Digital Commons Network^™

Women's Experience Of Cancer Treatment During Covid-19 On The Texas-Mexico Border, Kayla E. Castañeda

Nursing Theses and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed existing racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, geographic, and gender disparities in cancer care and highlighted the need for more research in understudied populations. No studies have elucidated the experience of women living on the Texas-Mexico border receiving cancer treatment during the pandemic. This study explored the lived experience of receiving cancer treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 for women living on the Texas-Mexico border and identified participants' self-identified unmet needs while receiving cancer treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic on the Texas-Mexico border. Following IRB approval and informed consent, ten women living on the Texas-Mexico border who received …

Sex-Dependent Differences In Vulnerability To Early Risk Factors For Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Results From The Aurora Study, Stephanie Haering, Antonia V. Seligowski, Sarah D. Linnstaedt, Vasiliki Michopoulos, Stacey L. House, Francesca L. Beaudoin, Xinming An, Thomas C. Neylan, Robert A. Swor

Articles

No abstract provided.

Impact Of Placement Disruption On School Outcomes In Maltreated Youth, Mallory Constantine

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

School attendance is a crucial component of a youth’s ability to access resources and attain educational success. Maltreated youth are at increased risk for school absences, poor school performance, impairment in cognitive processes, and development of psychopathology. Disruption from their known systems (i.e., family, social, school) as a result of removal from home creates unique and substantial barriers for maltreated youth in attending and engaging in school. The present study used a sample of maltreated youth and binomial logistic regression analyses to determine if the number of lifetime placements impacts school outcome variables of school attendance, classroom behavior, and academic …

Harnessing Nlp And Large Language Models For Pattern Discovery And Information Extraction In Electric Health Reports, Mina Esmail Zadeh Nojoo Kambar

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In this work, we report on a series of natural language processing tools and models to improve the efficiency and accuracy of information discovery from clinical trials and pharmacological studies. Our main contributions are: 1. The development of an open-source platform Tri-AL that • Enables dynamic tracking of clinical trials information over time, • Excels in data visualization and user interaction with a particular emphasis on enhancing the analysis and representation of race and ethnicity data to foster equity in clinical research, and • Includes a predictive model utilizing machine learning to decipher drug mechanisms of action. 2. Heterogeneous Graph …

Gender Stereotyping In An Agricultural Sample, Andrea Fink-Armold

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

A vast wealth of social psychological research conducted over half a century has demonstrated the consequences of gender stereotypes. However, this research has significant limitations. Namely, generalizability outside of academia and the effects of social change. This study examined a non-academic population that has recently experienced significant gender role redistribution to overcome these limitations. Utilizing a full-cycle research approach consisting of both ethnographic and experimental methods, I examined three research questions: 1) how do gender stereotypes manifest within rural agricultural communities? 2) how is women’s increased participation in agriculture related to changes in gender stereotype use? and 3) how do …

The Influence Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Binge Eating In A Demographically Diverse Us Community Sample, Jessica H. Habashy

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The novel coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has had profound effects among many individuals with or at risk for eating disorders. The most common primary eating disorder is binge eating disorder which has uniquely reflected more similarities than differences among diverse populations compared to other eating disorder classifications. Considering the upsurge of prevalence rates of eating disorders during the pandemic, it is important to assess the rate of binge eating across the demographic strata to gain a better understanding of who is impacted and provide healing to those who are suffering. Screening for binge eating features across the United States (US) using …

Leveling The Playing Field: An Ethnographic Study Of Latinx Youth Soccer Leagues In Las Vegas, Jeannette Hernández

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study examines how youth sports privatization, family dynamics, coaching, and team organization affect Latinx youth’s opportunities and interests in playing competitive soccer. It also examines the role that soccer plays in identity-making for Latinx people in Las Vegas, if and how they use these soccer spaces to develop kinship ties and build community, and it documents how these soccer spaces are developed as counter-spaces. I employ Critical Ethnography paired with 36 interviews with youth and adults. I observed two club soccer teams and one soccer league in Las Vegas (the league was a public community league that primarily caters …

Scoring Single-Sample Pathway Expression Level Using Graph Autoencoder, Eunyoung Jang

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Single-sample pathway analysis (ssPA) is a bioinformatics technique used to assess the activity of biological pathways in individual samples, rather than relying on aggregated data from multiple samples. This approach allows for the detection of pathway activation or suppression in single samples, making it a valuable approach in research and clinical applications where individual variability is critical. In this paper, we propose a deep-learning method that scores individual pathway expression levels using a graph autoencoder. The proposed method provides insights into the biological processes and leverages the high dimensionality of gene expression data by setting the nodes in the neural …

Evaluation Of Electrochemical Corrosion, Electrodeposition, And Other Electroanalytical Methods As Investigative Forensic Techniques For Advancing Metal Substrate Analysis, Crystal C. Kitanovski

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Friction ridge skin, bearing unique patterns of epidermal ridges commonly known as fingerprints, has served as a crucial tool for identification since ancient times, with its utilization dating back to Chinese culture around 221 B.C. Today, friction ridge skin impressions remain vital evidence in forensic investigations, aiding in the identification of suspects. While fingerprints, palm prints, and footprints can all serve as identifying markers, this dissertation focuses specifically on fingerprints, broadly classified as visible or latent. Latent fingerprints, though invisible to the naked eye, constitute the majority of prints collected from crime scenes, necessitating physical, chemical, or physicochemical processing for …

Psychopathy And Moral Decision Making, Dimitra Kourtesi

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Since the 1800s, psychopathy has been regarded as the absence of morality. The goal of our study was to explore whether psychopathic traits can affect the moral decision-making process in sacrificial moral dilemmas. Participants completed multiple self-report measures of psychopathic traits, utilitarian tendencies, and 16 sacrificial moral dilemma vignettes. After each hypothetical vignette, participants decided whether they believed it was morally right, permissible, and whether they behaviorally intended to sacrifice one person to save five people. Positive correlations emerged among all variables, which allowed us to perform a mediation analysis. Instrumental Harm – the idea of sacrificing one individual to …

Mining Gambling Data For Modeling Gambling Behavior Patterns, Piyush Aniruddha Puranik

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Understanding player behavior for responsible gambling research is a difficult task due to the lack of data on players’ activities. Past studies in this area are largely limited to publicly available behavioral data or aggregated players data. Problem gambling in gamblers is typically identified only after they have already been addicted or have already been engaging in problematic gambling behavior. Furthermore, “risky” gambling behavior has historically been difficult to define due to the varying patterns of gambling activity that could potentially be attributed to it.In this dissertation we illustrate the methodology and algorithms used to engineer financial data for further …

The Role Of Cognitive Dysfunction In Late-Life Depression, Matthew Schurr

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Depression is one of the most common psychiatric concerns in older adults. Because of the intersection of biological, emotional, social, and cognitive factors that are at play in depression, symptoms are often heterogeneous in presence and severity. In combination with the expected changes in cognitive abilities as one ages, late-life depression can be additive to these changes. The higher risks of neurodegenerative processes and vascular events in later life can cause, magnify, or accelerate cognitive decline. As such, individuals with late-life depression often present with a complex array of problems that can impact cognition and functioning, and thus complicate the …

Uvc And Planetary Habitability: Insights From Desert Lichens And Cyanobacteria, Tejinder Singh

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

An important question in astrobiology is whether life can exist under the levels of UVC radiation found on Archean Earth, Mars, and exoplanets. We investigated this question by studying the UVC survival of colonial cyanobacterium and lichens that grow in harsh desert environments and possess natural sunscreens. We irradiated them nonstop in a desiccated state with a UVC flux closely representing the upper limit on those planets: 55-60 W/m². After irradiation, we rehydrated and assessed their survival using chlorophyll fluorometry and by counting the number of viable colonies that formed on agar plates. All three study organisms survived two to …

Probing The Ecological Functions Of Thermophiles Using Cultivation-Dependent And Cultivation-Independent Techniques, Dengxun Lai

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

High-temperature geothermal springs are ecosystems that resemble early Earth, offering insights into the origins and early evolution of life. In these unique ecosystems, thermophilic microorganisms thrive. However, our knowledge of thermophiles remains limited. A major challenge is that many thermophiles remain uncultivated. The primary goal of this dissertation was to explore the diversity, metabolism, and ecological functions of thermophiles using cultivation-dependent and cultivation-independent approaches. Chapter 1 provides a broad overview of geothermal spring ecosystems and thermophiles, along with a roadmap of the dissertation. Chapter 2 documents a study on the response of specific thermophiles from Gongxiaoshe (GXS) Hot Spring in …

Challenges Of The Fentanyl Epidemic: Understanding The Crisis, Analyzing The Analogs, And Investigating The Detection Methods, Sophia Hontzas

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

The fentanyl epidemic has become a significant public health concern, identified by a rise in overdose deaths pertaining to the use of illicitly manufactured fentanyl (IMF). In 2021 alone, there were 70,601 overdose deaths attributed to fentanyl, emphasizing the severity of the crisis. This paper discusses the challenges posed by fentanyl and its analogs, investigating the origins, market dynamics, biological impacts, and the issues with detection and regulation. While fentanyl was initially created as a potent pain reliever, its misuse has grown due to the presence of new analogs. Case studies provide insight into how fentanyl rose in popularity and …

Assessing Chronic Exposure To Glyphosate Using Urine Analysis, Jianna Gimenez

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The herbicide glyphosate is the most heavily used agricultural chemical in the world, and exposure has been linked to carcinogenic and reproductive effects, although this remains controversial. Glyphosate has a short biologic half-life, challenging the assessment of associations between chronic exposure and potential health effects. Long-term glyphosate exposure has often been evaluated using a single urine sample, potentially resulting in exposure misclassification and resulting in systematic underestimation of the association between glyphosate exposure and health outcomes. To determine the minimum number of urine samples required to accurately characterize chronic glyphosate exposure during pregnancy, we collected and analyzed 453 urine samples …

Birds, Bees, And The Babies: Study Of The Influence Of Self-Efficacy On Parent-Child Sex Communication, Cassandra M. Craig

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Previous studies show that parents tend to be uncomfortable discussing sexual topics with their children, such as menstruation, masturbation, and/or condom use. This study offers a look at the part confidence plays in a parent's intentions to talk to their kids about such topics. The results indicated that the confidence parents feel about discussing sexual topics is not related to how much their own parents talked with them about sex. However, the confidence they feel that could be coming from other models, like social media or peers, is related to how much parents intend to talk with their own children …

Microbiome Assembly And Function In The Solitary Mason Bee, Osmia Lignaria (Megachilidae), Bailey Crowley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Animal-microbe interactions can influence host biology, ecology, and evolution. The assembly and function of microbes found within animal hosts oftentimes depends on which species are involved. Advances in sequencing technologies have permitted the exploration of host-microbe interactions in a variety of animals, including bees. Early research aimed at understanding the microbiomes of social bees, such as honey bees and bumble bees, found that microbes prevent the spoilage of stored pollen, breakdown indigestible nutrients into smaller molecules available for uptake by the host, and also protect the host from pathogens. When environmental stressors, such as increased temperatures, disrupt the microbiome, the …

Validating A Scale Of Psychological Flexibility And Inflexibility For Older Adolescents, Caleb Douglas Farley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Psychological flexibility (PF) is a skill that is related to various mental health experiences in adults. Higher levels of PF seem related to greater wellbeing. Given increases in mental health problems with youth, measuring PF and its inverse, psychological inflexibility (PI), might be useful for identifying those teenagers at risk for mental health challenges and referring them to appropriate interventions. To date, most measures of PF and PI are only available for adults older than 18, and, while theory suggests PF and PI are important for adolescent mental health, little research has examined the validity of these claims. This multipaper …

The Interactions Between Drought Tolerant Corn Hybrids And Plant Water-Stress On Weeds And Their Host Capability For Spider Mites, Mercy Adhiambo Odemba

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

With climate change, it is predicted that more frequent high temperatures and drought severity will lead to an increase in damage caused by pests that thrive under these conditions. Spider mite outbreaks, for example, are associated with plant waterstress and there is evidence that some weeds are more resilient and adapted to drought than some crops, leading to major concerns for the management of these two pest types. Weeds directly compete with crops for limited resources, but what is unclear is which weeds harbor spider mites and whether they exacerbate the impact of spider mites on corn crops under water-stressed …

California Condor Feeding Habitat, Vigilance, And Competition With Avian Scavengers In Southern Utah, Usa, Alex Blanche

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Independent foraging is needed for the reintroduction of a species to be successful, but it can cause cascades in interconnected ecological communities. California condors (Gymnogyps californianus) were reintroduced to the Colorado Plateau in 1996, and the population has continued to grow with yearly releases of captive individuals. However, little is known about foraging behavior of condors and their potential competitors. Carrion is a risky food source, and there is a tradeoff between vigilance and feeding. Altering behavior can maximize caloric intake while minimizing risk. Here, I investigate habitat selection, vigilance, and interspecific interactions among condors, golden eagles ( …

Do Older Siblings Differentiate From Their Younger Siblings? Predictors And Longitudinal Correlates, Iliana Wilkinson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Families are a critical part of an individual's development, yet sibling influences on development are rarely studied. Siblings often share the same genetics and live in the same environment, yet many remark that they are nothing like their brothers or sisters. One proposed reason for these differences is sibling differentiation, a process by which individuals become different from their sibling in order to reduce conflict and rivalry as well as increase intimacy in the sibling relationship. To date, this process has been studied from the perspective of the younger sibling; the current study focused on older siblings. Using longitudinal data …

An Examination Of The Effects Of Prey Density, Mortality, Nutrients, And Foraging Tradeoffs On A System With Inducible Defenses: An Empirical And Theoretical Approach, Benjamin C. Ralston Daniel

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

To grasp the functioning and stability of ecosystems, it is important to understand species interactions. With many ecosystems becoming more imperiled from urbanization and anthropogenic influences it is important to understand ways in which species can adapt to rapid changes in their environment. Phenotypic plasticity is one such tool at nature’s disposal to initiate rapid change, where species with the same genetic makeup can have different expressed traits depending on their environment. Inducible defenses are one such form of phenotypic plasticity in which prey can express different levels and forms of defense depending on the threat of predation present in …

Metal Assisted O2-Dependent Carbon-Carbon Bond Cleavage Of Β-Diketones And Flavonols, Stephen N. Anderson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Almost everything we interact with on a daily basis has been synthesized by chemists ranging from plastics, food preservatives, and medications. The diversity of synthetic molecules are achieved by the formation of new bonds between existing molecules and/or through the cleaving of bonds found in a molecule. There are uncountable amount of conditions reported to facilitate chemical reactions which all depend on the nature of molecules being used and the environment it is used in.

In recent years, more attention has been paid to identify chemical reactions that can use more environmentally favorable conditions and reduce the use of limited …

Healing Through Caring And Knowledge-Making In Everyday Food Practices Among Lgbtq+ Black, Indigenous, People Of Colour, Elizabeth Grace Wong

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Three different models are used in this study to understand how everyday food practices carry healing potential through the interwoven process of caring and knowledge-making. Daily food practices reflect a mixture of tradition and modernity— borne out of our roots and our contexts. Anzaldúa’s (1987) Borderland Theory helps us understand how this mixture is made by people who straddle two borders or worlds and contest those confines. Chavez-Dueñas et al.’s (2019) HEART model names strengthening our cultural and familial traditions and roots as part of the broader processes of building cultural consciousness and connection, and engaging in collective healing. Finally, …

Soil Additives And Alternative Crops For Drought Defense In The Intermountain West, Tina M. Sullivan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

The Western U.S. looks for water optimization and conservation as agriculture is the largest water diverter, and resources are pressured by urban growth, winter snowpack instability, and drought persistence. Agricultural producers have several potential options to optimize water use with different investments associated with them. Options with varying levels of risks and known management practices include alternative crops, soil wetting agents, and crop biologicals.

An alternative crop that grew incredibly fast in popularity was industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa) despite limited agronomic knowledge for best management practices. Field trials occurred (2020-2022) near Logan, UT to test a total of …

Environmental Physiology Of Medical Cannabis, F. Mitchell Westmoreland

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Cannabis (Cannabis sativa L.) is increasingly being cultivated for industrial and medical uses. Medical cannabis is grown for cannabinoids and terpenes, compounds that continue to show promising therapeutic potential. Cannabidiol (CBD) and delta-9- tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) are the two most common cannabinoids, but more than 150 have been identified in cannabis. The 2018 Farm Bill federally legalized cannabis containing less than 0.3% THC and high-THC medical cannabis is legal in 38 states. There is a need to understand environmental effects on yield and quality to ensure safety and quality for medical use.

The cultivation of medical cannabis is centered around …

Socially Valued, Ecologically In Decline: Place Attachment Influences Support For Management Actions In A Quaking Aspen Forest Impacted By Recreation, Soil Contamination, And Ungulates, Georgie Corkery

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) spark strong emotional attachments among many people, yet they are ecologically in decline across North America. Aspen landscapes are also popular outdoor recreation destinations. Site-specific strategies are required for both managing for healthy aspen landscapes and enhancing the outdoor recreation experience. Our study investigated a highly-recreated and ecologically declining aspen forest in Summit County, Utah facing population decline. There were two distinct phases of data collection. First, we evaluated the condition of the aspen and identified potential management actions that could improve the condition of the aspen. Second, we surveyed people who visited the site …

Citizen Science Project On Urban Canids Provides Different Results From Camera Traps But Generates Interest And Revenue, Neville F. Taraporevala

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

As more people live in cities, wildlife increasingly encounters people. Coyotes (Canis latrans) and red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) are two carnivores that have easily adapted to urban environments causing them to come into conflict with people and their pets. Citizen science, where members of the community aid scientists in the collection of data, has emerged as a low-cost method of studying these species that can provide benefits to management agencies but may provide different results than traditional methods. We analyzed data collected by citizen scientists and data collected via motion-triggered camera traps to see how each …

Sparks, Belonging, And Relationships: High School Teachers' Use Of Developmental Context To Engage Students In Career Pathways, Dave Francis

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

The 4-H Thriving Model outlines how a foundation for youth sparks, belonging, and relationships can lead to short and long-term outcomes. This study explored how high school teachers in Utah integrate the elements of the foundation of the 4-H Thriving Model in environmental science and natural resources management classroom teaching. A mixed method of interviews and surveys was used to understand teaching practices. Teachers described helping students discover their interests (sparks), nurturing these interests, and linking them to careers using methods like guest speakers, field trips, contests, and student presentations. They also worked on creating a sense of belonging in …