Digital Commons Network^™

Describing And Understanding Factors Related To Implementing Comprehensive School Physical Activity Programs By Physical Educators, Catherine Price Berei

Dissertations

Recent recognition related to the importance of physical activity participation in living a healthy lifestyle (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2010b; Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee, 2008), as well as the rise in obesity rates (Ogden, Carroll, Kit, & Flegal, 2012), and physical inactivity (Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness and Council on School Health, 2006) has led to increased attention to the physical activity levels of children. In response, the Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program (CSPAP) model (American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance [AAHPERD], 2011b; CDC, 2013) and a “whole-of-school” approach (Institute of Medicine, …

The Identification Of Early Signs Of Autism Spectrum Disorders In Young Children Of Taiwan, Feng-Chen Lin

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Animal Assisted Therapy On Tantrums And Aggressive Behaviors Of Children With Autism, Rebecca L. Jesionowicz

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

An Examination Of Motives Underlying Active Sport Tourist Behavior: A Market Segmentation Approach, Eric Michael Hungenberg

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Joint Models Of Longitudinal Outcomes And Informative Time, Jangdong Seo

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Effects Of A Twelve-Week Aerobic And Cognitive Training Intervention On Cognitive Function In Cancer Survivors, Brent Michael Peterson

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

School Climate And The Latino-White Achievement Gap, Rachael R. Leavitt

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Testing For Two Signals With Unknown Locations In Functional Magnetic Resonance Images Using Gaussian Random Field: A Monte Carlo Simulation Study, Pei-Chin Lu

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Examining Relationships Between Proactive Coping And Experiences Of Personal And Posttraumatic Growth During Anticipatory Grief, Kylie Breann Rogalla

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Physical Education Teachers' Perceptions Of The Role Of Support Mechanisms Within Contemporary Professional Development, Erica A. Pratt

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Proteomic Analyses Of Snake Venoms With An Examination Of The Biological Roles And Anti-Cancer Effects Of Venom Disintegrins, Anthony J. Saviola

Dissertations

For decades, snakes and snake venoms have been utilized in numerous

aspects of biological and biomedical research. Behaviorally, snakes have been

examined for their extraordinary chemosensory capabilities, providing a detailed

understanding of their foraging ecology and predatory responses. The presence of

a highly complex vomeronasal organ has enabled snakes to not only respond to,

but also discriminate between a high-range of heterospecific, conspecific,

predatory, and prey-derived chemical odors.

Snake venom has allowed for a transition in predatory behaviors, and this

often complex mixture of proteins and peptides has provided researchers with an

ever growing catalog of natural compounds that may …

Biofilm Production By Food-Transmitted Bacteria And Their Control By Selected Nanoparticles, Mariam Al Shamsi

Dissertations

Biofilm is a population of bacteria attached to any types of surfaces and impeded in a self-produced matrix of extracellular polymeric substances. Biofilm exhibit up to 1000 fold antibiotic increased resistance to a broad range of antimicrobial agents. Several food-transmitted microorganisms are capable of forming biofilms and considered as a major source of contamination, transmission and infection. In the last few decades, nanoparticles has gained a great attention for their potential applications as antimicrobial agents. The aim of this work was to assess the biofilm formation capacity of food-transmitted bacteria under various environmental conditions and to investigate the efficacy of …

The Role Of Cyberbullying Victimization In Sexual Minority Adolescents' Reported Levels Of Depression And Anxiety, Jessica Lauryn Byrd

Dissertations

This dissertation examined the relationship between sexual and gender minority adolescents’ and heterosexual adolescents’ frequency of cyberbullying victimization and their reported levels of depression and anxiety. A total of 93 sexual and gender minority adolescents and 113 heterosexual adolescents participated. Results indicated sexual and gender minority participants experienced significantly more victimization than heterosexual participants. Sexual and gender minority participants reported significantly higher levels of depression and anxiety. Participants with the highest levels of victimization reported experiencing significantly higher levels of depression than participants with medium amounts of victimization. When controlling for frequency of victimization, sexual and gender minority and heterosexual …

Attendance Motivators And Constraints: An Investigation Of Students At The Football Championship Series Division, Kurt C. Mayer

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Validation Of The Rocky Mountain Cancer Rehabilitation Institute Multistage Treadmill Protocol For Cancer Survivors, Daniel Shackelford

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Journey Within: Discovering The Sense Of Becoming, Peggy A. Ursuy

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Oil Price Movements And Equity Returns: Evidence From The Gcc Countries, Fathi M. Mohalhal

Dissertations

This study examines to what extent how oil movements differently affect equity returns in general and sectoral levels of the GCC countries stock markets. Modeling the equity returns volatility requires using GARCH-type models. These models help to explore the pronounced differences of the conditional variance structures across sectors and markets. Chapter 1 compares the effects of changes in oil price return and its volatility on equity returns and volatility across sectors. The findings of this chapter show that despite the GCC states dependency on oil revenues, equity market performance at the sectoral level do not exactly associate with oil movements. …

Romantic Recultivating Of Self And Environment, David R. Schrappe

Dissertations

My project discusses the important philosophical role that interacting with nature (as opposed to having limited access to nature preserves and the like) plays in the life of an individual. As such I discuss the biological implications for experiences of real (as contrasted with simulated) nature and, in so doing, also discuss the connection of biology to philosophy. I go on to discuss the sociological and psychological ramifications of this interactive relationship through notions such as love and community and their ties to philosophy. I then close with a discussion of the necessity of artistic expression and how those endeavors …

The Socio-Cultural Influences Of School Choice, Duke Jon Bradley Iii

Dissertations

This dissertation explored whether the marketable features of three different charter schools in East Atlanta, Georgia influenced parents’ school selections and whether differences in race, income level, and educational attainment created patterns of interest regarding their selections. The accessible population (N=1865) for this study included parents of elementary and middle school aged children enrolled in three East Atlanta schools. A sample of 150 parents of elementary and middle school age charter school students enrolled in the three schools were randomly selected from the accessible population. One hundred percent of the proposed participants (150) agreed to participate as subjects. Data obtained …

Leadership Practices Among Undergraduate Nursing Instructors, Melissa Martin Bryant

Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to identify leadership practices of nursing instructors in the southern U.S.; and to determine if instructor leadership practices differ from the ‘norm’ leadership practices reported by the LPI instrument (Posner 2008), or from the practices observed by their matched students (observer version). Further, the purpose is to determine the relationship between instructors self-reported leadership practices (self-version) and student observed practices based on institution type, and instructor education level. The consisted of a group of instructors and students that were primarily Caucasian and female. The demographics for the instructors and students were similar to the …

Secure And Reliable Routing Protocol For Transmission Data In Wireless Sensor Mesh Networks, Nooh Adel Bany Muhammad

Dissertations

Abstract

Sensor nodes collect data from the physical world then exchange it until it reaches the intended destination. This information can be sensitive, such as battlefield surveillance. Therefore, providing secure and continuous data transmissions among sensor nodes in wireless network environments is crucial. Wireless sensor networks (WSN) have limited resources, limited computation capabilities, and the exchange of data through the air and deployment in accessible areas makes the energy, security, and routing major concerns in WSN. In this research we are looking at security issues for the above reasons. WSN is susceptible to malicious activities such as hacking and physical …

Assessment Of Student Knowledge Of The Weak And Strong Nuclear Forces, Pramila Shakya

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if the use of active-learning activities to teach weak force and strong force to students enrolled in various courses at The University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg campus and Gulf Park campus at different class times would increase their knowledge. There were eighty-six students that took part in this study. The study was conducted in the lab classes of an introductory astronomy survey course (AST 111), an introductory algebra-based physics course (PHY 112), and an introductory calculus-based physics course (PHY 202) during fall semester 2014. Each class was randomly assigned as active-learning or …

An Evaluation Of The Attitudes, Beliefs, And Mental Health Literacy Of Young African American College Graduates, Marshae Antoinette Mcneal

Dissertations

The aim of this study was to examine the relationships between the attitudes, beliefs, and mental health literacy of young college-educated African Americans as compared to their Caucasian counterparts. Previous research indicates these two populations differ when receiving services for mental illness. The goal of this study was to see if this difference is due to their mental health literacy level, attitudes toward seeking help, as well as their attitudes and beliefs toward mental illness. A quantitative analysis was conducted using elements of the MacArthur Mental Health Module and the Attitudes toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help Scale-Short Form (ATSPPHS-SF) to …

Scalable Multi-Hop Data Dissemination In Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks, Moumena Abdullah Chaqfeh

Dissertations

Vehicular Ad hoc Networks (VANETs) aim at improving road safety and travel comfort, by providing self-organizing environments to disseminate traffic data, without requiring fixed infrastructure or centralized administration. Since traffic data is of public interest and usually benefit a group of users rather than a specific individual, it is more appropriate to rely on broadcasting for data dissemination in VANETs. However, broadcasting under dense networks suffers from high percentage of data redundancy that wastes the limited radio channel bandwidth. Moreover, packet collisions may lead to the broadcast storm problem when large number of vehicles in the same vicinity rebroadcast nearly …

A Mixed Method Study Of The Effectiveness Of Gaining Early Awareness And Readiness For Undergraduate Programs (Gear Up) Federal Incentive Program In Southern Mississippi Public Secondary Schools, David Micah Maxwell

Dissertations

The Gaining Early Awareness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) incentive program has been in place since the late 1990s nationally. This grant, which covers a time span of six years and offers up to eighteen million dollars in federal funds, is designed to increase college readiness and decrease dropout rate among high school students. This study examines the effectiveness of this grant in southern Mississippi for the graduating class of 2014. Utilizing both quantitative and qualitative methods to determine the effectiveness of this grant, this study draws some conclusions and recommendations for this incentive program.

High School Culture, Graduation Rates, And Dropout Rates, Philip L. Pearson

Dissertations

High school graduation rates and dropout rates have been a source of concern for many years. A number of strategies have been studied that could improve graduation rates and reduce dropout rates. School culture has been touted as an area that affects student achievement. As the culture of schools improves, student achievement has been shown to improve. The research focus of this study was to determine if there is a relationship between high school culture in public high schools in Mississippi and the graduation and dropout rates. School culture was measured by the School Culture Survey (SCS). As scores on …

The Perceptions Of Mississippi Secondary School Counselors And School Administrators Regarding The Role Of School Counselors In Dropout Prevention, Sherrell Chollottie Gilmore

Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to investigate the perceptions of high school administrators and professional high school counselors regarding the primary role of professional school counselors in dropout prevention and the most appropriate way to assess professional school counselors’ effectiveness in dropout prevention. The modified Counselor Role Survey instrument was used to survey high school administrators and professional high school counselors. The study used a descriptive causal-comparative quantitative design.

Hypotheses were tested using independent t-tests. The results of the study indicated there was no statistically significant difference between the perceptions of Mississippi high school administrators and professional high …

A Study Of Prekindergarten Impact On Early Literacy Readiness, Lakeisha Shantae Stokes

Dissertations

The awareness of the positive impact of prekindergarten programs on the success of early literacy of students has heightened due to the research performed on the topic (Barnett et al., 2003; Cohen, 1996; Magnuson & Waldfogel, 2005). The purpose of this study was to evaluate prekindergarten student gains in the development of early literacy skills, depending on their prekindergarten program experience. The study further examined Head Start and public school prekindergarten teachers’ knowledge of early literacy skills.

Results from the prekindergarten teacher survey indicated that public school prekindergarten teachers had higher levels of education than Head Start prekindergarten teachers. The …

Teachers' Perceptions Of Their Ability To Respond To Active Shooter Incidents, Carole Frances Rider

Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to determine Mississippi high school teachers’ perceptions regarding their preparedness for an active shooter incident. The study included an extensive literature review that included background and policy context, theoretical foundations, pertinent research and professional perspectives and a worldwide timeline of school shootings. The study also included data collection and analysis, results, conclusions, recommendations for policymakers and educational leaders, and recommendations for further research.

The study was conducted to determine if there was a relationship between school planning procedures, participation in practice and drill activity, and administrator preparedness for an active shooter incident and …

Cognitive Function And The Administration Of A Writing Strategy Compendium Incorporating Autobiographical Recall And Art, Jonnie Sue Cleveland

Dissertations

The ability to write is vital in many academic areas (U.S. Department of Education, 2011). Roughly 70 percent of U. S. students in a representative sampling during 2010 (grades 8 and 12) scored only at the Basic (fractional grasp of prerequisite information and abilities) level and below (U.S. Department of Education, 2011).

Fifty-four percent of students in the eighth grade and 52 percent of students in the twelfth grade in the United States scored at the Basic level. Another 20 percent of students in the eight grade and 21percent of students in the twelfth grade scored below the Basic level. …