published_or_final_version / Applied Geosciences / Master / Master of Science

Mindfulness is increasingly recognized as an important phenomenon both clinically and empirically, with mindfulness-based interventions demonstrated to be efficacious across a wide variety of patient populations and disorders (i.e., Baer, 2003). Though debate regarding the exact definition of mindfulness continues, generally accepted definitions involve the common elements of intentionally directing attention toward the present moment and adopting an accepting, nonjudgmental, and/or nonreactive orientation, intent, or attitude (i.e., Baer et al., 2006; Bishop et al., 2004). Several testable predictions in the cognitive and emotional domains were derived from the operational definition of mindfulness provided by Bishop et al. (2004). Recent empirical work (i.e., Chambers, Lo, & Allen, 2008; Valentine & Sweet, 1999) has supported Bishop et al.’s predictions, providing initial validation of their operationalization of mindfulness. However, most work on the effects of meditation practice and the mindfulness construct has relied on self-report methodology. The current work transcended past research by using behavioral methods to investigate the effects of meditation practice, correlates of trait mindfulness, and validity of current conceptualizations of mindfulness. Additionally, the current work investigated relationships between meditation, mindfulness, and self-regulation using behavioral methods. This investigation was warranted as recent theoretical work suggested that increased self-control abilities may be the primary mechanism by which mindfulness-based interventions work and that higher levels of trait mindfulness may appear to be related to enhanced well-being due to the unmeasured third variable of enhanced self-regulatory abilities (Masicampo & Baumeister, 2007). Ninety-eight individuals (33 meditators, 33 age-matched nonmeditating controls, and 32 students) completed self-report and behavioral measures of attention, learning, memory, cognitive and emotional biases, and self-regulation in individual sessions. Results demonstrated that meditation practice related to few of the measured constructs, with significant group differences detected between the meditators and nonmeditators in short-term memory, long-term memory, and self-regulation only. Self-reported trait mindfulness in the nonmeditators related only to self-reported psychological well-being. These results stand in stark contrast to most of the current literature on meditation and mindfulness. The research raises more questions about the effects of meditation practice and conceptualization of mindfulness than it answers, though multiple interpretations of the data are possible.

Previous research shows that food/beverage promotions are prevalent in traditional channels, such as television, and that children's exposure to these promotions may be associated with dietary- and weight-related outcomes. However, little research has been conducted on in-school food/beverage promotions, despite evidence that promotions are present in schools and that similar associations between students' exposure to promotions and weight-related outcomes may exist. In an attempt to better understand in-school food/beverage promotions, the current study was undertaken. Specifically, the reliability of a new electronic tool to document direct observations of in-school food/beverage promotions was examined. Direct observation data, using the new tool, were collected in 30 middle schools in central Texas, and a new coding system was developed to categorize and quantify these data. Analyses were run to examine percent agreement between records for intra- and inter-rater reliability. Analyses were also run to assess percent agreement between coded records in order to examine inter-rater reliability for the new coding system. Descriptive analyses on direct observation data were conducted in order to further examine the types and prevalence of food/beverage promotions. T-tests were run to examine variations in food/beverage promotions by school-level differences including economic disadvantage and percent minority. Overall, sufficient intra- and inter-rater reliability was established for the new electronic data collection tool. Sufficient inter-rater reliability was found for the new coding system. Direct observation data showed that food and beverage promotions are prevalent in central Texas middle schools, particularly those displaying nutrition education messages, commercial products, brand logos, and unhealthier food/beverage items. Additionally, a higher prevalence of food and beverage promotions, especially for less healthy products, and those displaying commercial brands and visible logos, were found to vary by school-level differences. Specifically, lower economically disadvantaged and lower percent minority schools had significantly higher levels of these types of promotions, as compared to higher economically disadvantaged and higher percent minority schools. Future studies should further examine prevalence of and school-level differences regarding in-school food/beverage promotions, and if these promotions are associated with dietary- and weight-related outcomes. Results may inform stricter policies regarding in-school food/beverage advertising aimed at youth. / text

While prior studies have examined the influence of environmental factors (e.g. regulatory, market, and socio-cultural environment) on construction safety accidents, the explanations offered remain piecemeal and the environmental factors are largely treated as given and immutable. In reality, the external environment is dynamic and continuously evolving. Contractors are subject to regulatory, market and socio-cultural segments of environment simultaneously. However, there has to date been little apparent effort to systematically investigate: 1) what are the pressures or expectations faced by contractors that operate in the broader context? And 2) how do contractors typically adapt to these pressures and expectations? Drawing on the institutional theory, this study aims to investigate how contractors experience and respond to the complex safety demands in their surrounding institutional environment. Institutional theory is borrowed because 1) the broad definition of institutions encompasses a wide range of environmental factors; and 2) it informs the mechanisms of how organisations are shaped by and strategically respond to institutional pressures. Given that the institutional theory in safety research is still nascent, lacking well-established constructs and casual relationships, a qualitative research strategy was employed, comprising three interlinked components: archival and documentary data analysis; case study; and semi-structured interviews. At the first step, the documentary and archival data analysis was conducted to establish a holistic view of the institutional environment faced by construction companies. Based on the documentary and archival data, this study developed a concept of construction safety-defined organisational field and provided a historical overview of the control and coordination mechanisms of the field. It is found that the field has undergone four stages: early days, the embryonic stage, golden time and the transition stage. An exploratory case study at the second step aimed at exploring whether site safety practices could be interpreted from an institutional theory perspective, and if it does, how? Safety practice data were obtained from 62 open-ended interviews and project archives. The institutional perspective was proved insightful in understanding contractors’ safety practices. The findings showed that the complex institutional environment, especially the incompatible progress and safety requirements, was a key determinant of mixed site safety practices. With the insights obtained from the documentary analysis and case study, semi-structured interviews were lastly carried out to investigate: 1) the specific institutional demands imposed on contractors regarding site safety; and 2) how contractors respond to the complex institutional demands. 24 semi-structured interviews were conducted. The data analysis follows the logic of abduction. By travelling back and forth between extant institutional theory literature and empirical evidence, the research findings were gradually formed. It is found that contractors face four categories of institutional demands comprising: 1) legislations and enforcement; 2) clients’ requirements; 3) construction companies’ internal requirements; and 4) field-level voluntary safety programmes. The results also showed that site safety is guided by two intertwining logics: the prescriptive logic and the performance-based logic. These two logics work collectively to improve site safety. Five patterns of institutional complexity were identified residing in the complex institutional environment. These are: 1) inconsistent regulatory demands; 2) regulatory uncertainty and rigidity; 3) redundant institutional demands from field actors; 4) conflict between safety demands and production efficiency; and 5) disparate values and beliefs about safety and the ways to achieve safety. Contractor’s experience of institutional pressures and general safety management strategies depend on construction companies’ field positions (i.e., central and peripheral). The level of institutional complexity experienced by contractors is moderated by project structure and governance. It is found that contractors would adopt a series of strategic responses, such as concealment, buffering, imitation and influence, to cope with those five patterns of institutional complexity. This study extends the existing safety research to an institutional domain. The organisational field perspective adds a new dimension to explain safety management actions or structures of construction companies. Practical implications are also provided for policy-makers, clients and construction companies. / published_or_final_version / Real Estate and Construction / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

This study presents an analytical approach for the mechanics of the pneumatic tires and the vehicle dynamic simulation. Most of tire dynamic parameters in this study are derived by using the tire geometry rather than experimental data. For the tire dynamic properties, explicit formulations are derived analytically as functions of slip ratio, slip angle, camber angle, and other tire dynamic parameters. These formulations can be efficiently used for the general vehicle simulations of braking/traction and steering maneuvers with a varying camber angle at irregular terrains. For on-highway vehicle simulations, a conceptual sports car is modeled as a twenty-six degrees of freedom multi-body system, while the military 1/4 ton truck M151-A2 is modeled as a fourteen degrees of freedom multi-body system for off-highway vehicle simulations. To study vehicle ride comfort, stability, and maneuverability, numerous vehicle simulations are performed using the comprehensive tire model, steering, braking, traction, nonlinear suspension, and realistic irregular terrains. For these simulations, a general-purpose multi-body dynamic analysis code (named MBOSS) has been developed.

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited / This research thoroughly examines the current Naval Postgraduate School Gigabit Network security posture, identifies any possible threats or vulnerabilities, and recommends any appropriate safeguards that may be necessary to counter the found threats and vulnerabilities. The research includes any portion of computer security, physical security, personnel security, and communication security that may be applicable to the overall security of both the .mil and .edu domains. The goal of the research was to ensure that the campus network is operating with the proper amount of security safeguards to protect the confidentiality, integrity, availability, and authenticity adequately from both insider and outsider threats. Risk analysis was performed by assessing all of the possible threat and vulnerability combinations to determine the likelihood of exploitation and the potential impact the exploitation could have on the system, the information, and the mission of the Naval Postgraduate School. The results of the risk assessment performed on the network are to be used by the Designated Approving Authority of the Naval Postgraduate School Gigabit network when deciding whether to accredit the system. / Civilian, Research Associate

Naval Aviation has been known for over half a century as being one of the most fascinating professions. Although aircrew may always play a role in the mishap rate, the Navy has shifted its focus to aviation maintenance safety climate as a possible indicator of a future mishap. The School of Aviation Safety developed and implemented a survey, the Maintenance Climate Assessment Survey (MCAS), to assess the safety climate of Naval Aviation squadrons. Researchers have begun reviewing the possible direct relationship between the maintainer, how they view their squadron's climate and aviation mishaps. This thesis examines the construct of squadron maintenance safety climate survey and its relationship to aviation mishaps. The raw data employed includes MCAS responses from 126,058 maintainers between August 2000 and August 2005. This study finds that the MCAS survey construction needs to be revised. The findings are substantial to verify that most questions are formulated to focus on the same factor. Since the survey requires reconstruction, the question of whether it can determine the likelihood of mishaps was never visited. Revising the survey, based on psychometrics, may produce more significant results and gauge maintenance safety climate based on separate and distinct factors.

This study investigates the extent to which sell-side analysts make full use of available financial and nonfinancial information signals in formulating stock recommendations. Prior research shows that investors rely strongly on sell-side analysts’ recommendations and that sell-side analysts pay considerable attention to nonfinancial measures in making their decisions. However, prior research has primarily focused on the mere presence of nonfinancial measures and not the extent to which the direction of such measures (i.e. favorability) is associated with firm value, or assessed the extent to which any interaction between financial measures and the direction of nonfinancial measures may influence analysts in formulating stock recommendations. Using a data set hand-collected from annual proxy statements, I use ordered logistic regression analysis to provide a multivariate test of the relation between sell-side analyst recommendations, financial and context-specific nonfinancial measures. I find that analysts do incorporate the direction (favorability) of nonfinancial measures in formulating stock recommendations and that unfavorable nonfinancial measures attenuate positive financial information.

M.Sc. (Computer Science) / In the rapidly evolving world that we live in, the methods by which items are purchased are starting to be revolutionized. In a developing country such as South Africa, financial institutions within the banking sector are starting to implement their own systems or processes to process bank transactions. These processes include the identification and authentication of bank transactions, as well as the validation of the integrity of bank transactions between buyer and merchant. The changing of these processes by the banking sector could be viewed as a result of the increase in mobile device users. The purpose of the research presented within this dissertation is to explore an alternative method for identifying and authenticating a user in order to authorize a purchase made from a mobile device. The research will include evidence for the necessity of an alternative process as well as investigate the current technology by examining a few mobile banking solutions provided by the banking sector. The alternative process will be based upon a prototype design, which will employ Near Field Communication (NFC) technology to forward the purchase information from a point-of-sale (POS) device to the client’s mobile device, as well as employ fingerprint recognition technology to improve the identification and authentication of a user in order to authorize the purchase. The prototype will be known as BankAuth. The researcher hopes that this dissertation encourages other academics to discover new approaches in further researching mobile banking solutions.

The purposes of this study were (1) to explore the possibility that sociometry can be a valuable prognostic method in milieu therapy, and (2) to investigate the validity of the "Draw-a-Group" (DAG) projective technique for measuring interpersonal responsiveness.