Texas A&M International University: Research Information Online (RIO)
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Jóvenes y publicidad: las implicaciones de la comunicación boca a boca
No full textEste artículo resume algunos resultados de un estudio exploratorio descriptivo, de carácter cuantitativo, que tuvo como objetivo analizar las variables relacionadas con el consumo y decisiones de compra de los jóvenes argentinos y analizar el rol de las diferentes formas de publicidad en esos procesos. A través de un cuestionario autoadministrado, se recogió información sobre confianza y motivación frente a diferentes formatos publicitarios, así como variables relativas a hábitos de consumo. Los resultados demuestran que las opiniones difundidas boca a boca son la fuente de información y el canal de recomendación más fiable y motivador para la compra en los jóvenes. Pero la efectividad del boca a boca no se limita al mundo offline, sino que se extiende al ámbito de Internet en el llamado boca a boca electrónico. En este sentido, es más probable que los consumidores confíen en los consejos y opiniones de sus pares (aunque sean personas desconocidas) que en los anuncios que provienen directamente de la marca a través de la publicidad tradicional a la hora de tomar una decisión de compra. Esto también se aplica a cualquier consejo previo a la compra e información sobre los productos que se obtiene a través de dichas interacciones
The Representation of English Language Learners In Special Education: A Campus-Level Study
Full text linkThis study examined the representation of English language learners in special education programs in elementary, middle, and high school campuses in two school districts in Texas. Data was collected from the Texas Education Agency’s Public Education Information Management System for the 2016-2017 school year. Relative risk ratios were calculated and reported for each elementary and secondary campuses for both school districts. The relative risk ratios were calculated utilizing total student enrollment, total English language learner enrollment, total special education enrollment, and total English language learner in special education. Results indicated that English language learners were both underrepresented and overrepresented in both school districts. Furthermore, underrepresentation was greater in the elementary campuses, and overrepresentation was greater in the secondary campuses. It was concluded that campus-level data can provide disaggregated data that district, state, or national-level data cannot provide
Political Talk, Conversation, Discussion, Debate, or Deliberation? An Interpersonal Political Communication Definition and Typology
Full text linkInterpersonal communication is at the core of every form of human communication system, and the realm of political communication is no exception. Through interpersonal communication, individuals gain knowledge about the political world, understand the common goals and values of their political system, and learn how to participate in political tasks. As do many other research areas, interpersonal communication research faces numerous challenges. There is a lack of conceptual organization and precision about names and labels such as political talk, political conversation, public dialogue, political dialogue, political discussion, political debate, and political deliberation. Apparently, these expressions refer to the same idea: interpersonal communications that fall into the political realm. However, each term has a diverse epistemological, normative, and theoretical background and represents a different way of conceptualizing this idea. This essay suggests a general definition for interpersonal political communication and a matrix that organizes the existing academic knowledge about this topic
Fat-free mass characteristics vary based on sex, race, and weight status in US adults
No full textCommon body composition estimation techniques necessitate assumptions of uniform fat-free mass (FFM) characteristics, although variation due to sex, race, and body characteristics may occur. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data from 1999 to 2004, during which paired dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and bioimpedance spectroscopy assessments were performed, were used to estimate FFM characteristics in a sample of 4619 US adults. Calculated FFM characteristics included the density and water, bone mineral, and residual content of FFM. A rapid 4-component model was also produced using DXA and bioimpedance spectroscopy data. Study variables were compared across sex, race/ethnicity, body mass index (BMI), and age categories using multiple pairwise comparisons. A general linear model was used to estimate body composition after controlling for other variables. Statistical analyses accounted for 6-year sampling weights and complex sampling design of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and were based on 5 multiply imputed datasets. Differences in FFM characteristics across sex, race, and BMI were observed, with notable dissimilarities between men and women for all outcome variables. In racial/ethnic comparisons, non-Hispanic blacks most commonly presented distinct FFM characteristics relative to other groups, including greater FFM density and proportion of bone mineral. Body composition errors between DXA and the 4-component model were significantly influenced by sex, age, race, and BMI. In conclusion, FFM characteristics, which are often assumed in body composition estimation methods, vary due to sex, race/ethnicity, and weight status. The variation of FFM characteristics in diverse populations should be considered when body composition is evaluated
The Validity of Relative Fat Mass and Body Adiposity Index as Measures of Body Composition in Healthy Adults
No full textHigher relative adiposity is independently associated with adverse health consequences. As such, accurate estimates of body composition in field settings are of utmost importance. The aim of this study was to examine the validity of the Body Adiposity Index (BAI) and Relative Fat Mass (RFM) as measures of total body adiposity. BAI and RFM were assessed in young adults (n = 188, 48.4% female, 21.8 ± 4.8 years, 24.4 ± 4.6 kg/m2). Adiposity was assessed using the 4C model (%Fat4C) and derived from underwater weighing for body density, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry for bone mineral content, and bioimpedance spectroscopy for total body water. Bivariate correlations between BAI, RFM, and %Fat4C were assessed using Pearson’s r. Differences between measures were assessed using a repeated-measures ANOVA. BAI and RFM were associated with %Fat4C (r = 0.668 and 0.827 respectively, both p \u3c .001). BAI and RFM overestimated %Fat4C (+4.3 ± 6.1 versus +4.3 ± 4.6, respectively, p \u3c .001). The large error limits the practical utility of these anthropometric indices. Abbreviation: ANOVA: Analysis of Variance; BAI: Body Adiposity Index; BM: Body Mass; BMI: Body Mass Index; CM: centimeter; DXA: Dual X-ray Absorptiometry; HC: Hip Circumference; KG: kilogram; RFM: Relative Fat Mass; SPSS: Statistical Package for the Social Sciencesp; WC: Waist Circumference; %Fat: Body Composition
Biglycan and chondroitin sulfate play pivotal roles in bone toughness via retaining bound water in bone mineral matrix
Full text linkRecent in vitro evidence shows that glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) and proteoglycans (PGs) in bone matrix may functionally be involved in the tissue-level toughness of bone. In this study, we showed the effect of biglycan (Bgn), a small leucine-rich proteoglycan enriched in extracellular matrix of bone and the associated GAG subtype, chondroitin sulfate (CS), on the toughness of bone in vivo, using wild-type (WT) and Bgn deficient mice. The amount of total GAGs and CS in the mineralized compartment of Bgn KO mouse bone matrix decreased significantly, associated with the reduction of the toughness of bone, in comparison with those of WT mice. However, such differences between WT and Bgn KO mice diminished once the bound water was removed from bone matrix. In addition, CS was identified as the major subtype in bone matrix. We then supplemented CS to both WT and Bgn KO mice to test whether supplemental GAGs could improve the tissue-level toughness of bone. After intradermal administration of CS, the toughness of WT bone was greatly improved, with the GAGs and bound water amount in the bone matrix increased, while such improvement was not observed in Bgn KO mice or with supplementation of dermatan sulfate (DS). Moreover, CS supplemented WT mice exhibited higher bone mineral density and reduced osteoclastogenesis. Interestingly, Bgn KO bone did not show such differences irrespective of the intradermal administration of CS. In summary, the results of this study suggest that Bgn and CS in bone matrix play a pivotal role in imparting the toughness to bone most likely via retaining bound water in bone matrix. Moreover, supplementation of CS improves the toughness of bone in mouse models
Mycoplasma Pneumoniae: Analysis of Metabolic Pathways in a Minimal Genome
Full text linkMycoplasma pneumoniae, a bacterium lacking a cell wall, is one of the main causative agents of atypical pneumonia and contributes to the development of chronic respiratory disease. This organism has undergone reductive evolution and relies on the human host for the acquisition of most nutrients. Around 33% of M. pneumoniae proteins are of unknown function. The aim of my research was to grow this organism in various carbon sources and media to understand which metabolic pathways could be present in this minimal organism. Twenty-seven carbon sources and seven different media were tested. The results show that glucose, maltose, and dextrin caused significant growth of M. pneumoniae. The genes involved in glucose metabolism have been found, however, the genes involved in maltose and dextrin metabolism within this organism have not. The media growth experiment showed that Mueller Hinton II broth caused significantly reduced growth of this organism. Knowing which carbon sources can be utilized by M. pneumoniae will help us understand the metabolic pathways in this minimal organism. Novel metabolic pathways within M. pneumoniae can ultimately help us find potential targets for antibiotics or vaccines
Facebook, una extensión de marketing y no un espacio deliberativo: Caso de Andrés Manuel López Obrador en elecciones presidenciales de México en 2018
No full textLas redes sociodigitales han sido consideradas como la nueva esfera pública, en la que políticos y usuarios interactúan para proponer, debatir, y hasta solucionar temas de interés público. Esta idea es particularmente recurrente durante las campañas electorales, en las que se asume que los ciudadanos y candidatos estrechan lazos al intercambiar puntos de vista sobre las propuestas de políticas públicas. Por esta razón, el objetivo de este artículo es analizar los procesos de comunicación y deliberación online que se desarrollaron durante el periodo electoral del 2018 en México. Para lograrlo, se realizó un análisis de contenido de las publicaciones del entonces candidato Andrés Manuel López Obrador en su perfil de Facebook, y las interacciones que estas produjeron. Los resultados señalan que los usuarios de esta red se comunicaron constantemente entre sí, particularmente para expresar su apoyo o rechazo al candidato, pero dicha interacción derivó en escasos momentos de deliberación
Smart factory in Industry 4.0
No full textThe transformation from traditional manufacturing to intelligent manufacturing intrigues the profound and lasting effect on the future manufacturing worldwide. Industry 4.0 was proposed for advancing manufacturing to realize short product life cycles and extreme mass customization in a cost-efficient way. As the heart of Industry 4.0, smart factory integrates physical technologies and cyber technologies and makes the involved technologies more complex and precise in order to improve performance, quality, controllability, management, and transparency of manufacturing processes. So far, leading manufacturers have begun the journey toward implementing smart factory. However, most firms still lack insight into the challenges and resources for implementing smart factory. As such, this paper identifies the requirements and key challenges, investigates available new technologies, reviews existing studies that have been done for smart factory, and further provides guidance for manufacturers to implementing smart factory in the context of Industry 4.0
An Internet of Things based material delivery model for disaster management in libraries
No full textPurpose: Based on the context of the Internet of Things (IoT), the territorial public emergency supplies will be networked, platform-based management, unified emergency dispatch. The problem of supplies dispatching in the “last kilometer” of emergency is solved, and the supplies needed in the disaster area are promptly delivered to the hands of the victims so that they can quickly be rescued after the disaster and to save valuable time for rapid rescue, which can greatly decrease casualties and property losses. This paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach: By analyzing the shortage of existing emergency supplies dispatching research and taking all factors such as disaster area demand, social reserve, road conditions, mode of transport, loading limit, disaster area satisfaction rate and road capacity into consideration under the background of IoT, a variety of the territorial emergency supplies dispatching model with more rescue points, more affected areas are constructed. The objective function of the model is to aim in finding the shortest rescue time, giving the solution algorithm, and finally simulating the simulation case. Findings: Based on the context of the IoT, the territorial public emergency supplies will be networked, platform-based management, unified emergency dispatch. Considering factors such as road conditions, modes of transport and road capacity, the authors construct a number of emergency rescue plans, multiple disaster scenarios and various emergency supplies dispatching models. The authors simulate the situation through simulation cases with the shortest time being the ultimate goal. The problem of supplies dispatching in the “last kilometer” of emergency is solved, and the supplies needed in the disaster area are promptly delivered to the hands of the victims so that they can quickly be rescued after the disaster and to save valuable time for rapid rescue, which can greatly decrease casualties and property losses. Originality/value: This paper provides little research on the dispatch of emergency supplies. The problems of direct dispatch from the rescue point to the affected area and dispatch of supplies without relying on the arrival of emergency supplies at the rear are addressed. Therefore, this study does not focus on the arrival of emergency supplies at the rear but on direct dispatching issues during territorial public emergency supplies from the rescue point to the disaster point