Bryan Risager (coffeemouse63)

Psychological theory suggests there is a positive association between risk perception and protective behavior. Empirical research has, however, found mixed support for the positive link between risk perception and protective behavior. One explanation for the inconsistent link is the way in which risk perception has been conceptualized and/or operationalized in past research. Specifically, few studies acknowledge differences in hazard severity and how it might affect risk perception and protective behavior. Past research has also tended to overlook the importance of emotional appraisal in relation to perceived hazard consequences. To address these inconsistencies in past research, 337 people living in a cyclone-prone location were recruited to participate in an online study. In this study, respondents were randomly presented with one of five hypothetical cyclone scenarios, which differed in objective severity. Respondents were also presented with a survey, which assessed risk perception, protective action perceptions (or coping appraisal), and intentions to perform short-term protective behaviors. As hypothesized, risk perception significantly increased preparedness intentions when controlling for hazard severity, hazard probability, and protective action perceptions. Moreover, the degree to which respondents associated negative emotions with predicted damage was also a relatively strong predictor of preparedness intentions. Overall, the findings support the theoretical link between risk perception and protective behavior and provide a new method of assessing risk perception in cross-sectional research. On a practical level, the results suggest that increasing risk perception should promote protective behavior in response to natural hazards.Images containing both animals and humans (two-shot images) are popular across social media and zoo advertising. However, these images, even when taken in ethical and conservation settings, have the potential for misinterpretation and may inadvertently promote the illegal wildlife trade, exotic pet trade or photo-prop industries. We examined whether zoo visitors' (n = 531) attitudes and stated Willingness to Donate (WTD) altered depending on whether they viewed a two-shot image set in a photo-prop setting (typically associated with negative welfare) or in a zoo or wild setting. All images, including photo-prop, were generally viewed positively regardless of context. Zoo-based images received a greater number of comments relating to concern for the animal's environment or welfare compared to other images, although numbers were still relatively low. This indicates a lack of awareness about the photo-prop industry and misconceptions about modern welfare practices in zoos, thus reflecting a need for improved education in these areas. Two-shot images in zoo settings elicited significantly higher stated WTD than images in wild or photo-prop settings or when an animal was pictured alone. Suggesting zoo-based images may be more effective for conservation campaigns than traditional images of an animal in its environment. Furthermore, images featuring a uniformed keeper plus an animal do not appear to increasing desire for pet ownership, indicating that they can be used in zoo advertising with minimal negative consequences.Traditional tissue engineering methods often fail to promote robust cell growth and differentiation, limiting the development of functioning tissues. However, the microgravity conditions created by rotating wall vessel bioreactors minimize shear stress and unload the gravitational force usually placed on cells. In a microgravity environment, cell proliferation, cell differentiation, and the 3D organization of cells are altered, potentially encouraging the formation of more biosimilar artificial tissues for certain cell types. Additionally, cells in these engineered tissues display lowered immunogenicity, pointing to the transplantation potential of tissues engineered in microgravi