100039 research outputs found
Sort by
Lace Network Firmware: A Polarfire FPGA Network for Data Routing and Command Interfacing in Space Applications
No full textModern small spacecraft rely on powerful yet efficient onboard compute devices to process data from sensors in real-time due to tight power and volume constraints. This work explores a new compute device system built from PolarFire Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), which are power-efficient, reprogrammable chips well-suited for space applications. The system connects via a central controller FPGA with one or multiple companion processing FPGAs, allowing sensor data to be quickly received and shared across the network. Standardized data formats and interfaces increase compatibility with spacecraft computers. By simplifying data handling and using high-speed communication links, this architecture makes it easier to integrate advanced algorithms, such as machine learning, directly onboard spacecraft. This approach supports faster, more efficient decision-making in space and reduces reliance on ground-based processing, which is especially valuable for missions with limited communication bandwidth or time-sensitive operations
We Need Deep Theories of Virtues: Four Principles for Advancing Research on Virtues in Positive Social Science
No full textThis article aims to help Positive Social Science (PSS) researchers develop theories of virtues, whether of single, discrete virtues, or several virtues considered together. We argue that a weak virtue theory assumes a virtue consists of single constructs, whereas a deep virtue theory assumes a virtue is an integrated system of constructs. We briefly review indicators of weak theory in the PSS literature: definitional divergence, valence confusion, and conceptual incommensurability. Drawing from the field of Virtue Ethics, we suggest four essential attributes of a virtue that should guide the development of deep virtue theory. Any virtue is (1) holistic, in that it integrates all aspects of character, including cognition, affect, and behavior; (2) a human good, in that it is an intrinsic aspect of individual well-being and a flourishing community; (3) situationally expressed, such that prudence regulates its enactment across various situations; and (4) characteristic, in that it is a second-nature trait rather than a state. We suggest four principles that account for these attributes. Scholars might use these principles to build deep virtue theory and evaluate existing, empirically based PSS virtue theories. We propose that PSS scholars will create more robust theories, develop more defensible and meaningful measures, and generate more compelling accounts of specific virtues if they draw on these principles
Agricultural Producer and Food Maker Food Processing Operation Needs Assessment Overview
No full textIn 2024, Utah State University conducted a study of Utah\u27s farmers, ranchers, and food makers related to value-added food production and processing. This fact sheet provides an overview of the survey results related to respondents, their operations, products, and marketing outlets. It also discusses respondents’ familiarity with key regulatory and resource organizations, the types of products and business resources they find difficult to obtain or access, and the primary obstacles to their processing operations. These results can be used by Extension faculty, policymakers, agricultural organizations, and local economic development agencies to guide targeted support for Utah’s farmers, ranchers, and food makers, including shaping new training programs, funding opportunities, and infrastructure investments. Educators and resource providers can also use study findings to design more effective outreach materials and regulatory guidance. Overall, the study offers a foundation for coordinated efforts to strengthen Utah’s value-added food sector and enhance the long-term sustainability and profitability of local agricultural operations
Coaching undergraduates, a conceptual and practical guide
No full textAccess the online Pressbooks version of this introduction here.
The overall aim of this paper is to provide a holistic orientation to the practice of person-centered coaching while providing tangible methods that faculty and advisors in higher education may be able to integrate into their professional practices. This conceptual paper explores the theoretical and practical intersections of coaching and teaching, presenting a flexible modality to support student-centered learning. The author provides readers with general guidance and templates for goal setting, problem solving, and assessment that practitioners may adapt to their own contexts
Aspen Impedes Wildfire Spread in Southwestern United States Landscapes
No full textAspen (Populus tremuloides) forests are generally thought to impede fire spread, yet the extent of this effect is not well quantified in relation to other vegetation types. We examined the influence of aspen cover on interpolated daily fire spread rates, the relative abundance of aspen at fire perimeters versus burn interiors, and whether these relationships shifted under more fire-conducive atmospheric conditions. Our study incorporated 314 fires occurring between 2001 and 2020 in the southwestern United States and a suite of gridded vegetation, topography, and fire weather predictor variables. We found that aspen slows fire progression: as aspen cover on the landscape increased, daily area burned and linear spread rate decreased. Where aspen cover was \u3c 10%, daily fire growth averaged 1112 ha/day and maximum linear spread was 2.1 km/day; where aspen exceeded 25%, these values dropped to 368 ha/day and 1.3 km/day. Aspen also serves as a barrier to fire spread, demonstrated through a higher proportion of aspen cover at fire perimeters than in burn interiors. Finally, though favorable fire weather conditions increased fire growth rates, differences between aspens and conifers persisted. Our results affirm that aspen stands can act as a firebreak, with clear applications for vegetation management. For example, interventions that shift conifer to aspen cover could lessen the risk of fire for nearby values at risk (e.g., communities, infrastructure) but still support forest ecosystem function. Further, wildfire-driven conversion from conifer to aspen forest types in some landscapes may produce a negative feedback that could dampen expected increases in fire activity under a warmer and drier climate
Ground-Based Evaluation of the Utah Reusable Root Module: Summary of Three Crop Cycles With Mizuna, Tomato, And Lettuce
No full textThe Utah Reusable Root Module (URRM) is a zero-discharge plant-growth system designed for microgravity. We evaluated its performance across four consecutive ground-based crop cycles with mizuna (Brassica rapa var. nipposinica), dwarf ‘Rejina Red’ tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), and ‘Outredgeous’ lettuce (Lactuca sativa). Five root modules (RMs) used distinct top-cover/containment designs with peatmoss medium. Growth conditions were 23–28 °C, 16/8 h photoperiod, PPFD ≈ 800 µmol m⁻² s⁻¹, RH ~ 50– 60%, and air velocity ~ 0.8 m s⁻¹. Redundant moisture sensing (upper CS650, lower TEROS ONE) enabled accurate water-use accounting; slopes between sensor-derived water use and pump-based input were ≈1 ± 0.10, indicating consistent monitoring. Across crops, total water use and WUE (dry mass per liter) were: Mizuna (17-day cycle: 38 L; 2.1 g L⁻¹) and Mizuna (22-day cycle: 35 L; 1.9 g L⁻¹), tomato (104-day cycle: 168 L; 2.2 g L⁻¹), and lettuce (28-day cycle:30 L; 2.4 g L⁻¹). Vinyl covers reduced water use by 11–38% relative to permeable designs while maintaining equal or higher WUE. Overall, the system demonstrated reliable multi-crop operation with rapid harvest-and-replant cycles, identified peak ET (≤3 L d⁻¹) as a key operational constraint for condensation-recovery capacity, and showed that low-permeability covers improve water-use efficiency without apparent trade-offs
Responding to Rising Waters and Temperatures: Greenhouse Gas Flux From a High-Latitude Coastal Wetland
No full textClimate change is exposing coastal landscapes to more flooding, in addition to rapidly rising temperatures. These changes are critical in the Arctic where the effects of sea level rise are exacerbated by the loss of sea ice protecting coasts, subsidence as permafrost thaws, and a projected increase in storms. Such changes will likely alter the land-atmosphere gas exchange of high-latitude coastal ecosystems, but the effects of flooding with warming remain unexplored. In this work we use a field experiment to examine the interacting effects of increased tidal flooding and warming on land-atmosphere CO2 and CH4 exchange in the coastal Yukon–Kuskokwim Delta, a large sub-Arctic wetland and tundra complex in western Alaska. We inundated dammed plots to simulate two levels of future flooding: low-intensity flooding represented by one day of flooding per summer-month (June, July and August), and high-intensity flooding represented by three-consecutive days of flooding per summer-month, crossed with a warming treatment of 1.4 °C. We found that both flooding and warming influenced greenhouse gas (GHG) exchange. Low-intensity flooding reduced net CO2 uptake by 20% (0.78 µmol m−2 s−1) regardless of temperature, and marginally increased CH4 emissions 0.83 nmol m−2 s−1 (33%) under ambient temperature, while decreasing CH4 emissions by −1.96 nmol m−2 s−1 (40%) under warming. In contrast, high-intensity flooding restored net CO2 uptake to control levels due to enhanced primary productivity under both temperature treatments. High-intensity flooding decreased CHM4 emissions under ambient temperature by 0.76 nmol m−2 s−1 (30%), but greatly increased emissions under warming by 4.68 nmol m−2 s−1 (265%), presumably driven by increased plant-mediated CH4 transport. These findings reveal that GHG exchange responds rapidly and non-linearly to intensifying flooding, and highlight the importance of short-term flooding dynamics and warming in shaping future carbon cycling in this Arctic coastal wetland
Supplementary Files for: Structure Identification for High-Dimensional Data in the Vicinity of Bear Lake
No full textThis report focuses on seven water quality measurements taken at 43 different depths on the Bear Lake for the months of June - November in the years 2018 - 2023. These measurements create a high-dimensional dataset on which we apply state-of-the-art machine learning (ML) techniques to look for low-dimensional structure in the data. A similar effort was made for weather measurements taken near the lake. Our analysis revealed that water quality measurements tend to cluster (i.e., group together) by year, while weather measurements tend to cluster by time of the year. This suggests that the structure observed in the water quality measurements cannot be fully explained by seasonal changes, since the weather data structure is fundamentally different than the water quality data structure.
This in mind, we explored potential drivers of this strong year to year clustering in the water quality data. This included an exploration of land use change (see Appendix A) as well as an exploration of water inflows/outflows (see Appendix B). The land use/land cover analysis revealed that land use near the Bear Lake has remained remarkably stable over the past two decades, which means that land use change cannot explain the stark differences we see in lake measurements in the platform data.
In contrast, we find that a combination of max inflows from the Causeway, and max outflows from the Lifton Pumps, can explain about 50% of the variability in the position of each year within the low dimensional representations of the platform data. With only six years to compare, it is difficult to know whether or not this phenomenon is due to chance, but the discovery motivates further exploration of the lasting impact of the maximum inflow and outflows from the Lifton Pumps and the Causeway on the water quality measurements for the following year
A Systematic Review: Learning Emotion Regulation With Virtual Reality
Get PDFThis systematic review explored how immersive virtual reality (IVR) can help people manage emotions like stress and anxiety by analyzing existing studies. It highlighted therapies such as mindfulness, compassion therapy, and exposure therapy, showing how IVR can teach effective emotion-regulation skills. Researchers also identified innovative tools, like biofeedback, which uses physical signals such as heart rate to help people understand and control their emotional responses.
Interactive and gamified approaches, like Stressjam and Deep, demonstrated practical uses of IVR for mental health support. While the review confirmed IVR\u27s potential in therapy, it also revealed gaps in research, particularly in applying learning theories like flow theory. Future studies should integrate these theories and game design methods to make IVR therapies even more effective
Spatiotemporal Patterns of Chlorophyll-\u3ci\u3ea\u3c/i\u3e Concentration in a Hypersaline Lake Using High Temporal Resolution Remotely Sensed Imagery
Get PDFThe Great Salt Lake (GSL) is the largest saline lake in the Western Hemisphere. It supports billion-dollar industries and recreational activities, and is a vital stopping point for migratory birds. However, little is known about the spatiotemporal variation of phytoplankton biomass in the lake that supports these resources. Spectral reflectance provided by three remote sensing products was compared relative to their relationship with field measurements of chlorophyll a (Chl a). The MODIS product MCD43A4 with a 500 m spatial resolution provided the best overall ability to map the daily distribution of Chl a. The imagery indicated significant spatial variation in Chl a, with low concentrations in littoral areas and high concentrations in a nutrient-rich plume coming out of polluted embayment. Seasonal differences in Chl a showed higher concentrations in winter but lower in summer due to heavy brine shrimp (Artemia franciscana) grazing pressure. Twenty years of imagery revealed a 68% increase in Chl a, coinciding with a period of declining lake levels and increasing local human populations, with potentially major implications for the food web and biogeochemical cycling dynamics in the lake. The MCD43A4 daily cloud-free images produced by 16-day temporal composites of MODIS imagery provide a cost-effective and temporally dense means to monitor phytoplankton in the southern (47% surface area) portion of the GSL, but its remaining bays could not be effectively monitored due to shallow depths, and/or plankton with different pigments given extreme hypersaline conditions