Digital Commons Network^™

Student Perceptions Of Ai In University Studies, John Robert Fisher, Louis K. Falk, Margaret Mittelman

Communication Faculty Publications

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education is transforming students’ learning experiences, decision-making, and academic efficiency. This study explores student perceptions of AI’s benefits, challenges, and its role across academic disciplines. Findings indicate that while students recognize AI as a valuable educational tool, they also express concerns regarding privacy, reliance, and the need for improved AI training. Statistically significant differences were observed in AI’s impact on learning efficiency, decision-making, and academic engagement, supporting the hypothesis that AI enhances education but presents notable challenges. The study also highlights the necessity for balanced AI integration, ensuring that AI complements rather …

Finished!: How Newcomer Students Leveraged Family, Culture And Community To Complete A University Degree, Brenda Eliana Bocanegra

Theses and Dissertations

The transition from high school to college represents a pivotal time in the life of a student. For Latino/a students, this transition may be met with unique challenges shaped by their cultural, socioeconomic and educational backgrounds. This research aims to delve into the multifaceted experiences of newcomer Latino/a students as they navigate the transition from, high school to university, to educators, exploring the factors that influence their paths, the barriers they encounter, and the support systems that helped facilitate their success.

This research used Yosso’s (2005) community cultural wealth as the framework to examine the factors that influenced and impacted …

Joint Modelling Of Longitudinal Egfr Trajectory And Time To Acute Kidney Injury In Lung Transplant Patients, Samiha Zakir

Theses and Dissertations

Progressive declines in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) often precede acute kidney injury (AKI), yet the relationship between eGFR trends and AKI risk remains unclear. This study investigates longitudinal eGFR changes and their association with AKI in 459 lung transplant patients followed for up to 7 years (n = 6419). We applied a piecewise linear mixed-effects model to evaluate eGFR trajectories and a Cox proportional hazards model to assess time to AKI. A joint model was used to explore the interplay between longitudinal and survival processes. Key covariates included gender, age at transplantation, antibody-mediated rejection (AMR), and pre-transplant eGFR. Males …

Achieving Reward-Based Crowdfunding Project Success: An Examination Of Value Congruence, Bright Frimpong, Emmanuel Wusuhon Yanibo Ayaburi, Francis K. Andoh-Baidoo

Information Systems Faculty Publications

Crowdfunding founders increasingly rely on reward-based platforms to raise capital for their projects. However, the low success rate of reward-based project campaigns remains a concern for many founders and platform managers. Prior studies investigating participants’ motivations have focused on either the founder or backer perspective, with little research examining the joint effects of founder and backer motivations. Drawing on the theory of basic human values, we assert that founders and backers are strategic about their motivations for engaging in crowdfunding campaigns. We identify four basic human values—self-transcendence, self-enhancement, openness to change, and conservation—that may reveal their intrinsic motivations and investigate …

Cover Crop-Induced Improvements To Soil Hydraulic Properties And The Role Of Termination Time In Mitigating Negative Soil Moisture Impacts, Fabrizio Javier Pilco

Theses and Dissertations

In the Lower Rio Grande Valley of South Texas, water scarcity and drought pose ongoing challenges for farmers. Although cover crops are promoted for improving soil health and moisture, their effects on soil hydraulic properties in this region remain understudied. This thesis addresses both long-term (Chapter 2) and short-term (Chapter 3) impacts of cover crops on soil hydraulic properties and soil moisture. Long-term effects were evaluated through a three-year participatory field trial across four farms using a BACI design, while short terms were evaluated using a complete randomized block design. Soil hydraulic properties (residual water content θr, saturated water content …

The Effect Of Hiv-1 Infection Associated Bacterial Lipopolysaccharide (Lps) On Human Oral Keratinocytes: Implications For Promoting Chronic Inflammation, Md Shafayat Jamil

Theses and Dissertations

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) remains a major global health concern, affecting approximately 39 million people worldwide, with 500,000 new infections reported in 2022. While combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) has significantly reduced viral replication, HIV-1 infection is linked to various comorbidities, including oral dysbiosis and accelerated aging. Immune dysregulation in HIV-1–infected individuals promotes the proliferation of pathogenic gram-negative bacteria like Porphyromonas gingivalis, a key contributor to periodontal disease. P. gingivalis secretes lipopolysaccharide (LPS), which adversely affects human oral keratinocytes (HOK), the first line of defense against microbial threats in the oral cavity. HOK recognize LPS as a threat, …

Cross-Frame Effects And Design Optimization For Skewed Steel I-Girder Bridges, Nisha Sthapit

Theses and Dissertations

Cross-frames are critical for load distribution and stability in steel I-girder bridges with complex geometry, especially during construction. However, they are often designed with standardized cross-sections that are uniform throughout the bridge. This thesis presents an optimization approach for cross-frame cross-sections for skewed steel I-girder bridges with integral and stub abutments with skews ranging from 15⁰-60⁰. This optimization, using Method of Moving Asymptotes (MMA), minimizes girder flange lateral bending stress while maintaining or reducing the total volume of the cross-frames from the original design. Validated 3D finite element models in CSI Bridge showed that the optimization achieved around 20% decrease …

Generalizable Skill Learning In Robotic Agents Using Transformer Models, Erik Enriquez

Theses and Dissertations

This work explores the application of Transformer models to robotic skill learning, aiming to enhance generalization across various physical tasks and environments with continuous control. Despite their success in other domains, our experiments reveal that the utility of Transformers in robotics heavily depends on pretraining strategies. Specifically, Transformers pretrained on reinforcement learning tasks generalized effectively, while those trained with task-agnostic masking strategies did not. These findings challenge assumptions about the universality of Transformer-based methods and underscore the importance of domain-aligned pretraining for developing versatile robotic agents.

Porous Geopolymer Composite For Geotechnical Applications, Karla Viviana Sierra Flores

Theses and Dissertations

This research investigates the development of a porous geopolymer cement grout for soil grouting applications, aiming to reduce carbon emissions associated with Portland cement while maintaining critical performance characteristics such as strength and permeability. Class F fly ash and metakaolin were used as aluminosilicate precursors, activated by sodium silicate and sodium hydroxide solutions. The addition of hydrogen peroxide served as a foaming agent to introduce porosity by creating a thermodynamic reaction that releases oxygen gas during mixing. Compressive strength, porosity, and hydraulic conductivity were evaluated, with results showing that metakaolin significantly increased compressive strength due to its smaller particle size …

Analysis And Modeling Of Porous Media Networks In Petroleum Reservoirs Through Microscale Thermography And Core Flooding, Alan Petrovich-Mar

Theses and Dissertations

Reservoir rocks are porous materials that are an important area of study since they are present in reservoir sites rich in crude oil. It is important to understand the spreading phenomena on the rock surface and through the porous structure during fluid flow through these porous materials. For a complex system like reservoir rocks, factors such as spatially varying chemical composition and topography, multidimensional porosity, temperature, humidity, and existing oil/water in the pores can affect wettability and be a detriment to oil recovery.

The interaction of core samples with different porosity and permeability with water after proper cleaning procedures and …

Carbon Dioxide, Methane, And Nitrous Oxide Fluxes From Managed Aquatic Systems Of The Rio Grande Valley, Siena Rose Stassi

Theses and Dissertations

Greenhouse gas (GHG) dynamics from small-scale inland water remain relatively understudied, with knowledge gaps across ecosystem types and regions. In South Texas, there is a unique system of managed distributaries and their associated ox-bow lakes, commonly known as resacas. Most resacas are artificially managed and considered novel ecosystems, yet their GHG dynamics are unknown. Two resaca systems were monitored throughout one year to understand the magnitude, temporal variation, and environmental drivers of diffusive fluxes of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O), along with ebullitive CH4 emissions. Emissions of both CO2 and CH4 peaked in hot summer months, …

P-Adic Quantum Mechanics, Infinite Potential Wells, And Continuous-Time Quantum Walks, Nathaniel P. Mayes

Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, we introduce a p-adic version of the infinite potential well in quantum mechanics (QM). This model describes the confinement of a particle in a p-adic ball. We rigorously solve the Cauchy problem for the Schrödinger equation and determine the stationary solutions. The p-adic balls are fractal objects. By dividing a p-adic ball into a finite number of sub-balls and using the wavefunctions of the infinite potential well, we construct a continuous-time quantum walk (CTQW) on a fully connected graph, where each vertex corresponds to a sub-ball in the partition of the original ball. …

The Herzog-Takayama Resolution Over A Skew Polynomial Ring, Linoy Utkina

Theses and Dissertations

Let k be a field, and let I be a monomial ideal in the polynomial ring R = k[x1,..., xn]. In her thesis, Taylor introduced a complex that yields a finite free resolution of R/I as an R-module. Building on Taylor’s work, Ferraro, Martin, and Moore extended this construction to monomial ideals in skew polynomial rings. Because the Taylor resolution is typically not minimal, subsequent research efforts went into identifying specific classes of ideals whose minimal free resolutions can be constructed more simply. In 1990, Eliahou and Kervaire devised an approach for handling minimal resolutions of …

Camassa-Holm Type Equations And Multi-Peakon Solutions, Yonghong Chen

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates the multi-peakon solutions of a class of Camassa-Holm type equations with quadratic nonlinearities, specifically focusing on the differential equation mt +θmu+ amxu+bmux = 0, where m = u−uxx, and θ, a, b are arbitrary constants. We derive the nonlocal form of the equation and explore its peakon dynamics, including the well-known Camassa–Holm, Degasperis–Procesi, and Holm–Staley b-family equations. By employing a practical computational approach, we analyze the N-peakon solutions and present the corresponding dynamical systems, particularly focusing on the two-peakon case. The results will …

Congruences In Arithmetic Progression For Coefficients Of Gaussian Polynomials And Crank Statistics, Joselyne Aniceto

Theses and Dissertations

The study of partition congruences, inspired by Ramanujan’s discoveries for ��(��) over a century ago, remains a central topic in this field. This dissertation examines congruence properties in two restricted partition functions: ��(��,��), which counts partitions of �� into at most �� parts, and ��(��,��,��), which further limits the size of the largest part to be at most ��. Building on Kronholm’s 2007 result, now known as the Interval Theorem, and a recent result by Eichhorn, Engle, and Kronholm, we establish new infinite families of congruences for ��(��,��,��). This dissertation extends not only the recent results of Eichhorn, Engle, …

The Influence Of Solar Energy Infrastructure On Pollinators And Crops, Deisy Garcia

Theses and Dissertations

As the human population grows, demand for agriculture and renewable energy rises. Landuse competition is caused by the expansion of area-intensive solar photovoltaic (PV) facilities. While solar energy is crucial to mitigate climate change, it presents challenges related to land availability and effects on habitats for essential pollinators. In Chapter II, a spatial analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between solar panel density and pollinator diversity, exploring regions with the least interaction between these two factors. Our findings can inform solar siting and management strategies at landscape levels, in conjunction with field studies, that both mitigate potential interaction and …

Implementing And Evaluating An Ai-Powered Visual Decision Support System To Improve Antibiotic Usage Among Physicians With A Built-In Early Warning System, Akua Sekyiwaa Osei-Nkwantabisa

Theses and Dissertations

The widespread misuse and excessive prescription of antibiotics have played a pivotal role in the emergence and proliferation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, posing a critical global public health crisis. Addressing this challenge necessitates innovative solutions that enhance antimicrobial stewardship. This study presents the development and implementation of a visual decision support system designed to monitor and optimize antibiotic usage among healthcare providers. The proposed system integrates advanced machine learning algorithms with real-time data analytics to provide a dynamic, evidence-based decision support tool. Specifically, a neural network model was developed after evaluating multiple machine learning approaches, including Random Forest, Logistic Regression and …

Spatio-Temporal Pattern Of Nutrient Dynamics In The South Texas Coastal Watershed, Mohammad Sadman Alam

Theses and Dissertations

Eutrophication threatens aquatic ecosystems by altering productivity through excessive nutrient inputs. In some systems, primary productivity is limited by nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), or both, based on the N:P ratio defined by the "Redfield" ratio. South Texas, facing rapid urban growth and industrialization, is at risk of higher nutrient loads, but research on nutrient dynamics in this region is limited. This study investigates nutrient variations in the freshwater (FW) abandoned distributaries of the Rio Grande and hypersaline saltwater (SW) systems. Results showed a significant decrease in dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) and an increase in dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP), shifting the …

Evaluating The Impact Of Reflex Math On Mathematics Achievement In Elementary Schools: A Quasi-Experimental Study In South Texas, Kasey Juarez

Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative, quasi-experimental study examined the impact of Reflex Math, a gamebased instructional program focused on building math fact automaticity, on the achievement of Grade 3-5 students in a South Texas public school district. The study compared a 2023 intervention group that used the program from August to December with a 2022 comparison group that did not. The intervention’s effectiveness varied by grade level, with Grade 3 students showing the most positive gains, no significant effect in Grade 4, and a slight negative difference in Grade 5. Results showed statistically significant, though modest, gains in mathematics achievement among students who …

Mitigation Of Droughts And Floods From Conjunctive Water Resource Management Using Managed Aquifer Recharge (Mar): Experiments And Numerical Modeling, Sumiaya Amin Preota

Theses and Dissertations

Water supply of Rio Grande Valley in South Texas has been impacted by intensified climate extremes such as droughts and floods. This research assessed the viability of conjunctive water resource management using Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) carbon-modified infiltration basins. Multiple environmental variables in the Arroyo Colorado watershed were investigated, i.e., (i) water availability- quantity of floodwater can be repurposed, (ii) storativity and suitability - capacity within the unsaturated aquifer and ideal locations for building infiltration basins, (iii) water quality- contaminant removal using active carbon/biochar.

Unappropriated flow and high magnitude flow (HMF) analysis indicated that excess floodwater can be a …

Perceptions Of Special Education Teachers On The Transition Planning Process: Examining Practices That Predict A Positive Post-Secondary Outcome For Students With Disabilities In The Lower Rio Grande Valley School Districts, Mayra Lorena Martinez

Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the significance of the transition planning process for students with disabilities, particularly from the perspectives of the special education teachers. Grounded in Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT), this research examined the role of the student, parent, work related experiences and teacher involvement in the transition process, and the relationship between these factors and College, Career, and Military Readiness (CCMR) measures. Using a quantitative approach, that included special education teachers’ responses to the Secondary Education Transition Questionnaire adapted version and a cross analysis with 2022-2023 Texas Academic Performance Report (TAPR) CCMR indicators, the study identified critical gaps between …

Exploring Secondary Content And Career And Technical Education (Cte) Teacher Self-Efficacy In Supporting The Literacy Needs Of Long-Termed Emergent Bilinguals: A Mixed-Methods Inquiry, Jennifer Louise Burden

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation employed a mixed-methods convergent design, incorporating survey data and semi-structured interviews to investigate the self-efficacy of high school teachers in content areas and Career and Technical Education (CTE) towards their perceived abilities to support emergent bilingual students, particularly in content-specific literacy.

Grounded in the theoretical frameworks of Bandura's (1977) self-efficacy theory and Dweck's (2008) growth mindset, this study explores how educators' perceptions of their abilities impact their instructional practices and student outcomes.

Findings reveal a need for more training and resources to increase student engagement, which impacts academic outcomes and attendance and calls for comprehensive reforms in teacher …

Assessing Chatgpt's Capability As A New Age Standardized Patient: Qualitative Study, Joseph Cross, Tarron Kayalackakom, Raymond E. Robinson, Andrea Vaughans, Roopa Sebastian, Ricardo Hood, Courtney Lewis, Sumanth Devaraju, Prasanna Honnavar, Nikhilesh Anand

School of Medicine Publications

Background: Standardized patients (SPs) have been crucial in medical education, offering realistic patient interactions to students. Despite their benefits, SP training is resource-intensive and access can be limited. Advances in artificial intelligence (AI), particularly with large language models such as ChatGPT, present new opportunities for virtual SPs, potentially addressing these limitations.

Objectives: This study aims to assess medical students' perceptions and experiences of using ChatGPT as an SP and to evaluate ChatGPT's effectiveness in performing as a virtual SP in a medical school setting.

Methods: This qualitative study, approved by the American University of Antigua Institutional Review Board, involved 9 …

Investigation Into The Effectiveness Of G-C3n4 For The Degradation Of Indigo Dye In Aqueous Solution Via Electrocatalysis, Rolando R. Barron Jr

Theses and Dissertations

Indigo dye (IUPAC 2-(3-hydroxy-1H-indol-2-yl)indol-3-one) is one of the most used dyes in the textile industry worldwide with more than 40,000 tons produced each year. It can elicit adverse physiological responses in humans including vomiting, diarrhea, and other gastrointestinal conditions, and it is toxic in large amounts. There is also evidence to suggest that indigo is a teratogen and genotoxic in aquatic life. Environmentally, the enormous amount of indigo used in the textile industry has caused rivers and waterways to run blue as well as severely impacting aquatic and plant ecosystems. The chemicals used in its synthesis are also …

Fairness And Robustness In Decentralized Federated Learning, Kaichuang Zhang

Theses and Dissertations

Federated Learning (FL) has emerged as a privacy-preserving paradigm that allows multiple clients to collaboratively train a machine learning model without sharing raw data. However, traditional FL relies on a central server for model aggregation, which introduces a single point of failure and makes the system vulnerable to server-side attacks or breakdowns. To address these limitations, Decentralized Federated Learning (DFL) has been proposed, eliminating the need for a central server and enhancing system resilience. Despite these advantages, DFL faces critical challenges related to fairness and robustness, especially under non-i.i.d. data distributions and adversarial conditions. In this thesis, we propose a …

Climate Change And The Field Of Farm Labor In The Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas, Cody Richard Mortell

Theses and Dissertations

Farm workers in the United States are often vulnerable to adverse impacts of climate change, particularly extreme heat. This study explores farm workers’ climate change perceptions (CCP) as a mediating force in climate adaptation. Using latent class analysis, in-person survey data (n=404) from Lower Rio Grande Valley, TX (2024) and NOAA data were analyzed. Results were interpreted using Bourdieu’s field analysis framework and his notions of capital and symbolic power. Findings include: a social hierarchy with three latent classes of workers based on economic, cultural, social, and symbolic capital, which statistically significantly affected CCP. Workers in higher structural positions were …

Art And Effort, Saul Gabriel Dominguez Ii

Theses and Dissertations

Since childhood I questioned living and my life itself. I wondered the extent of our own free will since people live to cry, to hate, to think they’ve been born simply to die. I use philosophers and some contemporary fiction to portray a lens of living where we must romanticize the present, rather than an uncertain future, and remove the idea that there is a reason for our living. This method of present thinking is a characteristic of a life-well lived. The manuscript will largely be told from my point of view, a young aspiring author with limited experience, through …

Low Speed Water Tunnel Flow Testing, Humberto Cesar Grimaldo Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

Water tunnels serve as controlled environments for simulating fluid dynamics, providing an essential platform for studying flow patterns for hydrodynamic effects. This report presents a comprehensive overview and refurbishment of the water tunnel system located at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, focusing on its design, operation, calibration, and visualization capabilities for fluid dynamics research. The water tunnel, originally installed in 1995, was restored and updated with structural repairs, including resolving persistent leaks and implementing an improved drain system. A calibration process using a pitot tube and differential pressure transducer was conducted to establish accurate relationships between flow velocity …

A Dg-Algebra Structure With Divided Powers On The Generalized Taylor Resolution, Raul F, Alvarez

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates the construction of a DG Γ-algebra structure on the Generalized Taylor Resolution (GTR) associated with monomial ideals. The classical Taylor resolution is known for providing a free but generally non-minimal resolution, leading to computational challenges and inefficiencies in algebraic analysis. In contrast, the GTR preserves essential algebraic structures while optimizing the resolution process, offering a more efficient and comprehensive framework for studying monomial ideals.

We introduce a novel DG Γ-structure that incorporates divided powers into the GTR, enhancing its multiplicative and homological properties. This structure preserves strict graded commutativity and is fully compatible with the differential graded …

Linguistic (In) Security And Persistence In Doctoral Studies: A Mixed-Methods Study Of The Impact Of Metapragmatic Discourses On The Persistence Of Multilingual Doctoral Students, Germaine Tondji

Theses and Dissertations

Linguistic beliefs and practices in doctoral studies have often been overlooked, partly due to the assumption that advanced students face fewer language-related challenges. However, research on multilingualism in hypernormative academic contexts suggests that linguistic concerns persist even among the most educated. Multilingual doctoral students (MDSs) operate at the intersection of multiple linguistic and epistemic systems. In English-dominant, monoglossic environments, they must not only navigate the complexities of doctoral study but also reconcile competing linguistic and epistemic identities. This study explores the role of linguistic insecurity (LI) in MDSs' doctoral persistence through a mixed-methods design. The quantitative phase draws on survey …