Media Penetration Research Articles

Media Coverage and IPO Pricing Around the World

We study how media coverage impacts pricing of IPOs around the world. Higher media coverage in the pre-IPO period leads to lower IPO initial returns. The effect is mitigated in countries with better financial reporting quality, greater shareholder rights protection, and more stringent media censorship, and for IPOs “certified” by reputable intermediaries, while it is amplified in countries with higher levels of media penetration and media trust. Further, IPOs with higher pre-IPO media coverage have lower ex-post price revision volatility. Our findings suggest that higher pre-IPO media coverage reduces information asymmetry among investors, leading to less underpriced IPOs.

Maternal Vulnerabilities and Disparities in Availability of Antenatal Care Content in Kenya: Analysis of KDHS 2008/9

Background: ANC provides the opportunity to detect and treat anomalies of pregnancy and access to preventive maternal and child healthcare. However, detailed information about the actual quality and content of ANC in practice is scanty, especially in developing countries. We analyzed the pattern and content of antenatal care service in Kenya in order to assess the quality of ANC. Methods: We used data from the 2008/9 KDHS, a nationally representative survey of women aged 15-49 years in Kenya. Proportion was used for description purpose while association was determined by bivariate and multivariate analysis in which odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval values were calculated. Results: About 50.9% of women sought ANC services either in health centers or dispensaries but these lower level health facilities had more content gaps. Multivariate analysis indicated that maternal age, regional residence, urban residence, wealth index, education and the media influenced ANC initiation and at least 4 ANC visits. There was a coverage gap existing in terms of iron-folate supplementation (66.1%), tetanus toxoid (66.5%), presumptive/preventive treatment for malaria with SP (38.7%) and education on pregnancy complication (44.3%). Nearly a third of women missed the screening for complication during pregnancy. Conclusion: Disparities exist in provision of ANC components, by type of facility attended, rural-urban and low versus higher income biases. Consequently vulnerable women attending ANC miss important care including screening for complication during pregnancy and labor. Efforts should be designed to improve on supplies to government health centers and dispensaries. Well stocked outreach village clinics with the requirements of a comprehensive antenatal care resource allocation should be used to eliminate service disparities. Government policy should help to increase media penetration amongst the masses and sensitize mothers on the importance of ANC.

Complex CatSper-dependent and independent [Ca2+]i signalling in human spermatozoa induced by follicular fluid.

STUDY QUESTIONDoes progesterone in human follicular fluid (hFF) activate CatSper and do other components of hFF modulate this effect and/or contribute separately to hFF-induced Ca2+ signaling?SUMMARY ANSWERhFF potently stimulates CatSper and increases [Ca2+]i, primarily due to high concentrations of progesterone, however, other components of hFF also contribute to [Ca2+]i signaling, including modulation of CatSper channel activity and inhibition of [Ca2+]i oscillations.WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADYCatSper, the principal Ca2+ channel in spermatozoa, is progesterone-sensitive and essential for fertility. Both hFF and progesterone, which is present in hFF, influence sperm function and increase their [Ca2+]i.STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATIONThis basic medical research study used semen samples from >40 donors and hFF from >50 patients who were undergoing surgical oocyte retrieval for IVF/ICSI.PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODSSemen donors and patients were recruited in accordance with local ethics approval (13/ES/0091) from the East of Scotland Research Ethics Service REC1. Activities of CatSper and KSper were assessed by patch clamp electrophysiology. Sperm [Ca2+]i responses were examined in sperm populations and single cells. Computer-assisted sperm analysis (CASA) parameters and penetration into viscous media were used to assess functional effects.MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCEhFF and progesterone significantly potentiated CatSper currents. Under quasi-physiological conditions, hFF (up to 50%) failed to alter membrane K+ conductance or current reversal potential. hFF and progesterone (at an equivalent concentration) stimulated similar biphasic [Ca2+]i signals both in sperm populations and single cells. At a high hFF concentration (10%), the sustained (plateau) component of the [Ca2+]i signal was consistently greater than that induced by progesterone alone. In single cell recordings, 1% hFF-induced [Ca2+]i oscillations similarly to progesterone but with 10% hFF generation of [Ca2+]i oscillations was suppressed. After treatment to ‘strip’ lipid-derived mediators, hFF failed to significantly stimulate CatSper currents but induced small [Ca2+]i responses that were greater than those induced by the equivalent concentration of progesterone after stripping. Similar [Ca2+]i responses were observed when sperm pretreated with 3 μM progesterone (to desensitize progesterone responses) were stimulated with hFF or stripped hFF. hFF stimulated viscous media penetration and was more effective than the equivalent does of progesterone.LARGE SCALE DATAN/A.LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTIONThis was an in vitro study. Caution must be taken when extrapolating these results in vivo.WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGSThis study directly demonstrates that hFF activates CatSper and establishes that the biologically important effects of hFF reflect, at least in part, action on this channel, primarily via progesterone. However, these experiments also demonstrate that other components of hFF both contribute to the [Ca2+]i signal and modulate the activation of CatSper. Simple in vitro experiments performed out of the context of the complex in vivo environment need to be interpreted with caution.STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S)Funding was provided by MRC (MR/K013343/1, MR/012492/1) (S.G.B., S.J.P., C.L.R.B.) and University of Abertay (sabbatical for S.G.B.). Additional funding was provided by TENOVUS SCOTLAND (S.M.D.S.), Chief Scientist Office/NHS Research Scotland (S.M.D.S). C.L.R.B. is EIC of MHR and Chair of the WHO ESG on Diagnosis of Male infertility. The remaining authors have no conlicts of interest.

Identifying Opportunities to Integrate Digital Professionalism into Curriculum: A Comparison of Social Media Use by Health Profession Students at an Australian University in 2013 and 2016

Social media has become ubiquitous to modern life. Consequently, embedding digital professionalism into undergraduate health profession courses is now imperative and augmenting learning and teaching with mobile technology and social media on and off campus is a current curriculum focus. The aim of this study was to explore whether patterns of social media use for personal or informal learning by undergraduate health profession students enrolled at an Australian university across four campuses has changed over time. A previously validated online survey was administered in 2013 to a cohort of health profession students as part of an Australian survey. In 2016, the same survey was distributed to a later cohort of health profession students. Three open-ended questions to elicit descriptive information regarding the use of social media for study purposes were added to the later survey. A comparative analysis of both cohorts was undertaken and social media acceptance and penetration was shown to increase. Health profession students are now more interactive users of Facebook and Twitter, and they have become more familiar with career development sites, such as LinkedIn. The maturation of social media platforms within a three-year period has created realistic opportunities to integrate social media for personal and study purposes into the health profession education curriculum to ensure student understanding of the necessity for maintaining digital professionalism in the workplace.

In This Issue: Shepherding Community Engagement

First paragraphs: I start by sharing some exciting news: We have just launched our Community Supported Journal Shareholder pledge drive . This support will allow us to become an open access journal— eliminating journal subscriptions, fostering the broadest distribution of JAFSCD content. We are modeling our open access campaign on a model familiar to those involved with food systems—community supported agriculture (CSA)—to become a community supported journal. We are seeking pledges from food studies, food systems, sustainable agriculture, and other degree, research, and extension/outreach programs from around the world to purchase the open access shares in JAFSCD. The pledge campaign will run through August 31, 2017 (with payments due in September). If we meet our threshold of $65,000 in pledges, we will become open access as of January 1, 2018. As part of our effort to broaden JAFSCD’s reach and impact, we will soon begin to use altmetrics to look at our social media penetration as a measure of JAFSCD’s impact at the community level—especially in communities of intractable poverty and food insecurity. This is made possible with the support of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. This quantitative data, along with a stakeholder survey and story telling, should help us gain valuable insights into what practical change JAFSCD is fostering at the forefront of the good food movement, along with how JAFSCD is becoming more diverse and inclusive in its content. We hope you will join us in this endeavor by encouraging any program, organization, or department you are affiliated with to pledge now and annually, becoming a member of the JAFSCD Shareholder Consortium. Learn more at http://www.lysoncenter.org/index.php/jafscd-shareholder-campaign ....

Management forecasts and the cost of equity capital: international evidence

We examine international differences in the effect of management forecasts (which we use to proxy for voluntary disclosure) on the cost of equity capital (COC) across 31 countries. We find that the issuance of management forecasts is associated with a lower COC worldwide but that the effect of management forecasts on the COC depends on country-level institutional factors. Specifically, management forecasts have a stronger effect on the COC in countries with stronger investor protection and better information dissemination and a weaker effect in countries with higher mandatory disclosure requirements. Further analyses reveal that these relations are more pronounced when management forecasts are more frequent, more precise, and more disaggregated. Overall, our findings suggest that the ability of management forecasts to reduce firms’ COC derives not only from country-level factors that enhance the credibility of their forecasts but also from factors that reflect the quality of the information environment in terms of the distribution of news and the availability and quality of alternative information. Thus, investor protection, media penetration, and mandatory disclosure requirements have an important effect on the ability of management forecasts to lower the COC.

Healthcare support for underserved communities using a mobile social media platform

Emerging digital technologies for healthcare information support have already contributed to reducing the digital divide among rural communities. Although mobile health (m-health) applications facilitate provision of support for treatment consultation in real-time, their substantial potential has not yet been operationalised for decision support to meet citizen demand in developing nations. Modern healthcare information access, especially in rural areas of developing countries, is critical to effective healthcare, since both information and expert opinions are limited. Mobile phone and social media penetration, however, is often extensive. In this paper, we design and evaluate an innovative mobile decision support system (MDSS) solution for rural citizens healthcare decision support and information dissemination.Developed using a design science approach, the instantiated artifact connects underserved rural patients in Bangladesh to general practitioners (GPs) – allowing GPs, based on queries and information support provided, to evaluate patient conditions virtually and provide answers for further diagnosis or treatment. A cloud platform using social media embodies health record information and is used with a rating technique that matches queries to profiled remote experts, participating asynchronously. A comprehensive evaluation of the MDSS artifact ensures its utility, efficacy, and reliability.

FMCG Marketing: A Study in Rural Areas of India

Fast moving consumer goods (FMCG), are the goods purchased by the consumers for their own use and purchased continuously and quite frequently. The price per unit of such products usually is low, but the consumption is very high due to the requirements of everyone. Over centuries, India has always been a country inhabiting a big chunk of world population. And from such a perspective, the FMCG market potential has always been very big. At the same time, it has remained the most attractive destination for companies: both national and global. The consumer markets in India are constantly evolving. The first phase of consumer market evolution in the 1980s and the 1990s was characterised by some major structural changes: changes in income distribution, increased product availability (in terms of both quality and quantity), increased competition, increased media penetration and improved advertisement (impacting lifestyle). From the consumer's standpoint, all these developments gradually led to increase of consumer awareness and propensity to consume. The late 1990s witnessed a surge in consumer finance products owing to steady financial sector reforms in the economy and innovative marketing.

Management Forecasts and the Cost of Equity Capital: International Evidence

In this paper, we examine international differences in the effect of management forecasts (which we use to proxy for voluntary disclosure) on the cost of equity capital (COC) across 31 countries. We find that the issuance of management forecasts is associated with a lower COC worldwide, but the effect of management forecasts on the COC is conditional on country-level institutional factors. Specifically, management forecasts have a stronger effect on the COC in countries with stronger investor protection and with better information dissemination, and a weaker effect in countries with higher mandatory disclosure requirements. Further analyses reveal that these relations are more pronounced when management forecasts are more frequent, more precise, and more disaggregated. Overall, our findings suggest that the ability of management forecasts to reduce firms’ COC derives not only from country-level factors that enhance the credibility of their forecasts, but also from factors that reflect the quality of the information environment in terms of the distribution of news and the availability and quality of alternative information. Thus, investor protection, media penetration, and mandatory disclosure requirements have an important effect on the ability of management forecasts to lower the COC.

Examining the roles of mobile and social media in political participation: A cross-national analysis of three Asian societies using a communication mediation approach

The Asia-Pacific constitutes the fastest growing region in mobile and social media penetration. Yet, the political implications of the technologies are not fully understood. Using probability samples of university students in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and China, this study examines the roles of mobile and social media news in offline and online political participation. Consistent with the O-S-R-O-R model (Orientations–Stimulus–Reasoning–Orientations–Response), which derives from communication and cognitive mediation models explaining the relationship between media use and political participation, all three samples demonstrated indirect relationships between mobile/social media use and political participation through interpersonal political discussion and political efficacy. The study contributes to theory building by demonstrating the external validity of the O-S-R-O-R model across different political systems.

Social Media and Environmental Sustainability: An Overview of European Countries

<p>The theme of the relationship between social media and sustainability has prompted many scholars to analyze the impact that “virtual information” has on the environment. This study empirically tests two models that examine the effects of cultural values and social media on environmental performance by considering different variables such as Social Media penetration, Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions and Environmental Performance Index. Two multiple linear regression models were employed to test the hypotheses on a sample of 30 European Countries.</p><p>Empirical results, extensible to all of Europe, conclude that the cultural dimensions analyzed, as well as social media penetration, significantly influence environmental performance of European Countries when we execute a combined model.</p>Social media are arguably an integral part of sustainability strategy and future research on IT and sustainability needs to take a more integrated approach. If we consider that social media have a positive effect on the environment it is easy to intuit that if governance implements effective policies to ensure social media access for everyone, real sustainable development could be achieved.

Single and Multipolarimetric P-Band SAR Tomography of Subsurface Ice Structure

In this paper, first results concerning the characterization of the subsurface of ice sheets and glaciers through single and multipolarization synthetic aperture radar (SAR) tomography (TomoSAR) are illustrated. To this aim, the processing of data acquired in the framework of the European Space Agency IceSAR 2012 campaign is discussed. IceSAR 2012 was conceived so as to support the secondary objectives of the future Earth Explorer mission BIOMASS, which will be a SAR instrument with media penetration capabilities due to the use of the P-band frequency. In this regard, a tomographic study of ice was motivated by the fact that cryospheric remote sensing is of fundamental importance in order to understand more in depth the morphology and the dynamic processes regulating ice sheets. The main objective of the tomographic experiment of the campaign herein discussed was indeed to assess the capability of P-band SAR to retrieve any information about ice subsurface structure. Imaging has been achieved through TomoSAR techniques, applied to airborne multibaseline data acquired in the southwest of Greenland. Different imaging approaches are compared, and the main results achieved are presented: It is found that scattering in the upper layers of glacial subsurface can be achieved up to an extent of about 20-60 m, conditional on the different types of glaciological zone observed. Moreover, clear morphological structures have been found beneath the ice surface at one of the investigated sites.

Early Flood Detection for Rapid Humanitarian Response: Harnessing Near Real-Time Satellite and Twitter Signals

Humanitarian organizations have a crucial role in response and relief efforts after floods. The effectiveness of disaster response is contingent on accurate and timely information regarding the location, timing and impacts of the event. Here we show how two near-real-time data sources, satellite observations of water coverage and flood-related social media activity from Twitter, can be used to support rapid disaster response, using case-studies in the Philippines and Pakistan. For these countries we analyze information from disaster response organizations, the Global Flood Detection System (GFDS) satellite flood signal, and flood-related Twitter activity analysis. The results demonstrate that these sources of near-real-time information can be used to gain a quicker understanding of the location, the timing, as well as the causes and impacts of floods. In terms of location, we produce daily impact maps based on both satellite information and social media, which can dynamically and rapidly outline the affected area during a disaster. In terms of timing, the results show that GFDS and/or Twitter signals flagging ongoing or upcoming flooding are regularly available one to several days before the event was reported to humanitarian organizations. In terms of event understanding, we show that both GFDS and social media can be used to detect and understand unexpected or controversial flood events, for example due to the sudden opening of hydropower dams or the breaching of flood protection. The performance of the GFDS and Twitter data for early detection and location mapping is mixed, depending on specific hydrological circumstances (GFDS) and social media penetration (Twitter). Further research is needed to improve the interpretation of the GFDS signal in different situations, and to improve the pre-processing of social media data for operational use.

The Case for a Two-Step Approach to Agricultural Campaign Design

Development campaigns designed to scale up effective agricultural solutions often rely on media. Information and communication technologies for development (ICT4D) proponents argue that increased media penetration is necessary for such campaigns to succeed. Interviews of 63 extension agents and 200 farmers in Burkina Faso about their disparities in media ownership, access, skills, and preferences suggest that agricultural development campaigns should account for the different media environments and preferences of target populations within countries. This research presents such an alternative approach, a two-step campaign design intended to address digital divides within countries and target population preferences.

Academic peer pressure in social media: Experiences from the heavy, the targeted and the restricted user

The degree of social media uptake in research practice differs greatly, across and within disciplines. This qualitative study explores the use of social media within a specific target group of researchers working in the field of technology-enhanced learning. The individual cases reveal a range from heavy use, leading to addiction, to very restricted or no use of social media. One of the main implications of social media penetration in academia is the emergence of peer pressure. People adopt different strategies and different digital identities to cope with the perceived pressure. Based on individual cases, this qualitative study gives insights into current transformation processes related to the scholarly uptake of social media and leads to the establishment of further challenging research questions.

Explosive connections? Mass media, social media, and the geography of collective violence in African states

Growing evidence indicates that the diffusion of information and communication technologies (ICTs) can substantially alter the contours of collective violence in developing nations. However, empirical investigations of such effects have generally been hampered by an inability to systematically measure geographic variation in ICT penetration, across multiple technologies and multiple countries. In this article, I show that geo-referenced household surveys can be used to estimate subnational differences in the spatial reach of radio and cellular communications infrastructures in 24 African states. By combining these estimates with geo-referenced measures of the location of disaggregated events of collective violence, I show that there are important differences between centralized ‘mass’ communication technologies – such as radios – that foster vertical linkages between state and society, and decentralized ‘social’ communication technologies – such as cell phones – that foster horizontal linkages between the members of a society. The evidence demonstrates that the geographic reach of mass media penetration generates substantial pacifying effects, while the reach of social media penetration generates substantial increases in collective violence, especially in areas lacking access to mass media infrastructure. I argue that these findings are consistent with a theory of ICT effects which focuses on the strengthening and weakening of economies of scale in the marketplace of ideas.

Educational Expertise, Advocacy, and Media Influence

The efforts of many advocacy organizations to advance their preferred policies despite conflicting evidence of the effectiveness of these policies raise questions about factors that shape successful policy promotion. While many may like to think that expertise on an issue in question is an essential prerequisite for influence in public policy discussions, there is a traditional disconnect between research evidence and policymaking in many fields, including education. Moreover, the efforts of many policy advocates suggest that they see advantages in other factors besides research expertise in advancing their interpretation of evidence for use in policymaking processes. We hypothesize that some of the most influential education-focused organizations are advancing their agendas by engaging media and drawing on individuals who possess substantial media acumen, yet may not possess traditionally defined educational expertise. Thus, we hypothesize that media impact is loosely coupled with educational expertise. In fact, in analyzing various indicators of expertise and media penetration, we find a weak relationship between expertise and media impact, but find significantly elevated media penetration for individuals working at a sub-sample of organizations promoting what we term “incentivist” education reforms, in spite of their generally lower levels of expertise. We find these organizations are particularly effective in engaging new media forms by going directly to their audience. We consider the policy implications in the concluding discussion.

Paving the Road to Clinical Trial Participation: Removing Road Blocks and Directing Patients Toward Novel Therapies

Paving the Road to Clinical Trial Participation: Removing Road Blocks and Directing Patients Toward Novel Therapies

Abstract ED03-01: Using communication science to reduce cancer health disparities: Inequities in access and opportunities for narrowing the digital divide

Abstract The changing communication and media landscape brought on by the rise of social media and mobile platforms has significant implications on cancer control and prevention efforts. Over the last decade, the online landscape has changed from a space characterized primarily by static content into one that is defined by dynamic networks, interactivity, and user-generated content. Online cancer communication—whether about screening, tobacco use, or treatment options—is becoming ubiquitous, and the boundary between health communicators and their audience is blurred. This high volume of content is contains cancer communication of all types—from evidence-based advice to myths and inaccuracies. Scientists have the opportunity to leverage these conversations both to understand public knowledge, attitudes and perceptions about cancer and to support cancer control efforts. Despite the changes in communication patterns, barriers (such as reliable Internet access and cell phone services) persist among poor and underserved populations. However, opportunities to narrow the access gap are growing and increasingly being explored in light of high social and mobile media penetration rates among racial/ethnic minorities. New media platforms hold potential for narrowing the digital divide, and enabling equitable patient education and empowerment programs. This presentation will: 1) highlight the role of social and mobile media in communication about cancer, both in peer-driven online communities as well as public health and clinical care; 2) explore current patterns of social media use by socio-demographic and health factors (including race/ethnicity, age, sex, education, health status) and identify opportunities for narrowing the digital divide; 3) discuss communication research priorities and promising new methods and approaches. Recent findings from NCI's 2012-13 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) and the PEW Internet American Life Project will be highlighted to show trends and patterns of online communication. Specific attention will be drawn to data on social media engagement among racial/ethnic minorities and underserved populations in order to highlight opportunities for alleviating burdens of cancer disparities. In addition, we will feature exemplary communication research mining and analyzing social media interactions to understand cancer-related attitudes and behaviors, as well as a number of online cancer control interventions using social media. These examples will cover a wide range of cancer control efforts from tobacco control, HPV vaccination education, cancer screening communication, cancer survivorship support, to promotion of healthy diet and physical activities. As the Internet continues to affect the way we seek and share health information and engage in health care, understanding how the online communication landscape is being used to share cancer-related topics can inform strategies for increasing the reach and effectiveness of evidence-based cancer information. In order to address cancer health disparities, increasing equitable Internet access, promoting digital health literacy, and identifying influential online networks amendable to intervention are among top priorities in cancer communication research. Citation Format: Wen-ying Sylvia Chou. Using communication science to reduce cancer health disparities: Inequities in access and opportunities for narrowing the digital divide. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Sixth AACR Conference: The Science of Cancer Health Disparities; Dec 6–9, 2013; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2014;23(11 Suppl):Abstract nr ED03-01. doi:10.1158/1538-7755.DISP13-ED03-01

Digital and social media opportunities for dietary behaviour change

The way that people communicate, consume media and seek and receive information is changing. Forty per cent of the world's population now has an internet connection, the average global social media penetration is 39% and 1·5 billion people have internet access via mobile phone. This large-scale move in population use of digital, social and mobile media presents an unprecedented opportunity to connect with individuals on issues concerning health. The present paper aims to investigate these opportunities in relation to dietary behaviour change. Several aspects of the digital environment could support behaviour change efforts, including reach, engagement, research, segmentation, accessibility and potential to build credibility, trust, collaboration and advocacy. There are opportunities to influence behaviour online using similar techniques to traditional health promotion programmes; to positively affect health-related knowledge, skills and self-efficacy. The abundance of data on citizens' digital behaviours, whether through search behaviour, global positioning system tracking, or via demographics and interests captured through social media profiles, offer exciting opportunities for effectively targeting relevant health messages. The digital environment presents great possibilities but also great challenges. Digital communication is uncontrolled, multi-way and co-created and concerns remain in relation to inequalities, privacy, misinformation and lack of evaluation. Although web-based, social-media-based and mobile-based studies tend to show positive results for dietary behaviour change, methodologies have yet to be developed that go beyond basic evaluation criteria and move towards true measures of behaviour change. Novel approaches are necessary both in the digital promotion of behaviour change and in its measurement.