Fracking in Pennsylvania: A Spatial Analysis of Impacts on Land Cover and Land Use, the Viewshed, and the Audioshed

Hydraulic fracturing is the process of extracting natural gas from layers of shale rock beneath the surface of the Earth. The largest source of natural gas in the US is the Marcellus Shale, largely located in Pennsylvania, and it is believed to hold about 141 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in its shale deposits. My study examined the impacts of well sites on land cover and land use, the viewshed, and the audioshed. To study the effect of wellpads on land use and land cover, we overlaid a layer of wellpads over land cover data as well as a layer of Pennsylvania natural resources. To study the visual and sound impacts of wellpads and compressor stations, we generated viewsheds and audiosheds and then calculated the percent of land, road, and trails impacted within different environment types. We found that the majority of producing wells are currently found in forested areas and within 1320 feet of a stream or wetland. However, we found that there is also seemingly a bias against placing wellpads near wetland areas. Additionally, rural land cover areas were found to have a disproportionate number of wellpads in relation to their area within the Marcellus shale region. Rural environments were also found to be impacted the highest in regards to the viewshed, having over 20% of the tile within the fracking viewshed for tiles with at least 2 wellpads. In regards to noise impacts, high road density areas and state forest areas were found to have similar percentages within the audioshed for tiles with at least one compressor station. So overall, in areas with at least 2 wellpads, rural areas have the most potential impacts due to fracking for both land cover and land use as well as the viewshed

E-Commerce Merchandising

Kelly Collins, a recent TMD graduate, walked the audience through her career timeline. During college and immediately after graduation, she worked as an Executive Assistant to a PR fashion firm in New York City. Aspiring to the “glossy” life of NYC fashion, Collins admitted that she was more caught up in the image of her job than its actual functions. After realizing that a tumultuous and erratic work environment was not for her, she accepted a position at interior textile company, Kravet Fabrics Inc., where she is currently Director of E-Commerce. During the pandemic, the company realized that they needed to improve their digital presence to gain sales because former hands-on selling strategies no longer worked

The Impact of Social Norms on Bystander Behaviors to Prevent Campus Sexual Violence

High incidence rates of sexual violence (SV) on college campuses and the limited effectiveness of traditional prevention programs has created a need for innovative prevention programing. In recent decades, bystander intervention approaches that target broader campus community norms have gained popularity. These programs aim to prevent SV by equipping student bystanders with the skills to intervene before, during, and after instances with the risk of SV. Student bystanders’ ability to effectively intervene hinges on their ability to recognize SV risk situations as problematic and worthy of intervention. However, situational ambiguities and mixed social norms messages often create challenges to recognizing SV risk situations. To better understand how perceived social norms and peer communication influenced students’ perceptions during these initial stages of bystander intervention, the current study asked about their lived experiences in situations with risk of SV. The current study analyzed qualitative data from interviews with 17 undergraduate students from a midsize university in Chicago, Illinois. Participants identified two primary types of SV risk scenarios: sexual situations involving alcohol and unwanted sexual advancements. In any one situation, participants identified various social norms that influenced the extent to which they perceived the situation as problematic. This study indicates how important it is for bystander intervention programs to equip students with a clear, operational understanding of what SV is and the ability to recognize SV risk scenarios in the context of their own lives. In situations where the level of risk is ambiguous, students need actionable strategies for engaging in a process of information gathering in order to identify problematic SV risk situations

Consent not Required: Missouri’s Adoption Laws for Incapacitated Adults. DeBrodie v. Martin

This Note discusses Missouri’s adoption statutes, specifically adult adoptions and adoptions of mentally incapacitated adults, then explains the best interests of the child determination that courts perform when granting (or denying) a petition for adoption. Part II gives a brief background of the facts and circumstances surrounding DeBrodie v. Martin. Part III discusses the history of Missouri’s adoption statutes, focusing on adult adoptions, and explains the best interests of the child analysis in custody proceedings. Part IV delves into the initial Missouri Court of Appeals’ decision. Finally, Part V comments on the outcome upon remand and re-appeal of the case, and why both the circuit court and appellate court ultimately reached the incorrect decision and deprived DeBrodie of the chance to be a member of a loving, adopted family

Adolescents\u27 educational and occupational aspirations and valuation of characteristics of friends: An investigation of changes in sex-typing over three decades.

The present study investigated possible changes from 1973 to 2002 in the extent to which the occupational aspirations, educational aspirations, and valuation of characteristics of friends among adolescents are sex-typed. The data for this study were based on a survey administered to four cohorts of grade 10 students in the same three high schools in 1973, 1985, 1991, and 2002. Based on the expectation that each successive cohort of students would have been exposed to greater flexibility in gender-role norms and to a corresponding increase in the number of role models in those jobs traditionally held by members of the opposite sex, it was hypothesized that, across the four cohort years, students would show less sex typing in their occupational and educational aspirations. In addition, changes in the sex-typed characteristics that each successive cohort sample of students value in their same- and opposite-sex friends were explored. Overall, the findings indicate that there has been a decline in males\u27 and females\u27 sex-typed attitudes across the four cohort years. More specifically, the results show that males and females are aspiring to less sex-typed occupations and have less sex-typed educational aspirations. Furthermore, the results show that males value less sex-typed characteristics in their female friends, but continue to value sex-typed characteristics in their male friends and females value less sex-typed characteristics in both their male and female friends. Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis2005 .M47. Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 44-03, page: 1537. Thesis (M.A.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 2005

The seasonal variations in anthropometric and performance characteristics of elite intercounty gaelic football players

The seasonal variations in anthropometric and performance characteristics of elite inter county gaelic football players. J Strength Cond Res 32(12): 3475-3482, 2018-There is limited research assessing the anthropometric and performance variations in elite Gaelic football. The aim of this study was to assess the anthropometric and performance characteristics of an elite intercounty squad within a season. After ethical approval and informed consent, 26 participants were assessed at the start of preseason (November), after early in-season (January), and midseason (March). Measurements included stature, body mass, sum of 8 skinfold sites (ΣSkf8), estimated body fat percentage (bf%), squat jump (SJ) and countermovement jump (CMJ), 5-, 10-, and 20-m sprint times, upper body and lower-body strength (1 repetition maximum), and Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test 2 (Yo-Yo IR2). A multivariate analysis of variance was used to determine seasonal and positional variations. Anthropometric variations were observed with an overall increase in participants\u27 body mass and a concomitant decrease in ΣSkf8 and bf% (-21.5%, p = 0.002, η = 0.15; -1.43%, p = 0.004, η = 0.13). Performance variations showed improvements in sprint time over 5-m (p = 0.001, η = 0.19) and 10-m (p = 0.008, η = 0.11), SJ (p = 0.013, η = 0.1), CMJ (p = 0.013, η = 0.1) height and Yo-Yo IR2 (p \u3c 0.001, η = 0.34) noted from preseason to midseason. Significant anthropometric variations are observed between the preseason and early in-season; meanwhile, significant performance variations are observed between the preseason and midseason. Distinct positional variations are evident for both anthropometric and performance characteristics at all time points. Applied practitioners should consider these findings when implementing a seasonal training plan

Young Adult Narratives of Sibling Loss and Bereavement during Adolescence

Up to 90% of adolescents in the U.S. experience a loss of a family member or friend. However, prior research on loss of a family member has focused predominantly on the adult experience (e.g., loss of a spouse), parental bereavement (loss of a child), or grief counseling as an intervention for dealing with loss. Little is known about the sibling loss experience, particularly from the point of view of the surviving sibling who suffered the loss when they were young. Thus, the purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the narratives of young adults who experienced the loss of a sibling during adolescence, and to understand the role of family, friends, and resources. This research utilized three theoretical models: Erik Erickson\u27s theory of Psychosocial Development, Murray Bowen\u27s theory of Family Systems, and Theresa Rando\u27s 6 R\u27s theory of loss. Eight participants (all female) between 18 and 30 years who lost a sibling between 13 and 18 years were invited through posting in 4 closed sibling loss groups on Facebook. Using Reissman\u27s thematic analysis, data from semi-structured interviews revealed five themes: returning to school (refuge vs. struggle); being there (sources of support); emotional separation (family, friends, and the lost sibling); identification of self/moving forward (turning points following the loss); and family dynamics with departed and surviving (maintaining the lost connection). Future research should intentionally sample other demographics to broaden the understanding of sibling bereavement across age, gender, ethnicity, and religion. Positive social change implications include efforts to promote training and programs sensitive to the unique needs of bereaved young adults in secondary school and college settings

The Effects of Fluoxetine on Aggressive Behaviour in Betta Splendens

Previous studies have shown strong evidence that the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) Fluoxetine reduces aggression and inhibits learning in Siamese Fighting Fish (Betta Splendens). While this evidence has been replicated across multiple studies, the behavioral mechanism of Fluoxetine on aggressive behavior and learning is still unknown. In particular, Fluoxetine may produce its anti-aggressive effects by altering the motivational arousal component of aggressive responding or through the sedation of motoric activity. In order to examine these two models, a maze-swimming task for access to reinforcing aggressive opportunities was implemented. Based on previous evidence, researchers hypothesized that subjects would have decreased rates of aggressive responding to mirror and live conspecific stimuli when exposed to Fluoxetine than when not being administered the drug through either the blocking of motor or motivational functions. Results from this study indicated that Fluoxetine administration reduces the appetitive properties of aggressive encounters through inhibition of motor processes which impacted the performance of the fish in the task. Based on these results, further studies should focus on the relationship of serotonin pathways on arousal and motor processes in operant and classically conditioned behavior