The challenges of Weibo for data-driven digital media research

Data generated via user activity on social media platforms is routinely used for research across a wide range of social sciences and humanities disciplines. The availability of data through the Twitter APIs in particular has afforded new modes of research, including in media and communication studies; however, there are practical and political issues with gaining access to such data, and with the consequences of how that access is controlled. In their paper ‘Easy Data, Hard Data’, Burgess and Bruns (2015) discuss both the practical and political aspects of Twitter data as they relate to academic research, describing how communication research has been enabled, shaped and constrained by Twitter’s “regimes of access” to data, the politics of data use, and emerging economies of data exchange. This conceptual model, including the ‘easy data, hard data’ formulation, can also be applied to Sina Weibo. In this paper, we build on this model to explore the practical and political challenges and opportunities associated with the ‘regimes of access’ to Weibo data, and their consequences for digital media and communication studies. We argue that in the Chinese context, the politics of data access can be even more complicated than in the case of Twitter, which makes scientific research relying on large social data from this platform more challenging in some ways, but potentially richer and more rewarding in others.

Comparative growth and pathogenicity of geographical isolates of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum on lentil genotypes

Isolates of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum were collected from infected lentil plants from 2 agro-ecological zones of Syria and used to study their comparative growth on culture media and pathogenicity on different lentil genotypes. The growth studies were carried out on Potato Dextrose Agar (PDA) growth media under laboratory conditions. Mycelial radial growth and sclerotial production were the parameters used to compare the isolates. Pathogenicity studies were carried out with selected isolates on 10 lentil genotypes, infected as detached shoots and as whole potted-plants in the plastic house. The isolates showed considerable variation in cultural characteristics through mycelial growth, mycelial pigmentation and sclerotial production in the media plates. There were significant differences in the growth and sclerotial production of most of the isolates, but no apparent correlation between mycelial growth and sclerotial production among the isolates. Genotype by isolate interactions was significant for the isolates tested for pathogenicity. These interactions, however, appeared to be caused by differences in virulence of the isolates and did not suggest the occurrence of distinct pathogenic races of the pathogen isolates.

An analysis of TLS handshake proxying

Content delivery networks (CDNs) are an essential component of modern website infrastructures: edge servers located closer to users cache content, increasing robustness and capacity while decreasing latency. However, this situation becomes complicated for HTTPS content that is to be delivered using the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol: the edge server must be able to carry out TLS handshakes for the cached domain. Most commercial CDNs require that the domain owner give their certificate's private key to the CDN's edge server or abandon caching of HTTPS content entirely. We examine the security and performance of a recently commercialized delegation technique in which the domain owner retains possession of their private key and splits the TLS state machine geographically with the edge server using a private key proxy service. This allows the domain owner to limit the amount of trust given to the edge server while maintaining the benefits of CDN caching. On the performance front, we find that latency is slightly worse compared to the insecure approach, but still significantly better than the domain owner serving the content directly. On the security front, we enumerate the security goals for TLS handshake proxying and identify a subtle difference between the security of RSA key transport and signed-Diffie--Hellman in TLS handshake proxying; we also discuss timing side channel resistance of the key server and the effect of TLS session resumption.

Lähi-itä - mielikuvat, media ja konflikti : Tutkimuskohteena opettajaopiskelijat

This study examines Finnish student teachers' images of The Middle East conflict and its parties and medias' influence on these images. The research problems are 1) how student teachers understand the Middle East as a geographical and a cultural area 2) what kind of conceptions they have of the Middle East conflict and its parties; Israelis, Palestinians and Arabs and societies and religions closely connected to them and 3) how the media has influenced on these conceptions. Theoretical background of this study concerns with different mental images, their construction and meaning, stereotypes, intercultural competence, media and its influence as well as media literacy. The methods used in this study were survey and theme interview. Also headlines of the news were analysed. The survey was directed at student teachers of the University of Helsinki (n = 75). Six of them were interviewed. The survey was conducted in February and interviews were made in the turn of May and June 2003. The headlines analysed dealt with the Middle East conflict in the newspaper "Helsingin Sanomat" in January, April and July 2003. Main results: Images of the Middle East area differed largely from respondent to another. Student teachers didn't know much about the Middle East conflict. Stereotypes occurred in the conceptions connected to the parties of the conflict. Stereotypes appeared especially in the negative conceptions of islam and muslims and one-sided conceptions of Arabs. The influence of the conflict was noticeable in conceptions related to Israelis, Israel and Palestinians. Palestinians were sympathized. Attitudes towards Israelis, Palestinians and Arabs were negative to some extend and their societies were not valued very equal, open or modern. On the basis of the research, student teachers' intercultural competence was not good enough. Media had influence on the conceptions. Also skills in critical use of media varied largely. Some trusted strongly in the objectivity of a picture and the news. It can be argued, on the grounds of the results, that teacher education should concentrate more on themes of intercultural competence and media literacy. These two are interrelated and are both needed in understanding and conceptualising the world.

Quantifying differences between treated and untreated coir substrate

The aim of this project was to quantify differences between treated and untreated coir (coconut industrial residues) products and to identify differences in growth, yield and quality of cut flowers grown in different coir products. This has been brought about largely by the concern that some coir products, washed in low quality (saline) water may have detrimental effects on plant productivity and quality. There is concern in the flower production industry and among media suppliers, that lower quality products are favoured due to price alone, which as this project shows is a false economy. Specifically the project examined: • Differences in physical and chemical properties of treated and untreated coir along with another commonly used growing media in the flower industy; • Potential improvements in yield and quality of Gerbera (Gerbera jamesonii); • Potential differences in vase life of Gerbera as a result of the different growing media; and • Cost-benefit implications of treated (more expensive) coir substrate products versus untreated (less expensive) coir including any subsequent differences in yield and quality. By first examining the physical and some chemical properties of different coir substrates and other industry standard media, the researchers have been able to validate the concerns raised about the potential quality issues in coir based growing media. There was a great deal of variation in both the electrical conductivity and sodium contents. Physical properties were also variable as expected since manufacturers are able to target the specific physical preferences of plants through manipulation of the particle size distribution. A field trial was conducted under protected cropping practices in which three growing media were compared in terms of total productivity and also flower quality parameters such as stem length, flower diameter and vase life. The trial was a completely randomised design with the three growing media comprising treated coir discs, untreated coir discs and a pine bark coir mix. Four cultivars of Gerbera were assessed: Balance®; Carambole®; Dune® and Picobello®, all new products from Florist de Kwakel B.V., Denmark. Initial expansion from tissue culture was conducted at the Highsun Express Facility, Ormiston, Queensland. The trial included 12 replications of each cultivar in each media (a total of 144 plants) to ensure all data collected, and the derived conclusions were statistically rigorous. The coir supplied with no pre-treatment or buffering produced significantly less flowers than those grown in a pine bark coir mix or the pre-treated coir. Interestingly, the pine bark coir mix produced a greater number of flowers. However, the flowers produced in the pine bark coir mix were generally a shorter length stem. Productivity data, combined with flower quality data and component costs were all analysed through a cost/benefit economic model which showed that the greater revenue from better stem length outweighed the stem numbers, giving a cost benefit ratio of 2.58 for treated coir, 2.49 for untreated coir and 2.52 for pine bark coir mix. While this does not seem a large difference, when considering the number of plants a producer maintains can be upwards of 50,000 the difference in revenue would be, at a minimum $60,000 in this example. In conclusion, this project has found that there are significant effects on plant health, growth, yield and quality between those grown in treated and untreated coir. The outcome being growers can confidently invest in more expensive treated products with the assurance that benefits will outweigh initial cost. It is false economy to favour untreated coir products based on price alone. Producers should ensure they fully understand the production processes when purchasing growing media. Rather than targeting lower priced materials, it is recommended that quality be the highest priority in making this management decision. In making recommendations for future research and development it was important to consider conclusions from other researchers as well as those of the current project. It has been suggested that the media has greater longevity, which although not captured in this study could also lead to further cost efficiencies. Assessment of the products over a longer time period, and using a wider range of plant species are the major recommendations for further research to ensure greater understanding as to the importance in choosing the right growing media to meet specific needs.

Symptom development proceeds at different rates in susceptible and partially resistant cereal seedlings infected with Fusarium pseudograminearum

Variation in the reaction of cereal cultivars to crown rot caused by Fusarium spp., in particular Fusarium pseudograminearum, was identified over 50 yrs ago, however the parameters and pathways of infection by F. pseudograminearum remain poorly understood. Seedlings of wheat, barley and oat genotypes that differ in susceptibility to crown rot were inoculated with a mixture of F. pseudograminearum isolates. Seedlings were harvested from 7 to 42 days after inoculation and expanded plant parts were rated for severity of visible disease symptoms. Individual leaf sheaths were placed onto nutrient media and fungal colonies emerging from the leaf sheathes were counted to estimate the degree of fungal spread within the host tissue. Significant differences in both the timing and the severity of disease symptoms were observed in the leaf sheath tissues of different host genotypes. Across all genotypes and plant parts examined, the development of visible symptoms closely correlated with the spread of the fungus into that tissue. The degree of infection of the coleoptile and sub-crown internode varied between genotypes, but was unrelated to the putative resistance of the host. In contrast leaf sheath tissues of the susceptible barley cv. Tallon and bread wheat cv. Puseas scored higher disease ratings and consistently showed faster, earlier spread of the fungus into younger tissues than infections of the oat cv. Cleanleaf or the wheat lines 2-49 and CPI 133814. While initial infections usually spread upwards from near the base of the first leaf sheath, the pathogen did not appear to invade younger leaf sheaths only from the base, but rather spread laterally across from older leaf sheaths into younger, subtended leaf sheaths, particularly as disease progressed. Early in the infection of each leaf sheath, disease symptoms in the partially resistant genotypes were less severe than in susceptible genotypes, however as infected leaf sheaths aged, differences between genotypes lessened as disease symptoms approached maximum values. Hence, while visual scoring of disease symptoms on leaf sheaths is a reliable comparative measure of the degree of fungal infection, differences between genotypes in the development of disease symptoms are more reliably assessed using the most recently expanded leaf sheaths.

Mediaş Jewish Community Photograph Collection 1900-1930s bulk: undated

The collection contains more than 60 black and white photographs from the first decades of the 20th century found in the synagogue of Mediaş (Mediasch, Medgyes), Romania. The photographs were found in the process of an on-going clean-up and restoration project and for the most part are unidentified. The photographs are of community members and their relatives and friends; they consist of group family portraits, individual portraits, babies, and children. Some of the photographs originate from Mediaş and other nearby Transylvanian towns, while others were printed by foreign printing shops and were presumably sent to relatives living in Mediaş.

The new binary pulsar and the observation of gravitational spin precession

The possibility of observing gravitational spin precession due to spin-orbit coupling in a binary pulsar system is considered. An analysis is presented which can aid in delineating the relevant physical effects from pulse-structure data. In this analysis, it is assumed that the pulsar radiation emanates from a cone whose axis is tilted with respect to the axis of rotation. It is found that the time-averaged pulse width and polarization sweep vary periodically with time and that this variation has a periodicity of the order of the spin-precession frequency averaged over a complete revolution. It is concluded that for an orbital period of about 180 years, it suffices to measure polarization data with an accuracy of a few parts in 100 over a period of six months to a year in order to uncover the effects of spin precession. The consistency of the analysis is checked, and the calculations are applied to a recently discovered binary pulsar.

Portals and platforms: Does the technology matter when developing an online community?

Many education providers grapple with “where” to host their online education community. While many have invested significant funding and time into developing a user specific solution, others are using alternative open source software solutions that provide a just in time response. This research paper reports on the importance of the engagement of an online community within an open source learning management system, presents the key aspects of communication occurring and romanticizes the notion that a user specific solution is not a necessary consideration.

'Create a Better Online You': Designing online learning resources to develop undergraduate social media skills

This article charts the development of the 'Create a Better Online You' (CBOY) project. The focus of CBOY was the social media skills of undergraduate students at QUT. While many students will have encountered 'cybersafety' training in primary or secondary school, however, a comprehensive environmental scan revealed little in the way of social media resources targeted at undergraduate students. In particular, there was little to no focus on the ways in which social media could be used strategically to develop a positive online reputation and enhance chances of employability post tertiary education. The resources created as part of CBOY were the result of a comprehensive literature review, environmental scan, interviews with key internal and external stakeholders, and in discussion with undergraduate students at Queensland University of Technology (QUT). Following the comprehensive environmental scan, it appears that CBOY represents one of the first free, openly accessible, interactive resources targeting the social media skills of undergraduates.

Biofilm formation by multidrug resistant Escherichia coli ST131 is dependent on type 1 fimbriae and assay conditions.

Escherichia coli sequence type 131 (ST131) have emerged as a pandemic lineage of important multidrug resistant pathogens worldwide. Despite many studies examining the epidemiology of ST131, only a few studies to date have investigated the capacity of ST131 strains to form biofilms. Some of these studies have reported contrasting findings, with no specific ST131 biofilm-promoting factors identified. Here we examined a diverse collection of ST131 isolates for in vitro biofilm formation in different media and assay conditions, including urine from healthy adult women. We found significant differences among strains and assay conditions, which offers an explanation for the contrasting findings reported by previous studies using a single condition. Importantly, we showed that expression of type 1 fimbriae is a critical determinant for biofilm formation by ST131 strains and that inhibition of the FimH adhesin significantly reduces biofilm formation. We also offer direct genetic evidence for the contribution of type 1 fimbriae in biofilm formation by the reference ST131 strain EC958, a representative of the clinically dominant H30-Rx ST131 subgroup. This is the first study of ST131 biofilm formation in biologically relevant conditions and paves the way for the application of FimH inhibitors in treating drug resistant ST131 biofilm infections.

Complimentary collaborations: Teachers and researchers co-developing best practices in art education

Australia is currently experiencing a huge cultural shift as it moves from a State-based curriculum, to a national education system. The Australian State-based bodies that currently manage teacher registration, teacher education course accreditation, curriculum frameworks and syllabi are often complex organisations that hold conflicting ideologies about education and teaching. The development of a centralised system, complete with a single accreditation body and a national curriculum can be seen as a reaction to this complexity. At the time of writing, the Australian Curriculum is being rolled out in staggered phases across the states and territories of Australia. Phase one has been implemented, introducing English, Mathematics, History and Science. Subsequent phases (Humanities and Social Sciences, the Arts, Technologies, Health and Physical Education, Languages, and year 9-10 work studies) are intended to follow. Forcing an educational shift of this magnitude is no simple task; not least because the States and Territories have and continue to demonstrate varying levels of resistance to winding down their own curricula in favour of new content with its unfamiliar expectations and organisations. The full implementation process is currently far from over, and far from being fully resolved. The Federal Government has initiated a number of strategies to progress the implementation, such as the development of the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) to aid professional educators to implement the new curriculum. AITSL worked with professional and peak specialist bodies to develop Illustrations of Practice (hereafter IoP) for teachers to access and utilise. This paper tells of the building of one IoP, where a graduate teacher and a university lecturer collaborated to construct ideas and strategies to deliver visual arts lessons to early childhood students in a low Socio- Economic Status [SES] regional setting and discusses the experience in terms of its potential for professional learning in art education.

Osteoporosis medication dispensing for older Australian women from 2002 to 2010: Influences of publications, guidelines, marketing activities and policy

Purpose Developments in anti-osteoporosis medications (AOMs) have led to changes in guidelines and policy, which, along with media and marketing strategies, have had an impact upon the prescribing of AOM. The aim was to examine patterns of AOM dispensing in older women (aged 76–81 years at baseline) from 2002 to 2010. Methods Administrative claims data were used to describe AOM dispensing in 4649 participants (born in 1921–1926 and still alive in 2011) in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health. The patterns were interpreted in the context of changes in guidelines, indications for subsidy, publications (scholarly and general media), and marketing activities. Results Total use of AOM increased from 134 DDD/1000/day in 2002 to 216 DDD/1000/day in 2007 but then decreased to 184 DDD/1000/day in 2010. Alendronate was the most commonly dispensed AOM but decreased from 2007, while use of risedronate (2002 onward), strontium ranelate (2007 onward) and zoledronic acid (2008 onward) increased. Etidronate and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) prescriptions gradually decreased over time. The decline in alendronate dispensing coincided with increases of other bisphosphonates and publicity about potential adverse effects of bisphosphonates, despite relaxing indications for bone density testing and subsidy for AOM. Conclusions Overall dispense of AOM from 2002 reached a peak in 2007 and thereafter declined despite increases in therapeutic options and improved subsidised access. The recent decline in overall AOM dispensing seems to be explained largely by negative publicity rather than specific changes in guidelines and policy.

A survey and analysis of the GNSS spoofing threat and countermeasures

Detection and prevention of global network satellite system (GNSS) “spoofing” attacks, or the broadcast of false global navigation satellite system services, has recently attracted much research interest. This survey aims to fill three gaps in the literature: first, to assess in detail the exact nature of threat scenarios posed by spoofing against the most commonly cited targets; second, to investigate the many practical impediments, often underplayed, to carrying out GNSS spoofing attacks in the field; and third, to survey and assess the effectiveness of a wide range of proposed defences against GNSS spoofing. Our conclusion lists promising areas of future research.

Media convergence

"The book brings together experts from Media and Communication Studies with Postcolonial Studies scholars to illustrate how the two fields may challenge and enrich each other. Its essays introduce readers to selected topics including »Media Convergence«, »Transcultural Subjectivity«, »Hegemony«, »Piracy« and »Media History and Colonialism«. Drawing on examples from film, literature, music, TV and the internet, the contributors investigate the transnational dimensions in today's media, engage with local and global media politics and discuss media outlets as economic agents, thus illustrating mechanisms of power in postcolonial and neo-colonial mediascapes."--Publisher website