Digital Commons Network^™

Public Service Announcements To Promote Physical Activity, Jennifer Erickson, Jay Greiner

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

The World Health Organization promotes physical activity (PA) as important for successful maintenance of health, but many individuals are inactive. Despite the potential for public service announcements (PSAs) to communicate health information and promote behavior change, no previous research on developing video PSAs to promote PA was found. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to examine how video PSAs designed for public health campaigns affect future levels of intention to engage in PA. The PSAs assessed perceived effectiveness of message foci and the impact of stage of change readiness. They were developed specifically for this study using the model …

Marine Quay Crane Scheduling Using A Combined Modified Genetic Algorithm And Priority Rules Approach, V. H. Nguyen, D. T. Nguyen

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Quay crane scheduling problem (QCSP) is the problem of the allocation of quay cranes to handle the unloading and loading of containers at seaport container terminals and defining the service sequence of vessel bays of each quay crane. The treatment of crane interference constraints and the increased in vessel size make the problem difficult to solve. Due to the growing interest in applied research for this problem, many researchers have used different algorithms and methods to obtain some solutions. This paper will propose a modified genetic algorithm combined with priority rules to deal with it. The advantage of the proposed …

Automatic Detection And Analysis Of Rip Currents At Haeundae Beach Using X-Band Marine Radar, Chanyeong Oh, Kyungmo Ahn, Se-Hyeon Cheon

OES Faculty Publications

The observation system has been developed to investigate the rip currents at Haeundae beach using Xband marine radar. X-band radar system can observe shape, size, and velocity of rip currents, which is difficult to obtain through field observation by conventional device. Algorithms which automatically detect locations, shapes, and magnitudes of rip currents were developed using time averaged X-band radar sea clutter images. X-band sea clutter images are transformed through 3D FFT into 2D wave number spectrum and frequency spectrum. Rip current velocities were estimated using differences in wave-number spectra and wave frequency spectra due to Doppler shift. The algorithm was …

The Dominant Global Modes Of Recent Internal Sea Level Variability, Benjamin Dillon Hamlington, Se-Hyeon Cheon, Christopher G. Piecuch, Kristopher B. Karnauskas, Philip R. Thompson, Kwang-Yul Kim, John Thomas Reager, Felix W. Landerer, Thomas Frederikse

OES Faculty Publications

The advances in the modern sea level observing system have allowed for a new level of knowledge of regional and global sea level in recent years. The combination of data from satellite altimeters, Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellites, and Argo profiling floats has provided a clearer picture of the different contributors to sea level change, leading to an improved understanding of how sea level has changed in the present and, by extension, may change in the future. As the overlap between these records has recently extended past a decade in length, it is worth examining the extent to …

Ebullition Of Oxygen From Seagrasses Under Supersaturated Conditions, Matthew H. Long, Kevin Sutherland, Scott D. Wankel, David J. Burdige, Richard C. Zimmerman

OES Faculty Publications

Gas ebullition from aquatic systems to the atmosphere represents a potentially important fraction of primary production that goes unquantified by measurements of dissolved gas concentrations. Although gas ebullition from photosynthetic surfaces has often been observed, it is rarely quantified. The resulting underestimation of photosynthetic activity may significantly bias the determination of ecosystem trophic status and estimated rates of biogeochemical cycling from in situ measures of dissolved oxygen. Here, we quantified gas ebullition rates in Zostera marina meadows in Virginia, U.S.A. using simple funnel traps and analyzed the oxygen concentration and isotopic composition of the captured gas. Maximum hourly rates of …

Metagenomic Sequencing Identifies Highly Diverse Assemblages Of Dinoflagellate Cysts In Sediments From Ships' Ballast Tanks, Lixia Shang, Zhangxi Hu, Yunyan Deng, Yuyang Liu, Xinyu Zhai, Zhaoyang Chai, Xiaohan Liu, Zifeng Zhan, Fred C. Dobbs, Ying Zhong Tang

OES Faculty Publications

Ships' ballast tanks have long been known as vectors for the introduction of organisms. We applied next-generation sequencing to detect dinoflagellates (mainly as cysts) in 32 ballast tank sediments collected during 2001-2003 from ships entering the Great Lakes or Chesapeake Bay and subsequently archived. Seventy-three dinoflagellates were fully identified to species level by this metagenomic approach and single-cell polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based sequencing, including 19 toxic species, 36 harmful algal bloom (HAB) forming species, 22 previously unreported as producing cysts, and 55 reported from ballast tank sediments for the first time (including 13 freshwater species), plus 545 operational taxonomic units …

Flow Reorganization In An Anthropogenically Modified Tidal Channel Network: An Example From The Southwestern Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna Delta, R. L. Bain, Rip P. Hale, S. L. Goodbred

OES Faculty Publications

We examine variations in discharge exchange between two parallel, 1‐ to 2‐km‐wide tidal channels (the Shibsa and the Pussur) in southwestern Bangladesh over spring‐neap, and historical timescales. Our objective is to evaluate how large‐scale, interconnected tidal channel networks respond to anthropogenic perturbation. The study area spans the boundary between the pristine Sundarbans Reserved Forest, where regular inundation of the intertidal platform maintains the fluvially abandoned delta plain, and the anthropogenically modified region to the north, where earthen embankments sequester large areas of formerly intertidal landscape. Estimates of tidal response to the embankment‐driven reduction in basin volume, and hence tidal prism, …

Bomb Radiocarbon Age Validation For The Long-Lived, Unexploited Arctic Fish Species Coregonus Clupeaformis, John M. Casselman, Cynthia M. Jones, Steven E. Campana

OES Faculty Publications

The growth rates of freshwater fish in the Arctic would be expected to be very low, but some previous studies of lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) have reported relatively rapid growth and longevity estimates of less than 15 years. We used bomb radiocarbon chronologies to validate an ageing method based on otolith sections for lake whitefish in both an unexploited Arctic lake (MacAlpine Lake; longevity 50 years) and a lightly exploited temperate population (Lake Simcoe; longevity 49 years). Our results confirm previous suggestions that other ageing methods can seriously underestimate lake whitefish age after ~5–8 years. A Chapman–Robson estimate …

Spatial Structuring And Life History Connectivity Of Antarctic Silverfish Along The Southern Continental Shelf Of The Weddell Sea, Jilda Alicia Caccavo, Julian R. Ashford, Svenja Ryan, Chiara Papetti, Michael Schröder, Lorenzo Zane

OES Faculty Publications

A multi-disciplinary approach was employed to examine a physical-biological population hypothesis for a critical forage species, the Antarctic silverfish Pleuragramma antarctica. Caccavo et al. (2018; Sci Rep 8:17856) had shown strong gene flow along the westward Antarctic Slope Current, in addition to spatially recurring length modes that provided evidence for episodic connectivity. In this paper, otolith nucleus chemistry from a subset of fish collected in the southern Weddell Sea as part of a hydrographic survey of the Filchner Trough system was used to test between connectivity scenarios. Nucleus chemistry, which reflects environmental exposure during early life, showed significant …

Applications Of Earth Observations For The Monitoring Of Deforestation Dynamics In The Peruvian Amazon, Andrea Puzzi Nicolau

Theses

In the context of global environmental change, deforestation in the Amazon is a major concern for sustainable resource management, biodiversity conservation, and climate change mitigation. Understanding the processes of land use and land cover that drive deforestation is relevant towards more sustainable land management and will aid global initiatives such as the United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change's (UNFCCC) Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+). This thesis addresses the use of Earth Observations to monitor deforestation dynamics in the Madre de Dios region of Peru. Two papers are presented; the first analyzes the spatial patterns of forest …

Indoor Positioning Using Multiple Signal Sources (Modes), Vishal Chummar Perekadan

Theses

Computation of accurate indoor positioning information is important in several application areas like mobile robotics, navigation, virtual reality and ubiquitous computing. In spite of its importance we still do not have an indoor positioning system equivalent to the Global Positioning System~(GPS), which is the standard for large scale outdoor positioning, but is unreliable or unavailable in indoor environments. In this work, we present a multi-source radio frequency(RF) based system for automatic indoor positioning using the received signal strength (RSS) and demonstrate its efficacy by simultaneously using broadcast FM radio & GSM signals for position estimation. This method is data driven …

Structural Engineering Of The Antifungal High Mannose Binding Lectin Myxovirin, Jessica L. Osier

Theses

The pathogenic encapsulated yeast Cryptococcus neoformans causes a majority of fungal disease related deaths worldwide from pulmonary infections, meningitis, or meningoencephalitis. Loss of efficacy in current treatment options against C. neoformans and the emergence of antifungal drug resistance call for the development of new therapeutics. High mannose binding lectins such as Scytovirin have been shown to be promising anticryptococcal drug candidates. In this work, a homologous antifungal lectin, Myxovirin, was structurally engineered in an effort to improve both its carbohydrate binding affinity and its anticryptococcal activity. Carbohydrate binding was studied using both isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) and nuclear magnetic resonance …

Ground-Based Remote Sensing And Excavations At A Middle Woodland Platform Mound (1la111) In Lawrence County, Alabama, Travis Rael

Theses

A common goal of many archaeological studies is to locate anthropogenic features, which provide occupational and chronological information. Anomalies detected in ground-based geophysical remote sensing data assist in locating such features and provide guidance for placement of excavations. Research conducted on a large platform mound located in northwest Alabama utilized a quantitative method for detecting and interpreting anomalies in gradiometer data collected on the structure’s summit. Results from systematical ground truthing and subsequent excavations of several of the anomalies suggest that this method provides an effective approach for locating areas containing significant subsurface archaeological deposits within the mound. Soil core …

Evaluating And Forecasting Development Within Riparian Corridors In North Alabama For Conservation, Leah Parker

Theses

As urban development continues to spread from urban centers, natural riparian corridors and their ecosystem services are becoming at risk. This study utilized the Riparian Buffer Delineation Model, the National Land Cover Database, and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) to evaluate and summarize historical land cover changes and vegetation health within variable-width riparian corridors between 2001 and 2016 in Madison County and Limestone County of North Alabama. The TerrSet Land Change Modeler was used to predict the risk of urban development by 2030 based on historical land cover trends and driver variables. The predicted future risk of urban development …

Sharp Arrows Of Censorious Tongues : Alexander Pope's Psalms And The Dunciad Controversy, Hannah Michelle Thomas

Theses

Psalm imitation and paraphrase for the purpose of modernizing and meditating upon the word of God was a common practice in eighteenth-century England; however, Alexander Pope’s A Roman Catholick Version of the First Psalm, for the Use of a Young Lady and the more obscure Psalm XCI function differently from the typical psalm paraphrases done by Isaac Watts and Christopher Smart. Rather than participate in devotional meditation, Pope’s two psalms demonstrate a performance of devotion while at the same time revealing a rejection of true religious sentiment. This performance of religiosity and irreligiosity is later leveraged by Pope in the …

Supply Channel Heat Transfer With Simultaneous Impingement Jet Array Cooling And Crossflow Cooling, David Ritchie

Theses

Experimental data are provided for four different sets of experimental conditions for the coolant-side of a double wall cooled effusion test plate. Employed are three different passages for main flow, cross flow, and impingement flow. Coolant is supplied through the cross flow channel and by means of an impingement jet array to the coolant-side of the effusion test plate. This coolant then supplies all effusion hole entrances. The impingement plate and effusion plate both contain six staggered rows of 10 holes per row, where impingement holes are offset so that each is located between effusion hole entrance locations. Installed within …

Experimental Force And Wing Motion Measurements Of A Bioinspired Flapping Wing In A Martian Density Condition, Jesse Lee Mccain

Theses

A Mars flight vehicle could provide a third-dimension for ground-based rovers and supplement orbital observation stations, providing a much more detailed aerial view of the landscape as well as unprecedented survey of the atmosphere of Mars. However, flight on Mars is a difficult proposition . Due to very low atmospheric density, approximately 1.3% of sea level density on Earth, aircraft must fly approximately ten times faster, or be one hundred times Iighter in weight than their Earth counterparts, to lift themselves on Mars. While traditional aircraft efficiency suffers in the low Reynolds number environment, flapping wing insect inspired flyers on …

The Role Of Auditory Fluency In Judgments Of Learning And Memory Performance, Linda J. Myers

Theses

Empirical research has shown that processing fluency affects peoples’ judgments of learning (JOLs). This study investigated the role of auditory fluency on participants’ JOLs, Workload and Effort ratings, and Recognition Performance. Two simultaneous science lectures were monaurally presented to participants. Auditory fluency was manipulated by varying the signal-to-noise level (SNR Level: 0 dB SNR, -3 dB SNR, -6 dB SNR) between the Target and the Masker and by varying the sex of the Target and Masker (Condition). Participants provided JOLs and other ratings and completed a recognition test after each 3 min lecture segment. There was no main effect of …

Seeding Hydrogen Propellant In Nuclear Thermal Propulsion Engines, Daria Nikitaeva

Theses

Using the NASA Design Reference Architecture, Nuclear Thermal Propulsion engine and Mars transfer vehicle models were developed to numerically examine the effects of adding heavy noble gases into the hydrogen propellant stream (seeding) on round trip transit times (baseline of 357 days). Seeded hydrogen, up to maximum seed mass concentration (MSMC) 55.85%, increased engine and vehicle performance by reducing pressure losses, decreasing reactor power, and increasing the overall change in velocity while assuming constant vehicle volume and dry mass. The tradeoff was lowered specific impulse and increased net propellant mass, resulting in increased vehicle wetted mass. Vehicle performance increased at …

Love And Hip Hop : An Examination Of Hip-Hop Media Effects On African American Romantic Relationships, Latoya D. Binford

Theses

Hip-hop has grown immensely since its invention in the 1970s. No longer just a musical genre, its influences can be seen in all facets of culture, especially within the African American community in which it was created. Because so much of the commercially successful hip-hop media is shrouded in themes such as violence, abuse, and misogyny, it is important to examine its effects on its consumer. This study examined the effects of hip-hop consumption on romantic relationships, as perceived by African American/black women. Through thematic analysis and the theoretical framework of Mere Exposure effect, findings revealed that the participants correlated …

Uncitral Working Group Iii: Can Reforming Procedures Rebalance Investor Rights And Obligations?, Lorenzo Cotula, Terrence Neal

Faculty Scholarship

The work of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) provides an opportunity to rebalance the international investment regime – but only if the full gamut of key issues are identified. Requiring investors to uphold standards of responsible business conduct (RBC) is largely a function of substantive rights and obligations, but it also presents procedural dimensions that fall within the purview of the UNCITRAL process. This policy brief explores the issues and discusses possible options for reform.

Exploring The Validity Of Multimedia Written Assessment In Saudi Arabia, Thuraya Essam A Kattan

Peninsula Medical School Theses

Introduction: Multiple choice questions are widely used in high-stakes written examinations and are continuously being challenged for testing recall facts rather than higher cognition. Innovative MCQ formats (Multimedia-enhanced) can test such skills. To evaluate this format a recent validity framework “The Cambridge Framework” was used to assess and explore this intervention. Aim: Explore the validity of multimedia MCQs for testing higher cognition in Emergency Medicine (EM) in Saudi Arabia using the Cambridge framework, and evaluate the use of this framework. Methods: A total of 164 EM residents (seniors and juniors) from three regions of Saudi Arabia took a total of …

A Validation And Feasibility Study Of The Non-Invasive Measurement Of Oxygen Delivery And Consumption After Elective Major Abdominal Surgery., Adam Kimble

Peninsula Medical School Theses

Major surgery triggers a physiological stress response that results in an increase in post-operative metabolic demand and oxygen consumption (V̇O2), which must be met by an increased oxygen delivery (DO2). Historical studies described the increase in V̇O2 in patients after major surgery and presented evidence that the inability to meet this increase oxygen demand and the temporal pattern of this oxygen deficit appears to differ according to whether patients survive, or develop complications or not. The survival and complication profile of patients in modern practice is different from that previously described, And the methods employed in these historical studies were …

Solar Tracker Renewable Energy, Stephanie Christie, Annabeth Helmly, Matthew Smith, Katrina Vaughan

ENgaging Educators in Renewable enerGY (ENERGY): Lesson Plans & Slideshows (2017-2019)

No abstract provided.

Analysis Of Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine Array Optimization, Peter-Claver Nwanze, Keith Bazemore, Jessica Lyons, J. Ann Mitchem

ENgaging Educators in Renewable enerGY (ENERGY): Lesson Plans & Slideshows (2017-2019)

Wind energy is the fastest growing form of renewable energy, with a multitude of possibilities for expansion. This, as well as other forms of renewable energy, will facilitate understanding of the growing concerns regarding global warming by decreasing our dependence on fossil fuels. Wind energy requires wind speeds of at least six miles per hour; therefore, only certain geographical areas are suitable for the use of this technology. The purpose of this experiment was to determine whether the orientation of an array of wind turbines increases or decreases energy production and efficiency. In this study, various arrays consisting of five …

Surpass, William A. Callahan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Where is China going? How will it influence world politics in the twenty-first century? Such questions currently vex commentators not only in the West, but within the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as well.¹ In his first month as China’s leader in 2012, Xi Jinping addressed this concern when he proposed the ‘China Dream’ (zhongguo meng) as his vision of the PRC’s future direction. Such discussion of directions and dreams is actually part of a broad and ongoing debate about the ‘moral crisis’ that China faces after four decades of economic reform and opening up. Public intellectuals from across the …

Effects Of Stem And Response Order On Response Patterns In Satisfaction Ratings, Jolene D. Smyth, Glenn D. Israel, Milton G. Newberry Iii, Richard G. Hull

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Considerable research has examined the effect of response option order in ordinal bipolar questions such as satisfaction questions. However, no research we know of has examined the effect of the order of presentation of concepts in the question stem or whether stem order moderates response option order. In this article, we experimentally test the main and interaction effects of both stem and response option order for items in self-administered surveys on response distributions and answer changes in eight satisfied/dissatisfied questions. We find consistent evidence that response option order impacts answers. We also find that the order of “satisfied” or “dissatisfied” …

Childhood Misfortune And Handgrip Strength Among Black, White, And Hispanic Americans, Natalie R. Smith, Kenneth F. Ferraro, Blakelee R. Kemp, Patricia M. Morton, Sarah A. Mustillo, Jacqueline L. Angel

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Objective: Although early-life insults may affect health, few studies use objective physical measures of adult health. This study investigated whether experiencing misfortune during childhood is associated with handgrip strength (HGS) in later life.

Method: Data on childhood misfortune and adult characteristics from the Health and Retirement Study were used to predict baseline and longitudinal change in HGS among White, Black, and Hispanic American men and women.

Results: Regression analyses revealed that multiple indicators of childhood misfortune were related to HGS at baseline, but the relationships were distinct for men and women. Over the study, having one childhood impairment predicted steeper …

Avoiding The Major Causes Of Death: Does Childhood Misfortune Reduce The Likelihood Of Being Disease Free In Later Life?, Monica M. Williams, Blakelee R. Kemp, Kenneth F. Ferraro, Sarah A. Mustillo

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Objectives: Although previous research reveals the detrimental effects of early misfortune on the development of chronic diseases in later life, few studies have investigated its effects on remaining disease free. This study draws on cumulative inequality theory to investigate whether experiencing childhood misfortune reduces the likelihood of remaining disease free over time.

Method: This study utilizes five waves of data from the Health and Retirement Study to test whether five domains of childhood misfortune predict being disease free at baseline (2004) and developing disease over time (2004–2012).

Results: Respondents reporting risky parental behaviors during childhood were less likely to be …

Within-Household Selection Methods: A Critical Review And Experimental Examination, Jolene Smyth, Kristen M. Olson, Mathew Stange

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Probability samples are necessary for making statistical inferences to the general population (Baker et al. 2013). Some countries (e.g. Sweden) have population registers from which to randomly select samples of adults. The U.S. and many other countries, however, do not have population registers. Instead, researchers (i) select a probability sample of households from lists of areas, addresses, or telephone numbers and (ii) select an adult within these sampled households. The process by which individuals are selected from sampled households to obtain a probability-based sample of individuals is called within-household (or within-unit) selection (Gaziano 2005).Within-household selection aims to provide each member …