Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Take Pride In America In Southern Nevada: Annual Progress Report, Period Covering January 1, 2011 - December 31, 2011, Margaret N. Rees

Anti-littering Programs

• A meeting of stakeholders across Nevada was held to explore the potential for statewide collaboration on litter and dumping issues.
• Website activity for the first three quarters of the year averaged 1,122 hits per month, with an average of 1,927 pages viewed per month.
• The team attended 12 community outreach events resulting in 2,154 direct contacts and 324 new mailing list records.
• The Take Pride in America (TPIA) in Southern Nevada completed a total of 41 volunteer events contributing a total of 10,779 volunteer hours.
• The TPIA team filed a no-cost extension to SNPLMA and received an extension until December …

Daily Stock Market Movement From Oscillating Social Mood Factors, Cari Bourette

Cari Bourette

Since 2006, there has been ongoing research into the correlation of a set of oscillating mood factors and socioeconomic, geopolitical, and natural events with the goal of forecasting increased risks of destabilizing events. While promising results have been forthcoming, it has been difficult to present models that allowed those outside a small circle of specialists to participate. Between July 2007 and June 2010, weekly social mood projections, as published in monthly issues of MoodCompass, were used to develop a model to convert four oscillating mood factors into stock market expectations. This model was modified to generate signals of projected stock …

Development Of A Methodology For Dormitory Energy Load Estimation And Analysis, John Michael Real

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

In recent years interest in reducing energy consumption at the building levels has been increasing, especially in the higher education sector. Many examples exist of higher education institutions reducing their environmental impact through energy consumption reductions, however the majority of these are anecdotal examples and it is difficult to replicate these initiatives at other institutions, either due to resource constraints, financial constraints, or a lack of reproducible methodology. This issue is further compounded by the fact that a generalized methodology does not exist for the purposes of estimating building energy loads, especially in dormitories in the absence of expensive and …

The Examination Of The Feasibility Of Implementing A Biosphere Reserve In The Maltese Islands : Applying A Conservation Value Evaluation Framework, Alexander Borg

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Biosphere reserves are protected areas which are internationally recognized within the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s Man and the Biosphere Programme for promoting and establishing a balanced relationship between people and nature. Biosphere reserve management is guided by principles of biodiversity conservation; sustainable development; local, national and international partnership and support; local capacity-building; research and monitoring and co-operative management that is multidisciplinary, multi-stakeholder and locally-based. The research evaluated the feasibility of implementing the biosphere reserve concept in the Maltese Islands. This was studied by applying a conservation framework which consisted of holistic conservation value appraisal criteria – incorporating …

Proposing A Path For Sustainability Curricula: Identifying Core Thinking And Learning Elements For Sustainability Higher Education, Timothy F. Botkin

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Research indicates that sustainability higher education (SHE) has been promoted since the 1970s but has not achieved satisfactory progress in meeting original goals. Reflecting the evasive nature of sustainability as a goal, SHE programs appear stunted and there is little overall guidance with regard to curricula development. This dissertation addresses this issue by conducting a comprehensive literature research and sampling of those in sustainability post-graduate programs in an effort to determine an articulable set of core thinking and learning elements to assist in implementing SHE programs. Initial research identified fifteen core element candidates. These were incorporated into a survey sent …

Residential Solar Energy In The Valley: A Feasibility Assessment And Carbon Mitigation, Deanna Leigh Zimmerman

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

This project explores whether the Shenandoah Valley can achieve its 25x’25 goals in the residential sector using the two most feasible solar energy technologies, solar photovoltaic electric power production and solar thermal hot water generation. After a review of the barriers to the adoption of solar energy in households, the potential rates of adoption and energy output are estimated using U.S. Census data and Department of Energy data. Multiple scenarios are explored, including the “maximum theoretical” contribution of solar energy to the residential sector as well as scenarios of household behavior under different constraints. With respect to solar photovoltaic, it …

Emergent Behavior In A Coupled Economic And Coastline Model For Beach Nourishment, Eli D. Lazarus, D E. Mcnamara, M D. Smith, S Gopalakrishnan, A B. Murray

Publications

Developed coastal areas often exhibit a strong systemic coupling between shoreline dynamics and economic dynamics. "Beach nourishment", a common erosion-control practice, involves mechanically depositing sediment from outside the local littoral system onto an actively eroding shoreline to alter shoreline morphology. Natural sediment-transport processes quickly rework the newly engineered beach, causing further changes to the shoreline that in turn affect subsequent beach-nourishment decisions. To the limited extent that this landscape/economic coupling has been considered, evidence suggests that towns tend to employ spatially myopic economic strategies under which individual towns make isolated decisions that do not account for their neighbors. What happens …

Randomization Tests For Quantifying Species Importance To Ecosystem Function, Nicholas J. Gotelli, Werner Ulrich, Fernando T. Maestre

College of Arts and Sciences Faculty Publications

1. Quantifying the contribution of different species to ecosystem function is an important challenge. We introduce simple randomization tests (and software) for quantifying the average effect of species on ecosystem variables measured in multiple plots with and without the presence of a particular species. These randomization tests formalize the analysis of uncontrolled 'natural experiments' and quantify species effects in standardized deviation units. 2.We tested the method with data on ecosystem function in biological soil crust assemblages of lichens in semi-arid gypsum outcrops in central Spain. In sixty-three 50cm×50cm sample plots, we measured the presence and percentage cover of 17 species …

Underestimating The Costs Of Conservation In Southeast Asia, David P. Edwards, Brendan Fisher, Xingli Giam, David S. Wilcove

Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Simulated Effects Of Varied Landscape-Scale Fuel Treatments On Carbon Dynamics And Fire Behavior In The Klamath Mountains Of California, Kevin J. Osborne

Master's Theses

I utilized forest growth model (FVS-FFE) and fire simulation software (FlamMap, Randig), integrated through GIS software (ArcMap9.3), to quantify the impacts varied landscape-scale fuel treatments have on short-term onsite carbon loss, long-term onsite carbon storage, burn probability, conditional flame length, and mean fire size. Thirteen fuel treatment scenarios were simulated on a 42,000 hectare landscape in northern California: one untreated, three proposed by the US Forest Service, and nine that were spatially-optimized and developed with the Treatment Optimization Model in FlamMap. The nine scenarios developed in FlamMap varied by treatment intensity (10%, 20%, and 30% of the landscape treated) and …

The Theory And Practice Of Genetically Engineered Crops And Agricultural Sustainability, David E. Ervin, Leland L. Glenna, Raymond Adelard Jussaume

Institute for Sustainable Solutions Publications and Presentations

The development of genetically engineered (GE) crops has focused predominantly on enhancing conventional pest control approaches. Scientific assessments show that these GE crops generally deliver significant economic and some environmental benefits over their conventional crop alternatives. However, emerging evidence indicates that current GE crops will not foster sustainable cropping systems unless the negative environmental and social feedback effects are properly addressed. Moreover, GE crop innovations that promote more sustainable agricultural systems will receive underinvestment by seed and chemical companies that must understandably focus on private returns for major crops. Opportunities to promote crops that convey multi-faceted benefits for the environment …

Designing Carbon Taxation Schemes For Automobiles: A Simulation Exercise For Germany, Adamos Adamou, Sofronis Clerides, Theodoros Zachariadis

Theodoros Zachariadis

Vehicle taxation based on CO2 emissions is increasingly being adopted worldwide in order to shift consumer purchases to low-carbon cars, yet little is known about the effectiveness and overall economic impact of these schemes. We focus on feebate schemes, which impose a fee on high-carbon vehicles and give a rebate to purchasers of low-carbon automobiles. We estimate a discrete choice model of demand for automobiles in Germany and simulate the impact of alternative feebate schemes on emissions, consumer welfare, public revenues and firm profits. The analysis shows that a well-designed scheme can lead to emission reductions without reducing overall welfare.

Lectio Praecursoria, Kari Myöhänen

Kari Myöhänen

Lectio praecursoria: Modelling of combustion and sorbent reactions in three-dimensional flow environment of a circulating fluidized bed furnace

Modeling Passive Solar Distillation Production In Las Vegas, Nevada, Noe I. Santos

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

A study has been performed to examine the effects of daily weather on the performance of commercial solar distillation basins (solar stills). The objectives of this study were to evaluate the long term performance of solar stills, to instrument two solar stills and record sub-hourly thermal properties, to evaluate existing heat transfer modeling methods for hourly production, and to create new models to predict daily production using experimental distillate production and local weather data by utilizing artificial neural networks, genetic algorithms, and multivariate regression. A system dynamics model was also created to determine the required basin area and storage volume …

The Impact Of ‘‘No Impact Man’’: Alternative Hedonism As Environmental Appeal, Jen Schneider, Glen Miller

Jen Schneider

As ‘‘No Impact Man,’’ writer Colin Beavan conducted a one-year experiment to determine whether he and his family could reduce their environmental impact to zero while living and working in Manhattan. This article examines the No Impact Man (NIM) experiment both as ‘‘alternative hedonism,’’ a reconceptualization of the ‘‘good life’’ that avoids unduly damaging the natural world, and also as a kind of ‘‘eco-stunt,’’ an attempt to garner significant media coverage about positive environmental behaviors. We use DeLuca’s theorization of the ‘‘image event’’ to analyze the No Impact Man franchise—blog, book, and documentary film—though we modify that theory in order …

A Gis Approach For Estimating Optimal Sites For Grid-Connected Photovoltaic (Pv) Cells In Nebraska, Tomotoshi Funabashi

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

In the context of rising energy concerns and increased spotlight on solar energy, this study examines and draws attention to the state of mid potential sunlight. The purpose of this study is to estimate the optimal sites for grid-connected photovoltaic cells in Nebraska, which is ranked 13th nationally in terms of insolation potential. Five factors – insolation potential, adjacency to roads, accessibility to grid, topography, and acreage – are examined with the use of Geographic Information System (GIS). Insolation potential was quantitatively analyzed by averaging, plotting, and interpolating the 20 years of datasets recoded at 28 weather stations of High …

A Health Impact Assessment Of Mixed Use Redevelopment Nodes And Corridors In Lincoln, Nebraska, Katie Clear

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Obesity is a growing threat to America’s health. The national rate of obesity is 34% (Health Consequences, 2011), and Lincoln, Nebraska is not far behind that trend at 20.7% (BRFSS, 2011). Increasing physical activity is one way to reduce weight gain, (Edwards, 2008) and further studies show that small changes to the built environment can induce people to use alternative and more active forms of transportation such as biking, walking, and public transportation (Edwards, 2008; Zheng, 2008). The 2040 Comprehensive Plan for Lincoln, NE includes language to create a more walkable community. The proposal is to redevelop existing areas within …

Empathy-Based Conservation: An Interdisciplinary Approach To Conservation Policy And Decision-Making, Kaitlyn Delashmutt

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

In the late 20^th century, neuroscientists in Italy discovered a neuron in the brain capable of mentally mimicking the emotions derived from the actions of others (Rizzolatti and Craighero, 2004). It is the process that makes your elbow ache when someone else knocks their elbow on the counter or the uncontrollable smile that creeps up when someone smiles at you. No questions asked, people intuitively sense what others are feeling. The old school of thought was that humans deduced through logic and reason the actions of others and interpreted the emotions through a rational process (Carew et al, 2008). …

Mapping Potential Crp Land And Determining Crp Profitability In Lancaster County, Jamie Pesek

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Annually 17 tons of soil is lost due to the erosion of agriculture land. A majority of the soil lost is fertile topsoil, which can render the land unproductive. The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) was enacted to reduce the high erosion rates on agriculture land by giving landowners a monetary incentive to let their land lay idle and allow the soil to regenerate. Although there is awareness of the benefits of CRP, little effort has been put toward delineating CRP eligible land. In this project, Geographical Information Systems were used to map CRP eligible land in Lancaster County, Nebraska based …

Avian Species Abundance In Response To Recreational Trail Use, Carrie A. Wencel

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Studies have indicated that non-consumptive outdoor recreation may affect wildlife. Thus, as the nation increases interest in outdoor recreation, data suggests the effect on wildlife will also increase. Previous studies indicate that as disturbance to wildlife increases, both avian species richness will decrease. Knowing how to anticipate effects on native species when planning and managing recreational areas is important in order to both provide for human desires and ensure the least impact to local species diversity.

The goal of this project was to observe and compare avian species richness and diversity between selected trail sites within Shevlin Park, Bend, Oregon …

Factors The Cause Growth And Development In The City Of Lincoln, Ne, Kaylene Tegtmeier

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

This qualitative study looks at what factors may contribute to the outward growth and development of the city of Lincoln, Nebraska. The two main factors the study discusses are the Lincoln Public School planners and their placement of schools in the city, and the “American dream” of the people, looking at where the people of Lincoln want to be living throughout the city and what some of their daily habits are. This study also discusses some of the main visions of the city of Lincoln’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan how the plan’s ambitions may affect the two factors looked at in …

Land Systems Of The Kimberley Region, Western Australia, A L. Payne, N Schoknecht

Technical Bulletins

The Land Systems of the Kimberley Region Report describes and maps the landscapes, soils and vegetation of the Kimberley region. This report is a consolidation of surveys carried out by different organisations, across different areas of the Kimberley, since the 1940s. The Kimberley region, as defined in this bulletin, covers 330 070km². The report categorises the Kimberley region into 111 land systems. Under each land system, the report identifies the vulnerabilities of those areas, and provides recommendations on how to achieve sustainable use. The report also publishes pasture types for the entire region and the grazing potential for each pasture, …

A Geotechnical Evaluation Of Chesapeake Beach Shoal For Beach Quality Sand, Donna A. Milligan, C. Scott Hardaway Jr., Mary C. Cox, Christine A. Wilcox

Reports

Chesapeake Beach Shoal is located along the southern coast of Chesapeake Bay in Virginia Beach, Virginia (Figure 1-1). Chesapeake Beach, which is nearly adjacent, has a history of chronic beach erosion which threatens upland infrastructure. Beach nourishment occurs on Ocean Park Beach to the east from intermittent dredging of Lynnhaven Inlet (Figure 1-2), but the effects do not always translate westward to Chesapeake Beach. The general alongshore sand movement is east to west. The purpose of this project is to establish a reliable source of beach sand for Chesapeake Beach via the nearshore shoal. Many issues, including identifying the location …

Subcritical Water Hydrolysis Of Whey Proteins, Ashley Dawn Espinoza

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Hydrolyzing food by-products is a unique approach to potentially increase by-product value and reduce waste. An abundant by-product of cheese production, whey, contains all essential amino acids and some distinctive peptides with functional and nutraceutical properties. Typically, proteins from whey are tailored for specific uses by chemical or enzymatic hydrolysis; however, subcritical water hydrolysis is a novel alternative used successfully to hydrolyze various substrates. Nevertheless, minimal research exists on: (1) the hydrolysis of whey protein; (2) the incorporation of additives; (3) the hydrolysis of whole whey; and (4) the production of volatiles when using subcritical water hydrolysis.

Therefore, whey protein …

Fenestration Studies On Building Energy Using The Facade Evaluation Facility, Wendell Cocina

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The project was developed to assess several types of facades and their influence on building energy, mainly focused on windows and other building fenestrations. Requirements for the facility are stated in this paper alongside corresponding solutions. The facility is designed to represent a section of a building façade. Experimenting on a wide range of fenestrations including windows with integrated PV elements was the primary prerequisite. The option of removable façade configurations was used and allowed testing specimens to be changed effortlessly. Instrumentation and data acquisition are discussed including calibration and uncertainty analysis. Investigation of the air conditioning unit was concluded …

Changing Climatic Conditions In The Colorado River Basin: Implications For Water Resources Management In The Las Vegas Valley, Srijana Dawadi

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Climate change affects the water available in a region. It also affects the water demand, because of the increase in temperature. A system dynamics model was developed for the Colorado River Basin (CRB), operating at a monthly time scale, to assess the potential impacts of climate change on streamflow in the Colorado River and its subsequent impact on the water resources management in the Las Vegas Valley (LVV). The effect of climate change on streamflow was evaluated using 16 global climate model outputs for 3 emission scenarios, also referenced in the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change Fourth Assessment Report. Risk …

Using Social Media To Build Community Disaster Resilience (Powerpoint), Neil Dufty

Neil Dufty

No abstract provided.

Examination Of The Total Flood Warning System In Victoria (Report), Neil Dufty

Neil Dufty

No abstract provided.

Green Worlds And Ecosemiotics, Paul Siewers

Faculty Conference Papers and Presentations

"Overlay landscapes" in Early Insular literatures, and how they connect early medieval cosmology with current-day ecosemiotics..

The Autonomy House: Team Las Vegas Conceptual Design, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas. Solar Decathlon Team.

DesertSol: Planning and Design

An overview of a net-zero energy concept house developed for the 2013 Solar Decathlon. Document uses original project name "Autonomy House".