Digital Commons Network^™

The Impact Of Verb Type On The Variability Of The Comp-Trace Effect, Haydee Martinez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The C-t effect has been extensively researched with regards to its variability, however, matrix verbs have not generally been taken into account. The present study investigates whether verbs believe, doubt, know, realize, say and think differ in the strength of the C-t effect they induce— exploring syntactic analyses, epistemicity and grammaticalization to possibly identify what characteristics of verbs dictate the strength of the C-t effect. Subjects (n=44) were asked to complete 1 of 2 Grammaticality Judgement Tasks (GJT), which asked them to rate the grammaticality of items which included matched items with that involving both subject extractions, constructions without extractions, …

Combination Of Nir Triggered Lanthanide Upconverting Nanoplatforms With Fullerene For Controlled Drug Release And Photo Cancer Therapy, Lei Ma

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an emerging, externally activatable, treatment modality for various diseases, especially for cancer therapy. Similar to radiotherapy, the mode of action with PDT involves the use of electromagnetic radiation to generate radical species in situ. However, PDT is a much milder approach for cancer treatment. Because of the unique physicochemical properties of fullerenes (such as C60), many potential biomedical applications, including PDT, became possible with them. As a main principle of PDT, the anticancer properties of various fullerene preparations usually result from their ability to generate cytotoxic reactive oxygen species (ROS), after photoexcitation. However, because of the …

Mechanical Properties And Microstructure Evolution Of Thermally Treated Laser Powder Bed Fusion Alsi10mg, Jorge Merino-Gomez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The optimization of mechanical properties with thermal postprocessing treatments was investigated in this study across a wide variety of variants. The relationship between heat treatments and the impacts on the mechanical properties and microstructure of printed materials is a crucial part of additive manufacturing. As a result, the current paper provides a comprehensive overview of postprocess heat treatments for Laser Powder Bed Fusion fabricated AlSi10Mg alloy, including stress relief anneals at 190 and 285 degrees Celsius for 2 hours, hot isostatic pressing at 515 degrees Celsius for 3 hours, hot isostatic pressing + T6 treatment for 6 hours, and final …

The Network Link Outlier Factor (Nlof) For Localizing Network Faults, Christopher Mendoza

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This work presents the Network Link Outlier Factor (NLOF), a data analytics pipeline for network fault detection and localization solution that consists of four stages. In the first stage, flow record throughput values are clustered in two sub-stages: using Density-Based Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise (DBSCAN) and then a novel domain-specific ThroughPut Cluster (TPCluster) technique. In the second stage, Flow Outlier Factor (FOF) scores are computed for each flow. In the third stage, flows are traced onto the network. Finally, in the fourth stage, each link is given a Network Link Outlier Factor (NLOF) score which is the ratio …

Structural And Stratigraphic History Of A Deformed Diapir Margin, Onion Creek Salt Diapir, Paradox Basin, Utah, David Lankford-Bravo

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The Onion Creek Salt Diapir (OCSD) located in the northern Paradox Basin in Utah is a 0.6 km wide X 3.6 km long X 1.6 km tall salt diapir surrounded by variably deformed Paleozoic through Cenozoic strata. The area is a classic area for the study of deformation around salt diapirs. This study uses high-resolution GPS-enabled-tablet and 3D photogrammetric outcrop model-based field mapping, section measuring, thin section petrography, structural restorations, and newly developed 3D modelling workflows to document the styles, timing, nature, and distribution of deformation in strata surrounding the OCSD. Permian Cutler Group sediments on the northern margin of …

Evaluation Of Varying Graphene Oxides Through Their Physicochemical Characterizations On Erythrocytes, Hs27 Cells, Escherichia Coli And Staphylococcus Aureus Bacteria Cell Lines, To Assess Graphene Oxides Cytotoxicity., Miriam Montana

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Research on the toxicity of Graphene Oxides (GO) has captivated interest in the field of material science, environmental sciences, and medicine for their avail significance in biomedical engineer applications either as integrates, enhancements, or in the making of medical devices. Moreover, there is still a lack of understanding as to what characteristics on GOs causes them to be cytotoxic at a cellular level. In our study we synthesized four different GOs by varying in both the method used for oxidation (Modified Hummer’s method & Improved Marcano-Tour’s method), and the precursor parent graphite, for a standardization approach to aid in the …

Examining The Effects Of Information And Communication Technologies In The Legal Representation Of Latin American Asylum Seekers, Victor M. Portillo Ochoa

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis was to explore how legal defense nonprofit organizations (NPO) are using Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to provide legal defense for asylum seekers and improve the conditions of immigrants at detention centers. In addition, this research explored the impact of ICTs on legal defense NPOs, bottlenecks, and security implications when supporting vulnerable communities. ICTs profoundly impacted the way we interact in a post-pandemic world, and it presents new challenges and possibilities for legal defense nonprofit organizations that are helping vulnerable communities. This study consists of staff and volunteers from different legal defense nonprofit organizations NPOs …

Transgenerational Differences Between Two Culturally Distinct Prairie Vole Populations, Richard Joaquin Ortiz

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Culture can be described as a system of environmental beliefs, values, and social practices within one’s environment. This system is passed on from generation to generation and provides a basis for an individual’s behaviors and cognitive perceptions. Cultural neuroscience is an emerging field that intertwines domains of anthropology, psychology, neuroscience, and genetics to help understand the underlying processes, neural mechanisms and genomic factors that vary across cultures. Similar to humans, the socially monogamous prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster) display populational differences in prosocial behavior and aggression based upon region-specific cultural upbringing and parental lineage. Prairie voles originating from Kansas (KS) display …

Small Satellite Development And Mission Design For Low Earth Orbit And Geostationary Transfer Orbit Missions, Ashiqur Rahman

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Aerospace Center formerly known as cSETR at UTEP is a NASA funded center of excellence in aerospace and exploration, focusing on strategic capability development in propulsion and robotic lander, lunar surface exploration, and small spacecraft technologies. To support the center’s mission for space exploration and to demonstrate advancements in small satellite technologies, the Aerospace Center at The University of Texas at El Paso is on track to develop and launch several CubeSats in next few years. A CubeSat is a small satellite that has become popular in recent years due to their low cost, low complexity and short development timeline. …

Structural Impacts Of Super Heavy Load (Shl) Vehicles On Transportation Infrastructure, Ali Morovatdar

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Operation of non-conventional Super Heavy Load (SHL) vehicles is an ongoing challenge for transportation stakeholders and the traveling public across the nation. Despite facilitating the movement of heavy, large, and non-divisible loads, passages of such vehicles with complex loading configurations that typically weigh several folds of the permissible weight limits set forth by regulatory agencies have been adversely affecting the structural integrity of pavement facilities. This translates into accelerated damage of pavement structures, which in turn poses safety concerns for users of the transportation facilities. Accurate quantification of such detrimental impacts is the precursor to preserve the existing transportation facilities. …

Building Energy Model Simulation Of A Single Building In Comparison To A Broader Building Stock, Paola Michelle Santillano

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Residential facilities and buildings are the largest consumers of energy in the United States. More than 76% of electricity and more than 40% of all energy consumption comes from providing a comfortable and healthy environment in buildings. Prioritizing building energy technology goals for performance and cost can significantly reduce energy use within the next ten years despite a substantial forecasted population increase. Retrofitting existing buildings and improving future construction has the potential to realize cost savings and environmental benefits over time. A key component to realizing these benefits is regional building energy modeling. One of the challenges to widespread building …

Comprehensive Study Of Human Pathogenic Trypanosomatids: From Chemotherapies To Disease Ecology, Felipe Rodriguez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The vector-borne diseases Leishmaniasis and Chagas disease, caused by the kinetoplastid parasites Leishmania spp. and Trypanosoma cruzi respectively, are among the most important parasitic diseases in the group of neglected tropical diseases. Even though the two diseases are endemic to the Americas, they affect millions of people worldwide. Leishmaniasis and Chagas disease cause a great array of symptoms and some of them can be fatal if left undiagnosed and untreated. Current treatment regimens are becoming less effective, vaccines are still not available, and diagnosis needs to be improved. Vector control has been responsible for a decrease of diseases in endemic …

Collige Et Impera: The United States Reengagement In Libya, Marco Schinella

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

President Biden's "America is back" pledge holds the potential to be put to the test with the ongoing crisis in Libya. The internationalization of the post-Ghaddafi Libyan breakdown, strained by great-power competition (GPC) dynamics, poses nonnegligible threats to the United States (US) national security that extends beyond Libya per se. Reframing the conflict from yet another Middle East and North Africa (MENA) conflict to an urgent multilateral Mediterranean security challenge will help elevate the country's profile on the global stage. This thesis outlines a qualitative, within-case study analysis of the ongoing Libyan crisis from the perspective of US national security …

Long-Term Effects Of Adolescent Fluoxetine Exposure On Hippocampal Gene Expression In Male C57bl/6 Mice, Anapaula Themann

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Mood-related disorders, including depression and anxiety, are prevalent among children and adolescents. This poses a public health challenge, given their adverse impact on these young populations. Treatment with the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluoxetine (FLX) is the first line of pharmacological intervention in pediatric patients suffering from affect-related illnesses. Although the use of this antidepressant has been deemed efficacious in the juvenile population, the enduring neurobiological consequences of adolescent FLX exposure are not well understood. For this reason, we explored for persistent molecular adaptations, in the adult hippocampus, as a function of adolescent FLX pretreatment. To do this, we administered …

Radio Direction Finding Implementing Music Algorithm With Usrp Node Arrays, Kevin Valdez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Direction Finding techniques are widely used across the fields of radar, telecommunications, geolocation systems, sonar, among many others to estimate the reference position of the incoming signal source. For this, the implementation of antenna arrays is essential as it allows the use of more advanced techniques in signal processing called spatial spectrum estimation [1]. This method of estimation is performed based on the antenna or sensor array response to the signal spatial parameters in every direction and estimate the location of the incoming signals. Algorithms have been developed for the purpose of spatial spectrum analysis, the most popular are MUSIC …

Fabrication Of Alloy 625 Through Electron Beam Powder Bed Fusion Additive Manufacturing, Characterization And Mechanical Performance, Aldo Rubio Hidalgo

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Electron Beam Powder Bed Fusion (EB-PBF) is an additive manufacturing process that allows for the fabrication of nearly fully dense Alloy 625 parts. In this study EB-PBF Alloy 625 samples were fabricated in an Arcam A2X, heat-treated, then machined and tensile tested. Preliminary process tests varying focus offset, and speed function were conducted to establish baseline process parameter conditions to fabricate Alloy 625 parts based on surface finish and structural defects. The microstructure observed in EB-PBF Alloy 625 parts along the build direction in the as-built state consists of irregularly sized columnar grains averaging 105 μm in width that have …

Identification Of Prostate Cancer-Associated Genomic Alterations By Analyzing Variant Frequencies, Functional Effects, And Protein Interactions, Bofei Wang

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

With the ever-increasing varieties of sequencing techniques, the volume and scope of genomic data are explosively expanded, offering unparalleled opportunities for researchers to study gene-disease associations, identify biomarkers, and thus develop more effective diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. In this project, I have developed a computational workflow and a new scoring scheme, which combine statistical frequency-based analyses with two well-established functional effect prediction tools FATHMM and PROVEAN, to evaluate nonsynonymous GSVs and identify potential cancer-related protein-coding genes for downstream enrichment and protein-protein interaction (PPI) studies.

This method has been applied to process a collection of 503 whole exome sequencing datasets for …

Essays On The Economic Consequences Of Regulatory Monitoring, Yicheng Zhu

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation studies the economic consequences of regulatory monitoring in two chapters. In the first chapter, using hand-collected data on Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) violations, I examine how enforcement actions on financial institutions affect their investment bankersâ?? role as mergers and acquisitions (M&A) advisors. I document that FINRA violations in the current year lead to a loss of M&A market share in the following year. I further find that client performance improves in future M&A deals advised by the sanctioned banks. Specifically, I document that future bidder (client) cumulative abnormal returns (CARs) are positively related to both the number …

Utilizing Computational Approaches To Study Tubulin- Tubulin Electrostatic Interactions, Tolulope Ayodeji Ale

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Microtubules play significant roles in transporting cargos within the cell, as well as the cell cycle. They are essentially the highway for the transportation of cell organelles. Understanding the interactions among microtubule components is crucial for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. In this study, we utilize a series of computational approaches to study the electrostatic interactions at the binding interfaces of interacting tubulin monomers. Our study revealed that the electrostatic attractive interactions in the αβ tubulin dimer is the strongest while the interaction between two αβ tubulin dimers in the longitude direction is the weakest. The result identified …

Computational Study Of Grain Structure Evolution In Cdte/Cds Via Molecular Dynamics, Sharmin Abdullah

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Grain structure analysis plays an important role in the identification of grain boundary characteristics, which can affect the efficiency of Cadmium Telluride/Cadmium Sulfide (CdTe/CdS) solar cells since they can act as recombination centers for carriers. Computer simulations such as molecular dynamics (MD) can be a very convenient and cost- effective method of investigating the growth evolution and grain structure of materials. The recently reported and experimentally validated MD simulated growth of polycrystalline CdTe/CdS films shows that these materials mostly consist of zinc blende (ZB) and wurtzite (WZ) structures, along with highly disordered atoms. However, little information about the semiconductor compound …

Rational Design Of Multifunctional Nanocatalysts For Environmental Remediation And Energy Conversion Technologies, Md Ariful Ahsan

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The discovery of efficient and sustainable carbon-based nanotechnologies to solve both the scarcity of drinking water and global energy crisis has become a paramount task in the last decades. Owed to the fast population growth and industrialization of the modern society, access to potable water and clean energy technologies is becoming very hard around the globe. Water pollutants have become a serious threat to the environment and ecology because of their toxic nature. Parallelly, the current hydrocarbon-based fuel industries are generating high levels of contamination across the planet, making imperative the development of cleaner energy technologies. In this regard, the …

¡Sí Se Puede!: Understanding The Experiences Of Latina Students During Their Doctoral Journey At A Hispanic-Serving Institution, Flor Del Rocio Acevedo

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The existing body of literature on Latinas has mostly been focused on the undergraduate student experience (Hernandez, 2002; Hurtado et al., 1996; Kena et al., 2016; Tinto & Goodsell, 1994; Torres, 2004). Additionally, despite the increasing participation of women in graduate education since the 1980s (Walker et al., 2008), Latinas have been and continue to be underrepresented in doctoral programs and the professorate (Myers, 2016). In spite of recent increases in enrollment, Latinas attained just 8.8 percent of the doctoral degrees awarded from 2018-2019 (National Center for Education Statistics, 2020). As Latinas are projected to account for a third of …

The Physiological Factors Of Diabetes And Their Effect On The Cognitive And Emotional Functioning In Older Populations: A Secondary Data Analysis, Celeste Anahi Alvidrez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Background: The rates of Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) have increased over the past 20 years in all age groups. The physiological factors that underlie T2D could have impact on specific brain pathways that support cognitive and emotional functioning. Aims and Objective: The goal of this study was to examine whether older Mexican American individuals with a history of T2D were more likely to develop later cognitive impairment and/or depression. Hypotheses: It was predicted that elderly participants (mean age at time of interview = 87.87 years) with a history of T2D onset prior to age 65, are more likely to have …

Examination Of The Association Between C - Reactive Protein(Crp) And Covid-19 Infection Severity And Length Of Hospitalization, Abdulahi Aremu Ayanwale

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Chronic stress can lead to many systemic complications and low-grade systemic inflammation including increased levels of inflammatory cytokines, such as C-reactive protein (CRP). CRP is a marker of systemic inflammation and is associated with depression and perceived stress. Elevations can result in ineffective immune responses, thereby increasing the risk of complications and mortality from infections. Recent evidence suggests that uncontrolled inflammatory responses associated with COVID 19 are a major determinant of disease severity.  The COVID 19 is transmitted from one person to another through droplets from coughing, sneezing, talking, touching droplets on surfaces and contamination by hand-to-mouth routes. The mechanism …

Interval Estimates: How To Make Them More Adequate And How To Use Them In Economic Analysis And Decision Making, Laura Adriana Berrout-Ramos

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In many real-life situations, we need to make decisions in situations when we do not have full information about the consequences of different decisions. In particular, instead of the exact values of the relevant quantities, we only know lower and upper bounds on these values – i.e., we know an interval that contains the actual (unknown) value. These interval estimates often come from experts. This fact naturally leads to the following important questions: How should we make decisions under such interval uncertainty? How to gauge the quality of the resulting decisions? And if this quality is not sufficient – because …

Addressing Security And Privacy Issues By Analyzing Vulnerabilities In Iot Applications, Francsico Javier Candelario Burgoa

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The Internet of Things (IoT) environment has been expanding rapidly for the past few years into several areas of our lives, from factories, to stores and even into our own homes. All these new devices in our homes make our day-to-day lives easier and more comfortable with less effort on our part, converting our simple houses into smart homes. This increase in inter-connectivity brings multiple benefits including the improvement in energy efficiency in our homes, however it also brings with it some potential dangers since more points of connection mean more potential vulnerabilities in our grid. These vulnerabilities bring security …

Level Of Service For Parking Facilities Based On Search Time, Fernie Briones

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Level of Service (LOS) is a term used by transportation engineers to identify the quality of service of transportation facilities to the public. The Highway Capacity Manual has yet to provide guidance on LOS analysis for parking facilities. Parking search time has been proposed by several researchers as the indicator for the LOS criteria for parking facilities. This thesis investigated the use of search time for LOS analysis for on street and off-street parking facilities. The analysis of LOS for off-street parking focused on the measurement of parking search time. Three search time measurement methods have been proposed: the license …

An Investigation Of Upper Extremity Motor Impairments In Children Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Motor Planning Vs Motor Execution, Patrick Anthony Cereceres

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder typically diagnosedwhen a child displays social and communication impairments, repetitive behaviors, and rhythmic movements like hand flapping. This disorder is unique because of the high variability of symptoms displayed between each individual who is diagnosed. Because of this, no neurological or physiological test exists to diagnose a child with ASD. Current diagnostic tests are various forms of interviews or observations which an experienced clinician must administer. While these tests have been instrumental in diagnosing children with ASD, many go undiagnosed, which can be detrimental as they transition into adulthood. Current literature indicates …

Land Use And Land Cover Change Impact On Sustainability In The United Arab Emirates: A Big-Data Approach Using Google Earth Engine, Wissam Atwah

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The relevance of land use and land cover change (LULCC) impact on sustainability and well-being is increasing due to the urban growth challenges. LULCC data offers significant insight into the historic development patterns and their relations to various sustainability indicators. Different from the previous LULCC studies that merely focused on investigating LULCC problems in a small area (e.g., a city of an urban area) within a short span of time (e.g., a year), the current study intends to assess the long-term urbanization trend within a 20-year period for a whole country through the tracking of LULCC changes within the period. …

Predicted Vitamin D Status And Colorectal Cancer Incidence In The Black Women's Health Study, Lauren E Barber, Kimberly A Bertrand, Jessica L Petrick, Hanna Gerlovin, Laura F White, Lucile L Adams-Campbell, Lynn Rosenberg, Hemant K Roy, Julie R Palmer

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

BACKGROUND: Observational studies, mostly among White populations, suggest that low vitamin D levels increase colorectal cancer risk. African Americans, who are disproportionately burdened by colorectal cancer, often have lower vitamin D levels compared with other populations.

METHODS: We assessed predicted vitamin D score in relation to colorectal cancer among 49,534 participants in the Black Women's Health Study, a cohort of African American women followed from 1995 to 2017 through biennial questionnaires. We derived predicted vitamin D scores at each questionnaire cycle for all participants using a previously validated prediction model based on actual 25-hydroxyvitamin D values from a subset of …