Hunter Activities, Conflicts, and Opinions Following Implementation of a Controlled Waterfowl Hunting Program on the Rend Lake Public Hunting Area in 1995-96

Waterfowl Program Periodic Report no. 90Report issued on: 2 December 199

Attitudes and Risky Sexual Behavior among Youth in Kampala, Uganda: Empirical Analyses of Risk Factors by Gender

Purpose: The majority of HIV-infected individuals live in sub-Saharan Africa and youth account for the largest sub-population with new infections. Because the highest proportion of new infections is among girls, research is needed to understand the risk factors and context by gender. An analysis of peer and parental approval perceptions can elucidate the gender differences in this large, susceptible population in risky behaviors, including histories of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV. Methods: Using the cross-sectional Kampala Youth Survey (2014) based in Kampala, Uganda (n=1,134), descriptive statistics were used to explore gender differences in demographics, peer and parental influence variables, and sexual actions. Sexual risk behaviors examined include sexual activity, sexual debut age, self-reported HIV and STI rates, and condom usage. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regressions were conducted to determine the odds of sexual risk behaviors based on peer and parental influence variables and gender. This analysis also sought to identify if gender moderated the association between peer and parental influence variables with sexual risk behaviors. Results: There is a statistical difference between genders in a self-reported history of HIV diagnosis (

A Psychophysical Experiment Regarding Components of the Plausibility Illusion

We report on the design and results of an experiment investigating factors influencing Slater’s Plausibility Illusion (Psi) in virtual environments. Slater proposed Psi and Place Illusion (PI) as orthogonal components of virtual experience which contribute to realistic response in a VE. PI corresponds to the traditional conception of presence as “being there,” so there exists a substantial body of previous research relating to PI, but very little relating to Psi. We developed this experiment to investigate the components of plausibility illusion using subjective matching techniques similar to those used in color science. Twenty-one participants each experienced a scenario with the highest level of coherence (the extent to which a scenario matches user expectations and is internally consistent), then in eight different trials chose transitions from lower-coherence to higher-coherence scenarios with the goal of matching the level of Psi they felt in the highest-coherence scenario. At each transition, participants could change one of the following coherence characteristics: the behavior of the other virtual humans in the environment, the behavior of their own body, the physical behavior of objects, or the appearance of the environment. Participants tended to choose improvements to the virtual body before any other improvements. This indicates that having an accurate and well-behaved representation of oneself in the virtual environment is the most importa

Topographic Evolution in the Atomic Scale Growth and Erosion Continuum

This review gives a detailed survey of the range of fascinating surface features which develop under growth or erosion conditions under the combined influence of thermal and more energetic atomic particle fluxes. Collisionally induced atomic ejection and migration, and thermally and radiation induced atom and defect diffusion processes are outlined and their relevance to topographic initiation and evolution explored. A range of experimental observations of surface feature elaboration is discussed from net growth to net erosion conditions and models for their explanation are considered. It is concluded that while much data have been accumulated, much of these have been in so diverse experimental conditions that precise modelling in atomic terms is difficult and generalisations are treacherous. A clear need for structured, extensive studies exists with very precise parameter definition and control

Perceived value in classroom contact: rising to the challenge of learner disengagement

Higher Education globally is becoming increasingly accountable to output metrics, such as those that purport to encapsulate teaching quality and student satisfaction, leading to increased discourses of value-for-money. Despite the significant costs of university courses and links between class participation and attainment, many students chose not to take full advantage of the scheduled classes available to them. In this paper, we present the findings from student-led interviews with forty-seven undergraduates. Primary reasons for not engaging with learning opportunities highlighted the key role of assessment in shaping student value judgements. This included the attribution of perceived additional value to learning experiences related directly to assessment, and the prioritisation of assessment activities over participation at taught classes. We conclude by discussing these instrumental assessment-driven behaviours in the context of an increasingly outcome-driven global Higher Education sector, and the problematic nature of learner freedom

Isolation of polymorphic microsatellites in the stemless thistle (Cirsium acaule) and their utility in other Cirsium species

The genus Cirsium includes species with both widespread and restricted geographical distributions, several of which are serious weeds. Nine polymorphic microsatellite loci were isolated from the stemless thistle Cirsium acaule. Eight were polymorphic in C. acaule, six in C. arvense and seven in C. heterophyllum. One locus monomorphic in C. acaule showed polymorphism in C. heterophyllum. The mean number of alleles per locus was 4.1 in C. acaule, 6.2 in C. arvense and 2.9 in C. heterophyllum. These nine loci were also amplified in C. eriophorum and C. vulgare, suggesting that these markers may be of use throughout the genus