Digital Commons Network^™

Evaluation Of Soil Steaming, Cover Crops, And Allelopathy: An Integrated And Sustainable Weed Management Strategy In Sweetpotatoes, Alaina Marie Richardson

Theses and Dissertations

Yellow nutsedge (Cyperus esculentus L.) is a persistent weed in sweetpotato and vegetable cropping systems caused by its aggressive growth habit and limited control options. The present study assessed two alternative, chemical-free methods: steaming the soil and the use of allelopathic cover crops. Greenhouse and field experiments showed that steaming suppressed the germination of yellow nutsedge effectively and that treatments for 45 min provided the highest control of all the soil depths tested (100%). A leachate experiment examined the allelopathy of five cover crops against yellow nutsedge and showed that buckwheat and cereal rye had the largest reductions in shoot …

Raspberry Cultivar Evaluation Trial In Mississippi, Apphia Santy

Theses and Dissertations

Raspberries (Rubus idaeus) are valued for their flavor, appearance, and nutritional quality. This study evaluated 26 raspberry cultivars over two seasons (2023 and 2024) in Mississippi under a 50% shade-covered system, using organic and conventional fertilization in 7-gallon containers. Cultivars included floricane- and primocane-fruiting types. Data collected included harvest timing, yield, berry weight, soluble solids content (°Brix), titratable acidity, total phenolic content (TPC), and total flavonoid content (TFC). Results showed cultivar differences in yield, berry quality, and antioxidant levels. In 2023, conventionally fertilized plants produced higher yields; in 2024, fertilizer had no impact. Late-season harvests had elevated phytochemicals. ‘Prelude,’ ‘Nova,’ …

Detection, Occupancy, And Abundance Of Vultures In Mississippi, Jonathan Smith

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine influences of tree cover, light pollution, average ambient air temperature, and roadkill abundance on Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus) and Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) detection, occupancy, and abundance within Mississippi. Data was collected via road surveys. Highways were selected as transects of 290 m in length to survey for vultures and roadkill. The locations of detected vultures were GPS marked. To evaluate relationships of vulture detection, occupancy, and abundance with the covariates, I used dynamic occupancy models and open binomial N-mixture models. Average ambient air temperature had a positive relationship with Black Vulture …

Confirmatory Factor Analysis Of The Psychopathic Personality Inventory-Revised: Short Form In College-Attending Emerging Adults, Lydia Stanhope

Theses and Dissertations

Psychopathy research stems from the work of Dr. Hervey Cleckley, whose research aided in providing the foundation for psychopathy assessments currently utilized in the field. Several researchers used Cleckley’s framework to further home in on characteristics that are central to psychopathy. Among the primary researchers who adapted the characteristics into their own measures are Robert Hare, Paul Frick, and Scott Lilienfeld; the work of these researchers is what helped lead to the creation of the Psychopathic Personality Inventory-Revised: Short Form (PPI-R: SF). The current study aimed to confirm the two-, three-, and eight-factor models from previous versions of the measure …

Assessing Species Status And Genetic Diversity In The Tombigbee Darter (Etheostoma Lachneri), Caroline Nicole Teal

Theses and Dissertations

The Tombigbee Darter (Etheostoma lachneri) is the sole member of the snubnose subgenus Ulocentra endemic to the Tombigbee River Watershed of Mississippi and Alabama. Etheostoma lachneri is a species of greatest conservation need, due to suspected population decline since 1994 (Suttkus et al., 1994). To assess the persistence and genetic variability of E. lachneri, a population survey at 40 historical sites in Mississippi was performed. Results showed that 12 out of the 40 sites did not have E. lachneri present. Genomic analyses were conducted for populations across the species range using ddRADseq, revealing the possible complex of three species. To …

Estimating Reliability Of Electric Vehicle Charging Ecosystem Using Principle Of Maximum Entropy, Himanshu Tripathi

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis addresses the challenge of estimating electric vehicle (EV) charging system reliability against unpredictable threats like cyberattacks and extreme weather, where traditional methods fail. We utilize the Principle of Maximum Entropy (PME), a statistical tool that provides unbiased risk estimates using limited information. Applied to the EV charging ecosystem, our case study shows how PME models stress factors to predict failures and optimize maintenance. This approach extends beyond EVs to other complex systems with scarce data, such as smart grids or healthcare devices. By linking uncertainty directly to reliability, PME offers a universal method to improve decision-making under unpredictable …

Optimizing Osb Quality: Assessing The Influence Of Beta-Cyclodextrin With Essential Oil Treatments, Ethan Garrett Turo

Theses and Dissertations

This study evaluated the mechanical and dimensional performance of oriented strand board (OSB) panels treated with beta-cyclodextrin-essential oil compounds, including betacyclodextrin-only, beta-cyclodextrin-trans-cinnamaldehyde, beta-cyclodextrin-thymol, and betacyclodextrin-nickel. OSB panels were produced using a proprietary spraying system and Dieffenbacher press and tested according to ASTM standards for internal bond strength, modulus of elasticity (MOE), modulus of rupture (MOR), water absorption, and thickness swelling. Results showed that beta-cyclodextrin-trans-cinnamaldehyde enhanced MOE and MOR, while beta-cyclodextrin-thymol significantly improved internal bond strength. Beta-cyclodextrin-nickel demonstrated strong performance in both mechanical strength and water resistance. However, 24-hour submersion results indicated that water resistance may be surface limited. All treatments …

“It Just Builds Character”: Building The Bullying Myths Scale, Jessica Weiss Utley

Theses and Dissertations

Approximately 20% of American children and adolescents report being victims of bullying each year (Irwin et al., 2022). Bullying victimization is linked to serious behavioral and psychological outcomes, like depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicide (e.g., Chou et al., 2020; John et al., 2018; Mulder et al., 2017; Schoeler et al., 2018). Despite these sobering data, misconceptions continue to portray bullying as a normal part of growing up, that it is trivial in nature, and that some kids deserve to be bullied (Dawes et al., 2022; Kulig et al., 2008). This study tested the validity and efficacy of the Bullying Myths …

Academics Vs Athletics: Prioritizing The Students In Student-Athletes And The Importance Of Their Return To The Classroom, Stephen Walker

Theses and Dissertations

The Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) aims to enhance student- athletes' educational experiences but Law 6.5.1 inadvertently causes students to miss 300 hours of academic instruction annually. This dilemma forces school districts to choose between robust sports programs and rigorous academic schedules, ultimately creating a disadvantage for students. While participation in sports has been linked to improved academic performance, the current structure disproportionately allocates resources to athletics over academics, with only 51% of schools offering after-school academic programs compared to 77% for sports. This paper discusses the benefits of sports, including higher attendance and graduation rates, but also highlights …

Load Balancing For Stream Processing In Edge Computing, Faiza Akram

Theses and Dissertations

Unlike cloud-based systems, where resources are centralized for data processing and located at a distance from the source, leading to an increase in the response time, edge computing emerges as a transformative paradigm that processes the data closer to the sources to meet the application’s service requirements. Since the resources in edge computing are distributed and limited, load balancing is crucial. To ensure the prevention of bottlenecks and failures in resource-constrained environments, load balancing is an important aspect of edge computing as it optimizes resource utilization while maintaining the requirements of low-latency applications, improved fault tolerance, energy efficiency, adaptability, scalability, …

Determining The Toxic Threshold And Other Use Characteristics For Industrial Hemp Seed Oil Used For Wood Product Protection, Daylan M. Barnes

Theses and Dissertations

Plant-based wood treatments have been utilized for many years, with varying success. Oils such as those extracted from linseed (flax), tung, and hemp plants have been used for thousands of years as finishes on wood. These are all drying oils, which dry to a film when exposed to air. Hemp seed oil has a high fatty acid content and can take a long time to dry on wood products but is valued in woodworking for being easy to use, food-safe, and having little to no odor. In this study, cold-pressed hemp seed oil, blended with a soybean carrier oil, is …

Autonomous Generation Of Ids Rules From Threat Intelligence, Azim Bazarov

Theses and Dissertations

Signature-based Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) detect malicious activities by matching network or host activity against predefined rules. These rules are derived from Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI), which includes attack signatures and behavioral patterns obtained through automated tools and manual threat analysis, such as sandboxing. The CTI is then transformed into actionable rules for the IDS engine, enabling real-time detection and prevention of threats. The constant evolution of cyber threats necessitates frequent rule updates, which delay deployment time and weaken overall security readiness. Recent advancements in autonomous agentic systems powered by Large Language Models (LLMs) offer the potential for automatic IDS …

Characterizing The Impact Of Cover Crop On Soil Microbiome Function Affecting C And N Inputs In Corn Production System, Durga Purushotham Mahesh Chinthalapudi

Theses and Dissertations

Cover cropping (CC) is a widely adopted strategy to improve soil health and microbial diversity in agroecosystems. However, its influence on microbial community dynamics and ecosystem functions remains context-dependent, particularly under variable nitrogen (N) inputs. This dissertation integrates a three-year field study (2021-2024) in corn-based systems with a meta-analysis of 473 soil samples from diverse Mississippi cropping systems to evaluate CC effects on soil microbial structure, function, and ecosystem multifunctionality. In the field study, soil bacterial and fungal communities were profiled using high-throughput amplicon sequencing (16S rRNA for bacteria, ITS2 for fungi). Seven CC treatments ryegrass, balansa, radish, red clover, …

Edna Surveillance And Population Genomics Of The Invasive Loaches Introduced To The United States, Tobin J. Davidson

Theses and Dissertations

Invasive species represent a growing threat to the ecosystems and economies of the United States. The southeastern United States is an aquatic biodiversity hotspot, and the decline of multiple native species already facing extinction is attributed to a rapidly growing number of nonindigenous freshwater fishes. Next-generation sequencing was used to analyze the population genomics of several populations of Pond Loach (Misgurnus anguillicaudatus) introduced to the United States. Three evolutionarily significant units of Misgurnus loaches were found, suggesting the invasion of multiple different species in the United States. Additionally, noninvasive environmental DNA (eDNA) protocol designed for early detection of invasive freshwater …

Investigation Of Guayule Resin As An Oil-Based Wood Treatment, Jordan Miller

Theses and Dissertations

Development of alternative treatments for wood product protection is an ongoing focus throughout the wood products industries. All manufacturers hope to increase the use life of their products, while ensuring that their products do not have a harmful impact on their surrounding environment. One way of approaching this is to source potential components from other agricultural sources. Guayule resin is produced as a by-product of rubber extraction from the guayule plant (Parthenium argentatum). The resin has been reported to have insecticidal and microbial properties, but there are numerous problems with utilization, including how to extract it and apply it due …

A Mathematical Theory Of Epitaxial Growth, Brock C. Price

Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation we investigate several PDE models of Epitaxial growth. These models are fourth-order PDE’s featuring exponential nonlinearities as well the p-Laplacian and 1-Laplacian. The presence of the exponential nonlinearity is what provides the main mathematical difficulty. Theexponent in particular does not have enough estimates to guarantee any compactness. Because of this, one has to allow the inclusion of a singular portion to the exponent in the sense of the Lebesgue decomposition theorem. In thefirst chapter weinvestigate a related epitaxial growth, with transition rates of the Metropo lis variety and a linear exponent. The metropolis rates induce an extra …

Unraveling Quantum Properties Of Novel Two-Dimensional Systems Using A First-Principles Approach, Binod Regmi

Theses and Dissertations

We used first-principles density functional theory (DFT) to investigate the structural, electronic, and magnetic properties of an oxygen crystal in a copper slab, a ferrimagnetic electride with highly tunable magnetic anisotropy energy (MAE), and the Fermi surface analysis of different kagome metal phases. The Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof (PBE) exchange-correlation functional was used in the Vienna ab initio simulation package (VASP) for all these calculations. Because of dimensionality reduction, the electronic properties of copper change significantly at the two-dimensional (2D) scale due to whichwe observe more reconstruction in the geometry of the Fermi surface. Dimensionality reduction also influences charge transport. Moreover, we present …

Interatomic Potential Of Multiphase Materials Using Modified Embedded Atom Method (Meam) And Artificial Neural Network (Rann), Henan Zhou

Theses and Dissertations

There is a significant need for computer simulations to explore multiphase materials because of their significance in both industry and research. These simulations are both more efficient and less expensive than many experimental approaches, making them an ideal choice for this purpose. It is possible to use molecular dynamics simulations that make use of the MEAM and RANN interatomic potentials in order to comprehend and characterize the properties, performance, and behavior of materials at the atomic scale of different material phases. In the realms of elements, alloys, and impurities, MEAM can be utilized in a wide variety of applications. Through …

Ground Truthing Of Inaturalist Submissions Confirms The Presence Of Asian Needle Ants, Brachyponera Chinensis (Emery) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), In Louisiana, A New State Record, Aaron R. Ashbrook, Victoria Bayless, Stephen Baca, Gerardo Guevara-Milla, Chris E. Carlton

Midsouth Entomologist

Based on submissions to iNaturalist from citizen scientists, the presence of the Asian needle ant (Brachyponera chinensis), was confirmed for Louisiana in East Baton Rouge Parish. Use of citizen scientist platforms for sources of invertebrate taxa distributions is a powerful tool but requires caution because the records are typically not validated by physical voucher specimens that have been deposited in publicly accessible museums, and identification of many species is not possible by images alone. To demonstrate the usefulness of citizen scientist programs like iNaturalist, possible collection sites for Asian needle ant specimens were located. Specimens were collected, identified, and vouchers …

A Note On Psoloessa Texana And Achurum Sumichrasti (Orthoptera: Acrididae: Acridinae) From Louisiana, Jovonn G. Hill

Midsouth Entomologist

During a 2024 survey in Kisatchie National Forest, Louisiana, Psoloessa texana and Achurum sumichrasti were collected, representing new state records. No prior records of P. texana exist for Louisiana, and while A. sumichrasti has been observed and reported online, no specimens were previously documented. These findings extend the known range of P. texana by ~320 km and suggest a broader distribution for A. sumichrasti. Their presence in xeric savannas may reflect Pleistocene-era disjunctions. With these additions, Louisiana’s documented grasshopper fauna increases to 41 species.

Absence Of Superconductivity In The Lightly Doped Hubbard Model, Jodie Roberts, Rudolf Torsten Clay

Research Experiences for Undergraduates in Computational Methods with Applications in Materials Science

The mechanism of superconductivity (SC) in high critical temperature cuprate superconductors remains an unsolved problem. The simplest electronic model of cuprate superconductors is the one band Hubbard model. It models copper atom positions with lattice sites, omitting oxygen atoms for simplicity, and separates the Hamiltonian into hopping (t,t) and interaction (U) components. The simplest Hubbard model only considers nearest neighbor hopping, t. To account for overlap between oxygen orbitals also requires next nearest neighbor hopping, t'. Exact solutions of the model are computationally prohibitive to find for large systems. Quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) methods such as Constrained Path Monte Carlo …

Neural Network Prediction Of Titanium-Aluminum Mechanical Properties, Carter Reed, Kip Barrett

Research Experiences for Undergraduates in Computational Methods with Applications in Materials Science

Technological progress is strongly coupled with our understanding of materials. In fields like aerospace, titanium-aluminum (Ti-Al) alloys are of particular interest for their strength-to-weight ratio and high-temperature performance. The ability to accurately predict these characteristics as a function of composition and processing conditions would reduce research costs by tuning the performance to the application's needs before producing the physical material. The mechanical properties, and performance by proxy, of a material are dependent on the microstructure of and the interatomic interactions within the material. Thus, we validate the rapid artificial neural network (RANN) potential of the titanium-aluminum binary system for the …

Developing A Computational Pipeline For Microstructure-Based Modelling With Exaca And Evpfft, Lizzy Beall, Eric Collins, Jacob Moore

Research Experiences for Undergraduates in Computational Methods with Applications in Materials Science

The microstructure of a metal determines its properties and by understanding the grains that make up that structure, we can predict the behavior of that material. However, it can be difficult and costly to view the microstructure of a metal, especially since the microstructure is highly dependent on the manufacturing history of the part. By computer generating the microstructure of a material, we can better understand its properties. Exascale Cellular Automata (ExaCA) can generate a microstructure for a metal sample given its thermal history and Elasto-Visco Plastic Fast Fourier Transforms (EVPFFT) can model the response of the crystals in a …

Developing A Neural Network For Prediction Of Interatomic Energies In Iron-Manganese Alloys, Robert D. H. Race, Doyl Dickel, Hala Ben Messaoud

Research Experiences for Undergraduates in Computational Methods with Applications in Materials Science

Machine-learned interatomic potentials (ML IAP) for alloy systems have been sought after due to their ability to reduce experimentation costs and time, accelerating alloy development and discovery. However, the explicit inclusion of magnetism in these potentials has been both a difficult and important problem to solve, due to the complexity of spin-lattice dynamics and its significance in the properties of magnetic alloys. We present here the development of an explicitly magnetic Fe-Mn ML IAP using a physics informed neural network (PINN) extension of the rapid artificial neural network (RANN) formalism. It is shown that the potential is capable of reproducing …

Review Of Jodi Dean, Capital’S Grave: Neofeudalism And The New Class Struggle (Verso Books, 2025), James R. Martel

Emancipations: A Journal of Critical Social Analysis

No abstract provided.

Will There Be A Pill For That? ‘Money Dysmorphia’ And The Medicalization Of Struggles For Subsistence, Bojan Savic

Emancipations: A Journal of Critical Social Analysis

This article questions the rationality, operation, and effects of money dysmorphia as an emerging mental health diagnosis. It critiques the medicalization of financial angst amid the capitalist “polycrisis”, showing how the individuation and somatic pathologization of class subordination, socioeconomic precarity, and struggles for subsistence obscure capitalist inequalities, depoliticize them, and shield them from critique. I identify five concurrent strategies through which struggles for subsistence are medicalized: trivialization, reversal of social import, repetition, direct depoliticization, and the substitution of inequality with poverty. Furthermore, I show how the medicalizing discourse reifies money dysmorphia by constructing its social costs. The article concludes by …

Eviscerating The State: The New Oligarchic And Authoritarian Project To Undermine American Constitutional Democracy, Jean L. Cohen

Emancipations: A Journal of Critical Social Analysis

No abstract provided.

New Kid On The Block: An Evaluation Of Web-Scale Discovery Services, Anita Winger, Blair Booker

Publications

Web-scale discovery systems emerged in 2007 as a new product in library search and retrieval. Libraries have different platforms to choose from and do so based on how well they integrate with the existing Integrated Library System. Each platform offers features, such as relevancy ranking systems, citation trails, and link resolvers, to enhance the search experience and manage electronic resources effectively.

Datasets Associated With Caballero Et Al. (2025): Sentinel-3 Coastal Analysis Ready Data (S3card): An Operational Framework For Coastal Water Applications, Cassia B. Caballero, Vitor S. Martins, Rejane S. Paulino, Thainara M. A. Lima, Elliott Butler, Eric Sparks

Research Data

This dataset provides access to twelve .zip archives containing pre-processed tiles from the S3CARD (Sentinel-3 Coastal Analysis Ready Data) framework. Each archive corresponds to a 2.5° × 2.5° coastal grid that includes an AERONET-OC (Aerosol Robotic Network – Ocean Color) station used for validation in Caballero et al. (2025). The data include atmospherically corrected, glint- and adjacency-corrected surface reflectance images derived from Sentinel-3 OLCI imagery.

Each tile includes:

- 21-band surface reflectance images in GeoTIFF format (valid water pixels only)

- Metadata files with acquisition geometry and processing details

These datasets support reproducibility and enable users to evaluate the S3CARD …

Expanding The Role Of Embodiment And Teacher Noticing In Units Coordination And Construction, Claudia Bertolone-Smith, Jonathan Troup, Liza Bondurant, Diana Moss, Hortensia Soto

Publications

We aim to expand units coordination and construction assessment by examining the significance of embodiment and teacher noticing, especially in relation to recent developments in equitable mathematics teacher noticing research. We outline our approach as mathematics teacher educators with a wide range of expertise, wherein we investigated how prospective elementary mathematics teachers (PTs) notice students' units construction and coordination through embodied actions and the impact of incorporating a focus on embodiment in assessment. We also address how expanding the understanding of units coordination and construction assessment through embodied noticings can create more equitable classroom spaces. The study emphasizes the need …