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Everybody Has The Be Someplace: Twentieth-Centure Pedagogies Of Place And Curricular Possibilities For The Intermountain West, Jacob Sheetz-Willard

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

In 1977, riding a wave of environmental enthusiasm that had crested in the United States over the course of the previous decade, Wendell Berry published his classic agricultural jeremiad, The Unsettling of America. Berry, a novelist, poet, essayist, and farmer decried the environmental and cultural consequences of the large-scale, commercial agriculture that had overtaken the American landscape in the postwar years. He characterized the shift away from a producerist economy of independent farmers to a society oriented around consumption and growth as a Faustian bargain, an agricultural “colonialism” that devalued the individual and ravaged the land in the name of …

Does Motor Learning Generalize Between Distinct Functional Upper Extremity Tasks In Older Adults?, Bergen Elyse Lindauer

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Background: The process of motor learning can decline with age, such that older adults tend to learn new motor skills at a slower rate and to a lesser degree than younger adults. The degree to which aging affects the generalization of motor learning, however, is unclear.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to test whether task-specific training on one functional motor task would 1) result in motor learning, and 2) generalize to two untrained tasks in older adults.

Methods: Twenty-one adults age 65 years and older participated in this study and were assigned to either a training group or …

The Optimal Release Of Sterile Males In Pest Management, Sergio Ramirez

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

With an application of the sterile insect technique, it is our goal to know the optimal rate of production of sterile males in order to control an insect pest invasion and protect crops. Starting with a fundametal relationship between costs of production and feeding rates, we construct an objective functional. We then use the relationships between the dierent stages of female reproduction to build the state equations. Once, we have dened the optimal control problem, we use the simulated annealing algorithm to determine the amount of sterile males to be released at each discrete time event. Multiple calculations are made …

Nanostructured Transition Metal Oxides For Energy Storage And Conversion, Qiang Li

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The conventional film configuration of electrochemical electrodes hardly fulfills the high energy and efficiency requirements because heavy electroactive material deposition restricts ion diffusion path, and lowers power density and fault tolerance. In this thesis, I demonstrate that novel nanoarchitectured transition metal oxides (TMOs), e.g. MnO2, V2O5, and ZnO, and their relevant nanocomposites were designed, fabricated and assembled into devices to deliver superior electrochemical performances such as high energy and power densities, and rate capacity. These improvements could be attributed to the significant enhancement of surface area, shortened ion diffusion distances and facile penetration of electrolyte solution into open structures of …

Handling Risk: Testosterone And Risk Preference, Evidence From Dhaka, Bangladesh, Tobias Sytsma

Master's Theses

The relationship between testosterone and risk aversion is of increasing interest in the experimental economics. Using the ratio of the second digit to the fourth digit (2D:4D) as a rough indicator of level of prenatal testosterone exposure, this study attempts to replicate recent results from Garbarino et al., (2011), which found that individuals with digit ratios above the sample average were significantly more risk averse, and individuals with digit ratios one standard deviation below the sample average were significantly more risk seeking in a subject pool of male and female Caucasian students. Here, a subject pool from Dhaka, Bangladesh, is …

The Effect Of Group Level Factors On Affective Convergence In Teams: An Agent Based Model, Chaunette Marie Small

Theses and Dissertations

Previous research supports the idea that affective convergence occurs in teams. The phenomenon of group affect has been well documented, however the group level conditions through which affective convergence emerges has received very little research. The current study helps to fill this gap by using agent-based modeling to examine affective convergence under varying group conditions. Agent-based modeling is a recently developed approach to research that uses the power of computers to model individual level behaviors and examine group level emergent constructs. The current study examined display rule presence, display rule breadth, social influence, interdependence, and team size on affective convergence. …

Pharmacologic Suppression Of Jak1/2 By Jak1/2 Inhibitor Azd1480 Potently Inhibits Il-6-Induced Experimental Prostate Cancer Metastases Formation., Lei Gu, Pooja Talati, Paraskevi Vogiatzi, Ana L Romero-Weaver, Junaid Abdulghani, Zhiyong Liao, Benjamin E. Leiby, David T. Hoang, Tuomas Mirtti, Kalle Alanen, Michael Zinda, Dennis Huszar, Marja T. Nevalainen

Department of Medical Oncology Faculty Papers

Metastatic prostate cancer is lethal and lacks effective strategies for prevention or treatment, requiring novel therapeutic approaches. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a cytokine that has been linked with prostate cancer pathogenesis by multiple studies. However, the direct functional roles of IL-6 in prostate cancer growth and progression have been unclear. In the present study, we show that IL-6 is produced in distant metastases of clinical prostate cancers. IL-6-activated signaling pathways in prostate cancer cells induced a robust 7-fold increase in metastases formation in nude mice. We further show that IL-6 promoted migratory prostate cancer cell phenotype, including increased prostate cancer cell …

Evolutionary Pressures On Primate Intertemporal Choice, Jeffrey R. Stevens

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

From finding food to choosing mates, animals must make intertemporal choices that involve fitness benefits available at different times. Species vary dramatically in their willingness to wait for delayed rewards. Why does this variation across species exist? An adaptive approach to intertemporal choice suggests that time preferences should reflect the temporal problems faced in a species' environment. Here, I use phylogenetic regression to test whether allometric factors (relating to body size), relative brain size, and social group size predict how long 13 primate species will wait in laboratory intertemporal choice tasks. Controlling for phylogeny, a composite allometric factor that includes …

Investigations Into Sensory Ecology And Gene Evolution Of The Pea Aphid (Acyrthosiphon Pisum), Swapna R. Purandare

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

Organisms use environmental cues to gather information required to perform activities that are essential for their survival and reproduction, such as searching for food, avoiding danger, and finding mates. They respond to the acquired information by changing their behavior or physiology, which may result in increased fitness. Due to the fundamental importance of information in an organism’s life, it is important to understand its acquisition, processing, and the organism’s response to it. In the work presented here, we used the pea aphid (Acyrthosiphon pisum), an insect that produces multiple phenotypes, or morphs, that are genetically identical, but differ …

Population Dynamics Of Triticum Mosaic Virus In Various Host Species, Melissa S. Bartels

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

It has been established that RNA viruses should be genetically diverse, due to the high error rate of their RNA-dependent RNA polymerases and the lack of proof-reading capabilities. Plant RNA viruses are not as genetically diverse as expected. Evolutionary factors, such as purifying selection and bottlenecks that favor genetic stability, might be affecting plant viral populations. Otherwise RNA virus populations, with their potential for extreme diversity, might acquire a lethal number of mutations leading to the collapse of the population.

Triticum mosaic virus (TriMV) populations maintained in a controlled greenhouse environment displayed genetic stability. The mutation frequency per nucleotide of …

Struggling To Advance Beyond Mid-Level Positions: Mentoring Women Leaders In Student Affairs, Ashley L. S. Tenney

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

This qualitative study explores the mentoring relationship of women in senior student affairs officer (SSAO) positions. Five women in SSAO positions were interviewed, sharing their experiences in being mentored throughout their careers in the student affairs profession. The five participants are employed at public higher education institutions in the west and midwest regions of the United States. The literature review discusses women in higher education, the student affairs profession, and mentoring relationships. Kram (1983) detailed the four phases of mentoring relationships; which was utilized in this research to further explore mentoring relationships that women SSAO have experienced throughout their careers …

The Impact Of Surface Ligands And Synthesis Method On The Toxicity Of Glutathione-Coated Gold Nanoparticles, Bryan Harper, Federico Sinche, Meenambika Gowrishankar, Grant Marquart, Marilyn R. Mackiewicz, Stacey L. Harper

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are increasingly used in biomedical applications, hence understanding the processes that affect their biocompatibility and stability are of significant interest. In this study, we assessed the stability of peptide-capped AuNPs and used the embryonic zebrafish (Danio rerio) as a vertebrate system to investigate the impact of synthesis method and purity on their biocompatibility. Using glutathione (GSH) as a stabilizer, Au-GSH nanoparticles with identical core sizes were terminally modified with Tryptophan (Trp), Histidine (His) or Methionine (Met) amino acids and purified by either dialysis or ultracentrifugation. Au-GSH-(Trp)2 purified by dialysis elicited significant morbidity and mortality at …

Hand, Wrist, Forearm And Finger Occupational Injuries In Pork Processing: Comparison By Work-Site And Source Of Injury, Autumn Cummings

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

This study looked at injury incident reports from Farmland pork processing plant in Crete, Nebraska. Over a 25-week period in 2012, 300-injury incident reports were analyzed by body part injured. After determining the upper extremities to be the major source of injury, they were then analyzed further with work-sites where injuries occurred, and the source of the injury. Fingers along with hands, wrists and forearms were found to be the majority of the body parts injured. Common among these body parts injured were the location of the incident in the plant. Most of the injuries occurred in the cold work-sites, …

The Impacts Of Environmental Education On Youth And Their Environmental Awareness, Katherine A. Grimmette

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

The purpose of this article is to identify the effects of environmental education (EE) programs on youth, including: creating environmental awareness, building a connection to the environment, and changing the perceptions youth has on the environment. The study examines the EE program, Science Camp Explore, hosted at the Cedar Point Biological Station and Lake McConaughy Water Interpretive Center in Ogallala, Nebraska. The camp emphasized two main themes, soil and water. To acquire data the study called for a mixed method of questionnaires, cognitive maps (drawing exercise), and the 3CM model. In order to measure the awareness of the pre and …

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder In Maltreated Multiracial Youth, Harpreet Kaur

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Lemos-Miller and Kearney (2006) first identified depression as a meditator of (1) dissociation and posttraumatic cognitions and (2) PTSD in maltreated children. In addition, they found that African American status weakened the mediating relationship, whereas multiracial status strengthened the mediating relationship. Multiracial youth in Lemos-Miller and Kearney's study experienced a stronger relationship between depression and PTSD than other ethnic groups.

The present study evaluated the Lemos-Miller and Kearney (2006) model of PTSD among a larger sample of multiracial youth. The present study sought to identify whether the Lemos-Miller and Kearney (2006) finding regarding multiracial youth could be replicated. The presented …

Parent Vs. Teacher Ratings Of Children’S Shyness As Predictors Of Language And Attention Skills, Kathleen Moritz Rudasill, Amanda Prokasky, Xiaoqing Tu, Scott R. Frohn, Kate Sirota, Victoria J. Molfese

Department of Educational Psychology: Faculty Publications

Shyness in childhood has been linked to multiple adjustment outcomes, including poor peer relations, internalizing problems, and clinical anxiety. However, shyness does not consistently emerge as a negative predictor of children’s success. This incongruity may stem, in part, from variations in the operationalization and measurement of shyness in different studies. Researchers often combine parent and teacher ratings of shyness, but correlations between parent and teacher reports are consistently small to medium. The purpose of this study is to examine parent and teacher ratings of shyness as they predict language and attention skills in preschool children, and explore discrepancies between parent …

Variable Bounds Analysis Of A Climate Model Using Software Verification Techniques, Peter Revesz, Robert Woodward

School of Computing: Conference and Workshop Papers

Software verification techniques often use some approximation method that identifies the limits of the possible range of values that variables in a computer program can take during execution. Current climate models are complex computer programs that are typically iterated time-step by time-step to predict the next value of the climate-related variables. Because these iterative methods are necessarily computed only for a fixed number of iterations, they are unable to answer many long-range questions that may be posed regarding climate change, for example, whether there are natural fluctuations or whether a tipping point is reached after which there is no return …

Is ‘How’M I Doin’?’ A Universal Question? Unpackaging Cultural Differences In Feedback Seeking, Rana Gaby Moukarzel

Theses and Dissertations

The feedback literature is based on the premise that given a favorable context and a drive to reduce uncertainties, all individuals should seek self-relevant performance information. However, this framework has only been empirically examined using Western samples and has failed to consider the influence of the broader context, with the exclusion of Sully de Luque and Sommer’s (2000) cultural framework. The purpose of this project was to integrate extant culture theory into the feedback seeking literature for a more comprehensive framework, and a more global understanding of cultural contingencies surrounding the feedback seeking process. Findings revealed the universality of feedback …

The Effects Of A Comprehensive Weight Management Program, Including Nutrition Education, Physical Activity, & Behavior Change Techniques On Weight Loss And Health-Related Behaviors, Christina M. Vergara Aleshire

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Obesity is a major risk factor for several chronic diseases including hypertension, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, postmenopausal breast cancer, colon cancer, pancreatic cancer and all-cause mortality due to the physiological and morphological stresses placed on the body (Britten, Cleveland, Koegel, Kuczynski, Nickols-Richardson, S. 2012; Wu, Gao, Chen, van Dam, 2009). The latest CDC survey reports the US population is at 35.8 percent overweight and 28.1 percent obese, with the State of Nevada following closely at 36.3 percent overweight and 26.2 percent obese. The condition of obesity is characterized by an overall excessive storage of adipose tissue and diseased metabolic …

Isolation And Characterization Of Paenibacillus Larvae Bacteriophages For Use As A Treatment Of American Foulbrood Disease In Honeybees, Diane Gerda Yost

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

American foulbrood disease is a destructive honeybee illness cause by the bacterial pathogen, Paenibacillus larvae. Current methods of treatment are either destructive or do not completely eradicate the infection, and as such, undertaking further research to determine the effectiveness of alternate treatment methods is of consequence.

The therapeutic use of bacteriophage that are capable of lysing host bacterial cells, or phage therapy, is one such potential treatment. Phage are viruses that infect bacteria, and are generally very host-specific. As such, targeting a pathogen would require obtaining phage specific for P. larvae. Therefore, obtaining P. larvae phage requires screening environmental samples …

Development Of A Tool To Assess Children’S Perceptions Of Their Own Balance (The Pediatric Balance Perception Battery): A Pilot Study, Jillian L. Beckett, Ashlee A. Harmon

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Background: Psychosocial aspects of balance including self-perception, behaviors, and experiences, have been found to contribute to activity limitations and participation restrictions in adults. Clinical tools have been established to measure how adults feel about their own balance and the extent to which fear of falling and other related characteristics interfere with participation. There are no clinical tools presently available to explore these relationships and quantify the extent to which they interfere with activity and participation in children.

Purpose: To develop and test reliability and validity of a tool to evaluate balance self-perception in a pediatric population.

Participants: This sample of …

The Effect Of Trigger Point Dry Needling To The Multifidus Muscle On Resting And Contracted Thickness Of Transversus Abdominis In Healthy Subjects, Sarah Buckingham, Crystal Montoya, Daniella Morton

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Study Design: Randomized, blinded, controlled cross-over trial with each subject receiving both interventions within a seven-day span.

Objective: To determine if differences occurred in resting- or contraction-thickness of the transversus abdominis (TrA) muscle following application of trigger point dry needling (TPN) of the lumbar multifidus (MF) muscle in asymptomatic subjects.

Background: Recent studies have shown TPN decreases pain in areas throughout the body. The effect of dry needling the MF on low back pain (LBP), and its effect on core stabilization have not been investigated.

Methods: Forty-three healthy individuals who had not experienced LBP in the previous six months were …

Ability Of Ages And Stages Questionaire 3rd Edition To Identify Children In Need Of Comprehensive Motor Evaluation, Courtney Michele Carmichael, Elizabeth Ann Willison, Qing Zhang

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

PURPOSE: The Ages and Stages Questionnaire Third Edition (ASQ-3) is a widely used screening tool designed to identify children who need comprehensive developmental assessment. Its accuracy for identifying children in need of additional motor assessment has not been determined. The purposes of this study were to establish concurrent validity between ASQ-3 gross motor (GM) and fine motor (FM) scores and their corresponding Peabody Developmental Motor Scales Second Edition (PDMS-2) quotients, and to examine the diagnostic accuracy of the ASQ-3 using the PDMS-2 as a gold standard reference test.

MATERIALS/METHODS: This was a secondary analysis of a previous study in which …

Conceptual Framework Of A Novel Intervention To Improve Mobility In Children With Cerebral Palsy: The Successes And Challenges Of Implementing A Large Amplitude Movement Protocol, Tania Goodwill, Erin Jarrett, Beren Shah, Alanna Stockford

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

While cerebral palsy remains one of the most common childhood disabilities, clinicians continue to face significant challenges developing effective treatment strategies for the widely variable presentation of motor function impairments associated with cerebral palsy. A large gap exists between current research based evidence and feasible clinical practice. The purpose of this paper is to introduce a novel intervention protocol, explore the theoretical framework behind the protocol and provide insight to clinicians about the successes and challenges faced while pilot testing the intervention. The novel intervention was adapted and implemented by researchers combining a large amplitude movement protocol with the well-researched …

Determining The Presence Of Carbapenem Antibiotic Resistance In Clinical Isolates, Fidelis Uzoma Enyinnaya

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Carbapenems are β-lactam antibiotics reserved for the treatment of severe microbial infections, especially those targeting the Enterobacteriaceae. Introduced in the 1980s, carbapenems have been used successfully in hospitals, and in the 1990s resistance was discovered. Carbapenem resistance is conferred through the production of carbapenemases. In the U.S., the most common carbapenemase is Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC). In 2012, the National Healthcare Safety Network reported a carbapenem resistance rate of 13.0% among Klebsiella pneumoniae infections, and indicated that the mortality rate associated with carbapenem resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) infections ranged from 48.0-71.9%. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), carbapenem resistance …

The Grass Shrimp, Palaemonetes, Pugio: Hypoxic Influences On Embryonic Development, Christensen C. Javier

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Grass shrimp,Palaemonetes pugio, can survive in brackish waters and estuarine ecosystems despite the frequent oscillations and fluctuations in salinity, temperature and oxygen. AdultP. pugiohave the ability to osmoregulate (Romney and Reiber 2011), change cardiac parameters to tolerate temperatures (not yet published, Mika and Reiber) and oxyregulate (Guadagnoli and Reiber 2013). Manipulation of cardiac parameters allows for these methods of regulation. However, cardiac contraction and internal convection of oxygen do not occur until later stages of embryonic development. Studies focused on these morphological and physiological advantages may provide further understanding of the regulatory mechanisms within grass shrimp embryos, larvae and adults. …

The Effect Of Early Life Stress On Methamphetamine Damage In The Striatum, Emily Hensleigh

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Methamphetamine (METH) abuse impacts the global economy through costs associated with drug enforcement, emergency room visits, and treatment. Hyperthermia is a leading cause of METH induced emergency room visits and may lead to neural damage. Previous research has demonstrated early life stress, such as childhood abuse, increases the likelihood of developing a substance abuse disorder. However, the effects of early life stress on neuronal damage induced by chronic METH administration are unknown. We aimed to elucidate the effects of early life stress on METH induced dopamine damage in the striatum. Animals were separated three hours per day during the first …

Objects In Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear, Jean Ho

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The short stories in this collection move between two women, Fiona and Jane, who were close friends as teenagers but drift apart in their twenties. The women find each other again, later in life, and ease into an unsettled truce. As a writer I am interested in questions of gender and sexuality, race and ethnicity; in these stories, I have tried to explore the intersections of these identities through Fiona and Jane's lives in Los Angeles and New York, and the histories of their families in Taiwan.

The Lived Experience Of Black African Nurses Educated Within The United States, Amy Elizabeth Smith

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Despite the unprecedented growth of minority populations in the United States, the nursing profession has remained relatively homogenous. Nursing education has increased the number of minority students entering nursing programs; however, attrition rates for minority nursing students are as high as 85% (Gilchrist & Rector, 2007). As the population grows in diversity, the need for nurses who are fluent in foreign languages and who understand minority values, traditions, and cultural practice will be essential in delivering culturally competent care. Improving the retention of minority nursing students is an important step in increasing the diversity within the nursing workforce.

Although several …

Time Correlated Measurements Using Plastic Scintillators With Neutron-Photon Pulse Shape Discrimination, Norman Edison Richardson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Since the beginning of the nuclear age, there has been a strong demand for the development of efficient technologies for the detection of ionizing radiation. According to the United States' Department of Energy, the accurate assessment of fissile materials is essential in achieving the nonproliferation goals of enhancing safety and security of nuclear fuel cycle and nuclear energy facilities [1]. Nuclear materials can be characterized by the measurement of prompt and delayed neutrons and gamma rays emitted in spontaneous or induced fission reactions [2] and neutrons emitted in fission reactions are the distinctive signatures of nuclear materials. Today, the most …