Digital Commons Network^™

Discriminating Emotions And Engaging Difficult Emotional Material: Implications For Process And Outcome In Written Disclosure, Stephanie L. Nassar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Written disclosure participants have experienced numerous psychological and physiological benefits, as compared to those who wrote about neutral topics (Baikie & Wilhelm, 2005; Corter & Petrie, 2011; Frattaroli, 2006; Pennebaker & Chung, in press). Given the beneficial results of expressive writing commonly found among healthy participants, exploration of this method was expanded to broader populations with mixed results. Researchers have attempted to provide a rationale for why, when, and with whom written disclosure works. As emotional clarity and experiential avoidance have been linked to psychological well-being, this study examined their relative contributions to written disclosure benefits. Participants self-reported on measures …

Meaning In Life, Depression, And Alcohol Use In A College Sample, Lindsay Wilson Schnetzer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The meaning construct has been researched over the last several decades, yielding important empirical advancements in our understanding of its impact on psychological well-being. Comdenominators among various definitions of meaning and life purpose are (1) an emphasis on the significance of life (2) an awareness of coherence, and (3) the fulfillment of unique purpose. Research suggests that meaning and depression are related yet distinct variables, that depression and alcohol abuse are comorbid, and that meaning and alcohol use are significantly associated. Because there is minimal research examining relations among all three variables, and because there have been inconsistent findings with …

Use Of Structure-And Ligand-Based Drug Design Tools For The Discovery Of Small Molecule Inhibitors Of Cysteine Proteases For The Treatment Of Malaria And Sars Infection, Falgun Shah

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A wide array of molecular modeling tools were utilized to design and develop inhibitors against cysteine protease of P. Falciparum Malaria and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). A number of potent inhibitors were developed against cysteine protease and hemoglobinase of P. falciparum , referred as Falcipains (FPs), by the structure-based virtual screening of the focused libraries enriched in soft-electrophiles containing compounds. Twenty one diverse, non-peptidic, low micromolar hits were identified. A combined data mining and combinatorial library synthesis approach was performed to discover analogs of virtual screening hits and establish the structure-activity relationships (SAR). However, the resulting SAR of the …

New Synthetic Methodologies For The Construction And Optimization Of Natural Products, Amir E. Wahba

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Toxicity associated with bioactive natural products is considered as a major obstacle in the process of drug discovery. Manzamine A (MA) is one such candidate that requires optimization to overcome the toxicity problem. The manzamine alkaloids represents a unique class of natural products that have shown a diverse range of bioactivities including antimicrobial, antiparasitic, cytotoxicity, anti-inflammatory, pesticidial, and was shown to possess activity against HIV-1 and AIDS opportunistic infections. The greatest potential for the manzamine alkaloids appears to be against malaria and neuroinflammation. Experimental and modeling studies suggested that the planer ?-carboline moiety can act as DNA intercalator and hence …

Characterization Of The Engineering Properties And Economic Potential Of The Transitional Clay Unit Of The Ripley Formation, Northeast Mississippi, Richard Christopher Wheeler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Expansive soils, throughout Mississippi and the U.S., have long been a source of problems within the engineering and construction industries, leading to billions of dollars in damage annually. Along with being a source of problems, the clays throughout Mississippi are also of economic importance, being mined for a variety of uses. In this study, the engineering properties of the transitional clay facies of the Ripley Formation are studied, to characterize the swell potential of the transitional clay, and to assist with the evaluation of the possible commercial uses of the soil. The transitional clay is an Upper Cretaceous unit characterized …

Cross-Validation Of A Recently Published Equation Predicting Energy Expenditure To Run Or Walk A Mile In Normal Weight And Overweight Adults, Cody Edward Morris

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

An equation recently published by Loftin, et al. (2010) was cross-validated using 30 subjects consisting of 10 normal weight walkers, 10 overweight walkers, and 10 distance runners. Gender was balanced across sub-groups. Participants walked or ran for 5 minutes at their preferred pace. Preferred walking pace was determined by six timed 50-ft trials and preferred running pace by the runner's typical training pace. Energy expenditure (EE) was determined via indirect calorimetry and reported in absolute units (kcal), and corrected to a mile distance. Body composition was assessed via DXA. EE per mile was predicted using the Loftin, et al. (2010) …

Do Statins Improve Outcomes In Patients With Asthma On Inhaled Corticosteroid Therapy? A Retrospective Analysis Of The Mississippi Medicaid Database 2002-2004., Tasneem Taher Lokhandwala

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Animal model studies and clinical trials have looked at the potential benefits of the anti-inflammatory properties of statins in asthma management with contradictory results. Therefore, the objective of this study is to determine if asthma patients on concurrent statin therapy are less likely to have asthma-related hospitalizations and emergency room (ER) visits. We conducted a retrospective cohort study using Medicaid data for 2002–2004. Asthma patients ?18 years old were identified using the ICD9 code 493.xx, from Jul 1, 2002 through Dec 31, 2003. The index date for an exposed subject was any date within the identification period, 180 days prior …

Chorister Formation Preferences In A Women's Choir, Janna Montgomery

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

While conductors and audience members are not committed to a single formation, choristers have a clear preference: sectional or mixed. Why is this? Participants in this study included forty-six members of an auditioned women's choir from a large southern university who completed a survey after singing in sectional and mixed formation. These SSAA results maintain previous research findings by James Daugherty, Debra Atkinson, and Christopher Aspaas, et al. from female choristers in SATB settings: most women prefer mixed formation. All 46 of the participants (100%) perceived that formation generally affects the choral sound, so they think formation is important. Women's …

An Examination Of Factors That Influence The Program Choice Of Graduate Students In The Pharmaceutical Sciences., Tushar Baban Padwal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Objectives: The objectives of study were to: 1) identify factors considered important by pharmaceutical sciences graduate students during the application and acceptance phases of the admission process; 2) identify differences in the evaluative criteria for the two admission phases and for international and domestic students and 3) identify differences in the evaluative criteria for the two admission phases based on prior graduate school experience. Methods: Focus groups and depth interviews were conducted exploring issues surrounding the application and selection decisions of pharmaceutical sciences graduate students. Based on the results of this qualitative work and a review of the literature, an …

The Relationship Between Psychological Contract Breach, Professional Identity, And Organizational Citizenship Behaviors: An Equity Sensitivity Perspective, Leigh Ann Bynum

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Objectives: The purpose of this research was twofold. First, it tested the effects of the type of perceived psychological contract breach, equity sensitivity, and identity salience on an important employee outcome, namely organizational citizenship behaviors. Second, the research explored the effects that discipline and pharmacist status have on organizational citizenship behaviors. More precisely, the effect of equity sensitivity on the relationships between identity salience (discipline or school), type of perceived contract breach (administrative or professional) and the performance of organizational citizenship behaviors toward the School of Pharmacy by pharmacy school faculty was examined. Methods: Existing organizational citizenship, identity salience and …

Population Biology Of A Coastal Dune-Dwelling Spider (Arctosa Sanctaerosae) Along The Hurricane Disturbed Northern Gulf Of Mexico Coast, Robert A. Hataway

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With the continued increase in the number of tourists visiting the Northern Gulf coast in the last century and the resulting development of this coastline the habitat of Arctosa sanctaerosae has become fragmented; and the sprawl of large cities along the coast has further degraded available habitat. In addition to anthropogenic disturbance to this coastal region, hurricanes are an additional and natural perturbation to the ecosystem. This habitat has seen a number of major tropical storms over the last decade and I have sought to explore the impact of habitat destruction and storm-induced disturbance on a species of spider endemic …

Three Essays On The Impact Of Information And Transparency In Firms, Lloyd R. Wade

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation consists of three essays on the information and transparency in firms. In the first essay, we provide some of the first evidence regarding the impact of safety expenditures on moral hazard induced by increases in workers' compensation benefits. Prior studies have inferred the effect of safety incentives by testing the relation between claims frequency and benefit increases. However, these studies have not explicitly modeled the impact of actual safety expenditures. Using a proprietary dataset containing policy-level data for several thousand policies over a 13-year period we show that safety expenditures play a positive role in reducing the moral …

Biopharmaceutical Approaches For Improved Drug Delivery Across Ocular Barriers, Ketan Hippalgaonkar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The eye is protected from the external environment by various physiological and anatomical barriers. These barriers through there protective actions drastically diminish the ocular bioavailability of drugs. The corneal epithelium acts as a major barrier towards the permeation of hydrophilic agents, whereas poor aqueous solubility presents a formulation challenge for lipophilic compounds. Additionally, P-glycoprotein (P-gp) expressed on the retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE P-gp) limits the penetration of substrates, in therapeutically relevant concentrations, into the back-of-the-eye.

In the present research, use of penetration enhancers (chitosan, benzalkonium chloride (BAK) and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA)) and formulation approaches (cyclodextrins and solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs)) …

Novel Approaches To The Control Of Infectious Diseases, Damaris Agathe Meujo Foping

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As part of our ongoing efforts to find new drug leads against infectious diseases, several terrestrial and marine macro- and microorganisms were investigated. Several bioactive molecules, presented below, were isolated from these natural products. The mass-screening of dozens of marine Actinomycetes was completed and several Streptomyces with interesting biological activity profiles identified. A few examples are the Streptomyces code H747 and the Streptomyces code H668, a bacterium from which a new (5) and two known polyethers, the antimalarial agent K41-A (6) and its C-29 analog (7) were isolated. Five new six-membered ring cyclic peroxides: plakinastreloic acid A (8), methyl plakinastreloate …

The Effects Of Chronic Prophylactic Naproxen Sodium On Skeletal Muscle Adaptation To Resistance Exercise In Recreationally-Trained College-Aged Males, Christi Brewer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Resistance exercise causes exercise-induced muscle injury (EIMI), triggering an acute local inflammatory response associated with delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS). DOMS is characterized by a predictable discomfort and decreased level of muscle performance and is believed to be the product of both mechanical and inflammatory processes. From the latter perspective, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have been investigated for their potential to alleviate DOMS-associated symptoms. Such analgesics exert their effects by blocking the formation of prostaglandins; however, prostaglandins, specifically prostaglandin F 2?, also play an important role in skeletal muscle regeneration. While some have advocated the use of NSAIDs for the relief …

Case-Mix Adjustment Of Adherence Based Pharmacy Quality Indicator Scores, Sai Hurrish Dharmarajan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Medication adherence has been shown to be influenced by demographics, health status and socio-economic status of the patient. Thus, adherence-based measures of pharmacy quality may be influenced by patient-related risk factors outside of the healthcare provider's control. This study examines the performance of a classical logistic regression model containing only patient characteristics and a random-effect model including patient characteristics and a pharmacy-specific effect in predicting medication adherence. These models were used to compute three different risk-adjusted scores on adherence-based pharmacy quality indicators: based on the classical logistic regression model (Method 1), the random effects model (Method 2) and the shrinkage …

Running Identities And Interaction Ritual Chains, Jonathan Malonzo Dial

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis links two theories, Interaction Ritual Chains (IRC) with Identity Control Theory (ICT), through a multi-method study of group training programs for beginning runners. First, group training programs are identified as IRCs. Second, we see that IRCs produce identities within individuals which reflect the IRC's activities and its group members. Third, we look at how IRCs of varied strengths produce identities of varied strengths. Fourth, we compare different types of group training programs and their abilities to develop identities. Finally, we conclude that IRCs are mechanisms which individuals are able to use as part of the self-verification process.

With Malice Towards None: Six Stories And A Novella, Burke Nixon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A fiction collection consisting of six short stories folloby a novella. The pieces attempt to be comic, but also--with debatable success--to be more than just comic. As the title suggests, one of the collection's thematic concerns is mercy and its absence. Most of the pieces are set in Texas; characters in the collection include a female student in an absurdly incompetent public high school, a parking cop, the best friend of a stand-up comedian, an Abilene man whose life goal is to be struck by lightning, and an unselfconscious grandfather character, who bookends the beginning and end of the collection. …

Epigenetic Effects Of Benzo(A)Pyrene In Fundulus Heteroclitus And Danio Rerio, Xiefan Fang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

DNA methylation is one of the epigenetic mechanisms that controls gene expression and is vulnerable to early life environmental toxicant exposures. Our goal was to use two fish models, Fundulus heteroclitus and Danio rerio (zebrafish), to study the benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) effects on DNA methylation status and whether the alterations could contribute to BaP-mediated reproductive and developmental toxicities. Initially, we used Fundulus to study BaP effects on glycine N-methyltransferase (GNMT) expression throughout development. Fundulus embryos were exposed to waterborne BaP at nominally 10 or 100 μg/L and both GNMT mRNA expression and enzyme activity were measured. Quantitative PCR and whole mount …

Swinburne's "The Tale Of Balen": An Edition With Critical Commentary, Warren Hill Kelly

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Warren Hill Kelly's Swinburne's The Tale of Balen: an Edition with Critical Commentary comprises a variorum-like edition of the poem that records all variances of the poem evident in its manuscript through its first and second editions, Chatto & Windus 1896 and 1904, or those editions produced during the poet's lifetime and therefore potentially bearing evidence of his editorial input. The edition forms as its basis the poet's final intention expressed in the manuscript, and notes all alterations within the manuscript and the first two published editions, and by coupling the edition's text with the notations pertaining to the manuscript, …

The Seaside Resort Towns Of Cape May And Atlantic City, New Jersey Development, Class Consciousness, And The Culture Of Leisure In The Mid To Late Victorian Era, Tatyana Ressetar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

"Victorianism" is a highly controversial, sometimes ironic, term penned by historians throughout various works that has come to hold dramatic weight in both its meaning and its influence. Though the term is usually most closely associated with nineteenth century England, Victorianism was a highly influential movement in American culture simultaneously as well, specifically in the spheres of home, work, and play. Of those, "play," or leisure, is undoubtedly the least explored, especially before the latter decades of the twentieth century. Prior to this period, most literature about the Victorians, with the exception of a few works, only dealt with masculinity, …

Democracy And Education Equity In Latin America, Olen Dean Stonerook

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the literature democratic longevity in countries transitioning from authoritarian regimes to democracy is linked to economic development; four factors of economic development are identified: industrialization, education, urbanization, and growing wealth. Education is viewed as a primary factor for effective democratic participation and economic development. This thesis examines the relationship between level of democracy and educational outputs and outcomes. Does the level of democracy (political rights and civil liberties) have an effect on the levels of investment in education and measurable outcomes in education equity toward meeting the educational needs of the newly represented public? The expectation is that the …

Adherence Practices Of Caucasian Women With Hypertension Residing In Rural Florida An Exploratory Study, Jeanne M. Hopple

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke. Elevated blood pressure is often a silent process affecting multiple organ systems. Risk for heart disease is associated with poorly treated or unrecognized hypertension that is more common among women than men. Non-adherence to prescribed treatment regimens has been identified as a major reason for inadequate hypertension management. This exploratory descriptive qualitative study using narrative inquiry investigated adherence practices among Caucasian women with diagnoses of hypertension from a rural area of Florida. The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding from women who …

Differential Diagnoses Of Temporal Bone Defects And Zygomatic Bone Lesions Found In Fetal And Infant Individuals From The Kellis 2 Cemetery, Dakhleh Oasis, Egypt, Brittany A. Jardine

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Kellis 2 cemetery site within the Dakhleh Oasis, Egypt provides a unique study opportunity due to the large number of infant, perinatal, and fetal individuals that have been recovered. Several of the infant and fetal remains have undiagnosed circular defects on the temporal bone, and others have undiagnosed lesions on the zygomatic bone. Of the 268 individuals under one year of age that have been analyzed from the Kellis 2 cemetery, twentysix individuals have the temporal bone defect and six have the zygomatic bone lesions. A survey of clinical and paleopathological research provided possible pathological conditions that could cause …

Stable Expression Of Tuberculosis Vaccine Antigen In Lettuce Chloroplasts, Priya Saikumar Lakshmi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis and is one of the leading reasons of death by an infectious bacterial pathogen. The development of TB vaccines has been recognized as a major public health priority by the World Health Organization. In this study, a potential candidate antigen, ESAT-6 (6 kDa early secretory antigenic target) was fused with cholera toxin B subunit (CTB). Transplastomic lettuce plants were generated expressing these fusion proteins. Site-specific transgene integration into the chloroplast genome was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction and Southern blot analysis. In transplastomic leaves, expression levels of fusion protein (CTB-ESAT6) varied depending upon …

Evolutionary Relationships Among Staphylococci And The Prevention Of Staphylococcus Aureus Nasal Colonization, Ryan Paul Lamers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Staphylococcus is a significant cause of human infection and mortality, worldwide. Currently, there are greater than 60 taxa within Staphylococcus, and nearly all are pathogenic. The collective potential for virulence among species of Staphylococcus heightens the overall clinical significance of this genus and argues for a thorough understanding of the evolutionary relationships among species. Within Staphylococcus, aureus is the most common cause of human infection, where nasal carriage of this bacterium is a known risk factor for autoinfection. The predisposition to infection by nasal carriers of S. aureus, and the ease with which strains are transferred between individuals, suggests that …

An Investigation Of The Representation Of Middle School English Language Learners (Ells) In Special Education Programs In A Large Urban School District, Leah J. Lerma

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The disproportionate representation of ethnically and racially diverse students in special education has been an enduring problem in education for the past four decades. However, most of the research on disproportionality has focused on the ethnic/racial variable; the body of research focusing on the linguistic variable is still slim in comparison. As linguistic diversity in the United States continues to rise, teachers will continue to be challenged to meet the needs of the English Language Learners in their classrooms. However, many teachers feel unprepared to deal with this diversity and have difficulty discriminating whether a student’s poor performance is due …

Management Support And Faculty's Adoption Of Learning Management System Applying Technology Acceptance Model 3, Zhigang Li

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to understand and identify the key factors that affect faculty’s behavioral intention of using a learning management system. This research study adopted the Technology Acceptance Model 3 (TAM3) as the theoretical foundation and extended it by adding management support as an exogenous variable based on the recommendations from previous research studies. Technology Acceptance Model 3 is the latest iteration of Technology Acceptance Model – a widely adopted research framework for studying users’ acceptance of technology. It provides a comprehensive network of determinants of technology adoption and use. A survey questionnaire with 54 measurement …

The Effects Of Urbanization On Cypress (Taxodium Distichum) In Central Florida, Lisa A. Mccauley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Urbanization is accelerating in the United States and is contributing to fragmentation of natural habitats, causing changes in species composition and declines in native species. Human population growth in Orlando is typical of growth in the southeastern United States and throughout the range of cypress (Taxodium distichum). Orlando has numerous isolated cypress wetlands, called cypress domes, and many remain among the current urbanized area. This makes Orlando ideal to study the effects of urbanization on cypress domes. Specifically, I tested how urbanization and its effects on fragmentation, hydrology, and fire regime) affected (a) the numbers and spatial pattern of cypress …

Effects Of A Reading Inference Strategy Intervention On The Reading And Social Inference Abilities Of Adults With Asperger Syndrome, Kimberly A. Murza

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The ability to generate inferences is a skill that is necessary to fully comprehend a text and understand the intentions, behaviors, and emotions of a conversational partner. Individuals with Asperger syndrome (AS) have been shown to demonstrate significant difficulty in inference generation in both social contexts and in reading comprehension. Although, the reciprocity of the four components of literacy (reading, writing, listening, and speaking) has been established in the literature (Bradley & Bryant, 1983; Catts & Kamhi, 2005; Englert & Thomas, 1987; Gillon & Dodd, 1995; Hiebert, 1980; Kroll, 1981; Ruddell & Ruddell, 1994); the relationship between inference generation in …