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The Latino South: Race and Racialization
Get PDFTaking into consideration the South’s historic black-white racial binary, this multi-media research project documents the place-specific experiences of 23 Latinos living in Oxford, Mississippi, using anthropologic methods. A digital archive accompanies the written thesis. Through interdisciplinary methods, this research examines and seeks to understand how the Latino community is conforming to or challenging the staunch view of race and identity in the U.S. South, where race is and has always been at the forefront of culture and society. Through knowing the history of race in the South and understanding the black-white racial binary, the presence of Latinos is creating space for a “separate” or “third” racial or ethnic category in a region so invested in the construct of black or white. Based on their experiences, the U.S. Census data, and other case studies about Latino migration and settlements in the South, the conclusion can be drawn that race is slowly becoming less stagnant and more of a spectrum to measure one’s identity; however, these interviews show how Latinos are racialized in social, academic, and personal settings by people from all racial and ethnic backgrounds. No one group is immune to receiving or distributing racialization; however, for those who do not explicitly identify or fit into the racial categories of black or white, racialization becomes ubiquitous
Exploration of Financial Accounting: A Compilation of Individual Case Studies
Get PDFThis thesis contains twelve accounting-related case studies completed in Accounting 420: Independent Studies, a two-semester thesis course taught by Dr. Victoria Dickinson. For most cases, students were given access to case materials that provided brief descriptions of real companies along with the companies’ financial statements and related footnotes. The cases also provided conceptual, procedural, and analytical questions for students to answer; completing a case study entailed answering the questions selected by Dr. Dickinson and writing a brief introduction to the case.
Students were given time in class to work in small groups to start answering the case questions. Students used their accounting knowledge, the case materials, their accounting textbooks, and, occasionally, online resources to answer the questions. Once the allotted class period ended, students completed the remainder of their cases on their own, wrote the brief introductions, and applied appropriate formatting. Dr. Dickinson and her teaching assistant then provided feedback for improvement. Through this process, I enhanced my financial accounting knowledge, strengthened my critical-thinking abilities, and developed my communication skills. Furthermore, I learned that financial accounting is a complex, fascinating topic that will require extensive exposure to real-world scenarios to master
A Study of Financial Reporting Principles through Analysis of Case Studies
Get PDFThe following thesis provides solutions to case studies on various financial accounting standards in agreement with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles as set forth by the Financial Accounting Standards Board. In conjunction with the topics learned in Intermediate Financial Accounting, each case focuses on a separate area of financial reporting through application within specific companies. The thesis displays understanding of accounting principles, financial statement preparation and analysis, and current accountancy topics. The case studies were completed under the direction of Dr. Victoria Dickinson in fulfillment of the requirements for the University of Mississippi, Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College, and Patterson School of Accountancy ACCY 420 course in the 2017-2018 academic year
Navigating the Grey Areas Within Financial Reporting: A Composition of Case Studies
Get PDFThe following thesis consists of a composition of case studies that I wrote under the guidance of Dr. Victoria Dickinson. Over two semesters, Dr. Dickinson advised my peers and me to work through a dozen case studies covering a variety of financial accounting concepts. For most of the cases, we were presented with information and pertinent data about a company, then a series of questions for us to answer would follow. While many of the questions were objective in nature, some of the questions allowed us to be creative and provide our own recommendations to the problems presented. Aside from the structured case studies, we were also given the opportunity to research different data analytics software programs which we may encounter in public accounting. Throughout the year, I was able to apply the technical knowledge that I was learning in my accounting classes to the real-world problems that the cases presented which gave me an understanding of the concepts beyond the classroom
Sarcasm Understanding Across the Lifespan
Get PDFResearch has identified a developmental progression of sarcasm understanding, stating that children get better at understanding sarcasm as they get older, though adults are still not perfect at reliably detecting sarcasm. This may be related to the cues present (e.g., story context, verbal cues, and facial expressions). Research has primarily focused on verbal cues, specifically exaggerated or “dripping” intonation, in child and adult populations. The literature is lacking in the realm of facial expressions and child populations. This study aimed to add to the literature concerning facial expressions as well as to evaluate sarcasm understanding with more than one cue present. To study this, participants were presented with stories in which a negative event occurred then they were asked questions to assess their understanding of the speaker’s mind. I found that children focused mainly on facial expressions while adults focused mainly on prosody (i.e., intonation). This is an interesting find because it suggests that sarcasm detection changes over the lifespan in regards to the types of cues used. It also suggests that children may only need facial expressions whereas adults may find prosody to be a reliable predictor of sarcasm
Authoritarian Regimes and Economic Development:Related Much?
Get PDFThis descriptive study seeks to identify the level of influence that authoritarian regimes have on development with countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The question behind this study is important in that not much is known about the autocratic countries within these regions though many of these countries have experienced much economic success in spite of difference in authoritarian regimes, and the threat of the resource curse. The data I have gathered focuses on observing variables
such as GDP per capita (PPP), GDP annual growth, life expectancy index as well as the human development index which are observed within the autocracies present within the MENA. These variables are then tested to find correlations linking a country’s performance to the type of authoritarian regime it possesses
Finding Equilibrium on the Internet: How Chinese Netizens and the Regime Navigate Social Media Censorship
Get PDFChina’s current social media landscape consists of the most users in the world operating within the most extensive governmental censorship apparatus in the world, which over time has created a shaky balance between personal expression and institutional order. This thesis attempts to shed light on an understudied, potentially sensitive topic by exploring the multifaceted relationship between Chinese Internet users and the communist regime in terms of content surveillance. By examining the current Internet environment, assessing the opportunities and challenges the web provides users and the regime, implementing a survey with sixteen Chinese netizens, and conducting a literature review, this thesis posits that the previously described current balance works because of the state’s centuries-long history with censorship and the general support of regulation from Internet users. After expounding upon these topics, this thesis finds that the rising influence of Chinese netizens may result in a detrimental shift in the balance between expression and order, in which censorship should eventually diminish
Parents’ Perspectives on Early Intervention for Children with Speech and Language Delays
Get PDFParents play an important role in the success of a child’s language development. Further, research on early intervention has documented that parents can successfully learn and implement at-home therapy that results in positive language development of children with developmental disabilities. While the effectiveness of early intervention has been well-documented, there is little research exploring parents’ perspectives on early intervention and their involvement in therapy at home. The purpose of this study is to fill that gap by examining: 1) how informed and involved parents report feeling regarding their child’s therapy, 2) how parents perceive their relationship with their child’s speech-language pathologist (SLP), including their interactions and discussions with their child’s SLP about their child’s therapy and their role in their child’s therapy, 3) how effective they feel they are in implementing therapy at home, 4) any barriers they face when implementing therapy at home, and 5) what benefits they see in doing therapy at home with their child. The study included semi-structured interviews of nine parents of young children who received early intervention services. The interviews lasted 30-70 minutes. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and coded to identify major themes using analytic induction techniques. Parents expressed the importance of the communication between the parent and their child’s SLP. They also spoke about their implementation of therapy at home and some barriers they face that keep them from being able to implement therapy at home. Lastly, they gave some advice for SLPs and spoke of the impact therapy has had on their child and family
Effects of Vertical Transmission of Maternal Antibodies to Mycoplasma Gallisepticum on Growth and Condition of Eastern Bluebird Nestlings (Sialia Sialis)
Get PDFMothers display maternal effects to influence the development and success of offspring through processes such as resource allocation. In birds, this occurs largely through the egg yolk with the vertical transmission of antibodies to offspring to protect the vulnerable young from disease. Specifically, poultry and eastern bluebirds across the eastern United States are commonly infected by the bacteria Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG), for which mothers may produce antibodies against. To test for the vertical transmission of MG-specific antibodies from mothers to nestlings in eastern bluebirds and the associated fitness effects, bluebird boxes were set up and monitored during the field season. Nests were sampled from over a span of 14 days, and growth measurements and blood samples were taken periodically from nestlings. The serum, taken from nestlings at 2 and 5 days old, was used to run direct enzyme linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). We compared nestlings who had and did not have antibodies, and we examined the effects of antibody concentration. A large proportion of adult females tested positive for MG-specific antibodies, and a small proportion of their chicks tested positive for those antibodies, confirming some vertical transmission. Nestlings that tested positive for MG antibodies had a greater change in tarsus length over the nestling period. Of these chicks that tested positive for antibodies, a greater amount of antibodies was associated with greater body condition on day 11. However, of the positive antibody nestlings, their antibodies were shown to have catabolized by day 5, suggesting that these do not last long and may simply be a byproduct of reproduction. Although the presence of antibodies had a positive effect on tarsus growth during the nestling period, the protective effects from MG antibodies are limited because of their quick degradation
Discrete Optimization of a Styrene Production Process
Get PDFThis thesis will outline the two phases of my capstone design project for Chemical Engineering. The first goal was to simulate a styrene production process in Excel alongside my group members in ChE 451. During this phase, we looked at startup of the process and the first 12 years of operation. After the base case which included an isothermal reactor, the decision was made to switch to an adiabatic reactor based on net present value evaluations. Discrete optimization took place on the adiabatic reactor and the subsequent process. The second phase of my capstone project was the portion assigned to fulfill the requirements of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College Senior Thesis. To complete these requirements, my thesis group was tasked with simulating a fluidized bed reactor. After completion of the calculations for the reactor we were able to do an economic analysis. To compare the fluidized bed reactor and the isothermal/adiabatic reactors, we calculated the estimated annual operating costs. The specific details of this process is the subject of discussion within my thesis