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The View From Ventress - 2021-22 Academic Year, University Of Mississippi, College Of Liberal Arts

Liberal Arts Newsletters

News from the College of Liberal Arts

The Relational Exchange Model For Academic Partnerships (Remap): A Transition From Transactional To Transformational Relationships Between Pk-12 School Districts And Institutions Of Higher Education, Kaleb G. Patrick Ed.D., Gregg Dionne Ph.D.

Journal of Contemporary Research in Education

Education is in an incredible time of transition. Even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was mounting importance on the need for professional development to meet the ever-increasing demands of students, families, and communities along with ongoing accountability and improvement measures. This increased need of professional development for educators in PK-12 school districts has only accelerated in the wake of COVID-19. Considering this need, a new model for sustainable, mutually beneficial, relationships between PK-12 school districts and Institutions of Higher Education (IHE) is critical. A movement from the currently existing, singularly beneficial, transactional finite relationships to a sustained, mutually beneficial, …

Research News, Publications, 2023, Volume 1, Soumyajit Majumdar

Publications (2015-)

Publications that appeared during the period of January 1 through March 31, 2023

Applied Statistics Course Offerings: Spring 2023, University Of Mississippi. Graduate School

GMAS Course List

No abstract provided.

John Green Doesn't Make Me Sick Anymore, Benjamin Tabor Jr.

Landshark Literary Review

No abstract provided.

Fabrication And Characterization Of Amlodipine Besylate Based Sub-Cutaneous Implants: Fabricated With The Help Of Hot Melt Extrusion, Kshitij Chitnis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Hypertension (HTN) can lead to heart attack, cardiac arrest, or coronary heart disease, and eventually death without proper treatment. Amlodipine Besylate (AMB) was approved by, US Food and Drug Administration in 1987, as a monotherapy for the management of HTN. AMB is commercially available in tablet (2.5, 5, and 10 mg) and solution (1mg/mL) dosage forms. However, adherence to the properly prescribed dosage form is critical and difficult for patients with chronic diseases such as HTN to prevent illness progression and death. The objective of the study was to develop AMB-loaded subcutaneous implants to reduce the frequency of administration, thus, …

Formulation And Evaluation Of Prochlorperazine Maleate Sustained Release Mucoadhesive Buccal Films Using Hot Melt Extrusion, Umesh Chandra Chowdary Devineni

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many patients find it difficult to swallow tablets or hard gelatin capsules and fail to comply with prescriptions, resulting in a high incidence of noncompliance and ineffective treatment. Well, in recent years, buccal drug delivery has gained significant attention as a potential alternative to traditional drug delivery systems. Prochlorperazine Maleate is a widely used antiemetic drug for treating nausea and vomiting caused by various medical conditions. However, its oral administration is associated with poor bioavailability and inconsistent therapeutic effects. To overcome these limitations this study aims to develop sustained release mucoadhesive buccal films of Prochlorperazine Maleate using the Hot Melt …

Leveling Up: Implementing Supportive Practices To Address The Needs Of Students Impacted By Trauma In An Urban Charter School, Altovise Boyd

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Childhood trauma is a worldwide issue impacting children as young as toddlers and infants. Children exposed to traumatic events are at a greater risk of having cognitive and academic concerns. Additionally, children impacted by trauma are more likely to exhibit internalizing and externalizing behaviors than their peers who have not been exposed to a traumatic event. The purpose of this mixed-methods applied research study was to support the social-emotional needs of students impacted by trauma by implementing trauma-informed practices. An action plan was developed and implemented to address the three elements of the action plan. The first element was the …

The Enduring Tradition Of Toxic Masculinity In French Literature, Hailey Caroline Kaim

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Toxic masculinity, the modern definition has given a concise explanation to what French literature has been relaying to audiences for centuries. This thesis will explore how toxic masculinity is seen in French literature through five time periods: the Medieval era, 17th, 18th, 20th, and 21st century. Introducing toxic masculinity is provided by a modern definition, biological evidence, and evaluation with society’s definition of masculinity. The Medieval era will investigate two short stories of courtly love that provide readers with classical examples of toxic masculinity that both men and women displayed. Venturing into the 17th and 18th centuries, plays brought the …

Photophysical Characterization Of Small Organic Molecules Via Time-Resolved And Steady-State Spectroscopic Techniques, Cameron Luke Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation describes in detail the photophysical characterization of novel organic dyes in the infrared region for bioimaging purposes in a rapidly evolving field which originates from the need for more efficient and bright systems that are capable of replacing current commercial options and functioning in biologically relevant media. Biological tissue, whether it be muscle, adipose, or epithelium, has a higher scattering efficiency, greater light attenuation, and stronger autofluorescence at shorter wavelengths, thus limiting the biological window to longer wavelengths. The goal of this dissertation was the comparison of novel organic dyes for commercial development as bioimaging dye candidates with …

Exploration Of Chemical Transformations Of Pentafluoro-Gem-Diols And Their Utility In Drug Discovery, Baharul Islam

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Methods for creating fluorinated organic molecules are highly valuable in drug discovery and synthetic organic chemistry. Fluorine has been found to enhance desirable properties of organic molecules, leading to an increasing number of pharmaceuticals containing fluorine. The research studies in this dissertation center around the synthetic utility of pentafluoro-gem-diols, which are precursors of fluorinated building blocks. Using pentafluoro-gem-diols, we have discovered new synthetic methods to create valuable fluorinated molecules such as difluoro-β-amino ketones, difluoroethanols, pentafluorohemiketals, and pentafluoroisopropanols. Prior methods for making α,α-difluoro-β-amino ketones required multiple steps and the use of an unstable starting material. We have developed a one-step method …

Development And Characterization Of An Intravenous Formulation Containing Paclitaxel-Loaded Lipid Nanoparticles And Doxycycline, Navya Nalajala

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Ovarian cancer (OC) is the fifth-most common cause of cancer-related deaths among women. It is often difficult to detect in its early stages, leading to a higher mortality rate. There are several types of ovarian cancer, including epithelial ovarian cancer, germ cell ovarian cancer, and stromal ovarian cancer, which is the most common type among all of them. The exact causes of ovarian cancer are not fully understood. Paclitaxel (PTX), a chemotherapeutic agent, is currently used as the first-line agent in combined therapy for epithelial OC. Doxycycline (DOX) is a Tetracycline class of antibiotics, currently emerging as a chemotherapeutic agent …

Social Anxiety And Engagement In Risky Behaviors: Exploring The Role Of Emotion Regulation, Carey J. Sevier

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a chronic, prevalent disorder that is characterized by persistent and marked fear of social situations when there is potential for negative evaluation from others. Although SAD is typically characterized by inhibition and escape behaviors, some research suggests some individuals with SAD display approach-oriented behaviors wherein individuals engage in greater risky behaviors (e.g., aggression, sexual impulsivity, substance use). This approach-oriented presentation appears to have an earlier onset, greater symptoms severity and greater functional impairment. Emotion regulation (ER) is the ability to use strategies to engage in goal directed behavior. ER difficulties have been shown to be …

Sustained And Improved Ophthalmic Formulations Of Gatifloxacin For Better Therapeutic Outcomes During Topical Ocular Applications, Poorva Hemant Joshi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Gatifloxacin (GTX) is a broad-spectrum 4th generation antimicrobial fluroquinolone used in the treatment of ocular infections such as conjunctivitis, keratitis and keratoconjuctivitis. GTX (as a sesquihydrate) is commercially available as aqueous eyedrops for the treatment of bacterial conjunctivitis (BC) which requires frequent administration due to low residence time on the conjunctival surface. The eye is a highly specialized photoreceptive organ, which is protected by a continuous tear flow containing antibacterial components. However, inflammation or scarring of the eye may be difficult to resolve once having occurred. Furthermore, initial infections if ignored are likely to invade the inner portions of the …

Determining Background Deep-Time Critical Zone Conditions In Mississippi Preceding The Onset Of Paleocene-Eocene Hyperthermals, Savannah Reese Rathbun

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Hyperthermals are periods of extremely rapid global warming. In order to understand the magnitude of hyperthermals, a more complete understanding of background conditions must be established. My goal is to study the paleoclimatic conditions that existed prior to the onset of Paleocene- Eocene hyperthermal events in order to establish background conditions. Relatively thick Paleocene and Eocene sedimentary units ideal for this study are present in the Mississippi Embayment (MSE), a major southwest- dipping sedimentary basin in the Gulf of Mexico coastal region of North America. The MSE contains an extensive record of Paleocene strata that were deposited prior to the …

Entrepreneurs Want More Than Just Money: The Role Of Subjective Entrepreneurial Success In Predicting Entrepreneur’S Grief Following Venture Failure, Joseph Richard Schaefer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The focal topics of this dissertation are subjective entrepreneurial success (SES) and grief. Over the past three decades, the budding SES literature has seen accelerating growth since its conceptual inception in 1987, with 2016 marking a key event in the literature – the formal naming and definition of the SES construct. Research on the SES construct is of interest to scholars because it complements the objective economic conceptualizations of success often seen in the entrepreneurship literature, highlighting the idiosyncratic ways that entrepreneurs conceptualize and evaluate their success.

To contribute to the SES literature, Essay One of my three-essay dissertation, I …

Lipid Based Ophthalmic Nanoformulations For Ciprofloxacin, Moxifloxacin, And Cannabidiol, Ahmed Adel Ali Youssef

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Ocular drug delivery faces many challenges due to the unique anatomy and physiology of the human eye. The development of ocular drug delivery systems is subjected to a gradual shift from an empirical to a rational base due to a better understanding of the ocular barriers that control drug disposition in the eyeball as well as new approaches in clinical testing. Most of the topically applied actives are lipophilic with low aqueous solubility, and the ocular delivery of these drugs is posing a challenging task. Lipid-based drug delivery systems are well reported to improve solubility and enhance both bioavailability and …

The Crisis Of White Supremacy In The Antebellum South: Poor Whites, Slavery, And The Coming Of The Civil War, Jeffrey Glossner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The so-called “poor whites” of the antebellum South have often been overlooked by historians due to their perceived insignificance to the political and cultural development of the South. However, within the context of the sectional debate over slavery, poor whites represented a disturbing presence for elite southerners who sought to defend slavery on the basis of white supremacy, a political platform built on the promise of universal white superiority. In order to defend the slave labor system from northern promises of white supremacy under free labor and to justify widespread southern white poverty, the architects of the antebellum southern cultural …

Plot Twist: Vomiting Is Good! Online Psychoeducational Intervention Among Internet Support Group Users, Jennifer Petell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Emetophobia is a specific phobia of vomit (SPOV) characterized by persistent and chronic symptoms with severe impairment across domains. Research on emetophobia is limited, with even fewer studies examining the impact of intervention. Available treatment studies have broadly been examined through behavioral interventions, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) of which psychoeducation is an important foundational component. The positive role of psychoeducation on symptom reduction has been examined among a variety of psychopathology, including anxiety disorders. However, to date, research has not examined the role of psychoeducation itself (psychoeducational intervention, PI) among specific phobias broadly or emetophobia specifically. Therefore, the …

Development Of A Novel Psychological Screening Tool For Young Children In Educational And Childcare Settings, Diana Tinsley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Young children experience psychological difficulties at comparable rates to school-aged children (Egger & Angold, 2006; Bufferd et al., 2011; Fuchs et al., 2013), yet few screening tools are available for this age range. Childcare and preschool settings present a unique opportunity to increase early screening efforts, particularly in terms of observing children among their peers. The current study presents initial steps toward the development of a new psychological screening tool for young children ages 1.5 – 5 years in childcare and educational settings. The aim of the study was to develop a brief and broad psychological screening tool that can …

Formulation Development And Targeted Delivery For Bcs Ii Drugs Using Hot Melt Extrusion Technology, Ahmed Almotairy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Hot-melt extrusion (HME) is one of the approaches to formulate an amorphous solid dispersion (ASD) and has gained popularity within the pharmaceutical industry over the past three decades. Additionally, HME has the ability to produce several versatile formulations and its ability to tailor processing materials through modifications in the screw design and mixing and shearing forces or by controlling the material feed rate; additionally, HME allows processing at multiple temperatures and screw speeds. HME has advantages over traditional pharmaceutical processing techniques, including its ability for continuous operation and ability to implement quality by design (QbD) and process analytical technology (PAT) …

Solubility Enhancement Of Atorvastatin Calcium Using Cyclodextrin, Karthik Abburi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present study is intended to increase the solubility and dissolution rate of Atorvastatin calcium (ATN Ca) by formulating the drug- hydroxy-propyl-beta cyclodextrin (HPBCD) complexes using solvent-assisted extrusion (SAE) using a twin-screw extruder. Various studies on ATN Ca saturation solubility in water and other pH mediums revealed a pH-dependent solubility with a difference. Thus, the saturation solubility for ATN Ca and Solvent Assisted Extruded complex was conducted in water and different pH mediums in this study. Phase solubility studies between ATN Ca and CDs revealed an AL-type solubility profile exhibiting a linear increase with HPBCD. Drug-HPBCD complexes were made using …

Computational Investigation Of The Structures And Vibrational Spectra Of Isolated And Hydrated Ions, Kayleigh R. Barlow

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

High-accuracy electronic structure theory methods are important in the field of chemistry for probing molecular properties of chemically relevant systems that are often difficult to obtain experimentally. This work focuses primarily on using robust computational techniques to characterize not only small triatomic anions but also anion-water clusters in addition to investigating their vibrational frequencies near the complete basis set (CBS) limit. The MP2 and CCSD(T) ab initio methods are used with second-order vibrational perturbation theory (VPT2) and vibrational configuration interaction (VCI) theory in this work to compute the fundamental vibrational frequencies of small anions. Due it being arduous to experimental …

Formulation Development And Characterization Of Dual Drug Loaded Hot-Melt Extruded Inserts For Better Ocular Therapeutic Outcomes: Sulfacetamide/Prednisolone, Indrajeet Karnik

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this investigation was to formulate, characterize, and evaluate a bioadhesive, hot-melt extruded (HME), immediate- and extended-release ophthalmic inserts containing a fixed-dose combination of Prednisolone Sodium Phosphate (PSP) and Sulfacetamide Sodium (SA) to improve the treatment outcomes of multiple ocular bacterial infections. The HME inserts were prepared using FDA-authorized biocompatible polymers including Polyox WSR N10 LEO NF (polyethylene oxide; PEO), Klucel™ HF (hydroxypropyl cellulose; HPC-HF), and Ethocel™ (Ethylcellulose; EC). The inserts were then assessed for physicochemical characteristics, weight variation, surface pH, uniformity of thickness, drug content, swelling index, thermal analysis, drug–excipient compatibility, moisture uptake and loss, surface morphology, …

A Care Ethical Defense Of Intergenerational Obligations, Owen Spalding

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This paper argues that an ethic of care can justify an obligation or set of obligations to future generations. To do this, I analyze a comparable project by Thomas Randall and while ultimately agreeing with his basic conclusion, I show that he needlessly rejects arguments that would help to establish this obligation. Specifically, I defend against his critiques of Nel Noddings and Anca Gheaus. From here, I move on to show that an ethic of care centered on needs is more effective for making policy decisions than the sufficientarian model established by Randall.

Impact Of Graphene Nano-Platelets On Calcium Silicate Hydrate Formation, Weam Elmahmoud

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Calcium-silicate-hydrate (C-S-H) is a vital component in cementitious materials, providing strength and durability. It forms during the hydration process of cement, where calcium ions react with silica-rich compounds to form a gel-like structure. The nanocrystalline units within C-S-H contribute to its unique properties and serve as a binding agent in the hardened cement paste. However, the mechanisms and impacts of nanomaterials, such as graphene nanoplatelets (GnPs), on C-S-H at the nanoscale level are not fully understood.

Incorporating GnPs into cement-based composites has shown promise in enhancing C-S-H formation and properties. GnPs possess exceptional mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties, making them …

Impact Of Flow Conditions On Graphene-Coated Soil And Geotextile Materials, Brennan Power

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Levees are fundamental infrastructures for reducing and mitigating flood risk during extreme weather events. Unfortunately, levees do not eliminate flood risk entirely due to floods potentially exceeding a levee’s capacity. Graphene has become a significant material for enhancing the mechanical properties of materials such as concrete and soil. The focus of this study was to determine methods to coat two materials commonly used in levee sites, sand and geotextile, with graphene to determine the stability of the coating on the materials under different flow conditions simulating real-life scenarios such as wet and dry periods. These graphene-coated materials could then be …

Characterization Of Inter- And Intramolecular Non-Covalent Interactions Through Computational Quantum Chemistry, Carly Alyssa Rock

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Computational quantum chemistry proves to be a highly effective means of exploring the nature and properties of a wide range of chemical systems that may be challenging to characterize experimentally. One area of particular interest is the investigation of non-covalent interactions, which play a crucial role in a wide variety of biological, chemical and physical processes. Obtaining accurate descriptions of systems dominated by weak inter- and intramolecular non-covalent interactions often requires sophisticated ab initio methods used in conjunction with robust basis sets. This approach, however, can become extremely computationally demanding as the size of the system of interest increases. Within …

Design, Synthesis, And Application Of Indolizine-Donor Containing Fluorophores For Near-Infrared And Shortwave-Infrared Biological Imaging, William E. Meador

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Low energy light in the near infrared (NIR, 700 – 1000 nm), shortwave infrared (SWIR, 1000 – 1700 nm), and extended SWIR (ESWIR, 1700 – 2700 nm) has numerous important applications including fluorescence biological imaging, secure display technologies, and photodetectors. While inorganic materials have dominated each of these spectral regions, organic molecules that absorb and emit light in these regions are being heavily researched due to their high degree of molecular tunability via structure-function relationships, cheap production due to the avoidance of precious metals, ease of manufacturing through solution processability, and operation under physiological and ambient conditions. This dissertation illustrates …

Earthscibert: Pre-Trained Language Model For Information Retrieval In Earth Science, Rishabh Shrestha

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Large Language Models (LLMs), such as Generative Pre-trained Transformers (GPT) and Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT), have significantly advanced Natural Language Processing (NLP), achieving state-of-the-art results in various tasks. Notably used in systems like Google Search, these models can be domain-tuned through domain-specific pre-training. In Earth Science, where massive data is generated and made publicly available by institutions such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), understanding the usage of such datasets in scientific literature is critical to assessing their scientific impact.

This thesis develops and introduces EarthSciBERT, a domain-specific BERT developed for Earth Science by pre-training BERT …