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2007

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Prostate Volume Delineation And Seed Localization Using A 3-T Magnetic Resonance Spectrometer, Jason Eric Davis Jan 2007

Prostate Volume Delineation And Seed Localization Using A 3-T Magnetic Resonance Spectrometer, Jason Eric Davis

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

With approximately one in six men affected by prostate cancer at some point in their lives, effective treatment of the disease remains a focus of oncology research. Effective treatment using radiation requires the delivery of a significant dose to the prostate volume while sparing surrounding sensitive structures. Treatment success can then be determined by localization of the seeds following implantation and the calculation of a dose distribution across the target volume. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) yields images with soft tissue contrast that is superior to CT or ultrasound, but has been under-appreciated as a dosimetric tool due to the difficulty …

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Impact Of The Firefighter Academy On Recruits' General Well-Being And Distress, Alyssa Maria Demos Jan 2007

Impact Of The Firefighter Academy On Recruits' General Well-Being And Distress, Alyssa Maria Demos

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Coronary heart disease has consistently been shown to be the leading cause of fatalities among professional firefighters. Chronic psychosocial stressors, particularly occupational stress, have been investigated in relation to cardiovascular disease and associated risk factors. Epidemiologic evidence suggests that the elevated occupational prevalence of adverse health outcomes among fire service personnel is due to their work-related stressors. Fire academy instructors have the responsibility of improving the minds and bodies of recruits; therefore, this research evaluated the self-perceived general well-being and distress among firefighter recruits in the southwestern United States. The results were used to assess the need for stress management …

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Overlapping Themes In Treating Infidelity: Is Sex Therapy Integrated Into Treatment?, Jerri Gallegos-Carr Jan 2007

Overlapping Themes In Treating Infidelity: Is Sex Therapy Integrated Into Treatment?, Jerri Gallegos-Carr

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Infidelity is a frequent treatment issue in couples treatment and poses a number of challenges for clinicians who treat cases of infidelity. Research and literature on the treatment of infidelity is often scattered, inconsistent from author to author, and, in general, can be difficult for clinicians to grasp and comprehend. The present study will add to existing literature on infidelity treatment with sexual/intimacy components; The present study investigated the integration of sex therapy techniques/philosophy into the treatment of infidelity and attempted to identify the degree to which practitioners are integrating sex therapy into their infidelity treatment. Clinicians participated in a …

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An Analysis Of Situated Meaning In Direct-To-Consumer Pharmaceutical Advertising, Susan E Garcia Jan 2007

An Analysis Of Situated Meaning In Direct-To-Consumer Pharmaceutical Advertising, Susan E Garcia

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This thesis uses interpretive discourse analysis to critically examine the situated meaning of prescription drug Direct-To-Consumer Advertising (DTCA) as compared to the situated meaning of historical patent DTCA. Specifically, I apply James Paul Gee's theory of analysis to show how the DTCA, past and present, builds identity, connections, and sign systems and knowledge. My analysis demonstrates that the coverage and convergence of these building tasks in both prescription and patent DTCA indicate that today's pharmaceutical companies' situated meaning is not significantly different from the patent medicine advertising of the past. Despite pharmaceutical companies' claims that the prescription DTCA educates consumers, …

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Examining The Cognitive Theory Of Depression Using Descriptive Experience Sampling, Jedidiah D Gunter Jan 2007

Examining The Cognitive Theory Of Depression Using Descriptive Experience Sampling, Jedidiah D Gunter

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The goal of this study was to examine the experience of depressed and nondepressed individuals, exploring the extent to which the specific constructs identified in Beck's cognitive theory of depression were differentially reflected in the momentary experiences of depressed individuals. This involved recruiting depressed and nondepressed individuals and then assessing their inner experience using both the traditional questionnaire measures developed in accord with Beck's theory and Descriptive Experience Sampling. Depressed participants showed substantial variability in the nature of their inner experience, had less frequent inner speech and more feelings than nondepressed participants. Salient characteristics found in the depressed participants' sampled …

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Baselining Water Consumption In The Las Vegas Valley Single Family Residence, Mary Anila Jeyaprakash Jan 2007

Baselining Water Consumption In The Las Vegas Valley Single Family Residence, Mary Anila Jeyaprakash

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This thesis baselines the monthly water consumption in the LVMA 1 and analyzes the patterns of water-use with respect to physical and environmental aspects present in single family residences. The physical aspects included within the scope of this study are the built-up area, the un-built area and the pool area, provided by the Clark County Assessor Office at Las Vegas for the single family residences of LVVWD. The environmental aspects include outdoor ambient temperature, cooling degree day data and heating degree day data, monitored at the Mc Carran International Airport. The results from this research also provide historical monthly and …

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Complexation And Electrode Effects On The Electrochemical Behavior Of The Cerium(Iv)/Cerium(Iii) Redox Couple, Sandra Elias Elkouz Jan 2007

Complexation And Electrode Effects On The Electrochemical Behavior Of The Cerium(Iv)/Cerium(Iii) Redox Couple, Sandra Elias Elkouz

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The electrochemistry of the Ce(IV)/Ce(III) redox couple was investigated as a function of working electrode composition and solution environment. Optimum redox couple resolution in aqueous sulfuric acid was achieved at an acid concentration of 0.1 M. A decline in redox couple resolution and reversibility was observed as acid concentration was increased to 2.0 M. The influence of pH was illustrated using sulfate solutions of increasing pH and constant ionic strength. Results indicated that a pH greater than 2 was detrimental to redox couple resolution. The glassy carbon electrode provided the widest potential window and was least affected by changes in …

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Probation Officer Prototypes: Perceptions Of Probationers With And Without Mental Illness, Paula M Emke-Francis Jan 2007

Probation Officer Prototypes: Perceptions Of Probationers With And Without Mental Illness, Paula M Emke-Francis

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

In recent years the criminal justice system has managed large numbers of persons with mental illness, many of whom are supervised in the community on probation. Given that probation agencies are stretched to the maximum and have little extra time to take on additional challenges, probation officers (PO) may use typifications or "perceptual shorthand" as a means for efficiently managing their caseloads. Despite the role typifications may play in the processing of probationers, to date no research has attempted to characterize PO typifications; The reason for the dearth of literature in this area appears to be the result of many …

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Reinventing Downtown San Diego: A Spatial And Cultural Analysis Of The Gaslamp Quarter And Horton Plaza, Jordan Chase Ervin Jan 2007

Reinventing Downtown San Diego: A Spatial And Cultural Analysis Of The Gaslamp Quarter And Horton Plaza, Jordan Chase Ervin

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This research project explores issues of historic preservation, gentrification, and the contention over public space and culture. More specifically, it analyzes these elements within the setting of the historic Gaslamp Quarter and Horton Plaza in downtown San Diego. By tracing their development and conception from the early 1970s into the twenty-first century, this research reveals the different types of images and cultures that city leaders and developers created within the built environment. More importantly, the project sheds light upon how different social groups understood, experienced, and responded to the transformation of these spaces. This type of analysis is crucial for …

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Drug-Related Mortality: Postmortem Findings In Clark County, Nevada For 2005, Melanie Lee Gulmatico Jan 2007

Drug-Related Mortality: Postmortem Findings In Clark County, Nevada For 2005, Melanie Lee Gulmatico

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Drugs, such as Cannibis, alcohol, cocaine and prescription medications can have deleterious effects on the body. This thesis analyzed toxicology results in relation to modes of death, and discusses who is at risk for deaths related to drug abuse. The modes of death studied were homicides, suicides, accidents, and natural causes. Data (N=2426) from Clark County, Nevada's Coroner's office were statistically analyzed using Chi-square analysis; Major findings included relationships between drugs, ethnicity, age, gender and mode of death. Opioids and morphine derivatives were the most common drugs found in Caucasians, females and those who died of natural and accident-related deaths. …

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Local Leakage Measurement And Cfd Prediction Of K-Factors Of Leaks In Residential Hvac Ducts, Radhika Gundavelli Jan 2007

Local Leakage Measurement And Cfd Prediction Of K-Factors Of Leaks In Residential Hvac Ducts, Radhika Gundavelli

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The experimental work in this research focuses on a new technique, Duct pressurization Local Leakage (DPLT) technique, developed to locate leaks in residential HVAC ducts and to quantify their leak rates. The local leakage rate determined by this technique was compared with known leakage from artificial holes. This technique was also evaluated by comparing the measured total leakages with that determined by standard duct pressurization test and Delta Q. The tests were conducted at the Air Duct Leakage Laboratory (ADLL) which has two air distribution systems and a wide range of leakage rates. The technique produces relatively small scatter and …

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Risk-Taking Behavior Of Skateboarders And Traditional Sport Participants In Students Ages 13--16 Years, Charles A. Hackenheimer Jan 2007

Risk-Taking Behavior Of Skateboarders And Traditional Sport Participants In Students Ages 13--16 Years, Charles A. Hackenheimer

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The researcher examined sensation-seeking behaviors of middle school and high school physical education students. The purpose of this study was to find the difference in sensation seeking behaviors between traditional sport participants, skateboarders, non-sport participants and among traditional sport participants and skateboarders. Traditional sports participants for this study consist of students who have played team baseball, basketball, football, soccer, volleyball, track & field, swimming, or softball. Skateboarder for this study consists of students who ride at least three times a week and favor this activity over others. Non-sports participants consist of students who do not play any type of traditional …

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Performance Evaluation Of Single And Double-Basin Solar Stills In Las Vegas, Nevada, Nanda Holur Venkatesh Jan 2007

Performance Evaluation Of Single And Double-Basin Solar Stills In Las Vegas, Nevada, Nanda Holur Venkatesh

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The objectives of this research were to conduct long-term testing of modified single-basin still designs, and to design, build and test an alternative double-basin still that may increase water production at the same or lower cost; Performance of two commercial single-basin still designs, from different suppliers, was evaluated over a 14-month period in Las Vegas, Nevada. The average daily water yields of SunwaterRTM and SolAqua(TM) ranged from 1.1+/-0.7 L/m2 and 0.9+/-0.5 L/m 2 (in winter) to 5.5+/-1.7 L/m2 and 4.6+/-0.9 L/m2 (in summer) respectively; Different configurations of cover glass and water volume/depth were evaluated on SunwaterRTM single-basin stills. Low-e glass …

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Bodily Poetics: The Rhetorical Politics Of The Self, Allison Renee Kaminsky Jan 2007

Bodily Poetics: The Rhetorical Politics Of The Self, Allison Renee Kaminsky

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This thesis will examine different ways people consciously manipulate their bodies in order to express selfhood, articulate identities, fulfill desires, and signal social and political commitments. The major premise of this research is that bodies are rhetorically constructed through a series of fundamental assumptions about selfhood, social ideals and acceptability, and political struggle. This paper argues that there are no a priori distinctions between the various practices and meanings of body modification. The way we think about body modification is based on a series of assumptions that define each practice. This project will look at three different groupings of modification …

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Attitudes Of Human Trafficking In Nevada, Krystal Jane Letourneau Jan 2007

Attitudes Of Human Trafficking In Nevada, Krystal Jane Letourneau

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

A form of modern day slavery is going on in this country that indentures and oppresses many young children, women, and men, forcing them into prostitution or domestic servitude. This modern slavery is called human trafficking and new efforts are beginning to address this social problem in the United States. For example, the US is attempting to increase its prosecution of the traffickers or pimps. The United States has a policy in place that allows the victims of trafficking to stay in the United States as a witness until their traffickers are prosecuted. Once the trial is over, however, the …

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Laboratory Studies To Examine The Impacts Of Polyacrylamide (Pam) On Soil Hydraulic Conductivity, Ernesto Amalio Moran Jan 2007

Laboratory Studies To Examine The Impacts Of Polyacrylamide (Pam) On Soil Hydraulic Conductivity, Ernesto Amalio Moran

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Polyacrylamide (PAM) is being suggested as a new technology to reduce seepage losses in unlined irrigation canals. The goals of this thesis were to quantify the optimum concentrations of PAM and suspended sediment (SSC) that would reduce Ksat to the greatest extent, and to better understand the mechanisms contributing to reduced Ksat. Testing was conducted using a constant head method in soil columns (15 cm length, 6.35 cm diameter). An unbalanced multi-factorial design was used with experimental variables including soil type (#70 mesh sand, C33 sand, loam soil), PAM concentration (5, 10, 20, 40 lbs/ca), and SSC (0, 150, 300 …

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Hotel Satisfaction And Booking Channels: The Bayesian Rule And Regression Analysis, Tatiana Poliakova Jan 2007

Hotel Satisfaction And Booking Channels: The Bayesian Rule And Regression Analysis, Tatiana Poliakova

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The study utilizes the Bayesian mechanism and calculates the likelihood for each of the booking channels in the study to supply to lodging operations UNLV students who will become highly satisfied with the subsequent hotel stays. Hospitality proprietary booking channels (booking by phone or booking through a hotel's own web site) are more likely to supply a highly satisfied student traveler to an operation than intermediary booking channels, such as booking through a merchant site or addressing a travel agent; Moreover, UNLV students who utilize hospitality proprietary channels tend to bring higher room revenue to a lodging operation than the …

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Atmospheric Dispersion Model Validation For Low Wind Speed Conditions, Patrick Shawn Sawyer Jan 2007

Atmospheric Dispersion Model Validation For Low Wind Speed Conditions, Patrick Shawn Sawyer

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Atmospheric plume dispersion models are used for a variety of purposes including emergency planning and response to hazardous material releases, determining force protection actions in the event of a WMD attack and for locating sources of pollution. This paper provides a review of previous studies that examine the accuracy of atmospheric plume dispersion models for chemical releases. It considers the principles used to derive air dispersion plume models and looks at three specific models currently in use; ALOHA, EPIcode and SCIPUFF. Results from this study indicate over-prediction bias by the EPIcode and SCIPUFF models and under-prediction bias by the ALOHA …

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Evaluating The Benefits Of A Systems Approach To Particulate Matter Air Pollution Management, Stephanie Janene Fincher Jan 2007

Evaluating The Benefits Of A Systems Approach To Particulate Matter Air Pollution Management, Stephanie Janene Fincher

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Although air quality has improved in the United States over the past thirty years, some air quality management areas continue to have serious problems with air pollutants such as particulate matter (NRC 2004). I hypothesize that using a systems approach would have benefits for PM10 management, including improved results and understanding, as well as identification of ineffective policies. A system dynamics model was developed for PM10 in the Las Vegas Valley. Policy analysis revealed real-world behavior, important dynamics of the system, and potentially harmful policies. Results support the importance of a systems and long-term perspective, and show that PM10 pollution …

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Shock Attenuation And Impact Characteristics For Children Running At Different Stride Lengths, Kunal Bhanot Jan 2007

Shock Attenuation And Impact Characteristics For Children Running At Different Stride Lengths, Kunal Bhanot

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to quantify shock attenuation (SA) and impact characteristics for children (boys and girls) running with different stride lengths (SL). Ten physically active children (10.7+/-1.1 yrs; 40+10.3 kg; 145.2+/-7.3 cm) ran at a constant speed of 3m/s +/- 5% range to complete three stride length conditions: Preferred stride length (PSL), -15%PSL and +15%PSL. During PSL, participants were given no instructions regarding stride length. During -15%PSL and +15%PSL, participants were required to strike markers placed on the floor that resulted in stride length of -15% and +15% of PSL. Ground reaction forces were recorded (1008 Hz) …

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Financial Benefits Of On-Site Athletic Training Services For A Performing Arts Show, Ritasue Morgan Campbell Jan 2007

Financial Benefits Of On-Site Athletic Training Services For A Performing Arts Show, Ritasue Morgan Campbell

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine the cost of providing on-site athletic training treatments for a performing arts show, versus the cost that would be incurred for off-site treatments. As a profession, athletic training is growing quickly and entering a wide expanse of new settings. The physical nature of work, profit driven mindset of organizations and non-traditional occupational settings all contribute to the need for cost benefit analysis research regarding on-site athletic training. Using a cost avoidance formula, this research will examine if there is a difference in the direct cost of treating employees through an on-site athletic …

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Investigation On The Ap-42 Sampling Method, Yanjie Chen Jan 2007

Investigation On The Ap-42 Sampling Method, Yanjie Chen

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The Las Vegas area has been designated by the U.S. EPA as a serious PM 10 non-attainment area. To monitor PM10 in this area, dust data have been collected quarterly using the AP-42 method. According to this method, the number of composite sample sizes (the number of sample sites) needs to be determined first. In the actual dust data collection at each of these sample sites, a procedure with the specifications of the number and locations of incremental samples (plots) and their sizes (i.e., length) has to be followed. Apparently, there has been no rule existing that can be used …

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A General Mathematical Model Of Stenoses, Jordan Jimmy Crabbe Jan 2007

A General Mathematical Model Of Stenoses, Jordan Jimmy Crabbe

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Incidence and the prevalence rate of stroke in the United States has been of great concern to the Centers for Disease Control and prevention (CDC), National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), the American Society of Stroke, American Stroke Association and the U.S. government as a whole; Many mathematical models of the stroke problem have been proposed and solved using diverse methods and computations. Most of the models are based on the stenoses, occlusion or rupture of the artery and the formation of cerebral aneurysms, which all lead to the occurrence of stroke; This paper utilizes a direct approach to change …

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Effects Of Music Therapy On Prosocial Behavior Of Students With Autism And Developmental Disabilities, Catherine L De Mers Jan 2007

Effects Of Music Therapy On Prosocial Behavior Of Students With Autism And Developmental Disabilities, Catherine L De Mers

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This research study employed a multiple baseline across participants design to investigate the effects of music therapy intervention on hitting, screaming, and asking of three children with autism and/or developmental disabilities. Behaviors were observed and recorded during 10-minute free-play sessions both during baseline and immediately after music therapy sessions during intervention. Interobserver agreement and procedural fidelity data were collected. Music therapy sessions were modeled on literature pertaining to music therapy with children with autism. In addition, social validity surveys were collected to answer research questions pertaining to the social validity of music therapy as an intervention; Findings indicate that music …

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Boric Acid Inhibits Cell Growth And Induces Apoptosis In Breast Cancer Cells, Anuoluwapo Funmilola Elegbede Jan 2007

Boric Acid Inhibits Cell Growth And Induces Apoptosis In Breast Cancer Cells, Anuoluwapo Funmilola Elegbede

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Boric acid (BA), an essential plant micronutrient, has recently been discovered as a chemo-preventive agent in prostate cancer; however, its mechanism of action remains unknown. Our interest is to determine if BA has a preventative role in breast cancer and elucidate its possible mechanism. Integrins are transmembrane proteins responsible for cell growth, survival and adhesion. We hypothesize that BA interacts with integrins to mediate its response. To test this hypothesis we used BA and phenylboronic acid (PBA), a bulkier analog of BA, on breast ductal carcinoma, ZR-75-1, and breast andenocarcinoma, MCF-7; BA and PBA treatments were tested through proliferation, cytotoxicity …

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The Relationship Between Project Characteristics And The Expert Estimation Of Software Development And Maintenance, John Farrish Jan 2007

The Relationship Between Project Characteristics And The Expert Estimation Of Software Development And Maintenance, John Farrish

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Accurately estimating the amount of time and effort required to complete a software development or maintenance project has proven problematic for business. A wealth of literature exists exploring each of the methods for estimating software development, but very little is devoted to understanding how project characteristics relate to estimation accuracy. This research examines expert estimation, the most widely used estimation technique, to determine the relationship between software project characteristics and estimation accuracy. Implications of the findings for research and practice are discussed.

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Kinetic Characteristics Of Barefoot Running, Julia A Freedman Jan 2007

Kinetic Characteristics Of Barefoot Running, Julia A Freedman

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The overall purpose of this study was to better understand impact characteristics during barefoot running. Subjects (n=10; 22.5+/-3.1 yrs; 170.3+/-6.8cm; 66.7+/-10.5kg; 5 male; 5 female) completed ten trials (3.8 m/s) in each of three conditions: (1) Shod, (2) barefoot (BF) running without instruction given on footstrike pattern and (3) barefoot with instruction to run heel-toe (BFHT). Ground contact index (GCI), stride length, impact peak (F1), loading rate, and peak leg acceleration (PkLeg) were analyzed. Repeated measures ANOVAs were used to compare each dependent variable across conditions. Neither stride length nor F1 were different across conditions (p>0.05). Loading rate was …

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The Effect Of Temperature On Development And Behavior Of Relict Leopard Frog Tadpoles (Rana Onca), Jeffrey Abraham Goldstein Jan 2007

The Effect Of Temperature On Development And Behavior Of Relict Leopard Frog Tadpoles (Rana Onca), Jeffrey Abraham Goldstein

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Relict Leopard frogs (Rana onca) are found in thermal springs with water temperatures in excess of 30°C at the source but it's unknown whether tadpoles require reintroduction sites with specific thermal conditions for development. Tadpole survivorship at 20, 25 and 30°C was 84, 93.8, and 66%, respectively, while none survived at 35°C. Time to metamorphosis was significantly shorter for 25°C acclimation group (62+/-8 days) followed by the 30° (106+/-51 days) and 20°C (260+/-47 days) acclimation groups. Development was arrested in the 15°C acclimated group and survivorship declined to 63.8% after 191 days. However, 80% of the surviving larvae completed metamorphosis …

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A Numerical Prediction Of The Thermal Environment Of A Room Heated With A Hydronic Heating System, Satya Kiran C Gurram Jan 2007

A Numerical Prediction Of The Thermal Environment Of A Room Heated With A Hydronic Heating System, Satya Kiran C Gurram

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The systems in which water or steam carries heat to the areas to be heated are Hydronic heating systems. Hydronic systems are closed loop where water is heated in a boiler and circulated through pipes to a heat transfer component such as a radiator or finned-tube baseboard unit. The systems can be used to effectively control the air temperature and the mean radiant temperature of an enclosure; Two numerical model of a room one without a window and the other with a window using a flat panel baseboard heating systems were simulated using StarCd. The effects of temperature on the …

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Mountain View Nurses And Job Satisfaction, Ursula Sofia Moser Jan 2007

Mountain View Nurses And Job Satisfaction, Ursula Sofia Moser

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to assess the level of nurses' job satisfaction in one hospital in Las Vegas, NV. Guided by Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Theory, the study used the Mueller/McCloskey Satisfaction Scale to measure overall job satisfaction and its components. Results indicated that the nurses ( N = 52) were less than satisfied. The mean total job satisfaction score was 3.6 +/- .64 (possible range 1-5). Satisfaction with co-workers reflected the highest subscale mean (4.1 +/- .60) of factors contributing to job satisfaction (possible range 1-5). Nurses educated outside of the United States were significantly more satisfied …

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