The Health of Ethnic Media: Needs and Opportunities

The ethnic news media (ranging the gamut from newspapers to broadcast programs to online ventures) have experienced rapid growth in tandem with the changing nature of the nation's demographics, yet considerable anecdotal evidence shows that many of these outlets struggle with a variety of serious problems, ranging from poor journalistic standards to sheer survivability as businesses. The study was designed to provide an assessment of the sector's health and resiliency and to identify threats to success, primarilyfrom the perspective of its staff and leaders

Design, Control, and Perception of Bionic Legs and Exoskeletons

Bionic systems---wearable robots designed to replace, augment, or interact with the human body---have the potential to meaningfully impact quality of life; in particular, lower-limb prostheses and exoskeletons can help people walk faster, better, and safer. From a technical standpoint, there is a high barrier-to-entry to conduct research with bionic systems, limiting the quantity of research done; additionally, the constraints introduced by bionic systems often prohibit accurate measurement of the robot's output dynamics, limiting the quality of research done. From a scientific standpoint, we have begun to understand how people regulate lower-limb joint impedance (stiffness and damping), but not how they sense and perceive changes in joint impedance. To address these issues, I first present an open-source bionic leg prosthesis; I describe the design and testing process, and demonstrate patients meeting clinical ambulation goals in a rehabilitation hospital. Second, I develop tools to characterize open-loop impedance control systems and show how to achieve accurate impedance control without a torque feedback signal; additionally, I evaluate the efficiency of multiple bionic systems. Finally, I investigate how well people can perceive changes in the damping properties of a robot, similar to an exoskeleton. With this dissertation, I provide technical and scientific advances aimed at accelerating the field of bionics, with the ultimate goal of enabling meaningful impact with bionic systems.PHDMechanical EngineeringUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/163108/1/afazocar_1.pd

The influence of social media and fashion magazines on body image of culturally and racially diverse young women

Mass media is considered to be the most pervasive cause of body dissatisfaction (Tiggemann, 2011). Body image and physical attractiveness are typically determined by weight and body type and the ideals for an attractive physique vary from culture to culture. The primary purpose of this study was to focus on female individuals and the effects that media exposure (in fashion magazines and a variety of social media) has on their body image. The secondary purpose was to examine differences in body image perceptions based on ethnic background (African-American, Asian-American, Arab-American, Euro-American, Hispanic-American, and mixed race). The sample consisted of 742 females between the ages of 19 and 25 years old. The body dissatisfaction findings present a convincing argument that the increase in body dissatisfaction in females is mostly prevalent when exposed to certain media outlets such as Facebook, Instagram, and fashion magazines, and not when exposed to YouTube and Pinterest. Results of chi-square analysis showed that African-American and Arab-American young females were found to have significantly more positive body image than Euro-American, Asian-American, and Hispanic-American females

Effects of Synchronous and Asynchronous Online Instructional Approaches on English-Learning Undergraduate College Students: An Exploratory Study

Although the significance of the use of online classes remains evident due to their growing prevalence at US universities, they still remain an untested experience for countless English learners (ELs). This research explores EL students’ perceptions of the opportunities for interaction in synchronous and asynchronous online university classroom modalities. It also examines how socioacademic relations and Bandura’s social learning theory can explain the interactions between students and instructors that influence EL students’ literacy development. Participants (n=105) were selected from a large sample pool of 261 EL undergraduate student participants aged 18 to 35. A mixed methods design was utilized in this study. Quantitative data was analyzed using paired sample t-tests, and Cohen’s d effect size was evaluated. Results indicated that EL students perceived synchronous courses to provide more opportunities for interaction (language input and language output) than asynchronous online courses. Research implications are thoroughly discussed

Fashion Magazines and Social Media. Do they work together or against each other to influence body image and social comparison in men?

Fashion magazines have been recognized as an important source of unrealistic body types and body ideals (Harper &Tiggemann, 2008). Fashion models and celebrities are depicted as thin, tall, young individuals with Caucasian-like features. These images are unattainable for an average individual and studies have shown over the years that exposure to such images in many media contexts causes body dissatisfaction in women (Grabe, Ward, & Hyde, 2008). Most studies have focused on female body dissatisfaction as a result of media exposure, and male individuals have been largely ignored. This study will attempt to close the gap in research on male body image perceptions. This is a quantitative study conducted at San Francisco State University. Male (N=584) participants were selected from a large sample pool of 1,391 participants. Results and Implications are thoroughly discussed

Searching the Efficient Frontier for the Coherent Covering Location Problem

In this article, we will try to find an efficient boundary approximation for the bi-objective location problem with coherent coverage for two levels of hierarchy (CCLP). We present the mathematical formulation of the model used. Supported efficient solutions and unsupported efficient solutions are obtained by solving the bi-objective combinatorial problem through the weights method using a Lagrangean heuristic. Subsequently, the results are validated through the DEA analysis with the GEM index (Global efficiency measurement)

The Association Between Impaired Awareness and Depression, Anxiety, and Apathy in Mild to Moderate Alzheimer's Disease: A Systematic Review

Objectives: Impaired awareness of cognitive and functional deficits is a common feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Although a lack of awareness has been suggested to be a protective factor against experiencing affective symptoms, such as depression, anxiety, and apathy which are common in AD, there is conflicting evidence about the links between them. This systematic review examines the evidence for an association between impaired awareness and depressive, anxiety, and apathy symptoms in mild to moderate AD. / Method: We searched four databases (OvidMedline, Embase, PsycInfo, and PsycArticles) using terms encompassing awareness, apathy, depression, anxiety, and mild-moderate AD. We included studies that assessed the relationship between awareness and depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, or apathy. We assessed included papers for quality and report results using a narrative approach, prioritizing high quality studies. / Results: We identified 1,544 articles, and twenty-seven studies fulfilled inclusion criteria (high-quality = 15; moderate-quality = 12). Most high-quality studies reported that impaired awareness in early-stage AD is cross-sectionally linked with fewer depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms (correlation ranged from −0.3 to −0.7), but with more apathy. / Conclusions: High-quality studies suggested that in people with early AD, impaired awareness is related to fewer depressive and anxiety symptoms and to more apathy. Future research should focus on elucidating causality among impaired awareness and these symptoms in AD