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Identification Of Arid Soil Inducible Genes In Pseudomonas Fluorescens Strain Pf0-1, Katila Pipitone

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This thesis contains three major sections: introduction, literature review and the project entitled: 'Identification of Arid Soil Inducible Genes in Pseudomonas fluorescens Strain Pf0-1'. The introduction section describes a general background, the current and potential applications of P. fluorescens and the main goal of this dissertation. The literature review chapter discusses two main areas. The first area offers insights about different types of in vivo expression technology (IVET) as a tool in gene identification. This section also describes the limitations of IVET, as well as the benefits over other methods for gene identification. The second part of the literature review …

Investigating The Emotional Intelligence Of Adolescents With And Without Disabilities, Leota Tucker

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study involved an investigation of the emotional intelligence profiles of three groups of adolescents: those with learning disabilities, those with an emotional disturbances, and adolescents without disabilities. A 2 (gender) X 3 (group) X 4 (subscale) mixed design with repeated measures on subscale was used to determine whether differences in emotional intelligence, as measured by the BarOn EQi: YV, existed among these three groups of adolescents. Specifically, performance within the four subscales of intrapersonal, interpersonal, stress management and adaptability as well as in the overall composite scores were compared to detect differences between gender, and disability groups.

A total …

Parental Abduction From The Perspective Of The Victims: Implications For Counselors, Mary Jo L. Gibbs

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This is a descriptive study that examined parental abductions from the perspective of the abductee. The results will help counseling professionals better to understand the psychological consequences of parental abduction, coping mechanisms that were used by the abducted children and counseling techniques and strategies that helped the children through this difficult time and after being returned to the left-behind parent.

A 32 multiple choice and short answer questionnaire was developed for this study. The survey consists of 12 closed answer (Yes or No) questions, three open ended questions, and seventeen demographic questions. The questionnaire was given through a phone interview …

Modulated Nanopores Using Pulse Anodization On Thin Aluminum, Mahesh Babu Gunukula

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Nanoporous anodic aluminum oxide has traditionally been made in one of two ways: "Mild Anodization (MA)" or "Hard Anodization (HA)". The former method produces self-ordered pore structures but it is slow and only works for a narrow range of processing conditions; the latter method, which is widely used in the aluminum industry, is faster but it produces films with disordered pore structures. Here we report a novel approach termed "pulse anodization" that combines the advantages of the MA and HA processes. By designing the pulse sequences it is possible to control both the composition and pore structure of the anodic …

Gray Zones Of Modern Genocide, Megan Dale Lee

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Italian-Jewish chemist and Holocaust survivor Primo Levi wrote in his work The Drowned and the Saved about the "Gray Zone," or holding place for all things difficult to categorize about his experiences in the Nazi camp Auschwitz. Because human tendency is to divide things in a rigid dichotomy, he argued, anything without a set role is brushed aside. I have extended this Gray Zone to include mutually shared situations from modern genocide including: the relationship of race/land to genocide, the "Forced Victim-Perpetrator" (victim forced to commit atrocities against his or her own people), and the complex international reaction to genocidal …

Organization By Form: Applying Systems Theory To Urbanization, Michael Patrick Howe

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

I have come to believe that the core of our declining physical, mental and community health dwells in the current practice of land use based development. Although today's land use codes began as a legitimate response to protect people's health and welfare it has since devolved into an unsustainable process. The failure of land-use zoning is rooted in an informational disconnect created by the segregation of land into distinct uses while offering generic design standards. Whereas the current mode of land use-based zoning results in an unpredictable physical form, Form-Based Codes foster a connection between the individual to the available …

Torturing Terrorists For National Security Imperatives: Mediated Violence On "24", Michael D. Sears

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study analyzed mediated violent content as seen on the FOX television program 24. The study covered a seven year period, or six seasons, of 24 , with a sample set of 43 episodes and 445 individual acts ofviolence. Three research questions guided this study. The first research question sought to determine if a relation exists between heroic characters inflicting torturous violence and justifying the act with a national security imperative. The second research question examined the prevailing mode of violence and the use of nonlethal and lethal weapons. The third research question examined the portrayed efficiency of violence on …

Effects Of Script Fading On The Abilities Of Children With Autism To Reciprocate Information, Marc Alan Tedoff

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Teaching communication skills to children with autism is a primary concern because speech and/or language delay characterize autism. One method of teaching verbal communication skills to children with autism is script fading.

This study examined the effects of teaching children with autism to exchange information to peers about objects and pictures using script fading. Six children with autism were recruited from a special program for children with autism at a public elementary school. Participants were formed into dyads that remained intact throughout the study. Two dyads consisted of first grade students, one dyad consisted of a second and a fifth …

Examining Play Among Young Children In Single-Age And Multi-Age Preschool Classroom Settings, Mia Song Youhne

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Advocates for multi-age classrooms claim multi-age groupings benefit children (Brynes, Shuster, & Jones, 1994). Currently, there is a lack of research examining play among students in multi-age classrooms. If indeed there is a positive benefit of play among children, research is needed to examine these behaviorsamong and between young children in single-age and multi-age classrooms. The purpose of this study was to determine if young children benefit from increased play opportunities.

This qualitative study utilized observations, interviews, and questionnaires to gather data from teachers, parents, and children regarding play interactions in both single-age and multi-age classrooms. The intent of this …

Asthma Severity In School-Children And The Quality Of Life Of Their Parents, Noelle S. Cerdan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Background . The everyday management of a child with asthma can affect the parent's quality of life. Past studies which examined the effects of asthma characteristics of the child on parental quality of life have not reached a consensus over findings. Few studies examine parent characteristics such as mental health and sociodemographics on the quality of life of parents of asthmatic children.

Purpose . To examine the effect of asthma severity of school-children and sociodemographic characteristics onthe caregiver's quality of life. It also investigates whether agreement exists between the caregiver's perception of asthma severity and physician-diagnosed asthma severity.

Methodology . …

Magnetic Sensors For Biodetection, Pranjali Vineet Sneha Deshpande

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The objective of thesis is to design magnetic sensor for detection of nanoparticles. Recently integrating the standard laboratory techniques into integrated system on chip is growing attention. Recent development is to combine magnetic markers and magnetoresistive sensors together in magnetic chip. In this thesis two magnetoresistive sensors were studied and designed.

By applying magnetic fields, magnetic nanoparticles can be manipulated on-chip, which can be utilized to pull the molecules to specific binding sites or to test the binding strength and distinguish between specifically and non-specifically bound molecules

Magnetoresistive sensors are compatible with the semiconductor industry which provides electronic signal directly …

The Sheep Pass Formation, A Record Of Late Cretaceous And Paleogene Extension Within The Sevier Hinterland, East-Central Nevada, Peter Alexander Druschke

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Sevier hinterland of western North America is considered by many to be an ancient proxy for the modern Andean Puna-Altiplano or Tibetan Plateau. However, controversies exist as tectonic setting and overall paleogeography of the Sevier hinterland during the Late Cretaceous and Paleogene. The Sheep Pass Formation type section within the southern Egan Range of east-central Nevada comprises a > 1 km thick sedimentary succession spanning the latest Cretaceous to Eocene, and provides a rare opportunity to test prevailing tectonic and paleogeographic models for the Sevier hinterland. New 1:12,000 scale field mapping inthe southern Egan Range indicates that up to three …

Uncertainty, Sensitivity And Geostatistical Studies Of Flow And Contaminant Transport In Heterogeneous Unsaturated Zone, Feng Pan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The objectives of this study are: (1) to develop a methodology of estimating probability density functions (PDFs) of unsaturated hydraulic parameters when field samples are sparse, (2) to evaluate the predictive uncertainties in flow and contaminant transport due to parameter uncertainties in the layer- and local-scale heterogeneities of hydraulic parameters in unsaturated zone (UZ), (3) to investigate the contributions of the parameter uncertainties to the flow and transport uncertainties, and (4) to estimate the spatial correlation structures of hydraulic parameters by incorporating prior information and site measurements.

At layer scale, the uncertainty assessment of flow and contaminant transport in UZ …

Structural Attributes Associated With The Prevalence Of Hate Groups: A State-Level Analysis, Paula Jean Kutneski

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

With the number of hate groups increasing 54 percent since 2000, it is important to understand what is triggering these groups to form in geographical areas. The current study examined whether structural characteristics predicted the number of hate groups within a state. Using hate group listings from the Southern Poverty Law Center's Intelligence Report and U. S. Census data from 2000, this study explored a state's racial and ethnic heterogeneity, economic disadvantage, and regional location to explain hate group existence within that state. Employing correlations, Chi-Square analyses, multiple and logistic regressions, and a conjunctive analysis, this study found that a …

Text Categorization Based On Apriori Algorithm's Frequent Itemsets, Prathima Madadi

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Automatic Text categorization is the task of assigning an electronic document to one or more categories, based on its contents. There are many known techniques to efficiently solve categorization problems. Typically these techniques fall into two distinct methodologies which are either logic based or probabilistic. In recent years, many researchers have tried approaches which area hybrid of these two methodologies.

In this thesis, we deal with document categorization using Apriori Algorithm. The Apriori algorithm was initially developed for data mining and basket analysis applications in the relational databases. Although the technique is logic based, it also relies on the statistical …

Investigation Of Magnetic Resonance Imaging And Spectroscopy For The Detection Of Breast Cancer, Robert Thomas Etnire

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the breast offers an alternative to screening mammography which may benefit those women at high risk for breast cancer, women under the age of 40, and those with dense breast tissue. One concern with MRI is the number of high false positives. Coupling MRI with magnetic resonance spectroscopy(MRS) may lower the number of false positives, and thus improve the diagnostic capabilities of MRI for the clinician. MRS for breast imaging focuses on the total choline containing compounds in the spectra in the suspected breast lesion to analyze areas of concern. The results of the study …

Ralph Vaughan William's The Pilgrim's Progress: Problems And Solutions For Future Performances, Richard Brandon Brunson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The 1951 premier of The Pilgrim's Progress by Ralph Vaughan Williams was not a success. Two years later, Vaughan Williams told Michael Kennedy that "the Pilgrim is dead."1 A handful of attempts have been made to revive the work in the last few years, and a second recording of the opera by Richard Hickox has revived some interest.

Despite this progress, three big problematic areas (outlined by contemporary critics and Vaughan Williams) continue to stand in the way of staging this work. These three areas are the Apollyon scene, the homogeneity of the tempi, and the lack of dramatic elements …

Assessing Completion Rates Of Emt-Basic Students Using The Self-Directed Search, Rod Hackwith

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

With shrinking budgets and a need to demonstrate accountability to legislaturesand boards of higher education, retention rates of students have been utilized byinstitutions of higher education to demonstrate their effectiveness and value. Thepurpose of this descriptive, exploratory study was to determine if specific personalitytypes as identified by the Self-Directed Search (SDS) were more successful in completingan EMT-Basic course at the local community. Secondary data, collected as a pilot for thepurpose of improving program retention, was based on information gathered fromstudents (n=47) enrolled in an EMT-Basic class over the course of one semester wheresuccess rates were tracked in accordance with each …

Substrate Monitoring, Contaminant Monitoring, And Educational Outreach On Quagga Mussels (Dreissena Bugensis) In Lake Mead, Nevada, Sara Ann Mueting

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The invasive species, the quagga mussel, Dreissena bugensis, was found in Lake Mead, Nevada-Arizona, USA on January 6, 2007. Since then, researchers have been attempting to quantify the amount of damage these mussels will cause to the lower Colorado River basin. Three projects were implemented in this thesis to research the quagga mussel in Lake Mead. First, a study to determine which types of substrates quagga mussels will grow on preferentially was conducted. Six different substrates, Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) plastic, High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) plastic, Concrete Underlayment Board (CUB), aluminum, stainless steel and fiberglass, were placed in the Boulder …

The Influence Of Carbon Source Types And Nitrate On The Performance Of The Enhanced Biological Phosphorus Removal Systems, Shamim Ara Begum

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This research focuses on two issues in enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR). The first issue encompasses the effect of the type of carbon sources (i.e. volatile fatty acids and non volatile fatty acids) on the microbiology of EBPR. The second issue deals with the influence of denitrification on EBPR. Few studies have been performed to investigate these two issues. The recent findings on these areas are summarized below to establish the knowledge gaps this dissertation attempted to address. Details on the specific findings can be found in the literature review portion of this proposal.

A Survey Of Monge Properties, Swetha Sethumadhavan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Monge properties play an important role in theoretical computer science. Many greedy algorithms are based on such properties, as is speedup in dynamic programming. Monge properties are simple monotonicity properties which are observed and used in various settings such as resource optimization, computational geometry, statistical sampling, computational biology and coding.

Leadership Skills And Challenges In Hospitality Management Education, Valentini Kalargyrou

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Leaders in hospitality management education face diverse challenges in today's competitive and changing environment. Evolving demands from superiors, financial challenges, and faculty and students increasing demands, create a turbulent environment in which administrators must thrive. One of the keys in being effective leaders is the application of the necessary leadership skills.

Nathaniel Hawthorne And His Biblical Contexts, Conor Michael Walsh

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The majority of criticism and scholarship devoted to the fiction of Nathaniel Hawthorne takes for granted the relationship between Hawthorne and the Bible, focusing instead upon theology and philosophy. This work proposes that the Bible was an important and pervasive influence in Hawthorne's fiction. The Bible provides Hawthorne with numerous resources for both his artistic and moral concerns. At a basic level the Bible provides a popular platform that allows Hawthorne to immediately connect with his contemporary audience who were intimately familiar with the Bible. More importantly, though, are the vast examples and perspectives of the human condition and human …

The Impact Of Leadership And Culture On Student Achievement: A Case Study Of A Successful Rural School District, Donald Jay Clark

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purposes of this study were to (a) identify how leadership in a successful rural school districts has helped raise student achievement levels beyond those of comparable school districts as measured by state and federal mandated test scores, (b) investigate the district leadership that aligns with identified effective practices, and (c) investigate leadership, culture and the resultant student success. Three research questions guided the study: (1) What are the factors in the academic and extra-curricular programs that support a rural school district which has exceeded academic expectations? (2) What are the factors in leadership practices that support a rural school …

Low Power Fft Processor Design Considerations For Ofdm Communications, David Layne Rushforth

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Today's emerging communication technologies require fast processing as well as efficient use of resources. This project specifically addresses the power-efficient design of an FFT processor as it relates to OFDM communications such as cognitive radio. The Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) processor is what enables the efficient modulation in OFDM. As the FFT processor is the most computationally intensive component in OFDM communication, the power efficiency improvement of this component can have great impacts on the overall system. These impacts are significant considering the number of mobile and remote communication devices that rely on limited battery-powered operation. This project explores current …

Evaluation Of Low-Temperature Fluoride Routes To Synthesize Actinide Nitrides And Oxide Solid Solutions, Gunanda Waduge Chinthaka Silva

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Actinide mononitrides have been considered as a possible nuclear fuel for the Generation-IV nuclear reactor systems. In the process of evaluating these actinide mononitrides as nuclear fuel, it is important to study different chemical and physical characteristics of these compounds. Synthesis of the materials is thus important. Carbothermic reduction is one of the techniques that have been used to synthesize actinide mononitrides. In this method, a mixture of actinide oxide such as UO ₂ and excess carbon is heat treated at temperatures greater than 1700 °C under a nitrogen atmosphere. The technique is however not promising in synthesizing the actinide …

The Sociology Of Scenes, The Sacramento Poetry Scene, Dana Nell Maher

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

For this ethnography, I use my feminist perspective, grounded theory, participant observation, and autoethnographic techniques to explore an urban poetry scene. I suggest that scene studies are a viable alternative to community studies and that we move our articulation of social experience to reflect it as it occurs, on a multitude of continuums. My goal with this project is to develop, use, and discuss the utility of a definition of scene that is intended to be useful to scene studies researchers. To this end, I both evaluate an outdated definition of scene (Irwin 1973 & 1977), and define the three …

Distribution And Site Selection Of Le Conte's And Crissal Thrashers In The Mojave Desert: A Multi-Model Approach, Dawn Marie Fletcher

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Information on the distribution and habitat requirements of a species are critical components to the development of meaningful conservation plans. Such knowledge, however, is particularly difficult to obtain for species that are elusive and occur at low densities, such as the Le Conte's ( Toxostoma lecontei ) and Crissal (Toxostoma crissale ) thrashers. In association with a regional conservation plan, I evaluated the distribution and habitat selection of these thrashers within Clark County, Nevada in the eastern Mojave Desert. I used a call-broadcast approach to sample 432 stratified random locations, detecting Le Conte's thrashers at 45 locations and Crissal …

Molecular Epidemiology Of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (Mrsa), Ilene Bautista

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Staphylococcus aureus is a frequent cause of a myriad of infections in hospitals, healthcare facilities and community settings. It is often related to skin and soft tissue infection, but it can also cause other diseases varying from food poisoning to endocarditis and toxic shock syndrome. According to a study by Kuehnert et al. (2006) there has been a strong association between Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) carriage and risk factors for subsequent infections. Subsequent infection from S. aureus , including methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) infection, can be projected by looking at the presence of S. aureus nasal colonization. The purpose of …

The Relationship Between Benefit Satisfaction And Intent To Leave: A Study Of Finance Departments In Las Vegas, Jung-In Bae

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study was conducted to examine the relationship between benefit satisfaction and intent to leave among employees who work in finance departments in Las Vegas hotels.

Employee benefits have generally been assumed to be an effective way to attract and retain employees; in fact, 70% of 45 U.S. companies include the benefit packages in their retention strategies. That idea that competitive benefits packages can help firms to win the retention war is widely accepted.

The results of the study indicate that benefit satisfaction was significantly related to intent to leave; those who were satisfied with benefits were less likely to …