Colorado AgrAbility: Enhancing the Effectiveness of Outreach Efforts Targeting Farmers and Ranchers With Disabilities

The Colorado AgrAbility Project (CAP) provides farmers and ranchers who have disabilities with the information and assistive technologies needed to remain successful producers. At present, however, CAP services are underutilized, and the rate of use is declining. This study investigates awareness and attitudinal barriers that might constrain farmers and ranchers with disabilities from seeking assistance. It also identifies preferred outlets for distributing agricultural information in the hope that this will improve the efficacy of outreach efforts. Mail survey research involving 798 randomly selected Colorado farmers and ranchers was conducted in the spring of 2006. Findings suggest that lack of awareness constituted the primary obstacle to increased use of CAP services. Farmers and ranchers were more inclined to refer others in need farmers and ranchers as preferred sources for information and expressed interest in the stories of farmers and ranchers with disabilities who had been helped by CAP. Based on Survey findings, strategies for improving the effectiveness of outreach efforts are proposed, including mobilizing opinion leaders in the farming and ranching communities, recruiting past CAP clients as spokespeople, and placing CAP success stories in agricultural publications

Ability to spot and resist manipulated media news about international affairs: Does political knowledge provide it?

 This experiment explored relationships between individuals’ levels of political knowledge and ability to spot manipulated media information about international affairs as well as susceptibility to influence by such information. The context of the study was the “Orange Revolution” in Ukraine. A convenience sample of 146 students at a large American university was randomly assigned to read one of three simulated New York Times news reports, experimentally manipulated to favor either the Ukrainian government, the opposition, or a balance of political views. Analysis revealed few significant relationships between level of political knowledge and spotting manipulation in news reports. Instead, trust in the New York Times explained a majority of the variance. Also, political knowledge wasn’t associated with susceptibility to manipulation. Interestingly, a majority of participants who spotted manipulation nevertheless accepted standpoints the manipulated articles promoted. This experiment explored relationships between individuals’ levels of political knowledge and ability to spot manipulated media information about international affairs as well as susceptibility to influence by such information. The context of the study was the “Orange Revolution” in Ukraine. A convenience sample of 146 students at a large American university was randomly assigned to read one of three simulated New York Times news reports, experimentally manipulated to favor either the Ukrainian government, the opposition, or a balance of political views. Analysis revealed few significant relationships between level of political knowledge and spotting manipulation in news reports. Instead, trust in the New York Times explained a majority of the variance. Also, political knowledge wasn’t associated with susceptibility to manipulation. Interestingly, a majority of participants who spotted manipulation nevertheless accepted standpoints the manipulated articles promoted

Hostile media perceptions: Partisan assessments of press and public during the 1997 United Parcel Service strike

This study investigated partisan perceptions of hostile bias in news coverag

Effects of body size on estimation of mammalian area requirements

Accurately quantifying species’ area requirements is a prerequisite for effective area-based conservation. This typically involves collecting tracking data on species of interest and then conducting home-range analyses. Problematically, autocorrelation in tracking data can result in space needs being severely underestimated. Based on the previous work, we hypothesized the magnitude of underestimation varies with body mass, a relationship that could have serious conservation implications. To evaluate this hypothesis for terrestrial mammals, we estimated home-range areas with global positioning system (GPS) locations from 757 individuals across 61 globally distributed mammalian species with body masses ranging from 0.4 to 4000 kg. We then applied block cross-validation to quantify bias in empirical home-range estimates. Area requirements of mammals 1, meaning the scaling of the relationship changed substantially at the upper end of the mass spectrum.publishedVersio

Connexin37 protects against atherosclerosis by regulating monocyte adhesion

A genetic polymorphism in the human gene encoding connexin37 (CX37, encoded by GJA4, also known as CX37) has been reported as a potential prognostic marker for atherosclerosis. The expression of this gap-junction protein is altered in mouse and human atherosclerotic lesions: it disappears from the endothelium of advanced plaques but is detected in macrophages recruited to the lesions. The role of CX37 in atherogenesis, however, remains unknown. Here we have investigated the effect of deleting the mouse connexin37 (Cx37) gene (Gja4, also known as Cx37) on atherosclerosis in apolipoprotein E-deficient (Apoe(-/-)) mice, an animal model of this disease. We find that Gja4(-/-)Apoe(-/-) mice develop more aortic lesions than Gja4(+/+)Apoe(-/-) mice that express Cx37. Using in vivo adoptive transfer, we show that monocyte and macrophage recruitment is enhanced by eliminating expression of Cx37 in these leukocytes but not by eliminating its expression in the endothelium. We further show that Cx37 hemichannel activity in primary monocytes, macrophages and a macrophage cell line (H36.12j) inhibits leukocyte adhesion. This antiadhesive effect is mediated by release of ATP into the extracellular space. Thus, Cx37 hemichannels may control initiation of the development of atherosclerotic plaques by regulating monocyte adhesion. H36.12j macrophages expressing either of the two CX37 proteins encoded by a polymorphism in the human GJA4 gene show differential ATP-dependent adhesion. These results provide a potential mechanism by which a polymorphism in CX37 protects against atherosclerosis

Effects of body size on estimation of mammalian area requirements

Accurately quantifying species’ area requirements is a prerequisite for effective area-based conservation. This typically involves collecting tracking data on species of interest and then conducting home-range analyses. Problematically, autocorrelation in tracking data can result in space needs being severely underestimated. Based on the previous work, we hypothesized the magnitude of underestimation varies with body mass, a relationship that could have serious conservation implications. To evaluate this hypothesis for terrestrial mammals, we estimated home-range areas with global positioning system (GPS) locations from 757 individuals across 61 globally distributed mammalian species with body masses ranging from 0.4 to 4000 kg. We then applied block cross-validation to quantify bias in empirical home-range estimates. Area requirements of mammals 1, meaning the scaling of the relationship changed substantially at the upper end of the mass spectrum

Effects of body size on estimation of mammalian area requirements

Accurately quantifying species' area requirements is a prerequisite for effective area-based conservation. This typically involves collecting tracking data on species of interest and then conducting home-range analyses. Problematically, autocorrelation in tracking data can result in space needs being severely underestimated. Based on the previous work, we hypothesized the magnitude of underestimation varies with body mass, a relationship that could have serious conservation implications. To evaluate this hypothesis for terrestrial mammals, we estimated home-range areas with global positioning system (GPS) locations from 757 individuals across 61 globally distributed mammalian species with body masses ranging from 0.4 to 4000 kg. We then applied block cross-validation to quantify bias in empirical home-range estimates. Area requirements of mammals 1, meaning the scaling of the relationship changed substantially at the upper end of the mass spectrum