Effects and Future of the Internet on the Malaysian Advertising Industry

The Internet is having a major effect around the world on how businesses are being run, with changes in relation to marketing communications, customers, media selection, and dealing with advertising agencies. What has been the effect of this new media, and what changes are perceived for business in the future? This paper will examine Malaysian advertising executives' views on the effects of the Internet on business communications, and seeks predictions on the future of the advertising industry. A survey of 51 advertising executives indicated that the Internet will not entirely replace traditional mass media for advertising use, although it will have some effect on media planning. Keywords: Advertising; Malaysia; Internet; Advertising industry; Communication

Preferential consolidation of emotional reactivity during sleep: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Many studies have investigated whether sleep affects cognitively unmodulated reactivity to emotional stimuli. These studies operationalize emotion regulation by using subjective and/or objective measures to compare pre- and post-sleep reactivity to the same emotional stimuli. Findings have been inconsistent: some show that sleep attenuates emotional reactivity, whereas others report enhanced or maintained reactivity. Across-study methodological differences may account for discrepant findings. To resolve the questions of whether sleep leads to the attenuation, enhancement, or maintenance of emotional reactivity, and under which experimental conditions particular effects are observed, we undertook a synthesized narrative and meta-analytic approach. We searched PubMed, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases for relevant articles, using search terms determined a priori and search limits of language = English, participants = human, and dates = January 2006–June 2021. Our final sample included 24 studies that investigated changes in emotional reactivity in response to negatively and/or positively valenced material compared to neutral material over a period of sleep compared to a matched period of waking. Primary analyses used random effects modeling to investigate whether sleep preferentially modulates reactivity in response to emotional stimuli; secondary analyses examined potential moderators of the effect. Results showed that sleep (or equivalent periods of wakefulness) did not significantly affect psychophysiological measures of reactivity to negative or neutral stimuli. However, self-reported arousal ratings of negative stimuli were significantly increased post-sleep but not post-waking. Sub-group analyses indicated that (a) sleep-deprived participants, compared to those who slept or who experienced daytime waking, reacted more strongly and negatively in response to positive stimuli; (b) nap-exposed participants, compared to those who remained awake or who slept a full night, rated negative pictures less negatively; and (c) participants who did not obtain substantial REM sleep, compared to those who did and those exposed to waking conditions, had attenuated reactivity to neutral stimuli. We conclude that sleep may affect emotional reactivity, but that studies need more consistency in methodology, commitment to collecting both psychophysiological and self-report measures, and should report REM sleep parameters. Using these methodological principles would promote a better understanding of under which conditions particular effects are observed

Electrocerebral Recovery During the Intracarotid Amobarbital Procedure: Influence of Interval Between Injections

Purpose and Methods : During the intracarotid amobarbital procedure (IAP) at the University of Michigan, continuous scalp EEG monitoring guides the timing for presentation of memory items and postinjection testing. Most of our patients have undergone bilateral injections. The interval between injections varied from 22 to 60 min, depending on the test and recovery time, as well as the time to catheterize the second side. After noting a trend toward prolonged electro-graphic recovery following the second injection, we tested our clinical impression that recovery of the second hemisphere may be influenced by (a) the time between injections and (b) which hemisphere is injected first (epileptogenic or nonepileptogenic). To study these questions, we analyzed EEG recovery data from 48 consecutive IAPs. Approximately half the patients had the epileptogenic side injected first. Results : We found that (a) electrographic recovery after the second injection is prolonged if the interval between bilateral injections is less than 40 minutes and (b) electrographic recovery is more rapid after injection of the epileptogenic hemisphere. Conclusions : We now recommend waiting at least 45 min between injections. The pathophysiology of more prolonged amobarbital effect on the nonepileptogenic hemisphere than on the epileptogenic hemisphere remains unclear.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/65275/1/j.1528-1157.1997.tb00067.x.pd

D-brane anomaly inflow revisited

Axial and gravitational anomaly of field theories, when embedded in string theory, must be accompanied by canceling inflow. We give a self-contained overview for various world-volume theories, and clarify the role of smeared magnetic sources in I-brane/D-brane cases. The proper anomaly descent of the source, as demanded by regularity of RR field strengths H's, turns out to be an essential ingredient. We show how this allows correct inflow to be generated for all such theories, including self-dual cases, and also that the mechanism is now insensitive to the choice between the two related but inequivalent forms of D-brane Chern-Simons couplings. In particular, SO(6)_R axial anomaly of d=4 maximal SYM is canceled by the inflow onto D3-branes via the standard minimal coupling to C_4. We also propose how, for the anomaly cancelation, the four types of Orientifold planes should be coupled to the spacetime curvatures, of which conflicting claims existed previously.Comment: 41 pages, references updated; version to appear in JHE

Pain outcomes in patients with bone metastases from advanced cancer: assessment and management with bone-targeting agents

Bone metastases in advanced cancer frequently cause painful complications that impair patient physical activity and negatively affect quality of life. Pain is often underreported and poorly managed in these patients. The most commonly used pain assessment instruments are visual analogue scales, a single-item measure, and the Brief Pain Inventory Questionnaire-Short Form. The World Health Organization analgesic ladder and the Analgesic Quantification Algorithm are used to evaluate analgesic use. Bone-targeting agents, such as denosumab or bisphosphonates, prevent skeletal complications (i.e., radiation to bone, pathologic fractures, surgery to bone, and spinal cord compression) and can also improve pain outcomes in patients with metastatic bone disease. We have reviewed pain outcomes and analgesic use and reported pain data from an integrated analysis of randomized controlled studies of denosumab versus the bisphosphonate zoledronic acid (ZA) in patients with bone metastases from advanced solid tumors. Intravenous bisphosphonates improved pain outcomes in patients with bone metastases from solid tumors. Compared with ZA, denosumab further prevented pain worsening and delayed the need for treatment with strong opioids. In patients with no or mild pain at baseline, denosumab reduced the risk of increasing pain severity and delayed pain worsening along with the time to increased pain interference compared with ZA, suggesting that use of denosumab (with appropriate calcium and vitamin D supplementation) before patients develop bone pain may improve outcomes. These data also support the use of validated pain assessments to optimize treatment and reduce the burden of pain associated with metastatic bone disease

A Randomized Double-Blind Crossover Study of Phase-Shift Sound Therapy for Tinnitus

Objective. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of the treatment of tinnitus with a phase-shifting pure tone to that of the same tone treatment without phase shifting. Study Design. A double-blind crossover randomized controlled trial. Setting. This study was conducted at the University Medical Center Groningen. Subjects and Methods. Twenty-two patients with predominantly tonal tinnitus underwent both intervention and control treatments. Each treatment consisted of three 30-minute sessions in 1 week. The control treatment was identical to the intervention treatment, except that the stimulus was a pure tone without phase shifting. Questionnaires, tinnitus loudness match, and annoyance and loudness ratings were used to measure treatment effects. Results. Pure-tone treatment and phase-shift treatment had no significant effect on tinnitus according to questionnaires (Tinnitus Handicap Index, Tinnitus Reaction Questionnaire, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and Maastricht Questionnaire), audiological matching procedures, and loudness and annoyance ratings of tinnitus. Furthermore, phase-shift treatment showed no additional significant improvement in comparison with pure-tone treatment. Changes in questionnaire scores due to pure-tone and the phase-shift treatment were correlated. Conclusion. On average across the group, both treatments failed to demonstrate a significant effect. Both treatments were beneficial for some patients. However, a positive effect was not demonstrated that could be attributed to the periodic shifting of the phase of the stimulus tone

Breastfeeding and the risk of rotavirus diarrhea in hospitalized infants in Uganda: a matched case control study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Rotavirus </it>is responsible for over 25 million outpatient visits, over 2 million hospitalizations and 527,000 deaths annually, worldwide. It is estimated that breastfeeding in accordance with the World Health Organization recommendations would save 1.45 million children's lives each year in the developing countries. The few studies that examined the effect of breastfeeding on <it>rotavirus </it>diarrhea produced conflicting results. This study aimed to determine the effect of breastfeeding on <it>rotavirus </it>diarrhea among admitted infants in Uganda.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The study was conducted in the Pediatrics medical emergency unit of a National Referral hospital during a peak incidence time for rotavirus from February to April 2008. It was an age matched case-control study with a ratio of 1:1. We consecutively enrolled infants presenting at the study site during this period whose caretakers consented to participate in the study. A minimum sample size of 90 pairs was adequate with power of 80% to detect a 30% decrease in breastfeeding rate among the cases assuming a breastfeeding rate of 80% in the controls. The infants with <it>rotavirus </it>positive results were the "cases". We used the commercial enzyme immunoassay kit (DAKO IDEIA™ rotavirus EIA detection kit) to diagnose the cases. The "controls" were admitted children with no diarrhea. We compared the cases and controls for antecedent breastfeeding patterns.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Ninety-one matched case-control age-matched pairs with an age caliper of one month were included in the analysis. Breastfeeding was not protective against rotavirus diarrhea (OR 1.08: 95% CI 0.52 - 2.25; p = 0.8) in the conditional logistic model.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our study findings did not reveal breastfeeding as protective against <it>rotavirus </it>diarrhea in infants. This suggests searching for other complementary preventive methods such as rotavirus vaccination and zinc supplementation to reduce the problem of <it>rotavirus </it>diarrhea in infants irrespective of their feeding practices.</p

The results of arthroscopic anterior stabilisation of the shoulder using the bioknotless anchor system

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Shoulder instability is a common condition, particularly affecting a young, active population. Open capsulolabral repair is effective in the majority of cases, however arthroscopic techniques, particularly using suture anchors, are being used with increasing success.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>15 patients with shoulder instability were operated on by a single surgeon (VK) using BioKnotless anchors (DePuy Mitek, Raynham, MA). The average length of follow-up was 21 months (17 to 31) with none lost to follow-up. Constant scores in both arms, patient satisfaction, activity levels and recurrence of instability was recorded.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>80% of patients were satisfied with their surgery. 1 patient suffered a further dislocation and another had recurrent symptomatic instability. The average constant score returned to 84% of that measured in the opposite (unaffected) shoulder. There were no specific post-operative complications encountered.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In terms of recurrence of symptoms, our results show success rates comparable to other methods of shoulder stabilisation. This technique is safe and surgeons familiar with shoulder arthroscopy will not encounter a steep learning curve. Shoulder function at approximately 2 years post repair was good or excellent in the majority of patients and it was observed that patient satisfaction was correlated more with return to usual activities than recurrence of symptoms.</p