Digital Commons Network^™

Elucidating The Mechanisms Of Myosin Ii Force Feedback And Coordination In Actomyosin Ensembles, Omayma Alazzam

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation delves into the dynamics of myosin II motors within actomyosin networks, emphasizing their crucial role in muscle functionality and the broader implications for cardiovascular health. Given the critical involvement of myosin II in conditions such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and heart failure, this research presented here is important for understanding such diseases at the molecular level. Through the use of fluorescence microscopy and optical tweezers, the study reveals novel insights into how myosin II generates force and coordinates within myosin ensembles—a key to grasping the mechanics of muscle contraction. Specifically, this work aimed to unravel the mechanisms of …

Effects Of Music-Induced Arousal On Spatial Cognition, April Marie Joyner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Arousal is known to influence the manner in which spatial stimuli are processed and remembered. Although music is considered a spatial stimulus, the relationship between music-induced arousal through music listening and spatial ability remains understudied. This study was designed to determine whether arousal induced by musical stimuli differentially impacts memory performance on a map learning task created to measure spatial memory. Participants were exposed to two different pieces of music selected to induce either high or low arousal or were exposed to a control condition in which music was not presented. Participants listened to music or completed multiplication problems prior …

Improving Professional Practice: An Applied Research Study On The Effects Of A Mentoring Program For New Teachers At Wood Hawk Elementary, Latisha C. Kimbrough

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This applied research study aims to improve the assistance offered to teachers within their first three years of teaching. As many new teachers enter the profession, they are faced with unexpected challenges and often left isolated and left to navigate teaching alone. This study was conducted based on the collaborative efforts of our leadership team in efforts to detail a plan of action to support new teachers through a new teacher mentor program. The goal was to utilize the mentor program, professional development, and observation and feedback cycle as strategies to help build the capacity of new teachers. The goal …

The Effect Of A Scarcity Mindset On External Auditors' Reliance On The Internal Audit Function, Brett Patterson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Audit regulators are concerned that times of economic uncertainty will likely cause external auditors to misuse the work of the internal audit function (IAF). These concerns are consistent with prior psychology research finding that objective poverty or a subjective, perceived lack of resources induces a scarcity mindset, which then leads to counterproductive economic behaviors. Therefore, I examine the effect of such a scarcity mindset on external auditors’ IAF reliance choices. In an experiment that incorporates a setting mimicking the evidence collection process, I manipulate the external auditor’s scarcity mindset and the internal audit function’s competence. I find that external auditors …

The Road To Recovery: An Applied Research Study On Promoting Effective Mathematics Instruction By Increasing Teachers’ Knowledge Of And Supporting The Implementation Of Effective Mathematics Teaching Practices To Address Pandemic Learning Loss, Kimberly D. Price

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this applied research study with a program evaluation was to answer fundamental questions about the effectiveness of an extended professional development program. The program sought to promote quality mathematics instruction by increasing teachers’ knowledge of and supporting the implementation of effective mathematics teaching practices in classroom instruction to address pandemic learning loss. To support the efforts of the Mississippi Department of Education to address pandemic learning loss and increase the capacity of the state’s educator workforce, the professional development team in the Office of Professional Development created an action plan. A program evaluation was used to measure …

Perceptions Of First-Year Bipoc Students About The Impact Of Institutional Recruitment Practices On Their Decision To Enroll In The University Of Mississippi’S Integrated Marketing Communications, Jennifer A. Simmons

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The University of Mississippi has a history and continued stigma of not being a welcoming place for people of color. While the university has made strides to distance itself from its past, negative stereotypes and perceptions still exist among some students and parents. These stereotypes and perceptions can make recruiting students more difficult. This study explores the perceptions of first-year students who identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) about the impact of institutional recruitment practices on their decision to enroll in the University of Mississippi’s Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) program. This study will help provide perspectives from …

Fostering Inclusive Excellence For Black Women In Undergraduate Computing Sciences At A Predominantly White Institution, Toni Avant

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Employment projections indicate that the computing sciences field is expected to increase by more than 600,000 jobs from 2020-2030. As society becomes increasingly reliant on technological innovations, the demand continues to rise for qualified graduates in this field. It is essential that employers build a diverse and inclusive workforce in order to accommodate the markets they serve. Yet, the lack of representation of Black women in the computing sciences field is of great concern.

Nourishing Narratives: A Photovoice Exploration Of Black Maternal Nutrition In Tennessee, Carissa Bacon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study explored the perceptions of facilitators, barriers, and feelings of empowerment related to achieving healthy nutrition outcomes among pregnant and postnatal African American women in Tennessee. Data in this study was gathered utilizing the qualitative Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) approach of photovoice and the Transdisciplinary Contextualized Resilience Framework (TCRF) to examine factors influencing nutrition across multiple levels. The study recruited 13 African American mothers who ages ranged from 24-35 years old and who lived in the Greater Knoxville, Tn area. The study utilized a survey to capture the participants’ demographic characteristics and employed a modified version of the …

Effects Of Multiple Stressors On Pseudomonas Fluorescens Over Short And Long Timescales, Parisa Burchfield

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Stressors are ubiquitous factors in biological systems that result in deviations from an organism's optimal physiological state, potentially causing fitness decreases. Stressors can be biotic (e.g., predators, parasites, competitors) or abiotic (e.g., pH changes, temperature, environmental toxins). Persistent stress can lead to population declines unless organisms respond through mechanisms such as evolutionary adaptation. Experimental evolution with microorganisms, particularly bacteria, is a powerful method for studying these phenomena due to their short generation times, large populations, as well as the ability to control their environment, and freeze and revive populations. Bacteria-phage systems, such as Pseudomonas fluorescens SBW25 and its lytic phage …

Social Capital: The Link Between State Political Culture And Civic And Political Participation, Austin Marie Conner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Systemic racism inhibits African Americans’ civic and political participation, yet the scholarship on this topic is scarce and examines Black behavior as homogenous. This study utilizes Putnam’s social capital theory and Elazar’s state political culture typology to identify social and regional distinctions in African American civic and political behavior. Both social capital and state political culture have been linked to civic and political participation, however, not much is known about how these two constructs specifically influence African American civic and political behavior. Utilizing data from the 2016 Collaborative Multiracial Post-Election Survey, this study conducts five logistic regression models to examine …

Water Insecurity In K-12 Schools In The U.S.: Understanding State Laws, Drinking Water Violations, And Lived Experiences, Shannon O'Donnell Fitzgerald

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Access to safe, reliable drinking water is essential for children's health, development, and academic success. This study examines water insecurity in U.S. K-12 schools, focusing on state policies, county-level violations, associated outcomes, and school staff experiences.

Methods: This mixed-methods study utilized secondary data analysis, mapping, regression analyses, and primary data collection. Secondary data from state sources were used to examine the presence of state legislation and Department of Education and Department of Health policies on school drinking water across the United States, examine associations between state legislation and policies with county drinking water violations, and investigate relationships between water …

Glycopolymeric Nanoparticles Enrich Less Immunogenic Protein Corona And Improve Tumor Delivery Compared To Pegylated Nanoparticles, Kenneth Ryan Hulugalla

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nanoparticles (NPs) offer significant promise as drug delivery vehicles; however, their in vivo efficacy is often hindered by the formation of a protein corona (PC), which influences key physiological responses such as blood circulation time, biodistribution, cellular uptake, and intracellular localization. Understanding NP-PC interactions is crucial for optimizing NP design for biomedical applications. Traditional approaches have utilized hydrophilic polymer coatings like polyethylene glycol (PEG) to resist protein adsorption, but glycopolymer-coated nanoparticles have emerged as superior alternatives due to their biocompatibility and ability to reduce the adsorption of highly immunogenic proteins. In this study, we synthesized and characterized glycopolymer-based poly[2(diisopropylamino)ethyl methacrylate-b-poly(methacrylamidoglucopyranose) …

From Pixels To Strings: Efficient String Art Creation Leveraging Greedy Algorithm, Ashraya Joshi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis optimizes String Art generation using advanced algorithms. String art is a technique that creates visual artworks composed of straight lines of strings tensioned between pins distributed on a canvas. Initially employing the Hough Transform, issues such as computational complexity and edge detection inaccuracies led to adopting a Greedy Algorithm. This algorithm iteratively enhances visual similarity between the string art and the original image by reducing the difference between pixel intensities between them, significantly improving quality and efficiency. Integrating non-photorealistic rendering techniques, the study ensures smoother and more coherent lines. The study demonstrates the improvements with different quantitative metrics. …

Study Of Binary Black Hole Dynamics Using Gravitational Waves, Cody Ayres Mccammon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Merging binary black holes exhibit precessional motion that can be classified into three distinct morphologies: Circulating, librating around 0, and librating around π. This information is decoded from the gravitational wave signal. Binary systems can transition between morphologies as they spiral inwards, and spin precession effects are more pronounced near merger. The spin morphology reveals information about the binary black holes’ formation such as through isolated evolution of massive binary stars and their collapse or through dynamic evolution channels such as capture. In this study, we considered inferring the morphology at reference points at which the binary has (approximately) a …

Perceived Use Of True-Self-As-Guide And Decision Satisfaction In Self-Control Conflicts, Madelyn Church

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

When encountering ambiguous situations, individuals may look to their ‘true self’ to help guide their behavior and decisions (see Rivera et al., 2019). Empirical research has demonstrated that the perception of using one’s “true-self-as-guide” is beneficial in eliciting more satisfaction in decisions (e.g., Kim et al., 2021). Self-control conflicts create a unique challenge involving two aspects derived from the self: impulse and self-control. True-self-as-guide may be beneficial in feeling satisfied when navigating these situations. Through two studies, I investigated the effect that perceived use of the true self may have on decision satisfaction under self-control conflicts. Study 1 (N = …

An Amplitude Analysis Of Ξ0c Decays To Λ0k−Π+, Saroj Pokharel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Belle experiment has been integral in conducting spectroscopic measurements using the decay of various baryons

Temperamental Fear As A Vulnerability Factor For Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms: An Examination Of Fight, Flight, Freeze Using A Trauma Film Paradigm, Jaime P. Murtagh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Fear is often the primary emotion associated with anxiety and stress-related disorders with research suggesting that the expression of fear varies greatly between individuals and has been hypothesized to be associated with differences in behavioral inhibition, personality, as well as temperament. One theory which has been used to conceptualize variations in temperament is the reinforcement sensitivity theory which consists of the behavioral inhibition system (BIS), behavioral approach system (BAS), and the fight, flight, freeze system (FFFS), with the latter being of particular interest in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Variations in FFFS sensitivity has been linked to variations in psychopathology with …

Structural And Binding Studies Of Marine Glycans With Potential Therapeutic Use, Hoda Alsayed Mohamed Ahmed

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents a comprehensive analysis of various marine-derived polysaccharides, focusing on their structures and binding properties. Using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and surface plasmon resonance (SPR), distinct marine polysaccharides were structurally characterized, and their interactions with various biological targets were evaluated. The initial study explores a glucan isolated from Marcia hiantina, a bivalve mollusk, and its biological activity. Detailed structural analysis via NMR and chromatography techniques revealed a branched glucose-based polysaccharide with potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Further studies on the red alga Botryocladia occidentalis identified three sulfated galactans in its cell wall. Through NMR, we characterized the least …

Do Storytelling And Survival Processing Have Additive Effects On Recall Performance?, Zoe Helena Fischer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Both survival processing and storytelling have been shown to enhance memory performance relative to control conditions. We examined the extent to which combining these two techniques improves participants’ memory abilities relative to comparable control conditions. In one experiment, participants (n = 100) were randomly assigned to write sentences using unrelated common nouns in a sentence creation control, storytelling, survival, or survival plus storytelling condition. Participants who were instructed to write a story about survival were predicted to remember more words on a subsequent free recall test than participants in the other conditions. Mechanistically, we predict that combining predominantly item-specific processing …

Advancing College Access: A Correlational Inquiry On College Credit Attainment Among Low-Income High School Students, John Dixon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A college degree is vital for individuals to access lucrative, fulfilling careers. College access opportunities have existed for decades in K-12 education. In 2024, millions of high school students have access to advanced coursework, exposing them to college-level rigor with the potential to earn college credits (Jagesic et al., 2022). Students from historically marginalized communities do not participate in college courses in high schools at rates similar to White, affluent students. Furthermore, participation in these college opportunities does not always give students college credits. My quantitative, nonexperimental research study aimed to determine the extent of the relationship between the types …

Weight Discrimination And The Negative Cultural Value Of Fat: The Relationship To Well-Being Across Higher Weight Individuals Of Different Nations, Ana Clara Vieira Zaidan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Discrimination against individuals with higher body weights is prevalent in and outside of the US (see Pearl et al., 2021), yet research on this topic is limited when considering non-US perspectives. Cross-cultural studies had not yet explored the impact of cultural norms around weight. In the domain of anti-fat attitudes, cross-cultural research had explored variations in the negative cultural value of fatness (NCF) and its impacts across countries (Crandall et al., 2001). Incorporating this perspective, Study 1 examined how perceived weight discrimination (PWD) and NCF uniquely predict various well-being outcomes across two different countries among individuals who identified as overweight. …

A Longitudinal Study Of Mississippi’S Achievement Scores And School Ratings Based On Principal Preparation, Brittaney Boyd

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The role of the principal is complex, and there are many ways principals might potentially influence classroom instruction and student learning (Allensworth & Hart, 2018). Over the last decade, the principal’s effectiveness has been evaluated based on student achievement.

The purpose of this quantitative study, A Longitudinal Study of Mississippi’s Achievement Scores and School Ratings Based on Principal Preparation is to determine whether a significant difference exists between Mississippi’s alternate and traditional route principal preparation graduates based on academic successes for the 2017-2018, 2018-2019, 2021-2022, and 2022-2023 school terms, whether a significant difference exists among the different Institutions of Higher …

Applying Dynamics And Geophysical Methods To Hawaiian Volcanic Terrains And Lava Flows, Brody K. Conner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Presented here is the culmination of research spurred by a month-long field expedition to the windward side of the Big Island of Hawai’i during July and August 2023. During this expedition, two ground-penetrating radar units, a Mala GX 160 MHz antenna and a Crossover 1760 dual frequency antenna, were used to survey the basaltic, volcanic landscapes of Mauna Loa and Kīlauea. Post-eruptive digital elevation models of the Ahu’ailā’au (2018 Lower Puna) Eruption and Quantum Geographic Information Systems were used in tandem with GPR Insights software to provide a thorough picture of the surface and subsurface lava flows from Ahu’ailā’au. Using …

Standard And Non-Standard Neutrino Oscillations At The Nova Experiment, Luiz Ricardo Prais

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Initially believed to be massless, the discovery of neutrino oscillations proved that neutrinos have masses, a feature not anticipated by the Standard Model of Elementary Particles. Investigations of the existence of the so-called physics Beyond the Standard Model is a subject of active effort in the field of particle physics. Interactions of neutrinos with matter are well described by the Standard Model, however in the presence of new physics our knowledge and ability to measure the standard neutrino oscillation parameters may be affected. Non-Standard Interactions (NSI) may arise as a subleading effect to the neutrino oscillation framework by introducing additional …

I Can't Look Away: Parasocial Relationships With Dance Mom Characters Across Tv And Social Media, Kennedy Kay Pirlet

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In 2019, Dance Moms ended its airing on Lifetime at the completion of the eighth season. However, the show and its cast members remained popular on social media platforms like TikTok, but we still didn’t know the relationship between watching the show and following cast members on multiple social media platforms or who audiences were closest to. To answer this question, the celebrity-persona parasocial interaction scale and experience of parasocial interaction scale were utilized. These scales were used in this study and found reliable. Snowball recruitment focusing on social media platforms and emails yielded 180 eligible sample participants. Through a …

Development And Evaluation Of A Retrofittable Variable Rate Applicator Controller, Ahmed Abdalla

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The need to optimize resource utilization while increasing crop productivity is paramount. This research proposes a Low-cost Retrofittable Variable Rate Applicator Controller (VRAC) that aims to leverage the adoption of Variable Rate Technologies. The controller operates via the Raspberry Pi platform, a Global Positioning System (GPS), a stepper motor drive, and an anti-slip wheel encoder. The VRAC allows precise, on-the-fly control of variable-rate application of farming inputs. It utilizes GPS with 10 cm accuracy to pinpoint geographic coordinates in real-time. A wheel encoder measures traveling speed with a slip-resistant wheel design for precise RPM readings. The Raspberry processes the data, …

Monarch Butterfly (Danaus Plexippus) Oviposition Preferences And A Survey Of Fungal Pathogens On Native Milkweeds (Asclepias) Of The Northern Great Plains, Grace Damiano

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

North American monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) populations are experiencing significant declines due to habitat loss caused by land use changes. Much of the American Midwest where milkweed, the only host plant of the monarch butterfly, was once much more abundant has been converted to a predominantly agricultural landscape. There are nineteen species of milkweed native to the northern Great Plains region occupied by South Dakota, North Dakota, and Minnesota. Some of these milkweed species may be preferable to monarch butterflies for different reasons, including morphological factors such as stem length, species-level chemical factors, and temporal factors. As monarch …

An Investigation Of Bidder Behaviour In Wic Infant Formula Rebate Auctions, Ashma Pandey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research investigated the competitive bidding dynamics for infant formula rebate contracts within the Special Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). I begin by focusing on the differences between winning and losing bids. The study employs multiple regression to predict rebate bids submitted by major manufacturers when they win a contract. I next conduct a paired t-test for each manufacturer – revealing statistically significant differences between predicted bids (based on the parameters from the winning model) and actual bids when a manufacturer did not win. This suggests that each manufacturer bids significantly lower rebates (higher net …

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 …

Development And Characterization Of Transparent Soil Using Biodegradable Polysaccharides, Said Badshah

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.