Digital Commons Network^™

Gender Differences In Presenting Symptoms, Treatment, And Outcome In Myocardial Infarction, Alona Dalusung-Angosta

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purposes of this study were to compare the presenting symptoms, treatment, and outcome between men and women with MI. The study sample consisted of 300 patients (N = 300) who were diagnosed with MI in a county hospital in the Southwest area of the United States.

Chest pain, shortness of breath, sweating, and left arm pain were the most common symptoms reported by both genders. Men had more chest pain than their women counterparts (p = .022). No significant difference was found in the cardiac enzyme levels between both genders. Men had more Q wave changes during MI than …

Will Succession Planning At The Department Of Energy/Nevada Succeed?, James H. Winget

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The topic of this professional paper is the succession planning program at the Department of Energy Nevada Operations Office (DOE/NV). I have prepared this paper for the Department of Public Administration in partial fulfillment of a Masters of Public Administration degree. The paper centers on the interpretation of data that was received through an office-wide survey of the staff and leaders of the DOE/NV. The data presented supports the theory that there may be significant weaknesses found in the current structure of the succession planning that may directly affect whether or not the program will succeed. The analyses performed focuses …

The Phenomenology Of Panic Disorder In Adolescents, Wesley D Allan

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The Phenomenology of Panic Disorder in Adolescents examines correlates of panic disorder in adolescents. Specifically, 20 adolescents with panic disorder were compared with 20 adolescents with a non-panic anxiety disorder (e.g., overanxious disorder). Results showed that adolescents with panic disorder displayed higher levels of anxiety sensitivity (i.e., anxiety pertaining to the symptoms of anxiety such as heart palpitations). Based on the obtained results, anxiety sensitivity is proposed as a potentially critical variable in the examination of adolescent panic disorder.

Financing Public Infrastructure: A Case Study On Whether Development Impact Fees & Exactions Or Property Taxes Should Be Used To Support The Financing Of New Public Infrastructure, John P. Korkosz

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Development impact fees and exactions are financing mechanisms that local governments increasingly use to finance the cost of public infrastructure. The primary reason that local governments favor development impact fees and exactions to finance public infrastructure is that the costs associated with growth falls on developers. Two legal cases --Golden v. The Planning Board of The Town of Ramapo, New York and the Construction Industry Association of Sonoma County v. The City of Petaluma, California-- serve as the basis for the support of development impact fees and exactions as a method to manage growth (So & Getzels: 53, 1988).

Evoked Expectations And Evaluational Reactions To Accented English, Caridad F. Brito

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Researchers have found that variations in listeners' judgments of speakers are associated with the speakers' accent. It was hypothesized that: (1) Spanish accented speakers would be evaluated less favorably than standard English speakers; (2) listeners would rate both accented and non-accented speakers on the basis of their expectations and not according to the speakers' actual vocal characteristics; (3) listeners would evaluate speakers differently, depending upon the lexical complexity of the speech utilized by speakers; and (4) listeners would evaluate standard and nonstandard English speakers differently, depending upon the speakers' gender. One hundred-twenty subjects evaluated four speakers on semantic differential type …

The Effect Of Developmental Disabilities On The Externalizing Behavior Of Siblings, Tiffany Kara Kostelec

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Early intervention for children with developmental disabilities or delays has become an important topic in the fields of education and psychology. Equally as important are the effects on children who are typically developing if one or more of their siblings is a child with a disability. Particularly of interest in this study was the level of externalizing behavior displayed by the typically developing siblings of children who have disabilities; This study compared the externalizing behavior (measured by the CBCL) of 16 siblings of children who have developmental disabilities with the externalizing behavior of 14 siblings of children who are typically …

Film And Architecture: Discovering The Self-Reflection Of Frank Capra And Frank Lloyd Wright Through Contextual Analysis, Marie Lynore Kohler

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Film and architecture were analyzed to evaluate the rhetorical potential these media hold in communicating the self-reflection of their creators. In an attempt to uncover common communication elements which further link the relationship between film and architecture, specific works of director Frank Capra and architect Frank Lloyd Wright were examined. The study utilizes both an historical, case study approach, combined with a contextual analysis of two selected works. Because Zettl's (1990) theory of applied media aesthetics emphasizes the importance of the medium in the communication process, this methodology was applied to Capra's film It's A Wonderful Life and Wright's building …

A Downward Spiral: Young People, The Media, And Political Disengagement, Jacqueline M Maloy

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This study examines whether political disengagement is related to the amount and/or type of television that young people watch. The study was conducted through survey research at University of Nevada, Las Vegas, with over one hundred undergraduate participants. It demonstrates that there is no relationship between the amount of television which students watch and their political engagement. However, it also demonstrates that there is a relationship between the types of television programs which students watch and their attitudes toward politics and politicians. Frequent viewers of local news feel less trusting toward the government in Washington, whereas frequent viewers of late-night …

The Effect Of Feedback At Test On Source Memory Performance, Shelby Kainani Morita

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Previous research has demonstrated that witnesses can come to believe they saw details that were only suggested to them after the witnessed event. For both theoretical and practical reasons, there is interest in developing techniques that reduce the effect of misleading post-event information. The present study examined the effect of receiving feedback at the time of retrieval on eyewitness suggestibility. All participants watched a videotaped crime of a home burglary and then answered questions that contained misleading information. On a final source memory test, participants that were provided with feedback as to the accuracy of their attributions during the first …

Traditional Vs Nontraditional Gendered Roles In Instant Relay Chat, Jennifer Audrey Del Quadro

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Communication technology, such as the Internet, reflects social norms in society, including gender roles. The author explored traditional and nontraditional gender roles in Instant Relay Chat (IRC) rooms. This quantitative study tested five hypotheses: H1: Participants who portray themselves as women tend to use more supportive language than men in IRC; H2: Participants who portray themselves as women tend to use more attenuated language than men in IRC; H3: Participants who portray themselves as women tend to use more graphic accents (GA) than men in IRC; H4: Participants who portray themselves as men tend to use more challenging language than …

The Rise And Fall Of A Wall And A Dialect: Observations Of Shifting Linguistic Behavior Among Former East Berliners, Anja Vogel

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

After the dividing wall between East and West Berlin fell in 1989 many changes occurred on what was formerly the eastern side of the city. Polls taken soon after found out that the East Berliners' excitement about the reunification vanished quickly. One of the more prominent---but largely ignored---new problems was the linguistic barrier that had developed between East and West during the forty years of separation; The people in and around Berlin speak a regional dialect, Berlinish. Unbeknownst to most Berliners, the dialect took on a vastly different symbolic meaning for the people in the West than it did for …

Attitude Of Gaming Employees Towards Problem Gambling: How It Affects Their Learning At An Awareness Training, Lisa Michelle Bybee

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to analyze the efficacy of a problem gambling training class to train adult learners and to determine whether the attitude of this sample towards problem gambling affects their ability to learn about this issue. A survey instrument was designed by the author. The researcher used frequency distribution, crosstabulations, and linear regression to analyze the collected data. The survey sample consisted of adult gaming employees in Las Vegas who attended compulsory problem gambling awareness training; What makes this topic, problem gambling, provocative is that people have difficulty accepting that the pursuit of the intangible product …

Effects Of Location, Size, And Animation On The Response Rate To A Promotional Web Banner, Rhett Pono Ferguson

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the layout and design of promotional Web banners on a company home page. To accomplish this, three variables; location, size and animation were used to test their effect on the response rate to those banners. Response rates were calculated by dividing the total number of click-throughs to the banner by the total number of visits to the Web pages. In each case, a relationship existed between the variable and the response rate. The results of this study also show that both animation and size can have a positive effect on response rate. …

Communicating The Risks And Hazards Of Methylmercury To The Ojibwe Population, Glenna Lee

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Fatal poisonings due to the consumption of fish containing high concentrations of methylmercury have been well documented, and demonstrate that the consumption of mercury-contaminated fish and other organisms can contribute to adverse human health effects. Native Americans of the Great Lakes region are one of the populations potentially subjected to greater concentrations of methylmercury than the general population because fishery is an integral part of their culture. The purpose of this study is to investigate the Ojibwe of the Great Lakes region's understanding of the risks and hazards associated with the consumption of fish contaminated with methylmercury and increase their …

Identifying Critical Service Incidents That Have An Effect On Guest Satisfaction In A Central American Luxury Hotel, Kimberly Jean Jacobs

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify critical service incidents that have an effect on guest satisfaction in a Central American luxury hotel. Customer-contact employee and guest perceptions of what is classified as a critical incident, as well as differences between Latin American and North American guest perceptions, were compared. Data was collected through one-on-one interview with guests and employees using the Critical Incident Technique. The results of the study were compared to two other studies that had created incident classification systems. The results of this study supported the research of Bitner, Booms, and Tetreault, in 1990 and Bitner, …

Self-Management Of Chronic Pain By Patients With Arthritis, Joan K Rogers

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The insistent presence of pain for the millions of persons with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis can drastically reduce an individual's quality of life. Self-management approaches for arthritis pain relief are being emphasized and individuals needs a medley of pain management methods to select from to help manage arthritis pain; The Pain Management Inventory (PMI) was used in a descriptive design with a convenience sample (n = 91) to identify pain management methods individuals with arthritis use and find helpful. Exercising was the method used by the largest number of respondents and was also perceived as most helpful. The methods used …

A Comparative Analysis Of Indonesian And Philippino Contraceptive Determinants And Use, Emily Dora Norman

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This exploratory study investigates the contraceptive determinants affecting the variation behind different contraceptive use patterns in Indonesia and the Philippines. I analyze how much effect various determinants have on use patterns and whether these same determinants are relevant to a similar degree in both countries. Several demographic studies have indicated that while education and other socio-economic; variables play a large role in contraceptive use, other factors are pertinent as well. Physical access in terms of distance to a facility or ease in reaching it is one concept. In addition, informational access via availability of mass media and the related function …

Sex, Gender And Genesis: A Cixousian Exploration Of Language In The Gay Marriage Debates, Nancy Jean Martin

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

How does language structure patriarchy? How are gendered language and creation story imagery evidenced in contemporary debates on gay marriage? Helene Cixous suggests that Western thought is organized around binary, hierarchical oppositions---the most fundamental of which are male over female and masculine over feminine. Language and its connections to psychological and her/historical origins are central to her work. Cixous suggests that the separation of male and female, masculine and feminine, result in a war of sexual difference. I explore these themes with a feminist deconstruction of Internet sites in support of and against gay marriage. I then utilize Cixous's feminine …

A Study Of Relationships Between Job Satisfaction And Organizational Commitment Among Restaurant Employees, David Anthony Vondrasek

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Purpose. The purpose of this study is to gain a better understanding of the relationship of job satisfaction and organizational commitment within two locations of a national restaurant chain in Clark County, Nevada. This research attempts to uncover the basic characteristics and attitudes of food and beverage employees. Through a survey instrument, this study will reveal some of the homogeneous traits these employees exhibit; Methodology. Through the research, two questions were addressed. The first research questions was: Are there any demographic traits of these restaurant employees that significantly affect their job satisfaction? The second research question addressed was: Do restaurant …

The Relationship Between The Health-Promoting Practices Of Advanced Practice Nurses And Their Counseling Of Patients, Wanda Marie Boyer

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Among healthcare professionals, there is little research on health promotion and health-promoting practices, particularly advanced practice nurses (APN's) The literature also reveals a paucity of research on the counseling practices of APN's. The purpose of this descriptive, correlational study was to examine the relationships between selected variables, derived from Pender's revised Health Promotion Model (1996), and the degree to which they explain advanced practice nurses' current practice of health-promoting behaviors from a random sample of APN's (N = 357). The random sample was obtained from the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners. The study also described the relationship between these behaviors …

Gis-Based Evaluation Of Mid-Block Pedestrian Crossing Safety, Zhenzhong Cui

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Transportation related problems have become one of the most pressing and visible concerns of urban life. One major aspect of safety relates to pedestrian crossings, especially pedestrian crossings away from an intersection i.e. at mid-block locations. There is need to develop a program to address mid-block pedestrian crashes (MBPC) to better understand them. This thesis describes the development of set of tools designed to help better understand MBPCs. Included are general statistical methods, GIS database, and visualization interface software; This thesis evaluates the potential of spatial clustering techniques and nearest neighbor methods to identify areas where high concentrations of mid-block …

The Effects Of Level Of Training On Employee Perceived Empowerment, Commitment And Job Performance, Pamela Dawn Backeberg

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Billions of dollars are spent yearly on employee training. Yet employers often find it difficult to measure whether the training has any real effect. Due to the vast resources allocated to training, it is important to fully understand its impact. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of level of training on employees' perceived psychological empowerment, commitment, and resultant job performance within the hospitality industry. Data were collected from 158 Air Force employees working on one of two military bases in the areas of food service, lodging, recreation, fitness, linen exchange, and mortuary affairs. Specifically, this research …

Effects Of A 30-Minute Walk On Ground Reaction Forces During Walking With An External Load, Cheryl M Cardillo

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

To investigate effects of a 30-minute walk on kinetics of walking with an external load, ten subjects performed five walking trials across a force platform for five conditions. Walking speed was 1.57m/s for all conditions. The first two conditions had subjects walk without (C1) and with (C2) backpack load. Subjects then walked on a treadmill at 1.57m/s for 30 minutes. At 10 minute intervals GRF data were collected. In comparing C1 and C2, dependent variables F1, F2, and Favg revealed increases of 10.45%, 13.68%, and 11.75% respectively (p < 0.01) indicating a mechanical response. No effect for time was observed for any variable tested. Therefore, the null hypothesis that load does not have an effect on vertical GRF was rejected. The null hypothesis that time does not have an effect on vertical GRF was not rejected. Overall, forces were elevated during load carrying, which may result in added stress on anatomical structures.

A Study Of The Effect Of Computer/Internet Usage On Slot/Video Machine Players' Gambling Behaviors, Howook (Sean) Chang

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The Age of Information has changed the way we live since personal computers outsold TV sets, and the number of emails exceeded the number of regular stamped letters. For the last decade, the Las Vegas gaming market has changed toward not only the lavish gambling field that houses computerized slot/video machines and high speed Internet ready hotel rooms, but also a family entertainment resort and a major convention destination. These facts raised the question of how many computer/Internet literate gamblers are in Las Vegas, and whether it would influence on their slot/video machine gambling behaviors. This study found that 70% …

The Ban On Reason: Gays In The Military, Justin Cohen

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This thesis seeks to explain how and why President Bill Clinton's 1993 attempt to drop the ban on homosexuals serving in the military was vehemently opposed by key stakeholders, even though empirical evidence strongly indicates that the ban is unwarranted and conflicts with America's democratic ethos; The theoretical framework for this paper is based on Roger Cobb and Charles Elder's writings on the political use of symbols. By manipulating cultural symbols, such as that of the masculine warrior, opponents of policy change forced Clinton into a compromise, the unsuccessful "don't ask, don't tell" policy. In torpedoing Clinton's effort, these antagonists …

Factors That Influence Why Elderly Receive Influenza Immunizations, Lynn Marie Ferebee

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine what variables influence elderly persons to obtain the recommended annual influenza immunization. The Health Belief Model provided the hypotheses that were tested in the comparative descriptive design study. The convenience sample (N = 339) consisted of two groups: those who received the influenza vaccination (n = 267) and those who did not receive the vaccination (n = 72). The questionnaire was designed from the Health Belief Model for influenza immunization. The five predictor variables: susceptibility, perceived severity and threat, perceived benefits and barriers, were significantly related to the outcome of receiving influenza …

A Study Of The Effect Of Music Genre And Intensity On Ethnic Menu Item Selection In A Military Dining Facility, Tammy S Hinskton

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Restaurateurs spend millions of dollars yearly in the design, building, and renovations to their establishments. In many cases, atmosphere has a greater influence over consumers' purchase decisions than the product itself. One of the most easily and inexpensively adjusted element of the atmosphere is music; The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of music genre and intensity on patrons' ethnic menu item selection of a military dining facility in the Southwestern United States. The extent to which ethnic music could influence associated ethnic menu items was examined; Three research questions were formulated to address this issue. The …

Fear As A Predictor Of Firearm Ownership And Concealed Weapons Permits In Clark County, Nevada, Becky Beckstead Harris

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This study is specific to Clark County, Nevada. Two relationships, the relationship between fear and gun possession [defined in terms of firearms registration] and the relationship between fear and the issuance of concealed weapons permits, were posited. Data for the number of registered firearms and issued concealed weapons permits were obtained from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Firearms Detail and CCW Detail. Criminal incidents involving firearms in public areas that appeared to be random in nature [stranger to stranger violence] were gathered through an archive search of Nevada's largest newspaper servicing Clark County, the Las Vegas Review-Journal; Statistical analysis …

Re-Visionary Bodies: Feminist/Brechtian Theory In The Plays Of Paula Vogel, Shannon Kay Hammermeister

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Paula Vogel adapts Bertolt Brecht's Verfremdungseffekt, social gestus, historicization and episodic structure in the plays The Baltimore Waltz, And Baby Makes Seven, Hot 'N' Throbbing , and Desdemona: a play about a handkerchief to re-vision constructions of gender, sexuality and feminine desire, to re-define the American theatrical canon, and to create her own gestic, feminist theater. In The Baltimore Waltz, Vogel re-visions the AIDS virus in order to expose and critique stereotypes surrounding AIDS. In And Baby Makes Seven, Vogel engages in a revisionary dialogue with Edward Albee's classic Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? in order to question and reinvent …

The Effects Of Bios Life And Exercise On Total Cholesterol, Serum Low-Density Lipoprotein, And High-Density Lipoproteins, Lori Jan Inderlied-Rucks

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The present study was designed to determine the effects of Bios Life, a non-prescription dietary fiber supplement, on serum lipoproteins and determine whether exercise accentuates this effect. Fifty male and female subjects (ages 30--60) participated in the study. Twenty-five subjects were exercising regularly in a supervised exercise program and the other twenty-five were sedentary. All participants where required to have a LDL-C of 130 mg/dl or higher and none were on any cholesterol lowering medications. Blood was drawn three times at baseline, before the study started, 45 days into the program and at 90 days which was the end of …