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Examining Relationships Between Agile Workplace Practices, Productivity, and Agility in Organizations
Full text linkA growing interest in agile work practices (AWPs) has emerged in recent years, emphasizing flexibility, collaboration, and iterative approaches to work. Continuously changing work environments demand that organizations are flexible, adaptable, and can act quickly. Additionally, a highly competent, innovative, and responsible organization can function well as a team (Kamath, 2020). Thus, this research study examines the relationship between AWPs, organization productivity, and agility. The study\u27s findings, which contribute to the literature by addressing the disconnect in research between AWPs\u27 relationship with organization productivity and agility, have practical implications for the academic and research community. This study uses a quantitative, non-experimental correlation research design to examine the relationships between AWPs, organizational productivity, and agility.
The study population comprised employees representing the Louisiana Community and Technical College System (LCTCS). Participants\u27 survey results examined the relationship between AWPs, organization productivity, and agility. A frequency distribution was used for the demographics in addition to descriptive statistics; a correlational analysis of Pearson’s r-test was used to examine and compare relationships. Applying a non-experimental correlation research design, this study supports existing research, addresses disconnects and identifies organizational AWPs\u27 relationship with productivity and agility based on the study\u27s statistical results
The Shifting Landscape of Harm: Investigating the Phenomenon of Concept Creep in Harm Perception
Full text linkConcept creep, the gradual semantic expansion of harm-related concepts (Haslam et al., 2020), is a phenomenon garnering increasing attention in the field of psychology and is examined in the context of shifting perceptions of what is considered harmful. While what is considered harmful has shifted throughout generations, why these shifts happen and what motivates society to accept these broadening definitions has yet to be explained. Up to this point individual differences such as activism, risk, empathy, stressful life events, and dark triad personality have yet to be investigated as potential contributors to the expansion of harm-related concepts. Thus, this group of studies investigated the influences of generational changes and individual differences on the broadening of harm-related concepts. Study 1 was a correlational investigation to better understand how empathy, exposure to severe events, and other critical individual differences relate to supporting the broadening of harm-related concepts. Results from Study 1 suggest that higher levels of empathy and left-wing authoritarianism were the primary drivers of the expansion of fringe forms of harm. Participants’ age showed some conflicting results by having the older age group supporting the expansion of harm-related concepts. There was no significant interaction between the other predictors (stressful life events, and empathy) and age. The results from the other analysis showed that left-wing authoritarianism and activism emerged as strong positive predictors. Study 2 was an experimental design that examines how increasing empathy affects the support for the broadening of harm-related events. The results from Study 2 suggest there was only one main effect in Prejudice. However, there were significant interactions of the condition with empathy, left-wing authoritarianism, and activism. Participants who scored higher in trait empathy were more sensitive to the experimental manipulation than those low in trait empathy. The combined findings of Study 1 and 2 provide novel insights into the broadening of harm-related concepts and directions for future research
Portrayals and Perspectives: The Representation of Gulf States in American Political Cartoons from Early Relations to 2020
No full textThis dissertation explores the evolving portrayal of Gulf States in American political cartoons from the early twentieth century through 2020. Drawing on a dataset of 724 cartoons by 220 American cartoonists, the study analyzes how visual satire has shaped and reflected public understanding of the Arabian Gulf region. Grounded in stereotyping theory, the research identifies recurring themes such as oil wealth, violence, terrorism, backwardness, betrayal, and cultural otherness. Through decade-by-decade analysis, it traces how global events—from the Cold War and oil embargoes to the Gulf War, 9/11, and the Arab Spring—intensified or shifted visual narratives surrounding Gulf States. Cartoons were sourced from newspapers, magazines, anthologies, and digital archives, then categorized by theme and analyzed for symbolism, caricature, and political context. The study shows how American cartoonists often used exaggerated features and symbolic elements to reinforce Orientalist stereotypes and to comment on U.S. foreign policy, media narratives, and Western anxieties. Unlike broader studies that conflate the Gulf with the wider Arab or Muslim world, this dissertation focuses specifically on Gulf States to uncover targeted portrayals and region-specific messages. The findings reveal a persistent pattern of dehumanization, ridicule, and cultural reductionism across eight decades of American media. By documenting these visual patterns, the dissertation highlights the long-standing role of political cartoons in shaping collective perspectives and urges greater media literacy and responsible visual storytelling that challenges reductive representations and fosters intercultural understanding
Bottom-up Regulation and Competition of Aedes Aegypti Along an Urban Gradient in Puerto Rico: Effects on Population Performance and Dengue Vector Competence
No full textAedes aegypti is the primary vector of globally important diseases including yellow fever, dengue, Zika, and chikungunya. The species population dynamics are related to urbanization as larvae mostly develop in human-made containers. I evaluated the connection between the urban landscape, containers, Ae. aegypti, and its competitor Ae. mediovittatus, in the San Juan Metropolitan Area, Puerto Rico. Performing laboratory experiments, I found a connected urban landscape-larval container system, in which the surrounding landscape influences detritus and nutrients within containers and where smaller and less nitrogen enriched Ae. aegypti are being produced in areas of higher impervious cover. I found that urban related changes in container detritus and larval density affect the life history traits (development time and biomass), nutrients, and isotopes of larval and adult female Ae. aegypti. I also found that urban related detritus and density changes influence female Ae. aegypti fecundity and transgenerational effects e.g., the life history traits (survival, development time, biomass) of the progeny (F2), and the population growth of the subsequent generation (F3). Lastly, I evaluated how urban related detritus and density changes influence female Ae. aegypti life history traits (survival, development time, and wing length), nutrient stoichiometry, and vector competence of dengue virus 1 (infection, dissemination, and transmission). I found that when nutrients are limited, Ae. aegypti females under lower larval competition, have lower competence for dengue virus 1. Also, the combination of high interspecific competition with Ae. mediovittatus and high detritus biomass decreased Ae. aegypti survival and increased dengue virus 1 dissemination rates. Understanding the ecology of this mosquito species and its influence on vector competence within the context of urbanization, has relevant implications for Ae. aegypti driven dengue virus 1 disease dynamics in urban and suburban areas where detritus inputs differ among mosquito container habitats
“Light shining from a dead star”: Narratology and Perspective in Donna Tartt’s The Secret History
No full textWhile reflecting on a countryside getaway with his fellow classics students, Richard Papen, the narrator of Donna Tartt’s 1992 novel The Secret History, states, “The chronological sorting of memories is an interesting business” (Tartt 79). From the start of the story, Richard orients his reader toward a specific view of his time at Hampden College, the university he attends in Vermont—one marked but not burdened by a murderous act that he and his companions commit against one of their own. The tension between the emotional lyricism of the text’s prose and the foundational, often off-the-page brutality of its subject matter exemplifies Richard’s enduring love for his friends and his “morbid longing for the picturesque at all costs” (7). However, this textual exegesis also grants Richard the only lasting control available to him: organizing, and thus attempting to make sense of, the story from his own perspective. I argue Richard utilizes his narrative authority to immortalize his friends\u27 memories and to conceal a greater personal tragedy revealed at the story’s climactic conclusion. Meanwhile, Tartt\u27s debut novel subverts the pedagogically dominant styles of college writing program craft that defined the period, and she instead imbues into the novel an antiquarian sensibility, one indebted to past literary histories such as the nineteenth-century American gothic and classical Greek literature
The Impact of Self-Study Apps on University EFL Learners: A Radical Constructivism’s Perspective
No full textThis article examines the impact of self-study apps on out-of-class English learning among first-year non-major university students in EFL contexts in Thailand and Vietnam. Grounded in Radical Constructivism, the study highlights how these tools foster learner autonomy through goal setting, progress monitoring, and independent study behaviors. Over 16 weeks, 200 participants used the apps, with 78% Vietnamese and 71% Thai learners reporting consistent engagement. Quantitative findings revealed their effectiveness in promoting self-regulated learning, while qualitative data emphasized flexibility, personalization, and motivation through gamification and real-time feedback. However, challenges such as limited cultural localization, inadequate interaction opportunities, and technological barriers, particularly in Vietnam, were noted. These findings underscore the importance of contextualizing learning environments to align with learners’ cultural and institutional needs, consistent with Radical Constructivism. The study offers practical recommendations for educators, app developers, and policymakers to enhance the relevance and interactivity of self-study apps, ensuring they better support autonomous language learning in diverse EFL settings
The Macroalgal Composition Differs Among Depths and Zones in Cuban Mesophotic Coral Reef Eosystems
No full textPreviously the algal community of Cuban mesophotic coral reef ecosystems (MCEs) has not been characterized quantitatively. The objective of this study was to explore the distribution of macroalgae around Cuba and their depth profiles within the mesophotic zone (30−150 m). Data on the algal community were obtained in 2017 during 43 ROV (remotely operated vehicle) dives around Cuba’s shelf. Scientists specializing in algal taxonomy watched the live ROV video on board the ship and recorded algal presence every ~5—10 min in a database. Algae were identified to the lowest possible taxa, and algal presence/absence was analyzed in 20 m depth intervals between 30 and 150 m. Differences in algal composition among zones and depths were observed. Macroalgae were more diverse at shallower depths (30—69 m). Changes in algal composition were observed as depth increased to 89 m; at greater depths, no differences in algal composition were observed. The deepest algae were crustose forms of Chlorophyta and Rhodophyta, capable of capturing the low light levels reaching the bottom. Differences among geographical zones were observed, where the most algal categories (16—22) occurred in the southwest, northwest, and northcentral zones. The least number were in the southcentral zone (10 categories). In addition to their major role as primary producers, mesophotic macroalgae are no doubt important to structuring MCEs in Cuba and merit more study to better elucidate and quantify their multiple roles at these depths
Juvenile Miscellany (Fall 2025)
No full textThe Fall 2025 issues of Juvenile Miscellany celebrates a great year in de Grummond, highlighting the completion of the $2 million curatorship campaign, the Ezra Jack Keats Awards, and a few of the new items added to the collection. This issue also announces the visit of the Rey family and the events that will celebrate their reunion in Hattiesburg, and we look toward the collection turning 60 in 2026!https://aquila.usm.edu/juvenile_miscellany/1003/thumbnail.jp
High-Resolution Event Stratigraphy of Ostracods in the Ozan Formation of Texas and Arkansas
No full textThis study focuses on the high-resolution event stratigraphic framework of the lower Campanian Ozan Formation in Northeast (NE) Texas and Southwest AR which is richly fossiliferous in ostracods. Little research has been published on the Ozan Formation and even less dealing with Ozan ostracods. Additionally, correlation of Upper Cretaceous units between Texas and AR is controversial due to the general lack of good exposures in both regions and extensive faulting in Northeast Texas despite similar depositional environment across the region. This study calibrates the ranges of ostracods and creates an event stratigraphic composite that is orders of magnitude higher in resolution than existing taxon range zones for the region. Information from the samples collected in this study and information from Ph.D. dissertations and M.Sc. theses were combined to create the most parsimonious correlation of the sections. A heuristic program, Constrained Optimization (CONOP), was used for correlation by creating an ordinal scale of all input events representing the optimized ranges of the taxa. Twenty-four samples were collected within the study region, totaling 134 events, from 64 species of ostracoda. The resulting composite plots within the expected published sequence, though the results presented here are at a much higher resolution than published taxon range zones due to the inclusion of all taxon events; the resolution achieved here was approximately 7500 years/event. The results from this analysis can be integrated into other stratigraphic analyses in the region to help constrain the sequence of events