The Development of John Wilbur Chapman's Life and Thought (1859-1918)

John Wilbur Chapman was one of the most prominent clergymen, church leaders and revivalists of the later nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. More than sixty million people attended his evangelistic campaigns worldwide. A study of his contributions shows that he dominated the evangelical landscape of America from 1906 to 1918. His campaigns in Canada and his subsequent world tours helped his fame spread internationally. The objective of the dissertation was to find out whether Chapman’s contributions to Evangelicalism were as strong as indicated by his reputation during his day and if he should be remembered only as a secondary figure in revivalism. Historians have treated Chapman mostly as one of Dwight L. Moody’s assistants and as a lesser colleague to some of Moody’s lieutenants. If Chapman was significant, why did his name disappear from historical research and why was he relegated to a lesser position than his accomplishments deserved? What were Chapman’s contributions and how far did he advance revivalism? The research conducted in this dissertation represents a decade of analysing archival materials, primary sources and secondary sources, including journals and newspaper articles. What was discovered was that J. Wilbur Chapman was more significant to the history of Evangelicalism than previously noted. An investigation of his work has reinforced an understanding of the concepts and techniques of later nineteenth-century evangelism and it has also revealed his contributions to the trajectory of revivalism. The study of Chapman's work also illuminates aspects of holiness, dispensationalism and social welfare during the Victorian and post-Victorian era

Control of Material Damping in High-Q Membrane Microresonators

We study the mechanical quality factors of bilayer aluminum/silicon-nitride membranes. By coating ultrahigh-Q Si3N4 membranes with a more lossy metal, we can precisely measure the effect of material loss on Q's of tensioned resonator modes over a large range of frequencies. We develop a theoretical model that interprets our results and predicts the damping can be reduced significantly by patterning the metal film. Using such patterning, we fabricate Al-Si3N4 membranes with ultrahigh Q at room temperature. Our work elucidates the role of material loss in the Q of membrane resonators and informs the design of hybrid mechanical oscillators for optical-electrical-mechanical quantum interfaces

Disfluent Pausing Effects on Listener Judgments of an ASL-English Interpretation

Although not all spoken language pauses are purposeful or functional, there is general agreement on the function and appropriate length and placement of pauses in English. Failing to conform to this agreement constitutes a pausing disfluency. In an interpreted environment, pauses do not generally detract from the discourse event, nor do they negatively impact the participants’ perception of one another, as long as the interpreter maintains generally acceptable pausing parameters (Fors, 2011; Heldner & Edlund, 2010; Krivokapi, 2007). Listeners of any communication event invariably form opinions about the speaker’s personality and make judgments about their character and background, forming a favorable or unfavorable attitude (Isham, 1986). Cokely (1981, 2007) refers to these judgments or attitudes as metannotative qualities: non-content characteristics that guide a listener’s overall impression of a speaker. This study investigated the effect pausing disfluencies have on a listener’s judgment of the speaker; specifically, the effect of disfluent pausing on a listener’s judgment of a speaker in an ASL-English interpreted text. Relevant to practicing interpreters, findings indicate pausing disfluencies in an ASL-English interpreted text negatively affect the listener’s judgment of the ASL user

Strong Optomechanical Squeezing of Light

We create squeezed light by exploiting the quantum nature of the mechanical interaction between laser light and a membrane mechanical resonator embedded in an optical cavity. The radiation pressure shot noise (fluctuating optical force from quantum laser amplitude noise) induces resonator motion well above that of thermally driven motion. This motion imprints a phase shift on the laser light, hence correlating the amplitude and phase noise, a consequence of which is optical squeezing. We experimentally demonstrate strong and continuous optomechanical squeezing of 1.7 +/- 0.2 dB below the shot noise level. The peak level of squeezing measured near the mechanical resonance is well described by a model whose parameters are independently calibrated and that includes thermal motion of the membrane with no other classical noise sources.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figure

Cavity optomechanics with Si3N4 membranes at cryogenic temperatures

We describe a cryogenic cavity-optomechanical system that combines Si3N4 membranes with a mechanically-rigid Fabry-Perot cavity. The extremely high quality-factor frequency products of the membranes allow us to cool a MHz mechanical mode to a phonon occupation of less than 10, starting at a bath temperature of 5 kelvin. We show that even at cold temperatures thermally-occupied mechanical modes of the cavity elements can be a limitation, and we discuss methods to reduce these effects sufficiently to achieve ground state cooling. This promising new platform should have versatile uses for hybrid devices and searches for radiation pressure shot noise.Comment: 19 pages, 5 figures, submitted to New Journal of Physic

Metabolic flexibility as a major predictor of spatial distribution in microbial communities

A better understand the ecology of microbes and their role in the global ecosystem could be achieved if traditional ecological theories can be applied to microbes. In ecology organisms are defined as specialists or generalists according to the breadth of their niche. Spatial distribution is often used as a proxy measure of niche breadth; generalists have broad niches and a wide spatial distribution and specialists a narrow niche and spatial distribution. Previous studies suggest that microbial distribution patterns are contrary to this idea; a microbial generalist genus (Desulfobulbus) has a limited spatial distribution while a specialist genus (Methanosaeta) has a cosmopolitan distribution. Therefore, we hypothesise that this counter-intuitive distribution within generalist and specialist microbial genera is a common microbial characteristic. Using molecular fingerprinting the distribution of four microbial genera, two generalists, Desulfobulbus and the methanogenic archaea Methanosarcina, and two specialists, Methanosaeta and the sulfate-reducing bacteria Desulfobacter were analysed in sediment samples from along a UK estuary. Detected genotypes of both generalist genera showed a distinct spatial distribution, significantly correlated with geographic distance between sites. Genotypes of both specialist genera showed no significant differential spatial distribution. These data support the hypothesis that the spatial distribution of specialist and generalist microbes does not match that seen with specialist and generalist large organisms. It may be that generalist microbes, while having a wider potential niche, are constrained, possibly by intrageneric competition, to exploit only a small part of that potential niche while specialists, with far fewer constraints to their niche, are more capable of filling their potential niche more effectively, perhaps by avoiding intrageneric competition. We suggest that these counter-intuitive distribution patterns may be a common feature of microbes in general and represent a distinct microbial principle in ecology, which is a real challenge if we are to develop a truly inclusive ecology

Impact of concrete on riparian ecosystems

Throughout the world, concrete is used extensively in urban development. Due to its convenience and durability, most paths, carparks, dams, and even drainage systems are constructed from concrete. However, recent studies indicate that concrete significantly affects water chemistry and that concrete infrastructure may have a major effect on the chemistry of nearby streams. This is particularly relevant for sensitive waterways such as those in the Blue Mountains region in Sydney, Australia. This study aimed to investigate the chemical changes associated with concrete exposure by conducting water recirculation experiments. Water collected from a pristine Blue Mountains Upland Swamp (BMUS) was mildly acidic (average pH of 4.65) with a low electrical conductivity (EC of 57.99μS/cm) before concrete exposure. After the water was continuously recirculated through a concrete pipe for 120 minutes, pH and EC increased significantly, to 7.87 and 137.72μS/cm respectively. Significant increases in concentrations of ions such as bicarbonate, calcium and sulphate were also observed. Results verify previous findings that concrete significantly and rapidly affects water chemistry and support the hypothesis that concrete plays a significant role in the chemical differences seen between urban and non-urban waterways. Results also indicate that concrete is a source of metals such as copper, chromium, strontium, titanium, and lithium. Furthermore, this study aimed to investigate whether these metals have the potential to affect ecosystems more broadly. Salix babylonica, a common invasive plant species in the Sydney region, was grown in pristine BMUS water and concrete-recirculated BMUS water. Plants grown in concrete-recirculated water had significantly greater new growth and the tissue of these plants was significantly higher in concentrations of barium, copper, lead, manganese, and strontium. As metals in the water appear to be moving into plant tissue, results suggest that these metals are bioavailable and thus have the potential to move into higher trophic levels and the ecosystem more generally. Further investigation is required to determine how far these metals may permeate the food chain