Notes on recent articles

An increasing number of studies in political communication focus on the “sentiment” or “tone” of news content, political speeches, or advertisements. This growing interest in measuring sentiment coincides with a dramatic increase in the volume of digitized information. Computer automation has a great deal of potential in this new media environment. The objective here is to outline and validate a new automated measurement instrument for sentiment analysis in political texts. Our instrument uses a dictionary-based approach consisting of a simple word count of the frequency of keywords in a text from a predefined dictionary. The design of the freely available Lexicoder Sentiment Dictionary (LSD) is discussed in detail here. The dictionary is tested against a body of human-coded news content, and the resulting codes are also compared to results from nine existing content-analytic dictionaries. Analyses suggest that the LSD produces results that are more systematically related to human coding than are results based on the other available dictionaries. The LSD is thus a useful starting point for a revived discussion about dictionary construction and validation in sentiment analysis for political communication.     

Product counterfeiting and the media: examining news sources used in the construction of product counterfeiting as a social problem

Product counterfeiting has received increased attention due to its economic and public health impact. Media framing of product counterfeiting shapes how the public and policymakers understand the problem. While there is a large body of literature examining crime and the media generally, empirical studies have yet to focus on the media construction of product counterfeiting. This study presents the results of a content analysis using a random sample of newspaper articles referencing product counterfeiting in the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal from 2000 to 2009. Articles were coded for common patterns in sources of information. While the results indicate the presence of a wide variety of themes, product types, and industries, government and business sources are overrepresented among the sources cited, leading to some level of consistency in the presentation of the impact of and appropriate responses to product counterfeiting. Implications for understanding how the public and policymakers understand product counterfeiting are discussed.     

Islam and Attitudes toward U.S. Policy in the Middle East: Evidence from Survey Research in Lebanon

This study examines the impact of religious orientation on attitudes toward U.S. Middle Eastern policy among Muslim Lebanese. The data came from a stratified random sample, consisting of 262 Sunni and Shi'i respondents of both genders, conducted in the Greater Beirut area during February and March of 2002. Consistent with the literature about Islamism, the present analysis reveals an empirical distinction between personal and political dimensions of religion in Lebanon. Specifically, support for political Islam is associated with unfavorable attitudes toward U.S. policy in the region, but personal religiosity is unrelated to attitudes toward foreign policy. The study findings contribute in clarifying the debate that has been raging since the September 11 attacks, pitting Islam against the West and associating Islam with political violence.     

Two Faces of Media Attention: Media Storm Versus Non-Storm Coverage

A media storm is a sudden surge in news coverage of an item, producing high attention for a sustained period. Our study represents the first multi-issue, quantitative analysis of storm behavior. We build a theory of the mechanisms that drive media storms and why the “anatomy” of media storms differs from that of non-storm coverage. Specifically, media storm coverage should change less explosively over time, but be more sharply skewed across issues, compared to non-storm coverage. We offer a new method of operationalizing media storms and apply our operationalization to U.S. and Belgian news. Even in these two very different cases, we find a common empirical storm anatomy with properties that differ from those of non-storm coverage in the predicted fashion. We illustrate the effects of media storms on the public through discussion of four key examples, showing that online search behavior responds strongly to media storms.     

An Analysis of Advertisements: A Lens for Viewing the Social Exclusion of Women in Police Imagery

This study examines whether there are differential relationships among trauma exposure, familial risk and protective factors, substance abuse, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among incarcerated and non-incarcerated women. A case-control method was used to match 100 incarcerated women with 100 women in the general population. Incarcerated women had a significantly higher risk of trauma exposure as compared with controls, with odds ranging from 1.7 to 3.7. When group was controlled, exposure to sexual or physical trauma significantly increased the odds of PTSD (odds ratio = 5.0; p < .05), as did substance use in response to traumatic distress (odds ratio = 8.9; p < .001). Family-related characteristics did not appear to moderate this relationship. The findings suggest that incarcerated women are at high risk for PTSD given their high rates of trauma exposure and apparent lack of appropriate coping mechanisms; the results support the use of trauma-specific interventions for this population.     

Digital Britain – the final report

The final Digital Britain report was published in June as to set out the Government's final proposals and updating an interim version that has been published in January this year. This article builds upon an earlier article in [2009] 25 CLSR 263, which analysed the interim report in depth. The intention is not to repeat that earlier analysis, but rather update it and draw the reader's attention to those key areas of change.     

论公安执法中的人权保障问题

公安执法与保障人权是辩证统一的关系,但在当前的公安执法中还存在着许多侵犯人权的问题。在目前的公安执法中,人权保障应主要侧重于对相对人的知情权、陈述申辩权、安全保障权及人格尊严权的保护,实现公安执法中人权保障的途径主要在于树立人权理念、改进公安立法、加大执法监督等方面。     

公安网络舆情搜集机制研究：内容与渠道建设

网络舆情搜集的内容与渠道是公安机关网络监测机制建设的重点,要根据公安机关的职能与使命。研究和确定公安机关网络舆情搜集的主要内容和范围。在此基础上,根据覆盖全面、重点突出、渠道稳定、高效及时的原则,确定网络媒体监测重点,建立稳定且广泛的舆情搜集渠道,构建触角深入、广泛的舆情搜集网络,创新公安机关网络舆情监测机制。     

针刺麻醉文献研究的内容与方法

针刺麻醉的基础研究虽然主要以现代科学技术为手段,但追溯针刺麻醉的源流与发展、廓清针刺麻醉的临床与研究实践、总结针刺麻醉的理论与技术方法,仍需在足够的古今文献依据基础上完成。古代针刺麻醉文献虽然内容丰富,但整理研究相对薄弱;现代相关文献报道数量较大,但缺乏系统总结。今后针刺麻醉文献研究工作应包括针刺麻醉文献的汇集整理研究、针刺麻醉文献资源数字化规范及标准研究、针刺镇痛与针刺麻醉文献的综合研究、针刺麻醉优势病种的特异性腧穴研究、针刺麻醉的中医理论研究5个方面。     

科学看待儿童读经

从时间、内容、方法和效果等四个维度认真剖析儿童读经现象,假若选择读经的时间适宜、经文思想性合乎当代中国的时代精神、经文难度系数得当、学生阅读方法科学,那么,适度让儿童读一些中国经典文章是一种妥当的教育方式,这样做既有利于中国优秀经典文化和中华传统美德在新时代的传承与发展,也有利于让儿童逐渐生成文化自觉意识和文化认同感,进而生成既与时代精神相对接又有中国文化根基的健全人格,还有利于儿童身心的"可持续性发展".