Digital Commons Network^™

The Effect Of Self-Generated Information On The Plausibility Of Unlikely Autobiographical Events, Michele Dawn Sheremeta

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Plausibility of unlikely events was investigated using a pre-test and post-test of the Life Events Inventory (Garry, et al, 1996). Students (N = 55) at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas completed two sessions, including a plausibility scenario phase in which they were asked to describe four events chosen by the researcher from the pre-test on the basis of reported plausibility. Two of the events were rated low in plausibility and two were rated high in plausibility. Results indicate that plausibility ratings increase more for low rated items when participants are asked to describe those items than for control items …

Determination Of Chlorine By Fluorescence Quenching, Yixin Wei

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Chlorine is used extensively in the chemical industry and for disinfection of drinking water. Many methods have been reported for the determination of chlorine species. Fluorescence quenching to determine chlorine is a promising method because of its high sensitivity and selectivity. This study focuses on development of a sulfonamide-based collection system for low levels of chlorine in air. Quantitation of chlorine is based on the quenching of the fluorescence signal observed when chlorine reacts with the fluorescent sulfonamide compound. Both a direct fluorimetric and a fluorescence-HPLC method have been established. Linear relationships are found between the fluorescence intensity or HPLC …

Development Of A Gis-Based Framework For Evaluating Space And Parking Utilization, Jyothi S Tallapragada

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Large organizations such as corporations and universities typically occupy many buildings. A typical university space includes classrooms, laboratories, offices, and parKing The cost of adding additional space is significant. Therefore, effective management and utilization of the space is critical, especially to organizations that are growing. Growth may be measured in terms of the number of employees or students. As the number of employees and students increase, the number of trips to the campus also increase. This poses a growing pressure on the parking supply at the campus; The main objective of this thesis is to develop a framework for evaluating …

Physiological Effects Of Progressive Relaxation In Trained Runners During Submaximal Treadmill Exercise, Thomas James Westendorf

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

To determine the physiological effects of a one-week progressive relaxation protocol on exercise efficiency, five trained, male runners volunteered to participate in this study. The results of this study show that it is possible to reduce heart rate during progressive relaxation at rest, after one week of training. In addition, the results of this study indicate that although there was a significant reduction in minute ventilation during exercise, VO 2 did not change. These results suggests that there was no carry-over effect while exercising, therefore one week of progressive relaxation may not be long enough or an effective technique to …

A Web-Based Finite Element Model For Heat Transfer, Trevor Allen Wilcox

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

A web based Java program has been developed to solve 2-D transient or steady state heat transfer problems. The numerical solver is based on the finite element method. The program is designed to work with both triangle and quadrilateral elements. In this thesis the development of the finite element method, using the Galerkin weighted residuals method, is reviewed and the technique applied to the advection-diffusion equation for the transport of temperature. The Java code and graphical interface used to implement the solver for use on the Internet is discussed.

The Contribution Of Construction Materials To The Airborne Radon Concentrations In An Underground Facility, Robert Arthur Brounstein

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The radon concentrations within fiber crete and the native material from the U1a Complex at the Nevada Tests Site, Nye County, Nevada, were quantified and compared to each other. Gamma spectroscopy measurements resulted in an average 222Rn concentration to be 0.038 +/- 0.0011 and 0.014 +/- 0.001 Bq g-1 for the native material and fiber crete, respectively. The emanation of 222Rn from the host material was measured via lucas cell scintillation. The average emanation coefficients were significantly higher for the cured fiber crete at 0.07 than for the native material at 0.005. While the cured fiber crete emanation coefficients matched …

Cobalt Silicide Characterization, Donovan Alldredge

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Decreasing feature sizes of advanced ULSI (Ultra large-scale integrated) devices are driven by a desire for improve device performance and an increase in the number of devices on a single wafer. Small feature sizes cause increased resistance, which leads to degraded device performances. Silicides can reduce sheet resistance on poly-silicon lines and shallow junctions. The mostly widely accepted silicide process, Titanium Silicide (TiSi2), was adopted because of its low resistivity. Major limitations of TiSi2 include an inability to form on narrow poly-lines and gate shorting. Cobalt silicide is an alternative to TiSi2 due to its scalability (down to 0.065 mum …

Participatory Resources And African American Voter Turnout: A Comparative Analysis Of The 1992 And 1996 Presidential Elections, Wesley Lavelle Barton

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This thesis examines differences between African American and White political participation. Drawing from the theoretical assumptions of pluralism and structural functionalism, the thesis conceptualizes that voter turnout can be evaluated by comparing socioeconomic, socioreligious, and political variables. In analyzing data from the 1992 and 1996 National Election Studies, the thesis reveals that Whites disproportionately have a higher rate of voter turnout as compared to African Americans. The data further suggest that socioreligious variables, such as church attendance, are powerful explanatory variables for encouraging voter participation by African Americans.

Returns To Education In The Nevada Hotel Industry: Incentives For Education In Nevada, Alan Lee Beard

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The present study estimates returns to education in Nevada based on ideas found in human capital theory to provide insight into the incentives facing students or potential students in Nevada. Four industry/location categories were constructed using data from the Current Population Survey: the Las Vegas hotel industry, the hotel industry elsewhere in Nevada, all other industries in Las Vegas, and all other industries elsewhere in Nevada. Results indicate that there is a lack of a significant wage penalty for less educated workers in the hotel industry, this effect seems further compounded in Las Vegas. Furthermore, there appear to be clearer …

Comparison Of In-Place Versus Laboratory Binder Properties Of Asphalt, Maqdoom Mohiuddin Bukhari

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

In this study Hot Mix Asphalt binder properties from laboratory aged specimens were compared to binder extracted from field specimens. The properties were Absolute Viscosity, Penetration, Bending Beam Rheometer creep stiffness, Bending Beam Rheometer m-value and Direct Tension failure strain. The data for the study were collected from Clark County Public Works project files. The comparisons showed that: (1) there was no difference between the field and laboratory specimens for absolute viscosity, (2) there was a significant difference between the field and laboratory specimens for penetration, and (3) there was no conclusive evidence that the other three properties were the …

Assessment Of Predictors Of Health Behaviors Of Elders In Frontier Nevada, Pauline Bradshaw

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this descriptive correlational study was to investigate health-promoting lifestyle practices and correlate these to self identified factors that may limit health promotion activity of frontier rural elders living in Nevada. Pender's Health Promotion Model provided the theoretical framework for this study. The sample included 114 participants that were aged 65 and older from locations in Nevada counties that qualify as frontier (population less than 6/square mile). Participants completed a two part self-administered questionnaire, the Health-Promotion Lifestyle Profile II (HPLP II) and the revised Elderly Health Care Needs Questionnaire (EHCNQ). Findings support the research hypothesis that cognitive-perceptual and …

The Effectiveness Of Functional Family Therapy In Substance-Involved Family Preservation Clients, Andrew D Butcher

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Abuse and neglect of children has been a recognized problem in America for many years. Recent developments in the child welfare system have introduced intensive, family-based services, otherwise known as family preservation services. The aim is to preserve the family and provide reasonable efforts to avoid out of home placement. State and private family preservation programs across the country have been faced with the challenge of evaluating program effectiveness and to better meet the needs of client populations by enhancing treatment models and programs; The Nevada State Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS) has utilized valuable resources to evaluate …

Housing Location Decision Under Environmental Risk: The Effects Of The Yucca Mountain Waste Repository, Christine Noel Dwyer

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Yucca Mountain is the site of a potential high-level nuclear waste repository in Nevada. The risks to health and safety of transporting and storing nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain may induce the residents of Nevada to move. When offered compensation, residents will weigh potential negative effects to their health from transporting and storing nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain against the amount of money offered. The presence of a threshold value between the bid amount offered and the level of risk perception indicates that at some level of risk, people cannot be induced to stay by compensation. My models indicate that …

Comparative Study Of Zinc Bis-Quinolates And Lithium Mono-Quinolates: Investigation Of The Effect Of Coordination Geometry On Electroluminescence Performance, Flocerfida Lalo Endrino

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Metal (8-quinolinolato) (Mqn) chelates have proven to be viable for use in organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs), both as the active emitter layer and as the electron-transporting host in dye-doped OLEDs. Whether serving as the emitter layer or host material the energy level-alignment affecting charge injection efficiency and charge mobility properties are of equal importance. Substitution of the 8-quinolinolato ligand or substitution of different metal ions has been shown to shift absorption and emission energies, which can modify the relative energy level alignments of the HOMO and LUMO levels at charge injection interfaces in an OLED. Furthermore, substitution of metal ions …

The Integration Of Facial And Auditory Affect: An Emotional Mcgurk Effect?, Teri Jean Forrest

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Research investigating human emotion processing has typically studied either auditory (vocal) or visual (facial) information in isolation. However, speech perception literature supports integration of auditory and visual phonetic information by way of the McGurk effect. This study hypothesized an emotional McGurk effect (i.e., integration of auditory and visual emotional information). To evaluate this hypothesis, emotionally incongruent auditory-visual stimuli (e.g., a joyful voice with a sad face) were developed on a sample of 120 participants. These stimuli were then presented to 30 additional participants who categorized them according to one of eight common emotions. Results indicated significant (p < .001) Condition by Emotion interaction effects, suggesting that emotional information from auditory and visual sources is integrated during the perception of auditory emotion. This integration appears to occur in a predictable manner. To understand emotion perception, future studies will need to consider the interaction of auditory and visual emotional information.

The Effects Of Adhd Child And Parenting Groups, Tonya Yvonne Gardner-Hernandez

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most commonly diagnosed childhood disorders in the United States. The symptomatic behaviors of ADHD often start as noncompliant behaviors, which can manifest themselves into increasingly inappropriate behaviors. If left untreated ADHD can become the catalyst for additional disruptive behavior disorders, as the child develops and begins to experience an increase in academic demands, family and peer rejection; This study used a one-group pretest-posttest design that was implemented in four separate ADHD parent and child groups. There were 16 child participants and 9 parent participants. Three of the five hypotheses were accepted. The children's …

Flesh, A Naked Dress, Susan Mary Andrews Grace

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

"Flesh, A Naked Dress" is a collection of five poems: "Joy of the Perfect Tool," "Texas," "Estuary," "Flesh, A Naked Dress," and "An Event in the World." The form of the serial poem, adopted for this collection, is the one described by poet Jack Spicer. It is larger scaffolding for the poetry, which comes out of a meditative discipline or 'dictation.' The poem moves ahead, without looking back, in units that are somehow related, and which are chronological. The serial poem is written in order to understand: it is not understanding in order to write. To read units of the …

Outcome Study Of Former Foster Care Youth, Donald Craig Gutterman

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This is an outcome of study of former foster care youth who aged out of the child welfare system. These youth have been out of the foster care system for anywhere from six months to five years. This study consists of twenty respondents, ten male and ten female, taken from a larger study of 100 former foster care youth. The main areas addressed in this study include investigation into the youth's foster care experience, their level of preparation to transition to life on their own, and their post foster care adjustment. Outcomes indicative of poor adjustment in the community were …

The Philosophical And Historical Dynamics Of Watsuji Tetsuro's Cultural Phenomenology, Edgar Allan Weir

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This study will examine one of the greatest modern Japanese philosophers, Watsuji Tetsuro. In a long and prodigious life Watsuji produced some of the most insightful works now extant in ethics, cultural identity, and intellectual history. This work will explicate two pillars of Watsuji's philosophy: the source of authentic Japanese identity and the primacy of human relationships within that authenticity. This study will also uncover the conjunctures between history and thought that sparked the developments and transformations in Watsuji's philosophy. More importantly, it will attempt to free Watsuji's theories from telelogical approaches that have utilized the war, erroneously conflating Watsuji's …

Comparative Analysis Of Casino Operations On The Las Vegas Strip And In Atlantic City, Jae-Hong Kim

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The main purpose of this study is to assess the state of the casino industry within the respective markets of Atlantic City and the Las Vegas Strip, based on recent changes in their financial performances. It attempts to identify trends in revenue, cost, and profit margin of the Las Vegas Strip and Atlantic City casinos since 1995, when the gaming market saturation was not a problem. Casino performances within these two markets are compared. To achieve this objective, aggregate data of 37 casinos on the Las Vegas Strip and 12 casinos in Atlantic City are used; Despite fast rising revenues …

Evoked Expectations And Evaluational Reactions To Accented English, Caridad F. Brito

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Researchers have found that variations in listeners' judgments of speakers are associated with the speakers' accent. It was hypothesized that: (1) Spanish accented speakers would be evaluated less favorably than standard English speakers; (2) listeners would rate both accented and non-accented speakers on the basis of their expectations and not according to the speakers' actual vocal characteristics; (3) listeners would evaluate speakers differently, depending upon the lexical complexity of the speech utilized by speakers; and (4) listeners would evaluate standard and nonstandard English speakers differently, depending upon the speakers' gender. One hundred-twenty subjects evaluated four speakers on semantic differential type …

Medline Global Update Due, Thomas A. Ipri

Library Faculty Research

If you use OVID to search Medline, have you noticed it has been stuck on the "December week 4 1999" update for several weeks?

Normally, MEDLINE is updated weekly and runs a couple of weeks ahead of the calendar. What is going on? Every year in January, the National Library of Medicine (NLM) updates its Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) to reflect growth and change in medical language. OVID programs the changes, releases a "global update" at the end of January, then resumes our normal weekly updates in February.

Minor Y2k Headaches For Reference Manager Uses, Thomas A. Ipri

Library Faculty Research

While the much-hyped predictions of Y2K disaster turned out to be a big yawn for most of us, some minor problems have cropped up. If you use an older version of one of the popular citation management programs, you may be having some date problems. Fortunately, there is a solution.

The Effect Of Developmental Disabilities On The Externalizing Behavior Of Siblings, Tiffany Kara Kostelec

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Early intervention for children with developmental disabilities or delays has become an important topic in the fields of education and psychology. Equally as important are the effects on children who are typically developing if one or more of their siblings is a child with a disability. Particularly of interest in this study was the level of externalizing behavior displayed by the typically developing siblings of children who have disabilities; This study compared the externalizing behavior (measured by the CBCL) of 16 siblings of children who have developmental disabilities with the externalizing behavior of 14 siblings of children who are typically …

The Effect Of Feedback At Test On Source Memory Performance, Shelby Kainani Morita

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Previous research has demonstrated that witnesses can come to believe they saw details that were only suggested to them after the witnessed event. For both theoretical and practical reasons, there is interest in developing techniques that reduce the effect of misleading post-event information. The present study examined the effect of receiving feedback at the time of retrieval on eyewitness suggestibility. All participants watched a videotaped crime of a home burglary and then answered questions that contained misleading information. On a final source memory test, participants that were provided with feedback as to the accuracy of their attributions during the first …

Traditional Vs Nontraditional Gendered Roles In Instant Relay Chat, Jennifer Audrey Del Quadro

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Communication technology, such as the Internet, reflects social norms in society, including gender roles. The author explored traditional and nontraditional gender roles in Instant Relay Chat (IRC) rooms. This quantitative study tested five hypotheses: H1: Participants who portray themselves as women tend to use more supportive language than men in IRC; H2: Participants who portray themselves as women tend to use more attenuated language than men in IRC; H3: Participants who portray themselves as women tend to use more graphic accents (GA) than men in IRC; H4: Participants who portray themselves as men tend to use more challenging language than …

Trackless On-Line Paging And Computer Memory Management, Edward Benjamin Mikhalkov

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

We consider existing research methodology for dealing with competitiveness analysis of on-line algorithms as well as introduce some newer analysis techniques for testing research hypotheses. Paging is discussed in general and current algorithms are surveyed and analyzed; We also present a new randomized on-line algorithm for the 2-page cache problem that matches the lower bound, and, therefore, is optimal. The algorithm uses fewer resources than currently known algorithms for the same problem, and is, therefore, an improvement on existing results. Experimental findings for this new algorithm are also presented and analyzed.

Structure And Stratigraphy Of The Antelope Mountain Quartzite, Klamath Mountains, Northern California, Robert Crispin Noto

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Previously, the Antelope Mountain Quartzite has been interpreted as a nappe over the Duzel Phyllite, however, field mapping and regional data indicates it is a km-scale block in melange, and that the Duzel Phyllite is thrust over it. The Antelope Mountain has been subjected to polyphase deformation including mid-Paleozoic thrust faulting responsible for an overturned anticline, high-angle normal faulting, and younger, previously unrecognized, Cretaceous high-angle normal faulting. The Antelope Mountain Quartzite contains a mappable stratigraphy including black chert, red argillite, and resistant quartzite beds that are used to document these younger extensional deformations; East-west oriented high-angle normal faults with minor …

Africanized Honey Bee Colonization In The Human Domain: Issues Of Environmental Anthropology In Southern Nevada, Daniel Edward Lebas

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Environmental anthropology seeks to identify issues and propose resolutions when humans are directly affected by environmental consequences or indirectly by policies that may marginalize the concerns of certain populations. Africanized Honey Bees created both environmental and policy consequences in southern Nevada. Identification of the issues was accomplished with literature review, participant observation, informal interview, and conferencing with academic and agency officials related to the human/bee problem. The controversy in risk assessment has implications for urban residents in southern Nevada. Both agricultural and urban environments may be economically and politically impacted by the colonization of feral Africanized Honey Bees. Urban populations …

Gis-Based Evaluation Of Mid-Block Pedestrian Crossing Safety, Zhenzhong Cui

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Transportation related problems have become one of the most pressing and visible concerns of urban life. One major aspect of safety relates to pedestrian crossings, especially pedestrian crossings away from an intersection i.e. at mid-block locations. There is need to develop a program to address mid-block pedestrian crashes (MBPC) to better understand them. This thesis describes the development of set of tools designed to help better understand MBPCs. Included are general statistical methods, GIS database, and visualization interface software; This thesis evaluates the potential of spatial clustering techniques and nearest neighbor methods to identify areas where high concentrations of mid-block …