The association between supportive behavior and changes in relationship quality among married and cohabitating African American couples

The purpose of this study was to examine whether initially low levels of support behaviors observed among cohabitating and married African American couples significantly predicted higher levels of negative behaviors (specifically hostility) in their interactions two years later. In addition, the analyses examined whether these later levels of hostility predicted relationship satisfaction over time. That is, did supportive behaviors serve a protective function in terms of their impact on the longitudinal course of marriage and cohabitation? The results of the structural equation modeling analyses provided some support for these hypotheses, as the level of initial support behaviors displayed by the female partner was a marginally significant predictor of her level of hostility at Wave 2 but not his later level of hostility; as her level of initial support increased, her level of hostility at a later time point decreased. In addition, level of hostility displayed by the male partner at Wave 2 was a marginally significant predictor of his relationship satisfaction, with higher levels of hostility at Wave 2 significantly predicting lower relationship satisfaction at Wave 2. The results of the current study indicate significant contributions of support to relationship functioning and demonstrate potential gender differences in the role of support on later communication behaviors and relationship satisfaction

MS

thesisExcessive coal dust created and released during mining operations in pillars and faces of entries in some bituminous-coal mines in the eastern and western parts of the United States was allayed effectively by applying the water-infusion, or water-infiltration, method. The infusion method consists of injecting water or a mixture of water and a wetting agent into coal pillars and faces of entries to abate dust, and to prevent the dispersion of small particles of dust normally created and released during subsequent operations of mining. Dust counts were reduced to within safe limits by applying the waterinfusion method in mine working places. In addition to reducing air-borne dust, water-infusion has been credited also with eliminating pillar heating and stopping one fire, thereby saving 700,000 tons of coal for uninterrupted mining operations. It was found that infiltration had important secondary advantages, as follows: 1 . It partially degassed the working faces and thus reduced the possibility of ignition during other mining operations. 2. It caused incipient fracture of the coal, with consequent easing of cutting and, to a lesser extent, blasting. The moisture added to the coal during infusion apparently had no effect on screening or on the marketing properties of the coal. Moisture was greatly reduced by evaporation during haulage. It was indicated that the water-infusion method could be adopted for dust suppression in coal beds with similar physical structures to those encountered In the Kenilworth, Lower Sunnyside, and Hiawatha coal beds in Utah; the Adaville coal bed in Wyoming; and the Beckley coal bed in West Virginia, Besides the nature of the coal bed, other important practical considerations affecting the application of the method were those of roof and floor; the location, spacing, and depth of the boreholes; and the pressure and rate of infusion of water or a mixture of water and wetting agent. The water-infusion system was adopted in the pillar areas and faces of entries in some mines and was merged into the regular cycle of mining operations. Because many of the leading coal-producing countries of the world have used the method quite extensively in some of their mines for several years, they have much more research data on the subject than we have in the United States. It is important to note that these countries claim excellent results in application of the water-infiltration method

An integral approach to bedrock river profile analysis

Bedrock river profiles are often interpreted with the aid of slope–area analysis, but noisy topographic data make such interpretations challenging. We present an alternative approach based on an integration of the steady-state form of the stream power equation. The main component of this approach is a transformation of the horizontal coordinate that converts a steady-state river profile into a straight line with a slope that is simply related to the ratio of the uplift rate to the erodibility. The transformed profiles, called chi plots, have other useful properties, including co-linearity of steady-state tributaries with their main stem and the ease of identifying transient erosional signals. We illustrate these applications with analyses of river profiles extracted from digital topographic datasets.National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Geomorphology and Land-use Dynamics Program Award EAR-0951672)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Continental Dynamics Program Award EAR-0003571

Online Deception Detection Using BDI Agents

This research has two facets within separate research areas. The research area of Belief, Desire and Intention (BDI) agent capability development was extended. Deception detection research has been advanced with the development of automation using BDI agents. BDI agents performed tasks automatically and autonomously. This study used these characteristics to automate deception detection with limited intervention of human users. This was a useful research area resulting in a capability general enough to have practical application by private individuals, investigators, organizations and others. The need for this research is grounded in the fact that humans are not very effective at detecting deception whether in written or spoken form. This research extends the deception detection capability research in that typical deception detection tools are labor intensive and require extraction of the text in question following ingestion into a deception detection tool. A neural network capability module was incorporated to lend the resulting prototype Machine Learning attributes. The prototype developed as a result of this research was able to classify online data as either deceptive or not deceptive with 85% accuracy. The false discovery rate for deceptive online data entries was 20% while the false discovery rate for not deceptive was 10%. The system showed stability during test runs. No computer crashes or other anomalous system behavior were observed during the testing phase. The prototype successfully interacted with an online data communications server database and processed data using Neural Network input vector generation algorithms within second

The judicial consequences of using drugs: A substance abuse education program

Recent surveys indicate that there is good reason to be concerned about drug abuse in the nation\u27s school-age population (Bangert-Drowns, 1988). Twenty-seven percent of high school seniors surveyed in 1986 said they were using drugs other than alcohol and seventeen percent reported already trying cocaine (Johnston, Bachman, and O\u27Malley 1987). With substance abuse being a serious problem among students, concerned adults have looked to the schools for help, and many schools have responded by creating substance abuse education programs (Bangert-Drowns, 1988)

The stratigraphic basis of the Anthropocene Event

This paper outlines the stratigraphic basis of a proposed Anthropocene Event. It considers a diachronous event framework to be more appropriate for understanding the Anthropocene than treating it as a new geological series/epoch. Four general categories of material evidence are identified as of particular relevance: ‘artificial’ strata with natural constituents; humanly modified ground; legacy sediments; and ‘natural’ geo-deposits containing artefactual material. All these arise from the interaction and mixing of human, natural, and hybrid human-natural forces. Taken together, such stratigraphic evidence supports the case for recognising the Anthropocene as an unfolding event

Rediscovering, Reevaluating, and Restoring Lost River-Wetland Corridors

River-wetland corridors form where a high degree of connectivity between the surface (rheic) and subsurface (hyporheic) components of streamflow creates an interconnected system of channels, wetlands, ponds, and lakes. River-wetland corridors occur where the valley floor is sufficiently wide to accommodate a laterally unconfined river planform that may feature morphologically complex, multi-threaded channels with vegetated bars, islands, and floodplains. River-wetland corridors can develop anywhere there is valley expansion along a drainage network, from the headwaters to estuaries or deltas, and they are found across all latitudes and within all biomes and hydroclimates. River-wetland corridors may be longitudinally continuous but are commonly interspersed with single-thread reaches in narrower portions of the valley. The development and persistence of river-wetland corridors is driven by combinations of geologic, biotic, and geomorphic processes that create a river environment that is diverse, heterogeneous, patchy, and dynamically stable, and within which patterns of flow, sediment features, and habitats shift continually. Hence, we describe these polydimensional river corridors as “kaleidoscope rivers.” Historically, river-wetland corridors were pervasive in wide, alluvial valley reaches, but their presence has been so diminished worldwide (due to a diverse range of anthropogenic activities and impacts) that the general public and even most river managers are unaware of their former pervasiveness. Here, we define river-wetland corridors as a river type; review paleoenvironmental and historical records to establish their past ubiquity; describe the geologic, biotic, and geomorphic processes responsible for their formation and persistence; and provide examples of river-wetland corridor remnants that still survive. We close by highlighting the significance of the diverse river functions supported by river-wetland corridors, the consequences of diminution and neglect of this river type, and the implications for river restoration

Ghosts of Landuse Past: Legacy Effects of Milldams for Riparian Nitrogen (N) Processing and Water Quality Functions

Milldams and their legacies have significantly influenced fluvial processes and geomorphology. However, less is known about their effects on riparian zone hydrology, biogeochemistry, and water quality. Here, we discuss the potential effects of existing and breached milldams on riparian nitrogen (N) processing through multiple competing hypotheses and observations from complementary studies. Competing hypotheses characterize riparian zone processes that remove (sink) or release (source) N. Elevated groundwater levels and reducing soil conditions upstream of milldams suggest that riparian zones above dams could be hotspots for N removal via denitrification and plant N uptake. On the other hand, dam removals and subsequent drops in stream and riparian groundwater levels result in drained, oxic soils which could increase soil nitrification and decrease riparian plant uptake due to groundwater bypassing the root zone. Whether dam removals would result in a net increase or decrease of N in riparian groundwaters is unknown and needs to be investigated. While nitrification, denitrification, and plant N uptake have typically received the most attention in riparian studies, other N cycle processes such as dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) need to be considered. We also propose a novel concept of riparian discontinuum, which highlights the hydrologic and biogeochemical discontinuities introduced in riparian zones by anthropogenic structures such as milldams. Understanding and quantifying how milldams and similar structures influence the net source or sink behavior of riparian zones is urgently needed for guiding watershed management practices and for informed decision making with regard to dam removals

A practical solution: the Anthropocene is a geological event, not a formal epoch

The Anthropocene has yet to be defined in a way that is functional both to the international geological community and to the broader fields of environmental and social sciences. Formally defining the Anthropocene as a chronostratigraphical series and geochronological epoch with a precise global start date would drastically reduce the Anthropocene’s utility across disciplines. Instead, we propose the Anthropocene be defined as a geological event, thereby facilitating a robust geological definition linked with a scholarly framework more useful to and congruent with the many disciplines engaging with human-environment interactions. Unlike formal epochal definitions, geological events can recognize the spatial and temporal heterogeneity and diverse social and environmental processes that interact to produce anthropogenic global environmental changes. Consequently, an Anthropocene Event would incorporate a far broader range of transformative human cultural practices and would be more readily applicable across academic fields than an Anthropocene Epoch, while still enabling a robust stratigraphic characterization