Anti-Intellectualism, Corporatization, and the University

Anti-intellectual pressures on colleges and universities are not only external; they are generated by colleges and universities themselves. The corporatization agenda, seen in calls to run universities more like businesses, has produced a managerial approach to education that is fundamentally hostile to free intellectual endeavor. The idea that higher education is not about the common good, but about individual improvement is a major source of anti-intellectualism. The appropriate response to an overly practical vision of education, however, is not to retreat into an ivory tower. The clash of ideas cannot always be clean and civil; it must sometimes be messy and boisterous

Anti-Intellectualism, Corporatization, and the University

Anti-intellectual pressures on colleges and universities are not only external; they are generated by colleges and universities themselves. The corporatization agenda, seen in calls to run universities more like businesses, has produced a managerial approach to education that is fundamentally hostile to free intellectual endeavor. The idea that higher education is not about the common good, but about individual improvement is a major source of anti-intellectualism. The appropriate response to an overly practical vision of education, however, is not to retreat into an ivory tower. The clash of ideas cannot always be clean and civil; it must sometimes be messy and boisterous

Inoculation strategies for bounded degree graphs

We analyze a game-theoretic abstraction of epidemic containment played on an undirected graph $G$: each player is associated with a node in $G$ and can either acquire protection from a contagious process or risk infection. After decisions are made, an infection starts at a random node $v$ and propagates through all unprotected nodes reachable from $v$. It is known that the price of anarchy (PoA) in $n$-node graphs can be as large as $\Theta(n)$. Our main result is a tight bound of order $\sqrt{n\Delta}$ on the PoA, where $\Delta$ is the maximum degree of the graph. We also study additional factors that can reduce the PoA, such as higher thresholds for contagion and varying the costs of becoming infected vs. acquiring protection

Academic Freedom and Electronic Communications

In November 2004, the Association’s Council adopted Academic Freedom and Electronic Communications, a report prepared by a subcommittee of Committee A on Academic Freedom and Tenure and approved by Committee A. That report affirmed one “overriding principle”: Academic freedom, free inquiry, and freedom of expression within the academic community may be limited to no greater extent in electronic format than they are in print, save for the most unusual situation where the very nature of the medium itself might warrant unusual restrictions—and even then only to the extent that such differences demand exceptions or variations. Such obvious differences between old and new media as the vastly greater speed of digital communication, and the far wider audiences that electronic messages may reach, would not, for example, warrant any relaxation of the rigorous precepts of academic freedom. This fundamental principle still applies, but developments since publication of the 2004 report suggest that a fresh review of issues raised by the continuing growth and transformation of electronic-communications technologies and the evolution of law in this area is appropriate. For instance, the 2004 report focused largely on issues associated with e-mail communications and the posting of materials on websites, online bulletin boards, learning-management systems, blogs, and listservs. Since then, new social media, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Reddit, Tumblr, and Twitter, have emerged as important vehicles for electronic communication in the academy

Academic Freedom and Electronic Communications

In November 2004, the Association’s Council adopted Academic Freedom and Electronic Communications, a report prepared by a subcommittee of Committee A on Academic Freedom and Tenure and approved by Committee A. That report affirmed one “overriding principle”: Academic freedom, free inquiry, and freedom of expression within the academic community may be limited to no greater extent in electronic format than they are in print, save for the most unusual situation where the very nature of the medium itself might warrant unusual restrictions—and even then only to the extent that such differences demand exceptions or variations. Such obvious differences between old and new media as the vastly greater speed of digital communication, and the far wider audiences that electronic messages may reach, would not, for example, warrant any relaxation of the rigorous precepts of academic freedom. This fundamental principle still applies, but developments since publication of the 2004 report suggest that a fresh review of issues raised by the continuing growth and transformation of electronic-communications technologies and the evolution of law in this area is appropriate. For instance, the 2004 report focused largely on issues associated with e-mail communications and the posting of materials on websites, online bulletin boards, learning-management systems, blogs, and listservs. Since then, new social media, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Reddit, Tumblr, and Twitter, have emerged as important vehicles for electronic communication in the academy

Impact of the introduction of ultrasound services in a limited resource setting: rural Rwanda 2008

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Over the last decade, utilization of ultrasound technology by non-radiologist physicians has grown. Recent advances in affordability, durability, and portability have brought ultrasound to the forefront as a sustainable and high impact technology for use in developing world clinical settings as well. However, ultrasound's impact on patient management plans, program sustainability, and which ultrasound applications are useful in this setting has not been well studied.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Ultrasound services were introduced at two rural Rwandan district hospitals affiliated with Partners in Health, a US nongovernmental organization. Data sheets for each ultrasound scan performed during routine clinical care were collected and analyzed to determine patient demographics, which ultrasound applications were most frequently used, and whether the use of the ultrasound changed patient management plans. Ultrasound scans performed by the local physicians during the post-training period were reviewed for accuracy of interpretation and image quality by an ultrasound fellowship trained emergency medicine physician from the United States who was blinded to the original interpretation.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Adult women appeared to benefit most from the presence of ultrasound services. Of the 345 scans performed during the study period, obstetrical scanning was the most frequently used application. Evaluation of gestational age, fetal head position, and placental positioning were the most common findings. However, other applications used included abdominal, cardiac, renal, pleural, procedural guidance, and vascular ultrasounds.</p> <p>Ultrasound changed patient management plans in 43% of total patients scanned. The most common change was to plan a surgical procedure. The ultrasound program appears sustainable; local staff performed 245 ultrasound scans in the 11 weeks after the departure of the ultrasound instructor. Post-training scan review showed the concordance rate of interpretation between the Rwandese physicians and the ultrasound-trained quality review physicians was 96%.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We suggest ultrasound is a useful modality that particularly benefits women's health and obstetrical care in the developing world. Ultrasound services significantly impact patient management plans especially with regards to potential surgical interventions. After an initial training period, it appears that an ultrasound program led by local health care providers is sustainable and lead to accurate diagnoses in a rural international setting.</p

The Establishment of Genetically Engineered Canola Populations in the U.S.

Concerns regarding the commercial release of genetically engineered (GE) crops include naturalization, introgression to sexually compatible relatives and the transfer of beneficial traits to native and weedy species through hybridization. To date there have been few documented reports of escape leading some researchers to question the environmental risks of biotech products. In this study we conducted a systematic roadside survey of canola (Brassica napus) populations growing outside of cultivation in North Dakota, USA, the dominant canola growing region in the U.S. We document the presence of two escaped, transgenic genotypes, as well as non-GE canola, and provide evidence of novel combinations of transgenic forms in the wild. Our results demonstrate that feral populations are large and widespread. Moreover, flowering times of escaped populations, as well as the fertile condition of the majority of collections suggest that these populations are established and persistent outside of cultivation