Click on this link to download the full high-definition interactive pdf for AJUR Volume 22 Issue 3 (September 2025). The Crossref link for this issue is https://doi.org/10.33697/ajur.2025.144
Links to individual manuscripts, abstracts, and keywords are provided below.
p.3. Statistical Evaluation of Outdoor Field Hockey Penalty Corners
Samuel R. Hughes, Gregory J. Matthews, & Jun Yan
https://doi.org/10.33697/ajur.2025.145
ABSTRACT: Penalty corners stand out as pivotal goal-scoring opportunities in field hockey, crucial to a team’s triumph. This study harnesses data from women’s collegiate field hockey games to formulate a statistical model predicting the likelihood of scoring a penalty corner, contingent on the strategies deployed. Various machine learning algorithms are compared to ascertain the most predictive model and to dissect the paramount factors influencing penalty corners. The XGBoost model emerges superior, boasting an area under the curve (AUC) score of 0.667 on out-of-sample observations. With other predictors held constant, the model reveals that drag flicks, sweep shots, and deflections are positively associated with goal occurrences, while, intriguingly, direct shots—despite their prevalence—are negatively associated with scoring probability. KEYWORDS: College Sports; K-Nearest Neighbor; Lasso; Quantitative Analysis; Random Forest; Sporting Strategy; Sports Analytics; XGBoost
p.13. Adapting Multiple Imputation for Compositional Survey Data
Sana Gupta, Benjamin Stockton, & Ofer Harel
https://doi.org/10.33697/ajur.2025.146
ABSTRACT: Compositional data, where each component is a proportion of a whole, presents unique statistical challenges, particularly when incomplete. Multiple Imputation (MI) has become a standard method for imputing incomplete quantitative, ordinal, or categorical data, but there are not any proposed imputation methods for incomplete compositional data that are able to preserve the characteristics of the compositions. We propose methods for imputing compositional data, and use the imputed datasets to conduct analysis on exercise motivation survey data. The novel method will be used to impute missingness in the original dataset, which serves as the basis for the model development. The results of the analysis will be used to evaluate the performance of our proposal against standard methods. KEYWORDS: Applied Bayesian Statistics; Exercise Motivation; Missing Data; Multiple Imputation; Multivariate Statistics; Survey Methodology
p.31. The Effect of Land Use Gradient on Adult Body Size of Bees in Eastern Tennessee
Margaret Clark, Karl McKim, Amani Khalil, & Laura Russo
https://doi.org/10.33697/ajur.2025.147
ABSTRACT: With the intensification of agricultural practices, bee habitats are undergoing changes, impacting the nutritional quality of resources available to bee larvae and leading to variation in adult body sizes. Because larger bee species can forage at greater distances from their nests, we predicted that intraspecific body size would respond differently to agricultural land use gradient depending on bee size at the species level. Our study emphasizes the effect of a varying agricultural land use gradient on adult body sizes of bees. Our experiment took place in East Tennessee where we established twenty plots each containing 18 native plant species, at five sites of varying agricultural land-uses, ranging from 6-48% agriculture. During the summer, using an insect vacuum, we collected 11,183 insects representing 99 bee species interacting with these native plants. We then haphazardly selected adult bees from 13 species that were found at all sites to measure their body size via intertegular distance (ITD). We found that the intraspecific adult body size of larger bees, such as Bombus impatiens, increased along with agricultural land use in the surrounding landscape. The body size of small and medium sized bee species did not change along the agricultural land use gradient. This indicates that agricultural land use affects bee species differently. Larger bees are able to forage at greater distances from their nests and carry more provisions, which might make them more resilient to agricultural land use. Smaller bees may be less resilient because they cannot forage as far. This is critical to consider for future landscape management practices to best ensure the pollination of crops. KEYWORDS: Pollinator Health; Wild Bees; Agriculture; Conservation; Spatial Ecology; Social Bees; Intertegular Distance; Land Use Change
p.41. Analyzing Aerosol Properties of Air Parcels Above Boone, NC, During the 2023 Summer Canadian Wildfire Season
Tess N. Mickey, Chris S. Thaxton, James P. Sherman, & Robert F. Swarthout
https://doi.org/10.33697/ajur.2025.148
ABSTRACT: Air mass source regions and meteorological factors significantly influenced aerosol loading along air mass trajectories over Boone, North Carolina, between June 1, 2023, to August 31, 2023. This study examines the impact of northeast Canadian wildfires on aerosol loading, quantified by the particle light scattering coefficients at 550 nm measured at the NOAA Federated Aerosol Monitoring site at Appalachian State University (APP). Using NOAA’s HYSPLIT trajectory model, hourly back trajectories originating at 500 meters above ground level at APP were analyzed over a 96-hour timespan and categorized into four aerosol loading classifications based on the aerosol light scattering coefficient at 550 nm measured at APP. All air parcel trajectories originating in eastern Canada were associated with the high and very high aerosol load classifications. Statistical analysis shows that wildfire-sourced parcels exhibit elevated temperatures and variability in solar flux. The findings establish a link between Canadian wildfire activity and increased aerosol loading in Boone, NC, emphasizing the relationships between source region, transport dynamics, and atmospheric conditions. These results provide a framework for further exploration of aerosol source regions and their broader environmental impacts. KEYWORDS: Back-trajectory Analysis; HYSPLIT; Canadian Wildfires; Aerosols; Particle Light Scattering; Meteorology; Wildfire Impact; Air Mass Trajectories
p.55. Hamlet in China’s “Lying Flat”: Resistance Through Refusal
Amiee Zhao
https://doi.org/10.33697/ajur.2025.149
ABSTRACT: From the closed-door late-Qing era to the authoritative Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the Chinese government has antagonized Western literature. However, due to the Marxist foundation of the CCP, Chinese society also offers a unique proletariat literary tradition. Hamlet stands out as a Western text that allies the people: the hesitation, obscuration of time, and interchangeability of identity in Hamlet resonate with the Chinese people struggling under the extreme pressure from the authoritarian government with its grand narratives for hard work and collective success. The persisting charisma of Hamlet is particularly pertinent in China’s “lying flat” movement, as the hard work narrative crumbles in the face of the degrading economy. The hesitation in Hamlet parallels the movement where people refuse to participate in the system. Hamlet’s cyclical revenge signals a rejection of seeking meaning under a bigger authority who forges hope, only to manipulate the people’s agency repetitively. This postmodern refusal of meaning and hard work in fact provides a space for protest as the movement is already threatening the CCP’s regime. Thus, this article analyzes how Hamlet informs both lying flat as resistance in China and how lying flat informs Hamlet, opening further research into the power of quitting in and beyond literature. KEYWORDS: Hamlet; Shakespeare; Lying Flat Movement; Overwork; China; Resistance; Social Movement; Postmodernism; Literary Analysis
p.65. Qualitative Analysis of Medical Students’ Speeches at Memorial Services for Body Donors
Scout Green, Audrey Hill, & Christopher M. Seitz
https://doi.org/10.33697/ajur.2025.150
ABSTRACT: Student speeches are a common component at medical school memorial ceremonies for body donors. Although some individual speeches have been published, there is no available research on the content within them. This study qualitatively analyzed medical students’ speeches in 28 recorded services retrieved from medical school websites. Qualitative thematic analysis was used to quantify the number of speeches (138), the length of speeches, and the number of memorialized donors (3,004). Six themes emerged from the data: (1) Each donor’s sacrifice impacts learning and future patient care; (2) The donors’ loved ones deserve recognition; (3) The donors are “first patients” and teachers; (4) Students feel a duty to their donors; (5) Human anatomy is unique and complex; (6) Life is finite. The results of this study demonstrated that dissection provided an awareness of mortality and beneficial anatomical knowledge for medical students, which would enhance their care towards future patients. The ceremonies allowed students to humanize their donors by providing them an opportunity to acknowledge the donors’ sacrifice and honor the donors’ loved ones. This study supports dissection being considered a critical educational experience. KEYWORDS: Memorial; Anatomy; Dissection; Body donors; Mortality; Education; Medical school; Qualitative
p.73. Tritium Production from Nitrogen in a Tokomak Reactor Resulting from a Neutron Source
Hannah J. De Vries & Patrick M. Comiskey
https://doi.org/10.33697/ajur.2025.151
ABSTRACT: Tritium is an important isotope of hydrogen used in deuterium-tritium (D-T) fuel in nuclear fusion reactors, but it is only naturally occurring on Earth in the upper atmosphere resulting from galactic cosmic radiation (GCR) interactions, which produces small amounts of tritium. This poses a problem because tritium is an important component for nuclear fusion reactors that utilize deuterium-tritium (D-T) fuel. This study investigates tritium production by applying the nuclear reaction resulting from GCR interactions and a mathematical model for the flux of neutrons that reflect the energy levels associated with the resulting neutrons from D-T reactions to a two-dimensional domain representing the tritium production layer in a tokomak reactor. The results of this study indicate that for a feasible amount of tritium production, the nitrogen density must be exceptionally higher than that of nitrogen gas. As such, GCR interactions do not produce a feasible source of tritium production for D-T fuel. KEYWORDS: Galactic Cosmic Rays; Tokamak; Tritium; Neutron; Neutron Diffusion; Nuclear Fission; Tritium Breeding Ratio; Tritium Production
p. 81. Power Outage Duration in Louisiana by Customer Endpoint and Environmental Conditions
Maya Barcelo & Michele Maasberg
https://doi.org/10.33697/ajur.2025.152
ABSTRACT: Power outages across the United States are increasing in frequency and duration, raising concern about the resilience of critical infrastructure and the operational stability of regional energy systems. Prior work emphasizes system level reliability and severe weather, with limited insight into how local conditions shape outage duration at the distribution edge. This study identifies key associations of annual power outage duration in Louisiana, operationalized as a household level analog of the System Average Duration Index (h-SAIDI). Event correlated outage records, severe weather reports, and parish-scale indicators were integrated for 63 parishes across five biennial intervals (2014-2022). A Gamma generalized linear model with a log link was used to estimate associations, complemented by spatial and distributional analyses. Results indicated that outage duration reflects the interplay of severe weather factors, customer endpoint conditions, and underlying distribution network and restoration dynamics. Parishes with higher mobile home prevalence and severe weather damage exhibited longer annual outage duration. In contrast, unemployment and lack of vehicle access showed negative associations, consistent with the concentration in urbanized service territories characterized by shorter spans and greater switching options. These findings support targeted local resilience strategies across diverse service territories. KEYWORDS: Power Outage Duration; Grid Resilience; Energy System Reliability, Severe Weather Events; Customer Endpoint Conditions; Household Infrastructure; Parish-level Analysis; Gamma Regression
p.95. Leveraging Hybridity: Alfonso Ortiz as Native American, Activist, and Anthropologist
Julian Ibarra
https://doi.org/10.33697/ajur.2025.153
ABSTRACT: Two major efforts by Indigenous scholars include advocating for Indigenous sovereignty and theorizing relation-building with non-Indigenous people. As attempts are made to indigenize the academy, can inspiration be drawn from past Indigenous scholars who were ahead of their time in a dual commitment to both goals? This paper focuses on Alfonso Ortiz, a former Native American scholar, activist, and anthropologist. Exploring his archival collection, held at Princeton University, lends insight into his hybrid positionality in higher education. Seeking to unravel the way Ortiz mediates between institutions, epistemologies, and people, a thematic analysis of archival materials unravels three forms of hybridity: Native-educational, institutional-activist, and anthropologist-activist. Ortiz’s case shows that hybridity is not a roadblock to Native American priorities; on the contrary, hybridity provides tools for agentive action carried out on behalf of Native American communities. More importantly, the implications of each form of hybridity raise new questions for non-Indigenous institutions and individuals, which may need to rethink their purposes as they are called into relation with Indigenous students, faculty, and communities. KEYWORDS: Indigeneity; Hybridity; Alfonso Ortiz; Relationality; Sovereignty; Native American Studies; Archival Analysis; Agency