OAsis: UNLV's Repository for Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity
Not a member yet
24968 research outputs found
Sort by
PYLRO: A Python Calculator for Analyzing Long-Range Structural Order
No full textWe present PyLRO, an open-source Python calculator designed to detect, quantify, and display long-range order in periodic structures. The program’s design methodology, workflow, and approach to order quantification are thoroughly described and demonstrated using a simple toy model. Great care is considered in the detailing of the calculation logic, as is standard in the development of computational methods. Additionally, we apply PyLRO to a series of metastable AlPO4 structural intermediates from a prior high-pressure study, demonstrating how to compute and visualize structural order in all directions on a Miller sphere. We further highlight the program’s capabilities through a high-throughput analysis of structural patterns in the pressure-induced amorphization of AlPO4, revealing atomistic insights within specific energy regions of massive amorphous structures. These results suggest that PyLRO can be a valuable tool for investigating crystal-amorphous transition in materials research. The relevant theoretical background and details regarding the state of the community consensus around the problems this novel method is attempting to solve are also provided within this dissertation. Finally, to streamline the ease of use of this program, various coding examples are provided throughout to demonstrate its use cases and functional syntax
Evaluating Correlates of Healthy Eating and Dietary Quality Among Older Adults: A Mixed Methods Approach to Development and Application of a New Survey Instrument
No full textObjectives: Community-dwelling older adults face unique challenges related to nutrition and health, but little is known about their barriers and facilitators for healthy eating behaviors. This study sought to develop and evaluate a new instrument to measure the capability, opportunity, and motivation for healthy eating behaviors (COM-HE) among community-dwelling older adults.
Design: A mixed methods approach was used to obtain qualitative and quantitative data. Participants were aged 65 years or older, community-dwelling, and English-speaking. Participants engaged in focus groups (n = 12) and pilot-testing (n = 81) to evaluate the COM-HE instrument. The Rapid Eating Assessment for Participants – Shortened Version (REAP-S) questionnaire was utilized to examine correlations between the COM-HE instrument and self-reported dietary quality. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to investigate acceptability, reliability, and validity.
Results: The COM-HE instrument achieved acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.847–0.986), displayed varying levels of uni-dimensionality based on multiple principal component analyses (total variance explained by three components = 86.72%), and was correlated with self-reported dietary quality scores (r = 0.409, adjusted R2 = 0.099, p = 0.031). Preliminary data suggest that the scale was acceptable in terms of readability and understanding among a convenience sample of generally well-educated older adults.
Conclusion: The new COM-HE instrument was acceptable, reliable, and valid among a homogeneous sample of adults over 65 years of age. These results suggest a need for additional development, evaluation, and refinement of the instrument in more diverse groups of older adults
Improved Open Access Support through a Popular Open Access Fund
No full textThis paper describes results of a 2023 survey of authors who applied to University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) Open Article Fund, a fund that supports article processing charges (APCs). The survey sought feedback about the fund’s impact, value, and award criteria as well as opinions on other open access topics. Results show that the fund has had a positive impact on open access uptake and opinions of open access. Respondents reported that they participate in other open publishing activities and believe that most publications should be made open access. The results suggest opportunities for better strategic connections between the fund and other open access outreach efforts
Negotiating Power: The Influence of Women in Shaping Colonial Barbados and Jamacia, from 1750-1833
No full textThis study investigates the roles of European, Mulatto, and African women in colonial Barbados and Jamaica from 1750 to 1833, arguing that these women were not passive recipients of colonial structures but active agents in shaping and contesting them. Drawing on a wide array of primary sources including personal journals, legal documents, medical texts, maps, and colonial artwork this paper explores how women negotiated the intersecting hierarchies of race, class, and gender in both rural and urban contexts. In plantation settings, European women exercised informal authority within patriarchal confines, often reinforcing racial and gendered oppression, while enslaved African women navigated brutal labor and reproductive exploitation with resilience and cultural resistance. In urban centers such as Kingston and Bridgetown, free women of color strategically employed cultural emulation and economic participation to assert social mobility and influence. Engaging with the historiography of Hilary Beckles, Rhoda Reddock, Barbara Bush, and Christine Walker, this research repositions women as central figures in the colonial Caribbean, complicating dominant narratives of power and agency within the Atlantic world
METABOLIC EFFECTS OF R-1,3-BUTANEDIOL (KETONE-IQ) DURING AEROBIC AND ANAEROBIC EXERCISE BOUTS
No full textTopics in Exercise Science and Kinesiology Volume 6: Issue 1, Article 1, 2025. BACKGROUND: Current evidence demonstrates the efficacy of low carbohydrate/high fat ketogenic diets as it related to exercise. Exogenous ketone supplements have made it possible to ingest ketone molecules, elevating blood b-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) despite consuming carbohydrates (CHO). The purpose of this investigation was to determine both metabolic and performance effects of R-1,3-butanediol (BDO). METHODS: A randomized repeated measures placebo-controlled design was used to compare BDO and placebo (PLA). Each phase of testing utilized two primary testing days: 1) a dose exposure day designed to determine blood metabolite changes following consumption of BDO or PLA, 2) A performance day designed to assess the aerobic and anaerobic performance. In brief, dose exposure day consisted of a fasting baseline blood analysis followed by additional blood analysis at 20- and 40-minute post ingestion timepoints. Performance testing consisted of ingestion of 0.5g/kg of BDO or PLA and a standard meal (31g CHO, 2.5g fat, 13g protein). Participants then conducted a 5k time-trial on a treadmill while breath gases were analyzed. BHB and glucose (GLU) were determined at baseline, midpoint and post run. Following aerobic testing participants completed a repeated cycle test consisting of five 10-second sprints against resistance (7.5% body mass). STATISTICAL ANALYSES: Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) were conducted to establish group and time effects. RESULTS: BDO resulted in increased BHB relative to PLA at all time-points following baseline on the dose exposure day (20-minute p\u3c0.001 and 40-minute). On the performance day, significant increases in BHB were also observed for all time-points for aerobic (p\u3c0.001 for each) and anaerobic testing (Midpoint: p\u3c0.01, Post: p\u3c0.01). BDO supplementation resulted in significantly higher average power and average peak power outputs across the five 10-second cycle sprints. Additionally, supplementation resulted in significantly less fatigue as determined by Fatigue Index. A significant decrease in BHB for BDO, from pre-run (1.9±0.2mmol) to post-run (1.2±0.2mmol), was also observed (p=0.003). CONCLUSION: Acute supplementation with a novel ketone supplement significantly increases blood ketones and significantly improved anaerobic performance on a repeated cycle ergometer assessment. Funding: Health Via Modern Nutrition (HVMN
I Have to Pay to Keep My Job: Examining Financial Barriers to Promotion and/or Tenure
No full textDrawing from data collected in 2020 and 2023 through national surveys, this paper will illuminate financial barriers faced by academic librarians in tenure-track or professional positions with a promotion requirement related to service, scholarship, or other professional engagement
It is Not Clear How Well Physical Activity Promotion Materials Are Understood: Findings from a Rapid Literature Review
No full textTopics in Exercise Science and Kinesiology Volume 6: Issue 1, Article 6, 2025. Efforts to promote physical activity and other health-related behaviors are more effective when resource materials are understood by a wide and diverse audience. Before our lab’s previous investigations (Thomas et al., 2024), only one study seemed to use the cloze procedure to directly test the comprehension (i.e., readability) of physical activity promotion material (Cardinal & Seidler, 1995). Thus, this rapid literature review sought to (a) determine the extent the cloze procedure has been used to study physical activity promotion material comprehension in lay adults and (b) collate detail about its validity and reliability for future reference by health promotion practitioners and researchers. A systematic search was performed of four academic databases, using “cloze procedure” as a key term (conducted February through March 2021). To be included, articles had to be peer-reviewed research, written in English, and used the cloze procedure to study health material comprehension/readability in lay adults. Eight articles were included for descriptive analysis (4 primary studies, 4 systematic reviews). One finding was that popular health literacy measures (e.g., TOFHLA) use a modified version of the cloze procedure. Good validity and reliability were shown for the original and modified cloze procedure (e.g., correlation with other direct measures like multiple-choice test scores; using a test-retest approach, Cronbach’s alpha, respectively). Only one study used the original or modified cloze procedure to study physical activity promotion material (Cardinal & Seidler, 1995). The cloze procedure is under-utilized in testing physical activity promotion material readability, which limits understanding their suitability for health promotion practic
Leveraging Substitute Teachers as Educational Leaders
No full textThis autoethnographic study explores the lived experiences of an advanced-degree holder and educator with expertise in leadership and education policy who worked as a substitute teacher in the Clark County School District. Despite my qualifications, I often felt underutilized and disconnected, revealing systemic barriers within the educational system. Using distributed leadership theory, I examine these challenges and uncover the untapped leadership potential of substitutes to make meaningful contributions to P-12 education. This study proposes actionable solutions, including substitute profile systems, comprehensive onboarding programs, and structured mentorship initiatives. The findings highlight the importance of shared leadership in fostering equity, professional growth, and workforce stability, offering practical insights into how substitutes can transition from temporary roles to integral contributors within educational systems
A Comparison of Measured Versus Estimated Metabolic Equivalents (METs) During the Farmer\u27s Carry and Sled Push Exercises on a Commercially Available Step Mill
No full textTopics in Exercise Science and Kinesiology Volume 6: Issue 1, Article 8, 2025. The Stairmaster 10G ergometer allows users to perform non-traditional movements such as the sled push and farmer’s carry, which involve substantial upper and lower body contributions. Standard MET calculations for stair stepping do not account for this increase upper-body workload, so there is potential for error when aiming to determine exercise intensity based exclusively on estimated METs. The primary purpose of this study is to compare the metabolic and physiological effects of two training modes on the Stairmaster 10G ergometer, specifically evaluating the accuracy of MET values provided by the machine compared to laboratory-grade metabolic measurements. Eleven (n = 6 females; age: 20.3 ± 1.03; Ht: 166.3 ± 5 cm; BM: 62.26 ± 8 kg; n = 5 males; age: 24.5 ± 3; Ht: 182 ± 7 cm; BM: 92.86 ± 7 kg) recreationally active college students volunteered to participate in this study. Participants visited the laboratory in which this study occurred twice. Each visit, participants randomly performed either the sled push or farmer’s carry exercise on the Stairmaster 10G ergometer while in Overdrive mode. Participants completed an exercise protocol consisting of 20 seconds of work followed by 40 seconds of recovery repeating every minute, on the minute, for a total duration of 6 minutes. METs were calculated using direct measurements of breath-by-breath gas exchange via a metabolic cart. Basic descriptive statistics followed by a two-way repeated measure analysis of variance was run to determine if significant differences existed between estimated and measured METs. Significant interaction effects were followed by simple effect analyses using paired samples t-tests. Following a Bonferroni correction for multiple tests, the alpha was set at p \u3c 0.05 to determine significant effects in the analyses. There was a significant interaction effect for METs x time for the farmer’s carry (F(5, 50)=13.287, p2= 0.57) and for the sled push (F(5, 48) = 12.440, p2 = 0.609). Follow up paired-samples t-tests indicated that METs reported by the Stairmaster 10 were significantly greater than those reported by the metabolic cart during both the farmer’s carry exercise (pd = 1.7962-2.9062) and sled push exercise (pd = 0.9968-2.3441) across all timepoints. The METs reported by the Stairmaster 10G were consistently higher than those measured using gold-standard laboratory-grade equipment across all stages of both exercise protocols. While the Stairmaster 10G provides a convenient way to monitor exercise intensity, reliance on its MET estimations may result in exercising at lower intensities than desire
Blood Flow Occlusion Superimposed on Low-Volume, Low-Intensity Knee Extensions Does Not Evoke Hypoalgesia: A Pilot Study
No full textTopics in Exercise Science and Kinesiology Volume 6: Issue 1, Article 9, 2025. Exercise-induced hypoalgesia (EIH) is a transient decrease in pain perception that can be observed following various tasks, including low-intensity and high-intensity exercise. The application of blood flow occlusion (BFO) can help enhance exercise adaptations while being able to exercise at a low intensity, which has important implications for clinical and rehabilitative settings. Through descending inhibitory pathways, BFO-induced pain can potentially alleviate exercise-induced pain. This study aimed to assess whether the superimposition of BFO – and its associated augmented perceived responses – during low-intensity, low-volume resistance exercise could induce hypoalgesia. Nineteen healthy adults (10 females) attended three sessions: i) no exercise (CTRL), ii) two minutes of dynamic single-leg knee extension at 10% body weight (EXER), and iii) EXER with complete occlusion applied to the upper exercising leg (OCCL). Handheld algometry-derived pain pressure threshold (PPT) of the trapezius and contralateral and ipsilateral rectus femoris muscles were measured pre- and post-exercise, and after 5 and 10 min of recovery. Visual analog scales were used to rate perceived pain (from 0 to10) and effort (from 6 to 20). Although pain and effort were augmented in the OCCL condition (Pain: 6±2; Effort: 14±3) compared to CTRL (Pain: 2±2, p)