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Genetics

Ohio sheep farmers focus on improved flock genetics at 2021 symposium – Farm and Dairy

WOOSTER, Ohio Isabel Richards, of Gibraltar Farm, in central New York, knows what shes looking for in her sheep herd good body condition, ewes that are good at raising their lambs with minimal help, parasite resistance, to an extent. Not all of the sheep born on her farm make the cut to stay.

But different farms might have different goals for their flocks, Richards said at the 2021 Buckeye Shepherds Symposium, Dec. 3-4, in Wooster, Ohio. She encouraged sheep farmers to focus on whatever traits they want to encourage on their farms.

The big thing is just to see what makes sense for you to select for, she said.

Speakers at the symposium focused on genetics and reproduction. Richards isnt afraid to cull ewes that dont fit her operation.

Our ewe lambs get tough love, she said.

Body condition score is one of the big factors she culls for. There are performance things that she looks for ewes that produce a good number of lambs for their size, ewes that are good at mothering but she also needs them to be able to maintain their body condition scores.

She also selects for growth, to some extent. In New York, hay is expensive. So, Richards tries to raise lambs that can grow to market weight before she has to start feeding hay in the winter.

Mike Stitzlein, who raises club lambs in Ashland, Ohio, considers things like temperament, as well, when he is working on improving his flocks genetics. And as someone who raises lambs for the show ring, hes noticed what the show ring wants isnt always whats best for the sheep industry as a whole.

What pushes club lamb is whats popular in the show ring whats popular in the show ring is just fads, sometimes, Stitzlein said.

But also essential to improving genetics and reproduction is record keeping.

You cant manage what you dont measure, said Brady Campbell, an assistant professor focused on small ruminant management with Ohio State University.

On her farm, Richards tracks things including birth weights, estimated breeding values, mothering ability for ewes, body condition scores, weights at 60 days and 120 days and fecal egg counts for her livestock. The estimated breeding values come from the National Sheep Improvement Program, an organization that offers a system for genetic selection to help sheep farmers improve their herds.

Those things take time, and can be expensive being part of the national program costs Richards about $1,200 per year. But the numbers help her compare how well individual animals, and the herd are doing.

We can measure all day long but we also need to understand that we shouldnt just collect data to collect data, if were not going to use it, Campbell said.

The Ohio Sheep Improvement Association recognized award winners and scholarship recipients at the symposium Dec. 4. The Charles Boyles Master Shepherd Award went to Roger and Jan Cox, of Morrow County.

Roger and Jan Cox raise Katahdin sheep. The Cox family has a long history of sheep farming Rogers father raised sheep, and his ancestors, from Scotland and Ireland, also raised sheep. Roger Cox got his start in sheep with registered Hampshires in 1958, and later shifted to more commercial sheep, getting his first Katahdins in 2005.

Weve been so blessed, Roger Cox said. We had an opportunity to work hard, manage well, and see things come together.

The Distinguished Service Awards went to Gary Wilson, of Jenera; Don Hawk, of Danville; Jordan Beck, of Wauseon; Lori Shroyer, of DeGraff; and Robert Hunter, of Pickerington, all of whom have served on the Ohio Sheep and Wool Program board. Mike Stitzlein, who retired as the president of the association in 2019, received the Presidents Award.

The Friend of the Sheep Industry Award went to Amy Hurst, who assists with keeping track of membership records, checkoff accounting, newsletters and more for the association.

Youth recognized included Rachel Berk and Jim Stickley, with the Ralph H. Grimshaw Memorial Scholarship; Brandon Zuercher, with the Dr. Jack Judy Memorial Scholarship; Chelsea Graham, with the High Family Memorial Scholarship; and Emma Peters, Linsey Eddy and Ian Johnson, with the OSIA LEAD Council Scholarship.

The association also recognized Zoe Parrott, of Northmor FFA, as the state and national FFA sheep production proficiency winner, and Olivia Rinesmith, as the Ohio Lamb and Wool Ambassador.

2021 Buckeye Shepherd's Symposium awards

Representatives of the American Lamb Board gave an update on the checkoff program. Because of the pandemic, said Don Hawk, of the American Lamb Board, the program shifted its strategy to focus less on fine dining, and more on retail and consumer education.

Through partnering with food blogs and getting lamb into new recipes, the program estimates it reached four million or more people in 2020. It is also helping fund several research projects, including one at Michigan State University that looks at the sheep industrys environmental impact.

At the state level, the Ohio Sheep Improvement Association came up with a new strategic plan this year. Three broad goals in the plan are to ensure and maintain effective management, better serve members in Ohio and to provide relevant programming for the Ohio sheep industry.

With strong markets for lamb and wool and a strong base of farmers in the state, the association believes it is well-poised for the future.

We probably have the greatest potential for growth, Hawk said, about the sheep industry east of the Mississippi River.

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Ohio sheep farmers focus on improved flock genetics at 2021 symposium - Farm and Dairy

Human Behavior

At least 2 bipedal human species lived nearly 3.7 million years ago – NPR

On the left is a nearly 3.7 million-year-old fossil footprint now believed to have been made by an early human. On the right is the rear footprint of a young black bear. Left: J. DeSilva/Right: E. McNutt hide caption

On the left is a nearly 3.7 million-year-old fossil footprint now believed to have been made by an early human. On the right is the rear footprint of a young black bear.

The early humans who walked the Earth nearly 3.7 million years ago were not walking alone. Fossil footprints in Tanzania reveal that two human species once lived in the same place at the same time.

Scientists had long thought that one set of unusual prints there was left by a bear walking on its hind legs, but a new analysis published in the journal Nature suggests that's not right. Instead, it appears that the tracks were left by some unknown early human species that was strolling around that spot at the exact same time as Australopithecus afarensis the species of the famous partial skeleton "Lucy."

Australopithecus afarensis has long been assumed to have been the only human species living way back then, and scientists have considered it an ancestor of modern humans. But recent discoveries of other remains, such as jaws, skulls and foot bones, have hinted that an unexpected diversity of hominins may have lived during this period.

At this particular prehistoric site, at Laetoli in northern Tanzania, all the footprints were made in the same layer of mud. That means individuals from these two early human species must have passed through within hours or days of one another, says Ellison McNutt, a biological anthropologist at Ohio University's Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine.

It's possible that the unknown species that made the weird footprints "looked up across the landscape and saw an Australopithecus afarensis walking somewhere else," she says. "It's really cool that we may have two hominin species, at least, living at the same place."

McNutt studies bipedalism because walking on two legs is a unique and distinctive human trait. "It's a very strange way of kind of moving through the world, and it's very different from other animals," she notes, adding that how and why humans evolved to do this is still a mystery. "This seems to be one of the things that sort of makes hominins and our lineage very different from the other living primates."

And walking upright seems to go way back in human evolution. Millions of years ago, a volcano erupted and covered Laetoli in ash. That ash turned to mud, and all kinds of creatures left tracks; when the volcano erupted again, another layer of ash preserved the tracks. In the 1970s, paleontologists uncovered tracks from animals including ostriches, giraffes, hyenas and, of course, what was later identified as Australopithecus afarensis.

At the same time, the workers uncovered another set of tracks that also seemed to show bipedal walking, but those didn't look so distinctively human. Eventually, scientists decided they must have been left by a young bear, given that bears lived in Africa back then. A bear's hind feet can look somewhat human, bears can walk bipedally, and they don't always leave distinctive claw-prints.

"It was kind of a reasonable thing, sort of," says McNutt, who adds that the more instantly recognizable footprints from the human species were so exciting that these other ones got ignored for decades.

She came across a reference to these forgotten footprints, however, while studying bear bipedalism when she was a graduate student at Dartmouth College. She realized that she and her colleagues could test the bear hypothesis with the help of a nearby rehabilitation center for black bears in New Hampshire. It had young bears with paws of a comparable size to the footprints.

"We ended up with four little juvenile bears that we had stand up and walk through mud for either applesauce or maple syrup, which was very cute, as their reward at the end of it," she explains.

By examining the paw prints left by the bears and by comparing them with the mysterious fossil footprints as well as human footprints and chimpanzee footprints, the research team determined that the fossils' features looked more humanlike. It looks like the feet must have had a relatively large "big toe," for example.

What's more, the walking pattern preserved in the tracks shows a kind of cross-step, with the foot crossing in front of the midline of the body. People sometimes cross-step while walking over uneven surfaces or regaining their balance.

"That actually is one more piece of evidence that it's not a bear," says McNutt, "because bears don't have the anatomy at their hip and their knee to allow them to stand up and maintain their balance while cross-stepping."

The researchers also looked at more than 50 hours of videos taken of wild black bears and found that they hardly ever walk on their hind legs. "When a bear stands up, he's usually holding on to a tree," says McNutt. "Or maybe he'll take a step or two, but he doesn't usually take four or more, which is what you'd really need to get to the five we have preserved at this site."

All of this evidence has convinced Stephanie Melillo, a paleoanthropologist at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany, who was not part of the research team. "They do a very convincing job of showing that the prints are not made by a bear," she says, and adds that the prints' shape does suggest that they were made by an unknown early human.

"If it's the case that this is a second species, this discovery shows that Australopithecus afarensis and something else were really in the same time, at the same place," says Melillo, who notes that this kind of link is harder to make with such precision when fossilized bones are found at other sites.

And it means that bipedalism didn't necessary evolve once and proceed in an ever-progressing straight line to how modern humans walk today, but rather that different versions could have existed simultaneously in different branches of the family tree.

Footprints, unlike bones, capture an actual behavior of early humans and let scientists imagine these distant but familiar species strolling across the land at Laetoli.

"This site is unique," says Melillo. "It's not just these two hominins. We see these hominins together with birds, and with antelopes and hyenas, an entire African ecosystem of animals. It really does give you a really good image of what kind of environment the hominins were occupying."

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At least 2 bipedal human species lived nearly 3.7 million years ago - NPR

Human Behavior

Study uncovers a feedback loop effect between attachment anxiety and manipulative mate retention behaviors – PsyPost

People who fear abandonment and have an excessive need for approval become more likely over time to use manipulative tactics to keep their romantic partner in a relationship. But men and women who engage in such tactics end up becoming more anxious about their relationship. Those are the findings from new research published in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior.

Although mate retention had been researched for decades in the field of evolutionary psychology, it had yet to be connected to the large research area of attachment theory, which to me seemed like an obvious intersection, said study author Nicole Barbaro, an adjunct professor at Utah Valley University and research scientist at WGU Labs.

Attachment theory describes how people bond to others and maintain their relationships. People can be secure or insecure in their attachments, and insecure individuals can be either anxious or avoidant. People with an anxious attachment style are fearful of rejection and abandonment, while people with an avoidant attachment style tend to distrust others and shun intimacy.

Theoretical frameworks of mate retention were also historically male-centric, for example sperm competition theory, and I wanted to explore frameworks that could explain both male and female mate retention behavior in any type of relationship, Barbaro said.

Previous research has indicated that anxiously attached individuals tend to engage more frequently in cost-inflicting mate retention strategies (such as snooping through a partners phone or talking to another person at a party to make a partner jealous.) Barbaro and her colleagues replicated those findings with a study of 104 young adults who were currently in a sexually active relationship that had lasted at least three months.

But one area that has been left unclear is whether cost-inflicting mate retention strategies lead to anxious attachment or whether anxious attachment leads to cost-inflicting mate retention strategies. To better understand this, the researchers examined two waves of data from 489 heterosexual couples who had participated in the Processes in Romantic Relationships and Their Impact on Relationship and Personal Outcomes (CouPers) study, longitudinal research conducted at the University of Basel.

Barbaro and her colleagues found that cost-inflicting strategies predicted higher attachment anxiety 18 months later. But the reverse was also true: higher attachment anxiety predicted more frequent use of cost-inflicting strategies. In other words, those who engaged in more frequent cost-inflicting mate retention behaviors tended to become more anxiously attached and those who were anxiously attached tended to become more likely to use cost-inflicting behaviors.

The findings indicate that high anxious attachment is a strong risk factor for negative and manipulative partner-directed behavior for both men and women, Barbaro told PsyPost. This relationship appears to be reciprocal, meaning that high attachment anxiety can lead to negative behaviors, which in turn appear to also predict later attachment anxiety.

The study provides new insights into how mate retention behaviors and attachment orientations interact over time in romantic relationships. But the study like all research includes some limitations.

This line of work is still, overall, in early stages, Barbaro said. Research in this area still needs to evaluate these behaviors using more than self-report survey measures. We still want to know the mechanisms underlying these associations between attachment and mate retention behavior, for example, what triggers are activating the attachment system and motivating specific types of behaviors? We still want to know how these processes impact other aspects of relationship functioning. For example, other research shows the impact of negative mate retention on relationship satisfaction how does this connect with attachment orientations?

This is a line of research that I developed as a graduate student in an effort to develop a single evolutionary framework that explained both mens and womens mate retention behavior and its great to see that a broader interest in this area has taken off in recent years, and Im excited about the new insight researchers will uncover.

The study, The (bidirectional) associations between romantic attachment orientations and mate retention behavior in male-female romantic couples, was authored by Nicole Barbaro, Rebekka Weidmann, Robert P. Burriss, Jenna Wnsche, Janina L. Bhler, Todd K. Shackelford, and Alexander Grob.

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Study uncovers a feedback loop effect between attachment anxiety and manipulative mate retention behaviors - PsyPost

Human Behavior

City Of Boulder Releases its first Crisis Intervention Response Team Report – City of Boulder

The Crisis Intervention Response Team (CIRT) program launched in February 2021 to help meet the needs of community members experiencing behavioral health crisis. Behavioral health refers to instances where a person is experiencing mental health issues and/or a substance use disorder.

CIRT is a co-response team composed of licensed behavioral health clinicians from the citys Housing and Human Services Department paired with Boulder Police Department officers. Under this program, clinicians and police jointly respond to calls involving a behavioral health crisis to help de-escalate situations and connect those in need to available services.

The CIRT program was developed to help fill a gap in responding to concerning, but noncriminal behavior. Teaming behavioral health specialists with officers allows us to offer the best available response in these types of situations, said Housing and Human Services Policy Manager Wendy Schwartz. Weve seen substantial utilization of the program in its first few months and are proud of the impact it has made in our community.

Police Chief Maris Herold agreed, saying The co-responder program has had a tremendously positive impact in the Boulder community and the police department in several aspects. Our officers are greatly appreciative of the CIRT partnership because of the knowledge, resources and diverse skill set they bring. This team approach helps our officers in responding to calls as well as our community members in crisis.

The report summarizes the first six months of CIRT operation. Key highlights include:

The city will publish annual CIRT program reports, with the goal of continuous improvement and the ability to compare trends or changes over time. The city has also applied for federal funding to support an independent program evaluation by professional research consultants.

As the CIRT program continues, the city will explore opportunities to expand capacity or implement complementary programs to support behavioral health. Crisis intervention is just one piece of the broad spectrum of behavioral health treatment needs supported by the city and its regional partners.

For more information, visit the city's website.

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City Of Boulder Releases its first Crisis Intervention Response Team Report - City of Boulder

Human Behavior

What Is ‘Toxic Positivity’ and Why Is It Bad for the Workplace? – Entrepreneur

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Toxic positivity simply meansextreme positive thinking that leads to the masking of real life problems.

In a workplace, showing negative emotions isconsidered verboten. As a result, everyonetends to be on their best behavioral facade.

When a leader, who people look up to, pushestheir positive mindset on others?It will turnugly, because employees will feel uncomfortable sharing problemsthat need to be addressed.

Resolving the issues that are causing negative sentiments in the teamis the only alternative for promotingemotional wellbeing.

Here's howleaders can avoid this production-depleting issue...

Related:Top Signs of a ToxicWorkplaceand How to Deal

If leaders want unbiased in-house reviews, theyneed to build a healthyrelationship with theirworkers. It is human behavior to hide any negative thoughts because they don't want to seem weak and vulnerable.A good boss will provide an environment where people are okay to lose thispositive facade and share their vulnerabilities.

Should employees sharefinancial difficulties or askfor a raise?An owners shouldn'tblame the market and ask them to be thankful that they have a job.Instead they should be transparent. If a bossesbelieves a hike in pay is warranted, they should get it. If they thinkotherwise, share thoughts and be compassionate.Related:WorkplaceCulture Doesn't Matter. Until It Does.

Instead of saying"let's keep the problems aside and have complete focus on achieving our targets"? Modify it to: "Our goals are important to all of us, but if you feel there are any issues that need to be addressed, so we canreach our ideals, please share it. Let's discuss and find solutions."

Toxic positivity at the workplace can full-on affect productivity. Instead of undermining the issues that an employee is facing, it is always a better to try and resolve it. Listen to the feedback,acknowledgethe problems, be compassionate, provide solutionsand maintain trust.Related:7 tips for handling toxic people at work

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What Is 'Toxic Positivity' and Why Is It Bad for the Workplace? - Entrepreneur

Human Behavior

Apple Podcasts presents the Best of 2021 – Apple Newsroom

November 30, 2021

UPDATE

Apple Podcasts presents the Best of 2021

Apple celebrates this years best and most popular podcasts and their creators

Each year, Apple recognizes the best and most popular podcasts for their exceptional content, unique ability to engage audiences, and innovation in craft, spanning production, presentation, sound design, and more, that expand the definition of podcasting and deepen its impact on listeners worldwide. This year, Apple Podcasts Best of 2021 features shows and creators that provided listeners with a powerful sense of connection in a challenging and uncertain time, curated by Apple Podcasts world-class editorial team.

Apple Podcasts is pleased to recognize A Slight Change of Plans with Maya Shankar from Pushkin Industries as Best Show of the Year, and Anything for Selena with Maria Garcia from WBUR and Futuro Studios as Newcomer of the Year. These deeply personal yet universally relatable shows grapple with profound change, perceptions of identity and self-worth, and the meaning of belonging, with thought-provoking discussions that reflect the human experience.

2021 marked the start of a new chapter for podcasting with shows that moved us in ways unlike ever before, said Oliver Schusser, Apples vice president of Apple Music and Beats. We are honored to recognize the phenomenal creators who are redefining podcasting with this years best shows, and to help more listeners around the world discover, enjoy, and support their inspiring work.

Best Show of the Year: A Slight Change of Plans with Maya Shankar

Maya Shankar is no stranger to change. Before she was a cognitive scientist who founded theWhite House Behavioral Science Team and served as the first Behavioral Science Advisor to the United Nations, she had a different plan. My whole childhood revolved around the violin, but that changed in a moment when I injured my hand playing a single note, said Shankar, who was a student of Itzhak Perlman at The Juilliard School at the time.I was forced to try and figure out who I was, and who I could be, without it.

A Slight Change of Plans blends compassionate storytelling with the science of human behavior to help listeners navigate their own big change. Its easy for us to feel overwhelmed by any given change. Ive often found myself thinking, Ive never gone through this particular change before what do I do? Shankar said. But while our changes may appear different on the surface, cognitive science teaches us that the strategies we use to navigate those changes can be quite similar. Which is heartening to realize! It means we can learn from changes that dont look like ours.

The show features stories about all sorts of change, from Tiffany Haddish discussing how she navigated the foster care system and discovered that she had a rare gift that would change her life, to John Elder Robison, who underwent experimental brain treatment to try and increase his emotional sensitivity. The show dives deep into the science of change with experts like Adam Grant and Angela Duckworth, and features illuminating conversations with Oscar-nominated actor Riz Ahmed, Grammy winner Kacey Musgraves, professional rock climber Tommy Caldwell, and other real-life inspirations like Shankar herself, who had her own slight change of plans earlier this year.

Newcomer of the Year: Anything for Selena with MariaGarcia

Anything for Selena asks profound questions about belonging. I loved Selena since I was 7 years old, said journalist Maria Garcia. I couldnt articulate this when I was younger, but I felt a profound sense that she mattered not just because of her music, but because of her expansive cultural impact.

That set Garcia on a personal quest, leading her to ask questions about Latino fatherhood, fraught relationships with race and language, and her own identity. We tried to make meaning of Selenas life and legacy, she said. I wanted to write her a love letter, an ode, a beautiful story.

We started production in the summer of 2020, Garcia added. I recorded the show with just my microphone and MacBook in my walk-in closet, which we padded for crisp sound, so the podcast truly came together in the thick of the pandemic. It felt natural to use the tools of my craft rigorous reporting, vulnerable storytelling, cultural analysis to do Selenas legacy justice, to prove that she left an indelible mark on Latino identity and American belonging. And so many people wrote to tell me that the podcast made them feel seen.

In addition to Best Show of the Year and Newcomer of the Year, Apple recognized a curated collection of shows and episodes that defined and reflected 2021.

Shows of the Year

A Kids Book About: The Podcast with Matthew Winner, for taking a thoughtful, friendly, and considered approach to explaining the big things in life fear, failure, and divorce, for instance but also activism, sharing, and money, to kids.

Anything Goes with Emma Chamberlain, for making listeners feel as though theyre her best friend, helping them through doubt and sadness with her unique frankness, keen observations, and genuine affection.

Good Inside with Dr. Becky, for Becky Kennedys calming, validating voice to parents everywhere, acknowledging that if this time (and parenting generally) feels hard, thats because it is.

Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang from Will Ferrells Big Money Players Network, for a joyfully escapist experience that takes listeners on a quirky, hilarious, and unforgettable journey into the beating heart of culture.

Pantsuit Politics with Sarah Stewart Holland and Beth Silvers, for offering a unique approach to the news and politics through grace-filled conversations that unpack the valid, complicated, hard differences that persist in this moment.

Teenager Therapy with Gael Aitor, Kayla Suarez, Mark Hugo, and Thomas Pham, for reminding everyone that direct, vulnerable conversations among friends no matter the issue is the best medicine.

The Experiment from The Atlantic and WNYC Studios with Julia Longoria, for elucidating the notion that countries like people are unfinished works in progress, and facilitating a dialogue about what it means to be a citizen.

The Midnight Miracle from Luminary with Talib Kweli, yasiin bey, and Dave Chappelle, for a completely original experience that transports listeners into the room with remarkable energy from its hosts and very special guests.

This Land from Crooked Media with Rebecca Nagle, for investigating and explaining the experiences of Native Americans to recontextualize Americas understanding of its own history.

U Up? with Jordana Abraham and Jared Freid, for exploring the very real often hilarious concerns of trying to find a partner, with banter that keeps listeners coming back no matter their relationship status.

Episodes of the Year

A Friendly Ghost Story, about a painful, personal ghosting experience that explores the complexity of human relationships, from Invisibilia with Yowei Shaw and Kia Miakka Natisse by NPR.

Bubba Wallace, from Club Shay Shay by FOX Sports, which sees host Shannon Sharpe and Bubba Wallace, a Daytona 500 runner-up and the first African American driver to win Rookie of the Year in a NASCAR series, discuss the intersection of sports, politics, entertainment, and humanity.

Glorious Basterds, about a chance encounter with Paul Rudd at a movie theater that causes a formerly devout Jehovahs Witness to rethink her future and embark on a new life, from Storytime with Seth Rogen by Earwolf.

How Do I Love Someone? a nonfiction rom-com about love during the pandemic, from WILD with Megan Tan by LAist Studios and KPCC.

My Parents, Ellen and Tom, a clear-eyed gem of an episode that sees host Ian Coss examine divorce by interviewing his parents about how and why their marriage ended without anger or recrimination, from Forever is a Long Time.

The Body Mass Index, about the complicated history of the BMI and the obesity epidemic, from Maintenance Phase with Aubrey Gordon and Michael Hobbes.

The People in the Neighborhood, which examines the murder of George Floyd through the neighbors who bore witness to it, from Still Processing with Jenna Wortham and Wesley Morris by the New York Times.

The Symphony, a mesmerizing, lyrical trip featuring Kevin Hart, Questlove, Mo Amer, Bill Burr, Pras, Michelle Wolf, and Jon Stewart, from The Midnight Miracle with Talib Kweli, yasiin bey, and Dave Chappelle, by Luminary.

The Unwritten Rules of Black TV, which traces the cyclical, uneven history of Black representation on television, from The Experiment with Hannah Giorgis by The Atlantic and WNYC Studios.

This Strange Story, about people who were completely cut off from the world when 9/11 happened and how they processed it, from 9/12 with Dan Taberski by Amazon Music, Wondery, and Pineapple Street Studios.

Apple Podcasts Charts

Apple Podcasts also published new charts today, highlighting the most popular new shows, free channels, and individual shows and channels with subscriptions that launched this year in the US. Listeners can browse these new charts, plus those for all Top Shows and Top Episodes, at apple.co/podcasts.

Top New Shows

Top Free Channels

Top Subscriptions

Individual Shows

Channels

About Apple Podcasts

Apple took podcasts mainstream more than 15 years ago, helping inform, entertain, and inspire hundreds of millions of listeners worldwide with gripping stories and fresh perspectives. Apple Podcasts is the best place for listeners to discover and enjoy their favorite podcasts, featuring millions of shows in more than 100 languages. Apple Podcasts Subscriptions is the easiest way for listeners to support their favorite creators and unlock premium content and additional benefits, including early access, extra episodes, and ad-free listening. Apple Podcasts is available for free in over 170 countries and regions on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV, HomePod and HomePod mini, CarPlay, iTunes on Windows, Amazon Alexa, and other smart speakers and car systems. More information is available at apple.com/apple-podcasts.

Press Contacts

Zach Kahn

Apple

zkahn@apple.com

(669) 276-2811

Apple Media Helpline

media.help@apple.com

(408) 974-2042

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Apple Podcasts presents the Best of 2021 - Apple Newsroom

Human Behavior

Pega Introduces New AI-Powered Capability to Usher in the Next Generation of Omnichannel Marketing – Yahoo Finance

New Pega Customer Decision Hub feature transforms customer journeys to deliver the most relevant experiences possible

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Dec. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Pegasystems Inc. (NASDAQ: PEGA), the software company that crushes business complexity, today announced Next-Best-Action Customer Journeys, a new AI-powered capability modernizing traditional customer journeys with intelligent decisioning and propensity modeling for optimal customer interactions. This capability transforms conventional marketing by considering the changing nature of human behavior. Instead of forcing customers down pre-determined paths, marketers can intelligently sense customers' unique context and needs at any given moment, adjust and change their outreach approach in real time, and proactively deliver personalized messages on their preferred channels.

The corporate logo for Pega (PRNewsfoto/Pegasystems Inc.)

As organizations face continued pressure to capture customers' very limited attention in an increasingly noisy and competitive environment, traditional approaches to journey orchestration are no longer working. Typically, brands rely on prescriptive journeys to push products to predefined segments of customers at predetermined points in time. But because humans are complex and do not always follow a linear path, this approach often results in poorly timed, overly sales-focused communications. At best, the customer ignores an irrelevant offer, and at worst they jump to a competitor.

Part of Pega Customer Decision Hub, Next-Best-Action Customer Journeys takes a transformational approach, providing a unified solution that helps organizations to:

Rapidly activate journey data: Instead of business rules and predefined experiences, each customer's current journey and stage can now automatically be integrated into next-best-action decisioning models. By incorporating all available sources of customer data, organizations can increase predictive accuracy and relevance of every experience in real time, ultimately helping improve performance.

Orchestrate journeys with real-time propensity scoring: While traditional solutions require users to construct siloed, product-centric experiences that consider a limited number of interactions on a small subset of channels, Next-Best-Action Customer Journeys offers a single, propensity-driven solution that optimizes end-to-end customer experiences across use cases, channels, and lines of business. Based on real-time, data-driven scoring, businesses can understand exactly when they need to pivot between selling, serving, and retaining customers in real time as their needs change.

Analyze and optimize journey performance: Integrated journey visualization capabilities generate graphical representations of end-to-end customer experiences and update in real time as individuals interact with brands throughout their journeys. This helps marketers to identify optimal journey paths across channels and stages, preemptively remove roadblocks, and drive continuous performance improvement.

Part of the Pega Infinity digital transformation software suite, Pega Customer Decision Hub serves as an always-on 'brain' providing centralized AI across all customer touchpoints inbound, outbound, and paid to optimize every interaction and maximize customer value. Its predictive analytics and customer decision management enables organizations to surface unique insights and recommend the next best action in real time during every step of the customer lifecycle from marketing to sales to customer service and retention.

Story continues

Next-Best-Action Customer Journeys is available today. To learn more about this new capability, visit http://www.pega.com/products/decision-hub/customer-journey-management.

Quotes & Commentary: "While the opportunity to attract customers' attention is more elusive than ever, most traditional marketing tools still can't meet customers exactly where they are on their journeys," said Dr. Rob Walker, vice president of decisioning and analytics, Pegasystems. "Instead of creating static experiences based on deterministic logic, organizations need to optimize and humanize the customer experience. Next-Best-Action Customer Journeys provides businesses a propensity-driven solution that adapts to customers' context in real time, bringing true value and relevance to customers and driving results in a way that's never been done before."

Supporting Resources:

About Pegasystems Pega delivers innovative software that crushes business complexity so our clients can make better decisions and get work done. We help the world's leading brands solve their biggest business challenges: maximizing customer lifetime value, streamlining customer service, and boosting operational efficiency. Pega technology is powered by real-time AI and intelligent automation, while our scalable architecture and low-code platform help enterprises adapt to rapid change and transform for tomorrow. For more information, please visit http://www.pega.com.

Press Contact: Ilena RyanPegasystems Inc. Ilena.ryan@pega.com(617) 866-6722 Twitter: @pega

All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Cision

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Pega Introduces New AI-Powered Capability to Usher in the Next Generation of Omnichannel Marketing - Yahoo Finance

Human Behavior

A Narrowboat Holiday Places an Unsuspecting Woman at the Center of a Devastating Tragedy in New Fast-Paced, Split-Narrative Psychological Thriller -…

'Cari Moses' by Judith Tyler Hills is a gripping story of love, loss and revenge set along North West England's inland waterways

NORFOLK, England, Dec. 1, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- A wife anguishing over fertility complications, a husband aching to make his hurting wife happy, a homeless teenager running from her troubled past, a man hunting pregnant women to satisfy his boiling hatred and a newborn baby lying helplessly in a canalwhile seemingly separate, these lives are inextricably linked through each other's desperate decisions in Judith Tyler Hills' debut thriller, "Cari Moses."

After a string of failed pregnancies puts a devastating strain on high-school sweethearts Karen and Ben, the two embark on a narrowboat holiday. Ben naively believes that this getaway will shorten the emotional distance between them, yet Karen continues to withdraw from their relationship. However, when an orphaned infant emerges from the dark, murky waters, Karen grows attached and brings the newly named Cari Moses home albeit at Ben's protest.

While hope is reborn for Karen, unimaginable tragedy strikes for others. Unbeknownst to the couple, Cari Moses is tied to a new mother's shocking disappearance at the hand of a serial killer obsessed with enacting revenge on pregnant women. Also woven into the story are the perspectives of other players involved or otherwise affected by this unfortunate series of events, including midwife Pam, police officer Sandy and vagrant Leckie.

In writing "Cari Moses," Hills marries her lifelong career in healthcare with her passion for narrowboating, taking readers on a twisting journey through bustling city streets and chilling canals as well as cold police station halls and sterile, curtained rooms in the ICU. Through exploring themes of deception, depravity and human frailty, her book illustrates the enormous range of human behavior and the possibility of redemption for those who seek it.

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A page-turning psychological thriller with cliff-hangers awaiting at the end of every chapter, "Cari Moses" demonstrates the far-reaching consequences of decisions, both good and evil.

"Cari Moses" By Judith Tyler Hills ISBN: 9781665588317 (softcover); 9781665588300 (hardcover); 9781665588324 (electronic) Available from Amazon, Waterstones and AuthorHouse

About the author Dr. Judith Tyler Hills has led a busy and varied life working for forty years in health, education, psychology and research. She first qualified as a nurse, midwife and health visitor in the 1960s and worked for some of that time in a large psychiatric hospital. "Cari Moses" is Hills' first novel, inspired by her working life, her experience as a Samaritan volunteer and her leisure time spent aboard her narrow boat Cloud Nine. To learn more about Hills, please visit judithtylerhills.com.

Review Copies & Interview Requests: LAVIDGE Phoenix Meghan Bowman 480-306-6597 mbowman@lavidge.com

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A Narrowboat Holiday Places an Unsuspecting Woman at the Center of a Devastating Tragedy in New Fast-Paced, Split-Narrative Psychological Thriller -...

Human Behavior

Access the Experts: Tara Richards | News – University of Nebraska Omaha

In this installment, Richards answers: "Has the Violence Against Women Act worked in protecting women?"

Access the Experts is an innovative partnership between the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) and News Channel Nebraska (NCN), where viewers submit their questions to be answered by UNO faculty members.

Tara Richards, Associate Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Nebraska at Omaha answers the question: "Has the Violence Against Women Act worked in protecting women?"

Tara Richards is an associate professor within the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice focusing on intimate partner violence, sexual assault, campus sexual misconduct, and the role of gender in victimization and the criminal justice system processes in her research.

Richards' work has been featured in "Justice Quarterly, Crime & Delinquency," and "Law and Human Behavior." Currently, she is an active member of the American Society of Criminology's Division on Women and Crime (DWC), a member of the Editorial Board for the "Journal of Experimental Criminology" and the "Journal of Women and Criminal Justice." She also serves on the Douglas County Sexual Assault Response Team (SART), Domestic Violence Community Response Team (DV CRT), the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) Working Group, and is the site coach for Nebraska's Justice Reinvestment initiative.

Access the Experts is an innovative partnership between the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) and News Channel Nebraska (NCN), where viewers submit their questions to be answered by UNO faculty members.

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Access the Experts: Tara Richards | News - University of Nebraska Omaha

Human Behavior

Mass Star Ann Dowd and Writer-Director Fran Kranz on How Emotional Film Portrays the Power of Human Connection – Hollywood Reporter

In Bleecker Streets Mass, the impact of a school shooting on two sets of parents those of a victim (played by Jason Isaacs and Martha Plimpton) and those of the perpetrator (Reed Birney and Ann Dowd) meet for a raw and emotional conversation years after the shooting took place. Throughout the course of the film, which unfolds in real time, the group attempts to find healing even if that process dredges up plenty of grief and pain.

The intimate drama is an acting masterclass featuring four veterans delivering some of the best performances of their careers. Anchoring it is a thoughtful and compassionate script from writer-director Fran Kranz. Dowd and Kranz spoke to THR about the powerful drama, how actor-turned-helmer Kranz allowed his cast space to deliver their best performances and the healing power of finding empathy for others.

Fran, did a specific moment in recent history inspire you to start writing this film?

FRAN KRANZ The movie initially came out of a desire to know more about the subject. I was this new, terrified, angry, frustrated, confused parent thinking about the frequency of these events in this country. The real catalyst was the Parkland [Florida] shooting [on Feb. 14, 2018]. I went online that night and started reading everything I could about gun violence and mass shootings in America.

Ive always been really fascinated and inspired by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa, but I didnt feel like I had any kind of entry point into a film about the TRC. As an American, I didnt know what I could really to do with the passion for this thing that happened in another country when I was growing up. My research into mass shootings [helped me make] that connection. I thought of this meeting between [the parents] like an amnesty hearing in South Africa. It is an effort to heal and potentially find reconciliation through unimaginable pain.

Ann, what was your reaction to the script when you first read it?

ANN DOWD It was so beautifully written so powerful, intentional, clear that there was no question. The one real [scary] thought was, Can I settle into this level of grief and stay there? Thank God Ive been doing this job for a minute or two, so I knew that I wasnt going to let the fear of it influence whether I said yes or no.

Fran, you and I were both in high school when the 1999 Columbine shooting happened. Did that feel like a turning point when this became a never-ending crisis?

KRANZ Absolutely. I think Columbine has been underneath my skin for 20 years. I know exactly where I was when I found out it happened, and I remember taking in my school with a whole new set of eyes. High school is hard for everyone, and I think everyone experiences some sort of bullying. You certainly wish harm on people who have hurt you, especially at that age. To think that peers of mine essentially went there that was horrifying.

When my daughter was a toddler, I realized Im going to make mistakes constantly. I love this girl more than anything, and yet sometimes I go to sleep at night thinking, Man, I screwed up today. Parenting is hard work, and I dont think I could have made this film if I wasnt so struck by or disarmed with compassion for the parent of a school shooter. We understand and sympathize with victims pain, but its harder for us to find ourselves in the parents of the shooters who have some compassion for [their children, too]. The film is about finding a way to cultivate a new kind of empathy.

Fran, what did your acting experience offer you when you stepped into the director role?

KRANZ I never imagined [hiring] actors with this kind of talent, so I recognized what I had and how lucky I was. I tried to put a premium on their instincts great actors have great insight into human behavior and human nature. We had a two-and-a-half-day rehearsal where it was critical that I had no ego about the script. I had to listen to them and hear where they were confused, or where they thought something didnt quite work, or something was missing, whatever the case may be. Theyre as good as it gets; you truly dont get better than these four actors.

DOWD Did I have anything to change? About who [my character] Linda was?

KRANZ There were little things. At one point, I had Linda volunteering at a suicide prevention hotline. You pointed out that it was a bit confusing for this womans journey, where she was was that appropriate to share with these people? I liked [that detail] because I thought it was endearing that this woman was trying, and I thought it felt truthful. But it took an actor to come in and say, Yes, but I needed those actors to be 100 percent engaged with the material. [I didnt want] a moment where Ann was just politely and respectfully doing the lines because I had written them. I really tried to stay out of their way because, again, I recognized their talent and tried to give them a long leash, to stay out of the room, be very careful and economical with my words.

Ann, does having an actor as a director make a difference?

DOWD Yes, it certainly mattered. That was a wonderful bonus, [on top of] his kindness and intelligence and natural compassion that was ever present from sentence one in rehearsal. He knows exactly what it means when you go to that place of vulnerability. It was a beautiful reminder to the actors, I think, to let us settle into where we [were]. I loved the closeness and, it seemed to me, tons of privacy. Fran wasnt in the room. I forget where the cameras were; were they there? They must have been because we have a film, but I dont remember them.

KRANZ Jason [Isaacs] mentioned that as well that he didnt remember the cameras. It was designed that way to not be invasive or intrusive of what they were doing. I did not want to be in the room, so we designed a system that was literally clockwork we moved with the sun. I knew we only had two or three takes for certain scenes because we were doing almost 20-minute takes. I know as an actor its really unhelpful and unwanted, really, when anyone on set is concerned about how we have no time. That kind of energy is never helpful for performance. Every day was a Hail Mary of sorts; if anything went wrong, it could have been a disaster. We did the work so that we could revolve around these actors and let them act. There was a lot of faith there. The fact that the actors cant remember the cameras is probably the greatest thing I could have done as an director.

There is a lot of meaning in the films title. Theres a religious connotation it takes place in a church. And, of course, theres the mass shooting that brought these four together. But Im curious what you thought about the title as you were making the film.

KRANZ To me, it is about the gathering of people, the assembling of people, the bringing of bodies together the secular definition. And that also speaks to the power and value of human connection, physical human connection. I really believe the most transcendent things in life happen when were close, when were together, when we can see one another in person. These conversations arent possible, this kind of healing and forgiveness. Reconciliation is not possible without sitting down and being in the physical presence of one another. I worry about how divided the country is, and I am very much attached to this meaning of bringing people together. Thats why the movie is shot the way it is. I didnt want to compromise that with flashbacks or inserts or even music because I wanted to celebrate the action of people sitting down and listening to one another.

DOWD I support that. We try to convince ourselves that were different from one another. And surely we are. We share a human heart and a wish and desire to lay down the burdens of our lives, even though we try our very best to hold on to them. As human beings, we are a collection of people together. And the thought of separateness is an illusion that we cling to.

Interview edited for length and clarity.

This story first appeared in a November stand-alone issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.

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Mass Star Ann Dowd and Writer-Director Fran Kranz on How Emotional Film Portrays the Power of Human Connection - Hollywood Reporter