Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Usability As A Method For Assessing Discovery, Thomas A. Ipri, Michael A. Yunkin, Jeanne M. Brown

Library Faculty Research

The University of Nevada Las Vegas Libraries engaged in three projects that helped identify areas of its website that had inhibited discovery of services and resources. These projects also helped generate staff interest in the Usability Working Group, which led these endeavors. The first project studied student responses to the site. The second focused on a usability test with the Libraries’ peer research coaches and resulted in a presentation of those findings to the Libraries staff. The final project involved a specialized test, the results of which also were presented to staff. All three of these projects led to improvements …

Mountain Monitor-3rd Quarter 2009, Brookings Mountain West

Mountain Monitor Quarterly

Nationwide, the recession is technically over. Or at least that is the view of most economists. They note that real U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) finally expanded in the third quarter of 2009, growing at a 2.8 percent annual rate after four consecutive quarters of contraction. They point to a significant slowing of job losses in November, rising housing prices, and a slight downtick in unemployment as other positive signs. Their conclusion: Economic recovery is at last underway. And yet, the pace of renewal seems tentative and its geography patchy. Most notably, the aggregate national story of recovery and expansion …

Biodiesel Handling And Use Guide: Fourth Edition (Revised), National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Publications (T)

This document is a guide for those who blend, store, distribute, and use biodiesel and biodiesel blends. It provides basic information on the proper and safe use of biodiesel and biodiesel blends in compression-ignition engines and boilers, and it is intended to help fleets, individual users, blenders, distributors, and those involved in related activities understand procedures for handling and using biodiesel fuels.

“Discovery” Focus As An Impetus For Organizational Learning, Jennifer L. Fabbi

Library Faculty Research

The University of Nevada Las Vegas Libraries' focus on the concept of discovery and the tools and processes that enable our users to find information began with an organizational review of the Libraries' Technical Services Division. This article outlines the phases of this review and subsequent planning and organizational commitment to discovery. Using the theoretical lens of organizational learning, it highlights how the emerging focus on discovery has provided an impetus for genuine learning and change.

Descriptive Experience Sampling Of Individuals With Bulimia Nervosa, Sharon Jones-Forrester

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Despite 30 years of research, much remains unknown about inner experience in individuals with bulimia nervosa (BN); yet attaining a clearer understanding of inner experience in BN may prove to be crucial in uncovering the nature of this profoundly disruptive disorder. The present study used Descriptive Experience Sampling (DES) to examine inner experience in 13 participants with BN, replicating to some degree Doucette (1992) and Jones-Forrester (2006). Results in the present study were largely consistent with Doucette (1992) and Jones-Forrester (2006) but substantially different from beliefs about inner experience from the extant non-exploratory DES BN literature. Specifically, the present study …

Democracy And The Environment In Latin America, Javier Albert Escamilla

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study examines the ability of democratic and non-democratic states alike to protect the environment. Democracy has long been an important concept in the study of politics and environmental protection is an increasingly important issue in world politics. Advocates of democracy claim democratic states are better able to protect the environment than non-democracies. In contrast there are those that argue democracy's emphasis on individual rights leads to excessive resource consumption. This thesis employs a mixed methods approach to determine if democratic countries protect the environment more than their non-democratic counterparts. In short democracies do protect the environment better than non-democracies …

A Fateful Year For Climate Change, William J. Antholis

Brookings Scholar Lecture Series

Since 1979, 20% of the polar ice cap has melted away. While the public is aware of climate change, the urgency to action is not there. Climate change is also an issue of national security, but enforcement of the the Kyoto and Copenhagen treaties is hampered.

Climate Change Economics 101, Adele C. Morris

Brookings Scholar Lecture Series

Outline of Talk:
- Climate change is a market failure
- Climate and energy facts
- Economically efficient policy design
- Economics of Domestic Legislation

Goffman Demonstrated The Best Teaching Skills Of Any Professor I Had Ever Had!, Jane Emery Prather

Bios Sociologicus: The Erving Goffman Archives

Dr. Jane Prather, Professor Emeritus at California State University, Northridge, wrote this memoir at the request of Dmitri Shalin and gave her permission to post it in the Erving Goffman Archives.

When Dad Told Him About The Award, Goffman Replied, "Make Sure The Presentation Is In A Small Room So It Will Look Like A Lot Of People Are There", Carl B. Backman

Bios Sociologicus: The Erving Goffman Archives

Dr. Carl Backman, professor of sociology at Auburn University, wrote these memoir and gave his permission to post it in the Erving Goffman Archives.

Strategic Management Of Three Critical Levels Of Risk, Christine G. Springer

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Research

The financial crisis that erupted in 2007 revealed a major gap in the management systems of government and business. For the most part, governments focused on revenue growth, productivity, cost control and quality. There were many interrelated factors involved with the failures but two in particular stand out in my mind: a failure to explicitly account for risk when formulating organizational strategies and a failure to monitor and manage the risks that they had identified and assumed. Organizations face many different types of risk but often they can be categorized into three types based upon their predictability, controllability and management. …

A Comparison Of Gambling Motivation Factors Between Chinese And Western Casino Players, Lu Ye

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This paper explored literature on gambling motivation of Western and Chinese casino players to find out the similarities and differences of their motivation factors. Study found that they are motivated in similar ways by the desire to win, social and early memories. However, the Chinese gamblers exhibit severer cognitive errors, stronger risk-taking tendency and higher level of stress and depression, which explained the common findings of literature that Chinese have higher gambling and problem gambling rates than other ethnic groups. The findings would benefit casino operators in making marketing strategy at the Chinese players as well as problem gambling treatment …

Using Contentdm To Compliment K-12 Curriculum: Southern Nevada--The Boomtown Years, Cory K. Lampert

Library Faculty Presentations

Setting the Stage for Boomtown

•2006, Libraries revamp digitization program and begin staff reorganization

•2007-2008 Implement Digitization Advisory Committee and Project Teams Launch Nevada Test Site Oral History Project: http://digital.library.unlv.edu/ntsohp/

•2008 awarded $95,000 LSTA grant to create large hybrid collection on Southern Nevada during 1900-1925

Performance And Imagination: Towards An Anthropology Of The Spectacular And The Mundane, William R. Jankowiak, Gary B. Palmer

Anthropology Faculty Research

No abstract provided.

Telemedicine And Advanced Technology Research Center: Quarterly Report, July 18, 2009 To October 17, 2009, Bea Babbitt

Telemedicine & Advanced Technology Research Center

Development of a P.O.I. and a Blended Learning Ecology for use in Combat Lifesaver Skills Training for the Army.

Phev Parcel Delivery Truck Model - Development And Preliminary Results, R. Barnitt

Publications (T)

Describes results of a study to determine the impact of drive cycles on the energy- and cost-effectiveness of plug-in hybrid electric delivery vans.

Early Childhood Summit On Comprehensive Services For Homeless Children And Their Families, Nevada Institute For Children’S Research And Policy, Nevada Head Start State Collaboration Office, Head Start State Training And Technical Assistance Office For Nevada, Nevada Public Health Foundation

Nevada Institute for Children's Research and Policy Reports

On October 23, 2009 the Nevada Head Start State Collaboration Office in partnership with the Nevada Institute for Children’s Research and Policy, Head Start State Training and Technical Assistance Office for Nevada and the Nevada Public Health Foundation sponsored the Early Childhood Summit on Comprehensive Services for Homeless Children and Their Families. The Summit brought together 142 professionals working with homeless children and families in Nevada from a variety of different organizations and backgrounds. The goal of the summit was to discuss the problem of families experiencing homelessness and offer solutions to professionals in how to better serve these populations.

Geopolitics Of Global Change: The Melting Of The Arctic, Charles K. Ebinger

Brookings Scholar Lecture Series

Arctic Melt:
- Climate change, feedback loops
- More than one million square miles of ice melted in 2007
- We could have ice-free Arctic summers as early as 2013 or 2015
- New environmental and strategic challenges

Should The Economic Crisis Change Our Assessment Of Markets And Government?, Clifford Winston

Brookings Scholar Lecture Series

Broad Objectives of the Study:
- Base policy debates on empirical counterfactual evidence.
- Begin accumulating evidence and identifying common themes so we don’t have to start from “square one.”
- Provide guidance for policymakers.

Take Pride In America In Southern Nevada: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Covering July 6, 2009 – October 4, 2009, Margaret N. Rees

Anti-littering Programs

• The team showcased their clean up efforts to the Assistant Secretary of the Interior.
• Work continued on the development of an adopt-a-block/parcel program to address the litter and desert dumping problems that exist in the urban-public land interfaces throughout Clark County.
• The team has sent a representative to serve on the City of Las Vegas Keep America Beautiful task force.
• The team began collaboration with the Howard Hughes Corporation on a desert clean up.
• The recycling feasibility report was presented and approved by the SNAP board.
• The team made substantial progress on the completion of a strategic plan.
• A working …

Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report, Ilonka Zlatar, Cassidee Shinn

Reports (USI)

National and international organizations and programs like the United States Global Change Research Project and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change agree, and scientific evidence indicates, that anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions are resulting in global climate change. Unless actions are taken to reverse and reduce the effects of these emissions, future generations will need to either adapt to or bear the burden of the changed environment. Individuals, companies, institutions, municipalities and countries are being called upon during this urgent world crisis. Universities, which support research and education, have a unique opportunity to become leaders in sustainability.
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Connections Newsletter Fall 2009

Connections Newsletter

No abstract provided.

State Of The States 2009: Renewable Energy Development And The Role Of Policy, Elizabeth Doris, Joyce Mclaren, Victoria Healey, Stephen Hockett

Publications (E)

As U.S. states increasingly focus on developing renewable energy resources, there is a need to track the progress of development, as well as the policies and support mechanisms being implemented to encourage this development. Beyond tracking, the evaluation of policy measures is necessary to determine their effectiveness, guide future efforts, and efficiently allocate resources. This report addresses each of these needs. It provides a detailed picture of the status of renewable energy development in each of the U.S. states using a variety of metrics and discusses the policies being used to encourage this development. The report then explores the context …

Unlv Magazine, Matthew K. Jacobsen, Holly Ivy De Vore, Lisa Arth, Cate Weeks, Greg Lacour, Tony Allen, Afsha Bawany, Barbara Cloud, Gian Galassi, Phil Hagen, Karyn S. Hollingsworth, Michelle Mouton, Erin O'Donnell

UNLV Magazine

No abstract provided.

Nevada Interagency Volunteer Program: Helping Hands Across Public Lands – Phase Ii: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Covering July 1, 2009 To September 30, 2009, Margaret N. Rees

Get Outdoors Nevada

• The number of records in the volunteer database increased by 494, a 6% increase over last quarter. The database currently contains 6,720 records.
• Website activity increased, recording an average of 108,627 hits per month, an increase of 32% from last quarter, with an average of 12,415 pages viewed per month.
• Two corporations (Whole Foods and The Mirage) were contacted as part of the corporate mobile open house.
• National Public Lands Day was advertised through a daily memo to all 3000+ staff members of The Mirage.
• Preparations for the volunteer recognition banquet continued.

Southern Nevada Agency Partnership Cultural Site Stewardship Program – Program Expansion And Steward Retention: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending September 30, 2009, Margaret N. Rees

Cultural Site Stewardship Program

• A total of 452 site stewards are trained and registered on the CSSP database.
• One training class was held this quarter adding 24 new volunteers.
• The stewardship program had an annual growth of 13.8% during the fiscal year 2009.
• Site Stewards reported 76 significant site impacts in 2008 compared with 83 during the same period last year.

Surviving Your First Library Job Search, Or, An Explanation Of What I Had To Learn The Hard Way, Re-Produced Here, For You, So That You Are Not Driven To Drink As Well, Steven Hoover

Library Faculty Research

Searching for a library job can be a life-changing ordeal, but try not to let that bother you. The scars that it will leave on your psyche are likely to heal in time. When I was starting the job search process, I found that the professional literature had a lot to say about writing good cover letters and developing solid interview skills but not a lot of information about what searching for a job was really like on a daily basis. Hopefully, after reading this article, you have a little better sense of what to expect during your search, pick …

How We're Doing: A Composite Index Of Global And National Trends & Metropolitan Las Vegas: Challenges, Opportunities, And A Vision, William J. Antholis, Mark Muro, Robert E. Lang

Brookings Scholar Lecture Series

In addition to “forming a more perfect union” and “justice” and “domestic tranquility,” we focused on three cores, or what we thought were the three core missions of the federal government at the time of founding: providing for a common defense, promoting the general welfare, and securing the blessings of liberty. And we tried to think across the institution, how do we marry up against that and against those three core objectives of government and how we assess and understand where the country and world is at any one time? How do we connect the local, the national, and the …

Explaining The Decision To Withdraw From A U.S. Presidential Nomination Campaign, David F. Damore, Thomas Hansford, A. Barghothi

Political Science Faculty Research

No abstract provided.

Strategic Management In A Networked World, Christine G. Springer

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Research

The article provides guidelines to an effective approach of managing employees in the U.S. These include the ability to both detect a problem and to effectively respond to it. It is also considered important when strategies are adopted, where a collaborative action among network partners can be promoted. The author also stresses the importance of valuing and nurturing organizational learning and development.