Newspaper Announcements Research Articles

A probational experiment on directing citizens of Vilnius to libraries and its preliminary results

A series of experiments on directing town people to libraries was carried out under the program of sociological-psychological research on the theme "The role of libraries in developing and satisfying professional and spiritual interests of young workers." Between October 1, 1981, and December 31, 1981, a test experiment was carried out in 23 departments of the Vilnius Central Library and its branches. Its purpose was to ascertain the importance of a newspaper announcement in the form of an invitation/information in directing young workers and other categories of readers to libraries. The total data accumulated over the experimental and pre-experimental control period (1980) covered 3,263 working days, 10,372 new readers (of whom 2,112 were workers), and 143,157 visits to the library. The preliminary results of the analysis of the general tendencies in the development of these processes have shown that the announcement had a practical impact in the communication system "Newspaper - reader - library." The announcement had particularly enhanced the dynamics of these processes: over the period of the experiment, the direction of workers to libraries increased by 8.49 percent, the number of new readers by 16.99 percent, and the number of visits to the library by 15.77 percent, as compared with the pre-experimental control period. Besides, the experiment has tested in practice and confirmed the correctness of the methodological conception underlying it as well as its technological model.

The Role of Anxiety and Depression in Shaping the Sleep-Pain Connection in Patients with Nonspecific Chronic Spinal Pain and Comorbid Insomnia: A Cross-Sectional Analysis.

(1) Background: This exploratory study aims to explore the relationship between nonspecific chronic spinal pain (nCSP) and insomnia symptoms, by examining the interconnections, strengths, and directional dependence of the symptoms. In addition, we aim to identify the key symptoms of the nCSP-insomnia relationship and shed light on the bidirectional nature of this relationship. (2) Methods: This study is a secondary analysis of the baseline data (cross-sectional) from a randomized controlled trial, which examined the added value of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) combined with cognition-targeted exercise therapy, conducted in collaboration with the Universiteit Gent and Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Belgium). One hundred and twenty-three nCSP patients with comorbid insomnia were recruited through the participating hospitals, advertisements, announcements in local newspapers, pharmacies, publications from support groups, and primary care. To explore the interconnections and directionality between symptoms and the strengths of the relationships, we estimated a regularized Gaussian graphical model and a directed acyclic graph. (3) Results: We found only one direct, but weak, link between sleep and pain, namely, between average pain and difficulties maintaining sleep. (4) Conclusions: Despite the lack of strong direct links between sleep and pain, pain and sleep seem to be indirectly linked via anxiety and depression symptoms, acting as presumable mediators in the network of nCSP and comorbid insomnia. Furthermore, feeling slowed down and fatigue emerged as terminal nodes, implying their role as consequences of the network.

Knowledge Enhancement of Landless and Marginal Farmers through Entrepreneurship Training on Goat Farming

The study focused on assessing the cognitive effectiveness of entrepreneurial development training on goat rearing for landless and marginal farmers in Maharashtra’s Beed district carried out during 2020-21. A group of Twenty-five farmers were selected based on WhatsApp messages sent to registered KVK groups and a newspaper announcement. The training covered housing, disease management, improved goat breeding, feeding, feed preparation, and marketing intelligence. It was found that education level, socio-economic status, scientific interest, land ownership, social engagement, and marketing skills positively influenced knowledge acquisition. The trainee’s knowledge gained to the tune of 172 per cent more in seven days of training compared to the benchmark. Goat production and management including wildlife corridor preservation and promoting local vegetation through controlled grazing were key aspects. The study emphasized the importance of goat rearing training for farmers in the Beed district, showcasing substantial knowledge gains and identifying factors affecting participants’ learning outcomes.

News, Business and Public Information. Advertisements and Announcements in Dutch and Flemish Newspapers, 1620–1675, written by Arthur der Weduwen and Andrew Pettegree

News, Business and Public Information. Advertisements and Announcements in Dutch and Flemish Newspapers, 1620–1675, written by Arthur der Weduwen and Andrew Pettegree

Locating longitudinal study participants 10 years after last contact: Contemporary approaches to sample retention.

Despite their advantages, longitudinal studies often face high rates of attrition. This study documents the extensive efforts associated with retaining a longitudinal cohort last contacted 10 years earlier. We examine the processes and outcomes of attempts to reach 1736 individuals who have been part of a multiwave study about growing up in Ontario, Canada. Contact methods include email, phone, text, social media, postal mail, announcements in newspapers, subway stations, and music streaming services. Challenges included a lack of consistent annual communication with participants, children moving out of the parental home, and changes in email addresses and phone numbers. The most effective contact method was phone; text messages and friend referrals were the least effective. Overall, 41.5% of the original sample was reached. Locating former research participants years later necessitated multiple and repeated contact attempts, and intensive human resources. Ten lessons for effective sample retention are discussed. In summary, reducing attrition depends on a comprehensive study design and an organized and flexible protocol that adapts to a study's ever-changing needs.

Cyber attacks on hospitality sector: stock market reaction

论酒店业的网络攻击：股票市场的反应研究目的信息通讯技术的快速发展, 对UN全球可持续发展战略目标带来机遇和挑战。电子技术对可持续发展起到重要作用, 但是如果它们未被合理使用, 则对可持续性构成潜在威胁。在众多负面影响中, 网络攻击不可忽视, 成为现今重大担忧, 尤其是对于处理敏感数据的行业, 比如旅游产业。酒店业必须具备管理网络安全和处理电子隐私的能力, 以防止损失, 对社会经济可持续增长做出贡献。研究设计/方法/途径本论文分析酒店业内因网络攻击而遭受股票的影响。借用事件分析法, 本论文研究了近五年来, 170项信息安全泄露消息对酒店市场价值的影响。研究结果本论文主要确立了上市公司因网络攻击而受到的经济价值影响。我们发现, 酒店公司在宣布网络攻击后, 其市场收益受到负面影响。充足的网络安全技术投入和人员培训与酒店减少网络攻击有一定的联系。研究原创性/价值本论文分析了酒店业中上市公司因网络攻击而带来的潜在经济价值的损失。研究分析样本来自Lexis Nexis数据库中的全球网络攻击的新闻报道。

Air Pollution, Government Pollution Regulation, and Industrial Production in China

Over the last four decades, a severe deterioration in air quality has accompanied China’s rapid industrialization. As a result, the Chinese government has implemented stricter policies and regulation to control air pollution. In this paper, the authors create a measure of government policies on air pollution by tracking all pollution-related government announcements in Chinese newspapers. The authors then use this variable, along with measures of actual pollution, to investigate how air pollution, industrial production, and government policies on air pollution are interrelated. The authors conduct this investigation nationwide, as well as in five large cities in China. A vector autoregression model suggests that, nationwide, government policies seem to decrease air pollution without significantly affecting industrial production. However, the effect appears to be short-lived, dissipating after a few months. In addition, the authors find that the dynamic relationship among these variables differs by city. For instance, following an adverse air quality shock in Beijing, government efforts to control pollution seem to have an ameliorating city-wide effect, decreasing local air pollution in subsequent months. In Shanghai and Guangzhou, while the local government reacts to adverse air pollution shocks, the ameliorating effects are not statistically significant. In Chengdu and Shenyang, the authors detect no significant local government reaction to adverse air pollution shocks. Moreover, in these cities, local government policies do not impart a statistically measurable effect on air pollution.

Exercise training decreases pancreatic fat content and improves beta cell function regardless of baseline glucose tolerance: a randomised controlled trial

Aims/hypothesisPancreatic fat accumulation may contribute to the development of beta cell dysfunction. Exercise training improves whole-body insulin sensitivity, but its effects on pancreatic fat content and beta cell dysfunction are unclear. The aim of this parallel-group randomised controlled trial was to evaluate the effects of exercise training on pancreatic fat and beta cell function in healthy and prediabetic or type 2 diabetic participants and to test whether the responses were similar regardless of baseline glucose tolerance.MethodsUsing newspaper announcements, a total of 97 sedentary 40–55-year-old individuals were assessed for eligibility. Prediabetes (impaired fasting glucose and/or impaired glucose tolerance) and type 2 diabetes were defined by ADA criteria. Of the screened candidates, 28 healthy men and 26 prediabetic or type 2 diabetic men and women met the inclusion criteria and were randomised into 2-week-long sprint interval or moderate-intensity continuous training programmes in a 1:1 allocation ratio using random permuted blocks. The primary outcome was pancreatic fat, which was measured by magnetic resonance spectroscopy. As secondary outcomes, beta cell function was studied using variables derived from OGTT, and whole-body insulin sensitivity and pancreatic fatty acid and glucose uptake were measured using positron emission tomography. The measurements were carried out at the Turku PET Centre, Finland. The analyses were based on an intention-to-treat principle. Given the nature of the intervention, blinding was not applicable.ResultsAt baseline, the group of prediabetic or type 2 diabetic men had a higher pancreatic fat content and impaired beta cell function compared with the healthy men, while glucose and fatty acid uptake into the pancreas was similar. Exercise training decreased pancreatic fat similarly in healthy (from 4.4% [3.0%, 6.1%] to 3.6% [2.4%, 5.2%] [mean, 95% CI]) and prediabetic or type 2 diabetic men (from 8.7% [6.0%, 11.9%] to 6.7% [4.4%, 9.6%]; p = 0.036 for time effect) without any changes in pancreatic substrate uptake (p ≥ 0.31 for time effect in both insulin-stimulated glucose and fasting state fatty acid uptake). In prediabetic or type 2 diabetic men and women, both exercise modes similarly improved variables describing beta cell function.Conclusions/interpretationTwo weeks of exercise training improves beta cell function in prediabetic or type 2 diabetic individuals and decreases pancreatic fat regardless of baseline glucose tolerance. This study shows that short-term training efficiently reduces ectopic fat within the pancreas, and exercise training may therefore reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT01344928FundingThis study was funded by the Emil Aaltonen Foundation, the European Foundation for the Study of Diabetes, the Finnish Diabetes Foundation, the Orion Research Foundation, the Academy of Finland (grants 251399, 256470, 281440, and 283319), the Ministry of Education of the State of Finland, the Paavo Nurmi Foundation, the Novo Nordisk Foundation, the Finnish Cultural Foundation, the Hospital District of Southwest Finland, the Turku University Foundation, and the Finnish Medical Foundation.

Recruitment strategies in a prospective longitudinal family study on parents with obesity and their toddlers

BackgroundRecruitment of participants with obesity is a real challenge. To reduce time and costs in similar projects, we investigated various recruiting strategies used in a longitudinal family study with respect to their enrolment yield and cost effectiveness. Results may help other research groups to optimize their recruitment strategies.MethodsWe applied different recruitment strategies to acquire families with children aged 6 to 47 months and at least one parent with obesity (risk group) or two parents of normal weight (control group) for a longitudinal non-interventional study. Based on four main strategies-via media, kindergartens, health professionals and focusing on the community-we examined 15 different subcategories of strategies. Based on enrolment yield and relative costs (e.g., material expenses, staff time) we analyzed the effectiveness of each recruitment strategy.ResultsFollowing different recruitment approaches, 685 families contacted us; 26% (n = 178) of these met the inclusion criteria. Of the four main strategies, the community-focused strategy was the most successful one (accounting for 36.5% of the sample) followed by contacts with kindergartens (accounting for 28.1% of the sample). Of the subcategories, two strategies were outstanding: Posters (community-focused strategies), and recruitment via kindergartens using phone contacts rather than emailing. Only a small number of participants were recruited via announcements in newspapers (lower cost strategy), advertisements on public transport or face-to-face recruitment at various places (higher cost strategies).ConclusionsResults revealed that only a combination of different active and passive methods and approaches led to a sufficient sample size. In this study, recruitment via posters and contacting kindergartens on the phone produced the highest numbers of participants (high enrolment yield) at moderate costs.

Post-traumatic Stress, Physical Health and Chronic Pain: The Role of Hyperarousal and Depressive Symptoms

Background: This cross-sectional study aimed to examine the association of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS; i.e., re- experiencing, avoidance/numbing, and hyperarousal) and depressive symptoms with: (a) physical health symptoms, (b) pain symptoms, (c) and the presence of chronic pain among trauma-exposed individuals. The mediational role of depressive symptoms in the relationship between each PTSS cluster and physical health symptoms, pain symptoms, or presence of chronic pain was also tested. Method: Individuals who reported to have suffered a traumatic experience (N = 100) participated in the study. They were recruited through organizations offering services for victims of violence, self- help groups, newspaper announcements, and the outpatient clinic. Participants were interviewed with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for DSM-IV and the German versions of the Clinician- Administered PTSD Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Freiburg Complaints Scale. Results: Regression analysis showed that both hyperarousal and depressive symptoms accounted for unique variances of physical health symptoms (partial r2 were .03 and .11, respectively). Bootstrap analysis indicated that whereas hyperarousal was both directly and indirectly (through depressive symptoms) related to physical health symptoms, avoidance/numbing and re-experience were only indirectly related with physical health symptoms via depressive symptoms. For pain symptoms, only depressive symptoms were uniquely related with this variable (partial r2 was .05). Depressive symptoms mediated the relationship between the three PTSS clusters and pain symptoms, but not the relationship between the clusters and the presence of chronic pain. Hyperarousal was the only variable uniquely and directly related with the presence of chronic pain (OR = 3.01; p <.05). Conclusions: These data highlight the importance of treating depressive and hyperarousal symptoms in order to improve physical health and pain in trauma-exposed individuals.

Actions developed at the Instituto de Medicina Integral Prof. Fernando Figueira to confront microcephaly by Zika virus

Abstract Objectives: to publicize by inserting institutionally to the context of microcephaly care by Zika virus in the Northeast of Brazil and to describe the activities developed during the epidemic outbreak that occurred in the country in 2015. Methods: analysis on technical documents and institutional announcements in newspapers, on television and radio was carried out from August 2015 to July 2016. Results: the Central Nucleus to Monitor and Study Microcephaly at Instituto de Medicina Integral Prof. Fernando Figueira (IMIP); took part in elaborating a Clinical and Epidemiological protocol for Professionals at Maternity Hospitals and Referral Services from the State Health Department of Pernambuco (SES/PE); IMIP became a National Referral Center in elaborating protocols to identify and monitor children with microcephaly, and a Benchmark Assistance for the State Health Department of Pernambuco. Technical meetings took place with the participation of clinical and medical professionals, researchers, professors and institutional managers, forums, training sessions and workshops along with national and international institutions, technical visits of international organizations and development of studies on Zika virus and microcephaly. Conclusions: the impact by notifying microcephaly cases caused mobilization of services at IMIP, reorganization of work processes and research developments.

War, housing rents, and free market: Berlin's rental housing during World War I

New archival evidence on housing rents in Berlin over 1909–1917 is presented. The data are extracted from newspaper announcements and georeferenced. Using hedonic regressions, quality-adjusted rent indices are constructed and employed to analyze the rental dynamics during World War I, when housing market experienced several shocks. The outbreak of the war led to an outflow of men from cities. Toward the end of the war, the construction freeze together with an inflow of workers and discharged soldiers resulted in a housing shortage. The analysis shows a rent decline (particularly for cheap dwellings) during the first half of the war, followed by a moderate increase. In 1917, given a dramatic overall price increase, real rents lost half of their value. Thus, regulatory policy did not emerge as a result of market failure, but rather the fear of rapid rent increases as a consequence of the supply stagnation despite growing housing demand.

SOURCE BASE DURING STUDYING PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYMENT OF POPULATION OF VYATKA PROVINCE IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE XIX CENTURY

The problem of studying of professional employment of the population is urgent for historical science. Studying of the matter allows to examine rates of economic development of the Russian Empire and its regions, for example, of the Vyatka province. Society doesn't stand still. Technical progress changes requirements and inquiries of the population, it affects labor market. This article presents the review of the sources that give an overall picture of employment of the population of the Vyatka province in the second half of the XIX century. This province was one of the largest in the Russian Empire in a population. The increase in the population and the development of various modes of production had an impact on the development of a labor market. Average rates of the economic development of the Vyatka province and the extending labor market allow to submit the list of professional jobs, typical for all Russian Empire in the second half of the XIX century. This article presents the review of the sources that give an overall picture of employment of the population of the Vyatka province and of the Russian Empire in the second half of the XIX century. For this purpose the author carried out the analysis of sources like statistical data, periodicals, real sources. As universal source it is possible to consider data of the First General population census of the Russian Empire 1897. Archival materials - documents of Vyatka provincial statistical committee are used. Materials consist of balance sheets in which the list of professions and number of the persons occupied with them is specified; office work acts indicate problems which representatives of professions faced. Periodicals contain an evident list of works and services in the form of announcements. Announcements in newspapers can be divided into categories «are required» and «rendering of services». «Memorable books» and «Calendars» – are special sources about statistics. They were published by printing houses of provinces of the Russian Empire. Material sources (artifacts) report about working conditions of workers. The article contains the ideas of complex studying of various sources for identification of professional works of the population of the Russian Empire in the second half of the XIX century.

Readability, Suitability and Health Content Assessment of Cancer Screening Announcements in Municipal Newspapers in Japan

The objective of this study was to assess the readability, suitability, and health content of cancer screening information in municipal newspapers in Japan. Suitability Assessment of Materials (SAM) and the framework of Health Belief Model (HBM) were used for assessment of municipal newspapers that were published in central Tokyo (23 wards) from January to December 2013. The mean domain SAM scores of content, literacy demand, and layout/typography were considered superior. The SAM scores of interaction with readers, an indication of the models of desirable actions, and elaboration to enhance readers' self-efficacy were low. According to the HBM coding, messages of medical/clinical severity, of social severity, of social benefits, and of barriers of fear were scarce. The articles were generally well written and suitable. However, learning stimulation/motivation was scarce and the HBM constructs were not fully addressed. Articles can be improved to motivate readers to obtain cancer screening by increasing interaction with readers, introducing models of desirable actions and devices to raise readers' self-efficacy, and providing statements of perceived barriers of fear for pain and time constraints, perceived severity, and social benefits and losses.

Clinical characteristics of COPD syndrome: A 6-year follow-up study of adult smokers

Background. There is little quantitative information about the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) among adult smokers and of what happens to patients who have already developed COPD.Objectives. To examine the development and performance of COPD status over time, and the clinical characteristics of new COPD cases according to the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) 2007 and 2011 classifications.Methods. Healthy asymptomatic smokers were recruited through newspaper announcements. They filled in questionnaires and had an individualized assessment of their health history during all three visits (visit 1, visit 2 after three years, visit 3 after six years).Results. Of the eligible 621 heavy smokers, 572 attended visit 2. A total of 513 subjects completed the 6-year follow-up examination. According to GOLD 2007, COPD was present in 22.8% (n = 117) of these smokers. The severity of COPD changed during the years of follow-up. Furthermore, health status and prevalence of chronic respiratory symptoms both in the smokers with normal lung function and in the COPD groups varied over the time period.Conclusions. GOLD 2011 recognized the complex patient subgroups better than GOLD 2007. Variability in chronic symptoms or in health status correlated poorly with the severity of airway limitation.

Exploring Psychomanteum as a Psi-Conducive State of Consciousness

The mirror gazing procedure termed the “psychomanteum” was developed by the world renowned psychiatrist Dr. Raymond Moody. It was designed to facilitate reunion experiences with deceased individuals, as a means of addressing the feelings surrounding bereavement. Although the modern psychomanteum is not normally employed to seek extra-sensory perception (ESP) information about the future, it may be that the psychomanteum is psi-conductive. For example, there are many similarities and differences between psychomanteum experiences and accounts of hypnagogic/hypnopompic imagery, which is conducive to ESP. The aim is of this paper was to explore whether the psychomanteum technique encourages a psi-conducive state of consciousness, which would result in scoring that is significantly above mean chance expectation (MCE). One hundred and thirty participants (92 females and 38 males; Mean age= 47.44) were recruited by announcements in newspapers and our web site. Under psychomanteum condition, psi-hitting was obtained (30.8% above MCE); however, under no-psychomanteum (“control”) condition, 29.2% was obtained (where 25% was expected). The results differ slightly from MCE in the psychomanteum condition (p= .02, one-tailed) in comparison with no-psychomanteum condition, but no significant differences were found. A number of positive correlations were also found, for instance, participants who attained higher scores on auditory and visual hallucinations tended to demonstrate psi-hitting.

War, Housing Rents, and Free Market: A Case of Berlin's Rental Housing Market During the World War I

Before the World War I, the urban rental housing market in Germany could be described as a free and competitive market. The government hardly interfered in the relationships between the landlords and tenants. The rents were set freely. During the World War I, the market was hit by several violent shocks. The outbreak of the war led initially to a huge outflow of men from cities to the fronts. Towards the end of the war, the cessation of construction as well as an inflow of workers and mustered out of service soldiers produced an acute housing shortage. Using a unique data set of asking rents extracted from the newspaper announcements, we constructed a monthly time series of rents in Berlin over 1909-1917. This variable is employed to measure the effects of demand and supply shocks on different segments of housing: from small dwellings for poor to large apartments for rich. The analysis shows a decline of rents (especially of the cheap dwellings) in the first half of the war, followed by a moderate increase. This stands in marked contrast to a steady and strong increase of the overall price level.

Communicating Beyond the Conventional Functions: An Assessment of Newspaper Announcements

By default, all announcements notify listeners or readers of a given event, be it social, cultural, or religious. Newspaper personal or non-product advertisements tend to make audiences focus on its sponsors or the subject-matter of the announcements. Most personal announcements fall within the homely discourse genre. Scholars believe that careful examination of these types of announcements reveals further communications achieved beyond its primary functions and literal wordings. These communications could be within sociocultural or religious contexts. This critique reviews scholarly literature on how language is employed in a variety of newspaper announcements to convey much deeper sociocultural, religious, or political messages. The review focuses two types of genres, viz: congratulatory, and obituary and death announcements. Findings reveal that in congratulation and thank-you messages, a higher level of communication is achieved through various segments of such announcements, i.e. the use of multimodal, its position in the newspaper, etc. It shows how the announcements serve certain communicative purposes and how they are being influenced by factors such as gender and socioeconomic class. On the other hand, the literature reviewed on obituary and death announcements discloses how language is being utilized in the advent of death to communicate, not only to the deceased, but with wider audiences. The appraisal demonstrates how pages of newspaper death notice become platforms for eradicating social divisions and fighting the privileged groups. Another part of the evaluation discusses some contrasting conflicting views on the question of invoking God and religion in death rituals. As deceased persons are being celebrated and seen as martyrs in given cultures, others subscribe to notions that perceive death as personal choice and mere departure from the world. It is therefore recommended that more empirical works be conducted on congratulatory and other happy ceremony category of the newspaper announcements as the literature reviewed, so far, shows a very few scholarly works in that aspect of the genre.

"Assuming the privilege" of bridging divides: Abigail Fowler-Chumos, practical phrenology, and America's Gilded Age.

Nineteenth-century phrenology is often presented as a failed or pseudoscience. Based on erroneous anatomical assumptions and indirect observation, phrenology as such offers historians of psychology an object lesson in what scientists ought not do (e.g., Boring, 1929). As a practical profession, however, phrenology presents a more complicated narrative. This is particularly true in the United States where in the hands of practitioners including and influenced by the Fowler family, phrenology maintained a cultural presence long after being rejected by the scientific and medical mainstream (Janik, 2014). The prevalence of women practitioners, whose work and lives have yet to be adequately explored, represents another complication. Abigail Ayers Doe Fowler-Chumos, third wife of America's "great gun of phrenology" Orson Squire Fowler, is one practitioner worthy of closer examination (Davies, 1955, p. 46). Using the separate spheres concept (Kerber, 1988) and newspaper announcements, articles, and advertisements spanning the 1870s to 1920s, this article explores Abigail Ayers Doe Fowler-Chumos' development as a practical phrenologist. Her story suggests much about the unrecognized capacity of practical phrenology to create concepts and practices of selfhood capable of moving women beyond the private and domestic, while also preparing all Americans for modern psychology.

Beverly Lyon Clark. The Afterlife of “Little Women”

Beverly Lyon Clark. <i>The Afterlife of “Little Women”</i>