Digital Commons Network^™

The Fallout Of The Trinity Test: The Need To Expand Reca To Include New Mexico Downwinders, Angélica Ortega

Natural Resources Journal

The Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (“RECA”), which offers one-time payments to designated individuals who have developed specific diseases and cancers due to radiation exposure, was set to expire on June 10, 2024. On March 7, 2024, the U.S. Senate passed Senate Bill 3853 (“S. 3853”), the “Radiation Exposure Compensation Reauthorization Act” which would continue RECA payments for an additional six years and would allow for more individuals to be eligible for these payments. However, the bill has not become law because it is still pending review by the U.S. Congress. One of the groups that would be eligible for these …

Forging A Sustainable Southwest: The Power Of Collaborative Conservation, Nicolas Estrada

Natural Resources Journal

No abstract provided.

Aerial Robotic Studies Of Volcanic Co2 Emissions, John Ericksen

Computer Science ETDs

Volcanic systems are inherently complex, involving dynamic interactions among magma flow, gas emissions, and atmospheric dispersion. This dissertation focuses on developing and analyzing autonomous UAS algorithms for efficiently surveying volcanic CO2 plumes, introducing several novel methods: the LoCUS algorithm, a swarm coordination and self-healing algorithm that supports gradient-based plume tracking, a transect-based technique that employs a 2D Gaussian fit to calculate CO2 plume flux, and the Sketch algorithm for rapid plume boundary tracing. By treating multiple UAS as a single scientific instrument, these methods leverage swarm algorithms to use in-situ data in ways impossible with individual drones. Validated through simulations …

Before The Streetlights Come On: Black America’S Urgent Call For Climate Solutions, Caroline Dunn

Natural Resources Journal

No abstract provided.

Partnering For Youth Empowerment: Establishing Boys And Girls Clubs In Tribal Communities, Johnny Abeyta Jr.

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

This study examined why Boys and Girls Clubs are not available in every tribal community and explored how culturally grounded youth programs support leadership, identity, and sovereignty. Using Tribal Critical Race Theory, Narrative Inquiry, and Indigenous Research Methods, the study centered the voices of Pueblo leaders, educators, policymakers, and alumni. Interviews identified barriers related to funding, transportation, facilities, and policy alignment. Participants described culture, mentorship, and safe spaces as essential for youth belonging and empowerment. The study introduced the Relational Sovereignty Model, which explains how cultural teachings, shared learning, resilience, and community care work together to support Indigenous youth. The …

Imágenes De Silencio, Compromiso, Persecución Y Tortura: La Teología De La Liberación Y Su Encrucijada Con Las Dictaduras Del Cono Sur Desde Una Representación Cinematográfica, Marcial Martínez

Spanish and Portuguese ETDs

This dissertation examines the interaction between liberation theology and the

dictatorships of the Southern Cone from the 1960s to the 1980s through cinematic

representation. Filmmakers from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay

depict the political upheavals of the time, including the rise of leftist movements,

military regimes, and the influence of liberation theology, a progressive religious

ideology advocating for the oppressed. The study focuses on what is defined here

as the "cinematic canon of liberation theology," a body of films and documentaries

that legitimize, contest, or obscure ideologies tied to this movement vis-à-vis the

dictatorships. These films contest the silence …

Architecture And The Organization Of Labor At Tsegi Phase (Ad 1250-1300) Cliff Dwellings, Navajo National Monument, Katharine M. Williams

Anthropology ETDs

This study focuses on the organization of architectural labor at Betatakin and Keet Seel during the Tsegi Phase (AD 1250-1300). The goal of this project is to identify whether people worked together as households, suprahouseholds, communities, or had specialists come in to build. I document variability in architectural attributes across rooms within individual houses, which is then linked to builder choices, and thus allows for the identification of architectural products associated with discrete production groups. Builders that work together share their decisions to the extent that their output is distinct from the work of others. This project expands on traditional …

Insights Into Fluid-Rock Interactions On The Cv3 Chondrite Parent Body Through The Use Of Secondary Garnets In The Allende Cv3 Chondrite And Terrestrial Skarns, Jessica Marie Johnson

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

Garnets are valuable for studying geologic processes, particularly fluid-rock interactions in terrestrial skarns. This dissertation examines secondary garnets and associated Ca-Fe silicates in Allende-like CV3 chondrites and terrestrial skarns to assess garnets as recorders of fluid-rock interactions. Chapter 2 investigates garnets from the Willsboro-Lewis skarn, revealing that mineral separate techniques misrepresent rare earth element (REE) signatures. Chapter 3 examines garnets and clinopyroxenes from the Victorio Mining District skarn, showing that REE incorporation was controlled by fluid composition rather than crystal chemistry. Chapters 4 and 5 focus on extraterrestrial samples. Chapter 4 finds that garnets and pyroxenes in Allende CV3 matrix …

Peripheral Neuroimmune Mechanisms Of Chronic Back Pain, Aleyah Esther Goins

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Chronic back pain (CBP) affects 1 in 10 people worldwide, reducing mobility, productivity, and quality of life. Despite its prevalence, non-addictive treatments remain limited due to an incomplete understanding of chronic pain mechanisms. This dissertation examines peripheral neuroimmune interactions in CBP using a urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA)-induced mouse model (uPA-CBP). uPA, a pro-inflammatory serine protease, was injected into the L2/L3 lumbar spinous ligament, inducing prolonged mechanical and cold hypersensitivity. Flow cytometry of dorsal root ganglia (DRG) showed increased CD45+CD11b+ myeloid cells in males and CD45+CD3+CD4+ lymphocytes in females. DRG neurons from male uPA-CBP mice exhibited heightened action potential firing. Pharmacological …

Sub Terra, Daniel J. Forest

MFA Thesis Exhibit Catalogs

Abstract

Sub Terra is an immersive exhibition that renders intangible states of mind through sculptural installation. These constructions speak to internalized angst and complexity, mirroring what is seldom looked at, witnessed, or acknowledged. Many symbolic elements are suspended from either the walls and ceiling or within constructed frames, evoking entanglement. My work is an attempt to express the emotion turmoil inherent to living in an increasingly bureaucratic society and its effect on someone with an anxiety disorder.

The fabrication entails several broad skill sets, requiring familiarity with psychology, physiology, fine woodworking, ceramics, felting, and drafting. Preliminary sketches guided construction and …

Policy Analysis Of Assessments To Award Seals Of Biliteracy In Spanish In The United States, Lisa J. Harmon-Martínez

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

The Seal of Biliteracy (SoBL) honors high school graduates demonstrating proficiency in two or more languages, yet its policies often perpetuate inequities. Focusing on New Mexico and Spanish language assessments, I explored how the SoBL's recognition of bilingualism intersects with biases against Spanish speakers. While the SoBL aims to celebrate bilingualism, disparities arise from state-to-state variations in assessment requirements, particularly affecting Spanish-speaking students and those receiving English Language Development services. Many states rely on standardized exams that inadequately capture students’ linguistic abilities, exacerbating inequalities. Using an Open Systems policy framework and Translanguaging theory, which values students’ full linguistic repertoires, I …

The Role-Space Of Italian Sign Language Educational Interpreters: An Ethnographic Case Study Of Interpreters At The Istituto Comprensivo Di Cossato, Martin A. Crudo

Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies ETDs

This dissertation explores the role-space of educational interpreters at IC Cossato, an Italian public school known for its Bilingualism Project promoting LIS-Italian bilingualism and biliteracy (Rivisto, 2016; Teruggi, 2003). Role-space theory (Lee, 2023; Llewellyn-Jones & Lee, 2013, 2014) conceptualizes interpreters’ roles as dynamic and co-constructed with interlocutors along three axes: Presentation of Self, Interaction Management, and Participant Alignment. Through ethnographic interviews (Spradley, 2016), observations and field notes (Emerson et al. 2011; Glesne, 2016), and policy artifacts (Hornberger & Johnson, 2011), I investigate how three interpreters in IC Cossato’s elementary school perceive and enact their roles, often diverging from their …

Instability-Driven Phase Separation For Quantum Structure Formation In Iii-V Semiconductors, Leonid Miroshnik

Chemical and Biological Engineering ETDs

High temperature phase instability limits the performance of III-V zinc blende semiconductor devices. A technique using an encapsulant and sacrificial layer is developed to reduce thermal degradation by group V sublimation during thermal processing of InGaAs/GaAs structures. This technique is successful in preventing As sublimation and preserving an atomically smooth surface required for surface-sensitive characterization. The degradation of the GaAsSb/InP interface by phase separation is studied. Significant interdiffusion and intermixing occurs due to the formation of a molten InSb at the interface. The intermixing is driven by phase separation and melting of the InSb interfacial layer that enhances atomic mobility. …

Algorithms To Estimate Contours: Two Applications Of Analytical Tools In Differential Geometry And Topology, Mohammad Abirul Islam

Computer Science ETDs

We develop distributed robotics algorithms with analytical tools needed to define and analyze angle turned and distance traversed by robots executing geometric algorithms. We then use these analytical tools to obtain information, via sensor measurements, about an a priori unknown surface. Our contributions are threefold. First, we develop the Sketch Algorithm, which estimates the boundary of any unknown contour and is asymptotically optimal in terms of distance traversed and angle turned. Second, we present experimental field work that validates the Sketch Algorithm. Finally, we propose an approach to find multiple sources of a surface with potential applications to approximate that …

Perceptions Of Bullying In A Public Charter School, Ana I. Perea

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

ABSTRACT

Bullying is perceived in different ways according to the experience or training of individuals. In my practice, adults often misidentify disputes or incidents as bullying due to a lack of evidence or varying perceptions. This problem must be a theme of reflection for all stakeholders in traditional or charter schools. My study aimed to understand how teachers and parents perceive bullying in terms of social implications, cultural factors, and professional training. In my research, I provided insight into how the stakeholders in a public charter school perceive this phenomenon. The participants highlighted their perceptions and topics of communication, exclusion, …

05-20-25 Board Of Regents Notice Of Meeting, Patricia Serna

HSC Committee (A subcommittee of the UNM Board of Regents)

Publish 05-20-25 Board of Regents Notice of Meeting

Exercise And Its Regulation Of Toll-Like Receptor 4 Expression And Intracellular Signaling, Jeremy B. Ducharme

Health, Exercise, and Sports Sciences ETDs

Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) activation increases pro-inflammatory cytokine production and upregulation of muscle atrophy signaling pathways. Exercise is recommended to reduce TLR4 expression and intracellular signaling, but the mechanisms for how this occurs are unknown, and even less is known regarding the effect of exercise on TLR4 expressed in skeletal muscle. Activation of TLR4 expressed on skeletal muscle can elicit local metabolic and atrophic effects in addition to systemic inflammation from TLR4 activation on immune cells. Therefore, the purpose of this dissertation project is to better uncover the nature and mechanisms by which exercise affects TLR4 expression and intracellular signaling …

Reconfiguration-Driven Assembly Of Inorganic Nanomembranes, Divya Jyoti Prakash

Chemical and Biological Engineering ETDs

This thesis focuses on the guided self-assembly of metastable nanomembranes (NMs) that are either amorphous or polycrystalline. Guided self-assembly of NMs is a robust and scalable method to obtain a variety of three-dimensional structures such as helices, rolled-up tubes, and networks of interconnected channels. These 3D structures have important applications as on-chip actuators, sensors, inductors, transformers, waveguides, and antennas. Furthermore, a large amount of strain and strain gradient can be imparted in NMs by bending them to a nanoscale and microscale radius of curvature, making guided self-assembly on NMs a viable route to extreme strain engineering of amorphous and polycrystalline …

Rootless - The Body Remembers What The Mind Has Forgotten, Helena Omana-Zapata

Latin American Studies ETDs

In repurposing academic spaces for healing, this project is meant to culminate in an artefact that aligns with decolonial educational practices, focusing on accessibility. In doing so, this project braids multimodality, re-represented history, and testimonio of various genres: personal narrative, Latinx story and resistance, critical examination of history and reproductions of information to depict my experience of detaching from cultural identity through assimilation and acculturation in the United States in education. In what I have called the process of leaving me rootless, I no longer had access to the places, people, identity, or language that established belonging. However, through …

Neurodevelopmental And Environmental Mechanisms Of Invasion, Proliferation, And Tumor Cell Fate Specification In Glioblastoma, Bianca Lynn Myers

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Glioblastomas (GBMs) are the most aggressive primary brain tumors, and despite over 50 years of research efforts, the median survival remains at 14 months post-diagnosis. The current standard of care consists of maximal surgical resection radiotherapy with concurrent chemotherapy using temozolomide. However, the highly proliferative and invasive nature of GBM cells renders total resection nearly impossible as tumor cells invade the surrounding healthy tissue. The molecular and environmental drivers of these tumorigenic phenotypes are largely unknown. Here, we demonstrate that the neurodevelopmental transcription factor ASCL1 enhances tumor cell proliferation and invasion while activating the expression of a neural stem cell …

Rootless - The Body Remembers What The Mind Has Forgotten, Helena Omana-Zapata

Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies ETDs

In repurposing academic spaces for healing, this project is meant to culminate in an artefact that aligns with decolonial educational practices, focusing on accessibility. In doing so, this project braids multimodality, re-represented history, and testimonio of various genres: personal narrative, Latinx story and resistance, critical examination of history and reproductions of information to depict my experience of detaching from cultural identity through assimilation and acculturation in the United States in education. In what I have called the process of leaving me rootless, I no longer had access to the places, people, identity, or language that established belonging. However, through …

Pathways To Physical Education Teacher Education: Understanding Pete Faculty Careers And Lives, Alexander Eugene Kurtzman

Health, Exercise, and Sports Sciences ETDs

Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) faculty play a critical role in shaping the future of physical education through teaching, research, and service. However, their career trajectories and professional experiences remain underexamined in the PETE literature. This dissertation combines two studies, one is a mixed-methods study and the second is a qualitative study which explore the complex pathways and socialization processes of PETE faculty. Study 1 investigated PETE faculty members’ perceptions of how prior K–12 physical education teaching experience influences their work in higher education. Drawing on Occupational Socialization Theory (OST) and the Faculty Role Socialization Model (FRSM), data from 53 …

Integrating Zotero With Your Writing: From Research To Publication, Evelyn Wang

HSLIC Faculty and Staff Instructional Resources

This workshop presentation offers a comprehensive guide to using Zotero for research and academic writing. It covers installation and configuration, efficient reference collection, organization through collections and tags, citation insertion, bibliography generation in word processors, PDF management (including annotation and full-text search), and advanced features such as collaboration tools, custom citation styles, and ZoteroBib. The session is designed to enhance researchers’ and writers’ efficiency in managing references throughout the research and publication process.

Maria Firmina Dos Reis: The Erasure Of An Author And The Recuperation Of A Legacy, Anderson Gomes Barbosa

Spanish and Portuguese ETDs

The very first woman to write a novel in Brazil was Afro-Brazilian: Maria Firmina dos Reis published Ursula in 1859. The novel, published with her own savings, was the first abolitionist piece ever written in the country in which Black enslaved characters were treated as equals to white ones. Tragically, the book disappeared from shelves in Brazil for almost a century. Maria Firmina was not only Afro-Brazilian and a woman, but also from Nordeste, a region that is discriminated against by other parts of Brazil. I believe her erasure in the Brazilian literary canon was not a mere …

Empowering Guideline Searching With Guidelines Resources, Evelyn Wang

HSLIC Faculty and Staff Instructional Resources

This workshop presentation, "Empowering Guideline Searching with Guidelines Resources," provides a comprehensive overview of major resources and effective strategies for locating clinical practice guidelines. The session introduces key platforms-including ECRI Guidelines Trust, Guideline Central, PubMed, and CINAHL-and demonstrates how to leverage professional society websites and Google search techniques to access authoritative, evidence-based guidelines. Attendees learn to compare resource features, apply advanced search filters, and ensure access to the most current recommendations for clinical decision-making. The presentation also highlights integration with HSLIC resources and support for point-of-care use.

Música E Identidad Mexicana En Eua: Puentes Y Desafíos En La Creación De De Comunidad, Carlos Arellano

LAII Events

Taller para estudiantes y el público en general, con el objetivo de reflexionar colectivamente sobre el impacto que tiene la música mexicana en distintas comunidades de origen mexicano. Se verán de manera general los géneros musicales mexicanos, y las maneras en que promueven convivencia y un sentido de pertenencia e identidad de man era transnacional. Se verán, también, los retos que algunas comunidades enfrentan para mantener sus lazos identitarios.

Register here.

Eviction Sealing: A Lifeline In The Fight For Housing Justice, Allison Freedman

Faculty Scholarship

In January 2023, the White House released a Blueprint for a Renters Bill of Rights. The Blueprint called for immediate sealing of eviction case filings to reduce the likelihood that tenants would be locked out of future housing opportunities without the chance to defend themselves. Shortly thereafter, the Federal Trade Commission and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued a request for public comment on how the use of eviction records and screening algorithms may affect tenant housing opportunities and drive discriminatory outcomes. The eviction crisis, its discriminatory effects, and the idea that sealing eviction records may provide a solution to …

Functional Analysis Of Chromatin Remodeler Csb In Parp1/2- Mediated Oxidative Dna Lesion Repair, Rabeya Bilkis

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

The ATP-dependent chromatin remodeler Cockayne syndrome protein B (CSB) is essential for maintaining genome integrity. Mutations in CSB are the primary cause of Cockayne syndrome (CS), a premature aging disorder with severe sun sensitivity and neurodevelopmental symptoms. However, the precise mechanisms underlying the disease etiology remain poorly understood. Given the critical roles of oxidative stress in aging and neurodegenerative disorders, this research sought to determine the mechanisms of CSB’s functions in oxidative DNA damage repair.

In the first aim, we investigated how CSB participates in PARP1/2-mediated oxidative DNA repair. We showed that PARP1 and PARP2 recruit CSB to oxidized chromatin …

Intelligent Crowdsourcing Based On Online Social Networks, Adedamola Adesokan

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

The prevalence of Online Social Networks has completely changed how individuals communicate and cooperate. This dissertation explores the integration of intelligent crowdsourcing mechanisms into OSNs, focusing on game theory, reinforcement learn- ing, and social network dynamics to enhance the allocation of tasks, participation by users, and distribution of rewards. It proposes several models that utilize trust- based models, hedonic coalition games, and influencer dynamics for optimization of crowdsourcing. The major challenges to be addressed include task selection, reward distribution, and incentivizing participation, taking into consideration aspects re- lated to social influence, trust, and user engagement. The models so proposed have …

A Neutrosophic Approach For Opponent Analysis And Game Strategy Formulation In College Volleyball, Bogang Huang

Neutrosophic Sets and Systems

No abstract provided.