Digital Commons Network^™

Native American Women Leadership In Higher Education, Monica J. Etsitty Dorame

Organization, Information and Learning Sciences ETDs

This qualitative study explored leadership in higher education through the perspectives of six Native American women faculty at a southwest university. The study utilized a Diné informed conceptual framework incorporating the Diné Philosophy of education, the Diné philosophy of life (Są’áh Naagháí Bik'eh Hózhóón - SNBH), and the Diné ceremonial basket. The research examined how Native women faculty perceived leadership, their identity as leaders in higher education, their leadership in the community, and how their background and context influenced their perception of leadership. Further, it explored their roles within academic and community settings. The study employed narrative inquiry and thematic …

The Contributions Of Nuevomexicanas To New Mexico Lowrider Culture, Traditions, And Rituals: The Significance Of Young Chicana Cultural Pachuca And Chola Aesthetics And Identity Expression In The Albuquerque Lowrider Community, Valerie J. Chavez

Chicana and Chicano Studies ETDs

The lowrider community in Albuquerque creates a space for families and individuals to gather and express themselves within Chicana/o/x culture. Nuevomexicanas have played a significant role in the teaching and preservation of the New Mexican traditions and rituals of lowriding. This research project is a visual and plática-based study. It explores how young Nuevomexicanas express their Chicana identity through la pachuca and chola cultural aesthetics and identity while actively participating in lowrider culture. This project utilizes the research methods of la resolana, querencia, and plática to understand, discover, and document the roles of young Nuevomexicanas in the Albuquerque …

Narratives Of Exile: Themes Of Displacement In Seghers, Duras, And Elio, Erin Consla

Foreign Languages & Literatures ETDs

This thesis examines identity, memory, and displacement in the exile narratives of Anna Seghers, Marguerite Duras, and María Luisa Elío. I argue that identity post-exile can be conceptualized as a continuous process of becoming, marked by a kaleidoscope of past, present, and future. Several aesthetic maneuvers such as the use of elements of form, memories of childhood, and palimpsest are shared by the chosen narratives, resulting in similar negotiations with identity. Through analysis of the authors' aesthetic focalizations, it becomes clear that their binary subject positions are modulated by the liminality and contradictions inherent in identity creation after exile. The …

W/V-Band Propagation Modeling, Nolan Rebernick

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

Enhancing the accuracy of atmospheric loss modeling holds the potential to significantly refine estimations of received power, thereby enhancing the overall quality of satellite communication links. This study aims to pioneer and validate an innovative modeling framework to reliably predict atmospheric attenuation along satellite-to-ground propagation paths, particularly focusing on portions of the W-band (81-86 GHz) and V-band (71-76 GHz). By leveraging meteorological data, this approach will encompass various weather scenarios, including clear skies, cloud cover, and diverse forms of precipitation. Utilizing the generated time domain data, the research aims to construct complementary cumulative distribution functions, enabling the analysis of satellite …

A New Effective Gravitational Lensing Approach To Constrain Dark Matter, Birendra Dhanasingham

Physics & Astronomy ETDs

Galaxy-scale strong gravitational lenses offer a unique window into understanding the nature and distribution of dark matter at sub-galactic scales. Beyond the main-lens subhalos, the inclusion of line-of-sight dark matter halos has become essential in lens studies due to their substantial role in perturbing lensed images, making multi-plane lensing a crucial aspect of any lens study. We highlight that these line-of-sight halos appear extended tangentially along the lensing critical line in the effective convergence maps due to the nonlinear nature of multiplane lensing, resulting in a characteristic anisotropic signature in the deflection field. Leveraging tools from large-scale structure analyses, this …

On Properties Of Pair Operations, Sarah Jane Poiani

Mathematics & Statistics ETDs

For any closure operation $\cl$ and interior operation $\ri$ on a class of $R$-modules, we develop the theory of $\cl$-prereductions and $\ri$-postexpansions. A pair operation is a generalization of closure and interior operations. Using Epstein, R.G. and Vassilev's duality \cite{ERGV-nonres}, we show that these notions are in fact dual to each other. We discuss the relationship between the core and hull and prereductions and postexpansions. We further the thematic notion of duality and seek to understand how it arises in the context of properties pair operations can be endowed with and focus on inner product spaces and properties demonstrated by …

The Descent Of Anolis: Assemblages, Convergence, And Ecomorphological Evolution, Christopher G. Anderson

Biology ETDs

The evolutionary outcomes we observe in modern organisms, particularly associations between phenotypes and environments, have been and remain an invaluable tool in interpreting the biological phenomena that shape our world. In the following chapters, I leverage a comprehensive phylogenetic and morphological dataset for 351 species comprising a diverse group of arboreal lizards, the Anolis clade, to explore how communities and morphologies evolve. First, I characterized patterns among coexisting lineages of Anolis to reveal a general pattern of phylogenetic relatedness among lineages comprising assemblages and identify differences attributable to a biogeographic variable. Then I examined the morphological consequences associated with the …

Investigating Software Application Use In Secondary Physical Education, Sean Fullerton

Health, Exercise, and Sports Sciences ETDs

The first study explored secondary physical education teachers’ acceptance and use of a supplemental software application, PLT4M (“Plat-form”). The study was an exploratory cross-sectional mixed methods study guided by the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology. Quantitative results showed that performance expectancy, attitude toward use, and price value significantly predicted PE teachers’ behavior intention to use PLT4M. Qualitative data revealed the following themes regarding teachers’ use: (1) differentiation and modifications; (2) accessibility; (3) limitations and challenges. The second study was a descriptive case study design that applied Activity Theory to examine how one high school PE program uses …

The Wyandot Of Anderdon Nation: Meaning-Making, Constructing, And Affirming Their Tribal Identities Through Archiving Historical Documents, Elizabeth Ann Berton Reilly

Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies ETDs

This qualitative study examines how the Wyandot of Anderdon Nation makes meaning, constructs, and affirms their tribal identity. This tribe is a non-federally recognized community in Michigan.

This study employed an Etuaptmumk/Two-Eyed Seeing framework, combining Critical Indigenous Research Methodology with a narrative one. I investigated how they preserve their language and culture and what that means to them. This led to an exploration into mixed-race Indigenous identities, how archiving and genealogical and tribal historical knowledge tie into creating and affirming personal identity.

This study demonstrated that there are many ways to be Wyandot and that each interviewee makes meaning, constructs, …

Electrodeposition Of Gadolinium Metal Thin Films For Neutron Phase Contrast Imaging, Mary Louise Gucik

Chemical and Biological Engineering ETDs

A rare earth metal, gadolinium has unique magnetic properties and the largest neutron absorption cross section making it highly sought after in emerging technology. However, unlike most metals, it is difficult to work with and lacks a damascene process. When incorporated into alloys, gadolinium’s properties are muted and the film thickness must increase to account for the low concentration. Gadolinium metal films have been deposited successfully through sputter coating, but these films have density deficiencies and are limited to line-of-sight substrates. In this work, the deposition of gadolinium metal thin films was investigated for use on complex geometries via electrophoretic …

Microcapsule Transport And Blockage In Rough-Walled Fractures, Brittney Diana Seaburn

Civil Engineering ETDs

Thermal short-circuiting is a potential problem for Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS). One solution to this problem is to reduce the permeability of very conductive fractures with thermally degradable microcapsules carrying porous polymers that bond to rock, reducing fluid flow without completely sealing the fracture. This concept requires microcapsules to principally travel in the larger, problematic fractures, minimizing entry into smaller fractures; consequently, understanding the transport and blockage of microcapsules is critical. Using a flow visualization configuration, this study involved quantifying the transport and blockage of microcapsules in transparent fracture replicas. Analyses determined most blockage occurred in regions with local apertures …

A Phenomenological Study Of Cognitive Dissonance In Colllege Classroom Settings, Christopher Erik Gunnare

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

Exploring the manifestation of cognitive dissonance in the classroom setting of traditional first-year college students was the intent of this qualitative, interpretative-phenomenological study. This research consisted of four University of New Mexico first-year student participants from the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 academic years. Data collection consisted of open-ended interviews with each participant utilizing pre-determined questions and prompts based on dissonance scenarios and a follow-up note review session. The focus of the analysis was a deeper understanding of the college students’ experiences of cognitive dissonance in relation to the classroom. Increasing empirical research pertaining to student development and classroom-related cognitive dissonance in …

The Reading Rooms: Reading For Pleasure In The Literature Classroom, Kalila Bohsali

English Language and Literature ETDs

The act of reading is the primary thing the literature classroom is concerned with and that is what this project seeks to claim and to understand, specifically the practice and process of reading for pleasure. This dissertation seeks to understand reading as a process, and reading for pleasure and to propose that students and instructors would benefit from paying more attention to reading for pleasure in the literature classroom, and being more transparent in how reading for pleasure is communicated as a shared value. Through a grounded theory interview project and an in-depth exploration of the different "rooms" in which …

Ml/Ai Enabled Intelligent Next Generation Autonomous Network System: Performance Enhancement And Management, Harsh Kumar

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

The smart next generation autonomous system for network performance enhancement and management, specifically suitable for networks like 5G, B5G, 6G, and SDN, is presented in this PhD dissertation powered by ML/AI. The dissertation has been divided into six critical parts. First, it focuses on QoS monitoring and provisioning using intelligent QoS agent design in 6G network. Second, it elaborates on LSTM and SP-LSTM comparative analysis towards network traffic prediction in 6G networks. Third, digging into 6G frontier navigation using SE-DO for intelligent Agent Optimization. Fourth, the dissertation delves into role delegation function as a service to improve reliability and latency …

Dental Therapists: Arizona Dentists’ Perceptions And Attitudes Towards The Workforce Model, Autumn Butler

Dental Hygiene ETDs

Dental therapists have emerged as a solution to improve access to dental care. Understanding Arizona dentists' attitudes towards dental therapists is crucial in the successful integration into the dental workforce and its potential to be a viable solution. Licensed dentists in Arizona were invited to participate in an anonymous study. Participants were asked questions regarding the scope of practice, current educational standards, and quality of treatment to determine the attitudes of dentists towards dental therapists. Eight dentists licensed in Arizona participated in the survey (N=8). The study found concerns among Arizona dentists regarding the treatment quality and educational standards (N=3; …

Exploring The Occupational Socialization Of Ethnically Diverse Physical Education Teachers, Martin Vasquez

Health, Exercise, and Sports Sciences ETDs

The first manuscript incorporates the theoretical frameworks of Critical Race Theory and Occupational Socialization Theory to offer Critical Race Socialization Theory as a conceptual framework to expand the importance of how we make meaning of race throughout teacher socialization. This framework emphasizes three critical race tenets - counter-storytelling, intersectionality, and challenging color blindness – that are applied across the stages of acculturation, professional socialization, and organizational socialization. This application highlights the unique challenges faced by diverse educators within different educational spaces. The second manuscript is a collective case study that explores the acculturation and professional socialization experiences of two ethnically …

Academic Stress And Prosocial Outcomes: The Role Of Maternal Support, Lynda J. Cruz

Individual, Family, and Community Education ETDs

This study examined the roles of academic stress, maternal support, and their interactive effect as predictors of both in-group and out-group prosocial behaviors as well as civic engagement in order to better understand young adults’ adjustment to the college environment. The final sample consisted of 142 young adults (M age = 20.82 years; range = 18-25 years; 81.7% women; 65.2% reported identifying as racially White; 9.9% Black; 7.8% Asian; 5.7% Native; and 49.3% identified their ethnicity as Latino/a). Participants completed self-report measures of their academic stress experiences, perceptions of their mothers support, their in-group and out-group prosocial behaviors, and …

Mechanical Characterization And Evaluation Of Additively Manufactured Titanium 5v-5mo-5al-3cr Alloy, Zachary Casias

Mechanical Engineering ETDs

Ti-5V-5Mo-5Al-3Cr (Ti-5553) is a near beta titanium alloy commonly used in aerospace applications. It is currently being explored for additive manufacturing (AM), but the fatigue behavior of this AM alloy needs to be well-understood for adoption in aerospace applications. The present work examines the tensile and fatigue behavior of LPBF manufactured Ti-5553. The effect of post-print heat treatments, effects of surface roughness, and print defects on the mechanical properties of AM Ti-5553 were also evaluated. Fatigue lives of as-LPBF and BAA material are nearly identical, and both are far below the fatigue lives of conventionally manufactured Ti-5553 of 350 MPa. …

Color On Canvas In Black Britain And Black Germany, Marisa J. Pickett

History ETDs

Using the artwork and poetry of Black artist-activists Lubaina Himid, Keith Piper, May Ayim, and Raja Lubinetzki, a connection was found between the increasingly anti-immigrant rhetoric of conservative politicians of the 1980s and the self-identification and belonging of non-white communities within the countries of Great Britain and Germany. By linking the produced artwork with the direct political initiatives of the time, we are able to draw parallels between the experiences of two diasporic communities, Black Britain and Black Germany, through artists and their work. Artwork can be seen as a medium through which to engage with the audience on a …

Civil Procedure Update 2024 (Handout And Slide Deck), Verónica C. Gonzales, Julio C. Romero

Faculty Scholarship

This presentation aims to 1) review recent amendments to the state and federal rules of civil procedure; 2) help you understand the impact of recent federal and state published opinions interpreting and applying the rules of civil procedure; and 3) assess your understanding of the updates.

Hsc Connects Newsletter - April 12, 2024, Unm Hsc Communications

HSC Connects Newsletters

Weekly newsletter of the UNM Health Sciences Center.

Mathematically Rigorous Deep Learning Paradigms For Data-Driven Scientific Modeling, Owen Nicholas Davis

Mathematics & Statistics ETDs

This dissertation explores the crucial role of data-driven modeling in science and engineering, with a focus on developing surrogate models to accelerate large-scale computational tasks, aiding in both outer-loop functions like uncertainty quantification and expensive inner-loop tasks within broader computational frameworks. Challenges arise with increased problem dimension and sparse, noisy training data, particularly significant when constructing surrogates for very expensive computational models where acquiring sufficient high-fidelity training data is unfeasible. In such scenarios, training surrogates from an ensemble of multifidelity information sources of varying accuracy and cost becomes essential. We emphasize neural network-based modeling paradigms, which are flexible in integrating …

A Framework For Managing System Resources And Pricing In Multi-Provider Edge Computing Environments, Matthew Paul Salcido

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

Multi-provider multi-user multi-access edge computing provides a recent market driven networking paradigm facilitating the user data offloading process. In this thesis, we introduce the AGORA framework, which employs a sophisticated multi-leader multi-follower Stackelberg game that jointly optimizes the data offloading, computing resource allocation, and computing resource pricing, all facilitated through a non-cooperative game-theoretic approach. In order to support the aforementioned modeling and approach, a novel utility function that quantifies the users satisfaction, factoring in the computing service cost, and an innovative profit function for the MEC providers is introduced, emphasizing the market penetration and the computing service provision costs. Numerical …

A Precise Measurement Of The Lifetime Of B-Mesons, Measurement Of Cp-Violation Parameters Of Bs-Mesons, The Atlas Experiment At The Lhc, And Development Of Silicon Detectors For Future Particle Physics Experiments, Easwar Anand Narayanan

Physics & Astronomy ETDs

A series of connected research projects has been carried out for the purpose of seeking physics phenomena beyond the Standard Model. These consist of a precise measurement of the lifetime of a short-lived b-hadron, the B_d-meson; preparations for measurements of CP-violating parameters in B_s decays; development of triggers that select b-hadron events; development of new instruments for improved precision in detecting fundamental particles; and monitoring and mitigating the effect of radiation on the detectors, which is inescapable in their operating environment. Datasets collected by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) are used for …

The Effects Of Un Peacekeeping Missions On Human Rights Protection During Armed Conflict, Mahtab Shafiei

Political Science ETDs

This dissertation explores the effectiveness of United Nations (UN) peacekeeping operations (PKOs) and special political missions (SPMs) in reducing conflict-related violence. Utilizing monthly data on battle deaths and peacekeeping missions from 1987 to 2014, the research applies the bargaining theory of war and liberal peace theory, finding that both PKOs and SPMs effectively reduce battle deaths. SPMs are particularly effective due to their collaboration with local authorities and emphasis on promoting democracy, human rights, and development. The study also highlights the role of UN radio stations in mitigating violence but finds no substantial evidence linking disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR) …

Quantum Computation Using Large Spin Qudits, Sivaprasad Thattupurackal Omanakuttan

Physics & Astronomy ETDs

This dissertation explores quantum computation using qudits encoded into large spins, emphasizing the concept of quantum co-design to harness the unique capabilities of physical platforms for enhanced quantum information processing. First, we delve into the generation of high-fidelity universal gate sets for quantum computation with qudits. Leveraging principles from quantum optimal control, Rydberg physics, and the atomic structure of alkaline-earth atoms, we propose protocols for high-fidelity universal gate sets in the ground state of ⁸⁷Sr with reasonable experimental parameters. Next, we analyze schemes to encode a qubit in the large spin qudits for fault-tolerant quantum computation (FTQC). By comprehending …

The Effect Of Sodium Bicarbonate Supplementation In Markers Of Gut Permeability And Gastrointestinal Discomfort After Exercise In The Heat, Suzana Andrade De Oliveira

Health, Exercise, and Sports Sciences ETDs

Exercise performed under heat stress conditions is associated with an increase in gut permeability, commonly known as "leaky gut.". Recent studies suggest that sodium bicarbonate ingestion (NaHCO3) before exercise in the heat may offer ergogenic benefits. However, NaHCO3 is known to induce gastrointestinal discomfort (GI) and potentially exacerbate gut permeability. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of NaHCO3 on markers of gut permeability and gastrointestinal discomfort after prolonged physical exercise in a hot environment. To test this, we analyzed markers of intestinal permeability and injury pre and post exercise under heat stress comparing a NaHCO3 group to a placebo group. …

The Effects Of Acute And Chronic Ethanol Exposure On Mouse Spontaneous Spatial Behaviors, Tia Donaldson

Psychology ETDs

Within the open field, rodents spontaneously explore their surroundings by alternating between stops (absence of movement) and progressions (locomotion between locations). Few studies have examined how alcohol influences the organization of these spatial behaviors; therefore, we evaluated the effects of acute single-dose and binge-like alcohol exposure on spontaneous open-field behaviors. In Experiment 1, adults received a single injection of ethanol and explored a dark environment for 30 minutes. We found that mice assessed immediately after the injection exhibited reductions in locomotion and spontaneous behavior, while those tested 30 minutes later only exhibited suppressed locomotion. In Experiment 2, adolescent/adult mice received …

Improving Criticality Safety Benchmark Coverage By Developing A Benchmark Evaluation Of The Unm Agn-201m Reactor, Rowdy Davis

Nuclear Engineering ETDs

This research aimed to improve the benchmark coverage of the International Criticality Safety Benchmark Evaluation Project (ICSBEP) handbook and the International Reactor Physics Experiment Evaluation Project (IRPhEP) with respect to High-Assay, Low-Enriched Uranium Fuel (HALEU). This was accomplished by creating a benchmark of the University of New Mexico’s Aerojet General Nucleonics model 201-M reactor and submitting it to the ICSBEP. This research then aimed to quantify to what extent this benchmark improves coverage of the benchmark suites for HALEU and TRISO fuel applications. This investigation utilized WHISPER, TSUNAMI-IP, and TSURFER with 36 application cases developed in SCALE and 2,929 experiments …

The Role Of Spreading Depolarizations In Mild Traumatic Brain Injuries, Natalie J. Pinkowski

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBIs) often lead to acute symptoms like disorientation and discoordination, but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. Although most patients recover quickly from a single mTBI, repeated injuries can be debilitating. After an mTBI, a neurometabolic cascade produces metabolic burden and vulnerability. Spreading depolarizations (SDs) have been observed after mTBIs. Here we investigated SDs’ role in short-term motor behavioral deficits post-mTBI. We hypothesized that SDs contribute to the deficits, and exacerbated symptoms after repeated mTBIs. To test this, we used acute motor behavioral tests and long-term behavioral and cognitive tests after initiating SDs by mTBI, chemical, or …