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Adaptive Sport as Complementary and Holistic Health Intervention: Outcomes for Participants to Improve Resiliency, Promote Health, and Live in Recovery
No full textBackground/Objectives: Adaptive sports engagement has been strongly studied for physical and social gains for athletes with disabilities, with much less investigation into adaptive sports encompassing holistic health (i.e., reaching domains of physical, social, cognitive, emotional, and spiritual). Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore adaptive sport participants’ perspectives on their engagement in sport as a complementary and holistic intervention to improve resiliency, promote health, and live in recovery. Methods: This study employed a qualitative, phenomenological, and participatory action research design to explore how individuals with disabilities perceive their engagement in adaptive sports. Data were collected from eligible participants across the United States, aged 12 years and older, who provided open-ended responses via survey detailing their adaptive sport experiences. Results: Adaptive sport participants (n = 47), primarily male (n = 26), and White (n = 37) with a range of ages 12–75, provided qualitative findings that formed three deductive themes with further inductive subthemes: (1) Improving Resiliency highlighting promotive and protective factors supporting resilience development, (2) Promoting Health defined by World Health Organization’s holistic health definition, and (3) Living in Recovery framed by the Health Protection/Health Promotion Model. Conclusions: For this sample of adaptive sport participants across the United States, engagement in adaptive sports is seen as a complementary and holistic health intervention that achieves outcomes beyond just physical and social. Key aspects of adaptive sports were shown to be vital for building resiliency through the disability community environment, improving holistic health, and providing a recovery mindset through new life opportunities.Health and Human Performanc
Ergonomic Risk and Musculoskeletal Disorders in Construction: Assessing Job-Related Determinants in the U.S. Workforce
No full textMusculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) remain one of the most persistent occupational health challenges in the U.S. construction industry, where physically demanding tasks such as heavy lifting, kneeling, and working in awkward postures contribute to elevated injury rates. This study aims to identify significant job-related determinants of MSDs in construction-sector occupations. By integrating publicly available datasets from the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII) and the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) datasets, a stepwise multiple regression analysis was conducted on 344 occupation-condition observations representing 86 construction occupations, yielding a final model that explained 49% of the variance. Ten significant predictors of MSD events were identified and classified as either risk amplifiers or mitigators. Amplifiers included factors such as exposure to noise, disease, hazardous conditions, and time pressure, all of which heightened MSD risk, while mitigators—such as reduced cramped-space exposure and regulated work environments—were associated with lower risk. MSDs resulting from sprains, strains, or tears accounted for 62.8% of all cases, frequently leading to days away from work (36.3%) or job restrictions (26.5%). The findings underscore that ergonomic risk in construction extends beyond physical strain to include scheduling, equipment design, and work organization. These results provide actionable insights for employers and safety professionals to redesign tools, optimize task rotation, and implement realistic work pacing strategies, ultimately reducing MSD incidence and improving productivity in this high-risk sector.Engineering TechnologyOrganization, Workforce, and Leadership Studie
Gaze Prediction as Time-Series Forecasting Task: Quantifying Performance Variability and Extreme-Case Errors
No full textGaze prediction is fundamental to addressing motion-to-photon latency, ensuring seamless foveated rendering in Virtual Reality. This study evaluates three deep learning architectures: a long short-term memory (LSTM) network, a Contrastive Transformer Encoder Forecaster (CTEF), and a Classifier-Predictor (ClPr). We analyze performance across fixations, saccades, and post-saccadic periods using the GazeBase VR and Meta Quest Pro datasets. Results indicate that LSTM was best at small saccades, while CTEF performs best across other events.We reviewed the difference between the median 50 and high-percentile 95 error profiles across subjects. Analysis reveals significant performance variability, showing that subjects with low 50 errors do not always exhibit the lowest extreme-case errors. Furthermore, we discuss computational parameters trade-offs and address the class imbalance problem in eye movement prediction. These findings emphasize the need for robust, subject-specific evaluations in gaze-contingent systems.Computer Scienc
The "Rainey Street Ripper": Social media apophenia and linkage illusions
No full textThe theory that a serial murderer is drowning men from Austin’s Rainey Street District has been advanced by social and mainstream media for 3years now, repeatedly fueled by speculation set off by the recovery of bodies from nearby Lady Bird Lake. We conducted an evidence-based study to detect any existence of a serial murderer. A search of police data produced 189 drowning incidents. From these, a target sample of 58 cases matching the general modus operandi and victimology of the alleged killer was identified for analysis. Our study found neither direct evidence nor indirect warning signs of a serial murderer. The frequency of drowning incidents is consistent with historical patterns, average drowning risk, and population growth. Several prior years experienced more drownings than 2023, when allegations of a serial killer began to escalate. We found a number of similar claims of mysterious drowning serial killers in other jurisdictions, suggesting an issue with social media apophenia and crime linkage illusions. Online forums exaggerate numbers of deaths by invoking longer time periods, larger geographic areas, and vaguer definitions of “suspicious.” Such allegations have costs in the real world, wasting valuable resources that could be used to help solve real crimes
The Innovative Use of Phase Change Materials Covers in Mitigating Early Age Thermal Cracks in Concrete Pavement
No full textConcrete generates substantial heat during the setting stage due to the heat of hydration, which can lead to early-age thermal cracking in concrete structures. Phase change materials (PCM) offer a promising solution to mitigate these cracks by absorbing a portion of the hydration heat and solar radiation. Previous research has explored different techniques to integrate PCM into concrete, such as lightweight aggregate immersion, microencapsulation, and direct mixing. This study introduces and evaluates a novel application method, where PCM is used as an external surface covering for concrete pavements. The PCM cover acts as a heat-absorbing layer, reducing heat buildup from both hydration and solar exposure, thereby lowering the risk of early-age thermal cracking. Experimental investigations, numerical simulations, and field testing were carried out to develop and assess the effectiveness of PCM-based surface covers in reducing early-age thermal cracking in concrete. In the experimental phase, laboratory tests using small-scale concrete specimens showed that PCM covers reduced surface temperatures by up to 19% compared to control specimens. Numerical simulations using finite element analysis were then conducted, where PCM layers of 5 mm and 8 mm thickness was modeled on concrete surfaces immediately after casting. The simulations demonstrated a reduction of up to 17% in surface temperature rise and a 47% decrease in temperature fluctuation between daily maximum and minimum values. Parametric studies confirmed that the effectiveness of the PCM cover increased under conditions of high solar radiation, elevated ambient temperatures, and larger concrete thicknesses. The 8 mm PCM layer was more effective than the 5 mm layer due to its greater latent heat storage. Field testing on an actual pavement further validated these findings. Even though pavement temperatures did not exceed PCM’s transition temperature, the covers still reduced surface temperatures by up to 5% and thermal strain by 36% compared to uncovered control sections.Engineerin
Bandgap of Epitaxial Single-Crystal BiFe1−xMnxO3 Films Grown Directly on SrTiO3/Si(001)
No full textWe report the growth and optical characterization of single-crystal BiFe1−xMnxO3 thin films directly on SrTiO3/Si(001) substrates using molecular beam epitaxy. X-ray diffraction confirmed epitaxial growth, film crystallinity, and sharp interface quality. Scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy verified uniform film morphology and successful Mn incorporation. Spectroscopic ellipsometry revealed a systematic bandgap reduction with increasing Mn concentration, from 2.7 eV in BiFeO3 to 2.58 eV in BiFe0.74Mn0.26O3, consistent with previous reports on Mn-doped BiFeO3. These findings highlight the potential of BiFe1₋xMnxO3 films for bandgap engineering, advancing their integration into silicon-compatible multifunctional optoelectronic and photovoltaic applications.Materials Science, Engineering, and Commercializatio
Transcendence and Its Counterfeits: Psychedelic Mysticism in Traditionalist Perspective
No full textThis paper argues that the New Age justification of psychedelic mysticism collapses under metaphysical scrutiny, relying on assumptions that conflate psychic phenomena with authentically spiritual realization. Drawing on the Traditionalist critique—especially the metaphysics of Guénon, Schuon, and Upton—I contend that the New Age framework not only misidentifies the ontological status of psychedelic states but contributes to a larger deformation of spiritual discourse. The Traditionalist metaphysical system is therefore presented as a corrective to New Age distortions.Philosoph
Weathering Heights: A Multi-Proxy Geoarchaeological Analysis of Sediment Cores from the Spring Lake Site (41HY160), San Marcos, Texas
No full textSpring Lake, which forms the headwaters of the San Marcos River, is a federally protected waterway that currently serves as a resource for wildlife and ecological conservation efforts and public educational outreach for indigenous wildlife, flora, and aquifer springs systems. In addition to its current environmental significance, the area around Spring Lake has been a resource for people since the Late Pleistocene Era, approximately 13,000 years ago. Previous archaeological work at Spring Lake has revealed the presence of stratified and deeply buried cultural materials across the San Marcos River valley. To understand the integrity and nature of these sediments, previous geoarchaeological work has concentrated on the stratigraphy near the lake's headwaters; however, significantly less work has been performed in the northeast area of the site. This thesis utilizes a geoarchaeological approach to develop an understanding of the stratigraphy of the northeastern portion of site 41HY160 and evaluate how it relates to that near the headwaters.
Laboratory analyses were performed on samples taken from six curated sediment cores from Spring Lake to identify and characterize stratigraphy at the site. Laboratory methods included particle size analysis, loss-on-ignition testing, organic carbon and total nitrogen testing, and magnetic susceptibility. Utilizing the data generated by laboratory testing, a model of site stratigraphy from the headwaters to the northeast was proposed, which included the identification of nine distinct stratigraphic units across a southwest-to-northeast transect of the San Marcos River Valley. The strata represented in these units reflect a dynamic alluvial history at the site. While there is a degree of continuity of stratigraphy between the headwaters and the northeastern portion of the site, it was found that the northeast has remained overall a more stable landform compared to the more dynamic activity of the springheads.
This thesis research continues efforts to establish and refine an overview of how sediment at Spring Lake developed and provides a stratigraphic context for archaeological materials that will be useful for future archaeological work northeast of the spring heads.Anthropolog
Guide to the Top: A Deeper Look at the Mentor Relationships that Led Current Superintendents to the Superintendency
No full textNo abstract prepared.Counseling, Leadership, Adult Education, and School Psycholog
Hyper-Politicized Lyrical Trysts: Matty Healy and Metamodernism
No full textNo abstract prepared.Musi