Suchergebnisse

Invasive rats are among the most damaging animals to native species on many island ecosystems including those in Hawaii. On Oahu Island, U.S. Army Garrison Natural Resources Program currently manages invasive rat populations to protect natural resources by using grids of A24 automated traps, and previously snap-trap grids and rodenticide bait stations. Despite these control efforts generally suppressing rats, some lands with natural resources that are at risk to rat predation are not easily accessible for implementing these traditional rat control methods. In a 430-ha mesic forest on Oahu where ungulates are excluded and site access is limited due to military training and presence of live ordnance, we tested the efficacy of aerial application of anticoagulant rodenticide bait pellets (Diphacinone-50 Conservation), applied in two applications at a rate of 12.82 kg/ha per application. We measured the effectiveness of the rodenticide bait application by deploying tracking tunnels (inked and baited cards to identify rat presence) before, during, and after applications within treated and nearby untreated areas. Due to restricted access, we failed to estimate nest success of an endangered bird; yet previous research showed rat control increases this bird's population. We also measured diphacinone residues in stream water at the treatment site to determine this method's risk level to the aquatic ecosystem. The aerial application resulted in immediate and sustained reduction in the rat population, as evidenced by rat activity decreasing from ~44% to 3.8% during the first three months after bait application and maintained <20% rat activity for 10 months. Trail cameras and recovered rat carcasses also highlighted effectiveness. One of 34 stream samples analyzed had detectable diphacinone residues and this single sample was taken one week after application and it had very low levels of diphacinone (below levels quantifiable). Aerial application of diphacinone appears to be an efficient and effective rat suppression technique for natural resource protection in complex landscapes.

Research into the best practice for testing questionnaires used to obtain survey data from establishments (businesses and other organisations) is largely the province of official statistics, and has developed more slowly than the corresponding procedures in household surveys. Nonetheless, establishment survey questionnaire design and testing procedures are now supported by a substantial literature, and we use this to review the background and approaches to development and testing of questionnaires. The key points are summarised in a series of recommendations, primarily targeted at the production of official statistics. We then report a survey of National Statistical Institutes which gathered information on the penetration of these practices into standard survey design procedures, and identified some of the characteristics of these methods as they are implemented. We conclude with an assessment of the levels of maturity in application of these approaches.

Although much of the social science literature supports the importance of community assets for success in many policy areas, these assets are often overlooked when selecting communities for new infrastructure facilities. Extensive collaboration is crucial for the success of environmental and economic projects, yet it often is not adequately addressed when making siting decisions for new projects. This article develops a social asset framework that includes social, creative, and human capital to inform site-selection decisions. This framework is applied to the Northwest Advanced Renewables Alliance project to assess community suitability for biofuel-related developments. This framework is the first to take all necessary community assets into account, providing insight into successful site selection beyond current models. The framework not only serves as a model for future biorefinery projects but also guides tasks that depend on informed location selection for success.

The Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF), originally proposed in the UK government's Higher Education White Paper, now the Higher Education and Research Act 2017, is a national mechanism to assess teaching quality in universities. This article provides a critical account of the TEF, underpinned by an overview of the policy context and marketisation and employability agendas exploring the rationale for implementing TEF within universities. We argue, first, that the White Paper's narrative, the rhetoric of the TEF, seems positive but its implementation appears to be conceptually flawed. Second, its complex quality metrics system demands yet another layer of bureaucracy in an already micro-managed system of higher education. Third, claims made by the White Paper must be supported by evidence-based research to ensure that the objectives are clear. We conclude by questioning whether the quality of the student experience can be improved by the TEF reforms.

The UK government is considering reclassifying cannabis because of concerns about links with mental health problems. What does the evidence show?

Purpose
The purpose of this study is to explore from a place attachment (PA) theory perspective the extent to which and how, a fully immersive virtual reality (VR) experience enhances tourists' attachment level on-site at a rural destination.

Design/methodology/approach
This study applied an exploratory mixed method approach. Respondents were tourists visiting the Lake District National Park who were asked to try a VR experience. In Study 1, interviews were conducted to explore new themes and to develop an enhanced PA framework in VR. Study 1 confirmed existing variables from the literature and highlighted new variables (themes) to be included in the new framework on how PA is formed. In Study 2, surveys were conducted, and the proposed framework analyzed using structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). To fully understand how VR had an impact on enhancing PA, the moderating effect of tourists' pre-existing PA was considered.

Findings
The findings revealed "Accessibility", "Memories" and "Increased Place Knowledge" as new themes (variables) and confirmed that these and established variables "Aesthetics" and "Presence" enhance PA, leading to increased loyalty. Significant moderating effects of existing PA were found.

Practical implications
VR serves as a complementary and substitutional tool for tourism. Tailored VR experiences for diverse tourist needs may enhance destination marketing and competitiveness. For tourists with low PA, destinations should focus on promoting activities and highlights to enhance engagement and the experiential understanding of the destination. For tourists with high PA, VR experiences should focus on providing a comprehensive view of the destination and unveiling new places. In both cases, the VR experience leads to deeper engagement with the destination and an increase in PA.

Originality/value
Research on the impact of VR on tourists' PA is limited. To address this gap, this study's theoretical contribution lies in developing and testing a PA framework within a VR and tourism context. This also includes the validation of new measurement items developed in relation to the new themes.

"There is a growing urgency, in classrooms as well as in publishing at large, to encompass the African American experience, African American thought and culture. Much of the recent headway has been made in the superhero framework, including Black Panther, but not only there. The tremendous success-in sales and prizes-of March, the trilogy based upon the life of Congressman John Lewis, is arguably a landmark. No greater figure exists in African-American thought, the shaping of modern narratives, than W.E.B. Du Bois, even after the nearly six decades following his 1963 death. DuBois not only influenced institutions so greatly as to be credited with reshaping them, he rewrote Black history (with Black Reconstruction, slow to be accepted as one of the classics of all U.S. history). He also arguably supplied what might be described as the "poetics" of African American life. With Souls of Black Folk (first published in 1903), he famously set forth his analysis of the folk culture, including religious folk culture, that would be the basis for future progress. In doing so, he pleaded for education and a new sensibility. But he made clear that the promise of these would not come "from the outside." A graphic novel based on The Souls of Black Folk will be a dramatic entry to a field growing rapidly within schools and beyond in popular culture. No "W.E.B. Du Bois" comic proper yet exists, a rather amazing absence, perhaps because the complexity of his story has not been taken up. It may also be that Du Bois, whose political life became so controversial from the onset of the Cold War to the end of his life, has seemed a daunting subject. This graphic novel will be less ambitious than a comprehensive biographical treatment. Beginning with a chapter on Du Bois's life before the writing of The Souls of Black Folk, it will utilize that book itself as the chief text from which to narrate its message, and close with a postscript chapter on Du Bois's life and work after its publication"--

AbstractAs part of a substantial research project on policing the Covid-19 pandemic, a public survey was conducted in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight in England. Four open-ended questions provided participants with the opportunity to produce unlimited free-text responses regarding their perception of policing during the pandemic. Responses were coded and thematically analysed to identify themes concerning public compliance and policing during the lockdown. Subthemes surrounding communication, efficiency, and equity emerged from participant's perceptions of what they considered to be 'satisfactory' and 'unsatisfactory' forms of policing during the pandemic. A common sub-theme regarding the public's confusion over the role of the police was countered by an acknowledgement that the police were 'doing their best.' The pandemic has thrown into sharper relief pre-crisis public perceptions of appropriate policing. The free-text responses highlight the ongoing tensions between normative and instrumental approaches to policing and public expectations of police actions.

In this article we present an ethnomethodological study of a controversial case of 'friendly fire' from the Iraq War in which leaked video footage, war on video, acquired particular significance. We examine testimony given during a United States Air Force (USAF) investigation of the incident alongside transcribed excerpts from the video to make visible the methods employed by the investigators to assess the propriety of the actions of the pilots involved. With a focus on the way in which the USAF investigators pursued their own analysis of language-in-use in their discussions with the pilots about what had been captured on the video, we turn attention to the background expectancies that analytical work was grounded in. These 'vernacular' forms of video analysis and the expectancies which inform them constitute, we suggest, an inquiry into military culture from within that culture. As such, attending to them provides insights into that culture. ; + Sprache: eng