scholarly journals Precipitation and temperature drive continental-scale patterns in stream invertebrate production

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. eaav2348 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. J. Patrick ◽  
D. J. McGarvey ◽  
J. H. Larson ◽  
W. F. Cross ◽  
D. C. Allen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Secondary Production ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽  
The United States ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Modeling Framework ◽  
Continental Scale ◽  
Temperature And Precipitation ◽  
Water Ecosystems

Secondary production, the growth of new heterotrophic biomass, is a key process in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems that has been carefully measured in many flowing water ecosystems. We combine structural equation modeling with the first worldwide dataset on annual secondary production of stream invertebrate communities to reveal core pathways linking air temperature and precipitation to secondary production. In the United States, where the most extensive set of secondary production estimates and covariate data were available, we show that precipitation-mediated, low–stream flow events have a strong negative effect on secondary production. At larger scales (United States, Europe, Central America, and Pacific), we demonstrate the significance of a positive two-step pathway from air to water temperature to increasing secondary production. Our results provide insights into the potential effects of climate change on secondary production and demonstrate a modeling framework that can be applied across ecosystems.

scholarly journals Is Sport Sponsorship Global? Evidence from the United States, the United Kingdom, and India

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noni Zaharia ◽  
Kurt C. Mayer Jr. ◽  
Eric Hungenberg ◽  
Dianna Gray ◽  
David Stotlar
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
The United States ◽  
Purchase Intentions ◽  
Cultural Dimensions ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Sport Sponsorship ◽  
Multiple Group ◽  
The United Kingdom

<p>This study sought to develop and test a cross-national sport sponsorship model. Sponsorship and Hofstede’s cultural dimensions theories were utilized for the theoretical framework for this study. A survey was conducted with 522 Chelsea FC soccer club’s fans from the United States, the United Kingdom, and India in the area of sponsorship through a jersey sponsorship. Single and multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were used to analyze the global sport sponsorship model. The results acknowledged the measurement and structural invariance of a global model for five sport sponsorship outcomes (i.e., sponsorship awareness, sponsorship fit, attitude toward the sponsor, gratitude, and purchase intentions), controlling for age, gender, education, household income and the household’s decision maker. The statistical analyses indicated that structural relationships among the analyzed sponsorship outcomes were invariant among all three countries. The effect of sponsorship fit predicted the presence of purchase intentions, while the attitude toward the sponsor was the strongest predictor of purchase intentions.</p>

scholarly journals Influences on Attitudes Regarding Potential COVID-19 Vaccination in the United States

Vaccines ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 582 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kendall Pogue ◽  
Jamie L. Jensen ◽  
Carter K. Stancil ◽  
Daniel G. Ferguson ◽  
Savannah J. Hughes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Structural Equation Modeling ◽  
Side Effects ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
The United States ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Vaccine Acceptance ◽  
The World ◽  
Short And Long Term

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to ravage the world, with the United States being highly affected. A vaccine provides the best hope for a permanent solution to controlling the pandemic. However, to be effective, a vaccine must be accepted and used by a large majority of the population. The aim of this study was to understand the attitudes towards and obstacles facing vaccination with a potential COVID-19 vaccine. To measure these attitudes a survey was administered to 316 respondents across the United States by a survey corporation. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the relationships of several factors with attitudes toward potential COVID-19 vaccination. Prior vaccine usage and attitudes predicted attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination. Assessment of the severity of COVID-19 for the United States was also predictive. Approximately 68% of all respondents were supportive of being vaccinated for COVID-19, but side effects, efficacy and length of testing remained concerns. Longer testing, increased efficacy and development in the United States were significantly associated with increased vaccine acceptance. Messages promoting COVID-19 vaccination should seek to alleviate the concerns of those who are already vaccine-hesitant. Messaging directed at the benefits of vaccination for the United States as a country would address the second predictive factor. Enough time should be taken to allay concerns about both short- and long-term side effects before a vaccine is released.

Mobile Banking Adoption in the United States

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 18-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michel N. Engwanda
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Technology Acceptance ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Diffusion Theory ◽  
The United States ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Mobile Banking ◽  
Innovation Diffusion Theory ◽  
Quantitative Correlational Study ◽  
Acceptance Model

Mobile banking penetration has been relatively low even though smartphones are the most dominant forms of mobile computing in the United States. This quantitative correlational study is focused on how consumers ‘perceptions affect their intention to use mobile banking in the United States. Among U.S. consumers with smartphones, Internet access, and a bank account; 68% used Internet, 33% used telephone-based banking, and only 21% engaged in some type of mobile banking activities in 2011. The web-based survey used in this study was derived from the technology acceptance model extended by the innovation diffusion theory. Data were collected by e-mail from a random sample of 398 people in the United States. The structural equation modeling (SEM) technique was used to analyze data. The results indicated that, perceived compatibility, credibility, and costs were the significant predictors of mobile banking adoption in the United States.

scholarly journals Aquatic carbon cycling in the conterminous United States and implications for terrestrial carbon accounting

2015 ◽  
Vol 113 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Butman ◽  
Sarah Stackpoole ◽  
Edward Stets ◽  
Cory P. McDonald ◽  
David W. Clow ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Carbon Flux ◽  
Carbon Sources ◽  
Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽  
Carbon Fluxes ◽  
Carbon Accounting ◽  
Modeling Framework ◽  
Carbon Mass ◽  
Lakes And Reservoirs ◽  
Water Ecosystems

Inland water ecosystems dynamically process, transport, and sequester carbon. However, the transport of carbon through aquatic environments has not been quantitatively integrated in the context of terrestrial ecosystems. Here, we present the first integrated assessment, to our knowledge, of freshwater carbon fluxes for the conterminous United States, where 106 (range: 71–149) teragrams of carbon per year (TgC⋅y−1) is exported downstream or emitted to the atmosphere and sedimentation stores 21 (range: 9–65) TgC⋅y−1in lakes and reservoirs. We show that there is significant regional variation in aquatic carbon flux, but verify that emission across stream and river surfaces represents the dominant flux at 69 (range: 36–110) TgC⋅y−1or 65% of the total aquatic carbon flux for the conterminous United States. Comparing our results with the output of a suite of terrestrial biosphere models (TBMs), we suggest that within the current modeling framework, calculations of net ecosystem production (NEP) defined as terrestrial only may be overestimated by as much as 27%. However, the internal production and mineralization of carbon in freshwaters remain to be quantified and would reduce the effect of including aquatic carbon fluxes within calculations of terrestrial NEP. Reconciliation of carbon mass–flux interactions between terrestrial and aquatic carbon sources and sinks will require significant additional research and modeling capacity.

Protecting the Next Generation

2015 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 173-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beth Sundstrom ◽  
Laura A. Carr ◽  
Andrea L. DeMaria ◽  
Jeffrey E. Korte ◽  
Susan C. Modesitt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Social Marketing ◽  
Hpv Vaccine ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Hpv Vaccination ◽  
The United States ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Perceived Threat ◽  
Cues To Action ◽  
Fit Index

This study guides social marketing campaigns to increase human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination among young women by elaborating the health belief model (HBM). A self-administered, anonymous, web-based questionnaire was e-mailed to all entering female college students at a large, public university in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Findings elaborate the HBM constructs of perceived threat, benefits, barriers, and cues to action. Almost all participants had heard about the HPV vaccine and the majority of first-year students had received at least one shot in the vaccination series. Results expand understandings of perceived threat in relation to the HPV vaccine by explicating misinformation and knowledge gaps. Participants indicated that parents and physicians were their most trusted sources of vaccine information. Television and Internet cues to action were negatively associated with HPV vaccination among these women. Structural equation modeling results affirmed the HBM’s fit (comparative fit index = 0.935, normative fit index = 0.921, and root mean square error of approximation = 0.077). This finding suggests the importance of multimodal sources of information, expanding the dichotomous internal and external cues to action. Perceptions of vaccine safety remained a significant barrier to the uptake of HPV vaccination among participants. Racial disparities between White and non-White students could have a considerable impact on the established inequality in HPV vaccination rates in the United States. Results inform future social marketing campaign messages and strategies based on the HBM.

scholarly journals Climate Change, Migration, and Vulnerability

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (9) ◽  
pp. 1245-1245
Author(s):  
Mikiyasu Nakayama ◽  
Scott Drinkall ◽  
Daisuke Sasaki
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
United States ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Forced Migration ◽  
The United States ◽  
Marshall Islands ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Sea Levels

As global sea levels continue to rise, atoll countries—facing persistent and imminent risk—are expected to become source nations of climate migrants in the foreseeable future. This special issue features 10 academic articles, which examine if residents in Pacific atoll countries were, are, or will be ready to re-establish their livelihoods after relocation. The topic of migration is akin to a kaleidoscope, with continuously evolving shapes and colors, necessitating a broad spectrum of approaches across various disciplines. The authors of these articles thus examined the topic through mathematics, civil engineering, cultural and disaster studies, economics, education, geography, international relations, language, law, sociology and politics. The methodologies applied range from policy analysis to structural equation modeling. Migration driven by climate change takes place gradually, even over a few decades. Unlike forced migration due to causes such as war and conflict, future climate migrants have the short-term advantage of time to ready themselves for displacement from their homeland. Preparation prior to relocation may include enhancing one’s language or vocational skills. One of the focal points of this special issue is therefore the preparedness of migrants, both past and future. Case studies were carried out across Fiji, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, and the United States. We also considered how migrants are received following resettlement, both in terms of legal instruments and assistance given by the public and private sectors. Case studies conducted in Austria and the United States address this aspect. Yet another focus is to identify prevailing factors through which people develop their perceptions of climate change and its implications, for such perceptions are a driving force for migration. Case studies in Kiribati and the Marshall Islands contribute to this understanding. We hope this special issue sharpens the vision of climate change and migration, and serves as a stepping stone for further research in the field.

scholarly journals Using structural equation modeling to model compliance with COVID-19 related non-pharmaceutical interventions amongst university students in the United States

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Spencer Shumway ◽  
Jonas Hopper ◽  
Ethan Richard Tolman ◽  
Daniel Ferguson ◽  
Gabriella Hubble ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
College Students ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
The United States ◽  
College Campuses ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Vulnerable Communities ◽  
General Trust ◽  
The World ◽  
Pharmaceutical Interventions

The world is currently dealing with a devastating pandemic. Although growing COVID-19 case numbers, deaths, and hospitalizations are concerning, this spread is particularly alarming in the United States where polarizing opinions, changing policies, and misinformation abound. In particular, American college campuses have been a venue of rampant transmission, with concerning spillover into surrounding, more vulnerable, communities. We surveyed over 600 college students from across the United States and modeled predictors of compliance with non-pharmaceutical interventions. We identified concern with severity (p &lt; .001), constitutional originalist ideology (p &lt; .001), news exposure (p &lt; .001) and religiosity (p &lt; .05) as significant positive correlates with compliance, and general trust in science (p &lt; .05) as a significant negative correlate. To determine how applicable nationwide modeling might be to individual local campuses we also administered this same survey to nearly 600 students at two large universities in Utah County. In this population, concern with severity was the only significant positive correlate with compliance (p &lt; .001); Additionally, feelings of inconvenience was negatively correlated (p &lt; .001). The effects of feelings of inconvenience, and news exposure were significantly different between populations (p &lt; .001, p &lt; .001). These results suggest that we should focus our efforts on increasing knowledge about the pandemic’s effects on our society and informing about constitutionality amongst college students. However, we also show that nationwide surveys and modeling are informative, but if campuses are to efficiently curb the spread of COVID-19 this coming semester, they would be best served to utilize data collected from their student populations as these might significantly differ from general consensus data.

scholarly journals Does Stigma Toward Anal Sexuality Impede HIV Prevention Among Men Who Have Sex With Men in the United States? A Structural Equation Modeling Assessment

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 477-490
Author(s):  
Bryan A. Kutner ◽  
Jane M. Simoni ◽  
Kevin M. King ◽  
Steven M. Goodreau ◽  
Andrea Norcini Pala ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Structural Equation Modeling ◽  
Hiv Prevention ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
The United States ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Sex With Men

Predictors of Intention to Promote Family Planning: A Survey of Protestant Seminarians in the United States

2002 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 521-541 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Goodson
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Family Planning ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Cognitive Theory ◽  
The United States ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Seminary Students ◽  
Theological Schools

The purpose of this study was to examine Protestant seminary students’ intention to promote family planning. Intention to promote family planning and its predictors were examined by testing a conceptual model based on the theory of planned behavior and social cognitive theory. A nonrepresentative sample of 635 seminarians (90.5% Anglo; 66.5% male) from 10 theological schools in the United States completed a mailed survey. Students were classified according to their religious beliefs as conservative (61.9%) and nonconservative (38.1%), and group differences in intention (and its correlates) were examined. Structural equation modeling was used to assess relationships among attitudes toward sexuality, attitudes toward family planning, subjective norms, knowledge, self-efficacy, and intention for both conservative and nonconservative students. Results indicated that the relationships among predictors of intention were essentially similar for both conservative and nonconservative seminarians, with attitudes and self-efficacy for promoting family planning exhibiting the strongest direct effects on intention.

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