Digital Commons Network^™

Fostering Intergenerational Connection Through The Implementation Of Bingocize: A Community-Based Fall-Prevention Program, Dejeigh Herrera, Shelby Humphreys, Kayla Lee, Danielle Platt

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Falling is an experience that can be traumatic and detrimental to the overall health of those aged 65 and older. As this portion of the population in the United States continues to grow, so does the importance of understanding the general health concerns of these individuals and the way they contribute to their risk of falling and impact their ability to live independently. One program to help address these risks is Bingocize, an evidence-based program designed by Jason Crandall, a professor of exercise science at Western Kentucky University in 2011. Bingocize is a 10-week fall prevention program designed to educate …

Does Student Interest In Rural Or Underserved Practice Change Following Exposure To A Full Time Rural Or Underserved Clinical Experience?, Hans D. Capistrano, Maxwell D. Giedlin, Kayla A. Houston

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Access to healthcare in rural areas remains a significant challenge, with rural communities facing unique barriers such as limited healthcare providers, increased travel distances, and lower insurance coverage rates. Nevada exemplifies this issue, ranking 45th in the United States in access to physical therapy services, with particularly low provider availability in its rural regions. Research suggests that clinical education experiences in rural and underserved areas may encourage healthcare professionals to practice in these communities post-graduation. This study examined the relationship between clinical experiences in rural and underserved settings amongst University of Nevada, Las Vegas Physical Therapy (UNLVPT) students’ interest in …

Unlv Admissions: Effect Of The In-Person Interview On The Holistic Admissions Of Minority Applicants Into The University Of Nevada, Las Vegas Doctor Of Physical Therapy Program, Jonathan Madamba, Walker Riley, Isaiah Taylor

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Purpose/Methods: The goal of this study is to analyze the effect of an in-person interview on the admission of minority applicants into the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). Using data from the 2014-2022 admissions cycles we assessed inter-rater reliability of the interviewer’s, differences in average in-person interview score between racial groups, and compared the difference in pre-interview scores between racial groups.

Results: We found that students identifying as Black scored higher on interviews than their White counterparts. However, a smaller proportion of them matriculated into the program due to the difference …

Expanding Anatomy Academy In The Las Vegas Metropolitan Area: A Service Learning Project To Improve Childhood Health Through Supplemental Educational Sessions, Alekzander Hall, Brandon Paige, Marlee Parkin, David Sanchez

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Childhood obesity is a growing epidemic in the United States, with approximately 18.5% of US children presenting with obesity. High levels of obesity are less common in higher income communities, but increasingly more prevalent in lower income communities. Currently in Clark County, Nevada, more specifically in lower socioeconomic communities and Title I schools within the Las Vegas area, there is an opportunity to educate students about the components of a healthier lifestyle to provide children with the tools to improve their health. Anatomy Academy (AA) is an eight-week health education program that was created to teach fourth and fifth grade …

Planting Seeds, Changing Minds: A Narrative Analysis Of Environmental Children’S Books, Julianna Jovillar

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Children’s books are some of the earliest forms of entertainment and education a person will interact with in their lifetime. Simultaneously weaving a tale and teaching a lesson, children’s books, therefore, have the great potential to communicate important lessons and mindsets at young ages. Utilizing narrative theory (Fisher, 1984) and ecocriticism (Glotfelty, 1996), while also considering environmental ideologies and narrative components (Bloomfield, 2024), this study explores the functions of environmental children’s books and how they might communicate environmental messaging and encourage ecological thinking. Following a narrative analysis of 46 environmental children’s books, the results of this study indicate that there …

There Is An Imposter Among Us: An Affective Constitutive Rhetorical Study On Rpgs, Erica Jane Sadorra

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study explores how players verbally and affectively connect the emotional impact of playing as crewmates or imposters to the game design of Among Us. Through video analysis of gameplay sessions and follow-up focus group interviews, the research highlights how crewmates exhibit heightened affective and gestural responses when making accusations or facing eliminations, while imposters adopt a more controlled, neutral demeanor to maintain deception. The study identifies moments where players' emotional and physical reactions peak, offering insights into how Among Us fosters complex emotional investments through its mechanics. These findings contribute to game studies by demonstrating how affect and role …

Routine Activity Theory And The Severity Of Terrorist Act, Yiwei Song

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Terrorist incidents have increased dramatically in the past several decades, leading to significant casualties and property damage worldwide. While prior studies grounded in lifestyle exposure theory have explored how victim demographics, lifestyle, and routine activities influence the likelihood of victimization, this study applies Routine Activity Theory to examine whether increased guardianship in the form of target security reduces the severity of terrorist incidents. Using data from 15,138 terrorist incidents in 2015 from the Global Terrorism Database (GTD), this study investigates the relationship between offender motives, target security, and the severity of attacks, measured by fatalities, injuries, and property damage. Furthermore, …

Unveiling The Physical Interaction Between Gsnor1 And Trx-H Isoforms, Anika Tabassum, Gary J. Loake

Turkish Journal of Botany

This study aims to investigate any possible interaction between two highly conserved regulators of cellular SNO levels: S-nitrosoglutathione reductase (GSNOR1) and thioredoxin (TRX). These two enzymes control global S-nitrosylation levels and thus impact the cellular redox state during immune responses. A mutant line (Δtrx1trx2sfa1) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae MaV203 strain was generated to explore this possibility rather than using a classical strain. We identified and characterized the physical interaction between GSNOR1 and Arabidopsis cytosolic h isoforms in a yeast two-hybrid screen. Out of the seven TRX isoforms, AtGSNOR1 displayed a high interaction with AtTRXh3, AtTRXh4, and AtTRXh5 (AtTRXh5>AtTRXh4 & AtTRXh3). …

Gender Biases: The Interaction Between Children And Voice Assistants, Trà Hương Bùi

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Nowadays, children can access and interact with voice assistants (VAs) easily since the machines are more available in the family context. However, there is a gap in understanding how children conceptualize VAs when interacting with the machine. Specifically, this study aimed to examine whether children understand VAs as inanimate. Additionally, the study also compared how children and adults rate the VAs’ level of warmth and competence and the way they associate AI voices with feminine or masculine faces. Another goal was to explore how children and adults match the gender and competence/warmth of the VA with facial masculinity and femininity. …

Developments On Abbreviations Towards Machine Reading Comprehension, Sing Choi

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Machine reading comprehension is a critical step in development of applications that require the semantic understanding of human speech-to-text driven work. Many devices such as smart home appliances like the Amazon Echo Dot, Google Home, or smart assistants like Apple Siri or Microsoft Cortana are examples of these applications. The comprehension task involves a deeper understanding and recognition of named entities such as person names, locations, medicals codes, quantities, abbreviations, and acronyms in speech or text data. In this dissertation, we explore and extend the different approaches and techniques in modern research that tackles the problem of recognition and definition …

Advancements In Solar Energy Life Cycle Assessment And Implications For Power Plants In The Western Us, Santiago Cisneros Castillo

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

New solar energy technologies, such as second-generation photovoltaic panels, are increasingly being installed at utility scale. Our accounting of the life cycle climate change impacts or carbon footprint of solar power technologies needs to be revised as technologies change and as prior omissions of related impacts are identified. This thesis aims to update the life cycle climate change impacts of two solar energy technologies. First, the direct land use change (DLUC) and albedo change impacts from removing native vegetation and installing CSP troughs were incorporated into life cycle assessment (LCA) scenarios for the four currently operational CSP trough power plants …

The Science Behind Free Rebound, Ryan Nash Bond

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This document examines a history of the the percussion stroke used throughout history leading to Free Rebound. It focuses on how grip, technique, and pedagogy have evolved over time through various pedagogues. The concept and stroke motion in Free Rebound was first advocated by George Lawrence Stone, Billy Gladstone, Fred Hinger, Buster Bailey, Ed Soph, and Joe Morello, it was implemented in playing and teaching by Gary Cook, and furthered by Dean Gronemeier. This discussion aims to support professionals', students', and teachers' interests by discussing the pedagogies of different approaches over time. The health and wellness section helps to discuss …

High Dynamic Range Actively Quenched Silicon-Germanium Single-Photon Avalanche Diodes, Abraham Castaneda

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) are solid-state devices capable of providing large current pulses in the milliampere range in response to incident photons. The large gain inherent to SPADs makes them a popular technology for photon-counting applications, but their operation can be hindered by long recharge times, which necessitates the use of active quenching to reduce dead times and increase detection rates. For the prompt gamma/neutron radiation experiments conducted at the Nevada National Security Site, photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) have been the primary photodetector of choice, but their continued use is expected to dwindle as it becomes increasingly difficult to source quality …

The Effects Of Blood Flow Restriction And Body Weight Support Treadmill Walking On Electromyographic Activity In Lower Limb Muscles, Cyanea Davies

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Blood flow restriction (BFR) is an emerging rehabilitation modality shown to enhance muscle activation and elicit strength gains comparable to high-intensity training at lower loads (Cognetti et al.,2019). Body weight support (BWS) treadmill walking is another modality that has gained popularity due to the effect it has on lowering muscle activation with increasing support levels (Jensen et al.,2016). However, to date no research has looked at electromyographic (EMG) activity utilizing both modalities concurrently. This study investigated if stride frequency (SF) and muscle activity of the rectus femoris (RF), biceps femoris (BF), tibialis anterior (TA) and gastrocnemius (GA) would be influenced …

Efficient Wattle Design For High-Level Nuclear Waste Tanks, Jasmine B. Clarke

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

At the Hanford Site in Washington state and the Savannah River Site in South Carolina, there are underground steel tanks that hold high-level nuclear waste (HLW) and nearly 450 million curies of radioactivity. At these sites, some leaks have been detected in HLW tanks. While detecting these leaks allows for identification of the issue, it does not solve the problem or prevent the leakage of HLW contaminants into collection pans and secondary containment. Repairing these leaks poses potential threats to workers for exposure risk. To address this issue, the present research seeks to create and utilize an active barrier in …

The Roles Of Oprf In Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Biofilms, Erin K. Cassin

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Many bacteria form multicellular communities known as biofilms. Biofilms contain bacterial cells and a protective extracellular biofilm matrix. This matrix contains exopolysaccharides, extracellular DNA (eDNA), membrane vesicles, and proteins. The matrix proteins are far less characterized than other extracellular biofilm components. In biofilms formed by the model organism Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the protein OprF is abundant in the cellular outer membrane and the extracellular matrix. In my dissertation research, I have presented data supporting the hypothesis that the OprF protein significantly affects P. aeruginosa biofilms. By examining various strain backgrounds and the nutrient-dependent effects of glucose and sodium chloride, I demonstrate …

Bridging The Gap Between Vocal Performance Degrees And Opera Apprentice Programs: A Comparative Study Of Pedagogical Methods, Emily Marie Dirks

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

While operatic apprentice programs seek singers with strong vocal potential, they rarely define the specific technical skills necessary for success. This study bridges the gap between vocal performance degrees and the opera industry by identifying the vocal techniques that may improve a singer’s likelihood of acceptance into an apprentice program. To achieve this, the research draws from two primary sources: pedagogical texts and interviews with industry experts who actively teach, coach, or perform alongside apprentice artists at elite opera houses. These experts include voice teachers Darrell Babidge and Jack LiVigni, vocal coaches Beatrice Benzi and John Parr, and internationally acclaimed …

Musical Language And Communication: Students Connect Music Streams To Literacy, Mathematics, Science, And Movement, Kelly Collier

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This dissertation discusses how music and literacy claim many of the same skills, ways music may be used as a motivational tool to help promote strategies for skill development, and how teachers working in teams have the innovation to generate strategic learning. By combining music symbolism with the literacy curriculum, one can create a set of elementary school lessons that integrate musical melody with the facets of literacy, mathematics, science, and movement to formulate beneficial opportunities for student engagement and learning. Students cultivate learning by using the elements of rhythmic literacy, such as identifying beat values in conjunction with their …

Bridging The Gap: A Quality Improvement Initiative To Enhance Interoception Resources For Pediatric Oncology Ots, Dana Louise Lomotan Doolittle

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Chemotherapy administered to children and youth diagnosed with pediatric cancers may induce side effects such as pain, fatigue, anxiety, and other distressing symptoms that could impact the ability to meet occupational needs and desires in daily functioning. The occupational therapy discipline incorporates mindfulness strategies to target these symptoms for increased body awareness in children with cancer, though interoception’s role within the pediatric oncology population is obscure. Furthermore, there are implicated demands described in the literature for more established pediatric oncology rehabilitation programs to attend to the specific needs of the population and to advocate for occupational therapy’s role in the …

Plagiocephaly In Premature Infants: Enhancing Nicu Caregiver Education, Hailee Efferson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Objective: To improve NICU nurses’ confidence in preventing and managing plagiocephaly in premature infants through a one-on-one educational session.Design: One-group post-test design for a quality improvement initiative. Setting: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Summerlin Hospital Medical Center. Participants: 20 NICU Nurses. Measures: Post-session questionnaire including close-ended Likert scale and open-ended questions. Results: Mean scores ranged from 3.5 to 4.0, with the highest rating for the helpfulness of the session format (mean = 4.0) and the lowest for confidence in alternating infant positioning (mean = 3.5). Standard deviations ranged from 0 to 0.59, indicating strong agreement regarding the session format …

Advanced Literacies In The 21st Century: Examining A Narrative-Based Video Game As A Stealth Assessment For Comprehension, Joseph Paul Fiorentini

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In our technology-rich 21st Century, the need for valid, reliable, and fair literacy assessments remains pertinent to the field of education. This study defines literacy as advanced literacy where comprehension is considered a holistic product of applying acquired knowledge, skills, or abilities (KSA) to contextualized situations. Conventional assessment methods have traditionally parceled out the construct into its component parts (i.e., vocabulary, phonics, fluency, etc.) as a means of understanding the meaning making process from a traditional literacy perspective. Stealth assessments utilize the Evidence-Centered Design (ECD) framework as a robust method for assessing complex constructs holistically within technology rich environments. Adapting …

Mfgat: Map-Free Trajectory Prediction With Graph Attention Networks For Autonomous Vehicles, Zehra Gunindi

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Accurate trajectory prediction is a key component for ensuring safe and efficient navigation of autonomous vehicles in complex traffic scenarios. While traditional methods rely heavily on high-definition (HD) maps, these approaches face significant challenges, including high costs, limited availability, and susceptibility to rapid obsolescence. This thesis proposes an end-to-end, map-free trajectory prediction model that leverages Graph Attention Networks (GAT) to dynamically capture spatial-temporal interactions among road agents, eliminating the need for HD maps.The research introduces UNLVTraj, a novel LiDAR-based dataset collected around the University of Nevada, Las Vegas campus, specifically along Cottage Grove Street, Harmon Avenue, and Maryland Parkway. This …

Acquired Brain Injury Education: Utilizing Unfolding Case Studies To Improve Critical Thinking Skills In Occupational Therapy Students, Katherine Hathaway

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Acquired brain injuries (ABI), including traumatic brain injury, stroke, and anoxia, affect millions worldwide, and often result in long-term impairments in daily functioning. Despite the need for specialized, ongoing care, many individuals with ABI lack access to adequate long-term rehabilitation services, and families report substantial caregiver burden due to limited resources and poor care coordination. Occupational therapy plays a critical role in meeting the needs of this population; however, many entry-level practitioners feel underprepared to manage the complex challenges associated with ABI, largely due to limited training and exposure. This capstone project aimed to address this educational gap by implementing …

A Novel Game-Based Assessment Of Risk-Taking Propensity: Development And Psychometric Evidence, Danielle L. Head

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Risk-taking propensity is defined and measured in different ways across the literature, resulting in assessment issues related to construct validity (Bran & Vaidis, 2020). Multimethod assessment approaches can bolster construct validity by capturing more facets of risk-taking propensity (Meyer et al., 2001). Risk-taking propensity is assessed through self-report questionnaires (Zhang et al., 2019), which exhibit good test-retest reliability (Frey et al., 2017) and predictive validity (Beauchamp et al., 2017), and behavioral tasks (Aklin et al., 2005), which are less psychometrically sound, lacking convergent validity and test-retest reliability (Frey et al., 2017). Guided by evidence-centered design principles (Mislevy, 2013), a novel …

Enhancing Documentation Proficiency: Feasibility Of Integrating Ehr Go & Unfolding Case Studies In Occupational Therapy Education, Jeffery D. Holland Jr.

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Objective: This capstone project evaluated the feasibility of integrating EHR Go and Unfolding Case Studies (UCS) into the first-year curriculum of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) program. The goal was to enhance students’ SOAP (Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan) note documentation proficiency and critical thinking skills through simulation-based learning and increased exposure to real-world documentation expectations and examples. Feedback from 33 clinicians at Dignity Health St. Rose Dominican Hospital – Siena Campus informed the workshop design, and OTD faculty and graduate assistants at UNLV provided input on curriculum integration feasibility.Methods: A quasi-experimental, non-equivalent groups pretest-posttest …

Climate Change And Hydropower Development Impacts In The Lower Mekong Basin, Nudthawud Homtong

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Mekong River Basin is vital to East and Southeast Asia, supporting over 60 million people and sustaining critical ecological systems. However, the basin faces dual threats from climate change and hydropower development, jeopardizing its ecological balance, hydrological patterns, and resource reliability. This research focuses on the Lower Mekong Basin (LMB), where aggressive hydropower expansion and climate variability have intensified concerns about sustainable water management. The study is divided into three interconnected parts. Part I examines spatial and temporal precipitation patterns in the Chi-Mun Basin (CMB) and Lower Mekong River (LMR) from 1950 to 2008, using linear regression and Mann-Kendall …

A Comparative Study Of Music Between Mongolia And The Mongolian Ethnic Minority In China: Cultural Backgrounds, Musical Styles, And Modern Developments, Yile Huang

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This thesis conducts a comparative study of Mongolian music traditions as they have developed both within Mongolia and among the Mongolian ethnic minority in China, exploring their cultural backgrounds, musical styles, and contemporary developments. By investigating the historical, geographical, and socio-cultural influences that shape the music in these regions, this study highlights the unique musical identities of each group while uncovering their commonalities and cultural exchanges. Drawing from a wide range of sources—including ethnographic studies and analysis of specific musical pieces—this research examines foundational elements such as the Mongolian long song, throat singing, and horsehead fiddle music. These traditional forms …

The Effectiveness Of Occupational Therapy Objective Structured Clinical Exam & Student Self-Efficacy In Preparation For Fieldwork Rotation, Angela Kay

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This capstone project focuses on exploring the effectiveness of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Department of Occupational Therapy’s Objective Structured Clinical Exam (OSCE) on students’ perceived self-efficacy in preparation for and throughout fieldwork rotation. This retrospective study analyzed repeated measures of the New General Self-Efficacy (NGSE) Likert Scale collected from a sample of 49 occupational therapy students across five time points. Findings indicated a statistically significant increase in self-efficacy over time (p< .001). These results suggest that the OSCE may play a meaningful role in enhancing students’ self-efficacy in their clinical hands-on skills, supporting its continued use in occupational therapy academics.

The “Asian”-Ness Of Women Influencing The Romance Plot In Contemporary Ya Literature, Janetsa Jane Keovorabouth

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Contemporary young adult literature (YAL) is a growing genre that features a diverse range of stories, allowing young readers to see themselves reflected in realistic stories. One of its prominent subgenres, contemporary young adult romance focuses on a modern love story between two individuals. Historically, Asian American female characters were often depicted as the “model minority” stereotype or represented as exoticized figures who held traits such as mysterious, submissive, or seductive creatures. These portrayals often treated the Asian American experience as monolithic. However, the genre now explores an intersection of identity and romance, addressing themes commonly found in contemporary realism …

Undergraduate Student Experiences Of Flow In Culturally Relevant And Contextual Digital Math Games, Kaylie Kurland

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Students in co-requisite mathematics classes represent a diverse group of learners, with one thing in common: their previous math performance. This research investigates how playing culturally responsive educational games is associated with students' learning and experience of flow. Quantitative analyses revealed no significant differences in flow scores across demographic groups. However, students with stronger STEM identities reported experiencing higher levels of flow, on average. Math self-efficacy was not significantly associated with flow experiences. ANOVA results indicated that flow was not significantly related to final course grades (F = 0.465, p = 0.707, η² = 0.008), suggesting that students’ self-reported flow …