Cedar Crest College

The rapid advancement and widespread integration of artificial intelligence (AI) is driving demand for unprecedented deployment of power-intensive computational infrastructure, including multi-megawatt data centers with the potential for facilities with gigawatt-scale capacity in the near future. In this paper, load growth projections for the US are reviewed, and an example energy dispatch solution considering a mixed energy portfolio with flexible, renewable, distributed, and load-based generation is employed. The brief technology review included in the paper covers aspects of electric power, cooling, and computational infrastructures. The concept of a data center digital twin for transient load, grid interaction, and hybrid energy dispatch studies is described and proposed for implementation using a power hardware-in-the-loop test bench. For the transients associated with the typical data center loads, a generative adversarial neural (GAN) model is proposed and employed to synthetically produce GPU load profiles at the rack level, which are aggregated to emulate large-scale data center behavior.

ABSTRACTThis study explores the impact of the Hands‐On Learning Activity (HOLA) Girls in Engineering, Math, and Science (Gems) program, a targeted STEM initiative designed to empower fifth‐grade girls from diverse backgrounds. Grounded in Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory and Hidi and Renninger's Four‐Phase Model of Interest Development, the study investigates how early STEM exposure influences participants' self‐efficacy, interest, and career aspirations in traditionally male‐dominated STEM fields. Utilizing a mixed qualitative approach that integrates phenomenological and case study methodologies, the research analyzes data collected from 20 participants at an Eastern Pennsylvania School. Findings indicate that the HOLA Gems program significantly enhanced participants' interest in STEM, fostered empowerment, and increased self‐esteem, ultimately shifting their career aspirations. Participants demonstrated an increased sense of belonging, improved confidence in STEM abilities, and a willingness to challenge gender‐based stereotypes. The study underscores the importance of early and sustained STEM interventions to foster long‐term engagement and mitigate barriers for underrepresented groups. Recommendations for educators and policymakers include integrating engineering design processes, creating supportive learning environments, and prioritizing culturally relevant curricula. These findings contribute to the growing body of research advocating for gender‐inclusive STEM education and highlight the need for expanded, equity‐driven STEM initiatives at the elementary level.

Graded exercise testing on a treadmill is commonly used as an effective exercise mode to determine V̇O2max in healthy populations. There is limited research using graded exercise testing on a rowing ergometer as an alternative mode to determine V̇O2max. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare measurements of V̇O2max between a novel testing protocol on a rowing ergometer and an established testing protocol on a treadmill in a group of recreational rowers. METHODS: Subjects included 5 male and 5 female experienced (2+ yrs) recreational rowers (23-42 y/o) who participated in 2 days of maximal exercise testing, 1 week apart. Subjects completed a treadmill test utilizing the Costill-Fox protocol and a novel rowing ergometer test utilizing the Concept2 RowErg® with the order of testing randomized for the subjects. Prior to rowing ergometer testing, subjects completed a 3-minute self-paced warm up. The novel rowing ergometer test commenced with the drag factor set at 130 and the first stage at 150 watts for males and 120 watts for females. The test increased 30 watts every 2 minutes until the subject could no longer continuously hold the prescribed wattage. Continuous measurements of heart rate and V̇O2 were taken during all exercise tests. V̇O2 was recorded as 15-sec averages. RPE was recorded at the end of each stage. A paired samples t test was used to compare differences in V̇O2max between exercise modalities. RESULTS: Mean measured V̇O2max was 44.5 ± 6.7 mL·kg-1·min-1 and 42.1 ± 5.4 ml·kg-1·min-1 for the treadmill and rowing ergometer respectively. There was a statistically significant difference (p = .028) in V̇O2max between the treadmill and the novel rowing ergometer protocols. CONCLUSION: Although the treadmill test yielded a statistically significant higher V̇O2max when compared with the rowing ergometer test, the difference in the mean V̇O2max was 2.4 ml·kg-1·min-1 demonstrating that this novel rowing ergometer protocol may be an acceptable valid exercise testing mode for populations who utilize rowing as an exercise modality. Continued testing on a larger population is warranted.

ABSTRACT Introduction Protocols for determination of maximal oxygen consumption (V̇O2max) on a cycle ergometer should be easily administered while maximizing physiological efficiency and minimizing premature local muscle fatigue for individuals of variable fitness levels. Current protocols typically increase workload by adding resistance to the flywheel; however, increasing pedal rate later in the test, rather than resistance, may provide increased physiological efficiency, yielding a more valid determination of V̇O2max. Purpose The purpose of this study was to design and validate a novel V̇O2max cycle ergometer protocol that can be used for measuring and predicting submaximal oxygen consumption (V̇O2) and V̇O2max during exercise testing in healthy, asymptomatic adults. Methods Subjects (n = 60, 19–60 yr old) performed a V̇O2max test using the new cycle ergometer protocol. Workload increases were based on predetermined incremental target heart rates (ITHR) using heart rate reserve. Stages commenced at a workload of 150 kg·m·min−1 (0.5 kg, 50 rpm) and increased every 2 min by adding 0.5 or 1.0 kg resistance based on ITHR. When an ITHR representing ≥60% heart rate reserve was achieved, workloads increased by 10 rpm for subsequent stages. Pearson’s r was used to examine relationships between predicted (American College of Sports Medicine cycle equation) and measured V̇O2 at workload intensities representing moderate, vigorous, and maximal exercise. Bland–Altman plots were used to display predicted and measured V̇O2 at all exercise intensities and heart rate values at maximal exercise. Results There was a strong and statistically significant correlation between predicted and measured V̇O2 at moderate (r = 0.92, P < 0.001), vigorous (r = 0.94, P < 0.001), and maximal (r = 0.90, P < 0.001) exercise intensities. All subjects reached ≥90% of age-predicted maximum heart rate. Conclusion This novel cycle ergometer protocol was demonstrated to be a viable tool to predict and/or measure submaximal V̇O2 and V̇O2max in a population of healthy, asymptomatic adults.

There are limited options reported for the detection of footwear impressions in ice melt products. Enhancement of footwear impressions in ice melt products using a fluorescent metal-organic complex was identified in this work. The deprotonation of 8-hydroxyquinoline with a solution of strong base led to the formation of a complex between calcium and magnesium ions commonly found in winter ice melt products. Three ice melt products containing 0.01–99% calcium were compared for enhancement with 8-hydroxyquinoline reagent. With 254 nm light, footwear impressions enhanced with this method fluoresced on a semi-porous tile surface. This application of 8-hydroxyquinoline is a simple, efficient method to enhance footwear impressions, and offers a stable alternative reagent compared to the acetone solution used in previous work.

This article draws on queer psychoanalysis to explore links between homoerotic masculinity and heterosexual women under patriarchal manhood. I argue specifically that the genderqueer effects of male masochism—as conceptualized by Carol J. Clover—helps us to understand Sherwood Anderson’s exploration of a male protagonist who identifies with women’s pain so profoundly that he himself transforms into a woman who then experiences what it means to be subjected to male violence and sexual predation from that position. Anderson feels ambivalent about the extent to which this form of genderqueer masculinity is sustainable. It is a position that must be purged for the protagonist to survive, but it is also an experience that stays with him. The analysis then broadens to address the larger implications of the close reading, specifically what it means for a cisgender, heterosexual male author to depict men who see themselves in/as women.