Digital Commons Network^™

Functional Classification Of Divergent Protein Sequences And Molecular Evolution Of Multi-Domain Proteins, Pooja K. Strope

School of Biological Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Transmembrane proteins and multi-domain proteins together make up more than 80% of the total proteins in any eukaryotic proteome. Therefore accurately classifying such proteins into functional classes is an important task. Furthermore, understanding the molecular evolution of multi-domain proteins is important because it shows how various domains fuse to form more complex proteins, and acquire new functions possibly affecting the organismal level of evolution. In this thesis, I first investigated the performance of several protein classifiers using one of the most divergent transmembrane protein families, the G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) superfamily, as an example. Alignment-free classifiers based on support vector machines …

Use Of Audit, And Measures Of Drinking Frequency And Patterns To Detect Associations Between Alcohol And Sexual Behaviour In Male Sex Workers In Kenya, Stanley Luchters, Scott Geibel, Masila Syengo, Daniel Lango, Nzioki King'ola, Marleen Temmerman, Matthew F. Chersich

Population Health, East Africa

Background: Previous research has linked alcohol use with an increased number of sexual partners, inconsistent condom use and a raised incidence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). However, alcohol measures have been poorly standardised, with many ill-suited to eliciting, with adequate precision, the relationship between alcohol use and sexual risk behaviour. This study investigates which alcohol indicator - single-item measures of frequency and patterns of drinking ( > = 6 drinks on 1 occasion), or the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) - can detect associations between alcohol use and unsafe sexual behaviour among male sex workers.

Methods: A cross-sectional …

Alternate Models For Forecasting Hedge Fund Returns, Michael A. Holden

Senior Honors Projects

Alternate Models for Forecasting Hedge Fund Returns

Michael Holden

Faculty Sponsor: Gordon Dash, Finance and Decision Sciences

Investors have always wanted to improve the efficiency of modeling realized volatility to maximize directional trading returns and substantially improve profitability. As proposed, this honors project will provide evidence from hedge fund returns that a Radial-Basis Function (RBF) artificial neural network (ANN), specifically the Kajiji-4 RBF-ANN dominates other forecast methods in producing one-period ahead change-of-direction when forecasting the expected returns of various hedge fund indexes.

I began this project by collecting historical economic data in monthly increments to serve as the dependent variables. …

Bond Volatility Transmissions Between United States And European Markets, Seth Kulman

Senior Honors Projects

Bond Volatility Transmissions Between United States and European Markets

Seth Kulman

Faculty Sponsor: Gordon Dash, Finance and Decision Sciences

Recent events have illustrated the degree of connection between the world’s economies.  Economic events occurring in one country are felt in countless others, most vividly demonstrated by the onset of a worldwide recession following the financial collapse in the United States.  Volatility no longer stays contained within one local economy.

The purpose of this study is to examine volatility spillovers between the United States and European bond markets.  To identify volatility effects in a given country, we will be using a …

The Importance Of Undecideds In The Evolution Vs. Creationism Debate, Seth Steinman

Senior Honors Projects

As a scientific theory, evolution has as much empirical support for its core assertions as the heliocentric universe theory or the belief that the Earth is round.  Despite a unanimous consensus in the scientific community about evolution’s validity, the General Social Survey (GSS) consistently reports that 85 percent of Americans are either undecided or do not believe in evolution.

This divide between evolutionists, led by scientists, and creationists, led by religious leaders, has enormous scientific and political implications, which include funding for basic scientific research, acting to stop global warming, and what schools should be teaching our children.

The most …

The Fabrication Of Gender: Concept To Catwalk, Emily J. Pascoe

Senior Honors Projects

Gender, as I have come to understand it, is a vast, variable and personal response to one’s society and culture. As an interpretation of one’s biological sex it is a prominent aspect in our lives. Because of this prominence, attributes of gender are revealed in many forms. In relevance to fashion gender is manifested visually. Traits of femininity, androgyny and masculinity are rendered in dress and appearance.

I have portrayed these traits by using editorial fashion images to create a visual gender continuum. Using images from a compilation of current fashion magazines, whose target consumers are either men or women, …

Molecular Evolution And Historical Biogeography Of New World Birds, Brian T. Smith

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Deciphering the patterns of how biodiversity has evolved across time and space has remained a fundamental objective for biologists for the last 200 years. Researchers are faced with the challenge of interpreting the complexity of evolutionary patterns that have been generated over the deep history of the Earth. The advancement of DNA sequencing technology has yielded a new and powerful genetic toolkit that has allowed biologists to address novel evolutionary questions. For my dissertation research, I used molecular genetics and a statistical framework to study the evolution and historical biogeography of birds distributed in North and South America. My dissertation …

Child Advocacy Centers And Child Sexual Abuse In Nevada, Chrystal Ruggieri

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Child sexual abuse has gained significant attention from the medical, legal and social research communities over the last couple decades. Developed in the 1980s, Child Advocacy Centers (CACs) have been noted as one of the leading developments in combating child sexual abuse. Child Advocacy Centers bring together multi-disciplinary teams in a child friendly environment to improve resources for abused children and their families as well as aid in prosecution. The majority of states across the country have adopted aggressive legislation and funding initiatives to aid in protecting this vulnerable population. This study analyses Nevada's position on childhood sexual abuse and …

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (Pcos) In Urban India, Heidi A. Manlove

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This thesis research focuses on urban women in India diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). PCOS is a complex metabolic, endocrine and reproductive disorder affecting approximately 5-10% of the female population in developed countries. The prevalence of PCOS is on the rise in developing nations like India, which are undergoing rapid nutritional transitions due to Westernized diets and lifestyle. However, less appreciated in the literature are the developmental psychosocial impacts for women diagnosed with PCOS, especially in developing countries. Thus, the goal of my thesis research was to contribute to the small but growing literature by investigating psychosocial dimensions of …

Phylogeography Of Three Heteromyid Taxa: Insight On The Evolution Of A North American Arid Grassland Rodent Guild, Sean A. Neiswenter

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Revealing how communities are shaped by abiotic and biotic factors plays a central role in biogeographic and comparative phylogeographic studies. The biogeography of North American arid grasslands is explored using nuclear and mitochondrial DNA from three groups of heteromyid rodents that are broadly sympatric in aridlands across western North America. Phylogenetic and molecular clock analyses are used to estimate the timing of divergences within each group. A general pattern of late Miocene divergence and expansion of lineages in each of the groups that is coincident with the rapid expansion of arid grasslands at the time. The initial divergence is followed …

Constructivism Deconstructed In Science Teacher Education, Dawn Garbett

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Constructivism posits that the teacher’s role is to help their students to actively construct new understanding for themselves. Diagnosis of students’ prior understanding followed by carefully planned teaching sequences enables learners to grasp hitherto unknown concepts. Assessing whether they can then apply their new knowledge in new contexts verifies whether or not they have learnt what the teacher has taught. Using these three steps (diagnose, engage, evaluate) to structure a self-study highlighted the gap between rhetoric and reality in a science education methods course. This self-study research - which draws on journal entries; students’ and colleagues’ perspectives generated through questionnaires …

Effect Of Nitrate, Acetate And Hydrogen On Native Perchlorate-Reducing Microbial Communities And Their Activity In Vadose Soil, Mamie Nozawa-Inoue, Mercy Jien, Kun Yang, Dennis E. Rolston, Krassimira R. Hristova, Kate M. Scow

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

The effect of nitrate, acetate, and hydrogen on native perchlorate-reducing bacteria (PRB) was examined by conducting microcosm tests using vadose soil collected from a perchlorate-contaminated site. The rate of perchlorate reduction was enhanced by hydrogen amendment and inhibited by acetate amendment, compared with unamendment. Nitrate was reduced before perchlorate in all amendments. In hydrogen-amended and unamended soils, nitrate delayed perchlorate reduction, suggesting that the PRB preferentially use nitrate as an electron acceptor. In contrast, nitrate eliminated the inhibitory effect of acetate amendment on perchlorate reduction and increased the rate and the extent, possibly because the preceding nitrate reduction/denitrification decreased the …

Use Of Shallow Estuarine Habitats By Nekton In The Mobile-Tensaw River Delta, Alabama, Lawrence P. Rozas, John F. Valentine, Charles Martin, Latina Steele

Biology Faculty Publications

We compared nekton density, composition, and biomass in fall 2009 and spring 2010 among three major habitat types (marsh, SAV=submerged aquatic vegetation dominated by Vallisneria americana, SNB=shallow nonvegetated bottom) commonly found throughout the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta (MTD) using 1-m2drop samplers. In the sampling design, habitat selection was based on vegetation composition. Sample locations (TR=Tensaw River, CB=Chocolatta Bay, and BC=Below Causeway) were selected based on their degree of tidal connectivity with the wider estuary (BC > TR > CB). Nekton distributional patterns varied among both locations and habitat types. Species richness was greater at BC than CB. The young of most …

The Missing Box: Multiracial Student Identity Development At A Predominately White Institution, Ashley M. Loudd

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of this study was to add to the growing body of research aimed at deciphering the unique identity development experiences of multiracial college students.  In doing so, this particular study sought to explore the process for self-identified multiracial students attending a Mid-western predominately white institution.  Personal interviews and a focus group were utilized to delve into the students’ stories, and the participants’ pathways through negotiating their racial identities were linked with Renn’s (2004) ecological identity development patterns.  The result was an in-depth and critical understanding of how a predominately white institution places multiracial students in an unsupportive environment, …

Assessing Seasonal Features Of Tropical Forests Using Remote Sensing, Roberto Bonifaz-Alfonzo

Department of Geography: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Tropical forests are key components of the biogeochemical cycles, complex in structure, diversity and dynamics, also, tropical regions have been deforested and modified by human activities particularly for agriculture. Understanding the inter-annual and intra-annual variation dynamics of tropical regions could give valuable information on temporal characteristics of ecosystems behavior which is important for mapping and monitoring. This dissertation assesses seasonal and inter-annual changes in the tropical land cover that may be related to changes in the natural environment and/or human activities. Research was focused on the Mayan forest located in southern Mexico and Northwest Guatemala, one of the northern-most important …

Understanding Bioprospecting: Can Indigenous Populations Benefit From The Search For Pharmaceuticals In Areas Of High Biodiversity, Emily Schwindt

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Bioprospecting is a controversial issue, and anthropologists and other scientists are quick to take sides. The idea of large corporations pumping money into conservation and development programs, while developing what could be the latest life-saving drug simply sounds too good to be true, and often times is. However, if all parties work together and proceed with caution, these benefits could become more than a fantasy. Looking at case studies from Costa Rica, India, South Africa and Panama this paper attempts to find patterns among successful bioprospecting agreements and note shortcomings and identify risks. This information will be used to suggest …

(Re)Constituting The Immigrant Body Through Policy: A Rhetorical Analysis Of The Narratives Within The Discourses Of The Development, Relief, And Education For Alien Minors Act (Dream Act), Emily Rae Ironside

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Using the testimonies surrounding the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act (DREAM Act) as a primary case study, this project provides a rhetorical investigation of the interplay between narratives, nation building, national identity, policymaking, and the American immigrant. This project first identifies the grand narrative of exclusionary nationalism as the primary narrative constituting the American identity. Then, this project examines the rhetoric of policymakers to demonstrate how an Anglo-Saxonized, elitist notion of American identity is rhetorically constituted by assimilationist, racist, xenophobic, and classist discourses. Moreover, it argues policymakers maintain the narrative dominance of exclusionary nationalism through restrictive immigration …

Synthesis, Characterization, And Reactivity Of Biologically Relevant Copper(I) Selone And Thione Complexes, Martin Kimani

All Dissertations

In Fenton-like reactions, Cu+ localized on DNA reduces hydrogen peroxide to form hydroxyl radical (*OH), resulting in oxidative DNA damage. This DNA damage causes mutation and cell death, which can lead to diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer's, and arteriosclerosis. Sulfur and selenium antioxidants have been investigated for the prevention and treatment of these diseases, and studies have shown that sulfur- and selenium-containing antioxidants prevent DNA damage from copper-generated hydroxyl radical and that metal coordination is required for the observed antioxidant activity.
To determine how copper coordination results in DNA damage inhibition, Cu+ complexes with selone and thione ligands were synthesized …

How Undergraduate Women At A Predominantly White Institution View Leadership: A Phenomenology, Carolyn Dupre

All Dissertations

Traditionally, men have been the main actors and storytellers in the history of formal education. The United States is seeing progress in recruiting women into higher education classrooms, but does this increase in numbers equate to an increase in the understanding of their experiences? Further, are we supporting undergraduate women in their growth as student leaders, both for their benefit on campus and their lives post-graduation? This study begins with a literature review of the history of education in the United States. Gender is reviewed from the perspective of various disciplines to serve as a conceptual basis for understanding undergraduate …

Modeling And Optimization Of Stochastic Process Parameters In Complex Engineering Systems, Paul Goethals

All Dissertations

For quality engineering researchers and practitioners, a wide number of statistical tools and techniques are available for use in the manufacturing industry. The objective or goal in applying these tools has always been to improve or optimize a product or process in terms of efficiency, production cost, or product quality. While tremendous progress has been made in the design of quality optimization models, there remains a significant gap between existing research and the needs of the industrial community. Contemporary manufacturing processes are inherently more complex - they may involve multiple stages of production or require the assessment of multiple quality …

Methods Development And Force Field Evaluation For Molecular Simulations Of Interactions Between Structured Peptides And Functionalized Material Surfaces, Galen Collier

All Dissertations

The process of protein adsorption to material surfaces is highly complex and it is one of the most fundamental concepts upon which progress in the field of bioengineering is based. The strategic design of material surfaces for optimal utility in specific biological environments is absolutely dependent upon a thorough understanding of the mechanisms underlying protein adsorption, yet there is still a very limited understanding of these mechanisms. The primary reason for this lack of understanding is that protein adsorption is a dynamic process which occurs at the atomic and macromolecular scale, where experimental analyses provide a view that is static …

Characterization Of Piedmont Prairie Sites In North And South Carolina, James Benson

All Dissertations

Grassland habitats have essentially disappeared from the Piedmont. This study was conducted to determine which site characteristics in remnant Piedmont prairie sites could be used as indicators of suitable sites. Eight prairie remnant sites located in the Piedmont of North and South Carolina were evaluated based on soil series, slope, aspect, landform index, temperature, and precipitation. Geographic Information System technology was used to create layers of these characteristics to predict potential restoration sites throughout the North and South Carolina Piedmont. It was found that southern aspects, slopes generally less than 15%, upper slope positions, and occurrence on Enon (Fine, mixed, …

Comparative Forelimb Muscle Function In Turtles: Tests Of Environmental Variation And Neuromotor Conservation, Angela Rivera

All Dissertations

Novel locomotor functions in animals may evolve through changes in morphology, muscle activity, or a combination of both. The idea that new functions or behaviors can arise solely through changes in structure, without concurrent changes in the patterns of muscle activity that control movement of those structures, has been formalized as the `neuromotor conservation hypothesis'. In vertebrate locomotor systems, evidence for neuromotor conservation is found across transitions in terrestrial species and into fliers, but transitions in aquatic species have received little comparable study to determine if changes in morphology and muscle function were coordinated through the evolution of new locomotor …

Pretictive Bioinformatic Methods For Analyzing Genes And Proteins, Shaolei Teng

All Dissertations

Since large amounts of biological data are generated using various high-throughput technologies, efficient computational methods are important for understanding the biological meanings behind the complex data. Machine learning is particularly appealing for biological knowledge discovery. Tissue-specific gene expression and protein sumoylation play essential roles in the cell and are implicated in many human diseases. Protein destabilization is a common mechanism by which mutations cause human diseases. In this study, machine learning approaches were developed for predicting human tissue-specific genes, protein sumoylation sites and protein stability changes upon single amino acid substitutions. Relevant biological features were selected for input vector encoding, …

An Ecological, Genetic, And Reproductive Study Of Big Bluestem (Andropogon Gerardii) Populations In The Carolinas, Robert Tompkins

All Dissertations

ABSTRACT
AN ECOLOGICAL, GENETIC, AND REPRODUCTIVE STUDY OF BIG BLUESTEM (ANDROPOGON GERARDII) POPULATIONS IN THE CAROLINAS
Andropogon gerardii (Big Bluestem) is a dominant grass of the North American tallgrass prairie and is also found in remnant populations in the eastern U.S., including North and South Carolina. This research included a systematic study of the ecology, genetics, and reproductive potential within and among A. gerardii populations in the Carolinas. Floristic composition and edaphic (soil) features were characterized for eight A. gerardii populations across various physiographic regions of North and South Carolina. A total of 362 quadrats (1 m x 1 m) …

Biologically Relevant Classes Of Boolean Functions, Lori Layne

All Dissertations

A large influx of experimental data has prompted the development of
innovative computational techniques for modeling and reverse
engineering biological networks. While finite dynamical systems,
in particular Boolean networks, have gained attention as relevant
models of network dynamics, not all Boolean functions reflect the
behaviors of real biological systems. In this work, we focus on two
classes of Boolean functions and study their applicability as
biologically relevant network models: the nested and partially nested
canalyzing functions.
We begin by analyzing the nested canalyzing functions} (NCFs),
which have been proposed as gene regulatory network models due to
their stability properties. We …

Electromechanics Of Biological Systems Studied By Scanning Probe Microscopy, Gary Thompson

All Dissertations

The functional role of piezoelectricity and of other modes of electromechanical coupling across the hierarchical structures of biological materials garnered interest many years ago. Many biological materials have been described as exhibiting piezoelectric behavior, from wool fibers to wood planks and even to living mammalian cells, but efforts are on-going towards understanding how electromechanical coupling in biological systems transcends from the molecular to tissue levels.
In pursuit of high-resolution measurements of such hierarchical electromechanical coupling, scanning probe microscopy-based techniques are considered. Piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) becomes the specific focus of this work, and the nascent development of PFM is reviewed …

Implementation Of Delayed-Feedback Controllers On Continuous Systems And Analysis Of Their Response Under Primary Resonance Excitations, Yousef Qaroush

All Dissertations

During the last three decades, a considerable amount of research has been directed toward understanding the influence of time delays on the stability and stabilization
of dynamical systems. From a control perspective, these delays can either have a compounding and destabilizing effect, or can actually improve controllers'
performance. In the latter case, additional time delay is carefully and deliberately introduced into the feedback loop so as to augment inherent system delays and
produce larger damping for smaller control efforts. While delayed-feedback algorithms have been successfully implemented on discrete dynamical systems with
limited degrees of freedom, a critical issue appears in …

Novel Nanofiber Structures And Advanced Tissue Engineering Applications, Vince Beachley

All Dissertations

Extracellular matrix (ECM) nanofibers such as collagen and elastin make up an important component of natural tissues. These structural components serve to impart mechanical strength and provide locations for cell attachment and biomolecule storage. Cells respond to their structural environment in a wide variety of ways beyond physical support, and it has been demonstrated that this environment directly modulates cell behaviors such as, morphology, differentiation, ECM production, attachment, and migration. ECM nanofibers also play an important role as a template for tissue formation during development, remodeling, and regeneration. Nanofiber based tissue engineering strategies aim to mimic the geometry of the …

Classicism As Foundation In Architecture: Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe's Richard King Mellon Hall Of Science And Michael Graves's Erickson Alumni Center, Elizabeth Stoloff Vehse

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The French Cubist painter and writer Amedee Ozenfant suggested that "Deep in every revolution, discreetly hidden, resides a classicism which is a form of constant." Twentieth-century Modern and Postmodern architecture are no exceptions to this rule. Basic to both movements is the use of classical reference as a foundation for communication with the viewer. This study shows how classical elements and ideas inform the work of Modern and Postmodern architects. Employing classicism as a framework for the holistic reinterpretation of a set of established values (Modernism), or as quotation that is part of a symbolic cultural language (Postmodernism), the architect …