Digital Commons Network^™

Rigorous Analysis Of Markov Processes With Applications To Quantum Information, Samuel Edwin Slezak

Physics & Astronomy ETDs

We present a rigorous analysis of the rapid convergence of techniques based on Markov chains for the simulation of thermal quantum systems. We show that a classical computing algorithm called path integral Monte Carlo is capable of simulating thermal states of transverse field Ising models above a threshold temperature by demonstrating the existence of a rapidly mixing Markov chain. We then turn to quantum computing algorithms and show that an idealized version of quantum Metropolis sampling can efficiently simulate systems that satisfy the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis. In a related result, we find a class of stoquastic frustration free Hamiltonians that …

Being Culturally Relevant And Responsive: A Comparative Analysis Of The Girl Scouts Of Usa Leadership Experience Program To The Diné Philosophy Of Hózhó And The Kinaaldá, To Illuminate Leadership, Rekindle Identity, And Revitalize Language Among Diné Girls, Deborah J. Belone

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

How does analytically comparing the Girl Scouts of the United States of America’s (GSUSA) Leadership Experience program to the Diné philosophy of Hózhó (harmonious way of life) and the Kinaaldá (female puberty ceremony) positively affect the unique diversity of each Diné girl and give attention to leadership skills, self-identity, and the Diné language? This is the research question that guided this research study of comparative analysis. In addition, there are three subquestions: (a) How does aligning the GSUSA Leadership Experience program to the Diné philosophies of Hózhó and the Kinaaldá build leadership skills, positive self-identify, and a healthy social and …

The Effect Of Shrub Cover On Conifer Water-Use Patterns, Growth, And Response To Climate Change In The Southern Sierra Nevada, Marissa Goodwin

Biology ETDs

As wildfires increase in size and severity, large areas of forest are undergoing substantial increases in shrub cover. In forests where water is the limiting resource, the partitioning of soil water between shrubs and trees may determine how shrubs affect tree growth and water-stress. We analyzed the δ²H and δ¹⁸O values of xylem water for two conifer species (Abies concolor and Pinus jeffreyi) and two shrub species (Arctostaphylos patula and Ceanothus cordulatus) to assess how shrub cover affects the water-uptake patterns of conifers in the southern Sierra Nevada. We found that growing …

“Great Excitement”: Violent Incorporations Of The American Southwest, Joseph Hall-Patton

History ETDs

This dissertation studies various incidents of violence throughout the Southwest from 1848-1919, often called “great excitement,” revealing a “Western Civil War of Incorporation.” US incorporation designated whether people would be included or excluded from the American body politic. Violence in the Southwest between the mid-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries exposes deep change fueled by a relentless US drive to swallow and digest its people and resources, profiting handsomely in the process. Each chapter is a case study, culminating in a conclusion that ties them together to gain a greater understanding of American violence. They are the 1858 San Luis Obispo vigilantes, …

Polyscopic Spectatorship, Creative Cartography, And Post-Cinematic Refractions In The Age Of Neo-Liberal Travel: An Investigation Of Youtube Travel-Vloggers, Niko T. Doezema

Foreign Languages & Literatures ETDs

One of the most popular forms of travel “literature” consumed today is the travel-vlog. YouTube is awash in these travelers, the most successful of which even make a career out of their travels through monetization of their content, allowing them to pay for traveling by traveling. My project is a three-fold investigation into the nature of this genre, the first two branches of which are genealogical and diagnostic, the third of which is speculative and potentially transformative. My first inquiry examines the historical and generic conditions at the crossroads of travel literature and empire that have led to the present …

Lucky Chile In The Land Of Enchantment: Mapping Perception Of Signed Language Varieties In New Mexico, David Player

Linguistics ETDs

There are no known published studies documenting the linguistic variation of American Sign Language in New Mexico. We applied the Perceptual Dialectology approach to gain insights into how ASL variation is perceived by the Deaf and Hard of Hearing population in New Mexico. Participants reported 60 signs associated with a historical variety of ASL used at NMSD, and many more signs that are linked to regional and cultural relevance in New Mexico. Four participants provided highly descriptive maps that identify themes related to the sources of variation. Comparisons to studies of Black ASL are discussed to identify parallels in the …

Academic Self-Efficacy In College Students During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Veronica Lane

Individual, Family, and Community Education ETDs

The purpose of this study was to explore academic self-efficacy and utility value for college coursework for college undergraduate students during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the present study employed qualitative analysis to explore challenges students faced and what strategies they are using to promote their sense of well-being during the pandemic. One hundred eighty-seven undergraduates enrolled in educational psychology courses completed an online survey during the spring 2022 and summer 2022 semesters. The online survey consisted of a demographic questionnaire, two self-efficacy scales, and a utility value scale. In general, students had high levels of self-efficacy for graduating from …

School Voices: An Exploration Of Early Career Teachers’ Narratives On Student Voice And Dialogic Practices, Rachel Ada Meiklejohn

Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies ETDs

Classrooms are typically organized around the expectation that students’ voices should be used primarily for reciting answers elicited by teachers. Numerous studies show that moving away from this recitation model towards more dialogic practices has the potential to make literacy learning more effective and inclusive. Yet, dialogic classrooms in which students’ voices work together to create knowledge and make meaning of texts remain rare, especially in classrooms serving students of low-income and minority backgrounds. In order to understand how teachers develop their thinking about student voice and dialogic practices in literacy learning, I completed a qualitative case study of ten …

Neuroinflammatory And Metabolomic Temporal Dynamics From Inhaled Wildfire Smoke With Attenuation Via Pharmacological Intervention, David Scieszka

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Wildfire smoke is a global issue affecting nearly all humans on the surface of this Earth. Smoke dispersion from wildfires can span continents and cross oceans with amazing ease. Furthermore, total acres of land burned per year in the United States has roughly doubled since 1980, meaning this issue will persist for an indeterminate amount of time. Exposure to wildfire smoke is hazardous and promotes aging-associated events in the cardiopulmonary systems. Yet long- and short-term effects on the brain remain relatively unknown. From these, it is critically important to understand the neurological impacts from wildfire smoke exposure; to compare these …

Mechanisim Of Plasmon-Driven Photochemical Reactions, Hamed Kookhaee

Chemistry and Chemical Biology ETDs

Understanding a photocatalytic reaction condition that selectively leads to a desired product on metal surfaces is a longstanding research problem in heterogeneous catalysis. Here, using plasmon enhanced N-demethylation of methylene blue (MB) as model reaction, we show that high degree of product selectivity can be achieved by switching the mechanism from charge transfer to adsorbate electronic excitation and vice versa using surface ligands. In the presence of cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) surface ligand on gold nanoparticles, MB is selectively transformed to thionine at 633 nm excitation wavelength that overlaps with the electronic transition of the adsorbate. At resonant excitation …

Reducing Agglomeration Of Lab-Synthesized And Functionalized Barium Titanate Nanoparticle Composites, Jessica N. Domrzalski

Nanoscience and Microsystems ETDs

Barium titanate (BTO) has been extensively studied for its promise in increasing device performance with its high dielectric constant. With the world moving toward miniaturization, research in nanotechnology is paving a road for the future of electronics, energy storage, and batteries. A challenge in understanding BTO’s potential lies in the particles’ tendency to agglomerate. Nanoparticles behave differently than their bulk counterparts, so understanding size effects is a crucial step in understanding BTO. In this work, BTO nanoparticles are synthesized via a hydrolysis reaction, then functionalized via a ligand exchange reaction to reduce agglomeration. BTO is added to epoxy composites at …

Antimicrobial Activity And Mechanism Of Amyloid Proteins And Synthetic Conjugated Polyelectrolytes, Fahimeh Maghsoodi

Nanoscience and Microsystems ETDs

Although the exact cause of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is still unknown, it is widely considered that the accumulation of amyloid plaques composed of the amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide in the brain is linked to neurodegeneration. Co-localization of viral DNA with Aβ plaques, the association of brain infection and AD, and research indicating the protective effect of Aβ against bacteria and fungi in mice and human cells have led to the hypothesis that Aβ expression and deposition may be central to its function as an antimicrobial peptide (AMP). In my thesis research, we seek to elucidate how Aβ functions as an AMP …

Teachers Perceptions, Practices, And Needs Toward Inclusion In Physical Education, Adriana E. Lucero

Health, Exercise, and Sports Sciences ETDs

Central Tasks of Learning to Teach provided the theoretical framework for the first study involving one in-service elementary physical educator teaching integrated classes while reflecting on three major stages of the teacher’s career, (1) the preservice, (2) the induction, and (3) the continuing professional development periods. Data revealed the following four themes: (a) authentic field experiences in immersive environments; (b) practice teaching in integrated settings enhanced self-confidence; (c) comprehensive and in-depth knowledge of students; and (d) disposition toward support when teaching and professional work outside of the teaching space. The Situated Expectancy-Value Theory provided the theoretical underpinning to our second …

Analysis Of Ternary Chloride Salt Corrosion In High Nickel Alloys, Dimitri Madden, Gowtham Mohan

Mechanical Engineering ETDs

The United States Department of Energy seeks to improve the efficiency of concentrating solar power technologies by employing thermal energy storage with operating temperatures above 700°C. To meet these goals, the National Solar Thermal Test Facility at Sandia National Laboratories has considered the use of a ternary molten chloride salt for sensible heat storage systems. While favored for low cost, good heat transfer properties, and stability at high temperature, ternary chloride salt also exhibits high corrosive attack. Components of a chloride salt storage system would include piping, valves, tanks, pumps, receivers, and heat exchangers, which would be exposed to high …

The “Afro In Afrolatinidad”: Examining Afrolatinx Experiences Of Blackness Through And Afrolatin Critical Theory Of Race, Celine Maria Ayala Ph.D

Sociology ETDs

Scholars of Afrolatinidad across disciplines often use their work to highlight the diversity of the Latinx community (Cahuas, 2019). Those who highlight Blackness in Latinidad tend to do so by merging Chicanx, and other Latinx theories with theories of Blackness that are centered on African American experiences. Although important, these works only tell one side of a multivariant story. Using a critical, diasporic, intersectional theoretical approach, which I call an Afrolatin Critical Theory of Race (ACTR), along with 30 semi-structured in-depth interviews, I find that Afrolatinx folk navigate Blackness, educational attainment and language in ways that debunk the myth of …

The Gayborhood Was Never Here For Some Of Us! Health Consequences Of Racialized Exclusion Among U.S. Sexual Minorities Across The Lifecourse, Kasim Ortiz

Sociology ETDs

Sexual minorities exhibit elevated rates of cigarette smoking, although disparate patterns exist when examining racial/ethnic differences among sexual minorities in the United States. Evidence suggests examining differing neighborhood contexts may help illuminate drivers of tobacco-related outcomes among sexual minorities, especially with respect to racial/ethnic variations among this understudied population. Adapting a framework of whiteness and health, the current project examined the role of racial residential segregation and neighborhood disadvantage as neighborhood contexts significantly associated with cigarette smoking across the adult lifespan. Using data from the 2010 Social Justice Sexual Project, merged with U.S. Census data, I find that residing in …

Material Reliability For A Molten Chloride Salt System, Aaron A.H. Overacker

Nuclear Engineering ETDs

Energy efficiency and cost reduction can both be improved upon using overall higher temperatures for the working fluid. This interest is shared in both nuclear energy as well as concentrated solar power. To achieve higher temperatures would require industry to change working fluids. The United States Department of Energy set out a goal of operating concentrated solar to above 700℃. This would help reduce the cost by having more efficiency in the thermal energy storage, while not a concern for nuclear, these high temperatures can reduce the safety risk and pressure use with the implementation of molten salts. The National …

The Lithium Economy: Bolivia's "New" Resource And Its Role In Revolutionary Politics, Zsofia J. Szoke

Anthropology ETDs

Through an ethnographic analysis of the lithium industry this dissertation recounts the complex way lithium industrialization has interacted with Bolivia’s democratic and cultural revolution, officially known as the proceso de cambio, and with localized social forms and structures, which the national-level revolution seeks to reconstitute. I will argue that it is important to examine the implications of lithium industrialization’s intersection with local experiences of revolutionary politics. The dissertation’s main contention is that the industrialization of lithium in Bolivia has been conceptualized as an insurgent tool of political change and social transformation by the Morales-Linera regime and as such it has …

Bulk Hydrogen Isotopes In Ordinary Chondrites, Michael J. Cato

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

Bulk hydrogen isotopes in nominally anhydrous meteorites are a key component in our understanding of the distribution of hydrogen in our solar system, including the provenance of water on the Earth. Here, we develop a step-heated continuous-flow method to measure the bulk hydrogen isotopes in nominally anhydrous rocks and use this method to significantly increase the dataset of bulk hydrogen isotopes in ordinary chondrites, nearly doubling the number of equilibrated members. We found that as thermal alteration increases from petrologic type 3.0 to 4, there is a correlated decrease in both hydrogen content and isotope ratio, followed by no significant …

Additive Manufacturing Of Lightweight Concrete Mixtures, Kourosh Rashidi

Civil Engineering ETDs

Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, is an innovative technique that is increasing its popularity in many industries including construction. 3D printing is related to the layer wised manufacturing or additive construction of any simple to intricate geometry from a digital file. The construction industry has a high potential for using 3D printing technology. However, one of the critical factors in the adaption of additive manufacturing in the construction industry is achieving a printable concrete mix design. This research aims to design printable mixes of lightweight concrete that could be effectively used in the 3D printing of walls or …

3d Printing Of Earthen Materials: Toward The Carbon-Zero Construction, Shiva Bhusal

Civil Engineering ETDs

In recent years, digital manufacturing techniques in the architecture and construction industry have rapidly gained attention, especially with 3D printing, also called additive manufacturing. The use of cement has been common in modern construction and is now being explored for 3D printing. However, due to cement's contribution to approximately 7 percent of global carbon emissions and its high cost, research on sustainable and greener materials has gained attention. Previous studies on alternative construction have examined the mechanical and rheological properties of soil mixes, but not much attention has been given to printability evaluation, shrinkage, and cracking, which can affect the …

The Role Of Social Media Activism In Achieving Good Water And Sanitation In Ghana, Inusah Mohammed

Communication ETDs

This thesis examined the role of social media activism in ensuring good water and sanitation in Ghana. The study conducted a thematic analysis of Facebook posts (403) from March 2020 to December 2022 and found seven themes on how social activists are presenting issues concerning water and sanitation in Ghana. The study also found outcomes of the activism and also found theoretical implications of activism on social media usage in Ghana.

Socially Mediated Self-Presentation, Image-Construction, And Twitter: A Multimodal Analysis Of Vice Presidents Across A Continental Divide, Nana Kwame Osei Fordjour

Communication ETDs

Struck by the paucity of studies on vice presidential rhetoric, the omnipresence of social media, and its centrality in politics, I analyzed the tweets of the vice president of the US, Kamala Harris, and the vice president of Ghana, Dr. Bawumia, after their respective elections in 2020. Taking a multimodal rhetorical analysis guided by a theoretical self-presentational framework centered around gender, personalization, and authenticity. I contribute to the broader discourse of how politicians communicate on social media to construct their public image. Taking a cue from the rhetorical approaches used by the two vice presidents, I argue that vice-presidential communication …

Reconnaissance: Relationship Between Social Presence And Knowledge Construction In Second Life, Leah A. Hardesty

Organization, Information and Learning Sciences ETDs

This qualitative research study explored levels of social presence in Second Life (virtual world) associated with phases of knowledge construction. The study explored images and data collected from users at two discussion-based activities. The findings revealed the three levels of social presence, according to the Interactional Process Model of Social Presence developed by Schultze and Brooks. Social presence established a sense of mutual monitoring of users that increased users’ sense of presence. This made their virtual interactions more real. Various phases of knowledge construction were observed as specified in the Interaction Analysis Model developed by Gunawardena, Lowe and Anderson. Knowledge …

Mental Distress Among Adults With Serious Mental Illness In A Criminal Legal Setting: A Secondary Data Analysis Of The Mcarthur Mental Health Court Study Data, Violette Cloud

Psychology ETDs

Chronic criminal legal system (CLS) involvement among individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) is of growing concern. Mental health courts (MHCs) are a known diversion strategy currently used by the CLS to address this problem. MHCs are seen as an effective method for linking individuals with SMI to needed treatment, removing them from a detention setting, and subsequently reducing recidivism. However, less is known about the impact of MHC enrollment on mental health related outcomes (mental distress). Using the McArthur Mental Health Court Study data, this study aimed to inspect the impact of MHC participation, legal coercion, and treatment motivation …

Synthesis, Characterization And Spectroscopic Studies Of Novel Donor-Acceptor Complexes, Shiyue Gao

Chemistry and Chemical Biology ETDs

Square-planar compounds of the (dichalcogenolene)Pt(diimine) series are possess unique photophysical properties that include long-lived excited state lifetimes, which result in their being potential candidates for numerous applications. These applications include solar energy conversion, photocatalysis, nonlinear optics, and photoluminescent probes of biological systems. The most interesting feature of the (dichalcogenolene)Pt(diimine) series of molecules is the bpydichalcogenolene ligand-to-ligand charge transfer (LL’CT) band. To better understand their photoluminescent decay mechanism, and understand their excited dark state properties, we have synthesized and characterized new compounds that include (Thp-bpy)Pt(CAT), (Thp2-bpy)Pt(CAT), (Thp-bpy)Pt(bdt), and (Thp2-bpy)Pt(bdt). Through interpretation of electronic absorption, resonance Raman, XAS, photoluminesce spectroscopy, in addition …

From Peer Review To Peer Conference: Increasing Collaboration In Asynchronous And Synchronous Computer-Mediated Modes In A Technical And Professional Communication Class, Sofia Tarabrina

English Language and Literature ETDs

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of different modes of peer review on students' interactions through a mixed-methods case study. The researcher recruited six students and conducted three peer review sessions in the asynchronous anonymous, asynchronous identifiable, and synchronous mode. The data sources were student pre- and post-peer review drafts, peer review comments, and the researcher's observations of student interactions. The data analysis included transcribing, coding, enumeration, classification, ethnographic analysis, and comparison.

The data analysis showed that tension in peer review interactions that might have caused dissatisfaction in students could be reduced if students performed more …

Challenging The "Unexceptional": Marguerite Of Provence, Thirteenth-Century Queenship, And Power, Katie Despeaux

History ETDs

Marguerite of Provence, wife to Saint Louis IX of France, has long been overlooked or negatively characterized by historians. Due to the unique circumstances of her mother-in-law’s political reach and her sister’s role as queen of England, Marguerite was limited by her husband and his court in her access to power. Traditionally understood as a passive queen, Marguerite’s expression of power through motherhood, curated images, and emotional performance can be better understood through Theresa Earenfight’s paradigm of gender and power. In a series of comparisons between Marguerite and her mother-in-law, sister, and Egyptian counterpart during the Seventh Crusade, Marguerite’s role …

Theory, Simulation, And Experiments On A Magnetically Insulated Transmission Line Terminated By A Bremsstrahlung Diode, Troy Clay Powell

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

Foundational concepts necessary for power flow analysis of a self-magnetically insulated transmission line (MITL) are introduced in theoretical form and several developments to the theory are described. These include cold-cathode electron emission physics, self-magnetic insulation physics, self-limited MITL current, and relativistic secondary ion production from anode surfaces. Modeling these physics is performed using EMPIRE, an electromagnetic particle-in-cell code.

Self-limited MITL current theory described numerically by Pointon is developed here in analytic form and is then used to drive simulations to compare to experiments that were performed in EMPIRE. Carefully calibrated current sensors from HERMES-III experiments show good agreement with EMPIRE …

Marie De France And The Wife Of Bisclavret: A New Understanding, Katie Despeaux

Foreign Languages & Literatures ETDs

Marie de France’s werewolf lai, Bisclavret, was met with immediate and long-lasting fascination, replication, and criticism. As part of what Caroline Walker Bynum calls “the werewolf renaissance,” the story breaks with traditional understandings of werewolves: Bisclavret is not the villain of the story but presents instead as a sympathetic character, victimized by his wife’s collaboration with another man who steals his clothes and prevents him from regaining his human form.

Modern scholarship generally falls within two opposite camps: those for whom the wife is disloyal to her husband; and those for whom Marie herself was disloyal to her gender. …