Digital Commons Network^™

Prediabetes Prediction Before Disease Onset Using Multimodal Health Data: A Machine Learning Approach, Luisa Veronica Gracia Mazuca

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Prediabetes is a critical health condition that increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) test diagnoses patients with prediabetes, but the disease has already caused metabolic alterations. Early detection is essential for timely interventions, and machine learning models offer a promising approach to identify prediabetic individuals through the analysis of biomarkers such as cytokines. We compared four classifiers-logistic regression, decision tree, random forest, and k-nearest neighbors - using cytokines (TNF-α, MCP-1, IL-1β, IL-6, IFN-γ), age, BMI, and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). Models were evaluated using stratified 5-fold cross-validation and ROC-AUC. K-Nearest Neighbors (k-NN) achieved the highest …

Impact Of Campus Leadership Behaviors On Teacher Experiences With Burnout, Carmen Imai

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Teacher burnout continues to be a significant concern in K-12 education, contributing to emotional exhaustion, decreased job satisfaction, teacher attrition, and negative impacts on student learning. While previous research has examined the causes and symptoms of burnout, less attention has been given to how teachers perceive the role of campus leadership in either mitigating or contributing to burnout experiences. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore how teachers who have experienced burnout perceive the role of campus administrators within that process. The study was guided by three research questions focused on teachers' experiences with burnout, perceptions of …

From Instructional Design To Student Experience: Engagement As Designed And Experienced In Asynchronous Graduate Education, Francisco Javier Maldonado

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The expansion of asynchronous online learning in graduate education has reshaped instructional delivery; however, concerns persist regarding declining student engagement in fully online environments. While faculty often perceive engagement as sustained through structured course design and digital communication strategies, graduate students report experiences of disconnection, diminished motivation, and limited meaningful interaction. This misalignment in perception presents a significant challenge for graduate programs seeking to promote student success and retention. The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore how asynchronous online instructional practices influence graduate student engagement within a Master's-level Higher Education Leadership program. Guided by the Academic Constructs of …

Public Art And The Future Of Remembrance In Contested Spaces, Rebecca Ann Munoz

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation examines the memorial landscape of El Paso, Texas as a contested site of public memory, cultural identity, and community representation. Situated at the U.S.-Mexico border, El Paso functions as a palimpsest of layered histories shaped by colonization, militarization, and ongoing negotiations of belonging. Drawing on memory rhetoric and composition studies, and art history, the paper raises critical questions about community engagement, representational equity, and the politics of visibility in public art processes. The paper ultimately calls for a deeper examination of the rhetorical strategies and institutional frameworks that shape memorial meaning-making at the local level, with broader implications …

Enhancing Gender Congruence And Life Satisfaction In The Borderland Through Gender-Affirming Communication Services, Kimberley Ramirez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Transgender individuals frequently encounter barriers to accessing gender-affirming healthcare, particularly within marginalized borderland communities. Communication-based gender affirmation, including voice therapy and nonverbal communication training, remains an underexplored yet essential component of transgender health and psychosocial well-being. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of gender-affirming communication services on voice-gender congruence and life satisfaction among transgender individuals living in the U.S.-Mexico borderland region. A single-subject experimental design (ABAB) was implemented with six participants initially enrolled in the study. Four participants completed all intervention phases and were included in final analysis. Intervention consisted of individualized gender-affirming communication services targeting …

Caregiver Experiences During Mealtime In Families Of Children With Feeding Disorders In The Borderland, Chyanne Reveles

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This study examines the lived experiences of caregivers of children with pediatric feeding disorders (PFDs) in the Paso del Norte Region using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Pediatric feeding disorders require sustained medical, social, and emotional demand, often placing caregivers in complex decision-making roles. Understanding how cultural beliefs and context shape caregiving practices is essential to improving services provided by speech-language pathologists and other service providers. The qualitative research approach used facilitated the discovery of themes surrounding the lived experience of the caregivers of children with feeding disorders. Semi-structured interviews were conducted via Zoom with caregivers residing in the U.S.-Mexico border …

Katie In-Between, Savannah Rae Sarabia

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Katie In-Between is a contemporary young-adult fiction piece that follows the protagonist Katie as she learns about and reclaims her cultural identity. In her process, she learns the importance of embracing her identity, which refutes biases and ideals about who is and who is not part of her community. This story draws on personal experience navigating cultural identity and confronting histories and events that suppress that minority community's expression in American society. Through narration, poetry, and journal entries, readers are exposed to the confrontation of languages and histories to support ideas such as Gloria Anzaldúa's concept of nepantla, which refutes …

Daughters Of The Road, Kristen Marie Sche

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The beloved Road Novel has long been a tale submerged in the coming-of-age story following men as they search for themselves along the American highways. The genre can vary from journeys of families seeking refuge or tackling a task to men seeking answers to something missing in their lives. However eclectic the genre, it lacks in the pilgrimage of girls finding what the road can bring to them in a literary fictional context. This thesis provides a novel written in the popular genre while exploring themes of sisterhood, grief, and inclusion through the context of a hybrid form of narration …

Determining Zap-70 Signaling Pathways Mediated By Ccr7 In Tcr T Cell Activation, Vivian Torres

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Activation of T lymphocytes is the main event that occurs in the adaptive immune response after engagement of the T cell receptor (TCR) with the peptide of the major histocompatibility complex (pMHC) molecules that are demonstrated by antigen presenting cells [1]. A key step in this process is the recruitment and activation of the zeta chain associated protein of 70 kDa (ZAP-70). ZAP-70 couples TCR engagement to downstream intracellular signaling pathways through phosphorylation of tyrosine residues within intracellular tyrosine activation motifs (ITAMs) [2]. Although there have been extensive studies on the signaling response through TCR activation, the regulatory influence of …

Fatal Remedies: How France Undermined Its Own Objectives In Algeria, 1954-1962, Elizabeth Mae Tornabene

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

While much of the best-known literature on the Franco-Algerian War has emphasized insurgency, counterinsurgency, and the grievances of the colonized, this thesis takes a broader, historical and public administration approach by analyzing the relationship between the development and implementation phases of government and military policies and the unintended, sometimes fatal, outcomes that followed. Although it does this from the perspective of policymaking in the country that is trying to maintain control over its distant territory, it has implications for those interested in maximizing resistance to these policymakers.

By conducting a structured, focused comparison of a typical case across three theories …

Automated Arctic Coastal Boundary Extraction From Multispectral Satellite Imagery, Harshavardhini Bagavathyraj

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Arctic coastlines are changing rapidly as permafrost thaw and coastal erosion accelerate under a warming climate, creating a need for accurate and scalable methods to monitor landscape change. Two geomorphically important indicators of this change are the shoreline, which represents the land--water boundary, and the bluff edge, which marks the transition from vegetated tundra to the coastal slope or cliff. However, delineating these features from high-resolution imagery remains challenging because Arctic scenes are spatially extensive and visually complex. In this study, we address these challenges by developing deep learning methods for automated shoreline and bluff-edge extraction from high-resolution satellite imagery …

Effective Prediction Of Martensite Start Temperature By Hybrid Machine Learning And Ethical A.I. In Materials Science, Agniprava Banerjee

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The martensite start temperature Ms governs heat treatment design and mechanical property development in martensitic steel alloys. Accurate prediction of Ms from chemical composition alone would accelerate alloy development, yet existing empirical equations lack accuracy for multi-component steels and purely data-driven models provide no physically principled behavior outside their training domain. This dissertation develops a hybrid machine learning-physics framework for predicting Ms in steel alloys from composition. The MAP Cambridge dataset (1,020 cleaned records, 15 alloying elements) is processed through a five-stage cleaning pipeline and a 21-feature physics augmented representation, including the Ghosh-Olson Ms thermodynamic prediction as an explicit feature. …

We Are Still Lipan: Identity Erasure, Settler Colonialism, Historical Memory And The Persistence Of The Non-Reservation Lipan Apache, Freddy Cabral

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation challenges the long-standing historical narrative that the Lipan Apache disappeared in the late nineteenth century. Instead, it argues that the non-reservation Lipan Apache survived through strategic adaptation, mobility, kinship networks, and cultural continuity across the United States-Mexico borderlands. By examining the Lipan experience under Spanish colonial rule, Mexican governance, the Republic of Texas, and the State of Texas, this study demonstrates that shifting political regimes consistently pursued Indigenous land, labor, and subordination through structures of settler colonialism and racial hierarchy. Using the frameworks of settler colonialism, white supremacy, genocide studies, oral history, and autoethnography, this dissertation shows how …

Blood, Steel, And Stone, Jennifer Camplair Hassell

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This thesis, Blood, Stone, and Steel, explores the intergenerational impact of trauma, memory, and history through a unique blend of poetry, photography, and personal family narratives. Drawing on archival materials, family photographs, and the tradition of documentary poetry, the work investigates how the legacy of war and immigration shapes identity across generations. Inspired by Marianne Hirsch's concept of postmemory, the author examines inherited memories and their affective transmission, focusing on the experiences of her great-grandfather - a German immigrant and WWI veteran - and the subsequent effects on her family. The narrative is structured in three parts: BLOOD, reflecting loss …

The Impact Of Life Coaching On Self-Efficacy In Personal Goal Setting Among Black Educators In Arkansas, Veronica Cousette Jackson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative study examines the relationship between life coaching and self-efficacy in personal goal setting among Black educators in Arkansas, with gender explored as a moderating variable. Self-efficacy, grounded in Bandura’s (1997) social cognitive theory, is a central determinant of motivation and goal-directed behavior, influencing persistence, effort, and adaptive strategies. Although life coaching has gained recognition as a professional developmental practice, empirical research remains limited regarding its psychological effects within educator populations and its differential impact across demographic groups (Grant, 2014; Theeboom et al., 2014). This gap is particularly significant for Black educators, who experience disproportionate workforce stress and retention …

How To Make Tamales: Stories, Jeanette Colby

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In all its intersectionality, I see my thesis as a female journey of identity and maturation. A common theme in my writing always leads back to my upbringing in some way; my history, memories, and beliefs inevitably plague the storytelling animal that lives within me. These different kinds of narratives represent all the parts of my identity. At the same time, the fictional scenes allow me to dramatize and interpret specific life events, while the mythic narratives provide a symbolic framework for exploring psychological and spiritual truths that might transcend conventional logic. Almost all of these pieces reflect various aspects …

Spike-Sorting Algorithm For Neuropixel Probes, Luis David Davila

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Modern extracellular neural probes like Neuropixels, allow for high-density extracellular neural probes to record terabytes of electrophysiological brain data. Spike sorting is the process of isolating individual neurons on this data through various clustering and filtering techniques. Modern spike sorting algorithms are held back by their need for human intervention to separate high-quality from low quality clusters, due to the volume of data that can be collected a completely automated approach is required. To address this requirement, we have developed a framework to preprocess, cluster, grade, and separate high/low quality clustering results using custom models trained on the grades. To …

Health Disparities In El Paso's Low-Income Hispanic Communities: A Mixed-Methods Analysis Of Acculturation, Obesity Metrics, And Socio-Cultural Determinants, Karen Del Rio

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Health disparities among low-income Hispanic immigrants in the United States are shaped by complex interactions between acculturation, structural inequality, and socio-cultural determinants that behavioral and epidemiological models have not fully explained. This dissertation examines the relationship between acculturation and obesity-related outcomes among uninsured and low-income Hispanic adults of Mexican descent in El Paso, Texas, using a three-article, sequential, explanatory, mixed-methods design grounded in Latina/o Critical Race Theory (LatCrit).Article 1 presents a systematic review of 20 peer-reviewed studies examining acculturation and obesity among Mexican Americans, finding consistent evidence that longer U.S. residence is associated with increased BMI and obesity prevalence, mediated …

Influence Of Nickel Content On Microstructural Evolution And Densification Of Tungsten Fabricated Via Vat Photopolymerization, Jose Miguel Gonzalez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Hybrid additive manufacturing of tungsten-nickel alloys, combining vat photopolymerization (VPP) for patterning with custom thermo-hydrogen post-processing for reduction and densification, has emerged as a promising route for fabricating complex, high-resolution tungsten architectures. However, fabrication of tungsten via this hybrid AM technique remains challenging due to poor densification and significant defect formation during debinding and sintering. In this work, these limitations were addressed using nickel as a sintering aid in combination with controlled thermal processing conditions. Existing studies on activated sintering of tungsten typically focus on a single composition or sintering condition, limiting understanding of the combined effects of composition and …

Hinterland To Foreland Regional Transition From Basement-Involved To Thin-Skinned Deformation In The Southern U.S. Cordillera: Sierra Rica, New Mexico, Sarafina Middaugh

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Late Cretaceous to Paleogene age contractional deformation in the southern Basin and Range province is obscured by widespread, Cenozoic extensional faulting and volcanism. As a result, debate continues about the structural style and tectonic evolution of the region. There are two end-member structural models that have been proposed for deformation: 1) high-angle reverse faulting and basement uplift and 2) thin-skinned faulting and development of a thrust belt. We undertook new geologic mapping, cross-section construction, and structural analysis in Sierra Rica, in the bootheel region of southern New Mexico, to help evaluate these hypotheses. A major thrust system, the Sierra Rica …

Dynamic Joint Stiffness Druing Jogging In Individuals With Chronic Ankle Instability, David Saltiel Nava

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Background: Lateral ankle sprains (LAS) are common musculoskeletal injuries and may progress to chronic ankle instability (CAI), which is characterized by recurrent sprains, perceived "giving way," and altered ankle mechanics. Dynamic joint stiffness (DJS) quantifies a joint's resistance to angular displacement under external loading and may provide insight into ankle stability during dynamic tasks. Although prior CAI studies have examined DJS during walking or jumping, limited evidence exists during jogging. This study examined phase-specific ankle DJS and ankle work variables during jogging in individuals with and without CAI. Methods: Ninety participants were included (40 CAI, 50 uninjured controls). All participants …

Computational Studies Of Alpha-Lactalbumin Binding To Perfluorodecanoic Acid, Randhal Smith Ramirez Orozco

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This thesis investigates the structural and thermodynamic interactions between Perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA) and bovine alpha-lactalbumin (ALAC), a critical milk protein essential for infant nutrition. The primary objectives were to computationally determine the most probable binding sites of PFDA to ALAC and to quantify the strength of these interactions alongside the structural changes they induce. This study addresses a critical gap in understanding how persistent environmental contaminants like PFDA are recruited and transported by nutritional proteins within the milk matrix. The methodology integrated high-throughput molecular docking with long-range, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to provide a dynamic characterization of the ALAC-PFDA complex. …

Eocene To Oligocene Continental Arc Migration In Ecuador And The Origin Of Spatiotemporal Trends In Zircon Lu-Hf Radiogenic Isotopes, Muriel M. Sandoval Vazquez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The modern continental arc system in Ecuador is well understood but less is known about arc systems in the past, hindering our understanding of the tectonic evolution of the northern Andes. The Macuchi arc, located in the Western Cordillera of Ecuador, was thought to be the main continental arc system during the Eocene, but new zircon U-Pb LA-ICPMS dates from intrusive arc rocks in central Ecuador indicate a more complex history. During the mid-Eocene, the footprint of arc magmatism broadened and expanded into the Inter-Andean Valley and Eastern Cordillera. During the late Eocene to Oligocene, the arc migrated back toward …

The Transformation Of Mexican-American Fathers In Doctoral Studies, Harat Ridrigo Saucedo

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Fatherhood and minority are words that are not discussed enough in academia. While there has been an awakening in women enrolling and graduating in higher education, the same cannot be said about males, especially fathers of Mexican-American background. As the fastest-growing minority, Mexican-American fathers in doctoral studies are the most underrepresented. The current state of research in the field is minimal, focusing on Mexican-Americans in undergraduate courses, mothers in graduate courses, and males in graduate courses; little is found on Mexican-American fathers in doctoral studies. The research in this qualitative study was designed to address the limited knowledge about Mexican-American …

Retiro, Max Scoular

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

A collection of ten short stories in fulfillment of requirements for Master's Degree in Creative Writing at University of Texas El Paso.

Understanding The Role Of The School Librarian: Insights From Principals And Librarians, Ruby Shivery

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This study examines how principals and school librarians understand and define the role of the school librarian with the K-12 school system. Guided by Role Conflict Theory, the study explores how differing expectations regarding instructional support, leadership, collaboration, and library management contribute to role ambiguity and professional tension. As the responsibilities of the school librarian continue to expand, inconsistencies in how the role is perceived may influence both professional relationships and the effectiveness of the library programs themselves. Using semi-structured interviews with both principals and school librarians, the study investigates areas of alignment and conflict in participants' perceptions of the …

Centering Latinx Perspectives And Cultural Identification In Music Listening: Examining Musical Consumption Behaviors And Choices Among Latinx Adults, Javier Alejandro Silerio

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Music is a critical cultural activity and resource for people all over the world, often used for communication, recreation, identity formation, social bonding, and many other aspects of our daily lives. Moreover, this has been reported across many cultures and is not unique to a single group. Despite this, there is currently limited information and research around Latinx American music consumption and this population's overall relationship with music. Because of this, the purpose of this study is to examine music consumption behaviors among Latinx Americans, as well as possible relationships between their Latinx cultural identification and said music consumption behaviors. …

Fluoxetine Exposure During Adolescence Alters Prefrontal Cortex Signaling And Nociceptive-Related Behavior In Adulthood, Anapaula Themann

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The long-term neurobiological consequences of adolescent antidepressant exposure remain poorly understood, despite the substantial increase in selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) prescription rates in youth. Therefore, the goal of this dissertation was to determine whether adolescent exposure to the SSRI fluoxetine (FLX) produces lasting molecular and behavioral adaptations, using rodents as a model system. To do this, in Chapter 2, I assessed whether adolescent FLX exposure (postnatal day [PD] 35-49) alters signaling molecules associated with survival and synaptic plasticity (extracellular signa- regulated kinase [ERK]) within the adult prefrontal cortex (PFC) - a brain region that plays a central role in …

High-Resolution Mapping Of Brainstem Feeding Circuits: A Framework For Targeted Neuroscience Tools, Geronimo Tapia

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The neural control of energy balance is mediated in part by distributed brainstem circuits that integrate metabolic, visceral, and hormonal signals to coordinate appropriate motivated behaviors and autonomic responses. Despite extensive study, the precise neuroanatomical architecture regulating metabolism remains incompletely defined within standardized atlas frameworks. This work addresses that gap through complementary studies examining an acute glycemic challenge methodology known to stimulate feeding, the acute delivery of an anorexigenic-associated neurohormone, and the chemoarchitecture of a major feeding-related region, the parabrachial nucleus. First, utilizing 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) induced glucoprivation, we map the rapid response of dorsal medullary neuronal populations with high spatial …

Asunto Familiar, Paolo Velazquez Angeles

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Asunto Familiar is a project told through short stories. Set in the El Paso/Ciudad Juarez community, it tells the story of one family and their ever-changing lives after a death derails their entire trajectory. Informed by queer perseverance in the bilingual communities of the Chihuahuan Desert, Asunto Familiar aims at exploring the subtle ways family can inflict violence on each other, specifically on their queer members. This in turn, revealing the transitional power of queerness, allowing the characters to uphold love and move away from their predetermined societal roles.