Anytime Control using Input Sequences with Markovian Processor Availability

We study an anytime control algorithm for situations where the processing resources available for control are time-varying in an a priori unknown fashion. Thus, at times, processing resources are insufficient to calculate control inputs. To address this issue, the algorithm calculates sequences of tentative future control inputs whenever possible, which are then buffered for possible future use. We assume that the processor availability is correlated so that the number of control inputs calculated at any time step is described by a Markov chain. Using a Lyapunov function based approach we derive sufficient conditions for stochastic stability of the closed loop.Comment: IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, to be publishe

Stochastic Stability of Event-triggered Anytime Control

We investigate control of a non-linear process when communication and processing capabilities are limited. The sensor communicates with a controller node through an erasure channel which introduces i.i.d. packet dropouts. Processor availability for control is random and, at times, insufficient to calculate plant inputs. To make efficient use of communication and processing resources, the sensor only transmits when the plant state lies outside a bounded target set. Control calculations are triggered by the received data. If a plant state measurement is successfully received and while the processor is available for control, the algorithm recursively calculates a sequence of tentative plant inputs, which are stored in a buffer for potential future use. This safeguards for time-steps when the processor is unavailable for control. We derive sufficient conditions on system parameters for stochastic stability of the closed loop and illustrate performance gains through numerical studies.Comment: IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, under revie

The Verbal Aggression of Spectators at Youth Baseball Games: Investigating the Impact of Competition Level, Team Identification, and Fan Dysfunction

Previous research had found that level of team identification was positively associated with aggression at youth sporting events (Wann, Weaver, Belva, Ladd, & Armstrong, 2015).  The current investigation was designed to extend this work by incorporating fan dysfunction into the model (i.e., fans who are confrontational and frequently complain).  Spectators at either a recreational or select (i.e., travel) youth baseball game completed a survey packet assessing demographics, team identification with their favorite Major League Baseball team, identification with the youth team, fan dysfunction, and hostile and instrumental verbal aggression directed toward officials and opponents.  Results indicated that, contrary to expectations, team identification was not a unique predictor of verbal aggression.  Rather, fan dysfunction predicted each form of aggression, aggression toward both targets, and total aggression.

Examining Sport Team Identification, Social Connections, and Social Well-being among High School Students

Past research has found that sport team identification is positively correlated with social psychological health (Phua, 2012; Wann & Weaver, 2009) including work testing adolescent fans (Wann, Brasher, Thomas, & Scheuchner, in press).  The current study was designed to extend previous investigations by examining the relationship between team identification and the establishment and maintenance of social connections.  Data from 177 high school students confirmed expectations as identification with a high school football team was positively correlated with both social well-being and social connections.  However, social connections were not found to mediate the relationship between identification and well-being, contrary to the team identification – social psychological health model (Wann, 2006b)

Investigating the Impact of Team Identification on the Willingness to Commit Verbal and Physical Aggression by Youth Baseball Spectators

The current investigation was designed to extend previous work on the aggressive actions of youth baseball spectators (Hennessy & Schwartz, 2007) by incorporating team identification into the research. Team identification, the extent to which a fan feels a psychological connection to a team, (Wann, Melnick, Russell, & Pease, 2001) has been found to be an important predictor of a wide variety of aggressive actions among sport consumers (Wann, 2006). Spectators (N = 80) at youth baseball games completed a questionnaire packet assessing demographics, team identification, vengeance, anger, hostility, and the likelihood of acting in a verbally or physically aggressive manner toward a number of potential targets (e.g., officials, opposing players). Consistent with expectations, team identification predicted a willingness to commit verbally aggressive acts. However, identification did not predict physical aggression

‘I was there from the start’: The identity maintenance strategies used by fans to combat the threat of losing

On-field performances are a key, yet uncontrollable, determinant of team identification. In this research, we explore how fans of a new team, with an overwhelming loss to win ratio, maintain a positive social identity. Qualitative data gathered from 20 semi-structured interviews were used to address this research objective. Our findings indicated fans use social creativity and social mobility strategies to help preserve a positive and distinctive group identity. In the absence of success, fans evaluated the group on dimensions that reflected positively on, and emphasised the distinctiveness of, group membership. Fans also sought to increase their status in the group to increase the positivity of this association. We use these findings to extend understanding of social identity theory and provide recommendations for sport organisations with unfavourable performance records. Recommendations are themed around highlighting the unique nature of the group and and favourable status comparisons between members of the in-group

College Student Attendance at Sporting Events and the Relationship Between Sport Team Identification and Social Psychological Health

Consistent with the Team Identification—Social Psychological Health Model (Wann, 2006a), past research indicates college students’ levels of identification with university teams is positively correlated with social psychological health. The current investigation was designed to examine how attendance may impact this relationship. The sample contained 148 college students who completed a questionnaire packet assessing identification with their school’s men’s basketball team, amount of attendance at the team’s games, and two measures of social well-being (loneliness and collective self-esteem). Regression analyses revealed that level of team identification (i.e., private involvement), but not attendance (i.e., public involvement), accounted for a significant proportion of unique variance in well-being. Therefore, it appears that private involvement with a college sport team is more strongly associated with college students’ social well-being than is public involvement

Perceptions of Sport Fandom as a Means of Meeting Psychological Needs

The current study examined the use of sport fandom and team identification to assist in meeting four basic psychological needs: belonging, distinctiveness, structure, and meaning. The results indicated that fans view both general sport fandom and team identification as having the capability of helping them meet each of the needs, especially the need to belong. Additionally, team identification was believed to be more effective in assisting with the need for distinctiveness than was general sport fandom

Shirt sponsorship by gambling companies in the English and Scottish Premier Leagues: global reach and public health concerns

While the nature of gambling practices is contested, a strong evidence base demonstrates that gambling can become a serious disorder and have a range of detrimental effects for individuals, communities and societies. Over the last decade, football in the UK has become visibly entwined with gambling marketing. To explore this apparent trend, we tracked shirt sponsors in both the English and Scottish Premier Leagues since 1992 and found a pronounced increase in the presence of sponsorship by gambling companies. This increase occurred at the same time the Gambling Act 2005, which liberalized rules, was introduced. We argue that current levels of gambling sponsorship in UK football, and the global visibility it provides to gambling brands, is a public health concern that needs to be debated and addressed. We recommend that legislators revisit the relationship between football in the UK and the sponsorship it receives from the gambling industry