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Music, Language, And Rhythmic Timing, Rhimmon Simchy-Gross

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Neural, perceptual, and cognitive oscillations synchronize with rhythmic events in both speech (Luo & Poeppel, 2007) and music (Snyder & Large, 2005). This synchronization decreases perceptual thresholds to temporally predictable events (Lawrance et al., 2014), improves task performance (Ellis & Jones, 2010), and enables speech intelligibility (Peelle & Davis, 2012). Despite implications of music-language transfer effects for improving language outcomes (Gordon et al., 2015), proposals that shared neural and cognitive resources underlie music and speech rhythm perception (e.g., Tierney & Kraus, 2014) are not yet substantiated. The present research aimed to explore this potential overlap by testing whether music-induced oscillations …

Thinging : Powerful Objects., Tammy M. Burke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The works in "Thinging” are inspired by desire, the genuine and the false, systems of real and perceived values, the quest for immortality, the allure of things, our use of them to make ourselves, and imagining pasts and futures via objects. The following concepts are threaded through the work: cathexis, ritual as a value builder, collections, hoarding, display, object history, exchange, use, and sign values, and vibrant materiality. At the heart of my investigation is the quest to examine the origins of object power, and by what measures it can be evaluated: value from belief, market value, and something perhaps …

Threatening Instructions During A Hurricane Influence Risk Perceptions: The Case Of Fear Appeals And Changing Hurricane Projections, Daphne Whitmer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this research was to examine the effectiveness of persuasive language in the protective action recommendation of an emergency warning, which instructs people how to prepare and stay safe. Study 1 was a pilot study, which suggested that participants were able to make distinctions between hurricane categories. In study 2, the presence of fear language and second-person personal pronouns (i.e., "you") in a recommendation was manipulated. Overall, fear language was more influential than a pronoun on risk perceptions. To understand how context influences risk perceptions, participants in study 3 made decisions after each piece of information received. The …

Estimating The Usual Intake From Fruits And Vegetables Consumed By Children At Baseline In Tx Sprouts, Taryn Alkis

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Background: Past studies developed two- and three-part models to estimate the usual intake of episodically consumed foods in adults but not in children. The goal of this study is to evaluate if the three-part method is successful, by incorporating the dietary screener and two 24-hour recalls, in estimating the usual intake of fruits and vegetables consumed by boys and girls at baseline in TX Sprouts. Methods: Secondary data analysis of two 24-hour recalls and a dietary screener from TX Sprouts. Two approaches were used. First, the three-part model estimated the distribution of the usual intake of fruits and vegetables in …

Assessment Of The Common Dental Needs And Evaluation Of Rate Of Attendance Post Emergency Dental Management Among The Homeless Population In Houston, Texas, Heera Govindarajan Venguidesvarane

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Background: Dental care resources for the homeless population are scarce, underfunded and generally inadequate to meet their oral health needs. While poor oral health is clearly an added burden for people who struggle daily to survive under miserable living conditions, little is known about their views on dental health, their perceived needs and their attitudes towards dental care. The purpose of this study was to determine the most common oral health needs of homeless patients and to identify their participation in receiving comprehensive care. Methods: The study was a cross sectional analysis where data were collected retrospectively using the records …

Failed Initial Tumor Necrosis Inhibitor (Tnfi) Therapy – What Next For Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients?, Aliza Matusevich

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the joints affecting over 1.3 million Americans with annual societal costs estimated at $39.2 billion, rising faster than medical inflation. Therapy with tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) has greatly improved the management of patients with rheumatoid RA; however, substantial numbers of patients do not experience an adequate response to these drugs, necessitating a change in treatment regimen. There are two basic approaches for TNFi failure: cycling (switching to a second TNFi) or swapping (to a drug with another mechanism of action) but the choice is controversial due to questions of comparative …

Additional Healthcare Expenditures Of Depression For Elderly Cancer Patients With Depression, Dian Gu

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

The risk of depression is high for cancer patients and a large portion of cancer patients are age 65 and over. Both depression and cancer are economically burdensome and depression is associated with healthcare expenditure increase for elderly patients. However, whether comorbid depression affects healthcare expenditures in elderly cancer patients from payers’ and patients’ perspectives is largely unknown. Objective: To investigate whether depression is associated with higher healthcare expenditure among elderly cancer patients from both payers’ and patients’ perspectives and, and determine whether depression is associated with higher probability of having high out-of-cost burden. Methods: From the Medicare Current Beneficiary …

Understanding Local Produce Sourcing By Restaurateurs In Houston, Texas, Robin Jump

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

As of 2017, Americans are spending more per year on eating out at restaurants and bars than on grocery shopping (Baer, 2016). While restaurateurs have a substantial amount of influence over what foods are served and ultimately consumed by their patrons, they have received little attention as target populations for understanding or changing behavior. Health interventions taking place in restaurants have focused on changing restaurant patron behavior rather than changing the behavior of the restaurateur, the individual who owns and or operates the restaurant. Industrialization of food has been associated with a loss of biodiversity, environmental pollution, erosion, and over-use …

The Association Between Sleep Duration And Dementia: A Meta-Analysis, Sherri Hong

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

In the United States, the current cases of Alzheimer’s disease will double by 2050. Therefore, it is important to study risk factors associated with dementia such as sleep duration. This meta-analysis was conducted to understand the discrepancy in study results since some demonstrated a V shaped association between duration of sleep and dementia while others found no association. If there truly is an association then sleep duration could be targeted to decrease the burdens caused by dementia. A meta-analysis of published studies was conducted to assess the association between sleep duration and the different forms of dementia. The articles were …

Geospatial Analysis Of Pediatric Tuberculosis In Bohol, Philippines: Disease Clusters And Access To Care, Lauren M. Leining

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Worldwide, children represent approximately 10% of global tuberculosis (TB) cases. We recently reported a high tuberculin skin test (TST)-positive prevalence (355/5,476; weighted prevalence=6.4%) among children (<15 years) throughout the island of Bohol, Philippines, with some geographically isolated communities having prevalence as high as 29%. In this study, we conducted a secondary geospatial and hot-spot analysis of this household-based cluster survey to assess the association between access to care (distance to a health care facility) and TST-positive prevalence. Our analysis indicated that villages with high TST-positive prevalence (≥10%) were significantly further from Provincial Health Office based in the capital city of Tagbilaran in time-distance (p=0.0001, r=0.2387) and kilometers (p=0.0011, r=0.3170). Similarly, prevalence was positively correlated with distance to the municipal Rural Health Unit (RHU), where most receive their medical care, in time-distance (p=0.0055; r=0.0415); however, the association was not significant in kilometers (p=0.3315; r=0.0715). Distance to health care facilities could represent an obstacle to access to care, thereby limiting diagnosis and treatment and resulting in increased risk of transmission to others in the community. Health care outreach in geographically isolated areas is critical to treatment and control of efforts for pediatric TB.

Bayesian Estimation Under Informative Sampling: Investigating The Association Between Depression And Inflammation, Paula Lopez Gamundi

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Survey data is often collected using complex sampling designs so that the probability of being included in the study is related to the outcome of interest (i.e. informative sample). Recently, a novel fully-Bayesian method has been developed for modeling data under informative sampling. Initial results indicate that this novel construction reduces bias in variance estimates compared to other pseudo-Bayesian techniques. The performance of this method has yet to be compared to traditional Frequentist approaches, which typically rely on Taylor series linearization (TSL) or resampling techniques for standard error (SE) estimation. Here, we modeled the relationship between depression and inflammation using …

A Mendelian Randomization Study Of Circulating Gamma Prime Fibrinogen And Total Fibrinogen Levels On Venous Thromboembolism And Ischemic Stroke Subtypes, Jillian Maners

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Introduction: Fibrinogen is a key component of the coagulation cascade, and variation in its circulating levels may contribute to thrombotic diseases, such as venous thromboembolism (VTE) and ischemic stroke. Gamma prime (γ′) fibrinogen is an isoform of fibrinogen and has anticoagulant properties, including inhibiting thrombin and slowing platelet aggregation, that may affect clot formation.

Methods: Two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) was applied to estimate the causal effect of total circulating fibrinogen and its isoform, γ′ fibrinogen, on risk of VTE and ischemic stroke subtypes using summary statistics from published genome-wide association studies of fibrinogen, VTE, and ischemic stroke, and an unpublished …

A Retrospective Analysis Of Claims Data To Determine Symptoms Associated With Ovarian Cancer, Denise Manon Langabeer

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

According to the American Cancer Society, approximately twenty percent (20% of women with ovarian cancer are diagnosed at an early stage (e.g. stage I or II), which subsequently means eighty percent (80%) of women diagnosed with this disease are at the late stage (e.g. stage III or IV) and are likely not to survive. No cure exists and, concurrently, studies show mixed results in utilizing blood tests and transvaginal ultrasounds to screen for ovarian cancer. While symptoms are not easily discernable, some oncologists have validated there are common symptoms women experience prior to diagnosis. As these symptoms are not routinely …

Failed Initial Tumor Necrosis Inhibitor (Tnfi) Therapy – What Next For Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients?, Aliza Matusevich

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the joints affecting over 1.3 million Americans with annual societal costs estimated at $39.2 billion, rising faster than medical inflation. Therapy with tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) has greatly improved the management of patients with rheumatoid RA; however, substantial numbers of patients do not experience an adequate response to these drugs, necessitating a change in treatment regimen. There are two basic approaches for TNFi failure: cycling (switching to a second TNFi) or swapping (to a drug with another mechanism of action) but the choice is controversial due to questions of comparative …

Testing Patterns For Syphilis And Other Sexually Transmitted Infections In Pregnant Women Presenting To Emergency Departments, Ifeoluwa Shoyombo

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Following an initial decrease in the incidence of congenital syphilis from 2008-2012, the rate of congenital syphilis rose by 38% across the United States between 2012-2014 (2). This trend followed a 22% rise in primary and secondary syphilis cases in women during the same period.(1) Vertical transmission of syphilis is a significant public health concern, contributing to stillbirth, infant mortality, and neurologic and skeletal morbidities in survivors. (2) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that all pregnant women be screened for sexually transmitted infections (STI) including HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis B at the first prenatal visit regardless …

Role Of Disinfectants In The Eradication And Propagation Of Clostridiodes Difficile Infection, Tasnuva Rashid

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Introduction:

Clostridioides difficile is a motile, gram-negative, toxin-producing bacteria responsible for the majority of the nosocomial as well as community-acquired infection in the US and worldwide. A high rate of morbidity, mortality, recurrences, healthcare cost coupled with frequent epidemic outbreaks with drug-resistant strains has classified C. difficile as a pathogen with an urgent threat to human health. Current guidelines regarding disinfectant use are either limited or absent or are not effective in reducing the environmental burden of C. difficile. The aims for this study was first to determine the in vitro efficacy of select hospital disinfectants in eradicating the spores …

Numerical Study For Seamless Clinical Trials With Covariate Adaptive Randomization, Mengxi Wang

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

One important goal of the pharmaceutical industry is to evaluate new therapies in a time-sensitive and cost-effective manner without undermining the integrity and validity of clinical trials. Adaptive seamless phase II/III designs (ASD) have gained popularity for accelerating the drug development process and reducing cost. Covariate adaptive randomization (CAR) is the most popular design in randomized controlled trials to ensure valid treatment comparisons by balancing the prognostic characteristics of patients among treatment groups. Although adaptive seamless clinical trials with CAR have been implemented in practice1, the theoretical understanding of such designs is limited. In addition, current approaches to control the …

Serial Neuropsychological Assessment Toward A Reliable Concussion Protocol, Daniel J. Soden

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

With more than 10,000 Sports Related Concussions (SRCs) per year at the collegiate level, interdisciplinary teams are often tasked with determining when an athlete may return to activity (Zuckerman et al., 2015). Due to neurochemical changes following an SRC, athletes are vulnerable to further injury if they suffer another head injury before given appropriate time to heal (Giza & Hovda, 2014). Cognitive testing is routinely utilized to detect the presence of cognitive dysfunction and aid in individualized treatment planning. Because athletes often demonstrate practice effects when retested, it is difficult to distinguish if the athlete is demonstrating cognitive dysfunction. Reliable …

Reconsolidation: Unique Cognitive Process Or State Dependent Learning?, Chris Kiley

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Accessing a previously consolidated memory trace brings it back into a labile state where it must then undergo a re-stabilization process known as reconsolidation. During this process memories are susceptible to interference and may be updated with new information. Reconsolidation has been demonstrated in animals as well as in the procedural and episodic human memory systems. However, it is still unclear when the effect will occur. Some studies suggest that reconsolidation is only necessary when new information is presented in the same spatial context or when prediction error occurs. More recent work has provided evidence that reconsolidation could be due …

Exploring The Pristine Inner Experience Of Individuals In Psychotherapy, Alek Emily Krumm

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Inner experience is a frequent topic in psychotherapy and in psychology more broadly, yet very little research has carefully and systematically observed the naturally-occurring experience of psychotherapy clients. The current study begins to fill that gap by using descriptive experience sampling (DES) to survey the inner experience of a small sample of individuals seeking psychotherapy. DES is a method that uses a random-interval beeper to signal participants to pay attention to their pristine inner experiences—the thoughts, feelings, sensations, and so on that are directly apprehendable ‘before the footlights of consciousness’—and describe them in high fidelity. We used about eight days …

Assessing Factors Of Physical Risk-Taking In A Novel Behavioral Measure, Edward A. Smith

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Risk taking is a complex heterogeneous construct that has proven difficult to assess, especially when using behavioral tasks. A new measure, the Assessment of Physical Risk Taking (APRT) is presented as a comprehensive assessment of several factors of risk. Specifically, the measure seeks to examine the effects of several decision-making elements (e.g., probability of success and failure, magnitude of reward and punishment) of different types of physically risky behaviors and produce a variety of different outcome scores. Participants (N = 256) completed APRT in a laboratory setting, with half being assigned to an enforced Delay condition. Main effects, two-way interactions …

The Effects Of Ambient Temperature And Lighting Intensity On Wheel-Running Behavior In A Diurnal Rodent, The Nile Grass Rat (Arvicanthis Niloticus), Garrett M. Fogo, Alyssa M. Goodwin, Ohanes S. Khacherian, Brandi J. Ledbetter, Andrew J. Gall

Faculty Publications

Environmental conditions, such as the light-dark cycle and temperature, affect the display of circadian rhythmicity and locomotor activity patterns in mammals. Here, we tested the hypothesis that manipulating these environmental conditions would affect wheel-running activity patterns in a diurnal rodent, the Nile grass rat (Arvicanthis niloticus). Grass rats are diurnal in the field, however, a subset switch from a day-active pattern to a night-active pattern of activity after the introduction of a running wheel. The mechanism of this chronotype switch remains largely unknown. In the present study, grass rats were presented with running wheels in 12:12 light-dark conditions. First, subjects …

A Comparison Of Anxiety-Related Behavior On The Elevated Plus Task Following Environmental Enrichment In Two Mouse Models For Autism, Khemiah Burke

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

This study pertained to the effects of environmental enrichment, which is a physical post-weaning treatment that has been shown to induce beneficial changes in behavior, in two mouse models. Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that impacts social behavior and communication. It has been found to develop due to both genetic and environmental influences, and to be comorbid with anxiety disorders. The present study assessed anxious behavior, as measured by the elevated plus task, as an indirect symptom of Autism. Maternally separated CD-1 mice were used as a model of environmentally influenced autism and BTBR mice were used as a model …

The Effect Of Therapy Dogs On Preoperative Anxiety, Morgan Royer

Honors Theses

Humans and animals have been companions for ages but that relationship and its benefits have only begun to be explored. Recently, animal assisted therapies have been used to improve both psychological and physiological wellbeing. One of the most popular therapies uses dogs. There are many research studies on the effects of therapy dogs on children and adults with results that have found that the companionship of a dog significantly decreases their stress levels in many different situations, including health care facilities. I investigated the effects of therapy dogs on adults’ anxiety before going into day surgery. Participants were patients from …

The Relationship Between Aggression And Depression: Testing The Moderating Effects Of Age And Gender, Benjamin P. Comer

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is to a) explore the research related to aggression and depression and b) test hypotheses that focus on the relationship between aggression and depression in relation to age and gender over time. Aggression and depression are discussed extensively by examining a broad range of literature that points to environmental, social, individual, psychological, and biophysiological influences. First, aggression and depression are discussed separately in terms of their underlying theory, biosocial perspectives, typologies, behavioral and personality abnormalities, brain structures related to each, and neurochemical/neurological influences. The final sections of the literature review discuss how aggression and depression …

Gender Differences In The Prevalence Of Mental Health And Substance Abuse Problems Among Detained Juveniles In Idaho, Jessica Marshall

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

For the past 11 years, the Boise State University’s Center for Health Policy has partnered with the Idaho Department of Juvenile Corrections to analyze data on juveniles entering detention at 13 Juvenile Detention Centers in Idaho. The Alaska Screening Tool (AST) is used to screen juveniles who may or may not meet the criteria for having a mental health problem, substance abuse problem, or both types of problems. The current study explores prevalence rates and gender differences as indicated by the AST for fiscal years 2008-2017. Across nine years of data (fiscal years 2008-2017), on average, 61% of all detained …

First Thirty Days Of Life: Examining Calf Behavioral Development In Beluga Whales (Delphinapterus Leucas) And Pacific White-Sided Dolphins (Lagenorhyncus Obliquidens) At One Zoological Facility, Kendal Smith

Master's Theses

Cetacean development is important for general comparative understanding and the implementation of informed husbandry policies. Due to the inaccessibility of many of these species in the wild, researchers can study managed care populations to better understand basic developmental patterns of cetaceans, as well as to improve husbandry policies for facility animals. However, no previous studies have attempted to observe the behavioral development of Pacific white-sided dolphins (Lagenorhyncus obliquidens). Eight beluga whale calves and four Pacific white-sided dolphin calves were observed for the first 30 days of life to determine the developmental trajectory of several typically monitored behaviors. The …

A Comparison Of Social Learning In Domestic Canines, Beatrice Chenkin

Master's Theses

Domestic canines (Canis familiaris) provide a unique insight into the processes by which species can grow to cooperate efficiently with humans. Few studies have compared whether their behavior is more affected by humans or other canines. This study uses a two-action feeder (an apparatus that can be opened in one of two ways) to look into the methods of social learning they use and compares how they learn from humans vs. other canines. Sixty-four dogs from the Humane Society of varying backgrounds, ages, sexes, and reproductive statuses were tested on their ability to open the two-action feeder and the amount …

Evaluation Of A Wearable Activity Schedule For Promoting Independent Play In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Basak Topcuoglu

Theses and Dissertations

Activity schedules are an antecedent intervention in which a series of visual cues, presented typically in booklets or binders, function as prompts for steps in a behavior chain (e.g., classroom routine, playing hide and seek). Although activity schedules are useful in getting individuals to manage their own behaviors, their typical presentation format can be cumbersome and stigmatizing for children placed in general education classrooms, placing additional barriers for independence and inclusion across environments for these children. Some researchers have used electronic devices such as tablets to display activity schedules, and although more socially acceptable, these are still cumbersome for young …

An Investigation Into The Structure Of Self-Control, Parker A. Dreves

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Self-control has been measured using a variety of methods including self-report measures, cognitive inhibition tasks, delay discounting and delay of gratification tasks, and persistence and willpower tasks. Although these are all theoretically linked to processes involved in self-control, recent evidence has shown that these diverse measurement techniques relate only minimally to one another. Assuming that self-control is a reflective construct, this would indicate that many of these tasks are poor indicators of self-control. The present research challenges the common assumption that self-control is a reflective construct and instead proposes that self-control is a formative construct. Conceptualizing self-control as a formative …