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Positive Solutions To Semilinear Elliptic Equations With Logistic-Type Nonlinearities And Harvesting In Exterior Domains, Eric Jameson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Existing results provide the existence of positive solutions to a class of semilinear elliptic PDEs with logistic-type nonlinearities and harvesting terms both in RN and in bounded domains U ⊂ RN with N ≥ 3, when the carrying capacity of the environment is not constant. We consider these same equations in the exterior domain Ω, defined as the complement of the closed unit ball in RN , N ≥ 3, now with a Dirichlet boundary condition. We first show that the existing techniques forsolving these equations in the whole space RN can be applied to the exterior domain with some …

Exploring Teachers’ Beliefs And Practices On Mathematical Discourse For Diverse Students In Inclusive Classrooms, Gloria A. Carcoba Falomir

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The recent implementation of rigorous standards in mathematics education has required shifts in classroom practices. Standards-based instruction places large emphasis on students’ conceptual understanding, requiring them to demonstrate high cognitive levels of mastery of the content through communication of their mathematical reasoning. Teachers and students’ mathematical discursive practices in the classroom can lead to meaningful discussions that integrate students’ explanation, justification, and arguments of ideas or claims and understanding of the content. Research on teachers’ discursive practices has shown that (a) teacher talk tends to dominate classroom instruction and (b) classroom discourse lacks frequent opportunities for teacher-student and peer interactions. …

An Exploration Of The Numeracy Skills Required For Safe, Quality Nursing Practice, Anna Wendel

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to explore the numeracy skills required for safe, quality nursing practice. Using a descriptive mixed methods design, this study answered two research questions: 1) What numeracy skills do nurses perceive as important for providing safe, quality nursing care in the first three years of practice? 2) How do nurses incorporate numeracy skills into daily patient care during the first three years of practice? Early career nurses from a not-for-profit health care organization in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States (n=109) responded to an online survey tool developed by the student investigator that ranked …

Teaching A University Course On The Mathematics Of Gambling, Stewart N. Ethier, Fred M. Hoppe

UNLV Gaming Research & Review Journal

Courses on the mathematics of gambling have been offered by a number of colleges and universities, and for a number of reasons. In the past 15 years, at least seven potential textbooks for such a course have been published. In this article we objectively compare these books for their probability content, their gambling content, and their mathematical level, to see which ones might be most suitable, depending on student interests and abilities. This is not a book review (e.g., none of the books is recommended over others) but rather an essay offering advice about which topics to include in a …

Encryption And Decryption Using Matricies, Amit Etiel, James Parsons, Shawn Jenkins-Edwards

Math 365 Class Projects

Mathematician Lester Hill developed the Hill Cipher, the first mathematical encryption method ever developed, in 1929. This method was created in order to strengthen the level of security of previous methods and made it possible to encrypt more than three symbols at a time.

Rock Paper Scissors And Evolutionary Game Theory, Christian Cordova, Rudolf Jovero, Evan Thomas

Math 365 Class Projects

In Rock Paper Scissors (RPS), three different "species" compete, but no single species has a dominating strategy. In evolutionary game theory, replicator equations model population densities over time. When a mutation is introduced, they are called "replicator-mutator" equations. Using the replicator-mutator equation in [1] we have shown how population density of three species change.

Effects Of Integrating Mathematical Concepts Into A Nutrition Unit In The Animal Science Curriculum, Andrea R. Gardner, Brian K. Warnick, Rebecca G. Lawver

Journal of Research in Technical Careers

Achievement test scores in mathematics have been a concern among educators for many years. Teaching contextualized mathematics has been found to be effective and includes providing a direct application to real-life scenarios rather than teaching linear equations and algebraic principles in isolation. This study measured the effects of integrating mathematical skills in one instructional unit in an animal science curriculum. Students from eight schools participated in the research study. Students completed a pretest measuring their existing mathematical skills and self-efficacy in math. All students were taught a unit of instruction about animal nutrition and feeding. The control group received a …

An Enchanting Witchcraft: Masculinity, Melancholy, And The Pathology Of Gaming In Early Modern London, Celeste Chamberland

Occasional Papers

In seeking to illuminate the ways in which inchoate models of addiction emerged alongside the unprecedented popularity of gambling in Stuart London, this paper will explore the intersections between a rudimentary pathology of addiction and transformations in the epistemology of reason, the passions, and humoral psychology in the seventeenth century. By exploring the connections between endogenous and exogenous categories of mental illness, this study will examine the ways in which medicine, social expectations, and religion intersected in the seventeenth century alongside the historical relationship between evolving concepts of mental illness, stigma and the politics of blame and responsibility in the …

Array Of Accomplishment, Charles E. Reineke

UNLV Innovation

Shahram Latifi, a professor of electrical and computer engineering whose work explores a dizzying array of his discipline’s most complex areas, is the 2014 Harry Reid Silver State Research Award winner.

A Quasi-Classical Logic For Classical Mathematics, Henry Nikogosyan

Honors College Theses

Classical mathematics is a form of mathematics that has a large range of application; however, its application has boundaries. In this paper, I show that Sperber and Wilson’s concept of relevance can demarcate classical mathematics’ range of applicability by demarcating classical logic’s range of applicability. Furthermore, I introduce how to systematize Sperber and Wilson’s concept of relevance into a quasi-classical logic that can explain classical logic’s and classical mathematics’ range of applicability.

Dual Task Interference In Low-Level Abilities: The Role Of Working Memory And Effects Of Mathematics Anxiety, Alex Michael Moore

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Mathematics anxiety is a negative affective reaction to situations involving mathematical thought and is commonly believed to reduce cognitive functioning by impairing the efficient use of working memory resources. The conventional theory describes that the processing disadvantage associated with high levels of math anxiety increasingly impairs performance as working memory demands increase in a math task. Despite this convention, recent reports demonstrate that the high math anxious disadvantage can be measured in tasks that are relatively free of working memory assistance (Maloney, Ansari, & Fugelang, 2011; Maloney, Risko, Ansari, & Fugelsang, 2010). The present study examines these relatively low level …

Cracking The Code On Stem: A People Strategy For Nevada's Economy, Jessica A. Lee, Mark Muro, Jonathan Rothwell, Scott Andes, Siddharth Kulkarni

Brookings Mountain West Publications

Nevada has in place a plausible economic diversification strategy—and it’s beginning to work. Now, the state and its regions need to craft a people strategy. Specifically, the state needs to boost the number of Nevadans who possess at least some postsecondary training in the fields of science, technology, engineering, or math—the so-called “STEM” disciplines (to which some leaders add arts and design to make it “STEAM”).

The moment is urgent—and only heightened by the projected worker needs of Tesla Motors’ planned “gigafactory” for lithium-ion batteries in Storey County.

Even before the recent Tesla commitment, a number of the more high-tech …

Cracking The Code On Stem: A People Strategy For Nevada's Economy Executive Summary, Jessica A. Lee, Mark Muro, Jonathan Rothwell, Scott Andes, Siddharth Kulkarni

Brookings Mountain West Publications

Nevada has in place a plausible economic diversification strategy—and it’s beginning to work. Now, the state and its regions need to craft a people strategy. Specifically, the state needs to boost the number of Nevadans who possess at least some postsecondary training in the fields of science, technology, engineering, or math—the so-called “STEM” disciplines (to which some leaders add arts and design to make it “STEAM”).

The moment is urgent—and only heightened by the projected worker needs of Tesla Motors’ planned “gigafactory” for lithium-ion batteries in Storey County.

Even before the recent Tesla commitment, a number of the more high-tech …

The Hidden Stem Economy: The Surprising Diversity Of Jobs Requiring Science, Technology, Engineering, And Math Knowledge, Jonathan Rothwell

Brookings Scholar Lecture Series

Policy and businesses leaders have argued that there is a shortage of highly educated workers in professional occupations related to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Critics have countered that Ph.D scientists often face a difficult academic labor market and do not necessarily earn higher wages than other professionals. Yet, both sides of the STEM debate have been relying on an ill-defined definition of STEM work. Using a detailed survey of worker knowledge requirements, this research project redefines STEM jobs based on the level of knowledge required in STEM fields to perform occupations. The results uncover two facts previously unrecognized …

Toward Legalization Of Poker: The Skill Vs. Chance Debate, Robert C. Hannum, Anthony N. Cabot

UNLV Gaming Research & Review Journal

This paper sheds light on the age-old argument as to whether poker is a game in which skill predominates over chance or vice versa. Recent work addressing the issue of skill vs. chance is reviewed. This current study considers two different scenarios to address the issue: 1) a mathematical analysis supported by computer simulations of one random player and one skilled player in Texas Hold'Em, and 2) full-table simulation games of Texas Hold'Em and Seven Card Stud. Findings for scenario 1 showed the skilled player winning 97 percent of the hands. Findings for scenario 2 further reinforced that highly skilled …

Effects Of Explicit Subtraction Instruction On Fifth Grade Students With Learning Disabilities, Danielle Ferreira

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study involved an investigation of the effects of strategy instruction integrated with the concrete-representational-abstract teaching sequence on students with learning disabilities. A multiple probe design across subjects with one replication was used in this study. Two sets of data were analyzed to determine effectiveness of the independent variable (intervention lessons). The first data set consisted of pre and posttest percentage scores and the second data set consisted of baseline, intervention, and maintenance probe scores that were collected throughout the study per the parameters of a multiple probe design. The probe scores were plotted in line graph format and analyzed …

German Mathematics Teachers' Subject Content And Pedagogical Content Knowledge, Teresa A Leavitt

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

How required teacher knowledge is obtained is debated in today's educational context. This dichotomy in acquisition of teacher knowledge between university training including content and pedagogy versus classroom experiences combined with strong subject background has become particularly important as the U.S. seeks to find key components to increase student achievement and to improve education. International comparisons indicating the U.S. consistently lags behind top-performing countries have spurred such efforts; Review of existing literature exposed differences in what is considered necessary knowledge for effective teaching, and where such knowledge can be developed. Types of knowledge and where such knowledge is acquired are …

Exploring The Relationship Between Teachers' Beliefs In Mathematics And Their Instructional Practice, Michelle Vander Veldt

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This study explored the relationship between teachers' beliefs about mathematics and their instructional practices. The personal epistemology of the case study elementary mathematics teachers was documented and analyzed to provide evidence of the connection between teachers' beliefs and practice in an elementary school setting; This study was grounded in a theoretical framework of epistemological world views, particularly the comparison of belief across three epistemological world views: (1) the realist, (2) the contextualist, and (3) the relativist. Three areas of beliefs are addressed in this study: (1) beliefs about curriculum, (2) beliefs about pedagogy, and (3) beliefs about assessment. Through analysis …

Pre-Service Secondary Mathematics Teachers' Attitudes About The History Of Mathematics, Kelly Marie Sullivan

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This study was conducted to show that using historical material to teach mathematical content to pre-service secondary mathematics teachers could improve their attitudes about incorporating the history of mathematics into the mathematics classroom. A historical module from the Mathematical Association of America was taught to an undergraduate class of pre-service secondary mathematics teachers. Their attitudes regarding the use of the history of mathematics in the mathematics classroom were then compared to the attitudes of students in another undergraduate class, taught by the same researcher, whose instruction did not incorporate history. Results from t-tests indicate that there was a positive change …

Vertical Equating Of Curriculum-Based Tests In Reading, Mathematics, And Language Arts, Judith Susan Gage Costa

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Vertical equating of a large urban school district's curriculum-based achievement tests for students in grades one through five was performed by using the BILOG-MG software package produced by Zimowski, Muraki, Mislevy, and Bock. This software extends the application of the item response theory (IRT) approach to test analysis to testing situations involving multiple groups BILOG-MG, item parameter estimates were derived using a marginal maximum a posteriori approach in combination with an expectation-maximization algorithm (EM). Estimates of examinee ability were produced using the Bayesian, or expected a posteriori, estimate with a normal prior distribution; Linkage of successive test forms was accomplished …

Attitudes And Beliefs Of Preservice Elementary School Teachers Towards Mathematics, Deborah Beam Ingalls

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This study purposed to see if measurable changes could be detected in prospective teachers' attitudes or beliefs about mathematics as teachers progressed through their required courses of study in mathematics and mathematics education. The study included 164 prospective elementary school teachers who were enrolled in one of three mathematics or mathematics education courses. The subjects responded to a survey based on common "mathematics myths." The mathematics myths correspond to mathematical beliefs shown in other research to be held by severely math anxious or math avoidant people. The study found that students disagreed more with the mathematics myths as they progressed …

The Effects Of Mathematics Methods Courses On The Mathematical Attitudes, Content Knowledge, And Pedagogical Beliefs Of Preservice Teachers, Robert John Quinn

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This study investigated the effects of mathematics methods courses on the mathematical attitudes, content knowledge, and pedagogical beliefs of preservice elementary teachers and preservice secondary mathematics teachers. The study was conducted during the fall semester of 1992 at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Forty-seven preservice teachers participated voluntarily. Twenty-eight were enrolled in an elementary mathematics methods course; nineteen were enrolled in a secondary mathematics methods course; Attitudes toward mathematics were studied quantitatively by administering Aiken's Revised Attitude Scale on a pretest-posttest basis. The results indicated that the attitude toward mathematics of preservice elementary teachers improved significantly. The attitude toward …

The Effects Of A Role Model Intervention Program On The Attitudes Of Junior High School Students Towards Mathematics And Sex-Role Orientation, Linda Fritz Havins

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Bureau of Labor Statistics information indicated 55 percent of all women in the labor force in 1980 were employed in traditional clerical and service occupations. The limited participation of women in certain sectors of the labor force represented a great loss of human potential, particularly in the case of academically talented women. This exploratory study focused on two potential barriers that may keep capable women from realizing their full potential: sex-role orientation and attitudes toward mathematics course-taKing Another area of focus determined what effect stability factors had on the population under study and how stability might affect future studies. A …

A Study To Examine The Effect Of Curriculum Materials On The Ability Of General Mathematics Students To Solve Verbal Problems, Paul Raymond Goodwin

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The Statement of the Problem. What is the effect of the type of instructional materials on the acquisition of verbal problem-solving skills of general mathematics students?;The Assumptions of the Study. The necessary assumptions for the study were: (1) Verbal problem-solving skills can be learned by the general mathematics students; (2) all students need to learn to solve verbal problems; (3) students in general mathematics classes have not been provided with adequate instruction and thus, have not been acquiring verbal problem-solving skills; (4) the experimental mathematics curriculum materials used to teach verbal problem-solving skills for this study will improve the students' …