The Effects of Presentational Mode and Gender on Rating Errors in Classroom Speech Evaluation

There is extensive research on speech evaluation in the area of speech communication. This study explores the effects of presentational mode and gender on rating errors in speech evaluation. Subjects were students enrolled in an introductory speech course at Eastern Illinois University. After compiling 1072 speech evaluation sheets, a 2x2x3 factorial analysis of variance was conducted. Results concluded that raters in a pre-presentational mode will be more positively lenient than raters in a post-presentational mode and raters in a control group; female raters were more positively lenient than male raters in the traits of language, material, delivery, analysis, and voice; and females in a pre-presentational mode will display more positive trait errors than males in a control group in the traits of organization, material, and analysis

Green Criminology–Law Interdisciplinarity Towards Multispecies Justice: The Case of Wildlife Trafficking in Vietnam

Green criminology provides a significant opportunity for interdisciplinary engagement to address the many environmental problems of the twenty-first century that are too complex to be solved through a single disciplinary lens. Hall (2014) has called for increased collaboration between green criminologists and legal scholars while also acknowledging that this form of interdisciplinarity is more challenging than for more traditional forms of criminology. This paper adopts Hall’s call as a starting point for a critical exploration of two areas that offer ground for collaboration: positioning analyses of environmental harm within wider regulatory frameworks and considering the ways human and non-human victims interact with ‘the mechanisms of justice’ to exercise ‘environmental rights’ (Hall 2014: 105). We examine these areas drawing on the case of wildlife trafficking in Vietnam. We argue that ‘multispecies justice’ presents a useful framework to progress green criminology–law collaborations in the Vietnamese and other contexts

Suicide and self-harm in Britain: researching risk and resilience using UK surveys

Aim The main aim of this study was to raise awareness of surveys that could be used to inform self-harm and suicide prevention work. We asked: What UK survey datasets are available for research? What aspects of people’s lives are associated with self-harm and attempted suicide? How do statistical findings resonate with people’s lived experience? What implications do they see? Findings Survey analyses revealed that risk factors for self-harm are wide ranging and include: Mental health Physical health and health behaviours Social relationships Stressful events Employment and financial circumstances Identity and demographics Many different factors are independently associated with self-harm. There is a dose relationship, with more exposure to a factor linked with increased risk. Risks are cumulative that is, exposure to multiple factors is associated with greater risk. Through facilitated consultation, men with lived experience, bereaved family members, and practitioners identified recommendations for responding to suicidal distress in men. These related to the following three main areas: 1. Recognising need: who is ‘ill enough’? Permission - men said that they often did not know they were entitled to help Ask - people who outwardly appear to be functioning may not be Persistence - ask and offer help more than once. 2. Facilitating access: right words, time and place What is available - support is needed with ongoing stress as well as for crises Find the words - men wanted examples of how to ask for help Allow time - employers expect recovery to be swift, some men felt rushed to come off medications or were discharged from services they still needed. 3. Adjusting delivery: equal engagement Power - some were uncomfortable with service dynamics, preferring peer support Every service contact counts - negative contacts had particular impact Safe spaces - may be different for men and women. Methods There were three strands of work: Secondary analysis of nine survey series, spanning more than twenty years Linkage of 144,000 survey participants to information on whether they were alive in 2013 and whether they had taken their own life Facilitated consultation, through depth interviews with people with lived experience

The Relationship of Global Exposure and Intercultural Effectiveness among Secondary Youth

This study evaluated the impact of varying amounts of global exposure and previous travel experiences have on secondary agriculture students’ intercultural effectiveness (ICE) and global experiences through the lens of Mere Exposure Theory. Using a descriptive correlational approach, we surveyed 387 secondary agriculture seniors from 11 randomly selected schools in Kentucky to evaluate participant self-awareness, exploration, global mindset, relationship interest, positive regard, and emotional resilience. Findings revealed the majority of participants excelled in exploration but lacked in global mindsets. Benefits of successful ICE when applied are expected to increase communication and work effectiveness. Ignoring this approach would create poor abilities to connect with individuals of different cultural backgrounds

City of Las Vegas, Department of Building and Safety: Valuation based fee schedule analysis

The City of Las Vegas Building and Safety Department (B & S) is being forced to make a number of difficult decisions regarding the structure of fees charged for the various services it provides. Like many building departments nationwide, B & S is experiencing the financial impact of the current economic decline affecting the construction industry. These fees directly affect B & S’ ability to staff the department in a manner that enables them to deliver an adequate level of service. With construction permits issued by B & S plummeting from an all-time high of 19,147 in 2004 to 5,093 in 2009, the department has reduced staffing levels from 124 employees in 2008 to 45 in 2010. Nevertheless, current methods for generating revenues are based on outdated fee and valuation schedules from 1997. State statutes, city ordinances, and administrative codes dictate how fees may be generated and place limitations on B & S’ discretion in raising fees. Analysis was conducted by comparing the current permit fee schedules to other jurisdictions’ both locally and regionally, applying a valuation comparison using the more updated International Code Council (ICC) guidelines, reviewing the historical increase in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) since 1997 and conducting a break-even analysis. Presented in the report are recommendations for modifying the current fee structure and alternatives for potential revenue generation

Mostly Minnesota Art Song: Songs by Barber, Campbell, Erickson, Larsen, Maurer, Phipps-Kettlewell, Rossi, and Thomas

Tracks 1-6 are from David Evan Thomas\u27 Divine Images collection, based on the poetry of William Blake. Tracks 16-20 are from Brian G. Campbell\u27s collection This is My Letter to the World: Five Emily Dickinson Songs.https://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/music_recordings/1014/thumbnail.jp

Reproducible Isolation of Lymph Node Stromal Cells Reveals Site-Dependent Differences in Fibroblastic Reticular Cells

Within lymph nodes, non-hematopoietic stromal cells organize and interact with leukocytes in an immunologically important manner. In addition to organizing T and B cell segregation and expressing lymphocyte survival factors, several recent studies have shown that lymph node stromal cells shape the naïve T cell repertoire, expressing self-antigens which delete self-reactive T cells in a unique and non-redundant fashion. A fundamental role in peripheral tolerance, in addition to an otherwise extensive functional portfolio, necessitates closer study of lymph node stromal cell subsets using modern immunological techniques; however this has not routinely been possible in the field, due to difficulties reproducibly isolating these rare subsets. Techniques were therefore developed for successful ex vivo and in vitro manipulation and characterization of lymph node stroma. Here we discuss and validate these techniques in mice and humans, and apply them to address several unanswered questions regarding lymph node composition. We explored the steady-state stromal composition of lymph nodes isolated from mice and humans, and found that marginal reticular cells and lymphatic endothelial cells required lymphocytes for their normal maturation in mice. We also report alterations in the proportion and number of fibroblastic reticular cells (FRCs) between skin-draining and mesenteric lymph nodes. Similarly, transcriptional profiling of FRCs revealed changes in cytokine production from these sites. Together, these methods permit highly reproducible stromal cell isolation, sorting, and culture