Questioning the Generational Divide: Technological Exoticism and Adult Constructions of Online Youth Identity

Part of the Volume on Youth, Identity, and Digital Media. This chapter reflects on the effects and implications of the discrepancy between adult perspectives on digital media and youth experiences. Through an analysis of public discourse by marketers, journalists, and new media researchers compared with statements by young technology users, it is proposed that the current so-called "Internet generation" is in fact a transitional generation, in which young Internet users are characterized to varying degrees by a dual consciousness of both their own and adult perspectives, the latter of which tend to exoticize youth. An analogy with the first television generation is developed to suggest that the birth of a true Internet generation, some years in the future, will pave the way for more normalized, difficult-to-question changes in media attitudes and consumption, and thus that the present transitional moment should be taken advantage of to encourage conversation between adults and youth about technology and social change

Globalization or Localization? A longitudinal study of successful American and Chinese online store websites

This paper reports the results of a longitudinal study of 2562 images on the homepages of successful American and Chinese online store websites,with the goal of determining whether cultural factors impact their visual presentation and evolution. Descriptive and statistical content analyses reveal that the U.S. and Chinese online store sites showed significant cross-national image differences from their inception; moreover, the Chinese sites diverged further from the U.S. sites over time, strengthening their own cultural identity and suggesting a trend towards localization in a diverse and dynamic world market. These findings support the view that although English-speaking Western culture is widespread in today’s Information Age, other cultures are not necessarily undermined

Charge fluctuation induced dephasing of exchange coupled spin qubits

Exchange coupled {\it spin} qubits in semiconductor nanostructures are shown to be vulnerable to dephasing caused by {\it charge noise} invariably present in the semiconductor environment. This decoherence of exchange gate by environmental charge fluctuations arises from the fundamental Coulombic nature of the Heisenberg coupling, and presents a serious challenge to the scalability of the widely studied exchange gate solid state spin quantum computer architectures. We estimate dephasing times for coupled spin qubits in a wide range (from 1 ns up to $> 1 \mu$s) depending on the exchange coupling strength and its sensitivity to charge fluctuations.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Arabic and English News Coverage on aljazeera.net

The controversial Al Jazeera network, with its Arabic and English news websites, is an interesting object for comparative study. This study compares the\ud two language versions in terms of their layouts and the structural features, regional and thematic coverage, and ideological perspective reflected in the headlines of\ud news reports. Content analysis and critical discourse analysis revealed differences between the two versions for all aspects except for thematic coverage, indicating\ud systematic biases in coverage, alongside efforts to present ideological balance. \ud \ud <br />\ud <br />\ud \ud Le réseau Al Jazeera, avec ses sites d’information en arabe et en anglais\ud représente un objet intéressant pour une étude comparative. Cette étude compare les versions dans les deux langues, en ce qui concerne la présentation et les\ud caractéristiques structurelles, la couverture régionale et thématique, ainsi que la perspective idéologique telle qu’elle est reflétée par les grands titres. L’analyse du\ud contenu et l’analyse du discours révèlent des différences entre les deux versions sur tous les aspects, sauf pour la couverture thématique et pointent un biais\ud systématique pour les domaines couverts et des efforts pour assurer un équilibre idéologiqu

Screening of Coulomb interactions in transition metals

We discuss different methods of calculation of the screened Coulomb interaction $U$ in transition metals and compare the constraint local-density approximation (LDA) with the GW approach. We clarify that they offer complementary methods of treating the screening and should serve for different purposes. In the GW method, the renormalization of bare on-site Coulomb interactions between 3d electrons occurs mainly through the screening by the same 3d electrons, treated in the random phase approximation (RPA). The basic difference of the constraint-LDA method is that it deals with the neutral processes, where the Coulomb interactions are additionally screened by the ``excited'' electron, since it continues to stay in the system. This is the main channel of screening by the itinerant ($4sp$) electrons, which is especially strong in the case of transition metals and missing in the GW approach, although the details of this screening may be affected by additional approximations, which typically supplement these two methods. The major drawback of the conventional constraint-LDA method is that it does not allow to treat the energy-dependence of $U$. We propose a promising approximation based on the combination of these two methods. First, we take into account the screening of Coulomb interactions in the 3d-electron-line bands located near the Fermi level by the states from the subspace being orthogonal to these bands, using the constraint-LDA methods. The obtained interactions are further renormalized within the bands near the Fermi level in RPA. This allows the energy-dependent screening by electrons near the Fermi level including the same 3d electrons.Comment: 25 pages, 5 figures, 2 table

The unique chemical reactivity of a graphene nanoribbon's zigzag edge

The zigzag edge of a graphene nanoribbon possesses a unique electronic state that is near the Fermi level and localized at the edge carbon atoms. We investigate the chemical reactivity of these zigzag edge sites by examining their reaction energetics with common radicals from first principles. A "partial radical" concept for the edge carbon atoms is introduced to characterize their chemical reactivity, and the validity of this concept is verified by comparing the dissociation energies of edge-radical bonds with similar bonds in molecules. In addition, the uniqueness of the zigzag-edged graphene nanoribbon is further demonstrated by comparing it with other forms of sp2 carbons, including a graphene sheet, nanotubes, and an armchair-edged graphene nanoribbon.Comment: 24 pages, 9 figure

Development of Design Guiding Principles For Constructivist-Based Distance Learning Environments

K-12 teachers are struggling to design effective learning environments that meet the future needs of their students.A number of individuals have suggested that a relatively new theory of learning, constructivism, supports visions of the 21st century, technology-rich, classrooms. The role of technology in the learning process has steadily in-creased as access has opened classrooms to the world providing teachers and students with expanding learning opportunities. The advent of increased access to world-linking technology has increased the use of distance education to enrich and expand the learning landscape for students. To support and facilitate teachers responses to these changes in their classrooms, this project sought to identify a core of instructional design guiding principles for constructivist based distance learning environments. A panel of knowledgeable individuals in the areas of constructivism and technologically mediated education participated in an electronic study. The information produced by the study will be used to further identify designs, examples, and elements for teacher will be available for planning of in service experiences and mentoring processes in the future

Study of a pair of coupled continuum equations modeling surface growth

In this communication we introduce a pair of coupled continuum equations to model overlayer growth with evaporation-accretion due to thermal or mechanical agitations of the substrate. We gain insight into the dynamics of growth via one-loop perturbative techniques. This allows us to analyze our numerical data. We conclude that there is a crossover behaviour from a roughening regime to a very long-time, large length scale smoothening regime.Comment: 21 pages, 13 figures. Submitted to J. Phys.: Condens. Matte