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Item As for me and my house(2024-05-05) Walker, Lauren HopeAs for me and my house explores a domestic realm where a variety of materials and objects narrate the pictorial and spatial possibilities of this obscure world. Materials such as paper pulp, glazed ceramics, oil paint, and other sculptural materials are used to create a Tiffany lamp, a mischievous 6-pack of Lone Star Beer, a fountain of mysterious yellow liquid, and a lavender claw-foot tub who bleeds out of her own faucet. These anthropomorphized forms aid in examining the intersection of queerness, femininity, and the grotesque. Through this exhibition, Walker embarks on the journey of unpacking a more expansive vision of her identity, reflecting on her studio practice, material investigations, and personal research.Item The safehouse(2024-12-02) Greenway, Lily MargaretFor what does a human being desire if not to see and be seen, to know and be known, to love and be loved? The Safehouse explores the journey of Finny Chance, a twenty-something raised by her federal agent father to see the depths of the world, and take on the curse of never been seen to the same extent. To escape her father’s murder and move on from a tragic accident, Finny finds refuge as the lead bartender of The Safehouse, just minutes away from her father’s old office in Quantico. She mesmerizes patrons on a nightly basis, until Crash, a thesis student who sees Finny for the person she is and not just the gift she has, challenges her with a project and perspective on life that is unlike any other.Item The effects of diet composition on markers of inflammation in competitively trained cyclists(2024-12-09) Berry, AngelaFor endurance athletes to achieve success, many have adopted a mirage of training programs and nutritional strategies to improve performance; however, considering the risk of elite endurance athletes becoming overreached, it is important to consider the athletes’ immune status, and the effect nutrition can have on inflammation. The purpose of this study is to investigate and compare the effects of a habitual diet (HB), a high-carbohydrate diet (HCD) and a ketogenic diet (KD) on inflammation markers in trained competitive cyclists. This study utilized a randomized crossover trial in six competitively trained cyclists consuming a 2-week diet of the KD and HCD following their HB. Venous blood samples were taken during each diet condition at five time points (0-min, 30-min, 60-min, 120-min, and 180-min) during a resting period. Average concentrations of IL-6, IL-10, IL-8, and TNFα were analyzed using MSD Inflammatory Kit. The findings indicate that following a short period adaptation to the KD resulted in higher concentrations of IL-6 compared to HCD (p = 0.004) and HB (p = 0.004). There was an overall group effect for IL-10 (p = 0.049). Bonferroni-Holm analysis revealed the KD possessed higher levels of IL-10 compared to the HB (p = 0.131) and HCD (p = 0.079). No significant differences in inflammatory markers were observed between the high-carbohydrate diet and habitual diet. Moreover, no significant changes were observed for pro-inflammatory cytokines TNFα and IL-8 across all diet conditions. Cyclists should consider consuming a carbohydrate-rich diet prior to training, to attenuate the risk of suppressing the immune system, leading to an overreached state.Item How does surface area availability affect water resource use by bats?(2024-11-29) Harper, PeytonUrban biodiversity provides essential ecosystem services, but urban areas often lack the resources necessary for wildlife. Water represents an essential resource, but availability and accessibility of water sources vary, particularly between taxa. Bats, for example, swoop down to the water’s surface to drink on the wing and their ability to do this is influenced by the size and shape of the water source. We explored this drinking ability further at six ponds in Fort Worth, Texas using drones to record fundamental and realized surface area, maximum patch size, and longest continuous stretch. We compared these metrics with bat activity recorded in behavioral and acoustic surveys, and found that the latter showed the strongest relationship with drinking activity. On further investigation, we determined that this correlation was driven by clutter on the surface of the water. Our study highlighted that water sources need uninterrupted stretches to represent an accessible water resource.Item Geochemical comparison of cenomanian post-buda rock in south Texas and Big Bend Ranch State Park(2024-12-02) O'Brian, PaytonThis study was an attempt to utilize a handheld LIBS to study mudrocks. The LIBS was tested on the Ernst Member of the Boquillas in Big Bend Ranch State Park and in the laboratory on the Swenson 1H core from McMullen County. The analyses on 5 Ernst outcrops found that samples need to be pelletized for optimal results with the LIBS, so it is not a useful field tool, but the XRF analyses found that the outcrops were not affected by hydrothermal fluids from the Solitario. Analyses of the core found an initial poor correlation between the handheld XRF and LIBS, which was improved after calibration of the LIBS and pelletizing the samples. These results were used to determine redox conditions and to correlate to nearby cores. The light element detection capability of the LIBS suggests potential for the study of mudrocks, but not as a stand-alone tool.Item Spiders as sentinels of mercury contamination in high arctic lentic systems and potential risk to arachnivorous birds(2024-12-02) Strang, BenjaminDue to global atmospheric circulation of mercury, polar food webs are contaminated with detectable levels of mercury despite their remoteness. In aquatic systems, inorganic forms of mercury are methylated into the bioavailable and toxic form, methylmercury. The Arctic has an estimated 1.4x106 km2 of freshwater lakes and ponds, making monitoring efforts of where wildlife may be at risk of mercury exposure difficult. Common sentinels of aquatic Hg contamination in monitoring studies include dragonflies, fish, and spiders. However, only spiders are found consistently and at high abundance in Arctic ecosystems. Spiders are also consumed by nestling songbirds and therefore can also provide insight into the potential health risk mercury poses to arachnivorous birds. The objectives of the present study were to 1) determine if spiders are sentinels of freshwater Hg contamination in six Arctic lentic systems located in northwest Greenland and 2) to determine if Hg-contaminated spiders pose a health risk to arachnivorous birds. The average (± 1 SE) concentration of MeHg of P. glacialis from all lentic systems was 424.0 (± 28.4) ng/g (range: 212.9 to 897.9) dry weight (dw). We detected a significant main effect of leg length on spider tissue MeHg concentration (p = ≤ 0.001); spider tissue MeHg concentration was positively correlated with leg length at each site. We detected a significant leg length × site interaction effect (GLM, F5,21 = 4.4, p = 0.007) and we observed a significant positive relationship between riparian spider and aquatic insect tissue MeHg (linear regression, R2 = 0.75, p = 0.04). The results of this study suggest that shoreline spiders are sentinels of aquatic mercury contamination, providing evidence for their future use as sentinels of other aquatic systems in the Arctic. We also suggest that arachnivorous birds are at varying levels of risk from MeHg toxicity at six lentic systems in Northwest Greenland.Publication Smoke and fire showing: Fire, fraternity, and social order in post frontier Fort Worth 1873-1919(2021-03-03) Tucker, Jeff RoyThis thesis paper explores the development of a post frontier area township along the original 1849 military outpost line and the co-evolution of integral social groups of firemen within an established Fort Worth, Texas, 1873. It explores the social order, city services, commercial economic enterprise, and the fire departments formation which played significant roles in Fort Worth’s existence and eventual survival. Fire events themselves created reasons for change within the budding region and created an unceasing morphing of the fire department institution and how it dovetailed into the city structure. Within this thesis is a focus on symbolic events intended to show a group of men and a city coevolving to support their community – that specific group are the volunteer firemen of Fort Worth.Publication Sugar, slaves, and revolutionary waves: The origins and legacy of the 1811 German Coast uprising(2023-05-23) McLain, Christian HayesThis paper highlights an incredibly understudied yet vitally important event in Louisiana’s history—the 1811 German Coast Uprising. Before January 1811, slave rebellion weighed heavily on the minds of Louisiana citizens. The diverse and complex social environment led to racial and ethnic divisions. Louisianans avoided major slave uprisings for quite some time, but racialized tensions heightened significantly after 1791 with the success of the Haitian Revolution. The territory finally succumbed to slave revolution when Charles Deslondes, a slave on the Manuel Andre´ plantation, called upon his fellow enslaved Africans to overthrow their masters and demand their freedom. This paper analyzes the environment in present-day Louisiana and beyond in the years preceding 1811, the factors that contributed to the outbreak of rebellion, the suppression of the rebellion in popular history and memory, and the overall ramifications of the slaves’ efforts to obtain autonomy and basic human rights.Publication Cognition and composition: Deliberate practice in a first-year composition course(2022-04-28) Brown, Alicia KatherineDrain from the invisible demands writing makes on writers’ brains may be lowering students’ self-efficacy. Deliberate practice, as developed by the psychologist Anders Ericsson, is a way to make those demands visible and to work toward a positive result. Deliberate practice is especially well suited to composition, given the large overlap between the two fields. A core component of deliberate practice is training the brain to automate parts of the writing process, to free up as much limited short-term memory as possible. Doing so minimizes the cognitive demands of writing, which, in turn, raises students’ self-efficacy. After reviewing the theory, this thesis proposes a potential first-year writing course based on deliberate practice.Publication The effects of positive action, a character curriculum, on the social and emotional development of elementary children(2024-05-08) Webb, Rayna LynnReduced peer interactions during the COVID-19 pandemic have contributed to higher rates of psychopathologies, suicide rates, and negative affect in elementary-aged children. The current study examined the effects of Positive Action (PA), a character education curriculum, on the social and emotional skills of K-3 students from two school districts receiving 60 minutes of daily recess in addition to a 15-minute daily PA lesson. The study sample included K-3 children (N=2,000): 1,000 children from a north Texas school district and 1,000 children from a central Texas school district. PA lessons focused on developing social-emotional learning (SEL) skills such as empathy, respect, honesty, trust, confidence, and self-esteem. Throughout the school year, teachers delivered the Positive Action 15-minute daily character development lessons and provided four 15-minute child-directed, outdoor recesses daily. At the end of each semester, SEL skills were tested using xSEL, a web-based computer assessment that examines four subscales in early elementary students: emotion regulation (understanding what others are feeling), social problem-solving (ability to think through social viii challenges), social perspective-taking (understanding others’ thought and intentions), and self-control (ability to modulate thoughts and feelings to achieve a goal). School districts scheduled a specific week that teachers would collect xSEL data for their classes in both semesters. The teachers took the children to the computer lab where they would sit at individual computers and respond to facial expressions and social situations on-screen that related to the four xSEL subscales. The test took approximately 25 minutes. Once completed, the assessment was submitted online directly to the xSEL database for data analysis. The data was accessible by the researcher once completed. The independent variables of the study were school district, age, and sex, and the dependent variables were the four xSEL subscales. A repeated measures MANOVA was used to determine score differences among the independent variables and change scores between Fall and Spring semesters. Results showed differences in subscale scores by district and grade but were similar between sexes and races across time. Children need more time in the school day to play and receive daily character guidance to develop their emotions and social skills. Positive Action is helping children of all races, sexes, grades, and geographic location get back on track developmentally; they are able to use the character lessons as a model to practice positive emotional and social skills with each other during recess and in the classroom.Publication Scientific analogy-ing: A collaborative and critical approach to (re)generating analogical models in biology(2021-10-17) Marek, Molly ClaireAnalogies pervade everyday life and are especially promising when thought of as models for teaching abstract scientific concepts. Problems arise, however, when teacher-generated analogies fail to draw from source domains that match students’ experiences. Self-generated analogies have emerged as a possibility for students constructing scientific explanations but have been far less researched than the use of teacher-generated analogies. A related strategy being explored in recent years is the collaborative construction of scientific analogies. Student-generated analogies, like any model, should be critically examined and their applicability should be negotiated with students. This qualitative action research study describes the ways in which collaboration between peers and critical analysis of the strengths and limitations of analogical models may support the writing process for biology students (re)generating scientific analogies. The research question guiding the study was: In what ways, if any, does a collaborative and critical learning environment support student analogy (re)generation in science?Publication Measuring reliable ages for stars: calibration of the [c/n] chemical clock and the impact of atomic diffusion on abundance/age determination of main sequence turnoff stars(2024-08-06) Spoo, TaylorIn Galactic archeology, astronomers want to understand how the Milky Way formed and evolved. To be able to “time-stamp” events in chronological order, we need a reliable method to age-date large numbers of stars. Currently, the most reliable method is ages coming from star clusters, but they are limited in location and number. A useful tool to expand age-dating capabilities is chemical clocks: chemical abundances that are linked to stellar ages. In our work, we use open and globular clusters to establish a calibration between [C/N] and age, covering a metallicity range of $-1.2 \leq [Fe/H] \leq +0.3$ dex. With this improved calibration, we can determine ages for over 300,000 stars within the SDSS/APOGEE DR17 survey. While these chemical changes help us to estimate ages on the red giant branch, chemical changes can also hinder age estimations in other parts of the HR diagram. On the main sequence and near the turnoff, the surface abundances of a star change from a combination of gravitational settling and radiative acceleration working against it, a process known as atomic diffusion. In this case, the surface abundance is not an accurate prediction of the bulk abundances that determine the stellar age. Recent studies suggest that this effect is not negligible, and in fact the ages derived from isochrones can be overestimated by 10-20\% if atomic diffusion is not accounted for. We use SDSS/APOGEE DR17 to investigate atomic diffusion in the open clusters NGC 752 and Ruprecht 147 in order to constrain the variation of atomic diffusion signatures with age, and discuss how these results may affect the estimation of precise ages for subgiant stars.Publication Stratigraphic and geochemical analysis of the Woodbine-Eagle Ford transition, North-Central Texas(2024-08-06) Gregory, Gunnar MontanaConfusion over the nomenclature and ages of the Woodbine-Eagle Ford transition in north Texas obscured its stratigraphic relationships and the nature of this transition. This study attempts to delineate the transition and its timing using lithostratigraphy, elemental handheld XRF data, and paleontologic data from two near-surface cores provided by the USGS and three outcrops representative of the transition within the DFW Metroplex and Fannin County. The study identified eight lithofacies; those found in the Tarrant (Woodbine) are associated with tidally-influenced environments, contained higher concentrations of aluminum and silicon, and are dominated by benthic foraminifera. The lithofacies in the Britton (Eagle Ford) are associated with distal dysoxic to anoxic environments, contained higher concentrations of calcium and redox proxies, and are dominated by planktic foraminifera. The transition in the sections examined is interpreted to represent a gradual transition from a tidally-influenced estuarine or shallow marine environment to a deeper water, anoxic shelf.Publication Using i-Tree Eco™ to evaluate ecosystem services following floodplain buyouts(2024-08-06) Fahey, Peter JosephMunicipalities are increasingly participating in floodplain buyout programs to mitigate the risk and severity of flood damage. However, these buyout properties often remain vacant and underutilized. Planting trees in these areas could optimize ecosystem services, including carbon storage and sequestration, stormwater attenuation, air pollution removal, oxygen production, and urban heat island mitigation. The purpose of this research is to determine if planting trees within buyout sites would maximize ecosystem services. I measured 359 trees across a buyout landscape in Arlington, Texas, and calculated their ecosystem services using i-Tree EcoTM. A geographic information system was created to assess available planting space and model four tree planting scenarios. Scenario modeling indicated that planting at least 75% of the available space (504 trees) would optimize ecosystem services. The results of this research suggest that floodplain buyouts are not just effective for mitigating flood hazards; they also provide opportunities to maximize ecosystem services for local communities and municipalities.Publication Infrasternal angle and associated external load in NCAA Division I football players(2024-06-06) Shipsey, MaliaOptimization of training and performance is the ultimate goal of sport performance and strength and conditioning practitioners. Anthropometric measures and performance in athletics is a rapidly growing area of research, but there is yet to be any investigation on thorax shape, specifically infrasternal angle (ISA), and its potential correlation with performance. The present study explored the relationship between ISA and external load metrics in NCAA Division I Football players. We utilized dual x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans to obtain ISA, and StatSports Apex GPS devices to collect external load data for nine athletes (M= 20.43 + 1.31) across various positions. Results confirm the hypothesis that a smaller ISA is associated with greater maximum speeds, suggesting the importance of thorax shape in athletic performance. No significant correlations were identified between ISA and any other external load metrics. One- way ANOVA test revealed significant differences in maximum speed between position classifications of big, power, and skill. The results of this study have implications for player position specification and tailored training programs, contributing to the understanding of ISA in athletic performance.Publication Ability of diet to induce heritable epigenetic modifications associated with Alzheimer’s disease(2024-05-06) Brown, Bridey ElizabethAlzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that is the most common cause of dementia, for which there is currently no cure. The Mediterranean diet (MD) is a candidate prevention strategy because it has been shown to reduce risk of AD development/mortality. In comparison, a typical American diet (TAD) has been shown to increase risk of AD development. However, the underlying mechanism is unknown. One largely unexplored mechanism of dietary-induced AD prevalence is epigenetic modification to genes associated with AD. Therefore, this study aims to determine whether dietary influences can induce epigenetic modifications, and subsequently modify expression of genes associated with AD. To do this, DNA was extracted from hippocampal tissue of mice on either a MD or TAD, as well as their offspring who were consuming a control diet. The offspring were included to determine if differential methylation patterns are heritable, thereby implicating transgenerational effects and predisposition to AD development or protection. An epigenetic array was used to identify loci that were differentially methylated between diets, and qPCR was used to determine if differential methylation resulted in significant differences in gene expression. No loci were found to be significantly differentially methylated (p-val<0.0001) with an effect size of 10% or more, nor differentially expressed upon qPCR analysis.Publication Employing a new testing method for identifying fluridone resistance in Hydrilla verticillata(2024-05-06) Oles, UlyssesThe problem of herbicide resistance in aquatic invasive plants poses a consistent threat to the biota in invaded ecosystems, as well as to infrastructure and human water use. Hydrilla verticillata is an invasive aquatic plant that has developed resistance to the carotenoid biosynthesis inhibitor fluridone. I used the method of double-mismatch allele-specific qPCR in order to design a new test for identifying resistant mutants of two different genotypes. After testing 138 samples from across Florida using two sets of primers corresponding to each mutant genotype, I found clear and consistent results for most samples and validated these results through sequencing and comparison to old data. In addition to suggesting that this is an effective testing method, my data found resistant mutant samples in four bodies of water outside of our positive control samples.Publication Potamological investigation into the fluvial terraces of the quaternary-to-modern Red River of the South: Canyon, Texas to Texarkana, Texas(2024-05-06) Zeiger, Tyler GregoryThe Upper Red River of the South has largely gone understudied by the scientific community. Tributaries and neighboring regions have been observed in some detail, but very little has been done on the Red River itself. In the course of this investigation, 13 discrete fluvial terraces were discovered within and above the Upper Red River Valley, providing a record that potentially spans to the Late Pliocene. Definitive dates spanning between the MIS 5c, some 0.1 Ma, and the Medieval Climatic Anomaly (MCA), 1 ka BP provide an avenue in which formational and degradational events can be assigned to specific climatic cycles, such as the Wisconsinan Glaciations, Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), and their interstadials, the Younger Dryas and its subsequent Collapse (CYD), and the MCA. Utilizing Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating in conjunction with a hand auguring campaign, the terraces were drilled, logged, dated, and analyzed to determine architecture and characteristics of the fluvial deposits while pedogenic analysis allowed for the determination of the length of subaerial exposure to which these terraces were subject to prior to later burial. The dates for the terraces allowed for the further correlation of terrace construction, abandonment, and valley incision since the middle Sangamon Interglacial. These deposits record an ancient Red River vastly different to the stream seen today. Thick assemblages of deposits and broad terraces reflecting a massive aggradational system suggest that this paleo-Red River was significantly larger. Relict deposits of the Lower Red River Valley confirm that the ancient River was similar in discharge and yield to the coeval Mississippi River, indicating that this ancestral Red River was a continent-scale river, thus suggesting a montane source to the west. In reconstructing a distribution model that connects the present Red River drainage basin to the Rocky Mountains, it is apparent that an additional fluvial axis would be required to nourish the ancient Red River. The Canadian River was identified through this study as being the ideal candidate for such a vector. However, this likewise suggests that the eventual pirating of the Canadian River by the Arkansas River became the Red’s downfall, as the Red River became both starved of sediment and discharge, relegating the former continent-scale River to the desert stream that rises atop the Llano Estacado today.Publication Perceptions of conservation educators on program effectiveness: a mixed methods study(2024-05-06) Butterworth, CamdenEnvironmental education is gaining recognition as a critical strategy to reduce environmental harm. Education has been identified as a top factor contributing to people’s willingness to engage in environmentally positive conservation behaviors. Non-formal learning institutions such as zoos and aquariums can create and engage learners in species-specific education programming. Species-specific education programs can generate high public appeal and contribute to overall environmental conservation outcomes. This research assesses the perceptions of educators at non-formal institutions about their conservation education programs and reveals three key themes when designing and implementing successful education. These themes were 1) recognizing the importance of short-term programming, 2) empowering individuals through the development of their STEM identities, and 3) collaborating with local communities to develop ownership over their education. The results contribute to a growing body of research on effective environmental education and help promote species conservation and community wellbeing while contributing to larger education goals.Publication Modeling the impact of climate change on the hydrology of Eagle Mountain Lake, Texas(2024-05-06) Ayejoto, Daniel AyomikunThis study investigates the modeling of climate change impacts on streamflow dynamics within the Upper West Fork Trinity Watershed, employing the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). The study begins with the successful development and validation of a SWAT model for the historical period (1990-2022), demonstrating strong agreement between simulated and observed streamflow data. Subsequently, the model is utilized to assess the impacts of projected climate change scenarios (2030s and 2080s) under different Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) on streamflow dynamics. The findings reveal consistent trends of increasing average temperatures across all scenarios, with temperature projections aligning with global warming patterns observed in various watersheds worldwide. Moreover, projected precipitation patterns indicate both increases and decreases, leading to increased uncertainty and variability in future climatic conditions. These changes in temperature and precipitation translate into significant alterations in streamflow dynamics within the watershed. Despite anticipated increases in average annual precipitation, the model projects a decrease in streamflow, particularly during spring and early summer months, which could impact water availability in the Eagle Mountain Lake reservoir. Specifically, the average annual streamflow in the watershed is projected to decrease by 17% to 20% under future climatic conditions compared to the 2003 – 2022 observed streamflow. However, projections also suggest an increase in streamflow during summer, fall, and winter months by 18%, 12%, and 3.6% respectively, potentially offsetting spring deficiencies in the reservoir but also raising concerns about riverine and lake flooding. Overall, this study provides valuable insights into the potential impacts of climate change on water resources within the Upper West Fork Trinity Watershed, highlighting the importance of adaptive management strategies in mitigating the effects of evolving environmental conditions.