Digital Commons Network^™

Closing Up Shop: Meditations On The Departmental/Programmatic Elimination Experience, Susan Beth Donoff

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Departmental and programmatic eliminations represent a new paradigm in the history of American higher education. Hastened by a national economic recession and competing state funding priorities, public post-secondary institutions have turned to academic attrition as a solution to continuous budgetary shortfalls. As a means of addressing the lived experience of faculty members and department chairs, the following qualitative case study explores perceptions of implementing departmental and/or programmatic eliminations.

Utilizing uncertainty reduction theory as a conceptual framework, interviewed faculty in saved units experienced considerable strategic uncertainty, failing to understand why they had been selected for elimination. Guided by a college-wide strategic …

Hardware-Software Co-Design, Acceleration And Prototyping Of Control Algorithms On Reconfigurable Platforms, Desta Kumsa Edosa

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Differential equations play a significant role in many disciplines of science and engineering. Solving and implementing Ordinary Differential Equations (ODEs) and partial Differential Equations (PDEs) effectively are very essential as most complex dynamic systems are modeled based on these equations. High Performance Computing (HPC) methodologies are required to compute and implement complex and data intensive applications modeled by differential equations at higher speed. There are, however, some challenges and limitations in implementing dynamic system, modeled by non-linear ordinary differential equations, on digital hardware. Modeling an integrator involves data approximation which results in accuracy error if data values are not considered …

Petrogenesis Of The East Fork Member Rhyolites, Valles Caldera, New Mexico, Usa, Carla Eichler

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The most recent volcanism in the Valles caldera is represented by the El Cajete Pyroclastic Beds (ECPB), Battleship Rock Ignimbrite (BRI), and Banco Bonito Flow (BBF) as well as the VC-1 rhyolite, which are collectively known as the East Fork Member (EFM) of the Valles Rhyolite. The EFM was erupted at approximately 55 ka and 40 ka after an approximate 460 ka lull in volcanism. Previous studies suggested a mafic intrusion at depth triggered the eruptions. This thesis represents the first detailed study of the EFM.

Crystal assemblages consist of plagioclase, biotite, clinopyroxene, orthopyroxene, amphibole, sanidine, quartz, and oxides. Electron …

Superintendent Leadership During Economic Austerity: A Multiple Case Study, Douglas Paul Finch

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In contrast with recent decades of economic growth and stability, today's education funding landscape appears to be entrenched in a pattern of diminishing financial resources that may persist for a number of years. This is occurring also amid unprecedented efforts by lawmakers and public officials to intervene in school reform work. School leaders, specifically superintendents of the public school districts, are expected to make difficult leadership decisions in cutting back and downsizing the district organization while still maintaining an innovative and positive environment in schools. The effective leader must be well informed of best practices in positively influencing critical determinants …

School Reform: Where Does Policy Come From? Where Should It Go?, Kim Karman Friel

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Policy analysis helps to develop a greater understanding of societal problems and provide possible solutions for elected and non-elected government decision makers. Ultimately, the product of analysis is advice relating to public decisions and informed by social values. In light of the pressures placed on education by policy-makers concerning implementation of educational reform there are surprisingly few studies concerning the changing role of the federal government from a historical perspective. Looking at the past, with the present in mind, reminds us that the current shape of education was not inevitable.

This qualitative dissertation study analyzes the evolution of the intentions …

Community Perspectives On Black Parent Engagement In West Las Vegas Before And After Desegregation: A Case Study, Tonia Faye Holmes-Sutton

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

According to research on parent engagement in K-12 schools, disconnects often exist between parent involvement as defined by school leaders and the African American families and communities they serve (Delgado-Gaitan, 1991; Tillman, 2009). Unfortunately, these competing definitions and conceptions of parent involvement often result in school leaders and administrators perceiving that Black students do not achieve as well as their White peers because Black parents are not involved or engaged in the education of their children (Cooper, 2010; Cooper, 2009; Fields-Smith, 2005). This perception undermines the development of positive home-school relations between school leaders, educators, and Black parents, and in …

Exploring Reasons Why Men And Women Refrain From Sex Despite Desire, Alessandra Lanti

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Sexual behavior has been found to be an unreliable referent for sexual desire. Numerous studies have found that sexual activity is motivated by a range of non-desire related factors, from the promotion of intimacy to the seeking of new experiences. Sexual desire may also be an unreliable predictor of sexual activity. There is a dearth of research, however, on the reasons why individuals choose not to have sex despite the presence of desire for a willing partner. The main aim of this study is to qualitatively investigate the reasons why people refrain from sex when they feel desire for a …

Timeliness Of Electronic And Traditional Laboratory Reporting In Southern Nevada, 1999-2012, Jennifer Anne Lucas

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study compares the timeliness of Electronic Laboratory Reporting (ELR) with traditional reporting. ELR has been implemented in parts of the United States, and is perceived to be faster than traditional reporting. Faster reporting leads to faster public health response to prevent outbreaks, and to reduce the burden of infectious disease in communities. Nevada State law requires that diseases be reported within certain time frames. Timeliness of laboratory reporting at the Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD) from 1999-2012 was assessed by analyzing cases of four common diseases in this retrospective secondary analysis of extant data.

The difference in timeliness regarding …

A Case Study Using Principal-Agent Theory To Explore How A Public, Four Year University Interacts With A System Office, Annie Macias

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The focus of this research was to examine the funding relationship between a single public institution of higher education and its accompanying system office. Such a study is important in order to obtain insight into the relationship between a System Office and an institution, and thus how institutions carry out their fiscal responsibilities, not directly to the state but to the System Office they serve. The study provides insight into how the System Office communicates and transacts with an institution regarding financial allocations. Also important is whether that institution receives effective communication and whether the institution's perceived expectations are as …

Hardware Implementation Of Processor Allocator For Mesh Connected Chip Multiprocessors, Rana Sangram Reddy Marri

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The advancements in the semiconductor process technology and the current demand for highly parallel computing has led to the advent of Chip Multiprocessors (CMPs). CMP is the integration of two or more independent processor cores, which can read and execute program instructions, on to a single integrated circuit die. CMPs are the main computing platforms for research and development in parallel and high performance computing environments. They offer minimum inter-core communication latencies as the processor cores are present on a single chip.

The Operating System (OS) plays a key role in using a CMP effectively. The OS should support a …

A Study Of District Leadership Practices In The Principal Professional Learning Community, Danielle Grace Miller

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This qualitative study was implemented in an urban, Title I school district in the southern portion of the United States. The problem the study addressed was that the various phenomena pertaining to the implementation of the principal professional learning community (PPLC), as perceived by the 14 participating elementary school principals, had not been examined to determine their influence. Qualitative data were acquired from the principals through personal interviews.

Findings suggested that, with the regular opportunities for principals to share ideas and thoughts with their colleagues, PPLC participants perceived improved performance involving (a) the attributes of high skillfulness and high participation …

Education Interest Groups: The Influence Of Networks On Rulemaking And Policy In Public School Reform, Brian Curtis Myli

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

A problem for educators and scholars is that there is little understanding of how the agendas of particular interest groups reflect the intent of federal agencies or lawmakers as education policies take shape during the rulemaking process. As a result, it is difficult to determine whether federal education policy is influenced by outside interest groups. The purpose of this study was to provide an understanding of the influence of interest groups during the informal stage of federal rulemaking in education policy. The research questions being examined include: 1) In what ways do different influence the rulemaking process in the development …

Safety First -In Search Of Justice -School & Law Enforcement Agency Partnerships, Michael Anthony Pickett

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

ABSTRACT

Educational problems are many and varied. At-risk students, achievement gaps and poor student outcomes are hot topics that beg for improvement in equity across the board and stand in the way of achieving excellence. These educative, albeit, social justice issues are not new, but rather, are old problems revisited (Kaestle, 1983; Morrison, 2003). Additionally, the issue of violence in schools is also recognized as not only a social justice problem but also a public health problem (Mercy & O'Carroll, 1988) and is perhaps the most pressing societal issue related to children and youth today. "Safe schools are the concern …

Recycling And Reuse Of Radioactive Materials, Thomas Joseph O'Dou

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Radiochemistry Program at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) has a Radiation Protection Program that was designed to provide students with the ability to safely work with radioactive materials in quantities that are not available in other academic environments. Requirements for continuous training and supervision make this unique program capable of turning out graduates that have an understanding of contamination and dose control techniques that complement their knowledge of the elements that they work with. The Program has also adopted a radionuclide recovery and reuse program that has provided materials from other universities, government agencies, and private companies …

Image Segmentation For Quantification Of Air-Water Interface In Micro-Ct Soil Images, Kranthi Kumar Potteti

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Soils are complex environments comprising various biological (roots, water, air etc) and physical constituents (minerals, aggregates, etc). Synchrotron radiation based X-ray microtomography (XMT) is widely used in extracting qualitative and quantitative information regarding spatial distribution of biological and physical soil constituents. Segmentation of these micro-CT soil images is of interest to geologists, hydrologists, civil and petroleum engineers and soil scientists. In this present work, we study and implement segmentation algorithms for microhydrology studies, specifically for soil water conductivity. Three well-known image segmentation algorithms are studied for evaluating their performance for the task. We demonstrate the problems and ways to segment …

Innovators And Laggards? Faculty Adoption Of Online Distance Education, Thomas Tailor Scott

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Over the past decade, institutions of higher education have seen enrollments in distance education, especially in the form of online learning, proliferate in striking numbers. In fact, some traditional colleges and universities are only experiencing real institutional growth in the areas of online learning. Even though a major push to increase the availability of distance education technology has occurred, effective adoption has not always followed suit. In hopes of speeding up the diffusion process, many colleges and universities have begun to contemplate the increased integration and institutional adoption of online learning. One of the most critical factors administrators must consider …

Comparing Public And Private Institutions That Have And Have Not Implemented Enterprise Resource Planning (Erp) Systems: A Resource Dependence Perspective, Geetha Rathna Sendhil

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this national study was to utilize quantitative methods to examine institutional characteristics, financial resource variables, personnel variables, and customer variables of public and private institutions that have and have not implemented enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, from a resource dependence perspective. Resources were examined within the context of resource dependency theory as it relates to organizations seeking to manage their environments by: using strategies to enhance their autonomy and pursue their organizational interests; acquiring, maintaining and controlling critical resources from the environment, and understanding that social context matters in the relationship between organizations and their external environment. …

The Non-Gaming Business Of The Gaming Industry: Evaluating The Contribution Of Non-Gaming Amenities At A Casino-Resort Property, Elena Shampaner-Ghiassi

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Previous studies on this topic show that all non-gaming amenities at a casino-resort property generate revenue in two ways. First, an amenity directly contributes to companies' overall profits when consumers spend on a particular amenity more than it costs the company to provide that amenity (Roehl, 2006). Second, these amenities can make an indirect contribution defined as the profit impact of an amenity on another profit center at the property (Dandurand & Ralenkotter, 1985); however, this contribution does not show directly on the amenity's financial statements (Roehl, 1996).

The purpose of this paper is to estimate the indirect gaming (both …

Csa Survivors: What Heals And What Hurts In A Couple Relationship, Laura S. Smedley

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is a significant trauma that affects a person's self-concept and the ability to form healthy intimate relationships later in adulthood. Approximately 20% of adults who experience childhood sexual abuse go on to evidence serious psychopathology in adulthood (Harway & Faulk, 2005). Besides individual disturbances, CSA survivors struggle with many relational difficulties. These difficulties are usually most pronounced among their intimate partners (Reid, et al., 1995). According to attachment theory, attachment injuries are best healed in the context of a healthy, intimate relationship (Kochka & Carolan, 2002) (MacIntosh & Johnson, 2008). Conversely, the couple relationship may be …

Credentialing Success In Respiratory Therapy Education: Revisiting Bourdieu's Concepts Of Field And Capital, Karen Lightbody Shaw

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The field of Respiratory Therapy (RT) is expected to experience a workforce shortfall over the next decade. The numbers of both program applicants and graduates have declined in recent years, necessitating strategies to improve board exam pass rates for future graduates. In response to the pending employment crisis, the Commission on Accreditation for Respiratory Care has published Programmatic Outcomes Data detailing individual program statistics. A theoretical framework adapted from Pierre Bourdieu's Concepts of Field and Capital was proposed to explain a possible re-stratification of RT programs. It states, in part, that a modification of position-takings within the RT educational field …

Division I Student-Athlete Degree Choice Assessment, Tony Terrell

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Though the NCAA has established rules that require student-athletes to complete their college degree in an expeditious manner, the 40/60/80% rule may impinge on student-athlete academic decisions (i.e., degree choice).Yet limited empirical data exist regarding the nature and prevalence of student-athlete degree impingement. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate the Student-Athlete Degree Choice Questionnaire (SA-DCQ). The SA-DCQ assesses factors that influence Division I student-athletes' degree choice. An initial 40 item, 4 component SA-DCQ instrument was piloted with 170 Division I student-athletes. In order to develop scales, Principal Components Analysis (PCA) was conducted. PCA results yielded 13 …

The Effectiveness Of Health Education Materials In Influencing Hiv Testing Behavior: The Unlv-Siphi Study, Rebecca Tsegay

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The UNLV-SIPHI (Sexual Health Internet-Based Public Health Intervention) Study focused on HIV prevention by improving HIV testing behavior through the development and dissemination of health education materials. The goal of the UNLV-SIPHI Study was to develop effective, custom-made HIV health education materials that promote the knowledge, intention and practice of HIV testing among UNLV students. The UNLV-SIPHI Study was conducted during Spring 2012 semester in selected UNLV undergraduate classes. An online quasi-randomized-control trial (RCT) was used to measure the difference in HIV testing behavior contributing factors among students exposed to the health education materials. Several nonparametric tests were used to …

Exploring The Relationship Between First Year First Generation College Students And Their Parents, Jerica L. Turek

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The first year of college is one that is crucial for all students entering higher education due to the major transition issues that must be successfully navigated in order to persist to the sophomore year. Parental support has been shown to have a positive effect during this transition by providing positive coping mechanisms and allowing children to develop higher level of autonomy. The level of parental support is at a high level for members of the Millennial Generation, which is characterized by a close parent-child relationship, as well as a high level of parental involvement in the education process. While …

The Uses And Gratifications Of Dance Reality Television Shows, Heather M. Yuille

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Uses and Gratifications of Dance Reality Shows

Competition based dance reality shows are a sub-category under the reality television show genre. One way to add to the growing body of research about reality television shows is to study each sub-category individually in terms of uses and gratifications theory. Therefore this research looked into the reasons why people watch dance reality shows. Since dance is an art form that has deep historic roots, has experienced highs and lows in terms of public perception and has experienced a strong resurgence recently within the realm of reality television, it proves to be …

An Infusion Of Eastern And Western Music Styles Into Art Song: Introducing Two Sets Of Art Song For Mezzo-Soprano By Chen Yi, Wen Zhang

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Chinese-American composer Chen Yi has been praised as "the most internationally renowned female Asian composer of contemporary music today," and she "has in particular become a prominent figure in music circles in the United States and China." Besides her successes in writing orchestral and chamber music, Chen Yi has also written numerous vocal compositions including some art songs. This document aims to introduce two sets of Chen's art songs written for mezzo-soprano voice, Meditation and Bright Moonlight, and study the features of these compositions that represent the unique style of her music, which is influenced by Chinese folk music idioms …

Characterization Of Outer Membrane Vesicles And Nanotubes In Francisella, William Daniel Mccaig

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Francisella spp. are highly infectious and virulent bacteria that cause the zoonotic disease tularemia. The identification of virulence factors and mechanisms of virulence factor secretion by Francisella spp. are not well understood. Gram-negative bacteria constitutively release vesicles from their cell surface, and these outer membrane vesicles (OMV) may function in the delivery of virulence factors to host cells. In addition, prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells have been shown to produce membrane-enclosed projections, termed nanotubes (NT), which appear to function in cell-cell communication and exchange of molecules. Examination of Francisella bacteria revealed the presence of NT extending out from the bacterial surface, …

Incentive Based Approach To Find Selfish Nodes In Mobile P2p Networks, Hemanth Meka, Sanjay K. Madria, Mark Linderman

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

In a Mobile P2P (M-P2P) network, selfish nodes can drop packets to affect the efficiency of the whole network. Therefore, we propose a simple and efficient mechanism using virtual currency to identify selfish nodes in the network. Each node issues a receipt to its broker to prove that it has provided a forwarding service. based on receipts received each broker provides well-behaved nodes some virtual currency whereas selfish nodes are punished on dropping packets to make the network more efficient. When compared to other known approaches, our scheme provides real-time detection of selfish nodes and does not require/assume the presence …

2012 December, Office Of Communications & Marketing, Morehead State University.

Morehead State Press Release Archive, 1961 to the Present

Press releases for December of 2012.

An Enhanced Model For Managing Change In Organizations, Thomas A. Pollack, John M. Lanasa, Dorene Ciletti

Journal of Applied Marketing Theory

Change has become a “way of life” in organizations. The pace of change has increased substantially in recent years as a result of issues such as the pressures of global competition the impact of the Internet, customer demands and ever changing enhancement of technical capabilities. These changes affect what people do and how they fulfill their responsibilities, and therefore, there are varied reactions Historically, failures in change implementation have not been attributable to a lack of technical feasibility and functionality but instead have been the result of employee resistance. The difficulty of implementing organizational change has presented an ongoing challenge …

The Pragmatic Confucian Approach To Tradition In Modernizing China, Sor-Hoon Tan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

This paper explores the Confucian veneration of the past and its commitment to transmittingthe tradition of the sages. It does so by placing it in the context of the historicaltrajectory from the May Fourth attacks on Confucianism and its scientistic, iconoclasticapproach to “saving China,” to similar approaches to China’s modernization in laterdecades, through the market reforms that launched China into global capitalism, to therevival of Confucianism in recent years. It reexamines the association of the Pragmatismof John Dewey and Hu Shih with the scientistic iconoclasm of the May Fourth Movementand argues that a broader scrutiny of Dewey’s and Hu’s works, …