Digital Commons Network^™

Leader Election System For An Unmanned Ground Vehicle Swarm, Milan Chhetri, Brendan Beas, Paul Levin

Electrical Engineering

This senior project presents the design and implementation of a leader-election system for a leader-follower unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) swarm using embedded control and wireless communication. The objective of the project is to improve the robustness and mission longevity of a multi-agent robotic system by allowing the swarm to dynamically select the most suitable leader during operation. Each UGV is equipped with an ESP32 microcontroller, DWM1000 Ultra-Wideband (UWB) ranging modules, an MPU-6050 inertial measurement unit (IMU), motor drivers, and supporting power electronics to enable communication, sensing, and autonomous control. A battery monitoring subsystem was developed using the ESP32's built-in Analog-to-Digital …

Maximum Power Point Tracker And Dc/Dc Converter, Isabel Aguas, Madeline Steiner, Haley Blouin, Tristan Asquith, Ellijah Garcia

Electrical Engineering

The product is a solar Maximum Power Point Tracker (MPPT) with an integrated DC-DC converter for efficient power extraction from a solar module. The MPPT optimizes solar energy, sourcing power to a 12V battery which is the source of a DC-DC converter operating as a variable voltage output for various applications, capable of providing voltage greater or less than the voltage supplied by the solar module. The DC-DC converter outputs a manually adjustable DC voltage within the range of 5-50V. Both MPPT and the DC-DC converter are functional for standard solar modules with power ratings ranging from 50-400W, open circuit …

Archimedean Spiral Antenna Array With Klopfenstein And Exponential Tapered Balun Feeds, Leo Joseph Alvelais Iv, Paul Obrecht, Naguib Abdulla, Preston Mavady, Collin Fan

Electrical Engineering

This project presents the design, fabrication, and experimental evaluation of a broadband 3x3 Archimedean spiral antenna array tile for 2.8-3.8 GHz. Each element combines a two-arm spiral on Rogers RO4350B, a printed 50 to 150 Ω tapered balun, and a conductive backplane. Klopfenstein and Exponential feed implementations were modeled in Ansys HFSS, generated and tuned with automated scripting, fabricated, and evaluated with calibrated network and anechoic-chamber measurements. The Klopfenstein-fed hardware met the -10 dB input-reflection criterion across the project band. The exponential array provided a broad matched response but reached approximately -8 dB near 2.95 GHz. Measured center-element patterns retained …

Vision-Based Autonomous Tracking Rover, Alejandro Ahumada, Erick Ayala, Jonathan Chavez

Electrical Engineering

AAC Vision designed and constructed a vision-based autonomous tracking rover capable of exploring an indoor environment, avoiding obstacles, generating a two-dimensional LiDAR map, detecting a standard orange basketball, and approaching the target without manual steering. The rover uses a Raspberry Pi 4, an Intel RealSense D435 RGB-D camera, an RPLIDAR C1, four JGB37-520 Hall-encoder motors, dual H-bridge motor drivers, a 12 V battery, and a custom aluminum chassis measuring approximately 8 in by 12 in and weighing 6.7 lb. The final mission emphasized reliable target discovery rather than travel between predetermined points. The software integrates Python, OpenCV, Ultralytics YOLO, RealSense …

Data-Driven Decision-Making Capacity Of State Vr Agencies, Catherine Ipsen, Christopher Clapp, Jordan A. Costello

Employment

Federal agencies are required to use data to support policy and program decisions. This factsheet explores VR capacity to use their data to shape decision-making and develop return on investment (ROI) models.

A Rationale For Social Return On Investment, Catherine Ipsen, Christopher Clapp, Jordan A. Costello

Employment

This fact sheet compares the utility of two different return on investment (ROI) models for assessing the value of VR services. In this fact sheet, the research team compares data from the Virginia VR program to demonstrate differences between the social and taxpayer ROI models and makes a case for using social ROI for assessing VR services.

Older Medicare Beneficiaries’ Use Of Long Term Services And Supports, 2015-2021, Yvonne Jonk Phd, Heidi O'Connor, Erica C. Ziller Phd

All Maine Rural Health Research Center Publications

By 2040 the adult population age 65 and older is projected to grow from 48 million in 2014 to over 83 million people.1 This is due to aging Baby Boomers, as well as increased longevity associated with favorable shifts in health behaviors such as an overall decline in smoking and alcohol consumption.2 Yet, physical inactivity and substance use are contributing to higher incidences of obesity and chronic health conditions. The combination of aging populations with chronic conditions is expected to increase the demand for long term services and supports (LTSS). These services include home and community-based services (HCBS) and services …

Discordance Between Self-Report And Performance-Based Measures Among At-Risk Older Adults: A Secondary Data Analysis, Chiung-Ju Liu, Wen-Pin Chang, Inga Wang

Occupational Therapy Faculty Publications

Importance: Subtle, age-related declines in occupational performance among at-risk older adults may go undetected when assessed solely with self-report measures, potentially leading to missed intervention opportunities. Understanding discrepancies between self-reported and performance-based occupational performance outcomes can inform assessment selection and interpretation.

Objective: To examine the discrepancies between the two types of measure among community-dwelling older adults at risk for losing independence.

Design: Cross-sectional study using secondary data analysis.

Participants: Seventy-one community-dwelling older adults (M age = 74 yr, SD = 9) who showed muscle weakness and reported difficulty with activities of daily living.

Outcomes and measures: Canadian Occupational Performance Measure …

When Muscle Matters: Skeletal Muscle Mass And Surgical Outcomes, Lauren G. Schumacher

Summer Interdisciplinary Research Symposium

Objective: The goal of this project was to explore the relationship between skeletal muscle mass and postoperative complications in order to evaluate how muscle-based surgical risk assessment could lead to actionable preoperative plans for adult surgical patients.

Methods: A literature review was conducted using ScienceDirect and Research Rabbit to identify studies examining skeletal muscle and surgical outcomes. Full text studies involving adult surgical patients and evaluating skeletal muscle characteristics were included, while studies involving pediatric, non-surgical populations, lacking postoperative follow-up, or published before 2020 were excluded. Five total studies consisting of meta-analyses, retrospective cohort studies, a systematic review, and a …

The Regulatory Corner: Light Brown Apple Moth Not To Be Taken Lightly, Harry Fulton

Midsouth Entomologist

No abstract provided.

Cryptic Habits: The Hidden Lives Of Midsouth Entomologists. Interview With Dr. Jerome Goddard, Mississippi Public Health Entomologist And Fiction Novelist, C. J. Peterson, Jerome Goddard

Midsouth Entomologist

No abstract provided.

Trial By Fire: Disaster Justice And Lessons Learned, Clifford Villa

Faculty Scholarship

Disaster Justice reflects the intersection of environmental justice and disaster law. The study of disaster justice is becoming increasingly essential as disasters become more frequent and devastating in the face of accelerating climate change. Disaster law is marked by statutes such as the federal Stafford Act and by theory such as the “disaster cycle” of readiness, response, and recovery. Environmental justice recognizes that the distribution of harms such as bad air or water quality may be distributed inequitably among groups such as low-income populations or racial minorities. In similar fashion, the adverse impacts of disasters may also be distributed inequitably …

July 2026, Southwestern Oklahoma State University

ITS Newsletter

Welcome to the latest ITS Newsletter. This issue includes a recap of recent technology projects, updates on initiatives currently in progress, information about new and upcoming reports, and links to helpful technology resources and policies.

Our goal is to keep the SWOSU community informed about the work being done to support students, faculty, and staff while providing resources that help you make the most of campus technology services.

The Impact Of Sports Participation At Differing Levels On Young Women's Self-Esteem, Carly Petrower

ETD Collection

Women’s participation in sports has long been associated with health benefits; however, its impact on psychological well-being, particularly self-esteem, among young women remains unclear. In this work, the relationship between sports participation and self-esteem among young women at three levels: youth, high school, and collegiate was examined. A total of 40 participants across all competition levels were included in the study, and both quantitative and qualitative analyses were conducted. The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) and an open-ended survey were used. Responses found that self-esteem levels were moderate. Moreover, one-way ANOVA revealed no significant differences in self-esteem across women following regression …

Risk And Protective Factors Associated With Posttraumatic Stress And Chronic Pain, Dominique Noelle Legros

ETD Collection

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can co-occur with chronic pain, and this co-occurrence has been linked to negative outcomes such as increased severity of either condition over time. Although theoretical literature has focused on the factors that contribute to this co-occurrence, limited empirical research has examined factors that predict the presence of posttraumatic stress (PTS) and chronic pain together. Thus, the purpose of this correlational study was to expand our understanding in this area by exploring risk (i.e., avoidance coping and anxiety sensitivity) and protective factors (i.e., social support, self-efficacy, and self-compassion) of both PTS and chronic pain while accounting for …

Staying The Course: A Mixed-Method Exploration Of Social And Emotional Learning Skills For First-Year College Student Retention, Verna Henry

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

Across the nation, thousands of first-year college students begin their journey full of hope, yet far too many do not reach their second year. Only 74% of full-time students continue, and fewer than seven in 10 remain at the same college. For many, the struggle is not simply academic. It is emotional, social, and deeply personal. Students who face challenges with time management, stress, and self-regulation are often overwhelmed, uncertain, and at risk of dropping out before achieving their goals. To help ease this transition, many colleges offer first-year experience courses that connect students to tutoring, counseling, and campus resources. …

Nb–Zr Interdiffusion In The (Hf,Ta,Ti,Nb)B2–(Hf,Ta,Ti,Zr)B2 High-Entropy Boride System, Ana C. Feltrin, Yue Zhou, Stefano Curtarolo, Gregory E. Hilmas, William G. Fahrenholtz

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Niobium (Nb) presents a challenge for achieving homogeneous solid solutions in high-entropy boride and carbide ceramics. In this work, we synthesized (Hf,Ta,Ti,Zr)B₂ (Zr-HEB) and (Hf,Ta,Ti,Nb)B₂ (Nb-HEB) ceramics by boro/carbothermal reduction, followed by densification via spark plasma sintering (SPS). Diffusion couples were prepared to investigate the interdiffusion behavior of Nb and zirconium (Zr) in these complex systems at temperatures between 2000°C and 2200°C. Aside from Nb and Zr, the other elements exhibited no significant concentration gradient across the diffusion interface. Nb exhibited lower diffusion coefficients ((Formula presented.) Nb = 1.7 x 10⁻¹⁷–1.2 x 10⁻¹⁶ m^{2 …}

Understanding How Fire Impacts Soil Carbon And Nutrient Cycling: Toward Standardized Reporting Of Fire Metrics For The Integrated Plant-Soil System, Julia B. Gaudinski, Kate Wilkin, Jasquelin Peña, Mary E. Miller, Margaret S. Torn

Michigan Tech Publications

Fire events impact soil carbon (C) and nutrient stocks immediately due to combustion of biomass and organic matter and set up additional post-fire changes to ecosystem inputs and losses. The literature on this topic is expanding rapidly as large and intense wildfires are increasingly affecting communities globally. However, many of these studies do not describe initial post-fire soil conditions adequately or consistently, nor do they link the impacts of fire on C and nutrient cycling to key soil properties and soil inputs, stocks and fluxes. Here we conduct a systematic analysis of 56 review- papers published in 2010 or later …

Accélérer Le Changement Pour Les Adolescentes D’Afrique De L’Ouest Et Du Centre Grâce À L’Autonomisation Économique, Mame Soukeye Mbaye, Sarah Engebretsen, Maty Dia, Karen Austrian

Adolescents and Young People

La série « L’avenir des filles en point de mire : données probantes d’Afrique de l’Ouest et du Centre » examine les défis auxquels font face les adolescentes de la région et met en lumière des approches éclairées par les données probantes pour améliorer leurs conditions de vie. Cette note résume les données disponibles sur l’autonomisation économique des adolescentes — revenus, moyens de subsistance, épargne, inclusion financière, capacité d’action, transition vers le monde du travail, ou l’ensemble de ces éléments — en Afrique de l’Ouest et du Centre, en s’appuyant notamment sur les données issues des pays prioritaires du GIRL …

Community-Based Tuberculosis Screening With Computer-Aided Detection Technology Alone And In Combination With Point-Of-Care C-Reactive Protein Testing: A Paired Screen-Positive Trial, Klaus Reither, Fiona Vanobberghen, Anna Verjans, Harsh Harkare, Bart Jacobs, Alastair Heerden, Shriya Misra, Fabrizio Tedios, Curdin Brugger, Alfred Keter

Population Health, East Africa

Background Active tuberculosis case-finding in communities is crucial for early disease detection and disruption of transmission; however, it is complex and costly. A thorough analysis of tuberculosis screening strategies is essential, particularly because the health systems affected often have limited resources. We aimed to compare two community screening approaches in terms of tuberculosis case yield and cost.

Methods This pragmatic community trial, with a paired screen-positive design (ie, within-person comparison), was conducted in the Butha-Buthe District in Lesotho and the uMgungundlovu District in South Africa. All household members aged at least 18 years were eligible to participate, except those who …

Social Media Adoption In Urban And Rural Flood Risk Management: Evidence From Nebraska’S 2019 Flood-Affected Regions, Anisha Khandokar

Community and Regional Planning Program: Theses

Flooding is one of the most devastating natural hazards, causing significant economic losses and threatening public safety. While social media has emerged as a powerful tool for disaster communication, its effectiveness in rural flood risk management remains underexplored. This study evaluates the role of social media in disseminating flood-related information and engaging communities during and after 2019 Nebraska floods. This study incorporates SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis method to examine how the seven core communication functions were utilized for flood risk management at the state, regional, and local levels. The findings reveal that while state agencies dominated social …

Performance Evaluation Of The Xpert® Hcv Test On Fingerstick Blood In A Prospective Observational Clinical Study At Clia-Waived Sites In The United States, Jennifer R. Havens, Shelly Ann Fluker, Jonathan Schimmel, L. Madeline Mccrary, Lesley S. Miller, Tomoko Udo, Yukari C. Manabe, Anne Luetkemeyer, Greer Burkholder, Andrew M. Moon, Cody A. Chastain, Jennifer C. Price, John Cafardi, Juan F. Gallegos-Orozco, Brittany A. Young, Jesse Young, Carlos Aparicio, Yu Song, Eric Lai, Gail E. Louw

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Background: A major barrier to hepatitis C virus (HCV) elimination in the United States is the lack of a point-of-care test to confirm the presence of HCV RNA. The purpose of this clinical trial was to evaluate the performance of the Xpert® HCV test at CLIA-waived sites in the United States. Methods: Participants at risk and/or with signs/symptoms of HCV infection provided fingerstick blood that was tested on the Xpert® HCV test and venous blood tested using the cobas® HCV and Elecsys® Anti-HCV II tests. Fingerstick blood was collected at CLIA-waived sites by individuals self-trained on collection procedures. Results: Participants …

Summer 2026, Augustana College, Rock Island Illinois

Augustana Magazine

No abstract provided.

Sharksrx Newsletter Summer 2026, Nova Southeastern University

NSU Sharks Rx

No abstract provided.

Decision Model For The Application Of Circular Economy In The End-Of-Life Management Of Power Transformers, Maha Mansour Nadhari

Theses

Power transformers are critical assets within utilities characterized by high capital and material intensity and long operational lifetimes. Traditionally, end-of-life management strategies for these transformers are very linear, limited to recovery or basic recycling and disposal. Although circular strategies can be integrated into the end-of-life management of these transformers, a key challenge to implementation is the absence of a structured, multi-criteria framework that can support decision-making in this context. This study addresses this gap by developing a decision model using a hybrid Multi Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) approach combining the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the Technique for Order Preference …

Meridian, Rachel Seaton

Theses

Meridian is an ambient tabletop object that translates physiological data into a continuously evolving visual landscape. Rather than presenting emotional information through charts or notifications, it exists as a quiet environmental presence that can be understood through peripheral awareness. A simulated biometric system drives a particle field whose movement reflects physiological variation, producing eight distinct visual signatures. The visual system is governed by four parameters: field density, field disturbance, signal trace, and signal duration, which together shape the behavior and persistence of the particle field. The teardrop form was selected for its ability to convey both the passage of time …

Modernizing Civic Building Design For Emergency Shelter Operations: An Architectural Framework With Proposed Design Guidelines For 21st-Century Shelter Readiness, Enrique M. Peralta

Theses

The frequency and severity of climate-related disasters are rising globally, resulting in the displacement of millions of individuals each year. Although this is a worldwide issue, the present research concentrates on the New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut tri-state region, where severe storms, flooding, prolonged power outages, and other natural hazards frequently necessitate the activation of emergency shelters. While schools, community centers, and other civic buildings are commonly designated for emergency shelter operations, these facilities were not originally designed to accommodate displaced groups during such events. This study focuses on the immediate sheltering period following a disaster, defined as the …

Butte Reclamation Evaluation System Corrective Action Plans For Reclaimed Sites 2025 Bres Site Specific Corrective Action Plans For Quadrant 2, Butte-Silver Bow Department Of Reclamation And Environmental Services

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Examining Clinical Educators’ Readiness For Artificial Intelligence In Medical Education: An Exploratory Qualitative Study, Tim Murphy, Ginger Vaughn, Rob E. Carpenter, Benjamin Mckinney, Rochell Mcwhorter

Human Resource Development Faculty Publications and Presentations

Artificial intelligence (AI), treated in this study as an umbrella term for AI-enabled clinical and educational technologies rather than as a single platform, is reshaping medical education, including how diagnostic skills, treatment planning, and patient care are taught. This study examines AI integration in medical education through the perceptions and readiness of clinical educators. Guided by the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology, the study explores factors influencing AI adoption in medical training, including performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions. In this exploratory study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 clinical educators in the south-central …

Rethinking Preoperative Mrsa/Mssa Screening Through Molecular Triage, Rob E. Carpenter, Greg Whitlock

Human Resource Development Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Preoperative screening for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) is intended to identify patients at increased risk of surgical site infection and guide decolonization and perioperative antimicrobial prophylaxis. However, many molecular assays reduce this decision to a binary positive/ negative result, potentially obscuring clinically important distinctions in organism identity, methicillin resistance attribution, and mupirocin resistance risk. Methods: This structured narrative review organized direct perioperative evidence and indirect mechanistic, implementation, and economic evidence around one question: how MRSA/MSSA screening can move from organism detection to actionable molecular triage. Results: Useful preoperative reporting depends on assigning resistance markers …