Digital Commons Network^™

“You Will Be Like God Knowing Good And Evil”: Discernment Of Truth And Lies, Jiří Moskala

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

No abstract provided.

The Dis Or Interested Politics Of Discipleship: Some Reflections From The New Testament, Rubén Muñoz-Larrondo

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies

No abstract provided.

Corporatized Higher Education: A Quantitative Study Examining Faculty Motivation Using Self-Determination Theory, Aaron Dale Brown

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The intent of this research is to offer a quantitative analysis of self-determined faculty motivation within the current corporate model of higher education across public and private research universities. With such a heightened integration of accountability structures, external reward systems, and the ongoing drive for more money and institutional prestige, this study examines faculty attitudes towards their work and the institution using Deci and Ryan’s (1985) self-determination theory (SDT).

Under the corporatized model of higher education, a gap is found in the literature that explores the role of SDT’s three innate needs (i.e., autonomy, competency, and relatedness) and their effect …

Implementation And Performance Evaluation Of Acoustic Denoising Algorithms For Uav, Ahmed Sony Kamal Chowdhury

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have become popular alternative for wildlife monitoring and border surveillance applications. Elimination of the UAV’s background noise and classifying the target audio signal effectively are still a major challenge. The main goal of this thesis is to remove UAV’s background noise by means of acoustic denoising techniques. Existing denoising algorithms, such as Adaptive Least Mean Square (LMS), Wavelet Denoising, Time-Frequency Block Thresholding, and Wiener Filter, were implemented and their performance evaluated. The denoising algorithms were evaluated for average Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR), Segmental SNR (SSNR), Log Likelihood Ratio (LLR), and Log Spectral Distance (LSD) metrics. …

The Relationship Between Pediatric Asthma And Obesity In Nevada, Jennifer Anne Lucas

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Asthma and obesity are two of the most common comorbid health problems in the U.S. Currently nearly 8% of Nevada youth are affected by asthma and more than 30% are overweight or obese. Obesity is a risk factor for asthma, yet asthma-related factors such as decreased physical activity and use of oral corticosteroids for asthma control can lead to obesity. This study examined the relationship between asthma and obesity in two pediatric populations in Nevada. It was hypothesized that children with asthma and elevated BMI would have more severe asthma symptoms, decreased lung function, poorer quality-of-life measures, and different atopic …

The Impacts Of Arterial Occlusion, Sex, And Exercise On Arteriogenesis And Functional Vasodilation, Megan Tze-Mei Chu

Master's Theses

The most frequent clinical presentation of peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD) is intermittent claudication, which may be caused by impaired vasodilation. Patients demonstrate both local and systemic impairments in vasodilation, but as the collateral circulation is the primary site of resistance to the ischemic zone, impaired collateral vasodilation would have the greatest potential to induce claudication. Collateral function following arterial occlusion is not well defined, but immature collaterals may demonstrate impaired vasodilation in animal models, although this is potentially improved with exercise training. Furthermore, as females exhibit poorer physical function with ischemia and less improvement with therapeutic exercise, there appears …

Assessment Of Asymmetric Flight On Solar Uas, Eric Belfield

Master's Theses

An investigation was conducted into the feasibility of using an unconventional flight technique, asymmetric flight, to improve overall efficiency of solar aircraft. In this study, asymmetric flight is defined as steady level flight in a non-wings-level state in- tended to improve solar incidence angle. By manipulating aircraft orientation through roll angle, solar energy collection is improved but aerodynamic efficiency is worsened due to the introduction of additional trim drag. A point performance model was devel- oped to investigate the trade-off between improvement in solar energy collection and additional drag associated with asymmetric flight. A mission model with a focus on …

Quantifying Parkinson's Disease Symptoms Using Mobile Devices, Charles R. Aylward

Master's Theses

Current assessments for evaluating the progression of Parkinson’s Disease are largely qualitative and based on small sets of data obtained from occasional doctor-patient interactions. There is a clinical need to improve the techniques used for mitigating common Parkinson’s Disease symptoms. Available data sets for researching the disease are minimal, hindering advancement toward understanding the underlying causes and effectiveness of treatment and therapies. Mobile devices present an opportunity to continuously monitor Parkinson’s Disease patients and collect important information regarding the severity of symptoms. The evolution of digital technology has opened doors for clinical research to extend beyond the clinic by incorporating …

Metabolic Regulation And Cryotolerance Of In Vitro-Produced Holstein Embryos, Melissa Ann Roberts

Master's Theses

In vitro production and transfer of embryos has become a common practice within the dairy industry to efficiently breed superior animals and meet the consumption demand of the growing population. Cyropreservation is necessary for the application of commercialized embryo transfer, however, in vitro-produced embryos show morphological and physiological defects which negatively impact their ability to withstand cryopreservation in comparison to their in vivo counterparts. These artifacts result from culture conditions that cause stress to the embryo during development, leading to an accumulation of intracellular lipids, mitochondrial dysfunction, and ultimately poor ability to withstand freezing and thawing. The objective of …

The Importance Of The Multicomponent Display In Sexual Selection Of Black Morph Girardinus Metallicus (Pisces: Poeciliidae), Erin M. Wojan

Master's Theses

Multicomponent displays are composed of traits, such as coloration, structural ornaments, and behavior, that become integrated and signal information to conspecifics. Estimation of multicomponent displays in fishes often involves measurement of color traits. Fish color measurements are often obtained following immobilization via chemical anesthesia; however, the anesthetics may alter the resulting measurements, for example by darkening the skin. Girardinus metallicus, a poeciliid fish endemic to Cuba, has a multicomponent courtship and aggressive display. Black morph males exhibit black ventral coloration including the gonopodium (copulatory organ) and yellow in the non-black areas of their bodies. I investigated the effects of …

Effect Of Oxygen-Limiting Tidal Conditions On Muscle Metabolism And Structure In The Giant Acorn Barnacle, Balanus Nubilus, Katie O. Grady

Master's Theses

Crustacean muscle fibers are some of the largest cells in the animal kingdom, with fiber diameters in the giant acorn barnacle (Balanus nubilus) exceeding 3 mm. Sessile animals with extreme muscle sizes and that live in the hypoxia-inducing intertidal zone – like B. nubilus – represent ideal models for probing the effects of oxygen limitation on muscle cells. We investigated changes in metabolism and structure of B. nubilus muscle in response to: normoxic immersion, anoxic immersion, or air emersion, for acute (6h) or chronic (6h exposures twice daily for 2wks) time periods. Following exposure, we immediately measured hemolymph …

The Water Table And Soil Moisture Response Following The Removal Of Conifers From An Encroached Meadow, Thomas W. Sanford

Master's Theses

Montane meadows play a key role in the physical and biologic processes of coniferous forests in the western United States. However, due to climate change, over grazing, and fire suppression, conifer encroachment into meadows has accelerated. In some western regions, nearly half of all meadow habitat has been loss due to conifer encroachment. To combat this issue, encroaching conifers can be removed in an attempt to increase meadow habitat and function. While multiple studies have assessed changes in soil structure and vegetation composition, few studies directly investigate changes in hydrology following meadow conifer removal projects. The goal of this study …

The Narrative Performances Of Teenage Girls: Participation, Identity, And Authority As The Foundation For Power, Chere M. Smith

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This thesis explores the ways in which teenage girls use narrative performance to negotiate participation, social and gender identity, and individual authority in order to establish ratified and equal statuses of power within their social peer group. Although previous work on narrative discourse has shown that narratives can act as the catalyst for the complex co/construction of identity especially in social situations of talk, little work has been done to focus on the way teenagers, particularly girls, use this discourse to their benefit as they fulfill social and gender goals in social and conversational settings. Furthermore, while multimodal, narrative performance …

Robbing Your Rival's Piggybank: The Third Circuit Affirms Bad Faith Dismissals In Involuntary Bankruptcies After In Re Forever Green Athletic Fields, Inc., Nathan L. Rudy

Villanova Law Review (1956 - )

No abstract provided.

A Critical Analysis Of Factors That Contribute To Maasai Land Appropriation: The Case Of Maasai Land Appropriation In Kajiado And Narok Counties In Kenya, Ben R. Koissaba

All Dissertations

The aim of this case study was to analyze events, practices, laws, and decrees that have contributed to Maasai land appropriation and acquisition from the perspective of the Maasai in order to make policy recommendations. This case study was both intrinsic (how the Maasai understood the situation of land appropriation and acquisition) and instrumental (what can others learn from the situation of the Maasai).

This study used a form of qualitative research known as a case study. This particular study uses both intrinsic and instrumental case study designs (Denzin and Lincoln, 2006, Stake, 1995). The goal of the intrinsic component …

Mitigating Risks Of Oil Sands Process Affected Water Using Hybrid Constructed Wetland Treatment Systems, Andrew David Mcqueen

All Dissertations

Mining leases in the Athabasca Oil Sands (AOS) region produce extensive volumes of oil sands process-affected water (OSPW) containing constituents that limit beneficial uses, including discharge into receiving aquatic systems. The aim of this research is to provide a scalable approach using hybrid constructed wetland treatment systems for the mitigation of problematic constituents in OSPW. In the first experiment in this dissertation, OSPW was characterized to identify constituents of concern (COCs) using chemical, physical, and toxicological analyses. Following identification of COCs, bench-scale manipulations (termed process-based manipulations [PBMs]) were used to remove or alter “classes” of COCs in an effort to …

Affordance-Based Design Product Evolution Using Customer Feedback, Ivan Mata

All Dissertations

Designers can benefit from involving the user in the product development process. Understanding how users perceive products can help designers make decisions that better accommodate user needs. Though several methods have been created that involve the user at different stages of the design process, there is still no clear connection between user perceptions and product improvements. Affordance Based Design (ABD) provides the theoretical background needed to explore such connections. ABD is a systematic de-sign method that uses the concept of affordances to describe the interactions between users and products. The integration of ABD and genetic algorithms (GAs) is proposed as …

Genetic Study Of Grain Yield And Quality Traits In Sorghum, Richard E. Boyles Iii

All Dissertations

Farming begins with a seed, and having the proper genetics within that seed to match the environment and management practices is critical. Plant breeders can be more effective at tailoring crop cultivars and hybrids when the genetic mechanisms of key traits are understood. The scope of this study was to investigate the natural diversity, genetic regions, and individual genes that are associated with components of grain yield and quality in sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L) Moench]. These traits were characterized in different environments, years, and populations to observe the variation and interactions that exist and allow for genome-wide association studies (GWAS) …

Evaluation Of 1,4-Dioxane Biodegradation Under Aerobic And Anaerobic Conditions, Francisco J. Barajas Rodriguez

All Dissertations

Used mainly as a solvent stabilizer, 1,4-dioxane is present at many sites contaminated along with chlorinated solvents and other chemical compounds. Considered a probable human carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, this contaminant has raised considerable concerns because of its potential adverse effects on health. Therefore, remediation of 1,4-dioxane has gained importance, and although there are several approaches for its treatment, such as ex situ physicochemical processes, bioremediation is a key alternative because it is a low energy demanding process. Anaerobic conditions are present at most contaminated sites, however, there is insufficient scientific evidence for anaerobic biodegradation of 1,4-dioxane. …

The Unbearable Lightness Of Balancing: Towards A Theoretical Framework For The Doctrinal Complexity In Proportionality Analysis In Constitutional Adjudication

UBC Law Review

No abstract provided.

Privacy Protection And Aggregate Health Data: A Review Of Tabular Cell Suppression Methods (Not) Employed In Public Health Data Systems, Gregory J. Matthews, Ofer Harel, Robert H. Aseltine Jr.

Mathematics and Statistics: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Public health research often relies on individuals’ confidential medical data. Therefore, data collecting entities, such as states, seek to disseminate this medical data as widely as possible while still maintaining the privacy of the individual for legal and ethical reasons. One common way in which this medical data is released is through the use of Web-based Data Query Systems (WDQS). In this article, we examined WDQS listed in the National Association for Public Health Statistics and Information Systems (NAPHSIS) specifically reviewing them for how they prevent statistical disclosure in queries that produce a tabular response. One of the most common …

Discrete Mutations In Colorectal Cancer Correlate With Defined Microbial Communities In The Tumor Microenvironment, Michael B. Burns, Emmanuel Montassier, Juan Abrahante, Timothy K. Starr, Dan Knights, Ran Blekhman

Biology: Faculty Publications and Other Works

Variation in the gut microbiome has been linked to colorectal cancer (CRC), as well as to host genetics. However, we do not know whether genetic mutations in CRC tumors interact with the structure and composition of the microbial communities surrounding the tumors, and if so, whether changes in the microbiome can be used as a predictor for tumor mutational status. Here, we characterized the association between CRC tumor mutational landscape and its proximal microbial communities by performing whole exome sequencing and microbiome profiling in tumors and normal colorectal tissue samples from the same patient. We find a significant association between …

Risk-Aware Planning For Sensor Data Collection, Jeffrey Hudack

Dissertations - ALL

With the emergence of low-cost unmanned air vehicles, civilian and military organizations are quickly identifying new applications for affordable, large-scale collectives to support and augment human efforts via sensor data collection. In order to be viable, these collectives must be resilient to the risk and uncertainty of operating in real-world environments. Previous work in multi-agent planning has avoided planning for the loss of agents in environments with risk. In contrast, this dissertation presents a problem formulation that includes the risk of losing agents, the effect of those losses on the mission being executed, and provides anticipatory planning algorithms that consider …

Investigation Of Dynamic Biological Systems Using Direct Injection And Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry, Adam Clayton Swensen

Theses and Dissertations

In biological systems, small changes can have significant impacts. It is, therefore, very important to be able to identify these changes in order to understand what is occurring in the organism. In many cases, this is not an easy task. Mass spectrometry has proven to be a very useful tool in elucidating biological changes even at a very small scale. Several different mass spectrometry based techniques have been developed to discover and investigate complex biological changes. Some of these techniques, such as proteomics, have been through years of development and have advanced to the point that anyone can complete complex …

The Effects Of L-Cysteine On Alzheimer's Disease Pathology In Apoe2, Apoe3, And Apoe4 Homozygous Mice, Stephen Gerard Cieslak

Theses and Dissertations

The APOE gene is of profound importance regarding the onset of Alzheimer's disease (AD). From the small physical differences among the protein products of the isoforms of this gene arises a profound difference in their physiologies. For example, the APOE2 isoform confers resistance to AD, the APOE3 isoform confers neutral susceptibility to AD, and the APOE4 isoform confers proneness to AD. L-cysteine is an amino acid that has several anti-AD properties, among which are its ability to sequester iron and form glutathione – a powerful antioxidant – and therefore may be a promising potential dietary supplement for ameliorating AD …

Managing The Spread Of Alfalfa Stem Nematodes (Ditylenchus Dipsaci): The Relationship Between Crop Rotation Periods And Pest Re-Emergence, S. Jordan, Claudia Nischwitz, R. Ramirez, Luis F. Gordillo

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

Alfalfa is a critical cash/rotation crop in the western region of the United States, where it is common to find crops affected by the alfalfa stem nematode (Ditylenchus dipsaci). Understanding the spread dynamics associated with this pest would allow growers to design better management programs and farming practices. This understanding is of particular importance given that there are no nematicides available against alfalfa stem nematodes and control strategies largely rely on crop rotation to non-host crops or by planting resistant varieties of alfalfa. In this paper we present a basic host-parasite model that describes the spread of the …

Spatial Distribution Of Antibiotic Resistance In Soils Receiving Beef Feedlot Runoff, Scott Speicher

Department of Environmental Engineering: Theses and Other Student Research

A study was conducted to provide new insight on the potential contribution to antibiotic resistance from the land application of beef feedlot runoff to soil. This study reports the distribution and quantity of antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARBs), fecal indicator bacteria (FIB), and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in soil from (i) a field receiving long-term application of beef feedlot runoff holding pond effluent and (ii) a cool-season pasture with no history of supplemental manure application.

Soil samples were collected June 2015 at the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center near Clay Center, Nebraska. A response surface sampling design (RSSD) model based on …

Metal And Glass: An Investigation Of Possible Historic Period Native American Sites In Wind Cave National Park, Morgan C. Beyer

Department of Anthropology: Theses and Student Research

The Black Hills region was one of the last areas of the American West where Native tribes were able to escape the intervention of the federal government. Because of this and the cultural ties that many Plains Indian tribes hold to the area, this region would seem to be one where non-reservation historic period Native American sites are abundant. The goals of this research were to identify markers that could be utilized by archaeologists to differentiate Native American sites and Euro American sites from the same historic time period in the Black Hills Region, positively identify the occupation of certain …

Illuminating Hopewell Legacy Data: A Case Study Of Mound 23 At Hopewell Mound Group, Margaret Robinson

Department of Anthropology: Theses and Student Research

Digital archives present new opportunities for transparency, context and accessibility by digitizing and publishing limitedly accessible collections of archival documents and artifacts. Due to the destructive nature of archaeological inquiry these datasets are the only remaining materials from which archaeologists can make interpretations about past human behavior. The objective of this thesis was to be a case study for the usability of legacy data from Hopewell Mound Group by examining newly accessible data sources through the Ohio Hopewell digital archive (hopewell.unl.edu). The resulting databases for the burial data and artifacts of Hopewell Mound Group’s Mound 23 are a combination of …

Nuclear Factor [Erythroid-Derived 2]-Like 2’S (Nfe2l2) Gene Expression In Feed Efficiency And Oxidative Stress In Avian Muscle, Devin Wayne Cook

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Oxidative stress may play a role in the phenotypic expression of feed efficiency (FE). The transcription factor NFE2L2 (nuclear factor erythroid-derived 2-like 2) coordinates antioxidant response to oxidative stress and its activity is tightly regulated in part by KEAP1 (Kelch like-ECH protein 1) and the E3 ligase CUL3 (Cullin3). Thus, one objective was to determine mRNA expression of NFE2L2, KEAP1, and CUL3 as well as three antioxidant targets [glutathione peroxidase (GPx-1), superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1), and superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2)] in breast muscle of immature pedigree broiler males (8 wk), immature Japanese quail males (4 wk) divergently selected for high …