University of Houston

Envisioning a desired future: using students’ experiences to understand how communities work together to adapt to a changing climate

Purpose This paper aims to examine a pedagogical approach to teaching climate change at the fifth-grade level, centered on storytelling, futures thinking and collective action. The climate change unit is designed with place-based framing to help students envision desired futures...

Distributed Delay Stabilizes Bistable Genetic Networks

Delay is an inherent feature of genetic regulatory networks. It represents the time required for the assembly of functional regulator proteins. The protein production process is complex, as it includes transcription, translocation, translation, folding, and oligomerization. Becau...

Vertical distribution of pollution trapped by wintertime surface inversions in Fairbanks, Alaska, during the ALPACA experiment

Abstract. Air pollution in cold wintertime urban areas is a ubiquitous problem. Surface temperature inversions under low wind conditions and surface emissions lead to the formation of a shallow polluted surface layer (PSL). The presence of this PSL is well documented, but its hei...

How does hard magnetic soft matter deform?

Abstract Hard Magnetic Soft Materials, i.e., elastomers seeded with hard magnetic particles, convert magnetic energy into complex motion and have become central to the design of untethered soft robots, biomedical devices, and, in general, for enabling fast, wireless actuation. Th...

Comparison of a Parametric Physics-Informed Neural Network and a Tensorial Reduced-Order Model for the Shallow-Water Dam-Break Problem

We develop two parametric data-driven reduced models: a physics-informed neural network (PINN) and a non-intrusive tensorial reduced-order model (TROM), and apply both approaches to the parametrized one-dimensional shallow-water dam-break problem. Both reduced models do not requi...

Improved Photocatalysis in Diisocyanide-Supported Heteroleptic Four-Coordinate Copper(I) β-Diketiminate Complexes

Abstract Developing robust, sustainable molecular photosensitizers that combine strong visible-light absorption, long excited-state lifetimes, and potent redox reactivity remains a fundamental challenge in photoredox catalysis. Cu(I) complexes are promising earth-abundant alterna...

Graph symmetry organizes exceptional dynamics in open quantum systems

Exceptional points (EPs) play a central role in non-Hermitian physics, yet most theoretical studies begin from deliberately engineered low-dimensional effective Hamiltonians whose parameters are tuned to produce spectral degeneracies. In realistic open quantum systems, however, d...

Longitudinal Changes in Choroidal Thickness Across the Eye in Young Children With Premyopia

Background: The choroid is thought to be implicated in eye growth regulation, yet longitudinal choroidal data in young children are limited. Methods: Choroidal thickness (ChT) was measured in 92 children with functional emmetropia (baseline age, 7.4 ± 0.8 years; cycloplegic refra...

The robotic PIANO: a critical narrative review of surgeon-controlled operative polyphony, human factors, and robotic training

Abstract Robotic surgery can concentrate control of several technical functions at the console, but such concentration does not itself confer clinical independence, reduce dependence on the perioperative team, or improve patient outcomes. We define surgeon-controlled operative po...

Anticoagulation Treatment Response Among Phenotypic ESUS Clusters: Evidence From CASPR

ABSTRACT Objective To evaluate treatment effect heterogeneity across phenotypic clusters of patients with cryptogenic embolic stroke using causal inference methods. Methods From a retrospective, multicenter cohort of patients with cryptogenic embolic stroke, we estimated the trea...

Integrating Landsat 8 remote sensing and machine learning for water quality assessment in a tropical river basin

Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) has degraded river water quality in sub-Saharan Africa, while conventional monitoring remains constrained by cost and logistical challenges. This study integrates Landsat 8 OLI multispectral imagery with machine-learning regression to...

Community Flood Perceptions in the Context of Flood Risk and Flood Hazard Indicators

Abstract Floods have and continue to cause severe damage to property and loss of life globally and in the US. The perceived risk of flooding, defined as an individual’s subjective assessment of the likelihood and severity of a flood event, can influence their preparedness and res...

Suppressing Catalyst Reconstruction via Electric-Field-Enhanced Cu–Sn Alloying for Stable CO2 Electroreduction

Abstract The electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2RR) on copper (Cu) catalysts holds great promise for the sustainable production of value-added carbonaceous chemicals and fuels. However, these Cu nanostructures suffer from severe surface reconstruction due to Cu’s oxi...

Surgical Management of Lacrimal Gland Tumors

Epithelial lacrimal gland tumors are rare but important to diagnose early. The initial surgical decision to do an incisional biopsy versus gross total resection depends largely on the radiologic characteristics of the lacrimal gland mass. Until recently, orbital exenteration was...

Measurements of the production of W$$^{\pm }$$ and Z$$^0$$ bosons in pp collisions at $$\sqrt{s} = 13$$ TeV

Abstract Measurements of the production of the W $$^{\pm }$$ ± and Z $$^0$$ 0 bosons at midrapidity in pp collisions at $$\sqrt{s} = 13$$ s = 13 TeV with ALICE at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) are presented. The W $$^{\pm }$$ ± and Z $$^0$$ 0 bosons are detected via their (di)e...

Machine learning for predictive maintenance in energy storage systems: A systematic review of health prediction, fault diagnosis, and deployment challenges

This research examines the function of machine learning in the predictive maintenance of energy storage systems (ESS), highlighting its capacity to improve system reliability, efficiency, and longevity. The text commences with a summary of the foundational principles of predictiv...

Dialing in or Locking Out? Mapping Texas Districts’ Cell Phone Policy Types

In response to growing concerns about the impact of cell phone use on student learning and well-being, school districts across the U.S. are rapidly adopting restrictive policies. This study examines the nature and variation of district-level cell phone policies in Texas, analyzin...

Investigating Nonlinear Optical and Thermal Properties in Sr2SiSe4 through Noncentrosymmetric Crystal Structure Comparison with Sr2SnSe4

Abstract An isovalent anion substitution approach allowed for the discovery of two noncentrosymmetric ternary selenides, Sr2SiSe4 and Sr2SnSe4. Sr2SiSe4 crystallizes in the α-Eu2GeS4 type, monoclinic space group P21, with lattice parameters a = 6.8866(19) Å, b = 7.0062(19) Å, c =...

Bathing in wine and olive oil: Late Roman agricultural production in the Small Bath at Antiochia ad Cragum, Rough Cilicia

Abstract This article presents a recently discovered multipurpose agricultural processing facility constructed within the Small Bath at Antiochia ad Cragum in Türkiye. We argue that the Bath was transformed for the production of wine and olive oil in Late Antiquity, representing...

Comparison of Wavefront-optimised Refraction Determined Pre- and Post-cycloplegia in Individuals with Down Syndrome

Abstract Purpose To compare metric-optimised refractions determined from wavefront aberration measures with the COAS-HD wavefront aberrometer pre- and post-dilation and the resultant visual acuity through each refraction in participants with Down syndrome (DS). Methods Twenty-one...