From Fan Videos to Crowdsourcing: The Political Economy of User-Driven Online Media Platforms and Practices

Following its rise to popularity from 2004 onwards, an increasingly idealistic and dominant conception of platforms, practices, and projects shaped by the Web 2.0 paradigm or the Social Web would emerge and rehabilitate past utopian assertions about the democratizing, participatory, and collaborative potential of the Internet, so as to attractively characterize them as enabling radically empowering forms of online participation by average citizens. In this dissertation, the core features of the affectively charged discourse surrounding this growing media environment are critically examined in order to understand their misleading character and supportive function within the communicative economy of contemporary neoliberal capitalism and the media apparatus of flexible control strategies that sustains it. Moreover, with the help of critical-theoretical, political-economic, and autonomist theories, this dissertation analyzes a set of representative online media practices driven by users and embodying the individualistic and collective incarnations of the Social Web — such as YouTube-based gameplay commentary videos and fanvid parodies of animated media from Japan along with key examples of media crowdsourcing like the Life in a Day documentary and the Star Wars Uncut remake project. Its analysis of these case studies exposes how the above media apparatus of strategies and decisions increasingly shaping this digital media ecosystem, while encouraging the creative agency of online users, often results in its flexible control by corporate interests and the formation of new forms of power relations, inequality, and exploitation

Effects of a mindfulness-based intervention on circulating cytokine levels in individuals with amnestic mild cognitive impairment : a pilot study

Peripheral inflammation plays an important role in the pathophysiology of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and dysregulations in circulating levels of different inflammatory mediators are detectable as early as the mild cognitive impairment (MCI) stage towards AD. Depressive symptoms, another risk factor of AD, are often found in individuals with MCI and associated with heightened levels of peripheral inflammatory mediators. Diminution in depressive symptoms and alterations of peripheral inflammation profiles have been observed following Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs). In this pilot randomized-control trial, the impact of a mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) was compared to that of a psychoeducation-based intervention (PBI) on the peripheral inflammation profile and depressive symptomatology of participants with MCI. Plasma samples and scores on the Geriatric Depression scale (GDS) were obtained from 12 participants per group before and after the 8-week interventions. Flow cytometry allowed for inter-group comparisons of the pro-inflammatory cytokines Interleukin (IL)-6 and Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF)-α levels. Post-MBI, two tendencies stand out regarding inflammation profiles: 1) a decrease of TNF-α for participants having higher initial levels of this cytokine, and 2) an increase of IL-6 levels for all participants. In the PBI group, the cytokine levels remained unchanged post-intervention. Regarding depressive symptomatology, no significant variations were noted for both groups. Moreover, variations on depressive symptoms and peripheral levels of cytokines were not correlated. MBI could exert a physiological effect on an important feature of AD, namely inflammation. Furthermore, action mechanisms behind physiological and psychological effects of MBIs could stem from independent sources. This remains to be demonstrated with more robust data

The Changing Landscape for Stroke\ua0Prevention in AF: Findings From the GLORIA-AF Registry Phase 2

Background GLORIA-AF (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation) is a prospective, global registry program describing antithrombotic treatment patterns in patients with newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation at risk of stroke. Phase 2 began when dabigatran, the first non\u2013vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant (NOAC), became available. Objectives This study sought to describe phase 2 baseline data and compare these with the pre-NOAC era collected during phase 1. Methods During phase 2, 15,641 consenting patients were enrolled (November 2011 to December 2014); 15,092 were eligible. This pre-specified cross-sectional analysis describes eligible patients\u2019 baseline characteristics. Atrial fibrillation disease characteristics, medical outcomes, and concomitant diseases and medications were collected. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results Of the total patients, 45.5% were female; median age was 71 (interquartile range: 64, 78) years. Patients were from Europe (47.1%), North America (22.5%), Asia (20.3%), Latin America (6.0%), and the Middle East/Africa (4.0%). Most had high stroke risk (CHA2DS2-VASc [Congestive heart failure, Hypertension, Age  6575 years, Diabetes mellitus, previous Stroke, Vascular disease, Age 65 to 74 years, Sex category] score  652; 86.1%); 13.9% had moderate risk (CHA2DS2-VASc = 1). Overall, 79.9% received oral anticoagulants, of whom 47.6% received NOAC and 32.3% vitamin K antagonists (VKA); 12.1% received antiplatelet agents; 7.8% received no antithrombotic treatment. For comparison, the proportion of phase 1 patients (of N = 1,063 all eligible) prescribed VKA was 32.8%, acetylsalicylic acid 41.7%, and no therapy 20.2%. In Europe in phase 2, treatment with NOAC was more common than VKA (52.3% and 37.8%, respectively); 6.0% of patients received antiplatelet treatment; and 3.8% received no antithrombotic treatment. In North America, 52.1%, 26.2%, and 14.0% of patients received NOAC, VKA, and antiplatelet drugs, respectively; 7.5% received no antithrombotic treatment. NOAC use was less common in Asia (27.7%), where 27.5% of patients received VKA, 25.0% antiplatelet drugs, and 19.8% no antithrombotic treatment. Conclusions The baseline data from GLORIA-AF phase 2 demonstrate that in newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation patients, NOAC have been highly adopted into practice, becoming more frequently prescribed than VKA in Europe and North America. Worldwide, however, a large proportion of patients remain undertreated, particularly in Asia and North America. (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation [GLORIA-AF]; NCT01468701

Adaptation d’une intervention basée sur la pleine conscience à des personnes âgées ayant un trouble cognitif léger

L’objectif de ce chapitre est de partager l’expérience, les principaux constats et les recommandations relatives à l’administration d’une IBPC (intervention basée sur la pleine conscience) auprès de personnes âgées ayant un TCL (trouble cognitif léger). La première section aborde le contexte d’élaboration d’une IBPC adaptée au vieillissement cognitif pathologique. La deuxième section propose diverses adaptations du contenu des séances, ainsi que des pratiques de pleine conscience réalisées en groupe et à domicile. La dernière section présente un bref survol des effets rapportés par les participants avec un TCL ainsi que les réflexions des auteurs de ce chapitre

International Council for CM 2003/U:06 Exploration of the Sea The Scope and Effectiveness of Stock Recovery Plans in Fishery Management Recovering Canadian Atlantic Cod Stocks: The Shape of Things to Come?

Abstract Between 1989 and 1993 science advisors in Canada recommended major quota reductions for many Atlantic cod stocks. Government response to the advice was initially slow and insufficient to arrest the stock declines. Declines became collapses and complete closures had to be implemented for a number of fish stocks between 1992-1994. At the time of closure, expectations were widespread that it might require as many as 3-4 years for stocks to recover to states capable of supporting substantial fisheries. Those supporting such expectations were helped by some conventionally structured forecasts, which used the past as a guide to the future and implied a rapid recovery for the stocks. Projections with much more pessimistic messages were also provided at that time, but optimistic messages were the basis for much of the planning. The social assistance, industry restructuring, and science augmentation programs were all designed or adapted to extend a maximum of five years. The expectations were that by that time coastal communities and the industry would have restructured to prosper with more modest harvesting of recovered stocks, and that science would have the answers for why the stocks had collapsed. The last decade has been very different from those expectations. After five years of moratoria, stock recoveries were highly variable. A few stocks did return quickly to historic levels, but these were ones where the declines had been modest at the time that moratoria were instituted. Stocks that had declined severely showed evidence of very weak improvement at best. However, when funding for social assistance programs was exhausted, fisheries were reopened. Although TACs were very small compared to historic harvests, the very modest stock gains during the moratoria were rapidly dissipated. Moreover, the social and community needs for fishing were still present and the restructuring and retraining funds had not resulted in reduced capacity and demand for fish. Therefore the reintroduction of moratoria in 2003 have been resisted just as strongly on the grounds of social and economic impacts, although the states of these stocks are as poor or poorer than in the early 1990s. The big difference is that this time there are no expectations than things will get better in the near future. There are a number of lessons to be learned from this experience. Based on an examination of 47 alternative hypotheses for why these cod stocks did not recover strongly through the 1990s, it was a suite of biological and fishery properties, and not just bad luck that led to the failures of stocks to recover. Stock recovery trajectories based on productivity measured when a stock is healthy were a misleading guide to 1 true stock trajectories of depleted stocks. The paper documents some of the ways in which productivity of the depleted Canadian cod stocks differed from productivity of the same stocks when they were large. It will apply some of the lessons learned from the Canadian experience to the general theme of recovery planning

Androgen Glucuronidation in Mice: When, Where, and How

Glucuronidation, catalyzed by UDP-glucuronosyltransferase UGT2B enzymes, is a major inactivating and elimination pathway for androgen hormones in humans. Whether Ugt2b enzymes from mice are also reactive with these hormones have never been investigated. The present study aimed at evaluating the capability of murine tissues and Ugt2b enzymes to glucuronidated androgens. The 7 murine Ugt2b (Ugt2b1, 2b5, 2b34, 2b35, 2b36, 2b37 and 2b38) enzymes were cloned and stably expressed into HEK293 cells. In vitro glucuronidation assays were performed with microsomal proteins or homogenates from mice tissues (liver, kidney, intestine, adipose, testis, prostate, epididymis, bulbo, seminal vesicle, mammary glands, uterus, and ovary) and from Ugt2b-HEK293 cells. Male and female livers, as well as male kidneys, are the major sites for androgen glucuronidation in mice. The male liver is highly efficient at glucuronidation of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and testosterone and is enriched in Ugt2b1 and 2b5 enzymes. Androsterone and 3α-Diol are conjugated in the male kidney through an Ugt2b37-dependent process. Interestingly, castration partially abolished hepatic Ugt2b1 expression and activity, while Ugt2b37 was totally repressed. DHT injection partially corrected these changes. In conclusion, these observations revealed the substrate- and tissue-specific manner in which murine Ugt2b enzymes conjugate androgens. They also evidence how androgens modulate their own glucuronide conjugation in mice

On the Use of Ultrafiltration or Microfiltration Polymeric Spiral-Wound Membranes for Cheesemilk Standardization: Impact on Process Efficiency

Ultrafiltration (UF) and microfiltration (MF) are widely-used technologies to standardize the protein content of cheesemilk. Our previous work demonstrated that protein retention of a 0.1-µm MF spiral-wound membrane (SWM) was lower, but close to that of a 10 kDa UF one. Considering that the permeability of MF membranes is expected to be higher than that of UF ones, it was hypothesized that the former could improve the efficiency of the cheesemaking process. Consequently, the objectives of this work were to compare 0.1-µm MF and 10 kDa UF spiral-wound membranes in terms of (1) hydraulic and separation performance, (2) energy consumption and fouling behavior, (3) cheesemaking efficiency of retentates enriched with cream, and (4) economic performance in virtual cheesemaking plants. This study confirmed the benefits of using MF spiral-wound membranes to reduce the specific energy consumption of the filtration process (lower hydraulic resistance and higher membrane permeability) and to enhance the technological performance of the cheesemaking process (higher vat yield, and protein and fat recoveries). However, considering the higher serum protein retention of the UF membrane and the low price of electricity in Canada, the UF scenario remained more profitable. It only becomes more efficient to substitute the 10 kDa UF SWM by the 0.1-μm MF when energy costs are substantially higher