Digital Commons Network^™

Filling The Gaps In Canada's Climate Change Strategy: "All Litigation, All The Time…"?, Cameron Jefferies

Fordham International Law Journal

This Article is organized into five parts. Part I situates Canada’s climate change experience. In Part II, Canada’s regulatory response to climate change and its gaps are positioned within a troubling ongoing federal retreat from the environmental arena that seems to favor resource extraction and export. Parts III to V discuss the possibility for increased human rights-based climate litigation in the Canadian context—even in light of past failures—and consider an emerging public law approach. The Article concludes by commenting on the prospect of the climate change problem playing out in Canadian courts.

The (Inter)Natioanl Strategy: An Ivory Trade Ban In The United States And China, Morgan V. Manley

Fordham International Law Journal

This Note argues that a near-complete ban in ivory trade not only raises difficult domestic legal issues, but also does little to stop elephant poaching in Africa. Further, enacting a similar ban in China is not only unrealistic, but also would increase the illegal trade and, therefore, the slaughter of elephants in Africa. Part I explains the history of illegal ivory trade and describes the current legal environments in the United States and China. Part II presents the domestic legal and policy implications of an ivory ban, and analyzes the potential difficulties with implementing a similar ban in China. Part …

Beyond Bivariate Correlations: Three-Block Partial Least Squares Illustrated With Vegetation, Soil, And Topography, Daehyun Kim, Thomas J. Dewitt, César S. B. Costa, John A. Kupfer, Ryan W. Mcewan, J. Anthony Stallins

Biology Faculty Publications

Ecologists, particularly those engaged in biogeomorphic studies, often seek to connect data from three or more domains. Using three-block partial least squares regression, we present a procedure to quantify and define bi-variance and tri-variance of data blocks related to plant communities, their soil parameters, and topography. Bi-variance indicates the total amount of covariation between these three domains taken in pairs, whereas tri-variance refers to the common variance shared by all domains. We characterized relationships among three domains (plant communities, soil properties, topography) for a salt marsh, four coastal dunes, and two temperate forests spanning several regions in the world. We …

Maternal Maslow: Evaluating Patient Follow-Up And Treatment Goal Completion For Prenatal Referrals In A Women’S Health Clinic, Julia Terman

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Prenatal screeners in Obstetrics (OB) clinics can quickly and accurately identify health risks such as nutrition, lack of dental care, depression, anxiety or financial issues that not only impact the health of the mother but of the baby as well. With appropriate referrals and follow-up by the patient, the health of the next generation can be greatly enhanced by a simple screen and referral to treatment programs, as long as the patient is following through with referrals. This research identified patient follow-up to referral and treatment goal completion rate through a standardized screen and referral process in a local OB …

Temporal And Spatial Nutrient Trends Of The Lower Boise River, Southwest Idaho, Brian M. Yelen

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Elevated nutrients, orthophosphate and nitrate, in the Lower Boise River (LBR) in southwest Idaho may be attributed to contamination from agriculture runoff draining into tributaries and/or waste water treatment plants (WWTP). To better understand the sources and associated spatial and temporal dynamics of nutrient loading to the LBR, a series of high resolution synoptic sampling events were conducted. Six separate synoptic sampling events were conducted along approximately 65 miles, from upstream near the city of Boise to the confluence with the Snake River, seasonally from July 2012 to October 2013 with a sampling increment of approximately 0.5 miles. The samples …

Analysis Of Novel Mta Nucleosidase Inhibitors As Anti-Parasitic Agents, Teslin Marie Botoy

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The parasitic protozoa Giardia intestinalis and Entamoeba histolytica are major health concerns and responsible for hundreds of millions of cases of intestinal disease per year. Strains of both parasites have been discovered that show resistance to metronidazole, the most prevalent treatment for these pathogens. Thus, there is a need to identify new drugs and drug targets to combat the growing threat of drug resistant parasites. The parasite enzyme methylthioadenosine nucleosidase (MTN) is one such potential target. Traditional drug development processes take almost a decade and hundreds of millions of dollars to complete. In an effort to shorten that timeline and …

Stable Isotopes Reveal A Disconnect Between Biotic And Abiotic Hydrological Processes In A Seasonally-Dry, Semi-Arid Watershed, Ryan James Mccutcheon

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Until recently, it had been thought that humid catchment woody plants transpired primarily mobile soil water that would otherwise flow to streams or recharge groundwater. However, several recent studies have suggested that trees in seasonally-dry humid catchments use primarily tightly-bound, immobile soil water that does not fully mix with new precipitation or participate in translatory flow. McDonnell (2014) called this existence of two, hydrologically-distinct, water pools “the two water worlds hypothesis.” This ecohydrological behavior has important implications for understanding a wide range of catchment processes, including the spatial and temporal variability of evapotranspiration and nutrient cycling, and our abilities to …

The Interrelationships Among Perceived Parenting Styles, Psychological Entitlement, And Subjective Well-Being, Emily A. Dreiling

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Ichthyoplankton Distribution And Assemblage Within And Around The Saco River Plume, Tracey Bauer

All Theses And Dissertations

A majority of research has focused on the importance of large river plumes for ichthyoplankton survival and recruitment. However, the impacts of smaller, more ephemeral river plumes, such as those commonly found in the Gulf of Maine, on ichthyoplankton are far less understood. The purpose of the current study was to use a small river plume located in the southern Gulf of Maine as a model system to increase our understanding of their effects on ichthyoplankton distribution and diversity, and determine what biotic and abiotic factors may be influencing any differences observed. Plankton tow sampling revealed that although ichthyoplankton abundance …

The Effects Of Triiodothyronine, Glucose, Alanine, And Iodide As Nutrients On The Survival And Successful Metamorphosis Of Aeolidiella Stephanieae Veligers, Bryan Tate

All Theses And Dissertations

During early life stages, nutrients are crucial to the proper development of larval marine invertebrates. Many such larvae are lecithotrophic and therefore do not actively feed; however, a large body of research has shown that lecithotrophic larvae take in dissolved organic material (DOM) including amino acids and sugars, contributing heavily to metabolic requirements. Another dissolved nutrient, iodine, is useful to marine invertebrates for the production of organic compounds. Some of these compounds (thyroid hormones, THs) are historically thought to be used almost exclusively by vertebrates, though studies have shown that THs are also useful to some marine invertebrates for developmental …

Transport Regimes And Spread Of The Common Reed, Phramites Australis, In The Saco River, Me, Usa, Michelle A. Slater

All Theses And Dissertations

Allee effects are important to species invasions because population growth may be limited by low outcrossing potential in newly founded populations leading to depressed levels of fitness. Non-native Phragmites australis (common reed) has been present in the United States for over 200 years, but has been slow to reach some areas, possibly owing to the Allee phenomenon, whereby young or isolated Phragmites patches with initially low genotypic richness are slow to recruit viable seedlings due to inbreeding, which limits the rate of patch expansion. In order to explore the importance of the Allee effect in a recently invaded system, the …

The Ecology And Evolution Of Natal Philopatry In Migratory Songbirds Breeding In Managed Habitats, Jenna A. Cava

All Theses And Dissertations

Knowledge of which cues attract natal dispersers back to natal areas is important for conservation because these cues could be used to attract breeders to source habitat or discourage breeders from settling in sink habitat. We examined the influence of intrinsic and extrinsic variables on natal philopatry using two metrics, short-distance natal dispersal and the probability of philopatry to the natal field, in two obligate grassland bird species breeding in an agricultural landscape: the Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) and Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis). We also measured heritability and evolvability of morphological traits in the Savannah Sparrow. During 2002-2014 we detected 90 …

Community-Acquired Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (Ca-Mrsa) Usa300 Perturbs Acquisition Of Lysosomal Hydrolases And Requires Phagosomal Acidification For Survival In A Human Macrophage Cell Line, Zachary Ronald Tranchemontagne

All Theses And Dissertations

Community-acquired Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) strain USA300 is a major cause of invasive drug-resistant skin and soft tissue infections in humans. Although S. aureus is a well-recognized extracellular pathogen, recent reports that USA300 survives inside host macrophages suggest that the intramacrophage environment may be a niche for persistent infection. Intramacrophage survival requires bacteria to avoid destruction in the phagosome; however, mechanisms by which USA300 evades phagosomal defenses are unclear. We examined the fate of the USA300-containing phagosome in human THP-1 macrophages by evaluating phagosomal acidification and maturation, and by testing the impact of phagosomal conditions on bacterial viability. Utilizing confocal …

Canonical Bmp Signaling Is Required For Allodynia In Drosophila Melanogaster, Taylor L. Follansbee

All Theses And Dissertations

In the United States alone over 100 million people suffer from chronic pain and unfortunately, even still, there is a lack in scientific understanding for the mechanisms of abnormal pain sensitivity. The present study utilized a candidate gene approach to identify novel components required for modulation of the tissue damage induced pain sensitization pathway in Drosophila melanogaster. We have shown that RNAi silencing of decapentaplegic (dpp), a member of the Bone Morphogenetic Protein (BMP) signaling pathway, specifically in the class IV multidendritic nociceptor neurons significantly attenuated UV-induced nociceptive sensitization. Furthermore, overexpression of dpp in nociceptor neurons was sufficient to …

Confidence And Connectedness: A Mixed Methods Study On Patients Managing Co-Occuring Physical And Behavioral Health Conditions, Peter Young Fifield

All Theses And Dissertations

Treating chronic illness is becoming increasingly team based, yet most team building concepts relate to the team as a dichotomous unit: the medical team and the patient. Patients are expected to be “engaged” and “activated” members of the team, yet there is a gap in knowledge regarding how patients most effectively integrate into the team. Exacerbating the complexity of patient as team member is the multifaceted, ever-changing mood state of patients with co-occurring medical and mental health conditions. The medical field is well aware of the correlations between mental health and chronic illnesses. The purpose of this study is to …

A Study Of Elementary Teachers’ Conceptions Of Nature Of Science And Their Beliefs About The Developmental Appropriateness And Importance Of Nature Of Science Throughout A Professional Development Program, Elif Adibelli

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This qualitative study aimed to explore the changes in elementary science teachers’ conceptions of nature of science (NOS) and their beliefs about the developmental appropriateness and importance of NOS after participating in an academic, year-long professional development program (PDP) as well as the factors facilitating these changes. The PDP consisted of two phases. In the first phase, the participants received NOS training designed with an explicit-reflective instructional approach. In the second phase, the participants implemented several NOS training activities in their classrooms. Four elementary science teachers who volunteered and completed all components of the PDP (i.e., the NOS training and …

Paenibacillus Larvae Spore Germination And American Foulbrood Disease Development In Honey Bee Larvae, Israel Alvarado

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Honey bee (Apis mellifera) pollination plays an important role in meeting our agricultural needs, yet we are incapable of completely preventing a decline in bee health, partially due to bacterial diseases. American Foulbrood (AFB), a bacterial disease of honey bee larvae, is particularly troublesome because the infectious agent is the bacterial spore of Paenibacillus larvae. Bacterial spores are resistant to extreme temperatures, unaffected by antibiotics, withstand exposure to disinfectants, and can remain dormant for years until they can revert back to vegetative cells.

Our research investigated P. larvae spore germination at the functional and pathogen-host level. We have found that …

The Development Of Language And Identity: A Sociocultural Study Of Five International Graduate Students Living In The U.S., Alexandra Dema

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this sociocultural study was to analyze the longitudinal process of identity development of international graduate students as their lives unfolded across time and experience in the second languaculture. Furthermore, it was aimed at exploring what role is attributed to second language in this process. The study relied on the mainstream sociocultural perspectives on individual development that originated from Vygotsky’s work and were further elaborated by his followers to address the issues of identity and language development of second language learners. As part of such perspectives, it integrated the unit of perezhivanie into the examination of individual experiences …

Fluoride And Phosphate Removal From Industrial And Domestic Wastewaters Using Cerium Chloride, John Michael Gonzales

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The use of cerium chloride (CeCl3) to remove fluoride and phosphate from waters is addressed in this study. High concentrations of fluoride exist in groundwater especially in developing countries. Consumption drinking water containing high levels of fluoride can lead to serious cases of dental and skeletal fluorosis. Current defluoridation technologies are limited, especially for high levels of fluoride, and are expensive. Industrial wastewaters contribute to the highest fluoride contamination in the world. With the increasing production of electronic materials, the global fluoride concentration and fluoride-contaminated waters have grown tremendously. Excessive discharge of phosphate into the environment promotes eutrophication of lakes …

Stable Isotope Analysis Of Bison Latifrons And Paleoecological Inferences, Fabian Ceron Hardy

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Bison latifrons was a large Pleistocene herbivore that is traditionally hypothesized to have been adapted to living in forest openings and woodlands. According to this view, the species was primarily a browser of high-growing, woody plants. Very little isotopic work has been conducted on this species, and there have been no prior studies of high altitude localities containing this species. This study aims to address both of these issues.

B. latifrons is known from sites in several states, including California, Idaho, Colorado, Nevada, and Florida, among others. These sites provide diverse examples of this species’ habitat and the opportunity to …

Cultivation-Dependent Analysis Of Microorganisms Associated With Various Hydraulic Fracturing Fluids, Anthony Harrington

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The overarching goal of this study is to gain more insight to the microbial interactions associated with hydraulic fracturing by studying the culturable microorganisms present in various types of hydraulic fracturing fluids. Extraction of natural gas and other unconventional resources using hydraulic fracturing has increased in the last decade and very few studies have been conducted on the microorganisms associated with the various water types used in the process. From the very few published studies, the only cultivation-dependent method used involved determining the most probable number (MPN) of various metabolic groups, however the researchers failed to ask more in-depth questions …

Hydrothermal Routes To Technetium Cluster Compounds, William M. Kerlin

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Transition metals of groups six through nine exhibit unique direct multiple metal-metal bonding cores. Technetium is a group seven transition metal and is the lightest radioelement in the periodic table. Technetium exhibits nine oxidation states (from -I to VII) and an extensive set of mixed oxidation states due to bi- or poly- nuclear complex formation. Technetium has no stable isotopes and thirty four technetium isotopes have been discovered. Two main isotopes are of great importance ⁹⁹Tc and its metastable nuclear isomer ^99mTc. The isotope ^99mTc (T_1/2 = 6.01 hours, γ = 140.5 keV) is used in …

Versatile Synthetic Methods For Photoluminescent Pyrylium Tosylates, Jung Jae Koh

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Pyrylium salts are an important class of cationic organic molecules that exhibit good absorption, fluorescence, and photo-induced electron transfer properties. They can also function as precursors for synthesis of different heterocyclic organic molecules such as furan, pyridine, pyridinium salt, and betaine dyes. This thesis describes versatile methods of synthesis for a series of 2,4,6-triarylsubstitued pyrylium tosylates with different substituents by using p-toluenesulfonic acid monohydrate instead of conventional acid catalysts including perchloric acid or boron trifluoride diethyl etherate that accompany explosion danger and difficult storage problem, respectively. The chemical structures were established by ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopic techniques …

The Effects Of Honeybee (Apis Mellifera) Antimicrobial Peptides On Paenibacillus Larvae, Jasmin Camille Khilnani

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

American Foulbrood Disease (AFB) is the most detrimental bacterial disease that affects honeybee larvae (Apis mellifera) worldwide. The etiological agent of AFB is the Gram-positive, spore-forming bacterial pathogen, Paenibacillus larvae. Treatment with antibiotics, specifically oxytetracycline, has led to the development of antibiotic resistance in P. larvae. Therefore, there is a pressing need for an alternative treatment method. The overall goal of this project was to test naturally occurring, active antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), which are produced in the adult honeybee, against vegetative P. larvae. These active AMPs could potentially be used as a prophylactic treatment to prevent P. larvae infection of …

Development Of A Decision Support Framework For The Planning Of Sustainable Transportation Systems, Pankaj Maheshwari

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

With the rapid increase in economic development throughout the world, there is stress on the resources used to support global economy, including petroleum, coal, silver, and water. Currently, the world is consuming energy at an unprecedented rate never seen before. The finite nature of such non-renewable natural resources as petroleum and coal puts pressure on the environmental system, and ultimately reduces the availability of resources for future generations. Hence, it is critical to develop planning and operational strategies that seek to achieve a sustainable use of existing natural resources.

With this motivation, this dissertation focuses to develop a decision support …

Design Guideline To Select Systems And Strategies To Achieve Adequate Indoor Air Quality In The Mojave Desert Climate Region, Nicholas Robert Williams Inouye

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The awareness of climate change has led to many energy-related changes in

building behavior and space conditioning systems. Unfortunately, these changes often

led to the degradation of indoor air quality (IAQ) in residential construction. In an effort

to improve IAQ, a design guideline was developed for homeowners in the Mojave

Desert. A case study designed for the U.S. Department of Energy, Race to Zero

Student Design Competition was used to develop the design guideline. The design

guideline and compilation of codes and standards that affect both IAQ and space

conditioning shall be used in tandem by Mojave Desert homeowners to …

The Presence Of Clostridium Difficile On Environmental Surfaces In Healthcare Facilities Pre- And Post-Decontamination Of Patient Rooms, Theresa Trice

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are infections related to receiving medical care. HAIs are responsible for an excess of morbidity and mortality among hospitalized patients. Though most HAIs rates are on the decline, Clostridium difficile infection rates are at an all-time high, primarily due to the persistence of C. difficile spores in the environment. In the United States, Clostridium difficile-related mortality rates per million have increased from 5.7 in 1999 to 23.7 in 2004, with an estimated 26,642 deaths due to Clostridium difficile infections (CDIs). Clostridium difficile is transmitted via the fecal-oral route or aerosolized endospores, but it can also be transmitted …

An Investigation Into Human To Dog Attachment Systems And Their Influence On The Degree Of Aversion Used In Training, Shelly Volsche

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of my Master’s Thesis research is to determine if and what type of relationship exists between owner-to-dog attachment levels and the degree of aversion used in dog training. I also sought to determine if owner characteristics such as parental status, income, gender, and the like influenced the degree of aversion used. My primary hypothesis is that a negative correlation exists between attachment to one’s dog and aversion used in training. That is, as attachment scores increase, aversion scores decrease. In addition to testing this hypothesis, I collected data to determine if there are correlations between the following: gender …

Chesapeake Bay Nitrogen Fluxes Derived From A Land-Estuarine Ocean Biogeochemical Modeling System: Model Description, Evaluation, And Nitrogen Budgets, Yang Feng, Marjorie A.M. Friedrichs, John Wilkin, Hanqin Tian, Qichun Yang, Eileen E. Hofmann, Jerry D. Wiggert, Raleigh R. Hood

Faculty Publications

The Chesapeake Bay plays an important role in transforming riverine nutrients before they are exported to the adjacent continental shelf. Although the mean nitrogen budget of the Chesapeake Bay has been previously estimated from observations, uncertainties associated with interannually varying hydrological conditions remain. In this study, a land-estuarine-ocean biogeochemical modeling system is developed to quantify Chesapeake riverine nitrogen inputs, within-estuary nitrogen transformation processes and the ultimate export of nitrogen to the coastal ocean. Model skill was evaluated using extensive in situ and satellite-derived data, and a simulation using environmental conditions for 2001–2005 was conducted to quantify the Chesapeake Bay nitrogen …

Reliability Of Oscillometric Central Hemodynamic Responses To An Orthostatic Challenge, Lee Stoner, Chantel Bonner, Daniel Credeur, Danielle Lambrick, James Faulkner, Daniel Wadsworth, Michelle A. Williams

Faculty Publications

Background: Monitoring central hemodynamic responses to an orthostatic challenge may provide important insight into autonomic nervous system function. Oscillometric pulse wave analysis devices have recently emerged, presenting clinically viable options for investigating central hemodynamic properties. The purpose of the current study was to determine whether oscillometric pulse wave analysis can be used to reliably (between-day) assess central blood pressure and central pressure augmentation (augmentation index) responses to a 5 min orthostatic challenge (modified tilt-table).

Methods: Twenty healthy adults (26.4 y (SD 5.2), 55% F, 24.7 kg/m² (SD 3.8)) were tested on 3 different mornings in the fasted …