Mediamaking

Book review of Mediamaking: Mass Media in Popular Culture, 2nd edition, by L. Grossberg, E. Wartella, D. Whitney, and J. Wise

Impact of Urban Stormwater Runoff on the Water Quality of the Subsurface Lost River, Bowling Green, Kentucky

Bowling Green, Kentucky is located in a distinctive karst region, characterized by subsurface drainage. The Lost River is a large subsurface stream which flows beneath the city. It receives much of the stormwater runoff from Bowling Green, since most of the city\u27s runoff is directed underground. Significant pollutants in Bowling Green\u27s stormwater runoff were identified from water quality test results of storm event grab samples, and a composite sample, of runoff entering the urban By-Pass Cave. Water quality test results were also obtained from storm event grab samples, and a composite sample, of the Lost River at the Blue Hole before it reached Bowling Green and at the Resurgence after it had passed beneath Bowling Green. Significant pollutant test results from the Blue Hole and Resurgence were analyzed to determine the impact of urban stormwater runoff on the water quality of the Lost River. Suspended solids were the only urban runoff pollutant identified as entering the Lost River in significant quantities. Animal waste, iron, and oil and grease were identified as stormwater runoff pollutants of the Lost River, but whose origin, either urban or rural, could not be conclusively determined from the available data

An Experimental Method for Profit Maximization

This paper develops a procedure for locating profit maximizing operating conditions when the input variables are subject to control by the experimenter and observations on physical output may be taken subject to experimental error at any combination of these inputs. This procedure uses the Box-Wilson technique, a well-known statistical search procedure, together with the pria of the output and the cost of the inputs so as to search for maximum profit points rather than maximum output points. The result is an experimental search method which maximizes profit when the functional form of the physical response surface (production function) is unknown. In this case, of course, standard mathematical programming models are of no use in the absence of the required functional forms. This functional form, though unknown, is determined by the existing investment in capital equipment. These procedures, like the Box-Wilson technique, are more likely to be applicable to flow process reactor systems in the chemical and oil industries, but are certainly not limited to such applications

Early diagenesis in bioadvective sediments: Relationships between the diagenesis of beryllium-7, sediment reworking rates, and the abundance of conveyor-belt deposit-feeders

Laboratory experimentation and field sampling programs were used to examine the contribution of the conveyor-belt feeding/biodeposition activity of orbiniid polychaetes, Scoloplos spp., to bioturbation in intertidal sediments of Lowes Cove, Maine. Laboratory measurements of particle reworking rates were incorporated into steady-state and transient-state diagenetic models to predict subduction velocities of marker layers in incubated cores from Lowes Cove and to predict the in situ activity-depth profile of the radionuclide Be-7 (half-life = 53.3 d), a useful, naturally-occurring tracer of rapid mixing processes.Incubated cores containing a complete macrofauna from the Cove were mixed bioadvectively with little random mixing (peak-broadening of the marker) detectable. The conveyor-belt activity of Scoloplos spp. accounted fully for particle subduction in these cores.The Be-7 activity-depth profile of a sediment core taken from Lowes Cove was consistent with a conveyor-belt diagenetic model based upon (1) seasonal variations in the surface biodeposition rate of Scoloplos spp. and (2) a constant Be-7 activity at the sediment surface. Although the surface Be-7 activity in principal may be affected by seasonal changes in the rates of atmospheric deposition and dilution with radioactively dead sediment emplaced by conveyor-belt activity, such effects apparently did not dominate features of this Be-7 profile.The control by these polychaetes of sediment turnover and incorporation of reactive chemical species across the sediment surface may explain in part why local patches with characteristic worm abundance and standing crop are maintained year to year in Lowes Cove

Effects of fiber motion on the acoustic behavior of an anisotropic, flexible fibrous material

The acoustic behavior of a flexible fibrous material was studied experimentally. The material consisted of cylindrically shaped fibers arranged in a batting with the fibers primarily aligned parallel to the face of the batting. This type of material was considered anisotropic, with the acoustic propagation constant depending on whether the dirction of sound propagation was parallel or normal to the fiber arrangement. Normal incidence sound absorption measurements were taken for both fiber orientations over the frequency range 140 to 1500 Hz and with bulk densities ranging from 4.6 to 67 kg/cu m. When the sound propagated in a direction normal to the fiber alignment, the measured sound absorption showed the occurrence of a strong resonance, which increased absorption above that attributed to viscous and thermal effects. When the sound propagated in a direction parallel to the fiber alignment, indications of strong resonances in the data were not present. The resonance in the data for fibers normal to the direction of sound propagation is attributed to fiber motion. An analytical model was developed for the acoustic behavior of the material displaying the same fiber motion characteristics shown in the measurements

Cultural Differences in Trust of Space Tourism Travel

Science fiction or not, commercial space travel is on the horizon. One of the most unknown concepts to public perception is the idea of traveling by spacecraft. The next frontier for mankind is space travel; however, there are many challenges that need to be met before space tourism travel becomes a reality. There are numerous companies on the cusp of making space travel a reasonable and affordable mode of transportation. Since the idea of traveling through space is so new, there is not a lot of data available about public perception. The purpose of this research, however, is to gather public input as to their personal levels of trust in space tourism travel. This data could be invaluable to an emerging company as strategic marketing techniques can be utilized with this information to increase their customer acquisition and spread the concept. This research was able to acquire input from both American and Indian participants through the use of Amazon’s ® Mechanical Turk ® program. Using an experimental design, the research analyzed the levels of trust between individuals from different cultural backgrounds as well as gender differences. After analyzing the collected data, it was determined that there was a significant interaction in the trust levels between country and gender, F(1, 392) = 6.379, p = 0.012, np2 = .016. The American female population was less trusting of space travel than the Indian female population. Practical implications and limitations to the study are also discussed