Digital Commons Network^™

Alexander Volkov And The Dancing Bacha: Uzbek Motifs In Motion, Rachel S. Golden

Theses and Dissertations

Alexander Volkov (1886-1957), an Uzbek artist identified by his expressive style, vibrant palette, and devotion to folk subjects, was a leading figure in the movement known as the Uzbek avant-garde. Volkov's influence is still at work among artists in Uzbekistan, though his legacy remains largely unexplored by Western scholars. The Arkansas Arts Center owns one drawing by Volkov depicting the tradition of dancing boys or bachas, a subject the artist also painted among his reflections on Uzbek culture. Work from the same period by fellow artist Alexander Nikolaev (Usto Mumin, 1897-1957), who was better known for his attachment to bachas, …

The Effects Of Race And Gender In The Hiring Practicies Of Elite Management Consulting Firms, Christopher L. Pitzak, Lynn England

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The purpose of my research was essentially to evaluate the effects that race and gender have in the hiring practices of elite management consulting firms. I chose this industry because of the effect it has in today’s business world. Given the fact that management consuting is predominantly white male, I thought that an analysis of their hiring practices would offer an explanation as to its composition. Having studied race and gender related issues in the classroom, I was anxious to evaluate a real world industry and see how what I had learned in the classroom related to the real world.

Folk Medicine In Communist Cuba, Eric Peterson, Lynn England

Journal of Undergraduate Research

I went to Cuba to do an ethnographic study of common folk medicine. My original intent was to focus on the traditional, home-remedies used by Cubans and the possible discovery of new homeopathic treatments for use in our society. What I discovered, along with a short list of herbal medicines, was a unique integration of folk medicine into the socialist health care system due to the existing political and economic situation.

Do Perceptive People Have More Satisfied Spouses?, Kurt L. Olsson, Dr. James M. Harper

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The main objective of this research was to determine if there is a relationship between the level of satisfaction in a marriage and the accuracy with which the individuals could predict their spouses= perceptions. Attributional styles, or patterns, are those perceptual sets that tell us how to interpret events, especially their causes.1 For example, if a husband attributes the cause of a car accident to poor road conditions instead of feeling that his wife was driving recklessly, he has made an external attribution, assigning the cause to an external influence rather than an internal one. Many comparisons have been made …

Lessons On Love From The Back Of The Pew, Ann M. Sasala

SURGE

Saturday marked the one year anniversary of the death of the most important man in my life, my paternal grandfather. Despite the desire of each of his grandchildren to be his one and only favorite, somehow, looking back, I now understand that he saw the same amount of value in each of us, and that is not something that can be quantified. I learned so much from him: how to shoot a gun, how to remove a splinter, and how to be a good, kind and compassionate human-being under any circumstances. [excerpt]

Separate Spheres Or Common Domestic Ground: Gender Ideology In Parenting Manuals From 1820 - 1860, Jacqueline Henke

Student Theses and Dissertations

A number of historians have described 1820-1860 as a period of rigid gender ideology, a period of two "spheres". During this time, American men were active in the capitalist marketplace of the public sphere, while American women were confined to the domestic cares of the private sphere. Since childcare is a duty of private sphere, this gender-bifurcated narrative alleged that childrearing was a responsibility which inherently devolved upon the 1820-1860 mother. While research has demonstrated support for this model, so, too, has research provided support for a conflicting model. An alternative narrative portrays nineteenth-century childrearing as common domestic ground, a …

Letter Regarding Pbgc Request For Information On Missing Participants In Individual Account Plans, Federal Register, Vol. 78, No. 120, June 21, 2013, Ellen A. Bruce, Brian Reilly

Pension Action Center Publications

On August 19, 2013, the Pension Action Center wrote to the Office of the General Counsel of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation in response to their request for comments on the implementation of a new program to deal with benefits of missing participants in terminating individual account plans.

An Educational Approach: Increasing College Freshmen's Knowledge Regarding Sexually Transmitted Infections, Jennie Mcclain

Evidence-Based Practice Project Reports

According to the Centers for Disease Control (2009), young adults account for only 25% o fsexually active persons in the United States, but account for 50% of the newly diagnosed cases of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Some young adults may not have received appropriate or credible information on sexual health by which to make knowledgeable decisions that may influence the rest of their lives. High schools are not required to offer comprehensive sex education. Therefore, some students may have received abstinence-only sex education. Risk reduction and disease prevention are important in college health. This evidenced-based practice project included the creation, …

Factors That Influence A Woman’S Choice To Breast-Feed, Emily Lippincott, Dr. Renata Forste

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Breast-feeding is the healthiest way for a mother to ensure that her newborn child gets the best nutrition possible; in addition, breast milk provides maternal antibodies to the child that are highly effective in preventing disease (2). Hence the slogan “Breast is Best” was created to encourage mothers to breastfeed their children; unfortunately, there are still a larger number of women who have resisted this message and continue to choose other methods of feeding. For instance, white women are two times more likely to breast-feed than their black counterparts, and college educated women are three times more likely to breast-feed …

Inquiry Into Issues Of Trustworthiness And Quality In Narrative Studies: A Perspective, Jason Loh

The Qualitative Report

Many narrative studies subscribe to the criterion of verisimilitude as a form of quality check. However, such a criterion does not fully nor explicitly address the issue of quality or rigour. This paper examines a possible set of necessary criteria for evaluating narrative studies. It draws on the quality literature from the broader qualitative research field as well as the narrative research field. Specifically, it deals with the need to have a list of considerations to refer to in order to ensure acceptability and recognition of narrative studies’ rigour. This paper posits that issues of trustworthiness, narrative truth, verisimilitude and …

Capturing Undergraduate Experience Through Participant - Generated Video, Paddy O'Toole

The Qualitative Report

The enrolment and attrition rate in science degrees in the Western world is of increasing concern, both nationally and at university level. At the same time, teaching undergraduate science requires universities to invest in laboratories, staff and equipment to meet the initial demand of enrolling students. In this article, I discuss participant - generated video as an innovative method of research used in a study to extend understanding about the experience of science students’ experience in an Australian university. In this paper, I present the method s and practices used to explore the experience of a selected number of undergraduate …

Student Versus Scholar: A Review Of Carol Grbich ’S Qualitative Data Analysis: An Introduction (2nd Ed.), Sheryl L. Chatfield

The Qualitative Report

Grbich’s analysis text is marketed for beginners although it contains some content that may be more meaningful for those with prior exposure to qualitative inquiry. The content of the book might be viewed as a series of contrasts: serious versus humorous; decisive versus flexible; didactic versus experiential. While some content areas are covered in great detail, the role of transcription in analysis is minimized. Recommended use of this text is as a supplemental book in a first qualitative course or as a primary text in a subsequent course.

Deafdigest: Blue Edition, August 18, 2013, Barry Strassler

DeafDigest Blue 2013

No abstract provided.

Ua51/1 Collections & Connections, Jennifer Wilson

Collections & Connections

This spring/summer 2013 issue features Al and Jeane Baker honored for their in-kind gift to the libraries' centennial mural as well as Dr. Nicholson who won this year's Kentucky Literary Award for his book about Derby. The issue also highlights the 2013 SOKY Book Fest that brought in 130 authors. It reports the newly renovated Commons at Cravens and the just installed web-based service StackMap, which can visually guide users to the stacks of books in Cravens Library using their smart phones. As usual, all of the Libraries’ literary events have been mentioned in the issue, particularly the new grant-supported …

Cameroon Deaf Empowerment Organisation: Reflections On An International Service-Learning Capstone, Te'aira Tucker

Undergraduate University Honors Capstones

Te’aira Tucker’s capstone is a reflection based upon her experience working on a service learning project in Cameroon, West Africa. As part of her service-learning project, she conducted an internship with a deaf organization, the Cameroon Deaf Empowerment Organisation (CDEO), partnering with this organization through Dr. Berdichevsky’s International Deaf Partnerships (IDP) program. Te’aira went to Cameroon during the summer of 2012 initially to work on an HIV/AIDS education campaign focusing on deaf Cameroonian women. However, upon arriving, she learned that this initiative was not needed, and therefore, she turned instead to a different and pressing need associated with the CDEO …

A Multidisciplinary Approach To Design Education: Providing A Framework For Informed Designers Of The Future, Zaiba Mian

Learn X Design Conference Series

This paper recognizes the need to integrate design in all levels of education in order to foster creative skills that are applicable in most aspects of life. It highlights unique challenges associated with teaching design in the digital age and the need to encourage students to see in a critical and meaningful way. The methodology used in design education must build on existing virtual tools to promote a physical reconnection to one’s surroundings in order to promote an appreciation and understanding of place. This paper explores the notion that design does not occur in isolation and is part of a …

Social Life And Ritual Practices In An Alaskan Pentecostal Community (The First Assembly Of God, Fairbanks), Nickole Kathren Robarge

Anthropology

This MA thesis research project focuses on the First Assembly of God Church in Fairbanks, Alaska. It seeks to better understand the implementation of Pentecostal-Charismatic (PC) Christianity in 21st century urban Alaska. While social activism and outreach form a significant portion of the success of Pentecostalism in Alaska (as anywhere else), my research shows that it is also substantially due to the appeal of ritual to newcomers. In particular, I suggest that there are forms of spiritual possession and spirit embodiment that need to be examined in relation to the attractiveness of Pentecostalism in Fairbanks. There is a gap in …

Time Orientation, Rational Choice And Deterrence: An Information Systems Perspective, Michael Brian Pope

Theses and Dissertations

The present study examines General Deterrence Theory (GDT) and its "parent," Rational Choice Theory (RCT), in an information security setting, assessing the behavioral intent to violate organizational policy under varying levels of certainty, severity and celerity of negative sanction. Also assessed is the individual computer user's time orientation, as measured by the Consideration of Future Consequences (CFC) instrument (Strathman et. al, 1994). How does rational consideration of violation rewards influence the impact of sanctions on individuals? How does time orientation impact intent to violate security policy? How do these operate in an IS context? These questions are examined by assessing …

Career Trajectories, Gender Differences And Accumulated Health Disparities Over The Life Course, Li Zheng

Theses and Dissertations

Using longitudinal data from Panel Study of Income and Dynamic (PSID) and multivariate analyses, this dissertation examines the dynamic and longitudinal relationship between gender, occupational career and health among people of working age under the new economy. The major concern is whether there are gender differences in the health returns to occupation/employment resources across life course, whether the gendered health gap diverges with age, and whether health affect men' and women's employment transitions and occupational mobility differently. Results show that women experience significantly poorer health than men, but this health gap reduces with aging. The health disadvantages experienced by women …

Floodplain Lake Assessment And Fish Assemblage Dynamics In The Mississippi Alluvial Valley, Caroline Noelle Steiner Andrews

Theses and Dissertations

Floodplain lakes in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley (MAV) provide valuable freshwater resources for states in which they occur. Thirty lakes in portions of Mississippi and Arkansas were surveyed for chlorophyll-a fluorescence and turbidity using handheld meters to determine relationships between chlorophyll-a concentrations and suspended solids. High applicability of handheld meters in the MAV presents economic benefits for monitoring the numerous lakes in the region. Additionally, twelve lakes within Bear Creek watershed, Mississippi were studied to determine how hydrologic connectivity shapes fish communities. Isolated and permanently connected floodplain lakes exhibited characteristically lacustrine and rheophilic fish communities, respectively, diversifying fishery management opportunities. …

“Learning By Doing” Revisited: An Interactive Experience In Teaching Design Methods, Ozge Merzali Celikoglu, Sebnem Timur Ogut

Learn X Design Conference Series

This study represents an interactive experience towards conducting an undergraduate theory-based design course, ‘Design Theories and Methods’ in a product design department. These types of theoretical courses are usually conducted with a classical form of teaching where the lecturer is in a dominant position and bestows knowledge upon the learner (Wood and Rust, 2003). However, according to constructivist learning theory, knowledge cannot exist independently of the knower, but must be constructed through his own understanding of the situation (Hein, 1991). Therefore while a ‘revisit’ to Bauhaus education model is suggested, the main hypothesis is that “learning by doing” would provide …

The Ways Women In Saudi Arabia Define Domestic Violence, Maha Mohammed Nahshal

Student Theses and Dissertations

Domestic violence has been on the global agenda for several decades; however, domestic violence has become an important public concern in Saudi Arabia only in the last ten years. Drawing on qualitative, exploratory data from interviews with fifteen women from Saudi Arabia, this exploratory study, examines how women in Saudi Arabia define domestic violence. This study was conducted in Saudi Arabia; it is the first study about how women in Saudi Arabia define domestic violence. This study uses a small group of educated, employed women. The result for this study shows five themes: (1) family environment, (2) privacy and security, …

Blowing Smoke: Harry Anslinger And The Marijuana Tax Act Of 1937, Michael Holifield

Student Theses and Dissertations

The issue of medical marijuana is a highly political issue within today's media coverage. At the core of the debate, is the nature of state's rights issues versus federal law supremacy. But most people don't know there was a time when medical marijuana was legal and openly used by pharmacists and doctors to treat various medical conditions. This documentary will explore the medical marijuana debate from a historical perspective of how the Federal Bureau of Narcotics changed the laws and public perception of a once widely used medical treatment during the 1930s. By examining communications theories including propaganda, framing theory, …

Dose- And Time-Dependent Neuroprotective Effects Of Pycnogenol® Following Traumatic Brain Injury, Mubeen A. Ansari, Kelly N. Roberts, Stephen W. Scheff

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

After traumatic brain injury (TBI), both primary and secondary injury cascades are initiated, leading to neuronal death and cognitive dysfunction. We have previously shown that the combinational bioflavonoid, Pycnogenol® (PYC), alters some secondary injury cascades and protects synaptic proteins when administered immediately following trauma. The purpose of the present study was to explore further the beneficial effects of PYC and to test whether it can be used in a more clinically relevant fashion. Young adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to a unilateral moderate/severe cortical contusion. Subjects received a single intravenous (i.v.) injection of PYC (1, 5, or 10 mg/kg) …

Considering Covenants, Kelly Erickson, Dr. Alan J. Hawkins

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In an effort to combat the no-fault divorce era and it=s social repercussions, two states, Louisiana and Arizona, have already passed a Covenant Marriage Law (CM). This law is meant to strengthen the marriage commitment from it=s inception by requiring the following conditions of couples who choose to participate in a Covenant Marriage: 1) that they have carefully chosen to marry and have disclosed any information that could adversely affect the relationship, 2) that they understand that the legal grounds for separation or divorce include adultery by the other spouse, felony and imprisonment, abandonment for one year, physical or sexual …

Friends In The Desert Foundation, Inc. Program Evaluation, Gina Brooksbank, Jessica Wilde, Holly Williams

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This report presents an evaluation of the Friends in the Desert, Foundation Incorporated (FID), a sit-down feeding program in downtown Henderson, Nevada. The evaluation identified both strengths of the program and opportunities for growth. Major components of this report are presented in the following order: scope of work, research design, findings, recommendations, conclusions and limitations. The report recommendations provide the agency’s members and principal stakeholder groups with proposals designed to improve the program’s financial position and long-term viability. These recommendations focus on opportunities for restructure, growth, and uninterrupted success.

FID is a sit-down feeding program located at St. Timothy’s Episcopal …

Teaching Matters: An Integrative Lesson On Searching, Tracking Citations, And Evaluating A Scholarly Article, Patrick P. Ragains

Communications in Information Literacy

This column describes a lesson in a credit-bearing information literacy course, focusing on evaluation of a scholarly article and finding citing references.

Friends Of Rainbow Company Program Evaluation, Holly Balmer, Christian Downing, Eric Garner

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Friends of the Rainbow Company (Friends) is a nonprofit organization that supports the mission of The Rainbow Company Youth Theatre (Rainbow Company) in Las Vegas, Nevada. Established in 1978, it supports the Rainbow Company through non-traditional financial streams and hands-on support. The Rainbow Company receives primary financial support from the City of Las Vegas Office of Cultural Affairs. Being the City’s only youth theatre education program of its kind, it has received local governmental funding since 1976. The City support is mainly for salaried employees and facilities.

Friends and the Rainbow Company are very closely linked in several ways. First, …

Spatial Health Indicator Analysis Data Collection Unlv Study, Amelia Gulling, Jeff Greer, Tom Stewart

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Southern Nevada Strong (SNS) is a collaborative regional planning project between local public agencies and NGOs throughout the Las Vegas Valley. This project is headed by City of Henderson on behalf of the Southern Nevada Regional Planning Committee. SNS received a $3.5 million Sustainable Community (SC) grant from HUD which is set to expire in 2015. SNS member agencies receive preference for future HUD grants by participating in successful SC grant, which could be considered a motivating factor for participation for outside agencies.

Meeting Minutes, Wku Graduate Council

Graduate School

Meeting minutes.