Digital Commons Network^™

Mediation In A Science Classroom, David Ray Davis

Theses and Dissertations

Languaging and translanguaging are very important concepts in science classrooms when considering their role as mediational tools for supporting emergent bilingual students' needs. Languaging, including translanguaging, has to do with how people perceive, connect, and understand the activities and utterances around them through verbal and non-verbal communication in any language. This study positions languaging and translanguaging as mediational tools that can be used for supporting the use of science terms and overcoming second language challenges with them. Emergent bilingual students can benefit from the implementation of languaging characteristics that promote classroom discourse spaces where all their repertoire for responding, and …

The Effects Of Parents' Socialization Goals, Responsiveness, And Psychological Control On Chinese Adolescents' Anxiety, Chunyue Tu

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the relationship of parents' achievement-oriented and self- development goals (for their children) on youth reported anxiety, while taking parents' psychological control and responsiveness into account as possible mediating factors. More specifically, the purpose of this study was to further investigate the direct/indirect effects of (a) parents' reported achievement-oriented goals on youth anxiety via parental psychological control in two types of schools (key school for more academically advanced students and typical school for students with lower academic achievement); and (b) parents' reported self-development goals on youth anxiety via parental psychological control in key and typical schools. The current …

Introgression Or Incipient Speciation? Using Geometric Morphometrics And Gene Expression To Characterize Mouth Development In Larval June Sucker And Utah Sucker, Peter C. Searle

Theses and Dissertations

Understanding how biodiversity evolves is a major goal in evolutionary developmental biology because changes in developmental processes are tightly linked with evolutionary diversification. Heterochrony--alteration to the rate or timing of development--can significantly alter the appearance of descendant species. Heterochronic shifts in gene expression and associated morphological change may explain the morphological divergence between the threatened June sucker (Chasmistes liorus) and the sympatric Utah sucker (Catostomus ardens) in Utah Lake, UT, USA. June sucker are endemic to Utah Lake and have subterminal mouths adapted for pelagic feeding, while Utah sucker (Catostomus ardens) have ventral mouths adapted for benthic feeding. As larvae, …

Futurist Art And Touch: Dinamismo Plastico, Tattilismo, Polimaterismo, Molly J. Everett

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis considers the Futurist engagement with touch, primarily through the artwork and writing of four Italian artists: Umberto Boccioni (1882–1916), F. T. Marinetti (1876–1944), Benedetta (Cappa) Marinetti (1897–1977), and Enrico Prampolini (1894–1956). Informed by childhood education, art theory and aesthetics, and perceptual psychology, these Futurists embraced tactility as a vehicle for avant-garde invention.

Quantifying Aboveground Biomass In A Tropical Forest Using A Lidar Waveform Weighted Allometric Model, Alejandro Rojas

Theses and Dissertations

Our knowledge of the distribution and amount of terrestrial above ground biomass (AGB) has increased using lidar technology. Recent advancements in satellite lidar has enabled global mapping of forest biomass and structure. However, there are large biases in satellite lidar estimates which impacts our understanding of carbon dynamics, particularly in tropical forests.

Ni-Meister et al. (2022) developed a lidar full waveform weighted height-based allometric model which produced very good results in temperate deciduous/conifer forest in the continental US. The purpose of this study was to evaluate this biomass model in an African tropical forest using the Land Vegetation and Ice …

Use Of Seed Coating Technologies To Improve Cercocarpus Ledifolius (Curl-Leaf Mountain Mahogany) Seed Germination And Emergence To Reclaim Mine Lands, Emily M. Nielson

Theses and Dissertations

Globally, mining is vital to human interests, but its practice can cause landscape alteration which may look unnatural or engineered. The reintroduction of native plants to these areas is needed to restore the visual appeal and ecological function back into these altered mine lands. Cercocarpus ledifolius (curl-leaf mountain mahogany) is one desirable native species in the Intermountain West that is prized for its potential to grow on step and rocky hillsides and for the habitat it provides for wildlife. Unfortunately, C. ledifolius does not establish well from seed, which has been attributed to seed dormancy. The first objective of this …

Estimating Age In Mule Deer: Accuracy And Influence On Reproduction, Morgan S. Hinton

Theses and Dissertations

Accurate estimates of parameters and demographic rates of wildlife populations are crucial to management and conservation. One parameter of interest is age because it influences multiple demographic rates and behaviors including reproduction, dispersal, migration, and disease transmission. There are a number of methods used to estimate ages of wildlife. One of the most common methods used for mammals is evaluation of patterns in dental eruption and tooth wear. In the first chapter, we evaluate the accuracy associated with estimates of age from dental eruption and patterns of tooth wear for mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus). In the second chapter, we use …

Effects Of A High School Yoga Program On Student-Reported Stress, Resilience, And Academic Outcomes, Stephanie Martha Vance

Theses and Dissertations

High school yoga programs are gaining popularity throughout the United States. The many perceived benefits of such programs among adolescent groups have shown promising outcomes. This mixed-method evaluation of a high school yoga program aims to evaluate the effects of the program on student-reported stress, resilience, and academic outcomes. Program participants include high school students in yoga classes (n = 61) and comparison classes (n = 37), who completed pre- and post-measure surveys along with social validity measures. Overall findings showed a decrease in stress levels among yoga students compared to comparison students, which approached statistical significance, no significant differences …

Understanding The Complexities Of Anemia In Chronic Inflammatory Diseases From Diagnosis To Treatment, Naomi Rae Flindt

Theses and Dissertations

Iron is an essential nutrient for energy and DNA replication. Its homeostasis is commonly perturbed by chronic inflammatory mechanisms. Chronic inflammation upregulates a cytokine, hepcidin, that degrades the iron export protein ferroportin. Without a way to export iron into the bloodstream iron availability in blood becomes depleted. Iron depletion in the blood stream hinders erythropoiesis and is termed anemia. Herein I investigate and inhibit the mechanism of hepcidin activation. Inhibition of hepcidin activation has released iron from tissues and alleviated anemic conditions in a cancer model. I have laid the foundation to investigate this pathway in a 3D spheroid model. …

Genomics-Informed Nursing Care: A Survey Of Nicu Nurses' Experience And Perspectives Related To Genomic Sequencing, Rachel I. Anderson

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Genomic sequencing is used in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) to diagnose babies with genetic disorders. Purpose: To explore the experiences and knowledge of nurses working in NICUs related to genomic sequencing. Methods: This was a mixed-methods, cross-sectional descriptive survey of NICU nurses attending a national conference. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Qualitative data were coded into categories and themes. Results: Of 188 NICU nurses, nearly half reported experience with genomic sequencing. Among nurses with experience, 62.7% rated the amount of discussion they had with families about genomic sequencing as "0". Additionally, 72.7% of participants reported …

The Effects Of Polymorphisms Of Viral Protein R Of Hiv-1 On The Induction Of Apoptosis In Primary Cells And The Characterization Of Twelve Novel Bacillus Anthracis Bacteriophage, Jacob D. Fairholm

Theses and Dissertations

Viral protein r (Vpr) of Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) plays an important role in the ability of the virus to infect cells and cause disease. Two polymorphisms to Vpr have been shown to result in differences in disease progression in infected individuals. R36W tends to result in rapid disease progression while R77Q results in long-term non-progression. In order to better understand how these polymorphisms result in these different disease phenotypes, our lab has recently shown that in cell culture, the R36W polymorphism results in increased viral replication and greater induction of cell death. On the other hand, infection …

A Comprehensive Phylogeny Of Stick And Leaf Insects (Insecta: Phasmatodea) Reveals Widespread Taxonomic Incongruence, Jackson B. Linde

Theses and Dissertations

Stick and leaf insects (Insecta: Phasmatodea) are a mesodiverse order of insects distributed across the world. These masters of masquerade crypsis are riddled with analogous morphological characters and lack a robust taxonomic framework. It seems that convergent evolution and the re-evolution of complex traits like wings and ocelli is perhaps the rule rather than the exception in stick insects. To investigate the re-acquisition of traits in this unique study system, a robust phylogenetic framework is essential. Our analyses combine traditional Sanger data with a transcriptomic backbone to provide the most corroborated phylogenetic analyses to date. To accomplish this, we employ …

Elucidating The Relationship Between Self-Reported Disability And Functional Movement In Individuals With Chronic Low Back Pain, Kelsey Ampudia Clark

Theses and Dissertations

INTRODUCTION: Low back pain (LBP) is often exacerbated by movement and, during functional movements, people with LBP tend to inherently modify their posture and movement patterns to avoid aggravating their pain further. Therefore, analysis of spinal movement in people with LBP is necessary and may lead to the identification of movement-based clusters for optimal treatment. PURPOSE: The overall purpose of this study was to investigate how movement patterns in people with chronic LBP relate to their subjective level of pain-related disability. First, we determined which spinal movements best discriminate between people with chronic LBP and asymptomatic controls; second, we ascertained …

The Discovery Of Novel 14-3-3 Binding Proteins Atg9a And Ptov1 And Their Role In Regulating Cancer Mechanisms, Colten Mitchell Mcewan

Theses and Dissertations

14-3-3 proteins are among a family of phospho-binding proteins that are known to regulate many essential cellular mechanisms. By binding to sites of phosphorylation, 14-3-3s are integrated into multiple signaling pathways that govern critical processes, such as apoptosis, cell cycle progression, autophagy, glucose metabolism, and cell motility. These processes are crucial for tumorigenesis and 14-3-3 proteins are known to play a central role in facilitating cancer progression. In this study, my colleagues and I discover two novel 14-3-3 interacting proteins, ATG9A and PTOV1, that are both vital to essential cellular functions and describe various mechanisms that these two proteins regulate. …

Experimental Design And Construction Of The First Rotor Induced Collision Cell (Ricc) For Studying High Velocity Molecular Impacts, Abraham Lehi De La Cruz Hernandez

Theses and Dissertations

The identification and characterization of molecular biomarkers using mass spectrometry on an orbiting or fly-by spacecraft is one of the preferred analytical techniques in the search for life beyond the Earth. However, analysis is complicated by unwanted molecular dissociation occurring when sampled native molecules impact the instrument at high velocity. The mechanisms of chemical changes produced in high velocity impacts have been studied experimentally in some cases; however, there are significant experimental limitations to these techniques. Here I present the design, construction, and testing of a new experimental technique to produce high velocity molecular and microparticle collisions under a controlled …

Gendered Differences In The Effects Of Adverse Childhood Experiences On Adolescent Substance Use, Emley A. Holcombe

Theses and Dissertations

Adolescence is a high-risk period for substance use, and the prevalence of adolescent substance use is a public health concern. Contributing factors for adolescent substance use are adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). ACEs are potentially traumatic childhood events that have negative associations with health and risk behaviors. The purpose of this study is to examine how the accumulation, timing, and duration of early ACEs (by age 5) impacts adolescent substance use. In addition, this study examines differences in these relationships by gender. Data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCW) were used for the logistic regression analyses. The results …

Acceptance Finds A Way: How To Teach And Use Evolution's Explanatory Power, Daniel George Ferguson

Theses and Dissertations

The theory of evolution is the central combing theory that brings together all the tenets of biology that bring about a solid understanding of life. It is also one of the most controversial scientific theories of all time and is widely rejected by about 40% of the general public in the United States. One of the biggest reasons for low evolution acceptance is the perceived conflict between evolution and religious beliefs. Educators and researchers have been working hard to improve how we teach evolution in the classroom; some methods, such as focusing on evolution knowledge, have shown to be mixed. …

Cytochrome C: A Potential Early Biomarker Of Diabetic Retinopathy, Ileana G. Villarreal

Theses and Dissertations

Diabetic retinopathy is an ocular disease which appears in patients who experience progression of diabetes mellitus over a continuous period. Oftentimes, patients go undiagnosed due to the fact that there is no way to determine when the exact moment a patient develops diabetic retinopathy. Ophthalmologists and other eye specialists diagnose a patient with diabetic retinopathy once the patient begins to show progressed symptoms of the disease. Various experiments have been previously performed to increase our knowledge of the connection of diabetic retinopathy and early biomarkers of the disease. Several studies have determined the effects of diabetic retinopathy and apoptosis with …

Towards Sustainable Cities: Life Cycle Cost Analysis Of The Construction Of A Novel Wastewater Management System, Bibhas B. Tanmoy

Theses and Dissertations

Wastage of water is one of the most common environmental issues in the modern era. However, if this level of usage can be controlled, or recirculated properly, the wastage can be lowered down to a very minimum. In the conventional residential plumbing system, blackwater and greywater gets mixed and goes through the same sewage pipe. This mixture turns the whole wastewater amount into blackwater, which requires complex treatment before discharge. Greywater on the other hand can be discharged to waterbodies requiring almost zero treatment. In this study, a new wastewater management method is proposed where the plumbing system is split …

Tree Ring Reconstructions Of Streamflow For The Lower Rio Grande Valley Of Texas, Adedolapo Mutiyat Adeyanju

Theses and Dissertations

The Rio Grande River is a major water source for people living within the USA-Mexico border. The Rio Grande River has its headwaters in the San Juan Mountains in Colorado and the Sierra Madre Occidental in Mexico before flowing into Texas through El-Paso. The water supply issues facing the Lower Rio Grande Basin (LRGB) are extremely complex from international restrictions to severe climate change. The river shares its flow between the U.S.A and Mexico based on the provisions of the 1944 treaty between the U.S.A and Mexico. The LRGB flow is regulated by releases from Falcon and Amistad Reservoirs managed …

Synthesis And Processing Of Polymeric Materials For Hydrogen Storage, Dominic Adrewie

Theses and Dissertations

Hydrogen is one of the most promising alternatives and clean fuel sources, but it has faced several hurdles due to storage and transportation issues. Several methods have been proposed, developed, and are being improved. Key among these is the use of polymers as safe hydrogen storage media.

This work investigated the polymerization of methyl vinyl ketone using different concentrations 2,2’-Azobis(2-methylpropionitrile) as the initiator in a free radical polymerization mechanism. There was a subsequent analysis of the effect of the initiator concentration on the conversion rate and the molecular weight of the polymers produced with the help of Gel permeation chromatography. …

De Novo Transcriptome Analysis Of Orange Jasmine (Murraya Paniculata) Infected With Citrus Greening Disease, Jeffrey Aquino Gomez

Theses and Dissertations

Citrus greening disease, also known as Huanglongbing, is one of the most devastating citrus diseases in the world. Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas) is a non-culturable, phloem-limited bacterium that serves as one of two vectors for the transmission of any of the three kinds of greening disease. In cooler climates, the African variant transmitted by the African citrus psyllid (Trioza erytreae) is more prevalent. The Asian form transmitted by the Asian citrus psyllid (Diaphorina citri) where is predominant in warmer conditions and recently discover the American form who is also transmit by Diaphorina citri, was discover in Brazil but has also …

Effects Of Macronutrients Intake And Physical Activity On Childhood Obesity Of Hispanic Children, Prosanta Barai

Theses and Dissertations

Obesity has become more ubiquitous during the past few decades, and still, its prevalence is increasing. It is in every population in the world and all regions, including rural parts of low and middle-income countries. In the USA, regardless of age, the severity of obesity is no different from the global trend. Although numerous pieces of literature are available, that tried to find answers to some pressing issues like how obesity can be controlled, but there is little to no study focused on younger children, especially the 4-6-year-old Hispanic population. Our study aimed to determine the causal path among literature …

Quantifying And Predicting Drought Performance In Woody Semi-Arid Seedlings In South Texas: Implications For Enhancing Drought Resilience In Restoration, Zarek Contreras

Theses and Dissertations

Increasingly frequent and severe droughts in the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge have been observed to cause large variation in species-specific mortality patterns in young seedlings, spanning 6 – 43 % mortality within the first year. To understand the underlying mechanisms behind this, we subjected seedlings of five woody semi-arid species (Celtis pallida, Forestiera angustifolia, Sideroxylon celastrinum, Phaulothalmnus spinescens, and Zanthoxylum fagara) to a point-of-no-return drought experiment in order to (1) identify potential metrics capable of predicting species wilting and mortality responses, and (2) to understand the underlying mechanisms that correspond to species drought performance …

Rotational Spectroscopy Of Nonafluoro-Tert-Butyl Alcohol, Zayra Leticia Gonzalez

Theses and Dissertations

Nonafluoro-tert-butyl alcohol (NFTBA) is an alcohol being used in medicine and for the analysis of physiochemical and biological properties. Quantum chemical calculations on NFTBA were carried out using cluster computers from the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) at Austin, TX. We scanned the C–C–O–H dihedral angle for 36 steps with each step at 10 degrees at the B3LYP/aug-cc-pVTZ level in order to identify the stable conformations and the energy barriers. The geometry of nonafluoro-tert-butyl was studied using MP2 and B3LYP Density Functional Theory (DFT) with an aug-cc- pVTZ basis set. The calculated rotational constants and dipole moments were used to …

Tap Water Disinfection In The Electrochemical Precipitation Process By Using Novel Conductive Concrete, Md Shoriful Islam

Theses and Dissertations

Electrochemical precipitation (EP) is tested to learn about its impact on disinfectants in tap water. The EP process involves applying electricity through electrodes submerged in water to precipitate dissolved metals like water hardness out without chemical additives. In the study, tap water was tested to learn about EP’s impact on disinfectants. Tap water contains not only hardness but also residual disinfectants. It is very essential for the safety of drinking water against the potential ingress of pathogens before the water reaches the end-users. USEPA mandates that the free chlorine level in drinking water should be 0.2mg/L to 4 mg/L. …

Red Drum (Sciaenops Ocellatus) Trophic Web Reconstruction Using Stable Isotopes In Two Systems In The Northwestern Gulf Of Mexico, Elizabeth Mogus Garcia

Theses and Dissertations

Estuaries act as nurseries for many important fishes, including predators like Red Drum (Sciaenops ocellatus). Using gut content and stable isotope analyses to better understand juvenile S. ocellatus’ diet and role within the trophic web, a full year of data was collected on a quarterly basis to illustrate a change in diet based on resource availability at two study sites and for two non-overlapping S. ocellatus sizes. Panopeidae and Penaeidae were the most abundant prey items found in S. ocellatus stomachs for both sizes, sites, and four quarters representing over 50% of the diet. Stable isotope analyses …

Role Of Pote Ankyrin Domain Family Member 2 (Pote-2) In Liver Cancer, Samantha Lopez

Theses and Dissertations

Liver cancer is the fifth leading cause of mortality attributed to cancer. Among various histological types, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most prevalent form of liver cancer. There is a need to identify new biomarkers to help the physician, and allow them to decide what may be the most effective treatment for the patient. POTE-2 is one of the 14 paralogs apart of the ancestral POTE gene family. POTE-2 has been shown to be upregulated in non-small cell lung cancer and colorectal cancer, and is associated with increased migration, invasion, tumor size and poor survival. Evaluation of the Cancer Genome …

Thermal Convection In A Cylindrical Annulus Filled With Porous Material, Anirban Ray

Theses and Dissertations

Here a study on thermal convection in a porous vertical cylindrical annulus which is heated from below is carried out. The walls are considered to be impermeable that is the velocity is 0 at the boundary walls. The cylindrical annulus is radially insulated. The governing system consists of the continuity equation, Darcy-Boussinesq equation, heat equation and the equation of state. Employing weakly non-linear approach, the basic state system and the perturbed system are derived. After obtaining the solutions to the basic state system, the pressure term in perturbed system is eliminated by taking double curl, and then eliminating the velocity, …

Assessing Intra-Urban Particulate Matter (Pm2.5) Concentrations At The Lower Rio Grande Valley (Rgv), South Texas, Usa, Using Low-Cost Sensors, Esmeralda Mendez

Theses and Dissertations

Rapid technological developments of novel low-cost air quality sensors enable long-term ambient monitoring in neighborhood areas. In this study, spatial and temporal trends are analyzed by localized level monitoring with low-cost sensors (TSI BlueSky Air Quality Monitor). Eleven low-cost sensors were deployed across the Lower Rio Grande Valley, South Texas region: Brownsville, Edinburg, Weslaco, and Port Isabel. 24-hour PM2.5 concentrations are correlated with PM2.5 from existing Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) Continuous Ambient Monitoring Stations (CAMSs) to express temporal and spatial heterogeneity from March 01, 2021, to March 31, 2022. Results indicated the deployed low-cost sensors as a better …