Mass Media Research

Mass media are defind as media which have their proper program and constitute their own audience. Mass media research, accordingly, deals with the production of programs and the consumption of the audience. For both perspectives, research topics are justified, data sources are introduced, and recommendation for the research infrastructure are given. As for media production, the establishment of a central media content archive is recommended where content analytic time series of public agencies as well as of individual researchers are collected. Furthermore, the development of a unified content analytical system and the promotion of cross-national comparisons are recommended. As for media consumption, the provision of privately funded data for the scientific community, the promotion of cross-national comparisons and the linkage of programs and audience data are recommended.mass media, data archive, content analysis, survey research

The Existential Theory of Equations with Rational Constraints in Free Groups is PSPACE-Complete

It is known that the existential theory of equations in free groups is decidable. This is a famous result of Makanin. On the other hand it has been shown that the scheme of his algorithm is not primitive recursive. In this paper we present an algorithm that works in polynomial space, even in the more general setting where each variable has a rational constraint, that is, the solution has to respect a specification given by a regular word language. Our main result states that the existential theory of equations in free groups with rational constraints is PSPACE-complete. We obtain this result as a corollary of the corresponding statement about free monoids with involution.Comment: 45 pages. LaTeX sourc

Keep Your Voice to Yourself: The Experiences of Women of Color in Higher Education

This study provides insight into the experiences of women of color in higher education classrooms. Embracing recent literature on the politics of education, the double discrimination experienced by women of color, and the tenets of critical pedagogy, I engaged in qualitative interviews to gain insights into the experiences of women of color in higher education classrooms and reveal suggestions from women of color for improving their classroom experiences. The findings of this study reveal women of color experience appropriation of knowledge and bodies, acceptance of classroom ignorance, and social capital. Further, women of color suggest that if professors/instructors use explicit language, acknowledge diversity, recognize the individual, accept critique, and encourage group discussions it would enhance their classroom experiences. The findings support the literature demonstrating the White/male center of education and the use of critical pedagogical practices to disrupt this center to improve classroom climates for women of color in higher education

Parent psychoeducation groups in the treatment of adolescents with eating disorders

Eltern von an einer Essstörung erkrankten Kindern und Jugendlichen sind häufig hochgradig emotional belastet, was die Entwicklung dysfunktionaler Reaktionsweisen innerhalb der Familie begünstigen kann. Wir berichten über eine seit fünf Jahren an unserer Klinik durchgeführte Gruppen-Psychoedukation für Eltern von 153 Patientinnen mit Anorexia und Bulimia nervosa. Eine zum Gruppenabschluss durchgeführte Befragung zeigt, dass die teilnehmenden Eltern das Angebot überwiegend als hilfreich für die Bewältigung der mit der Essstörung verbundenen Probleme erleben.(DIPF/Orig.)Parents of adolescents with eating disorders show high levels of emotional distress, which may contribute to less functional coping with the illness of their child. In our department a psychoeducational group program is been offered to the parents of 153 children and adolescents with anorexia and bulimia nervosa. According to their own reports parents are highly interested in gaining information about the eating disorder and appreciate this means of support to help them to cope with the illness of their child.(DIPF/Orig.

The analytical potentials of survey trend data from market research: the case of German media analysis data

'Der Aufbau und die Inhalte der Media Analyse, einer Wiederholungsbefragung der Marktforschung zur Mediennutzung wird beschrieben. Danach wird das analytische Potential dieser Daten an der Frage illustriert, ob die Einführung des Dualen Rundfunksystems nach 1984 die Präferenz der Bevölkerung für TV gesteigert hat - was in der Tat zutrifft.' (Autorenreferat)'The design and the content of the Media Analyse, a repeated survey of media use for the purposes of market research, are described. Then, the analytical potential of these data is demonstrated by examining the question whether the introduction of the Dual Broadcasting System in Germany after 1984 has increased the preference for TV in the population - which indeed it has.' (author's abstract

Mass media research

"Mass media are defind as media which have their proper program and constitute their own audience. Mass media research, accordingly, deals with the production of programs and the consumption of the audience. For both perspectives, research topics are justified, data sources are introduced, and recommendation for the research infrastructure are given. As for media production, the establishment of a central media content archive is recommended where content analytic time series of public agencies as well as of individual researchers are collected. Furthermore, the development of a unified content analytical system and the promotion of cross-national comparisons are recommended. As for media consumption, the provision of privately funded data for the scientific community, the promotion of cross-national comparisons and the linkage of programs and audience data are recommended." (author's abstract

Spaces of encounter: the 2004 Mostar Studio

The notion of Spaces of Encounter was developed to encompass buildings, public places and activities that would contribute economically and physically to the city of Mostar and its future development

Funneling Versus Focusing: When Talk, Tasks, and Tools Work Together to Support Students’ Collective Sensemaking

Rigorous and responsive science teaching is based on supporting all students in making progress in their understanding of important science ideas over time. In this article, we explore how did classroom talk patterns of funneling and focusing support student sensemaking. We share how talk, tasks, and tools within classroom activity work together to either funnel students toward reproducing normative scientific answers or focus students on deepening their understanding about unobservable causal mechanisms of phenomena. We use classroom examples from two science lessons where students used data to describe and communicate about how and why stars change over time. By recognizing these funneling and focusing patterns in classroom activity, teachers can attend to and modify the talk, tasks, and tools to improve and support opportunities for students’ sensemaking about important science ideas while they make progress on revising their own ideas over time

Cheyne-Stokes Respiration and Prognosis in Modern-Treated Congestive Heart Failure

In patients with congestive heart failure (CHF), a high prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing has been described. Cheyne-Stokes respiration (CSR) is present in up to 40% of patients with CHF. During the last decade, the medical treatment has been substantially improved. This study was designed to analyze the prognosis of CSR in modern-treated patients with CHF. For this purposes, in 57 patients with CHF who received modern treatment, a 5-year follow-up after initial full night polysomnography was performed. The mean follow-up period was 38 ± 18 months. Mean age was 62 ± 13 years and the mean ejection fraction was 25 ± 7 percent. Respiratory polygraphy revealed CSR with a respiratory disturbance index >5 per hour of sleep in 39 of 57 patients. Twelve patients died. CSR was only characterized by a tendency of worsening (log-rank test, p = 0.25). However, there was a significant difference toward positive outcome for patients who received cardiac resynchronization therapy (log-rank test, p = 0.036). Using Multivariate Cox’s proportional hazard regression with the factors resynchronization and CSR, the effect of resynchronization was almost significant (p = 0.08). In conclusion, no significant change of Cheyne-Stokes prevalence can be found in our small group of modern-treated patients with CHF. Cardiac resynchronization therapy was associated with improved patient outcome

Problems without Ceilings: How Mentors and Novices Frame and Work on Problems-of-Practice

Support for new forms of teaching expertise with rigorous and equitable outcomes for student learning is a particular challenge when communities of actors working together do not share a similar language or vision of teaching practice. For this project we coordinated activities in and outside of secondary science classrooms for Cooperating Teachers (CTs) and their Pre-Service Teachers (PSTs) to inquire into a set of research-based teaching practices and tools. Using frame analysis we contrast three problems of practice addressed by 23 dyads: problems of developing novice teachers, problems of improving teaching, and problems of improving student learning. The last frame, improving student learning, required actors to share and cocreate knowledge with members outside of their dyads. To do this, groups of dyads formed new or repurposed existing social networks to share tools and work on problems “without ceilings,” meaning those that fueled on-going lines of inquiry. We describe ways in which knowledge became shared, actors assumed new roles, and new types of tools, activities, and forms of discourse emerged for contextualizing collective work. This study suggests a need for a systems-level approach to teacher education that focuses on institutional networks of shared tools, practices, and deliberate socio-professional routines for improving practice