Texas A&M International University: Research Information Online (RIO)
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Binary unconstrained quadratic optimization problem
No full textIn recent years the unconstrained quadratic binary program (UQP) has emerged as a unified framework for modeling and solving a wide variety of combinatorial optimization problems. The unexpected versatility of the UQP model is opening doors to the solution of a diverse array of important and challenging applications. Developments in this evolving area are illustrated by describing its methodology with examples and by reporting substantial computational experience demonstrating the viability and robustness of latest methods for solving the UQP model, showing that they obtain solutions to wide-ranging instances of the model that rival or surpass the best solutions obtained by today\u27s best special-purpose algorithms
L\u3csup\u3e∞\u3c/sup\u3e estimation of the LDG method for 1-d singularly perturbed convection-diffusion problems
No full textPointwise error estimates of the local discontinuous Galerkin (LDG) method for a one-dimensional singularly perturbed problem are studied. Several uniform L∞ error bounds for the LDG approximation to the solution and its derivative are established on a Shishkin-type mesh. Numerical experiments are presented
Cultural Predictors of Academic Motivation in Hispanic College Students
Get PDFLatinos make up 16 percent of the overall U.S. population (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010); however, in 2012, they only represented 9 percent of individuals obtaining a college degree (NCES, 2012). Several studies suggest that social-cultural factors (i.e. familismo, parental involvement, acculturation, etc.) play a significant role in the academic motivation and academic success of Latino students (Jeynes, 2003; Perez et al., 2009; Perna & Titus, 2005). This study explored the extent to which familismo, parental involvement, and academic motivation are related to one another. This study also explored the extent to which parental involvement and familismo predict academic motivation in a predominately Latino college student population. The results of this study suggest that familismo is a significant predictor of academic motivation, where parental involvement was not a predictor of academic motivation
Percepciones sobre desigualdades de género en el trabajo periodístico
No full textLas prácticas periodísticas de las mujeres como profesionales en los medios informativos locales, así como sus experiencias vitales en torno a las desigualdades de género, son analizadas en el marco de los debates actuales sobre sesgo de género y desigualdad en los medios de comunicación como un problema de derechos. Por medio de entrevistas en profundidad realizadas a cinco mujeres profesionales que trabajan en distintos medios informativos abordamos sus percepciones en torno a la vida laboral y personal, la organización socio laboral y la incorporación del debate sobre equidad e igualdad de oportunidades entre varones y mujeres en los medios de comunicación. Sus percepciones y experiencias vitales ponen en evidencia las dificultades para conciliar trabajo y vida; la discriminación y segregación a puestos de trabajo de menor jerarquía; la ausencia de la perspectiva de género, tanto en la gestión organizacional del trabajo periodístico como en la producción de contenidos informativos es una constante en los ambientes de trabajo informativo. Palabras clave: género, desigualdades, trabajo, producción periodística AbstractJournalistic practices of female professionals in local media, as well as their life experiences around gender inequalities in local news production scenarios, are analyzed in the context of current debates on gender bias inequality in the media as a rights issue. Through in-depth interviews with five professional women who work in different media, we surveyed their perceptions about work and personal life, social and labor organization, and about the incorporation of the debate pertaining to equity and equal opportunities between men and women in the media. Their perception and life experiences highlight the difficulties in reconciling work and personal life; discrimination and job segregation to lower ranked positions; and the absence of a gender perspective in organizational management of journalism as well as in the production of contents as a constant in the informative workplaces. Keywords:gender, inequalities, work, journalistic productio
School-Located Influenza Vaccination and Absenteeism Among Elementary School Students in a Hispanic Community
No full textSeasonal influenza is recognized as a significant health burden to children and is a cause of excess school absenteeism in children. In 2008, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended annual influenza vaccination for all children 6 months to 18 years of age. School nurses influence participation in this recommendation by conducting school-located influenza vaccination (SLIV) programs at their campuses. Knowing the effect of SLIV programs on student absenteeism may motivate school nurses and district administrators to conduct such vaccination programs. This study examines the impact of an SLIV program on elementary school absenteeism in an inner city school district with a predominantly Hispanic population. Using Poisson regression models with robust standard errors, we analyzed data from 3,775 records obtained by stratified random sampling. Results of the study indicate that students vaccinated through an SLIV program have fewer absences than unvaccinated students. A surprising result of the study shows that students vaccinated through an SLIV program had fewer absences than students vaccinated elsewhere. These results are of particular importance to school nurses who work with large Hispanic populations. Our study illustrates one way that a school nurse can assess the effect of an SLIV program on absenteeism. © The Author(s) 2013
Organizational members’ use of social networking sites and job performance: An exploratory study
No full textThere is considerable debate among academics and business practitioners on the value of the use of social networking by organizational members. Some, fearing presenteeism (i.e. being at the workplace but working below peak capacity), claim that the use of social networking sites by organizational members is a waste of time, while others believe it leads to improvements in job performance, partly due to employees’ successful efforts to balance work-life realms. This paper aims to inform this debate by examining the use of social networking sites by organizational members and its effect on job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and job performance. The exploratory study is based on a survey of 193 employees, focusing on the following constructs: social networking site use intensity, perceived job satisfaction, perceived organizational commitment, and job performance. The authors’ proposed model was evaluated using variance-based structural equation modeling (SEM), a latent variable-based multivariate technique enabling concurrent estimation of structural and measurement models under nonparametric assumptions. This study used WarpPLS 2.0 to assess both the measurement and the structural model. The results show that social networking site use intensity has a significant positive effect on job performance through the mediation of job satisfaction, and that this mediating effect is itself mediated – in a nested way – via organizational commitment. The findings suggest that social networking site use, rather than causing presenteeism, may be a new way through which employees balance their work-life realms, in turn benefitting their organizations. Originality/value – To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to analyze, in an integrated way, the relationship between those theoretical constructs. © 2013, Emerald Group Publishing Limited. All rights reserved
All for the success of college algebra
No full textAn extensive support system placed at Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) for the success of students taking College Algebra course is quintessential, since this is the first mathematics course taken by those who were admitted or plan to seek admission to TAMIU. Additional focus has been given as this course is taken by the majority of students to meet the core mathematics requirement in the state of Texas. Apart from sections being taught by experienced faculty, the University Learning Center (ULC) provides walk-in tutoring for students, and each section has been assigned a supplemental instruction leader who provides additional sessions beyond the classroom teaching, on a weekly basis. The ALEKS software provides an online homework system. Furthermore, a marathon review session is planned for the final exam, an opportunity geared towards procrastinators. This paper elaborates on the extent of the involvement required for the success of this course
A discontinuous Galerkin least-squares finite element method for solving Fisher\u27s equation
No full textIn the present study, a discontinuous Galerkin least-squares finite element algorithm is developed to solve Fisher\u27s equation. The present method is effective and can be successfully applied to problems with strong reaction, to which obtaining stable and accurate numerical traveling wave solutions is challenging. Numerical results are given to demonstrate the convergence rates of the method and the performance of the algorithm in long-time integrations
Second language learners’ processing of idiomatic expressions: Does compositionality matter?
No full textThe Idiom Decomposition Hypothesis (Gibbs et al. 1989) states that, depending on compositionality, i.e., the degree to which idiom components contribute to the overall figurative interpretation, idioms will differ with regard to their storage and processing. However, research results concerning processing differences between idioms varying along the dimension of compositionality are mixed and equivocal. The present paper aims to address this controversial issue by exploring the role of compositionality in the course of processing idioms by second language users. The study employed a cross-modal priming technique in which English decomposable and nondecomposable idioms were embedded in sentences (e.g. ‘George wanted to bury the hatchet soon after Susan left’) and presented auditorily via headphones to Polish fluent speakers of English. While participants were listening to the sentence, a target word related figuratively (e.g. FORGIVE) or literally (e.g. AXE) to the idiom was presented on the computer screen for a lexical decision either at the end of the idiom or before the last word of the idiom. Contrary to the predictions of the Idiom Decomposition Hypothesis (Gibbs and Nayak 1989; Gibbs et al. 1989), figurative meanings of decomposable idioms were not available faster than those of nondecomposable idioms. In addition, strong activation was found for literal meanings of idiom constituents, in line with previous L2 processing research (Kecskes 2000; Liontas 2002; Abel 2003)
Out of Asia: Understanding the nexus between technology usage and research productivity in Japan, Singapore, and Taiwan
No full textJournal and conference publications are well-known measures of scientific and academic research productivity. Prior research on scientific productivity that studies dimensions such as research culture, technological support, and researcher collaboration focuses on Western world contexts. Asian countries, such as Japan, Singapore, and Taiwan have received attention recently for the quality of their educational institutions, which have increasingly emphasized research productivity. With a large number of established and funded public universities, these countries show a strong potential for future scientific research. Consequently, it is crucial to understand the factors that influence the research productivity of scholars in these countries. In this paper the focus is specifically on the research productivity of students and faculty members in three countries: Singapore, Taiwan, and Japan. We investigate an important factor that influences research productivity: technology usage, which we conceptualize as the summation of mobile phone and computer usage. In addition, we analyze the relationship between technology usage and international collaboration. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved