Digital Commons Network^™

Engaging Students In Learning Music Theory Fundamentals And Preparing For College Level Music Theory, Marissa Aronson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this thesis is to provide teachers resources to prepare students for college-level music theory by using the keyboard. By providing visualization of patterns, the keyboard provides a superior tool to create a smooth transition between pre-college and college-level music theory instruction. In search of easing the passage between these levels, I interviewed numerous piano teachers who provided suggestions on how they include the keyboard to teach theory. After the interviews, I compared piano lesson theory books and college theory textbooks to compare their approaches. To assist with any gaps found in the theory books, I provide some …

Formalization Of A Security Framework Design For A Health Prescription Assistant In An Internet Of Things System, Thomas Rolando Mellema

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Security system design flaws will create greater risks and repercussions as the systems being secured further integrate into our daily life. One such application example is incorporating the powerful potential of the concept of the Internet of Things (IoT) into software services engineered for improving the practices of monitoring and prescribing effective healthcare to patients. A study was performed in this application area in order to specify a security system design for a Health Prescription Assistant (HPA) that operated with medical IoT (mIoT) devices in a healthcare environment. Although the efficiency of this system was measured, little was presented to …

Narrative Harmony: The Implementation Of Sound Design And Its Immersive Nature, Patrick Joseph Kelly

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Sound is the first tool we are given to interact with the world we inhabit. Despite this, most discussion of narrative content revolves around written and visual storytelling. This often means audio is forgotten or overlooked during the production process. A phenomenon which is especially present amongst inexperienced content creators. By combining the transportation imagery model and Narrative Paradigm theories, a formula for analyzing narratives and immersion within the modern setting becomes prevalent. This combination would then lead to the creation of a four-episode podcast series was created where each episode was mixed to highlight a different component in sound …

Design And Implementation Of High-Frequency Dc-Dc Converters For Ev Applications, Rahul Biswash

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The power electronics industry has been revolutionized by introducing wide bandgap semiconductor devices, such as Silicon Carbide (SiC) and Gallium Nitride (GaN). Due to their high frequency, high temperature, and high voltage operating capabilities, wide bandgap devices boast significant improvements in power density, efficiency, and reliability, as evidenced by their ability to decrease the size of power converters by operating at higher frequencies, temperatures and voltages, use of smaller and less passive components, such as transformers, inductors and capacitors, which makes power converters more compact and light-weight, ideal for space and weight-constrained applications, and compatibility with a wide range of …

The Interplay Of Chronic Alcohol Misuse And Facial Recognition Abilities, Morgan Wilson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Both perpetrators and eyewitnesses of a crime have often been found to be under the influence of alcohol. While research has been conducted on the short-term effect of alcohol on eyewitness memory and lineup performance, little research has investigated the long-term effects of chronic alcohol misuse on facial recognition abilities. The current study investigated the effect of alcohol misuse on facial recognition and whether duration of misuse contributed to this effect. Participants (n = 370) completed an online survey which consisted of a well-tested facial recognition paradigm plus several surveys pertaining to individual differences of interest. We found race match …

Examining The Impact Of Parental Punishment And School Punishment On Delinquency And Criminal Justice Contact, Mia Robert

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Prior research states the important role that both parents and schools play in setting children up for success. However, few researchers have studied how parents and schools work in tandem to achieve these outcomes. The current study aims to fill this gap by understanding the relationship between parental harshness and exclusionary discipline at age 9, specifically suspension, and how it affects delinquency and later criminal justice contact at age 15. Using longitudinal data from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS), this study aimed to answer the following two research questions: 1) Does increased parental harshness and harsh …

Exploring The Intersection Of Masculinity, Mental Health, And Mass Shootings, Kaitlyn Campbell

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Few studies have explored how intersecting challenges to masculinity and mental health can precipitate mass shootings. This study examines how responses to strained masculinity and mental health disorders combine across varying situational and social contexts to explain why and how offenders commit mass shootings. Data come from the U.S. Extremist Crime Database, Bias Homicide Database, and other open-source data on mass shootings. Drawing from Allison and Klein’s (2021) concept of “strained masculinity”, this study utilizes a qualitative narrative approach to uncover themes of strained masculinity and mental health issues among perpetrators of mass shootings. Different storylines emerge capturing ways some …

Developing Anisotropic Soft Matter As Functional Materials To Interface With Biological Systems, Homa Ghaiedi

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Liquid crystals (LCs) constitute a subset of soft matter possessing hybrid characteristics from both liquid and crystalline phases. In this state, the center of masses remains uncorrelated similar to an isotropic phase, while the long axis of molecules aligns in parallel, resulting in molecules exhibiting orientational and positional order, either individually or concurrently. The directional alignment inherent in LCs arises from the asymmetrical shape and structure of the constituent molecules, causing a spontaneous self-assembly into ordered phases. This cooperative molecular behavior manifests distinctive optical features when subjected to cross polarizers. The remarkable sensitivity of LCs to external stimuli, including temperature, …

Yeast Surface Display Of Multiple Heterologous Proteins Via Molecular And Biochemical Processing Techniques, Shadrach Ibinola

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The arming of yeast cell wall, also known as yeast surface display, is an effective technology for expressing target proteins extracellularly. It has been shown to provide bioengineered yeast with qualities that are not known to native yeast such as the ability to survive harsh conditions including high pH and temperature, for example. Furthermore, this technique has been implemented for various applications which include, protein engineering, bioethanol production, bioremediation, vaccine construction, and antibody development. The major mechanisms of yeast surface display exploit agglutination, flocculation, or proteins with internal repeats as the means by which a target (protein) is covalently attached …

In-Service Needs Of Selected Arkansas Agriculture Teachers Related To Precision Agriculture Systems, Henry Ofosu Akwah

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Precision Agriculture (PA) entails the use of computer technology, including software and hardware, together with good agronomic practices to effectively utilize resources available to growers. PA may enhance profitability, sustainability, resilience, and efficiency when implemented successfully. The aim of this study was to identify, assess, and describe the PA in-service needs of selected high school agriculture teachers in Arkansas. Forty-four teachers participated in the study, recruited through convenience sampling during the annual Arkansas agriculture in-service workshop held at Camp Couchdale in July 2023. A survey instrument was developed, and all forty-four participants provided complete responses. The survey included twenty-nine PA …

A Study Of Quantitative Reasoning Instructors’ Choices And Motivations When Teaching Quantitative Reasoning For The First Time, Trish Ann Harding

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study delves into the instructional decision-making processes of post-secondary instructors teaching quantitative reasoning (QR) courses for the first time. The study aims to address the gap in understanding how first-time QR instructors navigate the complexities of curriculum design and pedagogical strategies, and how these experiences contribute to their professional development. The research questions center on identifying the instructional decisions made by these instructors, exploring the factors influencing their decision-making, and understanding the impact of exercising agency has on their professional development. Through in-depth exploration, this study seeks to shed light on the challenges and opportunities faced by first-time …

An Inconvenient Truth About ‘Bundling’ Commitment, Engagement, & Embeddedness: Unbundling To Extend Theory On Turnover Motivations And Beyond, Carl Maertz, Clark D. Johnson, Brittney C. Bauer

School of Business: Faculty Publications and Other Works

This paper critiques a research practice that we call “bundling,” which has produced highly popular constructs in the organizational behavior literature, including organizational commitment, employee engagement, and organizational embeddedness. We show how these bundled constructs, using broad labels from common parlance, have produced overlapping meanings, confounded theoretical mechanisms, and imposed limiting “ideal employee” conceptions in the literature, organizations, and ultimately, societal discourse about employees. We argue that “unbundling” these constructs can provide multiple benefits to theory, empirical inquiry, and practical assessment of complex employee motives. As a demonstration, we unbundle the three focal constructs to integrate and clarify their component …

Adding Parasite Resistance To A Hair Sheep Breeding Objective, Robert M. Forbes

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The United States Hair Sheep Index was designed to increase total weight of lamb weaned per ewe lambing (TW) using estimated breeding values (EBV) for direct (DWWT) and maternal (MWWT) weaning weight, and number of lambs born (NLB) and weaned (NLW), as selection criteria. Producers are interested in adding post-weaning fecal egg count EBV (PFEC), an indicator of parasite resistance, to the index to achieve genetic change in both TW and PFEC.

First, the effects of adding PFEC alongside TW to the breeding objective of indexes that used either phenotypes or EBV as selection criteria were studied. Since MWWT …

Feeding Dried Distillers' Grains With Solubles To Lactating Dairy Cattle: Whole Animal Energy Utilization And Manure Biogas Production, Grant Michael Fincham

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

When DDGS are fed to lactating dairy cattle, the observed response in energy supply, milk production, and methane production varies among studies. One potential reason for these observed discrepancies is the nature of the diet formulation itself. Furthermore, little research has been conducted to examine how dietary changes can affect dairy cattle manure composition and methane production in an anaerobic manure digester. In order to gain a better understanding of these topics, we conducted two experiments. The first experiment was conducted to test how the manipulation of lactating dairy cattle diets affects energy utilization, milk production, methane production, and manure …

Perceptions Of Applied Behavior Analysis Therapy On Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder Via Social Media, Kaitlyn Drilling

Honors Thesis

The use of Applied Behavioral Analysis Therapy (ABA) on children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a controversial topic. Stakeholders have strong opinions, and the use of social media allows them to reach a bigger audience to share their perceptions. Stakeholders such as parents of children with ASD, adults with ASD who have been treated using ABA therapy, and ABA clinicians themselves may post on long-form social media such as Reddit or Facebook to ASD specific forums. These forums provide stakeholders with information, community, and support that they might not have otherwise. The perceptions of ABA on children with ASD …

The Effects Of Selected Demographic Factors On The Reading Achievement Of Middle School Students, Kendrea J. Bryant

Dissertations (2016-Present)

Middle school is one of the most important times during which students gain knowledge. However, a large proportion of adolescents have continued to complete middle school without mastering essential knowledge of, and skills in, vocabulary and reading comprehension. Adolescents who miss school in the 30–60 days leading up to high-stakes exams experience declines in their reading scores. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of selected demographic factors on the reading achievement scores and attendance of middle school students. Specifically, this study involved examination of the effects of socioeconomic status (SES), gender, and ethnicity—both separately and in …

Antihypertensive Medications And Risk Of Melanoma And Keratinocyte Carcinomas: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Olivia G Cohen, Matthew Taylor, Cassandra Mohr, Kevin T Nead, Candice L Hinkston, Sharon H Giordano, Sinead M Langan, David J Margolis, Mackenzie R Wehner

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Some antihypertensive medications are photosensitizing. The implications for skin cancer risk remain unclear because results from prior studies are inconsistent and as new evidence is published. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the association between antihypertensives and common skin cancers (cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma, and melanoma) and to evaluate dose-response relationships. Forty-four articles met inclusion criteria, and 42 could be meta analyzed. Increased risks were seen for basal cell carcinoma with calcium channel blockers (relative risk [RR] = 1.17, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.11-1.22), diuretics (RR = 1.06, 95% CI = 1.03-1.10), and …

A Radiotherapy Community Data-Driven Approach To Determine Which Complexity Metrics Best Predict The Impact Of Atypical Tps Beam Modeling On Clinical Dose Calculation Accuracy, Fre'etta Mae Dayo Brooks, Mallory Carson Glenn, Victor Hernandez, Jordi Saez, Hunter Mehrens, Julianne Marie Pollard-Larkin, Rebecca Maureen Howell, Christine Burns Peterson, Christopher Lee Nelson, Catharine Helen Clark, Stephen Frasier Kry

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

PURPOSE: To quantify the impact of treatment planning system beam model parameters, based on the actual spread in radiotherapy community data, on clinical treatment plans and determine which complexity metrics best describe the impact beam modeling errors have on dose accuracy.

METHODS: Ten beam modeling parameters for a Varian accelerator were modified in RayStation to match radiotherapy community data at the 2.5, 25, 50, 75, and 97.5 percentile levels. These modifications were evaluated on 25 patient cases, including prostate, non-small cell lung, H&N, brain, and mesothelioma, generating 1,000 plan perturbations. Differences in the mean planned dose to clinical target volumes …

Noninferiority Of Hypofractionated Vs Conventional Postprostatectomy Radiotherapy For Genitourinary And Gastrointestinal Symptoms: The Nrg-Gu003 Phase 3 Randomized Clinical Trial, Mark K Buyyounouski, Stephanie L Pugh, Ronald C Chen, Mark J Mann, Rajat J Kudchadker, Andre A Konski, Omar Y Mian, Jeff M Michalski, Eric Vigneault, Richard K Valicenti, Maroie Barkati, Colleen A F Lawton, Louis Potters, Drew C Monitto, Jeffrey A Kittel, Thomas M Schroeder, Raquibul Hannan, Casey E Duncan, Joseph P Rodgers, Felix Feng, Howard M Sandler

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Importance: No prior trial has compared hypofractionated postprostatectomy radiotherapy (HYPORT) to conventionally fractionated postprostatectomy (COPORT) in patients primarily treated with prostatectomy.

Objective: To determine if HYPORT is noninferior to COPORT for patient-reported genitourinary (GU) and gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms at 2 years.

Design, setting, and participants: In this phase 3 randomized clinical trial, patients with a detectable prostate-specific antigen (PSA; ≥0.1 ng/mL) postprostatectomy with pT2/3pNX/0 disease or an undetectable PSA (< 0.1 ng/mL) with either pT3 disease or pT2 disease with a positive surgical margin were recruited from 93 academic, community-based, and tertiary medical sites in the US and Canada. Between June 2017 and July 2018, a total of 296 patients were randomized. Data were analyzed in December 2020, with additional analyses occurring after as needed.

Intervention: Patients were randomized to receive 62.5 Gy in 25 fractions (HYPORT) or 66.6 Gy in 37 fractions (COPORT).

Main outcomes and measures: The coprimary end points were the 2-year …

Development And Pilot Testing Of A Surface Discrimination Test For People With Lower Limb Amputation, Colin Kruger, Kyle Mcknight, Sharlene Lim, Samuel Straus

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Introduction: There is a lack of understanding as to how sensory loss and sensory deficits impact those with LLA. The purpose of this research is to determine the extent to which people with LLA can discriminate between surfaces underfoot, in order to better understand the relationship between people with LLA and their perception of the ground they are walking on. We developed a test to determine which qualities of surfaces may be easier to distinguish.

Methods: 10 unimpaired adults and 2 adults with LLA participated. Participants compared surfaces underfoot that consisted of ceramic, rough tile, gravel, sand, and sandpaper to …

Barriers To A Real Second Chance: Seeking Redemption While Set Up For Failure, Kara Forrai

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

With the enactment of the Second Chance Act in 2008, there has been a need to better understand the effectiveness of prisoner reentry programs and the services that are provided within these programs. Since then, numerous articles have described the barriers that previously incarcerated persons encounter during reentry and how this increases the likelihood of recidivism. The goal of this current study is to understand what current barriers exist for individuals within a local reentry program and then to suggest future implementations that could reduce the impact of these barriers. To achieve this goal, qualitative research methods are employed to …

Removal Of Permethrin And Bifenthrin Insecticides From Runoff Water By Activated Carbon Adsorption, Ernesto Hernandez

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Among the hundreds of pesticides and insecticides, pyrethroids-particularly permethrin and bifenthrin, have become very popular due to their high toxicity to insects and low toxicity to humans, leading to extensive use in both agriculture and urban areas. Pyrethroids have no discharge limits because of this, leading to a negative impact on surrounding ecosystems due to their high toxicity to fish and aquatic life. Due to their low solubility and long half-lives, they are prominent in the environment long after application with a high potential for getting transported in runoff water to nearby water bodies. In this study, DSR-C reactivated carbon …

The Effect Of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Of The Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex On Muscle Fatigue Resistance, Taylie Thompson Liddell

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) delivered to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) can increase endurance time in lower body cycling tasks. The purpose was to examine the effect of DLPFC-tDCS on the time to task failure (TTF) of a fatiguing contraction performed by hand muscles. The study used a double-blind, randomized, SHAM-controlled, crossover design. Participants completed two experimental sessions on separate days with a washout between sessions. All facets of the experiments were identical except the stimulation condition (DLPFC-tDCS or SHAM) that was given concurrent with the fatiguing contraction. The fatiguing contraction involved gripping a manipulandum with the index finger …

Discerning Moral Injury, Alexandra A. Merletti

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Moral injury is a recently developed psychological construct used to explain trauma that cannot be adequately explained by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It arises from experiences in which sufferers feel that they have violated deeply held moral beliefs and has multiple negative long term health and professional consequences for individuals affected. In order to better understand moral injury, this study seeks to understand how it is identified in individuals by others and utilizes Christie’s (2018) Ideal Victim Theory and Gray and Wegner’s (2009) Moral Typecasting Theory as a theoretical framework. Participants for this study were 374 undergraduate students at the …

The Effects Of Nicotine On Growth, Surface Marker Expression, And Osteogenic Capacity Of Stem Cells From Human Exfoliated Deciduous Teeth (Shed) And Dental Pulp Stem Cells (Dpsc), Kaileen Rodriguez

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Background: The gaining popularity of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) and inhaling aerosols (“vaping”) among young people have exposed them to unprecedented amounts of nicotine. Fourth generation ENDS manufacturers attract the adolescent demographic with a smooth vaping experience with enticing flavors such as “Piña Colada” or “Peppermint Blast.” Components of e-liquids in cartridges of ENDS combine protonated nicotine, also referred as nicotine salts, with flavors in a propylene glycol or vegetable glycerin solvent. Unregulated, high amounts of nicotine in ENDS products have been associated with increased levels of nicotine in the circulating blood of users with an average concentration of …

Evaluation Of The Extent Of Floods In 2022 In Different Land Cover And Land Use Classes In Sindh Province, Pakistan Using Sentinel-1 And Sentinel-2 Imageries, Alina Shrestha

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Floods are one of the most frequent and most devastating natural disasters, which cause widespread destruction and pose significant risks to human life, infrastructure, and the environment. Advancement in remote sensing technologies and methodologies have demonstrated their efficacy in disaster-related applications, such as the detection, monitoring, and analysis of floods. This study explores the utilization of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) and optical imagery for flood extent mapping and studying the extent of flood over various land cover and land use classes in Pakistan's Sindh province, utilizing the cloud computing power of Google Earth Engine. The change detection method identified extensive …

Simulation And Design Of Ion Traps Using The Method Of Fundamental Solutions, Trevor Taylor

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In this thesis I apply the numeric method, the Method of Fundamental Solutions (MFS), to solve for the fields create by ion traps in various configurations, such as quadrupole ion traps, linear ion traps, toroidal ion traps, and toroidal surface ion traps. The traps are then designed to maximize desired qualities such as minimization of their anharmonicity, and their ability to shuttle ions. A particular focus will be on the toroidal surface ion trap, as well as its ability to shuttle ions. This trap is planned for future experiments involving measurement of the electron Electric Dipole Moment.

Jak2v617f Reversible Activation Shows Its Essential Requirement In Myeloproliferative Neoplasms, Andrew J Dunbar, Robert L Bowman, Young C Park, Kavi O'Connor, Franco Izzo, Robert M Myers, Abdul Karzai, Zachary Zaroogian, Won Jun Kim, Inés Fernández-Maestre, Michael R Waarts, Abbas Nazir, Wenbin Xiao, Tamara Codilupi, Max Brodsky, Mirko Farina, Louise Cai, Sheng F Cai, Benjamin Wang, Wenbin An, Julie L Yang, Shoron Mowla, Shira E Eisman, Amritha Varshini Hanasoge Somasundara, Jacob L Glass, Tanmay Mishra, Remie Houston, Emily Guzzardi, Anthony R Martinez Benitez, Aaron D Viny, Richard P Koche, Sara C Meyer, Dan A Landau, Ross L Levine

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Gain-of-function mutations activating JAK/STAT signaling are seen in the majority of patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN), most commonly JAK2V617F. Although clinically approved JAK inhibitors improve symptoms and outcomes in MPNs, remissions are rare, and mutant allele burden does not substantively change with chronic therapy. We hypothesized this is due to limitations of current JAK inhibitors to potently and specifically abrogate mutant JAK2 signaling. We therefore developed a conditionally inducible mouse model allowing for sequential activation, and then inactivation, of Jak2V617F from its endogenous locus using a combined Dre-rox/Cre-lox dual-recombinase system. Jak2V617F deletion abrogates MPN features, induces depletion of mutant-specific hematopoietic …

Foundation Models, Generative Ai, And Large Language Models: Essentials For Nursing, Angela Ross, Kathleen Mcgrow, Degui Zhi, Laila Rasmy

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

We are in a booming era of artificial intelligence, particularly with the increased availability of technologies that can help generate content, such as ChatGPT. Healthcare institutions are discussing or have started utilizing these innovative technologies within their workflow. Major electronic health record vendors have begun to leverage large language models to process and analyze vast amounts of clinical natural language text, performing a wide range of tasks in healthcare settings to help alleviate clinicians' burden. Although such technologies can be helpful in applications such as patient education, drafting responses to patient questions and emails, medical record summarization, and medical research …

Survival Disparities In Non-Hispanic Black And White Cervical Cancer Patients Vary By Histology And Are Largely Explained By Modifiable Factors, Calen W Kucera, Nicole P Chappell, Chunqiao Tian, Michael T Richardson, Christopher M Tarney, Chad A Hamilton, John K Chan, Daniel S Kapp, Charles A Leath, Yovanni Casablanca, Christine Rojas, Collin A Sitler, Lari Wenzel, Ann Klopp, Nathaniel L Jones, Rodney P Rocconi, John H Farley, Timothy D O'Connor, Craig D Shriver, Nicholas W Bateman, Thomas P Conrads, Neil T Phippen, G Larry Maxwell, Kathleen M Darcy

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Purpose: We investigated racial disparities in survival by histology in cervical cancer and examined the factors contributing to these disparities.

Methods: Non-Hispanic Black and non-Hispanic White (hereafter known as Black and White) patients with stage I-IV cervical carcinoma diagnosed between 2004 and 2017 in the National Cancer Database were studied. Survival differences were compared using Cox modeling to estimate hazard ratio (HR) or adjusted HR (AHR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). The contribution of demographic, socioeconomic and clinical factors to the Black vs White differences in survival was estimated after applying propensity score weighting in patients with squamous cell carcinoma …