Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

An Investigation Of Design Processes And Their Effects On Accessibility In Narrative Themed Environments, Arielle Spencer

All Dissertations

Accessibility matters, and not merely in meeting minimum codes or limited to basic necessities. Access and inclusion matter still more in places of recreation and leisure which have too often been overlooked or considered low priority, however it is precisely these places that merit special attention. Narrative Themed Environments occupy a unique position relative to the general built environment, often acting as utopic ‘other-spaces’ for enjoyment, freedom, and escape. However, for guests with disabilities, current themed experiences can often lack true inclusivity and instead create inequality, segregation, diminished experiences, and feelings of isolation and exclusion. The peculiar idiosyncratic design process …

Editorial, Julia Coffman

The Foundation Review

No abstract provided.

Engaging Youth In Philanthropic Practice: Field-Building Strategies And The Promise Of Youth-Possible Philanthropy™, Kimberlin D. Butler

The Foundation Review

Traditional philanthropy has largely been top-down, with communities — including youth — having limited decision-making power. Despite philanthropy’s recent shift toward participatory approaches, young people in these historically excluded communities are often ignored as contributors to philanthropic strategy.

Youth-Possible Philanthropy™ (YPP) offers a new, emerging theoretical framework that proposes to shift this dynamic by positioning youth as co-creators and possibility catalysts in philanthropic governance and strategy. YPP is grounded in possibility development, participatory approaches, and trust-based philanthropy.

The article provides strategies for operationalizing YPP. Case examples illustrate how YPP can foster authentic power-sharing and bridge gaps in philanthropic practice.

Tfr 17.1 Full Issue

The Foundation Review

No abstract provided.

Disrupting Foundation Culture: Lessons In Learning To Share Power And Decision-Making, Sonia Caus Gleason, Tina Eshaghpour

The Foundation Review

There is much discussion of shifting organizational culture in philanthropies to share power and decision-making. However, examples of foundation learning endeavors to disrupt culture in service of systems change, racial equity, and responsiveness are less common.

Our article provides a window into the demanding work at The California Wellness Foundation and how internal collaboration and learning have led to progress in racial equity and power-sharing with communities. We focus on the introduction of Learning Labs, an action research model that framed and scaffolded the investigation of philanthropic terms and practices. This catalyzed collaborative decision-making within cross-functional teams while senior leaders …

Executive Summaries

The Foundation Review

No abstract provided.

Shame, Identity And Reconciliation With Christ, Michele D. Corgiat

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the impact of reconciliation with Christ on shame narratives and identity. Although shame and identity has been extensively researched, the added theological construct of reconciliation with Christ makes this research unique. This phenomenological study explored the impact of reconciliation with Christ on shame narratives and identity. Sixteen participants, ages 20 to 75 years, who professed to have reconciled with Christ through faith and repentance, were selected and interviewed. Each participant was interviewed three times over a four-week period using a transcendental phenomenological method. Data were collected and analyzed using reflexive thematic …

Chess Not Checkers: A Contemporary Analysis On Judicial Retirement And Lingering Justices In The Modern U.S. Supreme Court, Nic Feldman

Political Science

In an era where the Court is particularly partisan, Justices choosing to stay on longer due to these motivators is lowering the legitimacy the Court has with the general public. First, partisan effects and interests are explored in regard to how the Court has gotten partisan and the effect that has on judicial retirement. Then, interest groups and their effect on judicial retirement is looked into. Next, it is shown why judicial retirement is significant, and the factor that these external forces play into it is explained. Finally, some recommendations for change regarding the High Court, since there is reform …

Black Scare, Red Scare: The Fbi’S Covert War On Black Radical Activism, Christian E. Maddox

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Black resistance movements have always existed to push the envelope and fight to establish political agency and freedom against the state and surrounding institutions that work to dispose of and disenfranchise Black communities across the U.S. The contentious relationship between the U.S. government and leftist movements is a rich and developed ground of scholarship analyzing how repression emerges and evolves across time as a tool against social movements fighting for change. This scholarship however misses how state agencies work to undermine and racially flatten Black radical movements through crafting official, racialized narratives and images that reshape what these movements represent. …

Associations Between Prenatal Inflammation And Dimensions Of Depressive Symptoms Across The Perinatal Period, Margaret M. Redic

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Risk for depression increases during the perinatal period due to several biological and physiological changes, including fluctuations in inflammation. However, the timing and cytokine-specific effects on depressive symptoms during and after pregnancy are unclear. In this study, we examined relations between four cytokines (IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, and TNF-α) and depression at multiple time points throughout the perinatal period and investigated the role of dimensions of depressive symptoms in these relationships. We used longitudinal data of 314 mothers in the Early Life Adversity and Biological Embedding Study from the first trimester of pregnancy to the end of the first year postpartum. …

Do All Components Of Psychological Wellbeing Predict Cognitive Function?, Karysa Britton

Arts & Sciences Graduate Student Theses and Dissertations

Sense of purpose has been consistently associated with cognitive function. However, less is known about the associations between the other five components of wellbeing and cognitive outcomes. The current research aimed to establish which components of wellbeing are most strongly associated with cognitive function. Participants from the Midlife in the United States study (M_Age=56.18, SD=12.38) completed the Ryff Psychological Wellbeing Scales (1989) and the Brief Test of Adult Cognition. Multiple regression analyses were used to examine the cross-sectional and prospective associations between wellbeing and cognitive function. All six components of wellbeing were significantly and positively …

Contagions Of Doubt: Denialism And The Spread Of Medical Conspiracy Theories, Haley Boom

Anthropology

Denialism and conspiratorial thinking have long shaped public perceptions of science and medicine, but the COVID-19 pandemic exposed how rapidly these forces can evolve and spread in a digital age. This thesis examines the historical roots, psychological foundations, and modern amplification of medical conspiracy theories, with a particular focus on vaccine skepticism and COVID-19-related misinformation. As a literature review, it synthesizes existing interdisciplinary research from psychology, public health, and communication studies to explore how medical conspiracy beliefs emerge from complex interactions between cognitive biases, emotional needs, mistrust in institutions, and evolving media environments. The rise of social media, political polarization, …

Primates Shed Light On Glowing Mammals – Adaptation Or Epiphenomenon?, Juliana Hicks

Anthropology

Fluorescence is the ability of chemicals and materials to give off visible or invisible light after absorbing radiation such as ultraviolet light. Fluorescence has been documented in several mammalian families, yet Primates, as an order, have received limited attention in this regard. Within Primates, the suborder Strepsirrhini has been particularly overlooked. Strepsirrhines are compelling subjects due to their retention of primitive mammalian characteristics, representing a significant knowledge gap with respect to the occurrence of fluorescing pelage within the class Mammalia. To address this gap, we investigated the presence and absence of fluorescence in the pelage of preserved museum strepsirrhine specimens …

Accuracy Of Angular Displacement Measurements Using Imu, Aidan Mills

Anthropology

As a part of a larger group, this research focused on gathering data from accelerometers to gather further knowledge on how these devices could be used in further experiments. Using the Sparkfun Artemis accelerometer, angular displacement was isolated and tested to understand the parameters and abilities of the device. Simple tests were run moving the device through 90 degree angular changes. The data collected by the accelerometer was then analyzed using code written specifically to graph angular changes. The data was run through a low and a high pass filter to account for any drift experienced during the tests. An …

Parkinson’S Disease Pathophysiology And Comparative Analysis Of The Efficacy Between Subthalamic Nucleus And Globus Pallidus Interna Deep Brain Stimulation: A Student’S Perspective, Peter C. Solimando Ii

Anthropology

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is becoming an increasingly common neurodegenerative disease across the world, presenting with both debilitating motor and non-motor symptoms that progressively worsen throughout the course of the disease. Prominent motor symptoms include tremors, bradykinesia, muscle rigidity, and postural/gait instabilities, while common non-motor symptoms include fatigue, pain, autonomic dysfunction (i.e., bowel and bladder dysfunction), mood disorders, and dementia. The advent of modern medical management of PD has introduced several different medications, the most popular being levodopa, that have shown success in reducing the severity of motor symptoms, particularly in the early stages of the disease. Throughout disease progression, however, …

Accuracy Of Balance Assessment Metrics Using Wearable Sensors, Brandon Sirof

Anthropology

Balance is a critical part of remaining healthy at all ages. Poor balance can lead to life-changing injury. Balance is typically assessed in a lab using a force-platform (FP), by comparing horizontal movements of the center of mass during trials with eyes open and eyes closed. The goal of this study is to evaluate whether inertial measurement units (IMUs) can be used to accurately measure balance. Simultaneous FP and IMU data were collected for 1 subject for 45s trials with eyes open (EO) and eyes closed (EC). We evaluate whether IMU and FP metrics for COM movement (max accel and …

Using Wearable Sensors For Gait Analysis: Measurement Accuracy For Linear Measurements, Evan Block

Anthropology

Measurement and analysis of human movement are necessary in a broad range of clinical, sports performance, and artistic applications. Historically, motion data were typically collected using optical motion capture systems. However, these systems are expensive and can only be used in lab spaces, which limits the range and speeds of human behavior. More recently, inexpensive, wearable sensors called Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) have enabled motion measurement in natural settings, but these systems require validation before use. In this study, we evaluate measurement accuracy for linear displacements obtained using Sparkfun OpenLog Artemis IMUs. We conducted a series of tests, moving the …

Comparison Of Femoral Head Loading In Chimpanzees And Humans, Kyra Kalinovsky

Anthropology

Chimpanzees are the closest living relatives of humans, despite this, the species do have very different loading on the epiphysis of the proximal head of the femur. The difference in loading is primarily due to a difference in locomotion. These differences affect the properties of subchondral and trabecular bone properties in the femoral head. Previous studies have shown that chimpanzees have thick and concave trabeculae that create a dense bone structure (Georgiou et al., 2018). These are found mostly on the inferior and central part of the femoral head. In humans, the structure of the trabecular bone volume is less …

Achieving Professional, Effective Graphics Efficiently With Available Clemson Resources, Stacie P. Powell, Brad Landon Walters, Yaswanth Mulakala

Presentations

No abstract provided.

The Shift In Children's Dance: From A Culture Of Innocence To A Battlefield Of Hypersexualization, Mary Bawden

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

No abstract provided.

2025 May, Morehead State University. Office Of Communications & Marketing.

Morehead State Press Release Archive, 1961 to the Present

Press releases for May of 2025.

The Effects Of The Expanded Pandemic Unemployment Assistance On Non-Standard Workers' Financial And Mental Wellbeing, Juhyun Bae

Political Science Faculty Publications

During COVID-19, for the first time in U.S. history, Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits were extended to non-standard workers who are not typically eligible for that. Given the exclusion from the social security system, this offers an important opportunity to investigate such benefits on their economic and emotional security. To estimate it, I analyze staggered difference-in-differences and triple difference models using the Household Pulse Survey. I found that the early termination of the expanded pandemic UI program led to increases in financial and mental difficulties among residents, especially non-standard workers with more difficulty in paying expenses and depression. These findings suggest …

Apala Best Of The Best Booklist 2023 - 2024, Asian Pacific American Librarians Association, Family Literacy Focus Committee, Education Subcommittee, Jessea Young (Chair), Zoë Bowlus, Nicole Fernandez, Erika Fitzpatrick, Cathy Lin, Kim Nguyen, Patty Sumire Mcgowan, Yer Vang

Librarian Publications & Presentations

Started in 2022, the Best of the Best Booklist celebrates stories from across the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) diaspora. All APALA members were invited to nominate picture book titles about AANHPI communities and experiences that were published in the 2023 and 2024 calendar years. To curate the final list, members of the APALA Family Literacy Focus Committee evaluated the nominations, guided by the mission of Talk Story and APALA Rubric to Evaluate Asian American and Pacific Islander Youth Literature. The committee is grateful to all the members who nominated titles. Eligible titles that earned a …

Fostering Ai Literacy In Undergraduates: A Chatgpt Workshop Case Study, Susan G. Archambault, Nicole L. Murph, Shalini Ramachandran

Librarian Publications & Presentations

This case study explores the design and implementation of a Chat-GPT literacy workshop for undergraduate students, aiming to equip them with the skills and knowledge necessary to navigate the AI-driven information landscape responsibly and critically. Drawing from a comprehensive literature review on AI literacy and employing a postphenomenological lens, the workshop incorporated best practices for teaching ChatGPT skills, including an emphasis on ethical considerations and critical reflection on the human-technology relationship. The postphenomenological perspective allows for a deeper understanding of how ChatGPT shapes students' experiences and practices. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the study assessed the effectiveness of the workshop through …

Apala Family Literacy Committee Recommended Picture Book List, Asian Pacific American Librarians Association, Family Literacy Focus Committee, Education Subcommittee, Jessea Young (Chair), Zoë Bowlus, Nicole Fernandez, Erika Fitzpatrick, Cathy Lin, Kim Nguyen, Patty Sumire Mcgowan, Yer Vang

Librarian Publications & Presentations

The Asian Pacific American Librarians Association Family Literacy Committee's Recommended Books List features our "Best of the Best" Booklist, along with notable books that, while not making the top list, were still enjoyed by the committee. In 2024, the APALA Family Literacy Focus Committee evaluated 130 books. The Recommended Picture Book List includes additional titles the committee believes will be a great addition to readers' collections.

Empowering Dreams: The Massachusetts Tuition Equity Law And Its Impact On Undocumented Latine Students, Belén Zúñiga, Melissa Colón

Gastón Institute Publications

As a result of the Tuition Equity Law enacted in September 2023, Massachusetts is one of 25 states1 that have encouraged access to higher education for non-citizens, including undocumented students2 (Broder and Kmec, 2024). Under the Tuition Equity Law, undocumented students, who: attended a high school (9th-12th grade)3 in Massachusetts with any combination of three years, graduated from a Massachusetts high school or have a Massachusetts high school diploma equivalent (GED/HiSet), and are admitted to a public institution of higher education in Massachusetts, can attend at in-state tuition rates (Massachusetts Department of Higher Education, 2023). They are also eligible to …

The State Of Latino-Serving Community-Based Organizations In Massachusetts, Fabián Torres-Ardila, Phillip Granberry, Rachel Paz, Luna Páez Abaunsa, Valentina Valderrama Pérez

Gastón Institute Publications

Massachusetts has a diverse Latino population with large numbers of Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, Salvadorans, Guatemalans, and Mexicans. Nearly a third (32%) of the Latino population is foreign-born. Of this foreign-born population, 61% are not U.S. citizens. Nearly 210,000 Latino children are enrolled in K-12 schools. Of the Latino population over age five who speak Spanish in the home, 33% have limited English proficiency. Among the adult population, 28% have less than a high school education, and 60% are in the labor force.3 The varied needs of this population require a strong ecosystem of local organizations that provide services to support …

Limitations Due To Occupational Credentialing For Immigrants In Massachusetts: Survey Report, Phillip Granberry, Florita Coto Tristán, Fabián Torres-Ardila, Jonathan Vega-Martinez, Maria M. Pache De Athayde

Gastón Institute Publications

The Gastón Institute began investigating occupational credentialing because of a previous research project with English for New Bostonians, which had found that many people in its ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) classes complained that lack of an occupational credential had caused them to suffer unemployment or underemployment. The Latino Equity Fund at the Boston Foundation provided the funding for a study addressing the problem of determining the extent to which Massachusetts immigrants are having trouble in the labor market because they lack the proper occupational credentials. The study has two complementary components: a qualitative study with interviews of …

Monitoring Incentives And Tax Planning: Evidence From State-Owned Enterprises, Eva Eberhartinger, David M. P. Samuel

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

This study provides new evidence on the association of state ownership and tax planning by showing that a state owner’s monitoring incentives affect a firm’s tax planning. Using the setting of a developed market economy, Germany, we distinguish between state owners that directly benefit from state-owned enterprises’ (SOEs’) income tax payments and those that do not. Our results indicate that state ownership is not associated with less tax planning unless the state owner directly benefits from higher tax payments. These results are robust to various specifications and suggest that shareholders’ monitoring incentives are a determinant of a firm’s tax planning …

Entangled Exclusions: Borders, Frontiers And Urban Geopolitics From Northeast India, Prerona Das, Gaurav Mittal, Jasnea Sarma

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

An epicentre of ethnicity-based identity politics and exclusions, India's northeastern region has long been politically imagined as both a ‘frontier’ and ‘borderland’ for state control, territorialization, extractive economies and (re)developments by colonial and subsequent post-colonial regimes. In post-independence India, the region experienced many territorial assertions made on ethnic grounds. With the rise of religio-national and neoliberal politics, new urban ‘developments’ and connectivity projects in the region have deepened exclusions based on class, caste, ethnic and religious borders. These have, in turn, led to further displacement, enclavization, and ghettoization of minority communities who are deemed ‘non-native’ along ethnocentric lines. Taking two …