Department of Human Environmental Sciences, General

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Parent and teacher influences on preschool children's emotion regulation, pre-academic and social skills
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2009) Smith, LaToya M.; Jeon, Hyun-Joo; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
The purpose of the present study is to examine parent and teacher influences on preschool children's emotion regulation, pre-academic and social skills. Parent-reported child behavior (i.e., effortful control and negative affectivity), parent-child relationship, and family emotion expressiveness were highly correlated with children's emotion regulation ability. Parents' reports of their parenting practices were also correlated with children's social skills. Teacher-reported teacher-child relationship was correlated with children's pre-academic and social skills. Teachers' reports of social skills were also correlated with children's pre-academic skills. In multiple regression analyses, children's behavior significantly predicted emotion regulation abilities. Parent-child relationship, family emotion expressiveness, and parenting practices did not predict children's emotion regulation abilities. Teacher-child relationship predicted children's teacher-reported pre-academic and social skills. Parents' reports of children's emotion regulation also predicted their pre-academic skills. However, parent-child relationship did not predict children's pre-academic skills or social skills. Results indicate that the development of child behavior characteristics (i.e., effortful control) contributes to children's development of emotion regulation. In turn, appropriate emotion regulation skills contribute to academic success. Results also indicate that teacher-child relationship quality may be an important factor of preschoolers' early academic and social competence due to children's reliance on teachers as a secure base of support as they explore, ask questions, and maintain greater involvement in classroom activities.
Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behavior in Avoiding Secondhand Smoke Exposure Among Non-Smoking Employed Women with Higher Education in Jordan
(MDPI, 2011) Gharaibeh, Huda; Haddad, Linda; Alzyoud, Sukaina; El-Shahawy, Omar; Abu Baker, Nesrin; Umlauf, Mary; Virginia Commonwealth University; Jordan University of Science & Technology; Hashemite University; Egyptian Knowledge Bank (EKB); Ain Shams University; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure is a serious public health threat worldwide; in the developing world there are less serious efforts towards controlling women's and children's exposure to SHS. Knowledge, attitudes and avoidance practices among Jordanian women have never been thoroughly studied. The purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and avoidance behavior towards SHS exposure among employed Jordanian women with higher education. Methods: A survey was conducted among employed Jordanian women at two universities. A total of 209 women were included in the analysis. Two questionnaires regarding SHS exposure were used to measure knowledge, attitudes and avoidance practices. Results: Most respondents were regularly exposed to SHS in various locations during daily life, even though they were very knowledgeable about the dangers of SHS exposure for women and children. However, the subject's attitudes and avoidance behavior did not reflect the level of knowledge about SHS risks. The results suggests there is a large discrepancy between SHS exposure, knowledge, attitudes and avoidance behavior among highly educated Jordanian women that is likely influenced by culture and traditional gender roles. Public health initiatives are needed in Jordan to address public policy, institutional practices and to empowerment of women to reduce SHS exposure.
Promotion of classic Hollywood film costume in 1930s American fashion magazines
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2013) Reaves, Lindsay Danielle; Wimberley, Virginia S.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
The world of twenty-first-century fashion evolves into new forms at a more rapid pace when compared with clothing developments of the past. Elements of previous fashion trends are constantly recycled into new clothing to appease the public's cravings. But, to whom does the public look for fashion inspiration? According to the "trickle-down" theory proposed by Simmel (1904) and Sproles (1985), the lower classes turn to the upper classes to find out what styles are in vogue at the moment. Although emulation of upper-class fashions appears to have been happening for some time, it seems fashion inspiration was "kicked into high gear" with the glamorous effects and global outreach of American Hollywood cinema, beginning in the 1930s. When the American film industry boomed in the first half of the twentieth century, actors became the inspiration for fashion as well. The glamour exuding from the Hollywood films produced during the 1930s inspired and influenced the clothing choices of the American public. Well-known costume designers such as Gilbert Adrian, Edith Head, Travis Banton, Howard Greer, Walter Plunkett, and Orry-Kelly designed costumes and personal clothing for many Hollywood leading ladies. Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, Joan Crawford, Norma Shearer, Bette Davis, Claudette Colbert, Carole Lombard, Katharine Hepburn, Jean Harlow, and Kay Francis were some of the Hollywood stars whose costumes and personal wardrobes inspired the fashion trends of the 1930s. This research, using content analysis of photo layouts and advertisements in 1930s issues of Vogue, Vanity Fair, and Harper's Bazaar, documents examples of two costume designers—Travis Banton and Orry-Kelly—and four Hollywood stars (Bette Davis, Marlene Dietrich, Kay Francis, and Carole Lombard) who influenced American women's dress during the 1930s decade. Thirty-seven advertisements and editorials featuring the costume designer, the actress, or the actress with her costume designer were analyzed for the timing of promotion, the type of promotion, and the garment or accessory pictured. The results of this research show that although Banton and Orry-Kelly were two-thirds of the great triumvirate of Hollywood costume designers, the promotion of their designs did not occur very frequently in the selected fashion magazines.
Climate-Related Hazards: A Method for Global Assessment of Urban and Rural Population Exposure to Cyclones, Droughts, and Floods
(MDPI, 2014) Christenson, Elizabeth; Elliott, Mark; Banerjee, Ovik; Hamrick, Laura; Bartram, Jamie; University of North Carolina; University of North Carolina Chapel Hill; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Global climate change (GCC) has led to increased focus on the occurrence of, and preparation for, climate-related extremes and hazards. Population exposure, the relative likelihood that a person in a given location was exposed to a given hazard event(s) in a given period of time, was the outcome for this analysis. Our objectives were to develop a method for estimating the population exposure at the country level to the climate-related hazards cyclone, drought, and flood; develop a method that readily allows the addition of better datasets to an automated model; differentiate population exposure of urban and rural populations; and calculate and present the results of exposure scores and ranking of countries based on the country-wide, urban, and rural population exposures to cyclone, drought, and flood. Gridded global datasets on cyclone, drought and flood occurrence as well as population density were combined and analysis was carried out using ArcGIS. Results presented include global maps of ranked country-level population exposure to cyclone, drought, flood and multiple hazards. Analyses by geography and human development index (HDI) are also included. The results and analyses of this exposure assessment have implications for country-level adaptation. It can also be used to help prioritize aid decisions and allocation of adaptation resources between countries and within a country. This model is designed to allow flexibility in applying cyclone, drought and flood exposure to a range of outcomes and adaptation measures.
Associations between Perceptions of Drinking Water Service Delivery and Measured Drinking Water Quality in Rural Alabama
(MDPI, 2014) Wedgworth, Jessica C.; Brown, Joe; Johnson, Pauline; Olson, Julie B.; Elliott, Mark; Forehand, Rick; Stauber, Christine E.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa; Georgia Institute of Technology; Georgia State University
Although small, rural water supplies may present elevated microbial risks to consumers in some settings, characterizing exposures through representative point-of-consumption sampling is logistically challenging. In order to evaluate the usefulness of consumer self-reported data in predicting measured water quality and risk factors for contamination, we compared matched consumer interview data with point-of-survey, household water quality and pressure data for 910 households served by 14 small water systems in rural Alabama. Participating households completed one survey that included detailed feedback on two key areas of water service conditions: delivery conditions (intermittent service and low water pressure) and general aesthetic characteristics (taste, odor and color), providing five condition values. Microbial water samples were taken at the point-of-use (from kitchen faucets) and as-delivered from the distribution network (from outside flame-sterilized taps, if available), where pressure was also measured. Water samples were analyzed for free and total chlorine, pH, turbidity, and presence of total coliforms and Escherichia coli. Of the 910 households surveyed, 35% of participants reported experiencing low water pressure, 15% reported intermittent service, and almost 20% reported aesthetic problems (taste, odor or color). Consumer-reported low pressure was associated with lower gauge-measured pressure at taps. While total coliforms (TC) were detected in 17% of outside tap samples and 12% of samples from kitchen faucets, no reported water service conditions or aesthetic characteristics were associated with presence of TC. We conclude that consumer-reported data were of limited utility in predicting potential microbial risks associated with small water supplies in this setting, although consumer feedback on low pressure-a risk factor for contamination-may be relatively reliable and therefore useful in future monitoring efforts.
Investigation of E-coli and Virus Reductions Using Replicate, Bench-Scale Biosand Filter Columns and Two Filter Media
(MDPI, 2015) Elliott, Mark; Stauber, Christine E.; DiGiano, Francis A.; de Aceituno, Anna Fabiszewski; Sobsey, Mark D.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa; Georgia State University; University of North Carolina; University of North Carolina Chapel Hill; Emory University; Rollins School Public Health
The biosand filter (BSF) is an intermittently operated, household-scale slow sand filter for which little data are available on the effect of sand composition on treatment performance. Therefore, bench-scale columns were prepared according to the then-current (2006-2007) guidance on BSF design and run in parallel to conduct two microbial challenge experiments of eight-week duration. Triplicate columns were loaded with Accusand silica or crushed granite to compare virus and E. coli reduction performance. Bench-scale experiments provided confirmation that increased schmutzdecke growth, as indicated by decline in filtration rate, is the primary factor causing increased E. coli reductions of up to 5-log10. However, reductions of challenge viruses improved only modestly with increased schmutzdecke growth. Filter media type (Accusand silica vs. crushed granite) did not influence reduction of E. coli bacteria. The granite media without backwashing yielded superior virus reductions when compared to Accusand. However, for columns in which the granite media was first backwashed (to yield a more consistent distribution of grains and remove the finest size fraction), virus reductions were not significantly greater than in columns with Accusand media. It was postulated that a decline in surface area with backwashing decreased the sites and surface area available for virus sorption and/or biofilm growth and thus decreased the extent of virus reduction. Additionally, backwashing caused preferential flow paths and deviation from plug flow; backwashing is not part of standard BSF field preparation and is not recommended for BSF column studies. Overall, virus reductions were modest and did not meet the 5- or 3-log10 World Health Organization performance targets.
Maintaining lasting recovery after graduating from a collegiate recovery community
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2015) Lovett, John Robert; Wilmarth, Melissa J.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
This phenomenological study sought to identify best practices employed by Collegiate Recovery Community (CRC) members who successfully stayed in recovery after graduating and leaving said community. Research was conducted through semi-structured interviews with CRC graduates that self-reported uninterrupted sobriety for at least one year post-graduation. Twelve interviews were conducted and nine tertiary themes were identified through content analysis. Two independent reviewers were utilized to eliminate potential bias, consciously or unconsciously from the researcher. The independent reviewers confirmed six of the nine originally identified themes. The six tertiary themes that were identified and confirmed were: Maintaining Recovery Routines, Social Support, Personal/Peer Accountability, Motivating Emotions, Recovery/Life Balance, and Spirituality. The results of this research provide insights into the best practices utilized by successful CRC alumni and inform the growing literature surrounding CRCs.
Bringing Community and Academic Scholars Together to Facilitate and Conduct Authentic Community Based Participatory Research: Project UNITED
(MDPI, 2016) Lewis, Dwight, Jr.; Yerby, Lea; Tucker, Melanie; Foster, Pamela Payne; Hamilton, Kara C.; Fifolt, Matthew M.; Hites, Lisle; Shreves, Mary Katherine; Page, Susan B.; Bissell, Kimberly L.; Lucky, Felecia L.; Higginbotham, John C.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa; University of Alabama Birmingham
Cultural competency, trust, and research literacy can affect the planning and implementation of sustainable community-based participatory research (CBPR). The purpose of this manuscript is to highlight: (1) the development of a CBPR pilot grant request for application; and (2) a comprehensive program supporting CBPR obesity-related grant proposals facilitated by activities designed to promote scholarly collaborations between academic researchers and the community. After a competitive application process, academic researchers and non-academic community leaders were selected to participate in activities where the final culminating project was the submission of a collaborative obesity-related CBPR grant application. Teams were comprised of a mix of academic researchers and non-academic community leaders, and each team submitted an application addressing obesity-disparities among rural predominantly African American communities in the US Deep South. Among four collaborative teams, three (75%) successfully submitted a grant application to fund an intervention addressing rural and minority obesity disparities. Among the three submitted grant applications, one was successfully funded by an internal CBPR grant, and another was funded by an institutional seed funding grant. Preliminary findings suggest that the collaborative activities were successful in developing productive scholarly relationships between researchers and community leaders. Future research will seek to understand the full-context of our findings.
The Effects of Age, Priming, and Working Memory on Decision-Making
(MDPI, 2016) Wood, Meagan; Black, Sheila; Gilpin, Ansley; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
In the current study, we examined the effects of priming and personality on risky decision-making while playing the Game of Dice Task (GDT). In the GDT, participants decide how risky they wish to be on each trial. In this particular study prior to playing the GDT, participants were randomly assigned to one of three priming conditions: Risk-Aversive, Risk-Seeking, or Control. In the Risk-Seeking condition, a fictional character benefitted from risky behavior while in the Risk-Aversive condition, a fictional character benefitted from exercising caution. Although not explicitly stated in the instructions, participants need to make "safe" rather than risky choices to optimize performance on the GDT. Participants were also given Daneman and Carpenter's assessment of working memory task. Interestingly, although older adults self-reported being more cautious than younger adults on the Domain Specific Risk Attitude scale (DOSPERT), older adults made riskier decisions than younger adults on the GDT. However, after controlling for working memory, the age differences on the GDT became insignificant, indicating that working memory mediated the relation between age and risky decisions on the GDT.
Planning for climate change: The need for mechanistic systems-based approaches to study climate change impacts on diarrheal diseases
(Elsevier, 2016) Mellor, Jonathan E.; Levy, Karen; Zimmerman, Julie; Elliott, Mark; Bartram, Jamie; Carlton, Elizabeth; Clasen, Thomas; Dillingham, Rebecca; Eisenberg, Joseph; Guerrant, Richard; Lantagne, Daniele; Mihelcic, James; Nelson, Kara; University of Connecticut; Emory University; Rollins School Public Health; Yale University; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa; University of North Carolina; University of North Carolina Chapel Hill; University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus; Colorado School of Public Health; Children's Hospital Colorado; University of Virginia; University of Michigan; Tufts University; University of South Florida; University of California Berkeley
Increased precipitation and temperature variability as well as extreme events related to climate change are predicted to affect the availability and quality of water globally. Already heavily burdened with diarrheal diseases due to poor access to water, sanitation and hygiene facilities, communities throughout the developing world lack the adaptive capacity to sufficiently respond to the additional adversity caused by climate change. Studies suggest that diarrhea rates are positively correlated with increased temperature, and show a complex relationship with precipitation. Although climate change will likely increase rates of diarrheal diseases on average, there is a poor mechanistic understanding of the underlying disease transmission processes and substantial uncertainty surrounding current estimates. This makes it difficult to recommend appropriate adaptation strategies. We review the relevant climate-related mechanisms behind transmission of diarrheal disease pathogens and argue that systems-based mechanistic approaches incorporating human, engineered and environmental components are urgently needed. We then review successful systems-based approaches used in other environmental health fields and detail one modeling framework to predict climate change impacts on diarrheal diseases and design adaptation strategies. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Designing and Evaluating Bamboo Harvesting Methods for Local Needs: Integrating Local Ecological Knowledge and Science
(Springer, 2016) Darabant, Andras; Rai, Prem Bahadur; Staudhammer, Christina Lynn; Dorji, Tshewang; University of Natural Resources & Life Sciences, Vienna; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Dendrocalamus hamiltonii, a large, clump-forming bamboo, has great potential to contribute towards poverty alleviation efforts across its distributional range. Harvesting methods that maximize yield while they fulfill local objectives and ensure sustainability are a research priority. Documenting local ecological knowledge on the species and identifying local users' goals for its production, we defined three harvesting treatments (selective cut, horseshoe cut, clear cut) and experimentally compared them with a no-intervention control treatment in an action research framework. We implemented harvesting over three seasons and monitored annually and two years post-treatment. Even though the total number of culms positively influenced the number of shoots regenerated, a much stronger relationship was detected between the number of culms harvested and the number of shoots regenerated, indicating compensatory growth mechanisms to guide shoot regeneration. Shoot recruitment declined over time in all treatments as well as the control; however, there was no difference among harvest treatments. Culm recruitment declined with an increase in harvesting intensity. When univariately assessing the number of harvested culms and shoots, there were no differences among treatments. However, multivariate analyses simultaneously considering both variables showed that harvested output of shoots and culms was higher with clear cut and horseshoe cut as compared to selective cut. Given the ease of implementation and issues of work safety, users preferred the horseshoe cut, but the lack of sustainability of shoot production calls for investigating longer cutting cycles.
Microbrewery consumer behavior
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2017) Carr, Allison Magdaline; Severt, Kimberly; Shin, Yeon Ho; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
Microbreweries have become increasingly popular in the United States. This is demonstrated by their tremendous growth within recent decades. Regardless of their growing popularity, there is a lack of research regarding consumer behavior at microbreweries. The purpose of this study was to explore and identify the underlying behavioral, normative, and control beliefs of microbrewery consumers. This was done using a mixed design of both qualitative and quantitative methods. The first was a qualitative phase which used the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to explore the underlying behavioral, normative, and control beliefs of microbrewery consumers. The second phase included a questionnaire derived from the results of phase one and was used to understand the significance of the TPB and self-identity on consumer’s intentions. Additionally, beerscape was used to understand the significance of its variables on microbrewery consumer’s attitudes. The population of the study consisted of U.S. microbrewery consumers who were 21 years old or older. The qualitative sample included 25 visitors and 5 owners and/or operators of microbreweries in Alabama. This phase included semi-structured, in-depth interviews which were audio recorded, and transcribed. The second phase used the most salient consumer beliefs found in phase one to construct a questionnaire for consumers and administered at microbreweries in Alabama. There were 238 respondents and of those, 200 were used based off completion. Several themes emerged from phase one of the study. For example, consumers felt that supporting local businesses or communities was an advantage of visiting microbreweries. Phase two found that self-identity, attitude, and perceived behavior controls were the most significant predictors of microbrewery consumer’s intentions and that subjective norm became insignificant following the addition of self-identity. It was also found that the beerscape was not a significant predictor of microbrewery consumer attitudes. This study provides useful information for microbrewery owners and operators which will help them better serve their patrons. In addition to practical implications it also provides the first use of TPB in the microbrewery context, and the development of beerscape.
Assessment of Groundwater Susceptibility to Non-Point Source Contaminants Using Three-Dimensional Transient Indexes
(MDPI, 2018) Zhang, Yong; Weissmann, Gary S.; Fogg, Graham E.; Lu, Bingqing; Sun, HongGuang; Zheng, Chunmiao; Hohai University; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa; University of New Mexico; University of California Davis; Southern University of Science & Technology
Groundwater susceptibility to non-point source contamination is typically quantified by stable indexes, while groundwater quality evolution (or deterioration globally) can be a long-term process that may last for decades and exhibit strong temporal variations. This study proposes a three-dimensional (3-d), transient index map built upon physical models to characterize the complete temporal evolution of deep aquifer susceptibility. For illustration purposes, the previous travel time probability density (BTTPD) approach is extended to assess the 3-d deep groundwater susceptibility to non-point source contamination within a sequence stratigraphic framework observed in the Kings River fluvial fan (KRFF) aquifer. The BTTPD, which represents complete age distributions underlying a single groundwater sample in a regional-scale aquifer, is used as a quantitative, transient measure of aquifer susceptibility. The resultant 3-d imaging of susceptibility using the simulated BTTPDs in KRFF reveals the strong influence of regional-scale heterogeneity on susceptibility. The regional-scale incised-valley fill deposits increase the susceptibility of aquifers by enhancing rapid downward solute movement and displaying relatively narrow and young age distributions. In contrast, the regional-scale sequence-boundary paleosols within the open-fan deposits protect deep aquifers by slowing downward solute movement and displaying a relatively broad and old age distribution. Further comparison of the simulated susceptibility index maps to known contaminant distributions shows that these maps are generally consistent with the high concentration and quick evolution of 1,2-dibromo-3-chloropropane (DBCP) in groundwater around the incised-valley fill since the 1970s'. This application demonstrates that the BTTPDs can be used as quantitative and transient measures of deep aquifer susceptibility to non-point source contamination.
Evolving the Anthropocene: linking multi-level selection with long-term social-ecological change
(Springer, 2018) Ellis, Erle C.; Magliocca, Nicholas R.; Stevens, Chris J.; Fuller, Dorian Q.; University of Maryland Baltimore County; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa; University of London; University College London
To what degree is cultural multi-level selection responsible for the rise of environmentally transformative human behaviors? And vice versa? From the clearing of vegetation using fire to the emergence of agriculture and beyond, human societies have increasingly sustained themselves through practices that enhance environmental productivity through ecosystem engineering. At the same time, human societies have increased in scale and complexity from mobile bands of hunter-gatherers to telecoupled world systems. We propose that these long-term changes are coupled through positive feedbacks among social and environmental changes, coevolved primarily through selection acting at the group level and above, and that this can be tested by combining archeological evidence with mechanistic experiments using an agent-based virtual laboratory (ABVL) approach. A more robust understanding of whether and how cultural multi-level selection couples human social change with environmental transformation may help in addressing the long-term sustainability challenges of the Anthropocene.
The Efficiency of Data Assimilation
(American Geophysical Union, 2018) Nearing, Grey; Yatheendradas, Soni; Crow, Wade; Zhan, Xiwu; Liu, Jicheng; Chen, Fan; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa; National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA); NASA Goddard Space Flight Center; University of Maryland College Park; United States Department of Agriculture (USDA); National Oceanic Atmospheric Admin (NOAA) - USA
Data assimilation is the application of Bayes' theorem to condition the states of a dynamical systems model on observations. Any real-world application of Bayes' theorem is approximate, and therefore, we cannot expect that data assimilation will preserve all of the information available from models and observations. We outline a framework for measuring information in models, observations, and evaluation data in a way that allows us to quantify information loss during (necessarily imperfect) data assimilation. This facilitates quantitative analysis of trade-offs between improving (usually expensive) remote sensing observing systems versus improving data assimilation design and implementation. We demonstrate this methodology on a previously published application of the ensemble Kalman filter used to assimilate remote sensing soil moisture retrievals from Advanced Microwave Scattering Radiometer for Earth (AMSR-E) into the Noah land surface model.
Watershed "chemical cocktails': forming novel elemental combinations in Anthropocene fresh waters
(Springer, 2018) Kaushal, Sujay S.; Gold, Arthur J.; Bernal, Susana; Johnson, Tammy A. Newcomer; Addy, Kelly; Burgin, Amy; Burns, Douglas A.; Coble, Ashley A.; Hood, Eran; Lu, YueHan; Mayer, Paul; Minor, Elizabeth C.; Schroth, Andrew W.; Vidon, Philippe; Wilson, Henry; Xenopoulos, Marguerite A.; Doody, Thomas; Galella, Joseph G.; Goodling, Phillip; Haviland, Katherine; Haq, Shahan; Wessel, Barret; Wood, Kelsey L.; Jaworski, Norbert; Belt, Kenneth T.; University of Maryland College Park; University of Rhode Island; Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC); CSIC - Centre d'Estudis Avancats de Blanes (CEAB); United States Environmental Protection Agency; University of Kansas; United States Department of the Interior; United States Geological Survey; National Council for Air & Stream Improvement, Inc.; University of Alaska Southeastern; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa; University of Minnesota Duluth; University of Vermont; State University of New York (SUNY) College of Environmental Science & Forestry; Agriculture & Agri Food Canada; Trent University; Cornell University; United States Department of Agriculture (USDA); United States Forest Service
In the Anthropocene, watershed chemical transport is increasingly dominated by novel combinations of elements, which are hydrologically linked together as chemical cocktails.' Chemical cocktails are novel because human activities greatly enhance elemental concentrations and their probability for biogeochemical interactions and shared transport along hydrologic flowpaths. A new chemical cocktail approach advances our ability to: trace contaminant mixtures in watersheds, develop chemical proxies with high-resolution sensor data, and manage multiple water quality problems. We explore the following questions: (1) Can we classify elemental transport in watersheds as chemical cocktails using a new approach? (2) What is the role of climate and land use in enhancing the formation and transport of chemical cocktails in watersheds? To address these questions, we first analyze trends in concentrations of carbon, nutrients, metals, and salts in fresh waters over 100years. Next, we explore how climate and land use enhance the probability of formation of chemical cocktails of carbon, nutrients, metals, and salts. Ultimately, we classify transport of chemical cocktails based on solubility, mobility, reactivity, and dominant phases: (1) sieved chemical cocktails (e.g., particulate forms of nutrients, metals and organic matter); (2) filtered chemical cocktails (e.g., dissolved organic matter and associated metal complexes); (3) chromatographic chemical cocktails (e.g., ions eluted from soil exchange sites); and (4) reactive chemical cocktails (e.g., limiting nutrients and redox sensitive elements). Typically, contaminants are regulated and managed one element at a time, even though combinations of elements interact to influence many water quality problems such as toxicity to life, eutrophication, infrastructure corrosion, and water treatment. A chemical cocktail approach significantly expands evaluations of water quality signatures and impacts beyond single elements to mixtures. High-frequency sensor data (pH, specific conductance, turbidity, etc.) can serve as proxies for chemical cocktails and improve real-time analyses of water quality violations, identify regulatory needs, and track water quality recovery following storms and extreme climate events. Ultimately, a watershed chemical cocktail approach is necessary for effectively co-managing groups of contaminants and provides a more holistic approach for studying, monitoring, and managing water quality in the Anthropocene.
Hospitable campus: analyzing corporate recruiters' experience on campus visits
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2018) Olive, Ashley; Chen, Hsiangting; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
The purpose of this study is to assess the attributes college recruiters’ value when determining their campus recruiting activities. Importance-performance analysis was utilized to evaluate nine attributes: employer development professional, career fair, tabling, classroom visit, information session, faculty meeting, student group meeting, on campus interviewing and sponsorship. Data collection occurred at a southeastern university which hosts career fairs with more than 180 companies. Corporate recruiters were asked to complete a survey with questions regarding 9 primary attributes, with 92 items related to on campus recruiting, and the rate the attribute importance and performance of their recruiting experience with the university. The Servicescape, SERVQUAL and SERVPERF theoretical frameworks are used. This study fills a gap in the research regarding corporate recruiter’s evaluative criteria and decision-making of campus visits. Keywords: campus recruiting, talent acquisition, servicescape, IPA
The Quest for Model Uncertainty Quantification: A Hybrid Ensemble and Variational Data Assimilation Framewor
(American Geophysical Union, 2019) Abbaszadeh, Peyman; Moradkhani, Hamid; Daescu, Dacian N.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa; Portland State University
This article presents a novel approach to couple a deterministic four-dimensional variational (4DVAR) assimilation method with the particle filter (PF) ensemble data assimilation system, to produce a robust approach for dual-state-parameter estimation. In our proposed method, the Hybrid Ensemble and Variational Data Assimilation framework for Environmental systems (HEAVEN), we characterize the model structural uncertainty in addition to model parameter and input uncertainties. The sequential PF is formulated within the 4DVAR system to design a computationally efficient feedback mechanism throughout the assimilation period. In this framework, the 4DVAR optimization produces the maximum a posteriori estimate of state variables at the beginning of the assimilation window without the need to develop the adjoint of the forecast model. The 4DVAR solution is then perturbed by a newly defined prior error covariance matrix to generate an initial condition ensemble for the PF system to provide more accurate and reliable posterior distributions within the same assimilation window. The prior error covariance matrix is updated from one cycle to another over the main assimilation period to account for model structural uncertainty resulting in an improved estimation of posterior distribution. The premise of the presented approach is that it (1) accounts for all sources of uncertainties involved in hydrologic predictions, (2) uses a small ensemble size, and (3) precludes the particle degeneracy and sample impoverishment. The proposed method is applied on a nonlinear hydrologic model and the effectiveness, robustness, and reliability of the method is demonstrated for several river basins across the United States.
Assessing the impact of academic programs on student intentions toward selecting an environmentally sustainable workplace
(University of Alabama Libraries, 2019) Hughes, Susan Beamon; Shin, Yeonho; Severt, Kimberly; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
The ecosystem has been negatively impacted by the growth of population, an increase of industrial enterprise and an improper use of resources. As humans are the main catalyst of this global change, we have entered the Anthropocene epoch. Worldwide discussions contribute to an overall awareness that corporations need business strategies that incorporate environmentally sustainable initiatives. This poses many challenges as the majority of change initiatives fail. Creating this change requires leadership that is educated about environmental sustainability. Higher education institutions play a role in moving society toward environmental sustainability by integrating this education within the curricula and university culture. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of academic programs on student intentions toward the selection of an environmentally sustainable workplace. The theory of planned behavior was used to determine, among students, the relationship between attitude, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control toward environmentally sustainable behavior and the intention to select an environmentally sustainable workplace. A survey was distributed to students attending a public university in the southeastern United States enrolled in three different degree programs. While the results statistically showed no significance between the groups, the research models did show that attitudes and subjective norm lead toward the students intentions to select an environmentally sustainable workplace, while their college major program is not a significant path to intention. Finally, there are thoughts on future research and ideas for future integration within higher education.
Large loss of CO2 in winter observed across the northern permafrost region
(Nature Portfolio, 2019) Natali, Susan M.; Watts, Jennifer D.; Rogers, Brendan M.; Potter, Stefano; Ludwig, Sarah M.; Selbmann, Anne-Katrin; Sullivan, Patrick F.; Abbott, Benjamin W.; Arndt, Kyle A.; Birch, Leah; Bjorkman, Mats P.; Bloom, A. Anthony; Celis, Gerardo; Christensen, Torben R.; Christiansen, Casper T.; Commane, Roisin; Cooper, Elisabeth J.; Crill, Patrick; Czimczik, Claudia; Davydov, Sergey; Du, Jinyang; Egan, Jocelyn E.; Elberling, Bo; Euskirchen, Eugenie S.; Friborg, Thomas; Genet, Helene; Goeckede, Mathias; Goodrich, Jordan P.; Grogan, Paul; Helbig, Manuel; Jafarov, Elchin E.; Jastrow, Julie D.; Kalhori, Aram A. M.; Kim, Yongwon; Kimball, John S.; Kutzbach, Lars; Lara, Mark J.; Larsen, Klaus S.; Lee, Bang-Yong; Liu, Zhihua; Loranty, Michael M.; Lund, Magnus; Lupascu, Massimo; Madani, Nima; Malhotra, Avni; Matamala, Roser; McFarland, Jack; McGuire, A. David; Michelsen, Anders; Minions, Christina; Oechel, Walter C.; Olefeldt, David; Parmentier, Frans-Jan W.; Pirk, Norbert; Poulter, Ben; Quinton, William; Rezanezhad, Fereidoun; Risk, David; Sachs, Torsten; Schaefer, Kevin; Schmidt, Niels M.; Schuur, Edward A. G.; Semenchuk, Philipp R.; Shaver, Gaius; Sonnentag, Oliver; Starr, Gregory; Treat, Claire C.; Waldrop, Mark P.; Wang, Yihui; Welker, Jeffrey; Wille, Christian; Xu, Xiaofeng; Zhang, Zhen; Zhuang, Qianlai; Zona, Donatella; Woods Hole Research Center; University of Bayreuth; University of Alaska Anchorage; Brigham Young University; San Diego State University; University of Gothenburg; National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA); NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL); California Institute of Technology; Northern Arizona University; Aarhus University; Norwegian Research Centre (NORCE); Columbia University; UiT The Arctic University of Tromso; Stockholm University; University of California Irvine; Pacific Geographical Institute of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences; University of Montana; Dalhousie University; University of Copenhagen; University of Alaska Fairbanks; Max Planck Society; University of California San Diego; Scripps Institution of Oceanography; Queens University - Canada; McMaster University; Universite de Montreal; United States Department of Energy (DOE); Los Alamos National Laboratory; Argonne National Laboratory; University of Hamburg; University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI); Chinese Academy of Sciences; Shenyang Institute of Applied Ecology, CAS; Colgate University; National University of Singapore; Stanford University; United States Department of the Interior; United States Geological Survey; University of Exeter; University of Alberta; University of Oslo; Lund University; NASA Goddard Space Flight Center; Wilfrid Laurier University; University of Waterloo; Saint Francis Xavier University - Canada; Helmholtz Association; Helmholtz-Center Potsdam GFZ German Research Center for Geosciences; University of Colorado Boulder; University of Vienna; Marine Biological Laboratory - Woods Hole; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa; University of Eastern Finland; University of Oulu; University of Maryland College Park; Purdue University; Purdue University West Lafayette Campus; University of Sheffield
Recent warming in the Arctic, which has been amplified during the winter(1-3), greatly enhances microbial decomposition of soil organic matter and subsequent release of carbon dioxide (CO2)(4). However, the amount of CO2 released in winter is not known and has not been well represented by ecosystem models or empirically based estimates(5,6). Here we synthesize regional in situ observations of CO2 flux from Arctic and boreal soils to assess current and future winter carbon losses from the northern permafrost domain. We estimate a contemporary loss of 1,662 TgC per year from the permafrost region during the winter season (October-April). This loss is greater than the average growing season carbon uptake for this region estimated from process models (-1,032 TgC per year). Extending model predictions to warmer conditions up to 2100 indicates that winter CO2 emissions will increase 17% under a moderate mitigation scenario-Representative Concentration Pathway 4.5-and 41% under business-as-usual emissions scenario-Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5. Our results provide a baseline for winter CO2 emissions from northern terrestrial regions and indicate that enhanced soil CO2 loss due to winter warming may offset growing season carbon uptake under future climatic conditions.

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