Digital Commons Network^™

A Novel Feature Maps Covariance Minimization Approach For Advancing Convolutional Neural Network Performance, Bikram Basnet

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

We present a method for boosting the performance of the Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) by reducing the covariance between the feature maps of the convolutional layers.

In a CNN, the units of a hidden layer are segmented into the feature/activation maps. The units within a feature map share the weight matrix (filter), or in simple terms look for the same feature. A feature map is the output of one filter applied to the previous layer. CNN search for features such as straight lines, and as these features are spotted, they get reported to the feature map. During the learning process, …

Large Group Video Modeling: Increasing Social Interactions In An Inclusive Head Start Classroom, Jennifer Margaret Buchter

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Social skills are associated positive academic and well-being outcomes across the lifespan, especially for individuals with disabiliites (Carter, Sisco, Chung, & Stanton-Chapman, 2010; Hirsh-Pasek, Golinkoff, Berk, & Singer, 2009; Lifter, Mason, & Barton, 2011; Rubin, Bukowski, & Laursen, 2009). Without instruction, children with disabilities often have social skill delays that result in social isolation and peer rejection (Barton, 2015; Goldstein, English, Shafer, & Kaczmarek, 1997; Gresham, 1982; Nelson, McDonnell, Johnson, Crompton, & Nelson, 2007; Rogers, 2000; Travis, Sigman, & Ruskin, 2001). Direct and explicit instruction, not only for the targeted child but also for their peers, is required to support …

Contributions To Mcmc Methods In Constrained Domains With Applications To Neuroimaging, Sharang Chaudhry

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods form a rich class of computational techniques that help its user ascertain samples from target distributions when direct sampling is not possible or when their closed forms are intractable. Over the years, MCMC methods have been used in innumerable situations due to their flexibility and generalizability, even in situations involving nonlinear and/or highly parametrized models. In this dissertation, two major works relating to MCMC methods are presented.

The first involves the development of a method to identify the number and directions of nerve fibers using diffusion-weighted MRI measurements. For this, the biological problem is …

Trauma And Its Shadow: The History Of Flashbacks, David Becker

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The flashback is a concept born in cinema, adopted by science and embraced by popular culture as a metaphor for memory—everyday recollections, psychedelic illusions, and traumatic intrusions—that informs and influences our relationship to the past. This creative thesis traces the one-hundred-year timeline of the concept of flashbacks, focusing on its expansion into the field of psychology. How did a film term end up in the pages of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), the primary tool used by psychologists to diagnose mental illness, such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)? Flashbacks gained psychological complexity in Hollywood during the …

State Law And Child Welfare Policy Role In Nonparental Family Composition, Laura Alison Caliendo

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Children in nonparental care have worse outcomes than children in the general population, Federal child welfare policy has prioritized kinship care in an effort to improve outcomes for children; however, it is unclear if the intended child outcomes are achieved. Research shows outcomes vary depending on the type of nonparental family with whom a child lives, due in part to relationship but also to access to services and child welfare system supports. This research defines first five nonparental family types and then uses the framework of ecological systems theory to examine if state laws and child welfare policy influence the …

Implementation Of An Asthma Action Plan In A Pediatric Outpatient Clinic, Noelle Cerdan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

A combination of asthma evidence-based education by nurse practitioners and other healthcare providers as well as self-management by patients with asthma and their caregivers are necessary to provide effective asthma care. According to the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP) guidelines from the National Institute of Health (NIH), effective asthma care includes a detailed Asthma Action Plan (AAP). However, despite this evidence-based recommendation for all patients with asthma, studies suggest many healthcare providers do not routinely utilize an AAP.

The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project was to develop and evaluate a process for the integration …

Early Contractional History Of The Funeral Mountains And Its Influence On The Formation Of The Funeral Mountains Metamorphic Core Complex, Death Valley, Ca, Taylor Douglas Craig

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Zones of localized crustal thickening in orogenic belts commonly host low-angle normal faults, which have been controversial since their recognition. The metamorphic core complexes of the Sevier hinterland are localized within a belt that is attributed with the highest degrees of crustal thickening during Sevier orogenesis. This association of deep-rooted detachment faulting and early contractional deformation indicates an important link between the two processes, however repeated tectonic episodes often overprint and obscure the earlier fabrics, making this link difficult to study. The Funeral Mountains metamorphic core complex, located in Death Valley, CA, has a complex history of protracted SE-contraction and …

Building A Music Festival: Understanding Media Industry Lore, Madeline Edgmon

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Music festivals have become culturally salient within the new age of consumer participatory culture. Festivals fundamentally warrant a rite of passage by providing consumers a unique, all-encompassing experience. This critical media industry study examines the music festival industry and its’ usage of lore as industry held logics based off of perceptions of consumer wants and desires that calcify within the industry (Havens and Lotz, 2012). I contend three substantial and emergent lore in the music festival industry identified include millennials, experience economy, and prosumer culture. In addition, this thesis explores industry lore as various textual representations across social and physical …

The Effects Of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor On The Characteristics Of Pluripotent Dental Pulp Stem Cells, Cale Forgues

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Many believe that stem cells hold the key to regenerative medicine. Therefore, research with stem cells has become increasingly popular over the years. Three specific groups of study have become present in literature. The first group has focused much of their research on harvesting and cultivating stem cell lines to retain their pluripotent ability. Stem cells can be tricky to cultivate and preserve over time as they will often differentiate or die. Another group examines the specific characteristics that a pluripotent stem cell has and how to retain, or even create, a cell with pluripotent potential. Lastly, the third group …

The Effects Of Bone Morphogenic Protein 2 On The Viability And Proliferation Of Dental Pulp Stem Cell Isolates, Joseph Cinelli

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Growth factor is an umbrella term used to describe a signaling molecule present in organisms that serves the purpose of influencing a stimulatory or inhibitory response from the target cell it acts on. Growth factors are categorized and classified by the types of tissues they act on and the cellular responses they illicit. For example, there are growth factors that act primarily in connective tissue on fibroblasts and they are aptly classified as the fibroblast growth factor family. Similarly, there is another family of growth factors that act on bone forming cells, among others, and they are known as bone …

Numerical Study Of Spacer Grid Geometry In A 5 X 5 Nuclear Fuel Rod Bundle, Wan Chuan Fan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Reactor fuel rod bundles serve as the primary heat source in light water reactors (LWRs), commonly found in the aforementioned PWR plants. The fuel rod bundles’ structure consists of a collection of fuel rods put into a parallel grid configuration. The bundles also include fuel rod spacers, which hold the fuel rods in place, in accordance with the grid. Repeating structures of the fuel bundles create the meta-structure in the reactor. In other words, the grid configuration repeats until it fills the entire space of the reactor. This results in reactor fuel rods suspended in the working fluid domain, oriented …

Factors That Influence Nontraditional Adult Learners' Online Course Persistence: An Explanatory Sequential Mixed Methods Study, Millicent D. Braxton

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Historically, the typical first-year college student was an 18-year-old high school graduate still living at home. However, today’s college students are frequently older adults pursuing higher education in record numbers and for a myriad of reasons. In fact, these older students are nontraditional adult learners (NALs), and they are the new majority student population (NCES, 2012). Nontraditional adult learners are identified as a student 25-years and older, entering college for the first time or re-entering college after a gap in their education. Additionally, NALs prefer to enroll in online courses because of the convenience and flexibility of online learning. However, …

Encyclopedia Of My Body, Alice Hastings

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This creative thesis project is a culmination of the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing degree at UNLV. The thesis—titled Encyclopedia of My Body—was composed entirely during my graduate semesters at UNLV. As a hybrid collection book of poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction, it explores the different bodies that create and shape human people. Included within these bodies are of course the temporal, organic bodies human people inhabit; using my own body as the focus, I explore the intersections of gender, pain, and transness. This collection however seeks to trouble the idea of bodies, and therefore explores the bodies …

Mozart's "Mezzos": A Comparative Study Between Castrato And Female Roles In Mozart's Operas, Erin Gonzalez

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Scholarly work on Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s singers has focused particularly on the soprano voice. There is a general neglect of attention on the low female voice—or what we would commonly call the “mezzo-soprano”—in his operas. As a mezzo-soprano and singer of Mozart repertoire (both female and travesti roles), I find it imperative that a comparative study of Mozart’s compositional treatment between both the castrato and mezzo-soprano voice be created to better understand Mozart’s style and intent for composition for these voice types.

This document is geared toward singers and teachers alike and will examine select arias of the castrato and …

Evidence-Based Practice Guide And Workflows: Improving Hospital Throughput And Reducing Emergency Department Overcrowding, Maulah Halley

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Hospitals in the United States are experiencing disruptions to patient throughput. These disruptions create barriers to patients who seek emergent care in the Emergency Department (ED) and who must be moved to hospital inpatient beds after the decision to admit has been made. As a result, patients requiring hospital admission via the ED may have long wait times, which, in turn, contribute to ED crowding and overcrowding. The root causes of ED overcrowding are inefficiencies within the system and the inability of hospitals to meet demand. Although bed capacity on any given unit may not be altered, ED patient’s arrival …

Numerical Analysis And Fluid Flow Modeling Of Incompressible Navier-Stokes Equations, Tahj Hill

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Navier-Stokes equations (NSE) are an essential set of partial differential equations for governing the motion of fluids. In this paper, we will study the NSE for an incompressible flow, one which density ρ = ρ0 is constant.

First, we will present the derivation of the NSE and discuss solutions and boundary conditions for the equations. We will then discuss the Reynolds number, a dimensionless number that is important in the observations of fluid flow patterns. We will study the NSE at various Reynolds numbers, and use the Reynolds number to write the NSE in a nondimensional form.

We will …

Telomeres, Nutrition And Mortality: Risk Factors For The Rate Of Telomere Length Decline And The Associations Between Telomere Length, Nutrition And Mortality, Saruna Ghimire

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Introduction: Telomeres are nucleoprotein structures located at the ends of eukaryotic chromosomes, thought to protect the DNA from damage. As a person experiences stressors, harmful exposures, and other diseases throughout their life, telomeres are thought to become damaged and their length shortened, decreasing their ability to protect the DNA. Nutrition is an important aspect of healthy aging. Preservation of telomere length (TL) is thought to be one of the mechanisms by which good nutrition can delay or prevent the development of chronic disease and death. Recent evidence of preservation of TL with good nutrition is promising. Thus, the aim of …

The Effects Of Sex Role Stereotype Endorsement And Work-Family Conflict On Emerging Adult Aspirations, Andrea Fink-Armold

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Workplace and household inequality remain prevalent in the United States and sex role (e.g. breadwinner and caregiver) stereotypes affect the roles that individuals seek out. This research used a mixed-methods approach to investigate the effects of sex role stereotypes and expected work-family conflict on the work and family aspirations of emerging adults. A racially diverse sample wrote freely about their future selves for ten minutes then completed measures to evaluate their sex-role stereotype endorsement, expected work-family conflict, and personal preferences for career and family roles. Results indicate that endorsement of stereotypes predicts increased expectations of work-family conflict, for both men …

Implications Of An Iterative Design Experiment In Transcendental And Polynomial Functions Within A Flipped Classroom, Aaron Boyd Harris

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study explores an iterative design research experiment of a flipped mathematics classroom over the span of five curricular units involving big ideas of transcendental and polynomial functions. Transcendental and polynomial functions involve an algebraic, analytic, and graphical approach to the concepts and procedures of exponential, logarithmic, power, cubic, quadratic, linear, and rational functions. The Compleat design research methodology (Middleton, Gorard, Taylor, & Bannan-Ritland, 2008) was used to explore a series of instructional sequences that an instructor implemented in a flipped classroom while teaching big ideas of transcendental and polynomial functions.

The experiment occurred over the course of a sixteen-week …

Optimizing Back Squat Performance, Arthur Hockwald

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The back squat is a task commonly used to train and test performance levels in competitive sports and strength based performance events. The purpose of this study was to analyze the potential performance benefits for a 1-repetition max (1RM) back squat under conditions in which the three key factors of OPTIMAL theory of motor learning (Wulf & Lewthwaite, 2016) are present: Enhanced expectancies (EE), autonomy support (AS), and an external focus (EF) of attention. Participants (N = 23) were assigned to either an optimized condition, which included EE AS, and EF, or a control condition. They were asked to perform …

“On The Altar Of Sectarianism”: Orson Murray’S Anti-Biblical Thought And The American Anti-Slavery Society, 1833-1863, James Carson Howard

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

My thesis focuses on the abolitionist movement in America through the lens of forgotten abolitionist, Orson S. Murray. Murray was an original member of the American Anti-Slavery Society (AASS) and was editor of the Vermont Baptists’ denominational newspaper from 1835-1843. Like other abolitionists, Murray used the press as his pulpit to facilitate abolitionist thought with a Christian influence. Murray’s use of the press to circulate his abolitionist thought was however understood by the Vermont Baptist Committee as an agitating disruption toward the unity of the broader Baptist community. After Murray’s informal excommunication, it increased his skepticism of religion and caused …

College Student Depression: An Examination Of Cardiorespiratory Fitness, Gender And Sexual Orientation Diversity, And Help-Seeking Willingness, Sharon Jalene

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Depression is a serious illness characterized by persistent low mood, reduced cognitive capacity, and fatigue. Although treatable, depression is the leading cause of disability and ill-health worldwide and a significant contributor to suicide, the second leading cause of death for young Americans. In any given two-week period, 8.1% of adults in the United States had moderate to severe depression (2013-2016). The rate of depression for females was twice that of males and compared to the majority, sexual and gender minorities (SGM) were at a threefold risk. Furthermore, evidence suggests that depression incidence is three times higher in college students than …

K-Tuple Sampling From Partially Rank-Ordered Sets, Marvin Javier

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

With the introduction of Ranked Set Sampling (RSS), McIntyre (1952) demonstrated that using ranking information to select units for measurement can lead to estimators with reduced variance when compared to their counterparts based on a simple random sample of the same size. This is done by selecting a set of units, and without direct measurement, ranking the units in the set before identifying one unit for measurement. This ranking of the units can be done through judgement ranking (such as visual assessment), or by using a correlated auxiliary variable.

In its original form, RSS does not allow for ties when …

An Alternative Reading Of Feminist Criticism On S. Weir Mitchell, Erika Hylton

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This dissertation represents a renewed look at nineteenth-century physician and author, S. Weir Mitchell. This includes a discussion of how his “rest cure” fits into the medical and cultural trends of his era as well as revisiting the academic responses to both him and his cure. Those in the academy who write on Mitchell today are primarily feminist critics who approach him through the study of women writers who were his patients, such as Virginia Woolf and Charlotte Perkins Gilman, among others. The dominant pathway here is through Gilman’s short story, “The Yellow Wallpaper” as well as other documents produced …

A Monolithic Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian Finite Element Method For An Unsteady Stokes/Parabolic Interface Problem, Ian Kesler

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In this thesis, a non-conservative arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) method is developed

and analyzed for a type of linearized Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI) problem in a

time dependent domain with a moving interface - an unsteady Stokes/parabolic interface

problem with jump coefficients. The corresponding mixed finite element approximation is

analyzed for both semi- and full discretization based upon the so-called non-conservative

ALE scheme. The stability and optimal convergence properties in the energy norm are

obtained for both schemes.

Batching Problems With Constraints, Shradha Kapoor

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

There is an increasing demand for a phenomenon that can manifest benefits gained from grouping similar jobs together and then scheduling these groups efficiently. Batching is the decision of whether or not to put the jobs into same group based on certain criteria. Batching plays a major role in job scheduling in Information Technology, traffic controlling systems, and goods-flow management. A list batching problem refers to batching a list of jobs in the same order or priority as given in the problem.

In this thesis we consider a one-machine list batching problem under weighted average completion. Given sequence of jobs …

Workload Position Evaluation To Determine Efficient Training Load For Optimal Competition Performance Of Female Collegiate Soccer Players, Michaela Kelsey

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Introduction. The purpose of this study was to describe player workload between competition and training of female collegiate soccer players; as well as to determine workload between positions to better our understanding of the mechanical and physical demands of a full soccer match of collegiate female soccer players. Methods. The study sample was comprised of 20 female Division 1 Collegiate soccer players in 7 positions: goalkeeper (n = 1), Attacking Midfielders (n = 2), Defensive Midfielders (n = 3), Center Backs (n = 3), Outside Backs (n = 4), Strikers (n = 2), and Wingers (n = 5). 19 training …

Private Group Communication In Blockchain Based On Diffie-Hellman Key Exchange, Zachary Steven Laney

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Our research proposes a solution to establishing a private group encryption channel so that users may communicate securely according to NSA security standards. There are many techniques that are used to establish a private encryption channel between two users, but there are no encryption protocols currently available that are built to establish a private communication channel with an unlimited amount of users at once via the open distributed blockchain. Our solution demonstrates how a web interface allows any individual to publish a Public Key, a Wallet Address, and an Email Address to a smart contract which enables a private group …

Governance Practices Of A Private Non-Profit System Of Higher Education, Taylor Hough

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

System Governance in higher education has long referred to state level administration of multiple diverse public campuses under the public’s authority. Recent years have shown the development of similar multi-campus systems that remain under private control. Contrary to the for-profit trend seen in American higher education, these new private systems are categorized as non-profit entities that theoretically emphasize the public good of higher education. Furthermore, the growth and expansion of these private non-profit systems transcend state boundaries while pursuing diverse goals. The proposed line of research will seek to answer the following research questions: How does the Touro College and …

A Guide For A Shared Governance Program, Lydia Joan Lefchuck

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Shared governance (SG) within an organization promotes professional growth with the expectation that employees will be active contributors in attaining organizational goals. Healthcare organizational leaders ultimately have a fiduciary responsibility to stakeholders to seek quality improvement initiatives. SG leads to a healthy workplace environment staffed by empowered nurses. Having a committed workforce practicing within SG leads to increased employee satisfaction and engagement, and longer nursing tenures with loyalty to their organization. The low nursing turnover rates, associated with a satisfied and engaged staff, translate into efficient productivity, continuous quality improvement, better patient outcomes, and operational cost savings.

Health systems administrators …