Searching for Meaning: Multi-Level Cognitive Processing of News Decision Making Among U.S. and Chinese Journalists

This dissertation is an experiment exploring how journalists make news decisions. Its theoretical framework draws upon three intellectual traditions--media effects research, cognitive psychology and decision making theory. It investigates both U.S. and Chinese journalists' selection processes of psychologically, culturally and ideologically salient information. Unlike some previous studies on news creation focus on cultural or ideological content without an explicit discussion of psychologically salient information, this research goes directly to investigate the working of journalists' thought processes during news decision making. A total of 120 working journalists (60 U.S. journalists and 60 Chinese journalists) were recruited for this experiment. They were asked to write a news story based on the stimulus materials containing psychologically, culturally and ideologically salient news elements. Then they filled in a Web-based survey on their news decisions. A self-designed software program used for the survey also recorded latency data, the time spent answering each online question. Latency is a standard measure of the mental efforts involved in making those decisions. More similarities than differences were discovered between U.S. and Chinese journalists. Results show that both U.S. and Chinese journalists processed psychologically, culturally and ideologically salient news elements differently. Social power distance, reflecting a news sources' social status, also becomes a vital criterion for both groups of journalists when assessing the sources. Regardless of their nationalities, the journalists use more psychologically salient news elements in their stories than those at cultural or ideological level. They also spent most time in processing psychologically salient information, suggesting more mental efforts were involved. The main effects and interactions for cognitive processing and social power distance were so pronounced that they suggest the emergence of a transcultural trend in journalism. In this view, this dissertation not only enhances the understanding of Eastern and Western journalists' cognitive processing of decision making, but also builds a transcultural model for exploring journalism practice in an age of mass media globalization

Beyond user experience: What constitutes algorithmic experiences?

© 2019 Elsevier Ltd Algorithms are progressively transforming human experience, especially, the interaction with businesses, governments, education, and entertainment. As a result, people are growingly seeing the outside world, in a sense, through the lens of algorithms. Despite the importance of algorithmic experience (AX), few studies had been devoted to investigating the nature and processes through which users perceive and actualize the potential for algorithm affordance. This study proposes the Algorithm Acceptance Model to conceptualize the notion of AX as part of the analytic framework for human-algorithm interaction. It then tests how AX shapes the satisfaction with and acceptance of algorithm services. The results show that AX is inherently related to human understanding of fairness, transparency, and other conventional components of user-experience, indicating the heuristic roles of transparency and fairness regarding their underlying relations of user experience and trust. AX can influence the user perception of algorithmic systems in the context of algorithm ecology, offering useful insights into the design of human-centered algorithm systems. The findings provide initial and robust support for the proposed Algorithm Acceptance Model

Double In Situ Approach for the Preparation of Polymer Nanocomposite with Multi-functionality

A novel one-step synthetic route, the double in situ approach, is used to produce both TiO2nanoparticles and polymer (PET), and simultaneously forming a nanocomposite with multi-functionality. The method uses the release of water during esterification to hydrolyze titanium (IV) butoxide (Ti(OBu)4) forming nano-TiO2in the polymerization vessel. This new approach is of general significance in the preparation of polymer nanocomposites, and will lead to a new route in the synthesis of multi-functional polymer nanocomposites

Hypoxia-mimetic agents inhibit proliferation and alter the morphology of human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The therapeutic efficacy of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) for the treatment of hypoxic-ischemic diseases is closely related to level of hypoxia in the damaged tissues. To elucidate the potential therapeutic applications and limitations of hMSCs derived from human umbilical cords, the effects of hypoxia on the morphology and proliferation of hMSCs were analyzed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>After treatment with DFO and CoCl₂, hMSCs were elongated, and adjacent cells were no longer in close contact. In addition, vacuole-like structures were observed within the cytoplasm; the rough endoplasmic reticulum expanded, and expanded ridges were observed in mitochondria. In addition, DFO and CoCl₂treatments for 48 h significantly inhibited hMSCs proliferation in a concentration-dependent manner (<it>P </it>< 0.05). This treatment also increased the number of cells in G0/G1 phase and decreased those in G2/S/M phase.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The hypoxia-mimetic agents, DFO and CoCl₂, alter umbilical cord-derived hMSCs morphology and inhibit their proliferation through influencing the cell cycle.</p

Influences of commuting mode, air conditioning mode and meteorological parameters on fine particle (PM2.5) exposure levels in traffic microenvironments

With the aim of determining the impacts of various factors on commuter exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5), a series of field studies were carried out to measure commuter exposure to PM2.5 on six major commuting modes (in-cabin mode: bus, taxi and metro; on-roadway mode: walking, bicycle and motorcycle) in a highly industrialized city in the Pearl River Delta, China. The results showed that the exposure level was greatly influenced by the commuter mode, with the on-roadway mode showing a higher PM2.5 concentration (76 μg/m3). An experiment with the taxi mode suggested that the use of air-conditioning can effectively reduce exposure levels in most cases (by at least 83%). Apart from traffic-related emissions, ambient PM2.5 concentration also had important impacts on exposure levels in most commuting modes, which was further ascertained by the seasonal variations in exposure levels and their significant correlations (p < 0.05) with meteorological parameters (temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and direction). The results of a General Linear Model analysis show that temperature, traffic mode and wind speed were significant factors that explained 27.3% of variability for the in-cabin mode, while relative humidity and wind speed were the significant determinants for the on-roadway mode, which contributed 14.1% of variability. In addition, wind direction was also an important determinant for both in-cabin and on-roadway modes. This study has some valuable implications that can help commuters to adopt appropriate travel behavior to reduce their personal exposure to such pollutants

Tetra­aqua­bis(2-oxo-1,2-dihydro­quinoline-4-carboxyl­ato-κO 4)nickel(II)

In the title compound, [Ni(C10H6NO3)2(H2O)4], the central NiII atom is located on an inversion center and coordinated in a slightly distorted octa­hedral geometry by two O atoms from two 2-oxo-1,2-dihydro­quinoline-4-carboxyl­ate ligands and four water mol­ecules, all of which act as monodentate ligands. The crystal structure features an extensive network of inter­molecular hydrogen-bonding inter­actions (O—H⋯O and N—H⋯O) and offset face-to-face π–π stacking inter­actions [centroid–centroid distances = 3.525 (3) and 3.281 (5) Å]

Generation of γ\gamma photons with extremely large orbital angular momenta

Vortex $\gamma$ photons, which carry large intrinsic orbital angular momenta (OAM), have significant applications in nuclear, atomic, hadron, particle and astro-physics, but their production remains unclear. In this work, we investigate the generation of such photons from nonlinear Compton scattering of circularly polarized monochromatic lasers on vortex electrons. We develop a quantum radiation theory for ultrarelativistic vortex electrons in lasers by using the harmonics expansion and spin eigenfunctions, which allows us to explore the kinematical characteristics, angular momentum transfer mechanisms, and formation conditions of vortex $\gamma$ photons. The multiphoton absorption of electrons enables the vortex $\gamma$ photons, with fixed polarizations and energies, to exist in mixed states comprised of multiple harmonics. Each harmonic represents a vortex eigenmode and has transverse momentum broadening due to transverse momenta of the vortex electrons. The large topological charges associated with vortex electrons offer the possibility for $\gamma$ photons to carry adjustable OAM quantum numbers from tens to thousands of units, even at moderate laser intensities. $\gamma$ photons with large OAM and transverse coherence length can assist in influencing quantum selection rules and extracting phase of the scattering amplitude in scattering processes.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure

Expressions of glutathione S-transferase alpha, mu, and pi in brains of medically intractable epileptic patients

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) play an important role in metabolizing anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) in liver. Expressions of GSTs in brain, which may result in poor efficacy of AEDs, have not been well studied. Using clinical cortex specimen from 32 intractable epileptic subjects and 8 non-epileptic controls, the present study investigated the correlation between GSTs and intractable epilepsy.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Three different GST isoforms (α, μ, and π) were detected with immunohistochemistry. GST-α expression was not seen in any cortex specimens. Sixty three percent (63%) of control and 53% of intractible epileptic specimens showed GST-μ immunoreactivity. No significant difference in intensity of GST-μ staining was observed between these two groups. GST-π expression was found in endothelial cells and glial cells/astrocytes. Fifty percent (50%) of the control patients and 66% of the epileptic patients were GST-π positive. The grading of epileptic patients was significantly higher than that of control patients (<it>p </it>< 0.01).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>High levels of GST-π in endothelial cells and glial cells/astrocyte correlate to medical intractable epilepsy, suggesting that GST-π contributes to resistance to AED treatment.</p

Rapid in vivo measurement of B-amyloid reveals biphasic clearance kinetics in an Alzheimer\u27s mouse model

Accumulation of ?-amyloid peptide is a key step in Alzheimer?s disease pathogenesis. Yuede et al. propose a novel method to track ?-amyloid levels in vivo