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Knowledge Of Aids, Perceived Risk Of Aids, And At-Risk Behaviors Among Older Adults, Cheryl Ann Maes

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

By using a questionnaire derived from the Health Belief Model, this study examined older adults' knowledge of AIDS, perceptions of risk to AIDS, and at-risk behaviors. A total of 166 questionnaires were received from the EXCELL and Senior Adult Theater Group members actively enrolled at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The results indicated the respondents were knowledgeable about the transmission and seriousness of AIDS but were less knowledgeable about AIDS transmission through casual contact and the medical aspects of AIDS. Although they recognized the seriousness of AIDS, they generally do not believe that they are susceptible to this disease. …

Aids Coalition To Unleash Power: Changing Through Movement, Leadership, And Internet Capabilities, Kendra Mary Blythin

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The examination of AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) past and present shows a vivid and often extreme organization, branching from Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC). Both groups were formed by Larry Kramer, who has played a large role in the gay liberation movement in the United States. This study provides a map of the decline of ACT UP with regards to the decline in public fear of AIDS, the resulting decline in public interest, and the ineffective leadership strategies of Larry Kramer. In addition, this study offers a hypothesis for better exposure; a possible symbiotic effect between the …

Facilitating Social Development With Play Groups In Early Childhood Settings, Janet Avery Butz

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This study investigated the efficacy of using facilitated and nonfacilitated play groups as an intervention for facilitating the social interactive behaviors of young children with and without disabilities. Sixteen students aged four to five years from a community-based preschool on a university campus participated in the study. The facilitated play group was assigned a facilitator who was trained to encourage the social and play interactions among the children using the guided participation strategies adapted from the Integrated Play Groups Resource Manual (Wolfberg & Schuler, 1992). The nonfacilitated play group was assigned the same adult-whose only role was to monitor the …

A Political -Economic View Of The Federal Organization Of Work, Rose Marie Richardson

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Using a comparative historical review of changes in the organization of work, this study analyzes the changing organization of federal work in relation to the organization of work in the private sector. Following a break in 1883 with the simple control wielded by political appointees running federal agencies, federal work became more tightly controlled through a greater bureaucratic organization of government work. However, a continuing influence of private work practices on federal work, such as the incorporation of the principles of scientific management, suggests not only a relationship between private and federal work practices but one that is stronger than …

Existence Of Solutions To A Class Of Nonlinear Convergent Chattering-Free Sliding Mode Control Systems, Pushkin Kachroo

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Research

Sliding mode control is a nonlinear control technique, which is robust against some classes of uncertainties and disturbances. However, this control produces chattering which can cause instability due to unmodeled dynamics and can also cause damage to actuators or the plant. There are essentially two ways to counter the chattering phenomenon. One way is to use higher order sliding mode, and the other way is to add a boundary layer around the switching surface and use continuous control inside the boundary. The problem with the first method is that the derivative of a certain state variable is not available for …

Probationary Periods- Promoting Excellence Or Legel Loophole?, Daryl R. Privott

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study, prepared for the Department of Public Administration, will evaluate the use and perceived effectiveness of probationary periods within the State of Nevada government. The probationary period is widely used throughout the private and public sectors; however very little systematic data has been collected on this topic. The probationary period can be valued as the most valid determinant of job performance and seen as the last step in the selection process or it can be a tool to deny first amendment rights. The effective use of probationary periods should be of importance to private and public agencies, managers, and …

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 …

The Meeting Of Pain And Depression: Comorbidity In Women, Marta Meana

Psychology Faculty Research

The higher prevalence of depression in women is coupled with a higher prevalence of pain complaints. Growing evidence suggests that the comorbidity of these conditions is also proportionately higher in women than men. This paper critically reviews the empirical findings relating to gender differences in comorbid pain and depression as well as findings in support of hypothesized etiologic factors that could explain why women may be more susceptible than men to comorbidity. The empirical evidence for biogenic, psychogenic, and sociogenic explanatory models is presented, and an integration of these models is proposed as a guideline to both research and clinical …

High-Resolution Electron Time-Of-Flight Apparatus For The Soft-X-Ray Region, Oliver Hemmers, S. B. Whitfield, P. Glans, H. Wang, Dennis W. Lindle, R. Wehlitz, I. A. Sellin

Environmental Studies Faculty Publications

A gas-phase time-of-flight (TOF) apparatus, capable of supporting as many as six electron-TOF analyzers viewing the same interaction region, has been developed to measure energy- and angle-resolved electrons with kinetic energies up to 5 keV. Each analyzer includes a newly designed lens system that can retard electrons to about 2% of their initial kinetic energy without significant loss of transmission; the analyzers can thus achieve a resolving power (E/ΔE) greater than 10⁴ over a wide kinetic-energy range. Such high resolving power is comparable to the photon energy resolution of state-of-the-art synchrotron–radiation beamlines in the soft …

Photofragmentation Of Third-Row Hydrides Following Photoexcitation At Deep-Core Levels, D. Hansen, M. E. Arrasate, J. Cotter, G. R. Fisher, Oliver Hemmers, K. T. Leung, Jon C. Levin, R. Martin, Paul Neill, Rupert C. Perera, I. A. Sellin, Marc Simon, Y. Uehara, B. Vanderford, S. B. Whitfield, Dennis W. Lindle

Environmental Studies Faculty Publications

The relaxation dynamics of HCl, DCl, H₂S, and D₂S following photoexcitation in the vicinities of the Cl and S K-shell thresholds (∼2.8keV for Cl, ∼2.5 keV for S) were studied by means of ion time-of-flight mass spectroscopy. In all cases, the onset of pre-edge core-shell photoionization precedes the formation on resonance of a significant amount of neutral hydrogen as well as postcollision-interaction effects above threshold. Examination of the width of the H⁺ peak in spectra taken with the analyzer parallel and perpendicular to the polarization vector of the incident light indicates that on resonance, the …

Photofragmentation Of Third-Row Hydrides Following Photoexcitation At Deep-Core Levels, D. L. Hansen, M. E. Arrasate, J. Cotter, G. R. Fisher, Oliver Hemmers, K. T. Leung, Jon C. Levin, R. Martin, Paul Neill, Rupert C. Perera, I. A. Sellin, Marc Simon, Y. Uehara, B. Vanderford, S. B. Whitfield, Dennis W. Lindle

X-Ray Atomic and Molecular Science Program

The relaxation dynamics of HCl, DCl, H₂S, and D₂S following photoexcitation in the vicinities of the Cl and S K-shell thresholds (~2.8 keV for Cl, ~2.5 keV for S) were studied by means of ion time-of-flight mass spectroscopy. In all cases, the onset of pre-edge core-shell photoionization precedes the formation on resonance of a significant amount of neutral hydrogen as well as postcollision-interaction effects above threshold. Examination of the width of the H⁺ peak in spectra taken with the analyzer parallel and perpendicular to the polarization vector of the incident light indicates that on resonance, …

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 …

Unlv Magazine, Barbara Cloud, Laurie Fruth, Chris Johnson

UNLV Magazine

No abstract provided.

Interagency Lake Mead And Las Vegas Wash Monitoring Program: Standard Operating Procedures Manual, Bureau Of Reclamation, City Of Henderson Water Reclamation Facility, City Of Las Vegas Water Pollution Control Facility, Clark County Sanitation District, Nevada, Southern Nevada Water Authority

Publications (WR)

A number of agencies sample Lake Mead and the Las Vegas Wash on a routine basis at several locations. In order to share and properly interpret the data, the Bureau of Reclamation, Southern Nevada Water Authority and the three Wastewater Treatment Facilities (City of Las Vegas, Clark County Sanitation District and City of Henderson) formed a committee to examine sampling and analytical protocols and to share information with the goal of maximizing the data quality. The group first met in April 1997. It was agreed that an effort should be made to discuss and compare specific sampling and analytical techniques …

Information Resources In Interdisciplinary Writing Program (Iwp) Courses: Winter And Spring 1998, Anne E. Zald, Nana Lowell

Library Faculty Research

The University of Washington (UW) Interdisciplinary Writing Program (IWP) provides five-credit expository writing courses each of which is linked to a discipline-based lecture course. Students enroll in both the writing and discipline-based courses, and complementary assignments allow them to improve their writing skills within a subject area of their own particular interest. In Winter and Spring of 1998, the UW UWired program sponsored a pilot program adding librarian-taught class sessions to existing IWP courses. These sessions focused on the use of information resources in the context of student research for writing assignments. Post-course questionnaires were composed primarily of items drawn …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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, …

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 …

Auger Resonance Decay Process In Ar 2p Shell Excitation And Ionization, Y. Lu, Wayne C. Stolte, J.A. R. Samson

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Research

The production and subsequent autoionization of the Ar⁺ (¹D₂)6d¹ satellite state that is formed either by shake-up or recapture during the Auger decay of a 2p vacancy in Ar has been studied by photoelectron spectroscopy in the energy region from 243 to 256 eV. The creation of near zero energy electrons below and immediately above the Ar 2p ionization threshold is discussed. Some ambiguous points in previous studies are clarified.

Validation Of Waimss Incident Duration Estimation Model, Wei Wu, Pushkin Kachroo, Kaan Ozbay

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Research

This paper presents an effort to validate the traffic incident duration estimation model of WAIMSS (wide area incident management support system). Duration estimation model of WAIMSS predicts the incident duration based on an estimation tree which was calibrated using incident data collected in Northern Virginia. Due to the limited sample size, a full scale test of the distribution, mean and variance of incident duration was performed only for the root node of the estimation tree, white only mean tests were executed at all other nodes whenever a data subset was available. Further studies were also conducted on the model error …

Wide-Area Incident Management System On The Internet, Kaan Ozbay, Pushkin Kachroo

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Research

The incident management process consists of four sequential steps-incident detection, response, clearance and recovery. Each of these components comprises of a number of operations and coordinated decision-making between the agencies involved. The provision of computer based support tools for the personnel involved will help develop appropriate strategies and increase efficiency and expediency. Existing systems are developed on various traditional computing platforms. However, with the advent of World Wide Web and Internet based programming tools such as Java, it is now possible to develop platform independent decision support tools for the incident management agencies. Any agency will be able to use …

Cardiac Rehabilitation: Gender Differences In Factors Influencing Participation, Lani Lieberman, Marta Meana, Donna E. Stewart

Psychology Faculty Research

This study investigates gender differences in the barriers and incentives that are most influential in the coronary patient's decision to participate in cardiac rehabilitation (CRPs) and suggests strategies to counter these barriers. Patient surveys were administered to consecutive English-speaking attenders and referred nonattenders to a cardiac rehabilitation center at a university healthcare system in Toronto, Canada. A survey questionnaire, constructed from a literature review and advice from key informants, examined potential factors affecting decisions to engage in CRPs. One129 attenders at a CRP and 61 referred nonattenders completed the questionnaire. Physician recommendation was reported to be the most important factor …

Post-Collision-Interaction Effects In Hcl Following Photofragmentation Near The Chlorine K Edge, D. L. Hansen, G. B. Armen, M. E. Arrasate, J. Cotter, G. R. Fisher, K. T. Leung, Jon C. Levin, R. Martin, Paul Neill, Rupert C. Perera, I. A. Sellin, Marc Simon, Dennis W. Lindle

Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty Research

Ion time-of-flight mass spectroscopy was used to study the relaxation dynamics of HCl following photoexcitation in the vicinity of the Cl K threshold (~2.8 keV). Detailed observations of molecular fragmentation mediated by postcollision interaction between a photoelectron and an Auger electron are presented, evidenced by the recapture of Cl K photoelectrons by either Clⁿ⁺ or H⁺ dissociation fragments. [S1050-2947(98)51206-1]

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 …

Affect And Marital Adjustment In Women’S Rating Of Dyspareunic Pain, Marta Meana, Irv Binik, Sainir Khalife, Deborah Cohen

Psychology Faculty Research

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the extent to which depressive symptomatology, anxiety, and marital adjustment mediate pain ratings in women suffering from dyspareunia.

METHOD: Seventy-six women with dyspareunia were administered the depression and anxiety scales of Derogatis's Brief Symptom Inventory and the McGill Pain Questionnaire. They also underwent a manual-visual gynecological examination, an ultrasound, and a colposcopy in an attempt to identify potential evidence and type of organicity.

RESULTS: Depressive symptomatology, anxiety, and marital adjustment together accounted for a significant amount of the variance in pain ratings, although only anxiety and marital adjustment were independent predictors of pain ratings in the entire …

Library Tech Notes, The Unlv Libraries Technology Committee

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Camille's Comments

HTML From the Ground Up

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Technology Book List

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, …