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Nevada’s Care Workforce: Obstacles and Opportunities for Policymakers
No full textThe care economy includes “the paid and unpaid labor and services that support caregiving in all its forms.” This work includes caring for children, the elderly, and those who are ill or have disabilities. Care work is often undervalued, underpaid, and without a fair system of work benefits in place (e.g. contracts, paid leave, workers’ rights) that in many cases falls disproportionately on women and communities of color. In this policy brief, we examine the care economy in Nevada by focusing on three areas of care: (1) child care; (2) elder care; and (3) mental and behavioral health care. In all three areas, Nevada is well below its expected share of the workforce needed to provide these services to our residents. In addition to evaluating the current landscape of Nevada’s care workforce, we offer policy recommendations and actions that can be taken to improve Nevada’s care economy now and in the future
The Southern Nevada Care Economy: Addressing Child Care and Elder Care Challenges
No full textThis community forum examines the economic and societal impact of the “care economy” in Southern Nevada in collaboration with Tripp Umbach, a nationally recognized consulting firm that provides comprehensive services including research and strategic plans to further the operations and activities of healthcare services.
Central to the care economy is elder care and child care. Having access to elder care and child care services is essential to working age adults, many of whom need one or both types of services to continue participating in the workforce. The delivery of child care and elder care services have far-reaching implications for our families, our communities, and our economy, and the demand for these services will increase as our population continues to grow and age.
To help Southern Nevada address the economic and social implications of the care economy, this community forum features the release of new reports from Tripp Umbach and The Lincy Institute. In addition to assessing the current state of child care and elder care services in Southern Nevada, the reports offer policy recommendations to develop and strengthen these services in our region.
Following a presentation of data and policy recommendations by representatives of Tripp Umbach, a panel of elder care and child care specialists with expertise in academia, state and local government, and the nonprofit sector offer their perspectives on these issues
Making a Career Out of Teaching: Exploring Longevity and Resiliency in Tennessee School-Based Agriculture Teachers
No full textThe need for qualified school-based agricultural education (SBAE) teachers is often discussed in terms of teacher recruitment; however, retaining those teachers is also necessary to ensure the stability and longevity of SBAE programming. Through the lens of teacher resilience, this qualitative study sought to answer the question: What individual and social-ecological characteristics of Tennessee career agriculture teachers contributed to their resiliency and longevity in the profession? In response, we conducted a phenomenological study of Tennessee agriculture teachers with 15 or more years in the profession. After coding data from 15 interviews, six themes emerged: (1) Passion, (2) Support, (3) Adaptability, (4) Positivity, (5) Boundary Setting and Time Management, and (6) Autonomy. We concluded that multiple personal and social-ecological characteristics influenced the teachers in this study to remain in the profession. Our findings aligned with similar research on teacher resilience, demonstrating that a combination of personal development and support systems can enhance resilience. Based on these findings, we recommend preservice training and professional development related to growth mindsets and normalizing work-life balance among SBAE teachers. Because the participants emphasized the importance of both support and autonomy, we also recommend researchers investigate the roles of support organizations in SBAE retention. Additionally, we recommend training for SBAE stakeholders to learn more about how to best support teachers and the programs they manage
Redesigning Studentscapes The Future of Outdoor Educational Spaces
No full textCurrently, there is very little research in the field of architecture that touches upon mental health. While there were many articles that were written during this period discussing the correlation between architecture and mental health, most of them were not peer-reviewed studies and did not specify any mental illness, but were instead very broad and vague. In a recent investigation from 2020, researchers found that between 2008 and 2020, there were a total of 59 academic papers published discussing the relationship between architecture and at least 1 mental illness (Aljunaidy & Adi, 2020). The majority (66%) of articles focused on either autism or dementia. Articles discussing anxiety and depression, the two leading mental illnesses in the country accounted for only 8% of total scholarship. When stress- related disorders were added to the aforementioned categories, the number of articles increased to 20%. Given the increased awareness around mental health and the prevalence of anxiety and depression, it was unfortunate that there were only 12 articles written in the span of 12 years that discussed the topic in relation to architecture.
Of the 2 articles discussing anxiety disorders, only one of them focused on generalized anxiety disorder, and it was related to healthcare settings. Of the 3 articles discussing depression, 2 of them focused on psychiatric healthcare facilities, and the third one vaguely mentioned architecture, but was not substantial enough to constitute as architectural research. This means that in the past decade there were 0 research articles discussing the relationship between school architecture and generalized anxiety or depression, the two most prevalent mental illnesses amongst school-age children and teenagers.
Given the prevalence of anxiety related disorders amonst K-12 students, it seems there is a gap in the current scholarship surrounding school architecture. This project aims to begin filling that gap by relating the built environment of a school with the psychology of the students within.https://oasis.library.unlv.edu/arch_grad_capstones/1059/thumbnail.jp
Genome-Guided Isolation of the Hyperthermophilic Aerobe \u3cem\u3eFervidibacter sacchari\u3c/em\u3e Reveals Conserved Polysaccharide Metabolism in the \u3cem\u3eArmatimonadota\u3c/em\u3e
No full textFew aerobic hyperthermophilic microorganisms degrade polysaccharides. Here, we describe the genome-enabled enrichment and optical tweezer-based isolation of an aerobic polysaccharide-degrading hyperthermophile, Fervidibacter sacchari, previously ascribed to candidate phylum Fervidibacteria. F. sacchari uses polysaccharides and monosaccharides for growth at 65–87.5 °C and expresses 191 carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) according to RNA-Seq and proteomics, including 31 with unusual glycoside hydrolase domains (GH109, GH177, GH179). Fluorescence in-situ hybridization and nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry confirmed rapid assimilation of 13C-starch in spring sediments. Purified GHs were optimally active at 80–100 °C on ten different polysaccharides. Finally, we propose reassigning Fervidibacteria as a class within phylum Armatimonadota, along with 18 other species, and show that a high number and diversity of CAZymes is a hallmark of the phylum, in both aerobic and anaerobic lineages. Our study establishes Fervidibacteria as hyperthermophilic polysaccharide degraders in terrestrial geothermal springs and suggests a broad role for Armatimonadota in polysaccharide catabolism
The Motherhood Wage Penalty: Estimation Across Various Factors
No full textMaternity and family leave policies are implemented in the workplace and sometimes even mandated by governments to allow first-time mothers to provide care for their newborns and recover from childbirth. However, these policies vary by country, and previous research publications have found that women face a “motherhood penalty” when they take a leave from work, leading to reduced earnings compared to women who do not have children. The main purpose of this paper is to validate whether new mothers do in fact face a decrease in their earnings over time, to compare this penalty across numerous variables, and to explore if the implementation and generosity of maternity and family leave policies influence women’s employment and earnings. The variables considered include wages, years of work experience, level of education attained, if the worker holds at least a bachelor’s degree, marital status, union membership, and the existence of maternity and family leave programs. The methodology of this study comes down to compiling publicly available data to yield the descriptive and empirical results of women’s earnings and explore the effect of having a child. Additionally, I compare the maternity and family leave policies of the United States and other countries. I predict that the data will prove the existence of a motherhood penalty on wages and that the previously mentioned factors will be statistically significant. The findings will be essential for policymakers in federal and state governments as they consider the expansion of these programs and how they can be financed.https://oasis.library.unlv.edu/durep_posters/1218/thumbnail.jp
Immigration: Ancient Counterparts and Processes
No full textThis project sought to inspect parallels between modern and ancient societies, and the commonality of certain events and political markers. This project makes mentions of power dynamics, the position of immigrants as a source of labor, and their commodification as a force. Research used a \u27compilation of materials\u27 method. In which, is performed the examination and studying of different materials in relation to the question, compiling findings, and crafting commentary based on the discoveries of the medias. The experiences of immigrants in the United States are strongly comparable to the experiences of metic (immigrant) women in ancient Athens. A small link is also drawn on the commodification of immigrants as a laboring force. In this sense, the convenience of migrant labor and the emphasis of their role in society greatly impacted the manner in which native residents felt about their existence. Modern immigrants from the Global South to the US share a commonality to male metics. Public opinion on metics changed when their labor became necessary (such as in war, or in a shortage of labor). The difference of this historical incident to modern times in the United States is that migrant labor already makes up 18.6% of all labor; 4.6% above 2004\u27s (first year statistic was measured and recorded) 14% total foreign-born workers to the general labor force. Most of this labor is concentrated in industries of great importance to the American economy. Analyzing the difference in economical and political atmospheres will reveal more about this.https://oasis.library.unlv.edu/durep_posters/1230/thumbnail.jp
The Effects of Divides Attention on Long-term Memory for Natualistic Stimuli
No full textThe ability to identify previously experienced events is a fundamental aspect of memory. This study investigates recognition memory using naturalistic stimuli, specifically news headlines, to explore both controlled (recollection) and automatic (familiarity) memory processes. Most recognition memory experiments rely on simplistic stimuli like words or pictures, but we aim to extend these theories by using more complex, naturalistic materials (news headlines). Participants completed recognition tasks with both headlines and pictures to establish baseline differences between these stimuli types. The order of presentation between stimulus types was randomized between pictures or headlines first. They were assigned to either full or divided attention conditions during study, with the divided attention group completing an n-back task while encoding headlines. After encoding, participants listened to a podcast and answered questions about it to introduce a delay between taking an old/new recognition memory test. Recollection and familiarity estimates were calculated using the Dual Process Signal Detection model. Previous research has found that dividing attention has been shown to have large effects on estimates of recollection, whereas familiarity typically shows smaller or no effects. Preliminary results indicate that estimates of both recollection and familiarity were higher for headlines compared to pictures across both attention conditions. These findings highlight the need for further research on naturalistic stimuli, including long-form media such as music, podcasts, movies.https://oasis.library.unlv.edu/durep_posters/1233/thumbnail.jp
Pathway-based Polygenic Risk Score Analysis of Brain Glial Indicates Cell-type-specific Roles in Alzheimer\u27s Disease
No full textBackground: Alzheimer\u27s disease (AD) is a complex neurodegenerative disorder characterized by progressive cognitive decline and extensive brain pathology, including amyloid plaques, neurofibrillary tangles, and neuroinflammation. This study aims to identify any glial cell type-specific pathways associated with AD.
Methods: We first investigated the correlation between AD and the genetic risk of glia-specific pathways using pathway-based polygenic risk score (PRS) with PRSet software in the discovery data (ADc1234ADA) adjusted by the top two principal components (PC1, PC2) (Model 1), followed by additional adjustment with sex, age, and APOE ε4 count in Model 2. Further PRSet analyses were replicated in independent data (ADNI) if a nominal association (p \u3c 0.05) was found in the discovery data. Tentative associations were determined via meta-analyses of both discovery and replication datasets with Bonferroni correction. Finally, a competitive p-value test was used to determine the significance of each pathway within each glial cell type.
Results: In model 1, we identified six pathways significantly associated with astrocytes with the immune system on the top, six pathways associated with microglia with antigen processing on the top, and five pathways associated with oligodendrocytes with transport & trafficking on the top. In model 2, five pathways in astrocytes and four pathways in oligodendrocytes were found to be significant. However, none of the pathways in microglia remained significant.
Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate a glia-specific polygenic contribution to AD risk, especially in the immune system, highlighting the significance of PRSet analysis in uncovering cell-type specific and pathway-specific biological mechanisms for diseases.https://oasis.library.unlv.edu/durep_posters/1245/thumbnail.jp
Investigation Ionic Polymer Metal Composite Capacitors through Fabrication, Experimentation, and Modeling
No full textThe increasing demand for greater energy storage capacity alongside the need to minimize the size of various devices, such as hybrid electric vehicles, medical devices, and pulsed power systems—has highlighted the necessity for advanced polymer film capacitors with high energy density. While traditional batteries and electronic devices have generally sufficed for many applications, their inherent size limitations hinder their ability to deliver the high levels of peak power required for certain demanding applications. This shortfall highlights the critical ongoing challenge within the energy storage sector to improve technology and more effectively meet these growing power requirements. Flexible Ionic Polymer Metal Composites (IPMCs) fabricated utilizing platinum (Pt) or gold (Au) are studied for their applicability as Solid Polymer Electrolyte (SPE) membranes for high--power capacitors, as they have demonstrated improved electrical and mechanical properties as electronic devices.
IPMCs are types of Electroactive Polymers (EAPs) that display large deflections in response to small electric fields or voltages. IPMCs are characterized by significant displacements, but low-density forces. Also, until recently, research on IPMC materials primarily focused on their potential as actuators. However, one of the most intriguing applications of IPMC now being explored is its use in energy storage capacitors. Furthermore, the exceptional properties of IPMC- for instance, soft, high flexibility, low weight, and the potential to reach high energy density- make it an ideal candidate to replace conventional capacitors or energy storage devices. In this research, sandwich structured IPMCs were designed and fabricated. The samples for this study were fabricated utilizing the chemical reduction process (impregnation-reduction or chemical deposition) because of good surface strength achieved using this method. The mechanism behind an IPMC’s energy storage abilities rests in its capability to store charges on its surface through the mobilities of ions. When an electric potential is applied to the material, the ions inside the polymer matrix travel towards one electrode of the IPMC, resulting in charge accumulation on the surface. IPMC can be charged and discharged quickly with little to no degradation in performance.
This dissertation targeted to improve the fundamental understanding of recently observed phenomena in flexible energy storage devices. It explored the influence of key fabrication parameters, temperature variations, and different solutions on the performance of the IPMC capacitors. The electrochemical performance of IPMC capacitors was thoroughly investigated under various mechanical loadings, particularly tension and bending, to understand their behavior and characteristics.
One primary objective of this study was to assess the impact of defects or cracks induced by tensile loading on both the mechanical properties and electrochemical behavior of the IPMC-based capacitors. During tensile testing, the deformation experienced by the IPMC strips led to alterations in the ion distribution and concentration within the polymer matrix, thereby influencing the material’s performance. Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) was employed to measure these changes at room temperature across a frequency range of 10 KHz to 1 Hz, offering a straightforward and efficient method with consistent results. It was observed that the capacitance of the IPMC capacitor increased notably after significant cracking occurred in the platinum electrodes because of high tensile mechanical loads. Additionally, at lower frequencies (\u3c100 \u3eHz), both the real (ε\u27) and imaginary (ε ) parts of permittivity exhibited an increase with the addition of loads, indicating a notable impact on the dielectric properties of the material. However, it was noted that at frequencies above 100 Hz, the permittivity showed weak dependence on the applied loads. Another aspect of the investigation involved analyzing the functionality of the capacitor under a wide spectrum of bending angles, ranging from 0 C to 100 C.
Through this work, this research underscored the IPMC capacitor’s adaptability to flexibly to diverse bending angles, making it particularly suitable for applications where traditional rigid capacitors may prove impractical or inefficient. Furthermore, the study contributed to the body of knowledge by employing advanced testing methods to evaluate the mechanical and electrochemical performance of this flexible capacitor under various conditions. The experimental findings were corroborated and further investigated using the COMSOL Multiphysics model to explore the characteristics of the surface electrodes