Digital Commons Network^™

Speech Showdowns At The Virtual Corral, Eric Goldman

Faculty Publications

INTRODUCTION

This article considers the tension between free speech rights and private property/contract rights. Neither free speech rights nor private property and contract rights are absolute. Where they intersect in the physical world, confusing legal doctrines usually emerge, such as the U.S. Supreme Court cases addressing private speech at privately owned company towns and shopping centers. Though a bright-line rule has emerged-the First Amendment pertains only to stateactors-the rule provides little prospective guidance because private actors can be characterized as state actors in some circumstances.

In the online world, the speech/rights dichotomy also raises complex issues. Online private actors routinely …

Arsenic And An Old Base: Legal Issues Associated With The Environmental Restoration Of Defense Sites In Washington, D.C., Used For The Development And Disposal Of World War I Chemical Munitions, James W. Moeller

Catholic University Law Review

No abstract provided.

Big Abortion: What The Antiabortion Movement Can Learn From Big Tobacco, Justin D. Heminger

Catholic University Law Review

No abstract provided.

Oliver Ranch Science School Complex & Wild Horse And Burro Facility: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending December 31, 2005, Margaret N. Rees

Oliver Ranch Project

Executive Summary

Activity highlights during the first quarter of Year Two include the following actions toward task agreement deliverables:

• Agenda and minutes prepared and distributed for two core group meetings
• Historical curriculum 100% completed
• Cultural curriculum 100% completed
• Night sky curriculum 50% completed
• Green Building curriculum 25% completed
• Communications/Outreach Plan revised and prioritized
• RRDLC newsletter under final review by BLM state office

Stigma Cities: Birmingham, Alabama And Las Vegas, Nevada In The National Media, 1945-2000, Jonathan Foster

Psi Sigma Siren

Early in 1994 Time magazine proclaimed Las Vegas, Nevada “The New All American City,” a “city so freakishly democratic” that Americans just could not resist. Twenty-three years earlier, Look magazine had conferred the same title upon Birmingham, Alabama, stressing its progress in race relations. Such media castings of normality must have surprised the American public in both instances. By the time of each city’s designation as “All-American,” the public had long been subjected to stories of their seemingly abnormal internal actions and qualities. Both cities suffered from stigmatized identities in the wider American perception that were fully formed by the …

Best Practices In Multi-Agency Volunteer Programs, Lanelda Rolley, Donna Grady, Chuck Williams

Interagency Science and Research Strategy

• Strengthen the national fabric in support of public lands.

• Provide people of all ages with opportunities to participate in the enjoyment, protection, and responsible use of our public lands.

Modeling Microwave Emissions Of Erg Surfaces In The Sahara Desert, Haroon Stephen, David G. Long

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Research

Sand seas (ergs) of the Sahara are the most dynamic parts of the desert. Aeolian erosion, transportation, and deposition continue to reshape the surface of the ergs. The large-scale features (dunes) of these bedforms reflect the characteristics of the sand and the long-term wind. Radiometric emissions from the ergs have strong dependence on the surface geometry. We model the erg surface as composed of tilted rough facets. Each facet is characterized by a tilt distribution dependent upon the surface roughness of the facet. The radiometric temperature (T(b)) of ergs is then the weighted sum of the T(b) from all the …

College Students: Vulnerable To Hiv/Aids And The Least Educated?, Regine Rochelle Rucker

Masters Theses

In the United States, women, African Americans, and youth are emerging as the face of HIV and AIDS. Since there is no cure, education and prevention is important to halting the spread of the disease. However, first, the current knowledge level of at risk populations, and others, must be revealed to appropriately address misconceptions and deficiencies in HIV awareness and ultimately change at risk behaviors. Many studies acknowledge the overall lack of HIV awareness, however, few identify and make recommendations to address the knowledge deficiencies, specifically in at risk populations. The following research statistically demonstrates that the knowledge of HIV/AIDS …

Closing The Endorsement Test Escape-Hatch In The Pledge Of Allegiance Debate, Kevin P. Hancock

Seton Hall Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Evolving Impact Of Institutional Repositories On Reference Librarians, Marianne A. Buehler, Adwoa Boateng

Library Faculty Research

Purpose – The paper's purpose is to share the insights that the staff of the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) Libraries (Wallace Library, RIT Archives, and the Cary Collection) gained into the role of reference librarians in establishing and operating an institutional repository (IR). Design/methodology/approach – The paper conducts a literature review on a range of published (1999-2005) works to research the background of IRs and to incorporate it with the authors' own experiences. Findings – The research findings, involving implementing IRs and specifically the effect on the role of the reference librarian in academic libraries, were found to be …

New Program Growth And Its Impact On Collection Assessment At The Unlv Libraries, Reeta Sinha, J. Cory Tucker

Library Faculty Research

Purpose – Seeks to describe how Lied Library has responded to a rapid increase in the number of new academic programs and degrees at UNLV resulting from new strategic initiatives and tremendous growth of the university's student population during the past four years. Design/methodology/approach – The authors focus on the role of the Collection Development (CD) department in the university's approval process for new academic programs and the role of subject librarians in assessing how well the Libraries' collection meets the demands of new programs proposed by faculty. Findings – Detailed descriptions are provided of the process used by subject …

Metaconversations: Ongoing Discussion About Teaching Research Writing, P. S. Mcmillen, E. Hill

Library Faculty Research

This article is a follow up to an earlier publication that developed the rationale for using conversation as a metaphor to teach research writing. We presented this proposed teaching approach at several conferences, including WILU in May 2005 at Guelph, Canada. The discussions with participants in these presentations validated the tenets of the conversational metaphor for research writing. Here we provide a description of the research activities in the presentations, the subsequent responses by participants, and our thoughts on these responses. This dialogue between participants and the authors/presenters constitutes the metaconversation about teaching research writing.

Branch Libraries And Technology: Impact Of A New Main Library, Jeanne M. Brown, Jennifer L. Fabbi, Cheryl T. Taranto

Library Faculty Research

Purpose – To explore the interactions between branch libraries and a new main library, in the area of technology equipment and services.

Design/methodology/approach – Following an introduction which highlights the major elements in place at UNLV Libraries for networking and equipment, each branch situation is described and evaluated.

Findings – The advantages of UNLV Libraries' philosophical approach to consistent patron access at all points of service are found to be substantial, and include regular equipment and software upgrades, as well as systems expertise. The major disadvantage proves to be flexibility in approaching patron needs.

Practical implications – Provides a philosophical …

Application Of Meshless Methods For Thermal Analysis, Darrell Pepper, Bozidar Sarler

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Research

Many numerical and analytical schemes exist for solving heat transfer problems. The meshless method is a particularly attractive method that is receiving attention in the engineering and scientific modeling communities. The meshless method is simple, accurate, and requires no polygonalisation. In this study, we focus on the application of meshless methods using radial basis functions (RBFs) — which are simple to implement — for thermal problems. Radial basis functions are the natural generalization of univariate polynomial splines to a multivariate setting that work for arbitrary geometry with high dimensions. RBF functions depend only on the distance from some center point. …

Inside Unlv, Erin O'Donnell

Inside UNLV

No abstract provided.

Chaucer And The Politics Of Penance, Karl G Wilcox

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Chaucer and the Politics of Penance argues for a Chaucerian fusion of penitential values with Wycliffite ideals in the 1390s. The historical setting for this study is the political crisis of 1388 and the political agenda that Richard II employs in the 1390s in an attempt to reassert an image of royal legitimacy and power. The case is made that Chaucer critiques Ricardian autocracy by employing penitential discourse as a possible corrective to Richard's exemplarism or use of positive exempla to suppress political dissent. Chaucer is joined in this emphasis on the politics of penance by the Carmelite Richard Maidstone …

Development Of A Dynamic Spatial Data Analysis System For Transportation, Mukunda Rao Dangeti

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Transportation systems are complex entities that are owned and operated by a diverse group of organizations. The management of such systems requires substantial amounts of data to be monitored, acquired, managed, analyzed, maintained and modeled. Due to the spatial and temporal nature of such data, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Global Positioning Systems (GPS) technologies offer significant promise to help with such activities. The focus of this dissertation is to develop a GIS based decision support system to help manage transportation systems. The purpose of the study is to develop a system, which compiles, pre-processes, and manages various transportation system …

Collaborative Literacy Learning Communities: What Three Title I Schools Teach Us, Carol Ann Esposito

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Many school reformers endorse collaborative learning communities among educators since the mid 1980's to improve schools. Learning communities strengthen the school's culture of learning. Collaborative literacy learning communities focus on collaboration about literacy learning among teachers as well as the acceptance and exchange of literacy learning leadership roles by the literacy specialist and classroom teachers. This research investigates the three schools' culture of learning. Each school reflects a different culture of learning (i.e. highly collaborative, moderately collaborative, and non-collaborative). This study reveals reciprocity in learning and learning leadership and support from learning leaders maintain powerful communities of learning. Negative influences …

A Reliable And Resource Aware Framework For Data Dissemination In Wireless Sensor Networks, Vasu Jolly

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Distinctive from traditional wireless ad hoc networks, wireless sensor networks (WSN) comprise a large number of low-cost miniaturized nodes each acting autonomously and equipped with short-range wireless communication mechanism, limited memory, processing power, and a physical sensing capability. Since sensor networks are resource constrained in terms of power, bandwidth and computational capability, an optimal system design radically changes the performance of the sensor network. Here, a comprehensive information dissemination scheme for wireless sensor networks is performed. Two main research issues are considered: (1) a collaborative flow of information packet/s from the source to sink and (2) energy efficiency of the …

Evaluation Of The Effectiveness Of Countermeasures To Enhance Pedestrian Safety, Ganesh Jung Karkee

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Pedestrian safety is a major concern in the United States because over 4,700 pedestrians are killed and 70,000 are injured annually. Nevada has one of the highest pedestrian fatality rates in the United States. Thus, there is a need to enhance pedestrian safety using existing and new strategies and to evaluate the effectiveness of these strategies. The objective of this research is to evaluate the effectiveness of various countermeasures to improve pedestrian safety. The countermeasures evaluated in this research include: (1) an in-pavement flashing light system, (2) pedestrian countdown signals, (3) turning traffic must yield to pedestrians signs, (4) a …

Responses To Transnational Non-Governmental Terrorism In Kenya And The United States: An Anthropological Analysis, Kennedy Geoffrey Ondieki

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Terrorism is an ancient human phenomenon. In contemporary societies, however, terrorist attacks affect every country in one form or another. Hardly can any continent, region, or community claim immunity from it. Its causes, characteristics, and controlling mechanisms are as diverse and complex as there are terrorist groups. The impacts of terrorism, on other hand, are lethal and far-reaching as are government responses against it. This study began as an attempt to examine governmental and survivor responses and reactions in regard to the attacks of the American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania on August 7, 1998. Then the horrific attacks against …

An Empirical Examination Of The Presence Of Minority Coaches In Minor League Baseball, Braden E Holcomb

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Three research questions concerning race and the coaching staff were addressed. The first question was to determine the ratio between the race of coaches (White, Black, or Latino) and the race of the players (White, Black, or Latino). The second question was to determine if a disproportionate amount of minorities would be found at any of the three coaching positions (Manager, Hitting Coach, and Pitching Coach). The final question was to determine the coaches defensive position during their playing career, whether it was a central or peripheral position, and their current coaching position (Manager or Hitting Coach) All pitching coaches …

Labor Unions And Corporate Campaigns: Necessary Tactic Or Hindrance To Bargaining, Cynthia Elise Agnello

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The author examined occurrences of corporate campaigns between 1990-2004 in order to evaluate the effectiveness of union's use of non-traditional strategies in achieving business concessions. Cases included were those representing the presence of litigation, coalition building, exerted pressures on financial associates, efforts to compel regulatory agencies investigations of businesses breaches of law, pressuring government, on job actions, and waging negative publicity campaigns. This study built upon the past work of Paul Jarley and Cheryl L. Maranto's that originated three categories of contexts for campaigns: organizing campaigns, strike complement, and strike substitute corporate campaigns. These labor action stages set the foundation …

Soul Shakedown: The Politics Of Soul Music, Melanie Catherine Young

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This thesis demonstrates the value of the 'hegemonic' theory of politics as a basis for the discussion of the importance of commercially popular music in the political socialization process. The theoretical foundations of popular music studies are considered, the existing literature on popular soul music is reviewed, and an analysis of the lyrics of primarily popular soul songs from 1965 to 1975 is presented. The content analysis suggests that the conception of the black man as described by the whites served a hegemonic function in the culture of African-Americans. However, popular soul music lyrics of the 1960s and 1970s vocalized …

Racial Disparities In The Federal Sentencing Of Drug Offenders, Jorge Adrian Castrejon

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Drawing upon a national sample of offenders from the U.S. Sentencing Commission through the ICPSR, the current study examines the extent of racial disparities in federal sentencing of drug offenders. After controlling for demographic characteristics of the defendants results from the analysis indicate that blacks and Hispanics convicted of drug offenses receive more prison sentences than white defendants. Black defendants receive longer prison sentences than whites and Hispanics for the same type of drug offenses. Although Hispanics receive more prison sentences than whites their prisons sentences are significantly shorter than prison sentences for black and white defendants. It is determined …

Evaluating Hydraulic Conductivity Of Desert Soils At The Amargosa Desert Research Site Near Beatty, Nevada, Jon Woodrow Wilson

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This study tested predictive equations of unsaturated hydraulic conductivity. Quarterly measurements of water-content measured over 12 years were collected from six sites at the Amargosa Desert Research Site (ADRS) located within northern Amargosa Desert, Nevada. ADRS Soils consist of unconsolidated to weakly indurated deposits of early Pliocene and Quaternary age alluvial-fans; fluvial and freshwater deposits; Descriptive statistics and soil properties provide input for method evaluation. Methods include those by Green and Corey (1971), and van Genuchten (1980). Resulting graphical comparisons, for both methods, suggests a good and poor correlation in trench and native devegetated sites, respectively. Conductivity values differing by …

Methyl Jasmonate And Cis Jasmone Induce Apoptosis In Pc-3 And Lncap Prostate Cancer Lines, Madhavi Bathina

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Methyl jasmonate (MJ) and cis jasmone (CJ), lipid-derived plant stress hormones, were studied for their effects against both hormone dependent (LNCaP) and hormone independent (PC3) human prostate cancer cell lines. Both 2 mM MJ or CJ inhibited the growth of the cell lines. An alamar blue assay was used to determine IC50 values for MJ and CJ in both cell lines at 24 hrs, 48 hrs and 72 hrs. At 24 hrs the MJ IC50 values were 2.25 and 2.05 while the CJ values were 3.00 and 1.25 in the PC3 and LNCaP lines respectively. Cell cycle analysis revealed that …

Saving Lives: Assessing Knowledge And Awareness Of Cervical Cancer Among Women In Low Income Families In Clark County, Nevada, Salome Kidele Kapella

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Studies have reported low participation in cervical cancer screening of low-income women, but few of them have addressed lack of knowledge on cervical cancer. The goal of this study is to assess knowledge and awareness of cervical cancer among women in low-income families in Clark County, NV. Fifty women in low-income families who were English-speaking and were enrolled in the WIC program were interviewed. Questions addressed were: knowledge on cervical cancer, Pap smears practices, insurance coverage, and knowledge about free/low-cost Pap tests in the state. The Majority of women were minorities (74%) and the mean age was 25.3 (SD=6.44). Seventy-six …

Training Professionals' Impressions And Opinions About Their Role In Hospitality, Valentini Kalargyrou

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Billions of dollars are spent yearly on employee training. Thus, extensive research has been done on why training is important to the advancement of organizations. However, little research has been done on the actual providers and facilitators of the training and development. This research is designed to identify the feelings, insights, emotions, expectations, and beliefs of the training professionals about their role in hospitality. A qualitative research, Zaltman's Metaphor Elicitation Technique (ZMET) was performed with ten training professionals from two hotels in Las Vegas, Nevada. Study results indicated (1) the importance of their role within the organization, (2) the high …

The Changing Dynamics Of Coattails In Senate Elections, Sheila Dubron Lambert

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The prevailing theoretical approach in political science has been to analyze presidential coattails from a top down perspective focusing on the effect that presidential elections have on congressional outcomes. Presidential coattail research has been limited in scope to coattails as a one-way causation often examining variables in isolation, rarely accounting for the complex nature of elections and competing forces that influence elections across various levels of campaigns. This research seeks to present a more realistic view of campaign processes by assessing the spillover effects that campaign activity for one race may have on other races occurring simultaneously. Specifically, this thesis …