Digital Commons Network^™

Trans Law Reform Strategies, Co-Optation, And The Potential For Transformative Change, Dean Spade

Faculty Articles

This paper considers two critiques of how law and rights struggles co-opt social movements and applies them to the example of the emergent law reforms in the area of transgender rights. First, it considers the limitations of the discrimination principle. Second, it looks at the emergent critique of "nonprofitization." Examining how the focus on formal legal equality and the growth of non-profit formations that centralize the concerns and experiences of white and upper class people have impacted gay and lesbian rights work, the paper suggests that these avenues present dangers to creating meaningful transformation of conditions facing trans population, including …

Stories Absent From The Courtroom: Responding To Domestic Violence In The Context Of Hiv And Aids, Jane Stoever

Faculty Articles

HIV/AIDS dramatically impacts domestic violence survivors' needs and demands reconceptualization of current responses to domestic violence. This article aims to illuminate the problem of domestic violence in the context of HIV/AIDS and to prompt further development of legal response systems. Specifically, this article brings together the worlds of law, public health, and women's lived experiences to argue for recognizing and responding to domestic violence in the context of HIV/AIDS in the United States. Utilizing accounts of clients' experiences and data from public health studies, this article sets forth eight categories of HIV/AIDS-related domestic violence: repercussions from partner notification, use of …

A Phenomenological Study Of Nurse Clinicians' Participation In An Evidence-Based Practice Clinical Research Fellowship Program, Cheryl A. Hernandez

Theses and Dissertations

Despite an abundance of scientific evidence to ensure nurse clinicians deliver the highest quality of care to achieve optimal outcomes for patients, barriers and challenges exist that prevent adoption of this evidence into routine clinical practice. Evidence-Based Practice Clinical Research Fellowship Programs (EBP CRFP) are designed and implemented to facilitate the adoption of scientific evidence into clinical nursing practice; however, these programs have not been adequately evaluated in terms of the impact of the program on participants, their clinical practice, and the organization. The purpose of this hermeneutical phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of nurse clinicians who …

Concordance Between Therapists' Self-Reports And Observers' Ratings Of Adherence To Marital Therapy, Arlene A. Cruz

Theses and Dissertations

In the context of psychotherapy research, investigators often assume that the assessment of adherence to treatment protocols should be done by trained observers, who are viewed as more neutral or objective than the therapists themselves. The aim of this present study is to check the concordance between therapist self-reports and observer ratings of adherence to marital treatment (IBCT and TBCT). The data for the current study were obtained from an archive of adherence data for 35 randomly selected therapy cases, collected by Andrew Christensen and colleagues (2004) in the context of a large clinical trial of marital therapy. For both …

The Relationships Among Early Maternal Emotional Support, Career Satisfaction, And Life Satisfaction For Baby Boom Women At Midlife, Wendy Knight

Theses and Dissertations

Maternal emotional support affects the early career behaviors of daughters, yet little is known about its contribution to the career outcomes of women later in life. This study used a lifespan approach along with relational theory to study the career satisfaction and life satisfaction of 101 employed, middle-aged women of the baby boom generation. Correlational analysis determined that career satisfaction and life satisfaction were strongly correlated, with much of the shared variance explained by supportive relationships at home and at work. Also strongly correlated with both career satisfaction and life satisfaction was the belief that one's career goals had been …

Religious Affiliation And Hiring Practice: A Case Study Of Concordia University Irvine, Marc Fawaz

Theses and Dissertations

In 1976, Christ College (CC), located in Irvine, California, began offering degrees leading to positions in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS). The college comprises only 1 of several departments within Concordia University Irvine (CUI). Meanwhile, CUI is part of the Concordia University System (CUS), a nationwide network of LCMS 2- and 4-year colleges. Transformation of CC into a diverse university has been accompanied by challenges. Although enrollment is up, costs have risen. And although stakeholders prefer to hire full-time faculty with ties to the LCMS, few qualified candidates fulfill this stricture. These and other threats, coupled with the economic recession, …

An Evaluation Of Congruency Of Nursing Staff Values And Organizational Vincentian Values, Beverly S. Quaye

Theses and Dissertations

This case study was an exploration of values-congruence between personal and organizational values in a healthcare setting. Previous research has found that alignment between the two improves organizational effectiveness. The setting was a 384-bed urban Catholic hospital with Vincentian values. The efficacy of Vincentian values is found only in the academic and religious literature, not in that of healthcare. Published studies on registered nurses' values focus primarily on ethical reasoning and decision making. Employee values were defined using Rokeach's conceptual model for instrumental and terminal values. Both are based on enduring beliefs with specific modes of conduct or end-states of …

Correlational Study Between Emotional Intelligence Scores And Specific Personality Traits Of Professionals Working In The Nonprofit Sector In The Northwest, Suzan L. Huntington

Theses and Dissertations

Emotional intelligence (EQ) has received much attention as a factor that is potentially useful in understanding and predicting individual performance at work. EQ is defined as the subset of social intelligence involving the ability to monitor one's own and others' feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them and to use this information to guide one's thinking and actions (Cobb & Mayer, 2000; Goleman, 1995; Thi Lam & Kirby, 2002; Tucker, Sojka, Barone, & McCarthy, 2000). The two nemeses for EQ are general cognitive intelligence (IQ) and personality theory. Abundant research exists regarding the impact IQ has on personal success. Most …

A Quantitative Study Of The Summer Slide In Science Of Elementary School Students, Giovanna Guadagno Donoyan

Open Access Dissertations

Concerned parents and educators agree children learn best when the rhythm of instruction is continuous with practice and application of skills. Long summer breaks may interrupt the flow of formal school learning leading some students to forget previous instruction. A review of the previous school work is generally required in the fall upon return from the summer vacation. Investigating summer vacation and equity issues, Jamar (1994) noted that more affluent students may "return to school in the fall with a considerable educational advantage over their less advantaged peers as a result of either additional school-related learning, or lower levels of …

Exploring Some Inattended Affective Factors In Performing Nonroutine Mathematical Tasks, John D. Butler

Open Access Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe students' attempts to solve nonroutine math problems and to explore possible correlates of their performance. The focus of this study was on inattended (i.e., intentionally avoided) dimensions that have been underrepresented in the literature, including attitudes, interests, values, aesthetics, metacognition, and representation. Both objective and subjective data--drawn from 13 separate sources--using quantitative and qualitative procedures, were analyzed. Fine-grained rubrics were developed and used to score student work on six nonroutine math problems. These objective data were complemented with students' written "logs" of their work in real time, followed by semi-structured debriefing interviews …

Summit Water Distribution Company V. Utah State Tax Commission, County Board Of Equilization Of Summit County, State Of Utah : Brief Of Appellant, Utah Supreme Court

Utah Supreme Court Briefs (2000–2020)

OPENING BRIEF OF APPELLANTS UTAH STATE TAX COMMISSION AND SUMMIT COUNTY An Appeal from the Second District Court, Davis County, Judge John R. Morris

Homes Affordable For Good: Covenants And Ground Leases As Long-Term Resale-Restriction Devices, James J. Kelly Jr.

Journal Articles

Covenants and ground leases have been, and continue to be, used to create shared spaces that are fundamentally, and often invidiously, exclusive. Famously made a dead letter in the case of Shelley v. Kraemer, covenants banning resale to nonwhite households put the force of law behind the segregated birth of America’s suburbs. Today, gated residential communities and shopping malls assure a degree of class exclusivity through covenants and commercial ground leases, respectively. These same legal mechanisms, however, are now deployed to assure long-term inclusion as well.
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Characteristics Of Children Attending Asthma Camp -- American Lung Association (Ala) In Nevada, 2008, Priyank Shetty

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study is based on data provided by American Lung Association (ALA) on the children participating in summer asthma camp in Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada. 56 children participated in the camp in 2008. Universal Health History Form was used which is a comprehensive form to be filled out by parent and physician. Pre-test and Post-test Asthma forms were used to ascertain asthma knowledge before and after the camp.

The purpose of this study was to assess the trigger knowledge of the camp attendees and the measure of agreement between Physician and Parent report of child's asthma severity. In Nevada, …

Social Rights And The Relational Value Of The Rights To Participate In Sport, Recreation, And Play,, Janet E. Lord, Michael Ashley Stein

Articles

No abstract provided.

The Role Of The Tumor Suppressor Gene, Nf2, In The Development Of Malignant Mesothelioma, Amy Kay Erbe

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The highly aggressive cancer, malignant mesothelioma, responds poorly to available treatment options. As most individuals diagnosed with these tumors succumb to the disease within about 2 years of diagnosis, it is imperative to develop a more thorough understanding of molecular mechanisms of the disease and thus design more suitable therapeutic options. Neurofibromatosis Type 2 (NF2) is one of the most commonly inactivated tumor suppressor genes in mesothelioma. The downstream signaling pathways that may be disrupted as a result of this inactivation are not entirely understood. Conversely, the tumor suppressor gene that is often referred to as the "Genome Gatekeeper," TP53, …

Tobacco Use Among Alaska Native And American Indian College Students, Sarah Angstman

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The prevalence of tobacco use is disproportionately high among American Indian and Alaska Native people, with rates and patterns of use varying greatly by tribe, community and geographical region. Targeted interventions are needed to reduce this troubling disparity between non-Native and Native rates of use. Among non-Native individuals, the college years are being investigated as a time when lifelong tobacco use patterns may be established, and interventions are being tested to help college students to stop using tobacco. Currently, no interventions have been developed for American Indian or Alaska Native college students. Data obtained from Alaska Native college students at …

Upstream Geomorphic Response To Dam Removal: The Blackfoot River, Montana, Joshua Aaron Epstein

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

As dam removal is increasingly used as a tool to restore rivers, developing a conceptual and field-based understanding of the upstream fluvial response is critical. Using empirical data and modeling, I investigated the spatial and temporal pattern of reservoir sediment erosion and upstream channel evolution of the Blackfoot River, MT, following the 8 m base level reduction caused by the removal of Milltown Dam. Field data collected include surveys of channel bed topography and water surface elevation profiles which were integrated into a flow modeling approach. Headward erosion extended 4.5 km upstream of the dam site during the first five …

Cultural Characteristics Of Western Educational Structures And Their Effects On Local Ways Of Knowing, Cheryl L. Woolsey Des Jarlais

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This critical ethnography is a study of how the interfaces between Western educational structures and Native cultural structures function in the daily operations of a privately owned school in a Native community, how these functions have evolved, drawbacks and strengths of both Western and Native cultural structures, and current challenges in relating to the mixtures of philosophy, value systems and socialization expectations of these systems.

The review of literature exposed a variety of assumptions regarding individualism, bureaucratization, homogenization, universalism, meritocracy, and rationalization reflected in Western educational structures. The study done at Valley Grove Mission School illuminated the assumptions and expectations …

Recreation Allocations On National Forests: The Claims And Frames Of Recreationists, John C. Adams

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

While demand for outdoor recreation experiences on national forests is increasing, many existing recreation allocations on national forests are outdated or jeopardize the environment. Accordingly, the U.S. Forest Service is revisiting recreation allocations on many national forests. The Forest Service is not guided by any clear policy regarding the appropriate method or rationale for making allocations between incompatible experience opportunities, or what criteria should be considered in allocating particular trails and areas. Instead individual decisionmakers must make judgments between competing claims advanced by different types of recreationists.

This project was designed to facilitate understanding of the claims that recreationists make …

Rural Subdivision Planning In Missoula County, Montana: A Planner's Perspective, John Michael Newman

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Missoula County, Montana, located in the western portion of the state along its border with Idaho, consists of the City of Missoula and a number of unincorporated population centers extending outward from the urban area. The former benefits from typical urban services and faces land use planning issues typical of city locales, including public transportation, brownfields and infill development, and enhancement of the urban core. The latter areas, by virtue of their rural nature, are the subject of an entirely different series of land use planning conversations. The unincorporated areas of the county, in towns such as Seeley Lake, Florence, …

School-Based Gay-Straight Alliances As A Protective Factor For Sexual Minority Youth, Nicholas Christopher Heck

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Sexual minority youth have been found to be at-risk for engaging in negative health behaviors and for experiencing at-school victimization (Bontempo & D’Augelli, 2002). Specific benefits of attending a high school with a gay-straight alliance (GSA) have recently been published (e.g., fewer suicide attempts; Goodenow, Szalacha, & Westheimer, 2006). However, it is unclear whether GSAs have any impact on substance use behaviors. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of attending a school with a GSA on sexual minority youths’ high school experiences, mental health, and substance use behaviors. A total of 103 heterosexual and 145 sexual …

The Influence Of Sparc On Collagen Deposition In Asbestos-Induced Pulmonary Fibrosis, Aubrey Meghan Smartt

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Pulmonary fibrosis involves the invasion of lung tissue with fibrotic, scar tissue and affects roughly five million people total worldwide. Fibrotic development in the lung has several causes, including chronic inflammatory diseases, infections, medical compounds, and environmental agents. There is no known cure for the disease, but only therapies to improve quality of life. Scar tissue formation must be targeted in order to begin to provide any type of cure for fibrotic diseases. In this study, asbestos was used to induce pulmonary fibrosis in a mouse model and gene expression studies were then performed to identify potential candidate genes involved …

Changes In Fire Season Precipitation In Idaho And Montana From 1982-2006 , Ann Marie Hadlow

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Abstract. Fire season precipitation trends were investigated using daily rainfall data obtained from seventy-six Remote Automated Weather Stations (RAWS) across Idaho and Montana for the period 1982 to 2006. Missing and erroneous values from each station were corrected with gridded data from the North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR), creating temporally consistent, comparable records. Monthly precipitation was then analyzed during the core fire season (July-Sept) and biweekly precipitation was analyzed for the start of fire season (June). The end of the season was examined using October precipitation data and through identification of season slowing rain events (SSE). These analyses reveal significant …

The Effects Of Federal Land On Rural Population, Employment, And Income In The Rocky Mountain West, Stephen Michael Cleverdon

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

There is controversy over the role that federal land plays in shaping rural counties in the Western United States. Some argue that the restrictive policies imposed on federal lands harm rural economies because the extractive industry is not allowed to operate at its potential. Others believe that those restrictions benefit rural economies because households and firms are attracted to beautiful areas with minimal industry. A lagged adjusted model is used to estimate the effects of Bureau of Land Management (BLM), United States Forest Service (USFS), and National Parks Service (NPS) lands on population, employment, and income. The study focuses on …

Direct Observation In High School Physical Education, Nicole Jennifer Smith

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to analyze existing data collected using direct observation in a high school setting in order to understand more about the quality and contribution of physical education to public health goals. The System for Observing Fitness Instruction Time (SOFIT) was utilized to collect data related to student activity levels, lesson contexts, and teacher promotion of physical activity behavior. Two cross-sectional samples were observed in the spring 2005 and spring 2007 from seven high schools in a large urban school district in the eastern United States. In total, 164 lessons were observed yielding over 75 hours …

Notions Of Distance: Communication Constraints In Long-Distance Dating Relationships, Jenny Marie Farrell

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study addressed communication constraints perceived by individuals in long-distance dating relationships (LDDRs) and how these constraints are managed. Internal constraints are identified within the boundaries of the individual or relationship and external constraints are those that originate from outside the boundaries of the individual or relationship. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 27 participants; ages ranged from 18-35. Participants reported perceiving 11 internal constraints (mediated communication, avoidance, talk habits, physical absence, emotions, view of outsiders, uncertainty and expectations, effort, notions of distance, visits, and miscellaneous) and five external constraints (schedules, social network, finances, and technology, miscellaneous). Participants reported managing …

Parental Substance Abuse And Child Neglect: A Controlled Trial Of A Developed Treatment Manual, Valeria Romero

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The maltreatment of children is a devastating social problem in the United States. Many researchers and child welfare workers believe the recent increase in child neglect is directly correlated to an increase in parental substance abuse. There is a strong relationship between child neglect and parental substance abuse; however there are limited treatments that address both issues simultaneously. The present case studies evaluated the efficacy of a newly developed Family Behavior Therapy (FBT) program for child neglect and parental substance abuse utilizing controlled single case methodology. The Family Behavior Therapy (FBT) program is an integration of two published FBT interventions; …

Health Motivation In Health Behavior: Its Theory And Application, Xiaoyan Xu

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The present research proposed a definition and a theoretical model of health motivation that consists of four stages: development of health motivation tendency, formation of health intention, initiation of health related action, and persistence in actions to achieve goals developed at the first stage. Based upon this model, two health motivation scales - the Health Motivation Scale in Physical Activities (HMS-PA) and Health Motivation Scale in Healthy Eating (HMS-HE) were developed. Two studies were conducted to validate the validity of the scores obtained by these two scales. Study 1 proposed a definition and a theoretical model of health motivation, as …

The Meaning Of Being A Primary Nurse Preceptor For Newly Graduated Nurses, Jennifer Richards

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Preceptorship is a vital component of the transition experience of newly graduated nurses into clinical practice. Preceptors teach, supervise, and evaluate newly graduated nurses, and also help them socialize into their roles as registered nurses. In the presence of an ever-growing nursing shortage and evidence that many new nurses are leaving their first positions, it is of paramount importance that we make every attempt to ease the transition of newly graduated nurses into clinical practice. Additionally important is the need to understand the experience of all involved in the process.

The primary purpose of this study was to achieve a …

Taiwanese Gambling Behaviors, Perceptions, And Attitudes, Che Hao Chang

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study categorizes different Taiwanese gambling types using PGSI, and further evaluates the perceptions and attitudes toward the legalization of casino gambling. A survey was conducted using convenient sampling and distributed by Internet. Results indicate that across groups of different types of gamblers, there are significant differences in perceptions toward the legalized casino gambling industry. Also, across groups of different types of gamblers, there are significant differences in attitudes toward legalized casino gambling. Additionally, there are significant differences between perceptions toward the legalized casino gambling industry, and attitudes toward the legalization of casino gambling. In general, non-gamblers are relatively more …