Religion, popular culture and social media: the construction of a religious leader image on Facebook

Despite the emergence of religions on Internet and the importance of social media, research dedicated to religious leaders’ construction of symbolic image on social media, is hard to find. Starting from the 2013 Applebee’s social media crisis, which was triggered by a pastor, the present study investigates the frames and themes Facebook users employed in order to give meaning to the crisis, attribute responsibility, and more importantly, define the role of a religious leader in daily life. This study shows the existence on social media of an active religious literate public, a public clearly troubled in their religious faith and convictions by the non-Christian behavior of the pastor. This shows that in a post-secular society the religious imaginary is not only a “canopy” inherited and kept because of convenience, but a cultural frame of signification the real and a vector of dialogue in a (online) micro and macro public sphere

Kelly Askew & Richard R. Wilk, eds, The Anthropology of Media. A Reader

“In her review essay ‘Anthropology and Mass Media’, Debra Spitulnik stated ‘There is as yet no anthropology of mass media’. Eight years later, the significant and growing literature represented by this volume indexes an existent, if still emergent, discipline. Media anthropology, the brainchild of Mead, Bateson and Powdermaker has finally come into its own”. C’est sur cette note triomphale que s’achève l’introduction de Kelly Askew, éditrice, en collaboration avec Richard R. Wilk, de ce surpr..

Putting Internet-of-Things at the service of sustainable agriculture. Case study: Sysagria

Continuous growth of global population requires a better management of food resources: increasing productivity, maximizing crop yields, reducing losses (water, energy, chemicals), protecting the environment, preventing plant disease, minimizing the manpower. Since the mid-1980s when precision agriculture has its roots, the new concept could rely on advancement in electronics, agriculture research and emerging technologies. Syswin Solutions has been focused on Internet-of-Things, since it seems to be more adequate compared to drones or satellite imagery because it offers much more complete data from sensors placed directly in the cultivated environment. Thus, was born SysAgria, a system that provides comprehensive, real-time environmental information and development conditions at various phenological stages of crops, fruit trees, vines and vegetables, on the basis of which proactive treatment, planned fertilization, sowing and harvesting can be achieved. The system monitors the vital parameters of soil, air and light and identifies prototypes through a series of intelligent algorithms that analyze the data obtained and correlates them with a relevant history of the culture. Built using very low power consumption circuits, the system is energetically independent since it uses solar power and optimized algorithms for communication. Data is available anywhere in the cloud, thus the farmer can act immediately if parameters change. Syswin Solutions has five systems under test in real operating conditions, in different places around Romania, in greenhouse and in field, for monitoring cereals and vegetables. The paper presents the SysAgria system and some eloquent results of the monitoring. Soil sensors placed at different depths revealed possible water absorbtion problems. The automation of the ventilation in the greenhouse has been shown to be beneficial for plant development

Cochlear implant in a 10 months old patient

Otorhinolaryngology Clinic, Targu Mures Emergency Clinical County Hospital, Romania, The 6th International Medical Congress for Students and Young Doctors, May 12-14, 2016Introduction: World Health Organisation declares that over 5% of the global population, 32 million children included, suffer from disabling hearing loss, meaning a loss greater than 30 decibels in the better hearing ear in children. Objective: The purpose of this study is to present the case of the youngest bilateral cochlear implant receiver in Romania and the correlations between the imaging and surgical findings.Results: Both findings, the imaging and the surgical ones, were concordant, no pathological modifications were found that could have discomforted the cochlear implantation. Conclusion: This is the first case of an infant patient under 12 months suffering bilateral cochlear implantation in Romania, with activation of the implant after 7 weeks from implantation, and having a favourable outcome subsequent to the surgery

The Diagnosis of Fetal Sexing in Cattle Using Ultrasound

The purpose of this research was to conduct an ultrasound exam in the interval between 49-120 days of gestation for the determination of fetus sex and to establish the interval when the fetal sexing is possible. The research was carried out in three farms from Transylvania. In farm A were examined 25 animals, in farm B 13 animals and in farm C 11 animals. The diagnosis of the fetal sexing was possible for 35 cases, 14 animals were diagnosed as female and 21 were male. In the interval between 56-65 days of gestation the diagnosis of fetal sexing was established by viewing the genital tubercle and in the interval between 65-90 days of gestation the diagnosis was established by viewing the secondary genital organs. In 14 cases the diagnosis was not set; in 4 cases the conception product has not been sufficiently developed, the genital tubercle was not visible, and in 10 cases the fetus was too big and was impossible to localize the genital organs

Design and Creative Methods as a Practice of Liminality in Community-Academic Research Projects

This paper aims to explore the types of spaces and experiences that are created by design and creative practices. More specifically, it focuses on how design and creative practices can engender transformations in the mindset, knowledge, emotions and social relations of people who participate in such practices. To do this, the paper investigates the concepts of liminality and liminal spaces, and the relationships between design/creative methods and liminal spaces using insights from four case studies. The results reveal that design and creative practices may create liminal spaces in many ways, such as neutralizing the working environments, encouraging people to experiment with new ideas and helping them express themselves more freely

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Correction to: Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake