Knowledge acquisition in times of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic: evidence from a four-wave panel study

This paper focuses on the accuracy of COVID-19-related knowledge during the 2020 pandemic. We look at the effects of traditional vs. digital news use and distinguish between positive (number of recoveries) and negative (number of casualties) knowledge. Importantly, the moderating role of crisis context is examined when tracing media effects on knowledge. Relying on a four-wave panel survey fielded in the Netherlands, we find that people’s knowledge became more accurate over the course of the crisis. News exposure did not lead to more accuracy, in fact, a negative relation was found. The impact of digital news use weakened as the crisis continued

Disseminating information or advocating peace? Journalists’ role perceptions in the face of conflict

Journalists play an important role in the formation of public opinion and can therefore be regarded as influential actors in conflict resolution. In Colombia, where the peace process remains a highly debated issue, the media are assumed to fuel polarization instead of dialogue. Indeed, deep societal divisions have been unveiled during last year’s plebiscite. In this environment, the concept of Peace Journalism has gained popularity among journalists, as it may promote a more nuanced debate. Against this backdrop, this study explores the role perceptions of Colombian journalists and their compatibility with the premises of Peace Journalism. To provide in-depth insights into journalists’ role conceptions, 16 semi-structured interviews with Colombian journalists were conducted. The results indicate that journalists hold a very active stance and want to influence and engage the public with their work, closely identifying with the role of the public mobilizer

The Use of Forage Supplements to Overcome Seasonal Shortages of Grazed Herbage in Dairy Production Systems

In most dairy production systems, grazed herbage is potentially the cheapest forage resource. However, while the availability is affected by seasonal changes in herbage growth, and/or between year variations in climatic conditions, the requirements of dairy production systems tend to remain constant throughout the season. This paper summarises five experiments that examined the effect of the characteristics of the forage supplement (dry matter, DM; metabolisable energy, ME, content; Type) and the effect of stage of lactation and access method to the supplement on animal performance

The effects of forage supplementation on grazing dairy cows

This thesis first presents a review of the literature on intake from grazed herbage. It reviews animal factors and how theoretical ruminant intake concepts could be used in the grazing situation. The effects of sward conditions on herbage intake and various supplementation strategies and supplementation practices are evaluated. After which the various possible measurement techniques for estimating herbage intake are discussed. A number of experiments are presented, all carried out at the Scottish Agricultural College, Crichton Royal Farm. In the first experiment the n-alkane technique for estimating herbage intake and diet selection in dairy cows offered perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne)/white clover (Trifolium repens) herbage was evaluated. In a second experiment, the potential use of n-alkanes was evaluated for estimating supplementary grass silage intake. In the first supplementation experiment, two forage supplementation systems were examined over a 15 week period, using a continuous design. Thereafter two experiments are described investigating the effect of ME-content and degradability of the forage supplement on animal performance and total dry matter intake. In these two experiments two groups of grazing lactating dairy cows were offered straw/sugar beet pulp mixtures of different straw and sugar beet pulp content. The final experiment investigated the effect of forage supplement dry matter content and stage of lactation on dairy cow performance and herbage intake response. The different types of supplements did not significantly affect animal performance. The yield of fat and protein corrected milk (FPCM) was significantly (P<0.01) affected by stage of lactation. Forage supplementation resulted in a negative milk production response in late lactation cows and in a positive milk production response in early lactation. However, this response was not significantly different. The increase in FPCM with supplementation was significantly (P<0.05) different between early (+3.3 kg FPCM day-1) and late lactation cows (-0.5 kg FPCM day-1). The results of this experiment suggest that early and late lactation animals will consume similar amounts of forage supplement when offered, but will respond differently with a positive response in early lactation and negative response in late lactation animals. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.)

The Effect of Nitrogen Fertilisation on the Morphological Development and Growth Rate of Star Grass (\u3cem\u3eCynodon nlemfuensis\u3c/em\u3e)

Nitrogen is one of the main inputs used in forage production systems to increase productivity. However, in Cuba, the availability of fertiliser N is limited and therefore if applied, needs to be used with high efficiency. Previous studies (Johnson, 2001, Del Pozo, 2003) investigated the effects of N on growth, carbohydrate and protein content but did not consider morphological changes in Cynodon nlemfuensis. A study was therefore undertaken investigating how N application influences morphological development of the plant and how these changes might affect the efficiency of use of applied N

Attenuating the crisis: the relationship between media use, prosocial political participation, and holding misinformation beliefs during the COVID-19 pandemic

In a global crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic, governments around the world are dependent on voluntary support of their citizens. Based on a four-wave panel survey conducted in the Netherlands between April and July 2020 (n = 1742), this study investigates the development of citizens’ engagement in prosocial political activities and what motivates such acts of political participation. With previous research indicating strong relationships between news as well as social media use and political participation, we test whether these types of information consumption drive participation over time. The spread of misinformation during the COVID-19 crisis, however, was described as an “infodemic”. The study therefore explores how holding misinformation beliefs directly and indirectly affects participation in COVID-19 related activities