Digital Commons Network^™

Dendritic Surfactants Show Evidence For Frustrated Intercalation: A New Organoclay Morphology, Erick J. Acosta, Youjun Deng, G. Norman White, Joe B. Dixon, Kevin J. Mcinnes, Scott A. Senseman, Alyx S. Frantzen, Eric E. Simanek

Faculty Publications

Mixing a smectite clay with some dendritic surfactants shows that despite the large size of some of these molecules, a property that frustrates complete intercalation into the gallery of the clay, organoclay materials are obtained. X-ray powder diffraction (XPD) reveals no significant increases in lattice spacing as these surfactants are added. Infrared (IR) spectroscopy and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) show that interlayer water is preserved. Consistent with an undisturbed interlayer, the amount of organic material in organoclays derived from frustrated surfactants does not exceed 15% of the cationic exchange capacity (CEC) of the composite. Smaller dendritic surfactants do not display …

The Semiotics Of Signlessness: A Buddhist Doctrine Of Signs, Mario D'Amato

Faculty Publications

In this paper, I consider a Buddhist response to the issue of unlimited semiosis: In other words, I offer a Buddhist account of how unlimited semiosis should be understood. I do this by following the doctrine of signs offered in an Indian Buddhist text of the Mahamyamna from circa the fourth century CE, a text known as the Mahamyamnasutra m mlamD kamra (Ornament to the Scriptures of the Great Vehicle; hereafter, ‘the Ornament’). Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Buddhist semiotics, from both a historical and a philosophical point of view, is that in its theorizing of the semiotic process, …

The Aggressive Driving Behavior Scale: Developing A Self-Report Measure Of Unsafe Driving Practices, John M. Houston, Paul Harris

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to investigate the reliability and validity of a new 11-item measure of aggressive driving, the Aggressive Driving Behavior Scale, which focuses on behaviors rather than cognitions, emotions, or motivational states. Based on a sample of 200 undergraduates, 111 women and 89 men), the study examined the convergent validity of the new scale with measures of hostility, hypercompetitiveness, and aggressive thoughts and emotions experienced during driving. A principal component analysis of the Aggressive Driving Behavior Scale (alpha = .80) yielded two factors that form reliable subscales labeled Speeding and Conflict Behavior. As expected, the total …

Effect Of Electrolyte Balance In Low-Protein Diets On Broiler Performance And Tibial Dyschondroplasia Incidence, A. E. Murakami, J. R. G. Franco, E. N. Martins, E. O. Oviedo Rondon, M. I. Sakamoto, M. S. Pereira

Faculty Publications

A proper dietary electrolyte balance (DEB) is essential to ensure an optimum acid-base equilibrium and broiler performance. In low-CP diets, this balance can be affected by reduction of soybean meal and inclusion of high levels of synthetic amino acids. Although, some studies have related low-protein diets supplemented with amino acids and DEB, these relations are not well explained, because some research demonstrates confusion about the deficiency and balance of nutrients. The objective of these experiments was to evaluate the DEB effects of diets with low levels of protein supplemented with amino acids on broiler performance and bone development. Results indicated …

Requirements Of Sodium And Chloride By Leghorn Laying Hens, A. E. Murakami, M. I. Sakamoto, J. R. G. Franco, E. N. Martins, E. O. Oviedo Rondon

Faculty Publications

Sodium and Cl are low-cost nutrients with great influence on feed conversion ratio (FCR), eggshell quality, and excreta moisture. Actual values of dietary requirements of these minerals for commercial laying hens are not well defined. These requirements were reevaluated in a factorial experiment using corn-soybean meal basal diets. No significant influence of Na and Cl levels was observed on egg production (%), egg weight (g), or feed intake (g/d), but levels of these minerals had variable effects on FCR, eggshell quality, and excreta moisture. The optimum requirement of Na changed according to the variable evaluated and level of Cl used.

Inverted Velocity Profile In The Cylindrical Couette Flow Of A Rarefied Gas, Alejandro Garcia, K. Aoki, H. Yoshida, T. Nakanishi

Faculty Publications

The cylindrical Couette flow of a rarefied gas is investigated, under the diffuse-specular reflection condition of Maxwell’s type on the cylinders, in the case where the inner cylinder is rotating whereas the outer cylinder is at rest. The inverted velocity profile for small accommodation coefficients, pointed out by Tibbs, Baras, and Garcia [Phys. Rev. E 56, 2282 (1997)] on the basis of a Monte Carlo simulation, is investigated extensively by means of a systematic asymptotic analysis for small Knudsen numbers as well as the direct numerical analysis of the Boltzmann equation, and the parameter range in which the phenomenon appears …

Regulating Clinical Research: Informed Consent, Privacy, And Irbs, Sharona Hoffman

Faculty Publications

During the past two decades, the United States has experienced dramatic developments in the area of biomedical research. Expanding budgets, augmented computer capabilities, and the Human Genome Project have all significantly enhanced research capabilities. Consequently, the number of research projects conducted in this country is ever growing, and the enrollment of an adequate number of human subjects is becoming an increasingly challenging task.

Clinical research involving human participants is governed by federal regulations that have been promulgated by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In light of the proliferation of medical …

Continuing Fictions Of Latin American Law, Jorge L. Esquirol

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Perceived Benefits Of Mississippi’S Forestry Best Management Practices, Amanda L. Husak, Stephen C. Grado, Steven H. Bullard, Chuck Jepsen

Faculty Publications

The primary goal of many nonindustrial private forest (NIPF) landowners, forestry consultants, and timber industry professionals is to increase revenues from their forestland. Most often, increased revenues are a result of harvesting timber stands from the site. However, the chances of increased revenues can be greatly reduced if the stands are improperly managed or voluntary Best Management Practices (BMPs) guidelines are not followed.

See The Light: A Multi-Faceted Effort By Mississippi State University Aims To Keep U.S. Manufacturers Competitive, Steven H. Bullard

Faculty Publications

People and organizations change for one of two reasons - when they see the light or when they feel the heat. With global competitors providing the heat, U .S. furniture producers today must be willing to change and innovate if they intend to stay in business long term. The Institute of Furniture Manufacturing and Management at Mississippi State University can help. IFMM exists to document and develop strategies that enable U.S.-based furniture manufacturers to achieve and sustain competitive advantages in the global furniture marketplace.

Do Red-Cockaded Woodpeckers Select Cavity Trees Based On Chemical Composition Of Pine Resin?, Richard N. Conner

Faculty Publications

We examined resin chemistry of loblolly (Pinus taeda) and shortleaf (P. echinata) pines selected as cavity trees by Red-cockaded Woodpeckers (Picoides borealis) in eastern Texas. We sampled resin from (1) pines selected by Red-cockaded Woodpeckers that contained naturally excavated active cavities, (2) pines selected by forest biologists that contained artificially installed cavity inserts and were actively being used by Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, and (3) control pines of similar age and appearance to the active cavity trees. We hypothesized that if woodpeckers are inducing a change in resin chemistry by excavating resin wells, this change should …

Effects Of Controlled Dog Hunting On Movements Of Female White-Tailed Deer, Christopher E. Comer

Faculty Publications

Understanding the responses of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) to controlled dog hunting can aid in the effective implementation of canine-assisted population management strategies. We examined the 24-h diel movements of 13 radio-collared female deer exposed to dog hunting on the Savannah River Site (SRS) near Aiken, South Carolina, where regulated dog hunting has occurred since 1965. We compared diel home range size, rate of travel, and distance between extreme diel locations before, during, and after hunts from 14 September-14 December 2002. Die1 home range size (F2,91= 7.71, P < 0.001) and distance between extreme diel locations (F2,9l= 6.78, P = 0.002) on hunt day were greater than 10-day pre- and …

Assessing The Quantity And Quality Of Forested Resources In East Texas Using Remotely Sensed Data, Daniel Unger

Faculty Publications

OBJECTIVES: Development of new or enhanced remote sensing methodologies for assessing the quantity of east Texas forests and their associated ecosystems. Development of new or enhanced remote sensing methodologies for assessing the quality of east Texas forests and their associated ecosystems. Application of temporal analysis to assess the change in the quantity/quality of east Texas forests and their associated ecosystems over time.

Economic Analysis Of Sequestering Carbon In Green Ash Forests In The Lower Mississippi River Valley, Ching Hsun Huang, Gary D. Kronrad, Shiaolin D. Cheng

Faculty Publications

Since the U.S. is the largest emitter of carbon dioxide (CO2), it has become crucial to develop options that are both cost effective and supportive of sustainable development to reduce atmospheric CO2. Electric utility companies have the options of reducing their use of fossil fuels, switching to alternative energy sources, increasing efficiency, or offsetting carbon emissions. This study determined the cost and profitability of sequestering carbon in green ash plantations, and the number of tons of carbon that can be sequestered. The profitability of green ash is $2,342 and $3,645 per acre on site indices (measurement of soil quality) 65 …

Pointing The Finger Of Blame: News Media Coverage Of Popular-­Culture Culpability, Erica Scharrer, Lisa M. Weidman, Kimberly Bissell

Faculty Publications

In the 1990s, three relatively high-profile tragedies occurred in which popular media products (including movies, recorded music, television talk shows, the Internet, tabloid newspapers, and video games) were argued to be the primary cause. This study analyzes the discourse surrounding the culpability that was placed on popular culture in major newspaper coverage of the car crash that killed Princess Diana, the murder associated with the “Jenny Jones” show, and the shootings at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. The analysis reveals patterns in the assignment of blame—and relatively more rarely of exoneration—of popular culture, interpreting why and how popular culture …

Authenticity In The Skateboarding World, Becky Beal, Lisa Weidman

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this chapter is to illustrate the values and norms that constitute legitimacy, or authenticity, in the skateboarding world. Both authors spent a considerable amount of time with the skateboarding world in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Lisa Weidman worked at a skateboarding magazine for several years, and Becky Beal did an extensive ethnographic study of skateboarders. Using our experiences and research, we describe the characteristics that skateboarders and the industry use to identify an authentic skateboarder. The first section, on the skaters' perspective, is based primarily on Beal's interactions with skateboarders; the second section, on the …

“Legal Or Illegal? Documented Or Undocumented?” The Struggle Over Brookhaven’S Neighborhood Preservation Act, Jackson B. Miller

Faculty Publications

This critical essay applies the concept of “presence” as a theoretical lens for explaining the rhetorical efficacy of protest events surrounding a contemporary debate about immigrants’ rights in a suburban New York township. Specifically, the protests surrounding the town board meetings regarding Brookhaven’s “Neighborhood Preservation Act,” a piece of legislation geared toward making rental laws more stringent, are examined. A group comprised largely of white, upper middle-class citizens voiced their support for the proposed legislation, while a group of day laborers and those sympathetic with their cause characterized the proposed legislation as a form of racial discrimination disguised as a …

Factor Structure Of The Coaching Behavior Questionnaire And Its Relationship To Athlete Variables, Jean M. Williams, Gerald J. Jerome, Laura J. Kenow, Tracie Rogers, Tessa A. Sartain, Greg Darland

Faculty Publications

Little research exists to identify optimal coaching behaviors and factors that influence the effectiveness of particular behaviors. The present study tested 484 athletes in order to determine sub-scales on the Coaching Behavior Questionnaire (CBQ). The CBQ measures athletes’ perceptions of coaching behaviors and evaluates their effectiveness in helping athletes play better and maintain optimal mental states and focus. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) supported the two-factor model (negative activation, supportiveness/emotional composure) derived from an exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Correlational analyses indicated that athletes with higher anxiety and lower self-confidence and compatibility with the coach were more likely to negatively evaluate …

Linking Landscape And Water Quality In The Mississippi River Basin For 200 Years, R. Eugene Turner, Nancy N. Rabalais

Faculty Publications

Two centuries of land use in the Mississippi River watershed are reflected in the water quality of its streams and in the continental shelf ecosystem receiving its discharge. The most recent influence on nutrient loading-intense and widespread farming and especially fertilizer use-has had a more significant effect on water quality than has land drainage or the conversion of native vegetation to cropland and grazing pastures. The 200-year record of nutrient loading to offshore water is reflected in the paleoreconstructed record of plankton in dated sediments. This record illustrates that the development of fair, sustained management of inland ecosystems is linked …

Predicting The Response Of Gulf Of Mexico Hypoxia To Variations In Mississippi River Nitrogen Load, D Scavia, N N. Rabalais, R. Eugene Turner, D Justic, D Scavia

Faculty Publications

The effects of nutrient loading from the Mississippi River basin on the areal extent of hypoxia in the northern Gulf of Mexico were examined using a novel application of a dissolved oxygen model for a river. The model, driven by river nitrogen load and a simple parameterization of ocean dynamics, reproduced 17 yr of observed hypoxia location and extent, subpycnocline oxygen consumption, and cross-pycnocline oxygen flux. With Monte Carlo analysis, we illustrate through hindcasts back to 1968 that extensive regions of low oxygen were not common before the mid-1970s. The Mississippi River Watershed/Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Task Force set a …

Investor Overconfidence And Trading Volume, Meir Statman, Steven Thorley, Keith Vorkink

Faculty Publications

The proposition that investors are overconfident about their valuation and trading skills can explain high observed trading volume. With biased self-attribution, the level of investor overconfidence and thus trading volume varies with past returns. We test the trading volume predictions of formal overconfidence models and find that share turnover is positively related to lagged returns for many months. The relationship holds for both market-wide and individual security turnover, which we interpret as evidence of investor overconfidence and the disposition effect, respectively. Security volume is more responsive to market return shocks than to security return shocks, and both relationships are more …

Propping And Tunneling, Eric Friedman, Simon Johnson, Todd Mitton

Faculty Publications

In countries with weak legal systems, there is a great deal of tunneling by the entrepreneurs who control publicly traded firms. However, under some conditions entrepreneurs prop up their firms, i.e., they use their private funds to benefit minority shareholders. We provide evidence and a model that explains propping. In particular, we suggest that issuing debt can credibly commit an entrepreneur to propping, even though creditors can never take possession of any underlying collateral. This helps to explain why emerging markets with weak institutions sometimes grow rapidly and why they are also subject to frequent economic and financial crises. Journal …

Reading African American History And The Civil Rights Movement, Chris Crowe

Faculty Publications

At this time of year, English teachers have two excellent opportunities to use YA literature to help students understand the Civil Rights Movement and to gain an appreciation of African American culture in the United States. The first opportunity comes up soon, January 20, 2003: Martin Luther King Jr. Day. In addition to discussing the important role Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. played in changing American societv, the class days immediatelv before and after this holiday can be devoted to reading fiction and nonfiction about the Civil Rights Movement. The second date to remember is all of next month, February …

A Vision System Performing Lip Shape Analysis For Speech Pathology Research, Christopher Dromey, D J. Lee, Daniel Bates, Xiaoqian Xu

Faculty Publications

We have built a machine vision system to perform lip shape analysis and recognition and to generate 3.D lip models for speech pathology research. The system employs two color cameras that are synchronized to capture image video pairs simultaneously. A novel color segmentation technique that converts the RGB color components to linear color space has been developed to extract lip shape contours. Lip shape of the viseme, the smallest visibly distinguishable unit of speech, is used to identify its corresponding image frame in the recorded image sequences. It is also used to reconstruct the 3-D lip shape model as a …

Who Controls The Water? Yahweh Vs. Baal, Fred E. Woods

Faculty Publications

As the Israelites settled in the land of Canaan, clashes over religious beliefs and practices developed with other inhabitants of the land. Baalism, the belief in the Canaanite god of water and storm, became a threat to the true belief in Yahweh (Jehovah). This paper is an investigation of the implicit polemical usage of water and storm language in the Deuteronomic History (hereafter referred to as DH). The DH consists of the book of Deuteronomy as well as what is referred to in the Hebrew Bible as the Former Prophets (Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings). Many passages in the Deuteronomic …

From Individuality To Individualism: A Critique Of The Helping, Timothy B. Smith, Matthew R. Draper

Faculty Publications

Individualistic values characterize contemporary society and many popular approaches to mental health treatment. This paper critiques the individualistic values embedded in the helping professions that implicitly contradict the teachings of Jesus Christ, the surest foundation for mental health interventions. Members of AMCAP are encouraged to search out and replace other problematic values that contradict gospel teachings but that have been integrated into contemporary mental health practice.

Cooperation And Accountability After The Feeney Amendment, Michael M. O'Hear

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

“This Germ Of Rottedness”: Federal Trials In The New Republic, 1789-1807, Daniel D. Blinka

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

An Assessment Of Medicaid Planning, Alison Barnes

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Are Local Governmental Entities Subject To Qui Tam Actions Under The False Claims Act?, Jay E. Grenig

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.