Rangelands have significant potential to sequester carbon and contribute to the mitigation of climate change. This research aimed at better understanding the beliefs, attitudes, and perceptions of Utah rangeland owners concerning carbon sequestration and climate change, examining their current grazing management practices in relation to soil carbon sequestration, and exploring factors influencing their likelihood of participating in future programs. Data were collected through interviews of Utah rangeland owners and range management professionals and a statewide rangeland owner survey. About two-thirds of respondents thought the climate had been changing over the last 30 years, were aware of carbon sequestration, and viewed it positively. Forty-one percent considered it an important management objective. Having positive attitudes was associated with having “biocentric” environmental value and believing climate change and its anthropogenic nature. Respondents valued the potential ecological benefits of carbon sequestration, indicated a preference for educational programs over financial incentives, and preferred working with private agricultural organizations over non-profit or government entities on carbon management. Thirty-seven percent of respondents reported likely to participate in a carbon sequestration program. Higher likelihood was associated with dependence on livestock production, considering carbon sequestration an important management objective, being interested in learning more about it, and placing high importance on the economic and climate benefits of participating in relevant programs. These results suggest potential challenges for developing technically sound and socially acceptable policies and programs for promoting carbon sequestration on private rangelands. Rangeland owners’ attitudes towards carbon sequestration may play a strong role in their participation in future programs. Although education and outreach are considered important, innovative strategies are needed to communicate the concept and processes of carbon sequestration with rangeland owners without politicizing the issue. One approach is to tailor education and outreach messages to focus on the ecological benefits of carbon sequestration. Efforts are also needed to enhance the cooperation between private agricultural organizations and government agencies to promote carbon management on private rangelands. Instead of developing new programs, funneling resources to improve the carbon sequestration potential of existing conservation programs and attract wider participation among rangeland owners may be another cost effective policy strategy.

Research on military health indicates that some members of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) experience challenges during their military-to-civilian (MTC) transition(s). This novel study explored the Canadian public’s perceptions of the issues facing CAF members during their transition back into civilian society. Its significance is in its unique results and contribution to a previously unexplored topic within research on MTC transitions. A cross-sectional survey was administered via structured in-person interviews with 100 Canadian civilians not affiliated with the military. Results included civilian participants’ accurate as well as inaccurate perceptions about MTC transition issues compared to existing literature on veterans’ transition experiences. Participants underestimated issues regarding transitioning CAF members’ social networks and overestimated PTSD as the biggest struggle facing CAF members during their MTC transitions. Though participants accurately perceived that CAF members experience struggles during their transition, they overestimated the level of transition difficulty as reported by CAF members (Black & Papile, 2010; Life After Service Survey, 2014). Further research is recommended to examine the public’s perceptions of MTC transition issues and to better understand the potential implications of civilians’ perceptions on transitioning CAF members. / Graduate

Archaeological communication often seeks avenues to take in order to convey information to a public. One of these is video games, yet many articles do not delve into the effect that games have on people, taking for granted that people will learn something. This text aims to understand a group’s view on the past after it has gone through a transformative state such as a video game adaptation. With the web page Twitter offering a digital place of discussion, posts and comments will be analyzed in relation to the aim. The literary theory death of the author, interpretation and authority will help understand how the important aspect of accuracy is utilized amongst Twitter users. The findings conclude that accuracy is an important aspect of recreation amongst twitter users. It is to be employed in authentic portrayal of the past, meaning that the users seek to see a true representation, in contrast to a story taking liberties. Twitter users seek a definitive past, or a correct past, that should seek to emulate archaeological information in detail.

This study examined the factors affecting the perception of Turkey in the Middle East from 2002 onwards by analyzing the combination of media, political elite discourse and people's political predispositions in the cases of Egypt and Tunisia. The research is separated into two parts. In the first part of 2002-2010, the factors of democratization, economic development, foreign policy activism, Islamic Oriented Government as well as Turkish TV series were found to be critical in the explanation of Turkey's popularity. In the second part of 2010-2013, democratization and foreign policy activism were the most effective factors while the other variables still had some effect. In particular the study looked at the news titles, articles, headlines in newspapers, as well as the views of journalists, activists, bloggers, politicians, and academics, which together shaped public perception. A brief historical background is also given in regards to the mutual prejudices and stereotypes between Arabs and Turks during Ottoman rule and the 20th century. The thesis concludes by emphasizing the continuation of democratic progress and reforms in Turkey as well as the need for foreign policy adjustment according to crisis situations as a policy recommendation for the government. The present study also seeks to contribute to both the public opinion theory of Zaller and the recent literature on the "Turkish Model"

The retail sector is experiencing transforming changes driven by service robots (SR). While SR promise benefits such as improved inventory management, increased efficiency, and enhanced customer satisfaction, their integration presents technical and societal challenges. Technical hurdles encompass image classification under varying conditions, data security, localization, and obstacle detection. On the societal front, concerns revolve around public perception, safety, and employee apprehension regarding job security. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of these challenges and opportunities, highlighting that while SR have considerable potential, their optimal utilization in retail may be best suited for non-human facing tasks, given the current limitations of AI in human interactions.

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Why do local populations regard peacekeepers from certain countries as friendly, and from others not? This study delves into the cultural proximity and cultural awareness of peacekeepers, suggesting it as one factor that influences public perceptions on the peacekeepers and the mission as a whole. I argue that a closer cultural proximity of peacekeepers to the mission country correlates positively with a more favorable public perception on the mission. The working mechanism behind the relationship is based on the theory of winning hearts and minds. Aiming for empirical validation, this hypothesis undergoes examination by using a structured focused comparison between the Malian cities of Gao and Timbuktu. In addition, I complement the study with the method of process tracing, using own data collected through expert interviews with 10 individuals who gained field experience in MINUSMA. The results of the structured focused comparison yield unexpected results: The evidence does not align with the hypothesis due to a lack of variation in the peacekeepers‘ cultural proximity between the cases. However, the tracing of the causal mechanism proves invaluable. It finds support for certain parts of the theorized mechanism while inviting for further exploration on additional intervening factors that reshape or complement the causal chain.

Our research delves into two critical areas: fake news and artificial intelligence (AI). Historically, fake news predates the printing press, but its resurgence after the 2016 US Presidential Election garnered mass attention. Studies indicate its potency, with one fake article found to be as influential as a campaign ad (Allcott & Gentzkow, 2017). However, partisan media likely skews its impact on public perception. Conversely, AI's integration has surged in recent years, sparking both excitement and concern among the public (Pew Research Center, 2022). Its ability to generate hyper-specific images, demonstrated by DALL·E 2 and Midjourney, poses challenges in distinguishing real from fake content (Midjourney, 2024). This capability underscores the potential for AI to fabricate convincingly realistic fake news imagery. Our research aims to uncover predictors at the intersection of fake news and AI. Building on previous studies, we focus on age's role in deception within the fake news context, employing the Changes in Integration for Social Decisions in Aging (CISDA) model (Frazier et al., 2019). Specifically, we utilize a modified version, adept at detecting fake news headlines (Pehlivanoglu, 2022). Our investigation centers on analytical reasoning, age effects, news consumption frequency, and news content, seeking to fill gaps in understanding how AI facilitates deception in the fake news landscape.

The studies included in this dissertation investigated the experiences of individual romantic partners as secret keepers and couples as collective secret keepers. Study 1 investigated the topics of secrets kept by individual romantic partners and public perception of secret keeping in the context of romantic relationships via qualitative content analysis. The analysis of secret topics resulted in the following themes: (1) secrets about the Redditors’ relationship, (2) secrets about the Redditor, and (3) a discussion of secrecy. The analysis of public perception resulted in the following themes: (1) normalization, (2) advice, (3) comfort, (4) personal reactions, and (5) a request for more information. Study 2 investigated the experiences of collective secret keepers. Inductive analysis was used in the analysis of participants’ (n = 522) responses to questions investigating: (1) the topics of collective secrets, (2) the reasons for keeping or disclosing the secret, and (3) the reasons for disagreeing over the disclosure of the secret. Further analyses revealed a relationship between secret topic and the overall relational impact of collective secret keeping (F(27, 385) = 1.64, p < .05, 2 = .10); some topics were found to be more distancing than others. A relationship between relationship satisfaction and disagreement between spouses over the disclosure (F(1, 310) = 5.83, p < .05, η2 = .02) was also found; disagreement on the disclosure of a secret was found to result in lower relationship satisfaction. Study 2 also investigated the relationship between collective secret functions and relational outcomes via multilevel modeling. A relationship between secret functions and the following relational outcomes were found when the collective secret was kept: relational impact (χ2= 14.18, df = 1, p < .001), relational closeness (χ2= 14.18, df = 1, p < .001), and relationship satisfaction (χ2= 17.60, df = 1, p < .001). A relationship between secret functions and the relational impact was also found when the collective secret was disclosed (χ2= 3.12, df = 1, p < .10).