Search

A guiding principle of regulation of communications in the United States has been the public interest, but what does the concept of the public interest mean today, a time when the sheer amount of misinformation can drown out accurate information? This essay, presented as a discussion, explores the problems of misinformation in the age of digital media. Though the authors do not agree on all elements of their proposed reforms, they propose ideas such as the articulation of a core set of journalistic principles for anything major media companies label “news”; increasing support for public libraries, media literacy education, and public media; establishing a nonprofit public internet; requiring large internet platforms, which arguably function like a public square, to publicize their community standards for removing content and to adopt policies to at least slow the distribution of content that incites imminent violence; and staying abreast of international ideas that might be of use in the United States.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the genotypic and phenotypic characteristics of 20 strains of S. Heidelberg (SH) isolated from broilers produced in southern Brazil. The similarity and presence of genetic determinants linked to virulence, antimicrobial resistance, biofilm formation, and in silico-predicted metabolic interactions revealed this serovar as a threat to public health. The presence of the ompC, invA, sodC, avrA, lpfA, and agfA genes was detected in 100% of the strains and the luxS gene in 70% of them. None of the strains carries the blaSHV, mcr-1, qnrA, qnrB, and qnrS genes. All strains showed a multidrug-resistant profile to at least three non-β-lactam drugs, which include colistin, sulfamethoxazole, and tetracycline. Resistance to penicillin, ceftriaxone (90%), meropenem (25%), and cefoxitin (25%) were associated with the presence of blaCTX–M and blaCMY–2 genes. Biofilm formation reached a mature stage at 25 and 37°C, especially with chicken juice (CJ) addition. The sodium hypochlorite 1% was the least efficient in controlling the sessile cells. Genomic analysis of two strains identified more than 100 virulence genes and the presence of resistance to 24 classes of antibiotics correlated to phenotypic tests. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) prediction shows two metabolic pathways correlation with biofilm formation. Virulence, resistance, and biofilm determinants must be constant monitoring in SH, due to the possibility of occurring infections extremely difficult to cure and due risk of the maintenance of the bacterium in production environments.

An adaptive algorithm should ideally present high convergence rate, good steady-state performance, and robustness against impulsive noise. Few algorithms can simultaneously meet these requirements. This paper proposes a local and deterministic optimization problem whose solution gives rise to an adaptive algorithm that presents a higher convergence rate in the identification of sparse systems due to the use of the proportionate adaptation technique. In addition, a correntropy-based cost function is employed in order to enhance its robustness against non-Gaussian noise. Finally, the adoption of coefficient reuse approach results in a good system identification performance in steady-state conditions, especially in low SNR scenarios.

This article contributes with two major improvements related to the learning performance of the least mean squares (LMS) adaptive filtering algorithm under challenging scenarios, low signal-to-noise ratio and in the presence of impulsive noise. The first problem is solved through the insertion of the coefficient reuse technique in the update equation, while the second one uses the maximum correntropy criterion to make the algorithm less sensitive to impulsive noise, which is very often present in real applications.

For hundreds of years, Taiwan has been famous for its various specialty teas. The sensory features of these teas have been well specialized and standardized through sensory evaluations performed by tea experts in yearly competitions throughout history. However, the question arises of whether young Taiwanese consumers, whose dietary behaviors have become Westernized, agree with the conventional sensory standards and association/postprandial concepts in the traditional tea market of Taiwan. To study young Taiwanese consumers&rsquo, ideas towards traditional specialty teas, this research recruited 109 respondents, younger than the age of 30, to taste seven Taiwanese specialty tea infusions of various degrees of fermentation, and their opinions were gathered by questionnaires composed of check-all-that-apply (CATA) questions and hedonic scales. Through statistical analyses, we found that several tea sensory attributes which were emphasized in experts&rsquo, descriptive sensory evaluations were not appreciated by the young Taiwanese people. Instead, tea aroma and late sweetness/palatable/smooth/refreshing mouthfeels were the most important sensory attributes contributing to their tea preference. Overall, there would generally be no problem in serving young Taiwanese consumers lightly-fermented oolong teas that generate the highest digestive and lowest heartburn postprandial perceptions.

Present study addresses a problem of heat transfer by conduction in steady state in which the best geometry (material sites) is sought in a plate built from two different materials, and subjected to internal heat generation, such that the resistance to heat flow generated within it is minimized. An agent-based model developed in NetLogo using the Constructal Theory is presented. Results show complex geometries that were compared with other works, finding that using the Constructal Theory, it is possible to obtain close to the optimal geometries very similar to the forms found in nature in different flow systems.

opportunity for the investment of talent and creativity and multiple avenues for individual self-fulfillment. Getting agreement on the stabilizing potential of economic development is easy. Translating that agreement into actual progress on the ground is tough as long as conflict and antipathy scar the region. A recent report from the Council on Foreign Relations, titled Harnessing Tradefor Development and Growth in the Middle East, provided a push in the right direction. The report drew a connection between international terrorism and "the misery and hopelessness engendered by economic backwardness and stagnation." It saw the promise of a better life as both a key remedy to the appeal of terrorism and a path toward resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict.

The next presidential election campaign on television is likely to feature many spot commercials for the candidates, short news clips of candidates in on-site appearances staged for television, unanswered addresses to the nation or news conferences by the incumbent, relatively limited opportunities for the principal candidates to address the electorate, and, until the last moment, uncertainty about whether the candidates will appear face-to-face in debates. This use of television in presidential campaigns may have negative effects, including unfairly favoring wealthy interests and incumbents, encouraging political factionalism, and placing pressures on broadcasters that threaten First Amendment principles. The public would be better served by permitting broadcasters to present the two leading candidates without having to provide equal time to all other candidates; by giving the principal candidates television time during the campaign to address the electorate; by the adoption of party rules requiring that candidates participate in televised presidential debates; and by encouraging the use of new communications technologies to provide additional political information to the voters.

Throughout his term of office, an incumbent president of the United States has ready access to tele vision time which allows him to reach millions of potential voters regularly, conveying both his views and "image" at little or no cost to himself or his political supporters. In con trast, the opposition party and those potential candidates who would challenge the incumbent's reelection have little similar access. An incumbent member of Congress, although not enjoying television access to the same extent as the presi dent, also has a unique television advantage over potential challengers. While Congress prevents broadcast coverage of many of its activities, individual members are able to produce their own television programming to reach voters. This "incumbent television" can be a significant electoral ad vantage to the officeholder seeking reelection. Moreover, with incumbents dominating television, contrasting political viewpoints and personalities, instead of being presented in rational debate throughout an office term, appear too often only in political "spots" immediately preceding elections. Innovations such as televised National Debates, limited right of reply for the opposition party, government-sponsored broadcast time for presidential candidates, and television coverage of congressional proceedings, would counter this trend and help to fulfill television's potential as a medium for political debate.

BACKGROUND: Although the imaging, spectroscopic, and diffusion characteristics of brains of infants with neonatal encephalopathy have been described, the time course during which these changes evolve is not clear. The results of sequential MR imaging studies—including anatomic MR imaging, proton MR spectroscopy, and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI)—of 10 patients enrolled prospectively in a study of neonatal encephalopathy are reported to help to clarify the time course of changes in different brain regions during the first 2 weeks of life. METHODS: Ten neonates were prospectively enrolled in a study of the evolution of MR findings in neonatal encephalopathy and were studied 2 (8 patients) or 3 (2 patients) times within the first 2 weeks of life. The MR examination included spin-echo T1 and T2-weighted images, DTI, and long echo time (288 milliseconds) proton MR spectroscopy. Diffusion parameters (diffusivity [D(av)], fractional anisotropy [FA], and individual eigenvalues) were calculated for 10 1-cm(2) regions of interest in each hemisphere that were placed based on anatomic landmarks. D(av) and FA were then measured manually in the same areas on a workstation. Metabolite ratios (NAA/Ch, Cr/Ch, Cr/NAA, Lac/Ch, and Lac/NAA) were calculated in 7 regions of interest. Imaging appearance, diffusion parameters, and metabolite ratios were then evaluated longitudinally (comparing with other studies on the same patient at different times) and cross-sectionally (comparing all studies performed on the same postnatal day). RESULTS: In most of the patients a characteristic evolution of DTI and MR spectroscopy parameters was seen during the first 2 weeks after birth. Although the anatomic images were normal or nearly normal on the first 2 days after birth in most patients, abnormalities were detected on DTI (both visually and by quantitative interrogation of D(av) maps) and proton MR spectroscopy (abnormal metabolite ratios). These parameters tended to worsen until about day 5 and then normalize, though in several patients abnormal metabolite ratios persisted. Of interest, as areas of abnormal diffusivity pseudonormalized within one region of the brain they would develop in other areas. Therefore, the pattern of injury looked very different when imaging was performed at different times during this evolution. CONCLUSION: Patterns of injury detected by standard anatomic imaging sequences, DTI sequences, and proton MR spectroscopy varied considerably during the first 2 weeks after injury. The appearance of new areas of reduced diffusion simultaneous with the pseudonormalization of areas that had reduced diffusion at earlier times can result in an entirely different pattern of injury on diffusivity maps acquired at different time points. Awareness of these evolving patterns is essential if studies are performed and interpreted during this critical period of time.

A 47-year-old patient had Guillain-Barré syndrome after the injection of pure tetanus toxoid. He demonstrated a hypersensitive lymphoblastic transformation to purified tetanus antigen, and typing for disease-associated antigens showed him to be homozygous for HLA-B8. This is the first reported case of nonrelapsing Guillain-Barré syndrome after tetanus toxoid vaccination.