Picturing the Underserved Audience: Photovoice as Method in Applied Communication Research

The use of photographs in sociology and anthropology has grown over the last half of the 20th century, leading to various photo-based research methods that are intended to aid in building and enriching participant narratives. One specific photo-based method, known as photovoice, was developed for the purposes of enabling community members to capture photographs themselves in order to gain a deeper understanding of participant culture. In addition, it has the ability to visually portray and share experiences and knowledge about issues that otherwise would be difficult to explain through in-depth interviews alone. This professional development paper demonstrates the value of incorporating photovoice into a multi-method research project in the field of applied communications for the purposes of gaining valuable insights into the lived experiences of underserved audiences. Drawing from a larger study examining the culture of participants within the Extension-led Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP), the results and discussion demonstrate that photovoice helps to function as a checkpoint in knowledge production and ways of knowing on behalf of the researcher. In addition, photovoice as method demonstrates an effort that can improve and diversify the field of applied communication research, especially as it relates to the National Research Agenda’s priority of addressing vibrant and resilient communities

Federal Policy Advocacy Handbook, 2007 Edition

This handbook contains basic information about the policy process to enable its readers to become more effective advocates for community food security and related issues. Contains two main sections: the basics of the Federal Policy Cycle and the basics of effective participation in the federal policy process. Also includes a glossary of policy-related terms and a tip sheet for lobbying

Expo Milano 2015: The Overview, Issue, and Future for Agricultural Communicators

Expo Milano 2015 was an international agricultural event to promote and discuss the issue of food sustainability around the world. Two agricultural communication researchers attended the event in summer 2015 to better understand the world’s perspective of the prominent issues facing the agricultural industry and how other countries were addressing the issues. The Expo took place in Milan, Italy, and featured 140 countries and their perception on agriculture and food in their respective country. While the event was impressive, the issues purported to be the focus of the event (agriculture sustainability and food insecurity) were rarely addressed in each country. Rather, the countries focused on culture and how food impacted their culture and customs. Events like these offer agricultural communicators the opportunity to join the discussion of how the issues of food sustainability and insecurity can be positively impacted by agriculture technology and research; however, it may be only through the formation of meaningful and collaborative relationships with groups and organizations outside of the traditional agricultural industry that agricultural communicators will be invited to join the conversation. These relationships may need to be cultivated to show respect and mutual bene t for both the organization and the agricultural industry for long-term impact for the expansion of opportunities for agricultural communicators

Akutno otrovanje cijanidima: klinička slika, dijagnoza i liječenje

Cyanide poisoning presents in many forms. Industrial intoxications occur due to extensive use of cyanide compounds as reaction products. Smoke inhalation, a polyintoxication, is most often responsible for domestic cyanide poisonings. Suicidal poisonings are rare. Cyanogenic compounds may produce acute or subacute toxicity. Signs of cyanide poisoning include headache, vertigo, agitation, confusion, coma, convulsions and death. Definitive laboratory confirmation is generally delayed. Elevated plasma lactate, associated with cardiovascular collapse, should suggest cyanide intoxication. Immediate treatment includes 100% oxygen, assisted ventilation, decontamination, correction of acidosis and blood pressure support. Antidotes include oxygen, hydroxocobalamin, di-cobalt EDTA and methaemoglobin-inducers. Hydroxocobalamin is an attractive antidote due to its rapid cyanide binding and its lack of serious side-effects, even in the absence of cyanide intoxication. Sodium thiosulphate acts more slowly than other antidotes and is indicated in subacute cyanogen poisoning and as an adjunct to acute cyanide poisoning. Initial evaluation of antidotal efficacy is based on correction of hypotension and lactic acidosis; the final analysis rests on the degree of permanent central nervous system injury.Otrovanje cijanidima može nastati na različite načine. Profesionalna otrovanja uzrokovana su širokom uporabom cijanidnih spojeva u kemijskoj sintezi. Udisanje dima u požarima najčešći je uzrok otrovanja cijanidima u kućnom okolišu. Otrovanja u svrhu samoubojstava su rijetka. Cijanogeni spojevi mogu uzrokovati akutna ill subakutna otrovanja. Znakovi otrovanja su glavobolja, vrtoglavica, nemir, smetenost, koma, konvulzije i smrt. Konačna laboratorijska potvrda uzroka otrovanja često dolazi sa zakašnjenjem. Povišenje laktata u plazmi praćeno zatajenjem srca i krvotoka upućuje na moguće otrovanje cijanidima. Hitno liječenje uključuje kisik, umjetno disanje, mjere dekontaminacije, suzbijanje acidoze i održavanje krvotoka. Kao antidoti rabe se kisik, hidroksikobalamin, dikobalt-EDTA i lijekovi koji dovode do methemoglobinemije. Hidroksikobalamin je antidot izbora zbog sposobnosti brzog vezanja cijanida, s malo ozbiljnih nuspojava čak i ako otrovanje nije uzrokovano cijanidima. Natrijev tiosulfat djeluje sporije od drugih antidota i indiciran je u subakutnim slučajevima otrovanja te kao pomoćni lijek za akutna otrovanja cijanidima. Početna procjena djelotvornosti antidota temelji se na sposobnosti suzbijanja hipotenzije i laktičke acidoze, dok se konačna ocjena temelji na procjeni stupnja trajnog oštećenja središnjeg živčanog sustava

The Development and Validation of a Personal Agency Scale Based in the Community Capitals Framework

Used in a variety of community contexts and needs, the Community Capitals Framework (CCF) is an analytical tool to holistically examine the complex and unique characteristics that exist at the local level. While CCF—which focuses on social, human, cultural, political, natural, financial, and built capitals—has been used to collect community information to identify and assess suitable programming efforts, a gap currently exists in the literature providing agricultural and extension educators with the tools necessary to examine CCF characteristics, both at the community and individual levels. Designed as a pilot study targeting six counties in [STATE], this research developed a personal agency scale that was based on the seven capitals and intended to measure individuals’ perceived ability within a community. Internal structure validity was established by analyzing the response distributions of the individual items, evaluating internal consistency, and conducting exploratory factor analyses of the hypothesized latent variables. These results indicate that such a scale has potential to serve as a baseline set of data when considering program design, implementation, and evaluation purpose

Teaching Convergence in 21st Century Undergraduate Agricultural Communication: A Pilot Study of Backpack Multimedia Kits in a Blended, Project-Based Learning Course

Twenty-first century agricultural communication students are expected to have an increasingly diverse set of skills when they graduate.Expertise is expected in: writing, editing, design, marketing, media relations, event planning, interpersonal communication, digital development, e-publications, online video, mobile applications, podcasting, and social media.This expansion of needed skills is due in no small part to the proliferation of communication channels and convergence of media platforms today. In order to continue preparing students for professions in agricultural communication, it is imperative that the curricula reflect current industry needs and available technology. In this article, one approach for expanding curricula to incorporate these newer technologies by implementing backpack multimedia journalism kits for science communication is discussed. The kits were developed to address these criteria: 1) students needed opportunities to gain a variety of broad technological skills, 2) the technology had to be mobile and cost effective, and 3) the technology needed to be able to produce a variety of content across a variety of platforms. The mobile multimedia kits included iPad-minis and video accessories. Through an agricultural communication blended-learning, project-based undergraduate course, the authors tested the effectiveness of the kits, as well as researched students’ perceptions and experiences with the course design and mobile communication technologies. The results of the study showed students valued the selected technology and gained targeted video production skills. Although students’ liked the course design, they experienced challenges with course requirements, time management, and using the technological audio recording components

Interactive Infographics\u27 Effect on Elaboration in Agricultural Communication

In public health, politics, and advertising, interactive content spurred increased elaboration from audiences that were otherwise least likely to engage with a message. This study sought to examine interactivity as an agricultural communication strategy through the lens of the Elaboration Likelihood Model. Respondents were randomly assigned a static or interactive data visualization concerning the production of peaches and blueberries in Georgia, then asked to list their thoughts in accordance with Petty and Cacioppo’s thought-listing measure. Respondents significantly exhibited higher elaboration with the interactive message as opposed to the static, extending the results of past research in other communication realms to agricultural communication as well. This increase in attitude and cognition encourages agricultural communicators to pursue the use of more interactive elements in their messaging