a brief examination of the implications for media and cultural policy, which suggests the future possibility of a rapprochement between creative industries discourse and cultural policy.
From Neighbours to Packed to the Rafters: Accounting for Longevity in the Evolution of Aussie Soaps
Authors: Ward Sue , O'Regan Tom , Goldsmith Ben
Published: January 2017

If there is one television programming staple for which Australian television drama is known internationally, it is the long-running television soap, with Neighbours (originally produced by Grundy in 1985) lauded as ‘the most outstanding example of Australian series export’ (Cunningham and Jacka, 1996). Twenty-five years on, this program still airs on domestic and international TV schedules five days a week, despite waning popularity with local Australian audiences. Considering past interest in the success and longevity of this soap, it is apposite to look again at the continuing progress of Neighbours foremost as a global brand. In comparison, Packed to the Rafters is treated here as a contemporary version of familiar Aussie themes related to everyday middle-class suburbia, populated with blue skies and feel-good characters expressing wholesome family values, but with a stylistic innovation defined here as domestic realism. As part of the production ecology of the late 2000s, Packed to the Rafters demonstrates the considerable role for local drama productions as loss leaders and flagship programming for commercial free-to-air networks up against an increasingly difficult domestic market.
Digital Intermediary: Korean Transnational Cinema
Authors: Yecies Brian , Shim Ae-Gyung , Goldsmith Ben
Published: January 2017

Since censorship was lifted in Korea in 1996, collaboration between Korean and foreign filmmakers has grown in both extent and visibility. Korean films have been shot in Australia, New Zealand and mainland China, while the Korean digital post-production and visual effects firms behind blockbusters infused with local effects have gone on to work with filmmakers from greater China and Hollywood. Korean cinema has become known for its universal storylines, genre experimentation and high production values. The number of exported Korean films has increased, as has the number of Korean actors starring in films made in other countries. Korea has hosted major international industry events. These milestones have facilitated an unprecedented international expansion of the Korean film industry. With the advent of the ‘digital wave’ in Korea – the film industry's transition to digital production practices – this expansion has accelerated. Korean film agencies – the pillars of the national cinema – have played important parts in this internationalisation, particularly in promoting Korean films and filmmakers outside Korea and in facilitating international events in Korea itself. Yet, for the most part, projects involving Korean filmmakers working in partnership with filmmakers from other countries are the products of individuals and businesses working outside official channels. That is, they are often better understood as ‘transnational’ rather than ‘national’ or ‘international’ projects. In this article, we focus on a range of collaborations involving Korean, Australian, New Zealand and Chinese filmmakers and firms. These collaborations highlight some of the forces that have shaped the digital wave in the Korean film industry, and illustrate the increasingly influential role that the digital expertise of Korean filmmakers is playing in film industries, both regionally and around the world.
MIA: How it All Began
Authors: Bailey Julie James
Published: January 2017

Julie James Bailey was the director of the Australian Film and Television School from 1975–84, and was responsible for the formation of the Media Information Research Exchange, which established MIA. She provided oversight for the first 30 issues of MIA and nurtured the journal through its formative years.
Censorship: Publish and Be Damned
Authors: Coleman Peter
Published: January 2017

State censorship in Australia has been rare, controversial and short-lived. There was almost none in the liberal nineteenth century. In the twentieth century, the two world wars, the Great Depression and the new age of terrorism led to more determined, if comparatively temporary, attempts to censor publications that advocated sedition or violence. Moral censorship of obscenity was also rare in the nineteenth century, but enjoyed an ‘heroic’ period following the arrival of a new realism in literature and the age of lurid comic books. The internet has made such censorship almost totally ineffective. Blaspheming the Christian religion is no longer treated as a punishable offence, although attacking Islam may still sometimes be deemed actionable in law. The advent of multiculturalism has encouraged legislation to restrict free speech deemed to be ‘hate speech’, but its application has been episodic, unpopular and ineffective. The contest between writers demanding freedom and censors demanding standards is unending. But at the moment, the balance favours writers.
Forgotten Histories: Ephemeral Culture for Children and the Digital Archive
Authors: Rutherford Leonie
Published: January 2017

The history of children's popular culture in Australia is still to be written. This article examines Australian print publication for children from the mid-nineteenth to the early twentieth centuries, together with radio and children's television programming from the 1950s to the 1970s. It presents new scholarship on the history of children's magazines and newspapers, sourced from digital archives such as Trove, and documents new sources for early works by Australian children's writers. The discussion covers early television production for children, mobilising digital resources that have hitherto not informed scholarship in the field.
‘No Propaganda Will Be Broadcast’: The Rise and Demise of Australian Military Broadcasting
Authors: Hadlow Martin
Published: January 2017

Radio broadcasting has played an important role as a medium of information, news and entertainment for Australian military personnel in wartime and conflict situations. However, while many nations have comprehensive units tasked to the full-time provision of broadcasting services, such as the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS) in the United States and the British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) in the United Kingdom, Australia has relied on more ad hoc measures. As contingencies have required, the Australian military has introduced radio broadcasting elements into its table of organisation, the most comprehensive having been the Australian Army Amenities Service (AAAS) during World War II. Now, in a new technological era, perhaps specialised radio for troops will fade completely from the agenda.
In the Stars: Astrology, Psychic Powers and the Australian Media
Authors: Darian-Smith Kate
Published: January 2017

Although astrological divinations, demonstrations of psychic powers and the teachings of non-conventional and New Age spirituality have had a ubiquitous presence in the Australian print and broadcast media for almost a century, they have attracted scant attention from media scholars. This article surveys the history of astrological and psychic content in the Australian media from the 1920s, arguing that such content generated new genres of programming and entertainment, and challenged the established authority of religion and scientific knowledge in the public sphere.
Digital Television Flexibility: A Survey of Australians with Disability
Authors: Ellis Katie
Published: January 2017

Flexibility for many viewers comes from digital technologies and their interaction with television broadcasting. Significantly, as television is switched to digital transmissions, viewers with disability have the potential to experience flexibility in the form of accessibility features such as audio descriptions, captions, lip-reading avatars, signing avatars, spoken subtitles and clean audio. This flexibility may in fact provide some people with access to television for the first time. This exploratory study reports results from an online survey of Australians with disabilities conducted during the final months of the simulcast period before analogue signals were switched off in 2013. While captioning emerged as the most desired accessibility feature, differences surfaced when the data were broken into specific impairment types. This article highlights the importance of digital flexibility specific to impairment type, and locates people with disability as a significant group to consider as more changes take place around digital television broadcasting via the NBN.
Have You Seen the News? Uncovering the Fan-like Behaviours of the News Audience
Authors: Barnes Renee
Published: January 2017

Traditionally, the study of journalism has been undertaken in rationalist terms. This has had particular implications for the study of the journalistic audience focusing on news serving a primarily informational purpose and not as a pleasurable experience. Drawing on fan theory, as well as the cultural concepts of emotion and affect, this article argues that the keen ritual engagement that characterises the investment of fans helps illuminate the dynamics of online participation in relation to news consumption. Ultimately, it argues that this approach enables a better conceptualisation of the online news audience and forms of engagement.
Curators of Databases: Circulating Images, Managing Attention and Making Value on Social Media
Authors: Carah Nicholas
Published: January 2017

This article examines the relationships between cultural spaces, the image-making practices of smartphone users and social media platforms. I argue that social media platforms depend on the curatorial capacities of smartphone users who observe everyday life and register it online. Social media platforms use databases and analytics to continuously assemble identities, cultural practices and social spaces in relation to one another. In addition to targeted advertising, value is created by leveraging a continuous circulation of meaning and attention. Using the example of a music festival, I examine how the production of value involves channelling the productive activity of smartphone users in material cultural spaces.
Tweeting the TV Event, Creating ‘Public Sphericules’: AD HOC Engagement with SBS's Go Back to Where You Came from — Season 2
Authors: Sauter Theresa , Bruns Axel
Published: January 2017

This article uses the example of the mediatisation of Season 2 of the Australian documentary-cum-reality TV series Go Back to Where You Came From, and the associated #GoBackSBS Twitter feed, to investigate how public opinions are shaped, reshaped and expressed in new hybrid media ecologies. We explore how social media tools like Twitter can support the efforts of a TV production; provide spaces through which the public can engage ad hoc with a public event, be informed, shape their opinions and share them with others; and thus open up new possibilities for public discourse to occur. We suggest that new online public sphericules are emerging that provide spaces within which publics can engage with the cultural social and political realities with which they are confronted. In this way, we highlight the importance of mundane communication to the shaping and constant reshaping of public opinion.
Young New Zealanders' Consumption of Television Fiction Programs: An Exploratory Study of Young People's Reception Habits
Authors: Fedele Maddalena
Published: January 2017

This article presents part of the findings of an exploratory study of young people's consumption of television fiction programs, carried out in Aotearoa New Zealand. The paper focuses on young people's reception habits, describing those practices within the rest of their leisure activities. A questionnaire was administered to a convenience sample of 225 first-year Victoria University of Wellington students aged 17–30. Among the main results, young people's predilection for television fiction must be emphasised. Even if watching television is not one of the more frequent leisure activities for those surveyed, most of them report watching at least one or two different fiction programs every day, especially by themselves or with friends, and in domestic common spaces. They also show some multimedia and multi-tasking consumption strategies – such as watching fiction programs through different media, such as the TV set, DVDs and the internet – and carrying out simultaneous activities while watching.
E-Electioneering 2007–13: Trends in Online Political Campaigns over Three Elections
Authors: Macnamara Jim , Kenning Gail
Published: January 2017

Following the 2004 US presidential election campaign, which was described as ‘a critical turning point’ in use of social media, and particularly the 2008 Obama campaign, there has been increasing focus on use of social media for political campaigning and what is termed e-electioneering and e-democracy. However, studies of election campaigns between 2010 and 2012 in a number of countries have identified what Steve Woolgar (2002) calls cyberbole in relation to social media for political engagement. With substantive patterns of change in political communication yet to be identified, a quantitative and qualitative study of social media use in the 2013 Australian federal election campaign was conducted using the same methodology as studies of the 2007 and 2010 campaigns to gain comparative longitudinal data. This identified trends in the volume of e-electioneering and the ways in which social media are being used for political communication and democratic engagement.
The Political is Populist: Talk Shows, Political Debates, and the Middle-Class Public Sphere in India
Authors: Khorana Sukhmani
Published: January 2017

Emerging literature on the rapid rise of 24-hour commercial news television in India in the last decade, as well as popular and editorial commentary on the above phenomenon, suggests that these channels are playing the role of mediators for the middle classes. While the news content is widely believed to be sensationalised for the sake of attaining higher ratings in an overcrowded and competitive market, political talk shows have turned into the analytical and narrative extension of news segments. By including the ordinary – mostly through its mediation by middle-class experts and journalists – these talk shows have turned into the popular culture equivalent of a public sphere for middle-class discussions of pertinent political issues. This article traces the genealogy of a long-standing political talk show on one of India's longest-running commercial networks, NDTV 24×7's We the People, to demonstrate its attempts to mirror an inclusive Indian public sphere. Further, in light of the recent middle classled anti-corruption movement in India, and subsequent conclusions about the weakening of the state, an episode of the talk show titled ‘Anna and the Great Indian Middle Class' is subject to a detailed textual analysis. The purpose of this analysis is to demonstrate the show's construction of: (a) corruption as a pan-Indian, and not just a middle-class, issue; (b) the middle class itself as a homogeneous group; and (c) the televisual public sphere (and not a community consultation involving representatives of the state) as a place for establishing populist consensus. Literature on new political television and theories of the public sphere are used as theoretical springboards throughout the article.
The Indian Public Sphere: Histories, Contradictions and Challenges
Authors: Harindranath Ramaswami
Published: January 2017

This article traces the complexities inherent in the formation of the public sphere in India and how this can be seen as impinging on specific kinds of media discourses. After highlighting a few of the apparent contradictions in the Indian public sphere, the article builds on the insights offered by Partha Chatterjee, Kuan-Hsing Chen and Walter Mignolo to argue the case for the need to reconceptualise the concept of the public sphere in order to make it more suitable for the Indian context. Using media reports on terrorism and terrorist activities in India and the diverse conceptualisations of terrorism that underpin them as examples, this article demonstrates the exercise of symbolic power by the state and the media, and how this is indicative of the contradictions intrinsic to the public sphere in India.
Authorship, subjectivity and resistance in the mainstream: A lesson from Israeli rap
Authors: Dorchin Uri
Published: January 2017

Notions of authenticity and resistance are often addressed concomitantly in the context of popular culture and in the discourse that surrounds blackness in particular. Avoiding such a perspective, this article draws on Israeli mainstream rappers for whom rap is a way to converge popular style with the ability to speak their mind in the most sincere way. Based on ethnographic description, I therefore call to acknowledge rappers’ position as ‘authors’: aware and critical subjects whose sense of personhood depends not on strict avoidance from mainstream routes but rather on a sober participation in it. Contemporary hip-hop in this case offers a possible escape from a rigid power-oriented analysis and from the irresolvable cycle of resistance and cooptation so often found in Cultural and Popular Music Studies.
Action research to support the integration of social media in the classroom
Authors: Casey Gail , Evans Terry
Published: January 2017

This article discusses and reflects on the action research process used during an investigation in which social and participatory media were integrated into the face-to-face classroom. The action research project concerned pedagogical and curricular changes created, negotiated, reflected upon and documented as new media were incorporated into 13 classes, over an 18-month period, in an Australian public high school. The action research process and its continual cycles of improvement were used to redesign projects that incorporated new media within a contemporary pedagogical approach to schooling young people. The article discusses the change in thinking and mindset for the teacher that came about from this new learning milieu and was undertaken with a view to meet the school demands of a one electronic device per student program. This study supports educators and learning designers in developing curriculum and pedagogy that is more in line with the demands and skills of young people using social and participatory media to engage, interpret and understand their social worlds.
The dissociative university: Pragmatist reconstructions in democratic pedagogy
Authors: Hachem Ali H
Published: January 2017

The American university is in transition, witnessing major changes to its institutional structures and processes. While the 1960s and 1970s were decades of progressive democratization in American higher education, today’s university is more aligned with the economic theory of neoliberalism. Existing at the intersection of two dominant but contradictory cultural discourses, each with its distinct version of public pedagogy, education, and identity, today’s American university can no longer clearly articulate its ethical, political, ontological, epistemological, and aesthetic essence, vision, and mission. Its identity is dissociative, inhospitable to delineation and prescription, and it as such suffers a Dissociative Identity Disorder. This article starts by articulating the two constructs of Public Pedagogy and Dissociative Identity Disorder. It then moves to an exposition in higher education of the ethical, political, ontological, epistemological, and aesthetic contradictions between the progressive liberal democratic tradition and the economic theory of neoliberalism. The article concludes by stressing that a democratic public pedagogy in higher education should take seriously the causes and underlying symptoms of cultural dissociation, one of which is a cultural quest for foundational certainty.
Changes in Tumor Volumes and Spatial Locations Relative to Normal Tissues During Cervical Cancer Radiotherapy Assessed by Cone Beam Computed Tomography
Authors: Chen Wenjuan , Bai Penggang , Pan Jianji , Xu Yuanji , Chen Kaiqiang
Published: January 2017

Purpose:

To assess changes in the volumes and spatial locations of tumors and surrounding organs by cone beam computed tomography during treatment for cervical cancer.

Materials and Methods:

Sixteen patients with cervical cancer had intensity-modulated radiotherapy and off-line cone beam computed tomography during chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. The gross tumor volume (GTV-T) and clinical target volumes (CTVs) were contoured on the planning computed tomography and weekly cone beam computed tomography image, and changes in volumes and spatial locations were evaluated using the volume difference method and Dice similarity coefficients.

Results:

The GTV-T was 79.62 cm3 at prior treatment (0f) and then 20.86 cm3 at the end of external-beam chemoradiation. The clinical target volume changed slightly from 672.59 cm3 to 608.26 cm3, and the uterine volume (CTV-T) changed slightly from 83.72 cm3 to 80.23 cm3. There were significant differences in GTV-T and CTV-T among the different groups ( P < .001), but the clinical target volume was not significantly different in volume ( P > .05). The mean percent volume changes ranged from 23.05% to 70.85% for GTV-T, 4.71% to 6.78% for CTV-T, and 5.84% to 9.59% for clinical target volume, and the groups were significantly different ( P < .05). The Dice similarity coefficient of GTV-T decreased during the course of radiation therapy ( P < .001). In addition, there were significant differences in GTV-T among different groups ( P < .001), and changes in GTV-T correlated with the radiotherapy ( P < .001). There was a negative correlation between volume change rate (DV) and Dice similarity coefficient in the GTV-T and organs at risk ( r < 0; P < .05).

Conclusion:

The volume, volume change rate, and Dice similarity coefficient of GTV-T were all correlated with increase in radiation treatment. Significant variations in tumor regression and spatial location occurred during radiotherapy for cervical cancer. Adaptive radiotherapy approaches are needed to improve the treatment accuracy for cervical cancer.
Reducing AIDS and Substance Abuse Risk Factors Among Homeless, HIV-Infected, Drug-Using Persons
Authors: Lewis J. Richard , Boyle David P. , Lewis Linda S. , Evans Maestro
Published: January 2017

Objective: The impact of a comprehensive HIV education, housing support, and 12-step recovery program in a day treatment program for homeless persons infected with HIV was studied. Method: Participants' knowledge of HIV and substance abuse risk factors was assessed for a group of new clients and for a group of clients enrolled for 3 months using an author-developed questionnaire. Continuation of high-risk sexual and substance use behaviors was assessed using the approach. Success in maintaining housing and 12-step recovery was assessed using a retrospective chart review on a separate group of past participants. Results: Statistically significant positive changes in participants' knowledge of HIV and substance use and a decrease in self-reported high-risk behaviors were found. The retrospective chart review also indicated positive changes in housing stability and substance abuse recovery. Conclusions: Preliminary results support the conclusion that the day treatment program had positive effects on the three variables of concern.
MSW Student Satisfaction With Using Single-System-Design Computer Software to Evaluate Social Work Practice
Authors: Conboy Arlene , Auerbach Charles , Beckerman Aaron , Schnall David , LaPorte Heidi Heft
Published: January 2017

Objective: A computer program for social work practice research was created and then tested. This program was designed specifically for computer tasks of data entry, data analysis, and graphic presentations of single-system-design research in social work practice. Method: An evaluation of this program was conducted with 136 students at one master's of social work (MSW) program in the spring of 1996. Results: More than 95% of the students surveyed found the program added a valuable component to research, and 81.9% reported the program helpful in evaluating practice. Conclusions: Computer software programs that are research design specific may encourage more social workers to do practice evaluation studies, but further development and testing of these types of specialized programs is called for.
Dancing with the Wind: A Methodological Approach to Researching Women's Spirituality around Menstruation and Birth
Authors: Moloney Sharon
Published: January 2017

Research into spirituality is by definition problematic. In an evidence-based culture, how is a concept like spirituality defined and measured? Through her doctoral dissertation, the author seeks to illuminate dimensions of female spirituality connected with the processes of menstruation and birth. In Western industrialized culture, these processes are regarded as medical concerns. Reframing the spiritual significance of menses, the author explores the links between attitudes toward menstruation and spirituality, and women's birth experiences. The lack of research and literature about the spirituality of menstruation, or the spiritual care of the birthing woman denotes a vacuum in both theory and practice. The author presents her methodological approach to resolving the dilemma of how to research the elusive concept of female spirituality—an endeavor akin to attempting to lasso the wind! Through a combination of autoethnography, focus groups, and in-depth interviews, she takes up the challenge of expanding the qualitative research frontier.
The Evocative Power of Projective Techniques for the Elicitation of Meaning
Authors: Porr Caroline , Mayan Maria , Graffigna Guendalina , Wall Sarah , Vieira Edgar Ramos
Published: January 2017

A unique project was undertaken by doctoral and postdoctoral students, and their mentor, from diverse backgrounds in health and social sciences to explore their past experiences as participants in a qualitative research training initiative called EQUIPP (Enhancing Qualitative Understanding of Illness Processes and Prevention). The purpose of the project was to create a symbolic representation of the EQUIPP program through the use of projective techniques. The authors examined the meaning of engaging in qualitative research training through images and conceptual metaphors that were subsequently consolidated thematically and then portrayed in the form of a newly constructed logo that was developed with the assistance of a professional graphic designer. Projective techniques proved to be a powerful, evocative tool for eliciting meaning and translating concrete experiences into visual discourse. In this paper, the authors discuss how projective techniques were operationalized and consider their broad implications for qualitative research.
Neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancers
Authors: Masood Shahla
Published: January 2017

With advances in science and technology, there are more innovations in the approach to management of patients with breast cancer. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy that is designed to be used prior to surgical removal of a tumor has received significant attention. Currently, neoadjuvant chemotherapy is offered to patients with locally advanced breast cancer and also those breast cancer patients who may benefit from size reduction before conservation therapy. There is now sufficient evidence that if neoadjuvant chemotherapy leads to complete pathologic response, the patient will enjoy a better outcome. Therefore, assessment of the degree of response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy has a major impact on patient selection and the follow-up management of each patient and defines patient outcome.
Low-dose CT pulmonary angiography on a 15-year-old CT scanner: a feasibility study
Authors: Kaup Moritz , Gruber-Rouh Tatjana , Scholtz Jan E , Albrecht Moritz H , Bucher Andreas , Frellesen Claudia , Vogl Thomas J , Beeres Martin
Published: January 2017

Background

Computed tomography (CT) low-dose (LD) imaging is used to lower radiation exposure, especially in vascular imaging; in current literature, this is mostly on latest generation high-end CT systems.

Purpose

To evaluate the effects of reduced tube current on objective and subjective image quality of a 15-year-old 16-slice CT system for pulmonary angiography (CTPA).

Material and Methods

CTPA scans from 60 prospectively randomized patients (28 men, 32 women) were examined in this study on a 15-year-old 16-slice CT scanner system. Standard CT (SD) settings were 100 kV and 150 mAs, LD settings were 100 kV and 50 mAs. Attenuation of the pulmonary trunk, various anatomic landmarks, and image noise were quantitatively measured; contrast-to-noise ratios (CNR) and signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) were calculated. Three independent blinded radiologists subjectively rated each image series using a 5-point grading scale.

Results

CT dose index (CTDI) in the LD series was 66.46% lower compared to the SD settings (2.49 ± 0.55 mGy versus 7.42 ± 1.17 mGy). Attenuation of the pulmonary trunk showed similar results for both series (SD 409.55 ± 91.04 HU; LD 380.43 HU ± 93.11 HU; P = 0.768). Subjective image analysis showed no significant differences between SD and LD settings regarding the suitability for detection of central and peripheral PE (central SD/LD, 4.88; intra-class correlation coefficients [ICC], 0.894/4.83; ICC, 0.745; peripheral SD/LD, 4.70; ICC, 0.943/4.57; ICC, 0.919; all P > 0.4).

Conclusion

The LD protocol, on a 15-year-old CT scanner system without current high-end hardware or post-processing tools, led to a dose reduction of approximately 67% with similar subjective image quality and delineation of central and peripheral pulmonary arteries.
Trends in Collection of Value Added Tax in West Bengal: A Commentary
Authors: Dwivedi H. K. , Sinha Sudip Kumar
Published: January 2017

As per constitutional provisions of Indian federal finance, value added tax (VAT) (and sales tax) is the main source of revenue for the state government. Value added tax (including sales tax) collected by the Directorate of Commercial Taxes, West Bengal, accounts for approximately 62 per cent of state’s own tax revenue (SOTR). Studies on collection of taxes suggest that revenue from all taxes not only depends directly on the nature and growth of the tax base but depends also on other factors such as economic reforms, global and national economic condition and tax effort of the tax collecting department. The motivation of this article is to try to analyze the nature of the trends in collection of VAT in West Bengal during recent years and to find out the effect of different explanatory variables on collection of VAT.

JEL Classification: H26, H71, H3
Book Review: Manish K. Jha and Pushpendra (eds), Traversing Bihar: The Politics of Development and Social Justice
Authors: Witsoe Jeffrey
Published: January 2017

Manish K. Jha and Pushpendra (eds), Traversing Bihar: The Politics of Development and Social Justice. New Delhi: Orient BlackSwan. 2014. 368 pages. ₹925.
Book Review: Samir Kumar Das (ed.), India: Democracy and Violence
Authors: Nixon Ngoru
Published: January 2017

Samir Kumar Das (ed.), India: Democracy and Violence. New Delhi: Oxford University Press. 2015. 267 pages. ₹995.
Agent-based Collaboration Between Distributed Web Applications: Case Study on 'Collaborative Design for X' Using CyberCO
Authors: Huang G Q , Mak K L
Published: January 2017

This paper presents a case study on the collaboration between a set of distributed web applications developed and deployed for carrying out a 'Design for Assembly' analysis. The case study is conducted using a web-based prototype system called CyberCO. The system is based on a theoretical framework which has been formed through an innovative combination of a number of concepts such as agents and workflows. Unlike previous attempts in computer supported concurrent engineering systems, collaboration in this framework between distributed web applications is achieved through workflows between their representative agents. The flows of data between agents are guided by the associated constraints. The flows of controls are somewhat data-driven in the sense that agents start and stop themselves whenever the predefined conditions are satisfied. The data-driven flows of controls are different from those widely used in workflow management where flows of controls are determined by the precedence relationships. The key purpose of this case study demonstration is to extend our knowledge and insights into this emerging field where increasing number of web applications are developed and deployed for collaborative product development and realization projects.
Psychosocial Impact of Heart Transplantation on Spouses
Authors: Bohachick Patricia , Reeder Sara , Taylor Melissa V. , Anton Bonnie B.
Published: January 2017

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychosocial impact of heart transplantation on spouses and compare the adjustment of spouses and their partners. Data were collected from 51 couples prior to transplant and 12 months posttransplant. The Psychosocial Adjustment to Illness Scale (PAIS) was used to measure adjustment in seven domains. Prior to the transplant, spouses experienced profound psychosocial distress related to their partner's illness. From pretransplant to posttransplant, PAIS total score decreased (lower scores indicate better adjustment) for spouses (M = 42, SD = 16 vs. M = 26, SD = 13). Spouses showed improvement in all domains. Posttransplant, patients' and spouses' PAIS total scores (overall adjustment) were not significantly different. Spouses reported more psychological distress than patients; patients reported more problems than spouses in vocational and domestic function. Study findings highlight the importance of sensitivity in the clinical setting to the distinct psychosocial needs of spouses.
Determining Stroke Rehabilitation Inpatients' Level of Nursing Care
Authors: Gross Jan Coleman , Goodrich Stacey W. , Kain Mary E. , Faulkner Elizabeth A.
Published: January 2017

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of using the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) to predict staffing needs of stroke patients in an acute inpatient rehabilitation program. The Patient Care Index (PCI) was concurrently administered with the FIM on all stroke admissions to a stroke rehabilitation unit over a 3-month period. One hundred fourteen patients 18 years of age or older admitted to the unit with a medical diagnosis of stroke were included in the sample. Total FIM score had a strong inverse relationship to the level of care indicated by the PCI at Days 1, 5, 7, 10, 15, and 20 of rehabilitation (rs = —.76 to —.87). Total FIM score and the need for staff supervision for safety were the two factors predictive of the level of nursing care. The FIM has potential to guide nurse-staffing decisions.
Effects of Crossing Legs on Blood Pressure Measurement
Authors: Keele-Smith Rebecca , Price-Daniel CeCilia
Published: January 2017

The purpose of this study was to determine if blood pressure measurement is affected by the leg crossed at the knee as compared with feet flat on the floor in a well-senior population. Participants (N = 110) either had their blood pressure measured with feet flat first and then crossed or the reverse of this. Results indicate that blood pressure was significantly higher when legs were crossed versus uncrossed. Systolic pressure changed by 5.9 mmHg, from 127.32 to 133.24, whereas diastolic pressure changed by 2.97, from 72.54 to 75.52. There were no significant differences between those who had their blood pressure measured first with their legs crossed versus uncrossed or between those with and without hypertension. Instructing patients to keep feet flat on the floor during blood pressure measurement is an important nursing intervention that can contribute to the accurate measurement, interpretation, and treatment of a patient's health condition.
Family Caregiving in Long-Term Care Facilities
Authors: Ross Margaret M. , Carswell Anne , Dalziel William B.
Published: January 2017

Family caregiving within institutional settings is a neglected area of research. In an era of cost containment, more and more is being asked of families of institutionalized persons. This article presents the results of a study designed to investigate family caregiving following the admission of an elderly relative to a long-term care facility. Beginning with a brief summary of findings from previous research, the article reports on visiting and task performance by families within the long-term care facility. Continuing with descriptions of families' satisfaction with institutional care and their care-related learning needs, the article concludes with recommendations for policy and practice.
Promyelocytic extracellular chromatin exacerbates coagulation and fibrinolysis in acute promyelocytic leukemia
Authors: Cao Muhua , Li Tao , He Zhangxiu , Wang Lixiu , Yang Xiaoyan , Kou Yan , Zou Lili , Dong Xue , Novakovic Valerie A. , Bi Yayan , Kou Junjie , Yu Bo , Fang Shaohong , Wang Jinghua , Zhou Jin , Shi Jialan
Published: January 2017

Key Points

ATRA promotes ETosis leading to procoagulant promyelocytic extracellular chromatin. Extracellular chromatin fosters excess thrombin production and fibrin deposition, increases plasmin, and causes endothelium damage.
Microcystic adnexal carcinoma (MAC)-like squamous cell carcinoma as a differential diagnosis to Bell's palsy: Review of guidelines for refractory facial nerve palsy
Authors: Mueller S. K. , Iro H. , Lell M. , Seifert F. , Bohr C. , Scherl C. , Agaimy A. , Traxdorf M.
Published: January 2017

Background

Bell's palsy is the most common cause of facial paralysis worldwide and the most common disorder of the cranial nerves. It is a diagnosis of exclusion, accounting for 60–75% of all acquired peripheral facial nerve palsies. Our case shows the first case of a microcystic adnexal carcinoma-like squamous cell carcinoma as a cause of facial nerve palsy.

Case presentation

The patient, a 70-year-old Caucasian male, experienced subsequent functional impairment of the trigeminal and the glossopharyngeal nerve about 1½ years after refractory facial nerve palsy. An extensive clinical work-up and tissue biopsy of the surrounding parotid gland tissue was not able to determine the cause of the paralysis. Primary infiltration of the facial nerve with subsequent spreading to the trigeminal and glossopharyngeal nerve via neuroanastomoses was suspected. After discussing options with the patient, the main stem of the facial nerve was resected to ascertain the diagnosis of MAC-like squamous cell carcinoma, and radiochemotherapy was subsequently started.

Conclusion

This case report shows that even rare neoplastic etiologies should be considered as a cause of refractory facial nerve palsy and that it is necessary to perform an extended diagnostic work-up to ascertain the diagnosis. This includes high-resolution MRI imaging and, as perilesional parotid biopsies might be inadequate for rare cases like ours, consideration of a direct nerve biopsy to establish the right diagnosis.
Complete genome sequence of the salmonella enterica serovar enteritidis bacteriophages fSE1C and fSE4C isolated from food matrices
Authors: Santander Javier , Vasquez Jose I. , Segovia Cristopher , Santos Leonardo , Turra Gabriel , Huber Karen , Robeson James
Published: January 2017

Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis is one of the most common causes of Salmonellosis worldwide. Utilization of bacteriophages as prophylactic agents is a practical solution to prevent Salmonellosis in ready-to-eat products. Shelf stability is one of the desirable properties for prophylactic bacteriophages. Here, we describe the phenotype, genome, and phylogeny of fSE1C and fSE4S Salmonella bacteriophages. fSE1C and fSE4S were previously isolated from pickle sauce and ground beef respectively and selected for their significant shelf stability. fSE1C and fSE4S showed a broad S. enterica serovar range, infecting several Salmonella serovars. The viral particles showed an icosahedral head structure and flexible tail, a typical morphology of the Siphoviridae family. fSE1C and fSE4C genomes consists of dsDNA of 41,720 bp and 41,768 bp with 49.73% and 49.78% G + C, respectively. Comparative genomic analysis reveals a mosaic relationship between S. enterica serovar Enteritidis phages isolated from Valparaiso, Chile.
“Why Shall Wee Have Peace to Bee Made Slaves”: Indian Surrenderers During and After King Philip’s War
Authors: Fisher Linford D.
Published: January 2017

This article is an investigation of the treatment of surrenderers in King Philip’s War (1675–76) in New England, particularly with regard to enslavement. Fear of slavery was a tangible, deep concern for most New England natives involved in the war. Threats of enslavement influenced the involvement of native individuals and groups, driving some into deeper “rebellion” and others to surrender. Each colony had differing policies for surrendering natives, but generally the hundreds of surrenderers received far worse treatment than they expected, facing execution, overseas enslavement, local limited-term enslavement, and forced relocation. Perhaps the most fascinating element of this saga is the degree to which English-allied native leaders worked to influence the treatment of surrenderers, helping them to escape to New York, harboring runaways, and in other ways trying to keep natives out of English households.
Kant, Art, and Time
Authors: Stiegler Bernard
Published: January 2017

How is individuation possible when all knowledges are transmitted by machines? Is wanting “to be a machine” the ultimate articulation of this limit question? As for us, living as we do in the age of a new machinic turn of sensibility (the digital turn, which coincides with the end of mass media that are dying in a globally and industrially organized regressive movement in which the technical, transitional object becomes monstrous and pathetic), we will encounter a new age of care in which the amateur is the exemplary figure—traversing, as such, the field of contemporary art, producing exhibitions such as Amateurs, organized by Ralph Rugoff at the CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts, or Enthusiasts, organized by Neil Cummings and Marysia Lewandoska at Chelsea College, London, or the installation by Michel Gondry at the Centre Pompidou in Paris. This new epoch opens up a new organological age that requalifies amateurs as practitioners as well as critics. But the practitioner of art is first of all a critic, if it is true that to practice is to discern. This is why we must try to understand, both here and in my third and final text, “The Quarrel of Amateurs,” what the past, present, and future of the amateur actually are—that is, the connection between critique and desire, if it is true that amateur derives from “amor,” love.
Dare to Care: Between Stiegler's Mystagogy and Foucault's Aesthetics of Existence
Authors: Cohen Ed
Published: January 2017

Both Michel Foucault and Bernard Stiegler underscore the importance of “care” as a political and philosophical value. This article juxtaposes Stiegler's embrace of “mystagogy” and Foucault's use of “psychagogy” in order to suggest why each of these thinkers dares to care.
Bernard Stiegler, Philosopher of Desire?
Authors: Hansen Mark B. N.
Published: January 2017

Excavating Bernard Stiegler's post–Technics and Time writings, this article questions not whether Stiegler's basic approach to the human-technics coupling that is central to his thought is correct, promising, or indeed imperative but whether the terms on which he theorizes it are adequate for engaging with the contemporary operation of technics. My excavation focuses on the concept and operation of desire, which comes to the fore in Stiegler's writings from the mid-2000s onward, as (together with memory) the fundamental characteristic of human becoming. As we explore the concept/operation of desire and the theorization of technics in terms of the libidinal economy that it undergirds (as presented, for example, in the three lectures that are published in this special issue), the fundamental question will be the following: Does the endorsement of desire and libidinal economy provide a viable remedy for what Stiegler has astutely diagnosed as the capture of available brain time? Or is it rather more of a throwback to a moment of cultural history (and of the theorization of culture) that has now been superseded, in large part, because of technical advance?