Digital Commons Network^™

Inclusive Lgbtqia+ Education: Why It’S Important And How To Be An Advocate For Change, Amanda Melilli

Library Faculty Presentations

No abstract provided.

“That’S Not Real Reading”: Making The Case For Graphic Novel Inclusion In Every Classroom, Amanda Melilli, Kate Covintree, Alicia Abdul

Library Faculty Presentations

No abstract provided.

Changes In Gender Representation In Pharmacy Research Literature, Elaine Nguyen, Renee Robinson, Rebecca Hoover

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Purpose/Background: Many health disciplines, such as pharmacy, have been historically male dominated. However, female gender representation continues to increase in health care and especially in pharmacy with women representing 57.5% of pharmacists in 2017.

Shifts in workforce gender representation have not always translated to research and publication. Limited data exist regarding women’s authorship in pharmacy research literature. The purpose of our analysis was to determine whether the percentage of women as first authors of research articles in the pharmacy literature has increased over the past decade.

Materials & Methods: We conducted a retrospective bibliometric analysis. Citations from key pharmacy practice …

Secondary Stroke Prevention Among Filipinos Compared With Other Racial Groups In Hawaii, Nicole Young, Kazuma Nakagawa, Sheri Tokumaru, Deborah Taira

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Purpose/Background: As the fifth leading cause of death in the United States and a main cause of disability, stroke results in immense health and economic burden. Filipinos (FI) were found to have the highest mortality due to major CVD and stroke in Hawaii, and it is unclear whether the increased stroke risk among FI might be reduced by increasing the use of guideline recommended medications for secondary stroke prevention. Additionally, the attitudes and concerns of FI patients in Hawaii regarding stroke prevention have not been studied. The purpose of this study is to utilize a mixed-method approach to elucidate health …

Assessment Of Risk Factors For Health Disparities Among Latina Farm Workers, Cynthia Curl, Lisa Meierotto, Rebecca Som Castellano

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Purpose/Background: Latina farm workers may experience a unique intersection of social and environmental factors that are known to affect health and well-being. The disadvantages inherent in their gender, race and social class may be compounded by their immigration status, rural location and the hazards of farm work. We propose to identify the most critical risk factors for poor health facing this underserved and understudied population.

Materials & Methods: Our study uses a mixed-methods approach that combines qualitative data from focus groups (n=3 groups of 10 participants each) and semi-structured interviews (n=15) with quantitative and qualitative survey data (n=100) and biological …

The Female Cervicovaginal Mucosa Is A Unique Site For The Production Of Autoantibodies Associated With Rheumatoid Arthritis, Brian Cherrington, Heather Rothfuss, Kristen Demoruelle

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Purpose/Background: Women have a 3-fold higher incidence of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and a lower likelihood of remission compared to men suggesting a gender disparity in the etiology of RA. In order to devise female specific prevention and treatment strategies, it is critical to understand the mechanism initiating the production of RA autoantibodies termed anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA). ACPA target proteins that are posttranslationally modified by a family of enzymes termed peptidylarginine deiminases (PADs), which convert arginine into citrulline. Research suggests that ACPA are generated at a mucosal site years before becoming systemic and causing clinical joint disease. Mucosal sites such …

Mountain West Clinical Translational Research-Infrastructure Network: Introduction, Parvesh Kumar

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

The Mountain West (MW) Clinical Translational Research Infrastructure Network (CTR- IN) Program represents a consortium of all of the 13 major public universities across seven Institutional Development Awards (IDeA) states with the overall goal of increasing and enhancing research capacity. The MW CTR-IN Program covers 1/3^rd the U.S. land mass and almost 1/3^rd of all IDeA states stretching across 4 time zones. The 13 major U.S. public partner universities in the 7 IDeA states are as follows: University of Alaska at Anchorage (UAA), University of Alaska at Fairbanks (UAF), University of Montana (UM), Montana State University (MSU), University …

School Readiness Profiles And Growth In Academic Achievement, Qianqian Pan, Kim T. Trang, Hailey R. Love, Jonathan Templin

Educational & Clinical Studies Faculty Research

The purpose of this research was to identify the presence of different school readiness profiles and to determine whether profiles could differentially predict academic growth. The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study: 2010-11 (ECLS-K: 2011) public data set was used, and participants were 14,954 first-time kindergarteners. The age of entering kindergarten ranged from 44.81 to 87.98 months with a mean of 76.13 months. In Study 1, a six-dimensional construct of school readiness was used: health, self-regulation, social and emotional development, language development, cognitive development, and approaches to learning. Results revealed 41 profiles with the top six school readiness profiles covering 85% of …

Trends And Associated Factors Of Use Of Opioid, Heroin, And Cannabis Among Patients For Emergency Department Visits In Nevada: 2009–2017, Pearl C. Kim, Ji Won Yoo, Chris R. Cochran, Seong Min Park, Sungyoun Chun, Yong-Jae Lee, Jay J. Shen

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

To examine trends and contributing factors of opioid, heroin, and cannabis-associated emergency department (ED) visits in Nevada. The 2009 to 2017 Nevada State ED database (n = 7,950,554 ED visits) were used. Use of opioid, heroin, and cannabis, respectively, was identified by the International Classification of Diseases, 9th & 10th Revisions. Three multivariable models, one for each of the 3 dependent variables, were conducted. Independent variables included year, insurance status, race/ethnicity, use of other substance, and mental health conditions. The number of individuals with opioid, heroin, cannabis-associated ED visits increased 3%, 10%, and 23% annually from 2009 to 2015, particularly …

Do Social Movements Encourage Young People To Run For Office? Evidence From The 2014 Sunflower Movement In Taiwan, Austin Horng-En Wang

Political Science Faculty Research

The 2014 Sunflower Movement led to rising political participation among young Taiwanese. Hence, opposition parties and civic groups created programs to support young candidates running in the village chief elections. Compared with the 2010 election, however, fewer young challengers ran in 2014, and they received fewer votes and won fewer seats. Propensity score matching shows that the presence of young candidates on ballots did not increase turnout. However, young candidates affected the election indirectly: young, new candidates attracted more votes from incumbents than from challengers and therefore decreased the incumbent re-election rate.

Family Environment Variables As Predictors Of School Absenteeism Severity At Multiple Levels: Ensemble And Classification And Regression Tree Analysis, Mirae J. Fornander, Christopher A. Kearney

Psychology Faculty Research

School attendance problems, including school absenteeism, are common to many students worldwide, and frameworks to better understand these heterogeneous students include multiple classes or tiers of intertwined risk factors as well as interventions. Recent studies have thus examined risk factors at varying levels of absenteeism severity to demarcate distinctions among these tiers. Prior studies in this regard have focused more on demographic and academic variables and less on family environment risk factors that are endemic to this population. The present study utilized ensemble and classification and regression tree analysis to identify potential family environment risk factors among youth (i.e., children …

Effects Of Rate Of Drying, Life History Phase, And Ecotype On The Ability Of The Moss Bryum Argenteum To Survive Desiccation Events And The Influence On Conservation And Selection Of Material For Restoration, Joshua Lee Greenwood, Lloyd R. Stark, Lindsay P. Chiquoine

Life Sciences Faculty Research

Desiccation stress is frequently experienced by the moss Bryum argenteum and can influence survival, propagation and niche selection. We attempted to disentangle the interacting factors of life history phase (five categories) and rate of desiccation (time allotted for induction of desiccation tolerance) for 13 ecotypes of B. argenteum. Using chlorophyll fluorescence as a stress index, we determined how these parameters influenced desiccation tolerance. Rate of drying and life phase significantly affected desiccation tolerance. The reaction norms of desiccation tolerance displayed by the 13 ecotypes showed a substantial degree of variation in phenotypic plasticity. We observed differences in survival and fluorescence …

Reconciling Contemporary Approaches To School Attendance And School Absenteeism: Toward Promotion And Nimble Response, Global Policy Review And Implementation, And Future Adaptability (Part 1), Christopher A. Kearney, Carolina Gonzalvez, Patricia A. Graczyk, Mirae J. Fornander

Psychology Faculty Research

School attendance is an important foundational competency for children and adolescents, and school absenteeism has been linked to myriad short- and long-term negative consequences, even into adulthood. Many efforts have been made to conceptualize and address this population across various categories and dimensions of functioning and across multiple disciplines, resulting in both a rich literature base and a splintered view regarding this population. This article (Part 1 of 2) reviews and critiques key categorical and dimensional approaches to conceptualizing school attendance and school absenteeism, with an eye toward reconciling these approaches (Part 2 of 2) to develop a roadmap for …

Extremist Support Across Generational Lines Based On Post-Communist Developments: A Critique Of Post-Materialism, Reese Zavala

Governance: The Political Science Journal at UNLV

The rise of extremism in Europe is a growing concern, as far-right parties are entering parliament with unprecedented seat-shares, and some are even taking government. It has been established that the older generation is more likely to vote for either extreme and that Eastern Europeans are generally more likely to vote for the extreme, however this is an interesting phenomenon. Why are older people, with experience in a communist regime, so much more likely to support both the far-right and the far-left? The dominating theory explaining this is Inglehart's theory of post-materialism, and even though it has been updated in …

Domestic Inequality And Multilateral Action: An Examination Of Directional Relationships, Olivia Z. Miller

Governance: The Political Science Journal at UNLV

This paper seeks to examine the relationship between domestic level inequalities and broader international behavior, specifically that involving multiple state actors. It is hypothesized that increasing levels of domestic inequality will lead towards a decrease in willingness towards multilateral action. The sampling of inequalities spans the realms of income distribution, gender, and educational attainment while attitudes towards multilateral action are characterized by participation in treaties and participation in international organizations. Poisson regression analysis is used to analyze the compiled statistical findings, and a high degree of significance is shown in both models for the dependent variables, though neither is remarkably …

Using Cultural Mindsets To Reduce Cross‐National Auditor Judgment Differences, Aaron Saiewitz, Elaine Ying Wang

Accounting Faculty Publications

In a globalized audit environment, regulators and researchers have expressed concerns about inconsistent audit quality across nations, with a particular emphasis on Chinese audit quality. Prior research suggests Chinese audit quality may be lower than U.S. audit quality due to a weaker institutional environment (e.g., lower litigation and inspection risk) or cultural value differences (e.g., greater deference to authority). In this study, we propose that lower Chinese audit quality could also be due to Chinese auditors' different cognitive processing styles (i.e., cultural mindsets). We find U.S. auditors are more likely to engage in an analytic mindset approach, focusing on a …

Leadership And Behavioral Integrity In The Restaurant Industry: The Moderating Roles Of Gender, Anthony Gatling, Denise H. Ramirez Molintas, Timothy T. Self, Cass Shum

Hospitality Faculty Research

This study examined the effect of follower’s gender on the relationship between leaders’ enacted behavioral integrity (objective manipulation), follower’s perception of leaders’ behavioral integrity (subjective behavioral integrity), and subsequent trust in the leader. It is proposed that female followers are more sensitive to and have stronger trust reactions to leaders’ behavioral integrity. Data was collected from 257 supervisors working in the restaurant industry using a scenario experiment. Results indicated that females have a stronger perception of the leaders’ behavioral integrity relationship and a stronger trust in the leader than their male counterpart. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings were …

Estimated Cardiorespiratory Fitness Is Associated With Reported Depression In College Students, Sharon Jalene, Jennifer Pharr, Guogen Shan, Brach Poston

Integrated Health Sciences Faculty Publications

Depression is a serious but treatable health issue that affects college students at an alarming rate. Improved cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) decreases depression risk and severity but this relationship has not been fully evaluated in the college student population. Non-exercise estimated CRF (eCRF) could be used to identify students at risk for or suffering from depression. This study investigated the associations of depression and eCRF in college students. Participants (N = 437) completed a survey which included demographic and student-status questions, eCRF variables, and a validated depression instrument. Descriptive, chi-square, t-test, regression, and odds ratio analyses were employed. Depression was associated …

International Consensus Statement On The Psychosocial And Policy-Related Approaches To Mental Health Awareness Programmes In Sport, Gavin Breslin, Andy Smith, Brad Donohue, Paul Donnelly, Stephen Shannon, Tandy Jane Haughey, Stewart A. Vella, Christian Swann, Stewart Cotterill, Tadhg Macintyre, Tim Rogers, Gerard Leavey

Psychology Faculty Research

Background: Research focused on mental health in sport has revealed a need to develop evidence-supported mental health practices that are sensitive to sport culture, particularly for non-elite athletes. A consensus statement was produced to assist effective mental health awareness in sport and guide programme implementation in this rapidly emerging field. Method: The AGREE Reporting Checklist 2016 was used in two international expert consultation meetings, followed by two online surveys. Experts from 10 countries and over 30 organisations contributed. Results: Six objectives were agreed: (1) to define mental health awareness and service implementation constructs for inclusion in programmes delivered in sporting …

Transcriptome Analyses Of Tumor-Adjacent Somatic Tissues Reveal Genes Co-Expressed With Transposable Elements, Micky Chung, G. M. Jonaid, Sophia Quinton, Austin Ross, Corinne E. Sexton, Adrian Alberto, Cody Clymer, Daphnie Churchill, Omar Navarro Leija, Mira V. Han

Life Sciences Faculty Research

Background: Despite the long-held assumption that transposons are normally only expressed in the germ-line, recent evidence shows that transcripts of transposable element (TE) sequences are frequently found in the somatic cells. However, the extent of variation in TE transcript levels across different tissues and different individuals are unknown, and the co-expression between TEs and host gene mRNAs have not been examined. Results: Here we report the variation in TE derived transcript levels across tissues and between individuals observed in the non-tumorous tissues collected for The Cancer Genome Atlas. We found core TE co-expression modules consisting mainly of transposons, showing correlated …

Decline In Telomere Length By Age And Effect Modification By Gender, Allostatic Load And Comorbidities In National Health And Nutrition Examination Survey (1999-2002), Saruna Ghimire, Carl V. Hill, Francisco S. Sy, Rachelle Rodriguez

Public Health Faculty Publications

Background: This study aims to assess the decline in telomere length (TL) with age and evaluate effect modification by gender, chronic stress, and comorbidity in a representative sample of the US population. Methods: Cross-sectional data on 7826 adults with a TL measurement, were included from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, years 1999–2002. The population rate of decline in TL across 10-year age categories was estimated using crude and adjusted regression. Results: In an adjusted model, the population rate of decline in TL with age was consistent and linear for only three age categories: 20–29 (β = -0.0172, 95% …

The Impact Of Pedestrian Crossing Flags On Driver Yielding Behavior In Las Vegas, Nv, Sheila Clark, Courtney Coughenour, Kelly Bumgarner, Hanns De La Fuente-Mella, Chantel Reynolds, James Abelar

Public Health Faculty Publications

Walking is the most affordable, accessible, and environmentally friendly method of transportation. However, the risk of pedestrian injury or death from motor vehicle crashes is significant, particularly in sprawling metropolitan areas. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of pedestrian crossing flags (PCFs) on driver yielding behaviors. Participants crossed a marked, midblock crosswalk on a multilane road in Las Vegas, Nevada, with and without PCFs, to determine if there were differences in driver yielding behaviors (n = 160 crossings). Trained observers recorded (1) the number of vehicles that passed in the nearest lane without yielding while the …

Sex Moderates Amyloid And Apolipoprotein Ε4 Effects On Default Mode Network Connectivity At Rest, Jessica Z.K. Caldwell, Xiaowei Zhuang, Mackenzie J. Leavitt, Sarah J. Banks, Jeffery Cummings, Dietmar Cordes

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Women are more likely to have Alzheimer's disease (AD) and decline more rapidly once diagnosed despite greater verbal memory early in the disease compared to men—an advantage that has been termed “memory reserve.” Resting state functional MRI (fMRI) investigations demonstrate interactions between sex and AD risk factors in default mode network (DMN) connectivity, a network of brain regions showing progressive dysfunction in AD. Separate work suggests connectivity of left prefrontal cortex (PFC) may correlate with more general cognitive reserve in healthy aging. It is unknown whether left prefrontal functional connectivity with anterior and posterior default mode network (aDMN, pDMN) might …

Grandparenting In Urban Bangalore, India: Support And Involvement From The Standpoint Of Young Adult University Students, Peter B. Gray, Watinaro Longkumer, Santona Panda, Madhavi Rangaswamy

Anthropology Faculty Research

A variety of caregivers, including grandparents, help raise children. Among grandparents, most Western samples evidence a matrilateral (i.e., mother’s kin) bias in caregiving, and many studies show more positive impacts and stronger relationships with grandmothers than grandfathers. The aim of the present study is to test competing hypotheses about a potential laterality bias and explore contrasts between grandmothers and grandfathers in a sample of urban young adult university students in Bangalore, India. A sample of 377 (252 women) relatively mobile and high socioeconomic status individuals 17 to 25 years of age completed a survey consisting of sociodemographic and grandparenting questions. …

Users’ Continued Usage Of Online Healthcare Virtual Communities: An Empirical Investigation In The Context Of Hiv Support Communities, Ruochen Liao, Rajiv Kishore, Michael J. Lee

Management, Entrepreneurship and Technology Faculty Publications

This study uses data from an online HIV/AIDS health support virtual community to examine whether users’ emotional states and the social support they receive influence their continued usage. We adopt grief theory to conceptualize the negative emotions that people living with HIV/AIDS could experience. Linguistic analysis is used to measure the emotional states of the users and the informational and emotional support that they receive. Results show that users showing a higher level of disbelief and yearning are more likely to leave the community while those with a high level of anger and depression are more likely to stay on. …

Meta-Analysis Of Cognitive Performance By Novel Object Recognition After Proton And Heavy Ion Exposures, Eliedonna Cacao, Francis A. Cucinotta

Health Physics & Diagnostic Sciences Faculty Publications

Experimental studies of cognitive detriments in mice and rats after proton and heavy ion exposures have been performed by several laboratories to investigate possible risks to astronauts exposed to cosmic rays in space travel and patients treated for brain cancers with proton and carbon beams in Hadron therapy. However, distinct radiation types and doses, cognitive tests and rodent models have been used by different laboratories, while few studies have considered detailed dose-response characterizations, including estimates of relative biological effectiveness (RBE). Here we report on the first quantitative meta-analysis of the dose response for proton and heavy ion rodent studies of …

Patterns Of Treatment For Psychiatric Disorders Among Children And Adolesecents In Mississippi Medicaid, John Young, Sujith Ramachandran, Andrew J. Freeman, John P. Bentley, Benjamin F. Banahan

Psychology Faculty Research

The nature of services for psychiatric disorders in public health systems has been understudied, particularly with regard to frequency, duration, and costs. The current study examines patterns of service reception and costs among Medicaid-covered youth newly diagnosed with anxiety, depression, or behavioral disturbance in a large data set of provider billing claims submitted between 2015–2016. Eligibility criteria included: 1) identification of an initial diagnosis of a single anxiety, unipolar mood, or specific behavioral disorder; 2) continuous Medicaid eligibility over the duration of the time period studied; and 3) under 18 years of age on the date of initial psychiatric diagnosis. …

"The Traps Started During My Childhood": The Role Of Substance Abuse In Women's Responses To Adverse Childhood Experiences (Aces), Breanna Boppre, Cassandra Boyer

Criminal Justice Faculty Research

The gendered pathways perspective seeks to identify the biological, psychological, and social realities that lead to women’s law-breaking behavior. Prior research in this area demonstrates the link between women’s adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and involvement in the criminal justice system later in life. The current study fills an important gap in the literature by providing a phenomenological description of the impacts ACEs had upon 19 community supervised women’s lives. Their stories illuminate the need to consider multiple forms of ACEs, from physical and sexual abuse to the death of a loved one. Interviewees’ most prevalent response to ACEs was substance …

Assessment Of Childhood Obesity Prevalence And Prevention Efforts In A Wisconsin Tribal Community, Simone Tucker, Lauren Lamers, Mph, Phd

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

American Indian children experience disproportionately high rates of obesity, yet tribal communities often lack capacity to utilize local obesity data to guide prevention efforts. It is estimated the prevalence of childhood obesity in a Wisconsin tribal community and identified local school-based obesity prevention initiatives. Height and weight data were collected for children ages 2-19 years through routine screenings at local Head Start centers and schools. Weight status was determined based on BMI percentile according to year 2000 CDC growth charts.

Summary statistics and chi-square tests were generated to examine differences in obesity prevalence by age and gender. An environmental scan …

Psychopathology And Hypersexuality Among Veterans With And Without Histories Of Alcohol‐Use Disorders, Jonathan Moisson, Marc N. Potenza, Steven D. Shirk, Rani A. Hoff, Crystal L. Park, Shane W. Kraus

Psychology Faculty Research

Background and Objectives: Little research has examined the clinical characteristics of U.S. post‐9/11 military veterans coping with alcohol problems. Specifically, we examined psychopathology and hypersexuality among male and female post‐9/11 veterans with and without a lifetime history of alcohol‐use disorders (AUDs). Methods: Using data from a baseline telephone interview and follow‐up web‐based survey, we examined frequencies of AUDs, mental health and addictive disorders, sexual behaviors, hypersexuality, and problematic use of pornography in a national convenience sample of 283 U.S. veterans. Results: Many (39.1%) veterans met lifetime criteria for AUDs. Bivariate associations revealed that veterans with lifetime AUDs met clinically significant …