SOUND MATTERS: AURAL RHETORIC IN PHARMACEUTICAL ADVERTISING (TOWARD A THEORY AND METHOD OF AURALACY)

As scholarly theories and explorations of visuality continue to grow in prominence within the discourse on multimodal communication, a gap remains in the literature regarding the affective qualities of sound in multimedia messages. The following study attempts to address this gap and likewise propose a theory of auralacy (aural literacy) by examining the audiovisual interactions present in three different pharmaceutical commercials. This study begins by examining literature regarding Gestalt perceptual theory, with emphasis on its origins, historical developments, and current status in perceptual research. The literature shows that perceptual wholes may be formed visually, tactilely, aurally, or even intermodally. After reviewing this literature, a holistic methodology is presented for the interpretation of multimodal messages. Gunther Kress and Theo van Leeuwen`s Reading Images: The Grammar of Visual Design is invoked to help analyze on-screen movement of visuals in the pharmaceutical commercials, and Leonard Meyer`s principles of pattern perception--derived from Gestalt theory and set forth in Emotion and Meaning and Music--are brought to bear on the advertisement`s soundscapes. The affective qualities of each soundscape are examined, including music, narration, and sound effects. A visual strategy for presenting audiovisual interaction, dubbed as the movement analysis, is used to help foreground the aural mode and display patterns of movement and shape. This study concludes with a discussion of auralacy as an important tool for understanding contemporary composition and communication, as well as potential directions for further developing the movement analysis

Development of a Portable Bird Detection Radar for Airports

The development of a prototype portable bird detection radar for airports and airfields will be presented. This prototype radar is currently being developed under a partnership between the U.S. Air Force and the FAA, and is being funded under the U.S. Air Force Dual Use Science and Technology (DUST) program. Overview of the program will be given, and detailed specifications of the radar unit, and planned tests at a commercial airport will be presented. Future Plans for an integration of this type of radar into a real-time airport bird strike advisory system will be presented as well

Performance of the NASA 30 cm Ion Thruster

A 30 cm diameter xenon ion thruster is under development at NASA to provide an ion propulsion option for missions of national interest, and is being proposed for use on the USAF/TRW Space Surveillance, Tracking and Autonomous Repositioning (SSTAR) platform to validate ion propulsion. The thruster incorporates innovations in design, materials, and fabrication techniques compared to those employed in conventional ion thrusters. Specific development efforts include thruster design optimizations, component life testing and validation, vibration testing, and performance characterizations. Under this test program, the ion thruster will be brought to engineering model development status. This paper discusses the performance and power throttling test data for the NASA 30 cm diameter xenon ion thruster over an input power envelope of 0.7 to 4.9 kW, and corresponding thruster lifetime expectations

Alternative Transcript Initiation and Splicing as a Response to DNA Damage

Humans are exposed to the DNA damaging agent, ionizing radiation (IR), from background radiation, medical treatments, occupational and accidental exposures. IR causes changes in transcription, but little is known about alternative transcription in response to IR on a genome-wide basis. These investigations examine the response to IR at the exon level in human cells, using exon arrays to comprehensively characterize radiation-induced transcriptional expression products. Previously uncharacterized alternative transcripts that preferentially occur following IR exposure have been discovered. A large number of genes showed alternative transcription initiation as a response to IR. Dose-response and time course kinetics have also been characterized. Interestingly, most genes showing alternative transcript induction maintained these isoforms over the dose range and times tested. Finally, clusters of co-ordinately up- and down-regulated radiation response genes were identified at specific chromosomal loci. These data provide the first genome-wide view of the transcriptional response to ionizing radiation at the exon level. This study provides novel insights into alternative transcripts as a mechanism for response to DNA damage and cell stress responses in general

Application of GIS Technologies to Wildlife Management at DFW Airport

As part of a continuing FAA research program in wildlife hazard assessment and management at airports, a GIS Technical Element – DFW was developed for the Wildlife Hazard Advisory System (WHAS). For the DFW GIS data layers were obtained from public sources and supplemented with airport specific information. Data themes were developed to support general analysis of wildlife habitat on the AOA and adjacent airport property, and analysis was extended to a distance of 25 miles from the airport to accommodate all aircraft in high risk airspace. Over 10,000 wildlife report records were integrated with data on birdstrikes and runway utilization. Species flight paths leading to runway conflicts were identified. AOA analyses were supplemented with regional habitat analysis and integrated with aircraft movement plots to identify potential hazards to aircraft safety. The GIS provided a foundation for the 2D and 3D visualization of wildlife hazards for DFW

Osteoradionecrosis in cancer patients:the evidence base for treatment-dependent frequency, current management strategies, and future studies

The purpose of this study is to review the evidence base from 1990 to 2008 to (1) clarify the impact of cancer therapies on prevalence of osteoradionecrosis (ORN) in head and neck cancer patients, and to (2) evaluate management strategies and their consequences on quality of life and cost of care. Articles were selected for the time period beginning after 1989, excluding the 1990 NCI monograph articles from the 1989 NIH-sponsored Oral Complications in Cancer Therapy Symposium that was published in 1990. The search included both Medline/PubMed and Embase and was limited to humans. The search was limited to publications in the English language. No abstracts were utilized in the current review. Each article was evaluated by two reviewers. A weighted prevalence was calculated for the prevalence of ORN while incorporating predetermined quality measures. The level of evidence, recommendation grade, and guideline (if possible) were provided for published preventive and management strategies for ORN. A total of 43 articles between 1990 and 2008 were reviewed. The weighted prevalence for ORN included conventional radiotherapy (RT) = 7.4%, intensity modulated RT (IMRT) = 5.1%, chemoradiotherapy (CRT) = 6.8%, and brachytherapy = 5.3%. Hyperbaric oxygen may contribute a role in management of ORN. However, no clear guideline recommendations could be established for the prevention or treatment of ORN based on the literature reviewed. New cancer treatment modalities such as IMRT and concomitant CRT have had minimal effect on prevalence of ORN. No studies to date have systematically addressed impact of ORN on either quality of life or cost of care

A systematic review of dysgeusia induced by cancer therapies

The purpose was to review relevant scientific papers written since 1989 which focused on the prevalence and management of dysgeusia as an oral side effect of cancer treatment. Our literature search was limited to English language papers published between 1990 and 2008. A total of 30 papers were reviewed; the results of 26 of these papers were included in the present systematic review. A structured assessment form was used by two reviewers for each paper. Studies were weighted as to the quality of the study design, and treatment recommendations were based on the relative strength of each paper. A wide range in reported prevalence of dysgeusia was identified with the weighted prevalence from 56-76%, depending on the type of cancer treatment. Attempts to prevent dysgeusia through the prophylactic use of zinc sulfate or amifostine have been of limited benefit. Nutritional counseling may be helpful to some patients in minimizing the symptoms of dysgeusia. Dysgeusia is a common oral side effect of cancer therapy (radiotherapy, chemotherapy, or combined modality therapy) and often impacts negatively on quality of life. From the current literature, there does not appear to be a predictable way of preventing or treating dysgeusia

Impact of Oral Side Effects from Conditioning Therapy Before Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation: Protocol for a Multicenter Study

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