Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Research finds that Academic Stress is the Leading Cause of Depression among College Students


"One in three Terps will feel too depressed to function," according to suicide prevention flyers posted throughout campus by the University Health Center. In other words, out of approximately 27,000 undergrads enrolled at UMD this year, depression will impact nearly 9,000 students in total.

Depression is not just a condition, it is a mental health illness that impairs the success of over 30 percent of college students, specifically those attending the University of Maryland, College Park.

When asked about the differences of depression rates between grade levels, the Counseling Center's Associate Director David Petersen shared that fourth-year students made the most frequent visits for counselling services in the last academic year.




As academic standards become more rigorous and demanding, students are found to experience higher levels of stress as rates of depression may become more severe. Although the reasons for an increase of visits by seniors compared to freshman are unclear, some studies suggest that negative stigmas associated with mental illnesses may provide a possible explanation.

In an article focusing on depression stigma attitudes, researchers Schwenk, Davis and Wimsatt found that first-and-second-year students felt less inclined to receive medical attention due to the belief that "seeking help for depression would make them feel less intelligent."


High academic demands may cause higher stress levels among students in competitive academic fields


In addition to the increased levels of stress experienced over time, competition for academic success was also a prominent factor that contributed to states of depression within young adults.

The pressure to receive good grades were partly due to the high expectations instilled within parents, according to a College Quarterly report released in 2013. Alicia Flatt, a researcher studying the mental health crisis, stated that in recent years "academic stress has been heightened by high grade expectations, the gap between academic expectations and reality, and the millennial generation’s inability to cope with failure.”

New academic challenges within today's generation of UMD students may be greater than in previous years. Moreover, some parents may not understand the extent of the struggles endured by millennials suggests Carl Lejuez, UMD Professor and Director of Clinical Training in the Clinical Psychology Program.



"Students constantly feel the need to prepare themselves in order to meet the needs of the job market," reveals Flatt. This pressure leads to an increased level of academic competition, as undergrads feel they must "outperform each other" to guarantee academic success or a future career.

Professor Lejuez's expert opinion is congruent to the findings of Flatt. In her research, Flatt discusses further studies conducted by Guo, Wang, Johnson and Diaz in the College Student Journal published in 2011, indicating that academic demands posed within competitive economic environments may also be responsible for elevated stress levels in higher education.


Although many students admit to experiencing depression throughout their college years, less than 20 percent are said to receive treatment


Despite the grueling stresses of competitive environments, students are reluctant to seek help. Although no data was found specific to the University of Maryland, many accounts suggest that depression is "chronically under-treated" in the population at large.

A substantial number of students admit to experiencing depression throughout their college career but less than one-third were found to seek professional consultation, reported Oswalt and Finkelberg in a study of depressed students within the Counseling and Clinical Psychology Journal.

Out of 182 undergraduate participants attending Appalachian State University, 22 students that were evaulated reached clinical levels of depression; where only six received treatment, and of those six only one received a combination of medication and psychotherapy.

Psychotherapy is an interactive process between a patient and a qualified mental health professional in which individuals meet with a psychiatrist or psychologist to discuss their issues. The evidence provided in the study at ASU further underlines the notion that in many cases, elevated levels of depression go unreported and untreated throughout college campuses.

Instead of seeking professional help as recommended, the use of drugs and alcohol were found to be common methods of coping within students enrolled in four-year institutions. Moreover, students who are depressed are more likely to engage in behaviors that further comprises their health.

In a publication addressing depression and alcohol drug use in U.S. colleges, researcher Virginia Ross states that psychological and emotional problems are worsened by the use of drugs and alcohol which increases the likelihood of high-risk behaviors, including suicide.

She found that roughly 16 percent of women and nine percent of men were reported to be diagnosed with depression at the time of the study. Results on the prevalence of substance use revealed on multiple platforms that alcohol was the substance with the highest rate of use, which is consistent with the national pattern.

Thursday, November 20, 2014

University of Maryland discusses JOU289i topics assigned by Prof Yaros

Rachel Learns about the Importance of Audio in Professional Videotaping


Rachel Teaches Viewers Importance of Audio in Professional Videotaping

Sunday, November 2, 2014

Congress Proposes Changes of Living Adjustments Costs, Benefits inTaxable Income and Increased Tax Rates to Improve Social Security

According to this article, written by Jamie Hopkins of the Forbes Magazine, issues among retirement income continues to be a prominent concern among U.S. retirees. In response to the retirement crisis, Congress has initiated a proposal that relies on a metric system that is catered to the elderly, a change in threshold limits on provisional income that provide retirees with more retirement money and a gradual increase in the Social Security tax rate which would offset income shortfalls facing Social Security.

Unlike many online news sources that simply display information in a bland and boring manner, Forbes Magazine utilizes three out of the four P-I-C-K model components to clearly explain three proposals by Congress that is said to secure and improve the Social Security system. The information about the proposals is presented in an engaging and interactive manner that is relatively easily understood for the seekers, engagers and scanners of digital users. Through successfully embedded links, a conversational style of writing, distinct and concise subheads and the attempt of "marrying" image and text, this article represents a successful model of engagement that not only informs but engages its readers.


Personalization is utilized in targeting a broad audience through conversational style writing and the use of limited jargon


Instead of writing in a manner that over-complicates and confuses the readers, this article tailors the information to the average individual through easily-understood vocabulary and informal writing. When reading this paragraph, it is clear that reduced social security benefits is the issue at hand (a drop from 77% to 72% of benefits), which is considered to be "a major blow" in which Social Security is "at a crossroads." Technical terms are not heavily ingrained in this text and statistics are provided to justify the claims.


Embedded links, distinct subheads and a concise explanation of proposals engage readers, allowing them to participate in interactivity 


A key component of interactivity is the use of effective and embedded links sprinkled throughout the article. These sections provide hyperlinks (as circled in yellow) that direct readers to a page or a study that provides them with more information on the highlighted subject. The use of embedded links helps to minimize excessive information in order to reduce chances of cognitive overload. Moreover, audience members become active rather than passive readers through their ability to engage in the text. Alongside the margin, Forbes includes a picture of the author himself with links to his most recent and popular posts, full biography, Twitter, personal website and contact information (as seen on the right margin). Readers can take the time to explore the contributor's previous work and history to get a better idea of his experience and credibility. Although bolded subtitles may be a small help in locating the main sections of this article, the author does a good job in numbering the main three
proposals and the topics of each discussion (as boxed in red). A suggestion that could be made to assist the scanners of digital users would be to write explanatory, rather than descriptive, headlines for each section. That way,
people could easily learn and take away a "nugget of news" without reading the entire paragraph or article. Lastly, the links relating to Social Security and retirement plans shown at the bottom of the article encourages readers to participate and engage more in the text (as shown in the upper-middle box above).


The author attempts to utilize contiguity in the marriage of image and text but fails to provide a clear explanation of the diagram


Although this isn't the best visual aid that could have been used for this article, the image attempts to portray figures that embody the workers and beneficiaries of the Social Security System from 1960 to 2009 and 2030. Within the caption, it states that the data was taken from the "Social Security Administration Trustees Report" (with picture credit to Wikipedia) but it is somewhat unclear as to who the beneficiaries are and what these ratios signify. If readers wanted to gain more information, they could research the source of the diagram to get a better understanding but that can be tedious and somewhat of a nuisance. I believe the contiguity component of the "PICK" principle was the weakest aspect of this article which could use the most improvements. It is unclear as to which paragraph this image is referring to and the numbers and ratios are not explained in either sections. In order to enhance the reader's comprehension, the image should be presented alongside (not below or above) the text with clear and explanatory captions that coincide with the given information. I believe the author attempted to include a visual to aid its readers but in some respect, it was more less effective than not.


Successfully embedded links, easily-understood terminology and a six-step slideshow on how to "bucket your retirement" encourages user engagement and reduces potentials of "kick-out"


Within this article, no pop-up advertisements were displayed on screen. Additionally, every embedded link successfully directed readers to a working site/page which eliminated any potential of kick-outs. Overall, I believe this article was one of the more engaging and user-friendly sites according to PICK model components. Despite the failure of the contiguity principle, the article contained elements of personalization and interactivity that was helpful to the readers. The "Six Steps to Successful Bucketing" slide that was displayed at the end of the article (which directed users to a different page) was relevant and useful and the use of easy-to-understand terminology allowed people to more easily understand the topic of Society Security and its current implications and issues in the U.S.

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Vedran Lekic, UMD faculty member, has been awarded $875,000 for research on Earth's inner structure

1. Important: In recognition of his efforts to integrate computer science and geological studies, Lekic joined the ranks of 17 other early career U.S. scientists and engineers who were awarded a Packard Fellowship for Science and Engineering last week.

9. Explanation: “The great thing about this fellowship is its flexibility to go chase a really good idea to wherever it leads,” said Orr, a Stanford University professor. “It is an incredibly valuable fund and gives the researchers an opportunity to take off with a good idea instead of waiting a year or more for federal money.”

4. Important: Lekic is now one of five alumni faculty members who have received the award while at this university, and he will be given access to unrestricted funds of $875,000 over a five-year period to support his extensive research on Earth’s inner structure.

18. Background: As a doctoral student at the University of California, Berkley, Lekic formulated higher-resolution images of the Earth’s mantle structure, stemming from his creation of a global seismic velocity model. Not only is the model able to give geologists a better understanding of plate tectonics, but it also helps explain the movement of continental plates and their evolution, Lekic said.


Based on ground vibration recordings, Lekic's uses seismic information to investigate the movement of the Earth's crust over the mantle.

10. Explanation: Lekic’s research is based on ground vibration recordings, which he and his students use to detect the scattering of seismic waves across the North American tectonic plate. In conjunction with the National Science Foundation’s EarthScope Facility network, the data is collected from the 49 states and Puerto Rico and makes up about 3.8 million square miles, Lekic said.

12. Explanation: “EarthScope is kind of like our Apollo mission, but not as costly,” Lekic said

7. Explanation: Nearly 2 million data lines fill the screen of Vedran Lekic’s computer every day, each representing seismic waves that are detected from of the more than 1,700 seismic stations around the U.S.

5. Explanation: From this data, Lekic is creating a map that will not only cover all 48 contiguous states, Alaska and Puerto Rico, but also dive deep into the Earth’s crust and core.


Lekic contributes to a new geological field of neutrino geoscience to understand the shapes and sizes of the Earth's layers

2. Background: Lekic has already used the seismic information to investigate why and how the crust moves over the Earth’s mantle. As of now, the deepest any machine has been able to dig was about 12 kilometers into the Earth’s crust, a minuscle fracture of the roughly 6,730 kilometers it takes to get to the Earth’s core. Using the seismic information helps geologists see the shapes and sizes of the Earth’s layers.

3. Background: Other than his seismology research contributions, Lekic is also a forerunner in the new geological field of neutrino geoscience.

6. Explanation: Neutrinos are a type of electrically neutral subatomic particle that are created during radioactive decay or some kinds of nuclear reactions. The particle, which was only discovered geologically in 2005 and physically detected for the first time last year, moves through every kind of object, McDonough said.

11. Explanation: It sounds magical; it’s like a particle that exists but you can’t really see,” Lekic said of neutrinos.


Lekic and McDonough hope to build a new model of the Earth using seismic information using graphs and models

16. Explanation: “We are both interested in the energy that moves the tectonic plates and creates the magnetic shield around the planet,” geology professor William McDonough said.

17. Background: Lekic and McDonough are attempting to harness that energy to create another way to build a model of the Earth.

13. Explanation: “What we do is comparable to how an ultrasound let’s us see through our bodies,” Lekic said. “But this lets us see through the Earth.”

15. Explanation: Now that a large fund has been granted to his work, he hopes to spend more time plotting the seismic information in graphs and models so that he may better understand the Earth, Lekic said.

8. Explanation: “If you look at the field of those who get it and try to figure out from their research summaries and letters which are the strongest candidate, it’s a difficult task,” said Franklin Orr, chairman of the Packard Fellowship panel. “We always run out of fellowships before we run out of wonderful people to give them too.”

14. Background: Lekic has received several other early career awards besides the Packard Fellowship.




Friday, October 17, 2014

Top-Ranked Apps Generate More Revenue among Different Categories


According to a research study conducted by Rajiv Garg and Rahul Telang in "Inferring App Demand from Publicly Available Data," the top 200 paid applications in 2011 fell among a variety of different categories where 38 percent were categorized as games, 13 percent as productivity, 7 percent as entertainment, 6 percent as utilities, 5 percent as photography, 5 percent as education, 4 percent as business, 3 percent as news and 18 percent as the remaining categories. Using publicly available rank data to gather their findings, Garg and Telang found that the top ranked apps downloaded by iPad and iPhone users ranked first on the top paid list. In other words, apps that were highly ranked gained more downloads, earning about 95 times more revue than those less ranked/favored. These estimates help app developers and marketing professions develop better tactics in marketing their products based on the types of applications users are most commonly seen using. The researchers argue that "mobile apps are an important and fast growing technology market" and understanding the market is "important for different stakeholders." Since games, productivity and entertainment were the best paid types of applications, we can assume that developers will attempt to innovate improved and advanced apps to cater to consumer tastes.

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Social Media Use More Common than Traditional Sites for Accessing News

Ellen10 and Michael44

Within our age of information, digital natives are becoming more inclined to find their news sources on social media sites rather than traditional news sites. 

Social media sites are being used to gain news 
Facebook, YouTube and Twitter were ranked among the top three prominent social media networks used to access the news. On a weekly basis, 37% of users gained information from Facebook, 17% from YouTube and 8% from Twitter. People use these outlets due to the personalization by the social media sites that cater to their topics of interest. Information overload within traditional news sties make it harder for individuals to navigate popular news sites such as New York Times, Huffington Post and the Wallstreet Journal. Unlike official news sources, sites such as Facebook and Twitter provide news that is more relevant to the users themselves. For example, when a friend finds an interesting news story, they share it on Facebook, which appears on your Timeline which, in theory, is based on an event that you would be more interested in compared to a random event presented on a news media site like CNN.


Tablets and Mobile Devices are common platforms to access news
When asked what type of formats participants used to access their media content, 17% stated that mobile is the best way of accessing news compared to 10% who state that the tablet is the best way to gain news coverage. According to the study, researchers have found that there is a growing dependence on smaller news apps due to the "limited screen real estate available on a smartphone." Top news sources with strong app propositions benefit from the 'smartphone effect' which prevents smaller news sources to be more involved in the smartphone app usage. Yahoo and MSN are suffering from this effect due to their inability to adapt to the media change. 


Smartphones Encourage Fewer News Sources Usage
Increasingly, over the years, smartphones have raised concerns within the news industry as more people have resorted to digital methods of news access due to accessibility, efficiency and familiarity of common social media outlets. Since certain publications have difficulty adapting to the change of online formats, the idea of "the survival of the fittest" comes into play as news sources are facing a slow decline in publications.