Digital Commons Network^™

Pharmacokinetic Evaluation Of A Novel Compound, Sn79, A Putative Sigma-2 Receptor Antagonist, By Intravenous And Oral Administration In Rats, Harsha Vinnakota

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Considering the alarming rates at which substance drug abuse, especially cocaine, is increasing in today's society, there is a lot of impetus on the development of medications that can effectively help alleviate its toxicity and addiction. The affinity of cocaine to sigma receptors (sigma-1 and sigma-2) rendered the hypothesis that blocking sigma receptors could be a possible mechanism to attenuate cocaine-induced toxicity and addiction. In this view, SN79, a synthetic compound with selectivity to both sigma-1 and sigma-2 receptors garnered our attraction for its use as an antagonist. This dissertation encompasses detailed investigation of SN79 from drug discovery and development …

Reforming Tastes: Taste As A Print Aesthetic In American Cookery Writing, Sarah Wurgler Walden

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many eighteenth-century philosophers such as Kant and Hume worked to develop discourses of taste as a means of standardizing cultural behaviors. Using physical taste as a metaphor for aesthetic perception and judgment, these writers could both define and abstract group boundaries. As American writers worked to distinguish their nation from their British forebears, many recognized the utility of taste-based discourse and worked to develop cultural tastes around shared principles of egalitarianism and democracy. Cookbooks and domestic writing soon engaged these discourses, as it was the task of women to cultivate a virtuous citizenry, and—through domestic print culture—to demonstrate the deleterious …

Natural Products Chemistry Of Leads Acting On Mrsa, Hcv, Malaria, And Depression Disorders, Mohamed Ali Mohamed Ali Ibrahim

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nature has proven to be an endless source of abundant diversity of chemical entities with varying biological activities. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 80% of the world's population depends on traditional medicine for treating their everyday health problems. According to Gordon Cragg, former director of the natural products branch of the NCI, ″Nature has produced wonderfully complex molecules that no synthetic chemist could ever dream up.″ Moreover, he emphasized that over 60% of cancer therapeutics have been derived from nature whether directly through isolation or indirectly through semi-synthesis. Various examples have been reported such as extracts from Catharanthus …

Impact Of Imagine Learning English In Two Northern Mississippi Schools, Dawn M. Waddell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The study, Impact of Imagine Learning English in Two Northern Mississippi Schools, describes an effectiveness study of the impact that the computer program Imagine Learning English (ILE) has on English language learning. The study sought to determine the impact of ILE on the annual yearly progress and reading skills of mid-level English language learners (ELL). The objective of the study was to see if ILE was successful in raising the reading comprehension skill scores of English Language Learners (ELL) who worked the program as a language training tool. This study is the result of data that was collected from students …

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 …

Exploring Patterns Of Genetic Diversity Of A Malagasy Ant Species: Anochetus Madagascarensis, Nicole Annette Lewis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Madagascar is extremely diverse and imperiled. Close to 90% of all land dwelling species are endemic to Madagascar (plants, reptiles, mammals and amphibians). Understanding patterns of genetic diversity for species can aid in better conservation efforts. In this study, I focus on the endemic Malagasy ant species, Anochetus madagascarensis. By employing a broad geographic sample of this species from throughout its distribution and a multilocus genetic data set, I explored population structure and historical factors that affected these patterns. I tested hypotheses proposed to be responsible for generating population structure, and by extension the process of speciation in Madagascar, including …

The Present Past - A Middle Swabian Dialect In The 21st Century, Stefanie Hirscher

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Dialects throughout the Federal Republic of Germany not only vary greatly among themselves, but also tend to show internal variations with regard to dialect speaker groups, due to the influence of Standard German along with other regional factors. Medium-sized towns seem to be at the center of this dialect-standard continuum, as speakers from both rural and more urban areas come together in these towns. This study sought to investigate the state of the Middle Swabian dialect as spoken in Schwäbisch Gmünd, a medium-sized town in Southwestern Germany. Previous studies of this dialect have focused on rural areas and found only …

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, …

Bp's Use Of Twitter As A Crisis Communication Tool During The Gulf Oil Spill Crisis Response Phase, Lindsay Ann Jordan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

On April 20, 2010, British Petroleum's Deepwater Horizon drilling rig located in the Gulf of Mexico exploded, creating the largest oil spill in U.S. history. BP launched a major public relations response that targeted its online audience through strategic use of its corporate website, Twitter feed, Facebook page, YouTube channel, and Flickr photostream. This content analysis examines BP's use of Twitter during the crisis response phase of the oil spill. BP tweeted on 1,161 occasions from the time of the explosion to the capping of the well. All tweets during this 13-week period were coded by two separate coders to …

Part A: Studies Towards Total Synthesis Of An Anticancer And Antifungal Natural Product, Pseudolaric Acid B; Part B: Synthesis And Biological Evaluation Of Berkeleyamide A And Its Derivatives, Swapnil Jayant Kulkarni

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Part A: Studies towards total synthesis of an antifungal and anticancer agent, Pseudolaric acid B. Marked by the uncontrolled cell proliferation, cancer is one of the deadliest diseases, accounting for about 7.0 million deaths in 2007. Cancer is second leading cause of death worldwide, according to the American Cancer Society. Cancer chemotherapy has evolved through many years of painstaking research, and as a result, today we are able to cure at least some of cancers. One of the major impediments in the development of new drugs for treating cancer is that most of the approved drugs are themselves toxic and …

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 …

Seismic Tomography For The Integrity Assessment Of Earthen Dams And Levees., Leti Teklu Wodajo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Dams are a vital part of a nation's infrastructure. Considering the fact that many of the dams in the United States have approached or are approaching their projected life expectancy of 50 years, these critical infrastructures represent a risk to public safety. Minimizing this risk requires an ongoing safety inspection, monitoring, maintenance and rehabilitation program. This research examines the use of a non-invasive geophysical seismic method to provide additional information where the usual visual inspection is insufficient and the comboring investigation is not an option. Even though seismic techniques provide valuable information of the subsurface strata, the interpretation is not …

Positive Youth Development Among Latino/A Youth In A Service Learning Program, Christopher Fox Drescher

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explored the potential of a service-learning program to cultivate positive developmental strengths among Latino/a youth participating in a school-based program in Los Angles County. Youth (N=112) in grades 5–12, who were primarily from low SES backgrounds, participated in an environmental and humanitarian education program, the Jane Goodall Institute's, Roots & Shoots (R&S) program. Three positive youth development (PYD) variables, including civic responsibility, ethnic identity, and connection to nature were assessed before and after participation. Challenges in program implementation and data collection resulted in a small subset of participants that completed measures at the pre and posttest (n = …

Korsgaard On Reason And The Normativity Of Rationality, Robert Colin English

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Korsgaard (2009) argues, against Kolodny (2005) and Broome (2007), that rational requirements are in fact normative. In her view the normativity of rational requirements is a function of their constitutive role in the deliberative activity of reason. After surveying the treatment of this question in the relevant literature, I explain Korsgaard's theory using pure constructivism as a framing device. I then argue that not only is her account of deliberative reason as an activity unsatisfactory (specifically, it fails to defeat the intuition that charges of boot-strapping are deeply problematic, and makes the adoption of reasons for belief from the deliberative …

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

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Adviser's Guide To Health Care: Volume 3, Consulting With Professional Practices, Robert James Cimasi

Guides, Handbooks and Manuals

No abstract provided.

Entities With Oil And Gas Producing Activities With Conforming Changes As Of July 1, 2011; Audit And Accounting Guide, American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants. Entities With Oil And Gas Producing Activities Task Force

Guides, Handbooks and Manuals

No abstract provided.

An Exploration Of Process Observation And Practical Application In Devised Theatre, Anna Elizabeth Donnell

Honors Theses

In my research, I encountered a particular methodology of creating plays known as devised or collaborative theatre. In this form, the ensemble collaboratively contributes to all aspects of the production, including the processes of writing. production, direction and performance. Therefore, working with such a method would provide the most desirable test culture for me to examine the development of a play from initial inspiration to eventual materialization. In this way, I theorized that I would gain a better understanding of the creative roots of theatrical expression as well as of the mechanisms of devised theatre as a means to that …

Confucianism And The Modern East Asian, Paul Jennings Treutel

Honors Theses

This thesis sought to measure “Confucianism” in China, Japan, and South Korea. To this end, a thorough investigation of possible methods to measure Confucianism and exactly what “Confucianism” means was conducted. AsiaBarometer’s 2006 survey data was chosen as the basis of the quantitative portion of this study. Survey questions deemed good measures of Confucian values were compiled into four indexes. These indexes were used as dependent variables in four separate regressions, controlling for such demographic variables as age, sex, geographic location, income, etc. The regression results and their interpretation showed a picture of Confucianism considerably different than that discussed by …

Canary In A Cage And Other Stories, Jennifer Leah Wegmann

Honors Theses

This collection of short stories represents my best WTiting in college. The collection, in theory, began in Paris in the winter of 2009 and continued to travel to Montana, Texas and the French Riviera. It has finally come to an end in Oxford, Mississippi. “Just Going,” follows a woman through a relationship with the man hired to be Santa at the retirement home where she works. “The Kindness of Foxes” is a short, short story about a short, short moment at Rowan Oak at the start of winter. The questions of masculinity and the gendered assumptions of father to son …

An Analysis Of Culturable Bacteria Otained From Store Bought Leaf Vegetables, Kevin Christian Randolph

Honors Theses

Samples of five different varieties of leaf vegetables obtained from a local supermarket were analyzed for the presence of bacteria on both the outside (epiphytic) and inside of the plant (endophytic). For each variety, both conventionally and organically cultivated samples were analyzed. Each sample was analyzed following a typical consumer wash (so detecting both epiphytic and endophytic bacteria), and also after being surface sterilized with 1:5 bleach solution (endophytic bacteria only). Viable counts on R2A and TSA agar suggested that the majority of the bacteria of leaf vegetables were epiphytic, and total numbers range from 10 To 10 CFU/g leaf …

Effects Of Anticholinergics And Cholinergic Enhancers On Spatial Learning And Locomotion In Mice, Brittany Nicole Simpson

Honors Theses

To investigate the cholinergic system’s role In learning and memory, I. utilized the Morris water maze (MWM) task, which tests spatial ability. Subjects must locate a submerged, hidden platform using the various distal cues around the room to orient themselves in space to find the escape platform. The cholinergic system regulates spatial learning and memory necessary for tasks such as the MWM and also plays a role in locomotor activity. I performed a pilot study to demonstrate that outbred strains of mice perform the MWM task effectively. I then used an outbred strain of mice, Swiss Webster, in the MWM …

Ecophilosophies And Environmental Perspectives In The Amazon Rainforest: Conservation Through Sustainable Use Projects, Scarlett Ashlen Andrews

Honors Theses

Non-governmental organizations are on the forefront of conservation strategies throughout the world, and the Amazon Rainforest is one of the most crucial regions in the world for these efforts. Though many conservation strategies in the past focused on the establishment of protected areas, there has been a recent increase in projects aimed at sustainable use of land with the goal of conserving natural resources and ecosystem processes. This thesis is an exploration of sustainable use projects in the Andes-Amazon border region, specifically those projects which focus on agriculture and forestry. By comparing historical and theoretical ecophilosophies and analyzing survey responses …

De Mal En Peor: The Framing Of Felipe Calderón’S “War On Drugs” In The United States And Mexican Print Media, Peyton Britt Smith

Honors Theses

This work was written to explore the print media’s portrayal of the Mexican war on drugs started by Felipe Calderon in 2006. In order to do this, I looked at both Mexican and U.S. print media sources to compare coverage and to ascertain the frames that the media employs when covering the drug war. I analyzed national newspapers in both countries and also analyzed coverage of specific events in pairs of U.S. and Mexican city, namely Tijuana and San Diego, and Ciudad Juarez and El Paso. In my analysis frames of “war” were used repeatedly and national biases were seen …

Branding A University's Mascot, Stanley Ryan Viner

Honors Theses

The objective of this paper is to investigate the dilemma many collegiate institutions have with the appropriateness of their symbols, particularly the mascot, and how these symbols can affect the overall brand equity of a university. Plausible connections between the mascot, symbols, and brands will be formulated validating the claim that a mascot is a brand, which will pcmiit the direct application of marketing and branding theories to the mascot situation at The University of Mississippi. The importance of the mascot and the human response to collegiate symbols will be explored by the utilization of two psychological theories - Social …

Viridis: Green Living In The South”, Mary Elizabeth White

Honors Theses

Viridis magazine is a Southern cooking and lifestyle magazine centered around food, products, and places that are good for the body, good for the Earth, and good for personal wellness. Each issue, Viridis highlights interesting people, places, recipes, and consumer products all over the Southern United States that reflect a green, eco-conscious lifestyle of eating and living. It aims at Southerners who are proud of their region of the country and love being southern, but still care about what they eat and how they live.

Transboundary Animal Diseases And Their Likelihood To Be Used In An Agroterrorist Attack On The United States, James Willard Allen

Honors Theses

All data and information contained in this investigation are open source and publically available. The assessment uses six different transboundary animal diseases which are not currently routine occurrences in the United States and through analytic methods, assesses the likelihood that each might be used in an agroterrorist attack on the United States' animal production sector. The assessment examines each disease using key details that would directly affect the likelihood of its use in an attack, focusing on potential economic damage. The three main animal populations considered are bovine, swine, and poultry due to their large size and value in domestic …

The Role Of The Cerebellum In The Zebra Finch Song Circuit, Matthew Gian Digiusto

Honors Theses

The cerebellum was originally thought to be a brain area used just for motor coordination, but it is now known to play a role in complex cognition. Some of these complex roles include aspects of human speech such as rhyming, silent rehearsal, and timing of speech. There are many similarities between human speech and songbird song including a babbling stage, the necessity of a tutor to copy, and specialized neural structures for learning and production; however, it is not clear whether the cerebellum plays a similar role in the songbird song circuit. In this experiment I examined the role of …

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 …