Digital Commons Network^™

“Sometimes The Jocks Are The Nerds…If That Makes Sense”: Boys’ Practice Of Intra-Gender Policing In A High School Where Staff Suggest Inclusivity, Kelly Clark

Education Doctoral

Orthodox masculinity is defined by compulsory heterosexuality, homophobia, and anti-femininity. The literature suggests there is intense peer pressure for boys to conform to orthodox masculinity during adolescence. Boy’s use of intra-gender policing behaviors—joking, teasing, bullying and violence—is meant to force or reinforce strict orthodox masculine performance. Intra-gender policing often leads to shame and humiliation for many boys. Inclusive masculinity theory (Anderson 2009) suggests however, that boys’ culture is changing. The literature documents the existence of inclusive school-based peer cultures where boys are not homophobic, embrace the feminine, and eschew violence. Using inclusive masculinity as the theoretical framework, this study posed …

Elementary School Principals’ Experiences Working With Autism Spectrum Disorder Students In An Urban Setting: A Grounded Theory Study, Kimberly M. Harris

Education Doctoral

With an increase in students being classified as on the Autism Spectrum, the responsibilities of principals have also increased. The rise in the number of students having an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has presented behavioral and academic challenges for public school principals. Research has demonstrated that principals, who focus on instructional issues, who are knowledgeable about special education laws and ASD, can produce enhanced student outcomes. Using a grounded theory design, the present study examined how principals develop their knowledge of students with autism. Study participants were 11 elementary principals who directly supervised ASD classrooms. Data was gathered using individual …

Enhanced-Resolution Processing And Applications Of The Ascat Scatterometer, Richard D. Lindsley

Theses and Dissertations

The ASCAT scatterometer measures the Earth surface microwave radar backscatter in order to estimate the near-surface winds over the oceans. While the spatial resolution of the conventional applications is sufficient for many purposes, other geoscience applications benefit from an improved spatial resolution. Specialized algorithms may be applied to the scatterometer data in order to reconstruct the radar backscatter on a high-resolution grid. Image reconstruction requires the spatial response function (SRF) of each measurement, which is not reported with the measurement data. To address this need, I precisely model the SRF incorporating (1) the antenna beam response, (2) the processing performed …

Blockade Of Tgf-Ss Signaling Through The Activin Type Iib Receptor With The Small Molecule, Sgi-1252, Jordan David Fuqua

Theses and Dissertations

Antagonism of the activin receptor signaling pathway represents a promising potential therapy for the muscular dystrophies and other muscle wasting disorders (i.e., cachexia or sarcopenia). Previous research has shown that antagonism of activin signaling promotes muscle growth, attenuates muscle wasting, and restores function in both wild type and diseased animals. Our laboratory has recently developed a novel small molecule (SGI-1252) that inhibits activin downstream (i.e., Smad2/3 phosphorylation) signaling. Purpose: In this study we determined how eight weeks of orally administered SGI-1252 affected TGF-ß signaling, whole body mass, individual limb muscle mass, and muscle fiber cross sectional area (CSA). Methods: Wild-type …

Using Social Validity To Examine Teacher Perspectives Of Positive Behavior Intervention Support Programs: A Quasi-Replication Study, Jason Leonard Wright

Theses and Dissertations

This study represents a quasi-replication of Lane et al. (2009) investigation into the psychometric properties of the Primary Intervention Rating Scale (PIRS). This rating scale was designed to assess the social validity of primary to high school level Positive Behavior Support intervention plans completed by academic staff. Lane's results indicated the PIRS was a one- factor measure with strong reliability and structural validity. To substantiate these findings an adapted version of the PIRS was distributed to teachers from one Utah school district.Quantitative data and additional comments were collected from elementary and middle school teachers. The results were computed using a …

Evaluation Of Breastfeeding Curricula In Didactic Programs In Dietetics And Dietetic Internships Across The United States, Maria Diane Swiss

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Breastfeeding is known to have many benefits for both mothers and infants. With the Surgeon General's Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding, health professionals have increased their attention on breastfeeding competency. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate breastfeeding curricula that are currently being covered in didactic programs in dietetics (DPDs) and dietetic internships (DIs) across the United States. Methods: Two-part surveys were sent to all directors of DPDs and DIs (n=475) with instructions to forward the second portion of the survey to instructors of classes that taught about breastfeeding. Qualtrics software was used for data …

Authoritative Coaching: Building Youth Through Athletics, Christian S. Brinton

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the existence and extent of the relationship of coaching styles and adolescent athletes in terms of Self Determination Theory (SDT). Specifically, this study adapted Baumrind’s parenting styles of authoritative, authoritarian, and permissiveness to coaching styles and examined the relationship between each coaching style and the tenets of SDT, namely competence, autonomy, and relatedness. This study also examined the effect of the number of years an athlete participated in a chosen sport, the number of years played on a specific team, and the number of years played for a particular coach. The sample …

An Examination Of The Effectiveness Of Systematic And Engaging Early Literacy (Seel) With Children With Asd, Maren Hyatt Davis

Theses and Dissertations

One population with challenges in learning to read is children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of using Systematic and Engaging Early Literacy (SEEL) intervention activities to improve phonological awareness and phonics skills with three children with ASD. Previous studies have looked at the effectiveness of using SEEL with other young children with diverse backgrounds; however, this is the first study to focus on using SEEL intervention with children with ASD. The study used a single-subject, multiple-baseline-across-behaviors design to compare performance on phonic patterns before and after intervention. Three young, male …

Facilitating Corpus Annotation By Improving Annotation Aggregation, Paul L. Felt

Theses and Dissertations

Annotated text corpora facilitate the linguistic investigation of language as well as the automation of natural language processing (NLP) tasks. NLP tasks include problems such as spam email detection, grammatical analysis, and identifying mentions of people, places, and events in text. However, constructing high quality annotated corpora can be expensive. Cost can be reduced by employing low-cost internet workers in a practice known as crowdsourcing, but the resulting annotations are often inaccurate, decreasing the usefulness of a corpus. This inaccuracy is typically mitigated by collecting multiple redundant judgments and aggregating them (e.g., via majority vote) to produce high quality consensus …

School Of Music Faculty/Staff Newsletter, December 2015, School Of Music

School of Music Faculty/Staff Newsletter

Accomplishments and news from the faculty and staff of the School of Music at Illinois State University.

Effects Of Picture Activity Schedules On Tasks Completed, Michael Eric Morrisett

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Self-determination is the freedom to make choices that impact an individual’s life. Many people would agree that self-determination leads to an enhanced quality of life, and choice making is considered a central element in self-determination. Most learn choice making through a gradual release of responsibility by caregivers throughout their childhood and adolescence. Many times, this is not the case for students with autism. Completed research examining choice making and people with autism has shown promising results; however, one of the primary traits of autism, the need for structured routines, often does not lend itself to evaluating choice making. Activity schedules …

What Is Hip? David Garibaldi: His Musical Life, His Influences, And His Contributions, Jeremy Tait Meronuck

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This document presents the chronological development, evolution and activity of David Garibaldi, drummer with the Oakland, California-based band Tower of Power. Garibaldi created his signature drumming voice by continuous study, dedication to the instrument, and incorporating many influences into his performance. His work is known worldwide and is influential to many who play drum set. This document surveys information from past publications; interviews with band members; colleagues, and; David Garibaldi. Each section is divided into periods of time from early development to the present day. Chapters include detailed information on events and influences that led him into music as a …

Forecasting The School-To-Prison Pipeline: A Generative Case Study Of Early Literacy Experiences Of Black Male Youth, Tarryn E. Mcghie

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study examined the early literacy experiences of Black male youth who have dropped out of school and become court involved. Specifically, it examined how these youth’s home, family and school literacy-related experiences have led them into what is known as the School-to-Prison Pipeline (STPP). These experiences included their ability to glean meaning and understand literacy processes, particularly in reading and through oral language, more specifically in their interactions with school faculty and staff.

This study employed a four-pronged conceptual framework, built at the intersection of Critical Race Theory, Adolescent Development, Critical Literacy, and the STPP, in considering the existing …

Factor Analysis Of The Sport Interference Checklist With Collegiate Athletes, Travis Albert Loughran

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

There are a variety of cognitive and behavioral factors that have been indicated to have a negative impact on sport performance. College student-athletes may be at particular risk to evidence problems that interfere with optimal sport performance due to high physical, social, and emotional demands. To fully understand what factors influence student-athlete sport performance, appropriate, psychometrically validated assessment measures are needed. The Sport Interference Checklist (SIC) is an assessment tool that was developed to assess sport performance in both training and competitive situations for student-athletes. The SIC includes two scales, the Problems in Sport Training Scale (PSTS) and the Problems …

A Comparison Of Beliefs And Attitudes About Body Image, Eating And Weight Between Incarcerated And Non-~Incarcerated Females, Anne R. Lindsay

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Abstract

Incarceration and substance abuse are two of the largest public health issues in America. While the U.S. makes up only 5% of the world’s population, it accounts for 25% of its prisoners. Incarceration affects more than 2.2 million individuals who will eventually return to their families and communities with ongoing family, social and health issues. Women in prison are a particularly vulnerable and underserved population, generally of low education and socio-economic status and although they account for a small percent of the prison population, many are mothers of young children who are likely to become incarcerated themselves. Substance abuse …

An Evidence Based Approach To Sepsis: Educational Program, Dolores Perez

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Evidence-based guidelines for recognizing and treating sepsis have been available for decades, yet healthcare providers do not adhere to the recommendations. Sepsis can progress rapidly if not recognized early. Literature reports reveal that sepsis is the leading cause of death in non-cardiac intensive care units (ICUs), and it is one of the most expensive conditions to treat. A hospital in the Las Vegas, Nevada area had previously introduced sepsis management prescriptions in 2011 with no formal education of sepsis guidelines to nurses. The original hospital’s sepsis management prescription sets followed guidelines dated 2008. The purpose of this project was to …

Tweet Vs Status Update: Exploring Ways To Promote Collaborative Argumentation In An Online Classroom Setting, Marissa Christina Owens

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The focus of this study was to answer the following overarching question: How does a Twitter discussion format compare to a Facebook discussion format in terms of promoting collaborative argumentative discourse? Data analysis focused on the difference in amount of arguments, counter-arguments, reasons, and elaborations generated by participants between the two social media platforms. In addition, the impact of participant use of sentence openers on the amount of argument components was also examined. A Mann-Whitney statistical test was conducted to determine the differences between Twitter and Facebook groups in argument components across three small group discussion questions. The results of …

What Do We See: Number Line Estimation With Eye Tracking, Sarah Ann Salas

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The following paper presents a study investigating adult number line estimation patterns through use of an eye tracker. Estimation patterns were examined by changing the range of the number line on which the estimations occur from the typical ranges of 0-100 and 0-1000 to a more difficult range of 0-723. There were two main conditions of the experiment; in one condition the number to estimate and the number line were presented simultaneously, and in the other condition, the number line presentation was delayed. In each of the two conditions of the experiment, eye fixations and area of interest analysis were …

Dissolution Of Nontronite In Low Water Activity Brines And Implications For The Aqueous History Of Mars, Michael Henry Steiner

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Water is essential to life on Earth and is likely to play a role in determining the habitability of other planets. Pure liquid water is not stable on the surface of Mars but brines can temporarily remain liquid, and increasing evidence suggests the presence of recent liquid water, including brines, on Mars. Brines can host life at temperatures as low as -30 ºC and some organisms can live at activities of water as low as 0.61. Therefore, if brines have been present on Mars, they may act as habitable environments.

The Fe-rich smectite nontronite, (CaO0.5,Na)0.3 Fe3+2(Si,Al)4O10(OH)2·nH2O, has been detected on …

Public Sector Compensation: Is The Public School District Superintendent Compensation Worth It?, Ashok Em Sudhakar

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Governor Cuomo of New York, as reported in New York Times, said ( referring to School District Superintendents) : I understand that they sometimes have to manage budgets, and sometimes the budgets are difficult,” “But why they get paid more than the Governor of the state I really don’t understand.” He further stated “We have $500,000 school Superintendents...We can’t pay those kinds of salaries.”

Partial potential answers to Governor Cuomo’s query are: benchmarking is used to determine compensation, there is lack of transparency and the taxpayers are not even aware of the amount paid out to the superintendent and further …

Testing Established Models Of Hydrothermal Fluid Distribution Around Porphyry Deposits: The Application Of Fluid Inclusion Research To Porphyry Deposit Exploration, Wyatt Moyer Bain

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Kabba porphyry copper prospect in northwestern Arizona contains two zones of porphyry style mineralization and alteration, which are spatially separated by a north-south trending normal fault. These two zones are referred to as the Kabba footwall and hanging wall and are hypothesized to represent the root and intermediate depth levels of the same porphyry-like hydrothermal system, respectively. If this hypothesis is correct, then fluid inclusions found in the hanging wall and footwall should have the physical and chemical characteristics of fluid inclusions in the root and intermediate depth levels of other known porphyry deposits. Vein and alteration petrography, fluid …

Assessment Of Orthodontic Patients' Preferences Regarding Treatment From General Dentists Or Orthodontists, Brian Robert Wilde

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study evaluated how parents of prospective orthodontic patients choose between taking their child to a general dentist or an orthodontist for orthodontic treatment. It also looked at which factors influence patients’ satisfaction with the progress of treatment and likelihood to refer other patients to the practice. This study included two phases. The first phase was a qualitative assessment of the decision making process through conducting and analyzing focus groups. The second phase was the development and administration of a nationwide online survey regarding the topics covered in the focus groups. Influential factors in the decision making process fell into …

Transformational Leadership Increases Self-Determination And Positively Impacts Hospitality Frontline Employees, Xiao Zhang

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This professional paper presents literature by exploring the role of self-determination theory between the relationship of transformational leadership and hospitality employees’ well-being. It integrates the present research on leadership style, needs theory and well-being and provides useful and meaningful information for executives and organizations who are dedicated to improve employees’ well-being.

Design And Analysis Of Parallel Algorithms For Multiscale Modeling Of Platelets, Na Zhang

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

This work presents multiscale models and efficient numerical algorithms for analyzing the activation mechanisms of platelets under blood flow conditions at disparate spatiotemporal scales on supercomputers, with applications in initial thrombogenicity study and medical device optimization. Modeling the multiscale structures of platelets and the dynamics of their motion in viscous blood plasma require multiple time stepping (MTS) algorithm to optimally utilize the computing resources. This MTS algorithm improves the computational efficiency while maintaining stability and prescribed precisions. Our study of the dynamic properties of flipping platelets adapts the hybridized dissipative particle dynamics and coarse-grained molecular dynamics methods, which resolve the …

Identification Of Differential Gene Pathways In Microarray Data, Qiao Zhang

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

A gene pathway typically refers to a group of genes and small molecules that work together to control one or more cell functions. In systems biology, pathway analysis is of paramount biological importance, and recent studies revealed that malfunction of gene pathways could induce disease manifestations, such as cancer. Usually, a gene pathway consists of two components: the upstream factors, which are signaling molecules transmitting stimulus from cell surface to nucleus, and the downstream factors, which respond to cell signaling through changes of their expression levels. Although several methods have been reported for analysis of gene pathways, almost all of …

Age Differences In Loneliness: Neural Correlates, Neurogenetics And Functional Connectivity, Alexandra D'Agostino

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

Loneliness, defined as the subjective experience of social isolation, has been linked to poor health outcomes (e.g. depression, cardiovascular disease) and is prevalent among older adult populations. To improve upon current treatments, the interaction between genetic and environmental risk factors for loneliness and their effect on the brain must be better understood. The present study investigated the brain basis of loneliness in younger (mean age = 20.4) and older adults (mean age = 62.9). We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and an emotional picture task to address this question. fMRI data were collected on a 3T Siemens Trio Scanner, …

A Role For Hmgb2 In Mammalian Neurogenesis And Stroke, Robert Bronstein

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

Stroke results in areas of neuronal cell death with concomitant inflammation and edema in the surrounding tissues. Ischemia in the thalamus can present as an accumulation of many smaller lacunar infarcts leading to potential cognitive deficits and central post-stroke pain syndromes, for which curative therapies are lacking. The capacity of the brain to repair itself rests upon the robust response of adult neurogenesis, and gliogenesis, to formidable ischemic conditions. In this study I assess the role chromatin modulator HMGB2 plays in both neurogenesis/gliogenesis and adult thalamic ischemia. Firstly, we demonstrate that this protein can affect the transition between the creation …

The Bacterial Colonization Of Commonly Used Dental Implant Occluding Materials., Brandon G. Katz

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

Title: The Bacterial Colonization of Commonly Used Dental Implant Occluding Materials.  Purpose: To determine the bacterial communities inhabiting commonly used materials intended to block/occlude the screw access channel of dental implant crowns/restorations. To aid in the prevention of peri-implantitis, a material that harbors less pathogenic red and orange complex microbes would be potentially beneficial when microleakage is occurring. A superior material for the purpose of the occlusion of screw access channels in implant-supported prostheses is a material that may provide a surface to which bacteria may not colonize. The choice of an occluding material that is less favorable for bacterial …

The Habits Of Racism: A Phenomenology Of The Lived Experience Of Racism And Racialised Embodiment., Helen Ngo

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

This dissertation examines some of the complex questions raised by the phenomenon and experience of racism. My inquiry is twofold: First, drawing on the resources of Merleau-Ponty, I argue that the conceptual reworking of habit as bodily orientation helps us to identify the more subtle but fundamental workings of racism, to catch its insidious, gestural expressions, as well as its habitual modes of racialised perception. Racism, on this account, is equally expressed through bodily habits, and this in turn raises important ethical questions regarding the responsibility for one's racist habits; as its etymology suggests, habits are not merely passive sedimentations, …

Shadow States: The Archaeology Of Power In The Marshes Of Southern Mesopotamia, Abdulameer M. Al-Dafar

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

Ancient states and early complex societies emerged in areas where urban settlements had the resources to house large populations and where economic and political centers and institutions could be established to run the society. By contrast, marshes, isolated deserts, extreme mountain peaks and thick forests served as refuges for those who wanted to escape from the state. Moreover, taking these examples into consideration, scholars seem to share the assumption that it is unexpected to find urban centers and central political organizations of isolated refuge areas in the ancient world. This dissertation examines the hypothesis that under certain historical and environmental …