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Climate Change Anxiety And Hope Both Predict Action: A Moderation Analysis, Yuhan Bi, Grace Hyde, Orei Z. Odents, Kai Okagawa, Cassandra Hoffman, Kimberly A. Barchard

Spectra Undergraduate Research Journal

Climate change is associated with extreme weather events that have devastating effects on communities worldwide. These events disrupt ecosystems, damage infrastructure, and influence physical and mental well-being. Urgent action is needed. Prior studies demonstrate that people are more likely to take action if they feel anxious about climate change and if they feel hopeful they can make a difference. However, we hypothesized that anxiety and hope would interact: that anxiety would only predict action when people felt hopeful. Therefore, we used path analysis to determine if hope moderates the relation between anxiety and action.

In a cross-sectional design, 500 United …

The Development Of Environmental Dna (Edna) Sampling For Arbovirus Vector Surveillance In Southern Nevada, Katharine Brooke Major

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Vector-borne diseases account for 17% of all infectious diseases worldwide and are responsible for more than 700,000 deaths annually. Two-thirds of the global population are at risk of arthropod-borne RNA viruses (arboviruses), spread by mosquitoes, ticks, and sandflies, with these pathogens accounting for 37% of all emerging human diseases. Arboviruses are becoming increasingly important causes of neurological disease in the United States, presenting a significant public health problem. In the absence of available vaccines and efficacious treatment options, accurate, rapid, and cost-effective surveillance of arbovirus vectors is critical for monitoring species distribution and mitigating disease transmission risk. Currently, mosquito vector …

Maternal Health In The Context Of Social, Political, And Economic Change Among Hadzabe Foragers Of Tanzania, Kristen Herlosky

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Many low and middle-income countries have implemented new national policy measures aimed at reducing maternal morbidity and mortality due to globalized efforts to improve women’s maternal health. One of the main goals is to move childbirth into hospital facilities and improve health access and education outreach. For Indigenous communities around the world, these measures have fallen short of their goals. Indigenous women suffer from greater social, political, and economic disparities and inequalities, have poorer health indicators overall, and worse maternal health outcomes compared to their non-Indigenous counterparts. For small-scale communities, we have limited data on reproductive health among women, specifically …

Historical Patterns Of Regional, Residential, And Socioeconomic Inequities In The Utilization Of Maternal Health Care In Tanzania, East Africa, Neema Langa

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The United Republic of Tanzania (URT) has been experiencing alarming maternal and neonatal mortality rates. While these deaths have decreased over time, they fall short of the World Health Organization's (WHO) standards. Due to their strong associations, understanding maternal healthcare utilization (MHC) is critical for improving our understanding of existing maternal and neonatal mortality patterns. Existing research, primarily focusing on antenatal care (ANC), indicates that utilization of maternal health care (MHC) has steadily increased since 1990. However, very little attention has been paid to period-based changes in other MHC measures (e.g., postnatal care) and how those changes vary across socioeconomic …

The Life History Of Learning Subsistence Skills Among Hadza And Bayaka Foragers From Tanzania And The Republic Of Congo, Sheina Lew-Levy, Erik J. Ringen, Alyssa N. Crittenden, Ibrahim A. Mabulla, Tanya Broesch, Michelle A. Kline

Anthropology Faculty Research

Aspects of human life history and cognition, such as our long childhoods and extensive use of teaching, theoretically evolved to facilitate the acquisition of complex tasks. The present paper empirically examines the relationship between subsistence task difficulty and age of acquisition, rates of teaching, and rates of oblique transmission among Hadza and BaYaka foragers from Tanzania and the Republic of Congo. We further examine cross-cultural variation in how and from whom learning occurred. Learning patterns and community perceptions of task difficulty were assessed through interviews. We found no relationship between task difficulty, age of acquisition, and oblique transmission, and a …

Taboos Of Masculinity: Positive And Progressive Masculinities, Biko Agozino, Augustine Agu

Taboo: The Journal of Culture and Education

No abstract provided.

Gendered Movement Ecology And Landscape Use In Hadza Hunter-Gatherers, Brian M. Wood, Jacob A. Harris, David A. Raichlen, Herman Pontzer, Katherine Sayre, Amelia Sancilio, Colette Berbesque, Alyssa N. Crittenden, Audax Mabulla, Richard Mcelreath, Elizabeth Cashdan, James Holland Jones

Anthropology Faculty Research

Understanding how gendered economic roles structure space use is critical to evolutionary models of foraging behaviour, social organization and cognition. Here, we examine hunter-gatherer spatial behaviour on a very large scale, using GPS devices worn by Hadza foragers to record 2,078 person-days of movement. Theory in movement ecology suggests that the density and mobility of targeted foods should predict spatial behaviour and that strong gender differences should arise in a hunter-gatherer context. As predicted, we find that men walked further per day, explored more land, followed more sinuous paths and were more likely to be alone. These data are consistent …

The Rural-Urban Divide In Tanzania: Residential Context And Socioeconomic Inequalities In Maternal Health Care Utilization, Neema Langa, Tirth Bhatta

Sociology Faculty Research

Background Existing studies in Tanzania, based mostly on rural samples, have primarily focused on individual behaviors responsible for the lower utilization of maternal health care. Relatively less attention had been paid to inequalities in structural circumstances that contribute to reduced utilization of maternal health care. More importantly, scholarship concerning the impact of the rural-urban divide on socioeconomic disparities in the utilization of maternal health care is virtually nonexistent in Tanzania. Methods Drawing from the Demographic Health Survey (2015-2016) conducted in Tanzania, our study includes a total of 3,595 women aged between 15-49 years old, who had given birth in five …

Navigating Cross-Cultural Research: Methodological And Ethical Considerations, Tanya Broesch, Alyssa N. Crittenden, Bret A. Beheim, Aaron D. Blackwell, John A. Bunce, Heidi Colleran, Kristin Hagel, Michelle Kline, Richard Mcelreath, Robin G. Nelson, Anne C. Pisor, Sean Prall, Ilaria Pretelli, Benjamin Purzycki, Elizabeth A. Quinn, Cody Ross, Brooke Scelza, Kathrine Starkweather, Jonathan Stieglitz, Monique Borgerhoff Mulder

Anthropology Faculty Research

The intensifying pace of research based on cross-cultural studies in the social sciences necessitates a discussion of the unique challenges of multi-sited research. Given an increasing demand for social scientists to expand their data collection beyond WEIRD (Western, educated, industrialized, rich and democratic) populations, there is an urgent need for transdisciplinary conversations on the logistical, scientific and ethical considerations inherent to this type of scholarship. As a group of social scientists engaged in cross-cultural research in psychology and anthropology, we hope to guide prospective cross-cultural researchers through some of the complex scientific and ethical challenges involved in such work: (a) …

"Courage 2 Test": An Evaluation Of A Social Media Marketing Campaign To Increase Hiv Testing Among Young Black Men, Jamal T. Jones, Laura F. Salazar, Richard A. Crosby

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

The purpose of this study was to evaluate a social media marketing (SMM) campaign designed to increase HIV testing among young Black men attending a public university in Atlanta, GA. “Courage 2 Test” was a three-month SMM campaign (launched from February 2017 to April 2017) that included targeted Facebook and Instagram advertisements to encourage HIV testing. Students completed an online survey via two cross-sectional samples (n=106 at baseline and n=98 post campaign). Campaign evaluation involved assessing the effects of campaign exposure and the pre/post-grouping variable on ever testing for HIV and testing for HIV in the previous six months via …

Modeling Driver-Pedestrian-Infrastructure Interactions At Signalized Midblock Crosswalks, Boniphace Kutela

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Cities and metropolitan areas are increasingly facilitating pedestrians’ movement by the provision of pedestrian walking facilities. As pedestrian traffic increases, the risk of crash involvement increases, especially at midblock locations, where pedestrians are exposed to unsafe interactions with vehicular traffic. To improve pedestrians’ safety at midblock locations, various countermeasures are provided, which include signalized crosswalks. Several studies have analyzed driver-pedestrian interactions, as well as pedestrian-infrastructure interactions at signalized midblock crosswalks. However, more in-depth studies are necessary, due to shortfalls of study assumptions, which have led to the application of improper statistical models, as seen in the literature. Improved models are …

Oral Health In Transition: The Hadza Foragers Of Tanzania, Alyssa N. Crittenden, John Sorrentino, Sheniz A. Moonie, Mika Peterson, Audax Mabulla, Peter S. Ungar

Anthropology Faculty Research

Conventional wisdom holds that a decline in oral health accompanies the transition from hunting and gathering to agriculture, given increased consumption of carbohydrates. This widely touted example of the mismatch between our biology and modern lifestyle has been intuited largely from the bioarchaeological record of the Neolithic Revolution in the New World. Recent studies of other populations have, however, challenged the universality of this assertion. Here, we present the first comprehensive study of oral health among a living population in transition from the bush to village life, the Hadza hunter-gatherers of Tanzania, to test the hypothesis that the shift from …

Globalization And The Rise Of Militant Islamic Social Movement Organizations: The Case Of Uamsho (Awakening) Group In Zanzibar., Deogratius Mshigeni

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This dissertation set out to explore how specific aspects of globalization affect the growth and development of particular militant neo-fundamentalist social movements and in what ways globalization affect the resources and collective identity of these movements. To examine this, I conducted ethnographic and archival research and in-depth interviews with 40 activists in the UAMSHO (AWAKENING) group in Zanzibar, which is associated with the rise of violent activities since the first multiparty elections, held in 1995. Most of these activities have been associated with the UAMSHO (AWAKENING) group, that adheres to strict neo-fundamentalist views of Islam, and which calls for Zanzibar …

Safety Analysis Of Freeway Segments With Unobserved Heterogeneity And Second Order Spatial Effects, Eneliko Mujuni Mulokozi

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Safety analysis of freeway networks entails the quantification of crash frequency influencing factors which include roadway and traffic characteristics, environmental factors as well as human factors. This quantification can be used to detect locations with large impacts on the occurrence of crashes which in turn assist engineers and planners to improve safety levels of the network. Roadway characteristics are comprised of the physical elements of the road geometry such as section length, median and right shoulders, speed-exchange lanes, the number of main facility as well as geometry of the entrance from and exit to the main freeway facility. Traffic characteristics …

Food Sharing Among Hadza Hunter-Gatherer Children, Alyssa N. Crittenden, David A. Zes

Anthropology Faculty Research

Human prosociality is one of the defining characteristics of our species, yet the ontogeny of altruistic behavior remains poorly understood. The evolution of widespread food sharing in humans helped shape cooperation, family formation, life history, language, and the development of economies of scale. While the behavioral and ecological correlates of food sharing among adults are widely studied, very little is known about food sharing among children. Here, in the first study to analyze the food sharing patterns of hunter-gatherer children, we show that while sharing may be biased towards kin, reciprocity characterizes the majority of all sharing dyads, both related …

Gendered Violence, Hiv Acquisition, And Clinical/Behavioral Research, Liz Barr, Michele Peake Andrasik, Claire Rappoport, Jessica Mooney, Annet Davis Vogel, Lisa Rossi, Amina Alio

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

HIV incidence and prevalence rates for US women continue to increase, especially among Black and Latina women. In addition, the link between violence and HIV acquisition has been well documented. However, the interaction between violence, HIV risk, and HIV acquisition remains an under-addressed issue in current clinical and behavioral HIV research designs. Because violence against women plays an important role in HIV acquisition and transmission, it is imperative for clinical research to address violence in trial design and implementation. In this article, we discuss the prevalence of violence in women’s lives; the role violence plays in HIV acquisition; and the …

Issues And Challenges In The Development Of Open Access Publishing And Scholarly Communications In Nigeria, Ifeoma Ann Oluwasemilore

American Association for the Advancement of Science Pacific Conference

The paper notes that advances in technology have resulted in the emergence of open access publishing and scholarly communication. Open access publishing typically provides an internet based digital platform for the publication of research output with unrestricted access to the public while scholarly publication networks encompass inter linked information access to database by educational institutions. The growth of open access publishing and scholarly communication has been very remarkable in many developed countries. However, academic and research institutions in many developing countries like Nigeria are still battling to overcome many challenges in an attempt to make their research outputs openly accessible. …

Evaluation Of Geometric Design Needs Of Freeway Systems Based On Safety And Geometric Data, Eneliko Mujuni Mulokozi

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Freeways are arterial highways characterized by high levels of safety and high speed vehicular traffic. Access to and from the freeways is provided through ramps. Geometric elements making up freeway facilities include the roadway, median shoulders, grades, and ramps to and from the traveled way at selected locations, shoulders, radius of curvature, lane width, and speed-change lanes. With the increase of traffic using the freeway systems, there arises more traffic weaving movements within the elements making up the freeway systems. This causes traffic flow to compete at the limited spaces available and reduces safety performance of freeway system.

In studies …

Analysis And Evaluation Of Safety Impacts Of Median Types And Midblock Left Turn Treatments For Urban Arterials, Timur Mauga

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Urban growth leads to new land-uses abutting arterials requiring driveways for their accessibility. Uncontrolled number and locations of such access points causes safety, mobility and accessibility problems. The solution to these problems is access management (AM) which controls the number and location of the access points. AM techniques are normally documented in the form of guidelines for engineers and planners to follow when implementing the techniques. However, AM guidelines may not cover every technique due to the fact that AM is still growing. For example, the current AM guideline prepared by The Nevada Department of Transportation addresses many AM techniques. …

The Determinants Of Colorectal Cancer Survival Disparities In Nevada, Lucas N. Wassira

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Different population groups across Nevada and throughout the United States suffer disproportionately from colorectal cancer and its after-effects. Overcoming cancer health disparities is important for lessening the burden of cancer. There has been an overall decline in the incidence of and mortality from colorectal cancer (CRC). This is likely due, in part, to the increasing use of screening procedures such as Fecal Occult Blood Test (FOBT) and/or endoscopy, which can reduce the risk of CRC mortality by fifty percent. Nevertheless, screening procedures are routinely used by only fifty percent of Americans aged fifty years and older. Despite overall mortality decreasing …

The Impacts Of Emergency Vehicle Signal Preemption On Urban Traffic Speed, Hualiang (Harry) Teng, Valerian Kwigizile, Gang Xie, Mohamed S. Kaseko, A. Reed Gibby

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction Faculty Research

We used GPS data from paratransit vehicles to evaluate the impact of emergency vehicles on urban traffic speeds. The results indicate that speed variance is significantly higher during emergency preemption and the mean speeds of traffic flowing in the same direction as the emergency vehicle and on crossing streets are lower during preemption than during normal conditions. Regression results indicate that traffic on major arterials and traffic in the opposite direction of the emergency vehicle tend to have higher speed during signal preemption. Signal preemption during peak periods and duration of preemption had a significant negative impact on traffic speeds. …

Parametric Study Of Stimulus-Response Behavior Incorporating Vehicle Heterogeneity In Car-Following Models, Saidi Siuhi

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The objective of this study was to develop a family of car-following models that address the shortcomings of car-following models developed by General Motors (GM) in the 1950s. The developed models consist of separate models for acceleration, deceleration, and steady-state responses for congested freeway traffic conditions. The study calibrated the models using individual vehicle trajectory data collected on a segment of Interstate 101 in Los Angeles, California. Furthermore, the study validated the models using individual vehicle trajectory data collected on a segment of Interstate 80 in Emeryville, California. The study used nonlinear regression with robust standard errors to estimate the …

Modeling Natural Resources Scarcity And Proverty Effects On Fertility In Honduras, Nepal, And Tanzania, Ayoub Shaban Ayoub

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This dissertation examines whether the vicious circle theory applies in three developing countries characterized by high population growth. According to the vicious circle theory, natural resource scarcity coupled with poverty leads to population growth via positive effects on fertility particularly in rural areas of developing countries. Population growth then leads to a further increase in natural resource scarcity, creating a "feedback loop." This is the first study to use micro-level data to test and control for endogeneity using a two-stage Probit model (IVPROBIT). The existing literature has largely failed to address endogeneity in the relationship between natural resource scarcity and …

Modeling Natural Resource Scarcity And Poverty Effects On Fertility In Honduras, Nepal, And Tanzania, Ayoub Shaban Ayoub

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation examines whether the vicious circle theory applies in three developing countries characterized by high population growth. According to the vicious circle theory, natural resource scarcity coupled with poverty leads to population growth via positive effects on fertility particularly in rural areas of developing countries. Population growth then leads to a further increase in natural resource scarcity, creating a "feedback loop." This is the first study to use micro-level data to test and control for endogeneity using a two-stage Probit model (IVPROBIT). The existing literature has largely failed to address endogeneity in the relationship between natural resource scarcity and …

Incorporating Spatial Characteristics In Travel Demand Models, Valerian Kwigizile

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The goal of this study was to address one of the major weaknesses of the ubiquitous four-step procedure for travel demand modeling: omission of spatial interactions between the variables. While contiguity of the analysis zones is commonly used to define spatial interaction of the variables in spatial analysis, it might not capture the interactions of travel demand variables. In this study, the efficacies of four alternative methods for defining spatial relationships: contiguity, separation, a combination of contiguity and separation, and economic linkages (accessibility), were evaluated. The home-based-work (HBW) spatial models and non-spatial models for trip attraction, and trip production were …

Examining The Basis For Change In Clark County Non-Conforming Zone Change Process, Was It Needed?, Maria D. Kaseko

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study reviews Clark County's non-conforming zone change process from 1990 to 2002. A non-conforming zone change, sometimes known as a non-conforming zone boundary amendment is a proposed request that is not within the range of residential densities and/or non-residential intensities indicated on the applicable land use plan map, master plan, or concept plan. This research explores and examines two questions raised by the Clark County's new implementation plan, which was approved in April 2003 to amend the non-conforming zone change process. 1) Clark County assumed there was a public perception that non-conforming zone changes were being approved without regard …

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 …

Examining The Basis For Change In Clark County Non-Conforming Zone Change Process: Was It Needed?, Maria Kaseko

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This study reviews Clark County's non-conforming zone change process from 1990 to 2002. A non-conforming zone change, sometimes known as a non-conforming zone boundary amendment is a proposed request that is not within the range of residential densities and/or non-residential intensities indicated on the applicable land use plan map, master plan, or concept plan. This research explores and examines two questions raised by the Clark County's new implementation plan, which was approved in April 2003 to amend the non-conforming zone change process. (1) Clark County assumed there was a public perception that non-conforming zone changes were being approved without regard …

An Economic Analysis Of Women's Schooling On Fertility And Contraceptive Use In Developing Countries: A Case Study Of Tanzania, Ayoub Shaban Ayoub

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This study explores the economic relationships between women's schooling, fertility rates, and contraceptive use in Tanzania where population growth and fertility rates are among the highest in the world and aggravate the already ailing economy. Two models are used: fertility and contraceptive use. The study surveys women ages 15 to 49 drawing on 1996 data from the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS). The study finds that women's schooling and other socioeconomic variables are important factors in explaining reproductive behavior. The fertility model indicates that education levels are consistently associated with lower fertility rates, while the contraceptive use model indicates that …

Travel Demand Modeling For Developing Countries, Satyakala Jarugumilli

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The transportation planning process or travel demand forecasting process which is most commonly used at present, called the Urban Transportation Planning Process (UTPP), has its origins in studies performed about three decades ago in urban areas in the United States. This conventional planning process was designed primarily for the western/developed world where affordability and accessibility to a personal automobile is a common feature; The UTPP based models used in forecasting future travel demand rely heavily on socio-economic variables that are associated with an individual's propensity to travel. The socio-economic environments in the developing and the under-developed world are different from …