Digital Commons Network^™

The Role Of Personality And Late-Life Categorical Spending Regret, Blain Pearson, Thomas Korankye, Sarah Asebedo

Finance and Economics

This study examines the association between the big five “OCEAN” personality traits and late-life categorical spending regret. The categorical spending regrets examined are housing, food, clothing, appliances/furnishings, cars, leisure, child-related expenses, and providing financial help. Openness was associated negatively with spending regret on food. Conscientiousness was associated positively with spending regret on appliances/furnishings and cars. Extraversion was associated negatively with spending regret on food, cars, and providing financial help. Agreeableness was associated positively with spending regret on food, clothing, leisure, and providing financial help. The results for Neuroticism indicated no statistically significant association between the OCEAN personality traits and the …

Mining Waste In The Himalayas, Leslie Leong

The Goose

Materiality is a key aspect of the fourteen artworks I created over one month as Artist-in-Residence at Sagarmatha Next, the experience centre for sustainable tourism in the Khumbu region of Nepal. My intention with the residency is to create work from the human discards that accumulate in the area around Mount Everest, known as Sagarmatha in Nepali. The artwork I created during this residency are deeply rooted in the materiality of their components and serve as powerful commentaries on environmental issues, the passage of time, and the potential for transformation inherent in discarded materials. Through the deliberate use of waste, …

Few-Shot Transfer Learning For Individualized Braking Intent Detection On Neuromorphic Hardware, Nathan A. Lutes, V. Sriram Siddhardth Nedendla, K. Krishnamurthy

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This work explores use of a few-shot transfer learning method to train and implement a convolutional spiking neural network (CSNN) on a Brain Chip Akida AKD1000 neuromorphic system-on-chip for developing individual-level, instead of traditionally used group-level, models using electroencephalographic data. The efficacy of the method is studied on an advanced driver assist system related task of predicting braking intention. Approach. Data are collected from participants operating an NVIDIA JetBot on a testbed simulating urban streets for three different scenarios. Participants receive a braking indicator in the form of: (1) an audio countdown in a nominal baseline, stress-free environment; (2) an …

Absence Of Tev Halos Around Millisecond Pulsars, A. U. Abeysekara, R. Alfaro, C. Alvarez, J. C. Arteaga-Velázquez, D. Avila Rojas, H. A. Ayala Solares, R. Babu, E. Belmont-Moreno, A. Bernal, K. S. Caballero-Mora, T. Capistrán, A. Carramiñana, S. Casanova, U. Cotti, J. Cotzomi, S. Coutiño De León, E. De La Fuente, D. Depaoli, P. Desiati, N. Di Lalla, R. Diaz Hernandez, M. A. Duvernois, J. C. Diaz-Velez, K. Engel, T. Ergin, K. L. Fan, K. Fang, N. Fraija, S. Fraija, J. A. Garcia-Gonzalez, F. Garfias, M. M. Gonzalez, J. A. Goodman, J. P. Harding, S. Hernandez-Cadena, D. Huang, F. Hueyotl-Zahuantitla, A. Iriarte, S. Kaufmann, D. Kieda, A. Lara, J. Lee, H. Leon Vargas, J. T. Linnemann, A. L. Longinotti, G. Luis-Raya, K. Malone, O. Martinez, J. Martinez-Castro, J. A. Matthews, P. Miranda-Romagnoli, J. A. Morales-Soto, E. Moreno, M. Mostafa, M. Najafi, L. Nellen, M. Newbold, M. U. Nisa, R. Noriega-Papaqui, N. Omodei, Y. Perez Araujo, E. G. Perez-Perez, C. D. Rho, D. Rosa-Gonzalez, E. Ruiz-Velasco, M. A. Roth, H. Salazar, A. Sandoval, J. Serna-Franco, Y. Son, R. W. Springer, O. Tibolla, K. Tollefson, I. Torres, R. Torres-Escobedo, R. Turner, F. Urena-Mena, E. Varela, L. Villasenor, Xiaojie Wang, Z. Wang, I. J. Watson, H. Wu, S. Yu

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

TeV halos are extended very-high-energy (VHE; 0.1-100 TeV) gamma-ray emission around middle-aged pulsars. So far, they have only been found around isolated pulsars, but it has been suggested that they may also be powered by millisecond pulsars (MSPs). We searched for VHE gamma-ray emission from MSPs reported by radio and GeV gamma-ray observatories in 2565 days of data from the High-Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) Observatory. We found no significant emission from individual pulsars. By combining the likelihood profiles of all MSPs accessible to HAWC, our analysis suggests that the excess emission around the MSP population is consistent with a background. …

Managing Cybersecurity In Local Governments: 2022, Donald F. Norris Phd, Laura K. Mateczun Jd

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

This paper, based on data from our second nationwide survey of cybersecurity among local or grassroots governments in the U.S., examines how these governments manage this important function. As we have shown elsewhere, cybersecurity among local governments is increasingly important because these governments are under constant or nearly constant cyberattack. Due to the frequency of cyberattacks, as well as the probability that at least some attacks will succeed and cause damage to local government information systems, these governments have great responsibility to protect their information assets. This, in turn, requires these governments to manage cybersecurity effectively, something our data show …

Reflexiones Sobre Comunicación, Colaboración Y Convergencia, Primera Edición: Modelos Estratégicos Para Educación E Investigación Stem [Ebook], James Lipuma Ph.D., Cristo Leon Ph.D., Victor Hugo Guzmán Zarate Ph.D., John Wolf Ph.D.

STEM for Success Resources

Este libro explora más de cinco años de experiencia investigativa y práctica en torno a los sistemas de aprendizaje y educación, especialmente relacionados con Ciencia, Tecnología, Ingeniería y Matemáticas (STEM). Es una recopilación de ideas sobre cómo comunicarse con los actores clave para incrementar la colaboración e impulsar la convergencia. La presente colección de artículos se basa en investigaciones empíricas primarias que, en conjunto, abarcan varios años y numerosos proyectos financiados, y presenta marcos conceptuales para reflexionar sobre la transferencia de conocimiento en STEM y la formación del carácter estudiantil, así como sugerencias prácticas para la praxis cotidiana. A lo …

The Sedimentological Signature Of Impact Spherules And Its Relation To Ejecta Transport Mechanisms During The Chicxulub Asteroid Impact (Cretaceous/Paleogene Boundary), Hermann D. Bermúdez, Liliana Bolívar, José A. Arz, Ignacio Arenillas, Vicente Gilabert, Robert Depalma, George Phillips, Daniela Bermúdez, Maurizia De Palma, Clemencia Gómez, Ying Cui

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The Chicxulub impact is the most likely cause of the Cretaceous/Paleogene boundary (KPB) mass extinction and the only impact event in Earth's history with a globally traceable ejecta bed. Although the impact spherules are thought to represent molten or vaporized material, precise genesis and transport mechanisms remain underconstrained. Here, we show that the morphology, size, internal structure, and distribution of the spherules within the KPB deposits are related to origin and transport processes. The study of thousands of spherules from KPB deposits in Colombia, the USA, and Spain has revealed the presence of three fractions related to three different distribution …

Ai Culture ‘Profiling’ And Anti-Money Laundering: Efficacy Vs Ethics, John W. Goodell, Cal B. Muckley, Parvati Neelakantan, Darragh Ryan

University Research

Using extensive transaction and money laundering detection data, at a globally important financial institution, we investigate the efficacy of including facets of national culture in formulating anti-money laundering predictions. For corporate and individual accounts, Hofstede individualism scores of the country in which a customer is resident, or from which a wire is sent/received, are of first-order importance in the detection of money laundering. When combined with account and transaction data; as well as even a proprietary institutional algorithm, individualism scores continue to determine the models’ predictive performances. The efficacy of cultural profiling in money laundering detection underscores the need for …

Tailor-Designed Oxalic Acid-Crosslinked Poly(Vinyl Alcohol)/Chitosan Biodegradable Films For Active Food Packaging Applications, Reem Hazem Fathy Anwar Elaasar

Theses and Dissertations

Food packaging plastic waste is posing great threats to ecosystems, human health, and the planet's overall sustainability; therefore, research has been directed towards the fabrication of biodegradable food packaging materials. In this study, active and biodegradable oxalic acid (OA) crosslinked poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/chitosan (CS) composite films of different weight ratios were synthesized via the solvent casting technique and their food packaging properties were investigated. Owing to its water resistance and antibacterial superiority, the composite film with the ratio of OA chemically crosslinked PVA/CS 80:20 was elected to be coated with green tea extract (GTE) to ameliorate its antibacterial and antioxidant …

Limitations In Speech Recognition For Young Adults With Down Syndrome, Franceli L. Cibrian, Yingying 'Yuki' Chen, Kayla Anderson, Cecilia Marie Abrahamsson, Vivian Genaro Motti

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

Speech recognition has the potential to make technology more accessible to users. However, the accuracy of speech recognition remains limited for users with disabilities, including those with Down Syndrome, and the types and frequencies of recognition errors are poorly understood. This paper characterizes these problems, focusing on errors occurring when recognizing Down Syndrome speech. We analyze the transcripts from six speech recognition algorithms (Google, IBM, Otter.ai, Microsoft, AssemblyAI, OpenAI) using the audio content of 15 individuals with Down Syndrome (331 dialogues; 3428 words). Our analysis shows: (1) significant difference in speech recognition accuracy for people with Down Syndrome compared to …

Youth Public Speaking Self-Efficacy Survey Tool, Roshan Nayak, Steven M. Worker, Nicole Marshall-Wheeler

Journal of Extension

Extension has a role to play in workforce development by preparing the next generation to be successful communicators. While Extension 4-H youth programs have contributed to public speaking development since their inception, there has not been a validated instrument to assess young people’s public speaking self-efficacy. We utilized an iterative-scale development process to develop, test, and refine such a tool. We hope youth development professionals will consider using the Youth Public Speaking Self-Efficacy (PSSE) survey tool to measure and report youth’s PSSE skills, along with the sources influencing these skills, to help with program planning, implementation, and professional development activities.

An Inventory Of Private Well Programs Across The United States, Bethany G. Foust, Ann S. Ojeda, Jessica Curl, Eve Brantley, Stephanie R. Rogers

Journal of Extension

Private well owners comprise approximately 15% of the United States (US) population and are responsible for managing their well water. Management of domestic wells can be burdensome, requires knowledge, and is critical for maintaining clean drinking water. Management resources vary by state and the resource landscape across the US is unclear. Thus, our objective was to inventory where resources exist, while also highlighting geographic areas that may need improved resources to ensure that people have the ability to safely manage their drinking water. Results of this inventory showed that 64% of states have programs; 72% of which were Cooperative Extension.

Promoting Digital Agriculture Adoption In Community-Based Agricultural Organizations, Jean Hardy, Abbey Palmer

Journal of Extension

Existing research and practice related to digital agriculture technology adoption is largely focused on large-scale producers. In this paper, we describe a case of adopting an advanced soil monitoring system in a community-based agricultural organization. We provide guidance for Extension professionals seeking to implement or promote digital agriculture technology adoption on: selecting appropriate technology, incorporating new technology into existing practices, harnessing local technology champions, and avoiding data-driven mission creep.

Environmental And Topographical Factors Affecting Male "Middle-Of-The-Pack" Duathlon Performance, Glen A. Wiggins, Peter T. Soule

The Geographical Bulletin

Duathlon performance in male "middle-of-the-pack" (MMP) athletes was examined for 13 races held in Oregon and British Columbia during 1990. The primary objectives was to investigate the relationship between topographic and race-day weather variability on MMP duathlon performance. Regression models were created to help explain MMP performance for each duathlon segment (first 5 km run, 30 km bicycle, second 5 km run), overall, and 5 km run disparity. A suite of topographic and raceday weather variables were considered as possible explanatory variables. First 5 km ~un performance is primarily a function of the topographic difficulty of the course. Wind speed …

Reinterpretation Of Relations Between Vegetation Removal And Water Yield, David P. Post, George P. Malanson

The Geographical Bulletin

While the relation between vegetation clearance and increasing streamflow appears to be strong for data aggregated among geographic regions, results are equivocal in local areas. Earlier data are re-analyzed to consider the role of hydroclimatology. While vegetation clearance increases absolute streamflow, the proportional change is not significant. Residuals of regressions of absolute and proportional change in streamflow on vegetation clearance are related to precipitation, with positive and negative slopes, respectively. A few outliers with high responses are important in creating a pattern, and hydroclimatology is a better predictor of change in streamflow than is vegetation clearance for aggregate data. With …

Bystanders To Bias: Witnessing Gendered Microaggressions Affects Men's And Women's Outcomes In Stem Small Group Contexts, Nadia Vossoughi, Logan C. Burley, Ryan P. Foley, Lorelle A. Meadows, Denise Sekaquaptewa

Michigan Tech Publications

We tested whether merely witnessing gendered microaggressions affects group work experiences among male and female undergraduate computer science and engineering students. Across three experiments (N = 753), we randomly assigned computer science and engineering students to witness microaggressions targeting female students, or control interactions, using a video manipulation. Witnessing microaggressions-compared to the control-resulted in heightened gender-specific stereotyping concerns, with women being concerned about appearing incompetent and men being concerned with appearing sexist. For both women and men, witnessing microaggressions resulted in decreased enthusiasm for participating in group work. Moreover, for women, the relationship between decreased enthusiasm and witnessing microaggressions was …

Fluorinated Block Copolymer: An Important Sorbent Design Criteria For Effective Pfoa Removal From Its Aqueous Solution, Sadifa Anjum, Michael Arik, Arya Patel, Nyalah Abasali, Laying Wu, Amrita Sarkar

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

An important question remains unresolved, despite extensive studies on polymer-based sorbents for adsorbing poly and perfluoro alkyl substances (PFAS): How does the positioning of the fluorine-rich segment in polymer affect PFAS removal? Herein, we designed a linear, uncharged triblock copolymer incorporating a fluorinated moiety in the polymer backbone, which effectively removed perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) from water. In contrast, polymers without fluorogenic moiety or with it in the side chains showed significantly poorer PFOA removal. Our finding suggests that PFOA adsorption is more influenced by C-F···F-C interactions when the fluorinated segment is in the polymer backbone, not in the side chain.

Super-Resolution Imaging Reveals Resistance To Mass Transfer In Functionalized Stationary Phases, Ricardo Monge Neria, Muhammad Zeeshan, Aman Kapoor, Tae Kyong John Kim, Nichole Hoven, Jeffrey Pigott, Burcu Gurkan, Christine Duval, Lydia Kisley

Faculty Scholarship

Chemical separations are costly in terms of energy, time, and money. Separation methods are optimized with inefficient trial-and-error approaches that lack insight into the molecular dynamics that lead to the success or failure of a separation and, hence, ways to improve the process. We perform super-resolution imaging of fluorescent analytes in five different commercial liquid chromatography materials. Unexpectedly, we observe that chemical functionalization can block more than 50% of the material’s porous interior, rendering it inaccessible to small-molecule analytes. Only in situ imaging unveils the inaccessibility when compared to the industry-accepted ex situ characterization methods. Selectively removing some of the …

Super-Resolution Imaging Reveals Resistance To Mass Transfer In Functionalized Stationary Phases, Ricardo Monge Neria, Muhammad Zeeshan, Aman Kapoor, Tae Kyong John Kim, Nichole Hoven, Jeffrey S. Pigott, Burcu Gurkan, Christine E. Duval, Lydia Kisley

Faculty Scholarship

Chemical separations are costly in terms of energy, time, and money. Separation methods are optimized with inefficient trial-and-error approaches that lack insight into the molecular dynamics that lead to the success or failure of a separation and, hence, ways to improve the process. We perform super-resolution imaging of fluorescent analytes in five different commercial liquid chromatography materials. Unexpectedly, we observe that chemical functionalization can block more than 50% of the material’s porous interior, rendering it inaccessible to small-molecule analytes. Only in situ imaging unveils the inaccessibility when compared to the industry-accepted ex situ characterization methods. Selectively removing some of the …

2025 Furman University Scholarship Reception Program, Madeline Eastergard, Kathie Sloan

Libraries Institutional Records

On February 14, 2025, the Libraries and the Office of the Provost hosted the Furman University Scholarship Reception. The reception showcased scholarly publications, creative works, and professional accomplishments of Furman faculty or staff from the 2024 calendar year. It highlighted Furman faculty and staff who completed a degree, received a grant from an external funding source totaling more than $1,000, and/or published books, book chapters, journal articles, exhibits, recordings, performances, films, or other works. The following Furman presenters provided four-minute speeches about their scholarly or creative works:

• Liz Bouzarth, Professor of Mathematics
• John Harris, Professor of Mathematics
• Kevin Hutson, Professor …

Adapting Biological Mechanisms Into Machine Learning Structures And Gradient Propagation, Hao Yu

Theses and Dissertations

As neuromorphic computing gains traction, researchers look for learning schemes that are more suitable for brain-like structures. Although many algorithms have been discovered, such as surrogate gradient or Spike Timing Dependent Plasticity, those algorithms are either unsuitable for on-chip training or not biologically aligned. The goal of this thesis is to discover a learning algorithm which is biologically aligned and suitable for on-chip training. Through the discoveries of our two papers, we are able to introduce the concepts of synaptic clefts and neurotransmitters into a common spiking neuron network. We also designed an error propagation method aligning with biology. With …

Deformation And Collectivity In Doubly Magic Pb 208, J. Henderson, J. Heery, M. Rocchini, M. Siciliano, N. Sensharma, A. D. Ayangeakaa, R. V.F. Janssens, T. M. Kowalewski, Abhishek, P. D. Stevenson, E. Yüksel, B. A. Brown, T. R. Rodriguez, L. M. Robledo, C. Y. Wu, S. Kisyov, C. Müller-Gatermann, V. Bildstein, L. Canete, C. M. Campbell, S. Carmichael, M. P. Carpenter, W. N. Catford, P. Copp, C. Cousins, M. Devlin, D. T. Doherty, P. E. Garrett

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Lead-208 is the heaviest known doubly magic nucleus and its structure is therefore of special interest. Despite this magicity, which acts to provide a strong restorative force toward sphericity, it is known to exhibit both strong octupole correlations and some of the strongest quadrupole collectivity observed in doubly magic systems. In this Letter, we employ state-of-the-art experimental equipment to conclusively demonstrate, through four Coulomb-excitation measurements, the presence of a large, negative, spectroscopic quadrupole moment for both the vibrational octupole 31- and quadrupole 21+ state, indicative of a preference for prolate deformation of the states. The observed quadrupole moment is discussed …

Proxy Panels Enable Privacy-Aware Outsourcing Of Genotype Imputation, Degui Zhi, Xiaoqian Jiang, Arif Harmanci

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

One of the major challenges in genomic data sharing is protecting participants' privacy in collaborative studies and in cases when genomic data are outsourced to perform analysis tasks, for example, genotype imputation services and federated collaborations genomic analysis. Although numerous cryptographic methods have been developed, these methods may not yet be practical for population-scale tasks in terms of computational requirements, rely on high-level expertise in security, and require each algorithm to be implemented from scratch. In this study, we focus on outsourcing of genotype imputation, a fundamental task that utilizes population-level reference panels, and develop protocols that rely on using …

The Student Movement Volume 109 Issue 14: Be Our Valentine?, Andrew Francis, Ayanda Dewa, Joel Pelletier, Lia Glass, Audrey Lim, Ember Clark, Aiko J. Ayala Rios, Rod Olofernes, Nora Martin, Lexie Dunham, Anna Rybachek, Abby Shim

The Student Movement V. 109 (2024-2025)

HUMANS

Student Missions Director Leaving Andrews' CFE, Andrew Francis

Love is in the Air, Ayanda Dewa

Student Leader Spotlight: George Utuk, Joel Pelletier

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Kendrick Lamar and The Great American Game, Lia Glass

Madeline Miller and Emily Wilson Lecture Review, Audrey Lim

Five Wholesome Romance Films to Watch This Valentine's Day, Ember Clark

Musical Dreams: Annual Performance of Young Artist Winners, Aiko J. Ayala Rios

NEWS

Administrators Answer Student Questions at AUSA Town Hall, Andrew Francis

IDEAS

Thoughts on Ethnic Food at the Cafeteria, Rod Olofernes

What Do They Want for Valentine's Day?. Rod Olofernes

PULSE

The History …

Doc 2025-01 Undergraduate Academic Co-Major Policy, University Of Dayton. Academic Policies Committee

Senate Documents

In Spring 2024, the Academic Affairs Committee (AAC) of the College of Arts and Sciences forwarded a proposal to the Executive Committee of the Academic Senate (ECAS) to establish a Neuroscience undergraduate co-major, submitted by the Department of Biology. This proposal also included recommended language to define undergraduate co-majors for inclusion in the College of Arts and Sciences Academic Catalog. Additionally, the AAC advised that the Academic Senate review and approve each co-major proposal to ensure clarity and consistency.

Improved Bidirectional A* Quadratic Path Planning Algorithm For Mobile Robots, Jiongyi Li, Qiang Li, Xinwen Zhang, Myo Htet Zin, Yongbin Cai

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: Aiming at the problems of the traditional A* algorithm, such as the unhoped intersection between the planned path and the obstacles, the planned path has many inflection points and the search time is long, an improved bidirectional A* quadratic path planning algorithm for the indoor environments is proposed. Through the expansion of the map, the intersection between the planned path and the obstacle is solved. By new heuristic functions and bidirectional expansion methods, the search speed and accuracy of the bidirectional A* algorithm are improved. Turning cost function and adaptive weight are introduced to reduce the number of turning …

The Beacon, February 14, 2025, Beacon Staff

The Beacon, 2024-2025

Love stories of NW faculty; The expense of convenience; Teddy Swims' album on honest love; "Brave the Dark" has cookie-cutter plot; The rundown on New York Fashion Week; The story of an unplanned art double major; The Reformed Church of America at NW; Happy Valentines Day from NW faculty; Pancakes with PGC and RED101; Convenience cost at NW; Should books ever be banned; The truth about faith; Esports makes history at GPAC Tournament; Investigating the "home team advantage; The history of Northwestern mascots; Painting with Irene: celebrating BHM; String of plane crashes across U.S.;

Collaborative Optimization Problem Of Dynamic Pre-Maintenance And Green Scheduling, Yuyan Jiang, Ning Ma, Yan Li, Rumeijiang Gan, Fuyu Wang

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: For the traditional flexible job shop scheduling problem, a joint optimization of machine dynamic pre-maintenance and green scheduling is considered to establish an integrated optimization model with the optimization objectives of minimizing maximum completion time, total carbon emissions, and total cost. An improved NSGA-II algorithm is proposed to solve the model. A three-layer encoding method based on process, machine, and pre maintenance is adopted to design a one-step decoding scheme that considers process allocation, machine selection, and machine pre-maintenance strategies. The algorithm improves the elitist retention strategy, designs an adaptive crossover mutation function with algebraic changes, and a mutation …

Trajectory Optimization Of Robotic Arm Based On Improved Simulated Annealing Genetic Algorithm, Qiang Xu, Jianlei Xu, Yanhai Hu, Haihui Chen, Xing Zhang, Zhaohui Xing

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: To optimize the working trajectory of the robotic arm, a modified simulated annealing genetic algorithm is proposed. Comprehensively considering the operating requirements and performance characteristics of the robotic arm, the five-order polynomial interpolation method is used to plan a smooth motion trajectory in the joint space. The penalty function method is used to handle the individuals that do not meet the constraint conditions, and the fitness function is recalibrated by the dynamic linear calibration method. An adaptive adjustment mechanism for crossover probability and variation probability is set to modify the genetic algorithm. The cooling idea of the simulated annealing …

An Algorithm For Cloud-Based Web Service Combination Optimization Through Plant Growth Simulation, Qiang Li, Huawei Qin, Bingqin Qiao, Ruifang Wu

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: In order to improve the efficiency of cloud-based web services, an improved plant growth simulation algorithm scheduling model. This model first used mathematical methods to describe the relationships between cloud-based web services and the constraints of system resources. Then, a lightinduced plant growth simulation algorithm was established. The performance of the algorithm was compared through several plant types, and the best plant model was selected as the setting for the system. Experimental results show that when the number of test cloud-based web services reaches 2 048, the model being 2.14 times faster than PSO, 2.8 times faster than the …