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  Windows of Opportunity: Exploring How Home Practices Reframe Knowledge About High-Performance Retrofits

  Bean, Jonathan; Fink, Alyssa; Stoker, Philip; Wetherell, Meaghan (The University of Arizona., 2025)

  In hot, dry climates with older, uninsulated homes, high-performance windows can double or triple the effective insulation of the building enclosure and substantially reduce cooling loads from solar gain. Yet many households who choose to replace windows select lower-performing options, locking in higher energy use, reduced comfort, and greater carbon emissions. Previous work has sought to address this issue by developing a tool that quantifies personalized energy and non-energy benefits of high-performance window retrofits for consumers, based on the assumption that more information will shift consumer decisions. This study explores how different frameworks for understanding household window-replacement decisions can generate insights to inform the development of interventions that might effectively support higher-performance choices. Using interpretive analysis of fourteen semi-structured interviews with households in Tucson, Arizona considering window replacement, the study situates window replacement within the habitual, patterned performances of home improvement practices. A circuit-of-practice approach identifies three ways households integrate homes as material objects into daily life — domestication, configuration, and stewardship — and shows how each reconfigures the organizing principles through which consumers build knowledge about home projects. Analysis using concepts from Legitimation Code Theory reveals a code clash between these knowledge-building practices and the way the calculator frames its claims. The findings suggest pathways for resolving this clash and broadening the adoption of higher-performance window retrofits. The study contributes theoretical insight into how shifting social practices reshape knowledge practices and provides practical direction for developing interventions that more effectively support high-performance window retrofits and related home energy upgrades.
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  Procedures for the Characterization of Commercially-Available Volumetric Water Content Sensors to Augment Training Ensembles for Machine Learning Models with Synthetic Analog Datasets in Data-Sparse Regions

  Ferre, Ty P.A.; Wessner, David Paul; Troch, Peter; Guo, Bo (The University of Arizona., 2025)

  Machine Learning (ML) models are an increasingly popular method of producing predictions of real-world physical processes, such as forecasting stream stage heights after precipitation events, or the numerous meteorological models used in generating hurricane track forecasts. However, the development of ML models typically requires a significant amount of validated, real-world data inputs, which may be sparse or unavailable in specific regions due to a lack of instrumentation coverage. The limitation imposed by a lack of input data coverage or availability may be overcome by either augmenting, or replacing, input datasets with synthetic-analogs that are representative of the potential domain of actual in situ measurements. At a minimum, generating a synthetic-analog dataset requires an understanding of the real-world dynamics and properties governing the targeted physical process for the ML model, to create an adequate model ensemble from which representative data can be sampled. However, there is a greater need to measure and quantify any latent characteristics of instrumentation, such as sensor detection range, noise and bias, used in data collection intended to be used with the ML model post-development, to ensure that training data inputs match what may be seen in situ. This paper summarizes a method of characterizing commercially available soil volumetric water content (VWC) probes to use in the production of a large synthetic-analog datasets for the training and validation of deep-drainage flux and root-water uptake prediction ML models, derived from vadose (unsaturated) zone numerical model ensembles generated using Hydrus-1D.
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  Catastrophic Flooding in Osuga Valles, Mars: Implications For Its Paleoflood Hydrology and Formation

  Gulick, Virginia C.; Portillo, Dalia Flor Rueda; Baker, Victor R.; Ferre, Paul A. Ty (The University of Arizona., 2025)

  Satellite imagery of Mars has shown large flood-like features known as outflow channels across its surface. Previous studies have used a variety of techniques involving complex 1D equations and 2D models for outflow channels in Chryse and Elysium Planitia to estimate the magnitudes and depths of floods. In this study, we use both 1D and 2D flow equations and the 2D computer hydraulic model HEC-RAS version 6.6 to estimate stage-discharge relationships within Osuga Valles. Additionally, we use 1D groundwater and fracture flow equations, and the 2D thermal model HYDROTHERM to simulate pressure and temperature changes within the subsurface. The site of interest is Osuga Valles, an outflow channel that contains unique features suggesting pressure-dominated floods from groundwater that cover approximately 168 km of fluvially eroded channels. The varying depths along the channel suggest the floods are catastrophic, excavating between 250 to over 1,000 meters in depth. All channels appear to terminate into a relatively small collapsed basin, without indication of any surface flows beyond this terminus. High-resolution Digital Terrain Models (DTM) from HRSC, CTX and HiRISE are used to capture cross-sectional profiles and relative elevations of Paleo Stage Indicators (PSI’s) to provide supporting evidence for flood depths. From the HEC-RAS results, we find that the roughness of the channel bed in Osuga Valles does not greatly influence the depth for each flow rate, and the last flood that most likely filled the channel based on PSI is approximately 5 x 10^7 m3/s. However, our subsurface analysis counters this and suggests the last flood was several orders of magnitude smaller than simulated with HEC-RAS and short-lived. Permeabilities of the fractures within the aquifer for producing such large-scale flooding range from 1.4 x 10^-6 to 2.5 x 10^-6 m2, which converts to over ~1,400,000 darcies.
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  Love, Lust, or Liberation? Muslim Women through the Soviet and Russian Imagination

  Jens, Benjamin; Al-Thenayan, Mae; Leafgren, John; Lucey, Colleen (The University of Arizona., 2025)

  This thesis explores the representation of Muslim women through the lens of two literary works, Chingiz Aitmatov’s Jamilia (1958) and Guzel Yakhina’s Zuleikha (2015) with the goal of finding parallels between how the women are represented in Russian and Central Asian perspectives. By considering the religious, historical, and political landscapes in the texts, this thesis connects the construction of Muslim women within broader societal narratives, drawing upon theories of Orientalism, feminist scholarship, and postcolonial theory. It further explores artistic and visual modes of representation in order to find similar constructions and depictions akin to the literary texts. Additionally, this paper examines the difference between Russian Orientalism and Soviet Orientalism, tracing its evolution from the Imperial period to the Post-Soviet present.
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  Atomized Tears: A Comparative Analysis of the Collective Remembering of the Chernobyl Disaster in Ukraine and the Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan

  Gordienko, Anastasia; West, Sterling; Leafgren, John; Jens, Benjamin (The University of Arizona., 2025)

  On more than one occasion, since the first atomic weapon test in 1945, mankind has only barely avoided Armageddon, and several of these nuclear near-disasters are particularly notable: the only nuclear weapons used in warfare were deployed by the United States in the Second World War against the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Another atomic first was the Chernobyl nuclear disaster of 1986; the Chernobyl disaster was, at the time, an unprecedented nuclear accident. These events are all unparalleled historical phenomena, and the collective remembering of these tragic events in both Japan and Ukraine provide a rich opportunity for comparative analysis. Besides performing a comparative analysis of the collective remembering of the respective atomic tragedies, it is necessary to compare how these tragedies are officially memorialized by the affected states. Officially-sanctioned memorials are a vital component in any nation’s collective remembering. This thesis explores the similarities of the collective remembering of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and of the Chernobyl disaster, and it also comparatively analyzes the individual and collective psychological effects of these tragedies. While the bombings of Japan were a deliberate wartime decision and the Chernobyl disaster was an accident, this thesis additionally demonstrates that collective remembering of these nuclear events is centered around a struggle to come to terms with an invisible object with incomprehensible destructive potential: the atom.
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  Modeling and Quantum-Hardware-Based Investigation of Entanglement Distribution and Classical Communication in Distributed Quantum Computing

  Bash, Boulat A.; Tittelbaugh, Ashley; Jenkins, Shelbi; Gagatsos, Christos N. (The University of Arizona., 2025)

  Quantum computers in the noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) era are constrained by limited qubit counts, imperfect gate fidelities, and short coherence times. NISQ-era computers often have too few qubits to run many algorithms, and those that do run often have limited quantum advantage. Distributed quantum computing (DQC) is a promising approach to overcome this, where multiple quantum processors are interconnected through shared entanglement. This work serves as a system overview of an entanglement distribution system. We achieve this by examining a zero-added loss multiplexing (ZALM) entanglement generation source, simulating multi-hop, repeater-less networks, and various routing algorithms to distribute entanglement, and real-hardware quantum experiments that reconstruct entanglement links of degraded fidelity and simulate classical-communication delay. Network simulations evaluate routing and spectrum-allocation algorithms under entanglement-generation-imposed rate constraints, by evaluating both fairness and throughput across network sizes and topologies. We identify two polynomial-time approximation algorithms that perform well, or better than others under these metrics. Using both simulations and quantum hardware, we evaluate how degraded entanglement and communication latency affect teleportation-based distributed multipartite-entanglement-state construction. The results reveal the coupled influence of source rate, routing efficiency, fidelity, and classical delay on networked entanglement distribution and DQC performance, providing a reproducible framework for both experimental and simulated studies of near-term DQC.
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  Ponding Requirements for Recharge Efficiency Across Soil–Plant Systems

  Ferre, Paul; Strom, Nathan Gregory; Troch, Peter; Gupta, Neha (The University of Arizona., 2025)

  Sustained surface ponding is often required to initiate groundwater recharge in semi-arid environments due to dry antecedent moisture and high evapotranspiration demand. The ponding duration needed to generate recharge depends on soil texture, vegetation, evaporative conditions, and antecedent moisture, forming a nonlinear system that is difficult to predict without numerical modeling. This study uses a HYDRUS-1D ensemble workflow to identify the ponding duration required for 10% of infiltration to become potential recharge (RR = 0.10) across 1,326 soil textures defined at 2% sand–silt–clay increments and four cover types (bare soil and three vegetation scenarios with increasing root depth and transpiration potential). Eight additional variant cases modified root depth, transpiration rate, antecedent moisture, and event connectivity to quantify their influence on ponding requirements. Potential recharge was defined as water from ponding crossing a 5 m depth within 50 years.Recharge feasibility declined sharply in soils containing more than 20% clay. Vegetation substantially increased the required duration, including a 27-fold median increase from bare soil to pasture grass, with further increases for deeper-rooted vegetation. Comparisons among textures with similar saturated hydraulic conductivity revealed contrasting behavior: silt loams exhibited faster initial infiltration, earlier recharge response, and the highest sensitivity to changes in antecedent moisture, transpiration, and rooting characteristics. Sand-dominated textures showed the lowest sensitivity to changes in these features. The fixed-pressure-head spin-up used to initialize soil moisture introduced systematic texture-dependent biases, producing unrealistically wet initial states in fine-textured soils and excessively dry states in coarse-textured soils. These biases influenced estimated ponding requirements. Incorporating realistic wetting–drying cycles or climatic forcing is recommended for future modeling to generate representative antecedent moisture conditions.
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  Notes from the In-Between: Arts-Based Autoethnography of an Asian/Thai American Immigrant Community Art Educator

  DiCindio, Carissa; Rottler, Sirilak Saengsawang; Shin, Ryan; Altuntas, Ilayda (The University of Arizona., 2025)

  Records of racialized art educators remain underrepresented in dominant narratives of art education. In recent years, Asian American art educators have begun addressing their unique racial challenges by reflecting on their professional identities and pedagogical practices. This thesis contributes to the voices and challenges of Asian American art educators from the perspective of an Asian/Thai American immigrant. In response to the lack of Thai American representation, I situate this research within the broader Asian American coalition building efforts while aiming to diversify racial narratives by highlighting a Thai American experience. I explore my understanding of race and identity by shuttling in-between Asian, Thai, American, and immigrant to negotiate the complex dynamics of racialization in the United States. Using arts-based autoethnography, this study seeks to elucidate significant connections between my personal experiences of shuttling in-between and my professional identity as a community art educator. This research contributes to ongoing efforts to diversify the field of art education while advocating for shuttling in-between as a site of transformation and a pedagogical asset for community building and connection.
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  Estimating Urban Stormwater Generation Under Future Land Cover Scenarios

  Korgaonkar, Yoga; Ferrell, Kenneth; Gao, Shang; Gupta, Neha; Tellman, Beth (The University of Arizona., 2025)

  Over 80% of the U.S. population currently lives in urban areas, and this is projected to rise to over 90% by 2050. As population growth fuels urban expansion, stormwater runoff is expected to intensify, especially in arid regions, yet the hydrologic consequences of changing land cover remain underexamined. This study quantifies present and future stormwater runoff in urban areas across Arizona’s six Active Management Areas (AMAs) using Geographic Information Systems (GIS), land cover data from the National Land Cover Database (NLCD) and Integrated Climate Land Use Scenarios (ICLUS), and the Soil Conservation Service Curve Number (SCS-CN) method with event based design storms from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Atlas 14. Runoff was estimated for 1-hour and 12-hour durations under 1-, 10-, and 100-year return intervals, comparing 2021 baseline land cover conditions to low (SSP2) and high (SSP5) land cover projections through 2100. Results show the watersheds of Pinnacle Peak–Paradise Valley and North Branch Santa Cruz Wash are projected to experience the most substantial increases in urban development, 93 km² and 89 km², respectively, placing them in the 99th percentile of urban growth across all decades and scenarios. These changes are also reflected in projected runoff volume, where the mean runoff across all AMAs increases from approximately 30 ac-ft in the 1-hr, 1-yr storms to over 1,300 ac-ft in the 100-yr storms, and from 185 ac-ft to more than 2,300 ac-ft for 12-hr storms. The highest projected runoff occurs in the Santa Cruz and Tucson AMAS, exceeding 4,500 ac-ft and 2,500 ac-ft, respectively, under the 12-hr, 100-yr storm. Watersheds such as Pinnacle Peak-Paradise Valley (~4,800 ac-ft), City of Phoenix-Salt River (~4,600 ac-ft), and Painted Rock Reservoir-Gila River (~4,500 ac-ft) consistently produced the greatest watershed-scale runoff through 2100. These findings underscore the importance of proactive, spatially targeted stormwater management strategies that account for both the magnitude and variability of future urban expansion.
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  Bioelectrical Impedance Assessment of Breast Density: Ex Vivo Reliability and Barriers to Breast Cancer Screening

  Bea, Jennifer W.; Barcibal, Adrielle Mychela Manaois; Funk, Janet; Ehsani, Sima (The University of Arizona., 2025)

  Breast density is one of the several risk factors for developing breast cancer. Many women do not know their breast density nor what it means to have dense or non-dense breasts. Understanding breast density is an important factor to incorporate into breast risk to improve risk assessment and identify higher risk women with dense breasts. The purpose of this study is to test whether a device designed to non-invasively assess breast density in the field operates reliably and to understand whether it would be helpful in educating women about their breast density. The ultimate goal, beyond the scope of this project, is to encourage women, who may be at a higher risk for developing breast cancer, to partake in recommended biennial mammogram screenings. Increasing breast screening rates aids in early detection and diagnosis of breast cancer. Screening mammograms provide breast density information. However, women who do not complete their recommended mammogram screenings are unaware of their breast density. The first aim of this study is to evaluate the reproducibility and repeatability of novel bioelectrical impedance testing method to determine breast density using a Quantum II Bioelectrical Impedance Analyzer (RJL Systems; Clinton Township, MI) connected to an experimental breast cup attachment. A variety of animal-derived excised soft tissues were used to test reliability and reproducibility of the device. The reliability was tested using Pearson correlation, Bland-Altman for agreement, and Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICC) for reliability between different reliability test types: repeatability, test-retest, intra-rater, and inter-rater. The second aim retrospectively analyses data in the context of an U.S. National Science Foundation Innovation Corps (I-Corps™) immersive, entrepreneurial training program, involving interviews with 18 health community members associated with the oncology field to understanding barriers and identify facilitators for breast health, screening and education.
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  An Examination of Extreme Rainfall and Non-Stationary Climate Patterns in Southeastern Arizona

  Gao, Shang; Rowland, Daniel; Quanrud, David; Wei, Haiyan (The University of Arizona., 2025)

  Given the recent decades of research and debate about anthropogenic climate change, deeper understanding is needed to clarify how our world is changing as result of increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations. As of 2025, Earth continues to play host to an increasing array of natural disasters that put vulnerable communities at risk. During this time, Arizona has seen significant residential and industrial developments despite stressed water supplies from key sources such as the Colorado River. Since the mid-1990s, the southwestern US has been experiencing a period of prolonged aridity known as the Mega-Drought. In this time, summertime monsoon-driven thunderstorms have increased in maximum intensity, bringing greater risks for flash flooding and erosion while stressing catchment water balances. This study examines the distribution and stationarity of extreme rainfall events observed at the Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed located in Tombstone, Arizona. Our analysis relies on a data set compiled from 85 rain gauges, measuring at 5-minute intervals, with 61 years of historical record. We examined the annual maximum rainfall across the 147 square kilometer watershed and estimated IDF curves from the GEV probability distribution. We observed areas of consistent high and low extreme storm probabilities within the watershed boundary, contrary to typical assumptions of homogeneity in this region, and produced extreme, short-duration rainfall estimates which exceeded NOAA’s values. To examine the stationarity over time, annual rainfall trends were calculated in a variety of contexts with storm return-levels derived from the MEV probability distribution. Our results show an overall positive trend in extreme storm intensities and a negative trend in annual rainfall totals.
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  Disaster Relief: Architecture's Role Within the Emergency Management System

  Robinson, Clare; Hogan, Jackie Marie; Robinson, Clare; Jaramillo, Atticus; Smith, Ryan (The University of Arizona., 2025)

  The increased severity and frequency of wildfires continue to put communities at risk throughout Southern California. In January 2025, the Eaton and Palisades Fires impacted two Los Angeles County communities, activating the disaster relief system’s response phase. This thesis asks where are architects within the disaster relief system, including when and how do they currently participate? The disaster relief system is the response taken by participants, usually emergency management professionals from government and non-profit organizations, to minimize damage, displacement, and further vulnerabilities caused by disasters. By examining the effectiveness of recent disaster responses and the role of architects, this thesis aims to find how architects can increase their participation to improve disaster relief. Methods included mapping and diagramming of resources and geospatial relationships. Data was gathered by interviewing emergency management and architecture representatives and analyzing documents from their respective organizations. These methods compared the perspectives of experts and codified documents to data collected through mapping public information provided by CalFIRE and Los Angeles County. The findings show that architects participate across all phases of the disaster relief system, from volunteering as safety assessment evaluators in the immediate response phase, to serving as stakeholders in mitigation research prior to a disaster. The response and recovery phases of the disaster relief system in California are effective, but ongoing mitigation efforts are underutilized. The major challenges are a lack of awareness of available resources, minimal implementation of mitigation strategies and building codes, and lack of innovative alternatives to emergency shelters and temporary housing. The results show that architects and emergency management professionals believe they have an ethical obligation to help communities at risk of wildfires; however, architects have limited knowledge of how to participate in disaster relief. Although the American Institute of Architects provides a range of wildfire-related resources for architects and homeowners, it is not highly regarded amongst practicing architects as an ethical resource. As a result, architects can increase their participation in the disaster relief system through a variety of efforts, such as recommending policy and programs that strengthen the existing building stock; working amongst emergency management professionals on pre-planned housing options; spreading awareness to local homeowners about disaster-resilient design strategies; designing innovative temporary housing solutions; and reconfiguring the AIA’s ethical metrics to better reflect the evolving nature of housing and climate-related disaster risks.
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  Chickasaw Guide to Linguistics: History, Phonology, and Orthography

  de Lima Silva, Wilson; Smith, Zion Robert; Zepeda, Ofelia; Wedel, Andrew (The University of Arizona., 2025)

  You may notice that this work is not titled “Guide to Chickasaw Linguistics”, nor is it titled “Linguist’s Guide to Chickasaw”. This is an intentional choice, and one that illustrates the philosophy behind its creation. A traditional grammar sketch is written by and for linguists. They are dense in complicated terminology which are often unexplained. While these grammars certainly contribute greatly to language revitalization efforts, they are not always ideal for your average community member. Another popular type of grammar sketch is a pedagogical grammar, designed to help individuals learn a second language. Many Indigenous languages have fantastic pedagogical grammars. One of my favorites is A Tohono O’odham Grammar (1983), written by my mentor Ofelia Zepeda. It was truly created by and for the language’s community, an ideal that all linguistic texts should strive for. I would imitate this and write my own pedagogical grammar, but the Chickasaw language already has a fantastic pedagogical grammar! Chikashshanompa’ Kilanompoli’ (2012), written by Pamela Munro and Catherine Willmond, is one of the greatest resources for learning about the Chickasaw language, whether as a language learner or as a linguist. This is neither a traditional grammar nor a pedagogical grammar. Its audience is not the worldwide Linguistics community, nor is it your average Chickasaw citizen. Instead, this work is intended to be read by Chickasaw people who are not (yet) linguists, but want to dip their feet into the field. At the same time, reading this will further your knowledge of the Chickasaw language itself. In many ways it is like a Linguistics 101 textbook, but instead of showing you examples from languages around the world, it is solely focused on the Chickasaw language. It can be read by people who are fluent speakers of the language, or by people with no exposure to it at all. Likewise, it can be read without any prior knowledge of linguistics. It is my hope that, by the end, you will have picked up quite a bit of linguistic theory and terminology! Though prospective Indigenous linguists are the main target audience for this work, I believe it will prove to be quite versatile. I envision Chickasaw language teachers (current or prospective) referring to this work to help them structure their lessons. In much the same way that an English teacher may take some linguistics courses to improve their ability to teach the language, a Chickasaw language teacher may use this brief foray into the field of linguistics to great effect. This text could even serve as class material for a Chickasaw Linguistics course, if such a course would draw enough interest. Members of other Indigenous communities may also draw inspiration from this work, applying the knowledge shared here to their own languages. I write this thesis with the belief that linguistics is the greatest tool to record, revitalize, and celebrate language, and the linguist is the one who wields that tool. It would be disingenuous, however, for us to not acknowledge the colonial origins of the field. Linguistics is ultimately rooted in the same Western European research traditions that have consistently pilfered knowledge from our communities and offered us little in return. Even today many linguists engage in “salvage anthropology”, extracting as much data as possible from Indigenous languages and cultures with the belief that they are doomed to go extinct. We know the truth. We are still here, our population is increasing, and our languages are waking up. Every word of this thesis is written from an explicitly and unapologetically Indigenous perspective. Linguistics remains disproportionately dominated by scholars of a colonial background, but it need not be. In order to secure a future for Indigenous languages around the world, those tools must fall into the hands of individuals with a deep passion for the topic. As there is no one more passionate about their language than Chickasaw people themselves, I hope that this grammar can inspire more of us to become true tashkanompa?— language warriors — and fight to protect Chikashshanompa! This thesis is intended to discuss phonetics, phonology, orthography, prosody, historical linguistics and sound change, syllable structure, and the basic morphological properties of nouns and verbs. As such, this thesis will not be an exhaustive exploration of Chickasaw morphology, nor will it delve into syntax, typology, constituent and clause structure, or discourse. These topics are deserving of their own entire thesis.
• Mission Analysis of Earth-Orbiting Microsatellites to Observe the Cislunar Environment

  Curti, Fabio; Smith, Peter Agustin; Butcher, Eric; Budinoff, Hannah (The University of Arizona., 2025)

  The Cis-Lunar environment is becoming progressively busier, increasing the necessity fortracking objects to maintain safety. With the rise of SpaceX and CubeSats an affordable method for monitoring this environment has emerged. Using simulation and modeling, this Thesis applies a Systems Engineering approach to establish requirements for a Microsatellite in Earth orbit designed to observe the Cis-Lunar environment and identify commercial components via a market study. The Thesis examined a ground station and a satellite in different common orbits around Earth and compared their visibility of an object executing a transfer orbit from Earth to the Moon. It compared Line of Sight (LOS) affected by Earth and Moon occultation, Sun and Moon Exclusion angles, and magnitude. It looked for the most cost-effective and performed an attitude analysis via an applied attitude control logic to determine the torque requirements. Finally, the Thesis conducted a market survey on components meeting the requirements.
• Determining Site-Specific Soil Screening Levels for PFAS at an Airport Source Area

  Brusseau, Mark L.; Nadel, Marcy; Guo, Bo; Ferre, Ty P.A. (The University of Arizona., 2025)

  Soils impacted by aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) use at military and civilian airports are a major, ongoing source of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the environment. This study determines site-specific soil screening levels (SSLs) for three PFAS using field and laboratory data from an AFFF source area at Eielson Air Force Base (EAFB) near Fairbanks, Alaska. We apply multiple PFAS-specific approaches: a one-dimensional analytical solution transport model, modified U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) dilution-attenuation factor (DAF) equation, and field-measured soil and porewater concentrations. The modeling effort is supported by high-resolution soil characterization, including measurements of physical, hydraulic, and geochemical properties. Such SSLs are used to quantify the risk of PFAS leaching to groundwater, which often results in human and environmental exposures. Our PFAS-specific approaches reflect the complexity of PFAS partitioning and vadose zone transport, an area of active research. Differences among the SSLs generated for each PFAS by the different approaches highlight the dominant processes controlling soil retention and mass discharge at this site.
• Average Sales Price Erosion of Oncology Biologic Agents Following Biosimilar Entry Into The US Market

  Abraham, Ivo; Beddor, Ansam Nail; Erstad, Brian; Alkhatib, Nimer; MacDonald, Karen (The University of Arizona., 2025)

  Background: Biologic therapies are central in cancer management, but the high acquisition costs limit patient access. Biosimilars, which are equivalent in quality and safety to a reference biologic, are a cost-efficient alternative. Objective: To quantify the longitudinal impact of biosimilar market entry on the US Average Sales Price (ASP) of four reference oncology biologics and their biosimilars (rituximab, bevacizumab, trastuzumab, pegfilgrastim), including patterns of price erosion. Methods: ASP Pricing Files were retrieved from 2011Q2 to 2024Q4 to calculate the respective ASPs. The evolution of ASP, including erosion patterns, was assessed using three strategies. First, we calculated multiple metrics: differences in biosimilar-to-reference biologic ASP at biosimilar entry, biosimilar ASP percent decline since entry, cumulative percent increase in reference biologic ASP pre-biosimilar entry, average quarterly percent increase in reference biologic ASP pre-biosimilar entry, average quarterly percent decrease in reference biologic ASP post-biosimilar entry, and the ratio of reference biologic projected to actual ASP. Second, we visualized the ASP trends. Third, we determined the statistical significance of the observed ASP differences. Results: Three biosimilars were included for rituximab, four for bevacizumab, five for trastuzumab, and six for pegfilgrastim. At market entry, biosimilars showed ASPs 6.2%-23.2% lower than the reference biologic ASPs. Reductions from initial ASPs continued over time, with biosimilars' ASPs decreasing over time by 9.8%-92.2%. Prior to biosimilar market entry, reference biologic ASPs increased cumulatively by 37.9%-84.9%, with average quarterly increases of 0.92%-2.00%. This reversed post-biosimilar entry, with average quarterly decreases of 0.52%-10.00%. Projected ASPs, assuming no biosimilar entry, were higher than actual ASPs by 1.31-17.08 multiples. Pegfilgrastim exhibited a unique pattern, as biosimilars had and continued to have higher ASPs than reference biologic ASPs, with a 2.17-9.17 times increase in 2024Q2. Significant differences were observed in ASP trends for reference biologics pre- vs. post-biosimilar entry, except for trastuzumab; between reference biologics and biosimilars post-entry, except for pegfilgrastim; and among biosimilars. Conclusion: Biosimilar market entry has reduced ASPs of reference biologics and biosimilars, demonstrating their role in mitigating growth in total healthcare expenditures, particularly in the oncology setting. By lowering total treatment costs, biosimilars improve patient access and enhance the affordability of biologic therapy.
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  Changes in Federal Law and Policy: Effects on Cultural Resources in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

  Zedeno, Maria N.; O'Shaughnessy, Caitria; Lanoe, Francios; Towner, Ronald (The University of Arizona., 2025)

  This study examines how changes and waivers to federal regulations affect cultural resource management (CRM) professionals and the cultural resources they protect, focusing on Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument (ORPI) and the southern Arizona border region. Through document review and interviews with CRM practitioners, the research explores the impacts of the 2020 amendments to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the waivers issued under Section 102 of the REAL ID Act of 2005 for border wall construction. The findings reveal that while the 2020 NEPA changes had limited immediate effects on CRM professionals and cultural resources in ORPI, the use of law waivers under the REAL ID Act led to significant adverse impacts. The waivers removed legal requirements for environmental and cultural resource review, leading to insufficient impact prediction, reduced mitigation, and greater harm to resources and heritage sites, particularly at Quitobaquito Springs and along traditional Indigenous routes. The study underscores the importance of regulatory processes, agency communication, and professional involvement for effective cultural resource stewardship. It concludes that although regulatory streamlining may not greatly alter CRM practices in low-project areas like ORPI, removing legal safeguards through waivers poses substantial risks to both cultural resources and the professionals responsible for their protection.
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  Structures and Energetics of Bicyclic Organic Molecules Using Photoelectron Spectroscopy

  Sanov, Andrei; Cordova, Sydney (The University of Arizona., 2025)

  Organic molecules are important in chemistry and relevant to many applications. The bicyclic molecules of anthranil, 1,2-benzisoxazole, and benzoxazole are all made from a benzene ring and a five-membered ring containing a nitrogen and oxygen atoms. They are often used as scaffolds in medicinal chemistry and drug design. However, despite their notable use in synthesis, not much is known about the energetics of these molecules. Using photoelectron spectroscopy, the adiabatic electron affinities of anthranilyl and 1,2-benzisoxazolyl were measured. Anthranilyl has two distinct states, nearly overlapping electronic adiabatic electronic affinities of 3.12 eV and 3.34 eV, while for 1,2-benzisoxazolyl only one state is observed around 2.94 eV. The completion of these experiments allows for a broader comparison to be made between the isomer family and the five-membered rings. Combined with previous work done for the other three molecules, the effect that location of the heteroatoms has on the energies and electronic structures of the radical states can be analyzed. The results indicate that anthranilyl has the largest EA of the bicyclic isomers and the addition of the benzene ring causes additional ?-stabilization. The similarities in the behaviors between the bicyclic rings and the five-membered rings show that the addition of the benzene does not always have a large effect. This work brings light to the relationship between molecules in an isomer family and the effect that moving the heteroatoms can have.
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  Expanding the Primary Care Scholarship: Addressing Physician Shortages by Including Emergency Medicine in Rural and Underserved Arizona

  Pandey, Ritu; Romero-Garma, Armando; Min Simpkins, Alice A.; Kurland, Jason (The University of Arizona., 2025)

  Arizona is facing an escalating Primary Care Physician shortage, with rural and underserved communities experiencing the most severe impacts. Despite their critical role in providing frontline care, Emergency Medicine physicians are currently excluded from the University of Arizona Primary Care Scholarship—a program designed to incentivize healthcare providers to work in Health Professional Shortage Areas. This thesis advocates for expanding scholarship eligibility to include Emergency Medicine physicians, highlighting their in-practice role as primary care providers in high-need settings. Through a comprehensive analysis, this thesis redefines what constitutes primary care in today’s healthcare landscape and examines the inconsistency in specialty classification across institutions, and further expansion of the scholarship criteria to accommodate and include Emergency Medicine. For instance, while the Association of American Medical Colleges does not classify General Surgery or Psychiatry as primary care, the University of Arizona includes them as eligible under the scholarship—raising questions about the criteria used. Meanwhile, the University of Arizona’s own Primary Care Physician Workforce Report recognizes Emergency Medicine as a primary care specialty and supports rural emergency rotations for Emergency Medicine residents. The thesis also presents original workforce data showing that Emergency Medicine ranks second behind Family Medicine in the number of physicians practicing in rural areas, surpassing Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, and General Surgery. It documents a growing national trend of patients turning to emergency departments for non-emergent, primary care-level services, and details how the Emergency Medicine physician shortage forces Family Medicine doctors to split time between clinics and emergency departments—ultimately reducing primary care productivity. Curriculum analysis from the University of Arizona South Campus Emergency Medicine residency program reveals that Emergency Medicine residents, especially those on the Rural/Border/Global Health Track, receive substantial primary care-relevant training. Additionally, this report explores how expanded training, integrated systems, and financial incentives—like loan repayment and scholarships—are crucial to supporting Emergency Medicine physicians' dual role. By making Emergency Medicine physicians eligible for the University of Arizona Primary Care Scholarship, Arizona can better align its workforce strategies with on-the-ground realities, ultimately strengthening care access and equity in underserved regions.
• Expanding Triazabutadiene Applications Beyond Tyrosine and Histidine Reactivity

  Jewett, John; Goraum, Keren-ha Chávez; Christie, Hamish; Tomasiak, Thomas; Taylor, Michael (The University of Arizona., 2025)

  This thesis aims to expand the applications of diazonium ion chemistry beyond its traditional use in modifying tyrosine and histidine residues. Central to this work is the use of triazabutadienes (TBD), which serve as latent diazonium ion precursors capable of controlled activation under mild conditions.A major outcome of this work is a proof of concept for a pro-fluorogenic triazabutadiene. The design of this novel class of probes combines three key features relevant to advancing tools in chemical biology: logic gated systems, biological activation, and fluorescence-based reporting. In parallel, a new class of triazabutadienes was synthesized to generate alkyl diazonium ions – an underexplored but highly reactive species. These were shown to covalently label proteins, highlighting their potential for proximity labeling and other applications where short-lived, spatially restricted reactivity is desired. Finally, a series of exploratory studies support ongoing research efforts and point toward several key opportunities for expanding the capabilities of diazonium ion-based chemistry.

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