Digital Commons Network^™

A Computational Approach To Ramanujan-Type Congruences For Products Of Level 13, Aiden Michael Lalonde

Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, we find products that are modular forms of level 13 whose Fourier coefficients satisfy certain congruences. These products are constructed in terms of integer powers of Klein forms and the Dedekind eta function. The products that are modular forms for Γ1 (13) have vectors of exponents that are elements of a bounded polytope. A parameterization for this polytope allows us to find a complete set of products that are modular forms for Γ1 (13). The corresponding graded ring of modular forms containing these products is constructed from a finite set of generators. These generators satisfy a finite …

Feature Extraction From Railroad Bearing Onboard Vibration Sensors Using Machine Learning Models, Diego Cantu

Theses and Dissertations

The University Transportation Center for Railway Safety (UTCRS) has developed an algorithm capable of identifying defective railroad bearings, determining damaged component(s) within, and quantifying severity of the defects. The defect-detection algorithm requires the operating speed as an input, which is not readily available in field operation of onboard sensors. Therefore, onboard sensors deployed in rail revenue service must rely on Global Positioning Systems (GPS) to obtain speed, which can be power-intensive and susceptible to signal interference. This study covers the development of a vibration-based model that extracts operating speed from wireless sensor data to enable fully autonomous onboard diagnostics. Signal …

Precision-Weighted Federated Learning, Jonatan Reyes, Lisa Di Jorio, Cecile Low-Kam, Marta Kersten-Oertel

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Federated learning (FL) using the federated averaging (FedAvg) algorithm has shown great advantages for large-scale applications that rely on collaborative learning, especially when the training data is either unbalanced or inaccessible due to privacy constraints. We hypothesize that FedAvg underestimates the full extent of heterogeneity of data when the aggregation is performed. We propose Precision-Weighted Federated Learning (PW) a novel algorithm that takes into account the second raw moment (uncentered variance) of the stochastic gradient when computing the weighted average of the parameters of independent models trained in a FL setting. With PW, we address the communication and statistical challenges …

Long-Term Sedimentation Rates And Patterns Of Alluvial Ridge Basins (Esteros) Of The Rio Grande Delta (Tx, United States Of America), Kynan Joseph Rutan

Theses and Dissertations

Little is known about the century-scale sedimentation rates and patterns of Alluvial Ridge basins within river deltas, especially in the Rio Grande Delta (RGD). To better constrain this, 22 cores were collected in the Bahia Grande Complex (BGC) and analyzed for grain size, organic content, age dates, and elemental composition.

Results show that grain size and sedimentation rates decrease from an artificial inlet to the basin interior, with elevated sedimentation in the south. Also, human activities, such as the construction of the Brownsville shipping channel in the 1930s, altered sedimentation dynamics in the basin by blocking natural inlets and leading …

Cosmetic Surgery And Physiological Disorder: You Should Talk To Someone About Your Unwinding Anxiety, Mona Muzammil, Washain Muzammil

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

Body dysmorphic disorder is a mental health condition in which you can't stop thinking about one or more perceived defects or flaws in your appearance — a flaw that appears minor or can't be seen by others. But you may feel so embarrassed, ashamed and anxious that you may avoid many social situations.

When you have body dysmorphic disorder, you intensely focus on your appearance and body image, repeatedly checking the mirror, grooming or seeking reassurance, sometimes for many hours each day. Your perceived flaw and the repetitive behaviors cause you significant distress and impact your ability to function in …

Esteban Salinas: Reworking Mono-Epistemological Thought In The Borderlands Through Local Leadership And Legacy, Jose M. Escobedo, Juan Salinas Jr., Griselda Salinas

Organization and School Leadership Faculty Publications

This article examines an ethnographic case study of Esteban Salinas, a local teacher beloved by communities across the mid-Rio Grande Valley. By reconstructing his story and critically examining his legacy, we can achieve a better understanding of the monocultural narratives imposed on the borderlands in his time and seek to challenge them through the examples and legacies of individuals like Esteban Salinas. We also seek to further add contextualization over the Western colonial institutions implemented in the 20th century in the borderlands through which we are still confined, and which require reevaluation and rework and how aspects of his legacy …

Modern Water And Sediment Transport Patterns In Alluvial Ridge Basins Of The Rio Grande Delta, South Texas, Usa, Waqid Nabi

Theses and Dissertations

Alluvial ridge (AR) basins are shallow, marine-influenced depressions within river deltas, yet their flow and sediment dynamics remain poorly understood. This study examines hydrodynamics and sediment transport patterns in the Bahia Grande Complex, which are AR basins of the Rio Grande Delta, using tilt current meters, water-level and turbidity loggers, and suspended and bed-sediment sampling. The AR basins function as wind-dominated, microtidal environments, where pre-existing basin geometry and hydrodynamic forcings control water flow and sediment distribution patterns. Seasonal wind patterns and storms modulate water levels and flow connectivity. Substrate patterns reflect frequent resuspension in the shallow northern basin, maintaining coarse …

Adsorption-Photodegradation Performance Of Silver Titanate For Methylene Blue Removal: Kinetics, Thermodynamics And Isotherm Studies, Nawrin Rahman Shefa, Most. Afroza Khatun, Ahmed Hasnain Jalal, M. Jasim Uddin, Md. Wasikur Rahman

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

Silver titanate (AgTO) was synthesized via an ion-exchange reaction between sodium titanate and silver nitrate. This study investigates the efficiency of AgTO in the combined adsorption-photodegradation process for removing Methylene Blue (MB). The synthesized material was characterized using FTIR, XRD, SEM, and EDX techniques. Batch adsorption experiments were conducted to assess the effects of AgTO dosage (0.1–1.0 g/L), initial MB concentration (5–20 mg/L), pH (3–11), and temperature (313–333 K). The highest MB removal efficiency (90 %) was achieved at 313 K, pH 3, and an initial MB concentration of 5 mg/L. The photocatalytic performance of AgTO was further evaluated under …

Auction Consensus Algorithm With Loss Mechanism For Decentralized Task Allocation, Jose Rodriguez, Wenjie Dong, Constantine Tarawneh, Qi Lu

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper presents an Auction-Consensus Algorithm with a Loss Mechanism (ACALM), a decentralized task allocation method for multi-robot systems that enhances the existing Consensus-Based Auction Algorithm (CBAA) by incorporating a novel loss propagation mechanism. In contrast to purely greedy bidding strategies, it enables agents to dynamically update task priorities based on the accumulated loss from previously unsuccessful bids. This extended work reduces globally inefficient allocations caused by early suboptimal decisions. The proposed approach is evaluated through large-scale simulations in thousands of randomized scenarios and swarm sizes ranging from 5 to 120 robots. Compared to existing CBAA and GCAA algorithms, ACALM …

Estimation Of 3d Facial Dynamics With Nonlinear Filters For Position Tracking, Thoa Thieu, Roderick Melnik

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

This study presents a comparative evaluation of three nonlinear state estimation filters, the Extended Kalman Filter (EKF), Unscented Kalman Filter (UKF), and Particle Filter (PF), for the task of 3D facial landmark tracking. Using a publicly available dataset, we assess each filter's performance under both deterministic (noise-free) and stochastic (noisy) conditions. Metrics such as mean squared error (MSE), convergence rates of state and covariance estimates, and consistency over time are used to quantify tracking performance. Results show that the EKF consistently outperforms the UKF and PF, achieving faster convergence and lower estimation error, particularly in scenarios characterized by mild nonlinearity. …

Insecticide-Treated Net Use And Elimination Of Malaria In Sub-Saharan African Countries: Assessing The Global Technical Strategy Using An Evolutionary Game Approach, Laxmi, Tamer Oraby, Michael G. Tyshenko, Ina Danquah, Samit Bhattacharyya

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: Malaria continues to be a major public health challenge in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where the majority of the countries have not met the World Health Assembly's endorsed Global Technical Strategy (GTS) milestones in 2020 for malaria reduction. Insecticide-treated net (ITN) usage is a well-established and effective intervention, often outperforming other measures such as indoor residual spraying (IRS). However, multiple survey studies have reported improper use of ITNs across various SSA countries. This misuse likely poses an important barrier to the intervention's success, although it remains a largely untested hypothesis.

Methods: We developed a behaviour-incidence model and statistical analysis of …

Quantization For The Mixtures Of Overlap Probability Distributions, Asha Barua, Angelina Chavera, Ivan Djordjevic, Valerie Manzano, Sergio Soto Quintero, Mrinal Kanti Roychowdhury, Hilda Tejeda

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

Optimal quantization for mixed distributions has emerged as a compelling area of study. In this work, we have focused on a mixed distribution formed from two uniform distributions with partially overlapping supports. For this class of distributions, we have examined the structure of optimal sets of n-means and the corresponding nth quantization errors for all positive integers n. Initially, we explicitly determined the optimal sets and quantization errors for 1 < = n < = 6. Subsequently, we established several key lemmas and propositions and proposed an algorithm that facilitates the computation of optimal n-means and quantization errors for all n >= 5. Numerical results are also presented to illustrate the application of the algorithm in deriving these quantities. The findings of this study offer valuable insight and serve as a …

Variants Of Conway Checkers And K-Nacci Jumping, Glenn Bruda, Joseph Cooper, Kareem Jaber, Raul Marquez, Steven J. Miller

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

Conway Checkers is a game played with a checker placed in each square of the lower half of an infinite checkerboard. Pieces move by jumping over an adjacent checker, removing the checker jumped over. Conway showed that it is not possible to reach row 5 in finitely many moves by weighting each cell in the board by powers of the golden ratio such that no move increases the total weight.

Other authors have considered the game played on many different boards, including generalizing the standard game to higher dimensions. We work on a board of arbitrary dimension, where we allow …

Is Noise Exposure Associated With Impaired Extended High Frequency Hearing Despite A Normal Audiogram? A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Sajana Aryal, Monica Trevino, Hansapani Rodrigo, Srikanta K. Mishra

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

Understanding the initial signature of noise-induced auditory damage remains a significant priority. Animal models suggest the cochlear base is particularly vulnerable to noise, raising the possibility that early-stage noise exposure could be linked to basal cochlear dysfunction, even when thresholds at 0.25-8 kHz are normal. To investigate this in humans, we conducted a meta-analysis following a systematic review, examining the association between noise exposure and hearing in frequencies from 9 to 20 kHz as a marker for basal cochlear dysfunction. Systematic review and meta-analysis followed PRISMA guidelines and the PICOS framework. Studies on noise exposure and hearing in the 9 …

Studies On Curcumin-Glucoside In The Prevention Of Alpha-Synuclein Aggregation, Lakshmi Sowmya Emani, Jayanth K. Rao, Jagadeesha Kumar Dasappa, Marisín Pecchio, Johant Lakey-Beitia, Hansapani Rodrigo, Jessica Cruz-Mora, Priya Narayan, Nikhilesh Anand, Bharathi Gadad

School of Medicine Publications

Background: α-synuclein (α-syn) deposition in the mid-brain region is one of the hallmark pathologies of Parkinson's disease (PD). The key steps involve the transformation of α-synuclein into a toxic oligomer and insoluble fibrillar aggregates.

Objective: To understand the role of curcumin-glucoside in the prevention of α-syn aggregation, a mechanistic approach.

Methods: In the present study, we synthesized a novel molecule, curcumin-glucoside (Curc-gluc), to improve the water solubility and partition coefficient, making the molecule with high bioavailability. The present study is focused on understanding the α-syn aggregation kinetics in the presence and absence of Curc-gluc, curcumin (Cur), copper (Cu), and iron …

Leptinotarsa Texana Schaeffer And Gargaphia Arizonica Drake & Carvalho As Potential Biocontrol Agents For The Noxious Weed Solanum Elaeagnifolium Cav, Samikshya Subedi, Stephanie L. Kasper, Alexis Racelis, Greg Lefoe, Rupesh R. Kariyat

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Silverleaf nightshade (Solanum elaeagnifolium Cav.; SLN) is a perennial forb native to the southern United States, Mexico and South America that has become a serious agricultural weed across the world. Biological control has emerged as a significant alternative for the management of (SLN) due to the challenges and high costs associated with chemical and mechanical controls. In this study, we used a combination of field and laboratory studies to (1) explore the fundamental and realized host ranges of two North American insects, Leptinotarsa texana Schaeffer and Gargaphia arizonica Drake & Carvalho and (2) assess their suitability as potential biological …

Semi-Hyponormality Of Commuting Pairs Of Hilbert Space Operators, Raul E. Curto, Jasang Yoon

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

We first find an explicit formula for the square root of positive 2 ×2 operator matrices with commuting entries, and then use it to define and study semi-hyponormality for commuting pairs of Hilbert space operators. For the well-known 3–parameter family 𝑊(𝛼,𝛽)⁡(𝑎,𝑥,𝑦) of 2–variable weighted shifts, we completely identify the parametric regions in the open unit cube where 𝑊(𝛼,𝛽)⁡(𝑎,𝑥,𝑦) is subnormal, hyponormal, semi-hyponormal, and weakly hyponormal. As a result, we describe in detail concrete sub-regions where each property holds. For instance, we identify the specific sub-region where weak hyponormality holds but semi-hyponormality does not hold, and vice versa. To accomplish this, …

High Variability In Flood Discharge And Stage Accelerates River Mobility, Chenliang Wu, Wonsuck Kim, Shuo Yang, Frank Tsai, Jeffrey A. Nittrouer, Tian Y. Dong, Duhwan Keum, Kyle M. Straub

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Lateral channel migration is a fundamental process in natural alluvial rivers; however, the factors that control the rate of migration remain unclear. Despite its importance in shaping river morphology, the impact of water discharge on river mobility is still largely unexplored. Here, we leverage a dataset of 64 rivers across the globe to show that higher variability in river discharge and stage promotes higher rates of river migration. To reveal the physical processes behind this relationship, we focused analyses on the lowermost 500 kilometers of the Mississippi River, where a pronounced gradient in water stage variability and migration rate exists. …

Sign Patterns Of Certain Infinite Products, Zeyu Huang, Timothy J. Huber, James Mclaughlin, Pengjun Wang, Yan Xu, Dongxi Ye

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

The signs of Fourier coefficients of certain eta quotients are determined by dissecting expansions for theta functions and by applying a general dissection formula for certain classes of quintuple products. A characterization is given for the coefficient sign patterns for

(qi;qi)∞(qp;qp)∞

for integers i>1 and primes p>3. The sign analysis for this quotient addresses and extends a conjecture of Bringmann et al. for the coefficients of (q2;q2)∞(q5;q5)−1∞. The sign distribution for additional classes of eta quotients is considered. This addresses multiple conjectures posed by Bringmann et al.

Characterization Of Antiretroviral Therapy (Art) Adherence Phenotypes And Psychosocial Symptom Clusters Among Black/African American (Aa) And Hispanic/Latine Adolescents And Young Adults (Ayas) With Hiv In The Adherence Connection For Counseling, Education, And Support (Access-Ii) Trial, Ann-Margaret Navarra, Taehoon Ha, Eva Liang, Maurade Gormley, David R. Garcia, Jason Fletcher, Lloyd A. Goldsamt, Michael G. Rosenberg, Karin Hasegawa, Jie Yang

School of Nursing Faculty Publications

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence behavior is heterogeneous among adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with HIV and influenced by individual and interpersonal psychosocial factors. The primary objective of this study is to characterize ART adherence phenotypes and psychosocial symptom clusters, as related to ART adherence and HIV viral load suppression. This analysis included 60 AYAs with HIV enrolled in an ART adherence support clinical trial. Self-reported ART adherence at baseline, 12-weeks, and 24-weeks was used to define four ART adherence phenotypes: consistently high adherence (YY), early-only adherence (YN), late-only adherence (NY), and consistently low adherence (NN). Symptom clusters were empirically derived …

Converging On The Cepheid Metallicity Dependence: Implications Of Nonstandard Gaia Parallax Recalibration On Distance Measures, Louise Breuval, Gagandeep S. Anand, Richard I. Anderson, Rachael Beaton, Anupam Bhardwaj, Stefano Casertano, Gisella Clementini, Mauricio Cruz Reyes, Giulia De Somma, Lucas M. Macri

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

By comparing Cepheid brightnesses with geometric distance measures including Gaia EDR3 parallaxes, most recent analyses conclude metal-rich Cepheids are brighter, quantified as γ ∼ −0.2 mag dex−1 . While the value of γ has little impact on the determination of the Hubble constant in contemporary distance ladders (due to the similarity of metallicity across these ladders), γ plays a role in gauging the distances to metal-poor dwarf galaxies like the Magellanic Clouds and is of considerable interest in testing stellar models. Recently, B. F. Madore & W. L. Freedman (hereafter MF25) recalibrated Gaia EDR3 parallaxes by adding to them a …

The Rider (2025-11-17), Daniela Martinez Salazar

The Rider Archives

Vol. 11, No. 12

Dual Language In Higher Education: Assessing Student Success And Student Experiences, Katherine Christoffersen, Ramsés Ortín, Dania López García, Ming-Tsan Lu, Javier Cavazos Vela

Writing and Language Studies Faculty Publications

Although long-standing research has documented the many benefits of dual language (DL) education programs in the K-12 setting, there are few studies on the impact of DL in higher education. This study analyzes DL education at a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) where certain classes are taught in Spanish or bilingually across diverse disciplines. In this mixed methods research study, we examine (1) how enrollment in these classes impacts student success through an analysis of cumulative grade point averages, retention, and time to degree and (2) how students perceive these classes through an analysis of course evaluations and surveys responses from current …

Thermodynamic Feasibility Of Nanoenergetic Systems Based On Metal Oxynitrides, Manoj Chhetri, Mkhitar A. Hobosyan, Maxim Zyskin, Karen S. Martirosyan

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

A comprehensive computational study was conducted to identify and evaluate nano-energetic systems utilizing aluminum (Al) as the fuel and a range of metal oxynitrides as oxidizers. The primary objective was to determine combinations that yield highly exothermic reactions, specifically those that maximize gas generation, adiabatic combustion temperature, and energy release. These parameters are critical for optimizing the performance of energetic materials in applications such as controlled energy delivery, propulsion, and pyrotechnics. By systematically analyzing thermodynamic properties including the heat of formation, enthalpy of reaction, Gibbs free energy, and equilibrium reaction products across a range of Al/oxynitride stoichiometries, the study aimed …

Comparing Machine Learning, Deep Learning, And Reinforcement Learning Performance In Culex Pipiens Predictive Modeling, Wei Yin, Sanad H. Ragab, Michael G. Tyshenko, Teresa Patricia Feria-Arroyo, Tamer Oraby

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

Several machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) methods have been used to predict the presence of species in classification problems. Another set of methods, called reinforcement learning (RL), has been used in training agents to perform various tasks, but not in predicting species distribution. Culex pipiens (Diptera: Culicidae), commonly known as the common house mosquito, is a globally distributed species prevalent in temperate and subtropical regions. They serve as a primary vector for West Nile Virus (WNV), a mosquito-borne pathogen that affects humans and other animals. The study objective is to compare the performance of logistic regression, random forest …

Likelihoods For Stochastic Gravitational Wave Background Data Analysis, Gabriele Franciolini, Mauro Pieroni, Angelo Ricciardone, Joseph D. Romano

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

We present a systematic study of likelihood functions used for stochastic gravitational wave background (SGWB) searches. By dividing the data into many short segments, one customarily takes advantage of the central limit theorem to justify a Gaussian cross-correlation likelihood. We show, with a hierarchy of ever more realistic examples—beginning with a single frequency bin and one detector, and then moving to two and three detectors with white and colored signal and noise—that approximating the exact Whittle likelihood by various Gaussian alternatives can induce systematic biases in the estimation of the SGWB parameters. We derive several approximations for the full likelihood …

Phenomenon-Based Learning And Storylines In K-12 Science Education: A Systematic Review Of Current Research, Implementation, And Future Directions, Kate Ireton Walker, Noushin Nouri

Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications

Phenomenon-based learning (PhBL) and storylines represent emerging pedagogical approaches in K-12 science education that emphasize student-centered inquiry and real-world connections, yet comprehensive synthesis of research in this field remains limited. This systematic review synthesizes current literature on PhBL and storyline approaches to identify key themes, implementation practices, and research gaps in K-12 science education. Using PRISMA guidelines, we systematically searched education journals, identifying 24 articles published between 2013 and 2024. Qualitative inductive analysis revealed six major themes through iterative coding and collaborative discussion. Six interconnected themes emerged: (1) Theoretical Foundations encompassing constructivist frameworks and pedagogical principles; (2) Curriculum Design and …

The Rider (2025-11-10), Daniela Martinez Salazar

The Rider Archives

Vol. 11, No. 11

Survival Analysis Of Breast Cancer Patients In Texas Using Classical And Machine Learning Methods, Sidketa Fofana, Tamer Oraby, Salique H. Shaham, Everardo Cobos, Manish K. Tripathi

School of Medicine Publications

Background

Breast cancer is considered one of the most common cancers in women worldwide. In this study, we used an 11-year cohort of malignant breast cancer survival data in Texas to investigate the factors that might explain why some breast cancer patients live longer than others.

Methods

We performed standard survival analyses, including generating Kaplan‒Meier survival curves, using the log-rank test, and applying Cox proportional hazards regression to identify the unique features of breast cancer patients and determine the main factors influencing long-term survival. We also conducted a Random Survival Forest analysis for classification and prediction. Finally, we used Mahalanobis …

Intelligent Real-Time Flotation Froth Stability Monitoring Using Embedded Computer Vision: Lead (Pb) Processing Case Study, Ahmed Bendaouia, Taha Ismaili, Ismail Najib, Oussama Hasidi, Intissar Benzakour, Jianzhi Li, El Hassan Abdelwahed

Manufacturing & Industrial Engineering Faculty Publications

Froth stability in flotation refers to the ability of the froth layer to remain intact and avoid collapsing during the flotation process. A stable froth layer is crucial to maximizing mineral recovery and ensuring the efficient operation of flotation cells. Several factors influence the stability of the froth, including the depth of the froth, the crowding, the size of the bubbles, and the rate of movement of the froth. In this study, our main objective is to analyze and evaluate froth stability in real time, since it plays a critical role in process optimization for flotation-based mineral processing. We propose …