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Retrospective Varying Coefficient Association Analysis Of Longitudinal Binary Traits, Gang Xu Dec 2022

Retrospective Varying Coefficient Association Analysis Of Longitudinal Binary Traits, Gang Xu

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Many genetic studies contain rich information on longitudinal phenotypes that require powerful analytical tools for optimal analysis. Genetic analysis of longitudinal data that incorporates temporal variation is important for understanding the genetic architecture and biological variation of complex diseases. Most of the existing methods assume that the contribution of genetic variants is constant over time and fails to capture the dynamic pattern of disease progression. However, the relative influence of genetic variants on complex traits fluctuates over time.We developed several tests to fill the gap of analyzing time-varying genetic effects in longitudinal GWAS for binary traits. First, we propose a …


Quantifying The Effect Of Disturbance On Native Mojave Desert Shrubs, Tamara J. Wynne Dec 2022

Quantifying The Effect Of Disturbance On Native Mojave Desert Shrubs, Tamara J. Wynne

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Disturbance can come in many different forms. In our studies, we looked at the impact of a solar photovoltaic facility on native plants growing inside and outside of the facility, alteration in precipitation (simulated) on four native shrubs and the impact of applying supplemental water as a function of volume and frequency to establish native shrubs such as might occur at restoration sites. Disturbance is becoming a more common phenomenon in many ecosystems throughout the world, increasing the need for studies that quantify the impact at the plant and ecosystem level. Each research project revealed different plant responses, such as …


Racialized Places: Community Development Within The Historic Westside Of Las Vegas, Camisha Fagan Dec 2022

Racialized Places: Community Development Within The Historic Westside Of Las Vegas, Camisha Fagan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

My paper examines the history of the Historic Westside (HWS) in Las Vegas, Nevada, and how community development decisions made by city officials have led to the marginalization of this area. Specifically, my paper examines the impact of discriminatory policies and practices on the HWS, including inadequate infrastructure, racist housing policies, and economic abandonment. In doing so, I draw on a range of sources, including archival materials, interviews, and secondary literature, to provide a comprehensive analysis of the social, economic, and political factors that have contributed to the marginalization of the HWS. My paper focuses on four key development events …


Paleoenvironmental Changes Across The Devonian-Carboniferous Transition, Audrey M. Warren Dec 2022

Paleoenvironmental Changes Across The Devonian-Carboniferous Transition, Audrey M. Warren

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Devonian-Carboniferous (D-C) transition was a critical interval in earth history, witnessing profound environmental changes associated with plant and animal evolution and extinction. Two first-order mass extinctions occurred leading up to the D-C boundary: the Kellwasser Event at the Frasnian-Famennian (F-F) boundary (~371 Ma) and the D-C boundary Hangenberg Event (~359 Ma). Both events were associated with significant sea level changes and major carbon cycle perturbations, evidenced by widespread deposition of black shale and positive carbon isotope (δ13C) excursions, all of which have been used to correlate these events across the globe. Because preservation of black shale requires anoxic conditions, …


A Control Integrated Circuit For A Hysteretic Flyback Power Converter, Armani Alvarez Dec 2022

A Control Integrated Circuit For A Hysteretic Flyback Power Converter, Armani Alvarez

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This Thesis reports the design, simulation, and layout of a switching power supply controller chip for a fly-back switching power supply. The controller chip was designed using ON’s Semiconductor C5 process. The resulting switching power supply using the controller chip consists of using various off-chip components such as a power MOSFET, transformer, and capacitors. The main components used in the integrated circuit include a bandgap reference voltage circuit which outputs a reference voltage of 1.25V, a ring oscillator having a nominal frequency of 5MHz, a high-gain comparator, and a buffer that can drive a 5pF capacitor. Under normal simulation conditions …


Customer Willingness To Pay For All-Inclusive Resorts: A Choice-Based Conjoint Analysis, Liheng Zhang Dec 2022

Customer Willingness To Pay For All-Inclusive Resorts: A Choice-Based Conjoint Analysis, Liheng Zhang

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This dissertation examined customers’ willingness to pay for all-inclusive resorts using choice theory, the theory of bundling, and prospect theory. This dissertation also contributed to the current research by determining (a) the attributes that affect customers’ willingness to pay for an all-inclusive resort and (b) whether a reference price will affect customers’ willingness to pay. We also take into account the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on customers and whether the pandemic will influence customers’ purchase behavior at this particular time. The choice-based conjoint analysis results showed that all eleven attributes—price, hotel star rating, type of room, location, food options, …


Activity-Based Intervention And One-To-One Correspondence For Children With Developmental Delays, Cyndy Anang Dec 2022

Activity-Based Intervention And One-To-One Correspondence For Children With Developmental Delays, Cyndy Anang

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

PreK children with developmental delays in inclusive classrooms need access to math interventions helps them develop foundational math skills that are needed to succeed during their K-12 education. Research is significantly lacking that addresses increasing math skills for children with disabilities in PreK classrooms. The purpose of this study was to examine how using activity-based intervention (ABI) increases one-to-one correspondence for children with disabilities in an inclusive classroom. A single subject multiple probe design across participants was implemented to embed one-to-one correspondence math goals into daily routines and preferred activities. The participants of the study were two 3–5-year-old children categorized …


Predicting Student Success In A K-12 Online School, Andrea Connolly Dec 2022

Predicting Student Success In A K-12 Online School, Andrea Connolly

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Given the rapid growth of K-12 online learning, research is needed in the effective identification of at-risk students so that administrators and teachers can develop appropriate supports and interventions. The purpose of this research was to determine if student success in an online course could be predicted for English Learners (EL) using identifiable student characteristics and traits. This study looked at the student traits of behavior, structure, and demographics to determine if they could be used as predictive variables for successful course completion in a K-12 online course. The behavior characteristics were measured by a survey tool and were identified …


Exploring The Role Of Epistemic Cognition And Self-Efficacy In The Career Decision-Making Processes Of College Students: An Explanatory Sequential Study, Raelynn Frazier Dec 2022

Exploring The Role Of Epistemic Cognition And Self-Efficacy In The Career Decision-Making Processes Of College Students: An Explanatory Sequential Study, Raelynn Frazier

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

College students are asked to make critical decisions about which academic major to choose and subsequently to make specific career decisions. Students come to college with a myriad of different skill sets, backgrounds, developmental levels, cognitive processes, familial support, and levels of self-efficacy that may influence how they make these decisions. The purpose of this study was to explore the role that epistemic cognition and self-efficacy may play in the career decision-making processes of college students utilizing a mixed methods approach. Results of this study indicate that there are internal and external influences that impact college students’ career decision-making processes …


Exploring The Intersection Of Stress, Resiliency, And Relationship With Teacher Among High School Students With Emotional And Behavioral Disorders, Scotia Hammond Dec 2022

Exploring The Intersection Of Stress, Resiliency, And Relationship With Teacher Among High School Students With Emotional And Behavioral Disorders, Scotia Hammond

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Experiencing stress at high levels during pivotal developmental years can have a detrimental impact on adolescents’ overall development and well-being (Rahdar & Galvan, 2014; Romeo, 2013). Extensive research has shown the positive effects a strong student-teacher relationship has on students’ resiliency to counteract the negative effects of stress (Akin & Radford, 2018; Johnson, 2008; Masten et al., 2008; Mulloy, 2011; Sanders et al., 2016; Stewart & Sun, 2004). Unfortunately, these studies rarely include students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). Students with EBD are more likely to have higher levels of stress, lower levels of resilience and often struggle forming …


Raising The Bar Of Leadership Awareness For Understanding Student Trauma, Roxanne L. James Dec 2022

Raising The Bar Of Leadership Awareness For Understanding Student Trauma, Roxanne L. James

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This paper analyzes if family structure and school mobility indicators can predict natural matriculation from middle school using a newly created tool, the Biographic Analytic Rubric, BAR. To answer this question, I used BAR-coded data from 26,233 8th-grade students to see if their risk score predicted their natural matriculation from middle school. The results revealed that the higher the BAR risk score indicator a student has, the less likely they will matriculate from middle school naturally. School leaders may utilize this tool as an early warning system when students enroll in middle school to ascertain which students may need additional …


Easing The Middle To High School Transition: An Evaluation Of The Gold Program, Leilani Shive Dec 2022

Easing The Middle To High School Transition: An Evaluation Of The Gold Program, Leilani Shive

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Some effective components of effective transition programs include using a freshman academy or school-within-a-school model, teacher and peer mentoring and summer bridge programs. This study analyzed the effectiveness of the Gold Program, a middle to high school transition program for at-risk youth in a large urban high school in the southwestern United States. This program incorporated those components in addition to several others, such as: parent involvement, career and technical education, blended learning, behavior interventions, and Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFJROTC). Individual components of the Gold Program were chosen to meet the four S’s of Schlossberg’s transition …


Display Applications For Grating Angle Magnification Accelerated Angular Scanners, Daniel Jesus Valdes Dec 2022

Display Applications For Grating Angle Magnification Accelerated Angular Scanners, Daniel Jesus Valdes

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This work includes experimental demonstrations of grating angle magnification accelerated optical beam scanners. Diffraction grating scanners governed by the grating equation can have scan speed advantages over the flat mirror bound by Snell's law of reflection. Scan speed enhancement of 750% was achieved with a 635nm laser and 1800 groove/mm diffraction grating configuration thanks to the grating angle magnification. A three-color diffraction grating scanner shows identical results at larger scan angles. Tunable acceleration speed is a feature enabled by the diffraction grating scanner to operate in a high-speed scanning region and/or high-resolution scanning region depending on the demands of the …


Student Device Usage, Learning Management System Tool Usage, And Self-Regulated Learning, Nancy Webb Dec 2022

Student Device Usage, Learning Management System Tool Usage, And Self-Regulated Learning, Nancy Webb

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Self-regulated learning (SRL) is crucial to student success in online learning environments. Students enrolled in online courses at higher education institutions access courses through the learning management system (LMS) to complete coursework, interact with instructors and peers using various learning management system tools and multiple technological devices. Researchers frequently rely on surveys to identify how students self-regulate, but students often are not honest or over or under-estimate their SRL skills. Learning management system data analytics have recently provided opportunities to examine the frequencies and sequences of how learnings engage with tools and content in the online learning environment. The purpose …


The Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Online Food Delivery Apps, Lauren Morell Dec 2022

The Impact Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Online Food Delivery Apps, Lauren Morell

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The restaurant industry continues to change as Online Food Delivery apps (OFD) continue to gain more popularity because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The food delivery market has grown over 52% since the start of the pandemic. Online food delivery app platforms like DoorDash, UberEats, and Postmates began to offer delivery over the past decade, rapidly growing with the help of ghost kitchens. Consumer behavior factors and intention to use OFDs have changed as more advanced app technology becomes available, and as the restaurant industry navigates the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. Many consumers favor mobile delivery apps overall convenience and perceived usefulness. …


Beyond The Numbers: A Deeper Dive Into The Dearth Of Girls And Women In Stem, Jennifer John Buck Dec 2022

Beyond The Numbers: A Deeper Dive Into The Dearth Of Girls And Women In Stem, Jennifer John Buck

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Despite decades of research attempting to better understand the dearth of girls and women in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), gender imbalances persist in many STEM fields. This is particularly the case in math-intensive STEM fields. The current program of research used mixed-methods research to better understand these inequities. The first paper identified gender and ethnic variation in how undergraduates reason about STEM inequities. The second paper found that how emerging adults narrate “turning points” in their relationship with math was associated with their current math outcomes and future plans to pursue math. The final paper demonstrated that how …


Jiapi: A Type Checker Generator For Statically Typed Languages, Benjamin Cisneros Merino Dec 2022

Jiapi: A Type Checker Generator For Statically Typed Languages, Benjamin Cisneros Merino

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Type systems are a key characteristic in the context of the study of programming languages. They frequently offer a simple, intuitive way of expressing and testing the fundamental structure of programs. This is especially true when types are used to provide formal, machine-checked documentation for an implementation. For example, the absence of type errors in code prior to execution is what type systems for static programming languages are designed to assure, and in the literature, type systems that satisfy this requirement are referred to as sound type systems. Types also define module interfaces, making them essential for achieving and maintaining …


Payment Profiles: Using Payment Transaction Data To Identify And Characterize Gamblers, Kasra Ghaharian Dec 2022

Payment Profiles: Using Payment Transaction Data To Identify And Characterize Gamblers, Kasra Ghaharian

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Payment providers in the gambling industry facilitate transactions, allowing customers to transfer money to and from wagering accounts. Payments transaction data is information that is captured from these transactions, including, for example, the type, amount, time, and location. How this data may be used for gambling harm minimization and prevention has garnered significant interest, particularly due to accelerated payments modernization in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. With this study, I explored the utility of payments transaction data to categorize subgroups of gamblers in order to identify individuals who may be at-risk of harm. I benchmarked six cluster analysis methods …


Calcite Spherulite Formations And Their Controls In Halophilic Bacterial Cultures, Zakaria Jibrin Dec 2022

Calcite Spherulite Formations And Their Controls In Halophilic Bacterial Cultures, Zakaria Jibrin

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study arose from an accidental discovery of calcite spherulites forming on colonies of various halophilic bacteria grown on solid Luria-Bertani medium made containing water from a brine pool in Death Valley, their natural habitat. Further studies with a large spherulite forming bacteria, Pseudoalteromonas haloplanktis, showed that calcite precipitation conditions were the consequence of bacteria using amino acids as a source of carbon and energy, a metabolism that produces NH3 and CO2 waste products. NH3 raises the pH of the medium, turning CO2 into CO32-. Calcium in the natural brine combines with CO32-. The resulting spherulitic calcite precipitation is nano-acicular …


Salesperson-Customer Dyads In The Casino Gaming Industry: How Sales Competencies And Relationship Lifecycles Influence Customer Satisfaction And Account Profitability, Alicia Lechtenberger Dec 2022

Salesperson-Customer Dyads In The Casino Gaming Industry: How Sales Competencies And Relationship Lifecycles Influence Customer Satisfaction And Account Profitability, Alicia Lechtenberger

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Developing extraordinary relationships between sales personnel and customers is essential to corporate success. To meet the increasing demands of customers within the hospitality industry, corporations must ensure they pair customers with salespeople who are highly competent, possessing refined and adaptable skill sets that directly increase customer satisfaction and account profitability. Corporations spend billions of dollars annually on hiring and training salespeople; yet, salespeople often quit or miss their quota targets. Considering this industry-wide business problem, the purpose of this dissertation study was to determine how sales competencies influence customer satisfaction and account profitability while taking into consideration the duration of …


Developing A Hands-On Class Exercise For Modular Construction, 3d Design, And 4d Schedule, Kyle A. Kithas Dec 2022

Developing A Hands-On Class Exercise For Modular Construction, 3d Design, And 4d Schedule, Kyle A. Kithas

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Modular construction shows promise as a viable alternative to stick-built construction. A major challenge with the widespread adoption of modular construction is the construction industry’s focus on minimizing risk and defaulting to the comfort and familiarity of stick-built construction. This pattern can be broken through an educational paradigm shift in the way architecture, engineering, and construction are taught in school. Integrating modular construction education into higher education is presented to increase the future adoption of modular construction and expand the comfort zones of future industry leaders. This thesis proposes that current curriculum be augmented to teach the modular approach in …


The Metabolic Change Of Lipid Species In Stam Mice With Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Devin J. Peart Dec 2022

The Metabolic Change Of Lipid Species In Stam Mice With Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Devin J. Peart

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Primary liver cancer hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the second leading cause of cancer death worldwide. In the US, primary liver cancer is the most rapidly increasing type of cancer due to increases in hepatitis B and C and the continued trend of greater and greater percentages of the population suffering from obesity, diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome. The prognosis for this disease is poor, with a 5-year survival rate of 26% as compared to only 2% when the cancer is metastatic. Unfortunately, current strategies for early detection of HCC, including routine CT imaging or alpha-fetoprotein biomarker, are suboptimal and tend …


Hunter-Gatherers In Context: Hadzabe People And Early Nutrition Transition, Trevor Pollom Dec 2022

Hunter-Gatherers In Context: Hadzabe People And Early Nutrition Transition, Trevor Pollom

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The current study utilizes a mixed-methods approach to investigate the processes that influence landcover change and nutrition transitions in the Lake Eyasi Basin area of Northern Tanzania. In doing so, it provides unique insights into the behavior and biology of Hadzabe foragers living in the Yaeda Valley during the early stages of nutrition transition and provides much needed context for scientific literature that has been derived from this region. The current study answers the following questions: 1) How can historical and ethnographic maps, combined with present-day landcover classifications, inform our understanding of the people(s), spaces, and places of Lake Eyasi? …


Automated Approach For The Enhancement Of Scaffolding Structure Monitoring With Strain Sensor Data, Sayan Sakhakarmi Dec 2022

Automated Approach For The Enhancement Of Scaffolding Structure Monitoring With Strain Sensor Data, Sayan Sakhakarmi

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Construction researchers have made a significant effort to improve the safety of scaffolding structures, as a large proportion of workers are involved in construction activities requiring scaffolds. However, most past studies focused on design and planning aspects of scaffolds. While limited studies investigated scaffolding safety during construction, they are limited to simple cases only with limited failure modes and simple scaffolds. In response to this limitation, this study aims to develop an automated scaffold monitoring approach capable of monitoring large scaffolds. Accordingly, this study developed an automated scaffold safety monitoring framework that leverages sensor data collected from a scaffold, scaffold …


Day ‘N’ Nite: Habitability Of Tidally Locked Planets With Sporadic Rotation, Cody James Shakespeare Dec 2022

Day ‘N’ Nite: Habitability Of Tidally Locked Planets With Sporadic Rotation, Cody James Shakespeare

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Tidally locked worlds provide a unique opportunity for constraining the climates of detected exoplanets. They are unique in that few exoplanet spin and obliquity states are known or will be determined in the near future. The TRAPPIST-1 exoplanet system has multiple habitable zone planets that, in the past, have been presumed to be tidally locked. However, a recent study shows the dynamical conditions present in the TRAPPIST-1 system make rotation and large librations possible spin states for these planets. I confirm the tendency for these planets to sporadically transition from tidally locked libration to slow rotation using N-body simulations independent …


Covid-19 Vaccine Acceptance Behavior Among Hispanics/Latinxs In Nevada: A Theory-Based Analysis, Tara Marie Naoe Tacderan Wong Nerida Dec 2022

Covid-19 Vaccine Acceptance Behavior Among Hispanics/Latinxs In Nevada: A Theory-Based Analysis, Tara Marie Naoe Tacderan Wong Nerida

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted many lives around the world, leaving negative repercussions including health effects, economic downturns, and social and physical restrictions. The pandemic has also revealed many disproportionate health impacts on vulnerable populations, especially among the Hispanic and Latinx populations. The use of the three COVID-19 vaccines in the United States has presented a form of protection against additional negative impacts. However, hesitancy toward the COVID-19 vaccine has hindered its rapid uptake, preventing the country from reaching herd immunity and ultimately ending the pandemic. Current research is minimal in understanding the intentions of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine among …


Violin Performance Influences Of Fritz Kreisler, Walter Daniel White Dec 2022

Violin Performance Influences Of Fritz Kreisler, Walter Daniel White

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study explores elements contained or implied in the question of what can the modern performer of violin literature learn and apply from the life, creative output, and career of Fritz Kreisler, a successful performer and composer of a past era. It is now the twenty-first century, and Fritz Kreisler, who lived from the final quarter of the nineteenth century beyond the first half of the twentieth century continues as a name widely recognized and associated with excellence in violin performance. His name is legendary among violinists, and he left a lasting legacy in the compositions that he created for …


What Can General Chemistry Students Learn From External Representations Of Acid- Base Titrations?, Nicole Baldwin Dec 2022

What Can General Chemistry Students Learn From External Representations Of Acid- Base Titrations?, Nicole Baldwin

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Laboratory activities are a prevalent and essential part of chemistry learning because of their potential to help students develop problem solving abilities, visualize chemistry concepts learned in lecture, and gain practical skills. However, learning in the laboratory environment is not without its challenges. For example, cookbook-style chemistry laboratories can promote superficial learning, and cognitive overload can result from the study of new concepts and the use of new procedures in this environment. Multiple pedagogies and supports have been developed to address challenges such as these. The current research focuses upon external representations that are commonly used to support learning in …


Technology-Based Self-Management Of Initiations For Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder And Low Communication Who Participate In An Alternate Assessment, Amelia Fuqua Dec 2022

Technology-Based Self-Management Of Initiations For Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder And Low Communication Who Participate In An Alternate Assessment, Amelia Fuqua

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Self-management as a behavioral intervention has been used with students who have autism spectrum disorder for a variety of behavioral targets, including communication. Research has been conducted on self-management of communication initiations for students who have autism spectrum disorder in primary grades through high school. The process of self-management includes monitoring one’s own behavior to change that behavior. Currently, there are no studies using technology with self-management for the initiations of students with autism spectrum disorder and low communication who also participate in an alternate assessment. The purpose of this study was a systematic replication of Newman and Ten Eyck …


Dynamic Surface Tension Of Surfactants Through Separation Of Diffusion And Dilation Effects, Brandon Ortiz Dec 2022

Dynamic Surface Tension Of Surfactants Through Separation Of Diffusion And Dilation Effects, Brandon Ortiz

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Surfactants are biphilic monomers that adsorb to interfaces and have the ability to reduce interfacial tension. From this reduction in interfacial tension, surfactants are able to function as emulsifiers, detergents, and wetting agents among a variety of other things. Despite their ubiquity surfactants and surfactant behaviors, in particular those in highly dynamic environments, are not yet well characterized. In these environments, surfactants undergo significant distortions to droplet, bubble, and foam geometries which induce changes to the surface tension. This establishes a need to understand how surfactants respond to distortions of geometry through diffusion and dilational effects. To address this need, …