Digital Commons Network^™

Investigation Ionic Polymer Metal Composite Capacitors Through Fabrication, Experimentation, And Modeling, Liya S. Napollion

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The increasing demand for greater energy storage capacity alongside the need to minimize the size of various devices, such as hybrid electric vehicles, medical devices, and pulsed power systems—has highlighted the necessity for advanced polymer film capacitors with high energy density. While traditional batteries and electronic devices have generally sufficed for many applications, their inherent size limitations hinder their ability to deliver the high levels of peak power required for certain demanding applications. This shortfall highlights the critical ongoing challenge within the energy storage sector to improve technology and more effectively meet these growing power requirements. Flexible Ionic Polymer Metal …

Control Of X-Delta Arm And Self-Leveling Robot Systems For Uav Applications, Prathibha Sobha

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The water droplet penetration test (WDPT) is an environmental assessment method for analyzing soil properties by measuring the penetration of water droplets into soil. This test provides insights into soil moisture retention and resilience, especially valuable in fire-prone or arid regions where soil recovery and erosion control are essential. Although this project does not conduct an actual WDPT, it investigates two key robotic systems designed to support such applications: an X-delta robot arm, which simulates precise droplet delivery patterns, and a self-leveling platform that ensures stability on uneven terrain, where the X-delta robot is mounted. Together, these systems examine the …

Fast Neutron & Gamma-Ray Scintillation And Broadband Photoluminescence From Gallium Nitride & Gallium Oxide: Developing Radiation-Hard Diagnostic Platforms, Daniel Jesus Valdes

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Integrated scintillation and electronics processing materials are of critical importance in environments exposed to high levels of radiation, such as nuclear fusion diagnostics and space missions. This dissertation focuses on the radiation detection capabilities of gallium oxide (Ga2O3) and gallium nitride (GaN), exploring their responses to fast neutrons and gamma rays. Using high-energy neutron beam facilities at Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) Flight Path 4FP60R, we exposed both Ga2O3 and GaN crystals to neutron irradiation spanning an energy spectrum ranging from 1 to 400 MeV. A Pi-Max 4 fast-gated Intensified CCD (ICCD) camera captured the transient scintillation responses for …

From Resistance To Host Response: An Integrative Study Of C. Difficile Infections, Amber Consul

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is a major healthcare challenge, causing severe gastrointestinal illness and significant mortality. Understanding the mechanisms of antibiotic resistance, epidemiology, and immune response in CDI is critical for developing effective treatments and prevention strategies.

This dissertation encompasses three complementary studies. The first study investigates the genetic mechanisms underlying cephalosporin resistance in C. difficile strain 630 through differential gene expression analysis. The second study provides a descriptive epidemiological analysis of C. difficile ribotypes in a Las Vegas patient population, highlighting differences between healthcare-associated (HA-CDI) and community-associated (CA-CDI) cases. The third study integrates serum analyte profiling and transcriptomic analysis …

The Effects Of A Healthcare Simulation Escape Room On Clinical Judgment: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Jennifer Peltier

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Background: The predominant pedagogy of traditional lecture-based learning should include meaningful active content to foster clinical judgment, engagement, and knowledge retention. Innovative active learning strategies must be tested to understand if they can better facilitate nursing learners’ readiness for practice.

Aims: This research study investigated the impact of a healthcare simulation escape room as an innovative platform on individual and team clinical judgment to determine whether this active learning strategy can benefit nursing learners’ preparedness and increase clinical judgment.

Method: A randomized, double-blinded, waitlist control design was used to examine the effect of a healthcare simulation escape room on clinical …

Addressing Inference Time Of Machine Learning Models In Embedded Systems, Samuel Black

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Embedded Systems are used for a wide range of specialized computing purposes including surveyal, safety, security, and quality of life. Many areas that embedded systems are used in require the use of machine learning models. Constraints can be placed on embedded systems. Timeliness of execution, user satisfaction, security, power, and resource limitations must be considered when designing for embedded systems. Neural networks excel at complex tasks that are otherwise intractable, but their relatively high computational cost poses a challenge for inclusion in embedded systems. Neural network architectures should be optimized to reduce the total number of operations performed while maintaining …

A Performance Guide To Lisabeth-Claude Jacquet De La Guerre’S Cantate Fran Oise: Semel, Cho Hee Hwang

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study explores one of the French cantatas, Semel , composed by lisabeth-Claude Jacquet de La Guerre (1665–1729) to provide an analysis of her sophisticated text painting and a performance guide for singers. The cantata genre originated in Italy and by the early-eighteenth century, it flourished in France as well: approximately eight hundred French cantatas were composed between 1700 and 1730. lisabeth-Claude Jacquet de La Guerre was among the French composers who adopted the genre, along with Jean-Baptiste Morin (1677–1745), Nicholas Bernier (1664–1734), Fran ois Couperin (1668–1733), and Louis-Nicolas Cl rambault (1676–1749). In 1715, Jacquet de La Guerre published the …

Non-Contact Acoustic Emission Detection Of Rail Defects Using Air-Coupled Sensors, Lei Jia

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Rail defects, whether internal or external, present significant safety risks. Acoustic Emission (AE) technology has emerged as a promising technique for monitoring damage progression and detecting these rail defects. This project addresses this critical concern by testing air-coupled optical microphones for non-contact AE detection. The goal of this research is to investigate AE signal characteristics using both rail-mounted and vehicle-mounted methods, establishing the understanding of AE signals in relation to defects and their effectiveness in identifying them.

This research focused on investigating air-conduct sensors in the lab-controlled pencil lead break (PLB) test. The objective was to evaluate the propagation characteristics …

The Impact Of Father-Daughter Relationships On Dating And Relationship Behaviors For African American Women: A Qualitative Analysis, Neeah A. Lofton

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study examines how African American father-daughter relationships can impact their dating and relationship behaviors. This highlights an important role African American fathers play in shaping their daughter’s development and expectations within romantic relationships. The purpose of this qualitative (grounded theory) study was created to unravel the unique dynamics that shapes African American women's views on intimacy, self worth and relationships expectations. The research seeks to fill existing gaps in literature, moving beyond the notion of African American father presence to explore the emotional context that influences their daughter’s romantic lives. The research question for this study is for African …

Canine Parasites In Southern Nevada Urban Dog Parks: Paravec Study, Miklo Azrael A. Alcala

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

While dogs are one of humans’ greatest companions, they also serve as hosts for a multitude of parasites. Urban dog parks serve as environments where the transmission of diseases is likely to occur. Exposure to infective agents, contained within the soil, intermediate hosts (e.g., rodents, rabbits), and feces, can directly affect the health of dogs and their owners. Other factors that can further influence canine health include age, previous diagnoses of parasites/diseases, and migration. Many dog owners visit dog parks to encourage socialization and exercise. Such activities are meant to improve health, but unawareness of microbiological organisms can lead to …

The Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Device-Associated Healthcare-Associated Infections In Nevada, Gabriela Bran

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Healthcare-associated infections or hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) have remained prevalent despite the growth of infection control programs in healthcare facilities and are a large cause of morbidity and mortality. Device-associated HAIs (DA-HAIs) make up a large portion of HAIs. The devices include central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs), catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs), and ventilator-associated events (VAEs). DA-HAIs became a large concern during the COVID-19 pandemic as many healthcare facilities became overwhelmed by the influx of COVID-19 cases, illuminating the importance of studies to examine these changes. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate how DA-HAI rates have changed during and after the …

Institutional Design Of Intergovernmental Organizations: Cooperation, Vitality, And Evolution, Darrell James Carter

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) are critical institutions in the international system through which states cooperate and compete. Much scholarship has examined the role and operation of IGOs, but many questions about how they facilitate cooperation, their vitality, and their evolution remain. The functions of IGOs are impacted by their institutional design, which then affects operation and vitality. IGO’s perform their roles through multiple mechanisms that facilitate state interaction. IGOs enable states to overcome credibility issues and cooperate. The institutional design of IGOs, their membership, their resources, and their institutionalization, all impact the functioning of the IGO. I examine empirically how joint …

Impact Of Placement Disruption On School Outcomes In Maltreated Youth, Mallory Constantine

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

School attendance is a crucial component of a youth’s ability to access resources and attain educational success. Maltreated youth are at increased risk for school absences, poor school performance, impairment in cognitive processes, and development of psychopathology. Disruption from their known systems (i.e., family, social, school) as a result of removal from home creates unique and substantial barriers for maltreated youth in attending and engaging in school. The present study used a sample of maltreated youth and binomial logistic regression analyses to determine if the number of lifetime placements impacts school outcome variables of school attendance, classroom behavior, and academic …

Harnessing Nlp And Large Language Models For Pattern Discovery And Information Extraction In Electric Health Reports, Mina Esmail Zadeh Nojoo Kambar

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In this work, we report on a series of natural language processing tools and models to improve the efficiency and accuracy of information discovery from clinical trials and pharmacological studies. Our main contributions are: 1. The development of an open-source platform Tri-AL that • Enables dynamic tracking of clinical trials information over time, • Excels in data visualization and user interaction with a particular emphasis on enhancing the analysis and representation of race and ethnicity data to foster equity in clinical research, and • Includes a predictive model utilizing machine learning to decipher drug mechanisms of action. 2. Heterogeneous Graph …

Gender Stereotyping In An Agricultural Sample, Andrea Fink-Armold

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

A vast wealth of social psychological research conducted over half a century has demonstrated the consequences of gender stereotypes. However, this research has significant limitations. Namely, generalizability outside of academia and the effects of social change. This study examined a non-academic population that has recently experienced significant gender role redistribution to overcome these limitations. Utilizing a full-cycle research approach consisting of both ethnographic and experimental methods, I examined three research questions: 1) how do gender stereotypes manifest within rural agricultural communities? 2) how is women’s increased participation in agriculture related to changes in gender stereotype use? and 3) how do …

The Transformative Power Of Traditional Spirituals In "Spiritual Sketches" By Damien Sneed: A Study Of Musical Influence And Cultural Heritage, Haylee Glenn

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This doctoral project aims to comprehensively study Damien Sneed's life, work, and legacy by examining his musical career, the themes and inspirations that inform his art, and the impact he has had on classical music. Through a detailed analysis of compositions “Every Time I Feel the Spirit,” “Deep River,” and “Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child” from Damien Sneed's "Spiritual Sketches," this study will shed light on how Sneed incorporates this important cultural and musical tradition into his compositions in an innovative way. This dissertation will explore the roots of the traditional spiritual, examine its significance during the Black …

The Influence Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Binge Eating In A Demographically Diverse Us Community Sample, Jessica H. Habashy

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The novel coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has had profound effects among many individuals with or at risk for eating disorders. The most common primary eating disorder is binge eating disorder which has uniquely reflected more similarities than differences among diverse populations compared to other eating disorder classifications. Considering the upsurge of prevalence rates of eating disorders during the pandemic, it is important to assess the rate of binge eating across the demographic strata to gain a better understanding of who is impacted and provide healing to those who are suffering. Screening for binge eating features across the United States (US) using …

Leveling The Playing Field: An Ethnographic Study Of Latinx Youth Soccer Leagues In Las Vegas, Jeannette Hernández

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study examines how youth sports privatization, family dynamics, coaching, and team organization affect Latinx youth’s opportunities and interests in playing competitive soccer. It also examines the role that soccer plays in identity-making for Latinx people in Las Vegas, if and how they use these soccer spaces to develop kinship ties and build community, and it documents how these soccer spaces are developed as counter-spaces. I employ Critical Ethnography paired with 36 interviews with youth and adults. I observed two club soccer teams and one soccer league in Las Vegas (the league was a public community league that primarily caters …

Image Processing Techniques For Water Droplet Penetration Time And Contact Angle Estimation, Sai Balaji Jai Kumar

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Water droplet behavior on soil surfaces plays a critical role in numerous environmental processes, including soil erosion, hydrological dynamics, and ecosystem health. Accurate characterization of soil water repellency, quantified by parameters such as water droplet penetration time (WDPT) and contact angles (WDCA), is essential for informed decision-making in agricultural management, forestry practices, and land-use planning. Despite the significance of these parameters, challenges exist in reliably estimating them due to the complex and dynamic nature of soil-water interactions. This thesis address challenges in estimating WDPT and WDCA, by leveraging state-of-the-art image processing techniques and machine learning algorithms. The research focuses on …

Scoring Single-Sample Pathway Expression Level Using Graph Autoencoder, Eunyoung Jang

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Single-sample pathway analysis (ssPA) is a bioinformatics technique used to assess the activity of biological pathways in individual samples, rather than relying on aggregated data from multiple samples. This approach allows for the detection of pathway activation or suppression in single samples, making it a valuable approach in research and clinical applications where individual variability is critical. In this paper, we propose a deep-learning method that scores individual pathway expression levels using a graph autoencoder. The proposed method provides insights into the biological processes and leverages the high dimensionality of gene expression data by setting the nodes in the neural …

A Culturally Responsive Approach To Mindfulness And Mental Health Informal Education, Anastasia Jerbic-Gonzalez

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The qualitative study examined the mental health aspects of marginalized elementary school students in addition to constructing and implementing a culturally responsive and sustaining mindfulness program to observe if there were improvements regarding emotional regulation and awareness. To achieve this, I constructed a culturally responsive and sustaining mindfulness program, implemented this program, and studied the responses from students. The research questions that fueled this study include: (1) What types of negative emotions do marginalized elementary students experience? What is the root cause for marginalized students experiencing negative emotions during their elementary school years? (2) How can incorporating mindfulness techniques embedded …

An Analysis Of The Propagation Of Gravitational Radiation Under A Graviton Of Nonzero Mass And Its Implications For Cosmological Measurements, Margaret Johnston

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Under the assumptions of General Relativity (GR), gravitational waves propagate at the speed of light and their mediation can be represented as a particle through a massless graviton. We investigate the impact and observability of the presence of a massive graviton, how such a modification to GR would also modify the observed gravitational waves from astrophysical sources, and how this effect can be used as an independent measurement of cosmmological parameters, including the Hubble parameter H0. We simulate the impact of a massive graviton on compact binary coalescence observation in a near-future LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA interferometer network through a modification to the …

Preparing Anti-Racist Teachers: A Case Study Of Preservice Teachers’ Perceptions Of Racism And Program Coherence In Equity-Centered Teacher Preparation, Mildred Joyner

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This case study explored the perceptions preservice teachers had regarding racism in educational contexts, how those perceptions were shaped by their teacher education program, and to what extent their teacher education program had coherence in preparing anti-racist teachers. Within the context of a large, minority serving institution in the Southwest preparing teachers for one of the most racially, linguistically, and socioeconomically diverse districts in the country, the need to prepare anti-racist teachers who are able to recognize and remedy opportunity gaps for multi-marginalized students is evident. Because little research has focused on the perceptions and lived experiences preservice teachers have …

Evaluation Of Electrochemical Corrosion, Electrodeposition, And Other Electroanalytical Methods As Investigative Forensic Techniques For Advancing Metal Substrate Analysis, Crystal C. Kitanovski

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Friction ridge skin, bearing unique patterns of epidermal ridges commonly known as fingerprints, has served as a crucial tool for identification since ancient times, with its utilization dating back to Chinese culture around 221 B.C. Today, friction ridge skin impressions remain vital evidence in forensic investigations, aiding in the identification of suspects. While fingerprints, palm prints, and footprints can all serve as identifying markers, this dissertation focuses specifically on fingerprints, broadly classified as visible or latent. Latent fingerprints, though invisible to the naked eye, constitute the majority of prints collected from crime scenes, necessitating physical, chemical, or physicochemical processing for …

Interpretable And Evidential Deep Learning For Medical Image Analysis, Sai Chandra Kosaraju

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Automatic histopathological Whole Slide Image (WSI) analysis has been highlighted along with the advancements in microscopic imaging techniques, but manual examination and diagnosis of WSIs are time-consuming and tiresome. Recently, deep convolutional neural networks have succeeded in histopathological image analysis. Especially, Convolutional Neural Networks CNN models such as Inception and DenseNet have achieved effective performance. However, automatic histopathological WSI analysis still has significant drawbacks such as considering deep learning as black-box models, predicting disease independently on a small part of images (patch images) extracted from WSIs, limitations in predicting a single slide-based score for a patient, and capturing disease-specific morphology …

Psychopathy And Moral Decision Making, Dimitra Kourtesi

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Since the 1800s, psychopathy has been regarded as the absence of morality. The goal of our study was to explore whether psychopathic traits can affect the moral decision-making process in sacrificial moral dilemmas. Participants completed multiple self-report measures of psychopathic traits, utilitarian tendencies, and 16 sacrificial moral dilemma vignettes. After each hypothetical vignette, participants decided whether they believed it was morally right, permissible, and whether they behaviorally intended to sacrifice one person to save five people. Positive correlations emerged among all variables, which allowed us to perform a mediation analysis. Instrumental Harm – the idea of sacrificing one individual to …

The Development Of Environmental Dna (Edna) Sampling For Arbovirus Vector Surveillance In Southern Nevada, Katharine Brooke Major

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Vector-borne diseases account for 17% of all infectious diseases worldwide and are responsible for more than 700,000 deaths annually. Two-thirds of the global population are at risk of arthropod-borne RNA viruses (arboviruses), spread by mosquitoes, ticks, and sandflies, with these pathogens accounting for 37% of all emerging human diseases. Arboviruses are becoming increasingly important causes of neurological disease in the United States, presenting a significant public health problem. In the absence of available vaccines and efficacious treatment options, accurate, rapid, and cost-effective surveillance of arbovirus vectors is critical for monitoring species distribution and mitigating disease transmission risk. Currently, mosquito vector …

A Transcription For Piccolo Trumpet With Historical Context And Methodology: Oboe Quartet Kv 370/368b By Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Christopher Massa

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This document explores the challenges of transcribing Mozart's Oboe Quartet for piccolo trumpet, emphasizing performance practices. Both oboe and trumpet navigate mid-high to high ranges with fluidity, underscoring the importance of mastering flexibility through study and practice. This document examines the process of transcription by comparing other successful transcriptions.Achieving balance among instruments is crucial due to the piccolo trumpet's volume compared to the oboe or violin. Careful dynamics adjustment ensures harmonious blending within the ensemble, allowing each instrument to shine without overpowering the others. Breath management poses another significant challenge, and while similarities between oboe and piccolo trumpet breath control …

Application Of Machine Learning Algorithms In Healthcare, Dwaipayan Mukhopadhyay

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Machine Learning (ML) is a subset of artificial intelligence that has made substantial strides in predicting and identifying health emergencies, disease populations, and disease state and immune response, amongst a few fields of healthcare. Here we provide a brief overview of machine learning-based approaches and learning algorithms. Second, we discuss a general procedure of ML and review some studies presented in ML application for several healthcare fields. We also briefly discuss the risks and challenges of ML application to healthcare.This dissertation also consists of four different cases in healthcare where we have applied ML techniques on real life data sets. …

Implementing Radformation At Personalized Radiation Oncology: Enhancing Efficiency And Precision, Devin J. Peart

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

RadMachine is a data quality management application implemented at Personalized Radiation Oncology (PRO) to streamline quality assurance (QA) tests. It offers various functions assisting medical physicists in a radiation oncology clinic, including inputting, analyzing, managing, exporting, and monitoring QA data. Physicists create test lists following the recommendations provided by the American Association of Medical Physics (AAPM). These lists track results for units such as the Varian Edge, Varian BRAVOS, and Siemens SOMATOM go.Open Pro CT scanner. Ancillary equipment used for testing also has assigned test lists to store calibration factors and receive calibration expiration reminders. The primary goal of utilizing …