Administration and Orientation of Undergraduate Journalism Education: Variables Affecting Best Fit Between Higher Education Institutions and Programs

This paper addresses different perspectives on the best administrative \u27home\u27 for undergraduate journalism education, from administrative and curriculum perspectives. The paper begins by reviewing the history of journalism as a college discipline--showing that even from its earliest years, the founders of the field disagreed on administrative and curriculum emphases. Some variables which affect \u27best fit\u27 between discipline, institution, and program today are cited--they include individual academic program and goals, the institutional academic culture, collegiate organizational structure and bureaucracy, and external environmental variables. Finally, the paper reviews typical organizational structures chosen by higher education institutions today, as they continue to struggle with where journalism belongs in academe

Public Service Anouncements and the Fight Against AIDS: A Survey of Radio Broadcasters\u27 Attitudes and Policies

A pilot study surveyed radio broadcasters in Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas to further an understanding of their role as gatekeepers for public service announcements (PSA) to educate audiences about AIDS and bring about safe behavior. A total of 300 stations were in the sample. Respondents were asked to provide information about their stations and their stations\u27 use of HIV/AIDS PSAs. Most broadcasters reported using HIV/AIDS PSAs (76.1%). About one-third of broadcasters who reported not using the PSAs claimed they had never been offered any such announcements to broadcast. Most respondents agreed that HIV/AIDS is a significant national and local public health threat (almost 70% reported knowing someone with HIV or AIDS). Yet many broadcasters expressed reservations about the ability of PSAs to effect necessary behavioral change in the audience. Statistically significant differences were found between broadcasters who use PSAs and those who do not, in five areas which relate to message content and acceptance by audiences. (Contains 33 references; appendixes list stations for survey (by market) and provide a breakdown of how the survey instrument addressed the questions. Survey instrument is also attached.) (Author/NKA

Toward a Policy for Managing the Use of Computer Mediated Communication in the Workplace

Noting that there has been tremendous growth in the number of businesses and not-for-profit organizations which have become equipped with computers and have empowered workers to communicate with them, this paper sheds light on policy issues related to managing the use of computer mediated communication (CMC). The paper first summarizes CMC\u27s impact on the organizational, social, and technical environment. The paper looks at issues of CMC content and access, to illustrate the diversity of opinion about the assembly and legal ownership of CMC messages in the workplace. The paper then examines varying opinions about access to, and editorial control over, CMC messages. The paper looks at several business and educational organizations in which management and subordinates have encountered difficulty when attempting to define operational boundaries for the use of CMC, noting that academic institutions have made the decision to uphold the rights of the individual CMC users over that of the organization at large. The paper concludes with the posing of a series of questions that may help in the development of policies that can bring about more effective organizational control of CMC. (Contains 87 references.) (RS

Health and Wealth and the World Wide Web: Leading renewalist ministries\u27 use of Web to communicate social order

Renewalist Christian ministries espouse a “Health andWealth” theology that is embraced by increasing numbers of believers. This study investigated leading renewalist ministries’WorldWideWeb sites to assess their application of visual, operational, and informational enhancements to communicate social order. A content analysis revealed a communication of social order that is consistent with prosperity theology. Much emphasis is placed on the appearance and personality of the ministry leader. Almost no attention is paid to traditional Christian symbolism. Web sites claimed the value of inclusiveness, but offered little visual representation of children, senior adults, the poor, and people of color. Sites communicated the importance of regular financial donations and product purchases, but offered no encouragement for local church attendance. This research provides limited insight into some key unanswered scholarly questions about use of the Web by religious organizations, but more work is needed to investigate these issues in a broader context

\u27Neither Cold nor Hot\u27: An Analysis of Christian World Wide Web Sites That Address GLBT Publics

This research analyzes Christian Web sites addressing gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered public. The study involved content analysis of visual, operational, and informational enhancements and a frame analysis to assess issues of intent, consistency, accuracy, and validity. Web sites emphasized information dissemination rather than evangelization or proselytization; were overwhelmingly framed as collections of linked resources, rather than as online destinations for users seeking spiritual comfort; were almost completely devoid of traditional Christian symbols, scripture, and testimony; and failed to acknowledge in depth the complex debate over same-sex relationships

Implementing a Social Norms Approach to Reduce Alcohol Abuse on Campus: Lessons learned in the shadow of The World\u27s Largest Six-Pack

Many institutions of higher education are struggling with the problem of excessive alcohol consumption by students. Colleges and universities want to be ‘good neighbors’ in their communities and must limit legal and social risks that result from excessive alcohol consumption by students. At the same time, colleges and universities operate in an increasingly challenging marketplace where many prospective students seek out institutions with a ‘party school’ reputation. Thus, higher education institutions are finding it difficult to define and carry out alcohol reduction measures that satisfy all constituents. This article discusses the approach taken at the University of Wisconsin—La Crosse. UW-L is an institution that identified a serious alcohol consumption problem and had to address the problem in a community where high levels of alcohol consumption are socially and culturally condoned. The article profiles the UW-L community and discusses the campaign model and strategy chosen. Quantitative and qualitative measures of success are discussed, along with lingering issues of resistance. The article ends with a summary of current issues and future directions being taken by the campaign

Magnetic field perturbation of neural recording and stimulating microelectrodes

To improve the overall temporal and spatial resolution of brain mapping techniques, in animal models, some attempts have been reported to join electrophysiological methods with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). However, little attention has been paid to the image artefacts produced by the microelectrodes that compromise the anatomical or functional information of those studies. This work presents a group of simulations and MR images that show the limitations of wire microelectrodes and the potential advantages of silicon technology, in terms of image quality, in MRI environments. Magnetic field perturbations are calculated using a Fourier-based method for platinum (Pt) and tungsten (W) microwires as well as two different silicon technologies. We conclude that image artefacts produced by microelectrodes are highly dependent not only on the magnetic susceptibility of the materials used but also on the size, shape and orientation of the electrodes with respect to the main magnetic field. In addition silicon microelectrodes present better MRI characteristics than metallic microelectrodes. However, metallization layers added to silicon materials can adversely affect the quality of MR images. Therefore only those silicon microelectrodes that minimize the amount of metallic material can be considered MR-compatible and therefore suitable for possible simultaneous fMRI and electrophysiological studies. High resolution gradient echo images acquired at 2 T (TR/TE = 100/15 ms, voxel size = 100 × 100 × 100 µm3) of platinum–iridium (Pt–Ir, 90%–10%) and tungsten microwires show a complete signal loss that covers a volume significantly larger than the actual volume occupied by the microelectrodes: roughly 400 times larger for Pt–Ir and 180 for W, at the tip of the microelectrodes. Similar MR images of a single-shank silicon microelectrode only produce a partial volume effect on the voxels occupied by the probe with less than 50% of signal loss.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/58101/2/pmb7_8_003.pd

Stimulant Medication and Reading Performance

The study examined the sustained effects of methylphenidate on reading performance in a sample of 42 boys, ages 8 to 11, with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Two subgroups were formed based on the presence or absence of co-occurring conduct disorders. Subjects were selected on the basis of their positive response to methylphenidate as determined in a series of original medication trials (Forness, Cantwell, Swanson, Hanna, & Youpa, 1991). For the purpose of this study, subjects were placed on their optimal dose of medication for a 6-week period and then tested on measures of oral reading and reading comprehension equivalent to those used in the original trials, retested after a week without medication (placebo), then tested again the following week after return to medication. Only the subgroup with conduct disorders responded, and this response was limited to reading comprehension improvement in only those subjects who also demonstrated improvement in oral reading on original trials. No response differences were found between subjects with or without learning disabilities.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/68569/2/10.1177_002221949202500205.pd

Spatial aspects of tree mortality strongly differ between young and old-growth forests

Rates and spatial patterns of tree mortality are predicted to change during forest structural development. In young forests, mortality should be primarily density dependent due to competition for light, leading to an increasingly spatially uniform pattern of surviving trees. In contrast, mortality in old-growth forests should be primarily caused by contagious and spatially auto-correlated agents (e.g., insects, wind), causing spatial aggregation of surviving trees to increase through time. We tested these predictions by contrasting a three-decade record of tree mortality from replicated mapped permanent plots located in young (\u3c60-year-old) and old-growth (\u3e300-year-old) Abies amabilis forests. Trees in young forests died at a rate of 4.42% per year, whereas trees in old-growth forests died at 0.60% per year. Tree mortality in young forests was significantly aggregated, strong density dependent, and caused live tree patterns to become more uniform through time. Mortality in old-growth forests was spatially aggregated, but was density independent and did not change the spatial pattern of surviving trees. These results extend current theory by demonstrating that density-dependent competitive mortality leading to increasingly uniform three spacing in young forests ultimately transitions late in succession to a more diverse tree mortality regime that maintains spatial heterogeneity through time