100039 research outputs found
Sort by
Simulation Study on NH\u3csub\u3e3\u3c/sub\u3e Combustion and NO\u3csub\u3ex\u3c/sub\u3e Emissions Under Gas Turbine-Relevant Conditions
No full textAmmonia (NH3) is a zero-carbon fuel and an attractive hydrogen (H2) carrier for gas turbine power generation due to its high energy density, ease of storage, and transportation. This study numerically investigates NH3/air combustion using a hybrid Well-Stirred Reactor (WSR) and Plug Flow Reactor (PFR) model in Cantera at pressures of 1–20 atm, temperatures of 1850–2150 K, and equivalence ratios (ϕ) of 0.7–1.2. The effects of pressure, equivalence ratio, and temperature on NH3 conversion and NO formation are examined. Results show that NH3 exhibits a non-monotonic conversion curve with pressure after the WSR, reaching a minimum near 5 atm, whereas NO formation decreases monotonically from 1 to 20 atm. Equivalence ratio sweeps show that NO decreases steeply as ϕ increases from 0.7 to ~1.1 as nitrogen is redirected toward N2 and oxidizer availability declines; residual NH3 increases rapidly for ϕ \u3e 1.0, especially at high pressure. Increasing temperature accelerates NH3 oxidation and raises NO formation, most strongly at low pressure where thermal and NH/OH pathways are least inhibited. These results indicate that co-tuning pressure and equivalence ratio near rich operation enables low-NOx ammonia combustion suitable for advanced gas turbine applications
Educating Medical Trainees on Mental Healthcare and Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
No full textMany children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) experience mental health conditions and commonly receive treatment with psychotropic medications. Prescribers often overuse these medications in children with IDD, who are frequently treated with polypharmacy and antipsychotics, a trend that continues into adulthood. Medical trainees receive little training regarding the IDD patient population. This paper describes the development and evaluation of an evidence-informed, easy-to-use training curriculum. The 6-hour training establishes a foundation for medical trainees regarding the treatment of mental health conditions in people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD-MH) as part of an integrated health, interdisciplinary treatment approach. An exploratory study was conducted to evaluate the training curriculum\u27s effectiveness in improving knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes toward diagnosis and treatment of mental health conditions in people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The training was provided to 99 students including physician assistant students, medical students and psychiatry residents, along with child psychiatry fellows at three universities. Eighty-two participants completed pre- post-assessments and module evaluations. Participants reported overall satisfaction with the training. Findings indicate significant improvements across effectiveness measures
Increasing Participation through Online Focus Groups with Adults with Intellectual Disabilities
No full textThe aim of this study was to develop and describe methods on how to conduct virtual focus groups with adults with intellectual disability. Using a community-engaged research approach, adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities helped develop virtual focus group methods. We report on the implementation of these methods through an illustrative application of applying these adaptations to virtual focus groups with 13 adults with intellectual disability in a study assessing their perspectives on mental health therapy.
This work resulted in several adaptations that can enhance inclusivity of focus group research to individuals with intellectual disability. Adaptions broadly included: involving guardians in consent as needed, providing additional time to build rapport through icebreakers, providing multiple presentations of information including clear language questions, visuals, and PowerPoint slides. We also included multiple ways of receiving input from participants (e.g., chat, verbal, communication with support person). We also identified ways to make further adaptations to focus group methods including rephrasing all focus group questions in multiple ways using concrete language, pausing after asking questions, repeating questions as needed, and allowing for multiple breaks.
The ability to conduct virtual groups with adults with intellectual disability can greatly enhance the reach of focus group research and can improve external validity and generalizability of research. Individuals with intellectual disabilities have historically often been excluded from research that directly affects them and their priorities, values, and preferences have not been fully heard. This manuscript outlines how their voices can be elevated and heard in research within the context of virtual focus groups
High Tunnel Pollinators
No full textHigh tunnels are used to extend the growing season. Unlike greenhouses, high tunnels are semi-permanent and not heated or cooled by a climate-control system. Instead, they use plastic sheeting to trap solar heat, allowing for season extension in temperate climates around spring and fall. Bee pollination can improve yields for several valuable crop species grown in high tunnels. Because high tunnels are largely enclosed, bees are typically released and managed within the structure. This fact sheet provides information on how to obtain and manage bee pollinators in high tunnels
Faculty Senate Agenda February 2, 2026
No full text3:00 Call to Order Approval of Minutes January 5, 2026 3:05 University Business 3:20 Faculty Senate Business 3:35 Report School of Graduate Studies Professional Responsibilities and Procedures Committee Office of Research 4:00 Old Business 4:05 New Business 4:10 Information EPC Report - January 8, 2026 Adjourn: 4:30 p
A Closer Look at Shielding Gas in Laser Powder Bed Fusion: A Review
No full textThe ongoing advancement of additive manufacturing (AM) techniques, particularly in laser powder bed fusion (LPBF), is effectively bridging the knowledge gap between AM and conventional manufacturing methods. At present, most of the research is focused on optimizing key process parameters such as laser power, laser speed, hatch spacing, layer thickness, scan pattern, powder size distribution, and so on. These studies help improve the part density and refine the microstructure of LPBF components, thereby enhancing the mechanical properties. Despite these advancements, an area in LPBF that is receiving comparatively less attention is the shielding gas: its flow during the printing process, and its relationships to the underlying structures and properties of AM materials. Shielding gas plays an important role during the printing process by creating an inert medium so the printed parts do not react with the atmosphere while also facilitating the removal of any process by-products that develop during the printing. Within the scientific community, there is an absence of review articles that summarize current research on shielding gas flow. This work addresses this gap by reviewing the current literature on different shielding gases used, how the printer gas inlet design configurations help in the uniform flow of the gas, the role of the gas in the elimination of by-products, and their influence on the melt pool, part quality, and repeatability. All aspects discussed in this review article are crucial to the advancement of metal AM processes that require the use of a shielding gas, specifically LPBF, and the qualification of materials produced for a variety of industrial applications
Adversarial Heterogeneous Agent Learning for Robotic Systems: A Framework for Coordinated Competitive Behaviors
No full textAutonomous robot teams must move reliably, explain their actions, and work together—even in changing or adversarial settings. We present a structured, three-stage pathway that builds coordinated team behavior from strong single-robot skills. First, we develop robust legged-robot locomotion and interpretability using only internal actuator signals. From these proprioceptive cues, robots learn to classify terrain and predict short-term power use, enabling energy-aware movement without external sensors. We further analyze learned behaviors with motif discovery to reveal recurring sensor–action patterns, which clarify how agility emerges and guide reward design. Second, we compose these skills into heterogeneous teamwork using centralized training with decentralized execution. Role-conditioned critics and attention mechanisms allow robots with different bodies to share workload and cooperate. We evaluate cooperative transport, mixed-morphology block pushing, precise hand-to-hand transfer, and exploration in the Unknown Building Exploration Simulator, measuring success, efficiency, and resilience to agent dropouts. Third, we introduce adversarial multi-team learning in IsaacLab with a scalable, physics-faithful stack. Self-play and population-based curricula harden policies against opponents, while team-specific critics and a zero-buffer curriculum stabilize training as tasks grow more complex. Competitive tests include Sumo, Soccer, and a 3D “Galaga” interception scenario, reported by win rate. Together, these stages connect interpretable, energy-aware single-robot skills to coordinated, resilient multi-robot behavior, yielding a GPU-accelerated, reproducible framework for heterogeneous teams in adversarial environments
Vines in the Landscape: Goldflame Honeysuckle
No full textGoldflame honeysuckle is a moderately growing vine with a mature height of 10–15 feet and can spread around 3–6 feet in a single growing season. It grows well on fences, arbors, and trellises; however, canopy coverage is usually sparse and may not be suitable as a privacy screen. The vine grows well in full sun and well-drained soil, attracting hummingbirds and butterflies throughout the blooming season. It is hardy in USDA zones 5–9. Unlike Japanese honeysuckle (L. japonica), Goldflame honeysuckle is non-invasive and does not aggressively spread by runners
Addressing Health Inequities for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in the Hospital through Partnerships in Nurse Training
No full textPeople with intellectual/developmental disabilities (IDD) deserve the same access to quality healthcare yet are at increased risk of medical and/or psychiatric conditions as compared to the general population. Patients with IDD have less health satisfaction, shorter life expectancy, less access to preventative care, higher chronic health conditions, overuse of certain medications, and increased mortality. This population and their caregivers report high levels of dissatisfaction with emergency/inpatient care. Nurses also express frustration with lack of training, limited resources, and competing priorities.
We developed the Advancing Supportive Care through Education for Nurses on Disability (ASCEND) Program, to build the capacity of inpatient/Emergency Department (ED) nurses to understand the medical, social, environmental, and mental/behavioral health needs of disabled people. Tier 1 included five didactic modules that were integrated into the online learning platform for a major regional hospital: Attitudes and Barriers to Care, Adapted Nursing Care, Medical Comorbidities, Mental Health, Managing Crisis. Tier 2 included simulations with specific scenarios relevant to IDD presentations, barriers, and biases. Participants included nurses in pediatric and adult inpatient and ED units who participated in Didactics (n = 1,250) and Simulations (n =250). They completed measures at baseline (T1) and immediately after training (T2) capturing the following dimensions: disability knowledge, disability healthcare attitudes, clinical comfort, organizational climate, and training satisfaction (n = 280).
Analyses included descriptives on nurse demographics and group comparisons across scores pre/post training. Analyses showed that there were statistically significant differences between T1 and T2 domains of Clinical Comfort, Clinical Knowledge, and Organizational Climate. Nurses reported higher clinical comfort following training (p \u3c .001), more knowledge (p \u3c .001), and better organizational climates (p \u3c .01). There was no statistically significant difference in Disability Attitudes domain scores between T1 and T2 surveys (p = 0.07561). The success of initial development and pilot deployment suggest the feasibility of the ASCEND model. Pre/post data will indicate preliminary efficacy of the tiered system of training. Scale-up and sustainability are planned, and next steps for the ASCEND program are discussed
Time, Vastness, and Belonging: Outcomes from a Teen Dark-Sky Curriculum Pilot in Colorado
No full textThis article reports on a program evaluation of Skyward – Part One, a Utah State University Extension curriculum that promotes adolescent mental well-being through immersive, awe-based dark-sky experiences. Findings indicate the program effectively supported emotional regulation and perspective-taking, demonstrating strong potential for replication of awe-based youth mental-health programming across non-formal educational settings