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2015

University of New Mexico

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Stella: A Python-Based Domain-Specific Language For Simulations, David Mohr Dec 2015

Stella: A Python-Based Domain-Specific Language For Simulations, David Mohr

Computer Science ETDs

Stella is a domain-specific language that (1) has single thread performance competitive with low-level languages, (2) supports object-oriented programming (OOP) to properly structure the code, and (3) is very easy to use. Instead of prototyping in a high-level language and then rewriting in a lower-level language, Stella is embedded in Python, is transparently usable, retains some OOP features, compiles to machine code, and executes at speed similar to C. Stella's source code is compatible with Python, and allows easy integration of C libraries. Its features are focused on the needs of scientific simulations. Other projects to speed up Python focus …

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Evolving Efficient Foraging Behavior In Biologically-Inspired Robot Swarms, Joshua Peter Hecker Dec 2015

Evolving Efficient Foraging Behavior In Biologically-Inspired Robot Swarms, Joshua Peter Hecker

Computer Science ETDs

Human beings are driven to explore distant new worlds as we seek to better understand our place in the Universe. Because of the inherent dangers of human spaceflight, we often send robots as surrogate explorers, controlled from millions of miles away by teams of capable rover drivers here on Earth. As technology continues to advance, scientists and engineers aspire to build low-cost, durable, fully autonomous rovers to succeed today's tele-operated extraplanetary explorers. Here we aim to advance this goal by designing and programming robots that can successfully navigate unknown and variable environments. We present a swarm robotics system that mimics …

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Three-Dimensional Constraints On Human Cognition As Expressed In Human Language, Christopher Adam Dec 2015

Three-Dimensional Constraints On Human Cognition As Expressed In Human Language, Christopher Adam

Linguistics ETDs

Those advocating the existence of a distinct language instinct generally claim that human language is not reliant on general human cognition. However, limitations on recursive patterns in human language are universally attested, from the micro-level elements of phonology, throughout the mid-level elements of morphology and syntax, and up to the macro-level elements of reference in discourse. What these limitations appear to reveal is a pattern seen in other areas of human cognition, namely the human inability to actively recall and balance more than three interdependent variables at a time. Building upon these data patterns and an array of typological postulates, …

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Mens Life History, Testosterone, And Health, Louis Alvarado Dec 2015

Mens Life History, Testosterone, And Health, Louis Alvarado

Anthropology ETDs

Testosterone is hypothesized to mediate life history trade-offs between reproduction and survival in men, promoting mating effort over other forms of investment, which entails energetic and mortality costs. Sexually dimorphic musculature represents one form of somatic investment in mating. Favorable energy availability is posited to promote preferential investment in mating effort through upregulated testosterone production and augmented musculature, whereas nutritional constraint is predicted to downregulate testosterone to facilitate a diminished, thriftier phenotype. Furthermore, life history trajectories influencing mens testosterone levels have important health implications for androgen-sensitive disease. Here, I examine broad features of men's life history and health, and their …

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Mechanisms Of Innate Immune Regulation Of Dermonecrosis During Staphylococcus Aureus Skin Infections, Moriah Castleman Dec 2015

Mechanisms Of Innate Immune Regulation Of Dermonecrosis During Staphylococcus Aureus Skin Infections, Moriah Castleman

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

S. aureus is the dominant cause of skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) in humans. The importance of S. aureus as the primary cause of skin infections has increased exponentially over the last few decades since the emergence of resistance to β-lactam antibiotics. Furthermore, the rise of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) strains has led to hospitals stays, increased financial burden and increased mortality. A significant proportion of MRSA infections have been attributed to community-acquired strains (CA-MRSA), specifically the USA300 isolates, which can cause deadly disease in otherwise healthy individuals. Due to the increase in antibiotic resistance and the lack of …

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Apolipoprotein B Containing Lipoproteins Contribute To Host Innate Immune Pulmonary Defense Against Staphylococcus Aureus, Brett Manifold-Wheeler Dec 2015

Apolipoprotein B Containing Lipoproteins Contribute To Host Innate Immune Pulmonary Defense Against Staphylococcus Aureus, Brett Manifold-Wheeler

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Circulating lipoproteins are increasingly recognized as innate immune effector molecules. Severe hypolipidemia, which may occur with trauma or critical illness, is clinically associated with bacterial pneumonia. Importantly, pneumonia caused by Staphylococcus aureus is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in both hospital- and community-acquired pneumonia cases. Here we report that lipoprotein deficiency impairs early pulmonary innate defense against S. aureus quorum-sensing dependent pathogenesis. Specifically, apoB levels in the lung early post-infection are significantly reduced with lipoprotein deficiency, coinciding with impaired host control of S. aureus agr-signaling and increased agr-dependent morbidity and inflammation. Given that lipoproteins also inhibit LTA- and …

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Exposure Of Neonatal Rats To Alcohol Has Differential Effects On Cytokine Levels In The Cerebellum And Hippocampus : Potential Role Of Microglia And Astrocytes, Lauren Topper Dec 2015

Exposure Of Neonatal Rats To Alcohol Has Differential Effects On Cytokine Levels In The Cerebellum And Hippocampus : Potential Role Of Microglia And Astrocytes, Lauren Topper

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Drinking during pregnancy can result in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), an umbrella term that encompasses a wide array of symptoms ranging from neurocognitive deficits to physical malformations. The mechanism for FASD is not yet fully understood, however recently, activation of the neuroimmune system has been suggested to play a role. Neuroinflammation, characterized by increased pro-inflammatory cytokine production and glial cell activation, has been observed following exposure to alcohol during the neonatal period. Furthermore, neuroimmune activation has been implicated in alcohol-induced neuronal death and/or damage. The studies herein investigate several components of the relationship between neuronal damage following developmental alcohol …

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Oncogene-Dependent Regulation Of Autophagic Flux In Melanoma, Kirsten Anne Meyer White Dec 2015

Oncogene-Dependent Regulation Of Autophagic Flux In Melanoma, Kirsten Anne Meyer White

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Skin cancer is the one of the most diagnosed cancers in the United States with increasing incidence of 6% every year. In 2015, it is estimated 73,870 new cases of melanoma will be identified and 9,480 individuals will die of their disease. While melanoma only accounts for approximately 2.4% of all cancer related deaths and is the 5th leading diagnosed cancer (US) it is the one of the most common cancers in young adults, age 25-29, particularly for young women. Of particular importance, the mean survival rate of patients diagnosed with metastatic melanoma is six months, with five-year survival rates …

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Post-Placental Iud Insertion: A Mixed Methods Assessment Of Women's Experiences, Shannon Carr Dec 2015

Post-Placental Iud Insertion: A Mixed Methods Assessment Of Women's Experiences, Shannon Carr

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Background: Post-placental intrauterine device (IUD) insertion has the potential to reduce rapid repeat pregnancies. As the procedure becomes more widely adopted in the US, it is important to understand womens perceptions about the procedure. Studies examining patient-centered outcomes are currently lacking. Objectives: The objectives of this study include: 1) To describe women's experiences with post-placental IUD insertion through postpartum semistructured interviews. 2) To establish a mean pain score for the procedure using a 100mm visual analogue scale (VAS). 3) To assess procedural pain using a 4-point Likert verbal rating scale (VRS). Methods: This concurrent mixed methods pilot study was conducted …

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Intrathecal Pain Pumps For The Treatment Of Neuropathic Pain: A Retrospective Review Of The Electronic Medical Record, Kathleen L. Reyes Dec 2015

Intrathecal Pain Pumps For The Treatment Of Neuropathic Pain: A Retrospective Review Of The Electronic Medical Record, Kathleen L. Reyes

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Most patients suffering from neuropathic pain will not obtain sufficient pain relief from current recommended therapy. The present study sought to compare patients with neuropathic pain treated with intrathecal drug delivery systems (IDDS) to those with oral opioid treatment alone via a retrospective analysis of electronic medical records. Pain scores and number and amount of adverse events were the primary endpoints of analysis. The most important finding of our study was that significantly fewer adverse events were found among patients treated with IDDS compared to patients treated with traditional oral medications. We examined the differences in recorded pain scores over …

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Improving Arrest Electronic Medical Record Utstein Data Reporting By Emergency Services, Katherine Mandeville Dec 2015

Improving Arrest Electronic Medical Record Utstein Data Reporting By Emergency Services, Katherine Mandeville

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Improving emergency medical service (EMS) reporting into large state held databases is becoming more critical as electronic databases are increasingly used. There is little information on methods improving the accuracy of composite data entered, nor on directly improving reporting, into these databases. New Mexicos Department of Health has used an electronic medical record (EMR) for all emergency service pre-hospital documentation since 2009. 2012 database analysis showed poor reporting on Utstein variable, out-of-hospital arrests. Study aims were to develop methods utilizing 'Performance Management' to improve emergency service out-of-hospital cardiac arrest reporting on selected Utstein variables into the database, and to sub-analyze …

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Citizen Science Ecological Monitoring: For Whom?, Cameron Weber Dec 2015

Citizen Science Ecological Monitoring: For Whom?, Cameron Weber

Architecture and Planning ETDs

In ecosystems undergoing rapid change, habitat management and restoration present special challenges for land managers. To reduce uncertainty about such systems and, thereby, improve the success of their decisions, managers may consult ecological monitoring data. Limitations in time and resources for data collection have highlighted the role that citizen science can play in applied conservation science. One citizen science project, the Bosque Ecosystem Monitoring Program (or BEMP), supplies decision makers with ecological monitoring information about the historically dynamic Middle Rio Grande riparian forest corridor (or bosque) ecosystem through engaging nearby K-12 students in collecting ecological data over a large area. …

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Transcriptional Regulation Of Muscle Development In Drosophila Melanogaster, Tonya Brunetti Dec 2015

Transcriptional Regulation Of Muscle Development In Drosophila Melanogaster, Tonya Brunetti

Biology ETDs

The transcriptional regulation of muscle development involves several complex processes that must work together in order to form functional, syncytial muscle cells. However, when transcription is mis-regulated, muscle development is often times negatively affected and can lead to muscle diseases such as muscular dystrophy and cardiac myopathies. In order to gain more insight into how transcription is regulated, I use Drosophila melanogaster as a model for understanding muscle development. In chapter one, I use a traditional genetic screen to phenotypically and molecularly identify two Hox co-factors, extradenticle and homothorax, that have the ability to change muscle identity. Additionally, in chapter …

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Paratransgenic Control Of Pierce's Disease, Arinder Arora Dec 2015

Paratransgenic Control Of Pierce's Disease, Arinder Arora

Biology ETDs

Pierce's Disease (PD) is a deadly grapevine disease, which is caused by a Gram negative bacterium, Xylella fastidiosa and transmitted by leafhoppers commonly known as sharpshooters, including the glassy-winged sharpshooter (GWSS, Homalodisca vitripennis). We developed paratransgenic control of PD using a commensal bacterium Pantoea agglomerans E325. The GWSSs acquired enhanced green fluorescent (EGFP)-expressing P. agglomerans from an artificial feeding system and the bacteria persisted within the insect foregut for two weeks. P. agglomerans was selected as the paratransgenic control agent based on its persistence within the sharpshooter foregut, a niche also inhabited by X. fastidiosa. P. agglomerans lines secreting two …

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Gene Duplications During Experimental Evolution Of Caenorhabditis Elegans : Duplication Rates And Evolutionary Responses, James Charles Farslow Dec 2015

Gene Duplications During Experimental Evolution Of Caenorhabditis Elegans : Duplication Rates And Evolutionary Responses, James Charles Farslow

Biology ETDs

Copy-number variants (CNVs) are a ubiquitous form of genetic variation. How often this form of variation arises and its adaptive significance are active areas of contemporary research. This work presents evidence regarding both of these subjects. First, it demonstrates that gene duplications occur at a frequency two orders of magnitude greater than point mutations. Specifically, the gene duplication rate is estimated to be 1.2 x 10-7/gene/generation, compared to a point mutation rate on the order of ~10-9/site/ generation. Second, it was found that populations in a low state of fitness due to mutation accumulation could recover some or all of …

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The Impact Of Temperature, Ph And Environmental Heterogeneity On Prokaryotic Diversity In Yellowstone National Park Thermal Springs, Xiaoben Jiang Dec 2015

The Impact Of Temperature, Ph And Environmental Heterogeneity On Prokaryotic Diversity In Yellowstone National Park Thermal Springs, Xiaoben Jiang

Biology ETDs

Yellowstone National Park (YNP) is one of the largest and most diverse hydrothermal areas on Earth. Extensive culture-independent studies in YNP thermal springs have shown dramatic taxonomic and metabolic diversity in microbial communities. We conducted a survey of bacterial communities along temperature gradients in three alkaline springs with similar geochemistries at the local scale. With these data, we investigated the influence of environmental variables on bacterial community diversity and assemblages along a broad temperature range using high throughput 454 pyrosequencing. Previous studies have suggested that pH is the driver of microbial diversity in thermal springs among geographical regions or at …

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Disturbance Events In Arid Ecosystems : Comparisons Of Enzyme Activity Profiles Across Multiple Soil Microbial Communities, Daniel Warnock Dec 2015

Disturbance Events In Arid Ecosystems : Comparisons Of Enzyme Activity Profiles Across Multiple Soil Microbial Communities, Daniel Warnock

Biology ETDs

Arid ecosystems are home to approximately 35% of earth's human population, and approximately 40% of earth's terrestrial carbon. These systems are especially prone to releasing the stored carbon when under global climate change (GCC) related pressures. My goal for these studies was to expand on our already growing knowledge base of how the soil microbial communities in disturbed arid ecosystems undergo shifts in functional patterns, as they respond to a rapidly changing environment. In chapter two, I examined the overall functional activity levels and functional behaviors exhibited by both pinon and juniper supported RAM communities in the context of widespread, …

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The Effects Of Ketorolac And Its Enantiomers On Breast Cancer Proliferation And Metastasis, Amanda Peretti Dec 2015

The Effects Of Ketorolac And Its Enantiomers On Breast Cancer Proliferation And Metastasis, Amanda Peretti

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer related deaths in women. Advanced breast cancer can metastasize to the lungs, liver, bones and brain becoming fatal conditions for many patients. There is a dire need for metastasis preventing medications, however the process required for a medication to become FDA approved for clinical use is long and arduous. Studies have found promising benefits for breast cancer patients given ToradolTM, or racemic ketorolac, as an NSAID during resection surgery. However, long-term use of racemic ketorolac is not recommended. Currently FDA-approved for use in the racemic form, ketorolac has the potential to …

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Geometric Algorithms And Data Structures For Simulating Diffusion Limited Reactions, Shaun Bloom Dec 2015

Geometric Algorithms And Data Structures For Simulating Diffusion Limited Reactions, Shaun Bloom

Computer Science ETDs

Radiation therapy is one of the most effective means for treating cancers. An important calculation in radiation therapy is the estimation of dose distribution in the treated patient, which is key to determining the treatment outcome and potential side effects of the therapy. Biological dose — the level of biological damage (e.g., cell killing ratio, DNA damage, etc.) inflicted by the radiation is the best measure of treatment quality, but it is very difficult to calculate. Therefore, most clinics today use physical dose - the energy deposited by incident radiation per unit body mass - for planning radiation therapy, which …

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Neal Ambrose-Smith: The Artistic Modernity Of Indianness, Erik Parker Dec 2015

Neal Ambrose-Smith: The Artistic Modernity Of Indianness, Erik Parker

Art & Art History ETDs

Neal Ambrose-Smith is an artist of Cree, Metis, and Salish heritage who is at the forefront of contemporary Native American art. A thorough examination of Ambrose-Smiths body of work will reveal that the majority of his art can be viewed as having overwhelming intentions toward a dissolution of boundaries separating the ideas of 'Native,' 'contemporary,' and 'Western art.' It also will show that through the utilization of popular culture and its icons, Ambrose-Smith is able to build a rapport with audiences, while also using images and themes in his art to help break down barriers that contemporary Native artists face …

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R-Ketorolac Targets Cdc42 And Rac1 And Alters Ovarian Cancer Behaviors Critical For Invasion And Metastasis, Yuna Guo Dec 2015

R-Ketorolac Targets Cdc42 And Rac1 And Alters Ovarian Cancer Behaviors Critical For Invasion And Metastasis, Yuna Guo

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Cdc42 (cell division control protein 42) and Rac1 (Ras-related C3 botulinum) are attractive therapeutic targets in ovarian cancer based on their established importance in tumor cell migration, adhesion and invasion. Despite a predicted benefit, targeting GTPases has not yet been translated to clinical practice. Based on lead identification through high-throughput screening and computational shape homology approaches, R-ketorolac is identified as a Cdc42 and Rac1 regulator, an activity that is distinct from the anti-inflammatory, cyclooxygenase inhibitory activity of S-ketorolac. In this dissertation, R-ketorolac is established as an allosteric inhibitor of Cdc42 and Rac1. Studies on immortalized human ovarian adenocarcinoma cells (SKOV3ip), …

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Diurnal Variation Of Water Vapor Isotopologues On The Chajnantor Plateau During The Austral Spring, Alec Tunner Dec 2015

Diurnal Variation Of Water Vapor Isotopologues On The Chajnantor Plateau During The Austral Spring, Alec Tunner

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

The diurnal variation of water vapor isotopologues over the Chajnantor Plateau during the Austral Spring was investigated using a near continuous record of in situ water vapor isotopologues, numerical modeling, and routine meteorological measurements. On average, there is an approximately 34% increase in the mixing ratio coupled with an 11‰ increase in δ18O, 71‰ increase in δD, and 23‰ decrease in deuterium excess on the Plateau. This significant diurnal variation is a result of the mixing between dry, upper tropospheric air (dry end-member) and a small contribution (9-25%) of a continental (δD < -120‰) source of moisture (wet end-member). While the dry end-member continuously subsides on the Plateau, the continental source is advected onto the Plateau during the day due to a thermally induced, regional, diurnal circulation.

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Cycles Of Life, Henry J. Foreman Dec 2015

Cycles Of Life, Henry J. Foreman

Architecture and Planning ETDs

Engaging storytelling is both the means and medium of Cycles of Life(COL). This thesis project consists of a video documentary and curriculum magazine that highlights the visioning process, implementation, and cyclical design of this transformative learning model. Throughout the COL co-creative process, students collectively utilize Indigenous research methodologies to examine innovations in planning, design and education from diverse sources including guest speakers, social media, and contextual multi-sensory experiences. Incorporated into the COL curriculum is a regenerative process where students vision their own curriculum model that impacts health, education, planning and design. It is my hope that these seed projects will …

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Flight Muscle Progenitor Populations In Drosophila Melanogaster, Elizabeth Clarke Dec 2015

Flight Muscle Progenitor Populations In Drosophila Melanogaster, Elizabeth Clarke

Biology ETDs

We use the Drosophila system to define how genes control muscle development and function. Many of the genes in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, are conserved with higher animals, and so our results can be important in understanding mechanisms of vertebrate muscle development and disease. Study of the flight muscle progenitor populations in Drosophila gives clearer understanding of the genetic regulatory networks that lead to the development of flight muscle. The direct flight muscles (DFMs) and indirect flight muscles (IFMs) arise from the myoblast population of the notal region of the Drosophila wing imaginal disc. Within the myoblast population, there …

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Best Practices In Community-Based Water Projects, Deborah Anyaibe Dec 2015

Best Practices In Community-Based Water Projects, Deborah Anyaibe

Architecture and Planning ETDs

International potable water projects are becoming more common in underdeveloped countries. The necessity of getting clean drinking water to remote areas, or areas with limited access to water is becoming more desperate. This desperation is causing more people to seek to give aid to those in need but often times this comes with a price to the community. This price comes in the form of infrastructure that is unsustainable, building materials left behind instead of disposed of properly, and systems that require upkeep without proper training, as well as many other cultural and economic negative impacts. Many times aid organizations …

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Narratives Of Violence And Tales Of Power: The Work Of Jorge González Camarena, The History Of The Castillo De Chapultepec, And The Establishment Of The National Museums In The Project Of Mexican Nationalism, Rebekah Bellum Dec 2015

Narratives Of Violence And Tales Of Power: The Work Of Jorge González Camarena, The History Of The Castillo De Chapultepec, And The Establishment Of The National Museums In The Project Of Mexican Nationalism, Rebekah Bellum

Art & Art History ETDs

In the project of nationalism in Mexico, the governing bodies acted out a deliberate process of reclamation of the histories and mythologies of Mexico for the purpose of state programming, and for the development of an official narrative of nationality. In my thesis, I trace the effects of nationalism by first looking into a history of power in Mexico as articulated through the adaptive reuse, over centuries, of the Castillo de Chapultepec building. This building has housed the National Museum of History (Museo Nacional de Historia) since the early 1940s, and has played a prominent role in the construction and …

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Designing For Immersive Technology: Integrating Art And Stem Learning, Jane Crayton Dec 2015

Designing For Immersive Technology: Integrating Art And Stem Learning, Jane Crayton

Art & Art History ETDs

Students struggle to learn STEM concepts. The arts have been proposed as a means to engage students in STEM education, resulting in the idea of STEAM. However, STEAM approaches do not always result in learning. A collaboration between a major research university and a small Native arts college in the southwestern United States provided an opportunity for studying the potential for arts to engage students in STEM learning. This study investigates how participating art students (N = 4) solved technological and design production problems when working with immersive technologies in a paid summer internship program. The internship program lasted six …

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High-Dimensional Motion Planning And Learning Under Uncertain Conditions, Nick D. Malone Dec 2015

High-Dimensional Motion Planning And Learning Under Uncertain Conditions, Nick D. Malone

Computer Science ETDs

Many existing path planning methods do not adequately account for uncertainty. Without uncertainty these existing techniques work well, but in real world environments they struggle due to inaccurate sensor models, arbitrarily moving obstacles, and uncertain action consequences. For example, picking up and storing childrens toys is a simple task for humans. Yet, for a robotic household robot the task can be daunting. The room must be modeled with sensors, which may or may not detect all the strewn toys. The robot must be able to detect and avoid the child who may be moving the very toys that the robot …

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Festivals Of Art, Carnivals Of Representation: On Contemporary Art And Neoliberalism, Tijen Tunali Dec 2015

Festivals Of Art, Carnivals Of Representation: On Contemporary Art And Neoliberalism, Tijen Tunali

Art & Art History ETDs

In this dissertation, I look at the changing praxes of contemporary art and culture vis-\xe0-vis neoliberalism. With examples from the Americas, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe, I acknowledge, but trespass the visible effects and outcomes of globalization with regard to art and culture. In current literature they often are interpreted as straightforward and homogeneous developments, but in this dissertation, I show the complexity, heterogeneity and inequality of new social, political, and cultural relationships wrought by and against the neoliberal ideology and processes that affect all corners of the world. My main focus is on the dialectics of contemporary art …

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Quantifying Temperature Sensitivity Of Soil Respiration Across A Range Of Semi-Arid Biomes, Michelle Nuanez Dec 2015

Quantifying Temperature Sensitivity Of Soil Respiration Across A Range Of Semi-Arid Biomes, Michelle Nuanez

Biology ETDs

Soils in semi-arid regions store approximately 10% of earths soil organic carbon, the substrate which microbes oxidize, resulting in the largest source of carbon to the atmosphere from terrestrial ecosystems. Semi-arid regions are expected to experience increased temperatures and altered precipitation regimes over the next 100 years, altering soil temperature and water, the two predominant drivers in soil respiration processes. In this study we quantify the temperature sensitivity of soil respiration in five semi-arid biomes ranging from desert grassland to ponderosa pine forest along an elevational/climate gradient in central New Mexico. We measured statistically similar temperature sensitivities in 4 of …

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