Digital Commons Network^™

Perceived Attributes And Factors Influencing Instructors’ Using E-Textbooks In Higher Education, Sirui Wang

Dissertations

As digital content, e-Textbooks display text on the screen, integrate multimedia within textual components, and allow reading on portable devices; which make learning highly interactive, flexible, and immediately accessible, increase students’ engagements in learning, and make learning content portable, transferrable, and searchable. Those advanced features did not bring prosperity in using e-Textbooks in education. The adoption of using e-Textbooks in higher education is still far from its confirmation stage. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the perceived attributes of using e-Textbooks by instructors and their actual use of e-Textbooks in higher educational settings, to discuss …

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 …

Determining Whether A Link Exists Between The Academic Performance Of Mississippi Public School Districts And School Administrators' Use Of Persuasive Communication Techniques And Self-Efficacy In Communication, David Alexander Burris

Dissertations

This study sought to determine whether a link existed between types of persuasive communication methods and the academic performance of school districts and whether administrators’ perceived self-efficacy as communicators was related to the academic performance of school districts. This study could help school officials to analyze their use of persuasive communication methods to determine if they are communicating with the public in a manner that is conducive to achieving the goals related to the academic performance of their district. School officials could also use the results of this study to design or modify an existing public relations plan to communicate …

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 …

Measuring A Cognitive Apprenticeship Model Of Instruction In Statistics Education, Amanda Dawn Leimer

Dissertations

Research has continued to support the need for investigating the role of pedagogical models in relation to students’ statistical anxiety, statistical self-efficacy, and academic performance within statistics education. Although models in the literature such as the Cognitive Apprenticeships Model of Instruction (CA-MOI) have emerged and have shown positive educational outcomes for teaching disciplines that involve the use of complex tasks (Kuo, Hwang, Chen, & Chen, 2012; Poitras & Poitras, 2011; Wegner, 2011), only one study has actually measured the degree to which this model was implemented, using the Maastrict Clinical Teaching Questionnaire (MCTQ) (Stalmeijer et al., 2008). Consequently the problem …

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 …

Preferences For Evidence-Based Depression Treatments: An Emphasis On Patient-Focused Care, Lauren A. Frye

Dissertations

Research indicates most depressed patients in the general U.S. adult population seek depression treatment in primary care settings where the prevailing method of treatment is antidepressant medication. Although primary care physicians regard this approach as a preferable first line method of depression treatment, studies indicate many patients do not. Several studies have found depressed patients in these settings prefer psychotherapy or counseling over anti-depressant medication. Many advocate patient preferences should be integral to the treatment decision making process. There is a demonstrated propensity towards psychotherapy or counseling over antidepressant medication among depression patients. However, it is unclear which psychological depression …

Blind Source Separation For Feature Detection And Segmentation In Ground Penetrating Radar (Gpr) Lmaging Of Concrete Bridge Decks For Nondestructive Condition Assessment, Vincent Krause

Dissertations

Concrete bridge decks require periodic condition assessment and preventive maintenance to extend their useful lifespan. Nondestructive evaluation methods such as Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) are slowly beginning to replace or complement the manual (visual) assessment of bridge conditions for detecting defects at their early stages. However, GPR scans of bridge decks are frequently cluttered with high amplitude reflections from known parts of the bridge deck, which make the detection of defects’ low amplitude reflections difficult. One such known part is the embedded steel reinforcement bars known as rebar.

This dissertation presents a novel approach to the automated detection of defects …

The Effects Of Incentive Pay Systems With Tiered Goals On Performance, Daniel B. Sundberg

Dissertations

This study examined the relative effects of three incentive pay systems, piece-rate pay, threshold piece-rate pay, and bonus pay, on performance when individuals were given the same five-tiered performance goals. A fourth system, wage pay, served as a control. The task was a computerized simulation of a medical data entry job and the primary dependent variable was the number of correctly completed patient records. Sixty-six college students were randomly assigned to one of the four pay conditions, and attended one 60-minute covariate session and five 60-minute experimental sessions. Participants in the wage pay condition earned $6.50 per session; those in …

The Relationship Between Students’ Applied Mathematics Skills And Students’ Attitudes Towards Mathematics, Taylor Andrew Kilman

Dissertations

Mathematics is a subject with which many students struggle. It has been noted that students’ attitudes towards mathematics can often affect their performance in related courses. The goal of this research is to explore the relationship between students’ basic applied mathematics skill and students’ attitudes towards mathematics. That is, do students, as they learn how to use mathematics in the real world, tend to develop a more favorable outlook towards mathematics? Or, on the other hand, do the attitudes towards mathematics of students remain unaffected as their ability to use mathematics in the real world increases? The current research seeks …

Running Contradiction: A Negotiated Reading Of Encoding Strategies In The Boondocks Animated Series, 2005-2011, Wesley Tyler French

Dissertations

This study is comprised of a five-point qualitative critical analysis of denotation strategies employed in the first three seasons of The Boondocks Animated Series, which aired on United States cable television between 2005 and 2011. The five encoding strategies discussed in this study were selectively employed into each episode by the cast and crew of The Boondocks Animated Series. The encoding strategies were employed to facilitate audience accessibility between 2005 and 2011 during The Boondocks Animated Series’ successful initial run on the Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim programming block.

This study focuses on the first three seasons of The Boondocks Animated …

Novel Spectroscopic Tools To Differentiate Molecule-Dna Binding Interactions, Sense Dna And Track Dna Melting, Saad Hmoud Alotaibi

Dissertations

The discovery of DNA as a genetic material and its double helical structure led to numerous studies directed at understanding molecule-DNA interactions. These studies have played an integral role in medical diagnostics, forensics, imaging and therapeutics. Typically, molecule-DNA interactions have two prominent modes: intercalation and minor groove binding. Several optical techniques are available that can monitor molecule-DNA binding interactions, but they cannot differentiate between intercalation and minor-groove binding. The major goals of the research are to develop novel optical spectroscopic tools that can differentiate molecule-DNA binding interactions, selectively and sensitively detect one form of DNA over another, and track DNA …

Comparing Slug Test Methods For Unconfined Aquifers, Hussain Jaber Alfaifi

Dissertations

Slug test methods are used to determine in situ aquifer hydraulic conductivity (K) more quickly and economically than a pump test can. This study compares slug test methods for unconfined aquifers, looking at how to conduct a test using a physical slug, and at different analysis methods including Bouwer and Rice (1976), Kansas Geological Survey (KGS 1994), Hvorslev (1951) and Dagan (1978). Questions that motivated this study include: How well does the Bouwer and Rice method work? What is the most effective way to conduct a slug test? Does using a large physical slug relative to the well diameter and …

Purchase Behaviors In A Cross-National Analysis Of Sponsorship Effectiveness, Noni Zaharia

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Mothers Who Choose Traditional Public Education In Times Of Economic Stress, Criticism, And District Reform, Brian W. Davis

Dissertations

As districts attempt to achieve higher accountability for student results while making complex decisions to balance budgets, it has become increasingly more common to restructure or reorganize educational delivery systems in ways that affect children and their families. Understanding how families and, in particular, mothers translate their experiences with structural and other changes enacted by the schools serving their children can assist in defining a new strategic direction of renewal, growth, and revitalization.

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the experiences of 18 mothers, and their children, who were participants in multiple school reform initiatives in an …

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, …

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

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.

Moving College Students To A Better Understanding Of Substrate Specificity Of Enzymes Through Utilizing Multimedia Pre-Training And An Interactive Enzyme Model, Mounir R. Saleh

Dissertations

Scientists’ progress in understanding enzyme specificity uncovered a complex natural phenomenon. However, not all of the currently available biology textbooks seem to be up to date on this progress. Students’ understanding of how enzymes work is a core requirement in biochemistry and biology tertiary education. Nevertheless, current pre-college science education does not provide students with enough biochemical background to enable them to understand complex material such as this. To bridge this gap, a multimedia pre-training presentation was prepared to fuel the learner’s prior knowledge with discrete facts necessary to understand the presented concept. This treatment is also known to manage …

Rebel Yale: Yale Graduates And Progressive Ideals At The University Of Mississippi Law School, 1946-1970, Jennifer Paul Anderson

Dissertations

The University of Mississippi School of Law (Ole Miss Law) was the fourth public law school founded in the United States. The school was established to prevent men from leaving the state for legal education due to fears that they were being indoctrinated by eastern schools where ideologies were not consistent with those of Mississippi. One hundred years after her founding, Ole Miss Law entered into a period of turbulence as race and politics clashed on campus. From the time of the Brown decision through the Civil Rights Era, the deans and law professors at the law school were subjected …

Aqueous Raft Polymerization Of Glycopolymers For Peptide Interaction Studies And Antimicrobial Peptide Mimics For Antimicrobial Activity And Selectivity Studies, Sarah Elizabeth Exley

Dissertations

The first section of this work describes the synthesis and characterization of novel glycopolymers synthesized to model GM1 gangliosides, a glycolipid found in neuronal cells. Glucose and galactose were attached to N-hydroxyethyl acrylamide, using chemistry that granted control over the stereochemistry at the C1’ carbon of each saccharide, and polymerized via aqueous RAFT (aRAFT). Homopolymers, targeting either 30 or 300 DP, and copolymers, with N-dimethyl acrylamide, were prepared as a glycopolymer platform for investigation of amyloid β (Aβ), a naturally occurring peptide associated with Alzheimer’s disease, aggregation. Aβ aggregation kinetics and aggregate size in the presence of glycopolymer were determined. …

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 …

Establishment Of A 3d Culture Model Of Gastric Stem Cells Supporting Their Differentiation Into Mucous Cells Using Microfibrous Polycaprolactone Scaffold, Sunitha Pulikkot

Dissertations

In the stomach, epithelial stem cells are responsible for glandular homeostasis and continuous production of four main cell lineages secreting mucus, acid, pepsinogen and hormones. While alteration in the proliferation and differentiation program of these stem cells is linked to the origin of gastric cancer, they represent an effective target for chemotherapy and a source for cell therapy or tissue engineering in cases of gastric mucosal damage or loss. The aims of this study were 1) to manufacture various forms of scaffolds using a biodegradable polymer (polycaprolactone), 2) to test the suitability of these scaffolds for growth of mouse gastric …

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 …

Development And Functioning Of Mycorrhizal Root Systems Under Non-Uniform Rootzone Salinity, Asha Christopher

Dissertations

Arbuscular mycorrhiza are obligate symbionts that live in association with most plant roots. The fungal mycelium extracts nutritional elements from the soil, and supplies these to plants in exchange for plant photoassimilates. The present study investigated the effects of root colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on growth and nutrient uptake of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) and Sudan grass (Sorghum bicolor L.) exposed to topsoil salinity through a horizontal split-root set-up. Roots in the upper compartment were exposed to substrate salinity, while lower compartment roots had access to non-saline nutrient solution. Despite roots being well-colonized by mycorrhizal fungi, there was no …

Gal: A Stepwise Model For Automated Cloud Shadow Detection In Hico Oceanic Imagery Utilizing Guided Filter, Pixel Assignment, And Geometric Linking, Jennerpher Renee Meyers

Dissertations

Detection of cloud shadow pixels is an important step in image processing in several remote sensing ocean-color application domains, such as obtaining chlorophyll content. While shadow detection algorithms do exist, the vast majority are for over land which leaves few options for detection over water.

The detection of cloud shadow over water in HICO imagery is a unique problem. As its name implies, HICO (Hyperspectral Imager for the Coastal Ocean) imagery is produced for coastal and oceanic regions. Since land based algorithms remove water before processing, these approaches would not be applicable. The only currently published HICO shadow pixel detection …

Selective Detection Of Volatile Organic Compounds Using Metal Oxide Sensor Arrays, Anton Dmitrievich Netchaev

Dissertations

Selective detection of organic contaminant using widely available and inexpensive metal oxide sensors has the potential to be used in various robotic platforms for navigation, harmful chemical leak detection, mobile environmental monitoring, etc. Selective gas detection in real world environments using easily available sensors has not been reported and can be used in many industries. A sensor system using only four commercially available sensors with accompanying signal conditioning and clustering algorithm capable of discriminatory detection of chemical marker is possible. Tests have shown that temperature, humidity and concentration fluctuations can be accounted for to produce systems for real world environments. …

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 …

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. …