UARK (University of Arkansas )
Not a member yet
19829 research outputs found
Sort by
The Role of Mental and Physical Health on Fear of Crime
Get PDFFear of crime is a significant social issue that affects quality of life, often leading to behavioral changes and increased anxiety. While prior research has explored the link between fear of crime and health, notable gaps remain – particularly regarding how distinct dimensions of health influence fear of crime. This study addresses these gaps by examining the effects of perceived health and depressive symptoms on fear of crime. Data were drawn from the Arkansas Crime, Public Safety, and Health Survey (ACPSHS), an online, opt-in survey of approximately 2,300 non- institutionalized adults in Arkansas. Ordinary least squares regression models were used to assess the direct effects of self-reported health and depressive symptoms on fear of crime, controlling for key sociodemographic variables. Results show that poorer perceived health and higher levels of depressive symptoms are both significantly associated with greater fear of crime. Racial disparities were also evident, with Black Arkansans reporting significantly higher fear levels than White respondents. Gender and age differences emerged as well: women expressed greater fear than men, and fear of crime declined with age. Notably, educational attainment had no statistically significant effect, while individuals with a history of arrest were less likely to report fear. These findings contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the complex relationship between health and perceptions of public safety and carry important implications for both public health strategies and crime prevention policies
Evolutionarily conserved functions of the gene frazzled in midline axon guidance in \u3ci\u3eDrosophila melanogaster \u3c/i\u3eand \u3ci\u3eTribolium castaneum\u3c/i\u3e.
Get PDFAxon guidance in bilaterians is often controlled by various signaling pathways in the nervous system, which determine the fate of the axons if they cross the midline or not. One such pathway involved is the ligand-receptor pair Netrin (Net) and Frazzled (Fra), which is also known as the attractive pathway that promotes midline crossing axons in insects and other bilaterians. Orthologs of the pathway ligand Netrins and their receptors Frazzled [Fra] in insects and Deleted in Colorectal cancer [DCC] in vertebrates are widely conserved in bilaterians. How well these regulatory roles of the protein are conserved is poorly understood. In fruit flies or Drosophila melanogaster, fra guides axons to cross the midline via Netrin, and is also involved in regulating transcription of the gene commissureless or “comm” via a non-canonical pathway, which in turn regulates the gene roundabout (robo). The primary aim of this thesis was to compare the direct evidence of midline attractive roles of the gene fra and its abilities to guide axons in fruit flies or Drosophila melanogaster) using a CRISPR-Cas9-mediated gene replacement approach. In this project, we rescue the midline regulatory roles of Drosophila fra (DmFra) in promoting midline crossing guidance using the fra gene of the flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (TcFra)
Gender, Politics, and Power: How Women Presidential Candidates are Framed by News Narratives
Get PDFThe aim of this study was to look at the coverage of the presidential campaigns of Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Kamala Harris in 2024 during the Democratic National Convention, and analyze the differences in regard to gender, race, and political bias. The examination of these news narratives helps explore a question of whether journalists report with bias when covering politics. The researcher analyzed 11 published pieces from five mainstream media outlets. Findings of the study show that bias is unavoidable even when a journalist strives for objectivity which does not exist in newsrooms across the political spectrum. The findings are expected to support the narrative that journalism is continuously evolving, but cannot escape the systematic biases of gender and race when it comes to reporting on politics
Mandatory Bliss
Get PDFMandatory Bliss is an exhibition of sculptural objects that discuss value, feminism, material hierarchy, and societal expectation. Using mundane structures and objects, this installation aims to frustrate and dissect the significance of the tangible items that we interact with every day
Fractured Inheritance: Quantifying the Economic Impact of Heir’s Property on Arkansas Farmers
Get PDFHeir’s property arises when the original owner still holds the title despite their passing, and ownership is distributed among their heirs. This was driven by barriers to retaining land ownership and access to legal support in predominantly African American populations in the early 20th century. This approach allowed land to remain in the original owner\u27s name while granting continued ownership to future generations without formal paperwork. Additionally, allowing limited land access, land management, and disparities in capital access compared to property with direct ownership rights. This analysis examines how modern heir’s property impacts agricultural returns. This study develops a conceptual model to analyze heirs’ property policies in Arkansas, including a detailed budget analysis of conventional rice and heirloom tomato enterprises. Budgets are separated into a full single owner and heirs to represent a formal operation and an Heir’s Property operation. This comparison illustrates the profitability disparities based on the legal formality used in land ownership. We find that heterogeneity in farm profitability relates to farm scale, access to capital, and policy implications of heir’s property. These results provide continued evidence for policy changes in support of mitigating the limitations of heir’s property in agricultural production
\u3ci\u3eFergus of Galloway\u3c/i\u3e: A New Translation for a New Audience
Get PDFMy dissertation focuses on one text – Li romanz de Fergus – an Arthurian romance composed in Old French in the early thirteenth century by a mysterious author named Guillaume le Clerc. I have learned as much as I can about this romance and have looked at it from every angle possible. The scope of my research is narrow and deep because it focuses on one text, its author, and its subject matter. I have created a new theory about the identity of the author, Guillaume le Clerc, based on historical documents such as the Acts of Lordship from Scotland, and I have established a clear motivation for the writing of the tale, a motive which has not been discussed in previous scholarship. I have studied the history and theory of Old French versification to enhance my translation of the romance, which was written in octosyllabic rhyming couplets in the Picardy dialect. Before the translated tale is the introduction which discusses all the aspects of this romance, from the manuscripts in which it is found, to the author and the historical Fergus, the tale’s place in the romance genre, and my notes on the process of translating this entertaining story
The Ghost Children
No full textThe Ghost Childrenis a young adult historical novel, the first fictional work in prose to tell the story of Action T4, Nazi Germany’s mass murder program targeting people with disabilities. Told in alternating chapters by a blind teenager and her older brother, this is the story of Hitler’s forgotten victims: their struggle to survive, fight back, and find love.
Seventeen-year-old Eva Schreiber is totally blind from birth and considers herself a loyal Nazi, until she learns that Hitler’s government considers people like her “life unworthy of life” and is forced to face the worst of the Third Reich’s evil. With her parents dead, she lives at St. Anna’s Home for Handicapped Girls while her older brother Dietrich, an officer in the Waffen-SS, is off at war. But in the summer of 1941, Dietrich comes home on leave and warns Eva that St. Anna’s is closing and the girls will be moved to the dangerous hospital of Sonnenstein, promising that he has a plan to protect her. Dietrich and his girlfriend, a young nurse named Greta Zimmermann, get Eva and three friends out of the killing center by faking their deaths.
In hiding with a group of teens with a variety of physical and mental disabilities, Eva wrestles with her Nazi upbringing and falls in love with Alaric Drescher, a crippled pilot who attempted suicide after an accident. The teens grow more comfortable with their own disabilities and undertake a nocturnal anti-Nazi graffiti campaign under the name Ghost Children that puts the entire resistance network at risk.
When Dietrich\u27s romance with Greta becomes public knowledge and his best friend and fellow soldier grows suspicious, his double life as resistance leader and SS officer unravels. As he\u27s forced toward further complicity with Nazi atrocities, Dietrich searches for a way to save his sister without losing himself. But just when the network has a plan to sneak the fugitives into Switzerland, a devastating betrayal threatens all of them
Arkansas Soybean Performance Tests 2024
Get PDFSoybean variety and strain performance tests are conducted each year in Arkansas by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s Arkansas Crop Variety Improvement Program. The tests provide information to companies developing varieties and/ or marketing seed within the state and aid the Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service in formulating variety recommendations for soybean producers
The Wavering Future of Democracy in Latin America
Get PDFThe erosion of democratic governance in Latin America has emerged as a critical area of concern for political scientists, policymakers, and international organizations. Historically, the region has experienced fluctuating political landscapes marked by periods of democratic consolidation followed by authoritarian regression. Throughout the 20th century, countries such as Chile, Argentina, and Brazil witnessed military dictatorships resulting from socio-economic crises and political instability. Despite widespread democratic transitions throughout the 1980s and 1990s, contemporary Latin America faces new challenges that threaten its democratic integrity. The resurgence of authoritarian tendencies within the region coincides with escalating homicide and assault rates in many countries, while the lingering impact of the pandemic has led to higher inflation and often-weak economic growth. In some places, notably Venezuela and Nicaragua, we’ve seen a simultaneous collapse of the economic, security, and democratic structures so severe that some observers have classified the two countries as ‘failed states’ (De la Cruz 2023; Hatab, 2023). While each nation’s decline follows a unique trajectory, common underlying factors raise pressing questions about the durability of democracy in Latin America as a whole. Economic instability is a particularly relevant dimension of this analysis, given the region\u27s recurring struggles with hyperinflation, recession, and financial mismanagement (Claassen, 2022). For example, Venezuela’s rapid descent into authoritarianism was closely tied to its economic collapse, driven by declining oil revenues, widespread corruption, and disastrous policy decisions that eroded public trust in democratic governance (Cyr, 2014). Similarly, countries like Argentina and Brazil have faced economic crises that have undermined political stability and contributed to the erosion of institutional legitimacy (Can, 2021). Latin America\u27s economic volatility often intersects with political corruption and crime, creating a vicious cycle that further degrades democratic institutions. When governments fail to address fundamental economic issues such as inflation, unemployment, and inequality, public frustration grows, paving the way for populist leaders to exploit economic grievances for political gain. These leaders often promise swift solutions to economic woes, sometimes at the expense of democratic norms and institutional checks. The central issue of this study concerns the extent to which public perceptions of insecurity—particularly in relation to rising physical and economic insecurity—contribute to weakening democratic norms and institutions. Security concerns have historically been instrumentalized by leaders to justify authoritarian measures, often with popular support. However, economic distress can be just as influential in shaping public perceptions of governance efficacy. The combination of economic instability, crime, and corruption creates a fertile ground for citizens to grow disillusioned with democracy and increasingly consider authoritarian governance as a viable alternative. As Latin America continues to grapple with entrenched organized crime, rampant homicide rates, ineffective governance, and economic decline, the relationship between these factors and democratic resilience requires deeper investigation. Understanding whether public fears surrounding crime and economic insecurity are driving citizens to support authoritarian governance models is essential for assessing the region’s political future. The purpose of this research is to determine whether deteriorating security conditions and economic instability are contributing to democratic backsliding within the region. By examining crime trends, public perception of insecurity, economic performance indicators, and support for democracy, this study aims to identify patterns that may indicate a broader shift towards authoritarianism. Utilizing data from sources such as the regional polling corporation Latinobarómetro, the World Bank, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and elsewhere, this study will assess whether public fears surrounding crime and economic distress are driving citizens to support authoritarian governance models as a perceived remedy to ineffective democratic institutions. This thesis seeks to contribute to the growing body of literature on democratic erosion by specifically focusing on the interconnectedness of security, economic stability, and democratic governance within Latin America. Understanding the factors that influence democratic stability is essential for developing effective policy responses aimed at safeguarding democracy in the region
Survey of a Paired Gravity Anomaly within the Benton Uplift of the Ouachita Mountains
Get PDFThe Benton Uplift west of Hot Springs, AR is underlain by a paired gravity anomaly on the order of 80 mGal. Nicholas & Rozendal (1975) have theorized that the gravitational low is caused by a “downwarp of the crust into the mantle”1 however the cause of the gravitational high is still debated. This paired gravity anomaly within the Benton Uplift follows the Ouachita orogenic belt southwest for 500 miles where it meets the Marathon uplift in southwest Texas. We conducted a gravity survey along a 108-km-long transect east of two previous gravity surveys.2,3 We corrected the data from this transect using Oasis Montaj and, alongside magnetic data from the United States Geological Survey, we built a model within Geosoft GM-SYS of the cross section of our study area.4 The topography of the upper crust within our cross section is consistent with the cross section from Mickus & Keller (1992), Figure 5, however the mafic intrusion under the Ouachita accretionary wedge was absent within our data, likely because our transect did not go south enough. Previous research has theorized the gravity maximum to be caused by a combination of basement uplifts and mafic intrusions produced during aborted Precambrian rifting along the Ouachita orogenic belt.5 Additional seismic and magnetic surveys south of the study area and across the Ouachita orogenic belt are needed to further test the hypothesis that a combination of basement uplifts and dense deep crustal mafic intrusions are the most likely cause of the paired gravity anomalies