<p><P>I developed a new methodology to produce an orthorectified mosaic and a vegetation database of Petersburg National Battlefield using mostly digital methods. Both the mosaic and the database meet National Map Accuracy Standards and proved considerably faster than traditional aerial photograph interpretation methods. I classified vegetation polygons to the formation level using the Nature Conservancy?s National Vegetation Classification System. Urban areas were classified using Mitchell?s Classification Scheme for Urban Forest Mapping with Small-Scale Aerial Photographs. This method reduced the production time by 2/3, compared to traditional methods. It also reduced the chance of user error because re-tracing of the linework is not required. <P>My method started with scanning 75 aerial color IR photos, provided by Petersburg National Battlefield, at 600 dpi. Erdas Imagine was used to rectify the images using United States Geological Service (USGS) Digital Elevation Models (DEM) and black and white USGS Digital Orthophoto Quarter Quadrangles (DOQQ) as reference. The images were then mosaiced to create a seamless color infrared orthorectified basemap of the park. The vegetation polygons were drawn onscreen using ArcMap from Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI) with the color, orthorectified mosaic as a background image. Stereo pairs of the aerial photos were referenced as needed for clarification of the vegetation. I used a minimum mapping unit (mmu) of 0.2 hectares, which exceeds guidelines defined by the United States Geological Survey ? National Park Service Vegetation Mapping Program. This methodology is easily learned quickly and has already been applied to several other studies. <P>The production of an orthorectified mosaic, created during the process, from the aerial photographs greatly increases the value of the photographs at little additional cost to the user. The orthorectified basemap can then be used as a backdrop for existing data layers or it can be used to create new GIS data layers. I used a minimum mapping unit (mmu) of 0.2 hectare, which exceeds guidelines defined by the United States Geological Survey-National Park Service Vegetation Mapping Program<P>Traditionally, vegetation polygons are delineated on acetate for each photograph. The linework on the acetates is then transferred to a basemap using a zoom transfer scope or other transfer instrument. The linework is traced again to digitize it for use in a GIS program. This process is time consuming, and the linework is drawn three times. The redundant tracing increases the chance of user error. My new methodology requires that polygons be delineated only once. I wanted to avoid using the zoom transfer scope and to avoid the redundant linework.<P>A total of 228 polygons were delineated over 20 separate vegetation and land cover classes with an overall thematic accuracy of 87.42% and a Kappa of .8545. Positional accuracy was very good with a RMSE of 1.62 meters in the x direction and 2.81 meters in the y direction. The Kappa and RMSE values compare favorably with accuracies obtained using traditional vegetation mapping methods.<P>

<p>MURPHY, JILL MARIE. The Effect of a One-Time Team Building Exercise on Team Cohesion when working with a NCAA Division I Women?s Basketball Team. Dr. Aram Attarian, Committee Chair. The purpose of this preliminary study was to measure the effects on a one-time team building exercise on team cohesion. A NCAA Division I women?s basketball team participated in this study. The team building exercise used was a rescue simulation. The instrument used to measure team cohesion was the Group Environment Questionnaire (GEQ). The GEQ was administered one week prior and one week after the rescue simulation. The data was analyzed using Microsoft Excel with StatPlus. After analyzing the data, no significant changes were found between the pretest and posttest. <P>

<p>GREENWOOD, PAUL BRIAN. Sport Fan Team Identification in a Professional Expansion Setting. (Under the direction of Michael A. Kanters.) This study assessed the relationship between team identification of sport fans and a number of different variables including but not limited to: the reasons for initially becoming a fan, specific sport knowledge, and purchasing behavior. A non-random sample of spectators (N = 356) at an Arena Football League (AFL) game completed a survey designed to identify or measure the aforementioned variables. A t-test revealed that males reported significantly higher levels of team identification than females. Analysis using a Pearson correlation matrix showed a positive correlation between team identification and sport knowledge, attendance rate, and purchasing behavior. Likewise, a positive correlation was found between team identification and the following reasons for initially becoming a fan: closest team, born and/or live in the city and/or state, team success, the players and/or coaches, parents and/or family influence, and the tailgating and party atmosphere. The findings have important implications for professional sport franchises in terms of tailoring marketing efforts for potential fans.<P>

<p>The purpose of this study was to objectively assess the economic impact of the 2000 NC State football season on Wake County. Data were collected from several sources to yield an accurate assessment of the economic impact of NC State football on its host community. These sources included: 1) visitor travel and expenditure data, 2) NC State football expenditure data, and 3) relevant data from Wake County. Visitor data were obtained by using two separate samples and surveys. A 20-item questionnaire was mailed to 1,000 randomly selected 2000 NC State football season ticket holders that reside outside of Wake County. In a separate convenience sample, another 1,200 subjects were administered a 12-itmem questionnaire at the Duke game on November 11, 2000. SPSS was then used to generate frequency distributions and summary statistics for the visitors in both samples. NC State football data were supplied by the NC State Athletics Department, and relevant Wake County data were retrieved from several different sources. The economic impact model used in this study (LOCI- Local Area Impact Model) used both local level data and input-output methods to determine the direct, indirect, and induced effects of the 2000 NC State football season on employment, income, and retail activity in Wake County. The multipliers used in this study were derived from input-output analysis of Wake County?s economy using IMPLAN Pro4, and the local level data consisted of the aforementioned visitor data, NC State football data, and relevant Wake County data. The results of the study indicated that the 2000 NC State football season generated 86 new jobs, $2,894,290 of new income, $9,096,507 of new retail spending, and $1,821,707 of new service purchases in Wake County. <P>

<p>The purpose of this study has been to determine the value that a winning athletic program can add to a college or university. The premise for this idea evolved from research regarding the annual U.S. News & World Report college rankings, in which various factors are considered, including reputation. Since the athletic department is frequently referred to as the ?doorstep of the University,? the research sought to determine whether or not a winning athletic program does in fact enhance the reputation of a university, thus making it more appealing to talented students. Along with the annual rankings, a method called the Resource-Based View (RBV) was used to calculate athletic success, based on four characteristics that included win-loss record, compliance, graduation rates and financial health. Using the seven public institutions in the Atlantic Coast Conference as the subjects, the athletic departments were analyzed and ranked based on these criteria and evaluated against each institution?s ranking in U.S News using Spearman?s Correlation Coefficient. Although the results of the study did not result in the strong relationship between a winning athletic department and university success that was predicted, the small sample size was a factor. This study sets up a starting point for a nationwide study of all institutions in the National Collegiate Athletic Association as a follow-up study and has great promise.<P>

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Kinesiology, 2006. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-03, Section: B, page: 1406. Adviser: Janet P. Wallace. "Title from dissertation home page (viewed March 21, 2007)."

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, School of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation, 2006. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-04, Section: A, page: 1529. Adviser: Craig Ross. "Title from dissertation home page (viewed March 22, 2007)."

Aging is associated with a decline in physiological capacity and metabolic function, leading to increased risk for chronic conditions such as insulin resistance and diabetes. Reduced ability to utilize fatty acids in the elderly has been linked to increased fat deposition within skeletal muscle. However, intramuscular triglyceride (IMTG) content and its relation to substrate oxidation has not been clearly established in older individuals. The two main purposes of the present investigation were 1.) to compare IMTG stores in the elderly with a younger group of men and women and 2.) to examine the relationship between substrate content and utilization during an acute sub-maximal bout of exercise in the elderly. A total of thirteen sedentary, healthy older men (5) and women (8) aged 67 + 3 yrs were matched for gender and percent body fat with a younger, control group (age=39 + 6 yrs) for IMTG comparison. Fat free mass (FFM), body mass index (BMI), weight, and height were not significantly different between the old and young and ORO staining from vastus lateralis muscle obtained by percutaneous needle biopsy revealed no statistically significant differences between the two groups. Sixteen sedentary elderly men (5) and women (11) were given constant infusions of 13C palmitate and d2 glucose during 60 minutes of cycle ergometry exercise at ~58% VO2peak to assess substrate utilization during exercise. There was a significant negative correlation between IMTG content by Oil Red O staining and total fatty acid oxidation (rho= -0.5989; p=0.03) and IMTG content and oxidative capacity of muscle (rho= -0.6485; p=0.04) induced by sub-maximal exercise. Oxidative capacity of muscle was not associated with rates of NPFA oxidation during sub-maximal exercise. Fitness was marginally correlated with fasting insulin levels (rho= -0.4857; p=0.056) and HOMA IR (rho= -0.4441; p=0.085). In summary, IMTG content was not higher in this group of sedentary elderly compared to younger individuals, but higher IMTG content was associated with decreased fat oxidation during sub-maximal exercise in this group. In addition, higher fitness predicted more favorable trends for markers of insulin resistance.

Leptin-induced increases in skeletal muscle (SkM) insulin sensitivity (IS) are associated with decreases in SkM lipid levels (Buettner et al. Am J Physiol, 278: E563-E569,2000). However, the role of altered lipid metabolism in the beneficial effects of leptin on SkM IS is poorly understood. The current study addressed the effects of hyperleptinemia (HLEP) on acute hyperlipidemia-induced insulin resistance. Control (CONT) male Wistar rats were infused with either saline (CONT-SAL) or lipid (CONT-LIP) for 5h (5ml/kg/h) followed by a hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp (15mU/kg/min insulin). Gucose infusion rates (GIR) were significantly lower in CONT-LIP vs. CONT-SAL (31.9±1.1 vs. 38.5±0.8 mg/kg/min, P=0.004, n=6/group). As previously reported the lipid metabolites diacylglycerol (DAG, 2.8±0.2 vs 2.1±0.3nMol/mg protein) and ceramide (CER, 0.8±0.1 vs 0.5±0.01nMol/mg protein) were elevated, and triglyceride (TG, 27.5±3.4 vs 41.0±5.7mg/mg protein) decreased (all P&lt0.05), in soleus muscle (SOL) in LIP vs SAL. In contrast to control animals a lipid infusion in HLEP (plasma leptin=57.8 ng/ml for 5 days) had no effect on GIR compared to saline-infused HLEP (43.0±4.1 vs. 43.8±5.1 mg/kg/min, P=0.40, n=6/group). Furthermore, DAG (2.8±0.2 vs 2.3±0.2), CER (1.1±0.1 vs 1.0±0.1), and TG (17.1±4.9 vs 16.0±2.6) levels in SOL were similar in HLEP-LIP and HLEP-SAL (all P&gt0.10). Fatty acid oxidation in the isolated SOL, acetyl CoA carboxylase phosphorylation (ACC-P), and the expression of the putative fatty acid transporters FAT/CD36 and FABPpm were similar in HLEP vs CONT. However, membrane-associated PKCtheta was decreased in HLEP-LIP compared to CONT-LIP. We conclude that (1) HLEP prevents IR induced by a lipid infusion, (2) HLEP SkM does not accumulate DAG or CER or deplete TG in response to a lipid infusion, (3) altered FAox or FABPpm, FAT/CD36 expression are not likely sufficient to explain the effects of HLEP, and (4) membrane-associated PKCtheta is suppressed following acute hyperlipidemia in hyperleptinemic animals.

COMPARISON OF SELF-MONITORING TECHNIQUES FOR TRACKING EATING AND EXERCISE BEHAVIORS Diane Lynn Helsel, PhD University of Pittsburgh, 2005 Self-monitoring of eating and exercise behaviors has traditionally been done in a detailed manner. Finding ways to simplify this approach would decrease the time involved in the recording process, which may improve long-term adherence to tracking eating and exercise behaviors during weight loss. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of two self-monitoring methods for tracking eating and exercise behaviors within the context of a 16 week correspondence-based weight loss intervention. Subjects for this investigation were forty-two overweight adult men and women, ages 21 to 45 with a BMI of 25 to 35 kg/m2. Subjects were randomized to one of two self-monitoring conditions: 1) detailed self-monitoring (DSM) and 2) detailed self-monitoring transitioning to abbreviated self-monitoring (TSM). Participants in both groups recorded eating and exercise behaviors in diaries that were completed daily and returned to investigators each week for review. Participants in the DSM group recorded detailed information about the type, quantity, calories and fat grams of food consumed and type, duration, and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) of exercise. Participants in the transitional (TSM) group self-monitored eating and exercise behaviors using the detailed (DSM) approach during weeks 1-8, but transitioned to an abbreviated diary during weeks 9-16. This diary allowed participants to simplify self-monitoring by using check marks to estimate the quality and quantity of foods eaten, and amount of exercise completed daily. Unlike the DSM group, specific details of eating and exercise were not recorded. A repeated measures design was utilized for this study. The independent variable was type of self-monitoring. The primary dependent variable was completion of eating and exercise diaries; secondary dependent variables were body weight, dietary intake and physical activity. The major finding of this investigation was that both groups were similar with regard to the amount of weight lost, food diary completion scores and changes in eating and exercise behavior. Consequently, this study identified an alternative tracking method (i.e., TSM) that may be less effortful, and provides a similar outcome as detailed self-monitoring.