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Comparing Llm Architectures In Street Fighter Iii, Andrew Hinh, Hyemin Doo, Jack Wu May 2026

Comparing Llm Architectures In Street Fighter Iii, Andrew Hinh, Hyemin Doo, Jack Wu

Computer Science and Engineering Senior Theses

We built a browser-based Street Fighter III benchmark for comparing large language models (LLMs) and visionlanguage models (VLMs) under real-time constraints. The game runs through a Gymnasium-like control loop that exposes both frames and structured state while the agent emits button actions. We deploy the system on Modal and stream matches overWebRTC, which lets us compare ability, latency, and cost in one setting instead of spreading them across unrelated benchmarks. Because the benchmark is narrow, architectural tradeoffs that are easy to blur in offline evaluation show up quickly during live play.

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Digital Lean Transformation Through Mes–Scada Intergration: Reducing Transactional And Cognitive Waste In High-Volume Electronics Manufacturing, Kamal Alalul May 2026

Digital Lean Transformation Through Mes–Scada Intergration: Reducing Transactional And Cognitive Waste In High-Volume Electronics Manufacturing, Kamal Alalul

Graduate Dissertations and Theses

This research addresses inefficiencies in Manufacturing Execution System (MES)-driven workflows, where excessive user interactions and fragmented access to work instructions introduce transactional and cognitive waste. To address these limitations, an integrated architecture was developed using Ignition as a SCADA-based operator interface connected to the MES through API-based communication. The system replaces direct MES interaction with a unified interface that embeds work instructions and automates transaction execution within the production workflow. The approach was implemented and evaluated through an industrial case study on a 15 station electronics manufacturing line. Results show a 51% reduction in total cycle time, decreasing from 2,996 …

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Data-Driven Decision Making In Digital Platforms, Zhiqi Zhang May 2026

Data-Driven Decision Making In Digital Platforms, Zhiqi Zhang

Olin Business School Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the methodological foundations and empirical applications of data-driven decision-making within digital platforms. By integrating causal inference, deep learning, and structural modeling, the following chapters develop rigorous frameworks to optimize platform interventions while providing formal theoretical guarantees for policy performance and how recommendation systems influence user behavior, creating broader impacts on content consumption and production beyond immediate engagement metrics. In Chapter 1, “Personalized Policy Learning through Discrete Experimentation: Theory and Empirical Evidence,” we note that randomized control trials (RCTs) on these platforms typically cover a limited number of discrete treatment levels, while the platforms increasingly face complex operational …

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Consumer Evaluations Of Corporate Generosity, Yanyi Leng May 2026

Consumer Evaluations Of Corporate Generosity, Yanyi Leng

Olin Business School Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

How do consumers evaluate corporate generosity? This dissertation examines how both the structure and communication of firms’ charitable initiatives shape consumer judgments, revealing that consumers are highly sensitive to cues about consistency, authenticity, and responsibility embedded in corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts. In Chapter One, “Consumers Prefer that Corporations Donate Periodically,” I examine how the temporal consistency of corporate giving influences consumer evaluations. Across seven preregistered studies (N = 150,563), including two large-scale field studies and five online experiments, I demonstrate that making a series of periodic contributions, e.g., donating $20,000 per month for 12 months, rather than donating an …

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Essays In Household And International Finance, Tatiana Vdovina May 2026

Essays In Household And International Finance, Tatiana Vdovina

Olin Business School Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

In my first essay, I study whether U.S.-Mexico dual residents borrow in pesos or dollars, using both theory and survey data. I attempt to understand the microeconomic and behavioral foundations of the actual and theory-predicted currency choice by households. I also attempt to reconcile the export- and import-related theory of currency choice proposed in the corporate finance literature with behavioral tests. Finally, I test the nominal uncovered interest parity condition established in McBrady & Schill [1] in a household setting by analyzing if there can be any cost savings from borrowing in dollars over pesos and vice versa. Theoretically, I …

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Narrating Power: How Organizations Can Shape Power Holders’ Perceptions And Behaviors Through Promotion Narratives, Hyun Jung Yoon May 2026

Narrating Power: How Organizations Can Shape Power Holders’ Perceptions And Behaviors Through Promotion Narratives, Hyun Jung Yoon

Olin Business School Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Promotions are gateways to influential positions of power in organizations. Much work on promotions has examined how changing the promotion decision system—how the promotion is decided—can affect the power-related perceptions and behaviors of the promoted employees. However, I argue that organizations can also actively shape the perceptions and behaviors of the promoted employees through how they deliver those decisions—through narrating them. Specifically, I theorize that “promotion narratives”—the personal explanations organizations provide to promoted employees about why they were promoted—can shape how promoted employees construe the role of others in obtaining a promotion and how they engage with others in the …

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The Economics Of Technical Debt: Venture Capital, Cybersecurity, And Engineering Quality, Joao Henrique Avila Alves Dimas May 2026

The Economics Of Technical Debt: Venture Capital, Cybersecurity, And Engineering Quality, Joao Henrique Avila Alves Dimas

Olin Business School Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation studies the economic consequences of technical debt—the accumulated cost of expedient engineering decisions in a firm’s software codebase—and how external forces shape it. Using direct codebase analysis of over 80,000 monthly snapshots from 600+ open-core technology firms (2010–2025), I develop the first dollar-denominated measure of technical debt in the finance literature and apply it across two empirical settings. Chapter 1 examines whether venture capital monitoring extends to firms’ technical practices. Using a stacked difference-in-differences design around first VC entry (225 treated firms, 330 controls, 85 cohorts), I find that VC-backed firms reduce critical code defect density by 24% …

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Essays In Empirical Asset Pricing, Songrun He May 2026

Essays In Empirical Asset Pricing, Songrun He

Olin Business School Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines several empirical asset pricing questions using around-the-clock high-frequency data, financial text, and AI methods. The first chapter studies systematic jump risk in equity markets by linking around-the-clock market jumps to contemporaneous news narratives identified with a reasoning large language model, and finds substantial heterogeneity in risk premia across jump types. The second chapter addresses lookahead bias in financial text analysis by developing chronologically consistent language models and showing that they perform well in both standard language tasks and asset pricing applications. The third chapter studies cryptocurrency perpetual futures, derives no-arbitrage benchmark prices under realistic payoff assumptions, and …

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Designing The Spaces In Between: How Transitional Spaces In Elementary Schools Shape Clarity, Well-Being, And Belonging, Cristin Witcher Siegel May 2026

Designing The Spaces In Between: How Transitional Spaces In Elementary Schools Shape Clarity, Well-Being, And Belonging, Cristin Witcher Siegel

Theses

This thesis investigates the role of transitional spaces in elementary schools and their impact on students’ experiences of clarity, well-being, and belonging. While educational design often prioritizes classrooms as primary sites of learning, this study argues that the spaces between them, including corridors, stairwells, and entry zones, play a critical role in shaping daily experience and supporting student development. Using a comparative case study methodology, three elementary schools in the North Shore suburbs of Chicago were analyzed, each representing a distinct architectural era and educational philosophy: Crow Island School (1939), Wilmette Junior High School (1958), and Sunset Ridge School (2018). …

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Support Systems, Capability Configurations, And Enabling Conditions For Circular Entrepreneurship, Israa Thiab May 2026

Support Systems, Capability Configurations, And Enabling Conditions For Circular Entrepreneurship, Israa Thiab

Theses

The transition to a circular economy requires entrepreneurs who can create value from waste, design regenerative business models, and navigate resource-constrained environments. Yet understanding what enables circular entrepreneurial success remains fragmented across the sustainability and entrepreneurship literatures. This dissertation examines how entrepreneurial support systems, capability configuration, and external enabling conditions shape circular venture development and performance through three complementary studies that together advance a unified framework of circular entrepreneurial effectiveness. Study 1 employs participatory action research with a donor-funded incubation program in Jordan, examining how stakeholder priorities reconfigure support systems for circular entrepreneurs. Analysis of two cohorts reveals that stakeholder-driven …

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Lived Experiences For Family Caregivers In The Cayman Islands After A Loved One Has Attempted Suicide, Pamella Williams May 2026

Lived Experiences For Family Caregivers In The Cayman Islands After A Loved One Has Attempted Suicide, Pamella Williams

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

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Early Childhood Educators' Experiences Of Literacy Programs For Low-Income Preschool Students, Amy M. Brown May 2026

Early Childhood Educators' Experiences Of Literacy Programs For Low-Income Preschool Students, Amy M. Brown

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

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The Relationship Between Evidence-Based Coaching And The Decision-Making And Cultural Responsiveness Of Child Welfare Professionals, Kenisha Coon-Santiago May 2026

The Relationship Between Evidence-Based Coaching And The Decision-Making And Cultural Responsiveness Of Child Welfare Professionals, Kenisha Coon-Santiago

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

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Improving Nursing Orientation: A Preceptor-Led Competency Program, Brandy Tanesa Broadway May 2026

Improving Nursing Orientation: A Preceptor-Led Competency Program, Brandy Tanesa Broadway

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

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Athletic Trainers And Access To Healthcare For Transgender Collegiate Athletes Of Color: The Role Of Intersectionality, Tarah Althea Holness May 2026

Athletic Trainers And Access To Healthcare For Transgender Collegiate Athletes Of Color: The Role Of Intersectionality, Tarah Althea Holness

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

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Dexmedetomidine And The Prevention Of Emergence Agitation In Military Veterans With Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Taylor P. Ranegar May 2026

Dexmedetomidine And The Prevention Of Emergence Agitation In Military Veterans With Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Taylor P. Ranegar

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Projects

Emergence agitation (EA) is a post-anesthetic complication that occurs when the patient is in a self-limited, nonfluctuating state of excitement while transitioning into a state of consciousness. EA can lead to negative adverse outcomes including, accidental invasive line removal, bleeding, respiratory depression, unintentional extubation, and injury to the staff and the patient. EA is often observed in military veterans who have a medical history of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). For patients with a history of military exposure undergoing elective general anesthesia who also have PTSD, anxiety, and or depression, the incidence of EA was estimated to be around 27%. The …

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Incorporating Play-Based Learning While Meeting State Standards, Alicia Muer May 2026

Incorporating Play-Based Learning While Meeting State Standards, Alicia Muer

Graduate Teacher Education

This paper reviews the benefits of incorporating developmentally appropriate practices into the classroom through a play-based approach. This is a controversial topic, as most teachers are more concerned with teaching to the standards than with the needs of students as a whole. Fifteen studies, including qualitative, quantitative, mixed-methods, and action research, were used to examine what developmentally appropriate practices are. Three themes emerged from the studies: play-based learning, professional development, and teacher-student collaboration. In the play-based theme, a sub-theme emerged which focused on games and gaming. The findings showed that students thrive more in an environment where play-based learning is …

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Reducing Hospital-Acquired Pressure Injuries In Acute Care Facilities: Evidence-Based Strategies For Improving Patient Safety And Cms Compliance, Hugo Aldhair Lopez May 2026

Reducing Hospital-Acquired Pressure Injuries In Acute Care Facilities: Evidence-Based Strategies For Improving Patient Safety And Cms Compliance, Hugo Aldhair Lopez

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

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Staff Education Project:  Cultural Competency For Outpatient Nurses Caring For Adult Patients With Suds, Chloe Hylaire May 2026

Staff Education Project:  Cultural Competency For Outpatient Nurses Caring For Adult Patients With Suds, Chloe Hylaire

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

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How Are Us Legal Attorneys Being Prepared To Handle Ai-Enhanced Evidence During Evidence Discovery?, Enoch Martin May 2026

How Are Us Legal Attorneys Being Prepared To Handle Ai-Enhanced Evidence During Evidence Discovery?, Enoch Martin

Honors

Evidence is the means by which arguments are presented, supported, and challenged in the United States court of law. With the recent emergence of consumer AI-systems in 2023 and their unprecedented growth since, U.S. courts are facing the greatest disruption in evidentiary procedure since the introduction of photographs over a century ago. Yet despite widespread acceptance of this fact, there exists no discussions regarding how US attorneys are being prepared to uphold the right of U.S. citizens’ to proper representation in court by properly challenging and defending the admission of AI-enhanced evidence. This project examines how U.S. courts and legal …

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Preserving Fashion History: Conservation And Storage Solutions For Eastern Kentucky University’S Applied Human Sciences Department’S Historic Costume Collection, Kylie Farler May 2026

Preserving Fashion History: Conservation And Storage Solutions For Eastern Kentucky University’S Applied Human Sciences Department’S Historic Costume Collection, Kylie Farler

Honors Theses

Dress archives are critical repositories of material culture that preserve garments, textiles, and related objects as primary sources of historical evidence. Unlike written records, which often showcase elite perspectives, clothing provides insight into the everyday lives, identities, and experiences of individuals across social classes. This project examines the significance of dress archives and documents the process of organizing and preserving the Eastern Kentucky University Applied Human Sciences Department’s dress collection. Through an assessment of existing materials, storage conditions, and preservation needs, this study identifies both the challenges and opportunities present in managing a mixed media, partially undocumented collection. Guided by …

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A Clinical Risk Index For 30-Day Psychiatric Readmissions, Kenneth Theodore Kinter May 2026

A Clinical Risk Index For 30-Day Psychiatric Readmissions, Kenneth Theodore Kinter

Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this descriptive, retroactive, and quantitative study were to create a risk index to predict 30-day readmissions to a state psychiatric hospital and to lend clarity to the conflicting research on 30-day readmissions. This study assessed discharges from 2006-2019 (N = 4,555) across over 28 variables ranging from patient, hospital, and discharge domains. This study created a model comprised of significant variables and converted it into a weighted risk index. These significant variables included: circulatory disease diagnosis, previous admissions to hospital, number of psychiatric diagnoses, region of discharge, PACT referral, and level of placement. The resulting index predicted …

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Exploring The Evolution Of Experienced Elementary Science Teachers' Identities In The Context Of Reform-Based Science, Andrea Woodring May 2026

Exploring The Evolution Of Experienced Elementary Science Teachers' Identities In The Context Of Reform-Based Science, Andrea Woodring

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract Andrea L. Woodring EXPLORING THE EVOLUTION OF ELEMENTARY SCIENCE TEACHERS’ IDENTITIES IN THE CONTEXT OF REFORM-BASED SCIENCE 2025-2026 Joanne Connor, Ed.D. Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership This qualitative narrative inquiry examined how experienced elementary teachers narrated the development and evolution of their science teacher identities within the context of reform-based science education, particularly the adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards. Guided by Identity Theory (Burke & Stets, 2022), narrative analysis (Polkinghorne, 1995), and narrative inquiry scholarship (Kim, 2016; McCormack, 2000), the study positioned teachers’ stories as the primary findings rather than as examples of theory. Five experienced …

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Teaching Exercise: A Survey On Educational Aids And Self-Efficacy, Joshua I. Eaton, Lucas Morgan, Matthew Hermes May 2026

Teaching Exercise: A Survey On Educational Aids And Self-Efficacy, Joshua I. Eaton, Lucas Morgan, Matthew Hermes

Honors College Theses

HEPs are an important part of therapeutic treatment because they allow for greater exercise stimulus than can be achieved from supervised exercise alone. 94.7% of physical therapists reported prescribing HEPs to their patients. However, patient adherence to these plans can be as low as 35%. Lack of HEP adherence likely leads to sub-optimal clinical outcomes in physical therapy patients. Self-efficacy is improved in patients by supplementing HEPs with instructional aids, especially in the form of videos instead of pictures or descriptions, because they act as a form of vicarious experience. It is possible that improving self-efficacy through vicarious experience could …

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Too Much Light? A Design Journey, Caitlin G. Shanahan May 2026

Too Much Light? A Design Journey, Caitlin G. Shanahan

Theater Honors Papers

This project is the culmination of my work as a stage manager, technician, and assistant designer, both for Ursinus College and other unique opportunities outside of Ursinus with InterAct Theater Co. overseen by faculty advisor Shannon Zura. These experiences informed my process and resulted in my work in the lighting design for Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind. In this essay I discuss the journey I took in becoming the first student in the history of Ursinus College to take on a lead designer role, as well as the challenges and lessons I encountered along the way.

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Exploring Microbiome Communities Of Two Belize Coral Species Five Years After Reciprocal Transplant, Lily E. Kratz May 2026

Exploring Microbiome Communities Of Two Belize Coral Species Five Years After Reciprocal Transplant, Lily E. Kratz

Biology Honors Papers

Coral holobionts, which include the coral animal host, dinoflagellate algae, bacteria, etc., support coral reef biodiversity by providing habitat to many marine species. In the face of global change, identifying and understanding the microbial diversity of corals is extremely important because their survival indicates overall ocean health. Coral-associated bacterial and algal communities contribute to the health and survival of a coral species through creating resistance to stressors and supplying essential nutrients. As coral reef environments continue to change, microbial communities must respond to ensure the survival of reef-building corals. To investigate if coral microbiomes possess the ability to acclimatize to …

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Bats In A Modified Suburban Landscape, Brittany Morgera May 2026

Bats In A Modified Suburban Landscape, Brittany Morgera

Biology Honors Papers

This research assesses bat species richness and activity across a gradient of suburban habitat modification surrounding Ursinus College and Green Lane Park in Montgomery County, located in southeastern Pennsylvania. Habitat modification was quantified using GIS-based land-cover metrics (e.g. impervious surfaces and canopy cover), and bat activity and species richness were measured though acoustic surveys conducted at 15 sites during the summers of 2024 and 2025. The project tests the hypothesis that increasing habitat modification has a negative correlation with bat species richness and activity.

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Payrolling In The Deep, Kyle Rosenfeld May 2026

Payrolling In The Deep, Kyle Rosenfeld

Business and Economics Honors Papers

This study examines how Major League Baseball teams can build their rosters to spend their payroll more efficiently. Using a manually constructed dataset, consisting of thirty teams over the past five years, this paper studies different payroll allocation strategies, such as the percentage of a team’s payroll to homegrown players or free agents, to improve the efficiency of how an MLB club is spending. Through running regression models, results have shown there is a statistically significant positive relationship between how efficient MLB teams spend their payrolls to the percentage of a team’s payroll designated to homegrown players. Additionally, there is …

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Why Read In The Age Of Post-Literacy?, Corrine H. Martello May 2026

Why Read In The Age Of Post-Literacy?, Corrine H. Martello

Educational Studies Honors Papers

This research paper aims to answer the question, “Why read?” by exploring the significance and purpose of reading, during what many have begun to call the post-literacy era, in order to convey the message that we as human beings have a fundamental need for reading and a failure to fulfill this need may result in an inability to reach one’s full potential as both an individual and as a society at large.

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Analyzing Preparedness For Compliance With The Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (Cbam) Across Member States Of The European Union, Vincent Pfattner May 2026

Analyzing Preparedness For Compliance With The Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (Cbam) Across Member States Of The European Union, Vincent Pfattner

Politics Honors Papers

The European Union’s implementation of the CBAM is a climate change-driven initiative aimed at preventing carbon leakages. This thesis aims to investigate the underlying reasons for the variation in preparedness to comply with CBAM. Exposure to CBAM-covered Extra-EU imports serves as a proxy for preparedness, a measure of the economic constraints EU countries face. The research employs a mixed-methods approach, including Regression Analysis, Bayesian model averaging, and comparative case studies of EU countries. The results show a strong association between preparedness levels and institutional factors, particularly regulatory capacity. In contrast, political, financial, and geographical factors exhibit limited influence on a …

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