Digital Commons Network^™

Interpretable And Evidential Deep Learning For Medical Image Analysis, Sai Chandra Kosaraju

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Automatic histopathological Whole Slide Image (WSI) analysis has been highlighted along with the advancements in microscopic imaging techniques, but manual examination and diagnosis of WSIs are time-consuming and tiresome. Recently, deep convolutional neural networks have succeeded in histopathological image analysis. Especially, Convolutional Neural Networks CNN models such as Inception and DenseNet have achieved effective performance. However, automatic histopathological WSI analysis still has significant drawbacks such as considering deep learning as black-box models, predicting disease independently on a small part of images (patch images) extracted from WSIs, limitations in predicting a single slide-based score for a patient, and capturing disease-specific morphology …

Exploring The Everyday Inner Experience Of Grapheme-Color Synesthetes, Cody Michio Kaneshiro

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Synesthesia is a rare, multivariant condition where the stimulation of one sensory or cognitive sense induces extraordinary inner experiences. Grapheme-color synesthesia is a kind of synesthesia where the presentation of letters and/or numbers induce automatic, directly apprehended color phenomena within synesthetes (i.e., individuals with synesthesia). Despite synesthesia’s being defined by remarkable color experiences, first-person investigations that directly study synesthetes’ inner experience are rare. We used descriptive experience sampling (DES) to describe the everyday inner experience of six grapheme-color synesthetes, each sampled for from 6 to 14 sampling days. Our idiographic findings showed that the salient features of each individual participant’s …

The Development Of Environmental Dna (Edna) Sampling For Arbovirus Vector Surveillance In Southern Nevada, Katharine Brooke Major

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Vector-borne diseases account for 17% of all infectious diseases worldwide and are responsible for more than 700,000 deaths annually. Two-thirds of the global population are at risk of arthropod-borne RNA viruses (arboviruses), spread by mosquitoes, ticks, and sandflies, with these pathogens accounting for 37% of all emerging human diseases. Arboviruses are becoming increasingly important causes of neurological disease in the United States, presenting a significant public health problem. In the absence of available vaccines and efficacious treatment options, accurate, rapid, and cost-effective surveillance of arbovirus vectors is critical for monitoring species distribution and mitigating disease transmission risk. Currently, mosquito vector …

A Transcription For Piccolo Trumpet With Historical Context And Methodology: Oboe Quartet Kv 370/368b By Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Christopher Massa

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This document explores the challenges of transcribing Mozart's Oboe Quartet for piccolo trumpet, emphasizing performance practices. Both oboe and trumpet navigate mid-high to high ranges with fluidity, underscoring the importance of mastering flexibility through study and practice. This document examines the process of transcription by comparing other successful transcriptions.Achieving balance among instruments is crucial due to the piccolo trumpet's volume compared to the oboe or violin. Careful dynamics adjustment ensures harmonious blending within the ensemble, allowing each instrument to shine without overpowering the others. Breath management poses another significant challenge, and while similarities between oboe and piccolo trumpet breath control …

Application Of Machine Learning Algorithms In Healthcare, Dwaipayan Mukhopadhyay

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Machine Learning (ML) is a subset of artificial intelligence that has made substantial strides in predicting and identifying health emergencies, disease populations, and disease state and immune response, amongst a few fields of healthcare. Here we provide a brief overview of machine learning-based approaches and learning algorithms. Second, we discuss a general procedure of ML and review some studies presented in ML application for several healthcare fields. We also briefly discuss the risks and challenges of ML application to healthcare.This dissertation also consists of four different cases in healthcare where we have applied ML techniques on real life data sets. …

Implementing Radformation At Personalized Radiation Oncology: Enhancing Efficiency And Precision, Devin J. Peart

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

RadMachine is a data quality management application implemented at Personalized Radiation Oncology (PRO) to streamline quality assurance (QA) tests. It offers various functions assisting medical physicists in a radiation oncology clinic, including inputting, analyzing, managing, exporting, and monitoring QA data. Physicists create test lists following the recommendations provided by the American Association of Medical Physics (AAPM). These lists track results for units such as the Varian Edge, Varian BRAVOS, and Siemens SOMATOM go.Open Pro CT scanner. Ancillary equipment used for testing also has assigned test lists to store calibration factors and receive calibration expiration reminders. The primary goal of utilizing …

Psychological Pitfalls Of The Modern Percussionist: A Survey Of Coping Mechanisms For Downward Spirals In Mental Health, Andrew Naughton

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This document explores three key facets of mental health significantly impacting percussionists in both educational and professional settings: Imposter Syndrome, sleep deprivation, and stress management. The primary focus is to understand the impact of these psychological conditions on percussionists and discover effective approaches to prevent, alleviate, or manage these ailments. This document is divided into four sections. The initial section delineates the concept of “Imposter Syndrome” and discusses its various manifestations as encountered by percussionists in both educational and professional environments. The second section discusses the consequences of sleep deprivation on mental well-being when it is disregarded. The third section …

Case Trial Evaluations Of An Optimization Approach To Mental Health And Sport Performance For Adolescent Athletes, Dereck Davy Phrathep

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This dissertation will consist of five chapters – an introduction (Chapter 1), three original empirical studies (Chapters 2-4), and a conclusion (Chapter 5). Chapter 2 was accepted for publication by the Sport Social Work Journal (Phrathep et al., 2022a). Chapter 3 was accepted for publication by Clinical Case Studies (Phrathep et al., 2022b). Chapter 4 was accepted for publication by Frontiers in Sports and Active Living (Phrathep et al., 2023). These three manuscripts are linked by a primary interest in the evaluation of an optimization approach as an efficacious intervention for optimizing mental health and sport performance among adolescent athletes …

Mining Gambling Data For Modeling Gambling Behavior Patterns, Piyush Aniruddha Puranik

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Understanding player behavior for responsible gambling research is a difficult task due to the lack of data on players’ activities. Past studies in this area are largely limited to publicly available behavioral data or aggregated players data. Problem gambling in gamblers is typically identified only after they have already been addicted or have already been engaging in problematic gambling behavior. Furthermore, “risky” gambling behavior has historically been difficult to define due to the varying patterns of gambling activity that could potentially be attributed to it.In this dissertation we illustrate the methodology and algorithms used to engineer financial data for further …

Under The Neon Lights: Examining The Memories Of Las Vegas' Route 91 Harvest Music Festival, William B. Ridgway

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The aim of the current study was to identify patterns of meaning in the trauma narratives of Route 91 Harvest survivors. We undertook a thematic analysis to examine survivors’ narratives collected shortly after the event (i.e., within one month), allowing for a more in-depth understanding of what survivors tended to emphasize or gravitate toward when recalling the episode of mass violence that resulted in the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history. From the rich thematic content emerged a dominant theme of memory for contextual details—specifically, sensory-perceptual features, time, and space. Specifically, Route 91 Harvest survivors reported vivid sensory experiences, …

The Role Of Cognitive Dysfunction In Late-Life Depression, Matthew Schurr

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Depression is one of the most common psychiatric concerns in older adults. Because of the intersection of biological, emotional, social, and cognitive factors that are at play in depression, symptoms are often heterogeneous in presence and severity. In combination with the expected changes in cognitive abilities as one ages, late-life depression can be additive to these changes. The higher risks of neurodegenerative processes and vascular events in later life can cause, magnify, or accelerate cognitive decline. As such, individuals with late-life depression often present with a complex array of problems that can impact cognition and functioning, and thus complicate the …

Dynamic Model Of An Overhead Crane, Leonard Ruesga

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In this thesis a novel spatial model of an overhead crane was developed. The model includes: bridge, trolley, driving and follower wheels for the bridge and trolley, drum, cable, and the payload. The model accounts for the winding/unwinding of the cable around the drum as the payload is raised/lowered. The cable and the payload were considered as rigid bodies with uniformly distributed mass. First, the kinematic equations of the model were developed by using constraint equations. Second, the dynamic equations were derived through use of Newton’s Laws. Developing the rotational dynamic equations required the determination of the angular momentum vectors …

A Heuristic Approach To Operations And Control Of Btm-Ders For Bill Management And Grid Services, Md Arshad Rashid Shaon

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Behind-The-Meter (BTM) distributed energy resources (DERs) have emerged as a critical and transformative force within the energy sector. These decentralized energy assets, which include solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, battery energy storage systems (BESS), and thermostatically controlled loads (TCLs), are increasingly essential for empowering customers by granting them greater control over their energy production and consumption, thereby reducing reliance on centralized power sources. Additionally, they have the potential to play a pivotal role in enhancing grid resilience by providing grid services. This study investigates the management of customer electricity bills and grid services through the integration of various BTM-DERs, particularly solar …

Uvc And Planetary Habitability: Insights From Desert Lichens And Cyanobacteria, Tejinder Singh

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

An important question in astrobiology is whether life can exist under the levels of UVC radiation found on Archean Earth, Mars, and exoplanets. We investigated this question by studying the UVC survival of colonial cyanobacterium and lichens that grow in harsh desert environments and possess natural sunscreens. We irradiated them nonstop in a desiccated state with a UVC flux closely representing the upper limit on those planets: 55-60 W/m². After irradiation, we rehydrated and assessed their survival using chlorophyll fluorometry and by counting the number of viable colonies that formed on agar plates. All three study organisms survived two to …

Automated Measurement Of The Water Drop Penetration Time For The Analysis Of Soil Water Repellency, Danxu Wang

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In this work, we develop an innovative system for the automated measurement of Water Drop Penetration Time (WDPT) - a parameter that is conventionally used for evaluating soil water repellency (SWR). Increased SWR can be a reason for plant stress and poor crop yields, create a risk of potential water runoff and floods and thus can pose risks to life and property loss. Timely evaluation of soil conditions can save resources and win time for responding to environmental disasters. Manual measurements of WDPT are labor-intensive, subjective, tend to produce variability of outcomes, and also not always available in remote or …

Effects Of Climate Change On (Semi)-Arid Ecosystems In The Southwestern United States, Charlotte Van Der Nagel

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Climate change is considered amongst the most severe threats to terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems globally. Ecosystems in the southwestern United States have specifically been impacted by intense drought conditions since 2000. Higher temperatures combined with altered precipitation stresses many ecosystems; however, ecosystem specific responses to such stressors may vary. Here, the effects of climate change on semi-arid ecosystems are analyzed for some of the most vulnerable ecosystems in the southwestern United States: lacustrine, riparian, and dryland ecosystems.

Lakes and reservoirs in arid environments often serve as drinking water sources and recreational areas where high water quality is essential. Climate change …

The Effects Of Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation On Excitability Of The Primary Motor Cortices And Complex Motor Task Learning, Erik Woodruff Wilkins

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) are promising non-invasive brain stimulation techniques, particularly for clinical applications involving altered or impaired motor function, such as in stroke and Parkinson’s disease. Although tDCS and tACS are different modalities, both forms of stimulation operate on the same principle - weak electrical currents are delivered through electrodes placed on the scalp in specific configurations known as “montages”. The most commonly used montage for targeting the primary motor cortex (M1) is the M1-SO configuration. This montage leverages the established observation that cortical regions directly beneath the anode generally increase in …

Probing The Ecological Functions Of Thermophiles Using Cultivation-Dependent And Cultivation-Independent Techniques, Dengxun Lai

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

High-temperature geothermal springs are ecosystems that resemble early Earth, offering insights into the origins and early evolution of life. In these unique ecosystems, thermophilic microorganisms thrive. However, our knowledge of thermophiles remains limited. A major challenge is that many thermophiles remain uncultivated. The primary goal of this dissertation was to explore the diversity, metabolism, and ecological functions of thermophiles using cultivation-dependent and cultivation-independent approaches. Chapter 1 provides a broad overview of geothermal spring ecosystems and thermophiles, along with a roadmap of the dissertation. Chapter 2 documents a study on the response of specific thermophiles from Gongxiaoshe (GXS) Hot Spring in …

Loneliness Among Black/African American Adults Living With Hiv: Sociodemographic And Psychosocial Correlates And Implications For Adherence., Nipher Malika, Laura M. Bogart, Matt G. Mutchler, Kathy Goggin, David J. Klein, Sean J. Lawrence, Glenn J. Wagner

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Loneliness, an emerging public health problem, is higher among people living with HIV and is associated with negative health outcomes. Black/African Americans have a high burden of HIV, and little is known about the characteristics of loneliness among Black adults living with HIV; therefore, this study sought to understand the sociodemographic and psychosocial correlates of Black adults living with HIV who are lonely and the implications of loneliness for their health outcomes. A sample of 304 Black adults living with HIV (73.8% sexual minority men) in Los Angeles County, CA, USA, completed the survey items assessing sociodemographic and psychosocial characteristics, …

Improvement In Quality Of Life After Asfotase Alfa Treatment In Adults With Pediatric-Onset Hypophosphatasia: Data From 5 Patient-Reported Outcome Measures., Kathryn M. Dahir, Steven W. Ing, Chad Deal, Andrew Messali, Toby Bates, Eric T. Rush

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

Hypophosphatasia (HPP) is a rare, inherited metabolic disorder caused by deficient tissue-nonspecific alkaline phosphatase activity. This study assessed the impact of treatment with asfotase alfa on patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in adults with pediatric-onset HPP. A longitudinal, telephone-based survey was administered to eligible individuals enrolled in a patient support program. Interviews were conducted at study entry (prior to asfotase alfa initiation) and after 3, 6, and 12 mo. PROs-Patient Health Questionnaire-9 [PHQ-9], Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Questionnaire: Specific Health Problem [WPAI:SHP], Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System 29 [PROMIS-29], and Routine Assessment of Patient Index Data 3 [RAPID3]-were assessed at each …

Intermittent Mechanical Loading On Mouse Tibia Accelerates Longitudinal Bone Growth By Inducing Pthrp Expression In The Female Tibial Growth Plate., Sarah Mcgarry, Karen Kover, Daniel P. Heruth, Mark Dallas, Xinxin Jin, Shufang Wu, Francesco De Luca

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

It is not clear as to whether weight bearing and ambulation may affect bone growth. Our goal was to study the role of mechanical loading (one of the components of ambulation) on endochondral ossification and longitudinal bone growth. Thus, we applied cyclical, biologically relevant strains for a prolonged time period (4 weeks) to one tibia of juvenile mice, while using the contralateral one as an internal control. By the end of the 4-week loading period, the mean tibial growth of the loaded tibiae was significantly greater than that of the unloaded tibiae. The mean height and the mean area of …

Assessing The Reactivity Of Amino Acids To Chlorination Using Capillary Electrophoresis, Pedro De Allende

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Amino acids (AA) are ubiquitous in wastewater systems. One of the most popular wastewater treatments is chlorination which is effective at eradicating bacteria and overall treating the wastewater, but it can also produce disinfection by-products (DBPs). Certain DBPs have been classified as Class B Carcinogens to humans and are therefore highly regulated and monitored. Past studies have shown that natural organic matter (NOM), specifically amino acids, can be precursors to DBPs if chlorinated to the correct dose. This thesis project explored AA chlorination's mechanism(s) to understand further which products arise. In particular, the investigation detailed which steps of the mechanism …

The Effect Of Intermediate Doses Of Roundup® On The Larval Development, Survival, Oviposition And Fitness Of Culex Quinquefasciatus, Abdoulaye Aziz Zerbo

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The southern house mosquito, Culex quinquefasciatus, is a vector to many pathogens in Southern California, including West Nile Virus and St. Louis Encephalitis Virus. Immature stages of mosquitoes may be exposed to Roundup^®, a frequently used herbicide worldwide, due to surface runoffs or overspraying and subsequent drifting. Previous studies have shown some negative impacts of sublethal doses of Roundup^® during the developmental stage of Culex quinquefasciatus, such as physiologic changes and prolonged larval stage or the high mortality of larvae due to exposure to the high doses of glyphosate. This study investigated the effect of …

Raising Awareness Of Empathy And Its Role In Teacher-Student Relationships, Jessica Coles-Black

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study navigates through the theory of emotional intelligence, which is premised on self-regulation, emotion regulation, and drilling down to the core skills of empathy. These constructs significantly impact teacher-student relationships, which, in turn, influences academics, socio-emotional learning, behavior and the educational trajectory . This mixed methods study examined the importance of teacher awareness of the subconstructs of empathy and how this influences their relationships with students. Investigating the impact of the subconstructs of empathy as outlined by Decety and Jackson (2016) and their correlation to the subconstructs of teacher-student relationships (Pianta, 1992), the study demonstrated important findings for cultivating …

Enhancing Cybersecurity For Unmanned Systems: A Comprehensive Literature Review, Jonathan Gabriel Mardoyan

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This culminating experience project addresses the pressing cybersecurity challenges encountered by unmanned autonomous vehicles. The research provides a comprehensive literature review on how hybrid encryption techniques can improve the security of its communication systems. The chosen research questions guiding this study are: (Q1) How can we enhance cybersecurity measures to safeguard the communication and transmission of sensitive data from unmanned systems, thereby preventing unauthorized access by malicious actors? (Q2) How can we ensure the confidentiality and integrity of messages exchanged with unmanned systems to a command-and-control center operating on the tactical edge? (Q3) How can hybrid encryption tackle the consumption …

Beliefs And Attitudes Regarding Schizophrenia Among Msw Students: An Exploratory Study, Nicole Dunlap

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Schizophrenia remains one of the most complex and stigmatized mental health conditions, impacting not only societal views but also the attitudes of healthcare professionals, including social workers. This study explores the beliefs and attitudes of Master of Social Work (MSW) students towards schizophrenia, identifying the factors that contribute to these perceptions and their potential impact on future professional practices. Using a mixed-method approach, the study surveyed MSW students from a California State University to assess their knowledge, stigma, and experiences related to schizophrenia. Quantitative data analysis revealed gaps in knowledge and persistent stigma among students, while qualitative responses highlighted the …

Assessments Of Thickeners For Home Cooked Pureed Diets Meals For Patients With Dysphagia On Pureed Diets, Amy Rosales

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Managing dysphagia can help prevent adverse outcomes for patients with swallowing issues. This project aims to identify the best thickener that holds food texture and to identify which thickener is most palatable and acceptable by evaluators. A Spoon Tilt test was used to as one of the objective tests to determine the best thickener that holds food texture. The three thickening agents used were: apple pectin powder, tapioca starch, and a commercial thickener. The three pureed food items used to test the thickening agents were baked chicken, broccoli, and rice. An audit tool by the International Dysphagia Diet Standardization Initiative …

Optimization Of Mass Spectrometry-Based Methods For Low-Input And Spatial Proteomics, Andikan Jones Nwosu

Theses and Dissertations

Eukaryotic cells are highly heterogeneous. These cells are arranged into different compartments, carrying out separate functions and facilitating biological processes. Proteins are the effector biomolecules targeted to subcellular locations that help fulfill specific tasks in living organisms. Spatial proteomics can help unravel molecularly how protein abundance and localization are altered in cells, which is not feasible in traditional bulk-scale proteomics. To achieve this, our lab has developed a miniaturized sample processing platform called nanoPOTS, reduced separation columns' inner diameter to increase ionization efficiency and concentrate analytes for mass spectrometers and optimized data acquisition modes for increasing proteome coverage in spatial …

A Framework For The Foundation Of The Philosophy Of Artificial Intelligence, Emily Barnes, James Hutson

Faculty Scholarship

In recent years, the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) technology has sparked profound questions about the nature of machine intelligence and the possibility of AI consciousness. As AI systems become increasingly sophisticated, examining their philosophical foundations has become imperative. This article investigates the intricate relationship between AI and existential thought, aiming to establish a comprehensive framework for understanding AI's philosophical underpinnings. The historical development of AI, from symbolic AI to contemporary machine learning paradigms, highlights the increasing complexity and sophistication of AI systems, prompting significant philosophical debates about machine consciousness. Theoretical models such as the Independent Core Observer Model …

Resolving The Size And Charge Of Small Particles: A Predictive Model Of Nanopore Mechanics, Samuel Bearden, Tigran M. Abramyan, Dmitry Gil, Jessica Johnson, Anton Murashko, Sergei Makaev, David Mai, Alexander Baranchikov, Vladimir Ivanov, Vladimir Reukov, Guigen Zhang

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

The movement of small particles and molecules through nanopore membranes is widespread and has far-reaching implications. Consequently, the development of mathematical models is essential for understanding these processes on a micro level, leading to deeper insights. In this endeavor, we suggested a model based on a set of empirical equations to predict the transport of substances through a solid-state nanopore and the associated signals generated during their translocation. This model establishes analytical relationships between the ionic current and electrical double-layer potential observed during analyte translocation and their size, charge, and mobility in an electrolyte solution. This framework allows for rapid …