Digital Commons Network^™

A Microsporidian Impairs Plasmodium Falciparum Transmission In Anopheles Arabiensis Mosquitoes, Jeremy K. Herren, Lilian Mbaisi, Enock Mararo, Edward E. Makhulu, Victor A. Mobegi, Hellen Butungi, Maria Vittoria Mancini, Joseph W. Oundo, Evan T. Teal, Silvain Pinaud, Mara K.N. Lawniczak, Jordan Jabara, Godfrey Nattoh, Steven P. Sinkins

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

A possible malaria control approach involves the dissemination in mosquitoes of inherited symbiotic microbes to block Plasmodium transmission. However, in the Anopheles gambiae complex, the primary African vectors of malaria, there are limited reports of inherited symbionts that impair transmission. We show that a vertically transmitted microsporidian symbiont (Microsporidia MB) in the An. gambiae complex can impair Plasmodium transmission. Microsporidia MB is present at moderate prevalence in geographically dispersed populations of An. arabiensis in Kenya, localized to the mosquito midgut and ovaries, and is not associated with significant reductions in adult host fecundity or survival. Field-collected Microsporidia MB infected An. …

Shared Volatile Organic Compounds Between Camel Metabolic Products Elicits Strong Stomoxys Calcitrans Attraction, Merid Negash Getahun, Peter Ahuya, John Ngiela, Abel Orone, Daniel Masiga, Baldwyn Torto

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The sources of animal odours are highly diverse, yet their ecological importance, in host–vector communication, remains unexplored. Here, using the camel (host)–Stomoxys calcitrans (vector) interaction, we collected and analyzed the Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) of camels from four of its different odour sources: breath, body (skin), urine, and dung. On non-metric model multivariate analyses of VOCs we show that substantial chemo-diversity exists between metabolic products associated with an individual camel. VOCs from the four metabolic products were distinct and widely segregated. Next, we show electrophysiologically, that VOCs shared between metabolic products activated more Olfactory Sensory Neurons (OSNs) and elicited strong …

Application Of Autonomous Equipment In Heavy Civil Construction, Roman J. Ruffino

Construction Management

The prevalence of autonomous vehicles in our everyday lives is continually growing. Automobile manufacturers such as Tesla have made great strides in building a car that can safely navigate the world around it and respond to sudden changes. There is great potential in the heavy civil construction industry for equipment such as bulldozers, scrapers, and transport vehicles to add another level of safety and efficiency to the worksite. The goal of this research will be to determine whether a contractor would actually apply this technology, or if it isn’t practical for everyday use. This paper will examine the current state …

The Discipleship Home Pergola And Firepit Area, Andreas V. Rasmussen

Construction Management

This report illustrates the complete process of the implementation of an outdoor space consisting of a hardscaped firepit area covered by a pergola in the backyard of the Discipleship Home in Oceano, CA. This project was carried out by two construction management students, Andreas Rasmussen and Logan Smith. Logan Smith’s primary focus was the pergola while I was in charge of the hardscaping and natural gas firepit directly underneath the structure. The project was completed in December of 2020 with the use of quality materials purchased from local businesses and the help of local equipment rental store, Grover Tool & …

Library Connection, V8n1, Fall 2020, University Of Northern Iowa. Rod Library.

Library Connection

Contents:

--New Beginnings New Leadership
--Student Success: In the Middle of a Global Pandemic
--Expansive Reach of UNI ScholarWorks
--Partner Highlight: Forteplan Iowa
--Capturing the COVID-19 Experience

Designing Law To Enable Adaptive Governance Of Modern Wicked Problems, Barbara A. Cosens, J.B. Ruhl, Niko Soininen, Lance Gunderson

Vanderbilt Law Review

In the twenty-first century, our planet is facing a period of rapid and fundamental change resulting from human domination so extensive it is expected to be visible in the geologic record. The accelerating rate of change compounds the global social-ecological challenges already deemed “wicked” due to conflicting goals and scientific uncertainty. Understanding how connected natural and human systems respond to change is essential to understanding the governance required to navigate these modern wicked problems. This Article views change through the lens of complexity and resilience theories to inform the challenges of governance in a world dominated by such massive and …

Governance Of Emerging Technologies As A Wicked Problem, Gary E. Marchant

Vanderbilt Law Review

Governance of emerging technologies . . . presents a conundrum. No single optimum solution exists, but rather a collection of second-best strategies intersect, coexist, and—in some ways—compete. This situation seems unsatisfactory until it is observed through the lens of the “wicked problem” framework. The wicked problem concept recognizes there is often no single, optimal solution to such a problem, but rather a mix of substandard solutions that must “satisfice.” That is the best that can be done with a wicked problem. This also may be the best solution for the governance-of-emerging-technologies problem.

This Article discusses the advantages of using the …

Current-Mode Photon-Counting Circuit With Sige Bicmos Input Stage, Gonzalo Guadalupe Arteaga

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Continued advances in photodetector technology have helped improve the imaging capabilities of LiDAR systems or other time-of-flight imaging efforts. As a major part of the receiver within a LiDAR system, the photodetector can offer features such as faster rise times, narrower pulse widths, or larger gains to help achieve greater timing resolution or sensitivity to faint light levels. These benefits, however, are contingent on the ability of the accompanying readout circuit to reliably process the fast, electrical signals generated by the photodetector. While common front-end circuits involve the use of feedback amplifiers, their stability can become a major concern at …

The Effect Of Asynchronous Versus Synchronous Online Course Delivery On Hesi Scores And Student Engagement For Rural Pre-Licensure Nursing Students, Susan Luke Belliston

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Since nurses are the primary providers of direct patient care in the United States, a shortage in any community can impact the quality of health care available. Rural areas were among the first to be affected by the current nursing shortage. Further challenges to the rural nurse supply include a lack of access to nursing education, particularly baccalaureate education.Both distance and online education options allow for the increased reach of higher education to rural areas. Existing nursing education literature focuses on graduate nurse education and baccalaureate completion education. The pre-licensure nursing student is mostly absent from the existing literature concerning …

Exploring Mystery Shopping's Perceived Impacts On Integrated Resort Employees And Managers, Yoonju Chung

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study explores to identify integrated resort managers’ and employees’ perceptions about the use of the mystery shopping program as a service consistency tool and as part of the performance appraisal process. This study reviews previous literature review about the mystery shopping program and its potential psychological impacts on the employees. Such potential impacts include feelings of anxiety, induced stress, trust issues with managers, and privacy infringement. Using the thematic analysis, and Likert scale, the perceived usefulness of mystery shopping and potential psychological impacts were identified.

The study was conducted in two phases to identify both overlap and differences between …

Managing The Performing Arts Center: Best Practices For University-Based Performing Arts Centers, Lori Cobo

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

University-based performing arts centers are an asset not only for the institutions where they exist, but also the community that it serves. This thesis takes a brief look at the following topics; reporting structure, billing practices, presenting, and student tickets/fees. The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Performing Arts Center has been a part of the university since 1976 and the focal point of this paper. Nineteen other similar institutions were surveyed with results from eleven others used as comparison. University-based performing arts centers can and should be seen as a strong financial partner for the institution.

Rusalka And The Snow Maiden: A Comparative Study Of Two Fairytale Operas, Olivera Gjorgoska

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The two late-romantic operas Rusalka by Antonín Dvořák and The Snow Maiden by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov are based on fairy tales, and combine romance, fantasy, and drama. Their plots develop in parallel universes and have astonishing similarities. However, the music and drama develop following different goals. In Rusalka, leitmotifs and dramatic harmonies shape the plot into a tragedy. In The Snow Maiden motives and melodies exist to describe the character rather than lead the story and the drama; the focus is on Russian folk elements, choruses, and people.

The main character in both operas is a naïve, beautiful, fairy-like female character …

A Divide And Conquer With Semi-Global Failover For Software Defined Networks, Kasra Goravanchi

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Nowadays, many service providers need to provide many other functions than just a network connectivity. They also need to provide network functions such as network address translation, firewall, encryption, Domain Name Service (DNS), caching, routing and many other services. Usually these functions come with the hardware at the user or customer’s premises. This can increase the revenue of the revenue, but also can cost a lot and also be extremely difficult to maintain. Moreover, it is important to be able to configure the network and later modify the configuration to create fault tolerance and to prepare the system for future …

Using The Critical Mathematics Pedagogical Framework To Teach Adult Basic Education Learners: A Transformative Convergent Parallel Mixed Methods Study, Matthew D. Gromlich

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The goal of this study was to design and implement curricula in the Adult Basic Education classroom that aligned to the Critical Mathematics Pedagogical Framework. Specifically, this study assessed if ABE students’ mathematics anxiety and mathematics self-efficacy ware affected by curricula that aligns to the Critical Mathematics Pedagogical Framework. Using a transformative convergent parallel mixed methods study, this study showed that students taught using CMPF-based lessons specifically reflected on their own attitudes towards mathematics self-efficacy, mathematics anxiety, number positioning, and the need for societal change around mathematical concepts. Both quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed to highlight student reflections and …

A Circle Hough Transform Implementation Using High-Level Synthesis, Carlos Lemus

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Circle Hough Transform (CHT) has found applications in biometrics, robotics, and imageanalysis. In this work, the focus is the development of a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) based accelerator that performs a series of procedures and results in circle detection. The design is performed using Vivado High-Level Synthesis (HLS) tools and targeted for a Zynq UltraScale+ ZCU106. The implementation includes the following procedures: Gaussian filter, Sobel edge operator, thresholding, and finally the CHT algorithm. The performance is evaluated based on the execution time as compared to the software (Python code) execution and the analysis tools provided by Vivado HLS tool. …

The Relationship Among Sociocultural Assimilation, Dietary Behavior, And Physical Activity In Adult Latinxs In The U.S., Erick Lopez

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This dissertation examines the relationship between sociocultural assimilation and health behaviors among adult Latinxs in the United States to address whether different assimilation models promote or hinder Latinx health. Existing research on assimilation and health behaviors among Latinxs relies heavily on the use of proxy measures of assimilation such as length of time in the U.S., nativity, age of arrival, and language preferences for surveys. These studies tend to show that greater assimilation to mainstream U.S. culture among Latinxs is associated with the adoption of poor health behaviors and the erosion of the immigrant health advantage. Research that uses sociocultural …

A Fortified Extension Of The Aes And Its Implementation, Ashby Mullin

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

With the advancement of quantum computing (QC), the integrity of cryptography has been called into question. For example, two QC algorithms have been developed that can break asymmetric encryption (i.e., Grover’s, Shor’s), which also poses a threat to symmetric encryption. Asymmetric encryption efforts addressing this threat include lattice-based cryptography, which uses lattice problems to reduce efficiency of cryptanalysis. Symmetric encryption security can be bolstered by increasing the key length, allowing for additional permutations a key could have; known as keyspace. This thesis seeks to expand the keyspace of symmetric encryption in order to create more possibilities. This fortification to the …

A Multi-Channel Mcp-Pmt Based Readout Integrated Circuit For Lidar Applications, Sachin Purushothaman Namboodiri

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Photon counting techniques are becoming more critical in fields such as LiDAR, high energy physics (HEP), and positron emission tomography (PET). For space-based aerosol-cloud-ocean (ACO) LiDAR, the total aggregate photon flux signal has a very high dynamic range, from a single-photon up to giga-photons per second for a single channel. This dissertation focuses on the design of a multichannel, photon counting readout circuit that can interface with MCP-PMTs for high dynamic range, space-based LiDAR applications. Chapter 2 presents the conventional current mode approach that has been employed to realize a photon counting circuit. A transimpedance amplifier, a 6-bit delay line …

How Does Stress And Coping Impact Undergraduate Students' Mental Health On A Racially Diverse Campus?, Kristina Ricker-Boles

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The study focuses on how subjective stress and mastery skills impact physical and mental wellbeing among UNLV undergraduate college students. Bovier, Chamot, and Perneger’s (2004) study was repeated within a racially diverse campus setting. The Transactional Model of Stress and Coping provided the foundation of this study with an emphasis on primary and secondary appraisal among racial and ethnic groups. The study utilized the Pearlin Coping Questionnaire, the Short Form-12 (SF-12), the Brief Encounter Psychosocial Instrument (BEPSI), and Duke-UNC Functional Social Support Questionnaire to assess subjective stress, mastery skills, and the moderator of social support while comparing the results among …

A Nomological Network Analysis Of Innovation In Hospitality Education And Industry, Robert H. Rippee

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The development of a theory of innovation for hospitality innovation finds heightened importance due to the COVID-19 Pandemic that has unleashed a devastating and sustained disruption on global hospitality and tourism. The problem for research is that the industry lacks a taxonomy for research on innovation in hospitality. This study addresses the gap in understanding the nomological relationship between innovation constructs and the observable manifestations of innovation in the hospitality industry. This study used an emergent basic qualitative design of a phenomenon through data collected in three phases. Two large samples of literature and a series of focus groups comprised …

Thinking About Thinking: Children’S Awareness And Development Of Metacognitive Emotion Regulation, Reilly Rowland

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Metacognitive emotion regulation is a complex system of our underlying thinking that contributes to the emotions that we endure. By gaining an understanding of this concept, young children can learn various strategies, e.g. cognitive reappraisal, problem solving, and delayed gratification, to help alter their thoughts and/or goals to alleviate negative emotion. Thus, they are able to increase their confidence in their own metacognitive emotion regulation abilities and awareness. This study explored the awareness of young children and their metacognitive emotion regulation abilities, the strategies that young children take part in to try and control negative emotion, and the learning strategies …

Fluctuating Cohesion: A Grounded Theory Study Of Nursing Students Engaged In A Hybrid Debriefing Format, Carol Lynn Senette

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Debriefing is a key component of simulation that promotes development of students’ reflective processes. Instructor-led debriefing (ILD) is considered the gold standard; however, research conducted over the past decade demonstrates the negative effects of anxiety on student reflection during ILD. Nursing students’ experiences with ILDs have been substantially investigated; yet scant research explores students’ perceptions and experiences of more learner-centered debriefing formats that deemphasize the instructor role.

The purpose of this grounded theory study was to explore undergraduate nursing students’ perceptions and experiences of a hybrid debriefing format consisting of peer-led debriefing followed immediately by ILD. Specifically, I aimed to …

A Combined Approach To Evaluating Student Engagement In A Virtual Laboratory Environment, Aster Sigel

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study measured student engagement with galvanic skin response (GSR) using a one group randomized pretest–posttest design in a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning environment to develop effective intervention strategies for engaging students in STEM learning experiences. Student engagement is a multi-dimensional interrelated construct, consisting of emotional, behavioral, and cognitive components, and varies in different subjects and learning environments. Student engagement in higher education is associated with academic achievement, retention, and graduation. In this study, the emotional, behavioral, and cognitive engagement data of 30 college students were obtained using self-report surveys, observation and physiological data, which was recorded …

Exploring The Lived Experience Of Early-Career Millennial Nursing Faculty: Deriving Meaning From Their Perspective, Adrian Stamps

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

An innovative way to combat the protracted nursing faculty shortage is to recruit up and coming generations of nurses to academia. The most recent generation to enter the academic ranks are millennials, often categorized in nursing by a birth year between 1981 and 2000. In contrast to preceding generations, millennials are seeking roles in academia earlier in their careers. Research has shown millennials have unique perspectives on the workplace and a tendency to leave positions if they are not satisfied. This pattern could pose a challenge for sustaining the nursing faculty workforce.

How millennials perceive their initial years in the …

The Processj C++ Runtime System And Code Generator, Alexander Christian Thomason

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

ProcessJ is a modern Process-Oriented language that builds on previous work from other languages like occam and occam-pi. However, the only readily-available runtime system is built on top of the Java Virtual Machine (JVM). This is not a choice made intentionally, but simply out of a lack of other implementations -- until now. This thesis introduces the new C++-based runtime system for ProcessJ, coupled with a new C++ code generator for the ProcessJ compiler. This thesis later examines the implementation details of the runtime system, including the components that make it up. We also examine the ability to cooperatively schedule …

Initial Measurements On The Effect Of Stress On P- And S-Wave Velocities In Olivine, Taryn Traylor

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

It is well known that elasticity is a key physical property in the determination of the structure and composition of the Earth and provides critical information for the interpretation of seismic data. This study investigates the stress-induced variation in elastic wave velocities, known as the acoustoelastic effect, in San Carlos olivine. A recently developed experimental ultrasonic acoustic system, the Directly Integrated Acoustic System Combined with Pressure Experiments (DIASCoPE), was used with the D-DIA multi-anvil apparatus to transmit ultrasonic sound waves and collect the reflections. We use the DIASCoPE to obtain longitudinal (P) and shear (S) elastic wave velocities from the …

Shakespeare’S As You Like It And James Cameron’S Avatar: Reharmonizing Society With Nature, Erin Rebecca Turner

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Shakespeare’s As You Like It is a comedy whose main character, Rosalind, is forced out of her home among the upper caste of society through no fault of her own, but because of an issue with her father. She moves into the pastoral unknown disguised as a man to avoid the issues that come traveling as a woman, outside the protection of the home. Along the way, she finds pleasure with the power she holds as a man. She is heard when she speaks as a man and she is given access to knowledge she would not be given as …

An Exploration Of The Numeracy Skills Required For Safe, Quality Nursing Practice, Anna Wendel

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to explore the numeracy skills required for safe, quality nursing practice. Using a descriptive mixed methods design, this study answered two research questions: 1) What numeracy skills do nurses perceive as important for providing safe, quality nursing care in the first three years of practice? 2) How do nurses incorporate numeracy skills into daily patient care during the first three years of practice? Early career nurses from a not-for-profit health care organization in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States (n=109) responded to an online survey tool developed by the student investigator that ranked …

Influence Of Curricular Organization On Cognitive Load And Student Performance In Online Learning Environments, Michael Wilder

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to explore the influence of curricular organization on student cognitive load and student performance in online learning environments. The findings of this study contribute to the development of usable instruction design principles for online education.

This research study used the lens of cognitive load theory to examine how online course organization affects student learning. A review of the literature included the elements of cognitive architecture that have been measured in prior studies, various methods in which cognitive load has been measured, and the basic requirements for measurement of cognitive load in instructional research.

A …

The Impact And Influence Of The Diary Of Anne Frank On Middle And High School Students, Norma Jane Zuckerman

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This thesis investigates the play and book The Diary of Anne Frank as an effective educational tool for students in the grades 7–9, when they might read the book in Clark County School District (CCSD), Southern Nevada, to study about bullying, prejudice, discrimination, and intolerance. These works have changed the lives of the students for the better, and it should be taught as a separate class included in the core curriculum. This class would also incorporate teaching historical information about WWII, the Holocaust, anti-Semitism, and examining the life of Anne Frank and her family.

My research includes theatre programs for …