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In the face of a vast literature and numerous scientific studies aimed at investigating theoretical foundations and practical applications related to the perspective of educational differentiation, an area still little explored, seems to be the one related to the representations accrued by many teachers regarding their daily action. What has been asserted also recalls the need to know and deepen the preconceptions and images developed around an approach that is often mistakenly considered, per se, of exclusive interest to a certain group of teachers, or applicable only in the presence of students in particular vulnerable conditions. The data emerged from the "Differentiate According to Me" survey, the subject of this contribution, restore a rich picture of possible spaces for intervention and improvement actions, with a view to enhancing all diversity, both of students and of teachers themselves, who present different needs, related to personal characteristics, training experiences, and roles held. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022 launched a high intensity war that represents one of the major conflicts of the post-cold war period. How can we explain a decision so fraught with consequences? What does this aggression say about Russia’s relationship to its former empire and about its ability to waive a neo-imperial model? What does it say about the tools Russia mobilizes to shape its international environment? The purpose of this article is to attempt to answer these questions by exploring Ukraine’s place in its relation to the world, and by questioning singularities of the Ukrainian issue. By mobilizing history and historiography, such exploration means replacing the Ukrainian question in Russia’s power project. It confirms the impact of perceptions and representations in international relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, issues related to the (perceived) quality of inputs and technologies have been proposed as an important constraint to their adoption by smallholder farmers in low income countries. Taking maize seed embodying genetic gain as a case, we train random agro-dealers to test whether under-adoption by farmers is caused by low quality due to sellers' lack of knowledge about proper storage and handling. In a second hypothesis, we randomly introduce an information clearinghouse similar to popular crowd-sourced review platforms such as yelp.com or trustpilot.com to test whether information asymmetries crowd out quality seed. We find that the information clearinghouse treatment improves outcomes for both agro-dealers and farmers, with agro-dealers receiving more customers and reporting higher revenues from maize seed sales, and farmers reporting significantly higher use of improved maize seed varieties obtained from agro-dealers, leading to higher maize productivity after two seasons. The primary mechanisms behind this impact appear to be an increased effort to signal quality by agro-dealers and a general restoration of trust in the market for improved seed. The agro-dealer training does not have a clear impact on agro-dealers, nor on farmers in associated catchment areas. However, we do find that the information clearinghouse increases agro-dealer knowledge about proper seed storage and handling. Upon exploring interaction effects between the training and the clearinghouse treatment, we also find that the training becomes effective for agro-dealers that are also in the clearinghouse treatment group. This underscores the importance of incentives to make supply side interventions such as trainings effective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Social media technology has changed donors' decision-making process in online philanthropy compared with traditional charity. How do IT affordances support donor perceptions and motivations in charitable crowdfunding? The purpose of this study is to explore how the five sub-dimensions of charitable crowdfunding IT affordances (i.e. visibility, association, meta-voicing, trading and security) afford initiators and platforms in motivating donors to support charitable crowdfunding projects. Design/methodology/approach: This paper uses a quantitative research approach. An online survey was conducted to collect research data from WeChat users who had experienced charitable crowdfunding. A sample of 344 valid responses were received and analyzed. Findings: The results show that four of the five IT affordances facilitate donors' perceptions (perceived emotions and trust) and motivations (intrinsic motivations and extrinsic motivations), and thereby increase behavioral intention on supporting charitable crowdfunding projects. Originality/value: This study advances the affordances and online charity literature by examining the antecedents and outcome of perceptions and motivations that determining behavioral intention in more detail. The authors' findings not only benefit researchers in explaining how technology helps donors perceiving projects and motivating them to donate online, but also assists practitioners in developing better charitable crowdfunding management strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China plays a critical role in global biodiversity conservation, as both a biodiversity hotspot and for its role in international and domestic animal trade. Efforts to promote wildlife conservation have sparked interest in the attitudes held by Chinese citizens towards animals. Using a questionnaire, we sought to investigate the attitudes of 317 Chinese nationals across 22 provincial-level administrative units regarding their uses of animals, their perceived emotional capacities and views on exotic pets. We reduced the variables related to perceived uses of animals via Principal Component Analysis and ran Generalised Linear Models and Structural Equation Modelling to test relationships between questionnaire-derived variables. Perceptions of animals were divided into two Kellert categories -- Utilitarian and Humanistic uses -- and 97% of participants believed in animals' capacities to have and express emotions. We found few interactions, with exotic pets, ie playing with or taking photographs, but the acceptability of owning an exotic pet influenced the likelihood of purchasing one. A belief that animals express emotions encouraged people to look for them as pets but thinking that pets make people happy made exotic pet ownership less acceptable. The shift in attitudes to include humanistic perceptions of animals, a belief in animals as emotive beings and understanding of terminology changed from the previous utilitarian views of pre-reform China, suggesting a readiness to embrace further conservation efforts in China. This deeper understanding of Chinese attitudes toward animals and drivers of the exotic pet trade within China may enable conservation efforts to better target future campaigns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shannon Elizabeth Hughes, York University, hosts a conversation with FCJ Youth Network leaders Chinué Bute, Tee-Jay Ndjoze, and Dequana Simmonds about their perceptions on theatre, theatre training, and accessibility for newcomer Canadians within the Greater Toronto Area. This conversation, held virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlights issues of inclusion and affect, while identifying socio-economic barriers to participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social media is often used to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and engage the public, which can change the public's attitudes and behaviors and may be used to benefit conservation. Moreover, widespread social media use provides an alternative data sourcing platform to inexpensively access countless potential respondents. However, social media data have rarely been used in conservation regardless of the potential benefit to conservation science and practice. We administered a questionnaire via the #CougarOrNot Twitter game, a mountain lion‐focused social media campaign, during 26 December 2016 through 16 February 2018, to access a large respondent sample (n = 1,481) and assess a subset of social media users' attitudes toward mountain lions in North America. We then used cumulative link models in an information theoretic approach to gauge the association between respondent level of engagement with #CougarOrNot and other sociodemographic predictors with user attitudes toward mountain lions. Respondent attitudes toward mountain lions were largely positive (83%), with frequent participants in #CougarOrNot, females, pet owners, nonconsumptive recreators, and households with fewer children exhibiting positive attitudes. #CougarOrNot participation had a stronger correlation with respondent attitudes toward mountain lions than commonly used predictors employed in prior studies (i.e. age, education level, livestock ownership). #CougarOrNot may promote positive attitudes toward mountain lions, though additional research is needed to determine the direct effects of playing the game. Stakeholders interested in mountain lion conservation or other conservation topics could be identified via social media networks attached to specific outreach campaigns and possibly mobilized to support conservation actions that aid mountain lions and conservation in general. © 2021 The Wildlife Society. Social media games, such as #CougarOrNot, may be a useful tool to conservation practitioners attempting to promote awareness regarding mountain lions and other large carnivores in North America. Additionally, social media outreach campaigns may be an effective and efficient way of identifying and mobilizing stakeholders that are interested in specific conservation topics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coaches have an instrumental role to play in attracting and retaining more people of all ages in the sport of tennis. The tools that they use can enhance that objective. Over the past decade the research in scaled tennis equipment has intensified along with the use by coaches. It is appropriate at this juncture to understand what the perceptions of coaches using scaled tennis equipment. With this insight, best practices can be developed to be shared with other coaches to maximize the growth of our sport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antler point restrictions (APR), intended to create an older male age structure of white‐tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), have been implemented in many states, but effects of APR on hunters' satisfaction and activities often have not been measured. During 2004–2008, we conducted mail surveys of firearms deer hunters in Missouri, USA, to measure effects of an APR on respondents including 1) perceptions of deer population trends and availability of large males; 2) satisfaction with the hunting experience and deer management; and 3) support of the APR. There was no effect of the APR on how respondents perceived deer population trends, but respondents hunting under the APR believed there were more large males in both central and northern Missouri. Respondents were less satisfied with their hunt and deer management in central Missouri areas under the APR during years when hunter success was reduced. There was no effect of the APR on how respondents rated their most recent deer season in the northern areas under the APR, although respondents there were less satisfied with deer management prior to implementation of the APR and for the first 2 years after implementation with no differences after that time. In all areas, generally >70% of respondents supported the APR; presence of the APR where a respondent hunted did not affect support of the APR. Respondents supporting the APR were more likely to have less deer hunting experience, hunt counties where harvest of antlered males was relatively greater, rate Missouri deer management as good or excellent, hunt private land during at least part of the season, and select for antlered males while hunting. An APR may be most appropriate where deer densities are moderate or large and harvest rates of antlered males are excessive. Use of APRs in areas with low‐density deer populations where harvest opportunity is low may not be popular with hunters. © 2018 The Wildlife Society. We evaluated deer hunter attitudes toward an antler point restriction intended to reduce excessive harvest rates of male white‐tailed deer and increase harvest of antlerless deer. Hunter support of the antler point restriction was high but hunter satisfaction with hunting seasons and deer management varied annually and geographically and were most closely associated with deer population status and harvest success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we analyze perceptions and determinants of household's participation in a randomized experiment on water quality testing and information in southern Ghana. Beneficiary households assessed the components of the intervention including its relevance and adequacy in improving understanding of water quality issues. Motivating and constraining factors to participation in the randomized experiment are also assessed. We also estimate the correlates of participation in the intervention. Social and economic benefits derived from the intervention based on perceptions are compared with impacts of the intervention using an instrumental variable approach. We found evidence that subjective analysis estimates of the effects of the intervention are higher than the objective analysis estimates. Households generally perceived the intervention to be relevant in improving their understanding of water quality issues. However, there are differing opinions based on random assignment into either child or adult treatment groups on most- and least-liked attributes of the intervention and also motivating and constraining factors affecting participation in the intervention. The factors that statistically and significantly influenced participation in the intervention include educational attainment, ethnicity, religious denomination and marital status of the household heads, in addition to the location of residence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to describe the perceptions of teachers, ensemble members, and outside observers when evaluating the effectiveness of rehearsals conducted with reduced amounts of verbal instruction. Preservice teachers led choral rehearsals employing Archibeque’s “rule of seven,” wherein instructions were delivered in seven words or fewer. Immediately following the teaching session, participants responded to the question: “What was your perception of this assignment and what did you notice about teaching effectiveness?” Outside observers responded to the same prompt. Findings indicated that choral members preferred rehearsals with reduced verbal instruction because they were able to perform more, with fewer interruptions. The preservice teachers favored the opportunity to organize their thoughts and focus instruction, but they expressed frustration with feeling stifled in leading rehearsal. The outside observers approved of the rehearsal pacing but were concerned by the lack of specificity in instruction and feedback. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Conservation of large carnivores will require greater analyses of population parameters, habitat use, and distribution in multiuse landscapes as human populations increase and agriculture expands. We used Bayesian spatially explicit capture-recapture (SECR) models and completed 82 interviews in 24 localities over 4 field seasons from April 2009 to March 2013 to estimate densities and assess residents' perceptions of jaguars ( Panthera onca) in the San Blas Municipality within the southern Marismas Nacionales ecosystem in Nayarit, Mexico. Camera traps accumulated 90 detections of 9 jaguars (2 M, 5 F, and 2 individuals of unknown sex) in a 194-km2 area during 1,575 trap-nights from April to June 2010. We detected jaguars at 16 of the 27 camera-trap sites and calculated a density estimate of 2.04 (SE = 0.45) individuals/100 km2 using the SECR method. This is one of the first studies to use SECR models for jaguar density estimation and 1 of only 2 studies throughout jaguar distribution to estimate population parameters of the species where human population densities reach >50 people/km2. Future studies in this unique landscape should focus on jaguar status in the northern stretches of the Marismas Nacionales and research the mechanisms that may allow this large carnivore to persist in altered landscapes among human population densities greater than previously believed to be tolerable by the species. © 2016 The Wildlife Society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores children's understandings o poverty and its causes: we want to know how children see the phenomenon of poverty and what they think causes poverty. The study applies a qualitative approach and the research data consist of focused interviews with children aged 10¬¬-15. The data were processed using the method of content analysis. We focused on the meanings ascribed by children to poverty and its causes. The study is anchored to the paradigm of childhood research, which aims to explore and understand children's perspectives and the information produced by children. Our children saw poverty first and foremost as a relative absence of non-essential goods and items due to the scarcity of financial resources. It was not a question of poorer children lacking daily necessities such as a home, clothes, equipment for leisure activities or a mobile phone, but rather of poorer children having models that were outdated or second hand or broken goods. Poverty was seen a phenomenon that almost by necessity shapes and influences people's ways of thinking and actions. Poverty was also associated with humility. It was thought that poor people contented themselves with very little. Poverty was also considered to carry a social stigma. Drawing on theory-guided reasoning and complemented by data-driven inference, we condensed the children's views on the causes of poverty into six themes: individual blame, individual action, societal blame, societal situation, individual fate and societal fate. Some children emphasised the role of individual interpretations and independent choices, for others poverty was ultimately explained by structural factors. Overall, however, the main accent was on structural explanations. On the other hand these two sets explanations also co-existed side by side in children's experiences so that poverty was seen at once as an individual and societal phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on thirty face-to-face interviews with Indian business, civil society, media and political elites during the period from September 2011 to April 2012, this article seeks to examine the perceptions of Indian elites of the European Union as a normative power. It discusses the evolution of the concept of normative power and the evolution of the EU's normative identity. It clearly outlines the expansion of the varied roles played by the EU in the course of assuming responsibilities in the capacity of civilian, ethical and normative power of Europe both within its borders and abroad. The article seeks to highlight the diverse external perceptions about the normative power of EU by focusing upon the elite opinion from India. The article captures the changing mood of the elites about the effectiveness of the normative power of the EU with the intensification of the eurozone crisis. It argues that the normative disconnect in worldviews, mindsets and practical agendas between India and the European Union has made it difficult to transform shared values into coordinated policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper seeks to determine whether the EU has accomplished its objectives concerning the visibility of EU external action, which the Lisbon Treaty sought to achieve. The role of Catherine Ashton as the EU's High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, together with the newly formed European External Action Service (EEAS) which supports her work, aimed to "effectively project European values and interests worldwide" (šefčovič, n.d.) and to make Europe "an actor on the global stage" (Europa, n.d.). Despite the sui generis nature of the internal functioning of the EU, there is a strong case in academic literature that the EU can be studied as an international actor like any other state actor. Southeast Asia, represented in this article by Singapore and Thailand, is a key region to test whether the post-Lisbon EU has reached the status of a key actor on the global stage. The findings from media research carried out in 2006 and 2011 (i. e. before and after the Lisbon Treaty) suggest that the EU has failed to achieve its stated aims. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two separate surveys were administered (17-19 Nov. 2008 and 7-10 Apr. 2009) to consumers residing in five metropolitan areas in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States ( 1710 for Survey i and 1518 for Survey 2) to investigate and compare consumer stated preferences toward locally grown and certified organic produce. In Survey 1, participants were asked to indicate whether they agreed that purchasing locally grown produce was more important than purchasing organically grown produce. In addition, they were asked to report whether locally grown and certified organic were factors in their produce purchasing decision. Compared with their counterparts (each demographic examined independently), White/Anglos, Asian Americans, and those aged 25 years and older agreed that purchasing locally grown produce was more important than purchasing organically grown produce. A greater percentage of participants aged 37 years and older (average of 65%) and 66% of White/Anglo participants selected "produce was grown in my local area." In addition, a greater percentage of participants aged between 21 and 64 years (average of 32%) and 48% of Asian Americans selected "produce was grown using 'certified' organic methods," compared with their counterparts. In Survey 2, participants were presented with six pairwise comparisons and asked to indicate their stated preference between each of the two options, which included combinations of "locally grown," "not locally grown," "certified organic," and "not certified organic." Stated preference for locally grown produce was highest among the following participant groups (each group examined independently): those aged 37 years and older, white/Anglo participants, those without children living in their household, females, and participants with income levels $25,000 and greater. In addition, stated preference for certified organic was highest among the following groups (again, each group examined independently): those aged between 21 and 36 years; Black/African Americans, Asian Americans, and Hispanic Americans; those with children riving in their household; females; and participants with income levels of $25,000 and greater. Produce industry members in the U.S. mid-Atlantic region (e.g., farmers, distributors, retail store owners, restauranteurs, agricultural extension personnel) can incorporate this research into marketing plans, purchasing decisions, or educational or applied research programs as appropriate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schistosomiasis is widespread in Uganda along large lakes and rivers with approximately 4 million people infected. Hookworm infections also prevalent throughout the country, while infections with Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura are mainly found in south-western Uganda. A national programme aimed at controlling morbidity due to these infections was launched in 2003. This article describes the perceptions, attitudes, constraints and experiences of those implementing the programme and those receiving the treatment. The study used qualitative data collected largely in two districts but also from 18 other districts implementing the programme. Results showed that mass treatment was perceived to be beneficial because the drugs make people feel better. However, side-effects of praziquantel (PZQ), the smell and size of the tablets and the use of height, not weight, to determine dose were raised as major factors discouraging people from taking the drug. Generally, most of the end-users were appreciative of the programme and were beginning to demand regular treatment. Nevertheless, intensive and sustained health education is still vital for improvement of treatment coverage, especially among the non-compliers. It was repeatedly highlighted that there is a need to stock PZQ in all health facilities in endemic areas. Provision of incentives to drug distributors and to involve as many stakeholders as possible in the planning phase were also raised by respondents. Lessons learned for the development and success of a helminth control programme at a national scale are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Horticulture is the fastest growing sector of the agricultural industry, and this is true particularly in Iowa where the number of private horticultural businesses has more than doubled since 1993. The industry is relying more on non-English--speaking employees, especially Spanish-speaking workers, for golf course maintenance, landscape installation, and nursery production. Determining and serving the educational and training needs of a workforce that is not fluent in English is historically difficulty university extension programs. This study assessed educational needs and technical issues of English-speaking managers of primarily Spanish speaking workers in the horticultural industry in Iowa, with special attention to language and cultural issues. Four focus groups were conducted, with managers recruited in cooperation with state professional horticultural associations. Communication gaps and challenges interpreting cultural differences were cited as key difficulties experienced by managers of Latino workers. The study produced a list of ideas for educational initiatives that would improve lateral (two way) communications and delivery of Iowa specific horticultural education and job site training between English speaking managers and Latino employees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global environmental change coupled with increased demand for food and competition for diminishing water places the issue of disaster risk management high on the global political agenda. Drought is one of the most complex natural hazards, affecting natural resources and human development recurrently. Drought affects agricultural production globally, triggering significant food and health insecurity and habitat loss through land degradation and desertification. While the consequences of droughts, can usually be predicted, preventive action is frequently absent or insufficient to prevent serious impacts in many regions of the world. We believe that lack of a common understanding of what drought is stands in the way of cohesive anti-drought action. This paper examines drought definitions emerging from influential scholarship, practitioners' discourse and multilateral policy processes that emphasise diverging aspects of the phenomena of dry periods, including the source, duration, spatial extent, impact and affected stakeholders. This paper begins by examining the concepts of hazard and disaster. It then explores the various perceptions associated with drought and the problems posed by inconsistency in definitions. It concludes that a common conceptual understanding of drought is essential for effective action to address the growing need for reliable food supply, poverty alleviation and increased agricultural productivity globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cybernetics is presented in relation to the future of mankind as seen by the author in 1952. Cybernetics is considered, in the framework of the history of mankind, as generating a kind of continuation of biological evolution by the addition to each individual of new capacities of perception, communication and action. From a collective point of view it generates a composite organism with a giant nervous system covering the surface of the earth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents the scientific methodology from the enlarged cybernetical perspective that recognizes the anisotropy of time, the probabilistic character of natural laws, and the entry that the incomplete determinism in Nature opens to the occurrence of innovation, growth, organization, teleology communication, control, contest and freedom. The new tier to the methodological edifice that cybernetics provides stands on the earlier tiers, which go back to the Ionians (c. 500 BC). However, the new insights reveal flaws in the earlier tiers, and their removal strengthens the entire edifice. The new concepts of teleological activity and contest allow the clear demarcation of the military sciences as those whose subject matter is teleological activity involving contest. The paramount question "what ought to be done", outside the empirical realm, is embraced by the scientific methodology. It also embraces the cognitive sciences that ask how the human mind is able to discover, and how the sequence of discoveries might converge to a true description of reality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]