Digital Commons Network^™

Removal Of Iron, Zinc, And Copper From Waters Impacted By Acid Mine Drainage Using Natural Zeolite, Mackayla Janae Thyfault

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In this research, the adsorption behavior of zeolites with respect to iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), and copper (Cu) has been studied in order to assess its application to heavy metal removal in polluted settings caused by acid mine drainage (AMD). The St. Cloud zeolitic deposit used in this project was characterized using a sieve analysis; the effective diameter and coefficient of uniformity were calculated. Batch studies were performed, and the samples were analyzed using ICP-OES. Batch studies used metal concentrations ranging from 50 mg/L to 650 mg/L. Freundlich, Linear, Langmuir, and BET adsorption isotherms were applied and evaluated to the …

Complex Gleason Measures And The Nemytsky Operator, Miguel Angel Valles

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This Thesis is devoted to generalize previous results on Gleason measures

to complex Gleason measures, and to develop a functional calculus

for complex measures in relation to the Nemytsky operator. Furthermore

we present the interpretation of our results in the field of quantum

mechanics, some concrete examples and further extensions of several

theorems.

A New Test For The Mean Vector In High Dimensional Setting, Behzad Aalipur Hafshejani

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Traditional statistical data analysis mostly includes methods and techniques to deal with problems in which there are many observations but a few variables. Nonetheless, the current inclination is toward more observations but also, toward more variables. Today's observations gathered on individuals are images, curves, or even movies. Unfortunately many traditional methods do not work well in high dimensional settings. As an example Hotelling's test which is well known and widely used in the literature does not work when it comes to high dimensional problems. Consequently statisticians are making an effort to find remedies or new approaches to multivariate mean testing. …

Studying Grazing Behavior Of Cafeteria Roenbergensis With Two-Photon Microscopy, Faisal Abedin Abedin

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Major innovations in recent years have largely revolutionized the fluorescence imaging. Two-photon fluorescence microscopy is one of them. Two photon fluorescence microscopy has evolved as an alternative to conventional single-photon confocal microscopy and has been shown to provide several advantages. These include three-dimensionally resolved fluorescence imaging of living cells deep within thick, strongly scattering samples, and reduced phototoxicity, enabling long term imaging of photosensitive biological specimens. The inherent three-dimensional resolution of TPE microscopy has been exploited in a number of studies wherein spatial discrimination of fluorescence signals at the micrometer and submicrometer scale within thick biological specimens proved critical. In …

Molecular Dynamics Proxy Applications For Optimizing Performance Of Simulations Under Extreme Conditions, Jayalath Abeywardhana Mudiyanselage Madawa Abeywardhana

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Exascale performance of scientific application is a prominent goal for the scientific community and computer hardware vendors. As a result, several proxy applications for the widely used scientific codes have been developed with the purpose of testing performance, memory and power consumption issues associated with simulations at the exascale. Co-MD is a proxy application for classical Molecular Dynamics (MD) codes based on the (SPaSM) Los Alamos code.

This work comprises two different but related computational aspects: performance evaluation and optimization of Co-MD (Co-Design Molecular Dynamics) for different computer architectures/execution models, and direct application of SPaSM (Scalable Parallel Short-range Molecular Dynamics) …

Three Essays On Big Data Analytics, Traditional Marketing Analytics, Knowledge Discovery, And New Product Performance, Zhenning Xu

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In recent years, companies have become aggressive in investing in Big Data Analytics (BDA) for marketing purposes, particularly new product development. One of the basic features of BDA is its promise in delivering automated recommendations or knowledge. For this reason, companies attempt to ascertain if BDA can improve new product performance beyond what Traditional Marketing Analytics (TMA) can.

The overarching question is whether different combinations (BDA and TMA in different levels) of analytics capabilities are able to generate different kinds of knowledge for Knowledge and Information Fusion that could improve new product performance. The aim of this study is to …

Bio-Politics Of State Repression: A Case Study Of The Indignados Social Movement In Ciudad Juárez, México, Igi G. Acosta

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Police repression has become one of the most widespread experiences of participating in social movements. This thesis provides a case study of how repression is experienced and how it affected the Indignados social movement in Ciudad Juárez, México. Specifically, it chronicles the circumstances around two separate repressive events that occurred on November 1, 2011. The thesis has two broad aims. First, it seeks to provide a sociological analysis of how state repression applied through structural and systematic use of police violence affected the political trajectory and lives of peaceful and non-violent activists from Ciudad Juárez. This highlights the violent reality …

Study Of No2 Photolysis Rate Coefficients For The Paso Del Norte Region, Pema Wangchuk

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The photolysis of nitrogen dioxide is one of the most influential chemical processes in the formation of photochemical air pollution. In this study, we compared simulated and measured nitrogen dioxide photolysis rate coefficients (J_(NO_2 )) for the Paso Del Norte (PdN) region. The Tropospheric Ultraviolet-Visible (TUV) radiation transfer model was used to calculate J_(NO_2 ) values. The measurements of hemi-spherically integrated, spectrally resolved solar photon flux between the wavelengths 400 and 700 nm were used to obtain the photolysis rate coefficients for ã??NOã??_2. Results are presented for a selected episode on July, 2015. The work investigated the use of measured …

Animating Composition: 3d Computer-Generated Imaging And Technical Communication Classes, Nikki Ann Agee

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This project examines the rhetorical nature of 3D computer-generated imaging (CGI) and investigates how technical communication instructors can integrate it into their classrooms to foster rhetorical awareness of digital and multimodal composing practices; to foster technical communication competencies; and to teach technical communication genres. To justify 3D CGI's study and use in technical communication classes, the Dissertation first overviews 3D CGI's complex, interdisciplinary history; discusses how professionals across disciplines rhetorically use it; and reviews the lack of scholarship on 3D CGI in Rhetoric and Writing Studies. 3D CGI is next conceptualized as a rhetorical information ecology with micro-, meso-, and …

The Impact Of Bicultural Identity On Perceptions Of Self-Efficacy, Miriam J. Alvarez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The primary aim of the proposed research was to investigate the role cultural identity plays in regards to academic perceptions, goals, and motivation amongst bicultural college students. Previous research suggests that biculturals experience shifts in mental frames as they navigate differences in cultural settings. Central to this research is the idea that people who have access to multiple cultural meaning systems switch between culturally appropriate behaviors depending on the context. We hypothesize that biculturals' responses to cultural cues involve more than automatic cognitive processes. Cultural frameworks may depend on their motives to embrace or reject particular cultural identities and multiple …

Esta Con La Partera: A Qualitative Feminist Perspective Of Women's Birthing Experiences In El Paso Texas, Anessa Anchondo-Rivera

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The state of pregnancy is a political one, where women act within and from the social structures that can influence life choices. Through in-depth interviews, this qualitative study examines the choices of six women who birthed at the only birthing center in El Paso County, El Paso Texas. This research uses feminist standpoint theory and life course approach theory to examine how these six women interviewed negotiated their decision-making processes during their pregnancy and birth. Through the use of visual sociology, the research also uses the documentary Catching Babies as a secondary source to examine the services of Maternidad La …

Dielectric Prism Antenna, Jose Antonio Avila

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

3D printing is revolutionizing the development and manufacturing of devices. Currently multi-material 3D printing, like metals plus dielectrics, is in the early stages and not very accessible. This work set out to develop an all-dielectric antenna that could be 3D printed with current widely accessible 3D printing technologies. The antenna developed is an all-dielectric ultra-thin antenna with a simple geometry. The antenna radiates by using total internal reflection and a circulating mode operating as a leaky whispering gallery mode. We are calling the antenna the dielectric prism antenna because it acts like an optical prism. The dielectric prism antenna was …

Development Of A Measure Of Positive And Negative Aspects Of Dog Owners' Attachment To Their Pets, Paola Nayeli Balcazar Soto

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This Thesis describes the development of the Assessment of Dog Owners' Behaviors and Experiences, Version I (ADOBE-I), a multi-scale measure of positive and negative aspects of dog ownership. In Study 1 a pool of 265 items was administered online to 352 participants on Mechanical Turk (M-Turk). Exploratory Factor Analysis of responses was used to construct the ADOBE-I, which includes 58 items and five scales, Dog-Owner Bond, Legal Problems, Hostile Dog, Obedient Dog, and Care for Dog's Health, and one supplemental scale, Dog as Child. In Study 2 the psychometric properties of the ADOBE-I scales were examined in a sample of …

Effects Of Citric Acid Coated And Uncoated Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles In Tomato (Solanum Lycopersicum) Plants, Ana Cecilia Barrios

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This research was performed to examine the physiological and biochemical effects of bare (nCeO2) and citric acid coated (nCeO2+CA) cerium oxide nanoparticles in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). Plants were germinated and grown to full maturity in soil amended with 0-500 mg/kg and periodically analyzed using ICP-OES/MS and other spectroscopic and biochemical techniques. Although Ce in tissues increased as the external nCeO2 increased, there were no visible signs of toxicity. In mature plants, nCeO2 induced developmental changes and altered nutritional quality (essential elements) in fruits. On the other hand, nCeO2+CA affected fruit carbohydrate composition (sugars and starch). This study gives insights on …

Gravimetrically Characterizable Common Alkali Reducing Agents And Ligand Design Of A New Electron Rich Guanidinate, Efrain Maximiliano Castillo

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

SynThesis, isolation and characterization of 12 new alkali arenides was performed by the addition of the chelating base 18-crown-6. Electrochemistry, UV-vis/NIR spectroscopy and XRD studies were performed.

The incoorporation of an imidazolin-2-iminato group to the background of a guanidinate showed that this kind of ligand is electronically flexible and metal dependent. It was found that is more electron donating than some previously reported guanidinates and ketimine guanidinates.

Manufacturing And Characterization Of Energetic Materials, Carlos Alberto Catzin

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Few products take several years of research effort to be synthesize yet disintegrate in scarcely millionths of a second when used. Despite their short lifespan energetic materials, particularly high explosives, are in demand as never before by the Aerospace, Defense, Energy, Gas, Mining, and Oil Industry for their unique properties. One class of high explosives known as polymer bonded explosives (PBXs) are popularly used in a wide variety of applications ranging from solid rocket propellants to the main explosive charge in conventional ammunitions. A key characteristic behind the popularity of PBXs in comparison to other high explosives is their handling …

Blind Image Deconvolution Based On Sparsity: Theoretical Justification And Improvement Of State-Of-The-Art Techniques, Fernando Cervantes

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Observed signals and images are distorted by noise and blurring. In precise terms, blurring is a convolution of the original image with some blurring function. From this viewpoint, to reconstruct the original image, we need to reverse the effects of this convolution, i.e., to ``deconvolve'' the image. Many efficient methods for image deconvolution are known. However, most of these methods assume that we know the blurring function -- or at least that we have some partial information about the blurring function. In some practical situations, however, we do not have this information. In such situations, we need to perform, blind …

The Man Who Took A Breath, Robert Allen Crowl

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The Man Who Took A Breath confronts the ongoing battle of good and evil and its connection to humanity's search for and defense of personal truth, mainly as it's revealed within and through human relationships. Blurring the line between right and wrong can force readers to take a breath before condemning someone else's brand of truth. People from all walks of life endure familial relationships, which estrange and comfort, tear down and build up. These stories are a series of snapshots into a variety of relationships and spiritual crusades meant to depict humanities' deep well for compassion, empathy, and love …

Minimizing Environmental Impacts For Hub And Spoke Distribution Network Problems Through The Use Of Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithms, Ileana Delgado

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

While transportation is crucial to our economy and our personal lives, as a sector it is also a significant source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The AASHTO report states, "America's transportation system has served us well, but now faces the challenges of congestion, energy supply, environmental impacts, climate change, and threatens the economic, social, and environmental future of the nation". With respect to the environment, transportation is the most visible aspect of supply chains. Transportation emissions can be reduced by implementing approaches that contribute to GHG emissions reduction, for example, the use of low-carbon fuels, new and improved vehicle technologies, …

Of Mist And Memory, Francine Theresa Fitzsimons

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

"Of Mist And Memory" is an exploration of what it means to be Irish, catholic and female. The content aims to articulate in poetic language the controls both internal and external that govern an individual. It is a journey from cradle to grave, birth to death that focuses primarily on topics that are the domain of women. However it does not exclude the male gender rather it draws the comparison of how a man can be equally controlled. The poems reflect the Irish landscape, its traditions and the impact religion has on daily life. It strives to find connections, form …

Gender And Professionalization: Experiences Of Veterinary Practice In Ciudad Juárez, México, Daniela Garcia Del Rivero

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

As more women enter science-based professions, barriers faced by women in terms of full participation in professional activities become useful to examine. This Thesis focuses on veterinary practice in Ciudad Juárez, México, to understand gender differences in professional work. Women's enrollment in veterinary schools has increased substantially over time, and this Thesis seeks to provide a case study of how this feminization is reflected in gendered experiences of education and professional practice. Based on semi-structured interviews conducted with women and men, the findings reveal how veterinarians negotiate gendered stereotypes in their field. This research argues that veterinary identity is performed …

A Novel Approach To Control Corrosion Behaviour On Bio Materials Using Taguchi Method (Design Of Experiments), Sai Dhiresh Kilari

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In the present work, the Taguchi method, from the design of experiment (DOE) has been used to optimize the dip testing method to test the corrosion resistance of bio degradable materials such as PLA (Polylactic acid)and PCL (Polycaprolactone). A L9 (9) orthogonal array of Taguchi design was used, which involves nine experiments for three parameters (pH, sample, temperature) with three levels was used. Corrosion resistance in various pH change of HCL solution was evaluated by dip tests at various temperatures. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) is performed on the obtained measured data and S/N (signal to noise) ratios. The lower the …

Sample Size Estimation For Genomics Experiments With Dependent End Points, Desmond Koomson

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In typical genomics studies involving numerous association tests of gene mutations with a disease, error rate control via multiplicity adjustment is paramount because even if all genes were to be non-differentially associated, we would still make some false positives. Many methods exist that incorporate the control of multiplicity for normally distributed endpoints in sample size estimation, but none addresses the issue for non-normally correlated endpoints.

One common practice in the literature is to assume an equal correlation among all differentially associated or expressed genes, thereby using the generalized binomial or beta-binomial model to compute the comparison-wise power of detecting these …

Commercialization Of Cobalt Promoted Molybdenum Disulfide Hydrodesulfurization Unsupported Catalyst, Juan Hilario Leal

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Catalysis is a key player in the petroleum refining process. Our focus is primarily on the improvement of a commercial HDS (HydroDeSulfurization) hydrotreating catalyst. The commercial catalyst sold today is cobalt promoted molybdenum supported on γ-alumina. Our aim is to work with Porocel Industries LLC to produce an unsupported, cobalt promoted, molybdenum disulfide catalyst by improving on previous work conducted by Dr. Brenda Torres. The catalysts (B3&B5) developed by Dr. Torres were reported to be highly active on real feedstocks and were produced via hydrothermal process. Oxidic Mo, and H2S were used to make an ammonium tetrathiomolybdate precursor that was …

Translingual Practice & Identity Performance: A Study Of Mongolian Youth On Facebook, Sara Bartlett Large

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This study explores the translingual practices and identity performances of five participants on the social networking site, Facebook. The participants in this study are five young adults from Mongolia who participated in the U.S. State Department sponsored English Access Microscholarship program, an intensive English language program for disadvantaged youth in developing countries, from 2009 - 2011. Using a qualitative methodology based on constructivist grounded theory and relying on interviews, questionnaires, and observations of the participants' Facebook pages, this study considers the participants' use of translingual practices to build and maintain capital - linguistic, cultural, and social - as they develop …

Attitudes And Barriers To Intimate Partner Violence Screening And Follow-Up During Prenatal Care As Reported By Survivors In The El Paso, Texas Region, Luz Maria Luna

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

About 37.1% of Hispanic women in the United States have experienced intimate partner violence (IPV) (Breiding, 2014). In Texas, family violence cases among women comprised 73% of the total complaints (Texas Department of Public Safety 2012), and fatalities of women by an intimate partner totaled 102 women in 2011 (Office of Court Administration, 2013). In El Paso, Texas, the Center Against Sexual and Family Violence (CASFV) received 823 people in its emergency shelter from 2012 to 2013 and 70% of those residents were women (Center Against Family Violence, 2015). The Healthy People 2020 has assigned developmental objective IVP-39, under the …

Analysis Of Road Vehicle Aerodynamics With Computational Fluid Dynamics, Christian Armando Mata

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

A road vehicles aerodynamics can be one of the most influential aspects of its performance. With the increased importance on fuel efficiency in recent years, new road vehicles are being developed smaller in size, with smaller displacement engines, as well as with improved aerodynamics. The aerodynamics of a vehicle can have a significant effect on its fuel efficiency, as well as other important aspects of the vehicles performance such as the top speed, acceleration, and handling. A study focusing on analyzing aerodynamic effects due to vehicle geometries such as wheels covered by the vehicles body in comparison to open wheels …

Structural And Stratigraphic Development Of A Salt Diapir Shoulder, Gypsum Valley, Colorado, Joshua Coleman Mcfarland

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

A salt shoulder is a low-angle segment of the salt-sediment interface where the margin of a passive diapir steps abruptly inboard. The Late Triassic Chinle Formation overlies caprock on the northeastern margin of Gypsum Valley (GV) at the salt-sediment interface in the natural amphitheater of Bridge Canyon. Modern erosion of the Dolores River has created 3D outcrop of the salt shoulder, expressed by a 500 meter wide, sub-horizontal platform that dips abruptly into the subsurface to the northeast toward the Dry Creek minibasin. Within Bridge Canyon, seven facies associations have been recognized and interpreted within the Chinle Formation: 1) non-caprock …

Tumbling Dice And Other Tales From A Life Untitled, Tammy Mckillip Mckillip

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Tumbling Dice and Other Tales from a Life Untitled is a Thesis collection of memoir stories by Tammy Quinn McKillip.

Design Structure Method As Applied To The Structural Organization Of A 5th Genertation Fighter Jet, Israel Michel Michel

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In current times, the demand for protection against enemies in a volatile geopolitical climate is an increasingly demanding concern. Many countries invest billions of dollars attempting to protect their borders and in fact strive to become the most powerful and dominant war power in the world. As the dollar amount of each country increases, and while other countries seem to always beat each other, the path for innovations and demand is never ending. The complexity of each project continues to grow as they become very sophisticated in their respective field.

In recent decades, itâ??s been proven that whoever reaches the …