Digital Commons Network^™

Deep Learning Models For Biomedical Data Analysis, Lucy Nwosu

All Dissertations

The field of biomedical data analysis is a vibrant area of research dedicated to extracting valuable insights from a wide range of biomedical data sources, including biomedical images and genomics data. The emergence of deep learning, an artificial intelligence approach, presents significant prospects for enhancing biomedical data analysis and knowledge discovery. This dissertation focused on exploring innovative deep-learning methods for biomedical image processing and gene data analysis.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, biomedical imaging data, including CT scans and chest x-rays, played a pivotal role in identifying COVID-19 cases by categorizing patient chest x-ray outcomes as COVID-19-positive or negative. While supervised …

Wind Energy Harvesting System For Low Wind Speeds, Olatunde Adewunmi Adeoye

All Dissertations

In recent years, wind energy has been one of the fastest-growing renewable energy sources because it reduces the global economy’s dependence on fossil fuels for energy generation. Despite the tremendous growth in wind power generators, modern wind power generators are not effective at low wind speeds due to many shortcomings in their advanced design features, such as large blades, tall towers, and yaw control systems. It is desirable to design wind generators that operate at low wind speed environments for electric power generation.

This research work presents the design and fabrication of a wind energy harvesting system that captures and …

The Importance Of Soil Carbon In Large-Scale Shrub Removal Practices In The Chihuahuan Desert, Kathleen Schaeffer

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Shrub encroachment is a worldwide phenomenon that affects multiple biomes at different ecological and anthropogenic levels. In dryland ecosystems, shrub encroachment is a noted concern amongst land managers, as it can lead to a loss of soil resources and biodiversity. To mitigate the negative effects of shrub encroachment in Drylands, land managers can implement large-scale shrub removal practices. These land restoration practices can shift landscapes to novel ecosystems, where resulting plant communities can vary following treatments. Grass recovery or increasing herbaceous cover is often a primary goal of these treatments, however predicting which sites may show higher grass responses to …

Systematization Of Central Office Support For Schools In Need Of Improvement In A South Texas School District, Louisa Aguirre-Baeza

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Independent school district central office administrators were challenged with defining, detailing and disseminating systems of support and structure during the unprecedented times of the COVID-19 pandemic. To maintain focus on instruction during a pandemic that caused needed attention on quarantined environments and remote learning structures, campus administrators were tasked with making school happen without being in their school building environments that were structured for instruction. This research presents an intentional production of knowledge through actions and experiences of one Texas school district that provided effective instruction that earned them an A-rating from the Texas Education Agency. Through the leadership and …

Growth Of Purple Sulfur Bacteria Allochromatium Vinosum On Solid Phase Metal Sulfides As Sulfur And Electron Sources, Hugo Alarcon

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Purple sulfur bacteria (PSB) are photosynthetic microorganisms known for their vital roles in geochemical cycles, especially the sulfur cycle, within anoxic photic environments. PSB are also key contributors to the nitrogen, carbon, and oxygen cycles. This study focuses on the autotrophic growth of Allochromatium vinosum, a model strain of PSB, that utilize solid-phase metal sulfides (MS) as both sulfur and electron donors. Through characterizing the growth profiles of A. vinosum on pyrite (FeS2), nickel sulfide (NiS), and iron monosulfide (FeS) nanoparticles, respectively, and investigating the bacteria-MS interaction mechanisms, this work expands our current knowledge of the metabolic capabilities and flexibility …

Design And Development Of Transition Metal-Based Electrocatalysts For Environmentally Friendly And Efficient Hydrogen Evolution Reactions (Her), Navid Attarzadeh

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Hydrogen fuel is a clean energy source primarily because it emits no carbon dioxide (CO2). Sustainable energy alternatives have attracted the scientific community and policymakers as concerns over global warming and depletion of fossil fuels have increased significantly. Substituting H2 gas as a primary source for our daily energy consumption under the guideline of the hydrogen economy concept has not progressed as anticipated because of inadequate efficiency associated with the generation (electrolyzer) and utilization (fuel cell) devices. However, there are challenges associated with hydrogen that must be overcome for it to become a truly sustainable and widespread energy source. The …

Exploring Undergraduate Research Experiences And Perceptions Of Responsible And Ethical Conduct Of Research (Recr) Education In The Biological Sciences And (Bio)Chemistry Disciplines, Bernice Justina Caad

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Increasing calls to reform undergraduate (UG) education within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines have emphasized the importance of early exposure to responsible and ethical conduct of research (RECR) education. Historically, RECR has primarily been presented at the post-baccalaureate level, leaving many students without a foundational understanding of what responsible research ethics entails during the course of their undergraduate experience. Over the last decade, course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) have emerged as a promising platform to establish expectations of responsible and ethical conduct through greater accessibility and inclusivity, starting at the freshman level. Interestingly, few studies have examined how …

Double Cantilever Beam Mode-I Testing Validation In Large-Scale Additive Manufacturing Carbon Composite, Luis Alfonso Camacho

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Testing for mechanical properties for additive manufacturing has been based on already existing standards for traditional manufacturing methods. For composites in large scale additive manufacturing there is a research gap in bond strength and fracture toughness for a single layer interface. By using Double cantilever beam Mode I, this thesis manuscript validates testing parameters and protocols to describe the intricacies of ABS matrix 20 wt.% carbon filled composite, specifically on the layer-to-layer interface. Studies suggest that fracture toughness is sensitive to process parameters, like deflection speed and sharpened crack tip at the layer interface of BAAM 3D printed part and …

Performance Evaluation Of A Coupled Photovoltaic-Thermal Solar Powered Desalination Pilot System, Martin Chavarin

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

A pilot scale coupled photovoltaic-thermal solar powered desalination system was evaluated at the Brackish Groundwater National Desalination Research Facility (BGNDRF). The pilot system consisted of a 3-kW photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) solar panel array and a 2.3 kW photovoltaic (PV) array coupled with a 4 gal/min single-stage 4 membrane reverse osmosis (RO) desalination system. A heat exchange system was in place to provide simultaneous cooling for the PVT system and heating to the RO system feed water. This system was evaluated with three objectives in mind. The first objective was to identify whether cooling of the PVT panels resulted in a significant …

Integration Of Biomedical Engineering And Computer Vision For Morphological Alteration Identification In Diabetic Cardiomyopathy: An Analysis And Evaluation Stra Tegy, Monica Delgado

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a type of heart disease that affects people with diabetes. It is characterized by changes in the structure and function of the heart, including thickening and stiffening of the heart muscle, impaired relaxation of the heart, and reduced pumping function. DCM is considered an ailment of the heart muscle and an increased risk factor in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Although the exact mechanisms behind DCM are not fully understood, high blood glucose levels are known to contribute to the development and progression of the disease.While many options to manage and diagnose DCM have …

Partial Auto-Correlation Of Low Magnitude Earthquakes From The 2016 Iris Aray In Grant County, Oklahoma, Alex Christopher Eddy

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The Anadarko Basin in is a seismically active basin that spans central and western Oklahoma into Kansas. In June and July of 2016, the IRIS Community Wavefield Experiment array was deployed for approximately a month, recording over 300 earthquakes. Using 4 of these earthquakes and an east â?? west array of 129 Fairfield Nodal Z-land 3C nodes, I present a novel application of correlation. These four earthquakes with a ML of 2.8-3.0 represent a varied azimuthal distribution and are between 9 and 40km from the array and have a frequency peak at approximately 10 Hz.

As a proof of concept, …

Increasing The Efficiency And Accuracy Of Collective Intelligence Methods For Image Classification, Md Mahmudulla Hassan

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Collective intelligence has emerged as a powerful methodology for annotating and classifying challenging data that pose difficulties for automated classifiers. It works by leveraging the concept of "wisdom of the crowds" which approximates a ground truth after aggregating experts' feedback and filtering out noise. However, challenges arise when certain applications, such as medical image classification, security threat detection, and financial fraud detection, demand accurate and reliable data annotation. The unreliability of experts due to inconsistent expertise and competencies, coupled with the associated cost and time-consuming judgment extraction, presents additional challenges.

Input aggregation is the process of consolidating and combining multiple …

The Ecological Effects Of Nitrogen Enrichment In Aridlands, Jennifer Holguin

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Anthropogenic nitrogen (N) deposition is one of the most prominent factors driving global change. Across the globe, N deposition has driven major changes in terrestrial ecosystems, such as declines in plant biodiversity, enhanced exotic plant growth, and changes to biogeochemical processes involved in carbon and nutrient cycling. While noteworthy effort has been put forth to investigate the effects of N deposition on terrestrial ecosystems, a disproportionate number of N addition studies have been conducted in temperate mesic systems. Thus, we lack a holistic and mechanistic understanding of how N deposition impact aridland ecosystems. Additionally, our predictions of the effects of …

How Active Rainwater Harvesting May Help Reduce Nuisance Flooding: Flood Analysis And Social Barriers To Adoption, Isabel Lopez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

As urbanization continues to expand, fewer pervious surfaces are available to help reduce stormwater runoff from rainfall. The impacts of urbanization are becoming evident through sunny day flooding - flooding that occurs in areas not designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as flood zones. Nevertheless, water accumulates in low-lying areas and compromises street intersections and other parts of neighborhoods. Some methods can help alleviate the impacts of unexpected heavy rains, such as passive and active rainwater harvesting. As a pilot study, in a selected area in the northeast of El Paso, the level of adoption (e.g., what percentage …

Metal Additive Microfabrication Of Semiconductor Packages With Inbuilt Thermal Management System, Bhushan Lohani

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Moore’s law describes the development capabilities in electronics manufacturing. Although his estimation held for decades, at present, the doubling of components every two years seems to be approaching a halt. The assessment was based on the miniaturization of transistors to create space for more. Miniaturization led to higher component density, decreased cost, lowered power consumption, and compactness. However, it also came with high current density, increased Joule heating, and reduced critical charge. One of the limiting factors is the heat generated from such devices, which is heavily discussed in International Roadmap for Devices and Systems (IRDS) and International Technology Roadmap …

Robust Penalized Density Power Divergence Regression With Scad Penalty For High Dimensional Data Analysis, Maxwell Kwesi Mac-Ocloo

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Amidst the exponential surge in big data, managing high-dimensional datasets across diverse fields and industries has emerged as a significant challenge. Conventional statistical methods struggle to handle their complexity, making analysis intricate. In response, we've formulated a robust estimator tailored to counter outliers and heavy-tailed errors. Our approach integrates the SCAD penalty into the Density Power Divergence method, effectively reducing insignificant coefficients to zero. This enhances analysis precision and result reliability.We benchmark our robust and penalized model against existing techniques like Huber, Tukey, LASSO, LAD, and LAD-LASSO. Employing both simulated and UCI machine learning repository datasets, we assess method performance …

Continuous Risk Assessment For Large-Scale Cyber Systems, Adeel A. Malik

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Cyberspace, with its multiple forms of device integration, is rapidly evolving and introducing loopholes within the cyber infrastructure, which creates opportunities for attackers. Despite the presence of network security devices such as firewalls, anti-virus, intrusion detection, and prevention systems, network intrusions still occur due to vulnerabilities within organizational assets or socially engineered cyber attacks. The lack of information about threats, vulnerabilities, and threat actors often leaves cyber defenders on a wild goose chase, making it critical to evaluate network security to mitigate adversarial threats periodically.

Various risk assessment frameworks, third-party tools, and online databases containing comprehensive threat information have been …

A Dft Analysis And Simple Hamiltonian Modeling Of A Molecular System Employed For Experimental Evidence Of Quantum Teleportation, Pedro Ulises Medina Gonzalez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Radical ion pairs (RIPs) have been used to demonstrate quantum teleportation in molecular systems for applications in quantum information science. Covalent organic donor-acceptor (D-A) molecules can produce RIPs through photo-induced charge transfer and an additional radical (R) molecule makes quantum teleportation possible. We present the electronic structure and analyze charge transfer excited states of a recently studied [1] D-A-R molecular system using density functional theory. The distances between donor-acceptor and donor-radical are about 12.9 \AA $\,$ and 21.9 \AA, respectively. The excitation energies are calculated using the perturbative delta-SCF method and agree with other conventional excited-state methods and experimental reference …

The Relative Impact Of Anecdotal And Statistical Evidence On Covid-19 Vaccine Intentions., Kiran Misra

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This study investigated the relative impact of anecdotal and statistical safety evidence on the perceived likelihood of unvaccinated friends or relatives experiencing severe adverse reactions to COVID-19 vaccination. This study also investigated the relative impact of anecdotal and statistical evidence on an individualâ??s intention to encourage unvaccinated friends and relatives to talk with healthcare providers about COVID-19 vaccination. Three hundred and fifty-nine participants were randomly assigned to one of six experimental conditions. In each condition, I manipulated the presence of base rate evidence (present, absent) that supported the safety of COVID-19 vaccination; I also manipulated the presence of anecdotal evidence …

The Effects Of Process Parameters On The Cyclical Life Of Ti-6al-4v Manufactured Via Laser Powder Bed Fusion, Brandon Ramirez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Additive manufacturing via Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) has already proven revolutionary technology. Due to its favorable strength-to-weight ratio, ti-6Al-4V, a popular titanium alloy, has already been implemented in the aerospace industry for various components. However, the quality validation in additively manufactured parts has always been an issue of concern, specifically under cyclic loading. Ti-6Al-4V samples were printed using LPBF with various process parameters to investigate these conditions further. The build was stress-relieved; however, the samples underwent no other post-processes maintaining their as-built surface. The process parameters were separated into five categories, including various laser powers and printing speeds, allowing …

Advances In One-Electron Self-Interaction-Correction Methods For Accurate And Efficient Self-Interaction-Free Density Functional Calculations, Selim Romero

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Density functional theory (DFT) is a widely used computational method for studying electronic structures of atoms, molecules, and solids. It provides an exact theory for obtaining ground state energy from the ground state density. However, since the exact exchange-correlation functional remains unknown, approximate exchange-correlation functionals called approximate density approximations (DFAs) are used. The foundation of many DFAs is the local spin density approximation (LSDA). It serves as the starting point for constructing various DFAs. However, DFAs are prone to self-interaction errors (SIE) due to the improper cancellation of the approximate exchange energy and the Coulomb energy. This issue impacts the …

Rigid Pavement Analysis System (Rpas): An Enhanced Graphical User Interface, Samina Samrose

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In recent decades there has been a significant interest among researchers in developing pavement analysis tools that will work with high efficiency and provide accurate results within a short timeframe. The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) has developed a finite element-based pavement analysis software named â??Rigid Pavement Analysis Systemâ?? (RPAS) capable of analyzing Jointed PCC pavements of any number of PCC and soil layers. The processing core of this software was developed in MATLAB with a pre- and post-processing user interface developed in C++. The MATLAB code is compiled into an executable and together with the C++ interface …

The Genetic And Non-Genetic Factors For Impulsivity, Erick Benjamin Saldes

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Inhibitory control is an executive function suppressing inappropriate actions or thoughts and inhibitory control dysfunction leads to impulsivity. Impulsivity is associated with wide-ranging brain disorders including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, substance use disorder, and dementia. The genetic and non-genetic factors contributing to impulsivity are poorly understood. This dissertation aims to begin closing this knowledge gap by identifying the genetic and non-genetic factors for impulsivity and the underlying mechanism in the model organism Drosophila melanogaster. For this task, we developed a new Go/No-Go test, which measures the fly's ability to suppress movements in situations that can endanger its …

Robust Mahalanobis K-Means Algorithm In Comparison With Other Existing Clustering Methods., Eleazer Tabi Serebour

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This study enhances K-means Mahalanobis clustering using Density Power Divergence (DPD) for outlier handling and detection. Through the utilization of simulations and the analysis of real-world data, our approach consistently outperforms standard K-means, Mahalanobis K-means, Fuzzy C-means, and others in clustering datasets with outliers. While our method performs similarly to others on spherical datasets, it ranks second to DBSCAN for arbitrary shapes. We showcase its superiority on real-life datasets (Iris flower and wheat seed), demonstrating resilient outlier identification. By navigating various structures and cluster characteristics, our Modified Mahalanobis K-means method proves adaptable and robust, offering insights into diverse clustering scenarios. …

Structural Study Of Lsd13 And Lsd14 Type I Modular Polyketide Synthases From The Lasalocid A Biosynthesis Pathway, Dayan Viera

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Bioactive natural products often possess a complex structure and have a large size which make their chemical synthesis highly challenging. To overcome this challenge, we are developing a biosynthetic method for production of natural products and their analogs. This technology is expected to decrease the synthesis time from years to weeks and reduce the cost of drug production by multiple orders of magnitude. We are investigating the biosynthesis pathway of lasalocid A, an anticancer antibiotic, to develop this technology. Specifically, we aim to characterize the enzymes structurally and biochemically in this pathway, thus paving the way for their rational engineering. …

Overdose Prevention Behaviors And The Rural Risk Environment Among People Who Inject Drugs In Rural Appalachia, Jody Teel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: The entire United States has felt the effects of the overdose epidemic, but rural Appalachia has experienced disproportionate overdose deaths. This variation in overdose mortality can be attributed to the risk environment for overdose in rural Appalachia. Overdose prevention behaviors are individual level behaviors that people who inject drugs can implement that may have the potential to reduce their risk of overdose, however limited research exists regarding the utilization of those behaviors. It is important to consider how the risk environment can influence the utilization of overdose prevention behaviors among people who inject drugs. Therefore, the purpose of this …

Oxidation Of Hafnium Diboride—Silicon Carbide At 1500 °C In Air; Effect Of Compressive Stress, Anthony J. Degregoria, Marina B. Ruggles-Wrenn, Glen E. Pry

Faculty Publications

The long-term oxidation behavior of HfB₂ and of HfB₂-20 vol.% SiC was studied. Test samples of each material were oxidized at 1500 °C in air using a box furnace. The exposure times were 0, 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 30, 45 and 90 h. Weight gain, oxide scale composition and oxide scale thickness were characterized for both materials. Crystal structure of the surface scales was analyzed using x-ray diffraction. Oxide scales were further characterized via scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy analysis. For HfB₂ the oxide scale consists predominantly of porous HfO …

Garcinolic Acid Distinguishes Between Gackix Domains And Modulates Interaction Networks, Meghan E. Breen, Stephen T. Joy, Omari J. Baruti, Matthew S. Beyersdorf, Madeleine J. Henley, Samantha N. De Salle, Peter D. Ycas, Azya Croskey, Tomasz Cierpicki, William Ck Pomerantz, Anna K. Mapp

Chemistry Department Faculty Citations

Natural products are often uniquely suited to modulate protein-protein interactions (PPIs) due to their architectural and functional group complexity relative to synthetic molecules. Here we demonstrate that the natural product garcinolic acid allosterically blocks the CBP/p300 KIX PPI network and displays excellent selectivity over related GACKIX motifs. It does so via a strong interaction (K_D 1 μM) with a non-canonical binding site containing a structurally dynamic loop in CBP/p300 KIX. Garcinolic acid engages full-length CBP in the context of the proteome and in doing so effectively inhibits KIX-dependent transcription in a leukemia model. As the most potent small-molecule …

Why The Court Should Reexamine Administrative Law's Chenery Ii Doctrine, Gary S. Lawson, Joseph Postell

Faculty Scholarship

Part I of this article begins by discussing some fundamental constitutional principles that were raised, sometimes implicitly and indirectly, in the Chenery cases. Those principles point to limits on administrative adjudication that go well beyond those recognized in current doctrine. We do not here seek to push those principles as far as they can go, though we offer no resistance to anyone who wants to trod that path. Instead, we identify and raise those principles to help understand the scope and limits of actual doctrine. Our modest claims here are that constitutional concerns about at least some classes of agency …

Editorial: High-Impact Respiratory Rna Virus Diseases, Victor Manuel Patrone-García, Inkar Castellanos-Huerta, Guillermo Tellez-Isaias

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Editorial on the Research Topic

High-impact respiratory RNA virus diseases