The JJIE Virtual World Journalism Project: Experimenting with Virtual Worlds as an Emerging Journalism Platform

Although immersive journalism in the virtual world was pioneered by journalist and documentary filmmaker Nonny de la Peña years ago, traditional journalists are just now discovering its potential as an alternative platform to report the news. This study explores the singularities of immersive journalism in virtual worlds using the Marginalized Youth Voices Amplified on Virtual Worlds project, which a journalism professor at a southern public university received a grant to develop. The grant came from an Online News Association Challenge Fund for Innovation in Journalism Education, and has been involved in efforts to produce 3D-scenario machinimas (action videos inside virtual worlds) to tell real-life journalism stories of the youth in the juvenile justice system. The project deploys the principles of traditional journalism in the virtual world to re-create the experiences of youth in the Georgia juvenile justice system. As the project\u27s student researcher, I plan to discover what journalism professors, students and professionals can learn from this nine-month experience of using virtual world platforms to tell real-world journalism stories. Using a combination of ethnographic and survey research, this study will undertake a structural analysis of not only the production practices of immersive virtual journalism - such as the reporting and recording of stories in virtual-world scenarios via Open Simulator, an open source multi-platform, multiuser 3D server application - but of the impact of this emerging, evolving form of journalism on audiences, especially media-averse youth audiences. At the conclusion of this experiment, the answers to the following questions will be more clear: Does the immersive, personalized nature of virtual world journalism resonate more with youthful audiences than in traditional journalism? Do college students believe that it provides a richer, more empathetic experience in news consumption? What can traditional journalism learn from immersive virtual world 53 journalism? Can it be the savior of or at least a consequential complement to traditional journalism

Contribution of Lianas to Plant Area Index and Canopy Structure in A Panamanian Forest

Lianas are an important component of tropical forests, where they reduce tree growth, fecundity, and survival. Competition for light from lianas may be intense; however, the amount of light that lianas intercept is poorly understood. We used a large-scale liana-removal experiment to quantify light interception by lianas in a Panamanian secondary forest. We measured the change in plant area index (PAI) and forest structure before and after cutting lianas (for 4 yr) in eight 80 m × 80 m plots and eight control plots (16 plots total). We used ground-based LiDAR to measure the 3-dimensional canopy structure before cutting lianas, and then annually for 2 yr afterwards. Six weeks after cutting lianas, mean plot PAI was 20% higher in control vs. liana removal plots. One yr after cutting lianas, mean plot PAI was ~17% higher in control plots. The differences between treatments diminished significantly 2 yr after liana cutting and, after 4 yr, trees had fully compensated for liana removal. Ground-based LiDAR revealed that lianas attenuated light in the upper- and middle-forest canopy layers, and not only in the upper canopy as was previously suspected. Thus, lianas compete with trees by intercepting light in the upper- and mid-canopy of this forest

Platelet Activating Factor Synthesis and Metabolism in Intestinal Ischaemia-Reperfusion Injury

The object of this study was to characterize the synthesis and metabolism of platelet activating factor (PAF) by intestinal mucosa subjected to ischaemia–reperfusion injury. Canine intestinal mucosa produced 16:0-PAF, 18:0-PAF, and high levels of the corresponding lyso- PAF metabolites. Three h of intestinal ischaemia and ischaemia followed by 1 h of reperfusion did not affect the synthesis or metabolism of PAF by intestinal mucosa. Intestinal mucosa elaborated a factor that rapidly hydrolyzes PAF to lyso-PAF. The observed hydrolysis rate was not altered by ischaemia or ischaemia and reperfusion. In conclusion, this study suggests that intestinal mucosa produces PAF and rapidly hydrolyzes PAF. The PAF synthesis and metabolism rates of intestinal mucosa is not altered by ischaemia reperfusion in this model under the imposed conditions

The negative influences of the new brazilian forest code on the conservation of riparian forests

More than one million hectares of riparian forests were degraded or altered in Mato Grosso State (Brazil) up to 2009. The aim of the research is to set a comparative scenario to show differences in the quantification of environmental liabilities in riparian forest areas resulting from the change in native vegetation protection rules due to the transition between Laws 4771/65 and 12651/2012. Data collection took place in a marginal stretch of Vermelho River in Rondonópolis County, Mato Grosso State. The following data set was taken into consideration: aerial images derived from unmanned aerial vehicle, Rapid Eye satellite images and orbital images hosted at Google Earth. The spatial resolution of those images was compared. The aerial photos composed a mosaic that was photo-interpreted to generate land use and occupation classes. The riparian forest areas of a rural property were used as parameter, and their environmental situation was compared in 05 meter and 100 meter strips. Thus, by taking into consideration the current rules, 23,501 m2 of area ceased to be an environmental liability within the riparian forest and became a consolidated rural area. According to the previous Forest Code, in a different scenario, that is, in a set of rural properties, the public authority would receive USD 68,600.00 in fines. The new Brazilian Forestry Code of 2012, which replaces the previous one made in 1965, exempts those responsible for rural property from regenerating previously deforested native vegetation — an obligation established by older Forest Code. We have shown that the new Forest Code has diminished the legal responsibility of the rural owners in relation to the maintenance of forest fragments in their properties

Training Preservice Counselors to Conduct Suicide Assessment: Interpersonal-Psychological Theory (IPT) Versus Training as Usual (TAU) Workshops

For good reason, suicide is of growing concern across the nation; rates continue to increase annually in the United States. Accurate assessment remains an obstacle to effective treatment for individuals who are suicidal. Without proper screening, a client cannot get a referral to see a specialist and therefore cannot receive necessary treatment. Clinicians commonly encounter individuals at risk for suicide, although these professionals lack adequate training in suicide-assessment skills. So, too, do clinicians often doubt their ability to accurately assess risk, often because prior suicide-assessment models have contained long lists of protective factors weighed against potential risk factors. At bottom, however, suicide assessment eludes calculation; it is less of a science and more of an art, drawing as it does on probing assessments of individuals’ situations and especially their contemplation of suicide as a solution for their problems. Thomas Joiner’s interpersonal-psychological theory of suicide assessment (IPT) caused a paradigm shift within the field by assessing suicide risk in terms of three main factors, essentially consolidating all the risk and protective factors from preexisting models. Each factor (thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness, and acquired capability) carries the same weight in the assessment. By simplifying and streamlining the suicide-assessment process, clinicians have become more confident, efficient, and effective in assessing an individual’s risk level, allowing these professionals to remain calm in high-stress situations and enabling them to better assess their clients’ needs. The present study used an experimental, nonconcurrent, multiple-baseline, multiple-probe design as well as a one-group pretest–posttest to examine the impact of IPT training on the self-efficacy and knowledge of participants. Twenty participants, ranging from 24 to 53 years in age, attended a remote, three-session, online training on IPT, where they learned about the theory’s foundation and its application to practical settings. One group contained preservice mental health clinicians, and the other group included rural K–12 school counselors. The results indicated that online IPT-based training increased participants’ knowledge of suicide assessment tactics, but the findings did not reveal an increase in participants’ self-efficacy following the completion of their training. These data demonstrate that suicide training can be an effective learning tool for clinicians frequently in contact with suicidal clients. Future research should explore clinicians’ self-efficacy, with an emphasis on those factors most likely to increase confidence when conducting suicide assessments

The role of canopy structural complexity in wood net primary production of a maturing northern deciduous forest

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/117132/1/ecy20119291818.pd

Processing Characteristics, Composition, Shelf-life, and Sensory Attributes of Beef Bacon Manufactured From Seven Value-Added Cuts of Beef

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of different beef cuts on their potential for adding value by assessing processing characteristics, composition, shelf-life, and sensory attributes of these cuts as beef bacon. Six briskets (Institutional Meat Purchase Specification [IMPS]#120), 6 clod hearts (IMPS#114E; divided horizontally into 2 halves: silver-skin side and non–silver-skin side), 6 flanks (IMPS#193), 6 outside flats (IMPS#171B), and 7 short plates (IMPS#121A; cut into a deboned short-rib half and navel half) were sourced commercially from separate Canadian quality grade AA beef carcasses. Data for processing yields, composition, and image analysis were analyzed as a generalized linear mixed model with fixed effect of cut and random effect of replication nested within block (processing group). Sensory data collected using a trained sensory panel were analyzed in the same manner, with an additional fixed effect of storage day and additional random effects of session and panelist. Rested pump uptake, which was targeted at 20%, was not different (P = 0.21) among cuts; however, smokehouse cook yield differed (P < 0.01) among cuts, with heavier cuts (brisket, plate cuts, and outside flat) generally having greater yields compared with lighter cuts (clod cuts and flank). As expected, composition of bacon slices was affected (P < 0.01) by cut, with leaner cuts (clod cuts, flank, and outside flat) having greater moisture, lower lipid levels, and greater protein compared with fatter cuts (brisket and plate cuts). Sensory analysis revealed significant differences in muscle fiber toughness and connective tissue among cuts. The differences that were quantified in this study should allow manufacturers to tailor their cut selection to the processing specifications that may be most profitable and well-suited for the meat industry and its customer base. Overall, this research should help define beef bacon and further indicate that a variety of beef cuts can be used to manufacture beef bacon

Enzymatically Treated Spent Cellulose Sausage Casings as an Ingredient in Beef Emulsion Systems

The objective of this research was to incorporate an ingredient obtained from spent cellulose casings in beef emulsion modeling systems. The test ingredient (residual sausage casing [RSC]) was procured from cellulose sausage casings following thermal processing of the sausages. The casings were cleaned of contaminants before a combination of enzymatic hydrolysis and high-speed homogenization was conducted in an effort to improve the functional attributes of the cellulose casing residue (i.e., recycling/upcycling of the spent casings). The beef emulsion modeling systems used in this study consisted of 57.30% beef, 20% water, 15% olive oil, 6% of the combination of RSC and an all-purpose binder, 1.45% NaCl, 0.40% sodium tri-polyphosphate, 0.15% sodium nitrite cure, and 0.0035% sodium erythorbate. The overlying goal was to test the ability of the RSC ingredient as a partial or full replacement of binder ingredients in a beef emulsion system. Therefore, the beef emulsion model systems were prepared with 5 different levels of the RSC ingredient (0% RSC, 25% RSC, 50% RSC, 75% RSC, and 100% RSC). This study was independently replicated in its entirety 3 times (n = 3) in a completely randomized design, and data were analyzed using a generalized linear mixed statistical model. Emulsion samples were tested for proximate composition, cooking loss, emulsion stability, texture profile analysis, and instrumental color. Overall, technological properties and emulsion stability were lost as the level of the RSC ingredient increased, but low levels of the RSC ingredient (25% RSC) may help maintain acceptable levels of yield and emulsion stability while improving the sustainability of the sausage production system

Red Beetroot. A Potential Source of Natural Additives for the Meat Industry

Currently, the food industry is looking for alternatives to synthetic additives in processed food products, so research investigating new sources of compounds with high biological activity is worthwhile and becoming more common. There are many dierent types of vegetables that contain bioactive compounds, and additional features of some vegetables include uses as natural colorants and antioxidants. In this sense, and due to the special composition of beetroot, the use of this vegetable allows for the extraction of a large number of compounds with special interest to the meat industry. This includes colorants (betalains), antioxidants (betalains and phenolic compounds), and preservatives (nitrates), which can be applied for the reformulation of meat products, thus limiting the number and quantity of synthetic additives added to these foods and, at the same time, increase their shelf-life. Despite all these benefits, the application of beetroot or its products (extracts, juice, powder, etc.) in the meat industry is very limited, and the body of available research on beetroot as an ingredient is scarce. Therefore, in this review, the main biologically active compounds present in beetroot, the implications and benefits that their consumption has for human health, as well as studies investigating the use beetroot in the reformulation of meat and meat products are presented in a comprehensible manner