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Ultraviolet photo intervention to promote sunsafe behaviors among young adults: A message experiment
No full textSkin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the United States. The three common types of skin cancer— basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and melanoma—is linked with the exposure to sun light containing ultraviolet (UV) rays. Despite the risk factor of UV exposure being highly preventable, the incidence rate is escalating.
Sun exposure and tanning behavior is common among the young adults and the literature suggests that social norms messages are successful in changing the perceptions of young adults (Smith et al., 2021). UV photos—photos taken in UV light which shows skin damage as dark patches— have been influential in promoting series of skin cancer prevention behaviors. Past studies suggested that UV images might promote sunsafe behaviors via emotional responses (Pokharel et al., 2019).
Thus, in the current study, we evaluate two types of UV images coupled with social norms message by tracking the emotional responses through psycho-physiological measures of facial expression analysis and galvanic skin response in addition to the self-reported survey measures.Communication Studie
Comparative Analysis of Embodied Carbon Emissions of Residential Buildings in Austin, Texas
Get PDFThis thesis presents a comparative analysis of embodied carbon emissions in low-rise residential buildings in Austin, Texas. Conducted in response to the city's ambitious climate goals aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from building construction, the study examined three different types of homes, each representing a distinct approach to sustainable building practices. The research assessed the embodied carbon of these homes and identified potential strategies for reducing carbon emissions in new construction.
The methodology involved comparing the embodied carbon of three homes with identical floor plans but constructed using varied materials and design strategies: a standard production home, a Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) home, and a net-zero ready home. The study utilized Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) and the EC3 (Embodied Carbon in Construction Calculator) tool to calculate the Global Warming Potential (GWP) for each material and overall environmental impacts.
Key findings revealed significant variations in embodied carbon emissions among the three construction approaches. The CLT home demonstrated the lowest overall embodied carbon, primarily due to the carbon sequestration properties of wood products. The net-zero ready home showed moderate reductions compared to the standard production home, attributed to its use of high-performance insulation and sheathing materials.
This research contributes to the growing body of knowledge on sustainable building practices and provides valuable insights for policymakers, designers, and builders seeking to mitigate the environmental impact of residential construction activities. The study's results offer practical strategies for reducing embodied carbon in new homes and inform potential policy directions to help Austin meet its 2030 embodied carbon reduction goals.Sociolog
Agarose-Based Hydrogels Containing Hyaluronic Acid for Chronic Wound Healing
No full textChronic wounds impact a significant portion of the population. With the expected population growth chronic wound treatment will continue to be a problem. Chronic wounds are accompanied by infections that lead to the formation of biofilms, resilient surface-adherent bacteria living in an organized matrix. Current treatment options lack an efficient way of removing biofilm while ensuring that the patient experiences minimal discomfort. The antibiotic-resistant nature of biofilms requires a coupled treatment to damage them so antibiotic treatments can penetrate the wound bed. To fill this gap, we developed a dynamic, agarose-based hydrogel containing hyaluronic acid that is expected to enable light-mediated biofilm damage through both photoinduced changes in the hydrogel’s mechanical properties and photothermal ablation. Hydrogels are three-dimensional, cross-linked networks of hydrophilic polymers. Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a mucopolysaccharide in the human body and an integral part of skin extracellular matrix (ECM). HA has demonstrated antibacterial properties and an ability to maintain a moist, porous wound environment which helps cell migration in the wound bed. Near infrared light (NIR) is used in biomedical applications due to its ability to penetrate tissue with minimal residual damage. Nanoparticles with photothermal properties in the NIR range can apply controlled heat to targeted locations and stimulate bond transitions within dynamic hydrogels. In this work, agarose, hyaluronic acid, and photothermal nanoparticles are combined to result in a hydrogel that is crosslinked via dynamic, reversible, hydrogen bonds. This research reports the synthesis, characterization and preliminary evaluation of bacteriostatic agarose-based hydrogels containing hyaluronic acid and modulated via photothermal stimuli for wound healing applications.Chemistry and Biochemistr
The Effects of Mindfulness Meditation on Divided Attention
No full textNo abstract prepared.Psycholog
Towards a Temporal Theory of Ecology: Body Mass Role for Activity Patterns of North American Artiodactyls
No full textEnergy dynamics can shape ecological patterns and impact the evolutionary trajectory of a species. The metabolic theory of ecology links body mass to multiple ecological traits. This study seeks to extend these insights to activity patterns at a macroecological scale, using the large repository of camera trap dataset to explore the relationship between body mass and diel patterns of activity of North American artiodactyls. Artiodactyla, a diverse mammalian suborder, reflects episodes of rapid evolution driven by climate volatility, resulting in a wide range of body sizes and morphologies. Utilizing a wide range of body masses to investigate its relationship to intraspecific diel temporal niche conservatism (i.e., high coincidence of activity patterns among populations of a species), will help us understand the evolutionary drivers of activity patterns and how energetics may play a role. Activity patterns were classified as homogenous (i.e., low directionality with activity distributed along a 24-hour period), or heterogenous (i.e., high directionality with peaks of activity at different times of the 24-hour period). We found that as the strength of intraspecific diel temporal niche conservatism increases, the directionality of activity decreases in North American artiodactyls. Concurrently, as we saw an increase in body mass of artiodactyl species, we found the directionality of activity increased. Larger species tend to exhibit heterogenous activity, while smaller species will tend exhibit homogenous activity. This supports the hypothesis of a negative relationship between body mass and intraspecific diel temporal niche conservatism. This study contributes to a previously unexplored aspect of macroecology relationships at a continental-scale approach by addressing the relationship between body mass and activity patterns in North American artiodactyls within the context of intraspecific diel temporal niche conservatism.Biolog
Texas State University's San Marcos Campus Edwards Aquifer Groundwater Use Trends and Untapped Water Conservation Opportunities
No full textAs climate change intensifies droughts in Central Texas, water scarcity and availability are becoming increasingly urgent issues. Texas State University (TXST) is at the forefront of this challenge. The TXST San Marcos campus relies on the Edwards Aquifer, an environmentally sensitive and economically important water resource, for ~70% of their potable water supply and Spring Lake and the San Marcos River for non-potable water uses. The Edwards Aquifer provides water to over 2 million people regionally and is currently stressed as climate change and demand tests the regulatory flow protection measures established to sustain spring flows through conditions comparable to the drought of record. It is critically important to analyze TXST’s water usage and identify opportunities for water conservation to improve campus sustainability and support an ecologically resilient San Marcos springs and river ecosystem. Using descriptive statistics and correlation analyses, I examined relationships among water use and climate, and overall water use temporal trends from 2015 to 2024. The results will contribute to furthering our campus community response toward improving water conservation. This will help TXST maintain regulatory compliance, increase the resiliency of its water supply, protect the San Marcos springs and river, and enable TXST to continue growing and expanding its recognition as an academic leader in Texas.Geography and Environmental Studie
Parental Involvement, Academic Motivation, and Educational Attainment Among Latinx Students
No full textThe present study examines how Latinx mothers’ and fathers’ involvement— specifically home-based involvement, school-based involvement, and parental aspirations relates to students’ academic motivation, engagement, college enrollment, and degree attainment. Additionally, it also explores how these relationships vary by students’ gender and immigration generation status. Using data from the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002, which included Latinx students (n = 2,217) and their parents (1,415 mothers and 380 fathers), multiple and binary logistic regression analyses were conducted to assess the predictive role of maternal and paternal involvement in students’ educational outcomes.
Findings reveal that parental aspirations were the most consistent predictor of both short- term (e.g., academic value, educational expectations, and school engagement) and long-term (e.g., college enrollment and degree attainment) educational outcomes. Latinas demonstrated a higher baseline of college enrollment and degree attainment compared to boys, and high maternal educational aspirations were associated with an even greater likelihood of college enrollment and college degree attainment among girls. This pattern suggests that maternal aspirations may be perceived differently by students depending on gender, playing a particularly crucial role in fostering academic success and persistence among girls.
Home-based involvement was also associated with students’ educational outcomes, but only when reported by mothers. Mother-reported home-based involvement was linked to students’ educational expectations and college enrollment, whereas father-reported homebased involvement was not associated with any outcomes. School-based involvement showed limited associations, with mother-reported school involvement relating to teacher-reported school engagement and degree attainment. However, father-reported school-based involvement was not associated with student outcomes.
The results from the study underscore the importance of distinguishing between maternal and paternal involvement when examining parental support in Latinx families. The study also highlights gender-related variations in how parental aspirations and home-based involvement relate to educational trajectories. Future research should further investigate how cultural, structural barriers, and family dynamics shape students’ educational experiences.Family and Consumer Science
Assessment of Storage Stability in Rubberized Asphalt Binders Using Image Processing and Deep Learning Techniques
No full textCrumb rubber modified (CRM) asphalt binders have gained significant attention due to their potential to improve pavement performance and sustainability. However, the storage stability of CRM asphalt binders remains a critical challenge due to phase separation, which can lead to inconsistent material properties and performance. This dissertation investigates the storage stability of CRM asphalt binders by integrating rheological analysis, atomic force microscopy (AFM) imaging, and deep learning techniques.
The study evaluates storage stability based on rheological properties such as G*/sin δ, Jnr, and % recovery, as well as topographical features observed in AFM images. The findings indicate that CRM content and particle size significantly influence phase separation behavior, with higher CRM contents leading to more pronounced segregation. Moreover, AFM imaging reveals distinct microstructural variations between the top and bottom sections of stored samples, confirming the limitations of conventional rheological assessments in fully capturing storage stability.
To address these challenges and suggest a new approach, a deep learning model based on ResNet-50 architecture is developed to predict storage stability using AFM images. The model demonstrates high predictive accuracy, with a correlation between measured and predicted separation index (SI). Gradient-weighted class activation mapping (Grad-CAM) visualization provides additional insights into key microstructural features affecting phase separation, reinforcing the model's interpretability.
The results suggest that integrating deep learning with AFM imaging provides a reliable, cost-effective, and non-destructive approach to evaluating storage stability in CRM asphalt binders. This methodology has the potential to improve quality control practices and facilitate the development of more durable and stable asphalt pavements. Future research should investigate the application of this approach to a wider range of asphalt binder modifications and environmental conditions.Materials Science, Engineering, and Commercializatio
Building the STEM workforce: Baseline self-efficacy in career and work decisions
No full textTo better understand the factors influencing STEM student career readiness, we conducted a baseline analysis of Career Development Self-Efficacy and Work Self-Efficacy among undergraduate students in the Texas State University College of Science and Engineering.
The Career Decision Self-Efficacy Scale (CDSE)1 measures an individual’s confidence in successfully completing tasks necessary for making significant career decisions. Grounded in John O. Crites’ Theory of Career Maturity, the CDSE assesses five key Career Choice Competencies: self-appraisal, occupational information, goal selection, planning, and problem-solving.
The Work Self-Efficacy Inventory (WS-Ei)2 evaluates beliefs about one’s ability to navigate the social and behavioral aspects essential for workplace success. This measure operates on the premise that higher work self-efficacy increases the likelihood of workplace achievement, which in turn reinforces self-efficacy through a feedback loop of performance and confidence.
By establishing baseline levels of career and work self-efficacy in STEM undergraduates at a large public university in Texas, this study provides critical insights into student preparedness for the workforce. Future analyses will examine changes in self-efficacy following targeted interventions such as career and professional development programs and experiential learning opportunities. These findings will inform strategies for strengthening STEM workforce readiness and enhancing student career outcomes.Engineerin
Undergraduate Developmental Mathematics Students' Fraction Understandings
No full textDifficulties with fractions are well-documented for undergraduate developmental mathematics students. Thus, it may not be surprising that fractions act as a gate-keeping topic for college-level mathematics. However, research on the way(s) that undergraduate developmental mathematics students understand fractions is scarce. In my dissertation study, first I synthesize the relevant K–12 fraction literature. Second, I report on findings from initial task-based clinical interviews. I share examples of go-to strategies that were utilized by Vivian and Sofia as they worked through fraction tasks. I share second-order models of the fraction understandings, fraction schemes, and mental operations that Vivian and Sofia demonstrated as they worked through their clinical interview tasks. I include mathematics thinking shared by Vivian and Sofia that is productive toward the measure understanding of fractions. Third, I share the growth in fraction thinking that was demonstrated by Vivian and Sofia as they participated in teaching experiments that were designed to engender growth in the construction of the measure understanding of fractions. Fourth, I share teaching moves and responses to Vivian’s struggles that helped her to struggle productively. Finally, I conclude with a discussion relating how my findings address my research questions and explain how my work relates to existing literature. I close with an explanation of the affordances and limitations of my study and suggest future research.Mathematic