Testing Extension Services through AKAP Models

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of the paper is to analyse the attitude of Italian farms in gaining access to agricultural extension services (AES).

Design/methodology/approach: The ways Italian farms use AES are described through the AKAP (Awareness, Knowledge, Adoption, Product) sequence. This article investigated the AKAP sequence by submitting a questionnaire to a sample of Italian farms, providing questions on each step of the sequence.

Findings: The results confirm the validity of the model and the necessity to evaluate AES in each phase of the sequence, through an in-depth analysis of the possible motivation for not adopting them.

Practical implications: The functional repositioning of agriculture redefines the role of the farm, by introducing new possibilities of production and by fostering multifunctional activities. In this context, new tasks for AES emerge, aiming at sustaining farm development along either sectorial or territorial paths. Difficulties in adopting AES call for both fostering higher levels of access to services on behalf of farms and the adequate supply of services to farms' new needs.

Originality/value: AKAP models have been prevailingly used in developing countries to evaluate the efficacy of extension in increasing agricultural productivity. This article demonstrates how this model could be of help in developed agriculture too in performing new lines of development rooted in the new models of multifunctional agriculture.     

The Influences of Brain Dominance and Biological Sex on Emotional Expressivity,Sensitivity, and Control

Nonverbal communication is the primary channel for the communication of emotion. The abilities to express, control, and decode emotions are important social skills. In this study, we investigated the effects of hemispheric brain dominance and sex on emotional social skills, specifically emotional expressivity, sensitivity, and control. Using the measurements of handedness, we classified participants as being standard, mixed, or anomalous dominant. We presumed that hemispheric brain dominance and sex would interact to influence emotional expressivity, sensitivity, and control. Analysis revealed that brain dominance and sex interacted to influence negative emotional expressivity and emotional control. Specifically, mixed dominant (MD) males scored highest in negative emotional expressivity and lowest in emotional control, whereas MD females scored lowest on negative emotional expressivity and second highest on emotional control. In general, MD men and women reported behaviors opposite of traditional sex differences in emotional expression.     

An analysis of role conflict and role ambiguity within the cancer information service's communication network

This research examines the relationship between individuals' positions in a communication network and their corresponding levels of role conflict and role ambiguity. As part of a larger research program, the data for this study were collected at two points in time from members within the Cancer Information Service (N = 56), an award winning information service of the National Cancer Institute. In general, findings suggest lower levels of role conflict and ambiguity experienced by members of the CIS. In addition, neither the role conflict model nor the role ambiguity model were consistent with the data. Revised models, however, did suggest that experiencing role conflict and role ambiguity may lead to a decrease in the perception that a person is powerful within one's network. In addition, as members' interpersonal contacts increased, levels of role conflict and role ambiguity between regional offices and the National Cancer Institute decreased. The implications of these results for the CIS and other organizations are discussed.     

Does soccer cleat design influence the rotational interaction with the playing surface?

Non-contact injuries in soccer players may be related to the interplay between cleat type and playing surface, and bladed shoes were often blamed for non-contact injuries with no research support. The aim of this study was to compare the rotational resistance (stiffness and peak sustainable torque) among three types of soccer cleats (metal studs, molded rubber studs, and bladed) in a controlled laboratory environment. The shoes were tested on both natural and artificial turfs under a compressive preload of 1000 N and with internal and external rotations. The three shoe models showed comparable performances with a good repeatability for each individual test on both playing surfaces. A less stiff behavior was observed for the natural turf. A tendency toward highest peak torque was observed in the studded model on natural surface. The bladed cleats provided peak torque and rotational stiffness comparable to the other models. Studded and bladed cleats did not significantly differ in their interaction with the playing surface. Therefore, soccer shoes with bladed cleats should not be banned in the context of presumed higher risk for non-contact injuries.     

Imposing a pause between the eccentric and concentric phases increases the reliability of isoinertial strength assessments

Abstract

This study analysed the effect of imposing a pause between the eccentric and concentric phases on the biological within-subject variation of velocity- and power–load isoinertial assessments. Seventeen resistance-trained athletes undertook a progressive loading test in the bench press (BP) and squat (SQ) exercises. Two trials at each load up to the one-repetition maximum (1RM) were performed using 2 techniques executed in random order: with (stop) and without (standard) a 2-s pause between the eccentric and concentric phases of each repetition. The stop technique resulted in a significantly lower coefficient of variation for the whole load–velocity relationship compared to the standard one, in both BP (2.9% vs. 4.1%; P = 0.02) and SQ (2.9% vs. 3.9%; P = 0.01). Test–retest intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were r = 0.61–0.98 for the standard and r = 0.76–0.98 for the stop technique. Bland–Altman analysis showed that the error associated with the standard technique was 37.9% (BP) and 57.5% higher (SQ) than that associated with the stop technique. The biological within-subject variation is significantly reduced when a pause is imposed between the eccentric and concentric phases. Other relevant variables associated to the load–velocity and load–power relationships such as the contribution of the propulsive phase and the load that maximises power output remained basically unchanged.     

学生会管理之主席团九“要”

高校学生会是一个培养学生＂自我教育、自我管理、自我服务＂的场所,是大学里学生动手实践、自由发展的一片沃土。要想真正达到组织目的,除了老师给予正确的引导外,学生会的管理层主席团在具体工作中的言传身教是最重要的,那么,学生会主席团就应该具备多方面的知识和能力。     

Implementing a disciplinary-literacy curriculum for US history: learning from expert middle school teachers in diverse classrooms

In recent years, educators in the USA have emphasized disciplinary literacy as an essential path forward in cultivating adolescents’ understanding of subject matter in tandem with literacy practices. Yet, this agenda poses challenges to teachers who have been tasked with its implementation. Here, we examine two expert US history teachers’ efforts to implement curriculum that integrates reading, writing and thinking in history with academically diverse eighth graders. We conduct qualitative analyses of teacher observations and interviews as well as student work. This analysis provides insight into several issues that emerge in efforts to teach disciplinary literacy in history classrooms: the nuances of teachers’ use of curriculum materials created by people other than themselves, teachers’ appropriation and adaptation of curriculum materials and teachers’ understanding of curriculum materials and disciplinary literacy goals. We find that teachers’ knowledge of the discipline and attention to students’ ideas allowed them to skillfully adapt the curriculum to better meet students’ needs and push students’ thinking. Orienting teachers toward disciplinary learning, ensuring a foundational understanding of their discipline and providing teachers with tools to teach disciplinary literacy are important steps to help students meet the demands of the disciplinary literacy agenda.     

A conceptual approach to secure electronic elections based on patterns

Electoral processes are complex and need to be secure, reliable, and auditable. It is then important to define ways to evaluate their functional completeness and correction as well as their security and reliability. Many solutions to specific aspects of voting have been proposed but we do not know of any holistic view of this process. We present a unified approach to elections based on a conceptual model built using software patterns. A set of analysis patterns describe the structure and management of an election. The patterns describe voter registration, ballot structure, election day management, voting process, and the complete election. A conceptual model is built from the analysis patterns and defines precisely the functional properties of such a system together with its security requirements. The conceptual model is defined using UML diagrams that can be extended or complemented with formal methods to make the system verifiable. We show how to continue to the design phase for this system. While the model will not apply exactly to all elections it can be used as a reference architecture for voting applications and to show explicitly the security considerations for these kind of events. It can also be used for existing elections to verify that they have the required security provisions. The model can also be used as a reference for researchers to integrate their solutions in the complete process.     

Revising Strategy Instruction in Inclusive Settings: Effects for English Learners and Novice Writers

Twenty‐three students with varying academic and linguistic profiles were taught a strategy for revising expository essays, using the Self‐Regulated Strategy Development model for instruction. Students learned basic revising tactics and to consider text structure as they managed decisions on how to improve their essays. Instructional effects were assessed using a multiple baseline with multiple probes in baseline design. Positive results were found for English learners, including those who were identified as having learning disabilities, or who were low‐, average‐ and high‐achieving writers; moreover, results were equally positive for students who were not English learners. After instruction and 4 weeks later, students revised more, produced more revisions that improved text, and revised longer text segments, which resulted in an improvement in overall quality.