Digital Commons Network^™

Determining The Geochemical Variability Of Groundwater During Riverbank Filtration, Transfer And Injection In The Mississippi River Valley Alluvial Aquifer In Shellmound, Mississippi, Alexandra Megan Ward

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With long-term water level decline in the Mississippi River Valley Alluvial aquifer (MRVAA), the Groundwater Transfer and Injection Pilot project is analyzing the feasibility of Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) to increase groundwater availability in the Delta region of Mississippi. The MAR method chosen for this project included pumping water from a well adjacent to the Tallahatchie River using riverbank filtration, transferring the water through a 2-mile pipeline, and injecting the water into the MRVAA. However, by transporting river water into the aquifer, the water quality must be examined at both the river extraction site and the injection well site. The …

The Effect Of Work Accommodations On The Risk Of Relapse In Physicians And Nurses With Co-Occurring Substance Use And Mental Health Disorders, Corbin Watson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Accessing reasonable work accommodations may be difficult for healthcare professionals with impairments, particularly those who suffer from mental health and substance use disorders (MHSUD). The use of workplace accommodations by medical professionals who also have MHSUD may experience barriers to their accommodations. The article explores (1) the difference between the types of work accommodations and (2) the types of barriers healthcare professionals with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders experience and how they impact their risk of relapse. Implications for physicians, nurses, and counselors are discussed.

Distraction By Any Other Name? The Impact Of Music On Social Exclusion Recovery, Sydney G. Wicks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Across three experiments, this work investigated whether the effectiveness of music on social exclusion recovery was greater than that of other distracting noises. I hypothesized that listening to music would be effective in improving needs satisfaction after instances of rejection (being explicitly disliked; Study 1) or ostracism (being ignored; Studies 2-3). Further, I examined whether this effectiveness was mediated by reduced rumination, increased emotional engagement (feeling moved by audio), and increased parasocial experiences (sense of one-sided psychological bonds). Ultimately, music was shown to be effective (albeit, relatively) in improving one’s needs when compared to a baseline condition. Additionally, listening to …

Development And Characterization Of Fluconazole Solid Lipid Nanoparticles, Isha Kalaria

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Solid Lipid Nanoparticles are first-generation colloidal carriers based on lipids, with their sizes ranging from 40-1000 nm. They are composed of biocompatible lipids, which are dispersed in an aqueous medium containing surfactant to form a lipid core. The active pharmaceutical ingredient is dispersed uniformly in the lipid matrix of the formulation. Water, along with lipids, is one of the major constituents in the preparation of solid lipid nanoparticles. Various active ingredients have adverse effects when taken by oral route and hence can be formulated as alternative drug delivery methods for the reduction of side effects. The objective of the present …

Development Of Narrow-Spectrum Agents And Mray Inhibitors Targeting Multidrug-Resistant Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, Tomayo Ireti Berida

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Tuberculosis (TB) is a major global health burden. This airborne infectious disease is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) and resulted in 1.6 million deaths globally in 2021. The emergence and spread of multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) and extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) underscores the urgent need to discover and develop new agents, particularly those with narrow spectrum activity and those acting by novel mechanisms. Although broad-spectrum antibacterials have been successful in treating drug-resistant bacterial infections, including TB, there is a push toward the discovery and development of anti-TB agents with narrow-spectrum activity. This approach aims to limit the spread of resistance across …

The Efficacy Of Interventions Aimed At Reducing Early Childhood Toxic Stress: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Sheerah Neal Keith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The foundations of mental health and well-being are built in the first five years of life. Early childhood toxic stress (i.e., repeated, excessive, or prolonged activation of the body’s stress response systems) can undermine children’s sense of safety, sense of stability, and ability to form healthy relationships. The damaging effects of toxic stress can disrupt the normal course of brain, immune, and metabolic development, placing children at increased risk for mental and physical health problems that can last into adulthood. Counselors are uniquely qualified to help prevent and treat early childhood toxic stress. Yet, gaps between counseling theory, research, and …

“The War Will Be Over Sometime”: Female Authorship, Time, Trauma, And Healing In H.D.’S Wartime Works, Loren Samons

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As a tripartite collection of poems, at first glance H.D.'s Trilogy appears vastly different from her semi-autobiographical novel, Bid Me to Live, but the two are not as removed from each other as their formats and publication timelines might indicate. In fact, their connectedness is much less discreet than many scholars have suggested. In addition to being thematically similar in terms of their considerations of time and gender, Bid Me to Live and Trilogy could be viewed as works in conversation with each other, reflecting the development of the female authorial voice along a timeline of war-related trauma progression and …

Novel Formulation Strategies For Oral And Ocular Drug Delivery, Samir Senapati

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nanoformulations such as nanoemulsions (NE), solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN), and nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) are colloidal particulate systems in the submicron size range and act as carriers of drug molecules. Their size varies from 10 to 1,000 nm (1). The capacity of these nanoparticles to permeate through many anatomical barriers, the prolonged release of their contents, and their stability on the nanometer scale have widely contributed to their efficacy in drug delivery. Owing to the advantages of nanoformulations, they were further explored in our studies to target different diseases like Dry eye disease (DED), glaucoma, and malaria.

Chapter 2 discusses …

Support Experiences Of Beginning Teachers In An Alternate Route Graduate Program In Mississippi, Elizabeth Young Sweeney

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Beginning teachers are the group of teachers most at risk of leaving the profession, while research has shown that novice teachers who receive support, such as mentorship or cohort programs, are more likely to continue to teach than those who do not. This study explored supports that beginning teachers in an alternate route graduate program in Mississippi experience and perceive as beneficial. A qualitative research design utilizing a phenomenological approach was used to explore the lived experiences of participants and supports they experience as beginning teachers. Thirteen beginning teachers, each teaching for less than three years, were interviewed using a …

Phytochemical Constituents And Ppar Α/Γ Agonist Activity Of Juniperus Communis Berries And Comparison Studies Of J. Communis Berries To Saudi Juniperus Species (Arar): J. Procera And J. Phoenicea, Ibrahim Almarabi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Juniperus communis is distributed over a large geographical area mainly in the Northern Hemisphere across multiple continents making it the most known and medically used species among 75 other Juniperus species. One of the main traditional uses of J. communis that has been proven by several studies is its antidiabetic properties. An ethanolic extract of J. communis berries has shown promising antidiabetic results leading us to investigate its phytochemical constituents and to identify the active compounds that work through peroxisome proliferators–activated receptor (PPAR) α and γ receptors. Activation of both receptors by a drug candidate will achieve more benefits and …

Milk And Water Kefir: Microbial Diversity And Sensory Properties, Xia Li

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Kefir is a fermented beverage that has become increasingly popular because of its proposed probiotic functions. It can be classified into two types: milk kefir and water kefir depending on the medium and inoculated starter culture. This dissertation summarizes work exploring the similarities and differences between milk and water kefir with respect to sensory properties and microbial composition. For the kefir sensory test, six milk and six water kefirs were evaluated on the sensory attributes (color, aroma, taste, and mouthfeel). Milk kefirs were assessed as sour and cheesy, followed by a creamy and thick mouthfeel. In contrast, water kefirs were …

The Influence Of Childhood Emotional Maltreatment And Exclusion On Distress Among Individuals With Social Anxiety Symptoms, Megan Perry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is one of the most pervasive psychological conditions affecting emerging adults. Previous literature has demonstrated the importance of biological influences, individual difference characteristics, negative parenting practices, peer victimization experiences, and trauma/adversity in the development and onset of SAD. One unique adverse experience is childhood emotional maltreatment (CEM) or parent-based emotional abuse and/or neglect. CEM has been associated with more severe and persistent social anxiety symptoms in adults. In young adulthood, adverse experiences such as peer exclusion can exacerbate the cognitive and behavioral processes of SAD. However, the impact of early CEM experiences has yet to be …

Design And Application Of Single And Multi-Gate Transistor-Based Analog Chaotic Maps, Maisha Sadia

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Rapid advancement in technology has led to an increase in security threats, such as side-channel attacks and reverse engineering, which can potentially leak sensitive data or code to malicious parties. To address these challenges, researchers harness the inherent complexity of chaos-based computing. Leveraging chaos offers several advantages, including logic obfuscation, mitigation of power analysis attacks, and encryption of images and data.

The motivation has been to design hardware-efficient circuits that meet modern systems’ power, area, and performance requirements and provide enhanced security. We have introduced our novel one-dimensional discrete chaotic map circuits, designed using a 45nm CMOS process, although the …

Synthesis Of Derivatives Of Hexafluoroisopropanol, Meshal Alghamdi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Fluorinated organic molecules have significant potential in medicinal chemistry and drug discovery. Consequently, 20–25% of the FDA approved drugs contain at least one fluorine atom. Functional groups displaying high levels of fluorination are attracting new interest to expand the chemical space for drug development. A hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP) group is one of these groups which combines high levels of fluorination with an adjacent alcohol. This functionality displays a unique hydrogen bond donor without any nucleophilicity. Recent studies have shown that the HFIP can be employed as a building block for the synthesis of drug-like molecules, and its incorporation into small molecules …

The Double Descent Behavior In A Two Layer Neural Network For Binary Classification, Chathurika Srimali Abeykoon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Machine learning and artificial intelligence have changed the world significantly in recent years. Its breakthrough innovations take machine learning to a whole new level where machines can learn to recognize tasks, inspired by the human brain's neural networks. The generally accepted belief about training these machines or models is that \larger models and more data are always better". In classical statistics, the test error is a \U-shaped" curve where the bigger and more complex models have higher test errors which is not favorable. But recent studies observed a surprising concept about test error called the double descent phenomenon where the …

Can Graphene-Coated Sand Enhance Water Reuse By Improving Water Quality In The Presence Of Municipal Treated Wastewater?, Madelyn Barber

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The need for alternative water sources is dramatically increasing. Therefore, it is essential to develop alternative water sources to meet the current water scarcity challenges. Water reclamation, recycling, and reuse involving treated municipal and or animal wastewater address these challenges by resolving water resource issues and creating new sources of high-quality water supplies. However, the presence of bacteria, high levels of nutrients, and turbidity, as well as the occurrence of chemicals of emerging concern (CECs) in the treated wastewater, combined with the willingness of the public to use treated wastewater can undermine the wide application of water reuse. Implementing affordable …

Neverender, David James Gambino

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This is a work of fiction exploring the Global War on Terror from the perspective of US aircrew servicemembers.

Development And Characterization Of Cannabidiol And Rho Kinase Inhibitor Combination Formulations For Ophthalmic Use, Mihir Sanjay Ghonge

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Glaucoma, the leading cause of irreversible blindness globally, is a neurodegenerative disease marked by progressive death of the retinal ganglion cells in the eye. In 2018, FDA approved a 0.02% ophthalmic solution of netarsudil mesylate (NM), Rhopressa®, a rho kinase inhibitor, for the reduction of intraocular pressure in patients with glaucoma or ocular hypertension; the first new drug class in more than two decades. Cannabidiol (CBD) has been studied for its effects on intraocular pressure since the 1980s. In 2022, a study established that topical administration of CBD (1% w/v) decreased the intraocular pressure in pigmented Dutch Belted Rabbits. This …

Development And Validation Of Different Analytical Techniques For The Quantification Of Cannabinoids And Cannflavins In Cannabis And Cannabis-Based Products, Mostafa Elhendawy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The main objective of this study is to modify, develop, and validate techniques for detecting and quantifying the levels of major and minor cannabinoids, along with their corresponding acids, in Cannabis sativa plants and certain marketed products. To achieve this goal, the research employs Gas Chromatography (GC), High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), and a novel spectroscopic method known as Absorbance-Transmittance Excitation Emission Matrix Spectroscopy (A-TEEM). Another study validated and applied the HPLC technique to analyze the unique class of flavonoids (Cannflavins) found in various parts of the cannabis plant, including leaves, buds, and pollen.

The A-TEEM method was developed and validated …

Formulation And Characterization Of Oral Thin Films (Otfs) Of 17-Beta Estradiol, Srijan Kaur Hora

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Estrogen Hormonal Replacement Therapy is the most common and most effective means for post-menopausal women to get relief from vasomotor symptoms. Oral films are feasible approaches to designing a dosage form that can include the benefits of oral delivery but circumvent the side effects and risks associated with first-pass metabolism and transdermal delivery. The film releases the drug when it comes in contact with water leaving behind a gel.

In this study, different grades of Hydroxy propyl cellulose (HPC-M, HPC-SL, HPC-SSL) were used as film-forming polymers; propylene glycol was used as a plasticizer, Citric Acid as saliva stimulating agent, Mannitol …

Development Of Gastroretentive Floating Pellets Using Hot Melt Extrusion, Mengwen Li

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This work aimed to develop a novel gastroretentive floating drug delivery system based on non-effervescent technology using hot melt extrusion technology to synergize gastric floating and bioadhesion strategies to achieve extended drug release. All components of the formulations including the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) of the drug (theophylline), the polymers acting as a floating matrix and achieving the adhesive function (chitosan, HPC HF, HPMC K4M, and PEO N80), and the gas generating agent sodium bicarbonate were directly fed into the hot melt extruder to prepare the novel gastroretentive pellets. The uniformity of all formulations met the United States Pharmacopeia criteria. …

Teachers' Experiences Implementing The 2018 Mississippi College And Career Readiness Standards For Science, Lydia Lytal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teachers have had to use standards to teach with since the 1980’s. The CCRS has made a significant shift in how standards are written and the expectations of students in learning them. With the three-dimensional design, teachers are required to change their pedagogy in order to implement the standards with fidelity. That requires training, support, and resources for the teachers. The purpose of this study was to provide insight in the experiences of high school teachers in Mississippi as they implemented the standards. Additionally, the researcher revealed emotions related to implementation and differences related to teachers in a tested subject …

Reimagining The Radical: Gender, Genre, And Anti-Fascism In Women's Writing At Mid-Century, Allison Nick

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation looks at the work of four women writers—Martha Gellhorn, Elizabeth Bowen, Pearl S. Buck, and Rebecca West—who are united in their transnational commitment to critiquing the global rise of fascism and the fraught democratic imperatives of their own countries. “Reimagining the Radical” focuses on the temporal gap between modernism and postmodernism and is inspired by work from scholars like Marina MacKay, Lyndsey Stonebridge, and Beryl Pong to claim and define mid-century literature. By rethinking the bounds of modernism, “Reimagining the Radical” also seeks to fill the gaps in feminist history—between the suffragism of the early 20th century and …

The World Wide Web Of Women: A Case In Favor Of Global Feminist Coalitions In The Information Age, Hannah S. Phillips

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this thesis is to argue that online feminist coalitions can be both locally specific and globally accessible. Postcolonial feminist theorist Chandra Talpade Mohanty in her 1984 article “Under Western Eyes: Feminist Scholarship and Colonial Discourses,” argues that there is no real evidence to classify all women as a “Woman” because cultural differences and imbalances of power create a myriad of experiences that cannot be homogenized. However, Mohanty is not arguing that women do not have individual experiences with gender injustice. On the contrary, all women have experiences with gender injustice; these experiences are simply all not the …

Hiv-1 Tat And Neuroendocrine Aging: Potential Benefits Of Neurosteroid-Based Therapy To Attenuate Premature Age-Related Comorbidities In The Era Of Antiretroviral Therapy, Alaa Nader Qrareya

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The primary objectives of this dissertation are to assess the interaction between human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) trans-activator of transcription (Tat) protein and neuroendocrine status on the pathology of Tat/age-related comorbidities and to investigate the potential benefit of hormonal therapy in attenuating Tat/age insults. The advent of combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) has increased longevity among people living with HIV (PLWH). However, cART cannot fully eradicate viral reservoirs within the central nervous system (CNS). Therefore, ~50-60% of virally-suppressed PLWH experience neurological and psychological sequelae called “neuroHIV”. Moreover, PLWH are more vulnerable to developing premature age-related comorbidities. In PLWH, hypogonadism is common …

Detection Of Rayleigh Faded Signal Using Two Distributed Sensors, Sayantan Saha

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Distributed detection(DD) is an area of interest in the Cognitive Radio(CR) Network domain. With the help of geographically dispersed sensors and a Fusion Center(FC) (i.e. the network element which generates the global network decision), a DD system can determine the presence or absence of a primary user signal. This prevents any harmful interference by a secondary user who is trying to gain access to the unoccupied spectrum opportunistically. DD system gained its popularity in spectrum analysis due to the limited bandwidth of the reporting channels between the sensors and their fusion center.

Buscando Perdón: Validation And Considerations For A Spanish Translation Of The Forgiveness Reconciliation Inventory, Mario David Sobrino

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With influences from both cultural norms and commonly held spiritual beliefs, members of the Latinx population are vulnerable to enabling unhealthy interpersonal relationships that primarily benefit others while potentially harming their own wellness. A Spanish translation (called the Inventario del Perdón y Reconciliación [IPR]) for the Forgiveness and Reconciliation Inventory (FRI) was created to identify its validity and reliability as a potential clinical resource for Spanish speaking mental health counseling clients dealing with the emotional difficulties of forgiveness and unjust cultural expectations within their relationships. Factor analysis on the IPR reported comparable yet slightly reduced psychometric properties to the FRI. …

The Relationship Between Relational Dynamics And Social Justice Identity Among Collegiate Student Athletes, Keon Stewart

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Student athletes are positioned to utilize relationships with teammates, coaches, and communities to advocate for social change. According to the literature, their connections to these individuals and environments contribute to their expressed social justice related behaviors and even further enhance their social justice identity development. The current study was developed in an effort to identify the extent of relationships between student athletes and their social justice identity and other demographic factors that might impact their overall expression of social justice identity and behaviors. The study consisted of 133 (42 females, 91 males) current student athletes participating in competitive sports across …

The Effects Of High Intensity Isometric Contractions And Low Intensity Isometric Contractions With And Without Blood Flow Restriction On Blood Pressure And Discomfort, Robert William Spitz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: To investigate the effects of high intensity exercise and low intensity exercise with and without blood flow restriction on changes in blood pressure and discomfort.

Methods: 179 participants (18-35 years) were randomly assigned to one of four groups. The control group (CON, n=44) only completed the two testing sessions. The training groups completed only one of the following conditions: 1) 4 sets of a two-minute contractions at 30% maximal voluntary contraction (LI, n=47); 2) 4 sets of a two-minute contractions at 30% maximal voluntary contraction with a 12cm cuff inflated to 50% of arterial occlusion pressure (LI + BFR, …

The Efficacy Of Mental Health Stigma And Discrimination Reduction Initiatives Among Bipoc: A Meta-Analysis Of Outcome Studies, Janita M. Springfield

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Objective: An under-utilization of mental health care services among BIPOC exists, and one of the leading drivers of this barrier is stigma. Given a plethora of research on reducing the stigma associated with mental health issues, the present meta-analysis aimed to investigate the effectiveness, or lack thereof, of SDR interventions among BIPOC. Method: The present meta-analysis was performed in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines to establish complete and accurate reporting of information. A systematic review yielded a total of seven articles meeting the predetermined inclusion criteria. Effect sizes were computed for all studies …