Texas A&M University

Task assignment and restaurant output: a simulation analysis

Purpose This study isolates the output contribution of productivity-based task assignment in a fixed workforce and examines how that contribution changes with worker heterogeneity, cross-group comparative advantage and the correlation between task productivities. Design/methodolo...

Methanesulfonic Acid as a Dual‐Role Reagent for Porous Polymer Network Design

The need to develop new materials for energy and environmental sustainability has drawn significant attention in recent years due to population growth, depletion of raw materials, and rising costs. Porous materials are at the center of this quest, necessitating facile approaches...

Conserved Core but Divergent Biochemical Features of RAS-MAPK Signalling in C. elegans

Genetic studies in Caenorhabditis elegans have established core principles of RAS-MAPK signalling. These nematodes encode three RAS proteins: LET-60/KRAS is essential for vulval induction, while RAS-1 and RAS-2 are orthologs of RRAS/RRAS2 and MRAS, respectively, but remain biolog...

Conceptualizing and measuring psychological resilience in the context of physical limitations in later life: a scoping review

Objective Psychological resilience may support adaptation to physical limitations, but definitions and measures vary. This scoping review examined how psychological resilience has been conceptualized and measured among older adults, focusing on studies addressing physical limitat...

On Distributionally Robust Multistage Convex Optimization: New Algorithms and Complexity Analysis

Abstract. This paper presents an algorithmic study and complexity analysis for solving distributionally robust multistage convex optimization (DR-MCO) problems. Our main contribution is a novel nonconsecutive dual dynamic programming (NDDP) algorithm which explores different stag...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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-...

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...

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...

“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...