Natively Implementing Deep Reinforcement Learning into a Game Engine

Artificial intelligence (AI) increases the immersion that players can have while playing games. Modern game engines, a middleware software used to create games, implement simple AI behaviors that developers can use. Advanced AI behaviors must be implemented manually by game developers, which decreases the likelihood of game developers using advanced AI due to development overhead. A custom game engine and custom AI architecture that handled deep reinforcement learning was designed and implemented. Snake was created using the custom game engine to test the feasibility of natively implementing an AI architecture into a game engine. A snake agent was successfully trained using the AI architecture, but the learned behavior was suboptimal. Although the learned behavior was suboptimal, the AI architecture was successfully implemented into a custom game engine because a behavior was successfully learned

The Professional Development Series: A Path for Achieving Career-Focused Learning Outcomes

Eastern Kentucky University’s College of Business proactively responded to the well-documented student need for developing professional skills by creating a series of courses that provide the critical skills needed for success throughout their careers. The implementation and content of these courses are described, as well as preliminary indicators of their impact

Annual Survey of Virginia Law: Insurance Law

The Supreme Court of Virginia has recently decided several significant cases in the insurance realm. The court has been most active, at least in number of cases, in the field of uninsured [UM] and underinsured motorist [UIM] coverages, followed closely by decisions affecting automobile liability insurance policies. Although no clearly discernable trend appears to have been established by the court\u27s insurance decisions in the past year, several observations may be made of the cases, as well as the court\u27s general philosophy of judicial interpretation of insurance policies. An insurance policy is a contract; therefore, we give the words used in this policy their ordinary and usual meaning when they are susceptible of such construction. If the policy language is unambiguous, we do not resort to rules of construction. We simply apply the terms of the policy as written. The following cases should be evaluated in light of these standards

EXAMINING HIV-1 PROVIRAL DNA IN THE LIVER TISSUE OF UNTREATED PEOPLE WITH HIV-ASSOCIATED DEMENTIA

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) typically uses CCR5 as a coreceptor and requires a high surface density of its CD4 receptor to target replication in CD4+ T cells. HIV-1 can evolve to enter cells with low surface density CD4. This phenotype is frequently observed in the central nervous system (CNS) of people with HIV-associated dementia (HAD). The putative CNS target cells are macrophage and microglia, both with low CD4. The liver also contains abundant macrophages. I hypothesized that macrophage-tropic variants can travel from the CNS and replicate in liver macrophage. To test this, I generated viral env genes from blood, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and liver from four people with HAD and assessed the entry phenotype to determine if any used low CD4. I found little evidence of macrophage-tropic HIV-1 in the liver but the presence of viral recombinants suggests the virus can travel to the liver and transiently replicate.Master of Scienc

Centering transgender personhoods in forensic anthropology and expanding sex estimation in casework and research

Due to disproportionate violence impacting the trans community, forensic anthropologists may increasingly encounter the remains of trans and non-binary individuals; however, it is presently unknown how often trans remains are represented in casework and if practitioners have sufficient knowledge about trans personhoods. After contextualizing forensically relevant demographics for the trans community, this study uses anonymous survey data of forensic anthropologists to explore the collective knowledge of and experience working with trans remains; practitioners’ perceptions of sex and gender; and potential opportunities for trans-oriented research in forensic anthropology. The results indicate that 28.9% of respondents have worked with trans remains in casework, but 75.0% of forensic anthropologists were unfamiliar with trans-related surgical procedures. Additionally, the survey indicates that forensic anthropologists struggle with the binary nature of forensic sex estimation, with 42.4% agreeing that sex is binary and 56.2% disagreeing. Similar opposition was found with reporting gender: 39.5% indicated that gender should be reported in casework and 31.0% disagreed. Moreover, current sex estimation methods and reporting are: rigidly binary; not reflective of human biological variation; and inadequate for trans and non-binary individuals. In order to dismantle rigidly binary sex categorization, we propose the adoption of a biocultural and queer theoretical approach to forensic sex estimation and in sexual dimorphism research that challenges heteronormative assumptions, questions typological two-sex categorization, and combats the presumptions that gender and sex are stable, independent entities that convey universal meaning. Relatedly, trans-oriented research, which is supported by 95.8% of respondents, will further improve methodological accuracies.2022-02-23T00:00:00

Rain of Ruin: Historiographical Approaches to the Atomic Debate

This project aims to present a comprehensive study of the existing historiography on the American use of the atomic bombs against Japan in August of 1945. By analyzing the development of the historiography, this work traces the controversial debate over the employment of the bombs. Though not an exhaustive study of the historiography, this project analyzes a multitude of arguments in an effort to better understand the debate. After reviewing the literature of the debate, this work concludes with a brief explanation of my own interpretation of the bombs’ employment

Physiological and emotional influence on heart rate recovery after submaximal exercise

The purpose of this study was to assess the role of cardiovascular fitness and emotional state in heart rate recovery after submaximal exercise. Fifty recreationally active subjects (male n=19, females n= 31) completed the study. Height, weight, body composition, and waist circumference were measured, with current emotional state assessed through completion of the Profile of Mood States questionnaire, followed by the Queen’s College Step Test to estimate maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max). Heart rate recovery was determined by the difference between assessments of peak heart rate during exercise and 1 minute post-exercise. Heart rate recovery was correlated with VO2 max, body composition, body mass index, waist circumference, resting heart rate, peak heart rate and the assessed mood states. A moderate negative correlation was found between heart rate recovery and resting heart rate (r = -.307, p = .032) and was the only variable to show significance. The results of this study disagree with previous literature as only one physiologic variable had a significant relationship with heart rate recovery. This may be because the participants recruited for this study were of at least average fitness and there were no significant signs of psychological stress in study participants at the time of testing