Texas A&M University

Online covariance estimation for stochastic gradient descent under Markovian sampling

We investigate the online overlapping batch-means covariance estimator for Stochastic Gradient Descent (SGD) under Markovian sampling. Convergence rates of order $O\big(\sqrt{d}\,n^{-1/8}(\log n)^{1/4}\big)$ and $O\big(\sqrt{d}\,n^{-1/8}\big)$ are established under state-dependen...

Patterns and drivers of beta diversity of Asteraceae across Africa: A taxonomic and phylogenetic approach

Unravelling the spatial and temporal dynamics of biodiversity is a central goal in ecology and evolutionary biology, requiring an integration of taxonomic and phylogenetic beta-diversity. However, a lack of comprehensive studies at continental scales for major ecologically divers...

Highlights from an early base camp in Beringia 13,800 years ago: Shég’ Xdaltth’í’ and the Late Pleistocene peopling of Alaska

Human dispersal across the Bering Land Bridge (BLB) was a key event in the peopling of the Americas, but Beringia’s archaeological record remains poorly understood. In response, the Shég’ Xdaltth’í’ site in interior Alaska has been the focus of a multi-disciplinary study since 20...

Unmanned aerial vehicle time‐series phenotyping illuminates genotype‐specific responses to off‐target dicamba exposure in soybean

Abstract Dicamba, a synthetic auxin herbicide, is widely used for postemergence weed control. However, the high potential for volatility and spray drift raises concerns about damage to nontarget dicot crops lacking the dicamba monooxygenase transgene, which provides bioengineered...

Ice-ray pentagonal packing of pseudo-fivefold helices

While fivefold point symmetry is common in nature, fivefold spatial symmetry is seldom observed. Regular pentagons cannot tile a plane without leaving voids, and even the densest “ice-ray” packing is exceptionally rare. Fivefold helices are equally elusive. We report a small mole...

Mechanochemically Controlled Functionalization of Graphene Microdrums

Abstract Mechanochemical reactions involve the use of applied mechanical distortions to reactants to drive chemical reactions. In this work, we demonstrate the use of mechanical force to direct location-specific reactions on suspended bilayer graphene microdrums, by manipulating...

A Conservative Invariant-Domain Preserving Projection Technique for Hyperbolic Systems Under Adaptive Mesh Refinement

Abstract. We propose a novel, rigorous, and conservative invariant-domain preserving (IDP) projection technique between solution spaces of differing discretizations. The projection preserves important physical invariants of the underlying hyperbolic system, for example, positivit...

Free-space and satellite-based quantum communication: Principles, implementations, and challenges

Satellite-based quantum communications represent a critical advancement in the pursuit of secure, global-scale quantum networks. Leveraging the principles of quantum mechanics, these systems offer unparalleled security through Quantum Key Distribution and other quantum communicat...

Navigating Disrespect in the Classroom: Intersectionality Pedagogy as Humanizing Praxis for Black Women Faculty

This case study examines intersectionality pedagogy (IP) as a humanizing approach to teaching that centers Black women’s voices and experiences in higher education. Through Janice’s experience, the case illustrates how IP disrupts anti-Black, gendered racism and white-cis-hetero-...

Onset of flooding data at variable pressure in a large diameter tube for air-water and saturated steam-water fluid pairs

An experimental investigation to acquire flooding data for steam-water and air-water fluid pairs in a large-diameter vertical tube at above-atmospheric pressures has been conducted. The experimental program presented herein is the first to use a single test section with controlle...

A supergene and genomic mosaicism are associated with phenotypic evolution in Galápagos tree finches

Abstract Adaptive radiations provide powerful models to study the origins of phenotypic novelty and species diversity. Darwin’s finches constitute a classic example of adaptive radiation, in which beak morphology is a key trait related to fitness. Here, we focus on Camarhynchus t...

Assessing clinical reasoning under diagnostic uncertainty in psychiatric nurse practitioner preceptorship

Abstract Objective: This analysis examines the relationship between diagnostic uncertainty, observable clinical reasoning, and preceptor judgment. Background: A major difficulty in assessing psychiatric nurse practitioner students exists when a clinical presentation supports no c...

“My Existence is Queer”: Understanding Trans and Nonbinary College Students’ Sexual Identities

Scientific practices surrounding sexual identity are largely based upon cisheteronormative assumptions, using terms that may not resonate with − or may exclude − trans and nonbinary (TNB) individuals and their experiences. This exploratory study examined how TNB college students...

Cerebellar Network Organization in Parkinson's Disease: Functional Connectivity across Motor and Cognitive Circuits

Abstract Background The cerebellum is increasingly recognized as a key contributor to cognitive reserve and network organization in Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the relationship of cerebello‐cortical and cerebello‐basal ganglia connectivity with cognitive status and nigrost...

Bounds on Treewidth via Excluding Disjoint Unions of Cycles

One of the fundamental results in graph minor theory is that for every planar graph $H$, there is a minimum integer $f(H)$ such that graphs with no minor isomorphic to~$H$ have treewidth at most $f(H)$. The best bound known for an arbitrary planar $H$ is ${O(|V(H)|^9\operatorname...

Legal Chameleons: Political Ideology, Institutional Histories, and Firms’ Management of Identity Cues

This study examines how foreign firms strategically manage the salience of foreignness when facing unfavorable domestic evaluators. Foreign firms do so by altering the ethnic composition of the agents representing them before the evaluators. We examine this question in the contex...

Evolved differences in microglial cell biology between surface and cave populations of Astyanax mexicanus

Microglia govern multiple aspects of brain architecture and function by eliminating dying neurons and glia, stimulating neurogenesis, refining neural connections, and orchestrating immune responses. The Mexican tetra, Astyanax mexicanus, is a powerful model system for investigati...

Detection of Legionella Bacteria Using a Silicon‐Based Photonic Microring Resonator Biosensor Enhanced by Dielectrophoresis

Silicon-based photonic biosensors, such as microring resonators and Mach-Zehnder interferometers, offer label-free detection, high sensitivity, and full compatibility with semiconductor fabrication processes. Yet, the detection of living bacteria remains difficult due to the limi...

Worry Promotes Feelings of Authenticity for People High in Internalizing Symptoms

Feeling “authentic” is typically seen as a positive psychological phenomenon. However, in disordered states, certain maladaptive behaviors might feel “true to oneself.” Across five studies, we tested whether people high in internalizing symptoms may feel more authentic when worry...

Reaffirming the validity of unobtrusive personality measures: A comment on Harms et al. (2025) and guidance for the field

Abstract As unobtrusive measures of CEO personality have become more common in organizational research, questions about their validity have grown. Harms et al., Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, (2025) 98, e70052 recently formalized some of these concerns in...