Digital Commons Network^™

From Isolation To Integration: The Influence Of Community Engagement With Special Olympics On Ncaa Athletes Experiencing Role Conflict, Grace Fetherstonhaugh, Kirsten Hextrum

Journal of Athlete Development and Experience

Role conflict is prevalent for college athletes across varying competitive levels, sport types, and identities. Recent reform to the collegiate athletic model, such as enabling college athletes (CAs) to profit from their Name, Image, and Likeness, may create additional demands and conflicts for participants. Despite the plethora of research into college athletes’ experiences with role conflict, few studies examine possible solutions. This study offers a novel intervention to role conflict through a community engagement (CE) program. Short, immersive, contributions to one’s local environment can improve social connections, limit negative mental health effects, and generate a higher sense of purpose, all …

“People Need To Hear More About This Esports Team”: Exploring Esports College Athletes’ Transition Experiences, Kibaek Kim, Rhema Fuller, Nick Davidson

Journal of Athlete Development and Experience

With the increase of attention towards esports in both industry and academia, volumes of research have been conducted to support professional esports athletes and esports college-athletes (ECAs). Although studies exploring professional esports athletes' transition experiences were available, little to none was known about this experience for ECAs. Based on Schlossberg’s transition theory and previous studies exploring the transition experiences of traditional sports student-athletes, this study aimed to provide a deeper understanding of ECAs’ transition experience. This study conducted three focus group interviews with four ECAs in each group who played the same game. The result of this study showed there …

Navigating Intersections: How Stereotypes And Oppression Shape Black Women Student-Athletes’ College Journeys, Tomika Ferguson, Cherese Fine

Journal of Athlete Development and Experience

Black women college athletes navigate intersections of race, gender, and athletic ability within predominantly White institutions (PWIs). They can face stereotype threat, racialized academic expectations, and pressures to conform to dominant institution norms. This qualitative study explores the college experiences of Black women college athletes at a predominantly White institution (PWI), focusing on how intersecting oppressions and stereotypes influence their academic, social, and athletic lives. Guided by Black feminist thought (BFT) and stereotype threat theory, the research addresses two questions: What are the college experiences of BWCAs, and how do stereotypes affect these experiences? Findings reveal that pre-college experiences in …

What Lies Beneath The Mask Of Sanity: A Comparison Of Ted Bundy And Charles Manson’S Rorschachs, Carl B. Gacono, Jason M. Smith, Tod A. Roy

Archives of Assessment Psychology

Once psychopathy level (PCL-R ≥ 30 = psychopathy) is determined, data beyond what is offered by the PCL-R is needed to fully understand the dynamics which underlie an individual’s overt criminal behavior. As we have empirically demonstrated (Gacono, 2016; Gacono & Evans, 2008; Gacono & Meloy, 1994; Smith et al., 2021), the Rorschach is ideally suited for this task. In this article we demonstrate the utility of the Rorschach Comprehensive System method (Exner, 2003; CS-R, Exner et al. 2022) in ferreting out the dynamics that underlie Ted Bundy and Charles Manson’s masks of sanity (Cleckley, 1941). Ted Bundy’s Rorschach reveals …

Advertising Constraint-Based Dynamic Generation Of Promotional Content User Interfaces., Lakshmi Kumar Dabbiru, Raghu Donamukkala

Defensive Publications Series

The use of static, pre-defined layouts for promotional content can limit adaptability to user requests for specific formats and may not maintain visual coherence with evolving page designs. This disclosure describes a system for the dynamic, advertising constraint-based generation of user interfaces for such content. The system can utilize a generative large language model to create front-end code for a promotional layout in real-time or near-real-time. The generation process can be guided by a consolidated set of constraints, such as formatting instructions parsed from a user's query, design system parameters from a surrounding page, and advertiser brand preferences. This approach …

Federated Agentic System For Adaptive Workflow Management In Enterprise Environments, Soumendra Kumar Mishra

Defensive Publications Series

The present disclosure relates to a federated agentic system for adaptive workflow management in enterprise environments. This system features a coordination hub for dynamically delegating tasks to multiple intelligent agents. The Resource Usage module forecasts resource consumption patterns based on historical execution data, while the Server Availability module monitors server health to ensure infrastructure readiness. Additionally, the Resource Availability module assesses the state of the Hadoop cluster for necessary computing and storage resources, and the Scheduling Optimization module identifies and resolves scheduling conflicts to enhance job execution efficiency. By integrating these components, the system ensures reliable data synchronization across distributed …

A Usv Path Planning Algorithm Under Special Environment Based On Td3-Rrt, Jitong Chen, Jiajia Zhou, Di Wu, Hailong Jiang

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: In view of USV path planning in special environments such as multiple obstacles, large-size obstacles, and narrow passages, the rapidly-exploring random tree (RRT) algorithm suffers from drawbacks such as a large sampling base, low success rate, and zigzagging planned path. To address these problems, a global path planning algorithm (TD3-RRT) was proposed based on the twin delayed deep deterministic policy gradient (TD3). The USV path search model was established by combining the RRT algorithm with deep reinforcement learning. Forward looking detection was used to sense the environment to adaptively adjust the step size. The path search direction was exported …

Path Planning For Mobile Robots Based On Improved Artificial Potential Field Algorithm, Chi Zhang, Wei Wei

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: In view of the problems of unreachable target areas and easy local minima in traditional artificial potential field methods, an improved artificial potential field method was proposed. The improved algorithm optimized the repulsive field function by introducing obstacle angle factors and distance factors to control the repulsive force magnitude. At the same time, an additional repulsive force towards the target point was added to solve the problem of unreachable target areas in traditional algorithms. When the robot fell into a local minimum, by introducing turning towards obstacles and turning factors to accurately apply escape forces to the robot, the …

Frank Giordano V. Andrews Hohns

2025 Decisions

USDC for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Sectoral Exposure To Heat: Heterogeneous Impacts Of Extreme Heat On Workplace Accidents In Italy, Giovanni Marin, Aung Tun Oo

Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei Working Papers

This study examines how extreme heat affects workplace accidents in Italy’s various economic sectors. Using granular data by sector, day, and province (NUTS-3) for 2018–2024, we evaluate the contribution of occupational exposure as a source of diverse effects at the sector level. Our findings imply that while the average effects of extreme heat on workplace accidents are, at best, negligible, high temperatures significantly raise the frequency of medium-to-low severity accidents for sectors with high levels of exposure, while exposure and extreme heat alone do not account for fatalities.

Ai-Based Walkability Ecosystem: A Personalized, Social And Adaptive Solution To Urban Mobility And Public Health, Diya Singh, Gaurav Nanda, Jaeil Lee, Xinran Lehto, Libby Richards, Mark Lehto

Discovery Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Research Internship

Urban environments present significant ongoing barriers to physical activity and public health, including motivational challenges, environmental constraints, uniformity of existing fitness apps, and limited opportunities for social engagement. This project proposes an AI-powered Walkability Assistant designed to promote healthier, more active lifestyles through personalized, adaptive, and community-driven solutions.

This study advances past efforts by introducing a novel wellbeing framework that encompasses four dimensions: physical, social, environmental, and psychological wellbeing. To identify user-driven strengths and areas for improvement, we conducted sentiment analysis (positive/negative) and Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) topic modeling on large-scale user-generated data from walking and fitness app reviews, leveraging …

Adaptive Pi Control Using Recursive Least Squares For Centrifugal Pump Pipeline Systems, David A. Brattley, Wayne Weaver

Michigan Tech Publications

Pipeline transportation of petroleum products remains one of the safest and most efficient methods of bulk energy delivery, yet overpressure events continue to pose serious operational and regulatory challenges. Traditional fixed-gain PI controllers, commonly used with centrifugal pump drives, cannot adapt to varying product densities or transient disturbances such as valve closures that generate water hammer. This paper proposes a self-tuning adaptive controller based on Recursive Least Squares (RLS) parameter estimation to improve safety and efficiency in pipeline pump operations. A nonlinear simulation model of a centrifugal pump driven by an induction motor is developed, incorporating pipeline friction losses via …

The Relation Between Transport Properties And Solvation Structure For Electrolytes., Emanuel Naumann, Lalita Rai, Xingyi Lyu, Huong Nguyen, Tao Li

Honors Capstones

With continued progress in portable technology, energy storage has become an important factor to improve upon as batteries are found in a variety of everyday devices. Lithium-ion batteries are particularly common, although current technology features shortcomings in thermal stability, efficiency, and cost. Such shortcomings are related to current electrolytes in such technologies. The following experiment aims, for noteworthy alternative electrolytes, to analyze both macroscopic measurements related to transport properties and spectroscopy measurements that give insight into samples’ solvation structures. Such data are then used to identify the most promising electrolytes of the ones tested. Solutes tested include the promising imide-based …

Incorporating Behavioral Health Strategies In Primary Care To Improve Outcomes Of Depressed Patients, Amy L. Brummett

Student Scholarly Projects

Practice Problem: Depression, otherwise known as major depressive disorder, is a mood disorder characterized by persistent feelings of sadness, loss of interest, sleep disturbances, changes to weight (both gain and loss), difficulty concentrating, and in extreme cases, suicidal thoughts, and/or attempts (Mayo Clinic, 2022). An estimated 8.3% or 21.0 million adults in the United States have experienced at least one episode of depression. Primary care clinicians are often the first to recognize the symptoms of depression. Depression was very prevalent in the clinic where this DNP Scholarly project took place. The owner/nurse practitioner found that she was increasingly treating depressed …

25 New Scholarships Provide Opportunities For Iwu Students, Chris Francis

Press Releases 2020-2029

No abstract provided.

The Dorsal Forearm As A Novel Target For Intramuscular Injections: Clinical Pharmacokinetic Results With Naloxone, Thomas F. Krol, Bryan G. Beutel, Carlos Fierro, Scott J. Weir

Faculty and Staff Publications

The dorsal forearm represents a potentially viable location for a convenient wearable device for the administration of intramuscular (IM) injections, but this site has not previously been formally targeted for this purpose. The objectives of this study were to administer naloxone via IM injection into the dorsal forearm, characterize the pharmacokinetic (PK) profile of this injection site, and compare it to that of a standard IM injection. The study was an outpatient, open-label, single period, single treatment, single dose proof of concept (PoC) trial in 12 healthy subjects. After screening, participants provided a time zero (pre-dose) blood sample and then …

Emotional Communication In The Healthcare Industry, Brandon Dolan

SPARK Symposium Presentations

Through conducting interviews with healthcare professionals and the study of data that reviews the role of emotional communication in the healthcare industry, I can conclude that there are several challenges that healthcare professionals experience when communicating emotions. To begin, there is the existence of implicit and explicit feeling and display rules that are demanded by both clients, patients, and organizations. There are expectations and obligations that healthcare professionals must meet in terms of the emotions they experience and the behaviors they express to ensure the functionality of their industry. In response to these feeling and display rules, employees often find …

Implementation And Assessment Of The Openbci Platform As An Accessible Brain- Computer Interface, Jewell Norris

Honors Theses

OpenBCI is a low-cost, open-source platform for alternative brain-computer interface (BCI) software and hardware. This thesis evaluates OpenBCI’s electroencephalogram (EEG) and electromyography (EMG) capabilities by constructing and testing a 16-channel EEG system using the Ultracortex Mark IV headset and Cyton + Daisy biosensing board. The viability of the system was assessed through real-time BCI control and comparison to a clinical-grade EEG system. Real-time BCI control of an online falling-block game was tested via the use of eye blinks EMG (channels Fp1/Fp2) and head-tilt accelerometer inputs. The BCI game demonstrated reliable control despite minor latency and artifact sensitivity. For clinical comparison, …

Colorectal Cancer: Differential Gene Expression And In Vitro Response To 5-Fluorouracil, Novel Fluoropyrimidine F10, And Potential Synergy With Lupeol, Shrey D. Thaker, Jenny Paredes, Jone Garai, Laura A. Martello, William H. Gmeiner, Jovanny Zabaleta, Jennie Williams

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains one of the most lethal malignancies in the United States, with African American (AA) patients experiencing disproportionately higher incidence and mortality compared to Caucasian Americans (CAs). These disparities have been linked to tumor-intrinsic genomic differences, including microsatellite instability (MSI) and p53 mutation status, which may influence chemotherapeutic response, particularly to the standard-of-care agent 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). However, mechanistic insights have been limited by the lack of racially diverse preclinical models. Here, we evaluated the efficacy of F10 (a novel fluoropyrimidine polymer) vs. 5-FU using AA- and CA-derived CRC cell lines with distinct MSI and p53 profiles. MTT …

Esg Performance Evolution In Retail: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Jiyeon Kim Ph.D., Wooyoung Yang

Faculty Publications

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices have transformed from peripheral corporate social responsibility initiatives into core strategic imperatives in retail. Despite growing interest, the literature remains fragmented across disciplines and geographic contexts, with no comprehensive sector-specific analysis examining the evolution of ESG performance in retail contexts. Following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of 127 empirical studies published between 1988 and 2024 across major databases. Random-effects models assessed ESG-performance relationships, while stakeholder theory, the resource-based view, and Consumer Behavior frameworks explained the underlying mechanisms through temporal and subsectoral analysis. ESG practices demonstrate significant positive correlations …

Why Some Adventurers Chase Danger To Find Meaning, Jordan Karnbach

University of Mississippi News

OXFORD, Miss. – Climbing mountains or going adventuring in hostile terrain can be dangerous, even life-threatening. But a University of Mississippi marketing professor found the old adage that "with great risk comes great reward" holds clues to why thrill-seeking is so satisfying.

Nursing Students As Advocates: Addressing Social Determinants Of Health Through Service-Learning, Rebekah Mullins

Nursing Theses and Dissertations

Advocacy is at the heart of nursing practice, and advocating for the social determinants of health (SDOH) is crucial when providing care to patients from vulnerable populations. Service-learning is a strategy that can be used to teach students advocacy skills. Chapter 2 of this dissertation portfolio presents a concept analysis that explores the definition of advocacy using the Walker and Avant method (2019). The concept analysis informed the development of the case study presented in Chapter 3 and the research study presented in Chapter 4. The portfolio includes original, qualitative research that was guided by the interpretive descriptive method. The …

Love At A Distance: Exploring Perceptions Of Long-Distance Relationships Through Q Methodology, Ljubica Ivanovic Klobcic

Theses and Dissertations

With technology advancing and making it easier for individuals to connect and keep in touch, long-distance romantic relationships (LDRRs) have become increasingly common. While some people thrive in these relationships despite physical separation, others find the experience stressful and unsatisfying. This study explores how individuals perceive and navigate LDRRs and what their experiences are. Using Q methodology, participants sorted and ranked statements related to their experiences. Factor analysis revealed three unique groups: Traditional Romantics, who see their relationships in traditional terms despite technology use; Debbie Downers, who perceive distance as a burden and do not feel that technology improves their …

Improvement Of Slam Localization Accuracy In Ar By Enhancing Yolov8, Jia Liu, Zengwei Zhang, Dapeng Chen, Nanxuan Huang, Bin Wang, Hong Song

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: In the presence of dynamic interference in the environment, traditional simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) methods often experience reduced precision and stability in the registration of virtual objects during three-dimensional registration in augmented reality (AR). To address these issues, an improved method for dynamic scenes based on semantic segmentation and optical flow tracking was proposed. The convolutional block attention module (CBAM) attention mechanism was incorporated into YOLOv8 to enhance its focus on dynamic objects in the environment, thereby improving detection performance and accuracy. The semantic segmentation functionality of the improved YOLOv8 was integrated into the front-end of ORB-SLAM3 to …

Parking Space Reasoning Model For Complex Scenarios, Congling Zhou, Chunpeng Wang, Qiwei Xie, Yongqiang Wang, Lijun Shen

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: In the industrialization process of the combined driving assistance system, complex parking environments bring many challenges, such as occlusion of parking spaces, uneven lighting, and missed and false detections. To address these issues, a parking space reasoning model named PIPS-Net was proposed through PINet optimization. In terms of network architecture design, the model deeply integrated the stacked hourglass network with the recurrent feature-shift aggregator (RESA) to construct a context feature extraction architecture, which enhanced the feature reasoning ability in complex scenarios. Meanwhile, it reconstructed the output to meet the requirements of parking space detection tasks, thereby jointly improving the …

Research On Vehicle Path Optimization Algorithms For Urban Logistics And Distribution, Zhenpeng Ma, Hanyang Jiao, Zhe Zhang, Cheng Liu, Bo Jiang, Lin Wang

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: Existing optimization algorithms for solving the vehicle routing problem with time windows (VRPTW) are prone to fall into local optimal solutions and have slow convergence speed. To address this issue, a K-means clustering algorithm and improved large neighborhood search algorithm (K-means-ILNSA) was proposed. A strategy of clustering before optimization was adopted, and the K-means algorithm was adopted to group the customers to be delivered, so as to improve the optimization efficiency. The genetic algorithm was adopted to optimize each group of customers generated by clustering separately to initially plan the distribution routes. The large neighborhood search (LNS) algorithm was …

Auv Path Planning Based On Behavior Cloning And Improved Dqn In Partially Unknown Environments, Lijing Xing, Min Li, Xiangguang Zeng, Ping Zhang, Bei Peng

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: To address the problems of large randomness and slow convergence of the DQN dynamic path planning algorithm for a single autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) in a partially unknown environment, a path planning method combining behavior cloning with A* algorithm and DQN (BA_DQN) was proposed. Based on the known environmental information, an improved A* algorithm incorporating ocean current resistance was proposed to guide DQN, thereby reducing the randomness of the DQN algorithm. By considering the complexity of the marine environment, the sampling probability was improved again after expanding the positive experience pool to enhance the training success rate. To address …

Bayesian Network Parameter Learning Based On Ahp-Dst Fusion Of Expert Prior Knowledge, Haiyang Chen, Hongkai Lin, Zhifang Ren, Jing Liu, Jing Zhang

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: Aiming at the problem of low accuracy of BN parameter learning due to the uncertainty of a single expert prior knowledge under the condition of small sample data set, a BN parameter learning method based on AHP-DST fusion expert prior knowledge was designed. The synthetic prior knowledge of experts was calculated by using the thought of analytic hierarchy process combined with the rules of evidence theory synthesis. The expert comprehensive prior knowledge was added to the normal distribution and combined with the monotonicity constraint to obtain the virtual sample information. The virtual sample information was added to the Bayesian …

Attitude Control Of Quadrotor Uav Based On Disturbance Observer And Command Filtering, Boning Li, Ming Chen, Shuchang Qi, Haoran Meng, Lei Wang

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: A finite-time fault-tolerant control scheme based on backstepping was proposed for the attitude tracking control problem of quadrotor UAVs. A finite-time neural network disturbance observer was designed, which could quickly compensate for the impacts of actuator failures and external disturbances, thereby enhancing the system's robustness. A first-order command filter and a compensation mechanism were introduced, which could avoid the computational complexity caused by differentiating the virtual control law and eliminate the influence of filtering errors. The hyperbolic tangent function was selected as the constraint function for the input torque, which restricted the input signal to prevent excessive magnitude …

Research On Path Smoothing Processing Of Mobile Robot Based On Improved A* Algorithm, Mengyuan Chen, Guifang Qiao, Xu Zou, Jiayu Cao, Lei Tian

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: Traditional bidirectional A* algorithm has many path inflection points, undergoes smoothness, and faces diagonal obstacles in path traversing. Therefore, an improved bidirectional A* algorithm was proposed. Local path constraint search was added to the forward search and backward search, respectively to solve the problem of planning paths traversing diagonal obstacles, and the effectiveness of the improved bidirectional A* algorithm to avoid traversing diagonal obstacles was verified through simulations. The path inflection points were optimized by introducing the cubic B-spline curve, and the paths before and after smoothing were tracked and controlled, respectively by using the differential-driven mobile robot. The …