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Her, Alessandra Narvaez-Varela

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

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Predatory Behavior And Neuroanatomy Of The Sessile Rotifer, Cupelopagis Vorax , Elizabeth Preza

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Predator-prey interactions contribute to the evolution of behavioral and morphological characteristics of species. However, research on zooplankton has mainly focused on planktonic species such Mesocyclops edax (Arthropoda, Cyclopoida) and Asplanchna spp. (Rotifera, Ploima). Cupelopagis vorax (Rotifera, Collothecaceae) provides a unique model for studying the predatory behavior of a sessile species. Cupelopagis was chosen because it is the only rotifer known to exhibit rheotaxic behaviors in the presence of prey and because it undergoes indirect development where non-feeding, free-swimming larvae mature into feeding adults. The integration of behavioral techniques, immunohistochemistry, and confocal microscopy were used to provide insight as to how …

Analysing The Effects Of Data Augmentation And Free Parameters For Text Classification With Recurrent Convolutional Neural Networks, Jonathan Quijas

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Convolutional neural networks have seen much success in computer vision and natural language processing tasks. When training convolutional neural networks for text classification tasks, a common technique is to transform an input sequence of words into a dense matrix of word embeddings, or words represented as dense vectors, using table lookup operations. This enables the inputs to be represented in a way that the well-known convolution/pooling operations can be applied to them in a manner similar to images. These word embeddings may be further incorporated into the neural network itself as a trainable layer to allow fine-tuning, usually leading to …

Cycling Of Gypsiferous White Sands Aerosols In The Shallow Critical Zone At White Mountain, New Mexico, Patrick Richard Rea

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Dry deposition significantly affects evolution of the critical zone by nutrient supply and contributing to soil genesis. Dust influx and cycling in soils are difficult to quantify because dust sources can be chemically similar to local soils. White Sands, New Mexico, emits gypsum dust with a unique chemical and isotopic signature, providing an opportunity to investigate dust deposition and its movement in soils. This study evaluated the mobility of White Sands dust particles in the critical zone at White Mountain, New Mexico, a highland 100 km downwind. Four soil profiles were collected over limestone, igneous, mixed limestone and dolostone, and …

The Former Asarco Demolition Fallout, A Post Study On Lead Soil Concentrations And Environmental Agents Of Redistribution In El Paso, Texas, Stephanie A. Robinson

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The former El Paso ASARCO Smelting and Refining Co. operated between 1877 and 1999, the pyrometallurgic activity was estimated to have discharged excess of a 1,000 tons of lead (Pb) into the atmosphere from 1969-71. It was estimated 96 tons of (Pb) were emitted on an annual basis from the standing ore and fluid beds. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) determined that lead (Pb) is the heavy metal of the highest concentration within the vicinity of the smelter. After the smelter production ceased, flash flooding common to the southwest, such as the 2006 historic flood, increased transportation of superficial contaminants …

Complementary Charged Molecular Imprints Of West Nile Virus Antibodies, Julio Rincon

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

There is a significant demand for robust and stable receptor molecules that can mimic biological molecules, such as antibodies. Relying only on natural recognition molecules have greatly limited the uses and capabilities of many aspects of health sciences due to product expense and stability. This is especially important in medically underserved areas where the lack of resources and faulty or limited cold-chain makes antibody based diagnostics very difficult to implement.

With molecular imprinting, it is possible to recognize diseases with the added advantage of product stability, long term use, fast preparation and ease of scalability, all while being cost effective. …

Household Water Consumption In El Paso, Texas: Perceptions And Behaviors Towards Water In Urban Households, Diego Armando Sanchez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The main objective of this research is to determine perceptions and behaviors of household water consumption and to examine how those may affect the patterns of water use and consumption levels in households of El Paso, Texas.

I conducted a qualitative exploratory research to collect important data that is often left unexplored in quantitative research. The collected data is a mixture of qualitative and quantitative. I do report the quantitative data using descriptive statistics, which help the reader see basic patterns in the study.

Qualitative data can help to understand the reasons that impact water consumption perceptions and behaviors in …

Examining Perceptions On Women's Issues Including Intersectionality Of Class, Misogyny, And Stereotypes Of Mexican And Latin American Women Within The Telenovela La Reina Del Sur, Donna Garcia Sianez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In many cultures dominated by a patriarchal society, the media have had their influence on how women's issues such as intersectionality of class, misogyny and stereotypes are perceived. One particular medium is telenovelas which are a popular form of entertainment among Latino/a viewers. Therefore, this analysis is based on perceptions in the roles of women through La Reina Del Sur, a popular telenovela, and how it relates to Mexican and Latin American cultural norms.

Optimization Of Neural Network Architecture For Classification Of Radar Jamming Fm Signals, Alberto Soto

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Radar jamming signal classification is valuable when situational awareness of radar systems is sought out for timely deployment of electronic support measures. Our Thesis shows that artificial neural networks can be utilized for effective and efficient signal classification. The goal is to optimize an artificial Neural Network (NN) approach capable of distinguishing between two common radar waveforms, namely bandlimited white Gaussian jamming noise (BWGN) and the ubiquitous linearly frequency modulated (LFM) signal. This is made possible by creating a theoretical framework for NN architecture testing that leads to a high probability of detection (PD) and a low probability of false …

Raman Microscopic Analysis Of Internal Stress In Boron-Doped Diamond Thin Films, Emma M.A. Sundin

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The correlations between induced stress on undoped and boron-doped diamond (BDD) thin films, sample chemical composition, and fabrication substrate are investigated in this study via confocal Raman microspectroscopic analysis. Stability of BDD films is relevant to fast-scan cyclic voltammetry, as film delamination and dislocation of BDD-coated electrodes that can occur during neurosurgical electrode implantation can negatively impact the biosensing reliability of this technique. Electrodes were fabricated by coating cylindrical tungsten rods using a custom-built chemical vapor deposition reactor. The results of the analysis reveal a direct correlation between regions of pure diamond and enhanced material stress, as well as preferential …

Design And Regioselective Synthesis Of Fullerene Derivatives For Metal-Organic Hybrid Architectures, Catalina Suarez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In the last years different fullerene derivatives and endohedral fullerenes have been reported and their potential applications as electronic, magnetic, catalytic, biological and optical materials have been explored. In this work we describe the characterization of new endohedral fullerenes; the exohedral functionalization of fullerenes with organic addends or metal clusters and their application in metal-organic hybrid architectures.

We synthesized fullerene polymers with a variety of staircase linear architectures, zigzag polymers and a perfectly linear polymer using an hexakis-fullerene adduct with two 4,5-diazafluorene groups located at trans-1 positions, using Hg, Cd, Zn and33 Cu as the metal centers. Our results showed …

An Organizational Attachment Model: Lmx-Social Comparison, Job Embeddedness And Psychological Ownership, Saul R. Valdiviezo

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This study investigates the relationship between employees' comparisons of relationship quality with their leader (LMXSC) and attitudinal workplace outcomes. Building on the theoretical principle of LMXSC, I postulate that job embeddedness mediates the relationship between perceived relationship quality and psychological ownership. Additionally, I examine the effects of overall organizational justice to understand how environmental variables impact our attachment model. Our results indicate that LMXSC is an important determinant of psychological ownership and job satisfaction and that job embeddedness mediates these relationships. I examine the proposed model with 471 employees from 37 organizations. The results show partial support for the proposed …

Alá Es Primero: Faith And Culture On The Mexican-American Border, Alan Ventura

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this Thesis is to show how El Paso Latino Muslims create a new cultural language when they harmonize their Mexican cultural practices with Islam.

Biochemical Characterization Of Wild-Type Hsp27 And Point Mutation S135f That Leads To Neurodegenerative Disease, Janelly Villalobos

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

HSPB1, also classified as heat shock protein 27 (Hsp27), is a small chaperone that is active in cells during stressful conditions. The chaperone can stabilize target proteins in a non-aggregated folding state and might be involved in regulation of folding and assembly of neurofilaments. There are five mutations in the genome of Hsp27 that are involved in Charcot Marie Tooth Disease (CMT). This neurodegenerative disease is characterized by the first decades of life where it slowly progresses to weakness of muscles followed by sensory loss and skeletal deformities. CMT is the most common hereditary neuromuscular disease, with an estimated rate …

Method & Madness: Advanced Techniques For Characterizing Rat Hypothalamic Chemoarchitecture And For Modernizing Legacy Data, Claire Eugenia Wells

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The hypothalamus is a region of the brain with exceptionally high anatomical, chemical, and functional diversity. It regulates homeostatic functions and a number of motivated behaviors impacting homeostasis, such as ingestion and reproduction; it also serves as a point of connection between the forebrain and hindbrain. An improved understanding of the chemical anatomy of this area would benefit scientists working in many neuroscientific disciplines. The work described herein contributes to a chemoarchitectural atlas of the rat hypothalamus, which will include data on the distribution of various hypothalamic neurotransmitters, and on their co-localizations and synaptic interactions. Importantly, the methodology used to …

Spectroscopic Analysis Of Neurotransmitters: A Theoretical And Experimental Raman Study, Matthew Alonzo

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) was applied to investigate the feasibility in the detection and monitoring of the dopamine (DA) neurotransmitter adsorbed onto silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) at 10-11 molar, a concentration far below physiological levels. In addition, density functional theory (DFT) calculations were obtained with the Gaussian-09 analytical suite software to generate the theoretical molecular configuration of DA in its neutral, cationic, anionic, and dopaminequinone states for the conversion of computer-simulated Raman spectra. Comparison of theoretical and experimental results show good agreement and imply the presence of dopamine in all of its molecular forms in the experimental setting. The dominant …

Comprehensive Finite Element Modeling Of Ti-6al-4v Cellular Solids Fabricated By Electron Beam Melting, Edel Arrieta

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Additive manufacturing permits the fabrication of cellular metals which are materials that can be highly customizable and possess multiple and extraordinary properties such as damage tolerance, metamorphic and auxetic behaviors, and high specific stiffness. This makes them the subject of interest for innovative applications. With interest in these materials for energy absorption applications, this work presents the development of nonlinear finite element models in commercial software platforms (MSC Patran/Nastran) that permit the analysis of the deformation mechanisms of these materials under compressive loads. In the development of these models, a detailed multiscale study on the different factors affecting the response …

Grasshopper (Orthoptera: Caelifera) And Plant Community Relationships On Indio Mountains Research Station, Hudspeth County, Texas, Sara Ebrahim Baqla

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

An ecogeographic analysis of a grasshopper survey was conducted at eight sites on Indio Mountains Research Station (IMRS) in the Chihuahuan Desert during September 2014 through December 2015. Five sites contained ephemeral water sources (earthen tanks), one had perennial water (spring system), and two were open desert. A total of 23 grasshopper species were identified, and six of those were new records for the property. The most species rich site was Echo Tank, with 14 grasshopper species. A UPGMA dendrogram showed Red Tank and Rattlesnake Tank, both wetland sites, to be the most similar (CBR = .84). A poisson model …

The Rhetoric Of Mental Health: An Examination Of The Recategorization Of Autism Spectrum Disorder In The Dsm-5 And Its Absorption Into Public Discourse, Elsa Martin

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This Dissertation explores the discourse of mental health across genres and public spaces. The research of this project is situated within the overlap of the fields of Disability Studies (Brewer, Selfe, Yergeau, 2014; Brueggeman and Kleege, 2003; Kerschbaum, 2012; Lewiecki-Wilson, 2003) and Rhetorics of Health and Medicine (Keränen, 2013; Kopelson, 2009; Segal, 1994; Scott, Segal, & Keränen, 2013), a space that focuses on the rhetoric of mental health (Chrisman, 2008; Emmons, 2008; Hacking, 2009). Following the principles of these fields, this project deconstructs the recategorization of autism in the DSM-5, the media coverage it received, and the public reception of …

Renewable Energy Systems Optimization Using Monte Carlo Simulation And Evolutionary Algorithms, Nicolas Lopez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This Dissertation explores the Renewable Energy Integration Problem, and proposes a Genetic Algorithm embedded with a Monte Carlo simulation to solve large instances of the problem that are impractical to solve via full enumeration. The Renewable Energy Integration Problem is defined as finding the optimum set of components to supply the electric demand to a hybrid

microgrid. The components considered are solar panels, wind turbines, diesel generators, electric batteries, connections to the power grid and converters, which can be inverters and/or rectifiers. The methodology developed is explained as well as the combinatorial formulation. In addition, 2 case studies of a …

Label-Free, High Content Screening Using Raman Microspectroscopy: The Toxicological Response Of Different Cell Lines To Amine-Modified Polystyrene Nanoparticles, Esen Efeoglu, Alan Casey, Hugh Byrne, Marcus A. Maher

Articles

Nanotoxicology has become an established area of science due to growing concerns over the production and potential use of nanomaterials in a wide-range of areas from pharmaceutics to nanomedicine. Although different cytotoxicity assays have been developed and are widely used to determine the toxicity of nanomaterials, the production of multi-parametric information in a rapid and non-invasive way is still challenging, when the amount and diversity of physicochemical properties of nanomaterials are considered. High content screening can provide such analysis, but is often prohibitive in terms of capital and recurrent costs in academic environments. As a label-free technique, the applicability of …

Thermostability Of The Coating, Antigen And Immunostimulator In An Adjuvanted Oral Capsule Vaccine Formulation, Stephanie Longet, Vincenzo Aversa, Daire O'Donnell, Joshua Tobias, Monica Rosa, Jan Holmgren, Ivan Coulter, Ed Lavelle

Articles

Oral vaccines present an attractive alternative to injectable vaccines for enteric diseases due to ease of delivery and the induction of intestinal immunity at the site of infection. However, susceptibility to gastrointestinal proteolysis, limited transepithelial uptake and a lack of clinically acceptable adjuvants present significant challenges. A further challenge to mass vaccination in developing countries is the very expensive requirement to maintain the cold chain. We recently described the effectiveness of a Single Multiple Pill® (SmPill®) adjuvanted capsule approach to enhance the effectiveness of a candidate enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) oral vaccine. Here it was demonstrated that this delivery system …

Global Health Security In An Era Of Explosive Pandemic Potential, Lawrence O. Gostin, Ana Ayala

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

Pandemics pose a significant risk to security, economic stability, and development. Annualized expected losses from pandemics are estimated at $60 billion per year. Despite the certainty and magnitude of the threat, the global community has significantly underestimated and underinvested in avoidance of pandemic threats.

We cannot wait or continue with the status quo, in which we pay attention to infectious disease threats only when they are at their peak and then are complacent and remain vulnerable until the next major outbreak. To reinforce and sustain international focus, funding, and action, it is crucial that pandemics rise to the level of …

Spatial And Temporal Distribution Of Aquatic Insects In The Dicle (Tigris) River Basin, Turkey, With New Records, Fatma Çeti̇nkaya, Aysel Bekleyen

Turkish Journal of Zoology

We investigated insects of the Dicle (Tigris) River Basin in terms of their composition and spatiotemporal distribution. Larvae, pupae, pupal exuviae, and nymphs of insects were obtained from samples collected by a plankton net monthly during a 1-year period in 2008 and 2009 at seven different sites of the Dicle (Tigris) River Basin. A total of 35 taxa from the orders Trichoptera (1 taxon), Ephemeroptera (3 taxa), and Diptera (31 taxa) were identified. Chironomidae (Diptera) was the most diverse group and was represented by three major subfamilies, namely Tanypodinae (2 taxa), Orthocladiinae (19 taxa), and Chironominae (7 taxa). Among these …

Sexual Dimorphism In Two Catfish Species, Mystus Pelusius (Solander, 1794) And Glyptothorax Silviae Coad, 1981 (Teleostei: Siluriformes), Hamid Reza Esmaeili, Golnaz Sayyadzadeh, Mohammad Amini Chermahini

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Sexual dimorphism of two catfish, Mystus pelusius (Solander, 1794) and Glyptothorax silviae Coad, 1981, is presented based on the examination of external morphology of the fish and morphology of the gonads. We observed sexual dimorphism for M. pelusius in the shape and position of the genital papilla. In the male, the genital papilla was a small, fleshy, pointed and broad-based structure. The pelvic fin was short and did not reach back to the genital papilla. In females of M. pelusius the opening of the genital structure was without any protrusion or with a very small, dot-like structure in a few …

Habitat Use And Activity Of European Glass Lizard, Pseudopus Apodus (Pallas, 1775),In Southeastern Bulgaria, Ivan Telenchev, Daniela Nikolova, Rossen Tzonev

Turkish Journal of Zoology

The way in which animals use the physical and biological resources in habitats is an important aspect of their behavioral ecology. Here, we studied the activity and habitat use of the European glass lizard in two habitats in southeastern Bulgaria during the spring and summer of 2015. We registered behaviors such as basking and movement, and we recorded hiding locations. We also attempted to capture the individual mark of every observed individual, to determine its sex, age, and body temperature, immediately at capture. In parallel, essential environmental parameters were identified: temperature of the air near the lizard, substrate temperature, dominant …

Tarsonemid Mites (Acari, Heterostigmatina) Found In Association With Bark Beetles(Insecta, Curculionidae, Scolytinae) In Iran, Wojciech Magowski, Ali Ahadiyat, Hadi Ostovan

Turkish Journal of Zoology

The authors report on the presence of species of the family Tarsonemidae in association with three bark beetle species (Orthotomicus erosus (Wollaston, 1857), Scolytus scolytus (Fabricius, 1775), and S. multistriatus (Marsham, 1802)) in two provinces in Central and Northern Iran. The following mite species are new for the fauna of Iran: Heterotarsonemus hajekae Smiley and Moser, 1985, H. magowskii Khaustov, 2001, and Tarsonemus crassus (Schaarschmidt, 1959). The genus Heterotarsonemus is newly recorded in Asia. The new record of H. hajekae is the second ever known in the world and H. magowskii is now established as new phoront of the bark …

The Role Of Alternative Polyadenylation Mediated By Cpsf30 In Arabidopsis Thaliana, Guijie Hao

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

Drought stress is considered one of the most devastating abiotic stress factors that limit crop productivity for modern agriculture worldwide. There is a large range of physiological and biochemical responses induced by drought stress. The responses range from physiological and biochemical to regulation at transcription and posttranscriptional levels. Post-transcription, the products encoded by eukaryotic genes must undergo a series of modifications to become a mature mRNA. Polyadenylation is an important one in terms of regulation. Polyadenylation impacts gene expression through determining the coding and regulation potential of the mRNA, especially when different mRNAs from the same gene may be polyadenylated …

Transcriptional And Post-Translational Regulation Of Terpenoid Indole Alkaloid Biosynthesis In Catharanthus Roseus, Priyanka Paul

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

Catharanthus roseus (Madagascar periwinkle) is the exclusive source of an array of terpenoid indole alkaloids (TIAs) that are used in the treatments of hypertension and certain types of cancer. TIA biosynthesis is under stringent spatiotemporal control and is induced by jasmonate (JA) and fungal elicitors. Tryptamine, derived from the indole branch, and secologanin from the iridoid branch are condensed to form the first TIA, strictosidine. Biosynthesis of TIA is regulated at the transcriptional level and several transcription factors (TFs) regulating the expression of genes encoding key enzymes in the pathway have been isolated and characterized. The JA-responsive APETALA2/ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR …

Graphene Toxicity As A Double-Edged Sword Of Risks And Exploitable Opportunities: A Critical Analysis Of The Most Recent Trends And Developments, Yuri Volkov, Jennifer Mcintyre, Adriele Prina-Mello

Articles

Increased production volumes and a broadening application spectrum of graphene have raised concerns about its potential adverse effects on human health. Numerous reports demonstrate that graphene irrespective of its particular form exerts its effects on a widest range of living organisms, including prokaryotic bacteria and viruses, plants, micro-and macro-invertebrates, mammalian and human cells and whole animals in vivo. However, the available experimental data is frequently a matter of significant divergence and even controversy. Therefore, we provide here a critical analysis of the most recent (2015-2016) reports accumulated in the graphene-related materials biocompatibility and toxicology field in order to elucidate the …