Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Migration Policy In The Era Of Trumpism And Media Spectacle: What A 2024 Trump [Or Other] Presidency Could Mean For Mexico-U.S. Relations [Política Migratoria En La Era Del Trumpismo Y Del Espectáculo Mediático: El Significado De Una Presidencia De Trump U Otro Candidato En 2024 Para Las Relaciones México-Estados Unidos], Terence Garrett

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Donald Trump may be the Republican presidential nominee for the 2024 election and is facing multiple indictments for alleged crimes committed during his presidency. If convicted, this would make a Trump election victory unlikely, although he is the master of the media spectacle and populist authoritarianism –essential components of Trumpism. I focus on U.S. migration policy consequences affecting Mexico and other states in the Americas if Trump wins in 2024. With a Republican win, the migration policy could revert back to a Title 42 migrant expulsion scenario, with attempts to harden the border using morepersonnel, infrastructure, and surveillance technology. President …

Mexican Money Laundering In The United States: Analysis And Proposals For Reform, Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera, Charles Lewis, William R. Yaworsky

Anthropology Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article explains some of the mechanisms through which corruption by high-level Mexican politicians and other organized crime members is facilitated in the United States through money laundering operations. The analysis is based on information contained in court records related to key money laundering cases, as well as in news articles and reports from law enforcement agencies. These materials highlight the interrelationships among U.S. drug use, cartel activities in Mexico, human rights abuses, Mexican political corruption, and money laundering in the United States. This work demonstrates the pervasive use of legitimate businesses and fronts in the United States as a …

Peace With Painful Memories, Mona Muzammil, Muzammil Arshad, Washain Muzammil

Chemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

This Book helps you identify and heal from childhood emotional neglect so you can be more connected and emotionally present in your life.

Do you sometimes feel like you’re just going through the motions in life? Do you often act like you’re fine when you secretly feel lonely and disconnected? Perhaps you have a good life and yet somehow, it’s not enough to make you happy. Or perhaps you drink too much, eat too much, or risk too much to feel something good. If so, you are not alone and you may be suffering from emotional neglect.

Are you one …

Fossil Fuel Interests In Puerto Rico: Perceptions Of Incumbent Power And Discourses Of Delay, Laura Kuhl, Jennie C. Stephens, Carlos Arriaga Serrano, Marla Perez-Lugo, Cecilio Ortiz Garcia, Ryan Ellis

Sociology Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study explores perceptions of fossil fuel interests and the role narratives of fossil fuel obstruction play in slowing down the renewable energy transition in Puerto Rico. We analyzed interviews conducted with 56 “energy actors” engaged in Puerto Rico's energy system about their visions of the system's future and perceptions of the influence of different actors in promoting change or reinforcing the status-quo. The analysis also examined the use of discourses of delay in participant interviews using a framework proposed by Lamb et al. (2020). Our interviews revealed that a wide range of energy actors perceived obstruction by fossil fuel …

Star Wars Library Resources, Raquel Estrada, William Flores

Library Display Posters

Explore Star Wars in an academic setting. Posters highlighting library resources on Star Wars with book and video covers hyperlinked.

Bundling In Advance Sales: Theory And Evidence From Round-Trip Versus Two One-Way Tickets*, Diego Escobari, Paan Jindapon, Nicholas G. Rupp

Economics and Finance Faculty Publications and Presentations

We theoretically derive an optimal price for a bundle of two goods that are sold in advance to risk-averse buyers. The theory predicts that a round-trip ticket is less expensive than two one-way tickets when demands for the outbound and the inbound are uncertain and positively correlated. Using a unique airlines dataset, we find evidence that is consistent with the theory; round-trip bundle discounts exist and they are larger for passengers who buy early in advance, stay on a Saturday night, and have higher valuations. We also find that the bundle discounts decrease with competition.

What Comes After The Critique Of The Corporate University? Toward A Syndicalist University, Clyde W. Barrow

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

For the past three decades, university faculty have produced a cascade of contemporary protest literature that routinely criticizes the knowledge factory, academic capitalism, managed professionals, college for sale, the university in ruins, the corporate corruption of higher education, and University, Inc. University faculty are regularly warned about the fall of the faculty, the last professors, and the last intellectuals. This article reviews the historical development of the corporate and neoliberal university, but it takes the next step of asking what is to be done after the critique of the corporate university. It calls on faculty to engage in a variety …

The Holobiont, Food Justice, And Gaia 2.0 A Post-Human(Ist) Approach To Functional Medicine, Rosalynn A. Vega

Anthropology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Functional medicine is a personalized and holistic approach to treating chronic disease. In this article, I build upon posthumanist literature by examing how functional medicine practitioners are decentering and destabilizing what it means to be human. Functional medicine discourse on the holobiont, which considers the human as an assemblage of different microbial species, reframes the “humananimal” (see Nayar 2018) as the “humicrobe.” I engage Gaia 2.0 (see Lenton and Latour 2018) when analyzing the interconnectivity, interdependence, and mutualism of all life. My approach to interconnectivity interweaves both functional medicine descriptions of systems biology and Luhmann’s (2012) approach to system’s theory …

Perceptions Of Dengue Risk And Acceptability Of A Dengue Vaccine In Residents Of Puerto Rico, Coral Rosado-Santiago, Carmen L. Pérez-Guerra, Nicole M. Vélez-Agosto, Claudia Colón-Burgos, Karla M. Marrero-Santos, Susanna K. Partridge, Amy E. Lockwood, Cathy Young, Steve H. Waterman, Gabriela Paz-Bailey

Psychological Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Dengvaxia is the first dengue vaccine recommended in the United States (U.S.). It is recommended for children aged 9–16 y with laboratory-confirmed previous dengue infection and living in areas where dengue is endemic. We conducted focus groups with parents and in-depth interviews with key informants (i.e. practicing pediatricians, physicians from immunization clinics, university researchers, and school officials) in Puerto Rico (P.R.) to examine acceptability, barriers, and motivators to vaccinate with Dengvaxia. We also carried out informal meetings and semi-structured interviews to evaluate key messages and educational materials with pediatricians and parents. Barriers to vaccination included lack of information, distrust toward …

[Nlw] National Library Week 2024 @ Utrgv Library, Raquel Estrada, William Flores, Gabrielle Hernandez

Library Display Posters

Posters showcasing UTRGV library services, open access resources, and published OER books by UTRGV faculty.

Unconscious Integration Of Categorical Relationship Of Two Subliminal Numbers In Comparison With “5”, Changjun Li, Qingying Liu, Yingjuan Liu, Jerwen Jou, Shen Tu

Psychological Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Many studies have shown that the brain can process subliminal numerals, i.e., participants can categorize a subliminal number into two categories: greater than 5 or less than 5. In the context of many studies on the unconscious integration of multiple subliminal stimuli, the issue of whether multiple subliminal numbers can be integrated is contentious. The same-different task is regarded as a perfect tool to explore unconscious integration. In the two experiments reported, we used a same-different task in which a pair of masked prime numbers was followed by a pair of target numbers, and participants were asked to decide whether …

The Fibromyalgia Pain Experience: A Scoping Review Of The Preclinical Evidence For Replication And Treatment Of The Affective And Cognitive Pain Dimensions, Cassie M. Argenbright, Alysia M. Bertlesman, Izabella M. Russell, Tracy L. Greer, Yuan B. Peng, Perry N. Fuchs

Psychological Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Fibromyalgia is a chronic, widespread pain disorder that is strongly represented across the affective and cognitive dimensions of pain, given that the underlying pathophysiology of the disorder is yet to be identified. These affective and cognitive deficits are crucial to understanding and treating the fibromyalgia pain experience as a whole but replicating this multidimensionality on a preclinical level is challenging. To understand the underlying mechanisms, animal models are used. In this scoping review, we evaluate the current primary animal models of fibromyalgia regarding their translational relevance within the affective and cognitive pain realms, as well as summarize treatments that have …

Earth Day 2024 - Planet Vs. Plastics, Raquel Estrada, William Flores

Library Display Posters

Poster of library resources created for Earth Day 2024. This year we focused on resources for Earth Day 2024 topic: Planet vs. Plastics Poster. Book and video covers are hyperlinked.

Earth Day 2024 - Government Documents, Raquel Estrada

Library Display Posters

United States Government documents celebrating Earth Day. Poster contains fun facts from the U.S. Census Bureau & links to other U.S. Government Resources.

Key Library Resources: Streaming Video – Tips For A Better Faculty Streaming Experience, Raquel Estrada

Library Display Posters

AVON, KANOPY, and SWANK are our primary providers for streaming films. These relevant and complementary streaming resources allow us to provide access to a diverse set of films from documentaries to top studio films.

Key Library Resources: Spring 2024: Graduate Resources, Raquel Estrada

Library Display Posters

No abstract provided.

Key Library Resources: Resources With Spanish Content, Raquel Estrada, William Flores

Library Display Posters

Collection of resources that contain spanish content. Also included are local collections found in ScholarWorks that contain spanish-only resources.

Key Library Resources: Destress @ The Library, Raquel Estrada, William Flores

Library Display Posters

A collection of resources such as leisure reading, puzzles, and uplifting coloring pages to destress during finals.

Key Library Resources: Finals Resources & De Stressing Activities, Raquel Estrada, William Flores

Library Display Posters

A collection of resources for finals that include: services offered by the library, databases, select books, government documents and much more. A section for de stressing activities is also included. These include: leisure reading, puzzles, and uplifting coloring pages to destress during finals.

Hesitation Towards The Covid-19 Vaccine In The United States: A Digital Ethnographic Study [Vacilación Ante La Vacuna Contra El Covid-19 En Estados Unidos De América: Un Estudio Etnográfico Digital], Rosalynn A. Vega

Anthropology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Following the authorization of the use of COVID-19 vaccines in babies age 6 months through children 4 years old in the United States, some individuals (parents, pediatricians, and communicators) framed COVID-19 vac-cination as an issue of access, while many others expressed hesitancy, and some resisted recommendations from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In this context, this study aimed to explore: 1) divergent reactions to the authorization of COVID-19 vaccine use in children aged 6 months to 4 years; and 2) opposing logics underlying attitudes towards pro-vaccination, anti-vaccination, and vaccine hesitancy regarding COVID-19 vaccines. To achieve this, a …

The Role Of Oral Microbiota In Periodontitis And Alzheimer's Disease, Noah Al-Hassan, Taha Al Hassan, Juan C. Lopez-Alvarenga, Maria Quinones, Seratna Guadarrama

Research Symposium

Background: Periodontal disease (PD), affecting 20-50% of the global population is marked by biofilm-induced inflammation in oral tissues. Chronic PD results in systemic complications such as heart disease, stroke, and Alzheimer's. The red complex microbes, Porphyromonas gingivalis and Treponema denticola, play a pivotal role, penetrating the blood-brain barrier and contributing to neurodegeneration. Alzheimer's disease (AD), an irreversible neurodegenerative disorder, is linked to abnormal protein cleavage and potentially involves microbiologic components, including gram-positive cocci. Research suggests the presence of bacteria such as Porphyromonas, Actinomyces, and Treponema in autopsied AD brains. Investigating the microbiologic connection between PD and AD is crucial, considering …

The Role Of Age And Biological Sex On Short-Term Memory In The Syrian Hamster (Mesocricetus Auratus), Laura E. Garcia, Mario Gil

Research Symposium

Background: Aging plays an important role in cognitive function, memory, and mental health. As we age, some cognitive functions become weaker. Aging is also a critical risk factor for dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease. With recent advances seen in public health, humans are living longer years. This makes it a challenge to make those added years healthy. For this reason, it is important to continue studying its effects by using, the Syrian hamster, as a model. The purpose of the study is to identify other factors that might also have a role in short-term memory, besides aging.

Methods: All behavioral …

Investigating Interrater-Reliability In Assessing Social Behavior Of Monodelphis Domestica, Bianca A. Camacho, Johanna Perez, Jatziry L. Escobedo, John L. Vandeberg, Mario Gil

Research Symposium

Background: Reliable, consistent, and objective data is a goal all studies aim to achieve, but many struggle to obtain when subjective biases between researchers can occur. Inter-rater reliability (IRR) is a statistical measure used to quantify the degree of agreement between researchers qualitatively scoring the same phenomenon. The primary goal of this study is to enhance the methodology used to achieve optimal IRR. Using an established ethogram, our team of researchers scored the social behavior of the adult gray short-tailed opossum (Monodelphis domestica) to propose an effective method for achieving high IRR that can contribute to future …

Investigating The Potential Double-Edged Score Of Immigration-Related Stress, Discrimination, And Mental Health Access, Arthur R. Andrews, Kevin Escobar, Sandra Mariely Estrada Gonzalez, Sara Reyes, Laura M. Acosta

Psychological Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Prior work has suggested that discrimination and immigration-related stress may impede mental health care seeking and utilization among Latinx populations. These effects may be more nuanced as both discrimination and immigration-related stress may increase symptomology, particularly post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. Both symptoms may, in turn, prompt attempts to seek care. The current study examined the direct effects of discrimination and immigration-related stress on care access, as well as potentially indirect effects with PTSD and depression symptoms as mediators. Interviews and online surveys were completed with 234 Latinx residents of the Midwest, assessing everyday discrimination, discrimination in healthcare, PTSD …

Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (Gaba) Neurons And Perineuronal Nets (Pnn) In The Monodelphis Domestica And Relevance To Psychiatric Disorders, Jatziry Z. Luna Escobedo, Mariela Garcia, John L. Vandeberg, Mario Gil

Research Symposium

Background/ Purpose: Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is an amino acid that serves as the central nervous system’s (CNS) main inhibitory neurotransmitter. By inhibiting nerve transmission, it works to lower neuronal excitability. Altered GABA levels have been associated with a variety of psychiatric disorders, for example Epilepsies, Parkinson’s Disease, and Schizophrenia. Perineuronal nets (PNN) are extracellular molecules that are released by neurons and glial cells that modulate many neuronal and glial functions by encapsulating the inhibitory cells and neurites. Altered PNN levels serve as a potential trigger to synaptic imbalance. The purpose of this study is to quantify and analyze the presence, …

[Iahm] St. Patrick's Day And Irish American Heritage Month, Raquel Estrada, William Flores

Library Display Posters

United States Government documents celebrating St. Patrick’s Day & Irish-American Heritage Month. Poster contains fun facts from the U.S. Census Bureau & links to other U.S. Government Resources.

[Whm] Writers & Poets: Women Of The Rio Grande Valley & Their Works, Shannon Pensa, Special Collections & Archives

Library Display Posters

Each March UTRGV Special Collections & Archives recognizes the historical contributions and achievements of women to the lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas. This year we focus on women writers and poets and highlight their works.

[Whm] Women's History Month 2024, Samantha Bustillos, Tiffany Villarreal

Library Display Posters

Collection of posters created celebrating Women's History Month 2024. Posters include: film recommendations, new/popular titles, nonfiction/biographical, comics, and research resources.

Comparative Health Disparities: International Perspective, Oluwadamilola Omojola, Betty Onyebu, Rosalynn A. Vega

Anthropology Faculty Publications and Presentations

After completing this brick, you will be able to:

• Explain health disparity, inequity, and inequality1
• Compare inequity and inequality in low and middle-socioeconomic countries to high-socioeconomic countries.2
• Describe factors that contribute to health disparity3
• Understand the comparative approaches used in understanding health disparities4
• Understand limitations in addressing health disparities

Invarianza De La Escala De Evaluación De Las Relaciones Intrafamiliares En Padres Con Y Sin Migración De Retorno Y Salud Mental [Invariance Of The Intrafamily Relations Evaluation Scale In Parents With And Without Return Migration And Mental Health], María Elena Rivera Heredia, Patricia Andrade Palos, Jaime Fuentes Balderrama, Luis H. Zayas

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Se analizaron las propiedades psicométricas de la Escala de Evaluación de las Relaciones Intrafamiliares (ERI) en padres de familia que retornaron a México y que tienen hijos e hijas menores de edad nacidos en E.E.U.U., así como en padres mexicanos sin experiencia migratoria. Participaron189 padres (92 retornados y 97 sin migración). Se llevaron a cabo Análisis Factoriales Exploratorios y Confirmatorios para derivar una versión culturalmente invariante. Una vez obtenidas las evidencias de invarianza configural, métrica, escalar, estricta y estructural, se encontró mediante un modelo de ecuaciones estructurales que la unión y apoyo familiar se asocian con la sintomatología depresiva y …