The ambiguity of citizen journalism. How new forms of information con- sumption are redefining journalism

The digital technology advances in the last decades and the rising will of the audience to participate in the news field explain the development of the phenomenon known as citizen journalism. Up to now -despite the generalization of the use of this term- it is a very ambiguous concept where profesional and civic mix together in an imprecise way. This paper has a double aim: review the basis of this informative tendency and propose a more contextualized theoretical interpretation for it. From the analysis of the current scientific debate, this paper contributes with a rereading of the concept of citizen journalism in professional and social terms. Facing the risk of the overcome or bannalization of the journalistic activiy, this phenomenon is understood as an opportunity to reinforce its profesional model and to defend its functions as a informative filter for quality and as the main promoter of the democratic debate.El avance tecnológico digital de las últimas décadas y la creciente voluntad de participación del público en el ámbito informativo explican el desarrollo del fenómeno conocido como periodismo ciudadano. Hasta el momento, a pesar de la generalización en el uso de este término, se trata de un concepto bastante ambiguo en el que lo profesional y lo cívico se entremezclan de forma imprecisa. El objetivo de este trabajo es doble: revisar los fundamentos de esta tendencia informativa y proponer una interpretación teórica más contextualizada de la misma. A partir del análisis del debate científico actual, el presente artículo aporta una relectura del concepto de periodismo ciudadano en términos profesionales y sociales. Frente al riesgo de superación o banalización de la actividad periodística, se entiende el fenómeno como una oportunidad para reforzar su modelo profesional y revindicar sus funciones como filtro informativo de calidad y principal dinamizador del debate democrático

Strengthening Farmers’ Bargaining Power in the New CAP

The food supply chain plays a substantial role in the European economy. Agricultural markets are highly interdependent and competition at different stages of the supply chain matters for the overall functioning of the entire food sector. Welfare and distributional implications of competition at any stage of the food supply chain concern several ‘weak subjects’ such as small farmers and consumers who negotiate with “strong subjects” operating in more concentrated (industrial and retailing) sectors. In order to balance power across the EU agro-food supply chain and achieve a more sustainable distribution of value-added, the main instruments featuring the new paradigm of market organisation proposed by the CAP reform are Producer Organisation, Association Producer Organisation and Inter-Branch Organisation. We employ a simple bargaining model aimed to identify the determinants of the bargaining power in the food supply chain; the model is used to assess the capability of POs to strengthen farmers’ bargaining power. The results show that, under certain conditions, the joint selling and production planning can be effective tools for rebalancing power in the agro-food system. We also concluded that requiring a minimum size for POs may improve their effectiveness. Such requirement should be calibrated on the structure of the downstream (upstream) relevant market: more consolidated buyer (seller) industries call for larger POs

Intraocular Biopsy and ImmunoMolecular Pathology for "Unmasking" Intraocular Inflammatory Diseases

Intraocular inflammation can hide a variety of eye pathologies. In 33% of cases, to obtain a correct diagnosis, investigation of the intraocular sample is necessary. The combined analyses of the intraocular biopsy, using immuno-pathology and molecular biology, point to resolve the diagnostic dilemmas in those cases where history, clinical tests, and ophthalmic and systemic examinations are inconclusive. In such situations, the teamwork between the ophthalmologist and the molecular pathologist is critically important to discriminate between autoimmune diseases, infections, and intraocular tumors, including lymphoma and metastases, especially in those clinical settings known as masquerade syndromes. This comprehensive review focuses on the diagnostic use of intraocular biopsy and highlights its potential to enhance research in the field. It describes the different surgical techniques of obtaining the biopsy, risks, and complication rates. The review is organized according to the anatomical site of the sample: I. anterior chamber containing aqueous humor, II. iris and ciliary body, III. vitreous, and IV. choroid and retina. We have excluded the literature concerning biopsy for choroidal melanoma and retinoblastoma, as this is a specialized area more relevant to ocular oncology

Political Communication and Social Change. Political Communication and Challenges in the Digital Age

The relationship between political institutions and citizens has been redefined in the digital environment. The aim of this paper is to identify the main circumstances of this transformation. In this regard, individualization has been a key factor. So far, this relationship had been based on collective commitment and a global vision of society. Instead, it now depends on personal commitment and interest in individual issues. The voting process, traditionally based on affiliation, is now conditioned by voters’ opinions. Public opinion can no longer be taken for granted. In addition, persuasion as the only strategy to connect with the electorate is insufficient. Therefore, professionals of political communication have been forced to use the logic of marketing and to explore the potential of digital media, to obtain more consensus and visibility in an increasingly competitive context of communication.La relación entre las instituciones políticas y la ciudadanía se ha redefinido en el entorno digital. El objetivo de este artículo es identificar los principales factores que enmarcan esta transformación. La individualización ha sido un factor clave en este sentido. Hasta ahora, los vínculos entre los ciudadanos se sustentaban en el compromiso colectivo y una visión global de la sociedad. En cambio, actualmente se basan en el compromiso personal y el interés por los asuntos individuales. El proceso de votación, tradicionalmente basado en la afiliación, depende ahora de las opiniones de los votantes. La opinión pública ya no puede darse por sentada. Además, la persuasión como única estrategia para conectar con el electorado resulta insuficiente. Por eso, los profesionales de la comunicación política se han visto forzados a emplear la lógica del marketing y a explorar el potencial de los medios digitales, para obtener mayor consenso y visibilidad en un contexto comunicativo cada vez más competitivo

Carbon-Based Aeronautical Epoxy Nanocomposites: Effectiveness of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) in Investigating the Dispersion of Different Carbonaceous Nanoparticles

The capability of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) to characterize composite material interfaces can help in the design of new carbon-based nanocomposites by providing useful information on the structure−property relationship. In this paper, the potentiality of AFM is explored to investigate the dispersion and the morphological features of aeronautical epoxy resins loaded with several carbon nanostructured fillers. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and thermal investigations of the formulated samples have also been performed. The FTIR results show that, among the examined nanoparticles, exfoliated graphite (EG) with a predominantly two-dimensional (2D) shape favors the hardening process of the epoxy matrix, increasing its reaction rate. As evidenced by the FTIR signal related to the epoxy stretching frequency (907 cm−1), the accelerating effect of the EG sample increases as the filler concentration increases. This effect, already observable for curing treatment of 60 min conducted at the low temperature of 125 °C, suggests a very fast opening of epoxy groups at the beginning of the cross-linking process. For all the analyzed samples, the percentage of the curing degree (DC) goes beyond 90%, reaching up to 100% for the EG-based nanocomposites. Besides, the addition of the exfoliated graphite enhances the thermostability of the samples up to about 370 °C, even in the case of very low EG percentages (0.05% by weight)