Digital Commons Network^™

Remote Sensing And Geographic Information Systems For Decision Analysis In Public Resource Administration: Case Study In A Southwestern Watershed, William G. Kepner

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Alternative futures analysis is a scenario-based approach to regional land planning that attempts to synthesize existing scientific information in a format useful to community decision makers. Typically, this approach attempts to investigate the impacts of several alternative sets of choices preferred by representative stakeholder groups relative to selected environmental or economical endpoints. Potential impacts from each of the scenarios are compared to current conditions of the region in terms of a set of processes that are modeled within a geographic information system. Future conditions are generally examined from the perspective of a recent baseline condition (versus empirically determined using a …

An Analysis Of The Socio-Economic Impact Of Casino Gaming In Mesquite, Nevada, And Its Implications For Public Policy, Janice K. Hetfeld

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study is a preliminary analysis of the socio-economic impact of casino gaming in Mesquite, Nevada. Mesquite is being studied from this perspective in order to provide policymakers with information that will aid in the determination of public policy relevant to and in conjunction with casino gaming activity. A combination of site visits to the area and interviews with casino executive personnel and relevant law enforcement was conducted for the purposes of gathering information for this study. Three police departments (Mesquite, Nevada, Cedar City, Utah and St. George, Utah) were interviewed to determine the crime rate in jurisdiction. Relevant data …

Financing Public Infrastructure: A Case Study On Whether Development Impact Fees & Exactions Or Property Taxes Should Be Used To Support The Financing Of New Public Infrastructure, John P. Korkosz

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Development impact fees and exactions are financing mechanisms that local governments increasingly use to finance the cost of public infrastructure. The primary reason that local governments favor development impact fees and exactions to finance public infrastructure is that the costs associated with growth falls on developers. Two legal cases --Golden v. The Planning Board of The Town of Ramapo, New York and the Construction Industry Association of Sonoma County v. The City of Petaluma, California-- serve as the basis for the support of development impact fees and exactions as a method to manage growth (So & Getzels: 53, 1988).

The Rural Hospital Dilema: Will Nevada’S Rural Hospital System Survive?, Nancy L. Anderson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study, prepared for the Department of Public Administration, will review and discuss the rural hospitals in the State of Nevada. By virtue of its size and population distribution, Nevada has a need for rural hospitals. These hospitals, which are of critical importance for Nevada residents, are constantly struggling with how to build and support their limited health system capacity and infrastructure. To survive, rural hospitals must offset the losses they have sustained as a result of decreased federal funding. Some ways these losses have been offset is by employing some of the programs created by the Balanced Budget Act …

New World Nine-Primaried Oscine Relationships: Constructing A Molecular Framework, John Klicka, Kevin P. Johnson, Scott M. Lanyon

Ornithology Program (HRC)

Historically, a paucity of comparative morphological characters has led to much debate regarding relationships within and among the major lineages of New World nine-primaried oscines. More recently, DNA-DNA hybridization studies have provided novel and testable hypotheses of relationships, although no consensus has been reached. For 40 songbird taxa, we obtained 1,929 base pairs (bp) of DNA sequence from the mitochondrial cytochrome-b (894 bp) and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 (1,035 bp) genes. Phylogenetic analyses confirm the monophyly of this assemblage as traditionally defined. The lineages delineated historically on morphological grounds are retained; finches (Fringillinae) are sister to a well-supported clade …

Unlv Magazine, Barbara Cloud, Laurie Fruth

UNLV Magazine

No abstract provided.

A Study Of The Training Methods Used By The Vehicle Maintenance Department Of The Clark County School District Transportation Division, Jon J. Howard

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study is to explore the training methods presently employed by the Clark County School District in preparing their mechanical staff for the future. The methods used to explore this issue are a review of pertinent literature and a series of one on one interviews with both the Human Resources Department and the mechanical staff. These interviews demonstrate that changes in training techniques are necessary to maintain the efficiency and competence of the mechanical staff. A proposal to assist the Vehicle Maintenance Department reach these goals is included.

Examination Of The Bureau Of Land Management's Implementation Of The Wild, Free-Roaming Horse And Burro Act At Red Rock National Conservation Area, Christine E. Brehm

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

For unknown reasons horses went extinct on the North American continent approximately ten thousand years ago and were subsequently reintroduced by Spanish settlers in the 1400's. As European settlers moved westward, horses were perceived as competition for grasslands and their numbers were curtailed. Wild horses were granted Federal protection in 1959 with the passage of the 'Wild Horse Annie' law and further protected with the passage of the Wild, Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act of 1971. Through the Department of the Interior, the Bureau of Land Management was charged with management of wild horses on public lands. Physical searches of …

Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia Mydas) Hatchlings Success: The Effects Of Artificial Lights And Other Human Impacts, Hui-Yu Tracy Liang

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Sea turtles appeared more than 200 million years ago in the late Triassic period. They grow very slowly, taking an average of 25 years to reach sexual maturity, with a life span averaging 40-50 years. From May to October green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) emerge during the night and follow light cues toward the sea. Recently, beachfront development has increased hatchling mortality rate. When hatchlings emerge from nest, high densities of artificial lights lead them toward the land where they either desiccate and die, or are preyed upon. Short-wavelength high intensity light and the distance of artificial light are the …

Deposition And Uptake Availability Of Lead Shot For Waterfowl At Honeybee Pond Within The Overton Wildlife Management Area, Nevada, Usa, Jason Eckberg

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Lead shot has been banned for hunting waterfowl since 1974, but lead poisoning continues to be a major problem in many waterfowl habitats. In December of 1999, soil samples were collected from the Honeybee pond at the Overton Wildlife Management area to determine the lead pellet concentration and the availability of lead shot to waterfowl. There were no shot pellets recovered from the thirty-one samples taken from the pond. Based on this information waterfowl do not appear to be exposed to lead in the pond areas at OWMA.

Two Different Soil Sampling Techniques For Assessing Soil Lead Concentrations At The Overton Wildlife Management Area, Nevada, Kristen E. Falc

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

During the summer of 1999, soil samples were taken from the Overton Wildlife Management Area (OWMA), located in the Moapa Valley of Clark County, Nevada. Although lead shot has been banned for the hunting of waterfowl since 1986, it is still legal for upland game hunting. The field sampled serves primarily as a dove hunting area and is cultivated. A large sample size was taken to indicate the short-term effects of the deposition of lead shot in the area and a small sample size, the long-term. Lead shot was recovered from 64% of the small samples and the estimated concentration …

An Examination Of A Brownfield: The Former North Las Vegas Armory Site, Rebecca L. Fowler

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This thesis is a case study of the redevelopment project of the former Armory site in Las Vegas, Nevada, a United States Environmental Protection Agency Brownfield Pilot Project. This investigation uses benefit-cost analysis to determine whether the project is economically feasible. This examination includes a description of the Brownfield program, a description of the site, selection criteria, and the proposed future use of it. The results show that the benefits exceed the costs.

Special Event Recycling: The Future Of Unlv's Recycling Program, Katherine A. Baker

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The current recycling program on the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) campus does not have a special event recycling aspect. The purpose of this study was to develop a special event recycling program and make recommendations of how to effectively implement it on the UNLV campus. In order to develop this special event recycling program data was collected through surveys and a pilot study. The data collected was then used to formulate recommendations. Recycling two different kinds of events, a walk and a concert tested those recommendations. Waste stream analyses were done on each event. The waste stream diversion …

Comparative Analysis Of Three Remediation Technologies For The Clean Up Of Petroleum Contaminated Groundwater, Thomas Bouck

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This paper will compare three remediation technologies to determine which is the most efficient and effective remediation treatment for a petroleum contaminated groundwater site. The three remediation technologies are in situ bioremediation, in situ air sparging, and air stripping with carbon filtration. This comparison will be done through a literature review. It will take the information derived from the review and then apply it to the information about a petroleum contaminated groundwater location. The comparative analysis will consist of these parameters permit requirements, clean up time, operating and maintenance, and geological factors.

These factors permit requirements, cleanup time, and operating …

Implementing Corporate Universities In The Public Sector: Evaluating Clark County’S Supervisor’S Organizational Skills Program, Karen E. Stevens

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

There is an increasing trend in the private sector to provide development opportunities to employees which include more than on-the-job or skills-based training. These programs are often referred to as “corporate universities.” Clark County is currently attempting to transform its training program to apply “corporate university” concepts to the development of its public sector employees. The purpose of this paper is to examine the planning conducted by the county’s program development team, and to determine if the now-implemented program is reaching its target audience, achieving its goals, and being evaluated correctly. Research for this paper was conducted through a review …

An Analysis Of Requirements For Undergraduate International Students To Attend U.S. Universities, Gregory M. Thevenin

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This paper is concerned with the requirements of international students who want to attend higher education here in the United States. The areas of concern are the requirements from the U.S. Universities that recruit international students as well as the requirements from the U.S. Government for “F” and “M” Visa students. This paper will also concern itself with the financial aid available to the international students, if needed.

Fat, Dumb, And Happy. The Future Of Doe/Nv?, Michelle E. Slichko

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This paper, prepared for the Department of Public Administration, will identify and analyze some problems with succession planning at the Department of Energy Nevada Operations Office. My main concern is the fact that retirements, a hiring freeze, insufficient training funds, and rampant promotions are combining to make the existing workforce at DOE/NV fatter, dumber, and happier. The section on the DOE/NV organization reveals that as a result of Strategic Alignment Initiatives, the organization has downsized, but has not right-sized. The section on the subcritical mission focuses on only one of DOE/NV’s important missions and shows why it is critical to …

Electric-Octupole And Pure-Electric-Quadrupole Effects In Soft X-Ray Photoemission, Andrei Derevianko, Oliver Hemmers, S. Oblad, P. Glans, H. Wang, S. B. Whitfield, R. Wehlitz, I. A. Sellin, W. R. Johnson, Dennis W. Lindle

Environmental Studies Faculty Publications

Second-order [O(k²), k = ω/c] nondipole effects in soft-x-ray photoemission are demonstrated via an experimental and a theoretical study of angular distributions of neon valence photoelectrons in the 100–1200 eV photon-energy range. A newly derived theoretical expression for nondipolar angular distributions characterizes the second-order effects using four new parameters with primary contributions from pure-quadrupole and octupole-dipole interference terms. Independent-particle calculations of these parameters account for a significant portion of the existing discrepancy between experiment and theory for Ne 2p first-order nondipole parameters.

Lifetime Effects On The Dissociation Of Core-Excited N2 And Co Molecules, N. Saito, A. Hempelmann, F. Heiserq, Oliver Hemmers, K. Wieliczek, J. Viefhaus, U. Becker

Environmental Studies Faculty Publications

Vibrational-resolved ion and ion-pair yield spectra of N₂ and CO taken at their 1s⃗π^* resonance excitations reveal decay-channel-dependent core hole lifetimes. The linewidths of the yield spectra tend to be shortened when the number of electrons ejected in the deexcitation process increases, finally becoming narrower than the total ion yield or absorption natural lifetime width of the core-excited states of N₂ and CO, respectively. In contrast to this, the linewidths of the yield spectra for the singly charged molecular ions, N₂⁺ and CO⁺, are shown to be broader than their corresponding natural linewidths. …

Levels Of Synthetic Musks In Municipal Wastewater For Estimating Biota Exposure In Receiving Waters, Lantis Osemwengie

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Natural musk (muscone) is a highly prized natural product for use in expensive consumer fragrances. Inexpensive synthetic substitutes have been commercialized over the last 40 years. Two main chemical classes are used commercially — the nitro musks (which fulfilled the original demand for inexpensive fragrance additives for personal care products such as bath soap, body lotions, perfumes, and washing detergents) and the newer polycyclic musks which have musklike smell. The commercial nitro musks include musk ketone, musk moskene, musk ambrette, musk xylene, and musk tibetene. The polycyclics include trade named compounds such as Galaxolide®, Tonalide®, Celestolide®, Traseolide®, Phantolide®, and Cashmeran®, …

Estimation Of Evaporation Of Previously Condensed Hydrocarbons In A Tunnel Burn Experiment, Zoran Stefanoski

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

As part of the worldwide demilitarization efforts, outmoded solid rocket motor propellant is being destroyed by burning. Often this is done on a repeated basis in a closed chamber. There is concern whether or not previously condensed materials on the chamber wall might be re-evaporated during a new burn; The objective of this thesis is to estimate the amount of evaporation/sublimation possible for different types of organic materials during burns in a tunnel. This was carried out theoretically and compared to measurements. For the estimations, predictions of the wall and ambient temperatures were made. The evaporation/sublimation was then estimated as …

Detecting Anomalies In Remotely Sensed Hyperspectral Signatures Via Wavelet Transforms, Clifton Dennis Morgan

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

An automated subpixel target detection system has been designed and tested for use with remotely sensed hyperspectral images. A database of hyperspectral signatures was created to test the system using a variety of Gaussian shaped targets. The signal-to-noise ratio of the targets varied from -95dB to -50dB. The system utilizes a wavelet-based method (discrete wavelet transform) to extract an energy feature vector from each input pixel signature. The dimensionality of the feature vector is reduced to a one-dimensional feature scalar through the process of linear discriminant analysis. Signature classification is determined by nearest mean criterion that is used to assign …

Pre-Employment Character Assessments For United States Pretrial Services And Probation Officers, Michael Blake Baker

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Are pre-employment character assessments for federal officers necessary? Can character be tested? What does Aristotle's theory of moral perception and practical wisdom have to do with law enforcement? I will look at what constitutes human flourishing or eudaimonia and how it relates to law enforcement. Moral perception and judgment are discussed and how perception is necessary in the Federal Pretrial Services and Probation Officer's profession. What makes one person's character good and another's less than good? Are there tests currently being used to test for strength of character or are they really testing for ethical sensitivity or moral judgment?

The Effects Of Bios Life And Exercise On Total Cholesterol, Serum Low-Density Lipoprotein, And High-Density Lipoproteins, Lori Jan Inderlied-Rucks

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The present study was designed to determine the effects of Bios Life, a non-prescription dietary fiber supplement, on serum lipoproteins and determine whether exercise accentuates this effect. Fifty male and female subjects (ages 30--60) participated in the study. Twenty-five subjects were exercising regularly in a supervised exercise program and the other twenty-five were sedentary. All participants where required to have a LDL-C of 130 mg/dl or higher and none were on any cholesterol lowering medications. Blood was drawn three times at baseline, before the study started, 45 days into the program and at 90 days which was the end of …

Target Marketing Can Help Attract City Residents, Robert E. Lang, James W. Hughes, Karen A. Danielsen

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Research

While suburban growth continues, city living is regaining popularity. It is common knowledge that urban neighborhoods often attract young, single professionals, but a more precise identification of potential city dwellers could help cities understand and develop their comparative advantages. Now, perhaps more than ever, cities need to know which people want to live in them and how their vision of urban life may be accommodated by public policy.

/="/">A common concern expressed among urban mayors is that the quality of their city services, especially schools, stacks up poorly against that of most suburbs. Improving public education is often cited …

Unlv College Of Education Multicultural & Diversity Newsletter, Steve Mccafferty, John Filler, Nancy P. Gallavan, Le Ann Putney, Nancy Sileo, Kyle Higgins, Porter Troutman, Paul Meacham, Cyndi Giorgis, Aimee Govett, Jean Henry, Bill Pankratius, Lisa Bendixen, Joyce Nelson-Leaf

College of Education Multicultural & Diversity Newsletter

A newsletter discussing a variety of topics dealing with multicultural topics and diversity in education.

Unlv College Of Education Multicultural & Diversity Newsletter, Steve Mccafferty, John Filler, Nancy P. Gallavan, Le Ann Putney, Nancy Sileo, Kyle Higgins, Porter Troutman, Paul Meacham, Cyndi Giorgis, Aimee Govett, Jean Henry, Bill Pankratius, Lisa Bendixen, Joyce Nelson-Leaf

College of Education Multicultural & Diversity Newsletter

A newsletter discussing a variety of topics dealing with multicultural topics and diversity in education.

Unlv College Of Education Multicultural & Diversity Newsletter, Steve Mccafferty, John Filler, Nancy P. Gallavan, Le Ann Putney, Nancy Sileo, Kyle Higgins, Porter Troutman, Paul Meacham, Cyndi Giorgis, Aimee Govett, Jean Henry, Bill Pankratius, Lisa Bendixen, Rebecca Nathanson

College of Education Multicultural & Diversity Newsletter

A newsletter discussing a variety of topics dealing with multicultural topics and diversity in education.

Unlv College Of Education Multicultural & Diversity Newsletter, Steve Mccafferty, John Filler, Nancy P. Gallavan, Le Ann Putney, Nancy Sileo, Kyle Higgins, Porter Troutman, Paul Meacham, Cyndi Giorgis, Aimee Govett, Jean Henry, Lisa Bendixen, Jennifer L. Fabbi, Rebecca Nathanson

College of Education Multicultural & Diversity Newsletter

A newsletter discussing a variety of topics dealing with multicultural topics and diversity in education.

U.S. Federal Government Cios: Information Technology's New Managers--Preliminary Findings, Marianne A. Buehler

Library Faculty Research

The Clinger-Cohen Information Technology Management Reform Act of 1996 (Clinger-Cohen Act) has changed the dynamics of how federal agencies view and manage their information technology. The mandated provision for Chief Information Officers (CIOs) is to act as information change agents and technology “watchdogs” for their agency. To observe how government is reacting to employing CIOs, field studies were conducted by e-mail with eight agencies to discover the successes and the challenges of this new information initiative. Four of the agencies contacted were mandated by the Clinger-Cohen Act and four were non-mandated. The results of this study depict varying levels of …