A particular element of computer games which significantly affects the gaming experience is avatars, i.e., representations of virtual players. In particular player-avatar similarity is related to the game experience, however, the results of previous studies are not conclusive. There is also a lack of research in which participants actually create their own avatars. The first aim of this study is to check whether there is a relationship between the player-avatar similarity and the game experience: game efficacy, game enjoyment and immersion. As a second goal the study examines gender as the mechanism responsible for the relationship between avatar player-similarity and game experience: game enjoyment, game efficacy and immersion. In the study (N = 130) participants created their avatars, played designed computer game Characterium and assessed their experience. The results demonstrate that player-avatar similarity was positively related to immersion level (but not to game efficacy and game enjoyment). Gender was not a significant moderator of the relationships between avatar similarity and game efficacy, game enjoyment and immersion. We consider this study to be a step forward in better understanding the mechanisms underlying the relationship between player-avatar similarity and game experience. For the first time, the relationship between player-avatar similarity and immersion was demonstrated in the condition of creating an avatar by the subjects and controlling it in the game. We also identify potential reasons why our hypotheses have not been confirmed.

Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni which has gained industrial and scientific interests is a suitable nutritional alternative to sucrose as a sweetener. Recently, there have been studies which show the extraction of this phytochemical substance from stevia leaves and purification methods by several alcohols and chromatographic methods. However, these methods are not cost-effective. Therefore, an attempt was made to extract and purify ST using inexpensive, scalable and simple techniques where different steps like extraction, electrocoagulation, ion exchange, activated charcoal, vacuum evaporation and butanol wash were used as purification steps. The present study established a new improved technology of extraction of ST from stevia leaves using water as a solvent followed by various purification steps. 496 mg of Stevioside extracted in the form of crystals was obtained from 100 g of leaves which is 10 times more than the reported yield of 54 mg from 100 g stevia leaves in literature. This methodology can be scaled up at the industry level for future large production to meet the huge demand for natural sweeteners.

Maximum values of the settling volume and dry weight of suspended particulate matter, were found in the open waters of the southern Drake Passage (between 60°8' S and 62° 11' S), and west of the Anvers Island. Minimum respective values were observed in the Bransfield Strait. The distribution of phytoplankton cell numbers and of algal biomass expressed as total cell volumes closely followed the distribution of particulate matter. Diatoms were the major algae of the plankton. Several species of the genera Chaetoceros, Nitzschia and Corethron were dominant and characteristic of the phytoplankton assemblages in different parts of the study area.