Corn Producers’ Perceptions of Trust toward Seed Corporations

The purpose of this study was to serve as a pilot study for future researchers to examine the perceptions of corn grain producer’s trust toward seed corporations and how the corn grain producers value the information they receive from seed corporations. The data allowed seed producing corporations to understand the levels of trust corn grain producers have for seed producing corporations as their customers and how these customers value the information they receive. The goal was to highlight this information so seed producing corporations can continue to bridge the relationship between the corporation and the producers. This was a descriptive study using an online questionnaire that was conducted in cooperation with the Nebraska Corn Growers Association. The online survey was delivered to the participants who were Nebraska corn growers for the 2014 growing season through the Nebraska Corn Growers Association weekly online newsletter. A response rate of 6.47% was achieved (N=649, n=42). The respondents of the study completed an online survey using Qualtrics™ online system. The survey included demographic questions, items to address the objectives, and 62 Likert scale items using the Organizational Trust Inventory- Long Form (OTI-LF). The results of this study indicated factors that influence the trust of corn producers toward seed corporations. The data revealed that sales representatives (m=8.02) influence the trust levels of producers the most of any outside source. The item that indicated the highest influence for purchasing decisions of corn seed for corn producers was the ability to yield (m=9.43). Lastly, this study examined the demographic data through frequencies and percentages. One of the items included age of corn producers. The majority of the respondents were in the age group of 30-45 years (n=22, 52.4%). The item with the highest mean from the OTI-LF was from the interaction of Dimension One and Behavioral Intentions, “We intend to monitor seed corporations’ compliance with our agreement” (m=5.03). The reported mean from the participants indicated that the participants “Agree” with the statement. The item with the lowest mean from the OTI-LF was from the interaction of Dimension Two and Behavioral Intentions, “We intend to misrepresent our capabilities in negations with seed corporations” (m= 2.91). The reported mean from the participants indicated that the participants “Disagree” with the statement

Spinal Cord Injury Causes Reduction of Galanin and Gastrin Releasing Peptide mRNA Expression in the Spinal Ejaculation Generator of Male Rats

Spinal cord injury (SCI) in men is commonly associated with sexual dysfunction, including anejaculation, and chronic mid-thoracic contusion injury in male rats also impairs ejaculatory reflexes. Ejaculation is controlled by a spinal ejaculation generator consisting of a population of lumbar spinothalamic (LSt) neurons that control ejaculation through release of four neuropeptides including galanin and gastrin releasing peptide (GRP) onto lumbar and sacral autonomic and motor nuclei. It was recently demonstrated that spinal contusion injury in male rats caused reduction of GRP-immunoreactivity, but not galanin-immunoreactivity in LSt cells, indicative of reduced GRP peptide levels, but inconclusive results for galanin. The current study further tests the hypothesis that contusion injury causes a disruption of GRP and galanin mRNA in LSt cells. Male rats received mid-thoracic contusion injury and galanin and GRP mRNA were visualized 8 weeks later in the lumbar spinal cord using fluorescent in situ hybridization. Spinal cord injury significantly reduced GRP and galanin mRNA in LSt cells. Galanin expression was higher in LSt cells compared to GRP. However, expression of the two transcripts were positively correlated in LSt cells in both sham and SCI animals, suggesting that expression for the two neuropeptides may be co-regulated. Immunofluorescent visualization of galanin and GRP peptides demonstrated a significant reduction in GRP-immunoreactivity, but not galanin in LSt cells, confirming the previous observations. In conclusion, SCI reduced GRP and galanin expression in LSt cells with an apparent greater impact on GRP peptide levels. GRP and galanin are both essential for triggering ejaculation and thus such reduction may contribute to ejaculatory dysfunction following SCI in rats

Language Differences and Literary Values - Diviations from a Theme

Englis

Old English Prosody - A Demurrer

Englis

Social Construction, Language, and the Authority of Knowledge and a Polemical History of Freshman Composition in Our Time - Comment

Englis

THE POLITICS OF PLURALISM AND ASSIMILATIONIST POLICY IN ANN ARBOR'S BLACK ENGLISH TRIAL: SOCIOLINGUISTICS AS A POLICY SCIENCE

Sociolinguistics has generally promoted assimilationkt language policy even though many sociolinguists are ardent supporters of cultural and linguistic pluralism, and have been politically active in support of the languages and cultures of their research subjects. The 1978 Ann Arbor Black English Trial-the King decision depended heavily upon the testimony given by sociolinguists in support of the plaintiffs, who argued that they had been denied an equal educational opportunity. The King decision exemplifies a problematic and unresolved conflict between linguistic research as a descriptive enterprise and applications of linguistic research which, by and large, implement assimilationkt language policy. Many sociolinguists favor the retention of cultural and linguistic pluralism, yet their research is utilized to design programs which will promote literacy in standard written English. Copyright 1981 by The Policy Studies Organization.