Mississippi College

In recent years, superhero films have accounted for nearly 18% of US theater revenue. This study analyzes data on superhero films released between 1978 and 2025, employing ordinary least squares and two-stage least squares to identify factors influencing domestic box office success. The analysis includes models for the full sample and subsets divided by the 2012 release of The Avengers . Results from the full sample indicate that increased budgets, wider exposure, and favorable reviews from critics and audiences are positively correlated with real domestic revenues. For films released after The Avengers , there is strong evidence that audiences prefer those set within interconnected cinematic universes. Our models include variables identifying films within the DC Extended Universe, Marvel Cinematic Universe, X-Men cinematic universe, and Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, with results highlighting the importance of these interconnected film universes in driving financial performance in the contemporary superhero genre.

We investigate the availability of the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) using data from the Catholic Church in England and Wales from 2015 and 2023. During this time, the traditionalist Catholic community was hit by three shocks: (1) the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, (2) restrictions imposed by Pope Francis in 2021, and (3) further restrictions in 2023. Our study reveals that the TLM was experiencing steady growth before the pandemic, with a decline during COVID-19 and then a rebound period, followed by a substantial decrease in availability after Pope Francis’s restrictions. The research also highlights differences in the supply of TLMs between dioceses led by bishops elevated by various popes. Our analysis provides the first empirical study of the supply of the TLM, shedding light on a consequential development within the Catholic Church and its traditionalist subculture.

Using recruiting data from 247 Sports that accounts for transfers, the authors examined the impact of name, image, and likeness (NIL) on college football recruiting. Name, image, and likeness earnings potential at each university was measured by the average of the top-ten NIL valuations for a university's football players ( NIL Average ). After controlling for many factors, including university- and coach-fixed effects, our instrumental variables estimates reveal that NIL Average was correlated with the amount of recruiting points a program received in the 2022, 2023, and 2024 recruiting cycles. Yet, the increase in NIL funding required to significantly alter the talent universities attract is probably cost-inhibitive for most programs. We conclude that while NIL is certainly a new aspect of recruiting to which universities must devote resources, the existence of NIL is unlikely to cause a dramatic shift in the distribution of talent in college football.

Water flow rate control is crucial in applications where it determines operational efficiency in applications such as agriculture, hydroponics, industrial processes, and hydrology. This research presents two algorithms for a simple and reliable digital water flow control: Error-Sign-based Control (ESC) and Error-Value-based Control (EVC). These algorithms are equipped with a change rate limiter to avoid excessive control output increase. They were compared qualitatively with the conventional digital PID controller. Subsequently, they were implemented and tested in a water circulation system. The control loop consisted of a microcontroller, water flow rate sensor, and submersible DC water pump with a supporting motor driver. The controllers were given a control task to follow a 150-second reference trajectory with a changing set point every 30 seconds. The performance measures of Mean Absolute Error (MAE) and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) were utilized to assess the performance of the control algorithms. EVC with a change rate limiter of 10% delivered the best performance with an MAE of 0.40 and RMSE of 0.97. EVC provides simple and reliable control of the water flow rate system due to its easy tuning, quick tracking response to set point changes, and solid regulating performance. Further work in the implementation of the control scheme in other applications is encouraged.