Effects of Temperature and Crowding on the Pathogenicity of Edwardsiella ictaluri in Channel Catfish (Ictalurus punctatus)

Channel catfish were injected with Edwardsiella ictaluri and stocked at increasing temperatures and densities. Bacteriological examination of kidney, liver and spleen revealed the greatest numbers of organisms in fish from the highest temperature and stocking density tested. Survival time was the shortest for fish held at the highest temperature and stocking density. Increased temperature and crowding were directly proportional to the number of organisms recovered from the organs and inversely proportional to fish survival time

Distribution of Naegleria fowleri in Selected Northeast Arkansas Lakes

Seven northeast Arkansas recreational lakes were examined for the presence of pathogenic and nonpathogenic Naegleria fowleri. Cultural differentiation and microscopic morphology were used as species determining tests, while mouse pathogenicity tests were conducted to determine virulence. Only one isolate met all criteria utilized for definite identification of Naegleria fowleri, although Naegleria type organisms were found in all of the lakes. None of the isolates were pathogenic in mice

Towards Cooperation: An Organizational Rhetorical Analysis of the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue

This study analyzes the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogues (S&ED) to uncover the organizational and rhetorical mechanisms by which U.S. and Chinese officials attempt to forge cooperative relations while managing issues of conflict. I argue for a communication centered approach for understanding geopolitical relations and the socialization process by which norms and values take root amongst U.S. and Chinese officials. To do so, I draw upon organizational institutionalism to uncover competing organizational logics guiding and constraining the S&ED through an organizational rhetorical lens while also providing a new theoretical conception of public diplomacy as a means to legitimize the S&ED as a mechanism for managing the complex bilateral relationship. Texts under analysis include the press releases, speeches, memos of understanding, and agreements published following each of the eight annual S&ED meetings from 2009-2016, totaling over 160 documents. Findings suggest that the S&ED defines both the dialogue mechanism and bilateral relationship as founded upon a central logic of “positive, cooperative, and comprehensive” relations between the two countries. Resulting from this logic, both the economic and strategic tracks of the S&ED focus on producing ever increasing, tangible outcomes encompassing wider areas of cooperation each year. These outcomes occur most significantly within the economic track discussions as well cooperation on climate change and exchange programs. Not until the later years of the S&ED, with the incorporation of a “new model of major country relations” are more security related issues addressed, with criticism of diverging view points on sensitive issues naturalized as expected given the S&ED’s value of dialogue and attention redirected from these issues to focus on the positive outcomes reached in other areas. Success of the S&ED relies upon self-reflexive praise by participants of the S&ED regarding its effectiveness in order to justify to domestic constituencies in both nations the continuance and support of the dialogue mechanism. This suggests that even after eight years of meeting, the dialogue mechanism is a fragile one, predicated on producing continuous success. Nonetheless, the breadth and number of agreements, exchanges, and growth of coordination between the bureaucracies of each country demonstrates that cooperation is possible

An evaluation of lawlike generalizations in relationship marketing: Method and application

The purpose of this dissertation is to evaluate lawlike generalizations in relationship marketing (RM) and their contribution to the scholarly advancement of the marketing discipline. The current lack of such systematic evaluation is of significance not only because the contribution to progress constitutes a general requirement for all research streams in marketing, but also because an evaluation would solve the ongoing discussion about the substance and role of RM. As a requirement for the evaluation, necessary and collectively sufficient criteria for lawlike generalizations have to be identified and operationalized. Because the marketing discipline lacks both a commonly agreed-upon set of criteria for lawlike generalizations and a successful attempt to operationalize previously suggested criteria, this dissertation identifies and categorizes criteria for lawlike generalizations stated or implied by philosophical and non-philosophical authors outside the immediate context of marketing. The identified criteria are categorized in terms of their nature, scope, applicability and function. Subsequently, each group of criteria is examined by identifying its underlying elements and by then subjecting those elements to an analysis in terms of their necessity and sufficiency in serving as elements of a criterion. Thereafter, the necessity and sufficiency of each criterion to assist in the determination of lawlikeness is evaluated. Based on the evaluation, a set of three criteria consisting of empirical testability, generalized conditionality, and counterfactual sustainability is identified that is necessary and collectively sufficient to assist in the analysis of lawlike generalizations in RM research. Fifteen specific rules are derived from the set of criteria and—as part of a content analysis—are applied on all generalizations in all articles published since 1980 in English in the United States, Europe, or Australia, in academic peer-reviewed print marketing journals with acceptance rates of 30 percent or less, that identify themselves as relating to the research stream of RM by explicitly using the terminology ‘relationship marketing’ in title, abstract, keyword, or outlet title or theme. The detailed analysis shows that none of the generalized statements in the RM literature fulfills all three criteria for lawlike generalizations. The vast majority of generalizations fail more than one rule. Consequently, research in RM is not currently contributing to the scholarly advancement of the marketing discipline. Following the analysis, this dissertation demonstrates that with the assistance of the criteria and rules, many of the generalized statements from the RM literature can be improved towards achieving lawlikeness. This improvement application shows that the criteria and rules presented in this dissertation can aid researchers to overcome the lack of general principles development that is not only present in the area of RM, but appears to be symptomatic for the marketing discipline which has largely been unsuccessful in living up to its potential to develop theory

Understanding the Decline in Participation in Fraternal Organizations: A Mixed Methods Approach

Once considered the schools of democracy and cornerstones for advancing society, many of the 100,800 fraternal organizations in the U.S. have experienced a decline in participation over the past 60 years and their perceived relevance in contemporary society questioned. To date, existing literature has identified several conflicting explanations for this decline. Numerous scholars disagree as to whether external forces such as markets or the government, or internal factors such as member relations or the inability or refusal of organizational leadership to change, or the interrelatedness of these factors account for the decline. Only a few fraternal organizations have studied this issue and even fewer have made their results public. This study examines the decline in participation in fraternal organizations by employing a two-phased, modified exploratory sequential design. Using California Masonry as a representative case of fraternal organizations, twenty interviews of individuals with diverse membership status (nonmembers, former, and current) were conducted. Results from the interviews indicated that participation is influenced by several factors internal to the Masons such the extent to which individuals share a common objective, the organization’s focus on making a difference in community, the extent to which enacted and espoused values match, and how members feel valued and trusted influenced participation. External factors such as family and job commitment, and interaction with internal factors, also impacted willingness to participate in the Masons. These qualitative results contributed to the development of a new survey instrument, which was pilot tested and refined into the Participation Assessment Tool-Fraternal Organizations. Finally, conditions were set to administer the new survey to a stratified sampling of 28 of the 373 Masonic Lodges in California. This study contributes importantly to the identification of and the interrelatedness of the internal and external factors that have contributed to the decline in California Masonry. It provides important information to aid similar fraternal organizations in understanding this problem. The research also provides recommendations for interventions that can have a meaningful influence on organizational leaders’ ability to strengthen membership practices and more generally, to our understanding of fraternal organizations, organizational leadership and organizational change

Editorial: Populism in and Through Online Communities

This editorial introduces the thematic issue of Online Communities and Populism. I begin by laying out the justification for taking up this topic and then articulate why Media and Communication is the ideal location to hold this discussion. Then I introduce the articles in this issue by listing the questions these articles take up, the four major themes these articles take on, and preview each article

Ethical Frameworks and Ethical Modalities: Theorizing Communication and Citizenship in a Fluid World

This article examines fan-based citizenship performances and theorizes two terms necessary to understanding these emerging civic practices. In the article, I argue that fan-based citizenship performances question the assumed relationship between citizenship performances, civic groups, and ethics. Communication scholars have traditionally understood civic actions as deeply connected to social institutions, such as family and church, and civic groups, like the Democratic Party, Green Peace, or the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. I argue that economic, social, and political shifts since the late 1970s have made the membership in those social institutions and civic groups more fluid than ever before. In a fluid world, citizens may easily choose Harry Potter over the Republican Party to guide their civic action on same-sex marriage. A fluid world that enables citizens to choose popular culture media texts to authorize civic actions demands new theoretical terms. I offer ethical framework and ethical modality as terms to enable researchers to investigate this shift and the civic actions it enables. Through processes of pairing and unpairing, fan-based citizenship performances combine noncivic ethical frameworks from popular culture with civic ethical modalities, civic actions such as voting, petitioning, and so on. These terms allow researchers to examine fully a wide range of fan performances of citizenship, including performances that are emancipatory and problematic, effective and ineffective, and grassroots and industry organized. In this article, I use the example of the HPA’s “Not in Harry’s Name” campaign to illustrate how these terms can be used to investigate fan-based citizenship performances

Challenges and Opportunities for Forensics Programs: Offering Debate and Individual Events

The purpose of this paper is to inquire into the forces that might account for this shift in the focus of programs, to consider some of the values served by broad-based programs, and identify some of the challenges faced by directors of programs that strive to offer opportunities in both debate and individual events. Despite some sentiment that narrowly focused programs deliver the greatest degree of educational impact for the resources invested, in some instances broad-based programs might play a central role in the educational mission of a department or college. On these grounds, the forensic community should embrace diversity in program development, respect the multifaceted purposes that forensics programs serve, and support a vision of forensics that balances a focus on competitive success with a concern for educational outcomes