The Internet and Democratic Debate

Presents findings from a survey conducted in June 2004. Looks at the role of the Internet in providing a wider awareness of political views during the 2004 campaign season

Facebook may be biased against conservative stories. But conservatives may also be biased against Facebook.

Last week saw accusations that the social media giant Facebook, routinely suppresses conservative news sources. Facebook is so dominant in the US media scene, concern has reached as high as the US Senate, with Senator John Thune querying Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg as to how the site’s ‘trending topics’ feature is implemented. R. Kelly Garrett writes that given the likely number of conservatives using the site, it would not be good business sense for it to be biased against right-leaning news sources. That said, Facebook’s curators might be unintentionally biased against conservative media; at the same time, conservatives might be more likely to see Facebook as having a liberal slant, even if it is actually unbiased

Hedonic Pricing Models to Estimate Traits Valuable to Beefmaster Bull Buyers

Sire selection is a large financial investment for beef cow operations. Seedstock cattle producers desire knowledge regarding which traits impact differences in value or sale price among their customers. Bull sale data were collected from a purebred Beefmaster ranch in central Texas for five consecutive years (2012-2016, n = 521 records of 19 to 27 month old bulls). The buyers were classified by the sale host based on knowledge about their cow herds as (1) commercial or (2) seedstock/purebred; all bulls marketed were purebred and able to be registered by Beefmaster Breeders United. Data for these two buyer groups were analyzed separately through various hedonic models to understand important attributes affecting sale price. Each model utilized the same categorical variables, but alternate continuous variables were evaluated as: (1) animals’ performance trait values, (2) animals’ ratio values, or (3) animals’ EPD values, with a final prediction model developed for each buyer type. The final commercial buyer model had an R² value of 85%, but the final purebred buyer model had an R² value of 44%, indicating that bull price predictions in this dataset were easier to determine among commercial buyers. Commercial buyers placed more emphasis (P < 0.05) on the physical traits through conformation score on a 4-point scale (score 2 discounts of $1079.00 to$910.77 depending on the model), sire (P < 0.001) and maternal grandsire (P = 0.001) pedigree information, ribeye area ratio (-$40. 64 ± 14.667 for each 1$4.86 ± 1.770). Purebred producers placed more emphasis (P < 0.05) on the birth season (age category) in which bulls were born ($3349.07 to$4810.73 higher for spring born bulls depending on the model), consignor or owner of the animal (-$2669.66 to -$2201.45 less for other consignors compared to the host ranch depending on the model), birth weight EPD (- $2793.00 to -$983.06 for each 1-lb increase), and quadratic form of yearling weight EPD ($8.13 to$10.47 depending on the model). In this dataset of Beefmaster bulls, class of buyer showed substantial differences in information preferences, and different levels of predictability; this is not surprising and is likely true in most breeds from different goals and intended uses across bull buyers

Neutrons transition densities for the 2+−8+2^+-8^+ multiplet of states in 90^{90}Zr

The neutron transition densities of the $2^+-8^+$ levels in $^{90}$Zr were extracted in the process of analysing ({\bf p},p') scattering at 400 Mev. Its comparison with the proton transition densities for these levels was undertaken. The radial shapes of the experimental neutron and proton transition densities for each state were found to be different.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figure

Exposure to Controversy in an Information Society

How will people use the Internet and other emerging information and communication technologies (ICTs) to shape their exposure to political information? Will Internet users be inclined to fashion an information environment that reflects their own political predispositions, or will they continue to encounter a range of perspectives online? The dissertation addresses these questions using two interconnected research projects. The first project uses nationally representative survey data to examine how contemporary use of the Internet is influencing citizens’ overall exposure to political information. The second project focuses on individual choices about exposure to news items in an online environment that affords enhanced control over partisanship. Taken together, these projects clarify the contemporary dynamic of selective political exposure, providing evidence about citizens’ underlying preferences regarding political information.Ph.D.InformationUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/39374/2/Garrett-dissertation-final.pd

Driving a Wedge Between Evidence and Beliefs: How Online Ideological News Exposure Promotes Political Misperceptions

This article has 2 goals: to provide additional evidence that exposure to ideological online news media contributes to political misperceptions, and to test 3 forms this media‐effect might take. Analyses are based on representative survey data collected during the 2012 U.S. presidential election (N = 1,004). Panel data offer persuasive evidence that biased news site use promotes inaccurate beliefs, while cross‐sectional data provide insight into the nature of these effects. There is no evidence that exposure to ideological media reduces awareness of politically unfavorable evidence, though in some circumstances biased media do promote misunderstandings of it. The strongest and most consistent influence of ideological media exposure is to encourage inaccurate beliefs regardless of what consumers know of the evidence.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/134259/1/jcc412164_am.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/134259/2/jcc412164.pd

Translocating Wild California Valley Quail to Texas: An Evaluation of Survival, Dispersal, Tracking Efficacy, and Roost Preference

Quail translocations are becoming increasingly popular in regions of suitable habitat where local quail populations have declined. In northeastern Texas, USA, northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) populations have drastically declined for over a century and have reached undetectable levels in many areas. As a result, the number of quail hunters and quail conservation funding have also declined. California valley quail (Callipepla californica; hereafter, valley quail) have increased across their range and have been translocated to many states and countries. Thus, the goal of this study was to determine whether translocating wild valley quail to Texas was feasible, and evaluate their survival, dispersal, roost location preference, and potential predator impacts. We translocated 748 wild valley quail from Idaho, USA to northeastern Texas in 2019 and 2020. We collected quail location data from very high frequency (VHF) and digital transmitters. Motion-triggered cameras, scent stations, simulated nests, and raptor transects were used to record predator presence and potential predator impacts. Survival of birds with tracking devices was 63% (VHF) in 2019, and 38.8% (VHF) and 92.5% (digital tag) in 2020. Survival was greater for quail with digital transmitters. Median dispersal distance was 633.5 m in 2019 and 246.6 m in 2020 for valley quail with VHF transmitters, and 310.4 m for quail with digital transmitters. Minimum convex polygon area medians were 4.3 ha in 2019 and 3.1 ha in 2020 for quail with VHF transmitters, and 16.1 ha in 2020 for quail with digital transmitters. Roost sites were primarily in young stands of oak trees. Median simulated nest survival was 2 days (minimum [min] = 1, interquartile range [IQR] = 2–5.4, maximum [max] = 23) in 2019, and 7.5 days (min = 2, IQR = 4.5–15.2, max = 23) in 2020. The most frequent mammalian predators observed were raccoons (Procyon lotor), feral hogs (Sus scrofa), and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). Red-tailed hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) were the most frequent aerial predator. We completed the first documented translocation of wild California valley quail to Texas, demonstrating it is feasible. Future translocation may benefit from translocating more birds over a longer period of time, with more consistent methodology. The establishment of a sustainable population may require ≥7 years of translocation at a rate of 500 birds per year with \u3e2,000 ha of suitable habitat

Stressful Life Events Among Incarcerated Women and Men: Association With Depression, Loneliness, Hopelessness, and Suicidality

Background: Justice-involved populations report a higher than average number of pre-incarceration stressful life events. However, few studies have described stressful life events which occur during incarceration, explored gender differences in these events, or evaluated the effect of these events on well-being. Method: This study draws from a sample of male and female adults incarcerated in 6 prison facilities across two states (n = 160) to identify the number and type of stressful life events they experienced during incarceration, gender differences in stressful events, and the relationship between stressful life events and markers of well-being (i.e., depression, hopelessness, loneliness, suicidality). We also examined whether perceived social support would buffer the relationship between stressful events and well-being outcomes. Results: Participants on average reported experiencing 4 stressful life events during their current incarceration, the most common being relocation to another cell and being made fun of/insulted by someone in the prison. There were few gender differences in types of events experienced. Regression analyses showed that stressful life events were associated with more loneliness, as well as suicidality, but only when participants had low perceived social support. Conclusions: Stressful life events, and drawing on social support networks to cope with stress, should be addressed in the context of correctional treatments to reduce suicide risk during incarceration

Above‐ and below‐ground assessment of carabid community responses to crop type and tillage

Carabid beetles are major predators in agro‐ecosystems. The composition of their communities within crop environments governs the pest control services they provide. An understudied aspect is the distribution of predacious carabid larvae in the soil. We used novel subterranean trapping with standard pitfall trapping, within a multi‐crop rotation experiment, to assess the responses of above‐ and below‐ground carabid communities to management practices. Crop and trap type significantly affected pooled carabid abundance with an interaction of the two, the highest numbers of carabids were caught in subterranean traps in barley under sown with grass. Trap type accounted for the most variance observed in carabid community composition, followed by crop. Tillage responses were only apparent at the species level for three of the eight species modelled. Responses to crop type varied by species. Most species had higher abundance in under‐sown barley, than grass, wheat and barley. Crop differences were greater in the subterranean trap data. For predaceous larvae, standard pitfalls showed lowest abundances in under‐sown barley, yet subterranean traps revealed abundances to be highest in this crop. Comprehensive estimation of ecosystem services should incorporate both above‐ and below‐ground community appraisal, to inform appropriate management