Information Outlets Research Articles

Utilization of Natural History Information in Evidence based Herpetoculture: A Proposed Protocol and Case Study with Hydrodynastes gigas (False Water Cobra).

Herpetocultural practices are based on norms driven by economy of space and time for keepers, with little scientific inference backing their practice. In recent years, a subset of herpetoculturalists have promoted evidence-based husbandry that relies on science and experimental design to generate husbandry practice. A theoretical framework and protocol are proposed herein that enables any individual who has access to the internet the ability to use various outlets of natural history information (scientific literature databases, social media sources, and weather websites) and previously published husbandry reports as evidence to drive the creation of novel herpetocultural practice. A case study is provided which compares readily available information on the care of Hydrodynastes gigas (false water cobra), such as online care sheets for the species, with the proposed evidence based herpetocultural protocol founded on natural history information and published care and captive breeding reports. Results were assessed for protocol efficacy and determined that the natural history informed evidence-based approach increased animal welfare and generated new information specific to the natural history of H. gigas.

Different Ways of Knowing and a Different Ways of Being: On a Path to Reawakening Legacy of the Maya Forest

Archaeological projects are in a special position to create unique partnerships, with shared goals and intentions, to development Maya anthropological archaeology. This narrative presents an education outreach project in archaeology invigorated with local collaboration. When priorities of active archaeological projects formally include resident community participation, new horizons and accomplishments are achieved. Local and international interests in heritage and cultural traditions create the platform for interactive relationships and identification of common ground. Together, our experience recognizes four educational pillars that revolve around ancient Maya heritage and the fundamental Maya forest garden. Centered on the protected area of the El Pilar Archaeological Reserve for Maya Flora and Fauna, El Pilar and forest gardens are celebrated at the urban Cayo Welcome Center, practiced at the active outfield Chak Ha Col forest garden, and taught at the rural Känan K’aax School Garden. As our experience demonstrates, community partnerships require specific elements of acknowledgment including a valued tangible heritage, a formal information outlet, an education link, and an honored cultural tradition. Together, these provide fertile ground for cultivating collaborations in the Maya region and across the world.

A Scalable Platform to Collect, Store, Visualize, and Analyze Big Data in Real Time

Twitter has withstood the test of time as a successful social networking platform. In many circles globally, the majority of users choose Twitter when choosing a social media outlet for reliable scientific information and news. However, the Twitter application programming interface (API) limitations do not allow for low-cost data science options for academia. It becomes very expensive for academic researchers to gain the full potential of data analytics available from Twitter using a free API account. In this article, we present our big data analytics platform developed at our DaTALab at Lakehead University, Canada, that allows users to focus on their Twitter search criteria and gain access to large amounts of Twitter data at the touch of a button. The platform supports the collection of social media data and applies many filters for cleaning and further use for machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI)-based systems. Our focus has been primarily on healthcare-related research, which shows the strength of the presented platform. However, the platform itself is malleable to any topic of interest. Data collected and processed are suitable for further AI/ML analysis. We present our platform using a specific healthcare search topic to emphasize the power of our system for future research endeavors in the healthcare field.

Sorting the News: How Ranking by Popularity Polarizes Our Politics

ABSTRACTMost people receive political news from social media platforms. Unlike traditional media, these platforms algorithmically determine the order in which news is presented, in part relying on an article’s popularity (i.e. number of likes, shares, and comments) to determine its ranking. To what extent does sorting the news by popularity influence people’s attitudes toward politics? With two large, nationally representative samples of adults and a novel experimental design, we find that ranking news articles by their popularity has consequential effects that vary depending on the partisan composition of the group upon which the rankings are based. Overall, algorithmic sorting exacerbates the tendency to “like” news that conform to the dominant viewpoint of the reference group. For example, when the group is ideologically like-minded, the in-party bias in “liking” creates a self-perpetuating cycle, where attitudinally congruent articles remain at the top of the feed. When the reference group is rather composed of out-party members, politically incongruent items rise to the top. While this helps to expose readers to new information, they also become disengaged from reading and sharing political news. Overall, our study holds important implications for how using social media as an outlet for political information can influence – and even polarize – our political preferences.

Sticking with the old seed: Input value chains and the challenges to deliver genetic gains to smallholder maize farmers.

The Kenyan maize seed sector exhibits high hybrid adoption rates, a growing number of seed companies, and an extensive agro-dealer network. Nonetheless, maize yields remain low and uptake of new, stress-tolerant varieties has been disappointing. This article investigates interactions in maize seed value chains in Kenya, and decisions made by agro-dealers, farmers, and seed companies, to gain a better understanding of how to encourage the uptake of new, stress-tolerant varieties. Data were collected during the 2019 seed-purchasing season from Kenyan seed companies (n = 8), agro-dealers (n = 80), and farmers immediately following their seed purchase (n = 466). Most agro-dealers had a wide offer of seed products available, but seed companies’ engagement with them was limited and marketing efforts were directly focused on farmers. Only a fraction of farmers used the agro-dealer environment to guide their decision-making. However, when agro-dealers engaged with farmers, they influenced varietal selection in 80% of the cases. Agro-dealers were one of the key information outlets about maize seed varieties. Seed company engagement with agro-dealers and in-store promotions (push marketing) should be further explored to improve returns on investments in seed systems.

Mental Illness Is Not Anyone’s Fault: A Review of NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) was established in 1979 and has since grown into a national foundation supporting both online and physical resources for those with mental disorders and/or their families, friends, and caregivers. NAMI.org, their website, houses a multitude of information, resources, community support, and crisis contact outlets and is a highly reliable source for anyone who would use it. Through their website alone they accomplish their four goals to educate, advocate, listen, and lead. NAMI offers support, guidance, and educational materials and opportunities, a safe space for voices to be heard, and a point of contact to the outside world when users may not know where to look or even start. It is an excellent resource and is highly recommended as a consumer health website for mental disorders and mental illness.

DISABLED MALAYSIANS AND THEIR POLITICAL CONSCIOUSNESS: A PRELIMINARY SURVEY

This paper discusses findings on political consciousness among disabled Malaysians before the Malaysian 14th General Election. We disseminate an online questionnaire through social media platforms. 98 respondents participated in the survey. The respondents consist of 60 males (61.2%) and 38 females (38.8%). A number of Malay respondents score the highest with 78 respondents (79.6%), following by Chinese with 11 respondents (11.2%), Indian with 7 respondents (7.1%) and Kadazan-Dusun with 2 respondents (2%). Our respondents comprise of individuals from each of the impairment group recognized by the Malaysian government. 11 respondents (11.2%) report that they are not registered as a voter, 2 respondents (2%) report in the application process and 1 respondent (1%) reports being not eligible to register. We find that factors exhibit by individual candidates, such as their personality and contribution are the top voting orientation as well as the manifesto. Besides that, our respondents utilize social media and news as their information outlets in following local politics. Though our respondents show political consciousness in terms of voter registration and voting in the election, we find many of our respondents do not know that each political coalition includes issues on disabled persons in their manifesto. Our respondents are also not confident of each political coalition’s ability to keep their promises related to disabled persons’ issues in their manifesto. 72 respondents (73.5%) agree and strongly agree that a disabled person runs as a candidate. Finally, 88 respondents (89.8%) agree and strongly agree that disabled persons’ issues must be included as part of political manifesto. We conclude this paper by discussing further research and capacity building programs to increase the political participation of disabled persons in Malaysia.

Understanding news outlets\u2019 audience-targeting patterns

The power of the press to shape the informational landscape of a population is unparalleled, even now in the era of democratic access to all information outlets. However, it is known that news outlets (particularly more traditional ones) tend to discriminate who they want to reach, and who to leave aside. In this work, we attempt to shed some light on the audience targeting patterns of newspapers, using the Chilean media ecosystem. First, we use the gravity model to analyze geography as a factor in explaining audience reachability. This shows that some newspapers are indeed driven by geographical factors (mostly local news outlets) but some others are not (national-distribution outlets). For those which are not, we use a regression model to study the influence of socioeconomic and political characteristics in news outlets adoption. We conclude that indeed larger, national-distribution news outlets target populations based on these factors, rather than on geography or immediacy.

Online distant witnessing and live-streaming activism: Emerging differences in the activation of networked publics

Since its formal approval, the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) project raised public concern about environmental sustainability and security. Thanks to the systematic use of Internet and communication technologies (ICTs), the nonviolent resistance organized by the Sioux tribes of Standing Rock Reservation to oppose the planned construction rapidly attracted public attention. In view of their strategic use of online video-sharing for documentation and counter-surveillance purposes, this study aims at describing how diverse modes of user activity are triggered by two different forms of distant witnessing: online video and live streaming. To this aim, this study analyzes the user activity which took place on the Digital Smoke Signals Facebook page, one of the most widely followed information outlets of the NO DAPL movement. Findings suggest that online video and live streaming trigger different forms of connective activity. The highlighted differences reflect the ways in which synchronous and asynchronous forms of online audio-visual communication impact users’ everyday life.

Quantitative analysis of the level of readability of online emergency radiology-based patient education resources.

The vast amount of information found on the internet, combined with its accessibility, makes it a widely utilized resource for Americans to find information pertaining to medical information. The field of radiology is no exception. In this paper, we assess the readability level of websites pertaining specifically to emergency radiology. Using Google, 23 terms were searched, and the top 10 results were recorded. Each link was evaluated for its readability level using a set of ten reputable readability scales. The search terms included the following: abdominal ultrasound, abdominal aortic aneurysm, aortic dissection, appendicitis, cord compression, CT abdomen, cholecystitis, CT chest, diverticulitis, ectopic pregnancy, epidural hematoma, dural venous thrombosis, head CT, MRI brain, MR angiography, MRI spine, ovarian torsion, pancreatitis, pelvic ultrasound, pneumoperitoneum, pulmonary embolism, subarachnoid hemorrhage, and subdural hematoma. Any content that was not written for patients was excluded. The 230 articles that were assessed were written, on average, at a 12.1 grade level. Only 2 of the 230 articles (1%) were written at the third to seventh grade recommended reading level set forth by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and American Medical Association (AMA). Fifty-two percent of the 230 articles were written so as to require a minimum of a high school education (at least a 12th grade level). Additionally, 17 of the 230 articles (7.3%) were written at a level that exceeded an undergraduate education (at least a 16th grade level). The majority of websites with emergency radiology-related patient education materials are not adhering to the NIH and AMA's recommended reading levels, and it is likely that the average reader is not benefiting fully from these information outlets. With the link between health literacy and poor health outcomes, it is important to address the online content in this area of radiology, allowing for patient to more fully benefit from their online searches.

The accused is entering the courtroom: the live-tweeting of a murder trial

ABSTRACTThe use of social media is now widely accepted within journalism as an outlet for news information. Live tweeting of unfolding events is standard practice. In March 2014, Oscar Pistorius went on trial in the Gauteng High Court for murder. Hundreds of journalists present began live-tweeting coverage, an unprecedented combination of international interest, permission to use technology and access which resulted in massive streams of consciousness reports of events as they unfolded. Based on a corpus of Twitter feeds of 24 journalists covering the trial, this study analyses the content and strategies of these feeds in order to present an understanding of how microblogging is used as a live reporting tool. This study shows the development of standardised language and strategies in reporting on Twitter, concluding that journalists adopt a narrow range of approaches, with no significant variation in terms of gender, location or medium. This is in contrast to earlier studies in the field.

Institutional vs. Non-institutional use of Social Media during Emergency Response: A Case of Twitter in 2014 Australian Bush Fire

Social media plays a significant role in rapid propagation of information when disasters occur. Among the four phases of disaster management life cycle: prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery, this paper focuses on the use of social media during the response phase. It empirically examines the use of microblogging platforms by Emergency Response Organisations (EROs) during extreme natural events, and distinguishes the use of Twitter by EROs from digital volunteers during a fire hazard occurred in Australia state of Victoria in early February 2014. We analysed 7982 tweets on this event. While traditionally theories such as World System Theory and Institutional Theory focus on the role of powerful institutional information outlets, we found that platforms like Twitter challenge such notion by sharing the power between large institutional (e.g. EROs) and smaller non-institutional players (e.g. digital volunteers) in the dissemination of disaster information. Our results highlight that both large EROs and individual digital volunteers proactively used Twitter to disseminate and distribute fire related information. We also found that the contents of tweets were more informative than directive, and that while the total number of messages posted by top EROs was higher than the non-institutional ones, non-institutions presented a greater number of retweets.

A Longitudinal Perspective on Sustainability and Innovation Governmentality: The Case of the Olympic Games as a Mega-Event

The purpose of this research is to analyze how governance is related to sustainability and innovation in mega-events over time by looking at the Olympic Games as a case study. Three main contributions are made to management research and practice. First, Foucauldian governmentality is built upon and enriched with a longitudinal perspective by following the evolution of Visibility, Techne, Episteme, and Identity analytics of governmentality. Second, an innovative methodology based on interviews, a systematic documentary review, and software-assisted thematic auto-coding for a theory-led structured analysis is applied. Third, the theoretical and empirical contribution of this study on the longitudinal aspects of governmentality over different parties and outlets of information could be used to guide practical and strategic decisions for managers and policy makers. In addition to its scholarly importance, this work is needed because mega-events can have a sustainable long-term impact, balancing legacy and innovative change.

Mapping media accountability instruments in sports journalism

El periodismo deportivo se ha caracterizado por una serie de deficiencias éticas que han soslayado los estándares normativos de la profesión. Los instrumentos de rendición de cuentas pueden jugar un papel valioso para superar estas disfunciones. Teniendo esto en mente, el artículo identifica y examina los mecanismos de rendición de cuentas más relevantes en el ámbito del periodismo deportivo, incluidos aquellos producidos de forma interna y externa a los medios. Los investigadores han inspeccionado los códigos éticos en esta área, los libros de estilo promovidos por los principales medios deportivos y las prescripciones formuladas por las agencias informativas, medios de información generalistas y organismos clave a nivel internacional. Prácticas innovadoras como los chats, redes sociales, defensores del lector en línea, observatorios y blogs también se han identificado como ejemplos positivos del cultivo de una conversación bidireccional sobre los estándares y la calidad de los contenidos deportivos. AbstractSports journalism has been characterized by a series of ethical deficiencies that have challenged the normative standards of the profession. Media accountability instruments can play an invaluable role in addressing these shortcomings. With this in mind, this article identifies and examines the most relevant accountability instruments in the field of sports journalism, including those produced within media organizations and those created outside of them. The researchers have scrutinized the specialized codes in this area and the stylebooks promoted by major sports media, as well as the recommendations proposed by news agencies, general information outlets and key stakeholders worldwide. Innovative practices such as chats, social media, online ombudsmen, observatories and blogs have also been identified as positive examples of the cultivation of a two-way conversation about the standards for and quality of sports content.

Factors Affecting Current and Future CSA Participation

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is one of the widely used direct marketing strategies for small- and midsized farmers. CSA programs are an important option for sustainable production and consumption. It helps growers generate income (improve financial security) and consumers obtain fresh local foods. Sustaining and growing CSA participation is critical in order to continue enjoying these benefits. We used a national online survey in conjunction with discrete choice models to investigate the impact of demographic characteristics, lifestyle preferences, and different information outlets on the probability that a consumer is or will become a CSA member. The results indicate that the factors affecting current and future CSA participation differ substantially. While none of the demographic characteristics has a significant impact on current CSA participation, some of them significantly affect the probability that a consumer will become a CSA member in the future. Lifestyle preferences have a significant impact on current and future CSA participation. Although none of the information outlets examined affect current CSA participation, word-of-mouth and online sources significantly influence the probability that a consumer will join a CSA program in the future. These findings may have important implications for policy makers’ and CSA farm managers’ efforts to sustain future CSA development.

Millennials as luxury wine buyers in the United States?

Purpose Millennials have an interest in luxury and premium products across all types of goods, but little is known about how this translates into their preferences for wine. In general, Millennials are spending less per bottle on wine than older generations, but what are the characteristics of the subset of Millennials who are spending more on wine? The purpose of this article is to develop an understanding of Millennials’ buying habits with regard to higher-priced, luxury wines. Design/methodology/approach A survey instrument was designed and used to collect responses from 189 Millennial wine drinkers in the US. Statistical tests and a binary probit model were used to analyze the results. Findings The findings suggest that there is a subset of US Millennials that present a viable market for luxury wines. Research limitations/implications This research is limited by the sample itself, as a relatively small, convenience sample of Millennial wine drinkers. Practical implications Wineries interested in targeting a Millennial crowd will benefit by recognizing that male, married Millennials with annual incomes of over $50,000 are more likely to buy higher-priced wines. In addition, findings suggest that traditional and non-traditional outlets for wine information are being used as these Millennials seek out information about wine. Originality/value While Millennial wine consumers are still developing their tastes, this is one of the first articles to isolate the Millennials who are buying higher-priced wines. This research sheds light on a potentially lucrative consumer segment.

“I just think that doctors need to ask more questions”: Sexual minority and majority adolescents’ experiences talking about sexuality with healthcare providers

ObjectiveTo examine adolescent and young adults’ experiences of sexuality communication with physicians, and gain advice for improving interactions. MethodsSemi-structured interviews were conducted with questions focusing on: puberty, romantic attractions, sexual orientation, dating, sexual behavior, clinical environment, and role of parents. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis with both open and axial coding. ResultsFive themes emerged from interviews: 1) need for increased quantity of sexual communication, 2) issues of confidentiality/privacy, 3) comfort (physician discomfort, physical space), 4) inclusivity (language use, gender-fluid patients, office environment), 5) need for increased quality of sexual communication. ConclusionsSexual minority and majority adolescents and young adults indicate sexuality discussions with physicians are infrequent and need improvement. They indicate language use and clinical physical environment are important places where physicians can show inclusiveness and increase comfort. Practice implicationsPhysicians should make an effort to include sexual communication at every visit. They should consider using indirect questions to assess sexual topics, provide other outlets for sexual health information, and ask parents to leave the exam room to improve confidentiality. Clinic staff should participate in Safe Zone trainings, and practices can promote inclusion with signs that indicate safe and accepting environments.

The Broken Bridge Between Geology and Museums

For lack of funding, irreplaceable collections of mineral specimens may be lost. The Earth science community must rethink the role of museums as archives and outlets for information.

Harnessing the Web: How E-Health and E-Health Literacy Impact Young Adults' Perceptions of Online Health Information.

BackgroundThe rise of technology has changed how people take control of their health, enabling individuals to choose to live healthier lives and make better treatment decisions. With this said, the Internet has emerged as the channel used by individuals for actively seeking or passively receiving health information.ObjectiveTo explore how young adults assess the quality of health information, and how they construct meaning of online health information in general. Through 50 in-depth interviews, this study aims to examine how and why young adults turn to the Web for health information, and what strategies they employ to ensure that they are getting credible information.MethodsA total of 50 in-depth interviews were conducted with young adults to explore how they make meaning of online health information. Depending on the geographic area of the participant, the interview took place face-to-face at a location convenient for them, over Skype, or over the telephone and lasted on average 40 minutes. The interviews were transcribed verbatim, fully retaining the speech style of the moderator and the participants. Data were analyzed using techniques from the grounded theory approach, using a constant comparative method to allow for themes to emerge from the transcripts.ResultsThe participants shared several benefits to this mode of health information seeking, claiming that it made for more productive visits with doctors and made health information more readily accessible through a variety of different formats. Additionally, the participants demonstrated their e-health literacy levels by discussing how they assessed online health information, engaging in a series of strategies that encompassed different aspects of e-health literacy. Social media channels were brought up by the participants as relatively new tools that can be used to assist in the seeking, understanding, and sharing of health information. However, participants also cautioned about the use of social media in regards to its informal nature, warning users to evaluate sources accordingly and to use these channels as supplementary outlets of information for more traditional channels.ConclusionsThe use of the Internet and technology for health purposes is a growing area for both scholarship and practice that has strong implications for health consumers, medical professionals, and communicators alike. The findings that emerged from this research demonstrated that the online space is an acceptable channel through which young adults can find and share information. However, in spite of the rising usage of social media by this particular group, the findings showed that they were hesitant and wary of the channel, not seeing it as a resource for health information but more of a channel for networking and entertainment. In spite of this, this study shows that the online health information seeking behaviors is an area that warrants further exploration.

English

Media censorship is a global phenomenon that has foreshadowed information outlets for centuries. A common ground for censorship is maintenance of an orderly state, whereas, the underlying motive is to keep public ignorant of the information that can potentially threaten authorities. The worldwide Internet connectivity in the contemporary era allows information to pass through within and beyond borders in minimal time; therefore, increasing number of media consumers depend on the Internet for a wide variety of information. Historically, the access to news has not been this easy; the press in most of Europe in the 18th century was under the draconian reins of censorship, which gradually abated by the 19th century due to public demand. However, autocratic and heavily centralized governments still openly or subtly employ censorship as a tool to silence government opposition. To combat information coup, tech savvy journalists and independent reporters channel information through social media, blogs, and news websites. The governments survive by using stringent Internet surveillance apparatus that effectively block websites and subtly filter information; hence only selective news is allowed to penetrate the firewall. The governments also hunt down citizens and journalists accessing disallowed websites to create a ubiquitous atmosphere of fear, harassment, and persecution. The role of media in a society is not limited to bringing information to public; therefore, it is crucial that media does not capitalize on selling meaningless sensation that can potentially harm people, sects, races, and religions. This paper will focus on information coup through media censorship and the responsibility media is laden with to cultivate tolerance and responsibility in the public at large. Key words: First amendment, free media, internet surveillance, self-censorship.