UTSA Runner Research Press (Univ. of Texas at San Antonio)
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The Impact of Industrial Facility Prevalence on Human Health in Bexar County, Texas: An Analysis of Facility Distribution, Air Quality, Health Outcomes, and Socioeconomic Correlates
Get PDFThis thesis employed a cross-sectional analysis to examine correlations between industrial facility density, the prevalence of adverse health outcomes potentially linked to poor air quality, affected population by ethnicity, median household income, and other socioeconomic characteristics across census tracts in Bexar County, Texas, home to the city of San Antonio. Additionally, this study analyzed local policies that aim to promote Bexar County environmental equity. The objective was to assess whether the density of industrial facilities within Bexar County census tracts correlated with adverse health outcomes and to identify any socioeconomic disparities related to these patterns. The study examined the relationships among the following variables: point source data from SafeGraph, air quality data from the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (EPA 2024), health outcome data from the CDC (2024), income data from the U.S. Census Bureau (2023), and demographic data from the City of San Antonio Equity Score Calculator (2024). The study identified significant correlations between air pollution levels and a range of health outcomes. However, industrial facility density showed no correlation with either health outcomes or air quality.Urban and Regional Plannin
Artificial Intelligence-Driven Identification of Favorable Geothermal Sites Based on Radioactive Heat Production: Case Study from Western Türkiye
Get PDFIn recent years, the exploration and utilization of geothermal energy have received growing attention as a sustainable alternative to conventional energy sources. Reliable, data-driven identification of geothermal reservoirs, particularly in crystalline basement terrains, is crucial for reducing exploration uncertainties and costs. In such geological settings, magnetic susceptibility, radioactive heat production, and seismic wave characteristics play a vital role in evaluating geothermal energy potential. Building on this foundation, our study integrates in situ and laboratory measurements, collected using advanced sensors from spatially diverse locations, with statistical and unsupervised artificial intelligence (AI) clustering models. This integrated framework improves the effectiveness and reliability of identifying clusters of potential geothermal sites. We applied this methodology to the migmatitic gneisses within the Simav Basin in western Türkiye. Among the statistical and AI-based models evaluated, Density-Based Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise and Autoencoder-Based Deep Clustering identified the most promising and spatially confined subregions with high geothermal production potential. The potential geothermal sites identified by the AI models align closely with those identified by statistical models and show strong agreement with independent datasets, including existing drilling locations, thermal springs, and the distribution of major earthquake epicenters in the region.Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Construction Managemen
Essays in Banking and Financial Intermediation
Get PDFThis dissertation examines key topics in banking and financial intermediation, focusing on the implications of a controversial funding source in the U.S. — brokered deposits — for asset growth, risk-taking, and bank survival, and on cross-regional differences in interest rate sensitivities between U.S. and Eurozone banks.
The first essay, on the impacts of brokered deposit use, draws on an extensive bank-level quarterly dataset from 1987 to 2023. We document that small banks relying on these arm’s-length deposits exhibit higher survival probabilities during non-crisis periods but lower survival probabilities during financial crises. Increases in brokered deposits do not lead to higher subsequent lending at the borrowing bank but are associated with changes in the composition and riskiness of the asset portfolio. These findings identify the primary channel through which brokered deposits alter a bank’s risk profile.
The second essay uses annual call report data for Eurozone banks over the period 2005 to 2023 to estimate their sensitivity to interest rate risk. The results show that the average bank’s net interest margin (NIM) and return on assets (ROA) are largely insensitive to interest rate changes. However, smaller banks are notably more sensitive than larger ones, particularly in terms of ROA. Moreover, Eurozone banks with larger deposit franchises and greater market power display significantly lower cash flow sensitivity to interest rate movements. When compared to their U.S. counterparts, Eurozone banks are found to be more exposed to interest rate risk, suggesting structural differences between the two banking systems.Financ
Numerical Investigation of Modified Punching Shear Behavior in Precast Prestressed Hollow Core Slabs Under Concentrated Loads
Get PDFPrecast prestressed hollow-core slabs (HCSs), primarily designed for uniformly distributed loads, frequently encounter concentrated loads, causing complex stress states. Load distribution occurs through longitudinal joints; however, the hollow cross-section and absence of transverse reinforcement increase susceptibility to shear, including punching. Existing guidelines offer limited guidance, often conflicting with experimental results. While limited previous studies have examined concentrated load effects on various HCS types, research on the Spancrete system—distinguished by unique core geometries—is lacking. This study presents a detailed numerical investigation of modified punching shear behavior in Spancrete HCS floors using a 3D finite element (FE) model developed in ABAQUS. The model, comprising three interconnected HCS units, was validated against experimental data from single-unit and full-scale floor tests exhibiting modified punching shear failure. Results show that modified punching shear in HCSs is driven initially by localized stress distribution in the top flange along one direction and secondarily by compression stresses in the loaded region, unlike the symmetric failure in solid slabs. While variations in loading area affected post-peak response, shifting the load closer to the longitudinal joints led to earlier joint debonding, reducing ultimate capacity. These insights challenge the adequacy of current design guidance and emphasize the necessity of refined HCS provisions.Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction Managemen
Comparative Physiochemical and Mechanical Characterization of Healthy and Osteoarthritic Human Chondrocytes
Get PDFThis dissertation compares the physiochemical phenotypes of chondrocytes of healthy and osteoarthritic (OA) origins. In the first study, contact angles were measured on few layers of cells using a goniometer with deionized water (DIW), formamide (FOR), and diiodomethane (DIM) as solvents to test the hydrophobicity’s of cells. Our results indicated that chondrocytes of healthy as well as OA origins were hydrophobic during all points in culture. OA-derived chondrocytes increased their hydrophobicity as culture times progressed. The second study quantified the morphology and adhesion of chondrocytes of healthy and osteoarthritic origins to a model surface of silicon nitride over 21 days of culture using atomic force microscopy (AFM). Further, traditional cell biology techniques were used to quantify DNA, total collagen (COL), and total glycosaminoglycan (GAG) formation over the culture period. Our results indicated that the work of adhesion in healthy-derived chondrocytes significantly increased on days 1, 7 and 21 compared to OA-derived chondrocytes (P<0.001). The third study was an AFM prediction of elasticity of human chondrocytes of healthy and OA origins during 21 days of culture. The young’s modulus of elasticity was significantly higher in healthy-derived chondrocytes at days 1, 14 and 21 than OA-derived chondrocytes (P<0.05). Although, elasticity in OA-derived chondrocytes at day 0 was significantly (P<0.05) higher than in healthy-derived chondrocytesBiomedical Engineerin
Neural Networks for Intelligent Healthcare: Transfer Learning and WNN Based Hardware Accelerator for Disease Detection
Get PDFThis research presents three neural network models tailored for medical diagnostics, each focused on a distinctive clinical application. The first model employs transfer learning using the Inception-ResNet-v2 architecture to classify COVID-19 and pneumonia using chest X-ray images. The second model utilizes the EfficientNetB7 architecture with transfer learning via fine-tuning to detect various stages of dementia from the MRI brain scan images. The third and central contribution features an ensemble of five WiSARD models - a weightless neural Network (WNN) architecture for arrhythmia classification by leveraging the MIT-BIH dataset, following the AAMI standards.
To improve prediction reliability in ambiguous scenarios, the WiSARD model incorporates a bleaching mechanism that incrementally resolves classification ties. After developing and validating the ensemble WiSARD model within a PyTorch-based software framework, it is translated into synthesizable hardware description language (HDL). The resulting hardware model is then used for power and area analysis across 45 nm and 90 nm technology nodes.
By merging neural network accuracy with hardware efficiency, this research offers a practical and scalable solution for edge-based medical diagnostics. The WiSARD model’s memory-efficient, enhanced ensemble voting and bleaching logic offer an optimal trade-off between power and chip area. Together, these three models demonstrate a tailored AI and hardware co-design approach to enable real-time, on-device medical inference, advancing an intelligent healthcare system that supports timely and reliable patient monitoring.Electrical and Computer Engineerin
Translanguaging for Equity and Justice in Assessment: A Systematic Review
Get PDFThis systematic review examines how translanguaging has been integrated into educational assessment, a domain historically dominated by monolingual norms. Drawing on 33 empirical studies published between 2012 and 2023, we employed an inductive&ndash;deductive coding approach to analyze how translanguaging is enacted across assessment types and its implications for teaching, learning, and equity. The literature was concentrated in North America. Findings reveal affordances of translanguaging assessments including more authentic demonstrations of knowledge, deepen content learning, affirm multilingual identities, and reduce linguistic anxiety and challenges including perceptions of illegitimacy, systemic policy constraints, and resource inequities. We argue that translanguaging provides a transformative framework for reimagining assessment as a socially just practice that validates multilingual repertoires. To capture the varied engagements with equity, we conceptualize translanguaging assessment as an epistemological and political stance along a spectrum of justice. The spectrum ranges from access and inclusion to structural transformation to highlight how scholars frame translanguaging within assessment as descriptive practice, pedagogical equity, political resistance, and systemic reimagining. We call for more geographically diverse and methodologically varied research to sustain translanguaging&rsquo;s impact and inform systemic change
Gender Differences in Social Pain Sensitivity: The Roles of Anxiety and Blood Pressure
Get PDFThis study examined gender differences in social pain sensitivity among healthy young adults, with a focus on whether trait anxiety and resting blood pressure (BP) account for these differences. A total of 60 participants (40 women, 20 men) completed self-report measures of social pain sensitivity, including the Social Pain Questionnaire (SPQ) and Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale (BFNES), as well as the Trait Anxiety Inventory (TAI). Resting systolic and diastolic blood pressure were measured using a validated digital monitor, and heart rate variability (HRV) was assessed using the Polar V800 system. Women reported somewhat higher SPQ and BFNES scores than men, consistent with prior literature on gender-based differences in social sensitivity. However, neither trait anxiety nor resting BP explained these gender differences. Exploratory correlations revealed an inverse association between resting HRV and both SPQ and BFNES scores, suggesting that higher parasympathetic activity may be associated with lower social pain sensitivity. These findings highlight a trend toward greater social pain sensitivity among women and suggest that physiological regulation, as indexed by HRV, may play a protective role. The study contributes to the growing literature on biopsychosocial factors in emotional processing and underscores the importance of considering both gender and autonomic function when assessing vulnerability to social stress. Future research should expand on these findings using larger, more diverse samples and explore additional mechanisms that may account for individual differences in social pain reactivity.Health and Kinesiolog
Cell Partitioning Design for Microfluidic ATPS Devices: A Dynamic Energy Strategy and Calculation Using Chondrocytes and Model Microparticles
Get PDFSorting and isolating specific cells from heterogeneous populations are crucial for many biomedical applications, including drug discovery and medical diagnostics. Conventional methods such as Fluorescent Activated Cell Sorting (FACS) and Magnetic Activated Cell Sorting (MACS) face limitations in throughput, cost, and the ability to separate subtly different cells. Cell partitioning in Aqueous Two-Phase Systems (ATPSs) offers a biocompatible and cost-effective alternative, particularly when combined with continuous-flow microfluidics. However, it remains challenging to rationally design microfluidic ATPS devices and operation to separate cells with similar origin but different phenotypes. In this paper, using a model ATPS, polyethylene glycol (PEG)&mdash;Dextran (Dex) system, and model cells, human chondrocytes (hChs), and carboxylated polystyrene (PS) microparticles, we systematically characterized the material properties affecting cell partitioning in ATPSs, such as surface energies of the solutions and cells and solution viscosities. We developed an energy balance approach between interfacial energy and viscous dissipation to estimate the interface translocation dynamic of cells partitioning into the preferred phase. Combining the experimental measurement and the energy balance model, our calculation reveals that the time required for complete cell partitioning at the ATPS interface can be exploited in microfluidic ATPS devices to separate hChs with different phenotypes (healthy and diseased). We expect our dynamic energy approach to provide a basis and a design strategy for optimizing microfluidic ATPS devices to achieve the efficient separation of phenotypically similar cell populations and further expand the potential of microfluidic cell separation.Biomedical Engineering and Chemical Engineerin
Technical Report, No. 113
Get PDFFrom May 13-15, 2025, the Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) monitored a small area of hand excavations associated with repairs to a broken water line at La Villita Historic Arts Village in downtown San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas. The work was conducted in response to a request from the City of San Antonio (COSA). The Project Area spanned 0.08 ha (0.2 acres) and was located on city property. The work was conducted under the COSA’s Unified Development Code (UDC) Article 6, Sections 35-630 through 35-634. At the state level, the project also required review by the Texas Historical Commission (THC) under the Antiquities Code of Texas. CAR obtained Texas Antiquities Permit (TAP) No. 32356 from the THC. Sarah Wigley served as the Principal Investigator for the project and directed the fieldwork.
La Villita is listed in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) as a Historic District, and also contains multiple archaeological sites that have been found to be significant. During monitoring, no cultural materials or features were noted and soils appeared to be disturbed. However, due to the sensitivity of the area, CAR recommends any future below-ground impacts within or in the vicinity of the Project Area be subject to archaeological monitoring. All records generated during the course of this project are permanently curated at the CAR under Accession number 3053.City of San AntonioCenter for Archaeological Researc