Farmers, farm workers and work-related stress

This research explores the ways in which stress affects farming communities, how this has changed in recent years, and the degree to which work-related aspects of stress may be assuaged by support interventions. A qualitative case study research approach was employed to address these issues, involving 60 interviews in five locations across England and Wales.In examining farming stress, a distinction is made between its intrinsic, extrinsic and workrelated dimensions. Whileinterviewees tended to associate day-to-day worries and acute stress with farming’s intrinsic demands (such as disease and adverse weather conditions), external causes of tension (such as competition and regulation), together with worries about finances and family, were associated with more sustained anxieties. By contrast, work-related aspects of farming stress, such as workload issues and farming practices, involved a combination of physical and mental health effects.Notably, work-related and extrinsic dimensions of stress have increased in recent years in relation to organisational and policy shifts, price fluctuations, mounting paperwork demands, workload intensification, and changes in agricultural regulation. These have prompted an escalation in the aspects of their work that farming communities feel powerless to control, and represent a major area for policy intervention. Principal farmers displayed the most visible manifestations of stress, linked at once to the intrinsic, extrinsic and workrelated dimensions of their work. By contrast, family farm workers and labourers often lacked autonomy over the way they worked, and work-related aspects of stress concerning workload and organisation made up a greater part of their experience. Increased paperwork demands emerged as a major cause of stress among interviewees, particularly forfarmers and their wives, who struggled to balance these with traditional farming priorities. Differences between farmswere also influential in explaining stress. Livestock farming embodied intrinsic pressures relating to stock crises and the unpredictability of animals, but more recently has come under intense economic pressure, prompting a rationalisation of working practices. Arable farmers found the organisation of activities, such as harvesting and planting, in a context of reduced and increasingly contractual workforces particularly challenging. Mixed farmers faced the dual stresses of balancing work activities with conflicting timetables, and the paperwork demands of a complex portfolio of farming. Smaller farms were struggled with intensified workloads, while larger enterprises had to comply with the demands of more inspection regimes.Support agencies need to overcome the stigma attached to asking for help among farming communities and offer a rangeof responsive and proactive services. Locally based support was more likely to be used and trusted, although concernsabout client confidentiality might deter those most in need from seeking help. Where existing local networks wereestablished, there was a strong argument for providers to plug into these and work towards publicising their efforts to ensure that support is provided most effectively. Critically, support must be multidimensional, reflecting the wide range of stressors and their impacts among farming communities

Affordances for learning in a non-linear narrative medium

A multimedia CD makes an impressive resource for the scholar-researcher, but students unfamiliar with the subject-matter may not always work so effectively with such a resource. Without any narrative structure, how does the novice cope? The paper describes how we are investigating the design features that 'afford' activities that generate learning: What are the design features that encourage students to practise the role of the scholar? What encourages them to explore, but also to reflect on their analysis of the data they find? What kind of learning takes place when students are allowed to explore at will? The paper goes on to compare the learning experiences of students using commercial CDs with those using material with contrasting designs, in an attempt to identify the design features that afford constructive learning activities. It concludes with an interpretation of the findings, comparing them with work in related educational media, and situating the findings in the context of a conversational framework for learning

Uptown Chicago Energy Benchmarking Research​

Through the City of Chicago’s Energy Benchmarking Ordinance, buildings over 50,000 square feet must report on the building\u27s energy information. After reporting this information, the building is given a Chicago Energy rating and required to display their number to the public. However, information on the buildings architect, developer, and engineer are not required making it difficult to hold buildings with low rating accountable. The research for my project consisted of trying to collect that data and seeing if there would be a way to hold poor rating buildings responsible to hopefully spark more eco-friendly building developments

INVESTIGATING THE THRU-HIKING EXPERIENCE: A STUDY ON THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST NATIONAL SCENIC TRAIL

The phenomena of thru-hiking has been on a dramatic rise, spurring hikers to venture onto increasingly remote and challenging trails over extended periods of time. Despite the recent popularity of thru-hiking, the field remains relatively unstudied. In recreation, the expectations held beforehand have been linked to perceptions after an activity, but this has not been explored in thru-hiking. For example, there is little known on the challenges associated with thru-hiking and how these challenges are navigated. Additionally, the social experience associated with thru-hiking on and off the trail has not been studied. Further, research is lacking on immersive experiences such as thru-hiking and hikers’ transition back to ‘regular’ life. Through exploration of these areas, there will be an increased understanding of the thru-hikers and their actions, a field that is growing greatly in popularity and yet little research has been conducted. With a better understanding of thru-hikers, managers will be able to better adopt their plans and strategies to incorporate the unique characteristics of this user group. Without an increased understanding of thru-hiker attitudes and behaviors, managers will lack the necessary knowledge to effectively manage long distance hiking trails, which could negatively impact the natural resources of the trail and the hiker experience. This study addresses these gaps by investigating the thru-hiker experience of the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail (PNNST), a trail best known for its remoteness and rugged features. The study also examines what thru-hikers believe should be maintained or reconsidered in the face of the impending management plan. Multi-phase semi-structured interviews were conducted with 42 of the 2017 PNNST thru-hikers before their hike, directly after completion, and two months after completion. The research focused on how pre-hike expectations and previous experiences affect the experience of the thru-hiker, how thru-hikers navigate adverse circumstances, how the social aspect impacts the thru-hiker experience, and how completion of a thru-hike affects the transition back to everyday life. The findings suggest that previous experience and expectations for the trail have an impact on how thru-hikers interpret their experience, with many describing how the PNNST met or did not meet their expectations going into the trail. Thru-hikers dealt with challenges utilizing both mental and physical strategies, which were unique depending upon their previous levels of experience. Additionally, the research suggests that the thru-hiking experience will have an impact on the lives of the majority of thru-hikers going forward. This study’s findings contribute to the theoretical understanding of thru-hiking and is useful to land managers, recreational planners, and community planners for extended trails and trail towns

The Role of Indicators in Promoting Gender Equality Through the Millennium and Sustainable Development Goals

With the global rise of evidence-based policy, indicators have become an increasingly important part of governance. Indicators are statistics that represent social experiences, turning complex norms into simplified representations. Although seemingly objective, indicators reflect the values and beliefs of the actors who create them. An indicator’s normative underpinnings have significant consequences for social governance and policy because of an indicator’s power to shape understanding. This multi-manuscript dissertation analyzes the impact of governance by indicators as seen in the Millennium and Sustainable Development Goals (MDGs and SDGs), two major United Nations initiatives in the field of global social governance. The focus is on the goals for gender equality, MDG 3 and SDG 5. The dissertation shows how gender indicators can be used as strategic frames for advancing gender equality. My work takes a feminist and pro-quantitative approach, showing how these two approaches can and do work together. Paper #1 presents indicators as ‘actants’, or non-human actors, that act as a method of communication. The paper argues that they can be contested but that effective contestation and change depend on engaging with, rather than simply dismissing, numerical language. When spaces of contestation open up during transitional periods, as happened during the move from the MDGs to the SDGs, engaging with the language of numbers and indicators helps actors gain an audience. Paper #2 explores a feminist critique of measurement and knowledge production in the MDGs and SDGs, based on UN Women’s engagement. In so doing, the paper shows the value of engaging with indicator-driven agendas as a successful feminist strategy. In recognizing the value of quantification and data-driven evidence in policy, this paper also speaks to the tension between feminist critique of quantitative knowledge production and the feminist approach’s welcoming of multiple ways of knowing. Paper #3 assesses the possibilities and challenges of evaluating the MDGs using official MDG data, comparing pre- and post-treatment results. It shows how statistical constraints in the form of availability, quality, and predictive ability create roadblocks for MDG evaluation, despite the fact that the Goals were set up with measurability and accountability in mind. The paper argues for greater consideration of the framing effects of indicators, as they shape understanding of a problem and potential solutions. While MDG indicators were designed for measurement, the way they frame issues may have more important implications for empirical evaluation

The Effects of Maternal Energy Restriction During Mid-Gestation on Growth Performance, Immune Function, and Gene Expression in the Resultant Beef Offspring

Fetal or developmental programming evaluates the effects of maternal alterations on the developing fetus and the potential consequences later in life. To understand the effects of mid-gestation energy restriction on beef cows and their calves the objectives of this dissertation were to determine the effects of dietary energy restriction on measurements associated with cow energy status, and the effects on growth performance, the humoral immune response, and subcutaneous adipose tissue gene expression in the resultant beef offspring. Pregnant beef cows were allotted into 2 treatment groups during mid-gestation: 1) fed at maintenance (Positive Energy Status (PES)); or 2) fed just below maintenance (Negative Energy Status (NES)). Cows were evaluated for parameters reflective of cow energy status. Positive energy status cows maintained or gained condition where the NES cows lost condition during the mid-gestation treatment period, indicating the intended treatment was met. Progeny were evaluated for growth performance characteristics from birth through the finishing phase. Birth weight was decreased in NES heifer calves (P0.05). Two genes important in adipose differentiation had a tendency (

Modeling Emergence of Annual Bluegrass (Poa annua L.) in Hybrid Bermudagrass [C. dactylon (L.) Pers. x C. transvaalensis Burtt-Davy]

Annual bluegrass (Poa annua L.; ABG) is a troublesome weed of turfgrass systems. A model to predict ABG emergence patterns could aid in timing measures to control ABG. Field research was initiated in January 2019 at the East Tennessee AgResearch & Education Center (ETREC) (Knoxville, TN) to better understand environmental conditions associated with ABG emergence. Plots (1 m2) included both hybrid bermudagrass [C. dactylon (L.) Pers. x C. transvaalensis Burtt-Davy, cv. ‘Tifway’, at a 1.5 cm cutting height] and bare soil. Emerged ABG inside a 1000 cm2 area in the center of each plot was counted weekly for 10 months; during June and July ABG was counted biweekly. Sensors in each plot captured air temperature data on 15-minute intervals. Air temperature data were expressed as cooling degree days accumulated after 21 June (i.e., the summer solstice) using a 21 C base temperature (CDD21C). Python (v.3.8.7) was used (post-hoc) to fit non-linear functions to ABG emergence and CDD21C data collected in 2019; models were then tested for validation in 2020. Fluctuations in CDD21C accounted for ≥ 82% of the variance in yearly cumulative ABG emergence at ETREC over two seasons. Although ABG emergence was first noted at a similar CDD21C benchmark each year (12 CDD21C in 2019 and 8 CDD21C in 2020), a yearly cumulative emergence model underpredicted 50 and 75% emergence in 2020. Peak ABG emergence occurred during a 4-week period in both 2019 and 2020; however, the timing of this 4-week period varied over years. Future research should be conducted using the 24-month dataset generated herein to develop new ABG emergence models using both CDD21C and rainfall accumulation

The Role of Indicators in Promoting Gender Equality Through the Millennium and Sustainable Development Goals

With the global rise of evidence-based policy, indicators have become an increasingly important part of governance. Indicators are statistics that represent social experiences, turning complex norms into simplified representations. Although seemingly objective, indicators reflect the values and beliefs of the actors who create them. An indicator’s normative underpinnings have significant consequences for social governance and policy because of an indicator’s power to shape understanding. This multi-manuscript dissertation analyzes the impact of governance by indicators as seen in the Millennium and Sustainable Development Goals (MDGs and SDGs), two major United Nations initiatives in the field of global social governance. The focus is on the goals for gender equality, MDG 3 and SDG 5. The dissertation shows how gender indicators can be used as strategic frames for advancing gender equality. My work takes a feminist and pro-quantitative approach, showing how these two approaches can and do work together. Paper #1 presents indicators as ‘actants’, or non-human actors, that act as a method of communication. The paper argues that they can be contested but that effective contestation and change depend on engaging with, rather than simply dismissing, numerical language. When spaces of contestation open up during transitional periods, as happened during the move from the MDGs to the SDGs, engaging with the language of numbers and indicators helps actors gain an audience. Paper #2 explores a feminist critique of measurement and knowledge production in the MDGs and SDGs, based on UN Women’s engagement. In so doing, the paper shows the value of engaging with indicator-driven agendas as a successful feminist strategy. In recognizing the value of quantification and data-driven evidence in policy, this paper also speaks to the tension between feminist critique of quantitative knowledge production and the feminist approach’s welcoming of multiple ways of knowing. Paper #3 assesses the possibilities and challenges of evaluating the MDGs using official MDG data, comparing pre- and post-treatment results. It shows how statistical constraints in the form of availability, quality, and predictive ability create roadblocks for MDG evaluation, despite the fact that the Goals were set up with measurability and accountability in mind. The paper argues for greater consideration of the framing effects of indicators, as they shape understanding of a problem and potential solutions. While MDG indicators were designed for measurement, the way they frame issues may have more important implications for empirical evaluation

Letter from Rose S. Taylor to John Muir, [1913 Apr].

(Apr. 1913)Mr. John Muir,Martinez, Calif.Permit me to say to you that the Story of my Boyhood and Youth has found a great place in our house and in our hearts.We gave it to our son Paul, who has entered the university. The book is full of inspiration and courage and the atmosphere05412 of the early Wisconsin days. We are Wisconsin people and are familiar with the scenes of the book. I\u27m glad you wrote this book. I\u27m prouder than ever of the U.W.Pardon me if this letter is an intrusion on your time.Very trulyRose W. TaylorU.W. \u2785Mrs. H. J. Taylor1711 Douglas St,Sioux City, I

Francois Delsarte, Prince Sergei Volkonsky and Mikhail Chekhov

In 1913 Prince Sergei Volkonsky, a director of the Russian Imperial Ballet, published two books based on Delsarte’s principles which had considerable impact on the Russian modernist theatre. Stanislavsky, Meyerhold and Vakhtangov, all explored the semiology of emotional expression, as did the Russian physiologists Sechenov and Pavlov. Mikhail Chekhov, in particular, developed principles of physical acting, and the article concludes with a comparison between his work and that of Delsarte