Media Activism as Movement? Collective Identity Formation in the World Forum of Free Media

More than simply tools used by social movements to reach other substantive aims, media are increasingly becoming subjects of activism. This article contributes to advancing understanding of such media-focused activism through a case study of the World Forum of Free Media (FMML), a thematic forum for media activists and media advocacy organisations linked to the World Social Forum. Based on qualitative research conducted between 2008 and 2016 – including participant observation, in-depth interviews and textual analysis – the article critically explores the extent to which the FMML can be considered a ‘free media’ movement in the making, and examines some of the challenges and contradictions that such a movement-building project entails. Drawing on social movement theory, specifically the concept of collective identity, it analyses efforts by forum organisers to mobilise a very diverse range of actors – from alternative media activists to policy- and advocacy NGOs – around a plural and inclusive ‘free media’ identity. While the FMML has to some extent succeeded in facilitating convergence around a set of core principles and ideas, it has so far struggled to develop a clear outwards-facing identity and mobilise a broad grassroots base

Understanding citizen media as practice: agents, processes, publics

Much recent commentary on citizen media has focused on online platforms as means through which citizens may disseminate self-produced media content that challenges dominant discourses or makes visible hidden realities. This chapter goes beyond a concern with media content to explore the much broader range of socially situated practices that develop around citizen media. Drawing on Couldry’s proposal for a practice paradigm in media research, it suggests shifting the focus from ‘citizen media’ to ‘citizen media practices’ and demonstrates, through a case study of communication activism in the World Social Forum, how this framework can bring into view a broad range of citizen media practices (beyond those directly concerned with the production and circulation of media content), the different forms of agency that such practices make possible, and the social fabric they can help generate. I conclude by arguing that a practice framework necessitates a rethink of the way that the concept of (counter-) publics is used in the context of citizen media. Citizen media practices of the kind described here can be understood not only as practices of ‘making public’ previously unreported issues and perspectives, but as practices of public¬-making: practices that support the formation of publics

Øyets limbale stamceller

Cornea is the outermost layer of the eye, facing the external world. The avascular and transparent cornea is histologically divided into six layers. From the surface and inwards: Corneal epithelium, basement membrane, Bowman’s layer, stroma, Descemet’s membrane and the endothelium. The corneal epithelium is subject to amazingly challenging and specialized demands: It not only serves as an outer barrier against microbes and injuries, it also serves as an accurate optical medium. A constant self-renewal of the epithelium is therefore necessary. During the last decades, new understanding and knowledge on this area has greatly increased. The limbus is the transformation-zone between the cornea and the conjunctiva. It represents an exciting location on the eye. Certain stem cells, called limbal stem cells (LSC), are proved to situate among the vascularized, basal layer of the limbus. The LSC are the source of mature corneal epithelium cells, via proliferation, transmigration and differentiation. Hence an injury or illness to the LSC will result in complications for the corneal epithelium. Acid or alkali burns, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, severe microbial infections and pterygium are examples of conditions that can lead to limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD). One can observe conjunctivalisation, i.e. ingrowth of the vascular and atransparent conjunctiva into the cornea. According to the degree of LSCD, the findings can be neovascularisation, persisting erosions and ulcers and ingrowth of fibrous tissue. The symptoms can be photophobia, pain, reduced vision and even blindness. According to the new knowledge on LSC, we are now able to offer treatment for LSCD. Both auto-transplantation and allo-transplantaion of LSC have shown promising results. Other stem cells, like embryonic stem cells and mesenchymal stem cells from bone marrow, have also shown good results in treating LSCD. Still, more research needs to be done to find the perfect treatment for LSCD. This article serves as an overview of international literature on the area, and aims to give a summary of, and introduction to, the new knowledge on LSC and experiences in therapy of LSCD

Diffusion of viral marketing into the world of public relations

The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file.Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on September 15, 2008)Thesis (M.A.) University of Missouri-Columbia 2008.With the ever-changing world of technology, consumers can be reached through more and more media. These opportunities are only possible if the advertising and public relations industries follow their audiences and understand how to reach them effectively. This research examined how the public relations industry was adopting the technique of viral marketing. This method of delivery allows messages to be subtly given to audiences and then gives consumers control to pass that message along to their friends. Since marketing is attached to this technique, and it was an advertising technique initially, it was predicted that public relations would avoid using viral marketing to reach their audiences.To perform this research, textual and thematic analysis were completed. Four trade journals were analyzed, Advertising Age, AD Week, PR Week, and PR News, two from advertising and two from public relations, and they were analyzed in relation to the diffusion of innovations theory. The comparison of the two allowed for trends to be pulled out from the 200 articles that were sampled and read. What was found was that public relations professionals are laggards in terms of adopting viral marketing. It is important for public relations to understand that they must follow their audience on-line and build brand relationships with them through the social means of viral marketing.Includes bibliographical reference

A posteriori energy-norm error estimates for advection-diffusion equations approximated by weighted interior penalty methods

22 pagesWe propose and analyze a posteriori energy-norm error estimates for weighted interior penalty discontinuous Galerkin approximations to advection-diffusion-reaction equations with heterogeneous and anisotropic diffusion. The weights, which play a key role in the analysis, depend on the diffusion tensor and are used to formulate the consistency terms in the discontinuous Galerkin method. The error upper bounds, in which all the constants are specified, consist of three terms: a residual estimator which depends only on the elementwise fluctuation of the discrete solution residual, a diffusive flux estimator where the weights used in the method enter explicitly, and a non-conforming estimator which is nonzero because of the use of discontinuous finite element spaces. The three estimators can be bounded locally by the approximation error. For moderate advection, it is shown that full robustness with respect to diffusion heterogeneities is achieved owing to the specific design of the weights in the discontinuous Galerkin method, while diffusion anisotropies remain purely local and impact the constants through the square root of the condition number of the diffusion tensor. For dominant advection, it is shown, in the spirit of previous work by Verfürth on continuous finite elements, that the constants are bounded by the square root of the local Péclet number

Engaging with the public in public engagement with research

Though there is now growing commitment to publicly engaged research, the role and definition of the public in such processes is wide-ranging, contested, and often rather vague. This article addresses this problem by showing that, although there is no single agreed upon theory or way of being public, it is still possible and very important to develop clear, public-centric, understandings of engaged research practice. The article introduces a multi-dimensional framework based on the theoretical literature on the ‘public’, and demonstrates – in the context of a recent engaged research project – how it possible to conceptualise, design and evaluate context-specific formations of the public. Starting from an understanding of publics as mediated and dynamic entities, the article seeks to illuminate some of the choices that researchers face and how the framework can help them navigate these. This article is for all those interested in what it means to address, support and account for an engaged public in contemporary settings