Digital Commons Network^™

Determination Of The Presence Of Sars-Cov-2 In Environmental Surface And Air Samples From Public Areas In Las Vegas, Kristina Mihajlovski

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Contaminated surfaces and airborne spread are found to be among the main ways of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) transmission. Studies conducted in the hospital setting have shown that SARS-CoV-2 is found on frequently touched surfaces, personal protective equipment, and in air samples of patient isolation rooms. However, few environmental sampling studies have been done in public areas. Taking in consideration that COVID-19 cases may be symptomatic, presymptomatic, and asymptomatic, environmental monitoring may be essential for prompt detection of the virus. The objective of this study was to determine whether SARS-CoV-2 can be detected on environmental surfaces and from air samples …

Calculating The Learning Rate Of A Neural Network Using A Genetic Algorithm, Eric Miller

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In the field of Computer Science, neural networks and genetic algorithms have become very popular tools in solving complex problems. Because of this growing popularity, there has been several attempts to combine the two concepts. Some of these attempts focused on using genetic algorithms to determine the best architecture, starting weights, or feature selection, to name of few of the applications. While a lot of the research that is available focuses on solving more than one element of the neural network design or is looking to use genetic algorithms to replace a part of the traditional neural network, such as …

Computational Sodium Heat Pipe Simulation In Three Dimensions For Transient Nuclear Reactor Analysis With Variable Surface Heat Flux, Valerie Jean Lawdensky

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Heat pipes are used to transfer heat through phase change in a liquid/vapor contained in a metal tube. They are passive devices that require no pumps to circulate the fluid and can transfer heat far more efficiently than a solid copper rod of the same diameter. They are commonly used in laptop computers where copper heat pipes filled with water take heat away from the CPU and transfer the heat to air through a heat exchanger. Heat pipes were also used in the Kilopower nuclear reactor where higher temperatures required sodium as the working fluid with stainless steel tubes. Computer …

Mobile Sports Betting Marketing Plan, Scott Flinn

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

From day one, the hospitality industry in Las Vegas has been innovating and evolving to develop one-of-a-kind experiences for customers from all around the world. Over the decade's hospitality corporations have been shaped through mergers and acquisitions with the end goal of growing land-based assets, improving income statements and balance sheets for shareholders, and trying to own every dollar that a tourist spends while in the city (Bussman, 2021).

Customer Purchase Intention Towards The Us Airline, Ming-Chun Kuo

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The airline industry has become the main economic resource to the United States. The airline companies have had a very mature operating base towards their marketing standing point and their target customers. Yet, customer purchase behavior has changed consistently, especially after the whole year of lockdown of COVID-19 pandemic. Customers no longer only look for the service quality when they select an airline to fly. This paper aims to explore the possible aspects that may affect customer purchase intention to a US-based airline. Many studies have indicated that service quality is no longer the only reason to attract the purchase …

International Relations And Tourism: Geopolitical Tension In China-United States Relations And Implications In Tourism Development, Le Shen

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

"Black cat or white cat, if it can catch mice, it's a good cat." As China's then Chief Secretary, and later the nation's "Paramount Leader" Deng Xiaoping made this now-famous metaphor in the 1960s for a planned economy versus that of a market economy (Zheng & Sun, 2018), little did anyone at the time anticipated the sheer level of influence this populous yet impoverished nation would have on the world's geopolitical and economic scene in the coming decades. Indeed, through a combination of economic reforms, diplomatic engagement, and political reorganization, the People's Republic of China rapidly elevated its international positioning …

Building Customer Loyalty With Millennials In The Gaming Entertainment Industry, Daysha Catchings

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This paper discusses how to build customer loyalty between Millennials and casinos. Although research has indicated that casinos are losing the interest of the Millennial consumer, it is recommended that casinos do not give up on this demographic. The Millennial generation is massive, accounting for a fourth of the U.S. population. Entering the workforce at rapid speed, this generation has a large amount of spending power and is willing to pay more for a product that is deemed valuable. This paper intends to lay the groundwork for an exploratory research study on customer loyalty and Millennials in the gambling and …

Factors Influencing Service Robot Adoption: A Comparative Analysis Of Hotel-Specific Service Robot Acceptance Models, Ying Dong

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The market for service robots is expected to expand significantly owing to the increasing relevance of service automation under the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the growing managerial interest in robotic applications in the hotel industry, current robotic research has been mostly conceptual with limited robot data on hand. In light of this issue, this paper will conduct a comparative analysis of hotel-specific service robot acceptance models between the Service Robot Acceptance Model (sRAM) and the Service Robot Integration Willingness (SRIW) framework. By identifying key elements of each service robot acceptance model, this paper puts an emphasis on investigating …

Shaping Success For Mobile Applications Of Integrated Resorts, Krista Larsen

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

As smartphones have become indispensable in society, it has become critical for integrated resorts to develop mobile applications ("apps") that serve as a marketing tool and an enhancement in the customer's travel journey. This research reviews the features of existing mobile travel apps, in addition to areas of opportunity for future innovations regarding this platform. Based on this research, this study recommends best practices for an integrated resort's mobile app. The findings of this study can be leveraged as a resource when developing and maintaining mobile apps within the hospitality industry to provide an optimal guest experience throughout the entire …

Data Analytics In Hotel And Integrated Resort Brands: An Evaluation Of Past Literature And Proposed Research For The Future, Luke Andrew Walocko

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Data analytics in hotel and integrated resort brands is a growing strategy implemented to support business decisions designed to generate revenue or save costs. This study utilizes a literature review of data analytics related publications to provide recommendations on future research topics to improve the quality of literature related to data analytics in hotel and integrated resort brands. The study is not limited to hospitality specific research and uses research from all industries to identify gaps in publications for hospitality scholars to explore. Three proposed research questions for future exploration were composed based on the comparison of literature written for …

Utilizing Gamification To Enhance Customer Engagement And Loytalty In The Hospitality Industry, Xiaoting He

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Gamification involves the engagement of game elements and designs in non-game contexts. There is a need to increase the effectiveness of the conventional loyalty program, and implementing gamification has become a popular concept. Gamified hotel loyalty programs differentiate hotels from their rivals by increasing customer engagement and, ultimately, customer loyalty. Despite prior research on the effectiveness and functions of gamification, under what conditions gamification can enhance enagement lacks further investigation. This study draws on the Self-Determination Theory (SDT) to develop a framework linking gamification elements with users' psychological needs, where customer engagement is enhanced when the game elements successfully satisfy …

Tech Innovation Capacity In Mountain West Metros, Ally M. Beckwith, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

This fact sheet highlights data on the tech innovation capacity in Mountain West metropolitan areas, as originally reported in 2019 by Robert D. Atkinson, Mark Muro, and Jacob Whiton from the Brookings Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Program. Tech innovation is defined as advanced industries that are America’s 50 high-R&D, high-STEM manufacturing, energy, and services industries ranging from aerospace and automobile manufacturing to solar electricity generation to internet publishing to bio-tech. Tech innovation is essential to the future of America’s economy. However, “superstar” metropolitan areas creating a regional imbalance within the innovation sector. The Brookings report examines metropolitan areas that are potential …

Housing Affordability Index: Mountain West Cities, November 2021, Olivia K. Cheche, Joshua Padilla, William E. Brown Jr.

Housing & Real Estate

This fact sheet highlights data on the median household income, median home price, estimated monthly mortgage and taxes, and share of income used for homeownership in fifteen Mountain West housing markets, as originally outlined in the “RealtyHop Housing Affordability Index: November 2021” report. The RealtyHop report analyzes the affordability of housing markets for the 100 most populous cities in the United States.

Independent And Combined Associations Between Multiple Lifestyle Behaviours And Academic Grades Of Inner Urban And Peri-Urban High School Students: A Cross-Sectional Study In Chongqing, China, Zhengjie Cai, Jinli Xian, Camila Araujo, Ziwei Zhang, Hongyu Zhou, Huan Peng, Manoj Sharma, Yong Zhao

Social and Behavioral Health Faculty Research

Objectives This study aims to assess the independent and combined associations between multiple lifestyle behaviours and academic grades of inner urban high school students (IUHSSs) and peri-urban high school students (PUHSSs). Design A cross-sectional study was conducted. Participants There are 1481 high school students (49.9% boys) in this study, who were enrolled from one inner urban and two peri-urban schools in Chongqing, China. Outcome measures Academic grades were assessed based on the students’ self-reported grade ranking in the last cumulative examination. Results In IUHSSs and PUHSSs, high frequency of sugar-sweetened beverage consumption was unlikely to obtain high academic grades (OR …

¡Presente!: Affirming Latinx Voices Within Health Sciences Library Scholarship, Aidybert Weeks, Adela V. Justice, Ruby Nugent, Bredny Rodriguez, Brenda Linares

Library Faculty Research

Increasing diverse author representation within medical librarianship scholarship among BIPOC information professionals is an important endeavor that requires closer examination. This commentary looks to examine the ways in which the profession can support Latinx librarians and library workers in fully participating within the scholarly pipeline by exploring our unique and authentic voices, structural barriers, hesitation and fears, Whiteness in the profession and knowledge production, bias in the peer review process, lack of resources and support, and finally, a call to action.

Septic Pulmonary Embolism Causing Recurrent Pneumothorax In An Intravenous Drug User Without Right-Sided Valvular Vegetation In Infective Endocarditis, Mason Montano, Kevin Lee, Kushal Patel, Mutsumi Kioka

Department of Internal Medicine Faculty Research

The following report illustrates a case of a 36-year-old Caucasian male with intravenous drug use (IVDU) induced septic thrombophlebitis presenting with recurrent unilateral pneumothoraces from septic pulmonary embolism (SPE) without the presence of obvious right-sided valvular vegetation in infective endocarditis (IE), defined as tricuspid or pulmonary valve lesions. Pneumothorax (PTX) has been observed as a rare complication of SPE and is commonly associated with infective right-sided IE, IVDU, and intravascular indwelling catheters. However, this case is novel as it is the very rare documented case of recurrent, unilateral, spontaneous right PTX refractory to multiple chest tube placements in such a …

A Content Analysis Of Hospitality Research's Research Methods In The 2010s, Cass Shum, Jaimi Garlington, Ankita Ghosh, Seyhmus Baloglu

Hospitality Faculty Research

Purpose. This study aims to describe the development of hospitality research in terms of research methods and data sources used in the 2010s.

Design/methodology/approach. Content analyses of the research methods and data sources used in original hospitality research published in the 2010s in the Cornell Hospitality Quarterly (CQ), International Journal of Hospitality Management (IJHM), International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management (IJCHM), Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Research (JHTR) and International Hospitality Review (IHR) were conducted. It describes whether the time span, functional areas and geographic regions of data sources were related to the research methods and data sources.

Findings. Results …

The Role Of Vitamin E In Slowing Down Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Narrative Review, Ram Lakhan, Manoj Sharma, Kavita Batra, Frazier B. Beatty

Social and Behavioral Health Faculty Research

With the aging population, dementia emerges as a public health concern. In 2012, the Health and Retirement Study found that 8.8% of adults over 65 years suffered from dementia. The etiopathogenesis and treatment of dementia are not well understood. Antioxidant properties of Vitamin E and its major elements tocopherols and tocotrienols have been reported to be effective in slowing down the progression of dementia from its initial stage of Mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Therefore, the current review aims to explore the role of vitamin E on MCI. A literature search using the key words “Vitamin E, tocopherols, tocotrienols, and mild …

Can The Multi-Theory Model (Mtm) Of Health Behavior Change Explain The Intent For People To Practice Meditation?, Manoj Sharma, Matthew Asare, Ram Lakhan, Amar Kanekar, Vinayak K. Nahar, Sheniz Moonie Phd

Environmental & Global Health Faculty Research

Meditation is gaining popularity as adjuvant therapy for many chronic ailments, mental well-being, and spiritual growth. Behavioral theories have been underutilized in understanding meditation behavior. This study aimed to test if a fourth-generation multitheory model (MTM) could explain the intent for starting and maintaining meditation behavior in a sample of US adults. A face and content valid 48-item instrument based on MTM was administered in a cross-sectional design through an online survey (n =330). Internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha > 0.70) and construct validation using structural equation modeling of the subscales were all acceptable. Hierarchical multiple regression revealed that, after controlling for …

Unlv Top Tier Focus: Research, Scholarship, And Creative Activity, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas

Focus on Top Tier 2.0

Designated Carnegie R1, UNLV is part of the top 3% of institutions nationally for research. Our Top Tier goal is framed broadly to include not only research, but scholarship and creative activity, speaking to the depth of programming we offer. As we evolve to Top Tier 2.0, we will continue to seek innovation and excellence in research, with multiple interdisciplinary opportunities that further support scholarship and creative activity.

Recycling Methods For Mapbi3 Perovskite Solar Cells, Donald Chicas, Shubhra Bansal Ph.D.

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

Halide perovskite solar cells (HPSCs) are a promising renewable energy technology due to their high efficiency and large-scale processing. Many HPSCs utilize lead, presenting health, environmental, and regulatory issues. To mitigate these issues, recycling processes for HPSCs have been researched. This mitigates the risk of lead leakage into the environment while reducing the cost of HPSCs over time. The current methodologies of recycling HPSCs will be reviewed, scrutinizing how recovered lead can be used to manufacture PSCs. To evaluate the efficacy of these recycling methods, the material recoverability and recycled device performance will be considered. Through this, recycling methods that …

Development Of Novel Synthetic Methods Of Lysine-Specific Demethylase 1(Lsd1) Inhibitors As Anti-Cancer Reagents, Citlally Lopez, Lilian Huynh, Jun Yong Kang Ph.D.

Undergraduate Research Symposium Podium Presentations

Cancer is the malignant growth and division of abnormal cells. The proliferation of cancerous cells is harmful to the human body since it interferes with many biological processes. Lysine-specific demethylase 1(LSD1) protein levels are expressed at high levels in many types of cancers such as teratocarcinoma, embryonic carcinoma, and embryonic stem cells. Gene expression in cancerous cells can be repressed by lysine-methylation on histones which ensures the maintenance of a tightly organized histone. Targeting LSD1 protein levels can significantly impair the growth of cancer due to the methylated histones being unable to participate in gene expression. Lysine-specific demethylase 1(LSD1) inhibitors …

Climbing The Social Ladder: Asian American Education And Social Mobility Across The United States, Syeda Jamshed, John P. Tuman Ph.D.

Undergraduate Research Symposium Podium Presentations

As the fastest-growing ethnic group in southern Nevada, Asian Americans comprise 8.6% of Nevada’s population and 10.28% of Clark County’s population. Despite the rapid growth of the Asian American community in southern Nevada, Asian Americans are constantly facing obstacles that inhibit them from moving up the socioeconomic ladder mainly due to the lack of opportunity, policies, and resources. This research paper examines whether education influences socioeconomic advancement of Asian Americans, and whether the relationship between the two variables is conditioned by other factors, including social capital. A secondary goal is to examine whether the relationship between education and social mobility …

How Facial Features And Head Gesture Convey Attention In Stationary Environments, Janelle Domantay, Brendan Morris Ph.D.

Undergraduate Research Symposium Podium Presentations

Awareness detection technologies have been gaining traction in a variety of enterprises; Most often used for driver fatigue detection, recent research has shifted towards using computer vision technologies to analyze user attention in stationary environments such as online classrooms. This study aims to extend previous research on distraction detection by analyzing which visual features contribute most to predicting awareness and fatigue. We utilized the open source facial analysis toolkit OpenFace in order to analyze visual data of subjects at varying levels of attentiveness. Then, using a Support Vector Machine (SVM) we created several prediction models for user attention and identified …

High Precision In-Situ Raman Spectroscopy On A Novel Room-Temperature Superconductor, Carbonaceous Sulfur Hydride, Under Pressure And Cryogenic Temperatures, Faraz Mostafaeipour, Keith V. Lawler Ph.D., Ashkan Salamat Ph.D.

Undergraduate Research Symposium Podium Presentations

Superconductivity is an incredible quantum phenomenon that historically only occurred at low temperatures. Recently, room-temperature superconductivity was discovered and will have various benefits and advantages in application, such as revolutionizing the energy grid, making medical imaging more accessible, and solving problems in related sciences. We have experimentally investigated carbonaceous sulfur hydride (CSH), a novel room-temperature superconductor, at varying cryogenic temperatures and pressures through high precision Raman spectroscopy. The current understanding of the material lacks information about the chemical structure and stoichiometry. Investigating the temperature and pressure space of its Raman spectra will give insight on important details about its structure, …

Visual Attention During Observational Learning Of Motor Skills: Implications In Rehabilitation After Amputation, Briauna Davis, Szu-Ping Lee Ph.D.

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

It is difficult to stop accidental falls and maintain balance after leg amputation. The goal of post-amputation rehabilitation is to improve mobility function, reduce fall risks, and improve safety. Although there have been advancements in prosthetic technology, individuals with leg amputation are still experiencing frequent falls. We believe this is partially due to the lack of scientific knowledge on prosthetic skill learning after amputation. Post-amputation rehabilitation involves learning and relearning complex motor skills, such as walking and quick stepping to stop falls. This process becomes intense as Individuals perform these tasks with a prosthesis. Our goal was to find a …

Determining Organic Content In Soil From The Mojave Desert Using Loss-On-Ignition, Edgar Toro, Lindsay Chiquoine, Scott Abella

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

Measuring the soil organic carbon (SOC) is of vital importance to soil science ecology. With the approaching challenges that rapidly changing weather patterns and temperatures bring, it is becoming more important to be able to measure the organic carbon levels in soil quickly, accurately, and cheaply. Currently, existing methods can very accurately deduce organic carbon levels but are lacking in speed and cost. Using alternate methods such as Loss-On-Ignition (LOI) can make up for lacking speed and affordability and have been shown to be very accurate under the right conditions. Ultimately, having a secondary method to quickly and easily get …

Synthesis Of Novel Fluorescent Molecular Probes For The Diagnosis Of Alzheimer’S Disease, David King, Pradip Bhowmik Ph.D.

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a pervasive form of dementia that accounts for 60% to 70% of progressive cognitive impairment within the elderly population.1 This neurodegenerative disease manifests itself through a progressive decline in motor function, memory, and cognition.2 AD is closely associated with the accumulation of amyloid- β (Aβ) proteins that form insoluble plaques.2 The formation of Aβ is a hallmark of AD and can serve as a means for diagnosis. Our objective is to synthesize potential candidates for a practical and safe means to detecting AD in its early stages. We synthesized the target fluorescent probes by Knoevenagel condensation …

Morphology Of Axon Initial Segments Under Normal And Pathological Conditions, Betsua Garcia-Trujillo, Rochelle Hines Ph.D.

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

The Axon Initial Segment (AIS) is a compartment within the neuron that plays a major role in the initiation of action potentials. Changes to AIS length and position can alter the probability of action potential firing. A majority of modeling studies consider the AIS to have linear morphology; however, we have observed different AIS shapes in different pathological conditions.

The objective of this research is to classify AISs by shape (straight, curved, or kinked) and to determine the frequency of each shape across normal and pathological conditions.

We stained AISs in cortical tissue using immunohistochemistry and imaged them with a …

Predicting Variant Pathogenicity With Machine Learning, Zachary Fitzhugh, Martin R. Schiller Ph.D., Fatma Nasoz

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

There are roughly 22,000 protein-coding genes in the human body, many of which play important roles in biological functions. The proteins fold in 3D space, and this is most often necessary for function. A genetic variant can disrupt the secondary structure of a protein (one aspect of structure) or eliminate a site important in protein-protein interaction or post-translational modification. The loss of function or deregulation can result in disease. Thus, there is great biomedical interest in identifying disease-causing single-nucleotide variants.

We hypothesize that we can accurately predict variant pathogenicity. We used machine learning to predict the pathogenicity of a set …