Digital Commons Network^™

Navajo Speech Recognition Using Low-Resource Language Models, Emery M. Sutherland

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

This thesis describes the development of a speech recognition system to classify Navajo (Dine) words using Low Resource Language (LRL) datasets. Presently there are no recognized high-quality open-sourced datasets for the Dine language needed to train models for speech recognition. A small balanced dataset was designed to train several models. To overcome the scarcity of the LRL dataset, the audio recordings were augmented to account for time-stretching, amplitude variations, time shifts, small amounts of white Gaussian noise, and SpecAugmentation. The models included a Recurrent Neural Network (RNN), a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), and a Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) model with …

Rf Emission From Partial Breakdown Events And Their Classification, Torin Sammeth

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

Electrical breakdown is a core component of Pulse Power both in its utilization and as a failure point in systems. This research is investigating the feasibility of D-dot antennas to detect and potentially identify different forms of partial electrical breakdown in a point-to-plane gap geometry. In this work, the RF emission detected by a D-dot probe during a partial breakdown event is shown to correlate with the presence of light and current using a fast-current transformer and photomultiplier tube. Additionally, the frequency components of the RF signal were measured with the use of a fast Fourier transform. Identifying these frequencies …

Life After Death: Investigating The Resistance And Recovery Of Fungal Communities To Foundation Tree Mortality, Jessie F. Marlenee

Biology ETDs

Tree mortality can have cascading effects on the composition and resilience of interacting fungal communities. Yet, little is known about the impact tree mortality, distinct from abiotic drivers (i.e., drought), has on these communities. This dissertation focuses on the resilience of fungal communities to experimental tree mortality in a piñon-juniper woodland. In chapter one, I found that piñon mortality reduced piñon fine root biomass and piñon mycorrhizal fungal diversity, whereas juniper mycorrhizal fungi were unaffected by juniper mortality. In chapter two, I revealed that piñon mortality altered the composition and spatial structure of mycorrhizal and saprotrophic fungi in the soil, …

Eyes On The Road: Disentagling Cyclist Mental Workload At Intersections, James Joseph Rawson

Civil Engineering ETDs

In North America, cyclists often share infrastructure with motor vehicles and encounter frequent conflicts with them at intersections. While past research assumes cyclists' experiences mirror those of drivers, most studies focus on roadway segments rather than intersections. This study addresses that gap by, for the first time we are aware of, examining cyclist perceptions at intersections using head and gaze movement data. Leveraging naturalistic data conducted in Albuquerque New Mexico, and statistical techniques, including t-test and repeated measures ANOVA, our findings suggest that – similar to drivers - cyclists do experience greater mental workload when performing turning movements than when …

Leveraging Attention Mechanism To Unlock Gene And Protein Attributes, Ala Jararweh

Computer Science ETDs

Advancing personalized medicine depends on effectively integrating and interpreting the vast, heterogeneous landscape of biological data, from genomic sequences and transcriptomics to the insights embedded in scientific literature. Current machine learning models often focus on single data modalities, limiting their capacity to capture the multifaceted nature of biological systems. We address this gap by developing three attention-based machine-learning models integrating diverse data modalities. Firstly, DeepVul is a multi-task model that leverages cancer transcriptome data to predict genes critical for cancer survival and their corresponding drugs. Subsequently, LitGene refines gene representations by integrating textual information from the scientific literature. Finally, Protein2Text …

Nanostructured Transition Metal Oxides For Electrochemical Co2 And Methane Conversion, Olumide O. Oladoyin

Chemical and Biological Engineering ETDs

Rising atmospheric CO₂ and CH₄ drive climate change, prompting research into their electrochemical conversion to valuable products. This study investigates electrodeposited nanostructured transition metal oxides (TMOs), unary (CuO, Co₃O₄) and dual (Cu-Co oxide) as catalysts for CO₂ reduction and CH₄ oxidation under ambient conditions. Fabricated on various substrates (Cu foil, SS316, carbon paper) and characterized by SEM, their electrochemical performance was evaluated via cyclic voltammetry.

Cu-Co oxide showed superior CO₂ reduction, leveraging the strengths of individual oxides. Co₃O₄ exhibited higher current densities for CH₄ oxidation, with SS316 proving the best substrate. Catalyst composition, morphology, and substrate significantly influenced efficiency. While …

Women And The African Diaspora In The Films Of Aida Bueno Sarduy, Aida Bueno Sarduy

LAII Events

Tuesday, April 15, 2025 12:30-2:00 pm

Ortega Hall Reading Room (335)

Join us for a talk with Cuban anthropologist and filmmaker Aida Bueno Sarduy, whose work centers on women’s leadership in African and Afro-descendants’ religions in Cuba and Brazil from the perspective of gender and feminist theory and criticism.

Aida Esther Bueno Sarduy's research and documentary work has focused on women’s leadership in African and Afro-descendents’ religions in Cuba and Brazil. She is researching letters of freedom and freedom-purchasing documents of African or Afro-descendant women in Brazil in the 18th and 19th centuries. Dr. Bueno Sarduy has a Ph.D. in …

Tales About Afghan Women After The U.S. Lost The War In Afghanistan In 2021: A Frame Analysis Of Coverage In The New York Times, Ismat Ara Begum

Communication ETDs

This study investigates how U.S. news media framed Afghan women’s identities and experiences in the context of the Taliban’s return to power after the U.S. military withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. In this qualitative inquiry, I examined 11 in-depth, human-interest stories in The New York Times, a mainstream news organization known for its influence on coverage of international and global affairs. A frame analysis was applied to identify salient frames and their ideological underpinnings. The findings show two dominant frames in the coverage, women’s rights and victimhood, articulated through three rhetorical strategies—binary oppositions, comparing loss vs. gain, and emphasis on …

The Social Life Of Plants: Botanical Representations In Moche Art, Breanna Fae Reiss

Art & Art History ETDs

The Moche were semi-autonomous communities who thrived in the ten fertile riverine valleys of Peru’s northern coast between the late fourth and ninth centuries CE. Phase IV (c. 590–700 CE) Southern Moche ceramics feature intricate fine line visual narrative scenes with many multivalent symbols and motifs. This dissertation intends to understand why plants begin to play a more significant role in the Moche iconographic corpus in this period. I explore the interests of elites, the ecological web interweaving image and environment, and species identification. The local flora was affected on one hand by naturally occurring changes in weather and environment …

A Dynamically Efficient Predictive Controller For Voltage Stability In A Dc To Dc Boost Converter, Giovanni Reyna

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

Reliable voltage regulation has become a critical issue with increase demand in modern power electronic applications. This study presents a Model Predictive Controller (MPC) for voltage regulation in DC-to-DC boost converters. A closed loop analytical MPC framework is created with the purpose of computing optimal duty cycles to maintain a stable output voltage under varying load conditions, input changes, and disturbances.

To evaluate the performance of the MPC we set the controller against a comparative analyzing with a traditional cascading proportional integral (PI) controller. The proposed controller design is specifically targeted to improve dynamic efficiency during the converter’s transient events. …

Complexity, Coordination, And The Politics Of Global Health Emergencies: Institutions, Actors, And Responses, Jennifer M. Kerner

Political Science ETDs

This dissertation examines the politics of global health emergencies through three interconnected studies. First, it analyzes the declaration of Public Health Emergencies of International Concern (PHEICs), revealing that while World Health Organization (WHO) protocols influence decisions, political factors may also play a role. Second, a case study of the 2014 Ebola outbreak explores the complexities of international response coordination. It highlights the importance of established protocols, clear leadership, and effective communication, while also noting the challenges posed by resource constraints and inter-organizational dynamics. Third, the research investigates the impact of military involvement in global health emergencies. It reveals that military …

Determinants Of Neuronal Viability Following Spreading Depolarization, Michael C. Bennett

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Spreading depolarizations (SDs) are massive, slowly propagating waves that cause near-complete neuroglial depolarization and are energetically demanding for the brain. Past studies have established SDs as key contributors to secondary injury in tissue that lacks the metabolic supply to meet the energetic burden of repolarization after SD. Efforts to identify the mechanisms that cause deleterious consequences following SD have been ongoing, with significant results showing that blocking excitotoxic levels of Ca²⁺ from entering neurons through NMDA receptors prevents detrimental outcomes. While these studies have advanced the field, other mechanisms may also contribute to the metabolic burden of SD. This …

Antenna Analysis Using Mixed Computer Platforms (Aacp), Keith H. Bova

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

This thesis reviews the design, implementation, and benchmarking of commercially available, previous generation (CAPG) computer systems, and how they can be used with computational electromagnetics. The thesis focuses on their architecture, performance, and practical applications. It begins with an overview of CAPG system components, including different node types such as login/controllers, compute nodes, block storage, and object storage. The process of assembling these systems is outlined. The conjugate gradient method and direct linear solvers were benchmarked. The performance of CAPG systems is compared with modern computing architectures. A detailed analysis provides recommendations for designing CAPG systems around the performance of …

Winter's End: Stopping The Rite And Reclaiming Spring, Jessica Wilson

Theatre & Dance ETDs

This dissertation examines intersections of patriarchy, feminist movements, and the recurring theme of women’s sacrifice, through an artistic lens. Using The Rite of Spring as a central subject, I explore the societal expectation of women’s sacrifice and its persistent representation in art. By analyzing two pivotal interpretations, Vaslav Nijinsky’s Le Sacre du Printemps (1913) and Pina Bausch’s Das Fruhlingsopfer (1975), within the chronological context of feminist waves in the United States, I investigate how these works reflect and critique cycles of violence against women. Four core patterns emerge as focal points: tradition, autonomy, witnessing, and betrayal. Additionally, my choreographic reinterpretation …

Afromundo, 2025 Afromundo Festival

LAII Events

Troubled Territories: The Will to Heal April 12 - 19, 2025

Music, literature, oral histories, visual art, film, culinary taste feasts, panel discussions, and more.

Mark your calendars and join us for this bilingual, weeklong, arts & humanities series that explores the shared traditions, histories, struggles, activism and aspirations of Black and Indigenous peoples.

The Delocalized Toolbox: Tuning Strain, Energetic And Optoelectronic Properties Of Aryl Heterocyclic Scaffolds For Application-Driven Endeavors, Michael Josef Holzmann

Chemistry and Chemical Biology ETDs

This is a three-part dissertation. Part 1 is composed of chapters 1-3 which revolves around the optimization of cyclononyne reactivity towards 1,3 dipolar cycloadditions. Specifically, the synthesis and reactivity of sulfate, sulfamate and sulfamide-bearing cyclononynes will be discussed. Chapters 4-5 comprise Part 2 which addresses optimization of ruthenium olefin metathesis towards reversible activation and inhibition. The mechanism of reversible inhibition mediated by a hexaarylbiimidazole photo-inhibitor will be elucidated. Part 3 consists of chapters 6-8 which describes structure-functional relationship studies on carbon dots and harnessing that insight for sensing applications. Data relating to assays performed with explosive analytes will be analyzed …

Sharp Knives, Dark Hearts: Class, Colonialism, And Rebellion On Anthony Bourdain's Bookshelf, Carl Cactus Warmuth

American Studies ETDs

Though often characterized as a celebrity chef, Anthony Bourdain achieved stardom from his lively writing rather than skills in the kitchen. As such, the sociopolitical importance of his life and work is greatly illuminated by his compulsive literary references. Through George Orwell’s Down and Out in Paris and London, Émile Zola’s The Belly of Paris, Graham Greene’s The Quiet American, Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, and the personas of William S. Burroughs and Hunter S. Thompson, the tensions central to Bourdain’s legacy are unveiled. This thesis offers a portrait of Bourdain as a complicated figure of …

The Emotions Of Uncertainty: Science, Politics, And The Social Dynamics Of Decision Making, Alisa N. Rogers

Sociology ETDs

This dissertation examines how social and emotional factors influence attitudes toward science and decision making regarding science-based policy recommendations during the COVID-19 pandemic. I examine boundary work practices among the public as they evaluate experts during the pandemic and the social sources of information people used to construct knowledge. Then I examine the social and emotional factors that participants indicated influenced their own attitude formation and decisions to act regarding public health recommendations during the pandemic. I find that emotions influence each element of the decision process: information gathering, information evaluation, attitude formation, and decisions to act. Affective commitment and …

Graphic Art & Revolution: One Woman's Experience, Margaret Randall

LAII Events

April 11, 2025 5:00-6:00 pm

University of New Mexico Art Museum

GRAPHIC ART & REVOLUTION:

One Woman's Experience

A lecture by Margaret Randall

The Pulse - April 10, 2025, Unm Hsc Marketing & Communications

The Pulse

Weekly newsletter of the UNM Health Sciences Center.

Assessing Oral Cancer Screenings Provided By Dental Hygienists, Nora N/A Basheer Megerdichian

Dental Hygiene ETDs

Oral cancer remains a significant public health concern, with a five-year survival rate of approximately 50% due to late-stage diagnoses. Dental hygienists play a crucial role in the early screening of oral cancer through routine intraoral and extraoral examinations. This study evaluates the effectiveness of oral cancer screenings conducted by dental hygienists in referring for further evaluation and their overall perception of the importance and frequencies of these examinations. A survey was distributed through the American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA) to practicing dental hygienists across the United States, gathering data on screening frequency, referral patterns, perceived importance, and challenges faced …

Sobre El Arcoíris: The Queering Of Mariachi, Tyician Charles Knight

Music ETDs

Mariachi is an internationally renowned artform and tradition whose history spans over decades and several continents. However, there are many aspects still embedded in mariachi culture that remain problematic; machismo (toxic masculinity), alcoholism, and homophobia to name a few. While there has been an increase of mariachi scholars who have critically examined these issues, mariachi culture itself has yet to address the challenges brought forth by its history of gender discrimination and homophobia and embrace practical changes that would enable the creation of a more equitable environment and further develop this living tradition. This thesis analyzes the trajectory of queering …

The Emotional World Of Ex-Confederate Expatriates In Latin America, 1865–1870, Chase H. Mccarter

History ETDs

From 1865 to 1870, tens of thousands of ex-Confederate soldiers, officials, and citizens fled the South for destinations in Latin America. They did so because their defeat in the U.S. Civil War instigated an emotional and identity crisis. Ex-Confederates felt that they could no longer live in the South given the changes wrought by Reconstruction. Rather than remain in the region, many looked toward Latin American states, such as Brazil, Mexico, Venezuela, and British Honduras (Belize), where they believed they could create a way of life like that experienced in the Old South. To do so, ex-Confederates sought settlement in …

What Is A Nation? Colonial Legacies, Identity, And Reclaiming In Métisse Autobiographical Narratives – A Case Study Of Sugar And Slate And Garçon Manqué, Thaïs Maëlle Autin

Foreign Languages & Literatures ETDs

This thesis examines the question of national belonging in autobiographical narratives of second-generation immigrant métisse women. I study the similar aesthetic manner in which individuals with different regional and cultural influences grapple with concepts of identity, gender, racism, exile, and negotiation, and the way in which the authors anchor themselves in a broader familial and national heritage. I argue that such an enterprise can be understood as part of the alternative heritage wave, based on Andrew Higson’s theory. The texts put in question traditional understandings of nation. Doing so opens the possibility of engaging in a dialogue that expands the …

The Impact Of Trump’S Tariffs, Xiaoyang Wang, Manuel Montoya, Wendy Hansen, Patricia Pinzón Sánchez, Paul Figueroa

LAII Events

Wednesday April 9, 2025 12:30-2 pm

School of Law Room 2401

In this event speakers will discuss and answer questions about the impact of the Trump tariffs on the U.S. economy and relationship with our trading partners, including Mexico and Canada. Professor Paul Figueroa of the School of Law will be moderating a panel that includes Professors Manuel Montoya, Xiaoyang Wang, and Wendy Hansen as well as Mexican Consul Patricia Pinzón Sánchez.

The Frequency And Nature Of Nepal Discussion In Official China, Ashis Adhikary

Himalayan Research Papers Archive

There is a gap in comprehensive understanding of Nepal’s discussion inside China. To fill this gap, this study attempts to understand the frequency and nature of discussion about Nepal. It uses a mixed method and employs computational tools of Python libraries, namely BeautifulSoup and Natural Language Toolkit (NLTK), for data collection and processing. It counts the frequency of the word “Nepal” and performs a content analysis of textual documents with discussion about Nepal. The study discovered three major findings. First, although Nepal gets notable attention inside China, major agents are media houses, not the formal foreign ministry. Second, the Chinese …

Cyber Physical Emulation Of Power Grids: Co-Simulation Of Exata Cps And Hypersim, Mckayla Snow

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

This thesis explores the use of cyber-physical emulation of power grids to analyze the impact of different types of cyberattacks. It outlines the co-simulation process of HYPERSIM and EXata CPS within the OPAL-RT real-time digital simulator, demonstrating various cyberattacks on two power system models. The first model is a simple communication-focused testbed for easy demonstration of co-simulation setup, while the second is a power system model of a secondary network used to assess the cybersecurity of network protector units in low-voltage networks through a hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testbed. Using this testbed, the cybersecurity of the direct transfer trip (DTT) scheme is …

Prenatal Exposure To Pm2.5 Concentration And Risk Of Preterm Birth In New Mexico; A Seasonal Pattern And Spatio-Temporal Modeling., Onyedikachi J. Okeke

Mathematics & Statistics ETDs

This study investigates the association between prenatal PM2.5 exposure and preterm birth risk in New Mexico (2014–2021). Using descriptive statistics, time series models, and spatial analyses, findings show an average preterm birth rate of 14.87 per 1,000 live births, with moderate correlation (r = 0.727) between PM2.5 levels and very preterm births. While traditional models revealed no significant global effect, spatial methods such as Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) and Multiscale GWR uncovered strong spatial heterogeneity. PM2.5 effects varied by county (coefficients: -0.00154 to 0.00150), with clustering evident in 2018–2019 (Moran’s I = 0.155–0.174). Results highlight the limitations of global models …

“I Never Wanted This”: Examining Maintenance Of White Femininity Within Abortion Stories On Tiktok, Brooke Pope

Communication ETDs

The invocation of tragedy in abortion stories has been acknowledged as a rhetorical tool that creates affective prescriptions and marginalization. Expanding on this concept, this work identifies how these strategies are used to maintain white femininity structurally through individual narratives. An intersectional feminist rhetorical analysis of abortion stories told on the platform TikTok is used to identify discursive practices that signal to white femininity. These practices are organized into three prominent themes within narratives: moves toward victimization, moves toward innocence, and prescribed punishments. Thematically, these serve to identify how pro-choice rhetoric fails to be intersectional and underscore the importance of …

Evaluating The Performance Of Bayesian Removal Models For Estimating Population Density And Detecting Trends With Variable Detection Probability, David R. Stewart

Mathematics & Statistics ETDs

Removal models have long been used to estimate population abundance by progressively capturing and removing individuals from a closed population. These models provide a valuable tool for ecological monitoring, but their accuracy depends heavily on assumptions about detection probability, which may decline over successive sampling passes. Traditional removal models assume constant detection probabilities, an assumption that is often violated in real-world applications. This thesis aims to advance hierarchical Bayesian models by accounting for variable detection probabilities, improving the reliability of abundance estimates and trend detection. By integrating simulation-based analyses with empirical data from Lahontan Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus clarkia henshawi …