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The Mysteries Which Were Ours: Alchemy, Feminism, and Nature in the Surrealist Works of Leonora Carrington and Remedios Varo
No full textSeparation to Integration: The Measures of Self-esteem and Social Anxiety Levels Amongst Same-Sex High School Graduates Going into a Co-Educational College
No full textResearch on the mental health impacts of same-sex schools has been a relatively under researched topic relative to the past research of psychology. This study was created in order to further research the developments and changes with self-esteem and social anxiety amongst individuals who participated in same-sex high schools and went to a co-ed college. Same-sex high schools are mostly college prep within the United States, which places a focus on education, rather than self-worth and social status. The idea of self-esteem and social anxiety are factors that have not been properly incorporated into an individual’s identity within a same-sex school environment. The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE) and the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS) were used to measure levels of self-esteem amongst same-sex high school students going into a co-ed college environment. Our results showed that there was no significant relationship between gendered school type, sex identity, or between social anxiety and self-esteem levels. Our results also found that there was a significant relationship between gender identity and social anxiety, but not for self-esteem
Evolution of Inclusion: Changing Services, Collections, and Policies in American Public Libraries from 1940-Present
No full textMy independent study concerns the change in American public libraries from the 1940s to the contemporary moment. Through this time libraries have shifted from paternalistic institutions with narrow goals to inclusive resource centers. Building from historical research, library science scholarship, and a range of primary sources especially from the American Library Association\u27s journal I identify three key waves of change in libraries. First racial integration which revolves around legal mandates to desegregate, youth inclusion through the 1960s based on popular concerns and growing recognition of teenagers as a demographic, and most recently queer inclusion beginning in the 1980s with staff activism. Each wave resulted in libraries broadening the populations they serve and over time expanding their collections and services.
Moreover, each of these changes is important to the development of libraries into their current form but also represents a way that libraries could be protected or hurt. Libraries are presently dealing with a modern right-wing censorship movement and the ongoing issue of misinformation. Identifying what factors have led to changes historically is crucial to determining how libraries can best be protected and supported to enable future changes. This socio-cultural history highlights how the guiding philosophy of librarianship has changed. As a result, this history is broad and covers the United States generally. It is a history that is neglected in both library science and historical scholarship but is especially important to revisit given the present challenges to libraries. The present progressive libraries were not an inevitability and instead are the result of specific historical changes and the work of activists
Analyzing the Living Income Differential: Bargaining Power and Cocoa Farmer Income in Côte d\u27Ivoire and Ghana
No full textThis paper examines the economic history and market dynamics of cocoa production in Ghana and Côte d\u27Ivoire. Together, these countries produce over 60% of the world\u27s cocoa and dominate global supply through their marketing boards. The boards of COCOBOD (Ghana) and Le Conseil du Café-Cacao (Côte d\u27Ivoire), established during colonial rule to stabilize prices and extract surplus production value, now collaborate as the Côte d\u27Ivoire-Ghana Cocoa Initiative (CIGCI) — purportedly to improve producer income through a \$400 per ton price premium called the Living Income Differential (LID). The LID works to stabilize prices and improve farmer incomes by leveraging the CIGCI\u27s collective bargaining power. Our first chapter explores the historical development of production and concentration in the cocoa sector, illustrating how institutional developments have contributed to the stratification of producers. Our second chapter applies the dominant firm model of price leadership proposed by Stigler in 1965 to cocoa production for the first time, and incorporates game theory to explore how the LID can incentivize cooperation among member states while deterring market entry by non-members and price erosion from increased competition. We theorize that while the LID provides short-term benefits to farmer income, structural challenges such as uneven profit distribution, inefficiencies in the cocoa value chain, and potential entry by fringe producers could undermine its long-term impact. To assess our hypothesis, we apply a Difference-in-differences (DiD) model to analyze farmgate prices as a proxy for farmer income, and find that even in the short run the LID fails to deliver improvements to farmer income. This is further reinforced by our analysis of sourcing data, which revealed that Côte d\u27Ivoire\u27s exports saw a substantial relative decline after the introduction of the policy. While our research is critical of the LID\u27s implementation, it also reinforces its significance — mainstream improvements to farmer income will require policies that disrupt the imbalance in bargaining power and market concentration of the cocoa industry
Daily Stressors for an Athlete’s and Non-Athlete\u27s and How It May Affect School Performance, Sport Performance, and Mental Well-being
No full textThe way people manage their stress levels can significantly impact their everyday functioning. In addition to general daily stressors, college athletes and college students are also dealing with extra stressors such as performance anxiety, social pressures, and academic pressure. This study aimed to primarily focus on the levels of daily stress, depression, anxiety, and overall academic achievement and success. Additionally, this study compared student-athletes and non-athletes to see if athletes experienced higher levels of daily stress, depression, and anxiety and lower levels of academic achievement. College athletes did not report higher levels of daily stress, depression, anxiety, and overall academic achievement. The results of this study are an important stepping-stone towards more extensive research into mental health in college athletes and non-athletes overall and the increased readiness of these services
If the Creek Don’t Rise (or it Did): An Ohio Case Study on People’s Perceptions, Influences, and Experiences of Floods
No full textThis independent study looks at the relationships between perceptions, floods, and experiences within Ohio (and a few outliers outside of Ohio). The data will represent different aspects that contribute to perceptions, such as demographics, social factors, and environmental factors. The demographic data, social factors, and some of the environmental data were collected by interviews and surveys. The rest of the environmental data were collected through the OARDC and FEMA. These different types of data were analyzed with multiple chi-square tests, content analysis, and finding trends. There are four different theories that had been utilized to understand and interpret data that was collected. The four are Rob Nixon’s idea of slow violence, Asa Boholm’s additions to cultural theory and risk through narratives, Mary Douglas and Aaron Wildavsky’s perspective on Cultural theory and risk relating to technology and the environment, and lastly, Pierre Bourdieu’s forms of capitals. In conclusion, this study provides personal accounts of floods in Ohio (and a few outside) that range from basement floods to historical floods to hurricane type flooding in Florida and New York. These accounts range from things that happened during and after the events, recovery processes, and hopes for changes. Along with this, the study provides an idea on what people believe is affecting their perceptions in both a qualitative and quantitative sense. It interconnects social data, demographic data, and environmental data to try to get a sense of how perceptions about floods and/or precipitation are created
Beguines and the Boundaries of Power: Reassessing Women\u27s Autonomy and Influence in Secular and Ecclesiastical Society
No full textThe Beguines\u27 access to power in both religious and lay society was contingent on shifting political, social, and ecclesiastical conditions. Although their position between religious life and secular society was ambiguous, their relationships with local rulers, urban elites, and clergy were not as precarious as scholars previously believed this ambiguity fostered. The Beguines often secured protection and support from secular and ecclesiastical authorities, allowing them to maintain a significant degree of autonomy and influence within urban European societies. Historians have begun to reassess the overemphasis on moments of conflict, particularly accusations of heresy, and the overshadowing of periods of tolerance and integration in historical narratives of the Beguines. This study aims to address the gaps in the existing historiography of the Beguines that are now being reassessed. Using primary sources, including the writings of secular and ecclesiastical authorities as well as the writings of several Beguines, this study examines the complexity of the Beguines\u27 relationships with both the Church and secular authorities. It also explores the economic, social, and religious power the Beguines held and how they maintained it through their ability to appease more powerful figures. This research offers insights into the changing roles and power of women and challenges traditional narratives of conflict through the Beguines\u27 unique legacy
Deciphering Pyocyanin Biosynthesis: Investigating PhzS/PhzM Enzyme Dynamics and Substrate Interactions
No full textHow Does Private Equity Affect Consumer Wellbeing: An Investigation of Hospital Ratings
No full textPrivate equity has a growing presence in the United States economy. This paper looks at how private equity affects business, and therefore consumers in the United States. Economic theory suggests that private equity can increase efficiencies by introducing more capital and technology to companies. However, an economies of scales approach harms communication flow and intrinsic motivation within the portfolio companies that a private equity firm owns. The theory and literature do not distinguish which of these has a greater effect on portfolio companies. I quantify the effect that private equity ownership has on a hospital by using an OLS regression with hospital overall ratings, mortality measurements, safety measures, and readmission rates for hospitals as dependent variables. My main independent variable is hospital ownership, which is a dummy variable that determines if a hospital is owned by private equity or not. The results reveal a negative correlation between the presence of private equity and the different hospital measurements. The negative relationship between private equity ownership reveals that private equity firms harm consumer wellbeing in the healthcare industry. Private equity has a focus on financial metrics and making a return while hospitals should be focused on quality-of-care, in order to best help consumers
The Talent Tug of War - Brain Drain Vs. Brain Gain: Analyzing Attractants and Deterrents in International Student Migration.
No full textInternational students play a crucial role in global education and workforce development, yet their post-graduation decisions—whether to stay in their host country or return home—have significant implications for brain drain and brain gain. This study explores the attractants and repellents influencing international students’ decisions by conducting qualitative, semi-structuRD interviews with 26 international students at The College of Wooster. The research examines key factors such as educational quality, career opportunities, immigration policies, economic conditions, and personal circumstances. Findings reveal that students are often drawn to their host country by academic excellence, career prospects, and social networks, while challenges such as restrictive immigration policies, job market saturation, and cultural ties to their home country act as deterrents. The study highlights the complexities of international student mobility and underscores the role of institutional and governmental policies in shaping retention rates. These insights contribute to the broader discourse on migration, education policy, and workforce development, offering implications for both host and home countries. Future research should expand on these findings by examining cross-country comparisons and the long-term career trajectories of international graduates