What is the Difference between Cross-National Comparisons and Semi-Comparative Work? Example of Swedish-Ugandan Climate Change Communication Research

This methodological article presents the research approach of semi-comparisons and describes how it could be applied in the field of media and communication studies. The point of departure is that cross-national collaborations do not necessarily always have to result in full-fledged comparative studies, but can “go halfway”, i.e. stay at the semi-comparative level. This is exemplified in terms of an ongoing long-term collaboration between Swedish and Ugandan researchers, focusing on sustainable communication involving the role of media as a provider of relevant information in the case of the climate change issue. The semi-comparative approach – here characterized by: 1) cross-national research connectivity, 2) activities in which one “puts one’s own nation in a wider context” and 3) spontaneous, cross-national research influences – enables the generation of knowledge about the universalism and particularism within the dimensions of mediated climate communication, which would not have been possible with a regular cross-national comparative study.Keywords: climate change, media, cross-national comparative research, semi-comparative approach, sustainable communication, universalism, particularism

Future conceptual challenges of cross-border journalism

In this study we argue that we are entering a period with increasingly complex and dialectical relations between cross-continental and national sentiments and actions. This situation—characterized by multiple centers of political power and conflicts—requires journalism studies to sharpen its skills when examining cross-border journalism using concepts such as foreign, international, global, and transnational journalism, and to be analytically sensitive to their differences and their potentially dynamic relations. This article examines the theoretical definitions and practical use of these four cross-border journalism concepts during the period 2010–2020 in a selected number of academic journals. We critically discuss their potential contribution to future research on global challenges occurring in a paradoxical world where globalization appears to be moving forward and backward simultaneously

When climate science became climate politics: British media representations of climate change in 1988

Climate change has become a pressing environmental concern for scientists, social commentators and politicians. Previous social science research has explored media representations of climate change in various temporal and geographical contexts. Through the lens of Social Representations Theory, this article provides a detailed qualitative thematic analysis of media representations of climate change in the 1988 British broadsheet press, given that this year constitutes an important juncture in this transition of climate change from the domain of science to that of the socio-political sphere. The following themes are outlined: (i) “Climate change: a multi-faceted threat”; (ii) “Collectivisation of threat”; (iii) “Climate change and the attribution of blame”; and (iv) “Speculative solutions to a complex socio-environmental problem.” The article provides detailed empirical insights into the “starting-point” for present-day disputes concerning climate change and lays the theoretical foundations for tracking the continuities and discontinuities characterising social representations of climate change in the future

SWEDEN. Critical junctures in the media transformation process.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss Swedish media developments between 2000 and 2020 in terms of critical junctures. This includes examination of media developments in relation to four defined domains (Legal and Ethical Regulation: Journalism; Media Usage Patterns, and Media User-Related Competencies). In this paper we ask how the Swedish developments within the four domains can be understood in terms of opportunities and risks connected to deliberate communication. In the Swedish case, what seems to be significative is the relative absence of clearly defined country-specific junctures. Mostly, we observe many small, incremental changes and gradual developments of risks

SWEDEN. Risks and Opportunities Related to Media and Journalism Studies (2000–2020). Case Study on the National Research and Monitoring Capabilities.

In this report, we present available data about Swedish media development during the period 2000-2020, but also relevant context to understand the production and availability of these data, and the main monitoring actors. To be precise, in accordance with the theoretical framework of the Mediadelcom project, we focus on data about legal and ethical legislation, journalistic production, media usage, and media competencies. The overall conclusion is that, in the Swedish case, there is in most instances no lack of reliable data about media development, which also means that there are good prospects for mapping such development. Instead, the challenge in this context is often how to select data, and a combination of different data, to give an objective overview of the media development in relation to topics such as deliberative communication and deliberative democracy

Purification, properties, and crystallization of Saccharomyces cerevisiae dihydropterin pyrophosphokinase-dihydropteroate synthase

The tri-functional enzyme of Saccharomyces cerevisiae dihydroneopterin aldolase (DHNA)-dihydropterin pyrophosphokinase (PPPK)-dihydropteroate synthase (DHPS) catalyzes three sequential steps in folate biosynthesis. A cDNA encoding the PPPK and DHPS domains of the tri-functional enzyme has been cloned. This bi-functional enzyme was expressed as a His(6) fusion protein in Escherichia coli and the protein was purified to apparent homogeneity. The purified protein possesses both PPPK and DHPS activities as measured by the incorporation of [H-3]p-ABA into the appropriate substrate. The pH optimum of the DHPS activity was determined to be 8.5. Gel filtration measurement indicates that the protein exists as a dimer in solution. A robotic screening method,was used to identify crystallization conditions. Bi-pyramidal crystals of the enzyme formed with the protein in the presence of a pterin substrate analog in phosphate buffer (pH 6.3) and these diffracted to 2.3 angstrom. Structural information from these crystals could be used to design novel drugs to inhibit folate biosynthesis

Analysis in Escherichia coli of Plasmodium falciparum dihydropteroate synthase (DHPS) alleles implicated in resistance to sulfadoxine

Mutations in Plasmodium falciparum dihydropteroate synthase have been linked to resistance to the antimalarial drug, sulfadoxine, which competes with the dihydropteroate synthase substrate, p-aminobenzoate. In an effort to evaluate the role of these mutations in a simple model system, we have expressed six relevant alleles of the P. falciparum dihydropteroate synthase gene in Escherichia coli. When each construct was produced in a dihydropteroate synthase disrupted E. coli strain that required thymidine, the thymidine requirement was lost, indicating heterologous complementation had occurred. In the presence of sulfadoxine, the growth of the strain with the wild-type dihydropteroate synthase allele was inhibited while those containing each of the five mutant alleles grew, indicating that these mutations can confer sulfadoxine resistance in E. coli. When tested against twelve additional 'sulfa' drugs a variety of responses were obtained. All strains were resistant to sulfadiazine, but the wild-type allele conferred sensitivity to all other sulfa drugs. Three alleles conferred resistance to dapsone, a drug that is to be targetted for a new regime of malaria treatment in Africa. All mutant alleles remained sensitive to sulfachloropyridazine and sulfacetamide. These results suggest new drugs that could be tried for effective malaria treatment