Digital Commons Network^™

New Mouthguard Design With Intermediate Nickel-Titanium And Foam Layer, Freddie Martinez

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Mouthguards help prevent orofacial injuries in many physical activities, commonly to the maxillary incisors. Mouthguards have many different properties which can be idealized. One property involves the amount of impact force the mouthguard can dissipate, commonly referred to as shock absorption. The aim of this study was to improve shock absorption capabilities beyond the protection that a mouthguard made of Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) can offer. A Nickel-Titanium (NiTi) and/or foam intermediate layer was placed between EVA. Seven configurations were fabricated at 3 different thicknesses. The configurations consisted of an intermediate layer composed of NiTi, foam, or NiTi/foam. The NiTi …

The Effects Of The Jccs Curriculum On Juveniles' Legal Knowledge, Competency, And Anxiety, Leslie Strasser Murdock

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Current law requires that juveniles be competent to stand trial prior to their involvement as defendants in court. According to Dusky v. US, a defendant must have a rational and factual understanding of the court proceedings to be deemed competent to stand trial. Past studies call into question whether juveniles at any age could meet the understanding element of the standard articulated in Dusky v. US (1960). Additionally, youth with disabilities have less knowledge than their typical peers. Besides a lack of legal knowledge, court related anxiety has also been found to have a significant effect on youths going to …

Hospital To School Transitions For Children: A Multiple Case Study Of Family Experiences, Rhiannon Yvonne Rager

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Children with emotional and behavioral disorders often present with significant impairments in social, emotional, and academic functioning. For those with the most severe impairments, hospitalization is an essential intervention. Prior to releasing children from the hospital, a discharge plan is typically created in order to facilitate successful transition from the hospital setting. Ideally, these plans set the stage for post-hospitalization supports by outlining a course of action for caregivers and coordinating services, with the ultimate goal of helping children maintain gains and reducing recidivism. Research suggests that current practices do not incorporate educational needs and supports into discharge plans. Although …

A More General Diffusion Model For Lightning Radiative Transfer, Elliott Paul Saint-Pierre

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

A more general diffusion model for lightning radiative transfer is presented. The development is based on the work published by Koshak et al (J. Geo. Phys. Res., vol. 99, (D7), 14361-371, (1994). In this thesis, the diffusion coefficient is allowed to vary as a function of the radial component of the cloud and cylindrical geometry is used. Different approximations in the analysis of the resulting radial equation are provided. The method of Frobenius permits the obtention of a complete solution. Possibilities and means for further development of this research are included.

Study Of Seat-Belt Usage In Nevada & Driver's Performance, Atul Sancheti

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), motor vehicle incidents has been reported to be the leading cause of the accidental deaths in the United States accounting for more than 42,000 deaths every year. Distracted driving and Driving under influence (DUI) are the major contributors to these roadway crashes. Moreover, drivers fatigue and drowsiness behind the wheel is another important factor contributing to the high fatality rate. These factors results in significant decline in the driver's abilities of perception, recognition and vehicle control.

It has also been reported by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimated that about 292,471 …

The Effect Of Dynamic Software On Prospective Mathematics Teachers’ Perceptions Regarding Information And Communication Technology, Enver Tatar

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of dynamic software on prospective mathematics teachers’ perception levels regarding information and communication technology (ICT). The study was conducted with senior prospective teachers studying in a department of secondary mathematics education. The data of the study used both quantitative and qualitative research approaches have been obtained using two different tests, namely “Technology Perception Scale” and “Computer Assisted Mathematics Instruction Perception Scale”. Consequently, it has been observed in the study that learning how to use dynamic software positively affects prospective mathematics teachers’ perception levels in a statistically significant way regarding the …

Examining The Alignment Of Subject Learning Outcomes And Course Curricula Through Curriculum Mapping, Bick-Har Lam, Kwok-Tung Tsui

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Content analysis has been used to conduct curriculum mapping to map the course objectives, course content, and the assessment tasks of 14 compulsory courses, onto the five Subject Learning Objective (SLO) factors of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction (DC&I) in a teacher education institution in Hong Kong. The results show that the SLO factors appear either as a cluster or a concentrated whole in the courses, suggesting a connective nature and dominated feature among them. The situation can be explained by the planned integrated learning experience as well as emphasis on specific SLO factors in response to change in …

Wider Professional Experiences: The Value Of Pre-Service Teachers Learning In Wider Contexts, Peta Salter, Angela Hill, Fiona Navin, Cecily Knight

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Within teacher education, professional standards across Australian jurisdictions consistently note the importance of developing the ability to “engage professionally” with a community (QCT, 2009; AITSL, 2012). Paralleling this however, are calls for more ‘classroom’ time (Australian Government, 2012). This paper explores opportunities to provide students with experiences outside the classroom; both the space made available in professional standards and how this space it taken up in teacher education programs. It will be argued that wider professional experiences are crucial in developing future teachers who are cognisant of and engaged with the complexities of the communities in which they teach.

Effects Of Epistemological And Pedagogical Beliefs On The Instructional Practices Of Teachers: A Chinese Perspective, John Chi-Kin Lee, Zhonghua Zhang, Huan Song, Xianhan Huang

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This study examines how the beliefs of Chinese in-service teachers regarding knowledge and knowledge acquisition influence their instructional classroom practices in junior secondary schools directly or indirectly through their conceptions of teaching and learning. The results indicate that the factor of learning effort/process is highly valued by Chinese in-service teachers in their epistemological beliefs, and that the constructivist approach is the dominant conception on teaching and learning for junior secondary school teachers.. In addition, the constructivist conception of teaching and learning is found to be positively related to three types of classroom instructional practices, whereas the traditional conception about teaching …

High Hiv Incidence Among Persons Who Inject Drugs In Pakistan: Greater Risk With Needle Sharing And Injecting Frequently Among The Homeless., Rab Nawaz Samo, Arshad Altaf, Ajmal Agha, Omrana Pasha, Shafquat Rozi, Ashraf Memon, Saleem Azam, Meridith Blevins, Sten Vermund, Sharaf Ali Shah

Community Health Sciences

BACKGROUND:

The incidence of HIV among persons who inject drugs (PWIDU) has fallen in many nations, likely due to successes of clean needle/syringe exchange and substance abuse treatment and service programs. However in Pakistan, prevalence rates for PWID have risen dramatically. In several cities, prevalence exceeded 20% by 2009 compared to a 2003 baseline of just 0.5%. However, no cohort study of PWID has ever been conducted.

METHODS:

We enrolled a cohort of 636 HIV seronegative PWID registered with three drop-in centers that focus on risk reduction and basic social services in Karachi. Recruitment began in 2009 (March to June) …

Long Jog, Joshua Matthews

Pro Rege

No abstract provided.

Kool Aid, Matt Drissell

Pro Rege

No abstract provided.

Thoughts Of Matthew Drissell At The Opening Reception For The Show Shelf Life, Matt Drissell

Pro Rege

Thoughts of Matthew Drissell at the opening reception for the show Shelf Life, Friday, February 1, 2013, in the Campus Center Gallery at Dordt College.

Little Rituals, Bruce Johnson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The following stories represent what I have accomplished in my three-and-a-half years in the Master of Fine Arts-Fiction program at University of Nevada, Las Vegas. They are all realist stories, most of them with a minimalist leaning. Together for the first time, they are more than a mere sum of the writing I've done in my time in the MFA program. They are the stories that, when I read them now, still occasionally delight me. Most of the stories that I wrote as an MFA candidate do not pass this test, and thus are not included here. If there is …

Vitamin D Status And Bone Mineral Density In Triathletes, Michelle Konstantarakis

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Purpose: The purposes of this study were first to assess the vitamin D status and bone mineral density (BMD) in male and triathletes (N=15), female triathletes (N=13), and non-athletes (N=14), and to determine if circulating vitamin D was correlated with body composition, BMD, dietary calcium and vitamin D intake in triathletes. The second purpose was to determine if triathletes have a different level of serum vitamin D, body composition, BMD, dietary calcium and vitamin D intake then non-athletes. The third purpose was to determine if BMD was correlated with body composition (body mass, percent body fat, BMI) in triathletes.

Methods: …

Effects Of A Social Story Intervention With A Modified Perspective Sentence On Preschool-Age Children With Autism, Delilah Krasch

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Young children with autism often experience delays in social skills and social competence. These delays result in poor relationships and decreased social interactions and engagement, and eventually, social isolation and withdrawal. Social skills deficits are also correlated to behavioral and emotional difficulties. Addressing these delays is critical to minimize not only delayed social development, but also detrimental effects on academic learning and performance. Ensuring young children are proficient in a variety of prosocial skills is critical for favorable long-term outcomes and school success.

The purpose of this study was to use a multiple baseline design to determine whether a Social …

Robust And Adaptive Attitude Control Of Spacecraft Using Solar Radiation Pressure, Lakshmi Srinivasan

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Satellites in orbit are expected to maintain a preset attitude either pointing towards Earth (in case of satellites for weather) or pointing towards space for the purpose of research and exploration. The satellite as a system though is extremely nonlinear and the system parameters are not easily available. The goal of this thesis is to develop robust and adaptive control laws that can be used to control the attitude of satellites in elliptic orbits. The attitude of the satellite is controlled by the use of Solar Radiation Pressure (SRP) on the solar panels of the satellite. The SRP is basically …

Biafra And The Discourse On The Igbo Genocide, Chima J. Korieh

History Faculty Research and Publications

There has been a reluctance or indifference to a systematic study and documentation of the Igbo Genocide in Nigeria. In the main, the reason has been due to official and non-official attempts to subvert a focus on an event in which more than one million Igbo were slaughtered through a process that was fomented, orchestrated, executed, and supervised by the Nigerian state.

Going The Distance: Themes Of The Hero In Disney's Hercules, Amy Elizabeth Burchfield

Theses and Dissertations

Disney's Hercules is an apt modern reception of the ancient mythology of Herakles, acknowledging ancient and modern sources surrounding three types of classical hero: the archetypal hero, influenced by the ideas of Joseph Campbell; the Pan-Hellenic hero, distilled from ancient Greek exempla of heroism from epic and other genres of ancient literature; and the tragic hero, inspired by the heroic criteria presented in Aristotle's Poetics. By adapting these heroic types from their traditional ancient source myths, Disney's Hercules produces a new, contemporary definition of heroism—one informed by modern, Western family values. This adaptation renews the power of the myth of …

Followership, Leadership And Social Influence, Burak Oc, Michael R. Bashshur

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Traditional research in leadership has largely relegated followers to the role of passive recipients or, at best, moderators of leader influence and behaviors. However, recent work in the area of followership has begun shifting this focus and emphasizing the possibility that followers actively have an influence over leaders, in particular leader behavior. This paper revisits traditional areas of the leadership literature and builds on the emerging followership literature to reintroduce followers as part of the social context of leaders. In an attempt to build theoretical rationales for how followers influence leader behavior we draw on the social influence (e.g., Social …

Better A Broader Diagnosis Than A Misdiagnosis: The Study Of A Neoplastic Condition In A Male Individual Who Died In Early 20th Century (Coimbra, Portugal), Carina Marques, Ana Luisa Santos, Eugénia Cunha

Anthropology Faculty Publications

The paleopathological record of neoplastic conditions in the past is considered scarce. The detection of tumours in ancient populations is hindered by the quality and quantity of signs visible on the skeleton, the methodological approach, the preservation of remains, and by difficulties of differential diagnosis. The aims of this paper are to report the extensive and multiple osteolytic lesions observed in an adult male and to discuss the possible etiology of these lesions. The individual, a 71-year-old male who died in 1932, is part of the Coimbra Identified Skeletal Collection. Records indicate that he died of a ‘heart lesion’. The …

Virginia Cle Sources: Important Practitioner Tools For Forty Years, Gail F. Zwirner

Law Faculty Publications

Observing the 40th anniversary of the Virginia Law Foundation, Ms. Zwirner highlights some of the foundation's continuing legal education publications of frequent value to practitioners.

This article focuses primarily on the deskbook sources that are the go-to materials in many subject areas for Virginia practitioners. The publisher offers all these sources on CD, USB, or downloads. The titles include the forms that practitioners savor as good starting points for their clients’ needs. These forms account for many reference desk success stories for practitioners who rely on Gouldman’s Virginia Forms and are disappointed when that group does not provide the specificity …

Law Libraries And Options Galore, Gail F. Zwirner

Law Faculty Publications

Ms. Zwirner outlines some of the challenges facing the researcher in deciding which resources to use in pursuing information, and makes a case for the continued value of professional law librarians' insight and experience for assisting in these pursuits.

Behind The Hijab, A Narrative On The Muslim Presence In Britain In The Postwar Era, Cassidy Alexandra Von Springer

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Development Of A Field Test For Total Suspended Solids Analysis, Jessica Branigan

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Total suspended solids (TSS) are all particles in water that will not pass through a glass fiber filter with a pore size less than 2 μm, including sediments, algae, nutrients, and metals. TSS is an important water quality parameter because of its adverse effects on aquatic species and wildlife. The EPA has proposed a regulation for turbidity, a related water quality parameter, which has been stayed pending further testing. TSS is regulated through the EPA via the NPDES in many states. Since there are no accepted field tests for TSS, projects with TSS regulations must send samples to a laboratory …

The Effect Of Skew Angle On Average Queue Delay At Tee-Intersections: A Simulation Study Using The Texas Model, Manogna Kaluva

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This thesis explores the effect of intersection skew angle on average queue delay through simulation. The simulation model used is the TEXAS (Traffic Experimental and Analytical Simulation) model. This microscopic simulation model uses a general nonlinear car-following model. It simulates individual intersections and was designed to capture the interaction of traffic operations and intersection geometry.

Simulation models were developed for three stop-controlled, tee-intersections in Lincoln, Nebraska. Field data to develop and calibrate the simulation models were collected. All simulation models were calibrated by adjusting the car following parameters. An experimental design was developed to test the effect of skew angle …

Growing As A Leader Through Developing Others: The Effect Of Being A Mentor Principal, Megan Rachel Adams

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

Principals play a significant role in student learning. They are expected to be both instructional and organizational leaders as well as the day-to-day management of a community of individuals. The balancing of multiple roles is a dynamic task that takes education, training, coaching and ongoing developmental support. However, principals often do not have these supports to foster growth and effective practice.

This multiple case study examined the experiences of two secondary school urban principals who mentored future administrative leaders. The study also explored other elements of the practice including the necessary supports for a successful partnership, the barriers to a …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Factors Leading Low Socioeconomic Status Urban Students To Enroll In A University, Luke D. Schultheis

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

Low socioeconomic urban students do not attend universities at a rate proportional to other populations. This perpetuates a cycle of recurrence and diminished potential benefits associated with degree attainment. The commonly ascribed Theory of Student Choice (Hossler, Braxton & Coopersmith, 1989) does not apply to this population.

The purpose of this study was to identify factors which motivated low socioeconomic urban students to enroll in a university. Three interviews, each up to two hours, were conducted with students of this population. The participants identified why they chose to enroll in a university.

The participants were not motivated to attend a …

Ultrasonic Propagation And Scattering In Pearlitic Steel, Hualong Du

Department of Engineering Mechanics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Diffuse ultrasonic backscatter measurements have been especially useful for extracting microstructural information and for improving flaw detection in materials. In this dissertation, this approach is applied to inspection of railroad wheels. To improve the wear resistance, the tread surfaces of railroad wheels are usually quenched with water to increase the hardness. The pearlite phase of iron, characterized by alternating ferrite and cementite phases, is created by the quenching and the lamellar spacing within grains increases progressively from the quenched tread surface to deeper locations due to the non-uniform cooling rate. The quench depth is an important parameter governing the wheel …

Near-Infrared Surface-Enhanced Fluorescence Using Silver Nanoparticles In Solution, Michael D. Furtaw

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

Fluorescence spectroscopy is a widely used detection technology in many research and clinical assays. Further improvement to assay sensitivity may enable earlier diagnosis of disease, novel biomarker discovery, and ultimately, improved outcomes of clinical care along with reduction in costs. Near-infrared, surface-enhanced fluorescence (NIR-SEF) is a promising approach to improve assay sensitivity via simultaneous increase in signal with a reduction in background. This dissertation describes research conducted with the overall goal to determine the extent to which fluorescence in solution may be enhanced by altering specific variables involved in the formation of plasmonactive nanostructures of dye-labeled protein and silver nanoparticles …