Division, College, and Department Research

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Research, creative, and scholarly works created by the university community organized by area.

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21st Century Expeditionary Mindset and Core Values: A Review of the Literature
(2009-10) Shields, Patricia M.
This paper reviews literature on the expeditionary mindset and core values taking into account the 21st century security and technology environments. The paper begins by developing the historical context and providing definitions. Next, the paper explores the connection between the expeditionary mindset and military transformation. Key tenets of the 21st century expeditionary mindset are identified and examined. Soldiers with an expeditionary mindset should first, be mentally prepared to deploy on short notice anywhere in the world; second, have the critical-thinking skills necessary to adapt quickly to a changing operational environment; third, work cooperatively with members of a Joint team; fourth, posses knowledge of the culture in the area of the local populace, and; fifth, the expeditionary force will be using 21st century network centric technology. The paper concludes with a discussion of military core values within the context of an expeditionary mindset.
3D Nanomolding and Fluid Mixing in Micromixers with Micro-patterned Microchannel Walls
(Springer, 2017-01) Farshchian, Bahador; Amirsadeghi, Alborz; Choi, Junseo; Park, Daniel S.; Kim, Namwon; Park, Sunggook
Microfluidic devices where the microchannel walls were decorated with micro and nanostructures were fabricated using 3D nanomolding. Using 3D molded microfluidic devices with microchannel walls decorated with microscale gratings, the fluid mixing behavior was investigated through experiments and numerical simulation. The use of microscale gratings in the micromixer was predicated by the fact that large obstacles in a microchannel enhances the mixing performance. Slanted ratchet gratings on the channel walls resulted in a helical flow along the microchannel, thus increasing the interfacial area between fluids and cutting down the diffusion length. Increasing the number of walls decorated with continuous ratchet gratings intensified the strength of the helical flow, enhancing mixing further. When ratchet gratings on the surface of the top cover plate were aligned in a direction to break the continuity of gratings from the other three walls, a stack of two helical flows was formed one above each other. This work concludes that the 3D nanomolding process can be a cost-effective tool for scaling-up the fabrication of microfluidic mixers with improved mixing efficiencies.Graphical abstractIn this paper we show that a micromixer with patterned walls can be fabricated using 3D nanomolding and solvent-assisted bonding to manipulate the flow patterns to improve mixing.
A "Literacy Awakening": The Role of Study Abroad and International Service Learning for Preservice Teachers' Literacy Engagement
(Forum for International Research in Education, 2019-11) Lussier, Kristie O'Donnell; Czop Assaf, Lori; Hoff, Meagan
The purpose of this study was to explore how preservice teachers (PST) became aware of literacies in global and local contexts and to understand how PST conceive of literacy after experiencing an international service learning (ISL) study abroad program in rural South Africa. For this qualitative grounded theory study, we used critical literacy and humanizing pedagogy as theoretical frames for designing the program and analyzing data. Findings show PST experienced a “literacy awakening.” They became more aware of nuanced and complex ways literacies function in a community and imagined how their understandings would shape future teaching.
A Broader Definition of Fragile States:The Communities and Schools of Brazil’s "Favelas"
(Teachers College, Columbia University, 2012-01) Straubhaar, Rolf
Though the existing literature on the favelas (or shantytowns) of Brazil thoroughly documents the chaotic and violent nature of life within them, few connections have been made between the literature on favelas, fragility and small states, particularly with regard to the fragile state of educational institutions in favelas. This article summarizes the primary findings of prominent favela studies across the social sciences alongside the literature on fragility, drawing out a summative definition of fragility that easily applies to the context of education in Brazilian favelas. Primarily, this article argues that not only do the slums of Brazil qualify for classification as fragile small states, but such a classification by prominent multilaterals would open these areas to donor funding for educational programming that could greatly mitigate their fragility and advance educational equity, as occurs in other postconflict and fragile settings around the world.
A Camera-based Approach for Digitising a Large-scale Photographic Negative Collection
(Henry Stewart Publications, 2019-01) Moore, Jeremy D.; Peters, Todd C.
The University Archives at Texas State University contains an estimated 1.8 million photographic negatives. In 2017, the University Libraries were awarded a TexTreasures Grant, funded by the US Institute of Museum and Library Services, from the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, to research and build custom capture stations and digitise an initial 6,000 negatives from the collection. In this comparative analysis, the authors present evidence that their camera-based system surpasses traditional scanners for photographic negative digitisation. Major factors affecting equipment and workflow decisions are discussed.
A Catalyst of Change: A Graduate Student’s Perspectives on Transformational Teaching.
(Forum of International Research in Education, 2019-11) Le, Ni-La; Martinez Hinestroza, Jose; Kraus, Erika; Hassan, Azad; Plough, India
This article interprets teachers as change agents in light of the Transformational Teaching (TT) framework (Slavich & Zimbardo, 2012). Contributing to the understanding of teachers’ transformation, we report on a case study that explores how of a graduate student’s conceptualization of and engagement with the core methods of TT emerged and developed through her teaching in the context of a locally situated Cultures and Languages Across the Curriculum program. The analysis offers three findings. First, the core methods of TT are evidenced in the teacher’s practice. Second, specific program specifications facilitated her engagement with TT. Third, she was motivated to make changes in her teaching toward TT. We argue that the interaction among context, students, teaching practice and systematic reflection opportunities may act as a catalyzer of change in teachers’ understanding and engagement with TT.
A Collective Impact Model Towards Increasing STEM Major Student Retention
(Texas State University, The Education Institute, 2020-02) Martinez Ortiz, Araceli; Novoa, Clara; Sriraman, Vedaraman
This article presents the research findings of a multidisciplinary team's collective research effort at one university over a five-year period as funded by the National Science Foundation's Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE) program. A collaborative learning and retention action research effort at a large Hispanic Serving Institution is analyzed using mixed methods to document the power of collective impact as the foundation for a learning support model for students historically underrepresented majoring in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) academic programs. The actions of the team of researchers are presented to describe the Rising Stars Collective Impact model and the impacts achieved. This is a model that aligns objectives, intervention efforts, and reports collective results. The long-term goals of the Rising Stars Collective Impact multiple programs managed by the funded program team included the following: (a) to improve the campus sense of community for students historically under-represented in STEM, (b) to establish innovative and robust STEM education research-based practices to support critical skill attainment for students, and (c) to support faculty understanding of the funds of knowledge of diverse students. The positive student retention and success impacts of this research effort are measured through quantitative statistical analysis of the changes in second-year STEM undergraduate student retention rates and representation rates of women, Hispanics, and African American STEM majors.
A Combined Gene Expression and Functional Study Reveals the Crosstalk Between N-Myc and Differentiation-inducing MicroRNAs in Neuroblastoma Cells
(Impact Journals, 2016-10) Zhao, Zhenze; Ma, Xiuye; Shelton, Spencer D.; Sung, Derek C.; Li, Monica; Hernandez, Daniel; Zhang, Maggie; Losiewicz, Michael D.; Chen, Yidong; Pertsemlidis, Alexander; Yu, Xiaojie; Liu, Yuanhang; Du, Liqin
MYCN amplification is the most common genetic alteration in neuroblastoma and plays a critical role in neuroblastoma tumorigenesis. MYCN regulates neuroblastoma cell differentiation, which is one of the mechanisms underlying its oncogenic function. We recently identified a group of differentiation-inducing microRNAs. Given the demonstrated inter-regulation between MYCN and microRNAs, we speculated that MYCN and the differentiation-inducing microRNAs might form an interaction network to control the differentiation of neuroblastoma cells. In this study, we found that eight of the thirteen differentiation-inducing microRNAs, miR-506-3p, miR-124-3p, miR-449a, miR-34a-5p, miR-449b-5p, miR-103a-3p, miR-2110 and miR-34b-5p, inhibit N-Myc expression by either directly targeting the MYCN 3'UTR or through indirect regulations. Further investigation showed that both MYCN-dependent and MYCN-independent pathways play roles in mediating the differentiation-inducing function of miR-506-3p and miR-449a, two microRNAs that dramatically down-regulate MYCN expression. On the other hand, we found that N-Myc inhibits the expression of multiple differentiation-inducing microRNAs, suggesting that these miRNAs play a role in mediating the function of MYCN. In examining the published dataset collected from clinical neuroblastoma specimens, we found that expressions of two miRNAs, miR-137 and miR-2110, were significantly anti-correlated with MYCN mRNA levels, suggesting their interactions with MYCN play a clinically-relevant role in maintaining the MYCN and miRNA expression levels in neuroblastoma. Our findings altogether suggest that MYCN and differentiation-inducing miRNAs form an interaction network that play an important role in neuroblastoma tumorigenesis through regulating cell differentiation.
A Comparative Analysis of EFL and ESL Programs Regarding Curriculum Mandates and Program Directors’ and Teacher Candidates’ Perceptions: The Case of Turkey and the US
(Scientific Research Publishing, 2014-06) Polat, Nihat; Cepik, Saban
In researching the comparison of ESL and EFL programs regarding curriculum mandates and perceptions of program directors and Teacher candidates, this study addresses the following research questions: How different are the competencies that are covered in the curricula of ELTE programs in Turkey from those that are covered in the curricula of ESL teacher education programs in the US? How do the program directors in ELTE and ESL teacher certification programs perceive the situation of their programs in terms of the content of the curriculum? How do the teacher candidates in ELTE and ESL teacher certification programs perceive the situation of their programs in terms of the content of the curriculum? Data include semi-structured interviews of four program directors and eight ELTE and ESL teacher candidates as well as the curricula of eight ESL teacher certification and eight ELTE programs. These programs were selected among private and public institutions in different cities and States (US) to represent a more comprehensive structure of the ELTE and ESL programs in the two countries. Results clearly indicate that program directors and teacher candidates do not see curriculum as a well-written prescribed document; rather, they argued for the learning outcomes resulting from the implemented curriculum. Besides, some critically needed competencies such as culture and assessment, and professional responsibilities are neglected in EFL programs.
A Comparison of Blood Viscosity and Hematocrit Levels between Yoga Practitioners and Sedentary Adults
(Berkeley Electronic Press, 2019-01) Shadiow, James; Tarumi, Takashi; Dhindsa, Mandeep; Hunter, Stacy D.
Elevations in whole blood viscosity (WBV) and hematocrit (Hct), have been linked with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Endurance training has been demonstrated to lower WBV and Hct; however, evidence supporting the efficacy of yoga on these measures is sparse. A cross-sectional study was conducted examining WBV and Hct levels between yoga practitioners with a minimum of 3 years of consistent practice and sedentary, healthy adults. Blood samples were collected from a total of 42 participants: 23 sedentary adults and 19 regular yoga practitioners. Brachial arterial blood pressure (BP) was measured and the averages of 3 measures were reported. The yoga practitioner group had significantly lower WBV at 45 s-1 (p < 0.01), 90 s-1 (p < 0.01), 220 s-1 (p < 0.05), and 450 s-1 (p < 0.05) than sedentary participants. No significant group differences in Hct (p =0.38) were found. A tendency toward lower systolic BP (p=0.06) was observed in the yoga practitioner group; however, no significant group differences in BP were exhibited. A consistent yoga practice was associated with lower WBV, a health indicator related to CVD risk. These findings support a regular yoga practice as a valid form of exercise for improving rheological indicators of cardiovascular health.
A Counselor’s Tale: The Need for Cultural Awareness
(Sage Publications, 2019-10) Cotman, Ann Marie; Enyioha, Jessica C.; Guerra, Patricia; Holmes, Analeasa Lopez
Culturally responsive (CR) leadership permeates all leadership practices and consists of several domains including: developing critical consciousness, supporting cultural knowledge development, and advocating for social justice within and outside of the school walls. This case focuses on the need to ground CR leadership in critical self-reflection and cultural consciousness by exploring the relationship between a White principal and his first leadership team member of Color who brings a different, bicultural perspective to his work. Assumptions that fill the void left by a lack of cultural knowledge lead to damaging effects including tokenism and stereotype threat.
A Cross-Level Exploratory Analysis of “Neighborhood Effects” on Urban Behavior: An Evolutionary Perspective
(Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute, 2015-11) Weaver, Russell
It is now generally accepted that spatially-based neighborhood or contextual attributes influence individual behaviors. However, studies of contextual effects often operationalize “neighborhoods” as static, single-level administrative units that are chosen for data availability rather than theoretical reasons. This practice has led to new calls for sound conceptual models that guide data collection efforts and statistical analyses related to these phenomena. While many such models are in use or being proposed in the social sciences, this article argues that research in the field of evolutionary studies offers alternative and interesting ways of investigating neighborhood effects. Accordingly, the article pursues two objectives. First, it makes connections between neighborhood effects research in the social sciences and relevant literature in evolutionary game theory and evolutionary urban geography. Second, these interdisciplinary interactions guide the development of a cross-level conceptual model of neighborhood effects on urban social behavior. The conceptual model is then translated into an empirical model that tests whether and how property maintenance behavior in a selected U.S. study area changes as a function of neighborhood context. The findings reveal that neighborhood effects operate at multiple, interacting spatial levels in the study area, which suggests that conventional single-level administrative boundaries are not equipped to capture these effects. While they are proffered as exploratory, the results nonetheless imply that insights from evolutionary research can add depth and theoretical grounding to contextual effects studies in the social sciences.
A Crystalline Oxide Passivation on In0.53Ga0.47As (100)
(American Institute of Physics Publishing, 2017-03) Qin, Xiaoye; Wang, Wei-E; Droopad, Ravi; Rodder, Mark S.; Wallace, Robert M.
The passivation of In0.53Ga0.47As surfaces is highly desired for transistor performance. In this study, the feasibility of a crystalline oxide passivation on In0.53Ga0.47As (100) is demonstrated experimentally. The (3 x 1) and (3 x 2) crystalline oxide reconstructions are formed on the de-capped In0.53Ga0.47As (100) surfaces through the control of the surface oxidation states. By monitoring the evolution of chemical states and associated structures of the In0.53Ga0.47As (100) surfaces upon O2 and subsequent atomic hydrogen exposure, we find that the control of the Ga oxide states is critical to the formation of the crystalline oxide reconstructions. The stability of the crystalline oxide layers upon the atomic layer deposition of HfO2 is investigated as well. Furthermore, the capacitance voltage behavior of metal oxide semiconductor capacitors with an HfO2 dielectric layer reveals that the crystalline oxide reconstructions result in a decrease in the density of interface traps (D it) from ~1 x 10 13 cm-2 eV-1 to ~1 x 10 12 cm-2 eV-1 compared with the de-capped surface. The crystalline oxide passivation offers a platform to develop In0.53Ga0.47As devices with a low density of interface states.
A Dataset for the Flood Vulnerability Assessment of the Upper Cross River Basin Using Morphometric Analysis
(Elsevier, 2020-02) Ogarekpe, Nkpa; Obio, Ekpe; Tenebe, Imokhai; Emenike, PraiseGod; Nnaji, Chidozie
The on-site collection of data is not only time consuming, but expensive and perhaps near impossible in restive communities within the upper Cross River basin (UCRB). Therefore, the importance of this data cannot be overemphasized. This article presents a Digital Elevation Model (DEM), land use and land cover (LULC) map, soil map, geology map and climatic datasets which enhance the understanding of the physical characteristics of the upper Cross River basin using morphometric analysis. The use of the LULC map, soil map and the DEM in conjunction with the climatic data enhance the creation of the Hydrologic Response Units (HRUs) and the water balance modelling. The simulation of the water balance at the HRU level enables the routing of the runoff to the reaches of the sub-basins and then to the channels. The geology map provides confirmatory information to the morphometric analysis. The compound factor computed from all the derived morphometric parameters enhance the determination of the overall flood potential of the congruent sub-basins.
A General Hypothesis of Species Diversity
(The American Society of Naturalists, 1979-01) Huston, Michael A.
Many explanations for diversity patterns have been proposed, and there have been several recent reviews of the subject (Pianka 1966, 1974; Ricklefs 1973; Pielou 1975). High diversity has been attributed both to intense competition which forces niche restriction (Dobzhansky 1950; MacArthur and Wilson 1967)and reduced competition resulting from predation (Paine 1966; Harper 1969; Janzen 1970; Connell 1975). Diversity has been positively correlated with productivity (Connell and Orias 1964; Pianka 1966; MacArthur 1969) and negatively correlated with productivity (Yount 1956; Margalef 1969). The question is far from settled. This paper develops an approach to the problem of species diversity based on the nonequilibrium interactions of competing populations. Under nonequilibrium conditions, differences in diversity are strongly influenced by variations in the rates of competitive displacement between communities, and such factors as relative competitive abilities, niche partitioning, etc., may not be particularly important. This approach deals primarily with the maintenance of diversity, as opposed to the generation of diversity. While most of the current diversity hypotheses have some relation to the evolutionary origin of diversity, this will not be emphasized here.
A Geographically Weighted Regression Analysis of the Underlying Factors Related to the Surface Urban Heat Island Phenomenon
(Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute, 2018-09) Zhao, Chunhong; Jensen, Jennifer L. R.; Weng, Qihao; Weaver, Russell
This study investigated how underlying biophysical attributes affect the characterization of the Surface Urban Heat Island (SUHI) phenomenon using (and comparing) two statistical techniques: global regression and geographically weighted regression (GWR). Land surface temperature (LST) was calculated from Landsat 8 imagery for 20 July 2015 for the metropolitan areas of Austin and San Antonio, Texas. We sought to examine SUHI by relating LST to Lidar-derived terrain factors, land cover composition, and landscape pattern metrics developed using the National Land Cover Database (NLCD) 2011. The results indicate that (1) land cover composition is closely related to the SUHI effect for both metropolitan areas, as indicated by the global regression coefficients of building fraction and NDVI, with values of 0.29 and −0.74 for Austin, and 0.19 and −0.38 for San Antonio, respectively. The terrain morphology was also an indicator of the SUHI phenomenon, implied by the elevation (0.20 for Austin and 0.09 for San Antonio) and northness (0.20 for Austin and 0.09 for San Antonio); (2) the SUHI phenomenon of Austin on 20 July 2015 was affected by the spatial pattern of the land use and land cover (LULC), which was not detected for San Antonio; and (3) with a local determination coefficient higher than 0.8, GWR had higher explanatory power of the underlying factors compared to global regression. By accommodating spatial non-stationarity and allowing the model parameters to vary in space, GWR illustrated the spatial heterogeneity of the relationships between different land surface properties and the LST. The GWR analysis of SUHI phenomenon can provide unique information for site-specific land planning and policy implementation for SUHI mitigation.
A Harmine-derived Beta-carboline Displays Anti-cancer Effects in vitro by Targeting Protein Synthesis
(Elsevier, 2017-06) De Carvalho, Annelise; Chu, Jennifer; Meinguet, Celine; Kiss, Robert; Vandenbussche, Guy; Masereel, Bernard; Wouters, Johan; Kornienko, Alexander; Pelletier, Jerry; Mathieu, Veronique
Growing evidence indicates that protein synthesis is deregulated in cancer onset and progression and targeting this process might be a selective way to combat cancers. While harmine is known to inhibit DYRK1A and intercalate into the DNA, tri-substitution was shown previously to modify its activity profile in favor of protein synthesis inhibition. In this study, we thus evaluated the optimized derivative CM16 in vitro anti-cancer effects unfolding its protein synthesis inhibition activity. Indeed, the growth inhibitory profile of CM16 in the NCI 60-cancer-cell-line-panel correlated with those of other compounds described as protein synthesis inhibitors. Accordingly, CM16 decreased in a time- and concentration-dependent manner the translation of neosynthesized proteins in vitro while it did not affect mRNA transcription. CM16 rapidly penetrated into the cell in the perinuclear region of the endoplasmic reticulum where it appears to target translation initiation as highlighted by ribosomal disorganization. More precisely, we found that the mRNA expression levels of the initiation factors EIF1AX, EIF3E and EIF3H differ when comparing resistant or sensitive cell models to CM16. Additionally, CM16 induced eIF2α phosphorylation. Those effects could explain, at least partly, the CM16 cytostatic anti-cancer effects observed in vitro while neither cell cycle arrest nor DNA intercalation could be demonstrated. Therefore, targeting protein synthesis initiation with CM16 could represent a new promising alternative to current cancer therapies due to the specific alterations of the translation machinery in cancer cells as recently evidenced with respect to EIF1AX and eIF3 complex, the potential targets identified in this present study.
A Heuristic Storage Location Assignment Based on Frequent Itemset Classes to Improve Order Picking Operations
(Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute, 2021-02) Li, Yue; Mendez-Mediavilla, Francis A.; Temponi, Cecilia; Kim, Junwoo; Jimenez, Jesus
Most large distribution centers’ order picking processes are highly labor-intensive. Increasing the efficiency of order picking allows these facilities to move higher volumes of products. The application of data mining in distribution centers has the capability of generating efficiency improvements, mainly if these techniques are used to analyze the large amount of data generated by orders received by distribution centers and determine correlations in ordering patterns. This paper proposes a heuristic method to optimize the order picking distance based on frequent itemset grouping and nonuniform product weights. The proposed heuristic uses association rule mining (ARM) to create families of products based on the similarities between the stock keeping units (SKUs). SKUs with higher similarities are located near the rest of the members of the family. This heuristic is applied to a numerical case using data obtained from a real distribution center in the food retail industry. The experiment results show that data mining-driven developed layouts can reduce the traveling distance required to pick orders.
A Hierarchical Bayesian Approach to Ecological Count Data: A Flexible Tool for Ecologists
(Public Library of Science, 2011-11) Fordyce, James; Gompert, Zachariah; Forister, Matthew L.; Nice, Chris C.
Many ecological studies use the analysis of count data to arrive at biologically meaningful inferences. Here, we introduce a hierarchical Bayesian approach to count data. This approach has the advantage over traditional approaches in that it directly estimates the parameters of interest at both the individual-level and population-level, appropriately models uncertainty, and allows for comparisons among models, including those that exceed the complexity of many traditional approaches, such as ANOVA or non-parametric analogs. As an example, we apply this method to oviposition preference data for butterflies in the genus Lycaeides. Using this method, we estimate the parameters that describe preference for each population, compare the preference hierarchies among populations, and explore various models that group populations that share the same preference hierarchy.
A Meta-Model to Predict the Drag Coefficient of a Particle Translating in Viscoelastic Fluids: A Machine Learning Approach
(Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute, 2022-01) Faroughi, Salah; Roriz, Ana; Fernandes, Celio
This study presents a framework based on Machine Learning (ML) models to predict the drag coefficient of a spherical particle translating in viscoelastic fluids. For the purpose of training and testing the ML models, two datasets were generated using direct numerical simulations (DNSs) for the viscoelastic unbounded flow of Oldroyd-B (OB-set containing 12,120 data points) and Giesekus (GI-set containing 4950 data points) fluids past a spherical particle. The kinematic input features were selected to be Reynolds number, 0

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