Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2006. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 103-109).

Thesis (M.A.)--West Virginia University, 2001. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains iv, 18 p. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 14-16).

This thesis documents an investigation into the automatic provision of reasonably realistic motion for the computer generated target ships in a marine simulator. The thesis explores: automatic collision avoidance between the target ships; automatic track keeping for the target ships; the use of sea stabilised and land stabilised motion for the target ships; some issues of software fault tolerance in marine simulators; message frameworks for use in a Multi-Agent System (MAS) simulation; the opportunity to provide different manoeuvring characteristics for different target ships; and the use of autonomous agents to control the target ships. A software system has been developed to facilitate this research. Entitled "A Multi-Agent Realm for Investigating Navigators' Educational Simulators" (MARINES), the software is a MAS providing much of the functionality of a marine simulator instructor station; basic functions are encapsulated into the instructor environment and additional features are provided by processes that connect to the environment using Dynamic Data Exchange. The processes can also connect to each other and, in MARINES, co-operate to navigate the ships. These co-operative, autonomous processes are the agents that together form a MAS. A simple 3D view is also connected, enabling the view from the bridge of a specific target ship to be assessed. The MARINES software is written using C++ to run under Microsoft Windows v3.1. Therefore, the processes multi-task co-operatively. In MARINES each target ship can be made to perform in an individual manner; manoeuvring and performance characteristics can be customised to simulate a specific ship type. Additionally, the agents performing collision avoidance can be given rule sets that interpret the International Regulations for the Prevention of Collisions at Sea in subtly different ways, and the track-keeping agents can have different beliefs about the manoeuvring capabilities of the vessels they control. Automatic collision avoidance and track keeping is performed for two-ship situations even when the set and drift of a current is introduced. A comparison is made with the tracks of land stabilised targets. This shows how aspect, course and speed are affected by ignoring the effects of the current, and demonstrates the need for an accurate simulation.

Emerging adult college women are at particular risk for developing unhealthy eating habits. Despite this, methods of intervention in this population are understudied. This study sought to test whether an implicit, cognitive retraining program could alter how women approach foods. Specifically, the researcher wanted to determine if the Behavioral Activation System (BAS), which encourages individuals to approach positive goals, and the Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS), which helps individuals avoid negative outcomes, could be manipulated. Thus, this study examined whether a dot-probe retraining program could significantly alter women’s approaches to healthy foods. Dot-probe programs present two pictures side-by-side; when the pictures disappear, a stimulus, in this case a “+”, appears where one of the pictures was previously located. In this project, participants assigned to an experimental training program would have the “+” located under healthy foods most of the time, in order to encourage BAS activation and approach behaviors. In addition, because it is imperative to understand how women’s families affect their thin ideal internalization (i.e., drive for thinness and restraint) and their approach/avoidance habits, the quality of past and current parent-daughter relationships were examined. Indeed, no known research has examined how the parent-child relationship may affect BAS/BIS usage. Forty emerging adult women were recruited; half were assigned to an experimental training group, while the other half completed a sham training group, in which they equally reacted to all foods. Participants were asked to complete five sessions on their own devices, in their chosen environment. By the final training sessions, those in the experimental group (n = 15) reacted to healthy foods two times faster than those in the sham group (n = 15). In addition, a series of moderation analyses found that, even when participants had high levels of thin ideal internalization, positive parenting characteristics such as a current high-quality mother-daughter relationship and past low paternal control improved participants’ reaction times to healthy foods. These findings suggest that a combination of both a biologically-based method of intervention and a family systems intervention may lead women to have healthier approaches to foods, thereby potentially preventing the development of unhealthy eating habits.

In this experiment it was hypothesized the (a) those organisms trained under the influence of chlorpromazine will perform a learned task (when tested) with more incorrect responses than a comparable group trained under "normal" conditions; (b) those organisms tested under the influence of chlorpromazine will perform a previously learned task with more incorrect responses than a comparable group of organisms tested under "normal" conditions.

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As UASs (Uncrewed Aerial System) are further integrated into operations, the need for on-board environmental perception and sensing is necessitated. An accurate and reliable creation of a 3D map resembling an aircraft's surrounding is crucial for accurate collision avoidance and path planning. Consumer UASs are now being equipped with sensors to fulfill such a requirement – but no system has been proven as capable of being fully relied upon. With many sensing options available, there are several constraints regarding size, weight, and cost that must be considered when developing a sensing solution. Additionally, the robustness of the system must not be diminished when moving to a system that minimizes size, weight, or cost. An analysis of different sensing technologies that small rotary-wing aircraft (below 25kg) can be outfitted with for collision avoidance is performed. Several sensing technologies are initially compared through technology analyses and controlled experiments. The topmost systems were then further integrated onto a small low-cost quadcopter for flight testing and data acquisition. Ultimately, a fusion between stereo vision imagery and radar was deemed the most reliable method for providing environmental data needed for collision avoidance. / Master of Science / As drones become further integrated in several industries, it is important that their operations are conducted in a safe manner. Most drones today have a limited ability to sense and react to the environment around them. This results in the risk of the drone colliding with people or obstacles such as buildings, trees, light poles, etc. Thus, an accurate and reliable creation of a 3D map resembling a drone's surrounding is crucial for collision avoidance. This would allow for the avoidance of people and obstacles during automated flights where the drone may encounter obstacles during flight. With many sensing options available, there are several constraints regarding size, weight, and cost that must be considered when developing a sensing solution. Additionally, the reliability of the system must be of the topmost priority to ensure safe operations. An analysis of different sensing technologies that small rotary-wing aircraft (below 25kg) can be outfitted with for collision avoidance is performed. Rotary-wing aircraft are a specific subset of drones that are capable of vertical takeoff, landing, and hover (i.e not planes). An analysis regarding the several sensing technologies was first conducted to select the three topmost solutions. These solutions were then integrated onto a small low-cost quadcopter for data collection and flight testing. Ultimately, a combination of stereo vision imagery and radar was deemed the most reliable method for collecting collision avoidance data.

Previous research suggests that some individuals have negative views about happiness and may actively avoid positivity due to associating it with previous negative experiences. The Approach-Avoidance Task (AAT) is a paradigm that examines approach and avoidance tendencies. However, the AAT has previously never been used to examine motivational tendencies in individuals who fear happiness. In this study, we used the AAT to examine if individuals who fear happiness respond aversively in the face of prospective positivity. Results revealed that the difference between the duration of pulling the joystick for both stimuli is negatively related to fear of happiness (FHS) such that individuals with higher FHS scores pulled the joystick for a shorter amount of time for positive stimuli than neutral. This suggests that individuals with a fear of happiness may exhibit aversive tendencies for positive information in comparison to neutral information, similar to that seen in depressed individuals.

Structural equation modeling was utilized to test a hypothesized model for the effects of negative biases, thought suppression, experiential avoidance, and mindfulness on pathological anxiety. Self-report scales were used to measure each construct. Confirmatory factor analyses were used to test the factor structure of each scale. Identified factors were disparate from those in previous research on some scales, so items from scales were pooled to create scales for each construct. Alternate models were tested. No models showed adequate fit. Significant paths between most constructs partially supported our theory. Surprisingly, thought suppression did not predict anxiety. This finding is important because previous literature cites parallels between thought suppression and experiential avoidance to explain the role of experiential avoidance in anxiety. Additionally, the effects of mindfulness on anxiety were mediated by experiential avoidance and negativity bias, providing a possible explanation for the efficacy of mindfulness based treatments for anxiety.