Inter-carrier interference mitigation for underwater acoustic communications

Communicating at a high data rate through the ocean is challenging. Such communications must be acoustic in order to travel long distances. The underwater acoustic channel has a long delay spread, which makes orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) an attractive communication scheme. However, the underwater acoustic channel is highly dynamic, which has the potential to introduce significant inter-carrier interference (ICI). This thesis explores a number of means for mitigating ICI in such communication systems. One method that is explored is directly adapted linear turbo ICI cancellation. This scheme uses linear filters in an iterative structure to cancel the interference. Also explored is on-off keyed (OOK) OFDM, which is a signal designed to avoid ICI

Effects of meal timing on growth hormones, ghrelin, and insulin sensitivity in male Holstein calves

Eighteen neonatal Holstein bull calves (38.85 ± 4.71 kg) were assigned to one of two treatments at birth to determine the effect of feeding time on growth, nutrient intake, metabolic hormone secretion, and energy metabolism. Regularly fed calves (n = 9) were fed MR daily at 0630 h, and irregularly fed calves (n = 9) at 1030, 0800, 0630, 0830, 0530, 0930, and 0730 Monday through Sunday. Body weights were measured weekly from birth to 9 weeks. Water intake, fecal scores, and starter intake were measured daily. Serial blood collections were conducted at 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks for ghrelin and GH concentrations. Blood sample collection began one hour prior to regular feeding time (0530 h) and ended one hour post regular feeding time (0730 h), at time points 0, 15, 30, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 90, 105, and 120 minutes. An IVGTT was performed at weeks 3, 6, and 9 to assess glucose metabolism. Water intake increased (P \u3c 0.05) in irregularly fed calves at weeks 1 and 3. A treatment by week interaction and a main effect of week were observed for ghrelin concentrations (P \u3c 0.05), and regularly fed calves exhibited increased ghrelin concentrations at week 4 (P \u3c 0.10). Plasma ghrelin concentrations increased with age until weaning at week 6 then decreased at week 8. An increase in GH concentrations were observed at time points t= 75 (P \u3c 0.05), 90 (P \u3c 0.10), and 120 (P \u3c 0.10) min. A treatment by week interaction and a main effect of week were observed for GH concentrations (P \u3c 0.0001). Regularly fed calves had higher GH concentrations at weeks 2 and 4 (P \u3c 0.05). No differences were observed (P \u3e 0.10) for glucose concentrations. Peak insulin concentrations (P \u3c 0.05) and AUC for insulin (P \u3c 0.10) increased as calves aged, indicating that calves become less sensitive to insulin as they develop. Results indicated that feeding time does not have an overall effect on growth, feed intake, and glucose metabolism, but does affect growth hormone concentrations

Unlocking Secure Communities: The Role of the Freedom of Information Act in the Department of Homeland Security\u27s Secure Communities

In 1941, members of the Attorney General’s Committee on Administrative Procedure agreed unanimously that “an important and far-reaching defect of administrative law has been the simple lack of public information concerning its substance and procedure.” The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) uniquely addresses this concern by providing members of the general public an opportunity to consider and respond to administrative action by viewing actual agency records. FOIA affords broad access to “any person,” and it has become a key tool for both organizations and individuals who not only wish to learn more about the inner workings of the U.S. government, but also seek to participate fully in the democratic process. For instance, a FOIA request was the primary tool for interested individuals to learn about the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS’s) Secure Communities initiative, including why it was created and how it was being implemented. DHS designed Secure Communities to enhance and expand current strategies for identifying removable immigrants in the United States who have violated a criminal law. Under Secure Communities, police check a suspect’s fingerprints during an arrest against not only the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI’s) fingerprint database, but also against DHS’s newly established immigrant biometric database. If the search reveals that the individual is an immigrant who is subject to administrative removal, the database then automatically delivers information on the individual’s immigration history to local law enforcement officials so that they may comply with a DHS detainer and transfer that person into the custody of DHS’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). As of September 2012, Secure Communities is active in 97% of jurisdictions in the United States and is slated to be implemented in all jurisdictions by 2013. Despite Secure Communities’ broad effect, DHS developed and implemented it independent of an explicit statutory mandate and without using rulemaking procedures under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA). In fact, Congress rejected two pieces of legislation that would have provided DHS with a specific statutory mandate to implement programs that were similar to Secure Communities. Rather, DHS created Secure Communities in response to Homeland Security Presidential Directive-24 and congressional priorities for criminal alien removal defined in the Fiscal Year 2008 Budget Appropriations Act. DHS has cited its power to implement this program as general provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) that pertain to the identification and removal of criminal aliens. Especially in the early stages of the program’s implementation, DHS made little information publicly available about Secure Communities. As a result, Congress, advocates, the public, and state officials had significant questions concerning how the technology worked, the burden that it would place on local law enforcement and, most notably, whether a state’s participation was voluntary. In response, the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON), in conjunction with the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) and the Immigration Justice Clinic of the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, filed a FOIA request to gain access to DHS’s records on the program. After months of litigation, DHS released the materials pursuant to a series of court orders and NDLON published the records online, making them available to the public. The release of these FOIA documents equipped stakeholders with facts that enabled them to understand, meaningfully evaluate, and provide informed feedback on Secure Communities for the first time. This Article examines the role of FOIA in Secure Communities. Part I provides background information on the Freedom of Information Act, the role of local enforcement agencies (LEAs) in enforcing immigration law, and the basic structure of Secure Communities. Part II analyzes how FOIA requests facilitated the release of documents and expanded public understanding of Secure Communities, and observes that the agency’s reliance on FOIA as the primary method for disseminating information to the public hampered public participation in shaping Secure Communities, undermined public confidence in the agency, and caused untold monetary and other costs. Part III recommends that agencies prioritize proactive disclosures of FOIA records to facilitate public access and review of agency policy prior to implementation to avoid the lack of transparency that characterized Secure Communities

Overcoming Cognitive and Motivational Barriers to Media Literacy: A Dual-Process Approach

In today\u27s fast-paced, hyper-mediated society, the ability to balance accuracy and efficiency is essential. Media literacy educational programs have arisen to meet this need and proliferated in recent years. Although the practice of media literacy is thriving, its underlying mechanisms are poorly understood and evidence of effectiveness is mixed (e.g., Bergsma & Carney, 2008). A social psychological perspective has the potential to illuminate previously overlooked variables and inform research and practice in this growing field. In particular, whereas media literacy efforts typically emphasize thorough processing of media messages, dual-process theories of persuasion (e.g., Eagly & Chaiken, 1993; Petty & Cacioppo, 1986) suggest this is not always realistic. When motivation or ability is compromised, individuals default to a low-effort processing mode, relying on peripheral cues or heuristics rather than carefully evaluating message arguments. In this mode, media messages can persuade unconsciously. Using a dual-process approach, the present research investigated how specific barriers to motivation (perceptions of personal invulnerability) and processing ability (emotion-based advertising, environmental distractions) influence the processes of media literacy. Participants (N = 882) were randomly assigned to 16 conditions in a 2 [vulnerability: demonstrated, control] x 2 [distractions: present, absent] x 2(2) [ad type: informational, emotional; two replicates of each type] between-subjects nested design. The vulnerability manipulation increased distrust in the target ads and reduced their persuasiveness, not through the hypothesized mechanism of heightened perceptions of vulnerability, but mediated by increased counterarguing. Relative to informational ads, emotional ads were judged more persuasive, attractive, similar to personal experience, and elicited greater identification. However, they were also rated less trustworthy than informational ads, suggesting emotional advertising largely bypasses logical decision-making processes. Distraction reduced counterarguing only among those who found the ad relatively unpersuasive. The results of this research highlight the central role of trust in media literacy processes. Although individuals recognize and distrust emotional forms of advertising, they are nonetheless persuaded by such appeals. Given the sophistication of contemporary advertising techniques and the ubiquity of distractions, the present research suggests new approaches to media literacy are needed, specifically tailored to decision-making under these more realistic media-use conditions

The effect of high frequency amplification on subjective and objective benefit with digital hearing instruments

The purpose of the present study was to determine whether amplifying beyond 3 kHz was beneficial to the user, whether the benefit was dependent on degree of loss, and whether subjective data reflected the benefit. Seventeen hearing impaired subjects were binaurally fitted with digital hearing instruments. Qualified subjects were divided into two groups, A and B. Group A had a pure tone average (3,4, and 6 kHz), of 55 dBHL or better. Group B had a pure tone average (3,4, and 6 kHz) greater than 55 dBHL but not exceeding 75 dBHL. Each subject was fit with two conditions (upward frequency response of 3 kHz and 6 kHz) throughout the study. Probe microphone measurements were obtained at the plane of the tympanic membrane using a swept pure tone of 60 dB SPL to verify appropriate fit of the hearing instruments. Listener performance in quiet was evaluated via the Connected Speech Test (CST), listener performance in noise was evaluated via the CST and the Hearing in Noise Test, and listener preference was evaluated via the Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit and an exit questionnaire. Results of the probe microphone measures indicated that the mean output levels for each condition were significantly different. Results indicated that increasing the bandwidth did not significantly improve benefit in quiet for either group but did significantly improve benefit in noise for each group. However, the amount of benefit was similar for each bandwidth suggesting that the amount of benefit is not dependent on degree of loss. Subjective data suggested that amplifying beyond 3 kHz did not increase subjective benefit according to the APHAB. However, results from the exit questionnaire suggest that the 6 kHz condition was preferred by the majority of the subjects overall, both in quiet and in noise

The Impact of Family Satisfaction, Racial Identity and Perceived Ethnic Discrimination on African-American College Students\u27 Vulnerability to Stereotype Threat

Problem Stereotype threat is something that has plagued the African-American community for decades. However, there is no direct research on the protective factors that could mitigate or exacerbate the effects of stereotype threat on African-Americans. The present study is intended to focus on the relationship between family satisfaction, racial identity, perceived ethnic discrimination and African-American college students’ vulnerability to stereotype threat. Method This study used the Family Satisfaction Scale (FSS), The Black Racial Identity Attitude Scale (BRIAS), The Perceived Ethnic Discrimination Questionnaire (PEDQ) and the Stereotype Confirmation Concern Scale (SCCS) to explore the relationships between the four variables. A structural equation model was developed to examine the theoretical model to the empirical model developed from collected data. Four hundred and twenty African-American college students in the United States general population were used for this study. Results The original structural equation model suggested a poor fit with the collected data. The revised model eliminated some pathways and included additional paths based on theory found in the literature. The revised model showed an excellent fit with the data. There were significant relationships between perceived ethnic discrimination (PED), family satisfaction (FS) and stereotype threat. Black racial identity (BRI) was not correlated to stereotype threat in the final model but had a significant relationship with PED. The adjusted model accounted for 78% of variance for Stereotype threat. Conclusions The respecified model, based on the hypothesized theoretical model, was supported by findings from this study. The contribution of PED, BRI and FS were validated through statistical significance. The findings indicate that PED and FS have a direct relationship with African-American college students’ vulnerability to stereotype threat. While BRI has an indirect relationship with stereotype threat through PED. These findings have implications for the field of counseling psychology, education, and society’s understanding of protective factors that can impact and mitigate the vulnerability to stereotype threat in the African-American community

It is Time to Talk About it: Designing a Health Communication Program for Eating Disorder Recovery in an Appalachian University

The purpose of this thesis was to evaluate the treatments used in current eating disorder programs and to develop a more effective model using two relevant communication theories: the Transtheoretical Model of Change and Social Networking Theory. Further, the thesis explored the need for greater mental health literacy on Appalachian college and university campuses as it relates to the three major eating disorders defined by the DSMIV-TR: anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorders. The analysis of current treatment revealed an overemphasis on physical health and quantitative medical progress. Applying both the Transtheoretical Model of Change and Social Networking Theory to the known characteristics of these disorders produced a program that focused more on the underlying causes of the illnesses rather than the medical symptoms

Unlocking Secure Communities: The Role of the Freedom of Information Act in the Department of Homeland Security\u27s Secure Communities

In 1941, members of the Attorney General’s Committee on Administrative Procedure agreed unanimously that “an important and far-reaching defect of administrative law has been the simple lack of public information concerning its substance and procedure.” The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) uniquely addresses this concern by providing members of the general public an opportunity to consider and respond to administrative action by viewing actual agency records. FOIA affords broad access to “any person,” and it has become a key tool for both organizations and individuals who not only wish to learn more about the inner workings of the U.S. government, but also seek to participate fully in the democratic process. For instance, a FOIA request was the primary tool for interested individuals to learn about the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS’s) Secure Communities initiative, including why it was created and how it was being implemented. DHS designed Secure Communities to enhance and expand current strategies for identifying removable immigrants in the United States who have violated a criminal law. Under Secure Communities, police check a suspect’s fingerprints during an arrest against not only the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI’s) fingerprint database, but also against DHS’s newly established immigrant biometric database. If the search reveals that the individual is an immigrant who is subject to administrative removal, the database then automatically delivers information on the individual’s immigration history to local law enforcement officials so that they may comply with a DHS detainer and transfer that person into the custody of DHS’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). As of September 2012, Secure Communities is active in 97% of jurisdictions in the United States and is slated to be implemented in all jurisdictions by 2013. Despite Secure Communities’ broad effect, DHS developed and implemented it independent of an explicit statutory mandate and without using rulemaking procedures under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA). In fact, Congress rejected two pieces of legislation that would have provided DHS with a specific statutory mandate to implement programs that were similar to Secure Communities. Rather, DHS created Secure Communities in response to Homeland Security Presidential Directive-24 and congressional priorities for criminal alien removal defined in the Fiscal Year 2008 Budget Appropriations Act. DHS has cited its power to implement this program as general provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) that pertain to the identification and removal of criminal aliens. Especially in the early stages of the program’s implementation, DHS made little information publicly available about Secure Communities. As a result, Congress, advocates, the public, and state officials had significant questions concerning how the technology worked, the burden that it would place on local law enforcement and, most notably, whether a state’s participation was voluntary. In response, the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON), in conjunction with the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) and the Immigration Justice Clinic of the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, filed a FOIA request to gain access to DHS’s records on the program. After months of litigation, DHS released the materials pursuant to a series of court orders and NDLON published the records online, making them available to the public. The release of these FOIA documents equipped stakeholders with facts that enabled them to understand, meaningfully evaluate, and provide informed feedback on Secure Communities for the first time. This Article examines the role of FOIA in Secure Communities. Part I provides background information on the Freedom of Information Act, the role of local enforcement agencies (LEAs) in enforcing immigration law, and the basic structure of Secure Communities. Part II analyzes how FOIA requests facilitated the release of documents and expanded public understanding of Secure Communities, and observes that the agency’s reliance on FOIA as the primary method for disseminating information to the public hampered public participation in shaping Secure Communities, undermined public confidence in the agency, and caused untold monetary and other costs. Part III recommends that agencies prioritize proactive disclosures of FOIA records to facilitate public access and review of agency policy prior to implementation to avoid the lack of transparency that characterized Secure Communities

The Effects of Instigation, Anger, and Emotion Regulation on Intimate Partner Violence Related Behaviors: Examination of the Perfect Storm Theory

The present study was an empirical evaluation of I³ “perfect storm” theory (“I-Cubed”;Finkel & Eckhardt, 2013; Finkel, 2014), in which the interactive risk processes of instigation, emotion regulation, and trait anger were examined in the prediction of intimate partner violence (IPV) related behaviors. In a 2 X 4 between subjects design, a sample of college undergraduates (N = 180) with a history of IPV were randomly assigned to use 1 of 4 emotion regulation strategies (cognitive reappraisal, distraction, suppression, or no instruction) while listening to either a anger arousing (instigation) or neutral (no instigation) imagined relationship scenario presented using the Articulated Thoughts in Simulated Situations (ATSS) paradigm. IPV-related behaviors were assessed via participants’ coded aggressive verbalizations during the imagined relationship scenario and self-reported desire to engage in IPV-related behaviors following the ATSS. Results supported the “perfect storm” hypothesis that greatest risk for IPV-related behaviors occurred when participants who endorsed high (versus low) levels of trait anger experienced provocation and engaged in suppression as a weak inhibitory strategy for emotion regulation χ²(1) = 20.34, p \u3c .001 (r = .62). In addition, the prosocial outcome of negotiation with one’s partner was endorsed most frequently following the use of cognitive reappraisal without provocation (F(3, 164) = 2.903, p \u3c.05). Implications for future research and intervention are discussed in the context of “perfect storm” theory

Shallow Thrust and Outer Rise Earthquakes in Northwestern Pacific Subduction Zones and their Role in Subduction Zone Water Budgets with Special Focus on the Mariana Islands

This dissertation utilizes accurate earthquake locations and focal mechanisms to examine two distinct regions within shallow subduction zones: the shallow plate interface and the subduction zone trench and outer rise. In particular, I focus on the shallow plate interface and outer rise of the Mariana Subduction Zone and then expand the focus to examine the outer rise at other Northern and Western Pacific Subduction Zones. By understanding where earthquakes occur in these regions, we hope to obtain a better understanding of the cycling of water through subduction zones, mineralogical changes in the presence of water, and the effects of water and hydrous minerals on faulting processes within the shallow subduction zone. The first project is focused on the Northern Mariana shallow plate interface and reveals that small plate interface earthquakes occur at greater depths than previously thought. I show that the earthquake magnitude varies with depth, which may reveal varying conditions of stress, hydration, structure, or mineralogy along the fault. For the second and third projects, I focus on the subduction outer rise; at this setting, extensional earthquakes near the top of the bending, incoming oceanic plate are thought to provide pathways for water to enter and hydrate the plate. The stresses within the plate may also be impacted by locking along the subduction plate interface. At the Mariana subduction zone, I observe differences in stress distributions within the incoming plate between the Southern and Central regions; this difference may be related to greater locking along the Southern Mariana plate interface. Our results for the Northern and Western Pacific show that extensional outer rise earthquakes occur to ~10-15 km within the incoming plate mantle at most subduction zones. If this entire depth range is hydrated, as much as ~10^9-10^10 Tg/Myr of water may be subducted at the Northwestern Pacific; however, lateral heterogeneities in outer rise faulting would result in reduced concentrations of input water