Marcela Alfaro Córdoba

Marcela Alfaro Córdoba

she/her

Associate Professor of Teaching

Publications

You can also find my articles on my Google Scholar profile.

Journal Articles

Classification of oils and margarines by FTIR spectroscopy in tandem with machine learning

Published in Food Chemistry, 2024

This paper demonstrates the combined utility of ATR-FTIR spectroscopy and machine learning techniques for authenticating and classifying pure oils and margarines, while quantifying adulteration levels using regression models.

Recommended citation: Tachie, C. Y. E., Obiri-Ananey, D., Alfaro-Cordoba, M., Tawiah, N. A., & Aryee, A. N. A. (2024). "Classification of oils and margarines by FTIR spectroscopy in tandem with machine learning." Food Chemistry, 431, 137077.
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Central American climate extreme trends: A statistical analysis of CLIMDEX indices

Published in International Journal of Climatology, 2024

This paper analyzes precipitation and temperature extreme trends in Central America using CLIMDEX indices, employing novel statistical techniques that account for spatial correlation to assess trend significance and detect climate change patterns from 1981-2020.

Recommended citation: Alfaro-Córdoba, M., Mora-Sandí, N. P., Hidalgo, H. G., & Alfaro, E. J. (2024). "Central American climate extreme trends: A statistical analysis of CLIMDEX indices." International Journal of Climatology, 44(11), 4115-4126. DOI: 10.1002/joc.8571
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Foundational Data Science Training for Health Equity Researchers at Minority Serving Institutions: A SoRDS Event

Published in 2023 IEEE 11th International Conference on Healthcare Informatics (ICHI), 2023

This paper describes the adaptation of the CODATA-RDA Schools of Research Data Science (SoRDS) program to provide foundational data science training specifically for health equity researchers at minority-serving institutions in the southeastern United States.

Recommended citation: Quick, R., Alfaro Córdoba, M., Diggs, S., Cobe, R., Bezuidenhout, L., Shanahan, H., & Peterson, B. (2023). "Foundational Data Science Training for Health Equity Researchers at Minority Serving Institutions: A SoRDS Event." 2023 IEEE 11th International Conference on Healthcare Informatics (ICHI). DOI: 10.1109/ICHI57859.2023.00115
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Costa Rican wetlands vulnerability index

Published in Progress in Physical Geography, 2023

This paper develops a comprehensive vulnerability index for Costa Rican wetlands using field data from the National Wetlands Inventory, combining condition and hazard indices to assess the conservation status of 10,699 wetland polygons and identify priority areas for restoration and management.

Recommended citation: Veas-Ayala, N., Alfaro-Córdoba, M., & Quesada-Román, A. (2023). "Costa Rican wetlands vulnerability index." Progress in Physical Geography. 47(4), 521–540. DOI: 10.1177/03091333221134189
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Spatio-temporal downscaling emulator for regional climate models

Published in Environmetrics, 2023

This paper describes how to use a spatio-temporal statistical model with varying coefficients as a downscaling emulator for regional climate models, offering a computationally efficient alternative to traditional dynamical downscaling methods.

Recommended citation: Barboza, L. A., Chou Chen, S. W., Alfaro Córdoba, M., Alfaro, E. J., & Hidalgo, H. G. (2023). "Spatio-temporal downscaling emulator for regional climate models." Environmetrics. DOI: 10.1002/env.2815
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Ten simple rules to host an inclusive conference

Published in PLOS Computational Biology, 2022

This editorial provides practical guidelines for organizing inclusive conferences based on lessons learned from the 2021 useR! statistical computing conference, addressing barriers to participation and promoting diversity across multiple dimensions.

Recommended citation: Joo, R., Sánchez-Tapia, A., Mortara, S., Bellini Saibene, Y., Turner, H., Hug Peter, D., et al. (2022). "Ten simple rules to host an inclusive conference." PLOS Computational Biology. 18(7): e1010164.
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Influence of surface roughness on the spectroscopic characterization of jadeite and greenstones archaeological artifacts: The axe-god pendants case study

Published in Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy, 2022

This study demonstrates how surface roughness significantly affects infrared, Raman and X-ray fluorescence spectra of jadeite and greenstone archaeological artifacts, providing methodological guidelines for non-invasive characterization using Costa Rican axe-god pendants as a case study.

Recommended citation: Hernández-Murillo, C., García-Piedra, S., Alfaro-Córdoba, M., Fernández-Esquivel, P., Ménager, M., & Montero, M. L. (2022). "Influence of surface roughness on the spectroscopic characterization of jadeite and greenstones archaeological artifacts: The axe-god pendants case study." Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy. 267: 120508.
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A School and a Network: CODATA-RDA Data Science Summer Schools Alumni Survey

Published in Data Science Journal, 2021

This paper presents results from an alumni survey of the CODATA-RDA Schools for Research Data Science (SRDS), demonstrating the impact of residential data science training programs in building capacity and fostering networks among early career researchers from low/middle-income countries.

Recommended citation: Bezuidenhout, L., Drummond-Curtis, S., Walker, B., Shanahan, H., & Alfaro-Córdoba, M. (2021). "A School and a Network: CODATA-RDA Data Science Summer Schools Alumni Survey." Data Science Journal. 20: 10, pp. 1–12. DOI: 10.5334/dsj-2021-010
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First evidence for an aposematic function of a very common color pattern in small insects

Published in PLOS ONE, 2021

This paper provides the first experimental evidence that the widespread black-orange-black (BOB) color pattern in small parasitoid wasps serves an aposematic (warning) function, using behavioral experiments with jumping spider predators and toxicity assays.

Recommended citation: Mora-Castro, R., Alfaro-Córdoba, M., Hernández-Jiménez, M., Fernández Otárola, M., Méndez-Rivera, M., Ramírez-Morales, D., et al. (2021). "First evidence for an aposematic function of a very common color pattern in small insects." PLOS ONE. 16(2): e0237288.
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Aridity Trends in Central America: A Spatial Correlation Analysis

Published in Atmosphere, 2020

This paper analyzes temporal trends in aridity, runoff, precipitation, temperature, and potential evapotranspiration across Central America (1970-1999), introducing a spatial correlation methodology to identify extreme trend outliers and assess regional climate change significance.

Recommended citation: Alfaro-Córdoba, M., Hidalgo, H. G., & Alfaro, E. J. (2020). "Aridity Trends in Central America: A Spatial Correlation Analysis." Atmosphere, 11(4), 427. DOI: 10.3390/atmos11040427
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Use of unconventional mixed Acetone-Butanol-Ethanol solvents for anthocyanin extraction from Purple-Fleshed sweetpotatoes

Published in Food Chemistry, 2020

This paper investigates the use of unconventional acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) solvent mixtures for extracting anthocyanins from purple-fleshed sweetpotatoes, demonstrating that fermentation-derived diluted solvents can be as effective as traditional concentrated solvents while supporting sustainable biorefinery processes.

Recommended citation: Zuleta-Correa, A., Chinn, M. S., Alfaro-Córdoba, M., Truong, V. D., Yencho, G. C., & Bruno-Bárcena, J. M. (2020). "Use of unconventional mixed Acetone-Butanol-Ethanol solvents for anthocyanin extraction from Purple-Fleshed sweetpotatoes." Food Chemistry, 314, 125959.
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Spectral measure of color variation of black-orange-black (BOB) pattern in small parasitoid wasps (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae), a statistical approach

Published in PLOS ONE, 2019

This paper presents the first statistical analysis of the black-orange-black color pattern in small parasitoid wasps using microspectrophotometry and functional data analysis, revealing insights into pigment composition and evolutionary relationships among genera.

Recommended citation: Mora-Castro, R., Hernández-Jiménez, M., Alfaro-Córdoba, M., Avendano, E., & Hanson-Snortum, P. (2019). "Spectral measure of color variation of black-orange-black (BOB) pattern in small parasitoid wasps (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae), a statistical approach." PLOS ONE. 14(10): e0218061.
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A comparison of testing methods in scalar-on-function regression

Published in AStA Advances in Statistical Analysis, 2019

This paper compares different testing methods for scalar-on-function regression models, providing insights into their performance and practical applications in functional data analysis.

Recommended citation: Tekbudak, M.Y., Alfaro-Córdoba, M., Maity, A., & Staicu, A.M. (2019). "A comparison of testing methods in scalar-on-function regression." AStA Advances in Statistical Analysis. 103(3), 411-436.
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The Use of Functional Data Analysis to Evaluate Activity in a Spontaneous Model of Degenerative Joint Disease Associated Pain in Cats

Published in PLOS ONE, 2017

This paper demonstrates the use of functional data analysis to evaluate activity patterns in cats with degenerative joint disease, revealing bimodal activity patterns with morning and evening peaks that differ between weekdays and weekends.

Recommended citation: Gruen, M. E., Alfaro-Córdoba, M., Thomson, A. E., Worth, A. C., Staicu, A. M., & Lascelles, B. D. X. (2017). "The Use of Functional Data Analysis to Evaluate Activity in a Spontaneous Model of Degenerative Joint Disease Associated Pain in Cats." PLOS ONE. 12(1): e0169576.
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An Intentional AI for Hanabi

Published in Proceedings of the AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence, 2017

This paper presents an AI agent for the cooperative card game Hanabi that uses communication theory and intentionality to improve human-AI cooperation, demonstrating significantly better performance when playing with human partners compared to previous AI approaches.

Recommended citation: Eger, M., Martens, C., & Alfaro Córdoba, M. (2017). "An Intentional AI for Hanabi." Proceedings of the AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Interactive Digital Entertainment.
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Nonlinear Image Blending for Dual-Energy MDCT of the Abdomen: Can Image Quality Be Preserved If the Contrast Medium Dose Is Reduced?

Published in American Journal of Roentgenology, 2014

This study compares the image quality of a dual-energy nonlinear image blending technique at reduced load of contrast medium with a simulated 120-kVp linear blending approach.

Recommended citation: Alfaro-Córdoba, M., et al. (2014). "Nonlinear Image Blending for Dual-Energy MDCT of the Abdomen: Can Image Quality Be Preserved If the Contrast Medium Dose Is Reduced?" American Journal of Roentgenology. 203(4).
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Iodine Quantification to Distinguish Clear Cell from Papillary Renal Cell Carcinoma at Dual-Energy Multidetector CT: A Multireader Diagnostic Performance Study

Published in Radiology, 2014

This study investigates whether dual-energy multidetector CT imaging with iodine quantification can distinguish between clear cell and papillary renal cell carcinoma subtypes.

Recommended citation: Mileto, A., Marin, D., Alfaro-Cordoba, M., Ramirez-Giraldo, J. C., Eusemann, C. D., Scribano, E., Blandino, A., Mazziotti, S., Ascenti, G. (2014). "Iodine Quantification to Distinguish Clear Cell from Papillary Renal Cell Carcinoma at Dual-Energy Multidetector CT: A Multireader Diagnostic Performance Study." Radiology. 273(3):813-820.
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