Digital Commons Network^™

Quantifying Genetic Responses Of Plants To Drought Stress With A Comparative Transcriptome Approach, Jessica K. Devitt

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Mentzelia section Bartonia (Loasaceae) commonly occurs in some of the hottest and driest places in North America, but we poorly understand the mechanisms that allow them to tolerate such extreme environments. Morphological and physiological adaptations are well studied in model organisms. The underlying genetic responses to drought stress in non-model organisms like Mentzelia is unknown. To better understand and identify differences and similarities in genetic responses to drought stress between species existing in different habitats with differing water availability, three species from the genus Mentzelia were compared. Species of section Bartonia occur across an environmental gradient, from temperate to arid …

Embracing The Bounty: Countering The Curriculum Of Deficit, Diana Bishop

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Embracing the Bounty: Countering the Curriculum of Deficit (2018) addresses the restrictive nature of neoliberalism and offers alternative perspectives and possibilities for change by countering the curriculum of deficit now prevalent in the United States – a curriculum reflective of neoliberalism’s invasion of public schools and the rationality that reduces students, teachers, and schools to statistics emphasizing economic value above all else. In this dissertation, the impact of neoliberalism on public schools and its destructive effects are discussed as are alternative philosophical frameworks. Through a series of essays, I explore how a curriculum of deficit infiltrated American public schools and …

Designing And Testing 3-D Printed Wafer-Box With Embedded Pzt Sensors To Identify The Shape Effect On Energy Harvesting, Ahmad Jami Safayet

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Piezoelectric energy has been recently paid attention in the field of alternative energy. Day by day the traditional energy sources including Coal tar and oils are becoming scarce. People are heading to an alternative energy source to meet the future energy demand. Piezoelectric energy is one of the competitive energy sources compared to the conventional renewable energy sources including solar, wind, and geothermal power and so on. This energy production method bears enormous research potential because it can be used as the roadway for a new method of power generation. This research project aimed to identify which shaped wafer-box produced …

Examining Work-Related Factors That May Predict Teacher Retention Intention In Rural Georgia, Katrina M. Evans-Dobbs

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This study utilized a quantitative, statistical, non-experimental design to collect, analyze, and interpret data or variables that might impact retention of beginning teachers (0-3 years of experience) and experienced teachers (more than 3 years of experience) in a rural county school system in Georgia. The following variables were examined: retention intention, job satisfaction, job autonomy, workload pressure, leadership support, work experience, lateral/non-lateral status, induction, and mentoring. There were 728 participants from 14 elementary schools, five middle schools, and four high schools. This study found there were no statistically significant differences in retention intention between lateral and non-lateral teachers. There was …

Carving My Own Bench By The Road: Examining The Seats Of Power For Black Women Educators Through Playwriting, Dawn C. Whipple

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

In my dissertation inquiry, I explore the seats of power held by Black women educators in secondary education public schools in Georgia. Theoretically building upon such works as Black feminist thought (Hill Collins, 2000, e.g., hooks, 1981;), womanism (Walker, 2004; Phillips, 2006), critical race theory (Bell, 1992; Delgado, 1989), and engaged pedagogy (hooks, 1994), I create a play explore the oppression experienced by Black women educators who empower themselves for the benefit of students, in some cases abdicate their power, and in a few instances use their power to oppress others (Freire, 1970). The play is crafted based upon government …

Movement In Cats, Valerie N. Plummer

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Feral cats (Felis catus) are listed as one of the '100 world's worst invasive alien species'. There are as many as 70-100 million feral cats in the United States as well as an estimated 117-157 million domestic indoor and outdoor cats. Management efforts include a nonlethal feeding and sterilization program known as "trap-neuter-release" (TNR) where cats are surgically sterilized and returned to the environment. Population size and structure, immigration rates, spay/neuter rates, and data on spatial use all play a role in whether TNR is a viable management option. This study focuses on population structure and spatial use. …

Exploring New Synthetic Strategies By Using Novel Manganese Carboxylate Complexes Along With Two Alkoxide Based Ligands, 2-(Hydroxymethyl)-Pyridine And 4,5-Bis(Hydroxymethyl)-2-Methylpyridin-3-Ol In The Area Of Polynuclear Coordination Chemistry, Michael A. Reagan

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Manganese carboxylate complexes have been well studied in the past, due to their relevance in bioinorganic chemistry and as well as their behavior as nanoscale magnetic materials that is called single-molecule magnets (SMMs). SMMs are special class of magnetic materials in which magnetism is intrinsic to the molecule. Polynuclear manganese clusters often possess high spin ground states as well as large and negative magnetoanisotropy, a combination which leads to an energy barrier for the reversal of the magnetization direction. The paramagnetic nature of manganese at its common oxidation states with an ample number of unpaired electrons often leads to high-nuclearity …

Optimal Supply Delivery Under Military Specific Constraints, Talena Fletcher

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Through-out military history, the need to safely and effectively allocate resources to various military operations was a task of extreme importance. Satisfying the needs of multiple consumers by optimally pairing with appropriate suppliers falls into the category of vehicle routing problems (VRP), which has been intensively studied over the years. In general, finding the optimal solution to VRP is known to be NP-hard. The proposed solutions rely on mathematical programming and the size of the problems that can be optimally solved is typically limited. In military settings, balancing the needs of multiple consumers with the current operational environment has always …

Old English Character Recognition Using Neural Networks, Sattajit Sutradhar

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Character recognition has been capturing the interest of researchers since the beginning of the twentieth century. While the Optical Character Recognition for printed material is very robust and widespread nowadays, the recognition of handwritten materials lags behind. In our digital era more and more historical, handwritten documents are digitized and made available to the general public. However, these digital copies of handwritten materials lack the automatic content recognition feature of their printed materials counterparts. We are proposing a practical, accurate, and computationally efficient method for Old English character recognition from manuscript images. Our method relies on a modern machine learning …

Saccadic Eye Movements Between Strategic, Interceptive, And Non-Athletes, Brian Szekely

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Introduction: Athletes have differences in object tracking, search strategies, number and duration of fixations, dynamic visual acuity (DVA), and predictive eye movements than non-athletes (NON). However, these eye functions have not been assessed between athlete groups during a task that encompasses antisaccade and DVA characteristics. Purpose: To evaluate the oculomotor control sport paradigm differences between interceptive (INT) and strategic (STR) Division I collegiate athletes, as well as NON with an antisaccade task (AS) and a sport-like dual task (SDT). Methods: Fifty-seven participants (19 STR, 19 INT, and 19 NON) performed 2 trials of an AS and a SDT. Participants stood …

A Comparison Of Bridge Deterioration Models, Toktam Naderimoghaddam

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Predicting how bridges will deteriorate is the key to budgeting financial and personnel resources. Deterioration models exist for specific components of a bridge, but no models exist for the sufficiency rating which is an overall measure of the condition and relevance of a bridge used for determining eligibility for federal funds.

We have 25 years worth of data collected by the Georgia Department of Transportation from 1992 to 2016 about all bridges in the State of Georgia. More precisely, each row in this data set includes the characteristics of each bridge along with the sufficiency rating of that bridge in …

Cellulose Modification For Use As Reinforcement In Bio-Based Composites, Ashley L. Rudolph

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The goal of the research contained in this thesis is to provide an alternative method of developing polymers than the current petroleum-based polymeric products. Vegetable oil-based polymers are a popular alternative due to their low-cost and low toxicity. The carbon-carbon double bonds in the oil are ideal reactive sites for a free radical polymerization. Cellulose is a naturally occurring polymer. Modifying cellulose prior to making composites with tung oil allows a hydrophilic material to mix better with a hydrophobic resin. Vegetable oil-based polymers usually require the reinforcement of fibers to enhance the thermo-mechanical properties that would replace petroleum-based polymers. In …

Blow Up Solution Of Bose-Einstein Condensates With Anisotropic Trapping Potential And Rotation, Christopher Leonard

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

In this paper we will analyze a nonlinear Schrodinger equation with quadratic anisotropic trapping potential used to describe a Bose-Einstein condensate. We will find sufficient condition for the global existence of the solution and for the blow up result using physical properties associated to the equation such as the mass, energy, and angular momentum along with some other identities related to the equation. We will finish the thesis with showing some graphical representations describing the solution of the equation.

Multiclass Classification Of Risk Factors For Cervical Cancer Using Artificial Neural Networks, Abdullah Al Mamun

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

World Health Organization statistics show that cervical cancer is the fourth most frequent cancer in women with an estimated 530,000 new cases in 2012. Cervical cancer diagnosis typically involves liquid-based cytology (LBC) followed by a pathologist review. The accuracy of decision is therefore highly influenced by the expert’s skills and experience, resulting in relatively high false positive and/or false negative rates. Moreover, given the fact that the data being analyzed is highly dimensional, same reviewer’s decision is inherently affected by inconsistencies in interpreting the data. In this study, we use an Artificial Neural Network based model that aims to considerably …

Evaluating Elasmobranch Bycatch And Shark Depredation In The Georgia Shrimp Fishery, Matthew M. Scanlon

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The Georgia shrimp fishery has seen a dramatic decrease in profit and productivity since the 1980’s due to a number of economic factors. Additional, yet undocumented, pressures on this fishery include interactions between foraging sharks with trawl gear. Fishermen report that sharks frequently bite nets in an attempt to prey on netted fish, resulting in large holes in the gear. Further elasmobranch interactions with trawl gear occur as bycatch; shrimp trawls represent nearly 100% of elasmobranch commercial bycatch in Georgia state waters, the species composition of which is largely unstudied. Shark interactions with nets were detailed through fishery-dependent observations on …

Modeling, Designing And Analysis Of A Standalone Pv Dc Microgrid System, Sharaf Sumaiya

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The increasing concern about global warming, the upsurge of oil prices, and pollution of petroleum energy has led scientists to search for cost-effective energy sources, for example, photovoltaics. Recently DC microgrids have also drawn more consideration because of the expanding use of direct current (DC) energy sources, energy storages and loads in power systems. First, as a groundwork, the 1D organic solar cell has been investigated that leads to design 3D organic solar cell. Then design and analysis of a standalone solar PV system with dc microgrid has been proposed to supply power for both DC and AC loads. The …

Isolated Mobile Malware Observation, Augustine Paul

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The idea behind Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) it that personal mobile devices can be used in the workplace to enhance convenience and flexibility. This development encourages organizations to allow access of personal mobile devices to business information and systems for businesses operation. However, BYOD opens a firm to various security risks such as data contamination and the exposure of user interest to criminal activities. Mobile devices were not designed to handle intense data security and advanced security features are frequently turned off. Using personal mobile devices can also expose a system to various forms of security threats like malware. …

Characterizing The Complex Relationship Between The Brown Widow Spider And Its Bacterial Endosymbiont, Wolbachia, Emily Knight

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The brown widow spider, Latrodectus geometricus (C. L. Koch 1841), has been found to harbor the maternally inherited bacterial endosymbiont Wolbachia pipientis (Hertig and Wolbach 1924), but endosymbiont infection frequency varies widely among Southeastern US populations. Wolbachia is known to manipulate the reproduction of its hosts through male feminization, parthenogenesis, male killing, and cytoplasmic incompatibility. In brown widows, Wolbachia does not alter sex ratios, but any other effects the symbiont has on the spider are unknown. In my first chapter, I assess if there is linkage between Wolbachia infection and maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in three brown widow populations. …

The Relationship Between Teachers' Perception Of Data-Driven Instructional Leadership And Their Sense Of Efficacy And Anxiety For Data-Driven Decision-Making, Jarvis J. Price

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to ascertain the relationship between teachers’ perception of data-driven instructional leadership and their sense of self-efficacy and anxiety towards data-driven decision-making. Additionally, the research study examined if teachers’ school level (elementary or secondary) influenced their perception of data-driven instructional leadership and their sense of self-efficacy and anxiety towards data-driven decision-making. The researcher utilized a correlational research design and correlational/regression analysis to conduct this study based on the theoretical framework of Bandura’s social learning theory. The researcher surveyed 300 full-time certified educators in a rural school district located in the southeastern United States using the …

Examining The Issue Of Compliance With Personal Protective Equipment Among Wastewater Workers Across The Southeast Region Of The United States, Tamara L. Wright

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Wastewater workers are exposed to different occupational hazards such as chemicals, gases, viruses, and bacteria. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is a significant factor that can reduce or increase the probability of an accident from hazardous exposures to chemicals and microbial contaminants. The purpose of this study was to identify wastewater worker’s beliefs and practices on wearing PPE and protections offered by PPE through the integration of the Health Belief Model (HBM). Participants were workers in the wastewater industry, which included wastewater operators, laboratory analysts, maintenance workers, wastewater collection workers, equipment operators, managers, and supervisors (n=272). The instrument was a self-administered …

(Re)Learning To Question: Curriculum Studies And (Re)Thinking Science For The 21st Century, Anthony Jerome Stawiery

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation proposes a science literacy which revisits the nature of science and how it has fallen away from its inquiry-based roots and has become a tool for oppression and exclusion. The epistemological roots of science begin with curiosity and questioning. Asking questions is also foundational to democratic society. A critical science literacy emphasizes the need to question and to remain curious. Such skills can be incorporated across multiple disciplines. Therefore, this dissertation proposes science literacy not as a literacy in the life or physical sciences, but as a methodology of inquiry, a skillset that nurtures curiosity and strengthens critique. …

A Journey To The Adic World, Fayadh Kadhem

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The first idea of this research was to study a topic that is related to both Algebra and Topology and explore a tool that connects them together. That was the entrance for me to the “adic world”. What was needed were some important concepts from Algebra and Topology, and so they are treated in the first two chapters.

The reader is assumed to be familiar with Abstract Algebra and Topology, especially with Ring theory and basics of Point-set Topology.

The thesis consists of a motivation and four chapters, the third and the fourth being the main ones. In the third …

The Exertion Of A Choice: An Ecofeminist Vision ~ Aesthetic, Embodied, And Connected Learning, Sharon M. Eswine

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

In this dissertation, I build upon Darwin’s (1859/1964) metaphor of the complex biological tangle of a river bank - plants, birds, insects, and earth - to paint a picture of transformative learning as aesthetic (Dewey, 1934/2005; Eisner, 1998, 2002b; Greene, 1995, 2001; Liston, 2001), and embodied (Dewey, 1958; Johnson, 2007; Shusterman, 2006), and thereby connected to the learner’s life experience, including his/her/their ecological, cultural, and historic situatedness. I call this complication of Darwin’s metaphor the ecofeminist tangled bank. For my purposes, an ecofeminist theoretical framework provides a means of analyzing oppressive conceptual frameworks that perpetuate hierarchy and domination, and which …

Survey Of Results On The Schrodinger Operator With Inverse Square Potential, Richardson Saint Bonheur

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

In this paper we present a survey of results on the Schrodinger operator with Inverse ¨ Square potential, L_a= −∆ + a/|x|^2 , a ≥ −( d−2/2 )^2. We briefly discuss the long-time behavior of solutions to the inter-critical focusing NLS with an inverse square potential(proof not provided). Later we present spectral multiplier theorems for the operator. For the case when a ≥ 0, we present the multiplier theorem from Hebisch [12]. The case when 0 > a ≥ −( d−2/2 )^2 was explored in [1], and their proof will be presented for completeness. No improvements on the sharpness …

Some New And Generalized Distributions Via Exponentiation, Gamma And Marshall-Olkin Generators With Applications, Hameed Abiodun Jimoh

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Three new generalized distributions developed via completing risk, gamma generator, Marshall-Olkin generator and exponentiation techniques are proposed and studied. Structural properties including quantile functions, hazard rate functions, moment, conditional moments, mean deviations, R\'enyi entropy, distribution of order statistics and maximum likelihood estimates are presented. Monte Carlo simulation is employed to examine the performance of the proposed distributions. Applications of the generalized distributions to real lifetime data are presented to illustrate the usefulness of the models.

Deviating From The Standard: The Relationship Between Archaeology And Public Education, Rhianna M. Bennett

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Recent studies of the public perception of archaeology shows that while it is a popular and valued discipline, it is still greatly misunderstood. Over the last few decades, archaeologists have sought new and innovative ways to establish archaeological literacy, promote community engagement, and conduct outreach, with the K-12 classroom being one such avenue of focus. Archaeology’s mysterious and exciting reputation among the general public, along with its interdisciplinary applicability, allows educators to draw interest in students and teach a variety of lessons through the lens of archaeology. This thesis outlines survey results of educators and archaeologists on their method, frequency, …

Geometric Optimization Of A Heaving Point Absorber Wave Energy Converter, Ian Riley

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Wave energy shows significant potential for development into a competitive renewable energy source. Non-renewable resources are finite and contribute to adverse effects on the environment. Development of wave energy conversion devices that use heave motion as the primary driver for converting wave energy into electrical potential is explored through optimizing the geometry of an axisymmetric partially submerged buoy in deep water. The governing equations of motion and hydrodynamic forces are solved for in one degree of freedom using ANSYS Aqwa. An external PTO device is simulated to induce power capture in the system. Four different geometric shapes are tested and …

Structural And Aerodynamic Design, Procedure And Analysis Of A Small V-Shaped Vertical Axis Wind Turbine, Odari J. Whyte

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Over the last two decades there has been a renewed interest in Vertical Axis Wind Turbines. This turbine configuration though unpopular for large-scale generation has found a niche market in the way of offshore energy harvesting. However, offshore wind has its challenges. In this thesis a detailed comprehensive study of a proposed V-shaped vertical axis turbine rotor is performed in order to examine its structural and aerodynamic characteristics. The design met and exceeded the safety parameters establish for test bed operation, showing a factor of safety of 1.87 with regard to fatigue stress response. A satisfactory fatigue stress design life …

Mchm (4-Methylcyclohexane Methanol) Influences The Predator-Prey Interaction Between Danio Rerio And Daphnia Magna, Anna C. Wagner

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Chemical contamination alters organism-level traits, such as activity and feeding, that can ultimately affect aquatic trophic interactions. Despite the importance of predator-prey relationships in aquatic communities, chemical toxicity is often tested on single species prior to use. For example, 4-methylcyclohexane methanol (MCHM) used in industrial coal-cleaning enters the environment regularly from low-level contamination during disposal and occasionally in high concentrations following accidental spills, but its effects on fish-zooplankton interactions remain unknown. It was hypothesized MCHM exposure affects zebrafish and D. magna swimming behavior differently when exposed individually or together, and ultimately affects their relationship. Zebrafish and D. magna were exposed …

Eagle Educator, Georgia Southern University

College of Education: News & Publications (2003-2023)

• Changes in the College of Education
• Join Bruce Field ...
• Synovus Lends EAGLE Academy More Than Just Financial Assistance
• Institute hosts several opportunities for regional involvement
• School Psychology Program Receives NASP Approval
• Year-Long Field Placement Offers New Benefits To Student Teachers
• Educator Brings Federal-Level Training to Statesboro-Bulloch County Law Enforcement
• Faculty Awards, Honors and Promotions
• Fox Receives 2017 COE Staff Award
• Two COE Faculty Named University Excellence Award Recipients
• Four Faculty Members Recognized for Jack Miller Awards
• Georgia Southern and Synovus recognize educators during football season
• Cartee Honored as College of Education Alumna of the Year
• Student Veteran Finds Second …