A camera never told the truth: An exploration of objectivity in photojournalism

Several cases have surfaced in the past two decades where the photojournalists associated with some of the most respected and trusted news organizations have been accused of altering the news photos. During the same time, the developments in the digital cameras and editing software have put the image altering technology into the hands of all practicing journalists and journalism students. This paper explores two, somewhat connected, issues: objectivity in photojournalism and ethics of altering photographic images. The paper discusses objectivity in journalism in general and photojournalism to address the question: Can a photojournalist use a camera to record reality in an objective manner? Since the photographers have altered (retouched) images from the very beginning of photography, where are the ethical boundaries of image alteration for the photojournalists

Teaching Ethics in an Unethical World

We find ourselves in times where national leaders engage in fraudulent and deceptive behaviors for personal and political gains, and multinational corporations use unethical practices to maximize their profits. Where dangerously defective products are released onto the market endangering the health and lives of consumers, and where news channels become opinion channels. Where the motto of the free market is reduced to a simple‘grab all you can, any way you can.’ In times such as these, it is difficult to teach and promote ethical behavior. A cursory look at the advertising messages and the spins put on issues by public relations people leaves one wondering if business ethics is anything more than an oxymoron – a self‑contradicting claim. In times such as ours (in 2017), it is crucial that institutions of higher learning continue to teach and foster ethical behavior and ethical responsibility. No doubt, it is an uphill struggle for educators to convince students to think and act in ethically appropriate terms when surrounded by corruption, deceit, and fraud. While no one will deny the need for ethical practices, teaching these values in a convincing manner remains a challenge. Using meta‑analysis of various University courses in ethics, the present paper attempts three goals. First, it builds a rationale for the importance of ethical behavior, the need for teaching it, and the criticisms of those who think it unnecessary to teach ethics. Second, it discusses various strategies used by universities and several educators in teaching and reinforcing ethical behavior. This section also offers a criticism of approaches and methodologies of teaching ethics. Third, it offers an outline for a syllabus for an introductory course in Ethics.The “Annales. Ethics in Economic Life” is affiliated and co-financed by the Faculty of Economics and Sociology of the University of Lodz

Dynamically sampled multivariate empirical mode decomposition

A method for accurate multivariate local mean estimation in the multivariate empirical mode decomposition algorithm by using a statistical data-driven approach based on the Menger curvature measure and normal-to-anything variate-generation method is proposed. This is achieved by aligning the projection vectors in the direction of the maximum `activity' of the input signal by considering the local curvature of the signal in multidimensional spaces, resulting in accurate mean estimation even for a very small number of projection vectors

An unusual cause of gynaecomastia in a male

Summary: Beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (βhCG) is normally produced by syncytiotrophoblasts of the placenta during pregnancy and aids embryo implantation. However, it is also secreted in varying amounts in non-pregnant conditions commonly heralding a neoplastic process. We present a case of 50-year-old man, who presented with bilateral gynaecomastia with elevated testosterone, oestradiol, suppressed gonadotropins with progressively increasing levels of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). Biochemical and radiological investigations including ultrasonography of testes, breast tissue, MRI pituitary and CT scan full body did not identify the source of hCG. FDG PET scan revealed a large mediastinal mass with lung metastasis. Immunostaining and histological analysis confirmed the diagnosis of primary choriocarcinoma of the mediastinum. It is highly aggressive and malignant tumor with poor prognosis. Early diagnosis and management are essential for the best outcome. Learning Points: High βhCG in a male patient or a non-pregnant female suggests a paraneoplastic syndrome. In the case of persistently positive serum hCG, exclude immunoassay interference by doing the urine hCG as heterophilic antibodies are not present in the urine. Non-gestational choriocarcinoma is an extremely rare trophoblastic tumor and should be considered in young men presenting with gynaecomastia and high concentration of hCG with normal gonads. A high index of suspicion and extensive investigations are required to establish an early diagnosis of extra-gonadal choriocarcinoma. Early diagnosis is crucial to formulate optimal management strategy and to minimize widespread metastasis for best clinical outcome

Energy Consumption Rate based Stable Election Protocol (ECRSEP) for WSNs

In recent few yearsWireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) have seen an increased interest in various applications like border field security, disaster management and medical applications. So large number of sensor nodes are deployed for such applications, which can work autonomously. Due to small power batteries in WSNs, efficient utilization of battery power is an important factor. Clustering is an efficient technique to extend life time of sensor networks by reducing the energy consumption. In this paper, we propose a new protocol; Energy Consumption Rate based Stable Election Protocol (ECRSEP). Our CH selection scheme is based on the weighted election probabilities of each node according to the Energy Consumption Rate (ECR) of each node. We compare results of our proposed protocol with Low Energy Adaptive Clustering Hierarchy (LEACH), Distributed Energy Efficient Clustering (DEEC), Stable Election Protocol (SEP), and Enhanced SEP(ESEP). Our simulation results show that our proposed protocol, ECRSEP outperforms all these protocols in terms of network stability and network lifetime

Supersymmetric And Smooth Hybrid Inflation In The Light Of WMAP3

In their minimal form both supersymmetric and smooth hybrid inflation yield a scalar spectral index n_s close to 0.98, to be contrasted with the result n_s=0.951+0.015-0.019 from WMAP3. To realize better agreement, following hep-ph/0604198, we extend the parameter space of these models by employing a non-minimal Kaehler potential. We also discuss non-thermal leptogenesis by inflaton decay and obtain new bounds in these models on the reheat temperature to explain the observed baryon asymmetry.Comment: 21 pages, 12 figures, revtex4. v2: minor revisions, additional references, to appear in PR

On Lie Ideals and Generalized Jordan Left Derivations of Prime Rings

Let R be a prime ring with characteristic different from 2 and U be a Lie ideal of R. In the paper, we initiate the study of generalized Jordan left derivations on Lie ideals of R and prove that every generalized Jordan left derivation on U is a generalized left derivation on U. Further, it is shown that generalized Jordan left biderivation associated with the left biderivation on U is either U ⊆ Z(R) or a right bicentralizer on U.Нехай R — просте кільцє з характеристикою, відмінною від 2, а U — ідеал Лі цього кільця. У цій статті ми починаємо дослідження узагальнених жорданових лівих похідних на ідеалах Лі кільця R і доводимо, що будь-яка узагальнена жорданова ліва похідна на U є узагальненою лівою похідною на U. Крім того, встановлено, що узагальнена жорданова ліва подвійна похідна, асоційована з лівою подвійною похідною на U, або U ⊆ Z(R), або правим подвійним централайзером на U