Search

Despite the growing prevalence of cyberbullying in India, there is a lack of empirical research available to guide school-based interventions. Employing a survey of 402 teachers in Indian schools, the present study utilized the theory of planned behavior (TPB) as a framework to examine the factors influential in encouraging teachers to intervene in school cyberbullying situations. The results reveal that attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control collectively explain 40.9% of the variance in intentions. Perceived responsibility accounts for additional variance explained. Conclusions inform the design of school-based interventions that aim to motivate teachers and provide them the resources necessary to mitigate the impact of cyberbullying in Indian schools.

Progressive retinal atrophies (PRAs) are a genetically heterogeneous group of inherited eye diseases that affect over 100 breeds of dog. The initial clinical sign is visual impairment in scotopic conditions, as a consequence of rod photoreceptor cell degeneration. Photopic vision degeneration then follows, due to progression of the disease to the cone photoreceptors, and ultimately results in complete blindness. Two full-sibling English Shepherds were diagnosed with PRA at approximately 5 years old and tested clear of all published PRA genetic variants. This study sought to identify the novel PRA-associated variant segregating in the breed. We utilised a combined approach of whole genome sequencing of the probands and homozygosity mapping of four cases and 22 controls and identified a short interspersed nuclear element within an alternatively spliced exon in FAM161A. The XP_005626197.1 c.17929_ins210 variant was homozygous in six PRA cases and heterozygous or absent in control dogs, consistent with a recessive mode of inheritance. The insertion is predicted to extend exon 4 by 39 aberrant amino acids followed by an early termination stop codon. PRA is intractable to treatment, so the development of a genetic screening test, based on the associated variant, is significant, because it provides dog breeders/owners with a means of reducing the frequency of the disease variant within this breed as well as minimising the risk of breeding puppies that will develop this blinding disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In contrast to previous years, enrollments in journalism and mass communication programs in the United States were relatively stable from 2015 to 2018. Although strategic communication sequences remained the most popular, the percentage of undergraduates enrolled in journalism sequences increased since the previous survey, whereas the percentage enrolled in strategic communication sequences decreased slightly. In addition, the demographic composition of journalism and mass communication programs is changing, as the survey found an increase in the percentage of minority students enrolled in undergraduate and graduate programs. The 2018 survey also revealed growth in online offerings, both at the undergraduate and master's level.

This study examined how TikTok use relates to political engagement and aggression. Due to different imagined audiences , we expected TikTok use to be more strongly related with contentious political engagement than use of other social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter. In order to test these expectations, we conducted a survey with 700 U.S. adults. Results show that TikTok, Facebook, and Twitter use is positively related to online political engagement, but the nature of this engagement is very different. Facebook use is related to talking politics with friends and family, while TikTok use is related to talking with those who hold opposing views. Further, Facebook use is negatively related to agreeing that it is acceptable to be aggressive in political conversations, while TikTok use is positively related to believing that it is acceptable to be aggressive and to holding feelings of hatred for political opponents. Twitter use is unrelated to these outcome variables. These results suggest that TikTok users are more likely to partake in derisive and contentious political engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As with previous years, enrollments in journalism and mass communication programs in the United States have continued to decline. In 2015, such decline among undergraduate student enrollments was particularly prevalent in journalism sequences; in contrast, undergraduate enrollments in strategic communication sequences have seen some growth since 2013. Findings also reveal potential for journalism and mass communication programs regarding the growth and emergence of online degree programs and online course offerings, the development of the competencies and skills desired by employers, and other opportunities for the professional development of today's practically minded students.

This study adds to the growing body of literature on problematic media behavior by introducing and explicating the concept of problematic news consumption, which we define as involving transportation, preoccupation, misregulation, underregulation, and interference. Using survey data from a national sample of U.S. adults, we examine the factor structure of a problematic news consumption measure, the existence of latent classes derived from the expected factors, and differences in mental and physical health across the emerging classes. Results show support for the proposed factor structure as well as the existence of four latent classes, which appear to be stratified according to severity of problematic news consumption. Results also show greater mental and physical ill-being among those with higher levels of problematic news consumption compared to those with lower levels, even after controlling for demographics, personality traits, and overall news use. Implications for designing effective media literacy campaigns to raise awareness of the potential for news consumption to develop into a problematic behavior as well as the development of intervention strategies are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the role political villains play in individuals' political imagination, which can then lead to political violence. When there is a threatening villain, partisans should become more likely to construct elaborate narratives about the political world, which can lead them to believe the violence against the opposition is justified. Study 1 uses a survey to provide evidence that exposure to partisan news sources cultivates the perception that opposing candidate pose a grave danger to America, which leads to more narrative thought. In Study 2, an experiment demonstrates that imagining threatening villains creates more narrative thought, which is then related to support for political violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic caused major disruptions to political campaigns during the 2020 election. There was a stark contrast between how the two major parties approached campaigning during COVID-19, including the election in Texas, a deep red state that some thought might present opportunities for Democratic Party candidates. Using interviews with 13 campaign operatives, this study examines how Republican candidates in Texas navigated their campaigns in the context of a pandemic. Our results suggest the unique context of campaigning during COVID-19 gave Republicans key advantages over Democrats. Decisions to embrace a more organic, bottom-up approach led to more flexible campaign strategies. Democratic Party candidates followed the lead of Joe Biden's presidential campaign and mostly refrained from direct voter contact, like door knocking. Through experimentation, many Republican campaigns felt comfortable embracing a ground game and deployed complete field operations. Consultants argued this played an important role in helping Texas Republicans exceed expectations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]