8413 research outputs found
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Policies in Principle, Equity Interrupted: A Content Analysis of UNR's DEIA Policies and Student Code of Conduct in Action
No full textIdentification of Transcription Factors Involved in the Formation of Spines and Glochids in Cactus Pear (Opuntia ficus-indica)
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Density Demonstration Projects: Strategies for Improving Asphalt Pavement Density
No full textKnowing that in-place density is key for building cost effective and durable asphalt pavements, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) initiated the "Enhanced Durability of Asphalt Pavements through Increased In-place Pavement Density" demonstration project. The aim was to support State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) with evaluation of their existing density requirements for acceptance. It was anticipated that the results may aid State DOTs in reviewing and updating, as needed, their current field density acceptance criteria.United States Department of TransportationFederal Highway Administratio
Prevalence and Determinants of Chronic Diseases Among Food Pantry Users in Washoe County
No full textChronic conditions remain a public health concern leading to mortality globally and locally. The incidence of chronic disease has been associated with food insecurity, as individuals in these populations do not have access to healthcare and nutritionally safe foods due to financial constraints. The inception of food assistance programs in the early 1990’s was to relieve food-insecure individuals of the burden that comes with being food-insecure. Many studies have shown associations between food insecurity and chronic diseases, however, there are limited studies among food pantry users. This study aims to estimate the prevalence of chronic disease and determine the associated sociodemographic risk factors among food pantry users in Washoe County. The study used a cross-sectional study design. Face-to-face interviews in both English and Spanish were conducted among food pantry users, 18 years and above at the selected food pantry sites. Data on self-reported chronic disease including obesity, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, hypertension, and stroke as well as sociodemographic variables were collected and analyzed using SPSS. Descriptive statistics, to estimate prevalence, chi-square test, and logistic regression were used to study associations and determine risk factors. Among the 250 participants included in this study, 61.2% reported having at least one chronic disease, with diabetes being the most prevalent. Also, 38% reported having two or more chronic diseases. There was a significant association between chronic disease and food insecurity, age, annual income, and employment (p<0.05). Food-insecure participants had higher odds of self-reported chronic conditions as compared to those food-secure (AOR 2.281; 95% CI, 1.315-3.955). The determinants of food insecurity in the population were age, income, and food security status.
The findings of this study highlight the need for targeted interventions that address both food insecurity and chronic disease management among food pantry users. Future research should examine pantry users’ lived experiences, including barriers to accessing nutritious food and perceptions of pantry quality. Longitudinal studies could help establish causal relationships between food insecurity, pantry use, and health outcomes
Nevada State Climate Office Quarterly Report June-August 2025
No full textQuarterly Report and Outlook for notable weather and climate in Nevada through June-August 2025. English Version
Closer Than They Appear
No full textCloser Than They Appear is a short story collection of approximately 23,500 words. The seven stories delve into themes of human connections and desire, set against the backdrops of uncertainty and the uncanny. Too, objects and material culture function across the collection as speculative lenses through which human and more-than-human entanglements are explored
TEST Mirrors and Windows: Exploring the Intersection of Reflective Practice and Culturally Responsive Pedagogy
No full textThis qualitative case study examined preservice teachers’ experiences in secondary education preparation programs, particularly emphasizing reflective practices in their Culturally Responsive Pedagogy (CRP) and teaching practices. A cultural proficiency self-assessment and reflection, semi-structured interviews, and self-created lesson plans or instructional strategies were explored with six pre-service teachers. Three themes were identified as the findings of this work: Teaching Preparation: Foundation with Gaps, Classroom Experiences: Where Practice Puts You to the Test, Reflective Practices: The Engine for Professional Growth. Recommendations include conducting longitudinal studies to examine preservice teachers’ sustained cultural proficiency, comparative case studies across multiple teacher preparation programs, the mentorship experience, and amplified document analyses to understand how CRP is applied in practice. Finally, seeking a mixed-methods approach to more fully capture the impact of reflective practice on teacher development is recommended in order to illuminate more unique areas in this work
Karma Chameleons: Data Collection Techniques and Account Characterization for Bot Detection on Reddit
No full textMalicious bots on social media platforms present an ever-evolving threat to the integrity of online communication. As platforms like Twitter/X, Meta, and Reddit continue to grow in popularity, so do opportunities for malicious actors to create bot accounts. These bots, which are often designed to spread deceptive material, spam, or unoriginal content, can significantly influence public opinion and suppress creativity. As a result, it is crucial that general users are able to easily identify these bots so they can be removed, protecting the authenticity of these online spaces. This thesis addresses one of the main challenges in social media bot detection: the collection of bot or human account datasets with a clearly established ground truth that can be used to train machine learning models. Without these datasets, developing accurate models to distinguish between bot and human accounts becomes difficult. In contrast to Twitter/X, bot detection research targeting Reddit is scarce, even though it is an increasingly popular platform. This thesis outlines characteristics that differentiate bot accounts from human accounts on Reddit and proposes methods for creating reliable datasets for bot detection. Human and bot datasets are combined and tested in six decision tree models to determine the accuracy of each data collection method for use in bot detection. Accurately distinguishing between human and bot accounts is essential for dataset creation, and focusing on specific characteristics allows for clearer determinations between bot and human accounts. Ultimately, in order to maintain the integrity and trustworthiness of one of the most popular social media platforms, Reddit, this thesis addresses a critical gap in bot detection research by providing a reliable framework for data collection
Visual-Oculomotor and Head Movement Strategies in Postural Control
No full textPostural control requires the integration of visual, vestibular, and proprioceptive information to maintain stability. The gold standard for inferring postural control relies on lab-based tools, such as force plates and full-body motion capture to track center of mass (COM) and center of pressure (COP). However, these tools are impractical for assessing balance in real-world or applied settings. Evolving, portable technology provides the opportunity to track head and eye movements, which reflect both biomechanical adjustments and sensory integration, and may serve as an alternative for evaluating postural stability. This dissertation investigates the use of head and eye movements as markers of postural control and balance strategies. In the first study, the relationship between head position and COM was compared during quiet stance to determine if movement of the head could serve as a direct proxy for COM. Investigation of this relationship was grounded in the premise that if the inverted pendulum model of COM were to be extended to include the head, then movement patterns between head position and COM would be tightly coupled. Results from this study reflected strong linear relationships between head position and COM, with the highest synchronization in the mediolateral direction. These results align with the inverted pendulum model demonstrating that COM is based on a variety of joints. While the relationship between head position and COM was synchronized, head position did show more variability than traditionally measured COM. This was due to the added degrees of freedom induced from the additional body segments added when the inverted pendulum model was extended to include the head. This study supports the use of head metrics as an accessible indicator of static postural control. The second study explored head and eye movement strategies using a head-mounted eye and motion tracking system during a dynamic, tandem gait walking task utilizing expert and novice balancers. Results were interpreted as exploratory data due to insufficient statistical power, however, several data trends aligned with expectations deduced from previous literature. Expert balancers consistently displayed head and eye movement behaviors that optimized the function of the vestibular and visual sensory systems, effectively reducing the number of performance errors and displaying greater postural control in comparison to that of novice balancers. These two studies provide evidence that head and eye metrics may serve as practical tools for assessing postural control and as behavioral indicators for evaluating optimal balance strategies. These studies offered novel insight into the mechanisms of postural stability with potential implications for the assessment and interventions in athletic, clinical, and aging populations