Digital Commons Network^™

The Beat Of A Subculture: A Study Of The History And Impact Of Non-Pitched Percussion In Early Hip-Hop, Jeffrey Michael Taylor

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This document presents a study of the origins and role of non-pitched, percussion-based samples in the history and development of the hip-hop genre. The survey presents an historical synopsis of hip-hop’s origins including the infrastructure of the genre, the DJ forefathers, and the music and drummers responsible for the subcultural emergence. Emphasis is placed on the specific genres of music that influenced the creation of hip-hop and the drummers responsible for the sounds that were appropriated to create new musical works. Influential drummers are examined, and transcriptions are given to aid the development of relevant drum set performance techniques. A …

Change Of Venue: An Exploratory, Multistage Evaluation That Examines The Impact Of Change Based On The Shared Experiences Of The Toe Tag Monologues, Lisa Ann Baaske

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study determined how Vision Theatrical Foundation addresses the needs of troubled and traumatized local youth. I wanted to see if their services and interventions had an impact and if that impact resulted in a change and/or an improved quality of their lives. In addition, I wanted to see if the impact improved mental health literacy. This is a mixed-method, convergent, multistage, process and impact evaluation. An exploratory process evaluation was conducted on the organization utilizing SAMHSA’s Process Evaluation to Monitor Program Implementation (SAMHSA, 2018), which assesses five key questions about the program. The strengths and weaknesses of the organization …

An Approach To Model Plastic Deformation Of Metallic Plates In Hypervelocity Impact Experiments, Shawoon Kumar Roy

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Space structures are subjected to micro-meteorite impact at extremely high velocities of several kilometers per second. Similarly, design of military equipment requires understanding of material behavior under extremely high pressure and temperature. Study of material behavior under hypervelocity impact (HVI) poses many challenges since few researchers so far have approached this problem. Material models, equations of the state, and fracture mechanics are not well understood under these conditions.

The objective of this research is to present an approach for studying plastic deformation of metallic plates under HVI conditions. A two-stage light gas gun can be used to simulate these conditions …

Crystalline Phase Change In Steel Alloys Due To High Speed Impact, Muna Slewa

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The effect of hypervelocity projectile impact on the crystalline grain structure near the target impact location of A36 steel has been studied. A36 steel is a mostly single phase body centered cubic material (BCC). Impact velocities ranged from 3.54 to 6.70 km/sec. Target materials were studied before and after impact to determine if these impact conditions result in a phase change of the A36. Scanning electron microscopy, electron back-scatter diffraction, and x-ray diffraction methods were used to investigate deformation, lattice defects, twinning, and phase transformation. A limited number of impacted targets made from 304L and HY100 steels were also examined. …

The Design, Build, And Validation Of A Hybrid Tower Used To Conduct Helmet Impact Tests, Darren Benn

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE) was established to enlist research directed towards the reduction of head injuries in organized sports. The function of the test methods developed by NOCSAE is to provide the blueprint for reliable and repeatable procedures to measure the evaluation of various types of protective sports headgear and projectiles. In addition, the methods also govern hardware such as testing apparatus and data acquisition instrumentation. In helmet testing, the method dictates whether the impact is induced by a projectile system or by a drop tower system with an anvil at the base. Altogether, …

Analysis Of Bolted Joints Under Medium And High Impact Loading, Deepak Somasundaram

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Understanding the transient behavior of structures with bolted joints when subjected to medium and high shock or impact loads can be challenging due to their nonlinear response, which is induced by the complex interactions between the bolts and the structure. While few researchers have considered shock transmission through bolted joints at low impact loading, there are little literature on shock transmission through bolted joints under high loading conditions. Low impact loading condition generally excites the lower order frequencies but under high impact loading higher order frequencies are excited. Typical factors that affect the response of a bolted joint include, preload …

Mitigation Of Impact Vibrations Using Impedance Mismatch In Cylindrical Structures, Sachiko Sueki

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The focus of this work is to study the phenomenon of material impedance mismatch to determine its effect on the mitigation of high frequency accelerations in projectile and long bar structures within linear ranges of materials. In this study, the acceleration responses of structures with various materials and material combinations were studied experimentally, numerically and by the Finite Element Analysis (FEA). Air-gun tests conducted by the US Army Research Laboratory were modeled using FEA to simulate the acceleration pulse and shock waves experienced by artillery components during a launch. After the prototype of projectile was selected, further studies were conducted …

Analysis And Evaluation Of The Impact Of The Length Of Left-Turn Lane On Signalized Intersection Delays, Nitin Kalsi

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The most common guidelines for determining the lengths of left-turn lanes are based on probability of accommodating a left-turn traffic at least traffic 95 percent of the time. These guidelines do not directly take into account the delays caused by through traffic for potentially blocking left-turn lanes. In this research the impact of the lengths of left-turn lanes on intersection delays are considered to optimize the lengths of the left-turn lanes. Data for traffic counts, queue lengths and signal timing are collected from an intersection in Las Vegas. The methodology involves development of simulation model using Corridor Simulation (CORSIM) and …

Impact Of Variable Transmission Range In All-Wireless Networks, Prathima Sajja

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

In this thesis, we propose three distributed algorithms for self-adjusting the transmission range of nodes in wireless network. The objective is to vary the transmission radii of selective sensor nodes to lower the energy spent in broadcasting or the diameter. The sensor nodes start arbitrarily with different transmission ranges. The nodes positions are fixed, and can adjust the transmission power. However, increasing the transmission power to reach more nodes may consume more energy. So, the goal is to reduce the transmission power (i.e., save energy) without reducing the reachability (in terms of the number of nodes); We propose two algorithms …

The Impact Of User-Generated Contents In The Hotel Industry, Jun Mo Kwon

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

In many ways, the emergence of the Internet means consumers are now creating and spreading marketing information for various companies. Providers and consumers have become highly connected with the Internet environment. Therefore, user-generated-marketing information should be considered an important marketing tool in the hotel industry; Consumers can write reviews on travel websites or create personal blogs about their experiences. In addition, consumers post and upload pictures or movie files on the Internet, using advanced technologies. Consumers now can create and upload more visual materials, such as picture and video files, than in the past; Finally, this study focuses on encouraging …

The Impact Of Conference Food Function Performance On Attendee Satisfaction And Behavior, Yoon-Young Lee

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

A conference event with high attendance brings in economic resources to the destination city as well as hosting company. Its food functions in particular can be an effective tool to satisfy attendees and build good attendance, as it empowers an attendee's sensory memory of an event. Besides, nutritiously balanced food, which is sought-after these days, improves an attendee's learning ability. The purpose of this research was to identify factors that affect the attendee's perceived performance of and satisfaction with conference food function, and further, to understand an attendee's return intention based on the satisfaction level. It is concluded that the …

The Impact Of Interactive Factors On Romanian Students' Understanding Of Place Value, Madalina Tanase

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Students' mathematics achievement is believed to be influenced by a variety of factors (Brenner, Master of Engineering (ME), Herman S., Ho, H.Z. & Zimmer, J.M., 1999; Cai, C. 2000; Huntsinger, C. & J., P.E., 2000; Ma, 1999; Miura, 1987; Stevenson, L. & Stigler, J.W. 1986). As such, the performance gap in mathematics between students from different countries was attributed in turn, to the teachers' subject matter and pedagogical knowledge (Ma, 1999, Perry, 2000), curriculum development (Li, 2000; Valverde, Bianchi, Wolfe, Schmidt, Houang, 2002), native language (Miura, 1987), as well as parental raising and teaching strategies (Dornbush, Ritter, Leiderman, Roberts, & …

The Impact Of Promotion On Inventory Forecasting For An Asian Wholesale Corporation, Tzu-Chu Chien

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Inventory control has been a challenge to wholesale firms since inventory can be easily affected by numerous operational, social, cultural, and environmental factors. Besides, marketing related factors create uncertainty as to the levels of the product demands, and that uncertainty makes inventory forecasting much more difficult and forces wholesalers to estimate the impacts of the potentially influential factors. Hence, an understanding of the factors affecting inventory levels is the primary goal of this study; Utilizing historical inventory data and other marketing related information provided by an Asian wholesale corporation, the researcher estimated the effect of promotion on product sales and …

Spatiotemporal Variation In Soil Moisture And Hydraulic Properties And Their Impacts On Rainfall -Runoff And Infiltration Processes, Jun Yin

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

In arid and semi-arid regions such as in the southwestern United States, soil moisture is an essential component of desert ecosystems. Gaining better knowledge of moisture dynamics through appropriate numerical modeling will help us understand physical mechanisms that influence soil hydrologic processes in these regions. Moreover, numerical modeling of these processes is often emphasized because most desert watersheds are ungauged, and thus field observations are either not readily available or difficult to simulate. In this dissertation, three modeling studies were conducted to investigate the temporal and spatial soil moisture variation and hydraulic properties, and their effect on rainfall-runoff and infiltration …

Competitive Abilities And Ecological Impacts Of Tamarix Aphylla In Southern Nevada, Willard E. Hayes

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Tamarix aphylla, an evergreen tree that hybridizes with the more widespread deciduous shrub T. ramosissima, has invaded the drawdown zone of Lake Mead in the southwestern U.S. To determine the ecological impacts and the invasive potential of T. aphylla, vegetative and soil characteristics of habitats dominated by either T. aphylla or T. ramosissima were measured, and competition experiments between T. aphylla and T. ramosissima , and between T. aphylla and the native Salix gooddingii were performed. Stands of both Tamarix species were similar in density and cover of vegetation, with each species tending to have higher density and cover values …

The Impacts Of Cognitive And Affective Values On Tradeshow Exhibitor's Overall Satisfaction And Future Behaviors, Juhee Kang

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Attracting and retaining customers is a main issue for show management, due to the increasing competitive matter of the exposition industry. Exhibitors are more demanding and more selective of the shows in which they will participate. Thus, understanding what exhibitors want and how they perceive a tradeshow is crucial for show managers to attract and attain their exhibitors; The purpose of this study is to examine the multiple dimensions of perceived value (monetary, social and emotional) on trade show exhibitor satisfaction and future behavior (willingness to pay, word-of-mouth behavior, and loyalty). This study examined perceptions of exhibitors at a hospitality …

Laboratory Studies To Examine The Impacts Of Polyacrylamide (Pam) On Soil Hydraulic Conductivity, Ernesto Amalio Moran

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Polyacrylamide (PAM) is being suggested as a new technology to reduce seepage losses in unlined irrigation canals. The goals of this thesis were to quantify the optimum concentrations of PAM and suspended sediment (SSC) that would reduce Ksat to the greatest extent, and to better understand the mechanisms contributing to reduced Ksat. Testing was conducted using a constant head method in soil columns (15 cm length, 6.35 cm diameter). An unbalanced multi-factorial design was used with experimental variables including soil type (#70 mesh sand, C33 sand, loam soil), PAM concentration (5, 10, 20, 40 lbs/ca), and SSC (0, 150, 300 …

Shock Attenuation And Impact Characteristics For Children Running At Different Stride Lengths, Kunal Bhanot

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to quantify shock attenuation (SA) and impact characteristics for children (boys and girls) running with different stride lengths (SL). Ten physically active children (10.7+/-1.1 yrs; 40+10.3 kg; 145.2+/-7.3 cm) ran at a constant speed of 3m/s +/- 5% range to complete three stride length conditions: Preferred stride length (PSL), -15%PSL and +15%PSL. During PSL, participants were given no instructions regarding stride length. During -15%PSL and +15%PSL, participants were required to strike markers placed on the floor that resulted in stride length of -15% and +15% of PSL. Ground reaction forces were recorded (1008 Hz) …

Evaluation Of The Impacts Of Emergency Vehicle Signal Preemption, Gang Xie

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Emergency vehicle signal preemptions are designed to give green light to responding emergency vehicles by "preempting" signals as they proceed through signalized intersections. A direct objective of signal preemption is to reduce response time for emergency vehicle while enhancing safety. However, signal preemptions interrupt regular signal operations and thus cause extra traffic delay to general traffic. Studies have been conducted on evaluating the effectiveness of signal preemption from the perspective of improving emergency vehicle response time. It has been found that these studies have been using traffic simulation models which cannot reflect the real traffic conditions, particularly associated with preemption. …

Characterization Of Electronic Board Material Properties Under Impact Loading, Ashok Kumar Ayyaswamy

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

On-board electronics in advanced military equipment are often subjected to severe ballistic shocks and vibrations. Impact and shock to such products can cause significant functional and physical damage. Safeguarding on-board electronic sensors from such transient shocks due to ballistic impact is of concern. While several studies document material characteristics of electronic boards under quasi-static and low impact conditions, few researchers addressed the behavior of these boards under severe impact loaDing This research presents the results of testing electronic boards under different strain rates to assess the effects of strain rates on modulus of elasticity of the boards. This work also …

Safe Village Initiative: A Quasi-Experiment, Evaluating The Impact In West Las Vegas, Timothy Radtke

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Beginning in January of 2007, the "Safe Village Initiative" (SVI) was implemented in West Las Vegas in response to firearm violence. SVI represents an effort of combined resources from criminal justice agencies, social service organizations, local clergy, and citizens to disrupt the cycle of violence that characterizes fatal and non-fatal shootings. The SVI is essentially a deterrence based model aimed to reduce firearm offenses; The current study will analyze SVI from two research questions. The research questions are designed to: (1) assess the qualities of SVI that make it unique from previously implemented "pulling levers" models, and (2) assess the …

Impact Of The Firefighter Academy On Recruits' General Well-Being And Distress, Alyssa Maria Demos

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Coronary heart disease has consistently been shown to be the leading cause of fatalities among professional firefighters. Chronic psychosocial stressors, particularly occupational stress, have been investigated in relation to cardiovascular disease and associated risk factors. Epidemiologic evidence suggests that the elevated occupational prevalence of adverse health outcomes among fire service personnel is due to their work-related stressors. Fire academy instructors have the responsibility of improving the minds and bodies of recruits; therefore, this research evaluated the self-perceived general well-being and distress among firefighter recruits in the southwestern United States. The results were used to assess the need for stress management …

Impact Of Peer Tutoring Sessions On Oral Language Vocabulary In Early Childhood Inclusive Settings, Claire Therese Tredwell

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Researchers agree that developing high quality programs using evidence based practice and active participation from students with disabilities, who receive instruction with typical peers, is critical to overall student achievement and success of inclusive practice (Bailey, McWilliam, Buysse, & Wesley, 1998; Villa, Thousand, Meyers, & Nevin, 1996; Volz, Brazil, & Ford, 2001). Identifying what interventions are necessary in order to support the developmental objectives and positive outcomes of young children remains a priority concern (Cavallaro, Ballard-Rosa, & Lynch, 1998). This study addressed the following questions: (a) Do peer tutoring sessions in early childhood settings increase oral language vocabulary in students …

Biometrics In The Hotel Industry: Issues That Impact Customers' Acceptance, Jungsun Kim

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Loss from identity theft and related fraud is growing each year. Accordingly, customers are more open to new methods of identification verification. Biometrics, such as fingerprint identification, are good examples of innovative methods to increase not only convenience but also data security and physical security for hotel customers. However, there are concerns about customer behaviors toward this new technology. This study presented current uses of biometrics with special reference to fingerprint technology, addressed customer behaviors toward new technology, and identified factors that impact customer behaviors toward biometrics. Self-administrated questionnaires were provided using the interactive TV survey system of a major …

Examining The Influence And Developmental Impact Of After-School/Out-Of-School Programs On Youths From High Risk Environments, Ranna Jane Daud

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Currently, thousands of youth-based programs exist to promote education, enhance development and instill a sense of belonging and competence in inner-city/urban youth. After-school programs have been found to develop resilience in adolescents (Morrison, Storino, Robertson, Weissgass, & Dondero, 2000) by providing opportunities for growth, increasing academic achievement (Mahoney, Lord, & Carryl, 2005), providing a safe environment (Kahne, Nagoaka, Brown, O'Brien, Quinn, & Thiede, 2001), creating supportive and significant relationships (Hall, Yohalem, Tolman, & Wilson, 2003), and keeping youth out of harms way. Furthermore, after-school programs have been found to increase academic potential, increase attendance rates in school, and promote academic …

Design And Optimization Of Joints To Mitigate Shock In Military Vehicles Under Blast And Impact Loading, Umakanth Sakaray

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Shock from a blast loading may risk the lives of the occupants of a military vehicle and damage the sensitive electronic components within it. The objective of this work is to develop an approach to mitigate shocks due to mine blast loading and impact loading by proper design of joint(s) in the military vehicles. Two types of vehicle configurations are studied for this purpose. The first vehicle is studied to examine ways to mitigate shock due to mine blast while the second vehicle is studied to mitigate shock due to projectile impact load. The proposed research includes design of joints …

The Impact Of Computer-Based Interventions With And Without Primary Language Support On Reading Skills Of English Language Learners, Catherine M Draper Rodriguez

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Reading is the most important skill that English Language (EL) learners acquire in school (Slavin & Cheung, 2005). Success in reading has been shown to impact many areas of student social and economic opportunities (Peregoy & Boyle, 2005). Students who come to school with limited English proficiency have greater difficulty learning to read in English (Freeman & Freeman, 2004). With the rise in the number of EL learning students in schools, school districts are compelled to find ways to teach English literacy skills to students with primary languages other than English; This study had two purposes. The first purpose was …

The Differential Impact Of Language Skills On The Wages Of Hispanic Men And Women, Annette Marie Tanori

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This study will look to expand on the work that has been done in regards to the earnings of Hispanics. When compared to other minority groups, Hispanics traditionally earn less. The average household income for Hispanics is 22% less than the national average household income of {dollar}42,000 a year. This study will examine the effect that the language penalty, which is the estimated difference in wages between English and non-English speakers holding other important factors constant, has on the earnings of Hispanic men and women. The data used in the study is taken from the United States Census Bureau, 2000 …

The Impact Of Institutional Ownership On Firm Performance In The Hospitality Industry, Ming-Chih Tsai

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Institutional investors have become important players in today's financial markets and their increasing importance in corporate governance in the United States (U.S.) is further evidenced by the growing volume of corporate equity they control. The ownership structure/firm performance relationship has always been a subject of debate. Similarly, in the hospitality industry as of June 2002, institutional investors were estimated to own {dollar}2.3 billion, or 66.7% of total outstanding shares in PricewaterhouseCoopers' lodging universe; This dissertation examines the impact of institutional ownership on firm performance as measured by a proxy for Tobin's Q in the restaurant, casino and hotel sectors from …

Factors That Impact The Instructional And Technical Support Provided By Site-Based Technology Coordinators In K--12 Schools, Douglas B Hearrington

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

School districts are increasingly employing teachers as site-based coordinators to support and facilitate a myriad of information and communication technology (ICT) related innovations. This study describes the barriers and enabling conditions influencing the technical and instructional support, and staff development provided by these coordinators. Diffusion theory (Rogers, 2003) and a staff development model developed by Guskey and Sparks (2000) were used as frameworks for this study of 134 coordinators from a large school district; The findings of this study indicate that staff development and instructional support fell well below desired levels, and timely technical support is increasingly difficult to provide. …