2019 Oklahoma Research Day Full Program

Oklahoma Research Day 2019 - SWOSU Celebrating 20 years of Undergraduate Research Successes

Bharata’s Natyashastra-based Theatre Analysis Model: An experiment on British South Asian and contemporary Indian theatre in English

This thesis tests a newly developed model based on the Natyashastra, an Indian treatise on performing arts, and uses this for theatrical analysis in the contexts of British Asian theatre productions and contemporary Indian theatre in English. The study offers a tool that can provide an alternative model of analysis. By extending the existing analytical models, we can ask questions concerning the actors’ emotional manifestation and their mental state while acting. This thesis attempts to interpret the actors’ gestures and provides a structure to analyse them. In order to do that, this project uses the Natyashastra and rasa/bhava concepts as performance analysis tools, which might provide an alternate perspective to theatre analysis. The thesis reviews existing models of theatrical analysis and argues for an alternative model in Chapter One. It examines the analysis of theatre productions by scholars of British Asian theatre and contemporary Indian theatre in English in Chapter Two. Here, I review the ways in which scholars of British South Asian theatre have examined theatrical productions so far. Chapter Three tests the proposed model on four theatre productions, illustrating the ways in which theatre productions could be analysed, and identifies the model’s limitations and advantages. Chapter Four discusses findings in the light of the results analysed in Chapter Three; it also outlines some questions which needs further investigation. By doing so, this thesis contributes to the field of performance analysis and theatre studies by developing strong links between the manifestation of the actors’ bodymind, the directors' reception after their first reading of a play’s text, and playwrights’ initial emotions within the text, through production analysis

Sustaining critical transport infrastructure space in megacities: multimodal assessment of railway and road systems in Kano & Lagos — Nigeria

Globalisation has the most tremendous negative effects on the changing landscapes of many cities because of the roles of cities as the de facto economy and haven of liveable socioeconomic advantages. As the urban population grows, particularly in developing countries' mega-cities where transport development faces the most complex challenges, a more sophisticated framework of assessment of critical transportation infrastructure and transportation planning is required. This research aims to investigate transport effects of the complex web of interactions of urban chain processes to bring about a more sustainable (and resilient) transport infrastructure development of mega-cities. The interdisciplinary research concepts which incorporate the development of scenario-based applications and prediction techniques involving qualitative and quantitative frameworks were applied to the two Nigerians most populous cities (Lagos and Kano). The framework includes the analysis of spatial-temporal relationship of transport space and urban land use change, congestion and accessibility, sustainability paradigm and themes and ordering of priorities of the intervention policies based on transportation demand management objectives. Data sources include Landsat images, traffic and demographic data, transportation infrastructure inventories, and collaborative engagement with stakeholders and policymakers via questionnaires, interviews, and checklists. First, spatial-temporal analysis was carried out using remote sensing GIS software for land use classification and CA-Markov model implemented in IDRISI SELVA for temporal prediction and its suitability quality. Next is the assessment of accessibility and congestion pattern of the two cities using a surrogate multi-layer feed-forward and back-propagation model involving input-output and curve fitting (NFTOOL) implemented in artificial neural network wizard of MATLAB. Also, the sustainable paradigm and themes were carried using questionnaire and interview instruments and analysed respectively using SPSS and NVivo softwares. Finally, the priorities of intervention policy decision and quality of infrastructure and services were analysed using hybrid SERVQUAL-AHP models. The spatial-temporal analysis of the two cities produced patterns of rising trends for transport and built-up areas while the other land use classes are receding. For example, Kano transport space had grown from 137km$^2$ in 1984 to 290km$^2$ in 2019 while that Lagos grew from 337km$^2$ to 535km$^2$ in the same period. The dynamics model predicts spatial land requirement of Kano city for transport to reach 410km$^2$ in 2050 while Lagos will be needing 692km$^2$ in the same period. Future prediction of the two cities will be highly unsustainable for transport infrastructure. The congestion profile results put the two cities within congestion indices ranging from 7.5 to 10 on a maximum scale of 10, indicating extreme traffic congestion regimes and inaccessibility in the two cities. The sustainability paradigm comprising literacy, sustainable choices and indicators of sustainable transport are below average exposing poor development in the area. Also, the thematic analysis revealed the preponderance of more negative sentiments from the interview over statements of optimism and progress and it corroborates the findings of sustainability paradigm. Finally, satisfaction quality assessment produced low quality scores of 48% and 49% for Kano and Lagos cities respectively. AHP equally allocated more weight to tangibility which defines infrastructure and service qualities. These values are suggestive of the necessity to infrastructure, public transit systems and management of transport demand in the decision policy making. To deal with rising urbanization trends in Nigerian cities and maintain liveable and accessible urban environments, aggressive push—and—pull policies that improve and increase transport infrastructure quality and drive sustainable transport, promote modal split, reduced motorization, and access control is recommended

Pilot study for subgroup classification for autism spectrum disorder based on dysmorphology and physical measurements in Chinese children

Poster Sessions: 157 - Comorbid Medical Conditions: abstract 157.058 58BACKGROUND: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder affecting individuals along a continuum of severity in communication, social interaction and behaviour. The impact of ASD significantly varies amongst individuals, and the cause of ASD can originate broadly between genetic and environmental factors. Objectives: Previous ASD researches indicate that early identification combined with a targeted treatment plan involving behavioural interventions and multidisciplinary therapies can provide substantial improvement for ASD patients. Currently there is no cure for ASD, and the clinical variability and uncertainty of the disorder still remains. Hence, the search to unravel heterogeneity within ASD by subgroup classification may provide clinicians with a better understanding of ASD and to work towards a more definitive course of action. METHODS: In this study, a norm of physical measurements including height, weight, head circumference, ear length, outer and inner canthi, interpupillary distance, philtrum, hand and foot length was collected from 658 Typical Developing (TD) Chinese children aged 1 to 7 years (mean age of 4.19 years). The norm collected was compared against 80 ASD Chinese children aged 1 to 12 years (mean age of 4.36 years). We then further attempted to find subgroups within ASD based on identifying physical abnormalities; individuals were classified as (non) dysmorphic with the Autism Dysmorphology Measure (ADM) from physical examinations of 12 body regions. RESULTS: Our results show that there were significant differences between ASD and TD children for measurements in: head circumference (p=0.009), outer (p=0.021) and inner (p=0.021) canthus, philtrum length (p=0.003), right (p=0.023) and left (p=0.20) foot length. Within the 80 ASD patients, 37(46%) were classified as dysmorphic (p=0.00). CONCLUSIONS: This study attempts to identify subgroups within ASD based on physical measurements and dysmorphology examinations. The information from this study seeks to benefit ASD community by identifying possible subtypes of ASD in Chinese population; in seek for a more definitive diagnosis, referral and treatment plan.published_or_final_versio

A COMPARISON BETWEEN MOTIVATIONS AND PERSONALITY TRAITS IN RELIGIOUS TOURISTS AND CRUISE SHIP TOURISTS

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the motivations and the personality traits that characterize tourists who choose religious travels versus cruises. Participating in the research were 683 Italian tourists (345 males and 338 females, age range 18–63 years); 483 who went to a pilgrimage travel and 200 who chose a cruise ship in the Mediterranean Sea. Both groups of tourists completed the Travel Motivation Scale and the Big Five Questionnaire. Results show that different motivations and personality traits characterize the different types of tourists and, further, that motivations for traveling are predicted by specific —some similar, other divergent— personality trait

D-STEM: a Design led approach to STEM innovation

Advances in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) disciplines offer opportunities for designers to propose and make products with advanced, enhanced and engineered properties and functionalities. In turn, these advanced characteristics are becoming increasingly necessary as resources become ever more strained through 21st century demands, such as ageing populations, connected communities, depleting raw materials, waste management and energy supply. We need to make things that are smarter, make our lives easier, better and simpler. The products of tomorrow need to do more with less. It is recognised that STEM subjects need Design to translate and realise their full value to the economy and that Design’s role is greater than being a creator of objects. The issue is how to maximize the potential for exploiting opportunities offered by STEM developments and how best to enable designers to strengthen their position within the innovation ecosystem as active agents of change. As a society, we need designers able to navigate emerging developments from the STEM community to a level that enables understanding and knowledge of the new material properties, the skill set to facilitate absorption into the design ‘toolbox’ and the agility to identify, manage, contextualise and influence innovation opportunities emerging from STEM developments. This paper proposes the blueprint for a new design led approach to STEM innovation that begins to redefine studio culture for the 21st Century