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Assessing media literacy competences: Reflections and recommendations from a quantitative study
Get PDFThe assessment of media literacy is a complex task, which might attempt to reconcile a research field traditionally developed within a critical paradigm with the task of evaluating and quantifying media literacy competences through essentially quantitative methods. Despite the lack of consensus regarding how to evaluate and measure media literacy, this goal is increasingly sought by political and regulatory stakeholders, as well as studied within the academic world. Based on one of such attempts, a study on the media literacy competences of 679 Portuguese teenagers, this paper presents a review and a reflection on the specific challenges posed by the intent to quantitatively assess media literacy, without neglecting its core critical dimension. It concludes by suggesting the need for methodological convergence and the continuous development of valid and reliable indicators, which must necessarily be context and subject-dependent, to improve this area of research
A Decade of Time Series Sampling Reveals Thermal Variation and Shifts in Pseudo-nitzschia Species Composition That Contribute to Harmful Algal Blooms in an Eastern US Estuary
Get PDFIn 2016-17, shellfish harvesting closed for the first time in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, USA, from domoic acid (DA), a neurotoxin produced by diatoms of the Pseudo-nitzschiagenus. Pseudo-nitzschia have occurred frequently for over 60 years in Narragansett Bay’s Long-Term Plankton Time Series (NBPTS), therefore it is surprising that the first closure only recently occurred. Pseudo-nitzschia species are known to vary in their toxin production, thus species identification is critical for understanding the underlying ecological causes of these harmful algal blooms (HABs). DNA in plankton biomass can be preserved for many years, so molecular barcoding of archived samples is useful for delineation of taxa over time. This study used amplification of the Pseudo-nitzschia-specific 18S-5.8S rDNA internal transcribed spacer region 1 (ITS1) in plankton samples and high throughput sequencing to characterize Pseudo-nitzschia species composition over a decade in Narragansett Bay, including eight years before the 2016-17 closures and two years following. This metabarcoding method can discriminate nearly all known Pseudo-nitzschia species. Several species recur as year-round residents in Narragansett Bay (P. pungens var. pungens, P. americana, P. multiseries, and P. calliantha). Various other species increased in frequency after 2015, and some appeared for the first time during the closure period. Notably, P. australis, a species prevalent in US West Coast HABs and known for high DA production, was not observed in Narragansett Bay until the 2017 closure but has been present in several years after the closures. Annual differences in Pseudo-nitzschia composition were correlated with physical and chemical conditions, predominantly water temperature. The long-term composition trends of Pseudo-nitzschia in Narragansett Bay serve as a baseline for identifying the introduction of new species, understanding shifting assemblages that contributed to the 2016-17 closures, and monitoring species that may be cause for future concern
The Impact of Message Valence on Climate Change Attitudes: A Longitudinal Experiment
Get PDFMedia framing plays an important role in shaping attitudes and behaviors toward climate change, but the literature remains split on whether positive or negative frames are more effective. Additionally, few studies have investigated the effects that message exposure may have on audiences long-term. This study used a longitudinal experiment to investigate how repeated exposure to negatively- or positively-valenced news articles about climate change impacts attitudes, behaviors, and policy preferences. Participants read either a positive or negative article each week over the course of four weeks, with a follow-up four weeks after treatment concluded. Exposure to both types of messaging increased climate concern and perceived importance in the short term, but this effect only persisted over time in the negatively-valenced article group. Exposure to positively-valenced articles was associated with short-term increases in self- and societal efficacy around climate change, but this did not persist over time. There were minimal effects on behaviors and policy preferences
The effect of temperature on outdoor recreation activities: evidence from visits to federal recreation sites
Get PDFThis paper uses over 30 million individual-level trips in federal recreation locations to investigate the impact of short-term temperature shocks on outdoor recreation activities. Our results show that in the short term, a 1°C temperature increase during the last six months increases the total trip duration by 1.197 d (or a 4.12% increase) and the total number of trips by 0.472 (or a 5.44% increase) at the zipcode-month level. The positive effect is primarily driven by the increased number of trips and more in-state travel. We find that the impact of temperature on the number of recreation trips generally increases under a higher temperature. When the monthly temperature is below 5°C the temperature increase will reduce the number of trips as individuals in low-temperature regions are likely to reduce travel when the temperature gets warmer
Preferences for community benefits for offshore wind development projects: A case study of the Outer Banks of North Carolina, U.S.
No full textAs offshore wind energy development gains a foothold, the possibility of conflict between local communities and developers may become increasingly common. Coastal communities within the viewshed or hosting transmission cables may fear several impacts but few benefits. Community benefits, provided through the wind farm developer, may help garner local support in communities in close proximity to a wind farm project. This research focused on the first offshore wind energy lease off the coastline of North Carolina, U.S. This study utilized semi-structured interviews to understand how key informants think of a proposed offshore wind farm in the context of community benefits. Findings reveal that key informants are skeptical of direct benefits like local employment, though optimistic about indirect, regional benefits, like economic development. The majority of key informants were interested in a community fund that would be administered by the local government or a trusted local organization. This study provides an initial assessment of perspectives on community benefits in the context of offshore wind development and makes recommendations on how to incorporate community benefits into the offshore wind development process. Furthermore, we emphasize the importance of additional research into this topic
Groundwater quality: global challenges, emerging threats and novel approaches
Get PDFImproving our understanding of groundwater quality threats to human health and the environment is essential to protect and manage groundwater resources effectively. This essay highlights some global groundwater quality challenges, describes key contaminant groups and threats of emerging concern, including antimicrobial resistance, and discusses novel approaches to assessing groundwater quality. Groundwater quality monitoring needs to improve significantly in order to effectively identify and mitigate threats to groundwater from historical, current and future pollution
Evaluating beluga (Delphinapterus leucas) blow samples as a potential diagnostic for immune function gene expression within the respiratory system
Get PDFEvaluating respiratory health is important in the management of cetaceans, which are vulnerable to respiratory diseases. Quantifying the expression of genes related to immune function within the respiratory tract could be a valuable tool for directly assessing respiratory health. Blow (exhale) samples allow DNA analysis, and we hypothesized that RNA could also be isolated from blow samples for gene expression studies of immune function. We evaluated the potential to extract RNA from beluga blow samples and tested whether transcripts associated with immune function could be detected with endpoint polymerase chain reaction. A total of 54 blow samples were collected from clinically healthy aquarium belugas (n = 3), and 15 were collected from wild belugas temporarily restrained for health assessment in Bristol Bay, Alaska (n = 9). Although RNA yield varied widely (range, 0–265.2 ng; mean = 85.8; SD = 71.3), measurable RNA was extracted from 97% of the samples. Extracted RNA was assessed in 1–6 PCR reactions targeting housekeeping genes (Rpl8, Gapdh or ActB) or genes associated with immune function (TNFα, IL-12p40 or Cox-2). Fifty of the aquarium samples (93%) amplified at least one transcript; overall PCR success for housekeeping genes (96/110, 87%) and genes associated with immune function (90/104, 87%) were similarly high. Both RNA yield and overall PCR success (27%) were lower for wild beluga samples, which is most likely due to the reduced forcefulness of the exhale when compared with trained or free-swimming belugas. Overall, the high detection rate with PCR suggests measuring gene expression in blow samples could provide diagnostic information about immune responses within the respiratory tract. While further study is required to determine if quantitative gene expression data from blow samples is associated with disease states, the non-invasive nature of this approach may prove valuable for belugas, which face increasing anthropogenic disturbances
What Do We Long For? Reflections on Feminist Movements for Social Justice
Get PDFIn this collective essay, we contemplate tipping points including the COVID-19 pandemic, climate crisis, and gendered and racialized forms of state violence through our reflections on shifting meanings of and movements for social justice, shaped by our own lived experiences. Inspired by the writings of feminist scholars and activists including Grace Lee Boggs, adrienne maree brown, Dean Spade, bell hooks, and others, we grapple with the meanings of social justice in contemporary contexts