Digital Commons Network^™

Understanding Stress And Coping Among Adults In The United States During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Jocy-Anna Chevalier

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Since the COVID-19 pandemic started, individuals in the United States (U.S.) and across the globe have experienced unprecedented levels of stress. The purpose of this study is to understand the stress experienced among adults in the U.S. and which coping processes affect their overall emotional well-being. Guided by Lazarus and Folkman’s (1987) Transactional Model of Stress and Coping (TMSC), this study conducted a secondary data analysis (n=404) of adults across the U.S who completed an online survey examining their experiences with stress and coping. A Pearson correlation was utilized to explore the relationship between stress and depressive symptoms. Paired samples …

Using Student Voices To Inform Educational Reform: Exploring High School Educational Desires To Improve Curricular Decisions, Anna Colquitt

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In the education system, the integration of student perspectives into effective pedagogical strategies is gaining momentum. This dissertation delves into the concept of 'Student Voice' and its role in shaping educational frameworks. Recognizing the growing gap in soft skill proficiency among newly recruited employees, contrasted with the emphasis on hard skills within current educational standards, this study analyzes what those skill gaps are in the education and what skills students perceive are necessary to integrate into a high school education to better prepare students for life, the workforce, and higher education. Focused on recent high school graduates in Nevada, the …

Understanding The Role Of First Year Experience Courses In The Persistence, Retention, And Completion Of Latinx Hsi Community College Students, Luis Ortega

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this single phenomenological case study was to examine the importance of an FYE or College 101 seminar and why this topic matters to Latinx students’ success. The research took place in a two-year Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) located in the Southwest part of the United States. The overarching question was: How can First-Year Experiences (FYEs) or college seminars bridge the gap of retention, persistence, servingness and completion for Latinx students in higher education?

A total of 18 Latinx students were interviewed and provided valuable information about their experiences to assert the study findings. Four major themes were …

Promoting Situational Interest In Computer Science Classroom: A Utility Intervention Approach, Mustafa Gunozu

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Mastery of computer science and computational reasoning emerges as an essential skill for every student. Experts recommend increasing the focus on computer science studies due to their crucial role in the future, recognizing its pivotal role in early learning. The present study aimed to evaluate the impact of a utility-based intervention on enhancing middle school students' interest in computer science. This study adopted a utility value intervention method to improve students' situational interest in computer science within a formal setting. The study investigated how a utility intervention changes students' interests in the content, employing a pretest-posttest control group design. For …

Development And Pilot Testing Of A Surface Discrimination Test For People With Lower Limb Amputation, Colin Kruger, Kyle Mcknight, Sharlene Lim, Samuel Straus

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Introduction: There is a lack of understanding as to how sensory loss and sensory deficits impact those with LLA. The purpose of this research is to determine the extent to which people with LLA can discriminate between surfaces underfoot, in order to better understand the relationship between people with LLA and their perception of the ground they are walking on. We developed a test to determine which qualities of surfaces may be easier to distinguish.

Methods: 10 unimpaired adults and 2 adults with LLA participated. Participants compared surfaces underfoot that consisted of ceramic, rough tile, gravel, sand, and sandpaper to …

Evaluation, Rating, And Numerical Modeling Of A Shock Mitigation Seat For High-Speed Craft Based On Laboratory Single Impact Testing, Darren Benn

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

High-speed craft (HSC) are utilized in military and para-military maneuvers that are usually conducted in harsh environments. The Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen (SWCC), a sub-unit of the United States Naval Special Warfare Command (NAVSOC), use an advanced HSC, known as the Combatant Craft Assault, to conduct coastal patrol and interdiction, and for infiltration and exfiltration of Navy SEALs. The United States Coast Guard, and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), employ HSC for maritime patrol and to pursue ‘go-fast’ boats operated by contraband runners. In most of these intense applications, the mode of operation of the HSC results in planing. Planing …

Roadblocks To Momentum: An Analysis Of College Major Gpa Restrictions And Stranded Students, Michael J. Hack

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

College retention, persistence, and completion are key indicators of a successful institution, but six-year degree completion has remained stagnant in recent years (National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, 2022). Despite institutional efforts through success initiatives to keep students retained, one set of barriers to degree completion may be due to established major GPA restrictions and policies that prevent students from being able to declare their majors. Accordingly, students who are unable to declare their major but keep enrolling in courses may be in danger of becoming “stranded.” This quantitative examination of student data from one large public four-year college aims to …

Developing A College Readiness Skills Program Aimed At Improving Self-Efficacy For Foster Youth In Academic Settings, Natasa Janjusic

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The proposed work focused on the development and feasibility of a project aiming to introduce college readiness skills to youth who were in the foster care system in order to increase their perception of self-efficacy in an educational setting. With this increase in self-efficacy, foster youth who are generally disadvantaged when attaining and completing a college degree can have the skills necessary to combat this barrier. The project involved the development of contents of the program and the procedures performed at Bamboo Sunrise Foster Care Agency, where this Capstone project was carried out. Participants in the program consisted of three …

Boron-Doped Diamond As A Resilient Electrode Material In Molten Salts, Hannah Katherine Patenaude

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Molten salt chemistry has a range of applications within nuclear technology, including for the Molten Salt Reactors (MSRs) and pyroprocessing to recover valuable actinides for energy and national security needs. However, the high-temperature, corrosive nature of molten salts makes them particularly challenging to deploy on an industrial scale and study in benchtop measurements. Material accountability and corrosion monitoring of MSR fuels are essential components to the successful deployment of MSRs, and electroanalytical techniques like cyclic voltammetry (CV) and spectroelectrochemistry (SEC) can provide a wealth of information to describe salt systems in situ. To perform such measurements, it is imperative to …

Evaluation Of The Extent Of Floods In 2022 In Different Land Cover And Land Use Classes In Sindh Province, Pakistan Using Sentinel-1 And Sentinel-2 Imageries, Alina Shrestha

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Floods are one of the most frequent and most devastating natural disasters, which cause widespread destruction and pose significant risks to human life, infrastructure, and the environment. Advancement in remote sensing technologies and methodologies have demonstrated their efficacy in disaster-related applications, such as the detection, monitoring, and analysis of floods. This study explores the utilization of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and optical imagery for flood extent mapping and studying the extent of flood over various land cover and land use classes in Pakistan's Sindh province, utilizing the cloud computing power of Google Earth Engine. The change detection method identified extensive …

Online Learning For Acid-Fast Bacilli Detection In Histopathological Images, Shizhao Wang

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The acid-fast stain is frequently used for laboratory diagnosis of tuberculosis. It is a labor intensive task requiring thorough examination of extremely high-resolution images to pinpoint the presence of the mycobacteria. This paper presents a machine learning assisted slide image analysis tool with the aim of aiding histopathology professionals in the accurate diagnosis of tuberculosis in patients through the analysis of microscopic imagery. The proposed tool combines a digital whole slide image viewer with an online learning framework. We also conducted a survey of different state-of-the-art online learning methods, and found that MIR with pre-training has the best performance on …

Simulation And Design Of Ion Traps Using The Method Of Fundamental Solutions, Trevor Taylor

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In this thesis I apply the numeric method, the Method of Fundamental Solutions (MFS), to solve for the fields create by ion traps in various configurations, such as quadrupole ion traps, linear ion traps, toroidal ion traps, and toroidal surface ion traps. The traps are then designed to maximize desired qualities such as minimization of their anharmonicity, and their ability to shuttle ions. A particular focus will be on the toroidal surface ion trap, as well as its ability to shuttle ions. This trap is planned for future experiments involving measurement of the electron Electric Dipole Moment.

Multihalle Pavilion: The Renovation Of An Innovative, Experimental Structure From The 1970s, Steffen Lehmann

Architecture Faculty Research

This article discusses the significance and challenges of renovating a unique 1970s experimental timber building and iconic structure: the Multihalle Pavilion in Mannheim (Germany), which has the world’s first and largest self-supporting wooden grid shell roof structure. Originally conceived as a temporary structure for the 1975 Federal Garden Exposition, Multihalle uses a lattice grid shell structure with gentle curves, remarkably slim profiles, and a translucent roof. The term ‘grid shell’ refers to a doubly curved surface formed from the lattice of timber with uniform spacing in two directions. Furthermore, this was one of the first buildings in Germany whose plan …

Piezochromic Behavior Of 2,4,6-Triphenylpyrylium Tetrachloroferrate, Princess Canasa, David King, Petrika Cifligu, Adrian F. Lua Sanchez, Si L. Chen, Haesook Han, Trimaan Malik, Brant Billinghurst, Jianbao Zhao, Changyong Park, George R. Rossman, Michael Pravica, Pradip K. Bhowmik, Egor Evlyukhin

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Research

In advanced photonics, there is a growing interest in piezochromic luminescent materials that exhibit multicolor switching, driven by their potential applications in optical recording, memory, and sensors. Here, the piezochromic behavior of 2,4,6-triphenylpyrylium tetrachloroferrate (Py-FeCl₄) under high pressures from 0 to 9 GPa is reported. The observed multicolor changing properties of Py-FeCl₄ (yellow–orange–red–maroon–black) are found to be fully reversible upon decompression to ambient conditions. The mechanism of Py-FeCl₄ piezochromism is investigated via Raman, infrared, and UV–vis spectroscopy combined with powder X-ray Diffraction. The absence of structural phase transitions as well as the abrupt shifts of bandgap …

Normrank Correlations For Testing Associations And For Use In Latent Variable Models, Daniel B. Wright

Educational Psychology, Leadership, and Higher Education Faculty Research

Pearson’s correlation is widely used to test for an association between two variables and also forms the basis of several multivariate statistical procedures including many latent variable models. Spearman’s p is a popular alternative. These procedures are compared with ranking the data and then applying the inverse normal transformation, or for short the normrank transformation. Using the normrank transformation was more powerful than Pearson’s and Spearman’s procedures when the distributions have less than normal kurtosis (platykurtic), when the distributions have greater than normal kurtosis (leptokurtic), and when the distribution is skewed. This is examined for testing if there is an …

“Educational Facials”: A Healing Tool For The Beautiful Struggle, Kari Kokka, Michelle Cody

Teaching and Learning Faculty Research

Critical educators of Color often work to support their students to work toward justice. However, because we live and work in a society imbued with white supremacy, cisheteropatriarchy, and additional systems of oppression, students and colleagues may resist efforts toward equity and racial justice, especially in mathematics education with women of Color instructors. In this paper, two mathematics educators, a Japanese American woman and a Black woman, elaborate a theory of educational facials, first coined by the second author in 2015. The theory of educational facials is an analytic tool for healing from and navigating harmful school climates. The authors …

A Brief Early History Of The Unlv Department Of Geoscience, Matthew S. Lachniet

Geoscience Faculty Research

This project represents four years of part-time research and investigation. It started as something simple, a need for a spreadsheet for me, as a new Department Chair in January of 2020, to assemble the tenure and promotion timelines of existing faculty based on their employment starting dates. It then expanded to document every Geoscience faculty member, which revealed so many interesting stories along the way. Once it began it was hard to stop, with the research taking on a mind of its own as it meandered down the historical archive of the Department. And why stop with people? Buildings? Fair …

Developing A Remote Gamma-Ray Spectra Collection System (Rgscs) By Coupling A High Purity Germanium (Hpge) Detector With A Cosmicguard Background Reduction Device, Zaijing Sun, Krishnakumar Divakar Nangeelil, Haven Searcy

Health Physics and Diagnostic Sciences Faculty Research

Despite being widely used for high-resolution spectral analysis and quantifying low activity in natural samples, the operations and data analysis of High Purity Germanium (HPGe) gamma-ray detectors are seldom fully automated due to the excessive costs associated with commercially available automatic sample changing systems. This paper introduces the design and implementation of a cost-effective, customized remote gamma-ray spectra collection system centered around the HPGe detector coupled to a cosmic-ray veto background reduction device. The HPGe detector system, equipped with a Lynx DSA, is seamlessly integrated with an economically viable automatic sample changer. This sample vial changer is controlled by a …

Fluid Flow, Mineralization And Deformation In An Oceanic Detachment Fault: Microtextural, Geochemical And Isotopic Evidence From Pyrite At 13°30′N On The Mid-Atlantic Ridge, Andrew J. Martin, John W. Jamieson, Sven Petersen, Mostafa Fayek, Javier Escartin

Geoscience Faculty Research

Hydrothermal fluids in ultramafic-hosted hydrothermal systems associated with oceanic detachment faults can be more oxidizing compared to mafic-hosted vent sites. These fluids form a mineral assemblage of pyrite, magnetite and hematite. At 13°30′N on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, chlorite-quartz breccias recovered from an exposed fault scarp contain pyrite, with abundant magnetite and hematite, indicating that the redox of the fluids was variable. In primary micron-scale zonations in pyrite, Ni, Co, and Se have a decoupled relationship, recording fluctuations in the chemical composition and temperature of hydrothermal fluid as the grains grew. Secondary zonations that erase and overprint primary zonations are limited …

Ai-Enhanced Education In Nevada And Its Transformative Impact On Workforce Development, Employment Prospects, And Tomorrow’S Job Market Proficiencies, Tiffiany Howard, Jingyao Xiang, Otoniel Ramos, Maya Price

Political Science Faculty Research

The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Nevada's education system holds transformative potential for workforce development, economic growth, and job market readiness. This report examines the state's current educational and workforce infrastructure to assess Nevada’s preparedness for an AI-driven economy, and identifies areas where policy interventions could enhance AI and computer science literacy among students.

Nevada is making strides in incorporating AI and STEM education at various levels. The state has established foundational computer science standards in K-12 schools, with a notable achievement of nearly 96% of high schools offering at least one comprehensive computer science course, positioning Nevada as …

The Behemoth Of The Last Ice Age: The Evolutionary Saga Of The Columbian Mammoth In North America, Nathaniel Valentine

Calvert Undergraduate Research Awards

The Columbian’s mammoth evolutionary history can be traced back to the origin of life and its evolutionary lineage can be tracked down by examining select species over geologic time. I conducted a literature review with multiple scientific journals to identify key transitional species that trace their lineage to the Columbian mammoth. Transitional species were selected from the Precambrian and the various periods of the Phanerozoic which exhibited vertebrate-like body structures and behaviors. Evidence suggests that early vertebrate-like animals were present by the Cambrian period. Mammal evolution would continue in the Mesozoic era and radiate in the Cenozoic era. The Columbian …

Unlv Title Iii Aanapisi & Mcnair Scholars Institute Research Journal 2024, Jesica Godinez-Paredes, Kian Hassankhan, Apia Hickman, Robin Ruth Kee, Kevin Ayala Pineda, Briana Melendez, Kalli Ramos, Saturn L. Reyes, Fabian Leija, Selena Pepe, Silva Topchyan, Celeste Ainsley, Mayra Arzate, Jessica Balistreri, Zantana Ephrem, Mirella Jasso, Karl Panou, Nichole Pelaez, Miklo Alcala, Akshay Dave, Mey Mey Heng, Michael Finkle, Janessa Montenegro, Reynafe Naol Aniga, Victor Mejia, Angelica G. Diaz, Anayeli Flores-Garibay, Kari Lee Joe Goold, Samantha Hernandez, Lianelys Cabrera Martinez, Caitlin Reynolds, Kimberly N. Usbeck, Abdulrahman Alahdal, Angelica Diaz, Willaine Mae Kahano, Raquel Jackson, Cecia Ruiz-Hernandez, Kers Ung-Watson, Yessenia Henriquez, Vanessa Marie Booth, Alexia Brown, Darlyn Magana, Bianca Navarro, Nicholas Pereira, Gia Renemae Calip, Lucky Heng, Ralph Sagun, Lucas Abreu, Alexandra Maria Acosta, Tristan Benally, Cosset Hernandez Pena, Adrian Montenegro, Cierra Paaaina-Daquioag, Nicole Torosian, Tracy Fuentes, Julissa Martinez, Medina Mcallister, Michal Newhouse-Van Vlerin, Tiria Carr, Nima Abkenar, Isabella Aceituno, Yuhan Bi, Victoria Campos, Melika Cummings, Zachary J. Johnigan, Alexis Sotolongo-Marin

McNair Journal

Journal articles based on research conducted by undergraduate students in the AANAPISI, LSAMP, and McNair Scholars Program.

Table of Contents

About AANAPISI

Dr. Chris Heavey, Interim President

Dr. Keith Rogers, Vice President for Student Affairs

Ms. Zhanna Aronov, Associate Vice President for Retention & Outreach

Zagamiite, Caal2si3.5o11, The Hexagonal High-Pressure Cas Phase With Dominant Si, As A Mineral From Mars, Chi Ma, Oliver Tschauner, John R. Beckett, Eran Greenberg, Vitali B. Prakapenka

Geoscience Faculty Research

Within the Ca-Al-silicate system, dense, layered hexagonal phases occur at high temperatures and pressures between 20 and 23 GPa. They have been observed both in nature and in experiments. In this study, we describe the endmember with a dominant sixfold coordinated Si as a mineral zagamiite (IMA 2015-022a). This new mineral identified in Martian meteorites has a general formula of (Ca,Na)(Al,Fe,Mg)2(Si,Al,□)4O11, thus defining CaAl2Si3.5O11 as a previously unknown endmember of the hexagonal CAS phases. Zagamiite assumes space group P63/mmc with a unit cell of a = 5.403(2) Å, c = 12.77(3) Å, V = 322.9(11) Å3, and Z = 2. …

Synthesis Of Novel Disulfide Triazole Organophosphate Containing Fire Retardants, Parsa Asaei, Jun Yong Kang

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

Fire Retardants (FR) play a pivotal role in reducing smoke plume generation in wildland fires, which coincides with one of NSF EPSCoR’s HDRFS project objectives: investigating smoke plume dynamics. With the San Antonio Statement from 2010 banning halogenated FRs, there has been a push in research towards safer and better alternatives. The synthesis of a novel disulfide triazole organophosphate fire retardant (DSTP) would aid in NSF EPSCoR’s HDRFS research as a greener and better alternative. Therefore, our research aimed to i) develop a novel FR that harnesses the synergistic effects of phosphate-, disulfide-, and triazole-functionality that can be applied to …

Finding Diffs Of Pull Request Commits, Chalinee Karawek, John Businge

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

Github is a social network that allows developers' projects to be forked for various uses, such as developing the existing repository or use the code to steer development into a new direction. As more forks are made, the more bugs that can occur due to new pull requests not synchronizing with the upstream repository. PaReco is a clone detection tool by Ramkisoen et al. (Ramkisoen et al. 2022) that identifies the changes inside the files inside a pull request by performing diff on every file. However, in this study, we take a different approach to identifying the changes inside the …

Different Canopy Covers Effect Microclimate: How The Urban Heat Island Effect Can Be Reduced In Las Vegas, Melanie Sanchez, Alison Sloat

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

The purpose of my research was to investigate the effects that different canopy covers have on desert cities microclimates and how the City of Las Vegas can implement the best techniques to reduce temperatures in the hottest parts of town. I collected data on the different temperatures in two separate parts of the city (East Las Vegas, Midtown UNLV area) in one-hour intervals during two and three in the afternoon and surveyed four different areas on its tree canopy coverage. I also analyzed scientific peer reviewed studies which helped me see what other arid cities, like Phoenix, AZ, have done …

Third-Order Harmonic Generation In Few-Layer Graphene, Nicholas T. Pereira, Timothy Chung, Joshua O. Island

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

Optical harmonic generation is a phenomena that occurs in nonlinear materials and can be used to study the properties of those materials. For example, the nonlinear response of layered, two-dimensional (2D) materials can be used to characterize flake thickness, lattice and stacking symmetries, and crystal strain. Here, we study third harmonic generation (THG) in graphene and few-layer graphite as a precursor to investigating nonlinear optical properties of other 2D materials. We present a custom scanning setup for optical harmonic generation and present our results on few-layer flakes. These results provide a solid basis for future measurements of other new 2D …

Sensitive Capacitance Measurements Of The Quantum Hall Effect In Graphene, Vergil Schreiber, Justin Alvarez, Joshua Island

Undergraduate Research Symposium Podium Presentations

Research on how electrons respond to confinement holds potential for breakthroughs in quantum computing and more energy efficient electronics. In intense magnetic fields and near-zero temperatures, electrons in confined to 2D display unique quantum behaviors. These conditions quantize electron motion into circular orbits, resulting in discrete Landau energy levels.

Identifying Trauma Related Predictors Of Dissociation In Maltreated Youth, Amanda L. Mraz

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Maltreated youth who experience traumatic dissociation are at an increased risk for various psychopathological difficulties. Much is still unknown about the machinations behind experiences of dissociation post-trauma. This study aimed to identify variables that place maltreated youth at risk for experiencing traumatic dissociation (e.g., dissociative amnesia, absorption and imaginative involvement, passive influence, depersonalization and derealization, and total adolescent dissociative experiences symptoms (A-DES)). Investigatory variables included demographic (e.g., age, gender, and racial identity), cognitive (e.g., resiliency and posttraumatic cognitions), and psychological (e.g., posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms (PTSD) and anxiety) factors. Classification and regression tree (CART) analysis was utilized to observe the …

Development, Voice, And Vulnerability: A Rhetorical Analysis Of The Policy-Making Discourse Regarding The Paris Agreement As An Organizational Response To Climate Change, David Almanza-Canas

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

On December 12, 2015, the Paris Agreement was officially ratified by 196 sovereign entities. This treaty represents a global call to action to ameliorate the impact of human activities on our environment, and it creates a means of cooperation through financial support and transparent industrial practices with the goal of promoting accountability across the world. This treaty and the discourse surrounding it present fertile ground for the academic understanding of persuasive practices in policy-making. By examining the rhetorical implications of the Paris Agreement as a global policy, scholars can gain new insight about the communities represented in the conversation as …