Pigeon Forge Pedestrian Study

Since the development of the National Park Service in 1916, communities near national parks have experienced more than just their share of tourists in the area. Overtime, these gateway communities have taken on their share of economic development to meet the growing needs of vacationers. Tourism has since become a major industry that promotes economic growth and vitality to particular communities connected with nearby attractions. Many communities have become successful tourism sites, although continuing success depends on more economic development and improvement in areas where the city needs enhancement. Located in East Tennessee\u27s Sevier County, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee is a popular gateway into The Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The influx of visitors to the area has changed the once ordinary homespun community into a shopping mecca as well as the home of many country music theaters and the Dollywood Theme Park. Pigeon Forge is ideally situated between the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Interstate 40, a major east-west route. State Route 66 is the principal route that brings motorists from Interstate 40 into Pigeon Forge. The location of these major routes allows for quick access into the city. Although, motorists will drive through neighboring Sevierville before reaching Pigeon Forge\u27s city limits, most tourists treat both communities as one. Pigeon Forge\u27s locale, in addition to its cultural setting, adds greatly to its overall development as a gateway community and a major tourist destination center. Yearly Pigeon Forge attracts millions of visitors anxious to tour the attractions of the city as well as witness the picturesque views of the National Park. Bringing tourism into the area has created some changes to this small-town life. Hundreds of retail shops and amusement/recreational facilities line Pigeon Forge\u27s main corridor, U.S. 441, popularly known as The Parkway . The city tackles the burdens of continuous traffic congestion, in addition to, crowds of pedestrians confronting busy intersections everyday. Moreover, the city has a resident population of approximately 3,300 but it has to provide for additional 70,000 visitors on peak tourists day (1). City leaders see the negative impacts created with the overcrowding of tourists visits that sometimes overtakes the capacity of local facilities and infrastructure. Visitors see the problems only while visiting, but local residents cope with the stress of overcrowding all the time. These residents have characterized Pigeon Forge as a tourist attraction with massive traffic congestion on top of a large number of pedestrians that consistently roam the area. Therefore, local leaders along with transportation engineers and planners must provide additional services to promote an effective transportation system that will safely accommodate the needs of the pedestrians. In the past, early cities were structured upon the convenience and comfort of the pedestrian (2). Open spaces designed with plazas equipped with gallerias, market places and wide sidewalks were early evidence of early planners\u27 concepts for human interaction and communication of people. Since, the introduction of the automobile has caused a drastic restructuring of urban form. The conflict of man and automobile has created an unbalanced competition for urban space. Areas where the two are forced to intermingle pose some problems to a once efficient transportation system. The characteristics of these travel modes influence the operating conditions and safety aspects of roadways, particularly intersections, a mutual area where both pedestrians and motorist are apt to meet. Pigeon Forge continues to grow (physically and economically) as a tourist destination. Main attractions including commercial, retail, music theaters, hotel/motel, camping and recreational areas, and amusement facilities line the Parkway. The intensity and diversity of these neighboring attractions result in significant pedestrian activity along the city\u27s main corridor. Local officials continually strive for solutions to their transportation woes. Since tourism has become a big market industry for the city, most city affairs address the types of attractions that keep visitors coming back. Moreover, the transportation system in Pigeon Forge has substantial impact on the marketability of the city. Many visitors utilizing the Parkway to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park succumb to long traffic delays before reaching their final destination when commingled with the city\u27s tourist traffic. Providing more pedestrian amenities along the Parkway may attract people to walk or use an alternate source other than their private automobile. More pedestrian features may initiate a whole new concept in alleviating some traffic problems. The design and implementation of safe and efficient pedestrian facilities may be the advantage that may keep tourists coming back. Amidst the tourism boom, Pigeon Forge has enhanced its infrastructure, including widened roadways and additional entertainment attractions to accommodate the thousands of tourists that it receives annually. Among these improvements, city officials must also devise a plan to create more pedestrian facilities in the area. The accumulation of traffic at many major intersections impedes pedestrian movements resulting in a lack of continuity of pedestrian linkages. It is understood that the burden of the city\u27s traffic congestion cannot be relieved until alternate modes of transportation are enforced. Earlier practices of transportation engineering always addressed the combination of automobiles and pedestrians on city streets in preference of motorists. Today, transportation engineers and planners are focusing on the needs of the pedestrian, as part of the design process, to formulate recommendations for improving the city\u27s pedestrian circulation system. Issues identifying the interaction between pedestrians and motorists will be addressed to define those characteristics that influence the efficiency of these travel modes at Pigeon Forge\u27s busiest intersections. However, this study will not provide design specifications of pedestrian facilities. It addresses only planning and functional concepts

Production and characterisation by scanning transmission electron microscopy of size-selected noble metal nanoclusters

In this thesis aberration corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy is employed to study the atomic structure of size-selected nanoclusters. The nanoclusters are produced using a magnetron sputtering gas aggregation cluster source with lateral time of flight mass filter, which enables the deposition of high precision samples. For Au nanoclusters, the combination of these techniques is used to determine atomic structure as a function of size, elucidate cluster growth mechanisms, determine the lowest energy structural isomers and investigate control of atomic structure through growth conditions. To further investigate the atomic structure of Au nanoclusters, an in-situ heating holder for the ac-STEM is used to extract a quantitative value for the energy difference between competing structural isomers. A study of surface melting of Au clusters on amorphous-carbon is also presented and the results are discussed with reference to several models for nanoscale melting. Finally, ac-STEM and STEM EELS are used to study the atomic structure and ageing in air of size-selected Ag nanoclusters. It is shown that exposure to air induces a change in both atomic structure and chemical composition

Predicting success for college students enrolled in an online, lab-based, biology course for non-majors

Online education has exploded in popularity. While there is ample research on predictors of traditional college student success, little research has been done on effective methods of predicting student success in online education. In this study, a number of demographic variables including GPA, ACT, gender, age and others were examined to determine what, if any, role they play in successfully predicting student success in an online, lab-based biology for non-majors course. Within course variables such as participation in specific categories of assignment and frequency of online visits were also examined. Groups of students including Native American/Non-Native American and Digital Immigrants and Digital Natives and others were also examined to determine if overall course success differed significantly. Good predictors of online success were found to be GPA, ACT, previous course experience and frequency of online visits with the course materials. Additionally, students who completed more of the online assignments within the course were more successful. Native American and Non-Native American students were found to differ in overall course success significantly as well. Findings indicate student academic background, previous college experience and time spent with course materials are the most important factors in course success. Recommendations include encouraging enrollment advisors to advise students about the importance of maintaining high academic levels, previous course experience and spending time with course materials may impact students' choices for online courses. A need for additional research in several areas is indicated, including Native American and Non-Native American differences. A more detailed examination of students' previous coursework would also be valuable. A study involving more courses, a larger number of students and surveys from faculty who teach online courses would help improve the generalizability of the conclusions

Virtual collaborative spaces: a case study on the antecedents of collaboration in an open source software community

Collaboration enables the sharing amongst individuals of resources and knowledge required to innovate. In recent years, this phenomenon has increasingly manifested in virtual collaborative spaces such as open-source software communities because of the advancement in the use of online technologies and the heightened need for distance work. However, it is still unclear which underlying mechanisms foster collaboration in these spaces. By using the Linux kernel open-source software community as a case study, we analyze data from the [email protected] mailing list to model the influence of proximity on the likelihood of collaboration between individuals. Our dataset is composed of 10,513 message replies to the PCI mailing list posted by its 654 active members in the years 2013 to 2015. Our results show that geographical proximity does not have a direct impact on collaboration, while organizational features defined by institutional and organizational proximity do significantly affect collaboration. Cognitive and social proximity also significantly, and positively, affects collaboration, but these relationships show an inverted u-shaped form. Our results confirm the need to develop specific theorizing about virtual spaces, as they present unique features when compared to traditional physical environments.Peer reviewe

Satellite-Based Assessment of Grassland Conversion and Related Fire Disturbance in the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska

Spruce beetle-induced (Dendroctonus rufipennis (Kirby)) mortality on the Kenai Peninsula has been hypothesized by local ecologists to result in the conversion of forest to grassland and subsequent increased fire danger. This hypothesis stands in contrast to empirical studies in the continental US which suggested that beetle mortality has only a negligible effect on fire danger. In response, we conducted a study using Landsat data and modeling techniques to map land cover change in the Kenai Peninsula and to integrate change maps with other geospatial data to predictively map fire danger for the same region. We collected Landsat imagery to map land cover change at roughly five-year intervals following a severe, mid-1990s beetle infestation to the present. Land cover classification was performed at each time step and used to quantify grassland encroachment patterns over time. The maps of land cover change along with digital elevation models (DEMs), temperature, and historical fire data were used to map and assess wildfire danger across the study area. Results indicate the highest wildfire danger tended to occur in herbaceous and black spruce land cover types, suggesting that the relationship between spruce beetle damage and wildfire danger in costal Alaskan forested ecosystems differs from the relationship between the two in the forests of the coterminous United States. These change detection analyses and fire danger predictions provide the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge (KENWR) ecologists and other forest managers a better understanding of the extent and magnitude of grassland conversion and subsequent change in fire danger following the 1990s spruce beetle outbreak

Measuring troublesomeness of chronic pain by location

Background Current measures of pain assess the relative contribution of pain in different body regions to the overall impact of pain. We developed a series of questions to measure the relative 'troublesomeness' of pain in different body regions (the "troublesomeness grid"). The study aimed to determine whether the "troublesomeness grid" is an appropriate measure to assess the severity of pain in different body regions, allowing the comparative severity of pain in different body regions to be assessed. Methods We used data from a pilot for a population survey of pain (N = 205) and from the population survey itself (N = 2504) to assess the 'troublesomeness grid's performance. Specifically, its face and content validity using overall and item non-completion rates; its criterion related validity by exploring the relationship between troublesomeness and standard measures of pain, disability, distress and health utility for the five body regions most commonly affected by chronic pain; and its reliability and reproducibility in a test/re-test study. Results The troublesomeness grid appeared to have good face validity as it had good completion rates. It also appeared to have good content validity as the percentage agreement between the grid and the pain manikin was high (over 90%). In terms of criterion related validity, troublesomeness was most strongly correlated with pain intensity and health related quality of life, but less with disability and distress. The test-retest reliability was between 80% and 90% for the majority of body regions examined. Conclusion The troublesomeness grid is well completed and appears to be an appropriate tool to assess the comparative severity of pain in different body regions

Tears in your beer: Gender differences in coping drinking motives, depressive symptoms and drinking

This study evaluates associations between coping drinking motives (CDM; drinking to regulate negative affect), depressive symptoms, and drinking behavior and extends the literature by also taking into account gender differences. Two hundred forty-three college students (Mean age = 22.93, SD = 6.29, 82% female) participated. Based on previous research, we expected that CDM would be positively associated with drinking and problems, particularly among those higher in depressive symptoms, as individuals experiencing higher levels of negative affect (i.e. depressive symptoms) and who drink to cope are likely to drink more and experience more alcohol-related problems. Lastly, based on established gender differences, we expected that CDM would be positively associated with drinking and problems, especially among females higher in depressive symptoms. Unexpectedly, findings suggested that CDMs were positively related to peak drinking, especially among those lower in depressive symptoms. Results further revealed a significant three-way interaction between CDM, depressive symptoms, and gender when predicting alcohol-related problems and drinking frequency. Specifically, we found that CDM were more strongly associated with problems among women who were lower in depressive symptoms; whereas CDM were more strongly associated with problems among men who were higher in depressive symptoms. These findings offer a more comprehensive depiction of the relationship between depressive symptoms, CDM, and drinking behavior by taking into account the importance of gender differences. These results provide additional support for considering gender when designing and implementing alcohol intervention strategies

Draft genome sequences of two Bulgarian Bacillus anthracis strains

Bacillus anthracis strains previously isolated from Bulgaria form a unique subcluster within the A1.a cluster that is typical for isolates from southeastern Europe. Here, we report the draft genome sequences of two Bulgarian B. anthracis strains belonging to the A branch (A.Br.) 008/009 canonical single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) group of the major A branch

Reviews

The following publications have been reviewed by the mentioned authors;Let's Go Bananas with Fyffes - reviewed by Melanie FasciatoLiquids Mean Life - reviewed by Jonty KinsellaDesign and Make It! Food Technology for KS3 - reviewed by Dawn WilliamsFidget - reviewed by George AsquithFinding out about Managing Waste - reviewed by Ann MacGarryHands on! - reviewed by Les PorterSkills in Graphic Products and Teacher's Resource Pack - reviewed by Michael LawranceResistant Materials to GCSE - reviewed by Roman M. GawelInventing the Modern World - reviewed by David SpendloveC for PICmicro Microcontrollers - reviewed by David FosterHow Things Work Today - reviewed by Mark HudsonMachi-work: Education for Participation - reviewed by Maggie RogersOne Good Turn - reviewed by John Egglesto

Investigating digital video applications in distance learning

The paper gives a brief overview of the use of digital video in distance education, the background to The Open University's Digital Video Applications (DiVA) Project, the contexts in which the Digital Video Library system is being used and some evaluation findings. Through DiVA, the university is investigating how it can use its video assets effectively, to support reuse of existing materials in course production. The project team is also evaluating student use of the system. The paper reports on an observation study which revealed several usability issues and stakeholders' opinions about potential uses of the DiVA system. This is followed by findings from an evaluation of student use of the system at a residential school and its use as part of an online learning activity undertaken by students accessing the system remotely. Evaluation findings to date indicate some quality and workload issues but they also show opportunities that come to light when using the DiVA system