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2021 Nevada High School Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS): Sexual and Gender Minority Special Report
No full textPriority health risk behaviors (i.e. preventable behaviors that contribute to the leading
causes of morbidity and mortality) are often established during childhood and
adolescence and extend into adulthood. Ongoing surveillance of youth risk behaviors is
critical for the design, implementation, and evaluation of public health interventions to
improve adolescent health. The Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) is a national
surveillance system that was established in 1991 by the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) to monitor the prevalence of health risk behaviors among youth.
The Nevada High School YRBS is a biennial, anonymous, and voluntary survey of
students in 9th through 12th grade in regular public, charter, and alternative schools.
This special report summarized differences in behavioral health outcomes by sexual
and gender identity using the 2021 Nevada High School YRBS
Risk Aversion in Decision Making: An Exploration Through Three Studies
Get PDFThis dissertation embarks on an explorative journey into the multifaceted concept of risk aversion, a trait evident across both human and animal behaviors, suggesting its evolutionary roots and significant impact on decision-making processes. Originating from the 18th century with Daniel Bernoulli's foundational calculations, the study of risk has evolved, highlighting individual variances in risk preferences and the factors influencing these preferences. Amidst the backdrop of economic and psychological theories, including expected utility theory (EUT) and prospect theory, this research delves into the dichotomy of risk aversion�"its inherent nature versus its susceptibility to external influences such as social context and personal experiences. Spanning three empirical studies, this dissertation adopts a comprehensive approach, utilizing online surveys, computer laboratory experiments, and electroencephalography (EEG) laboratory experiments to further our understanding of the phenomenon of risk aversion. The first study examines social influence on risk behaviors through a series of experiments, uncovering the significant impact of perceived majority decisions on individual risk-taking, especially within relatable peer groups. This finding challenges the traditional utility models by demonstrating the social dimension's role in financial decision-making. The second study addresses the prevalent issue of excessive trading among investors, proposing a behavioral nudge aimed at refocusing attention on long-term gains rather than short-term fluctuations. This intervention, inspired by the theories of Markowitz and Sharpe that suggest an investment portfolio should be tailored to an investor's risk tolerance resulting in a predominantly passive investment strategy, tests the hypothesis that a long-term perspective can enhance investment outcomes and offering practical implications for retirement savings strategies. The third study ventures into the neuroeconomics realm to investigate the nature versus nurture debate concerning risk preferences. Through neuroeconomic methodologies, it explores the neural underpinnings of loss aversion and the physiological variations correlating with risk aversion levels. This interdisciplinary study aims to bridge the gap between neurobiological insights and economic and psychological theories, enriching our understanding of risk aversion's underpinnings. Collectively, these studies contribute to a deeper comprehension of risk aversion, proposing innovative strategies for decision-making improvement and policy development, thereby enriching the discourse on economic and psychological behavior modeling
Toxic Gas and Particle Emissions from the Combustion of Spacecraft Materials and Numerical Analysis of Smoke Transport in Reduced Gravity
Get PDFFire risk in space travel is greater than in most terrestrial situations as toxic gases and suspended particulate matter can reach dangerous levels. It is imperative that fires are detected early, and proper safety practices are in place. To improve the detection of fires on spacecraft, understanding the emissions from flammable and nonflammable materials is of great importance. This study investigated the pyrolysis of four common spacecraft materials, Kapton, PTFE, Teflon Kapton wire insulation, and Velcro, to identify, evaluate, and quantify their gaseous and particulate emissions. Smoke transport in multiple gravities was simulated by a computational fluid dynamics model. Emission factors were computed for all gases measured using gas monitors and FTIR gas analysis, and particulate using optical measurement. Charge and size distributions and chemical properties of the particulate were also analyzed. Multiple highly toxic gases, such as hydrogen cyanide, carbonyl fluoride, and tetrafluoroethylene were measured, as well as a large amount of ultrafine particulate. Many of the gases and particles measured are not closely monitored for fire detection currently, making the findings of particular interest for the development of future smoke detectors and the protection of the astronauts Using the emission factors collected in the experimental portion for PTFE, smoke transport in a simplified Orion space module is modeled using Fire Dynamics Simulator. Limited studies using computational fluid dynamics simulations have been conducted for the Orion space module, making findings relevant to current NASA mission objectives
Eternal Sunset Experiential Area
No full textThrough travel, one enters a state of liminality - vulnerability, both physically and emotionally, as one goes from one place to another. This transient feeling is pronounced when looking out at the land while traveling, and especially while driving - watching the landscape slowly morph and change over time, becoming something else. Complicating this further is the knowable and unknowable histories and forces that shape the way these places are experienced. Even after traveling and returning home, these images and experiences remain active through memory. Memories of physical sensations - sight, touch, smell, feel - become triggers for not just the places that were seen, but the emotions that were felt, activating anytime such a reminder presents itself. Over time, the memory of travel overtakes the original physical experience in the mind, in that the emotions felt both in the moment and again while remembering become the experience remembered. The resulting nostalgia colors the memories of the past, as well as yearnings for the future. This experience is what I sit with when creating my work, contending with the liminality of my past experiences of the sublime with the ennui of day-to-day life. From this experience, I present my MFA Thesis work, Eternal Sunset Experiential Area, as both a physical exhibition of installation work and as this paper, documenting my research into these themes and the production of these works. Considering the themes outlined in the previous paragraph, I began researching the relationships and connections between landscape and memory. From here, I broadened this research to consider nostalgia as well as physical-digital experience, along with art that depicts these themes. With this research in mind, my goal became to create an immersive and interactive installation, that simultaneously instills a sense of sublime within an unreal space while calling attention to the way we experience space and memory. In all, my work seeks to ask questions about the way we remember the experience of being in a place, how these memories affect our perception of what was possible in the past or what can be in the future, and how this experience exists within contemporary, digital contexts
Taking the Plunge: A Study of Organizational and Individual Factors that Result in a Decision to Enter the Applicant Pool
No full textIn the study and practice of human resources, much of the diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility focus has been on antecedents of intentional and unintentional discrimination during the hiring and selection stages of employment. The overemphasis on the later stages of hiring ignores findings that applicant pool characteristics have a greater influence on selection outcomes than does the selection process. With limited research surrounding the decision to apply for a job as an end in and of itself, this dissertation explores factors that influence the early stages of job search prior to applying for a job. In addition, this dissertation also explores potential reasons for delay within the job application process, particularly differences in application timing across sociodemographic groups. Using The Theory of Planned Behavior, Job Search Self-Efficacy, and Backlash Avoidance Model to guide theoretical predictions, I studied factors that influence job seekers in their job search and application decisions across two studies. In Study 1, I presented a sample of undergraduate student job seekers with a job posting and investigated whether and when they would apply for the job. In Study 2, I experimentally manipulated job prestige (i.e., company reputation and job salary) with a sample of adults who were either employed or actively seeking a job. Several key findings emerged across studies. First, perceived behavioral control with respect to applying for a particular job indirectly linked participants' general levels of job search self-efficacy (JSSE) to application outcomes, including whether and when they would apply for the job. Additionally, participants' levels of backlash avoidance also indirectly predicted application outcomes through applicant's subjective norms (i.e., beliefs about how others would perceive them applying for the job). These intriguing findings highlight the importance of prior experiences and others' perceptions when applicants think about applying for a job, which ultimately influences application intentions and timing of applying. However, there were no moderation effects across subgroups, providing some preliminary evidence that there may not be systematic differences in timing of applying for jobs, which is encouraging for organizations managing their applicant pool data. Nonetheless, this dissertation should serve as a catalyst for increased research attention on recruitment and job search processes leading up to applicants' decisions to apply for a job to better understand this important part of the employment process
Commodity Discounting: Comparing an Adjusting Amount and Adjusting Delay Procedure
No full textDiscounting refers to the devaluing of outcomes as a function of some variable �" like time or probability (Rachlin, 2006). Due to the correlation of steep discounting with many socially significant maladaptive behaviors, research on discounting is rapidly increasing (Odum, 2011). Although most discounting research has been on monetary discounting, maladaptive behaviors of interest typically result in non-monetary outcomes (e.g., cigarettes, food). Thus, it is important to investigate commodity discounting, discounting pertaining to different commodities �" especially given that differences in discounting have been observed across various commodities. In monetary discounting, adjusting amount procedures and adjusting delay procedures have been compared. While these procedures yield similar discounting curves with monetary outcomes, few studies have been compared these procedures across various commodities. The present study compares an adjusting amount and delay procedure across four different commodities at small and large magnitudes. These data can inform which procedure may be better suited for certain types of commodities
Early Tudor Gardens and Their Design: What Did They Look Like, and Why?
Get PDFThis study explores the role of privacy in early Tudor castle garden design. I aim to identify which aspects of the garden may relate to privacy, and to determine how elites connected their private spaces inside the castle with their gardens. Literature on medieval privacy has almost exclusively focused on interior spaces, so this study offers a new avenue of research by focusing on exterior spaces. I address the questions of how size and location affect the privacy of castle gardens, as well as asking what the relationship was between interior and exterior private spaces. I employed an integrated study of documentary and landscape archaeology to answer these questions. This qualitative study used primary written sources, archaeological field survey, previous archaeological excavation data, and phenomenology to identify how privacy was created and experienced by the elite residents at three different Tudor era castles: Sudeley Castle, Wressle Castle, and Framlingham Castle. The findings illustrate how important agency was to the creation of privacy, as individuals used their space in particular, personal ways. Each individual owner placed emphasis on different aspects of the garden to create their private space, including location, access, and visibility. The common thread among the gardens in this study is the enclosure of the sites, as almost all were surrounded by a hedge or wall. The one garden that was not enclosed, the Queen’s Garden at Sudeley Castle, was likely used for a different purpose than the others. This study’s results indicate that the ability to adapt garden design to individual privacy requirements was crucial to the early Tudor elites. This dissertation offers an insight into the purpose of privy gardens at castles and the importance of privacy in everyday life in the early Tudor period. Future research should include the addition of royal castles, as the king may have had different privacy needs than members of his court, as well as a geographical comparison�"comparing both proximity to the Scottish border and proximity to London
AIEI Webinar Series on Balanced Mix Design (Session 1 of 5): Implementation Planning
No full textThis webinar discusses the importance of and how to create an effective implementation plan for Balanced Mix Design (BMD). Topics cover essential actions, from gaining internal and external support to mapping tasks and timelines, with insights from lead states and actionable examples for positive practices.U.S. Department of TransportationFederal Highway Administratio
Nevada State Undergraduate Research Journal - Volume 10 Issue 1
No full textThe Nevada State Undergraduate Research Journal Edition 10 Volume 1 is an interdisciplinary journal on comprehensive undergraduate student research in fields such as computer science, political science and the humanities.Department of Undergraduate Research at University of Nevada, Ren
Nevada State Climate Office Drought Report December 2024
No full textThis report was created by the Nevada State Climate Office to provide a statewide drought summary for December 2024