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The Impact of Tourism Development on Economic Growth in Nepal
No full textTourism plays a crucial role in supporting Nepal’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employment generation. This paper examines the impact of Tourism Development, measured through Inbound Tourism Receipts, on Nepal’s Economic Growth. Using the Solow Growth Model as a theoretical foundation, this study empirically assesses the relationship between tourism development and economic growth in Nepal using time series data from 1974-2023. The growth rate of Real GDP is taken as the dependent variable while Tourist Income Receipts from inbound tourists is the key explanatory variable in the analysis. The results demonstrate a positive association between the variables throughout all seven models, with the relationship being significant at the significance level of 10% in the Dynamic Model. Since the value of the previous period Real GDP growth is included in the Dynamic Model, the findings suggest that the economic state of the previous period might be influencing the relationship between Tourist Income Receipts and Economic Growth in Nepal. Hence, if policies are aligned with the underlying economic conditions, the country might be able to reap the benefits of tourism development
Navigating Displacement and Resilience: A Study of Sense of Community among Refugees in the United States
No full textPrevious research studies the notion of community, the refugee experience, and forms of support systems separately; however, few look at these elements comprehensively. This study focuses on understanding sense of community (SOC) among refugees in the U.S., investigating how they develop and expresses community and how external support systems facilitate community. Analysis of Bourdieu’s theory of capital, Durkheim’s concept of solidarity, Simmel’s insights on social relations, and Oldenburg’s theory of place invokes a framework for the design and implementation of this research. From nine interviews with refugee adults living in a town in the southeastern United States, themes emerge surrounding patterns of community formation and the facilitating role of organized and informal support systems. Findings reveal that sense of community develops through shared language and culture and strengthens through mutual aid and support. While organized support systems can provide resources and space for community to form, informal networks, such as those between neighbors or other refugees, truly construct and sustain the sense of belonging and community that resonates most deeply with the emotional, economic, and social needs of the participants. This work offers valuable insights into the defining principles of community from the perspective of refugees, providing guidance for resettlement policies, community initiatives, and refugee support agencies in helping support respectful and collaborative communities of belonging
The World\u27s Saddest Fight Club: How the Manosphere Works
No full textThe Manosphere is a sprawling network of online communities that perpetuates anti-feminist, misogynistic, hypermasculine ideologies, and otherwise toxic beliefs that shape discourse around gender and identity. This study examines the rhetoric used by prominent Manosphere “elites” and analyzes audience engagement with their content. Through a qualitative content analysis of four influential Manosphere figures and their comment sections, this research identifies recurring themes, including mockery and derision, misogyny and stereotyping, gender essentialism, victimhood narrative, and the emasculation of liberal men. These findings reveal that these influencers cultivate rigid gender norms, dehumanize women, and reinforce grievances among male followers, fostering a culture of resentment and potential radicalization. Audience responses mirror and amplify these messages, demonstrating the Manosphere’s function as an echo chamber that validates toxic masculinity and social exclusion. By engaging with sociological theories such as Goffman’s Interaction Order, West and Zimmerman’s Doing Gender, and Kimmel’s Aggrieved Entitlement, this study contextualizes the Manosphere’s broader ideological and social impact. Understanding the Manosphere and the discursive strategies that make it run offers broader insight into digital radicalization, online socialization, and the reinforcement of harmful conceptions of gender
Tiny Creatures of Great Importance: A Survey of Millipede Abundance and Occurance In Second-Growth Forests In Ohio
No full textMillipedes (Diplopoda) are a numerous and diverse class, acting as key detritivores that impact their environments greatly. Despite their many functions in soil ecosystems, millipedes are often underrepresented in scientific studies, and their forest and microhabitat preferences are largely unknown. Millipedes were sampled using both natural and artificial cover objects at Fern Valley Field Station in Holmes County, Ohio, within a mature second-growth forest and a regenerating second-growth forest. Sampled specimens were collected, identified, and catalogued by date, location, and taxonomy in order to create a list of the taxa found on-site. The species richness and abundance of millipede taxa were not found to be statistically significant between the mature and regenerating forest sections, but significantly more individuals were collected using artificial cover boards than natural cover objects such as logs and sticks. Two commonly found taxa, the barrel millipedes (Cylindroiulus sp.) and the furry snake millipede (Ophyiulus pilosus) were found to be significantly more abundant in one forest type—in the regenerating and mature forest, respectively. It appears that the implementation of cover boards could be a useful collection method for slow-moving arthropods such as millipedes, as seen by a higher collection rate than hand collection from natural cover. Millipedes overall did not display a preference for mature or regenerating second-growth forests, although some species were more common in one or the other. Based on the number of new species found on each day of sampling, it is very likely that more millipede species are yet to have been found on-site
Suddenly, It’s Gone: An Evaluation of Clinical Audiologists and Audiology Doctoral Students on Counseling Adult Patients Diagnosed with Unilateral Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss
No full textThe purpose of this study was to investigate the level of knowledge and comfort Clinical Audiologists and Audiology Doctoral Students reported when counseling adult patients with unilateral sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL). Specifically, the study aimed to assess their self-evaluated degree of knowledge and comfort in identifying and evaluating the emotional distress and frequency of referring patients to other professionals in order to enhance quality of life. Because determination of the etiology of SSNHL is challenging as only about 30% of cases have an identifiable cause (Ying et al., 2024, p. S1), for the remaining 70% who are idiopathic, no clear cause can be determined, which is often most unsettling to patients. Given the unpredictable nature and potential emotional impact of SSNHL, effective counseling plays a crucial role in helping patients cope with their diagnosis of SSNHL. The study’s findings indicated the Clinical Audiologists and Au.D. Students reported similar knowledge and comfort levels in most areas of counseling, with the notable exception that Clinical Audiologists have more experience in developing their counseling skills, therefore they were more confident in most probed areas. Interestingly, Au.D. Students reported they were more prepared to counsel adult patients with a unilateral SSNHL than were the Clinical Audiologists. This suggests that while graduate training programs have increased their focus on counseling coursework, there remains a need for continued education and training to ensure all audiologists are well-prepared to provide comprehensive patient care when navigating this complex condition
Emotional Labor in Applied Ethics Work
No full textThe aim of this project is to apply the concept of emotional labor to ethical decision making work and the professional facing of moral dilemmas through studying professions that ask workers to act in an ethical decision making capacity. My claim will be that ethics workers necessarily do emotional labor as a part of that work in a variety of important ways, and that these emotional requirements are often not explicit requirements of the job. I will analyze medical, teaching, and legal/law enforcement professions in order to demonstrate ways in which these workers do emotional labor when they are asked to make ethical decisions as a part of their occupational role
Meth, Rape, and State: Japan\u27s Postwar Nation-Building
No full textFollowing the Second World War, Japan faced the immense challenge of redefining itself as a democratic and globally engaged nation-state after its failed imperial expansion and descent into fascism. As the country struggled with reconstruction and recovery, an unexpected crisis emerged—a methamphetamine epidemic. This thesis examines how Japan’s initial response to the methamphetamine epidemic hindered its post-war recovery, disrupting public order, fueling mass social anxiety, and challenging the government’s ability to foster stability and progress. However, through gradual trial and error, decisive government action, the galvanization of public-led initiatives, and a restructured and centralized approach to public health and law enforcement, Japan eventually overcame this crisis. By analyzing these efforts, this paper argues that Japan’s handling of the epidemic became a nation-building initiative in itself. This investigation finds that Japan\u27s ability to adapt and implement effective solutions to the methamphetamine epidemic demonstrated its resilience and capacity for good governance, helping it redefine itself as a new nation-state. At first, the crisis slowed down reconstruction at a crucial time in Japan\u27s postwar transformation
Factors Influencing Students’ Motivation and Performance in College Statistics Courses
No full textUpon research, University of Iowa professor emeritus of statistics Robert Hogg claimed that students frequently view statistics as the worst course taken in college. I seek to better understand why this is the case by considering various factors that influence students’ motivation and success in college statistics courses. I use a recently developed set of questions from a survey already given to the University of Colorado’s (UNC) 54 intro-level statistics students, implementing the survey on the College of Wooster’s 46 200-level statistics students and comparing data findings between the two cohorts. The survey contains items pertaining to the components course anxiety, attitude toward statistics, perceived course difficulty, perception of the course professor, level of interest in statistics, and pre-college statistics exposure, each of which I consider to be motivation measures. I find that UNC students had a surprising negative correlation between attitude and perceived difficulty, possibly signaling overconfidence among those disliking statistics, while Wooster’s students had a weak positive correlation. Linear regression shows that professor ratings are largely unaffected by course anxiousness, statistics attitudes, and perceived difficulty in both classes, but the other component scores more strongly influence each other. Ordinal logistic regression reveals that course anxiousness strongly predicts exam grades in both classes (p \u3c 0.05 for both), while all other factors are somewhat or much weaker at predicting exam grades. Cronbach’s alpha analysis shows that UNC’s components generally showed stronger internal consistency than Wooster’s, despite strong item associations for the Anxiety, Attitude, and Professor components in both datasets
Bridging the Gap: An Investigation into the Genetic Diversity and Laboratory Colonization of Aedes japonicus japonicus in Northern Ohio
No full textInvasive species of mosquitoes are a serious ecological and medical threat, leading to millions of deaths annually through disease transmission. The Asian rock pool mosquito, Aedes japonicus japonicus, has been extensively studied as an invasive mosquito ever since the confirmation of its invasion in the United States. The subspecies has thrived in environments that mirror its native Palearctic range and is believed to have diversified genetically since its original introduction. Previous research identified an increasing number of haplotypes present within conserved mitochondrial genes COI and NAD4, with an extensive investigation into the haplotype diversity of species in several states. However, Ohio has been understudied in this capacity. Furthermore, there have been very few documented attempts at multi-generational colonization of the invasive US population in a laboratory setting. To address both research gaps, this study aimed to colonize and investigate the population-level genetic diversity of invasive Ae. j. japonicus mosquitoes collected in three Ohio cities: Wooster, Cleveland, and Newark. The study also aimed to identify whether the size phenotypes described in previous student research were heritable. Reiter-Cummings gravid and CDC light traps were used to trap mosquito specimens at six sites across these three cities. Trapped F0 mosquitoes were separated into large and small colonies based on body size and raised through a modified version of previous experimental laboratory-rearing protocols. Females were provided ATP-salt-enriched bovine blood weekly, and two laboratory generations were reared. Due to the high mortality rate of the small phenotype, the wild-caught F0 generation consisted entirely of large mosquitoes. Despite this, F1 offspring generation consisted of both large and small mosquitoes, indicating that environmental factors such as diet may determine body size. The F2 generation eggs did not hatch, indicating a need for further refinement to the Ae. j. japonicus colonization approach. A subset of mosquitoes from the F0 generation had their DNA isolated, amplified via PCR, and sequenced for either mitochondrial gene. A high haplotype diversity was discovered in the pool of sequences for both COI (n = 38, # of H = 6, Hd = 0.7368, 5.3% matched census) and NAD4 (n = 18, # of H = 7, Hd = 0.8105, 0% matched census). Furthermore, the haplotype comparison revealed an overlap in the haplotypes present between the Wooster and Cleveland mosquitoes for both genes, providing strong evidence that the Cleveland and Wooster populations diverged from the same invasive population. These results align with the diversity and invasive range expansion data reported in Ae. j. japonicus populations from other states. This underscores the need to continue monitoring this species as a potential disease vector, particularly as the climate continues to warm, enabling interactions with confirmed invasive mosquito disease vectors
Barriers and Facilitators to the Implementation of the Meihana Model in Aotearoa, New Zealand
No full textIndigenous populations receive worse care in healthcare settings and have poorer health outcomes compared to non-Indigenous populations. In response to these healthcare inequalities, there has been a growing movement to integrate culturally appropriate Indigenous models of health that integrate and respect Indigenous cultural values. One of these Indigenous models, the Meihana model, has been implemented into healthcare and university settings throughout New Zealand for use with Māori clients. However, there is a lack of research examining how clinicians apply the model in real-world settings. For the current study, a semi-structured interview approach was employed. I interviewed three clinical psychologists and three clinical trainees who routinely utilize the model in clinical settings. Using a rapid qualitative analysis approach, I identified four core themes: how clinicians learned about the model, benefits of usage, barriers to usage, and strategies for implementation. Overall, the clinicians considered the model to be a holistic and culturally competent approach to care for use with Māori and non-Māori patients within clinical settings