Digital Commons Network^™

Uncertainty In Recharge From Subsidence Craters At Frenchman Flat, Nevada Test Site: Impacts Of Initial And Boundary Conditions And Media Properties, David Matthew Ely

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Nevada Test Site has over 400 subsidence craters formed by the collapse of overlying rock following underground nuclear tests. Under natural conditions, infiltration and recharge would not be considered likely due to infrequent precipitation events and extreme evapotranspiration. Crater U5a in Frenchman Flat was chosen for study because it intercepts significantly more drainage than surrounding craters. Vadose zone modeling was conducted to test the sensitivity of water movement to boundary and initial conditions. The effects of ponding depth was negligible but depth of wetting front movement was highly dependent on the lateral extent of the ponds. The model was …

Democracy Behind Barbed Wire: Examining The Political Culture Of Japanese American Evacuees, Allen Atkinson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This paper explores the relationship between culture and political behavior through an investigation of those Japanese Americans who were denied due process and imprisoned during World War Two simply for being of Japanese descent. Military necessity was the reason cited for the government's action, although racism, war hysteria and economic competition also played a major role.

At the time there was a general belief among Caucasian Americans that the Japanese in America had avoided Americanization and could not be trusted to participate in democratic processes. It was suggested that their political and civic culture was an obstacle to the achievement …

Vegetation Analysis: A Graphical Analysis Of Plant Succession In Desert Communities Affected By Fire, Jeff Lantow

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Mojave Desert is affected by fire every year. With each fire comes the removal of old growth and, in its place, new growth – consisting primarily of those species which thrive in disturbed areas. The focus of my research is to look at plant communities that have been disturbed by fire, and examine the successional pathway of these disturbed environments. The seven environments I analyzed were burned within the last twenty years and are found in the Coleogyne ramosissima ecotone throughout the Spring Mountain range near Las Vegas, Nevada. The data was collected with randomly chosen circle plots in …

Lead Shot Concentration In Soil At The Overton Wildlife Management Area, Nevada, George R. Bertoty

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

During the spring of 1998, soil samples were collected from two areas at the Overton Wildlife Management Area (OWMA), located in the Moapa Valley of Clark County, Nevada. Lead shot has been banned for the hunting of waterfowl since 1986 but is still legal for upland game hunting. Both types of hunting occur at OWMA. One area sampled is a cultivated field and serves primarily as a dove hunting area. The other area is primarily a waterfowl hunting area and is flooded during the waterfowl-hunting season. Lead shot was recovered from 83% of the samples from the dove hunting area, …

Stachybotrys: Is Nevada At Risk?, Terrylynn C. Foley

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Stachybotrys chartarum (atra) is a toxigenic fungus that is known to adversely impact the health of animals. Until recently, there have only been a few documented clinical reports linking Stachybotrys chartarum to human health effects. Scientists are increasingly convinced that Stachybotrys and its metabolites are responsible for several adverse health effects experienced by people all over the world, although conclusive proof has yet to be established. All the physical requirements needed for indoor Stachybotrys sporulation and growth is provided through water leaks (plumbing, roof or ceiling), flood events, nutrient sources (cellulose and nitrogen), pH, and temperature(23° - 28°C). Stachybotrys has …

A Strategic Analysis Of The Rocky Flats Cleanup, Patrick Mccann

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site is located in Golden, Colorado. It is situated on 384 acres in a 6,550-acre natural preserve. Rocky Flats ended its original mission in 1989, after raids on the site by both the FBI and the EPA for illegal dumping and other environmental violations. Since then the site has been scheduled for cleanup. This thesis will provide background information on the site and on the company hired to perform the cleanup. It also provides an evaluation of some key policies regarding the cleanup procedures. Since the end of the cold war, the production of nuclear …

Water Conservation In The Las Vegas Valley, Judith M. Keir

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This thesis deals primarily with residential use of water in the Las Vegas Valley, an arid climate located in the Mojave Desert, and whether the education of people living here has any bearing on whether or not they conserve water. Many of the residents of the Las Vegas Valley have moved from other areas of the country, and perhaps are not aware of the fact that there is a limited supply of water available to the Valley. I believe that people are not necessarily wasteful, and that they would want to conserve water, if they were aware that conservation and …

A Teachers Guide: The Basic Characteristics Of Wetlands And Why They Are Important To The Environment, Charles W. Fisher

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this thesis is to develop an educational guide about wetlands that can be used by 3rd- 12th grade teachers. This guide will enable students to learn about wetlands and why they are important to our environment. I will provide examples and a series of activities that teachers can use in the classroom to help their students better understand the benefits and function of wetlands.

Remedial Action Plan For A Petroleum Hydrocarbon Release, Marty E. Murrietta

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This Remediation Action Plan (RAP) presents the methods and results of feasibility testing, the screening and selection of remedial options, preliminary conceptual design, methods, permitting requirements, recommendations and cleanup goals for on- and off-site remediation of petroleum hydrocarbon impacted soil and groundwater at an undisclosed site in Laughlin, Nevada. This site is an active convenience store and former retail fueling station. Plans are being made for the demolition of the fueling station and construction of a Factory Outlet Mall on the former refueling station site and surrounding properties to the south, west, and northwest. Remediation activities cannot significantly interfere with …

The Price Of Clean Air: A Consideration Of Market Based Emissions Trading, Mark W. Miller

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Traditional regulatory approaches for environmental protection do not consider

the costs and benefits of the standards they impose. Further, imposing strict performance

standards on firms with heterogeneous control costs leads to an inefficient allocation of resources devoted to pollution control. This paper explores the use of emission allowance trading as a way to improve economic efficiency within the context of environmental protection. PM10 air pollution from sources within the Las Vegas Valley is used as the case study.

This paper found that an emission trading

program in this particular case study would not live up to the theoretical expectations. Although, …

Effects Of Oxygen Variation On The Ecology Of Devil's Hole, Death Valley National Park, Norma J. Azad

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The inability to rear Devil's Hole pupfish, Cyprinodon diabolis Wales, in captivity, when captive propagation has been successful with other species of pupfish, led to the examination of environmental factors which are unique to Devil's Hole. It has been suggested that C. diabolis regularly experience developmental arrest due to hypoxic conditions. This arrest may be reversible in areas of the shallow shelf during periods of photosynthetic activity. Oxygen measurements over the shallow shelf reveal a gradient of oxygen variation with the greatest diel variability over the inner portion of the shelf diminishing to nearly imperceptible diel variation toward the outer …

Watercraft Impact On The Lake Mead National Recreational Area, Terence Lino

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

No abstract provided.

A Comparison Of Astm Standard E1599-94 And A Site Assessment Project Located In North Las Vegas, Kenneth Anthony Katsuda

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This document provides a comparison of ASTM E-1599-94 Standard for a petroleum release and the procedures performed on a site assessment project in North Las Vegas. The major elements of a site assessment are thoroughly discussed in this document. They elements consist of the Initial Site Assessment, On-Site Delineation, Off-Site Delineation, Sampling/Analysis, and Site Assessment Methodologies.

The data was obtained through extensive research, utilizing reference documents,on-site experience, and the knowledge of Keith Stewart of Stewart Environmental.

After reviewing and comparing the data of my research, the procedures applied to the North Las Vegas Site (NLVS) were quite similar to the …

Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design: An Analysis Of The Boulevard Mall, Kenneth Mac Leod

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Many case studies have been published that report a decrease in crime as a result of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED). Although methodologies and results of some studies have been questioned, there is agreement that the designed environment can influence human behavior.

Data in this study were accumulated by the investigation of a local mall. Mall management and head of security reported a decrease in all types of crime after improving and adding security measures for customers and store employees. My hypothesis was the mall provided a high number of CPTED features which would result in a low number …

Determination Of Ground-Water Tracer 2,6-Difluorobenzoic Acid By Gc/Ms, Cong Han

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

In this study, a GC analytical method for the determination of the ground water tracer, 2,6-difluorobenzoic acid (2,6-DFBA) at the part per billion level was established. Three sample preparation methods, which include two methylation methods and one silylation method, have been evaluated. Chromatographic instruments including GC/MS, GC/ECD, and GC/FID have been used. Silylation of 2,6-DFBA combined with GC/MS analysis has proven to be the best method in this study, due to the low detection limits (part per trillion) achieved, and the stability of the 2,6-DFBA silyl derivative. A GC/MS instrument calibration curve was established, a C-well water sample was analyzed …

Eve And The Creation Cycle: Christina Rossetti's Reaction To John Milton's "Paradise Lost", Melanie Ann Hanson

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Christina Rossetti's poetry is concerned with the image of woman as a creator and as a redeemer, the woman who has fallen from innocence and whose innocence is restored through participation in the creation/redemption cycle. Rossetti's writing reflects her personal experiences, her love of Dante's works, her interest in the Anglican sisterhood, her own Tractarian obsession, the influence of her association with the Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood, and most specifically, her reaction to Milton's depiction of Eve in Paradise Lost. She reconstructs Milton's Eve in her own poetry. This treatise will examine a selection of poetry by Christina Rossetti, in specific her …

Effects Of Discrete Wavelet Compression On Automated Mammographic Shape Recognition, Ravikiran Kalluri

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

At present early detection is critical for the cure of breast cancer. Mammography is a breast screening technique which can detect breast cancer at the earliest possible stage. Mammographic lesions are typically classified into three shape classes, namely round, nodular and stellate. Presently this classification is done by experienced radiologists. In order to increase the speed and decrease the cost of diagnosis, automated recognition systems are being developed. This study analyses an automated classification procedure and its sensitivity to wavelet based image compression; In this study, the mammographic shape images are compressed using discrete wavelet compression and then classified using …

An Empirical Analysis Of The Reasons Why Guests Select And Return To Las Vegas Hotel/Casino Properties, Eileen Nancy Kennedy

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis was to examine the reasons why guests select and return to Las Vegas hotel/casino properties. The study intended to investigate the importance of the host relationship in the guests' reasons for selection and return to a particular property; Current marketing research indicates that customer retention is directly related to satisfaction and individualized service experiences. For this reason, research topics were identified as relationship marketing, customer satisfaction versus retention, and loyalty management. Findings suggest that guests with hosts and guests without hosts tend to be comprised of the same demographic group. Casino guests with hosts demonstrated …

The Relationship Between Managerial Holdings And Performance: An Empirical Study On The Restaurant Industry, Young Kwi Kim

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The relationship between managerial stock holdings and performance, measured by profitability, operating efficiency, and stock return, was examined for the publicly traded restaurant companies during the period of 1995-1996. Additionally, the study investigated whether the degree of association between managerial ownership and performance, as measured by the same variables, differs across three groups identified by the range of managerial ownership; The empirical results support that managerial ownership has a positive impact on most of the performance variables (i.e. operating efficiency and profitability). Firm size, a control variable, was also found to be significantly associated with profitability, operating efficiency, and stock …

Toward Effective And Ethical Drug Abuse Prevention Policies: The Case Against Indiscriminate Drug Testing, Robert Eugene Gladd

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

For an increasing breadth of organizational domains, a negative illicit drug screen result has become the final and paramount criterion for admission and/or continuing participation. Such a policy is vigorously promoted to the private sector by government and vendors of testing services as an inexpensive and vital tool for suppressing drug abuse. This policy, however, can been shown to be at once empirically unwarranted, methodologically dubious, constitutionally impermissible, and ethically unsustainable. Reducing the harm attributable to illicit intoxication is a legitimate and worthy social goal. The ends, however, cannot justify such means of indiscriminate and intrusive surveillance.

A Comparative Study Of Honey Mesquite Woodlands In Southern Nevada And Their Use By Phainopeplas And Other Avian Species, Jeri Brastrup Krueger

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

A study of four honey mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa var. torreyana) woodlands located at Moapa, Stewart Valley, Pahrump, and Stump Spring in southern Nevada was conducted to (1) describe the current condition of mesquite woodlands, (2) compare avian community indices among the four sites, and (3) locate breeding Phainopepla populations and determine breeding season, nesting success, and habitat requirements. Groundwater was closest to the surface at Stewart Valley, which contained the oldest and largest tRees Moapa had the greatest avian density and species richness for all species, and greatest species richness for breeding birds. No differences were detected in species diversity …

Howells, Dickinson, Lewis: An Exercise In Reading The Interracial Canon, Craig Andrew Magee

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Howells, Dickinson, Lewis: An Exercise in Reading the Interracial Canon has two purposes. First, it offers detailed readings of three American novels: An Imperative Duty by William Dean Howells (1891), What Answer? by Anna Dickinson (1868), and Kingsblood Royal by Sinclair Lewis (1947). These readings are accomplished within the context of the "interracial canon", a set of writings dealing with the expression of various aspects of interracial relationships. The interracial canon, as well as its specialized vocabulary and unique theoretical outlook, is roughly sketched in an introduction and several appendices.

Recovery And Regeneration Of Lithium Manganese Oxide From Spent Lithium-Ion Batteries, Santosh Mathew

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This study presents a method for recovering and regenerating Lithium Manganese Oxide (LMO) from spent Lithium-polymer batteries in order to recycle it in an environmentally friendly way. Two different processes for separating LMO were developed and the environmental impact of the two processes was analyzed. A process for relithiating the lithium-deficient LMO after recovery was also developed. Experiments were carried out to determine the regeneration chemical process parameters, and process conditions were optimized for the best spinel LMO formation. Various physical and chemical analysis of the regenerated LMO showed that its all major characteristics, such as crystal structure and manganese …

The Defense Intelligence Agency: An In-Depth Study Of The Development Of The Intelligence Agency, Stacie Delaine Neff

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This thesis will examine the history of intelligence leading to the creation of DIA, DIA's changing and emerging roles, its missions and organization, agency contribution during military operations, criticisms of the agency, and lastly the intelligence outlook for the future of DIA. Since its creation in 1961, DIA has undergone numerous reorganizations and this thesis will examine the history of intelligence leading to the creation of the attempts to streamline intelligence and provide the best product possible. Most of these changes have occurred after major campaigns in which intelligence either failed, was inaccurate or could have played a better or …

A Comparison Of Temper Characteristics Between Virgin Anasazi Black-On-Gray Bowl Rim Sherds And Plain Gray Jar Rim Sherds From Yama-2 And Yama-3, Laureen M Perry

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Comparative analyses of Virgin Anasazi black-on-gray bowl and plain gray jar rim sherds from the sites of Yama-2 and Yama-3 show weak associations between those vessel forms and each of the following temper characteristics: temper sorting; temper percentage; temper angularity; and temper size. Black-on-gray bowl rim sherds mostly contain quartz and olivine temper and plain gray jar rim sherds contain more mixed sand, sherd and quartz/feldspar temper. Dates of A.D. 1050-1100 (mid-Pueblo II) with mixing from earlier periods are suggested for Yama-2 and Yama-3 with evidence of usage of the sites for habitation and storage.

Striptease: An Anthropological View, Angela Lee Ramsey

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This following study serves as an attempt to apply theoretical questions to the phenomenon of striptease. I argue that striptease can be more fully understood as an act guided by the rules of performance. Strippers, and to a lesser extent the audience, can then be seen as actors employing a fantasy phase to sustain their respective roles within the charade of performance sex. Strippers and audiences are also players within the concept of performance itself, meaning they are simultaneously subject to and authors of the phenomenon. Using a biosocial approach, I explore the psychological, cultural, and physiological, etc., cues that …

Navigation System For A Mobile Robot Incorporating Trinocular Vision For Range Imaging, Kalyan Chakravarthy Pattisam

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This research focuses on the development of software for the navigation of a mobile robot. The software developed to control the robot uses sensory data obtained from ultra sound, infra red and tactile sensors, along with depth maps using trinocular vision. Robot navigation programs were written to navigate the robot and were tested in a simulated environment as well as the real world. Data from the various sensors was read and successfully utilized in the control of the robot motion. Software was developed to obtain the range and bearing of the closest obstacle in sight using the trinocular vision system. …

Economic Feasibility Analysis Of Photovoltaic Installations In The Las Vegas Valley, Rinly Joseph

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This thesis presents a new tool for performing an economic feasibility study of Photovoltaic (PV) power generation for Demand Side Management (DSM) as well as for a stand-alone system. The proposed analytical equations are capable of accommodating the constant changes in the system parameters due to the advances in new technologies and changes in electric utility industry. An economic feasibility study is conducted for photovolaic systems in both suburban areas and in remote locations using actual data collected by Nevada Power Company (NPC). With the present cost and cell efficiency, the study shows that the cost of the panels will …

A Comparison Of Elite Tennis Players' Motor Abilities With Those Of Elite Basketball, Soccer And Volleyball Players, Sarit Shalev

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The difference in certain motor abilities was tested among four different groups of athletes. Specifically, this study compared elite tennis players' reaction time (RT), movement time (MT) and agility (AG), to soccer, basketball and volleyball players' MT, RT and AG; Thirty-three subjects were tested in the Wingate laboratory and tennis court. The laboratory tests included 25 trials of foot RT and MT recordings for each subject. These tests were conducted on a highly sensitive metal plate (a force plate that detects sensitive movement, e.g., a foot lifted of the plate) attached to a computerized device that records the RT and …

Nhetoric: Rhetorical Power In Cyberspace, David Paul Schulz

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The Alpha group is a faction of the white supremacy movement that has established a virtual presence in cyberspace. Rhetorical strategies of agitation are practiced by the Alpha group on the World Wide Web in an effort to encourage visiting avatars to join the white supremacy movement. This study explores the rhetorical strategies of power and promulgation which Alpha uses in cyberspace. Analysis of Alpha's digital discourse provide an opportunity to understand and evaluate the unique potentials that information technologies such as the World Wide Web bring to the rhetorical environment.