Digital Commons Network^™

Partisanship As Identity: The Hype, The Myth, And The Reality Of Polarization In The American Electorate, Mark Stinson

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This work examines the existence and extent of polarization in the American electorate as a contemporary phenomenon based in hyper-partisan or “tribal” identity rather than as arising out of a more conventional ideological framework. This approach allows for the bypassing of more conventional questions such as the meaning of “liberal” or “conservative” or “in virtue of what is someone a liberal/conservative?”, and instead allows acceptance of a respondent’s ideological or partisan self-identification as a convenient label which does not require a monolithic set of political beliefs for its basis, although the prior or subsequent adoption of such a set of …

Towards The Application Of Recommender Systems To Secure Coding, Fitzroy D. Nembhard, Marco M. Carvalho, Thomas C. Eskridge

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Faculty Publications

Secure coding is crucial for the design of secure and efficient software and computing systems. However, many programmers avoid secure coding practices for a variety of reasons. Some of these reasons are lack of knowledge of secure coding standards, negligence, and poor performance of and usability issues with existing code analysis tools. Therefore, it is essential to create tools that address these issues and concerns. This article features the proposal, development, and evaluation of a recommender system that uses text mining techniques, coupled with IntelliSense technology, to recommend fixes for potential vulnerabilities in program code. The resulting system mines a …

Machine-Learning And 3d Point-Cloud Based Signal Power Path Loss Model For The Deployment Of Wireless Communication Systems, Yunus Egi, Carlos E. Otero

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Faculty Publications

Modeling signal power path loss (SPPL) for deployment of wireless communication systems (WCSs) is one of the most time consuming and expensive processes that require data collections during link budget analysis. Radio frequency (RF) engineers mainly employ either deterministic or stochastic approaches for the estimation of SPPL. In the case of stochastic approach, empirical propagation models use predefined estimation parameters for different environments such as reference distance path loss PL(d0)(dB), path loss exponent (n), and log-normal shadowing (Xσ with N(σ, μ = 0)). Since empirical models broadly classify the environment under urban, suburban, and rural area, they do not take …

Fuzzy Inference System Framework To Prioritize The Deployment Of Resources In Low Visibility Traffic Conditions, Luz C. Ortega, Luis Daniel Otero, Carlos Otero

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Faculty Publications

Tasks related to traffic and safety operations under low visibility conditions remain a challenge for transportation agencies nationwide. Transportation managers are required to model weather and road variables to make operational decisions, while simultaneously prioritizing the deployment of available resources. This research presents a fuzzy inference system (FIS) framework to assist transportation managers with prioritizing the deployment of resources to areas of low visibility originated by fog. The framework is composed of three fuzzy systems that characterize fog occurrence, road risk conditions, and deployment of resources. Fuzzy logic is considered a decision-making technique that could be effectively applied when dealing …

Dimension Reduction Using Quantum Wavelet Transform On A High-Performance Reconfigurable Computer, Naveed Mahmud, Esam El-Araby

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Faculty Publications

The high resolution of multidimensional space-time measurements and enormity of data readout counts in applications such as particle tracking in high-energy physics (HEP) is becoming nowadays a major challenge. In this work, we propose combining dimension reduction techniques with quantum information processing for application in domains that generate large volumes of data such as HEP. More specifically, we propose using quantum wavelet transform (QWT) to reduce the dimensionality of high spatial resolution data. The quantum wavelet transform takes advantage of the principles of quantum mechanics to achieve reductions in computation time while processing exponentially larger amount of information. We develop …

A Data-Driven Network Approach For Characterization Of Political Parties’ Ideology Dynamics, Josemar Faustino, Hugo Barbosa, Eraldo Ribeiro, Ronaldo Menezes

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Faculty Publications

Political ideology is a major social phenomena that plays a crucial role in the formation and dynamics of ideologically-aligned social groups. This alignment gives rise to some of the most powerful social structures in modern democracies, the political parties. Due to the influence and importance of political parties in society, estimating their ideology is an active topic in political science research. However ideology is a very subjective phenomena and existing quantitative methods for ideology estimation are susceptible to a variety estimation issues, specially when applied in multi-partisan systems. In this work, we developed a data-driven network model for political ideology …

Oleander Is More Than A Flower: Twenty-Five Years Of Oceanography Aboard A Merchant Vessel, Thomas Rossby, Charles N. Flagg, Kathleen A. Donohue, Sandra Fontana, Ruth Curry, Magdalena Andres, Jacob Forsyth

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

Since late fall 1992, CMV Oleander III has been measuring upper ocean currents during its weekly trips between Bermuda and Port Elizabeth, New Jersey, by means of an acoustic Doppler current profiler installed in its hull. The overarching objective of this effort has been to monitor transport in the Gulf Stream and surrounding waters. With 25 years of observation in hand, we note that the Gulf Stream exhibits significant year-to-year variations but no evident long-term trend in transport. We show how these data have enabled studies of oceanic variability over a very wide range of scales, from a few kilometers …

Dimensionality Of Magnetism In Trirutile Cota2o6 And Its Derivatives, Raju Baral

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In this thesis, we addressed the question of low dimensionality of trirutile compound CoTa2O6 and studied how the low dimensionality evolved with doping of Mg on Co-site. In order to study low dimensionality in CoTa2O6 and its derivative compounds Co1-xMgxTa2O6 (x = 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, and 1), we used different techniques: X-ray diffraction, magnetic susceptibility, magnetization, specific heat and elastic neutron diffraction. We have addressed the question of low dimensional magnetism of CoTa2O6 by preparing phase-pure samples of the compound. In CoTa2O6 a broad feature is observed in magnetic susceptibility at 10 K and an antiferromagnetic phase transition is …

Applications Of A New Genetic Algorithm To Solve The Centralized Carrier Collaboration And Multihub Location Problem Considering Environmental Impacts, Eduardo Jose Castillo Fatule

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The Centralized Carrier Collaboration and Multi-hub Location Problem (CCCMLP) represents a strategy that small-to-medium sized less-than-truckload (LTL) carrier companies can use in order to improve their profit margins. It is a strategy that is being explored in order to make these companies more sustainable as they are forced to reinvent their processes and supply chains. In this work, I will present a metaheuristic approach to optimizing their hub establishment and routing policies in order to better their expected profit margins and reduce their environmental impacts. The study considers the costs of transportation, loading and unloading, maintenance, operations, and inventory holding …

Towards Multiple Model Approach To Bridge Deterioration, Jin A. Collins

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) marked the start of a new era in transportation in the United States. ISTEA required transportation agencies to take a proactive approach to planning and management of their assets. This included requirements for managing pavement, bridges, safety, congestion, public transportation, and intermodal systems. For horizontal transportation assets (i.e., bridges and pavement), deterioration modeling is an essential tool (Yanev and Chen 1993). Since ISTEA, Bridge Management Systems (BMS) have been utilized to inform decision-making regarding bridge projects such as maintenance, rehabilitation, and replacement (MR&R) under financial limitations (Agrawal, Kawaguchi, and Chen 2010). …

Comparative Study Of Analytical Models Of The Gruneisen Parameter Of Metals As Function Of Pressure, Celia Garcia Amparan

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Commonly used Gruneisen parameter (γ) models only hold accurate in limited regimes making them inapplicable for use over wide temperature-pressure conditions. The accuracy of these analytical models of γ and of the thermal expansion of solids are of particular interest as these are considered proxies for quantifying anharmonicity, which may be a significant contribution to the thermal pressure at high temperatures. This work reviews various definitions of γ and their relations to the equations of state and apply them to two simple metals: Tantalum (Ta) and Copper (Cu), for which a high body of experimental data exists. Classical Molecular Dynamics …

Energy Efficiency And Fatigue Failure On Gears And Bearings For Processing Rebar Steel, Jesus Gabriel Garcia

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Steel industry is a major emitter of air pollutants, a leading industrial consumer of water, a minor source of contaminated liquids, a massive producer of solid waste, and a significant source of CO2. The objective on this thesis work is to minimize the greenhouse gas emissions when processing steel. Gears and bearings were evaluated based on their performance when exposed to cyclic stresses. The importance for having a proper set up on rolling mills to increase efficiency for processing rebar steel has been detailed on paper. In contrast, mechanical vibration has been measured on gears and bearings to determine efficiency …

Assessment Of Point Of Use (Pou) Systems For Reducing Health Risks Associated With Drinking Water Along The U.S.-Mexico Colonias In The Paso Del Norte Region, Varinia Viridiana Felix Parra

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In the Paso del Norte Region along the U.S. Mexico Border, there are more than 5,000 families living in impoverished communities known as colonias that lack access to basic infrastructure services such as a public water system. These depend on hauling trucks that deliver water into their storage tanks. Water storage practices by colonia residents on both sides of the border pose an enormous risk for waterborne disease outbreaks and heavy metal contamination because the water quality can decrease rapidly due to volatilization of the residual chlorine, intrusion of rainfall and air-laden dust. Since connection to centralized water treatment and …

Sexual And Relationship Victimization Of Hispanic Sexual Minority Women On A University Campus In A U.S.-Mexico Border City, Mika Gehre

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Background: Sexual minority women (SMW) are at high risk for health disparities in response to discrimination and stigma. Sexual victimization (SV) in campus settings is a common issue impacting a majority of female students. Rates of sexual victimization and violence within relationships are higher among SMW compared to non-SMW. To date, only a few studies report sexual and family victimization among minority populations in a campus setting. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to describe the rates and relationships between sexual minority status, SV, and abusive relationships among Hispanic women on a University campus in a U.S.-Mexico border city. …

Third Parties In The U.S. Political System: What External And Internal Issues Shape Public Perception Of Libertarian Party/Politicians?, Jacqueline Ann Fiest

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The current two-party system has dominated American politics for much of history, but as voters find themselves frustrated with a limited set of choices, more are becoming open to the idea of a third-party option. According to Newsweek, 61% of people believe America needs a third major political party. That number jumps to 77% among independents (Haltiwanger, 2017). In almost every other part of American life, a variety of choices is considered a benefit.

A CNN poll done in conjunction with ORC International reflected that only 5% of Americans feel the federal government in Washington DC, which overwhelmingly consists of …

Inverse Gaussian Ornstein-Uhlenbeck Applied To Modeling High Frequency Data, Emmanuel Kofi Kusi

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

With about 226050 estimated deaths worldwide in 2010, an earthquake is considered as one of the disasters that records a great number of deaths. This thesis develops a model for the estimation of magnitude of future seismic events.

We propose a stochastic differential equation arising on the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck processes driven by IG(a,b) process. IG(a,b) Ornstein-Uhlenbeck processes offers analytic flexibility and provides a class of continuous time processes capable of exhibiting long memory

behavior. The stochastic differential equation is applied to geophysics and financial stock markets by fitting the superposed IG(a,b) Ornstein-Uhlenbeck model to earthquake and financial time series.

Access Points And Weave Lengths For Automated Truck Lanes At Two Closely Spaced Interchanges, Ximena Jauregui

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The increase of traffic on major U.S. roadways has motivated the implementation of new technologies and better management of the transportation infrastructure, including managed lanes on freeways. Dedicated truck lanes, a type of managed lane, are increasingly attracting attention since truck freight is continuously increasing and trucks have greater impact on traffic flow relatively to cars. Truck-only managed lanes allow trucks to travel at their own speeds in an exclusive lane with no passenger vehicles on the way; likewise, vehicles on the main lanes of the freeway will have fewer trucks to travel with.

As truck-only managed lanes are being …

Development Of Actuators Using Material Extrusion Additive Manufacturing With Embedded Shape Memory Alloy Wire, Alfonso Fernandez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Over the past several decades, the advancements in Additive Manufacturing (AM) technologies have opened a wide variety of applications where AM can be used. Some examples of these advancements are the introduction of automatic wire embedding capabilities, the introduction of multi-material processing and the printing of thermoplastic elastomers. With the availability of these advancements, it is now possible to create spark-free, dust-free actuation mechanisms for applications where it is crucial that no spark is generated (i.e. space shuttle fuel valve).

In this research, a Lulzbot TAZ 6 desktop material extrusion system was utilized to print parts out of Plasticized Copolymer …

The Language Content Of Computer-Mediated Versus Face-To-Face Motivational-Type Interviews, Karla Deyanira Llanes

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Motivational Interviewing (MI) is an extensively used technique to facilitate behavior change by increasing a person's own motivation and commitment toward change. Recently, several innovative and effective ways to conduct motivational interviews have emerged. However, one potential option has not been investigated: the utility of conducting a motivational interview via computer. The current study begins to address this gap in knowledge by comparing the language content of computer-mediated motivational-type interviews and face-to-face motivational-type interviews. The motivational-type interviews were conducted with young adults who reported ambivalence about their level of recreational marijuana use. Specifically, non-marijuana users, occasional marijuana users, and frequent …

Study Of D-Electron Systems With Fermi-Lowdin Orbital Self-Interaction Correction, Prakash Mishra

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Density Functional Theory (DFT) is one of the very popular and versatile methods for calculations to study electronic structure, and the accuracy of DFT depends on the approximation used in the exchange-correlation functional. One of the known problems with the approximation is that the widely used density functional approximations (DFA) suffer self-interaction errors. Systems with d-electrons such as transition metal oxides often show deviation of DFT predicted behavior from experimental result. SIE tends to unphysically lower the energies of fractionally occupied state which leads to deviation from piece-wise linear behavior of total energy between two integer occupations. This leads to …

Funny Politics: Examining The Motivations For Political Satire Consumption And Avoidance, And The Effects Of Political Satire Television Consumption On Political Knowledge, Engagement, And Trust In Institutions, Alexandra Rae Martinez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Political satire television is continuing to develop into an integral part of political rhetoric and evaluation to its viewers. This thesis explores the effects that consumption of political satire television might have on its consumers. Specifically, this study uses quantitative methods to examine the effects political satire has on political knowledge, political engagement, and trust in democratic institutions. Further, this study provides insight into the motivations for viewing or avoiding political satire TV. This research uses a survey compiled of scales employed by previous research, slightly altered to reflect the changes in today's political climate and satire TV shows and …

Predicting Recessions In Major Texas Metropolitan Economies Using Yield Spreads And Other Economic Indicators, Aaron Dodson Nazarian

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The yield spread has been found to serve as a valuable economic forecasting tool. This research employs dynamic autoregressive probit downturn models using the United States yield spread and other regional and macroeconomic variables. This study then inspects the predictive power of the United States yield spread on the five largest urban economies in Texas, the four largest metropolitan areas along the Texas-Mexico border, as well as the Texas state economy. The other regional and macroeconomic variables are included in model specifications based on characteristics of the economies being analyzed. Results indicate that a narrowing of the United States Yield …

Using Two-Photon Microscopy To Analyze Arabidopsis Thaliana Leaves Under Autophagy Conditions And Second Harmonic Generation In Collagen, Andres Martin Reyes

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Two-photon microscopy has emerged as a highly efficient and effective imaging tool for biological samples. This can be utilized in studying recently emerging technologies and conditions such as the autophagy process in arabidopsis thaliana leaves and second harmonic generation in collagen. Both of these areas of study utilize the two-photon microscopy practice effectively in uncovering more information of the biological nature of examined samples.

Cross-Language Activation And Integration Of Concepts In Text Passages, Karly Meillyn Schleicher

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Learning from text requires the ability to efficiently activate and retrieve relevant concepts from long-term memory and connect these with new information that is being presented in the text. It is assumed that memory representations built from text can be influenced by both surface level information (i.e., word forms), or deeper, conceptual level information. The goal of the present study was to investigate the role of surface level features (i.e., language) influence memory representations developed from text. By recruiting Spanish-English bilinguals, the present study investigated how surface level features from a reader's two lexicons influences the activation and integration of …

Ibuprofen As A Probe Of Lipid Metabolism, Jose Antonio Rosales

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The hypothesis that deracemization of racemic ibuprofen (IBU) occurs via the enolization of a Candida rugosa lipase (CRL)-ibuprofen ester (Scheme 1.6.2) was disproven by reacting racemic IBU under the conditions that were used to deracemize ibuprofen methyl ester (IME), namely pH 7.6. At pH 7.6, IME through IBU butyl esters were not formed in-situ and racemic IBU was not deracemized by reacting the corresponding primary alcohol with racemic IBU in the presence of CRL.

At pH 7.6, hexyl through dodecyl IBU esters were formed in-situ by reacting the corresponding primary alcohol with racemic IBU in the presence of CRL. The …

Conductivity Modulation In Strained 2d Transition- Metal- Dichalcogenides Via Micro- Electro- Mechanical Actuation, Aldo Ivan Vidaña

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In this thesis, strain-induced conductivity modulation in bi-layer molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) flakes is experimentally investigated and modeled. Uniaxial tensile strain in the MoS2 flakes is achieved using a micro-electro-mechanical (MEM) actuator. Conductivity ratios up to 400 are demonstrated. Theoretical predictions of conductivity versus applied voltage in the MEMS-MoS2 device match experimental data reasonably well using only the effective width of the TMDC flakes as the sole fitting parameter. The amount of strain induced in the MoS2 flakes was determined to be as high as 2.7% for one flake using the model fitted to the experiment data. The switching energy required …

Serosurvey For Evidence Of Dengue And West Nile Virus Human Infections In El Paso, Texas, Veronica Suarez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Dengue viruses (DENV), including the 4 serotypes are the cause of dengue fever and dengue hemorrhagic fever. The viruses are transmitted by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in urban communities in tropical, sub-tropical, and temperate regions and are the cause of the highest rate of infection and death of all known Flaviviruses. DENV are endemic in United States (US) -Mexico (MX) border communities in the Rio Grande Valley and suspected of being endemic in Ciudad Juarez, a sister city to El Paso, TX. To determine if DENV were endemic in the El Paso community, cord-blood samples from mothers were tested for antibody …

Electron Binding Energy Of Polar Molecules Using Fermi Löwdin Orbital Self Interaction Corrected Density Functional Scheme, Peter Obinna Ufondu

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Density functional theory (DFT) has become a standard method for electronic structure calculations in physics. The standard approximate density functional usually do not bind this class of anions, due to self-interaction error (SIE). We apply the recently developed Fermi Löwdin orbitals based self-interaction correction method (FLOSIC) with long-range diffuse Gaussian functions to study dipole bound anions and negatively charged water clusters. These calculations are carried out using Perdew-Wang (1992) local spin density PW91-LDA, Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof PBE-GGA, and the recently developed Strongly Constrained and Appropriately Normed SCAN-meta-GGA functional which satisfies all the known constraints for exchange-correlation functional. Plot from FLOSIC density difference …

Preclinical Models Of Metastatic Disease, Paloma Alejandra Valenzuela

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Breast cancer is a disease that continues to take the life of approximately 40,000 men and women in the United States each year [1]. Tumor drug resistance represents a major problem for the treatment of many breast cancer patients. The mechanisms underlying such resistance remain to be elucidated, and one approach to study this issue involves the development of tumor drug-resistant breast cancer models in mice. HER-2 positive breast cancer is considered to be one of the most aggressive subtypes of breast cancer and has become a major target for treatment. HER-2 status is a routinely checked marker for breast …

Recent Changes In The Zooplankton Communities Of Arctic Tundra Ponds In Response To Warmer Temperatures And Nutrient Enrichment, Mariana Vargas Medrano

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Warming is altering Arctic freshwater ecosystems, enriching the water column, increasing primary productivity and shifting the composition, dominance and the timing of emergence and reproduction of zooplankton communities. Historic data from arctic tundra ponds near UtqiaÄ¡vik, AK have given us valuable insight into changes that have occurred in recent times. A change of dominance from cyclopoid copepods to Daphnia middendorffiana has occurred over a 40 year period. Daphnia are more common, abundant and larger, which may be explained by increased primary productivity stimulated by nutrient release from permafrost thaw. Copepods and fairy shrimp emerged earlier from the overwintering states, which …