Digital Commons Network^™

Spatio-Temporal Dynamics Of Fungal Communities And Their Effects On Plants, Kel Cook

Biology ETDs

Fungi perform several critical functions in the environment. Spatiotemporal distributions of fungal communities will mediate when and where these functions happen and how they vary across the landscape. I first explored tropical tree canopy fungal community variation at small spatial scales and documented near total turnover of fungi across sub-meter distances and among adjacent substrates. The second chapter analyzed fungal turnover over the course of three years, where community stability was driven primarily by abundant fungi. In the third chapter, I tested effects of the environment, including host plant and habitat, on canopy fungal communities and found only small effects, …

The Experience Of Being Gender Nonbinary: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, Gene Crofts

Individual, Family, and Community Education ETDs

The call for research on the growing population of persons who identify as gender nonbinary includes the need for in-depth explorations of lived experience, especially among Persons of Color. This study focuses on four individuals, 27 to 32 years of age, who identify as gender nonbinary as well as Hispanic/Latinx and reside in the unique minority-majority, conservative/progressive state of New Mexico. Interpretative phenomenological analysis, with its idiographic approach, was used to gather data through interviews and present the findings in both descriptive and interpreted terms. Results focus on three themes: realization required a unique journey, allowances are made for mothers …

Inoculum Potential Of Pinus Edulis-Associated Ectomycorrhizal Fungi Across A Forest Extirpation Chronosequence, Annie M. Montes

Biology ETDs

Few studies have examined inoculum potential of ectomycorrhizal fungi (EMF) in the absence of plant hosts, yet persistence of these fungi may be paramount to resilience of Pinus edulis and other mycorrhizal plant species. We conducted a study in which seven sites were selected in northwestern New Mexico with known dates of P. edulis extirpation and a lack of regeneration. Age classes included: two sites extirpated 10-20 years ago, two extirpated 55-65 years ago, two extirpated 500+ years ago, and one extirpated 11,000+ years ago. At each site, two plots were paired: an extirpated plot and the nearest live adult …

From Wave Propagation To Spin Dynamics: Mathematical And Computational Aspects, Oleksii Beznosov

Mathematics & Statistics ETDs

In this work we concentrate on two separate topics which pose certain numerical challenges. The first topic is the spin dynamics of electrons in high-energy circular accelerators. We introduce a stochastic differential equation framework to study spin depolarization and spin equilibrium. This framework allows the mathematical study of known equations and new equations modelling the spin distribution of an electron bunch. A spin distribution is governed by a so-called Bloch equation, which is a linear Fokker-Planck type PDE, in general posed in six dimensions. We propose three approaches to approximate solutions, using analytical and modern numerical techniques. We also present …

Numerical Simulations Of Nonlinear Waves And Their Stability: Stokes Waves And Nonlinear Schroedinger Equation, Anastassiya Semenova

Mathematics & Statistics ETDs

The present work offers an investigation of dynamics and stability of nonlinear waves in Hamiltonian systems. The first part of the manuscript discusses the classical problem of water waves on the surface of an ideal fluid in 2D. We demonstrate how to construct the Stokes waves, and how to apply a continuation method to find waves in close vicinity to the limiting Stokes wave. We provide new insight into the stability of the Stokes waves by identifying previously inaccessible branches of instability in the equations of motion for the fluid. We provide numerical evidence that pairs of unstable eigenvalues of …

Incentivization In Mobile Edge Computing Using A Full Bayesian Approach, Sean Lebien

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

The advances of multi-access edge computing (MEC) have paved the way for the integration of the MEC servers, as intelligent entities into the Internet of Things (IoT) environment as well as into the 5G radio access networks. In this thesis, a novel artificial intelligence-based MEC servers’ activation mechanism is proposed, by adopting the principles of Reinforcement Learning (RL) and Bayesian Reasoning. The considered problem enables the MEC servers’ activation decision-making, aiming at enhancing the reputation of the overall MEC system, as well as considering the total computing costs to serve efficiently the users’ computing demands, guaranteeing at the same time …

Caregivers' Perceptions Towards Medical Nutritional Supplements, Nancy Perez, Kathryn E Coakley, Diana Gonzales-Pacheco, Deborah Luffey, Deborah Cohen

Individual, Family, and Community Education ETDs

Children 2-5 years of age can be vulnerable to being underweight due to characteristics like selective eating. As a result, children may not be consuming essential nutrients from balanced meals and may have a reduction in the variety of foods they eat. Medical nutritional supplements are often recommended by healthcare professionals including physicians and registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs). Parents/caregivers may not research how the medical nutritional supplement benefits their child’s health and may not comprehend the meaning of the words “healthy growth”. This study investigated the attitudes and the perceptions of caregivers of children 2-5 years of age toward liquid …

Fishing Without A Pole: Experiences And Insights Of Adults Working To Prevent Youth Suicide In A Low-Income, High-Rate State, Victoria L. Waugh-Reed

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

This study explores the underrepresented perspective of suicide preventionists in the state of New Mexico, their experiences and insights surrounding the prevention of youth suicide. I present these in narrative form; the primary method of investigation was purposeful, individual interviews with an initial and follow-up interviews. Preventionists in New Mexico face the enormous task of reducing historically high youth suicide rates when compared with the rest of the nation; additionally, New Mexico is a rural state that exhibits a complex mix of risk and resiliency factors. I invited participants to discuss their experiences, share barriers to their work, offer success …

The Effectiveness Of Mind Maps As A Study Tool In An Undergraduate Human Nutrition Class To Increase Knowledge, Exam Scores, And Final Grades, Suzanne Porter-Bolton

Individual, Family, and Community Education ETDs

The objective of this quasi-experimental study was to assess whether instructor-prepared mind maps increased knowledge, exam scores and final grades in undergraduate students enrolled in an introductory human nutrition course. Two sections of the same class (one intervention, one control) were taught by the same student instructor/investigator. Mind maps were posted online for the intervention class following each chapter lecture. Students tracked their study methods, including whether they used the mind maps. Exam scores and final grades were analyzed and compared for differences in learning and course performance between groups. There were no statistically significant differences in exam scores or …

Artificial Intelligence Enabled Distributed Edge Computing For Internet Of Things Applications, Georgios Fragkos

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

Artificial Intelligence (AI) based techniques are typically used to model decision-making in terms of strategies and mechanisms that can conclude to optimal payoffs for a number of interacting entities, often presenting competitive behaviors. In this thesis, an AI-enabled multi-access edge computing (MEC) framework is proposed, supported by computing-equipped Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to facilitate Internet of Things (IoT) applications. Initially, the problem of determining the IoT nodes optimal data offloading strategies to the UAV-mounted MEC servers, while accounting for the IoT nodes’ communication and computation overhead, is formulated based on a game-theoretic model. The existence of at least one Pure …

A Multicultural Study Of The Experience Of Grief Following Involuntary Job Loss, Diane Lacen

Individual, Family, and Community Education ETDs

A MULTICULTURAL STUDY OF THE EXPERIENCE OF GRIEF FOLLOWING INVOLUNTARY JOB LOSS

by DIANE BYRD LACEN

B. A., English, The University of New Mexico, 1989 M. A., Secondary Education, The University of New Mexico, 1996 M. A., Counseling and Guidance, New Mexico Highlands University, 2005 Ph.D., Counselor Education, The University of New Mexico, 2020

ABSTRACT

Unemployment affects many individuals and families in today’s world. This qualitative multiple-case study design examined how individuals from diverse backgrounds experienced grief following involuntary job loss. A purposeful sampling consisted of nine adults who represented the multicultural diversity in New Mexico. Triangulation of methods included …

Prefilling Mylar Capacitor Edge Margins To Improve Capacitor Reliability And Size, Chase Kayser

Mechanical Engineering ETDs

Typical high-voltage, wound film-foil capacitors have large edge margins filled with air to prevent breakdown between foil electrodes. This arrangement is inefficient for energy density and leaves a volume where particulates may settle in an uncontrolled atmosphere. The reliability and size of high-voltage, wound film-foil capacitors could be improved by adding a material with higher breakdown strength into the edge margins. This will not only improve reliability and size but also act as a barrier to prevent foreign object debris (FOD), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and water from damaging the capacitor’s performance. This paper will discuss the process of determining …

A State-Wide Population-Based Evaluation Of Cervical Cancers Arising During Opportunistic Screening In The United States, Christopher Mathews, Michael Robertson, Charles L. Wiggins, Yolanda J. Mcdonald, Daniel W. Goldberg, Isabel C. Scarinci, Jack Cuzick, Cosette M Wheeler, Rebecca Landy, Peter D. Sasieni

Pathology Research and Scholarship

OBJECTIVE: Despite widespread cervical screening, an estimated 13,800 women will be diagnosed with cervical cancer in the United States in 2020. To inform improvements, the screening histories of women diagnosed with cervical cancer in New Mexico were assessed.

METHODS: Data were collected on all cervical screening, diagnostic tests and treatment procedures for all women diagnosed with cervical cancer aged 25-64 yrs. in New Mexico from 2006 to 2016. Women were categorized by their screening attendance in the 5-40 months (screening interval) and 1-4 months (peri-diagnostic interval) prior to cancer diagnosis.

RESULTS: Of the 504 women diagnosed between May 2009-December 2016, …

Therapeutic Plasma Exchange And Intravenous Immune Globulin In The Treatment Of Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia: A Systematic Review, Chinonso Onuoha, Karen D. Barton, Edward C C Wong, Jay S. Raval, Marian A. Rollins-Raval, Tina A. Ipe, Joseph E. Kiss, Leonard I. Boral, Jill Adamksi, Nicole D. Zantek, Oluwatoyosi A. Onwuemene

Pathology Research and Scholarship

BACKGROUND: Immunomodulatory strategies in heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) include the use of intravenous immune globulin (IVIG) and therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE). The optimal application of these therapies is unknown and outcomes data are limited. We investigated treatment categories and laboratory and clinical outcomes of IVIG and/or TPE in HIT with a systematic literature review.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: We searched MEDLINE, Embase, and Web of Science through December 2019 for studies combining controlled vocabulary and keywords related to thrombocytopenia, heparin, TPE, and IVIG. The primary outcome was treatment indication. Secondary outcomes were platelet recovery, HIT laboratory parameters, heparin re-exposure, and post-treatment …

Is It Time To Revisit Qualified Immunity?, Joseph A. Schremmer, Sean M. Mcgivern

Faculty Scholarship

The right to sue and defend in the courts of the several states are essential privileges of citizenship. Eight generations ago, this right was unavailable to black people, because descendants of African slaves were never intended to be citizens. Then, and for years to come, local governments failed to protect African Americans from violence and discrimination and were sometimes complicit in those violations.

Qualified immunity was born in 1982 when the Supreme Court decided Harlow v. Fitzgerald. With an outflow of questionable court decisions shielding officers solely because they act under color of state law, it is time for the …

Predictors Of Birth Center Sustainability In The United States, Melanie Cabezas Phipps

Nursing ETDs

Pregnant women from all racial and socioeconomic communities deserve safe, personalized, and affordable ways to give birth. To meet all three needs, focus is increasing on birth centers, a midwifery model that provides family-centered care before, during, and after normal pregnancy, labor, and birth. However, many U.S. birth centers face significant obstacles to financial sustainability, particularly in rural areas. A better understanding of the factors that contribute to a birth center’s operational success is needed for practitioners and groups interested in establishing or maintaining a birth center, as well as to inform policymakers seeking to improve health care equity, outcomes, …

Online Course Design For Student Centered Learning, Charlotte Nirmalani Gunawardena, Neelakshi Chandrasena Premawardhena

University Libraries & Learning Sciences Faculty and Staff Publications

Agenda

1. Why do we need a paradigm Shift to Student Centered Learning ?

2. What is student centered learning (SCL)?

3. What’s the theoretical basis for SCL?

4. What are the design features of SCL?

5. An example of SCL from the University of Kelaniya

6. A framework for designing SCL

Plasmon-Induced Color And Photochemistry, Paul J. Gieri

Nanoscience and Microsystems ETDs

In recent decades, metallic nanostructures have been extensively studied for a variety of applications due to the ability to support surface plasmons. These excitations, which consist of collective resonant oscillations of the conduction electrons, couple strongly to visible light, confining it into subwavelength volumes. In the first part of this work, we study the optical response of metallic nanostructures supported by metallic substrates. We demonstrate that these systems support a charge transfer plasmon mode, whose frequency is primarily determined by the geometry of the contact area between the nanoparticle and the substrate. In the following part, we exploit this knowledge …

Looking Back, Looking Forward: Women In Criminal Justice Task Force, Maryam Ahranjani

Faculty Scholarship

Since the Criminal Justice Section’s Women in Criminal Justice Task Force launched in November 2018, we have heard from women in criminal law around the country about their experiences with (1) hiring, (2) retention, and (3) promotion of women in criminal justice. We set many goals for ourselves, including hosting listening sessions, publishing columns, and collecting data, and we are proud of all we have accomplished over the past nearly two years.

Counter-Mapping As Display: Unfolding, Revealing, And Concealing Intermediary Spaces, Larson Ellen

Hemisphere: Visual Cultures of the Americas

No abstract provided.

Disciplinary Frontier(S) Between The “Americas”, Helen B. K. Marodin

Hemisphere: Visual Cultures of the Americas

No abstract provided.

José María Arguedas: Mapping The Peruvian Andes For La Prensa, Buenos Aires, Ella Dunne

Hemisphere: Visual Cultures of the Americas

No abstract provided.

Factors Related To Retention And Self-Efficacy Of Special Education Teachers Working With Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder In Tabuk-Saudi Arabia: Teachers’ Interviews, Abdullah M. Alatawi

Special Education ETDs

Special educators' self-efficacy and retention may be negatively impacted due to many factors related to work conditions and internal factors related to teachers themselves. In this qualitative methodology, I aimed to explore factors that influence teachers of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to stay in their careers and factors affecting their self-efficacy to teach students with autism in Tabuk-Saudi Arabia. This study was based upon Bandura's theoretical construct of self-efficacy and conceptual models of special educators' retention. Six participants: four male and two female special educators participated in semi-structured interviews. After using the qualitative data analysis program Dedoose to …

Effect Of Membrane Aging And Operating Conditions On The Rejection Of Trace Organics For Potable Reuse, Jose Pedro Hernandez

Civil Engineering ETDs

The aim of this study is to provide a better understanding of the effect that membrane degradation and operating conditions have on the removal of selected organic compounds via reverse osmosis (RO). Originally, the study included laboratory experiments in which ESPA2-LD membranes from Hydranautics were to be chemically damaged and the passage of the suite of trace organics through the membranes was to be evaluated. Unfortunately, the degradation experiments were cut short due to lab closures associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The study then changed direction to provide insight into the role operating conditions have on the removal of trace …

Predictors Of Recovery In Advocacy-Based Refugee Treatment Outcome: The Role Of Prior Traumatic Experiences And Current Chronic Stressors, Meredith A. Blackwell

Psychology ETDs

Refugees are at an increased vulnerability to mental health disorders compared to citizens of wealthier nations. The present study looks at the symptom trajectories of 290 refugees in a psychosocial community-based participatory intervention. A three-level generalized linear mixed model examined the predictive impact of exposure to trauma and chronic stress at baseline on posttraumatic stress and mood symptoms over time. Results showed that only higher chronic stress at baseline was associated with a steeper decrease in both PTSD and mood scores, but these effects differed by nationality. However, with chronic stress entered as a time-varying covariate instead only African participants …

Effects Of Closed Loop Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation Targeting Slow Oscillation Sleep On Post-Sleep Object Location Learning, Bradley M. Robert

Psychology ETDs

Modulating sleep architecture to augment memory performance can provide valuable insight into how sleep contributes to memory. Slow wave activity has been identified as an important contributor to sleeps impact on memory. While the beneficial role of SWS in offline consolidation is well established research investigating SWS’s role in post-sleep memory formation is limited. Here we investigated the relationship between SWS and post-sleep learning by modulating slow wave oscillations (SWO) with closed loop transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) with an aim toward enhancing learning capacity for object location associations. Thirty-six subjects were randomly assigned to either sham (21) or verum …

Socio-Physical Human Orchestration In Smart Cities, Nathan Patrizi

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

In this thesis, we present a novel socio-physical human orchestration framework to deal with the increasing complexity of smart city environments, by capitalizing on recent advances in game theory and reinforcement learning, with the goal of solving the efficient management of a smart city while improving the quality of life for the humans living in said smart city. This problem has become more challenging as the smart cities have become more complicated and complex with new technologies. In the proposed framework, each human selects a Point of Interest (PoI) that it wants to visit. This selection is performed by acting …

Intrinsic Curvature For Schemes, Pat Lank

Mathematics & Statistics ETDs

This thesis develops an algebraic analog of psuedo-Riemannian geometry for relative schemes whose cotangent sheaf is finite locally free. It is a generalization of the algebraic differential calculus proposed by Dr. Ernst Kunz in an unpublished manuscript to the non-affine case. These analogs include the psuedo-Riemannian metric, Levi-Civit´a connection, curvature, and various existence theorems.

Doe Annual Report 2020, National Technology & Engineering Solutions Of Sandia, Llc (Ntess) And Department Of Energy (Doe)

Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) Permit

Stormwater discharges from industrial activities at Sandia National Laboratories/New Mexico (SNL/NM) are eligible for coverage under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Multi-Sector General Permit (MSGP). This Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) was prepared by National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia (NTESS) for the Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Sandia Field Office (SFO), owner of SNL/NM, located in Albuquerque, NM. This SWPPP was prepared in compliance with the 2015 MSGP (effective June 4, 2015) and includes a description, potential pollutant sources, and control measures for each permitted site; and stormwater monitoring and compliance plans.

Ntess Annual Report 2020, National Technology & Engineering Solutions Of Sandia, Llc (Ntess) And Department Of Energy (Doe)

Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) Permit

Stormwater discharges from industrial activities at Sandia National Laboratories/New Mexico (SNL/NM) are eligible for coverage under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Multi-Sector General Permit (MSGP). This Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) was prepared by National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia (NTESS) for the Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Sandia Field Office (SFO), owner of SNL/NM, located in Albuquerque, NM. This SWPPP was prepared in compliance with the 2015 MSGP (effective June 4, 2015) and includes a description, potential pollutant sources, and control measures for each permitted site; and stormwater monitoring and compliance plans.