Digital Commons Network^™

Justice And The Mathematics Classroom: Realizing The Goals Of The Amte Standards For Preparing Teachers Of Mathematics, Shandy Hauk, Marilyn Strutchens, Dorothy Y. White, Jennifer Bay-Williams, Jenq Jong Tsay, Billy Jackson

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

This chapter is an introduction to justice in the post-secondary context of mathematics courses for prospective teachers. The chapter is a research-to-practice report (i.e., it describes an aspect of instruction and discusses how it is informed by, connects to, or is illustrative of findings from research). While the reader might be any type of mathematics teacher educator, the focus here is supporting those who teach mathematics content courses for elementary school teacher candidates. In addition to having an effect on discipline-specific knowledge, college mathematics classes contribute to the ways candidates communicate in/with/through mathematics in working with children. The chapter includes …

General Rogue Wave Solutions To The Sasa-Satsuma Equation, Chengfa Wu, Guangxiong Zhang, Changyan Shi, Bao-Feng Feng

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

General rogue wave solutions to the Sasa-Satsuma equation are constructed by the Kadomtsev-Petviashvili (KP) hierarchy reduction method. These solutions are presented in three different forms. The first form is expressed in terms of recursively defined differential operators while the second form shares a similar solution structure except that the differential operators are no longer recursively defined. Instead of using differential operators, the third form is expressed by Schur polynomials.

Suppressing Disorder-Order Phase Transition Of Gd2zr2o7 Pyrochlore By Dy3+ Doping And Their Impact On Luminescence, Santosh K. Gupta, S. Nigam, Jose P. Zuniga, Yuanbing Mao

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Chemistry)

The functionality of the Gd2Zr2O7 matrix is dictated by ordering at the cationic lattice (pyrochlore or defective fluorite) and associated local manifestations. In this work, we have synthesized nano and bulk undoped Gd2Zr2O7 (GZO) and Gd2Zr2O7:Dy3+ (GZOD) by molten salt synthesis adopting a crystal engineering approach and investigated their impact on photoluminescence properties. DFT calculations along with the higher intensity of yellow emission in the bulk GZOD confirm that the presence of Dy3+ is energetically favorable in defect fluorite structure compared to ordered pyrochlore counterpart. Increase/adjustments in the Zr–O bond distances in Dy3+ surroundings facilitate the release of local strain/stress …

Analyzing Computational Components Of Standard Block Encryption Schemes, Chu-Wen Cheng, Miranda Heather Cantu, Sanjeev Kumar

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Encryption is used to secure sensitive computer data which may be at rest or in motion. There are several standard encryption algorithms that have been used to encrypt and protect blocks of sensitive data to ensure confidentiality. The most popular standard block encryption schemes are the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), Triple Data Encryption Standard (3DES), and the first standardized encryption scheme, which is no longer the standard scheme now, namely the Data Encryption Standard (DES). AES is the current standard for block encryption used worldwide and is implemented on many processors. In this work, we compare the hardware performance of …

Where To Invest Project Efforts For Greater Benefit: A Framework Formanagement Performance Mapping With Examples For Potato Seed Health, C. E. Buddenhagen, Y. Xing, J. L. Andrade-Piedra, G. A. Forbes, P. Kromann, I. Navarrete, S. Thomas-Sharma, Robin A. Choudhury, K. F. Andersen Onofre, E. Schulte-Geldermann

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Policymakers and donors often need to identify the locations where technologies are most likely to have important effects, to increase the benefits from agricultural development or extension efforts. Higher-quality information may help to target the high-benefit locations, but often actions are needed with limited information. The value of information (VOI) in this context is formalized by evaluating the results of decision making guided by a set of specific information compared with the results of acting without considering that information. We present a framework for management performance mapping that includes evaluating the VOI for decision making about geographic priorities in regional …

Non-Archimedean Statistical Field Theory, Wilson A. Zuniga-Galindo

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

We construct in a rigorous mathematical way interacting quantum field theories on a p-adic spacetime. The main result is the construction of a measure on a function space which allows a rigorous definition of the partition function. The advantage of the approach presented here is that all the perturbation calculations can be carried out in the standard way using functional derivatives, but in a mathematically rigorous way.

Canonical Sequences Of Optimal Quantization For Condensation Measures, Doğan Çömez, Mrinal Kanti Roychowdhury

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

We consider condensation measures of the form P:=13P∘S−11+13P∘S−12+13ν associated with the system (S,(13,13,13),ν), where S={Si}2i=1 are contractions and ν is a Borel probability measure on R with compact support. Let D(μ) denote the quantization dimension of a measure μ if it exists. In this paper, we study self-similar measures ν satisfying D(ν)>κ, D(ν)κ, the D(P)-dimensional lower and upper quantization coefficients are finite, positive and unequal; and for D(ν)≤κ, the D(P)-dimensional lower quantization coefficient is infinity.

We consider condensation measures of the form P:=13P∘S−11+13P∘S−12+13ν associated with the system (S,(13,13,13),ν), where S={Si}2i=1 are contractions and ν is a Borel probability measure …

Modeling The Impact Of Climate Change On Cervid Chronic Wasting Disease In Semi-Arid South Texas, Md Rafiul Islam, Ummugul Bulut, Teresa Patricia Feria-Arroyo, Michael G. Tyshenko, Tamer Oraby

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Biology)

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a spongiform encephalopathy disease caused by the transmission of infectious prion agents. CWD is a fatal disease that affects wild and farmed cervids in North America with few cases reported overseas. Social interaction of cervids, feeding practices by wildlife keepers and climate effects on the environmental carrying capacity all can affect CWD transmission in deer. Wildlife deer game hunting is economically important to the semi-arid South Texas region and is affected by climate change. In this paper, we model and investigate the effect of climate change on the spread of CWD using typical climate scenarios. …

Searches For Gravitational Waves From Known Pulsars At Two Harmonics In The Second And Third Ligo-Virgo Observing Runs, R. Abbott, H. Abe, F. Acernese, Teviet Creighton, M. G. Benjamin, Mario C. Diaz, Francisco Llamas, Soma Mukherjee, Gaukhar Nurbek, Volker Quetschke, Wenhui Wang

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

We present a targeted search for continuous gravitational waves (GWs) from 236 pulsars using data from the third observing run of LIGO and Virgo (O3) combined with data from the second observing run (O2). Searches were for emission from the l = m = 2 mass quadrupole mode with a frequency at only twice the pulsar rotation frequency (single harmonic) and the l = 2, m = 1, 2 modes with a frequency of both once and twice the rotation frequency (dual harmonic). No evidence of GWs was found, so we present 95% credible upper limits on the strain amplitudes …

Quantization For A Probability Distribution Generated By An Infinite Iterated Function System, Lakshmi Roychowdhury, Mrinal Kanti Roychowdhury

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

Quantization for probability distributions concerns the best approximation of a d-dimensional probability distribution P by a discrete probability with a given number n of supporting points. In this paper, we have considered a probability measure generated by an infinite iterated function system associated with a probability vector on R. For such a probability measure P , an induction formula to determine the optimal sets of n-means and the nth quantization error for every natural number n is given. In addition, using the induction formula we give some results and observations about the optimal sets of n-means for all n ≥ …

Meningococcal Meningitis In Sub-Saharan Africa: A Review, Amit U. Raysoni

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

The scourge of Meningococcal Meningitis in the Sub-Saharan African nations is well known. This review paper focuses on this very important topic and describes the symptoms, diagnoses, and available vaccines for the same. The review then focuses on the Meningitis Belt of Africa and elucidates on the introduction of MenAfriVac™ vaccine. The review ends with the success of this vaccine and the future of Meningococcal Meningitis in the context of overall global climate change.

X-Ray Observation Of The Roche-Lobe-Filling White Dwarf Plus Hot Subdwarf System Ztf J213056.71+442046.5, S. Mereghetti, N. La Palombara, T. Kupfer, T. R. Marsh, C. M. Copperwheat, K. Deshmukh, P. Esposito, T. Maccarone, F. Pintore, Liliana Rivera Sandoval

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

ZTF J213056.71+442046.5 is the prototype of a small class of recently discovered compact binaries composed of a white dwarf and a hot subdwarf that fills its Roche lobe. Its orbital period of only 39 minutes is the shortest known for the objects in this class. Evidence for a high orbital inclination (i = 86°) and for the presence of an accretion disk has been inferred from a detailed modeling of its optical photometric and spectroscopic data. We report the results of an XMM-Newton observation carried out on 2021 January 7. ZTF J213056.71+442046.5 was clearly detected by the Optical Monitor, …

Networks Of Necessity: Simulating Covid-19 Mitigation Strategies For Disabled People And Their Caregivers, Thomas E. Valles, Hannah Shoenhard, Joseph Zinski, Sarah Trick, Mason A. Porter, Michael R. Lindstrom

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

Abstract

A major strategy to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is the limiting of in-person contacts. However, limiting contacts is impractical or impossible for the many disabled people who do not live in care facilities but still require caregivers to assist them with activities of daily living. We seek to determine which interventions can best prevent infections of disabled people and their caregivers. To accomplish this, we simulate COVID-19 transmission with a compartmental model that includes susceptible, exposed, asymptomatic, symptomatically ill, hospitalized, and removed/recovered individuals. The networks on which we simulate disease spread incorporate heterogeneity in the risk levels of …

Effects Of Biochar Production Methods And Biomass Types On Lead Removal From Aqueous Solution, Paola Granados, Sergio Mireles, Engil Isadora Pujol Pereira, Chu-Lin Cheng, James Jihoon Kang

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Biochar has proven its potential in removing heavy metal ions from water. The objective of this study was to evaluate locally obtained biomass feedstocks for biochar production and their efficiency as a sorbent for aqueous lead (Pb²⁺) removal. The biomass feedstocks consisted of avocado seed, avocado peel, grapefruit peel, and brown seaweed, which represent agricultural and marine biomasses. The biochar materials were produced in two different methods: (1) a laboratory tube furnace at 300 °C and (2) a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) biochar maker, “BioCharlie Log”. The biochars were characterized for selected physicochemical properties, and batch adsorption tests with 10 …

Evolution Of Eigenvalues Of A Geometric Operator Under Ricci Flow On A Riemannian Manifold, Paul Bracken

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

The behavior of the eigenvalues of a geometric operator closely related to the Laplacian under Ricci flow is investigated. These depend on a coupling parameter in the operator as well as an evolution parameter which gives a flow on a compact manifold of finite dimension. The main objective is to study the monotonicity properties of the eigenvalues.

The Effectiveness Of The Link2success Program On Freshman Level Math Course Achievement, Ming-Tsan P. Lu, Shaghayegh Azadi Setayesh

Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications

To improve college students’ achievement and success rate in the College Algebra course, a new program called Link2Success (L2S) was implemented in several sections of the course at the study’s university. The program required students to increase their class time to six hours. Three of those hours were spent with certified tutors who helped students with the content preview and homework preparation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of the Link2Success program based on the achievement of College Algebra students. One College Algebra class with embedded L2S and one College Algebra class without L2S were randomly …

Political Corruption And Corporate Risk-Taking, Hinh Khieu, Nam H. Nguyen, Hieu V. Phan, Jon A. Fulkerson

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

We use variation in corruption convictions across judicial districts in the US to examine the relationship between political corruption and risk-taking of public firms. Firms headquartered in regions with high levels of political corruption have lower total risk and lower idiosyncratic risk on average. Further analysis shows that corruption tends to encourage firms to pursue risk-decreasing investments, lower the riskiness of their operations, and decrease asset liquidity. While managerial ownership is intended to align the interests of managers and shareholders, the presence of corruption appears to encourage undiversified managers to decrease risk-taking. Our evidence is consistent with agency theory and …

Inorganic Cesium Lead Mixed Halide Based Perovskite Solar Materials Modified With Functional Silver Iodide, Vincent Obiozo Eze, Lucas Braga Carani, Haimanti Majumder, M. Jasim Uddin, Okenwa Okoli

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Chemistry)

Inorganic CsPbIBr2 perovskites have recently attracted enormous attention as a viable alternative material for optoelectronic applications due to their higher efficiency, thermal stability, suitable bandgap, and proper optical absorption. However, the CsPbIBr2 perovskite films fabricated using a one-step deposition technique is usually comprised of small grain size with a large number of grain boundaries and compositional defects. In this work, silver iodide (AgI) will be incorporated as an additive into the CsPbIBr2 perovskite precursor solution to prepare the unique perovskite CsI(PbBr2)1-x(AgI)x. The AgI additive in the precursor solution works as a nucleation promoter which will help the perovskite to grow …

Development Of An Analytical Method For Design Of Electromagnetic Energy Harvesters With Planar Magnetic Arrays, Mohsen Amjadian, Anil K. Agrawal, Hani H. Nassif

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

In this paper, an analytical method is proposed for the modeling of electromagnetic energy harvesters (EMEH) with planar arrays of permanent magnets. It is shown that the proposed method can accurately simulate the generation of electrical power in an EMEH from the vibration of a bridge subjected to traffic loading. The EMEH consists of two parallel planar arrays of 5 by 5 small cubic permanent magnets (PMs) that are firmly attached to a solid aluminum base plate, and a thick rectangular copper coil that is connected to the base plate through a set of four springs. The coil can move …

The Scientific Method As A Scaffold To Enhance Communication Skills In Chemistry, Thomas D. Montgomery, Joanne Rae Buchbinder, Ellen S. Gawalt, Robbie J. Iuliucci, Andrew S. Koch, Evangelia Kotsikorou, Patrick E. Lackey, Min Soo Lim, Jeffrey Joseph Rohde, Alexander J. Rupprecht

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Chemistry)

Scientific success in the field of chemistry depends upon the mastery of a wide range of soft skills, most notably scientific writing and speaking. However, training for scientific communication is typically limited at the undergraduate level, where students struggle to express themselves in a clear and logical manner. The underlying issue is deeper than basic technical skills; rather, it is a problem of students’ unawareness of a fundamental and strategic framework for writing and speaking with a purpose. The methodology has been implemented for individual mentorship and in our regional summer research program to deliver a blueprint of thought and …

All-Sky Search For Gravitational Wave Emission From Scalar Boson Clouds Around Spinning Black Holes In Ligo O3 Data, R. Abbott, H. Abe, F. Acernese, Michael G. Benjamin, Teviet Creighton, Mario C. Diaz, Francisco Llamas, Soma Mukherjee, Gaukhar Nurbek, Volker Quetschke, Wenhui Wang

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

This paper describes the first all-sky search for long-duration, quasimonochromatic gravitational-wave signals emitted by ultralight scalar boson clouds around spinning black holes using data from the third observing run of Advanced LIGO. We analyze the frequency range from 20 to 610 Hz, over a small frequency derivative range around zero, and use multiple frequency resolutions to be robust towards possible signal frequency wanderings. Outliers from this search are followed up using two different methods, one more suitable for nearly monochromatic signals, and the other more robust towards frequency fluctuations. We do not find any evidence for such signals and set …

The Rider (2022-05-02), Verilu Infante

The Rider Archives

Vol.7 No.28

Female Students’ Perception Of Stem Identity At Utrgv, Kristen L. Hallas

Honors Theses

Despite the increase in representation of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) undergraduate programs, they are still underrepresented in the workforce. Recent statistics published by the National Science Foundation show that the rate of females and Hispanic/Latina females earning degrees does not match the rate in which they earn STEM occupations, especially advanced degrees. Moreover, out of early career doctorate holders, women are less likely to hold post-doctoral scholar positions and are more likely to hold an academic, non-tenure track position. In response to these disparities, I sought to identify the strongest motivators driving the ambition of female …

Modeling Functions Into An Angular Displacement Of An Elastic Pendulum, Brenda Lee Garcia

Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis we study the relation between analytic signals and a variety of pendulum systems. The representation of a signal as a pair of time varying amplitude and phase has been well studied and often related to linear mass spring systems. The differential equations describing pendulum systems are nonlinear and we provide analytical and numerical results regarding interpretation about the amplitude and the phase of signals in different pendulum settings. We report an explicit solution of the Elastic Pendulum problem in the case of linear phase. We develop an experimental procedure to piece-wise approximate bounded functions on a partition …

Synthesis Of Gpr119 Interacting Drugs For Treatment Of Type Ii Diabetes, Tien M. Tran

Theses and Dissertations

Type II Diabetes is one of the leading causes of death in the United States and is categorized by high blood glucose levels, insulin deficiencies, and inhibition. Located in the pancreas and intestine, the G-Protein Receptor 119 (GPR119) was noted to have an important effect on insulin secretion. Previous studies found that when the receptor is activated, insulin secretion was upregulated which is vital for type II diabetes treatment. Compounds AR437735 and AR437948 are the proposed agonist and inverse agonist pair that will be synthesized and tested for bioactivity to the receptor. It is theorized that the different double-bonded atoms …

On The Thermogravimetric Analysis Of Polymers: Polyethylene Oxide Powder And Nanofibers, Oriretan Omosola, Dorina M. Chipara, Mohammed Jasim Uddin, Karen Lozano, Mataz Alcoutlabi, Victoria Padilla-Gainza, Mircea Chipara

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

Thermogravimetric analysis of polyethylene oxide (powder and nanofibers obtained by force spinning water or chloroform solutions of polyethylene oxide) was studied using different theoretical models such as Friedman and Flynn-Wall-Ozawa. A semiempirical approach for estimating the “sigmoid activation energy” from the thermal degradation was suggested and confirmed by the experimental data on PEO powder and nanofibers' mats. The equation allowed for calculating a “sigmoid activation energy” from a single thermogram using a single heating rate without requiring any model for the actual complex set of chemical reactions involved in the thermal degradation process. For PEO (powder and nanofibers obtained from …

Machine Learning Based Aerodynamic Shape Optimization, Noe Martinez Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

The coefficient of pressure distribution for various 2D airfoil geometries were found using source – vortex panel methods. The data obtained in these simulations was used in multiple machine learning models which would predict the airfoil geometry from a given coefficient of pressure distribution. The neural networks employed were fully connected feedforward networks with Levenberg – Marquardt backpropagation and one model employed Bayesian Regularization. A novel tool for optimizing airfoil shape for a given coefficient of pressure distribution was created which performed well during testing. These models serve as the first step in minimizing the conflict between aerodynamic and stealth …

Examination Of 21st Century Organization Development: An Ethnography Of A Distance Learning Support Department At A Hispanic Serving Institution Of Higher Education, Bobbie Myatt

Theses and Dissertations

This study used an ethnographic lens to examine the historic organizational development of a distance education support department within a Hispanic-serving institution of higher education. The Borderlands University (BU; pseudonym) Online Teaching, Learning, and Technology Center (OTLT) is representative of the structure and culture of a successful distance education support department for the 21st century. Through qualitative ethnography, this research study examined the development of cultural and structural components necessary for the success of this organization. This includes the internal community of support departments housed within institutions of higher education. Technologically raised generations emerging from traditional schools, “digital natives,” are …

An Experimentally Validated Finite Element Model Of Thermal Transient Response Of A Railroad Bearing Adapter, Javier E. Arroyo

Theses and Dissertations

Wayside hot box detectors (HBDs) are devices used to determine the health of railcar components such as bearings, axles, and brakes by monitoring the radiated temperature form these components. HBDs have been instrumental in reducing rail derailments in the decade, but the number of non-verified bearing removals has increased significantly. To combat these limitations, researchers have opted to use wireless onboard sensor devices directly mounted on the bearing adapter. The wireless onboard health monitoring system developed by the University Transportation Center for Railway Safety (UTCRS) utilizes temperature and vibration sensors to detect the condition of rolling stock. However, because the …

Verification In Generalizations Of The 2-Handed Assembly Model, David Caballero

Theses and Dissertations

Algorithmic Self Assembly is a well studied field in theoretical computer science motivated by the analogous real world phenomenon of DNA self assembly, as well as the emergence of nanoscale technology. Abstract mathematical models of self assembly such as the Two Handed Assembly model (2HAM) allow us to formally study the computational capabilities of self assembly. The 2HAM is one of the most thoroughly studied models of self assembly, and thus in this paper we study generalizations of this model. The Staged Tile Assembly model captures the behavior of being able to separate assembly processes and …