Digital Commons Network^™

Evaluation Of Electron Donors For Perchlorate And Nitrate Biodegradation In Contaminated Groundwater Applications, Mayra Alejandra Sarria Cortes

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In the United States, perchlorate contamination has been widely reported, including in Las Vegas, Nevada, where perchlorate has been detected at concentrations of 34.7 mg/kg in vadose zone soil and 0.18-3.7 g/L in groundwater. Once this groundwater reaches the Las Vegas Wash, there is potential for widespread contamination of drinking water sources throughout the Southwest, including in Nevada, Arizona, and California. This issue is becoming increasingly important because even at low perchlorate concentrations, sensitive populations such as infants and pregnant women can be potentially impacted due to perchlorate’s ability to hinder iodine uptake into the thyroid glands, which leads to …

The Effects Of Cryopreservation On Human Dental Pulp-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells, Allison Elaine Tomlin

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Many studies have demonstrated clinical applications for the use of dental pulp stem cells (DPSC) for the treatment of various conditions. This has driven medical and scientific interest in the collection, isolation and banking of DPSC tissues for research into these potential therapies. Few studies to date have evaluated the viability of DPSC following long-term cryopreservation. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of cryopreservation on dental pulp-derived stem cells (DPSC) viability over a period of three years. Dental pulp-derived stem cells were isolated and cultured from thirty-one healthy teeth. DPSC isolates were assessed for doubling-time and …

The Effects Of An Inclined And Declined Slope On Backward Locomotion: A Kinematic And Electromyographic Analysis Of Retrowalking, Song Dan Vo

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of an inclined and declined slopeon kinematic properties and muscle activation magnitudes. This purpose was achieved by using a +10% grade for inclined backward walking (IBW) and -10% grade for declined backwardwalking (DBW) on a treadmill. Eleven participants (24.6 ± 4.1 yrs, 68.5 ± 14.6 kg, 1.7 ± 0.1 m) were recruited from the UNLV student body and were subject to a three day adaptation protocol to allow them to choose a preferred walking speed and to familiarize themselves with such a novel task. Two consecutive practice days included a …

Testing A Comprehensive Model Of Body Image, Anxiety, And Eating Pathology Among College Men, Emily Katherine White

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Historically, researchers conceptualized eating disorders, subclinical eating pathology, and negative body image as issues that only affected women. However, more recent research suggests that men experience significant body image concerns that mirror current Western cultural ideals of appearance (i.e., desire to attain a lean, muscular physique with very little body fat). Theoretically, men with a strong desire to achieve this cultural ideal (i.e., drive for muscularity) may experience dissatisfaction with their appearance (i.e., muscle dysmorphia), unpleasant psychological states (e.g., social physique anxiety), and engage in potentially harmful behaviors related to eating pathology (e.g., body checking) that lead to clinical impairment …

Assessing The Effects Of Interactive Video Modeling On The Fidelity Of Implementation Of Skill-Acquisition Procedures, Steven Sparks

Dissertations

Behavior-analytic study has led to many advances in staff training over the last several decades. The effectiveness of modeling, role-play, and video modeling are well demonstrated in scientific literature but these techniques are often time consuming for those conducting the training which often leads to their being quite costly. Interactive video modeling is an alternative that is potentially more cost and time efficient. This type of modeling consists of embedding response opportunities in traditional video models that require the trainee to answer questions in order to complete the video. Being required to answer the embedded questions causes the trainee to …

Counselor Preparation And Adolescent Youth: A Study Of Clinical Mental Health Counselors, Brian R. Russ

Dissertations

Prevalence data have raised concerns that child and adolescent mental health issues are at an epidemic level. For example, Knopf, Park, and Mulye (2008) suggested that 20-25% of all youth experience symptoms of distress. Researchers have also estimated that one in five adolescents in the United States have a diagnosable mental health disorder, and one in ten with a disorder that would be considered severe (Kessler, Berglund, Demler, et al., 2005; Knopf, Park, & Mulye, 2008). Yet, the training of clinical mental health counselors who work with adolescent populations has received limited attention in the counselor education literature. Although the …

Visual Impairment And Factors Associated With Difficulties With Daily Tasks, Anne T. Riddering

Dissertations

In the past 10 years, the number of American adults with visual impairments has increased from 1 million to 4 million and is expected to double to 8 million people by the year 2050 (The Eye Diseases Prevalence Research Group, 2004; National Eye Institute, 2013). Therapies to treat retinal diseases causing visual impairment, such as diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration (Massof, 2002; Mogk, 2011), have evolved in the past two decades (Gupta et al., 2013; Hooper & Guymer, 2003), but little research has examined recent population and difficulties with performing daily activities. Different types of professionals, including ophthalmologists, optometrists, …

An Analysis Of Campus Violence Threat Assessment Policy Implementation At Michigan Community Colleges, Russell T. Panico Jr.

Dissertations

This dissertation evaluated campus violence threat assessment policy and procedure implementation at the community college level of higher education. The importance of this topic was to provide a manageable and collaborative initiative for leadership at institutions of higher learning to identify, develop, implement, and evaluate a policy that can effectively prevent acts of campus-related violence. A mixed-methods study approach using a Likert-scale survey with supporting open-ended questions was used to guide the exploration. Bardach’s (2016) Eightfold Path for Policy Analysis was the framework used by Michigan community colleges to apply to their own unique situations. This method determined the prevalence …

Development Of Printed Cross-Functional Sensors For Gearbox Lubricant Prognostics, John Omondi Manyala

Dissertations

Lubricant oil degradation is a major cause of failures in transportation machinery such as pumps, engines, and gearboxes. Proactive oil maintenance techniques such as the off-line oil sampling for laboratory analysis are not only costly but are also susceptible to various influences during the oil sampling, transportation and testing. In this study, an on-line oil condition monitoring system is presented with an integrated predictive prognostic scheme, describing the evolution in time of the identified fault indicators for purposes of estimating the remaining useful life of oil in real-time inside the gearbox. The proposed methodology facilitates on-demand gearbox maintenance rather than …

Infant And Young Child Feeding And Care Practices Of Caregivers In Albay, Philippines, J.L. C. Ignacio

Graduate Student's Output

Proper infant and young child feeding (IYFC) is crucial to attaining good health status and development of children, especially during the first two years of life when children are most vulnerable to malnutrition. Recent calamities also necessitate strengthening the promotion and support of appropriate IYFC during calamities. In this study, the relationship between indicators and current IYCF and care practices of caregivers and nutritional status of children aged 0 to 23 months in Albay, Philippines is explored. A total of 234 caregivers were randomly selected for this study using multi-stage stratified random sampling. Results showed that no significant difference were …

Local And State Governments Are Taking The Stage When It Is Fda's Curtain Call - Are Local And State Governments' Safety Warnings Preempted By Federal Law?, Melissa M. Card

Journal of Food Law & Policy

Eliminated from fad diets, sworn off by celebrities, and frantically reformulated out of processed foods, added sugars have been deemed the new nutritional scoundrel. Recent studies from the American Heart Association, the World Health Organization, and the American Cancer Association demonstrate that the consumption of added sugar leads to increased risks of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and gout. While all foods containing added sugar are deemed unhealthy, Sugary-Sweetened Beverages ("SSBs") are said to be especially toxic by the American health community, by virtue of these beverages' being excessively high in added sugar content, low in satiety, and incomplete in compensation …

Vol. 8 No. 1, Fall 2016; Respite For Tantalus: Illinois’S Sexually Violent Persons Commitment Act – Due Process In (In)Action, Brian E. Wilson

Northern Illinois Law Review Supplement

Under current Illinois law, criminals who have been adjudicated guilty of committing certain types of sex offenses can, at any point during their incarceration, be involuntarily committed indefinitely. They are sent to the Treatment and Detention Facility in Rushville, Illinois, where they are to undergo treatment for various disorders, and are not released until the Department of Human Services determines they no longer present a danger of re-offending. While this is the intent of the law, in practice this secondary commitment is violating these offenders' Due Process rights. This Comment examines the Sexually Violent Persons Commitment Act in Illinois; its …

Revolutionized Additive Manufacturing, Matthew Walker, Winthrop Townsend, Luca Fuller

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Will Consumers Be In The "Dark" About Labels On Genetically Engineered And Modified Foods?, Hilary Nat

Journal of Food Law & Policy

In the 1900s, the United States began to sell genetically engineered foods. One of the first genetically engineered foods sold in the United States and approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was the Flavr Savr tomato. The tomato's genetic structure was modified to prevent softening which allowed it to ripen after being picked. In the United States, statistics demonstrate that 92% of com, 94% of soybeans, and 94% of cotton sold is genetically engineered. In addition, it is estimated that 75% of the processed foods sold in supermarkets around the United States contain ingredients that are products of …

Life Cycle Assessment Of Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Traditional Air Pollutants, Water Depletion, And Cumulative Energy Demand From 2-Mw Wind Turbines In Texas, Ali Alsaleh

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

¶One renewable energy source that has witnessed a significant growth in the recent years is wind energy, with the installation of new wind farms around the globe as well as the innovations in wind power technology, which have increased the efficiency of this source. Wind power generates electrical energy from the wind’s kinetic energy without causing emissions or pollution from power production; however, environmental effects are caused by the wind turbine manufacturing, transport, and other phases. Therefore, the overall goal of this study was to analyze the environmental effects associated with wind energy technology by taking into consideration the entire …

Administrative Law, Jennifer B. Alewine, Courtney E. Ferrell, Erin G. Watstein

Mercer Law Review

This Article surveys cases from the Georgia Supreme Court and the Georgia Court of Appeals from June 1, 2015 to May 31, 2016, in which principles of administrative law were a central focus of the case.' Exhaustion of administrative remedies will be the first topic discussed, to be followed by standard of review of an agency decision, then on to statutory construction, with sovereign immunity and discretionary appeals to follow, and the article will conclude with a brief review of enactments from the 2016 regular session of the Georgia General Assembly.

Evidence, John E. Hall Jr., W. Scott Henwood, Jacque Smith Clarke

Mercer Law Review

This year represents the third full survey period during which the "new" Georgia Evidence Code, Official Code of Georgia Annotated (O.C.G.A.) title 24, is in effect. These new rules took effect on January 1, 2013. The rules conform in large part to the Federal Rules of Evidence and have continued to change the face of evidence law in Georgia, which continues to develop from last year. This Survey highlights cases decided by the Georgia Court of Appeals and Georgia Supreme Court between June 1, 2015 and May 31, 2016 that have made an impact on evidence law in Georgia. This …

Domestic Relations, Barry B. Mcgough, Elinor H. Hitt, Katherine C. Mcguire

Mercer Law Review

This Article addresses significant case law that arose in Georgia domestic relations law from June 1, 2015 to May 31, 2016.

Labor & Employment Law, W. Melvin Haas Iii, William M. Clifton Iii, W. Jonathan Martin Ii, Alyssa K. Peters

Mercer Law Review

This Article surveys revisions to the Official Code of Georgia Annotated (O.C.G.A.) and decisions interpreting Georgia law from June 1, 2015 to May 31, 2016 that affect labor and employment relations for Georgia employers.

Chlorpyrifos Removal For Wastewater Reuse, Indran Kamalanathan

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Approximately 1.2 billion people around the world live in areas of physical water scarcity. This could increase to half of the world’s population by 2030 and could displace 24 to 700 million people unless steps are taken to ensure adequate water supply.¹ Water scarcity is an escalating issue within the United States, specifically in Western inland states with arid climates. This scarcity is encouraging communities to investigate tertiary level municipal wastewater treatment, allowing for reuse of wastewater. Unfortunately, wastewater contains numerous contaminants that are not regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). …

Haul Truck Tires Recycling, Omkar Bhave

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The disposal of large Off-the-Road (OTR) tires is an increasingly important concern. These tires can weigh up to 8,450 pounds with an overall diameter and width of approximately 140.7 inches and 45.1 inches respectively. OTR tires are used for mining vehicles such as haul trucks, wheel loaders, backhoes, graders, and trenchers.[1] These new tires cost between $38,000 and $50,000 each, depending on multiple factors including oil prices and the cyclical nature of the industry. Haul trucks contain six tires per vehicle, and mines replace these tires around every 9-12 months.[2] Statistics regarding discarded OTR tires are not provided by the …

The New Radicals: How Wage Labor, Physical Abuse And An Agrarian Crisis Shaped Women's Participation In The Zapatista Rebellion, Patrick E. Brady

Honors Capstones

My experiences in San Cristóbal de las Casas have been the primary motivation for my interest in female Zapatistas. Ever since I concluded my research project, I have had a question that has been largely unanswered by scholars. What are the separate economic and social factors that motivated indigenous Tetzel and Tzotzil men and women to volunteer in the Zapatista Rebellion, and how has feminism influenced indigenous women’s participation in the rebellion? Up to this point, few historians have studied the gendered nature of the causes for indigenous participation in the EZLN. Those who have were concerned with the impact …

Avoiding Linguistic Neglect Of Deaf Children, T. Humphries, P. Kushalnagar, G. Mathur, Donna Jo Napoli, C. Padden, C. Rathmann, S. Smith

Linguistics Faculty Works

Deaf children who are not provided with a sign language early in their development are at risk of linguistic deprivation; they may never be fluent in any language, and they may have deficits in cognitive activities that rely on a firm foundation in a first language. These children are socially and emotionally isolated. Deafness makes a child vulnerable to abuse, and linguistic deprivation compounds the abuse because the child is less able to report it. Parents rely on professionals as guides in making responsible choices in raising and educating their deaf children. But lack of expertise on language acquisition and …

Choosing The Right Wine, Larry Clow

UNH Today Archive

No abstract provided.

A Quality Improvement Project For The Evaluation And Management Of Possible Necrotizing Enterocolitis In Single Ventricle Patients, Laura Miller-Smith, Jennifer Flint, Lisa Laddish

Posters

Background:

Infants with single ventricle (SV) physiology are at high risk for interstage complications, including necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). The underlying pathophysiology and age at presentation differs from NEC literature described in premature infants, making NEC in SV patients challenging to diagnose and treat. We perceive significant variability in the approach to possible NEC in SV patients at our institution.

Aims:

To identify variability & standardize the approach to management of NEC

To create a management algorithm for diagnosing and treating NEC

Methods:

After review of current practice and review of medical literature, an algorithm to guide medical decision making specific …

A Trillion-Dollar Question: What Predicts Student Loan Delinquencies?, Alvaro Mezza, Kamila Sommer

Journal of Student Financial Aid

The recent significant increase in student loan delinquencies has generated interest in understanding the key factors predicting the non-performance of these loans. However, despite the large size of the student loan market, existing analyses have been limited by lack of data. This paper studies predictors of student loan delinquencies using a nationally representative panel data set that anonymously combines individual credit bureau records with Federal Pell Grant and federal student loan recipient information, records on college enrollment, graduation and major, and school characteristics. We show that borrower-level credit characteristics are important predictors of student loan delinquencies. In particular, credit scores …

Incidence Of Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists In The United States Who Own And Use Smartphone As Supplemental Learning Tools, Ruoyu Zhao

Doctoral Projects

Background: Smartphones have a great potential for students to learn more efficiently. Students now have the ability to download applications with pertinent information in the palm of their hand for both educational and clinical duties. This descriptive correlational quantitative research examines whether student registered nurse anesthetists own and use smartphones as supplementary learning tools.

Methods: An online survey was sent through AANA to Masters and DNP student registered nurse anesthetists (SRNAs) in the United States. Respondents were asked if they owned smartphones and how often they used smartphones for educational and clinical duties. Data Analysis was conducted using a Chi-square …

Utilizing Culturally Congruent Educational Interventions To Improve Native American Diabetic Outcomes, Laurie Ann Hamilton

Doctoral Projects

Native Americans suffer from diabetes type II at a proportionately higher rate than other populations. Management of diabetes in this population is problematic and compounded by multiple influences such as socioeconomic, cultural and linguistic variables. The purpose of this DNP project was to investigate cultural influences on Native American diabetic outcomes.

Do cultural influences act as barriers to diabetic medication, diet and education understanding? Would a Native American nurse applied education on medication, diet and exercise improve diabetic outcomes in a 3 month period?

A convenience sample of 6 Native American participants obtained at a primary care clinic were given …

Optimizing Anesthesia Providers’ Timing Of Administration Of Dexamethasone For The Prevention Of Post-Operative Nausea And Vomiting: Translating Clinical Guidelines Into Practice, Tanner Young Mixon

Doctoral Projects

Research has shown that post-operative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is a significant contributing factor to extended recovery times and unwanted hospital admissions following ambulatory surgery. The purpose of this DNP project was to assess current practice regarding administration of dexamethasone for the prevention of PONV, provide information based on best practice guidelines, and assess willingness to change practice based on the guidelines set forth by the Society for Ambulatory Anesthesia (SAMBA). Administration of dexamethasone is aimed at decreasing the incidence of PONV, optimizing PACU times, and increasing patient satisfaction regarding perioperative care.

An electronic presentation and survey were emailed to …

Evaluating The Likelihood Of Use Of Bispectral Index Guided Anesthesia As A Strategy To Reduce Postoperative Delirium In Surgical Patients 65 Years Of Age Or Older, Simon Jack Gibson

Doctoral Projects

Postoperative delirium (POD) is the most common postoperative complication in the elderly, accounting for approximately $164 billion in costs per year in the United States (Inouye, Westendorp, & Saczynski, 2014, p. 911). This complication occurs in as many as 50% of elderly patients, but can be prevented as much as 40% of the time (Inouye et al., 2014). The use of processed encephalographic monitoring, such as Bispectral Index (BIS) monitoring, to guide anesthetic dosage is the single intraoperative intervention with enough evidence to support it as a recommendation for use to reduce POD (American Geriatrics Society, 2015). There were two …