Ouachita to host 52nd Miss OBU Scholarship Pageant Feb. 2, 2019

Ouachita Baptist University will host the 52nd Miss Ouachita Baptist University Scholarship Pageant on Saturday, Feb. 2, at 7:30 p.m. in Jones Performing Arts Center. Fifteen contestants will compete for the crown, which is twice the number of contestants in the last few years. Tickets are $12 at the door. The winner of the pageant will compete in the Miss Arkansas Scholarship Pageant, part of the Miss America Organization, this summer. Along with the honor of representing Ouachita at Miss Arkansas, the winner will receive a$2,000 scholarship, along with a prize package. Throughout the year, Miss OBU’s responsibilities will include volunteering for various organizations in the community of Arkadelphia and the state of Arkansas

Trace Element Analysis of Human Dentition from the Elite Meroitic Cemetery at Sedeinga, Sudan to Determine Dietary Consumption and Cultural Behaviors

Minimal research has been conducted on the human skeletal remains from this site, and this research is aimed toward adding knowledge of the Nubian culture for the period between the 1st c. AD to the 4th c. AD, particularly focusing on answering the following questions: 1) Was intra- individual variation present in dietary consumption or cultural behaviors based on elements found within an individual\u27s multiple molars after analysis; 2) Was an inter-individual variation apparent, based on developmental age through permanent molars, that indicated a distinction between dietary consumption against all individuals; and 3) Based on known medicinal and cosmetic use of kohl in neighboring societies, as well as archaeological evidence found at Sedeinga, if individuals will have used kohl based on observed increased levels of lead or antimony? A trace element analysis was performed on an archaeological sample from 13 individuals consisting of 21 first, second, and third permanent molars excavated from the elite Nubian Meroitic Cemetery of Sedeinga, located in northern Sudan. Elemental analysis was performed using Laser Ablation-Inductively Coupled Plasma- Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). A total of 13 trace elements including Ca44 and P31; minor elements Mg24, S32, C13, and Sr88; metals Fe56, Cu63, Zn66, Sb121, and Pb208; and La139 and U238 were analyzed for each sample with concentration values mapped and analyzed. The data collected during laser ablation was utilized to create two-dimensional detection and concentration maps of each tooth using MATLAB® software. Analysis of concentration values confirmed dietary change from early childhood to late adolescence across the population. Probable use of antimony and lead-based kohl was determined from high concentration values mapped in dentition. Two-dimensional mapping of trace elements within teeth have revealed cultural and dietary changes across the population

Reflective Practice, Collaboration, and Stakeholder Communication: Where Does the Field of Evaluation Stand?

The current study provides insight into the state of the field of evaluation regarding practitioners’ understanding and application of reflective practice (RP), one of six essential competencies in program evaluation identified and discussed by Stevahn, King, Ghere, and Minnema (2005). Specifically, the purpose of this study was to determine how professional evaluators view RP, the extent and manner in which they engage in RP behaviors, and how evaluators conceptualize whether RP efforts affect, if at all, the evaluation process. Through a snowball sample, nineteen highly experienced evaluators took part in an hour long interview. These interviews with evaluators who have been practicing evaluation for ten or more years offered a broader understanding of where professionals in the discipline stand with regard to RP in evaluation. Overall, participants conceptualized RP as both an intuitive and purposeful learning process that includes thinking, questioning, self-awareness, and multiple perspectives. Participants reported using RP for communicating and sharing with others or with the evaluation community, for thinking about their work personally, for evaluation of their work, and through the use of professional guidelines. Participants reported that RP is not specific to any part of the evaluation process but is instead a process that continues throughout the evaluation as well as after the fact. With regard to collaboration, participants discussed involving stakeholders and evaluation clients, evaluation team members, and colleagues in the process of RP, both formally and informally. Typically they collaborated for the purpose of feedback or learning and for thinking through the evaluation together. Limitations of the study are addressed, and implications for practice and recommendations for future research are provided

Student Nurses Who Witness Critical Events in the Clinical Setting: A Grounded Theory Qualitative Study

Hood, Tiffany Lee. Student Nurses Who Witness Critical Events in the Clinical Setting: A Grounded Theory Qualitative Study. Published Doctor of Philosophy dissertation, University of Northern Colorado, 2020. Background: Nursing students often experience critical events in the clinical setting, and too often, the clinical instructor does not have the training to help students through these situations. The literature shows that students often feel alone and abandoned, requiring them to endure these experiences without proper psychological recovery. Clinical nurse educators and staff nurses may not fully understand their role in emotional support, pre-briefing, and debriefing, not knowing what to do to help students through such difficult situations. Procedure: A grounded theory qualitative study was conducted to better understand the experiences of student nurses who have witnessed critical events in the clinical setting, and to better understand the types of support provided and the effectiveness of the support. Fourteen undergraduate student nurses from three four-year universities in Utah, United States, participated in this study. Results: Using a four-stage coding procedure, 50 initial categories were categorized into one core category, nine primary categories, and nine secondary categories. Relationships between categories were identified, and a theory of student nurse support and recovery through critical events in the clinical setting emerged. Conclusion: Student nurses need active faculty and/or staff support during critical events, and pre-briefing whenever possible. Students should be taught coping skills and have risk and support systems assessed prior to entering the clinical setting. Nursing knowledge, life experiences, values, beliefs, coping skills, current mental health state, and prior history of trauma affect student responses to critical events. Immediate debrief positively affects post-event stress response and coping by providing the opportunity for students to gain closure, decrease anxiety, increase understanding, time to mentally process the event, and emotional support. Lack of debrief increases post-event psychological distress and decrease coping and resilience. Support after critical events should continue in the days, weeks, and months following the event. Students should be monitored for signs of increased psychological distress and psychological trauma and be provided resources for help in coping. Students who do not receive adequate support prior to, during, or after a critical event are at risk for psychological trauma

Host seeking parasitic nematodes use specific odors to assess host resources.

Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) are insect parasites used as biological control agents. Free-living infective juveniles (IJs) of EPNs employ host-seeking behaviors to locate suitable hosts for infection. We found that EPNs can differentiate between naïve and infected hosts, and that host attractiveness changes over time in a species-specific manner. We used solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry to identify volatile chemical cues that may relay information about a potential host's infection status and resource availability. Among the chemicals identified from the headspace of infected hosts, 3-Methyl-2-buten-1-ol (prenol) and 3-Hydroxy-2-butanone (AMC) were selected for further behavioral assays due to their temporal correlation with the behavioral changes of IJs towards the infected hosts. Both compounds were repulsive to IJs of Steinernema glaseri and S. riobrave in a dose-dependent manner when applied on an agar substrate. Furthermore, the repulsive effects of prenol were maintained when co-presented with the uninfected host odors, overriding attraction to uninfected hosts. Prenol was attractive to dauers of some free-living nematodes and insect larvae. These data suggest that host-associated chemical cues may have several implications in EPN biology, not only as signals for avoidance and dispersal of conspecifics, but also as attractants for new potential hosts

Thirty-three Ouachita students named to Who’s Who

Thirty-three students from Ouachita Baptist University will be included in the latest edition of Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges

Ouachita to host pianist Dr. Kiu Tung Poon May 2

Ouachita Baptist University’s Division of Music will host pianist Dr. Kiu Tung Poon in a solo recital Thursday, May 2, at 8 p.m. in McBeth Recital Hall in Mabee Fine Arts Center. The recital, which is part of Ouachita’s Guest Artist Series, is free and open to the public

Ouachita Student Foundation named district Outstanding Student Advancement Organization, Selby Tucker named Outstanding Student Leader

Ouachita Baptist University’s Ouachita Student Foundation (OSF) recently was recognized as the Outstanding Student Advancement Organization for District 4 by the national Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) Affiliated Student Advancement Programs (ASAP). OSF’s vice president, Selby Tucker, also was recognized as Outstanding Student Leader for the district