Digital Commons Network^™

Towards Process Standardization For Requirements Analysis Of Agent-Based Systems, Khaled Slhoub, Marco Carvalho

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Faculty Publications

The development of agent-based systems is negatively impacted by the lack of process standardization across the major development phases, such as the requirements analysis phase. This issue creates a key barrier for agent technology stockholders regarding comprehending and analyzing complexity associated with these systems specifications. Instead, such fundamental low-level infrastructure is loosely attended to in an ad-hoc fashion, and important aspects of requirements analysis are often neglected altogether. The IEEE Std 830 model is a recommended practice aimed at describing how to write better quality requirement specifications of conventional software. Knowing that agent-based computing is a natural and logical evolution …

Spatio-Temporal Variations In The Urban Rhythm: The Travelling Waves Of Crime, Marcos Oliveira, Eraldo Ribeiro, Carmelo Bastos-Filho, Ronaldo Menezes

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Faculty Publications

In the last decades, the notion that cities are in a state of equilibrium with a centralised organisation has given place to the viewpoint of cities in disequilibrium and organised from bottom to up. In this perspective, cities are evolving systems that exhibit emergent phenomena built from local decisions. While urban evolution promotes the emergence of positive social phenomena such as the formation of innovation hubs and the increase in cultural diversity, it also yields negative phenomena such as increases in criminal activity. Yet, we are still far from understanding the driving mechanisms of these phenomena. In particular, approaches to …

Hybrid Long-Range Hyperbolic Phonon Polariton Waveguide Using Hexagonal Boron Nitride For Mid-Infrared Subwavelength Confinement, Yuchen Yang, Michael F. Finch, Di Xiong, Brian A. Lail

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Faculty Publications

Long propagation waveguides are critical for any photonic-on-chip applications. There has been an extensive investigation in using plasmon polaritons for near-infrared and optical networks, however, for mid- to long-wave IR applications phonon polaritons are required given that plasmonic polaritonic effects are negligible. In recent years, extensive research has been conducted on hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), which has shown h-BN to have naturally occurring subwavelength, volumetrically confined hyperbolic phonon polaritons (HPhPs). This work presents numerical results for both long- and short-range phononic volumetric polariton modes in a slab of h-BN. A hybrid long-range phononic waveguide consisting of two identical dielectric cylinder …

The Challenges And Outcomes Of Critical Diversity Scholarship, Inge Bleijenbergh, Lize A. E. Booysen, Albert J. Mills

Faculty Articles

No abstract provided.

Insights Into The Interaction Of Copper Oxide Nanopar-Ticles With Sweetpotato (Ipomoea Batatas (L.) Lam.): The Role Of Lignin On Copper Uptake And Translocation, Nestor Javier Bonilla Bird

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Sweetpotato [Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.] is widely cultivated in many countries worldwide. The world production of sweetpotato is around 127 billion tons and it is ranked seventh in the world as a staple food. After harvesting, sweetpotato storage roots are treated with fungicides to prolong shelf life. Lignin plays an important role in the conservation of the storage roots. One of the practices to activate the lignification pathway is called “curing process.” The roots are placed under 80% relative humidity at a temperature of 29 ºC for a period of 7 to 15 days, followed by a cooling period at …

A Mixed Finite Element Method For The Coupling Of Linear Elasticity And Stokes Flow, Maranda Bean

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The complex interaction between fluids and structures require the coupling the laws concerning structure mechanics and fluid dynamics and are of vital importance to many scientific and engineering fields. We propose a method for modeling the coupling of a linearly elastic solid and slow fluid flow modeled by Stokes equations. The model equations are expressed in terms of displacement, velocity and stress. With these primary variables, we use a single mixed finite element space based on the Hellinger-Reissner variational principle for linear elasticity to discretize the resulting system spatially. This results in more accurate approximations for stress than those obtained …

A Machine Learning Approach To Rendering 3d Stratigraphic Models Of The Hueco Bolson, Western Texas And Northern Mexico, Joel Gerardo Castro

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Data visualization is an effective way to analyze large amounts of spatial information to identify correlations, trends, outliers, and patterns. In this Thesis I test the application of supervised machine learning algorithms to render a series of 3D visualizations designed to highlight general traits of the Hueco Bolson, a geologic basin located east of the Franklin Mountains in far west Texas and northern Mexico. A geologic basin is one of the most common inland places where sediments are collected. The geology of basins is of much interest to geophysicists, hydrologists, paleontologists, and oil prospectors. Here the task of 3D geologic …

Forecasting Space Weather Using Deep Learning Techniques, Sumi None Dey

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Solar activity gives rise to various kinds of space weather among which solar flares have serious detrimental eects on both near-Earth space and our upper atmosphere that will have consequent influence in our lives. For example, solar flares can damage satellite infrastructure, hinder power grids, disrupt Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and disrupt long-distance communication. Airplane pilots, cabin crew and astronauts can be aected by the harmful radiation released from the Sun. As a result, there is a need of a methodology to forecast space weather accurately. In this work, we have developed a deep learning architecture to do the short-range …

Utilization Of Digital Image Correlation Technique In Asphalt Testing, Alejandra Escajeda

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Over 90% of the roads in the United States are paved with hot mix asphalt (HMA). These asphalt pavements include many mix types, such as permeable friction course (PFC), stone mastic asphalt (SMA) and conventional dense graded mixes. The performance of the HMA is an important factor in pavement design programs used by many departments of transportation. The type of HMA selected not only influences the performance of the pavement structure, but also the pavement's life cycle cost. The performance life of an HMA mix is to be studied further with experimental data in order to contribute and expand on …

Cerium Levels In Fine And Coarse Airborne Particulate Matter In El Paso, Texas - A Geospatial And Temporal Investigation, Esenam Adzo Fumador

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The Paso Del Norte airshed is shared by two cities, El Paso, Texas, U.S.A. and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico. Population growth in both cities and their desert climate has created persistent challenges in meeting air quality standards for particulate matter, which is generated from both natural and anthropogenic sources.

In Europe, ceria or cerium dioxide (CeO2), introduced into diesel road fuel as nanoparticles, has significantly reduced emissions as well as increased vehicle mileage. Concerns have been raised there about the fate and potential health risks associated with the nanoceria (n-Ce) emitted in diesel exhaust. In the U.S.A on-road use of …

Investigating The 2016 Jackson, Wyoming Earthquake Sequence Using Waveform Cross-Correlation And Seismic Array Methods, Emily Jo Graves

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

During a visual inspection of PDAR data extracted for the catalog events, I observed additional, unreported events, which is to be expected during an energetic swarm or seismic sequence. The casual observation of missed events strongly implied that more such missed events could be found in the data, which could improve the completeness of the earthquake catalog for the Jackson, Wyoming area. Catalog completeness improves our assessment of a region's tectonic behavior and earthquake exposure. To search for recurring swarm or earthquake sequence behavior, I applied waveform correlation methods to scan nearly two decades of continuous PDAR waveforms, comparing to …

An Econometric Analysis Of The 2016-2017 Nba Regular Season, Michael Lynn Jaeger

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This study examines the on-court performance of the thirty National Basketball Association (NBA) teams during the 2016-17 NBA basketball season. Cross sectional data are employed to analyze the wins for the 2016-17 NBA basketball season. Although the results are inconclusive, there is one notable outcome in the negative variable for human capital payroll. Field goal percentage is favored over other in game statistics. Replication of this study for the 437 teams in National Collegiate Athletics Association provides and intriguing opportunity for further research.

Age At First Offense As A Predictor Of Recidivism Among High-Risk Juvenile Delinquents Versus All Juvenile Delinquents, Claudia Iliana Lopez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Researchers have generally found a moderate negative correlation between juvenile delinquents' age at first offense and their risk of recidivism (Cottle, Lee, & Heilbrun, 2001). However, two studies at the El Paso Juvenile Probation Department (El Paso JPD) by Valenzuela (2011) and Ranadive (2014) found the correlation of age at first referral with recidivism to be non-significant and close to zero. A possible explanation for these findings at El Paso JPD is that age at first referral is predictive of recidivism among high-risk juvenile offenders but not in the general population of all juveniles referred to the justice system. The …

Implementing Large Eddy Simulation To Numerical Simulation Of Optical Wave Propagation, Diego Alberto Lozano Jimenez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In this study, we want to simulate long-range laser propagation in atmospheric turbulence. The numerical simulations are carried out to study the impact of strong atmospheric turbulence in spatial, temporal, and related spectral domains. The first section of this study will be concerned with modeling this numerical simulation in Kolmogorov and non-Kolmogorov spectrum. To validate our numerical simulation, we will compare the statistical parameter to theoretical approximation in both Kolmogorov and non-Kolmogorov spectrums. Once the code is validated, we want to integrate Large Eddy Simulation (LES) turbulence modeling. LES simulations allowa us to study strong fluid turbulence and can predict …

Geospatial Relationship Of Intelligent Compaction Measurement Values With In-Situ Testing For Quality Assessment Of Geomaterials, Luis Alberto Lemus

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The implementation of Intelligent Compaction (IC) in the construction of transportation infrastructure as a tool for quality control of compacted geomaterials has attracted the attention of a number of highway agencies. Compaction quality has been conventionally assessed using density, and to a less extent, modulus-based spot measurements at selected locations along the roadway section. While spot measurements do not provide a thorough rendition of the level of compaction of the roadway, IC technology is effective in meeting full coverage requirements. IC roller measurements are accelerometer-based measurements recording machine-ground interaction assumed to be indicative of the stiffness of the compacted geomaterial. …

Design Of Robotic Tram Unit For Field Data Collection, Quetzalcoatl Mendoza Rosas

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Satellite remote sensing is the most applied method for detection and measurement of electromagnetic energy and its interaction with Earth surface. the analysis of the data acquired can provide important information with uses in areas as like weather forecasting, military intelligence and environmental and resources location. Due to the great distance from where the samples are taken and even with the most sophisticated sensor it is impossible to have an exactly replica of the Earth surface. As a result, scientist analyze imagery where a single pixel can be the representation of a 30 by 30 meters area of land. This …

Development Of A Desktop Material Extrusion 3d Printer With Wire Embedding Capabilities, Jose Francisco Motta

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Printed circuit boards (PCB) have been widely used as a permanent solution for generating complex circuitries to power electronic devices. Over the years, PCB boards have proved to be reliable when powering electronic devices. However, when fabricating a printed circuit board, one must outsource to fabricate the boards when in prototype phase. Therefore, the risk of intellectual property theft and long lead time is an issue. The objective of this Thesis is to develop a hybrid multi-tool desktop material extrusion 3D printer that allows for easy integration (modularity) of tools to generate multi-functional 3D printed components.

The addition of an …

Magnetotelluric Analysis Of Central Kenya Kenyan Rift Volcanoes For Geothermal Development, Anna Wairimu Mwangi

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Abstract

High temperature geothermal resources are vast along rift margins because of emplacement of magma in shallow crust. This is the case along the Kenyan Rift valley also known as the Gregory Rift. It is the Eastern arm of the East African rift and a chain of volcanoes along the rift graben characterizes it. We use (MT) magnetotelluric method to image beneath the peralkaline province of the Kenya Rift i.e. Olkaria, Eburru, Badlands, and Longonot volcanoes. The resistivity structure shows active geothermal activity happening at the upper 3km from the subsurface as evidenced by low resistivity cap rock comprised of …

Tracking Topical Evolution In Large Document Collections, Sheikh Motahar Naim

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

A large document collection that builds up over time usually contains a number of different themes. All of these themes or topics are not equally important at the same time. One topic might have high probabilities in some years due to some relevant events, and low probabilities in other years. Analyzing the evolution of such topics has useful applications in a variety of domains, for example, helping researchers to quickly see the changes of research topics in an area, assisting intelligence agents in tracking the activities of a terrorist group, or monitoring damages caused by a natural disaster. In this …

Determing Fault Location Within An Active Rift Basin Using Gravity Analysis To Determine Fault Movemnet And Effect On Water Recharge, Mark Andrew Ornelas

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The growth of the El Paso, TX and Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, metropolitan area has increased reliance of groundwater pumping from the Hueco Bolson. With growing demands for water and recharge of the bolson not occurring at a fast enough rate, water storage within the bolson is beginning to diminish. My study focuses on locating and understanding how faults interact with water flow into the basin and how they aid in storing water on the northwestern side of the bolson. Previous studies in the northernmost part of my study area have delineated a series of faults that predominantly trend northwest-southeast. In …

Evolving Identity: A Case Study Of Mentor Science Teachers, Melissa N. Ortega

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation is a case study of how mentor science teachers understood and presented their experiences, challenges they faced, and learning of being and becoming a mentor teacher while they participated in a year-long district mentoring program. The purpose of this study is to examine what science teachers learn in their experiences as mentors and the role this learning played on their identities as professional educators. According to Bullough (1997), teacher identity is of vital concern to teacher education as it is the “basis of meaning making and decision making” (p. 21). Existing research on science teacher identity indicate that …

Extraction Of Fiber Morphology From Sem Images For Quality Control Of Fiber Reinforced Composites Manufacturing, Md Fashiar Rahman

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The morphology of fibers (e.g. spatial uniformity, orientation, and length) plays a decisive role in determining the material properties or fabrication quality of fiber-reinforced nanocomposites. Hence, determining the morphology becomes a very critical issue in the field of nanocomposite quality control. The conventional way of quality inspection is to take the scanning electron microscopic (SEM) images of the cross-section of composite material and do the visual checking of these SEM images to evaluate the nanofiber alignment and length distribution. But this type of inspection is often subjective, inaccurate and time consuming. Moreover, the extremely small size of nanofibers makes the …

Yeezy Taught Me: Race, Gender, Class & Identity Through Rap Music, April Marie Reza

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This study will explore identity construction by examining the intersectionality of race, gender, and class within rap music, specifically the music of Kanye West. It will expand current research by exploring social themes within rap music and how they impact the construction of one's identity. The primary goal of the study is to analyze rap music and intersectionality within the lyrics, following how they interconnect to shape and influence a listeners identity. Furthermore, this study will analyze lyrics of a popular figure within the rap genre and the messages that are communicated through an artist's music career.

Key Words: rap …

Evaluation Of Large Area Additively Manufactured Fiber Reinforced Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (Abs), Kevin Schnittker

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

To enable the advancement of large-scale additive manufacturing processes, it is necessary to establish and standardize methodologies to characterize the mechanical properties of printed test coupons. Due to the large size of the print beads, conventional test standards are inadequate. The focus of this study was to determine the feasibility of using Digital image correlation (DIC) technology as a key enabler for robust data collection of strain measurements of large 3D printed parts. To incorporate the DIC measurements, a novel method was developed to prepare large 20 wt.% glass filled ABS test coupons for adequate contrast. Through this technique, Poisson's …

Constructing Citizenship: Americanization Efforts In The Southwest U.S. (1910-1931), Gerardo Torres

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Constructing Citizenship: Americanization Efforts in the Southwest U.S. (1910-1931)

A Case Study Using Systems Theory For Understanding The Institutionalization Process Of Engineering Certificate Programs In A Public Texas University, Michele Carolynn Williams

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

A case study involving practices supporting the institutionalization process of graduate engineering certificate programs in a Texas public university, and the factors that influence their institutionalization was viewed through a systems theory lens. Although certificate programs have increased in popularity, research on the topic has to date been limited. Engineering certificate programs have served as a convenient mid-career educational niche model for closing gaps between technological knowledge growth and professional practice know how. The data was collected in eighteen semi-structured interviews, along with document reviews and observations. Organized in three themes, the data analyses yielded a list of practices and …

Drug-War Violence, Mental Health, And Coping Mechanisms Among Mexican-Origin Women In El Paso, Texas, Nora Angelica Benavides

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This Thesis examines how the drug-war violence in Mexico from 2006 to 2012 shaped the experiences of migrant women who were adapting to life in El Paso, TX (USA) after leaving Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. This study is oriented through a testimonio approach, which involves telling the stories of ten Mexican origin women interviewed between 2012 and 2014. It focuses on their narratives about their traumatic experiences with drug-war related violence in Juarez and forced migration to El Paso, TX and how they coped with the challenges to achieve resilience after arriving in the US. I also report on their mental …

Geometry, Timing, And Kinematics Of Neogene Extensional And Transtensional Structures Of Southern Death Valley: Implications For Regional Reconstructions And A Corrective Method For Rigid Body Rotations, Zachariah Fleming

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Chapter 1:Advancements in computing capabilities over the last decade have allowed for the routine creation of Structure from Motion-Multiview Stereo (SfM-MVS) terrain models that can serve as base for high resolution geologic mapping. Outcrops models developed from these systems are high-resolution, photo-realistic 3D base providing unprecedented capability for geometric analysis. Yet, before this technology becomes a mainstay of field geology, the potential errors associated with it must be well understood. Here, we compare orientation measurements from multi-point analyses on the SfM-MVS point clouds to those taken in the field with the objective of resolving the geometry of complex folds within …

Experiences Of Military-Trained Educational Leaders: Transference Of Military Leadership Skills To Public School Administration In Texas, Kristopher Johnson

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The influence of military-trained educational leaders on education is a growing topic in educational research. Troops to Teachers and Teach for America contribute to former military service members transitioning to K-12 education. Military service members possess unique experiences and talents that make them attractive to local school districts. They contribute many experiences as employees: they follow the rules, are hardworking and loyal, and demonstrate leadership qualities. Other factors, not in direct relation to teaching include maturity, worldviews, experiences, self-reflection, ability to make a difference, and the diversity of military who want to teach.

The purpose of this qualitative research was …

Credit Union Loan Rate Determinants During The Post-2009 Expansion, Esmeralda Patricia Muniz

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Credit union deposits have grown substantially in recent years. Given that, an increasing number of consumers and small businesses are joining credit unions as members. This study investigates the determinants of credit union loan rates during a period of economic expansion in the United States using fourth quarter 2015 data for 5,942 credit unions. Five different interest rate categories are analyzed using nine potential loan rate determinants. The results indicate that credit union loan rates tend to be lower when economies of scale exist, while high ratios for net charge-offs and operating costs cause interest rates to increase. Opposite of …