Digital Commons Network^™

“The True Me”: Unravelling The Dual Narrative Of Borderline Personality Disorder And Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Robin Iliffe-Lewis, Alison Bacon

School of Psychology

Objectives: There is growing recognition that some individuals who receive a diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) are later diagnosed with autism. However, existing literature on this topic remains limited. This study aimed to explore the experiences of individuals diagnosed with BPD prior to autism, how they made sense of these diagnoses, navigated clinical systems, and learnt to manage the complex challenges associated with this diagnostic sequence.Methods: Thirteen (6 male, 6 female, 1 non-binary) adult participants took part in semi-structured interviews exploring their diagnostic journeys. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to develop a nuanced understanding of their experiences.Results: Three themes …

Degrees Of Separation: Grandchildren's Experiences Of Grandparental Brain Tumor Or Stroke, Emily Sapsford, Alyson Norman, Sue Jackson, Josh Deacon, Emily Ravenhill, Pete Keohane

School of Psychology

The impact of acquired brain injury on family members is far reaching. Research has identified experiences of trauma, ambiguous loss and burden of care. Limited research has addressed the ripple effect of brain injury across the wider family. The study aimed to gain a detailed insight into the lived experiences of grandchildren of those who have experienced stroke or brain tumor. Ten participants (eight female and two males aged between 18 and 29) took part in semi-structured interviews about their experiences of grandparental stroke or brain tumor. Data were analyzed using interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA). Four themes were identified. The …

Psychophysiological Recovery From Viewing Nature And Urban Settings: A Multisite Replication, A. E. Van Den Berg, K. Dijkstra, D. Meuwese, F. Beute, P. M. Darcy, S. Dewitte, B. Gatersleben, C. J. Gidlow, C. M. Hägerhäll, J. A. Hipp, Y. Joye, Y. A.W. De Kort, S. C.M. Lechner, C. Neale, Sang Ode Sang, J. Roe, D. T. Scheepers, K. Smolders, H. Staats, R. S. Steensma, K. J. Wyles, S. L. Koole

School of Psychology

The idea that merely viewing nature can promote stress recovery has profound societal implications, driving the use of nature imagery in the design of environments where access to real nature is limited. Scientific support for this concept originates from a pioneering study by Ulrich et al. (1991), which demonstrated superior psycho-physiological stress recovery during exposure to nature videos compared to urban videos. Despite its influence, this foundational study has never been systematically replicated. To address this gap, ten research teams across the Netherlands, Belgium, the UK, Sweden, and the USA collaborated on a multisite replication. A final sample of 959 …

Integrating Neuroscience And Social Psychology In Researching Interprofessional Education: The Inspire Framework, Kimberley Schenke, Pamela Rae, Jaysan Charlesford, Phil Gee

School of Psychology

There is an increasing focus on the importance of interprofessional education as an integral part of health and social care training. However, the fundamental psychological processes underlying successful interprofessional education are not well understood. Here we propose a single framework, Integrating Neuroscience and Social Psychology In Researching Interprofessional Education (INSPIRE), grounded in evidence from social psychology and neuroscience that could be used to generate testable hypotheses to inform the design, development and evaluation of interprofessional education. The application of this framework offers a novel, scientifically grounded approach to improving the learning outcomes of interprofessional education and provides a foundation for …

Video Interaction Guidance With Adults With Intellectual Disabilities And Their Support Workers: A Service Evaluation, Áine Maguire, Vicky Anagnostopoulou, Joe Levi-French, Deanna J. Gallichan

School of Psychology

Background: This service evaluation focused on support workers' perceptions of Video Interaction Guidance (VIG) offered by an NHS Community Learning Disabilities Team. Methods: A mixed-methods design was employed. Support workers developed goals and rated their progress before and after VIG sessions. Thematic analysis was used to analyse qualitative data on the nature of the goals developed, and the strengths and working points identified. The differences between progress ratings before and after VIG were analysed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Retrospective interviews helped to further understand support workers' experiences of VIG. Findings: Support workers identified goals, strengths and working points that …

Who Seeks Help? Characteristics Of Doctors Accessing Mental Health Support In England: 4-Year National Review, Rohit Shankar

Peninsula Medical School

BackgroundMental health difficulties affect the well-being of doctors and compromise the delivery of healthcare. However, large-scale data on doctors’ mental health needs are limited.AimsDescribe patterns of self-referrals for mental health support among doctors in England and explore associations with demographic factors, speciality, neurodevelopmental and mental health indicators.MethodObservational study using data from doctors who self-referred for mental health difficulties to a national service in England over a 4-year period. Logistic regression was used to explore associations between speciality and mental health indicators.ResultsOf the 16 815 doctors who self-referred during the study period, 80% were under the age of 49 and 70.6% …

A Combined Stochastic And Physical Framework For Alloys And Metal Casting Processes Modeling, Simon N. Lekakh, Oleg Neroslavsky

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

High temperature metal casting processes have dualistic nature and conceptually consist of two parts of distinct processes: the first type is deterministic, strictly obeying the physical law, while the second type is stochastic. Therefore, the metal casting processes are not precisely predictable, and deterministic considerations cannot provide exact outcomes. To solve this problem, the combined stochastic and deterministic framework was suggested. The local processes were described using deterministic models for several parameter arrangements, while the distribution of these arrangements on macro level was calculated using stochastic approaches. The approach was used for cast alloy design, investment casting process optimization, and …

Thermal Transformations And Mechanical Properties Of All-D-Metal Mn2fecu Heusler-Type Shape Memory Alloy, Choji J. Daches, Joseph W. Newkirk, Mario Buchely

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

All-d-metal Heusler alloys are emerging functional materials in which magnetic ordering, lattice distortion, and mechanical behavior are strongly coupled through d–d electronic interactions. This study systematically investigates the structural, thermal, magnetic, and mechanical properties of Mn₂FeCu synthesized within a Heusler-type compositional framework. SEM/EDS revealed a dual-phase FCC-based microstructure consisting of Mn–Fe–rich and Mn–Cu–rich domains, while XRD confirmed FCC symmetry with compositional partitioning rather than full L2₁ ordering. Differential scanning calorimetry identified partial melting of the Cu-rich phase near ~ 900 °C. Dilatometry showed a thermoelastic FCC → FCT transformation at ~ 770–780 °C with a recoverable strain of ~ 0.067%. …

Design Of Novel Gating Systems For Steel Castings, K. Balasubramanian, Laura Bartlett, M. Xu

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Gating systems play an important role in determining the quality and mechanical properties of castings. To understand the efficiency of gating systems, four systems, namely pressurized system, non-pressurized system, naturally pressurized system with a side riser and a naturally pressurized system with a top riser, were studied. The naturally pressurized systems were provided with overflows which collected the incoming metal swirl. Parameters like velocity of metal flow, air entrapment, microporosity and Niyama criterion were considered, and a design was developed with a common pouring basin. 8630 alloy was poured into two molds using a teapot ladle. The inclusion analysis revealed …

Comparative Evaluation Of Gating Systems In Femnal Castings, K. Balasubramanian, Laura Bartlett, M. Xu

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

To understand the efficiency of gating systems, four systems, namely AFS styled pressurized system, AFS styled non-pressurized system, naturally pressurized system with a side riser and a naturally pressurized system with a top riser, were studied. The naturally pressurized systems were provided with overflows which collected the incoming metal swirl while the pressurized and non-pressurized systems had runner wells. Parameters like velocity of metal flow, air entrapment, microporosity and Niyama criterion were considered, and a design was developed with a common pouring basin using solidification software. Two molds were 3D printed using carbonitride sand, and steel of composition Fe-29Mn-8.2Al-0.91C-0.88Si-0.49Mo was …

Microstructure And Properties Of Oxide Dispersion-Strengthened Alloys, Ertugrul Demir, Seung Min Ha, Anish Ranjan, Xingshuo Zhang, Aaron Penders, Mukesh Bachhav, Xiaochun Li, Lin Shao, Alexander Demblon, Haiming Wen, Enrique Lavernia

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Oxide dispersion-strengthened (ODS) alloys are a critical class of structural materials for extreme environments, owing to their unique combination of high-temperature strength, thermal stability, and radiation tolerance, enabled by a very high density of nanoscale oxide dispersoids. These features make ODS alloys attractive for advanced nuclear systems, aerospace applications, and other harsh-service conditions where conventional alloys rapidly degrade. Despite decades of development, key challenges remain in understanding how nanoscale oxides interact with matrix microstructures, alloy chemistry, and irradiation-induced defects to control macroscopic performance. This review provides a focused, mechanism-based synthesis of the microstructural features that govern the properties of ODS …

Overcoming Resolution Vs. Throughput Trade-Offs In Ceramic Material Extrusion Additive Manufacturing Via Viscoelastic Filament Stretching, Abid H. Rafi, David W. Lipke, Jeremy L. Watts, Gregory E. Hilmas, Ming C. Leu

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Fabricating large, monolithic ceramic parts using material-extrusion additive manufacturing remains challenging due to difficulty maintaining uniform moisture content during printing, which can lead to drying-induced defects such as warping and cracking, especially as part size and print time increase. Fabricated parts have trade-offs among print resolution, high throughput, and structural fidelity. Our study has shown that increasing the ratio of nozzle traverse speed vs. material extrusion speed increases filament stretching in viscoelastic ceramic paste, helping to overcome the trade-offs between resolution and throughput. Using aqueous ZrB2–SiC (70/30 vol.%) as a representative ultra-high temperature ceramic paste, rheological characterisation revealed viscoelastic yield-stress …

N-Radii Approach For Multi-Scale Characterization Of Graphite Shape In Cast Iron, Simon N. Lekakh, Laura Bartlett

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Knowledge of multi-scale particle macro-shape and micro-surface topology is critical in many technical disciplines. Specifically, quality assessment of the shape of the graphite phase in cast irons is essential for day-to-day metal casting operations. Common methods for evaluating particle macro-shape have several drawbacks, often resulting in underestimation of sharp corners and surface texture. In this article, a method based on plotting n-radii from the center of mass to the perimeter and computing multi-scale topological characteristics is described and tested. Parametric tests, involving variations in the number of n-radii and image resolution, were performed to optimize the test parameters. The method …

Modeling Of Transformation Temperatures In Cast Martensitic Stainless Steels-Ca6nm: Effects Of Composition, Heating Rate, And Grain Size, Ugochukwu Agbedo, Mario Buchely, Laura Bartlett, Caelan Kennedy

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Accurate prediction of the critical transformation temperatures Ac1 and Ac3 is one of the essential factors in the heat treatment of CA6NM cast martensitic stainless steel. In this study, the influence of alloy composition, heating rate, and prior austenite grain size on the critical temperatures was quantified using dilatometric measurements and statistical modeling. Six heat treatment conditions produced prior austenite grain sizes ranging from ~75 to 247 µm. Experimental results showed that grain size variations produced only minor changes in Ac1 and Ac3, indicating a weak dependence of transformation temperatures on prior austenite grain size within the investigated range. In …

Multiphysics Simulation And Experimental Validation Of Phase Transformation And Hardness In Jominy End-Quenched Low-Alloy Steels, J. S. Alabi, E. Heidari, M. F. Buchely, K. Chandrashekhara, S. N. Lekakh, R. J. O'Malley, V. A. Athavale, A. Kumar

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

High-volume industrial continuous hot-rolled steel heat treatment processes involve sophisticated multi-phase modeling. The performance of a given process can be optimized by coupling phase transformation kinetics with the cooling conditions of the process. This study develops a multiphysics model to simulate an intensive quenching process for steel, which is inherently transient and highly dependent on numerous parameters. The simulated object was a Jominy end-quenched specimen geometry using two commercial steels, AISI 4130 and AISI 4140, with the goal of transferring a verified methodology to the heat treatment process for industrial heavy-section products (bars, slabs). The simulation employs thermal, mechanical, and …

Effect Of Complex Alloying Elements On Oxide Scale Formation And Water-Jet Descaling Performance On Continuously Cast Low-Carbon Steels, Tochukwu P. Ojiako, Tsvetkov Dmitry, Mario Buchely, Haiming Wen, Simon N. Lekakh, Ronald J. O'Malley

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The formation and evolution of oxide scale in contact with mold flux during continuous casting, subsequent reheating, and hydraulic descaling are strongly governed by steel chemistry. To elucidate the effect of complex alloying elements (Si, Mn, and Cr), two industrially produced continuously cast low-carbon steel grades for manufacturing stamped parts (a base and alloyed steel grade) were investigated. The objective was to determine how alloying elements influence oxidation behavior, scale morphology, interfacial adhesion, and water-jet descaling efficiency. Continuously cast slab specimens were subjected to controlled thermal and atmospheric oxidation cycles simulating multistage industrial practice. Three initial surface conditions (industrial as-cast, …

Sadqn-Based Residual Energy-Aware Beamforming For Lora-Enabled Rf Energy Harvesting For Disaster-Tolerant Underground Mining Networks, Hilary Kelechi Anabi, Samuel Frimpong, Sanjay Madria

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The end-to-end efficiency of radio-frequency (RF)-powered wireless communication networks (WPCNs) in post-disaster underground mine environments can be enhanced through adaptive beamforming. The primary challenges in such scenarios include (i) identifying the most energy-constrained nodes, i.e., nodes with the lowest residual energy to prevent the loss of tracking and localization functionality; (ii) avoiding reliance on the computationally intensive channel state information (CSI) acquisition process; and (iii) ensuring long-range RF wireless power transfer (LoRa-RFWPT). To address these issues, this paper introduces an adaptive and safety-aware deep reinforcement learning (DRL) framework for energy beamforming in LoRa-enabled underground disaster networks. Specifically, we develop a …

Utilizing Digital Twins To Model And Optimize Hydraulic Excavator Operator Performance Through Arena Simulation, Mateo Fernando Montenegro Defaz, Kwame Awuah-Offei

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This study aims to provide a digital twin tool for mining and construction companies to evaluate the effect of operator behaviors on the truck-loading process, focusing on swing and bucket rotation. While equipment performance estimators are available, there are few tools to assess the influence of operators. The aim is to create a discrete event simulation (DES) model in Arena® to evaluate how variations in swing and bucket angles affect hydraulic excavator production rates. We validated the DES model using real-world data from a case study to assess the differences in behavior among four operators. Results showed that Operator 1 …

Stall Detection In Hydraulic Excavator Operations Using Heuristics And Machine Learning: A Case Study, Mateo Fernando Montenegro Defaz, Kwame Awuah-Offei, Yixiang Gao

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This work aims to develop a reliable algorithm for stall detection during excavator digging by analyzing key operational variables such as velocity and angular displacements from machine monitoring data. The work develops and validates a heuristic algorithm to detect stalling events and trains a support vector machine classification algorithm to distinguish between "normal" digging cycles and cycles with stalling. This work is a novel attempt at using a classification algorithm to categorize digging cycles into normal and those with stalling events based on machine monitoring data alone. The developed classification algorithm achieved a sensitivity of 100%, indicating it correctly identified …

A Literature Review And Conceptual Framework For Sustainability In Open-Pit Mine Planning, Raymond Kudzawu-D'Pherdd, Kwame Awuah-Offei, Esteban Koberg De La Cruz, Marcos Goycoolea, Andrea Brickey, Alexandra M. Newman

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper presents a comprehensive literature review and a conceptual framework for integrating environmental sustainability into strategic mine planning, focusing on open pits. Despite growing interest, easily discernible sustainability metrics remain elusive in early mine-planning stages, and are included as a post-processing step, if at all, rather than integrated a priori into a mine plan via, e.g., optimization. Through a literature review, we identify efforts regarding how environmental dimensions, such as emissions, water use, and land rehabilitation, are addressed across mine planning phases. We propose the Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability Framework for Mine Planning, which: (i) embeds sustainability into decision …

Analysis Of Pull-Out Tests For Resin-Grouted Rib Bolts, Khaled Mohamed, Yuting Xue, Dogukan Guner, Alper Kirmaci, Taghi Sherizadeh

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Resin-grouted rib bolts serve as a crucial means of stabilizing spalling of coal ribs in underground coal mines. A comprehensive investigation into their efficacy was undertaken by a collaborative effort between the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and Missouri University of Science and Technology (MST). This study involved pull-out tests of rib bolts in multiple locations, including six coal mines and the NIOSH research mine. A total of seventy-three (73) pull-out tests were conducted for rib bolts installed at different rotation speeds and a wide range of anchorage lengths, ranging from a short encapsulation length of 0.305 …

Sustmine: A Framework For Integrating Sustainable Development Dimensions Into Strategic Mine Planning, Hussam Altalhi, Kwame Awuah-Offei, Gabriel Nicolosi, Abdullah Al Moinee, Nasib Al Habib

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Strategic mine planning involves optimizing resource extraction to achieve economic, environmental, and social objectives. However, only a few frameworks offer a unified approach that simultaneously employs systematic indicator selection and weightless trade-off evaluation. This study addresses these issues by proposing a comprehensive framework for integrating sustainability into strategic mine planning, named SustMine. SustMine introduces two key advancements: (1) a rigorous, systematic, criteria-based process for selecting site-specific sustainable development indicators (SDIs), and (2) a weightless evaluation strategy that utilizes Pareto front analysis to construct composite indices. This allows decision-makers to identify non-dominated (optimally balanced) alternatives without relying on arbitrary or subjective …

Infant Sensory Gating And A Developmental Cascade To Autistic Traits And Anxiety, Rebecca F Schwarzlose

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Disruptions to the infant sensory environment can have lasting effects on neural response properties and behavior in both humans and animals. Recent work has begun to highlight an additional factor in infant sensory experience: differences in inhibitory signaling and sensory gating. Converging work from human and animal studies has begun to implicate a developmental cascade by which impaired sensory gating during a sensitive period of neonatal neurodevelopment promotes a phenotype of sensory over-responsivity, autistic traits, anxiety, and other psychiatric challenges. In this Review, I propose a model for this developmental cascade and highlight how differences in infant sensory responsivity represent …

Characteristics And Outcomes Of Patients With Hematologic Malignancies Hospitalized With Respiratory Viral Infections, Zulfiqar A Lokhandwala, Brenna Park-Egan, Ravneet Waraich, Colleen A Mcevoy, Andrew P Michelson, Alice F Bewley, Lynne Strasfeld, Rachel Cook, Brandon Hayes-Lattin, Catherine L Hough, Patrick G Lyons

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Respiratory viral infections in patients with hematologic malignancies or hematopoietic stem cell transplants (HCTs) are associated with increased morbidity and mortality. However, the hospital presentations and courses of these infections remain under-described.

METHODS: We performed a multicenter retrospective cohort study of hospitalized patients with hematologic malignancy or HCT at 2 comprehensive cancer centers between January 2019 and June 2023. We included all patients with acute viral respiratory infection (identified based on a constellation of test results and objective physiology), comparing clinical presentations, care processes, and patient outcomes across pathogens; the primary outcome was the composite of hospital death or …

Steroid Hormone Metabolites And Mammographic Breast Density In Premenopausal Women, Ghazaleh Pourali, Kayode A Matthew, Myung Sik Jeon, Chongliang Luo, Gary J Patti, Jingqin Luo, Adetunji T Toriola

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Steroid hormones influence breast morphology and cellular proliferation and are associated with breast carcinogenesis. However, their associations with mammographic breast density (MBD) are less studied, particularly in premenopausal women. We, therefore, investigated the associations of steroid hormone metabolites with MBD in premenopausal women.

METHODS: Our study included 700 premenopausal women scheduled for screening mammograms. We analyzed 54 steroid hormone metabolites (Metabolon®) and assessed volumetric measures of MBD including volumetric percent density (VPD), dense volume (DV), and non-dense volume (NDV) using Volpara. We investigated associations using linear regression modeling to estimate the covariate-adjusted means of VPD, NDV, and DV, corresponding …

Intraoperative Neurophysiological Monitoring In Full-Endoscopic Cervical Endoscopic Ulbd, Miles Hudson, Sarah Esposito, Mark M Zaki, Simon M Glynn, Osama N Kashlan, John Ogunlade, Chandan Krishna, Joshua Bakhsheshian, Christoph P Hofstetter

2020-Current year OA Pubs

No abstract provided.

Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition And Stress Adaptations Underlie Yttrium-90 Resistance In Liver Cancer Cell Lines, Alexander Zheleznyak, Dhanusha Duraiyan, Prasanth Thunuguntla, Jessica Camacho, Shuang Wu, Jingxia Liu, Jason D Weber, Daniel L J Thorek, Benjamin S Strnad, Ryan C Fields, Matthew A Ciorba, Christine Yoon, Valerie Blanc, Nicholas Davidson, Jessica Silva-Fisher, Christopher D Malone

2020-Current year OA Pubs

UNLABELLED: Molecular signatures predict prognosis in hepatocellular carcinoma, but their relevance to transarterial radioembolization (TARE) with yttrium-90 (90Y) is unknown. We aimed to identify baseline and treatment-induced pathways associated with response and nominate biomarkers. Ten transcriptomically diverse human liver cancer cell lines were exposed to escalating activities of glass 90Y microspheres for 10 days. Normalized AUC values quantified sensitivity. Whole-transcriptome RNA sequencing at baseline and after treatment was analyzed with elastic net regression and gene set enrichment. Findings were corroborated by qRT-qPCR and exploratory analysis of pretreatment tumor samples from patients undergoing TARE. Liver cancer cell line responses to 90Y …

The Cognitive-Affective Social Processing And Emotion Regulation (Casper) Model, M Catalina Camacho, Elina Deshpande, Michael T Perino

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Humans are intensely social creatures. It is therefore not surprising that many psychiatric disorder criteria include social dysfunctions; however, overlapping presentations and diverse, complex etiologies make treating social dysfunctions difficult. Here, we introduce the Cognitive Affective Social Processing and Emotion Regulation (CASPER) model. CASPER integrates research from social psychology, cognitive neuroscience, and developmental science to describe how real-world social processing unfolds and is associated with differing psychiatric social cognitive neurophenotypes. Briefly, social processing can be broken down into the following cognitive steps: identifying relevant social cues, attending to related cues, interpreting cues, and adjusting behavior appropriately. Each of these steps …

High Temperature Mold Gap Measurement Using Optical Fiber Interferometry, Jie Huang, Ronald O'Malley, Dinesh Reddy Alla, Deva Prasaad Neelakandan, Muhammad Roman

Patents

A temperature insensitive fiber optic Fabry-Perot interferometer based mold gap measurement system that can be employed in foundry and continuous casting facilities for both non-ferrous and ferrous production applications. For steel continuous casting, the sensor is also capable of detecting crystallite formation in the mold flux layer within the mold gap by detecting reflections from both the flux layer and the steel shell to facilitate direct mold lubrication monitoring for continuous casting. These interferometers can also be easily multiplexed to perform interface shape measurements or monitor gap variations at various positions within a complex mold design. The ability to measure …

Fluorescent Security Glass, Rachel Leigh Grodsky, Richard Brow, Melissa Malone Teague

Patents

A tamper-evident glass and methods of using the tamperevident glass are provided herein. The tamper-evident glass comprising at least a first plurality of tamper-evident elements, which may be unique or near unique to each manufacturing of tamper-evident glass. The initial state of tamper-evident glass and positioning of the plurality of tamper-evident elements may be mapped through digital scanning to create a digital file of the current state of the tamper-evident glass. The tamper-evident glass may be scanned again to create a new digital file for comparison and to determine if a tampering event has occurred. The tamper-evident elements may include …