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2005

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Plyometric Training In Female Adolescent Soccer Players, Amaris Christine Vandyke Jan 2005

Plyometric Training In Female Adolescent Soccer Players, Amaris Christine Vandyke

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to measure the effects of low impact plyometric training on vertical jump and kicking distance in female adolescent soccer players. Comparisons at three separate time intervals: pre-test, 7 weeks, and 14 weeks were made between individuals completing normal soccer training and competition and those additionally completing once-weekly plyometric training. No significant difference in kicking distance was found between groups at pre-test (p = 0.5005) or 7 weeks (p = 0.1174). However, the plyometric training group had significantly longer kicking distance after 14 weeks (p = <0.0001). The control group displayed a significant decrease in kicking distance between 7 and 14 weeks (p = 0.0081). No significant difference in vertical jump height was found between groups at pre-test (p = 0.8366) or 7 weeks (p = 0.1077); however, the plyometric group had a significantly higher vertical jump after 14 weeks (p = 0.0144). Once-weekly plyometric training may improve soccer performance.

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Reject Inference Methodology Skewed Missing Data Problem, Atsuko Watanabe Jan 2005

Reject Inference Methodology Skewed Missing Data Problem, Atsuko Watanabe

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Statistical models are most predictive and robust when the historical data used to build the model covers sufficient representation from the population. A financial organization uses a scoring model, developed with historical data, to determine if a consumer should be granted a line of credit for which they apply. When the existing model is too old or the applicant population has changed, a new model is to be developed, but the range of historical data, essential to the predictive model development, does not include the entire applicant population because of the declines. A technique called reject inference is typically used …

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A Tough One Out There, Patryke Kim Thomas Jan 2005

A Tough One Out There, Patryke Kim Thomas

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This fictional work explores the manner the story's protagonist, Cam Madden, evolves after he decides to become a police officer. The story follows the progression from testing, being hired, completing a police academy, working the street, and promoting to detective. Circumstances during this progression shape the protagonist's persona until he changes from innocent to cynic, which affects all aspects of his life---love, work, and play. Cam's evolution is the primary backdrop, but there is another that places the elements of story, scene, and character within a historical and contemporary context and those elements against the procedure and methodology of the …

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Missing Letters: Seven Stories And One Novella, David Biddle Winkler Jan 2005

Missing Letters: Seven Stories And One Novella, David Biddle Winkler

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

My MFA thesis, entitled MISSING LETTERS, consists of seven short stories and one novella. These pieces are arranged to reflect a variety of tone and style; The first story, "Tale of the Ill Ook Ook," is strictly comedic and serves as a parody of adult book stores. The emphasis is on humor rather than eroticism; The second story is "Trouble on the Farm," which is intense in its treatment of a troubled runaway teen with murder and vengeance on his mind; Story number three, "The Romans," is a children's story, featuring Scotty, the protagonist who headlines my first published novel, …

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An Analysis Of Ground Stone Artifacts From Ghwair I, A Pre-Pottery Neolithic B Site In Southern Jordan, Claudia C Woodman Jan 2005

An Analysis Of Ground Stone Artifacts From Ghwair I, A Pre-Pottery Neolithic B Site In Southern Jordan, Claudia C Woodman

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Ground stone artifacts indicating food preparation and other activities are well-represented among the assemblage resulting from three seasons of excavation at Ghwair I, a Pre-Pottery Neolithic B site in southern Jordan Placement of Ghwair I in context of roughly contemporaneous Levantine sites indicates that its ground stone assemblage is typical of the period and that Ghwair I was a self-reliant community. The ground stone assemblage indicates that mobility of the site's occupants was relatively low. Spatial analysis of distribution of ground stone across the site suggests specialized activity loci and, possibly, early social stratification.

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Synthesis And Characterization Of Strontium Fluorapatite, Chirantha Prageeth Rodrigo Jan 2005

Synthesis And Characterization Of Strontium Fluorapatite, Chirantha Prageeth Rodrigo

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Proliferation of nuclear waste is a major environmental issue we all face this century. Long lived radioactive isotopes such as 90Sr contained in spent nuclear fuel have been causing major problems during the disposal stage of the nuclear fuel cycle. Disposal of radioactive isotopes requires a suitable confinement host material in order to dispose of them in a safe and appropriate repository. In this thesis I describe how to synthesize and characterize the mineral fluorapatite as a host material for Sr. Fluorapatite is a naturally occurring mineral with the unit cell formula of Ca10(PO 4)6F2. This mineral possesses a stable …

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Synthetic Methods For Catalytically Active Polyaniline/Platinum Composites, Neloni Ranamli Wijeratne Jan 2005

Synthetic Methods For Catalytically Active Polyaniline/Platinum Composites, Neloni Ranamli Wijeratne

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Polyaniline (PANI) is an organic semiconductor, which has attracted great attention in fundamental science and industries over the past decade due to its conductivity and electrochemical properties. The studies show that the three different synthetic methods produce PANI/Pt composites with different chemical compositions and electronic properties. The differences results from the overall oxidation state of the polymer and the interaction of nitrogen with the metallic Pt particles. The method of preparation influences the electrocatalytic oxidation of methanol and formic acid. Although, the electrochemically and chemically prepared PANI/Pt materials show some catalytic activity, they are not identical. PANI/Pt formed from the …

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Hellfire And Damnation Through Crime Or Bliss Through Faith: A Look At Faith-Based Corrections, Gregory Paul Warren Wuthrich Jan 2005

Hellfire And Damnation Through Crime Or Bliss Through Faith: A Look At Faith-Based Corrections, Gregory Paul Warren Wuthrich

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The latest movement in trying to combat the U.S. crime problem is through "faith-based" corrections. These programs are in the infancy stages and minimal data are present at this time to illustrate true effectiveness of such programs. This study is a theoretical evaluation of such programs and incorporates a framework from Gary LaFree (1988). Results indicate that "faith-based" programs tend to be one dimensional and in order for them to work properly they must be set up in conjunction with other institutional changes. Often other theories can incorporate the dimension of religion, yet religion alone, such as through "faith-based" programs, …

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Improvements To Patient-Specific Skeletal Dosimetry, Jeffrey Scott Wyler Jan 2005

Improvements To Patient-Specific Skeletal Dosimetry, Jeffrey Scott Wyler

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Nuclear medicine encompasses numerous steps, with accuracy being a key component throughout. Exactitude in skeletal dosimetry is of importance due to the high radiosensitivity of the hematopoietic cells populating the marrow cavities within trabecular bone. In fact, active marrow is generally the dose limiting organ in both radioimmunotherapy and bone pain palliation; Current research involving improvements in skeletal dosimetry is being pursued through nuclear magnetic resonance- (NMR) and computed tomography- (CT) imaging. Images acquired from these imaging modalities are coupled to Monte Carlo transport models to calculate S values for radionuclides localized within the skeleton. This is accomplished by in-vivo …

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Examining The Basis For Change In Clark County Non-Conforming Zone Change Process: Was It Needed?, Maria Kaseko Jan 2005

Examining The Basis For Change In Clark County Non-Conforming Zone Change Process: Was It Needed?, Maria Kaseko

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This study reviews Clark County's non-conforming zone change process from 1990 to 2002. A non-conforming zone change, sometimes known as a non-conforming zone boundary amendment is a proposed request that is not within the range of residential densities and/or non-residential intensities indicated on the applicable land use plan map, master plan, or concept plan. This research explores and examines two questions raised by the Clark County's new implementation plan, which was approved in April 2003 to amend the non-conforming zone change process. (1) Clark County assumed there was a public perception that non-conforming zone changes were being approved without regard …

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Fallow, Chad Michael Lietz Jan 2005

Fallow, Chad Michael Lietz

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Fallow follows both line & circle---i.e., the generational evolution (cultural, political, personal) of family farms in the Amurrikan Midwest; & the mandalic forces beneath, above & within. The steady decline & demise of the family farm faced w/corporate feudalism, signals not only the degradation of a lifestyle, but also the final nullification of Jefferson's yeoman farmer, upon (& for) whom this country is supposedly founded; Of course, the depredation of a mere human culture pales vs. the ecological transgressions of modernization: tillage, petrochemicals, ever-bigger machines. Few landscapes outside the Heartland have been so thoroughly stripped of indigenous life, & now, …

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The Role Of Transverse Faults In Great Basin Extension: Transfer Faults Or N-S Extension?, Tandis S Bidgoli Jan 2005

The Role Of Transverse Faults In Great Basin Extension: Transfer Faults Or N-S Extension?, Tandis S Bidgoli

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

New geologic map data (1:24,000 scale), geometric analyses, and kinematic analyses in the vicinity of the Crescent Spring fault zone (CSFZ), an E-W-striking fault zone in eastern Nevada, allow the recognition of four distinct extensional episodes. The episodes are pre-volcanic (pre-27 Ma), syn-volcanic (∼27-18 Ma), Miocene (?) post-volcanic, and Miocene (?) - Pliocene or Quaternary post-volcanic extension. This extensional pattern, which is consistent with other fault studies along the broadly defined Timpahute lineament, has several important aspects. (1) Transverse faults of the CSFZ are normal faults that accommodated a distinct N-S extensional event. (2) The strain field within this part …

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Behavioral Ecophysiology Of Dungeness Crabs During Feeding And Digestion In Hypoxia, Jennifer Lynn Bernatis Jan 2005

Behavioral Ecophysiology Of Dungeness Crabs During Feeding And Digestion In Hypoxia, Jennifer Lynn Bernatis

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Cancer magister inhabits areas frequently subject to periods of hypoxia. In hypoxia, digestive processes pose an additional physiological burden to crabs already attempting to maintain adequate oxygen uptake. Crabs tended to cease feeding below 3.2 kPa, resuming feeding when dissolved oxygen levels were rapidly raised to 6 kPa. In a 10.5-21 kPa DO gradient starved and fed crabs showed no preference for any area of the apparatus. In a 2.5-10.5 kPa DO gradient, starved and fed crabs showed significant preference for the highest oxygen concentration. Starved crabs were less likely to enter hypoxic waters to feed; those that did moved …

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The Problem Of Prayer In School: A Discussion Of Legal Interpretation And Policy, Staci Lynn Brick Jan 2005

The Problem Of Prayer In School: A Discussion Of Legal Interpretation And Policy, Staci Lynn Brick

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The problem of prayer in public schools is a divisive one that has grown out of a changing and confusing interpretation of the Establishment Clause with respect to school activities. Traditionally and historically, the United States has recognized public praise of God in a nonsectarian manner; however, this type of religious activity has been deemed unconstitutional in the school setting. The United States Supreme Court has also allowed public financial support of religion while vehemently disallowing symbolic religious support in public schools. The accomodationists on the Court has prevailed in most venues except school, where the separationists have managed to …

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Application Of Computational Fluid Dynamics On Smart Wing Design, Parthasarathy Chinnasamy Jan 2005

Application Of Computational Fluid Dynamics On Smart Wing Design, Parthasarathy Chinnasamy

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The instantaneous shape of the wing has a profound effect on the fluid dynamic forces it can generate. Visualization of the results obtained from the CFD code gives a better understanding of the happenings around a bending airfoil. The proposed Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model provides detailed design information for the lift and drag forces, velocity and static pressure changes around an airfoil during take off, flying, and lanDing Commercial CFD package---FLUENT is used to evaluate the smart material airfoil aerodynamics performance. The results are then compared with the parametric conventional wings---the wings with flaps. Using smart materials the wings …

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"Cinq Etudes-Tableaux" By Serge Rachmaninoff Orchestrated By Ottorino Respighi: A *Transcription For Wind Orchestra With Accompanying Historical Context And Transcription Techniques, Zane Stephen Douglass Jan 2005

"Cinq Etudes-Tableaux" By Serge Rachmaninoff Orchestrated By Ottorino Respighi: A *Transcription For Wind Orchestra With Accompanying Historical Context And Transcription Techniques, Zane Stephen Douglass

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This document includes a transcription of three of the five movements of Ottorino Respighi's transcription of Serge Rachmaninoff's piano work Cinq Etudes-Tableaux. An overview of the historical context of the work, and a detailed explanation of the techniques used in transcribing the work for wind orchestra are included. The three movements transcribed in this document are: 2. La Foire; 4. Marche Funebre; and 5. Marche.

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"Battle-Pieces And Aspects Of The War": Melville's Vision Of Race, Reconciliation, And America's Tragic Knowledge, Amijo Comeford Jan 2005

"Battle-Pieces And Aspects Of The War": Melville's Vision Of Race, Reconciliation, And America's Tragic Knowledge, Amijo Comeford

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Civil War and Reconstruction America has both fascinated and stumped scholars for decades. Nineteenth-century Americans daily confronted a myriad of contradictions about race and reunion that needed, yet eluded, reconciliation. Questions of race and reunion were by no means polarized into only two perspectives for many Americans; rather, a tremendous middle ground existed, a middle ground in which people like Herman Melville tried to make sense of a confusing political and social climate that struggled to find a place for union, equality, and liberty for all Americans, white and black. One of the best examples of this difficulty in trying …

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Feasibility For The Use Of Non-Contact Ultrasound For Application With Asphalt Concrete Materials, Michael Robert Dunning Jan 2005

Feasibility For The Use Of Non-Contact Ultrasound For Application With Asphalt Concrete Materials, Michael Robert Dunning

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The quality control of the production of asphalt concrete and the subsequent placement for roadway pavement requires the extensive use of laboratory and field-testing. These tests determine mix properties such as gradation, binder content, air void content, and percent compaction. The amount of time it takes to perform these tests generates time delays in the information transfer from the laboratory to the construction and plant inspectors. The lack of timeliness of a test result may result in placement of an inferior product being placed. Thus, there would be a great benefit for the application of a rapid test method during …

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Science Education For Girls: A Partnership Between Girl Scouts And Nasa, Anne Grisham Jan 2005

Science Education For Girls: A Partnership Between Girl Scouts And Nasa, Anne Grisham

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This study investigated the evolution of the relationship between NASA and the Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA). The stories of three groups of key players; NASA, Girl Scout National Staff, and Girl Scout volunteers explained the scope and depth of this unique partnership. Common goals between GSUSA and NASA of encouraging girls to seek careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) were studied to determine if the goals were met as a result of this collaboration. Outcomes such as the Memorandum of Understanding, numbers of attendees at workshops, and artifact reviews aided in the collection of data; The …

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Short-Term Compensatory And Long-Term Plastic Cardiorespiratory Responses To Hypoxic Exposure, Jutta A Guadagnoli Jan 2005

Short-Term Compensatory And Long-Term Plastic Cardiorespiratory Responses To Hypoxic Exposure, Jutta A Guadagnoli

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Aquatic organisms may encounter multiple perturbations in their environment including but certainly not limited to fluctuations in temperature, salinity, conductivity, pH, carbon dioxide and oxygen content. A large body of work has elucidated the complexity of the cardiovascular system of crustaceans but the intricacies associated with alterations in cardiovascular function with changing environments are elusive. The current body of work focuses on the cardiovascular adjustments that allow crustaceans to survive decreases in oxygen tension; The complexity of control of the open circulatory system of crustaceans has long been underestimated and the marine crustacean, the grass shrimp, P. pugio, which often …

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Embodied Language Performance: Mediational Affordances Of Dramatic Activity For Second Language Learning, John Richard Haught Jan 2005

Embodied Language Performance: Mediational Affordances Of Dramatic Activity For Second Language Learning, John Richard Haught

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This qualitative study examines the unique mediational affordances a drama based approach to second language learning provides. From the perspective of Sociocultural theory, the nature of learning is greatly determined by the mediational means employed and this study revealed the importance of modeling and imitation and multiple perspective taking that arose from the recursive process of rehearsal to be instrumental in the students' understanding and growing mastery of English. This recursion process occurs within instructional conversations which serve to level the relations of power between teacher and learner, resulting in a more authentic learning environment. In short, drama introduces alterity …

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The Potential Impact Of The Medieval Climatic Anomaly On Human Populations In The Western Mojave Desert, Jill Kathleen Gardner Jan 2005

The Potential Impact Of The Medieval Climatic Anomaly On Human Populations In The Western Mojave Desert, Jill Kathleen Gardner

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

During the late 1980s and early 1990s, a model was proposed for changing settlement and subsistence patterns in the western Mojave Desert. The model posits that environmental fluctuations over the last 4,000 years were potential causal mechanisms for culture change in this region. One of these fluctuations was the environmental episode known as the Medieval Climatic Anomaly (MCA), a series of droughts that took place between about 1,200 and 650 B.P. The intent of this study was to determine whether apparent culture changes that began about 1,200 years ago in the western Mojave Desert are associated with the MCA. To …

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Factors That Impact The Instructional And Technical Support Provided By Site-Based Technology Coordinators In K--12 Schools, Douglas B Hearrington Jan 2005

Factors That Impact The Instructional And Technical Support Provided By Site-Based Technology Coordinators In K--12 Schools, Douglas B Hearrington

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

School districts are increasingly employing teachers as site-based coordinators to support and facilitate a myriad of information and communication technology (ICT) related innovations. This study describes the barriers and enabling conditions influencing the technical and instructional support, and staff development provided by these coordinators. Diffusion theory (Rogers, 2003) and a staff development model developed by Guskey and Sparks (2000) were used as frameworks for this study of 134 coordinators from a large school district; The findings of this study indicate that staff development and instructional support fell well below desired levels, and timely technical support is increasingly difficult to provide. …

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Characterizing Global Archaeocyathan Reef Decline In The Early Cambrian: Evidence From Nevada And China, Melissa Hicks Jan 2005

Characterizing Global Archaeocyathan Reef Decline In The Early Cambrian: Evidence From Nevada And China, Melissa Hicks

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This study presents new data on the sedimentology of the northern Yangtze Platform, the delta13C stratigraphy of South China and Nevada, and the decline and virtual extinction of archaeocyaths. Paleoecological, sedimentological, and chemostratigraphic data were collected from multiple localities that span from the mid-Early Cambrian of Nevada (Poleta Formation) and China (Xiannudong Formation) to the late-Early Cambrian of Nevada (Harkless Formation) and China (Tianheban Formation); Facies represented in the Xiannudong Formation describe a Bahamas-type platform for the Yangtze Platform with a static and negative delta 13C record. All four formations analyzed show a static delta 13C record that varies from …

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Identifying The Characteristics Of And Quality Indicators For Associate Degree Culinary Arts Programs: A Survey Of Educators And Industry, Jean Louise Hertzman Jan 2005

Identifying The Characteristics Of And Quality Indicators For Associate Degree Culinary Arts Programs: A Survey Of Educators And Industry, Jean Louise Hertzman

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Since 1981, the number of associate degree culinary arts programs in the United States increased from four to 261. Little academic literature exists about these programs and their diversity makes clear comparisons of culinary programs difficult. This study addresses the research question: What are the common characteristics of associate degree culinary arts programs and to what extent can each of these characteristics be used as indicators for evaluating the quality of the programs?;The researcher performed content analysis of 232 associate degree culinary arts program requirements worksheets to determine the typical curriculum. She analyzed information from guidebooks and websites to develop …

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The Influence Of Self-Efficacy And Working Memory Capacity On Problem Solving Efficiency, Bobby H Hoffman Jan 2005

The Influence Of Self-Efficacy And Working Memory Capacity On Problem Solving Efficiency, Bobby H Hoffman

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The study investigated the influence of self-efficacy beliefs, working memory capacity and problem complexity on problem solving performance, response time, and problem solving efficiency. Previous research investigated these factors from an absolute performance perspective, but not from the perspective of efficiency, defined as the ratio of problem-solving accuracy over time; Students completed an operational span working memory task, rated their self-efficacy for solving multiplication problems without the use of paper or calculation aids, and then solved computer-based cognitive multiplication problems, under conditions of varying complexity. Two competing hypotheses were proposed, which state that the efficiency of problem solving is either …

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Brief Therapy For Traumatized Children, Lisa Marie Linning Jan 2005

Brief Therapy For Traumatized Children, Lisa Marie Linning

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Traumatic child maltreatment can negatively impact every developmental domain of a child, when left untreated. Thus, child psychologists have recognized a critical need for treatment and prevention strategies to circumvent the negative trajectories that can develop after traumatic events. Brief Therapy for Traumatized Children (BTTC) was developed to treat traumatized youth in shelter care. Treatment components included psychoeducation, building effective coping strategies, boundary setting, anxiety management skills, challenging cognitive distortions, development of trauma narrative and journaling. One hundred-forty-seven participants from a children's shelter in Las Vegas, NV, aged 12--17 years, were voluntarily recruited and assessed for trauma symptoms. Data from …

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Cognitive Heterogeneity In Murderers, Erin Warnick Jan 2005

Cognitive Heterogeneity In Murderers, Erin Warnick

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

It has long been recognized that damage to one or more brain regions can produce antisocial and aggressive behavior. Unfortunately, however, attempts to develop a replicable neurocognitive profile that characterize serious forms of criminality have been relatively unsuccessful. Evidence of cognitive heterogeneity in violent offender populations may indicate different biobehavioral subtypes underling this complex multidetermined behavior. These subtypes may interact with other clinical and environmental vulnerabilities. In the current study, cluster analytic techniques were applied to a sample of 55 homicide offenders. Using select Halstead-Reitan and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) variables four distinct cognitive clusters were derived and externally …

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Comparative Phylogeography Of Pine -Oak Birds, Garth Michael Spellman Jan 2005

Comparative Phylogeography Of Pine -Oak Birds, Garth Michael Spellman

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Pine and oak (pine-oak hereafter) woodlands are some of the most widespread floral communities in North America. They are distributed across the continent at mid-latitudes, but do exist as far north as British Columbia and as far south as Nicaragua. They are also disjunct habitats with distinct regional species assemblages (Eastern North America, Rocky Mountain/Great Basin, Californian, Sierra Nevada/Cascades, and Mexican/Central American [Madrean] assemblages). The division of pine-oak forests into specific regional communities should be reflected by patterns of faunal diversity, if the fauna that inhabit these forests evolved in situ over time in pine-oak forests. In fact this is …

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The Effects Of Scripted Instruction On Proper Foot Plant During A -Skip In A Practice High School Track And Field Setting, Darian Anthony Parker Jan 2005

The Effects Of Scripted Instruction On Proper Foot Plant During A -Skip In A Practice High School Track And Field Setting, Darian Anthony Parker

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Track and field is a sport that thrives on technique correction for skill acquisition (Mero, Komi and Gregor, 1992). Research in terms of approaches to improving skill acquisition and technique correction in novice high school track and field sprinters has been limited. Although recent efforts to improve skill acquisition in track and field have been effective (Hanin, Korjus, Jouste & Baxter, 2002 & Shestakov, Arakelian & Primakov, 2000), there does not appear to be any studies utilizing Gangstead and Beveridge's (1984) explicit instruction model as a way to improve skill acquisition for novice high school track and field sprinters. Explicit …

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