Digital Commons Network^™

Community Engagement/Involvement In School Life: Connecting The Missing Pieces Between School And Community, Shanika Hardy-Hickmon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Long Creek Elementary School is a small, rural school with approximately 292 students in Sallis, Mississippi. Long Creek Elementary School has historically struggled with stronger parent involvement in their children’s school life. To address this concern, the administration, faculty, and staff at Long Creek Elementary School targeted barriers to parental involvement/engagement to increase community engagement/involvement in school life and connect the missing pieces between school and community. This has led to discussions of the creation of a parent center to provide parents with daily support and needed resources to contribute to their child/children’s academic success.

The purpose of this study …

Crosscultural Backchannelling Responses Among Second Language Learners, Chien-Hui Hsu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Backchannel responses (Yngve, 1970) have always been an essential component of conversational interactions that facilitate speaker-listener engagement and mutual shaping of narratives (Bavelas et al., 2000). This study aims to investigate the cross-linguistic difference in backchannelling responses between Taiwan Mandarin and English (General American) second language (L2) learners, and how those differences might impact communication in a cross-cultural classroom. The current study examines 20 participants, ten each from Taiwan Mandarin speakers and American English speakers. Each speaker was observed in an online conversation to eliminate the influence of non-verbal cues such as gestures and facial expressions. The backchannelling responses they …

The Metaphysics Of Creaturely Love In The Philosophy Of Anne Conway, Jeremiah Joseph Langer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A common belief during the early modern period held that humans bear ethical relations only to creatures with whom we share the right kinds of similarity. A tradition attributed to René Descartes holds speciesist and anthropocentric views according to which nonhuman animals are mere automata who lack rational minds. Even Baruch Spinoza, who was much more radical in his Ethics, suggests creaturely similarity is restricted to beings with rationality. As such, Descartes and Spinoza conclude that lower beings cannot be morally evaluated for their actions and humans cannot be morally evaluated for their treatment of lower creatures. In her sole …

The Third Ethos: Asexual Potentialities In Transnational Literature Between 1900-1926, Kimberly Allyn Kotel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Third Ethos responds to the call put forth by sexuality studies for more extensive research into asexualities as a burgeoning field of identity and modality. At the same time, it furthers recent literary scholarship that locates the origins of modernism in earlier aesthetic movements such as symbolism, decadence, and aestheticism, underscoring the influence of modernization on artistic output during the fin de siècle while concurrently contributing to the development of Decadent studies. Analyzing Rachilde’s La Jongleuse, Willa Cather’s O Pioneers!, and Sylvia Townsend Warner’s Lolly Willowes, I argue that the Western sociocultural understanding of sex that existed in the …

De Novo Design Approaches Toward The Development Of Artificial Cu Proteins (Arcups) For Activation Of Small Molecules With Functional Relevance To Cu Monooxygenases, Divyansh Prakash

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Metalloenzymes catalyze various redox reactions in biogeochemical cycles involved in energy conversion. Our research focuses on Cu-based metalloenzymes, which perform diverse functions in nature and play a crucial role in substrate activation, energy conversion such as oxidizing methane to methanol by particulate methane monooxygenases (pMMOs), and biomass degradation by lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs), useful in biofuel production. However, much is unknown about how the active site and secondary/tertiary-sphere interactions in these enzymes determine their function. De novo protein design enables the creation of simpler model systems that closely resemble the structure and function of native enzymes. Using de novo protein …

Examining The Impact Of Mississippi's Early Learning Collaboratives In Supporting Children From Low Socioeconomic Backgrounds With Autism, Lisa Suzanne Ryals

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mississippi established the Early Learning Collaborative Act, MS Code § 37-21-51 (2023), in 2013 to expand pre-k opportunities statewide. This study examined the processes within Mississippi’s Early Learning Collaboratives that support school readiness for children from low socioeconomic backgrounds with autism. Improving access, participation, and supports for children from low socioeconomic backgrounds with autism by increasing the components of high-quality inclusive settings allows children to gain the necessary readiness skills for kindergarten. A policy analysis of the Mississippi Early Learning Act (2023) established the first phase of the research, followed by focus groups from the Mississippi Department of Education Office …

Essays On Monetary Policy And Financial Frictions, David Agyeman-Duodu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the implications of monetary policy in two interconnected frameworks. The first chapter investigates the impact of paying interest on reserves on the effectiveness of open market operations via the portfolio balance channel. Using a structural vector autoregression (SVAR) model, I find that responses of output and price levels are muted and uncertain in the post-interest-on-reserves regime, suggesting that open market operations have become less effective in transmitting monetary policy. A corollary to this is that the portfolio balance channel may have been sufficiently weakened after the introduction of interest on reserves policy. The second chapter revisits Alchian …

Dixieland Do Sul: Brazilian Racial Democracy And The Recontextualization Of Transnational Confederate Symbols (Vol. 1), Maximilian Xavier Conrad

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Following their defeat in the American Civil War, tens of thousands of American Southerners, many of them former Confederates, fled the United States to seek out new homelands in Latin America. Thousands would set their sights on Brazil, encouraged by the promise of arable land and the prospect of a new society in one of the hemisphere’s last slaveholding societies. Though many of these Confederados returned to the United States after Reconstruction, their influential presence in Brazil has remained a persistent factor. What has been the resulting impact of this nineteenth century Confederate immigration? This thesis volume will argue that …

Dixieland Do Sul: Brazilian Racial Democracy And The Recontextualization Of Transnational Confederate Symbols (Vol. 2), Maximilian Xavier Conrad

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Following their defeat in the American Civil War, tens of thousands of American Southerners, many of them former Confederates, fled the United States to seek out new homelands in Latin America. Thousands would set their sights on Brazil, encouraged by the promise of arable land and the prospect of a new society in one of the hemisphere’s last slaveholding societies. Though many of these Confederados returned to the United States after Reconstruction, their influential presence in Brazil has remained a persistent factor. This thesis volume will focus on a semiotic struggle over the role of transnational Confederate symbols in the …

Competition Between Bradyrhizobium Strains For Soybean Nodulation, Lilia Ernestina Montanez Hernandez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Biological Nitrogen Fixation (BNF) has surged as a natural strategy to provide available nitrogen to crops by taking advantage of diazotrophs, microorganisms that can reduce atmospheric nitrogen to ammonia. Soybean, a major crop, greatly benefits from BNF by forming endosymbiotic relationships with rhizobacteria from the genus Bradyrhizobium, which culminates in the formation of specialized organs called nodules, where nitrogen fixation occurs. This is known as Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation (SNF). Inoculation of soybean fields with high nitrogen fixing Bradyrhizobium strains to stimulate SNF is being used as a strategy to increase crop productivity and nitrogen content. However, in North America, SNF …

Impact Of Solar Radiation On Perchlorate Formation In The Atmosphere: Evidence From Ice Core Measurements, Bishnu Kunwar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Perchlorate, which derives from both anthropogenic and natural sources in the current environment, poses a substantial health hazard to humans as it competes with iodine uptake in the thyroid gland. Consequently, there has been considerable concern about minimizing human exposure to environmental perchlorate by restricting its release from man-made sources. However, the absence of a clear understanding regarding the respective contributions of man-made and natural sources has hindered widespread regulation efforts. A 300-year (1700–2007) Summit, Greenland ice core record from a previous study showed relatively stable perchlorate concentrations in Greenland snow prior to 1980, with some elevated perchlorate levels associated …

Developing Machine Learning Models For Selection Of Management Zones, Sravanthi Bachina

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Soil sampling and analyses play a crucial role in optimizing nutrient management and enhancing crop productivity. However, collecting representative samples across diverse landscapes is challenging due to knowledge gaps about spatial variability of soil properties, large fields, multiple samples, and analysis costs. Collecting soil samples based on the management zones can help farmers gather precise information about soil properties with fewer samples. Recent developments in precision agriculture and machine learning. This study aimed to develop machine learning models that can learn, analyze, and refine landscape and soil properties data for automated selection of soil sampling zones and generating prediction maps. …

Effects Of Low-Cost, Low-Tech Tools For Riparian Restoration On Prairie Streams In Western South Dakota, James Andrew Joseph Bolyard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite making up less than two percent of the overall landscape in the arid and semi-arid western US, riparian areas are a crucial resource for agriculture, livestock, and wildlife. However, many have impaired function and reduced riparian cover. Low-Cost, Low-Tech Tools (LCLTT) are a subset of Process-Based Restoration (PBR) used for riparian restoration that were chosen for their cost-effectiveness and minimal technical requirements. LCLTT has been tested in mountainous areas of the western US but only recently implemented in the Northern Great Plains (NGP). Given their novelty as an approach toward restoration for the region, professional restoration and landowner communities …

Development Of Innovative Flocculation Technologies For Agricultural Water Treatment, Noor Haleem

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The development of innovative flocculation technologies is essential for addressing the challenges of agricultural water treatment. These technologies play a crucial role in removing contaminants such as suspended solids and nutrients, thereby ensuring safer water for irrigation and livestock consumption. By enhancing water quality and wastewater management, they contribute significantly to environmental sustainability and public health in agricultural communities. This comprehensive thesis extensively explores various dimensions of flocculation, with a focused effort on methodologies and resources aimed at strengthening sustainability and efficiency. A pivotal aspect of the research involves synthesizing cationic starch (CS), a flocculant derived from an underutilized resource, …

Demarginalizing Bede's Margins: A Digital Codicological Reassessment Of The Relationship Between Marginalia And Body Matter In Cambridge, Corpus Christi College Ms 41, James Nicholas Sumrall

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The scribal activity in the margins of the eleventh-century Cambridge, Corpus Christi College MS 41 has long been acknowledged and studied, but rarely have scholars examined the relationship between the manuscript’s marginalia and its body text, an Old English translation of Bede’s Historia Ecclesiastica. As such, this thesis attempts to address this critical scholarly gap by evaluating key marginal texts of MS 41 in their original physical contexts. In the introduction and first chapter, a brief overview of the manuscript history of MS 41 and its five extant analogues is given. The second chapter focuses on the textual transmission, content, …

Pi3k Signaling And Its Role In Cardiac Morphogenesis, Rabina Shrestha

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The formation of the heart tube in vertebrates involves the coordinated movement of bilateral myocardial precursors to the midline, where they merge in a process known as cardiac fusion to form the primitive heart tube. While external influences from the anterior endoderm and the endocardium are known to be essential for cardiac fusion, intrinsic myocardial mechanisms are less understood. Here, we identify an intrinsic PI3K-dependent mechanism directing myocardial cells toward the midline during cardiac fusion. We found that inhibiting the PI3K pathway throughout the embryo using chemical inhibitors and injection of dnPI3K mRNA results in cardiac fusion defects. PI3K-inhibited embryos …

Imaginative Play In The Inculcation Of Creativity As An Intellectual Virtue, Annie Elisabet Gustafsson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Creativity, defined as the ability to generate original and innovative ideas and products, is widely valued yet not explicitly taught. This largely stems from the understanding that creativity cannot be cultivated through traditional methods like imitation or direct instruction, as such approaches contradict the essence of creativity itself. However, we must not write it off as unteachable. To help us better understand what can be done to teach creativity effectively, we must consider its character.

This paper offers a theory of creativity as an intellectual virtue, drawing on Linda Zagzebki’s components of virtue and aligning creativity with Aristotle’s phronesis and …

Lesbian Ferality: Ecco/Kin Disturbance In Sapphic Modernist Literature, Kara Michelle Russell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Lesbian Ferality: Eco/Kin Disturbance in Sapphic Modernist Literature considers the intersections of lesbian literature, queer modernity, and multispecies ecofeminisms in its discussion of literary kinship and worldmaking practices. Colette’s La Naissance du jour (1928), Nella Larsen’s Passing (1929), Olive Moore’s Spleen (1930), and Djuna Barnes’s Nightwood (1936) are all texts committed to unsettling various binaries through attempts at non-normative kinship. This dissertation examines these attempts and encounters as modes of disturbance for personal and political ends. The limiting dualities of natural/unnatural, political/anti-social, insider/outsider, and domestic/wild are challenged by an attention to and intimacy with nonhuman entities that I term lesbian …

The Perceived Effects On The Motivation, Anxiety, And Online Language Learning Of Saudi Efl Learners During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Ali Hasan Alamry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Although many restrictions initiated by the COVID-19 pandemic are no longer imposed, massive changes across the globe have impacted online language learning afterward. Technology infrastructure, students' and teachers' digital literacy, and proper distance learning pedagogies were among the challenges of online learning during the pandemic. Nevertheless, valuable lessons can be learned from the pandemic to better handle online language learning classes in the future. Globally, increasing attention in the literature has been directed toward the effects of the pandemic on L2 learners' different affective factors. Locally, this study focuses on the perceived impacts on Saudi EFL learners' motivation, anxiety, and …

An Applied Research Study On Improving Special Education Identification And Support For Grades 3-6: Assessing The Impact Of The Tier 3 Process, Nickie Malone

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Addressing the urgent need for effective literacy instruction, especially for students with diverse learning needs, is paramount in today's educational landscape. This dissertation investigates the implementation and impact of the Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) framework, particularly the Tier 3 process, at AUES in grades 3-6. The study aims to shed light on the systemic gaps in special education identification and support, evolving pedagogical approaches, and the role of educators and institutions in shaping literacy outcomes.

Grounded in the principles of equity and inclusion, the MTSS framework emerges as a promising avenue for providing personalized support and instruction tailored to …

Understanding Recruitment Practices In A Rural Mississippi Community College Honors Program, Morgan B. Ricks

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate identifies the Dissertation in Practice as “a scholarly endeavor that impacts a complex problem of practice,” within its framework for Doctor of Education programs. This Dissertation in Practice is designed to help address the following problem of practice within the Northeast Mississippi Community College Honors Institute: despite numerous benefits, not all students who are eligible for admission and membership in the honors program will join. This Dissertation in Practice is divided into three manuscripts. Manuscript I provides rationale for why pursuit of this topic is important, including the author’s own positionality, conceptual framework, …

The Relationship Between Sport Club Participation And Academic Success In Undergraduate Students At The University Of Mississippi, Gabrielle Sokol

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Degree attainment is a shared goal of college students, higher education institutions, and the larger society, as graduates have lower rates of unemployment, higher rates of civic engagement, pay higher taxes, and are able to better prepare future generations for academic success as compared to their counterparts (Museus et al., 2008). Additionally, institutions with higher retention rates have the chance to increase their reputation and may be presented as more prestigious to potential students and their families (Hagedorn, 2005).

Despite the clear incentives for all parties, every year many students, including those at the University of Mississippi, choose to leave …

An Argument Against Positivist Separability, Nichalus Zoltan Vali

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

One of the most influential views associated with legal positivism is that of the separability thesis. Primarily associated with H.L.A Hart, this thesis is widely understood to be the view that there is no necessary connection between law and morality. However, John Gardner takes this to be a naïve interpretation of separability that fails to adequately characterize legal positivism and which Hart himself did not endorse. Instead, Hart and other legal positivists were committed to the view that whether a norm is legally valid depends on its sources (i.e., social facts such as official engagement with the norm) and not …

Mindfulness And Mathematics: The Relationship Between A Mindful Teacher And Mathematics Intervention, Ave Mayeux

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Adolescents in American classrooms are currently required to fulfill multiple roles, making them particularly vulnerable to stress due to intense academic demands and social pressures. This stress can be particularly challenging for adolescents who struggle with stress, anxiety, depression, and/or self-regulation. Previous research indicates a positive correlation between mindfulness practices and reduced anxiety, improved social skills and interactions, enhanced academic performance, and better self-perception. This self-study explored the implementation of mindfulness exercises in a mathematics intervention classroom by adapting and creating appropriate resources, and facilitating mindfulness exercises suitable for adolescent students. Data in this self-inquiry study was generated through meticulous …

Performance Of A Selective Amplify-And-Forward Scheme For Two-Users With Two-Relays In Rayleigh Fading And Log-Normal Shadowing Channels, Mahdia Tahsin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Relays serve as virtual antennas in wireless networks, fostering spatial diversity between the source and destination to enhance coverage, signal quality, and network reliability. Among the various relay-assisted communication approaches, amplify-and-forward (AF) is widely favored for its reduced computational complexity. The selection of an optimal relay is crucial for maximizing network performance, constituting a significant challenge in wireless communication. Hence, optimal relay selection has emerged as a pivotal area of research. In this thesis, we investigate the potential benefits of implementing relay selection schemes in AF relay networks featuring two source-destination pairs and two relays. Our analysis focuses on two …

Perceived Linguistic And Non-Linguistic Barriers Facing Saudi Female Partners Learning English, Samah Mohamad Dulli

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The partners of the Saudi students who come to the United States on scholarships to earn a degree (Bachelor's, Master's, or Ph.D.) are eligible for full scholarships as well. However, most of them fail to proceed in earning a degree or fulfill the language proficiency requirement needed to join an academic degree program. This study surveys between 10 to 20 adult female partners of Saudi university students to elicit their opinions on how much English they think they will learn during their partner scholarship time in academic and non-academic settings. This study investigates the female partners of the Saudi degree …

An Evaluation Of Comprehensive Professional Development Program To Improve Teacher Quality And Student Engagement, Elois R. Nicholson-Booker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this applied research study, using program evaluation, was to improve professional development for teachers to build their capacity in student engagement. This applied research study used three elements: professional development, professional learning communities, and observation-feedback, to improve teacher quality and to increase student engagement. The goal of the professional development element was to increase teacher capacity in student engagement by equipping teachers with research-based strategies to implement in individual classrooms. The goals of the professional learning communities (PLCs) was to support teachers in implementing research-based strategies to increase student engagement and to increase the level of collaboration …

Surficial Geologic Mapping Of The Tocowa 7.5-Minute Quadrangle, Tallahatchie, And Panola Counties In Northwestern Mississippi: Geologic Framework Of Alluvial Fans With Implications For Aquifer Recharge, Anisha Dahal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Mississippi River Valley Alluvial Aquifer (MRVA) within the Mississippi Embayment (ME) is a crucial freshwater resource in the southern United States, supporting agricultural, municipal, and industrial demands. However, excessive groundwater extraction has led to significant declines in water levels across the region over recent decades. Mississippi River alluvial fans, which emanate from valley walls and overlay the MRVA, are composed of coarse-grained sediments and could be significant groundwater recharge areas for the MRVA. This study focuses on the geology of the Tocowa 7.5-minute quadrangle in northwestern Mississippi, encompassing parts of Panola and Tallahatchie counties, with a goal of understanding …

Essays On State Lotteries, Adedayo James Ogunniran

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores how two major factors—gasoline prices and inflation—may influence state lottery revenues, with each factor examined in a separate essay. The first essay investigates the relationship between gasoline prices and lottery ticket revenues at gas stations. As the largest retailers of lottery tickets, gas stations play a crucial role in the lottery market. However, the relationship between gasoline prices and lottery ticket revenue has received very little attention. To address this gap, the essay analyzes weekly gas station-level data from four states—Texas, Florida, Illinois, and New York—over a 52-week period. The structural panel vector autoregression (PSVAR) approach yields …

Time And Space Evolution Of Late Permian To Early Triassic Deposits In The Northern Delaware Basin, Southeast New Mexico, U.S.A.: Sediment Sources, Dispersal Pathways, And Timing Of Salt Deformation, Omonde Sitou Akakpo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The northern Delaware Basin in southeast New Mexico recorded the deposition of thick evaporite beds followed by siliciclastic materials between the late Permian and Early Triassic. Mineralogy and whole-rock geochemistry of the bioturbated zone and the first mudstone/halite (M1/H1) informal units in the Los Medaños Member (Rustler Formation) suggest felsic volcanic arc origins for the bioturbated zone and felsic upper continental crust passive margin origins for the M1/H1. The previously studied marine transgression that deposited the bioturbated zone likely transported detritus from southern North America and Central American volcanic arcs into the northern Delaware Basin, whereas the regression allowed migration …