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Balancing Growth and Identity: Tourism, Culture, and Economic Development in Dangriga, Belize
Get PDFThis thesis examines the interplay between tourism development and cultural preservation in Dangriga, Belize. Dangriga is a town with a rich Garifuna heritage, and its residents take great pride in maintaining and sharing their traditions with both future generations and visitors. However, Dangriga remains relatively underdeveloped as a tourist destination. By conducting interviews with community stakeholders, my team and I created a needs analysis focused on the most prominent concerns voiced by residents, while offering an outside perspective. In addition to our experiences in Belize, I conducted independent research on the potential impacts of cruise tourism, the benefits of community-based tourism models, and the critical role of government engagement in shaping sustainable and inclusive tourism development. Ultimately, this thesis aims to support tourism practices that preserve Dangriga’s heritage while addressing the town’s long-standing developmental challenges
Understanding the Effects of Aging on Skin Tissue Mechanics and Collagen Organization through Quantitative Polarized Light Imaging
No full textIntrinsic aging causes changes in the structure and mechanical properties in skin, yet the complex organization of the collagen fibers in the dermis makes it challenging to fully understand how these fibers behave and interact as skin gets older. In this study, we used the single-shot Quantitative Polarized Light Imaging (ssQPLI) system developed by Quinn Lab to measure the changes in collagen structure between young and old mice in response to mechanical testing. Our results showed that young skin was more effective at reorganizing when stretched. Specifically, young skin showed greater changes in directional variance (DV) and more fiber rotation toward the direction of loading, meaning the collagen structure could maintain its strength and flexibility under strain. In contrast, old skin showed smaller changes in DV and fiber rotation, suggesting that collagen fibers were less capable of adapting to mechanical forces. Our observed results did not always follow patterns found in previous studies, showing that collagen behaves in complex, non-uniform ways. Overall, these findings suggest that intrinsic aging impairs the ability of collagen to reorient under stress, and these results could help guide novel therapeutic methods focused on improving wound healing and enhancing the functions of the skin
A Review of Unmanned Aircraft Systems Safety Reporting and Analysis of Incidents
Get PDFUnmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), or drones are rapidly integrating into various industries. However, safety concerns regarding their design, training, and operation are rising. To ensure safer integration into the National Airspace System (NAS), it is crucial to understand the potential risks associated with UAS operations. To address these safety concerns, a systematic analysis of UAS incidents is essential to identify common factors and potential risks. There are various sources that record UAS safety events such as accidents and incidents. Analyzing these safety events to identify their causes and contributing factors may help in developing improved design and operations and thereby implementing mitigation strategies for safety events. This study aims to bridge the knowledge gap in civilian unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) safety status to inform safety decisions and highlight potential limitations in the current reporting system. To address the gap, I firstly reviewed the status of UAS safety reporting in the U.S. by identifying different incident databases and the information they record. Then, I analyzed UAS safety reports from the NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System database to identify trends and contributing factors in reported incidents. I used the Human Factors Analysis and Classification System (HFACS) framework to systematically classify human errors, hardware/software malfunctions, and environmental factors. The analysis revealed that human factors, such as decision errors and regulatory violations, account for 78% of reported incidents, while hardware and software malfunctions contribute to 20%. Environmental factors, such as collisions with objects, were notably rare. The highest number of incidents occurred under visual meteorological conditions (VMC), emphasizing the need for improved operator training even in favorable conditions. By highlighting critical safety issues, such as inadequate authorization practices and equipment failures, this research provides a foundation for enhancing regulatory frameworks, improving operator training, and developing fail-safe technologies for UAS. The study’s insights not only contribute to safer integration of drones into the National Airspace System but also establish a roadmap for addressing emerging challenges in UAS and next-generation autonomous air operations.https://scholarworks.uark.edu/hnrcsturpc25/1021/thumbnail.jp
Using Commodity Futures Trading Commission Reports, Does Open Interest of Short Futures Contracts for Rice Differ from Other Row Crops During Harvest?
No full textThis thesis investigates whether the open interest of short futures contracts for rice behaves similarly to corn, soybeans, and oats around harvest season, using data from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Futures contracts are a crucial tool for farmers and grain handlers to manage price risk, especially during periods of high market volatility like harvest. While the seasonality of futures hedging for corn and soybeans is well-established, there is minimal research on how rice fits into this pattern.
Using CFTC\u27s weekly Commitments of Traders reports for 2006 to 2023, this study analyzes the open interest in short hedging positions by commercial traders across all four crops. A centered 12-month moving average was applied to create an index that normalizes open interest and allows for comparison across commodities with vastly different market sizes. Results were visualized by crop year and tested statistically using paired t-tests and Tukey’s HSD to identify significant seasonal shifts.
The findings confirmed that corn and soybeans exhibit a strong seasonal trend, with short positions spiking during harvest and dropping post-harvest. Oats followed a similar but less pronounced pattern due to its smaller volume. Rice showed a weaker seasonal signal. While rice open interest does rise during harvest months, the trend is more gradual and statistically less significant. This weaker signal is likely due to thinner market liquidity and different marketing practices in the rice industry, such as cooperative-based selling.
Overall, the results suggest that while rice futures exhibit some seasonal hedging activity, it is not as consistent or pronounced as that of other row crops. Understanding these differences can help both speculators and producers better time their market activity, especially in thinly traded commodities like rice
Driving Growth: Insights from a Walmart Merchandising Internship
No full textThis thesis explores my experience as a Merchandising Intern at Walmart, with a central focus on how cross-functional collaboration and customer-centricity drive innovation, operational excellence, and growth in a global retail environment. During the internship, I worked on a strategic project within Walmart’s gaming furniture category. Beyond the technical work, this thesis draws on research and insights to examine how Walmart’s collaborative culture and customer-first mindset shape business outcomes. Engaging with cross-departmental teams and leadership, I observed how breaking down organizational silos and aligning around shared customer goals enables Walmart to stay agile, foster innovation, and deliver meaningful customer experiences. By integrating principles from research on collaborative leadership and customer-centric strategy, this thesis highlights the critical role these practices play in strengthening organizational performance and sustaining competitive advantage in the modern retail industry
Shortage to Surge - Studying the Post-COVID-19 Guitar Retail Market
Get PDFThe COVID-19 pandemic was one of the most catalyzing events of the 21st century, leading to supply chain disruptions, lifestyle changes, and a massive shift towards digital technologies. During the COVID-19 lockdown, many people had more time, and over 16 million people learned guitar in the first 2 years of the pandemic. According to a study by Fender, 62% of these new guitar learners cited the pandemic as their primary reason for learning the instrument. However, pandemic policies and supply chain disruptions meant that many guitar retailers were unable to satisfy demand, and backorders began to accumulate. Since both guitars and clothing in the past have been retail items that consumers preferred to buy in person rather than online, this student-led research project seeks to compare the guitar and clothing retail markets before and after the COVID-19 pandemic (2019-2023) to discover guitar market category trends and predict future market growth to better inform manufacturers, retailers, and consumers. The study will include a literature review, hypothesis testing, a preliminary study of the datasets through summary statistics and basic visualizations (using Tableau, Python, and R), and several iterations of predictive models (regression, clustering, neural networks, etc.). The clothing retail data will be procured from the Information Systems Department in the Walton College of Business, and the guitar retail data will be procured from 2 anonymous US music retailers. After conducting interviews with industry experts at the NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) show in California, the modeling results will be compared with the interviews, and an appropriate final model will be selected to predict the guitar retail market’s growth in the next five years.https://scholarworks.uark.edu/hnrcsturpc25/1026/thumbnail.jp
Exploring Metal Additive Manufacturing in Martian Atmospheric Environments
No full textOn-surface manufacturing is key to the success of a planetary colonization, especially that of Mars. However, traditional subtractive manufacturing processes are equipment, energy, and material intensive, meaning novel additive manufacturing (AM) processes must be pursued for this end. Selective laser melting, one of the most effective and versatile AM methods, would be incredibly beneficial to a Martian mission but requires an artificial argon atmosphere to create effective parts. The purpose of this study was to examine if carbon dioxide, the gas that makes up over 95% of Mars’ surface atmosphere, would be a sufficient substitute for argon in SLM fabrication. One- and two-dimensional SLM parts were created out of 316L steel in argon, CO2 and ambient atmospheres at a variety of laser parameters to examine the effects of atmospheric composition on ideal parameters, part surface quality, part cohesion, and oxidation effects. It was found that atmosphere had little to no effect on parameter choice and that no specific parameter had a controlling effect on part quality, but instead a balance of parameters was required to maintain thermal effects in an equilibrium range. CO2 was determined to be slightly inferior to argon in terms of surface quality, cohesion, and oxidation levels of manufactured parts, but was superior to ambient atmosphere. Additionally, carbon nanotubes at 1 wt% were incorporated into the 316L steel to test resulting effects on the tested material properties. Little to no difference in surface quality or part cohesion was examined, but oxidation levels were lowered which may lead to other superior material properties as a result of their inclusion.https://scholarworks.uark.edu/hnrcsturpc25/1012/thumbnail.jp
Comparative Trends in Campaign Finance for United States Senate Elections After Citizens United
Get PDFWhile experts and laymen alike have agreed that United States politics have become more polarized over the last few decades, there are few answers about what has driven that polarization, as well as how that polarization has affected the campaign system. In addition, changes to campaign finance as a result of Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission, 558 US 310 (2010) altered the ways that money could be raised and spent to support or oppose candidates. The effects of these changes in presidential election campaigns have been well documented. This research will investigate changing trends in campaign finance in United States Senate elections amongst Republican candidates, with a particular emphasis on understanding if and how a candidate’s ideological positions affect how their campaign committees and outside groups raise funds. This research will cover election cycles from 2012, 2016, and 2020 Elections. By studying several election cycles, this research will show whether there are trends over time relating to ideological position and campaign finance issues. Using the Stanford University Database on Ideology, Money in Politics, and Elections (DIME), this research will utilize regression analysis to expose any correlations between ideological position and a variety of campaign finance topics, including donation totals, disbursements, independent expenditures, PAC support, and party support. In doing so, this project will provide a glimpse into how ideology and campaign finance are related statistically
Relating Strength, Time, and Temperature for BCSA Cement Concrete Using the Maturity Method
Get PDFBelite calcium sulfoaluminate (BCSA) cement is an extension of CSA cement technology designed to provide early setting times and rates of strength gain with reduced environmental impact compared with portland cement. However, its application in the field of structural concrete is widely unexplored. To that end, this paper details research conducted at the University of Arkansas Civil Engineering Research and Education Center (CEREC) exploring the rates of strength gain in concrete samples created using BCSA cement relative to various temperatures and ages. Following the practices outlined in ASTM C1074, the maturity method, compression strength tests were conducted on the aforementioned samples with the ultimate goal of projecting the strength and viability of BCSA cement concrete in structural concrete
Fashioning a Political Identity: French Women and the White Neoclassical Dress
No full textThis essay seeks to probe the question of women’s neoclassical dress – how was it represented in art, why did it maintain longevity, and what did it mean for the hundreds of women who decided to wear the ideals of Greek and Rome upon their very bodies