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The Tale of Solomonia : purity and demonic possession in seventeenth century Russia
Get PDFThe chaos in Russia during the seventeenth century ignited a wave of political, social, and religious anxiety; it created a heightened fear of evil that seemed ever present in those apocalyptic times. This manifested in peculiar ways including new the creation of The Tale of Solomonia, a tale of demonic possession that highlights the themes of boundaries, religious syncretism, and the dangers of ritual impurity. The Tale, once taken as a true account of possession, is now recognized as a staple piece in Russian demonic literature. While it has been placed within its historical context and analyzed literarily, scholarship on its religious elements and meaning is lacking. This thesis seeks to provide a new theoretical approach to The Tale of Solomonia by using religious theory as the framework for an analysis of the story’s themes and religious underpinnings. By tracing the historical instability leading up to its creation and examining its religious concerns, the Tale becomes a useful tool to understand Russia’s deep roots in Orthodox Christianity.Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studie
Feasibility of sustainable recycling of drill cutting as additive in flexible base
Get PDFThe management of drill cuttings, a byproduct of oil and gas drilling, presents significant environmental challenges. In Texas, millions of cubic yards of drill cuttings have accumulated, raising concerns over long-term storage and disposal. At the same time, the state consumes approximately 3.7 million cubic yards of flexible base material annually for infrastructure projects. Incorporating drill cuttings into flexible base materials offers an opportunity to reduce waste, minimize environmental risks, and promote more sustainable construction practices. A practical framework for incorporating drill cuttings into flexible base applications is presented in Figure S- 1, integrating engineering, environmental, and economic assessments. Using drill cuttings from the Polk site as a case study, the research evaluates their properties, treatment methods, construction performance, and cost-effectiveness. Three treatment methods were investigated: lime, cement, and organoclay. Lime reduced plasticity and limited total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) mobility but had minimal effect on semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) and increased trace metal leaching. Cement significantly improved compressive strength but had limited effect on TPH and SVOCs mobility. Its performance was reduced in the presence of hydrocarbons due to interference with cement hydration. Organoclay effectively reduced the leaching of TPH, SVOCs, and metals, with negligible impact on mechanical performance. Additionally, blending drill cuttings with appropriately selected aggregates helps meet flexible base specifications. Key performance criteria such as abrasion resistance, gradation, plasticity, and compressive strength are evaluated using standard tests, including the wet ball mill, particle size analysis, Atterberg limits, and Texas triaxial procedures. Overall, this study establishes a scalable and adaptable framework for the beneficial use of drill cuttings in infrastructure applications. Future research should refine treatment approaches, address site-specific contaminant variability, and explore broader engineering applications to maximize environmental and economic benefits. [Figure S- 1 included]Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineerin
Commute less, live more? : modeling teleworking's effects on non-work out-of-home activity time allocation and vehicle miles traveled across generational cohorts
No full textThe COVID-19 pandemic led to an unprecedented shift toward teleworking, pushing many sectors to their upper limits of remote operations. This widespread adoption of working-from-home arrangements provides a unique opportunity to explore how teleworking has reshaped individuals’ time-use patterns, particularly in the realm of non-work out-of-home activities. This study uses data from the 2017 and 2022 National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) to compare changes in out-of-home travel and activity time before and after the pandemic, focusing on differences between teleworkers and non-teleworkers, and across generational cohorts.
To account for the complex interdependencies between various activity types and their relationship to other socio-economic characteristics, this study applies a Seemingly Unrelated Regression modeling framework. The analysis reveals the co-existence of the substitution and complementarity effects of teleworking: Individuals’ time spent at home increased substantially following the pandemic, while time allocated to out-of-home activities decreased by approximately 2.5 hours per day. Teleworkers showed significantly higher engagement in nearly all categories of non-work out-of-home activities, such as shopping, recreation, social visits, and errands, compared to their on-site working counterparts. The results further indicate that time allocation patterns are closely linked to socio-demographic characteristics. Women were more likely to spend additional time on shopping, family errands, and chauffeuring responsibilities. Lower-income individuals showed higher time use in out-of-home shopping and religious activities. Households with young children (under age five) displayed greater involvement in transporting family members. Respondents with a college degree or higher were more likely to allocate time to exercise, recreation, personal health appointments, dining out, and escorting others. Significant differences also emerged across racial and ethnic groups. Asian individuals spent less time on leisure, social visits, dining out, and errands, but more time on school related travel, shopping, and chauffeuring. Black or African American respondents reported reduced time in recreation and exercise, but greater time spent on religious activities, school related travel, shopping, and family transportation. Those living in large metropolitan areas with access to heavy rail systems tended to spend less time on chauffeuring duties, suggesting improved accessibility through public transit. Finally, generational differences were particularly pronounced. Gen Z and Millennials were more likely to dedicate time to school related travel, recreation, and visiting friends, but less time to shopping, religious activities, personal healthcare, family errands, and chauffeuring. In contrast, Baby Boomers and Gen Xers exhibited the opposite trend, allocating more time to transporting others and errands, and less to school related activities. Findings from the study shed light on how telework and generational shifts are reshaping daily travel behaviors and offer valuable insights informative to future transportation and urban planning efforts.Community and Regional PlanningArchitectur
Determinants of HPV Vaccination: Progress Report and Findings
No full textThis study aimed to understand mothers' intentions and acceptance of HPV vaccination for Texas Hispanic girls (ages 13-17), determine factors that influence providers' intent to recommend vaccination, and design a culturally-relevant, theoretically grounded HPV intervention for low-income Hispanic mothers along the Texas-Mexico border.This record contains study progress reports and findings. These include a Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR) submitted to the NIH and a summary of findings from the in-depth interviews.National Cancer Institute (NCI)Liberal Art
Advanced development and application of ambient mass spectrometry methods toward direct chemical analysis, forensic applications, and metabolic profiling
Get PDFAmbient mass spectrometry (MS) techniques are a huge development in the scientific community as they provide the opportunity to expand access to the sensitivity and specificity of MS while enabling rapid and direct analysis. These techniques offer significant advantages over current methods as they can allow fast and accurate chemical analysis of a variety of samples with minimal to no sample preparation. Thus far, ambient MS techniques have been used for a wide array of sample types and applications, successfully exploring the capabilities of this young field. Despite the continued success of ambient MS, there are still challenges hampering the widespread use of these methods. Ambient MS methods need to be further developed to facilitate their use for multiple sample types, as well as for numerous applications. The MasSpec Pen technology, an ambient, liquid extraction-based sampling device coupled to MS, has the potential to be used across sample types and applications.
This dissertation serves as a summary of recent advancements made to the MasSpec Pen technology to explore the technology’s potential use for a subset of applications and sample types. Chapter 2 describes the MasSpec Pen technology’s usefulness for direct molecular characterization and authentication of meat, fish, and meat products. Chapter 3 explores integration of the MasSpec Pen with a sub-atmospheric pressure chemical ionization source for enhanced detection and semi-quantification of illicit drugs, agrochemicals, and explosives. In Chapter 4, the quantification capabilities of this technology is expanded for use with biological samples for opioid screening through the development of a disconnected sampling and analysis platform. Finally, Chapter 5 presents the results from utilizing the MasSpec Pen technology as a tool for metabolic analysis and classification of renal tumors from ex vivo samples. Through the research described in this dissertation, the capabilities of the MasSpec Pen technology have been expanded to several sample types across research, forensic, and clinical applications. This work, therefore, serves to advance the development of a handheld, rapid, and direct analysis technology as well as add a versatile tool to the toolbox of ambient MS methods in the hands of scientists.Chemistr
Does Cobalt Hexamine induce DNA-DNA Attraction? Investigations to Understand Nucleic Acid Compaction in the Cell
Get PDFNucleic acid compaction is a fundamental process in all living systems, exemplified by the tight packaging of DNA into chromatin in eukaryotic nuclei, as well as nucleic acid compaction in the viral capsid. The strong negative charge on the DNA backbone must be mitigated by positively charged species, including polyvalent ions and proteins, to achieve the necessary close packing. To dissect the electrostatic interactions driving DNA compaction, the xHEED (X-linking of Helices to measure Electrostatic Effects at Distance) method, previously developed in the Russell Lab, was used to measure distant-dependent interhelical encounter frequencies, and the atomic forces that mitigate these mechanisms as previous poisson-boltzmann models did a poor job of it. Rate constants were measured that reflect the equilibrium constant for transient DNA-DNA encounters under varying ionic conditions. Using the xHEED method, DNA-DNA crosslinking interactions were compared to DNA-Aldrithiol, a neutral molecule, to understand the effect of positive ions mitigating negative charge repulsion from the DNA Backbones. Previous work indicated that the maximal DNA-Aldrithiol neutral rate constant was 1.3 x 104 M-1s-1. This work indicated that crosslinking at moderate millimolar concentrations of Co(NH₃)₆³⁺ not only fully screen interhelical repulsion but also induce net attractions at higher concentrations, eventually reaching a plateau at 3.5 x 104 M-1s-1, faster than the neutral reaction, where further increases in Co(NH₃)₆³⁺ concentration have no additional effect. However, new work conducted in the lab indicates that the neutral rate constant at lower concentrations of Co(NH₃)₆³⁺ is lower than the maximal rate constant, indicating that there is still net attraction induced by Co(NH₃)₆³⁺ at lower concentrations, removing support for the net-neutral screening regime. Future side-by-side comparisons between cross-linked DNA and aldrithiol-mediated reactions at the same concentration of Co(NH₃)₆³⁺ are needed to fully clarify the impact of Co(NH₃)₆³⁺ on electrostatic interactions and the potential existence of an attractive regime. Measuring DNA-DNA crosslinking and comparing it to DNA-Aldrithiol at lower concentrations of Co(NH₃)₆³⁺ will clarify if Co(NH₃)₆³⁺ can induce attraction at lower concentrations of trivalent ions. This will refine understanding of in vivo DNA Compaction and provide further understanding on the role of multivalent compounds that naturally exist in the nucleus, such as spermine and spermidine.Biochemistr
Entre Familia: Summary Presentation
No full textEntre Familia is a collaborative evidenced-based service project in Hidalgo County that aims to increase HPV vaccination among Latino adolescents and young adults in order to reduce cervical cancer incidence and mortality, along with other associated health disparities, among Latinos in Hidalgo County.This presentation summarizes the Entre Familia program’s progress from January 2015 to March 2016, focusing on outreach, education, and recruitment activities conducted through Nuestra Clínica del Valle. It outlines the program’s objectives, provides data visualizations comparing goals to outcomes, and highlights achievements such as surpassing outreach and education targets. The report also tracks HPV vaccine initiation and completion rates among boys and girls, showing notable progress toward state and program benchmarks.Liberal Art
Master's thesis recital (collaborative piano)
No full textSonata in G minor for cello and piano, op. 65 / Frédéric Chopin (with Javy Liu, cello) -- [Unidentified work for flute and piano] -- [Unidentified work for trombone and piano] -- Unidentified work for piccolo and piano]MusicName of supervisor non provide
Filtering agency : the politics of rhetorical agency in posthuman rhetorical algorithm studies
Get PDFThis dissertation aims to build on and contribute to interdisciplinary work in digital rhetoric and critical algorithm studies (CAS) regarding posthuman rhetorical agency. Algorithms are rhetorical in that, as content producers, consumers, prediction models, data mining collection, translators, and the site of digital spaces where conversation occurs, algorithms operate as rhetor, audience, and rhetoric all at once. As such, individualist and human-centric paradigms that locate rhetorical agency in human intentionality or human capacity to influence a community cannot adequately account for the multiplicity of rhetorical roles that algorithms enact. To address algorithms as a subject of rhetorical inquiry, I argue that (re)conceptualizing algorithms’ rhetorical agency enters into a broader decades-long disciplinary conversation about how our field conceptualizes rhetorical agency more generally. Drawing on Karen Barad’s agential realism and Lucas Introna’s theories on algorithms as performative, this project sets out to explore the ramifications of a theoretical framework grounded in posthuman rhetorical agency to offer a counterargument by example against critiques of “postmodern” agency that claim that displacing the primacy of the individual, human rhetorical subject in rhetoric undercuts rhetoric’s ability to engage in social change as both a practice and a field. On the contrary, I argue that what studying the rhetorical agency of algorithms suggests for the discipline of rhetoric at large is that our field not only can but must develop non-anthropocentric, dispersed frameworks of posthuman rhetorical agency to adequately engage the issues posed to us by technology.
As a case study, I trace how Eli Pariser’s metaphor of “The Filter Bubble” operated in both lay and public political discourse regarding technology before and after the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Through a comparative reading of the discourse around two key “filter bubble” controversies regarding the role of algorithmic content filtering in U.S. political culture, this project lays out a starting point for exploring the methodological and ethical foundations necessary for interdisciplinary scholarship between critical algorithm studies (CAS) and rhetoric. I conclude by highlighting potential sites for further interdisciplinary research.Englis
Master's thesis recital (piano)
No full textDavidsbundlertänze / Schumann -- Piano sonata in F major / Mozart.Musi