Digital Commons Network^™

Apocalypse As Utopia: The Exorcisms And Memorials Of Las Yeguas Del Apocalipsis And Queer Liberation In Chile, 1987-1997, Nicolas Poblete

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis provides a comprehensive history of the queer activist-art collective Las Yeguas del Apocalipsis (1987-1997) and their performance-based resistance to the Chilean dictatorship (1973-1990), cultural homophobia, and the HIV/AIDS crisis. Through art actions blending ritual, protest, and queer poetics, the collective redefined public space and national identity, envisioning a utopian queer apocalypse rooted in memory.

The Imposition Of A Narrative Line: The Bildungsroman As Form In Contemporary Art, Brianne Chapelle

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the work of contemporary American artists and writers Moyra Davey, Chris Kraus, Frances Stark, and Martine Syms within the context of feminist art history, theory, and practice in the post-1970s artworld. While often read as autobiographical or self-referential, their work across media uses personal narrative as a means of engaging broader theoretical and institutional concerns. Through the literary form of the bildungsroman, these artists employ narrative, fiction, and memoir—often through new and time-based media, but also through interdisciplinary modes rooted in writing—to reflect on their ongoing education as artists within an increasingly globalized Euro-American artworld. By …

“Bottom Nature”: Embodying History In Gertrude Stein’S The Making Of Americans, Yasmin Tehrani

Theses and Dissertations

This paper attempts to connect Gertrude Stein’s conception of being in The Making of Americans with her vision of the production of history. This paper then concludes that for Stein, historical subjects themselves, both individually and collectively, and the imbued qualities in their being, shape history.

Louis-Léopold Boilly’S Toddler In Mamluk Costume, Circa 1803: Feminism And Orientalism In The Napoléonic Era, Jessie Polk

Theses and Dissertations

Privately held until it came into the Met collection, Toddler in Mamluk Costume by Louis-Léopold Boilly was not widely known and hasn’t been extensively studied. This thesis seeks place it in context and argues that it is likely a portrait of a girl, a niece of Napoléon I, Zénaïde Bonaparte.

Who Are Singer-Songwriters In The 21st Century? A Case Study On The Role Of Digital Communications In Socio-Musical Activity., Miranda Commisso

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis follows ten self-identified, singer-songwriters from diverse musical and cultural backgrounds to identify commonalities, with special attention given to the ways they invest power and meaning in their music through use of social media. While these musicians are seeking capital gains through use of social media, they do it as a way to make music their livelihood, not out of a desire for excessive wealth or fame, which reflects this musical category more broadly.

The International Art Show For The End Of World Hunger By Artists To End Hunger, Coty Heinz

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the development of The International Art Show for the End of World Hunger, organized in the 1980s by the New York nonprofit Artists to End Hunger and a broad network of volunteers. It also considers the exhibition’s context, lead organizer, and impact within an extensive international tour.

The Economic Drivers Of Preferential Access, Kristie-Marie Sanchez

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines how economic theory can explain differences in preferential access across products. Preferential access is the difference between the preferential tariff and the most favored nation (MFN) tariff. This research applies the theory from Bagwell and Staiger (1990) and the empirical findings from Bown and Crowley (2013) to tariff, import flow, import demand, and export supply elasticity data, where Chile is the reporting country. The two-way fixed effects linear regression estimates how changes in import growth, the volatility of import growth, and the inverse sum of import demand and export supply elasticities affect preferential access. The estimates indicate …

Geraldo De Barros’S Fotoformas: Towards The Construction Of New Forms Of Legibility, Jay Bravo

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the legibility and reception of Geraldo de Barros’s Fotoformas within Western art institutions, using MoMA’s 2021 Fotoclubismo exhibition as a case study. It argues that the integration of Brazilian modernist photography into canonical narratives often hinges on strategic affinities with Euro-American frameworks. Drawing on institutional critique, postcolonial theory, and the concept of Anthropophagy, the study explores how Fotoformas challenges conventional photographic discourse and reveals broader dynamics of artistic legitimacy and representation.

What Is Art Hungry For? Food And The Collective Performance Of Life, Sophie Kaufman

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines FOOD, the artist-run restaurant founded in 1971 SoHo, as a feminist, collective artwork. Centering overlooked figures like Carol Goodden and Tina Girouard, it explores how FOOD reimagined authorship, labor, and space, linking artistic, economic, and social experimentation through archival research, spatial theory, and feminist art history.

A Limit That Recedes, Chloe Wilcox

Theses and Dissertations

In "A Limit that Recedes", I discuss my art practice in terms of accumulation and techniques of reproduction, such as casting, printing, and repetitive actions. I contextualize my work among artists such as H.C. Westermann, Isa Genzken, and Paul Thek. The work featured in this thesis explores ideas of aspiration, longing, and failure, and explores themes of the fraught relationship of the human and nature.

Examining The Connections Between Gender, Identity, And Land In Leslie Marmon Silko’S Ceremony And Rudolfo Anaya’S Bless Me, Ultima, Denise Perez

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the representation of gender, identity, and land in the novels Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko and Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya. To understand the role of gender in the novels, women are analyzed as sources of salvation and refuge for men. The male protagonists seek a “cure” or an understanding of themselves, and they are only able to achieve this through the nurturing of the women in their lives. This thesis also examines how the male protagonists develop their masculinity through the formation of a bond with the Earth, their homeland, and nature. In Ceremony and …

Finished!: How Newcomer Students Leveraged Family, Culture And Community To Complete A University Degree, Brenda Eliana Bocanegra

Theses and Dissertations

The transition from high school to college represents a pivotal time in the life of a student. For Latino/a students, this transition may be met with unique challenges shaped by their cultural, socioeconomic and educational backgrounds. This research aims to delve into the multifaceted experiences of newcomer Latino/a students as they navigate the transition from, high school to university, to educators, exploring the factors that influence their paths, the barriers they encounter, and the support systems that helped facilitate their success.

This research used Yosso’s (2005) community cultural wealth as the framework to examine the factors that influenced and impacted …

Cover Crop-Induced Improvements To Soil Hydraulic Properties And The Role Of Termination Time In Mitigating Negative Soil Moisture Impacts, Fabrizio Javier Pilco

Theses and Dissertations

In the Lower Rio Grande Valley of South Texas, water scarcity and drought pose ongoing challenges for farmers. Although cover crops are promoted for improving soil health and moisture, their effects on soil hydraulic properties in this region remain understudied. This thesis addresses both long-term (Chapter 2) and short-term (Chapter 3) impacts of cover crops on soil hydraulic properties and soil moisture. Long-term effects were evaluated through a three-year participatory field trial across four farms using a BACI design, while short terms were evaluated using a complete randomized block design. Soil hydraulic properties (residual water content θr, saturated water content …

A Modern Prometheus: Frankenstein's Relevance In Our Modern Society, Amanda C. Partida

Theses and Dissertations

For over two hundred years Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein has been in the public consciousness. It took only five years for the first adaptation, Presumption; or the Fate of Frankenstein, to be staged in 1825. Since then, there has been at least one adaptation every decade, with Universal Studios’ 1931 Frankenstein as the most famous adaptation, which shows just how much Shelley’s novel of science and hubris has resonated with audiences for many years.

This thesis aims to connect the ever-changing scientific anxieties of society with the most well-known Frankenstein film adaptations. By focusing on four specific films Frankenstein (1931), …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Composite Hydrogels For Tissue Engineering: An Investigation On Mechanical Properties And Biocompatibility, Ismael Lamas Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the fabrication and characterization of Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA)/agar double-network (DN) hydrogels for biomedical applications, focusing on mechanical strength, biocompatibility, and tissue engineering potential. Techniques like swelling ratio analysis and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), alongside antibacterial and cytotoxicity assays, were employed to evaluate the hydrogels' properties. Results show that increasing agar content enhances mechanical and physical properties, with swelling ratios increasing by 300% when agar makes up 6% of the hydrogel, compared to 140% without agar. A positive correlation was observed between agar concentration and compressive and tensile moduli. Load-relaxation rates, essential for viscoelastic properties, also improved with …

P-Adic Quantum Mechanics, Infinite Potential Wells, And Continuous-Time Quantum Walks, Nathaniel P. Mayes

Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, we introduce a p-adic version of the infinite potential well in quantum mechanics (QM). This model describes the confinement of a particle in a p-adic ball. We rigorously solve the Cauchy problem for the Schrödinger equation and determine the stationary solutions. The p-adic balls are fractal objects. By dividing a p-adic ball into a finite number of sub-balls and using the wavefunctions of the infinite potential well, we construct a continuous-time quantum walk (CTQW) on a fully connected graph, where each vertex corresponds to a sub-ball in the partition of the original ball. …

Unveiling Perspectives: Young Adults Banned Books Critical Content Analysis, Tiffany Ladonna Jarebica

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation conducts a critical content analysis of seven banned young adult novels—All Boys Aren’t Blue, All the Things We Do in the Dark, Almost Perfect, Ask the Passengers, The Bluest Eyes, The Hate U Give, and The Kite Runner—within one Texas school district. Using intersectionality theory as a lens, the study explores how intersecting identities such as race, gender, sexuality, and trauma are portrayed in these narratives and examines the role these portrayals play in the censorship process. The analysis investigates the socio-cultural, political, and institutional factors that influenced the removal of these texts, considering how their …

Implementing And Evaluating An Ai-Powered Visual Decision Support System To Improve Antibiotic Usage Among Physicians With A Built-In Early Warning System, Akua Sekyiwaa Osei-Nkwantabisa

Theses and Dissertations

The widespread misuse and excessive prescription of antibiotics have played a pivotal role in the emergence and proliferation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, posing a critical global public health crisis. Addressing this challenge necessitates innovative solutions that enhance antimicrobial stewardship. This study presents the development and implementation of a visual decision support system designed to monitor and optimize antibiotic usage among healthcare providers. The proposed system integrates advanced machine learning algorithms with real-time data analytics to provide a dynamic, evidence-based decision support tool. Specifically, a neural network model was developed after evaluating multiple machine learning approaches, including Random Forest, Logistic Regression and …

Other Others At The Border: An Autoethnographic Inquiry, Clover Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation critically examines the concept of multiple otherness in online learning environments in Hispanic Serving Institutions. Hispanic Serving Institutions may unintentionally perpetuate practices and curricula that exclude and decenter the needs of older, disabled, or geographically diverse black women who may not identify within the university’s focus. Despite their missions to servingness of a stated population, Hispanic serving institutions must examine existing curricula that primarily cater to the dominant minority group they have tasked themselves to serve. By investigating existing curricular practices, this research seeks to maintain the integrity of minority-serving institutions while encouraging inclusivity for all students. By …

Exploring Secondary Content And Career And Technical Education (Cte) Teacher Self-Efficacy In Supporting The Literacy Needs Of Long-Termed Emergent Bilinguals: A Mixed-Methods Inquiry, Jennifer Louise Burden

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation employed a mixed-methods convergent design, incorporating survey data and semi-structured interviews to investigate the self-efficacy of high school teachers in content areas and Career and Technical Education (CTE) towards their perceived abilities to support emergent bilingual students, particularly in content-specific literacy.

Grounded in the theoretical frameworks of Bandura's (1977) self-efficacy theory and Dweck's (2008) growth mindset, this study explores how educators' perceptions of their abilities impact their instructional practices and student outcomes.

Findings reveal a need for more training and resources to increase student engagement, which impacts academic outcomes and attendance and calls for comprehensive reforms in teacher …

Fpso Motion In Synthetic Environments: Stereo-Driven Deep Learning For Wavefield Reconstruction, Motion Analysis, And Mooring System Assessment, Omar Jebari

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents an integrated synthetic environment for simulating the motion and monitoring the integrity of a moored Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel. The central hypothesis is that synthetic data-driven approaches can (1) accurately estimate spatio-temporal wave fields, (2) predict vessel motion, and (3) monitor the integrity of the mooring system—using stereo imagery of the wave field and structure motion, both of which can be acquired in real time. The first study develops a synthetic framework for estimating spatial wave fields using stereo images captured by dual cameras mounted on a moving FPSO. Dynamic sea states and vessel …

Climate Change And The Field Of Farm Labor In The Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas, Cody Richard Mortell

Theses and Dissertations

Farm workers in the United States are often vulnerable to adverse impacts of climate change, particularly extreme heat. This study explores farm workers’ climate change perceptions (CCP) as a mediating force in climate adaptation. Using latent class analysis, in-person survey data (n=404) from Lower Rio Grande Valley, TX (2024) and NOAA data were analyzed. Results were interpreted using Bourdieu’s field analysis framework and his notions of capital and symbolic power. Findings include: a social hierarchy with three latent classes of workers based on economic, cultural, social, and symbolic capital, which statistically significantly affected CCP. Workers in higher structural positions were …

Advancing Precision And Autonomy In Agriculture And Medical Imaging Through Ai And Computer Visions, Tan-Hanh Pham

Theses and Dissertations

Deep learning has revolutionized numerous fields by enhancing precision, automation, and decision-making capabilities. This dissertation explores its applications in agriculture and medical image processing, introducing novel methodologies to improve accuracy and efficiency in these domains. These fields hold critical societal importance -- agriculture underpins global food security and sustainability, while medical imaging drives advancements in diagnostics and personalized healthcare, both benefiting significantly from data-driven innovations. In agriculture, deep learning is applied to precision spray systems through droplet analysis. Specifically, a generative model is designed to create synthetic droplet images, addressing the challenge of limited training samples, which are expensive …

Developing A Small Molecule To Inhibit Hsf1 Expression In Cancer And Evaluating Natural Genetic Variation In Small Molecule Toxicity., Michaela Kendal Foley

Theses and Dissertations

Each year cancer affects nearly 20 million people worldwide and genetic differences across populations can impact cancer onset and progression. Specifically, tumors with high levels of HSF1, the master regulator of the cytoprotective heat shock response (HSR), are correlated with poor patient outcomes in multiple cancers such as prostate, breast, and melanoma. Subsequently, the development of pharmacological inhibitors of HSF1 represents a promising strategy for anticancer therapeutics. Using a luciferase-based transcriptional reporter, two small molecule libraries were screened for inhibitors of HSF1 expression in human embryonic kidney cells, yielding ten compounds that decrease HSF1 expression. To identify if cancer lines …

Are You Patronizing Me? Understanding And Identifying The Implications For Benevolent Racism On Inclusion In The Workplace, Nisha Quraishi

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the construct of benevolent racism. The purpose of this study was to address the following areas. First, to distinguish benevolent racism in the racism, benevolence, and sexism literature. Second, to examine how minorities experienced benevolent racism in the workplace. Third, to use that data to conduct a quantitative analysis that examined the impact of benevolent racism on work group identification and inclusion. To do so, two studies were conducted. The first study was a qualitative study that conducted interviews which examined how benevolent racism impacted minorities in the workplace. The second study was a quantitative study that …

The Impact Of Sibling Sexual Abuse On Parenting Stress, Giuliana Berry

Theses and Dissertations

Sibling sexual abuse is the most common yet least reported, treated, and studied manifestation of child sexual abuse (Bertele & Talmon, 2023; Caffaro & Conn-Caffaro, 2005; Krienert & Walsh, 2011; O’Brien, 1991). It is a particularly challenging form of intrafamilial sexual abuse for parents and caregivers because their children are both the victim and the perpetrator of the abuse. They struggle to balance the needs of both children (Duane et al., 2002; Tener et al., 2020) and may experience heightened stress and associated psychological difficulties. Parenting stress is linked to child and adolescent posttraumatic stress and internalizing and externalizing problem …

Evaluating A Video Modeling Approach To Teach Shelter Volunteers How To Interact With Dogs In The Shelter, Sean Michael Will

Theses and Dissertations

Well-trained volunteers are required to help meet the daily needs of dogs waiting to be adopted in animal shelters and to find new homes for them. Inadequate volunteer training leads to mismanagement and attrition of volunteers who are essential to helping shelter dogs get adopted. However, animal shelters often lack access to the resources and funds required to provide adequate training for volunteers. Using a nonconcurrent multiple baseline design, this study evaluated a cost-effective program consisting of video modeling with voiceover instruction, on-screen text, examples, and non-examples that instructed volunteers to interact with the dogs in a specific manner to …

Matrix Training Of Verb Tenses With Autistic Children, Alexandra Lynn Ewald

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to extend the research on matrix training by evaluating its efficacy for producing recombinative generalization of regular verb tense endings. Three autistic children were shown videos of people known to the participants acting out behaviors associated with an action about to take place, currently taking place, or that took place. The targets (actors, actions, and verb tenses) were arranged in a matrix, and the targets appearing along the diagonal of the matrix were directly trained, while the remaining targets were probed to determine if the participant was able to emit correct responses without any …

Co-Designing Manufacturing Systems For Robustness And Resilience: A Decision-Based Design Perspective, Mathew Baby

Theses and Dissertations

Manufacturing systems (MSs) comprise various stakeholders associated with the manufacture and supply of products required by customers and are interrelated by the flow of materials and information. The interrelated stakeholders make system-specific decisions and stakeholder-specific decisions across multiple levels of a decision hierarchy to satisfy many conflicting system-specific and stakeholder-specific requirements that define system and stakeholder performances. Given the stakeholder interrelations and conflicting nature of system-specific and stakeholder-specific requirements, system and stakeholder performances are correlated and conflicting.

In the Industry 5.0 era, there is an increased emphasis on the creation and equitable distribution of value among all the stakeholders in …

Capturing The Realities Of Space And Culture: An Exploration Of Landscape In The House On Mango Street And Woman Hollering Creek, Leanna C. Mendiola

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Capturing the Realities of Space and Culture: An Exploration of Landscape in The House on Mango Street and Woman Hollering Creek (May 2025)

Leanna Carmela Mendiola, B.A., Texas A&M International University; Chair of Committee: Dr. Zachary Hernandez

This thesis explores Sandra Cisneros’s The House on Mango Street and Woman Hollering Creek. Cisneros’s books explore the landscape and culture around her characters as readers piece together the experiences of women. The two novels use architectural elements to examine each book’s protagonists’ community and culture. The thesis argues that Cisneros employs space and place to underscore empowerment and the characters’ journeys …