Digital Commons Network^™

Examining The Complementary Nature Of Working Memory And Dual Coding Theory, Elizabeth Hofschulte Collins

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The working memory system is responsible for maintaining, manipulating, and transferring information into long-term memory, yet it operates under strict capacity limitations. Dual coding theory proposes that information can be encoded both verbally and visually, allowing learners to distribute cognitive load across complementary representational systems. Leveraging dual coding may therefore enhance recall, particularly for noun-based stimuli, though there is little to no research exploring this possibility. In the present study, 529 adults completed a forward digit span task and pre-test and post-test free recall tasks involving concrete, abstract, and mixed nouns. Participants were assigned to one of four instruction groups …

Automated Spectrum Analysis And Radionuclide Identification For Robot-Based Gamma Probes, Kennedy Ochieng Mengoh Alila

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Gamma spectroscopy is a technique used for the detection and identification of nuclear materials. Gamma-ray emission by radio nuclides is detected using scintillation detectors or semiconductor detectors such as NaI and CZT. Robot-based gamma probes enable radiation measurements in large areas and hard-to-reach cluttered hazardous environments, which significantly reduces radiation risks to personnel. The robotic probes require automated on-board gamma spectrum analysis and capabilities with platforms (unmanned aerial vehicles and unmanned ground vehicle systems) which use Robot Operating System (ROS). The aim of this thesis was to develop a method of an automated spectral analysis and isotope identification for robot-based …

Ultrafast Dynamics Of Two-Dimensional Electron Systems, Randy Michael Sterbentz

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

On-chip terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) is a technique useful for measuring the ultrafast electrodynamics of two-dimensional (2D) electronic systems. Charge carrier collisions occur on the sub-picosecond time scale, and strongly correlated electron interactions (such as superconductivity) typically have energies on the order of milli-electron-volts. These phenomena fall within the terahertz bandwidth, which has historically been difficult to access. Commercial electronics operate with transistors capable of switching rates of around 100 GHz, while small band gap semiconductors (like InGaAs) can detect light down to 0.75 eV (180 THz). When combined with the difficulty of measuring 2D layered materials, with lateral sizes …

Overcoming The Labor Shortage: Enhancing Pga Associate Education Through Targeted Support, Brian Milford Jones

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The golf industry faces a critical workforce shortage, exacerbated by impending retirements and a lack of new PGA Members. This exploratory sequential, mixed-method study investigates the barriers and facilitators PGA Associates encounter during their education and identifies support strategies to enhance completion rates. Employing both qualitative and quantitative approaches, the research explores barriers, completion metrics, facilitator impact, and perceived support benefits. Qualitative data from interviews with Section Executive Directors who oversee PGA Associate development, analyzed through thematic coding, informs the survey instrument. Quantitative data, collected via surveys with PGA Associates themselves, was analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural …

Demographic Similarity, Psychopathy, And Perceived Inherent Value: An Investigation Of Factors Influencing Moral Decision Making, Ashley Michelle Poston

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The present study experimentally manipulated the demographic characteristics of the subjects of moral dilemmas such that they were 20%, 40%, 60%, and 80% demographically similar to participants. Participants rated each of these individuals on a novel measure of perceived inherent value, the Perceived Inherent Value Scale (PIVS) and responded to a series of moral dilemmas using the Consequences, Norms, and preference for Inaction (CNI) model of moral decision making where the subjects of the moral dilemmas were the 20%, 40%, 60%, and 80% similar individuals. Participants rated individuals who were more demographically similar to themselves as having greater perceived inherent …

The Impact Of Formally Trained Teacher Leaders On Student Outcomes, Jodi Notch

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study examined the relationship between teacher leadership and student achievement through the lens of Distributed Leadership Theory. Specifically, it addresses three research questions: (a) To what extent is the implementation of teacher leadership by formally trained teacher leaders associated with academic success in schools? (b) Is there a difference in impact between formal teacher leader positions versus informal teacher leader positions? (c) How does having multiple teacher leaders in a school impact student outcomes? Using a two-way fixed effects design with a longitudinal panel data set, the analysis investigates the effects of employing teacher leaders trained through a formal …

A Phenomenological Study Of The Experiences Of Adolescents With Emotional Behavioral Disorders In High School, Melissa Lawson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Adolescents with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) face significant challenges in forming and maintaining peer relationships, yet their voices and lived experiences remain largely absent from the research literature. This phenomenological study explored how high school students with EBD perceive the impact of peer relationships on their academic, social, and emotional experiences at school. Using Moustakas's (1994) modification of the StevickColaizzi-Keen method, the researcher conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews with seven high school students (ages 15-18) who had received special education services under the EBD eligibility category for 5 to 10 years in a large, urban southwestern school district.

Five universal …

Perceptions And Behaviors Of Female Title I Principals And Faculty Trust In The Post-Covid-19 Educational Environment, Jessica A. Robbins

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Faculty trust in principals is essential to a healthy school culture, yet it remains one of the most fragile and complex aspects of leadership, particularly in Title I schools (Tschannen-Moran, 2007, 2014; Tschannen-Moran et al., 2015). While trust has been widely studied, fewer investigations have focused on the specific behaviors female principals use to build trust in the post-COVID era (Berkovich, 2018; Bukko et al., 2021; Handford & Leithwood, 2013; Jeanquart-Barone, 2013; Zajda et al., 2023; Zheng et al., 2021). Research suggests that women in leadership must be deliberate in fostering trust, yet their behaviors are often judged more harshly …

Integrating Classical Singing Techniques To Aid Natives In Performing Traditional Tongan Folk Songs Of The Late Queen Sālote Tupou Iii, Pauline 'Ofa Vaitāfā Tamale

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This document introduces a structured, classical vocal approach to equip native singers with healthier performance techniques and enable anyone in the music world to perform the art songs derived from the poetry and compositions of Queen Sālote Tupou III. The objective of this project is to provide performers, particularly those with a native proficiency, with classical techniques to perform this music with vigor while circumventing vocal fatigue caused by the linguistic, dialectal, and cultural demands inherent in the repertoire. Queen Sālote Tupou III (1900–1965) reigned for nearly 50 years – the longest of any Tongan monarch – and left an …

Transdiagnostic Links Of Reward Processing In Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder And Depression, Jasmine Arriaga, Vanessa Zavala Cruz, Dayan Berrones, Josselyn S Muñoz, Renee M Frederick, Jacey L Anderberg, Belinda E Núñez Bracho, Victor R Adorno, Leonardo F Fontenelle, Andrew D Wiese, Latin American Trans-Ancestry Initiative For Ocd Genomics (Latino), Brazilian Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorder Working Group (Gttoc), James J Crowley, Eric A Storch

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Objectives: Transdiagnostic models aim to uncover shared mechanisms across mental disorders. Reward responsiveness (the ability to experience pleasure from rewarding stimuli) is a plausible, yet underexplored, transdiagnostic mechanism linking obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and depression. This study used network analysis to (1) examine how key reward responsiveness domains are interlinked in individuals with OCD and (2) explore how each domain is uniquely associated with OCD and depression.

Methods: A total of 1345 individuals with a history of OCD symptoms (ages 18-88, 71 % women) from Latino communities in the United States (including Puerto Rico) and nine Latin American countries completed validated …

Tumor Mirna Signatures Associate With Outcomes Of Patients With Stage Ii/Iii Melanoma, Fatemeh Vand-Rajabpour, Douglas Hanniford, Linchen He, Yuting Lu, Jessica M Kenney, Keimya D Sadeghi, Diana Argibay, Irene Orlow, Klaus J Busam, Cecilia Lezcano, Tim K Lee, Li Luo, Ivan P Gorlov, Christopher Amos, Marc S Ernstoff, Venkatraman E Seshan, Anne E Cust, James Wilmott, Richard A Scolyer, Graham J Mann, Allison Reiner, Caroline E Kostrzewa, Eduardo Nagore, Pauline Funchain, Jennifer Ko, Sharon N Edmiston, Kathleen Conway, Paul B Googe, David W Ollila, Jeffrey E Lee, Judy R Rees, Cheryl L Thompson, Meg Gerstenblith, Marcus Bosenberg, Bonnie E Gould Rothberg, Iman Osman, Yvonne Saenger, Adam Z Reynolds, Tawny Boyce, Sheri Holmen, Shaofeng Yan, Elise Brunsgaard, Paul Bogner, Pei Fen Kuan, Nancy E Thomas, Colin B Begg, Ronglai Shen, Marianne Berwick, Yongzhao Shao, David Polsky, Eva Hernando

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Purpose: Patients with stage II and resected stage III melanomas have variable clinical outcomes, providing evidence of underlying biological differences in tumors and/or the patients themselves, beyond stage. The approval of adjuvant immunotherapy for stage IIB/C and resected stage III/IV disease (and adjuvant targeted therapy for resected stage III disease) has created a pressing need to develop biomarkers to accurately distinguish patients at low risk versus high risk for recurrence and death from melanoma. miRNAs are promising biomarkers because of their stability in tissues and fluids and their demonstrated functional and prognostic roles in melanoma. We hypothesized that miRNA expression …

Vasoactive Drug Use In Children With Community Acquired Septic Shock In Australia And New Zealand, Elliot Long, Stephen Hearps, Amanda Williams, Ben Gelbart, Warwick Butt, Thomas Rozen, Sarah Mcnab, Meredith Borland, Simon Erickson, Shefali Jani, Marino Festa, Eunicia Tan, Natalie Phillips, Sainath Raman, Amit Kochar, Subodh Ganu, Simon Craig, Anna Lithgow, Arjun Rao, Emma Whyte, Stuart Dalziel, Shane George, Fran Balamuth, Scott Weiss, Nathan Kuppermann, Franz Babl

Department of Medicine Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Vasoactive agents are a critical supportive therapy for children with sepsis. We describe the choice and use patterns of vasoactive agents in children with sepsis.

METHODS: Prospective observational study conducted in 11 hospitals in Australia and New Zealand through the Paediatric Research in Emergency Departments International Collaborative (PREDICT) Network from April 2021 to December 2023. Children aged 0-< 18 years with suspected sepsis were included. Children admitted to hospital and treated with parenteral antibiotics and either 1) a provisional diagnosis of sepsis, and/or 2) treatment for suspected sepsis (fluid bolus to treat poor perfusion). The frequency and sequence of use of vasoactive agents, and contributors to the choice of initial vasoactive were collected.

FINDINGS: 6232 children with suspected sepsis were included; median age of 2.1 years (IQR 0.3-7.1 years), in-hospital mortality of 60 (1.0%), in whom a subset of 306 (4.9%) met Phoenix sepsis criteria. Vasoactive agents were used in 179 (2.9%) children overall …

Opening Brief For Plaintiff-Appellant Emery Barron, Steven Mitchell, Carolyn Sacco, Shaina Sikka, Madeline H. Meth

Faculty Scholarship

By the time Emery Barron sued Pennsylvania Department of Corrections officials in 2021, they had kept him caged for almost six years in solitary confinement without providing a pathway for him to reenter general population. Department of Correction policy calls for officials to review the ongoing need for solitary confinement after an initial ninety-day stint in disciplinary confinement. However, procedural carve outs allow officials to leave people like Barron in solitary indefinitely without an opportunity to be heard by a decisionmaker and without requiring officials to assert any legitimate penological interest behind the confinement.

Under this scheme, which violated both …

The Hidden Toll: Atrophy Of Key Central Nervous System Relays In African American Women With Multiple Sclerosis, Christopher G Schwarz, Elizabeth J Atkinson, Holly A Morrison, June Kendall Thomas, John D Port, Kejal Kantarci, Orhun H Kantarci, Burcu Zeydan

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: African American persons with MS (AApwMS) have more aggressive clinical and imaging outcomes than White American pwMS (WApwMS), including lower brain and spinal cord (SC) volumes. However, imaging studies are lacking considering the effects of sex, race, and ethnicity together.

Objective: Compare MS clinical and imaging features among AApwMS and WApwMS, incorporating the modifying effects of sex, race, and ethnicity.

Methods: Clinical variables and MRI were obtained for AApwMS and WApwMS.

Results: Thirty-five MRIs in 28 AApwMS (61 % female) and 255 MRIs in 91 WApwMS (68 % female) were evaluated. AApwMS had a shorter MS disease duration (median …

Assessing The Relationship Between Treatment Quality, Matching And Dosage And Juvenile Justice Outcomes Among Youth With Co-Occurring Substance Abuse And Mental Health Disorders, Kevin T. Wolff, Michael T. Baglivio, Joshua A. Lang

Publications and Research

This study examined differences among youth in deep-end juvenile justice residential placement who did, and did not, present with co-occurring disorders. The prevalence of cooccurring mental health and substance use/abuse issues was found to be 19%, far lower than that of prior work. Researchers demonstrated more similarities than differences between youth with and without co-occurring disorders, both in terms of their criminal histories and the prevalence of their criminogenic needs. Additionally, the residential programs across Florida appear to provide treatment at similarly high levels of integrity, as measured by 1) matching treatment services to the highest three dynamic risk assessed …

Objective Vs. Perceived Maternal Smartphone Use And Observed Mother-Infant Interaction Quality, Alison K. Ventura, Lara N. Wolfers, Sarah M. Coyne, Rachel Pfafman, Sabrina Uva, Karla I. Ceja Almontes, Aniruddha S. Shinde, Adam M. Galovan, Brandon Mcdaniel

Health Services and Informatics Research

Introduction:

Prior research links maternal smartphone use to reduced sensitivity and responsiveness to infant cues, but emerging evidence suggests that mothers' perceptions of their smartphone use - such as feelings of empowerment or distress - may also shape the quality of mother-infant interactions. This study examined how both objective and perceived smartphone use related to mother-infant interaction quality in naturalistic settings.

Method:

Participants were 147 mother-infant dyads from a longitudinal study of smartphone use and infant development. When infants were 2 months old, mothers completed 5 days of ecological momentary assessment (EMA), reporting time spent with their infant, perceived smartphone-related …

Sky, Atreyee Majumder

Articles

A peer-reviewed ethnographic poem, it is a reflection on the travel of the soul across time and in and out of bodies, a theory that is well regarded in the corpus of Hindu philosophy. Formally, the poem is an attempt to excavate the skeleton of the Indian poet/scholar/translator A K Ramanujan's poem Chicago Zen.

Opinions Of The Uk General Public And Stroke Survivors In Using Artificial Intelligence And ‘Opt-Out’ Models Of Consent In Medical Research: A Qualitative Study, William Heseltine-Carp, Mark Thurston, Michael Allen, Daniel Browning, Megan Courtman, Aishwarya Kasabe, Emmanuel Ifeachor, Stephen Mullin

Peninsula Medical School

Background Artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare often requires large, confidential clinical datasets. However, a recent UK government survey revealed that 20–40% of the public remain sceptical of its use in health research due to concerns about data security, patient–practitioner communication and commercialisation of data. A greater understanding of public attitudes is therefore needed, particularly in the context of stroke research.In this article, we describe the patient and public involvement work undertaken for the AI-Based-Stroke-Risk-fActor-Classification-and-Treatment (ABSTRACT) project, which aims to train AI models to predict future stroke risk from the electronic health records of 1 18 736 patients.Aims We aimed to …

Breaking Barriers: Understanding Factors Constraining Women’S Career Choices And Progression In The South African Construction Industry, Abimbola Olukemi Windapo, Olugbenga Timo Oladinrin, João Alencastro, Dineo Mbekwa, Christiana Ekpo, Muhammad Qasim Rana, Amanda Filtane

School of Art, Design and Architecture

Purpose – This paper examines the barriers constraining women's career choices and progression within the South African construction industry. Design/methodology/approach – The study employed a mixed-methods research approach, utilizing a questionnaire survey of construction industry workers listed in the Construction Professions Register, the Builders Collective and the Housing Assembly Organization. It also used interviews to validate the quantitative data. The data collected were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics, including factor analysis. Findings – The study found that 39 of the 46 barriers identified have normalized values greater than 0.5 and, therefore, are classified as critical. From a ranking perspective, …

The Cost Of Care: Medical Bills, Mental Health, And The Protective Role Of Insurance Coverage Among U.S. Adults, Fahima Sultana

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

This paper focuses on how medical bills and financial hardship are related to healthcare access in adults in the United States, based on the results of the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). In particular, it examines the hypothesis that those with problems paying medical bills have a higher tendency to delay or ration medical care or health insurance cover offsets this effect. Logistic regression models were used to determine the relationship between financial hardship, delayed care, and psychological distress and demographic and socioeconomic variables including age, education, race, and poverty status. According to the results, it can be seen that …

Suicidal Intentions Among Divorced Women In Wasit Province, Khitam Abbas Fadhel, Hassan Aii Ai-Sayed

Alustath Journal for Human and Social Sciences

The current research aims to: Identifying Suicidal Intentions Among Divorced Women Marriage is viewed as a social institution that includes a set of norms regulating the relationship between spouses. The strength of this structure relies on solid foundations such as proper selection and compatibility in social aspects. Marriage imposes on spouses a set of mutual obligations and rights ensuring the continuity of marital life and enabling the family to fulfill its basic functions Despite the psychological, health and social significance marriage, offers to individuals and society, the phenomenon of divorce has been increasingly prevalent in recent times across various communities …

Myth In The Poetry Of Hassan Abd Rady, Zahraa Mousa Jabbar Aayed, Iman Mohammed Ibrahim Al-Obaidi

Alustath Journal for Human and Social Sciences

This research reviews the topic of (Myth in the Poetry of Hassan Abd Rady), as the myth received the attention of contemporary poets as an important source that enriches their poetic texts and deepens their connotations. The poet Hassan Abd Rady invoked myth in all its forms to enrich his poetic texts because of the suggestive connotations it carries. The research included the following: the introduction and the preface, in which the myth was defined linguistically, terminologically, and its types. The research was divided into the number of myths employed by Abd Radi, including: Greek myth, Babylonian myth, Greek myth, …

What’S In A Group: A Social Science Inquiry, Maria Caridad H. Tarroja

Asia-Pacific Social Science Review

No abstract provided.

Investigating Community Attachment, Quality Of Life, And Community Citizenship Behavior Toward Rural Tourism Development In Thailand, Supaporn Prasongthan, Pimonphat Rodtook, Jariya Supun, Rabhas Silpsrikul

Asia-Pacific Social Science Review

In rural tourism destinations, residents serve as representatives of the area, and their involvement in tourism and discretionary behavior contributes to the destination’s success. The objectives of this study were to explore the community citizenship behavior (CCB) model and to examine the relationship among residents’ attachment, quality of life (QOL), and five dimensions of CCB, including involving, keeping interpersonal harmony, protecting, helping, and recommending behavior, across two stages of rural tourism destinations in Thailand. A multivariate quantitative research method was employed. A total of 1,052 samples were retrieved from residents living in 10 selective rural tourism destinations, with 526 respondents …

The Economics Of Homelessness: A Quantitative Study On Homeless Willingness To Pay For Affordable Housing In Thailand, Peera Tangtammaruk, Nattapon Siwareepan, Jennifer Chavanovanich, Nartsupon Dumchuen, Thanee Chaiwat, Mattana Wongsirikajorn

Asia-Pacific Social Science Review

This study investigates the willingness to pay (WTP) for housing among homeless individuals in Thailand, using the contingent valuation method (CVM) and a structured choice experiment model. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews with 90 homeless individuals from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Khon Kaen. The study aims to understand the economic value that homeless individuals are willing to pay for various types of homelessness-related housing, as well as the factors influencing their WTP. The findings reveal that while most homeless individuals express a preference for affordable rental housing, their financial capacity remains limited due to low and unstable incomes. The …

From Cultural Enthusiasm To Academic Institutionalization: The Rise And Limitations Of Korean Studies In Taiwan’S Higher Education, Bumsig Ha, Hsien-Ming Lin

Asia-Pacific Social Science Review

This study explores the institutionalization, development, and ongoing challenges of regional studies in Taiwan’s higher education system, with a specific focus on Korean Studies. It examines how Taiwan’s growing interest in South Korea, shaped by historical, political, and cultural ties as well as the widespread influence of Korean popular culture, has stimulated the expansion of Korean language learning and academic engagement. Through a comprehensive analysis of Korean Studies programs across Taiwanese universities, the study identifies a clear rise in student enrollment and curricular diversification, with course offerings now extending beyond language instruction to encompass interdisciplinary topics such as Korean politics, …

Basic Effectiveness Of Group Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (Gmbct) In The University Setting, John Robert C. Rilveria, Nisseth Clarize S. Carido, April Veronica G. Lansangan, Alaya Gabrielle N. Villaflor, Anna Cristina A. Tuazon, Divine Love A. Salvador, Violeta V. Bautista

Asia-Pacific Social Science Review

The COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped daily life and amplified mental health challenges worldwide, with university students identified as a particularly vulnerable group. To address this need, the present study evaluated the effectiveness of group mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (GMBCT) as an evidence-based intervention for students receiving psychosocial services during the pandemic. Using a pretest–posttest design, data from 34 students randomly assigned to either GMBCT or individual treatment-as-usual (TAU) provided by a university-based clinic were analyzed. To evaluate treatment effects, an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was conducted to compare post-treatment outcomes between the two groups while controlling for pre-treatment scores, treatment length, …

Exploring Societal Development: The Impact Of Social Innovation And Social Entrepreneurship - A Critical Review, Sneh Prabha, Satyaki Sarkar, Supriyo Roy

Asia-Pacific Social Science Review

In recent years, the emergence of social innovations and social entrepreneurship has dramatically influenced societal development. This paper explores the impact of synergizing social innovations and social entrepreneurship on various aspects of society, from economic policy to community resilience and societal development. Through a multidisciplinary lens, the research seeks an extensive review of social innovation and provides new solutions to entrenched social issues, whereas social entrepreneurship transforms these innovations into scalable initiatives that create meaningful change in society. While keeping traditional factors in mind, we explore the role of technology in developing new ways of working, the importance of collaboration …

Isomorphism And Network Governance:A Reflection Of The Thai Elderly Quality Of Life Development And Career Promotion Centers, Ratchaphon Amsuk, Piyamart Tupmongkol, Phengkamon Marnarath, Siriprapa Promma

Asia-Pacific Social Science Review

This study aims to examine isomorphism, network governance, and the spectrum of participation, as classified by the International Association of Public Participation, in the management of the elderly quality of life development and career promotion centers (EQCCs). This study applied the concepts of isomorphism from institutional theory, network governance, and spectrum of participation as defined by the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2), as the instruments for analysis. The findings revealed that EQCCs’ isomorphism emerged before and after the establishment. The three isomorphism mechanisms—coercive, mimetic, and normative—affected the isomorphism of the EQCCs, leading to organization homogenization. However, the management of …

The Dynamics Of The G77, G7, G20, And Brics: Insights And Actions For Enhancing Asean’S Role In Global Economic Governance, Long Yang, Ploypailin Kijkasiwat

Asia-Pacific Social Science Review

In recent decades, the Global North and South have established a number of global economic governance (GEG) clubs, including the Group of 77 (G77), Group of 7 (G7), Group of 20 (G20), and BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) Group, to influence the global economic order. Many sovereign countries and intergovernmental organizations have assumed influential roles in the GEG system by joining these governance platforms as full members. Recognizing ASEAN’s traditionally limited role in the global economic governance system, the authors suggest that ASEAN nations should strengthen their relationships with some of these governance clubs. This article discusses …