Digital Commons Network^™

Equality Among Unequals In International Environmental Law, Anita Margrethe Halvorssen., Karl Ohlsen

Colorado Environmental Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Mental Health Care Policies And Services In Switzerland, Stefan Kunz

Irish Journal of Applied Social Studies

This article summarises the recent development of Swiss mental health policies and services. The last three decades have been characterised by a strong emphasis on the socio psychiatric approach Bachmann, 1995; Ciompi, 1997, 1994,1987a, 1987b). The establishment of a decentralised, patient and community focused mental health care network, integrating different therapeutic methods under a uniform administration is the base concept of the emerging movement (Ernst, 1998;Bachmann, 1995,Ciompi, 1994, 1987b). Achievements and problems of mental health care provision are outlined. A more proactive role for mental health care professionals in policy is proposed to contribute to the solution of present injustices. …

Should Marriage Matter?: Evaluating The Rights Of Legal Absentee Fathers, Jennifer E. Burns

Fordham Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Rise Or The Fall Of International Law?, Edith Brown Weiss

Fordham Law Review

No abstract provided.

Building Life-Like “Conscious” Software Agents, S. Franklin

CCRG Papers

No abstract provided.

Deliberation And Voluntary Action In “Conscious” Software Agents, S. Franklin

CCRG Papers

No abstract provided.

Reclaiming The "Creatures Of The State": Contracting For Child Custody Decisionmaking In The Best Interests Of The Family, E. Gary Spitko

Faculty Publications

Arbitration has great potential utility for promoting family autonomy. Parents in a fracturing family might utilize arbitration to select both the decisionmaker and the legal standards to guide that decisionmaker in resolving their child custody and visitation dispute. In this way, the parents can seek to ensure that the resolution of their child custody and visitation dispute is governed by the values that the family has cherished and lived by.

The present dominant judicial approaches to the enforcement of arbitration agreements and awards with respect to child custody, however, greatly undermine arbitration's utility for promoting family autonomy. Pursuant to the …

Parental Rights Termination Jurisprudence: Questioning The Framework, Jennifer Wriggins

Faculty Publications

The article analyzes the Supreme Court’s decision in M.L.B. v. S.L.J., 519 U.S. 102 (1996), which held that where a state provides an appeal from a judgment terminating parental rights, it must, under the due process and equal protection clauses provide indigent appellants with a transcript if a transcript is necessary to review the decision. In doing so, it questions the framework used to analyze parental rights termination decisions. Specifically, it questions the sharp line drawn between cases concerning termination of parental rights (in which parents have certain constitutional protections) and cases concerning child custody (in which parents lack those …

Evaluation Of Chitosan As A Potential Medical Iron (Iii) Ion Adsorbent, Ayer Burke, Elvan Yilmaz, Nesri̇n Hasirci

Turkish Journal of Medical Sciences

Chitosan, a derivative of the natural polysaccharide chitin, is known for its biocompatibility and metal-binding capacity. The aim of this study was to combine these two properties of chitosan and investigate its potential as a new iron (III) ion (ferric ion) adsorbing agent. The development of a safe and orally active iron chelating agent is especially important for the treatment of thalassemics. In this study, the physicochemical parameters affecting the ability of chitosan flakes to adsorb iron (III) ions were studied by complexometric titration. The results showed that the iron (III) adsorption capacity of chitosan increases with the amount of …

Nurse Practitioners' Perceptions And Use Of Nursing Diagnoses, Gay R. Kaashoek

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of nursing diagnoses by nurse practitioners (NPs). Additionally, this study assessed NPs’ perceptions of the advantages and challenges to using nursing diagnoses. Data were collected by questionnaires mailed to a randomly selected national sample of 398 NPs.

Of the 249 participants, 48 NPs indicated that they use nursing diagnoses. No significant differences were found between nursing diagnosis use and selected demographic characteristics or educational preparation. However, the use of nursing diagnoses was significantly higher among participants who were expected to use them as NP students (χ²= 22.012; p …

The Needs Of Family Members In Crisis, Melanie A. Burghgraef

Masters Theses

The needs of family members of patients with severe brain injury were investigated using a descriptive-correlational design. A convenience sample of family members (N = 23) were surveyed with the Critical Care Family Needs Inventory (CCFNI). Need statements from the CCFNI were rank ordered, and a total score for the CCFNI was calculated. The majority of the top ranked needs consisted of assurance and information needs, which is consistent with other research using the CCFNI. Descriptive statistics were used to compare the results from this study with Lorenz’s study (1995).

Furthermore, this investigation attempted to reveal a relationship between family …

Mental Health In Oldest-Old Adults: An Investigation Of Self-Transcendence, Marsha Luchtman Harrison

Masters Theses

This study explored Reed’s theory of self-transcendence as a potential developmental resource and correlate of well-being within the long term care population. Self-transcendence is a healthy maturation process of expanding one’s conceptual boundaries inwardly through increased self-understanding; outwardly through investing in relationships with others and the environment; and/or temporally by integrating perceptions of one’s past and future in a way that enhances the present. A descriptive correlational research design examined the level of self-transcendence and the relationship of self-transcendence to depression among nursing home residents. The sample of 51 oldest-old adults ranged from 80 to 103 years old.

Participants were …

Neonatal Outcome Based On Triple Serum Screening And Ultrasound Findings In Pregnancies With An Increased Risk Of Trisomy 18: Is Amniocentesis Always Necessary?, Loralee Hope Davison, Molly Rachel Kerr, Samantha Ann Mullin

Masters Theses

OBJECTIVE: Our goal was to evaluate whether a normal ultrasound following a positive triple marker serum screen reduces the risk of having a trisomy 18 fetus to a level that is less than the procedure-related risk for amniocentesis. STUDY DESIGN: A nonrandomized, non-concurrent cohort chart review was performed of all women who screened positive (risk > 1:250) for trisomy 18 by triple marker serum testing through Spectrum Health Downtown Genetic Screening Program from June 1996 through September 1999. Of the 13,618 serum samples screened, 158 were identified as being at an increased risk for trisomy 18. Pediatric outcome was obtained through …

Effect Of Spaceflight On The Maximal Shortening Velocity, Morphology, And Enzyme Profile Of Fast- And Slow-Twitch Skeletal Muscle Fibers In Rhesus Monkeys, Robert H. Fitts, Janell Romatowski, Lourdes De La Cruz, Jeffrey J. Widrick, Dominique Desplanches

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Unlv College Of Education Multicultural & Diversity Newsletter, Steve Mccafferty, John Filler, Nancy P. Gallavan, Le Ann Putney, Nancy Sileo, Kyle Higgins, Porter Troutman, Paul Meacham, Cyndi Giorgis, Aimee Govett, Jean Henry, Bill Pankratius, Lisa Bendixen, Rebecca Nathanson

College of Education Multicultural & Diversity Newsletter

A newsletter discussing a variety of topics dealing with multicultural topics and diversity in education.

Unlv College Of Education Multicultural & Diversity Newsletter, Steve Mccafferty, John Filler, Nancy P. Gallavan, Le Ann Putney, Nancy Sileo, Kyle Higgins, Porter Troutman, Paul Meacham, Cyndi Giorgis, Aimee Govett, Jean Henry, Lisa Bendixen, Jennifer L. Fabbi, Rebecca Nathanson

College of Education Multicultural & Diversity Newsletter

A newsletter discussing a variety of topics dealing with multicultural topics and diversity in education.

The Virtues Of Command And Control Regulation: Barring Exotic Species From Aquatic Ecosystems, Sandra B. Zellmer

Faculty Law Review Articles

The Clean Water Act asserts the ambitious goal of eliminating water pollution and protecting the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of U.S. waters. Yet the EPA, in enforcing the Act, currently exempts from regulation a significant source of pollution in U.S. waters: ballast-water discharges from commercial shipping vessels. Ballast water from commercial vessels is a primary vector for the introduction of exotic plant and animal species into U.S. waters. The invasion of these species poses an increasing threat to native biodiversity; the invaders prey directly on native fish and wildlife, compete for food and habitat, and introduce disease and parasites …

Sequence Stratigraphy And Biostratigraphy Of The Lower Member Of The Deep Spring Formation: Implications For The Neoproterozoic-Cambrian Boundary In The Basin And Range Province, Western United States, Shannon Michelle Parsons

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The Deep Spring Formation of the southern Basin and Range Province provides information valuable in locating and correlating the Precambrian-Cambrian boundary in western North America. Sequence-stratigraphic analysis of the lower Deep Spring Formation revealed three sequence boundaries. The proposed sequence-stratigraphic model includes early highstand slumps, a feature interpreted to be unique to mixed systems, which form at the onset of the Highstand Systems Tract; This study identified the small shelly fossil Cloudina in the lower Deep Spring Formation. Cloudina was previously unrecognized at this stratigraphic level in the Basin and Range. This Neoproterozoic fossil is associated in the lower Deep …

Visitor Attitudes And Behaviors At A Park And Recreation Setting In Their Relation To Deteriorating Environments, Hong Chul Shin

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate attitudes and behaviors of parks and recreation visitors related to environmentally harmful behavior in fragile parks and recreation areas. T-Test and Chi-Square analyses are utilized in finding visitors' attitudes and behaviors. The findings of this study were to provide implications for management in the development of appropriate management actions.

Accessibility To Long-Term Care: A Comparison Of Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada And Clark County, Nevada, Schuyler Van Rensselaer Quick

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

There has been extensive debate in this country on the ability of the health care system to adequately distribute Long Term Care (LTC) to the elderly. Three perspectives have emerged to explain current problems in access to LTC by the elderly indigent: The Market Model Perspective, Weber's Bureaucratic Perspective, and the Neo-Marxist Perspective. This study will assess these three theories, by examining constraints to accessibility within two systems, Canada and the United States. The LTC delivery service systems of the Fredericton region of New Brunswick and Clark County, Nevada, were examined in the summer and fall of 1992, to ascertain …

The Effects Of Spiritual Care Nursing Education On Nurses' Comfort In The Delivery Of Spiritual Care, Carmen E Sterling-Fisher

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Spiritual care of patients has been an important part of nursing since Florence Nightingale's days, although the spiritual nature of nursing care is often overlooked in today's nursing community. According to Highfield (1992) and Lilley (1987), issues regarding the physical and psychosocial aspects of nursing care continue to predominate nursing literature despite the long standing documented value of spiritual aspects of nursing care (Burkhardt and Nagai-Jacobson, 1994; Robinson, 1994 and Ross, 1994), resulting in limited available learning opportunities related to spiritual care. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of an educational intervention concerning spiritual nursing care …

Scaffolding Literacy Knowledge Within A One -On -One Tutoring Situation: An Ethnographic Study, Diane Katherine Brantley

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to explore and describe the culture of tutoring to determine if America Reads Challenge (ARC) tutors were able to provide elementary school tutees with scaffolded literacy learning experiences. Three main educational theories formed the framework for this study: sociocultural theory of cognitive development, scaffolding, and activity theory. Relevant research related to the efficacy of tutoring programs also was included. The overarching research design was an ethnographic methodology that included the collection of video tape, followed up with informal interviews to substantiate the findings with the two tutoring dyads; Subsequently, the data was analyzed, …

The Biological Removal Of Phosphorus At The Clark County Sanitation District Wastewater Treatment Plant, Jon Robert Becker

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This research examines the influence of operating parameters on the enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) from the effluent of the Clark County Sanitation District (CCSD) wastewater treatment plant. Several parameters that influence EBPR were investigated, including wastewater composition: (e.g. BOD, nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, Total P, Ortho-P, alkalinity, pH), dissolved oxygen levels, oxidation reduction potential, microbiology, volatile fatty acid concentrations, fraction of P in wasted sludge, and nitrification levels. Analysis of nitrate and effluent phosphorus levels indicated a strong correlation between the two parameters. Very strong denitrification, evidenced by very low nitrate levels, produced nitrogen gas that lifted microbes into the …

Soil And Vegetation Recovery On Abandoned Paved Roads In A Humid Tropical Rain Forest, Puerto Rico, Catherine M Heyne

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

I examined soil and vegetation characteristics on a 60 yr chronosequence of abandoned paved roads in Puerto Rico. Rapid recovery obscured successional changes in soil regeneration. Littermass, bulk density, soil moisture, soil organic matter, and total Kjeldahl nitrogen reached forest levels within 11 yr of road abandonment despite residual pavement. Road soil pH showed a clear successional trend, and approached the more acidic forest soils within 60 yr. Pool sizes were similar to the forest by ≥30 yr; Road revegetation displayed strong successional trends across the chronosequence. Vegetation on roads abandoned for ≥30 yr reached a mature forest state for …

Communicating The Risks And Hazards Of Methylmercury To The Ojibwe Population, Glenna Lee

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Fatal poisonings due to the consumption of fish containing high concentrations of methylmercury have been well documented, and demonstrate that the consumption of mercury-contaminated fish and other organisms can contribute to adverse human health effects. Native Americans of the Great Lakes region are one of the populations potentially subjected to greater concentrations of methylmercury than the general population because fishery is an integral part of their culture. The purpose of this study is to investigate the Ojibwe of the Great Lakes region's understanding of the risks and hazards associated with the consumption of fish contaminated with methylmercury and increase their …

A High-Performance Liquid Chromatography System With Fenton's Reagent For Detection Of Gas-Phase Hydrogen Peroxide, Jun Liu

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

A simple quantitative HPLC method for analysis of gas-phase hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) has been developed. This method relies on conversion of sodium salicylate to dihydroxybenzoic acid, sodium salts by using Fenton's reagent (a mixture of H2O2 and ferrous iron) under the proper conditions. Hydroxyl radicals generated from Fenton's reagent will react with sodium salicylate and generate 2,3-, 2,4-, and 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (sodium salts), which can be quantitatively determined by HPLC-UV at wavelength 310 nm. The cryogenic sampling system was chosen to collect gasphase H2O2. The detection limit for this method is 0.03 ppm. The seasonal variation of H2O2 in Las …

Characterization Of P-Type Silicon Semiconductor Detectors For Use In In Vivo Dosimetry, Kamran Ul Haq

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The response of a p-type diode detector for use in patient dose monitoring in photon and electron fields was evaluated for a number of commonly-encountered clinical parameters. Effects of energy, field size, source-to-surface distance, presence of beam modifiers, beam orientation, and temperature were investigated. Shielding effects and batch variations were also examined. In most cases, diode performance was in good agreement with manufacturer's specifications and/or the results of others using similar detectors. Variations in excess of +/-12 % were observed in high-energy wedged fields over the source-to-surface distances investigated. Reductions in local dose directly behind the diode due to electron …

Pathways To Family Preservation Services, Rebecca Ann Carman

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The study examines the socio-demographics of families participating in Las Vegas, Nevada's Intensive Family Preservation Program, the crisis precipitators that these families experience, and the services that were directed at the identified crisis precipitators. A qualitative research design was utilized in the analysis of 15 case files. Majority of the families experienced the following crisis precipitators: problems in parenting, children's behavioral and emotional problems, financial problems, substance abuse, and parent's emotional problems. The data suggested that family preservation workers are providing services to address the identified precipitators. The conclusions of this study indicate that intensive family preservation programs could be …

United States Population Policies And Environmental Ethics: Addressing Population Growth From The Biocentric Perspective, Philip Davis Macwilliams

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

When the environmental movement began to surge in the 1960s, concerns were raised over the prospects of the U.S. population growing to an unsustainable level and causing irreparable harm to the environment and our quality of life. Unfortunately, population growth has not been given the priority it deserves not because it is not an important issue, but because of our failure to view population growth, and all environmental issues, from a biocentric outlook. It is this paradigm shift towards biocentrism that we as moral agents should be making and which will subsequently cause us to view population growth in a …

Sex, Gender And Genesis: A Cixousian Exploration Of Language In The Gay Marriage Debates, Nancy Jean Martin

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

How does language structure patriarchy? How are gendered language and creation story imagery evidenced in contemporary debates on gay marriage? Helene Cixous suggests that Western thought is organized around binary, hierarchical oppositions---the most fundamental of which are male over female and masculine over feminine. Language and its connections to psychological and her/historical origins are central to her work. Cixous suggests that the separation of male and female, masculine and feminine, result in a war of sexual difference. I explore these themes with a feminist deconstruction of Internet sites in support of and against gay marriage. I then utilize Cixous's feminine …