Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Ouachita's Kinesiology Department To Co-Host Kids' Triathlon May 3, Ashleigh Estes, Office Of Communications & Marketing

Press Releases

Ouachita Baptist University’s Department of Kinesiology will partner with Community Connections to host the first Arkadelphia Kids’ Triathlon on Friday, May from 5-7 p.m. at the Sturgis Physical Education Center on Ouachita’s campus.

Hallie Wallace, instructor in the kinesiology department at Ouachita, teaches a course that focuses on adaptive kinesiology. Wallace said her work gives her a natural affinity for the mission of Community Connections and its parent program, Pediatrics Plus, a pediatric outpatient therapy provider that creates spaces for disabled children to participate in sports and athletic competitions. Community Connections invited Ouachita’s kinesiology department to join them in hosting …

Ouachita To Hold Commencement Exercises May 11, Felley Lawson, Office Of Communications & Marketing

Press Releases

Ouachita Baptist University will host its 137th Spring Commencement on Saturday, May 11, at 9:30 a.m. on the front lawn of Cone-Bottoms Hall.

The ceremony will honor more than 360 graduates, which includes those who have earned Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Music Education and Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees, as well as Master of Science degrees and post-baccalaureate certificates for Dietetic Internship. Graduates recognized will have completed their degree requirements in August 2023, December 2023 or May 2024.

Let's Move! An Analysis Into The Relationship Between Physical Activity, Work-Related Outcomes, And Mental Health, Colin Elliott

Honors Projects in Psychology

The Affordable Care Act of 2010 subsidized the use of Corporate Wellness Programs (CWPs) as a way to combat the growing obesity problem currently plaguing the United States. Despite this subsidization, these CWPs offered by employers are still lacking in both quality of programs and the number of programs that are offered to employees. 52% of all companies in the United States sponsor a CWP, and these numbers decline to approximately 28% of all companies offering a physical activity program for employees. Current literature highlights the benefits of physical activity, but there is lack of research on CWPs and their …

L2 Acquistion Of Korean: Phonology And Prosody, Angel M. Ray

2024 Spring Honors Capstone Projects

Learning Korean as a second language (L2) has many challenges for a native (L1) non-native speaker. There is a new alphabet, word order, and new sounds that English does not have. Additionally, pronunciation and prosody are among the hardest aspects of the language to learn and master. Especially if one's native language is not tonal or does not have similar sounds in their inventory. The new sounds that a new language introduces can be too subtle to pick up when listening, making it difficult for non-native speakers to replicate in their speech. The language's flow of speech and rising and …

Urban Harmony: Exploring The Interplay Of New Urbanism Qualities On Economic Prosperity And Psychological Wellbeing In Contemporary Cities, Crew T. Borgeson

2024 Spring Honors Capstone Projects

Now that most people live in urban places, answering which urbanism best provides citizen well-being becomes increasingly important. After nearly a century of suburban development, the significant drawbacks of urban sprawl are widely documented, namely the unsustainability and social impacts they incur. Many American cities, however, continue to chiefly expand in this way. What if cities were to make decisions not based on the status quo of today’s building codes but instead drew inspiration from great historical cities, applying their lessons to the unique challenges of the 21st century?

The New Urbanism movement aims to identify and incorporate the elements …

Evaluating The Applicability Of Hernando De Soto's Theories In Context Of Bangladesh's Informal Housing Sector, Md Mohotasim R. Khan

2024 Spring Honors Capstone Projects

This research project examines Bangladesh's urban informal housing sector, aiming to understand the dynamics considering Hernando de Soto's theories, as articulated in "The Other Path." With 52% of urban residents living in slums, the study adopts a mixed-method approach, analyzing De Soto's framework, conducting literature reviews, case studies, and utilizing secondary data on urban informal housing. The objective is to identify structural and operational aspects of informal housing in Bangladesh and compare these with De Soto's observations in Peru. The significance is underscored by its focus on socio-economic perspectives, offering insights into the informal housing sector's impact on development indicators. …

Allocating Vehicle Registration Permits, Massimiliano Landi, Domenico Menicucci

Research Collection School Of Economics

We compare social welfare, consumer surplus and profits in two different institutional settings in which an item whose quantity is fixed and controlled (vehicle registration permit) is allocated to the buyers of a complementary good (car). In the first setting, which resembles the way in which vehicle registration permits are allocated in Singapore, the central planner runs a uniform price auction for permits in which the consumers who bid the highest receive the permits and pay the highest losing bid. Then each winning consumer purchases a car from a seller. In the alternative setting, the central planner first allocates the …

Soil Moisture Profile Estimation By Combining P-Band Sar Polarimetry With Hydrological And Multi-Layer Scattering Models, Anke Fluhrer, Thomas Jagdhuber, Carsten Montzka, Maike Schumacher, Hamed Alemohammad, Alireza Tabatabaeenejad, Harald Kunstmann, Dara Entekhabi

Geography

An approach for estimating vertically continuous soil moisture profiles under varying vegetation covers by combining remote sensing with soil (hydrological) modeling is proposed. The approach uses decomposed soil scattering components, after the removal of the vegetation scattering components from fully polarimetric P-band SAR observations. By comparing these with hydrological simulations, soil moisture profiles from the soil surface until a soil depth of 30 cm (assumed average P-band penetration depth) are estimated. Here, the hydrological model HYDRUS-1D, as a representative of any soil hydrological model, is employed to simulate an ensemble of realistic soil moisture profiles, which are used for a …

Bull Spit, Sirena Nieves, Sirena M. Nieves

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

BULL SPIT, formally known as “It’s Bullshit!!”, is an exhibition consisting of seven sculptures, four installations, and one performance. The sculptures are informed by my research on low-income, working-class communities of color, analogous to the one I grew up in. The materials for my work include domestic objects such as bedsheets, hardware, uniforms, and miscellaneous items that reflect the contemporary dysfunctional dynamics between families and communities of low-income backgrounds. Cardboard, plastic bags, Styrofoam, and paper are disposable materials manipulated into abject forms to integrate the survival practice developed from the poverty culture of “making the most out of nothing.” …

Establishing A Model For Sustainable And Meaningful Philanthropy Partnerships: A Case Study Of Kappa Delta Beta Sigma And Kids Hub Child Advocacy Center, Kenning Bridges

Honors Theses

Sororities have a long-standing tradition of philanthropic engagement, evolving from simple donations to forging sustainable partnerships with charitable organizations. This thesis project delves into the dynamics of sorority-philanthropy relationships, focusing on the partnership between the Beta Sigma Chapter of Kappa Delta and Kids Hub Child Advocacy Center. Through interviews, surveys, and literature review, the study explores the evolution of their collaboration, challenges faced, and strategies for sustainability. The partnership, initiated by modest donations, has grown into a significant commitment by Kappa Delta Beta Sigma, displaying a transition from transactional giving to deep engagement with Kids Hub's mission. Challenges such as …

Inclusive Policy, Diverse Perspectives: Affirmative Action And The Model Minority Among University Students, Jannie Nguyen

Honors Theses

In lieu of the recent Supreme Court overturn of affirmative action, Asian American students were on the forefront as the main racial group defended in this case. The model minority stereotype obscures societal perceptions of Asians and Asian Americans as collectively intelligent, hard-working, and submissive. Whereas the stereotype appears frequently in academic settings, this research aims to understand and contextualize the perceptions on affirmative action among Asian college students within the context and social dynamics of the model minority stereotype. A qualitative approach was deployed to garner nuance narratives of fifteen participants in the study. Participants in the study represent …

Race Relations At The Neshoba County Fair: Examining Interdependency Between Tradition, Intergenerational Racism, And Racial Disenfranchisement, William Adams

Honors Theses

The Neshoba County Fair in Neshoba County, Mississippi, is a place of idiosyncrasy and incomparability. As of 2023, the Neshoba County Fair still existed as a place of explicit residential and social segregation. This project aimed to interview fairgoers at the 2023 Neshoba County Fair to unveil the truth about the Fair's continual racial exclusion. How has the Fair remained segregated? What makes racism at the Neshoba County Fair different from traditional racism? To answer these questions, anonymous interviewees at the Neshoba County Fair were asked a series of questions tailored to provide answers to those two research questions. As …

Inclusive Policy, Diverse Perspectives: Affirmative Action And The Model Minority Among University Students, Jannie Nguyen

Honors Theses

In lieu of the recent Supreme Court overturn of affirmative action, Asian American students were on the forefront as the main racial group defended in this case. The model minority stereotype obscures societal perceptions of Asians and Asian Americans as collectively intelligent, hard-working, and submissive. Whereas the stereotype appears frequently in academic settings, this research aims to understand and contextualize the perceptions on affirmative action among Asian college students within the context and social dynamics of the model minority stereotype. A qualitative approach was deployed to garner nuance narratives of fifteen participants in the study. Participants in the study represent …

A World Between: The Macro And Micro-Relationships That Shape The Borderlands, Teresa Digerolamo

Honors Theses

This thesis explores changing border policies, their effects on migrants, and the humanitarian community that has emerged to meet the needs of migrants. Border policy has sought to make the journey through the U.S.-Mexico border perilous and unattractive for travelers, pushing migrants into dangerous terrain known to reach life-threatening extremes in the summer and winter months. Over 8,000 migrants have died since 1998 along the U.S.-Mexico border, and aid groups have emerged to meet the need for life-saving care. The humanitarian community in southern Arizona is active and dynamic, adapting to ever-changing border policy and mobilizing resources year-round. Through reviewing …

"Speak Arabic!": Arabic Dialect Comparison Videos And The Reconfiguration Of The Maghreb-Mashreq Language Ideology, Jacquelyn Stewart-Kuhn

Honors Theses

There is a hidden power imbalance in the Arabic-speaking world. It is not related to warfare, politics, or oil, but language. For decades, Egyptian and Levantine (Mashreqi) dialects have been over-represented in Arabic language media, to the detriment of North African (Maghrebi) dialects. This imbalance has played a crucial role in reinforcing what Hachimi (2013) refers to as the “Maghreb-Mashreq language ideology,” i.e. the belief that Mashreqi dialects are superior to Maghrebi dialects. Yet in an era of social media, Mashreqi voices and dialects are becoming less dominant, and Arabic-speakers across the region are being increasingly exposed to Maghrebi voices …

Exposure Of Future Nuclear Energy Infrastructure To Climate Change Hazards: A Review Assessment, Joana Portugal-Pereira, Miguel Esteban, Kathleen Araújo

Public Policy and Administration Faculty Publications and Presentations

This review discusses climate hazards and specific risks associated with existing and new nuclear power plants under global warming level futures, with an emphasis on water-based risks for plants that rely on traditional water-cooling processes. Projected hazards, including extreme heatwaves, sea-level rise, and altered precipitation patterns pose significant challenges to the safe and efficient operation of nuclear plants. Additional risks include reduced water-cooling system efficiency, clogging due to biological contamination of water streams, water access issues in reactors during droughts, disruptions from extreme storms, and coastal sea level rise. These findings emphasise the importance of formulating appropriate adaptation strategies that …

Leadership Development Through Athletic Experience, Antoine Grace

All Student Scholarship

This qualitative research aims to find the relationship between athletics and leadership development by examining athletes' and nonathletes' students, life, leadership experiences, and learned behaviors. The research utilized a purposive sampling to recruit a diverse group of participants from the university that classify as either student-athletes or non-sport-playing students. The collection of data from participants has been conducted using semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis has been used to identify patterns and themes in the interview data, allowing for a meaningful understanding and interpretation based on aspects of athletes' and non-athletes' experiences. This study aims to contribute to the existing literature on …

Emotional Experiences Of Black U.S. Computer Science And Engineering Students Amid Faculty-Student Interactions, Kyle Shanachilubwa

Honors Theses

Black students encounter unique challenges in computer science and engineering education. Chief among these is a disconnect with faculty due to a lack of mentorship and difficulties in interactions with faculty. Despite these challenges, Black students bring many engineering and computer science assets. This study aims to understand the emotional experiences of Black students in computer science and engineering education. We present an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to answer the questions: (1) How do Black students experience faculty-student interactions in computer science and engineering education? (2) How do Black students experience professional shame in these interactions? To answer these research …

Political Orientation And Its Effect On Engagement And Perception Of The Arts, Parker Robert Mckenzie

Communication Studies

Utilizing the Symbolic Interactionism Theory (Gusfield, 2011), this study explored the relationship between political orientation and one’s engagement with and perception of art forms. The study utilized qualitative methods analysis to analyze similarities between participant responses. Findings from participants revealed the following themes: engagement with history leading to a more profound understanding of art, art causing real-life inspiration, and engagement with art leads to the formation of sub-cultures. Additionally, interviews revealed that people choose not to engage with certain art based on political orientation, people who consider themselves to be “spiritual” engaged with art differently, and many people’s perception of …

Application Of Machine Learning And Deep Learning In Us Housing Markets, Satyanshu Kumar

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores the utilization of machine learning (ML), deep learning (DL), and social media data analysis to improve the accuracy of predicting stock returns in the housing market. The dissertation aims to investigate different models and data sources in order to enhance the accuracy of forecasting, surpassing the effectiveness of previous methods.

The first chapter of dissertation investigates the efficacy of machine learning models in predicting housing values at different time intervals. The system utilizes various datasets containing home prices and optimizes hyperparameters using cross-validation. The findings indicate that machine learning models surpass traditional time series models, especially when …

Arabic Heritage Speakers’ Production And Perception Of Arabic Emphatic-Plain Contrasts, Maaly Al Omary

Theses and Dissertations

Arabic emphasis refers to the production of consonants resulting from a primary constriction in the dental or alveolar region and a secondary constriction in the back of the vocal tract, recognized as ‘Emphatic.’ These have contrastive consonants produced in the dental or alveolar region, recognized as ‘Plain.’ The existing research on emphasis in Arabic has identified specific acoustic parameters that distinguish between plain versus emphatic consonants in production and factors that have been shown to influence the perception of emphatics. While previous studies have established these patterns for both native speakers of Arabic and L2 learners of Arabic, they have …

Max Arthur Cohn's Serigraphs And The Progressive Legacy Of The New Deal, Mirel Crumb

Theses and Dissertations

Max Arthur Cohn (American, b. England 1903-1998) was among the first artists to create “serigraphs,” a type of silkscreen print that gained popularity in the 1940s in New York City. Cohn was a founding member of the Silk Screen Group which later became the National Serigraph Society. This thesis contextualizes Cohn’s serigraphs within the history of the medium’s development and the broader history of mid-twentieth century American art. I analyze how Cohn’s serigraphs made for demonstration democratized access to the medium, Cohn’s experimentation in serigraphy expressed the diversity of style encouraged by Popular Front, and Cohn’s serigraph prints and greeting …

Friendly, But Not Friends: Forensics Competitors' Relational Framing Of Compliments From Opponents, Benjamin Lee Davis

Theses and Dissertations

Prior research highlights the social benefits competitors gain from participation in intercollegiate forensics. Although competitors often interact with members of opposing teams, however, little empirical research exists explaining how competitor interactions unfold and how the outcomes of these exchanges contribute to the larger social environment between competitors in the intercollegiate forensics community. Using a framework informed by relational framing theory (RFT; Dillard et al., 1996) and relational turbulence theory (Solomon et al., 2016), this study explores how competitors make sense of compliments from their opponents. Collegiate forensics competitors (N = 121) were recruited to participate in an online survey and …

Essays In Aging, Marital Stability, And Mental Health, Avigyan Sengupta

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents three chapters about understudied characteristics of the older population. As the United States and other developed countries' populations age, more dedicated research is needed to understand and implement policies to improve the welfare of this demographic group. Though there is a vast literature on various life-cycle outcomes of the elderly, gaps remain. Two such aspects have been examined here: marital stability and mental health.

Chapter 1 investigates how changes in household wealth affect the likelihood of divorce among older adults aged 50 and above in the United States. Using panel data from the Health and Retirement Study …

Early Village Communities: Fort Ancient Village Formation In The Middle Ohio Valley, Marcus Schulenburg

Theses and Dissertations

How do people form communities, and how do these communities change, persist, interact, and re-form during times of dramatic social change? This dissertation is an analysis of two early Fort Ancient villages in southwest Ohio and southeast Indiana dating to the Late Precontact period. These sites represent some of the first appearances of villages in the Middle Ohio Valley, ca. AD 1050, and offer a case study in the development and social responses of people living in large, permanent settlements. The study examines these settlements for signs of communities that might exist within the village as well as signs of …

Richardson, Ridley, And Tatís Jr. Versus The Public: A Rhetorical Analysis Of Athlete Self-Defense Rhetoric And Public Response, Jillian Schemenauer

Theses and Dissertations

This project addresses issues brought forth by critical race theory through analysis of three marginalized athletes’ rhetorical response to accusations of wrongdoing on social media, as well as how members of the public receive the athletes’ self-defense rhetoric and identities. Through three case studies, I utilize apologia theory and tenets of image restoration theory to give meaning to how Sha’Carri Richardson, Calvin Ridley, and Fernando Tatís Jr. respond to accusation. In response, I analyze how members of the public attend to issues brought forth by critical race theory through their exhibition of color-blind racism and/or rhetorics of whiteness. In the …

Investigation Of Malaria-Related Information In Africa On Youtube, Benjamin Ombati Omwando

Theses and Dissertations

Due to the proliferation of the use of social media, the public—especially patients and their family or friends, try to seek answers from resources such as Facebook, Yahoo! Answers, YouTube, MedlinePlus, and other sites. This research study centered on investigating characteristics and the relationship between users’ online patterns while using and posting information on YouTube related to health-care—in this case malaria (a life-threatening mosquito-borne blood disease). This research study applied a mixed-methods approach. Subject analysis, multi-dimensional scaling (MDS) analysis, inferential analysis, and temporal analysis methods were employed to analyze and investigate users’ health information posts on YouTube in Africa. This …

Risks, Markets, And Restructurings: Essays On Local Currency Borrowing, Matthew Theobald

Theses and Dissertations

These essays evaluate the risks, market integration, and role of restructuring for local currency borrowing. Chapter 1 examines the relationship between inflation, credit, and currency risk with local currency borrowing, and its uniqueness to specific subsamples. The results suggest unique links between risk measures and local currency borrowing for emerging markets, affecting potential policy for shifting portfolios towards domestic currency. Chapter 2 examines the decomposition of local currency debt markets. Findings show a decrease in a global market factor and an increase in a market factor specific to emerging or developed markets with rising U.S. Federal Funds rates and tightening …

Milwaukee's Housing Fracture: Studying Housing Submarket Disinvestment With City Information Modeling (Cim) In Milwaukee's Inner Core Housing Submarkets, 1910-1970, Kristian Vaughn

Theses and Dissertations

This research conducts historic patterns analysis of the city of Milwaukee’s inner core housing submarkets from 1910-1970. The study time period captures Milwaukee in its most highly densified and industrialized state prior to suburbanization. To effectively assess the demographic, economic, spatial, and public policy implications of events in the housing submarkets, this research adopts a multi-disciplinary approach to provide a cohesive historical perspective in the city. Theoretically, this research relies on the literature about investment-disinvestment cycles, invasion-succession cycles, and the typo-morphology of the built environment. Methodologically, this research utilizes city information modeling (CIM) and digital twins to re-create conditions in …

2024 May, Morehead State University. Office Of Communications & Marketing.

Morehead State Press Release Archive, 1961 to the Present

Press releases for May of 2024.