Digital Commons Network^™

Multicultural Perceptions Of Creativity, Abby Noel Winterbrook

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Multicultural Perceptions of Creativity examined perceptions of creativity among eight creatively gifted adults from diverse backgrounds who have a profession in an arts related field. This study examined what the phenomenon of creativity is and how it is experienced. The beliefs that inform perceptions of creativity were explored. The experiences that inform perceptions of creativity were described. The interactions among beliefs and experiences were considered. The data collected revealed that creativity is an instinct that each person possesses and can activate within themselves. Creativity can be nurtured based on environment and through personal, educational, professional, and cultural experiences. Creativity involves …

Mitigating Weight Stigma In The Medical System: Self-Compassion For Nursing Students, Ellen C. Joseph

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Weight stigma is a form of oppression that has been shown to have a detrimental impact on the well-being of people with higher weight. Healthcare providers are one of the most common sources of weight stigma, and their stigmatizing beliefs have been found to be associated with differential care for patients with “obesity”. The current study aimed to explore the feasibility of the loving-kindness meditation (LKM) as a brief intervention that reduces weight bias in nursing students by increasing self-compassion, positive, other-focused emotions, and cognitive flexibility, in order to improve compassionate care for patients with higher weight. Participants (189 nursing …

Understanding Critical Reflection As A Leadership Development Methodology, Matthew M. Orlowsky

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

How do leaders translate experiences into insights? Critical reflection is offered as a leadership development process that illuminates effective practices following an empirical analysis of 352 United States Air Force Academy cadet essays that describe their most profound leadership experiences. These essays are iteratively analyzed and interpreted using the critical reflection methodology. The essays were examined to find how young leaders turn experiences into leadership insights. The study takes advantage of the distinctive Academy leadership development context and the data available from cadets’ essays describing their profound leadership experiences. There are three contributions bounded in this dissertation and multiple avenues …

Development And Initial Validation Of An Acculturation Measure For Arab Expatriates In Qatar Using Mixed Methods, Sara Ali Ahmed Zikri

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Prior research on acculturation has predominantly focused on specific immigrant and ethnic groups in the United States, Europe, and Asia, and there is a lack of publicly available scales that measure acculturation among expatriates in countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council. The purpose of this study was to use a mixed methods research design to develop a theoretical framework of acculturation for white-collar Arab expatriates in Qatar as well as a culturally appropriate self-report acculturation measure. The acculturation stories and experiences of white-collar Arab expatriates in Qatar were qualitatively explored and analyzed, and their findings were used to construct an …

Transition Barriers Of U.S. Military Veterans With Combat Occupations, Carole Thomas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many combat-occupation veterans experience difficulty translating their military occupation to a civilian occupation after they leave the military. Veterans may struggle with military culture, self-leadership, health concerns, stereotypes, and employment barriers such as disability and underemployment. In this qualitative descriptive research study, the researcher analyzed the transition barriers U.S. combat-occupation veterans experienced when entering the civilian sector and workforce. The researcher interviewed six participants via Zoom using semistructured interview questions. All participants met the criteria of being 18–29 years old, being a veteran with a combat occupation, and having a willingness to tell their transition experiences. Five of the six …

Serially Concatenated Continuous Phase Modulation With Sova Turbo Decoding, Zhijie Guo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For a Serially Concatenated Continuous Phase Modulation (SCCPM) system that concatenates a rate of 1/2 Convolutional Code (CC) and an M-ary full response continuous phase modulation (CPM) signal, we design a turbo decoding scheme using the Soft Output Viterbi algorithm (SOVA) and study the system performance. A decomposition model is used in CPM to reduce the number of states and separate the continuous phase encoder (CPE) with the modulator. As a soft-input soft-output (SISO) decoding algorithm, SOVA is used to generate and update the soft information of decoded signal symbols during the iterative process for both the CPM signal and …

Spectroscopic Investigations Of Photoinduced Electron Transfer Processes At Interfaces And In Solution, Leigh Anna Hunt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Photoinduced electron transfer is an essential reaction in artificial solar energy conversionapplications. The challenge for decades of research has been to demonstrate a long-lived charge separated state with high energy that in principle can be used for chemical or solar-to-electric energy conversion.[1] For example, the primary energy conversion process in a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSC) is a photoinduced charge separation at the metal oxide-dye interface, making the formation and decay lifetime of the charge separated state an important aspect of these systems.[2, 3] Upon photon absorption, a surface-bound chromophore is promoted to a higher energy excited state, whereby it can …

Electrochemistry, Spectroscopy, And Mass Transport Of Lanthanide Solutes In Bis(Trifluoromethylsulfonyl)Amide-Based Ionic Liquids, Heather Danielle Hamilton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this work, the characterization of lanthanide elements (Dy, Er, Gd, Ho, Tb, Tm, Yb) in various RTIL solvents based on the ubiquitous bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)amide anion (Tf2N-) was investigated. The effect of cation structure on the mass transport and electron transfer properties of Yb3+ in [X]-Tf2N RTILs is considered, where [X] is one of six quaternary ammonium cations with varying structure and chemical properties. Cyclic staircase voltammetry (CSV), rotating disk electrode voltammetry (RDEV), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) experiments are used for this purpose. For each RTIL, the dependence of the redox reaction is examined at each of the working electrodes: …

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 …

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 …

Regenerative Agriculture Effects On Invertebrate And Bird Communities And Insect-Provided Ecosystem Services, Alex Michels

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Conventional agricultural practices can have unintended consequences on the environment and wildlife. Insects and birds are declining at rapid rates around the world, and the current conventional agricultural paradigm is a major driver through habitat loss and the intensification of production. Invertebrates in agroecosystems provide services to both farmers and the rest of society. Regenerative systems may promote the functioning of an agroecosystem by influencing invertebrate abundance, diversity, and ecosystem services and mitigate bird and insect declines through conservation practices that increase soil health, reduce disturbances, and increase biological diversity. Here I address knowledge gaps of the effects of regenerative …

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 …

Response Of Soil Biochemical And Physical Properties To Long Term Prairie Cordgrass And Kura Clover Intercropping System, Vaishnavi Varikuti

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Prairie cordgrass (Spartina pectinata) (PCG) is a warm-season perennial grass that can be used as a biofuel feedstock and can be grown on marginal lands. Previous studies on intercropping of a perennial legume i.e., kura clover (Trifolium ambiguum) (KC) with PCG can improve soil biochemical properties, increase biomass production, mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while reducing the chemical fertilizer requirement. However, there is a lack of evidence about the effects of PCG production on soil biochemical and physical properties during the cropping season and at deeper soil depths in reference to support plant growth, environmental implications and enhance the soil …

Characterization Of Shear Strength And Cracking Resistance Of A Chemically Stabilized Clayey Soil, Abdulaziz Alhawiti

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Improving the engineering properties of the subgrade soil by means of chemical stabilization is known to enhance the construction conditions in plastic soils and result in a reduction in design thickness requirements of the base, subbase, and wearing course in a layered pavement structure. This can also potentially lead to an increase in pavement life. This study was undertaken to study the effect of hydrated lime and Portland cement used as a stabilizing agents on the strength properties and the cracking resistance of a clayey soil collected from South Dakota. Hydrated lime was mixed with the collected soil by 2%, …

Nanomechanical Characterization And Comparison Of Additively Manufactured Grcop-42 Alloy, Trupti Suresh Mali

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In an aggressive thermomechanical environment, the superior mechanical as well as thermal properties of materials play an essential role. GRCop which is a copper-based alloy developed by NASA has the potential to fulfill the requirements necessary for hightemperature applications such as the combustion chamber of liquid rocket engines. The first alloy of this family, GRCop-84 (Cu-8 wt.% Cr-4 wt.% Nb) was discovered followed with the development of GRCop-42 (Cu-4 wt.% Cr, 2 wt.% Nb). The reduction in alloying element percentage enhanced thermal conductivity with less built time while maintaining the strength of the material. The conventional fabrication is replaced with …

Superhalogen-Based Li-Rich Anti-Perovskite Superionic Conductors, Md Mominul Islam

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Solid-state batteries are being widely explored to meet next-generation energy storage demand with a great potentiality of achieving high energy and power densities at All-solidstate Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). In recent years, electronically inverted lithium-rich antiperovskite (LiRAP) solid electrolytes with the formula Li3OX, where X is a halogen or mixture of halogens have appeared as a prospective alternative of the commercially available flammable and corrosive organic liquid electrolytes because of their high ionic conductivity, structural variety, and wide electrochemical window. Here, For the first time, we have successfully formulated and synthesized a completely new class of super halogen based double anti-perovskite …

Design, Development, And Testing Of Near-Optimal Satellite Attitude Control Strategies, Giovanni Lavezzi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Advances in space technology and interest toward remote sensing mission have grown in the recent years, requiring the attitude control subsystems of observation satellites to increase their performances in terms of pointing accuracy and on-board implementability. Moreover, an increased interest in small satellite missions and the recent technological developments related to the CubeSats standard have drastically reduced the cost of producing and flying a satellite mission. In this context, the proposed research aims to improve the state of the art for satellite attitude control methodologies by proposing a near-optimal attitude control strategy, simulated in a high-fidelity environment. Two strategies are …

Living In A Gradient: The Influence Of Water Temperature Variation On Development, Settling Time And Survival Of Pallid Sturgeon Larvae In The Missouri River, Maria Elizabeth Erceg

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pallid Sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus) are a federally endangered species experiencing widespread reproduction and recruitment failures. Recruitment failure is hypothesized to be caused by habitat modifications made to the Missouri River that disrupt connectivity and alter temperature profiles downstream of constructed dams. Hypolimnetic releases from Missouri River dams affect the temperature downstream, creating colder conditions during the downstream drifting phase for dispersing larvae. Understanding the influence of water temperature changes on larval development is crucial for recovery efforts. In this study, we evaluated the effects of water temperature daily heating rate on energy use, settling behavior, and growth rate of endogenously …

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 …

Fire Emissions In The Tropical Indonesia: Improved Estimation And Driving Forces Investigation, Xiaoman Lu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Indonesia has experienced frequent fires since the 1970s due to large-scale peatland conversion and extensive drainage for agricultural development. Fire emissions released from these fires have led to Indonesia being the world’s 3rd largest emitter of greenhouse gases in certain years. Given that fire emissions severely affect climate, weather, and the human environment, numerous approaches have been developed to estimate fire emissions. However, existing emission estimates differ largely by a factor of four in this tropical country because of frequent cloud interferences and low-temperature smoldering fires. Therefore, this dissertation aims to improve the quantification of Indonesian fire emissions through enhanced …

Modeling The Flow And Creep Compliance Properties Of Ice-Cream Mixes, Hiran Ranaweera

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This work documented the influence of the protein source (MPC80 and WPC80), protein content (4-12%), and temperature (5-35ºC) on the rheological behavior (flow curve, frequency sweep, and creep-recovery) of ice-cream mixes (ICM). For each protein source, the viscosity of the ICM was satisfactorily modeled (𝑅2>0.98, 𝑅2 𝑎𝑑𝑗>0.98, and E0.99), while the recovery phase was represented by an empirical model. The percentage of recovery (%R) of the ICM significantly decreased with the protein content.

On Statistical Models For Signal Detection, Adedotun Michael Lawal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A thesis on developing statistical models that will aid in predicting signal detection at an infrasound sensor given a noise model for the sensor. The thesis aims first to provide a means to sample from a set of atmospheric profiles effectively using a statistical model, so we can have a smaller sample space to generate transmission loss values, saving time for running propagation models. And secondly, it aims to provide a formalism for a signal detection criterion using signal-to-noise ratio. The statistical model is developed using Empirical Orthogonal Function Analysis also known as Principal Component Analysis, and Inverse Transform Sampling. …

Tectonic Origin Of The Mississippi River Using Evidence From Detrital Zircons From The Cretaceous Mcnairy Sand, Manuel Dela Eli

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

U-Pb geochronology of detrital-zircon in the McNairy Sand from southern Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, and northern Mississippi characterizes when the Ancestral Mississippi River changed its flow direction from westward in the Early Cretaceous, progressing south in the Late Cretaceous. The aim of this study is to investigate the sediment deposition patterns of the McNairy Sand unit the northeastern margins of the Mississippi Embayment to reconcile the known records of westward and southward drainage of the Mississippi River through time. The sediment accumulated during the reactivation of the Late Proterozoic to Early Paleozoic Reelfoot rift system at the end of the Mesozoic …

Exploratory Studies On The Feasibility Of Developing Microneedles Using Hot Melt Extrusion Coupled With Fused Deposition Modeling 3-D Printing, Nikeeta Palande

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Transdermal drug delivery enables efficient local and systematic drug delivery while offering advantages such as non-invasiveness, patient compliance, and avoidance of first pass metabolism compared to parenteral administration. Due to strong and the multi-layered structure of the skin creates complex barriers which makes the delivery of therapeutic agents across the skin becomes challenging. Microneedles have been shown to deliver drugs through the transdermal route by penetrating the skin’s protective barrier, stratum corneum (SC) and creating a pathway for drug permeation to the dermal tissue. Traditionally, microneedles were fabricated using various types of materials and process such as casting, injection moulding, …

Controlling Rate Of Interfacial Electron Transfers Via Synthetic Modulation Of Organic Chromophores, Christine Curiac

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Solar energy technologies, such as dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) and photoelectrochemical cells (PECs), rely on electron transfer reactions to convert light waves from the Sun to usable electrical energy. These electron transfers are vital to the performance of solar energy technologies. However, two main unproductive electron transfers (recombination and back electron transfer) are possible in these systems, making it vital to study and increase the efficiency of the beneficial electron transfers while hindering the possibility of unproductive pathways from occurring. Through modulation of the organic chromophore/dye used in DSCs, lower recombination rates, and back electron transfer rates are afforded. Three …

Student Success: Do First-Time, Full Time (Ftft) Students At The University Of Mississippi Enrolled In Intermediate Math (Ds 099) Earn Higher Grades In College Algebra (Math 121) Than Those Students Who Enrolled Directly In College Algebra?, Martina Brewer-Mister

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Critics of developmental studies suggest that remedial courses may negatively influence a student’s program selection, persistence, and completion because remedial classes do not count toward graduation requirements (Long & Boatman, 2013). They have also found that over half of the students referred to remediation do not complete the courses (Clayton, Crosta, & Belfield, 2014; Bailey, Jeong, & Cho, 2010). The number is even lower for minority students (Bailey, 2010).

Using pre-existing data collected from the Office of Institutional Research, Effectiveness, and Planning at the University of Mississippi, an independent sample t-test and correlation analysis were conducted to examine the outcomes …

Applications Of Correlated Gaussian Functions To Few-Body Ions, William Earwood

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For few-body systems, the Schrödinger equation can be solved using the linear variational method, where the wavefunction is expanded in a set of parameterized, all-particle functions. However, it remains a challenging task to determine a quality set of nonlinear parameters that result in accurate wavefunctions when the Schrödinger equation is solved from the solution to an eigenvalue problem. In this work, a stochastic optimization algorithm has been implemented to drive the optimization of wavefunctions and first-order perturbed functions. For Z ≤ 10 lithiumlike ions, variational wavefunctions are determined for the 22S, 22P, 32P, 42P, and 52P states. For the Z …

Socialization To Research And Sponsored Programs Administration Through Transformative Learning: A Qualitative Exploration Of Faculty Perceptions At The University Of Mississippi, Melissa Hodge-Penn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examined faculty socialization at the University of Mississippi regarding research and sponsored program administration through the lens of transformative learning. Participants were 10 tenure track faculty who had been employed at the University of Mississippi no less than one year, no more than seven years, and who had submitted a proposal to or been awarded by an external sponsor to support their research. This study uses a phenomenological design of inquiry where the researcher describes the lived experiences of individuals regarding a phenomenon as defined by the participants through semi-structured interviews. Findings suggested that sponsored research faculty perceived …

First-Year Students' Perceptions Of Innate Intelligence, Ability, And Interest Across Four Stem Domains: A Comparative Structural Equation Model, Savannah Lea Kelly

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Higher education institutions play a pivotal role in preparing students to acquire the skills necessary to enter the STEM workforce and serve as critical partners in the STEM educational-occupational pipeline. It is imperative that postsecondary institutions encourage equal opportunities for admittance into STEM domains. However, research has consistently demonstrated that gender and racial disparities continue to exist in STEM fields at the postsecondary level, particularly when viewed through the lens of disaggregated disciplinary data. One way to address inequitable attainment across STEM is to evaluate whether students prematurely preclude themselves from STEM participation due to a misalignment between students’ self-perceptions …