Digital Commons Network^™

The Role Of Interference In Short-Term Forgetting, Monserrat Leal-Arcos, Gabriel Hull, Francisco Sanchez, Rhiannon N. Soriano Smith, William B. Ridgway

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

Two explanations have been proposed to explain forgetting: decay (forgetting occurs as a function of time) and interference (mental activity can impinge on the consolidation of a recently acquired memory). Wickelgren (1974) proposed a model of forgetting which suggests that forgetting is a function of both decay and interference, best expressed as a power-exponential function. The present research will be the first to directly examine whether Wickelgren's model accurately predicts the observed effects of these two components on forgetting. This research will further the study of human memory by improving current models, and helping to resolve the debate surrounding decay …

Uncovering Themes Of Masculinity Within Male Friendships And Synthesizing Future Interventions, Maria Isabelle Avenido, Valeria Aguilera, Kristin Vierra, Diana Gutierrez

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

Masculinity norms such as toughness, emotional stoicism, and homophobia are suggested to impede the formation of close male friendships. A lack of close friendships can lead to poor self-esteem and impaired psychological health. Boys and men who effectively build intimate relationships gain from peer support and companionship as well as a decrease in anxiety and depression levels. Scholars have yet to develop a data-driven intervention to assist boys and men in critically analyzing masculinity, thus the current study's findings will contribute to the development of these interventions that could encourage boys and men to properly assess harmful elements of masculinity …

Closing The Racial Gap: The Lack Of Diverse Faculty At The University Of Nevada, Las Vegas And University Of Nevada, Reno, Olivia K. Cheche

Undergraduate Research Symposium Podium Presentations

How does faculty racial diversity compare to student racial diversity at UNLV and UNR? How do faculty salaries affect this diversity? What policy recommendations can be implemented to attract more racially diverse academics to UNLV and UNR?

Financial Literacy As It Relates To Food Insecurity, Allister C. Dias

Undergraduate Research Symposium Podium Presentations

In reference to individual-level financial literacy: 1. What role does financial literacy play in determining food security? 2. What affect does race/ethnicity play in the likelihood of being food insecure? How does the effect of financial literacy vary across the dimension of race/ethnicity?

Race-Ethnic Population Changes In Mountain West Metros, 2010-2020, Joshua Padilla, Olivia K. Cheche, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Demography

The 2020 census shows continuing nationwide trends in population growth when compared to the last decade. The growth of various race-ethnic groups across the country contribute to the diversification of the population in selected regions. Using the U.S. Census Bureau 2020 data prepared by William H. Frey of the Brookings Institution, this fact sheet focuses on the population changes in nine Mountain West metros.

Spatial Deconcentration Of Tourism Concentrations: A Visitors’ Galaxy Impact Model Of The Covid-19 Crisis, Jaewon Lim, Karima Kourtit, Peter Nijkamp, Christopher Stream

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Publications

This paper analyzes the impact of COVID-19 on mass tourism concentrations, such as Las Vegas. It argues that health risks and perceptions may induce a more deconcentrated pattern of mass tourism, with more geographical dispersion to rural and natural areas. The analytical framework is modeled and applied to extensive data on Las Vegas tourism. The proposition on deconcentrated tourism concentrations is confirmed. Pre-pandemic outer-inner city complementary relations between “Outdoor Activities” in 11 surrounding national parks and the “Gaming Industry” in Las Vegas have transformed into outer-inner city substitution relations in the COVID-19 pandemic. This represents the evolving deconcentration of tourism …

What’S Next For Tobacco Control Efforts? Health Equity Related Lessons Learned From A National Qualitative Study On Tobacco Control And Prevention, Courtney A. Parks, Hollyanne E. Fricke, Alethea Chiappone, Jennie L. Hill, Amy L. Yaroch

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Context: Despite gains in the tobacco prevention and control movement, tobacco products remain a threat, with specific populations at greater risk.

Objective: The purpose of this paper is to examine the role that leaders in the tobacco prevention and control movement have played in progress achieved to date and identify recommendations for the future using a health equity framework. The purpose of this paper is to examine the role that leading organizations in the tobacco prevention and control movement have played in progress achieved to date, identify future recommendations within the context of current public health priorities (e.g., obesity prevention), …

Race And Ethnic Group Dependent Space Radiation Cancer Risk Predictions, Francis A. Cucinotta, Premkumar B. Saganti

Health Physics & Diagnostic Sciences Faculty Publications

Future space missions by national space agencies and private industry, including space tourism, will include a diverse makeup of crewmembers with extensive variability in age, sex, and race or ethnic groups. The relative risk (RR) model is used to transfer epidemiology data between populations to estimate radiation risks. In the RR model cancer risk is assumed to be proportional to background cancer rates and limited by other causes of death, which are dependent on genetic, environmental and dietary factors that are population dependent. Here we apply the NSCR-2020 model to make the first predictions of age dependent space radiation cancer …

Women's Safety In Nevada, Tsion Mekonnen, Aika Dietz

Research Briefs

43.8% of Nevadan women experience domestic violence in their lifetime (2020).

Awareness And Knowledge Of Aging And Hiv-Associated Neurocognitive Disorder: Service User And Provider Perspectives And Experiences In Southern Nevada, Renato M. Liboro, Brandon Ranuschio, Sherry Bell, Jenna Despres, Trinity Puno, Aruna Sedere, Nadia Sheik Yosef, Esmeralda Villalobos, Janelle Wackens, Lianne Barnes

Psychology Faculty Research

This community report presents the findings and analysis of a survey that was part of the quantitative stage of a mixed-method Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) project dedicated to examine the awareness and knowledge of racially and ethnically diverse, middle-aged and older people living with HIV/AIDS, and their healthcare and service providers from Southern Nevada, on aging, brain health, HIV/AIDS, and the condition known as HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorder. The CBPR project was conducted in collaboration with community partners such as the LGBTQIA+ Community Center of Southern Nevada, Southern Nevada Health District’s Ryan White Program, Community Counseling Center of Southern Nevada, and …

A Survey Of Faculty Perceptions Of Community College Career And Technical Education, Thomas Gauthier Dr.

Journal of Research in Technical Careers

Community colleges are the leaders in facilitating career and technical education (CTE), and faculty help develop program offerings on campus. This study explored faculty perceptions of community college CTE programs using the survey research method. Participants included 36 faculty members from various disciplines from 15 state colleges in Florida. Participants were sent a digital survey and asked to use a scale from 0 (do not agree) to 8 (agree) to score their agreement level with 43 statements of opinion. Data revealed that community college faculty perceive CTE as beneficial, but CTE programs must include the habits of mind and support …

The Implementation Of Tribal Provisions From The Vawa 2013 Reauthorization, Deejay E. Chino

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Recent changes in VAWA allows tribes – for the first time – to prosecute non-Indians for intimate partner violence. In order to do so, however, tribes have to first meet specific federal mandates. Implementation of federal regulatory policy by American Indian tribes is a dynamic and complex process but there is a dearth of information on the challenges tribes face or on factors that would facilitate successful implementation at the tribal level. This legislation has filled a serious gap in tribal jurisprudence but not all tribes are able to meet requirements, which include having specific legal codes and justice resources. …

Exploring Treatment Targets To Mitigate Fear Of Falling Activity Avoidance Behavior In Parkinson's Disease And Older Adults, John Vincent Rider

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Fear of falling (FOF) is a significant concern among individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and older adults in general. This FOF can lead to avoidance behavior resulting in activity restriction. Some level of fear of falling avoidance behavior (FFAB) may be protective (adaptive) and decrease the likelihood of falls, especially among individuals with physical limitations and high fall risk. However, excessive (maladaptive) avoidance behavior may lead to downstream consequences such as further physical and psychological decline and an increased likelihood of falls, especially when there is a disparity between the FFAB and physiological fall risk. While poor physical functioning, disease …

Hybridity, Ecocriticism, And Feminist Perspectives In She-Ra And The Princesses Of Power, Sarah Warso

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Children’s cartoons are growing increasingly nuanced in the twenty-first century. She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018) is an animated television series targeted towards young girls that includes themes of ecocriticism and feminism. The show does this by introducing cyborg, or hybrid, characters. My research explores how cyborg identities in children’s media and their feminist, ecocritical meanings in She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. The cyborg, as a feminist mythic hero, breaks down binaries and recodes communication between opposing forces. The She-Ra is filled with characters that inhabit multiple identities. The main character, Adora, identifies as both a former Evil …

The Experience Of Self-Coherence: Self-Coherence As The Hub Of All Needs, April Ursula Fox

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Self-coherence as the hub of all needs is a novel proposition made by Carol Dweck (2017), and not yet further explored. While supporting self-coherence with a comprehensive review of its presence within behavioral sciences, Dweck does not dive deeper into it, and offers an invitation for further research of its workings. In this study I respond to that invitation. I design a continuation to her theory. I also expand her theory to include what I have found to be missing, but essential, additional components that cannot be ignored within the context of self-coherence as a master sensor of needs. Finally, …

Constructing The Perfect Girlfriend: Gender, Class, Race, & Performativity Of Paid Intimacy In Nevada Brothels, Christina Parreira

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

While most research on commodified intimacy, especially in the sex industry, has explored gender dynamics, sex work researchers are beginning to also explore intersectional dynamics in the industry. But little research has examined whether or how workers may navigate these dynamics differently through the ways in which they understand and perform service labor. Much research has explored commodified intimacy in different settings, but very little attention has been paid to the different ways that workers in the same setting perform intimacy. In this dissertation I ask how do different performances of intimate service in the brothels- the girlfriend experience (GFE) …

International Relations And Tourism: Geopolitical Tension In China-United States Relations And Implications In Tourism Development, Le Shen

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

"Black cat or white cat, if it can catch mice, it's a good cat." As China's then Chief Secretary, and later the nation's "Paramount Leader" Deng Xiaoping made this now-famous metaphor in the 1960s for a planned economy versus that of a market economy (Zheng & Sun, 2018), little did anyone at the time anticipated the sheer level of influence this populous yet impoverished nation would have on the world's geopolitical and economic scene in the coming decades. Indeed, through a combination of economic reforms, diplomatic engagement, and political reorganization, the People's Republic of China rapidly elevated its international positioning …

How Can We Reduce Racism? A Mixed Method Study Of Factors That Influence Attitudes Towards Social Change, Kindy Insouvanh

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The resurgence of social movements such as Black Lives Matter has provoked public discourse about racial inequality and efforts towards social change. The current study sought to better understand how young adults reason about racism reduction with a focus on racial allyship and collective action. The present study used mixed methods to identify strategies young adults believe different racial groups could do to reduce racism and investigate the influence that individual factors have on reasoning about social change. Here, I present emergent themes to describe racism reduction strategies from a large and racially diverse sample of undergraduate students (N= 428). …

Costs And Consequences Of Traffic Fines And Fees: A Case Study Of Open Warrants In Las Vegas, Nevada, Foster Kamanga, Virginia Smercina, Barbara G. Brents, Daniel Okamura, Vincent Fuentes

Sociology Faculty Research

Traffic stops and tickets often have far-reaching consequences for poor and marginalized communities, yet resulting fines and fees increasingly fund local court systems. This paper critically explores who bears the brunt of traffic fines and fees in Nevada, historically one of the fastest growing and increasingly diverse states in the nation, and one of thirteen US states to prosecute minor traffic violations as criminal misdemeanors rather than civil infractions. Drawing on legislative histories, we find that state legislators in Nevada increased fines and fees to raise revenues. Using descriptive statistics to analyze the 2012–2020 open arrest warrants extracted from the …

The Real Me: Shared Technology’S Impact On Status From The Lens Of Positioning Theory, Christina Nishiyama, Michael E. Nussbaum, Michael S. Van Winkle

College of Education Faculty Research

Participation in collaborative learning environments has demonstrated significant learning advantages due to opportunities for group members to contribute to shared problem-solving processes, shared goals, and co-elaboration of knowledge. Furthermore, research has shown that higher levels of social perceptiveness are positively correlated with higher levels of group performance. However, collaboration is not always successful, sometimes exhibiting imbalances of power and status. In this study, positioning theory and interaction analysis were used to investigate (a) interactions in four racially and gender-mixed groups (of three university students each) working with technology and (b) their negotiated positions of power and status. Results showed that …

Co-Creating Solution-Focused Conversations In Disagreement, Marcella D. Stark, Rayya Ghul, Marjan Gryson, Brian Jennings, Jonas Wells

Journal of Solution Focused Practices

No abstract provided.

Obesity, Age, And African American Males: The Impact Of Food Security On Cardiovascular Health Outcomes, Tangela G. Towns, Richard G. Moye, Antonius D. Skipper, Daniel J. Rose

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Although prevalence of food insecurity has declined over the last 5 years, food insecurity for African Americans and single individuals is increasing. The purpose of this paper is to examine the male-specific associations between food insecurity and cardiovascular-related health outcomes. We examine the relationship between single, African American male adults and food security, kidney disease risk, diabetes, and related comorbidities using the NHANES dataset (2013-2014). We build multivariate logistic regression models to estimate the association between gender, race, and food insecurity using stratified data from the 2013-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Ethnic Disparities In Mental Health Among Asian Americans: Evidence From A National Sample, Fang Gong, Jun Xu

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Asian Americans have become the fastest-growing racial group in the United States, yet their health profiles are still under-explored. In particular, the existing research on Asian American mental health has not devoted adequate attention to the enormous ethnic heterogeneity of the group. Grounded upon theoretical frameworks of the tri-racial system and a contextual approach, we examined ethnic disparities in Asian American mental health using data from the National Latino and Asian American Study (NLAAS). We focused on ethnic membership, immigration-related factors, socioeconomic status, and social support as the main correlates of multiple outcomes, including self-rated mental health, psychological distress, and …

Cdc Social Vulnerability Index (Svi): Nevada Counties, Vanessa Booth, Ally M. Beckwith, Kelliann Beavers, William E. Brown Jr.

Demography

This fact sheet highlights how Nevada counties rank on the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) as defined by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ASTDR). Socially vulnerable populations are often disproportionately harmed during public health emergencies such as natural disasters and infectious disease outbreaks. The Geospatial Research, Analysis, and Services Program (GRASP) created the CDC/ATSDR Social Vulnerability Index (CDC/ATSDR SCI) to help public health officials and emergency response planners meet community health needs during response and recovery efforts (ATSDR, 2020).

Refugee Arrivals In The Mountain West, 2017-2021, Saha Salahi, William E. Brown Jr.

Demography

This fact sheet displays data on the influx of refugee arrivals by nation to five Mountain West States: Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. Refugee Processing Center data, selected from annual reports and limited to the years 2017-2021, are presented.

Small Business Equity In Nevada, 2021, Ally M. Beckwith, Olivia K. Cheche, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

This fact sheet highlights data on minority and women-owned small businesses in Nevada in 2021, as originally reported by the Small Business Equity Tool. This tool examines the representation of Black, Asian, Latino, minority, and women-owned small businesses in the largest metropolitan areas and cities across the United States.

(Re)Opening Closed/Ness: Hauntological Engagements With Historical Markers In The Threshold Of Mastery, Bretton A. Varga, Timothy Monreal

Taboo: The Journal of Culture and Education

This project explored functionalities of (ghostly) mastery within the radical context of institutionally historical designations. We first identified historical designations of our university campuses and then, using Jackson and Mazzei’s (2012) thinking with theory, entangled our hauntological perspectives with published “material” (e.g., university website articles, materials on official websites) and researcher generated photographs. As such, the purpose of this project is to loosen the grip of narrative mastery governing the designation of historical markers located throughout learning institutions. Thus, in unleashing ghosts/hauntings, we offer a theoretically informed opening towards troubling the vulnerability of history/ies, narratives, and spaces institutions seek to—and …

Race Equity In Management Occupations In The Mountain West, Kristian Thymianos, Saha Salahi, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Economic Development & Workforce

In a recent report, “From commitments to action: How CEOs can advance racial equity in their regional economies,” Amy Liu and Reniya Dinkins of the Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program highlight racial equity issues in private sector management occupations. The authors use these data to propose strategies to close equity gaps. This fact sheet examines data for the Mountain West metropolitan areas included in the original report.

Climate Communication And Storytelling, Emma F. Bloomfield, Chris Manktelow

Communication Studies Faculty Publications

As part of its Assessment Reports (ARs), the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) publishes Summaries for Policymakers (SPMs) that review key findings on climate science and climate change’s potential impacts. We argue that the IPCC could create more engaging SPMs by incorporating narrative features. This project evaluates AR5’s SPM for narrative opportunities, which are elements that could be narratively restructured or strengthened. Storytelling does not compromise the goals of the IPCC but rather helps public audiences understand and relate to the information. We encourage the adoption of storytelling elements to increase public understanding of and engagement with climate science.

Student And Teacher Diversity In The Mountain West, Marie A. Falcone, Guadalupe De La Rosa, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

K-12 Education

This fact sheet highlights public K-12 teacher and student diversity in the Mountain West states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. We explore data from Michael Hansen and Diana Quintero’s “Mountain West states face growing teacher diversity gaps” a 2018 Brookings Institution report. Specifically, we explore the teacher and student population in Mountain West states by race, revealing a disproportionate gap between students of color and teachers of color.