As artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes educational practices, particularly in technical fields such as uncrewed systems, robotics, and aviation/ aerospace, its integration raises promise and complexity. This exploratory study features an investigation of the impact AI tools adoption has on instruction, curriculum support, and workforce preparation, with a focus on online learning environments. Drawing from pilot survey data across aviation and aerospace education stakeholders and hands-on e...| Scholarly Commons
Space exploration activities generate novel problems for philosophical consideration. As space activities increasingly populate Earth’s orbital environment with both operating space infrastructure and junk, humanity is faced with new threats. One significant worry is Kessler syndrome, a potential cascade of space debris that could trap humans on Earth while destroying satellite infrastructure. Approaching the growing problem of space debris from the perspective of environmental philosophy r...| Scholarly Commons
We fit the high-resolution Chandra X-ray spectra of the O supergiant ζ Puppis using the variable boundary condition (VBC) line model to test the stability of its mass-loss rate between two epochs of observation: 2000 March and 2018 July – 2019 August. At issue is whether the observed variations are induced by global changes in the cool (unshocked) wind itself or are isolated to the local pockets of hot gas (i.e. changes in the frequency and location of the shocks). Evidence in the literatu...| Scholarly Commons
We fit a new line shape model to Chandra X-ray spectra of the O supergiant ζ Puppis to test the robustness of mass-loss rates derived from X-ray wind line profiles against different assumed heating models. Our goal is to track the hot gas by replacing the common assumption that it is proportional to the cool gas emission measure. Instead of assuming a turn-on radius for the hot gas (as appropriate for the line-deshadowing instability internal to the wind), we parametrize the hot gas in terms...| Scholarly Commons
Join us for a brief introduction to RefWorks, a powerful online tool for managing citations, organizing research, and creating bibliographies. This session will guide you through setting up your account, importing references, and using RefWorks to streamline your writing process. Ideal for students, faculty, and researchers looking to save time and stay organized.| Scholarly Commons
We report the discovery of quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) in the high-mass X-ray binary (HMXB) pulsar LMC X-4 in its non-flaring (persistent) state using observations with XMM–Newton. In addition to the 74 mHz coherent pulsations, the persistent emission light curve shows a QPO feature in the frequency range of 20–30 mHz. Quasi-periodic flares have been previously observed from LMC X-4 in observations made with Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE). However, this is the first time QPOs h...| Scholarly Commons
We present the results from an investigation of the energy dependence of quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) exhibited by accreting X-ray pulsars using data from archival XMM-Newton, NuSTAR, RXTE, and NICER observations. In a search for the presence of QPOs in 99 XMM-Newton and NuSTAR observations, we detected QPOs in eleven observations of five sources, viz., 4U 1626–67 (48 mHz), IGR J19294+1816 (30 mHz), V 0332+53 (2, 18, and 40 mHz), Cen X–3 (30 mHz), and XTE J1858+034 (180 mHz). A posi...| Scholarly Commons
Civil aviation comprises airlines/charters and general aviation (GA). Currently, airlines are experiencing a pilot shortage, partly reflecting scheduled retirements mandatory for airline (but not GA) pilots aged 65 years, fueling a debate as to whether the retirement age should be increased. Herein, using 16–40 years-of-age aviators as a reference, we determined whether GA pilots aged 60+ years (i) incurred an elevated accident rate, employing, for the first time, age-tiered flight time as ...| Scholarly Commons
INTRODUCTION: Although an unintended aircraft landing on water (referred to as ditching) is a rare event, the potential for occupant injury/fatality increases immediately following the event due to adverse conditions. However, to date, few studies have addressed the subject. Herein, ditching events and post-ditching survival were investigated. METHODS: Ditchings (1982–2022) in the United States were identified from the National Transportation Safety Board database. Occupant injury severity,...| Scholarly Commons
INTRODUCTION: General aviation (GA), mainly comprised of light (≤12,500 lb) aircraft, maintains an inferior safety record compared with air carriers. To improve safety, aeronautical decision-making (ADM) practices have been advocated to GA pilots since 1991. Herein, we determined the extent to which GA pilots disregard such practices. METHODS: Fatal accidents (1991–2019) involving private pilots (PPLs) in single-engine airplanes were identified (N = 1481) from the National Transportatio...| Scholarly Commons
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: The COVID-19 virus has caused over 582,000 deaths in the United States to date. However, the pandemic has also afflicted the mental health of the population at large in the domains of anxiety and sleep disruption, potentially interfering with cognitive function. From an aviation perspective, safely operating an aircraft requires an airmans cognitive engagement for: 1) situational awareness, 2) spatial orientation, and 3) avionics programming. Since impaired cognitive fun...| Scholarly Commons
INTRODUCTION: Air taxis conduct nonscheduled transport and employ aircraft in various performance categories hereafter referred to as low, medium, and high performance, respectively. No study has yet addressed fixed-wing air taxi safety by performance category. Herein, we compared accident rates/occupant injury across air taxi airplane fleets grouped by performance category and identified human factors contributing to fatal accidents for airplanes in that category with the highest mishap rate...| Scholarly Commons
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We present the first set of broad-band spectral and timing studies of two transient X-ray pulsars, MXB 0656 −072 and MAXI J1409 −619 using NuSTAR observations conducted during quiescence. Despite being captured at one of their lowest luminosity states, both these targets show signs of ongoing low-level accretion. Results from the time-averaged spectral analysis indicate for the first time, the presence of a strong soft power-law component along with thermal emission from the neutron star ...| Scholarly Commons
As the automation of robotic systems becomes increasingly prevalent, the risk of malicious hijacking grows in parallel. While robotic systems maintain human oversight for critical operations, they remain vulnerable to communication channel attacks that can compromise mission integrity. Physical components like firmware and sensors offer inherent security through their specialized nature, but the network communication interfaces between robots and operators present significant attack vectors t...| Scholarly Commons
The space economy is projected to grow to 1.8 trillion USD by 2030, according to the World Economic Forum and McKinsey & Company. As space operations become more common and diversified, the hazardous nature of the environment is worsened by the growing number of complex actors. Currently, ground segments manage these hazards and risks, but they are faced with potential operation challenges such as communications delays, communication issues due to single event upsets, and orbital perturbation...| Scholarly Commons
This study investigates whether substorm onset locations on the Sun exhibit specific patterns by analyzing its source region-active regions (ARs), quiet sun (QS), and coronal holes (CH)-and their corresponding solar wind properties using statistical analysis. Matching event times were found using SuperMAG substorm, ACE, and WSA data. We analyzed geomagnetic indices (AE, AU, and AL) and solar wind variability, including Bz paths in magnetic field components, velocity, and density. Preliminary ...| Scholarly Commons
Multi-agent systems are becoming heavily relied upon as the complexity of the world increases. The effectiveness of these systems depends on consensus algorithms; however, the presence of faulted agents can compromise the security and reliability of these consensus algorithms. Therefore, it is crucial to develop robust consensus methods to maintain system security and reliability. Biologically-Inspired Design previously led to the Synchronous Hatching Consensus Algorithm which proved to be ro...| Scholarly Commons
This paper addresses the critical issue of internet scams targeting seniors by developing a robust, Machine Learning (ML) based solution employing a Large Language Model (LLM), specifically ChatGPT, to enhance scam detection and prevention. Elderly internet users are particularly vulnerable to digital fraud due to a lack of familiarity with technological safeguards and a tendency not to report incidents. Traditional security measures often fail to accommodate the unique challenges faced by th...| Scholarly Commons
Altitude: Llamas in SpaceEmpowered by Technology Education at a Higher Altitude Code it. Create it. Play it. Good Vibrations From Classroom to Control tower Next Level Flight Training Llamas don't fly but our cameras do. Leading by example The Future of flight Passion meets Purpose From Campus to Cosmos Game Changing Drones Chasing Shadows Engineering the Future of Memory Technology This Eagle's got Wings and Game Global Citizenship and Aviation business Pathways to Success From Mrs. Utah Ame...| Scholarly Commons
In the fields of Computer Science and Engineering, a lack of diversity remains a significant challenge. However, implementing certain practices can help increase student participation, regardless of their identity. Many such practices have been studied in literature. Results from our prior study revealed that CS Education community is familiar with such practices but there is a lack of adoption and evaluation of such practices. As a part of a bigger study, we implemented the following four pr...| Scholarly Commons
Mobile devices usually provide a “factory-reset” tool to erase user-specific data from the main secondary storage. 9 Apple iPhones, 10 Android devices, and 2 BlackBerry devices were tested in the first systematic evaluation of the effectiveness of factory resets. Tests used the Cellebrite UME-36 Pro with the UFED Physical Analyzer, the Bulk Extractor open-source tool, and our own programs for extracting metadata, classifying file paths, and comparing them between images. Two phones were s...| Scholarly Commons