Matching Items (275)
Description
The main objective of this thesis was to answer this question: How does black representation in the media of the early two-thousands fit into the more extensive history of black representation, and how do young people perceive it today? My research methods were separated into three parts: the historical perspective, the initial survey, and the focus group. I sought to understand how African Americans were depicted in the film and television industry from the 20th century to modern times and how these depictions impacted a black viewer’s psyche. I conducted an initial survey in which I collected 32 ASU students’ emotional responses to their childhood media. Then, I compared these responses to historical accounts of black representation. Lastly, I conducted a focus group of eight participants who watched a modern film (The Woman King) and attended a film discussion. The focus group was meant to answer whether black viewers’ perceptions of black representation improved over time.
ContributorsGarth, Jolie (Author) / Cruse, Markus (Thesis director) / Joslin, Isaac (Committee member) / Azuma, Tamiko (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / College of Health Solutions (Contributor)
Created2024-05
Description
In this paper, a novel model of Hotelling duopoly is introduced that explains horizontal product variety as the result of consumer preferences, expanding on and meshing the works of Hotelling (1929) and Neven (1985). From this model, two opposing forces from consumer preferences are found that impact the variety and price decisions of firms: market share revenues and price revenues. As firms face consumers with highly linear (weak) preferences over variety, the profit incentive is to simply capture the market by offering products that appeal to the middle consumer. However, as firms face consumers with highly quadratic (strong) preferences over variety, the profit incentive is to carve out and exploit a market segment by offering a distinct variety. Thus, observed product variety between minimal and maximal differentiation is emergent from consumer preferences, as firms face a balance of price and market share incentives.
ContributorsMalaki, Adam (Author) / Leiva Bertran, Fernando (Thesis director) / Hanemann, Michael (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (Contributor) / Economics Program in CLAS (Contributor) / School for the Future of Innovation in Society (Contributor)
Created2024-05
Description
Milk has long played an important role in American society and remains a popular staple of many Americans’ diets. Yet, despite its long standing popularity, the role of milk within American society has begun to develop new meaning in recent years. This paper aims to understand the symbolism that today’s Americans ascribe to milk. Academic journal articles, advertising campaigns, online articles, and government policy pertaining to milk were researched in order to identify the themes that characterize consumers’ perceptions of milk. In recognition of the diverse types of milk that are now accessible to many Americans, this paper uses the word “milk” to refer to cow-derived, fluid (liquid) dairy unless otherwise specified. This research reveals eleven principal themes that describe consumers’ perceptions of milk: milk symbolizes health, American values, is associated with athleticism, is unhealthy, is not preferable to plant-based alternatives, is bad for the environment, is animal cruelty, represents white supremacy, is anti-feminist, is reflective of consumer lifestyles, and there is a general trend of consumers being uninformed about the milk that they consume. This research helps to understand consumers; therefore, this research can be used to help dairy-related industries shape their business strategies and target their customer segment and to help policymakers design effective dairy-related policies. Furthermore, this paper invites further research to identify the consumers that hold the beliefs this research describes, and the extent to which these consumers share said beliefs.
ContributorsHladik, Jessica (Author) / Hughner, Renee (Thesis director) / Voorhees, Matthew (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / Economics Program in CLAS (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor)
Created2024-05
Description
Anelloviruses are small, negative-sense, single-stranded DNA viruses that have are found to be present in over 90% of adult humans. Despite being highly prevalent, little is known about the biology or pathogenic potentials of the anelloviruses. Initially, the family Anelloviridae, contained 14 genera. However, in the last few years, there have been an abundant number of diverse anelloviruses that were identified in various organisms. Thus, a new criterion for anelloviruses classification was necessary to establish new genera and species to accommodate unclassified anelloviruses. As part of an ongoing effort to characterize the human virome of female genital tract (FGT), we performed virome metagenomic sequencing of Peruvian women living with HIV, and we have identified 7 novel anellovirus genome sequences found in cervicovaginal clinical specimens. Through phylogenetic and sequence analyses of the new characterization criteria, we classified the genome sequences as three novel anellovirus genera, provisionally named, Petorquevirus, Sadetorquevirus, and Quoptorquevirus.
ContributorsDo, Eric (Author) / Lim, Efrem (Thesis director) / Kaelin, Emily (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Economics Program in CLAS (Contributor) / School of Molecular Sciences (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor)
Created2024-05
Description
This paper details the process of implementing a schedule change for the Orbit Saturn, a neighborhood circulator bus in Tempe with poor on-time performance. It describes the methods used to estimate the true runtimes for the Saturn between timepoints, and measures the effectiveness of a schedule change that allows operators more time to traverse between timepoints. Changes were implemented on October 23, 2023, upon which there was a statistically significant decrease in average deviation from schedule, as well as a significant increase in the proportion of trips classified as “on-time” by Valley Metro. Increased on-time performance does not appear to be due to outside factors, such as seasonal changes in traffic.
ContributorsMalzewski, Trevor (Author) / Kuby, Michael (Thesis director) / Tong, Daoqin (Committee member) / Stevenson, Sam (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Economics Program in CLAS (Contributor)
Created2024-05
Description
This study presents a comparative analysis of machine learning models on their ability to determine match outcomes in the English Premier League (EPL), focusing on optimizing prediction accuracy. The research leverages a variety of models, including logistic regression, decision trees, random forests, gradient boosting machines, support vector machines, k-nearest neighbors, and extreme gradient boosting, to predict the outcomes of soccer matches in the EPL. Utilizing a comprehensive dataset from Kaggle, the study uses the Sport Result Prediction CRISP-DM framework for data preparation and model evaluation, comparing the accuracy, precision, recall, F1-score, ROC-AUC score, and confusion matrices of each model used in the study. The findings reveal that ensemble methods, notably Random Forest and Extreme Gradient Boosting, outperform other models in accuracy, highlighting their potential in sports analytics. This research contributes to the field of sports analytics by demonstrating the effectiveness of machine learning in sports outcome prediction, while also identifying the challenges and complexities inherent in predicting the outcomes of EPL matches. This research not only highlights the significance of ensemble learning techniques in handling sports data complexities but also opens avenues for future exploration into advanced machine learning and deep learning approaches for enhancing predictive accuracy in sports analytics.
ContributorsTashildar, Ninad (Author) / Osburn, Steven (Thesis director) / Simari, Gerardo (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (Contributor) / Economics Program in CLAS (Contributor) / Computer Science and Engineering Program (Contributor)
Created2024-05
Description
For decades, society has held an innate fascination with serial murder and serial killers. The fascination lies in the motivations behind the actions and the way in which investigators apprehend them. The psychological field of investigative and behavioral psychology emerged to attempt to answer some of these questions and the investigative tool of behavioral profiling soon followed. Researchers have conducted comparison studies of male and female serial killers many times to understand what differentiates them. This research aims to answer another question: Are female serial killers more homogenous based on their profiles than male serial killers? The media portrays female serial killers in a very specific light, poisoners who kill due to revenge or money, but how well does this portrayal actually hold up when analytically examined? This research compiled case studies of fifteen male and fifteen female serial killers based on twenty-six characteristics and profiled each according to three different typologies to determine how homogenous these groups actually are. This research can help assist investigators and the public to better understand the diversity of these types of offenders and be able to determine who these offenders are.
ContributorsRotenberg, Taylor (Author) / Guyll, Max (Thesis director) / Madon, Stephanie (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Department of Finance (Contributor) / Economics Program in CLAS (Contributor)
Created2024-05
Description
After the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021, Haiti was a hot topic in American news outlets. Soon after, there was footage released of Haitian migrants attempting to cross the border while border patrol agents on horseback charged at them, whipping them and shouting obscenities. Following this event, Donald Trump went on Fox News announcing old stereotypes about Haitians bringing AIDs to the US. He degraded Haiti similarly to how he did in his 2018 comments from an oval office meeting, when he stated that their country was a “shithole.” Following these comments and events, Haitian migrants were being refused Temporary Protected Status “TPS,” and being deported back to Haiti - the treatment they received was as congresswoman Alexandia Octavio Cortez described, in “stark contrast,” to that of the Ukrainian refugees who were automatically being granted TPS at the time. This thesis analyzes the history of Foreign Relations between the US and Haiti in order to understand the US’s involvement and responsibility for Haiti’s current state. I start with a historical analysis of American Occupation of Haiti in 1914, and continue through the Duvalier dictatorship, NGO involvement in Haiti, up until Haiti’s current political state, in order to give the socio-political context for the image portrayed of Haitians in American news, social media, film, and TV outlets. My thesis contends that racist stereotypes have been used in media and government alike to dehumanize Haitians and justify exploitative foreign policy.
ContributorsRyan, Madeleine (Author) / Cruse, Markus (Thesis director) / Bezerra, Ligia (Committee member) / Joslin, Isaac (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2024-05
DescriptionBuck-it is a budgeting application designed to meet the unique needs of college students. As financial literacy is crucial for developing good long-term financial habits, Buck-it aims to promote budgeting among college students through an appealing user interface, robust customization, and effective categorization.
ContributorsVemuri, Rajeev (Author) / Davitt, Ryan (Co-author) / Doyle, Michael (Co-author) / Walle, Andrew (Co-author) / Baptista, Asher (Co-author) / Byrne, Jared (Thesis director) / Lee, Peggy (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Economics Program in CLAS (Contributor) / Computer Science and Engineering Program (Contributor)
Created2024-05
Description
The food-insecure population in the United States is significant, with a disproportionately large food insecure population being college students. Food insecurity is an issue of great concern not only because of the presence of malnourishment, but especially because of the many negative effects on health it can have on individuals that come as a result of malnourishment. In addition to the many health issues that can arise, food insecurity has also been found to be correlated with poor academic performance in school which is especially important when it comes to the food insecure college student population. Among the many reasons that college students might be food insecure, one issue that is explored is that college students do not have the capabilities to prepare adequate meals for themselves, so their lack of ability to do so contributes to their food insecurity. One way to combat this issue is to encourage college students to take the initiative to learn how to cook meals. A survey evaluated the food insecurity status of undergraduate ASU students and explored various food habits such as meal preparation, fresh produce consumption, and various influencing factors and obstacles of eating healthy, among others. Results found that those who identified as food insecure were less likely to cook meals for themselves as often as those who are not food insecure, nor were they as likely to consume fresh produce as those who are not food insecure. Additionally, all students have reported improved academic performance and/or physical/mental wellbeing. With the support that eating healthy meals is important for college students’ academics and physical and mental wellbeing, as is having the knowledge on how to prepare healthy meals, a fresh produce resource guide was created with the purpose of encouraging ASU students to learn the basic skills of cooking and meal preparation.
ContributorsPatel, Annika (Author) / Secord, Andrea (Co-author) / Dal Martello, Chiara (Thesis director) / Tabusso-Marcyan, Ilaria (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Economics Program in CLAS (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Department of Information Systems (Contributor) / Dean, W.P. Carey School of Business (Contributor)
Created2024-05