Digital Commons Network^™

Extraction, Characterization, And Utilization Of Yellow Pea Starch, Abdulmalik Albu Tuwaybah

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Dry peas, a leguminous crop, are one of the world's oldest crops, accounting for 35–40% of total pulse trade. Pea starch is an inexpensive source of starch since it can be obtained as a by-product of protein extraction. Recovering the starch from protein isolation streams (i.e., before or after) improves the environmental impact of the protein isolation process. The goal of the study was to transform low-value pea starch into highvalue starch through starch extraction and food application. Two methods of starch extraction were used (47.5% ethanol treatment and SC CO2 + EtOH extraction). Starch samples were analyzed for chemical, …

Modulatory Effects Of Deacetylated Sialic Acids (A Sugar Residue) In Nk-Mediated Cytotoxicity And Targeted Therapy By Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors, Mathias Tawiah Anim

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The complex nature of the biology of cancer is still an unraveling science, yielding several biomarkers that have served as molecular targets for detection and treatment of the disease. How sugars, glycans, play a role has remained relatively uninvestigated. Sialic acid (Sia), a sugar residue on the surface of cells, has been identified as a hallmark of cancer and its progression. Sialic acid can be highly functionalized, but we became interested in acetylated Sias. This functional group is modulated by Sialate O- acetylesterase (encoded by the gene SIAE) and Sialate O-acetyltransferase (encoded by CASD1), enzymes that play a crucial role …

Comparison Of Self-Reported Depression And Anxiety Scores Between U.S. Households With And Without Children At Early And Later Stages Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Hanan Mohammed Eissa Jamali

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Parents in particular, are disproportionately affected by the 2019 coronavirus pandemic and the lockdowns that followed. Parents had to find a way to balance work, teaching, and taking care of their kids when schools were forced to close for safety reasons. While changes in parents' mental health have been the subject of a number of studies, there have been no studies comparing the level of depression and anxiety experienced by parents with and without children below the age of 18 years in the United States. Data for this study came from Households Pulse Survey (HPS) (week 2 N = 41,996; …

Fighting For What Is Right: A Rhetorical Analysis Of The Fan Campaign To Save Anne With An E From Cancellation, Marie E. Anderson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Anne with an E fan campaign highlighted storylines of social issues that fans felt were important for society. Of particular interest to the fan community was a storyline from the series in which Anne and her friends organized a protest following incidents of sexual assault and censorship aimed at silencing girls from speaking out on gendered issues. This storyline was heavily referenced in the billboards that the fan-based campaign displayed in Toronto and New York City (Anne Nation, 2020). In this analysis, I used fantasy theme analysis (Bormann, 1972) and metaphorical criticism (Osborn, 2018) to conduct a visual and …

Customer Experience With Service Robots In Hospitality And Tourism: Scale Development, Olena Ciftci

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: This study aims to create a measurement scale of customer experience with service delivered by robots in hospitality and tourism settings to address the industry need and gap in the academic literature.

Methods: This study follows a widely accepted psychometric procedure for scale development. The scale development consists of four stages: item generation, item purification, item reduction and dimensionality, and scale validation. The items for the scale are generated from the literature on customer experience with and perception of service robots in hospitality and tourism and semi-structured interviews with customers who experienced service from robots in hospitality and tourism …

A Content Analysis Of State-Level Restorative Justice Statutes, Mason Karlyn Myers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Restorative justice programs have garnered attention as a potential policy solution to address critical issues within the criminal justice system, such as mass incarceration, re-victimization, and costliness. However, effective implementation of these programs faces various challenges, including communication gaps, inadequate program design, and implementation issues. These challenges may be further exacerbated by the lack of consistent policies at the state level guiding restorative justice practices. Surprisingly, limited research has been conducted to examine restorative justice statutes at the state level. In response to this gap in the literature, this study analyzes the restorative justice policies of all fifty states, including …

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 …

Saudi Perspective On Using Efl Resources To Improve Their English Pronunciation In Saudi Public Institutions, Khadija Abdullah Alzahrani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Due to the lack of a pronunciation curriculum and materials in Saudi universities, EFL students individually select use different resources to help with their English pronunciation difficulties. Therefore, this study aims to describe (a) Saudi students' perspectives and attitudes toward pronunciation resources that may help with their pronunciation (b) if they use them to help with their weaknesses, and (c) the teachers’ perspectives on their students' pronunciation difficulties, their knowledge of the resources the universities provide, and what they use to help the students' pronunciation learning and development. This study investigates what Saudi students think they need to learn pronunciation, …

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 …

Level Of Pj (Peace Journalism) Awareness Among Journalists From Saudi Arabia, Abdullah Ayidh J. Alqahtani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study aimed to ascertain whether Saudi Arabian journalists know peace journalism. According to the peace journalism model and the framing theory, journalists' practices are supposed to foster peace rather than fuel violence. As a result, journalists can shed light on the social and underlying causes of violence with the noble goal of demoting violence and promoting peace. In that sense, 100 journalists from Saudi Arabia made up the sample population of this study. The mixed-method approach was used to collect data; Consequently, the researcher provided the participants with a questionnaire to elicit the level of awareness of peace journalism …

Academic Medical Center Governance: A Study Focused On The University Of Mississippi Medical Center, Jacob Daniels

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Academic Medical Centers (AMCs) face many challenges, which can lead to financial constraints. For AMCs to remain sustainable in today’s healthcare system, the literature presents a compelling case for expansion to mitigate their financial burdens. Expansion often requires quick decision-making, and as a result, scholars repeatedly discuss the importance of AMC governance being both nimble and efficient. The University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) substantially impacts Mississippians, and the institution must remain a thriving center for education, research, and healthcare for the state. Given the importance of efficient and nimble governance in the institution’s sustainability, this Dissertation in Practice (DiP) …

"Dug Way To Liberty": Newspapers, Prison, And Jim Crow In Georgia In The Early 1900s, Avery Elise Gross

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

On April 15, 1907, twelve Black and white convicts escaped from the Durham Mines prison camp located on Lookout Mountain, Georgia. Over the next month, newspapers throughout Georgia and in neighboring states reported the escape and discussed the recapture events. Within five days of the prison break, the local white community recaptured all nine Black convicts. None of the white convicts were caught. As this thesis investigates the lives, crimes, and recapture of all twelve prisoners, it connects the convict lease prison system with the newspaper media to understand the impact of white supremacy ideology and the repressive systems that …

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, …

Valley Of The Fuckdolls, Kimberly Ridley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Valley of the Fuckdolls is a work of fiction that explores a near future dystopian world in which quasi sentient sex dolls are available for sale. The work is written from the perspective of the robots and explores themes of isolation and disconnectedness brought on by society's increasing reliance on technology and addictions to pornography and social media.

Formulation Development And Evaluation Of Cannabidiol Hot Melt Extruded Solid Self-Emulsifying Drug Delivery System For Oral Applications, Kavish Dilip Sanil

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cannabidiol (CBD) is a highly lipophilic compound with poor oral bioavailability, due to poor aqueous solubility and extensive pre-systemic metabolism. The aim of this study was to explore the potential of employing Hot Melt Extrusion (HME) technology for the continuous production of Self Emulsifying Drug Delivery Systems (SEDDS) to improve the solubility and in vitro dissolution performance of CBD. Accordingly, different placebos were processed through HME in order to obtain a lead CBD loaded solid SEDDS. Two SEDDS were prepared with sesame oil, Poloxamer 188, Gelucire®59/14, PEO N80 and Soluplus®. Moreover, Vitamin E was added as an antioxidant. Both SEDDS …

Quitting: A Phenomenological Study On The Factors Contributing To Mississippi Teacher Exits During And After The Covid-19 Pandemic, Krystal R. Cormack

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This transcendental phenomenological study focused on determining the factors contributing to teacher exits from Mississippi schools during and since the global COVID-19 pandemic. Developing a more robust understanding of the teacher labor market and teacher exits is vital to ensuring that students can access a high-quality education. Participants identified the COVID-19–related factors that influenced their decision to exit the classroom and factors unrelated to the COVID-19 pandemic. The participants felt the COVID-19 pandemic worsened their teaching experience and created additional work. One educator exited due to complications from long COVID disease. Three major findings unrelated to the COVID-19 pandemic emerged …

International Forum Shopping: An Instrument Of Domestic Signaling, Giorgi Khatiashvili

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The dissertation explores the relationship between domestic politics and the choice of international venue for economic sanctions and trade disputes, utilizing the concept of forum shopping. The research argues that forum shopping is not only an outward, but also an inward looking endeavor, shaped by the government’s need to communicate with its domestic audience. The research identifies two main domestic constituencies – the public and economic groups – that influence the government’s behavior with regard to forum shopping. Empirical analysis reveals that when facing pressure from the domestic public, governments tend to choose larger and more legitimate international organizations for …

A Multi-Scale Analysis Of The Hartselle Sandstone To Characterize Reservoir Properties And Inform Carbon Sequestration Feasibility, Xiaotian Wang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation takes multiple approaches to investigate lithology, depositional environments, diagenesis, and reservoir quality for petroleum and carbon sequestration in the Mississippian Hartselle Sandstone. The Hartselle Sandstone has been considered economically important for its viscous bitumen and natural gas reserves, with only minor attention given to potential oil reserves due to its low permeability. I proposed to reinvestigate the possibility of oil production from the Hartselle Sandstone, including a focus on the required elements of a conventional petroleum system. A detailed petrographic analysis recognized three lithofacies associations: beach lithofacies association, protected transgressive wave-dominated coast association, and unprotected transgressive tidal flat …

Code-Switching In The Emotionalnarratives Of Bilingual Speakers Of English And Arabic, Yasmeen Alruwaili

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explores code-switching (CS) in the emotional narratives of bilingual speakers of English and Arabic. Exploring the immigrant Arab community in Mississippi, USA contributes to the literature gap and provides valuable insights into the correlation between codeswitching and bilingual identities in various emotional, social, and cultural contexts. This study examines the complex relationship between linguistic choices, cultural identity, and emotional expressions in bilingual contexts, offering cross-linguistic and cross-cultural insights into codeswitching practices. It also seeks to investigate the types of linguistic structures that appear in the narratives of bilingual speakers and the reasons behind their choices.

In order to …

Formulation & Evaluation Of In-Vitro Mefenamic Acid Oral Disintegrating Tablets Using Solvent Evaporation And Hme, Lokesh Mukesh Thawani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mefenamic acid, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug generally used for the treatment of pain, has poor solubility (0.2 mg/ml of water at 250C) and limited bio-availability. Thus, to improve these various techniques are used such as micronization, solvent evaporation, hot melt extrusion, chemical modification, pH adjustment, solid dispersion formation, complexation, co-solvency, micellar solubilization, hydrotropic, ultra-rapid freezing process, etc. Thus, to improve the improve the solubility Solvent Evaporation technique was employed to obtain the solid dispersion of Mefenamic acid and Eudragit® RL-PO followed by Hot Melt Extrusion to obtain the extrudates. The extrusion of Mefenamic acid (MA) and Eudragit® RL-PO was done …

An Assessment Plan To Analyze Nudges And Their Effectiveness In A Learning Management System At Educational Institutions, Nishanth J. Rodrigues

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Procrastination is a significant problem in academia with some estimates suggesting that this occurs in as high as 70-90% of college students (Abdi Zarrin & Gracia, 2020) that manifests in numerous harmful ways including postponement of weekly reading assignments, delay in writing term papers, and inadequate preparation and beginning too late when studying for exams. The effects of procrastination vary from the immediate, such as a failed grade on an assignment, to the long-term, including delayed graduation or even failure to graduate, all of which have the “knock-on” effect of harming the students’ self-esteem and future success following their studies. …

I Say See You Later, Lillian Slaughter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This MFA thesis continues the work that was completed in the master’s thesis “This Is Home: Stories of H2-A Placemaking in the U.S. and Mexico,” by creating a short film about the farm in Kentucky. Through research on ethics and positionality, I explore the ideas that shaped this filmmaking process. The film highlights the experience of working on a mid-sized organic farm that utilizes the federal H2-A visa program for seasonal farmworkers through the lens of a co-worker. This supplemental written thesis includes research, personal accounts of the process of filmmaking, and a reflection of influential films.

Particle Image Velocimetry Investigation Of Flow Around Grooved Cylinders, Jhalak Dhakal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents an experimental study of the flow around a grooved cylinder in an internal flow passage with a square cross-section. The effects of groove parameters, such as groove diameter (depth) and orientation (streamwise and longitudinal), on the wake characteristics and the pressure drop across the cylinders are investigated. Three Reynolds numbers of, 1230, 2000, and 2825, are tested. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) and cross-correlation techniques were used to measure the velocity fields and visualize the flow patterns. The results show that streamwise grooved cylinders with larger groove diameters (H2.0, H2.5, and H3.0) have reduced wake length and width …

The Emergence Of Discursive Leadership In Online Commmunities, Chad Diaz Ii

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this Dissertation is to provide a detailed rationale for the way in which I address the following research questions in my dissertation: “What characteristics of user discourse lead to the emergence of leadership in online communities?” To this end, I provide a literature review of studies on online communities, examine past definitions, and propose an integrated definition of online communities. Focusing on the specific domain of leadership in online communities, I conduct a literature review of early and seminal articles published in this domain with the objective of identifying the foundational theoretical frameworks and the factors that …

On Security And Privacy In Machine Learning, Thomas Cilloni

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In recent years the use of social media platforms, surveillance cameras, and vision-enabled devices and services has increased exponentially. While the mere use of a device or service is not a privacy issue, Machine Learning use has also drastically increased, and it exposes a number of privacy and security threats, especially towards online users. Privacy legislation around the world prohibits to use of data unfairly, but the conversion of laws to technical applications is often subject to interpretation. Such ambiguity opens a gap for data owners to potentially misuse data, violating end users’ privacy.

The overall objective of this doctoral …

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 …

Investigating The Use Of Politeness Strategies In Expressing Disagreements Among Saudi Efl Teachers On Twitter, Rowida Ali Al Ghamdi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the politeness strategies employed by Saudi EFL teachers when expressing their disagreements on Twitter. It examines the factors affecting Saudi EFL teachers' choice of politeness and disagreement strategies. It compares Saudi EFL teachers' disagreement expressions with those of American ESL teachers on Twitter. Four instruments were utilized to collect the data: retrieving the corpus of tweets, observing the thread of tweets (for Saudi EFL and American ESL teachers), using an open-ended questionnaire, and follow-up interviews (for Saudi EFL teachers). This study finds that the on-record strategy was the most frequently used among Saudi EFL teachers, as found …

Structural Violence And Its Effect On Women's Empowerment In The Case Of Bangladesh Garment Workers During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Fowzia Binte Faruque

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis delves into the complex relationship between women's participation in Bangladesh's garment industry, their empowerment, and structural violence against them. Although Bangladesh's patriarchal society perpetuates structural violence against women, the garment sector has also facilitated social and economic empowerment for many. By adopting a gender-focused lens and examining the interplay between structural violence and empowerment, this research aims to explore the socio-economic status of female garment workers in Bangladesh during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020-2022. The study employs a qualitative content analysis, analyzing two national newspapers—The Daily Star and The Financial Express (Bangladesh)—as primary sources.

The findings …

Nursing Faculty Turnover: Recruitment And Retention At Jones College, Alan Luke Hammonds

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The nursing profession has been facing a deficit of nurses for many years (Denehy, 2000; Haddad et al., 2023, Mayo, 1944; Schorr, 1980; Theisen & Pelfrey, 1990). Nurses are an essential part of the medical care system. They are responsible for most of the functions associated with healthcare. The schools that train nurses are as much affected by the shortage as the industry itself. With fewer nurses in the medical field from which to draw, nursing schools have had a difficult time maintaining nursing faculty levels to meet the needs of the medical community. With nursing faculty shortages already straining …