There’s more to us than this: A qualitative study of Black young adults’ perceptions of media portrayals of HIV

The extent to which the targeted group attends to and is engaged by HIV/STI prevention messages is one component of effective health communication. Through an empirical examination of the cumulative perceptions of HIV/STI prevention media messages targeted to Black youth and young adults, this qualitative study privileges the voices of Black/ African American young adults as a group that is frequently targeted in HIV prevention campaigns. Semi-structured interviews with 23 Black/African American young adults yielded key themes that suggest barriers to effective health communication. Traditionally, health promotion has advocated for targeted messages as a means to increase risk perception and promote behavior change. For some study participants, the unintended consequences of this approach with HIV prevention included a perception that cumulatively media messages (1) portrayed HIV as a “Black disease; (2) blamed Black people for the HIV epidemic; and (3) fostered negative judgments about Black people. Participants described mixed feelings because they perceived that the messages simultaneously increased awareness for HIV prevention in the Black community as well as perpetuated stigma of the Black community. The findings challenge existing notions about targeting health communication particularly when focusing on stigmatized illnesses

Automobile Guest Statute; Unconstitutional; Equal Protection; Due Process; Right to Seek Legal Redress; Primes v. Tyler

IN JULY 1975, the Supreme Court of Ohio in the case of Primes v. Tyler\u27 joined a small but growing number of states\u27 which have declared automobile guest statutes\u27 unconstitutional. The circumstances of the Primes case are similar to those encountered in countless other suits brought by injured guest passengers since the Ohio guest statute was enacted in 1933.\u27 George Primes, III and Donald G. Tyler were members of an informal golf group which shared a car pool arrangement. Tyler, driving for the car pool, was involved in an automobile accident in which Primes, a passenger, was injured. Primes brought suit against Tyler demanding recovery for personal injuries incurred in the accident on the basis of ordinary negligence on the part of Tyler. Since both parties were part of a car pool, Primes asserted that he was a paying passenger and thereby excepted from the guest statute preclusion from maintaining suit on the basis of ordinary negligence. The trial court, nevertheless, determined that Primes was not a paying passenger and directed a verdict for Tyler

Préférences hétérogènes des grands projets miniers : trois essais en évaluation non marchande

L’évaluation fine des impacts miniers représente un défi majeur considérant l’ampleur des changements socio-économiques et environnementaux et les controverses que le secteur minier continue jusqu’à lors de susciter. Un aspect souvent manquant de l’évaluation des projets miniers est lié à la question de l’impact sur le bien-être. La thèse a pour objectif d’apporter un ensemble d’éclairages sur les potentiels impacts, notamment en considérant l’hétérogénéité de la population. Le contexte d’étude est la province minière du Québec, au Canada, avec une enquête des ménages mesurant les variations de bien-être par la méthode Choice Experiment. L’article 1 pointe l’importance du contexte géographique, marquée par des inégalités spatiales dans les impacts miniers. Nous trouvons que le développement minier peut avoir des impacts de longues distances sur le bien-être, liés au type de minerai et à la perception individuelle du risque. L’article 2 tire avantage du passé minier de l’exploitation de l’or au Québec pour étudier si cette expérience collective facilite les arbitrages miniers sur les terres rares, un minerai nouveau dans la province et souvent méconnu par le public. Enfin l’article 3 teste les effets potentiels de campagnes d’information sur les changements de bien-être. L’information apparaît avoir peu ou aucun effet. Cependant, ce résultat masque des effets élevés et contrastés auprès des individus opposés par leurs perceptions sur l’opportunité/menace d’une nouvelle mine. La thèse conclue en présentant des nouvelles pistes de recherche pour mieux évaluer les effets du développement minier sur le bien-être.Abstract: Granular evaluation of mining impacts is highly challenging as regards to the strong social, environmental and economic changes at play, and possibly related controversies. This thesis raises the question on how mining can affect people’s well-being with a research focus on population heterogeneity. A choice experiment survey is conducted to collect ground information on changing well-being due to mining within the province of Quebec, in Canada. Article 1 points to the importance of the geographic context, marked by spatial inequalities in mining impacts. We find that mining development can have long-range impacts on welfare, related to the type of mineral and individual risk perception. Paper 2 takes advantage of strong gold mining history in Quebec to study whether collective experience facilitates mining trade-offs over rare earths, that are new to the province and often poorly known by general public. Finally, paper 3 tests potential effects of information campaigns on welfare changes. Information appears to have little or no effect. However, this result masks high and contrasting effects according to opposing prior beliefs for or against mining windfall. The thesis concludes on relevant research extensions to help estimate mining effects on people’s well-being

Using Effective Strategies for Errors Correction in EFL Classes: A Case Study of Secondary Public Schools in Benin

The aim of this paper is firstly, to make teachers correct thoroughly students’ errors with effective strategies. Secondly, it is an attempt to find out if teachers are interested themselves in errors correction in Beninese secondary schools. Finally, I would like to point out the effective strategies that an EFL teacher can use for errors correction as far as EFL teaching/ learning is concerned. The results from the interviews and classroom observation will also be taken into account to analyse with problem solving strategies. Field survey is used and the target population was teachers and students in Beninese secondary schools

Day care for people with dementia--the importance of communicating a safe and uncritical environment to clients and facilitating stimulating activity

Exploratory case studies investigated the day care benefit from the multiple perspectives of the person with dementia, caregiver, and day care worker. The routines, daily processes, and factors promoting benefit were reported. The day care client was also queried to explore their ability to contribute useful information about their care environment. The adult day care is primarily a social occasion for its clients, who enjoy the benefits of companionship and interaction. Day cares were differentiated by the environmental features: worker:client ratio, size, suitability of the site for intended purpose, quality of client-worker relationships, and quality of the activities offered. The quality of each of these features is an important component in the day care environment. All components at their highest quality are not necessary for the environment to be beneficial. The most important factors contributing to day care quality were workers who (1) communicated safety to the client through a relaxed, uncritical environment, and (2) facilitated client stimulation through activity and personal interaction, satisfying the clients’ basic needs to be safe and occupied. This evaluation was comprised of: two sets of case studies. Each evaluation was concurrently conducted and consistently designed. Participant observation and survey were the primary methods of data collection. Informed consent was sought from day care clients with dementia, family caregivers, and day care workers

The Liana assemblage of a Congolian rainforest : diversity, structure and dynamics

Key words: Liana assemblage, species composition, community, dynamics, canopy openness, Manniophyton fulvum, functional traits, population density, pervasive change. This study analyzes the diversity, composition, and dynamics of the liana assemblage of the Ituri rain forest in northeastern DR Congo. I used data from two 10-ha plots of the Ituri Forest Dynamics Plots, in which all liana stems ≥2 cm diameter at breast height (dbh) were marked, mapped, measured and identified in 1994, 2001 and 2007. In addition, the plot topography and canopy structure were measured. Chapter 2 analyzes the liana assemblage (in terms of species richness, abundance and diversity), characterizes liana functional traits and determines effects of forest structure, topography and edaphic variation on liana species composition. In 20 ha, 15008 liana individuals were found, representing 195 species, 83 genera and 34 plant families. Per hectare species number averaged 64, basal area was 0.71 m2 and Fisher alpha, Shannon and Simpson diversity indices were 17.9, 3.1 and 11.4, respectively. There was oligarchic dominance of 10 plant families that represented 69% of total species richness, 92% of liana abundance and 92% of basal area, while ten dominant species accounted for 63% of abundance and 59% of basal area. Forty-one species (21%) were represented by one individual only. Most lianas were light-demanding, climbed their hosts by twining, and had conspicuous flowers, medium-sized leaves and animal-dispersed propagules. Liana abundance increased with abundance of medium-sized and large trees but was, surprisingly, independent of small-tree abundance. Canopy openness, soil moisture, and tree size were the most important environmental factors influencing abundance and distribution of lianas. In Chapter 3 I investigate changes in structural characteristics, diversity, recruitment, mortality and growth of the liana community over the thirteen years (1994 ¬- 2007). Liana density decreased from 750 (1994) through 547 (2001) to 499 (2007) stems ha-1, with concomitant declines in basal area and above-ground biomass. Despite lower stem densities the species richness remained constant over time. Total liana recruitment rates decreased slightly from 8.6% per year in the first period to 6.6% in the second, but this decrease was not significant. Liana mortality rates decreased significantly from 7.2% to 4.4% per year over the two census intervals. Diameter growth rates and survival increased with liana stem diameter. Surprisingly, liana abundance in Ituri showed recent declines, rather than recent increases, as has been reported for tropical and temperate forests in the Americas. Interestingly, changes in overall liana community structure and composition were mostly driven by one species only: the dramatic collapse of superabundant Manniophyton fulvum between the first and the second census. In chapter 4 I investigated species-specific dynamics of the 79 most abundant liana species, representing 13,156 of the stems (97% of total) in two 10-ha plots. I evaluated their demographic performance and the relation if the vital rates (growth, mortality, recruitment) to the species abundance and four functional traits (climbing strategy, dispersal syndrome, leaf size and light requirements) to determine across species variations and major strategies characterizing species. Vital rates shared a wide interspecific variation; species-specific recruitment rates varied from 0.0-10.9%, mortality rates from 0.43-7.89% over 13-year, and growth rates from -0.03-3.51 mm y-1. Most species had low to moderate rates. Species that grew fast tended also to recruit and die fast, but recruitment and mortality rates were not directly related, suggesting that species shift in absolute abundance over the 13 year period. However, with the exception of the collapsing Manniophyton fulvum population, species maintained their rank-dominance over time. Species growth declined with abundance, but recruitment and mortality rates were not related to abundance. The demographic performance of liana species varied weakly with their climbing strategy and dispersal mode but was, surprisingly, not related to their lifetime light requirements. A principle components analysis of liana strategies in terms of functional traits and vital rates showed that light demand, and dispersal syndrome were the most determining traits. Based on the PCA three functional guilds were distinguished. I conclude that old-growth forest liana species show a large variation in abundance and vital rates, and that density-dependent mechanisms are insufficient to explain the species abundance patterns over time. Lianas are thought to globally increase in density, but we have limited knowledge about the taxonomic patterns of change in liana abundance, and the underlying vital rates that explain changes in liana density. In chapter 5 the changes in abundance of 79 relatively abundant liana species are evaluated. The Ituri forest showed a pervasive change in liana population density in the last decade. 37 species changed significantly in their abundance over time: 12 (15% of total) species increased, and 25 (32%) species decreased. 42 (53%) species did not change. Of the 48 genera, 40% decreased and 52% stayed the same. Five of the 12 increasing species belonged to the Celastraceae, which also was the only significantly increasing family. Surprisingly, none of the four functional traits (lifetime light requirements, climbing mechanism, dispersal mechanism, and leaf size) was significantly associated with species change in population density. Many decreasing species, however, are associated with disturbed habitats and are short-lived. Many increasing species are late successional and longer-lived. Increasing species have a slightly higher recruitment, decreasing species a higher mortality. This study suggests that changes in the liana community result from forest recovery from past disturbances. Rising atmospheric CO2 level was not a likely explanation for liana change: more species declined than increased, and increasing species did not have higher growth rates. In the Ituri Forest local stand dynamics override more global drivers of liana change. <br/

Profiling the Governance System of Local School Boards in Democratic Republic of Congo

In many developing countries such as RD Congo where parents are the main source of school financing the Local School Board LSB is strategic governance body where the parents exercise participation rights of decision-making in management of school resources financial human and materiel and the control of teaching quality and quantity The purpose of this quantitative study is to test the possible differences between the Governance System of LSB of 16 pilot primary schools 7 higher performance schools and 9 lower performance schools The findings of the survey conducted from 224 LSB members help to describe and explain the profiles of effective governance systems of LSB in order to inspire the LSB of lower performance schools and stakeholder

Do not prime hawks with doves : the impact of dispositions and situation-specific features on the emergence of cooperative behavior in mixed-motive situations.

In four experiments, we examined the impact of the nature and consistency of people's social value orientations on the emergence of cooperative behavior in conditions of neutral, morality or might priming. In line with Van Lange (2000), we expected social value orientations to have a greater impact in ambiguous (neutral priming) than in unambiguous (morality and might priming) situations. We also expected the later moderation to be higher among participants low in consistency (see also Hertel and Fiedler, 1998). Overall, participants' behavior shifted in prime-consistent ways. However, cooperation was reduced among high consistent pro-selfs primed with morality concepts. Experiments 2-4 replicate and generalize these findings, and reveal that high consistent pro-selfs exploited partners believed to be cooperative as a result of morality priming. Implications of these results are discussed in the wider context of interdependence theory, and in the context of automatic behavior effects.