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Analysis Of Water Usage And Greenhouse Gas Emissions As Transition Fuel From Coal To Natural Gas In San Juan County, New Mexico, Tahereh Kookhaei

Civil Engineering ETDs

Abstract

Coal is a major contributor to various environmental issues, making the transition to alternative energy sources essential for reducing environmental impacts and combating climate change. San Juan County in New Mexico has historically depended on coal-fired power plants for producing electricity. However, due to environmental and economic pressures, there is a move to reassess energy strategies. This study explores the transition from coal to natural gas (NG) in San Juan County, with a focus on assessing changes in water usage and emissions (CO₂, NO_x, and SO₂) at the Four Corners (coal-fired) and Afton …

Summary Report Of Discussions At The Ana Forum 2024, Berkeley, Ca “How Can The North American Nepali Diaspora Contribute To Nepal’S Economic Development?”,, Ambika P. Adhikari

Himalayan Research Papers Archive

The ANA 2024 annual convention, organized on ANA’s 42nd founding anniversary, was held in the San Francisco Bay Area (Berkeley and Oakland) in California, where hundreds of ANA members and friends had gathered. The convention consisted of several forums, sessions, and cultural programs. As always, the convention included a Nepal-related forum “How Can the North American Nepali Diaspora Contribute to Nepal’s Economic Development?” The Forum took place from 1:30-2:30 pm on Saturday July 20, 2024. Four panelists, including the moderator, spoke at the forum. About 45-50 individuals attended the session. Guest panelist, Dr. Minendra Rijal sent a message as he …

Narratives On Nepal’S Coalition Politics, Ashis Adhikary

Himalayan Research Papers Archive

On 2nd July 2024, the Communist Party of Nepal- United Marxist Leninist (UML) struck a power-sharing deal with its earlier nemesis, the Nepali Congress (NC), and formed a new coalition. Surprisingly, UML left its ruling ally, the Maoist Center (MC) barely four months after joining hands. Coalition politics in Nepal ages old but this newly formed coalition nonplussed the analyst and political sphere. There are scattered and obstinate market narratives regarding this coalition. A gap exists in thematically framing those narrations. Therefore, this paper thematically presents those scattered narrations under three levels: individual, state, and system. At the individual level, …

The Role Of Elevation In The Migration, Physiology, And Genomic Diversification Of Birds, Jessie L. Williamson

Biology ETDs

Elevational gradients cause profound eco-climatic variation across short distances. Partial pressure of oxygen (PO₂) is a severe challenge that organisms face at high elevations; due partly to specialization on PO₂, most Neotropical bird species have narrow elevational ranges. However, a small fraction are elevational generalists that span sea level to high elevations, and a subset undertake extreme migratory journeys from low to high elevations biannually. My dissertation combines diverse approaches across levels of biological organization to understand how elevation impacts the ecology, evolution, physiology, and migration of montane birds. I examined ‘extreme’ elevational …

Teachers’ Self-Reported Practices Of Teaching Academic Writing In Pakistani Universities, Hafiz Yar

Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies ETDs

This study has explored teachers’ self-reported practices of teaching academic writing in Pakistani universities. The English language based developmental literacy courses in Pakistani undergraduate degrees are offered as part of the curricula rather than through specialized language centers. The three-course progression of developmental English literacy in Pakistani undergraduate curricula aims to develop academic writing proficiency besides effective business communication and technical report writing skills.

This study has used generic qualitative research methodology (Caelli et al., 2003; Kahlke, 2014; Kostere & Kostere, 2021), snowball sampling for participant recruitment, and a combination of survey and one-to-one semi structured interviews for data collection. …

Engineered Nucleic-Acid Binding Intrinsically Disordered Proteins For Biomedical Applications, Telmo Diez Perez

Biomedical Engineering ETDs

This dissertation explores the use of intrinsically disorder proteins (IDPs) in biomedical applications related to the detection and biosensing of nucleic-acid species. We engineer several low critical solution temperature (LCST) nucleic-acid binding elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs) as model IDPs and study their potential in biomedical application via interactions with short single-stranded (ss) DNA, tRNA and viral RNAs. First, we engineer a simple polycationic ELP capable of recruiting DNA on demand in a DNA-protein-rich condensate via LLPS. Moreover, we develop a modified Flory-Huggins theory to quantify the partitioning of DNA and protein upon coacervate formation with and without salts. We then design …

Crowdstrike Cyber Incident Vs. Past Major Cyber Incidents: Analysis And Solutions, Priyant Banerjee

Himalayan Research Papers Archive

On July 19, 2024, a technical malfunction in CrowdStrike’s Falcon sensor software led to a global ITdisruption, affecting millions of devices across multiple sectors. This incident, although not a direct cyber-attack, caused significant operational upheavals reminiscent of major past cyber incidents. This paperexplores the CrowdStrike incident in detail, compares it with previous major cyber events, and proposescomprehensive solutions to mitigate such risks in the future.The faulty update from CrowdStrike resulted in widespread system crashes, notably the "Blue Screen ofDeath," paralyzing operations in critical sectors such as healthcare, finance, and transportation. The paperexamines the immediate and cascading effects of the incident, …

Operators Based On Multiple Generalized Set-Valued Neutrosophic Quadruple Sets, Abdullah Kargın, Memet Şahin, Kübra Arıtı Şiğva

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems

In this study, as a generalized form of multiple valued neutrosophic numbers and neutrosophic quadruple numbers, multiple generalized set-valued neutrosophic quadruple numbers and sets are defined and their basic properties are given. Thus, a new structure is obtained in which multi-valued neutrosophic sets and neutrosophic quadruple sets are used together. Also, optimistic union, pessimistic union, average union, pessimistic intersection, optimistic intersection, average intersection operators are defined for multiple generalized set-valued neutrosophic quadruples. Thus, multiple generalized set-valued neutrosophic quadruple sets were made usable in decision-making applications. Researchers can obtain more objective results in decision making applications by using these operators.

Neutrosophic Sets And Systems, Vol. 70,2024, Florentin Smarandache, Mohamed Abdel-Basset, Said Broumi

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems

the whole volume

Periodic Information Leakage Fault Detection On A Risc-V Microprocessor, Idris Somoye

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

The execution behavior of a Microprocessor (μP) in the presence of a fault is difficult to predict because of the complex interactions across pipeline stages and between functional units within the architecture. Fault effects are known to not introduce any type of anomaly in the input-output behavior for 10s of thousands to millions of clock cycles. These characteristics increase the difficulty of evaluating μP architectures for resilience to information leakage events, i.e., scenarios where a fault causes sensitive data such as an encryption key to be inadvertently diverted to a primary output channel. This dissertation explores two promising strategies for …

Excited State Processes In Radical Elaborated Platinum Donor-Acceptor Complexes, Sangita Paudel

Chemistry and Chemical Biology ETDs

Organo-transition metal complexes are being widely studied to understand their photophysical properties for their wide range of applications as efficient emitters in organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs), light emitting electrochemical cells (LEECs), etc. Cyclometalated organo-transition metal complexes such as cyclometalated square planar platinum(II) complexes are becoming suitable candidates for such applications because of their highly efficient luminescence. Understanding the excited properties of such complexes is useful in designing highly efficient and color tunable phosphors with desired excited state lifetimes. We aim to explore the influence of radical substituents on electronic structure, luminescence quantum efficiencies, and excited state lifetimes by synthesizing …

Secondary Electron Yield Of Metals, Alloys, And Metal Oxides From First Principles Based Monte Carlo Simulations, Raul E. Gutierrez

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

Density Functional Theory (DFT) based Monte Carlo (MC) simulations of the Sec-
ondary Electron Yield (SEY) of metals, alloys, and metal oxides are performed to
find material properties that could help reduce or influence the multipactor effect.
In order to accurately model the SEY of materials, knowledge of the frequency- and
momentum-dependent Energy Loss Function (qDepELF) is required. The qDepELF
is difficult to determine from experiment; however, it can be calculated from first
principles. The DFT-MC approach for simulating the secondary electron genera-
tion, propagation, and emission processes is described herein. Material properties,
which are calculated using DFT and used …

Labor Market Penalties For Foreign Degrees Among College Educated Immigrants: Update Using 2018 Data, Eunice T. Ajibade

Economics ETDs

This paper revisits the questions posed by Arbeit and Warren in their 2013 study, "Labor market penalties for foreign degrees among college-educated immigrants," using updated data from the 2018 National Survey of College Graduates (NSCG). The original study, which analyzed data from 2003, focused on the economic and employment disadvantages faced by immigrants with degrees from foreign institutions in an increasingly globalized workforce. This updated analysis includes data on 21,071 college-educated immigrants to explore whether the geographic origin of an academic degree continues to influence access to high-quality employment opportunities and whether such impacts differ by gender. My findings reveal …

Mixed Potential Sensor For Natural Gas Leak Detection Design, Manufacturing, And Simulation, Sleight Halley

Chemical and Biological Engineering ETDs

There is a need for a low-cost robust sensor accurately detecting leaks from oil and gas infrastructure. This work presents the development of an electrochemical sensor based on an yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) electrolyte with La_0.87Sr_0.13CrO₃, Indium Tin Oxide (In₂O₃ 90 wt%, SnO₂ 10 wt%), Au, Pt electrodes. Selectivity to target gasses of the three sensing electrodes in conjunction with machine learning allows for the accurate discrimination between possible methane sources as well as the quantification of methane concentration. Sensor sensitivity is improved through a low-ionic conductivity substrate of magnesia …

Validating Reward And Relief Drinking Phenotypes: A Multimethod Assessment, Victoria R. Votaw

Psychology ETDs

Recent work has examined the extent to which individuals seek alcohol to enhance positive experiences (reward drinking) or relieve aversive states (relief drinking). Although reward/relief drinking subgroups moderate response to two medications for alcohol use disorder (AUD), naltrexone and acamprosate, limitations of reward/relief drinking measures could hinder efforts to translate findings to clinical practice. This dissertation project aimed to validate a brief, practical measure of reward/relief drinking, the Reward and Relief Inventory of Drinking Situations (RR-IDS). Among 426 participants with AUD enrolled in a clinical trial of naltrexone and acamprosate (Study 1), we identified RR-IDS items free of bias across …

Substance Use Patterns Among Muslim American Young Adults: A Mixed Methods Design Assessing Risk And Protective Factors, Donia Hijaz

Psychology ETDs

Muslim Americans are underrepresented in the addictions literature. This mixed methods study sought to examine the frequency of substance use, and identify risk/protective factors of at-risk substance use. Young adults (N = 289; M_age = 22.68, SD = 3.42; 50.9% male) from around the U.S. who identified as Muslim American or from a Muslim background completed a survey. Given that several measures had not been validated with Muslim American samples, open-ended questions were included at the end of those measures. Findings revealed low rates of lifetime substance use in the current sample, preventing any quantitative analyses surrounding risk …

Geospatial Analysis Of Environmental, Tick, And Host Interactions With Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever In The Southwestern United States, Al Ekram Elahee Hridoy

Geography ETDs

This study examines the spatiotemporal distribution and determinants of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF) incidence in Arizona from 2006 to 2021. Utilizing climate variables, land cover types, and socio-economic indicators, we employed Negative Binomial Regression, Spatial autocorrelation, and Random Forest-based classification to identify key predictors and patterns of RMSF spread. Results indicate positive correlations between RMSF incidence and precipitation and shrub cover, while veterinary access, forest cover, and relative humidity show negative associations. Spatial analysis revealed significant case clustering, with limited veterinary access associated with higher RMSF incidence. A Random Forest-based predictive model was developed to identify potential tick-host interactions, …

Adaptive Immune Profiling Of Sin Nombre Hantavirus And Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Infection, Tonilynn M. Baranowski

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Hantaviruses are causative agents of potentially fatal respiratory illness and/or organ failure in humans worldwide. In the United States, the predominant hantavirus species, Sin Nombre hantavirus (SNV), causes a severe disease pathology, called hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS). Infection with SNV and subsequent clinical manifestations of HCPS lends itself to case fatality rates approaching 40%, even under supportive care. This is partially due to the lack of FDA-approved vaccines and antivirals, in addition to a deficit in our knowledge regarding the human immune response to SNV. Further investigation of the adaptive immune response may reveal key targets to mediate disease outcome. …

The Feasibility Of An Acute Bout Of High Intensity Interval Vs Continuous Moderate-Intensity Exercise On Cognition In Chronic Stroke Patients, Anna M. Welch, Marissa Ramirez, Christine Mermier, Flavio De Castro Magalhaes, Jessia D. Richardson, Alyssa Bailly, Terence Moriarty

Health, Exercise, and Sports Sciences ETDs

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to assess the feasibility of chronic stroke patients safely completing an acute 30-minute session of high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE) compared to moderate-intensity aerobic exercise (MIE) on a treadmill, with a focus on cognitive outcomes. Design: This feasibility study utilized a randomized controlled crossover trial with two experimental sessions separated by at least 7 days to minimize practice effects on cognitive assessments. Subjects: Five chronic stroke survivors (m=4, f=1) participated in two randomly assigned experimental sessions (n=5, 60.4 ± 11.3 years, 39.8 ± 41.4% body fat, 32.7±6.3 body mass index [kg/m²])., either a …

Negation In Dene Languages, Cormac League

Linguistics ETDs

This thesis uses a typologically informed approach to investigate the strategies used for negation in Dene languages. This study illuminates aspects of the development of negation by examining the complex interplay between the lexical forms and morphosyntactic strategies employed to encode negative polarity in declarative and prohibitive constructions. The theoretical frameworks of the Jespersen Cycle and the Negative Existential Cycle are utilized to discuss negators in relation to their possible origins. Particular attention is given to the Pacific Coast and Southern Dene languages to propose an origin for the bipartite negation strategies used in the later. Through examination of synchronic …

Tuning Of Real-Time Optimization Of Heliostat Concentrated Solar Power, Zachary L. Bernius

Mechanical Engineering ETDs

This paper investigates a real-time optimization algorithm for autonomously calibrating the heliostats in a concentrated solar power plant with the goal of maximizing power generation. The current state-of-the-art uses human operators to provide feedback for the heliostats. We use real-time/online measurements to produce an autonomous closed-loop system that does not require human intervention. The paper investigates tuning the gain of the real-time optimization algorithm to quickly and robustly converge to the optimal alignment and stabilize the system. The exponential stability of the system is certified using a quadratic Lyapunov function and static output feedback methods to couple the Lyapunov functions …

Unequal Neighbors In Diverse Neighborhoods: Accounting For Variation In The Impact Of Relative Inequality On Neighborhood Crime, Samuel A. Torres

Sociology ETDs

Research demonstrates that crime rate differences across racially segregated urban communities are primarily attributable to uneven distributions of resources between neighborhoods. Less is known about the role economic inequality within neighborhoods, what I call relative inequality, plays in maintaining ethno-racial criminal disparities. In this dissertation I explore sources of variation in the impact of relative inequality on neighborhood crime by drawing on data from the 2010-2013 National Neighborhood Crime Study Panel (NNCS2-P). I find that relative inequality effects are attenuated in higher disadvantage neighborhoods and this interaction accounts for differences in effect size by neighborhood ethno-racial composition. Results also show …

“How I Dress Is No One’S Business!”: Fashion As A Subversive Language Of Resistance Among Female Christian Celebrities In Ghana, Amanda E. Gyesi

Communication ETDs

Influenced by burgeoning literature on feminism and feminist theories, specifically within the African context, I analyze the intersection of religion and celebrity culture among a select group of women in Ghana. Using the African feminist critical discourse analysis, guided by Stuart Hall’s encoding and decoding model, this research examines how female Christian celebrities in Ghana enact resistance, project their agency, and shape their identities through their fashion statements and sartorial choices, hence contributing to the broader discourse on fashion communication among religious women.

Through a critical analysis of Instagram comments and YouTube interview transcripts, I argue that fashion communication among …

(Dis)Connecting Incommensurable Relationalities: Aesthetics Of Desirable Citizenship & Interethnic Solidarity In Vietnamese/American Diasporic Media, Anh A. T. Nguyen

Communication ETDs

Employing critical diasporic rhetoric to articulate the pull and push glimmer of essentialist and nationalistic agendas of constructing Vietnamese diasporic subjectivities, I elucidate the complicated structure of diasporic nationalism that gives shape to ambiguities, paradoxes, and contradictions of Vietnamese diasporic withdrawal and regroupment in interethnic politics. Through three case studies explicating Vietnamese diasporic responses to the Chinese virus rhetorics, the appearance of the South Vietnamese flag on January 6 Capitol grounds, and the Atlanta shootings in Saigon Broadcasting Television Networks (SBTN), I highlight how Vietnamese diasporic authorities perform and enact citizenships of becoming desirable, which elevates oppressive forces of ideological …

Grievability And The Contingency Of Life Value In Twenty-First-Century Science Fiction, Emily A. Reiff

English Language and Literature ETDs

Using Judith Butler’s framework of grievability, this dissertation explores twenty-first-century science fiction by British, Irish, and Caribbean authors whose novels grapple with legacies of colonialism and imperialism that relied on dehumanization and subjugation. Beginning with Sarah Maria Griffin’s Spare and Found Parts (2016), chapter one explores neocolonial rationales—purportedly based on health—which recreate colonial divisions of class and labor and enforce systems of diminishing grievability in a post-apocalyptic Irish context. Chapter two contends that Kazuo Ishiguro’s Klara and the Sun (2021) illustrates the danger inherent to value systems that center “normative” embodiment in worlds that reconfigure hypercapacitated human beings as the …

Fabrication And Characterization Of A Monolithic Photonic Integrated Circuit With High-Aspect Ratio Photonic Device Structures, Sami A. Nazib

Optical Science and Engineering ETDs

The focus of this work was to create a process to fabricate an InP-based Photonic Integrated Circuit (PIC). The design of the PIC required the photonic components of this device to be created by deep etching of an epitaxially-grown multilayer structure. Therefore, a novel dry etching process was developed to produce very high aspect- ratio (HAR) features. This process not only involved the development of dry etch chemistry but also the engineering of a metal mask structure. The next step of the challenge was to use a polymer-based material that would have two functions: cladding for the etched photonic components …

Understanding Longitudinal Top-Down Cracking To Enhance Asphalt Mix Design, Md Mehedi Hasan

Civil Engineering ETDs

This study focuses on developing a deformation rate-dependent bilinear constitutive equation for cohesive zone modeling of asphalt concrete's fracture process zone to accurately predict the longitudinal top-down crack initiation and propagation. A mathematical model has been developed for the AC materials' deformation rate-dependent cohesive zone fracture characteristics and incorporated into the ABAQUS software as a customized user element subroutine (UEL). The developed model has been validated by comparing the simulation results with the laboratory test results, which show good agreement with the results. In addition, an enhanced asphalt mix design approach, referred to as SP5, has been developed to mitigate …

Thermal Oxidative Degradation Of Polystyrene Plastics Used For Food Packaging During Incomplete Waste Incineration, Maycee Hurd

Civil Engineering ETDs

We identified the physical and chemical degradation of polystyrene (PS) plastic used for food packaging after thermal oxidative weathering. Open waste incineration is a widely used waste management practice in isolated and underserved communities. However, the generation of partially incinerated plastics and microplastics (MPs) from this practice is overlooked. Near surface XPS C 1s high resolution analyses show an increase in the intensity of peaks greater than 285 eV corresponding to C/O bonds after burning of PS. Bulk analyses using ATR-FTIR show that thermal oxidation decreased the alkene (3040-3000 cm-1) and alkane (3000-2850 cm-1) C-H stretch signals suggesting PS chain …

Evaluation Of Machine Learning Algorithms And Statistical Analysis For Predicting Crash Severity And Determining Contributing Factors: A Comparative Study, Arian Golrokh Amin

Civil Engineering ETDs

Improving road traffic safety relies on the ability to accurately predict traffic crashes and understand the factors contributing to severe injuries. This study employs a dual approach, utilizing both statistical analysis and machine-learning methodologies. Initially, statistical analyses such as chi-squared tests and Cramer's V values are applied to a decade's worth of police report data from Albuquerque, New Mexico, to identify primary causal factors behind crashes. Subsequently, machine-learning models are developed and rigorously compared to predict the severity of traffic crash injuries. The selection of the most effective algorithm is based on comprehensive metrics including accuracy, precision, recall, and F1 …

Differential River Incision Due To Quaternary Faulting On The Río Jemez-Salado System At The Million-Year Timescale, Cameron Reed

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

Analysis of long-term average bedrock incision rates along the Río Salado-Jemez system using fluvial terraces can be used to test and quantify the hypothesis that differential river incision reflects Quaternary fault slip during ongoing uplift of the Jemez and Nacimiento Mountains. Terrace flights were correlated from the Arroyo Peñasco to the Río Salado near the southern nose of the Nacimiento and along the Río Jemez. Using highest/oldest river terraces, resulting bedrock incision values average out glacial/interglacial cycles and are interpreted to reflect differential uplift. For previously mapped and correlated terraces, we applied lidar datasets to refine strath heights. We also …