Trust and functional foods. New products,old issues

Trust in the "agro-food" sector has been declining in recent years reflecting a general decline of trust in traditional decision making processes. The introduction of new technologies in the production of foods re-introduces the problem of trust and highlights the parameters affecting its structure and direction. This paper discusses the issue of trust in relation to the introduction of functional foods into the market. Trust is assessed as both a philosophical and a psychological construct with particular emphasis on its communication aspects. The paper ends with specific recommendations for action in the agro-food sector. This paper partly reflects work done with Professor Cees Midden, Technical University of Eindhoven, as part of an expert technology assessment project for the Europaeische Akademie Bad Neuenahr Ahrweiler GmbH.     

Broadening opportunities for job seekers with disabilities: strategies to effectively provide assistive technology in One-Stop centers

The Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998 mandates that partners in the One-Stop Career Center (One-Stop) system be prepared to serve a diverse customer base, including job seekers with disabilities. For many such individuals, effective service delivery depends in part on the existence of appropriate and efficient assistive technology (AT) options. This article presents challenges experienced by One-Stop partners related to AT provision as well as strategies for providing effective AT support. Findings from case study research conducted in several One-Stops across the country revealed three strategies that have enhanced employment services and addressed barriers. These are (a) an accurate assessment of AT needs, (b) staff training and practice using the equipment, and (c) the ability to make the most of limited financial resources. Implications for the most efficient ways to provide AT options are discussed.     

Effect of certified personal trainer services on stage of exercise behavior and exercise mediators in female college students

OBJECTIVE: The authors examined the effect of certified personal trainer services on exercise behavior by using the transtheoretical model of behavioral change. PARTICIPANTS: Female college students (n = 449) completed surveys during the first week (T1) and last week (T2) of the fall semester. METHODS: Students receiving personal trainer services during the fall semester (experimental group, n = 31) were cross-matched with students who had not received services (control group, n = 31). RESULTS: The control group demonstrated a statistically significant regression in stage of exercise change scores; the experimental group did not. The authors found the 2 groups to have a statistically significant difference in the pattern of exercise behavior change over the course of the semester, with more active maintainers and progressors in the experimental group. CONCLUSIONS: Cognitive and behavioral processes of change, decisional balance, and scheduling self-efficacy significantly decreased in the control group, whereas cognitive processes of change, decisional balance, and scheduling self-efficacy remained statistically unchanged in the experimental group.     

My Village Is Dying? Integrating Methods from the Inside Out

The purpose of this paper is to confront the notion of “decline” at the village level by illustrating a more immersive approach to sociological and demographic research within rural and remote communities. The research uses case studies of three villages in Australia, Canada, and Sweden, all of which have been labeled as “declining villages,” typified by population loss, an aging population, high rates of youth outmigration, and loss of businesses and services. This paper argues that focusing solely on quantitative indicators of demographic change provides a narrow view of rural village trajectories and ignores subtle processes of local adaptation that are hidden from quantitative data sets. Our research integrates quantitative data from the “outside” with qualitative data from the “inside,” including visual ethnography, to develop a more balanced perspective on how villages have been changing and what change could mean locally. These objectives are accomplished by revisiting a Dirt Research methodology applicable to a broad range of research into rural and remote villages.     

Association between Depressive Symptoms,Perceived Partner Emotional Expression,and Marital Quality

Previous studies have explored the direct association between mental health and marital quality; however, the processes moderating that association are not yet well understood. The present study examined associations between depressive symptoms, perceived partner emotional expression, and marital quality among 462 married individuals. Findings suggest that (a) low commitment, low satisfaction, and marital instability may be symptomatic of mental well-being; (b) individuals experiencing depressive symptoms are more inclined to have negative views of their relationships; and (c) perceptions of their partners’ expressions of gratitude and understanding serve as a buffer against the negative association between depressive symptoms and marital quality. Thus, perceptions of positive emotional expressiveness may serve as a resource facilitating marital quality when individuals are experiencing depressive symptoms.     

Gender,class and rurality: Australian case studies

The interrelationship between gender and class in rural spaces has received little attention. While rural scholars have focused on the implications for class from processes of gentrification and agricultural and rural restructuring, these analyses have remained largely ungendered. Similarly, feminist rural studies have rarely explored subjectivity as gendered and classed. This paper contributes to rural theories of class and gender by drawing on the work of contemporary feminist class theorists to explore class as gendered and inscribed through personal memory, community narrative and through everyday values and interactions associated with work, leisure and family. To explore intersections of gender, class and rurality, the article draws on data from interviews from two separate Australian studies of farming families. Narratives highlighted the ambiguity of class, the gendered and classed nature of voluntary organisations in rural spaces, and moral values and signifiers associated with what it is to be a ‘good’ farmer and a ‘good’ community member. The data indicate how values of moral worth are gendered and classed and inscribed on farming women and men. This qualitative examination of gender and class in rural spaces draws attention to class as being more than a ranking on an occupational scale, property ownership or degrees of engagement in consumption. Rather, it reveals class as emotionally inscribed in ways that are gendered, economic and moral, and represented through symbolic signifiers and cultural narratives.     

What if you caught them using? Prospective teachers' beliefs about responding to student substance use

This survey research examined how prospective teachers' (N=384) beliefs about the nature of adolescence, their substance use, and their preparedness for dealing with substance use situations are linked to perceptions of how they would respond to students' possession or use of cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana at school. Results suggested that prospective teachers are not prepared for these situations. Feeling prepared, perceiving that few adolescents engage in problem behavior, and low personal substance use were associated with more responses to substance use situations. Women were more likely than men to think they would respond to adolescent substance use yet they felt less prepared. Males who used alcohol, cigarettes, or marijuana recently were the least likely to perceive that they would respond to adolescents using substances at school.     

Some Dimensions of Mand Variability and Implications for Research and Practice

The Analysis of Verbal Behavior - Since Skinner’s conceptualization of the mand, applied behavior analysis researchers have used the concept to develop stimulus control transfer procedures...     

Comparison of Robust Estimators of Standard Deviation in Normal Distributions Within the Context of Quality Control

Pitman criterion is used in simulation to determine the “closer” estimator of the standard deviation among selected choices. The initial simulation utilizes a standard normal distribution from which samples are taken of specific sizes. Popular and commonly used estimators of standard deviation are compared with the known population standard deviation in this study. Closeness criterion is calculated for each comparison and sample size. A secondary simulation applies the findings to variables control charts, in order to verify the ability of each estimator to identify out-of-control conditions.