Digital Commons Network^™

Systems And Methods For Scalable Retinal Screening Programs, Jeremy Richard Benson

Computer Science ETDs

This dissertation addresses gaps in artificial intelligence-based computer vision tasks in the medical image processing field. We demonstrate effective methods for standardizing and augmenting digital fundus photographs so that robust convolutional neural network-based systems can perform high-throughput disease classification and generalize to never-before-seen data from novel camera technologies, scaling with the changing hardware landscape, as well as keeping up with vast amount of incoming data from the ever-increasing population. We also tackle the problem of discovering relevant samples in an unlabeled cohort of image data, thus widening the bottleneck to all downstream supervised machine learning tasks.

Characterization Of Phase Behavior In Idp Solutions By Uv-Vis Spectrophotometry And Phase Volume Fraction Measurements In Capillaries, Qing Sun

Biomedical Engineering ETDs

Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) play vital roles in cell signaling and regulation by changing conformation dynamically under various stimulus. Thus, it is crucial to understand their physical properties in vitro especially liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS). Here, we first used UV-vis spectrophotometry to investigate two of IDPs' physical properties – transition temperature (Tt) and coacervate size. This deeper insight allows us to further understand the dynamics of phase growth. We then constructed a binodal curve in the phase diagram by measurement of volume ratios in phase separated IDP solution in glass capillaries.

Intracavity Phase Interferometry Based Fiber Sensors, Luke Jameson Horstman

Optical Science and Engineering ETDs

Intracavity Phase Interferometry (IPI) is a detection technique that exploits the inherent sensitivity of a laser's frequency to the parameters of its cavity. Intracavity interferometry is orders of magnitude more sensitive than its extracavity alternatives. This dissertation improves on previous free-space proof-of-concept designs. By implementing the technique in fiber optics, using optical parametric oscillation, and investigating non-Hermitian quantum mechanics and dispersion tailoring enhancement techniques, IPI has become more applicable and sensitive. Ring and linear IPI configurations were realized in this work, both operating as bidirectional fiber optical parametric oscillators. The benefit of using externally pumped synchronous optical parametric oscillation is …

Synthetic Aperture Optical Imaging Interferometric Microscopy With Improved Image Quality, Preyom K. Dey

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

The resolution limit of optical microscopy can be extended by using Imaging Interferometric Microscopy (IIM), which uses a low numerical aperture (NA) objective lens to achieve resolution equivalent to that of a high-NA objective lens with multiple sub-images. Along with the resolution enhancement challenge, IIM often suffers from poor image quality. In this dissertation, several image quality improvement methods are proposed and verified with simulation and experimental results. Next, techniques to extend the resolution limit of IIM to ≤ 100nm using a low-NA objective lens are demonstrated. An experimental technique of using a grating coupler on …

Energetic Tradeoffs, Infection, And Immunity In Wild Chimpanzees Of Uganda And Tanzania, Sarah Renee Phillips

Anthropology ETDs

Infectious disease is a primary source of mortality for most mammal species, but scientists have little understanding of factors driving variation in infection and immunity between individuals, populations, and species in the wild. Life history theory provides an evolutionary framework for delineating distribution of available energy to competing physiological demands, including growth, reproduction, and maintenance. Early life reproduction should be favored over late life survival, but, in long-lived species, reproductive success is strongly tied to survival to old age. Slower pace of reproduction could allow investment in immunity, reducing risk of morbidity and mortality to infectious disease. Additionally, several host …

Paleoindian Response To Climate Change In The Northern Jornada Del Muerto, Christopher Wayne Merriman

Anthropology ETDs

Human-environment interaction is a long-standing and productive line of inquiry that includes the study of cultural responses to climate change. However, demonstrating a causal relationship between climate change and the consequent culture change is rarely straightforward for numerous reasons. In this dissertation I develop an optimality model to predict how Paleoindians should have responded to changes in precipitation across the Late Pleistocene-Early Holocene. The water supply model (WSM) ranks water supplies much like the diet breadth model ranks food resources. To adjust the WSM for climate change, paleoclimate records from playas in the northern Jornada del Muerto were used in …

An Examination Of Leadership Needs, Preparation, And Expectations In Rural Indigenous Communities, Roselyn Carroll-Trujillo

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

ABSTRACT Every single person has leadership ability. Some step up and take them. Some don't. My answer was to step up and lead. ̴Wilma Mankiller ̴ How well prepared are New Mexico school leaders to serve in leadership positions in rural communities with high ratios of Indigenous populations? In this study, I utilized an Indigenous research paradigm to explore policy, reciprocal relationships, licensure requirements in one state, and perceptions from a variety of individuals in rural communities to develop an understanding of what is necessary to create and sustain successful school leadership in an Indigenous community. An Indigenous paradigm of …

Subject Disintegration: Identity And Alterity In The Age Of The Hyperreal, Sophie Ell

American Studies ETDs

What do the signs “identity” and “alterity” point to within the economy of representation and the logic of simulation that govern the present era? How does the visual saturation of a screen-mediated life affect the study of identity? Where does the information overload within which we operate leave the production of knowledge about otherness? My goal in this project is not to resolve these questions, but rather to linger in them. Focusing on various portrayals of categorical identities in film, photography, and digital media, I utilize a semiotic analysis to examine the formulaic, repetitive maneuvers of signification practices that reproduce …

Moderate Prenatal Ethanol Exposure, Sex, And Housing Modify Spatial Navigation Behavior And Hippocampal Cell Firing In Adult Rodents, Christy Magcalas

Psychology ETDs

Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) is associated with structural and physiological changes that impact the central nervous system and can result in persistent negative consequences in a broad spectrum of cognitive and behavioral domains including deficits in spatial learning and memory and behavioral flexibility. The current study focuses on examining the behavioral and mechanistic consequences of PAE, sex and housing. Rats were tested in the Morris Water Task where they were trained to navigate to a goal location and tested in a pool shift manipulation. There were no significant differences between PAE treatment, sex, or housing groups during training, but there …

Ultrafast Spectroscopy Of Air Lasing In Filaments, Brian Robert Kamer

Optical Science and Engineering ETDs

Filamentation in air is a phenomenon that has been extensively investigated for the last two decades. At sufficiently high intensity, even air is a nonlinear medium. These intensities are reached with ultrashort pulses (50 to 100 fs) of more than 1 J energy, which self-focus in air, reach ionizing intensities of oxygen and nitrogen, creating a plasma that defocuses the beam. The air filament is a self-induced waveguide resulting from a balance of focusing and defocusing. In this work new techniques were developed to visualize and analyze this phenomenon through its emission, in particu- lar the UV emission of the …

Lwd Belize: A Case Study For A Rapid Growth Community During The Terminal Classic Period In The Maya Lowlands, Rafael Alfredo Guerra

Anthropology ETDs

This dissertation examines the rise of Lower Dover (LWD) a Late Classic Polity in the middle Belize River Valley (BRV)in the Central Maya Lowlands, Belize. LWD was advantageously situated at the confluence of three important waters ways in the middle BRV to control riverine trade from the coast to the interior Maya heartland. Most large Maya centers developed over many centuries from Preclassic (ca. 400 BC) farming villages to polity capitals. LWD emerged in the Late Classic (ca. 600 AD) as many polities in the BRV were in decline. LWD was rapidly built by local elites and filled a power …

Single Valued Neutrosophic Vikor And Its Application To Wastewater Treatment Selection, Nor Liyana Amalini Mohd Kamal, Lazim Abdullah, Fu Ming Yee, Ilyani Abdullah, Nazanin Vafaei

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems

No abstract provided.

Neutrosophic Sets And Systems, Vol. 47, 2021, Florentin Smarandache, Mohamed Abdel-Basset, Said Broumi

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems

No abstract provided.

Practice Development Trajectories Of Experienced Nurses: Adaptive Experts, Routine Experts, And Non-Experts, Dee Mulcahy

Nursing ETDs

This qualitative study examined practice development among experienced, acute care nurses (n = 9) with at least 10 years of experience. Using an interpretive biographical approach, with participants’ written practice narratives and in-depth interviews, the study focused on how the work environment and life experiences influenced or impeded practice development. Participants were classified as routine- or adaptive experts (n = 3 of each type) with one intermediate case and two not readily classifiable. Antecedents to becoming a nurse included family influences, personal interests, altruistic values, and financial need. Experience was necessary but not sufficient for adaptive expertise. Compared …

Effects Of Inclusive Social Skills Training On Preschoolers, Lauren E. Weiss

Special Education ETDs

Social interventions for children with disabilities are generally conducted in small groups and outside of the classroom; therefore, little is known about inclusive and classwide social interventions in early childhood educational settings. This study evaluated the effects of inclusive social skills training (ISST), a program delivered remotely to inclusive preschool classrooms via direct instruction, video modeling, rehearsal, and feedback, to teach social skills. Educators rated preschoolers' social skills in a nonequivalent pretest-posttest design and evaluated the social validity of ISST. I examined the differences in scores. A significant interaction effect was detected in the program group between abilities. Overall, educators …

What Does Social Entrepreneurship Mean To Change Agents In New Mexico? A Phenomenographic Approach To Understanding Social Entrepreneurship, Audriana Stark

Organization, Information and Learning Sciences ETDs

Social entrepreneurship has been identified as a solution to some of the world’s most pressing problems, including health, education, and environmental issues. Despite the rise in literature about social entrepreneurship, there is still a lack of understanding how place-based social entrepreneurship is being conceived and experienced by practitioners. Therefore, this study uses a phenomenographic approach to understand what social entrepreneurship means to change agents in New Mexico, a place characterized by social and economic challenges, as well as an abundance of natural and cultural resources. The findings revealed five distinct categories of description for social entrepreneurship including: Category 1. No …

Windblown Transport Of Toxic Metals In Airborne Particulate Matter Near The Jackpile-Paguate Uranium Mine On Laguna Pueblo, New Mexico, Savannah S. Larosa-Lopresti

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

Abandoned uranium mines across the U.S. disproportionately affect indigenous communities who suffer numerous intergenerational health consequences from chronic exposure to toxic metal mixtures. The Jackpile-Paguate Uranium Mine on Laguna Pueblo in west-central New Mexico was designated a Superfund Site in 2013 and exposure risks from inhalation of toxic metals in airborne particulate matter are of concern for the local tribal communities. This research aims to examine atmospheric parameters driving windblown transport of respirable particulate matter in the region, to determine concentrations of heavy metals including U, V, Pb, and As due to the link with potential health risks, and to …

Examining Psilocybin And Lsd Consumption Through A Geographical Lens, Nicole Sarah Caruana

Geography ETDs

n recent years, the study of psychedelic science has reemerged across a variety of fields. Psilocybin and LSD (Lysergic Acid Diethylamide) are two psychedelic substances receiving an influx of attention for their success treating issues such as depression, post-traumatic stress, and addiction. Psilocybin and LSD are still widely used despite their classification as illegal Schedule I substance. This study aims to learn more about current users with the following questions guiding this research: What are barriers limiting psilocybin and LSD consumption? What are the motivations behind use? What impacts are psilocybin and LSD having on users lives? I used Qualitative …

The Nursing Baccalaureate Dual Enrollment Model: Outcomes For A Community College And University Partnership, Jenny B. Landen

Nursing ETDs

The partnership model in which universities collaborate with community colleges for the prelicensure Bachelor of Science (BSN) education has been identified by the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) as one of five viable academic progression models for nursing. The current literature lacks evidence on the success of these academic progression models for replication and improvement in an effort to increase the BSN-educated workforce. This retrospective descriptive study explored the differences in demographic and academic characteristics of the prelicensure BSN graduates and the differences in program outcomes from a partnership model in New Mexico which included three universities and five community …

Request For Modification 21-019 To Resource Conservation And Recovery Act (Rcra) Facility Operating Permit, Sandia National Laboratories/New Mexico (Snl/Nm), Sandia National Laboratories/Nm Snl

Facilities-Units

The Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA) and Sandia National Laboratories, New Mexico (SNL/NM) have requested modifications to the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Facility Operating Permit (Permit) for Sandia National Laboratories/New Mexico. The requested modifications consist of revisions to the Mixed Waste Landfill (MWL) Long-Term Monitoring and Maintenance Plan (LTMMP), which is incorporated by reference into Permit Attachment M, "Long-Term Monitoring and Maintenance Plan for Solid Waste Management Units and Areas of Concern Granted Corrective Action Complete with Controls." The MWL is also known as Solid Waste Management Unit (SWMU) 76.

The DOE/NNSA and SNL/NM propose to make …

An Investigation Of Phosphorus Removal By Purple Bacteria In Dairy Wastewater Lagoons, Lauren M. Gomez, Andrew J. Schuler, Jose M. Cerrto, David T. Hanson

Civil Engineering ETDs

The objective of this study was to determine whether the polyphosphate metabolism in purple photosynthetic bacteria (PPB) is similar to that of wastewater polyphosphate-accumulating organisms (PAOs) such as Accumulibacter. Dairy lagoon samples were studied in continuous and batch laboratory tests to evaluate whether cyclic light and dark conditions for PPB are similar to aerobic and anaerobic conditions for PAOs in domestic wastewater treatment systems. 16s rRNA gene amplicon sequencing indicated the presence of the purple sulfur bacterium Thiolamprovum (53.92%) in one lagoon source, and Thiodictyon (3.50%) in a second lagoon. Phosphorus contents were at least 0.7% higher than the …

Reconfigurable Antennas & Matching Networks For Cubesats, Marios Patriotis

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

Telecommunication has rapidly evolved in the past decades, quickly becoming one of the most expansive industries, especially with the presence of new attractive eras like 5Gnetworks, automotive radars, and CubeSats. The use of miniaturized satellites such as CubeSats for cheaper and wider communication coverage has opened the possibilities for cluster satellite communication. These units exist in a continuously varying environment as much physical as electromagnetic. Hence, the establishment of a successful communication link among the space units but also ground stations becomes challenging. This new situation can be confronted with the installation of new reconfigurable antennas. These are emitting units …

Burden Of Mycoplasma Genitalium And Bacterial Coinfections In A Population-Based Sample In New Mexico, Anne Hammer, Patti E. Gravitt, Rachael Adcock, Nicole Patterson, Jack Cuzick, Cosette M. Wheeler

Pathology Research and Scholarship

In this population-based US study, the overall prevalence of Mycoplasma genitalium was 1.95% (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.62%-2.34%), declining from 6.12% (95% CI, 4.72%-7.92%) in women aged 21 to 24 years to 0.48% (95% CI, 0.25%-0.94%) in women aged 40 to 64 years. The prevalence of coinfections with Chlamydia trachomatis and Trichomonas vaginalis was low.

Telehealth During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Survey Of Registered Dietitian Nutritionists, Mary Rozga, Deepa Handu, Kathryn Kelley, Elizabeth Yakes Jimenez, Hannah Martin, Marsha Schofield, Alison Steiber

Pediatrics Research and Scholarship

During the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, health care practices have shifted to minimize virus transmission, with unprecedented expansion of telehealth. This study describes self-reported changes in registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) practice related to delivery of nutrition care via telehealth shortly after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. This cross-sectional, anonymous online survey was administered from mid-April to mid-May 2020 to RDNs in the United States providing face-to-face nutrition care prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. This survey included 54 questions about practitioner demographics and experience and current practices providing nutrition care via telehealth, including billing …

Spanish /S/ Reduction In Cíbola County, New Mexico, Brandon Martinez

Linguistics ETDs

The extent to which /s/ reduces in both onset and coda positions varies greatly across Spanish varieties, with Traditional New Mexican Spanish showing significant reduction rates in past research. However, to-date there has been no in-depth linguistic study of Spanish in Cíbola County. The current work presents an analysis of variable /s/ reduction in Cíbola Spanish, using data from the New Mexico-Colorado Spanish Survey. The results demonstrate that reduction in this dialect is conditioned primarily by linguistic rather than extralinguistic factors, which vary based on syllable position. The manuscript also briefly introduces the history of Cíbola, Hispanic identity & …

Glomerular Disease In Temporal Association With Sars-Cov-2 Vaccination: A Series Of 29 Cases, Tiffany N. Caza, Clarissa A. Cassol, Nidia Messias, Andrew Hannoudi, Randy S. Haun, Patrick D. Walker, Rebecca M. May, Regan M. Seipp, Elizabeth J. Betchick, Hassan Amin, Mandolin S. Ziadie, Michael Haderlie, Joy Eduwu-Okwuwa, Irina Vancea, Melvin Seek, Essam B. Elashi, Ganesh Shenoy, Sayeed Khalillullah, Jesse A. Flaxenburg, John Brandt, Matthew J. Diamond, Adam Frome, Eugene H. Kim, Gregory Schlessinger, Erlandas Ulozas, Janice L. Weatherspoon, Ethan Thomas Hoerschgen, Steven L. Fabian, Sung Yong Bae, Bilal Iqbal, Kanwalijit K. Chouhan, Zeina Karam, James T. Henry, Christopher P. Larsen

Pediatrics Research and Scholarship

Background: Immune responses to vaccination are a known trigger for a new onset of glomerular disease or disease flare in susceptible individuals. Mass immunization against SARS-CoV-2 in the COVID-19 pandemic provides a unique opportunity to study vaccination-associated autoimmune kidney diseases. In the recent literature, there are several patient reports demonstrating a temporal association of SARS-CoV-2 immunization and kidney diseases.

Methods: Here, we present a series of 29 cases of biopsy-proven glomerular disease in patients recently vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 and identified patients who developed a new onset of IgA nephropathy, minimal change disease, membranous nephropathy, ANCA-associated GN, collapsing glomerulopathy, or diffuse …

Nuanced Networks: How Social Relationships And Power Influence Participation In Private Lands Conservation Programs, Ellen Loechner

Geography ETDs

Because the majority of land in the Midwestern United States is privately owned, the responsibility for creating and maintaining space for wildlife conservation falls upon private landowners. Numerous state and federal agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) host private lands conservation programs that offer landowners financial and technical support to complete conservation projects on their property (Echols, Front, and Cummins 2019). While the individual motivations and priorities of a landowner may inform how they use and manage their property, a landowner’s ability to connect with the agricultural and conservation communities may determine if they have the opportunity to participate in these …

Interferometric Lithography- An Approach To Large Area And Cost Effective Nanopatterning, Vineeth Sasidharan

Optical Science and Engineering ETDs

In this dissertation interferometric lithography is approached in two different ways to address two important constraints of nanopatterning. One approach solves the problem of scaling up interferometric lithography to wafer scale (4 inch or larger) area. Through the second approach we have developed a nanopatterning technique based on interferometric lithography by using an inexpensive (~$100) diode laser as source, making interferometric lithography a very cost-effective technique.

Wafer-scale large-area nanopatterning was developed using an amplitude grating mask as a grating beam splitter along with spatial averaging of laser intensity by wobbling. The longitudinal and transverse coherence issues both are eased by …

Crisis, Cooperation, And Coercion: Migration Diplomacy In Europe, 2014-2017, Jessica L. Jones

Political Science ETDs

In this dissertation I ask when and how states employ migration diplomacy – and its coercive and cooperative variants – during the European Migration Crisis, 2014-2017. I argue that states use migration diplomacy to minimize the costs of migration crises and are more likely to use migration diplomacy when either the incurred or anticipated costs of migration crises are greater, when they are less powerful, and when anti-migrant domestic political pressures are higher. I use a multimethod approach to answer my questions. Results from my multivariate logistic regressions support my expectation that states are more likely to engage in migration …

Open-Ish Access:" Collaborative Solutions For Sensitive Information In Unm's Native Health Database, Jonathan M. Pringle

Posters and Presentations

No abstract provided.