One of the most prolific and recognized young Mexican writers is Cristina Rivera-Garza. Carlos Fuentes described her novel Nadie me verá llorar, as one of the most notable literary works in this century. Born in Matamoros, Tamps., México, 1964, she completed her B.A. in Sociology at the UNAM in Mexico City (1987), an M.A. (1993) and Ph.D. in Latin-American History at the University of Houston (1995). She worked as an Associate Professor at San Diego State University where she taught Mexican History (1997-2000). She has won several Literary Awards and received the National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship in 2000. The purpose of this research is to study the genre and gender borders evident in her works. a) In the literary genre aspect, the author’s works show an interrelation between the documented Historical narrative and the stories at the margin of that narrative. b) In the generic-sex aspect, the identities borders between the different sexualities (hetero and homo sexual), are blurred in the characters of this author. We study the author’s handling of concepts like gender, literary and sexual, and the ways she crosses boundaries to give shape to a body: a physical body that inhabits an unstable identity, and shows a performance that adapts itself in certain contexts; a historic body that dialogues with the official History and reclaims those stories that stayed at the margin of it. In the Introduction we will focus on the author’s bio-bibliography and elaborate, using existing theoretical concepts, on the literary genre and the theory of sexual orientation that will help explain her work. Chapter one is a general review of Rivera-Garza’s work and the context in which it takes place. Chapter two studies two of her short stories books, La guerra no importa (1991), and Ningún reloj cuenta esto (2001); Chapter three studies the sexual orientation and its relationship with gender identity in two novels, La cresta de Ilión (2002), and Lo anterior (2004). The final chapter is the conclusion. / text

It was the purpose of this investigation to attempt to demonstrate if differences in eutrophic levels existed among selected areas of Garza-Little Elm, and to demonstrate the role that sediments play in affecting eutrophication.

The purpose of this study was to examine the suitability of the YSI model 6600 Environmental Monitoring System (multiprobe) for long term deployment at a site in Lewisville Lake, Texas. Specifically, agreement between a laboratory extraction procedure and the multiprobe chlorophyll/fluorescence readings was examined. Preliminary studies involved determining the best method for disrupting algal cells prior to analysis and examining the precision and linearity of the acetone extraction procedure. Cell disruption by mortar and pestle grinding was preferable to bath sonication. Comparison of the chlorophyll/fluorescence readings from the multiprobe and the extraction procedure indicated that they were significantly correlated but temperature dependent.

The spatial and temporal distribution of Methyl Tertiary-Butyl Ether (MTBE) and BTEX (Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, Xylenes) compounds were assessed in a multipurpose reservoir, Lake Lewisville, Texas between February 1999 and February 2000. Concentrations of MTBE ranged from 0.0 - 16.7 mg/L. Levels of MTBE in the lake were related to watercraft. BTEX concentrations were never detected above 2.0 mg/L during the sampling period. Finished drinking water from Denton and the Upper Trinity Regional Water District (UTRWD) Treatment Plants were also tested for MTBE and BTEX. MTBE and BTEX were not detected in UTRWD water samples. Denton's finished water samples never exceeded 2.2 mg/L for MTBE and BTEX was not detected except for one replicate of 1.1 mg/L toluene.

A large, multi-basin, reservoir (Garza-Little Elm Reservoir) in north central Texas was studied to determine the relative effects of various parameters on primary productivity. The basins were impounded several years apart,thus allowing the influence of age on water chemistry and biota to be considered. Another principal influence on water quality was secondary sewage effluent that entered one basin from a nearby source.

A large, multi-basin reservoir (Garza-Little Elm Reservoir) in north central Texas was studied to determine the relative effects of various parameters on primary productivity. The basins were impounded several years apart, thus allowing the influence of age on water chemistry and biota to be considered. Another principal influence on water quality was secondary sewage effluent that entered one basin from a nearby source.

This study is for the purpose of determining the chemical content of typical artificial reservoir bottom deposits.

A study to determine the organic content of Lake Dallas, and study the influence on plankton growth.

Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area (LLELA) is an 809-hectare property in Denton County, TX. A study of the vegetation community identified 466 species in 104 families, with 25% of the species from only two families, Asteraceae and Poaceae. The property demonstrates the characteristics of an early successional community, dominated by weedy species. Prairie communities are dominated by Johnson grass and ragweed, with climax tall grass prairie communities only in areas that have been planted with native grass seed. Forest communities are similarly in an early successional stage, dominated by the hackberry-elm-ash alliance, with small remnants of native Cross Timbers found in isolated patches. Species richness and diversity were highest in the forests and lowest in the wetlands; evenness, though not different across ecosystems, demonstrated a strong seasonal component. The species list was compared with previously reported lists for Denton County, and 256 species identified had not been previously reported for the county. A wetland restoration study was conducted to determine if there was a difference in survival and growth between potted transplants with intact root systems and bare-root transplants. Two different mesh sizes were used for protection, and the success of the different caging was evaluated. Of eight species, only four survived through the second growing season. There was no significant difference in the success of the propagule types for Sagittaria latifolia. The treatments planted with intact root systems showed significantly higher growth and reproduction than the bare-root treatments for Eleocharis quadrangulata, Heteranthera dubia, and Vallisneria americana. There was no survival recorded in the coarse mesh cages, likely due to the presence of crayfish that are able to get through the coarser mesh and feed on the transplants.

The purpose of this investigation is to compare the dissolved and suspended organic material in Lake Dallas to that coming into the lake through Pecan Creek.