Digital Commons Network^™

The Transformation Of American Federalism, 1848-1912, Lance Sorenson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

United States expansion following the Mexican-American War served as the catalyst for a reinvention of American Federalism. While much of the historiography traces the accretion of sovereign power in the national government to events caused by the divisions between northern states and southern states, there is an important and understudied East to West component of the process by which sovereign boundaries changed. The American West is a legal space where the hazily defined and capacious concept of federalism received fuller form and clearer definition. During the late nineteenth century and first few years of the twentieth century, the United States …

Case Studies Of Teach For America Teachers’ Teacher Identity Development In Relation To English Language Learners, Refika Turgut

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study is to examine the teacher identity development of Teach for America (TFA) teachers in relation to English language learners (ELLs) in the context of a semester-long teaching English as a second language (TESL) course. In addition, this study aims to explore primary considerations come into play in TFA teachers’ teacher identity development as novice teachers of ELLs. The theoretical lenses guiding this study are Wenger’s Community of Practice perspective and Positioning theory (Davies & Harré, 1990). A multiple-case design is employed to examine TFA teachers’ teacher identity in relation to ELLs. Data collection took place …

Emerging Infectious Disease And The Imperiled Relict Leopard Frog, Anthony Wayne Waddle

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The disease chytridiomycosis, caused by the aquatic fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), has emerged as a major contributing factor for worldwide amphibian declines. Although relatively recently described, the impacts from the disease this pathogen causes have been definitively tied to amphibian declines, including some that occurred decades ago. In some cases, declines of individual species occurred with little documentation and are thus poorly understood. The relict leopard frog (Rana onca = Lithobates onca) has experienced such a decline and by the latter part of the 20th century only occurred in two general areas in southern Nevada. Recent research has found …

The Alma Early Science View Of Fuor/Exor Objects - V. Continuum Disc Masses And Sizes, Lucas Cieza, Dary Ruiz-Rodriguez, Sebastian Perez, Simon Casassus, Jonathan P. Williams, Alice Zurlo, David A. Principe, Antonio Hales, Jose L. Prieto, John J. Tobin, Zhaohuan Zhu, Sebastian Marino

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Research

Low-mass stars build a significant fraction of their total mass during short outbursts of enhanced accretion known as FUor and EXor outbursts. FUor objects are characterized by a sudden brightening of ∼5 mag at visible wavelengths within 1 yr and remain bright for decades. EXor objects have lower amplitude outbursts on shorter time-scales. Here we discuss a 1.3 mm Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) mini-survey of eight outbursting sources (three FUors, four EXors, and the borderline object V1647 Ori) in the Orion Molecular Cloud. While previous papers in this series discuss the remarkable molecular outflows observed in the three FUor …

U–Pb Dating Of Cave Spar: A New Shallow Crust Landscape Evolution Tool, D. D. Decker, V. J. Ployak, Y. Asmeron, Matthew Lachniet

Geoscience Faculty Research

In carbonate terranes, rocks types that provide apatite are not available to effectively use apatite fission track (AFT) or (U/Th)‐He chronometry (AHe). Here we suggest that calcite cave spar can be an effective chronometer and complimentary to AFT and AHe thermochronometers in carbonate regions such as our study area, the Guadalupe Mountains of southeastern New Mexico, and west Texas. Our measured depth of cave spar deposition is 500 ± 250 m beneath the regional water table, formed at temperatures of 40° to 80°C, indicating that these caves and their spar crystals form near the supercritical CO2‐subcritical CO2 boundary where we …

Toward Efficient Hub-Less Real Time Personalized Pagerank, Martin Pirouz, Justin Zhan

Computer Science Faculty Research

In the era of big data, reduced models capable of reducing big data graph to estimate personalized PageRank are limited. Personalized PageRank is a page rank calculation where random jumps are only allowed to a subset of start nodes. The resources of current process of calculation of personalized PageRank are highly prohibitive, thus in this paper we propose a novel fast accurate and less resource intensive algorithm to the personalized PageRank problem. FAST Personalized PageRank is utilized to find the target node set. Using the mentioned target set, the algorithm gives an estimation of the closeness of any pair of …

2016-2017 Use And Reach Of College Of Sciences Publications In Digital Scholarship@Unlv, Scholarly Communication Initiatives

Scholarly Communication Initiatives Department Reports

The College of Sciences Digital Scholarship Collection contains faculty publications, theses and dissertations, and undergraduate research.

This report contains data for the 2016-2017 Academic Year (August 2016-July 2017) downloads (how many and where from-“reach”) of fulltext materials in Digital Scholarship@UNLV. Records that only contain metadata do not generate downloads and therefore are not reflected in the maps and show as 0 in the download report attached at the end.

Thermotropic Liquid-Crystalline Properties Of Extended Viologen Bis(Triflimide) Salts, Pradip K. Bhowmik, Shane T. Killarney, Jessa Rose A. Li, Jung Jae Koh, Haesook Han, Lewis Sharpnack, Deña M. Agra-Kooijman, Michael R. Fisch, Satyendra Kumar

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Research

A series of extended, symmetric viologen triflimides were synthesised by the metathesis reaction of lithium triflimide with the respective viologen tosyalates in methanol. Their chemical structures were characterised by Fourier Transform Infrared, 1H and 13C Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy and elemental analysis. Their thermotropic liquid-crystalline (LC) properties were examined by a number of experimental techniques including differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, polarising optical microscopy and variable temperature X-ray diffraction. The viologen salts containing alkyl chain of two carbon and three carbon atoms were relatively low melting salts. Those of alkyl chains of four carbon and five carbon atoms formed ionic …

Hyperaccreting Black Hole As Gamma-Ray Burst Central Engine. Ii. Temporal Evolution Of The Central Engine Parameters During The Prompt And Afterglow Phases, Wei-Hua Lei, Bing Zhang, Xue-Feng Wu, En-Wei Liang

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Research

A hyperaccreting stellar-mass black hole (BH) has been proposed as the candidate central engine of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). The rich observations of GRBs by Fermi and Swiftmake it possible to constrain the central engine model by comparing the model predictions against data. This paper is dedicated to studying the temporal evolution of the central engine parameters for both the prompt emission and afterglow phases. We consider two jet-launching mechanisms, i.e., annihilations and the Blandford–Znajek (BZ) process, and obtain analytical solutions to these two models. We then investigate the BH central engine parameters, such as the jet power, the dimensionless entropy …

How Do Stars Gain Their Mass? A Jcmt/Scuba-2 Transient Survey Of Protostars In Nearby Star-Forming Regions, Gregory J. Herczeg, Doug Johnstone, Steve Mairs, Jennifer Hatchell, Jeong-Eun Lee, Geoffrey C. Bower, Huei-Ru Vivien Chen, Yuri Aikawa, Hyunju Yoo, Sung-Ju Kang, Miju Kang, Wen-Ping Chen, Jonathan P. Williams, Jaehan Bae, Michael M. Dunham, Eduard I. Vorobyov, Zhaohuan Zhu, Ramprasad Rao, Helen Kirk, Satoko Takahashi, Oscar Morata, Kevin Lacaille, James Lane, Andy Pon, Aleks Scholz, Manash R. Samal, Graham S. Bell, Sarah Graves, E'Lisa M. Lee, Harriet Parsons, Yuxin He

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Research

Most protostars have luminosities that are fainter than expected from steady accretion over the protostellar lifetime. The solution to this problem may lie in episodic mass accretion—prolonged periods of very low accretion punctuated by short bursts of rapid accretion. However, the timescale and amplitude for variability at the protostellar phase is almost entirely unconstrained…See full text for full abstract.

Environmental Effects On Drosophila Brain Development And Learning, Xia Wang, Amei Amei, J. Steven De Belle, Stephen P. Roberts

Mathematical Sciences Faculty Research

Brain development and behavior are sensitive to a variety of environmental influences including social interactions and physicochemical stressors. Sensory input in situ is a mosaic of both enrichment and stress, yet little is known about how multiple environmental factors interact to affect brain anatomical structures, circuits and cognitive function. In this study, we addressed these issues by testing the individual and combined effects of sub-adult thermal stress, larval density and early-adult living spatial enrichment on brain anatomy and olfactory associative learning in adult Drosophila melanogaster. In response to heat stress, the mushroom bodies (MBs) were the most volumetrically impaired among …

Environmental Effects On Drosophila Brain Development And Learning, Xia Wang, Amei Amei, J. Steven De Belle, Stephen P. Roberts

School of Medicine Faculty Research

Brain development and behavior are sensitive to a variety of environmental influences including social interactions and physicochemical stressors. Sensory input in situ is a mosaic of both enrichment and stress, yet little is known about how multiple environmental factors interact to affect brain anatomical structures, circuits and cognitive function. In this study, we addressed these issues by testing the individual and combined effects of sub-adult thermal stress, larval density and early-adult living spatial enrichment on brain anatomy and olfactory associative learning in adult Drosophila melanogaster. In response to heat stress, the mushroom bodies (MBs) were the most volumetrically impaired among …

Geospatial Associations Between Tobacco Retail Outlets And Current Use Of Cigarettes And E-Cigarettes Among Youths In Texas, Adriana Pérez, Lung-Chang Chien, Melissa B. Harrell, Keryb E. Pasch, Udoka C. Obinwa, Cheryl L. Perry

School of Public Health Faculty Research

Introduction: To identify the geospatial association between the presence of retail tobacco outlets (RTO) around school's neighborhoods, and current use of cigarettes and e-cigarettes among adolescents in four counties in Texas. Methods: Students in grades 6, 8 and 10th were surveyed in their schools in 2014-2015. The schools’ addresses was geocoded to determine the presence of at least one RTO within half a mile of the school. Two outcomes were considered: past 30-day use of (a) cigarettes and (b) e-cigarettes. Bayesian structured additive regression models and Kriging methods were used to estimate the geospatial associations between the presence of RTO …

Mathematical Modeling With Middle School Students: The Robot Art Model-Eliciting Activity, Micah Stohlmann

Teaching and Learning Faculty Research

Internationally mathematical modeling is garnering more attention for the benefits associated with it. Mathematical modeling can develop students' communication skills and the ability to demonstrate understanding through different representations. With the increased attention on mathematical modeling, there is a need for more curricula to be developed, implemented, and assessed. This study details the mathematical understandings that a diverse class of urban middle school students demonstrated on a mathematical modeling activity focused on geometry and measurement. At times students had difficulties in communicating clearly but based on the structure of the activity students were able to self-assess the quality of their …

Mapping The Alignment Of Programmatic Mission, Functions And Outcomes With The Attainment Of Health Equity: An Overview Of The Approach And Initial Outcomes Through The Lens Of The Usda’S Cyfar Scp Program, Onyemaechi Nweke, Kara Ryan, Mpp, Bonita Williams, Phd

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Eliminating health disparities is a priority across national agenda and initiatives such as the National Partnership for Action to End Health Disparities (NPA), the National Prevention Strategy, and Healthy People 2020. To advance this priority under the NPA, the Federal Interagency Health Equity Team (FIHET), which is an NPA federal cross-sector and collaborative platform, initiated a voluntary pilot “health equity mapping” exercise in 2014. This exercise served as a strategy to clarify the strategic alignment between participant federal partner program missions, goals, and activities, and the goal to end health disparities and promote health equity. The mapping process included an …

The Guide To Community Preventive Services Review Of Interventions To Promote Health Equity In The United States, Robert Hahn, Jonathan E. Fielding, M.D., M.P.H., M.A., M.B.A, Robert L. Johnson, M.D., Carles Muntaner, M.D., Ph.D., M.H.S., Benedict I. Truman, M.D., M.P.H., Tracy Orleans

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

The optimal approach to eliminating health inequities is through evidence-based interventions. In 2009, the non-federal Community Preventive Services Task Force launched a series of systematic reviews of interventions to promote health equity. Topics to be considered include education, employment, housing, and transportation. Thus far, reviews have focused on educational interventions: center-based early childhood education, full-day kindergarten programs, out-of-school time academic programs, high school completion programs, and school-based health centers. These reviews demonstrate the benefits of diverse educational interventions in advancing health equity. Here, we summarize the strategy of Community Guide health equity reviews, first findings and challenges.

A Novel Online And Non-Parametric Approach For Drift Detection In Big Data, Moinak Bhaduri, Justin Zhan, Carter Chiu, Felix Zhan

Mathematical Sciences Faculty Research

A sizable amount of current literature on online drift detection tools thrive on unrealistic parametric strictures such as normality or on non-parametric methods whose power performance is questionable. Using minimal realistic assumptions such as unimodality, we have strived to proffer an alternative, through a novel application of Bernstein's inequality. Simulations from such parametric densities as Beta and Logitnormal as well as real-data analyses demonstrate this new method's superiority over similar techniques relying on bounds, such as Hoeffding's. Improvements are apparent in terms of higher power, efficient sample sizes, and sensitivity to parameter values.

A Novel Online And Non-Parametric Approach For Drift Detection In Big Data, Moinak Bhaduri, Justin Zhan, Carter Chiu, Felix Zhan

Computer Science Faculty Research

A sizable amount of current literature on online drift detection tools thrive on unrealistic parametric strictures such as normality or on non-parametric methods whose power performance is questionable. Using minimal realistic assumptions such as unimodality, we have strived to proffer an alternative, through a novel application of Bernstein's inequality. Simulations from such parametric densities as Beta and Logit-normal as well as real-data analyses demonstrate this new method's superiority over similar techniques relying on bounds, such as Hoeffding's. Improvements are apparent in terms of higher power, efficient sample sizes, and sensitivity to parameter values. © 2013 IEEE.

Methodological Irregularities In Programming-Language Research, Andreas Stefik, Stefan Hanenberg

Computer Science Faculty Research

Substantial industry and government investments in software are at risk due to changes in the underlying programming languages, despite the fact that such changes have no empirically verified benefits. One way to address this problem is to establish rigorous evidence standards like those in medicine and other sciences. © 1970-2012 IEEE.

Meshless Method For Simulation Of Compressible Flow, Ebrahim Nabizadeh Shahrebabak

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In the present age, rapid development in computing technology and high speed supercomputers has made numerical analysis and computational simulation more practical than ever before for large and complex cases. Numerical simulations have also become an essential means for analyzing the engineering problems and the cases that experimental analysis is not practical. There are so many sophisticated and accurate numerical schemes, which do these simulations. The finite difference method (FDM) has been used to solve differential equation systems for decades. Additional numerical methods based on finite volume and finite element techniques are widely used in solving problems with complex geometry. …

Secular Resonances During Main-Sequence And Post-Main-Sequence Planetary System Dynamics, Jeremy L. Smallwood

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

We investigate gravitational perturbations of an asteroid belt by secular resonances. We ap- ply analytic and numerical models to main–sequence and post–main–sequence planetary systems. First, we investigate how the asteroid impact rate on the Earth is affected by the architecture of the planetary system. We find that the nu6 resonance plays an important role in the asteroid collision rate with the Earth. Compared to exoplanetary systems, the solar system is somewhat special in its lack of a super–Earth mass planet in the inner solar system. We therefore consider the effects of the presence of a super–Earth in the terrestrial planet …

Sparse Mri And Ct Reconstruction, Ali Pouryazdanpanah Kermani

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Sparse signal reconstruction is of the utmost importance for efficient medical imaging, conducting accurate screening for security and inspection, and for non-destructive testing. The sparsity of the signal is dictated by either feasibility, or the cost and the screening time constraints of the system. In this work, two major sparse signal reconstruction systems such as compressed sensing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and sparse-view computed tomography (CT) are investigated.

For medical CT, a limited number of views (sparse-view) is an option for whether reducing the amount of ionizing radiation or the screening time and the cost of the procedure. In applications …

Specification Of Mixed Logit Models Using An Optimization Approach, Cristian David Arteaga Sanchez

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Mixed logit models are a widely-used tool for studying discrete outcome problems. Modeling development entails answering three important questions that highly affect the quality of the specification: (i) what variables are considered in the analysis? (ii) what are going to be the coefficients for these variables? and (iii) what density function these coefficients will follow? The literature provides guidance; however, a strong statistical background and an ad hoc search process are required to obtain the best model specification. Knowledge of the problem context and data is required. Given a dataset including discrete outcomes and associated characteristics the problem to be …

Instrumentation And Measurement Of Thermoelectric And Structural Properties Of Binary Chalcogenides And Half-Heusler Alloys At Extreme Conditions Using A Paris-Edinburgh Press, Jason Lee Baker

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Understanding the high-pressure behavior of transport properties has been a driving force in the study of materials under extreme conditions for well over a century being pioneered by P.W. Bridgman in the early 20th century. Research dedicated to the study of these properties leads to a variety of important applications: exploration of insulator to semi-conductor to metal, structural, and electronic phase transitions, correlation of pressure-induced structural phase transitions and the electronic properties along phase boundaries, identifying electronic topological transitions, testing the validity of theoretical models and providing input parameters for calculations at high-pressure and high-temperature conditions, exploration of sample synthesis …

Object Language/On Defining Sculpture, Thaddeus Barak Moore Celia-Zoellner

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Object Language

In the current era we in the Western, developed world, have almost universal free and uninhibited access to almost every piece of information in existence. Increasingly, regardless of the source, material presented to us as fact has become increasingly suspect. Together, these two things mean this endless stream of data is useless. The question is how to combat this decline, how to reverse the process of a meaningless, constant data-dump. The answer lies in the language used to communicate information. Language is the means by which we communicate complex ideas and knowledge from person to person. Language is …

A Study Of Strengthening Secondary Mathematics Teachers’ Knowledge Of Statistics And Probability Via Professional Development, Lina Devaul

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

A professional development program (PSPD) was implemented to improve in-service secondary mathematics teachers’ content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, and self-efficacy in teaching secondary school statistics and probability. Participants generated a teaching resource website at the conclusion of the PSPD program. Participants’ content knowledge change and self-efficacy change were measured. After PSPD, three participants were selected to represent three types of change. Teachers’ classroom instructions were video-taped and analyzed to explore the enactment of PSPD components, such as activities and concepts. Interviews were conducted to assess factors that facilitated teachers’ change and the enactment of PSPD components. Preservice teachers who majored in …

The Impact Of Supportive Parenting On Career Confidence Of Young Adults, Salma Ettefagh

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Despite freedoms for women in modern economies, there remains a large disparity between female graduation rates and women achieving high-ranking positions in the business world. Confidence may be one factor why women are underrepresented in the executive class.This

exploratory research investigated if supportive parenting has an effect on self-reported career confidence among undergraduates. A quantitative ANOVA analysis found that instrumental support factors (for example, money and tuition) overall were significant in predicting performance-based confidence, particularly for males. However, qualitative results showed that supportive parenting and confidence are not always correlated.

Remote Sensing Of The Environmental Impacts Of Utility-Scale Solar Energy Plants, Mohammad Masih Edalat

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Solar energy has many environmental benefits compared with fossil fuels but solar farming can have environmental impacts especially during construction and development. Thus, in order to enhance environmental sustainability, it is imperative to understand the environmental impacts of utility-scale solar energy (USSE) plants. During recent decades, remote sensing techniques and geographic information systems have become standard techniques in environmental applications. In this study, the environmental impacts of USSE plants are investigated by analyzing changes to land surface characteristics using remote sensing. The surface characteristics studied include land cover, land surface temperature, and hydrological response whereas changes are mapped by comparing …

Evaluation Of The Properties Of Rubberized Asphalt Binders And Mixtures, Kazem Jadidirendi

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Rubber modified binder samples are tested and evaluated based on SHRP requirements. Best rubber content is suggested for modifying binder. Rubber modified asphalt mixtures were manufactured and tested. Based on Hveem stability and volumetric properties of asphalt mixtures, optimum binder content is evaluated and reported. Performance properties of asphalt mixtures made with various rubber size and method were analyzed and compared. An ultrasound measurement performed on asphalt mixture samples and the results were analyzed. It is discovered that rubber improves asphalt viscosity and resistance to rutting deformation. Rubber also increases asphalt’s dynamic modulus.

Numerical Methods For Option Pricing Under The Two-Factor Models, Jiacheng Cai

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Pricing options under multi-factor models are challenging and important problems for financial applications. In particular, the closed form solutions are not available for the American options and some European options, and the correlations between factors increase the complexity and difficulty for the formulations and implements of the numerical methods.

In this dissertation, we first introduce a general transformation to decouple correlated stochastic processes governed by a system of stochastic differential equations. Then we apply the transformation to the popular two-factor models: the two-asset model, the stochastic volatility model, and the stochastic interest rate models. Based on our new formulations, we …