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The Development of Environmental DNA (eDNA) Sampling for Arbovirus Vector Surveillance in Southern Nevada
No full textVector-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 surveys conducted by the Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD) are limited by infrastructure and logistical requirements. New vector surveillance methods that are simple and unbiased at the sampling stage are needed to enhance the survey capacity of the SNHD. One such methods is to exploit detection of environmental DNA (eDNA), shed by vectors breeding in aquatic environments. In this study, we designed and optimized a novel multiplex TaqMan qPCR assay, using single nucleotide polymorphisms in cytochrome oxidase I, to simultaneously detect environmental DNA (eDNA) shed by the three major local mosquito vector species—Culex (Cx.) quinquefasciatus, Cx. tarsalis, and Aedes (Ae.) aegypti—in aquatic environments. Water samples collected from various locations in Clark County, including water bodies near overnight gravid traps and BG sentinel traps, were analyzed to compare vector species composition. The results demonstrated that eDNA surveillance could effectively identify all three vector species of interest both with and without direct visualization at the breeding site. This approach shows promise for integration into citizen science initiatives, enhancing field-friendly arbovirus vector surveillance and expanding entomological monitoring capabilities in Southern Nevada. The study also highlights the potential of eDNA surveillance to detect changes in vector species dispersal patterns and the emergence of new invasive species
Internationalization Strategies of Asian Hotel Companies – A Knowledge-Integration Perspective
No full textThis study aims to contribute to understanding sustainable internationalization of Asian Hotel Companies (AHCs) by adopting a knowledge-integration approach. The focus is on developing competence models for long-term success, specifically from a knowledge-integration perspective.
A mixed-method approach comprising both qualitative and quantitative studies was implemented. Initially, a series of interviews with 16 top hotel executives (and industry experts) were conducted to gain an in-depth understanding of the issues relating to the internationalization of AHCs. The transcribed interviews were used to develop themes from which critical variables related to knowledge management and integration of AHCs were generated. Hypotheses were then tested based on these variables. In the next stage, a self-administered survey was conducted with 176 respondents. The cleaned dataset, comprising a sample size of 114, was subsequently analyzed to test the direct, mediated, and moderated relationships among variables using R-Studio and SPSS.
The findings of this study have practical implications for the internationalization strategies of AHCs. They reveal that successful strategies significantly hinge on knowledge integration. Entrepreneurial competencies serve as a crucial mediator, enhancing the ability to strategically leverage knowledge from network resources and market opportunities to achieve superior performance following international growth. Absorptive capacity moderates, conditionally optimizing how AHCs can utilize and effectively integrate external knowledge and information. This empirical evidence suggests that AHCs can pursue an asset-light path in their international growth trajectory, provided that knowledge management and integration practices are implemented to promote operational agility and sustainable expansion.
The study provides empirical evidence that supports the potential for AHCs to pursue an asset-light international growth strategy. This approach is feasible if aspects of knowledge management are widely adopted and knowledge integration practices are implemented, promoting operational agility and sustainable international expansion. Given that AHCs are latecomers in the international arena, the knowledge integration perspective is crucial to accelerating their growth plans in more developed regions. This study underscores the importance of knowledge management and integration in achieving competitive advantage and sustainable internationalization for AHCs
Impact of Placement Disruption on School Outcomes in Maltreated Youth
No full textSchool 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 achievement. The present study highlighted the educational impacts of placement disruption and explored implications for public policy regarding maltreated youth. Hypothesis 1 was that a significant relationship would be found between impairment across school outcome variables and the number of lifetime transfers in housing. Hypothesis 2 was that a significant relationship would be found between clinician’s ratings of disruptive classroom behaviors and the number of lifetime transfers in housing and a youth’s demographic variables (i.e., race, gender, age, longevity in DFS, assessed before or after COVID-19 shutdown). Hypothesis 3 was that a significant relationship would be found between impairment across school outcome variables and the number of lifetime placements within high-risk settings (i.e., inpatient psychiatric treatment facilities, and detention centers). Binomial logistic regression was used to evaluate the hypotheses. Hypotheses were partially supported. Findings determined youth were 2.1 times as likely to experience problematic classroom behaviors for every 9.60 placements after initial 9 placements. Furthermore, 3 lifetime placements within inpatient psychiatric care settings increased the likelihood of problematic classroom behaviors by 1.59 times. No association between school achievement and the lifetime number of placements, demographic variables, or high-risk placements was found. Age was a significant predictor of problematic school attendance in that older youth were 1.29 times as likely to experience problematic school attendance for every year they age. The present study’s findings have implications for policies focusing on research specific to CPS-involved youth, the incorporation of trauma informed school systems, increased mental health access, and stabilization for home and school placement at the local, state, and federal levels. Additional research is necessary to further evaluate the impact of CPS involvement on school outcomes
Effect of Epistemic Cognition and Self-Regulation on the Evaluation of Online Information
No full textWhile research has shown that epistemic cognition plays an important role in self-regulation, the way in which it does so in online contexts needs further research. The objective of this dissertation was to examine the relationship between Internet-specific epistemic cognition and Internet-specific self-regulated learning, and to use a mixed-methods approach in order to expand upon the way learners undergo the evaluation of information in online spaces beyond the traditional method of only using self-report measures and other common quantitative techniques. Using an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design, Phase 1 (N = 117) used quantitative methods to first look at the relationship between epistemic cognition and self-regulated learning (SRL), using both the Internet-specific epistemological questionnaire (ISEQ) and a self-regulated learning questionnaire. Then a Pearson’s test of correlation was used to examine any indication of a relationship between these self-report measures. Using qualitative methods, Phase 2 (n = 12) used an online text, think-aloud protocols, and semi-structured interviews to better determine how epistemic cognition and self-regulated learning impact information evaluation while on the Internet, particularly when information with discrepancies is present, as well as how these results differed from the self-report data. For their task participants read a text on supplement use for preventing and treating a cold, which had both accurate information as well as discrepancies. During this task they followed think-aloud protocols to record what they were doing and thinking during the task, and then semi-structured interviews were completed afterwards. This data was used to provide a different perspective into how participants use epistemic cognition and self- regulation during online information gathering and evaluation, as compared to the self-report measures in Phase 1
Resource Allocation for Vehicular Communication Systems
No full textSmart cities utilize real-time data to enhance mobility, connectivity, and safety services. Intelligent transportation systems (ITS) play a crucial role in this endeavor, striving to innovate, plan, operate, evaluate, and manage transportation systems through advanced information and communication technologies. Among these technologies, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication systems serve as key enablers for ITS. A leading wireless communication technology to realize V2X communications is the cellular-V2X (C-V2X) network leveraging wireless cellular networks for vehicular communications. However, the performance of C-V2X systems is significantly influenced by resource allocation challenges, including radio resources such as spectrum, transmission power, and energy consumption. This dissertation aims to design resource allocation schemes for vehicular communications in C-V2X networks. Given the limited resources and unique characteristics of vehicular communication systems, such as high vehicle mobility and diverse quality of service (QoS) requirements, the study explores techniques like full-duplex (FD) communications, frequency reuse (FR), and integration of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to enhance system efficiency. The dissertation addresses five challenges in vehicular communication within C-V2X networks. In the first problem, we address the issue of resource allocation in C-V2X networks, where both cellular and vehicular users contend for limited resources while possessing distinct QoS requirements. Subsequently, the focus narrows to vehicular users exclusively to enhance system efficiency considering resource constraints. The second problem centers on enhancing spectral efficiency in C-V2X networks through FD and FR techniques. In the third problem, the deployment of UAVs to provide communication services to vehicular users in intersection scenarios is explored, offering an energy-efficient resource allocation scheme. Moving forward, the fourth problem investigates the deployment of multiple UAVs in highway scenarios, comparing hovering and flying deployment strategies in terms of resource allocation efficiency. Finally, the fifth problem combines FD and UAV technologies, deploying an FD UAV to provide communication services to a group of vehicular users on a highway, presenting a comprehensive resource allocation policy. For each problem, the dissertation presents the system model and mathematically formulates the resource allocation problem as an optimization problem. Mathematical optimization techniques are employed to address problems one to four, while problem five utilizes reinforcement learning. Simulation results are utilized to evaluate the performance of the proposed schemes
Peer Led Learning Curriculum on Sexual Education
No full textSexual education is a necessary course that teaches students about health and safety. There have been many obstacles that educators have faced in implementing into schools. This has led to a statewide division in how the topic is taught. Because of this, gaps in students\u27 knowledge can lead to harmful practices or actions. A comprehensive sex ed, or CSE, needs to be utilized across the United States as this curriculum focuses on empirically based evidence and facts. Having an unbiased curriculum will improve student’s knowledge and help prevent parent backlash. However, sex ed needs to embrace peer-led learning as many students have prior knowledge about sex ed, whether due to other peers or the internet. This thesis combines both principles and offers a new curriculum to be taught in the Clark County School District among high schoolers. This new curriculum will open the doors for further research and can be built upon for future studies
Nevada’s Housing Policy Landscape: Data, Analysis, and Policy Solutions
No full textFrom rising rents to high interest rates to limited supply, housing policy is a central issue in the 2024 elections. Brookings Mountain West, in partnership with UNLV’s Lied Center for Real Estate, hosted a community forum examining the local, state, and federal impacts of Nevada’s housing challenges. New research presented at the forum offer insights into the demographic and economic dynamics of individuals and families navigating Nevada\u27s turbulent housing market, assess trends in home ownership, and evaluate barriers preventing Nevadans from accessing the housing market
Parental Failure and the Double Standards of Screen Time Discourse on Popular Parenting Blogs
No full textUnderstanding screen time discourse is vital in grasping people’s relationship with media comprehensively. This research seeks to add to this body of knowledge by highlighting the double standards present within parenting blogs’ narratives on screen time. Utilizing a qualitative analysis conducted on a dataset of over 200 coded articles (n=220) from parenting blog giants such as Parents.com and SheKnows.com, I argue that popular parenting blogs simultaneously platform content that pushes parents to constantly manage and mitigate their children’s screen time use, while at the same time implicitly encouraging parents to utilize apps, audio, content, and devices to do so. In supporting this claim, I explore the state of screen discourse on parenting blogs, various policing tactics encouraged by parenting blog content, as well as what this paper calls “narratives of parental failure,” which refers to the content & narratives depicting where parents deviated from the perceived idealized norms around screen time management and usage that were established by said platformed parenting content. I then conclude this piece by discussing the implications of these findings to our broader understanding of media, parenting, and socialization, as well as avenues future research in this area should explore.https://oasis.library.unlv.edu/durep_posters/1212/thumbnail.jp
“Educational Facials”: A Healing Tool for the Beautiful Struggle
No full textCritical educators of Color often work to support their students to work toward justice. However, because we live and work in a society imbued with white supremacy, cisheteropatriarchy, and additional systems of oppression, students and colleagues may resist efforts toward equity and racial justice, especially in mathematics education with women of Color instructors. In this paper, two mathematics educators, a Japanese American woman and a Black woman, elaborate a theory of educational facials, first coined by the second author in 2015. The theory of educational facials is an analytic tool for healing from and navigating harmful school climates. The authors operationalize the theory of educational facials as a lens to investigate examples from their own experiences negotiating unhealthy environments. The article shares descriptions of types of educational facials (e.g., do-it-yourself empowerment educational facial) and concludes with discussion of systemic change to promote healthy, liberatory, justice-oriented school spaces
Preparing Occupational Therapy Students in a Role-Emerging Private School-Based Setting
No full textThis capstone project occurred in collaboration with Cornerstone Christian Academy in Las Vegas, Nevada. As a role-emerging area of practice, occupational therapy must focus on integrating services in private schools just as much as public schools. The need for resources to support future fieldwork students at Cornerstone Christian Academy makes it difficult for occupational therapy students to enhance their experiential learning opportunities and serve an underserved population of primary and middle school students.
The capstone project consisted of daily engagement with Cornerstone Christian Academy’s educational personnel, attending students, and the parents of the students for 14 weeks to ensure all stakeholders involved will benefit from the capstone project. These interactions resulted in creating an evidence-based fieldwork manual tailored to guide fieldwork students through their experiences. Delivery of occupational therapy services in private institutions such as Cornerstone Christian Academy can serve as a model to bring attention to the limited educational support such institutions may face. Shedding light on the increasing demand for school-based support services in private schools and fieldwork experiences in role-emerging areas provides an opportunity for occupational therapy to fulfill multiple needs to achieve the common goal of academic success