Digital Commons Network^™

Comparative Analysis Of Out-Of-Pocket Expenditures On Authorized Generics And Independent Generics Among Medicare Beneficiaries, Arman Arabshomali

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background: Authorized generics (AGs) are essentially brand-name drugs without the brand name on their labeling. AGs are often marketed as cost-saving alternatives to brand-name drugs; however, their impact on patient out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditures compared to independent generics (IGs) remains understudied, especially within Medicare. This study investigates the OOP costs of AGs versus IGs among Medicare beneficiaries with Part D coverage.

Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using the 5% national sample of Medicare Part D claims data from 2012 to 2020, linked with the FDA’s NDC Directory data to specify Authorized Generics, Independent Generics, and Brands. The study compared OOP …

Don't Let Them In: Our Vampire Stories In The French Quarter, Sela Ricketts

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is an exploration of vampires in New Orleans. The reason I have chosen to include the word “Our” in the title is because we created the stories that I am studying. We created, perpetuated, changed, and eventually monetized them. Throughout this paper I discuss how the vampire came to New Orleans and how that same vampire shows up in New Orleans folklore. Then I discuss how the vampire made the jump from urban legend to pop culture. In doing that it gained “humanity”. They were still monstrous, but it was enough humanity to acquire regional identity, a southern …

The Effects Of Validating And Invalidating Responses On Self-Reported Levels Of Anxiety, Leila Sachner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Given that validation and invalidation have been linked to internal factors contributing to anxiety disorders, it is important to further explore how validation and invalidation are associated with experiences of anxiety. The current study was designed to assess the association between validation/invalidation and anxiety among college students. Significant omnibus regression models emerged revealing that perceived invalidation accounted for 25.7% of the variance in self-reports of physiological anxiety symptoms and 27.6% of the variance in self-reports of generalized anxiety symptoms. A series of mixed-factorial ANOVAs revealed no main effect of experimental condition on emotional responses (anxiety, anger, arousal, valence), indicating that …

Large Sample Theory For Some New Copula-Based Models, Sahifa Siddiqua

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores continuous-state stationary reversible Markov chains generated by a new family of absolutely continuous symmetric copulas that have square-integrable densities. We examine and define parameter estimation techniques for the Markov chains generated by the new family of copulas and different marginals. Furthermore, we provide the joint limiting distributions and confidence intervals/regions of these estimators. We also look into the parameter estimation and it’s limiting distributions for bivariate independent data generated by the new family of copula and various marginal distributions. A simulation study using R is proposed to support our findings.

Comparative Effectiveness Of Biologic Or Targeted Synthetic Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs In Terms Of Opioid Tapering And Discontinuation Among Medicare Beneficiaries With Rheumatoid Arthritis, Shadi Bazzazzadehgan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Objectives: Pain is the most common patient-reported outcome in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), frequently managed with long-term opioid therapy (LTOT), despite limited evidence supporting its efficacy and safety. Given the inflammatory nature of RA pain, biologic or targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (b/tsDMARDs) may relief pain and facilitate opioid withdrawal. This study compared rates of any opioid tapering, rapid opioid tapering, and opioid discontinuation among Medicare beneficiaries with RA who initiated b/tsDMARDs, including tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi bDMARDs), non-TNFi bDMARDs, or Janus kinase inhibitors (JAKi).

Methods: A new-user cohort study design was implemented using 5% Medicare (2012-2020). Beneficiaries with RA, …

Study Of The Mechanism And Physiological Impact Of Transcriptional Regulation Of Pilin-Encoding Pila Gene In Caulobacter Crescentus, Anurag Rijal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The alphaproteobacterium Caulobacter crescentus with a unique dimorphic lifestyle is a model organism for studying prokaryotic development. An important cellular structure is the hair-like appendage called pilus, made up of monomeric subunits called pilins. The pilus helps C. crescentus in surface sensing and attachment, leading to cellular differentiation. Despite these advantages, the C. crescentus cell expresses the pilus filament on its surface for a very short period in its life cycle, during the motile swarmer stage. This study examined the precisely-timed transcriptional regulation of the pilin-encoding gene pilA, and uncovered the impact it has on bacterial survival.

CtrA, a global …

A Sociolinguistic Study Of The Bani Malik Dialect In Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Mansour Almalki

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

My research aims to examine how the dialect of the Bani Malik community, a minority group in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, has been influenced by its contact with the urban dialect of Mecca. It also aims to record Bani Malik speakers’ attitudes toward their heritage dialect. Thirty-six Bani Malik speakers of different age groups, genders, and amounts of contact with Meccan speakers were interviewed for 30 minutes each. Quantitative data analysis was used to investigate the influence of the Meccan dialect on one Bani Malik morphological feature, the first-person singular possessive marker < -i:h>, and two phonological features, the diphthongs [ai] and …

Improving Teacher Effectiveness, Keith D. Powell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This applied action research with a program evaluation aimed to determine if the Improving Effectiveness Three (IE3) program which is composed of professional development on the Professional Growth System (PGS), engagement in Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), and participation in the New Teacher Academy (NTA) improves teacher effectiveness at North Panama High School (NPHS) as measured by the Mississippi Professional Growth System.

For the past five years, the United States has struggled to fully staff public schools with highly effective teachers. This struggle is increasingly difficult in several southern states. North Panama High School, surrounded by more affluent school districts, experiences …

Voltage-Dependent Anion-Selective Channels 1 And 2 Wild Type And Mutant Bh3-Like Domain Peptides: Analysis Of Secondary Structure And Binding Stoichiometry To Recombinant Bax, Geanell C. Adams

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite national efforts to increase female participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), women remain significantly underrepresented in collegiate STEM programs. This pilot study sought to identify pre-collegiate factors that influence female students’ decisions to enroll and persist in STEM collegiate programs at the University of Mississippi, a predominantly white R1 research institution using qualitative methods. Grounded in Bandura’s Social Learning Theory, the research examined the environmental, behavioral, and personal determinants that shape academic pathways for women in STEM.

Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with six sophomore female STEM majors. Thematic analysis revealed that early exposure to structured …

Working With Parents/Guardians To Provide Support And Knowledge For Structured Literacy Spelling Instruction At Home, Claire Rearick Fearn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation in practice explores the role of spelling instruction within the framework of the Science of Reading (SOR) and Structured Literacy (SL). This research examines how spelling, a vital yet acquired literacy skill, is foundational to reading and writing development and should be taught explicitly and systematically through SL principles. Drawing on research in cognitive neuroscience, developmental psychology, and educational research the study highlights how the brain learns to read and spell, reinforcing the need for evidence-based instruction that integrates both encoding and decoding practices. Despite research starting the importance of teaching spelling utilizing SL methods, spelling instruction and …

An Advanced Machine Learning Framework And Multi-Label Heart Disease Classification With Unet-Based Nucleus Segmentation, Md Rahat Kader Khan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The growing demand for accurate, rapid, and interpretable diagnostic tools in the medical field has spurred the integration of artificial intelligence into various healthcare applications. Acute Myocardial Infarction, which remains one of the primary causes of mortality in both developed and developing nations, requires timely and precise identification to prevent life-threatening complications. In response to the lack of interpretable AI models tailored to diagnosing AMI using hemogram parameters, this study presents a robust machine learning-based framework that explores the diagnostic potential of these parameters. By evaluating several machine learning techniques, the research establishes the superiority of boosting algorithms, particularly the …

The Influence Of Pressure, Intensity, And Amount Of Muscle Mass Exercised On Changes In Muscle Size, Strength, And Endurance: A Methodological Investigation, Ryo Kataoka

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: To 1) examine the effects of low-load submaximal resistance exercise with blood flow restriction (BFR) on muscle size, strength, cross-education, and local muscular endurance while accounting for proximity to failure under restriction, and 2) determine whether changes in muscle size and strength differ based on the amount of muscle recruited during the exercise bout.

Methods: A total of 177 (18–35 years) participants were randomly assigned to one of five groups: unilateral low-load submaximal elbow flexion exercise 1) with BFR (LL+BFR, n=35), 2) without BFR (i.e., matched for a % of repetition-to-failure under restriction) (LL, n=37), 3) to failure (LL-Failure, …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Agmatine Based Carbon Dots, Suyasha Sharad Chaudhari

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this study, carbon dots (CDs) were synthesized from agmatine sulfate, a bioactive molecule with nitrogen-rich moiety guanidine, and citric acid, a commonly used carbon source with oxygen-rich functional groups, at controlled temperatures of 180, 200, and 220°C, as well as CDs of agmatine only at 220°C using a hydrothermal method. The synthesized CDs were characterized for its optical properties, using UV–Vis, Fluorescence, chemical properties using, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrophotometry, structural properties using Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and for surface charge evaluation ζ-potential was measured. UV-Visible spectra confirmed CD formation through characteristic sp² hybridization bands. The synthesized CDs exhibited …

Voltage-Dependent Anion-Selective Channels 1 And 2 Wild Type And Mutant Bh3-Like Domain Peptides: Analysis Of Secondary Structure And Binding Stoichiometry To Recombinant Bax, Mackense Kathleen Greico

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates Bax binding to voltage-dependent anion-selective channels (VDAC1 and VDAC2) N-terminal 26-mer peptides, which have strong sequence homology to BH3 domains, to assess binding stoichiometries, affinities, residues involved in binding, and the potential role of peptide secondary structure in this process. Peptide helical content was assessed without or with Fos12 detergent using circular dichroism spectroscopy. Fluorescent-tagged peptides were used to assess binding affinities and stoichiometries to recombinant Bax, after correction for non-specific binding using bovine serum albumin. Affinities for VDAC1 and VDAC2 were three- to six-fold, respectively, lower than for the Bim BH3 domain, but all three peptides …

Salinity Tolerance Of Bighead Carp And Its Implications For Dispersal In The Lake Pontchartrain Ecosystem, Alan Katzenmeyer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The introduction of invasive bighead carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis) into the Pearl and Pascagoula River systems via the Bonnet Carré Spillway during flood control operations poses a significant threat to these unique ecosystems. This dissertation's experiments investigated the role of salinity in limiting bighead carp dispersal, demonstrating that brackish waters do not necessarily restrict their range as previously assumed. While bighead carp exhibited no significant impairment in swimming performance in salinities at or below 5 ppt, acute and chronic exposure to salinities at 15 ppt proved lethal within 50 hours, representing a critical salinity threshold. Despite mortality at elevated salinities, the …

The Characterization Of Radiation Forces Using Tunable Acoustic Lenses, Sina Rostami

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the design, analysis, and optimization of tunable acoustic lenses with a primary focus on beamforming, dynamic focusing, and the generation of limited diffraction beams. The study examines the performance of four-channel and six-channel lenses in producing highly controlled ultrasonic fields with minimal diffraction. Numerical simulations and experimental validation are used to demonstrate how these lenses effectively form focused beams that maintain spatial coherence over a range of distances.

A systematic comparison between the four-channel and six-channel lenses is performed at multiple focal configurations (5.5 cm, 7.8 cm, and 10.0 cm). The results show that both lens types …

An Evaluation Of A Collaborative Effort In High School Science Classes To Support Teaching And Learning Through Professional Development, Shalanda Saulsberry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to improve high school teachers’ instructional practices through professional learning. This applied research study, using program evaluation, sought to improve science instruction in building their capacity through instructional practices. Faculty interest was created from reviewing various school and district data sources, observing the practices of science teachers, and having informal conversations with students about learning. Although professional development was provided in the past, there was a need for content-specific science professional learning to change teachers’ instructional practices. Through targeted professional development sessions, as well as observation and feedback, there was a goal of increasing …

Maximum Likelihood Estimation For Partially Observed Markov Model Using Different Tail Perturbations, Zamzam Qazi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This work is about parameter estimation of POMP models using the two-time scale Iterated Filtering algorithms with p-generalized Gaussian perturbations. The algorithms are effective for estimating numerous types of infectious disease models such as COVID-19, influenza or various other diseases. First, we introduce the generalization of Stein’s identity for normal distribution to p-generalized Gaussian distribution, which enables more flexible perturbation with different tail behaviors. Then, we provide proofs and verify their authenticity by applying them in black box optimization as well as optimization of multivariate state space models. Also, we propose a novel weighted average algorithm for maximizing likelihood through …

The Daily Choices And Personality Quiz: Designing And Testing A New Manipulation Of Masculinity Threat, Caitlin M. Shaw

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Boys receive unique messaging about their gender identity from an early age, including that they must avoid anything associated with femininity (Blakemore, 2003). Failure to follow this group norm is usually met with punishment or ridicule (Kane, 2006; Katz, 2020). Unsurprisingly, this socialization might teach boys that manhood is not guaranteed. Precarious manhood theory (Vandello & Bosson, 2013) argues that manhood–but not womanhood–is a status that must be socially earned, but can be revoked, making it “precarious.” Since the theory’s inception, researchers have explored ways to experimentally examine the consequences of “lost manhood” using masculinity threat paradigms which describe men …

Microgravity-Induced Effects On Global Gene Fitness And Secondary Metabolite Yield In Bacteria, Gayatri Sharma

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Bacteria are ubiquitous and capable of colonizing nearly any environment, including extreme conditions such as deep oceans, high altitudes, and even space-faring vehicles. These vehicles present unique stresses not found on Earth such as microgravity and radiation. As space exploration advances, understanding how microgravity affects bacterial life has become increasingly important. Over the past 60 years, studies using both real and simulated microgravity have revealed species-specific responses, collectively indicating broad changes in bacterial function and physiological adaptations.

Initially, this study examined Novosphingobium aromaticivorans, a lignin-degrading bacterium detected in spacecraft cleanroom environments by assessing gene fitness during growth in microgravity on …

Efficient Hierarchical Design In Reservoir Computing, Shuai Song

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Reservoir Computing (RC) has established itself as a compelling paradigm for modeling complex temporal dynamics, particularly owing to its efficient training regime, theoretical grounding in dynamical systems, and growing compatibility with hardware-oriented deployments. Among RC variants, Echo State Networks (ESNs) remain popular due to their simplicity and effectiveness; however, traditional ESNs with densely connected, randomly initialized reservoirs present inherent limitations in scalability, energy efficiency, and hardware realizability challenges that hinder their adoption in edge and embedded intelligence scenarios.

In this work, we present an efficient hierarchical reservoir computing framework that integrates three complementary strategies: (1) deterministic Simple Cycle Reservoirs (SCRs) …

A Study Of The Ultrasonic Properties Of Dispersive Materials, Farhana Afrose Sonia

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research investigates the ultrasonic behavior of nanocomposite and polymer materials by evaluating the phase velocity and attenuation coefficient of 20% multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) reinforced composites and nylon. The primary goal of the work is to study longitudinal and shear wave propagation in both composite and homogeneous media. To achieve this, I used thru transmission techniques to collect data at multiple incident angles, including 0°, 30°, 35°, and 40° relative to the transmitting transducer.

I analyzed the acquired ultrasonic signals using both time-domain and frequency-domain techniques. In the time-domain approach, I measured the peak-to-peak time delay from gated waveforms …

Examining Stress, Stress, Potentially Traumatic Events, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, And Emotional Support Among Individuals With Skin Disease Symptoms, Taylor A. Strange

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the complex interplay between psychological stress, trauma-related experiences, and skin disease symptoms, alongside the potential moderating role of emotional social support. While the worsening effect of stress on skin conditions is well-documented, the specific association between trauma and dermatological symptoms, and its contribution to inflammatory responses, warrants further exploration. The stress-buffering hypothesis posits that perceived emotional support can mitigate the negative impact of stress on quality of life in chronic health conditions. This hypothesis has found support across various chronic physical and psychological ailments, yet its applicability to dermatological conditions remains less established. Our study pursued two …

Academic Achievement Variables: Significance Devalued By Correlated Variables, Ray J. Yancy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This correlational study investigates the relationship between student academic achievement and various external factors, including funding, student attendance, school attributes, and family income, across 147 Tennessee K-12 public school districts. Using Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) and End-Of-Course (EOC) scores to define student achievement, the study analyzes data from over 1900 schools during the 2023-2024 school year. Employing the statistical analysis software - SPSS - for descriptive and correlation analysis, the study excludes schools with incomplete data. The findings reveal significant correlations between student achievement and 80% of the external variables, rejecting the null hypothesis in 12 of 15 cases …

Research News, Publications, 2025, Volume 3, Soumyajit Majumdar

Publications (2015-)

Publications that appeared during the period of July 1 - September 30, 2025.

Research News, Publications, 2025, Volume 4, Soumyajit Majumdar

Publications (2015-)

Publications that appeared during the period of October 1 - December 31, 2025.

Research News, Grants, 2025, Volume 2, Soumyajit Majumdar

Grants (2015-)

Grants and contracts awarded during April - June 2025.

On Developing A Behavioral Paradigm To Measure Intolerance Of Uncertainty: The Ambiguous Approach Index, Heather Clark

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research in clinical psychology over the last 40 years has solidified intolerance of uncertainty (IU) as an important transdiagnostic etiological and maintenance factor of affective psychopathology. Theoretically, IU is the dispositional cognitive tendency underlying anxiety related avoidance behaviors, such as worry, checking, and hypervigilance which lead to increased functional impairment. IU is associated with increased severity of numerous psychological concerns including anxiety, depression, and other commonly comorbid conditions. Further, higher levels of IU are found in clinical than non-clinical samples, emphasizing its role in mental health outcomes. However, behavioral paradigms used to differentiate between individuals of different diagnostic groups or …

Structure And Function Of Sulfated Fucans And Fucosylated Chondroitin Sulfates: Therapeutic And Mechanistic Insights, Marwa Farrag

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are heteropolysaccharides widely exploited in the clinic and as molecular models in biomedical research. Marine-derived GAG analogs, particularly sulfated fucans and fucosylated chondroitin sulfates exhibit unique and diverse glycan motifs that are not found in the typical mammalian GAGs. The distinctive structures of the marine sulfated glycans (MSGs) not only expand the structural landscape of GAG-like molecules but also provide valuable platforms to elucidate structure-activity relationships and explore their potential as novel scaffolds for glycan-based therapeutic development. This dissertation presents the isolation, structural characterization, controlled depolymerization, and functional evaluation of several MSGs, highlighting their therapeutic potential, particularly those …

On Planar Brownian Motion Singularly Tilted Through A Point Potential, Barkat Mian

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

We construct a family of time-inhomogeneous two-dimensional diffusion processes, defined over a finite time interval [0, T]. These diffusions have transition density functions that are given by the integral kernels of the semigroup corresponding to the two-dimensional Schrödinger operator with a point potential at the origin. Although, in a few ways, our processes of interest are closely related to two-dimensional Brownian motion, they have a singular drift pointing in the direction of the origin that is strong enough to enable the possibility of visiting there with positive probability. Our main focus is on characterizing a local time process at the …