The Applicability of Herman's and Chomsky's Propaganda Model Today

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Model, David

2005-01-01

Since the early twentieth century, there have been numerous warnings about the dangers of the growing concentration of corporate ownership of the mass media. As early as 1920, Walter Lippmann claimed that propaganda was already "...a regular organ of popular government." He referred to the propaganda in the media as the…

China's Propaganda in the United States during World War II.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tsang, Kuo-jen

Drawing data from a variety of sources, a study was undertaken to place China's propaganda activities in the United States during World War II into a historical perspective. Results showed that China's propaganda efforts consisted of official and unofficial activities and activities directed toward overseas Chinese. The official activities were…

Teaching about Propaganda: An Examination of the Historical Roots of Media Literacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hobbs, Renee; McGee, Sandra

2014-01-01

Contemporary propaganda is ubiquitous in our culture today as public relations and marketing efforts have become core dimensions of the contemporary communication system, affecting all forms of personal, social and public expression. To examine the origins of teaching and learning about propaganda, we examine some instructional materials produced…

Sludge, biosolids, and the propaganda model of communication.

PubMed

Rampton, Sheldon

2002-01-01

The Water Environment Federation's elaborate effort to rename sewage sludge as "biosolids" is an example in practice of the "propaganda model" of communications, which sees its task as indoctrinating target audiences with ideas favorable to the interests of the communicators. The propaganda model assumes that members of the public are irrational and focuses therefore on symbolic and emotional aspects of communication. This approach to communicating arouses public resentment rather than trust. In place of a "propaganda model," public officials should adopt a "democratic model," which assumes that audiences are rational and intellectually capable of meaningful participation in decision-making.

Temptation and Seduction in the Technological Milieu

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van der Laan, J. M.

2004-01-01

Jacques Ellul's work on propaganda provides the basis for this analysis of life in technology. Advertising and the mass media rely on temptation and seduction and create a constant flow of propaganda, all of which serve the technological system. Propaganda aims to condition and regulate us so that we participate in and adapt ourselves to a desired…

The Decroly School in Documentaries (1930s-1950s): Contextualising Propaganda from within

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Gorp, Angelo

2011-01-01

Propaganda is conspicuous for what it conceals and always cautious about what it reveals. Starting from the assumption that all documentaries on the Decroly School in Uccle (Brussels), the school Ovide Decroly (1871-1932) founded in 1907, are propaganda, this article tackles the question as to how to "read" this particular set of…

A Study in Critical Listening Using Eight to Ten Year Olds in an Analysis of Commercial Propaganda Emanating from Television.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cook, Jimmie Ellis

Selected eight to ten year old Maryland children were used in this study measuring the effect of lessons in becoming aware of propaganda employed by commercial advertisers in television programs. Sixteen 45-minute lessons directed to the propaganda techniques of Band Wagon, Card Stacking, Glittering Generalities, Name Calling, Plain Folks,…

Evidence-Informed Practice: Antidote to Propaganda in the Helping Professions?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gambrill, Eileen

2010-01-01

The most concerning issue affecting the quality of practices and policies in the helping professions is the play of propaganda, which misleads us regarding what is a problem, how (or if) it can be detected, its causes, and how (or if) it can be remedied. Propaganda is defined as encouraging beliefs and actions with the least thought possible.…

Guidelines for a U.S. Counterpropaganda Strategy to Defeat Al-Qaeda Recruiting

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-06-01

the press, the church, the cinema , the education system (universities, pubic and primary schools), and recruiting the best authors to publish books...1945 Ideology and Purpose. President Roosevelt delivered a speech to Congress nearly a year before the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and...Nazi propaganda.79 Third, the foreign campaign concentrated efforts to counter German and Japanese propaganda to the Allies.80 The propaganda

28 CFR 5.5 - Registration fees.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... thereto, dissemination reports, informational materials, and copies of political propaganda and other... thereto, dissemination reports, informational materials, and copies of political propaganda and other...

Influence: Theory and Practice

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-06-01

189 Schramm, How Communication Works, 11 . 190 Oakes, “Cold War System of Emotion Management,” 281. 191 Ellul, Propaganda, 30...M. Taylor, “The Revival of the Propaganda State: U.S. Propaganda at Home and Abroad since 9/ 11 ,” in International Communication Gazette 68, no. 5–6...taken...a good example of the solidarity of the international community on this issue.”553 The terrorist acts of 9/ 11 and the continuous political

28 CFR 5.601 - Copies of records and information available.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

..., informational materials, dissemination reports, and copies of political propaganda and other materials contained... political propaganda and other materials contained in the public files, or research into and information...

Dying the right-way? Interest in and perceived persuasiveness of parochial extremist propaganda increases after mortality salience

PubMed Central

Frischlich, Lena; Rieger, Diana; Hein, Maia; Bente, Gary

2015-01-01

Research on parochial altruism demonstrated that hostility toward out-groups (parochialism) represents the dark side of the willingness to benefit one’s in-group even at own costs (altruism). Parochial aggression thereby emerged mainly under conditions of threat. Extremist propaganda videos, for instance by right-wing extremists, try to capitalize on parochial altruistic mechanism by telling recipients sharing their national identity that this nation is under threat wherefore they for have to join the extremist’s cause to prevent the extinction of their nation. Most of the time, propaganda videos are rated as uninteresting and non-persuasive by the target audience. Yet, evolutionary media psychology posits that the interest in and effectiveness of media increases when evolutionarily relevant problems are addressed. Consequently, interest in parochial altruistic right-wing extremist messages should increase under conditions of threat. The current study tested this assumption by randomly assigning German non-Muslims (N = 109) to either an existential threat (here: mortality salience) or a control condition and asking them to evaluate extremist propaganda that addressed them as either in-group members (right-wing extremists) or as out-group members (Islamic extremists). In support of the hypotheses, subjects under conditions of threat reported a higher interest in the right-wing extremist propaganda and perceived it as more persuasive. We discuss the results concerning the implications for evolutionary media psychology and the transmission of parochial altruism in propaganda videos. PMID:26322011

Dying the right-way? Interest in and perceived persuasiveness of parochial extremist propaganda increases after mortality salience.

PubMed

Frischlich, Lena; Rieger, Diana; Hein, Maia; Bente, Gary

2015-01-01

Research on parochial altruism demonstrated that hostility toward out-groups (parochialism) represents the dark side of the willingness to benefit one's in-group even at own costs (altruism). Parochial aggression thereby emerged mainly under conditions of threat. Extremist propaganda videos, for instance by right-wing extremists, try to capitalize on parochial altruistic mechanism by telling recipients sharing their national identity that this nation is under threat wherefore they for have to join the extremist's cause to prevent the extinction of their nation. Most of the time, propaganda videos are rated as uninteresting and non-persuasive by the target audience. Yet, evolutionary media psychology posits that the interest in and effectiveness of media increases when evolutionarily relevant problems are addressed. Consequently, interest in parochial altruistic right-wing extremist messages should increase under conditions of threat. The current study tested this assumption by randomly assigning German non-Muslims (N = 109) to either an existential threat (here: mortality salience) or a control condition and asking them to evaluate extremist propaganda that addressed them as either in-group members (right-wing extremists) or as out-group members (Islamic extremists). In support of the hypotheses, subjects under conditions of threat reported a higher interest in the right-wing extremist propaganda and perceived it as more persuasive. We discuss the results concerning the implications for evolutionary media psychology and the transmission of parochial altruism in propaganda videos.

Cartoon Analysis of Peace Propaganda.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alexander, Mary, Ed.

1984-01-01

A cartoon for analysis and other learning activities is provided to help students study about peace propaganda, the nuclear freeze, and disarmament. A cartoon analysis worksheet, designed to help students analyze almost any political cartoon, is included. (RM)

Countering Propaganda in the Global War on Terrorism: What can a Democracy do?

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-05-01

Sedition Acts, “Over nineteen hundred prosecutions and other judicial proceedings during the war, involving speeches , newspaper articles, pamphlets...Liberties and National Security .................................................... 18 Protection of Free Speech : Zechariah Chafee, Limits of Free... Speech .......................... 20 Countering Propaganda (Protectionism) ....................................................................... 21

Inducing Resistance to Conspiracy Theory Propaganda: Testing Inoculation and Metainoculation Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Banas, John A.; Miller, Gregory

2013-01-01

This investigation examined the boundaries of inoculation theory by examining how inoculation can be applied to conspiracy theory propaganda as well as inoculation itself (called metainoculation). A 3-phase experiment with 312 participants compared 3 main groups: no-treatment control, inoculation, and metainoculation. Research questions explored…

The Media Creates Us in Its Image

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stivers, Richard

2012-01-01

Propaganda in all its forms is the culture of a mass society. The media transmits propaganda to form public opinion and recreate the human being. Reversing the Western ideal of a rational and free individual, the media creates a childish conformist ensconced in the peer group, who acts unconsciously.

Why We Fight: Mass Persuasion, Morale, and American Public Opinion from World War I Until the Present

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-06-01

fascist and Japanese imperial aggression, is generally considered straightforward. Can the same be said for propaganda’s effectiveness during the...multimedia propaganda include Film Propaganda in Britain and Nazi Germany: World War II Cinema , Jo Fox; Imagined Battles: Reflections on War in

Cyberspace as a new arena for terroristic propaganda: an updated examination.

PubMed

Minei, Elizabeth; Matusitz, Jonathan

2012-11-01

This paper analyzes the role of propaganda use in cyberterrorism. The main premise is that cyberterrorists display various semiotic gestures (e.g., the use of images and Internet videos) to communicate their intents to the public at large. In doing so, they communicate themes-these themes range from hate to anger. Cyberterrorism, then, is a form of theater or spectacle in which terrorists exploit cyberspace to trigger feelings of panic and overreaction in the target population. In many cases, this form of propaganda is the primary means of communication for various cyberterrorist groups to convey their intents. Internet sites also produce numerous opportunities for in-group communication and publicity.

The Pentagon's Military Analyst Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Valeri, Andy

2014-01-01

This article provides an investigatory overview of the Pentagon's military analyst program, what it is, how it was implemented, and how it constitutes a form of propaganda. A technical analysis of the program is applied using the theoretical framework of the propaganda model first developed by Noam Chomsky and Edward S. Herman. Definitions…

Damned Lies. And Statistics. Otto Neurath and Soviet Propaganda in the 1930s.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chizlett, Clive

1992-01-01

Examines the philosophical and historical context in which Otto Neurath (1882-1945) worked. Examines critically (in the light of descriptive statistics) the principles of his Isotype Picture Language. Tests Neurath's personal credibility and scientific integrity by looking at his contributions to Soviet propaganda in the early 1930s. (SR)

World Wars at Home: U.S. Response to World War II Propaganda.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nagy, Alex

1990-01-01

Focuses on how the United States Post Office reacted to the massive influx of political propaganda, primarily from the Soviet Union, immediately prior to and during World War II. Describes how the Post Office played an active role in stopping and burning some 50 tons of incoming material. (RS)

"Political Propaganda": An Analysis of the U.S. Supreme Court Decision in Meese v. Keene.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lipschultz, Jeremy Harris

The United States Supreme Court case, Meese v. Keene, in which the justices narrowly defined the meaning of the term "political propaganda," failed to address adequately the complexities of the issue. In this case it is necessary to bring together divergent views about communications in the analysis of the legal problem, including…

Russian Weaponization of Information and Influence in the Baltic States

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-12-11

stability while conducting propaganda and disinformation campaigns, thus increasing control over domestic information content and flow. Free ...propaganda and disinformation campaigns, thus increasing control over domestic information content and flow. Free societies in the West must account...citizens are largely free to communicate disinformation that conforms to their biases. Importance of the Study US military planners, interagency

Myth and Ideology in U.S. Foreign Policy: East Timor and El Salvador.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chomsky, Noam

Citizens of a democracy have the responsibility to free themselves from the prevailing system of propaganda and ideology that the United States uses when intervening in developing nations. The U.S. government's propaganda system determines the "legitimate" questions to be discussed and the national press often fails to consider more than…

A Qualitative Content Analysis for the Presence of Propaganda in Select Juvenile Whitman Books Published during World War II

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Riesterer, Becky A.

2017-01-01

Scholars have determined popular literature often contains propaganda imperatives (Berelson, 1952; Budd, 1967; Davis, 1942). Given the persuasive impact children's literature has upon the reader, children's literature containing propagandistic intent is a powerful force (Desai, 2014). This is especially true during times of war. Several studies…

Contributions of Jacques Ellul's "Propaganda" to Teaching and Research in Rhetorical Theory.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kluver, Randy

Jacques Ellul is widely known among sociologists and philosophers in the West for his analyses of the impact technology has on human society and humans themselves. Less well known is Ellul's deep interest in human life. Ellul's interest in these areas is evident in "Propaganda: The Formation of Men's Attitudes" (1965) and "The…

Advancing U.S. Strategic Communication through Greater Civilian-Military Coordination and Integration

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-06-01

UN and other multilateral institutions. 17 16 Lolita Balder, "Pentagon propaganda an effort to "get the truth out," Associated Press, printed in the...middle east/3578183.stm (accessed March 2, 2012). Lolita Baldor, "Pentagon propaganda an effort to "get the truth out," Associated Press, printed in

Misleading or Falsification? Inferring Deceptive Strategies and Types in Online News and Social Media

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Volkova, Svitlana; Jang, Jin Yea

Deceptive information in online news and social media has had dramatic effect on our society in recent years. This study is the first to gain deeper insights into writers' intent behind digital misinformation by analyzing psycholinguistic signals: moral foundations and connotations extracted from different types of deceptive news ranging from strategic disinformation to propaganda and hoaxes. To ensure consistency of our findings and generalizability across domains, we experiment with data from: (1) confirmed cases of disinformation in news summaries, (2) {propaganda}, hoax, and disinformation news pages, and (3) social media news. We first contrast lexical markers of biased language, syntacticmore » and stylistic signals, and connotations across deceptive news types including disinformation, propaganda, and hoaxes, and {deceptive} strategies including misleading or falsification. We then incorporate these insights to build machine learning and deep learning predictive models to infer deception strategies and deceptive news types. Our experimental results demonstrate that unlike earlier work on deception detection, content combined with biased language markers, moral foundations, and connotations leads to better predictive performance of deception strategies compared to syntactic and stylistic signals (as reported in earlier work on deceptive reviews). Falsification strategy is easier to identify than misleading strategy. Disinformation is more difficult to predict than to propaganda or hoaxes. Deceptive news types (disinformation, propaganda, and hoaxes), unlike deceptive strategies (falsification and misleading), are more salient, and thus easier to identify in tweets than in news reports. Finally, our novel connotation analysis across deception types provides deeper understanding of writers' perspectives and therefore reveals the intentions behind digital misinformation.« less

Nationalism, racism and propaganda in early Weimar Germany: contradictions in the campaign against the "black horror on the Rhine".

PubMed

Roos, Julia

2012-01-01

During the early 1920s, an average of 25,000 colonial soldiers from North Africa, Senegal and Madagascar formed part of the French army of occupation in the Rhineland. The campaign against these troops, which used the racist epithet ‘black horror on the Rhine’ (schwarze Schmach am Rhein), was one of the most important propaganda efforts of the Weimar period. In black horror propaganda, images of alleged sexual violence against Rhenish women and children by African French soldiers served as metaphors for Germany’s ‘victimization’ through the Versailles Treaty. Because the campaign initially gained broad popular and official support, historians have tended to consider the black horror a successful nationalist movement bridging political divides and strengthening the German nation state. In contrast, this essay points to some of the contradictions within the campaign, which often crystallized around conflicts over the nature of effective propaganda. Extreme racist claims about the Rhineland’s alleged ‘mulattoization’ (Mulattisierung) increasingly alienated Rhinelanders and threatened to exacerbate traditional tensions between the predominantly Catholic Rhineland and the central state at a time when Germany’s western borders seemed rather precarious in the light of recent territorial losses and separatist agitation. There was a growing concern that radical strands within the black horror movement were detrimental to the cohesion of the German nation state and to Germany’s positive image abroad, and this was a major reason behind the campaign’s decline after 1921/22. The conflicts within the campaign also point to some hitherto neglected affinities between the black horror and subsequent Nazi propaganda.

Finding Weakness in Jihadist Propaganda

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-05-01

propaganda – not the governments24. Of all the communication mediums, none was more influential than the cinema . Charlie Chaplin starred in Shoulder...Ibid. 12 more grotesque caricatures and more frightening images. In Figure 2, we see a Japanese soldier assaulting a helpless American prisoner. It...three separate categories: Agitation, drawing attention to the atrocities being committed by the Japanese ; Integration, calling on the American workforce

Default patterns of patients attending clinics for sexually transmitted diseases.

PubMed Central

Mahony, J D; Bevan, J; Wall, B

1978-01-01

The influence of gender, propaganda, and treatment methods was studied in relation to default behaviour of patients with sexually transmitted diseases. The overall default rate of men and women was similar, but a larger proportion of men defaulted after the initial visit, while the biggest fall-out in women was after the second attendance at the clinic. The institution of a propaganda campaign was followed by a reduction in defaulting. The statistical significance of this is open to question, however: moreover the observed improvement in default rate was not maintained once the propaganda had been relaxed. Men treated for non-gonococcal urethritis by a regimen which included one injection a week for three weeks showed a highly significantly lower default rate compared with those who received tablets alone. PMID:580413

The Interaction of Extremist Propaganda and Anger as Predictors of Violent Responses.

PubMed

Shortland, Neil; Nader, Elias; Imperillo, Nicholas; Ross, Kyrielle; Dmello, Jared

2017-12-01

In this study, and with a view to extending upon existing findings on the effects of general violent media on violent cognitions, we experimentally measured the relationship between exposure to extremist propaganda and violent cognitions. Our results countered our hypotheses and the wider findings of violent media and aggression that exposure to violent stimuli increases violent thoughts and that this effect is moderated by trait aggression. Specifically, this study found that participants with low and medium trait aggression became more pro-social after being exposed to extremist propaganda. We discuss these results with reference to theories of terror management and mortality salience, as well as the implications of these results for wider theories of the role of online extremist material in the wider "radicalization" process.

JPRS Report, Soviet Union: Political Affairs.

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-06-20

26 MEDIA, PROPAGANDA Psychologist Views Impact of Chernobyl Tragedy Press Coverage [S. Roshchin; ZH URNALIST No 3, M ar 89...MEDIA, PROPAGANDA 27 Psychologist Views Impact of Chernobyl Tragedy radioactive emissions consisted, as we now see, of long- Press Coverage lived...former aide current one, where truthful words can be said with little to the former General Secretary of the CPSU. Central impact on matters at hand

A Revolutionary Attack on Tobacco: Bolshevik Antismoking Campaigns in the 1920s

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Using archival records of the Commissariat of Public Health, journals, and propaganda materials from the antismoking campaign of the Soviet 1920s, this article argues that the revolutionary state pursued an antitobacco policy unique in the world in its attack on tobacco use at a national scale. The commissar of public health, Nikolai Alexandrovich Semashko, attempted to severely curtail tobacco cultivation and production, limit tobacco sales, and create a public opinion against tobacco with a propaganda campaign. Even in failing in its farther-reaching goals, the policy proved one of the most forward in terms of antismoking propaganda and state-sponsored treatment regimens, with the distribution of antismoking posters, pamphlets, articles, plays, and films as well as the creation of special state-sponsored smoking-cessation programs that boasted high success rates. PMID:28933924

Natural Language Processing Of Online Propaganda As A Means Of Passively Monitoring An Adversarial Ideology

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-03-01

Warfare. 14. SUBJECT TERMS data mining, natural language processing, machine learning, algorithm design , information warfare, propaganda 15. NUMBER OF...Speech Tags. Adapted from [12]. CC Coordinating conjunction PRP$ Possessive pronoun CD Cardinal number RB Adverb DT Determiner RBR Adverb, comparative ... comparative UH Interjection JJS Adjective, superlative VB Verb, base form LS List item marker VBD Verb, past tense MD Modal VBG Verb, gerund or

The Political Dynamics of Insurgency: The Importance of Government Legitimacy

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-03-22

resettlement program were popularized through government use of films , radio programs, and propaganda. Although no more than two hundred Huk families... uses political resources (e.g., 2 organizational expertise, propaganda, and demonstrations) and violence to destroy, reformulate, or sustain the... use of subversion and violence by a group or movement that seeks to overthrow or force change of a governing authority,” characterizing it as an

Review of Department Identified Contracts and Grants for Public Relations Services. Final Inspection Report. ED-OIG/I13-F0012

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

US Department of Education, 2005

2005-01-01

The objective of this inspection was to review the materials produced under 20 contracts and 15 grants issued by the Department of Education (Department) to determine whether any of the contracts and grants resulted in covert propaganda. It has been concluded that none of the grants resulted in covert propaganda under the existing guidance of the…

Translations on Eastern Europe, Political, Sociological, and Military Affairs. Number 1466

DTIC Science & Technology

1977-10-28

German Democratic Republic, has stimulated new initiatives among a large number of work collectives. The atmosphere in the country is determined by the...to which the alterations of power relations stimulate monopoly capitalism — is also reflected in propaganda. Today, the imperialist propaganda...is, not only sympathy and feeling but facts stimulate millions of people to stand beside the Soviet Union. Another circumstance is the community

Do Psychological Operations Benefit from the Use of Host Nation Media?

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-03-01

Policies and Publics in Britain and Germany (London: Routledge and Kegan 1979), 99. 7 II. APPLICATION OF PSYOP AND DEFINING HOST NATION MEDIA A...Balfour. Propaganda, Policies and Publics in Britain and Germany. (London: Routledge and Kegan 1979), 181. 41 Ibid. 42 David Owen. Battle of Wits: A...and Kegan , 1979), 428. 60 Michael Balfour. Propaganda, Policies and Publics in Britain and Germany. (London: Routledge and Kegan , 1979), 87. 61

The Crimea and the Donbass in Flames: The Influence of Russian Propaganda and the Ukraine Crisis

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-01

RUSSIAN PROPAGANDA AND THE UKRAINE CRISIS 5. FUNDING NUMBERS 6. AUTHOR(S) James T. Hough 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) Naval...Postgraduate School Monterey, CA 93943-5000 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION REPORT NUMBER 9. SPONSORING /MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES...establish a new norm or gives new significance to an old one. F. THESIS OVERVIEW AND DRAFT CHAPTER OUTLINE This thesis is organized into four

To Wage Peace Vigorously The North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s Imperative To Intervene In Ukraine

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-04-01

Russia through the use of propaganda and censorship . The Russian population’s willingness to bear the economic difficulties on behalf of the state...Disclaimer The views expressed in this academic research paper are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the official policy or position of the US ... use of propaganda and economic blackmail. In addition, he has openly challenged NATO and European Union (EU) influence in countries like Georgia

Are Army Public Affairs Officers Trained and Educated to Meet the Challenges of the Contemporary Information Environment?

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-06-15

defend information and information systems, and to influence decisionmaking.” (FM 3-13 2003, Paragraph 1-53) The next chapter will include an...about it. Propaganda is as old as Sun Tzu, but World War I brought about the first organized use of propaganda to influence the civilian population... the comments from Walter Cronkite significantly influenced American opinion against the conflict in Vietnam (Hess and Kalb 2003, 27). For the first

Propaganda: Can a Word Decide a War?

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-09-01

attributed pro-United States stories to Iraqi newspapers in an effort to win the war of ideas and counter negative images of the US -led coalition. The...propaganda ever used by the Lincoln Group or US military in its ef- forts to apply the information element of power in a war in which the center of gravity...your back? The ways and means of winning that battle are both informed and ultimately restricted by an innate US culture that struggles with demo

Soviet News and Propaganda Analysis Based on RED STAR (The Official Newspaper of the Soviet Defense Establishment) for the Period 1-30 November 1982. Volume 2, Number 11, 1982.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-01-01

massive propaganda war, based on lies. Patriotic Lebanese attack Israeli forces. • Israelis increase repression and terror against Lebanese. - For...e Israelis increase repression and terror against Lebanese. An analysis of the amount of space by topicp devoted to articles about Israel and Lebanon...Israeli repressions/ terror .............. 21% (4) United States aid/interactions .......... 4% 100% *Represents percent of space in Red Star for Israel

Soviet News and Propaganda Analysis Based on RED STAR (The Official Newspaper of the Soviet Defense Establishment) for the Period 1-31 December 1984. Volume 4, Number 12.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-12-31

junior officers to make independent decisons and learn on their own, but their guidance and criticism should always be available. " Several officers on a...preparations for World War III. It is modernizing and increasing the strength of its strategic nuclear forces. * The Reagan administration will not be reasonable ... attention on counterpropaganda. Classes should focus on rebuttals to NATO-U.S. propaganda. E-5 E-5 - • I . -- -. " - - •- , . . .". . . l- ~ .i -.. , .ii

Soviet News and Propaganda Analysis Based on RED STAR (The Official Newspaper of the Soviet Defense Establishment for the Period), 1-31 January 1985. Volume 5, Number 1.

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-01-31

landing their aircraft. The reasons for the mistakes are: I - The pilots do not pay attention to training. - Inadequate training. - The pilots do not follow...aircraft. Pilots do not pay attention and do not follow instructions on how to land their aircraft. E-4 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Soviet News and Propaganda...organizations that received substantial media attention in January 1985 are listed in Table 1. (Percent reflects total of foreign coverage.) The data in

Soviet News and Propaganda Highlights from Red Star (The Official Newspaper of the Soviet Defense Establishment) for the Period 1-30 June 1981.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-06-01

may be obtained by contacting the Joint Chiefs of Staff - Special Operations Division (JCS-SOD), Pentagon Room * Number 2C839 or by calling 697-3455...Russia saved Europe from Nazism. A secondary propaganda focus was an international appeal (by the Kremlin) for world peace and disarmament. A number of...feature stories emphasized that experiences from World War II must be taught to the current generation of soldiers . E-2 Ir The major emphasis of issues

Popular Health Education and Propaganda in Times of Peace and War in Mexico City, 1890s–1920s

PubMed Central

Agostoni, Claudia

2006-01-01

Health education and propaganda acquired importance during the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Mexico City, as physicians, hygienists, and schoolteachers attempted to teach the principles of public health to a culturally and socially heterogeneous urban population. I explore the organization of the Popular Hygiene Exhibition of 1910 and the importance of health education before and after the armed phase of the Mexican Revolution, and why children and the indigenous populations became the main recipients of health education programs. PMID:16322465

A fertile mother Russia: pronatalist propaganda in revolutionary Russia.

PubMed

Starks, Tricia

2003-07-01

The Soviet consultation with its attendant propaganda, visiting nurses, and vacation homes attempted to set science and the doctor as the ultimate authority in matters of child rearing in place of old authorities, deny the contention that motherhood was a natural ability of women, and take over the father's place in the home. Soviet health care policy bridges pre- and postrevolutionary thought, blurred the boundaries between public and private, and mirrored international natalist policies. However, the application of these policies conformed to Soviet concepts of citizens' duties and state imperatives.

Popular health education and propaganda in times of peace and war in Mexico city, 1890s-1920s.

PubMed

Agostoni, Claudia

2006-01-01

Health education and propaganda acquired importance during the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Mexico City, as physicians, hygienists, and schoolteachers attempted to teach the principles of public health to a culturally and socially heterogeneous urban population.I explore the organization of the Popular Hygiene Exhibition of 1910 and the importance of health education before and after the armed phase of the Mexican Revolution, and why children and the indigenous populations became the main recipients of health education programs.

Institutions and Cultural Diversity: Effects of Democratic and Propaganda Processes on Local Convergence and Global Diversity

PubMed Central

Ulloa, Roberto; Kacperski, Celina; Sancho, Fernando

2016-01-01

In a connected world where people influence each other, what can cause a globalized monoculture, and which measures help to preserve the coexistence of cultures? Previous research has shown that factors such as homophily, population size, geography, mass media, and type of social influence play important roles. In the present paper, we investigate for the first time the impact that institutions have on cultural diversity. In our first three studies, we extend existing agent-based models and explore the effects of institutional influence and agent loyalty. We find that higher institutional influence increases cultural diversity, while individuals' loyalty to their institutions has a small, preserving effect. In three further studies, we test how bottom-up and top-down processes of institutional influence impact our model. We find that bottom-up democratic practices, such as referenda, tend to produce convergence towards homogeneity, while top-down information dissemination practices, such as propaganda, further increase diversity. In our last model—an integration of bottom-up and top-down processes into a feedback loop of information—we find that when democratic processes are rare, the effects of propaganda are amplified, i.e., more diversity emerges; however, when democratic processes are common, they are able to neutralize or reverse this propaganda effect. Importantly, our models allow for control over the full spectrum of diversity, so that a manipulation of our parameters can result in preferred levels of diversity, which will be useful for the study of other factors in the future. We discuss possible mechanisms behind our results, applications, and implications for political and social sciences. PMID:27058247

Institutions and Cultural Diversity: Effects of Democratic and Propaganda Processes on Local Convergence and Global Diversity.

PubMed

Ulloa, Roberto; Kacperski, Celina; Sancho, Fernando

2016-01-01

In a connected world where people influence each other, what can cause a globalized monoculture, and which measures help to preserve the coexistence of cultures? Previous research has shown that factors such as homophily, population size, geography, mass media, and type of social influence play important roles. In the present paper, we investigate for the first time the impact that institutions have on cultural diversity. In our first three studies, we extend existing agent-based models and explore the effects of institutional influence and agent loyalty. We find that higher institutional influence increases cultural diversity, while individuals' loyalty to their institutions has a small, preserving effect. In three further studies, we test how bottom-up and top-down processes of institutional influence impact our model. We find that bottom-up democratic practices, such as referenda, tend to produce convergence towards homogeneity, while top-down information dissemination practices, such as propaganda, further increase diversity. In our last model--an integration of bottom-up and top-down processes into a feedback loop of information--we find that when democratic processes are rare, the effects of propaganda are amplified, i.e., more diversity emerges; however, when democratic processes are common, they are able to neutralize or reverse this propaganda effect. Importantly, our models allow for control over the full spectrum of diversity, so that a manipulation of our parameters can result in preferred levels of diversity, which will be useful for the study of other factors in the future. We discuss possible mechanisms behind our results, applications, and implications for political and social sciences.

From Physical Campus Space to a Full-view Figure: University Atlas Compiling Based on `Information Design' Concept

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Ge; Tang, Xi; Zhu, Feng

2018-05-01

Traditional university maps, taking campus as the principal body, mainly realize the abilities of space localization and navigation. They don't take full advantage of map, such as multi-scale representations and thematic geo-graphical information visualization. And their inherent propaganda functions have not been entirely developed. Therefore, we tried to take East China Normal University (ECNU) located in Shanghai as an example, and integrated various information related to university propaganda need (like spatial patterns, history and culture, landscape ecology, disciplinary constructions, cooperation, social services, development plans and so on). We adopted the frontier knowledge of `information design' as well as kinds of information graphics and visualization solutions. As a result, we designed and compiled a prototype atlas of `ECNU Impression' to provide a series of views of ECNU, which practiced a new model of `narrative campus map'. This innovative propaganda product serves as a supplement to typical shows with official authority, data maturity, scientificity, dimension diversity, and timing integrity. The university atlas will become a usable media for university overall figure shaping.

Online extremism and the communities that sustain it: Detecting the ISIS supporting community on Twitter.

PubMed

Benigni, Matthew C; Joseph, Kenneth; Carley, Kathleen M

2017-01-01

The Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS) continues to use social media as an essential element of its campaign to motivate support. On Twitter, ISIS' unique ability to leverage unaffiliated sympathizers that simply retweet propaganda has been identified as a primary mechanism in their success in motivating both recruitment and "lone wolf" attacks. The present work explores a large community of Twitter users whose activity supports ISIS propaganda diffusion in varying degrees. Within this ISIS supporting community, we observe a diverse range of actor types, including fighters, propagandists, recruiters, religious scholars, and unaffiliated sympathizers. The interaction between these users offers unique insight into the people and narratives critical to ISIS' sustainment. In their entirety, we refer to this diverse set of users as an online extremist community or OEC. We present Iterative Vertex Clustering and Classification (IVCC), a scalable analytic approach for OEC detection in annotated heterogeneous networks, and provide an illustrative case study of an online community of over 22,000 Twitter users whose online behavior directly advocates support for ISIS or contibutes to the group's propaganda dissemination through retweets.

Soviet News and Propaganda Analysis Based on Red Star (The Official Newspaper of the Soviet Defense Establishment) for the Period 1-30 June 1984. Volume 4, Number 6.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-06-30

American use of chemical weapons during the Vietnam war. " America is preparing its children for war. War games, such as Risk, are popular with American...corruption and immoral behavior . When they see problems they must solve them, not ignore them. o The CPSU requires that all Party organizations and military...the editors of Red Star emphasized that the U.S. government has always been militaristic and agressive . In this regard, the Kremlin’s propaganda

Sexual Identity, Stigma, and Depression: the Role of the "Anti-gay Propaganda Law" in Mental Health among Men Who Have Sex with Men in Moscow, Russia.

PubMed

Hylton, Emily; Wirtz, Andrea L; Zelaya, Carla E; Latkin, Carl; Peryshkina, Alena; Mogilnyi, Vladmir; Dzhigun, Petr; Kostetskaya, Irina; Galai, Noya; Beyrer, Chris

2017-06-01

Depression is a major public health problem in the Russian Federation and is particularly of concern for men who have sex with men (MSM). MSM living in Moscow City were recruited via respondent-driven sampling and participated in a cross-sectional survey from October 2010 to April 2013. Multiple logistic regression models compared the relationship between sexual identity, recent stigma, and probable depression, defined as a score of ≥23 on the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale. We investigated the interactive effect of stigma and participation in the study after the passage of multiple "anti-gay propaganda laws" in Russian provinces, municipalities, and in neighboring Ukraine on depression among MSM. Among 1367 MSM, 36.7% (n = 505) qualified as probably depressed. Fifty-five percent identified as homosexual (n = 741) and 42.9% identified as bisexual (n = 578). Bisexual identity had a protective association against probable depression (reference: homosexual identity AOR 0.71; 95%CI 0.52-0.97; p < 0.01). Those who experienced recent stigma (last 12 months) were more likely to report probable depression (reference: no stigma; AOR 1.75; 95%CI 1.20-2.56; p < 0.01). The interaction between stigma and the propaganda laws was significant. Among participants with stigma, probable depression increased 1.67-fold after the passage of the anti-gay laws AOR 1.67; 95%CI 1.04-2.68; p < 0.01). Depressive symptoms are common among MSM in Russia and exacerbated by stigma and laws that deny homosexual identities. Repeal of Russia's federal anti-gay propaganda law is urgent but other social interventions may address depression and stigma in the current context.

Propagandizing the Healthy, Bolshevik Life in the Early USSR.

PubMed

Starks, Tricia A

2017-11-01

This essay outlines the problems facing Soviet health authorities at the inception of the People's Commissariat of Public Health in 1918 and the innovative methods employed in sanitary enlightenment propaganda in Russia throughout the 1920s. Beset by funding issues and supply problems, the emissaries of health chose the cheapest means of health improvement (propaganda) with the most cost-effective method (prevention), and crowed of great successes even as large portions of the nation still suffered from lack of contact with sanitary authorities. Targeting Soviet citizens at every stage and space of life, the envoys of public health spread the message of prophylaxis.

The West's dismissal of the Khabarovsk trial as 'communist propaganda': ideology, evidence and international bioethics.

PubMed

Nie, Jing-Bao

2004-01-01

In late 1949 the former Soviet Union conducted an open trial of eight Japanese physicians and researchers and four other military servicemen in Khabarovsk, a city in eastern Siberia. Despite its strong ideological tone and many obvious shortcomings such as the lack of international participation, the trial established beyond a reasonable doubt that the Japanese army had prepared and deployed bacteriological weapons and that Japanese researchers had conducted cruel experiments on living human beings. However, the trial, together with the evidence presented to the court and its major findings--which have proved remarkably accurate--was dismissed as communist propaganda and totally ignored in the West until the 1980s. This paper reviews the 1949 Khabarovsk trial, examines the West's dismissal of the proceedings as mere propaganda and draws some moral lessons for bioethics today. As an important historical case, set in the unique socio-political context of the Cold War, the West's dismissal of the trial powerfully illustrates some perennial ethical issues such as the ambivalence of evidence and power of ideology in making (or failing to make) cross-national and cross-cultural factual and moral judgments.

Online extremism and the communities that sustain it: Detecting the ISIS supporting community on Twitter

PubMed Central

Joseph, Kenneth; Carley, Kathleen M.

2017-01-01

The Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS) continues to use social media as an essential element of its campaign to motivate support. On Twitter, ISIS’ unique ability to leverage unaffiliated sympathizers that simply retweet propaganda has been identified as a primary mechanism in their success in motivating both recruitment and “lone wolf” attacks. The present work explores a large community of Twitter users whose activity supports ISIS propaganda diffusion in varying degrees. Within this ISIS supporting community, we observe a diverse range of actor types, including fighters, propagandists, recruiters, religious scholars, and unaffiliated sympathizers. The interaction between these users offers unique insight into the people and narratives critical to ISIS’ sustainment. In their entirety, we refer to this diverse set of users as an online extremist community or OEC. We present Iterative Vertex Clustering and Classification (IVCC), a scalable analytic approach for OEC detection in annotated heterogeneous networks, and provide an illustrative case study of an online community of over 22,000 Twitter users whose online behavior directly advocates support for ISIS or contibutes to the group’s propaganda dissemination through retweets. PMID:29194446

[The literary impact of the propaganda campaign against veneral disease at the turn of the century].

PubMed

Goens, J

1996-12-01

The literary perception of venereal diseases in the XIXth century was radically modified by the big prophylactic campaign that began at its end. After writers presented a romantic vision of syphilis associated initially with pride and exaltation, came a generation distressed by the obsession and the phobia that the antivenereal reaction then generated. The moving elements of this campaign, were the extreme attention to overvalued statistics and excessive consideration of indirect transmission; but also such mythical concepts as parasyphilis, syphilitic diathesis, "le génie syphilitique" and especially "hérédosyphilis". This antivenereal campaign, appearing as a sanitary prophylaxis invented by the syphiligraphes, rapidly changed to a moral prophylaxis, using intensively dissuasive methods and generating among others a true propaganda literature. After World War I, the fear of a degeneration of the race, weakened by depopulation, caused an intensification of the propaganda. Its protectionist, xenophobic and intolerant nature then grew considerably in the militant literature to merge into the themes that have characterized the political speech of the Hitlerian period. The Allies and penicillin fortunately put an end to this delirious rhetoric.

Pedigrees, propaganda, and paranoia: family studies in a historical context.

PubMed

Lombardo, P A

2001-01-01

This article reviews the uses of family studies carried out in the early 20th century under the banner of eugenics, a companion discipline to early genetics. It explores how, in an attempt to analyze and quantify purportedly biologic bases of social problems, the eugenicists constructed pedigree charts of notoriously "defective" families. Investigation of individuals with suspect traits formed the basis for instruction of field workers who linked those traits to larger groups. The resulting eugenic family studies provided a "scientific" face for a popular hereditarian mythology that claimed to explain all social failure in systematic terms. The eugenicists were successful in fueling public fear about the growing "army of idiots and imbeciles" graphically depicted in their pedigree charts. Their success was the result of a finely crafted educational program--propaganda that reduced science to simplistic terms. The tendency to oversimplify concepts of genetic causation and the rush to amplify the significance of research findings through the popular media is also apparent today. What begins as publicity has the potential to be transformed into propaganda. Although many in the scientific community are understandably reluctant to revisit the abuses of the past, that community must confront the history of eugenics as a necessary antidote to the genetic hype that surrounds us.

[Anticancer propaganda: myth or reality?].

PubMed

Demin, E V; Merabishvili, V M

2014-01-01

The authors raise a very important problem of anticancer propaganda aimed at the early detection of cancer to be solved nowadays by means of screening and constructive interaction between oncologists and the public. To increase the level of knowledge of the population in this area it is necessary to expand the range of its adequate awareness of tumor diseases. Only joint efforts can limit the destructive effect of cancer on people's minds, so that every person would be responsible for his own health, clearly understanding the advantages of early visit to a doctor. This once again highlights the need of educational work with the public, motivational nature of which allows strengthening the value of screening in the whole complex of measures to fight cancer.

A SELECTED LIST OF UNCLASSIFIED PUBLICATIONS OF THE SOCIAL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT-THE RAND CORPORATION

DTIC Science & Technology

BIBLIOGRAPHIES, * SOCIAL SCIENCES, MILITARY OPERATIONS, CIVIL DEFENSE, COMMUNISM, FOREIGN POLICY, POLITICAL SCIENCE, PROPAGANDA, PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE, PSYCHOLOGY, RELIGION, REPORTS, STRESS (PSYCHOLOGY)

Internal-external stimulus competition in a system of interacting moving particles: Persuasion versus propaganda

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clementi, N. C.; Revelli, J. A.; Sibona, G. J.

2015-07-01

We propose a general nonlinear analytical framework to study the effect of an external stimulus in the internal state of a population of moving particles. This novel scheme allows us to study a broad range of excitation transport phenomena. In particular, considering social systems, it gives insight of the spatial dynamics influence in the competition between propaganda (mass media) and convincement. By extending the framework presented by Terranova et al. [Europhys. Lett. 105, 30007 (2014), 10.1209/0295-5075/105/30007], we now allow changes in individual's opinions due to a reflection induced by mass media. The equations of the model could be solved numerically, and, for some special cases, it is possible to derive analytical solutions for the steady states. We implement computational simulations for different social and dynamical systems to check the accuracy of our scheme and to study a broader variety of scenarios. In particular, we compare the numerical outcome with the analytical results for two possible real cases, finding a good agreement. From the results, we observe that mass media dominates the opinion state in slow dynamics communities; whereas, for higher agent active speeds, the rate of interactions increases and the opinion state is determined by a competition between propaganda and persuasion. This difference suggests that kinetics can not be neglected in the study of transport of any excitation over a particle system.

Internal-external stimulus competition in a system of interacting moving particles: Persuasion versus propaganda.

PubMed

Clementi, N C; Revelli, J A; Sibona, G J

2015-07-01

We propose a general nonlinear analytical framework to study the effect of an external stimulus in the internal state of a population of moving particles. This novel scheme allows us to study a broad range of excitation transport phenomena. In particular, considering social systems, it gives insight of the spatial dynamics influence in the competition between propaganda (mass media) and convincement. By extending the framework presented by Terranova et al. [Europhys. Lett. 105, 30007 (2014)], we now allow changes in individual's opinions due to a reflection induced by mass media. The equations of the model could be solved numerically, and, for some special cases, it is possible to derive analytical solutions for the steady states. We implement computational simulations for different social and dynamical systems to check the accuracy of our scheme and to study a broader variety of scenarios. In particular, we compare the numerical outcome with the analytical results for two possible real cases, finding a good agreement. From the results, we observe that mass media dominates the opinion state in slow dynamics communities; whereas, for higher agent active speeds, the rate of interactions increases and the opinion state is determined by a competition between propaganda and persuasion. This difference suggests that kinetics can not be neglected in the study of transport of any excitation over a particle system.

Symbolic Action in India: Gandhi's Nonverbal Persuasion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Merriam, Allen H.

1975-01-01

Examines symbolic action as a method of exerting public influence nonverbally through nonviolent behavior. Discusses Gandhi's persuasive tactics including fasting, propaganda tours, silence, clothing and adoption of symbols. (MH)

Children's "euthanasia" in Nazi Germany.

PubMed

Benedict, Susan; Shields, Linda; O'Donnell, Alison J

2009-12-01

Children with disabilities were killed during the Nazi era, often by nurses. Some nurses killed children, saying that they were under orders. Propaganda about the need for "racial purity" was all pervasive and influenced much of the population, including nurses. The German people accepted the "mercy" killing of children with disabilities. We describe the children's "euthanasia" program, explore the influence of propaganda, ask why it was acceptable to kill children, and provide historical context demonstrating "slippery slopes" which can lead to abrogation of ethical principles. Discussion of such history is essential as the ethical principles which were breached are still the cornerstone of nursing practice today. Only by openly discussing past wrongs can we attempt to ensure that they do not happen again. Archival documents from Germany and Israel, including trial depositions and transcripts, provided material, supplemented by secondary classic sources.

British anti-vaccination propaganda.

PubMed

Vandervelde, V D

1974-10-01

In April 1972, "Postal History International" published an article of mine concerning anti-vaccination caricature envelopes, which has led to some correspondence with readers and the discovery of several related items. It seems appropriate, therefore, to summarise the information in these pages, in the hope that this may bring forth knowledgeable comment from others. Details of any foreign propaganda of this sort would be particularly welcome. Meanwhile, this articles summarises what is known of the Society responsible for at least some of the British envelopes, and fills in a little of the historical background. The assistance of Mr. Ritchie Bodily is gratefully acknowledged, while the historical information was culled from the Newspaper Library of the British Museum at Colindale. Certain errors in the initial article can now be corrected, notably as to the name and location of the "persecuted man of Truth".

New studies disputing allegations of bacteriological warfare during the Korean War.

PubMed

Rolicka, M

1995-03-01

In the television series Korea the Unknown War produced jointly by Thames Television (London) and WGBH (Boston) in 1990, General Matthew Ridgway, Commander in Chief of United Nations forces during the Korean War, called the accusations that the United States waged bacteriological warfare "black propaganda." The charges discredited the United States and, despite denials and many international discussions, have not been completely refuted until new. Following studies in archives previously not available for research and after uncovering new sources, many specific examples of black propaganda were discovered that contained false information and lies discrediting the United States. The mechanism of lies, which convinced the Korean population that bacteriological warfare was going on and that the only way not to become victims of the United States' inhuman cruelty was to fight, are shown in this paper.

Poland's Press and Broadcasting Under the Gierek Regime

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shanor, Donald R.

1974-01-01

Reports that the Polish press and broadcasting have been carrying more news and less propaganda since the 1970 Baltic upheavel and that the Polish media are generally allowed more freedom than media in other Communist nations. (RB)

A Persuasive Example of Collaborative Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carlsmith, Kevin M.; Cooper, Joel

2002-01-01

Describes the 12-week long collaborative learning project used in a persuasion and propaganda course. Explains that the students worked in groups on a persuasive campaign to change a target population. States that the student projects were persuasive. (CMK)

Teach the Conspiracies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hobbs, Renee

2017-01-01

It's indisputable: disinformation, hoaxes, propaganda, and hyper-partisanship are increasingly global phenomena. Educators, librarians, policymakers, and community leaders are wondering about the implications of the changing information landscape. Anyone can publish and promote anything, and increasing political polarization is being combined with…

[The Revista médica de Hamburgo. A medical journal as an instrument of German foreign cultural propaganda during the Weimar Republic].

PubMed

Wulf, Stefan

2013-01-01

After the First World War, foreign cultural policy became one of the few fields in which Germany could act relatively free from the restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles. In this context, in 1920 the Hamburg doctors Brauer, Nocht and Mühlens created a monthly medical journal in Spanish (and a bit of Portuguese) for use as an instrument of cultural propaganda, i.e. to increase German influence in Spain and, more importantly, in the countries of Latin America: the Revista médica de Hamburgo (since 1928 Revista médica germano-ibero-americana). The focus of the article is on the protagonists of the Revista project, i.e. the Hamburg doctors, the Cultural Department of the Foreign Office in Berlin, the German pharmaceutical industry, and the publishing houses involved: their conceptions and actions; their correspondence, negotiations, agreements and controversies.

State propaganda and mental disorders: the issue of psychiatric casualties among Japanese soldiers during the Asia-Pacific War.

PubMed

Matsumura, Janice

2004-01-01

This article explores the politics of Japanese wartime medical policy, demonstrating how state propaganda about the people and their armed forces influenced authoritative views on health and what might endanger it. By focusing on the obstacles faced by psychiatrists trying to promote more official concern for mental health issues, it challenges the validity of figures indicating a low incidence of psychological trauma among the country's soldiers. Civilian psychiatrists had to contend with the threat of censorship and arrest for even discussing war-induced mental disorders; at the same time, army psychiatrists as military insiders were pressured to convince their patients that their conditions were not serious and did not merit compensation. While discussing the neglected topic of Japanese psychiatric casualties, an attempt is made to provide a comparative approach by referring to the state of military psychiatry in other national settings.

Interplay between social debate and propaganda in an opinion formation model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gimenez, M. C.; Revelli, J. A.; Lama, M. S. de la; Lopez, J. M.; Wio, H. S.

2013-01-01

We introduce a simple model of opinion dynamics in which a two-state agent modified Sznajd model evolves due to the simultaneous action of stochastic driving and a periodic signal. The stochastic effect mimics a social temperature, so the agents may adopt decisions in support for or against some opinion or position, according to a modified Sznajd rule with a varying probability. The external force represents a simplified picture by which society feels the influence of the external effects of propaganda. By means of Monte Carlo simulations we have shown the dynamical interplay between the social condition or mood and the external influence, finding a stochastic resonance-like phenomenon when we depict the noise-to-signal ratio as a function of the social temperature. In addition, we have also studied the effects of the system size and the external signal strength on the opinion formation dynamics.

The Rhetoric of Defeat: Nazi Propaganda in 1945.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bytwerk, Randall L.

1978-01-01

The rhetoric of the final four months of Hitler's Reich is examined, including arguments that Germany could still win the war based on moral and logical grounds, and later appeals based on source credibility, historical analogy, and terror. (JF)

Carl Linnaeus: pictures and propaganda.

PubMed

Fara, Patricia

2003-03-01

How do scientists become famous? Carl Linnaeus was an expert at self-promotion who used portraits to gain patronage and consolidate his reputation. His sexualized classification system was hugely controversial, yet his successors celebrated him as a great hero of botany.

[The sleeping disease drug Germanine as an instrument for propaganda: reception in literature and film during National Socialism].

PubMed

Jacobi, Eva Anne

2010-01-01

As European colonization spread widely over the African continent the health and physical welfare of the African population gained more and more importance to European colonists who concentrated on capitalizing on African human resources for an improved financial and economic outcome of their colonies. This brought tropical medicine to the top of the European colonial agenda and raised the awareness of the threat of infectious diseases, such as the African Trypanosomiasis or so-called sleeping disease. In 1916 a group of scientists from the pharmaceutical company Bayer AG discovered a substance on the base of dye rather than arsenic. The drug was called Bayer 205 and showed outstanding therapeutic effects. It also reduced adverse reactions in people infected with sleeping disease. As Germany had already lost its colonies, the Bayer company--supported by the German government--negotiated with the English and Belgian governments and was allowed to send an expedition to East Africa. During 1921 and 1923 the new drug was tested in English Rhodesia and Belgian Congo and proved revolutionary, especially in comparison with conventional substances. In due course, the drug Bayer 205 was named Germanin and it was subsequently proposed to use it for political leverage: knowledge and use of the new drug was to be given only in exchange for parts of the former German colonies. However, the reactions of the international media put an end to Germany's neo-colonial-dreams, even before the proposal had reached governmental level. Even so, the incident never disappeared from the mind of those who wished to revive German colonialism. Thus, it is no surprise, that the tale of the discovery and perceived "injustice" of a thwarted scientific success regained an important place in National Socialist propaganda. This article will examine two sources to exemplify the role Germanin attained in National Socialist propaganda: Hellmuth Unger's popular science novel Germanin. Geschichte einer deutschen Grosstat and Max Kimmich's movie Germanin. Geschichte einer kolonialen Tat, a film adaption of Unger's book which mainly treats the expedition Friedrich Karl Kleine, a real-life German professor, once lead into Africa. The film mixes political and ideological propaganda with entertaining adventure, lined by an exotic and--when it came to women--rather erotic presentation of the African population.

In Time of War.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Becker, Patti Clayton

2003-01-01

Examines the role of libraries, particularly public libraries, in times of war. Discusses similarities between responses after World War Two and the September 11, 2001 attacks; government restrictions on information; American Library Association responses, including propaganda and libraries; and the library and the community. (LRW)

The Rhetoric of "Unconditional Surrender" and the Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hikins, James W.

1983-01-01

Analyzes the decision to drop the atomic bomb from a rhetorical point of view, arguing that the bombs were launched because of an American commitment to a particular rhetoric that focused on the propaganda slogan "unconditional surrender." (PD)

Analyzing Taliban taranas (Chants): An Effective Afghan Propaganda Artifact

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-03-01

1975. Siddique, Abubakar, ‘Freedom of Musical Expression , Understanding the Taliban’s Campaign against Music’, Freemuse, July 2010, http...Orders of Islam. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1971. Yousafzai, Khushal, ‘Freedom of Musical Expression , Music has Died in the Swat Valley’. Freemuse, 15

Annotated Videography.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, DC.

This annotated list of 43 videotapes recommended for classroom use addresses various themes for teaching about the Holocaust, including: (1) overviews of the Holocaust; (2) life before the Holocaust; (3) propaganda; (4) racism, anti-Semitism; (5) "enemies of the state"; (6) ghettos; (7) camps; (8) genocide; (9) rescue; (10) resistance;…

World War II Homefront: A Historiography.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Winkler, Allan M.

2002-01-01

Highlights the scholarship that exists on the World War II homefront covering topics such as World War II as a good war, Franklin D. Roosevelt, economic policy, propaganda, status of women and women's employment, the role of African Americans, racial violence, and the Japanese American experience. (CMK)

Annotated Videography. Part 3. [Revised].

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, DC.

This annotated videography has been designed to identify videotapes addressing Holocaust history that have been used effectively in classrooms and are available readily to most communities. The guide is divided into 15 topical categories, including: life before the Holocaust; perpetrators; propaganda; racism; antisemitism; mosaic of victims;…

Visualizing the Geography of the Diseases of China: Western Disease Maps from Analytical Tools to Tools of Empire, Sovereignty, and Public Health Propaganda, 1878-1929.

PubMed

Hanson, Marta

2017-09-01

Argument This article analyzes for the first time the earliest western maps of diseases in China spanning fifty years from the late 1870s to the end of the 1920s. The 24 featured disease maps present a visual history of the major transformations in modern medicine from medical geography to laboratory medicine wrought on Chinese soil. These medical transformations occurred within new political formations from the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) to colonialism in East Asia (Hong Kong, Taiwan, Manchuria, Korea) and hypercolonialism within China (Tianjin, Shanghai, Amoy) as well as the new Republican Chinese nation state (1912-49). As a subgenre of persuasive graphics, physicians marshaled disease maps for various rhetorical functions within these different political contexts. Disease maps in China changed from being mostly analytical tools to functioning as tools of empire, national sovereignty, and public health propaganda legitimating new medical concepts, public health interventions, and political structures governing over human and non-human populations.

Propaganda, Public Information, and Prospecting: Explaining the Irrational Exuberance of Central Place Foragers During a Late Nineteenth Century Colorado Silver Rush.

PubMed

Glover, Susan M

2009-10-01

Traditionally, models of resource extraction assume individuals act as if they form strategies based on complete information. In reality, gathering information about environmental parameters may be costly. An efficient information gathering strategy is to observe the foraging behavior of others, termed public information. However, media can exploit this strategy by appearing to supply accurate information while actually shaping information to manipulate people to behave in ways that benefit the media or their clients. Here, I use Central Place Foraging (CPF) models to investigate how newspaper propaganda shaped ore foraging strategies of late nineteenth-century Colorado silver prospectors. Data show that optimistic values of silver ore published in local newspapers led prospectors to place mines at a much greater distance than was profitable. Models assuming perfect information neglect the possibility of misinformation among investors, and may underestimate the extent and degree of human impacts on areas of resource extraction.

Churchill: The Making of a Grand Strategist

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-01-01

training and squeezed to the last drop by relentless war propaganda, the military instruments of that will were as useless as empty suits of armour ...product, Churchill had always had an instinctive sympathy for the underdog . Consequently. he never painted the enemies in his Imperial conflicts in stark

Sustainability of U.S. Government Projects in Afghanistan

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-05-19

centers, schools for boys, to training for girls and dental services.8 For the USG, sustainability of these projects is of critical importance.9...produce success. The enemy uses economic and political warfare, propaganda and naked military aggression in an endless combination to oppose a free

North Korean Aesthetic Theory: Aesthetics, Beauty, and "Man"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

David-West, Alzo

2013-01-01

Aesthetics is not a subject usually associated with North Korea in Western scholarship, the usual tropes being autocracy, counterfeiting, drugs, human-rights abuse, famine, nuclear weapons, party-military dictatorship, Stalinism, and totalitarianism. Where the arts are concerned, they are typically seen as crude political propaganda. One British…

Political Kitsch and Educational Policy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lugg, Catherine A.

This paper explores "political kitsch," a propaganda that incorporates familiar and easily understood art forms to shape the direction of public policy. Kitsch differs from art in that it is a powerful political construction designed to colonize the receiver's consciousness. It reassures and comforts the receiver through the exploitation…

The Role of Special Education in the Third Reich.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sengstock, Wayne L.; And Others

1990-01-01

The paper discusses theories and ideologies that paved the way for the Nazi treatment of the handicapped, national socialist health and racial policies regarding deviance, the use of propaganda to support national socialist policy, legalization of the sterilization of deviants, and the role of special education under national socialism. (JDD)

The Arts in Two Societies: Some Implications for Student Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schisgall, Jane

1983-01-01

Under Hitler, art and drama were controlled in order to serve propaganda purposes exclusively, while under the New Deal the United States succeeded in giving work to artists and writers without controlling their output. Suggests class activities to help students gain understanding of this era. (CS)

Mass Communications in Israel: A Bibliography of Articles, Pamphlets, and Books Written in English.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gotliffe, Harvey

This bibliography on mass communications in Israel contains articles, pamphlets, and books written in English covering the areas of advertising, Arab mass communications, broadcast authority, censorship, culture and communication, film, press and propaganda, publishing writers, radio, commercial and educational television, and the theatre arts.…

Critical Reading That Makes a Difference.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shirley, Fehl L.

Developing individuals who can think and read critically when confronted by the language of commercial and political persuaders is an important goal of reading instruction and of education in general. To make students capable of dealing with the omnipresent propaganda of the modern world, teachers themselves must have a functional concept of…

A History of Socio-Cultural Intelligence and Research Under the Occupation of Japan

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-04-01

either blinded by ethnocentrism or hypnotized by left-wing propaganda.”18 Additionally, MacArthur and Washington, because of pressing Cold War needs...largely intact. In Germany, the nations of the Allied victors actually created and staffed the government. MacArthur, meanwhile, paired up SCAP

TEACHING COMPOSITION WITH FILM.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

COURSEN, HERBERT R., JR.

A COMPOSITION PROGRAM DESIGNED TO GIVE UPWARD BOUND STUDENTS A FEELING OF SUCCESS WAS BASED ON FILMS WHICH THE STUDENTS VIEWED, DISCUSSED, AND WROTE ABOUT. THE FILMS FELL ROUGHLY INTO THE CATEGORIES OF SOCIAL PROBLEMS, POLITICS AND PROPAGANDA, AND ART AND MUSIC. FOLLOWING CLASS DISCUSSIONS, STUDENTS WERE REQUIRED MERELY TO "WRITE ABOUT THE…

Attitude Research in Science Education: Contemporary Models and Methods.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crawley, Frank E.; Koballa, Thomas R., Jr.

Social interaction and influence have been the subject of considerable research. Examining in great detail the factors involved in social influence has enabled social psychologists to understand better the effects of persuasion, propaganda, coercion, indoctrination, and brainwashing. Out of this research has come a widespread acceptance of the…

American Women and the Great War.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dumenil, Lynn

2002-01-01

Provides information on the idealized images of women during World War I. Features the use of posters and propaganda during the war. Focuses on voluntary activities in which women participated, the fight for women's suffrage during the war, and the effect of the war on women working. Includes poster reproductions. (CMK)

Shoptalk: A Column of Brief Ideas and Sundry Thoughts about Media and Teaching English.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Donelson, Kenneth L., Ed.

1970-01-01

Practical advice is provided by Arizona high School English teachers on such areas of media usage as lettering for media projects, hints on movie-making, uses for instamatic cameras and slides, and the use of media for units on propaganda, oral communication, and composition. (MF)

Manufacturing (Il)Literacy in Alberta's Classrooms: The Case of an Oil-Dependent State

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hodgkins, Andrew

2010-01-01

This paper examines involvement of education-business "partnerships" presently occurring in the province of Alberta, Canada. Specific attention is paid to the promotion and sponsorship by oil multinational corporations (MNCs) of corporate propaganda masquerading as energy and environmental literacy programs targeted for the K-12 school…

Brand Caliphate And Recruitment Between The Genders

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-01

females. However, six case studies of radicalized females suggests the recruitment of these women does not appear to be directly attributable to the...propaganda, it appears IS tried to deliver messaging targeted toward females. However, six case studies of radicalized females suggests the...23 B. TEXTUAL ANALYSIS ...........................................................................23 C. CASE STUDIES

Space Race Propaganda: U.S. Coverage of the Soviet Sputniks in 1957.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marlin, Cheryl L.

1987-01-01

Analyzes coverage of the Soviet Sputniks in 1957 by three news magazines--"U.S.News and World Report,""Newsweek," and "Time." Reports that "Time" and "U.S. News" covered the issue in Cold War terms, whereas "Newsweek" put emphasis on the prospects for space exploration. (MM)

Write-Headed Books.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ohanian, Susan

1998-01-01

Notes that emphasis on the writing process has produced books on the subject of students as authors. Discusses several recent books with that theme. Suggests that teachers can encourage kids to become writers by finding books that will "knock their socks off" instead of books that promote propaganda about writing as a process. Provides…

26 CFR 53.4945-2 - Propaganda influencing legislation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... expenditure is an attempt to influence legislation if it is for a direct or grass roots lobbying communication... without regard to whether the public charity has made the election under section 501(h). (ii) Specific... whether the public charity has made the election under section 501(h). (iii) Reliance upon grantee's...

26 CFR 53.4945-2 - Propaganda influencing legislation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... expenditure is an attempt to influence legislation if it is for a direct or grass roots lobbying communication... without regard to whether the public charity has made the election under section 501(h). (ii) Specific... whether the public charity has made the election under section 501(h). (iii) Reliance upon grantee's...

CTC Sentinel. Volume 3, Issue 6

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-06-01

afterlife .27 Images and stories of virgins, rivers of milk and honey, and other heavenly delights in paradise, as well as propaganda videos celebrating...process the meaning of ending one’s life, especially if rewards are promised in the afterlife .” 13 who view the world in black-and-white often have

Don't Worry, It's Just Communist Agenda

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hartwell, Richard D.

2004-01-01

A middle school teacher describes about his community-building exercise and he also teaches AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) tutorial to seventh and eight graders. He clarifies about his communist propaganda projects in which his students create a poster encapsulating their understanding of an allegorical story that is read in the…

Flavor Crystals as Brain Food: Unplug TV Commercials in School.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fox, Roy F.

1997-01-01

Classic propaganda techniques (repetition, testimonials, transfers of one quality to another, and painstaking imagery) work best in "closed" environments--exactly the situation advertisers have in Channel-One classrooms. Private, vulnerable, and sacred, the human psyche is not a commodity to be sold. Yet, such commerce will continue…

Looking at World War I Propaganda

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sperry, Chris

2014-01-01

High school social studies teachers are always struggling to "cover the content" while addressing an ever-expanding set of additional demands. The Common Core expects literacy instruction to be incorporated into social studies. NCSS's new C3 Framework emphasizes teaching students to ask questions, evaluate sources, and communicate…

Hucksters in the Classroom: A Review of Industry Propaganda in Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harty, Sheila

Citing examples of ideological bias and blatant advertising, the report reviews instructional materials and services provided to schools by industry, major corporations, electric utilities, and national trade associations. The document is presented in two parts. Part I, Instructional Advertising, contains a survey of promotional practices in the…

Modern Tools of Propaganda: Television Treatments of National Anthems in the Middle East.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leidman, Mary Beth

Because of the close proximity of countries in the Middle East, broadcast signals freely cross national boundaries, bringing not always friendly endemic populations into contact with each other through radio and television programming--a fact that has not been lost on the governments which fund broadcasting facilities. National anthems are…

The Language of Persuasion, English, Vocabulary: 5114.68.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Groff, Irvin

Developed for a high school quinmester unit on the language of persuasion, this guide provides the teacher with teaching strategies for a study of the speaker or writer as a persuader, the identification of the logical and psychological tools of persuasion, an examination of the levels of abstraction, the techniques of propaganda, and the…

Official Satire in Propaganda: The Treatment of the United States in the GDR's "Eulenspiegel."

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bytwerk, Randall L.

1989-01-01

Examines 102 issues (published in 1985 and 1986) of the "Eulenspiegel," the only magazine in the German Democratic Republic (GDR) devoted to humor and satire. Focuses on the "Eulenspiegel's" treatment of the United States to determine the nature of that satire, its purposes, and its effectiveness. (MM)

38 CFR 1.518 - Addresses of claimants.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... would be prejudicial to the mental or physical health of the claimant. When an address is furnished it..., or propaganda. Neither will a letter be forwarded if the contents could be harmful to the physical or mental health of the recipient. (d) Subject to the conditions set forth in § 1.922, the Department of...

The Great War: Online Resources.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duncanson, Bruce

2002-01-01

Presents an annotated bibliography of Web sites about World War I. Includes: (1) general Web sites; (2) Web sites with information during the war; (3) Web sites with information about post-World War I; (4) Web sites that provide photos, sound files of speeches, and propaganda posters; and (5) Web sites with lesson plans. (CMK)

The Voice of the Innocent: Propaganda and Childhood Testimonies of War

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de La Ferrière, Alexis Artaud

2014-01-01

Childhood testimonies have become a familiar component of war reporting and peace advocacy through the publication of children's drawings, oral descriptions of wartime trauma and wartime writing. While such practices have the merit of publicising children's experiences, it is also the case that the selection and distribution of these materials is…

Sub-Saharan Africa report, [January 29, 1987

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1987-01-29

Partial Contents: Subsaharan Africa, resolution, settlement, leaderships, election fraud, political, propaganda war, guerrilla war, commonwealth president, warns officers, national youth corps, diversity, unemployment, fuel consumption, journalists, cultural agreement, steel plants, foreign investment, energy, fuel shortage, fertilizer, export, telecommunication, defense workers, farming, private school, educational, scholarships, case study, government, economics, political philosophy, sociopolitical, industrial.

Communication in Leadership Redux

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-04-01

34 Telling the Story of America [and the Army...Gregory D. Black, Hollywood Goes to War: How Politics, Profits, and Propaganda Shaped World War II Movies (New York: The Free Press, 1987), 49. This...Knowledge Online in 1999, ahead of the other services.70 Army Knowledge Online is modeled after civilian predecessors such as America Online and Prodigy

"Let the Little Children Come to Me": (Anti-)Religious Films for Young Spectators of the Soviet and Post-Soviet Period

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Naydenova, Natalia

2017-01-01

The article is a comparative analysis of three films focusing on anti-religious and religious propaganda (targeting both Orthodoxy and sectarianism) and featuring children among the main characters: "The Miracle Worker" (1960), "Armageddon" (1962) and "Serafima's Extraordinary Journey" (2015). The three films feature…

The People of the Soviet Union. Sixth Grade.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reikofski, Joyce

This sixth grade teaching unit covers Soviet propaganda, communism, relations with the United States, Soviet geography, Soviet arts, and Soviet life. Unit goals address the above content areas, map skills, and an attitudinal goal of helping students to develop a sense of respect for the life of Soviet citizens. Behavioral objectives are keyed to…

A Study of the Influence of Advertising Techniques on Selection of Instructional Reading Materials by Prospective Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greenlaw, M. Jean; And Others

This study examined the effect of three different modes of presentation on elementary education majors' selection and rating of materials for reading instruction. Materials were chosen to represent each of the following propaganda techniques: glittering generalities, name calling, transfer, testimonial, bandwagon, and card stacking. Students in…

Ideas in Disguise: "Fortune"'s Articulation of Productivity 1969-1972

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Truty, John David

2010-01-01

"Fortune" magazine's articulation of productivity during the period 1969 to 1972 was a skillfully crafted work of propaganda that mixed public perception about (a) the younger generation, (b) issues about the growing rate of inflation, (c) shifting employment sectors, (d) increasing nominal wages, and (e) declining rate of profit.…

Tackling Knowledge "Like a Business?" Rethinking the Modernisation of Higher Education in Poland

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bates, Agnieszka; Godon, Rafal

2017-01-01

The year 1989 marked the official end of communist rule in Poland and the replacement of "Gosplan" by new instruments for liberal-democratic governance. In terms of the economy this heralded a departure from Gosplan's five-year planning cycles, performance targets and the "propaganda of success." Paradoxically, however, 27…

Japan's Monroe Doctrine?: Re-Framing the Story of Pearl Harbor

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murnane, John R.

2007-01-01

Ever since War Department propaganda films set the mold, historians have pretty much followed: the road to Pearl Harbor began in 1931 with Japanese aggression in Manchuria. Any "revision" regarding the War in the Pacific has its own set of problems--engendering controversy, often running up against patriotic sentiments and the tendency…

Classic and Modern Propaganda in Documentary Film: Teaching the Psychology of Persuasion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simpson, Kevin E.

2008-01-01

Primary source material found in documentary film has the potential to richly inform college teaching. This article describes using 2 historically significant documentary-style films to teach concepts in the psychology of persuasion. Exemplary clips taken from "Triumph of the Will" (Riefenstahl, 1935) and "Fahrenheit 9/11" (Moore, 2004)…

Education through Images: Peronist Visual Propaganda between Innovation and Tradition (Argentina 1946-1955)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schembs, Katharina

2013-01-01

The first two Peronist governments (1946-1955) introduced extensive social reforms that notably improved working conditions and systematised vocational training. Thereby the foundations of the Argentine welfare state were laid and the working masses were socially included to an unprecedented degree: thus, they also constituted the majority of…

Read This, It's Catchy. Teacher's Guide [and] Student Material.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bird, Debbie

Emphasis in this teacher's guide and activities booklet is on helping students analyze common advertising techniques and propaganda devices in television, magazine, and radio commercials. The unit is intended for use on the sixth grade level and can be integrated into language arts and/or social studies curricula. The unit is presented in two…

Iowa and World War I.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hardesty, Carolyn, Ed.

1989-01-01

This issue of the children's quarterly magazine, "The Goldfinch," focuses on World War I. A brief discussion of how the United States came to enter the War is followed by a discussion of propaganda. An article on the use of posters to encourage citizens to participate in the war effort is illustrated with reproductions of several of…

26 CFR 53.4945-2 - Propaganda influencing legislation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... qualify as “nonpartisan analysis, study, or research”. (iii) Presentation as part of a series. Normally... months will ordinarily be eligible to be considered as part of a series. If a private foundation times or channels a part of a series which is described in this subdivision in a manner designed to influence the...

Military/Media Dichotomy and Its Impact on Military Operations in West Africa

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-06-08

informed America . Radio can be used to enable an educated and well informed people because it has the power and the audience, but it remains to be seen...referred to as censorship and propaganda, has changed to match developments in information technologies to the extent that information technology is

Separating Facts from Fiction: Linguistic Models to Classify Suspicious and Trusted News Posts on Twitter

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Volkova, Svitlana; Shaffer, Kyle J.; Jang, Jin Yea

Pew research polls report 62 percent of U.S. adults get news on social media (Gottfried and Shearer, 2016). In a December poll, 64 percent of U.S. adults said that “made-up news” has caused a “great deal of confusion” about the facts of current events (Barthel et al., 2016). Fabricated stories spread in social media, ranging from deliberate propaganda to hoaxes and satire, contributes to this confusion in addition to having serious effects on global stability. In this work we build predictive models to classify 130 thousand news tweets as suspicious or verified, and predict four subtypes of suspicious news –more » satire, hoaxes, clickbait and propaganda. We demonstrate that neural network models trained on tweet content and social network interactions outperform lexical models. Unlike previous work on deception detection, we find that adding syntax and grammar features to our models decreases performance. Incorporating linguistic features, including bias and subjectivity, improves classification results, however social interaction features are most informative for finer-grained separation between our four types of suspicious news posts.« less

Science or propaganda?an examination of rind, tromovitch and bauserman (1998).

PubMed

Dallam, S J

2000-01-01

An article, “A Meta-analytic Examination of Assumed Properties of Child Sexual Abuse Using College Samples,” published in the July 1998 edition of the Psychological Bulletin resulted in an unprecedented amount of media attention and became the first scientific article to be formally denounced by the United States House of Representatives. The study's authors analyzed the findings of 59 earlier studies on child sexual abuse (CSA) and concluded that mental health researchers have greatly overstated CSA's harmful potential. They recommended that a willing encounter with positive reactions would no longer be considered to be sexual abuse; instead, it would simply be labeled adult-child sex. The study's conclusions and recommendations spawned a debate in both the popular and scholarly press. A number of commentators suggested that the study is pedophile propaganda masquerading as science. Others claimed that the authors are victims of a moralistic witch-hunt and that scientific freedom is being threatened. After a careful examination of the evidence, it is concluded that Rind et al. can best be described as an advocacy article that inappropriately uses science in an attempt to legitimize its findings.

Social Bots: Human-Like by Means of Human Control?

PubMed

Grimme, Christian; Preuss, Mike; Adam, Lena; Trautmann, Heike

2017-12-01

Social bots are currently regarded an influential but also somewhat mysterious factor in public discourse and opinion making. They are considered to be capable of massively distributing propaganda in social and online media, and their application is even suspected to be partly responsible for recent election results. Astonishingly, the term social bot is not well defined and different scientific disciplines use divergent definitions. This work starts with a balanced definition attempt, before providing an overview of how social bots actually work (taking the example of Twitter) and what their current technical limitations are. Despite recent research progress in Deep Learning and Big Data, there are many activities bots cannot handle well. We then discuss how bot capabilities can be extended and controlled by integrating humans into the process and reason that this is currently the most promising way to realize meaningful interactions with other humans. This finally leads to the conclusion that hybridization is a challenge for current detection mechanisms and has to be handled with more sophisticated approaches to identify political propaganda distributed with social bots.

Scholastic Inc. Pushing Coal: A 4th-Grade Curriculum Lies through Omission

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bigelow, Bill

2011-01-01

This author grew up thinking that Scholastic was the most trusted name in children's books--endorsed by the holy trinity of school, teacher, and parents. However, he now claims that, these days, among other enterprises, Scholastic produces propaganda for the coal industry and passes it off as curriculum. Scholastic has partnered with the American…

Aristotle's Rhetoric, Hitler's Program, and the Ideological Problem of Praxis, Power, and Professional Discourse.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Katz, Steven B.

1993-01-01

Examines Hitler's use of propaganda to construct praxis and define phronesis in Nazi Germany in terms of the rational but open-ended nature of Aristotle's political-ethical thought. Examines the failure of professional discourse surrounding the siting of a low-level nuclear waste facility to create a persuasive reality and yet ideologically…

Doing "Leftist Propaganda" or Working towards Peace? Moving Greek-Cypriot Peace Education Struggles beyond Local Political Complexities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Charalambous, Constadina; Charalambous, Panayiota; Zembylas, Michalinos

2013-01-01

This paper investigates the interference of local politics with a peace education initiative in Greek-Cypriot education and the consequent impact on teachers' perceptions and responses. Focusing on a recent educational attempt to promote "peaceful coexistence", the authors explain how this attempt was seen by many teachers as being a…

26 CFR 53.4945-2 - Propaganda influencing legislation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... months will ordinarily be eligible to be considered as part of a series. If a private foundation times or channels a part of a series which is described in this subdivision in a manner designed to influence the... makes the second-year grant payment, P may not rely upon C's budget documents at that time. Accordingly...

26 CFR 53.4945-2 - Propaganda influencing legislation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... months will ordinarily be eligible to be considered as part of a series. If a private foundation times or channels a part of a series which is described in this subdivision in a manner designed to influence the... makes the second-year grant payment, P may not rely upon C's budget documents at that time. Accordingly...

Public Relations: A Comprehensive Bibliography; Articles and Books on Public Relations, Communication Theory, Public Opinion, and Propaganda, 1964-1972.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bishop, Robert L., Comp.

This bibliography lists and sometimes annotates approximately 4,000 books, articles, and speeches about or related to public relations. The book contains sections on such subjects as advertising, agriculture, automation, banking, books, business, chemical industry, computers, consumer and consumer relations, corporate image, ecology, education,…

Propaganda, Collective Participation and the "War of Position" in the Brazilian Landless Workers' Movement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meek, David

2011-01-01

The Landless Workers' Movement (MST) is recognized as Brazil's most successful social movement. Although its goal is agrarian reform, the MST has been the subject of significant educational scholarship due to the emphasis it places on education reform, and formal and informal education. The MST's pedagogy has been extensively analysed. However,…

Kothmale Community Radio Interorg Project: True Community Radio or Feel-Good Propaganda?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harvey-Carter, Liz

2009-01-01

The Kothmale Community Radio and Interorg project in Sri Lanka has been hailed as an example of how a community radio initiative should function in a developing nation. However, there is some question about whether the Kothmale Community Interorg Project is a true community radio initiative that empowers local communities to access ICT services…

A Critique of Contemporary Approaches to the Study of Political Communication.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sanders, Keith R.

The twentieth century history of the academic study of political communication can be divided into three parts: the period between the World Wars, the period 1940-1965, and the period from 1965 to the present. In the first period, social scientists were greatly concerned that the democratic process might be subverted by propaganda; they were…

Rolling Thunder to Linebacker: U.S. Fixed Wing Survivability Over North Vietnam

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-06-13

it highly as a propaganda example of their victory over the imperialist French . It was hoped that the thorough destruction of this symbol would be a...... French , with a brief intermission against the Japanese in World War II, had conditioned and hardened the populace to a life of constant war and struggle

The Languages of Indigenous Peoples in Chukotka and the Media.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Diatchkova, Galina

In the first half of the 20th century, the social functions of the indigenous languages in Chukotka, in northeast Asia, increased due to the development of written languages, local press, and broadcasting on radio and television. From 1933 to 1989, the local press of indigenous peoples in Chukotka was used for Communist Party propaganda. However,…

Froebel Crosses the Alps: Introducing the Kindergarten in Italy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Albisetti, James C.

2009-01-01

The kindergarten was, in all countries but Germany, a foreign import. The most familiar aspect of its diffusion to American scholars is the spread of Froebel's teachings into England and the United States by emigrants who had left the German Confederation after the failure of the revolutions of 1848-49. Familiar as well are the propaganda efforts…

Thinking Skills and Propaganda Detection.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Price, John L.; Mann, George

This paper points out that one of the most appropriate and needed areas in which students should engage in critical thinking is in their everyday responses to messages aimed at them in attempts to persuade and convince them to buy or believe something. Ten commonly used tactics noted in the media are described. Examples are given of slanted or…

Eyeless in America, the Sequel: Hollywood and Indiewood's Iraq War on Film

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blackmore, Tim

2012-01-01

This article builds on conclusions drawn in the article "Eyeless in America," by the same author and considers how 50 American films about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan intended to function as what Jacques Ellul called "integration propaganda" fared. This article considers and rejects a number of theories about why most…

The Argument for Genocide in Nazi Propaganda

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bytwerk, Randall L.

2005-01-01

The Nazis justified their attempt to exterminate the Jews by claiming that they were only defending themselves against Jewish plans to destroy Germany and its population. I show how the Nazis used the same words to discuss both claims, and how they argued that just as the Jews were serious about exterminating Germany, they were equally serious…

August Wilson's Presentation of Interracial Movements in 1960s

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Yanghua

2018-01-01

August Wilson's "Two Trains Running" tells the life predicaments of the patrons at Memphis' restaurant in the 1960s. Though Wilson avoids addressing the interracial conflicts and movements on stage to eschew protesting and propaganda, they as social background could not be totally ignored in the play. The paper analyses Wilson's use of…

Eyeless in America: Hollywood and Indiewood's Iraq War on Film

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blackmore, Tim

2012-01-01

This article examines 50 films produced and released between the years 2001 and 2012 that are concerned with the American wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Using Jacques Ellul's theories set out in his book "Propaganda," the article argues that while the films have failed at the box office, they were intended to function as integration…

Blind Eyes, Innuendo and the Politics of Design: A Reply to Clive Chizlett.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kinross, Robin

1994-01-01

Criticizes an article in an earlier issue of this journal concerning Otto Neurath. Argues against the notion that Neurath was a communist and an agent of Soviet propaganda. Suggests that the previous article's dichotomy that graphic information is either hard science or pure art prevents an understanding of the subject. (RS)

Vladimir Zhirinovskiy: An Assessment of a Russian Ultra-Nationalist

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-04-01

establish his party, Zhirinovskiy has stated: "Never. All that is propaganda. Just like they say that I am a Zionist, anti-Jewish, a member of the radical ... right or left, or Jewish. Nothing of the sort. I am Russian, Russian, Russian.ś 3 In response to questions about KGB funding, he has said: "With

Understanding Propaganda: The Epistemic Merit Model and its Application to Art

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ross, Sheryl Tuttle

2002-01-01

Pablo Picasso's "Guernica," Francisco de Goya's "Fifth of May," Eugene Delacroix's "Liberty Leading the People," George Orwell's "Road to Wigan Pier," Leni Riefenstahl's "Triumph of the Will," and D. W. Griffith's "Birth of a Nation," are all examples of expressly political art. Historically some art has been not only an object of aesthetic…

We Knew It At the Time: Selected Newspaper Coverage of the Holocaust.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whitaker, W. Richard

A continuing debate among those studying the Holocaust in Europe during the Nazi era is when Americans first learned of the mass murder of Jews being carried out in the extermination camps. Historians suggest that Americans had been made skeptical of charges of German brutality by World War I "atrocity propaganda," and that the language…

Training Little Children: Suggestions for Parents. Bulletin, 1919, No. 39

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bureau of Education, Department of the Interior, 1919

1919-01-01

The kindergarten propaganda work that has been conducted by the Bureau of Education and the National Kindergarten Association in cooperation during the past six years has brought about a more widespread interest in the subject of the educational value of the early years of childhood. This has been manifested not only by an increase in the number…

The Photography and Propaganda of the Maria Montessori Method in Spain (1911-1931)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rubi, Francesca Comas; Garcia, Bernat Sureda

2012-01-01

This article analyses photography as a tool for reinforcing textual discourses in the written press and supporting the popularisation of certain methods and practices in the illustrated press and magazines. The photographs will not be analysed as educational documents or testimony to educational activities but rather in an effort to explore the…

Games Charter Opponents Play: How Local School Boards--and Their Allies--Block the Competition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Joe

2007-01-01

Considerable attention has been paid to the most blatant barriers that public charter schools face. By lobbying against good charter legislation and fair funding, financing anti-charter studies and propaganda, filing lawsuits, and engaging the public battle of ideas, teacher unions and other charter opponents openly wage what might be called an…

Civic Education under Pressure? A Case Study from an Austrian School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schild, Isabella; Breitfuss, Judith

2018-01-01

When the politician Roman Haider of the party Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs (FPÖ--Freedom Party of Austria) caused the interruption of a lecture about political extremism in an Austrian school in spring 2017, a heated debate erupted over the place of politics in school education. While Haider accused the lecturer of political propaganda,…

By Force or by Fraud: Optimizing U.S. Information Strategy With Deception

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-06-01

IV. CASE- STUDY ASSESSMENTS ........................................................................37 A. CASE 1 OVERVIEW: THE DHOFAR REBELLION, 1965...xvi SOF Special Operations Forces SOG Studies and Observations Group USIA United States Information Agency VC Viet Cong...The Development of Overt and Covert Propaganda Strategies,” Presidential Studies Quarterly 24, no. 2 (Spring 1994): 265. 6 Ibid. 4 USIA departments

Using YouTube to Teach Presidential Election Propaganda: Twelve Representative Videos

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Journell, Wayne

2009-01-01

One of the primary goals of social studies education in the United States is to prepare students for civically active, politically informed, and socially engaged democratic citizenship. Too often, however, the curricula fall short of this goal. Textbooks and state curriculum standards tend to portray citizenship as a static concept rather than an…

The Evolving Threat of al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (Strategic Forum, Number 268, July 2011)

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-07-01

Recruitment.” 40 NEFA Foundation, “AQIM: ‘The Annihilation of the Mus- lims in Nigeria,’” February 1, 2010, available at <www.nefafoundation. org...miscellaneous/ NEFA %20AQIM%200210.pdf>. 41 More recently, the group’s propaganda statements have used the name Jama’atu Ahlu Sunna Lidda’awati wal Jihad or

A Course Arms Students with Facts in the Debate over Guns

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chronicle of Higher Education, 2007

2007-01-01

This article describes a new syllabus offered at University of Toledo that focuses on guns and gun policy. The course provides students with learning opportunities on how to arm themselves with propaganda from both sides of the debate over how to apply the Second Amendment, the act that establishes "the right of the people to keep and bear…

The Quotidianisation of the War in Everyday Life at German Schools during the First World War

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scholz, Joachim; Berdelmann, Kathrin

2016-01-01

The outbreak of the First World War had a powerful impact on German schools. Undoubtedly, schools were institutions of socialisation that did offer support to the war. Indeed, research has shown that a specific "war pedagogy" made an aggressive propaganda possible in the classroom. This research usually emphasises the enthusiasm for war…

Capable Reader Program: Language Arts. Volume II. Objectives for Units B2 through B4. Bulletin No. 335.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Long, Sandra; And Others

Part of a curriculum series for academically gifted elementary students in the area of reading, the document presents objectives and activities for language arts instruction. There are three major objectives: (1) recognizing persuasive use of words, vague and imprecise words, multiple meanings conveyed by a single word, and propaganda techniques;…

Intelligence. Indochina Monographs,

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-01-01

literary pieces such as proverbs, folk songs, lyrical poems cad ritual chants. The composition of these songs and poems is simple, -•% the language...exploited the merits of traditionally popular literature such as plainness, simplicity, flexibility, lyricality , and images. Careful studies of rules...governing the composition of folk songs, lyrical poems and ritual chants helped sharpen the Communist propaganda technique to the point that every

Two Nations Underground: Building Schools to Survive Nuclear War and Desegregation in the 1960s

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Preston, John

2017-01-01

In the 1960s federal agencies in the US encouraged the building of protected schools designed to survive a nuclear attack. A number of designs, including underground schools, were constructed. In order to promote the building of protected schools, the US government produced a number of propaganda films for school boards and governors. In addition…

Failed States in Education: Chomsky on Dissent, Propaganda, and Reclaiming Democracy in the Media Spectacle

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooley, Aaron

2010-01-01

This paper discusses the work of Noam Chomsky in the context of democracy, the media, and education. Through the analysis of selected works, a critical perspective emerges. This view demands that educators at all levels understand and confront the often deleterious effects the media can have on students' social and political views and further how…

Al Qaeda: A Modern Day Lernaean Hydra

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-03-01

This small organization carries out devastating attacks by successfully conducting Netwar campaigns. Netwar enables Al Qaeda to finance , coordinate...for command and control (C2), training, propaganda, finance and recruiting. The information revolution has allowed Al Qaeda to organize in highly...presence in Afghanistan, Al Qaeda has assisted the insurgency through financing , recruiting and limited military operations from their safe haven in

Reverse Migration: Western European Muslim Women’s Flights to ISIL Territory

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-09-01

women’s involvement in previous terrorist movements and proposes five potential motivations for migration: grievances toward Western society...voluntarily migrating to ISIL territory to support Islamic extremism. It evaluates women’s involvement in previous terrorist movements and proposes five...connect Western citizens to the pain and suffering in the Middle East. Consequently, they developed remarkably successful recruitment and propaganda

"Shaking Up" Vision: The Video Diary as Personal and Pedagogical Intervention in Mona Hatoum's "Measures of Distance"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Khan, Mehre Y.

2007-01-01

Arguably, Muslim subjects of the diaspora, regardless if they identify as secular, religious, feminist, or queer, have taken on a new and further stigmatized visibility post-9/11. How can students and teachers located in feminist classrooms, Muslim and non-Muslim alike, safely imagine Muslim bodies and identities outside and within war propaganda,…

Closing the Discovery Learning Gap: A Leader Development Training Strategy for Company-Grade Officers for the Conduct of Stability and Reconstruction Operations

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-05-25

Schmitt and David S. Cloud, “The Struggle for Iraq: Propaganda, Senate Summons Pentagon to Explain Effort to Plant Reports in Iraqi News Media,” New York...let their guard down and show subordinates all their warts , their fears, and their concerns. Such transparency directly addresses and influences the

Word, Words, Words: Ellul and the Mediocritization of Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Foltz, Franz; Foltz, Frederick

2012-01-01

The authors explore how technique via propaganda has replaced the word with images creating a mass society and limiting the ability of people to act as individuals. They begin by looking at how words affect human society and how they have changed over time. They explore how technology has altered the meaning of words in order to create a more…

Marketing in Schools, Commercialization and Sustainability: Policy Disjunctures Surrounding the Commercialization of Childhood and Education for Sustainable Lifestyles in England

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilkinson, Gary

2016-01-01

Capitalist expansion is predicated on consumption and growth driven by citizens following their individual preferences in the marketplace. To promote consumption and influence consumer wants and desire, propaganda is used to persuade citizens to purchase products using a wide and diverse range of techniques. In recent decades, this has involved an…

Propaganda and Collective Behavior: Who Is Doing It, How Does It Affect Us, and What Can We Do about It?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tesar, Jennifer E.; Doppen, Frans H.

2006-01-01

The authors present activities that help students understand collective behavior in historical and contemporary settings. This topic is particularly appropriate for social studies content areas such as sociology, psychology, American history, and world history, yet it can also be included in the curriculum of other subject areas, such as language…

History and National Identity Construction: The Great Famine in Irish and Ukrainian History Textbooks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Janmaat, Jan Germen

2006-01-01

This paper compares the narratives on the Famine in Irish and Ukrainian history textbooks and examines to what extent these narratives are colored by a nationalist discourse. It argues that the story of the Famine in Irish history textbooks has changed from nationalist propaganda to a more balanced narrative, and that this change was brought about…

Manipulations of Totalitarian Nazi Architecture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Antoszczyszyn, Marek

2017-10-01

The paper takes under considerations controversies surrounding German architecture designed during Nazi period between 1933-45. This architecture is commonly criticized for being out of innovation, taste & elementary sense of beauty. Moreover, it has been consequently wiped out from architectural manuals, probably for its undoubted associations with the totalitarian system considered as the most maleficent in the whole history. But in the meantime the architecture of another totalitarian system which appeared to be not less sinister than Nazi one is not stigmatized with such verve. It is Socrealism architecture, developed especially in East Europe & reportedly containing lots of similarities with Nazi architecture. Socrealism totalitarian architecture was never condemned like Nazi one, probably due to politically manipulated propaganda that influenced postwar public opinion. This observation leads to reflection that maybe in the same propaganda way some values of Nazi architecture are still consciously dissembled in order to hide the fact that some rules used by Nazi German architects have been also consciously used after the war. Those are especially manipulations that allegedly Nazi architecture consisted of. The paper provides some definitions around totalitarian manipulations as well as ideological assumptions for their implementation. Finally, the register of confirmed manipulations is provided with use of photo case study.

Studies of Opinion Stability for Small Dynamic Networks with Opportunistic Agents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sobkowicz, Pawel

There are numerous examples of societies with extremely stable mix of contrasting opinions. We argue that this stability is a result of an interplay between society network topology adjustment and opinion changing processes. To support this position we present a computer model of opinion formation based on some novel assumptions, designed to bring the model closer to social reality. In our model, the agents, in addition to changing their opinions due to influence of the rest of society and external propaganda, have the ability to modify their social network, forming links with agents sharing the same opinions and cutting the links with those they disagree with. To improve the model further we divide the agents into "fanatics" and "opportunists," depending on how easy it is to change their opinions. The simulations show significant differences compared to traditional models, where network links are static. In particular, for the dynamical model where inter-agent links are adjustable, the final network structure and opinion distribution is shown to resemble real world observations, such as social structures and persistence of minority groups even when most of the society is against them and the propaganda is strong.

[The portrayal of tuberculosis in the motion picture "Robert Koch--Bekämpfer des Todes". How do movies shape knowledge about diseases in urology and medicine?].

PubMed

Moll, F H; Görgen, A; Krischel, M; Fangerau, H

2011-11-01

Popular media have an immediate effect on an audience of millions. They are the base of social learning through the times. Therefore they deserve greater attention from professionals. The Nazi propaganda for example created an elaborate system, which made use of new technologies of the twentieth century, especially radio broadcasting and the movies. Escapism should be produced. Up to now those movies are shown on TV or in the cinema often without reference to their origin and intention which were later on regarded as harmless. As a consequence, "propaganda" is maintained in a very distinguished way. In 1945, the Allies first banned the showing of films made during the Nazi era and confiscated important documents. Those films regarded as "harmless" were soon released to the public again, but in the 1950s some 250 politically dubious films were still under lock and key. Interestingly, they often can be received via the Internet from other countries especially the USA. It only became clear over time that the propagandistic aims that found expression in some 1,100 films needed to be examined more carefully.

[Drug advertisement in a medicine school in the Southern of Brazil].

PubMed

Trevisol, Daisson José; Ferreira, Maria Beatriz Cardoso; Karnopp, Zuleica Maria Patrício

2010-11-01

This is a quali-quantitative study on drug advertisement in a Medicine school in Santa Catarina state. Participants were medicine students, faculty physicians and patients of school ambulatories, totaling 1,231 interviewees. The focal group technique was used to the qualitative research; the quantitative research with a semistructured questionnaire. 53.6% of the faculty physicians considered they were rarely or never influenced by the propaganda, and 53.7% claimed their colleagues are. Among the students, 43.2% believe that, after graduated, they will rarely or never be influenced; while 42.0% believe that graduated are always or frequently influenced. For 41.7%, the information given by the representatives of the pharmaceutical industry is good or excellent. Also, 74.8% reported that the pharmaceutical industry will be able to contribute for their professional practice. This study identified that the distribution of free drug samples are one of the main advertising and propaganda techniques used by the pharmaceutical industry; as there is a certain pressure of the medical preceptor upon the choice of the prescription; although no direct impact of the influence of the pharmaceutical industry on the ambulatories was observed. Drug prescription is usually not rational.

Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (80th, Chicago, Illinois, July 30-August 2, 1997): History.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.

The History section of the Proceedings contains the following 12 papers: "Change on Tap for Nashville: The Telegraph and News Content, 1860" (Frank E. Fee, Jr.); "Rod Sterling's 'Hegemony Zone'" (Bob Pondillo); "The Publications of the Carlisle Indian School: Cultural Voices or Pure Propaganda?" (Beth A. Haller);…

Controlling the Image of the Teacher's Body under Authoritarianism: The Case of Soviet Latvia (1953-1984)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kestere, Iveta; Kalke, Baiba

2018-01-01

The ideal of the Soviet teacher can be revealed in Soviet mass media, but historians are challenged by the question "what was the actual reality"? Therefore, we addressed the reality of the Soviet school using two research questions: (1) What teacher image was cultivated by Soviet propaganda, and what did the average teacher actually…

Managing Perception: A Twenty-First Century Imperative

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-02-13

computer users not logged on, insurgents have distributed CDs and DVDs. This material, enhanced with video , soundtracks, and professional editing...news, and bloggers, and e-mails, and digital cameras, and Sony video cams, and all of these things that bring so much information near instantaneously...December 2005. 10 Lolita C. Baldor, Associated Press, “Pentagon Describes Iraq Propaganda Plan,” Miami Herald, 4 December 2005, [article on-line

Thoughts on "Virtual Education." Virtual Reality vs. Real Experience: Critical Thinking and Outdoor Education. Technology and the Influence of American Culture.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schatz, Curt; Schaefer, Susan

1997-01-01

A finding that environmental educators are eager to accept Virtual Reality (VR) as a teaching tool prompts two responses: one claims that students cannot critically analyze VR information to determine what is relevant because the VR programmer has already done that; the other points out that corporate propaganda taints the technology and that…

Visual Propaganda and Extremism in the Online Environment

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-07-01

Larry Gross, Michael Morgan, and Nancy Signorielli, “The Mainstreaming of American Violence Profile No. 11 ,” Journal of Communication , Vol. 30, Summer...states remain strategic actors, eager to adopt emerging technologies and adapt policy to advance national interests. 11 Revolutions in communication ...MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2004, pp. 170-174. 11 . Doris Graber: “Television News Without Pictures?” Criti- cal Studies in Mass Communication , Vol. 4

The German Colonies in Die Weltgeschichte als Kolonialgeschichte: The Use of Filmic Techniques in Colonial Revisionism in the 1920s

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Annegarn-Gläß, Michael

2016-01-01

Academic history has begun only relatively recently to study films as historical sources, and thus far it has focused principally on feature films to the exclusion of nonfictional cinema, despite the use of educational films for propaganda as early as the interwar period. This essay examines the extent to which educational films of this period…

Translations on Eastern Europe, Political, Sociological, and Military Affairs, No. 1566

DTIC Science & Technology

1978-07-20

Germany x Hungary x Poland x Romania Yugoslavia 17b. ldcntificr.s/Open-Ended Terms Propaganda Political Science Sociology Military...Energy Supply Problems (Slawomir Popowski; TRYBUNA LUDU, 29 Jun 78) 82 ROMANIA Manescu Addresses CEMA Session in Bucharest (Manea Manescu...the RCP Central Committee, the government of the Socialist Republic of Romania and to you personally, Comrade Manescu, for the warm reception

JPRS Report. Soviet Union: Political Affairs

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-07-28

10 Armenian CP Büro on Internal Procedural, Structural Changes [KOMMUNIST 21 May 89] 10 MEDIA, PROPAGANDA Officials Seek Advances in Video ...Availability, VCR Production 12 More Video Theaters, VCR’s Planned [A. Ladynin; SOVETSKAYA ROSSIYA 11 Jun 89] 12 Clarification of Permitted Standards...Procuracy Reviews Recent Illegal Land Appropriations [V Razmadze; ZARYA VOSTOKA 20 Jun 89] 23 Specialist on Video Piracy, Pornography, Black Market [S

IO Sphere: The Professional Journal of Joint Information Operations. Special Edition 2008

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-01-01

members, disseminate propaganda, videos , brochures, and training materials, as well as to coordinate terrorist acts in an anonymous and...collaboration among larger communities of cyber Porn versus Terror Years ago, authorities noticed that child pornography websites, though often...stepping foot on them. Moreover, video information can be analyzed by computer vision algorithms. Based on technology available today, it’s not

The Terrorist Threat: Implications for Homeland Security

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-03-01

Specifically, the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, sedition , restriction of free speech , internal propaganda, and censorship may...York September 2006) 2, 3. 86 George W. Bush, Speech to the National Endowment on Democracy, (Washington DC, October 6, 2005) http...statistics illustrate law enforcement’s inability to prevent violent crime regardless of the intent of the perpetrators. This is not a deficiency; it is

Space War Meets Info War: The Integration of Space and Information Operations

DTIC Science & Technology

2000-04-01

spacelift, command and control of satellites, and surveillance and deconfliction of systems in space.” (4, xi) These operations provide the physical ...PSYOPS), electronic warfare (EW), physical attack/destruction, special information operations (SIO), and may include computer network attack. (3, viii... physical security, counter-deception, counter- propaganda, counter-intelligence, EW, and SIO. (3, viii) Information operations employ both lethal and non

Airwaves and Microblogs: A Statistical Analysis of Al-Shabaab’s Propaganda Effectiveness

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-12-01

manifests itself through conflicts between belligerents’ power, resolve, and trustworthiness . This is combined with the need of a terrorist group to...commenting on Eid festivals and praying for martyrs.80 Heightened messaging during religious celebrations is also displayed with al-Shabaab praising pilgrims...during the Eid- al Adha celebrations in Mecca in October 2012.81 75 Open Source Center

JPRS Report, Near East and South Asia.

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-07-08

and our culture. We collaborators two excellent connoisseurs of Berber lan- are not going to play at being censors ," Ramdane adds. guage and culture, T...its conceived plan, wars will be started between countries propaganda war, America censored war coverage. The for their consumption. There is only one...way to avoid Western media which protested censor restrictions this new international imperialist system and that is, just imposed during the

Translations from Kommunist, Number 10, 1977

DTIC Science & Technology

1977-08-31

Committee, Moscow, published 18 times a year. 14. Abstracts The report contains articles on political, economic , military and social developments and...problems within the USSR and as they relate to communist and other countries. M< Key words and Document Analysis . 17o. Descriptors USSR Political...Science Sociology Propaganda Economics 17b. Identifiers/Open-Ended Terms 17«. COSATI Fl. Id/Group 5D, 5K, 5C It. Availability Statement

El Salvador Psychological Operations Assessment

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-02-04

General Adolfo Blandon, Colonel C. R. L6pez Nuila, Colonel Oscar Campos Anaya, Colonel Sigifredo Ochoa, and Colonel Orlando Zepeda . "North Americans...34 include: Ambassador Edwin G. Corr, Major General James R. Taylor, Colonel John C. Ellerson, Colonel James J. Steele, Colonel John D . Waghelstein...Concrete political tasks. d . The struggle for immediate justice and reforms. e. The development of the war. f. Propaganda against the enemy army This

On Political War

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-12-01

LENINISM It has been argued-perhaps most cogently by Hannah Arendt - that Nazi Germany and Stalinist Russia were both forms of totalitarianism; that both...state system. "The way w., prepared," Hannah Arendt later observed, "by fifty years of the rise of imperialism and disintegration of the nation-state...propaganda and disinformation operations against Britain, and of Britain’s erratic efforts to assess and counter them. Arendt , Hannah . The Origins of

Understanding the Enemy: The Enduring Value of Technical and Forensic Exploitation

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-01-01

designers, builders , emplacers, triggermen, financiers, component sup- pliers, trainers, planners, and operational leaders who made up the web of actors...help to isolate insurgents from the populace and under- mine their propaganda. In terms of joint functions , TECHINT and WTI support com- mand and...measurable biological and behavioral characteris- tics to uniquely identify people.24 The Air Force is the EA for Digital and Multimedia Forensics

CTC Sentinel. Volume 10, Issue 3

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-03-01

Mining Matthew C . DuPée MARCH 2017 C TC SENTINEL 1 Among the most recent evolutions of jihadi terrorist tactics in the West has been...arrest him. Soofi and Simpson committed the attack with assistance from Adbul Malik Abdul Kareem. Source: court documents. c They are Avin Brown (2014...State’s Virtual Entrepreneurs By Seamus Hughes and Alexander Meleagrou-Hitchens 2 C TC SENTINEL MARCH 2017 jihadi propaganda. Together

Joint Force Quarterly. Number 3, Winter 1993-94

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-01-01

strategic bomb- ing campaigns and validity of the theory supporting them are contentious, largely be- cause many consider them an argument for shifting...and obser- vation, economic ties can be readily quantified. Recognizing that statistics are the best tool of propaganda since the warm smile, they...fatalities perhaps provided a tougher test than if many women had been captured or killed. Unlike the high, imper- sonal casualty statistics of the

Unfolding the Future of the Long War: Motivations, Prospects, and Implications for the U.S. Army

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-01-01

chauvinism for its legitimacy. State-Centric State-Centric aims to spread effective governance throughout the Muslim world by strengthening...involvement in the region during times of sectarian violence would challenge IO capabilities to aid in discrediting arguments and propaganda of...quent extensions of the framework to other potential interpretations, have formed the bases for arguments both in support of and against the

USSR Report: Political and Sociological Affairs.

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-07-18

something at which to look closely, besides porno - graphy. For example, to notice and report in good time that video takes root more rapidly far away from...of Video Technology (Vsevolod Vilchek; ZHURNALIST, No 5, May 86) . 42 Ukrainian Obkom Chief on Congress Propaganda Drive (B. Goncharenko...POLITICAL, SOCIAL ASPECTS OF VIDEO TECHNOLOGY Moscow ZHURNALIST in Russian No 5, May 86 pp 44-46 [Article by Vsevolod Vilchek, candidate of art

Soviet News and Propaganda Analysis Based on RED STAR (The Official Newspaper of the Soviet Defense Establishment), 1 - 31 January 1982. Volume 2, Number 1, 1982.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-01-01

Letelier, and has tried to murder Castro, Indira Ghandi and Iranian government leaders. From 1961 to 1976 the CIA has con- ducted over 900 clandestine...revolution." "More Afghanistan counterrevolutionary bands are destroyed by the Afghanistan Army." "Indira Ghandi says that the Soviet Union did not inter

Untangling the Gordian Knot The Socio-Cultural Challenge of Syria

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-10-30

declining legitimacy through construction of traditions suggesting his leadership of modern Islam. 12 Ironically, Hamid II used Islamist language and...Nasserist leadership , and Damascus took up this role. 20 Ba’athist regimes, such as Syria, remained strong until the 1991-2003 time period. 21 The...Legion- style standards) with the most modern ideas of the time (e.g. mass politics, video technology and scientific propaganda). 23 In this method

[Evaluation standards and application for photography of schistosomiasis control theme].

PubMed

Chun-Li, Cao; Qing-Biao, Hong; Jing-Ping, Guo; Fang, Liu; Tian-Ping, Wang; Jian-Bin, Liu; Lin, Chen; Hao, Wang; You-Sheng, Liang; Jia-Gang, Guo

2018-02-26

To set up and apply the evaluation standards for photography of schistosomiasis control theme, so as to offer the scientific advice for enriching the health information carrier of schistosomiasis control. Through the literature review and expert consultation, the evaluation standard for photography of schistosomiasis control theme was formulated. The themes were divided into 4 projects, such as new construction, natural scenery, working scene, and control achievements. The evaluation criteria of the theme photography were divided into the theme (60%), photographic composition (15%), focus exposure (15%), and color saturation (10%) . A total of 495 pictures (sets) from 59 units with 77 authors were collected from schistosomiasis epidemic areas national wide. After the first-step screening and second-step evaluation, the prizes of 3 themes of control achievements and new construction, working scene, and natural scenery were selected, such as 6 pictures of first prize, 12 pictures of second prize, 18 pictures of third prize, and 20 pictures of honorable prize. The evaluation standards of theme photography should be taken into the consideration of the technical elements of photography and the work specification of schistosomiasis prevention and control. In order to improve the ability of records for propaganda purpose of schistosomiasis control and better play a role of guiding correct propaganda, the training and guidance of photography of professionals should be carried out.

Japan's hiropon panic: resident non-Japanese and the 1950s meth crisis.

PubMed

Alexander, Jeffrey W

2013-05-01

This qualitative historical policy analysis explores Japan's early postwar market for hiropon (methamphetamine/meth) and the impact of its anti-hiropon campaigns. The paper traces the origins of medical methamphetamine production in prewar Japan; known at that time by its former brand-name, 'Philopon' (pronounced hiropon), and argues that the anti-meth 'shock-horror' campaigns of the 1950s were exacerbated by long-simmering animosity toward non-Japanese residents - especially Koreans and Taiwanese. Through an analysis of both English- and Japanese-language source materials, the paper explores the gritty, frightening themes of Japan's 1950s-era anti-meth propaganda campaigns and the parallel effort by police to arrest, prosecute, and deport members of the resident Korean and Taiwanese communities. The author demonstrates that by incorporating a wider variety of contemporary Japanese-language sources such as news reports and anti-drug propaganda materials about the postwar hiropon trade, we may more fully appreciate the historic, underlying social tensions behind the swift and targeted public response. The author concludes that Japan's postwar federal and municipal governments, together with police and media agencies, cultivated a sensational 'drug panic' designed both to dissuade citizens from using hiropon and to fuel a concerted police campaign against non-Japanese involved in the meth trade. Published by Elsevier B.V.

USA: Economics, Politics, Ideology, Number 6, June 1978.

DTIC Science & Technology

1978-07-26

perceptible damages on the national economy. Nonetheless, the military-industrial complex, guided by self -seeking goals, is constantly demanding an...public is due, in our opinion, not so much to a conscious desire to revive the cold war as to the fact that "anti-detente" propaganda falls on fertile...The conclusions derived from this set of axioms were self -evident: Fruitful cooperation 25 with the Soviet Union is possible and necessary; the

JPRS Report, China.

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-05-17

By any stretch of the imagination this will be a very important decade. The year 1990, which signifies the beginning of a brand -new era, also...indulging in unbridled propaganda to the effect that "communism has become bankrupt throughout the world," but also its specific policies and actions...5478): "The Serious Effects of the Cold War on Eastern Europe"] INTERNATIONAL JPRS-CAR-90-038 17 May 1990 [Text] After World War II, the countries

Redirected Radicals: Understanding the Risk of Altered Targeting Trajectories Among ISIL’s Aspiring Foreign Fighters

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-01

severe. Chapter III begins the first part of the comparative case study analysis by focusing on Canada’s current foreign fighter issues, propaganda...violence in their home countries. Through an extensive comparative case study analysis of recent ISIL-related violent incidents and plots in the United...overseas, decided instead to alter their targeting trajectory and commit violence in their home countries. Through an extensive comparative case study

Unconventional Warfare: A Mission Metamorphosis for the 21st Century?

DTIC Science & Technology

2000-06-01

technology, the trend for insurgent groups to use the internet to advance their cause or exploit propaganda is sure to increase. Insurgent groups using ...Zapatistas, they used “social net war” to put pressure on the Mexican government. Efforts such as this are expected to continue and are extremely important...authority of the local government or occupying power, and using primarily irregular and informal groupings and measures.246 FM 31-21 Guerrilla Warfare

The Antiaircraft Journal. Volume 92, Number 4, July-August 1949

DTIC Science & Technology

1949-08-01

in Pittsburgh, Union- town, Johnstown, Altoona, Greensburg, Butler, New Castle, Sharon and Erie. Propaganda broadcasts began, adding to the panic and...Altoona, Johnstown, \\Vashington, Beaver Falls, New Castle, Sharon , Butler, and DuBois. Others blew up tele- phone exchanges, power stations and bridges. 1...5.00 Omaha Beachhead fWD Historical) .. _ . _. _ ’" 1.75 Purple Heart Valrey ( Bourke -White) 3.00 Saint lo (Official) 1.25 Salerno (Official) 60 The

(YIP) Detecting, Analyzing, Modeling Adversarial Propaganda in Social Media

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-10-26

SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES 14. ABSTRACT 15. SUBJECT TERMS 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: a. REPORT b. ABSTRACT c . THIS PAGE 17. LIMITATION OF...numbers as they appear in the report, e.g. F33315-86- C -5169. 5b. GRANT NUMBER. Enter all grant numbers as they appear in the report. e.g. AFOSR...classification in accordance with security classification regulations, e.g. U, C , S, etc. If this form contains classified information, stamp classification

Air & Space Power Journal. Volume 28, Number 5, September-October 2014

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-10-01

authorized could employ up to three four-ship cells concurrently.27 If three cells are employed simul - taneously, then 12 of the 21 jets (57 percent...Performance Evaluation of a Forward Arming and Refueling Point (FARP) Using Discrete Event Simulation ,” Graduate Research Project AFIT/MLM/ ENS/05...information, within which propaganda is a species, and therefore addresses all in- formation—biased and unbiased , true and false—designed to shape

USSR Report, Translations From Kommunist, Number 6, April 1985.

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-07-12

tomorrow, risked losing everything» (ibid., pp 4ib- 436). The appeal of the Petrograd Military-Revolutionary Committee »To theCitizens of Russia!« on...speech), Brodskiy was boycotted on an organized basis by formalists and aestheticizing painters and snobs . However, the workers took Brodskiy’s side...8th Guards Army. One of them was government counselor of the Ministry of Information (Propaganda) Heinersdorf. He was bringing Chuykov an appeal from

Using New Media For Information Operations: A Syrian Insurgency Case Study

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-04-01

Sources,” 4. 30. Beifuss and Bellini, Branding Terror, 11. 31. Ibid., 12. 32. Giordano , “Study of a Storm,” 22. 33. Ibid., 22. 34. Historic...Practice. Westport, CT: Praeger Security International, 1964. Giordano , Angela Maria. “Study of a Storm: An Analysis of Zapatista Propaganda...Graham E. Fuller, and Melissa Fuller. The Zapatista Social Netwar in Mexico. Santa Monica, CA: RAND, 1998. Setrakian, Lara, and Alex Zerden. “Mapping

The Rise of Pan-Islamism in Britain

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-12-01

Algerian GIA (Groupe Islamique Arm) in Europe.”48 By the late 1990s Abu Hamza was the leader of the Finsbury Park Mosque.49 A police raid on the...2006). Abu Hamza is also wanted in the U.S. for the following charges: involvement with Earnest James Ujaama, providing support and finance to al...group. Such activities included anti-Libyan regime propaganda, financing , and terrorist planning, as well as alliance with other terrorist organization

The Red Brigades: A Description of a Terrorist Organization.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-08-01

established in both national and international a- renas, operations by the group can be expected to continue. -2- 4--... ACKN uv LEDGEMENTS I wish to...systematic terrorism: bombings and arson, kidnapping for money or political blackmail, 6illing for atonement or simply as instructive exercise.1 Those members...1957-60 providing propaganda and money . * Alexander N. Leader of Komosomol (Communist Shelpin 1960-61 Party of the USSR Youth Organ- ization): to align

USSR Report, Kommunist, No. 1, January 1987

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-04-16

T^Ä the Middle East. That is P™«"**"hJt Ya gl, en to the ferees ef the Socialist Ethiopia. t ~-p (.v,oir> hatred of socialism...Communist Party of Chile Central Committee, and chairman of the Central Committee Propaganda Commission (representing the theoretical journal of the...Communist Party of Chile PRINCIPIOS ("Principles"). We are profoundly inspired by the resolutions of the 27th CPSU Congress, which not only mean a

Transnistria: The Hot Nature of a Frozen Conflict

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-05-23

assumption is based upon an 7 understanding the origins of 1992 Transnistrian War suggested by Charles King in his book, The Moldovans: Romania , Russia...have become the first target of this export, and therefore everything that was Romanian or related to Romania was defamed.82 The same propaganda style...Unlimited 13. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES 14. ABSTRACT Over the past 20 years a conflict reminiscent of the Cold War has raged on in Eastern Europe

Tactical Cyber: Building a Strategy for Cyber Support to Corps and Below

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-01-01

freedom of maneuver.2 And the proliferation of social media , unmanned systems, and other informa- tion and communication technologies among adversaries and...effects through cyber operations 2.1.1. Deny/degrade/disrupt enemy communication that uses the “local Internet” and social media for C2 and propaganda...policy challenges to help make communities throughout the world safer and more secure, healthier and more prosperous. RAND is nonprofit, nonpartisan

Deterrence 2035 - The Role of Transparency and Diversity in a World of Nanosats

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-02-17

accused by the UK 18 of jamming a London-based radio station and disrupting CNN and BBC World broadcasts claiming the content was terrorist propaganda...6 Space applications continue to be increasingly important in everyday life to the point that one cannot conceive broadcasting news or disaster...nations that diligently foster such growth will become and remain economic powers . US’ investment in advanced technology has paid handsomely in terms

I'm Right and You're and Idiot — Jim Hoggan discusses the toxic state of public discourse and how to clean it up, by changing the communication climate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoggan, J. C.

2016-12-01

Just as the natural environment can be polluted, so too can public discourse. I'm Right and You're an Idiot: The Toxic State of Public Discourse and How to Clean it Up examines the sorry state of today's public square, showing how polluted, polarized conversations discourage people from taking action on critical issues such as climate change, and demonstrating how we can clear the air and become more powerful and effective communicators. The most urgent environmental threat today is not climate change, species extinction or the declining health of oceans. Author Jim Hoggan says the more pressing problem is resistance to change that results from pollution in the public square. A smog of adversarial rhetoric, propaganda and polarization that comes from all sides, is stifling discussion and our ability to solve problems collectively. Hoggan has investigated this troubling state of public dialogue and in his new book he asks leading intellectuals why, despite overwhelming scientific evidence, so little is being done to address today's critical environmental challenges. As chair of the David Suzuki Foundation and founder of one of Canada's most successful PR firms, he is uniquely positioned to probe this question. During Hoggan's 30 years in crisis management he has dealt with food poisonings, labour disputes, multi-million dollar bank fraud, sawmill explosions, even bodies disappearing from funeral homes. He also authored the bestseller Climate Cover-Up, which took a critical look at science propaganda and the widespread echo chamber of media and think tanks that magnifies it. How do we improve public discourse and curb over-the-top advocacy, corrupt conversations and propaganda. How do we counteract polarization and gridlock? Hoggan sought answers from more than 60 outstanding scholars, ranging from a NASA scientist to deep-sea oceanographer. He tapped the brains of cognitive researchers, political pundits, philosophers, moral psychologists, corporate analysts and systems thinkers. He also interviewed Zen Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh and travelled to the Himalayas to speak with the Dalai Lama. Hoggan offers fascinating solutions and inspiring insights, as he explains how we can step out of this communication dilemma, break through the gridlock and start having authentic conversations again.

The ’Islamic State’ Crisis and U.S. Policy

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-10-22

U.S. leaders that “the mujahidin have set out to chase the affiliates of your armies that have fled.... You will see them in your own country, God ...just as it will not help you in Iraq. Soon, you will be in direct conflict— God permitting— against your will.”4 English language propaganda and...and other Iraqi minorities, particularly the Yazidis. The Yazidis are mostly Kurdish speaking and practice a mix of ancient religions, including

Thermonuclear Propaganda: Presentations of Nuclear Strategy in the Early Atomic Age

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-06-01

comics .17 One scholar of atomic culture noted the ambiguity of the duality of the atomic age as a central tenant to building the “most powerful of all...2004). 18 Ferenc Morton Szasz, Atomic Comics : Cartoonists Confront the Nuclear World (Reno, NV: University of Nevada Press, 2012), 135. 19 Ibid...research.archives.gov/description/36952. 28 Osgood, Total Cold War; Szasz, Atomic Comics ; Zeman and Amundson, Atomic Culture, 3-4. 10 the most modern

The Next Step in Somalia: Exploiting Victory Post-Mogadishu

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-01-23

Nigeria (oil, and 25% of Africa’s human capital). Interruption in the flow of these resources could disrupt commodities markets and jeopardize the...plight of Al Shabab thus reinforcing the theme of Somalia’s invasion by “African Crusaders.” 44 The propaganda strategy worked. Islamic charities...United States. The force was also provided a complete array of equipment to include weapons, body armor and the R21 MkII “Casper” armoured vehicle.47

China Report, Political, Sociological and Military Affairs, No. 418.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-05-09

the United States on the ground that they are either premature or too costly. Last month, the U.S. Justice Department labelled three Canadian films ...as "political propaganda" and restricted their showing in the United States. Two of the films dealt with the environmental hazards posed by the acid...most important. Without the needs of the times, there will be no reportage. This explains why Zhu Ziqing, the author of " Moonlight by the Lotus

Al Qaeda and Affiliates: Historical Perspective, Global Presence, and Implications for U.S. Policy

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-02-05

mountainous tribal belt of northwest Pakistan, where it continues to train operatives, recruit, and disseminate propaganda. But Al Qaeda franchises or...April 2005 to U.S. charges of involvement in the September 11 plot, apparently visited Malaysia and met with cell members in 2000. Additionally, the...Qaeda leader, Malaysia was viewed as an ideal location for transiting and meeting because it allowed visa-free entry to citizens of most Gulf states

Muck Farming, Song Birds and Man, and Kisimi: A Curricular Case Study of the Claims of Educational Radio and Its Actualized Use in the Classroom, WKAR 1922-1945.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Militello, Matthew

While its educational goals were yet to be defined, the aims of the radio in the early 1920s included the social goal of cultural pluralism; the economic goal of profiteering; the military goal of communicating, training, and surveillance; and, the political goal of propaganda and morale building. In the end, like previous technological advances,…

Soviet Intentions and American Options in the Middle East,

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-01-01

restraints upon cannibals and elimi- nating the slave trade appeared to our ancestors. Some of the Soviet leadership may be cynically mouthing propaganda...ish military weakness-the fall of Khartum in the Sudan, and the 9 massacre of General Gordon and his forces there in January 1885.1 Similarly, the...rare in the Middle East-a modern urban setting. The educational system spawned a hoard of Marxist teachers, many of whom saw Soviet communism as the

Sailing the Sea of OSINT in the Information Age

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-01-01

for All Seasons (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1997) and Robert Baer, See No Evil (New York: Crown publishers, 2002).47 OSINT Then and Now “Open...constitute a valuable resource to anyone seeking to understand the DPRK. More than mere propaganda, as Dr. Wayne Kiyosaki , an expert liter- ate in Korean...DPRK media is an essential 17 Wayne S. Kiyosaki , North Korea’s For- eign Relations: The Politics of Accommoda- tion, 1945–75 (New York, Praeger, 1976

West Europe Report Tables of Contents JPRS-WER-86-064, 2 July 1986 JPRS-WER-86-124, 31 Dec 1986.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-03-30

Exercise (Lars Porne ; SVENSKA DAGBLADET, 13 May 86) 59 Defense Research Institute To Study Officer Drain Causes (Richard Aschberg; SVENSKA DAGBLADET...DAGENS NYHETER, 8 Jun 86) 67 Entire Harsfjarden To Be Blocked With Nets To Halt Subs (Lars Porne ; SVENSKA DAGBLADET, 30 May 86) 72 Private Group...Fundamentalists Abroad Disagree on Ideology (HURRIYET, 20 Aug 86) 49 Fundamentalist Propaganda in Greeting Cards, Videos (HURRIYET, 16 Aug 86

CNA/The Institute for Statecraft Meeting on Evaluating and Countering the Threat from the Islamic State

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-08-10

Charlie Hebdo.  Mastery of social media enables IS to exist as a virtual global caliphate. Islamic State: From Jihadi Movement to Potential Global...military skills but also in classic terror methods , in propaganda techniques, and in deception. As a conventional military, IS has demonstrated...Salafism, a strict constructionist , originalist interpretation of the core texts of Islam. Their intention is to reform Islam and return to what they

The long locum: health propaganda in New Zealand.

PubMed

Dow, Derek

2003-03-14

Health Department folklore since the 1950s has attributed the rise of health education in New Zealand almost entirely to the efforts of one man, 'Radio Doctor' Harold Turbott. The historical evidence reveals, however, a more extensive commitment by the Health Department, dating back to its foundation in 1900. This paper examines the evolution of health education in New Zealand and concludes that Turbott's role in its development has been overstated, largely at his own instigation.

["Living with the bomb" - Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker's path from physics to politics].

PubMed

Walker, Mark

2014-01-01

Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker spanned a spectrum from physics to politics, with philosophy in-between. This chapter surveys the most controversial part of his career, including his work on nuclear weapons and participation in cultural propaganda during the Second World War, his subsequent active political engagement during the postwar Federal German Republic, in particular the role of nuclear weapons, and his participation in myths surrounding Hitler's Bomb".

Constant Character, Changing Nature: The Transformation of the Hollywood War Film, From 1949 - 1989

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-04-16

German. In September of 1941, a special Senate subcommittee was formed to investigate Hollywood film propaganda. Once the Japanese attacked Pearl...the patriotic World War II film would no longer suffice with audiences who were treated to a more realistic depiction of warfare in the cinema of the...late seventies. In 1978, three years after the fall of Saigon, the first Vietnam combat films were released to cinemas throughout the United

Insurgency and Counterinsurgency in Central America

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-06-01

broadly based. In Guatemala, the revolution is at a different stage, and in Honduras, it is an embryo , although the condition? "üJ" ’"MwMfc Jh...who declared "The people of this continent alone have, the right to decide their own destiny ," and by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1904 when he...becoming an embryo government-in-exile. Although in many respects an international propaganda organization, the FDR does have one Important body--the

Subclinical eating disorders in female medical students in Anhui, China: a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Chang, Wei-Wei; Nie, Miao; Kang, Yao-Wen; He, Lian-Ping; Jin, Yue-Long; Yao, Ying-Shui

2015-04-01

This cross-sectional study explored the prevalence of eating disorders (EDs) and possible associated factors (depressive symptoms, anxiety and BMI, etc) on EDs in female medical students in China. A total of 1,135 students in Wuhu, Anhui Province were sampled to participate in this survey. The survey collected sociodemographic data, depressive symptoms, anxiety and eating behaviors of students. The students at risk for eating disorders were 2.17%. Eating disorder risk was more frequent in students with poor parent's relationship, students with poor relationship with parents, students with high body mass index, students who were excessive focus on slimming propaganda, and students whose relatives have a diet. Also, the mean scores for the psychological factors of depression and anxiety were higher in students with eating disorder risk. A multiple linear regression model was produced depicting that depression, anxiety, high level of BMI, focusing on slimming propaganda, and dieting status among relatives were risk factors of having an eating disorder risk. A significant fraction of female medical students in Anhui are at high risk of development of eating disorders. A comprehensive intervention focusing on family environment and emotion management should be designed to prevent occurrence of such disorders among medical students that would undoubtedly hamper the availability of dependable medical services in future. Copyright AULA MEDICA EDICIONES 2014. Published by AULA MEDICA. All rights reserved.

SOCIAL MEDIA RISK ANALYSIS: HOW TO USE ACCEPTED RISK ASSESSMENT TOOLS TO ANALYZE SOCIAL MEDIA RISKS IN MILITARY ORGANIZATIONS

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-06-01

intimidate or inspire.49 Terrorist groups use the Internet and social media networks for four main reasons: 1) propaganda, radicalization, and recruitment; 2...illustrates the groups disregard for social norms and civil discourse. Threat actors in cyberspace fall into one of these four groups and each actor is...During a six-year posting at 37 Squadron and 285 Squadron, Wing Commander Poxon conducted operational deployments to Timor- Leste, Cyprus, Solomon

The road to prevention.

PubMed

Berrino, Franco

2010-01-01

There are even too many books, magazines, and articles dedicated to prevention that involve the latest scientific findings, prejudices and commercial interests. The aim of this prevention column article is to critically analyse, in this overwhelming material, what is true, false or blatant propaganda, setting off the successful experiences with sometimes modest resources and without sophisticated technology. The goal is to promote synergy among potential players of prevention, as prevention is everyone's business: starting from international organisms, through institutional entities, and ending with families.

Granma: Cuban News and Propaganda Analysis for the Period, 1-31 December 1984.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-12-01

homeless people in New York City. Over 7,000 are mentally ill and have been dis- charged from mental institutions. The rest are young people who have no...attacked targets of the University of Puerto Rico and a U.S. Army recruiting office. * The military in Argentina are concerned about the civilian trial of...and troop deploy- ments in the Middle East and Asia. * The Indian government uncovers another CIA spy agency. The Solidarity International Press

How the Russian Federation Uses the Informational Instrument of National Power to Influence the Republic of Moldovas Strategic Security Policy

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-06-09

Power DoD Department of Defense EaP Eastern Partnership EaP CSF Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum EEU Eurasian Economic Union EU European...issues to consider when analyzing the context in which the propaganda occurs such as conflicts (past and present), the mood of the times, power struggles...development and sustainability of different NGOs as part of civil society .82 Joseph Nye refers to soft- power type resources as institutions, ideas

Political and Military Intention Estimation: A Taxonometric Analysis

DTIC Science & Technology

1979-11-01

which govern (a state$’s] use of military, economic,v dip1i~inatic, political, and propaganda instruments of power for the purposes of reaching certain...ess to engage British naval power with what the British took to be a far less capable - 4C navy than Germany in fact peosessed. Similarly, U.S...intentions of potential advertaries. It is also quite naturally true that military proftssionals tend to see military power its the pritu.nv- dotermin- ant t

Female Captive Stories in the United States from the Colonial Era to Present: A Study in the Pervasive Elements of the Traditional Narrative

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-01-01

sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed , and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden...used as a means of propaganda which promotes the ideology of “good versus evil, Christianity versus non-Christianity, or America versus the “other...Work! To Set ‘Em Free (Poster) 74 5 Introduction The people of the United States of America tell many stories that are unique to

[Cultivation and environmental impacts of GMO crops].

PubMed

Pelletier, Georges

2009-01-01

Transgenic plant varieties are grown since 1996 on surfaces increasing each year. They covered 114 million hectares worldwide in 2007, which shows their success among the farmers in developed as well as developing countries, despite the propaganda campaigns of the environmental movements and advocates of decline. The first transgenic crops (soybean, corn, coton and rapeseed) offer benefits in terms of health, economy and environment. Europe and especially France, which reject this technology, sentence their research to death and penalize their agriculture.

THE COMMAND OF THE TREND: SOCIAL MEDIA AS A WEAPON IN THE INFORMATION AGE

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-06-01

and a bot network) based on the analysis within this case study . Table 3. ISIS Case Study Analysis Propaganda Narratives 1. ISIS is strong...get started with an interview and included me in a cyber think-tank for the study of ISIS activity on social media. Additionally, I am still... study demonstrates how social media is a tool for modern warfare in the information age. The report builds on analysis of three distinct topics

Soviet News and Propaganda Highlights from Red Star (The Official Newspaper of the Soviet Defense Establishment) for the Period 1-30 April 1981.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-04-01

intended to provide daily guidance to the Soviet military political cadre concerning domestic and international issues/events. Men and women in the Soviet... soldier . PART I. SOVIET PERCEPTIONS OF INTERNATIONAL EVENTS. in April 1981, approximately 30 percent of the total space in Red Star re- ported events...of Husak’s speech was reprinted in Red Star. A great number of articles stressed friendship between the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia. In Bulgaria

Granma: Cuban News and Propaganda Analysis for the Period, 1-31 January 1985.

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-01-01

qua brarse, puesto que Satielan- firms del exterior, ambas refe- con el agua que norialmente no es rico, 4no ec.01MoI ridas a plantas de trataniento...goverment announced price increases in basic commodities. " During the war in the Falkland Islands, a secret agreement between Great Britian and Chile ...death and destruction of pro- perty. 0 Chile declined an invitation to attend the inauguration of the Presi- dent elect of Brazil. e Many people in

Propaganda Tool: The Hollywood War Movie and Its Usurpation by TV

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-02-28

feature films played in World War II in bonding American public opinion into national will toward the war effort. In studying its effectiveness the...BOAý, (When Da[e ntern"d) \\ \\SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF THIS PAGE(Weni Data Entered) "and the term of information to the American public; the effect of...by the new technology of television after 1950 and its effect on the Americpn public; and finally, to draw a conclusion as to the use of the motion

Crossed Signals on the Battlefield

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-04-13

408th Signal Detachment (Repro) from Fort Totten , NY went to SWA, where it printed operations orders and the propaganda materials for the psychological...RC counterparts may also follow this pattern. Brigadier General(P) Joe Turner, the new commander of the 335th, and his deputy, Brigadier General Tommy ...404th Sig Waterloo, 11-417H 11-669L F, McCoy, New MTOE. Co IA (177) (240) WI 941010 (Area) 408th Sig FT Totten , 11-507L Det NY (9) (Repro) 410th Sig

An Evaluation of the Intensity of Radical Islam in the Balkans and the Assessment of Its Level of Threat for European Security

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-12-01

conquest of the Balkans and failed siege of Vienna, they considered the Balkans as a new border between their states and Islam and thus a lost cause for...security environment, globalization facilitated the rise of terrorism and unified religious fanatics in their irrational cause . Throughout history...Western World: “The freedom given to these individuals to disseminate propaganda and to rally for the cause among Muslim communities in Europe

JPRS Report, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Vietnam: Tap Chi Cong San, No. 2, February 1990

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-10-01

Primary Level [ Tran Van Dam] 14 Letters to the Editorial Staff Renovation of the Cadres Engaged in Organizational Work [Trung Dung] 17 The...from the Marxist-Leninist Institute; Pham Quang Can, the editor in chief of QUOC PHONG TOAN DAN; Nguyen Dang Quang, the editor in chief of GIAO DUC ...ideas. Nguyen Chinh (head of the Department of Propaganda and Training of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front): In a society

Big Eagle, Little Dragon: Propaganda and The Coercive Use of Airpower Against North Vietnam

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-06-01

during the course of Linebacker. When Nixon’s representative, National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger, met with North Vietnam’s Le Duc Tho to...Tho met three times in July and August. On 1 August, 10 Le Duc Tho began to dilute his earlier demands that political and military issues be solved in...Emperor, Tu Duc , to cede the adjoining provinces to their administration, the French then used one pretext after another to expand their control

Commanders and Cyber Chat: Should More Guidance be Provided for Social Networking Sites

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-04-01

his favorite book is Mein Kampf, his favorite movie is the Nazi propaganda film, Triumph of the Will, his interests are “white women, and his...service member wearing a Navy uniform and holding a Confederate insignia is on a commander’s friends list? Is that commander responsible for...Cybervetting and Posting. January 10, 2011. www.inamecheck.com. 18 Ibid. 19 Ibid. 20 Baron, Kevin. "Watchdog group: Dozens of active-duty found on neo- Nazi

Propaganda and pretext.

PubMed

Holt, Sidney

2006-04-01

This Viewpoint describes and analyses the history and current features of the strategy of the Government of Japan, and the associated Institute for Cetacean Research in Tokyo, to regain control of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), to legitimise renewed unsustainable commercial whaling and to dismantle conservation measures taken by the IWC over the past three decades. A key element in that strategy now is to promote and nourish the false idea that the present crisis in world fisheries is significantly caused by the consumption of valuable fish by increasing whale populations.

War Movies Decoded: Understanding the Logic of War Movie Making from Hollywood to Bollywood and Its Use to Spread Propaganda

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-04-01

Introduction War is Cinema and Cinema is War - Paul Virilo World War II: Film and History Why is a war film made? The need to communicate and...Poland in Why We Fight; and racially profiling Japanese in Disney’s Victory through Air Power could be forgiven, considering the justified angst...from the perspective of international target audience can be better appreciated by studying the Indian cinema industry, which is popularly known as

Messaging, Missions, and Mindsets: The Unintended Consequences of National Messaging and Policy when Translated into Operations and Soldier Actions in the Second World War

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-06-23

abundant, and nearly every American had regular 6 access to radios and the cinema . For the first time, messages could reach nearly everyone in...still required for full support. On December 7th, 1941, the Japanese provided it.42 On December 11th, 1941, Hitler declared war on the U.S., without...Soviet, and anti-gypsy indoctrinating propaganda. Nazi public festivals and theater, contextually similar to the American cinema experience

The Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Negotiations and Treaty: An Historical Case Study.

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-09-01

Level Lobbying for SALT," Time, 114: 37-36 (22 October 1979). 38. Hoyle , Russ. "Andropov’s Ultimatum," Time, 122: 70- 71 (7 November 1983). 39. Hoyle ...Russ. "Concession or Propaganda?," Time, 121: 28-29 (16 May 1983). 40. Hoyle , Russ. "Listening to the Allies," Time, 121: 26 (7 February 1983). 41...Disarmament and Global Security: A Search For Alternatives. Boulder CO: Westview Press, Inc., 1984. 44. Kaplan, Fred M. "Dubious Specter: A Skeptical Look at

Cryptography; An Introductory Bibliography of Books and Periodical Articles.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-06-05

Martin’s H25 Pr., c1976. D810 Johnson, Brian. The Secret War, N.Y., NY: Methuen, c1978. $2J6 D810 Jones, Reginald Victor. The Wizard War: British...Park Pr., c1976. UB290 Langie, Andre. Cryptography, London, Eng.: Constable & L3 Co., Ltd., c1922. D810 Lawson, Don. The Secret World War II, N.Y., NY...Writing, N.Y., NY: W.W. Norton & Co., c1943. Z6724 Smith, Myron J., Jr. The Secret Wars, Vol. 1: Intelligence, I7 Propaganda and Psychological Warfare

Soviet News and Propaganda Analysis Based on RED STAR (The Official Newspaper of the Soviet Defense Establishment) for the Period 1-30 November 1984. Volume 4, Number 11.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-11-30

government. * Many innocent women and children are killed as a result of American sponsored military raids into Nicaragua. Fifty-six percent of Red...goals (in regard to the arms race): -- To gain a first-strike advantage. -- To double the number of nuclear weapons. -- To refuse to freeze arms...international issues/events. It addresses the issues important to the political elite.c-- .. Men and women in the Soviet armed forces receive political

The elusive HIV vaccine: an update on the politics, propaganda and scientific barriers in the search for a safe and effective HIV vaccine.

PubMed

Allen, D

1999-01-01

An update is provided on the barriers confronting the development of an effective HIV vaccine. These issues include political and organizational problems, inadequate research funding, pharmaceutical company reluctance to do vaccine research, and the scientific and testing complexities that must be overcome. Two preventive vaccines (Wyeth-Ayerst DNA and AIDSVAX), and two treatment vaccines (Wyeth-Ayerst DNA and Remune) currently in human trials in the United States are described, along with the rationale behind them.

Fake abortion clinics: the threat to reproductive self-determination.

PubMed

Mertus, J A

1990-01-01

The establishment of "fake abortion clinics" poses a great threat to women's ability to make free and informed procreative decisions. Such clinics intentionally deceive pregnant women into believing that they provide a full range of women's health services when, in reality, they provide only a pregnancy test, accompanied by intense anti-abortion propaganda. Because fake abortion clinics threaten women's interests in "privacy" and decisional autonomy, state attorneys general should challenge them under deceptive business practice statutes. Successful challenges can be brought without violating anti-abortion groups' First Amendment rights.

Soviet News and Propaganda Analysis Based on RED STAR (The Official Newspaper of the Soviet Defense Establishment) for the Period 1-31 July 1984. Volume 4, Number 7.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-07-31

lead to nuclear war), and conducting international terrorism against innocent (Third World) populations. During July 1984, the editors of Krasnayz Zvezda...military buildup, based on the need to fight international terrorism . Reagan claims that the U.S.S.R. is behind and supports international terrorism . e...The U.S. supports racist governments and dictatorships that are guilty of terrorism . U.S. military actions in Vietnam and in the Middle East prove

Soviet News and Propaganda Analysis Based on RED STAR (The Official Newspaper of the Soviet Defense Establishment) for the Period 1-30 June 1983, Volume 3, Number 6.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-01-01

Camp. " Israelis use force and terror to stop demonstrations. June 6 is a Day of National Mourning Cn Lebanon). Demonstrations protest Israeli oc...cupation. " Israelis continue arrests, acts of terror , and oppression of the Lebanese people. " Oppression continues - many civilians are arrested in Sidon...is an important comunication technique, because it attracts attention and generally is popular with the audience. During the past two years, the

Regulating the 1918-19 pandemic: flu, stoicism and the Northcliffe press.

PubMed

Honigsbaum, Mark

2013-04-01

Social historians have argued that the reason the 1918–19 ‘Spanish’ influenza left so few traces in public memory is that it was ‘overshadowed’ by the First World War, hence its historiographical characterisation as the ‘forgotten’ pandemic. This paper argues that such an approach tends to overlook the crucial role played by wartime propaganda. Instead, I put emotion words, emotives and metaphors at the heart of my analysis in an attempt to understand the interplay between propaganda and biopolitical discourses that aimed to regulate civilian responses to the pandemic. Drawing on the letters of Wilfred Owen, the diaries of the cultural historian Caroline Playne and the reporting in the Northcliffe press, I argue that the stoicism exhibited by Owen and amplified in the columns of The Times and the Daily Mail is best viewed as a performance, an emotional style that reflected the politicisation of ‘dread’ in war as an emotion with the potential to undermine civilian morale. This was especially the case during the final year of the conflict when war-weariness set in, leading to the stricter policing of negative emotions. As a protean disease that could present as alternately benign and plague-like, the Spanish flu both drew on these discourses and subverted them, disrupting medical efforts to use the dread of foreign pathogens as an instrument of biopower. The result was that, as dread increasingly became attached to influenza, it destabilised medical attempts to regulate the civilian response to the pandemic, undermining Owen’s and the Northcliffe press’s emotives of stoicism.

Truth of Varying Shades: Analyzing Language in Fake News and Political Fact-Checking

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rashkin, Hannah J.; Choi, Eunsol; Jang, Jin Yea

We present an analytic study on the language of news media in the context of political fact-checking and fake news detection. We compare the language of real news with that of satire, hoax, and propaganda to find linguistic cues for untruthful text. To probe the feasibility of automatic political fact-checking, we present a case study based on PolitiFact.com using their factuality judgments on a 6-point scale. Experimental results show that while media fact-checking remains to be an open research question, stylistic cues can help determine the truthfulness of text.

Soviet News and Propaganda Analysis Based on RED STAR (The Official Newspaper of the Soviet Defense Establishment) for the Period 1-30 April 1985. Volume 5, Number 4.

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-04-30

May. " The CIA is responsible for aiding Nazi war criminals to escape to South America. There are 40,000 Nazis that live in Paraguay, Argentina and...University professor). -20- fI -7 777 " Poverty in the United States and Western Europe. - West Germany has over 200,000 homeless people and 2.6 million...delegations from Warsaw Pact countries. The occasion for the event was the 40th anniversary of the Great Victory and the solidarity of socialist block

Soviet News and Propaganda Analysis Based on RED STAR (The Official Newspaper of the Soviet Defense Establishment) for the Period 1-31 January 1983. Volume 3, Number 1, 1983.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-01-01

soldiers admire and emlate Soviet soldiers ." The overall coverage of Soviet domestic topics and events did not sign- if icantly chapg during January...must be demanding, strict and adhere to the rules of their superior officers. a Soldiers need to work as a team. e Officers must be united when they...decide how strict they should be with their men. e Improve discipline through just punishment. * Soldiers must learn to respect the laws. e Political

[Healthy life style as part of strategy of active longevity].

PubMed

Golubeva, E Iu; Danilova, R I

2011-01-01

The contemporary approaches to the conception of healthy aging are discussed. The insufficient propaganda of healthy style of life of elderly population results in non-satisfaction of own health in old age; lack of information about opportunities to strengthen the health in the system of social services managing is also a problem. Weak skills and motivation of elder generation for taking care of the own health are registered. Gender and age features of health self-evaluation have been considered. Low meaning of spending spare time to use physical culture activity for strengthening health have been determinated.

Leo Szilard Lecturship Award: How can physicists help the public make better decisions about science and technology?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Primack, Joel

2016-03-01

For more than 40 years the APS has worked to improve governmental decision-making, mainly through the Congressional Science and Technology Fellowship program and through occasional studies of important science and technology issues. How productive have these been? How can the APS and other professional societies more effectively combat anti-science propaganda and help the public develop better-informed views about science and technology? How can individual scientists communicate scientific concepts in a more understandable and engaging way? How can we encourage young scientists and students to participate in creating a scientifically responsible future?

Cyber + Culture Early Warning Study

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-11-01

propaganda. Food Ministry These stories had more to do with contaminated food (bird flu, mad cow, Fu- kishima). Fulani, Fulbe, International Ethnic An...Iraq 1 4.7 Italy 1 5.0 Malaysia 1 6.0 Mexico 2 11.6 Pakistan 6 10.0 Saudi Arabia 2 22.5 Syria 3 12.2 Taiwan 2 13.5 Turkey 7 10.6 Actor Totals... Malaysia 100 26 50 36 41 57 Mexico 81 30 69 82 24 97 Morocco 70 46 53 68 14 25 Mozambique 85 15 38 44 11 80 Namibia 65 30 40 45 35 Null Nepal 65 30

Web Spam, Social Propaganda and the Evolution of Search Engine Rankings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Metaxas, Panagiotis Takis

Search Engines have greatly influenced the way we experience the web. Since the early days of the web, users have been relying on them to get informed and make decisions. When the web was relatively small, web directories were built and maintained using human experts to screen and categorize pages according to their characteristics. By the mid 1990's, however, it was apparent that the human expert model of categorizing web pages does not scale. The first search engines appeared and they have been evolving ever since, taking over the role that web directories used to play.

Summary of the Hungarian Provincial Press (125th of the Series)

DTIC Science & Technology

1960-06-24

Party members-in the factory and oceraing tö Kr» total BEMSStt. sectary of the Plant KSZMP organziaUon, In ever r.hop in ^ition to the foreman end...turing plant there» while to Kaor.mir Hungary will send water works equifmnat« To Iraq Hungary exports textiles and other light industry products tmfi a...are still with us aM *r® must not igner« thess»* Efeoae’Who took the Party course» contributed tc the MSZMP propaganda en their r*spastiv© 5©ps and

The black legend on the Spanish presence in the low countries: Verifying shared beliefs on genetic ancestry.

PubMed

Larmuseau, Maarten H D; Calafell, Francesc; Princen, Sarah A; Decorte, Ronny; Soen, Violet

2018-05-01

War atrocities committed by the Spanish army in the Low Countries during the 16th century are so ingrained in the collective memory of Belgian and Dutch societies that they generally assume a signature of this history to be present in their genetic ancestry. Historians claim this assumption is a consequence of the so-called "Black Legend" and negative propaganda portraying and remembering Spanish soldiers as extreme sexual aggressors. The impact of the presence of Spaniards during the Dutch Revolt on the genetic variation in the Low Countries has been verified in this study. A recent population genetic analysis of Iberian-associated Y-chromosomal variation among Europe is enlarged with representative samples of Dutch (N = 250) and Flemish (N = 1,087) males. Frequencies of these variants are also compared between donors whose oldest reported paternal ancestors lived in-nowadays Flemish-cities affected by so-called Spanish Furies (N = 116) versus other patrilineages in current Flemish territory (N = 971). The frequencies of Y-chromosomal markers Z195 and SRY2627 decline steeply going north from Spain and the data for the Flemish and Dutch populations fits within this pattern. No trend of higher frequencies of these variants has been found within the well-ascertained samples associated with Spanish Fury cities. Although sexual aggression did occur in the 16th century, these activities did not leave a traceable "Spanish" genetic signature in the autochthonous genome of the Low Countries. Our results support the view that the 'Black Legend' and historical propaganda on sexual aggression have nurtured today's incorrect assumptions regarding genetic ancestry. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Factors that influence public awareness of domestic waste characteristics and management in rural areas.

PubMed

Han, Zhiyong; Duan, Qingqing; Fei, Yongqiang; Zeng, Dan; Shi, Guozhong; Li, Haimei; Hu, Meilun

2018-05-01

Public awareness of domestic waste characteristics and management (PADWCM) is a prerequisite for a domestic waste management (DWM) plan. In this study, we considered China as a typical example of developing countries to investigate the public perception of environmental pollution (PEP), its PADWCM, and its socioeconomic factors, using questionnaires and statistical methods. The results indicated that the public PEP was mainly due to obvious environmental contamination in local villages, and the PADWCM is still inadequate in rural areas. However, 83.9% of the respondents agreed that DWM is highly necessary. The PADWCM, including the hazard, recyclability, and characteristic pollution caused by domestic waste, was learned mainly from people's direct PEP, experiences, and repurchasing by recyclers. Education period had highly significant positive correlations and regressions with PEP and PADWCM, respectively. Additionally, education directly affected public awareness in different income and age groups. Demonstration projects had a significant positive effect on the awareness of characteristic pollution caused by domestic waste, which was readily perceived. Propaganda had a significant positive influence on the awareness of treatment necessity. Age and gender had no obvious effects on public PEP and PADWCM. Some aspects of PADWCM requiring a deep understanding became stronger as income increased; however, the PADWCM located close to poor people became weaker. Some aspects of PEP could significantly influence the awareness of characteristic pollution caused by domestic waste and awareness of treatment necessity. Therefore, improving environmental education, performing demonstration projects and effective environmental propaganda, increasing people's income, and attracting young people to participate in DWM will be important for enhancing environmental awareness and DWM in rural areas. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2018;14:395-406. © 2018 SETAC. © 2018 SETAC.

World Opinion and the Soviet Satellite: A Preliminary Evaluation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1957-01-01

Less than two weeks after the launch of Sputnik I, the United States Information Agency conducted an informal analysis of public opinion on this subject. The analysis yielded four clear conclusions: (1) Soviet claims of scientific and technological superiority were widely accepted in the United States; (2) U.S. allies were concerned about a shift in the balance of military power; (3) the overall credibility of Soviet propaganda was greatly strengthened; and (4) American prestige was dealt a severe blow. The report also concluded that the near-hysteria in the United States in turn increased the level of concern in countries friendly to the United States. An evaluation is presented.

The propaganda of extreme hostility: denunciation and the regulation of the group.

PubMed

Finlay, W M L

2007-06-01

This paper discusses how those espousing racist or separatist ideologies seek to persuade others to conform to their beliefs. Using examples from Nazi Germany, White Power movements in the USA and the extreme fringes of Zionist politics, it illustrates how notions of identity are linked to positions of hostility, hatred or separatism from other groups. In particular, it describes how those who maintain relations with other groups or who oppose hostility are discounted through accounts of social influence. The effectiveness of this rhetoric in terms of creating climates of social and self-censure, and of silencing dissent in situations of conflict, is discussed.

The Precautionary principle: its misunderstandings and misuses in relation to "GMOs".

PubMed

Tagliabue, Giovanni

2016-06-25

References to the Precautionary principle (PP) in relation to "GMOs" are commonplace. Those who oppose the DNA recombinant approach to create new agricultural products either have not read the PP (misunderstanding), or they want to exploit the PP for their propaganda while forcing it (misuse). Proponents of a stricter approach to the regulation of biotechnologies must forge a new expression, since the PP is something else - historically and theoretically. In any case, a legitimate very circumspect attitude, to be coherent, must be applied to each and every biotechnology, not only to "GMOs". Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Economics of Cancer Medicines: For Whose Benefit?

PubMed

Gyawali, Bishal; Sullivan, Richard

2017-04-01

Although new cancer drugs are continually getting approved and used, the value that these drugs add is very debatable. Because of the skyrocketing cost of the new drugs, each new approval represents a multibillion market. However, unlike other branches of economics, cancer drugs are intricately associated with socio-political issues, emotional overlay, public pressure, industry manipulation and propaganda. In this article, we review the value added by new cancer drugs and examine the socio-political agenda around them with highlights on the increasing gulf between high-income and low-middle income countries regarding the affordability to these drugs. Finally, we also suggest a way forward to address this highly complex issue.

Separating science from propaganda

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klepfish, Elyakum; Sugrue, Mark; Sloan, Terry; Wolfendale, Arnold

2010-03-01

In the old Soviet Union there was a periodical called The Propagandist's Notepad devoted to those whose path to happiness lay in "getting the message across". The demise of the socialist model of wealth creation brought an end to this magazine. In many ways, however, Liz Kalaugher's opinion article "Communicating climate change" (January pp16-17) is a tribute to the need for such a specialized publication today. The article describes ways in which climate scientists can improve how they transmit their message to the public. Unfortunately, physicists tend to be guided by Descartes's ubiquitous principle of the virtue of doubt, and are inclined to regard "the public becoming increasingly sceptical" as commendable. Indeed, I wish there were more examples of public scepticism.

[Electronic repellents against mosquitoes: the propaganda and the reality].

PubMed

Coro, F; Suárez, S

1998-01-01

A bibliographic review about the use of electroacoustic devices with a supposed repellent action on the females of different species of hematophagous mosquitoes is presented. 15 direct references and 2 indirect ones are given, in which it is concluded that these devices do not protect those who have them from the stings of mosquitoes. The names of 9 of the tested devices as well as of 16 of the main species of mosquitoes present in the field tests are mentioned. These tests have been carried out in very different ecological conditions from Alaska to Equatorial Africa. It is also stressed that the high intensity ultrasonic frequencies emitted by these devices produces a potentially harmful effect on man.

Michurinist Biology in the People's Republic of China, 1948-1956.

PubMed

Schneider, Laurence

2012-01-01

Michurinist biology was introduced to China in 1948; granted a state supported monopoly in 1952; and reduced to parity with western genetics from 1956. The Soviets exported it through the propaganda agencies Sino Soviet Friendship Association (SSFA) and VOKS (Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries). China's Ministry of Agriculture achieved broad public awareness and acceptance of Michurinist biology through a translation, publication, and Soviet guest speakers campaign - all managed by a team of agriculturalists led by Luo Tianyu, a veteran CCP (Communist Party) cadre. The campaign grew exponentially, but did not affect university or Chinese Academy of Sciences biology. Luo Tianyu's failed attempt to force Michurinist biology on a Beijing university triggered its second stage: monopoly status and a ban on "Mendelist-Morganist" biology in teaching, research, and publication. The CCP Central Committee supported this policy believing that Michurinst biology would increase agricultural production for the forthcoming first Five Year Plan; whereas, western genetics had no practical value. Michurinist biology flourished at all levels of education, research, and science literature; Western genetics was completely shut down. This only began to change when the CCP Central Committee became wary of China's dependency on Soviet technical expertise and failure to fully utilize that of China. Change was further promoted by significant attacks on Michurinist biology by Soviet and East German biologists. Soon, these developments informed China's "genetics question," which became a test case for larger questions about the definition of science and the relationship between scientists and the state. Under the guidance of Lu Dingyi's Central Committee Propaganda Department, the CCP eventually decided that, henceforth, science controversies would only be resolved by the science community; and that monopolies or ideological orthodoxies would not be imposed on science. At the same time, the CCP rescinded Michurinist biology's monopoly and the ban on western genetics. By the mid-1960s western genetics had successfully restored itself, largely due to the leadership of C. C. Tan, a former student of Dobzhansky. Michurinist biology's presence shrank and it became marginalized.

Site Protection Program and Progress Report of Ali Observatory, Tibet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yao, Yongqiang; Zhou, Yunhe; Wang, Xiaohua; He, Jun; Zhou, Shu

2015-08-01

The Ali observatory, Tibet, is a promising new site identified through ten year site survey over west China, and it is of significance to establish rules of site protection during site development. The site protection program is described with five aspects: site monitoring, technical support, local government support, specific organization, and public education. The long-term sky brightness monitoring is ready with site testing instruments and basic for light pollution measurement; the monitoring also includes directions of main light sources, providing periodical reports and suggestions for coordinating meetings. The technical supports with institutes and manufacturers help to publish lighting standards and replace light fixtures; the research pays special attention to the blue-rich sources, which impact the important application of high altitude sites. An official leading group towards development and protection of astronomical resources has been established by Ali government; one of its tasks is to issue regulations against light pollution, including special restrictions of airport, mine, and winter heating, and to supervise lighting inspection and rectification. A site protection office under the official group and local astronomical society are organized by Ali observatory; the office can coordinate in government levels and promote related activities. A specific website operated by the protection office releases activity propaganda, evaluation results, and technical comparison with other observatories. Both the site protection office and Ali observatory take responsibility for public education, including popular science lectures, light pollution and energy conservation education. Ali Night Sky Park has been constructed and opens in 2014, and provides a popular place and observational experience. The establishment of Ali Observatory and Night Sky Park brings unexpected social influence, and the starry sky trip to Ali becomes a new format of culture-oriented travels in China. The related news reports and network propaganda have drawn attention of national top leadership, instructing to further investigate national support policies.

French Crossings: III. The Smile of the Tiger

PubMed Central

Jones, Colin

2016-01-01

This article continues the theme of ‘French Crossings’ explored in other Presidential Addresses by focussing on the border zone between the human and the animal. The focus is on the allegedly tiger-like character attributed to Maimilien Robespierre, particularly after his fall from power and his execution in 1794. This theme is explored in terms of Thermidorian propaganda, French Revolutionary historiography and the ancient discipline of physiognomy, which was reactivated by Johann-Caspar Lavater in the late eighteenth century and still influential through much of the nineteenth. Robespierre’s animal rather than human status was also held to emerge in his inability to smile or laugh, a significant point also in that the meaning of the smile was changing in the same period. PMID:27630376

The Planetarium and the Carl Zeiss Corporation, 1923-1933

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boyce-Jacino, Katherine

2018-01-01

The Carl Zeiss Company of Jena, Germany, introduced the first prototype planetarium in the fall of 1923. By 1933, there were a dozen planetaria in Germany alone, and nearly a dozen more abroad. This talk argues that on one hand, Zeiss saw the planetarium as an opportunity to reintroduce German engineering to a skeptical international market. On the other, Zeiss recognized that a large part of the planetarium’s domestic appeal lay in the romance of its German origins. Through an examination of Zeiss’ corporate correspondence, propaganda, and contemporary international and domestic press, this talk argues that in advertising the planetarium in Germany and abroad, the Zeiss company relied on competing constructions of a post-war German identity rooted in conflicting understandings of space.

Notice Concerning Making Good Preparations for the Beginning of the New School Year, 1988.

PubMed

1988-01-01

Among other things, this Notice directs localities to take measures to stop the tendency of students to drop out of primary and secondary schools; to carry out propaganda on the Chinese Compulsory Education Law before school begins; and to organize personnel to re-educate students who have dropped out of school or who, even though of school age, have not attended school, as well as their parents, urging them to resume or start school education. The Notice also calls on education departments to cooperate with departments in charge of labor, agriculture, rural enterprise management, and industrial and commercial administration in inhibiting the illegal practice of hiring children under the age of 16. full text

Bottle appeal drifts across the Pacific

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ebbesmeyer, Curtis; Ingraham, W. James, Jr.; McKinnon, Richard; Okubo, Akira; Wang, Dong-Ping; Strickland, Richard; Willing, Peter

Pacific drift currents were used by a group of oceanographers to estimate the path of a drift bottle that was found on a beach of Barkley Sound in Vancouver Island by Richard Strickland on June 10, 1990. The Chinese rice wine bottle, which remained unopened until December 18, 1991, contained six leaflets, one appealing for the release of China's well-known dissident, Wei Jingsheng. The bottle was one of thousands set adrift as part of a propaganda effort from the islands of Quemoy and Matsu off mainland China shortly after Wei was sentenced in 1979 to 15 years in prison (see Figure 1 for locations). Wei was in poor health and still in prison when the bottle made its way across the Pacific Ocean.

'Controversy'. Propaganda versus evidence based health promotion: the case of breast screening.

PubMed

Hann, A

1999-01-01

Breast cancer is a serious problem in the developed world, and the common perception of the risks of developing the disease are communicated to the public via a variety of means. This includes leaflets in doctors' surgeries, health promotion campaigns and invitations from well woman clinics to attend for various forms of screening. The national breast cancer screening programme in the UK has a very high compliance rate (which is vital) and a well oiled media machine. This article examines the way in which the risks of developing breast cancer are communicated to women of all ages in the UK, and speculates as to the reason behind the misleading manner in which health promoters offer this information.

Orgasm without organisms: science or propaganda?

PubMed

Genuis, S J; Genuis, S K

1996-01-01

The worldwide epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) presents a major public health challenge to medical practitioners and educators as they seek to implement preventive educational strategies in the adolescent population. The serious consequences of many STDs and the insufficient impact of condom promotion in this high-risk group have led to increasing recognition that sexual intercourse is medically unwise for young adolescents. As a result of this recognition, some educators have proposed that adolescent sexuality education focus on the explicit teaching of noncoital sexual activities, sometimes called outercourse. This paper explores the emergence of this educational strategy, the assertion that noncoital sexual activities will positively impact the rising incidence of STDs and unplanned pregnancy in teenagers, and the hypothetical benefits of adolescent noncoital sex.

A 'German world' shared among doctors: a history of the relationship between Japanese and German psychiatry before World War II.

PubMed

Hashimoto, Akira

2013-06-01

This article deals with the critical history of German and Japanese psychiatrists who dreamed of a 'German world' that would cross borders. It analyses their discourse, not only by looking at their biographical backgrounds, but also by examining them in a wider context linked to German academic predominance and cultural propaganda before World War II. By focusing on Wilhelm Stieda, Wilhelm Weygandt and Kure Shuzo, the article shows that the positive evaluation of Japanese psychiatry by the two Germans encouraged Kure, who was eager to modernize the treatment of and institutions for the mentally ill in Japan. Their statements on Japanese psychiatry reflect their ideological and historical framework, with reference to national/ethnic identity, academic position, and the relationship between Germany and Japan.

"Nutrition in the promotion of your health" pride, prejudice and propaganda.

PubMed

Yellowlees, W

1987-01-01

The association between the organic movement and 'alternative medicine' may have been one reason for the failure of the McCarrison Society in Britain to appeal to many National Health Service doctors and dentists. This is unfortunate because the aims of the McCarrison Society have nothing to do with any system of medical care. Our hope is to prevent disease by promoting McCarrison's teaching that man is perfectly adapted to his food supply as it occurs in nature and that the greatest single cause of the diseases of industrial peoples is their dependence on foods made worthless or harmful by processing and refining. This teaching applies to the modern epidemic of coronary heart disease. The evidence incriminating natural unprocessed fat as a cause of this disease is unconvincing.

Damage spreading and opinion dynamics on scale-free networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fortunato, Santo

2005-03-01

We study damage spreading among the opinions of a system of agents, subjected to the dynamics of the Krause-Hegselmann consensus model. The damage consists in a sharp change of the opinion of one or more agents in the initial random opinion configuration, supposedly due to some external factors and/or events. This may help to understand for instance under which conditions special shocking events or targeted propaganda are able to influence the results of elections. For agents lying on the nodes of a Barabási-Albert network, there is a damage spreading transition at a low value εd of the confidence bound parameter. Interestingly, we find as well that there is some critical value εs above which the initial perturbation manages to propagate to all other agents.

Kak Amerikantsy iskali vetra v pole, a nashli radiatsionnyj poyas i kak Russkie iskali radiatsionnyj poyas, a nashli solnechnyj veter Chast' I %t How Americans looked for "a wind in a field" but found a radiation belt, and how Russians looked for a radiation belt but found a solar wind or physical experiments on the first artificial Earth's satellites and a discovery of radiation belts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zavidonov, I. V.

The history of the most important scientific discovery of the early space era - the discovery of the inner and outer radiation belts of the Earth in 1958 is reconstructed. The paper uses archival records to bring to light the relative contributions of Soviet and American reseachers to the complex process of discovery. It also shows how misuses of science in mass-media political propaganda led to misrepresentations of the real historical portrayal of early space research.

Soviet objectives in the INF negotiations and European security. Master's thesis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Baumgardner, H.J.

1987-12-01

On 12 December 1979, NATO officials announced the decision to deploy 108 Pershing II nuclear missiles and 464 Ground Launched Cruise Missiles, in response to the Soviet deployment of SS-20 nuclear missiles. The NATO decision was met by a determined Soviet effort to prevent the deployment of the new missiles. The Soviet effort consisted of negotiations, diplomatic propaganda, and covert measures. When it was clear that the deployment was not going to be stopped, the Soviets agreed to formal INF arms-reduction talks. It is this author's opinion that the Soviet negotiation tactics, during the INF talks, supported the long-range goalmore » of reducing the military effectiveness of NATO, and also supported the goal of reducing U.S. influence in Europe.« less

Cholera studies*

PubMed Central

Pollitzer, R.

1957-01-01

In discussing prevention, the author deals first with the provision of permanently safe water, supplied from waterworks or wells, and with other improvements in environmental sanitation. Control of food and drinks, public health propaganda and education, and vaccination are also considered under this heading. The greater part of this study is devoted to suppressive measures, affecting the individual, the environment, and persons in the mass. Discussion of the isolation, detection and management of cholera patients, the management of contacts, and the management and treatment of carriers is followed by sections on, inter alia, disinfection, temporary improvements in water supplies, fly control, and personal prophylaxis. In dealing with mass prophylaxis, the author pays particular attention to vaccination. In the concluding sections he goes into the control of pilgrimages and local and international quarantine measures. PMID:13479774

[History of scientific and popular educational films in neurology and psychiatry in Germany 1985-1929].

PubMed

Podoll, K

2000-11-01

Based on a survey of a variety of sources from medical and film history, an account is given of the history of scientific and popular educational films in neurology and psychiatry in Germany in the era of the silent film 1895-1929. A central event for the centralization of the production and distribution of medical scientific educational films was the foundation, in 1918, of the 'cultural department' of the Ufa film company which established, under the direction of the neurologist Curt Thomalla, a large medical film archive. Curt Thomalla was also the first who developed a dramatic type of popular educational film amalgamating medical and melodramatical features, thereby greatly increasing its mass impact, but also anticipating central elements of its later misuse by the Nazi film propaganda.

Peace propaganda and biomedical experimentation: influential uses of radioisotopes in endocrinology and molecular genetics in Spain (1947-1971).

PubMed

Santesmases, María Jesús

2006-01-01

A political discourse of peace marked the distribution and use of radioisotopes in biomedical research and in medical diagnosis and therapy in the post-World War II period. This occurred during the era of expansion and strengthening of the United States' influence on the promotion of sciences and technologies in Europe as a collaborative effort, initially encouraged by the policies and budgetary distribution of the Marshall Plan. This article follows the importation of radioisotopes by two Spanish research groups, one in experimental endocrinology and one in molecular biology. For both groups foreign funds were instrumental in the early establishment of their laboratories. The combination of funding and access to previously scarce radioisotopes helped position these groups at the forefront of research in Spain.

Beyond the 'safe sex' propaganda.

PubMed

Hadzic, Maja; Khajehei, Marjan

2010-01-01

In this paper, we discuss sexual relationships among teenagers, the related issues, and suggest addressing the issues through effective education programs for both teenagers and their parents. We also discuss the main issues resulting from initiation of sexual relationship during adolescence such as unwanted pregnancy, maternal mortality, abortion, sexually transmitted diseases and damaged mental health. In addition, we highlight the lack of adequate sex education in teenagers and emphasize on the negative influence of TV programs and the harmful effects of dysfunctional families. Moreover, this article proposes equipping teenagers with knowledge that will help them understand not only physical but also emotional, social, and mental dynamics of sexual relationships. We believe that this approach would intervene much earlier in their life, help teenagers make healthy decision and minimize negative consequences of their personal choices.

'What to do if it happens': planners, pamphlets and propaganda in the age of the H-bomb.

PubMed

Smith, Melissa

2009-06-01

In 1955, a highly secret Government report painted a bleak picture of Britain after a nuclear war. Without greatly improved civil defence measures, the report warned, a hydrogen bomb attack on Britain could kill one-third of the population within 24h and leave swathes of land uninhabitable. But Government advice to the public told a different story, offering cheerful advice about vacuuming up radioactive fallout and building shelters from books and furniture. Meanwhile, civil defence spending cuts left the public lacking even the standard of protection they had enjoyed during the Second World War. This seemingly paradoxical Government response was shaped by conflicting financial and political pressures, and by the work of the Home Office scientists whose research underpinned British civil defence planning.

M S MOLECULARES Rumo aos limites da miniaturiza o - (Molecular Magnets - towards the limits of miniaturization)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Reis, Mario S; Moreira Dos Santos, Antonio F

Por s culos, acreditou-se que o magnetismo s se manifestava em metais, como aqueles contendo ferro; hoje, a imagem mais comum de um m talvez seja a daquelas plaquinhas flex veis coladas geladeira com propagandas dos mais diversos tipos. O leitor conseguiria imaginar um material puramente org nico daqueles que formam os seres vivos como magn tico? E m s do tamanho de mol culas? fato: ambos existem. Esses novos materiais, conhecidos como magnetos moleculares, descobertos e desenvolvidos em v rios laborat rios do mundo, j re nem longa lista de aplica es, do tratamento do c ncer a refrigeradoresmore » ecol gicos, passando pela transmiss o de eletricidade sem perda de calor e a fabrica o de computadores extremamente velozes.« less

"A campaign won as a public issue will stay won": using cartoons and comics to fight national health care reform, 1940s and beyond.

PubMed

Knoblauch, Heidi Katherine

2014-02-01

On March 23, 2010, President Barack Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) into law. As it went through Congress, the legislation faced forceful resistance. Individuals and organizations opposing the ACA circulated propaganda that varied from photographs of fresh graves or coffins with the caption "Result of ObamaCare" to portrayals of President Obama as the Joker from the Batman movies, captioned with the single word "socialism." The arguments embedded in these images have striking parallels to cartoons circulated by physicians to their patients in earlier fights against national health care. Examining cartoons used in the formative health care reform debates of the 1940s provides a means for tracing the lineage of emotional arguments employed against health care reform.

Energy behavior

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stern, P.C.; Kirkpatrick, E.M.

1977-12-01

The energy crisis is approached as a social and psychological problem with solutions based on an understanding of principles of attitude and behavior change. Propaganda calling for voluntary energy conservation has had little effect, and incentive systems present several serious drawbacks. The author believes that the ideal role of both incentives and persuasion is to influence the behavior of groups who in turn would maintain individual behavior and attitudes by social pressure. Thus a program of incentives and education directed at groups of people may effectively increase conservation and change related attitudes without increasing reactance. The author presents 2 strategiesmore » to cope with the energy problem: one relies strongly on government action, combining appeal to national feelings and a threat to future coercion to change attitudes and behavior; the other uses incentives to communities for conservation and development of renewable energy resources.« less

Transnational Nationalism and Idealistic Science: The Alcohol Question between the Wars

PubMed Central

Edman, Johan

2016-01-01

This article studies the interwar international conferences on the alcohol problem. How did they view the alcohol problem and its causes; what were the consequences for the individual and the society as a whole; and which solutions merited discussion? The first post-war conferences enjoyed an optimistic and internationalistic atmosphere, added to by American prohibition, which had given the temperance movement plenty to be hopeful about. But when the 1920s turned to the 1930s, the conferences were transformed into arenas for national solutions and into outright propaganda pieces. The responses to the alcohol problem debated in the interwar conferences built on a combination of scientifically masked ideological conviction and ideologically inspired passion for science. The apparently neutral ethics of such thinking was manifested in various radical measures to combat alcohol abuse. PMID:27482147

Universality and correlations in individuals wandering through an online extremist space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Z.; Zheng, M.; Vorobyeva, Y.; Song, C.; Johnson, N. F.

2018-03-01

The "out of the blue" nature of recent terror attacks and the diversity of apparent motives highlight the importance of understanding the online trajectories that individuals follow prior to developing high levels of extremist support. Here we show that the physics of stochastic walks, with and without temporal correlation, provides a unifying description of these online trajectories. Our unique data set comprising all users of a global social media site reveals universal characteristics in individuals' online lifetimes. Our accompanying theory generates analytical and numerical solutions that describe the characteristics shown by individuals that go on to develop high levels of extremist support and those that do not. Going forward, it is conceivable that a deeper understanding of these temporal and many-body correlations may eventually contribute to the important task of better countering the spread of radical propaganda online.

Marketing the "radical": symbolic communication and persuasive technologies in jihadist websites.

PubMed

Bhui, Kamaldeep; Ibrahim, Yasmin

2013-04-01

This paper reviews the persuasion techniques employed by jihadist websites with particular reference to the patterns of rhetoric, image, and symbolism manifested in text, videos, and interactive formats. Beyond symbolic communication, the online media needs to be also understood through its persuasive tendencies as a medium which elicits social response through its design architecture. This double articulation of new media technologies, as a medium for information and as a form of persuasive technology, has provided new means to market the radical. The marketing techniques of jihadist websites through multimedia formats have consequences for the formation of identities, both collective and individual. As a marketing tool it combines established forms of rhetoric and propaganda with new ways to reach audiences through both popular culture and religious ideologies. The paper analyses the implications for further research and counterterrorism strategies.

Gnawing Pains, Festering Ulcers, and Nightmare Suffering: Selling Leprosy as a Humanitarian Cause in the British Empire, c. 1890-1960

PubMed Central

Vongsathorn, Kathleen

2014-01-01

When British attention was drawn to the issue of leprosy in the Empire, humanitarian organisations rose to take on responsibility for the ‘fight against leprosy’. In an effort to fundraise for a distant cause at a time when hundreds of charities competed for the financial support of British citizens, fundraisers developed propaganda to set leprosy apart from all other humanitarian causes. They drew on leprosy’s relationship with Christianity, its debilitating symptoms, and the supposed vulnerability of leprosy sufferers in order to mobilise Britain’s sense of humanitarian, Christian, and patriotic duty. This article traces the emergence of leprosy as a popular imperial humanitarian cause in modern Britain and analyses the narratives of religion, suffering, and disease that they created and employed in order to fuel their growth and sell leprosy as a British humanitarian cause. PMID:24932060

“A Campaign Won as a Public Issue Will Stay Won”: Using Cartoons and Comics to Fight National Health Care Reform, 1940s and Beyond

PubMed Central

Knoblauch, Heidi Katherine

2014-01-01

On March 23, 2010, President Barack Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) into law. As it went through Congress, the legislation faced forceful resistance. Individuals and organizations opposing the ACA circulated propaganda that varied from photographs of fresh graves or coffins with the caption “Result of ObamaCare” to portrayals of President Obama as the Joker from the Batman movies, captioned with the single word “socialism.” The arguments embedded in these images have striking parallels to cartoons circulated by physicians to their patients in earlier fights against national health care. Examining cartoons used in the formative health care reform debates of the 1940s provides a means for tracing the lineage of emotional arguments employed against health care reform. PMID:24328659

Thoughts on the World Conference on Women. A Chinese woman writes.

PubMed

Chuan, R

1995-01-01

Increasing social consciousness about human rights issues in China has, in turn, stimulated Chinese women's awareness of their individual rights. The Chinese government, however, has maintained tight control over the dissemination of feminist ideas and restricted media coverage of the Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing in 1995. To discredit feminism, Chinese officials link it with sexual liberation, single motherhood, and lesbianism. Nonetheless, there is a new awareness that government statistics on the high rates of female employment conceal the reality that Chinese women are concentrated in low-paying, low-status occupations. In contrast to official propaganda, a United Nations Development Report ranked China 23rd in the world for women's participation in politics and the economy. In the course of preparing for the World Conference, a few nonofficial, grass-roots Chinese women's organizations were able to present their ideas.

The Ideological and Political Dimensions of the Anti-Smoking and Anti-Drinking Video Advertisements in the Republic of Moldova.

PubMed

Stanchevici, Dmitri

2017-06-01

Based on the critical approach in health communication, along with Habermas's theory of legitimation and Ellul's theory of propaganda, this qualitative study analyzes the political and ideological dimensions of the video advertisements used in the 2012 anti-smoking and 2014 anti-drinking campaigns in the Republic of Moldova. This analysis shows that these health videos support male domination and exclusion of the poor and legitimate the current political leadership with its declared pro-European orientation. This study uniquely contributes to the critical approach in health communication by focusing on the post-Soviet context in which statehood and national identity are unstable and societies are torn between the Russian and (post-)Soviet influences on one hand and European aspirations on the other. Drawing on critical scholarship in global health communication, this article calls for greater respect and recognition of Moldova's local culture and definition of health.

Fusion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herman, Robin

1990-10-01

The book abounds with fascinating anecdotes about fusion's rocky path: the spurious claim by Argentine dictator Juan Peron in 1951 that his country had built a working fusion reactor, the rush by the United States to drop secrecy and publicize its fusion work as a propaganda offensive after the Russian success with Sputnik; the fortune Penthouse magazine publisher Bob Guccione sank into an unconventional fusion device, the skepticism that met an assertion by two University of Utah chemists in 1989 that they had created "cold fusion" in a bottle. Aimed at a general audience, the book describes the scientific basis of controlled fusion--the fusing of atomic nuclei, under conditions hotter than the sun, to release energy. Using personal recollections of scientists involved, it traces the history of this little-known international race that began during the Cold War in secret laboratories in the United States, Great Britain and the Soviet Union, and evolved into an astonishingly open collaboration between East and West.

[How to properly use the fear in AIDS intervention-the history and further of fear appeal development].

PubMed

Zhang, Ke; Du, Xiufang; Tao, Xiaorun; Zhang, Yuanyuan; Kang, Dianmin

2015-08-01

The AIDS epidemic in men who have sex wlth men (MSM) in recent years showed a sharp upward trend, looking for behavioral intervention strategies should be imperative. Fear appeals by fear prompted intervention received intervention information, provide a new breakthrough to achieve better effect of propaganda and intervention. After over 70 years development, the Fear Appeal generated from the driver model that proposed the fear decided the effectiveness of behavior intervention, to the extended parallel process model theory which integrated protection motivation theory and parallel process theory, both of which believed the fear is just one of the estimators, suggested fear is the key factor. The fear appeal theory is turning to be even more comprehensive and accurate. As an important theoretical basement, the fear appeal is still developing, and need more work to make it perfection.

[Raspail, propagandist himself from the "warnings" of the manual of health, between 1845 and 1878].

PubMed

Albou, Philippe

2015-01-01

During the last thirty years of his life, between 1845 and 1878, François-Vincent Raspail (1794-1878) published each year a new edition of his Manuel de santé (Manual of Health), which was intended as a practical guide to prevent and treat, using in particular camphor, major human diseases. Each edition was accompanied by a preamble, as an annual forum where the "revered teacher" applied to give information on his family, his trial, his stays in prison, his resentment, his exile, his publications, schedules consultations, etc. As a libertarian protester against the powers wether medical, political or judicial, Raspail was a tireless defender of the poor and weak, and this attitude earned him his reputation and his popularity. This positive image of "secular saint" was built from an effective propaganda, where the Manuel de santé and its preambles played a central rol.

Multi-source and multi-angle remote sensing image data collection, application and sharing of Beichuan National Earthquake Ruins Museum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Yueguan; Wang, Wei; Wen, Qi; Huang, He; Lin, Jingli; Zhang, Wei

2015-12-01

Ms8.0 Wenchuan earthquake that occurred on May 12, 2008 brought huge casualties and property losses to the Chinese people, and Beichuan County was destroyed in the earthquake. In order to leave a site for commemorate of the people, and for science propaganda and research of earthquake science, Beichuan National Earthquake Ruins Museum has been built on the ruins of Beichuan county. Based on the demand for digital preservation of the earthquake ruins park and collection of earthquake damage assessment of research and data needs, we set up a data set of Beichuan National Earthquake Ruins Museum, including satellite remote sensing image, airborne remote sensing image, ground photogrammetry data and ground acquisition data. At the same time, in order to make a better service for earthquake science research, we design the sharing ideas and schemes for this scientific data set.

Medical care as the carrot: the Red Cross in Indonesia during the war of decolonization, 1945-1950.

PubMed

van Bergen, L

2013-01-01

During the war of decolonisation in Indonesia 1945-1950, the Dutch Red Cross and the Dutch East Indies Red Cross delivered aid to sick and wounded soldiers and civilians. This was supposed to happen in cooperation with organisations including the Indonesian Red Cross, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the military health service and civilian health services. Due to lack of resources, doctors and nurses, and due to differing interests, cooperation went anything but smoothly, severely undermining medical aid. On top of that, the aid that was given turned out be a tool of propaganda for the Dutch cause. Aid was deliberately--and with Red Cross consent--used as a political-military tool in the service of Dutch national interests. In a military strategy of carrot and stick, medical care served as the carrot.

[Profile of Shohei Ninomiya (pharmacist), the first Japanese medical representative to practice modern European-style propaganda in the late Meiji era].

PubMed

Nishikawa, Takashi

2007-01-01

A Swiss pharmaceutical company (F-Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.), first introduced the profession of "propagandist" in Japan in 1912. At the time, Shohei Ninomiya was a chief hospital pharmacist, but he changed his vocation to become the first "propah" (Japanese abbreviation for propagandist). The German physician Dr. Rudolf Ebering initiated Dr. Ninomiya in the methods and principles of "propah," and he faithfully practiced them. The defining principle of a modern European propagandist is one who is far from sales-centered. From the late 1970s through 1980s, however, Japanese pharmaceutical companies indulged in pursuing sales and neglected this principle, resulting in numerous abuses and adverse effects. Today, use of the description "medical representative" (MR) is more common than "propah." Even with this different description, pharmaceutical companies and MRs should never neglect the founding principle to avoid repeating such abuses.

Choosing offspring: prenatal genetic testing for thalassaemia and the production of a 'saviour sibling' in China.

PubMed

Sui, Suli; Sleeboom-Faulkner, Margaret

2010-02-01

This paper focuses on the pre-natal genetic testing and reproductive decision-making around thalassaemia in China. Findings are based on fieldwork conducted in hospitals and research institutions, interviews with families with thalassaemia-affected children, interviews with geneticists and genetic researchers and a literature review conducted between September and November 2007. The paper aims to provide insight into the ways in which those who carry thalassaemia decide to have a test for the condition and the choices available to prospective parents. The paper also analyses factors affecting reproductive choices and the decision to produce a 'saviour sibling', including financial implications, state family planning policy, images and information conveyed through the media and propaganda, advice and counselling from doctors, psychological pressure from the community and social discrimination. The paper concludes with a discussion on the issues involved in the creation of saviour siblings, some of which are particular to China.

Lipidomics: the function of vital lipids in embryogenesis preventing autism spectrum disorders, treating sterile inflammatory diatheses with a lymphopoietic central nervous system component.

PubMed

Tallberg, Thomas; Dabek, Jan; Hallamaa, Raija; Atroshi, Faik

2011-01-01

The central role performed by billions of vital central nervous system (CNS) lipids "lipidomics" in medical physiology is usually overlooked. A metabolic deficiency embracing these vital lipids can form the aetiology for a variety of diseases. CNS lipids regulate embryogenesis, cell induction, mental balance by preventing autism spectrum disorders, depression, burn-out syndromes like posttraumatic stress disease PTSD, by guarding normal immunity, treating sterile inflammatory diatheses with a titanium containing lymphopoietic CNS lipid component. The propaganda driving for unphysiological fat-free diets is dangerous and can cause serious health problems for a whole generation. This article presents a broad list of various mental and motor bodily functions of which the healthy function depends on these vital CNS lipids. A rigorous fat-free diet can provoke these metabolic lipid deficiencies but they can fortunately be compensated by dietary supplementation, but not by pharmacologic treatment.

Nursing throughout war times: political propaganda and professional valorization (1942-1945).

PubMed

Kneodler, Thais da Silva; Paes, Graciele Oroski; Porto, Fernando Rocha; Nassar, Pedro Ruiz Barbosa; Oliveira, Alexandre Barbosa de

2017-04-01

to discuss the symbolic effects of the publication on written press of institutional rites related to the courses promoted by the Brazilian Federal District's Schools of Nursing during the Second World War. exploratory and documentary study, whose sources were treated by historical method. one noticed, in the news reports analyzed, that the Brazilian Estado Novo has used nurses images to divulge within the society the woman's acting altruistic model in service to the country, through the systematic diffusion by the press of her honorable acting during the war, what assured the amplification of the visibility and acknowledgment of the Nursing profession in that context. the diffusion by press of emergency nurses graduations magnified their apparition in public spaces, occasion on which the institutional rite was strategically used to transmit to the society the urgency of the new profession, in order to support the political causes in vigor in the country.

Images of war: using satellite images for human rights monitoring in Turkish Kurdistan.

PubMed

de Vos, Hugo; Jongerden, Joost; van Etten, Jacob

2008-09-01

In areas of war and armed conflict it is difficult to get trustworthy and coherent information. Civil society and human rights groups often face problems of dealing with fragmented witness reports, disinformation of war propaganda, and difficult direct access to these areas. Turkish Kurdistan was used as a case study of armed conflict to evaluate the potential use of satellite images for verification of witness reports collected by human rights groups. The Turkish army was reported to be burning forests, fields and villages as a strategy in the conflict against guerrilla uprising. This paper concludes that satellite images are useful to validate witness reports of forest fires. Even though the use of this technology for human rights groups will depend on some feasibility factors such as prices, access and expertise, the images proved to be key for analysis of spatial aspects of conflict and valuable for reconstructing a more trustworthy picture.

[Analysis the epidemiological features of 3,258 patients with allergic rhinitis in Yichang City].

PubMed

Chen, Bo; Zhang, Zhimao; Pei, Zhi; Chen, Shihan; Du, Zhimei; Lan, Yan; Han, Bei; Qi, Qi

2015-02-01

To investigate the epidemiological features in patients with allergic rhinitis (AR) in Yichang city, and put forward effective prevention and control measures. Collecting the data of allergic rhinitis in city proper from 2010 to 2013, input the data into the database and used statistical analysis. In recent years, the AR patients in this area increased year by year. The spring and the winter were the peak season of onset. The patients was constituted by young men. There was statistically significant difference between the age, the area,and the gender (P < 0.01). The history of allergy and the diseases related to the gender composition had statistical significance difference (P < 0.05). The allergens and the positive degree in gender, age structure had statistically significant difference (P < 0.01). Need to conduct the healthy propaganda and education, optimizing the environment, change the bad habits, timely medical treatment, standard treatment.

AJ Cronin and The Citadel: did a work of fiction contribute to the foundation of the NHS?

PubMed

O'Mahony, S

2012-06-01

AJ Cronin (1896-1981) was a Scottish-born doctor-turned-novelist whose most famous novel is The Citadel, published in 1937. The book describes the struggles of an idealistic young doctor working in Wales and London in the 1920s and 30s. The novel was a global bestseller and its portrayal of a largely ineffective, corruption-ridden system of healthcare is thought to have directly influenced the foundation of the National Health Service in 1948. The Citadel anticipates such phenomena as evidence-based medicine and continuing medical education. This paper argues that the novel was never intended as propaganda for a state-controlled national health service. On the contrary, Cronin was against state control. Analysis of the novel is informed by recent biographical revelations about Cronin and the blurring of the margin between fact and fiction in Cronin's life and work is examined.

Social values as arguments: similar is convincing

PubMed Central

Maio, Gregory R.; Hahn, Ulrike; Frost, John-Mark; Kuppens, Toon; Rehman, Nadia; Kamble, Shanmukh

2014-01-01

Politicians, philosophers, and rhetors engage in co-value argumentation: appealing to one value in order to support another value (e.g., “equality leads to freedom”). Across four experiments in the United Kingdom and India, we found that the psychological relatedness of values affects the persuasiveness of the arguments that bind them. Experiment 1 found that participants were more persuaded by arguments citing values that fulfilled similar motives than by arguments citing opposing values. Experiments 2 and 3 replicated this result using a wider variety of values, while finding that the effect is stronger among people higher in need for cognition and that the effect is mediated by the greater plausibility of co-value arguments that link motivationally compatible values. Experiment 4 extended the effect to real-world arguments taken from political propaganda and replicated the mediating effect of argument plausibility. The findings highlight the importance of value relatedness in argument persuasiveness. PMID:25147529

Propaganda and Philanthropy: The Institute Bento da Rocha Cabral, the Lisbon Site of Biochemistry (1925-1953).

PubMed

Carneiro, Ana; Amaral, Isabel

2015-05-01

This paper focuses on the internal organization and dynamics of the Institute Bento da Rocha Cabral (IRC) in Lisbon, a privately-funded institution devoted to biomedical research, from the particular vantage point of its laboratory of biochemistry; in particular, the process through which the institution turned from medically-related to chemically-related research in the period spanning from 1925 to 1953. The history of the IRC raises interesting questions regarding the social politics of science as it materialized the desire of leading physicians of the Faculty of Medicine of Lisbon to create proper physical facilities for medically-related scientific research. We argue that the process which led to the creation of the IRC coincided with the gradual professional and political ascendance of physicians in Portuguese society initiated in the late nineteenth century, and is closely associated with Portuguese republicanism and the process of Lisbon becoming the scientific capital.

Anti-alcohol posters in Poland, 1945-1989: diverse meanings, uncertain effects.

PubMed

Gorsky, Martin; Krajewski-Siuda, Krzysztof; Dutka, Wojciech; Berridge, Virginia

2010-11-01

We provide a historical study of the anti-alcohol public health poster in Poland between 1948 and 1990. Our case study illuminates public health policies under communism, with the state as the dominant force in health communication. Poland has a distinctive history of poster art, moving from a Stalinist phase of socialist realism to the diverse styles of the later Polish School. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of 213 posters establishes the major themes and differentiates community approaches, which depict the drinker as a social or political deviant, from those emphasizing individual risk. Medical issues were a minor theme, reflecting public policies geared more toward confinement than treatment. However, Polish School artists used metaphor and ambiguity, and references to the contested cultural symbolism of drink, to complicate and subvert the narrow propaganda intent. Thus, although apparently unsuccessful in restraining overall consumption, these posters offer valuable lessons for policymakers on the use of visual media in health campaigns.

Population culture and development: a case study.

PubMed

Hartman, P

1979-01-01

Communications and development in the broadest sense of the terms are examined in relation to evaluation of the work of the Communication Foundation for Asia (CFA). CFA produces, in conjunction with public and private development agencies, flip-charts, comics, a fieldworker's handbook for use in family planning education, sound cassette magazines for agricultural extension work, booklets and sound-slides on forming cooperatives, and other educational materials. CFA operates in the Philippines. A developmental radio drama produced by CFA delivered a pro-development message, one that tells people they can do something about their conditions/situations, compared to the passive, consumer-oriented commercial radio drama. The most prominent theme was achievement. The characters had complex motivations and displayed wide range of motives. Like other forms of propaganda, developmental radio drama is not welcomed by radio station owners. Not many people in the industry perceive the opportunity for increasing overall development and economic growth. All pressures from commercial radio are in consumerist directions while developmental drama encourages production.

Transforming Public Health?

PubMed Central

ALDOUS, Chris

2008-01-01

Historical assessments of the Occupation’s efforts to tackle enteric diseases (cholera, typhoid, paratyphoid and dysentery) have generally reflected a celebratory narrative of US-inspired public health reforms, strongly associated with the head of the Public Health and Welfare Section, Crawford F. Sams. Close inspection of the documentary record, however, reveals much greater continuity with pre-war Japanese public health practices than has hitherto been acknowledged. Indeed, there are strong grounds for disputing American claims of novelty and innovation in such areas as immunisation, particularly in relation to typhoid vaccine, and environmental sanitation, where disparaging comments about the careless use of night soil and a reluctance to control flies and other disease vectors reveal more about the politics of public health reform than the reality of pre-war practices. Likewise, the representation of American-inspired sanitary teams as clearly distinct from and far superior to traditional sanitary associations (eisei kumiai) was closer to propaganda than an accurate rendering of past and present developments. PMID:19048809

A qualitative study of stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

PubMed

Thi, Mai Doan Anh; Brickley, Deborah Bain; Vinh, Dang Thi Nhat; Colby, Donn J; Sohn, Annette H; Trung, Nguyen Quang; Giang, Le Truong; Mandel, Jeffrey S

2008-07-01

Stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV) are a pressing problem in Vietnam, in particular because of propaganda associating HIV with the "social evils" of sex work and drug use. There is little understanding of the causes and sequelae of stigma and discrimination against PLHIV in Vietnam. Fifty-three PLHIV participated in focus group discussions in Ho Chi Minh City. Nearly all participants experienced some form of stigma and discrimination. Causes included exaggerated fears of HIV infection, misperceptions about HIV transmission, and negative representations of PLHIV in the media. Participants faced problems getting a job, perceived unfair treatment in the workplace and experienced discrimination in the healthcare setting. Both discrimination and support were reported in the family environment. There is a need to enforce laws against discrimination and provide education to decrease stigma against PLHIV in Vietnam. Recent public campaigns encouraging compassion toward PLHIV and less discrimination from healthcare providers who work with PLHIV have been encouraging.

The edge of expertise: Representing barefoot doctors in Cultural Revolution China.

PubMed

Li, Lan Angela

2015-01-01

‘Barefoot doctors’ were designed as an innovative task force during the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) to provide health care to rural villages in China. Without formal training that would identify the group professionally, barefoot doctors were at once amateur medical practitioners and expert revolutionary actors in Communist Party propaganda. At stake in legitimating revolutionary medicine was allowing revolutionary spirit to supplement for minimal medical training. As a result, the symbolic power of representing barefoot doctors rested in showcasing their devotion to enhancing access to health care in rural China. These representations followed an intensifying militarization of civilians, embracing the barefoot doctor’s ability to survive any obstacle while also celebrating those who died in the process. This paper examines three public portrayals of barefoot doctors, arguing that conflicting idealizations of rural epistemology combined the opposing elements of self-cultivation and self-annihilation to unite the identity of an emerging group of amateur doctors and illustrate acceptable forms of medical and revolutionary expertise.

Transforming public health?: a critical review of progress made against enteric diseases during the American-led occupation of Japan (1945-52).

PubMed

Aldous, Chris

2008-03-01

Historical assessments of the Occupation's efforts to tackle enteric diseases (cholera, typhoid, paratyphoid and dysentery) have generally reflected a celebratory narrative of US-inspired public health reforms, strongly associated with the head of the Public Health and Welfare Section, Crawford F. Sams. Close inspection of the documentary record, however, reveals much greater continuity with pre-war Japanese public health practices than has hitherto been acknowledged. Indeed, there are strong grounds for disputing American claims of novelty and innovation in such areas as immunisation, particularly in relation to typhoid vaccine, and environmental sanitation, where disparaging comments about the careless use of night soil and a reluctance to control flies and other disease vectors reveal more about the politics of public health reform than the reality of pre-war practices. Likewise, the representation of American-inspired sanitary teams as clearly distinct from and far superior to traditional sanitary associations (eisei kumiai) was closer to propaganda than an accurate rendering of past and present developments.

The Impact of Politics 2.0 in the Spanish Social Media: Tracking the Conversations around the Audiovisual Political Wars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noguera, José M.; Correyero, Beatriz

After the consolidation of weblogs as interactive narratives and producers, audiovisual formats are gaining ground on the Web. Videos are spreading all over the Internet and establishing themselves as a new medium for political propaganda inside social media with tools so powerful like YouTube. This investigation proceeds in two stages: on one hand we are going to examine how this audiovisual formats have enjoyed an enormous amount of attention in blogs during the Spanish pre-electoral campaign for the elections of March 2008. On the other hand, this article tries to investigate the social impact of this phenomenon using data from a content analysis of the blog discussion related to these videos centered on the most popular Spanish political blogs. Also, we study when the audiovisual political messages (made by politicians or by users) "born" and "die" in the Web and with what kind of rules they do.

[The amazing career of a homeopath, philanthropist, Fourierist, Benoît-Jules Mure. (1809-1858)].

PubMed

Ségal, Alain; Trépardoux, Francis

2005-01-01

The authors evoke the difficulty of dealing with the life and work of Benoît-Jules Mure who was a homeopathic scientist and a keen specialist on propaganda. He was also an adept of Charles Fourier and he used almost his fortune to the spreading of homeopathy and at time, the improvement of social life. Thus he tried to settle humanitarian colonies in Brazil and later in Egypt, Nubian and Sudan in order to improve their fashion of life. He was hit by tuberculosis which led him discover homeopathy and by his strength of character lie led the idea of his mission in favour of his convictions. He was very angry with the official medical organisation and at last he never has been recognized as a médical doctor. The authors underline that his life and his work have probably left some definite marks in the South America let alone the birth of Socialism.

Anti-alcohol Posters in Poland, 1945-1989: Diverse Meanings, Uncertain Effects

PubMed Central

Krajewski-Siuda, Krzysztof; Dutka, Wojciech; Berridge, Virginia

2010-01-01

We provide a historical study of the anti-alcohol public health poster in Poland between 1948 and 1990. Our case study illuminates public health policies under communism, with the state as the dominant force in health communication. Poland has a distinctive history of poster art, moving from a Stalinist phase of socialist realism to the diverse styles of the later Polish School. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of 213 posters establishes the major themes and differentiates community approaches, which depict the drinker as a social or political deviant, from those emphasizing individual risk. Medical issues were a minor theme, reflecting public policies geared more toward confinement than treatment. However, Polish School artists used metaphor and ambiguity, and references to the contested cultural symbolism of drink, to complicate and subvert the narrow propaganda intent. Thus, although apparently unsuccessful in restraining overall consumption, these posters offer valuable lessons for policymakers on the use of visual media in health campaigns. PMID:20516371

Thinking science with thinking machines: The multiple realities of basic and applied knowledge in a research border zone.

PubMed

Hoffman, Steve G

2015-04-01

Some scholars dismiss the distinction between basic and applied science as passé, yet substantive assumptions about this boundary remain obdurate in research policy, popular rhetoric, the sociology and philosophy of science, and, indeed, at the level of bench practice. In this article, I draw on a multiple ontology framework to provide a more stable affirmation of a constructivist position in science and technology studies that cannot be reduced to a matter of competing perspectives on a single reality. The analysis is grounded in ethnographic research in the border zone of Artificial Intelligence science. I translate in-situ moments in which members of neighboring but differently situated labs engage in three distinct repertoires that render the reality of basic and applied science: partitioning, flipping, and collapsing. While the essences of scientific objects are nowhere to be found, the boundary between basic and applied is neither illusion nor mere propaganda. Instead, distinctions among scientific knowledge are made real as a matter of course.

"Delo Voronova" - vzglyad cherez dve treti veka %t The "Voronov's affair": a look after two thirds of a century

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bronshtehn, V. A.

On the base of extensive archival and published materials a new analysis of the so-called "Voronov's affair" is presented. The Russian astronomer N.M. Voronov (1912 - 1951), working at the Tashkent Astronomical Observatory, become famous for his investigations in the field of celestial mechanics, namely, compilations of the exact theories of motion of minor planets Vesta, Egeria and others. He was invited to the Pulkovo Observatory. But later is was revealed that Voronov had falsified his main results. After short period of working at the Tajik Astronomical Observatory (Dushanbe), Voronov was arrested for the "anti-Soviet so-called propaganda" (1937 - 1939) and worked in a geodetic detachment (1939 - 1943). Arrested again, he was in prison for 8 years, and in 1951 he was released, but his further destiny is unknown. In the author's opinion Voronov was a talented scientist, but he ventured a bargain with his conscience, falcifying his results for perfecting the accordance with the observational data.

Three Decades of Anti-evolution Campaign and its Results: Turkish Undergraduates' Acceptance and Understanding of the Biological Evolution Theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peker, Deniz; Comert, Gulsum Gul; Kence, Aykut

2010-06-01

Even though in the early years of the Republic of Turkey Darwin’s theory of evolution was treated as a scientific theory and taught fairly in schools, despite all the substantial evidence accumulated supporting the theory of evolution since then, Darwin and his ideas today have been scorned by curriculum and education policy makers. Furthermore, Turkish students and academics have been faced with unprecedented creationist propaganda for many years. In this paper, we first provide a glimpse of the theory of evolution and creationism in Turkey, we then report the results of our survey study ( N = 1,098) about the undergraduates’ acceptance and understanding of Darwinian evolution and some of the socioeconomic variables affecting those measures. Our cross sectional study shows that acceptance and understanding of the theory of evolution is quite low. We criticize the current state of evolution education in Turkey and call for a change towards a scientific treatment of the theory evolution in schools.

Commercial Laser Beam Perforation Of Cigarette Tipping Paper Using An Acoustic-Optic Beam Deflector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reid, H.; Ramsay, I.; Dyson, D.; Ross, I.

1984-11-01

The tobacco industry has required a means of reducing tar content of inhaled smoke from cigarettes for some time now. One effective way of achieving this is to perforate the tipping paper (cork or plain) which wraps the cigaratte filter plug. Air is drawn into and mixed with the smoke as the smoker inhales resulting in two effects on the smoke. The first is that it is diluted and the second is that the air-smoke mixture is cooled. The dilution of the smoke probably has little significant effect since the total smoke inhaled per cigarette is always the same. The cooling of the smoke, however, causes the tar present to condense more readily on the filter plug and so represents a genuine reduction in tar content. In the light of increasing health consciousness both from popular movement or deliberate Government propaganda the importance of this method of tar reduction is well recognised in the industry.

Physiology, propaganda, and pound animals: medical research and animal welfare in mid-twentieth century America.

PubMed

Parascandola, John

2007-07-01

In 1952, the University of Michigan physiologist Robert Gesell shocked his colleagues at the business meeting of the American Physiological Society by reading a prepared statement in which he claimed that some of the animal experimentation being carried out by scientists was inhumane. He especially attacked the National Society for Medical Research (NSMR), an organization that had been founded to defend animal experimentation. This incident was part of a broader struggle taking place at the time between scientists and animal welfare advocates with respect to what restrictions, if any, should be placed on animal research. A particularly controversial issue was whether or not pound animals should be made available to laboratories for research. Two of the prominent players in this controversy were the NSMR and the Animal Welfare Institute, founded and run by Gesell's daughter, Christine Stevens. This article focuses on the interaction between these two organizations within the broader context of the debate over animal experimentation in the mid-twentieth century.

[Children, Collect Bones! : Teaching Aids and Propaganda Material on Bone-Collections and Bone-Utilisation Used in German Schools During the "Third Reich"].

PubMed

Vaupel, Elisabeth; Preiß, Florian

2018-06-05

In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries bones were an essential raw material for the German chemical industry, vital to the production of fertilizer, glue, gelatine, soap and other products. As most of this material was imported, the German school system during the "Third Reich" took the utilisation of bones as an example to illustrate the relevance of the four-year plan of 1936 and its policy of economic self-sufficiency. The school children were encouraged to collect bones from domestic sources and bring them to the collecting points in the schools. Several NS-institutions developed a variety of teaching aids and materials to support school education on this economically and politically important topic. Focussing on the example of bone-utilisation, this paper examines the messages and intentions of these educational materials. It also demonstrates how even apparently ideologically unbiased school subjects, such as chemistry, were instrumentalised for the political indoctrination of the pupils.

After the War: Stories of the women who did scientific and technical work on the Manhattan Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Howes, Ruth

2014-03-01

When the Japanese surrendered on September 2, 1945, the crash research program of the Manhattan Project abruptly ended although the labs continued to produce nuclear weapons to supplement the single implosion bomb ready for deployment. The older (over 25) members of the scientific staff at Los Alamos and other Manhattan Project sites were eager to return to jobs at universities and in industry, and the younger staff members wanted to finish graduate degrees. Women were no exception to this rule. In addition, the government launched a huge propaganda effort to persuade women to leave the workforce and make jobs available for returning GIs. Doors that had been open to women scientists and technicians abruptly closed as the economy returned to a peacetime footing. Stories of the women scientists and technicians of the Manhattan Project illustrate the strategies they used to meet these challenges as well as their remarkable determination to continue their careers.

Impact of westernization and other factors on the changing status of Moslem women.

PubMed

Ata, A W

1984-01-01

Reform in the status of women in Islam results from factors external to Islam -- initiation of the West, industrialization, and urbanization -- as well as from the internal factors of Moslem reformers, education, and the formation of a middle class. Against the background of the Middle East's traditional social pattern, it is crucial to determine how the position of women is being affected by the new influences from the West, how they are reacting to the new influences, where they are making progress or encountering obstacles, and how they feel and look towards the future. Westernization brought about a chain of related phenomena -- a decline of parental authority, a breakdown of the extended family, and a conscious initiation of Western family structures and social reforms. A few contemporary official reactions of the Moslem Arabs show great sensitivity to the opinions of the West, especially to the Western disapproval of the traditional Arab treatment of women. In attempting to prove how much progress the Arab world has made, they emphasize the changes in the family legal codes during the last 20 years, giving far greater privileges to women. The propaganda in the form of frequent speechs and pamphlets suggesting realization of political equality is a great exaggeration. The reason behind such an inaccurate account of the amount of change is the focus on a proportionately small minority of educated Arab women. Yet, the propaganda serves as an index of the aims and attitudes of the Arab leaders who are directing the present society. There exists a steady, if undramatic move towards emancipation among women of the Moslem Middle East. Equally true is that there is no evidence of a militant crusade for women's rights. A genuine desire does exist for "freedom from" some of the traditional restrictions, yet this does not involve any real challenge to the traditional conception of women's role as mother. It only represents a desire that the life of women should not be limited to this role. There are also indications that education is more than a symbol of new position. It is broadening the horizons and fostering concerns about larger problems of the nation and society. The introduction of Western communications in the Moslem Middle East, embodied in modern mass media, is a new impetus for the small but progressively growing indigenous feminist movements. Modernization and its underlying tensions and clashes with the traditional way of life in the Moslem Middle East is already working itself out through an increasing number of individual lives.

On the origins of narrative : Storyteller bias as a fitness-enhancing strategy.

PubMed

Sugiyama, M S

1996-12-01

Stories consist largely of representations of the human social environment. These representations can be used to influence the behavior of others (consider, e.g., rumor, propaganda, public relations, advertising). Storytelling can thus be seen as a transaction in which the benefit to the listener is information about his or her environment, and the benefit to the storyteller is the elicitation of behavior from the listener that serves the former's interests. However, because no two individuals have exactly the same fitness interests, we would expect different storytellers to have different narrative perspectives and priorities due to differences in sex, age, health, social status, marital status, number of offspring, and so on. Tellingly, the folklore record indicates that different storytellers within the same cultural group tell the same story differently. Furthermore, the historical and ethnographic records provide numerous examples of storytelling deliberately used as a means of political manipulation. This evidence suggests that storyteller bias is rooted in differences in individual fitness interests, and that storytelling may have originated as a means of promoting these interests.

Depiction of a 17th-Century Tooth Extraction: A Drawing by Adriaen Pietersz van de Venne (Dutch, 1589-1662).

PubMed

Chernin, David A

2017-01-01

A prolific and inventive painter, draftsman, and poet, Adriaen Pietersz van de Venne was born in Delft in 1589. His wealthy parents had fled from Protestant persecution in the Southern (Spanish) Netherlands during the 1580s. Van de Venne was educated in Leiden, where he became part of the vibrant political and intellectual community around the University. He settled in Middleburg, in Zeeland, by 1614; his earliest dated paintings are also from this year. In 1625, van de Venne moved to The Hague, where he remained until his dealth. He executed several commissions for the Dutch stadholder Frederik Hendrik, was repeatedly elected dean of the guild of St. Luke, and in 1656 was one of the founding members of The Hague's painter's guild, "Pictura schilders confrerie." Van de Venne painted histories, portraits, and genre scenes; from 1618, he was also active as a printmaker and book illustrator, notably for the popular poet Jacob Cats. His literary accomplishments included satire and political propaganda, as well as several books of poetry. Copyright American Academy of the History of Dentistry.

Voters' Fickleness:. a Mathematical Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boccara, Nino

This paper presents a spatial agent-based model in order to study the evolution of voters' choice during the campaign of a two-candidate election. Each agent, represented by a point inside a two-dimensional square, is under the influence of its neighboring agents, located at a Euclidean distance less than or equal to d, and under the equal influence of both candidates seeking to win its support. Moreover, each agent located at time t at a given point moves at the next timestep to a randomly selected neighboring location distributed normally around its position at time t. Besides their location in space, agents are characterized by their level of awareness, a real a ∈ [0, 1], and their opinion ω ∈ {-1, 0, +1}, where -1 and +1 represent the respective intentions to cast a ballot in favor of one of the two candidates while 0 indicates either disinterest or refusal to vote. The essential purpose of the paper is qualitative; its aim is to show that voters' fickleness is strongly correlated to the level of voters' awareness and the efficiency of candidates' propaganda.

Performance Parameters Analysis of an XD3P Peugeot Engine Using Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) Concept in MATLAB

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rangaswamy, T.; Vidhyashankar, S.; Madhusudan, M.; Bharath Shekar, H. R.

2015-04-01

The current trends of engineering follow the basic rule of innovation in mechanical engineering aspects. For the engineers to be efficient, problem solving aspects need to be viewed in a multidimensional perspective. One such methodology implemented is the fusion of technologies from other disciplines in order to solve the problems. This paper mainly deals with the application of Neural Networks in order to analyze the performance parameters of an XD3P Peugeot engine (used in Ministry of Defence). The basic propaganda of the work is divided into two main working stages. In the former stage, experimentation of an IC engine is carried out in order to obtain the primary data. In the latter stage the primary database formed is used to design and implement a predictive neural network in order to analyze the output parameters variation with respect to each other. A mathematical governing equation for the neural network is obtained. The obtained polynomial equation describes the characteristic behavior of the built neural network system. Finally, a comparative study of the results is carried out.

"A word from man to man". Interwar Venereal Disease Education Films for Military Audiences in France.

PubMed

Bonah, Christian

2015-01-01

In the 1910s, in the wake of the glorious decade of syphilography (1900-1910), the early health education films lay the groundwork for a pragmatic approach to the containment of venereal diseases combining (early) diagnosis, treatment and prophylaxis. Realizing that WWI was turning into a durable military conflict, the French Army created a Cinematographic Section (SCA) in 1915 for the purposes of war propaganda and documentation. In 1916, secretary of war Justin Godard declared syphilis a "national public danger" and initiated information campaigns in military and civilian spheres. Conferences accompanied with film screenings were organized for all new military recruits, resulting in the production of a series sex hygiene films for military audiences characterized by a short, evocative and precise documentary style, contrasting with the romantic sex hygiene films aimed at the general public. This contribution examines the cinematographic origins of the instructional films for the military, as well as their evolution up to WWII and their influence on public sex hygiene films for civilians in the interwar period in France.

Knowledge does not protect against illusory truth.

PubMed

Fazio, Lisa K; Brashier, Nadia M; Payne, B Keith; Marsh, Elizabeth J

2015-10-01

In daily life, we frequently encounter false claims in the form of consumer advertisements, political propaganda, and rumors. Repetition may be one way that insidious misconceptions, such as the belief that vitamin C prevents the common cold, enter our knowledge base. Research on the illusory truth effect demonstrates that repeated statements are easier to process, and subsequently perceived to be more truthful, than new statements. The prevailing assumption in the literature has been that knowledge constrains this effect (i.e., repeating the statement "The Atlantic Ocean is the largest ocean on Earth" will not make you believe it). We tested this assumption using both normed estimates of knowledge and individuals' demonstrated knowledge on a postexperimental knowledge check (Experiment 1). Contrary to prior suppositions, illusory truth effects occurred even when participants knew better. Multinomial modeling demonstrated that participants sometimes rely on fluency even if knowledge is also available to them (Experiment 2). Thus, participants demonstrated knowledge neglect, or the failure to rely on stored knowledge, in the face of fluent processing experiences. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Why industry propaganda and political interference cannot disguise the inevitable role played by human exposure to aluminum in neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease.

PubMed

Exley, Christopher

2014-01-01

In the aluminum age, it is clearly unpalatable for aluminum, the globe's most successful metal, to be implicated in human disease. It is unpalatable because for approximately 100 years human beings have reaped the rewards of the most abundant metal of the Earth's crust without seriously considering the potential consequences for human health. The aluminum industry is a pillar of the developed and developing world and irrespective of the tyranny of human exposure to aluminum it cannot be challenged without significant consequences for businesses, economies, and governments. However, no matter how deep the dependency or unthinkable the withdrawal, science continues to document, if not too slowly, a burgeoning body burden of aluminum in human beings. Herein, I will make the case that it is inevitable both today and in the future that an individual's exposure to aluminum is impacting upon their health and is already contributing to, if not causing, chronic diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. This is the logical, if uncomfortable, consequence of living in the aluminum age.

[Was cannibalism practiced in ancient Gaul? Critognatus, the leader of the Celts, in the focus of Caesar's propaganda].

PubMed

Moog, Ferdinand Peter

2011-01-01

Critognatus, the leader of the Celts, is mentioned only once in the extant ancient literature, namely in Caesar's description of the siege of Alesia in BG VII 77.2-78.2. Here he is portrayed as a determined patriot who wants to encounter the Roman invader bravely and at the risk of all available means. Nevertheless, crafty Caesar succeeds in stamping him by propagandistic pinches to an evil monster and cannibal. On the one hand Caesar falls back on current Roman prejudices towards the Gauls. On the other hand, the endocannibalism practised among Celts to a certain extent as a cult action seems to have played a rôle. Caesar's propagandistic methods are transparent and at the same time so effective that the label of an ogre sticks to Critognatus until the present day. Caesar's portrayal aims above all at the justification of his Gallic War which he wages against uncivilized and inhuman opponents who are a menace to Rome and even to the culture itself.

Endgame for polio eradication? Options for overcoming social and political factors in the progress to eradicating polio.

PubMed

Ganapathiraju, Pavan V; Morssink, Christiaan B; Plumb, James

2015-01-01

In 1988, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) was launched with the goal of eradicating polio by the year 2000. After 25 years, several dynamics still challenge this large public health campaign with new cases of polio being reported annually. We examine the roots of this initiative to eradicate polio, its scope, the successes and setbacks during the last 25 years and reflect on the current state of affairs. We examine the social and political factors that are barriers to polio eradication. Options are discussed for solving the current impasse of polio eradication: using force, respecting individual freedoms and gaining support from those vulnerable to fundamentalist 'propaganda'. The travails of the GPEI indicate the need for expanding the Convention on the Rights of the Child to address situations of war and civic strife. Such a cultural and structural reference will provide the basis for global stakeholders to engage belligerent local actors whose local political conflicts are barriers to the eradication of polio. Disregard for these actors will result in stagnation of polio eradication policy, delaying eradication beyond 2018.

Healing the Empire: Indian Hospitals in Britain and France during the First World War.

PubMed

Jarboe, Andrew Tait

2015-01-01

Desperate for soldiers to stem the German onrush in late 1914, the British deployed some 135,000 Indian riflemen--known as sepoys--to the trenches of France and Belgium. Between October 1914 and December 1915, these soldiers fought at the battles of Ypres, Festubert, Givenchy, Neuve Chapelle, Second Ypres, and Loos, suffering some 34,252 casualties. This article looks to the experiences of these men at segregated hospitals in France and England from 1914 to 1915. These hospitals served many of the same dual purposes facilitated by hospitals for English soldiers: namely, they sustained the war-making capacity of the Indian battalions. The Indian hospitals also functioned as sites of propaganda, reaffirming the ideologies and racial hierarchies of imperial rule for audiences at home, abroad, and within the hospital wards. But as this article demonstrates, wounded Indian sepoys were rarely, if ever, mere pawns on the imperial chessboard. Hospital authorities were committed to two policies: returning sepoys to the front and protecting White prestige. Sepoys successfully resisted both. In so doing, Indian hospitals became what British hospital administrators hoped they would not: spaces where imperial subjects contested and even reshaped some of the policies and ideologies of imperial rule.

Tobacco use by Indian adolescents

PubMed Central

Chadda, RK; Sengupta, SN

2003-01-01

Adolescents are the most vulnerable population to initiate tobacco use. It is now well established that most of the adult users of tobacco start tobacco use in childhood or adolescence. There has been a perceptible fall in smoking in the developed countries after realization of harmful effects of tobacco. The tobacco companies are now aggressively targeting their advertising strategies in the developing countries like India. Adolescents often get attracted to tobacco products because of such propaganda. There has been a rapid increase in trade and use of smokeless tobacco products in recent years in the country, which is a matter of serious concern to the health planners. It is important to understand various factors that influence and encourage young teenagers to start smoking or to use other tobacco products. The age at first use of tobacco has been reduced considerably. However, law enforcing agencies have also taken some punitive measures in recent years to curtail the use of tobacco products. This paper focuses on various tobacco products available in India, the extent of their use in adolescents, factors leading to initiation of their use, and the preventive strategies, which could be used to deal with this menace. PMID:19570251

Tobacco use by Indian adolescents

PubMed Central

Chadda, RK; Sengupta, SN

2003-01-01

Adolescents are the most vulnerable population to initiate tobacco use. It is now well established that most of the adult users of tobacco start tobacco use in childhood or adolescence. There has been a perceptible fall in smoking in the developed countries after realization of harmful effects of tobacco. The tobacco companies are now aggressively targeting their advertising strategies in the developing countries like India. Adolescents often get attracted to tobacco products because of such propaganda. There has been a rapid increase in trade and use of smokeless tobacco products in recent years in the country, which is a matter of serious concern to the health planners. It is important to understand various factors that influence and encourage young teenagers to start smoking or to use other tobacco products. The age at first use of tobacco has been reduced considerably. However, law enforcing agencies have also taken some punitive measures in recent years to curtail the use of tobacco products. This paper focuses on various tobacco products available in India, the extent of their use in adolescents, factors leading to initiation of their use, and the preventive strategies, which could be used to deal with this menace.

The end of the Strecknitz asylum at Lübeck - a contribution to the social history of psychiatry during National Socialism.

PubMed

Delius, P; Dilling, H

1995-09-01

At a first place the NS-policy of psychiatry is outlined -its global planning as well as its excecution. The picture is supplemented by and contrasted with its local implementation exemplified by the Strecknitz asylum at Lübeck. It becomes clear how much the global concept of the extermination of patients was interwoven with pragmatic plans of local authorities. At Lübeck only the partial identity of these interests led to the deportation of more than 600 patients. They were distributed to several transit camps in Hesse where more than 80% had died by the end of the Second World War. The main causes of death were hunger and infectious diseases - consequences of a deliberate and well-organized neglect. The behaviour and the reactions on the part of the relatives were shaped by supply shortages during the war, by internalized propaganda and by fear. The long-term effects beyond the end of the NS-regime vary a lot. Some of the relatives' coping strategies are portrayed. In some cases the murder of close family members continues to have its effects in the form of family secrets.

Values on Paper, in the Head, and in Action: On Max Weber and Value Freedom Today.

PubMed

Betta, Michela; Swedberg, Richard

2017-11-01

This article starts out with a summary of Weber's views on value freedom, by emphasizing: (1) that value freedom constitutes a special constellation of values; and (2) that value freedom makes it possible for the social scientist to theorize on the basis of new and more extensive knowledge than if she had simply stated her own values and focused the analysis around these. The latter point emerges most clearly in Weber's instructions for how a social scientist should proceed when carrying out an analysis of her own preferred social policy. After the section on Weber's views on value freedom, an attempt is made to update his views. This is done by arguing that the impact of values (and value freedom) differs, depending on where these can be found: on paper, in the head of the social scientist, or in her actions. "Actions," in the context of value freedom, refer to the research process and especially to the element of theorizing. Value freedom helps to guide the research into new and fruitful directions and to steer it clear of propaganda. © 2017 Canadian Sociological Association/La Société canadienne de sociologie.

Evidence of complex contagion of information in social media: An experiment using Twitter bots.

PubMed

Mønsted, Bjarke; Sapieżyński, Piotr; Ferrara, Emilio; Lehmann, Sune

2017-01-01

It has recently become possible to study the dynamics of information diffusion in techno-social systems at scale, due to the emergence of online platforms, such as Twitter, with millions of users. One question that systematically recurs is whether information spreads according to simple or complex dynamics: does each exposure to a piece of information have an independent probability of a user adopting it (simple contagion), or does this probability depend instead on the number of sources of exposure, increasing above some threshold (complex contagion)? Most studies to date are observational and, therefore, unable to disentangle the effects of confounding factors such as social reinforcement, homophily, limited attention, or network community structure. Here we describe a novel controlled experiment that we performed on Twitter using 'social bots' deployed to carry out coordinated attempts at spreading information. We propose two Bayesian statistical models describing simple and complex contagion dynamics, and test the competing hypotheses. We provide experimental evidence that the complex contagion model describes the observed information diffusion behavior more accurately than simple contagion. Future applications of our results include more effective defenses against malicious propaganda campaigns on social media, improved marketing and advertisement strategies, and design of effective network intervention techniques.

King Charles' Star: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Dating the Supernova Known as Cassiopeia A

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lunn, M.

2012-06-01

(Abstract only) Few astronomical phenomena have been as studied as the supernova known as Cassiopeia A. Widely believed to have occurred in the latter half of the seventeenth century, it is also thought to have gone unrecorded. This paper will argue that Cas A did not go unobserved, but in fact was seen in Britain on May 29, 1630, and coincided with the birth of the future King Charles II of Great Britain. This "noon-day star" is an important feature of Stuart/Restoration propaganda, the significance of which has been widely acknowledged by historians and literary experts. The argument here, however, is that in addition the historical accounts provide credible evidence for a genuine astronomical event, the nature of which must be explained. Combining documentary analysis with an overview of the current scientific thinking on dating supernovae, the authors put forward their case for why Charles' star should be recognized as a sighting of Cas A. Finally, it will be argued that a collaborative approach between the humanities and the sciences can be a valuable tool, not just in furthering our understanding of Cas A, but in the dating of supernovae in general.

King Charles` Star: A Multidisciplinary Approach To Dating The Supernova Known As Cassiopeia A

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lunn, Martin; Rakoczy, L.

2011-01-01

Few astronomical phenomena have been as studied as the supernova known as Cassiopeia A. Widely believed to have occurred in the latter half of the seventeenth century, it is also thought to have gone unrecorded. This paper will argue that Cas A did not go unobserved, but in fact was seen in Britain on May 29, 1630, and coincided with the birth of the future King Charles II of Great Britain. This `noon-day star’ is an important feature of Stuart/Restoration propaganda, the significance of which has been widely acknowledged by historians and literary experts. The argument here, however, is that in addition the historical accounts provide credible evidence for a genuine astronomical event, the nature of which must be explained. Combining documentary analysis with an overview of the current scientific thinking on dating supernova, the authors put forward their case for why Charles’ star should be recognized as a sighting of Cas A. Finally, it will be argued that a collaborative approach between the humanities and the sciences can be a valuable tool, not just in furthering our understanding of Cas A, but in the dating of supernovae in general.

King Charles` Star: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Dating the Supernova Known as Cassiopeia A

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lunn, Martin

2011-05-01

Few astronomical phenomena have been as studied as the supernova known as Cassiopeia A. Widely believed to have occurred in the latter half of the seventeenth century, it is also thought to have gone unrecorded. This paper will argue that Cas A did not go unobserved, but in fact was seen in Britain on May 29, 1630, and coincided with the birth of the future King Charles II of Great Britain. This 'noon-day star' is an important feature of Stuart/Restoration propaganda, the significance of which has been widely acknowledged by historians and literary experts. The argument here, however, is that in addition the historical accounts provide credible evidence for a genuine astronomical event, the nature of which must be explained. Combining documentary analysis with an overview of the current scientific thinking on dating supernova, the authors put forward their case for why Charles' star should be recognized as a sighting of Cas A. Finally, it will be argued that a collaborative approach between the humanities and the sciences can be a valuable tool, not just in furthering our understanding of Cas A, but in the dating of supernovae in general.

[Analysis on barriers of urban sustainable development based on DEMATEL: a case of Shenyang City].

PubMed

Li, Chun-Rong; Geng, Yong; Xue, Bing; Ren, Wan-Xia; Dong, Hui-Juan

2012-10-01

To scientifically identify the key barriers which the urban sustainable development is facing and to analyze the interrelationships among the barriers are of significance to promote urban sustainable development. Through literature review, site investigation and structural interview, 21 factors affecting the Shenyang City's sustainable development were recognized, and based on questionnaire survey and statistics analysis, 12 main factors were screened. Further, by employing decision-making and trial evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) method, the interrelationships among these factors were analyzed. The key factors affecting the Shenyang's sustainable development included the lack of leaders' attention, the economy-oriented governmental performance evaluation system, the lower public awareness on sustainable development, and the lack of academic understanding on regional eco-carrying capacity and related key projects. It was suggested that the local government should pay more attention on sustainable development, increase propaganda activities, reform governmental performance evaluation system, establish a reward-punishment system for promoting sustainable development and an effective monitoring mechanism, and enhance the implementation of related regulations, the local enterprises should establish research and development funds to support the researches of key technologies and introduce key projects, and general publics should improve their awareness on sustainable development and actively participate in related activities.

Miners, masculinity and the "Bataille du Charbon" in France, 1944-1948.

PubMed

Diamond, Hanna

2011-01-01

In 1944, the French provisional government, backed by the Parti communiste français and the Confédération générale du travail, undertook an aggressive propaganda campaign to persuade miners to embark upon a 'battle for coal' which raised their efforts in extracting coal to that of a national endeavour. At the same time, miners had great hopes that nationalisation of the coal industry, under discussion at this time, would bring significant improvement to their working lives. In identifying the ways in which publicists posited miners as an ideal of working-class manhood, this article will argue that "la bataille du charbon" marks a crucial moment in the celebration of working-class masculinity and that the "statut des mineurs" which was passed in 1946 as a part of nationalisation enshrined many of the existing gender assumptions about mining life. What does an incorporation of gender to an analysis of the treatment of miners in the years 1944-1948 add to our understandings of the various economic, political and social dynamics around "la bataille du charbon"? How do these insights inform our perceptions of French coalfield societies in the mid-twentieth century?

[Childbirth without pain. Politics in France during the cold war. ].

PubMed

Caron-Leulliez, Marianne

2006-01-01

Dr. Lamaze introduced Natural Childbirth (ASD) in France in 1951. While this event is significant to the history of obstetrics and women's experience, we would like to concentrate upon another aspect here: how it is situated within the political debates of the period. In the midst of the Cold War, Lamaze was a sympathizer, although not a member of the Communist Party (PCF). He ran a maternity clinic for the CGT, a union affiliated with the PCE During a trip to Russia in 1951, he discovered a new method to relieve pain in labour through a psychological technique inspired by Pavlov. Upon his return, when he dedicated his energies towards the popularization of ASD, he looked for support from the PCF and to draw upon their propaganda network; this subsequently aroused suspicion and hostility. A few years later, ASD received the blessing of women's groups won over by its improvements to birthing. At the moment of Lamaze's triumph, he fell victim to a resurgence of Stalinism. With his team, he denounced the Soviet invasion of Hungary and lost the financial support of the unions which owned the clinic. Exhausted and profoundly disappointed, he died in March 1957.

The Changing Nature of Modernization Discourses in Documentary Films.

PubMed

Tabernero, Carlos

2018-03-01

Argument Franco's fascist regime in Spain (1939-1975) offers the possibility of exploring the complex relationship between media communication practices and the processes of production, circulation, and management of knowledge. The regime persistently used film, and later on television, as indoctrination and disciplining devices. These media thus served to shape the regime's representation, which largely relied on the generation of positive attitudes of adherence to the rulers through people's submission and obedience to experts. This article examines the changing nature of modernization discourses and practices, as a fundamental element of the regime's propaganda strategies, and as portrayed in documentaries produced under its rule. The rhetoric of modernization involved an explicit deficit model of knowledge management, which aimed at legitimating the regime's deeds and policies in its first decades, as we shall see regarding colonial-medical documentaries produced for the official newsreel in the 1940s. However, the focus of such rhetoric, despite its enduring political aims, had to somehow open up as the relationship between experts and non-experts changed, both in epistemological and practical terms, such as in wildlife documentary films produced for television in the 1970s, the regime's last decade.

Are we winning or losing the war on cancer? Deciphering the propaganda of NCI's 33-year war.

PubMed

Howe, Genevieve K; Clapp, Richard W

2004-01-01

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) and collaborating agencies have proclaimed great progress in the U.S. "war on cancer," while at the same time presenting more reasons for concern than celebration. We reviewed various documents and data files and found that incidence and mortality rates for all cancer sites combined remain higher than they were when the "war on cancer" was declared in 1971, despite very recent, modest decreases. The burden of the disease has risen from three million to nearly ten million people. Black Americans, men of all races, and other segments of the population disproportionately bear the burden of cancer. We also looked at data for malignant breast cancer and found that incidence rates increased 36% from 1973 to 2000, while mortality for all population groups combined declined slightly. Breast cancer mortality is 34% higher among black women than among white women, even though white women are generally more likely to get the disease. The $50 billion spent on the "war on cancer" over the last 33 years has yielded few gains. The NCI's resources must be refocused on preventing cancers we know how to prevent.

[A summary of the fecundity for the Zang nationality in the Muli region].

PubMed

Wu, W

1983-11-29

The Zang nationality in the Muli region is a major branch of the Tibetan people now living in Sichuan Province. Before 1949, the social economy in the local area was rather backward, public health was poor, the infant mortality rate was high as 50% and the overall population growth was slow. Since 1949, because of changes that have taken place in the social and economic system, the development of the population has also changed on a large scale. According to a recent survey, numerous households are still trying to change their poor financial condition through a population increase. Conversely, there are also some households with a better financial situation who prefer not to have too many children. In addition, fecundity also differs between women with some education and those who are illiterate, and the social impact on fecundity is very obvious. The influence from traditional concepts and psychological factors is also strong. At the present time, the national ploicy of China is for family planning and birth control to prevent an unlimited population growth. Ideological education and propaganda are needed to alter the people's traditional outdated concept of birth so that the common goal of controlling population growth may be achieved.

The changing psychology of culture in German-speaking countries: A Google Ngram study.

PubMed

Younes, Nadja; Reips, Ulf-Dietrich

2017-05-05

This article provides evidence for the long-term affiliation between ecological and cultural changes in German-speaking countries, based on the assumptions derived from social change and human development theory. Based on this theory, the increase in urbanisation, as a measure of ecological change, is associated with significant cultural changes of psychology. Whereas urbanisation is linked to greater individualistic values and materialistic attitudes, rural environments are strongly associated with collectivistic values like allegiance, prevalence of religion, and feelings of belonging and benevolence. Due to an increase in the German urbanisation rate over time, our study investigates whether Germany and the German-speaking countries around show the presumed changes in psychology. By using Google Books Ngram Viewer, we find that word frequencies, signifying individualistic (collectivistic) values, are positively (negatively) related to the urbanisation rate of Germany. Our results indicate that predictions about implications of an urbanising population for the psychology of culture hold true, supporting international universality of the social change and human development theory. Furthermore, we provide evidence for a predicted reversal for the time during and after World War II, reflecting Nazi propaganda and influence. © 2017 International Union of Psychological Science.

A comparative study of induced abortions before and after legalization of abortions.

PubMed

Malhotra, S; Devi, P K

1979-06-01

Abortion was legalized in many states in India in April 1972. This study deals with 2 groups of patients admitted to P.G.I., Chadigarh, with problems of induced septic abortion. Group 1 consisted of 88 patients admitted during the 2 1/2 year period from 1 July 1969 to 31 December 1971, before the legalization of abortion. Group 2 consists of 133 patients admitted during the 2 1/2 year period from 1 July 1973 to 31 December 1975. 1 year after the new abortion law had been in force. Not only has there been an increase in the total number of patients, there has been an increase in the severity of infection. Evidently, the liberalization of the law has encouraged more patients to seek abortions and has encouraged more doctors, lacking proper qualifications, to perform them. The morbidity and mortality with induced septic abortion can only be reduced if enough public propaganda makes the people especially in rural areas conscious of the hazards of induced abortion by "dais" and unqualified personnel, simultaneously making them aware of the provision of law and facilities available at different centers. Meanwhile, the law against unskilled and untrained personnel should be rigorously enforced.

The Frustration of Lady Aberdeen in her Crusade against Tuberculosis in Ireland

PubMed Central

Breathnach, Caoimhghín S; Moynihan, John B

2012-01-01

When in his Annual Report for 1905 the Registrar General for Ireland pointed out to the lately arrived Lord Lieutenant, The Earl of Aberdeen, that annually in every 100 deaths in Ireland 16 were victims of tuberculosis, Lady Aberdeen took notice. In March 1907 she founded the WNHA with the clear duty of taking part in the fight against the appalling ravages of that disease, and organised a Tuberculosis Exhibition the following October. And so began a campaign that led to the building of Peamount Sanatorium in county Dublin, the Allan Ryan Hospital at Ringsend, and the Collier Dispensary in the city centre. However, the Irish parliamentarians at Westminster emasculated the Tuberculosis Prevention (Ireland) Act 1908 by ensuring that notification was not made compulsory. Passage of the National Health Insurance Act (1911) necessitated changes that resulted in the Tuberculosis Prevention (Ireland) Act (1913), but the crucial shortcomings of the earlier Act were not rectified: notification was necessary but still not compulsory. Lady Aberdeen recognised this serious flaw she was powerless to correct, and turned to propaganda, editing Sláinte, a monthly magazine founded in January 1909 by the WNHA, and editing a three-volume account of Ireland’s Crusade Against Tuberculosis (1908-1909). PMID:23536737

[Investigation of the prevalence of periodontal diseases among naval personnel during prolonged sailing].

PubMed

Zhao, Zheng; Li, Lu-Jia; Huang, Zheng-Nan; Jia, Bao-Jun; Yang, Hai-Qing

2015-02-01

To investigate the prevalence of periodontal diseases among naval personnel during prolonged sailing. The calculus index-simplified (CI-S), plaque index (PLI), gingival index (GI), community periodontal index (CPI), attachment loss (AL), number of missing tooth (NMT) and prevalence of periodontal disease were recorded among 186 naval personnel who participated in prolonged sailing before and after sailing. The data was analyzed with SPSS 14.0 software package. Each periodontal index after sailing was significantly higher than that of before sailing(P<0.01). Before sailing, the prevalence of periodontal diseases from 186 objects was 59.7%; While after sailing the prevalence increased to 83.3%. Among them, patients who suffered from gingivitis and mid or moderate periodontitis raised greatly, and significant differences were found in the prevalence and degree of periodontal disease (P<0.01) compared between pre-sailing and post-sailing. Prolonged sailing environment, food constraint and poor oral hygiene can influence periodontal state of naval personnel. To enhance propaganda and education on oral hygiene promptly and effectively, to develop the habit of correct toothbrushing, to have balanced and rational diet, and to perform proper periodontal non-surgical treatment and medication are essential to periodontal health of naval personnel during prolonged sailing.

Factors underlying the psychological and behavioral characteristics of Office of Strategic Services candidates: the assessment of men data revisited.

PubMed

Lenzenweger, Mark F

2015-01-01

During World War II, the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the forerunner of the Central Intelligence Agency, sought the assistance of clinical psychologists and psychiatrists to establish an assessment program for evaluating candidates for the OSS. The assessment team developed a novel and rigorous program to evaluate OSS candidates. It is described in Assessment of Men: Selection of Personnel for the Office of Strategic Services (OSS Assessment Staff, 1948). This study examines the sole remaining multivariate data matrix that includes all final ratings for a group of candidates (n = 133) assessed near the end of the assessment program. It applies the modern statistical methods of both exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis to this rich and highly unique data set. An exploratory factor analysis solution suggested 3 factors underlie the OSS assessment staff ratings. Confirmatory factor analysis results of multiple plausible substantive models reveal that a 3-factor model provides the best fit to these data. The 3 factors are emotional/interpersonal factors (social relations, emotional stability, security), intelligence processing (effective IQ, propaganda skills, observing and reporting), and agency/surgency (motivation, energy and initiative, leadership, physical ability). These factors are discussed in terms of their potential utility for personnel selection within the intelligence community.

Discrete Model of Opinion Changes Using Knowledge and Emotions as Control Variables

PubMed Central

Sobkowicz, Pawel

2012-01-01

We present a new model of opinion changes dependent on the agents emotional state and their information about the issue in question. Our goal is to construct a simple, yet nontrivial and flexible representation of individual attitude dynamics for agent based simulations, that could be used in a variety of social environments. The model is a discrete version of the cusp catastrophe model of opinion dynamics in which information is treated as the normal factor while emotional arousal (agitation level determining agent receptiveness and rationality) is treated as the splitting factor. Both variables determine the resulting agent opinion, which itself can be in favor of the studied position, against it, or neutral. Thanks to the flexibility of implementing communication between the agents, the model is potentially applicable in a wide range of situations. As an example of the model application, we study the dynamics of a set of agents communicating among themselves via messages. In the example, we chose the simplest, fully connected communication topology, to focus on the effects of the individual opinion dynamics, and to look for stable final distributions of agents with different emotions, information and opinions. Even for such simplified system, the model shows complex behavior, including phase transitions due to symmetry breaking by external propaganda. PMID:22984516

Discrete model of opinion changes using knowledge and emotions as control variables.

PubMed

Sobkowicz, Pawel

2012-01-01

We present a new model of opinion changes dependent on the agents emotional state and their information about the issue in question. Our goal is to construct a simple, yet nontrivial and flexible representation of individual attitude dynamics for agent based simulations, that could be used in a variety of social environments. The model is a discrete version of the cusp catastrophe model of opinion dynamics in which information is treated as the normal factor while emotional arousal (agitation level determining agent receptiveness and rationality) is treated as the splitting factor. Both variables determine the resulting agent opinion, which itself can be in favor of the studied position, against it, or neutral. Thanks to the flexibility of implementing communication between the agents, the model is potentially applicable in a wide range of situations. As an example of the model application, we study the dynamics of a set of agents communicating among themselves via messages. In the example, we chose the simplest, fully connected communication topology, to focus on the effects of the individual opinion dynamics, and to look for stable final distributions of agents with different emotions, information and opinions. Even for such simplified system, the model shows complex behavior, including phase transitions due to symmetry breaking by external propaganda.

[Results of Monitoring of the Plan of Measures Directed to Reduction of Ischemic Heart Disease in North Caucasus Republics. Analysis of Dynamics of Cardio-Vascular Mortality].

PubMed

Mamedov, M N

2016-05-01

Comparative analysis of dynamics of cardiovascular mortality in Russia and foreign countries as well as main directions of development of cardiological service in Russia are presented in this review article. Plan of measures for reduction of mortality from ischemic heart disease (IHD) was created in 2015. This plan comprises 4 blocks of assessment of the following measures: directed at improvement of primary IHD prevention (1), directed at secondary prevention of complications of IHD (2); directed at improvement of efficacy of medical care of patients with IHD (3), and directed at monitoring of some demographic parameters (4). The article also contains results of monitoring of realization of the plan of IHD reduction in republics of North Caucasus. Realization of the program on healthy life style (HLS) lacks coordination between ministries. Mass information media are not sufficiently involved in propaganda of HLS. Mean achievement of target levels of main risk factors does not exceed 30-35%. First stage of prophylactic medical examination (dispanserization) has been fulfilled in 65%. High technology care is available both in federal and regional centers. Organization of effective urgent medical service, drug supply, and rehabilitation of patients with IHD are important aspects of improvement of secondary prevention in the region.

Beyond eugenics: the forgotten scandal of hybridizing humans and apes.

PubMed

Etkind, Alexander

2008-06-01

This paper examines the available evidence on one of the most radical ideas in the history of eugenics and utopianism. In the mid-1920s, the zoology professor Ilia Ivanov submitted to the Soviet government a project for hybridizing humans and apes by means of artificial insemination. He received substantial financing and organized expeditions to Africa to catch apes for his experiments. His project caused an international sensation. The American Association for the Advancement of Atheism announced its fund-raising campaign to support Ivanov's project but gave it a scandalously racist interpretation. Ivanov's own motivation remained unclear, as did the motivation of those in the Bolshevik government who supported Ivanov until his arrest in 1930. This paper discusses three hypothetical reasons for Ivanov's adventure: first, hybridization between humans and apes, should it be successful, would support the atheist propaganda of the Bolsheviks; second, regardless of the success of hybridization, Ivanov would catch and bring to Russia apes, which were necessary for the rejuvenation programs that were fashionable among the Bolshevik elite; and third, hybridization, should it be successful, would pave the way to the New Socialist Man whose 'construction by scientific means' was the official purpose of the Bolsheviks. Ivanov's ideas were arguably important for the American proponent of reform eugenics, Herman Muller, and for the Soviet anthropologist Boris Porshnev.

[The ENARM and the schools and faculties of medicine. An analysis that nobody will like].

PubMed

Ramiro-H, Manuel; Cruz-A, J Enrique; Zerón-Gutiérrez, Lydia; Arévalo-Vargas, Angel

2017-01-01

In Mexico, the career of Doctor of Medicine has been considered as a prerequisite stage to access the specialization. Of course the majority of medical graduates aspire to undertake postgraduate courses in the different institutions that have a university program. The Examen Nacional de Aspirantes a Residencias Médicas (ENARM) (National Evaluation for Medical Residency Applicants) has become for the supporters a gap between the possibility of practicing the profession in a decent way and with a regular remuneration or exercising it in very limited conditions and with low economic income or even without exercising it. For educational institutions, the ENARM and the percentages of selection of their graduates are indicators of efficiency and a source of prestige and even of propaganda among the aspirants to study medicine. In this study, we carried out an analysis of the results of the ENARM in the last 15 years. For this we refer to the reports of the Postgraduate and Continuing Education Committee of the CIFRHS of the Directorate of Health Education of the General Directorate of Quality and Health Education Of the Undersecretariat of Innovation and Quality of the Ministry of Health, from the examination carried out in 2001 to the one carried out in 2016.

Expressing Anger Is More Dangerous than Feeling Angry when Driving

PubMed Central

Qu, Weina; Dai, Mengnuo; Zhao, Wenguo; Zhang, Kan

2016-01-01

Anger is an emotion that drivers often feel and express while driving, and it is believed by researchers to be an important cause of dangerous driving behavior. In this study, the relationships between driving trait anger, driving anger expression, and dangerous driving behaviors were analyzed. The Driving Anger Scale (DAS) was used to measure driving trait anger, whereas the Driving Anger Expression (DAX) Inventory was used to measure expressions of driving anger. A sample of 38 drivers completed the DAS, DAX, and a driving simulation session on a simulator where their driving behaviors were recorded. Correlation analysis showed that the higher scores on the DAS were associated with longer durations of speeding in the simulator. The more participants expressed their anger in verbal and physical ways, the more likely they were to crash the virtual vehicle during the simulation. Regression analyses illustrated the same pattern. The findings suggest that, although trait anger is related to speeding, the passive expression of anger is the real factor underling traffic accidents. This study extends findings about the predictive effects of self-report scales of driving behaviors to behaviors recorded on a simulator. Thus, if in traffic safety propaganda, guiding drivers to use positive ways to cope with driving anger is recommended by our findings. PMID:27258144

Quantitative Agent Based Model of Opinion Dynamics: Polish Elections of 2015

PubMed Central

Sobkowicz, Pawel

2016-01-01

We present results of an abstract, agent based model of opinion dynamics simulations based on the emotion/information/opinion (E/I/O) approach, applied to a strongly polarized society, corresponding to the Polish political scene between 2005 and 2015. Under certain conditions the model leads to metastable coexistence of two subcommunities of comparable size (supporting the corresponding opinions)—which corresponds to the bipartisan split found in Poland. Spurred by the recent breakdown of this political duopoly, which occurred in 2015, we present a model extension that describes both the long term coexistence of the two opposing opinions and a rapid, transitory change due to the appearance of a third party alternative. We provide quantitative comparison of the model with the results of polls and elections in Poland, testing the assumptions related to the modeled processes and the parameters used in the simulations. It is shown, that when the propaganda messages of the two incumbent parties differ in emotional tone, the political status quo may be unstable. The asymmetry of the emotions within the support bases of the two parties allows one of them to be ‘invaded’ by a newcomer third party very quickly, while the second remains immune to such invasion. PMID:27171226

[Survey of current situation of schistosomiasis health education in Wuxi City].

PubMed

Meng, Xiao-jun; Gao, Dong-lin; Zhang, Xuan; Lu, Bing

2015-04-01

To understand the current situation of schistosomiasis health education in in Wuxi City where schistosomiasis transmission has been interrupted, so as to provide the evidence for formulating the health education strategies. Face to face interviews and a professional designed questionnaire were used to collect the information of the current schistosomiasis health education and investigate the awareness of schistosomiasis knowledge in primary and middle schools and in communities. The total awareness rate of schistosomiasis knowledge was 87.7% among 873 students and the figure was 83.0% among 693 community residents. The students who studied in the schools with more than 1 class hour of schistosomiasis health education, completed schistosomiasis health education material or teaching plan, and implementing health education through multiple ways had higher knowledge awareness rates compared with the schools without (χ2 = 291.408, 709.622, 13.751, all P <0.001). The residents living in the communities with schistosomiasis health education through broadcast/TV or square propaganda had a higher knowledge awareness rate compared with the communities without (χ2= 90.772, 47.436, all P < 0.001). The awareness rates of schistosomiasis knowledge among both students and community residents in Wuxi City are low. Therefore, the schistosomiasis control health education should be strengthened.

The comparative analysis of the forecasts of development of rocket propulsion in past and now

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nedaivoda, A.; Prisniakov, V.

2001-03-01

Consideration is being given to use the known long and short forecasts of development of rocket engines in past - at the beginning of development of a missile engineering (K. Tsiolkovsky etc. pioneers of rocket propulsion); on the eve of launching of the artificial satellite of Earth (A. Blagonravov); after manned flight of Yu. Gagarin (V. Gluchko); after manned flight on Moon (" The Forecasts on 2001 " on materials of readings R. Goddard in USA); in middle of 70-s' years (D. Sevruk, V. Prisniakov) and at the end of 20 centure. Last years under the initiative R. Beichel and M. Pouliquen IAA. Advanced Propulsion Working Group carries out large researches on definition of the tendencies of development of rocket propulsion for the next forty years, the outcomes which one will be used in the report. The comparison of development of rocket propulsion expected to the end of 20 century and real-life is given. The report analyses the errors of the forecasts of the past - the absence reliable prognostic procedure; the euphoria of the maiden successes of conquest of space; dominance of military and political- propaganda motives of implementation of the space programs before economical; to keep developments secret; competition of two super-powers USSR and USA etc.

Modern Fysics Phallacies: The Best Way Not to Unify Physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beichler, James E.

Too many physicists believe the `phallacy' that the quantum is more fundamental than relativity without any valid supporting evidence, so the earliest attempts to unify physics based on the continuity of relativity have been all but abandoned. This belief is probably due to the wealth of pro-quantum propaganda and general `phallacies in fysics' that were spread during the second quarter of the twentieth century, although serious `phallacies' exist throughout physics on both sides of the debate. Yet both approaches are basically flawed because both relativity and the quantum theory are incomplete and grossly misunderstood as they now stand. Had either side of the quantum versus relativity controversy sought common ground between the two worldviews, total unification would have been accomplished long ago. The point is, literally, that the discrete quantum, continuous relativity, basic physical geometry, theoretical mathematics and classical physics all share one common characteristic that has never been fully explored or explained - a paradoxical duality between a dimensionless point (discrete) and an extended length (continuity) in any dimension - and if the problem of unification is approached from an understanding of how this paradox relates to each paradigm, all of physics and indeed all of science could be unified under a single new theoretical paradigm.

Information is not good enough: the transformation of health education in France in the late 1970s.

PubMed

Berlivet, Luc

2008-01-01

The aim of this article is to provide a historical account of the many problems that arose in the making of large-scale health education campaigns in France, from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s, as well as the solution explored at that time. Fascination for the alleged influence of mass media on human behaviour prompted a government keen on anything "modern" to implement the first ever large-scale health education campaign on the risks of "excessive smoking." However, the hyper-rationalistic approach to communication favoured by the French Committee for Health Education (FCHE), in charge of the campaign, prompted many questions concerning both the impact, and the political implications of their approach. The historical investigation described here is based on the study of various kinds of propaganda material; interviews with health education specialists and senior civil servants; and the systematic exploration of the archives produced by the FCHE. The analysis of the issues raised by this policy, as well as the answers provided by the protagonists themselves, sheds new light on pending questions in health education, such as the need to reconcile political acceptability and effectiveness, and the role that social sciences might play in this process.

Expressing Anger Is More Dangerous than Feeling Angry when Driving.

PubMed

Qu, Weina; Dai, Mengnuo; Zhao, Wenguo; Zhang, Kan; Ge, Yan

2016-01-01

Anger is an emotion that drivers often feel and express while driving, and it is believed by researchers to be an important cause of dangerous driving behavior. In this study, the relationships between driving trait anger, driving anger expression, and dangerous driving behaviors were analyzed. The Driving Anger Scale (DAS) was used to measure driving trait anger, whereas the Driving Anger Expression (DAX) Inventory was used to measure expressions of driving anger. A sample of 38 drivers completed the DAS, DAX, and a driving simulation session on a simulator where their driving behaviors were recorded. Correlation analysis showed that the higher scores on the DAS were associated with longer durations of speeding in the simulator. The more participants expressed their anger in verbal and physical ways, the more likely they were to crash the virtual vehicle during the simulation. Regression analyses illustrated the same pattern. The findings suggest that, although trait anger is related to speeding, the passive expression of anger is the real factor underling traffic accidents. This study extends findings about the predictive effects of self-report scales of driving behaviors to behaviors recorded on a simulator. Thus, if in traffic safety propaganda, guiding drivers to use positive ways to cope with driving anger is recommended by our findings.

[Affect, medicine and public enlightenment: the origin of the film genre "Deutscher Kulturfilm"].

PubMed

Osten, Philipp

2009-01-01

This article describes the process of professionalisation of medical films in Germany between 1910 and 1920. At the beginning of this decade, government institutions showed a growing interest in hygiene campaigns and started to cooperate with medical experts as well as with professional advertisers. When the German film industry was nationalised at the end of World War I, these informal structures were strengthened. New theories described the film as a most powerful tool for propaganda purposes. This profoundly changed the expectations towards medical films. Now their content had to be bedded into the dramatised form of a photoplay. After 1918, in anticipation of the reprivatisation of the German film industry, government officials of the Weimar Republic developed complex measures to obtain and keep control over a new genre of documentary film which was now called "Deutscher Kulturfilm". Some of the political expectations linked to the Kulturfilm can be exemplified in the first documentary of feature length released by the Berlin-based Universal Film Corporation in 1920. It contained elements of medical films that had been shot during the last decade of the German Empire, and it was newly composed in 1919 to meet the presumable needs of a broader public in an uncertain democratic future.

Ancient cults of the sun (German Title: Antike Sonnenkulte)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hansen, Rahlf

In ancient astronomy, the heliocentric system of Aristarchus of Samos did not meet universal approval. Contrary to that, the cult of the sun gained immense importance in the Roman Empire. Relics of this significance we still find e.g. in the meaning of the Sunday in the week and in the date of Christmas. The rise of the sun cults is characterised by the merging of different gods from various cultures. Already in classical Greece the god of the sun, Helios, almagated with the god of light, Apollo. The resulting entity was regarded as the harmonic guide of the visible universe, symbolized by Apoll. As well as he plays the lyre, he conducts the cosmos harmonically as the sun. Plato recommends to politicians to study musical harmonics and astronomy in order to get a feeling of the right way to rule the state. In consequence to the conquests of Alexander the Great, the Babylonian star religion was mingled with Greek cosmology and the concept of transmigration of souls. The astrology resulting therefrom spread out over the whole Hellenistic world and was very common in the Roman Empire. The calendar with its religious division of time as the days of the week, following the principle of the gods of the planets governing the hour, was well known. The god of the sun was graded up by the adoption of the calendar of the sun from Egypt by Caesar. Augustus chose Apoll as his guardian god and built with “his” sundial a symbol of the god of the sun, which was visible from a long distance. Augustus used more astral symbols as propaganda of leadership. During the competition with the Parthians, another large empire, for world domination the focus fell on an Iranian god: the Iranian god of light and contract - Mithras. Shortly before 100 A.D., a new cult of mysteries arose in the Roman Empire, called cult of Mithras, and spread quickly. It combined the attributes of a classical sun-god with a religion of salvation, guaranteed by baptism, communion and seven degrees to be passed. The introduction of the sun-god Elagabal from the Syrian town Emesa as the highest god of the empire, tried about 220 A.D. by the young emperor bearing the same name, failed. The introduction of sol invictus, however, the invincible god of the sun, by the emperor Aurelian in 274 A.D. succeeded. It was the begin of a development that led to the submission of the Roman pantheon to the sun-god. In the imperial propaganda, the emperor likened his own government to the ruling of the cosmos by Apoll. The cosmocrator, a symbol of the emperor as the sovereign of the world, turned into Christus in iconography. The cult of the sun, shaped by Helios - Apollo - Mithras sol invictus was very popular. For this reason, in the fourth century the christians took over the most important religious festival, the winter solstice, which was the birthday of Mithras, as Christmas and Christ became the “Sun of Justice”.

[The biopolitical production "impaired" subjects within the scope of "Action T4" - a re-reading of "I accuse"].

PubMed

Offermann, Stefan

2013-01-01

The history of the Nazi "euthanasia programme" named "Aktion T4" has been examined from a biopolitical perspective for some time. However, these studies have not focused on the analytics of biopolitical practices of subjectivization as an essential element of the Foucaultian concept. The use of such a theoretical approach can be used in combination with new and substantial empirical research results. The Heidelberg DFG research programme evaluated the "T4" medical records statistically in order to conclusively determine which features had significant importance for selection by the "T4" experts. The inability to work or having an incurable mental illness were the criteria by which psychiatrists and "T4" experts subjectivized patients as "lives not worth living". Considering these new results and a biopolitical approach as starting point, it is time to reconsider the Nazi "euthanasia" propaganda movie "Ich klage an" ("I Accuse", 1941). When scholars began to study the production process of the movie in the 1980s, they looked at the narrative and the movie characters from an instrumental perspective. In other words, they examined how the "T4" protagonists and filmmakers sought to create a film which affected the viewers' opinion in a specific way intentionally influenced by them. According to that line of thought, the character Hanna was neglected because she was considered to be the morally inoffensive disguise of the intended propaganda massage. However, two works from the 1990s which were gender history-oriented finally focused on Hanna and the way the film narrative turns her into a subject "not worth living". Based on these considerations, this article states its thesis. The criteria of the film to subjectivize Hanna share many basic characteristics with those of the subjectivization process of the "T4" victims. To prove this statement, the analytics of the movie are combined with the results of the DFG project. Through the combination of both types of sources, the examination of the subjetivization process of the "T4" victims is expanded upon through the incorporation of discursive and imaginative procedures. For this reason, the film is analysed from a narratological and aesthetic perspective. The article starts with a description of the spatial structure of the narrative, which serves to establish an ideal of a "life worth living". Subsequently, the analysis focuses on the staging of Hanna's body and her self-description - both mean to show Hanna's regression from the norm of a "life worth living". Then, the case of Hanna is contextualized by the "T4" subjects. Due to the fact that incurable illness was a necessary feature of the victims, Hanna's husband's search for a cure for multiple sclerosis is also examined. The final part of the article deals with the research controversies regarding the importance of racial hygiene for the "euthanasia programme". Even in regard to this last question, which is also important in order to understand the subjectivization of the "T4" victims, the film offers interesting answers.

Cross-Sectional Study on Acceptability of the Media Channels About Ebola Virus Disease in Guangzhou, China.

PubMed

Liu, Weisi; Zhang, Zhoubin; Chen, Jiamin; You, Xiaojin

2018-05-09

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between the information seeking about Ebola virus disease (EVD) and media channels, then to provide theory evidence for working out the health education transmission strategy in similar public health emergency events. We used a cross-sectional survey model, data were collected through questionnaire over telephone calls, and R × c chi-square test was used to identify factors associated with knowledge and media channels for choosing to get the information about EVD prevention and control. Most of the respondents said they heard of EVD (84.9%). A total of 82.1% of respondents knew that Ebola virus outbreak occurred in Africa in 2014. Less than half of the respondents knew "EVD can be transmitted through contact with the body, or bodily fluids of an infected person directly" (43.8%). More than half of respondents preferred getting EVD-related information through television, making it the most favored method (60.9%). Information through newspaper was in second place (15.6%) and community propaganda was the third (11.3%). The top three modes of demanding to receive information about EVD mentioned by the respondents were television (55.0%), networking (18.8%), and newspaper (12.1%). Television should be used to disseminate relevant accurate health information to the public. The public health organization should strengthen existing partnerships with news media and social media.

Wounds and weapons.

PubMed

Vogel, H; Dootz, B

2007-08-01

X-ray findings are described, which are typical for injuries due to conventional weapons. It is intended to demonstrate that radiographs can show findings characteristic for weapons. The radiograms have been collected in Vietnam, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia, Chad, Iran, Afghanistan, USA, Great Britain, France, Israel, Palestine, and Germany. Radiograms of injuries due to hand grenades show their content (globes) and cover fragments. The globes are localized regionally in the victim's body. Survivors of cluster bombs show singular or few globes; having been hit by many globes would have been lethal. Shotguns produce characteristic distributions of the pallets and depth of penetration different from those of hand grenades and cluster bombs; cover fragments are lacking. Gunshot wounds (GSW) can be differentiated in those to low velocity bullets, high velocity projectiles, and projectiles, which disintegrate on impact. The radiogram furnishes the information about a dangerous shock and helps to recognize the weapon. Radiograms of victims of explosion show fragments and injuries due to the blast, information valid for therapy planning and prognosis. The radiogram shows details which can be used in therapy, forensic medicine and in war propaganda - examples could be findings typical for cluster bombs and for dumdum bullets; it shows the cruelty of the employment of weapons against humans and the conflict between the goal of medical care and those of military actions. Radiographs may show, which weapon has been employed; they can be read as war reports.

REGULATION OF AUSTRALIAN MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS AND NATIONAL SECURITY: LESSONS FROM THREE CASE STUDIES.

PubMed

Faunce, Thomas; McKenna, Michael; Rayner, Johanna; Hawes, Jazmin

2016-03-01

In recent times, Australia's national security concerns have had controversial impacts on regulation of Australian medical practitioners in areas related to immigration detention. This column explores three recent case studies relevant to this issue. The first involves the enactment of the Australian Border Force Act 2015 (Cth), which has a significant impact on the regulation of medical professionals who work with people in immigration detention. The second involves the decision of the High Court of Australia in Plaintiff M68/2015 v Minister for Immigration and Border Protection [2016] HCA 1 that an amendment to Australian federal legislation justified sending children back to immigration detention centres in Papua New Guinea and Nauru. This legislation was previously heavily criticised by the Australian Human Rights Commissioner. The third concerns the deregistration of Tareq Kamleh, an Australian doctor of German-Palestinian heritage who came to public attention on ANZAC Day 2015 with his appearance online in a propaganda video for the Islamic State terrorist organisation al-Dawla al-Islamyia fil Iraq wa'al Sham, also known as Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) or Daesh. Australia's professional regulatory system should presumptively respect professional virtues, such as loyalty to the relief of individual patient suffering, when dealing with doctors (whether in Australia or ISIS-occupied Syria) working under regimes whose principles appear inconsistent with those of ethics and human rights.

[How to carry out work on family planning after adopting production responsibility systems in rural areas].

PubMed

Xiao, S H

1982-05-29

After the Third Meeting of the Eleventh People's Congress, the entire responsibility for agricultural production was transferred to a lower level. Peasants in various areas have adopted the so called production responsibility system, and the phenomenon of an increased population rate has also appeared in some areas. In this article, the author discusses how to solve these problems created by the new situation. The 1st step is try to control population growth through socialist propaganda education, administrative measures, economic incentives and punishments, and family planning work. The 2nd step is to popularize the practice of having only 1 child per household in the rural areas. The 2nd and 3rd child in each family should be controlled and prohibited. This policy formulated by the Central Government should be carried out thoroughly. Families which follow the policy and have only 1 child should be encouraged with economic rewards, and those families which have 2 or more children should be punished economically. The 3rd step is to establish a national work team to be in charge of family planning and birth control. There should be an ideological unity among the nation's leadership. Party members and cadres should establish themselves as good examples for the people so that the population control work may become successful.

Assessment of ecological security based on soil and water conservation: a case study from Gansu Province, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Z. J.; Tian, Q.; Song, L. L.

2016-08-01

In this study, the analytic hierarchy process (ahp), ecological security index(S) and PSR model were used to evaluate Gansu's ecological security based on the large number of survey data. The results indicated that Gansu's ecological security index increased from 0.31 in 1986 to 0.66 in 2013, which reflected ecological security was in sensitive state (0.7༞S≥⃒0.5). The main reason was that national policy on protecting the ecological environment has played a crucial role, especially the national project of returning farmland to forest and grass carried out in recent years. Moreover, the environmental issues such as the higher PM2.5, sand storms and climate extremes, had significantly improved people's environmental awareness in the study area. The regional difference of ecological security index was significant in Gansu Provinces, and the part of Yangtze river basin was higher than the part of Yellow River basin, whiles the in-land river basin was the lowest value. In a world, Gansu's ecological security had improved in recent years, but there was strong need for paying more attention to policy for ecological environment protection and increasing the propaganda to ensure the Gansu's ecological security in the future. This study will provide a scientific basis for the sustainable development of regional social economy and ecological environment.

[Not Available.

PubMed

Berg, Wieland

2016-01-01

The German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina submitted at the outbreak of the First World War no public opinion - regardless of personal settings of the board and unlike many of its members. Public-meetings, however, were introduced only in 1924, making it the Leopoldina were no opportunities to academy speeches, in contrast to other scientific academies. But in their official bulletin with which they appeared in public, obituaries were published during the entire war period to researchers regardless of the nation, including in French and English scholars. It was only at the suggestion of a member from the July 1915 German war dead were honoured with a symbolic Iron Cross, as was common in German newspapers from the beginning of the war. An exclusion of members from the 'hostile' abroad was never considered. During the war, however, no foreigners were co-opted, but again only immediately after the war. The academy board then pleaded strongly for an international reconciliation of sciences. At the public propaganda war in the "battle of the minds" were also renowned Leopoldina members involved, as reflected in total war and its consequences in the Leopoldina members similar to the entire German population. The analysis of the signatories of various manifestos brings to light that the "Declaration of University Professors of Germany" only just over half of the scholars instead of "almost the whole teaching body" was signed, as previously generalized.

Vaccination among Polish university students. Knowledge, beliefs and anti-vaccination attitudes.

PubMed

Zarobkiewicz, Michał Konrad; Zimecka, Aleksandra; Zuzak, Tomasz; Cieślak, Dominika; Roliński, Jacek; Grywalska, Ewelina

2017-11-02

Anti-vaccination movement has existed as long as the vaccines themselves, but its mode of action and social influences evolved over time. Such attitude with no doubt has negative impact on vaccination rates and eradication of infectious diseases. In this study, we used an online survey to examine vaccination attitudes of Polish university students of various degree and specialties. A total of 1,386 questionnaires were completed, among them 617 from students attending medical schools and 769 from students of non-medical schools. Up to 95.24% (N = 1320) of the study subjects, among them 98.70% and 92.46% of students of medical and non-medical specialties, respectively, declared willingness to vaccinate their children. 47.19% (N = 654) of participants have a contact with anti-vaccination propaganda at least once in a lifetimes. 42.64% (N = 591) of respondents were aware of the existence of anti-vaccination movements; 45.35% (N = 414) of participants, including 306 (51.52%) and 108 (33.86%) students of medical and non-medical disciplines, respectively, considered such movements as a negative phenomenon. Vaccination attitudes of students from medical and non-medical universities differed considerably. Vaccination knowledge and awareness among the students from non-medical universities were rather poor, markedly lower than in the students of medical disciplines. Nevertheless, irrespective of their major, Polish students have considerable knowledge gaps with regards to vaccination and need additional education in this matter.

The Psychoprophylactic Method of Painless Childbirth in Socialist Czechoslovakia: from State Propaganda to Activism of Enthusiasts.

PubMed

Hrešanová, Ema

2016-10-01

This paper explores the history of the 'psychoprophylactic method of painless childbirth' in socialist Czechoslovakia, in particular, in the Czech and Moravian regions of the country, showing that it substantially differs from the course that the method took in other countries. This non-pharmacological method of pain relief originated in the USSR and became well known as the Lamaze method in western English-speaking countries. Use of the method in Czechoslovakia, however, followed a very different path from both the West, where its use was refined mainly outside the biomedical frame, and the USSR, where it ceased to be pursued as a scientific method in the 1950s after Stalin's death. The method was imported to Czechoslovakia in the early 1950s and it was politically promoted as Soviet science's gift to women. In the 1960s the method became widespread in practice but research on it diminished and, in the 1970s, its use declined too. However, in the 1980s, in the last decade of the Communist regime, the method resurfaced in the pages of Czechoslovak medical journals and underwent an exciting renaissance, having been reintroduced by a few enthusiastic individuals, most of them women. This article explores the background to the renewed interest in the method while providing insight into the wider social and political context that shaped socialist maternity and birth care in different periods.

Least bad solutions to the 'drugs problem'.

PubMed

Mugford, S

1991-01-01

This paper examines the current difficulties being faced in Australia by policy-makers attempting to regulate the non-medical use of illegal drugs, and it is suggested that the difficulties centre upon two aspects. First, existing prohibitions are unsuccessful, with use levels rising and, in some arenas (e.g. cocaine use in the USA), quite out of control. On the other hand, a move towards decriminalization or legalization is difficult because past propaganda has been so vehement that a change now apparently risks sending the wrong messages to young people. This dilemma means that there is no solution, including inertia, which is risk-free, nor is there one free of difficulties. It is thus relevant to think in terms of 'least bad' rather than 'best' when formulating a system to face these problems. The exploration of what this least bad solution might be begins with the examination of the prominent myths (such as 'the drug-free society', 'the evil pusher', 'the user as victim' and 'the young person as cultural dope') that hinder our reasoning. Secondly, by suggesting that, in a climate of increasing crime related to drugs, inability of prohibitions to control that use and escalating health risks attendant on use (including the AIDS problem), the central policy thrust must be harm reduction and damage minimization rather than illusory goals such as widespread abstinence. The paper concludes with a discussion of some relevant evidence on alternative options.

[Employees health education--challenges according to the educational level].

PubMed

Korzeniowska, Elzbieta; Puchalski, Krzysztof

2012-01-01

Article addresses the problem of increasing Polish employees health education effectiveness according to the differences in educational level. Research model assume that effective method of developing recommendations improving the health education will synthesise scientific findings regarding methodology of conducting such education and knowledge about needs of two target groups: low and high educated employees. Educational solutions were searched in publications related to: health education, andragogy, propaganda and direct marketing. The empirical material used to characterize two target groups came from four research (qualitative and quantitative) conducted by the National Centre for Workplace Health Promotion (Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine) in 2007-2010. Low educated employees' health education should be focused on increasing responsibility for health and strengthening their self-confidence according to the introduction of healthy lifestyle changes. To achieve these goals, important issue is to build their motivation to develop knowledge about taking care of health. In providing such information we should avoid the methods associated with school. Another important issue is creating an appropriate infrastructure and conditions facilitating the change of harmful behaviors undertaken at home and in the workplace. According to high-educated employees a challenge is to support taking health behaviors--although they are convinced it is important for their health, such behaviors are perceived as a difficult and freedom restriction. Promoting behavior change techniques, avoiding prohibitions in the educational messages and creating favorable climate for taking care of health in groups they participate are needed.

A glittering icon of Fascist femininity: Trebisonda "Ondina" Valla.

PubMed

Gori, G

2001-01-01

This essay focuses on the second decade of the Italian Fascist regime through its emblematic symbol, Trebisonda 'Ondina' Valla. Valla gained first place in the 80 metre hurdles at the Berlin Olympics of 1936, and became the first world-class female athlete in Italian history, in spite of the generally backward condition of Italian women. In those years, a paternalistic and conservative society deeply discriminated against female participation in not only sport but also other cultural activities. The Catholic Church, medical expertise, eugenics theories and the fascist regime were all opposed to female competitive sport. The Church demanded female morality, modesty and domesticity while, the medical profession recommend only basic physical exercise for female health and motherhood. While promoting the myth of the New Italy as a modern nation, Fascism wished it to be inhabited by a traditional womanhood. Paradoxically, however, Mussolini supported Valla because she epitomized a dynamic fascism and brought Italian Fascism international visibility. The serendipitous value of Valla was that she encouraged young women to attempt to force open the bars of their political cage, and at the same time forced the fascist ideology to reconsider and reconstruct fascist principles in the interest of international propaganda. Thus while Valla was a political instrument of fascist purpose, she was also an agent of female emancipation. She was a political icon that also became a gender icon. In both roles she became a symbol of congratulation but also of confrontation, contradiction and paradox.

Prospects for a genuine revival of primary health care--through the visible hand of social justice rather than the invisible hand of the market: Part II.

PubMed

Katz, Alison Rosamund

2010-01-01

This second part of a two-part article explores the prospects for genuine revival of primary health care (PHC) as announced by the WHO in 2008, with reference, briefly, to Global Health Watch 2, published by the People's Health Movement, Medact, and Equity Gauge Alliance, and, in more depth, to the positions of social and people's movements most closely aligned with the original values and principles of Alma-Ata and the structural foundations of the PHC project. The author argues that the social justice struggle for health cannot be limited to curbing capitalism's excesses. The multiple crises of today--in energy, water, food, the environment, finance, science, information, and democracy--must be recognized as capitalist crises and addressed as such. Particular attention is given to ideology, including the distortion of human nature and society under neoliberal capitalism, and to moral foundations of Health for All. Not only must the invisible hand of the market be replaced by the visible hand of social justice, but the single ideology proclaiming the "end of history" and, by implication, the end of politics and political struggle must be exposed and rejected as neoliberal, totalitarian propaganda. In line with the spirit and intention of the U.N. Charter, PHC remains a political project for a fair and safe world in which Health for All is both possible and necessary.

Regional colorectal cancer screening program using colonoscopy on an island: a prospective Nii-jima study.

PubMed

Hotta, Kinichi; Matsuda, Takahisa; Kakugawa, Yasuo; Ikematsu, Hiroaki; Kobayashi, Nozomu; Kushima, Ryoji; Hozawa, Atsushi; Nakajima, Takeshi; Sakamoto, Taku; Mori, Mika; Fujii, Takahiro; Saito, Yutaka

2017-02-13

Colorectal cancer screening program using fecal immunochemical test had been conducted on an isolated island named Nii-jima. However, the participation rate of the program had been approximately 12%, which was lower than average level of Japan. This study aimed to evaluate the participation rate, safety and efficacy of a colorectal cancer screening program using colonoscopy on the island. Educational campaigns were actively conducted every month using information bulletins and special propaganda pamphlets. The primary recommended modality was colonoscopy, followed by fecal immunochemical test. The participants of this program were 1671 individuals aged 40–79 years (men, 819; women, 852). A total of 789 (47.2%) individuals provided consent for this screening program, and 89.2% (704/789) of participants chose colonoscopy as the primary screening procedure. The completion rate of total colonoscopy was 99.7%, and there was no complication during this program. Detection rates of invasive cancer, intramucosal cancer, advanced neoplasia and any adenoma were 0.9% (n = 6), 2.4% (n = 17), 11.8% (n = 83) and 50.0% (n = 352), respectively. The adenoma detection rate and incidence of advanced neoplasia were significantly higher in men than in women in all age groups. The colorectal cancer screening program using colonoscopy that was conducted on an island achieved considerably higher participation rate than the conventional screening program using fecal immunochemical test. Completion rate and safety of screening colonoscopy were excellent during this program.

A Family Clustered Nitrite Intoxication Investigation in Gaoxin District, Suzhou, China, 2013.

PubMed

Wang, Ruiping; Teng, Chengang; Zhang, Ning; Zhang, Jun; Conway, George

2013-12-01

In April, 2013, a Suzhou Hospital reported a nitrite intoxication patient in coma as well as 2 family members with the similar symptom 5 days ahead. We investigated the event to identify the cause, source and possible pollution ways of the contamination. We defined case as any person living in YSHY community who has cyanosis and with at least one of the following symptoms: dizziness, headache, fatigue, tachycardia, drowsiness, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain or diar-rhea during April 15 to April 25, 2013. We searched for case by interviewing community residents and reviewing clinics' medical records; information was then retrospectively collected on the patient's food history, cooking procedures and food sources. We identified 3 nitrite intoxication cases, 1 male and 2 female from a family. The interval time between dinner and onset was < 1 hour. Retrospective survey showed 'sugar stir and mix asparagus' on April 17 and 'scrambled asparagus' on April 21 were suspected foods. Both suspected dishes had 'sugar' added, sourced from a clean-up of a neighboring rental house. Nitrite was detected in a vomitus sample, the 'sugar' and two leftover food samples. This family clustered nitrite intoxication was induced by using unidentified nitrite as sugar to cook dishes. We recommend sodium nitrite should be dyed with bright colors to avoid mistaking it for plain salt or sugar, health departments strengthen food hygiene propaganda to improve people's recognition of food safety, and to alert them the dangerous of eating unidentified or unknown source food.

The Psychoprophylactic Method of Painless Childbirth in Socialist Czechoslovakia: from State Propaganda to Activism of Enthusiasts

PubMed Central

Hrešanová, Ema

2016-01-01

This paper explores the history of the ‘psychoprophylactic method of painless childbirth’ in socialist Czechoslovakia, in particular, in the Czech and Moravian regions of the country, showing that it substantially differs from the course that the method took in other countries. This non-pharmacological method of pain relief originated in the USSR and became well known as the Lamaze method in western English-speaking countries. Use of the method in Czechoslovakia, however, followed a very different path from both the West, where its use was refined mainly outside the biomedical frame, and the USSR, where it ceased to be pursued as a scientific method in the 1950s after Stalin’s death. The method was imported to Czechoslovakia in the early 1950s and it was politically promoted as Soviet science’s gift to women. In the 1960s the method became widespread in practice but research on it diminished and, in the 1970s, its use declined too. However, in the 1980s, in the last decade of the Communist regime, the method resurfaced in the pages of Czechoslovak medical journals and underwent an exciting renaissance, having been reintroduced by a few enthusiastic individuals, most of them women. This article explores the background to the renewed interest in the method while providing insight into the wider social and political context that shaped socialist maternity and birth care in different periods. PMID:27628861

Politics of nuclear waste

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Colglazier, E.W. Jr.

1982-01-01

In November of 1979, the Program in Science, Technology and Humanism and the Energy Committee of the Aspen Institute organized a conference on resolving the social, political, and institutional conflicts over the permanent siting of radioactive wastes. This book was written as a result of this conference. The chapters provide a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the governance issues connected with radioactive waste management as well as a sampling of the diverse views of the interested parties. Chapter 1 looks in depth of radioactive waste management in the United States, with special emphasis on the events of the Carter Administrationmore » as well as on the issues with which the Reagen administration must deal. Chapter 2 compares waste management policies and programs among the industralized countries. Chapter 3 examines the factional controversies in the last administration and Congress over nuclear waste issues. Chapter 4 examines the complex legal questions involved in the federal-state conflicts over nuclear waste management. Chapter 5 examines the concept of consultation and concurrence from the perspectives of a host state that is a candidate for a repository and an interested state that has special concerns regarding the demonstration of nuclear waste disposal technology. Chapter 6 examines US and European perspectives concerning public participation in nuclear waste management. Chapter 7 discusses propaganda in the issues. The epilogue attempts to assess the prospects for consensus in the United States on national policies for radioactive waste management. All of the chapter in this book should be interpreted as personal assessments. (DP)« less

Pandemic obesity and the contagion of nutritional nonsense.

PubMed

Katz, David L

2003-01-01

The United States is the epicenter of an obesity pandemic. As more countries acculturate to a Western lifestyle, rates of obesity and its sequelae are rising steadily in both adults and children. In response, a variety of weight-loss diets emphasizing alternative distributions of macronutrient classes have been promoted with considerable success. Among the most popular is the so-called "Atkins Diet," in which carbohydrate restriction is touted as the key to weight loss. Despite claims, however, evidence that weight loss is enhanced by means other than caloric restriction is lacking. Also lacking is evidence that fad diets produce sustainable weight loss. Most important, fad diets generally ignore or refute what is known about fundamental associations between dietary pattern and human health. Cancer, cholera, and AIDS induce rapid weight loss, highlighting the potential incompatibility of weight loss by any means with health. Available data suggest that long-term weight loss is most consistently achieved by adherence to a fat-restricted diet abundant in grains, vegetables, and fruit, along with regular physical activity, a lifestyle notably conducive to the promotion of overall health. Fad diets, potential harms of which are well characterized, should be presumed "guilty" of incompatibility with human health until or unless proved otherwise; the burden of proof should reside with proponents. In the interim, the clinical and public health communities should work to empower individuals with knowledge needed to reconcile weight control with health promotion; support policies that mitigate obesogenic environmental conditions; and offer unified resistance to the contagion of dietary propaganda.

Painting Dose: The ART of Radiation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Roberts, Hannah J.; Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts; Zietman, Anthony L.

The discovery of X rays in 1895 captivated society like no other scientific advance. Radiation instantly became the subject not only of numerous scientific papers but also of circus bazaars, poetry, fiction, costume design, comics, and marketing for household items. Its spread was “viral.” What is not well known, however, is its incorporation into visual art, despite the long tradition of medicine and surgery as a subject in art. Using several contemporary search methods, we identified 5 examples of paintings or sculpture that thematically feature radiation therapy. All were by artists with exhibited careers in art: Georges Chicotot, Marcel Duchamp,more » David Alfaro Siqueiros, Robert Pope, and Cookie Kerxton. Each artist portrays radiation differently, ranging from traditional healer, to mysterious danger, to futuristic propaganda, to the emotional challenges of undergoing cancer therapy. This range captures the complex role of radiation as both a therapy and a hazard. Whereas some of these artists are now world famous, none of these artworks are as well known as their surgical counterparts. The penetration of radiation into popular culture was rapid and pervasive; yet, its role as a thematic subject in art never fully caught on, perhaps because of a lack of understanding of the technology, radiation's intangibility, or even a suppressive effect of society's ambivalent relationship with it. These 5 artists have established a rich foundation upon which pop culture and art can further develop with time to reflect the extraordinary progress of modern radiation therapy.« less

[National socialism health policy and the Aachen region reflected in the "West German Observer"].

PubMed

Schreiber, Jürgen; Lohmeier, Jens

2010-01-01

The article deals with the question of medicine in the time of the Nazi regime in Germany. It focuses on the question how the media in the "Third Reich" took up the subject "medicine" in general and which aspects were notably mentioned. The footing of this research is the "Westdeutscher Beobachter" and its local edition for the region and the city of Aachen. It was a newspaper published by the regional division of the NSDAP, hence a direct repetition of the Nazi ideology can be expected. During the research it became clear that medicine was not an important subject of propaganda in this newspaper. Only a few articles were about classic Nazi medical topics like "Erbgesundheit" (racial hygiene) and even less about naturopathy. The frequency of articles containing medical issues was very inconsistent, but only in 1934 there was a mentionable number of articles mostly concerning "Erbgesundheit". In this year the racial hygiene poured in law. The main consequence was the forced sterilization of over 300,000 people. Furthermore the topic "medicine" in general seems to be a marginal factor. More popular topics like economic or foreign policy dominated the report of the "Westdeutscher Beobachter". It seems to be that the emphasis was deliberately not laid on the matter "medicine" especially eugenics--which was one of the main components of the Nazi ideology--because the regime didn't want it to become a public interest.

Women, conflict, and culture in former Yugoslavia.

PubMed

Stojsavljevic, J

1995-02-01

The civil war in the former Yugoslavia has taken a toll on the women's movement which has disintegrated across male-defined nationalist borders. The women's movement in this area got its start during the Second World War but was disbanded under communism until women's groups began to form in the 1970s. Today the women's movement has lost the power to oppose the war and has been unable to prevent widespread violence perpetuated against women. Some feminists who have refused to embrace nationalism and patriotism have been vilified and have had to seek refuge abroad. Recently, however, hundreds of nongovernmental organizations have been formed to provide support to women and children victimized by the war. Women have been raped and impregnated as a strategy of male warfare, and raped women who refused an abortion were ostracized. War-related rape has yet to be fully recognized as an international human rights violation, and the issue is being used as political propaganda in the former Yugoslavia while it is ignored elsewhere. Sensationalist reporting of these rapes has further victimized women and made them unable to give voice to their trauma. War also increases women's suffering by destroying economic and social welfare systems. Oxfam is helping women record their testimonies of war and reconstruct the fabric of their societies through programs which provide income-generation and training in micro-enterprises. In addition, Oxfam is strengthening electronic communication and networking among women's groups throughout the region.

Vaccination among Polish university students. Knowledge, beliefs and anti-vaccination attitudes

PubMed Central

Zarobkiewicz, Michał Konrad; Zimecka, Aleksandra; Zuzak, Tomasz; Cieślak, Dominika; Roliński, Jacek; Grywalska, Ewelina

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Anti-vaccination movement has existed as long as the vaccines themselves, but its mode of action and social influences evolved over time. Such attitude with no doubt has negative impact on vaccination rates and eradication of infectious diseases. In this study, we used an online survey to examine vaccination attitudes of Polish university students of various degree and specialties. A total of 1,386 questionnaires were completed, among them 617 from students attending medical schools and 769 from students of non-medical schools. Up to 95.24% (N = 1320) of the study subjects, among them 98.70% and 92.46% of students of medical and non-medical specialties, respectively, declared willingness to vaccinate their children. 47.19% (N = 654) of participants have a contact with anti-vaccination propaganda at least once in a lifetimes. 42.64% (N = 591) of respondents were aware of the existence of anti-vaccination movements; 45.35% (N = 414) of participants, including 306 (51.52%) and 108 (33.86%) students of medical and non-medical disciplines, respectively, considered such movements as a negative phenomenon. Vaccination attitudes of students from medical and non-medical universities differed considerably. Vaccination knowledge and awareness among the students from non-medical universities were rather poor, markedly lower than in the students of medical disciplines. Nevertheless, irrespective of their major, Polish students have considerable knowledge gaps with regards to vaccination and need additional education in this matter. PMID:28933660

Propaganda, News, or Education: Reporting Changing Arctic Sea Ice Conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leitzell, K.; Meier, W.

2010-12-01

The National Snow and Ice Data Center provides information on Arctic sea ice conditions via the Arctic Sea Ice News & Analysis (ASINA) website. As a result of this effort to explain climatic data to the general public, we have attracted a huge amount of attention from our readers. Sometimes, people write to thank us for the information and the explanation. But people also write to accuse us of bias, slant, or outright lies in our posts. The topic of climate change is a minefield full of political animosity, and even the most carefully written verbiage can appear incomplete or biased to some audiences. Our strategy has been to report the data and stick to the areas in which our scientists are experts. The ASINA team carefully edits our posts to make sure that all statements are based on the science and not on opinion. Often this means using some technical language that may be difficult for a layperson to understand. However, we provide concise definitions for technical terms where appropriate. The hope is that by communicating the data clearly, without an agenda, we can let the science speak for itself. Is this an effective strategy to communicate clearly about the changing climate? Or does it downplay the seriousness of climate change? By writing at a more advanced level and avoiding oversimplification, we require our readers to work harder. But we may also maintain the attention of skeptics, convincing them to read further and become more knowledgeable about the topic.

Academic advocacy in public health: Disciplinary 'duty' or political 'propaganda'?

PubMed

Smith, K E; Stewart, E A

2017-09-01

The role of 'advocacy' within public health attracts considerable debate but is rarely the subject of empirical research. This paper reviews the available literature and presents data from qualitative research (interviews and focus groups conducted in the UK in 2011-2013) involving 147 professionals (working in academia, the public sector, the third sector and policy settings) concerned with public health in the UK. It seeks to address the following questions: (i) What is public health advocacy and how does it relate to research?; (ii) What role (if any) do professionals concerned with public health feel researchers ought to play in advocacy?; and (iii) For those researchers who do engage in advocacy, what are the risks and challenges and to what extent can these be managed/mitigated? In answering these questions, we argue that two deeply contrasting conceptualisations of 'advocacy' exist within public health, the most dominant of which ('representational') centres on strategies for 'selling' public health goals to decision-makers and the wider public. This contrasts with an alternative (less widely employed) conceptualisation of advocacy as 'facilitational'. This approach focuses on working with communities whose voices are often unheard/ignored in policy to enable their views to contribute to debates. We argue that these divergent ways of thinking about advocacy speak to a more fundamental challenge regarding the role of the public in research, policy and practice and the activities that connect these various strands of public health research. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Painting Dose: The ART of Radiation.

PubMed

Roberts, Hannah J; Zietman, Anthony L; Efstathiou, Jason A

2016-11-15

The discovery of X rays in 1895 captivated society like no other scientific advance. Radiation instantly became the subject not only of numerous scientific papers but also of circus bazaars, poetry, fiction, costume design, comics, and marketing for household items. Its spread was "viral." What is not well known, however, is its incorporation into visual art, despite the long tradition of medicine and surgery as a subject in art. Using several contemporary search methods, we identified 5 examples of paintings or sculpture that thematically feature radiation therapy. All were by artists with exhibited careers in art: Georges Chicotot, Marcel Duchamp, David Alfaro Siqueiros, Robert Pope, and Cookie Kerxton. Each artist portrays radiation differently, ranging from traditional healer, to mysterious danger, to futuristic propaganda, to the emotional challenges of undergoing cancer therapy. This range captures the complex role of radiation as both a therapy and a hazard. Whereas some of these artists are now world famous, none of these artworks are as well known as their surgical counterparts. The penetration of radiation into popular culture was rapid and pervasive; yet, its role as a thematic subject in art never fully caught on, perhaps because of a lack of understanding of the technology, radiation's intangibility, or even a suppressive effect of society's ambivalent relationship with it. These 5 artists have established a rich foundation upon which pop culture and art can further develop with time to reflect the extraordinary progress of modern radiation therapy. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

'Never heard of it'- understanding the public's lack of awareness of a new electronic patient record.

PubMed

Bratan, Tanja; Stramer, Katja; Greenhalgh, Trisha

2010-12-01

The introduction of electronic patient records that are accessible by multiple providers raises security issues and requires informed consent - or at the very least, an opportunity to opt out. Introduction of the Summary Care Record (SCR) (a centrally stored electronic summary of a patient's medical record) in pilot sites in the UK was associated with low awareness, despite an intensive public information programme that included letters, posters, leaflets, and road shows. To understand why the public information programme had limited impact and to learn lessons for future programmes. Linguistic and communications analysis of components of the programme, contextualized within a wider mixed-method case study of the introduction of the SCR in pilot sites. Theoretical insights from linguistics and communication studies were applied. The context of the SCR pilots and the linked information programme created inherent challenges which were partially but not fully overcome by the efforts of campaigners. Much effort was put into designing the content of a mail merge letter, but less attention was given to its novelty, linguistic style, and rhetorical appeal. Many recipients viewed this letter as junk mail or propaganda and discarded it unread. Other components of the information programme were characterized by low visibility, partly because only restricted areas were participating in the pilot. Relatively little use was made of interpersonal communication channels. Despite ethical and legal imperatives, informed consent for the introduction of shared electronic records may be difficult to achieve through public information campaigns. Success may be more likely if established principles of effective mass and interpersonal communication are applied. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Uncertain enthusiasm: the American Cancer Society, public education, and the problems of the movie, 1921-1960.

PubMed

Cantor, David

2007-01-01

Historians have highlighted a growing medical enthusiasm for public health education movies in the early twentieth century. This essay suggests that there is another historiographic tale to tell, of concerns that films might undermine the public health messages they were designed to promote--concerns that threatened continued interest in movies during the Depression of the 1930s. First, focusing on cancer-education movies aimed at the general public released by the American Society for the Control of Cancer (ASCC, founded 1913), the paper argues that the organization's initial enthusiasm for movies was tempered from the late 1920s by a combination of high production costs, uncertainty as to the effectiveness of movies as public-education tools, and the hard economic situation. It was only after 1944 that motion pictures became a stable part of the propaganda efforts of the renamed American Cancer Society. This transformation followed the takeover of the Society by advertisers and businesspeople, led by Mary Lasker, who introduced business models of fund-raising and education, and made expensive communication technologies, such as movies, central to cancer control. Second, the article also traces the persistence of anxieties that movies might undermine cancer control by encouraging emotional responses that led audiences to ignore the lessons the movies were intended to encourage. But whereas such anxieties dampened ASCC enthusiasm for cancer-education movies during the hard economic times of the 1930s, they had no such effect after 1944, and attention shifted to developing techniques of controlling unwanted audience responses.

Haunted by ghosts: prevalence, predictors and outcomes of spirit possession experiences among former child soldiers and war-affected civilians in Northern Uganda.

PubMed

Neuner, Frank; Pfeiffer, Anett; Schauer-Kaiser, Elisabeth; Odenwald, Michael; Elbert, Thomas; Ertl, Verena

2012-08-01

Phenomena of spirit possession have been documented in many cultures. Some authors have argued that spirit possession is a type of psychopathology, and should be included as a category in diagnostic manuals of mental disorders. However, there are hardly any quantitative studies that report the prevalence of spirit possession on a population level and that provide evidence for its validity as a psychopathological entity. In an epidemiological study that was carried out in 2007 and 2008 with N = 1113 youths and young adults aged between 12 and 25 years in war-affected regions of Northern Uganda we examined the prevalence, predictors and outcomes of cen, a local variant of spirit possession. Randomly selected participants were interviewed using a scale of cen, measures of psychopathology (PTSD and depression) as well as indicators of functional outcome on different levels, including suicide risk, daily activities, perceived discrimination, physical complaints and aggression. We found that cen was more common among former child soldiers then among subjects without a history of abduction. Cen was related to extreme levels of traumatic events and uniquely predicted functional outcome even when the effects of PTSD and depression were controlled for. Our findings show that a long-lasting war that is accompanied by the proliferation of spiritual and magical beliefs and propaganda can lead to high levels of harmful spirit possession. In addition, we provide evidence for the incremental validity of spirit possession as a trauma-related psychological disorder in this context. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Science as a (TRANSITORY?) Phase in Human Evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leibowitz, Elia

One of the key elements of human knowledge in the last 150 years is the recognition that the universe, as well as each of its components, are in a permanent stage of evolution. Mankind and human affairs are of course no exceptions. Human beings owe their biological supremacy to the possession of a form of inheritance quite unlike that of other animals: exogenetic heredity. They have a non genetic channel for transmitting information from one generation to another, namely, the entire apparatus of culture. As information is correlated with brain structure, culture is a non genetic means to create patterns in human brains. It therefore plays a major role in human evolution. This apparatus by itself is however also undergoing a process of evolution. Using examples of astronomical, cosmological and other cultural concepts and argumentations, I shall show that throughout recorded human history, 4 distinct phases can be recognized in the evolution of this non genetic apparatus. The latest phase, the beginning of which is symbolized by the life and work of Galileo, is the "scientific" era. At the turn of the millenium, humankind is possibly at a transition state, from the "scientific" towards a new phase that may be termed a "public relation" or "propaganda" era. Causes for this transition can be found among recent developments in mass media and communications. These, in turn, are correlated with modern, 20th century trends in economy, technology and sociology that are other dominants factors in this transition. The apparent decline of the "scientific" culture may have profound consequences on the future evolution of mankind.

[The relevance of ethology for psychiatry].

PubMed

Brüne, M

1998-07-01

Darwin's evolutionary theory was the starting point for ethology, associated with an impact on scientific psychiatry. Psychiatry and ethology have common scientific and methodological prerequisites: inductive and deductive methods and "gestalt theory" as a basis for observing and describing behaviour patterns with subsequent causal analysis. There have been early endeavours to anchor ethological thinking in psychiatry but this tendency did not prevail for the following reasons: on the one hand, the methodology of ethology was immature or not applicable to man, whereas on the other hand the dominating experiential phenomenological school of Karl Jaspers and Kurt Schneider stressed the privileged position of human thinking, perception, and feeling. These fundamental categories of human existence did not appear amenable to any causal ethological analysis. Psychiatry and evolutionary biology were linked in an atrocious manner during the Nazi regime, both being abused for propaganda purposes and genocide. More recently, there is a "reconciliation" of both disciplines. In psychiatric nosology, operational, behaviour-oriented diagnostic systems have been introduced; ethology has opened up for theories of learning; new subsections like human ethology and sociobiology have evolved. The seeming incompatibility of (behavioural) biological psychiatry and experiential phenomenological psychopathology may be overcome on the basis of Konrad Lorenz' evolutionary epistemology. The functional analysis of human feeling and behaviour in psychotic disorders on the basis of Jackson's theory of the evolution and dissolution of the nervous system may serve as an example. The significance of an "ethological psychiatry" for diagnostic and therapeutical processes of psychiatric disorders derive from prognostic possibilities and the analysis of non-verbal communication in therapist-patient-interactions, but have not yet been systematically investigated.

Peer-Selected “Best Papers”—Are They Really That “Good”?

PubMed Central

Wainer, Jacques; Eckmann, Michael; Rocha, Anderson

2015-01-01

Background Peer evaluation is the cornerstone of science evaluation. In this paper, we analyze whether or not a form of peer evaluation, the pre-publication selection of the best papers in Computer Science (CS) conferences, is better than random, when considering future citations received by the papers. Methods Considering 12 conferences (for several years), we collected the citation counts from Scopus for both the best papers and the non-best papers. For a different set of 17 conferences, we collected the data from Google Scholar. For each data set, we computed the proportion of cases whereby the best paper has more citations. We also compare this proportion for years before 2010 and after to evaluate if there is a propaganda effect. Finally, we count the proportion of best papers that are in the top 10% and 20% most cited for each conference instance. Results The probability that a best paper will receive more citations than a non best paper is 0.72 (95% CI = 0.66, 0.77) for the Scopus data, and 0.78 (95% CI = 0.74, 0.81) for the Scholar data. There are no significant changes in the probabilities for different years. Also, 51% of the best papers are among the top 10% most cited papers in each conference/year, and 64% of them are among the top 20% most cited. Discussion There is strong evidence that the selection of best papers in Computer Science conferences is better than a random selection, and that a significant number of the best papers are among the top cited papers in the conference. PMID:25789480

Peer-selected "best papers"-are they really that "good"?

PubMed

Wainer, Jacques; Eckmann, Michael; Rocha, Anderson

2015-01-01

Peer evaluation is the cornerstone of science evaluation. In this paper, we analyze whether or not a form of peer evaluation, the pre-publication selection of the best papers in Computer Science (CS) conferences, is better than random, when considering future citations received by the papers. Considering 12 conferences (for several years), we collected the citation counts from Scopus for both the best papers and the non-best papers. For a different set of 17 conferences, we collected the data from Google Scholar. For each data set, we computed the proportion of cases whereby the best paper has more citations. We also compare this proportion for years before 2010 and after to evaluate if there is a propaganda effect. Finally, we count the proportion of best papers that are in the top 10% and 20% most cited for each conference instance. The probability that a best paper will receive more citations than a non best paper is 0.72 (95% CI = 0.66, 0.77) for the Scopus data, and 0.78 (95% CI = 0.74, 0.81) for the Scholar data. There are no significant changes in the probabilities for different years. Also, 51% of the best papers are among the top 10% most cited papers in each conference/year, and 64% of them are among the top 20% most cited. There is strong evidence that the selection of best papers in Computer Science conferences is better than a random selection, and that a significant number of the best papers are among the top cited papers in the conference.

[Establishment and application effect of fall prevention and control information system in elderly community].

PubMed

Zhao, Ting; Pi, Hong-Ying; Ku, Hong-An; Pan, Li; Gong, Zhu-Yun

2018-02-08

To investigate establishing, applying and evaluating the fall prevention and control information system in elderly community. Relying on internet technology and informatization means, the fall comprehensive prevention and control strategy of elderly was guided into online from offline. The fall prevention and control information system which was a collection of risk assessment, remote education and feedback was established. One hundred and twenty-six elderly (over 60 years old) in community were screened in this study and 84 high-risk elders who were involved in the remote continuous comprehensive intervention were screened out. Intervening measures included distributing propaganda album, making mission slides and video used to play with the interpretation remotely. Then fall related situation before and after intervention was analyzed and the effectiveness of system evaluated. After remote intervention, the fall incidence of high-risk group decreased from 21.43% to 4.76%( P <0.01). The body balance and gait stability improved clearly( P <0. 01). The rate of taking proper prevention and control behavior significantly improved( P <0.01). They believed in themselves not to fall down with more confidence when taking complex behaviors( P <0.01). The security of environment at home significantly enhanced( P <0. 01). Fall prevention and control information system in elderly community was innovative and convenient. The system could roundly assess the status related to fall and accurately screen out high-risk group. The system could implement the remote continuous comprehensive intervention so that the incident of fall was decrease. In conclusion, the system is stable and effective, can be further popularization and application as a successful pilot.

Campaigns and counter campaigns: reactions on Twitter to e-cigarette education

PubMed Central

Allem, Jon-Patrick; Escobedo, Patricia; Chu, Kar-Hai; Soto, Daniel W; Cruz, Tess Boley; Unger, Jennifer B

2016-01-01

Background Social media present opportunities for public health departments to galvanise interest in health issues. A challenge is creating content that will resonate with target audiences, and determining reactions to educational material. Twitter can be used as a real-time surveillance system to capture individuals’ immediate reactions to education campaigns and such information could lead to better campaigns in the future. A case study testing Twitter’s potential presented itself when the California Department of Public Health launched its ‘Still Blowing Smoke’ media campaign about the potential harmful effects of e-cigarettes. Pro-e-cigarette advocacy groups, in response, launched a counter campaign titled ‘Not Blowing Smoke’. This study tracked the popularity of the two campaigns on Twitter, analysed the content of the messages and determined who was involved in these discussions. Methods The study period was from 22 March 2015 to 27 June 2015. A stratified sampling procedure supplied 2192 tweets for analysis. Content analysis identified pro, anti and neutral e-cigarette tweets, and five additional themes: Marketing Elements, Money, Regulation/propaganda, Health, and Other. Metadata were analysed to obtain additional information about Twitter accounts. Results ‘Not Blowing Smoke’ was referenced more frequently than ‘Still Blowing Smoke’ on Twitter. Messages commonly objected to government regulation of e-cigarettes, refuted claims that e-cigarette manufactures were aligned with big tobacco, and touted the health benefits of e-cigarette use. E-cigarette companies and vape shops used campaign slogans to communicate with customers on Twitter. Conclusions Findings showed the time dynamics of Twitter and the possibility for real-time monitoring of education campaigns. PMID:26956467

Controllable uncertain opinion diffusion under confidence bound and unpredicted diffusion probability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Fuhan; Li, Zhaofeng; Jiang, Yichuan

2016-05-01

The issues of modeling and analyzing diffusion in social networks have been extensively studied in the last few decades. Recently, many studies focus on uncertain diffusion process. The uncertainty of diffusion process means that the diffusion probability is unpredicted because of some complex factors. For instance, the variety of individuals' opinions is an important factor that can cause uncertainty of diffusion probability. In detail, the difference between opinions can influence the diffusion probability, and then the evolution of opinions will cause the uncertainty of diffusion probability. It is known that controlling the diffusion process is important in the context of viral marketing and political propaganda. However, previous methods are hardly feasible to control the uncertain diffusion process of individual opinion. In this paper, we present suitable strategy to control this diffusion process based on the approximate estimation of the uncertain factors. We formulate a model in which the diffusion probability is influenced by the distance between opinions, and briefly discuss the properties of the diffusion model. Then, we present an optimization problem at the background of voting to show how to control this uncertain diffusion process. In detail, it is assumed that each individual can choose one of the two candidates or abstention based on his/her opinion. Then, we present strategy to set suitable initiators and their opinions so that the advantage of one candidate will be maximized at the end of diffusion. The results show that traditional influence maximization algorithms are not applicable to this problem, and our algorithm can achieve expected performance.

Vaccination and public trust: A model for the dissemination of vaccination behaviour with external intervention

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dorso, Claudio O.; Medus, Andrés; Balenzuela, Pablo

2017-09-01

Vaccination is widely recognized as the most effective way of immunization against many infectious diseases. However, unfounded claims about supposed side effects of some vaccines have contributed to spread concern and fear among people, thus inducing vaccination refusal. MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella) vaccine coverage has undergone an important decrease in a large part of Europe and US as a consequence of erroneously alleged side effects, leading to recent measles outbreaks. There is evidence that clusterization of unvaccinated individuals may lead to epidemics way larger that the ones that might appear in the case that unvaccinated agents are distributed at random in the population. In this work we explore the emergence of those clusters as a consequence of the social interaction driven mainly by homophily, where vaccination behaviour is part of a process of cultural dissemination in the spirit of Axelrod's model. The ingredients of this calculation encompass: (i) interacting agents which are to decide if they vaccinate or not their children, (ii) their interaction with a small subset of stubborn agents who believe that the MMR vaccine is not safe and (iii) government sponsored propaganda trying to convince people of the benefits of vaccination. We find that these clusters, which emerge as a dynamical outcome of the model, are the responsible of the increasing probability of the occurrence of measles outbreaks, even in scenarios where the WHO (World Health Organization) recommendation of 95% vaccine coverage is fulfilled. However, we also illustrate that the mitigating effect of a public health campaign, could effectively reduce the impact and size of outbreaks.

‘Never heard of it’– Understanding the public’s lack of awareness of a new electronic patient record

PubMed Central

Bratan, Tanja; Stramer, Katja; Greenhalgh, Trisha

2010-01-01

Abstract Background  The introduction of electronic patient records that are accessible by multiple providers raises security issues and requires informed consent – or at the very least, an opportunity to opt out. Introduction of the Summary Care Record (SCR) (a centrally stored electronic summary of a patient’s medical record) in pilot sites in the UK was associated with low awareness, despite an intensive public information programme that included letters, posters, leaflets, and road shows. Aim  To understand why the public information programme had limited impact and to learn lessons for future programmes. Methods  Linguistic and communications analysis of components of the programme, contextualized within a wider mixed‐method case study of the introduction of the SCR in pilot sites. Theoretical insights from linguistics and communication studies were applied. Results  The context of the SCR pilots and the linked information programme created inherent challenges which were partially but not fully overcome by the efforts of campaigners. Much effort was put into designing the content of a mail merge letter, but less attention was given to its novelty, linguistic style, and rhetorical appeal. Many recipients viewed this letter as junk mail or propaganda and discarded it unread. Other components of the information programme were characterized by low visibility, partly because only restricted areas were participating in the pilot. Relatively little use was made of interpersonal communication channels. Conclusion  Despite ethical and legal imperatives, informed consent for the introduction of shared electronic records may be difficult to achieve through public information campaigns. Success may be more likely if established principles of effective mass and interpersonal communication are applied. PMID:20579117

The Magnus-Rademaker Scientific Film Collection: Ethical Issues on Animal Experimentation (1908-1940).

PubMed

Koehler, Peter J; Lameris, Bregt

2016-01-01

The Magnus-Rademaker scientific film collection (1908-1940) deals with the physiology of body posture by the equilibrium of reflex musculature contractions for which experimental studies were carried out with animals (e.g., labyrinthectomies, cerebellectomies, and brain stem sections) as well as observations done on patients. The films were made for demonstrations at congresses as well as educational objectives and film stills were published in their books. The purpose of the present study is to position these films and their makers within the contemporary discourse on ethical issues and animal rights in the Netherlands and the earlier international debates. Following an introduction on animal rights and antivivisection movements, we describe what Magnus and Rademaker thought about these issues. Their publications did not provide much information in this respect, probably reflecting their adherence to implicit ethical codes that did not need explicit mentioning in publications. Newspaper articles, however, revealed interesting information. Unnecessary suffering of an animal never found mercy in Magnus' opinion. The use of cinematography was expanded to the reduction of animal experimentation in student education, at least in the case of Rademaker, who in the 1930s was involved in a governmental committee for the regulation of vivisection and cooperated with the antivivisection movement. This resulted not only in a propaganda film for the movement but also in films that demonstrate physiological experiments for students with the purpose to avert repetition and to improve the teaching of experiments. We were able to identify the pertinent films in the Magnus-Rademaker film collection. The production of vivisection films with this purpose appears to have been common, as is shown in news messages in European medical journals of the period.

Social biases determine spatiotemporal sparseness of ciliate mating heuristics.

PubMed

Clark, Kevin B

2012-01-01

Ciliates become highly social, even displaying animal-like qualities, in the joint presence of aroused conspecifics and nonself mating pheromones. Pheromone detection putatively helps trigger instinctual and learned courtship and dominance displays from which social judgments are made about the availability, compatibility, and fitness representativeness or likelihood of prospective mates and rivals. In earlier studies, I demonstrated the heterotrich Spirostomum ambiguum improves mating competence by effecting preconjugal strategies and inferences in mock social trials via behavioral heuristics built from Hebbian-like associative learning. Heuristics embody serial patterns of socially relevant action that evolve into ordered, topologically invariant computational networks supporting intra- and intermate selection. S. ambiguum employs heuristics to acquire, store, plan, compare, modify, select, and execute sets of mating propaganda. One major adaptive constraint over formation and use of heuristics involves a ciliate's initial subjective bias, responsiveness, or preparedness, as defined by Stevens' Law of subjective stimulus intensity, for perceiving the meaningfulness of mechanical pressures accompanying cell-cell contacts and additional perimating events. This bias controls durations and valences of nonassociative learning, search rates for appropriate mating strategies, potential net reproductive payoffs, levels of social honesty and deception, successful error diagnosis and correction of mating signals, use of insight or analysis to solve mating dilemmas, bioenergetics expenditures, and governance of mating decisions by classical or quantum statistical mechanics. I now report this same social bias also differentially affects the spatiotemporal sparseness, as measured with metric entropy, of ciliate heuristics. Sparseness plays an important role in neural systems through optimizing the specificity, efficiency, and capacity of memory representations. The present findings indicate sparseness performs a similar function in single aneural cells by tuning the size and density of encoded computational architectures useful for decision making in social contexts.

Social biases determine spatiotemporal sparseness of ciliate mating heuristics

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Ciliates become highly social, even displaying animal-like qualities, in the joint presence of aroused conspecifics and nonself mating pheromones. Pheromone detection putatively helps trigger instinctual and learned courtship and dominance displays from which social judgments are made about the availability, compatibility, and fitness representativeness or likelihood of prospective mates and rivals. In earlier studies, I demonstrated the heterotrich Spirostomum ambiguum improves mating competence by effecting preconjugal strategies and inferences in mock social trials via behavioral heuristics built from Hebbian-like associative learning. Heuristics embody serial patterns of socially relevant action that evolve into ordered, topologically invariant computational networks supporting intra- and intermate selection. S. ambiguum employs heuristics to acquire, store, plan, compare, modify, select, and execute sets of mating propaganda. One major adaptive constraint over formation and use of heuristics involves a ciliate’s initial subjective bias, responsiveness, or preparedness, as defined by Stevens’ Law of subjective stimulus intensity, for perceiving the meaningfulness of mechanical pressures accompanying cell-cell contacts and additional perimating events. This bias controls durations and valences of nonassociative learning, search rates for appropriate mating strategies, potential net reproductive payoffs, levels of social honesty and deception, successful error diagnosis and correction of mating signals, use of insight or analysis to solve mating dilemmas, bioenergetics expenditures, and governance of mating decisions by classical or quantum statistical mechanics. I now report this same social bias also differentially affects the spatiotemporal sparseness, as measured with metric entropy, of ciliate heuristics. Sparseness plays an important role in neural systems through optimizing the specificity, efficiency, and capacity of memory representations. The present findings indicate sparseness performs a similar function in single aneural cells by tuning the size and density of encoded computational architectures useful for decision making in social contexts. PMID:22482001

Malfunctioning of Chaperone-Mediated Autophagy in Parkinson's Disease: Feats, Constraints, and Flaws of Modulators.

PubMed

Tripathi, Manish Kumar; Rajput, Charul; Mishra, Saumya; Rasheed, Mohd Sami Ur; Singh, Mahendra Pratap

2018-06-11

Homeostatic regulation of class II programmed cell death/autophagy for the degradation and elimination of substandard organelles and defective proteins is decisive for the survival of dopaminergic neurons. Chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA), one of the most highly dedicated self-sacrificing events, is accountable for the partial elimination of redundant soluble cytoplasmic proteins in Parkinson's disease (PD). CMA is characterized by the selective delivery of superfluous protein containing lysine-phenylalanine-glutamate-arginine-glutamine (KFERQ)/KFERQ-like motif to the lysosome through molecular chaperones, such as heat shock cognate-70 (Hsc-70). KFERQ/KFERQ-like motif present in the poor quality cytoplasmic substrate protein and Hsc-70 complex is recognized by a janitor protein, which is referred to as the lysosome-associated membrane protein-2A (LAMP-2A). This protein is known to facilitate an entry of substrate-chaperone complex in the lumen for hydrolytic cleavage of substrate and elimination of end-products. Impaired CMA is repeatedly blamed for an accumulation of surplus soluble proteins. However, it is still an enigma if CMA is a bonus or curse for PD. Case-control studies and cellular and animal models have deciphered the contribution of impaired CMA in PD. Current article updates the role of CMA in toxicant models and recapitulates the evidences that have highlighted a link between impaired CMA and PD. Although PD is an irreversible happening and CMA is a dual edging phenomenon, it is anticipated that fine-tuning of the latter encounters the former to a certain extent. Besides, the truth, embellishment, and propaganda regarding the issue are also emphasized in the final segment of the article.

On the relationship between population growth and social and economic development.

PubMed

Xu, D

1983-01-01

China's population has grown rapidly since 1949, reaching a size of 1,008,170,000 by 1982. Rapid population growth has been encouraged by a high birth rate coupled with low mortality, traditional preference for sons, and the incorrect assumption that man is only a producer and not a consumer. Rapid population growth directly decreases economic development while producing a rapidly increasing labor force requiring an increase in the number of jobs available. Population growth has already reduced arable land from 3 MN in 1949 to 1.5 MN at present and can also cause sanitation and pollution problems. Only by adopting family plnning and the 1 child family can China gradually slow population growth to correspond with economic development; then the state will be able to improve health care and education and, therefore, population quality. China's population policy is not one of NeoMalthusianism, which advocates birth control and late marriage, and assumes the existence of a capitalist system and does not apply to communist systems. Malthus may have attempted to absolve the nourgeoisie from all blame by aiming his preaching against blind reproduction at the poor; he thought that overpopulation would be reduced by pestilence, war, and famine. Protecting capitalism motivated Malthus and other capitalists, but the Chinese want to promote economic development. Marx has refuted Malthus' views on population. While Chinese population policy and NeoMalthusianism agree on advocating birth control and late marriage, their underlying philosophies are different. The author supports laws and policies on fertility and family planning, and feels that population scientists must be involved in all aspects--study, propaganda, and education--relating to family planning.

The fact of uncertainty, the uncertainty of facts and the cultural resonance of doubt.

PubMed

Oreskes, Naomi

2015-11-28

Sixty years after industry executives first decided to fight the facts of tobacco, the exploitation of doubt and uncertainty as a defensive tactic has spread to a diverse set of industries and issues with an interest in challenging scientific evidence. However, one can find examples of doubt-mongering before tobacco. One involves the early history of electricity generation in the USA. In the 1920s, the American National Electric Light Association ran a major propaganda campaign against public sector electricity generation, focused on the insistence that privately generated electricity was cheaper and that public power generation was socialistic and therefore un-American. This campaign included advertisements, editorials (generally ghost-written), the rewriting of textbooks and the development of high school and college curricula designed to cast doubt on the cost-effectiveness of public electricity generation and extol the virtues of laissez-faire capitalism. It worked in large part by finding, cultivating and paying experts to endorse the industry's claims in the mass media and the public debate, and to legitimatize the alterations to textbooks and curricula. The similarities between the electric industry strategy and the defence of tobacco, lead paint and fossil fuels suggests that these strategies work for reasons that are not specific to the particular technical claims under consideration. This paper argues that a reason for the cultural persistence of doubt is what we may label the 'fact of uncertainty'. Uncertainty is intrinsic to science, and this creates vulnerabilities that interested parties may, and commonly do, exploit, both by attempting to challenge the specific conclusions of technical experts and by implying that those conclusions threaten other social values. © 2015 The Author(s).

A preliminary inquiry on the problem of unplanned (extra-quota) second births.

PubMed

Zhao, L; Zhu, C

1984-01-01

The resurgence of child births in China in 1981 was marked by a decline in the multiparity birth rates and a drastic rise in the rate of unplanned 2nd births, resulting in unplanned 2nd births outnumbering multiparity births. The aim of this investigation was to find the objective and subjective causes for the unplanned 2nd births and explore ways to bring them under strict control. In the countryside there are loud voices that give insufficient labor as their reason for wanting 2nd births. An analysis of 923 cases of unplanned 2nd births in connection with the economic conditions of the families, the sex of the 1st births, intervals between the births, and the parents' cultural level shows that 61.87% of the total number of families suffered a decline in their income. The effect of the sex of the 1st birth over the 2nd birth varies with different localities. Among those having unplanned births, illiterates accounted for more than 35% in Nanzheng and Yanchuan counties and over 20% in Mianxian and Wubao counties. The current rise in 2nd births is due mainly not to economic reasons but to social and psychological reasons. To effectively hold down 2nd births under the current conditions, the following suggestions are offered: 1) step up propaganda and education work to gradually raise people's consciousness for practicing family planning, 2) family planning measures of economic restriction and reward must be implemented, 3) on the basis of enforcing the new marriage law, late marriage should be promoted, 4) a population tax should be imposed, and 5) social insurance for the elderly should be enlarged.

Uncertainty As a Trigger for a Paradigm Change in Science Communication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schneider, S.

2014-12-01

Over the last decade, the need to communicate uncertainty increased. Climate sciences and environmental sciences have faced massive propaganda campaigns by global industry and astroturf organizations. These organizations use the deep societal mistrust in uncertainty to point out alleged unethical and intentional delusion of decision makers and the public by scientists and their consultatory function. Scientists, who openly communicate uncertainty of climate model calculations, earthquake occurrence frequencies, or possible side effects of genetic manipulated semen have to face massive campaigns against their research, and sometimes against their person and live as well. Hence, new strategies to communicate uncertainty have to face the societal roots of the misunderstanding of the concept of uncertainty itself. Evolutionary biology has shown, that human mind is well suited for practical decision making by its sensory structures. Therefore, many of the irrational concepts about uncertainty are mitigated if data is presented in formats the brain is adapted to understand. At the end, the impact of uncertainty to the decision-making process is finally dominantly driven by preconceptions about terms such as uncertainty, vagueness or probabilities. Parallel to the increasing role of scientific uncertainty in strategic communication, science communicators for example at the Research and Development Program GEOTECHNOLOGIEN developed a number of techniques to master the challenge of putting uncertainty in the focus. By raising the awareness of scientific uncertainty as a driving force for scientific development and evolution, the public perspective on uncertainty is changing. While first steps to implement this process are under way, the value of uncertainty still is underestimated in the public and in politics. Therefore, science communicators are in need for new and innovative ways to talk about scientific uncertainty.

[Knowledge on drinking water of adults in four cities of China].

PubMed

Zuo, Jiao-lei; Zhang, Qian; Lu, Li-xin; Song, Jun; Li, Wei; Liu, Yan; Hu, Xiao-qi; Pan, Hui; Ma, Guan-sheng

2011-08-01

To understand the status on knowledge of drinking water among adults aged 18 - 60 yrs in Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and Guangzhou of China. A total of 1483 adults aged 18 - 60 yrs from the four cities (Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and Guangzhou) were selected using multiple-stage random sampling method. The information was collected by face-to-face interview. Through face to face interview, investigators surveyed the daily water intake, the harm of dehydration, time of drinking water and healthy drinks knowledge using a questionnaire. Knowledge awareness was compared through χ(2) test for different cities, urban and rural, genders. The unawareness rate of minimum drinking water volume (1200 ml/d) was 28.4% (421/1483). The rate in Chengdu was the highest (41.8%, 156/373). The rate in women (32.4%, 241/745) was significantly higher than that in men (24.4%, 180/738) (χ(2) = 11.55, P < 0.01). The unawareness rate of the harm of dehydration was 14.4% (213/1483). The rate in Chengdu (18.5%, 69/373) and Guangzhou (18.3%, 68/371) was higher than that in the other cities. The rate in rural (18.6%, 137/736) was significantly higher than that in urban (10.2%, 76/747) (χ(2) = 21.47, P < 0.01). The people who considered drinking water when they felt thirsty as healthy behavior accounted for 48.3% (716/1483). The rate in Chengdu was the highest (59.0%, 220/373). The unawareness rate of plain water being the best accounted for 18.9% (280/1483), while 17.9% (50/280) of them considered beverages as the best. The knowledge of drinking water among 18 - 60 yrs residents in the four cities is not comprehensive. We should enhance propaganda of healthy drinking water.

[The medical treatment of Kim Phúc at the BG Unfallklinik Ludwigshafen].

PubMed

Kiefer, J; Daigeler, A; Lehnhardt, M

2012-08-01

The Vietnam War was a military conflict in Vietnam during the Cold War that followed the First Indochina War. This war was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of South Vietnam, supported by the USA and other anti-communist countries. Kim Phúc is the child depicted in the Pulitzer Prize winning photograph taken on June 8, 1972 by AP photographer Nick Út. The iconic photo shows her at about nine years of age running naked on a road amid the chaos after being severely burned by a napalm attack. After 14 months of hospital stay and 17 surgical procedures Kim Phúc was able to return home. Since then, she was used as a propaganda symbol by the communist government of Vietnam. To continue her studies, Kim was granted permission to move to Cuba where she met her future husband. However, the sequelae of her burn wounds affected her everyday life enormously. In 1984, with the support of the international aid organization "terre des hommes" and the German magazine "STERN", Kim Phúc got the opportunity to meet and get treated by Professor Zellner. Professor Peter Rudolph Zellner was the first chief of the Department of Hand, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Burn Center, BG Trauma Center Ludwigshafen, and one of the founder members of the German Society of Plastic Surgeons. The reconstructive surgeries provide Kim Phúc an almost normal life. Later on, she was involved in international aid organizations; she was named a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador and she was awarded several honorary Doctorates of Law. Kim Phúc became a Canadian citizen. Today, she lives with her husband and two children in Ontario, Canada. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Benin.

PubMed

1984-11-01

Focus in this discussion of Benin is on the following: the people; geography; history; government and political conditions; economy; defense; foreign relations; and relations between the US and Benin. The population totaled 3.8 million in 1983 with an annual growth rate of 2.6%. The infant mortality rate is 45/1000 and life expectancy 46.9 years. The population comprises about 20 sociocultural groups. 4 groups -- the Fon, Aja, Bariba, and Yoruba -- account for more than half of the population. The name was changed from Dahomey to the People's Republic of Benin in 1975. 2 years after the military coup d'etat in 1972, Marxism-Leninism was declared the guiding philosophy of the new government. Marxism-Leninism remains the official doctrine, but the government has moved to take account of popular resistance to a radical social transformation, as well as problems encountered in attempting to establish a centrally directed economy. Benin is ranked as 1 of the world's 35 poorest countries. The commercial, industrial, and agricultural sectors are all experiencing severe problems. The government's newest 5 year plan for 1983-88 places a stronger emphasis on developing agriculture. In so doing, the government hopes to assure its own domestic needs and to become a supplier of basic foodstuffs to the region. Benin's Armed Forces number about 3000 personnel. Benin is a member of the Non-Aligned Movement and the Organization of African Unity. Relations with France are important because of historical, cultural, economic, and aid links. After 1972, relations between the US and Benin became strained as Benin moved to strengthen its ties with the Soviet Union and other socialist countries and mounted harsh propaganda attacks on the US.

Persuasion and attitude change in science education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koballa, Thomas R., Jr.

Many strategies used to induce the occurrence of desirable science-related beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors involve the use of persuasive messages. Science educators need to become acquainted with persuasion in the context of social influence and learning theory to be able to evaluate its usefulness in the science education milieu. Persuasion is the conscious attempt to bring about a jointly developed mental state common to both source and receiver through the use of symbolic cues, and it can be distinguished from other forms of social influence. Propaganda is a type of persuasion directed toward a mass audience. Coercion relies on reinforcement control, whereas persuasion is prompted by information. Brainwashing involves coercive techniques used to obtain cooperation and compliance. Persuasion and instruction are much alike; both require conscious cognitive activity by the recipient and involve communication which includes giving arguments and evidence for the purpose of getting someone to do something or to believe something.Persuasion research is anchored in learning theory. Early efforts were based on information processing. Studies following an information process approach focused on the effect of the variables harbored within the question Who says what in which channel to whom with what effect? on belief and attitude change. Cognitive processing and social exchange approaches to persuasion represent extensions to information process. Cognitive processing is concerned specifically with how people personally process the arguments presented in a persuasive message. Social exchange emphasizes the interchange that takes place between the message source and recipient. These approaches seem to be fruitful areas for future persuasion research in science education.Science educators' unfamiliarity with persuasion research stems from the fact that it is largely reported in the social psychology literature and has not been integrated into a framework familiar to educators.

The global smoking epidemic: a history and status report.

PubMed

Proctor, Robert N

2004-05-01

The World Health Organization estimates that tobacco causes approximately 5 million deaths annually worldwide, a number expected to double by 2025. Cigarette consumption grew from only a few billion per year in 1900 to present values of approximately 5.5 trillion worldwide. Historical causes for the rise of smoking include the invention of flue curing, safety matches, and cigarette rolling machines, but also the distribution of cigarettes to soldiers during World War I, mass marketing, the failure of governments to limit consumption, and the duplicitous denial of hazards by manufacturers. Cancers of the lip, throat, and tongue were linked to tobacco as early as the 18th century, but a lung cancer hazard from smoking was not suspected until the first decade of the 20th century. Epidemiologic evidence began to emerge in the 1920s, and by the 1950s, the causal link with cigarette smoking was well established. Epidemiologic studies, animal experiments, and studies demonstrating pathologic changes in lung tissues at autopsy were 3 pivotal sources of evidence. However, the tobacco industry refused to concede the reality of tobacco hazards until the late 1990s. Instead, the industry sought to target physicians and others with its message of "no proof," using subtle techniques of deception, including the funding of spurious research, duplicitous press releases, propaganda efforts directed at physicians, and the employment of historians to construct exculpatory narratives. The World Health Organization's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control promises to standardize global tobacco control measures, including policies to limit smuggling. Effective means of reducing tobacco use include counter-advertising, increased taxation, smoke-free workplace legislation, and litigation against the industry.

[Gender images in health education: a comparison between East and West Germany (1949-1990)].

PubMed

Linek, Jenny; Pfütsch, Pierre

2016-01-01

This essay takes a closer look at the shared traditions as well as separate developments in health education in both German states, based on the circulated gender images. Health education is a rewarding field of investigation because its materials not only convey information on the prevention of sickness or the cultivation of healthy lifestyles; they also--implicitly or explicitly--carry social key messages such as ideas regarding femininities and masculinities or the tasks and functions allocated to women and men within and outside the family. The fact, for instance, that women in East Germany were expected to be part of the labour force as early as the 1950 s, whereas their Western counterparts were expected to stay at home and look after the family, had an effect on health education. The question as to the normative images of femininity and masculinity is therefore at the centre of our inquiry. The sources used are health education publications and popular health magazines from both Germanies. Based on the parameters 'Home and Family', 'Work and Performance', 'Attractiveness and Outer Appearance', the ideas of femininity and masculinity, as portrayed in the health propaganda in East and West, are presented and compared. Analysis of these parameters shows that the gender images, while they coincided in some respects, also evolved in different ways in others, or that entirely different intentions were concealed behind the promotion of similar principles. Many of the guiding images discussed show how the two German states perceived each other. While there were attempts at dissociating from the other state entirely, there were also developments that seem to indicate that they referred to one another to a certain extent.

Campaigns and counter campaigns: reactions on Twitter to e-cigarette education.

PubMed

Allem, Jon-Patrick; Escobedo, Patricia; Chu, Kar-Hai; Soto, Daniel W; Cruz, Tess Boley; Unger, Jennifer B

2017-03-01

Social media present opportunities for public health departments to galvanise interest in health issues. A challenge is creating content that will resonate with target audiences, and determining reactions to educational material. Twitter can be used as a real-time surveillance system to capture individuals' immediate reactions to education campaigns and such information could lead to better campaigns in the future. A case study testing Twitter's potential presented itself when the California Department of Public Health launched its 'Still Blowing Smoke' media campaign about the potential harmful effects of e-cigarettes. Pro-e-cigarette advocacy groups, in response, launched a counter campaign titled 'Not Blowing Smoke'. This study tracked the popularity of the two campaigns on Twitter, analysed the content of the messages and determined who was involved in these discussions. The study period was from 22 March 2015 to 27 June 2015. A stratified sampling procedure supplied 2192 tweets for analysis. Content analysis identified pro, anti and neutral e-cigarette tweets, and five additional themes: Marketing Elements, Money, Regulation/propaganda, Health, and Other. Metadata were analysed to obtain additional information about Twitter accounts. 'Not Blowing Smoke' was referenced more frequently than 'Still Blowing Smoke' on Twitter. Messages commonly objected to government regulation of e-cigarettes, refuted claims that e-cigarette manufactures were aligned with big tobacco, and touted the health benefits of e-cigarette use. E-cigarette companies and vape shops used campaign slogans to communicate with customers on Twitter. Findings showed the time dynamics of Twitter and the possibility for real-time monitoring of education campaigns. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Characteristics of gonorrhoea in Kermanshah, Iran.

PubMed

Zargooshi, J

2002-12-01

To describe the characteristics of gonorrhoea and prostitution in Kermanshah, Iran. From 1997 through 2000, 100 male gonorrhoea patients were followed for a mean of 18 months (range 8-42 months). Diagnosis and follow up were made by a combination of history, physical examination, and the Gram stained smear. 4% of patients became infected by girlfriends, 24% by temporary (sigheh) wives, and 64% by street prostitutes; the remaining 8% denied coitus with sex workers. Of 38 married cases, 31 reported unprotected intercourse with permanent wives while infected, and only four of 38 gave prescribed drugs to their wives. 89% of contacts with prostitutes were unprotected. Most of the prostitutes and professional sigheh wives were practising survival sex. Fear of stigmatization and presumed severe penalties prevented prostitutes from seeking medical care, and 26% of patrons reported self medication. An average 84% of prescriptions of standard therapies failed. 31% of the cases remained refractory to all available therapies. The majority of the prostitutes and sigheh wives in Iran exchange sex for survival. Being uneducated survival sex workers, they accept risky sex behaviours easily. Sigheh wives are an important source of infection. The very high rate of persistent infection despite standard treatments is disturbing. Our ideal is a world in which nobody is obliged to enter commercial sex work. In the meantime, however, there is an urgent need to offer medical care and education to sex workers as needy patients in a safe and unprejudiced environment. Denying the presence of such realities as prostitution and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) because of their disagreement with cant claims and official propaganda, does not eradicate the facts but results in catastrophic public health problems.

Modeling the greenhouse gas budget of straw returning in China: feasibility of mitigation and countermeasures.

PubMed

Lu, Fei; Wang, Xiao-Ke; Han, Bing; Ouyang, Zhi-Yun; Zheng, Hua

2010-05-01

Straw returning is considered to be one of the most promising carbon sequestration measures in China's cropland. A compound model, namely "Straw Returning and Burning Model-Expansion" (SRBME), was built to estimate the net mitigation potential, economic benefits, and air pollutant reduction of straw returning. Three scenarios, that is, baseline, "full popularization of straw returning (FP)," and "full popularization of straw returning and precision fertilization (FP + P)," were set to reflect popularization of straw returning. The results of the SRBME indicated that (1) compared with the soil carbon sequestration of 13.37 Tg/yr, the net mitigation potentials, which were 6.328 Tg/yr for the FP scenario and 9.179 Tg/yr for the FP + P scenario, had different trends when the full budget of the greenhouse gases was considered; (2) when the feasibility in connection with greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation, economic benefits, and environmental benefits was taken into consideration, straw returning was feasible in 15 provinces in the FP scenario, with a total net mitigation potential of 7.192 TgCe/yr and the total benefits of CNY 1.473 billion (USD 216.6 million); (3) in the FP + P scenario, with the implementation of precision fertilization, straw returning was feasible in 26 provinces with a total net mitigation potential of 10.39 TgCe/yr and the total benefits of CNY 5.466 billion (USD 803.8 million); (4) any extent of change in the treatment of straw from being burnt to being returned would contribute to air pollution reduction; (5) some countermeasures, such as CH(4) reduction in rice paddies, precision fertilization, financial support, education and propaganda, would promote the feasibility of straw returning as a mitigation measure.

Terrorism, suicide bombing, fear and mental health.

PubMed

Palmer, Ian

2007-06-01

This paper is based on the Bruce Burns Memorial Trust Lecture, Terrorism and Mental Health, presented in October 2005, in Birmingham. In addition to written sources, it is informed by the author's experience and contact with military and police experts in this arena over 28 years as a member of the British Army. The diagnosis and treatment of post traumatic mental disorders are not addressed in this paper. The author explores the general phenomenon of terrorism, in an endeavour to inform understanding of terrorist acts. He stresses the need for contextualisation of acts of terror, their perpetrators, their effects on populations and individuals, and attention to the psychology of groups. The author aims to invite and inform further thought and debate on the subject by raising a wide range of issues which do not sit comfortably within a strict psychiatric, research-based paradigm. The author covers a brief history of terrorism; organisational requirements of terror groups and the process of recruiting personnel to them; the means, motives and opportunities terrorists exploit in their work; the need for communication with terror groups; sacrificial death; governmental responses to terrorist acts and fear and mental health. The author proposes that terrorist organisations perform some of the functions of a family; that acts of terror are 'propaganda by deed'; that terrorism, or more precisely the media's treatment of it, breeds 'formless fears' which may directly lead to the development of fear-based symptoms and illness within societies. He notes that terrorism is an enterprise from which many players ('experts', media, politicians, etc.) benefit; that terrorism has its shadow in counter-terrorism, which may range from benign to malignant and that psychiatry could, in this context, acknowledge its bias towards individual psychologies and rectify its lack of understanding of groups and the behaviours of individuals within them.

Changing from subsistence to cash cropping. Sakaramma's story.

PubMed

Rajamma, G

1993-10-01

In India, conversion of land to cash-crop rather than subsistence production has effected the standard of living of rural women. Food security, which used to be attained by supplementing home-grown produce with income from agricultural labor, is now achieved with funds raised by selling cash crops. The quality of food purchased is often inferior to that formerly raised on homesteads. Greater quantities of a wider variety of food were consumed under the old system, and the quality of the food was assured. Cash is now a daily necessity, yet the supply of cash depends upon fluctuating markets beyond local control. Cash income can increase without any increase in real income, and purchases of necessary fertilizers are financed by loans with high rates of interest. Women have no control over how the increased income from cash is spent, and it is often dedicated to debt clearance, alcohol, and household items rather than food. In the past, women agricultural workers were paid in kind and received the same compensation that men received. When payments were converted to cash, women received less. Women's work has increased because they must gather fuel and fodder for the cattle after working in their own and others' fields. Formerly these raw materials were readily available from the residue of traditional crops. It is clear that traditional farming is more advantageous for small farmers than cash-cropping, but more and more small farmers are yielding to government propaganda and adopting the new system. Women are never consulted about such a switch, yet they suffer most from the loss of the flow of their nonmonetary resources into their households.

[Acceptance of the vaccine against human papilloma virus from mothers to daughters aged 9 to 13 years old].

PubMed

Godoy Verdugo, Melissa Karina; Zonana Nacach, Abraham; Anzaldo Campos, Maria Cecilia

2013-11-01

If you consider that at some point in life 50% of sexually active women have had an infection with the human papilloma virus is indisputable that any attempt to reduce the prevalence worth undertaking it. The vaccine to prevent HIV infection has not enjoyed the same degree of acceptance than others, hence the interest in knowing some of the reasons that has not achieved universal vaccination. To examine human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine acceptability among mothers with adolescents girls between 9 and 13 years old. The mothers were interrogated about HVP vaccine acceptability, reasons provided for acceptance or non-acceptance and if mothers know that vaccine is offered free for public health institutions We interview a 250 mothers with 281 daughters, 38 daughters have already received the vaccine. Eighty nine percent of the mothers reacted positively to the possibility of vaccinating theirs daughters. The reasons of vaccine non-acceptance were because not knowing enough about infection, mother felt that their daughters were not at risk for acquiring HVP infection, the vaccine is new and mothers unknown side effects. Thirty nine percent of the mothers want to know more about the vaccine safety, 21% about length protection duration and 16% concerning about if the vaccine is effective. Fifty seven per cent of the mothers know that Health Secretary offers vaccine free. Mothers whom have been vaccinated their daughters, had daughters with lower age (9.8 +/- 0.9 vs 10.8 +/- 1.3 years, p = 0.0001), were more frequently married (79 vs 51%, p = 0.002) and more likely to report that they had heard about VPH vaccine from some source (100 vs 66%, p = 0.0001) that mothers have not yet vaccinated their daughters. The acceptability of VPH vaccine was 89%. Continued health education and propaganda is needed to promote a better knowledge of VPH vaccine.

Tweeting for and against public health policy: response to the Chicago Department of Public Health's electronic cigarette Twitter campaign.

PubMed

Harris, Jenine K; Moreland-Russell, Sarah; Choucair, Bechara; Mansour, Raed; Staub, Mackenzie; Simmons, Kendall

2014-10-16

In January 2014, the Chicago City Council scheduled a vote on local regulation of electronic cigarettes as tobacco products. One week prior to the vote, the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) released a series of messages about electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) through its Twitter account. Shortly after the messages, or tweets, were released, the department's Twitter account became the target of a "Twitter bomb" by Twitter users sending more than 600 tweets in one week against the proposed regulation. The purpose of our study was to examine the messages and tweet patterns in the social media response to the CDPH e-cigarette campaign. We collected all tweets mentioning the CDPH in the week between the e-cigarette campaign and the vote on the new local e-cigarette policy. We conducted a content analysis of the tweets, used descriptive statistics to examine characteristics of involved Twitter users, and used network visualization and descriptive statistics to identify Twitter users prominent in the conversation. Of the 683 tweets mentioning CDPH during the week, 609 (89.2%) were anti-policy. More than half of anti-policy tweets were about use of electronic cigarettes for cessation as a healthier alternative to combustible cigarettes (358/609, 58.8%). Just over one-third of anti-policy tweets asserted that the health department was lying or disseminating propaganda (224/609, 36.8%). Approximately 14% (96/683, 14.1%) of the tweets used an account or included elements consistent with "astroturfing"-a strategy employed to promote a false sense of consensus around an idea. Few Twitter users were from the Chicago area; Twitter users from Chicago were significantly more likely than expected to tweet in support of the policy. Our findings may assist public health organizations to anticipate, recognize, and respond to coordinated social media campaigns.

Estimating the Impact of US Agriculture Subsidies on Greenhouse Gas Emissions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eshel, G.; Martin, P. A.

2006-12-01

It has been proposed in the popular media that US agricultural subsidies contribute deleteriously to both the American diet and environment. In this view, subsidies render mostly corn-based, animal products and sweeteners artificically cheap, leading to enhanced consumption. Problems accompanying this structure mentioned include enhanced meat, fat and sugar consumption and the associated enhancement of obesity, cardiovascular diseases, type II diabetes and possible various types of cancer, as well as air, soil and water pollution. Often overlooked in these discussions is the potential enhancement of greenhouse gas emissions accompanying this policy-based steering of food consumption toward certain products at the expense of others, possibly more nutritionally and environmentally benign. If such enhancements are in fact borne out by data, the policies that give rise to them will prove to constitute government-sponsored enhancement of greenhouse gas emissions, in contrast to any climate change mitigation efforts. If so, they represent low- hanging fruits in the national effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions which may one day be launched. Agriculture subsidies impact the emissions of CO2 (by direct energy consumption), nitrous oxide (by land use alteration and manure management), and methane (by ruminant digestion and manure treatment). Quantifying the impacts of agricultural subsidies is complicated by many compounding and conflicting effects (many related to human behavior rather than the natural sciences) and the relatively short data timeseries. For example, subsidy policies change over time, certain subsidy types are introduced or eliminated, food preferences change as nutritional understanding (or propaganda) shift, etc. Despite the difficulties, such quantification is crucial to better estimate the overall effect and variability of dietary choices on greenhouse gas emissions, and ultimately minimize environmental impacts. In this study, we take preliminary steps toward this challenging quantification. We calculate the added consumption of meat and corn-based sweeteners that can be readily attributable to subsidies. We conclude by using traditional, non-controversial conversion factors to express these enhancements in terms of tons of CO2-equivalent.

[The impact of socially involved films].

PubMed

Mimoun, M

1979-01-01

During the past few years studies on linguistics and particularly on semiology have considerably renewed the approach and investigation methods in artistic expression. Ideology has several languages and expression systems (photography, painting, music, speech, architecture and so on). The film does not only carry an ideological content: besides the signification systems and the signs taken from other means of films. To consider only films which have the ostensible objective to urge the public to a political action as socially involved is wrong: any movie is socially involved. One must appreciate correctly and politically the place, role and level at which it intervenes in the framework of the ideological fight. Audiovisual alphabetization is essential for the progress of new ideas in the field of picture and sound. In the Third World, when they do exist, cinematographies rarely have the political power to consider such an action. Ideological impact depends mostly on the social, political and cultural environment. A movie is 1st questioned from the standpoint of the historical place and of the problems of the public. The example of Algerian cinematography as a socially involved one is given. At its origin, film-making in this country was working at informing the outside world of the meaning of the people's fight. Its goal was to capture the political and social reality in order to change it. Therefore the social involvement role of Algerian film-producing is tightly connected to the revolutionary process in which the whole country is engaged. Algerian film-producing is often understood as a propaganda cinematography. The stagnation or progress of a cinematography cannot be measured in relation to the universal mythical culture, but in relation to the social and cultural reality of the country where it originates. The present deepening of the reflection on film and ideology is a result of a recent accentuation of the ideologic fight.

Tweeting for and Against Public Health Policy: Response to the Chicago Department of Public Health's Electronic Cigarette Twitter Campaign

PubMed Central

Moreland-Russell, Sarah; Choucair, Bechara; Mansour, Raed; Staub, Mackenzie; Simmons, Kendall

2014-01-01

Background In January 2014, the Chicago City Council scheduled a vote on local regulation of electronic cigarettes as tobacco products. One week prior to the vote, the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) released a series of messages about electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) through its Twitter account. Shortly after the messages, or tweets, were released, the department’s Twitter account became the target of a “Twitter bomb” by Twitter users sending more than 600 tweets in one week against the proposed regulation. Objective The purpose of our study was to examine the messages and tweet patterns in the social media response to the CDPH e-cigarette campaign. Methods We collected all tweets mentioning the CDPH in the week between the e-cigarette campaign and the vote on the new local e-cigarette policy. We conducted a content analysis of the tweets, used descriptive statistics to examine characteristics of involved Twitter users, and used network visualization and descriptive statistics to identify Twitter users prominent in the conversation. Results Of the 683 tweets mentioning CDPH during the week, 609 (89.2%) were anti-policy. More than half of anti-policy tweets were about use of electronic cigarettes for cessation as a healthier alternative to combustible cigarettes (358/609, 58.8%). Just over one-third of anti-policy tweets asserted that the health department was lying or disseminating propaganda (224/609, 36.8%). Approximately 14% (96/683, 14.1%) of the tweets used an account or included elements consistent with “astroturfing”—a strategy employed to promote a false sense of consensus around an idea. Few Twitter users were from the Chicago area; Twitter users from Chicago were significantly more likely than expected to tweet in support of the policy. Conclusions Our findings may assist public health organizations to anticipate, recognize, and respond to coordinated social media campaigns. PMID:25320863

A Renaissance Depiction of a Tornado.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoinka, Klaus P.; de Castro, Manuel

2005-04-01

In the Renaissance, impressive weather features inspired considerable interest among artists. The depiction of a tornado and other weather features are discussed that appear on a sixteenth-century series of 12 huge tapestries (“Conquest of Tunis”) woven by the carpet manufacturer Willem de Pannemaker in Brussels, Belgium, between 1549 and 1551. The outstanding depiction of the tornado is presumably the earliest pictorial presentation of a tornado, at least in the Latin west.During the Renaissance, tapestries were an obligatory fixture of a European court and were used as an instrument for political propaganda and dynastic demonstration. The “Conquest of Tunis” tapestries are important pieces of Eu-ropean art commissioned by the Habsburgian emperor Charles V (1500–58), one of the most important ruling personalities in Euro-pean history. In 1535, he undertook a crusade to Tunis, Tunisia, in order to diminish the Ottoman emperor's power in the western Mediterranean region. Charles V wanted to ensure that the expedition would not be forgotten. In order to guarantee this, the emperor took along the Flemish painter Jan Cornelisz Vermeyen who painted sketches that were used as prototypes for the “Conquest of Tunis” tapestries. These present a highly detailed narrative of the expedition to Tunis.The depiction of a tornado, along with heavy rain and a sandstorm, raises the question of why these meteorological features are included in the scene. To the authors' knowledge, no mention is made of them in the art literature (except for the sandstorm, which actually occurred). This is particularly surprising because the tornado, at least, appears so prominently in one of the tapestries. Therefore, the weather features are discussed in terms of their meteorological, decorative, and symbolic importance. The tornado and the heavy rain seem to have been rendered in order to emphasize symbolically the beginning and ending of the military campaign. Although these weather elements are depicted naturalistically, they are portrayed not for their own sake, but to support the related historical event in an emblematic manner.

Patients’ Willingness on Community Health Centers as Gatekeepers and Associated Factors in Shenzhen, China

PubMed Central

Gan, Yong; Li, Wenzhen; Cao, Shiyi; Dong, Xiaoxin; Li, Liqing; Mkandawire, Naomie; Chen, Yawen; Herath, Chulani; Song, Xingyue; Yin, Xiaoxv; Yang, Tingting; Li, Jing; Deng, Jian; Lu, Zuxun

2016-01-01

Abstract The gate-keeping function of primary healthcare facilities has not been fully implemented in China. This study was aiming at assessing the willingness on community health centers (CHCs) as gatekeepers among a sample of patients and investigating the influencing factors. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2013. A total of 7761 patients aged 18 to 90 years from 8 CHCs in Shenzhen (China) were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. Descriptive and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to analyze the characteristics of patients, their willingness on the gatekeeper policy, and identify the associated factors. On willingness of patients to select CHCs as gatekeepers, 70.03% of respondents were willing, 18.95% were neutral, and 9.02% were unwilling. Multivariable analysis indicated that female patients (odds ratio [OR] = 1.15, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.02–1.30); patients with health insurance (OR = 1.21, 95% CI: 1.07–1.36); patients who lives near CHC (OR = 1.89, 95% CI: 1.17–3.05); and patients who were more familiar with the gatekeeper policy (OR = 2.09, 95% CI: 1.85–2.36), had higher level of willingness on the policy. Conversely, reporting with good health status was independently associated with the decreased willingness on gatekeeper policy (OR = 0.69, 95% CI: 0.53–0.90). The findings indicated that patients’ willingness on CHCs as gatekeepers is high. More priority measures, such as expanding medical insurance coverage of patients, strengthening the propaganda of gatekeeper policy, and increasing the access to community health service, are warranted to be taken. This will help to further improve the patients’ willingness on CHCs as gatekeepers. It is thus feasible to implement the gatekeeper policy among patients in China. PMID:27057877

Representation of Dangerous Sexuality in Interwar Non-Fiction Sex Hygiene Films: A Franco-German Comparison.

PubMed

Danet, Joël

2015-01-01

In the interwar period VD prevention films accompanied the introduction of new "permanent" treatments for syphilis. While they still warned the audience about the dangers of infection, these films were primarily designed to inform about these new methods for curing syphilis. These methods could only be effective if the infected patient immediately consulted a certified doctor (as opposed to a charlatan) upon experiencing the first symptoms. The objectives of the commissioners of health education films tended to go beyond simply conveying a propaganda message. They adhere to and act on the educational potential that the film medium offers to an adult audience. In addressing subjects like sexual health, the films speak to the intimate lives of the audience members, faced with characters whose sexual behaviour is meant to echo their own or that of their friends and relatives. In order to properly raise awareness, the film must escort them, help them overcome their disarray, and persuade them that they are morally able to adopt the necessary measures to avoid contagion. This paper consists in an in-depth comparative study of three anti-venereal films produced and shown between 1928 and 1931, a short but pivotal period in the development of continental European syphilis prevention films. The three films illustrate two forms of screenplay action. In the French films, the patient is identified with a tragic hero and the medical institution embodied by a providential man. Contrary to these French films, the German film tends to display a more matter-of-fact-approach, which is not meant to downplay the risks but rather to clearly identify and address the community exposed to danger and to present how the infection is taken care of once it is diagnosed. Here I consider these films together to show how different ways of conveying the same medical discourse were adopted to adjust to national cinematographic environments.

Mass media campaigns and organ donation: managing conflicting messages and interests.

PubMed

Rady, Mohamed Y; McGregor, Joan L; Verheijde, Joseph L

2012-05-01

Mass media campaigns are widely and successfully used to change health decisions and behaviors for better or for worse in society. In the United States, media campaigns have been launched at local offices of the states' department of motor vehicles to promote citizens' willingness to organ donation and donor registration. We analyze interventional studies of multimedia communication campaigns to encourage organ-donor registration at local offices of states' department of motor vehicles. The media campaigns include the use of multifaceted communication tools and provide training to desk clerks in the use of scripted messages for the purpose of optimizing enrollment in organ-donor registries. Scripted messages are communicated to customers through mass audiovisual entertainment media, print materials and interpersonal interaction at the offices of departments of motor vehicles. These campaigns give rise to three serious concerns: (1) bias in communicating information with scripted messages without verification of the scientific accuracy of information, (2) the provision of misinformation to future donors that may result in them suffering unintended consequences from consenting to medical procedures before death (e.g, organ preservation and suitability for transplantation), and (3) the unmanaged conflict of interests for organizations charged with implementing these campaigns, (i.e, dual advocacy for transplant recipients and donors). We conclude the following: (1) media campaigns about healthcare should communicate accurate information to the general public and disclose factual materials with the least amount of bias; (2) conflicting interests in media campaigns should be managed with full public transparency; (3) media campaigns should disclose the practical implications of procurement as well as acknowledge the medical, legal, and religious controversies of determining death in organ donation; (4) organ-donor registration must satisfy the criteria of informed consent; (5) media campaigns should serve as a means of public education about organ donation and should not be a form of propaganda.

Development of a scale for attitude toward condom use for migrant workers in India.

PubMed

Talukdar, Arunansu; Bal, Runa; Sanyal, Debasis; Roy, Krishnendu; Talukdar, Payel Sengupta

2008-02-01

The propaganda for the use of condoms remains one of the mainstay for prevention of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission. In spite of the proven efficacy of condom, some moral, social and psychological obstacles are still prevalent, hindering the use of condoms. The study tried to construct a short condom-attitude scale for use among the migrant workers, a major bridge population in India. The study was conducted among the male migrant workers who were 18-49 years old, sexually active and had heard about condoms and were engaged in nonformal jobs. We recruited 234 and 280 candidates for Phase 1 and Phase 2 respectively. Ten items from the original 40-item Brown's ATC (attitude towards condom) scale were selected in Phase 1. After analysis of Phase 1 results, using principal component analysis six items were found appropriate for measuring attitude towards condom use. These six items were then administered in another group in Phase 2. Utilizing Pearson's correlations, scale items were examined in terms of their mean response scores and the correlation matrix between items. Cornbach's alpha and construct validity were also assessed for the entire sample. Study subjects were categorized as condom users and nonusers. The scale structure was explored by analyzing response scores with respect to the items, using principal component analysis followed by varimax rotation analysis. Principal component analysis revealed that the first factor accounted for 71% of the variance, with eigenvalue greater than one. Eigenvalues of the second factor was less than one. Application of screen test suggests only one factor was dominant. Mean score of six items among condom users was 20.45 and that among nonusers was 16.67, which was statistically significant (P<0.01). Cornbach's alpha coefficient was 0.92. This tailor-made attitude-toward-condom-use scale, targeted for most vulnerable people in India, can be included in any rapid survey for assessing the existing beliefs and attitudes toward condoms and also for evaluating efficacy of an intervention program.

Ke Wang, a Chinese television soap opera with a message.

PubMed

Wang, M; Singhal, A

1992-01-01

The Chinese soap opera, Ke Wang, was created by Li Xiaoming between August 1989 and June 1990 and produced at a cost of US$4650 per episode. The characters were drawn from everyday ordinary Chinese life: a traditional and open-minded and caring woman, a typical mother who works hard and loves her children, a highly educated upwardly mobile man who divorces his wife, a professor criticized during the Cultural Revolution, a doctor prejudiced against ordinary people, a kind honest man who marries the divorcee, a friend of the divorcee, a man who is optimistic in spite of bad experiences during the Cultural Revolution, and an excellent medical doctor who also resolves conflicts. The program was very popular, even among Communists, because of its value-based content, the real-life nature of the show, the change from highly restricted programming, the elaborate and supportive media coverage, and dialogue which closely matches audience preferences. The show has been aired by over 100 stations to date and has reached a total estimated audience of 550 million. The sale of television sets has increased since the show's appearance. The script reflects the conflicts between traditional and modern Chinese values. Pro-social values and behaviors are learned from the role models depicted; examples are given of immediate social impact. Ke Wang was a by-product of the Beijing Television Arts Center's interest in designing television programs that are relevant to the lives of ordinary people. The 60-minute scripts dealt with issues such as the status of women, social morality, family harmony, class conflict, responsible parenthood, maintenance of traditional culture, volunteerism, child development, and coping with physical disability. The Chinese government hailed Ke Wang as model television and awarded US$20,000 in prize money to the producers. The Chinese government is planning to produce other entertainment-education soap operas, which raises the problem of blatant, political propaganda. In 1989, after the Tinanmen Square events, the controversial He Shang, which attacked cultural symbols, was denounced and banned.

Myths about AIDS in Cambodia.

PubMed

Nariddh, M C

1994-08-01

HIV has been reported in the capital city of Cambodia, Phnom Penh, as well as in the northwestern provinces of Banteay Meanchey, Battambang, Pursat, and Kompong Chhnang. Unofficial reports indicate the presence of HIV in three northeastern provinces. According to World Health Organization data, 382 people were infected with HIV in Cambodia as of March 1994, but the national AIDS program estimates that 2000-4000 Cambodians may be HIV-seropositive. Small surveys in 1992 identified HIV infection rates to be 4.5% among patients of sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinics and 9.2% among prostitutes. A seroprevalence rate of 4.3% was found in 1993 among clients of STD clinics and others requesting HIV testing. These rather marked levels of infection exist in Cambodia even though HIV was first identified in the country as recently as 1991 among screened blood from volunteer donors. By December 1993, the rate of positive results from blood donors had increased to 1.97%.; the rate of infection among blood donors is expected to double to approximately 4% in 1994. People in Cambodia variously believe that AIDS is nonexistent, AIDS is a problem of other countries, can be transmitted by mosquitoes, healthy people do not have AIDS, a cure exists for AIDS, AIDS can be contracted only from prostitutes, AIDS is the most severe state of syphilis, and AIDS is only a propaganda ploy of condom producers to market their products. It is therefore proving extremely difficult to convince people that AIDS is a truly threatening disease against which they should protect themselves, especially when symptoms are rarely present during the early stage of infection. Health education campaigns, videos, posters, and accurate reporting in the media will, however, help change minds and hopefully induce HIV-preventive behaviors. Of interest, the article notes that virtually every prostitute in Cambodia has at least two-three STDs.

[Demographic transition or revolution? The weaknesses and implications of the demographic transition theory. Part 1: the origins].

PubMed

Bourcier De Carbon, P

1998-01-01

The work of Adolphe Landry is reviewed in relation to development of demographic transition theory. Landry was appointed administrator in 1912 of the National Alliance Against Depopulation and remained active in it his whole life. He also helped create family allowance programs in France. As early as 1909, Landry described three different population regimes. In the "primitive" regime, which characterized all nonhuman life and human life during most of history, the population was adjusted to available subsistence by mortality. In the "intermediate" phase, restrictions on marriage and control of reproduction outside marriage maintained the population at a level below the maximum supportable. In the "contemporary" regime, the universal practice of contraception and abortion could lead to very low levels of fertility. The spread of contraception and low fertility appeared to Landry a true demographic revolution. He attributed the acceptance of contraception to a change in the common aspirations of human beings regarding their conditions, a desire for improved material well-being and social advancement, and an increased spirit of rationality and even calculation in their behavior. Landry believed that the contemporary regime, unlike the preceding two, had no mechanism implying equilibrium. The demographic revolution freed fertility from social determinants and linked it more closely to individual interests. Landry expected the contemporary regime to spread throughout the entire world, with many areas still in the primitive phase passing directly to the contemporary. He was concerned with the effects of demographic aging, and he deplored birth control propaganda that claimed it as a cure for unemployment and for overpopulation in the poor Asian countries. The birth control movements in England and the US were successful in bringing the two countries into the contemporary regime. A number of organizations such as the Population Association of America and the Office of Population Research at Princeton were favorable toward the spread of birth control through the rest of the world.

["TECHNIKA I NAUKA" ["SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY"] (1958-)--MAGAZINE OF THE ASSOCIATION OF POLISH ENGINEERS IN GREAT BRITAIN].

PubMed

Chwastyk-Kowalczyk, Jolanta

2015-01-01

This article presents the history of establishment, functioning and the role of "Science and Technology"--quarterly of the Association of Polish Engineers in Great Britain--in shaping Polish technical thought in the environment of Polish engineers and technicians living in exile. The analysis of the content of the journal published in London in the years 1958-2008 made it evident that this official scientific organ of Polish technical intelligentsia edited in 500 copies reaches members of engineering, technical and scientific milieu across many continents. Despite the fact that Polish language dominates in the articles and thanks to the interdisciplinary character of their content - science and technology, biology, the humanities, sociology and others--the journal makes it possible for the reader to participate in an intellectual adventure. "Science and Technology" was created in 1958 on the initiative of Eng. Prof. Roman Wajda in Great Britain, with support of other Polish technical associations abroad, and embraced the achievements and organisational life of the Polish technical milieu dispersed around the world. On the basis of the London Society's archive materials and old annual volumes of the journal, the author listed editors-in-chief, composition of editorial committees, collaborators, determined editing costs, changeable periodicity, successive print shops, seats of editorial office that always followed the Association in Great Britain. She also showed the effort of a handful of members of editorial committees, working on a voluntary basis to obtain materials for the journal; the role of the journal linking Polish engineers and technicians in exile and its function as a link with the Country, as well as its role in the sphere of information and propaganda. Finally, the author made an analysis of the journal's content, focusing on categories of articles published in "Science and Technology" in the years 1958-2008. Methods used by the author in the article: archival, analysis of the press content: qualitative and quantitative.

Liver transplantation in Turkey: historical review and future perspectives.

PubMed

Akbulut, Sami; Yilmaz, Sezai

2015-07-01

Since the first successful liver transplantation by Starzl et al. in 1967, liver transplantation has become the standard therapy for many liver diseases, mainly chronic liver disease. Most liver transplantations performed in Europe and North America utilize deceased donors while a considerable portion of organ requirements is supplied by living donors in Asian countries including Turkey. The actual history of solid organ transplantation in Turkey began with the pioneering work of Dr. Haberal in collaboration with Thomaz E. Starzl in 1974 in Colorado University at Denver. The first successful solid organ transplantation in Turkey was accomplished by Haberal in 1975 with a living donor renal transplantation. Subsequently, legislations no 2238 and 2594 dated 1979 and 1982, respectively, were passed, paving the way for cadaveric tissue/organ utilization and preservation in Turkey. The first deceased donor liver transplantation and the first living donor liver transplantation were performed in 1988 and 1990, respectively. There are currently 45 liver transplantation centers in Turkey. Of these, 25 are state universities, 8 are private (foundation) universities, 9 are private hospitals, and 3 are training and research hospitals belonging to the Ministry of Health. A total of 7152 liver transplantations were performed in Turkey between January 2002 and May 2014. Of these, 4848 (67.8%) used living donors and 2304 (32.2%) used deceased donors. These figures indicate that, despite widespread organ donation campaigns and media-sponsored propaganda, desired targets have not been met yet in providing deceased organ donation. Despite unsatisfactory levels attained in supplying deceased donors, both the number of annual liver transplantations and improvements in overall survival rates of organ transplanted patients continues to increase. Actually, the one-year patient survival rate after liver transplantation in 2013 was 80.5%. This rate is getting better with each passing year and believed to be close to 90% in the next few years. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Climate Action and Activism: Scientists as Citizens and Communicators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, M. B.; Peacock, K.

2015-12-01

Humans are not particularly good at being rational, either individually or socially; in the case of climate change, our concerns are chiefly social. The denial of climate change and its costs (ranging from denial of basic principles to using high discount rates to reduce the current value of future losses, and supported by fossil fuel companies and their many political allies) has delayed an effective response to a problem that gets worse and more costly the longer action is delayed. The central role of fossil fuels in our economies and of fossil fuel interests in our politics leads many to worry about the costs of change while denying or ignoring the costs of business as usual. Rational decision makers would not be so selective, either about the evidence or about the costs and benefits that hang in the balance. Effective communication can help call attention to the evidence and to the costs and benefits that have been neglected. Our society has no formal rules requiring scientists to become activists, even when the results of their work provide sound reasons for taking action. But ideals of citizenship and humanitarianism provide strong justification for those who choose to engage with the issues. A reticent scientist might feel that her job is done once the results of her research are published. The rest is arguably the responsibility of others—of politicians, journalists and citizens in general, to learn the relevant facts (now available as part of the published literature) and to bring those facts to bear in decisions ranging from the personal to the political and economic. But I urge scientists who feel this way to reconsider—not because their view of where the real responsibility lies is wrong, but because they are in a position to make a difference. In situations like these, where powerful interests are threatened by inconvenient facts, scientists can be very effective communicators: they have high credibility with the public (as deniers' repeated claims to scientific authority ironically confirms), and those who do take on the public role of communicating science can help to counter the propaganda and distortions of science deniers.

[Medical rescue of China National Earthquake Disaster Emergency Search and Rescue Team in Lushan earthquake].

PubMed

Liu, Ya-hua; Yang, Hui-ning; Liu, Hui-liang; Wang, Fan; Hu, Li-bin; Zheng, Jing-chen

2013-05-01

To summarize and analyze the medical mission of China National Earthquake Disaster Emergency Search and Rescue Team (CNESAR) in Lushan earthquake, to promote the medical rescue effectiveness incorporated with search and rescue. Retrospective analysis of medical work data by CNESAR from April 21th, 2013 to April 27th during Lushan earthquake rescue, including the medical staff dispatch and the wounded case been treated. The reasonable medical corps was composed by 22 members, including 2 administrators, 11 doctors [covering emergency medicine, orthopedics (joints and limbs, spinal), obstetrics and gynecology, gastroenterology, cardiology, ophthalmology, anesthesiology, medical rescue, health epidemic prevention, clinical laboratory of 11 specialties], 1 ultrasound technician, 5 nurses, 1 pharmacist, 1 medical instrument engineer and 1 office worker for propaganda. There were two members having psychological consultants qualifications. The medical work were carried out in seven aspects, including medical care assurance for the CNESAR members, first aid cooperation with search and rescue on site, clinical work in refugees' camp, medical round service for scattered village people, evacuation for the wounded, mental intervention, and the sanitary and anti-epidemic work. The medical work covered 24 small towns, and medical staff established 3 medical clinics at Taiping Town, Shuangshi Town of Lushan County and Baoxing County. Medical rescue, mental intervention for the old and kids, and sanitary and anti-epidemic were performed at the above sites. The medical corps had successful evacuated 2 severe wounded patients and treated the wounded over thousands. Most of the wounded were soft tissue injuries, external injury, respiratory tract infections, diarrhea, and heat stroke. Compared with the rescue action in 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, the aggregation and departure of rescue team in Lushan earthquake, the traffic control order in disaster area, the self-aid and buddy aid are better, which give rise to the casualties to the lowest. The medical mission incorporated with search and rescue work showed that the medical performance manner altered with stages, the medical staff match changed with the mission, and the focus related with rescue time.

China's first family planning publicity month.

PubMed

Shen, G

1983-05-01

China conducted its 1st nationwide Family Planning Publicity Month in 1983, from New Year's Day to Spring Festival (February 13). The campaign emphasized the rural areas and focused on explaining why family planning is a state policy. The most noticeable achievements of this campaign were that every household became familiar with the fact that family planning is a basic state policy. The majority of the population take this policy seriously, realizing that strict control of population growth is both a good and imperative policy. More than 1,830,000 propaganda columns and photo exhibitions were displayed, 5,900,000 radio and television programs broadcast, 2,010,000 theatrical performances, movie and slide showings presented, and 97,000,000 copies of materials published for public dissemination. The activities were varied and interesting, vivid and lively, and purposeful and persuasive. 1 of the most effective methods of publicizing population control has been the presentation of comparative statistics. This aspect of the campaign was a specific and lively form of education in population theory and practice. The presentation of statistics that show the relationship among population, land use, grain produce, and income enabled the population to reason out why population growth needs to match economic and social development. Another important accomplishment of the publicity month was that a large number of couples of reproductive age became convinced of the need to use contraception. According to the incomplete statistics, 8,860,000 people had surgical operations for birth control. The universal promotion of ligations by either partner of a reproductive couple who already had given birth to a 2nd child was an important development of family planning technique promoted simultaneously with the promotion of IUDs. The increase in the number of people doing family planning work was another achievement of the publicity month. More than 15,240,000 publicity personnel and 760,000 medical personnel were trained. The enthusiasm of the Party and the people contributed to the success of the publicity month. The success of the publicity month is inseparable from the achievements and experience gained through China's longterm pursuit of family planning.

Larger than life: billboard communication in Southeast Asia.

PubMed

Barnard, B

1983-01-01

Billboards are widely used in Southeast Asia, and especially in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and Thailand, for delivering persuasive political and commercial messages and for advertising the cinema. Billboards are a cost effective way of communicating with all segments of society including illiterate persons, poor people who cannot afford television sets and radios, rural populations, and diverse ethnic and linguistic groups. Billboards are a form of applied art and are used to deliver temporary messages. Each country has its own billboard traditions and styles, and within each country, commercial, cinema, and political boards also have their own styles. In Indonesia and Thailand, almost all billboards are hand painted and gigantic in size. The paintings are highly realistic and detailed. In Thailand billboards are produced in large studios employing many artists, and the boards cost about US$9.00/square meter or more. The Four Art Studio in Bankok produces commercial boards in Renaissance, Impressionistic, Pop, and Op art styles. Both Indonesia and Thailand were early centers of artistic and cultural influence in Asia, and each country has highly developed art traditions. In Indonesia, the Japanese occupation led to the development of propaganda and nationalistic art. After independence nationalistic art was developed still further. At the present time, socialist-realistism predominates as an art style, and large air brushed political billboards are prominantly displayed throughout the country. In Malaysia and Singapore billboards are small in size. Most of the boards, except those used to advertise the cinema, are printed rather than painted. Neither country has a strong tradition of art. Realism is not stressed in their fine arts nor in their art training. The lack of a realistic art tradition probably accounts for the emphasis placed on printed billboards. Cinema boards are painted but they are not produced by applied artists and are generally mediocre in quality. Political boards in Malaysia generally contain only verbal messages. In Singapore there are few political billboards. In Japan billboards are also widely used. They are sophisticated and usually printed with advanced technological methods. An innovative form of billboard, a 20 meter audiovisual screen, is appearing more and more frequently in Japanese cities.

Sexual behavior and social education in China.

PubMed

Fraser, S E

1978-01-01

The application on a massive scale of various population, family planning, sex education measures in China is a societal feature that is quickly evident to the country's visitors. For anyone concerned with population limitation on a national scale, the Chinese experiments and progress are of particular interest. In China there is a clearly discernible 3 step program: the minimization of sexual interest or enforced "national abstinence standard" in the teen years; a period of intense propaganda to postpone marriage until the mid 20s and avoid sexual intercourse outside marriage; and a concerted educational campaign aimed predominantly at married females for the 20 year span covering the fertile ages of approximately 25-45 to limit families. The Chinese approach to family planning and sexual education is direct and ubiquitous. One of the more paradoxical aspects of China's campaign to enforce their severe and particular natalist policy is the relatively high level of preventive sex knowledge among young married couples and the virtual absence of any major form of sex education for teenagers in the schools. In the past few years there has been a modest yet detectable change in this approach. Some middle school students are now being introduced, albeit on a sexually segregated basis, to somewhat wider aspects of population knowledge and human population studies. For the most part these units fall into the traditional teaching areas utilized in many western nations, i.e., physiology, biology, and physical education courses. The development and expansion of such courses may foreshadow the gradual introduction nationally of new material into the middle schools, but the predominant aim of sex education will remain the limitation and control of population. Some of the answers to sex education questions posed by this author in various schools and to a range of senior education officials are reported. The answers represent a recent sample, extracted from a number gathered during various visits to China in the past 3 years. The topic of sex education is viewed within special parameters. The target for sex education, particularly as it relates to birth control, will remain for the foreseeable future the young adult of marriageable age.

How an Anglo-American methodology took root in France.

PubMed

Laszlo, Pierre

2011-01-01

French organic chemistry had a strong nationalistic bent in the immediate aftermath to World War II. It continued to bask in the glow of the pre-World War I Nobel prize awarded jointly in 1912 to Victor Grignard and Paul Sabatier. In addition, the influence of the two mandarins then in power, Charles Prévost at the Sorbonne and Albert Kirrmann, a Dean in Strasbourg who would be called upon as vice-director at the École normale supérieure in Paris, saw to it that the only theory of organic reactions, admissible in the classroom and in the laboratory, was Prévost's. As Mary Jo Nye has shown, a wall was erected against penetration of the ideas of the British school of Ingold and Hughes. Mechanistic chemistry, as was being vigorously studied by the contemporary Anglo-American physical organic chemists, was 'persona non grata' in France. Publication by Bianca Tchoubar, in 1960, of "Les mécanismes réactionnels en chimie organique" opened a breach. The irony was for Dr. Tchoubar, a militant member of the Communist Party and a lady of fierce opinions, to have become a propagandist for the Anglo-American school of mechanistic studies. Truth for her overruled political propaganda. Her little book was revolutionary in the French context of the times. Together with the GECO (Groupe d'étude de chimie organique) summer conferences pioneered by Guy Ourisson after his return from Harvard, it ushered in the new ideas. This historical essay, based on an in-depth study of Tchoubar's book, will include a portrait of this remarkable woman scientist. It will delve at some length into the renewal of French science initiated by De Gaulle's government after his return to power in 1958. The tension in the French scientific establishment of the sixties reflected two opposed versions of nationalism, the one conservative, Malthusian, inner-directed, the other forward-looking, eager for the recovery of national status, seeing a strong French science as a means for asserting national identity and independence from the two world power blocs.

Urban air pollution and meteorological factors affect emergency department visits of elderly patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Taiwan.

PubMed

Ding, Pei-Hsiou; Wang, Gen-Shuh; Guo, Yue-Leon; Chang, Shuenn-Chin; Wan, Gwo-Hwa

2017-05-01

Both air pollution and meteorological factors in metropolitan areas increased emergency department (ED) visits from people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Few studies investigated the associations between air pollution, meteorological factors, and COPD-related health disorders in Asian countries. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the environmental factors and COPD-associated ED visits of susceptible elderly population in the largest Taiwanese metropolitan area (Taipei area, including Taipei city and New Taipei city) between 2000 and 2013. Data of air pollutant concentrations (PM 10 , PM 2.5 , O 3 , SO 2 , NO 2 and CO), meteorological factors (daily temperature, relative humidity and air pressure), and daily COPD-associated ED visits were collected from Taiwan Environmental Protection Administration air monitoring stations, Central Weather Bureau stations, and the Taiwan National Health Insurance database in Taipei area. We used a case-crossover study design and conditional logistic regression models with odds ratios (ORs), and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for evaluating the associations between the environmental factors and COPD-associated ED visits. Analyses showed that PM 2.5 , O 3 , and SO 2 had significantly greater lag effects (the lag was 4 days for PM 2.5 , and 5 days for O 3 and SO 2 ) on COPD-associated ED visits of the elderly population (65-79 years old). In warmer days, a significantly greater effect on elderly COPD-associated ED visits was estimated for PM 2.5 with coexistence of O 3 . Additionally, either O 3 or SO 2 combined with other air pollutants increased the risk of elderly COPD-associated ED visits in the days of high relative humidity and air pressure difference, respectively. This study showed that joint effect of urban air pollution and meteorological factors contributed to the COPD-associated ED visits of the susceptible elderly population in the largest metropolitan area in Taiwan. Government authorities should review existing air pollution policies, and strengthen health education propaganda to ensure the health of the susceptible elderly population. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Communicating Climate Change: The Intersection Between Science and Values

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdalati, W.

2013-12-01

While the vast majority of scientists in climate-related fields take as fact anthropogenic global warming, public opinion is far less certain, as are the publicly stated views of many policy-makers. This disparity is often ascribed, at least in part, to effective campaigns to cast doubt on the evidence, which we as scientists naturally feel an obligation to rectify. While denial campaigns and propaganda do play a role in skewing public opinion away from the strong scientific consensus and often feed pre-defined narratives, the reality is more complicated. This disparity is rooted mainly the differing values, priorities, and perspectives of individuals, organizations, and other entities. As scientists, we sometimes view our role as needing to counter the more extreme claims of those trying to cast doubt on the evidence. This stems in part, from our need as scientists to refute misinformation, from our frustration with the success of some of these campaigns, and from our sense of urgency and concern about our changing environment. But this approach produces very limited results, and sometimes leads to our portrayal as being condescending and self-serving. The conversation is most effectively advanced, when we focus not on the striking down the forces of opposition, but rather framing the conversation in the context of values. Similarly, our success and credibility as scientist communicators depends fundamentally on our recognizing that we will not change the values of our audience. The vast majority of those who are uncertain about climate change and the role of humans are open to accurate and honestly-portrayed information that speaks to what is important to them and fairly takes into consideration the legitimacy of opposing concerns. Doing so strengthens our credibility in their eyes and can constructively engage a large fraction of the general public, policy makers, etc. Such engagement is fundamental to meaningful action, and thus allows us to fulfill our unique and critical role in the climate change response. From conversations with political leaders, to conversations with relatives, it is imperative that we keep in mind that effective communication begins with - and ends with - understanding the values of your audience.

Securing co-operation from persons supplying statistical data

PubMed Central

Aubenque, M. J.; Blaikley, R. M.; Harris, F. Fraser; Lal, R. B.; Neurdenburg, M. G.; Hernández, R. de Shelly

1954-01-01

Securing the co-operation of persons supplying information required for medical statistics is essentially a problem in human relations, and an understanding of the motivations, attitudes, and behaviour of the respondents is necessary. Before any new statistical survey is undertaken, it is suggested by Aubenque and Harris that a preliminary review be made so that the maximum use is made of existing information. Care should also be taken not to burden respondents with an overloaded questionnaire. Aubenque and Harris recommend simplified reporting. Complete population coverage is not necessary. Neurdenburg suggests that the co-operation and support of such organizations as medical associations and social security boards are important and that propaganda should be directed specifically to the groups whose co-operation is sought. Informal personal contacts are valuable and desirable, according to Blaikley, but may have adverse effects if the right kind of approach is not made. Financial payments as an incentive in securing co-operation are opposed by Neurdenburg, who proposes that only postage-free envelopes or similar small favours be granted. Blaikley and Harris, on the other hand, express the view that financial incentives may do much to gain the support of those required to furnish data; there are, however, other incentives, and full use should be made of the natural inclinations of respondents. Compulsion may be necessary in certain instances, but administrative rather than statutory measures should be adopted. Penalties, according to Aubenque, should be inflicted only when justified by imperative health requirements. The results of surveys should be made available as soon as possible to those who co-operated, and Aubenque and Harris point out that they should also be of practical value to the suppliers of the information. Greater co-operation can be secured from medical persons who have an understanding of the statistical principles involved; Aubenque and Neurdenburg suggest that a course in elementary statistical methodology be introduced in the curriculum of medical schools. Methods for improving co-operation, and thus the compilation of statistics, in particular countries are discussed by Lal and de Shelly Hernández, who deal with India and Venezuela respectively. PMID:13199667

Zombie science: a sinister consequence of evaluating scientific theories purely on the basis of enlightened self-interest.

PubMed

Charlton, Bruce G

2008-09-01

Although the classical ideal is that scientific theories are evaluated by a careful teasing-out of their internal logic and external implications, and checking whether these deductions and predictions are in-line-with old and new observations; the fact that so many vague, dumb or incoherent scientific theories are apparently believed by so many scientists for so many years is suggestive that this ideal does not necessarily reflect real world practice. In the real world it looks more like most scientists are quite willing to pursue wrong ideas for so long as they are rewarded with a better chance of achieving more grants, publications and status. The classic account has it that bogus theories should readily be demolished by sceptical (or jealous) competitor scientists. However, in practice even the most conclusive 'hatchet jobs' may fail to kill, or even weaken, phoney hypotheses when they are backed-up with sufficient economic muscle in the form of lavish and sustained funding. And when a branch of science based on phoney theories serves a useful but non-scientific purpose, it may be kept-going indefinitely by continuous transfusions of cash from those whose interests it serves. If this happens, real science expires and a 'zombie science' evolves. Zombie science is science that is dead but will not lie down. It keeps twitching and lumbering around so that (from a distance, and with your eyes half-closed) zombie science looks much like the real thing. But in fact the zombie has no life of its own; it is animated and moved only by the incessant pumping of funds. If zombie science is not scientifically-useable--what is its function? In a nutshell, zombie science is supported because it is useful propaganda to be deployed in arenas such as political rhetoric, public administration, management, public relations, marketing and the mass media generally. It persuades, it constructs taboos, it buttresses some kind of rhetorical attempt to shape mass opinion. Indeed, zombie science often comes across in the mass media as being more plausible than real science; and it is precisely the superficial face-plausibility which is the sole and sufficient purpose of zombie science.

[Printed material distributed by pharmaceutical propaganda agents].

PubMed

Mejía, R; Avalos, A

2001-01-01

Pharmaceutical sales representatives (drug reps) frequently visit 70% to 90% of physicians during their daily clinical practice and many consider the promotional printed material to be a major source of clinical information. We evaluated samples of the promotional printed material distributed to physicians by drug reps in order to determine whether the data contained in the promotional material is correct and supported by references accessible in Argentina. A consecutive sample of all the promotional material distributed by drug reps in the general internal medicine program (Hospital de Clínicas) was collected between March 15 and April 15, 2000. Reprints and monographs were excluded. Clinical information was reviewed by two general internists and compared to information in a major pharmacology textbook and in an electronic medical information program. References cited were reviewed for correct listing and accessibility in any of the four major medical libraries in Buenos Aires. Of the sixty-four pieces of promotional material collected, thirty were randomly selected and evaluated. In twenty one (70%) the therapeutic effect promoted in advertisement appeared in Goodman & Gilman's 9th edition textbook of pharmacology, in the pharmacology section of the Up-to-Date version 8.1 or in both. Only eighteen (60%) of the thirty promotional printed material evaluated had statements supported by cited references. From a total of 131 references cited in promotional materials, sixty (46%) were incorrectly listed according to the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. These references were inaccessible. Of the 71 references correctly cited, 49 (69%) were not available in any of the four major medical libraries in Buenos Aires and 8 were available in only two of the libraries. Twenty-two references were reviewed, and in twelve of these (54%), the objective of the research study concurred with the statement of the promotional printed material. Adverse reactions, warnings about drug interactions and contraindications were absent from all promotional printed material. It can be concluded that the promotional printed material distributed by the drug reps in Buenos Aires are biased and provide misinformation more often than not. We recommend that practicing physicians routinely disregard promotional printed material as a source of clinical information.

Ethics of the profession of public relations--does the public relations affects on journalism in Croatia?

PubMed

Tanta, Ivan; Lesinger, Gordana

2013-09-01

The UK's leading professional body for public relations "Chartered Institute of Public Relations" (CIPR) said that the public relations is about reputation--they are the result of what you do, what you say and what others say about you. Furthermore CIPR says that public relations are discipline whose objectives are safeguarding reputation, establishing understanding and pot pores, and the impact on the thinking and behavior of the public. Although the primary goal of public relations is to preserve and build a reputation, to tell the truth to a customer who has hired experts in this area, it seems that in its own way of development, public relations practitioners have stopped worrying about their reputation and the perception of the discipline within the public they address. All relevant professional bodies for public relations, including the Croatian Association for Public Relation (HUOJ), had set up codes of ethics and high standards according which the members and practitioners should be evaluated. Among other things stays that practitioner of public relations is required to check the reliability and accuracy of the data prior to their distribution and nurture honesty and accountability to the public interest. It seems that right this instruction of code of ethics has been often violated. In a public speech in Croatia, and therefore in the media, exist manipulation, propaganda, and all the techniques of spin, which practitioners of public relations are skillfully using in the daily transfer of information to the users and target groups. The aim of this paper is to determine what is the perception of the profession to the public. As in today's journalism increasingly present plume of public relations, we wish to comment on the part where journalism ends and begins PR and vice versa. In this paper, we analyze and compare codes of ethics ethics associations for public relations, as well as codes of ethics journalists' associations, in order to answer the question of where the boundaries of public relations and journalism are. Where one ends and the other begins, and the extent to which these two professions touch and affect each other. Is manipulation and spin present in the media, that is the questions that we seek the answer in this paper.

[Changes in the patterns of food consumption in Latin America].

PubMed

Tagle, M A

1988-09-01

Food consumption patterns have suffered important although not generalized changes in recent years. A series of factors favor these changes, such as variations in family income, rural-urban migration, increase of tertiary activities related to foods, and exposure to commercial propaganda. All of these factors, when compared among them, do not have the same impact or validity. Thus, while the first two induce changes in the food pattern, the last two guide the consumer to certain food products. Modernization of the food pattern in Latin America and the Caribbean has been inspired by the USA food pattern of the previous decade, which from the nutritional and economic points of view, does not prove to be desirable. The average USA diet is rich in both saturated and mono- and polyunsaturated fats, as well as in refined sugar and all types of additives. It is poor in carbohydrates, particular in those of the complex type; most of its protein is of animal origin. It may also be rich in salt and poor in fiber, as it is made up by well-diversified industrialized foods in their presentation, manufactured and marketed by a highly industrialized production-distribution capitalized structure. The adopted model is not in correspondence with out countries' natural resources; it produces a displacement of the consumption patterns based on autochthonous and/or traditional components, and induces an increase in food imports. Since Latin American countries are of poor economic resources, and the model renders expensive products, these are absorbed by the socioeconomic group able to pay for them and/or--intermittently--as a high-cost product by calorie delivered, by the poor groups who are most in need, a situation which would imply serious damage on the quality and quantity of their diet. Changes in food habits and in food consumption patterns are related to a certain socio-demographic process which cannot be stopped. Consequently, this process should be carefully analyzed and understood in order to contribute to channel it in the best possible manner and to protect the food and nutritional situation of the consumer. The expert in nutrition should therefore play an important role in those tasks of public benefit, fundamentally in the areas of regulation and normalization of the quality of new foods, as well as in the diffusion of information and education, at all levels, of the consumer.

[The prevalence and influencing factors of eye diseases for IT industry video operation workers].

PubMed

Zhao, Liang-liang; Yu, Yan-yan; Yu, Wen-lan; Xu, Ming; Cao, Wen-dong; Zhang, Hong-bing; Han, Lei; Zhang, Heng-dong

2013-05-01

To investigate the situation of video-contact and eye diseases for IT industry video operation workers, and to analyze the influencing factors, providing scientific evidence for the make of health-strategy for IT industry video operation workers. We take the random cluster sampling method to choose 190 IT industry video operation workers in a city of Jiangsu province, analyzing the relations between video contact and eye diseases. The daily video contact time of IT industry video operation workers is 6.0-16.0 hours, whose mean value is (I 0.1 ± 1.8) hours. 79.5% of workers in this survey wear myopic lens, 35.8% of workers have a rest during their working, and 14.2% of IT workers use protective products when they feel unwell of their eyes. Following the BUT experiment, 54.7% of IT workers have the normal examine results of hinoculus, while 45.3% have the abnormal results of at least one eye. Simultaneously, 54.7% workers have the normal examine results of hinoculus in the SIT experiment, however, 42.1% workers are abnormal. According to the broad linear model, there are six influencing factors (daily mean time to video, distance between eye and displayer, the frequency of rest, whether to use protective products when they feel unwell of their eyes, the type of dis player and daily time watching TV.) have significant influence on vision, having statistical significance. At the same time, there are also six influencing factors (whether have a rest regularly,sex, the situation of diaphaneity for cornea, the shape of pupil, family history and whether to use protective products when they feel unwell of their eyes.) have significant influence on the results of BUT experiment,having statistical significance. However, there are seven influencing factors (the type of computer, sex, the shape of pupil, the situation of diaphaneity for cornea, the angle between displayer and workers' sight, the type of displayer and the height of operating floor.) have significant influence on the results of SIT experiment,having statistical significance. The health-situation of IT industry video operation workers' eye is not optimistic, most of workers are lack of protection awareness; we need to strengthen propaganda and education according to its influencing factors and to improve the level of medical control and prevention for eye diseases in relevant industries.

Dreams in ancient Greek Medicine.

PubMed

Laios, K; Moschos, M M; Koukaki, E; Vasilopoulos, E; Karamanou, M; Kontaxaki, M-I; Androutsos, G

2016-01-01

Dreams preoccupied the Greek and Roman world in antiquity, therefore they had a prominent role in social, philosophical, religious, historical and political life of those times. They were considered as omens and prophetic signs of future events in private and public life, and that was particularly accentuated when elements of actions which took place in the plot of dreams were associated directly or indirectly with real events. This is why it was important to use them in divination, and helped the growth of superstition and folklore believes. Medicine as a science and an anthropocentric art, could not ignore the importance of dreams, having in mind their popularity in antiquity. In ancient Greek medicine dreams can be divided into two basic categories. In the first one -which is related to religious medicine-dreams experienced by religionists are classified, when resorted to great religious sanctuaries such as those of Asclepius (Asclepieia) and Amphiaraos (Amfiaraeia). These dreams were the essential element for healing in this form of religious medicine, because after pilgrims underwent purifications they went to sleep in a special dwelling of the sanctuaries called "enkoimeterion" (Greek: the place to sleep) so that the healing god would come to their dreams either to cure them or to suggest treatment. In ancient Greek literature there are many reports of these experiences, but if there may be phenomena of self-suggestion, or they could be characterized as propaganda messages from the priesthood of each sanctuary for advertising purposes. The other category concerns the references about dreams found in ancient Greek medical literature, where one can find the attempts of ancient Greek physicians to interpret these dreams in a rational way as sings either of a corporal disease or of psychological distress. This second category will be the object of our study. Despite the different ways followed by each ancient Greek physician in order to explain dreams, their common intention was to give a rational answer for the creation and content of dreams setting aside any supernatural beliefs. In addition they tried to explain in a scientific way the correlation that could have emerged between the story that took place in dreams and the events that happened in everyday life. Nevertheless, ancient Greek physicians focused especially on nightmares, which were associated with physical problems. For those physicians these nightmares included information about the corporal disease of the patient, which had a reflection in the dream, and they could help them to diagnose the problem in order to restore balance of the body.

Polluting Canada's Public Square: The Harper Government's War on Science and the Environment?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Linnitt, C.; Hoggan, J. C.

2013-12-01

Conversations about key environmental issues like climate change are increasingly viewed as matters of politics rather than matters of science. As a result, competing -and often polarized - interests have made public debate on these issues vulnerable to aggressive politicization. This politicization, particularly when it comes to important policy decisions regarding industrial (and especially fossil fuel) development, obscures the facts on these issues, leaving democratic public debate prey to aggressive public relations tactics, misinformation campaigns, pseudo-science, modern-day propaganda and/or the deliberate ';pollution' of the public square. In Canada a coordinated effort is underway to mischaracterize environmental groups as radical ideologues, associating environmental views and pursuits with extremism. A Tea Party-style echo chamber has also emerged in Canada, coordinating anti-science messaging in an attempt to bolster industrial development while misaligning environmental non-profits with domestic terror threats. This attempt to undermine ecological agendas and to push environmental concerns to the margins is paired with government-sponsored censorship of federally-funded scientists and the elimination of vital public science programs in Canada. The result is a dearth of scientific information surrounding significant environmental concerns - such as the Alberta oil sands and industry contamination of waterways - and a dangerous and false association of these issues with an extremist agenda. Ultimately scientists and science communicators face a unique set of challenges in Canada when it comes to addressing environmental issues. Although the 'science' of science communication has evolved to address relevant cultural and socio-political barriers associated with change resistance (for example, adapting one's behavior to minimize greenhouse gas emissions), much work remains in both acknowledging and ameliorating the politicization of science and the intentional pollution of public conversations. Democracy depends on the public's access to information; however, in a climate in which that access is under threat, scientists and science communicators may need to address those fundamental concerns deliberately in order to participate effectively in the public policy and decision-making process. This paper provides a brief overview of environmental communications theory and practice, current misinformation techniques, and key instances in which either government policy and/or media and industry behavior have actively sought to contaminate or impede more constructive discourse on issues of science and environmental regulation. We conclude by offering a set of recommendations for improving the ability of scientists and experts to communicate effectively in an increasingly complex political and media environment, and for safeguarding the quality of democratic discourse on these and other issues.

Family planning education.

PubMed

Hamburg, M V

1983-02-01

17 days were spent devoted to the effort of learning about China's educational approach to family planning in the hope of discovering how they are achieving their remarkable success in reducing population growth. As a member of the 1981 New York University/SIECUS Colloquim in China, it was necessary to rely on the translation provided by the excellent guides. Discussions were focused on questions prepared in advance about the topics that concerned the group. These observations, based on a short and limited exposure, cover the following areas: marriage and family planning policies; the family planning program; school programs; adult education; family planning workers; and unique aspects of the program. China has an official position on marriage and family planning that continues to undergo revisions. The new marriage law sets the minimum ages of marriage at 22 for men and 20 for women. Almost everyone marries, and an unmarried person over age 28 is a rarity. The family planning program in China is carried out by an extensive organizational network at national, provincial, and local government levels. Officials termed it a "propaganda campaign." Hospitals, clinics, and factories invariably displayed posters; a popular set of four presents the advantages of the 1 child family as follows: late marriage is best, for it allows more time to work and study; 1 child is best for the health of the mother; one gets free medical care for his/her child if a family has only 1 child; and there is more time to teach 1 child. The state operated television regularly explains the 1 child policy utilizing special films. According to 1 family planning official, "before marriage there is little sex." There are few abortions for unmarried women. Education about sex is for adults, for those persons who are about to be married. There is little if any sex education in schools. Sexual teaching is not generally acceptable, especially in the rural areas. By contrast, in Shanghai the physiology teaching in the middle school does include sex education and reproduction. Sex information for adults is offered at the time of marriage. Married or about to be married adults are the major target of the state's family planning education effort. The key educators are an extensive network of family planning workers. All hospitals have a family planning office, and there are also family planning workers in the factories. What is unique about the Chinese approach is its use of reward and punishment.

Dimensions of population policy in India: the psycho-social implications.

PubMed

Shariff, A; Mouli, A S

1978-01-01

All population policies, while seemingly identical in their formulation, differ in terms of their veritable ulterior objective. This is due to the fact that the formulation is done by a selected group of planning agencies and the health ministry. As the purport of the population policy rests more or less with the manipulation of the demographic variables, the important components of the population influencing policies should be discussed, as the population-influencing policies intend to impact on the population directly. The important components are fertility regulation, reductions in mortality and morbidity, and migration and population distribution. In India fertility regulations are directed toward achieving a reduced birth rate of 25 by 1984 or a growth rate of 1.25. While India has successfully reduced the mortality rate and the birth rate, the reduction in the rates are not proportional. This has led to a higher growth rate. Consequently, the pressure on the nation at this time is to reduce the birth rate. India has felt the strains of realizing this goal despite her concerted efforts for various reasons. First, birth control programs failed to gain as much acceptance as anticipated, whereas the plans designed to reduce mortality were moderately well received. Additionally, the birth control schemes came to have a cultural taboo, possibly attributable to inadequate and vague propaganda on the part of program administrators as well as illiteracy. Economic pro and con factors also contributed. The extent of migration in India is insignificant for various socioeconomic reasons. First, India is a country where illiteracy is predominant, and this has restrained the scope for migration. Secondly, as 80% of Indians depend on agriculture, they feel satisfied at home with whatever they earn. Regarding in-migration, India, as a developing country experiencing the ills of poverty, unemployment, low capital formation, and a slow pace of technological development, has not attracted in-migrants. India's efforts to delay the age at marriage either through law or persuasion have been futile as most of the young girls are neither in school nor gainfully employed. Laws governing inheritance should provide equal status for daughters whereby the preference to sons would undergo a change. Recently, India took a step in this direction by providing daughters with a share of their ancestral property, but this law gained little momentum in a society where daughters are deprived of any right over their ancestral or parental property. It appears that only a fraction of Indian women would welcome the provision of equal rights because nearly 80% of Indian women live in villages, which do not encourage a departure from the expected traditional role. When formulating population policy, attention should be given to its feasibility in the given social context.

Soviet theories of economic demography: a survey.

PubMed

Gregory, P

1983-06-01

At this time Soviet demographic scientists maintain the position that population problems may in fact exist temporarily under socialism but that the planning principle will allow society to resolve population problems, through the use of the administrative, moral, and economic levers (subsidies, government policies, propaganda, education) emphasized by Urlanis (1974) and others. For planners to deal effectively with population management, the determinants of fertility and labor force participation must be established. The foundations of Soviet theories of human capital and fertility were laid by several writers. For the sake of simplicity, these are referred to as the Urlanis-Strumilin model, named after 2 pioneer researchers in Soviet demography and manpower economics. The formulations are based upon the writings of Strumlin (1964) and Urlanis (1974), supplemented by writings of numerous other Soviet researchers. Although their models avoid neoclassical terms such as marginal utility and income and price elasticities, they clearly employ these concepts. The Urlanis-Strumilin model, reduced to its basic elements, is a direct household utility maximizing model. The husband and wife, the household decision makers, must select optimal levels of child "quantity," child "quality," leisure, their own human capital (further education and training), and other goods. The Soviet theory recognizes that an increase in household income will increase relatively the demands for income elastic goods. The model postulates that the demand for child quality is inversely related to the price of children. The price of children is the opportunity cost of children, the major element of which is the income foregone by the mother in the course of childbearing and childrearing. The child quantity demand schedule has elastic and inelastic portions. The marginal utility of the 1st child is great. The marginal utilities of higher order children decline substantially. Families with at least 1 child can make substitutions between having more children and raising the quality of children already born. The question is what does the model predict will happen to fertility with economic development. The positive income effect will be limited as increased income is channelled into child quality and other superior goods rather than child quantity. The Urlanis-Strumilin model of labor supply assumes that the household allocates its time among market employment, household production. The model shows that the effect of children on female labor supply is not ambiguous. The presence of young children raises the value of home services and lowers long run market wages, thereby reducing female market labor supply. According to the model, the socialist state can manipulate labor supplies through several channels. It can reduce the value of home services by providing market substitutes. Soviet writers recognize the linkages between labor supply and fertility without formalizing the simultaneous relationship. The comparative statics of the Soviet model are essentially the same as those of the neoclassical model: an increase in "costs" of children will have, at best, a small positive impact on fertility.

[Lysenkoism in Polish botany].

PubMed

Köhler, Piotr

2008-01-01

Lysenkoism in Poland was never an autonomous phenomenon. The whole array of reasons for which it appeared in Polish science would require a separate study--here it only needs to be pointed out that the major reasons included terror on the part of the security service, lawlessness, the ubiquitous atmosphere of intimidation and terror, censorship, the diminishing sphere of civil liberties, political show trials, propaganda and denunciations. An important role in facilitating the introduction of Lysenkoism was played also by the reorganization of science after World War Two, the isolation of Polish science from science in the West, as well as the damage it had suffered during the war. At first, Lysenkoism was promoted in Poland by a small group of enthusiastic and uncritical proponents. A overview of the events connected with the ten years of Lysenkoism in Poland (end of 1948--beginning of 1958) shows a two-tier picture of how the 'idea' was propagated. The first tier consisted in the activities of the Association of Marxist Naturalists [Koło Przyrodników-Marksistów], which it engaged in since the end of 1948. The Association was later transformed into a Union of Marxist Naturalists, and this in turn merged, in 1952, with the Copernican Society of Polish Naturalists [Polskie Towarzystwo Przyrodników im. Kopernika]. It was that society which promoted Lysenkoism longest, until the end of 1956. The propaganda and training activities of the circle and the society prepared ground for analogous activities of the newly formed Polish Academy of Science (PAN), which--since its very establishment in 1952--engaged in promoting Lysenkoism through its Second Division. These activities were aimed at naturalists, initially at those who were prominent scientists (eg. the conference at Kuźnice, 1950/1951), and then at those who were only starting their academic career (including national courses in new biology at Dziwnów, 1952, or Kortowo, 1953 and 1955). The end to promoting Lysenkoism by PAN came with the Sixth General Assembly of its members on June 11-12, 1956. The second tier of propagating Lysenkoism consisted in activities aimed at the general public, including the teaching of creative Darwinism (obligatory for pupils of various levels of education), in the school years 1949/50-1956/57. There were few botanists who published studies in Lysenkoism: only 55 persons did so. Among them, there were only a few botanists who could boast of significant previous scientific achievements--they included Stefan Białobok (1909-1992), Władysław Kunicki-Goldfinger (1916-1995), Edmund Malinowski (1885-1979), Konstanty Moldenhawer (1889-1962), Józef Motyka (1900-1984), Szczepan Pieniazek. A majority of the authors of publication in Lysenkoism were young scientists or people who did publish anything later on. Basing on the available bibliographies, it is possible to ascertain that there were ca. 140 Lysenkoist botanical publications (out of the total of 3410), i.e. 4.1% (fig. 1) of all the botanist publications in Poland in that period. Their number in the years 1949-1953 was higher than in the next period, and oscillated between 15 and 24 publications annually (fig. 2). The percentage of Lysenkoist studies among all publications in botany published each year was highest in 1949 (11.5%), and decreased systematically in the following years (fig. 3). Lysenkoism was a marginal phenomenon in Polish botany. Among the Lysenkoist publications, most summarized papers delivered at successive conferences, or consisted in reprints of Soviet studies. A significant group was made up of publications popularizing the principles and achievements of Lysenkoism (on the basis of Soviet publications). There were relatively studies presenting the results of research conducted in Poland on the basis of Lysenko's theory. Botanists who remember those times recollect that topics connected with Michurinian-Lysenkoist biology were avoided. It is symptomatic that not a single Lysenkoist study was published in Acta Societatis Botanicorum Poloniae, the scientific journal of the Polish Botanical Society (out of the total of 359 articles published in the years 1948-1958). The attitudes of Polish botanists towards Lysenkoism varied. A great majority, i.e. ca. 96% of all botanists, dealt with research topics that did not require direct references to Lysenkoism and did not publish any Lysenkoist studies. A few botanists did publish studies based on the tenets of Lysenkoism. Some did so in a sincere belief in the validity of the theory (e.g. Aniela Makarewicz (1905-1990) or Szczepan Pieniazek). A number of botanists, who did not want to be exposed to harassment, avoided explicit endorsements of the theory or, whenever possible, used the "shield" of Soviet science. This consisted in using quotations from the classics of Marxism and Lysenkoism , both in papers delivered at conferences and in written publications. These references were a kind of levy paid in order to put vigilance of the censorship to sleep or to avoid non-substantive criticism. Other botanists (very few in number) took a hostile stand on Lysenkoism, which was a thing that required courage. The consequences for a university professor included being deprived of one's chair and being banned from publishing (this was, for instance, the case Prof. Wacław Gajewski (1911-1997)). The role of censorship should not be underestimated--it may be due to its activities that only isolated studies engaging in polemic with Lysenkoism, or trying to show the fallaciousness of its tenets, appeared in the first half of the 1950s. The content of publications was also affected by editors and editorial boards: as a result of their intervention, authors were forced to include obligatory quotations from the classics of Marxism and Lysenkoism in their articles. Since the current paper is based predominantly on publications, the strength of the opposition to Lysenkoism may be undervalued. It is well-known, not only from oral testimony, that the times of Lysenkoism were a terrible period in Polish botany, with all kinds of pressures exerted on botanists who did not adopt it. Fortunately, no Polish botanists lost their lives. The Lysenkoist period in Polish botany retarded the development of many of its branches. In the last fifty years many of the setbacks have been made up for, but it is in the biological education of the general public that Lysenkoism has had a more serious effect. Several generations of young people failed to be introduced to genetics, or at least its foundations, at any level of schooling. Instead they were inculcated with the erroneous belief of man's limitless possibilities in transforming nature, including the view that species can be shaped freely in line with economic needs. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED)

The Moon and the U-47 in Scapa Flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schaefer, B. E.

2005-12-01

The skies above affect historical events here on Earth more than is generally realized. Events during wars are often tied to the Moon through operational requirements for illumination (or dark), high tides (or low), and even links to events in lunar calendars. World War II has many famous battles, commando operations, and naval sorties dictated in date by the Moon. Famous examples are D-Day (needing low tides and Full Moon illumination), the amphibious landing on Tarawa (needing but not getting high tides), El Alamein (requiring Full Moon light for the mine-clearers), the Great Escape from Stalag Luft III (chosen for the stealth possible with a New Moon), Mussolini's invasion of Albania (on Good Friday), and even Rudolf Hess' flight to Scotland (timed by a six-planet conjunction and aided in navigation by the Full Moon). This paper will concentrate on one event for which the Moon provided the primary trick for a major Nazi naval victory, while an aurora saved the British from an even worse disaster. The story is set in Scapa Flow, the huge anchorage in the Orkney Islands that was used as a primary base for the British Navy in blockading the North Sea. During World War I, German submarines had twice tried to slip into Scapa Flow but were sunk both times, and the anchorage later became the last resting place of the scuttled German High Seas Fleet. At the outbreak of World War II, then Commodore Karl Doenitz suggested that his ace U-boat captain consider sneaking into Scapa Flow to loose salvos of torpedoes at all the anchored ships. Captain Gunther Prien of the U-47 took up the challenge after realizing that the British had not completely blocked a narrow inlet. His plan was to surface the submarine and go in over the sunken block ships at the highest of spring tides. Spring tides require a syzygy (New or Full Moon), during which the high tides occur near noon or midnight. To be unobserved by onshore guards, the Moon should not be in the sky illuminating the waters. The requirement for darkness forced the choice of going in around midnight on a New Moon date. But this by itself would not have allowed the U-47 to ride high in the water, so Prien chose a New Moon night where the Moon was closest to Earth in its orbit (at perigee) and the spring tide would be at its extreme high. So, on 13 October 1939, the U-47 surfaced just outside Kirk Sound, scraped through the blocked passage, found the battleship HMS Royal Oak at anchor, and fired two salvos which quickly sank the ship killing 833 sailors. Prien could have continued hunting in the anchorage for more ships, but one of the brightest aurora of the year (which was near a sunspot maximum) started illuminating the waters. Prien wisely withdrew as the U-47 would rapidly have been trapped if spotted under the aurora-light. This disaster was a major propaganda victory for the Nazis and was a heavy blow when the British navy and prestige were soon all that separated England from powerful armies.

The Task before Psychiatry Today Redux: STSPIR*

PubMed Central

Singh, Ajai R.

2014-01-01

This paper outlines six important tasks for psychiatry today, which can be put in short as: Spread and scale up services;Talk;Science,Psychotherapy;Integrate; andResearch excellence. As an acronym, STSPIR. Spread and scale up services: Spreading mental health services to uncovered areas, and increasing facilities in covered areas:Mental disorders are leading cause of ill health but bottom of health agenda;Patients face widespread discrimination, human rights violations and lack of facilities;Need to stem the brain drain from developing countries;At any given point, 10% of the adult population report having some mental or behavioural disorder;In India, serious mental disorders affect nearly 80 million people, i.e. combined population of the northern top of India, including Punjab, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh;Combating imbalance between burden of demand and supply of efficient psychiatric services in all countries, especially in developing ones like India, is the first task before psychiatry today. If ever a greater role for activism were needed, this is the field;The need is to scale up effective and cost-effective treatments and preventive interventions for mental disorders.Talk: Speaking to a wider audience about positive contributions of psychiatry: Being aware of, understanding, and countering, the massive anti-psychiatry propaganda online and elsewhere;Giving a firm answer to anti-psychiatry even while understanding its transformation into mental health consumerism and opposition to reckless medicalisation;Defining normality and abnormality;Bringing about greater precision in diagnosis and care;Motivating those helped by psychiatry to speak up;Setting up informative websites and organising programmes to reduce stigma and spread mental health awareness;Setting up regular columns in psychiatry journals around the globe, called ‘Patients Speak’, or something similar, wherein those who have been helped get a chance to voice their stories.Science: Shrugging ambivalence and disagreement and searching for commonalities in psychiatric phenomena; An idiographic orientation which stresses individuality cannot, and should not, preclude the nomothetic or norm laying thrust that is the crux of scientific progress.The major contribution of science has been to recognize such commonalities so they can be researched, categorized and used for human welfare.It is a mistake to stress individuality so much that commonalities are obliterated.While the purpose and approach of psychiatry, as of all medicine, has to be humane and caring, therapeutic advancements and aetiologic understandings are going to result only from a scientific methodology.Just caring is not enough, if you have not mastered the methods of care, which only science can supply.Psychotherapy: Psychiatrists continuing to do psychotherapy: Psychotherapy must be clearly defined, its parameters and methods firmly delineated, its proof of effectiveness convincingly demonstrated by evidence based and controlled trials;Psychotherapy research suffers from neglect by the mainstream at present, because of the ascendancy of biological psychiatry;It suffers resource constraints as major sponsors like pharma not interested;Needs funding from some sincere researcher organisations and altruistic sponsors, as also professional societies and governments;Psychotherapy research will have to provide enough irrefutable evidence that it works, with replicable studies that prove it across geographical areas;It will not do for psychiatrists to hand over psychotherapy to clinical psychologists and others.Integrate approaches: Welcoming biological breakthroughs, while supplying psychosocial insights: Experimental breakthroughs, both in aetiology and therapeutics, will come mainly from biology, but the insights and leads can hopefully come from many other fields, especially the psychosocial and philosophical;The biological and the psychological are not exclusive but complementary approaches;Both integration and reductionism are valid. Integration is necessary as an attitude, reductionism is necessary as an approach. Both the biological and the psychosocial must co-exist in the individual psychiatrist, as much as the branch itself.Research excellence: Promoting genuine research alone, and working towards an Indian Nobel Laureate in psychiatry by 2020: To stop promoting poor quality research and researchers, and to stop encouraging sycophants and ladder climbers. To pick up and hone genuine research talent from among faculty and students;Developing consistent quality environs in departments and having Heads of Units who recognize, hone and nurture talent. And who never give in to pessimism and cynicism;Stop being satisfied with the money, power and prestige that comes by wheeling-dealing, groupism and politicking;Infinite vistas of opportunity wait in the wings to unfold and offer opportunities for unravelling the mysteries of the ‘mind’ to the earnest seeker. Provided he is ready to seek the valuable. Provided he stops holding on to the artificial and the superfluous. PMID:24891797

The Task before Psychiatry Today Redux: STSPIR*.

PubMed

Singh, Ajai R

2014-01-01

This paper outlines six important tasks for psychiatry today, which can be put in short as: Spread and scale up services;Talk;Science,Psychotherapy;Integrate; andResearch excellence. As an acronym, STSPIR. Spread and scale up services: Spreading mental health services to uncovered areas, and increasing facilities in covered areas:Mental disorders are leading cause of ill health but bottom of health agenda;Patients face widespread discrimination, human rights violations and lack of facilities;Need to stem the brain drain from developing countries;At any given point, 10% of the adult population report having some mental or behavioural disorder;In India, serious mental disorders affect nearly 80 million people, i.e. combined population of the northern top of India, including Punjab, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh;Combating imbalance between burden of demand and supply of efficient psychiatric services in all countries, especially in developing ones like India, is the first task before psychiatry today. If ever a greater role for activism were needed, this is the field;The need is to scale up effective and cost-effective treatments and preventive interventions for mental disorders.TALK: Speaking to a wider audience about positive contributions of psychiatry:Being aware of, understanding, and countering, the massive anti-psychiatry propaganda online and elsewhere;Giving a firm answer to anti-psychiatry even while understanding its transformation into mental health consumerism and opposition to reckless medicalisation;Defining normality and abnormality;Bringing about greater precision in diagnosis and care;Motivating those helped by psychiatry to speak up;Setting up informative websites and organising programmes to reduce stigma and spread mental health awareness;Setting up regular columns in psychiatry journals around the globe, called 'Patients Speak', or something similar, wherein those who have been helped get a chance to voice their stories.SCIENCE: Shrugging ambivalence and disagreement and searching for commonalities in psychiatric phenomena;An idiographic orientation which stresses individuality cannot, and should not, preclude the nomothetic or norm laying thrust that is the crux of scientific progress.The major contribution of science has been to recognize such commonalities so they can be researched, categorized and used for human welfare.It is a mistake to stress individuality so much that commonalities are obliterated.While the purpose and approach of psychiatry, as of all medicine, has to be humane and caring, therapeutic advancements and aetiologic understandings are going to result only from a scientific methodology.Just caring is not enough, if you have not mastered the methods of care, which only science can supply.PSYCHOTHERAPY: Psychiatrists continuing to do psychotherapy:Psychotherapy must be clearly defined, its parameters and methods firmly delineated, its proof of effectiveness convincingly demonstrated by evidence based and controlled trials;Psychotherapy research suffers from neglect by the mainstream at present, because of the ascendancy of biological psychiatry;It suffers resource constraints as major sponsors like pharma not interested;Needs funding from some sincere researcher organisations and altruistic sponsors, as also professional societies and governments;Psychotherapy research will have to provide enough irrefutable evidence that it works, with replicable studies that prove it across geographical areas;It will not do for psychiatrists to hand over psychotherapy to clinical psychologists and others.INTEGRATE APPROACHES: Welcoming biological breakthroughs, while supplying psychosocial insights:Experimental breakthroughs, both in aetiology and therapeutics, will come mainly from biology, but the insights and leads can hopefully come from many other fields, especially the psychosocial and philosophical;The biological and the psychological are not exclusive but complementary approaches;Both integration and reductionism are valid. Integration is necessary as an attitude, reductionism is necessary as an approach. Both the biological and the psychosocial must co-exist in the individual psychiatrist, as much as the branch itself.RESEARCH EXCELLENCE: Promoting genuine research alone, and working towards an Indian Nobel Laureate in psychiatry by 2020:To stop promoting poor quality research and researchers, and to stop encouraging sycophants and ladder climbers. To pick up and hone genuine research talent from among faculty and students;Developing consistent quality environs in departments and having Heads of Units who recognize, hone and nurture talent. And who never give in to pessimism and cynicism;Stop being satisfied with the money, power and prestige that comes by wheeling-dealing, groupism and politicking;Infinite vistas of opportunity wait in the wings to unfold and offer opportunities for unravelling the mysteries of the 'mind' to the earnest seeker. Provided he is ready to seek the valuable. Provided he stops holding on to the artificial and the superfluous.

Patronage power: Rural electrification, river development, and Lyndon Johnson (1937--1939)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dusek, Paul-Michael Mays

Few historians document Lyndon Johnson's efforts to construct a state-wide political machine at the local level early in his congressional career. The literature glorifies Johnson for hydroelectric river development and rural electrification. This thesis acknowledges the transformative nature of rural electrification in Central Texas through the efforts of Johnson but, more importantly, reveals how extensively Johnson sought to capitalize on the tail-end of the New Deal to utilize government-funded relief projects to establish a state-wide political machine. An analysis of the correspondence between Johnson, his local political operators, members of his state-wide network, and rural constituents reveals another layer to the complexity of Johnson and further exposes his ambitious, calculating nature. Johnson used rural electrification to first create a community of supporters in his congressional district then used rural electrification and multipurpose river development programs to cultivate political contacts across the state of Texas. This thesis explores the first time that Lyndon Johnson used patronage to develop a political community as a publicly elected official. Johnson pushed for constant expansion of operations to ensure a steady supply of new jobs while displaying a cavalier attitude about specific regulations regarding the allocation of funds. His machine manipulated and massaged congressional appropriations restrictions and utilized multiple congressional revenue streams to stretch finances further and lower overhead costs to increase the scope of operations thus further improving the lives of his constituents. Johnson also used this movement to efficiently and effectively construct a foundation for his political machine. This thesis also clarifies an early moment in Johnson's beliefs about civil rights. Instead of standing on principle, Johnson relied on extortion and threats to fight racism at this early juncture in his political career because of his own personal ambition. Burning ambition—his own personal sense of political self-preservation—trumped Johnson's early beliefs about civil rights. Therefore because of his personal ambition he kept his opinions about civil rights silent while his operators utilized "out of sight, out of mind" policies towards race relations when necessary. While building this political community Johnson pledged electricity for votes. He had two goals: (1) create a market for LCRA-generated power to prevent private utilities from acquiring the power, and (2) create a political machine. Initially growth occurred slowly but Johnson used modern forms of communications and propaganda to construct a community; including radio, newsprint, theater, and public events and affairs. Johnson also laid the foundations for this community through the creation of shared community space and the promotion of a shared community-mindset. Johnson prioritized the creation of these community spaces over the construction of transmission lines and engaged in deceit when necessary—Arthur Stehling committed forgery—while pursuing Johnson's plans for the formation of this political machine through the conception of a new, common community. Johnson pushed for optimal growth and utilized every opportunity for publicity. These new structures signified the changes occurring across the landscape and for the first time the people of Central Texas began to feel the relief of the New Deal—five years after President Roosevelt initiated relief efforts. Subsequently, the people of Central Texas supported Johnson in his political endeavors. Secondly, this thesis explores the geographical expansion of multipurpose river development and rural electrification operations in Central Texas. Expansion was priority number one because this increased Johnson's political clout in Central Texas. Johnson expanded his control by infiltrating or manipulating newly forming rural electric cooperatives. His operators side-stepped or rewrote local laws when necessary to aid development. Finally, Johnson heavily influenced decisions pertaining to personnel during his expansion of territory and consolidation of control. Ambition and opportunism created numerous occasions for patronage, publicity, and unbridled expansion. Within the LCRA, Johnson shifted focus from dam construction to development of rural electric cooperatives. Johnson's promotional efforts made the congressman the target of various groups seeking support for river development within their respective communities. At times, Johnson used heavy-handed tactics to achieve desired results. Finally, Johnson and his operators continued to marginalize members of the Karnes cooperative until personally ordered to stop by the National Director of the Rural Electrification Administration. Johnson's involvement in determining the location of a cooperative headquarters in Karnes County to cultivate the support of local political players demonstrates how ambition, expansion of name-recognition, and the cultivation of political power at the local level to build a state-wide machine define Johnson's early involvement in rural electrification and multipurpose river development in late 1930s Central Texas. Therefore, this thesis builds upon traditional interpretations of Johnson's participation in rural electrification and properly places his involvement into a more complete context. This thesis also breaks up the neat compartmentalization that previously occurred to create a more comprehensive outlook. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).

[Impact of different intervention models on adherence to secondary prevention therapies in patients with acute coronary syndrome].

PubMed

Liu, J; Wang, W; Liu, J; Wang, Y; Qi, Y; Sun, J Y; Zhao, D

2018-02-24

Objective: To evaluate the impact of different intervention models on adherence to secondary prevention therapies in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Methods: This multi-center cross-sectional study collected data from 34 hospitals covering 22 provinces in China. Hospitals were randomly divided into four groups: control group(routine treatment and care), promotional calendar group (routine treatment and care plus giving propaganda desk calendar to patients), education group (routine treatment and care add patients education by nurses) and combined intervention group (promotional calendar and education).At least 90 patients with ACS were consecutively enrolled from each involved hospital from April 15, 2012 to June 30, 2013. To reduce the impact of uneven distribution of inter-group variables on the results, 1∶1∶1∶1 propensity score matching method was used. The drug usage for secondary prevention and prognosis wasobtainedat 6 months after hospital discharge. Results: (1) A total of 3 391 patients were selected and 2 244 patients were included for the final analysisafter propensity score analysis. (2) At 6 months after discharge, the adherence rates of antiplatelet, statins, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor(ACEI)/angiotensin Ⅱ receptor blocker(ARB), β-blocker and the combination of 4 medications were similar between control group and promotional calendar group (all P> 0.016).The adherence rates of antiplatelet and statins were 97.0% (526/542) and 91.0% (493/542) in the education group, 3.7% and 5.5% higher than in the control group (both P< 0.016). The adherence rates of statins,ACEI/ARB and combined medication were 91.0% (496/545), 68.3% (372/545) and 53.2% (290/545) in the combined intervention group,significantly higher than in the control group (5.5%,8.3% and 9.6%, all P< 0.016). (3) Poisson regression analysis showed that the adherence of antiplatelet drugs in the education group was 3.4%( OR= 1.034, 95% CI 1.007-1.060, P< 0.05) and 3.5%( OR= 1.035, 95% CI 1.007-1.063, P< 0.05) higher than in the control group and the promotional calendar group, and the statins adherence rate was 5.5%( OR= 1.055, 95% CI 1.012-1.101, P< 0.05) higher than in the control group. The antiplatelet drug adherence rates in the combined intervention group were 3.0% ( OR= 1.030, 95% CI 1.002-1.058, P< 0.05) and 3.1% ( OR= 1.031, 95% CI 1.003-1.060, P< 0.05) higher than in the control group and the promotional calendar group, respectively, and statin adherence was 6.1% ( OR= 1.061, 95% CI 1.017-1.107, P< 0.01) higher than in the control group. The adherence rates of ACEI/ARB in combined intervention group were respectively 15.4%( OR= 1.154, 95% CI 1.057-1.259, P< 0.01),20.0%( OR= 1.200, 95% CI 1.096-1.314, P< 0.01) and 25.5%( OR= 1.255, 95% CI 1.142-1.380, P< 0.01) higher than in the control group, promotional calendar group and education group. The adherence rates of combined medication in combined intervention group were respectively 21.6%( OR= 1.216, 95% CI 1.079-1.371, P< 0.01),21.5%( OR= 1.215, 95% CI 1.077-1.371, P< 0.01) and 27.8%( OR= 1.278, 95% CI 1.126-1.450, P< 0.01) higher than in the control group, promotional calendar group and education group. (4) At 6 months after discharge, the control rates of blood pressure (<140/90 mmHg,1 mmHg=0.133 kPa) in the education group were significantly higher than in the control group and promotional calendar group (78.7% (398/506) vs. 70.2%(373/531) and 71.1% (354/498) , all P< 0.016),and the control rates of blood pressure in combined intervention group were higher than in the control group and promotional calendar group (78.2% (376/481) vs. 70.2%(373/531) and 71.1% (354/498) , all P< 0.016).The rehospitalization rates were 7.0% (39/561) in the promotional calendar group, and 7.6% (42/561) in the education group, both significantly higher than in the control group (3.8% (21/561), all P< 0.016).The rate of the low density lipoprotein cholesterol<2.07 mmol/L and the rate for all-cause mortality were similar among groups (all P> 0.016) . Conclusion: Post-discharge medication adherence in ACS patients can be enhanced by either promotional calendaror nurses education strategy, and the efficacy is better by nurse education as compared with promotional calendar, the combination of both methods can further increase the post-discharge medication adherence rates in ACS patients.