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Mechanical Performance Of Graphene Enhanced Nitrile Rubber, Torkel Nord Bjaerneman Jan 2020

Mechanical Performance Of Graphene Enhanced Nitrile Rubber, Torkel Nord Bjaerneman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

After the discovery in 2004, graphene and its different forms have been studied as nanofillers into a wide range of polymers and elastomers. It is now known that these nanofillers can have a significant effect on the polymer’s or elastomer’s mechanical performance. One area that has been overlooked is the effect these nanofiller can have on the cutting resistance – an essential mechanical property when it comes to occupational safety products – when they are being incorporated into the polymer or elastomer matrix. Reported are the effects on the mechanical performance after adding graphene nanoplatelets, and a functionalized form thereof, …

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Automatic Target Recognition With Deep Metric Learning., Abdelhamid Bouzid Jan 2020

Automatic Target Recognition With Deep Metric Learning., Abdelhamid Bouzid

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

An Automatic Target Recognizer (ATR) is a real or near-real time understanding system where its input (images, signals) are obtained from sensors and its output is the detected and recognized target. ATR is an important task in many civilian and military computer vision applications. The used sensors, such as infrared (IR) imagery, enlarge our knowledge of the surrounding environment, especially at night as they provide continuous surveillance. However, ATR based on IR faces major challenges such as meteorological conditions, scale and viewpoint invariance. In this thesis, we propose solutions that are based on Deep Metric Learning (DML). DML is a …

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The Free Agents, Lara Avery Jan 2020

The Free Agents, Lara Avery

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

An excerpt from a novel taking place at a small Christian college in Kansas.

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Candy Land, Hallie Beard Jan 2020

Candy Land, Hallie Beard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A collection of original poems.

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Conformation And Binding Aspects Of Sulfated Carbohydrates By Liquid-State Nmr, William Vignovich Jan 2020

Conformation And Binding Aspects Of Sulfated Carbohydrates By Liquid-State Nmr, William Vignovich

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Liquid-state NMR has long been an important tool for understanding the conformations and interactions of biomacromolecules. To date these conclusions have primarily been focused upon nucleotides and peptides with little information regarding the conformational structures of carbohydrates. Through the methods described in this manuscript the accurate conformational analysis of a sulfated fucan from Lytechinus variegatus has been assessed. This was achieved through a combination of NOESY spectroscopy and assessment of chemical exchange in hydroxyl protons undergoing fast chemical exchange with excess solvent. This is accomplished through usage of super- cooled H2O: acetone solvent and T1 inversion recovery. This methodology was …

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Faculty Use Of Open Educational Resources: Attitudes, Norms, And Self-Efficacy As Behavioral Predictors., Jocelyn Tipton Jan 2020

Faculty Use Of Open Educational Resources: Attitudes, Norms, And Self-Efficacy As Behavioral Predictors., Jocelyn Tipton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The primary drivers of open educational practices, open educational resources (OER), and OER enabled pedagogy are the faculty who will help transform higher education in these domains. The purpose of this study was to understand factors that lead faculty to use OER and to learn how their use is related to teaching behaviors. It is broadly based on an OER Research Hub hypothesis that the use of OER leads to critical reflection by the educator with evidence of improvement in their practices. Within that hypothesis is the suggestion that the use of OER causes faculty to incorporate a wider range …

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Resonant Ultrasound Spectroscopy Studies Of Poroelasticity In Porous Ceramics And Elasticity Of Thermoelectric Snse, Ashoka Karunarathne Jan 2020

Resonant Ultrasound Spectroscopy Studies Of Poroelasticity In Porous Ceramics And Elasticity Of Thermoelectric Snse, Ashoka Karunarathne

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation primarily focuses on use of resonant ultrasound spectroscopic (RUS) measurements to investigate temperature- and pressure-dependent elastic properties of select materials: porous ceramics, which are used in a wide range of material applications, and thermoelectric tin selenide (SnSe), which is widely studied as an efficient thermoelectric material. RUS experiments were conducted on: ceramics used in LG fuel cells, alumina, zircona and titania, to explore their elastic behavior under the variation of hydrostatic pressure over the low- and high-pressure regimes (0.02 – 800 psi). All the porous ceramics exhibited a reversible material softening mechanism with increasing hydrostatic pressure. The comparison …

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Determining The Effectiveness Of Rock Mass Classification Schemes When Used To Derive Empirical Predictions For Rock Mass Deformation Modulus, Tanner Cecil Avery Jan 2020

Determining The Effectiveness Of Rock Mass Classification Schemes When Used To Derive Empirical Predictions For Rock Mass Deformation Modulus, Tanner Cecil Avery

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Normal deformation modulus of rock masses (Erm) is a critical design parameter for any permanent excavation and infrastructure project that requires limited or controlled deformations to ensure performance of permanent support systems and of foundations. Despite being a key parameter, the optimal methods for determining Erm is still debated. These methods can be put into three categories: in-situ tests, empirical solutions, and numerical solutions. Current efforts to derive empirical predictions rely on rock mass classification schemes (RMCS) with the assumption that all RMCS are similarly effective at predicting Erm. Since different RMCS use different sets of variables this assumption does …

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Making The Cut: Nutrition, Hydration, & Performance In Combat Sports, Katharine Halfacre Jan 2020

Making The Cut: Nutrition, Hydration, & Performance In Combat Sports, Katharine Halfacre

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated nutrition, hydration, supplementation, and body composition in relation to performance among mixed martial arts athletes practicing rapid weight loss. Mixed martial arts athletes practice intentional dehydration and nutritional fasting to achieve rapid weight loss, a practice that can damage health and performance. Male mixed martial arts athletes practicing rapid weight loss participated in the study during a week of competition which was not the same for all athletes. Food/activity journals were collected to assess nutrition, fasting, and supplementation. Urine specific gravity was assessed at baseline, weigh-ins, and endpoint. Body composition and punch velocity were assessed at baseline …

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The Black Men I Know, Zaire Love Jan 2020

The Black Men I Know, Zaire Love

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Black men from the hood souls get weary too. The Black Men I Know is a documentary that follows an uncle and nephew from a hood in Memphis, Tennessee that introduced and inducted them into a life of violence, incarceration, and hustle. It is an honest attempt to explore the depth of emotional suppression in black men because of grief, the manifestations of grief, and how these manifestations also affect the ones these black men love the most, their families. Through creative and experimental storytelling, I utilize their interviews as anchors as I respond thoughtfully throughout the documentary with spoken …

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Spatial Context And The Role Of Competition In Oviposition Habitat Selection By Cope’S Grey Treefrog (Hyla Chrysoscelis) And Culex Restuans Mosquitoes, Reed Carroll Scott Jan 2020

Spatial Context And The Role Of Competition In Oviposition Habitat Selection By Cope’S Grey Treefrog (Hyla Chrysoscelis) And Culex Restuans Mosquitoes, Reed Carroll Scott

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Ideal Free Distribution (IFD) is an influential ecological model for predicting distribution of populations. Since its inception, attempts have been made to improve the IFD, including addition of spatial context. Spatial contagion is a newer ecological concept wherein quality of a habitat patch may affect the perception of neighboring patches. Using Cope’s gray treefrog (Hyla chrysoscelis) and Culex mosquitoes (Culex restuans), I conducted a series of outdoor mesocosm experiments to test key predictions of the IFD and address how it interacts with spatial contagion effects. I found some support for the IFD prediction that individual H. chrysoscelis should avoid …

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Reconstructing The Paleogeography Of Norphlet Formation In Conecuh County, Alabama, Bram Allen Jan 2020

Reconstructing The Paleogeography Of Norphlet Formation In Conecuh County, Alabama, Bram Allen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Norphlet Formation is a Jurassic age siliciclastic unit overlying the Louann Salt and beneath the Smackover Formation within areas of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. The Norphlet Formation in Alabama is known to be dominated by a broad desert plain stretching from east to west, rimmed to the north and east by the Appalachians and to the south by a developing shallow sea. The top of the Norphlet formed the surface for deposition of the overlying Smackover Formation. This surface was flooded by a rapid influx of marine water that was the environment of deposition for the carbonate units of …

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Exploring Phenotypic Diversity And Quantitative Trait Loci Mapping For Root Architecture, Freezing Tolerance, Chilling Fulfillment, And Photoperiod Traits In Grapevine Populations, Dilmini Alahakoon Jan 2020

Exploring Phenotypic Diversity And Quantitative Trait Loci Mapping For Root Architecture, Freezing Tolerance, Chilling Fulfillment, And Photoperiod Traits In Grapevine Populations, Dilmini Alahakoon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Grapevine (Vitis species) is one of the most valuable fruit crops widely cultivated throughout the United States of America (USA). Grape and wine industries in the northern USA have been expanding rapidly with the demand for quality wine grapes that can be grown in Northern cold climate regions. As most popular cultivars are freezing sensitive, the development of new cultivars for the region continues through breeding. In this study, we evaluated grapevine root system architecture, freezing tolerance, and bud break in different genetic backgrounds in natural or controlled environments. The dissertation research objectives were to explore trait phenotypic variation and …

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Is Vegan Confectionary Sold In The United Kingdom Safe For Milk Allergy Sufferers?, Faye Harrison Jan 2020

Is Vegan Confectionary Sold In The United Kingdom Safe For Milk Allergy Sufferers?, Faye Harrison

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Background
Milk allergy is the most common childhood allergy. Reading food labels is important to prevent an allergic reaction. By United Kingdom (UK) law, milk needs to be listed on the food label if it used as an ingredient. Products can be called ‘free from’ milk if manufacturers have undergone rigorous process and testing to ensure it is not contaminated with milk. Precautionary Allergen Labelling (PAL) like ‘may contain milk’ statements are unregulated and can be used at manufacturer’s discretion. Similarly, ‘Vegan’ products are not regulated by law and appear to be on the increase. Objective
The study aimed to …

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Grain Boundary Defect Passivation Of Mixed Cation Perovskite Solar Cell To Improve Device Performance, Sheikh Ifatur Rahman Jan 2020

Grain Boundary Defect Passivation Of Mixed Cation Perovskite Solar Cell To Improve Device Performance, Sheikh Ifatur Rahman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Rigorous research on perovskite solar cell for more than ten years all over the world has led the rapid development of perovskite technology giving us device efficiency of 25.2%, surpassing the performance of traditional thin-film solar technologies on small scale devices (<1cm2). Perovskite material has excellent electronic and optical properties making it greatly suitable for PV application. The device fabrication process being simple with low cost and solution processability has led the researchers to visualize high efficiency scalable devices. Due to solution process fabrication method the defects in the materials causes the devices perform less than anticipated. These …

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Follow-Up Nurse Telephone Calls For Heart Failure Patients: A Case Study, Danielle M. Schievelbein Jan 2020

Follow-Up Nurse Telephone Calls For Heart Failure Patients: A Case Study, Danielle M. Schievelbein

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Follow-up care is essential when trying to avoid readmissions for patients who have recently been discharged from a healthcare facility. As evidenced by the literature, multiple strategies have been implemented to help manage the care of heart failure patients; however, readmissions continue to be higher than desired, which implies the current strategies utilized should be reviewed and revised. It is important to evaluate the effectiveness of methods when providing follow-up care that prevents readmissions and is also beneficial and convenient for the patient. The qualitative case study explored a heart failure follow-up protocol completed by a registered nurse using the …

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The Biology Of The Influenza D Virus, Jieshi Yu Jan 2020

The Biology Of The Influenza D Virus, Jieshi Yu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Influenza D virus (IDV) was first identified in 2011 from clinically ill pigs in America. In nearly a decade since its discovery, the virus has been detected in multiple animal species in a vast region of the globe and is considered an important cause of concern to animal and human health. IDV utilizes cattle as the primary reservoir. The viral infection can cause mild respiratory disease in cattle and has been indicated as a causative agent of bovine respiratory disease (BRD) complex that is the most common and costly disease affecting the cattle industry. Moreover, outbreaks of IDV in swine …

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Effects Of A Campus Dining Tour Intervention On First Year Students Perception Of Healthfulness Of Environment, Paige Pappadackis Jan 2020

Effects Of A Campus Dining Tour Intervention On First Year Students Perception Of Healthfulness Of Environment, Paige Pappadackis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many young adults experience unwanted weight gain upon entering college. Making healthy choices in a food environment with a plethora of convenience and fast foods is important for preventing unwanted weight gain. The objective of this study was to determine if a Healthy Campus Dining Tour intervention improves perception, behavior, and priorities related to healthier choices on campus. Participants were recruited for this quasi-experimental study from freshman introductory classes at a land-grant public university and assigned to intervention or a control group. Intervention participants completed a 50-minute Healthy Campus Dining Tour that educated on how to make healthier choices at …

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Global Gene Expression And Dna Methylation Of The Hypothalamus In Feeder Calves Fed A High Concentrate Diet Upon Entering Feedlot Phase, Jason E. Griffin Jan 2020

Global Gene Expression And Dna Methylation Of The Hypothalamus In Feeder Calves Fed A High Concentrate Diet Upon Entering Feedlot Phase, Jason E. Griffin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Feedlot finishing diets contain high energy to allow for rapid growth and fat deposition. Previous studies have shown the use of high concentrate diets changed DNA methylation and expression of genes in the hypothalamus involved with regulating feed intake, metabolism, signaling, and neuronal communication. This study investigates whether feeding a high concentrate diet to calf-feds enter the feedlot could alter DNA methylation in the hypothalamus affecting expression of growth and development genes. Angus-influenced steers (n=12) were randomly allocated to 2 treatment groups: 1) High Energy/High Concentrate (HE/HC, 1.33Mcal/kg net energy gain NEg) for 202 days; or 2) traditional Backgrounding/Finishing (B/F), …

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In Planta Evaluation Of Gene Regulation By Soybean Auxin Response Factors, Pratiksha K C Jan 2020

In Planta Evaluation Of Gene Regulation By Soybean Auxin Response Factors, Pratiksha K C

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nitrogen (N) is an important plant nutrient but its abundance in the soil is not sufficient for profitable crop production. N input in the form of chemical fertilizers helps fill this need; however, an alternative for fertilizers is an immediate need due to the environmental pollution resulting from excessive use of fertilizers. Leguminous plants such as soybean (Glycine max) that form root nodules through symbiotic association with N-fixing rhizobia and therefore need little or no chemical N fertilizers. The plant hormone auxin plays a crucial role in determining the number of nodules and their rate of maturity in soybean. Auxin …

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Investigation Of Influenza B Virus Replication Potential In Swine Primary Respiratory Epithelial Cells And Phylodynamic Analysis Of Equine Influenza A H3n8 Viruses, Sunayana Shyam Jandhyala Jan 2020

Investigation Of Influenza B Virus Replication Potential In Swine Primary Respiratory Epithelial Cells And Phylodynamic Analysis Of Equine Influenza A H3n8 Viruses, Sunayana Shyam Jandhyala

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Influenza viruses are respiratory pathogens that cause significant mortality worldwide. The subtype of influenza A virus currently affecting worldwide equine populations is H3N8, leading to epidemics and transboundary pandemics. The individual gene segments of an isolate named A/equine/Montana/9564-1/2015 were phylogenetically characterized. BLASTn search revealed that the polymerase basic protein 1 (PB1), polymerase acidic (PA), hemagglutinin (HA), nucleoprotein (NP), and matrix (M) segments of this H3N8 isolate shared the highest percentage identity to A/equine/Tennessee/29A/2014 (H3N8) and the polymerase basic protein 2 (PB2), neuraminidase (NA), and non-structural protein (NS) segments to A/equine/Malaysia/M201/2015 (H3N8). Maximum likelihood phylogenetic trees constructed using H3N8 viral genomes …

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Identification And Genomic Characterization Of Candidate Starch And Lactate Utilizing Bacteria From The Rumen Of Beef Cattle, Venkata Bandarupalli Jan 2020

Identification And Genomic Characterization Of Candidate Starch And Lactate Utilizing Bacteria From The Rumen Of Beef Cattle, Venkata Bandarupalli

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The rumen functions as an anaerobic fermentation chamber where microbial communities ferment feedstuffs into SCFAs. These SCFAs are critical to the ruminant host since they fulfill 70% of its energy requirements. In intensive management systems, ruminants are fed with grain-rich diets, which contain high levels of starch that help meet the energy demands of high producing animals. When grain-based diets are fed to ruminants, ruminal amylolytic and lactate metabolizing bacteria predominate. Grain overload can cause rapid production and accumulation of lactate, resulting in proliferation of amylolytic bacteria and death of lactate metabolizing bacteria. Consequently, high lactate levels result in a …

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Giving Voice To Adults Living With Cystic Fibrosis: A Phenomenological Study, Brandon M. Varilek Jan 2020

Giving Voice To Adults Living With Cystic Fibrosis: A Phenomenological Study, Brandon M. Varilek

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cystic fibrosis is one of the most difficult chronic diseases to manage long-term because of the numerous challenges faced on a day-to-day basis. Historically, these challenges have primarily been studied using quantitative methods given the desire to prolong life. However, simply increasing the quantity of life does not mean that quality of life will improve. It is entirely possible that new treatments may worsen perceived quality of life. What is missing from the current research is the person’s voice regarding the experience of living with cystic fibrosis, especially as they continue to age. The primary purpose of this study was …

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Seismic Performance Of Mechanically Spliced Bridge Columns Through Analytical Studies, Mathew Ray Lavoy Jan 2020

Seismic Performance Of Mechanically Spliced Bridge Columns Through Analytical Studies, Mathew Ray Lavoy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Reinforcement continuity in concrete members is traditionally achieved through lap splicing. Mechanical bar splices are an alternative to traditional lap splices. Mechanical bar splices utilize mechanical devices known as bar coupler to connect the ends of reinforcing bars. Bar couplers are common in accelerated bridge construction applications at non-critical members but are not allowed in the plastic hinge region of bridge columns probably due to a lack of knowledge on how they affect seismic performance of columns. A comprehensive analytical study was carried out to determine how bar couplers used at the base of bridge columns affect: 1) column lateral …

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Mississippi Teachers Who Are Nationally Board Certified Or Those With Advanced Degrees: Effects On Student Achievement, Amy Tate Barnett Jan 2020

Mississippi Teachers Who Are Nationally Board Certified Or Those With Advanced Degrees: Effects On Student Achievement, Amy Tate Barnett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to determine the interaction effects national board certified teachers (NBCTs) and teachers with advanced degrees (ADs); while considering school accountability levels, had on student achievement. This study examined whether significant differences existed in student achievement between the eight identified groups of teachers and how the factors of NBCT status, AD status, and accountability contributed. The study examined student achievement in grades three through eight on the end-of-the-year state assessments for the 2017-18 school year. This research endeavor relied upon the recruitment of local Mississippi school districts and their willingness to participate and share …

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Examining The Influences Of University Image And Campus Visits On Students’ College Choices, Jennifer Lea Mcclure Jan 2020

Examining The Influences Of University Image And Campus Visits On Students’ College Choices, Jennifer Lea Mcclure

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological study provides qualitative data in the areas of university image, campus visits, and college choice. The purpose of the study was to examine the value of university image and campus visits in students’ college choices. Twenty matriculated freshmen at the University of Mississippi who participated in campus visits as prospective students and who applied for admission in the months of October through April were selected via purposeful sampling to participate in open-ended interviews about the images that they hold of the university, their campus visit experiences, and their college choice processes. The data collected show that students place …

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The Preparedness Of First-Year Football Student-Athletes In Online Classes At The University Of Mississippi, Cliff Mccain Jan 2020

The Preparedness Of First-Year Football Student-Athletes In Online Classes At The University Of Mississippi, Cliff Mccain

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Colleges and universities in the United States currently face an n issue of student-athletes enrolling in online courses and not being prepared. Research has shown that students take these classes for a variety of reasons and perceive a variety of advantages and disadvantages to these types of classes and even more specifically, the subjects taken in the online format. Their level of preparedness, the reasons for this level, and the perceived assistance needed were also issues to be examined. This study aims to determine how prepared for online courses the first-year football student - athletes were during the 2018-2019 school …

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Effective Response To Intervention In Middle School, Angela Mechelle Ellison Jan 2020

Effective Response To Intervention In Middle School, Angela Mechelle Ellison

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This applied mixed methods program evaluation sought to increase student proficiency in mathematics at a rural middle school in central Mississippi. The program focused on improving student achievement through effective professional development. Quantitative and qualitative data was used to gage the program’s effectiveness. Research supporting an effective Response to Intervention Model, professional learning communities, and teacher development was cited and used to construct the program’s implementation framework.

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Multiple Myeloma – Treatments, Economic Burden, And End Of Life Care, Kaustuv Bhattacharya Jan 2020

Multiple Myeloma – Treatments, Economic Burden, And End Of Life Care, Kaustuv Bhattacharya

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation aimed at filling the gaps in the body of multiple myeloma (MM) literature by comparing overall survival and safety of first line maintenance or continuous treatment, and assessing disease lifetime costs, phase-specific costs and its drivers among elderly newly diagnosed (NDMM) patients. Moreover, it aimed to assess trends in EOL care and the impact of PCC on EOL care outcomes among elderly MM patients. First, this study assessed the comparative safety and effectiveness among those who received first line LEN-based treatment versus those who received first line BORT-based treatment. The results from the study demonstrates an overall survival …

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Single Parent Success In Mississippi's Community Colleges, Craig Ellis Sasser Jan 2020

Single Parent Success In Mississippi's Community Colleges, Craig Ellis Sasser

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

On an average year, over 90,000 students enroll in a Mississippi community college. Until now, no data were available to identify the number of students enrolled in the Mississippi community college system who were single parents. No data were available to determine if there was a relationship between being a single parent and fall-to-fall retention. Each of the fifteen Mississippi community colleges were asked to provide data on the 2016 cohort of students. Data collected were race/ethnicity, academic program (transfer or career/technical), three questions from the FAFSA to determine a student’s single parent status, if each student was retained from …

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