Digital Commons Network^™

Student-Athletes’ Career Adaptability, Academic Motivation And Athletic Motivation, Alexandria N. Petrolia

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Many Division I student-athletes find the transition of graduating college, leaving the athletic arena, and entering the workforce to be extremely challenging to navigate. Due to the high demands of being an elite athlete and the prospect of continuing to compete professionally after graduation, an overwhelming majority of student-athletes expend little to no effort in exploring potential careers and are unlikely to take advantage of the opportunities available to them prior to graduation. This study aimed to examine the relationship between athletic career motivation, athletic motivation, and academic motivation to the skills necessary to navigate work responsibilities in career adaptability. …

Identifying Gaps In Social Determinants Of Health Among Patients 65 Years And Older With Congestive Heart Failure: A Secondary Data Analysis, Sandra Pierre-Louis

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Congestive heart failure (CHF) is one of the most common healthcare problems for older adults. Because of its high and rising prevalence in this population and its significant influence on healthcare costs and quality of life, CHF is becoming a serious public health issue in the United States. More effective strategies for preventing and managing CHF in older people are desperately needed (Rich, 2015). The disease accounts for 3% of hospital admissions in the United States and affects more than 6.5 million Americans (White-Williams et al., 2020). Further, CHF is exacerbated by adverse social determinants of health (SDOH). This study …

Development Of Uav-Based Rail Track Geometry Irregularity Monitoring And Measuring Platform Empowered By Artificial Intelligence, Lihao Qiu

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Rail tracks need to be consistently monitored and inspected for problems associated with rust, deformation, and cracks that, at their worst, can cause catastrophic train derailments. Many non-destructive testing approaches have been explored and extensively utilized to help inspect rails’ health, but most of them require intensive human power and/or heavy sensor systems (e.g. total stations, manual/car-mounted trolly, etc.) that are not efficient or convenient to cover a long range of rails and may interfere with the normal operation of trains.In light of the rapid development of unmanned aerial systems/vehicles (UAS’s/UAVs) and high definition photographic and optical distance measuring sensors, …

Trauma On Top Of Trauma: How Child Welfare Failures Affect Trafficked Children, Christie J.W. Ra

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The commercial sexual exploitation of children is a phenomenon that greatly impacts the victimization of children. The sexual victimization of children is harmful to children and prior research has found various risk factors related to exploitation. The main risk factors observed in the current paper include prior sexual abuse and/or assault, adverse childhood experiences, foster care failures, race/ethnicity, and running away. The current study used secondary data that collected data from non-foster and foster-involved exploited children to observe how foster care involvement and race/ethnicity affect victimization within the juvenile justice system. Findings confirmed that race/ethnicity and foster care involvement greatly …

Jazz Sampling Hip Hop: A View Of The Expanded Rhythm Section And The Musical Interactions Between Musicians And Machines, Molly Kaylynn Redfield

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This document presents a study on a musical fusion that I term “jazz/hip hop.” The study presents a historical overview of jazz/hip hop origins beginning with 1960s beat poets to jazz/hip hop artists emerging in the early 2000s. Modeled after Phillip Tagg’s and John Fiske’s semiotic methodology and William C. Banfield’s African American Cultural Theory and Heritage Model, the methodology defines the musical and cultural aesthetics of jazz/hip hop. Interviews from jazz/hip hop artists are presented; justifying the use of hip-hop aesthetics and countering the argument that commercial elements are added for mainstream recognition. I examine that samples musically interact …

In The Image Of… Towards A Trans Talmud, Laurence Myers Reese

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In the Image of... (towards a Trans Talmud) is a body of work by artist Laurence Myers Reese that works to examine Jewish paradigms of gender through the transgender lens. Reading the archive diagonally, he examines historical Jewish writings, from poet and Rabbi Kalonymous Ben Kalonymous to “false Messiah” Shabbatai Tzvi. Contextualizing contemporary Jewish with notable exhibitions from the Jewish Museum New York and Spertus Museum, Chicago, In the Image of… draws from artists, writers, and Rabbis who use a gendered lens to interrogate Judaism. These include Yael Kanarek, who has worked to re-gender the entire Torah, Rena Yehuda Newman, …

Characterization Of Physical And Dosimetric Aspects Of Srs Hyperarc Treatment Technique, Emma S. Rickels

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

HyperArc is a radiation therapy planning technique using stereotactic radiosurgical doses delivered via single isocenter volumetric modulated arcs (VMAT) for multi-lesion brain cancer. Due to the nature of these types of treatments it is imperative that the proper quality assurance is completed to ensure the safety of the patient. Geometric limits were assessed using a dose volume histogram (DVH) and known rotational errors of theoretical lesions of different dimensions and lengths from the isocenter. Dosimetric comparisons were evaluated using an ion chamber and Gafchromic EBT-XD film and portal dosimetry. The conclusions from these investigations were that patient rotation will result …

A Performance Guide For Four Songs By Francisco Mignone, Amanda Mara Rizzotto Vidal Pessoa

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The scope of this document is to demonstrate the richness and diversity to be found in the art song genre from countries outside of the standard repertoire, specifically focusing on the Brazilian composer Francisco Mignone. The purpose of this document is to provide performance practice guidelines for four selected pieces by Francisco Mignone: No Meio do Caminho (1938), Pregão (1947), Si eu sei o que é saudade (1976), and Valsa-Vocalise (1972). They exemplify expressions of Brazilian national identity through the music selected. Furthermore, it provides a brief background on the composer and his compositional style phases, and context for the …

Evidence-Based Intervention To Improve Health Literacy Among Older Adults With Newly Diagnosed Atrial Fibrillation, Johana Rowe

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Background and Significance: Atrial fibrillation (AFib) is the most common arrhythmia encountered in the healthcare setting. As of 2018, approximately 6.1 million people in the United States were living with AFib which is projected to increase to 12.1 million by 2030. Older adults are at higher risk of developing AFib and its complications. AFib is a chronic condition that requires targeted patient education by healthcare providers in different healthcare settings. Patient’s low health literacy regarding the condition is a significant barrier to therapy adherence. Given the high rate of poor health literacy among individuals newly diagnosed with AFib and the …

Predicting And Mitigating Reactance Impact On Attitude And Behavioral Intention, Matthew Ryan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

At times messaging may be of an instructive nature that can be perceived as an attempt to threaten or limit an individual’s freedom. This freedom limitation can range from individual choice to physical requirements. How a message is framed, or positioned, is very important. In certain instances, even when the message has the best intentions, if framed incorrectly can have the opposite, or boomerang, effect on people. This state is known as psychological reactance. When invoked, consumers will act in a way that eliminates the threat of freedom to restore balance. Such a state can also lead to negative implications …

An Integrative Variable And Person-Centered Approach To Representing Teachers' Self-Efficacy: A Cross-Cultural Perspective, Ana Paula Santos Loures Elias

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

There has been substantial scholarly attention given to teachers’ functioning over the past two decades. Much of this attention has been precipitated by accounts of increasing teacher burnout and attrition from the profession. Central to this scholarly focus has been the construct of teacher self-efficacy, which has been shown to be a predictor of important teacher outcomes. However, there remain several unresolved issues in the teacher self-efficacy literature that limit the utility of the construct for understanding teachers’ effective functioning. First, there is little clarity about the dimensional structure of teachers’ self-efficacy data. Second, little empirical work has been conducted …

New Mathematical Models For Acoustic Insertion Loss Of Fiberglass Lining In Hvac Duct, Michael Anthony Schwob

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The design objectives for HVAC air distribution systems are thermal comfort, good indoor air quality, energy efficiency, low construction cost, and appropriate indoor noise levels. The last objective requires that the designer can predict the attenuation of sound transmitted through an air duct. One form of attenuation commonly introduced to an air distribution system to achieve interior noise criteria is fiberglass liner. Past research has been conducted to obtain reliable and accurate insertion loss (IL) data for duct with fiberglass liner. Empirical efforts have relied on limited data sets. Computational efforts have produced numerical models that are not practical for …

Math Identity Experience Of College Students In Developmental Courses: The Effects Of Chronological Multicultural Mathematics, Jonah Shulman

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The present grant funded study by the Office of Research and Sponsored Projects investigated the effects of a chronological multicultural mathematics (CMM) framework on math identity and math achievement of student participants enrolled in two virtual post-secondary developmental math courses (N=9). The students were selected due to an inability to pass previous developmental courses or the placement exam to earn entrance into credit bearing math courses. An exploratory mixed methods case study utilized interviews, reflections, surveys, classwork, and grades to arrive at conclusions. Student participants were exposed to supplemental additions to the curriculum that provided elements of past (founders and …

Attentional Focus And The Development Of Skilled Performance, Harjiv Singh

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

A central question in the development of skilled movement is: how a performer should focus their attention while preparing for the execution of a motor skill? Considerable evidence has shown that directing attention towards an intended movement effect (i.e., external focus) results in performance benefits relative to focusing on body movements (i.e., internal focus). While most of the previous research has emphasized the effects of internal versus external foci, evidence also suggests that external foci located at greater distances from the body (distal foci) are more effective than external foci located in greater proximity to the body (proximal foci) and …

An Empirical Investigation Into The Impact Of Automated Grading, Alex James St. Aubin

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Context: Computer Science enrollment has seen increases in recent years. At the University of Nevada, Las Vegas we have seen an average year to year growth rate of 17.33% in the spring and 13.71% in the fall over the past 10 years in our entry level programming course. These enrollment increases have led to considerable additional costs for grading course material.Objective: The goal of this study is to determine the impact of automatic grading systems on students. If automatic grading is at least as effective as manual grading in practice, it may reduce cost under the context of at least …

The Association Between Neighborhood Social Media Use And Social Cohesion, Sense Of Community And Perceived Safety Among Adults In Clark County, Nevada, Emily Strickler

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Place-based health is a concept that suggests where you live has an effect on your health outcomes. Social health factors such as social cohesion, sense of community, and perceived safety are all influenced by the neighborhood environment, and positively associated with health outcomes such as self-reported minutes of physical activity and symptoms of depression. With the increasing popularity of social media sites used specifically for neighborhood purposes, more neighbors are connecting than ever before. The purpose of this study was to determine if use of neighborhood social media sites was associated with the social health factors of social cohesion, sense …

What Happens In Vegas: The Influence Of Las Vegas On High-Risk Attitudes And Behaviors, Marissa Tiemann

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The probability of victimization is affected by various factors, such as child abuse, a history of victimization, sexual assault, substance abuse, and risky behaviors. Previous research has attributed differences in victimization risk to differences in lifestyle. Overtly sexual cultures like Las Vegas, Nevada, could impact the adoption of risky behaviors (e.g., binge drinking, casual sex, and substance abuse) that could increase victimization risks. This study seeks to understand the impact of the city of Las Vegas on adopting high risk sexual attitudes and behaviors by examining the length of time an individual has spent in Las Vegas. This study used …

Food Insecurity And Dietary Intake In Adults With Type 2 Diabetes In Southern Nevada, Elizabeth Torres

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Background Type 2 diabetes is a major public health issue and food insecurity can affect diabetes management. Food insecurity can contribute to disrupted dietary eating patterns and decreased consumptions of a variety of foods. The aim of this observational study was to determine the difference in dietary intake between food insecure and food secure individuals with type 2 diabetes, as well as by glycemic control. Methods In this cross-sectional study, 55 participants were recruited from an academic endocrinology clinic. Participants completed a 7-day food diary, a household food security questionnaire, and assessment of blood biomarkers (HbA1c). To determine the differences …

The Role Of Peer Relationships In Developing, Promoting, And Maintaining Teachers’ Social And Emotional Competence In The Charter School Setting, Ted Jason Weisman

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Social and Emotional Competence (SEC) is comprised of five main components: self awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. Within the context of K-12 education, SEC is typically explored through the lens of student achievement or student progress. This area of research is noteworthy as teachers aretrained in SEL to assist and support students, not themselves or one another (Wiglesworth et al., 2016). Although teachers may receive training on SEC, the teachers rarely are the focus of that training (Aldrup et al., 2021). One area of particular interest is the setting of charter schools and how they address …

Tracing The Shadows Of Gothic Bach: An Overview Of J.S. Bach’S Keyboard Music In American Horror Films, Siyu Yang

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 565, and the Goldberg Variations, BWV 988, have been by far the most prominent of J.S. Bach’s works to evoke evil and horror on screen. This “Horror Bach” association remains exclusively a subculture phenomenon in pop culture (almost universally outside of the classical music world). A historical overview of this cultural phenomenon suggests three factors that made these pieces become horror film music: 1) the popularity of the pieces, 2) the choice of instrumentation, and 3) popular cultural factors. This doctoral document also introduces this pop culture phenomenon of Bach to classical …

Comparative Effects Of High-Intensity Interval Warm-Up Exercise And Bronchodilator On Exercise-Induced Bronchoconstriction In Children With Mild Asthma, Michael Wong

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Purpose: The troubling link between obesity and asthma in children, along with greater associated detrimental health effects, warrants investigation to better understand the mechanisms driving this relationship as well as its consequences, especially during exercise. Bronchodilators and interval warm-up exercises are recommended by the American Thoracic Society to prevent exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB). Whether interval warm-up exercise can prevent EIB to the same extent as bronchodilators in asthmatic children is unknown but clinically important. Therefore, the first purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of obesity on pulmonary function, exercise tolerance, and exercise-induced bronchoconstriction in asthmatic children. The second …

Development Of A Model For Affordable Senior Living Community, Nyx Wenlin Zhu

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Objective

An affordable senior living community model must be developed to support the needs of our growing elderly population. Health, safety, and wellbeing depend on equal physical health, social health, and mental or psychological health provisions. As we look at each of these aspects, we must filter physical, social, and mental health based on the abilities of the older population.

Background

The aging population in western societies is one of the biggest challenges of the 21st century and has multiple implications for society, the economy, and other aspects of the community. Aging people who lack family support often require the …

Measuring Perceptions Of Safety Among Staff And Women Clients In A Prison Substance Abuse Program, Jaclyn Parker Keen

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Women who are involved in the criminal justice system have unique pathways to criminality. Prevailing themes of dysfunctional and traumatic relationships, addiction, mental illness, poverty, and having limited human and social capital dominate the women’s pathways perspective. A large body of existing research focuses on how these unique risk factors require unique treatment options for women while they are incarcerated in jail or prison settings. Entering prison can be an overwhelming experience and prison is an environment that has a high potential for conflict and violence. In order to be safe in prison it requires that women both feel protected …

Horse Loose: Essays On Fear And Attachment, Alyse Burnside

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

I began writing my thesis about my grandmother, who lived out the last few years of her life as a new age healer speaking in tongues and believing she was the channel for an ancient Lemurian shaman. We were not close until the very end of her life, and even then I felt far away from her. Not in the least because of her estrangement with the rest of my family. I tried and tried to write about her but always ran up against her mystery. She was not a woman many knew, and if you did know her, you …

The Occupational Therapy Approach To Pain Treatment: A Pain Curriculum, Rosalee Howell

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

It is within the scope of the occupational therapy profession to treat patients experiencing pain. The holistic approach used to assess and treat patients to improve functional performance is vital in treating pain. The focus is to decrease the detrimental impact of pain on the patient’s mental health, enhancing their ability to function in social and vocational roles. However, education is not adequately addressed in occupational therapy programs and is vital in preparing clinicians to meet the patient’s needs effectively.

This Doctoral Capstone was developed to highlight the importance and the benefit of education in preparing clinicians to treat patients …

A Parent-Mediated Intervention To Teach A Generalized Repertoire Of Auditory Tacts To A Child With Autism, Hazim Aal Ismail

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Tact is the most important verbal operant (Skinner, 1957) due to the uniqueness of stimulus control and its role in facilitating acquisition of another verbal (e.g., mands, intraverbals) and nonverbal (i.e., listener) operants (Sundberg, 2015). Teaching tacts to children with ASD and the research on this area, however, are largely focused on visual stimuli. Teaching tacts of auditory stimuli to children with ASD is important as they constantly experience various auditory stimuli (e.g., vehicles, pets, machines, music) in the natural environment. Adding auditory and other nonvisual tacts to tact repertoire increases its effectiveness (Sundberg & Partington, 1998). Furthermore, teaching auditory …

Developing Vocal Agility Of Light Lyric Coloratura Soprano Voices Through The Neglected Repertoire Of French Opéra Comique, Valentine Baron

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This document explores light lyric coloratura soprano roles in the French opéra comique genre through an analysis of seven arias and their impact on the development of vocal agility. The opéra comique genre was popular at the beginning of the eighteenth century, but declined to disappear from the stage at the end of the nineteenth century. Despite the opéra comique’s influence on many other vocal genres, the genre is today neglected. Opportunities for singers to improve and practice challenging coloratura in this repertoire are limited. The two most famous arias from the genre which are the Doll Aria and Juliette’s …

A Development Of A Game-Theoretic Artificially Intelligent Neural Network Revenue Management Forecasting Model, Fatemeh Binesh

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The aim of this dissertation is to create and test a risk induced game-theoretic price forecasting model. The models were tested with datasets from 3 Upper Midscale hotels in 3 locations (urban, interstate and suburb), one hotel from each location. The data was obtained from STR, a leading hospitality marketing company which consolidates all of the daily hotel data from hotels in the United States. Multiple error measures were used to compare the accuracy of models. Three LSTM models were proposed and tested; LSTM model 1 that relied on ADR to forecast ADR, LSTM model 2 that used ADR, supply, …

The Influence Of Volga Tatar Folk Music And Soviet Cultural Policies On The Orchestral Composers Of Kazan, Jane Katherine Brown

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

After a brief historical overview of Volga Tatar history and Soviet political and historical contexts, this document begins with a detailed description of Volga-Tatar folk musical characteristics, including probable influences as described, analyzed, and transcribed by twentieth and twenty-first century Volga Tatar scholars. In this description, the author attempts to give the preferential voice to Tatar perspectives, such as the early ethnographers and Tatar ethnomusicologists from Kazan State Conservatory, the officials from the Union of Composers of the Republic of Tatarstan, and of course, the composers themselves. The author’s detailed discussion of folk music elements and genres is then followed …

The Experiences Of Pell Grant Students Who Lose Aid: A Mixed Methods Study, Jaime Carbajal, Jr.

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Understanding the link between financial aid and college attainment is particularly important for the Federal Pell Grant program, the nation’s largest financial aid program. Many studies have shown that the Pell Grant program increases retention, persistence, and graduation rates for undergraduate students (Castleman & Long, 2016; Evans & Nguyen, 2019). Nonetheless, 80% of Pell recipients do not go on to complete a college degree within four years (Goldrick-Rab et al., 2016). One possible reason for this outcome is the way the Pell Grant program is constructed and implemented. While the Pell grant starts out as a need-based aid, it becomes …