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Polarization around climate change viewpoints — including climate change concern and commitment to action — continues to be a persistent challenge to collective action in the United States, and across the globe. Multiple studies have found that K-12 science teacher perceptions of climate change reflect that of the general population, raising concerns that education may be replicating among students the polarization found among adults. However, few have examined how approaches to teaching climate change may be linked to climate change concern and behavior among students. We began to address this gap with a pre/post-survey of 354 middle school students from eight science classrooms across North Carolina and their teachers. We measured changes in climate change concern and behavior among students, student-reported frequency of discussing climate change in class, and teacher-reported approach to teaching climate change as consistent with the scientific consensus (climate change is attributed to human activity, 13.2% of students in these classes); mixed messages (scientists think climate change is attributed to both human and natural causes, 53.2% of students); denial (scientists think climate change is attributed to natural causes, none of students); and avoidance (not discussing causes of climate change, 33.5% of students). We also controlled for socioeconomic status (Title I) and location (rural versus urban) of the school. We detected gains in both concern and behavior across all teaching approaches. We also found frequency of school-based discussion about climate change was the most predictive of gains in concern, but no measured factors predicted gains in behavior. Baseline concern and behavior levels did vary across the different treatment approaches, with lower baseline concern and levels found among teachers who take avoidance and mixed messages approaches. Together, these results suggest that cultural contexts may be the drivers of both teaching approaches and student climate change concern and behavior, but variations in teaching approaches are not polarizing forces themselves. Instead, encouraging classroom-based conservations about climate may boost concern levels, even in cultural contexts that do not prioritize scientific consensus about climate change drivers. These findings may provide guidance for teaching climate change as well as other politically fraught topics.

Stakeholders fundamentally shape the success of wildlife management, yet little is known about how one of the most important stakeholder groups, wildlife agency decision makers, view emerging conservation challenges. Wildlife agency decision makers collectively shape how wildlife conservation unfolds in North America, but their perspectives are generally absent in the literature. Challenges including climate change, conservation funding models, and wildlife disease make understanding how wildlife decision makers view the future of wildlife conservation essential. We interviewed 48 directors and supervisory board members of wildlife agencies in the southeast United States from July 2019 to January 2020 to gauge their assessment of future conservation challenges and preferred response strategies. Declining agency relevancy and insufficient funding were the 2 most commonly identified challenges, while climate change was rarely mentioned as an issue because decision makers believed it was a relatively slow‐moving background condition. Decision makers described improving relevance through education and outreach as their primary response to conservation challenges. Our results suggest that climate change‐informed wildlife management may benefit from a 2‐pronged approach. First, we suggest decision makers should be informed about the challenges posed by climate change, and second, existing efforts to promote diversity among constituents should include engaging groups who support tackling the threat climate change poses to wildlife conservation. Increasing the priority given to climate change adaptation efforts in wildlife agencies will likely require future research to discern which approaches can most improve the perceived salience of climate change to decision makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parks and protected areas offer a variety of ecosystem services and promote opportunities that enhance human health and well-being. However, these benefits may be jeopardized when overcrowding degrades environmental and social conditions in parks. The COVID-19 pandemic is assumed to have been associated with substantial increases in visitation to parks and protected areas, but patterns in use and degradation varied by site type (e.g., state versus local parks; urban versus rural). In this study, we aimed to understand how changing recreational use patterns during the COVID-19 pandemic impacted parks, and how those changes differed between state and local parks across urban-rural gradients. We distributed a survey asking state park superintendents (n = 36) and local park managers (n = 84) in the state of North Carolina to estimate the extent of environmental and social impacts in their parks both before and during the pandemic. We discovered that, based on managers’ responses, state parks were approximately 12 times more likely to experience heightened environmental impacts and 23 times more likely to experience heightened social impacts than local parks during the pandemic, even when controlling for impact levels prior to the pandemic. We found no significant differences between urban and rural parks. These findings suggest regional parks may be the most vulnerable to environmental and social disturbances during times of heightened visitation, and thus highlight a need for both more resources and more attention to governance issues for these parks.

Two interpretations of the precautionary principle are considered. According to the normative (action-guiding) interpretation, the precautionary principle should be characterised in terms of what it urges doctors and other decision makers to do. According to the epistemic (belief-guiding) interpretation, the precautionary principle should be characterised in terms of what it urges us to believe. This paper recommends against the use of the precautionary principle as a decision rule in medical decision making, based on an impossibility theorem presented in Peterson (2005). However, the main point of the paper is an argument to the effect that decision theoretical problems associated with the precautionary principle can be overcome by paying greater attention to its epistemic dimension. Three epistemic principles inherent in a precautionary approach to medical risk analysis are characterised and defended.

This study investigates the effects of inertia on calculations used to determine anaerobic power output during a Wingate test on a mechanically braked cycle ergometer. Results indicate that the inertial effects of a friction-loaded ergometer influence characteristics of power output and the accuracy of Wingate test calculations.

The epidemiological parameters of infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) include: prevalence, or the proportion of individuals infected; incidence, the rate at which new infections are acquired; and acceleration, the direction and rate of change of incidence over time. New therapies for HIV infection have been developed which have changed the typical time elapsed from initial infection to clinical disease. The epidemiological parameters can be tracked using cross-sectional data on the number of people who have antibodies to HIV. Individuals who have applied to the United States military can be used as the cross-sectional population for screening. Applicants come from every state and overseas territory of the United States. The military has screened over 2.3 million applicants for antibodies to HIV over a four-year period, from October 1985 to September 1989. The overall number of individuals who were seropositive (tested positive for antibodies to HIV) was found to be 1.31 per 1,000 applicants. Upon analysis of the characteristics of seropositive individuals, prevalence of HIV infection was found to be highest among individuals living near urban centers of the AIDS epidemic, such as Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, New York, and New Jersey. The age, race/ethnicity, and gender of seropositive individuals was also analyzed. It was roughly estimated that one out of 2,000 young men and one out of 7,000 young women are infected with HIV each year in the United States as a whole. The infection rates appear to be highest among black males (1.4 out of 1,000 per year) and lowest among white females (0.03 out of 1,000 per year). The infection rate among black females was shown to have increased, or accelerated, during the first three years of the study. It is noted that these figures are probably underestimates of the actual incidence rate. Estimating the number of individuals infected with HIV is important when developing policies regarding infected individuals, and when allocating resources and analyzing the effectiveness of programs associated with the AIDS epidemic. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Declining participation in hunting, especially among young adult hunters, affects the ability of state and federal agencies to achieve goals for wildlife management and decreases revenue for conservation. For wildlife agencies hoping to engage diverse audiences in hunter recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3) efforts, university settings provide unique advantages: they contain millions of young adults who are developmentally primed to explore new activities, and they cultivate a social atmosphere where new identities can flourish. From 2018 to 2020, we surveyed 17,203 undergraduate students at public universities across 22 states in the United States to explore R3 potential on college campuses and assess key demographic, social, and cognitive correlates of past and intended future hunting behavior. After weighting to account for demographic differences between our sample and the larger student population, 29% of students across all states had hunted in the past. Students with previous hunting experience were likely to be white, male, from rural areas or hunting families, and pursuing degrees related to natural resources. When we grouped students into 1 of 4 categories with respect to hunting (i.e., non‐hunters [50%], potential hunters [22%], active hunters [26%], and lapsed hunters [3%]), comparisons revealed differences based on demographic attributes, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors. Compared to active hunters, potential hunters were more likely to be females or racial and ethnic minorities, and less likely to experience social support for hunting. Potential hunters valued game meat and altruistic reasons for hunting, but they faced unique constraints due to lack of hunting knowledge and skills. Findings provide insights for marketing and programming designed to achieve R3 objectives with a focus on university students. © 2021 The Wildlife Society. Diverse university students represent a large, diverse, and promising target for future hunter recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3) efforts. Results highlight specific characteristics of unique market segments that could help wildlife agencies across the United States decide how to allocate R3 resources to better target university students and other groups entering hunting through non‐traditional pathways.

Volatilization of NH3following urea application or livestock urine deposition can result in significant loss of N to the environment. Urea hydrolysis to NH4+results in an increase in pH, which in turn promotes transformation of NH4+to NH3. Accurately predicting changes in soil pH following urea (or urine) application will allow successful simulation of NH3volatilization. The magnitude of the pH change depends on the soil's pH buffering capacity (pHBC). However, as actual pHBC values are not generally available, pHBC proxies (e.g., cation exchange capacity) have been used in modeling studies. In a 34‐d laboratory incubation study, we measured soil pH and mineral N (NH4+and NO3−) following a large application of urea (800 mg N kg−1soil) to four soils with a range of pHBC values. In a second incubation, pH changes and mineral N dynamics were monitored in soil treated with sheep urine (773 mg N kg−1soil) in the absence and presence of the nitrification inhibitor dicyandiamide. In both incubations, pH changes associated with urea hydrolysis and subsequent nitrification of NH4+were predicted well using measured pHBC data. Our results confirmed that pHBC is base‐type dependent (values greater when measured using KOH than NH4OH). Soil pHBC is easily measured, and the use of a measured value (determined using NH4OH) can improve model simulations of pH in the field and, potentially, lead to improved estimates of NH3loss from animal‐deposited urine patches and urea‐treated soil.

Environmentally literate citizens capable of making informed decisions are essential to successfully managed fisheries. Fisheries‐focused environmental education programs may help build environmental literacy, but experimental evaluations are needed to determine the effectiveness of fisheries education programs. We begin addressing this need with a study of “Shad in the Classroom.” The program engages students in American Shad Alosa sapidissimarestoration through rearing and releasing fry. We used a pre/post, treatment (n = 777)/control (n = 57) evaluation during the 2016–2017 academic year. Participation in the program created large improvements in American Shad knowledge between tests (P <0.001). All students gained knowledge, but African Americans (P <0.001) and students identifying as “other” races and ethnicities (P =0.003) fell behind their peers. Shad in the Classroom is an effective tool for teaching children about fisheries management but, may help ethnic minorities the least, suggesting a need to tailor content for diverse students.

Generative neural network models for visual concept learning and the problem of approximating image distribution density are studied. A criterion for an image to belong to a simulated class is introduced based on an estimate of the probability in the space of latent variables and reconstruction errors. Several generative deep learning models are compared. Quality estimates of the solution to the problem of one-class classifications for a set of images of handwritten digits are experimentally obtained.

Effective conservation of group-living forest wildlife requires information on how forest age moderates population parameters. Relationships between forest age and demographics can guide long-term management for wildlife populations that are expanding in relatively young second-growth forests in response to ongoing habitat management. We examined how forest age moderates effects of group density on long-term trends in group size and fledgling production in the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker Dryobates borealis(RCW) on the Savannah River Site, SC (SRS). We used 32 years of RCW monitoring data and generalized additive models to: 1) model long-term changes in average RCW group size and fledgling production; and 2) model effects of neighboring group density and neighboring group sizes across a gradient of forest age within 800 m of a group's cavity tree cluster. Average fledgling production oscillated over 2–3 year periods, but longer term evaluation indicated oscillations dampened and average fledgling production slightly decreased over time. Average group size fluctuated abruptly over 2–3 year periods from 1985 to 1994, but longer term evaluation indicated a general increase in group sizes from 1985 to 1994, followed by declines from 1995 to 2007, and a steady increase after 2010. Average fledgling production increased in response to neighboring group density but decreased as neighboring group sizes increased. In contrast, average group sizes increased in response to greater neighboring group density and neighboring group sizes. Stand age did not affect these relationships. Collectively, these results suggest forest age does not directly moderate effects of neighboring group density or group sizes on long-term average group size and fledgling production in the SRS RCW population. Although forest structure has been linked to increased RCW group sizes and productivity, our results suggest that with ongoing habitat management, long-term changes in group size and fledgling production will be driven primarily by group density conditions rather than changing forest age.

The spatial distribution of land available for hunting has received scant attention in the literature, but it fundamentally affects the feasibility of wildlife management. Modeling the distribution of hunting lands can be logistically difficult because of data requirements and the dynamic nature of landscapes and landowner preferences. We describe one approach to address this challenge using spatially explicit logistic regression models that accurately predict whether each parcel of land in North Carolina, USA, was hunted using free and publicly available geographic predictors. We collected data to develop and validate models from surveys of nonindustrial (n = 1,936) and industrial (n = 670) private landowners conducted during 2016 in North Carolina. Property size and housing and road density predicted whether hunting occurred correctly on 96% of nonindustrial parcels. Property size, housing and road density, and distance to the nearest city correctly predicted whether hunting occurred for 94% of industrial parcels. These results suggest wildlife managers may be able to accurately map and quantify where hunting occurs using relatively few publicly available geographic predictors. Future refinement of the methodology and model parameters is likely needed in different regions, with independent data sets, before adopting widespread implementation of underlying methods. This mapping method will facilitate assessing the efficacy of hunting as a wildlife management tool for overabundant species. Similarly the mapping approach would improve wildlife population estimates based on hunter harvest data by providing a more rigorous estimate of land that is huntable per harvested animal reported. © 2019 The Wildlife Society. To facilitate assessing the efficacy of hunting as a wildlife management tool and improve wildlife population estimates based on hunter harvest data, we developed a model for accurately predicting where hunting occurs using free public data. Property size and housing and road density predicted whether hunting occurred correctly on 96% of nonindustrial parcels, whereas property size, housing and road density, and distance to the nearest city correctly predicted whether hunting occurred for 94% of industrial parcels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent research suggests hunting participation interacts with other variables (e.g., bird‐watching participation) to shape attitudes about wildlife. We build on this research by evaluating how hunting participation interacted with key variables to predict affectual attitudes toward coyotes (Canis latrans), support for coyotes on the landscape, and support for coyote management approaches in urban North Carolina, USA. We conducted surveys of urban hunters and nonhunting urban residents during 2015, and modeled relationships between respondent attributes and perceptions of coyotes. Among nonhunters, men liked coyotes more than women did, but the relationship was reversed among hunters. Similarly, men supported killing coyotes more than women did, but the difference was less pronounced among hunters. Pet owners liked coyotes and opposed killing coyotes more than non–pet owners did, but those differences disappeared among hunters. Having a rural background predicted lower tolerance for coyotes among hunters but not nonhunters. Finally, age was negatively related to support for lethal coyote management among hunters but positively related to support among nonhunters. Participation in hunting may moderate how socio‐demographic variables predict perceptions of coyotes and change or reverse previously described relationships between these variables and perceptions of wildlife. © 2019 The Wildlife Society. The hunting community is deeply tied to wildlife conservation in the United States and their perceptions of carnivores are important for shaping management policy. In a survey of urban and non‐urban hunters, we detected several interactions between participation in hunting and other demographic categories on perceptions of coyotes, indicating that hunting may moderate how socio‐demographic variables predict wildlife perceptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The collective action that is required to mitigate and adapt to climate change is extremely difficult to achieve, largely due to socio-ideological biases that perpetuate polarization over climate change1,2. Because climate change perceptions in children seem less susceptible to the influence of worldview or political context3, it may be possible for them to inspire adults towards higher levels of climate concern, and in turn, collective action4. Child-to-parent intergenerational learning—that is, the transfer of knowledge, attitudes or behaviours from children to parents5—may be a promising pathway to overcoming socio-ideological barriers to climate concern5. Here we present an experimental evaluation of an educational intervention designed to build climate change concern among parents indirectly through their middle school-aged children in North Carolina, USA. Parents of children in the treatment group expressed higher levels of climate change concern than parents in the control group. The effects were strongest among male parents and conservative parents, who, consistent with previous research1, displayed the lowest levels of climate concern before the intervention. Daughters appeared to be especially effective in influencing parents. Our results suggest that intergenerational learning may overcome barriers to building climate concern. Public concern about climate change is difficult to motivate. This study finds an increase in climate change concern among parents after their middle school-aged children participated in a climate change school curriculum.

Northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) abundance has declined range‐wide over the long term due to factors such as habitat loss and deterioration. Private land management is critical to bobwhite conservation because most bobwhites occur on private lands, but little research has been conducted regarding how private land managers and landowners make decisions about whether and how to restore northern bobwhite habitat. To begin addressing this deficit, we used a choice‐based conjoint approach to determine how Texas, USA, landowners and land managers (surveyed in November 2017) weigh the importance of northern bobwhite hunting opportunities, costs, and labor when making habitat restoration decisions. We also used a latent class analysis to break respondents into segments based on their valuations of these attributes. The results of our latent class analysis indicate that managers and landowners can be grouped into several segments, and most segments do not place a high value on bobwhite hunting opportunities, but instead are more interested in minimizing out‐of‐pocket costs and labor input. Bobwhite habitat restoration programs yielding cost shares ≥50%, labor inputs at ≤30 days/year, and likely coveys flushed per hunting day >4 broadly appealed to landowners; however, ensuring low labor costs was most important, particularly for pragmatic landowners. This indicates that policies minimizing labor inputs and maximizing cost shares may be preferred over increasing hunting opportunities. Finally, we discuss the management preferences and practices of the segment most interested in maximizing bobwhite hunting opportunities and potential outreach strategies for segments of opportunistic and pragmatic landowners who may be persuaded to manage for bobwhite habitat if they perceived this management as economically viable. © 2019 The Authors. Wildlife Society BulletinPublished by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Reversing the range‐wide decline in northern bobwhite abundance requires conservation actions on private land, but little is known about how private land managers make decisions regarding developing bobwhite habitat. Using a choice‐based conjoint approach we demonstrate that land managers can be grouped into several segments based on their management goals, and most segments do not place a high value on bobwhite hunting opportunities, but instead are most interested in minimizing labor input (i.e., ≤30 days/year) followed by limiting out‐of‐pocket costs (i.e., cost shares ≥ 50%).

ABSTRACTAdvances in biotechnology may allow for de-extinction. Potential impacts of de-extinct species remain uncertain; they may improve ecosystem function, or hinder conservation efforts and damage socio-ecological systems. To better anticipate de-extinction's outcomes, ethical dilemmas, and governance needs, we surveyed experts from multiple disciplinary backgrounds. We applied a mixed-method approach to our analysis, integrating quantitative responses of perceived outcomes with qualitative responses, to clarify and provide context. Overall, respondents indicated de-extinction was more likely to induce hazards, not benefits. Reasons for this viewpoint included a ‘moral hazard’ argument, suggesting conservation policies could be undermined if society perceives that species need less protection because they can be revived later. Pessimistic views of de-extinction were linked to concerns about unclear development paths. Experts believed the public might be skeptical about de-extinction. Our results suggest future de-extinction efforts may benefit from collaborative efforts to clarify hazards and explore salient concerns among the engaged public.

Characterisation of six supergene ferromanganese ore samples revealed that P was hosted by several different Fe and Mn oxides. Goethite had the highest (up to >1% or higher) and highest mean (up to 0.32%) P contents, then cryptomelane-hollandite (mean up to 0.12% P) and nsutite-pyrolusite (mean up to 0.14% P). When present in the same sample, nsutite had a higher mean P content than pyrolusite. Phosphate minerals were not detected in the samples. P deportment was variable with deposit, deposit type and within individual mineral grains. EPMA showed that P content is elevated in cryptomelane with higher Mn/(Fe + Al + Si) ratios and in todorokite with lower Mn/(Fe + Al + Si) ratios. The results show that higher phosphorus supergene ferromanganese ores with considerable cryptomelane and nsutite contents are likely to have multi-phase Fe-P and Mn-P deportment. The propensity for very fine-scale intergrowths of goethite and Mn oxides ± aluminosilicates in some ore types means that reliable characterisation of P deportment is critical in informing potential P-reduction pathways for ferroalloy feedstocks. P was most probably incorporated into Mn oxides via near-surface adsorption via complexation with cations such as Ca or Mg in todorokite, but the presence of structural P cannot be precluded in cryptomelane and nsutite.

ABSTRACT: Wildlife‐related tourism represents an important and growing economic sector for many rural communities and may be inadequately considered during regional planning. Providing robust estimates of wildlife values can help address this challenge. We used both market and nonmarket valuation methods to estimate the value of tundra swans (Cygnus columbianus) in North Carolina, USA, and compared tundra swan values among hunters, wildlife watchers, and general public. Wildlife watchers reported the greatest willingness‐to‐pay (US$35.2/wildlife watcher/yr), followed by hunters (US$30.53/hunter/yr), and residents (US$16.27/resident/yr). We used the Impact Analysis for Planning system software to estimate market values or economic activity associated with tundra swans. Tundra swan hunters spent an average of US$408.34/hunter/year. Depending on assumptions over the substitutability of tundra swan hunting, we estimate that it generates value added of between US$306,155/year and US$920,161/year for the state economy. Wildlife watchers spent an average of US$171.25/wildlife watcher/year. We estimate that this generates value added of between US$14 million/year and US$42.9 million/year for the state economy, again depending on assumptions about whether watching tundra swans would be substituted with other leisure activities in eastern North Carolina or out‐of‐state. Compared with studies of international nature tourism, we found relatively low leakage rates (i.e., loss of economic benefits outside the study region), suggesting that enhancing opportunities for hunting and wildlife‐viewing may be an effective economic development strategy for rural areas in the United States. Presenting both market and nonmarket values provides a more complete picture of the value of wildlife and may facilitate more effective management decisions; therefore, we recommend that both market and nonmarket values be considered to optimize tradeoffs between development and wildlife recreation. © 2018 The Wildlife Society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A method for the fundamental improvement of inertial measurement systems by adding a solid-state photodetector and algorithms for processing video information is described. Improvement is achieved by zeroing accumulating errors via the image-based calibration of the device position. Experiments were performed at a sensor speed greater than 20 m/s. The calibration accuracy with respect to the reference point was 1 mm in terms of the position and less than a degree in terms of the sensor orientation. A prototype was developed with comparatively low power consumption (corresponding to a peak value not exceeding 1.5 W and average power consumption less than 0.2 W) and small size (with the total volume of the two boards equal to 7  cm^3).

ABSTRACT We investigated how hunting participation and associated demographic variables relate to biodiversity knowledge among children. Past participation in hunting among elementary age children in North Carolina, USA, surveyed during 2014 was high (29%) and a positive predictor of student's ability to name native wildlife species after controlling for gender, ethnicity, and grade level. Minorities and girls had lower biodiversity knowledge scores and were less supportive of hunting. Our findings suggest children may view hunting differently than adults and that youth hunting programs, particularly those targeting very young children, may be fruitful ways to promote biodiversity knowledge. Such efforts, however, may be most valuable among minorities because Hispanic children had the lowest participation in hunting and Black children had both low participation rates and lowest biodiversity knowledge scores. © 2017 The Wildlife Society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine methods used for the construction of image descriptors for the global visual indoor localization problem based on the aggregation of local features and deep-learning convolutional neural networks. We propose a criterion for estimating the quality of image matching results and a technique for selecting reference frames in a test sample consisting of images obtained by the sequential motion of the camera. Additionally, we present an evaluation of the efficiency and speed of the considered methods, which determined that methods based on convolutional neural networks provide more reliable image matching than techniques based on local features, although the former exhibit lower processing speed.

AbstractInformed conservation of stream fishes requires detailed understanding of the effects of both natural processes and anthropogenic activities on genetic diversity. Brook Trout Salvelinus fontinalis, a salmonid native to eastern North America, typically resides in cold, high-quality stream ecosystems. The species has not only faced historical anthropogenic pressures, but also confronts current and future pressures. In a genetic analysis we used a reduced representation sequencing method (ddRADseq) to characterize 63 individuals from 23 streams where Brook Trout are native in the Appalachian region of Pennsylvania. A total of 2,590 loci passed filtering criteria, and 53% displayed significant association with a major stream drainage basin (Susquehanna or Allegheny; mean FST= 0.085). Mapping of the sequencing reads to the Atlantic Salmon Salmo salargenome revealed no clustering of high interdrainage FSTvalues to specific genome regions. Evidence for genetic heterogeneity within each drainage basin was also detected. Stepwise regression of observed heterozygosity against geographic and environmental features revealed that drainage basin and effective area of watersheds were significant predictors of observed heterozygosity of Brook Trout within streams. Natural features such as waterfalls and major drainage basin, as well as the effects of dams and acid-mine drainage have fragmented habitat and shaped genetic diversity within Brook Trout populations in the Appalachian region of Pennsylvania, overall indicating the vulnerability of this species to increased industrialization.Received August 15, 2016; accepted January 17, 2017 Published online March 24, 2017

ABSTRACT Wildlife conservation policy discussions in the United States and Canada often revolve around historical accounts of the success of wildlife management grounded in the public trust doctrine. We suggest that the usefulness of these discussions is partially limited by failure to consider the importance of wildlife 'identity' rooted in freedom (i.e., how humans socially construct the 'wildness' dimension of wild animals). To demonstrate the interrelations between identity and freedom, we explain that the class of subjects people care most about-partners, children, and people in general-typically should not be privately owned (i.e., chattel) because freedom (as opposed to slavery) is generally accepted as central to human identity, and its abrogation therefore degrades human identity. The degree to which this ethical argument applies to privatization of wildlife depends upon the relationship between freedom and the identity of wildlife as perceived by society. Thus, we suggest policy decisions regarding privatization of wildlife will be more accurately deliberated if society and wildlife professionals more completely considered the degree to which freedom is essential to a wild species' identity and the degree to which that identity is inviolable. © 2016 The Wildlife Society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A major constraint for successful ultradwarf bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon(L.) Pers. × C. transvaalensisBurtt Davy] putting green establishment is a reduced‐light environment (RLE) because of the overall poor shade tolerance of bermudagrass. Currently, no research studies have determined the light requirement for warm‐season putting green cultivar establishment. Research was conducted to determine a daily light integral (DLI) requirement for successful bermudagrass and zoysiagrass [Zoysia matrella(L.) Merr.] putting green establishment. This field trial was initiated in June 2013 and repeated in 2014 at the Foil Plant Science Research Center in Starkville, MS. Four bermudagrass cultivars (Champion, TifEagle, MiniVerde, and MSB‐285) and one zoysiagrass cultivar (Diamond) were established under full sunlight (control) and under 30, 55, and 80% full‐day shade (reduction of total light) using a neutral density, polyfiber black shade cloth. Daily light integrals averaged across both years resulted in a DLI of 42.26, 31.92, 22.04, and 13.48 mol m−2d−1for full sunlight and 30, 55, and 80% shade treatments, respectively. Based on the dose–response curves, the DLI requirements to reach a mean predicted cover of 70% for Champion, Diamond, MiniVerde, MSB‐285, and TifEagle were 27.1, 42.3, 28.1, 38.2, and 30.1 mol m−2d−1, respectively. Although Diamond is a shade‐tolerant cultivar, its high light requirement noted in this study likely is due to previously reported slow establishment rates. The predicted DLIs generated from this research can assist a golf course superintendent's decision‐making regarding altering the light environment in locations where these putting green cultivars will be established.

Iron nanoparticles (FeNPs) were prepared from the green tea extracts at different temperatures through green synthesis procedure and characterized by various physicochemical techniques like UV-Visible spectroscopy, FTIR Spectroscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS), X-ray diffraction and high resolution tunneling microscopy (HRTEM) and the results confirmed the synthesis of polydisperse and stable FeNPs by the tea extracts. The catalytic activity of FeNPs was investigated using a common environmental pollutant BTB often used in textile industries for dyeing purposes. In these tests, catalytic degradation of BTB with FeNPs at a 10 μL or 30 μL concentration was done in the presence of 2% hydrogen peroxide. Results show no BTB degradation in the absence of the FeNPs. However, a 38% and 68% degradation of BTB was realized in the presence of 10μL and 30 μL FeNPs respectively indicating that the iron nanocatalysts were responsible for the dye degradation. The BTB degradation kinetics was found to follow pseudo-first order kinetics with rate constants at the two catalyst concentrations being 0.023 min-1 and 0.063 min-1 respectively.

ABSTRACT Intensive deer management (IDM) is fundamentally changing how one of the most important game species in North America is being managed, but little is known about how wildlife conservation professionals view these changes. The IDM approach encourages privatization of deer ( Odocoileus spp.) through practices including feeding, high fencing, artificial insemination and markets in deer semen, and translocation. To evaluate support for IDM practices, we surveyed 208 registrants of the 2010 Southeast Deer Study Group Meeting held in San Antonio, Texas, USA. Specifically, we evaluated support for IDM practices using state-agency wildlife biologists, private wildlife managers, and academics, and we evaluated how geographic region and employment type are related to opinions about IDM. Using Principal Components Analysis, we created 3 new scales that measured respondents' opinions about deer management, deer husbandry, and deer hunting. We detected strong opposition to IDM among respondents, with respondents from universities having the strongest opposition, followed by state-agency employees from Texas, and private consultants from Texas (the latter having the greatest support for IDM). Our study highlights the need for critical and empirical evaluation of the articulation between IDM and the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation, particularly the tenets that assert wildlife are held in the public trust and advocate elimination of markets for wildlife. © 2015 The Wildlife Society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Wildlife education has long been critiqued for leaving students entering the workforce deficient in skills such as communication, public relations, and problem solving. This challenge may emerge from both curricula and instructional techniques focused on technical expertise rather than soft skills. Researchers have suggested several instructional techniques to address this challenge but have not empirically examined their effectiveness. This study examined how an environmental-education service-learning project affected undergraduate wildlife science students' perceptions of education as a possible career and how important they considered education as a wildlife management activity using a pre-posttreatment comparison between 36 wildlife students at North Carolina State University (Raleigh, NC, USA, during spring 2014) participating in an environmental-education service-learning project and 23 wildlife students from the same cohort who were not. In the pretest, few (10.3%) students from either group saw K-12 education as a future career, but most (98.3%) saw education as an important wildlife management activity. Most (82.0%) students also predicted they would need educator skills in their careers, but more females than males saw this as likely. The treatment was positively related to students' belief they would use teaching skills in future careers and that a career in K-12 education would be fulfilling. These results suggest that service-learning projects may be an effective tool to boost interest in education both as a career and as a wildlife management activity among future wildlife professionals regardless of gender, but that especially high interest among females could provide guidance for training and recruitment efforts attempting to mitigate the gender gap among wildlife professionals. © 2015 The Wildlife Society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A textural approach to the geometallurgical characterisation of iron ores helps better predict ore behaviour during downstream processing. Therefore, a robust, automated, objective method for the textural characterisation of iron ores is relevant to both research and industry needs. Utilisation of an optical image analysis (OIA) technique allows reliable and consistent identification of different iron oxide and oxy-hydroxide minerals, e.g. haematite, kenomagnetite, hydrohematite, both vitreous and ochreous goethite. CSIRO Mineral4/Recognition4 OIA system automatically identifies particle sections with different textures and assigns these sections to defined textural groups. Furthermore, novel developments in the system have enabled the automatic identification of different textural forms and morphologies of the same mineral, e.g. martite and microplaty haematite in iron ore; primary and secondary haematite or different types of Silico-Ferrite of Calcium and Aluminium (SFCA) in sinter as well as segmentation of different phases with the same reflectivity like Inert Maceral Derived Components (IMDC) from Reactive Maceral Derived Components (RMDC) in coke.The high resolution and imaging speed of the OIA system makes it possible for users to significantly reduce the cost and subjectivity of iron ore characterisation with a simultaneous increase in the accuracy of mineral identification. Extra software modules have been developed to meet research and industry demands for enhanced productivity. The addition of a ‘Multiple Block Imaging’ module enables image acquisition for sets of polished blocks at a time, rather than separate imaging of individual blocks. The ‘Multiple Set Processing’ module allows the processing up to 20 groups of sets simultaneously, where every group can contain up to 20 different sets of images that share the same analysis profile. The added modules enable analyses to be performed over many hours without the need for operator intervention, thus increasing equipment utilisation and reducing operator time.These new developments, together with the improvement of previously available features, e.g. identification of non-opaque minerals, automated textural classification, automated particle separation, automated correction of mineral maps and on-line measurement, means that OIA can provide a unique, reliable, industry and research focused tool for iron ore, sinter and coke characterisation.

Snake River Sockeye Salmon Oncorhynchus nerkawere declared endangered in 1991 after several years of decreasing abundance. Several factors, including poor marine survival, likely contributed to the decline of Snake River Sockeye Salmon. Little is known about their migration and ocean distribution and the factors influencing their production. We sampled (1) coastal waters from southern British Columbia (BC) to southeast Alaska during June–July, October–November, and February–March 1998–2011; and (2) Oregon and Washington coastal waters during May–June and September 2007–2010. In total, 8,227 juvenile Sockeye Salmon were captured. Despite their extremely low abundance relative to other stocks, 15 coded-wire-tagged juveniles from Redfish Lake were recovered since 2007, primarily in spring and summer surveys off the BC coast. Genetic analyses revealed that an additional eight Redfish Lake juveniles were also present in this area during summer. Snake River smolts undertook a rapid northward migration that brought them well beyond the Columbia River estuary and plume, exposing them to ocean conditions prevailing off BC. Through a multimodel inference approach, we characterized associations between the number of returning adults and a suite of ocean and river variables. Seven ocean variables and five river variables were chosen for the model selection analysis (e.g., copepod biomass anomalies, coastal upwelling indices, date of the spring transition, river discharge, river temperature, and the proportion of smolts transported through the hydropower system). Although adult returns were highly correlated with smolt abundance, our analyses suggest that ocean conditions encountered during the first growing season (as indexed by copepod anomalies) contribute to the variability in total adult returns. There was also evidence for a negative effect of transporting smolts through the hydropower system, with the caveat that we used transportation data for steelhead O. mykissas a proxy. Received April 4, 2014; accepted September 15, 2014

ABSTRACT Urbanization and other threats to hunting culture have inspired growth in research that addresses the role of hunting in western society today. This literature addresses the juxtaposition of non-subsistence hunting and modern western models of wildlife management associated with either the public trust doctrine or market economics. Insights for understanding this juxtaposition can be drawn from the historical efforts to frame hunting as a symbolic, versus subsistence, activity in ancient Hellenic (Greek) culture. For the ancient Hellenes, hunting offered the opportunity to acquire edification, test skills, and to enjoy a feeling of freedom, and did so for all citizens, even for women. Edification meant more than knowledge about hunting to the ancient Hellenes. It referred to respect for the purity of nature and a hunting ethic, and strict adherence to hunting norms. Testing skills dictated fair chase, where tools and techniques used should not eliminate the need for physical and mental dexterity. Feeling of freedom meant that hunters became useful for themselves and for society through skills acquired by hunting; a modern society might define this as self-sufficiency or independence, which contributes to a greater societal good. These symbolic dimensions of hunting developed in ancient Hellas could provide guidelines for the social identity that hunters hope to develop in our modern world by improving hunting education, promotion, and management. © 2014 The Wildlife Society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relationships between foraging habitat and reproductive success provide compelling evidence of the contribution of specific vegetative features to foraging habitat quality, a potentially limiting factor for many animal populations. For example, foraging habitat quality likely will gain importance in the recovery of the threatened red-cockaded woodpecker Picoides borealis(RCW) in the USA as immediate nesting constraints are mitigated. Several researchers have characterized resource selection by foraging RCWs, but emerging research linking reproductive success (e.g. clutch size, nestling and fledgling production, and group size) and foraging habitat features has yet to be synthesized. Therefore, we reviewed peer-refereed scientific literature and technical resources (e.g. books, symposia proceedings, and technical reports) that examined RCW foraging ecology, foraging habitat, or demography to evaluate evidence for effects of the key foraging habitat features described in the species' recovery plan on group reproductive success. Fitness-based habitat models suggest foraging habitat with low to intermediate pine Pinusspp. densities, presence of large and old pines, minimal midstory development, and herbaceous groundcover support more productive RCW groups. However, the relationships between some foraging habitat features and RCW reproductive success are not well supported by empirical data. In addition, few regression models account for > 30% of variation in reproductive success, and unstandardized multiple and simple linear regression coefficient estimates typically range from -0.100 to 0.100, suggesting ancillary variables and perhaps indirect mechanisms influence reproductive success. These findings suggest additional research is needed to address uncertainty in relationships between foraging habitat features and RCW reproductive success and in the mechanisms underlying those relationships.

In order to develop downstream processing routines for iron ore and to understand the behaviour of the ore during processing, extensive mineralogical characterisation is required. Microscopic analysis of polished sections is effective to determine mineral associations, mineral liberation and grain size distribution. There are two main imaging techniques used for the characterisation of iron ore, i.e. optical image analysis (OIA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In this article, a QEMSCAN system is used as an example of SEM methodology and results obtained from it are compared against results obtained by the CSIRO Recognition3/Mineral3 OIA system. Both OIA and SEM systems have advantages and drawbacks. Even though the latest SEM systems can distinguish between major iron oxides and oxyhydroxides, it is still problematic for SEM systems to distinguish between iron ore minerals very close in oxygen content, e.g. hematite and hydrohematite, or between different types of goethite. Scanning electron microscopy systems also can misidentify minerals with close chemical composition, i.e. hematite as magnetite and vitreous goethite as hematite. In OIA, iron minerals with slight differences in their oxidation or hydration state are more easily and directly recognisable by correlation with their reflectivity. In both methods, the presence of microporosity can result in some misidentification, but in SEM methods misidentifications due to microporosity can be critical. Low resolution during QEMSCAN analysis can significantly affect the textural classification of particle sections. The main conclusion of this study is that, for low iron content ores or tailings, SEM systems can provide much more detailed information on the gangue minerals than OIA. However, for routine characterisation of iron ores with high iron content and containing a variety of iron oxides and oxyhydroxides, OIA is a faster, more cost effective and more reliable method of iron ore characterisation. A combined approach using both techniques will provide the most detailed understanding of iron ore samples being characterised.

Human behaviors play a fundamental role in the epidemiology of urban wildlife diseases, and those behaviors are shaped by knowledge and ethnicity. We evaluated knowledge of rabies, transmission routes, vector species, and response to rabies exposure with a bilingual (English/Spanish) in-person survey in Greensboro, North Carolina. Ethnicity, gender, and education level were predictors of rabies knowledge. Latinos and African Americans had less rabies knowledge than non-Latino Whites. Non-Latino Whites and men had less knowledge than women. Only 41% of African American respondents identified animal bites as a route of rabies transmission to humans, and less than half of all respondents knew that washing a bite wound with soap and water was useful rabies prevention. Our knowledge scale was internally consistent (Cronbach's alpha?=?0.73) and could be valuable for future studies of zoonotic disease knowledge. Future rabies educational campaigns should focus on developing culturally sensitive, language appropriate educational materials geared to minorities. © 2013 The Wildlife Society.

The short story "The Call," by M. A. Peterson is presented.

The changing demographics of rural landowners have the potential to affect wildlife management on private land and therefore, there is a need to determine what factors influence landowner participation in wildlife management. We surveyed 1,368 North Carolina, USA, private landowners to determine socio-demographic factors predicting participation in a variety of wildlife management practices. Wildlife management practices most commonly implemented by landowners were providing supplemental feed (21.8%), mowing to improve habitat (16.2%), erecting nesting boxes (14.7%), and planting food plots (14.6%). Ecologically valuable management activities such as prescribed burning (2.3%) were among the least practiced. Hunting or having a family member that hunted was the most consistent predictor of participation in wildlife management practices. Landowners who hunted, resided on their property, were younger and were male were more likely to implement wildlife management practices than their counterparts. Resident landowners, especially those who hunt, may be the most receptive to outreach efforts promoting wildlife habitat management on private lands. Our results indicate outreach efforts should target habitat management practices with longer term wildlife benefits (e.g., prescribed fire, controlling invasive plants), because practices with immediate short-term benefits (e.g., food plots, supplemental feeding, mowing) are currently 3-4 times more prevalent. © 2012 The Wildlife Society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conserving biodiversity requires productive management of conflict. Currently, wildlife are often portrayed as conscious human antagonists, which must be fought. We suggest using the ‘comic corrective’ to experiment with ways to reframe human–human conflicts over wildlife management and wildlife damage. This requires a deep commitment to change, often made more palatable through humour. This effort to fight the use of the term human–wildlife conflict should not be interpreted as a call to reject human–human conflict as a useful conservation tool. Conservationists, who value wildlife, often misleadingly suggest that conservation can sidestep irreducible value differences and political processes that see proponents of different views as antagonists. Because democracies cannot function without dissent, we suggest that conservation biologists should embrace stakeholder conflicts over wildlife conservation as a way to improve decision making. In particular, we should challenge the view that wildlife are willfully antagonistic to people while recognizing conflict among humans over how biodiversity conservation should occur.

Nongame conservation is insufficiently funded at local, national, and global levels. Despite campaigns and reforms over the past 30 years in the United States, adequate and consistent federal funding has failed to materialize and shifted the focus to state-level initiatives. We surveyed North Carolina residents during April-May 2010, to assess public willingness to fund nongame conservation, preferred nongame conservation funding mechanisms, and key predictors of support for nongame funding. We estimated a model of willingness-to-pay (WTP) using interval-censored data modeling and compared models using the Akaike Information Criterion. The mean WTP was US$98.80/year/household when respondents were allowed to choose their own tax vehicle, thus removing any payment vehicle bias; an additional sales tax on outdoor recreation equipment was the most preferred funding mechanism. In a follow-up question, respondents indicated a mean WTP of US$32.92/employed adult (equivalent to about $65/household) annually via a flat income tax. The importance of nongame conservation to respondents, frequency of watching and/or enjoying wildlife, and education were positively related to WTP, whereas age was negatively related to WTP. Prisons were the most popular source from which to reallocate funds to nongame conservation (48%), and respondents believed an average of US$545,000 should be reallocated. Our findings suggested that while the general public indicated that they valued nongame conservation and were amenable to tax increases or reallocations for nongame conservation, they believed that taxes should be user-based and specialized (e.g., outdoor equipment taxes). These findings highlighted public WTP for nongame conservation even during an economic recession. © 2012 The Wildlife Society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More than 75% of endangered species in the United States rely on private lands for habitat. Although this habitat has long been regulated under the Endangered Species Act, there is now broad agreement that economic incentives are also needed for effective protection on private land. Many different mechanisms for incentive programs have been proposed and tested. For example, recovery credit systems use term-duration market-based contracts to engage landowners in endangered species conservation. We examined how market-mechanism design influences interest in endangered species habitat conservation using a survey of North Carolina Farm Bureau county advisory board members in 93 of the 100 North Carolina counties ( n = 735) in 2009. Respondents preferred contracts (57% were interested) over easements (39% were interested). Endangered species conservation ranked low in importance relative to other conservation issues, but 45% of respondents were interested in contracts to conserve endangered species habitat on their property. The preferred contract duration was 10 years, and respondents preferred state- and agricultural-related organizations over federal and wildlife conservation-related organizations for managing contracts. Younger respondents, respondents who had previously participated in conservation programs, respondents who perceived endangered species conservation as important, and respondents who had lower property-rights orientation scores, were most likely to be interested in contracts to restore and maintain endangered species habitat on their lands. Our results suggest that market mechanisms could drive down costs and drive up durations for endangered species habitat conservation contracts. Further, term contracts may prove critical for endangered species conservation efforts that require high levels of landowner support and spatial flexibility within relatively short-time frames. © 2012 The Wildlife Society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]