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Identification of π-Stacking Motifs in Naphthalene Diimides via Solid-State NMR
No full textOrganic electronics, featuring π-conjugated small molecules and polymers, have gained significant attention for their potential in flexible, lightweight devices. However, characterization of the ordered, π-stacking domains within these materials using microscopy or X-ray diffraction (XRD) is challenging with complex systems or when crystallography is impractical. This study applied 1D ¹³C multiple cross-polarization magic angle spinning (multiCP/MAS) and 2D ¹H-¹³C heteronuclear correlation (HetCor) solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (ssNMR) to systematically characterize π-stacking motifs in a series of N,N\u27-dialkyl naphthalene diimides (NDIs). These techniques were shown to distinguish between the electronic environments attributed to different π-stacking motifs adopted in these NDIs, such that distinct packing types could be identified by their ssNMR fingerprints without requiring growth of XRD-quality crystals. Density functional theory (DFT) supported the experimental data by linking observed motifs with calculated chemical shifts and electronic effects due to stack-bonding interactions. These results lay the foundation for systematic ssNMR characterization of π-stacking domains in diverse organic materials, particularly in complex or blended systems where crystallography is challenging
Ethnic Politics and Fiscal Dominance: Implications for Currency Union Formation in Sub-Saharan Africa
No full textNumerous currency unions have been proposed in Africa over the past 50 years, but none have succeeded. This paper asserts ethnic favouritism is a crucial yet often overlooked feature that strongly influences an African government’s willingness to join a currency union. We use a Barro and Gordon (1983) style model that incorporates fiscal dominance, political business cycles and ethnic favouritism to assess the benefits and costs to African households and governments of joining a currency union. Our results show that ethnic alignment between the head of state and central bank governor amplifies fiscal dominance, which reduces an African government’s desire to surrender monetary autonomy. A currency union is more beneficial to African households if the common central bank is free from political influence of its member countries and more beneficial to African governments if fiscal dominance persists. Both African households and governments will gain utility from joining a monetary union if the trade benefits are strong enough to overcome the costs of belonging to the union. Given the prevalence of fiscal dominance and modest trade among neighbouring countries, it is easy to understand why Africa has made little progress toward implementing currency unions in recent years
The b³Π–a³Δ and b³Π–X¹Σ+ Band Systems of ZrO
No full textThe zirconium oxide (ZrO) b³Π–a³Δ system is a prominent source of opacity in the atmospheres of S-type stars in the near-infrared region. The emission spectra of ZrO, obtained at the National Solar Observatory located at Kitt Peak in Arizona, have been utilized to analyze this band system. A reanalysis of the 0–0 vibrational band of the b³Π–a³Δ transition has been carried out. For the first time, the vibrational bands with 1 ⩽ v ′ ⩽ 3 and v″ ≤ 4 for the same electronic transition have been rotationally analyzed using PGOPHER. Additionally, the 0–0 and 1–1 bands of the spin-forbidden triplet–singlet transition (b³Π–X¹Σ+) have also been identified and fitted. This new analysis revealed that the e parity levels are higher in energy than the f parity levels of the b³Π state, in contrast to previous reports. Furthermore, this study allowed for the precise determination of T₀ for the a³Δ state, which is found to be 1383.49144(98) cm−¹. The observed R-heads for the Δv = 0, ±1 vibrational bands have been reported. Spectroscopic constants for the b³Π state for v ′ ⩽ 3 have been determined and utilized to derive equilibrium constants. These parameters, in conjunction with ab initio calculations of the transition dipole moment function, have been used to compute band strengths. Furthermore, a line list consisting of line positions, Einstein A values, and oscillator strengths has been generated, which can be used for the spectral modeling of S-type stars
Towards Reliable Lung Cancer Prediction: A Hybrid Framework for Noise Reduction and Uncertainty Control
No full textUncertainty remains a critical challenge in healthcare AI, since predictive errors can directly compromise patient safety and undermine trust. Structured clinical datasets in healthcare are frequently characterized by heterogeneous acquisition protocols, incomplete records, and inconsistent or noisy encodings. This inflates aleatoric uncertainty and weakens calibration. These challenges are exemplified in lung cancer risk modeling, where small cohorts, variable collection practices, and limited feature quality make the problem especially acute. Significant advances in uncertainty quantification (UQ) have been achieved in imaging and signal processing through Bayesian inference, evidential learning, and robust architectural designs. In contrast, tabular clinical datasets remain a critical yet underexplored domain. Addressing this gap requires methods that are lightweight, certifiable, and effective on noisy datasets without relying on large models or data. Considering this challenges, we propose a frequency-aware hybrid representation that combines Principal Component Analysis (PCA) with the Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT). Using mutual information (MI)–based feature ordering, the framework suppresses high-frequency artifacts while preserving discriminative structure. As the framework was applied to a publicly available lung cancer dataset, it demonstrated an accuracy improvement from 98.1% to 99.7%, reduced Negative Log-Likelihood (NLL) by 82% from 5.25% to 0.94%, lowered aleatoric uncertainty from 10.50% to 3.35% (68% reduction), and preserved AUROC at 99%. We evaluated the framework across three publicly available lung cancer datasets where it demonstrated a reduction in aleatoric uncertainty by 7% on an average, confirming generalizability. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test confirms that the results are statistically significant. This work shows that part of the ‘irreducible’ variability is actually compressible noise, thereby facilitating more reliable and uncertainty-aware AI for healthcare
Annabelle Tometich: 48th Annual ODU Literary Festival
No full textAnnabelle Tometich (tomma-titch) went from medical-school reject to line cook to journalist to author. She spent 18 years as a food writer and restaurant critic for The News-Press in her hometown of Fort Myers, Florida. Her first book, The Mango Tree: A Memoir of Fruit, Florida, and Felony (Little, Brown; April 2024) was called “sweet, sharp” by The New York Times, and was named among the best books of 2024 by The Washington Post and NPR.
Tometich has written for The Washington Post, USA Today, Catapult, and many more outlets. In 2025, thanks to The Mango Tree, she became the first Filipino American author to win the Southern Book Prize for nonfiction. Tometich – still – lives in Fort Myers with her husband, two children, and her ever-fiery Filipina mother
Crystal Wilkinson: 48th Annual ODU Literary Festival
No full textCrystal Wilkinson, a recent recipient of a Writing Freedom fellowship, is the award-winning author of Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts, a national-bestselling culinary memoir, Perfect Black, a collection of poems, and three works of fiction—The Birds of Opulence, Water Street and Blackberries, Blackberries. She is the recipient of an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Poetry, an O. Henry Prize, an Academy of American Poets Fellowship, a USA Artists Fellowship, and an Ernest J. Gaines Prize for Literary Excellence. She has received recognition from the Yaddo Foundation, Hedgebrook, The Vermont Studio Center for the Arts, The Hermitage Foundation and others. Her short stories, poems and essays have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies including most recently in The Atlantic, The Kenyon Review, STORY, Agni Literary Journal, Emergence, Oxford American and Southern Cultures. She was Poet Laureate of Kentucky from 2021 to 2023. She currently teaches creative writing at the University of Kentucky where she is a Bush-Holbrook Endowed Professor and Director of the Division of Creative Writing. Her memoir Heartsick is forthcoming from Crown
An 11-Year (2012-2022) Review of Journal of Athletic Training Publication Study Designs and Sample Sizes
No full textBackground
Research findings must be representative by creating a sample of individuals, ensuring the results can be generalized and applicable to a larger population, which has historically been guided by a power analysis. However, the varied research design methods require a unique approach to sampling and a formula for recruitment and size. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to analyze historical data from published manuscripts in the Journal of Athletic Training (JAT) relative to study design and sample sizes. A secondary purpose was to further explore metrics for survey-based research. Methods
This descriptive analysis explored 1267 publications in each issue of the JAT from January 2012 (Volume 47) to December 2022 (Volume 57). We extracted publications from the JAT website. Every article was entered into a spreadsheet (year of publication, publication title) and data specific to the study design and sample size were used for analysis. For studies that were coded as survey-based research, access, response, and completion rates were completed, and topic area and use of a power analysis were extracted. Data were analyzed using measures of central tendency (mean, median, range). Results
Of the 1267 published studies, the most frequent design was cross-sectional (394, 31.1%). In total, 1080 publications (85.2%) were not survey-based, with a median sample size of 34 participants, while 187 publications (14.8%) were survey-based, with a median sample size of 429. Among those surveys, most were cross-sectional (n = 151/187, 80.8%), with 80.7% (n = 151/187) reporting the number initially recruited and 50.8% (n = 95/187) reporting the number of surveys started. The survey publications reported recruiting an average of 4453 potential participants (median = 2500; min = 101, max = 48752), with 985 participants starting the study (median = 816, min = 57, max = 7067), and a final sample size of 819 (median = 429; min = 17, max = 13002). The grand mean access rate was 22.1%, the grand mean response rate was 18.4%, and the grand mean completion rate was 83.1%. Conclusion
Researchers and reviewers can use these trends to guide authorship and review processes for athletic training research. However, sampling strategies should be consistent with the research question, which may lead to deviations from these reported trends
Anime and Luxury Fashion: Studio Ghibli and Loewe\u27s Unorthodox Brand Merchandizing
No full textWhile they might seem counterintuitive to traditional concepts of “luxury,” collaborations between luxury and anime brands are a growing pattern reflecting the growth of both industries for key demographics. This paper argues that luxury brands use these collaborations to establish brand relevance and cultural connection while also positioning themselves advantageously against other brands in an increasingly social and online environment. Through a qualitative and quantitative content analysis of Instagram posts and user comments from Studio Ghibli and the Spanish luxury brand Loewe regarding their three product collaborations, we argue that there is a significant amount of room for differentiation in the space. In this case, it is focused not on anime fans in general, but instead on consumers interested in the luxury market that also happen to enjoy anime. We suggest that these collaborations are not intended to massify luxury audiences outside of their existing consumers, but instead to generate additional value and interest in the brand’s luxury identity for coveted young demographics with a global perspective and potential influence
Optimizing Port Logistics Through Generative AI: Revolutionizing Efficiency and Resilience in the Maritime Industry
No full textThe maritime industry faces growing challenges in optimizing port logistics due to increasing trade volumes, environmental regulations, and supply chain disruptions. This comprehensive literature review examines the transformative role of artificial intelligence (AI), with particular focus on generative AI, in enhancing efficiency and resilience in port operations. Through systematic analysis of 23 peer-reviewed studies published between 2021-2025, this review synthesizes advancements in real-time data integration, machine learning, digital twins, IoT, and autonomous systems that collectively improve operational decision-making, risk management, and environmental sustainability. Key findings reveal that machine learning applications achieve 90% effectiveness ratings in operational optimization, while predictive analytics demonstrates 89% effectiveness in risk management. The study identifies significant benefits including reduced vessel turnaround times (up to 45.8% reduction in carbon emissions), improved resource allocation through digital twins, and enhanced safety compliance (from 60% to 85%). However, implementation faces substantial challenges, with technical barriers representing 25% of obstacles, followed by cost considerations (22%) and organizational resistance (20%). The review outlines promising future research directions, emphasizing unexplored applications of generative AI in predictive maintenance and integration with emerging technologies like blockchain and quantum computing. This analysis provides valuable insights for researchers, industry stakeholders, and policymakers aiming to leverage AI for a more efficient, resilient, and sustainable maritime logistics ecosystem
Sustainable Management of Erosive Shores: An Interdisciplinary Approach Integrating Engineering and Social Sciences at a Tide-Dominant Beach Area
No full textThis study investigates the causes and consequences of shoreline erosion at Kkotji Beach, a prominent tourist destination on the west coast of South Korea, where the degradation of the coastal environment has increasingly threatened the local tourism industry and economy, by employing a mixed-methods approach that combines field observations with MIKE 21 hydrodynamic simulations and by integrating perspectives from coastal engineering and the social sciences to develop practical, site-specific strategies for mitigating erosion, enhancing public awareness, and promoting sustainable coastal planning and development that support long-term environmental resilience and economic stability. The results show that dominant ebb currents drive southward sand transport, causing persistent northern erosion despite nourishment and highlighting the need for integrated management across engineering, policy, and community engagement