Journal articles on the topic 'Mass media – Influence – Africa, North'
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1
Belay, Adamu, Edward J. M. Joy, Christopher Chagumaira, Dilnesaw Zerfu, E. Louise Ander, Scott D. Young, Elizabeth H. Bailey, R. Murray Lark, Martin R. Broadley, and Dawd Gashu. "Selenium Deficiency Is Widespread and Spatially Dependent in Ethiopia." Nutrients 12, no. 6 (May 27, 2020): 1565. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/nu12061565.
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Selenium (Se) is an essential element for human health and livestock productivity. Globally, human Se status is highly variable, mainly due to the influence of soil types on the Se content of crops, suggesting the need to identify areas of deficiency to design targeted interventions. In sub-Saharan Africa, including Ethiopia, data on population Se status are largely unavailable, although previous studies indicated the potential for widespread Se deficiency. Serum Se concentration of a nationally representative sample of the Ethiopian population was determined, and these observed values were combined with a spatial statistical model to predict and map the Se status of populations across the country. The study used archived serum samples (n = 3269) from the 2015 Ethiopian National Micronutrient Survey (ENMS). The ENMS was a cross-sectional survey of young and school-age children, women and men. Serum Se concentration was measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS). The national median (Q1, Q3) serum Se concentration was 87.7 (56.7, 123.0) μg L−1. Serum Se concentration differed between regions, ranging from a median (Q1, Q3) of 54.6 (43.1, 66.3) µg L−1 in the Benishangul-Gumuz Region to 122.0 (105, 141) µg L−1 in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Region and the Afar Region. Overall, 35.5% of the population were Se deficient, defined as serum Se < 70 µg L−1. A geostatistical analysis showed that there was marked spatial dependence in Se status, with serum concentrations greatest among those living in North-East and Eastern Ethiopia and along the Rift Valley, while serum Se concentrations were lower among those living in North-West and Western Ethiopia. Selenium deficiency in Ethiopia is widespread, but the risk of Se deficiency is highly spatially dependent. Policies to enhance Se nutrition should target populations in North-West and Western Ethiopia.
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Kliuchnyk, Ruslan, and Elvina Lymonova. "THE PECULIARITIES OF POVERTY RESEARCH IN THE COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD." Academic Review 2, no. 57 (November 25, 2022): 24–35. http://dx.doi.org/10.32342/2074-5354-2022-2-57-2.
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The article attempts to generalize some features of the study of poverty in the modern world. The use of various indicators that demonstrate the level of poverty has been shown. It has been explained that GDP per capita is one of the most accurate ways of assessing the economic development of the state. It has been demonstrated that all the poorest countries are located on the African continent. Almost all of them used to be colonies of European empires, and now they face political instability, civil wars, natural disasters, etc. These problems have been considered on the examples of Niger and Egypt. Another indicator of poverty is the percentage of people living below the poverty line. The difficulty of using this indicator is that national poverty lines in different countries can differ significantly. According to this indicator, 8 African and 2 Latin American countries (Guatemala and Haiti) are in the top ten. The Global Hunger Index (GHI) has been considered, according to which African countries and Syria are among the top ten starving countries. It should be noted that for some countries there is very little data on the number and share of the hungry. When studying the situation in some countries (North Korea, Turkmenistan, Somalia, etc.), it should be borne in mind that the governments of these countries do not always publish real official statistics, and those data that get into the mass media are not always true. It has been proven that the Human Development Index (HDI) is an integrated indicator that can be used to study the problem of poverty. It has been shown that 10 countries with the lowest HDI are located in Africa. Their place in this ranking is influenced not only by material factors, but also by the average life expectancy and education. Africa is still a continent with a large number of illiterate people. The Corruption Perceptions Index is also important for the study of poverty, because corruption slows down reforms and harms transparent market relations. Therefore, it becomes one of the factors of poverty. Using the statistics provided by Transparency International, we have found out that the most corrupt countries are more evenly distributed around the globe, among them are not only African ones, but also Asian and Latin American states. It can be summarized that the nature of poverty is different in the developed and developing countries. In the developing countries, natural conditions, peculiarities of the organization of socioeconomic life, the political system and even the personality of political leaders are important. In the developed countries, poverty is mostly a consequence of individual psychological characteristics, behaviour, specific life circumstances, etc. In these countries, poverty can be easily overcome.
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Behr, Timo, and Saskia van Genugten. "Europe in North Africa :." Jindal Journal of International Affairs 1, no. 1 (November 1, 2011): 93–102. http://dx.doi.org/10.54945/jjia.v1i1.10.
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European geopolitics cast a long shadow in North Africa. Due to its political, economic and strategic interests in a ‘stable’ neighbourhood, Europe has for long discouraged a process of uncontrolled political change in North African countries. However, in the spring of 2011, mass demonstrations by Arab youths broke the prevailing deadlock in the region and swept away a number of long standing Arab dictators. The question that remains unanswered is to what extent the ‘Arab Spring’ will affect geo-political relations among Europeans and Europe’s standing as a whole in the global pecking order. Will Europe’s belated support for the Arab revolutions renew its geopolitical importance and international mission, or will it precipitate its interminable decline? In this article, this question is being scrutinised by looking at the historical development of European relations with North Africa and how Europe is trying to preserve some of its former influence despite domestic challenges and competition from new, non-Western actors.
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Hafizah. "The Influence of Online Media and Social Media on Mass Communication with Communication Technology as Intervening Variables." Business and Economic Research 8, no. 1 (December 14, 2017): 51. http://dx.doi.org/10.5296/ber.v8i1.12083.
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This study aims to determine the Influence of Online Media and Social Media in North Sumatra to Mass Communication with Communication Technology as Intervening Variable. This type of research is descriptive quantitative. The independent variables are Online Media and Social Media. The intervening variable is Communication Technology and the dependent variable is Mass Communication. The population of this study is 203 users of Media Online and Social Media in North Sumatra. The sample of research is 203 users through purposive random sampling. Online Media and Social Media variables have a significant effect on Mass Communication in North Sumatra and Communication Technology serves as a mediation of the relationship between Media Online and Social Media to Mass Communication at 5% variable alpha level.
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Zaghlimi, Laeed. "Colonial media and post independence experience in north Africa." Media & Jornalismo 16, no. 29 (October 11, 2016): 159–68. http://dx.doi.org/10.14195/2183-5462_29_10.
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European colonialism had not only occupied many african countries, exploited their natural resources and deprived their inhabitants of basic rights, but also sought to establish its new political, social, economic and cultural system. However, in order to impose its new rules and values, it had used military forces as well as political and media means to convince and influence people minds and hearts. The press was one of the main arguments of seduction and dissimination of the colonial culture and information.This paper which focuses in its first part on French occupation of North Africa, describes how French colonial authority used and abused the media to perpetuate its presence and set up new forms of values and ideas aimed at destroying local culture and traditions. The second part describes how local populations had reacted to the colonial presence by adopting new forms of opposition and resistance. Again, the ‘indigenous press’ was a determining factor in promoting ideas of militantism, independence and sovereignty. The third part highlights the main phases of the media evolution and experience during the post independence period.
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Vasiliev, Aleksey M., and Natalia A. Zherlitsina. "DYNAMICS OF PUBLIC POLICY ON MASS MEDIA IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA REGION." Bulletin of the Moscow State Regional University (History and Political Science), no. 2 (2019): 210–21. http://dx.doi.org/10.18384/2310-676x-2019-2-210-221.
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Mutumba, Massy. "Mass media influences on family planning knowledge, attitudes and method choice among sexually active men in sub-Saharan Africa." PLOS ONE 17, no. 1 (January 27, 2022): e0261068. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0261068.
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Men are underrepresented in family planning (FP) research, and despite the widespread promotion of FP through mass media, there is no systematic evaluation on how mass media exposure influences their FP knowledge, attitudes and behavior. Using Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data from 31 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), collected between 2010 and 2019, this paper examines the associations between three types of traditional mass media (radio, television and print) with FP knowledge, attitudes and method choices among reproductive age men in SSA, relative to other socio-cultural factors. Estimates to quantify the relative contribution of each type of mass media, relative to other evidence-based socio-cultural influences on FP outcomes, were derived using the Shorrocks-Shapley decomposition. Radio exposure had the largest impact on FP knowledge, attitudes and method choice, accounting for 26.1% of the variance in FP knowledge, followed by Television (21.4%) and education attainment (20.7%). Mass media exposure had relatively minimal impact on FP method choice, and between the three types of mass media, television (8%) had the largest influence on FP method choice. Print media had comparatively lesser impact on FP knowledge (8%), attitudes (6.2%) and method choice (3.2%). Findings suggest that mass media exposure has positive influences on FP knowledge, attitudes and method choice but its influence on FP knowledge, attitudes and method choice is smaller relative to other socio-cultural factors such as education, household wealth and marital status. As such, efforts to increase FP uptake in Sub-Saharan Africa should take into consideration the impact of these socio-cultural economic factors.
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Avksentev, Viktor Anatolyevich, Boris Vladimirovich Aksiumov, and Galina Dmitrievna Gritsenko. "Mass Media and Ethnic Discourse in the North Caucasus: Politicization or Depoliticization?" Общество: политика, экономика право, no. 11 (November 20, 2020): 12–20. http://dx.doi.org/10.24158/pep.2020.11.1.
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Based on the content analysis of “non-ethnic” mass media in the federal subjects of Russia in the North Caucasus, the attempt to determine the place of ethnicity in the information field of the region and the influence of these sources on the processes of politicization/depoliticization of ethnicity is made in the paper. It was revealed that the topic “historical memory” is the leading one in ethnically marked publications. The next places in the thematic classi-fier are occupied by “ethnic identity” and “ethnic traditions and values”. Along with this, the dis-course of modernization turned out to be in de-mand, which indicates that the North Caucasus is in a situation of search for an optimal balance between old and new, traditions and innovations. Only one case of the use of the concept of “nation” as a syn-onym for the Russian (“Rossiyan”) nation has been identified, however, references to the nation in the ethnic sense are extremely rare. It is concluded that the “non-ethnic” media of the North Caucasus keep ethnic and confessional issues within public dis-course, but it is not “superfluous”, i. e. the tendency to politicize ethnicity is not typical or explicit.
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Manuel, Peter. "The cassette industry and popular music in North India." Popular Music 10, no. 2 (May 1991): 189–204. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0261143000004505.
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Since the early 1970s the advent of cassette technology has had a profound effect on music industries worldwide. This influence has been particularly marked in the developing world, where cassettes have largely replaced vinyl records and have extended their impact into regions, classes and genres previously uninfluenced by the mass media. Cassettes have served to decentralise and democratise both production and consumption, thereby counterbalancing the previous tendency toward oligopolisation of international commercial recording industries.
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Huertas Bailén, Amparo. "Islam and Mass Media Consumption in Post-Migration Contexts among Women from Northern Africa in Catalonia (Spain)." Societies 8, no. 3 (September 18, 2018): 91. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/soc8030091.
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This paper explores the influence of religion in cultural hybridization processes linked to migratory experience, taking into account the study of mass media consumption. Our research focused on the analysis of Muslim women from northern Africa living in Catalonia (Spain) over a 5-year period. The final sample was composed of 25 women, from Morocco (22), Tunisia (2) and Algeria (1).The main conclusions of our qualitative research are that the influence of Islam is much more evident as culture than as dogma and, in line with this, the presence of segregationist media consumption is minimal (in 4 of the 25 interviewed). Internet and television consumption is dominant, but there is a significant generation gap. Whereas internet consumption is mostly among the young, television is more present among women over the age of 36. With regards to internet content, there is serious concern about the presence of religious leaders who, under the guise of a modern appearance, spread a vision of Islam in fundamentalist terms. Much of the sample interviewed fears its power of influence. In digital social networks, Muslim women tend to share religious information, but, for safety reasons, they do so within closed groups.
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Alexander Y., Evseev, and Erofeeva Irina V. "The Media Image of the North Caucasus in the Chechen Republic Mass Media as an Instrument of National Identification." Humanitarian Vector 15, no. 5 (May 2020): 116–25. http://dx.doi.org/10.21209/1996-7853-2020-15-5-116-125.
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The topicality of the research is caused by the totality of the modern media influence on an image of a particular territory in mass conscience. The article characterizes the system of the Chechen media as an information platform for promoting the image of the North Caucasus, and offers its image projection in the media of the Republic, taking into account the mental characteristics of the inhabitants of the region. The article aims at revealing communicative possibilities for modeling the Northern Caucasus image by the media resources of the Chechen Republic in the system of successful territorial branding, and presenting the media image role in forming national identity. Axiology of the media image is presented through linguistic and cultural analysis based on the inseparable unity of the language and culture of the society. Our interdisciplinary research was conducted using a structural-functional approach and discourse-analysis, which allowed us to reveal format and content features of constructing and advancing the media image. Basic media image features are intended to awake a man’s cultural memory and his national identity ‒ a feeling of belonging to a socio-code meaningful for a particular territory. The conclusion can be drawn that it is necessary to fundamentally readjust the media image taking into account the characteristics of perception and expectations of the audience. We stress the importance of changes in the presentation of information materials about the region. There is a need for regular and systematic work on neutralizing the negative stereotypes and constructing the effective media image of the Northern Caucasus as an instrument for the consolidation of the population and person’s cultural identification. The dominating idea for the strategy of advancing the media image of a multiethnic region should be the real integration of territorial, ethnopolitical, economic, and sociocultural interests of the population of this mountainous region. The article materials can be important as part of basic research dealing with the main features of representation of the territorial image with different characteristics in the mass media. Keywords: media image, Northern Caucasus, Chechen Republic, national identification, public opinion, image, media influence
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Erubami, Joshua Aghogho, Lucky Ogheneruemu Ojoboh, Edith Ugochi Ohaja, Martins Ndubisi Ezugwu, and Ukamaka Cecilia Akata. "Mass Media Exposure and Lassa Fever Risk Perception in Rural Communities of South-south Nigeria." Jurnal Komunikasi: Malaysian Journal of Communication 38, no. 2 (June 29, 2022): 56–71. http://dx.doi.org/10.17576/jkmjc-2022-3802-04.
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Nigeria bears the highest burden of Lassa fever in Africa, accounting for about 60% of the 5,000 annual mortalities attributable to the haemorrhagic disease. In the absence of preventive vaccines, the mass media have been deployed as independent and complementary interventions against the spread of the infection. This study examines the influence of mass media exposure on Lassa fever risk perception and risk behaviours among residents of eight rural communities in South-south Nigeria. Anchored on the Health Belief Model and Social Influence Theory, the study used survey questionnaires to collect data from 384 respondents selected through multistage sampling. Findings show that media exposure is positively related to Lassa fever risk perception (β = .519, 95% CI: .432, .607), but negatively associated with risk behaviours towards the zoonotic disease (β = -.797, 95% CI: -.922, -.671). Nevertheless, media influence on respondents’ risk perception and risk behaviours tends to vary significantly along sex, geographical region and employment status. Given the endemic nature of Lassa fever in Nigeria, the study recommends the sustenance of public sensitisation efforts aimed at preventing the spread of the disease, especially in rural areas. It also advocates the need for relevant health authorities to enforce healthier public environmental practices and initiate mastomys eradication programmes to reduce the presence of rats in residential areas. Keywords: Haemorrhagic fever, infectious disease, media sensitisation, public health, risk communication.
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Bungin, Burhan, Nurlaela Syarif, Monika Teguh, and Tasya Devi Rossafine. "CITRA AKTOR POLITIK PILKADA GUBERNUR DAN WAKIL GUBERNUR PROVINSI MALUKU UTARA TAHUN 2018." LUGAS Jurnal Komunikasi 3, no. 1 (July 9, 2019): 1–13. http://dx.doi.org/10.31334/ljk.v3i1.408.
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North Maluku is the youngest province in Indonesia which has begun to carry out democracy through the Election of Regional Heads (Pilkada). One of the largest regional elections in North Maluku is the Governor's Election. Unfortunately the Governor's Election that has been running so far has been colored by various problems. Symbolic violence such as black campaigns by bringing down political opponents using ethnic and primordial issues sprang up. In addition, the ability of figures to build the image of political actors who have power and influence also makes people accept the results of regional elections that are full of disputes. Coupled with the condition of the mass media that have a tendency to take sides because of certain interests, the existence of social construction on the image of political actors is getting stronger. This study wants to see how the image of political actors is constructed. Through the Focused Group Discussion method with the parties involved it was found that social construction of reality had happened through the role of mass media. Although there are social constructions conveyed by the mass media, the community has its own ability to build that image in itself through the power of interaction and communication as well as through the power of other media such as social media.
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Belhiah, Hassan, Mohamed Majdoubi, and Mouna Safwate. "Language revitalization through the media: A case study of Amazigh in Morocco." International Journal of the Sociology of Language 2020, no. 266 (November 26, 2020): 121–41. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/ijsl-2020-2114.
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AbstractGiven the pivotal role mass media play in effecting political and social change, they can also contribute to the revitalization of an endangered or minoritized language if language policies are effectively implemented. Drawing on official documents regarding Amazigh broadcasting on Moroccan public television and interviews with Amazigh experts and media practitioners, this study scrutinizes the efforts exerted to revitalize Amazigh, the language of pre-Arab populations in North Africa. The results of the study indicate that while the status of Amazigh has changed drastically in the last two decades, its dissemination in public television is hampered by political, economic, and logistic forces. The study has implications for the areas of language revitalization, language shift reversal, language policy, and language planning.
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Salem, Haya, and Suhad Daher-Nashif. "Psychosocial Aspects of Female Breast Cancer in the Middle East and North Africa." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 17, no. 18 (September 18, 2020): 6802. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17186802.
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Breast cancer, the most common cancer among women in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, is associated with social and psychological implications deriving from women’s socio-cultural contexts. Examining 74 articles published between 2007 and 2019, this literature/narrative review explores the psychosocial aspects of female breast cancer in the MENA region. It highlights socio-cultural barriers to seeking help and socio-political factors influencing women’s experience with the disease. In 17 of 22 Arab countries, common findings emerge which derive from shared cultural values. Findings indicate that women lack knowledge of breast cancer screening (BCS) and breast cancer self-examination (BSE) benefits/techniques due to a lack of physicians’ recommendations, fear, embarrassment, cultural beliefs, and a lack of formal and informal support systems. Women in rural areas or with low socioeconomic status further lack access to health services. Women with breast cancer, report low self-esteem due to gender dynamics and a tendency towards fatalism. Collaboration between mass media, health and education systems, and leading social-religious figures plays a major role in overcoming psychological and cultural barriers, including beliefs surrounding pain, fear, embarrassment, and modesty, particularly for women of lower socioeconomic status and women living in crises and conflict zones.
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Deabji, Nabil, Khanneh Wadinga Fomba, Souad El Hajjaji, Abdelwahid Mellouki, Laurent Poulain, Sebastian Zeppenfeld, and Hartmut Herrmann. "First insights into northern Africa high-altitude background aerosol chemical composition and source influences." Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 21, no. 24 (December 15, 2021): 18147–74. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/acp-21-18147-2021.
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Abstract. Field measurements were conducted to determine aerosol chemical composition at a newly established remote high-altitude site in North Africa at the Atlas Mohammed V (AMV) atmospheric observatory located in the Middle Atlas Mountains. The main objectives of the present work are to investigate the variations in the aerosol composition and better assess global and regional changes in atmospheric composition in North Africa. A total of 200 particulate matter (PM10) filter samples were collected at the site using a high-volume (HV) collector in a 12 h sampling interval from August to December 2017. The chemical composition of the samples was analyzed for trace metals, water-soluble ions, organic carbon (OC/EC), aliphatic hydrocarbons, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contents. The results indicate that high-altitude aerosol composition is influenced by both regional and transregional transport of emissions. However, local sources play an important role, especially during low wind speed periods, as observed for November and December. During background conditions characterized by low wind speeds (avg. 3 m s−1) and mass concentrations in the range from 9.8 to 12 µg m−3, the chemical composition is found to be dominated by inorganic elements, mainly suspended dust (61 %) and ionic species (7 %), followed by organic matter (7 %), water content (12 %), and unidentified mass (11 %). Despite the proximity of the site to the Sahara, its influence on the atmospheric composition at this high-altitude site was mainly seasonal and accounted for only 22 % of the sampling duration. Biogenic organics contributed up to 7 % of the organic matter with high contributions from compounds such as heneicosane, hentriacontane, and nonacosane. The AMV site is dominated by four main air mass inflows, which often leads to different aerosol chemical compositions. Mineral dust influence was seasonal and ranged between 21 % and 74 % of the PM mass, with peaks observed during the summer, and was accompanied by high concentrations of SO42- of up to 3.0 µg m−3. During winter, PM10 concentrations are low (<30 µg m−3), the influence of the desert is weaker, and the marine air masses (64 %) are more dominant with a mixture of sea salt and polluted aerosol from the coastal regions (Rabat and Casablanca). During the daytime, mineral dust contribution to PM increased by about 42 % because of road dust resuspension. In contrast, during nighttime, an increase in the concentrations of alkanes, PAHs, alkane-2-ones, and anthropogenic metals such as Pb, Ni, and Cu was found due to variations in the boundary layer height. The results provide the first detailed seasonal and diurnal variation of the aerosol chemical composition, which is valuable for long-term assessment of climate and regional influence of air pollution in North Africa.
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Schoenbach, Klaus. "Season of birth and media use." Communications 43, no. 4 (November 8, 2018): 535–50. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/commun-2017-0049.
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Abstract This study investigates the influence of season of birth on media use and media genre preferences later in life. An impressive body of research in Europe and Japan shows that the month of birth has a significant impact on one’s temperament: People born in the winter of the northern hemisphere, for instance, tend to be less cheerful, lively and self-assured. Reasons seem to be the experience of less light, of coldness and of living mostly inside the home. Mood-management theory suggests that media entertainment may be used to compensate for that lack of cheerfulness and liveliness. In this explorative study, we assume that in countries north of the equator, but with extremely hot temperatures, summer is the season with fewer outdoor activities. So, there, individuals with more summer months in their first half year of life should be comparatively less cheerful – which they may regulate by using more media entertainment. Indeed, a secondary analysis of large-scale surveys in six countries in the Middle East and North Africa in 2016 supports this assumption, albeit conditionally: In the countries with particularly hot summers, but also for younger people in general, the duration of summer directly after birth is correlated significantly with consuming more media entertainment as well as with preferring comedy and drama as genres on TV and online video.
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Adetunji, Victoria O., Aderemi O. Kehinde, Olayemi K. Bolatito, and Jinru Chen. "Biofilm Formation byMycobacterium bovis: Influence of Surface Kind and Temperatures of Sanitizer Treatments on Biofilm Control." BioMed Research International 2014 (2014): 1–7. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/210165.
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Mycobacterium boviscauses classic bovine tuberculosis, a zoonosis which is still a concern in Africa. Biofilm forming ability of twoMycobacterium bovisstrains was assessed on coupons of cement, ceramic, or stainless steel in three different microbiological media at 37°C with agitation for 2, 3, or 4 weeks to determine the medium that promotes biofilm. Biofilm mass accumulated on coupons was treated with 2 sanitizers (sanitizer A (5.5 mg L−1active iodine) and sanitizer B (170.6 g1alkyl dimethylbenzyl ammonium chloride, 78 g−1didecyldimethyl ammonium chloride, 107.25 g L−1glutaraldehyde, 146.25 g L−1isopropanol, and 20 g L−1pine oil) at 28 and 45°C and in hot water at 85°C for 5 min. Residual biofilms on treated coupons were quantified using crystal violet binding assay. The two strains had a similar ability to form biofilms on the three surfaces. More biofilms were developed in media containing 5% liver extract. Biofilm mass increased as incubation time increased till the 3rd week. More biofilms were formed on cement than on ceramic and stainless steel surfaces. Treatment with hot water at 85°C reduced biofilm mass, however, sanitizing treatments at 45°C removed more biofilms than at 28°C. However, neither treatment completely eliminated the biofilms. The choice of processing surface and temperatures used for sanitizing treatments had an impact on biofilm formation and its removal from solid surfaces.
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Richter, Carola, Abdulrahman Al-Shami, Sahar Khalifa, Soheir Osman, and Samuel Mundua. "The virus of the ‘others’? Corona and discursive othering in Arab media." Journal of Arab & Muslim Media Research 14, no. 1 (April 1, 2021): 3–24. http://dx.doi.org/10.1386/jammr_00022_1.
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The spread of fear of the coronavirus and related insecurities around the pandemic have fuelled nationalist and increased exclusionary tendencies in countries all over the world. In North America, for instance, anti-Asian racism increased when former US President Donald Trump dubbed the virus the ‘Chinese virus’. A nationalist agenda has been strengthened in many places, including the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region; and hateful narratives blaming ‘others’ for the pandemic, legitimizing a retreat to the protection of national borders and policies, are being spread in different media outlets. This article comparatively investigates processes of othering with regard to COVID-19 in four MENA countries – Egypt, Iraq, Oman and Yemen – and asks, who is held responsible for the coronavirus crisis in different countries? How is othering revealed in media coverage related to COVID-19? What (in)sensitive language can be identified? The study looks at mass media coverage at the peak of the global lockdown during the spring of 2020. The media analysis reveals a strong emphasis on mostly national identities as articulated lines of demarcation in all four cases. A homogenizing and demonizing othering was detected in particular in the cases of Yemen and Egypt, but also Iraq, when blame was attributed to political adversaries. The Omani case was characterized by a more subtle othering that focused strongly on the importance of citizenship.
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Udo, Akpan. "Communication and Crisis Information Campaigns: Perspectives of Constructivism, Conspiracy and Misinformation of Coivid-19 messages in West Africa." Journal of Social Sciences and Management Studies 1, no. 3 (September 20, 2022): 109–18. http://dx.doi.org/10.56556/jssms.v1i3.248.
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The research centers on crisis communication, mass media campaigns, with emphasis on constructivism, conspiracy and misinformation in two West African countries in the corona virus pandemic. The setting is Nigeria and Camerouns, two typical African countries. The objectives were to find out the main media of information from the government, the major theme of covid 19 messages, the perception about covid 19 messages by Africans. The study adopted the ex post facto survey method with a population of 6,269,945 and a sample size of 600 persons. The research applied the media constructivism and information manipulation theories. Findings revealed that 84% of the respondents got covid 19 messages from traditional media of , group meetings, radio and television rather than from social media interface with government agencies. Data further revealed that 96 % of the residents accepted the message of covid 19 control of hand washing more than on social distancing and face-masking. Responses indicated that 81 % of the residents regarded covid 19 messages as mere romours, fake media propaganda and anti – religious campaign from the government. Recommendations are: government should adopt regular group discussions and social media to conveying vital messages rather than reliance on transient old information sources. Additionally, messages must be motivating, convincing and persuasive to influence positive attitude.
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Maier, Scott R., Paul Slovic, and Marcus Mayorga. "Reader reaction to news of mass suffering: Assessing the influence of story form and emotional response." Journalism 18, no. 8 (August 11, 2016): 1011–29. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1464884916663597.
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Drawing from psychological research, the study examines how story form influences reader reaction to news accounts of mass violence in Africa. An online survey with embedded experimental conditions was administered to a US Internet panel (n = 638). Results show that how the story is told affects reader emotional response and, indirectly, charitable giving. Story personification had the strongest influence, followed by stories with photographic images. Use of statistical and mobilizing information had only a small effect on reader response. The straight news story – the predominant form of news reporting – evoked the weakest emotional response. The findings underscore that simply ‘reporting the news’ is often insufficient to arouse audience response. The reader needs empathetic connection, especially when dealing with large-scale distant suffering. Applying psychological principles to practical journalism, the study is intended to guide media practitioners and activists as they seek better ways to bring attention to the world’s most deplorable conditions.
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Uysal, Nur, Jared Schroeder, and Maureen Taylor. "Social Media and Soft Power: Positioning Turkey’s Image on Twitter." Middle East Journal Of Culture And Communication 5, no. 3 (2012): 338–59. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/18739865-00503013.
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This paper explores how Turkey is using social media via Twitter, a public relations strategy, to spread its messages and to establish itself within the international community. Turkey appears to be situating itself as a European, progressive, democratic, secular and Muslim nation that has the potential to influence nations in the Middle East. The rise of social media has revolutionized the way states communicate with the international community. To that end, this study analyzed three top Turkish governmental officials’ personal and official Twitter accounts to examine how Turkey is cultivating its national image using Twitter. The findings suggest Turkey is wielding its soft-power in both the West and the Middle East/North Africa regions. Yet the quantitative analysis reveals that the western emphasis is more prominent in the messages. In its Twitter messages, the Turkish government follows an image cultivation and information subsidy approach in public diplomacy. Contrary to the highly interactive features of this social media tool, Turkish bureaucracy is not engaged in building relationships with its publics through Twitter.
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Ani, Kelechi Johnmary. "Mass Media and Re-Branding Nigeria Project: A Historical Evaluation of a Failed Government Policy." Africa’s Public Service Delivery and Performance Review 2, no. 1 (March 1, 2014): 134. http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/apsdpr.v2i1.47.
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Mass media exercise extra-ordinary influence on the state and citizenry of every country and the ability of media to facilitate man’s behavioural change through its agenda- setting role makes them central in the re-branding process. The implication became that those politicians who champion the re-branding process tried to win the citizenry’s legitimacy through the media. This paper shows that the major challenges of the re-branding project include the inability of the Nigerian political leadership to re-brand themselves, corruption in every sphere of our national life, national insecurity, advance fee fraud, collapse of the education sector, poverty. It revealed that peace is a multi-dimensional term, which creates new environment for progressive nation building process. The rebranding project finally failed when the protagonist minister went to contest for senatorial election and his successor refused to step into her re-branding project shoes. This work called for the rise of a new government and media that would engage in ethical politics through sound leaders, priming, peace building, ethical education, etc as the roadmap to sustainable peace, security and national re-branding. The paper concluded by showing that it is only a national re-branding that is championed by the masses which can lead the citizenry to the desired goals of being a real Giant of Africa.
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Pettersen, Lene. "From Mass Production to Mass Collaboration: Institutionalized Hindrances to Social Platforms in the Workplace." Nordic Journal of Science and Technology Studies 2, no. 2 (December 1, 2016): 29. http://dx.doi.org/10.5324/njsts.v2i2.2146.
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<div>This article addresses the importance of institutionalized practices when social media are introduced as collective platforms for the workplace and why the great engagement envisioned for these tools has yet to be realized in organizational settings. Innovation, in this article, points to practices that individuals perceive as new. Innovation thus also concerns social changes: the introduction of new practices to be employed by individuals within social structures. The dynamics in the workplace and in distributed networks (e.g. Wikipedia) are compared and found to operate with different social structures, with different practices at play, yet collective and engaging actions are expected from employees with the introduction of social platforms. The nature of our notion of work in the workplace is colored by organization and measurement in time and money derived from a capitalistic paradigm, yet drivers at play in distributed networks are not measured in quantitative terms (time and money), but on quality (good work, strong reputation, high social status, and so forth). The article points to findings from a comprehensive qualitative case study of knowledge workers employed in a knowledge-intensive organization in twenty-three countries in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. Twenty-seven in-depth interviews and field studies of professional knowledge-workers in Norway, Denmark, UK and Morocco was conducted during 2011, with follow-up interviews of eight of the participants from Morocco and Norway after one year. Many of the employees in our study explain that the company’s social platform becomes just another thing to track amidst in an already hectic workday where individual drivers triumph over collective priorities.</div><div> </div>
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Koter, Dominika. "King Makers: Local Leaders and Ethnic Politics in Africa." World Politics 65, no. 2 (April 2013): 187–232. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s004388711300004x.
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Much of the literature on electoral politics in Africa has focused on one mechanism of electoral mobilization: reliance on shared ethnic identity between politicians and voters. On the contrary, the author argues that politicians pursue two distinct modes of nonprogrammatic electoral mobilization: (1) by directly relying on the support of voters from one's own ethnic background, and (2) by indirectly working through electoral intermediaries—local leaders who command moral authority, control resources, and can influence the electoral behavior of their dependents. Yet the power of local leaders varies greatly; hence the option to use electoral intermediaries is not available in all settings. The choice of electoral mobilization affects national electoral outcomes: by severing the direct link between politicians and voters, intermediaries reduce a campaign's reliance on shared identity and create cross-ethnic electorates. The evidence for this argument is based on original interviews with political leaders collected during fieldwork in Senegal and Benin during the 2006–7 electoral season, media coverage of elections, and a historical analysis of first mass elections in the 1950s.
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Cristofanelli, P., A. Marinoni, J. Arduini, U. Bonafè, F. Calzolari, T. Colombo, S. Decesari, et al. "Significant variations of trace gas composition and aerosol properties at Mt. Cimone during air mass transport from North Africa – contributions from wildfire emissions and mineral dust." Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions 9, no. 2 (March 24, 2009): 7825–72. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/acpd-9-7825-2009.
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Abstract. High levels of trace gas (O3 and CO) and aerosol (BC, fine and coarse particles) concentrations, as well as high scattering coefficient (σs) values, were recorded at the regional GAW-WMO station of Mt. Cimone (MTC, 2165 m a.s.l., Italy) during the period 26–30 August 2007. Analysis of air-mass circulation, aerosol chemical characterization and trace gas and aerosol emission ratios (ERs), showed that high O3 and aerosol levels were likely linked to (i) the transport of anthropogenic pollution from Northern Italy, and (ii) the advection of air masses rich in mineral dust and biomass burning (BB) products from North Africa. In particular, during the advection of air masses from North Africa, the CO and aerosol levels (CO: 175 ppbv, BC: 1015 ng/m3, fine particle: 83.8 cm−3, σs: 84.5 Mm−1) were even higher than during the pollution event (CO: 138 ppbv, BC: 733 ng/m3, fine particles: 41.5 cm−3, σs: 44.9 Mm−1). Moreover, despite the presence of mineral dust able to significantly affect the O3 concentration, the analysis of ERs showed that the BB event represented an efficient source of fine aerosol particles (e.g. BC), but also of the O3 recorded at MTC. The results suggest that events of mineral dust mobilization and wildfire emissions over North Africa could significantly influence radiative properties (as deduced from σs observations at MTC) and air quality over the Mediterranean basin and Northern Italy. Since in the future it is expected that wildfire and Saharan dust transport frequency could increase in the Mediterranean basin due to more frequent and severe droughts, similar events will possibly play an important role in influencing the climate and the tropospheric composition over South Europe.
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Popoola, Rosemary, Matthew Egharevba, and Oluyemi Oyenike Fayomi. "Celebrity Advocacy and Women’s Rights in Nigeria." Journal of Asian and African Studies 55, no. 7 (January 29, 2020): 1007–22. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0021909619900903.
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To bring development closer to the reality of “ordinary” people, popular personalities, working on behalf of themselves, family, or organizations (profit and non-profit) in Africa have consistently given visibility to social problems to influence public opinion for positive transformation. The involvement of celebrities in development-centered issues has evoked debates from scholars in the global north who thought that their act is an extension of neoliberalism that sought to transform complex social realities into a spectacle of performance and entertainment for public amusement. While scholars in Europe and North America have engaged the intersections of celebrity advocacy and development discourse, little attention has been given to this phenomenon by their counterparts in Africa. Drawing from primary sources (including films, video, audio, newspaper articles, autobiography) as well as secondary data in the fields of sociology, women’s and gender studies, media, and popular culture, this paper examines the interrelatedness of celebrity advocacy and social reforms in Nigeria. It shows that while celebrity advocacy promotes awareness and consciousness about women’s rights, it often does not lead to protection (enforcement and change) in the socio-economic and political status of women.
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Ufuophu-Biri, Emmanuel, and Lucky Ojoboh. "Social Media as a Tool for Political Resistance: Lessons from the Arab Spring and the Nigerian Protests." Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies 6, no. 1 (March 28, 2017): 61–66. http://dx.doi.org/10.5901/ajis.2017.v6n1p61.
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Abstract The popular revolutions that swept across North Africa and the Middle East (NAME) countries, popularly called the “Arab Spring”, removed several sit-tight regimes and threatened to remove some others. Until those revolutions, nobody in the region had the audacity to question the actions of the governments. The mass media in the region had no freedom of operation and could not be used to express opinions or ideas that contradicted government wish or stand. However, the self-immolation of Tarek al-Tayeb Mohamed Bouazizi on 17 December, 2010 in Tunisia and his subsequent death led to an unstoppable torrent of protests across the region. The social media became the tool of communication, organization and coordination during the protests. The social media thus provided the protesters with an alternative voice of expression, which they used to mobilize and organize the protests. This study therefore, examined the role of the social media in the the Arab Spring. The study which is theoretical concludes that the use of the social media was very effective in success of the revolution.The study showed that without the social media, the revolution might not have been successful or might not have taken place at all. The study thus recommends that people should continue to use the social media to protest against oppressive regimes and all forms of oppression.
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Yin, Zhi-Yong, Anne Maytubby, and Xiaodong Liu. "Variation Patterns of the ENSO’s Effects on Dust Activity in North Africa, Arabian Peninsula, and Central Asia of the Dust Belt." Climate 10, no. 10 (October 13, 2022): 150. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/cli10100150.
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El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events produce anomalous oceanographic and atmospheric conditions in regions far from the equatorial central-eastern Pacific, which modulate the atmospheric and surface processes that influence the dust emission, transport, and deposition in many places on Earth. In this study, we examined the MERRA-2 dust column mass density data in five subregions of the “dust belt”: eastern and western Arabian Peninsula, western and eastern Central Asia, and North Africa-Sahara during 1980–2021. We discovered that, while there is a common dust season from April to July, the specific dust seasons in these subregions are different with the peaks of dust activity occurring at different times of the year. In the meantime, the modulating effects of ENSO also peak at different times within the respective dust seasons. For example, ENSO has a persistent effect on dust activity during April-August in the eastern Arabian Peninsula, while its influence in eastern Central Asia lasts from February to November. For different well-recognized factors of dust activities, such as precipitation/humidity, wind, vegetation, and soil moisture, their responses to ENSO are also different in these subregions. For precipitation, humidity, and soil moisture, their responses to ENSO are mostly positive in winter and spring/early summer months during El Niño years, while mean daily maximum wind responded positively in spring, but it did so negatively in summer. During the three months when the ENSO’s effects were strongest, these factors could explain 25.1–58.6% of the variance in the dust column mass density in combination with the ENSO’s modulation effects. However, the highest model-explained variance was obtained for the North Africa–Sahara subregion where the intensity of dust activity was not statistically correlated with ENSO.
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Malakhovsky, Alexey Kimovich, and Al-Imad Fakeer. "Particular qualities of press in Transjordan and Arabian Peninsula between World War I and World War II." RUDN Journal of Studies in Literature and Journalism 24, no. 1 (December 15, 2019): 134–40. http://dx.doi.org/10.22363/2312-9220-2019-24-1-134-140.
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The article analyzed particular qualities of press in Transjordan and Arabian Peninsula which was making its first steps during the period of transition from Ottoman influence to British colonial dependency marked by formation of modern territorial configuration for the states of the region. At present the region attracts particular attention of the world mass media. Authors underscore peculiarities of Hashemite Transjordan’s press, as well as of that of Saudi Arabia, of North Yemen monarchy and of South Yemen colonized by Great Britain. The authors conclude that the press of the region is decades behind the press of advanced Arab states.
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Chukwu, Chinedu, Herbert Onuoha, Kwala Adline Katty Okorafor, Oluwaseun Ojomo, Olugbenga A. Mokuolu, and Michael Ekholuenetale. "Geopolitical zones differentials in intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy (IPTp) and long lasting insecticidal nets (LLIN) utilization in Nigeria." PLOS ONE 16, no. 7 (July 16, 2021): e0254475. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0254475.
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Background The coverage of long lasting insecticidal nets (LLIN) and intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy (IPTp) uptake for the prevention of malaria commonly vary by geography. Many sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) countries, including Nigeria are adopting the use of LLIN and IPTp to fight malaria. Albeit, the coverage of these interventions to prevent malaria across geographical divisions have been understudied in many countries. In this study, we aimed to explore the differentials in LLIN and IPTp uptake across Nigerian geopolitical zones. Methods We analyzed data from Nigeria Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 2016–17. The outcome variables were IPTp and LLIN uptake among women of childbearing age (15–49 years). A total sample of 24,344 women who had given birth were examined for IPTp use and 36,176 women for LLIN use. Percentages, Chi-square test and multivariable logit models plots were used to examine the geopolitical zones differentials in IPTp and LLIN utilization. Data was analyzed at 5% level of significance. Results The overall prevalence of IPTp was 76.0% in Nigeria. Moreover, there were differences across geopolitical zones: North Central (71.3%), North East (76.9%), North West (78.2%), South East (76.1%), South South (79.7%) and South West (72.4%) respectively. Furthermore, the prevalence of LLIN was 87.7%% in Nigeria. Also, there were differences across geopolitical zones: North Central (89.1%), North East (91.8%), North West (90.0%), South East (77.3%), South South (81.1%) and South West (69.8%) respectively. Women who have access to media use, married, educated and non-poor were more likely to uptake IPTp. On the other hand, rural dwellers and those with media use were more likely to use LLIN. Conversely, married, educated, non-poor and women aged 25–34 and 35+ were less likely to use LLIN. Conclusion Though the utilization of IPTp and LLIN was relatively high, full coverage are yet to be achieved. There was geopolitical zones differentials in the prevalence of IPTp and LLIN in Nigeria. Promoting the utilization of IPTp and LLINs across the six geopolitical zones through intensive health education and widespread mass media campaigns will help to achieve the full scale IPTp and LLIN utilization.
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Fauzan, Indra. "Voter Behaviour and The Campaign Pattern of Candidates during Pandemics in Regional Head Election in Medan City, North Sumatra." Politika: Jurnal Ilmu Politik 13, no. 2 (October 26, 2022): 305–20. http://dx.doi.org/10.14710/politika.13.2.2022.305-320.
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Covid-19 has influenced the process of democracy in many countries, including Indonesia, especially in the local election. The political campaign involving mass mobilisation was restricted, so the candidates were encouraged to use online media to reduce the Covid-19 spread. Based on this problem, this study aims to analyse the campaign patterns between candidates in a regional head election in Medan during a pandemic and how the candidates increase voter turnout. This study used both the qualitative method by interviewing the campaign team of the candidates in charge of online and offline media and the quantitative method by distributing the questionnaires to measure the behaviour of the voters. This study showed that the perception of popularity and electability influenced the pattern of candidate campaigns, and the low political awareness of the community influenced low participation in political campaigns and voter turnout, besides unhealthy campaigns and negative perception of local government. Therefore, although face-to-face was restricted, the candidates believed that direct meetings with the voters were only the way to influence the voter and increase political participation.
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Hu, Zhiyuan, Jianping Huang, Chun Zhao, Yuanyuan Ma, Qinjian Jin, Yun Qian, L. Ruby Leung, Jianrong Bi, and Jianmin Ma. "Trans-Pacific transport and evolution of aerosols: spatiotemporal characteristics and source contributions." Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 19, no. 19 (October 10, 2019): 12709–30. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/acp-19-12709-2019.
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Abstract. Aerosols in the middle and upper troposphere have a long enough lifetime for trans-Pacific transport from East Asia to North America to influence air quality on the west coast of the United States (US). Here, we conduct quasi-global simulations (180∘ W–180∘ E and 70∘ S–75∘ N) from 2010 to 2014 using an updated version of WRF-Chem (Weather Research and Forecasting model fully coupled with chemistry) to analyze the spatiotemporal characteristics and source contributions of trans-Pacific aerosol transport. We find that trans-Pacific total aerosols have a maximum mass concentration (about 15 µg m−3) in the boreal spring with a peak between 3 and 4 km above the surface around 40∘ N. Sea salt and dust dominate the total aerosol mass concentration below 1 km and above 4 km, respectively. About 80.8 Tg of total aerosols (48.7 Tg of dust) are exported annually from East Asia, of which 26.7 Tg of aerosols (13.4 Tg of dust) reach the west coast of the US. Dust contributions from four desert regions in the Northern Hemisphere are analyzed using a tracer-tagging technique. About 4.9, 3.9, and 4.5 Tg year−1 of dust aerosol emitted from north Africa, the Middle East and central Asia, and East Asia, respectively, can be transported to the west coast of the US. The trans-Pacific aerosols dominate the column-integrated aerosol mass (∼65.5 %) and number concentration (∼80 %) over western North America. Radiation budget analysis shows that the inflow aerosols could contribute about 86.4 % (−2.91 W m−2) at the surface, 85.5 % (+1.36 W m−2) in the atmosphere, and 87.1 % (−1.55 W m−2) at the top of atmosphere to total aerosol radiative effect over western North America. However, near the surface in central and eastern North America, aerosols are mainly derived from local emissions, and the radiative effect of imported aerosols decreases rapidly. This study motivates further investigations of the potential impacts of trans-Pacific aerosols from East Asia on regional air quality and the hydrological cycle in North America.
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Segakweng, Constance K., Pieter G. van Zyl, Cathy Liousse, Johan P. Beukes, Jan-Stefan Swartz, Eric Gardrat, Maria Dias-Alves, Brigitte Language, Roelof P. Burger, and Stuart J. Piketh. "Measurement report: Size-resolved chemical characterisation of aerosols in low-income urban settlements in South Africa." Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 22, no. 15 (August 11, 2022): 10291–317. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-10291-2022.
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Abstract. Naturally and anthropogenically emitted aerosols, which are determined by their physical and chemical properties, have an impact on both air quality and the radiative properties of the earth. An important source of atmospheric particulate matter (PM) in South Africa is household combustion for space heating and cooking, which predominantly occurs in low-income urban settlements. The aim of this study was to conduct a detailed size-resolved assessment of chemical characteristics of aerosols associated with household combustion through the collection of particulates in low-income urban settlements in South Africa to quantify the extent of the impacts of atmospheric pollution. Outdoor (ambient) and indoor aerosols in different size fractions were collected during summer and winter in four low-income urban settlements located in the north-eastern interior on the South African Highveld, i.e. Kwadela, Kwazamokuhle, Zamdela, and Jouberton. Mass concentration and chemical composition was determined for three size fractions, namely, PM1, PM2.5, and PM2.5−10. The highest concentrations of particulates were measured indoors with the highest mass concentration determined in the indoor PM2.5−10 (coarse) size fraction. However, the highest mass concentrations were determined in PM1 in all outdoor aerosol samples collected during winter and summer, and in indoor samples collected during summer. Significantly higher concentrations were determined for SO4-2 in outdoor and indoor particulates compared to other ionic species, with NH4+ and NO3- being the second most abundant. SO4-2 and NH4+ almost exclusively occurred in the PM1 size fraction, while NO3- was the major constituent in the larger size fractions. The highest SO4-2 levels were recorded for the winter and summer outdoor campaigns conducted at Zamdela, while NO3- and NH4+ concentrations were higher during the winter outdoor campaign. The combined concentrations of trace elements were higher for indoor particulates compared to outdoor aerosols, while the total trace element concentrations in PM1 were substantially higher than levels thereof in the two larger size fractions of particulates collected during all sampling campaigns. No distinct seasonal trend was observed for the concentrations of trace elements. Na, Ca, and Cr had the highest concentrations in particulates collected during outdoor and indoor sampling campaigns. Ni concentrations in outdoor and indoor aerosols exceeded the annual average European standard. PM1 collected during all sampling campaigns in low-income urban settlements had the highest organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) concentrations. The highest OC and EC levels were determined in PM1 collected during the winter indoor campaign. OC and EC concentrations were highest during winter, which can be attributed to changes in meteorological patterns and increased household combustion during winter. Low OC/EC ratios determined for particulates collected in low-income urban settlements are indicative of OC and EC being mainly associated with local sources of these species. OC concentrations determined in this study were an order of magnitude lower than OC concentrations determined for ambient aerosols collected in the north-eastern interior of South Africa, while similar EC levels were measured. According to estimated dust concentrations, it was indicated that dust is the major constituent in all size ranges of particulates collected in this study, while trace elements were the second most abundant. However, trace elements made the highest contribution to indoor PM1 and PM1−2.5 mass. Mass concentrations and chemical concentrations determined for aerosols collected in low-income settlements reflect the regional impacts of anthropogenic sources in the north-eastern interior of South Africa and the influence of local sources.
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West, Patrick C., J. Mark Fly, Dale J. Blahna, and Eugene M. Carpenter. "The Communication and Diffusion of NIPF Management Strategies." Northern Journal of Applied Forestry 5, no. 4 (December 1, 1988): 265–70. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/njaf/5.4.265.
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Abstract Personal contact is more effective than targeted mailings or mass media in transmitting specific NIPF management advice, and in gaining adoption of that advice by NIPF owners, based on a survey of 220 NIPF owners in northern Lower Michigan. Interpersonal influence by friends, neighbors, and relatives was equally important as contact with professional foresters as a source of NIPF management advice. Peer influence was a significant source of advice about timber management and timber harvesting. This advice had about as much effect on adoption as advice given by private sector foresters, and a greater effect than advice given by state or federal forestry professionals. These findings suggest that investment in communications strategies should emphasize programs of targeted personal contact. However, recognizing the importance of lay peer influence implies that foresters should contact opinion leaders in the community first, and gain their approval so that informal influence among friends and neighbors of NIPF will be as positive as possible. North. J. Appl. For. 5:265-270, December 1988.
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Tiemoko, Dro Touré, Fidèle Yoroba, Jean-Daniel Paris, Adama Diawara, Antoine Berchet, Isabelle Pison, Aurélie Riandet, and Michel Ramonet. "Source–Receptor Relationships and Cluster Analysis of CO2, CH4, and CO Concentrations in West Africa: The Case of Lamto in Côte d’Ivoire." Atmosphere 11, no. 9 (August 26, 2020): 903. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/atmos11090903.
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The contribution in terms of long-range transport of CO2, CH4, and CO concentrations to measurements at Lamto (5°02′ W–6°13′ N) was analyzed for the 2014–2017 period using the FLEXPART model that calculates the retro-plumes of air masses arriving at the station. The identification of the source-receptor relationships was also studied with a clustering technique applied on those retro-plumes. This clustering technique enabled us to distinguish four categories of air mass transports arriving at Lamto site described as follows: oceanic and maritime origin (≈37% of the retro-plumes), continental origin (≈21%), and two hybrid clusters (≈42%). The results show that continental emission sources contribute significantly to the increases in concentrations of CO2, CH4, and CO and explain ≈40% of their variance. These emission sources are predominantly from north and north-east directions of the measurement point, and where densely populated and economically developed areas are located. In addition, the transport of air masses from these directions lead to the accumulation of CO2, CH4, and CO. Furthermore, the ratios ΔCO/ΔCH4 and ΔCO/ΔCO2 observed in the groups associated with Harmattan flows clearly show an influence of combustion processes on the continent. Thus, the grouping based on FLEXPART footprints shows an advantage compared to the use of simple trajectories for analyzing source–receptor relationships.
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Forsberg, Rebecca, and Ulf Björnstig. "One Hundred Years of Railway Disasters and Recent Trends." Prehospital and Disaster Medicine 26, no. 5 (September 21, 2011): 367–73. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s1049023x1100639x.
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AbstractIntroduction: Globally, railway transport is increasing steadily. Despite the adoption of diverse safety systems, major railway incidents continue to occur. Higher speeds and increased passenger traffic are factors that influence the risk of mass-casualty incidents and make railway crashes a reality that merits extensive planning and training.Methods: Data on railway disasters were obtained from the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED), which maintains the Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT). This descriptive study consists of 529 railway disasters (≥10 killed and/or ≥100 non- fatally injured) from 1910 through 2009.Results: The number of railway disasters, people killed, and non-fatally injured, has increased throughout the last hundred years—particularly during the last four decades (1970–2009), when 88% of all disasters occurred. In the mid-20th century, a shift occurred, resulting in more people being non-fatally injured than fatally injured. During 1970–2009, 74% of all railway disasters occurred in Asia, Africa, and South and Central America, combined. The remaining 26% occurred in Europe, North America, and Oceania, combined. Since 1980, railway disasters have increased, especially in Asia and Africa, while Europe has had a decrease in railway disasters. The number killed per disaster (1970–2009) was highest in Africa (n = 55), followed by South and Central America (n = 47), and Asia (n = 44). The rate was lowest in North America (n = 10) and Europe (n = 29). On average, the number of non-fatal injuries per disaster was two to three times the number of fatalities, however, in the African countries (except South Africa) the relation was closer to 1:1, which correlates to the relation found in more developed countries during the mid-20th century. The total losses (non-fatally and fatally injured) per disaster has shown a slight decreasing trend.Conclusions: Despite extensive crash avoidance and injury reduction safety systems, railway crashes occur on all continents, indicating that this type of incident must be accounted for in disaster planning and training. Better developed safety, crashworthiness, and rescue resources in North America and Europe may be factors explaining why the number of crashes and losses has stabilized and why the average number of people killed per disaster is lowest on these continents.
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Saitoh, Masafumi, Sami Nabhan, Christophe Thomazo, Nicolas Olivier, Jean-François Moyen, Yuichiro Ueno, and Johanna Marin-Carbonne. "Multiple Sulfur Isotope Records of the 3.22 Ga Moodies Group, Barberton Greenstone Belt." Geosciences 10, no. 4 (April 16, 2020): 145. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/geosciences10040145.
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The Moodies Group, the uppermost unit in the Barberton Greenstone Belt (BGB) in South Africa, is a ~3.7-km-thick coarse clastic succession accumulated on terrestrial-to-shallow marine settings at around 3.22 Ga. The multiple sulfur isotopic composition of pyrite of Moodies intervals was newly obtained to examine the influence of these depositional settings on the sulfur isotope record. Conglomerate and sandstone rocks were collected from three synclines north of the Inyoka Fault of the central BGB, namely, the Eureka, Dycedale, and Saddleback synclines. The sulfur isotopic composition of pyrite was analyzed by Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) for 6 samples from the three synclines and by Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (IR-MS) for 17 samples from a stratigraphic section in the Saddleback Syncline. The present results show a signal of mass-independent fractionation of sulfur isotopes (S-MIF), although t-tests statistically demonstrated that the Moodies S-MIF signals (mostly 0‰ < ∆33S < +0.5‰) are significantly small compared to the signal of the older Paleoarchean (3.6–3.2 Ga) records. These peculiar signatures might be related to initial deposition of detrital pyrite of juvenile origin from the surrounding intrusive (tonalite–trondhjemite–granodiorite; TTG) and felsic volcanic rocks, and/or to secondary addition of hydrothermal sulfur during late metasomatism. Moreover, fast accumulation (~0.1–1 mm/year) of the Moodies sediments might have led to a reduced accumulation of sulfur derived from an atmospheric source during their deposition. As a result, the sulfur isotopic composition of the sediments may have become susceptible to the secondary addition of metasomatic sulfur on a mass balance point of view. The sulfur isotopic composition of Moodies pyrite is similar to the composition of sulfides from nearby gold mines. It suggests that, after the Moodies deposition, metasomatic pyrite formation commonly occurred north of the Inyoka Fault in the central BGB at 3.1–3.0 Ga.
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Parani, Rizaldi, Astrid Pramesuari, Daffa Muhammad Maldiva, and Edlyn Felicia. "Mempertanyakan Kembali Bhinneka Tunggal Ika Di Era Post Truth Melalui Media Sosial." LONTAR: Jurnal Ilmu Komunikasi 6, no. 2 (December 26, 2018): 152. http://dx.doi.org/10.30656/lontar.v6i2.953.
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The phenomenon of post-truth appears, in which a view believed to be true is inverted and made contradictory as a new form of truth. This phenomenon appears to occur in several countries such as the United States, North Korea, the Philippines and also Indonesia. This can be seen from various actions carried out by radical organizations that question the values of Bhinneka Tunggal Ika with the desire to change these values by referring to religious values. This activity is increasingly growing in terms of followers, and further builds up on the blasphemy case accusations towards former Jakarta Governor, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama.This research focuses on how the social media has an influence in expanding the spread of hoaxes and hate speech as an effort to destabilize the values of Bhinneka Tunggal Ika. Information and data were obtained from interviews with mass organizations often labeled radical, non-governmental organizations and social observers.The results of this study confirm the need for capacity building both in the form of media literacy and also the socialization of Bhinneka Tunggal Ika values through social institutions and the Government. This is intended to create strong social capital, especially in fostering a sense of trust in the context of a pluralist society in Indonesia.Keywords: Post truth, Bhinneka Tunggal Ika, Social Media, Social Capital, Trust.
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Virkkula, Aki, Henrik Grythe, John Backman, Tuukka Petäjä, Maurizio Busetto, Christian Lanconelli, Angelo Lupi, et al. "Aerosol optical properties calculated from size distributions, filter samples and absorption photometer data at Dome C, Antarctica, and their relationships with seasonal cycles of sources." Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 22, no. 7 (April 14, 2022): 5033–69. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-5033-2022.
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Abstract. Optical properties of surface aerosols at Dome C, Antarctica, in 2007–2013 and their potential source areas are presented. Scattering coefficients (σsp) were calculated from measured particle number size distributions with a Mie code and from filter samples using mass scattering efficiencies. Absorption coefficients (σap) were determined with a three-wavelength Particle Soot Absorption Photometer (PSAP) and corrected for scattering by using two different algorithms. The scattering coefficients were also compared with σsp measured with a nephelometer at the South Pole Station (SPO). The minimum σap was observed in the austral autumn and the maximum in the austral spring, similar to other Antarctic sites. The darkest aerosol, i.e., the lowest single-scattering albedo ωo≈0.91, was observed in September and October and the highest ωo≈0.99 in February and March. The uncertainty of the absorption Ångström exponent αap is high. The lowest αap monthly medians were observed in March and the highest in August–October. The equivalent black carbon (eBC) mass concentrations were compared with eBC measured at three other Antarctic sites: the SPO and two coastal sites, Neumayer and Syowa. The maximum monthly median eBC concentrations are almost the same (∼3±1 ng m−3) at all these sites in October–November. This suggests that there is no significant difference in eBC concentrations between the coastal and plateau sites. The seasonal cycle of the eBC mass fraction exhibits a minimum f(eBC) ≈0.1 % in February–March and a maximum ∼4 %–5 % in August–October. Source areas were calculated using 50 d FLEXPART footprints. The highest eBC concentrations and the lowest ωo were associated with air masses coming from South America, Australia and Africa. Vertical simulations that take BC particle removal processes into account show that there would be essentially no BC particles arriving at Dome C from north of latitude 10∘ S at altitudes <1600 m. The main biomass-burning regions Africa, Australia and Brazil are more to the south, and their smoke plumes have been observed at higher altitudes than that, so they can get transported to Antarctica. The seasonal cycle of BC emissions from wildfires and agricultural burning and other fires in South America, Africa and Australia was calculated from data downloaded from the Global Fire Emissions Database (GFED). The maximum total emissions were in August–September, but the peak of monthly average eBC concentrations is observed 2–3 months later in November, not only at Dome C, but also at the SPO and the coastal stations. The air-mass residence-time-weighted BC emissions from South America are approximately an order of magnitude larger than from Africa and Oceania, suggesting that South American BC emissions are the largest contributors to eBC at Dome C. At Dome C the maximum and minimum scattering coefficients were observed in austral summer and winter, respectively. At the SPO σsp was similar to that observed at Dome C in the austral summer, but there was a large difference in winter, suggesting that in winter the SPO is more influenced by sea-spray emissions than Dome C. The seasonal cycles of σsp at Dome C and at the SPO were compared with the seasonal cycles of secondary and primary marine aerosol emissions. The σsp measured at the SPO correlated much better with the sea-spray aerosol emission fluxes in the Southern Ocean than σsp at Dome C. The seasonal cycles of biogenic secondary aerosols were estimated from monthly average phytoplankton biomass concentrations obtained from the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) satellite sensor data. The analysis suggests that a large fraction of the biogenic scattering aerosol observed at Dome C has been formed in the polar zone, but it may take a month for the aerosol to be formed, be grown and get transported from the sea level to Dome C.
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Nasution, Hasyimsyah, Syukur Kholil, and Muhammad Idris. "The Political Communication Strategy of the Presidential Campaign Team Jokowi-Ma'ruf Amin to Win the Support of the Ummah Islam in the 2019 Election in North Sumatra." Budapest International Research and Critics Institute (BIRCI-Journal): Humanities and Social Sciences 3, no. 4 (October 27, 2020): 2926–37. http://dx.doi.org/10.33258/birci.v3i4.1313.
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This study aims to analyze the communication patterns of President Jokowi-Ma'ruf's campaign team in the 2019 elections in North Sumatra, the communication management of the campaign team, the response of the voters, and the results achieved by the campaign team. The data sources consisted of primary data, namely from the North Sumatra regional campaign team and secondary data from various books, documents, journals, articles, websites and others related to this research. The main informants were the campaign team which was determined purposively in accordance with the research objectives. Besides that, the community also distributed questionnaires to the voters for the Jokowi-Ma'ruf Amin presidential candidate in several cities and districts, namely Medan, Tebing Tinggi, Simalungun, and Tapanuli Tengah as a form of representation from the regions in North Sumatra because of the diversity of ethnicities, cultures, and religion. The results of the study indicate that the communication pattern of President Jokowi-Ma'ruf Amin's regional campaign team in North Sumatra is carried out in broad lines through two forms, namely direct communication with the community and indirect communication or by using mass media. The delivery of infrastructure development work programs to the campaign masses received a response from the voting public. Campaigns through the approach and involvement of religious leaders can also attract sympathy from the voters. The voters for the Jokowi-Ma'ruf presidential candidate in North Sumatra generally answer because of the figure of the presidential candidate. Meanwhile, the position of Kiyai Haji Ma'ruf Amin as a vice presidential candidate is a factor that can influence or increase the electability of Muslims in determining the victory of a presidential candidate.
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ANDREEVA, L. A. "Migration Flows of the “Southern” Christians from the Countries of Tropical Africa to Secular Europe at the Beginning of the 21st Century: The Meeting of “Northern” and “Southern” Christianity." Outlines of global transformations: politics, economics, law 11, no. 4 (October 16, 2018): 206–18. http://dx.doi.org/10.23932/2542-0240-2018-11-4-206-218.
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In the 21st century we observe revolutionary changes that happen under the influence of globalization. These changes have covered the whole world. On the one hand, they manifest as a rapid shift of the centre of Christianity from the countries of so-called “global North” to the countries of so-called “global South”. On the other hand, they manifest as migration flows of “Southern” Christians from the countries of Tropical Africa to Europe that bring some archaization not only to modern European Christianity but to secular European civilization itself. This paper presents results of the analysis which has shown that modern European values are secular, and European Christianity is rapidly transforming into culture. In comparison to European values, the values of African Christianity have a genuine religious ground, and the society in countries of the Tropical Africa is traditional and being dominated by community values. Therefore, we can conclude that the “Northern” and the “Southern” Christianity exist in different temporal dimensions from the civilizational point of view. We can make a certain prediction that the meeting of “Southern” and “Northern” Christianity in the environment of modern European civilizational code alien to African Christianity will bring lots of challenges to the both branches of Christianity. In the foreseeable future, the issue of mass migration of “Southern” Christians from the countries of Tropical Africa will not be less acute than extensively discussed Islamization of Europe, although both of these issues have similar origin, namely the Renaissance of archaic in Europe brought about by migration flows.
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Vinichenko, Vera. "Lexico-Stylistic Specificity of Mediatexts in the Formation of the University's Image Online." Theoretical and Practical Issues of Journalism 10, no. 2 (June 7, 2021): 366–80. http://dx.doi.org/10.17150/2308-6203.2021.10(2).366-380.
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Image as an intangible attribute of the educational institution’s social and communicative activity plays a significant role in achieving strategic goals, promotion of educational services, strengthening trust and a favorable attitude of the target audience. A website as a means of mass communication is a tool for attracting consumers, a "visiting card" of a university on the Internet. A well-designed image identifies the university in the Internet space, distinguishes it favorably from other educational institutions, and increases the level of memorability in the selection process. The concepts, structure of the image, factors influencing its formation are presented in different ways in the review of domestic and foreign publications. The media text acts as a basic tool for the creation of an organization's image, which reflect characteristic features of the desired image. This complex phenomenon of virtual media space is considered as a new communication product, as an integrative multi-level sign, as a synthetic type of text with a multi-level structure. With the help of various lexical and stylistic means, media texts influence the perceptions of target audiences about an educational institution, help to retain users’ attention. Since the number of publications on this topic is limited, the research interest of the author of the article is aimed at studying the lexical and stylistic features of media texts that affect the creation of the image of the North-Eastern Federal University named after M.K. Ammosov online. The author analyzed the website’s media material of this institution at the lexical, morphological, and syntactic level and established the importance of linguistic means in creating a positive image of the main university of the republic. As a result of the study, we identified lexical and stylistic features of media texts that play a significant role in the idea formation of public groups about the educational organization.
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Virkkula, A., K. Teinilä, R. Hillamo, V. M. Kerminen, S. Saarikoski, M. Aurela, J. Viidanoja, J. Paatero, I. K. Koponen, and M. Kulmala. "Chemical composition of boundary layer aerosol over the Atlantic Ocean and at an Antarctic site." Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions 6, no. 1 (January 10, 2006): 455–91. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/acpd-6-455-2006.
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Abstract. Aerosol chemical composition was measured over the Atlantic Ocean in November–December 1999 and at the Finnish Antarctic research station Aboa in January 2000. The concentrations of all anthropogenic aerosol compounds decreased clearly from north to south. An anthropogenic influence was still evident in the middle of the tropical South Atlantic, background values were reached south of Cape Town. Chemical mass balance was calculated for high volume filter samples (Dp<3 μm). North of the equator 70–80% of the aerosol consisted of non-sea-salt species. The contribution of sea salt was ~25% in the polluted latitudes, >80% in the Southern Ocean, and <10% at Aboa. The contribution of organic carbon was >10% in most samples, also at Aboa. The correlation of biomass-burning-related aerosol components with 210Pb was very high compared with that between nss calcium and 210Pb which suggests that 210Pb is a better tracer for biomass burning than for Saharan dust. The ratio of the two clear tracers for biomass burning, nss potassium and oxalate, was different in European and in African samples, suggesting that this ratio could be used as an indicator of biomass burning type. The concentrations of continent-related particles decreased exponentially with the distance from Africa. The shortest half-value distance, ~100 km, was for nss calcium. The half-value distance of particles that are mainly in the submicron particles was ~700±200 km. The MSA to nss sulfate ratio, R, increased faster than MSA concentration with decreasing anthropogenic influence, indicating that the R increase could largely be explained by the decrease of anthropogenic sulfate.
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Virkkula, A., K. Teinilä, R. Hillamo, V. M. Kerminen, S. Saarikoski, M. Aurela, J. Viidanoja, J. Paatero, I. K. Koponen, and M. Kulmala. "Chemical composition of boundary layer aerosol over the Atlantic Ocean and at an Antarctic site." Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics 6, no. 11 (August 21, 2006): 3407–21. http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/acp-6-3407-2006.
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Abstract. Aerosol chemical composition was measured over the Atlantic Ocean in November–December 1999 and at the Finnish Antarctic research station Aboa in January 2000. The concentrations of all anthropogenic aerosol compounds decreased clearly from north to south. An anthropogenic influence was still evident in the middle of the tropical South Atlantic, background values were reached south of Cape Town. Chemical mass apportionment was calculated for high volume filter samples (Dp<3 μm). North of the equator 70–80% of the aerosol consisted of non-sea-salt species. The contribution of sea salt was ~25% in the polluted latitudes, >80% in the Southern Ocean, and <10% at Aboa. The contribution of organic carbon was >10% in most samples, also at Aboa. The correlation of biomass-burning-related aerosol components with 210Pb was very high compared with that between nss calcium and 210Pb which suggests that 210Pb is a better tracer for biomass burning than for Saharan dust. The ratio of the two clear tracers for biomass burning, nss potassium and oxalate, was different in European and in African samples, suggesting that this ratio could be used as an indicator of biomass burning type. The concentrations of continent-related particles decreased exponentially with the distance from Africa. The shortest half-value distance, ~100 km, was for nss calcium. The half-value distance of particles that are mainly in the submicron particles was ~700±200 km. The MSA to nss sulfate ratio, R, increased faster than MSA concentration with decreasing anthropogenic influence, indicating that the R increase could largely be explained by the decrease of anthropogenic sulfate.
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Larkin, Brian. "Indian films and Nigerian lovers: media and the creation of parallel modernities." Africa 67, no. 3 (July 1997): 406–40. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1161182.
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AbstractThis article discusses the significance of Indian films in revealing a relatively ignored aspect of the transnational flow of culture. The intra-Third World circulation of Indian film offers Hausa viewers a way of imaginatively engaging with forms of tradition different from their own at the same time as conceiving of a modernity that comes without the political and ideological significance of that of the West. After discussing reasons for the popularity of Indian films in a Hausa context, it accounts for this imaginative investment of viewers by looking at narrative as a mode of social enquiry. Hausa youth explore the limits of accepted Hausa attitudes to love and sexuality through the narratives of Indian film and Hausa love stories (soyayya). This exploration has occasioned intense public debate, as soyayya authors are accused of corrupting Hausa youth by borrowing foreign modes of love and sexual relations. The article argues that this controversy indexes wider concerns about the shape and direction of contemporary Nigerian culture. Analysing soyayya books and Indian films gives insight into the local reworking and indigenising of transnational media flows that take place within and between Third World countries, disrupting the dichotomies between West and non-West, coloniser and colonised, modernity and tradition, in order to see how media create parallel modernities. Through spectacle and fantasy, romance and sexuality, Indian films provide arenas for considering what it means to be modern and what may be the place of Hausa society within that modernity. For northern Nigerians, who respond to a number of different centres, whether politically to the Nigerian state, religiously to the Middle East and North Africa, economically to the West, or culturally to the cinematic dominance of India, Indian films are just one part of the heterogeneity of everyday life. They provide a parallel modernity, a way of imaginatively engaging with the changing social basis of contemporary life that is an alternative to the pervasive influence of a secular West.
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Wen, Caihong, Ping Chang, and Ramalingam Saravanan. "Effect of Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation Changes on Tropical Atlantic Sea Surface Temperature Variability: A 2½-Layer Reduced-Gravity Ocean Model Study." Journal of Climate 23, no. 2 (January 15, 2010): 312–32. http://dx.doi.org/10.1175/2009jcli3042.1.
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Abstract Previous coupled climate model simulations reveal that a dipole-like SST pattern with cooler (warmer) temperature over the north (south) tropical Atlantic emerges in response to a slowdown of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC). Using a 2½-layer reduced-gravity ocean model, a systematic investigation into oceanic processes controlling the tropical Atlantic sea surface temperature (SST) response to AMOC changes by varying the strength of northward mass transport at the open boundaries was conducted. It is found that the North Brazil Current (NBC) reverses its direction in response to a shutdown of the AMOC. Such a circulation change causes a decrease in upper equatorial ocean stratification and warming in the Gulf of Guinea and off the coast of Africa. These findings point to the importance of oceanic dynamics in the equatorial SST response to AMOC changes. Sensitivity experiments further show that the SST response relates nonlinearly to AMOC changes. The strength of the SST response increases dramatically when the AMOC strength falls below a threshold value. This nonlinear threshold behavior depends on the position of a subsurface temperature gradient forming along the boundary between the northern subtropical gyre and the tropical gyre that interacts with the western boundary current. The analysis suggests that, in order for the oceanic dynamics to have a dominant influence on tropical Atlantic SST in response to AMOC changes, two conditions must be satisfied: 1) the AMOC must weaken substantially so that the NBC flows equatorward, permitting water mass exchange between the northern subtropical and tropical gyres, and 2) the subsurface temperature front must be located in an optimal location where subsurface temperature anomalies induced by AMOC change are able to enter the equatorial zone.
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Reffai, Ayman, Mohamed Mesmoudi, Touria Derkaoui, Naima Ghailani Nourouti, Amina Barakat, Nabila Sellal, Parag Mallick, and Mohcine Bennani Mechita. "Epidemiological Profile and Clinicopathological, Therapeutic, and Prognostic Characteristics of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma in Northern Morocco." Cancer Control 28 (January 2021): 107327482110505. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/10732748211050587.
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Background Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is a multifactorial disease mainly affecting the Asian and North African populations including Morocco. This study aimed to determine the epidemiological profile of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Northern Morocco as well as its clinicopathological, therapeutic, and prognostic characteristics. Methods 129 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma followed at the regional center of oncology of Tangier in the period between April 2017 and July 2019, and diagnosed elsewhere from March 2000 to February 2019, were included in this study. Statistical analysis of the data was realized using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software. Results Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) represented 5% of all cases with a median age of 50. The most affected age group was 40–54 years (41.1%). Of all patients, 65.9% were men and 34.1% were women with a sex ratio of 1.93 (Male/Female). Undifferentiated nasopharyngeal carcinomas were the most common histological type affecting 96.12% of patients. At diagnosis, the majority of patients (82.2%) had an advanced stage of NPC (III, VIa, b, c) including 5.4% of metastatic cases (IVc). Most cases (86%) had lymph node involvement with cervical mass being the most common clinical presentation. 81.4% of patients received radiotherapy combined with chemotherapy. Among these patients, 54.3% had concurrent radiochemotherapy preceded by induction chemotherapy. The 5-year overall survival (OS) was 86.8% for all patients. It represented 91.3% for early stages, 87.9% for locally advanced stages, and 57.1% for the metastatic stage significantly. The disease-free survival (DFS) at 5 years was 87.6% knowing that relapse occurred in 16 cases. Conclusions Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is a particular disease with a late declaration. It is common in Morocco as is the case in other endemic areas with a high prevalence. Patients’ survival is significantly influenced by disease staging.
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Ng, Reuben, Ting Yu Joanne Chow, and Wenshu Yang. "News media narratives of Covid-19 across 20 countries: Early global convergence and later regional divergence." PLOS ONE 16, no. 9 (September 1, 2021): e0256358. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0256358.
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Background Seldom in history does one get a ‘front row seat’—with large-scale dynamic data—on how online news media narratives shift with a global pandemic. News media narratives matter because they shape societal perceptions and influence the core tent poles of our society, from the economy to elections. Given its importance—and with the benefit of hindsight—we provide a systematic framework to analyze news narratives of Covid-19, laying the groundwork to evaluate policy and risk communications. Objectives We leverage a 10-billion-word-database of online news, taken from over 7,000 English newspapers and magazines across 20 countries, culminating in 28 million articles. First, we track the volume of Covid-19 conversations across 20 countries from before to during the pandemic (Oct’19 to May’20). Second, we distill the phases of global pandemic narratives, and elucidate regional differences. Methods To track the volume of Covid-19 narratives, we identified 10 target terms—Coronavirus, Covid-19, Covid, nCoV, SARS-CoV-2, Wuhan Virus, Virus, Disease, Epidemic, Pandemic—and tracked their combined monthly prevalence across eight months from October 2019 through May 2020. Globally, across 20 countries, we identified 18,042,855 descriptors of the target terms. Further, these descriptors were analysed with natural language processing models to generate the top five topics of Covid-19 that were labelled by two independent researchers. This process was repeated across six continents to distil regional topics. Results Our model found four phases of online news media narratives: Pre-pandemic, Early, Peak and Recovery. Pre-pandemic narratives (Oct’19–Dec’19) were divergent across regions with Africa focused on monkeypox, Asia on dengue fever, and North America on Lyme disease and AIDS. Early (Jan–Feb’20) and Peak Pandemic (Mar–May’20) evidenced a global convergence, reflecting the omnipresence of Covid-19. The brief transition from early to peak pandemic narratives underscored the pandemic’s rapid spread. Emerging from the embers of the pandemic’s peak were nascent recovery words that are regionally divergent—Oceania focused on hope and an uncertain future while North America centered on re-opening the economy and tackling discrimination. Conclusions Practically, we presented a media barometer of Covid-19, and provided a framework to analyse the pandemic’s impact on societal perceptions—laying the important groundwork for policy makers to evaluate policy communications, and design risk communication strategies.
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UCHUDI, JOSEPH, MONICA MAGADI, and MOHAMMOD MOSTAZIR. "A MULTILEVEL ANALYSIS OF THE DETERMINANTS OF HIGH-RISK SEXUAL BEHAVIOUR IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA." Journal of Biosocial Science 44, no. 3 (November 9, 2011): 289–311. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0021932011000654.
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SummaryA number of authors have identified multiple concurrent sexual partnerships by both men and women to lie at the root of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa. This study applies multilevel models to Demographic and Health Survey data collected during 2003–2008 in 20 sub-Saharan African countries to examine the influence of social and cultural context on involvement with multiple sexual partnerships in the region, above and beyond the effects of individual characteristics. The findings provide support for the ecological argument that health behaviours are shaped and determined by societal conditions, in addition to the effects of individual and household characteristics. Involvement with multiple sex partners is most prevalent in societies in which sexual norms are widely permissive and where polygyny is common. Individual autonomy is substantial and attitudes towards sexuality are more liberal among men and women who live in communities in which sexual norms are widely permissive. Men and women who are most likely to have multiple sex partners in the sub-Saharan region are those who initiated sexual activity earlier and those who have the individual attributes (e.g. young age, urban residence, education, media exposure and working for cash and away from home) that bring to them more rights and/or decision-making autonomy, but not necessarily more financial resources and economic security (mostly among women). On the other hand, involvement with multiple partners is determined by cultural norms (i.e. permissive sexual norms) and social change (i.e. mass education, expansion of cash employment). The findings suggest a number of opportunities for more effective policy and programmatic responses to curb the prevalence of multiple partnerships in sub-Saharan Africa.