Matching Items (18)
Description
Driving under the influence (DUI) is a problem in American society that has received considerable attention over recent decades from local police agencies, lobby groups, and the news media. While punitive policies, administrative sanctions and aggressive media campaigns to deter drinking and driving have been used in the past, less conventional methods to restructure or modify the urban environment to discourage drunk driving have been underused. Explanations with regard to DUIs are policy driven more often than they are guided by criminological theory. The current study uses the routine activities perspective as a backdrop for assessing whether a relatively new mode of transportation - an urban light rail system - in a large metropolitan city in the Southwestern U.S. can alter behaviors of individuals who are likely to drive under the influence of alcohol. The study is based on a survey of undergraduate students from a large university that has several stops on the light rail system connecting multiple campuses. This thesis examines whether the light rail system has a greater effect on students whose routines activities (relatively unsupervised college youth with greater access to cars and bars) are more conducive to driving under the influence of alcohol. An additional purpose of the current study is to determine whether proximity to the light rail system is associated with students driving under the influence of alcohol, while controlling for other criminological factors
ContributorsBroyles, Joshua (Author) / Ready, Justin (Thesis advisor) / Reisig, Michael (Committee member) / Telep, Cody (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2014
Description
Extraordinary medical advances have led to significant reductions in the burden of infectious diseases in humans. However, infectious diseases still account for more than 13 million annual deaths. This large burden is partly due to some pathogens having found suitable conditions to emerge and spread in denser and more connected host populations, and others having evolved to escape the pressures imposed by the rampant use of antimicrobials. It is then critical to improve our understanding of how diseases spread in these modern landscapes, characterized by new host population structures and socio-economic environments, as well as containment measures such as the deployment of drugs. Thus, the motivation of this dissertation is two-fold. First, we study, using both data-driven and modeling approaches, the the spread of infectious diseases in urban areas. As a case study, we use confirmed-cases data on sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in the United States to assess the conduciveness of population size of urban areas and their socio-economic characteristics as predictors of STD incidence. We find that the scaling of STD incidence in cities is superlinear, and that the percent of African-Americans residing in cities largely determines these statistical patterns. Since disparities in access to health care are often exacerbated in urban areas, within this project we also develop two modeling frameworks to study the effect of health care disparities on epidemic outcomes. Discrepant results between the two approaches indicate that knowledge of the shape of the recovery period distribution, not just its mean and variance, is key for assessing the epidemiological impact of inequalities. The second project proposes to study, from a modeling perspective, the spread of drug resistance in human populations featuring vital dynamics, stochasticity and contact structure. We derive effective treatment regimes that minimize both the overall disease burden and the spread of resistance. Additionally, targeted treatment in structured host populations may lead to higher levels of drug resistance, and if drug-resistant strains are compensated, they can spread widely even when the wild-type strain is below its epidemic threshold.
ContributorsPatterson-Lomba, Oscar (Author) / Castillo-Chavez, Carlos (Thesis advisor) / Towers, Sherry (Thesis advisor) / Chowell-Puente, Gerardo (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2014
Description
Public mass shootings occur at a rate in the U.S. that is higher than any other developed country. These event initiate wide spread media attention. The media attention these events achieve have shown to impact the public behavior (e.g., increased firearm sales). However, the impact public mass shootings have on firearm storage and carry habits of the public is not well understood. Using data collected from the Transportation Security Administration, this study examines how mass shootings have led to moral panics occurring within the U.S. through the examination of the firearm carrying habits among the population immediately following mass shootings. The results indicate that loaded firearms with rounds in the chamber detected by the TSA have significantly increased since 2012. Further, firearms detected immediately following a public mass shooting had a higher proportion of firearms loaded with a round in the chamber relative to 7 days prior to the shooting. Moreover, the increase in proportions of firearms found loaded with a round in the chamber exponentially decays as days past the initial shooting, these events occur at a higher rate than the decay rate can normalize these occurrences. I conclude that in the wake of these shootings a moral panic ensues that is partially responsible for the change in the general public’s arming configuration habits. Further research is needed in to determine the impact on crime, and public health related issues due to this change in the public’s firearm carrying habits.
ContributorsCordova, Richard Donald (Author) / Reisig, Michael (Thesis advisor) / Towers, Sherry (Committee member) / Wang, Xia (Committee member) / Holtfreter, Kristy (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
Description
General Strain Theory (GST) posits that different types of strain lead to different types of negative emotions, some of which increase the likelihood of maladaptive coping. Much research on GST has focused on anger and depression. Far less attention has been directed toward other negative emotions, including anxiety and envy. The current study uses cross-sectional data from surveys administered to a university-based sample (N = 500) to address these voids and explore gender differences in the effects of strain and negative emotions in maladaptive coping. Results indicate that when gender differences existed in levels of strain and negative emotions, females experienced higher levels than males. Strain significantly predicted all four measures of negative emotions examined in this study. Finally, different negative emotions were found to have differing effects on different measures of maladaptive coping. Implications of this study for theory, future research, and policy are discussed.
ContributorsZuniga, Ana Rosa (Author) / Holtfreter, Kristy (Thesis advisor) / Reisig, Michael (Committee member) / Wang, Xia (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2015
Description
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), type 2 diabetes accounts for 90-95% of diabetes (29.1 million) cases and manifests in 15-30% of prediabetes (86 million) cases, where 9 out of 10 individuals do not know they have prediabetes. Obesity, observed in 56.9% of diabetes cases, arises from the interactions among genetic, biological, environmental, and behavioral factors that are not well understood. Assessing the strength of these links in conjunction with the identification and evaluation of intervention strategies in vulnerable populations is central to the study of chronic diseases. This research addresses three issues that loosely connect three levels of organization utilizing a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods. First, the nonlinear dynamics between insulin, glucose, and free fatty acids is studied via a hypothesis-based model and validated with bariatric surgery data, demonstrating key metabolic factors for maintaining glucose homeostasis. Second, the challenges associated with the treatment or management, and prevention of diabetes is explored in the context of an individualized-based intervention study, highlighting the importance of diet and environment. Third, the importance of tailored school lunch programs and policies is studied through contagion models developed within a social ecological framework. The Ratatouille Effect, motivated by a pilot study among PreK-8th grade Arizona students, is studied and exposes the importance of institutionalizing practical methods that factor in the culture, norms, and values of the community. The outcomes of this research illustrate an integrative framework that bridges physiological, individual, and population level approaches to study type 2 diabetes and obesity from a holistic perspective. This work reveals the significance of utilizing quantitative and qualitative methods to better elucidate underlying causes of chronic diseases and for developing solutions that lead to sustainable healthy behaviors, and more importantly, the need for translatable multilevel methodologies for the study of the progression, treatment, and prevention of chronic diseases from a multidisciplinary perspective.
ContributorsLe Murillo, Anarina (Author) / Castillo-Chavez, Carlos (Thesis advisor) / Li, Jiaxu (Thesis advisor) / Phillips, Elizabeth D. (Committee member) / Towers, Sherry (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2016
Description
Although much has been done to examine the relationship between unemployment and crime, little consideration has been given to the impact neighborhood-level factors such as informal social control may have on the strength of unemployment as a predictor of crime. The present study seeks to fill this gap by assessing whether the declining crime rates over a period of surging unemployment under the financial crisis are due to unchanged levels of informal social control. To examine these relationships, the present study utilizes data from Uniform Crime Reports (UCR), calls for service to the police, and the United States Census and American Community Survey. These data are longitudinal in nature covering the period 2007-2011 and are all related to Glendale, Arizona. The results indicate that the financial crisis predicts lower rates of property crimes as well as lower rates of calls for service relative to UCR crimes. Additionally, the present study finds that unemployment is a significant predictor of increases in UCR property crime, UCR violent crime, and engagement in each of my measures of informal social control.
ContributorsHoyle, Mary Elizabeth (Author) / Wallace, Danielle (Thesis advisor) / Chamberlain, Alyssa (Committee member) / Reisig, Michael (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2016
Description
Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), the sixth most common cancer
type worldwide, accounts for more than 630,000 new cases and 350,000 deaths
annually. Drug-resistance and tumor recurrence are the most challenging problems
in head and neck cancer treatment. It is hypothesized that a very small fraction
of stem-like cells within HNSCC tumor, called cancer stem cells (CSCs), is
responsible for tumor initiation, progression, resistance and recurrence. It has also
been shown that IL-6 secreted by head and neck tumor-associated endothelial cells
(ECs) enhances the survival, self-renewal and tumorigenic potential of head and
neck CSCs. In this study we will use a mathematical multi-scale model which operates
at the intracellular, molecular, and tissue level to investigate the impacts of
EC-secreted IL-6 signaling on the crosstalk between tumor cells and ECs during
tumor growth. This model will be calibrated by using the experimental in vivo
data.
Eventually the model will be modified to explore the responses of head and neck
cancer cells to combination therapy involving Tocilizumab (an anti-IL-6R antibody)
and Cisplatin (the most frequently used chemotherapy for head and neck
cancer). The model will be able to predict the final proportion of CSCs in response
to endothelial cell-secreted IL-6 and drug therapies. The model will be validated
by directly comparing the experimental treatment data and the model predictions.
This could potentially provide a condition under which we could control enlargement
of the head and neck CSC pool and tumor recurrence. It may also suggest
the best bounds for Cisplatin and/or Tocilizumab dose and frequency to be tested
in the clinical trial.
type worldwide, accounts for more than 630,000 new cases and 350,000 deaths
annually. Drug-resistance and tumor recurrence are the most challenging problems
in head and neck cancer treatment. It is hypothesized that a very small fraction
of stem-like cells within HNSCC tumor, called cancer stem cells (CSCs), is
responsible for tumor initiation, progression, resistance and recurrence. It has also
been shown that IL-6 secreted by head and neck tumor-associated endothelial cells
(ECs) enhances the survival, self-renewal and tumorigenic potential of head and
neck CSCs. In this study we will use a mathematical multi-scale model which operates
at the intracellular, molecular, and tissue level to investigate the impacts of
EC-secreted IL-6 signaling on the crosstalk between tumor cells and ECs during
tumor growth. This model will be calibrated by using the experimental in vivo
data.
Eventually the model will be modified to explore the responses of head and neck
cancer cells to combination therapy involving Tocilizumab (an anti-IL-6R antibody)
and Cisplatin (the most frequently used chemotherapy for head and neck
cancer). The model will be able to predict the final proportion of CSCs in response
to endothelial cell-secreted IL-6 and drug therapies. The model will be validated
by directly comparing the experimental treatment data and the model predictions.
This could potentially provide a condition under which we could control enlargement
of the head and neck CSC pool and tumor recurrence. It may also suggest
the best bounds for Cisplatin and/or Tocilizumab dose and frequency to be tested
in the clinical trial.
ContributorsNazari, Fereshteh (Author) / Jackson, Trachette L. (Thesis advisor, Committee member) / Castillo-Chavez, Carlos (Committee member) / Towers, Sherry (Committee member) / Kang, Yun (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2017
Description
Recently, videos of negative police interactions have gone viral on social media causing riots and protests nationwide. However, police scholars have spent little time exploring how these videos affect the legitimacy of this authority or why these videos are interfaced with—e.g., shared, liked, direct messaged, and quoted—on social media. The purpose of this study is to examine the extent to which the content of police videos and the source of who is sharing them impacts the legitimacy of the police as well as the likelihood of social media interfacing. This study used a factorial vignette design with an online sample (N = 179) that presented one of six experimental vignettes describing a scenario in which the participant received a video of a police interaction via social media. Within each vignette, the officer behaved in a procedurally just or unjust way and the video was shared by either a local news source, best friend, or online friend. Participants were asked questions assessing the legitimacy of the officer, as well as the likelihood they would share, like, direct message, or quote the video on social media. Participants in the procedurally unjust condition perceived the officer as less legitimate and were more likely to share the video than those in the procedurally just condition. The manipulation of source had no significant effects. The results from this study indicate that police departments need to be sensitive to these videos that are being interfaced with on social media by striving for a strong and positive social media presence in order to aid in being deemed as a legitimate authority that represents the community.
ContributorsGeoghan, Stephanie Jena (Author) / Trinkner, Rick J (Thesis advisor) / Reisig, Michael (Committee member) / Wallace, Danielle (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2022
Description
The 2009-10 influenza and the 2014-15 Ebola pandemics brought once again urgency to an old question: What are the limits on prediction and what can be proposed that is useful in the face of an epidemic outbreak?
This thesis looks first at the impact that limited access to vaccine stockpiles may have on a single influenza outbreak. The purpose is to highlight the challenges faced by populations embedded in inadequate health systems and to identify and assess ways of ameliorating the impact of resource limitations on public health policy.
Age-specific per capita constraint rates play an important role on the dynamics of communicable diseases and, influenza is, of course, no exception. Yet the challenges associated with estimating age-specific contact rates have not been decisively met. And so, this thesis attempts to connect contact theory with age-specific contact data in the context of influenza outbreaks in practical ways. In mathematical epidemiology, proportionate mixing is used as the preferred theoretical mixing structure and so, the frame of discussion of this dissertation follows this specific theoretical framework. The questions that drive this dissertation, in the context of influenza dynamics, proportionate mixing, and control, are:
I. What is the role of age-aggregation on the dynamics of a single outbreak? Or simply speaking, does the number and length of the age-classes used to model a population make a significant difference on quantitative predictions?
II. What would the age-specific optimal influenza vaccination policies be? Or, what are the age-specific vaccination policies needed to control an outbreak in the presence of limited or unlimited vaccine stockpiles?
Intertwined with the above questions are issues of resilience and uncertainty including, whether or not data collected on mixing (by social scientists) can be used effectively to address both questions in the context of influenza and proportionate mixing. The objective is to provide answers to these questions by assessing the role of aggregation (number and length of age classes) and model robustness (does the aggregation scheme selected makes a difference on influenza dynamics and control) via comparisons between purely data-driven model and proportionate mixing models.
This thesis looks first at the impact that limited access to vaccine stockpiles may have on a single influenza outbreak. The purpose is to highlight the challenges faced by populations embedded in inadequate health systems and to identify and assess ways of ameliorating the impact of resource limitations on public health policy.
Age-specific per capita constraint rates play an important role on the dynamics of communicable diseases and, influenza is, of course, no exception. Yet the challenges associated with estimating age-specific contact rates have not been decisively met. And so, this thesis attempts to connect contact theory with age-specific contact data in the context of influenza outbreaks in practical ways. In mathematical epidemiology, proportionate mixing is used as the preferred theoretical mixing structure and so, the frame of discussion of this dissertation follows this specific theoretical framework. The questions that drive this dissertation, in the context of influenza dynamics, proportionate mixing, and control, are:
I. What is the role of age-aggregation on the dynamics of a single outbreak? Or simply speaking, does the number and length of the age-classes used to model a population make a significant difference on quantitative predictions?
II. What would the age-specific optimal influenza vaccination policies be? Or, what are the age-specific vaccination policies needed to control an outbreak in the presence of limited or unlimited vaccine stockpiles?
Intertwined with the above questions are issues of resilience and uncertainty including, whether or not data collected on mixing (by social scientists) can be used effectively to address both questions in the context of influenza and proportionate mixing. The objective is to provide answers to these questions by assessing the role of aggregation (number and length of age classes) and model robustness (does the aggregation scheme selected makes a difference on influenza dynamics and control) via comparisons between purely data-driven model and proportionate mixing models.
ContributorsMorales, Romarie (Author) / Castillo-Chavez, Carlos (Thesis advisor) / Mubayi, Anuj (Thesis advisor) / Towers, Sherry (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2016
Description
Research on Tyler’s process-based model has found strong empirical support. The premise of this model is that legitimacy and legal cynicism mediate the relationship between procedural justice and compliance behaviors. Procedural justice and legitimacy in particular have been linked to compliance and cooperation and a small, but growing body of literature has examined how these factors relate to criminal offending. There remains a number of unanswered questions surrounding the developmental processes and underlying mechanisms of procedural justice and legal socialization. The purpose of this study is twofold. First, this study will build upon recent trends in the literature to examine what factors influence changes in perceptions of procedural justice and legal socialization attitudes over time. In order to do so, the effects of a number of time-stable and time-varying covariates will be assessed. Second, this study will evaluate the effects of four possible mediating measures—legitimacy, legal cynicism, anger, and prosocial motivation—underlying the relationship between procedural justice and criminal offending. This section of the study will use a multilevel mediation method to assess whether mediation occurs between or within the individual.
Data from the Pathways to Desistance Study—a longitudinal study of 1,354 adolescents adjudicated of a serious offense followed-up for seven years—are used to address this research agenda. Results from this study offer three general conclusions. First, results show that perceptions of procedural justice are malleable, that is, they can change over time and are influenced by a number of factors. Legal socialization beliefs, however, demonstrate only marginal change over time, suggesting these beliefs to be more stable. Second, analyses indicate differing pathways and effects for direct and vicarious experiences of procedural justice. Finally, the multilevel mediation analyses reveal that within-individual changes in direct experiences of procedural justice remains a robust predictor of offending, regardless of the presence of mediating variables. Legitimacy was found to have the strongest mediation effect on between-individual differences in direct procedural justice, whereas anger partially mediated the effects of between-individual differences in vicarious procedural justice. This study concludes with a discussion of policy implications and avenues for future research.
Data from the Pathways to Desistance Study—a longitudinal study of 1,354 adolescents adjudicated of a serious offense followed-up for seven years—are used to address this research agenda. Results from this study offer three general conclusions. First, results show that perceptions of procedural justice are malleable, that is, they can change over time and are influenced by a number of factors. Legal socialization beliefs, however, demonstrate only marginal change over time, suggesting these beliefs to be more stable. Second, analyses indicate differing pathways and effects for direct and vicarious experiences of procedural justice. Finally, the multilevel mediation analyses reveal that within-individual changes in direct experiences of procedural justice remains a robust predictor of offending, regardless of the presence of mediating variables. Legitimacy was found to have the strongest mediation effect on between-individual differences in direct procedural justice, whereas anger partially mediated the effects of between-individual differences in vicarious procedural justice. This study concludes with a discussion of policy implications and avenues for future research.
ContributorsKaiser, Kimberly A (Author) / Reisig, Michael (Thesis advisor) / Sweeten, Gary (Committee member) / Wright, Kevin (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2016