Conversations with Gatekeepers: An Exploratory Study of Agricultural Publication Editors\u27 Decisions to Publish Risk Coverage

The United States’ agriculture industry is impacted by numerous financial, human, legal, and production risks. These risks are frequently reported in mass media and agricultural publications. Farmers often use agricultural magazines to help them make production decisions and learn about new technology, which both involve some element of risk. Gatekeeping is the process of determining what information is included in media coverage in which editors serve as gatekeepers and make decisions regarding what topics to report. The purpose of this study was to discover how agricultural publication editors, in their role as gatekeepers, make decisions regarding coverage of risk related to agriculture and to explore the forces that influence this coverage. Researchers interviewed seven purposively selected editors of national or regional agricultural magazines. The findings indicated that the editors conceptualize risk in agriculture differently from how agricultural risks are reported in the mainstream media for the more general public; many emphasized the issues in terms of marketing or financial risk. Editors emphasized that they report on risk from an action angle, providing advice or information on how to mitigate the risk. The public’s perception of agriculture, advertisers, and personal topic preferences were cited as influencers of their risk coverage. When covering risk stories, agricultural publication editors prefer journalists who can write well and have an agricultural background or knowledge of the industry. Future research should be conducted to expand on the results from this exploratory study

Predicting Patriarchy: Using Individual and Contextual Factors to Examine Patriarchal Endorsement in Communities

In much feminist literature, patriarchy has often been studied as a predictive variable for attitudes toward or acts of violence against women. However, rarely has patriarchy been examined as an outcome across studies. The current study works toward filling this gap by examining several individual-and neighborhood-level factors that might influence patriarchy. Specifically, this research seeks to determine if neighborhood-level attributes related to socioeconomic status, family composition, and demographic information affect patriarchal views after individual-level correlates of patriarchy were controlled. Findings suggest that factors at both the individual- and neighborhood levels, particularly familial characteristics and dynamics, do influence the endorsement of patriarchal views

Appealing to Different Appetites? A Comparative Analysis of Visitors and Residents to a Culinary Festival

This study presents a comparative analysis of visitors and local residents attending selected events at a month-long culinary festival. The primary purposes of this study were to compare the motivations, spending behaviours, and satisfaction levels of these two groups. Consideration was also given to the information sources used to learn about the Festival Findings are based on an on-line survey of festival attendees; in total 460 surveys were collected and used. Research findings highlighted differences between visitor and resident groups with respect to motivations for attending a culinary events, spending behaviours and information sources used. An examination of satisfaction rating revealed significant variance across individual events. These results offer valuable insights for culinary festival organizers and marketers, who may wish to consider the differing motivations and information sources used by these two groups when developing advertising campaigns and on-site food and shopping experiences

Links between traumatic brain injury and ballistic pressure waves originating in the thoracic cavity and extremities

Identifying patients at risk of traumatic brain injury (TBI) is important because research suggests prophylactic treatments to reduce risk of long-term sequelae. Blast pressure waves can cause TBI without penetrating wounds or blunt force trauma. Similarly, bullet impacts distant from the brain can produce pressure waves sufficient to cause mild to moderate TBI. The fluid percussion model of TBI shows that pressure impulses of 15-30 psi cause mild to moderate TBI in laboratory animals. In pigs and dogs, bullet impacts to the thigh produce pressure waves in the brain of 18-45 psi and measurable injury to neurons and neuroglia. Analyses of research in goats and epidemiological data from shooting events involving humans show high correlations (r > 0.9) between rapid incapacitation and pressure wave magnitude in the thoracic cavity. A case study has documented epilepsy resulting from a pressure wave without the bullet directly hitting the brain. Taken together, these results support the hypothesis that bullet impacts distant from the brain produce pressure waves that travel to the brain and can retain sufficient magnitude to induce brain injury. The link to long-term sequelae could be investigated via epidemiological studies of patients who were gunshot in the chest to determine whether they experience elevated rates of epilepsy and other neurological sequelae

Racial and athletic identity of African American football players at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and Predominantly White Institutions (PWI)

This study examined racial and athletic identity among African American football players at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and Predominantly White Institutions (PWI). Negotiating the dualism of racial and athletic identities can be problematic because both roles are subject to prejudice and discrimination, particularly for student-athletes in revenue producing sports like football. Results indicated that seniors at both institution types reported significantly lower levels of Public Regard, and that lower levels of Public Regard predicted higher levels of college adjustment. Senior football players reported a greater acknowledgement that society does not value African Americans, and this acknowledgment predicted greater college adjustment. No differences between institution types in racial Centrality emerged, but football players at PWI reported higher levels of Athletic Identity. By garnering a better understanding of the psychosocial needs of African American football players, these results can inform college student personnel who can prioritize facilitating student-athlete academic and life skills with the same attention given to ensuring their athletic success

A Pilot Survey of the Integration of Technology into Counseling Practice

A random sample of 218 American Counseling Association members responded to a survey related to the integration of technology into the field of counseling pertaining to perceptions of possible barriers and benefits to providing online counseling. Results indicate that 11% of respondents currently provide some type of online counseling and that less than 20% of respondents would consider providing online counseling. Respondents identified both potential barriers and benefits of online counseling indicating that while counselors can recognize benefits to online counseling, they are still wary of potential challenges. Implications for the counseling field and future research directions are discussed