Digital Commons Network^™

"The Wild Asleep": A Cultural And Environmental History Of Ramps, Catherine Jessee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Ramps, wild onions, or allium tricoccum are a variety of spring ephemeral, or a flowering plant that emerges for a brief period every spring. In working through stereotypical ideas about Appalachian regional identity, I interpret the environmental history of this plant. Incorporating memory, oral histories, and folklore, this thesis complicates wider conceptions of home, community, and boundary. Tapping into an archive of ramps knowledge as it is created, I ask, what can the future of ramps tell us about place, space, and belonging?

Assessing The Effectiveness And Utility Of A Mindfulness-Based Ecological Momentary Intervention In College Students, Jeffrey Pavlacic

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mental health problems are common and increasing in college students. Despite the high prevalence rates of mental health problems in college students, a small percentage of students seek treatment. Low treatment seeking is associated with different factors, such as stigma, financial barriers, and emotion dysregulation. Identifying and delivering evidence-based treatments is critical to curtailing mental health problems and promoting psychological well-being in this population. One intervention that offers significant promise is Ecological Momentary Intervention (EMI), which incorporates technology to administer interventions. EMIs are widely applied for heterogeneous psychological problems and effective through different modalities. Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) ameliorate psychological distress …

The Longitudinal Influence Of Adhd Status And Stimulant Medication On Body Mass Index And Blood Pressure Among Obese Youth, Sophie Kollin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Youth with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are more vulnerable to developing obesity, as they have significantly higher body mass index (BMI) and are at increased risk of food addiction and binge eating. Stimulant medication use, which is an evidence-based treatment for ADHD, is associated with lower BMI and higher blood pressure among normal weight youth. The purpose of this study was to examine the longitudinal influence of ADHD and stimulant medication use on BMI and blood pressure trajectories among a sample of 456 youth treated in a weight management clinic. Mixed linear modeling examined the main and interactive effects of …

Amphiphilic Janus Polymer Nanoparticles For Pharmaceutical And Biomedical Applications, Mahesh Loku Yaddehige

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Amphiphilic hybrid polymers have attracted significant interest as biomaterials for both fundamental research and practical clinical applications due to their unique polymer structure and properties relative to the conventional symmetric polymers. Often referred to as “Janus” polymers combine two different polymer segments (hydrophilic and hydrophobic) of varying degrees, sizes, and functionalities to obtain a single amphiphilic or hetero-functional macromolecule with characteristic features. In particular, amphiphilic “Janus” polymers and their self-assemblies have shown apparent success in nanomedicine owing to their ability to provide highly ordered nanoscale multimolecular aggregates, including micelles and vesicles. However, engineering these polymeric materials on a large scale …

Halogen Bond Driven Supramolecular Materials, Dilan Chinthaka Karunathilaka

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Halogen bonding (XBing) is a type of non-covalent interaction between covalently bound halogen atoms (XB donor), and Lewis bases (XB acceptor). In recent years, it has become a remarkable and adaptable tool to produce interesting molecular architectures and functionalities in organic-based materials. Such applications include liquid crystals, nonlinear optics, photovoltaics, and multicolor displays in the solid phase. Due to this variety of applications, XBing has become an exciting area of study in supramolecular chemistry. Herein are presented synthetic routes and characterization of self-assembling XBing molecules and their resulting materials. First, four different heterocyclic oligomers containing pyrazine, thiophene, and furan have …

Botanical Aphrodisiacs For Women's Health, Hayley N. Prescott

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Female Sexual Dysfunction (FSD) affects nearly 40% of women in the United States. While males have five FDA approved drugs for ED, there is only one FDA-approved as-needed treatment for premenopausal women with acquired, generalized Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD), the most prevalent FSD. The lack of approved drugs is largely due to the biopsychosocial complexity of HSDD; however, there are neurobiological underpinnings evident. Due to the lack of safe efficacious treatment options, we hypothesize that botanical species traditionally used as aphrodisiacs may be promising leads, and exert their effects via activation of melanocortin’s, an excitatory circuit implicated in sexual …

Perceptions Of English Learner Support Provided By K-12 Leaders To Educators In Mississippi, Ladonna Thomas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The demographic of public schools in America is continuously changing. According to the United States Department of Education (USDE), the English learner population increased in over 25 states from the 2009-2010 school year to the 2014-2015 school year (USDE, 2017). In 2014-15, there were more than 4,800,000 English learners enrolled in schools, accounting for 10% of the total student population (USDE, 2017). With this shifting demographic, educators must be prepared to meet the needs of EL students.

The purpose of this study is to examine educators and instructional leaders’ perceptions of EL instructional support and to highlight the need for …

Implications Of Gender Dysphoria On Gender Schema And Social Cognitive Theories Of Gender Development, Beau Bourgeois

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project considers the implications of gender dysphoria under two prominent theories of gender development, gender schema theory (GST) and social cognitive theory (SCT). Gender dysphoria is considered a significant motivator for transgender behavior and is presented in the DSM-5 as the experience of a strong desire, or as primarily affective in nature. GST and SCT differ in a number of ways, most notably in the role affect plays for gender development and behavior motivations. The former places primary emphasis on environmental influences, leaving the role of affect in question, while the latter posits gender behavior and motivation as an …

Late-Stage Diversification Of Select Natural Products €“ New Chemical Entities With Improved Biological Activities, Moneerah J. Alqahtani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Owing to their complexity, diverse structures and molecular targets, natural products have contributed, and will continue to contribute, to the development and discovery of new drugs. Although natural products provide numerous active compounds, their complex structures and poor pharmacokinetics make meeting the eligibility criteria for clinical trials unfeasible. In order to improve their drug-likeness, structural modification is an effective tool to generate countless natural product-based molecules with potential therapeutics. This proposal entails synthetic efforts towards late-stage diversification of natural products in two projects.

The first study highlights the multi-factorial nature of Alzheimer’s disease and brings attention to the importance of …

Synthetic Studies On Valuable Fluorinated Building Blocks, Maali Alshammari

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Fluorine chemistry plays a diverse role in the pharmaceutical, agricultural, and material industries. In fact, around 25% of pharmaceuticals and 40% of agrochemicals contain at least one fluorine atom. The incorporation of fluorine into pharmaceuticals or natural products can increase bioavailability by enhancing lipophilicity, metabolic stability, and overall pharmacokinetics properties. Our laboratory has designed a method to generate difluoroenolates from pentafluoro-gem-diols. This reactivity can be used to produce molecules displaying a difluoromethyl group. The reaction occurs through the release of trifluoroacetate. We improved the design and synthesis of fluorinated derivatives of flavones and measured their antioxidants activities. This work expanded …

Speech Fluency Changes Following Deep Brain Stimulation Of The Subthalamic Nucleus In Parkinson’S Disease: A Meta-Analysis, Emily Morphis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: Speech fluency changes following deep brain stimulation are one aspect that is crucial to consider when exploring treatments for Parkinson’s disease. Deep brain stimulation, specifically of the subthalamic nucleus, has been linked to a decrease in speech fluency despite improved bodily motor control. This acquired dysfluency is referred to as “neurogenic stuttering.” The purpose of the current study is to determine the incidence and severity of speech fluency decline following deep brain stimulation in patients with Parkinson’s disease. A meta-analysis was conducted with 7 studies (239 subjects) that recorded changes in speech fluency. All studies used a quantitative assessment, …

Role Of Astrocytic Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1 In The Regulation Of Behavior, Cognition, And Neuroinflammation, Brayden Thomas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Modern medicine has consistently extended life expectancy over recent decades and centuries. Despite this, age-associated cognitive decline and risk of neurodegenerative disease grow in parallel with lifespan, meaning the capacity to live healthier has not mirrored that to live longer. Many studies in both human and rodents have shown the association between age-related cognitive impairment and reduction of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) signaling. Additional research has indicated that dysregulated IGF-1 signaling, either systemic or local to the central nervous system (CNS) in cells like neurons and glia, leads to impaired spatial learning and memory in mice. Glia, or glial cells, …

Re-Engineered Metalloproteins And Rationally Designed De Novo Peptides: Towards Artificial Hydrogenases, Pallavi Prasad

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Metals play a crucial role in biology. Metalloenzymes perform various functions in various life sustaining processes. Global energy crisis is a major challenge that the world is facing. The depleting fossil fuels and increasing carbon footprint calls for a need of alternate clean energy sources. Researchers have been working to help alleviate this challenge for decades. Hydrogen gas comes up as a potential candidate which can be used as a biofuel in a hydrogen fuel cell. Hydrogenase is a metalloenzyme that does a two-electron reversible conversion of protons to hydrogen, making it an excellent hydrogen source. However, this native enzyme …

The Impact Of Blended Classroom Pedagogy On Student Gpa In A Community College Stem Course, Sarah Mattox Holt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

America is facing a shortage of STEM workers and colleges must meet the demand by educating qualified graduates. However, attrition rates are high in STEM classes, particularly in minority groups. Blended learning has increased in popularity in higher education over recent years and has the potential to improve current teaching practices. Yet, limited research centers on the success of blended learning implemented in a community college STEM course. This quantitative research study (N=1264) was designed to evaluate student success in the blended learning environment versus traditional environment in an introductory community college biology course for science majors. The study indicated …

Development Of Local Depot Formulation For Sustained Systemic Delivery Of Proteins, Pranav Ponkshe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Protein therapeutics due to their high potency, high specificity, and desirable profile have gained a lot of traction in the last decade. Though the route of administration is limited to parenteral routes. There are also short half-life and instability issues observed in protein therapeutics making it necessary to develop delivery systems.

In the first chapter interleukin 15 as a cytokine was introduced while the second chapter talks more in detail about the development of a local depot hydrogel formulation for the delivery of recombinant interleukin 15. In vitro stability, and release studies were performed to select the optimum formulation for …

Exploring Non-Covalent Interactions With Quantum Chemical Tools, Morgan Perkins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Computational quantum chemistry is an excellent tool for probing properties of all types of chemical systems that are not easily accessible via experimental work. In particular, computational chemistry can be used to develop a better understanding of non-covalent interactions, which are important to a variety of chemical and biological processes. This work focuses primarily on complexes held together by hydrogen and halogen bonding, investigating their relationship to each other and, in a few projects, providing data that can be used for experimental identification of the different configurations. Additionally, comparisons are made between complexes containing first-row elements (e.g. fluorine) and their …

Dye And Redox Shuttle Interactions To Promote Fast Electron Transfer In Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells, Abeysinghe Mudiyanselage Dinesh Bandara Nugegoda

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Harnessing the sun's power using dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) is a possible answer to address the energy challenge. Increasing the performance of DSC devices by increasing the rate of productive electron transfers is critically essential. In this regard, to increase the rate of electron transfers from the redox shuttle to the dye, a strategy of coordinating the redox shuttle through non-covalent interactions such as Lewis acid-Lewis base interactions, π-stacking interactions, and halogen bonding interactions to the dye are considered. DSC devices were fabricated using newly synthesized dyes and redox shuttle pairs to study each strategy. The performance of the devices …

On Airborne Tire Wear Particles Along Roads, Labeling Microplastics With Fluorescent Dyes, Microplastics In Wastewater Treatment Plant And Beach Sand, And Microplastic-Mercury Affinity, Zhiqiang Gao

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Microplastics (MPs) with sizes of 1 μm to 5 mm that are intentional manufactured or result from fragmentation of large plastic debris are widely recognized as a global pollutant. The distributions and concentrations of MPs in environmental and biological systems as well as their toxicity are not well understood. This dissertation details five studies providing new insight and methods on (1) the occurrence and characteristics of airborne tire wear particles (TWPs) along roads, (2) manufacturing and labeling of MPs with fluorescent dyes, (3) fate of MPs in a secondary wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) at the University of Mississippi, (4) distribution …

Interval Delivery Of 5ht2a Agonists Using Multilayered Polymeric Films, Mehjabeen Hossain

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is an urgent unmet medical need to develop therapeutic options for the ~50% of depression patients suffering from treatment-resistant depression, which is difficult to treat with existing psycho- and pharmaco-therapeutic options. Classical psychedelics, such as the 5HT2A agonists, have re-emerged as a treatment paradigm for depression. Recent clinical trials highlight the potential effectiveness of 5HT2A agonists to improve mood and psychotherapeutic growth in treatment-resistant depression patients, even in those who have failed a median of four previous medications in their lifetime. Moreover, microdosing could be a promising way to achieve long-term alleviation of depression symptoms without a hallucinogenic experience. …

Design Of Human Inspired Feet For Mithra, A High-Performance Humanoid Robot, Spencer Lyle Brewster

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the foot design for the new humanoid robot Mithra, with the goal to improve impact mitigation, natural gait throughout the gait cycle and balance. Using human gait parameters, a stiff aluminum foot was designed to emulate human center of pressure rollover trajectories. In addition, a 2D dynamic Finite Element Analysis (FEA) of the gait cycle was created in Abaqus to rapidly prototype foot designs. Data from the FE model provided impact forces, parameters for distal foot power evaluation and maximum lean angles. From this model a flexible nylon foot was optimized for the given design objectives. The …

Juntos Luchamos: A Postcritical Ethnographic And Photovoice Study On Latinx Student Civic Engagement Practices At A Hispanic-Serving Institution, Liliana Diaz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Situated at a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI), this postcritical ethnographic and photovoice study sought to explore how Latinx students define and practice civic engagement. Theoretically framed by Latino Cultural Citizenship (LCC), the study explored how current Latinx student civic engagement practices inform a Hispanic-Serving Institutions’ civic engagement efforts. Data collection took place over the 2021-2022 academic year and an exhibition of the study’s findings was made publicly available at the culmination of the study. Findings from the study indicate that Latinx postsecondary students define civic engagement as knowledge and resource sharing (KRS) and achieving success. Findings for how Latinx postsecondary students …

Role Of Host Restriction Factors On Porcine Reproductive And Respiratory Syndrome Virus (Prrsv) Replication, Pratik Katwal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this study, the role of IFITM3 on PRRSV replication was studied in vitro by expressing exogenous IFITM3 in MARC-145 cells. An average of 31% reduction in PRRSV N protein expression and an average of 5.4 fold decrease in virus titer in the supernatant were observed in IFITM3 overexpressing cells as compared to vector control cells at 24 hours post infection (hpi). Moreover, there was a positive correlation between interferon- induced IFITM3 up-regulation and reduced PRRSV replication. To determine the role of endogenous IFITM3 in PRRSV replication, siRNA induced knockdown of IFITM3 was employed. RT-PCR validated the successful silencing of …

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 …

Application Of Pork Checkoff We Care Sustainability Principles To Pork Production: Water, Nutrition, And Biosecurity, Hannah Miller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Pork Checkoff program was founded in 1986 as a means to strengthen U.S. pork in the market place (Pork Checkoff). Under this program all U.S. pork producers and importers pay $0.40 for every $100 worth of pigs is sold (Pork Checkoff). Funds are then used for pork promotion, research, and education for producers and consumers (Pork Checkoff). The Pork Checkoff program uses the We Care ethical principles as a means to address “continuous improvement in the pork industry’s production practices and promote a strong record of responsible farming to those outside of the industry” (National Pork Board, 2018a). 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 …

Effect Of Essential Oils In The Control Of Fungal Diseases In Small Grains, Esneider Mahecha Bojaca

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and oats (Avena sativa L.) are important crops due to their high consumption in our daily diet worldwide. They are the main food of consumption per capita due to the high amino-acid content as well of vitamins. However, grain production is limited due to the negative impact of the diseases that cause significant yield loss. Diseases in oats, such as crown rust caused by Puccinia coronata f. sp. avenae (Pca), and in wheat such as Fusarium head blight (FHB) caused by the fungus Fusarium graminearum. Foliar diseases such as tan spot incited by the fungi …

High Protein Yeast-Based Ddgs As An Alternative To Commonly Used Protein Sources In Pig Diets, Yesid Ricardo Garavito Duarte

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Alternative ingredients and co-products from ethanol and biofuel industries represent an opportunity for utilization in swine diets. In this context, understanding nutritional value to practical swine feeding begins with product characterization and determination of nutrient digestibility. The objective of this research was to test the hypothesis: yeast-based high-protein DDGS (HP-GDDY) has comparable AA and metabolizable energy (ME) digestibility to feedstuffs commonly used in swine diets and that it could be included as an alternative protein source in nursery diets without negative impact on growth performance. Cornstarch-based diets were formulated using six ingredients as the sole source of AA: spray dried …

Phomopsis Stem Canker Of Sunflower (Helianthus Annuus L.): Etiology And Epidemiological Conditions Affecting Endophytic Population Of Diaporthe Spp., And Fungicide Efficacy, Nabin Kumar Dangal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Phomopsis stem canker (PSC), caused by species of Diaporthe, is a major disease of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) in the U.S., which can cause yield loss over 40%. The disease prevalence increased since 2010 in the major sunflower producing U.S. states of Nebraska, Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Previous studies on the use of foliar fungicides in managing Phomopsis stem canker indicated mixed results on their efficacy in disease reduction and yield gain. Additionally, we do not have sufficient information on asymptomatic colonization by endophytic Diaporthe on sunflower tissue and how foliar fungicide and weather parameters affect the prevalence …

Production Of Calcium Reduced Micellar Casein Concentrate Powders And Their Use In Process Cheese Products, Anil Kommineni

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Protein is an essential dietary component, and sufficient intake is vital in a healthy and balanced diet. Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of and knowledgeable about the role of protein in the diet. Two of the next-generation dairy protein ingredients isolated from milk are micellar casein (MCC) and milk-derived whey protein, isolated from skim milk using microfiltration (MF). Membrane filtration has been used extensively by the dairy industry to produce a variety of dairy ingredients from milk. MCC manufactured from freshly pasteurized milk can be directly consumed or as a supplement to fortify and enhance nutritional qualities in processed food …

Study Of Root System Architectural Traits Of Oat And Response To Endophyte Inoculation And Drought Stress, Krishna Ghimire

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Oat is an important cereal crop grown worldwide. Oats have the potential to contribute to human health due to their unique nutritional attributes. Developing oat cultivars with efficient root systems able to extract heterogeneously distributed soil resources can help maintain yield under drought conditions and in nutrient poor soil. Various root traits determine the soil volume that is explored by the root system for resource acquisition. Knowledge about the genetic control of oat root traits and response to biotic and abiotic environmental factors is lacking. Identifying quantitative trait loci associated with root traits and understanding the response of roots to …