Rhetorical dissonance of unsynchronized voices : issues of voice-over in news broadcasts

Voice-over as an audiovisual translation modality has traditionally been described for its rendering of the truth or its faithfulness. The manipulation and deviation from the original text through translation has already been the object of study in documentaries. This paper looks at the translation of TV news through voice-over. Technical and content infidelities are rendering the broadcast actualities into sexed up copies of the original, which for all intents and purposes are in sheer contravention of what translation is for as a faithful reproduction of the original and of objective and factual news reporting.The effects of the translator's visibility in news voice-over is re-examined and the physical presence of the translator/voice talent is analyzed. This paper argues that the visibility of the translator in this instance pushes the boundaries of mediation beyond mere technicalities towards a sociopolitical sphere of reasoning and rationality by editorial policy makers.The paper also argues that synchronicity of voice-overs stemming from the rhetorical features of the voice-over styles of delivery and the idiosyncrasies of the voices creates dissonance and renders the original message with a degree of infelicities that undermine the long-celebrated standards of objectivity and neutrality. Consequently, this paper underscores the invisibility of the translator in this mode of translation mediatio

Driving Behaviors Recognition Using Deep Neural Networks

Road accidents are skyrocketing, and traffic safety is a severe problem around the world. Many road traffic deaths are related to drivers’ unsafe behaviors. In this paper, we propose two different deep-learning models which classify the driver’s actions in a 60-second time frame into two main categories: Normal and Aggressive driving based on GPS data collected at 1 Hz, which is later preprocessed and passed to the proposed models to identify dominant driving behavior in each time frame. The models achieved an accuracy of 93.75 percent in real-world tests, which proves the efficiency of this method in driving behavior recognition

Eye tracking analysis of browser security indicators

Understanding the natural human behavior when people interact with Web browsers is essential for building more user-centric interface design that is customized based on user\u27s perception and experience. This paper presents the first empirical study of users\u27 interaction with security indicators in Web browsers in a controlled real life security risk. The work focuses on the natural and spontaneous behavior of the victim\u27s eyes on several predetermined area of interest, and empirically presents users\u27 evaluation of several online logon pages. The experiment and its results provide a quantitative evidence of the usability of visual security indicators in Internet Explorer (IE8). We first categorized a set of Websites and created phishing Web Pages using most known phishing techniques, and then a group of users from different backgrounds and age groups took the controlled experiment on an eye tracking machine. We found that the simplicity approach in Web design causes more damage rather than helping in online security, and that the current sleek design of Web pages helps users find the logon area and overlook the security indicators instead. We also found that the security certificate cue was not used by the participants to determine the legitimacy of the presented Websites. © 2012 IEEE

“…they feel that they have a voice and their voice is heard”: Towards Participatory Forms of Teachers’ CPD in Oman

The area of teachers’ continuing professional development (CPD) is of growing interest internationally. In Oman, where this issue is given a lot of attention, the Ministry of Education spends a lot of money each year to provide many CPD opportunities for in-service TESOL teachers. However, the effectiveness of these initiatives and the impact they have on teaching and learning is questionable. This has been reflected in a number of research studies which have been conducted locally and which focus on various issues relating to teachers’ CPD but these studies have not addressed the issue critically. Given this, the current study attempts to critically examine the CPD system in the in-service TESOL context in Oman, and to improve the Government’s applied CPD strategy through suggesting a participatory model of CPD in Education. The study is situated in the critical paradigm and followed a multi-methodology transformative design using mixed methods to develop an understanding of the investigated issues from a macro and micro level. The study started with a quantitative phase using an online questionnaire and 331 English teachers and Senior English teachers responded to it. Phase two of the study was comprised of a case study to look in detail at the CPD system in Oman. Three schools were chosen for the case study with 18 participants/teachers. Semi-structured and focus group interviews as well as observations were used to collect data at this stage. The same 18 participants joined the action research (phase three) stage of the study to introduce them to the participatory model of CPD. This phase included three workshops and online discussion sessions, following this one focus group interview and 6 individual semi-structured interviews were conducted to see teachers’ reaction to the intervention; the participatory model. The findings showed that in-service TESOL teachers in Oman who participated in this study hold different beliefs about teaching as a profession and have different reasons for becoming teachers. The findings revealed that a key source influencing teachers’ CPD participation is their beliefs, and that participants’ hold a wide range of beliefs about CPD. Moreover, the findings disclosed that participants have experienced different types of activities which were mostly offered to them through the Ministry of Education in structured ways (e.g. INSET courses); yet, these did not respond to teachers’ individual needs.The study further indicated that the centralised top-down nature of the current CPD system seems to negatively affect the success of CPD in the in-service TESOL context in Oman. The study recommends that the role of teachers themselves in the provision of CPD is significant; the way teachers are currently marginalized and seen as grateful recipients of CPD do not provide the conditions for intelligent and responsive teaching profession. Furthermore, the evaluation of the participatory model of CPD adopted in this study showed that this model has positively impacted on participant teachers’ CPD and three aspects of change were noticed: teachers’ beliefs, their practices about CPD, and change in students (e.g. their reading habits). The findings revealed that this model has enabled participant teachers to make decisions regarding their CPD and encouraged them to play the role of critical reflective practitioners as well as prepared them to be future transformative intellectuals. Therefore, recommendations include the need for more informal, participatory and collaborative forms of CPD to be added to the current CPD system in Oman. The study further calls for new policies and practices to improve the teaching force in the country. These include stringent criteria for teachers’ selection and recruitment, developing strong educational policies regarding the initial teacher formation, considering teachers’ beliefs in any in-service CPD initiative, and raising teachers’ awareness to become responsible for their life-long career development. Most significantly, on the basis of the study findings, there is a need to reform teachers’ CPD in Oman to include dedication to building character, community, humanitarianism and democracy in young people

NUMERICAL INVESTIGATION OF MESH-BASED ENHANCEMENT OF VAPOR BUBBLE CONDENSATION

The aim of this work is to study the vapor bubble condensation process and the enhancement technique via affecting bubbles dynamic using a mesh-based structure. The bubble dynamics and thermal behavior are studied by considering the heat and mass transfer through the bubble’s interface area between the vapor and liquid regions and the resulting condensation effects. The thermal characteristics of bubbles are observed considering the initial and final liquid temperatures. Additionally, the bubble dynamics are studied in terms of several parameters including the relative velocity of the bubble, bubble deformation, interfacial area, and the bubble diameters. The relation between the thermal and dynamic parameters of bubble condensation is analyzed under different operating conditions. A Semi-Empirical simulation is developed to analyze the heat transfer and condensation of a spherical rising bubble. The model includes bubble shrinkage during condensation, and can be used to analyze the total energy loss of the bubble, raising velocity and bubble condensation rate of a single bubble compared to multiple bubbles with the same total thermal energy. A MATLAB code is developed in order to calculate the instantaneous velocity, the radius, and the mass loss of the vapor bubble in each time step. Moreover, the fundamental behavior for a single bubble and multiple bubbles was investigated in various initial conditions under the same total thermal energy. The effects of the initial bubble radius and the temperature difference between the liquid and vapor phases were analyzed for both scenarios in order to examine the condensation rate. To overcome the complexity of the interface between the multi-phases in the flow field, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation is carried out and adapted using interface capturing methods (Volume of Fluid) with durable time-stepping schemes in ANSYS FLUENT. This study proposes to enhance the bubble condensation by designing a mesh-based structure to be placed in the flow direction so the bubbles will enter the domain through many small holes of the mesh structure, which will force bubble deformation and redirect the bubbles through the liquid domain. The mesh-based structure enhancement method is based on breaking the bubbles into several smaller bubbles realizing a very high surface contact area between the bubble and the liquid. This design arrangement showed an improvement in the condensation and heat transfer. Furthermore, the obtained results from the semi-empirical model of bubbles condensation are examined and compared with experimental data from previous investigations in the literature

THE IMPACT OF PUSH & PULL FACTORS AND POLITICAL STABILITY ON DESTINATION IMAGE, TOURIST SATISFACTION AND THE INTENTION TO RE-VISIT: THE CASE OF ABU DHABI IN THE UAE

Taking into consideration Abu Dhabi 2030 vision, the tourism sector is considered to be a significant sector in its contribution to the long-term economic growth of the UAE. Abu Dhabi has many of the push and pulls factors that attract tourists. By illuminating tourists’ behaviors, the results of this study will enable decision-makers to understand why tourists choose Abu Dhabi over other destinations, what type of experience they are looking for, and the variety of activities that they want. Meanwhile, taking into account the political stability of the UAE in general and Abu Dhabi in particular, insufficient attention has hitherto been given to the political issues that may significantly guide people in forming a destination image. No studies of the factor of political stability with others, such as push and pull factors in raising the intention to re-visit exist in the literature on tourism, at least not in the UAE context. Therefore, the purpose of the present study is to identify the motivational push & pull factors that can affect the formulation of the destination image. Moreover, this study examines the relationship between push & pull factors, political stability, destination image, tourist satisfaction, and intention to re-visit to develop and test a conceptual model of the antecedents and consequences of destination image in the Abu Dhabi context. This study adopts the positivist research philosophy with a quantitative approach to empirically validate the fourteen hypotheses. To gather the primary data the questionnaire was distributed among international tourists above 18 years old in seven different attractive locations in Abu Dhabi. The suggested hypotheses were tested through a sample of 406 tourists visiting Abu Dhabi. The results show that tourists’ evaluations of the push and pull factors and political stability act as antecedents of a perceived attractive destination image. Furthermore, political stability and destination image have a strong positive impact on tourist satisfaction and the intention to re-visit. The proposed model in this study enhances existing theorization by exploring the value of political stability in the model of tourists’ intentions to re-visit. While from the practical perspective, it will also provide a recommendation to the policy and decision-maker in the tourism sector

A novel 96-microwell-based high-throughput spectrophotometric assay for pharmaceutical quality control of crizotinib, a novel potent drug for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer

;Este estudo descreve o desenvolvimento e a validação de um novo ensaio espectrofotométrico em larga escala em 96 micropoços para o controle farmacêutico de crizotinibe (CZT), novo fármaco para o tratamento de câncer de pulmão de células não pequenas. Examinamos a reação entre o CZT e o 4-sulfonato de 1,2-naftoquinona, um reagente cromogênico. Obteve-se, em meio alcalino (pH 9), produto vermelho, com absorção máxima (λ;max;) em 490 nm. Examinamos a estequiometria da reação e propusemos mecanismo de reação. Este, segundo nosso conhecimento, é o primeiro estudo para descrever reação de desenvolvimento de cor para o ensaio proposto. A reação foi realizada em placas de 96 micropoços e mediu-se a absorbância do produto colorido utilizando-se leitor de absorbância a 490 nm. Sob condições otimizadas de reação, a lei de Beer, que mostra a correlação entre a absorbância e a concentração de CZT, foi obedecida na faixa de 4-50 µg/poço, com coeficiente de correlação apropriado (0,999). Os limites de detecção e de quantificação foram, respectivamente, 1,73 e 5,23 µg/poço. O ensaio mostrou alta precisão e exatidão. O ensaio proposto foi aplicado com sucesso para a determinação de CZT em cápsulas e é prático e válido para a aplicação de rotina em laboratórios de controle farmacêutico.;;This study describes the development and validation of a novel 96-microwell-based high throughput spectrophotometric assay for pharmaceutical quality control of crizotinib (CZT), a novel drug for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer. We examined the reaction between CZT and 1,2-naphthoquinone-4-sulphonate, a chromogenic reagent. A red-colored product showing a maximum absorption peak (λ;max;) at 490 nm was produced in an alkaline medium (pH 9). We examined stoichiometry of the reaction and postulated the reaction mechanism. To our knowledge, this is the first study to describe a color-developing reaction for the proposed assay. The reaction was performed in a 96-microwell plate, and the absorbance of the colored product was measured using an absorbance reader at 490 nm. Under optimized reaction conditions, Beer's law, which shows a correlation between absorbance and CZT concentration, was obeyed in the range of 4-50 µg/well with an appropriate correlation coefficient (0.999). The limits of detection and quantification were 1.73 and 5.23 µg/well, respectively. The assay showed high precision and accuracy. The proposed assay was applied successfully for the determination of CZT in capsules. Thus, the assay proposed in this study is practical and valuable for routine application in pharmaceutical quality control laboratories.

Frequency of IgG Antiphospholipid Antibodies in Iraqi Patients with Stroke

Objective: To examine the presence of Immunoglobulin G type of anti-cardiolipin (ACL), anti-β2GPI  and antiphospholipids (aPL) antibody in Iraqi patients with cerebrovascular diseases especially ischemic stroke. Methods: Immunoglobulin G type of antiphospholipid antibodies (beta 2-glycoprotein I [B2-GPI]), anti phosphatidyl serine, cardiolipin, anti phosphatidyl inositol and anti phosphatidic acid were ivestigated in 67 patients with ischemic stroke (aged between 20 to 90 years) during an three months period from October 2015 to January 2016 in Al-Zahra and  AL-Karama Hospitals, Wassit, Iraq. The clinical, laboratory and demographic characteristics of patients with a positive results were registered. Results: One man and six women (seven patients, 10.49%) had increased IgG types of antiphospholipid antibodies. Increased titers of IgG for anticardiolipin was  observed in eight (11.94%) and seven (10.49%) of patients were positive to anti- β2GPI. Conclusion: In spite of  the different studies in the Europe, elevated titers of IgG antiphospholipid antibodies present in a large number of patients can be resulted from the existence of unidentified triggering agents (poisons and infections), that are more common in developing countries in comparison to developed countries. This hypothesis still need  to more and more investigation in the future, in our country the morbidity is too high because of the repeated wars

Towards understanding phishing victims\u27 profile

Today it is known that the weakest link in the cyber security chain is the computer user. Social engineering attacks are commonly used to deceive computer users to perform actions that could leak private information. Such attacks psychologically manipulate the computer users to reveal his/her confidential information. Therefore, the computer user has been carefully studied by security researchers to understand the relationship between cyber security incidents and the victim background. In this paper, we present a breadth-first survey of recent studies that aim to understand the relationship between victims\u27 backgrounds and phishing attacks. We summarize the characteristics of the phishing victims, following a review of their demographic and personality traits. © 2012 IEEE

Wavelength conversion by four wave mixing in passive InGaAsP/InP waveguides

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 1996.Includes bibliographical references (p. 110-113).by Ali M. Darwish.Ph.D