Digital Commons Network^™

Chemical Characterization Of Meat Related To Animal Diet, Rossarin Tansawat

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

There is currently much interest in increasing health benefits from consuming nutritious food, including beef. Plant secondary compounds (PSC) such as tannins or saponins in various forages have an influence on animal nutrition and health, depending on the type of PSC and the amount consumed. However, relatively little is known about effects of PSC on meat color, flavor, and nutritional value. Thus, additional information is needed to better understand and to develop new animal feeding regimes for optimum animal growth, meat flavor, and meat nutritional quality.

In the first study, grain- vs. pasture-fed beef rib steaks were evaluated. The objective …

Environmental Assessment Of Streams: Linking Land Use, Instream Stressors, And Biological Indices To Infer Likely Causes Of Ecological Impairment, Jacob J. Vander Laan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

To protect and restore stream biota, managers need to be able to both detect biological degradation and infer likely causes of impairment. Managers commonly develop indices based on stream biota to assess the biological condition of streams. However, the performance of these indices dictates the ability to detect degradation, and although index performance varies widely, the sources of this variation are often unclear. In addition, bioassessments do not identify causes of impairment. My thesis research had two general goals: 1) develop indices to measure biological condition in Nevada streams and 2) quantify relationships between land uses, stressors, and biological condition …

Father-Child Interactions At 24 And 36 Months And Developmental Outcomes At Prekindergarten, Shareesa L. Mcmurdie

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study looked at father teaching interactions and singing in toddlerhood as predictors of child cognitive and language outcomes at prekindergarten in a low-income, ethnically diverse sample. Results found that, overall, father teaching interactions in toddlerhood predicted child cognitive and language outcomes at prekindergarten and father singing in toddlerhood predicted language outcomes. Fathers provided slightly more teaching interactions at child age 24 months than at 36 months, and sang more frequently at 36 months.

Within ethnic groups, father teaching interactions were statistically significant in predicting cognitive and language development outcomes for children of African American (approached significance for language outcomes) …

Effects Of Cache Valley Particulate Matter On Human Lung Cells, Todd L. Watterson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

During the wintertime, residents of the Cache Valley are very aware of the poor air quality that occurs during cold-air inversion episodes. If one somehow avoids the radio and television announcements as well as the electronic roadside signs indicating poor air quality and encouraging less driving, one need only to look upward toward the mountains that surround the valley and notice the lack of daytime visibility. This lack of visibility and health warnings are due to particulate air pollution or particulate matter (PM). PM is only one of many types of regulated air pollution but is the one that occurs …

Preventative Behavioral Parent Training: Demonstration Of The Immediacy Effects Of An Innovative Conduct Problem Prevention Program In Young At-Risk Children, Alexis Bolton

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Researchers propose to administer preventative behavioral parent training (PBPT) to young children who are displaying developmentally typical conduct problems (i.e., noncompliance and tantrums), with the intent of contributing valuable knowledge for preventing the development of chronic conduct problems in children.

Preventative behavioral parent training is an innovative model designed for conduct problems prevention. The scope of this study will be limited to demonstrating the immediate effects of PBPT. Given the nature and origins of PBPT, immediacy effects are expected and should be relevant to the maintenance of effects over time.

It is predicted that participation in PBPT would yield positive …

Using Stereo Particle Image Velocimetry To Quantify And Optimize Mixing In An Algae Raceway Using Delta Wings, Blake W. Lance

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Biofuel research has been continually growing over the past six decades. Of the potential sources for biofuels, microalgae is the most promising, and circulating (raceway) ponds are the most cost-effective method for growing microalgae in abundance. Nevertheless, biofuel production from algae must be more efficient to be competitive with traditional fuels. Previous studies using several airfoils, triangles, and squares at high angles to the flow direction (angle of attack) show an increase in mixing in raceways and can improve productivity by up to a factor of 2.2. Researchers show that increasing growth by increasing mixing is a repeatable effect that …

The Role Of Fine-Scale Habitat Associations In Structuring Spider Assemblages: Determinants Of Spatial Patterns In Community Composition, Stephanie M. Cobbold

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Ecologists strive to identify the mechanisms that drive the identity and abundance of species in different locations, because a better understanding of such factors enables them to better predict the effects of habitat modification on organisms, and to identify landscapes in which species are likely to benefit from conservation interventions. However, there is still no consensus on the mechanisms behind geographical variation in species diversity. The primary objective of this dissertation was to focus on spider assemblages to investigate how the fine-scale habitat associations of organisms may drive the composition of their communities at larger scales. Research was conducted in …

Multi-Circle Detections For An Automatic Medical Diagnosis System, Dingran Lu

Master's Theses

Real-time multi-circle detection has been a challenging problem in the field of biomedical image processing, due to the variable sizes and non-ideal shapes of cells in microscopic images. In this study, two new multi-circle detection algorithms are developed to facilitate an automatic bladder cancer diagnosis system: one is a modified circular Hough Transform algorithm integrated with edge gradient information; and the other one is a stochastic search approach based on real valued artificial immune systems. Computer simulation results show both algorithms outperform traditional methods such as the Hough Transform and the geometric feature based method, in terms of both precision …

Develping A Methodology For The Mapping And Characterization Of The Nigerian Coastline Using Remote Sensing, Olumide Fadahunsi, Shachak Pe'eri, Lee Alexander, Christopher Parrish

Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping

Coastline delineation is important in maritime boundary determination, as well as for analyzing coastline change rates due to coastal erosion, sea level change, storms, and other causes. Coastline change rate estimates depend on the uncertainty of the current and historical coastlines used in the analysis, which, in turn, depend on the surveying technologies and techniques that were originally used. Current techniques for coastline mapping include photogrammetric delineation using tide-coordinated aerial imagery. However, in many developing countries, the charted coastlines may have been inadequately and inconsistently mapped largely due to inadequate resources. This paper describes the use of an automated technique …

Seafloor Characterization For Trawlability Using The Simrad Me70 Multibeam Echosounder In The Gulf Of Alaska, Jodi L. Pirtle, Thomas C. Weber, Chris Rooper, Christopher D. Wilson, Brian R. Calder

Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping

No abstract provided.

Anthropology Of Family Business: Ten Desiderata. In Proceedings, United States Association For Small Business And Entrepreneurship, 27th Annual Conference, Alex Stewart

Management Faculty Research and Publications

For anthropology to realize its potential for contributing to family business, what would it be like? I would emphasize 10 desiderata. These are: (1) familiarity with relevant ethnographies; (2) knowledge about kinship studies; (3) focus on important questions; (4) alertness to sources of solidarity and of conflict; (5) knowledge about human variation and possibilities; (6) attention to wider contexts; (7) systematic comparison; (8) attention to lived experiences; (9) cross-disciplinarity; and (10) methodological soundness. For these 10 properties, I outline key elements, suggest readings, and argue for their importance by considering the consequences if they were not included.

Understanding The Importance Of The Zinc Binding Domain In Cesa Protein Interaction: Some Assembly Required, Alfred Schupp Iii

Senior Honors Projects

Understanding the Importance of the zinc binding domain in the cellulose synthase complex: Some Assembly Required

Alfred Schupp

Sponsor: Alison Roberts, Biological Sciences

Cellulose microfibrils are vital components of the cell wall. A microfibril is made up of multiple strands of glucose chains, and these cellulose microfibrils are produced by protein complexes in the plasma membrane called cellulose synthase complexes, or CSCs for short. Each complex is made up of 36 subunits called Cellulose Synthase proteins, or CESAs. Each CESA produces a glucose polymer made from beta-1,4 glucan linkages. It is known that CESA proteins aggregate to form CSCs, and …

Potential Impact Of Herbivorous Fish On Ulva Bloom Biomass, Tanja Schollmeier

Senior Honors Projects

Potential Impact of Herbivorous Fish on Ulva Bloom Biomass

Tanja Schollmeier

Sponsor: Carol Thornber, Biological Sciences

The addition of anthropogenically produced nitrogen and phosphorous to coastal habitats is a major problem that frequently results in the rapid growth, or bloom, of macroalgae. Within Narragansett Bay, RI, blooms are commonly formed by two species: Ulva compressa and U. rigida. These blooms co-occur with a number of invertebrates that have been previously studied for their impacts on bloom biomass. However, few studies have examined the abundance or potential grazing impacts of herbivorous fish. To address this information gap, we conducted surveys …

Hydra Vulgaris As A High Throughput Invertebrate For Anti-Epilepsy Drugs, Bianca Marie Lauro

Senior Honors Projects

No abstract provided.

Identifying The Relationship Between Benzene Exposure And The Development Of Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Jacqueline G. Tally

Senior Honors Projects

My interest in epigenetic carcinogenesis-related research stems from both academic and personal experiences. I have come to recognize the significance of environmental chemical exposures in the development of cancer through my studies in nursing, and nutrition and food science. I am particularly interested in the epigenetics of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) because I am an AML survivor.

AML is a rare and highly malignant cancer. It is estimated 13,780 new cases of AML will be identified in theUnited Statesthis year with a 74% mortality rate (calculated 10,200 deaths/13,780 new cases). AML develops from alterations in the survival and proliferation of …

Investigating Three Decades Of Vegetation Change In A Mojave Desert Mountain Range, Chris Lee Roberts

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This project is a vegetation change study spanning 29 years in the Newberry Mountains of Southern Nevada. Long term monitoring data are crucial for understanding the effects of climate change on vegetation dynamics. Successful management intervention in vegetation change will require identification of early indicator plant species and their responses to climatic cues. This project is one of the oldest comparisons of resurveyed Mojave vegetation community plots with repeatable methodology and the longest survey interval reported for the southeastern Mojave Desert. 103 plots were relocated and resurveyed based on data methods in Jim Holland's thesis titled "A Vegetative Analysis of …

Cultural Competence In The Baccalaureate Degree Nursing Curriculum, Angela Elizabeth Silvestri

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Health care providers are members of a helping profession and need to provide quality care to all members of society. As a result of current and projected demographic changes within the United States (U.S.), health care professionals are faced with the challenges of providing culturally competent care and fulfilling the role as the "helping profession." In the past 10 years, minority populations have increased in the U.S. For example, the African American population experienced an approximate 12.3% increase, and the Hispanic population increased by 43%. Just as it is necessary for health care professionals to respond to the increase in …

Hannah Arendt's Analysis Of Antisemitism In The Origins Of Totalitarianism: A Critical Appraisal, Peter Staudenmaier

History Faculty Research and Publications

Hannah Arendt's seminal work The Origins of Totalitarianism begins with an extended study of the history of antisemitism. Many of Arendt's arguments in this groundbreaking text have been challenged by other scholars. Examining the chief contours of Arendt's account of the rise of modern antisemitism, Staudenmaier offers detailed reasons for approaching her conclusions sceptically while appreciating the book's other virtues. Arendt's repeated reliance on antisemitic sources, her inconsistent analysis of assimilation, her overstated distinction between social and political dimensions of anti-Jewish sentiment, and her emphasis on partial Jewish responsibility for antisemitism indicate fundamental problems with her interpretation of the historical …

Real-Time Characterization Of Ultra-Thin Organic Layers Via Simultaneous Spectroscopic Ellipsometry And Piezoelectric Nanogravimetry, Keith B. Rodenhausen Jr.

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Analysis techniques are needed to determine the quantity and structure of materials composing an organic layer that is below an optical ultra-thin film limit and in a liquid environment. Neither optical nor acoustical techniques can independently distinguish between thickness and porosity of ultra-thin films due to parameter correlation. A combined optical and acoustical approach yields sufficient information to determine both thickness and porosity. The author describes application of the combinatorial approach to measure single or multiple organic layers when the total layer thickness is small compared to the wavelength of the probing light. The instrumental setup allows for simultaneous in-situ …

Competing For Land: The Relationship Between Urban Development And Agriculture For Lancaster And Seward Counties, Carole Kerrey

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

This study examined the development patterns in Lancaster and Seward Counties and their interaction with local agriculture. The Lincoln-Lancaster Planning Department approved a development plan through the year 2040, referred to as LPlan 2040. Data from the USDA Census and the Lincoln-Lancaster Planning Department was collected in Excel and used for multivariable regressions. Historical trends in development and factors of development were analyzed, and then compared to LPlan 2040. The factors of development include the value of farmland, the number of farms, and the population of Lincoln. The focus of the agricultural analysis was the change in farm size due …

A Conductivity Testing System Coupled With A Tensile Testing Machine To Measure The Surface Properties Of Polymer Specimens, Nguyen T. Nguyen

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Polymers play an essential role in our everyday life due to their employment in a widespread range of applications. Polymers are used in industries such as space, biomedical, electronics, etc. in which their electrical and mechanical properties are major aspects which need to be investigated prior to implementation. When subjected to mechanical stimulations, polymers may exhibit changes in electrical conductivity which can vary locally within the specimens, especially in those of conducting polymers. In mechanical investigations a tensile testing machine is used to understand polymers’ strength, elasticity or other mechanical properties. In electrical analysis, using a four-point probe to examine …

Characterization Of The Vasotocin Receptor Subtype 4 (Vt4r) In The Brain And Pituitary Gland Of The Chicken, Gallus Gallus, Rajamani Selvam

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The present study investigated the distribution of the vasotocin subtype four receptor (VT4R) in brain and pituitary gland of the chicken, Gallus gallus. The anterior pituitary cell types associated with the VT4R were also determined. Two polyclonal antibodies were raised in rabbit against a cocktail of peptides, 15 amino acids from the amino terminal region and 17 amino acids from the carboxy terminal region of VT4R receptor. The antibody was validated utilizing the Western blot and immunocytochemistry. A single band at 47KDa utilizing membrane protein extracts of chicken brain and pituitary tissues was shown for the VT4R antibody. A peptide …

Assessing Ongoing Sources And Fate Of Dissolved Polychlorinated Biphenyls (Pcbs) In A Stream, Viet Dang

All Dissertations

Polychlorinated biphenyls (pcbs) contamination remains a concern due to their persistence and the risk to human health associated with them. Once released into the environment, these substances are mainly associated with sediment particles and sediment organic carbon matter. They bioaccumulate in organisms via contaminated food and only a small faction is desorbed from sediment into the water column. Given the discontinuity of active discharge, pcbs are currently entering the water via groundwater inputs, soil erosion, and/or ongoing leakage from the point source. It is the dissolved form that 1) can be either absorbed by biofilm attached to stream leaves, which …

Residents' Interaction With Their College Living-Learning Peer Mentor: A Grounded Theory, Jonathan Wylie

All Dissertations

This study used Strauss and Corbin's (1998) grounded theory model to describe and explain the stories of residents' interactions with their peer mentor, in a health, education, and human development living-learning community (LLC). The question answered in this study was: What is the impact of the interaction between a peer mentor and residents within a living-learning community? Two sub-questions were asked: (1) How does the peer mentor affect the living-learning community members academically? and (2) How does the peer mentor affect the living-learning community members socially?
The LLC had 43 residents, a resident director, an academic coordinator, and one peer …

Hybrid Query Expansion On Ontology Graph In Biomedical Information Retrieval, Liang Dong

All Dissertations

Nowadays, biomedical researchers publish thousands of papers and journals every day. Searching through biomedical literature to keep up with the state of the art is a task of increasing difficulty for many individual researchers. The continuously increasing amount of biomedical text data has resulted in high demands for an efficient and effective biomedical information retrieval (BIR) system. Though many existing information retrieval techniques can be directly applied in BIR, BIR distinguishes itself in the extensive use of biomedical terms and abbreviations which present high ambiguity.
First of all, we studied a fundamental yet simpler problem of word semantic similarity. We …

An Investigation Of Trypanosoma Brucei Hexokinases: Localization, Oligomerization, And Inhibition, April Joice

All Dissertations

Trypanosoma brucei is the causative agent of African sleeping sickness in humans and nagana in livestock. The parasite inhabits multiple environmental niches including the bloodstream of the mammalian host and the mid-gut of the tsetse fly vector. While in the bloodstream of its mammalian host, the organism depends solely on glycolysis for production of ATP. My studies focus on the first enzyme in glycolysis, hexokinase.
T. brucei has two hexokinases, TbHK1 and TbHK2 that are 98.5% identical at the nucleotide level. The hexokinases are expressed in the glycosomes of both procyclic form and bloodstream form parasites. Glycosomes are peroxisome-like organelles …

The Foliar Nematode Aphelenchoides Fragariae: Studies On Facultative Feeding And Desiccation Tolerance, Zhen Fu

All Dissertations

The foliar nematode Aphelenchoides fragariae is an economically important and frequent pest of ornamental crops. In nurseries and landscapes in the United States, foliar nematodes can be a serious problem affecting hostas (Hosta spp.), a common perennial ornamental plant that thrives in shady environments. Fundamental research on the biology and ecology of this nematode provides the basis for development of sound management strategies. The general objective of this dissertation was to study two behaviors that make foliar nematodes very successful as plant pests: desiccation tolerance and alternative feeding on fungi (or facultative feeding on the plant). To study the molecular …

Biology, Histopathology, And Improvements In Axenic Culture Of Labyrinthula Terrestris, Causal Agent Of Rapid Blight Of Cool-Season Turfgrasses, Kirthi Kiran Yadagiri

All Dissertations

Rapid blight is a disease of cool-season turfgrasses caused by Labyrinthula terrestris. Disease symptoms include water-soaked lesions, yellowing and browning of foliage, and coalescing patches of dead turf. L. terrestris belongs to a group of marine microorganisms in the kingdom Chromista (also known as Stramenopila). Morphological characteristics of Labyrinthula spp. include spindle-shaped vegetative cells that move in an ectoplasmic network. The biology and pathology of L. terrestris is not clearly understood; therefore, the ultrastructure, life cycle, and histopathology of L. terrestris were investigated. In addition, improvements in axenic culture and long-term storage methods were made to better culture L. terrestris. …

Timing Of Exposure To Toxic Tall Fescue: Effects On Beef Cattle Reproduction, Matthew Burns

All Dissertations

Tall fescue [Schedonorus phoenix (Scop.) Holub] is a native grass of Europe and was not widely used in the U.S. until the early to mid 1900's. Toxic tall fescue (E+) is the predominate, cool-season forage used in beef cattle production in the southern U.S., but grazing this forage is known to negatively impact growth and may impair reproductive performance. Two- and 3-yr old (young) beef cattle respond differently to synchronization protocols and have higher energy requirements compared with mature cows under normal management conditions. Interestingly, limited data indicate that young cattle reproductive performance is negatively impacted to a greater extent …

Quantitative, Spatial Imaging Based Measurements To Assess Cellular Health And Oxygenation In A Tissue Engineered Test System, Erik Bland

All Dissertations

Three-dimensional in vitro tissue test systems are employed to examine cell behavior, test responses to drugs and vaccines, and answer basic biological questions. These systems are more physiologically relevant than two-dimensional cell cultures, and are more relevant, easier and less expensive to maintain than animal models. However, methods used to measure cell behavior and viability have been developed specifically for two-dimensional cell cultures or animal models, and are often not optimally translated to three-dimensional in vitro test systems. The purpose of this work was to aid in the development of three-dimensional, spatially controlled in vitro test systems, and to develop …