An Empirical Examination of University Intercollegiate Athletic Expenditures

To date, little empirical work has examined the institutional returns associated with athletic program investments. While intangible brand effects are commonly cited, such as athletics serving as the perceptual “front porch” of the institution, direct examination of the effects of athletic programs has often been narrow in scope. Within this study, we assess the contributions of investment in athletics as compared to other areas of institutional investment, on important institutional outcomes. Data for the study was collected from two datasets, the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and the Equity in Athletics dataset. Fixed effects models for NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision schools were constructed to assess the return on investment relative to total institutional revenues, gift revenues, student application rates, and student graduation rates. Findings reveal that for every dollar of athletic expenditure per FTE $2.12 of core revenues per FTE,$.24 in gift revenues per FTE, and a .165% increase in graduation rates were produced

Eagle Aero Sport: Student-Built Aircraft

Eagle Aero Sport (EAS) is the first student operated aircraft build team at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Our team allows students to gain hands-on experience in all aspects of aircraft production including: aircraft assembly, design engineering, management of production operations, finance, marketing, and team building skills. Through research, and consultation with the Experimental Aircraft Association, our airplane of choice is the Van’s RV-12. EAS is modifying the airplane to add real time flight test instrumentation for research. These instruments will gather data for aerodynamic, structural, as well as aircraft performance experiments. Presently, EAS is progressing with the Build Team 80% complete and the Engineering Team 65% complete. EAS has received the avionics and has installed the power-plant. Our team implements OSHA standards and mandates that all build teams are led by an FAA certificated Airframe and Power-plant Mechanic. The development stages of the project are over, and it is time to shift our focus towards the installation process, which will unite the work of the engineering and build teams. Once complete, EAS will have the opportunity to conduct novel research in regards to airframe structural analysis and fatigue, aerodynamic flow characteristics, and other flight test studies including meteorology. Some of these experiments have been specifically requested by Van’s Aircraft, our industry partner. All of the research and knowledge gathered by Eagle Aero Sport represents a rare asset that, we hope, will become more common-place as it is incorporated into Embry-Riddle\u27s curricula, enhancing the student and faculty experience

Performance Analysis of Size Scaling on Hybrid Rocket Motors

Hybrid rocket motors are a form of propulsion that combine the principles of liquid engines and solid motors. They offer the low cost and relative simplicity of solid motors while maintaining the liquid engine’s ability to be throttled. Despite these advantages relatively little research has been conducted on the internal mechanics of hybrid motors. This lack of research has led the industry to exclude hybrid propulsion systems from large scale launches, namely in the area of space exploration. This project aims to fill in a portion of this research gap by using a combination of computer simulation and experimental testing to collect data on how size scaling affects the performance of hybrid motors, and to use that data to create a more accurate simulation model. By more closely representing real world results this data will reduce the time, cost, and safety hazards of preparing a hybrid propulsion system for launch. The lasting result of this research will be making hybrid motors and their associated benefits more accessible for future propulsion systems. The test will include four rocket motors; the first motor’s purpose is to acquire experimental values for the hybrid motor simulation. The other three motors will each increase in scale in order to test the effect scale has on a hybrid motors output. POSTER PRESENTATION IGNITE AWAR

PARP1 inhibition produces unique antidepressant effects in an animal model of treatment-resistant depression

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a prevalent and enervating mental illness affecting millions globally. Unfortunately, a significant proportion of patients do not receive clinical benefit from existing antidepressant medications. The limited effectiveness of currently available antidepressant drugs emphasizes the need to identify more effective medications for individuals who are treatment-resistant. We have previously reported abnormally elevated poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP1) gene expression levels in the postmortem brain from MDD brain donors. PARP1 is a DNA damage repair enzyme that is also linked to neuroinflammation through multiple biochemical pathways. PARP1 upregulation in MDD could indicate a role for this enzyme in the etiopathology of MDD, particularly as it relates to neuroinflammation. In fact, we have shown that drugs that inhibit PARP1 produce antidepressant-like properties in two different rodent behavioral models that mimic depressed mood in humans. In the present study, we utilized a unique rodent behavioral model that produces depressive-like behavior by combining psychological stress with stimulation of inflammation. Depressive behavior produced by this experimental paradigm is not reversed by the prototypical antidepressant fluoxetine. This treatment-resistant depression was elicited by treating rats with injections of lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 0.1 ug/kg/day) and daily exposure to chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) for 28 days. Depressive behaviors were measured with sucrose preference and forced swim tests in 5 treatment groups (n=6-8 rats per group) including unstressed rats, CUS rats, CUS+LPS rats, and CUS+LPS rats treated with either the PARP1 inhibitor 3-aminobenzamide (3AB) or the antidepressant fluoxetine. We evaluated the role of neuroinflammation in this model by measuring the amount of microglial activation in several brain regions in rats from all treatment groups. Microglia activation was measured by quantifying the relative amount of expression of the microglia marker protein, IBA1, using an anti-IBA1 antibody. 3AB demonstrated robust and unique antidepressant activity superior to fluoxetine in the treatment-resistant rat model. IBA1-immunoreactivity levels were elevated in brains from CUS and CUS+LPS rats, although there was no evidence that LPS increased IBA1-immunoreactivity above levels found in CUS rats that did not receive LPS. Levels of IBA1-immunoreactivity in the brains from rats treated with either fluoxetine or 3AB trended lower as compared to the CUS and CUS+LPS groups, although this effect did not reach statistical significance. The lack of significant differences is likely related to small sample sizes; experiments are underway to increase the sample sizes of each group. The findings provide further support for the potential of PARP1 inhibitors in treating MDD and suggest that these drugs may be more effective, or more broadly effective than standard antidepressants