Digital Commons Network^™

Newsroom, Georgia Southern University

Newsroom (2006-2023)

• Georgia Sothern's Public Impact Research Focus Continues to Flourish

Georgia Southern University Fact Book, Georgia Southern University

Georgia Southern Fact Books (1976-2022)

No abstract provided.

Faculty Senate Agenda

Faculty Senate Agendas

No abstract provided.

Points Of Pride, Georgia Southern University

Points of Pride (2013-2023)

• Ranking
• Academics
• Athletics
• Facilities
• Outreach
• Research

The George-Anne Inkwell Edition, Georgia Southern University

The Inkwell

No abstract provided.

Pbis At Upson-Lee: The 'Knight' Way, Matthew C. Bentley, Amanda Miller, Alan Hendrick, Carolyn Patterson

Georgia Association for Positive Behavior Support Conference

As we lead Upson-Lee High School through these difficult times, we know that the culture of our school plays a huge role in the success of our students. We use our PBIS program to help develop student leaders that will model dispositions of initiative, enthusiasm, scholarship, and self-regulation. These students create the roots for student success in school, casting seeds for their peers to think about school in a new light. Our goal is for all students to know that school is a place where they belong and a place where the adults with whom they spend their day, truly …

Faculty Senate Agenda

Faculty Senate Agendas

No abstract provided.

Georgia Southern Magazine, Georgia Southern University

Georgia Southern Magazine

• News and events
• True Blue Spotlight
• Remember When?
• Same Time Next Month
• 40 Under 40
• University News
• Research
• Athletics
• Alumni
• Support
• In Memoriam

Georgia Southern Magazine, Georgia Southern University

Georgia Southern Magazine

• News and Events
• True Blue Spotlight
• Eagle Legends & Lore
• Our Changing Campuses
• From Refugee to Expert
• The Inspirational Journey
• Heartbreak to Hope
• From Hinesville to Sesame Street
• University News
• Research
• Athletics
• Alumni
• Support
• In Memoriam

2022 Spring Commencement, Georgia Southern University

Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

2022 Fall Commencement, Georgia Southern University

Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

Stop, Then Go! Rapid Acceleration Offsets The Costs Of Intermittent Locomotion When Turning In Florida Scrub Lizards, Cheyenne Walker

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Intermittent locomotion is a commonly used escape strategy with a wide array of potential benefits. Pausing may aid in locating a predator, crypsis, lowering energy costs, and avoiding obstacles. Turning may also benefit from intermittent locomotion by allowing an animal time to assess its surroundings; therefore, decreasing the chances of making a mistake and/or stumbling. Florida scrub lizards live in environments with a variety of obstacles such as turns. The goal of this study is to quantify the locomotor behavior and performance by lizards while navigating a 45° or 90° turn. Lizards were run along both a 45° and 90° …

Mortality In Interspecific Hybrids Of Nasonia Vitripennis And Nasonia Giraulti, Bonnie Cobb

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Nasonia is a parasitoid wasp genus that serves as an emerging model for studying speciation due to an incompatibility between nuclear and mitochondrial genomes between sister taxa. Short generation times, easy rearing in a lab setting, producing large amounts of progeny, and whole genome sequencing make Nasonia is an excellent candidate for studying incomplete reproductive isolation. Nasonia have five chromosomes and exhibit haplo-diploid sex determination in which fertilized eggs develop into diploid females and unfertilized eggs develop into haploid males. Recessive phenotypes are hidden in diploid females but are laid bare in haploid males as there is no interaction between …

Investigating The Effect Of A Facultative Symbiont, Hamiltonella Defensa, On Pea Aphid, Acyrthosiphon Pisum, Fecundity And Behavior In Elevated Co₂ Atmospheres, Tyler J. Follman

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

As atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels continue to rise, it is important to study how economically important organisms, like the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum, will react to these conditions. The pea aphid feeds on the phloem of crop plants like alfalfa, peas, and fava beans, where it not only directly harms the plant but also can spread plant viruses. A wide variety of factors can influence pea aphid fecundity and behavior. Some of these factors are abiotic, like atmospheric conditions, and some are biotic, like microorganisms with which the pea aphid has a mutualistic relationship. In this thesis, …

Correlates Of Risky Sexual Behaviors Among African American Females In Juvenile Detention Centers, Eghosa E. Asemota

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Introduction: In comparison to other demographics, research shows that African American female adolescents are over-represented in the United States Juvenile Justice System. Studies in this vulnerable population demonstrate higher rates of engagement in unsafe sex, and its attendant negative consequences of HIV infections, sexually transmitted diseases, and mistimed pregnancies. There is a paucity of studies that have specifically examined risky sexual behaviors amongst African American females in Juvenile Detention Centers. Objective: The aim of this study is to assess the relationship between the individual, family, peer, and societal factors, and engagement in risky sex among Black female detainees in Juvenile …

Non-Inferiority Testing: Kernel Estimation And Overlap Measure, Larie C. Ward

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

In non-inferiority testing, the decision of whether a proposed treatment is non-inferior to a reference treatment depends on model assumptions and choices of acceptable tolerance limits. Here, we consider a method that employs kernels to estimate the probability density functions of both the experimental and reference populations from two independent samples. Based on these densities, we introduce a quantity called the overlap coefficient or overlap measure. A bootstrap technique is helpful in exploring the distribution and variance empirically. We derive the distribution of this measure and define a hypothesis test that can be applied to the non-inferiority setting under some …

Voices Rising: Exploring The Tensions Of Homeschooled Women Defining Themselves Within A Religious Culture, Natalie S. Immings

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Homeschooling is a familiar form of education, but nuances such as purposes, curriculum and impact on students are less understood due to minimal studies and lack of participation. Existing research has focused on motivations for homeschooling; however glaring gaps exist regarding the impact on student development. This study is essential due to concerns regarding the impact on student identity as well as the recent increase in the number of homeschoolers from a pandemic and other political trends. In an effort to pull back the curtain on the dominant conservative Christian homeschool milieu this study employed a qualitative ethnographic methodology which …

Florida Sand Skink And Blue-Tailed Mole Skink: Expanding Geographic Coverage Of Genetic Analysis For Conservation, Emma Simpson

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The Lake Wales Ridge is important scrub habitat that has been increasingly altered since the post-Columbian settlement in Florida. This loss of habitat has caused extreme anthropogenic fragmentation within the Lake Wales Ridge resulting in isolation among extant scrub patches. To expand the geographic scope of previous studies and answer questions concerning population connectivity, we characterized genetic diversity and differentiation using cytochrome-b and microsatellite genetic markers for two endemic skink species: the Florida Sand Skink (Plestiodon reynoldsi) and Blue-tailed Mole Skink (Plestiodon egregius lividus). Both species display historical isolation between central and southern Lake Wales Ridge …

The Perspective Of Riverkeepers And Environmental Groups On Poor Water Quality In Georgia, Jacob A. Crawford

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Riverkeepers and environmental groups currently face the complex task of defending watersheds. In Georgia, these efforts are complicated by the vast geographical and racial diversity within the state. This study examined the riverkeepers and environmental groups need to improve advocacy abilities to defend communities they serve from poor water quality, what communities in Georgia are being impacted by poor water quality, what disconnects exist between riverkeepers, environmental groups, and governmental agencies, and how COVID-19 has challenged the riverkeepers and environmental groups. Using qualitative interviews with eleven riverkeepers and environmentalists, the findings suggest that collaboration with riverkeepers, enforcement of current policy, …

Eeg Signals Classification Using Lstm-Based Models And Majority Logic, James A. Orgeron

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The study of elecroencephalograms (EEGs) has gained enormous interest in the last decade with the increase of computational power and availability of EEG signals collected from various human activities or produced during medical tests. The applicability of analyzing EEG signals ranges from helping impaired people communicate or move (using appropriate medical equipment) to understanding people's feelings and detecting diseases.

We proposed new methodology and models for analyzing and classifying EEG signals collected from individuals observing visual stimuli. Our models rely on powerful Long-Short Term Memory (LSTM) Neural Network models, which are currently the state of the art models for performing …

Nitrate Removal During The Shoulder Months In The Occoquan Reservoir: A Comprehensive Study, Km Risaduzzaman

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The artificial nitrate addition by the Upper Occoquan Service Authority (UOSA)’s Water Reclamation Facility (WRF) to the Occoquan Reservoir during the warmer months has been proven to be an efficient way of maintaining the water quality of the reservoir. During the warmer months, the water body became thermally stratified, resulting in hypolimnetic anoxia and the subsequent release of undesired matters from the reduced sediments. At the end of the warmer months, the temperature began to decrease, and by the beginning of winter, oxygen became ubiquitous in water because of fall turnover. This condition remained stable until the following thermal stratification; …

Epigenetic Buffering In Introduced House Sparrows, M. Ellesse Lauer

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Epigenetic buffering, as an environmentally induced increase in variance of epigenetic states that increases phenotypic variation to buffer populations against decreased fitness, may be a factor that resolves the genetic paradox of introduced species. DNA methylation is a molecular mechanism that could facilitate epigenetic buffering by changing in response to environmental stress. Therefore, epigenetic buffering can be detected through increased variance in DNA methylation in novel or heterogeneous environments. Introduced house sparrows (Passer domesticus) have well-documented phenotypic changes with low genetic diversity, high epigenetic diversity, and high variance in DNA methylation that provide a characteristic signature of epigenetic buffering. …

Effects Of Unpaved Roads On Relative Abundance And Epigenetics Of Early Successional Lizards, David Tevs

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Unpaved roads may provide uniform microhabitat characteristics and impart edge effects in the adjacent landscape that mediate environmental pressures acting on small vertebrates. These features may allow species that are associated with recent disturbance to persist in aging forest patches. Further, epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation may provide these species the phenotypic plasticity necessary to occupy multiple habitats with different environmental conditions. To understand how small vertebrates use unpaved roads, the relative abundance and occurrence of Florida scrub lizards (Sceloporus woodi) and six-lined racerunners (Aspidoscelis sexlineata) were quantified using visual encounter surveys along unpaved roads …

Male Color Badges Advertise Multiple Messages: Tradeoffs Among Color Badge Intensity, Size, And Ectoparasite Load, Katherine M. Roberts

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Condition-dependent signals can be used by conspecifics to obtain information on an individuals’ quality such as health, fighting ability, or immunocompetence. Variation in the severity of parasitic infections could mediate the differential expression of sexual signals in distinct populations of the same species. This could create diverse condition-dependent relationships between signals and quality. In this study, I examine the relationship between male signal expression and quality of Sceloporus woodi that inhabit areas with distinct ectoparasitic pressures. First, I examined if the brightness or size of male signals is indicative of body size or body condition in males without ectoparasites. Second, …

Modelling Muscle Activation Using Emg Signal, Mercy U. Okonna

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

(EMG) is a method for measuring muscle activity by an electrical signal, and is useful in studying motor control, postural control, and in physical therapy. A current research topic is creating an algorithm that can use the EMG signal to reliably classify a muscle as active or inactive. This thesis presents a classification algorithm for leg muscles with a single activation spike while walking. Time is rescaled into steps, which are identified using data from cameras measuring joint angles while walking. The algorithm is based on moving averages and a convex combination of mean signal strength in active and inactive …

Hemocyte-Mediated Immune Response To A Bacterial Infection In The Cat Flea (Ctenocephalides Felis), Melanie Muñoz

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Despite their continued medical and veterinary importance, the vectorial capacity of fleas (Order Siphonaptera) is often underestimated. Fleas are best described as ectoparasites of a variety of mammalian and aviary hosts. In humans, fleas are infamous for the transmission of several detrimental agents, including those that cause plague, murine typhus, and cat-scratch disease. Although their significance in flea immune responses remains unknown, phagocytic immune cells, known as hemocytes, are important players in the cell mediated immune response of insects. Among invertebrates, hemocytes provide defense against foreign microbes via phagocytosis, cellular encapsulation, and the production of humoral immune factors. As mentioned …

Biomimetic Synthesis Of Palladium Nanoparticles For Catalytic Application, Emily A. Groover

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The synthesis of palladium nanoparticles (Pd NPs) using materials-directed peptides is a novel, nontoxic approach which exerts a high level of control over the particle size and shape. This biomimetic technique is environmentally benign, featuring nonhazardous ligands and ambient conditions. Nanoparticles are extremely reactive catalysts, boasting a large surface-to-volume ratio when compared to their bulk counterparts. The rational design of these nanoparticles using peptides has been very successful in aqueous environments, but no research has been done to apply it in organic systems. As such, the biomimetic synthesis of Pd NPs in an organic system is here investigated, with ethanol …

Fabrication Of Soft Gripper Via Direct Inkjet Writing Additive Manufacturing, Evan D. Johnson

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Additive manufacturing (AM) has bloomed recently in the manufacturing field due to its many applications. Direct inkjet writing (DIW) is one of the main am technologies used in the production of grippers. DIW is the most popular taking advantage of materials like silicone and hydrogels. The technology of 3D printing with silicone is still in early stages ,nevertheless, the ability to print with soft materials is very alluring. The implementation of complex geometries in the silicone world would yield vast opportunities in the medical and robotics fields. Additive manufacturing allows for this to be thoroughly examined. In this research these …

Gender Identity, Sexual Orientation, And Mood Disorder Symptoms: The Moderating Role Of Parent-Child Religious Congruence, Jasmine Swann

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This study sought to understand the factors related to increased symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression among Sexual and Gender Minority (SGM) individuals. It is common for religious beliefs and Sexual and Gender minority ideals to clash. In the case of parent-child relationships, it is important to determine how the congruence of beliefs between parent and child may moderate mood disorder symptoms. A convenience sample of 271 individuals (46.5% identifying as a Gender and/or Sexual minority) completed an online survey. Participants provided information about their religious congruence with their closest parental or guardian figure and completed measures of current depression, …

Celebrating 15 Years Of The Scholarship Of Teaching And Learning At Georgia Southern University, Delores D. Liston, Nikki Digregorio, Delena Bell Gatch, Joe Pellegrino

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

This letter from the editors of IJ-SoTL introduces our 15th Anniversary Special Issue, celebrating 15 years of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) at Georgia Southern University.