Digital Commons Network^™

Synthesis, Characterization And Simulation Of Optical And Raman Properties Of Metal Nanoparticles, Sriteja Yamparala

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Metal nanoparticles are of strong interest for their unusual optical and Raman properties with potential for new and improved device applications. Specifically, the significantly enhanced Raman Scattering enabled by Surface Plasmon Resonance on metal nanoparticles open up the potential for the implementation of very sensitive sensors. It has been demonstrated that Surface Plasmon resonance can be used for the detection of a single molecule. Out of the various metal nanoparticles that have been investigated, the most promising are that made of gold and silver. Metal nananoparticles of gold and silver show strong Raman enhancement in the visible spectral region, making …

Commercial Sex Workers: Lives And Practices, Sarah J. Knowles

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Commercial sex workers epitomize a population who is both stigmatized and underrepresented in marriage and family therapy research. Through this research I hope to gain understanding about the gains of being a commercial sex worker, which many people may overlook due to their moral opposition to the occupation. I will also be exploring some of the challenges that commercial sex workers face that are unique to their line of work, especially in regards to their relationships, as many aspects of this may have been generalized or disregarded. Finally, I plan to address any implications for therapists who work with commercial …

Study Of Stemming Algorithms, Savitha Kodimala

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Automated stemming is the process of reducing words to their roots. The stemmed words are typically used to overcome the mismatch problems associated with text searching.

In this thesis, we report on the various methods developed for stemming. In particular, we show the effectiveness of n-gram stemming methods on a collection of documents.

Reconstructing Species Responses To Past Climatic Changes Using Niche Modeling And Genetic Data, Tereza Jezkova

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Glacial – interglacial cycles have a pronounced impact on species distributions and genetic structure. Many species shift their distributions to lower latitudes and altitudes during the colder glacial periods and expand northwards and up the elevation during warmer interglacial periods. Some species however are capable of adapting to changing environment which allows them to persist in place despite climatic changes. I explored how climatic changes after the last glacial maximum (LGM) effected two species inhabiting the deserts of western North America: one mammal (Chisel-toothed Kangaroo Rat, Dipodomys microps) and one reptile (Desert Horned Lizard, Phrynosoma platyrhinos). I used …

Late Paleozoic Deformation In The Osgood Mountains And Dry Hills, Northern Nevada, Samuel A. Siebenaler

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Pennsylvanian (IP) and Permian (P) deposits (Etchart Formation) and structures in the northern Osgood Mountains and Dry Hills are identified and interpreted to reconstruct a late Paleozoic tectonic history for the time between the Antler and Sonoma orogenies. Mapping, field observations, fusulinid-based unit ages, and structural analysis are used to identify three fold and fault sets, a fault set, a fold set, and at least two angular unconformities. The faults consist of N to S striking normal faults (fault set 1) that are cross cut by WSW-ENE striking thrust faults (fault set 2). Fault sets 1 and 2 are cross …

Speciation And Spectroscopy Of The Uranyl And Tetravalent Plutonium Nitrate Systems: Fundamental Studies And Applications To Used Fuel Reprocessing, Nicholas A. Smith

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This dissertation explores the use of UV-Visible spectroscopy and Time Resolved Laser Induced Fluorescence spectroscopy as near real time process monitors of uranium and plutonium concentrations in aqueous reprocessing trains. The molar absorptivities and linear ranges of these metals were investigated under total nitrate and acid concentrations similar to those found in current reprocessing systems. Concurrent to this, a new multiple wavelength monitor was derived that is capable of determining the total nitrate concentration spectroscopically. This method uses the uranium absorbance spectrum to calculate the nitrate concentration in solution. When used as part of an Advanced Safeguard suite, this technique …

Altering Explicit And Implicit Racial Prejudice Towards African American Males, Veronica A. Glover

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Researchers tested 281 undergraduates to determine if positive behavior messages about African American males presented during a learning task affected scores on explicit and implicit racial prejudice measures. During the learning task, we manipulated how many positive messages the participant viewed (100 vs. 150 or none) and the amount of African American males these messages applied to (1 vs. 3). Participants who viewed 150 positive messages about one African American male displayed more explicit prejudice than participants in control groups or participants learning 100 messages about one person. Results for the implicit measure indicated that participants who learned about three …

Variability Of Pacing In Marathon Distance Running, Thomas A. Haney Jr.

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purposes of this study were to describe variability of pacing during a marathon and to determine if there is a relationship between variability of pacing and marathon performance. A total of 301 race profiles that contained personal global positioning system (GPS) from the Rock „n‟ Roll Las Vegas (Race 1) and San Diego (Race 2) marathons were downloaded (http://connect.garmin.com) and analyzed. Each marathon finish time was placed into one of three finish time bins: Bin 1: 2.5 – 3.9 hrs, Bin 2: 4.0 – 4.6 hrs, Bin 3: 4.7 – 7.2. The coefficient of variation of velocity (Velcov) was …

Characterization Of Unsaturated Flow In Dual-Porosity Granular Media, Jeevan A. Jayakodilage

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

A geological medium made up of uncemented coarse porous rock fragments may be described as a “dual-porosity granular medium” due to the presence of two types of pores; small pores within individual fragments and large pores between the fragments. Crushed stone found in heap leach piles, mine waste, backfills, rock drains, and engineered capillary barrier systems fit this description. Unsaturated flow in a dualporosity granular medium will occur both through the fragments (matrix flow), and on the fragment surfaces (film flow). The relative influence of gravity and capillary forces on these two flow regimes will be largely different. Therefore, unsaturated …

Effect Of Spatial And Temporal Variability Of Antecedent Moisture Content On Model-Generated Runoff From An Arid Watershed, William J. Meyer

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Streams in the arid southwest are typically ephemeral, and stream gages are not commonly available. Consequently, runoff data from storm events is not available, and flood control facility design or other water resource related decisions are based on synthetic hydrographs. In the Mojave Desert region of Southern Nevada, the duration of storm used to develop these synthetic hydrographs is the 6 hour storm. The 6 hour storm is used to simulate high intensity summer storms. Additionally, soils information used in the calculations for these synthetic hydrographs is taken from maps that are generally developed for a broad range of issues …

A Front-Fixing Finite Element Method For The Valuation Of American Options, Anthony D. Holmes

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

American options are the most commonly traded options in the market. They are used to mitigate risk, speculate about the future, and are the key components of complex trading strategies. In this dissertation, we propose a new front-fixing finite element method for the valuation of American options. One of the attractive qualities of our front-fixing finite element method is that the early exercise boundaries and the option prices can be computed simultaneously with very high accuracy.

We study in detail our front-fixing finite element method for the valuation of American options on stocks, American options on zero-coupon bonds under a …

An Annotated Guide To Flute And Guitar Music, Kristi Benedick

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This document will contain an annotated bibliography of all of the flute and guitar music that is currently available. The annotations, organized by level of difficulty, will include title, composer, arranger, publisher, date of publication, level of difficulty, description of difficulties, and description of the piece.

The pieces will be located and obtained by diverse sources, including libraries, various collections, and catalog listings. The study will be completed after careful examination of each piece listed in the document. The end result will be a publishable resource for both flutists and guitarists of all levels.

Poisson Process Monitoring, Test And Comparison, Qing Chen

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The task of determining whether a sudden change occurred in the generative parameters of a time series generates application in many areas. In this thesis, we aim at monitoring the change-point of a Poisson process by method, which is characterized by a forward-backward testing algorithm and several overall error control mechanisms. With the application of this proposed method, we declare that Mount Etna is not a simple Poissonian volcano, because two different regimes divided by the change point, January 30th 1974, are identified. The validation procedures, used in a complementary fashion, by the formal hypothesis tests and graphical method will …

Recent Accelerated Second-Degree Baccalaureate Graduates’ Perceptions Of Educational Preparation, Susan Candelaria

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

As of 2008, the U.S. Department of Labor is predicting a need for greater than one million new registered nurses by the year 2016 (American Associations of Colleges of Nursing [AACN], 2008). One way that nursing schools around the country are dealing with this issue is through the creation of accelerated second-degree programs for non-nursing graduates.

The purpose of this descriptive study was to examine the perceptions of educational preparation of accelerated second-degree baccalaureate graduates, who have been out of school for at least one year, but no longer than four years. The sample consisted of 54 graduates from an …

Sequence And Chemostratigraphy Of The Middle Cambrian Succession In Nevada And Utah, Robyn A. Howley

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The House Range Embayment of western Utah and eastern Nevada was a prominent topographic feature on the passive margin of western North America during the middle and late Cambrian. In this study, detailed documentation of sequence boundaries, and their intervening sequences across a platform-to-basin transect of the House Range Embayment was used to establish a sequence-stratigraphic framework from which the depositional history of the embayment was deciphered. This framework was then used to test the hypothesis that the House Range Embayment formed by tectonic subsidence. In addition, the chemostratigraphic (δ13Ccarb) record across the embayment was analyzed within this framework to …

Chemical And Electronic Structure Of Surfaces And Interfaces In Compound Semiconductors, Sujitra Pookpanratana

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The interface formation between two different materials is important in applications for optoelectronic devices. Often, the success or performance of these devices is dependent on the formation of these heterojunctions. In this work, the surface and interfaces in such materials for optoelectronic devices are investigated by a suite of X-ray analytical techniques including X-ray photoelectron (XPS), X-ray excited Auger electron (XAES), and X-ray emission (XES) spectroscopies to provide novel insight.

For the group III-nitrides (e.g., AlxGa1-xN) used in many light emitting devices, a significant challenge exists to form an Ohmic contact. The electron affinities and band gaps of GaN and …

Environmental Influence On Brain, Behavior, And Gene Expression In Drosophila, Xia Wang

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Brain development and behavior are sensitive to environmental stimuli. To gain an understanding of how and to what extent environmental variations, particularly with regard to thermal stress and sensory input, affect brain development, function, and genomic activity, in this dissertation, three interrelated studies were conducted in Drosophila melanogaster.

The first study examined the effects of ecologically-relevant hyperthermia stress on development of the Drosophila mushroom body (MB), a conserved sensory integration and associative center in the insect brain. A daily hyperthermic episode throughout larval and pupal development was shown to severely disrupt MB anatomy by reducing intrinsic Kenyon cell neuron …

An Investigation Of Sustainable Environmental Practices And Consumer Attitudes & Behaviors Toward Hotel Bathroom Amenities, Edward James Bobbett

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In the 1980s hotel operators became concerned with greening and sustainability. It was at this time the hospitality industry began focusing on energy efficiency and the sustainable development of tourism (Chan & Lam, 2001; Welford, Ytterhus, & Eligh, 1999). Since then, a global trend has emerged as hotels introduce programs to reduce the amount of resources used and the overall environmental impact they have on the planet, or their carbon footprint. The hospitality industry has introduced programs such as recycling in both the front and back of the house, energy-efficient lighting, towel re-use programs, linen exchange programs, Green Certifications, and …

The Future Of Editing: A Textual Analysis Of Three Wikipedia Articles, Lara Tellis

All Theses

This thesis is a case study analyzing the revisions made to three Wikipedia articles, 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy,' '2009 Northwestern Wildcats football team,' and 'Murder of Annie Le,' in September, 2009. After tracking and coding the revisions made to each of these three articles using categories developed by Sam Dragga and Gwendolyn Gong and Lester Faigley and Stephen Witte, I describe the types of changes made to Wikipedia articles, the differences in changes made to articles at different levels on Wikipedia's quality scale, and the features that make online editing distinct from print editing.

Bovine Colostrum, Mary Hayes

All Theses

Colostrum is the first milk produced by mammals within a 24 to 72 hour period after parturition. Bovine colostrum is sold commercially as a nutraceutical product and its manufacturers purport numerous health benefits of the product for treating gastrointestinal disorders, respiratory tract disorders, viral and bacterial infections, and promoting tissue repair.
Four commercially available colostrum products, two whey, and one non-fat dry milk were obtained on separate days. These products were analyzed for fat, protein, ash, moisture and dry matter content. One colostrum product did not adhere to label claims in that it contained a mean of 19.1% fat whereas …

Chemical Composition And Antioxidant Properties Of Maya Nut (Brosimum Alicastrum), Hatice Kubra Tokpunar

All Theses

ABSTRACT
Maya nut was investigated in term of its moisture, ash content, antioxidant activities, phenolic components by high pressure liquid chromatography-ultraviolet detector (HPLC-UV) and fatty acid composition by gas chromatography-flame ionization detector (GC-FID). The results showed that Maya nut was mainly composed of 55.06% linoleic acid (C18:2 n6), 27.2% palmitic acid (C16:0), 6.26% stearic acid (C18:0), 9.9% linolenic acid (C18:3 n3), and 3.36% Cis-11-Eicosenoic (C20:1). Maya nut possesses a higher content of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) (linoleic and linolenic acid), but lower content of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) than canola oil and olive oil. The antioxidant capacities and total phenolic …

Coming Down Out Of The Tree: Exploring Memory And Identity In H.D.'S End To Torment, Natalie Mahaffey

All Theses

This thesis focuses on the text End to Torment: A Memoir of Ezra Pound by H.D., as well as the small collection of poetry entitled 'Hilda's Book' by Ezra Pound, which appears in the back of the memoir. My exploration into these texts consists of the reliability of memory, the role memory plays on identity, and the significance of identity as defined by non-fiction, creative writing. For End to Torment, I focus specifically on H.D.'s approach to memory as defined by her work with Dr. Sigmund Freud, as well as the impact this approach has on the presentation of Pound's …

Assessment And Analysis Of Emotional Intelligence In Engineering Students, Xiaodan Zhou

All Theses

ABSTRACT
Current research on the importance and relevance of the relationship between emotional intelligence and work outcomes has continuously gained momentum since the publication of Daniel Goleman's best seller Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ (Goleman, 1995). Professional expertise is no longer the only standard by which to evaluate graduates. 'Soft skills', like emotional intelligence are viewed as effective ways, to distinguish potential high-performance workers and those who will be 'no more than' a worker. This paper made an attempt to correlate emotional intelligence with academic performance of civil engineering students. The emotional capability of the students …

Development Of A Carbohydrate Microarray System And A Microcantilever-Based Biosensor For Detection Of Target Bacteria, Yunyan Cheng

All Theses

The increasing number of disease outbreaks results in a demand for novel pathogen detectors. Carbohydrates serving as receptors for pathogen lectins have become the focus of such research. Two primary sugars, ‡-D-mannose and ‡-L-fucose, as receptors for Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, respectively, are of great interest to researchers due to their high affinity. These interactions can be studied using carbohydrate microarrays, which are also suitable platforms for detecting bacterial pathogens. In addition, carbohydrates have the potential to act as sensing molecules in microcantilever-based biosensors. The goal of this research was to design a carbohydrate microarray system to study the …

A Re-Examination Of Diplectrona Modesta Banks 1908 (Trichoptera: Hydropsychidae) Using Morphological And Molecular Techniques, Lauren Harvey

All Theses

Diplectrona modesta Banks 1908 (Trichoptera: Hydropsychidae) is a common inhabitant of streams across eastern North America. This species is well known and used often in biomonitoring studies. Experts in the field have long noted the morphological variation in larval head color and patterns as well as the species presence in many different types of habitats, such as springs, seeps, streams, and some small rivers. This study examines the species both morphologically and molecularly using mitochondrial and nuclear genes in order to determine if the species is a complex of several species or one highly variable species. DNA sequencing using the …

Pilot-Scale Constructed Wetland Treatment System For Ammonia Removal From Oil-Field Produced Water, Yun Song

All Theses

This investigation examined the feasibility of using free-water surface constructed wetland systems (CWTSs) to decrease the ammonia concentration in oil-field produced water. The objective of this research was to design constructed wetland experiments to determine specific conditions that decrease aqueous ammonia concentrations in simulated oilfield produced water. The design of these experiments was based on biogeochemical pathways of nitrification and denitrification. The experiments included three scales: bench-scale, single-cell, and pilot-scale. Bench-scale reactors contained wetland plants (Typha latifolia) and hydrosoil in 5-gallon buckets. Single wetland cells were constructed by adding hydrosoil and plants (T. latifolia and Schoenoplectus californicus) to 70-gallon containers. …

Student Perceptions Of A Dropout Prevention Academy, Dale Edward Miller

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if the Academy Program of Fargo North High School helped students reach graduation, and to identify the respondents’ perceptions of the Academy Program of Fargo North High School. This study examined the relationship between respondents’ participation in the Academy Program in 9th grade and 10th grade and the Average Freshman Graduation Rate (AFGR) of their 9th grade cohort, respondents’ perceptions of the Academy Program, and the transition to their 11th grade year.

The research questions which guided this study were:

1. What is the graduation rate of students in the Academy Program of …

Structure Of Narratives: Applying Propp's Folktale Morphology To Entertainment-Education Films, Divya Sreenivas

Communication ETDs

This study examines narrative strategies through which feature films accomplish the dual role of entertainment-education to shape social reality surrounding health issues. More specifically, exploring films' narrative structures and characterization, this study illuminates how a coherent HIV/AIDS narrative is woven into cinematic artifacts laden with specific cultural values, beliefs and practices. The entertainment-education literature has rarely undertaken a study of films to demonstrate their entertainment-education potential. Moreover, by taking a structuralist perspective and utilizing narrative theories this study uncovers underlying elements that cut across narratives. According to Fisher (1987), the proponent of narrative theory, narratives are moral constructs with values …

Jewish Landscapes Rooted, Embedded, Enshrined, And Transcendent: Metaphor As Communicated In Jewish Museums In New York, Jerusalem, And San Francisco, Judith Stauber

Communication ETDs

As public places, museums negotiate authenticity and re-presentation, fact and ideology, memory and the present confronting a basic question for museums directors, curators, and visitors alike: what is the truth here? In this dissertation, the content and form of four Jewish museums are examined rhetorically: The Jewish Museum, and the Museum of Jewish Heritage: A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, both in New York City; the Holocaust History Museum at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem; and the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco. Four metaphors--rootedness, embeddedness, enshrinement, and transcendence--capture the ways each of these museums conceptualizes and presents Jewish culture.

Madd Message Effects: A Twelve-Year Randomized Trial, Una E. Medina

Communication ETDs

One out of three Americans undergoes drunk-driving crashes; 23% result in death. To deter DWIs (Driving While under Influence), MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Drivers) created VIPs (Victim Impact Panels) where victims impact offenders with gory stories, photos, and threats of punishments and loss of freedom, hoping this message will deter DWIs. It is remarkable that although the VIP message is considered a primary DWI intervention, yet no studies have investigated VIP message effects. VIP message effects, their persistence and decay, are chronicled here over the course of 12 years. This study extends an empirical investigation of VIPs, conducted by Woodall, …