Digital Commons Network^™

“I, Too, Am An Occupied Territory”: Border Crossings And Personal Sovereignty In Three Novels By Dominican American Women, Leia M. Lynn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Border crossing(s) and personal sovereignty are intimately and complexly connected in novels by and about Dominican American women. Through readings of In the Name of Salomé by Julia Alvarez, Dominicana by Angie Cruz, and The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo, I argue that patriarchal forms of authority remove female autonomy by trespassing on personal boundaries, and that the renegotiation of that power is achieved through formations of community, especially with other women, through nonheteronormative relationships that are present inside and extend outside the text. The interplay of patriarchal authority, violence, and alienation on the four protagonists is examined at length, …

Framing, Advice-Seeking, And Medical Trust In The R/Keto Community: An Analysis Of The Medical Flair On R/Keto, Sabrina Finke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

First created in 1921, the ketogenic diet was used as a medical intervention for children suffering from severe epilepsy. However, in recent years, this highly restrictive diet has gained mainstream popularity for a number of illness management, wellness, and weight loss uses. Despite its rise in use and popularity, mainstream medical opinion still views the ketogenic diet as a last resort for severe conditions. Using a content analysis of posts tagged with the “medical” flair on the subreddit “r/Keto,” this thesis found commonalities among posts which praised the ketogenic diet and shared positive personal anecdotes were the most likely to …

Good Love Is Black: Stories On Black Queer Living In The American South, Danielle Buckingham

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Black Queer and Trans folks conjure love in their lives, by any means necessary, even in the face of terror. This is what has been at the root of their survival against the anti-Blackness and heterosexism that permeates the nation. Good Love Is Black, highlights their journeys navigating multiple marginalized identities, particularly in the American South. For this project, I spoke with folks who are natives of or currently residing in Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, Texas, and Kentucky. This written thesis accompanies a narrative podcast that explores the ways in which their Black, Queer, and Southern Identity informs how they …

"How It Was Made", Bethany Fitts

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This is a meta-autoethnography describing the researcher’s unfocused, rhizomatic research process throughout the COVID19 pandemic. Themes explored are the COVID19 pandemic, family, death, climate change, queer love, represenation, academia, genre, and religion. The study shows how multiple scales of grief arise during the research process. I locate this method within postcolonial theory of autoethnography that seeks to diversify structures within the academic genre.

Casting The Ballot: An Analysis Of Voting Method Prefernces From 2012 – 2020, Bailey Rose Griffin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Voting is an important aspect of a democracy because it allows people get involved in the political world and it is one of the relatively cheapest ways to do with no monetary costs. Moreover, voting helps keep elected officials accountable. Over the years there have been barriers to disenfranchise groups but over the years they have been abolished. Up to date, there are four voting methods a voter could do: in-person on Election Day, in-person prior to Election Day, absentee ballots, and all-mail ballots. In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic swept through the United States changed all aspects of life, including …

Preparation, Characterization And In-Vitro Release Studies Of Icg-Encapsulated Liposomes, Prateek Uttreja

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the present study was to create Indocyanine Green (ICG) loaded liposomal formulations that were efficient and had controlled drug release. During the Second World War, the photographic dye indocyanine green (ICG) was created. ICG was developed as a medical diagnostic tool for cardiac output tests and for monitoring liver function after receiving FDA approval. The preparation of ICG-encapsulated conventional and PEGylated liposomes containing different types of phosphatidylcholine (PC) such as HSPC, DSPC, DPPC and cholesterol (CH) in the molar ratios of 55:45 and PC:CH: DSPE-PEG2K (polyethylene glycol) in the molar ratio of 55:40:5 respectively was done using …

Curriculum Development Of Agricultural Educators In South Dakota, Mercedes Lemke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Curriculum development is an essential component of teaching. Understanding how agriculture education teachers utilize, develop, and adapt content to curriculum can benefit teachers to spend less time on curriculum development. Recognizing the way agriculture education teachers use content in curriculum implementation will allow curriculum developers to create materials that can effectively be used by teachers. This study also looked at the affects of how COVID19 pandemic affected the way teachers locate and develop curriculum. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the way agriculture education instructor’s usage of content for curriculum development, implementation decisions and the affects of the …

Decoding The Mystery Of Antibiotic Persistence, Tahmina Hossain

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This work combines microbiology, molecular biology, Next-Generation Sequencing and system biology approaches to explore the mechanism of antibiotic persistence: a multi-drug tolerant, non-dividing, and metabolically altered state present in a subpopulation of cells due to phenotypic diversity rather than genetic variation (i.e. mutations). Persister can survive lethal antibiotic state and resuscitate after the treatment period is over. They are considered as the major contributing factor behind recurring infections. They also have a high mutation rate, which increases the chances of bacteria gaining antibiotic resistance. The formation of this phenotypic variant (persister) threatens the therapeutic effectiveness of antibiotics and understanding how …

Leveraging Queueing Theory To Develop Advanced Synthetic Biological Circuits, Prajakta K. Jadhav

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The complexity and redundancy in the network topology of the cell hinder our understanding of the natural system, making it challenging to engineer living organisms with the desired functionality. The long-term goal of synthetic biology and bioengineering is to engineer cells to perform specific functions with increased robustness. The robust engineered systems can be easily applied to different species with the same outcome. An effective approach is a bottom-up approach where we tease apart the biological pathways and study them independently. Understanding the underlying mechanisms of biological pathways can be further applied to construct complex biological circuits that function similarly …

The Significance Of A New 11,000-Year Volcanic Record From The South Pole And Inferences From Comparisons With Other Volcanic Records, Derek Lee Brandis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Snow accumulation at the polar regions of the planet preserves chemical substances from the atmosphere creating natural archives. Records of the atmospheric environment including atmospheric chemical composition and the climate can be reconstructed from ice cores from the polar ice sheets. Sulfur emitted by explosive volcanic eruptions is preserved as sulfate in polar snow and can be used to reconstruct the record of volcanic eruptions. Since large volcanic eruptions impact the environment and climate, records of volcanic eruptions from ice cores can help us to study and understand climate change and model the future climate environment. A 1750-m ice core …

Characterizing The Lir Domain Of Abin1 And Identifying Its Role As A Regulator Of Mitophagy, Andrew Rhiner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A20 Inhibitor of NF-κB (ABIN1/TNIP1) is a known regulator of TNFα signaling induced cell death and inflammation. The regulatory activity has been attributed to ABIN1’s recruitment of the ubiquitin editing enzyme TNF-α-induced protein 3 (TNFAIP3/A20) to Receptor-interacting serine/threonine-protein kinase 1 (RIPK1). The regulation of RIPK1 by ABIN1 and A20 relies on a third player, linear ubiquitin chain assembly complex (LUBAC), which is involved in the recruitment of ABIN1 to RIPK1. Loss of LUBAC or ABIN1 is embryonic lethal, but loss of A20 is not embryonic lethal. The embryonic lethality due to loss of ABIN1, paired with the lack of lethality …

A Computational Fluid Dynamics Analysis Of The Temperature And Impurity Profiles In The Protodune-Sp Neutrino Detector, Jenna Harrison

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models of the ProtoDUNE single-phase detector were developed, refined, and analyzed. The ProtoDUNE single-phase detector is a prototype detector that is part of the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment, an international research collaboration aimed at better understanding neutrinos and the role they play in our universe. The ProtoDUNE single-phase detector is used to gather data and inform design changes for the full-sized far detector prior to its construction. The effects of certain geometric features and heat sources on the thermal profiles within the liquid region of the detector were investigated in a set of parametric studies. The …

Characterization Of Porcine Respiratory Epithelial Cells And Their Innate Immune Responses To Bacterial And Viral Ligands, Yam Prasad Gautam

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In response to a pathogenic attack, the host produces a series of defense mechanisms through various intracellular signaling pathways. The byproduct of these signaling pathways helps tackle the invading pathogen and protects the body from getting into a diseased state. This system is called the immune system. The immune system can be divided into two branches namely the innate immune system and adaptive immune system. The groups of immune cells that provide protection regardless of the pathogen specificity constitute the innate immune system. The system that acts according to the pathogen specificity is called the adaptive immune response. The production …

Mitakuye Oyasin : Pedagogy And Design In Composition I, Jody Lee Rust

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mitakuye Oyasin, an Oceti Sakowin (Lakota/Nakota/Dakota) phrase that translates as “All My Relations,” is a philosophy that means all things created on earth and in the universe are related and inhabit a shared space. Because all things are related and share space, they all have a purpose and a responsibility to discover and serve that purpose to ensure all of our relatives thrive in our shared space. This relational thinking influences the way the Oceti Sakowin interact with the world, including the way they teach. In this thesis, I analyze the way composition theories shape the curriculum and pedagogy of …

Emerging Respiratory Viral Pathogens, April Nelsen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Respiratory disease is arguably the most important health concern for the production animal industry [1-3]. Respiratory problems accounted for the highest mortality both in the swine and beef industries [1, 4]. Respiratory pathogens remain the most vital for swine and bovine research and disease monitoring [2, 5-7]. As pathogens, in particular viral pathogens, mutate, novel disease-causing viruses emerge, and there becomes an increasing concern and need for identification with control perimeters. One frequently identified disease syndrome is Porcine Respiratory Disease Complex (PRDC). PRDC is characterized by pneumonia of mixed respiratory infections with contributions from the environment and management practices. The …

Physiological Corticosterone Attenautes Gp120-Mediated Microglial Activation And Is Associated With Reduced Anxiety-Like Behavior In Gp120-Expressing Mice, Emaya Marie Moss

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) persists as a global pandemic. Despite the benefits of combinatorial antiretroviral therapies (cART), virotoxic HIV proteins are still detectable within the central nervous system and approximately half of all cART-treated patients contend with neurological impairments. The mechanisms underlying these effects are not known, but likely involve actions of virotoxic HIV proteins including glycoprotein 120 (gp120). Glycoprotein 120 is neurotoxic, in part due to its capacity to activate microglia. Corticosterone, an endogenous anti-inflammatory, has been found to attenuate neuronal death caused by gp120-induced microglial cytokine production in vitro. But, the concentration-dependent effects of corticosterone to influence microglial …

Linguistic Expressions Of Pidgin In Nigerian Stand-Up Comedy, Jimoh Junior Braimoh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is a study of the comics’ lexical choices and how they achieve their goals with words. The comics’ choice of words is far from being incidental, superficial, or supplementary. Performers’ choices of words show how their ideas are embodied in language. That is to say, the effect of how a comedian uses words and humor strategies is vital for understanding the contextual meaning of jokes and how they appeal to logic and reason. The objectives are to identify and categorize lexical choices and interpret their denotative, connotative, and affective meanings. Based on the Incongruity Theory (Attardo, 1994) Data …

Blood Tide: A Novel, Teagan Kessler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This is a work of fiction about a detective who moves to Louisiana to outrun a tragic incident in his past. In Louisiana, he catches a case involving the sheriff’s daughter, who has gone missing. Later found dead, the woman’s life comes to light through the detective’s investigation, all while he battles his PTSD.

Α-Tocopherol Succinate Nano Structured Lipid Carriers For The Ocular Delivery Of The Anticancer Agents And Statistical Modeling Of Release Study Profiles By Linear Mixed Models, Sushrut Marathe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Retinoblastoma (RB) is a rare type of cancer that develops quickly from immature retinal cells. Enucleation, external beam radiotherapy, episcleral plaque radiotherapy, and cryotherapy have been the treatment options for the RB.

Paclitaxel (PTX) is an effective antineoplastic medication with a wide range of applications in the treatment of malignant tumors., systemic toxicity, quick elimination, and resistance limit its clinical use. Due to its limited solubility, PTX formulations have proven difficult to develop, necessitating the use of Cremophor® EL and organic solvents. Furthermore, the blood-retinal barrier prevents PTX from penetrating into the ocular tissues. The goal of this work was …

The Effects Of Advocate Disclosure On Perceptions Of A Female Child Who Stutters, Peyton Mcknight

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research indicates that people who stutter are frequently attributed with negative stereotypes by listeners as a result of their speech. Previous research has examined the use of self-disclosure in offering the stuttering community a means of acknowledging and sharing the presence of their stuttering with a conversation partner. Subsequently, stuttering self-disclosure has been shown to reduce negative listener perceptions. Select advocate disclosures have also been found to yield beneficial results for a male child who stutters, but the effects of advocate disclosure on perceptions of a female who stutters has remained unexplored. This study expands upon previous research and examines …

The Effect Of Pitch Height On Instrument Gender Ratings, Raven Gordon Thompson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of pitch height on instrument gender ratings. This study’s participants (N=64) consisted of music major (n=32) and non-music major (n=32) students who are enrolled at the University of Mississippi. Using a 5-point semantic rating scale, participants rated the perceived masculinity and femininity of six musical instruments (flute, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, tuba) as they are played at the approximate midpoint of their ranges and as they played in ranges that countered their established instrument-sex-stereotype. Specifically, female instruments (flute, clarinet) played in their low ranges while male instruments (trombone, tuba) played …

Acceptability And Feasibility Of Healthcare Communication Considerations For Altering Perceptions Towards Influenza Vaccine: A Qualitative Study, Saumil Jadhav

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background

Influenza (influenza) is a contagious disease, causing thousands of deaths every year. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends routine annual influenza vaccination for all people over 6 months of age who do not have contraindications, yet the vaccination coverage for 2018-19 season was 49.2%, around 20% less than the goal set by Healthy People 2030 of 70% coverage. The national foundation of infectious diseases survey showed that 51% of respondents do not think the flu vaccine works, 34% are concerned with the side effects from the vaccine, and 22% are concerned about getting flu from the vaccine. …

Development Of Hollow Vaginal Device Using Stereolithography (Sla) 3d Printing For Intravaginal Drug Delivery, Preethi Lakkala

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Vulvovaginal candidiasis is a condition caused by the polymorphic opportunistic fungus Candida albicans, which involves the first-line treatment with antifungal agents comprising azole groups. An intravaginal drug delivery device is an alternate approach to conventional therapy that transcend multiple daily administrations and systemic side effects associated with oral medications and offers effective drug concentrations at the target site for a sustained period. This study reports, for the first time, the development of a novel hollow vaginal device by exploiting stereolithography (SLA) 3D printing technology to achieve localized and extended delivery of Itraconazole. These devices were fabricated using a shape memory …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Mindfulness-Based Group Interventions On Reducing Externalizing Behaviors In Adolescent Populations, Erica Montgomery

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the extent of the impact that mindfulness-based interventions, such as mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques, have on externalizing behaviors in adolescents. Specifically, the intended population receiving the intervention will be minority adolescents, ages 9-15, in rural Mississippi who have received disciplinary action from the school or community based on acting out and aggression. The Ohio Youth Rating Scale will be used to collect information from three primary sources: parents, teachers, and participants. Data will be collected at multiple points in the intervention. Based on previous research with similar age groups, outcomes should be favorable for reducing unwanted behaviors.

The Effects Of A Blended Learning Environment On Students' Discourse In A Secondary Mathematics Classroom, Brandi Blake

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

To prepare students for college and careers, the Common Core Mathematical Practice Standards propose teachers engage students in classroom discourse where they make sense of mathematics by working collaboratively and communicating their thinking. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to explore the relationship between a blended learning environment and the discourse students produce while in an AP Calculus AP course. Participants in this study are members of a large high school enrolled in either hybrid or virtual learning environments. Data were collected through recorded observations, coded using the Mathematics Classroom Observation Practices Protocol (MCOP2) and analyzed using statistical …

Online Learning Readiness Among International Students, Brandon Mcleod

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The United States holds a commanding 22% of the market share of international students, more than double that of the second leading country (United Kingdom). The number of international students studying at U.S. institutions has had a steady incline for decades and these students now make up approximately 5% of all higher education students in the U.S. Even still, there have been previous examinations of international students’ perceptions of online learning readiness. As online and blended learning elements are an integral part of nearly every degree program, and, indeed, nearly every course, it is imperative that we gain a better …

Bridging The Gap Between Journalism 273 And Graduation, And Beyond, Mackenzie Slate Ross

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

While Journalism 273: Creative Visual Thinking is a requirement for all undergraduate students majoring in Integrated Marketing Communications and some students majoring in Journalism, there are students who end up graduating from the University of Mississippi with a desire for more knowledge of graphic design. Feedback from current students in the School of Journalism and New Media at the University of Mississippi as well as alumni of the program was gathered in two surveys to understand better how Journalism 273 benefits them and pinpoints opportunities for improvement. One hundred nineteen students who took Journalism 273 and were enrolled in the …

Effects Of Stuttering Severity Disclosures On Listener Perceptions Of A Female Adolescent Who Stutters, Mikayla Ryan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to measure whether factual self-disclosure statements with differing levels of overt stuttering severity have effect on listener perceptions regarding an adolescent female who stutters (AFWS). Method: A total of 759 adults participated in this study. Participants were gathered through a nationwide campaign to various universities via email. There were four overt severity experimental conditions (control, fluent, mild and moderate-severe); participant assignments were balanced such that each experimental condition had comparable population demographics. Each condition contained a video stimulus of an adolescent female providing a factual disclosure statement identifying herself as a person who …

The N-Terminal Domains Of Voltage Dependent Anion Channels As Novel Members Of The Bcl-2 Family: Their Roles And Interactions With The Bh3 Domain Of The Bcl-2 Family Members, Clement Nana Agyemang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

VDACs are pore-forming proteins found within the mitochondria's outer membrane (MOM) whose function is to allow the exchange of metabolites such as ATP and ADP in and out of the mitochondria. In apoptotic cells, they allow the release of cytochrome c from the MOM into the cytosol to initiate apoptosis. The Bcl-2 family of proteins regulates mitochondrial-dependent apoptosis by inhibiting or promoting apoptosis through their BH3 domain. Recent studies have demonstrated that VDACs play essential roles in regulating mitochondrial apoptosis through their interactions with the Bcl-2 family. In this study, we proposed that VDACs are part of the Bcl-2 family …

Perceived Value Of A Vr (Virtual Reality) Tourism Experience: A Scale Development, Fernando Arroyo Lopez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Firms are skeptical about what values travelers anticipate obtaining from a Virtual Reality (VR) experience in tourism, and the valuation of trade-offs they are willing to make. This scale development aimed to fill this gap in the literature by creating a scale that can capture the perceived value derived from a VR experience in tourism. This research study adhered to well-established, mainstream psychometric scale creation and validation methods as demonstrated by several authors. This study provides a key step in developing measurement theory related to the perceived value derived from a VR experience in tourism and identifies four value dimensions: …