Digital Commons Network^™

The Unmet Needs Of Academic Support Services For Students At Holmes Community College On The Goodman Campus, Karen Ray

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This paper presents a three-manuscript dissertation exploring the unmet needs for academic support of TRIO-eligible college students on the Goodman Campus of Holmes Community College (HCC) in Mississippi. The quantitative study uses descriptive and comparative statistic techniques to analyze two data sets, including the academic success of students who are qualified, applied for, and were selected for HCC TRIO SSS in 2017-18 and the success of students who are qualified, applied for, but were not selected for 2017-18 federal program. The aggregate academic successes, as measured by grade-point average (GPA), was the first comparison of the two groups. This study …

Comparative Study Of Agrogeophysical Methods For Identifying Soil Pipes, Md Abdus Abdus Samad

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Soil erosion is considered the greatest challenge for soil management and agri-food production threatening human habitat and livelihood. Although soil erosion due to surficial processes has been well studied, the role of the subsurface process such as internal soil pipes has often been overlooked. Internal soil pipes directly contribute to total soil loss in agricultural fields that severely threaten agricultural sustainability. Locating, measuring, and mapping internal soil pipes and their networks are vital to assess the total soil loss in agricultural fields. Internal soil pipes are not commonly visible at the surface, and their subsurface networks rarely follow the surface …

Development Of An Ophthalmic Nanoemulsion Containing Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol-Valine-Hemisuccinate (Thc-Vhs; Nb1111) For Management Of Glaucoma, Corinne Varner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The use of Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol-Valine-Hemisuccinate (THC-VHS; NB1111) has recently been investigated in the management of intraocular pressure (IOP) lowering activity. The current studies were undertaken to develop a THC-VHS loaded nanoemulsion (NE; THC-VHS-NE) with and without Carbopol® 940 as mucoadhesive agent (NEC; THC-VHS-NEC) that could increase the drug load and the duration of activity. The physical and chemical stability and sterilization of the lead formulation THC-VHS-NE and THC-VHS-NEC were observed under refrigerated conditions (4°C) for sixty days. Further, the pharmacodynamic (PD) effect of the lead formulations were studied in normotensive Albino New Zealand White (NZW) male rabbits following …

Formulation Development, Characterization, And Optimization Of Antimalarial And Antibiotic Drugs, Kai-Wei Wu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Primaquine (PQ)-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN), nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC), and nano-emulsion (NE) were developed to investigate the influence of lipid excipients, surfactants, and drug loading on the physicochemical properties of lipid formulations. To investigate the drug release mechanisms from the lipid-based formulations, empirical release kinetic models such as zero-order, Higuchi, Korsmeyer-Peppas, and Hixson-Crowell were used. In an ex vivo hemolysis toxicity study, the efficacy of SLN, NLC, and NE to protect erythrocytes against PQ-induced cell lysis was investigated. The results show that all lipid formulations reduced the erythrocyte hemolysis by approximately 4.5-fold compared to the drug solution, suggesting that …

Roll Down Like Water: Photography, Social Movements, And Surveillance In Memphis, Tenneessee, Andrea Morales

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

“There’s really no such thing as the ‘voiceless,’” Arundhati Roy said during a speech after earning her 2004 Sydney Peace Prize for literature. “There are only the deliberately silenced, or the preferably unheard.” These words help illuminate the tensions between dominant narrative and power, as well as photography’s role arbitrating both. This paper will explore those relationships and their impacts through existing documentary and sociological studies, but more pointedly will use the experience of making a body of work about social movements in Memphis, Tennessee. Over the last seven years, I’ve used critical race theory framework to make photographs rooting …

Components Of War: How Combat Shapes Political Behavior, Travis W. Endicott

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

After military service is over, veterans are left to try to acclimate to their new lives. They take the lessons learned through their military career and they apply it to their daily life. One area of veteran life that remains understudied is the way that military service, combat experience specifically, alters political attitudes and behavior. The main focus of this dissertation is to understand the way that military combat alters political attitudes among military veterans. Instead of analyzing military veterans as one homogenous group, I separate veterans by combat experience. Building from the military psychology literature on combat trauma, I …

Influence Of Rage Signaling On Cellular Communication In Diabetes-Mediated Vascular Calcification, Amber Michelle Kennon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Chronic hyperglycemia is one of the main characteristics of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). With the increased prevalence of T2DM, the risk of cardiovascular complications, including heart attack or stroke, is increased. Complications linked to the vasculature are increased vascular calcification (VC) or mineral deposition within the medial layer of conducting arteries. Under calcification conditions, vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) undergo an osteogenic switch to an osteoblast-like cell and begin producing bone proteins. Chronic hyperglycemia can also result in increased extracellular matrix (ECM) synthesis, accumulation, and crosslinking. One of the cell types responsible for increased ECM synthesis are ‘activated’ fibroblasts …

Describing The Gut Microbiome Of Amblema Plicata, Lauren Lawson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Freshwater mussels are important for nutrient cycling and ecosystem health, as they filter feed on their surrounding water column. This form of feeding makes these bivalves especially sensitive to conditions in their environment. Gut microbial communities (microbiomes) have been recognized as important to both host organism and ecosystem health; however, how microbiomes are organized and influenced is still unclear. In this study, the gut microbiomes of 58 individuals of the freshwater mussel Amblema plicata were compared across two river basins, five rivers, and nine sites in the southeastern USA. Planctomycetes, Firmicutes, and Cyanobacteria were the most common phyla within all …

Investigating The Boundary Conditions Of The Fresh Start Effect, Jennifer Locander

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The study of motivation and goal pursuit has long been of interest to various academic disciplines. Recent efforts have considered how time affects motivation and aspirational behavior. The Fresh Start Effect describes the phenomenon whereby people naturally feel more motivated to pursue goals following temporal landmarks (e.g., on Mondays). This dissertation examines a potential boundary condition of the Fresh Start Effect: the person who chooses the goal start date. The findings from six studies reveal that when goal start dates are self-chosen, motivation to pursue goals is influenced by temporal landmarks (i.e., motivation is greater on Monday). When goal start …

We Make The Path By Walking Together: A Case Study Of How Community Engagement At The University Of Mississippi Impacts Students And Community Partner Organizations, Laura Martin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The community engagement field has grappled with critical questions around its failure to effectuate institutional change that will permit colleges and universities to create a more just society. At the same time, the University of Mississippi has struggled to reconcile its own institutional legacy of forced integration alongside an ambitious public mission in a state recognized for persistent poverty and inequality.

The Efficacy Of Neurofeedback In The Treatment Of Individuals With Anxiety-Spectrum Disorders: A Meta-Analysis, Gordon Michael Russo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A number of authors have published articles that assert the efficacy of neurofeedback (NFB) in the treatment of people with anxious symptomatology. Despite this, many insurance companies identify NFB as experimental, which prohibits individuals from utilizing benefits to obtain this therapeutic treatment. In order to examine these discrepancies, the present meta-analyses were conducted and guided by research questions designed to examine the overall effectiveness of NFB, the impact of participant characteristics, and identify the if there is a significant difference in anxiety-spectrum outcomes. Twenty-six trials were divided based on design (14 single group [SG]; 12 between group [BG]) and analyzed …

Group Sandtray Therapy With Adult Survivors Of Childhood Sexual Assault: A Single-Case Research Design, Jana Elaine Scott

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Childhood sexual assault (CSA) is a growing problem in our society. A child who experiences a sexual assault not only deals with the immediate trauma surrounding this event, but also the aftermath of this event as they progress into adulthood. Trauma and sexual trauma is an umbrella term that incorporates all of the various implications of experiencing a negative event. In the instance of trauma, neurobiological implications have been well researched and established. This knowledge highlights the need for counseling techniques to be developed and studied that target those who have experienced CSA. The aim of this single-case research design …

Stress, Depression, And Anxiety, Oh My: Examining The Effects Of A Single-Session Seminar On Depression And Anxiety Symptomatology, Katelyn Sharpe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Young adults (aged 18-25) were identified as the most stressed age group due to internal and external factors that are relatively unique to their group. High stress levels are alarming as they coincide with a multitude of adverse effects on psychological health, including difficulty falling and staying asleep, reduction in overall sleep quality, and exacerbated depression and anxiety symptomatology. Young adults attending post-secondary education institutions are at particular risk for developing and maintaining these adverse psychological effects of stress, especially considering the low rate in which they seek treatment for psychiatric difficulties. Limited literature exists to date regarding condensing a …

Reducing Disparites In Act Results According To Racial Identity: An Applied Research Study Into The Weact Program In Tinlake High School, Marcus Stewart

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT The ACT provides opportunities for students of various socioeconomic backgrounds, racial identities, and family structures. Throughout the nation, there is a disparity that involves Black students scoring less than White students on the test by a margin of five points. The applied mixed methods research aimed to identify elements to help decrease the gap in student scores. The combined efforts of all the elements, tutorials, boot camps, ACT prep classes, and providing ACT resources in daily instruction formed the WeACT program. The students of Tinlake High School were exposed to this pilot program to assist in their ACT growth. …

The Current Treatment Of English Phrasal Verbs In Mext-Authorized Textbooks For Japanese Junior High School Students, Natsuko Yamada

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This comparative analysis, focusing on the 150 highest-frequency phrasal verbs in the phrasal verb pedagogical list (Garnier and Schmitt, 2015), highlights the limited occurrence across English language textbooks for Japanese junior high school. The spoken and written data of Japanese learners of English (i.e., NICT-JLE and NICE) shows considerable differences in the usage patterns of phrasal verbs compared to native English speakers. These results indicated that Japanese learners’ underdeveloped productive knowledge of phrasal verbs could cause intelligibility problems with native speakers especially in oral communication. In order to overcome the semantic and phonological complexity of phrasal verbs, and to break …

"No Place In American History": Remembering And Forgetting The Sultana Disaster, Elias John Baker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project examines the historical memory of the Sultana steamboat disaster of April 27, 1865. The Sultana, ferrying recently-released federal prisoners, exploded north of Memphis, killing over 1,700 in the nation’s worst maritime disaster. Contemporaries interpreted the disaster through a variety of lenses, finding evidence of recalcitrant rebels, the heroism of Union soldiers, and critiques of Republican emancipationist wartime policy. Steamboat safety advocates deployed the disaster’s memory to successfully press Radical Republicans for the 1871 Steamboat Act, establishing the nation’s first maritime safety code. The disaster’s survivors gathered at reunions and published personal narratives to secure the Sultana, and the …

Just Southern Food: Food Justice For The Mississippi Delta, Christian Tabor Owen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The primary objective of this research is to promote food justice for the Mississippi Delta by investigating facts about the intersections of extreme poverty, food insecurity, and chronic illness in the Mississippi Delta. By exploring relevant literature and highlighting current initiatives, this work looks at the semantics of food justice and related terms, discusses challenges unique to the Mississippi Delta, and broadly characterizes public health models with the greatest potential for food justice advancement in this region. Pivotal to interpreting food justice not only for the Mississippi Delta or the Global South, but for any community, is a clear understanding …

Interictal Avoidance Of Sensory Stimuli Among Individuals With Migraine, Daniel Rogers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Migraine is the most debilitating neurological disorder worldwide and is associated with high economic and psychological costs. Common behavioral strategies for coping with migraine include avoidance of stimuli believed to precipitate an attack, though literature suggests that avoidance behaviors may serve to exacerbate migraine-symptoms and increase disability. Although the incorporation of trigger avoidance in modern conceptualizations of headache-related disability represents a more comprehensive understanding of disability occurring outside of migraine attacks (interictally), extant literature has emphasized trigger avoidance to the exclusion of other factors. Learning principles suggest stimuli that exacerbate migraine may take on similar eliciting properties as pain and …

Psychometric Evaluation Of Memory And Concentration Sections In The Standardized Assessment Of Concussion, Seungho Ryu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to evaluate validate the memory and concentration sections of the Standardized Assessment of Concussion (SAC) from the SCAT5. Two studies were conducted. The first study examined item difficulty and discrimination using 10 new word lists of 3 versions in the immediate memory section using item analysis based on classical test theory and to equate scores earned on different versions of 10 word lists using test equating methods. The second evaluated the validity of digits backwards in the concentration section, and evaluated current and new scoring methods for the digit backwards. Two hundred young adults …

Coping With Pain And Health-Related Quality Of Life Among Adults With Sickle Cell Disease, Monika Salkar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Objectives

The objectives of this dissertation are to: 1) to examine the psychometric properties of the CSQSCD among adult sickle cell disease (SCD) patients; 2) to identify psychosocial predictors of health-related quality (HRQOL) among adult SCD patients; and 3) to identify the distinct, multidimensional patterns of strategies for coping with SCD and their association with HRQOL among adult SCD patients in the United States.

Methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted using a web-based self-administered survey. Adults with SCD were recruited with the help of Rare Patient Voice, a market research company that maintains a panel of SCD patients. Psychometric properties …

Effectiveness Of An Educational Intervention To Reduce Ageism In Undergraduate Students In An Entry-Level Nutrition Class, Ann Irvin Armstrong

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Although the older adult population continues to increase, ageism remains an issue in the healthcare system and is prevalent among nutrition-related professionals. The aim of our study is to is determine the effectiveness of an educational intervention to reduce ageism among pre-healthcare professionals including Nutrition major students. Undergraduate students enrolled in an entry-level nutrition class were recruited and randomized into an intervention (INT) group (n=30) and a control (CON) group (n=29). The online educational intervention consisted of pre-recorded lectures and videos regarding ageism and myths regarding aging for the INT group, and on cultural competency and biases (other than ageism) …

Development Of Ibuprofen Tablet With Polyethylene Oxide Using Fused Deposition Modeling (Fdm) 3d Printing Coupled With Hot-Melt Extrusion, Sooyeon Chung

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Ibuprofen is known to plasticize several polymers used in the pharmaceutical field, and it is considered challenging to achieve an immediate release by fused deposition modeling (FDM). Therefore, this study aimed to print ibuprofen tablet with a focus on achieving immediate release. Polyethylene oxide (Polyox WSR N80) was used as a main matrix to form the ibuprofen filament due to its water-soluble property and manifesting suitable mechanical property even with the high drug loading (40% w/w). Several release modifiers such as Kollidon VA64, Kollidon 12PF, Kollicoat IR, Kollidon CL, and Mannitol were added separately to the formulation to enhance the …

Manipulations Of A Memory Interference Paradigm, Lindsay Kyle Crawford

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The AB/DE, AC/FG paired associate learning task, which has been utilized in numerous experimental studies, is purported to induce both proactive (PI) and retroactive interference (RI) simultaneously. However, until now, there have not been any studies validating or determining the optimal format of this paradigm. As such, the purpose of this series of experiments was to make manipulations to the task in order to maximize its efficacy. Across the series of experiments implemented herein, we manipulated various aspects of the paradigm (e.g., semantic relatedness of the word pairs, number of trials) driven by theoretical underpinnings of memory interference theory. Experiments …

Rap1a Overlaps The Age/Rage Signaling Cascade In Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Stephanie Burr

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Diabetic individuals have an increased risk for developing cardiovascular disease due to stiffening of the left ventricle, which is thought to occur, in part, by increased AGE/RAGE signaling. Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) accumulate within the body over time, and under hyperglycemic conditions, the formation and accumulation of AGEs is accelerated. AGEs exert their effect by binding to their receptor (RAGE) and can induce myofibroblast differentiation, oxidative stress, cell-extracellular matrix contraction, and cell migration. Previous findings from our lab have demonstrated that preventing the production of Rap1a, a Ras-like GTPase signaling protein, in cardiac fibroblasts will decrease type 2 diabetes …

The Middle To High School Transition: An Applied Research Study To Improve And Support High School Readiness In High-Poverty Schools, Robert Davis Ii

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The applied research study aimed to improve high school readiness for eighth-grade students transitioning to ninth-grade in high-poverty schools. Middle school educators are struggling to prepare students for ninth-grade without the proper transition support programs. This applied research study's framework was based on improving student performance, preventing academic achievement loss, addressing social-emotional learning, and informing students of operational procedures to prepare them for the high school environment. An action plan was developed and implemented in three phases to address each element of concern intentionally. Phase one consisted of Saturday Academy tutoring to improve student performance in reading and math. Implementation …

Gestures Of Dissent: Self-Fashioning Performance From Southern Women Writers During The Fin De Siécle, Elisa Fuhrken

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project explores Southern women writers during the latter half of the nineteenth-century who asserted and crafted a modernized identity by turning to various modes of transgressive performance and performance spaces. For women of the nineteenth-century, this meant extricating themselves from a domestic, sentimental identity and apprehending a more fluid, dynamic type of being. The modes of performance, such as spectatorship, orality, and gesture, allowed these women to express and articulate an alternative feminine identity while also engaging with an embodied epistemology. This thesis looks at three Southern women writers: Sherwood Bonner’s novel Like Unto Like and her travel letters …

Methylene Blue As Light And Reactive Oxygen Species Sensitive Ligand: Appicability In Hybrid Drug And Material Synthesis, Huy Dao

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Methylene blue (MB) with a 10-N-carbamoyl linkage was discovered and developed as a multifunctional far-red (660 nm) photocleavable ligand capable of rendering a series of MB conjugated compounds with off-to-on fluorescence switch properties through the controlled release of MB. The released MB was successfully demonstrated to be an effective photosensitizer, imaging probe, and therapeutic agent. The complete release of MB was achieved with a cumulative light dose of 15 J/cm2. The photosensitivity was demonstrated to be dependent on the type of chemical bond at 10-N of the phenothiazine ring which links MB to a side group. Specifically, the urea bond-based …

Traumatic Life Experiences And Their Impact On Factors Pertinent To Leadership Effectiveness In School Principals, Derrick D. Hardaway

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many schools across the nation are not making adequate achievement or growth goals from year-to-year. This leads to high principal turnover rates and instability in the learning environment which profoundly impacts student achievement. Currently, most efforts in schools are aimed at raising student achievement, implementing equitable practices, and limiting barriers. While these are critical actions for closing the achievement gap, the principal’s role in this process is vitally important. Therefore, this quantitative study explored how trauma affects factors that are pertinent to leader success in school principals. To determine the impact trauma has on leadership qualities, this study examined the …

Decreasing Discipline Disparities Among African-American Males: An Applied Research Study On The Effects Of Developing Culturally Responsive Teaching Practices Among Teachers And Equipping Students With Added Supports, Reginald Maurice Herrington

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Schools and school leaders are charged to provide equitable educational opportunities and ensure the success for all students no matter their scholastic ability giving students access to an education that is culturally responsive. Despite this charge, African-American male students receive exclusionary punishment at disparaging rates which contributes to the widening achievement gap between white and black students. The purpose of this applied research study was to decrease the rate at which African-American males are referred to the office. This study analyzes the implementation of two elements: engaging teachers in a book study on culturally responsive teaching strategies and targeted counseling …

The Role Of Social Anxiety In Prosocial Behavior Following Exclusion, Hannah Friedman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Social anxiety (SA) causes significant distress and impairment in several areas of daily life. Individuals with SA experience increased rates of exclusion and have more difficultly forming meaningful interpersonal relationships. Exclusion is associated with increased SA and motivations for social withdrawal in emerging adulthood. In non-SA individuals, the desire for compensatory social interaction following exclusion often produces prosocial behaviors (e.g., increased effort to help the group). Prosocial behavior levels following exclusion are not uniform, however, as an individual’s response may vary depending on the type of exclusion experienced. Although previous work has observed decreased levels of prosocial behavior in non-SA …