Digital Commons Network^™

The Effects Of Selection For High Voluntary Wheel-Running Behavior On Nutrient Canal Abundance And Size, Nicolas Lawrence Schwartz

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Variations in skeletal morphology have often been used to interpret an organism’s overall activity level when direct observation is not possible. Although skeletal change in response to exercise is well documented, the skeleton’s response to mechanical loading is modulated by several factors (e.g. age, hormones, sex). Additionally, variation in skeletal morphology is partially a result of genetic variation, which is rarely accounted for in inferences of locomotor activity from skeletal remains. However, blood flow to long bones serves as a proxy for bone metabolic activity, which can be used to infer locomotor activity. Long bones receive blood from three sources, …

Tragic Mulatta 2.0: A Postcolonial Approximation And Critique Of The Representations Of Bi-Ethnic Women In U.S. Film And Tv, Hadia Nouria Bendelhoum

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study analyzes the representations of five bi-ethnic women characters in U.S. mass media both before and after U.S. “post-racial” era, to find and expose evidence of the continuity and perpetuation of racist stereotypes against biracial/bi-ethnic women. I utilize a thematic textual analysis, supported by the theories, ideas, and critical views of postcolonial theorists Frantz Fanon, Gayatri Spivak, and Edward Said, and composed of three prominent themes which expose the nature of the representations of lead bi-ethnic characters in current mass media entertainment (TV programs and films). The themes further explored through this project are: bi-ethnicity (one Black parent and …

Fire-Affected Rock In Inland Southern Californian Archaeology: An Investigation Into Diagnostic Utility, Shannon Renee Clarendon

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The post-firing variability of fire-affected rock (FAR) recovered from a stone-cooking platform within a prehistoric stone grill was examined. This examination tested the physical properties of FAR recovered from site CA-SBR-3773, located the Crowder Canyon Archaeological District in San Bernardino County, California. There is a lack of archaeological research in this area of Southern California; however, this project established a fundamental perspective of thermal feature reuse and episodes of firing activity for prehistoric cooking features by examining the physical changes FAR experienced due to various heat exposures. Regional archaeologists often encounter these features as they speckle the landscape of upland …

Examining Experiences With English Language Studies In Taiwan And In The United States, Ying-Mei Chien

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The importance of learning English to find success in today’s global community has never been more vital. However, choosing the best method for teaching English language skills in the second language (L2) classroom is still open for debate. This paper examines L2 strategies for teaching English in Taiwan. More important, it examines the notion that English as a Foreign Language (EFL) training in Taiwan could be made more successful by incorporating more effective EFL teaching strategies, including a communicative, or creativity based methodology for second language learning. EFL teaching methodology in Taiwan has and continues to emphasize a teacher centered …

Understanding The Long-Term Changes In Hydrologic Processes On A Watershed Scale Due To Climate Variability And Change, Chao Chen

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In the past century, the population explosion and economic development have resulted in global warming, which has raised a series of concerns, such as sea-level rise, food security, and water resources management. The water flow patterns and features experience both short-term and long-term changes in responses to the changes in the hydrologic processes and meteorologic conditions. On a watershed scale, it is crucial to understand, quantify, and attribute the influences of climate change on the local water resources system. Such understanding can be of great help to undertake local water management tasks, such as flood control, reservoir operation, ecosystem services, …

Complete Sequencing And Comparative Analysis Of The Genomes Of The First Magnetotactic Gammaproteobacteria Isolated In Pure Culture: Strains Bw-2 And Ss-5, Corey Geurink

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The genomes of the first two discovered magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) belonging to the ammaproteobacteria, strains BW-2 and SS-51, were sequenced, sealed, annotated and compared to MTB of other phylogenetic groups. Cells of both strains are rod-shaped and biomineralize cuboctahedral and elongated octahedral crystals of magnetite, respectively, that are enveloped in a protein-embedded, lipid-bilayer membrane referred to as the magnetosome membrane or vesicle. The crystals and their associated membranes are known as magnetosomes. Magnetosome crystals consist of either magnetite (Fe3O4) or greigite (Fe3S4) and, because of their specific mineral compositions, crystal morphologies and sizes, the biomineralization processes involved in magnetosome formation …

Evaluating The Chemical And Biological Stability Of Finished Waters Blended For Direct Potable Reuse In A Simulated Distribution System, Assumption Grimaldi

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This work evaluated the impacts of blending several different high grade recycled waters with conventional source waters for direct potable reuse (DPR) applications. Bench-scale laboratory tests were conducted for recycled water-source water blends from four participating facilities that have either considered adopting DPR or have already implemented DPR as a feasible approach to overcome water scarcity. The chemical and biological stability of the finished waters was investigated after pipe rig incubation to simulate the quality of blended waters that had aged in a potable water distribution system. The effects of blend ratio, reclaimed water treatment, and source water quality were …

Studies In Words: Laborious Ben Jonson's Lexicon, Steven Hrdlicka

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This dissertation examines significant words in Ben Jonson’s poetic lexicon that the poet inherited, borrowed, and shaped from antiquity and through the Middle Ages. Jonson used etymology as a means to rhetorical inventio, a common practice in the Renaissance. Etymology comprehended more than mere word derivation in the Renaissance but also notably included philological study. Ben Jonson’s extensive knowledge of language, history, architecture, the plastic arts, and philosophy is well known, but the extent to which Jonson’s knowledge of these subjects contributed to his understanding and use of poetic language is not. Thus this dissertation seeks to explore the intellectual …

Exercise, Learning And Emotional Health: Interdisciplinary Approaches To Translational Action, Tessa L. Koschel

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Exercise positively effects physical, psychological and neurological wellbeing. Though the population at large is becoming increasingly aware of the multi-faceted benefits of exercise, the majority of people fail to meet daily exercise recommendations. Largely, demands of everyday life such as work, school and family take priority over fitness. The issue therefore becomes a matter of time. In a world of media multi-tasking and immediate gratification, the challenge to health professionals becomes incorporation and manipulation of these consistencies to improve exercise uptake and adherence. Focus must shift from the idea of making additional time for exercise, to adding exercise to time …

An Analysis Of The Spatial, Temporal, And Functional Role Of Key Proteins In The Drosophila Melanogaster Salivary Gland During Exocrine Secretion, Kathryn Lantz

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

For over 60 years, the larval salivary gland of Drosophila melanogaster has been the ultimate model for elucidating how steroid hormones trigger genome-wide changes in gene expression in a specific target tissue. Because of the unusual interphase chromosomes of the salivary gland, the regions of the genome that are being induced by the steroid/receptor complex actually form puffs that are easily visible in compound microscopy. Despite the importance of this system, little has been elucidated over the years regarding how the hormone exposure actually changes the physiological activity of this secretory system. The work presented in this dissertation makes a …

Using Two Simulation Tools To Teach Concepts In Introductory Astronomy: A Design-Based Research Approach, Pamela A. Maher

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Technology in college classrooms has gone from being an enhancement to the learning experience to being something expected by both instructors and students. This design-based research investigation takes technology one step further, putting the tools used to teach directly in the hands of students. The study examined the affordances and constraints of two simulation tools for use in introductory astronomy courses. The variety of experiences participants had using two tools; a virtual reality headset and fulldome immersive planetarium simulation, to manipulate a lunar surface flyby were identified using a multi-method research approach with N = 67 participants. Participants were recruited …

Sexual Desire Trajectories: Heterosexual Individuals' Perceptions Of The State And Trait Characteristics Of Desire, Caroline Maykut

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Significant theoretical and empirical attention has aimed to classify sexual desire in a way that accounts for its complexities. A recent question to arise from this discussion is whether desire is best conceptualized as a state or a trait. Limited data examine patterns of desire spanning several years, and most data emanate from cross-sectional or short-term follow-up studies. Long-term accounts of desire level variability remain a gap in the literature, as does research inquiring directly about the question of trait desire.

Thirteen heterosexual women and ten heterosexual men, ages 40-63, participated in a semi-structured interview focusing on desire level and …

Cost Comparison Of Cement Concrete And Polymer Concrete Manholes In Sewer Systems, Sayan Sakhakarmi

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Cement concrete manholes are generally used in sewer networks in the United States. However, these concrete manholes are highly vulnerable to chemical corrosion and require frequent maintenance and replacement. Polymer concrete manholes as a substitute to the cement concrete manholes in water and wastewater pipelines have proved to have longer service life and more resistance to various chemical corrosions than normal concrete manholes. Despite the benefits that polymer concrete manholes offer, the higher initial installation cost has been a barrier to its wide application in public works. This study has been conducted to compare the cost of cement concrete manholes …

Violence In The Canyons: The Human Cost Of Raiding And Warfare In Northeastern Arizona (Ad 300-~1300), Caryn Elizabeth Tegtmeyer

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Canyon de Chelly sits on the Northeastern border of the Kayenta region in Arizona. Because of the position in which they sit, those who lived there likely lived a unique experience when compared to the rest of the Kayenta cultural tradition, of which they are considered a part. By examining the skeletal remains of the canyon occupants, this study is able to reconstruct the demographic profile (age and sex), aspects of health (pathology, stature), analysis of trauma, and aspects of labor (robusticity and entheses) to create the first, modern, complete skeletal analysis of remains recovered from Canyon de Chelly. This …

Associations Among Benevolent Sexism, Relationship-Contingent Self-Esteem, And Relationship Maintenance Strategies In Heterosexual Women, Carrie Underwood

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Past research shows that heterosexual women who endorse benevolent sexism (a sex-role attitude) tend to be highly invested in romantic relationships (Lee, Fiske, Glick, & Chen, 2010). Consequently, they may be more likely than other women to remain in relationships that are troubled. The current study aimed to shed light on this possibility by examining whether benevolent sexism was associated with the relationship maintenance strategies that women use in troubled relationships. I presented women with a scenario of a troubled relationship and manipulated the type of sexism the male partner in the scenario endorsed. Repeated measures ANCOVA revealed that women …

Understanding Stress Reactivity In Schizophrenia, Mary Vertinski

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The role of stress has long been recognized in schizophrenia; several theories have identified the role of stress as an important factor in the etiology of schizophrenia. A handful of studies have used laboratory psychosocial stressors to examine cortisol stress response in schizophrenia; the results obtained have consistently suggested that the stress response is attenuated in people with schizophrenia. Present study set out to examine stress responsivity in schizophrenia relative to healthy controls. A laboratory stress test was used to investigate cortisol response, heart rate and task appraisal in a sample of 17 healthy controls and 16 men diagnosed with …

Emerging Infectious Disease And The Imperiled Relict Leopard Frog, Anthony Wayne Waddle

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The disease chytridiomycosis, caused by the aquatic fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), has emerged as a major contributing factor for worldwide amphibian declines. Although relatively recently described, the impacts from the disease this pathogen causes have been definitively tied to amphibian declines, including some that occurred decades ago. In some cases, declines of individual species occurred with little documentation and are thus poorly understood. The relict leopard frog (Rana onca = Lithobates onca) has experienced such a decline and by the latter part of the 20th century only occurred in two general areas in southern Nevada. Recent research has found …

Development And Validation Of A Brief Assessment Of Social Cognitive Abilities, Ryanna Zenisek

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

It has been consistently found that individuals with schizophrenia exhibit impairments across various social cognitive domains, including emotion processing, social perception, and theory of mind. These deficits have been found across illness stages and cannot be accounted for by clinical symptomatology or neurocognitive skills. Further, while it has been well established that there is a link between cognition and functional outcome, social cognition has been found to be uniquely related to functional impairment in the disorder. Despite this evidence, the field is currently lacking efficient ways to identify and characterize these deficits in clinical settings. The Brief Test of Social …

Modulation Of Immunological Pathways In Autistic And Neurotypical Lymphoblastoid Cell Lines By The Enteric Microbiome Metabolite Propionic Acid, R Frye, Bistra Nankova, S Bhattacharyya, S Rose, S Bennuri, D Macfabe

NYMC Faculty Publications

Propionic acid (PPA) is a ubiquitous short-chain fatty acid which is a fermentation product of the enteric microbiome and present or added to many foods. While PPA has beneficial effects, it is also associated with human disorders, including autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). We previously demonstrated that PPA modulates mitochondrial dysfunction differentially in subsets of lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) derived from patients with ASD. Specifically, PPA significantly increases mitochondrial function in LCLs that have mitochondrial dysfunction at baseline [individuals with autistic disorder with atypical mitochondrial function (AD-A) LCLs] as compared to ASD LCLs with normal mitochondrial function [individuals with autistic disorder …

Setbp1 Mutations As A Biomarker For Myelodysplasia /Myeloproliferative Neoplasm Overlap Syndrome, Katherine Linder, C Iragavarapu, Delong Liu

NYMC Faculty Publications

Myelodysplasia (MDS) /myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN) overlap syndrome has been described since the 2001 WHO classification as disorders that have both proliferative and dysplastic changes simultaneously. Specific disorders include chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML), juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML), BCR-ABL negative atypical chronic myeloid leukemia (aCML) and unclassifiable MDS/MPN (MPN/MDS-U). Recurrent gene mutations in these conditions have been described. Among them, SETBP1 mutations have been identified in up to 32% of aCML, 24% of JMML, 18% of CMML and 10% of MDS/MPN-U patients. The mutation hotspot lies in the amino acid residues 858-871 in the SETBP1 protein. SETBP1 mutations in MDS/MPN overlap syndrome …

Effects Of Spatial Ability And Three-Dimensional Interactive Computer-Assisted Instruction On Functional Anatomy Learning, Kelly Michael Moore

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of spatial ability (SA) and three-dimensional (3D) interactive Computer-assisted instruction (CAI) on college student academic achievement (ACH). The study was a quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest, control group mixed methods design. Participants were assessed for spatial ability via the Revised Purdue Spatial Visualization Test: Visualization of Rotations (Revised PSVT:R), Yoon (2011). Participants were instructed to identify, locate and visualize human skeletal muscles and muscle actions. During laboratory sessions, control groups studied plastic anatomical 3D models and experiment groups utilized 3D interactive CAI. ACH was measured by the Human Skeletal Muscle Assessment (HSMA) difference …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Lived Experiences Of Parents Of Young Children With Autism Receiving Special Education Services, Donna Marie Barrow

Dissertations and Theses

Over the past two decades reported rates of autism have steadily risen. The current incidence is 1 in 68 children. While autism can be reliably diagnosed at 18 months in most children with the condition, specialized autism treatment rarely begins before a child's third or fourth birthday. As screening and diagnosis procedures improve so does the need for effective early interventions for autism. Researchers and professionals have expressed a growing concern over the need for effective early interventions for infants and toddlers with autism. At the same time, there is a dearth of qualitative research exploring the needs and experiences …

Bio-Socially Inspired Strategies In Support Of Dynamic Spectrum Access: An Evolutionary Game Theory Perspective, Mohammad Ali Marzoug Abu Shattal

Dissertations

Dynamic Spectrum Access (DSA) has been introduced to fulfill the expanded need for spectrum by different wireless networks and applications. Within the realm of spectrum access, the problem of "spectrum crunch" is present since some of the spectrum bands are overcrowded and others are underutilized. DSA aims to alleviate the problem of spectrum crunch. In DSA, Primary Users (PUs) allow Secondary Users (SUs) to access the spectrum as long as they do not interfere with PU transmissions beyond a pre-agreed acceptable level. In this work, a bio-socially inspired approach is proposed for SU interactions in support of better throughput for …

Peri-Operative Regional Nerve Blocks (Pnb) In The Treatment Of Pain In Patients Undergoing Operative Fixation Of Lower Extremity Fractures, Joshua K. Radi

Dissertations

This research explores current approaches to managing pain control in patients undergoing operative fixation of lower extremity fractures. As opioid use in the U.S. and abroad increases, alternative methods of treating and preventing opioid requirements are being examined. Patients with lower extremity fractures are susceptible to nonunion when anti-inflammatories are consumed, so alternative approaches are warranted. One such alternative, a peri-operative regional nerve block (PNB), is accomplished by injecting local anesthetic adjacent to one or more peripheral nerves supplying the area of the fracture to decrease pain (Fowler, Symons, Sabato, & Myles, 2008). The goal of this research was to …

Evaluation Instruction In Council On Education For Public Health Accredited Master Of Public Health Schools And Programs, Kristin Ann Hobson

Dissertations

Despite the increasing role of evaluation in public health practice and research (Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health [ASPH], 2006; Institute of Medicine [IOM], 1998; Public Health Functions Steering Committee, 2008; United States Government Accountability Office [GAO], 2012), as well as Henry and Mark’s (2003) assertion of a need for systematic evidence on evaluation training and education, the literature continues to lack studies on evaluation instruction in Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH)-accredited Master of Public Health (MPH) schools and programs. As such, this study explored evaluation instruction in CEPH-accredited MPH schools and programs in the following …

Race And Sexual Orientation Lssues In Graduate Classrooms: How Faculty In Psychology Experience Them Emerging Alongside One Another, Raymond L. Sheets Jr.

Dissertations

The inclusion of sexual orientation and race-related issues into mainstream psychology has gained much needed momentum in recent years. The field of counseling psychology, in particular, has helped fuel this momentum with its appreciation for, and commitment to, developing academic and applied psychologists who attend to an evolving multicultural society. Within the academic environment, faculty members have the responsibility of facilitating student learning in their respective classrooms; this facilitation becomes challenging in the face of emotionally charged topics such as race and sexual orientation. How then do graduate faculty who teach these courses experience race and sexual orientation comingling within …

High Performance Computing Techniques For Analyzing Risky Decision Making, Vinay B. Gavirangaswamy

Dissertations

The process or activity of making choices when subject to gain or loss can be understood as risky decision making (RDM). Risky Decisions consists of outcomes of decisions that may probabilistically result in unfavorable results. Every organism that lives faces this challenge and recent research suggests that there is a computational process involved in making these decisions. This has led to new approaches in the study of RDM. My dissertation is towards contributing to expand on the existing knowledge of RDM processes.

The core contribution of my work is an analysis and development of high performance computing techniques that improves …

Risk And Resilience In Health Data Infrastructure, W. Nicholson Price Ii

Articles

Today’s health system runs on data. However, for a system that generates and requires so much data, the health care system is surprisingly bad at maintaining, connecting, and using those data. In the easy cases of coordinated care and stationary patients, the system works—sometimes. But when care is fragmented, fragmented data often result. Fragmented data create risks both to individual patients and to the system. For patients, fragmentation creates risks in care based on incomplete or incorrect information, and may also lead to privacy risks from a patched together system. For the system, data fragmentation hinders efforts to improve efficiency …

The Proposed Dropping Of The Genus Crassostrea For All Pacific Cupped Oysters And Its Replacement By A New Genus Magallana: A Dissenting View, B.L. Bayne, M. Ahrens, S.K. Allen, M. Angles D'Auriac, T. Backeljau, P. Beninger, R. Bohn, P. Boudry, J. Davis, T. Green, X. Guo, D. Hedgecock, A. Ibarra, P. Kingsley-Smith, M. Krause, C. Langdon, S. Lapegu, C. Li, D. Manahan, R. Mann, L. Perez-Paralle, E.N. Powell, P.D. Rawson, D. Speiser, J.-L. Sanchez, S. Shumway, H. Wang

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Oncostatin M Promotes Breast Cancer Metastasis: Increased Expression Of Pro-Angiogenic Factors, Inflammatory Cytokine Expression, And Circulating Tumor Cell Numbers, Ken Tawara

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Breast cancer is the most diagnosed cancer type in women and its resultant mortality is second only to lung cancer worldwide. While breast cancer is known to have many risk factors, inflammation remains an unquantifiable risk, and it can arise from obesity, depression, poor health, autoimmune diseases, and other conditions that cause systemic chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation is gaining recognition for its role in cancer development, the potentiation of a metastatic phenotype in cancer cells, and decreased survival in breast cancer patients. In particular, inflammatory cytokines in the interleukin-6 (IL-6) family have been shown to promote an epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), …