The primary focus of this study is to conceptualize and to develop a series of empirical models testing various mechanisms that might explain how a public information campaign and the resulting media coverage led to changes in the level of importance the public ascribes to air quality. The expressed purpose of the public information campaign was to focus attention on the issue of air quality and to change: (1) the publics perception of the importance of air quality; (2) attitudes about the social problem; and (3) specific behaviors, such as single occupancy driving. The issue advocates also sought to focus media attention on air quality, with the expectation that media coverage about the social problem would influence public concern. Therefore, public concern may change in response to the issue advocacy or the media coverage. In each paper of this manuscript, a mechanism or moderator that may account for changes in issue importance was hypothesized. The first paper, entitled The Mechanism of Transference: Projection and Conformity in the Agenda-Setting Process, tests two competing theories (projection and conformity) that may mediate the relationship between media coverage and public concern. The second paper, entitled Testing the Homogeneity Assumption of Public Opinion, tests two competing theories (heterogeneity and homogeneity) that may moderate the relationship between media coverage and public concern. Finally, the third paper, entitled Talk Back: The Impact of Social Communications on Media Coverage and Issue Importance, tests the importance of a mechanism that permits a feedback loop from the public to the media, through social communications. In all cases, the mechanism or moderator was hypothesized at the aggregate or mass level, but the findings shed light on where researchers should look for individual-level effects.

Abstract This study examines the television drama ¡§Taiwan Pili Fire¡¨ produced by SET TV¡¦s Taiwan Channel, and the process in which the nation¡¦s three major newspapers ¡V China Times, United Daily News, and Liberty Times ¡V set out to report it, from the time it began on June 22 of 2002 to the three months after it ended on July 22 of 2003, and construct the media issue, the Pili Fire phenomenon. SET TV¡¦s drama ¡§Taiwan Pili Fire¡¨, which went on air in June of last year, aired a total of 285 episodes. In less than a year, its rating surged five folds from 2.5 to 13.5. It not only defeated the 8 o¡¦clock dramas of the four wireless television stations, it also broke the 8 o¡¦clock ratings record of recent years ¡V coming in second behind the rating record of 14 held by FTV¡¦s ¡§Dragon Flight¡¨ ¡V to become the second longest running 8 o¡¦clock drama in television history. As a result, it prompted this attempt to examine the process of how the media reported and constructed the entire frenzy surrounding the show. The goal was to examine, through the construction process of the Pili Fire issue, whether the media is the main force behind why a show, which began with a poor rating, expanded into a social phenomenon and explore the role the media played in the building of the show¡¦s success. Initially, the show ¡§Taiwan Pili Fire¡¨ began as a simple news event about its plot development and actors. Later, the Government Information Office penalized the show for its plot of spilling dog blood. However, the show not only reached the highest 200-episode record in Taiwan¡¦s television history, but its rating continued to climb higher. Eventually, the show became a controversial social education issue. Newspaper coverage played an important role and displayed the power of the media. The intense coverage built up the issue and created the Pili Fire hysteria in society. As study samples, this study looked at a total of 266 Pili Fire related articles from three newspapers ¡V ¡§China Times¡¨, ¡§United Daily News¡¨, and ¡§Liberty Times¡¨ ¡V from the period when the show began on June 19 of 2002 to Dec. 31 of 2003. The content analysis method was used to examine the connection between the source of show information and the media issue in order to explore the complete construction process of the show¡¦s popularity. This study discovered that the media frenzy constructed through different sources (including SET TV, academic experts, and the viewers) of information was already a given fact. Through the process of building the issue, it was apparent that an initially unimportant news event could be turned into a noteworthy social incident that roused morale and popular opinion. Without the media coverage, the Pili Fire series was merely an ordinary television show promoting its beginning that would surely cease when it was through. Without the media coverage of viewers¡¦ response and the opinions of sociology experts, other Pili Fire resulted social phenomenon would not have occurred. On the other hand, this transfer of power also influenced the nation¡¦s television shows, which in the past only placed importance on ratings. Viewers¡¦ feedback on the shows could now dictate television-programming decisions. The plot, of course, was an important factor behind the popularity of the drama, Taiwan Pili Fire. However, without the strong media presence, the Pili Fire issue would not have spread. Overall, through the development of the Pili Fire hysteria, this study allowed us to understand the role that the media played. Aside from a better understanding of the process and the result of news production, we also grasped the relationship between the media frenzy created by the Pili Fire show and fad. We also hope that it can serve as a reference for the future development of other television programs.

This thesis will look at the use of the description of setting as a means to enhance and define character in the apologos of the Odyssey. The approach to this study will be two-fold. First, the descriptions of the various locales in the poem help establish a first impression of the characters that dwell within them. Second, and more importantly, the characters’ reaction and response to that setting further defines their character-traits, revealing their inner self to the audience. While this phenomenon is most commonly found with characters in their own setting, it can also be quite informative for characters in a foreign setting. The main type of description on which I will focus is that generally found at the beginning of each respective episode. These descriptions are marked by a break in the narrative and set the scene for the remainder of the episode. I consider only descriptions longer than the formulaic noun-adjective combinations or the epithets found throughout the poem. While the latter two types are important, I will mention them only in comparison with the former type. In Chapter Three I will focus on this relationship between description and character with regard to the Cyclopes and Phaeacians, although other scenes will be mentioned. In Chapter Four I will focus on the Lotus-Eaters, Sirens, Calypso, Circe, the Nymphs on Ithaca, and the realm of the afterlife. / Thesis (Master, Classics) -- Queen's University, 2008-07-09 07:45:38.062

published_or_final_version / Business Administration / Master / Master of Business Administration

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Background: School settings are one of the most crucial context for asthma management second only to a child’s home. Today school administrators are faced with many challenges, not only are they responsible for students' learning needs but they also manage complex behavioural and health issues including asthma. Most do not have standardized plans regarding asthma management. Objectives: 1) Systematically review the research literature related to asthma management within the school setting. 2) Determine current asthma management practices as reported by school administrators. 3) Explore experiences and barriers to asthma management practices with school administrators. Method: Guided by the Knowledge to Action framework, the study was divided in three phases using a planned action approach and included an integrative synthesis of the evidence, an administrators’ survey, and an administrator’s meeting. Findings: Phase One: Following a search using three databases, 67 articles were critiqued. The literature illustrates that many countries have established “asthma friendly schools” legislation that includes process for identifying children with asthma, right to self-carry and administer medications, enhancing communication and cooperation between school staff, parents, and children with asthma, reducing triggers in school environment, and effective policies that make legislation a functioning reality within schools. Phase Two: Ninety-seven surveys were distributed within two district school boards with 61 completed surveys returned (63% response rate). Key findings included underestimation of the prevalence of asthma, no standardized process for identifying children with asthma, staff training deficiency for recognizing and responding to asthma exacerbations, lack of individual asthma action plans for children, absence of programs to support current legislation and best practice guidelines. Communication was the most common barrier identified by school administrators. Phase Three: Two principals in an administrator’s meeting validated the survey results. Participants were not familiar with the concept of asthma friendly school, asthma prevalence rates, or free school asthma resources. Asthma Action Plans were not universally understood as individualized written plans but rather a generalized first aide response plan. Conclusion: There are knowledge and practices gaps placing children with asthma at risk for exacerbation and death within school setting. Administrators want to partner to facilitate optimal asthma management within the school setting. / Thesis (Master, Nursing) -- Queen's University, 2013-11-25 11:38:01.902

This study utilized content analysis of newspaper articles in the month following Hurricane Ike's landfall to evaluate the presence of agenda setting and framing. Three national newspapers were analyzed to determine the existence and order of news frames. The results indicate that Semetko and Valkenburg's (2000) news frames changed in order of importance in this study. The order of news frames varied among the three national newspapers. The newspaper with mostly human interest frames was determined to be more sensational than the other two, more serious newspapers with predominantly responsibility frames. This study then compared the five ordered frames to previous framing research on Hurricane Katrina. The two hurricanes differed greatly in amount of news coverage and varied slightly in the order of the news frames. An evaluation of news coverage of major U.S. events occurring in the month after Hurricane Ike was conducted, with results indicating that news attention of the hurricane was hindered by other major national events.

Democracy is best described as a struggle over competing ideals and values. One of the most important places where this struggle takes place is in the electoral arena. My dissertation examines the struggle between candidates and their respective messages in this arena. Focusing on fourteen Senate races from 1998 and 2000, I examine, in depth, how the struggle over competing ideals takes place (or in some cases, does not take place) and whether some candidates are more successful than others at navigating their message through the political environment to voters. This study examines the impact of candidate skills and resources as well as state characteristics on the strategies candidates employ when emphasizing campaign issues. In addition, my dissertation focuses on the impact interest group advertising has on the candidates’ campaign dialogue and analyzes media coverage in Senate races by comparing each candidate’s core message to the campaign information transmitted by the media to voters. The analysis presented here reveals that candidates employ both multi-dimensional and unidimensional strategies. State party competition appears to offer the most plausible explanation for the variation in strategy across the states. Competition, rather than encouraging a multi-dimensional campaign strategy, appears to promote convergence towards the median voter and a unidimensional strategy. Furthermore, this study suggests that candidates face a number of obstacles in trying to transmit their campaign message to voters. In addition to struggling against their opponent, candidates have to struggle against both interest groups and the media to get their message to the electorate. Just under one-half of the advertisements interest groups ran were successful at interjecting issues into the campaign debate. Furthermore, in over seventy percent of the Senate races included in this study, the media emphasized issues other than what the candidates were focusing on. While this may have the positive benefit of infusing more issues into the debate, it may also blur the lines of accountability—particularly if candidates have no intention of acting on issues emphasized exclusively by the media.

Zugl.: München, Univ., Diss., 2009