Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

One Size Does Not Fit All: Looking Beyond Homeless Housing-First And Housing-Ready Approaches To Enhanced Models Of The U.S.-Mexico Border And New York City, Jacqueline Loweree

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This study explored two "enhanced" service and housing models for homeless persons in the U.S.-Mexico border and in New York City. From data collected in both regions, this study examined the relationship between homeless recidivism and the provision of services. The results suggest that services alone have minimal impact in reducing homeless recividism. This study also reviews the relationship between homelessness and poverty. To evaluate this interconnection, a socio-historical analysis was presented reviewing the application of poverty theories from the last two centuries, to policy-driven approaches with aims to treat indigence, poverty, inequality and more contemporary homeless issues. Using the …

Design Of Screening System For Transatlantic Container Transport, Michal Jizba

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Maritime container transport plays a major role in international trade. As such, it can be an attractive target of acts of unlawful interference, e.g., smuggling, piracy or terrorism. One major issue of maritime security is the container screening at ports, which is the main focus of this Thesis. The goal of this Thesis is to study the efficiency of different designs of screening systems using simulation. The literature review covers contemporary laws and requirements, container screening equipment and processes related to screening that take place in seaports. Next, operation of three screening checkpoints models, which symbolize predominant approaches to container …

Latina/O High School Students' Standpoint On Environmental Justice In A Border Community: A Phenomenological Study, Cynthia Christina Ontiveros

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative research is a transcendental phenomenology seeking to understand Latin@ high school students’ perceptions and standpoints as they participated lessons that addressed border environmental justice issues in an underrepresented, marginalized community. Seven students from Borderland High School, enrolled in a senior level course, Environmental Science, participated in the study which focused on their experiences in an environmental justice air quality thematic unit built around the complex issues surrounding a local refinery, American Smelting and Refining Company (ASARCO). The study analyzed the meaning students made and their standpoints regarding the impact of the factory and its one-hundred year history polluting …

The Impacts Of Health Status And Exposure To Environmental Toxins On Children's Grade Point Average In El Paso, Texas, Stephanie Elizabeth Clark

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Studies in the US have found that both exposure to environmental toxins and children's general health status negatively impact children's academic achievement. This Thesis will be made of up two papers. The first examines the impact of exposure to residential air toxins from a variety of sources on student's academic achievement and the second paper incorporates a measure of children's general health status into the statistical model from the first paper. This Thesis employs National Air Toxics Assessment (NATA) risk estimates from a variety of sources and individual-level data collected through a mail survey of fourth and fifth grade school …

Cultural Diplomacy Strategies For Mexico In The Xxi Century, Alejandro Siqueiros

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This Thesis analyzes cultural diplomacy (CD) and how the utilization of the strategies of inserting Mexico into foreign cultures, using cultural activities based on similarities and differences, and expanding CD into other areas, may have the ability to positively influence Mexico`s political, economic, social and cultural foreign policy objectives.

Gis Approach In Vehicle Route Optimization For Residential Recyclables Collection, Karel Kus

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This Thesis focuses on evaluation of utilization of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for solving the residential recyclables collection routing problems.

Recyclables collection is considered as a part of reverse logistics to which a specific routing problem is connected. Rise of recycling rate in recent years, and always high transportation costs are the main drivers for looking for the new methods how to optimize routing in residential recyclables collection. Geospatial relation of data by Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software can be used to design and analyze the routing strategy. In this Thesis ArcGIS and its Network Analyst extension is used to …

A Rapid Approach For Considering Nonlinear Response Of Flexible Pavements Under Fwd And Estimation Of Remaining Lives Of Pavements, Shahabaldin Shirazi

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Most mechanistic empirical pavement analyses are based on the layered elastic models where the stress sensitivity of geomaterials and their nonlinearity are either ignored or accounted for indirectly. Advanced numerical models, such as finite element models, are required to consider the nonlinear nature of the geomaterials. Existing pavements are often tested with the Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) to estimate the input moduli to the layered elastic models in order to estimate remaining life and structural capacity of pavements. It has been more than 30 years that FWD tests are being performed to measure structural adequacy of pavements. Backcalculation is the …