Brazos is a collection of poetry that comments on and critiques life in a small town in Texas. These poems situate the speaker both in this town and in spaces removed from the town, but the work always grapples with questions of how the speaker identifies himself via the relationship to that space. The creative portion is accompanied by a critical introduction that looks at the intersections of poetry and the lyric essay.

Four species of net-spinning caddisflies, Hydropsyche simulans Ross, Cheumatopsyche lasia Ross, Cheumatopsyche campyla Ross and Chimarra obscura (Walker) are common in the regulated portions of the Brazos River. Hydropsyche simulans spun capture nets with the largest meshdimensions; the two Cheumatopsyche species' nets had the next largest meshes, and Chimarra obscura spun nets with the smallest dimensions. Cheumatopsyche lasia and C. campyla constructed nets with similar sized meshes. The number of individuals m~2 and standing crop biomass were not significantly different among low, medium, and high velocities. Early hydropsychid instars fed on detritus while later instar H. simulans and C. campyla had larger proportions of animal material. Guts of later instar C. lasia individuals had a greater percentage of algae and diatoms.

Bottom sediment from a 750-square-mile area offshore from the mouth of the Brazos River, Texas, has been analyzed statistically to determine the pattern and processes of sedimentation of the neritic environment and of a modern delta. The Brazos delta is characterized by topset beds of poorly sorted laminated sand, silt, and clay, foreset beds dipping at approximately 1° composed of fine sand grading downward (seaward) into clay, and poorly developed bottomset beds representing slow deposition of clay from the Brazos combined with reworking of material from a submerged Pleistocene deltaic plain. Interpretation of the sediment on the basis of its modal characteristics indicates that effective sorting by waves develops a unique uniform distribution of sediment types from the beach to a depth of 60 feet. Farther offshore from this depth exotic agents such as hurricanes and uncharted bottom currents are predominant and act to bring "obstacles" (topographic irregularities) into a marine profile of equilibrium. Maps of sediment types, mean size, inclusive standard deviation, inclusive skewness, and kurtosis precisely describe the geologic history of the surface sediments. Individual and bivariant plots of the statistical parameters are shown to be useful in determining direction to the shoreline as well as completely defining the modality of the sediment, which in effect defines the environment of deposition. Fluctuations in source area are reflected by the relation of mean size and depth. Heavy mineral distribution shows that the suite of durable minerals carried by the present Brazos River is diluting an existing widespread suite of less durable minerals characteristic of the Colorado River drainage area. Variation in clay mineral composition results from differential sedimentation and reflects source area, providing no evidence of alteration of the clay minerals during deposition by diagenesis. / text

Thesis (M.S.)--Texas A & M University, 2003. / "December 2003." Includes bibliographical references (p. 56-64).

La presente Tesis está orientada a la práctica estudiantil, cuyo objetivo principal, es determinar la incidencia del control en el proceso de fabricación de Tarjetas Impresas; obteniéndose como beneficios la disminución de equipos, costos y tiempo. A fin de poder controlar cada proceso que van a utilizar los Brazos Robot, mediante la aplicación del PLC, que será la unidad central de control enlazada al módulo de la Red AS-Interface; pudiéndose a través del monitoreo controlar el proceso. El Proyecto, considera una planta con tres estaciones: ensamblaje, soldadura y plataforma; considerados como partes importantes para el desarrollo de la fabricación de tarjetas impresas. Las referidas aplicaciones, deben ser evaluadas cuidadosamente por el operador o el propio estudiante, a fin asegurar que se requiere realmente el uso de los Brazos Robot. La capacidad funcional de los Brazos Robot va a ir aumentando, a medida que se comercialicen nuevos diseños, los que sin duda tendrán un papel fundamental para incrementar la producción de tarjetas en el futuro. La automatización hoy en día, es más requerida que nunca, debido a la necesidad de disminuir errores y aumentar la producción; puntos importantes para ser competitivos en el mercado interno y externo; para lo cual, es necesario modernizar adecuadamente el equipamiento permitiendo de esta manera aumentar la productividad con una mayor eficiencia y calidad.

This study aims to document the dinoflagellate cyst biostratigraphy and paleoenvironmental record of the Maastrichtian Neylandville and Corsicana Formations and the lower part of the Danian Kincaid Formation from the Brazos River, Texas. Rock samples are exposed to standard palynological methods for biostratigraphic interpretations. The quantitative data collected from palynological samples are combined with δ13C and δ18O stable isotope geochemistry and TEX86 and BIT Index organic geochemistry data for paleoenvironmental interpretations. Biostratigraphically important species of dinoflagellates divide the section into three intervals. Interval 1 occurs within the Neylandville Formation, and the presence of Alterbidinium acutulum, Xenascus ceratioides and Isabelidinium cooksoniae indicate that this interval is not younger than early Maastrichtian. Interval 2 represents the Corsicana Formation. The presence of the late Maastrichtian species Disphaerogena carposphaeropsis, Palynodinium grallator and Deflandrea galeata at the base of the Corsicana Formation indicate that this interval is of late Maastrichtian age. Interval 3 occurs within the Kincaid Formation. The presence of Carpetalla cornuta and Damassadinium californicum at the base of the Kincaid Formation indicates that this interval is of Danian age. Previously published Gulf of Mexico palynology studies, as well as planktonic foraminifera and nannoplankton data confirm the age assignments of the studied interval. Dinoflagellate species assemblages increase in diversity upwards from Interval 1 to Interval 2, and then show a small decrease above the K-Pg boundary within Interval 3, indicating that the K-Pg event was not catastrophic for the dinoflagellates. The Cerodinium spp. and Spiniferites spp. complex comprise a large proportion of the species within the section. High abundance peaks of Glaphyrocysta spp., Cribroperidinium spp., and Yolkinigymnium lanceolatum occur within Interval 2. Two intervals in the section are dominated by peridinioid dinoflagellates, measured by the Peridinioid/Gonyaulacoid (P/G) ratio. The first one occurs within Interval 2 and contains peaks of the P/G ratio that correlate with increases in δ13C, suggestive of an increase in paleoproductivity. Two more peaks occur within Interval 3. Bottom water δ18O temperatures determined from benthic foraminifera and sea surface temperatures determined from TEX86 organic geochemistry show an overall cooling trend from Early Maastrichtian to the K-Pg boundary.

Larval, pupal and adult samples of Culoptila cantha, from a large riffle of the Brazos River in north-central Texas from January, 1995 to March, 1997, indicated a predominately trivoltine cycle during both years; the over-wintering generation spanned 6-7 months and warm-season generations spanned 2-3 months. Eggs, larvae of all instars, larval cases, case reconstruction progression and behavior, pupae, and adults are described.

The objective of this study was to determine the kinds and numbers of food organisms consumed by Corydalus cornutus, and to investigate its periodicity of feeding during the spring months in the Brazos River, Palo Pinto County, Texas. A total of 468 larvae were collected at two-week intervals from February 29 to May 14, 1971. Larvae were taken at opportunity during three periods of the day, 6am.-12pm., 12pm.-6pm., and 6pm.-12am. A total of 23 different food items was observed in the 121 stomachs containing food. An expedient method of dissection of the digestive tract is included.

Stability of the macrobenthic community in a regulated section of the Brazos River, Texas, was evaluated. Physicochemical data and information on spatial distribution of macrobenthos were collected. Populations of two invertebrate species, Isonychia sicca and Neoperla clymene, had been greatly reduced since 1970-71 and I. sicca had been practically eliminated from this section of the Brazos. Three other insect populations, Choroterpes mexicanus, Cheumatopsche campyla and Cheumatopsyche lasia, had more than doubled their numbers since the 1970-71 study. A physicochemical gradient existed in this regulated section of the Brazos but it appeared to have changed little in comparison of earlier chemical data. A gradation of the macrobenthic community was evident as distance from the dam increased,

Quantification of stream macrobenthos populations has remained a perplexing problem in rivbrine ecology, despite numerous attempts at improvement. This is in part due to well documented variations in chemical and physical parameters locally and geographically, and resultant adapted macrobenthos populations. Southwood (1968) and Hynes (1970a) have reviewed the various sampling techniques developed'for the census of lotic macrobenthos populations. Needham and Usinger (1956), Chutter (1969), and others have pointed out the difficulty in obtaining adequate numbers of samples which will yield population estimates with desired statistical confidence, and still maintain some degree of sampling economy. Needham and Usinger (1956) and Gaufin et al. (1956) mentioned the "patchy" distribution of aquatic insect populations as the primary source of this difficulty. The concept of patchy distribution in insect populations was originally discussed by Andrewartha (1961). Attempts to improve confidence through improved sampling devices and techniques have led to development of numerous types of samplers. Cummins (1962) indicated that there were almost as many samplers as there were researchers.