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 …

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 …

Must Pay Now, David C. Perkins

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

These poems attempt to stand amidst the towering shadows of Enlightenment. One of these pillars involves the newfound land from a collective western European vantage and these lands are called the Americas. This space is where these poems are located. They suckle at the monolithic breasts of Enlightened Romance as did Romulus and Remus to the She-Wolf. The poems in their own originality engage with writers such as Jonathan Edwards, Alice Notley, Susan Howe, Frank O’Hara, William Carlos Williams, Walt Whitman, Christina Rossetti, William Blake, and John Cage. If there ever was such a thread in tradition, these people might …

Minimizing Base Column Demands In Multi-Story Buckling Restrained Braced Frames Using Genetic Algorithms, Christopher Hiroshi Yeates

Theses and Dissertations

Most structural optimization procedures focus on minimizing the total volume of steel in an attempt to reduce overall costs. However, many other factors can have an effect on the overall cost of a structure. Base column demands in particular, can affect base plate sizes, anchorage, and foundation design. Researchers have found that present methods for estimating column demands are too conservative. Nonlinear time history analyzes were conducted on buckling-restrained braced frames of six heights. Optimized results were found considering three ductility constraints and two optimization objectives. The two optimization objectives were minimized total brace area and minimized base column demands. …

Two Contrasting Approaches In The Interpretation Of Outdated Statutory Provisions, Yihan Goh

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Some statutes in operation today were passed a long time ago. Inevitably, through the passage of time, social norms at the time of enactment may now be unrecognizable. Two recent cases show contrasting approaches towards the interpretation of outdated statutory provisions. The first approach is seen in the Singapore High Court case of WX v.WW. That case concerned the interpretation of section 114 of the Evidence Act, a decidedly ancient statutory provision. The second approach was adopted by the Singapore Court of Appeal in AAG v. Estate of AAH, deceased. In that case, the Court of Appeal had to interpret …

Postmortem Examination Of Game Birds, David D. Frame

All Current Publications

The purpose of this fact sheet is to provide general guidance to producers in performing the necropsy procedure and to encourage them to perform regular postmortem examinations of their game bird flocks.

Wildlife Damage Management Series - Voles, Ben C. West, Terry A. Messmer

All Current Publications

Voles occupy a wide variety of habitats, depending on the species. Generally, voles prefer areas with heavy ground cover of grasses, grass-like plants, or litter. When two or more species inhabit an area, they generally occupy different habitats.

Hsp70 And Hsp40 Functionally Interact With Soluble Mutant Huntingtin Oligomers In A Classic Atp-Dependent Reaction Cycle, Gregor P. Lotz, Justin Legleiter, Rebecca Aron, Emily M. Sontag, Shao-Yi Huang, Cheping Ng, Charles G. Glabe, Leslie M. Thompson, Paul J. Muchowski

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Inclusion bodies of aggregated mutant huntingtin (htt) fragments are a neuropathological hallmark of Huntington disease (HD). The molecular chaperones Hsp70 and Hsp40 colocalize to inclusion bodies and are neuroprotective in HD animal models. How these chaperones suppress mutant htt toxicity is unclear but might involve direct effects on mutant htt misfolding and aggregation. Using size exclusion chromatography and atomic force microscopy, we found that mutant htt fragments assemble into soluble oligomeric species with a broad size distribution, some of which reacted with the conformation-specific antibody A11. Hsp70 associated with A11-reactive oligomers in an Hsp40- and ATP-dependent manner and inhibited their …

Effect Of Network Structure On The Stability Margin Of Large Vehicle With Distributed Control, He Hao, Prabir Barooah, J. J. P. Veerman

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

We study the problem of distributed control of a large network of double-integrator agents to maintain a rigid formation. A few lead vehicles are given information on the desired trajectory of the formation; while every other vehicle uses linear controller which only depends on relative position and velocity from a few other vehicles, which are called its neighbors. A predetermined information graph defines the neighbor relationships. We limit our attention to information graphs that are D-dimensional lattices, and examine the stability margin of the closed loop, which is measured by the real part of the least stable eigenvalue of …

Religiosity And Fear Of Crime, Jonathan Bolen

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Previous research investigating fear of crime has returned little universal agreement as to what exacerbates and what reduces an individual’s level of fear of crime. In this thesis the researcher seeks to add to the mountain of literature on fear of crime and to include a novel independent variable, religiosity, in effort to better inform the fear of crime debate. Analyzing survey data collected from students at an urban university, the researcher finds that (1) females are far more fearful than their male counterparts; (2) religiosity is not informative on varying levels of fear of crime in the sample. An …

Still Flying: The Communicative Constitution Of Browncoat Fandom As Culture, Jonathon Nicholas Lundy

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

In contemporary western culture, fandom is common. Many academics and members of the general public alike conceive of fandom as outside the norms of spectatorship; to be a spectator is to enjoy an interest individually and passively. However, others contend that fandom is a more significant cultural achievement.

This study qualitatively investigated how Browncoats, or fans of the cancelled television series Firefly , communicatively construct their fandom culture. Methods included participant observation, semi-structured interviews, data analysis through Grounded Theory, and a comparative thematic analysis of the original Firefly source texts and Browncoat cultural data in order to discover meaningful themes …

An Investigation Of Carrier Transport In Hafnium Oxide/Silicon Dioxide Mos Gate Dielectric Stacks From 5.6-400k, Richard G. Southwick Iii

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Hafnium oxide (HfO₂) is replacing silicon dioxide (SiO₂) as the gate dielectric in metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) structures driven mainly by need to reduce high leakage currents observed in sub-2nm SiO₂. The high dielectric constant of HfO₂ (~25) compared to SiO₂ (3.9 bulk) allows a thicker HfO₂ layer to be used in place of the thinner SiO₂ layer thereby reducing the gate leakage current in MOS devices while maintaining the same capacitive coupling provided by the thinner SiO₂. However, incorporating HfO₂ into MOS devices produces a SiO …

Convergent Validity Between Field Tests Of Isometric Core Strength, Functional Core Strength, And Sport Performance Variables In Female Soccer Players, Jeffrey Scott Wagner

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Previous research has failed to definitively explain the role that core fitness plays during sport performance. Movements of sport performance require the core musculature to simultaneously provide spinal stability while producing external forces that aid limb movement. The core is central to most kinetic chains; therefore, a better understanding of core function during sport should help to benefit performance. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare tests of isometric core strength that evaluate the ability of the core to provide a stable base of support, and tests of concentric functional core strength that evaluate the ability of …

Tryptophan Anchored Peptides In Lipid Bilayer Membranes: Control Of Peptide Orientation And The Phase Behavior Of Cholesterol-Containing Ternary Lipid Mixtures, Johanna Maria Rankenberg

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Model WALP peptides and "next generation" WALP-derived hydrophobic model peptides were employed to discover principles that govern protein-lipid interactions in biological membranes.

Ternary cholesterol-containing lipid mixtures were examined in the presence of WALP peptides of different lengths (acetyl-GWW(LA)_nLWWA-ethanolamide, with n between 3 and 8). Deuterium NMR spectra from labeled lipids reveal that WALP peptides may stabilize lipid ordered "raft" domains and therefore promote lipid phase separation, albeit to a minor extent. The results depend upon whether dioleolyl- or diphytanoyl-phosphatidylcholine is present as the fluid lipid component.

Several WALP peptides were modified to remove anchoring Trp residues from one …

Losing Our Way?: Declining Outdoor Opportunities For Learning For Children Aged Between 2 And 11, Sj Waite

Plymouth Institute of Education

This paper draws on three related empirical studies in the South West of England: a survey of outdoor experiential learning opportunities, examining attitudes, practice and aspirations of practitioners and children in educational and care settings for children between 2–11 years within a rural county; a follow-up series of five case studies; and an ongoing ESRC funded study of outdoor learning practice across the transition between Foundation Stage and Year 1 in two city-based schools. It charts the journey of outdoor learning from early years to primary practice in England and indicates the ‘navigational tools’ used by practitioners and the possibly …

Progress In The Spirit Of Rule 1, John G. Koeltl

Duke Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Judicial Case Management: Caught In The Crossfire, Steven S. Gensler

Duke Law Journal

For thirty years, the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure have relied on active Judicial case management to combat undue cost and delay The complaints about cost and delay have not gone away, but few blame the case-management rules for that Indeed, lawyers continue to view active judicial case management as one of the best ways of reducing cost and delay, and most of the reforms being urged today seek even greater Judicial case management for that reason But some think the rulemakers took a wrong turn thirty years ago and that each round of rulemaking that places more reliance on …

Defining The Problem Of Cost In Federal Civil Litigation, Emery G. Lee Iii, Thomas E. Willging

Duke Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Journal Staff

Duke Law Journal

No abstract provided.

China's Development Of International Economic Law And Wto Legal Capacity Building, Pasha L. Hsieh

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

This article examines legal and institutional aspects of the evolution of China’s approach to the dispute settlement mechanism of the World Trade Organization (WTO). It begins by analyzing the impact of China’s changing attitude toward international law on the escalation of international economic law research. In particular, the article provides the first detailed examination of China’s efforts to strengthen public–private cooperation in building its WTO legal capacity. China established think tanks to bridge the information and communication gaps between the government and industries. To develop its WTO lawyers, the Chinese government has consistently required international law firms to collaborate with …

Selling Knowledge: A Sociological Analysis Of Attorney Advertisement In Las Vegas, Giselle Velasquez

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

I analyze how Las Vegas attorneys represent themselves, their associates and clients in televised law firm commercials. I use attorney commercials as a case to explore cultural beliefs in media representations. Using an inductive method, I analyze the textual, visual, and aural symbols that appear most frequently in television commercials to interpret how law firm advertisements convey themes of attorney expertise, knowledge, ethnic and gender stereotyping. I introduce this study with a historical evaluation of the rise of advertisement in the United States. I continue discussing how the media is an important realm of discourse that affects people's identity. Using …

Donepezil And Galanin Interactions In An Animal Model Of Alzheimer’S Disease, Jonathan J. Sabbagh

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder marked by a progressive loss of cognitive function. One of the neurobiological hallmarks of AD is a progressive loss of cholinergic neurons and a decrease in the amount of acetylcholine in the brain. Pharmacological therapies have targeted the cholinergic system, specifically first-line, palliative treatment using acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitors, such as donepezil. Donepezil has been shown to increase cholinergic tone and ameliorate some of the cognitive deficits in AD patients. Galanin, a neuropeptide that inhibits the evoked release of several neurotransmitters including acetylcholine as well as modulates seveal intracellular cascades, is overexpressed in AD …

The Multiple-Choice Concept Map (Mccm): An Interactive Computer-Based Assessment Method, Ioan C. Sas

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This research attempted to bridge the gap between cognitive psychology and educational measurement (Mislevy, 2008; Leighton & Gierl, 2007; Nichols, 1994; Messick, 1989; Snow & Lohman, 1989) by using cognitive theories from working memory (Baddeley, 1986; Miyake & Shah, 1999; Grimley & Banner, 2008), multimedia learning (Mayer, 2001), and cognitive load (Chandler and Sweller, 1991, 1992; Cerpa, Chandler, & Sweller., 1996) to identify potential design weaknesses of traditional select-and-fill-in (SAFI) concept map assessment and then to guide the design of the new and improved multiple-choice concept map (MCCM) assessment method. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the …

Pickling Behavior Of Aisi 304 Stainless Steel In Sulfuric And Hydrochloric Acid Solutions, W Homjabok, S Permpoon, G Lothongkum

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

Oxide scales as well as a Cr-depleted layer, which grows between the oxide scale and base metal, are formed on AISI 304 stainless steel surface during high temperature processing. Pickling is an important process which includes mechanical and chemical operations to remove oxide scales, Cr-depleted layers, and to recover the surface passivity. The multi-step pickling is commonly used because of its higher efficiency than a single step pickling. In this study, the multi-step pickling of AISI 304 stainless steel in HCl solution was investigated instead of H2SO4 solution for the first step of pickling. HF+HNO3 mixed acid is traditionally used …

Development Of An Aluminum Semi-Solid Extrusion Process, T Rattanochaikul, S Janudom, N Memongkol, J Wannasin

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

Semi-solid extrusion process is a new forming process that is quite promising because the process requires lower forming pressure than conventional solid extrusion. In addition, semi-solid extrusion does not require large machines, which results in lower production costs. The aim of this article is to study the feasibility of an aluminum semi-solid extrusion process. The semi-solid technique selected for usage in this study was the Gas Induced Semi-Solid (GISS) process. The laboratory extrusion system was developed in this work. In the experiments, nitrogen gas was injected into aluminum melt for about 5 seconds. After that, the obtained semi-solid slurry was …

Development Of Layered Zn-Fe Coatings For Better Corrosion Protection, R S. Bhat, R Udupak, A C. Hegde

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

In this research, the Zn-Fe coating having successive layers of alloys of two different compositions were developed alternatively on mild steel for better corrosion protection. The multilayer coatings, or alternatively, composition modulated alloy (CMA) coatings of different configurations have been developed, and their corrosion behaviors were evaluated by electrochemical DC and AC methods. The cyclic cathode current densities and numbers of layers have been optimised for peak corrosion stability of the coatings. Under optimal condition, the CMA coating having 300 layers, having about 67 nm average thickness was found to be approximately six times higher corrosion resistant than monolayer coating …

Effect Of Sintering On Microstructure And Properties Of Hydroxyapatite Produced By Different Synthesizing Methods, N Monmaturapoj, C Yatongchai

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of the sintering schedule on microstructure and properties of hydroxyapatite which is produced by different synthesizing methods. Hence, wet-chemical precipitation and solid-state reaction were performed to prepare nano-sized hydroxyapatite (HA) powders. Powders were then uniaxially pressed and sintered by varying temperatures and times. XRD and SEM were used to identify phases and morphology. Density and porosity of the sintered sample were determined using the Archimedes technique. Flexural strength was measured by a universal testing machine. The results show that density and strength could be improved by increasing the sintering temperature …

Hardness And Fracture Toughness Of Alumina-Based Particulate Composites With Zirconia And Strontia Additives, T Oungkulsolmongkol, P Salee-Art, W Buggakupta

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

This project aims to study characteristics and mechanical properties i.e. hardness and fracture toughness of alumina matrix composite materials containing zirconia and strontium oxide. Two groups of composite specimen were fabricated: (i) Al2O3 matrix with 3 mol% Y2O3- ZrO2, varied from 10, 20, 30 and 40 vol%, and (ii) Al2O3 matrix with 2, 5, 10 and 15 vol% SrO added in the form of SrCO3. The powders were blended and then pressed into pellets. The compacts were pressureless sintered at 1600 o C for 2 hours in air. Density measurement of the sintered composites was carried out using liquid immersion. …

Preparation And Properties Of Superhydrophobic Cotton Fabrics, P Kampeerapappun, K Visatchok, D Wangarsa

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

In this study, superhydrophobic cotton fabric was prepared by coating maleic-anhydride grafted poly[styrene-b-(ethylene-co-butylene)-b-styrene] (SEBS-g-MA) triblock copolymer solutions containing calcium carbonate (CaCO3) particles. SEBS-g-MA solutions were prepared using single solvent (toluene and tetrahydrofuran (THF)) and mixed solvent (toluene: ethanol (EtOH) and THF: EtOH). Cotton fabrics were treated with the prepared solution using padding technique. All coated fabrics exhibited a water contact angle (WCA) of more than 100°. Optimum WCA values were observed when THF and 90:10 toluene: EtOH were employed. In case of CaCO3 particles addition, 6% W/V CaCO3 could impart the highest WCA value of 154°. However, the durability of …

Surface Modification Of Polyester Fabrics With Vinyltriethoxysilane, B Kusuktham

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

Surface modification of polyester fabrics was studied aiming at improving the water repellency property. Vinyltriethoxysilane (VTES) was employed as surface modifying agent. Prior to application, VTES was prepared in aqueous emulsion using cetyltrimethylammoniun bromide (CTAB) as an emulsifying agent. The application of VTES emulsion was carried out using a padder and followed by curing at 150° C for 15 minutes. The result showed that the treated fabrics exhibited higher contact angle values when compared to untreated fabric, indicating an increase in water repellency property. It was believed that VTES was converted into silicone through siloxane network. The presence of a …