Convergent News? A Longitudinal Study of Similarity and Dissimilarity in the Domestic and Global Coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

News coverage of the same events is simultaneously driven by homogenizing and heterogenizing influences. In this paper, we assess whether and when conflict news in different media become more similar or dissimilar by analyzing the coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in 13 leading Israeli, Palestinian, and international media over almost 10 years. We distinguish between drivers of enduring similarity, gradual convergence and temporary (dis-)alignments in the news, and relate them to the detected concept association patterns in over 200,000 news texts. We find a slow, context-dependent convergence trend in the news, and temporary alignments and dis-alignments in interpretation in response to major conflict events. Discussing the underlying, interacting influences, the study highlights implications for investigating current transformations in global journalism.     

How Does Multiple-Packet Reception Capability Scale the Performance of Wireless Local Area Networks?

Due to its simplicity and cost efficiency, wireless local area network (WLAN) enjoys unique advantages in providing high-speed and low-cost wireless services in hot spots and indoor environments. Traditional WLAN medium-access-control (MAC) protocols assume that only one station can transmit at a time: simultaneous transmissions of more than one station cause the destruction of all packets involved. By exploiting recent advances in PHY-layer multiuser detection (MUD) techniques, it is possible for a receiver to receive multiple packets simultaneously. This paper argues that such multipacket reception (MPR) capability can greatly enhance the capacity of future WLANs. In addition, the paper provides the MAC-layer and PHY-layer designs needed to achieve the improved capacity. First, to demonstrate MPR as a powerful capacity-enhancement technique, we prove a "superlinearity” result, which states that the system throughput per unit cost increases as the MPR capability increases. Second, we show that the commonly deployed binary exponential backoff (BEB) algorithm in today's WLAN MAC may not be optimal in an MPR system, and the optimal backoff factor increases with the MPR capability, the number of packets that can be received simultaneously. Third, based on the above insights, we design a joint MAC-PHY layer protocol for an IEEE 802.11-like WLAN that incorporates advanced PHY-layer signal processing techniques to implement MPR.     

Is She “Man Enough”? Women Candidates,Executive Political Offices,and News Coverage

This study analyzes news coverage of 4 female political candidates—Elizabeth Dole, Claire McCaskill, Hillary Clinton, and Sarah Palin—and their male competitors, as each competed in 2 elections between 1999 and 2008. Analysis focused on novelty labeling, and “feminine” and “masculine” political issues and character traits to determine whether the coverage of women and men differed in general, and across the offices of Senator, Governor, Vice President, or President. Overall, women received more news coverage, and the gendered gap in coverage was especially large for novelty, issue, and trait coverage when women sought the “executive” offices of Governor and in the White House. These findings provide insight into the evolving gender dynamics of women running within the masculinized domain of politics.     

How Does Insightful and Emotional Disclosure Bring Potential Health Benefits? Study Based on Online Support Groups for Women With Breast Cancer

Building upon 2 theoretical models (the cognitive adaptation model and the emotional exposure–habituation model), this research focused on 2 aspects of disclosure content—insights and emotions—and examined how women with breast cancer benefit from written disclosure in online support groups. Using survey data collected at baseline and after 4 months and messages posted in bulletin‐board‐type online groups in between, we analyzed how the content of disclosive messages predicted health outcomes. Disclosure of insights led to greater improvements in health self‐efficacy, emotional well‐being, and functional well‐being, which was mediated by lowered breast cancer concerns. Disclosure of negative emotions had no main effects on health outcomes, but weakened the unfavorable association between concerns at baseline and functional well‐being at follow‐up.