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An Examination Of Factors That Influence The Program Choice Of Graduate Students In The Pharmaceutical Sciences., Tushar Baban Padwal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Objectives: The objectives of study were to: 1) identify factors considered important by pharmaceutical sciences graduate students during the application and acceptance phases of the admission process; 2) identify differences in the evaluative criteria for the two admission phases and for international and domestic students and 3) identify differences in the evaluative criteria for the two admission phases based on prior graduate school experience. Methods: Focus groups and depth interviews were conducted exploring issues surrounding the application and selection decisions of pharmaceutical sciences graduate students. Based on the results of this qualitative work and a review of the literature, an …

The Role Of Policy And The Built Environment On Children's In-School Physical Activity In The Mississippi Delta, Abigail Gamble

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

School environments provide an ideal setting for children to develop and adopt active living behaviors as a way of life. The primary purpose of this investigation was to describe state, district and school level policy regarding in-school physical activity, the school built environment and in-school physical activity of children ages 6 through 11 years in the Mississippi delta. A mixed-methods approach was used to garner a rich understanding of how current policy and the built environment influence in-school physical activity and weight status. Eleven public schools in three districts representing two counties in the Mississippi delta participated in this investigation. …

The Effects Of Chronic Prophylactic Naproxen Sodium On Skeletal Muscle Adaptation To Resistance Exercise In Recreationally-Trained College-Aged Males, Christi Brewer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Resistance exercise causes exercise-induced muscle injury (EIMI), triggering an acute local inflammatory response associated with delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS). DOMS is characterized by a predictable discomfort and decreased level of muscle performance and is believed to be the product of both mechanical and inflammatory processes. From the latter perspective, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have been investigated for their potential to alleviate DOMS-associated symptoms. Such analgesics exert their effects by blocking the formation of prostaglandins; however, prostaglandins, specifically prostaglandin F 2?, also play an important role in skeletal muscle regeneration. While some have advocated the use of NSAIDs for the relief …

Effects Of Tornado Damage, Prescribed Fire, And Salvage Logging On Oak (Quercus Spp.) Saplings In Upland Oak Forests In Northern Mississippi, Jeffery B. Cannon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

After European colonization and extensive logging folloby long periods of fire suppression, oak dominated forests, woodlands, and savannahs are being replaced by an unprecedented forest ecosystem. In Mississippi, these new forest systems are dominated in the mid- and understory by mesophytic species such as red maple (Acer rubrum L.) and sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua L.). Partial thinning of trees folloby prescribed fire can regenerate oaks in managed timber stands. A severe tornado occurred on a monitored oak stand in northern Mississippi. Of the damaged plots, some were treated with either prescribed fire or salvage logging or were left alone. I examined …

A Field Validation Of Dam Indexing Methods In Mississippi, Steven Thomas Fox

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Indexing methods are applied to dam inventories throughout the United States to assist in prioritizing resources to maintain aging dam structures. Three published indexing methods and one proposed method were applied to 24 dams through Mississippi. The majority of dams in Mississippi have little to no information concerning the performance records or design specifics of a given dam. Field assessments were conducted to determine the physical condition of each dam, identify potentially deficiencies at dams, and calculate a consequence in the event of a dam failure. The results of the four indexing methods will be compared and advantages and disadvantages …

Contextual Influences On Peer Acceptance And The Social Behavior Of Individuals With Intellectual Disabilities, Caroline Brooke Green

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Much attention has been paid to the social behavior of individuals with Intellectual Disability (IDs) due in part to its relevance to quality of life. Deficiencies in social skills are comamong persons with IDs and may include problem behaviors such as withdrawal, aggression, and difficulty communicating with others and social skills training programs have been developed to improve social functioning. However, these programs have generally assumed that the social behavior of persons with IDs should be the same as that of individuals without IDs, yet, relatively little is known about the nature of the relationships among individuals with IDs and …

Comorbid Depression And Anxiety As Predictors Of Adolescent Substance Use In A Rural And Ethnically Diverse Community Sample, Michael James Mcdermott

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Drug use among adolescents is one of the nation's most significant public health concerns, with an estimated 47% to 56% of adolescents engaging in illicit substance use before completing high school. Negative consequences often associated with adolescent substance use frequently result in severe emotional and physical problems and serve to illustrate the growing importance of identifying associated risk factors. It is likely that psychological risk factors play an important role in the initiation and continued use of drugs among adolescents. In particular, mood and anxiety disorders have emerged as two such psychological risk factors. Unfortunately, studies examining this relationship have …

The Instructional Planning And Rehearsal Practices Of Three Selected High School Band Directors, Renardo R. Murray

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the rehearsal planning and practices of three selected high school band directors as they prepare their ensembles for performance. Three subjects were observed across five consecutive rehearsals for a total of approximately 641 minutes. Data was collected from structured interviews, videotape observations, field notes, analysis of instructional goals, and frequency and duration data collected on specified teacher and student behaviors. The observed rehearsal time was divided into rehearsal frames which are episodes of rehearsal time devoted to the correction of student performance. Rehearsal frames that included two or more performance trials were identified and extracted for detail …

From Student To Sorority Girl: Gender, Class, And Presentation Of Self In Formal Sorority Recruitment, Cheryl Rose Nelson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, I discuss how women prepare for the formal sorority recruitment process associated with National Panhellenic Conference chapters at Southern State University, a large public university in the Southeastern United States. I first examine their experiences before arriving on campus, focusing primarily on how potential new members (PNMs) use social capital to obtain necessary recommendations from sorority alumnae prior to recruitment and learn about the expectations about the sorority recruitment process at Southern State University. I then describe the bodily practices and behavioral choices of PNMs as they enter the week of formal recruitment, analyzing their interpretations of …

Effects Of A Heated Turbulent Boundary Layer On Surface Pressure Fluctuations, David William Rich

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Recent work has shown that spatial correlation of surface pressure fluctuations in a fully turbulent atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) can give information about the velocity field and turbulence. This is of particular importance to the future of wind energy to predict the incoming velocity flow field of wind turbines so as to actively control them for peak operating efficiency and damage reduction. All of the environmental effects on the surface pressure fluctuations need to be fully understood before a suitable flow prediction algorithm can be constructed. One such environmental effect which has not been previously studied is the effect of …

On A Good Day, You Get To Kill A Whore: Narrative Misogyny And Female Audiences In Supernatural, Jordan Richard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this paper, I attempt to analyze the function of gender messages in media texts and the engagement of audiences with these messages. I adopt an interdisciplinary approach, applying theoretical and methodological concepts from both film studies and audience studies, in order to develop a new model through which to study media texts and fans. I apply this model to an analysis of female characters in the television program Supernatural and to self-identified female fans of Supernatural. Throughout the paper, I contend that such an interdisciplinary model is necessary for understanding media texts and audiences, and I conclude that media …

Playing The Game: Violence And The Revolt Against Normative Masculinity In John Updike's Rabbit Run, Norman Mailer's An American Dream, And Phil Andros's $Tud, Ann Marie Schott

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis will examine two high-brow examples of Cold War literature by white male authors, Norman Mailer's An American Dream (1965) and John Updike's Rabbit, Run (1960), and examine them through the lens of the lesser-known gay pulp $tud (1966) by Phil Andros. Although $tud's gay hustler protagonist Phil seems to be a progressive, even transgressive example of an alternate masculinity, he is actually heavily invested in the binary strictures of normative masculinity and therefore works to uphold or reinforce normativity. $tud, therefore, is not about deviance from a masculine norm but rather a meditation on the ways that American …

Best Practices For Disaster Coverage: An Analysis Of How The Herald Newspaper And Wlox-Tv Covered Hurricane Katrina, Nicole R. Sheriff

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A substantial amount of research has been done on Hurricane Katrina and its effects on New Orleans, Louisiana. However, few studies have focused on how the Mississippi Gulf Coast was affected by the hurricane. The purpose of this study is to bring attention to the reporting efforts of WLOX-TV and The Herald newspaper to cover Hurricane Katrina. This case study analyzes the practices WLOX and The Herald used to cover the hurricane and to explore which practices could be implemented in other newsrooms in the future. A total of four interviews were conducted with members from the newsrooms who had …

Nutrition Assessment And Intervention Improves Body Composition And Diet In Ncaa Female Volleyball Players, Rachel Wenzel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Intercollegiate volleyball is a powerful sport that consists of two to three hour matches; therefore, optimal physical condition is critical for top performance. This study assessed nutrition and anthropometric parameters at the start and conclusion of both the spring 2009 (no intervention) and spring 2010 (intervention) off-seasons as well as additional measurements four months after the intervention. The subject' body composition, total energy, carbohydrate and protein needs were calculated and intakes were assessed. The intervention consisted of monthly individual nutrition counseling sessions based on analysis of intake from three-day food records. Food records were analyzed using Nutrient Data System for …

Avian Cerebellum Specialization In Relation To Acrobatic Courtship Displays In Manakins (Pipridae), Steven Ray Wilkening

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The courtship displays of male manakins (Pipridae) involve an array of acrobatic and postural elements. Previously it was found that species with elaborate displays exhibit specializations in motor planning and coordination areas of the brain. Several studies have suggested a relationship between cerebellum (Cb) morphology and distinct motor-related functions for the anterior Cb (somatosensory, flying, hopping/walking), posterior Cb (vision, audition, flying, hopping/walking), and vestibular Cb (flying, hopping/walking, vestibular). The anterior, posterior and vestibular Cb as well as basic morphological features of the Cb were measured and tested for a relationship with courtship display complexity in manakins. I compared Cb morphology …

Population Biology Of A Coastal Dune-Dwelling Spider (Arctosa Sanctaerosae) Along The Hurricane Disturbed Northern Gulf Of Mexico Coast, Robert A. Hataway

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With the continued increase in the number of tourists visiting the Northern Gulf coast in the last century and the resulting development of this coastline the habitat of Arctosa sanctaerosae has become fragmented; and the sprawl of large cities along the coast has further degraded available habitat. In addition to anthropogenic disturbance to this coastal region, hurricanes are an additional and natural perturbation to the ecosystem. This habitat has seen a number of major tropical storms over the last decade and I have sought to explore the impact of habitat destruction and storm-induced disturbance on a species of spider endemic …

Professional Preparation Of Secondary Health Education Teachers In Mississippi, Ensley Howell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the professional preparation of secondary health education teachers in Mississippi. All four-year institutions of higher learning were contacted to determine the requirements for an approved program in order to obtain a supplemental endorsement in health, to compare the similarities and differences, and to determine the extent to which the approved programs reflect the ten content areas of the Mississippi Comprehensive Health Framework. This study also examined the status of secondary school health education programs in Mississippi by utilizing selected data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease …

Substrate Integrated Waveguide Horn Slot Antenna Array, Saritha Muguti

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) is a rectangular dielectric-filled waveguide, which is synthesized in a planar substrate with arrays of metallic vias to realize bilateral side walls and its transitions with planar structures. These vias act as walls of the waveguide supporting current flow, thus allowing for waveguide mode propagation. Substrate integrated waveguide is suggested for low-loss, low-cost and high density integration applications. SIW preserves the advantages from both the traditional rectangular waveguide and microstrip for easy integration. It is used in designing passive circuits such as resonators, couplers, filters, power dividers, circulators, and antennas. Here, full wave analysis is used …

Three Essays On The Impact Of Information And Transparency In Firms, Lloyd R. Wade

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation consists of three essays on the information and transparency in firms. In the first essay, we provide some of the first evidence regarding the impact of safety expenditures on moral hazard induced by increases in workers' compensation benefits. Prior studies have inferred the effect of safety incentives by testing the relation between claims frequency and benefit increases. However, these studies have not explicitly modeled the impact of actual safety expenditures. Using a proprietary dataset containing policy-level data for several thousand policies over a 13-year period we show that safety expenditures play a positive role in reducing the moral …

Developing A Retrofitting System To Mitigate Floodwall Failures Of New Orleans, James Tyler Kidd

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Academic Advising Experiences Of First-Year Undecided Students At A Public Southeastern High Research Activity Institution, Kyle Ellis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In today's market for higher education, students are often vieas consumers. Institutions rely on the revenue from these tuition-paying students as the primary form of funding. Additionally, institutions are accountable for their students retention and graduation rates, thus must ensure that students are able to efficiently progress from new freshmen to graduating seniors in a timely manner. Academic advisors are often the front-line campus professionals that interact with these students. Academic advisors are presented with the opportunity to offer academic support and guidance to students. This support is very important throughout a student's academic career, but no time is greater …

Examining The Sleep Hygiene Behaviors Of Migraineurs In A University Setting, Ashli Brooke Walters

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Migraine is a commonly-occurring primary headache disorder that is often comorbid with many conditions, including depression, anxiety, and sleep disorders. Previous research has shown that sleep problems are comamong migraineurs, with insomnia being the most prevalent. Insomnia in migraineurs has many possible causes, including inadequate sleep hygiene, or participating in behaviors that are not conducive to sleep. Modifying sleep hygiene behavior has been shown to be effective in reducing migraine intensity and frequency, but research characterizing the specific sleep hygiene behaviors of migraineurs is limited. The present study sought to identify problematic sleep behaviors and their association with episodic migraine …

Minds In Place: Thornwell, Palmer, Dabney, And Breckinridge In Fast Day Sermons: Or, The Pulpit On The State Of The Country (1861), Xaris A. Martínez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis provides a contextual description and analysis of four southern fast day sermons delivered in the winter of 1860-61 by the following Presbyterian ministers: James Henley Thornwell (South Carolina), Benjamin Morgan Palmer (Louisiana), Robert Lewis Dabney (Virginia), and Robert Jefferson Breckinridge (Kentucky). The introduction provides a short history of the practice of communal fasting, a brief review of serscholarship, and a description of the book, Fast Day Sermons (1861), in which these four sermons were published. Each chapter centers on a different sermon, providing information on the venue in which the serwas delivered, a biographical sketch of the specific …

Relationship Between Coastal Vegetation Biomass With Elevation And Salinity Gradients, Ying Chen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Surges and waves generated by hurricanes and other severe storms can cause devastating damage to property and loss of life in coastal areas. Vegetation in wetlands and coastal fringes can reduce storm surges and waves while complementing traditional coastal defense approaches such as permanent levees, seawalls and gates. The effectiveness of marsh vegetation in attenuating storm surge energy and reducing soil erosion depends on the level of primary production at the time of the storm surge and the ability of marsh vegetation to recover rapidly from damage caused by the storm surge. Marsh production depends on a variety of abiotic …

The Fev Frontend: A Terrain And Water Simulation Client, Donald Brent Sharrow

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The FEV (Flood Emergency Visualizer) Frontend is a Java and OpenGL-based 3D vi- sualizer of flood simulation results in real-time. Simulations can be recomputed based on user-defined terrain edits made directly on the rendering surface. The frontend is the client software of the FEV system that includes a backend for solving water flow equations using CUDA. To render large datasets, level-of-detail and other optimizations are needed to render terrain and water surfaces with interactive frame rates.

Quantification Of An Ultrasound Test Apparatus And Its Potential Use To Control Nuisance Species In Commercial Aquaculture Settings, Bradley T. Goodwiller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As one step in the investigation of using acoustics to improve aquaculture production, work was pursued on the possible use of ultrasound to control the Bolbophorus trematode in commercial catfish ponds. The trematode population can be controlled by eliminating the host ram's horn snail via exposure to high amplitude ultrasound. Initial laboratory tests indicated that a commercially available sonicator (operating at 20 kHz) is capable of killing individual snails in fish tanks. More thorough testing indicated efficiency rates of approximately 35% on batches of 10 snails. In addition to the snails killed immediately, there was evidence that the sonication technique …

Response Of Riparian Plant Communities To Hydrological Alteration: Are Seed Banks A Means Of Restoration?, Siobhan Boyer Gorham

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The effects of anthropogenic modifications of stream systems on in situ plant community composition and seed bank composition were examined at five riparian sites in the Yazoo River watershed in northern Mississippi. This analysis was performed to determine if the soil seed bank can provide a means for the restoration of riparian floodplain plant communities. The study sites represented five different kinds of hydrological alteration: a highly incised riparian terrace isolated from the stream channel, a deforested original stream with reduced flow due to channelization and standing water due to levees, a forested original stream with reduced flow due to …

Influence Of Vegetation On Sediment Bacterial Community Structure, Microbial Enzyme Activities And Phosphorus Retention In Constructed Freshwater Wetlands, Rani Menon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Agricultural activities are major sources of non-point pollutants causing eutrophication. Constructed wetlands are used as a best management practice for sequestration of nutrients from agricultural runoff. This dissertation focuses on the influence of vegetation on bacterial community structure, microbial enzyme activities, and phosphorus retention capacity of constructed wetland systems. A greenhouse experiment was conducted using unvegetated or vegetated mesocosms with Juncus effusus, Carex lurida or Dichanthelium acuminatum var. acuminatum in monoculture or mixed culture.

To study the influence of vegetation on the bacterial community structure and microbial enzyme activities, sediment samples were taken from monoculture mesocosms in the greenhouse. β-1,4-glucosidase, …

In Vitro And In Vivo Pharmacodynamic Characterization Of The Novel Plasma Kallikrein Inhibitor Pf-04886847, Dhaval Sanjeev Kolte

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Plasma kallikrein plays an important role in the pathogenesis of inflammation and thrombosis. Kallikrein cleaves high molecular weight kininogen (HK) to liberate the potent pro-inflammatory peptide bradykinin (BK). BK upon activation of its constitutive B2 receptors on endothelial cells leads to an increase in intracellular Ca2+ level and subsequent production of nitric oxide (NO) and prostacyclin (PGI2), ultimately leading to vasodilation, hypotension, increased vascular permeability and vascular leakage. Further, kallikrein activates the complement system and stimulates neutrophil chemotaxis, aggregation and elastase release. Furthermore, kallikrein mediates the conversion of factor XII (FXII) to activated factor XII (FXIIa) thereby potentiating the intrinsic …

Do Statins Improve Outcomes In Patients With Asthma On Inhaled Corticosteroid Therapy? A Retrospective Analysis Of The Mississippi Medicaid Database 2002-2004., Tasneem Taher Lokhandwala

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Animal model studies and clinical trials have looked at the potential benefits of the anti-inflammatory properties of statins in asthma management with contradictory results. Therefore, the objective of this study is to determine if asthma patients on concurrent statin therapy are less likely to have asthma-related hospitalizations and emergency room (ER) visits. We conducted a retrospective cohort study using Medicaid data for 2002–2004. Asthma patients ?18 years old were identified using the ICD9 code 493.xx, from Jul 1, 2002 through Dec 31, 2003. The index date for an exposed subject was any date within the identification period, 180 days prior …