Media Agents Research Articles

Gender, Voice and Online Space: Expressions of Feminism on Social Media in Spain

Feminism’s current momentum, encouraged by movements such as #NiUnaMenos or #MeToo, has caused many social media agents to adopt some degree of feminism as a part of their online image or personal brand. ‘Being a feminist,’ for some, has become a marketing strategy in times of great polarisation between progressive forces and a reactionary backlash against feminism. The appropriation of feminism by the global market challenges public opinion, media, and academia to think and rethink feminism, and to consider whether these changes have voided it of political meaning (Banet-Weiser, 2012, 2018; Gill, 2016b). In Spain, the (extreme) right is continually launching attacks against feminism. At the same time, minority collectives such as LGBTQ+ or Roma are helping to spread feminist values into the mainstream, denouncing one of its main struggles: structural and intersectional violence against women, including online hate and harassment. In this context of confrontation, social media agents are keeping the debate about feminism alive and are picking up Spanish grassroots movements’ claims (Araüna, Tortajada, & Willem, in press). In this article we outline the latest trends in feminist media research in Spain, examining 20+ years of postfeminism as an analytical tool, and highlighting new trends. Through recent research results, we show that in the Spanish (social) media landscape many different strands of feminism are entangled, all struggling to impose their narrative of what feminism looks like in the post-#MeToo<em> </em>era. We will examine the main fault lines along which feminism is divided into different undercurrents, some of which are fostering the progress of feminism, and some of which are undermining it: age (generation), class, race, and sexual identity.

‘It sounded like fun, that we would get to go to the university.’ Pupils teaching ICT to peers: a case study of Finnish Media Agents

ABSTRACT This study reports a practical experiment involving young pupils, their teachers and university students, named the Media Agent project. The purpose of the project was for the university students to teach the schoolchildren new Information and Communication Technology (ICT) skills, which they then would teach to other pupils and teachers at their own schools. The theoretical framework consists of students’ pedagogical thinking and the concept of agency within the new Finnish Basic Education Curriculum (2014). By interviewing 18 pupils, the authors aimed to find out what their experiences of this project had been. In this qualitative study they used thematic analysis. The main themes that emerged from the data were (1) Media Agent; (2) the teaching event; and (3) impact. The results were very positive, although we also need to be somewhat critical towards them.

“Can you send us a PM please?” Service recovery interactions on social media from the perspective of organizational legitimacy

Drawing on a discursive approach to legitimation (Erkama and Vaara, 2010; Higgins and Walker, 2012; Glozer et al., 2019), this study investigates the (de)legitimation strategies used by companies and (potential) customers in private and public CMC complaint communication, and the interactional dynamics between them. Using the Aristotelian framework of persuasive appeals ethos, logos, and pathos, we analysed (1) 91 emails (replies to complaints from a varied sample of large UK companies), (2) 91 customer reactions to these replies on companies’ public Facebook pages and Twitter, and (3) 383 additional comments to these posts made by the company, the customer, and other stakeholders. The results reveal a clear shift in companies’ private versus public discourse: While they mainly seek legitimacy in email replies by substantiating their complaint decision (logos) and by accommodating to the customers’ feelings (pathos and ethos), their social media interventions are mainly about redirecting customers to a private channel to avoid having to deal with the transactional side of complaint handling in public. Customers, in their turn, delegitimate these companies by primarily criticizing companies’ service failures and service recovery efforts (ethos) and – to a lesser extent – by defending their case (logos) and expressing negative emotions (pathos). In terms of interactional dynamics, the results show that companies are not comfortable with implementing a dialogic approach. Their attempts at discursive finalization, i.e., silencing consumers’ negative feedback, clearly expose social media agents’ lack of agency and power to build up relationships with customers and perform adequate service recovery.

Building a Stronger CASA: Extending the Computers Are Social Actors Paradigm

The computers are social actors framework (CASA), derived from the media equation, explains how people communicate with media and machines demonstrating social potential. Many studies have challenged CASA, yet it has not been revised. We argue that CASA needs to be expanded because people have changed, technologies have changed, and the way people interact with technologies has changed. We discuss the implications of these changes and propose an extension of CASA. Whereas CASA suggests humans mindlessly apply human-human social scripts to interactions with media agents, we argue that humans may develop and apply human-media social scripts to these interactions. Our extension explains previous dissonant findings and expands scholarship regarding human-machine communication, human-computer interaction, human-robot interaction, human-agent interaction, artificial intelligence, and computer-mediated communication.

ОСМЫСЛЕНИЕ ПРОБЛЕМЫ ДЕСТРУКТИВНОЙ СОЦИАЛИЗАЦИИ ЛИЧНОСТИ В ИНТЕРНЕТ-СРЕДЕ

The article examines the destructive socialization of the individual from the point of view of the synthesis of philosophical and pedagogical approaches. The first considers it as a phenomenon that arises in the programs of propaganda of destructive cults, implemented through the use of modern information and communication technologies; the second approach is aimed at finding possible ways to solve the indicated problem, which is investigated within the framework of media pedagogical science, which closely correlates with the processes of interaction between the subject of information and its media agent. The work focuses on the formation of a new vector in the development of media pedagogy by rethinking its target content.

<p>Iodixanol nasal solution reduces allergic rhinoconjunctivitis signs and symptoms in Allergen BioCube<sup>®</sup>: a randomized clinical trial</p>

PurposeAllergic rhinitis (AR) affects ~20% of the population worldwide. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the safety and efficacy of iodixanol nasal solution (Nasapaque) for AR treatment, using the Allergen BioCube® (ABC®), an environmental exposure unit. Iodixanol is a commonly used contrast media agent that shows efficacy on the signs and symptoms of AR.Patients and methodsSeventy-three adult subjects with AR were randomized to iodixanol or placebo treatment in a double-masked efficacy and safety study conducted outside of ragweed pollen season. In-office treatment was administered after BioCube® ragweed pollen exposure, and again 8 days later prior to ragweed exposure. Nasal and ocular efficacy and safety assessments were conducted before and after treatment.ResultsIodixanol treatment resulted in statistically significantly lower total nasal symptom scores as compared to placebo at several time points post-treatment and ABC exposure. Individual nasal and ocular symptoms, notably nasal itching and ocular itching, showed evidence of lower scores in the iodixanol group. Peak nasal inspiratory flow (PNIF) improved (9%–16%) with iodixanol from baseline as compared to PNIF in the placebo group which ranged from 3% worsening to improvement of 2%. Few (9) adverse events occurred.ConclusionIodixanol nasal solution demonstrated efficacy for relief of several nasal and ocular allergic rhinoconjunctivitis signs and symptoms, and was safe and well tolerated in this early Phase II exploratory trial. Further studies with iodixanol are warranted. Allergy challenge models such as the ABC provide valuable assessments of allergen exposures and drug efficacies.Study Identification NumberNCT02377895

Strukturasi Media Daerah dalam Regulasi di Era Konvergensi dan Disrupsi

This research moves from the reality of media life of area in Madiun of East Java which experiencing changes in line with social politics situation of Indonesia. Media is a commodity that can be exchanged, it is exploit all the potential and various social forces that exist. This study aims to know and analyze the stuctutation of regional mass media, the weekly magazine of Kridha Rakyat in Madiun, East Java. The theory used is the political economy approach that is the structuration according to Vincent Mosco. The method used is descriptive qualitative with data collection technique through interview, observation, ethnography and content analysis. The results show that the media perform the process of production and reproduction of power structures by media rulers (owner) by utilizing media agents and social relationship with other structure outside media. The media produces a series of power-reinforcing powers that ultimately reinforce the media's position.

Indonesian Religion as a Hybrid Media Space: Social Dramas in a Contested Realm

AbstractThe popularity of social media in Indonesia, along with the rise of political Islam, is changing the ways in which people engage with religious matters in the country. In this article, we deploy post-Bourdieuan field theory to explore Indonesia’s religious domain as a ‘hybrid media space’ – a social space mediated by old and new media agents interacting to produce viralized forms of public communication. We undertake this exploration through three viral controversies, or ‘social dramas’, triggered by a perceived breach of the religious space’s order. All three dramas involved political Islamists in contention with various political actors, namely the Muslim senator Fahira Fahmi, the West Sumatran atheist Alexander Aan, and the then governor of Jakarta, ‘Ahok’. These examples shed light on the current state of Indonesia’s religious space and its multiple mediations, as well as taking field theory into new communicative and religious terrain.

Beyond Picturesque Decay: Detroit and the Photographic Sites of Confrontation Between Media and Residents

This article contributes to scholarship on urban visual culture by advancing understandings of how visual imageries may become (online and off-line) sites of confrontation between dominant media perspectives and the lived experiences of urban citizens. Based on participatory photography amongst local residents in Detroit, this article provides transformative insights by contrasting sense makings of Detroiters with dominant media portrayals of a “decaying” city. Residents were asked what images they would use to “see” and represent the city. Photo elicitation interviews revealed interlaced lived experienced and narrated reminiscences of local life and the material urban fabric beyond the prevailing narratives of mere neglect and abandonment. This study develops further knowledge of how photography can simultaneously operate as a critical socio-spatial research subject and an empowering tool for research participants. Through shifting the hegemonic locus of media agents toward residents’ positionalities, findings indicated potentials for redressing the misunderstood spaces of the everyday life of ordinary people.

RECONTEXTUALIZAÇÕES DO –ISMO: Disputas em torno do jornalismo "em crise"

Este artigo tem por objetivo problematizar, através de um exercício historicizante, a ideia de uma “crise” do jornalismo diagnosticada por vários autores e agentes midiáticos contemporâneos. Para tanto, nos dedicamos a compreender e a inquerir uma série de discursos autorreferentes buscando, num primeiro momento, traçar as características desse “contexto de crise”. Como perceberemos, elas partem de um regime de crenças moderno que, sob a tutela de um –ismo, almeja delimitar as fronteiras do exercício jornalístico, a partir de um conjunto de valores, institucionalidades, que estariam, agora, sofrendo uma série de questionamentos e reiterações. Em seguida, analisamos algumas das respostas – advindos de mídias de “referência” e “alternativas” – que nos permitem perceber que concepções de jornalismo são atualizadas nesse contexto, e de que maneira diferentes agentes da mídia informativa reivindicam um lugar nessa recontextualização.

Service recovery strategies using social media sites

This study investigates a service organisation's service recovery strategies using social media sites. Based on 347 mini-cases from the Twitter accounts of a sample of major airlines, we conducted qualitative analysis using grounded theory approach. We analysed the relationships between the three elements of service recovery including customers' motivations to complain, service failure types and agent responses. This study offers service providers practical implications to design their recovery strategies. Identification of customers' motivations to complain supports the role of social media sites as a complementary service recovery channel and more importantly, as the final defence of an organisation's service recovery system. The investigation on the relationship between customers' motivations to complain and service failure types indicates that customers utilise social media sites no differently when different failure types occur. However, different failure types do trigger different sets of agent responses. Further, social media agents respond differently according to customers' motivations to complain.

Blood pool contrast agents for venous magnetic resonance imaging.

Imaging of the venous system plays a vital role in the diagnosis and management of a wide range of clinically significant disorders. There have been great advances in venous imaging techniques, culminating in the use of magnetic resonance venography (MRV). Although MRV has distinct advantages in anatomic and quantitative cross sectional imaging without ionizing radiation, there are well-known challenges in acquisition timing and contrast administration in patients with renal impairment. The latest advancement involves the addition of new contrast media agents, which have emerged as valuable alternatives in these difficult scenarios. In this review, we will focus on a group of specific contrast agents called blood pool agents and discuss their salient features and clinical applications.

To tweet or not to tweet? Exploring the effectiveness of service recovery strategies using social media

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore influencing factors that affect the effectiveness of service recovery strategies using social network from operations management perspective. Specifically, the authors study the relationships between social media agent responses to customer complaints, customer emotion changes and customer satisfaction. Furthermore, the authors investigate the roles of recovery speed and failure severity in the service recovery process using social network platform.Design/methodology/approachThe results are based on 347 mini cases drawn from the Twitter accounts of a sample of airlines. Grounded theory approach is used to conduct qualitative analysis using NVivo 9, a qualitative data analysis program. A conceptual framework was developed, then tested usingχ2analysis.FindingsAgent responses that do not require customers to take further initiatives for problem solving have positive effects on customer emotion alleviation and satisfaction. In contrast, responses that provide further directions poses negative effect on service recovery outcomes. There is a strong positive linkage between customer emotion change and customer satisfaction. Surprisingly, the direct effect of recovery speed on customer emotion and satisfaction is not supported by the data. Rather, it plays a moderating role in affecting the relationship between agent responses and customer satisfaction. The qualitative data further reveals the pivotal role of failure severity, one of key service failure attributes.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors study service businesses’ recovery strategies using social media. A conceptual framework is developed to link agent responses, customer emotion changes and customer satisfaction from the lens of service providers, using an operations-oriented approach. Finding on recovery speed and failure severity reveal that these variables play different roles when service recovery is operated on social media platform as compared to traditional channels. Additionally, relying on tweets as data sources has constrained us from assessing other long-term service recovery outcomes such as loyalty, repurchase intent and word of mouth. The drawback is resulted from the limited information conveyed through tweets, which tends to be short and brief. The study focusses on the airline industry, which limits the generalizability of the findings to other service industries.Practical implicationsThe authors highlight the value and potential of service recovery strategies using social network and provide insights for recovery operations where agent responses should be focussing on real time problem solving. The findings support the benefits of empowering social network agents for service recovery operations. Improving recovery speed should be less of a priority as it serves as a qualifier when service recovery is operated via social network. Given the pivotal role of failure severity, it is critical for social network agents to stand in the shoes of the complaining customers, making imminent assessment of the actual failure severity and taking action accordingly in real time. In the meantime, effective communication through social network may help to lower perceived magnitude of failure by customers, which in turn enhance the effectiveness of other service recovery efforts.Originality/valueThis study is the first attempt to investigate the service recovery process using social media from an operations-oriented perspective. The results supports the potentials of employing service recovery strategies using social media.

Effect of different polymers on morphology and particle size of silver nanoparticles synthesized by modified polyol method

In this work, simple, economic, eco-friendly modified method with high efficiency was applied for synthesis of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) by using polyethylene glycol (PEG) as a capping agent, reductant, and media agent. In order to preparation uniform and small Ag NPs, the reaction parameters such as type of polymer, AgNO3/Polymer weight concentration ratio, and AgNO3/NaBH4 molar concentration ratio were modified. The best condition was optimized in concentration ratio of AgNO3: PEG: NaBH4 where are 1:10:0.01, respectively with 82% efficiency and 98.95% purity. Therefore, this modified polyol method can also be scaled up for synthesis of Ag NPs appropriately. Due to polymeric coating on the Ag NPs, they can be employed as a promising candidate for drug delivery systems.

The cerebral perfusion of circulation disturbances . Part I (HISTORY, the basic postulates and methods of research ). Review

In the first part of a review article highlights the key moments of the history of the study of cerebral microcirculation, formation of the basic theories and postulates a gradual improvement of the methods of qualitative and quantitative assessment of brain perfusion parameters in science and medical practice. Presented and discussed in terms of advantages and disadvantages of the current methods of assessing cerebral perfusion: transcranial Doppler (TCD), positron emission tomography (PET), single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) perfusion computer tomography (PCT) and magnetic resonance tomography (PMRI) techniques. Most of all studies related to the use of radioisotopes or contrast media agents. It is noted that the TCD and perfusion CT and MRI prevail today in radiologic practice of cerebral circulation disturbances diagnostics. In recent years, more research is carried out in relation to clinical trial non-contrast MR technique (ASL), associated with endogenous labeling and registration of cerebral blood flow, which considering the absolute safety in the absence of external contrast makes it attractive for clinical use in the near future is possible. The second part of this article will devoted to a detailed consideration of the issues of diagnostic semiotics different clinical forms of violations of cerebral circulation using CT and MR perfusion study techniques that are by far the most accessible to a wide network of healthcare system. There will discuss the physical basis of blood flow parameters changes of brain tissue on the cards of cerebral blood flow (CBF), cerebral blood volume (CBV), mean transit time (MTT ) and time to peak (TT P) contrast in the «classical» and the «difficult» clinical cases on the basis of the works of the most respected researchers in the field.

PENGARUH MEDIA MASSA PADA PENGHAPUSAN KEKERASAN DALAM RUMAH TANGGA

Mass media have strategic role to eliminate household violence through its support to goverment policies that prevent and service victims of the violence. The media's functions can be done through disseminating information intensively taht defent women's interests as victim the violence. This situation can be actualiized when the gender structure of the media has been engendered. Unfortunately the situation can not be done easily since capitalism and patriarchy mastering the media structure. Engendering the gender media structure can be done through engendering rules and resources of media's agents that gender sensitive. Since our gender social structure has had been engendering it is necessary to reinforce and maintain the structure to support media's gender structure.

Comparative Effect of Contrast Media Type on the Incidence of Contrast-Induced Nephropathy: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Iodine contrast media are essential components of many imaging procedures. An important potential side effect is contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN). To compare CIN risk for contrast media within and between osmolality classes in patients receiving diagnostic or therapeutic imaging procedures. PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Clinical Trials.gov, and Scopus through June 2015. Randomized, controlled trials that reported CIN-related outcomes in patients receiving low-osmolar contrast media (LOCM) or iso-osmolar contrast media for imaging. Independent study selection and quality assessment by 2 reviewers and dual extraction of study characteristics and results. None of the 5 studies that compared types of LOCM reported a statistically significant or clinically important difference among study groups, but the strength of evidence was low. Twenty-five randomized, controlled trials found a slight reduction in CIN risk with the iso-osmolar contrast media agent iodixanol compared with a diverse group of LOCM that just reached statistical significance in a meta-analysis (pooled relative risk, 0.80 [95% CI, 0.65 to 0.99]; P=0.045). This comparison's strength of evidence was moderate. In a meta regression of randomized, controlled trials of iodixanol, no relationship was found between route of administration and comparative CIN risk. Few studies compared LOCM. Procedural details about contrast administration were not uniformly reported. Few studies specified clinical indications or severity of baseline renal impairment. No differences were found in CIN risk among types of LOCM. Iodixanol had a slightly lower risk for CIN than LOCM, but the lower risk did not exceed a criterion for clinical importance. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Contrast induced nephropathy in vascular surgery

Contrast induced nephropathy (CIN) is traditionally associated with outpatient imaging studies. More recently, patients afflicted with vascular pathologies are increasingly undergoing endovascular treatments that require the use of iodinated contrast media (CM) agents, thus placing them as risk of developing CIN. As perioperative physicians, anaesthetists should be aware of the risk factors and measures that might minimize acute kidney injury caused by CM. This review evaluates recent data regarding preventive measures against CIN and where possible, places the evidence in the context of the patient receiving endovascular surgical treatment. Measures including the use of peri-procedural hydration, N-acetylcysteine, statins, remote ischaemic preconditioning, renal vasodilators and renal replacement therapy and the use of alternatives to iodinated contrast agents are discussed. It should be noted that most of the available data regarding CIN are from non-surgical patients.

Optimization of Cell Culture Conditions for the Earthworm Eisenia hortensis: a Study Investigating the Effects of Media, Carbon Dioxide, Temperature, Serum, and Anti-Fungal Agents

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to determine the optimal conditions for culturing coelomocytes (leukocytelike cells) from the annelid Eisenia hortensis. It was of particular interest to determine if CO2 could be omitted to permit more wide-spread use of earthworms in cell biology curricula using standard incubators. Two different types of media, DMEM and SFX-Insect Media, were used at varying conditions including: temperature, serum concentration, antimycotic concentration, CO2, and time. Cell viability was measured using propidium iodide and flow cytometry in addition to analysis of forward and side light scatter properties. It was found that the coelomocytes of E. hortensis exhibit the highest level of cell viability when cultured with DMEM supplemented with 10% newborn calf serum at 25 °C. Longer incubations showed lower cell death when CO2 was provided, but CO2 could be omitted for shorter periods of culture without significant loss of cell viability providing 10 mM HEPES was included in the culture medium. It was also observed that SFX-Insect Medium was a suitable alternative to DMEM and was used without the need for 5% CO2, but a minimum of 5% serum needed to be included. The toxicity of amphotericin B was tested and 0.875 μg/ml in DMEM and SFX-Insect Medium did not compromise cell viability. This information shows that earthworms can be cultured easily without the need for a CO2 incubator, thus simplifying laboratory conditions and minimizing costs associated with using earthworms for cell biology curricula and research purposes.

Propagation Modeling of Food Safety Crisis Information Update Based on the Multi-agent System

This study propose a new multi-agent system frame based on epistemic default complex adaptive theory and use the agent based simulation and modeling the information updating process to study food safety crisis information dissemination. Then, we explore interaction effect between each agent in food safety crisis information dissemination at the current environment and mostly reveals how the government agent, food company agent and network media agent influence users confidence in food safety. The information updating process give a description on how to guide a normal spread of food safety crisis in public opinion in the current environment and how to enhance the confidence of food quality and safety of the average users.