Digital Commons Network^™

Impact Of Private Early Childhood Education On Academic And Social Preparedness Of Preschoolers, Destiny E. Rizo

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Early childhood education plays a crucial role in shaping a child's academic and social development. This senior capstone examines how private preschool programs influence kindergarten readiness in both academic and social domains. Through a literature review and interviews with early childhood educators, this project explores the specific practices within private programs that contribute to children's preparedness. The result findings indicated that smaller class size, individualized instruction, and enriched learning environments are the key factors that could really support early learning success for children. As a future educator, this research highlights the value of incorporating these strategies into public school curriculum …

Benefits Of Parental Involvement On Kindergarten Through Third Grade (K-3) Students’ Education, Kathie Trujillo-Suarez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The purpose of this senior capstone project is to show the benefits of parental involvement in grades K-3 students’ education. Parental involvement plays an important role in the students’ academic success in the early years of elementary school. Schools, teachers and parents should be aware of the impact parent involvement does to K-3 students. Through the use of teacher interviews, and parent surveys, and literature review, the result findings revealed that parent involvement was a critical component of students' education, leading to higher test scores, and academic achievement in the students' education. Strengthening parental involvement in schools could increase K-3 …

Impact Of Parental Involvement On The Academic Performance Of Elementary School Students, Natalia Rauda

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This senior capstone project examines parental involvement's impact on elementary school students' academic performance, focusing on the roles that teachers, school liaisons, and parents play in fostering engagement. The study utilized qualitative methods, including interviews with a kindergarten teacher, a school liaison, and a parent, to explore the various dimensions of parental involvement and its influence on student success. Key findings reveal that early involvement, such as practicing foundational academic skills at home, is critical for academic readiness. Ongoing support throughout the school year, including communication between home and school, enhances student learning outcomes. However, challenges such as time constraints, …

Impact Of Parental Involvement On Elementary School Student Development In Pursuit Of Higher Education, Valeria Guapo

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The purpose of this senior capstone is to examine the relationship between parental involvement and elementary school students' academic trajectories, with a focus on their pursuit of higher education. Through a comprehensive analysis of existing literature and through the use of literature reviews, interviews, and surveys with college students, teachers, and parents, the results revealed that parental involvement is a big part of students' educational performance and mental well-being in many aspects. This research investigates how parental involvement in elementary education influences students' academic achievement, motivation, and aspirations for higher education. The findings highlight the significance of parental involvement in …

Impact Of Classroom Environment On Bilingual Elementary School Students’ Learning, Denisse Mosqueda

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

There are many students who may not have a stable environment at home; therefore, it is important that schools provide an environment where students feel safe space at school to encourage learning. A safe learning environment fosters students' social, physical, and emotional development. When students feel safe, they are more engaged and take more intellectual risks in a healthy and supportive climate. This senior capstone research project examines the impact of classroom environment on the learning of bilingual elementary students. Through the use of literature review, anonymous surveys of students, and teacher interviews, the results indicated that, while a positive …

Parent Involvement In Elevating Elementary Children's Educational Success, Taylor R. Arreola

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

In many elementary schools, a common problem lies in the lack of overall and consistent parental involvement at home and communication with the child’s teacher. This creates challenges because if a child is not receiving extra support at home- whether due to parents' beliefs about their responsibility for education, their relationship with teachers, or barriers they may face, such as language- it can lead to gaps in the child’s educational success and may cause them to struggle in their academic journey. This project's purpose and focus are to assist parents and teachers in understanding the different implications of parent involvement. …

Deep-Fake Revenge Porn: The Intersection Of Artificial Intelligence And Revenge Porn For A Modern Attack On Women, Eva C. Hunt

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This study aims to provide a legal analysis grounded in gender legal theory to critique current legislation enacted in the United States. It focuses on the societal and gendered impacts of revenge porn, particularly examining how victimization differs across genders. The legal analysis explores state-by-state legislation addressing revenge porn, assessing the severity of criminal penalties and the timeline of enactment. For current contextual reasons, the study evaluates how emerging Deepfake artificial intelligence technologies intersect with and complicate existing revenge porn laws. Finally, it analyzes the extent to which each state has incorporated Deepfake AI considerations into its legal framework.

Environmental Racism In Our Backyards, Elizabeth Sanchez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This paper aims to investigate the connection between environmental racism and marginalized groups in Monterey County, California.

Preservation Of Newari Music, Sajan Maharjan

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This paper explores the origins of the musical traditions of the Newari people from the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal, the instrumental components of Newari music and the current efforts in its preservation that are ongoing in Nepal.

Global Nomads: Identity And Belonging In Third Culture Kids And Adult Third Culture Kids, Vallon Bucayu-Lee

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This capstone examines the subculture of Third Culture Kids and Adult Third Culture Kids who have experienced living abroad as children. There were two main objectives in this study. First, to understand the perceptions of Adult Third Culture Kids on how their global childhoods have impacted their self-identity and sense of belonging as adults. Secondly, to understand the opinions of Adult Third Culture Kids on transitional programs through their personal experiences with them. The methodology of this capstone included a twelve-question survey distributed to seventeen Adult Third Culture Kids born in six different countries around the world. The questions in …

The Feast And The Furious? The Effects Of Diet On Opioid Tolerance, Withdrawal, And Stress, Nina Marie Beltran

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Introduction: Opioid drugs (e.g., morphine) are used medicinally for pain relief but can also lead to opioid use disorder (OUD). These medications are prescribed at a higher rate among individuals with obesity (who might consume high fat diets) than the general population. Further, previous work from our lab and others has demonstrated that eating a high fat diet enhances sensitivity of rats to other addictive substances, including stimulants. However, it is not known if dietary manipulations impact individual sensitivity to the effects of opioids. This dissertation systematically explored the effects of dietary manipulation on sensitivity to the effects of morphine. …

De Novo Design Of Ablative Polymers For Aerospace Thermal Protection Systems Through An Integrated Ai-Theory-Experiment Approach, Rene Damaso Boisseau

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Novolac phenolic resin (NPR) is a widely used polymeric ablative material (PAM) for thermal protection systems (TPS) due to its high thermal decomposition temperature (TD, 500â?¯Â°C) and char yield (YC, 55â?¯wt%). However, its drawbacks (including high thermal conductivity, low mechanical properties and water uptake) prompt the need for improved PAMs. This study explores the pyrolysis behavior and char-forming capabilities of NPR and a potential alternative PAM, poly(1,6-dimethyl phenol) (PPO), through both theoretical and experimental approaches. A graph neural network (GNN) was developed to predict structure-property relationships, revealing that benzyl group positioning and oxygen atom placement significantly influence YC. PPO's para-positioned …

Yield Prediction Of Pv Solar Energy Systems And Its Application In The Energy Grid For Operational Efficiency, Pablo Bustamante

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The generation of power from photovoltaic (PV) solar panels is influenced by a multitude of factors. These include the tilt and orientation of the solar panels, the latitude of their location, and the prevailing climate and weather conditions. Additionally, shading at specific locations, particularly if the panels are not part of a solar facility, can significantly impact their efficiency. The quality and efficiency of the panels themselves, along with the preventive maintenance of both the solar panels and associated components such as inverters and trackers, are also critical. Finally, the overall system design and installation play a vital role in …

Gender And Ethnic Differences In Mental Health Outcomes In Sexual And Gender Minority (Sgm) Youth And Young Adults In Texas And California, 2022-2024, Michelle Gil

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Background: Depression and anxiety affect populations differently, particularly LGBTQ+, ethnic minorities, and youth with limited access to competent care. Risk factors include harassment, victimization, and discrimination. Purpose: To examine gender identity and ethnic differences in depression and anxiety among SGM youth in Texas and California. It is hypothesized that both Latinx and gender minority youth will report higher rates of depression and anxiety compared to non-Latinx and cisgender youth. Methods: Secondary analysis used data from the Family, Housing, and Me (FHAM) Project, following 83 LGBTQ+ youth from South Texas and California's Inland Empire over 25 months. Data includes sociodemographic characteristics, …

Bim Assessment For State Departments Of Transportation, Francisco Israel Guillen

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Building Information Modeling (BIM) has been used by the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry to enhance the efficiency and quality of work across various stages, including planning, design, construction, and operation and maintenance (OM) of projects. Despite widespread adoption in vertical construction, BIM implementation in infrastructure projects is still falling behind. This disparity can be attributed to several factors, including the complexity and scale of infrastructure projects and varying levels of BIM adoption and integration within organizations. Efforts to standardize BIM practices and enhance the digital capabilities of infrastructure projects are essential to bridge this gap and ensure the …

Charging Infrastructure Needs For Electric Trucks In Texas, Katerina Jilkova

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This thesis focuses on the design of a methodology for determining the optimal location of charging stations for heavy-duty electric trucks. The work focuses primarily on long-distance trips that require charging the truck battery outside cities, where the range of charging stations is not extensive. In addition to design the algorithm, the thesis also focuses on implementing the algorithm on a specific case - the implementation of charging stations in the I-10 Freeway corridor between El Paso and San Antonio. The output of the work is not only a description of the procedure, but also an application to a real …

Leveraging Predictive Analytics To Improve Prognostic Models For Uterine Cancer, Arnav Joshi

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Uterine Corpus Endometrial Carcinoma (UCEC) presents notable disparities in incidence and outcomes across racial groups, warranting deeper investigation through transcriptomic and predictive modeling approaches. This thesis presents a comprehensive transcriptomic analysis of RNA-Seq data from 177 individuals, comprising both tumor and control samples, specifically from the UCEC_CN_High molecular subtype. The cohort was stratified by race, focusing on differences between Black and White individuals to explore race-associated gene expression patterns. To uncover genes with prognostic significance, LASSO (Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator) regression was applied for feature selection, identifying a subset of genes most strongly associated with overall survival. These …

A Profile Wald Test In M-Estimation, Reagan Kesseku

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Despite the growing popularity of machine learning-based inference, classical statistical inference remains highly relevant in modern data science due to its interpretability and theoretical rigor. Among its core tools, the likelihood ratio test, Wald test, and score test are foundational methods for hypothesis testing within the maximum likelihood framework. Although these tests are asymptotically equivalent under regularity conditions, each offers distinct advantages depending on the context, computational demands, and the availability of parameter estimates. In this dissertation, we introduce a fourth method, the Profile Wald Test (PWT), within the broader M-estimation framework. The PWT is based on profile estimators of …

Towards Mitigation Of The Light Network Load Performance Penalty Of The Network Link Outlier Factor (Nlof), Jaime Merin Guzman

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Detecting and localizing faults in communication networks is critical to maintaining reliable and efficient network operations. The Network Link Outlier Factor with Most Likely Link (NLOF: MLL) algorithm has demonstrated its potential to automate this task but suffers from significant performance degradation under low network load conditions, where limited network flow data reduces its ability to localize faults. This thesis proposes and evaluates the performance of a synthetic traffic generation algorithm to be used with NLOF:MLL. This algorithm strategically injects synthetic flows that supplement the insufficient real network flows, thereby improving NLOF:MLL's performance under low-load conditions. Specifically, we select network …

Clinicogenomic Insights For Prostate Cancer Progression, Kelvin Ofori-Minta

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Prostate cancer (PrCa) remains a critical challenge in precision oncology due to several reasons including its apparent heterogenous condition, recurrence following treatment and rapid progressive forms. Therefore, identifying patients at risk of progression is essential to fast-track therapeutic decisions and improve outcomes. Despite recent advances in genomic and molecular profiling, conventional PrCa risk assessment tools heavily rely on a few clinical parameters, neglecting the prognostic potential of genomic biomarkers in the presence of clinical biomarkers. This study presents a computational pipeline to harmonize and evaluate the prognostic value of clinicogenomic profiles of patients in modelling progression free survival (PFS). PFS, …

Multiscale Integration Of Receptor-Ligand Dynamics Into Discrete And Continuous Tumor Growth Models With Application To Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Treatment, Romasa Qasim

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor cascade plays a crucial role in the survival and proliferation of tumor cells. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are a class of drugs that inhibit epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFRs), thereby preventing the downstream signal transduction. Despite their importance, models that link spatial receptor dynamics to tumor growth remain scarce. Further, TKIs act through selective mechanisms, inhibiting active, inactive, or all receptor states, which poses a challenge to traditional modeling approaches.

We propose to numerically study two mathematical models incorporating receptor-dynamics into cancer models to describe the impact of EGFR overexpression and TKIs. The first …

Pathways Of Nitrogen Loss After Fertilization In Dryland Ecosystems, Fidel Manuel Renteria

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Dryland ecosystems cover approximately 41% of the Earth’s terrestrial surface, and are characterized by limited moisture, nutrient-poor soils, and pulsed precipitation regimes that collectively constrain nutrient cycling. Although nitrogen (N) is often assumed to be a primary limiting nutrient in these environments, fertilization studies frequently reveal minimal biotic response to added N—a pattern known as the "dryland nitrogen paradox." This paradox has been attributed to rapid nitrogen loss via gaseous emissions and leaching, exacerbated by interactions with water and phosphorus (P) availability. To investigate these loss pathways, we conducted a field experiment at the Jornada Experimental Range in the northern …

Pilot Study To Compare A Therapeutic Exercise Protocol And Neuromuscular Taping On Improving Plantar Foot Pressure Among Type 2 Diabetes Patients, Sandra Rivera

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Background: Diabetes has become one of the most prevalent non-communicable diseases worldwide. Diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) are a common complication of diabetes as it causes peripheral neuropathy. It is estimated that up to 50% of peripheral neuropathy in patients with diabetes may be asymptomatic. Justification: The purpose of this study was to determine if the therapeutic exercise protocol and/or Neuromuscular taping can delay changes in the plantar pressure of the foot in patients with Diabetes. Methods: A two-group quasi-experimental design was used in this study; data was collected at two different points in time; pre- and post-intervention. Baropodometric was used …

Love Y Ganas; A Revolutionay Revelation, Thomas J. Salas

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

My thesis does not have an abstract.

Machine Learning And Protein Engineering Approaches To Understanding Kinesin-5 Activity, Jason Eden Sanchez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Cancer is a term describing a collection of diseases that result in uncontrolled cell growth. Cancer has manifold etiologies and underlying cancers are rouge biochemical pathways involving many different proteins. In the current work, two approaches are used to enhance knowledge of kinesin-5, a potential cancer target involved in cell division. Kinesin-5 promotes cell division by cross-linking and separating microtubules in dividing cells. The first approach uses machine learning (ML) to identify small molecule inhibitors for kinesin-5. Though decades of research have uncovered classes of small-molecules which inhibit kinesin-5 in vitro and in vivo, no candidates have reached phase III …

Las Jefas: Latina Leadership On The Us-Mexico Border Region Las Jefa's Fronterizas, Ruenna Valdez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative study shares the lived experiences of a Latina superintendent leading a large school district along the U.S.-Mexico border, with the aim of highlighting the systemic barriers and enabling factors that shape Latina leadership trajectories in historically underrepresented contexts. Grounded in Latino/a Critical Race Theory (LatCrit) and employing a narrative inquiry through Testimonio methodology, a semi-structured, in-depth interview was conducted and transcribed verbatim. Data were analyzed using Saldana's (2015) two-cycle coding approach - narrative coding followed by pattern coding - to distill rich, counter-storytelling insights into the superintendent's journey. Four interrelated themes emerged overcoming systemic barriers and gender bias, …

A Sociocognitive Perspective On The Activation Of Productive Epistemic Resources In College Students' Understanding Of Chemical Equilibrium, Henk Steven Van Den Bogaard

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Science education, particularly in higher education, has a content coverage problem: it has long been described as "a mile wide, an inch deep" in various consensus documents from the National Academies. In chemistry education, the most common general chemistry curriculum covers topics as chapters based on the popular Sienko and Plane 1960's general chemistry textbook. The limited time available in such fast-paced coverage may limit the instructor's modeling and assessment of key performances in developing a mechanistic understanding of complex chemistry phenomena. In this sociocognitive, qualitative investigation, general chemistry II students' responses to assessment prompts were used to activate cognitive …

New Portland: A Novel Exploring The Futility Of Duplicating The American Experience, Aaron Anthony Weiss

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In the novel NEW PORTLAND, Beau Bergeron is fighting obsolescence at the school where he's taught for thirty years in Portland, Maine. Once an up-and-coming star in the old boys' network of New England prep schools - a future school president - a sustained pattern of problematic behavior has blocked his advancement and leaves him defending his work performance to the newly installed school president (who took the job Beau believes should have been his). With enrollment in Beau's French courses decreasing, he's given the chance to demonstrate his adaptability by teaching a special summer course for visiting Chinese exchange …

Selected Projects: Set Design And Projection Design, Audrey Kearl Coleman

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

Theatrical scenic and projection design for the stage.

Positive Behavior Interventions And Supports Training For General Education Teachers, Amber Carter

All Graduate Reports and Creative Projects, Fall 2023 to Present

This project addresses the increasing need for effective classroom behavior management through professional development and coaching for general education teachers in the implementation of School-Wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS). Grounded in research, this literature review examines the gaps in teachers' understanding and application of behavior strategies, especially compared to special educators. The project includes two components: an assessment report detailing SW-PBIS initiatives and their impact, and a coaching program aimed at improving classroom-level practices. Using evidence-based methods, such as training, observation, and feedback, the study demonstrates how targeted support enhances teacher capacity, reduces challenging student behaviors, and fosters …