Digital Commons Network^™

How The Other Half Continues To Live: A Rhetorical, Nuanced Redefining Of The Colonia Phenomenon, James Michael Nielsen

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

â??Coloniasâ?? is a colloquial term used along the U.S.-Mexico border to simply mean informal housing practices. This Thesis uses critical discourse analysis theory to analyze the way the media, government, and law theorists perceive and legitimize the colonia phenomenon through discursive texts, leading to a discussion of hegemonic oppression and racism spelled out in a rhetoric of the colonias section. This Thesis also details the history of the colonias with a focus particularly on El Paso County, Texas, looking primarily at the law-based history of this phenomenon. The critical discourse analysis (CDA) conducted was influenced by rhetorical theory, particularly Bitzerâ??s …

The Use Of Code-Switching In Bilingual Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Monica Yolanda Ponce-Lawler

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Abstract

Background: Code-switching may be seen as a weakness in the eyes of many who do not truly

understand bilingualism. Several professionals consider code-switching to be a compensatory

strategy, however other professionals perceive code-switching as a functionally motivating behavior

(Chung, 2006). Whether is it consciously or subconsciously that a child code-switches, there is

limited research on when bilingual children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are likely to

code-switch as well as what patterns they utilize when they code-switch.

Purpose: To grow the limited research on the use of code-switching in bilingual children with ASD.

Introduce and compare two language treatments; …

Crash Rate As A Function Of Access Point Density And Traffic Flow, George Pinal

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

High crash rates on U.S. highways results in a considerable loss of human and economic resources. It is estimated that the U.S. loses about $10 billion every year in motor vehicle crashes in terms of fatalities, injuries, and property damage. Demand for access points from highways to properties has steadily increased due to rapid growth in local economies creating thereby compromises between accessibility and mobility or capacity and safety. On the other hand, the availability of access is essential to residential and commercial developments and often occurs at the cost of safety and traffic operations. This often directs the need …

Development And Integration Of The Janus Robotic Lander: A Liquid Oxygen - Liquid Methane Propulsion System Testbed, Raul Ponce

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Initiatives have emerged with the goal of sending humans to other places in our solar system. New technologies are being developed that will allow for more efficient space systems to transport future astronauts. One of those technologies is the implementation of propulsion systems that use liquid oxygen and liquid methane (LO2-LCH4) as propellants.

The benefits of a LO2-LCH4 propulsion system are plenty. One of the main advantages is the possibility of manufacturing the propellants at the destination body. A space vehicle which relies solely on liquid oxygen and liquid methane for its main propulsion and reaction control engines is necessary …

Characterizing Regulatory Factors Of The Sumoylation System, David Quintanar

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The effects that influenzaâ??s seasonal epidemics have on human health and the global economy have been clearly noted; while they are indeed very impressive, the impact of influenza pandemics arguably surpass other known infectious agents. Influenza A virus attaches to, enters, and infect cells by releasing its segmented genome which localize to the nucleus then use the hostâ??s cellular machinery to replicate and create viral progeny. The virus is able to hijack transcriptional components as well as to interact with other known and unknown host proteins which ultimately allows for a balance between cell viability and viral propagation. One known …

The Prohibitin Protein Complex Promotes Mitochondrial Stabilization And Cell Survival In Hematologic Malignancies, Elisa Robles Escajeda

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Lymphocyte proliferation and differentiation is coordinated with high precision in healthy humans and is vital to maintaining a normal immune system. Imbalance of these events can result in the development of autoimmune diseases, immunodeficiencies and hematopoietic malignancies. These pathologies, specifically leukemia and lymphoma have a high incidence of relapse and mortality due to limited treatment options. Therefore, there is a critical need to characterize the signal transduction pathways and understand molecular hallmarks that mediate T cell activation in order to develop new strategies for diagnosis and treatments of these diseases.

Prohibitins (PHB1 and PHB2) have been proposed to play important …

Validating The Accuracy Of A Language Screening Instrument In Identifying Preschool Children In El Paso, Texas, Roxana Stubbemann

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Background: Effective screeners are time and cost effective and may be an efficient indicator of whether a child needs further in-depth assessment. Surveyed Speech-Language Pathologists in the El Paso, TX region report using informal screening tools such as observational measures and checklists due to the lack of adequate standardized tools that suit the needs of bilingual children, which occupy a majority of their caseloads (Curtis, Summers, Smith, & Stubbemann, 2016). Many language-screening instruments are not psychometrically sound for culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) populations and limited research exists on the accuracy of these tools.

Purpose: The purpose of this study …

Process-Structure-Property Relationship In Magnesium-Based Biodegradable Alloy For Biomedical Applications, Pramanshu Trivedi

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Magnesium alloys are considered to be the next generation of biomaterials because of their ability to degrade in the physiological environment. We elucidate here the impact of multiaxial forging of Mg-2Zn-2Gd alloy on grain refinement to sub-micron regime and relate the structure to mechanical properties and biological functionality. As-cast and annealed samples were multiaxial forged (MAF) for a total number of two passes with a true strain of ~2/pass. Considering that the microstructure governs the biological response of materials, we studied the constituents of the microstructure in conjunction with the mechanical behavior. The antimicrobial behavior in a Mg-2Zn-2Gd alloy with …

Evaluation Of A Nutrition Education Program Targeting Home-Based Child Care Centers, Cassandra Nicole Urrutia

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Background: The development of a highly obesogenic culture promoting sedentary behavior and the consumption of calorie-dense foods has led to increased levels of overweight and obesity globally. While children and adults are both at increased risk of developing obesity, the risk is even higher in minority and low socioeconomic populations. Changes in familial structure and an increase in mothers of younger children (below the age of 6) entering the workforce have created a new demand for child care services. Although some studies have researched the effectiveness of nutrition programs to increase healthy eating within the child care setting, few have …

The Effect Of Yoga Practice On Glucose Control, Physiological Stress, And Well-Being In Type 2 Diabetes: Exploring A Mechanism Of Action, Maricarmen Vizcaino

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Multiple studies have found yoga practice to be effective in improving glucose control and other health markers of adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, current findings cannot reach a consensus given multiple methodological inconsistencies. The primary purpose of this Dissertation work was to investigate the impact of yoga practice on the glucose control of participants with T2DM through two different approaches in two separate exploratory studies. The first study, a quasi-experimental design, examined the effect of eight weeks of yoga practice on glucose control taking into account previous limitations in the literature. The second study, a single-subject design, …

Production And Functionality Of Melanocytes For Use In 3d-Printed Pigment-Capable Skin Tissue, Corinne Nicole Wittmann

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Skin grafts are used in a variety of medical procedures including burn treatment, skin cancer removal, chronic wound/ulcer treatment, skin infections and diseases, large wound closure and in elective plastic surgeries. Ideally, skin grafts are harvested directly from the patient. However, in some cases, direct harvesting of skin grafts is not possible. In these situations, an equivalent skin substitute obtained through another source is utilized. There will always be a greater risk of rejection in such cases and therefore is only intended to be a temporary treatment. A possible solution to lessen the risks and issues associated with skin grafts …

Bragg Gratings In Polarization Maintaining Optical Fiber As Three Dimensional Strain Sensor, Joel Quintana

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Fiber-Bragg Gratings (FBG) for Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) have been studied extensively as they offer electrically passive operation, electromagnetic interference (EMI) immunity, high sensitivity and multiplexing as compared to conventional electric strain sensors. FBG sensors written within polarization maintaining (PM) optical fiber offer ad- ditional dimensions of strain measurement, greatly reducing the number of sensors needed to properly monitor a structure. This reduction however, adds complexity to the dis- crimination of the sensorâ??s optical response to its corresponding applied strains. This Dissertation defines the set of algorithms needed to measure planar strain using PM-FBGs exclusively. It defines the minimum number …

The Contribution Of Alternative Splicing Toward The Global Control Of Sumo1 Sumoylation, Myriah Lorraine Acuna

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

SUMOylation, the attachment of the Small Ubiquitin-like Modifier (SUMO) to a target protein, is a post-translational modification similar to that of Ubiquitination in terms of the cascade of events required to produce the final modified target. However, instead of targeting proteins for degradation, as Ubiquitination usually does, SUMOylation appears to regulate many vital cellular processes including nucleocytoplasmic transport, transcription, apoptosis, protein stability, response to stress, and progression through the cell cycle (Hay, R.T, 2005). This versatility exhibited by the SUMOylation system makes it an optimal target for viral manipulation, as our laboratory has previously described for Influenza A virus (Pal, …

Optimization Of Collagen Microneedle Using Taguchi Method, Abhilash Aditya

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Research is conducted to create dissolving collagen microneedles and to optimize the parameters for close to perfect dimension microneedles. A collagen microneedle patch has been developed with a micro-manufacturing process (micro-molding process). The collagen microneedles, varying in length from 300 to 600-μm may reach different targeted layers of the skin depending on the application. As the microneedles penetrate the skin they dissolve, delivering collagen through the epidermis. Such addition of collagen directly to the dermis layers allows it to be absorbed, increasing skin's strength and resilience, since it is one of the natural components of the younger looking skin. This …

Monitoring And Blunting Coping Style Effects On College Student Processing Of Health Information Via Social Media, Katherine Marie Aguirre

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The dissemination of public health messages via social media is a growing phenomenon that is changing the health communication landscape (Chou, Hunt, Beckjord, Mojer, & Hesse, 2009). Few studies have investigated how individuals process health-threatening information. This study addressed this gap in knowledge. Specifically, the current study investigated the impact of coping style on an individual's attention to health-threatening and health-promoting words on an attention task. The current study also investigated the impact of coping style on the recall of health-threatening, health-promoting, and neutral words contained in a diabetes health message. In addition, the current study investigated if coping style …

Sonogram In Medias Res, Carla E. Arellano

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In her compelling memoir, Carla E. Arellano addresses issues surrounding abortion and the numerous influences that lead women in the Mexican-American culture to make this choice. Sonogram in Medias Res is a collection of creative nonfiction stories that are personal reflections. These stories come together to show the ebb and flow of memory, culture, and the personal narrative.

Studies Of Direct Solar Irradiance And Aerosol Optical Depth Using An Mfrsr And A Microtop Sunphotometer In The El Paso-Juarez Airshed, Arjun Aryal

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The study of Solar Irradiance and Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) plays an important role in understanding the regional and global climate distribution, and is also important in air pollution studies. In this work an MFRSR (Multi-Filter Rotating Shadowband Radiometer) and a Portable Microtop Sunphotometer were used to measure irradiances and to obtain optical depth values for the El Paso-Juarez Airshed. The Langley method applied on the MFRSR irradiance data was used to calculate the AOD values. The spatial distribution of AOD for this region was obtained using a Microtop Sunphotometer. The graphs were generated using GIS Shapefiles. In addition, the …

Studies Of Air Pollutants And Their Impact On Respiratory And Cardiovascular Diseases In The El Paso Del Norte Region With Emphasis On Mobile Emissions, Juan Gustavo Arias Ugarte

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Air pollution may cause different diseases, such as cardiovascular and lung diseases. Traffic is a major source of mobile emissions causing air pollution. Exhaust emissions from mobile sources (Emissions of Carbon Monoxide, Nitrogen Oxides and Hydrocarbons) and Non-exhaust (Brake and Tire) are complex mixtures of gases and dust, including a large number of ultrafine particles, especially in areas with high traffic density. Recent studies have shown high rates of morbidity and mortality in people exposed to these types of emissions because the fine and ultrafine particles can be transported from the respiratory airways to the organs, thus contributing to increase …

Improving The Regression Rate Of An Htpb Hybrid Rocket Fuel Grain, Travis Wesley Belcher

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Hybrid rockets are the combination of liquid and solid propellant systems. The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is currently researching combining Hydroxyl-Terminated Polybutadiene (HTPB) and Hydroxyl Ammonium Nitrate (HAN) in preparation for conducting testing using an Air Force developed monopropellant known as AF-M315E as an oxidizer. A new system was developed to conduct this testing based in the Goddard Laboratory at UTEP. This system was subjected to a series of tests to ascertain its performance characteristics, which are detailed in this Thesis.

Utilizing Historical Mosquito Surveillance Data To Investigate The Efficacy Of Municipal Fogging In Controlling Mosquito Population Density, Andrea Betina Carzoli

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Background: Mosquito borne diseases are the cause of many different disease syndromes and deaths in animals, both wild and domesticated, and humans of all ages and ethnicities. Though El Paso, TX is located in an arid region, mosquito populations are still rapidly growing in urban and agricultural communities and so are the mosquito borne illnesses. The most common vectors associated with mosquito borne illnesses in El Paso County are Culex quinquefasciatus, Culex tarsalis, and Aedes aegypti. Vector management is often the primary option to prevent and control outbreaks of mosquito borne illnesses and very often utilize fogging as the primary …

Acculturation Process Of Bhutanese Students In American Classroom, Jigme Choden

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

International students have to adapt to a new learning environment when they move to a foreign land for higher studies. During the transition the international students face various challenges in a new learning environment starting from classroom environment to class participation. The Bhutanese students in a Southwestern University in this study shows the challenges they face as international students and the strategies they develop to acculturate in a new learning environment. The study examines the acculturation process of the Bhutanese students through the framework of acculturation.

Characterization Of Sex Differences In The Reinforcing Effects Of Nicotine, Rodolfo Jesus Flores Garcia

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

It is presently unclear whether ovarian hormones, such as estradiol (E2) promote the reinforcing effects of nicotine in females. Thus, we compared extended access to nicotine intravenous self-administration (IVSA) in intact male, intact female, and OVX female rats (Study 1) as well as OVX females that received vehicle or E2 supplementation (Study 2). The E2 supplementation procedure involved a 4-day procedure involving 2 days of vehicle administration and 2 days of E2 administration. Two doses of E2 (25 or 250 ug) were assessed in separate groups of OVX females in order to examine the dose-dependent effects of this hormone on …

A Novel Approach To Enhancing Upper Extremity Coordination In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Alejandra Sarahi Gamez Corral

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

With current estimates of 1 in 68 children being affected, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is regarded as one of the most rampant forms of disability globally. Although typically diagnosed through social impairment and repetitive stereotypical behavior, recent work has shown distinct motor impairments across the autism spectrum. These motor deficits can be gross or fine in nature and can be seen not only in reaching and grasping, but also in the kinematic composition of the actual movement, such as decreased velocity, decreased accuracy, irregular movement smoothness, etc. The goal of this study was to further the understanding of the kinematic …

Tracing Anthropogenic Salinity Inputs To The Semi-Arid Rio Grande River: A Multi-Isotope Tracer Approach, Sandra Garcia

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Water is an important component for life and as such water quality and availability are major concerns in the world today. In arid to semi-arid regions, freshwater quality is especially important due to its scarcity. Elevated salinity of rivers in arid regions poses potentially devastating consequences for the communities that depend on these rivers as a source of freshwater. In the Rio Grande region, high salinity has led to severe reductions in crop productivity and accumulation of salts in soils. Salinity inputs into the river may come from both anthropogenic and natural sources. Thus, identifying and quantifying salinity inputs to …

Characterization And Comparison Of Metallic And Ceramic Parts Fabricated Using Powder Bed-Based Additive Manufacturing Technologies, Jose Angel Gonzalez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Additive manufacturing (AM), or layer-by-layer part fabrication, is enabling the materialization of ideas that were near to impossible to achieve in the past, while providing advantages that include reduced material footprint, increased complexity, reduced lead times, etc. AM has been integrated to highly specialized markets that include aerospace, military, automotive, biomedical, and prototyping.

Although an apparent growth is being witnessed across nearly all AM platforms, technologies with capabilities of producing metallic parts have arguably received the most widespread interest, with powder bed fusion (i.e. electron beam melting and selective laser melting). This class of AM technology produces parts by judiciously …

Analysis Of Bias-Corrected And Exact Estimators For Binomial Generalized Linear Model Parameters, Hamna Hannan

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Typically, small samples have always been a problem for binomial generalized linear models. Though generalized linear models are widely popular in public health, social sciences etc. In small sample scenarios the non-existence of the maximum likelihood (ML) estimators is very common as well as separation occurs in the data. In logistic regression the maximum likelihood estimates are found to have biased away from origin. My work examines the bias-reduced and exact estimators that have been used to estimate the slope parameters and standard errors of the estimated slope parameters as compared to the traditional ML method.

The present work is …

On Demand 3d Printed Hybrid Scaffolds For Tissue Engineering Applications, Ivan D. Hernandez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

A composite 3D printed polymer scaffold with inbuilt porosity and filled with a hydrogel can provide an ideal support system for cell growth, proliferation, and vascularization. Therefore, a hybrid system of 3D printed polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffold and a hydroxyapatite-based hydrogel was developed for application in the reconstruction of bone defects, which are inherently difficult to repair without any guided therapies. In the present study, a 3D printed gyroid structure of PCL allowed the loading of a higher amount of hydrogel as compared to conventionally used 3D printed mesh structure of the same volume and strut thickness. The hydrogel was composed …

Process Development And Characterization Of Smart Parts Fabricated Using Powder Bed Fusion Additive Manufacturing Technologies, Mohammad Shojib Hossain

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The fields of modern energy conversion, e.g., fossil fuel, natural gas, and coal power plants, are in increased need of health monitoring and data collection (temperature, pressure, and flow rate) to improve process efficiency and satisfy the demand for clean energy. In situ process monitoring can lead to a robust automated system to achieve the goal. The monitoring equipment or sensors in energy systems components (e.g., pressure tube, turbine blade, and fuel injector) undergo high temperature, high pressure, and corrosive environments; for example, combustion inlet conditions can reach up to 810 K and 2760 kPa [1]. Therefore, a reliable, accurate, …

Novel Possibilities For The Treatment And Prevention Of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis, Eva A. Iniguez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Protozoan parasites from the genus Leishmania cause broad clinical manifestations known as leishmaniasis, which affect millions of people worldwide. Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is mainly caused by either Leishmania major or L. tropica parasites, which produce localized cutaneous ulcers, often leading to scarring and social stigma. Currently, the disease has reached hyperendemicity levels in the Middle East due to conflict and human displacement and is one the most common forms of the disease in the Old World. Furthermore, the first choice of treatment in that region continues to be pentavalent antimonials, which are costly and highly toxic, and current vector control …

Evaluating The Impact Of A High School Garden In El Paso, Texas For Fruit And Vegetable Intake Using A Valid Biomarker, Patrick Vaughn Hopkins

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Background: School gardens are an educational tool used to increase children's exposure to, and intake of, fruits and vegetables (F/V). Diets rich in F/V reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, some cancers, and type 2 diabetes, and can aid in weight management as a strategy to reduce obesity prevalence. Objective data of the impact of school gardens on F/V intake are lacking, as most studies have relied on dietary self-reporting to validate F/V intake. Self-reporting of dietary intake is inherently an unreliable method for assessing F/V intake. Carotenoids, a family of phytochemicals, are a reliable biomarker of dietary intake …