TAMU-CC Theses, Dissertations, and Other Projects
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Find theses, dissertations, and other projects completed by students of Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. Associated files for theses, dissertations, and other projects, such as data sets and Honors Projects of Excellence, can also be found within this community.
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Item 2D and 3D Mapping of a Littoral Zone with UAS and Structure from Motion Photogrammetry(2015-05) Giessel, Justin ZacharyAdvancements in the miniaturization of sensors and their integration in light‐weight, smallscale unmanned aerial systems (UAS) have resulted in an explosion of uses for inexpensive and easily obtained remotely sensed data. This study examines the capabilities of a small‐scale UAS equipped with a consumer grade RGB camera for 2D and 3D mapping of a sandy bay shoreline using Structure from Motion (SfM) photogrammetry. Several key components are analyzed in order to assess the utility of UAS‐based SfM photogrammetry for beach and boundary surveying of the littoral zone. First, the accuracy of the 3D point cloud produced by the SfM densification process over the beach is compared to high accuracy RTK GPS transects. Results show a mean agreement of approximately 7.9 cm over the sub‐aerial beach with increased error in shallow water. Minimal effects of beach slope on vertical accuracy were observed. Secondly, bathymetric measurements extracted from the UAS/SfM point cloud are examined, and an optical inversion approach is implemented where the SfM method fails. Results show that a hybrid elevation model of the beach and littoral zone consisting of automatic SfM products, post‐processed SfM products, and optical inversion provide the most accurate results when mapping over turbid water. Finally, SfM‐derived shoreline elevation contour (boundary) is compared to a shoreline elevation contour derived using the currently accepted RTK GPS method for conducting legal littoral boundary surveys in the state of Texas. Results show mean planimetric offsets < 25 cm demonstrating the potential of UAS‐based SfM photogrammetry for conducting littoral boundary surveys along non‐occluded, sandy shorelines.Item 3-D Hybrid Trajectory Modeling for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVS)(2019-08) Wang, Baoqian; Xie, Junfei; Garcia Carrillo, Luis Rodolfo; Zhang, NingThe burgeoning use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) evidences forthcoming environments where innumerable UAVs will appear in the National Airspace System (NAS). The UAS traffic man- agement (UTM) aims to provide solutions to enable safe integration of numerous UAVs into the NAS, but the design of effective UTM strategies faces significant challenges. One of the challenges is to develop high-fidelity trajectory models for UAVs of partially known or unknown dynamics. Tradi- tional physics-based models that require costly system identifications and field tests, and data-based models that require large amount of real flight data may not be feasible. To address this challenge, this paper introduces a hybrid 3-dimensional (3-D) UAV trajectory modeling framework, which in- tegrates the physics-based and data-based models to capture the dynamics of UAVs of interest with high accuracy using only a small amount of real flight data. Simulation studies and field tests validate and demonstrate the good performance of the proposed framework.Item The 40 developmental assests program and its potential impact on academic achievement among 8th grade hispanic students: an ex post facto inquiry(2016-12) Alarilla, Margarita MaciasThe 40 Developmental Assets program’s mission is to develop relationships and opportunities along with personal qualities in adolescents. The purpose of the study was to examine the impact of the Assets on science, mathematics, and reading achievement of 8th grade students. The study was guided by the Ecology of Human Development theory. The study was an ex-post facto inquiry, using a causal-comparative design, and delimited to Hispanic 8th grade students. The characteristic-present groups consisted of non-probability samples of 145, 113, and 145 students in science, mathematics, and reading, respectively, who had incorporated the Assets program in their daily school-related activities. The comparison group included 149, 137, and 154 students in science, mathematics, and reading, respectively, who had not been introduced to the Assets program. The State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) was used to obtain the outcome measures and Texas Education Agency provided the existing data. Due to non-experimental nature of the study, no causal inferences were drawn. It had been hypothesized that the students in the Assets program would outperform the students in the non-Assets program on the basis of academic achievement in science, mathematics, and reading. Results showed that the Assets group outperformed the comparison group on all four science categories, namely, 1) Matter and Energy, 2) Force, Motion, and Energy, 3) Earth and Space, and 4) Organisms and Environments); one of the four mathematics categories (Computations and Algebraic Relationships), and all three reading categories: 1) Understanding/Analysis Across Genres, 2) Understanding/Analysis of Literary Texts, and 3) Understanding/Analysis of Informational The results supported all hypotheses and it was concluded that Assets program has the potential to impact academic achievement. Initially, the Assets program should be presented to the administrators and staff of all elementary, middle, and high schools as a tool to support the academic life of students. For successful implementation, training for the program should be two-fold: training for the administration/teachers and training for the parents/guardians. The implementation of the Assets would benefit greatly from parental support, or at minimal, the parental knowledge of the program.Item A diversity baseline of benthic macrofauna along the northwestern insular slope of Cuba (Gulf of Mexico)(2023-12) Schiereck, Samantha; Montagna, Paul; Pollack, Jennifer; Schwing, PatrickThe Gulf of Mexico (GoM) is a unique ecosystem due to the physical characteristics influenced primarily by the Mississippi River in the North and the Loop Current, which originates in the south, resulting in a gradient of organic to carbonate sediment composition. The continental slope of the northern (US) and southwestern (Mexico) portions of the GoM are generally well studied; however, very little is known about the southeastern GoM along the slope of Cuba. To fill this knowledge gap, sediment cores were collected in 2017 at nine stations (974–1580 m depth) to gather baseline data and determine controls on the deep-sea benthic macrofauna community. Oceanographic data indicated a stratified water column typical of an oligotrophic ocean and no evidence of hypoxia. Sediment texture and composition indicated a west-east gradient likely determined by downslope transport of terrigenous material in the eastern part with a high proportion of carbonate in the west. Heavy metals (Cu, Hg, Pb, and Zn) at concentrations known to cause benthic effects were present in the east near the major city of Havana, with the macrofauna community showing characteristics indicative of environmental stress. Stations had a low overall average diversity (15 families/79 cm2) and abundance (7,980/ m2), with high variability among replicates within the stations. The diversity was 48% less, and the abundance was 14% less than in the northern GoM. The major factors influencing macrofauna communities in the continental slope off northwestern Cuba are most likely the lack of organically rich sediment, low sediment deposition rates, and the strong current.Item The abilities, attitudes, and perspectives of foreign language teachers toward instructional technology: an explanatory sequential mixed methods inquiry(2018-05) Sullivan, Nilsa Becho; Kouzekanani, Kamiar; Pearce, Daniel; Griffith, Bryant; Cifuentes, LuisInstructional technology is not going away any time soon and neither are the demands and expectations for teachers to incorporate it and for students to learn using it. Instructional technology is the hardware or software that teachers use to deliver content to their students. The primary purpose of the study was to address the abilities, attitudes, and perspectives of foreign language teachers toward instructional technology. The study was guided by the theory of Fluency with Information Technology, focusing on continuously learning and adapting to apply technology in one’s personal or professional undertakings. The mixed methods explanatory sequential study was conducted to explore and interpret the attitudes and abilities of a non-probability sample of foreign language teachers in Texas regarding the classroom use of instructional technology. Quantitative data were collected from 37 participants via an online survey that collected demographic data as well as responses to attitudinal statements to measures the variables of interest. A focus group was conducted to collect the qualitative data from five foreign language teachers. The study’s external validity was limited to the participants. Due to non-experimental nature of the study, no causal inferences were drawn. The quantitative results showed that foreign language teachers across the state were using instructional technology for a variety of reasons, but their experience and purpose of use varied greatly. Most of the respondents felt that they were confident enough to incorporate instructional technology in their classes, having learned how to use it for themselves. The focus group participants noted that the availability of instructional technology was still not on pace with core classes or with the government’s recommended standards for high speed Internet access. Their overarching concern was the possibility of being negatively evaluated by their administrators for not using instructional technology, despite not having it readily available to them. The survey respondents and the focus group participants did agree that their teacher education programs did not sufficiently prepare them for incorporating instructional technology in the classroom. The results of the study have implications for teacher education programs, school districts, and foreign language teachers. It is important to note that school administrators take a vital role in the selection and integration of instructional technologies, not only for foreign language teachers, but also for all other teachers. There must be equality in the distribution of the new technologies so that all teachers may have adequate access to them. Administrators must pay attention to the needs of foreign language teachers and realize the importance of adequate professional development opportunities for teachers that must include the technicalities of the integration of new technologies and the related pedagogical concerns.Item Academic achievement in the eighth grade: can district policy leadership decisions influence high stakes test scores?(2016-12) Gutierrez, Elodia; Randall Bowden; Israel AguilarThe growing sentiment that American schools were falling behind in global economic competition was confirmed with the release of A Nation at Risk (1983). Since then, waves of school reform have swept across the country resulting in standardized, high stakes testing. To meet the increasing performance standards on standardized tests, educators have continuously searched for an effective intervention that can impact teaching and learning. A policy decision was made by district leadership at a large school district to implement Varied Strategic Learning (VSL). The VSL is an intervention to develop academic concepts and close achievement gaps for struggling learners. The study examined the effects of the policy decision to implement VSL for mathematics and reading achievement of 8th grade students. The ex post facto study employed a causal-comparative research design. The independent variable is the VSL program with two levels: (a) VSL; and (b) no VSL. The characteristic-present group consisted of 8th graders utilizing the VSL. The 8th graders not receiving the VSL formed the comparison group. The outcome measures were the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) mathematics and reading achievement scores. There were four research questions. Multivariate analyses of the data were completed to measure the relationship for each research question and the results showed the VSL groups performed at a lower academic level than the non-VSL groups in the majority of the outcome measures. The analyses indicated the VSL, overall, did not have a positive influence on the standardized test STAAR. However, standard deviations did show the potential for high scores. Thus, students may not have performed at the rigor required on STAAR but data showed an increase in general knowledge of mathematics and reading. Continued participation in the VSL program will likely benefit students if the district will focus on the aspects of the program that led to the higher scores. By cultivating those areas of high performance, district leadership can more closely align the VSL with standardized testing. Then, the VSL will be able to reach those higher levels of academic rigor required on STAAR leading to higher student achievement and the potential to meet accountability standards.Item Accumulation of epiphytes on Halodule Wrightii in response to nutrient enrichment in East Flats, Corpus Christi Bay and Nighthawk Bay, Upper Laguna Madre, Texas(2010-08) Sweatman, Jennifer L.; Cammarata, Kirk; Smee, Lee; Shirley, Thomas; Withers, Kim; Mott, Joanna; Pezold, FrankIncreased epiphyte abundance on seagrasses is often associated with anthropogenic eutrophication of estuarine ecosystems, but the quantitative relationships are complex and not fully understood. A nutrient enrichment experiment was conducted at two sites during three seasons to measure epiphyte accumulation on Halodule wrightii and artificial seagrass substrates. A novel fluorescence imaging technique, based on excitation of phycobilin and fucoxanthin accessory pigments, was used to quantify epiphyte abundance. For natural seagrasses, significant dose-dependent increases in epiphyte accumulation occurred due to the introduction of nutrients at East Flats, during early summer and fall sampling seasons. Significant nutrient responses were also detected during late summer at East Flats, and during early summer and fall only at a hypersaline lagoon site, Nighthawk Bay. Additionally, nutrient enrichment caused significant decreases in combined seagrass and epiphyte biomass across all seasons at Nighthawk Bay, and during late summer at East Flats. At East Flats, biomass increased with increasing nutrient treatments during early summer and fall seasons. Artificial substrates failed to corroborate results of the natural seagrass experiment; however, a change in species composition was evident, but results were inconsistent across seasons and sites. These findings imply that epiphyte abundance is sensitive to nutrient enrichment under a wide range of ambient conditions, including different predominant grazer abundances, and is likely to increase with eutrophication.Item Achievement motivation and resilience among student athletes(2015-12) Arora, SaumyaCollege athletes may contend with greater pressure than those of other students. Being involved with collegiate sports requires them to balance both academics and sports. When managing various responsibilities, it is not uncommon for athletes to report physical, psychological, and financial pressures (Gilgunn, 2011). Other challenges reported included issues related to adjustment, emotional imbalance, and psychological or physical symptoms related to stress (Watson & Kissinger, 2007). It was believed that studying variables such as achievement motivation and resilience may provide insight into how athletes manage these varied responsibilities. These variables were studied among other populations including elementary and middle school students. However, there is not a sufficient amount of literature exploring achievement motivation and resilience among college student athletes. A sample of 216 college students from a regional public university in South Texas was utilized to compare achievement motivation and resilience between athletes and non-athletes. This study utilized an exploratory and correlational research design. The data was collected utilizing the Contextual Achievement Motivation Survey, Achievement Thoughts and Behavior Survey, and the Brief Resilience Scale. A MANOVA was conducted to study the differences between student athletes and non-athletes in terms of their levels of achievement motivation and resiliency. A multiple regression utilizing moderation analysis was utilized to explore if athletic status (athlete or non-athlete) had an impact on the relationship between achievement motivation and resilience. Independent-sample t tests were conducted to examine differences in achievement motivation in specific settings among student athletes and non-athletes. Results of the study found differences among athletes and non-athletes in terms of achievement motivation and resilience. It was also found that athletes possessed higher achievement motivation levels in community settings versus school, employment, and family settings. Further, athletic status moderated the relationship between achievement motivation and resilience. A positive linear relationship between achievement thoughts and behavior and resilience was established among student athletes. The study has practical implications for counselors, college counselors, counselor educators, and educators working with college athletes. A program that maybe implemented with college athletes to enhance their achievement motivation and resilience was proposed. Counselors, college counselors, or coaches who work with athletes may utilize this program. Further research is recommended to elaborate and clarify the findings of this study.Item Achieving health equity through accessibility: An examination of FQHC placements and patient populations(2023-12) McCoy, CharityDespite being the world’s wealthiest nation, many Americans have little to no access to healthcare, a disproportionate amount being Black and Hispanic. Though a 2019 study reveals that Blacks and Hispanics compose a small segment of the US population, they conversely lead the nation in poverty rates. This contrast that we see can be attributed to systemic barriers, negatively affecting these major racial groups. The debilitating effects of poverty extend to all aspects of one’s life, including healthcare. In an effort to combat the negative health outcomes experienced by communities in poverty, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) were introduced to alleviate the burden of paying for healthcare. The following study explores the strategic placement of FQHCs in Harris and Nueces counties, and whether they are located in their intended communities. This analysis also seeks to identify additional areas of research, related to the five As of access to care. The results of this study reveal that though Harris and Nueces counties have strategically placed FQHCs, other matters warranting examination have emerged. Though the answers to the fresh inquiries are beyond the scope of this study, it is with great hope that future studies will explore these queries.Item The act of becoming a college student: a case study of student veterans' experiences pre-during-post military service(2017-05) Walburn, H. Lincoln; Hemmer, Lynn; Smith, Nancy; Lucido, Frank; Reuter, GregoryEach year the number of individuals who join the military is around 150,000, and many only spend four to eight years in the military before leaving to find their next career as a civilian. Many of these veterans enroll in higher education and begin to utilize the educational benefits they earned through their military service. Student veterans represent a growing demographic within higher education. Officials at these institutions need to gain new knowledge of the veteran experiences and how those experiences inform their perception of self as a college student. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the transitional and transformational experiences of military veterans who are now college students. More specifically, the purpose of this case study (Creswell, 2007; Yin, 2003; Merriam, 2004) was to explore the experiences of five student veterans in three universities and two states (Texas and Ohio) to understand how they created a connection between their pre-during-post military experiences, how they managed the process of change from military personnel to college students, and the act of their transformation. This study employed constructivism (Christ, 2011) as its methodological framework. Using Schlossberg’s Transition Theory (Schlossberg, Waters & Goodman, 1995) and Mezirow’s Transformational Learning (Mezirow, 1996) as the theoretical frames, with interviews (Qu & Dumay, 2011) as the primary source of data collection, An inductive analysis (Saldaña, 2011) was conducted to analyze the data to conduct the case study with findings presented as rich descriptive narratives (Creswell, 2007). After the interviews were completed and the analysis of individual cases conducted, a case analysis (Yin, 2003) resulted in six themes: the path is not straight, environments of learning, disorienting dilemma, uncompromising mindset, a part of the whole, and a shared sense of self. This study informs university administrators and faculty about the unique student veteran demographic. The implications apply to higher education administrators as they prepare for the increased number of veterans who will be entering higher education in the future and higher education faculty as they prepare for unique instruction that these veterans expect.Item Acts of the imagination: an inquiry in using Collingwood's Historical Methodology in Texas History classes(2019-05) Carbajal, Mark; Valadez, Corinne; Bruun, Faye; Smith, Nancy; Jorgensen, DanielPrevious research has focused on various methods, strategies and concepts that impact the teaching of history in classrooms (Brush & Saye, 2002; Hicks, Doolittle & Ewing, 2004; Levstik & Barton, 2011; Shepherd, 2010). However, research that examines the practice of using the reenactment process in regard to teachers’ beliefs and perceptions is missing in today’s literature. The theoretical foundations of this study were grounded in the social constructivism of Vygotsky (1978), Bower & Lobdell (1998) along with the substantive framework of Collingwood’s (1946) reenactment process. The purpose of this study was to investigate the ways in which Texas history teachers used the reenactment method in their classrooms. The investigation took place at a Texas coastal school district where the participants were Texas history teachers at the local junior high. This multi-case study was informed by an interpretivist framework and emphasized the substantive framework of Collingwood’s historical reenactment thinking strategy. Finally, a cross-case analysis was used to perform a thematic analysis around the three individual cases. The findings indicate that all of the participants shared different experiences while integrating the reenactment process into their classrooms. These different experiences were unique and indicative of each of the participant’s case write-ups. They were further supported in the thematic patterns that emerged by way of cross-case analysis: (a) There’s More Than One Path to Historical Literacy: But They’re not always paved in Gold, (b) Levels of Engagement: At What Cost? and (c) Can we all Get Along? Searching for a Happy Medium. The findings also showed that each of the participants experiences with the reenactment process provided a good foundation for the delivery of a critical thinking strategy in the classroom. The research in this study revealed various implications for secondary social studies classes and their use of the reenactment method. There is potentially here, a significant opportunity to improve the acquisition and understanding of historical events at all secondary levels of social studies classes. There is, in my opinion enough qualitative evidence to recommend additional studies behind the reenactment method.Item Adolescents' academic self perceptions in disciplinary alternative education programs: the impact of a self-affirmation intervention program(2017-08) Armstrong, Shanice Nicole; Ricard, Richard J.; Hunnicut-Hollenbaugh, K. Michelle; Oliver, Marvarene; Bland, EugeneSteele and Aronson (1995) described stereotypic threat as the experience of personal distress related to the fear and anxiety that one might confirm a negative stereotype about a meaningful identity group. Adolescents enrolled in Disciplinary Alternative Education Programs (DAEP) face stereotype threat consequences in the form of lowered expectations, increased anxiety, dejection, and frustration which can impact their academic self-concept and self-image (Yeager & Walton, 2011). Exposure to positive and affirming self-affirmation interventions (e.g., SAP; Schmidt & Canela, 2015; Sherman & Cohen, 2006) have been found to be effective for increasing clients’ ability to defend their self-identity and maintain optimism and motivation in the face of stereotype threat (Cohen, & Sherman, 2014; Cook, Purdie-Vaughns, Garcia, & Cohen 2012). There is a dearth of outcome based research with students in DAEP. The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of a self-affirmation program (SAP) in a DAEP setting. Participants in the SAP were students, obtained using non-probabilistic and purposeful sampling methods, aged 11 to 15 years (n = 23) enrolled in a DAEP. A mixed method methodology was utilized wherein quantitative (pre-post) data and qualitative (phenomenological and personal construct) data were collected concurrently, analyzed independently, and compared. Quantitative data were collected to explore changes in student academic engagement, disengagement, behavior, and self-concept change across time. Qualitative data were collected to glean information from participants’ lived experiences of themselves within the academic domain and after exposure to the SAP. Quantitative results indicated statistically significant increases in students’ perceptions of academic self-concept threat over time. Significant results were also found in student behavioral disaffection scores. No significant changes in emotional engagement, disaffection, behavioral engagement, or active disengagement were found. Qualitative findings voiced adolescent characterizations of themselves within the academic domain and reports of attendance in the SAP and the DAEP as helpful. Implications from this study support the self-affirmation as useful for behaviorally disengaged students vulnerable to identity threat. Self-affirmation holds benefits for adolescent students’ academic self-concept and self-identity beliefs. In addition, this research suggests valuable information toward reinforcing positive self-identity and reducing psychological threat of students assigned to alternative education settings.Item Analyses of biological communities and development of indices of biotic integrity for monitoring tidal streams along the upper Texas coast(2020-05) Margo, Abraham; Pollack, Jennifer Beseres; Withers, Kim; Tolan, JamesTidal streams along the upper Texas coast are characterized by large heterogeneity in abiotic conditions and biotic communities, posing challenges to managers seeking to assess their ecological condition and develop effective management strategies. There is currently no standardized protocol for assessing ecological condition in Texas tidal stream systems. The goal of the current study was to create multimetric indices of biotic integrity (IBIs) from nekton and benthic macroinfaunal community metrics that were effective in discriminating between degraded “test” and non-degraded “reference” streams (classified by watershed land-cover data). Fifteen tidal streams were sampled twice per year in 2018 and 2019 to assess water quality, nekton, and benthic macroinfaunal dynamics. In order to create the multimetric indices of biotic integrity, multiple univariate metrics were assessed to determine the extent to which they differentiated between test and reference sites. Selected metrics were used as components in developing the multimetric IBIs, which give higher scores to samples that have similar biotic characteristics to our reference condition samples. Multivariate analyses provided a complementary approach to selection of IBI metrics by visualizing, comparing, and identifying community-level changes as well as taxa that associate with the test or reference condition. Results indicated that overall differences in biological communities between test and reference sites were often not extremely strong. Multivariate analyses indicated nekton communities exhibited stronger differentiation between test and reference samples whereas benthic macrofaunal communities were influenced more by year to year variations. However, several univariate metrics highlighted components of communities that did differ between test and reference sites, and these metrics were used to form the IBI. Comparing IBIs for both nekton and benthic macroinfauna can provide a more comprehensive understanding of biotic integrity in tidal streams than focusing on one or the other. Results should be interpreted with some caution but could help inform water resource management decisions that seek to support aquatic life use while balancing human needs for food, recreation, and industry.Item Analysis and applications of the weighted central direction method(2016-12) Choi, HaekyoungIterative methods yield an approximated solution to a given problem by producing a sequence of points that converges to the exact solution. Due to the effectiveness of these methods, they become one of the core mathematical procedures widely used in many major mathematical areas such as Differential Equations, Linear Algebra, and Matrix Analysis. The Methods of Alternating Projection, which we will use in this thesis, form a class of iterative methods based on the relevant projection algorithm introduced by John von Neumann. This outstanding algorithm received considerable attention by mathematicians which contributed to a number of different algorithms to solve several problems. Recently, two former graduate students at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Melina Wijaya and Zulema Cervantes, introduced a couple of new algorithms in this area. Wijaya presented the Weighted Direction algorithm, and Cervantes introduced the Weighted Central Direction algorithm by combining the Weighted Direction and the Central Direction. The algorithm with the combination of two directions achieved a faster convergence than the algorithm with the Weighted Direction only. However, the Weighted Central Direction algorithm needs a parameter which depends on the size of the problems. This thesis carries two objectives. Firstly, study the role of the wide angle condition which guarantees the convergence in the Weighted Direction algorithm in order to analyze if this condition is necessary for the convergence of the algorithm. Secondly, improve the algorithms developed by Wijaya and Cervantes in order to obtain a faster convergence by finding an adequate ratio between the Weighted Direction and the Central Direction that is independent of the size of the problems.Item An analysis of community resilience indicators in the South Texas Bend region(2022-12) Sheasby, Yvonne Marie; Yoskowitz, David; Porter, Kateryna; Jorgensen, DanielCommunity Resilience is the collective ability to diversify the strengths in a community and establish safeguards to better mitigate impacts from disasters. The application of community resilience is different in every community because of their unique characteristics and what hazards they face. This is one of the reasons why measuring community resilience at the local level is vital. Since Hurricane Harvey hit the Texas mid-coast in 2017, the Coastal Bend region and all the local governments within have shifted their focus increasingly toward community resilience and currently need assistance with resilience capacity-building. To identify their needs and what capacity exists already, communities in the Coastal Bend region should conduct an analysis of community resilience indicators and the assessment methodologies they are included in. Though there are several community resilience assessment methodologies worldwide, only 8 out of 73 indices met the selection criteria established during this study and were included in the analysis. It is difficult to know which assessment methodology is best to use for different types of communities and situations. Many communities, especially in rural and underserved areas, lack the resources to conduct and implement resilience measurements. The purpose of this study is to develop a new methodology to determine which community resilience assessment tool(s) are best to use at the local level by conducting a case study analysis in three counties in the South Texas Coastal Bend region, which include Nueces, Refugio, and San Patricio. After distributing two surveys and conducting two focus group sessions, the results were used to help evaluate if community resilience measurement at the local level can be adapted to take into account all shocks and stressors.Item An analysis of emergency management agencies gis data for planning 9-1-1 services for the border counties of the lower Rio Grande Valley(2017-08) Nino, Orlando; Smith, Richard; Jeffress, Gary; Huang, YuxiaTexas 9-1-1 entities collect data that can be used to gain knowledge on 9-1-1 call patterns and trends. It is ideal to know these issues too efficiently maximize monies appropriated to local emergency management agencies. This research will analyze 9-1-1 calls and two police departments calls for service using Geographic Information Science (GIS). This information provided by multiple emergency management agencies to better plan 9-1-1 services in the border counties of the Rio Grande Valley. The data that was used is recorded daily by these agencies. Many emergency management organizations keep their own GIS data in-house and they need to be analyzed with 9-1-1 data. Analyzing various GIS databases can yield better results, in finding correlation within each dataset, hotspots and inadequate data collection. These results can then be used by the organizations that contributed the data and shared to all stakeholders.Item An analysis of factors that influence secondary science teachers in an urban school district in South Texas to remain in the teaching profession(2015-05) Montoya, Bonnie; Bryant GriffithThis quantitative study is an examination of personal and professional factors that contribute to science teachers continuing to teach science in an urban area in South Texas despite the growing demands of the profession. This study examines why teachers in general leave the profession but focuses on what factors influenced these teachers to stay. Personal retention factors measured included being an effective teacher and positive rapport with students. Professional retention factors included administrative support and adequate time to meet professional obligations. There are 149 secondary science teachers in this large urban school district. Data was gathered from 109 of these educators to analyze factors personal and professional factors in regards to why these teachers remain in the field. For the purposes of this study a secondary science teacher will be any teacher who teaches science in grades 6-12, which is considered middle (6 through 8) and high school (9 through 12) in this area. The data for this quantitative study was collected by a paper survey (N=109) that was distributed at a professional learning session at the beginning of the school year. A Principal Component Analysis was run followed by three multiple regression analyses of the pertinent components to determine if there is any relationship between the demographics of the participants and personal and professional factors that cause these teachers to remain in the field. The results of this study will contribute to the literature regarding teacher education and theory that examines teacher practice affecting change. The results showed that professional factors like the amount of resources and the quality of those resources to assist teachers with job efficacy mattered as much as the personal factors such as positive teaching experience and an intrinsic sense of being an effective educator. Further implications of this study include an exploration of Generalist certifications at the middle grades compared to content specific requirements at the high school level. Also an inquiry into whether or not the Bachelor's degree and teacher certification area matter to their level of self-efficacy and job satisfaction in the field of science they have been assigned to teach.Item An analysis of informal reading inventories for english language learners(7/24/2014) Boatright, Carmen Ramirez.The changing demographics in today's classrooms continues to transform school practices and programs as efforts increase to promote academic achievement of all students. The research examined the various ways in which informal reading inventories demonstrated an increasing awareness of assessment for English language learners (ELLs). In addition, the development of informal reading inventories was traced in relation to the historical and political contexts of Bilingual/ English as a Second Language (ESL) education. The guiding questions for the study included: (1) What materials and procedures of the Informal Reading Inventories align most closely with assessment practices for English language learners? (2) How has the content of Informal Reading Inventories been impacted by the historical and political contexts of Bilingual/ESL education? The results of the study showed that the authors of the Classroom Reading Inventory and the Bader Reading and Language Inventory, demonstrated an increased awareness of the needs of ELLs. Of the two, the Bader Reading and Language Inventory included ELLs as a population that was addressed in the instructions for administration and interpretation of results. The results of the historical analysis showed that the additions, modifications, and/or deletions made to the individual instruments reflected trends in the literacy field, as opposed to political and theoretical constructs of Bilingual/ESL education.Item Analysis of Seasonal Changes in Community Composition of Seagrass Epiphytes in Aransas Pass, Texas(2023-05-04) Maupin, SamanthaGenerally, the type, and number of epiphytes found on seagrasses varies based on the time of year and the nutrient load of water, including man-made nutrient sources such as wastewater effluent. This study will examine the changes in community composition of epiphytes found on T. testudinum as a function of porewater nutrients and other environmental factors. Epiphytes will be removed from seagrasses collected seasonally from the ICW RV Park in Aransas Pass, Texas. Sites within the study area were chosen based on their proximity to the release point of wastewater effluent from the Aransas Pass Wastewater Treatment Plant. Comparative analysis of fluorescence was done using four wavelengths: 415nm and 680nm were used to determine the amount of green pigments in the sample associated with green algae and 530nm and 576nm were used to determine the amount of red pigments in the sample associated with red algae. These measurements were then compared to determine the ratio of red to green pigments within the samples. Samples will also be run through a full pigment analysis. This will be done using acetone to extract the color from the samples and then analyzing the solution produced in a spectrophotometer. Preliminary results show that both summer and winter samples had higher levels of red algae than green algae when comparing fluorescence analysis. However, individual sites differ, with some showing decreases in red pigment domination and others showing increases from summer to winter. However, further analysis and sampling needs to be done before any final patterns can be suggested. This project will allow for a better picture of the seasonal changes in epiphyte composition on T. testudinum and provide some comparisons between sites with differing nutrient inputs, especially those influenced by wastewater effluent.Item Analytic solutions for the harmonic potentials involving concentric layered dielectric spheres(2018-05) Cisneros, Frank; Palaniappan, Devanayagam; Sadovski, Alexey L.; Zimmer, BeateThe mathematical problem of a conducting spherical core of radius 𝑎 concentrically covered by a dielectric phase of radius 𝑏 placed in an arbitrary external electric field is investigated. The vector field equations for the electric field (Maxwell equations) and the boundary conditions are transformed to a scalar boundary value problem (BVP) in terms of the harmonic potential functions. The harmonic potentials denoted by Φ𝐼(𝑟,𝜃,𝜙) and Φ𝐼𝐼(𝑟,𝜃,𝜙) where (𝑟,𝜃,𝜙) are spherical coordinates, satisfy the Laplace equations in the regions 𝑏<𝑟 and 𝑎 < 𝑟 < 𝑏, respectively. General analytical solutions for the potentials in the two phases are determined in infinite series form using spherical harmonics methods. Exact closed form solutions are also derived via an alternative approach. The latter solutions contain integrals involving harmonic functions. Our general solutions are applicable for arbitrary external potentials disturbed by a conducting spherical core with a dielectric coating. Several illustrative examples are investigated and exact solutions for them are constructed using our general solutions. The non-dimensional parameter 𝑘= 𝜀𝐼/(𝜀𝐼+𝜀𝐼𝐼) , where 𝜀𝐼 is the dielectric constant for the region 𝑟 > 𝑏 and 𝜀𝐼𝐼 is the dielectric constant for the region 𝑎 < 𝑟 < 𝑏, influences the potential patterns in the case of externally imposed constant and linear fields. Our results for the source induced field indicate that the force is positive or negative depending on 𝑘 < 0.5 or 𝑘 > 0.5. Furthermore, the force is greater than zero when the core radius 𝑎 approaches the value of the outer radius 𝑏. We believe that our mathematical results are of interest where coated dielectric objects are exposed to external electric fields.