Digital Commons Network^™

The Integration Of Dance As A Dramatic Element In Broadway Musical Theatre, Robert G Dame

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This study traces the development and growth of dance on the Broadway stage and the parallel growth of the effectiveness of choreography in enhancing the musical Theatre libretto. The study surveys the origins and early evolution of stage dance in the United States from 1775 to the introduction of ballet choreography in 1922. It concludes with an examination of Selected scripts which use choreography to dramatize the musical Theatre libretto, 1922 to 1990.

A Gis-Based Decision Support For Travel Demand Analysis, Sandeep Burli

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Transportation related problems have become one of the most pressing and visible concerns of urban life. Growing traffic congestion increases the pressure on the transportation system and results in deterioration of both the mobility and quality of transportation service provided. Although the transportation problem is multifaceted, a very important transportation issue in the mind of the public is congestion. Limited resources and insufficient transportation capacity aggravate the problem. This necessitates optimal allocation of existing and new resources. The objective of this research is to develop a decision support system to facilitate transportation planning and policy development. The system is designed …

A 3-Dimensional H-Adaptive Algorithm For Species Transport Prediction, David Bradley Carrington

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Development of 3-dimensional self-adaptive algorithms for unstructured finite element grids is recent to the solution of partial differential equations. An h-adaptive grid embedding method is employed to help solve the Navier-Stokes equations for fluid flow and scalar transport; This h-adaptive algorithm, in combination with the finite element solver, has been designed to solve simple to moderately complex 3-dimensional problems on high-end PC's with at least 16 megabytes of ram, and more complex geometries on workstations and mainframes. The finite element solver is a one point Gauss-Legendre integration scheme which employs mass lumping, Cholesky skyline L-U decomposition, and Petrov-Galerkin upwinding; This …

Self-Interest, National Interest And The Political Leader's Responsibility, Joe Gumiensky

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The two major schools of thought on international relations in the United States are the realists and the internationalists (often called utopians). Both have a long history in Anglo-American thinking on foreign affairs but the internationalists have taken a back seat to the realists since World War II. Internationalists have called for international cooperation in the interests of humanity while the realists have emphasized self-interest and national power. An examination of the formation of the Panama Canal Treaties shows that neither school is adequate in explaining how national interest is defined. Instead, national interest is the result of a more …

Energy Flow In Nonlinear Circuits, Jianzhong Jiang

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Apparent power and reactive power are two critical quantities in energy flow studies in electrical power systems. Existing definitions for these terms work well when both voltages and currents are sinusoidal with respect to time. However, both apparent and reactive power have no physical meaning. When these physically unclarified quantities are applied to non-sinusoidal systems, the following questions related to power flow remain not fully answered to date. What do these quantities really mean? Is it fair to bill customers based on the measurement of physically not meaningful quantities? What is the efficient way, both economical and technical, to compensate …

Adaptive Restoration Of Text Images Containing Touching And Broken Characters, Venugopal Kalluri

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

For document processing systems, automated data entry is generally performed by optical character recognition (OCR) systems. To make these systems practical, reliable OCR systems are essential. However, distortions in document images cause character recognition errors, thereby, reducing the accuracy of OCR systems. In document images, most OCR errors are caused by broken and touching characters. This thesis presents an adaptive system to restore text images distorted by touching and broken characters. The adaptive system uses the distorted text image and the output from an OCR system to generate the training character image. Using the training image and the distorted image, …

A 3-Dimensional Finite Element Method For Groundwater Flow And Containment Transport, Harinder Singh Sethi

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

A code was written to model groundwater flow and to solve for contaminant transport in variably saturated porous media using the Finite element method. The numerical code was written in FORTRAN 77. The GWGRID program was used for mesh generation. This numerical model was applied to two nuclear waste sites; Two test cases were run. The first one was the Savannah River Site, located in Aiken, South Carolina (SRS). The SRS has been storing radioactive waste material for several decades. Numerous studies as well as field data for the properties of the surrounding soil and contaminant presence have been conducted. …

Assessment Of Ultraviolet Light Disinfection Efficiency Of Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant Effluent, Man N Truong

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Pilot-scale operation of a 3-bank UV disinfection system for filter effluent from the Clark County Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant has shown {dollar}>{dollar}4-log removal of seeded MS-2 coliphage at UV dosages of 80-100 milliwatt-seconds per square centimeter (mW-s/cm{dollar}\sp2{dollar}), and consistent removal of fecal and total coliforms to less than 2.2 MPN/100 mL at dosages in the vicinity of 50-80 mW-s/cm{dollar}\sp2{dollar} UV transmittance varied from 40% to 70% over the monitoring period and was strongly correlated with turbidity. No diurnal variations in effluent quality were detected during intensive sampling. Effluent quality was most strongly affected by storm events that change filter …

Transport Of Solutes In Complex Hydrogeological Media, Vinod Vallikat

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This study presents numerical simulations of conservative solute transport in a complex heterogeneous porous media. A methodology to incorporate all the available information for describing the heterogeneity is developed. A Particle Tracking Random Walk method is used to simulate the solute transport through a heterogeneous hydraulic conductivity field generated based on a bimodal distribution. The effect of bimodal distribution on plume migration is examined and the correlation structures of the concentration field is analyzed; The numerical results indicate that the plume separates into small blocks and travels at different velocities through the preferential flowpaths. This was also noticed in the …

Evaluation Of Key Factors In Transportation Risk Analysis, Krishnapriya Madhavapeddi

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Pursuant to the enactment of federal legislation, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is presently evaluating Yucca Mountain as a candidate site for a repository to store spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and high-level radioactive waste (HLRW). Risk analyses could be used to support transportation decisions (such as route and mode selection) pertaining to the repository program; The purpose of this study is to develop a procedure to facilitate comparative transportation risk assessment. A case study of Lincoln County, Nevada is used to discuss the significance of key input data required to support such risk analysis. A methodology was developed to …

Hybrid Force And Position Control Of A Manipulator With An Elastic Link, Randy S Conn

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This thesis describes the hybrid force and position control of an elastic manipulator constrained by a surface. Based on the inverse and predictive control techniques, the proposed controller minimizes a quadratic function of contact force error, tip tracking error, elastic deflection, and control torques. Applying the proposed controller to a two-link planar manipulator where the first link is rigid and the second elastic, computer simulation and laboratory experiment results are presented to show the effectiveness of the proposed controller for force and position control and elastic mode stabilization.

Feedback Linearization Of Nonminimum Phase Systems And Control Of Aeroelastic Systems And Undersea Vehicles, Francis M Chockalingam

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The thesis presents the design of feedback control systems for a class of nonminimum phase single input-single output nonlinear systems. The linearized system is assumed to have one unstable zero. Since asymptotic or exact tracking of output trajectory cannot be accomplished, an approximate output is derived by neglecting the unstable zero. Based on the inversion of the new input-output map, a feedback linearizing control is derived; These results are applied to control an aeroelastic system and a small undersea vehicle. For pitch angle control and plunge motion regulation, an inverse control system is designed for the aeroelastic system. Simulation results …

Vehicle Control For Automated Highway Systems For Improved Lateral Maneuverability, Pushkin Kachroo, M. Tomizuka

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Research

In this paper, longitudinal and lateral vehicle control for automated highway systems (AHS) are studied together for their coupling effects. It is shown that longitudinal controllers which directly control the wheel slip are inherently more stable, especially during lateral maneuvers on very slippery road conditions, than longitudinal controllers which do not take wheel slip into account.

Baseline Water Quality Data Inventory And Analysis: Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Volume Ii Of Ii, National Park Service

Publications (WR)

This document presents the results of surface-water-quality data retrievals for Lake Mead National Recreation Area (LAME) from five of the United States Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) national databases: (1) Storage and Retrieval (STORET) database management system; (2) River Reach File (RF3); (3) Industrial Facilities Discharge (IFD); (4) Drinking Water Supplies (DRINKS); and (5) Flow Gages (GAGES). This document is one product resulting from a cooperative contractual endeavor between the National Park Service's Servicewide Inventory and Monitoring Program, the National Park Service's Water Resources Division (WRD), and Horizon Systems Corporation to retrieve, format, and analyze water quality data for all units …

Structural Analysis Of The Hurricane Fault In The Transition Zone Between The Basin And Range Province And The Colorado Plateau, Washington County, Utah, Meg E. Schramm

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study defines fault segments and segment boundaries along the Hurricane fault in southwestern Utah and determines the geometric and kinematic relationship to other regional structures. Fault segment identification is critical for understanding fault processes and seismic risk; segment length is the maximum earthquake rupture length along a fault. Segment boundaries may act as barriers to earthquake propagation.

Normal fault segmentation only recently has received attention and has never been studied along the Hurricane fault. The fault changes strike along its length, and is thus a segmented fault. This study documents one nonconservative segment boundary and two fault segments, the …

Baseline Water Quality Data Inventory And Analysis: Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Volume I Of Ii, National Park Service

Publications (WR)

This document presents the results of surface-water-quality data retrievals for Lake Mead National Recreation Area (LAME) from five of the United States Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) national databases: (1) Storage and Retrieval (STORET) database management system; (2) River Reach File (RF3); (3) Industrial Facilities Discharge (IFD); (4) Drinking Water Supplies (DRINKS); and (5) Flow Gages (GAGES). This document is one product resulting from a cooperative contractual endeavor between the National Park Service's Servicewide Inventory and Monitoring Program, the National Park Service's Water Resources Division (WRD), and Horizon Systems Corporation to retrieve, format, and analyze water quality data for all units …

Drip Irrigation, An Adaptive Strategy, Heather A. Grant Digeorge

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Adaptation has always played a role in the survival of man. In today's Southwest we are quickly approaching a water shortage. Agriculture is the second largest user of water. One way to save water is by conservation. Drip irrigation would save vast amounts of water currently lost to inefficiency. Drip irrigation will become an option in the adaptation in agriculture.

Determining Recreational Visitor Carrying Capacity: The Case Of Black Canyon At Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Kenneth C. Forman

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Lake Mead and Lake Mohave, created by Hoover and Davis Dams respectively, were combined, along with much of the surrounding area, into the Lake Mead National Recreation Area in 1964. The enabling legislation is specific about the duty the National Park Service has to the public to create and maintain this, and other, national recreation areas for the benefit of the visitors, the environment, and future generations. By investigating human impacts on the physical environment (water quality, litter, etc.) and by querying park users on their opinions (with respect to crowding, visitor behavior, etc.), insight can be gained about appropriate …

Unlv Magazine, Donna Mcaleer, Terry Baskot Brooker

UNLV Magazine

No abstract provided.

Unlv Magazine, Barbara Cloud

UNLV Magazine

No abstract provided.

Study Of Existing Information Concerning Water Quality Within Lake Mead, Vicki Scharnhorst, Southern Nevada Water Authority

Publications (WR)

The purpose of Task 010A15M of the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) Treatment and Transmission Facility (TTF) contract is to conduct a study of existing information concerning water quality within Lake Mead and identify additional water quality studies that are needed to supplement existing data. The objective of this task is not to discuss treatability of the raw water source; this is addressed by Task 010A18M, "Define Water Treatment Requirements." In addition, a narrative on the effect of pending Safe Drinking Water Act amendments and a determination of treated water quality goals is included in Task 010A16M, "Review Safe Drinking …

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 …

Use Of Log Normal Transformation In Environmental Statistics, Sally L Stewart

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The log normal transformation is commonly used in the analysis of environmental data. The sample histogram of observed contaminant concentrations from a Superfund site typically appears to be log normal and the concentration data is log-transformed so that the classical statistical methods based on normal distribution can be used. USEPA guidance documents on statistical evaluation of attainment of cleanup standards for soils suggest using the log normal transformation in case the contaminant concentration data appears to be log normal. There are two basic problems with using a transformation in data analysis: (i) interpretation of results, and (ii) in transforming a …

Path Planning And Obstacle Avoidance For A Robot With Large Degree Of Redundancy, John Zhao Li

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

An algorithm to allow a redundant robot to avoid obstacles in its workspace is proposed. The task of path planning is formulated as a sequence of nonlinear programming problems. For each problem, the objective is to minimize the distance between the current location of the end-effector and some intermediate point along a desired path. Two penalties are added to the objective function to ensure that the robot is not colliding with an obstacle and that its links are intersecting one another. Inequality constraints describing the mechanical stops and limiting values for joint movements are incorporated. Obstacles are represented as polygons, …

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 …

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 …

New Empirical Equations For Calculating Sound Pressure Levels In Rooms, Wen Bo Zeng

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Six room acoustic models were reviewed in the existing literature. There was no single acoustical model that was satisfactory for the rooms whose geometric and acoustic characteristics were different. In order to develop a new empirical room equation to predict the sound pressure distribution in rooms, seventeen rooms whose volumes ranged from 2,671 ft{dollar}\sp3{dollar} to 149,000 ft{dollar}\sp3{dollar} were examined. Two sets of sound tests, reverberation times and sound pressure levels, were conducted in these rooms. After a data base was built up, regression analyses were made. Finally, two empirical room acoustic equations, one for small rooms and another for large …

Analysis Of Time-Varying Harmonics In Electrical Distribution Systems, Venkatasubra Banunarayanan

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This thesis analyzes the time-varying nature of fundamental and harmonic signals in electric power distribution systems. Measurements show that signal variations are neither completely deterministic nor random. As a consequence the deterministic and random parts are analyzed separately. Two methods are employed to extract the deterministic and random parts. One method extracts the deterministic part using regression analysis, and the remaining random part is expected to resemble the normal distribution. A procedure for obtaining the distribution of the peak voltages is presented. In the second method, wavelet transforms is applied to harmonic signal variations. The Discrete Wavelet Transform is used …

Gwadapt: An Adaptive Finite Element Algorithm For Groundwater Contaminant Transport Problems, Bryan Edwin Dunlap

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

An h-adaptive two-dimensional finite element algorithm is used to model groundwater flow and contaminant transport in variably saturated porous media. This numerical method is applied to models of two nuclear waste repository sites; The computer program used in this study was modified for execution on the Cray Y-MP supercomputer. Optimization of the code was undertaken for maximum efficiency and economy on the Cray Y-MP processor, and to reduce run times for several of the simulations in this study; The computer code was used to simulate the first fifteen years of contaminant release from the Savannah River Site in an effort …