Theses
Recent Submissions
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The effects of neighborhood socioeconomic characteristics and spatial access to healthcare facilities on potentially preventable conditions of emergency department visits for adults in Texas coastal bend urban areas
(2019-05)The objective of this thesis is to explore the associate effects of spatial access to healthcare facilities and neighborhood socioeconomic characteristics on potentially preventable conditions of emergency department visits ... -
Host-national friendship, social support, and cultural adaptation: Exploring experiences of international students in the U.S.
(2019-05)International students decide to study abroad to seek achievements in personal growth, intercultural development, education, and career attainment. Along with these fruitful benefits international students face a range of ... -
Decomposition rates in black mangrove (Avicennia germinans) sediment determined using the Tea Bag Index (TBI) method
(2019-05)A fundamental problem in comparing decomposition rates among ecosystems is that different kinds of plant litter (e.g., leaves vs wood) and the litter produced by each species decompose at different rates, depending on ... -
Characterization of single amino acid based surfactants undecanoic L-Isoleucine and undecanoic L-Norleucine in the presence of diamine counterions with varying chain lengths
(2019-08)To understand chiral recognition and discrimination, single amino-acid-based surfactants undecanoic L-isoleucine and L-norleucine were synthesized and examined at various pHs with different counterions. Analysis was conducted ... -
Targeted invasive species removal cascades to reduce non-target invasive species through apparent facilitation
(2019-05)Invasion biologists often focus on facilitative interactions between non-native species. These facilitative interactions can result in invasional meltdown, a positive feedback loop where naturalized species facilitate other ... -
Long-term ecological assessment of faunal dynamics and production on a large, restored oyster reef in the Gulf of Mexico
(2019-05)Crassostrea virginica oyster reefs, which are valued for providing essential fish habitat and other ecosystem services, were historically abundant throughout the Western Atlantic and U.S. Gulf of Mexico, yet have been ... -
Detecting plant phenotypes from 3D point cloud data
(2019-08)In recent years, with the rapid development in indoor plant genotyping, there is a growing need for precise quantification of plant phenotypes. Currently, manual plant phenotyping is being used which is laborious, ... -
Using a USV to efficiently clear uncertainty from aerial images for rescue boat path planning in flooded urban environments
(2019-05)Mapping and path planning in disaster scenarios is an area that has bene ted from aerial imaging and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). However, the integration of an unmanned surface vehicle (USV) in flood rescue operations ... -
Optimization of fertilization practices to enhance phytoplankton communities in plastic-lined ponds for the production of red drum, sciaenops ocellatus
(2019-05)The current stock enhancement program employed by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) uses pond aquaculture practices. This practice includes the fertilization of phytoplankton, stimulating zooplankton biomass ... -
Estuarine CO2 gas transfer kinetics (Corpus Christi Bay, Texas)
(2019-05)Carbon dioxide (CO2) flux across the air-water interface at a location (27.724˚N, 97.341˚W) in Corpus Christi Bay, a subtropical estuary in northwestern Gulf of Mexico, was studied over the course of five weeks from November ... -
“Not definite or tangible”: Imagining multiracial identities and recognizing multiplicity in passing novels
(2019-05)Scholars have long focused on the significance of race in passing novels of the Harlem Renaissance and have recently explored the intersections of gender in these texts. However, discussions about the characters of these ... -
Focused flows to natural nurseries in Texas estuaries
(2019-05)Freshwater inflow has been altered throughout the world and becoming an increasingly important issue as human demands conflict with ecological needs. Estuaries require freshwater inflow to maintain specific conditions that ... -
Chemistry at the glass transition: Fluorescence-detected proton transfer reactions
(2019-05)Many liquids when cooled to cryogenic temperatures have the ability to take the form of a glassy substance; these are referred to as amorphous solids. As they are supercooled they do not form crystalline substances but ... -
The effects of short-term heterosexual privilege awareness on the evaluations of minority people
(2021-12)Privilege, or automatic unearned benefits, create group inequities that cause and perpetuate systems of disadvantage, oppression, and discrimination for those that lack these benefits (Case et al., 2012a; McIntosh, 1998). ... -
Automated radar heading calibration with collaborating participants and multi-sensor fusion
(2021-12)As unmanned aerial systems (UAS) become more prolific so will the use of radar systems for tracking UAS in the national airspace system (NAS). The future of Urban Air Mobility (UAM) involves large amounts of UAS operating ... -
Prevalence and distribution of a novel prophage in pandemic vibrio parahaemolyticus
(2021-08)Vibrio parahaemolyticus is endemic in marine ecosystems and is the most common cause of bacterial seafood-borne gastroenteritis worldwide. Recent years have shown a dramatic increase in global V. parahaemolyticus infections ... -
Investigations into the mechanisms and ecological controls of cryptic methane cycling
(2021-12)Methylotrophs, microorganisms that consume C1 compounds, play important roles within the environment for cycling of nutrients and filling diverse ecological niches. This research aimed to analyze the functionality and ... -
Dectection of Vibrio vulnificus pathogenic isolates through use of primers for the SIGMA-38 gene and Hemolysin/Cytolysin gene
(2021-12)Vibrio vulnificus (V. vulnificus) is a halophilic, asporogenous Gram-negative mesophilic bacterium belonging to the Gammaproteobacteria. It lives in marine and estuarine waters and grows at high levels in the Gulf of Mexico ... -
Mathematics of microorganism swimming in micropolar fluids
(2021-12)Typical representation of the swimming motion of microorganisms in fluid environments model the microorganisms as spherical squirmers in a viscous fluid (Newtonian Fluid) with prescribed surface velocities on the squirmer ... -
Evaluating biodegradable alternatives to plastic mesh for use in small-scale oyster reef restorations
(2021-12)Oyster reefs have been in decline due to disease, overharvest, and habitat loss. In turn, the ecological and economic benefits of the reefs are threatened, and there are efforts to restore what has been lost. Small-scale ...