Digital Commons Network^™

Hybrid Interactive Rhetorical Engagements In Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (Mmorpgs): Examining The Role Of Rhetors And Audiences In Generative Rhetorical Discourses, Yowei Kang

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The dissertation explores the emerging rhetorical practices in Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs) in general and World of Warcraft (WoW) game in particular. The study applies Kenneth Burke's rhetorical theories and concepts to examine the persuasive processes employed by both game designers and players at various stages of their gameplay experiences. The author argues that the analysis of these interactive rhetorical discourses during gameplay helps rhetorical scholars to understand the emerging rhetorical practices where the rhetors and the audiences collaborate to co-generate their hybrid intensive rhetorical engagement (H.I.R.E.).

On the basis of the gaming sessions captured by the researcher …

A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words: Integrating Sequential Narratives Into An English Language Learner's Curriculum, Cira Michelle Montoya

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The following thesis aims to explore the subject of using comics in the classroom, particularly with English Language Learner (ELL) students. Do the images, vocabulary, and contextual cues found within comics and graphic novels positively affect language comprehension and writing skills of ELL students when these texts are integrated into a tailored curriculum? Within my research I have composed an extensive literature review comprised of two major sections. The first section aims to highlight the use of comics to assist struggling readers, again focusing on ELL students. The second section compiles a list of comics and graphic novels I reviewed …

Alcohol Production And Consumption Throughout U.S. History, And More Particularly In El Paso, Texas, As It Relates To Social Norms Theory, Jennifer Matthews

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This thesis traces the history of alcohol production and consumption throughout U.S. history by following the course of the four major periods of relative equilibrium in social norms that the country has experienced. It uses this socio-historiography as a platform to understand how national trends in alcohol production and consumption were experienced along the border in El Paso, Texas, in a very unique fashion. The thesis aspires to augment El Paso's pride and sense of identity by building on knowledge of local history, customs, and norms.

Exploring Organizational Culture And Leadership Styles In El Paso Nonprofit Organizations, Milena Murta

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This study focuses on two non-profit organizations in the El Paso region to document the communication processes by which they maintain their culture across their units. The study also explores leadership styles, both what are they and how they are employed in these organizations. This study involves three research methods, including: content analysis of organizational documents, interviews with leaders, and ethnographic observation. The findings of this study suggest that managing non-profit organizations is a challenge but yet rewarding duty. Moreover, managers explained that mission management is facilitated through four major ways: through documents, through the delivery of services, through training …

Gender Differences In Food Habits, Beliefs, And Fast Food Consumption Among A Predominantly Hispanic College Student Population, Alma Xochitl Ortega Gomez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Fast food consumption in the United States (U.S.) has been increasing steadily during the last decades. This trend has been linked to the increased prevalence of overweight and obesity among the population (Barnard, 2010; Currie, Della Vigna, Moretti & Pathania, 2009). Several sociodemographic characteristics that have been associated with the likelihood of frequent fast food consumption include income, ethnicity, gender and age (Block, Scribner, DeSalvo, 2004; Bowman & Vinyard, 2004; Drewnoski & Darmon, 2005; Driskell et al., 2006; Morse & Diskell, 2009; Paeratakul et al., 2003). Most studies related to fast food consumption have been conducted in adult population, only …

Fold-Thrust System Overprinting Syn-Rift Structures On The Margin Of An Inverted Rift Basin: Indio Mountains, West Texas, Seth Joel Page

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Detailed mapping in the central Indio Mountains in west Texas, reveal a complex stacking of thrust sheets that record inversion of the Mesozoic Chihuahua Trough rift basin. Important newly recognized structural complexities include both folding of older thrust sheets and development of younger, out-of-sequence thrusts that cut across older folds; detachment fold horizons within thrust sheets; and a regional anticlinorium that exposes the Squaw thrust in a structural half-window bounded on the west by the Neogene Indio normal fault. The Chihuahua trough originated as part of the late Mesozoic border rift system and was inverted during Laramide thrusting. Remnants of …

Supramolecular Organization Of Nanoparticles, Brenda M. Porta Linnell

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The study of supramolecular structures with nano-architectures has become an active area of research in recent years. They have the potential to generate functional materials with applications in medicine and emerging technologies. In this dissertation, the supramolecular organization of gold nanoparticles (AuNP) and other nano-scale structures such as discrete styrene-based polymers was investigated. The synthesis and characterization of metal-mediated AuNPs systems using pendant ligands on the AuNP such as 11-diethylenetriamine-undecane-1-thiol, 11-Mercapto-undecanoic acid [2-(2-amino-ethylamino)-ethyl]-amide, Bis(11-oxo-nicotinic acid, undecine)disulfide, and 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid, and using Cu(II) to mediate the formation of supramolecular AuNP systems with sizes of 200 nm ¡V 3 fÃ?m, are …

Development Of A Gis Fiber Optics Assetmanagement System For The City Of El Paso, Luis Fernando Quintana

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The GIS Fiber Optics Asset Management System (GFOAMS) was developed for the City of El Paso, to manage the public fiber optics infrastructure. Using a map-driven interface, the GFOAMS is composed of three modules: inventory, documents, and images. Its interactive multilayer data structure contains information for Junction Boxes, Conduit Runs, and Cables for twelve fiber optic systems across the city. The fiber optics network stored in the GFOAMS connects city buildings and facilities such as police departments, fire departments, municipal courts, health administration building, public transportation facilities/Sun Metro, libraries and others. Applications of the GFOAMS include tools to easy access …

Development And Characterization Of The Oxidation Behavior Of Various High Temperature Niobium Based Alloys, Benedict Isabel Portillo

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The oxidation response of various niobium based refractory alloys from the Nb-Mo-Si-B-X alloy system has been examined at temperatures between 700 and 1400°C in air. The development of these alloys was part of an ongoing effort to develop and discover a new materials system capable of replacing nickel based super alloys. Additions of titanium were found to provide limited oxidation resistance. A discontinuous layer of TiO2 was observed to from at temperatures above 1100°C. Alloys containing titanium additions were observed to suffer from pest oxidation at low and intermediate temperatures due to the development of Nb2O5. Poor oxidation resistance at …

An Experimental Study On The Effect Of Particle Geometry On Drag And Flow Behaviors In A Packed Fluidized Bed, Md Mahamudur Rahman

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Gasification offers a promising solution to producing fuels effectively in the coming years by providing a low-cost energy system, clean environmental performance, and reliability. Feedstock is prepared and fed to a gasifier in either a dry form or as slurry (mixed with water). One application of this technology uses heat, pressure, and steam to convert feedstock into a gaseous mixture, composed primarily of carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen (H2), named as syngas. Several technical and commercial issues were identified by the Nation Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) in 2006 Multiphase workshop. US Department of Energy (DOE) is now focusing on attaining …

Microstructural Architecture Developed In The Fabrication Of Solid And Open-Cellular Copper Components By Additive Manufacturing Using Electron Beam Melting, Diana Alejandra Ramirez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The fabrication of Cu components were first built by additive manufacturing using electron beam melting (EBM) from low-purity, atomized Cu powder containing a high density of Cu2O precipitates leading to a novel example of precipitate-dislocation architecture. These microstructures exhibit cell-like arrays (1-3µm) in the horizontal reference plane perpendicular to the build direction with columnar-like arrays extending from ~12 to >60 µm in length and corresponding spatial dimensions of 1-3 µm. These observations were observed by the use of optical metallography, and scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The hardness measurements were taken both on the atomized powder and the Cu components. …

Digital Image Processing Based On Sparse Representation And Convex Programming, Carlos Andres Ramirez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Sparse representation models have been of central interest in recent years due to important achievements in computational harmonic analysis, such as wavelet transformations, and the most recent sampling theory, compressed sensing. Numerous applications based on sparse models have been studied in the last decade leading to promising results. These applications include areas in seismology, image processing, wireless sensor networks, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging just to mention a few.

In this work, we propose to extend such applications in the area of image processing, particularly for the image segmentation problem, and examine algorithms involved in sparse modeling from both …

Relationships Between Central Obesity, Fructose Intake, And Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease In Overweight Hispanic Adolescents, Hector Reyes

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether central (visceral) fat measured as waist circumference and daily fructose intake were associated with measures of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in Hispanic overweight adolescents.

Methodology: Thirty four obese boys (n=15) and girls (n=19) between the ages of 13 and 18 years were measured for body composition, waist circumference, and dietary fructose intake. Fasting alanine (ALT) and aspartate (AST) aminotransferase levels in blood, ALT/AST ratio, and hepatic fat fraction (HFF) by magnetic resonance imaging were measured and used as surrogates for NAFLD. Pearson Product-Moment correlation analyses were used …

Synthesis, Microstructure And Thermal Analysis Of Gd2o3 - Hfo2 Coatings, Chandan Kumar Roy

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) are critical for future gas turbines of advanced coal based power generation systems. The TBCs are protective layers of low thermal conductivity ceramic materials, which prevent the damage of components that are exposed to very high temperature of the hot gases. Due to increasing demand to improve the efficiency, it is necessary to find alternate TBC materials which can withstand higher temperature for longer period than state-of-art TBCs. The present study focuses on the Gd2O3 stabilized HfO2 (GSH) as a potential candidate for TBC. GSH materials were synthesized in bulk and coatings form. The Gd2O3 content …

Pressure-Dependent Nanoheteroepitaxy Of Cdte On Si(100) And Soi(100) Substrates Using The Close-Spaced Sublimation Technique, Hoong Yan See Tao

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

CdTe is an ideal II-VI semiconductor compound with a direct bandgap energy of 1.53 eV used in solar cells and infrared detector applications [8]. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) reported that cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin films solar cells have achieved efficiency of 16.5% and with potential for improvement up to the theoretical value of 29% [14]. The close-spaced sublimation (CSS) method used for solar cell CdTe growth is being tested for selective CdTe nanoheteroepitaxial growth because the CSS method is cost efficient compared to the molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) methods. High quality films …

Gross National Happiness And It's Third Pillar: A Policy Analysis Of The Bhutanese Broadcast Syatem, Deki Palden Thinlay

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Bhutan occupies a special position in the international arena with its unique "guiding philosophy for development process called the Gross National Happiness and its objectives holds priority over economic growth. A rapidly changing local media and the foreign channels expanding foreign way of thinking introduce foreign values and cultures. This changing scenario builds up challenges for the government's vision of GNH and the pillar of cultural preservation to prevail. This research analyzes the government's policies available on the broadcast media through document analysis, discussions with people related to the law and policies, and analysis of selected TV and radio program …

Gemini Metallo-Surfactants: Chemical And Physical Properties, Erich Ivan Valenzuela

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Gemini surfactants are amphiphilic molecules that consist of two surfactant molecules chemically joined together by a spacer group. These molecules tend to self‐assemble into vesicles at much lower concentrations than traditional surfactants and have found many applications in catalysis, adsorption applications, drug‐delivery, nanoscale technology, and biotechnology. In this thesis, the synthesis, characterization and physical properties of a new type of Gemini surfactant derived from dinuclear Cu(II) metal complexes is presented. We call these molecules Gemini Metal‐Organic Surfactants (GMOs).

Three newly developed new GMOs (compounds 1‐3) are composed of Cu(II) ions ligated to a lipid‐functionalized triamine group and the metals are …

X-Ray Diffraction Studies Of Room And Intermediate Tempertaure Phases Of Phosphate Based Solid Acids, Kiran Vajrapu

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In this work, the MH2PO4-type solid acids (where M= Cs, K, Rb) structure and properties are studied and their contribution towards fuel cell industry is understood. Some research groups have shown that, CsH2PO4 (CDP) and RbH2PO4 (RDP) shows sudden, several order of magnitude jumps in their proton conductivity at certain high temperatures.(31, 32) This so called superprotonic behavior of these compounds makes them a fuel cell electrolyte at elevated temperatures. (33) Most of the research groups working on two possible causes to get the reliable information for the high proton conductivity: polymorphic phase transition (Botez et al.,) and thermal dehydration …

Indentifying And Understanding User Preferences In Generic Planning Tools, Grisel Ventura

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Planning is an important cognitive work activity. To support this complex task, the development of planning tools is important to support people during decision-making and problem-solving tasks. Nowadays, a large number of manual and electronic tools support this complex activity; manual and electronic planning tools aid people in creating strategies for effective work performance. However, there is limited information on the design of generic planning tools people use for their activities, and why people choose to use the planning tool they do. Some examples of generic tools for planning are calendars, checklists, agendas, etc.

To answer this question, this research …

Evaluating Suspended Dust Particulate Matter From Anthropogenically - Altered Lands, Roberto Velarde

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Substantial dust loads are transported from drylands including the Saharan, Asian, and Chihuahuan Desert deposits by localized to planetary-scale processes to nearby and distal sites. These dusts may carry harmful constituents. To evaluate dust movement patterns and characteristics relative to carried constituents, three studies are presented comprising (A) Localized displacement of uranium and progeny radionuclides from high-grade uranium ore storage piles at Peña Blanca, Chihuahua, Mexico; (B) Long-distance transport of plutonium via Saharan and Asian aeolian pathways; and (C) Dust movement patterns in military maneuvering and non-maneuvering areas at White Sands Missile Range (WSMR), New Mexico. Study (A) evaluated surface …

Transferability Of Child Labor Norms: Examining The Link Between Foreign Direct Investment And Child Labor Practices In Developing Countries, Ijtsuri Anayantzin Viveros

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Why do child labor norms often fail to be transferred or enforced in developing countries even if the implementation of such norms already proved to have substantially reduced child labor practices in developed regions? In the field of international political economy, a number of studies examine how international trade in general and foreign direct investment (FDI, hereafter) in particular influence economic growth, income equality, and balance of trade in developed and developing countries. Extending the literature on international trade and investment, this thesis examines the relationship between FDI and child labor practices in developing countries.

Specifically, I investigate whether and …

Distributional Properties Of Inversions And Segmentation Algorithms For Rna Sequences, Sameera Dhananjaya Viswakula

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a long single stranded molecule made up of four types of nucleotide bases: Adenine (A), Cytosine(C), Guanine (G) and Uracil (U). It folds back on itself and forms C-G and A-U complementary base pairs. The set of such hydrogen-bonded pairs in an RNA molecule is called its secondary structure. Knowing the secondary structure of RNA is useful for understanding its biological function. Prediction of RNA secondary structure from the nucleotide sequence has been an important bioinformatics problem for over two decades.

The work in this thesis is motivated by the need to improve the secondary structure …

Principles Of Thomas Pynchon's Literary Realities, Ira Anthony Walker

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Thomas Pynchon's literature is unique in subject and style. Postmodern by definition, Pynchon illustrates physics as a societal metaphor; Guy Debord's text The Society of the Spectacle suggests that these societal, literary, metaphors constitute and/or lead to a Spectacle. Through the analysis of an unpublished text: Minstrel Island, an early written short story: "Entropy," and a short novel: The Crying of Lot 49 the reader is capable of seeing a developing theme of physics as metaphor constituting multiple Spectacles. The narrative devices offered by Thomas Pynchon become Spectacular in nature and reflect the characteristics and environment of the tumultuous 1960s …

Strategies To Improve And Preserve Flexible Pavements At Intersections, Imad N. Abdallah

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Many rural intersections originally constructed with thin untreated flexible base and hot mix or a two-course surface treatment experience severe pushing, shoving and rutting. These failures cause an extremely rough surface that can cause damage to small vehicles and potentially cause motorists to lose control of their vehicle. These distresses almost always result in complete failure of the existing pavement that must be repaired several times during the life of the roadway by maintenance forces. Pavement sections constructed with the same materials adjacent to the intersection perform adequately until the approach (approximately 150 ft in advance) of the intersection and …

Development Of An Expert System To Aid In The Selection Of Sustainability Design Engineering Methods, Pedro Renato Acosta

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The objective of this thesis is to present the development of an expert system to aid designers in the selection of design methods, in particular for sustainability methods. When practicing engineers need help in their design process, they look for design methods and tools; this is a challenge especially for inexperienced engineers in the sustainability area. Engineers, due to time constrains, will only utilize one or few methods during their professional life. The origin of this situation can be traced to engineering education, where it is typical that an instructor prefers one or few methods in particular, and even when …

Novel Photovoltaic Device For Targeted Drug Delivery, Sunny S. Ambure

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Despite decades of research, progress in targeted drug delivery is relatively slow, hampered, in part, by the lack of appropriate mechanisms to deliver anticancer drugs selectively to tumor tissues. Systemic or oral administration can cause severe toxicity, which limits the therapeutic potential of anticancer drugs [1]. Therefore, the most important goal of drug delivery is to minimize the exposure of normal tissues to these drugs while maintaining their therapeutic concentration in tumors.

A photovoltaic cell (PV) is a system that converts lights into electricity as well as induces charge transfer by photovoltaic effect. Motivated by such unique property, we have …

Smaller Learning Communities And Student Performance At The High School Level, Christopher Edward Avila

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to compare the performance of students who participated in a traditional high school curriculum with those exposed to smaller learning communities or academies within traditional high schools. As a type of school reform, the district, located in a southwestern school district that was the focus of this study, implemented within seven different high schools smaller learning communities in the areas of business, technology, medicine, math, science, and communications. A large percentage of the student population (approximately 83% Hispanic, 14% Caucasian, and 3% Black) is from the lowest socioeconomic group as defined by federal guidelines …

Communicative Practices That Lead To Timely High School Graduation Against All Odds: A Positive Deviance Inquiry In A Predominantly Hispanic School, Patricia Teresa A

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The school dropout rate among Hispanics is a major financial, educational, and public concern in the United States. However, some school districts that primarily enroll Hispanic students are succeeding in retaining and graduating their students against all odds, utilizing resources already present within their community. These institutions are "positive deviants" - they are "deviants" because they are not the norm and "positive" because they embody desirable outcomes. In such high schools are enrolled students, who against all odds, work their way to timely graduation. They are positive deviants within their institution. The present study conducted in a U.S.-Mexico border city …

An Ultra Low Power Subthreshold Delta Sigma Digital To Analog Converter, Ricardo Baca

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Abstract

In the last four decades the incorporation of analog, digital and mixed-signal integrated circuits (IC) using Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) technology has been dramatically increasing and is improving almost every aspect of modern life. Furthermore, the continuous advances in CMOS Very Large System Integration (VLSI) technology allow higher integration densities and the increasing number of subsystems in a single chip results in higher speed execution and lower power consumption. Therefore, the increasing digitalization in electronic circuits across a wide range of battery-operated applications where reliability and power dissipation are critical requires Digital to Analog Converters (DACs) with higher …

Magnetic-Field Induced Stability In Two-Flavor Color Superconductivity, Churna B. Bhandari

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

It has long been understood that the ground state of a superdense quark system, a Fermi liquid of weakly interacting quarks, is unstable with respect to the formation of diquark condensates. This nonperturbative phenomenon is essentially equivalent to the Cooper instability of conventional BCS superconductivity. As the quark pairs have nonzero color charge, this kind of superconductivity breaks the SU(3) color gauge symmetry, thus it is called color superconductivity. A peculiar feature of spin-zero color superconductivity is the lack of Meissner effect for a combination of the regular electromagnetic field and one of the gluon fields. This combination behaves as …