Digital Commons Network^™

Thermal Considerations In The Drift Due To The Emplacement Of A Horizontal High Level Nuclear Waste Container, Akshay Bhargava

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project is investigating the feasibility of locating a high level radioactive nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. The design of waste containers to be used for the long term storage of the high level nuclear waste has progressed from the borehole model indicated in the original site characterization plan to drift emplaced multi-placed containers. The removal of decay heat is important in the first 1000 years as Zircaloy degradation temperature of 350{dollar}\sp\circ{dollar}C is not to be exceeded; In this study a two dimensional finite element thermal analysis has been completed for two scenarios for …

Recursive Backpropagation Algorithm Applied To A Globally Recurrent Neural Network, Steven Michael Dionisi

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

In general, recursive neural networks can yield a smaller structure than purely feedforward neural network in the same way infinite impulse response (IIR) filters can replace longer finite impulse response (FIR) filters. This thesis presents a new adaptive algorithm that trains recursive neural networks. This algorithm is based on least mean square (LMS) algorithms designed for other adaptive architectures. This algorithm overcomes several of the limitations of current recursive neural network algorithms, such as epoch training and the requirement for large amounts of memory storage; To demonstrate this new algorithm, adaptive architectures constructed with a recursive neural network and trained …

Internet Resources: Expanding The Reference Power Of The Architectural Library, Jeanne M. Brown

Library Faculty Research

Architects have varied and eclectic needs for information. Some types of information are needed repeatedly. Some types are needed only occasionally. A university branch library or a firm library attempts to handle the ongoing needs with in-house resources. As for the occasional need, space and financial considerations have necessitated a reliance on larger libraries, a situation which works with varying degrees of success.

/="/">So it has been until now. Now the Internet is starting to change the ground rules. I say STARTING, for several reasons. First, many libraries and firms do not yet have access to the Internet. Second, …

Interactions Within The Social Environment Of Schools: Perspectives On Dropouts Voices Of Administrators, Teachers, Stay-Ins, And Dropouts, Andre Brent Denson

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This study explored perceptions of administrators, teachers, stay-ins, and dropouts about personal interactions and the influence of a school's social environment on interactions as they pertained to students dropping out of high school. Symbolic Interactionism and Moos' Social Environment Theories served as the theoretical basis for framing the investigation of interactions within a school's social environment; This study was conducted at two comprehensive high schools in the Clark County School District (Las Vegas, NV). Participants consisted of six school administrators, six teachers, six stay-ins (students who remained in school), and six dropouts who were evenly divided between the two selected …

The Renaissance: An Age Of Classical Wonder, Robert T Behunin

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation is concerned with the use of "wonder" in the Renaissance. Recently, new historicists have batted around the notion of "wonder," linking it to travel discourse and the curiosity that is piqued when two foreign cultures collide. Thus, the would of travel literature is peopled with the "strange and admirable." However, there is another notion of "wonder" that stands outside the realm of mere curiosity and embraces contemplation, knowledge, and philosophy. Aristotle described "wonder" by saying, "it is owing to their wonder that men both now and at first began to philosophize." This classical notion of "wonder" filtered down …

The Impact Of The Americans With Disabilities Act Requirement That School Districts Make Accommodations To Classroom Teachers, James Labuda

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

For decades, people with disabilities have been fighting for equal access to schools, jobs and the market place. Disabled people throughout the United States desired legislation that would guarantee them the rights of full inclusion into the mainstream of American life. As a result, the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law by President George Bush on July 26, 1990. The purpose of this act was to provide a clear and comprehensive national mandate to end discrimination against people with disabilities; The purpose of this study was to measure how the twenty largest school districts in the United States …

Flying Tigers' 22nd Bomb Squadron, 1942-1945: An Analysis Of Management And Leadership Practices, Jack Lund Schofield

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Many argue that the American educational system is under siege. Students bring with them to school an array of social problems never before seen in this country. Illegal drugs, raging violence, brutal crime, abject poverty, and hopeless desolation pervade our children's lives. Loaded firearms, deadly weapons, and lethal substances are confiscated daily in urban, suburban, and rural schools. Administrators are shot, teachers are mugged, students are stabbed. Schools are in crisis; the war rages. How do school administrators cope?;This investigation concerns the interrelationships, definitions, and applications of several phenomena: war, education, administration, leadership, and power. Through the experiences of the …

A Field Screening Method For Polychlorinated Biphenyl Compounds In Water, Shen Lin

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The objective of this study was to develop a simple, inexpensive and rapid procedure for determination of PCBs in water. There was special interest in developing a field-screening procedure for aqueous extracts resulting from a soil remediation procedure; the extracting liquid typically contains 1-3% PCBs by weight to enhance the solubility of PCBs. A test was developed based on forming complexes of PCBs with Ag{dollar}\sp+{dollar} followed by UV irradiation to form Ag metal. The appearance of color (gray to brown depending on the PCB concentration) was used to signal the presence of PCB. The test color can be directly compared …

A Fuzzy-Logic Controller For An Autonomous Vehicle Operation In An Unknown Environment, William E Mccarthy

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

A controller is developed to guide a four-wheeled vehicle through an unknown environment. The vehicle is equipped with an ultrasonic sensor that can rotate to survey the neighboring environment. A new path planning algorithm is developed that reduces the computational time while avoiding obstacles. The vehicle uses a fuzzy-logic controller to determine the corresponding change in steering. While fuzzy-logic controllers exhibit robustness under varying operating conditions, it is difficult to design a good controller when observations about the system are scarce or when the system has large number of inputs and outputs. Due to this fact, the performance of the …

Power And The Professorship: Perceptions Of Sexual Harassment, Melissa J Monson

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This study explores the relationship between professorial awareness of personal power and the likelihood of labeling professor/student dating and repeated requests for dates by a professor as sexual harassment. Data from a sample of UNLV teaching faculty (N = 276) suggests that professors who have higher levels of awareness of the personal power which they hold over students were more likely than professors with low levels of power awareness to label professor/student dating as well as repeated requests for dates by a professor as sexual harassment. Further it was found that differences in level of power awareness explained away gender …

The Effect Of Prior Localized Muscle Fatigue On Lactate Production During Submaximal Exercise, Molly A Morrison-Gibson

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Muscle fatigue is a complex phenomena that involves both metabolic and neural factors. The present study examined the prolonged effects of localized muscle fatigue on lactate production during exercise. Five subjects, 3 females and 2 males, ages 25-29 (x = 27 {dollar}\pm{dollar} 1) participated in the study. Subjects completed a max VO2 test and two testing sessions, which consisted of cycling for 20 minutes at 80%-85% max VO2, once with prior fatigue and once without. Two-way repeated measures ANOVA showed gross lactate production was 20% higher in the non-fatigue trial than in the fatigue trial (9.3 {dollar}\pm{dollar}.03 vs. 7.6 {dollar}\pm{dollar}.04, …

Exploring Anti-Gang Advertising: Focus Group Discussions With Gang Members And At-Risk Youth, Kristin M Peterson

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The use of advertising to discourage gang membership is a issue that has been heavily debated, but the controversy has continually overlooked the children for whom the ads are intended to help. The purpose of this thesis is to explore the use of anti-gang advertising by seeking the opinions of young people living in a gang environment. The results of this study provide a detailed account of discussions about anti-gang messages generated from focus groups with gang members and at-risk youth and suggest two main contributions that anti-gang advertising can make to larger gang reform efforts. In addition, the conclusions …

Salvation Black Or White: Presbyterian Rationale And Protestant Support For The Religious Instruction Of Slaves In South Carolina, Susan E Ramey

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This work examines the rationale used by South Carolina Presbyterians for the religious instruction of slaves and the connection between such education and the salvation of masters as well as slaves. Previous scholarship has largely ignored the issue of salvation in the ante-bellum South for Christians black or white; To adequately explain the complex issue of salvation in a slave society, this research highlights Presbyterians in South Carolina, from the late Eighteenth Century to Reconstruction. To fully appreciate the depth of Southern commitment to slavery, religious education and salvation, general Southern Protestant support for this spiritual endeavor is presented first. …

Diversification Strategy, Financial Performance And Stability In The Foodservice Industry, Amrik Singh

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Diversification strategy and its relationship to performance has been shown to increase the profitability and stability of firms. An investigation was conducted to determine the relationship between diversification strategy and financial performance and stability of firms in the foodservice industry. Rumelt's (1974) diversification measure was utilized and modified to analyze the performance and stability of seventy-three foodservice firms from 1988-1991; Statistical testing using non-parametric tests showed no significant differences between diversification strategy and financial performance and stability of foodservice firms over the entire period from 1988-1991. However, when the time-frame was reduced to 2 sub-periods; before and during recession, significant …

Inference Of Moisture Content In Unsaturated Media Using Ultrasonics, Suresh N Thota

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

A study is reported which investigates the use of commercial ultrasonics to determine moisture content in geologic and similar materials. Transmission experiments were performed on two of the limiting extremes found in these types of media. In one, tests were made on moistened sand. In the other, fractured media were experimentally simulated with a stack of ceramic tiles with gaps filled with and without water. A simple theoretical model has been developed to estimate velocities and transmitted amplitudes through the tile system, and calculations from this model are compared to the experimental data. It appears that ultrasonics are more sensitive …

Accuracy Investigations Of Parshall Flumes And Propeller Meters, Monica Gisela Rivera

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The City of Las Vegas Water Pollution Control Facility treats about 45 million gallons of municipal wastewater per day. Since effluent flow measurement commenced in 1991, measured outflow of water from the facility has often exceeded measured inflow, a physical impossibility. The discharged flow to Las Vegas Wash is reported to the State of Nevada Colorado River Commission, which controls the allocation of the river water. For this reason, accurate measurements of flow volumes are essential to earn return flow credits from Lake Mead; After reviewing existing plant flow data, nine experiments were conducted at the plant to determine which …

Follow-Through In Conflict Resolution As A Factor In Marital Satisfaction And Personal Happiness, Carol Hemington Turner

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Satisfaction in our intimate relationships, especially marriage, is central to our happiness in life. One of the most important factors in marital satisfaction and marriage duration is the successful resolution of conflicts. A distinguishable difference between happy and unhappy couples is that happy couples are able to resolve their conflicts satisfactorily. The success of conflict resolution has been measured in two ways: (1) The extent to which an agreement was reached, and (2) How satisfactory the resolution process was--the degree to which it was positive and not damaging to the relationship. The purpose of this study was to measure the …

The Poetics Of Sketch Comedy, Michael Douglas Upchurch

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The Poetics of Sketch Comedy labels, defines and analyzes the conventions of sketch comedy. The comic sketch is examined for its structural conventions, and is broken into categories for analysis. The superstructure of variety entertainment, and conventions used to simulate cohesiveness in variety shows are also examined. Included is a review of pertinent literature, a brief historical background and a summary of conclusions with suggestions for future research.

Studies Of The Use Of Time Domain Reflectometry To Determine Moisture Content In Finite Regions, Xiang Xu

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This thesis addresses several questions related to the sensitivity of TDR to the determination of the moisture in laboratory experiments where the measurement is done noninvasively; Some tests were performed on moistened sand in a plastic box, treating the moisture content as the independent variable. Another set of tests was performed on moistened sand in a plastic tube to find the relationship between the outputs from the TDR with moisture content in systems both with and without water outflow. In addition, a set of tests was performed on a layered arrangement of large household ceramic tiles where the gaps between …

An Overview Of Local, State, And Federal Regulations Imposed Upon Political Advertising, Gina B. Polovina

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

An Overview of Local, State and Federal Regulations Imposed Upon Political Advertising discusses the 1991 policy revisions enacted by the Federal Communications Commission that effect political advertising. In addition, considerable attention is devoted to how the judicial system has treated cases dealing with a variety of political advertising issues ranging from the posting of campaign signs to assuring that proper sponsorship identification appears on campaign materials.

In Defense Of Private Property: The Role Of Private Property Rights And Ethics In The Market Economy, Iftikhar Ahmed

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This paper examines the role private property rights and ethics play in a market economy, and demonstrates that in order to have a free market, it is essential to have a legal system that defines private property rights. Such a legal system can only evolve on the free market itself; Chapter I examines the nature of property rights; Chapter II examines some historical examples of legal systems that have been based on private property rights; Chapter III explains the relationship between such a legal system and ethics. An attempt is made to justify such a system on the basis of …

Bounded Population Forecasts Of Nye County Communities Generated By The Cohort-Component Method: A Mushrooming Development, Douglas George Arnold

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This study will forecast the subcounty population of Nye County, Nevada in convenient and useful boroughs for the purpose of assisting local planners in allocating essential services. We shall explore and revise a new technique by providing a means of quantifying the accuracy of population projections using the cohort-component method. This technique will place a formal measure of uncertainty around the projections by analyzing bias and random errors; a Mean Square Error (Master of Engineering (ME)) Confidence Interval (CI). The two sources of error will be extended to cover errors in cohort-component projections resulting from net migration, mortality, and fertility. …

Nonlinear Dynamics Of A Particle In An Electric And Magnetic Field, Sean James Doyle

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This work involves the computational study of a charged particle (electron) in the field of a heavy particle (proton) and an applied constant magnetic field. When either the magnetic field or the central field of the proton are "switched off", closed analytic solutions for the classical dynamics exist. However, when both fields are present, only approximate analytic solutions are available. For a weak, applied magnetic field perturbation theory may be used to construct the approximate solutions, but these solutions break down in the high field regime. To study the behavior of such an atom in this region we perform numerical …

Personality And Marital Satisfaction: The Role Of Similarity And Psychological Health, Gretchen Garcia

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

I examined how similarity between spouses' personalities and absolute levels of the personality traits among spouses were related to marital satisfaction in a sample of 76 heterosexual couples. Personality characteristics were measured with the Index of Self-esteem and the NEO-Five Factor Inventory, which assesses levels of Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness, Conscientiousness, and Agreeableness. The Dyadic Adjustment Scale was used to measure marital satisfaction. Personality domains that are associated with psychological health including Neuroticism, Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, and Self-esteem would correlate to marital satisfaction. Moreover, it was hypothesized that similarity of the spouses on the factors of Extraversion and Openness would be positively …

Realism And Incongruity Oliver Wendell Holmes And Felix Frankfurter Mentor And Novitiate On The Court, Marlene Surell Geiser

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Oliver Wendell Holmes and Felix Frankfurter are worthy of examination because in many ways their tenures on the Supreme Court presented a fascinating study in similarity; To study these judges is to be privy to a relationship that began at Harvard Law School and would display itself in a shared intellectual elitism that importantly defined the years each of them sat on the bench. Examining their work is discovering a strong thread of similarity that binds both their lives in law and their philosophy as human beings. Because neither can be irrevocably categorized, they typify that special quality which sets …

The Phylogenetic Affinities Of Crenichthys And Empetrichthys Using Mtdna, E. Christopher Grant

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Crenichthys (Springfish) and Empetrichthys (Poolfish) are two relictual genera of cyprinodontiform fishes that are restricted to the state of Nevada. Of five families proposed, three, Cyprinodontidae, Goodeidae, and Empetrichthyidae, are still under consideration. The Goodeidae, fishes endemic to the Mexican Plateau, are viviparous, whereas Crenichthys and Empetrichthys are oviparous. Approximately 300 base pairs of the mitochondrial gene Cytochrome-b were sequenced in order to address the familial phylogenetic relationships of Crenichthys and Empetrichthys. All analyses concur that Crenichthys and Empetrichthys are related to members of the family Goodeidae rather than to the Cyprinodontidae. Therefore, this phylogeny supports a model of historical …

A Disastrous Gamble: Czechoslovak-British Relations, 1937-1942, Traci Colston Heitschmidt

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The appeasement policy culminated with the Munich Agreement in September 1938 and its effects are still being felt today. Because of his preconceived notions and inflexible world view, British Prime Minister Chamberlain did not listen to the pleas of those who opposed appeasement. He ignored their opinions about military build-up, possible German war aims, or anything else that challenged the viability of his appeasement policy. Ultimately, Chamberlain's tunnel vision caused the destruction of the democratic country of Czechoslovakia and promoted the most destructive war in human history. The purpose of this thesis is to analyze Chamberlain's justifications, the strategies of …

The Influence Of Perceived Competence, Activity Importance, And Barriers On Adolescent Leisure Participation: Exploring The Potential For Negotiation, Amy Lynn Hyams

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Recent research on leisure constraints proposes that leisure participation is not dependent on the absence of constraints, but rather on the ability to negotiate through them. This alternative view not only identifies the various effects that the negotiation process may have on leisure participation, but recognizes the role of the individual in controlling their leisure behaviors. The purpose of this study was to expand this concept by identifying individual factors that may facilitate or inhibit the negotiation process. Specifically, this study examined the influence of perceived self-competence, activity importance, the absence of perceived barriers, and various demographic factors on adolescent …

Hud Impact On Residential Property Values, Cindy Durtschi Jorgensen

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This thesis examines whether foreclosed properties sold by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) sell for the same price as properties which have similar characteristics. A hedonic price model is employed to observe changes in sales prices related to housing characteristics within a sample of homes from Las Vegas, Nevada. The results show HUD properties and the properties of houses in close proximity to HUD-sold properties sell for significantly less than similar houses located elsewhere in the county. However, HUD properties do not sell for less than their neighbors.

Odor Control In Sewers Using Calcium Nitrate, Venumadhava Rao Kalakuntla

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Wastewater often creates nuisance odors. Effectiveness of Calcium Nitrate (trade name Bioxide) to control odors was investigated in the collection system of Clark County Sanitation District over a three month period in the summer of 1993. Bioxide feed stations were set up on the nine sewer lines which exhibited highest sulfide concentrations, several miles from the treatment plant. Total sulfide, free sulfide, residual nitrate concentrations, pH and temperature were measured at manholes on each sewer line before reaching the treatment plant and also at the headworks in the treatment plant at various times of the day. Sulfide concentrations were generally …