Grant Anon Minigames Extension

The Grant Anon system was designed to be a casualized version of the real-time strategy genre, a genre usually known for its difficulty and competitiveness because of Starcraft II, the most popular game in the genre. Grant Anon was designed as part of a capstone project, and this report details the extension that was created to add an additional element designed to make it easier for any player to enjoy Grant Anon: minigames. These minigames serve to reduce the skill needed to participate effectively in Grant Anon. This is accomplished by providing an alternative means of gaining an advantage over the other players outside of strategic prowess. The extension not only focuses on adding a single minigame to Grant Anon. The minigame extension creates a structure that allows many more minigames to be easily implemented into the Grant Anon game loop, providing a diverse game experience to widen the game’s default audience and provide additional challenges to the players. As a proof of concept, one minigame was created using this structure, called the ‘CleanUp.’ This report will detail the gameplay of Grant Anon, and how the addition of CleanUp and other minigames could improve the enjoyability of the game as a whole. It will also cover the coded architectural additions added by this extension, and detail the process required to add a new minigame into Grant Anon

Optimization of the Hot Embossing Parameters and Sintering Characterization for Alumina/Berea Sandstone Ceramics

The purpose of this study is to investigate the process of hot embossing on alumina based ceramics as a cost-efficient procedure for manufacturing microfluidic testing components. Alumina ceramics were used as an exploratory phase for the final objective of the project, manufacturing of Berea sandstone based ceramic samples. These testing components are vital to the growth of various fields ranging from the retrieval of oil and natural gas to studying the water purification process of aquifers. Previous research has shown potential in using hot embossing on Alumina based ceramics; however, complications with extrusion and micro-structure quality were observed. For this reason, the research performed aimed to produce Berea Sandstone based components by first improving upon the embossing quality of alumina ceramics. The thesis first investigates changes in the extrusion ratio and the subsequent effects observed on the quality of extrudate. Next, improving the quality of embossed microstructures is examined. This is done by varying the MFI as well as changing the embossing speed and temperature. Finally, a preliminary study into the effectiveness of Berea sandstone based ceramics is reported. The improved ram extruder demonstrated improved surface quality in post-extrusion samples which can be attributed to a greater extrusion ratio and enhanced temperature uniformity, as well as a changing the extruder stock material to stainless steel. Alumina samples extruded from the new extruder had an average surface roughness of; this was compared to reported for the previous design. Comparisons of optical scan data showed that a lower MFI provided sharper edges along the testing section; however, demolding from the embossing plate was a challenge often rendering samples unusable. The higher MFI was very easy to demold from the embossing plate and the resolution of the imprinted microstructures improved; therefore, the higher MFI was chosen and other embossing parameters were examined: embossing temperature and speed. It was concluded that low viscosity and slow embossing speeds provide higher quality embossed samples. After a thorough inspection of several embossing parameters on microstructure quality, introductory study into substituting Berea sandstone for alumina was conducted. The analysis showed a loss in microstructure resolution when compared to alumina ceramics due to an increase in the average particle size of the sandstone powder. During sintering, a properly densified sample was not obtained and SEM results indicated a loss of iron oxide on the periphery of the sample. However, this initial step in manufacturing sandstone samples provides invaluable insight into the future of the projec

Optimization of the Hot Embossing Parameters and Sintering Characterization for Alumina/Berea Sandstone Sintering

The purpose of this study is to investigate the process of hot embossing on alumina based ceramics as a cost-efficient procedure for manufacturing microfluidic testing components. Alumina ceramics were used as an exploratory phase for the final objective of the project, manufacturing of Berea sandstone based ceramic samples. Previous research has shown potential in using hot embossing on Alumina based ceramics; however, complications with extrusion and micro-structure quality were observed. For this reason, the research performed aimed to produce Berea Sandstone based components by first improving upon the embossing quality of alumina ceramics. The thesis first investigates changes in the extrusion ratio and the subsequent effects observed on the quality of extrudate. Next, improving the quality of embossed microstructures is examined. This is done by varying the MFI as well as changing the embossing speed and temperature. Finally, a preliminary study into the effectiveness of Berea sandstone based ceramics is reported. The improved ram extruder demonstrated improved surface quality in post-extrusion samples which can be attributed to a greater extrusion ratio, enhanced temperature uniformity, and changing the extruder stock material to stainless steel. Alumina samples extruded from the new extruder had an average surface roughness of compared to reported for the previous design. Comparisons of optical scan data showed that a lower MFI provided sharper edges along the testing section; however, demolding from the embossing plate was a challenge often rendering samples unusable. The higher MFI was very easy to demold from the embossing plate and the resolution of the imprinted microstructures improved; therefore, the higher MFI was chosen and other embossing parameters were examined: embossing temperature and speed. It was concluded that low viscosity and slow embossing speeds provide higher quality embossed samples. After inspection of several embossing parameters on microstructure quality, an introductory study into Berea sandstone ceramics was conducted. During sintering, a properly densified sample was not obtained and SEM results indicated a loss of iron oxide on the periphery of the sample. However, this initial step in manufacturing sandstone samples provides invaluable insight into the future of the project

From the Chief Residents

As your Chief Residents, we would like to take a moment to express our heartfelt congratulations to each and every one of you on your incredible scholarly achievements over the past year. We have been impressed by the quality and diversity of your scholarly work. From interdisciplinary clinical research projects that have been submitted to journals across numerous subspecialties, to contributions to the Health Equity and Quality Improvement Summit, you have all demonstrated a passion for excellence and a commitment to advancing the field of medicine. We are grateful for the opportunity to have worked alongside you and to have witnessed your growth and development as physician scholars. We are confident that your accomplishments will serve as a source of inspiration for future generations of medical professionals. Once again, congratulations on your achievements, and we wish you all the best in your future endeavors

Quantum Knizhnik-Zamolodchikov equation: reflecting boundary conditions and combinatorics

We consider the level 1 solution of quantum Knizhnik-Zamolodchikov equation with reflecting boundary conditions which is relevant to the Temperley--Lieb model of loops on a strip. By use of integral formulae we prove conjectures relating it to the weighted enumeration of Cyclically Symmetric Transpose Complement Plane Partitions and related combinatorial objects

Creation of Two Valid Scales: Willingness to Fly in an Aircraft and Willingness to Pilot an Aircraft

The purpose of the current study was to develop two scales that could be used concurrently or independently to measure passenger willingness to fly (WTF), and aviator willingness to pilot (WTP), respectively. This is especially useful to determine challenges involving acceptance of new aviation technology for both pilots and passengers. There were five stages in developing the WTF scale for passengers, following Hinkin’s scale development process. Cronbach’s Alpha and Guttmann’s Split Half tests were used to confirm high internal consistency and reliability, while factor analysis was used to confirm construct validity. The scale was tested in order to confirm sensitivity to differences in actual participant willingness to fly. After developing the WTF scale for passengers, researchers made minor lexical adjustments and created the WTP scale, calculating Cronbach’s Alpha, Guttmann’s Split Half test, and factor analysis; thus, ensuring high internal consistency, reliability and validity. These two scales may help provide researchers with a better applied understanding of applications within the aviation and consumer perceptions literature and also assist with pilot training and acceptance of new aviation technology

Improving Advanced Care Planning Discussion and Documentation

Our goal is to improve ACP discussion and documentation in patients above the age of 65 in our Jefferson Hospital Ambulatory Practice (JHAP) resident clinic. By instituting procedural changes within the EMR and the clinic, as well as improving provider education, we hope that residents can carry out a comprehensive and streamlined discussion regarding advanced care planning. We will institute these changes over the next 3 months, and we predict that there will be an increase in ACP discussion and uploading of appropriate documentation to 50% and 25%, respectively

Loop model with mixed boundary conditions, qKZ equation and alternating sign matrices

The integrable loop model with mixed boundary conditions based on the 1-boundary extended Temperley--Lieb algebra with loop weight 1 is considered. The corresponding qKZ equation is introduced and its minimal degree solution described. As a result, the sum of the properly normalized components of the ground state in size L is computed and shown to be equal to the number of Horizontally and Vertically Symmetric Alternating Sign Matrices of size 2L+3. A refined counting is also considered

The effect of coastal landform development on decadal- to millennial-scale longshore sediment fluxes: Evidence from the Holocene evolution of the central mid-Atlantic coast, USA - Sediment Core and Chronology Data

These data are sediment core, radiocarbon, and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) data from the barrier islands and backbarrier lagoons, bays, and marshes of Assateague Island (VA, USA), Chincoteague Island (VA, USA), and Wallops Island (VA, USA). Vibracore data from Tom’s Cove, a backbarrier bay, were collected using a vibracore system with the ability to core through a ‘moonhole’ on a flat bottom boat. Geoprobe cores were collected using a track-mounted 66DT Geoprobe direct-push drill rig. Select samples from the sediment cores (associated with figures and tables in Shawler et al., 2021) were analyzed using a Beckman-Coulter Laser Diffraction Particle Size Analyzer (LS 13 320 Aqueous Liquid Module) with an applied calculation model that uses Fraunhöfer theory. Data are available as Microsoft Excel Workbooks and can be opened using Excel or numerous free and open sources products such as Google Sheets. Each sediment core data spreadsheet contains a “READ ME” tab with additional detail. The full OSL report from co-author Sebastien Huot is also included and can be accessed with a PDF reader