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Evaluating Macrobenthic Indicators Of Organic Enrichment And Hypoxia Within The Coastal Mississippi Hypoxic Zone, Daneen P. Menke

Master's Theses

Macrobenthic communities offer effective indicators of biotic integrity, but their use for distinguishing anthropogenic from natural stress is tricky because coastal taxa are eurytolerant. Effective coastal management calls for benthic indicators that respond to specific stressors, apply across different habitats, and reflect ecosystem function. Macrobenthic process metrics based on body-size descriptors should reflect ecosystem function and be useful for assessing the effects of eutrophication. Functional trait analysis should reflect the functional diversity of the community. Coastal Mississippi experienced widespread and sustained hypoxia throughout summer 2008. Site 6 located on the 10-m isobath in the center of the 2008 hypoxic zone …

Designing And Developing An Alternative Implementation Of The Digital Bathymetric Database, Variable Resolution (Dbdb-V), Donald Lester Brandon Jr.

Master's Theses

This documentation describes a project to design and develop an alternative implementation of the Digital Bathymetric Database Variable Resolution (DBDB-V) that will allow efficient ingestion into Geospatial Information System (GIS). DBDB-V is a well-known storage facility for wide-reaching bathymetry. It is created, maintained, and extensively used by the U.S. Navy, and it is seen in many applications within the public sector. Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) develops a popular suite of GIS applications called ArcGIS Desktop that is used worldwide and offered to U.S. Navy programs though the Commercial Joint Mapping Toolkit (CJMTK). …

German Pows, Biopolitics, & The Piney Woods: Using Foucault To Analyze Resistance At Camp Shelby's Pow Camp During World War Ii, Patricia Lynn Miller-Beech

Master's Theses

Few people realize that during World War II, Camp Shelby in south Mississippi was a detention site for German prisoners of war (POWs) where the United States government engaged in reeducation efforts to de-Nazify soldiers in order to create a democratic Germany after the war. The U.S. War Department hoped the success of this program would create allies and prevent another war in the future. Despite the reeducation program being in all POW camps in the U. S., Camp Shelby was distinctive due to the racial politics of Mississippi during the height of the Jim Crow era. It is also …

Stratigraphy Of Quaternary Dunes By Sand Mineralogy And Pedogenic Features, Los Osos, California, Lyssa A. Cousineau

Master's Theses

The goal of this study was to assess mineralogy and pedogenic features of sand dunes in a stratigraphic sequence. The purpose was to determine whether these features significantly differ to reflect age differences with depth within the sequence. This study was conducted in Montaña de Oro State Park, located on the central Californian coast eighteen kilometers northwest of San Luis Obispo in San Luis Obispo County.

Samples were collected from the vertical exposure of one dune face by stratified random sampling at 1.0-m vertical intervals. Particle size distribution was determined through particle-size analysis by hydrometer and sieve. Electrical conductivity and …

Mapping Plant Biodiversity Hotspots At The County Scale: A New Tool For Establishing Resource Conservation Strategies, Kristie Haydu

Master's Theses

Myers first identified the world’s 25 biodiversity hotspots and pioneered innovative ideas about the usefulness of biodiversity models for establishing long-term resource conservation strategies at global scales. Since Myers, most of the subsequent studies using hotspot science for biodiversity modeling have used large spatial scales like countries, provinces or states, and other biogeoraphic regions. The California Floristic Province continues to be one of the recognized global biodiversity hotspots. Our study site, San Luis Obispo County is within this hotspot and we created a map of plant biodiversity hotspots at the county scale using GIS technology. We wanted to determine the …

Creating A Pedestrian Level-Of-Service Index For Transit Stops: Evidence From Denver’S Light Rail System, Patrick Gallagher

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Eurotech Students In Germany: Preparation, Experience And Outcome, Daisy A. Michaels

Master's Theses

Higher education study abroad programs for U.S. students are on the rise. A variety of undergraduate disciplines are being coupled with international components to bring U.S. students to a higher level of global awareness to meet the demands of today’s economy. The University of Connecticut’s Eurotech Program is an example of this trend. Its students earn degrees in both German and engineering in a five year program. They are given practical training through study and internships in Germany under the auspices of the Baden-Württemberg Exchange Program. One of the Eurotech Program’s major goals is to enhance job opportunities for its …

The United States Military Realignment On Okinawa, Kevin M. Evringham

Master's Theses

The United States maintains military bases in foreign countries in efforts to protect American overseas interests, whether they are economic, diplomatic or for geostrategic purposes. In Japan, where the United States has maintained military installations since the end of World War II, debate over the realignment of forces on Okinawa has caused minor, yet growing, rifts in the stable United States-Japanese alliance. Current plans to shift American military forces from Okinawa to locations throughout the Pacific do not take into account the historical or geostrategic factors for their stationing in Japan. This thesis identifies the geostrategic challenges to the current …

An Integrated Approach For Developing Adaptation Strategies In Climate Planning: A Case Study Of Vulnerability In Dukes County, Massachusetts, Jonathan Pollak

Master's Theses

Climate Action Plans (CAP’s) are recent innovations in policy that have been catalyzed by a need to adjust the relationship between human activity and the Earth’s climate system. CAP’s often are composed of methods to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions in addition to adaptation strategies. Research indicates, however, that many plans focus on mitigation strategies while adaptation policies related to predicted changes caused by climate change are often overlooked. This thesis presents an integrative framework for locating areas that are in need of adaptation strategies through a GIS based decision support system that visualizes vulnerability. It is operationalized through an empirical …

Addressing Congenital Syphilis In Rural Haiti: Beyond Maternal Screening And Treatment, Cheryl Bayart

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

East Of The Tracks: Grassroots Environmentalism In South Mississippi, Heather Kay Sanchez

Master's Theses

Environmental justice literature challenges the disparity and oppression regarding the quality of life associated with residential environments among communities of color. Recent disasters, such as hurricane Katrina, the Tennessee coal sludge disaster (December 2008), and the BP Oil Spill (2010) have garnered visibility for environmental issues, particularly in the south. Nevertheless, the topic has largely been ignored in Mississippi among academia, many advocacy groups, and at the state level despite the emergence of several community based grassroots environmental groups throughout Mississippi in recent years. From Columbia, to Crystal Springs, to Hattiesburg, a coalition of environmental groups is forming with Hattiesburg …

The Role Of Family Ties In Mitigating Moral Hazard: Firm-Level Evidence From Tamil Nadu, India, Goldie Chow

Master's Theses

Drawing on firm-level data from the district of Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, India, this study explores the role of family ties as a means to counteract potential moral hazard concerns. It is shown that firms will be more likely to employ family relations when faced with a higher hidden context for moral hazard. Specifically, the analysis finds that the presence of family members within the firm is higher when the firm provides general training and that firms that are more likely to do external business with family relations when it is believed that the legal system is not effective. Additionally, …

"Thai Suite," With Analysis, Sarinda Soponpong

Master's Theses

Thai traditional music can be separated into four major styles as based on each region of Thailand. Although the music is pentatonic (anhemitonic), each style differs in sonority, rhythm, and melody. Western art music, especially the music of the 20th century, employs a wide range of compositional techniques that can be utilized with traditional Thai music to create new sounds. This thesis composition, “Thai Suite,” in four-movements for wind ensemble, with analysis, demonstrates how traditional Thai music can be integrated into contemporary Western compositional practices through the medium of the modern wind ensemble.

Distant Neighbors: Negotiating Space And Urban Development In A Southern Mississippi Community, Kelly Jo Davila

Master's Theses

Through a case study in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, this research explores the need for cultural competence in urban economic development of neighborhoods. I place at the forefront the need for a collective community voice in the discussions and negotiations of future development, and argue that a lack of that voice has contributed to stunted economic growth.

In addition, through this case study I demonstrate that there may be systems in place intended to "solve" the problem of economic underdevelopment, but in reality only perpetuate the lack of economic growth. In this case, a reliance on the local bus system has made …

Assessing The Functional Accuracy And Quality Of Volunteered Geographic Information: A Comparison Of Open Street Map And Navteq Road Datasets, Brett William Hode

Master's Theses

This thesis provides a detailed analysis of the functional data accuracy between Open Street Map data and Navteq road data. The analysis revealed that the average accuracy level ranged from 87.3% to 94.9% for buffer distances between 2 and 20 meters. Analyses were also performed to determine the predictability and spatial distributions of accuracy levels. The results showed that there is no statistical relationship between population density, education levels, or poverty levels when compared to the accuracy levels of OSM data. Further, no clearly discernible patterns in the spatial distribution of accuracy values for OSM data were found. The overall …

No One Really Knows You, Andrew Charles Rhodes

Master's Theses

This is a collection of five short stories that I have written during my time in the Center for Writers at the University of Southern Mississippi. The stories were written, revised, and workshopped in graduate classes over the last two years.

Anarchy, Play, And Carnival In The Neoliberal City: Critical Mass As Insurgent Public Space Activism, John Andrew Blue

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Agency Through Ambiguity: Women Ngo Workers In Jalalabad, Afghanistan, Melissa S. Kerr Chiovenda

Master's Theses

Pashtun women working for international NGOs and development organizations in Jalalabad Afghanistan balance the requirements of their employment with a set values, known as doing pashto, that guide their behavior as Pashtuns. These two influences on their lives are often contradictory. Based on fieldwork in Jalalabad, this study suggests that Pashtun women working for such organizations do not overtly resist Pashtun norms that often enforce a strict segregation of women. Rather, they use strategic ambiguity, maintaining that they are performing pashto well while at the same time taking part in some work activities that on the surface appear contrary to …

The Hybrid Laboratory: Informal Spaces For Public-Science Interaction, Whitney Ann Ferrin-Rodriguez

Master's Theses

While growing trends in participatory science and public outreach have made science more accessible to publics, science communities and publics have long interpreted science and laboratories as private domains, perpetuating the idea that science is reserved for "experts" and locations for science are deemed "private." Many studies that examine public-science interaction, however, seldom consider the role of space and place. I argue that material spaces shape public-science interactions. My analysis takes place at an institutionalized informal education platform: a hybrid laboratory: a space used by "expert" astronomers to create new visual knowledge and "lay" publics to actively participate in astronomy. …

Treatment Compliance And Recidivism: Following Up On The 2000 Illinois Juvenile Probation Outcome Study, Connor Concannon

Master's Theses

This study examines the relationship between demographics, treatment completion, and recidivism in a cohort of Illinois juveniles discharged from probation. The current study expands on prior research through the examination of recidivism both while on supervision as well as ten years after discharge. Results indicate that while treatment completion is predictive of on-probation arrests, other factors appear to be stronger predictors of post-probation recidivism.

The analyses also provide a baseline to examine the impact of the conditions of probation prior to the implementation of substantive reforms to probation practices in Illinois in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Thus, the …

Analyzing The Impact Of County Radon Levels And Population Size On The Allocation Of The State Indoor Radon Grant (Sirg) Funds, Stephen Douglas De Jong

Master's Theses

This thesis examines the SIRG program's effectiveness to target funds to states with the highest risk potential, based on county radon levels and population size. The primary method of determining the program's effectiveness was an analysis of the program's allocation of funds at a regional as well as a state level. The analysis focused on two of four input variables that the EPA utilizes in its regional allocation model (e.g., county radon levels and population size).

The analysis showed that the state-level allocation of funds is only marginally related to a combination of county radon levels and population size, while …

The Role Of Language In Shaping The International Cultural Tourism Experience Of Student-Travelers, Avina Ramnani

Master's Theses

This qualitative, exploratory study sought insight into how language affects the cultural tourism experience in the international tourism context. Data were obtained through semi-structured interviews of 13 student-travelers, who traveled with the San Jose State University's study-abroad programs. The analysis of the data was carried out within a socio-linguistic context using grounded theory methods. Findings indicated that travel motivations and the perception of significance of the language spoken at a destination were intimately connected. Further, the desire on the part of the student-travelers to experience the local culture affected the desire for interaction with the host population, which was in …

A Comparison Of Two Versions Of Modified Mercalli Intensity For Earthquake Exposure Assessment, Jamie Lynne Ratliff

Master's Theses

The U.S. Geological Survey conducted an earthquake exposure assessment for the State of Washington using peak ground acceleration (PGA) shaking from the USGS ShakeMap Project grouped to approximate Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) classes. Since ShakeMap datasets also have data representing official MMI classes, a companion exposure assessment was performed to determine whether MMI-grouped PGA data and official MMI data are interchangeable. Along with the exposure assessment, a spatial sampling process was used to further check how MMI-grouped PGA and official MMI data compared. Results indicated that significant variations existed spatially between the two ShakeMap datasets; generalizations by ShakeMap in creating …

Visualizing Landslide Hazards: Methods For Empowering Communities In Guatemala Through Hazard Mapping, Patrick Burchfiel

Master's Theses

Landslides occur at a high frequency throughout the mountainous regions of Guatemala, posing an elevated risk to communities and their infrastructure. A crucial component of the analysis of landslide hazards incorporates the creation of landslide hazard or susceptibility maps. This paper's research objective had two distinct components. The first was to identify practical and effective cartographic visualization methods to deliver map-based hazard information at the community level in Guatemala. Mapping methods were evaluated for their potential effectiveness in visually communicating landslide risks to the isolated rural communities of Lake Atitlan and the town of Santiago Atitlan. The research illustrated the …

Doppler Wind Lidar Observations Of A Wildland Fire Plume, Allison Marie Charland

Master's Theses

Observations in the vicinity of a wildland fire showed the development of a convergence zone downwind of the convection column. These observations were obtained during a prescribed burn in complex terrain east of San Jose, California. A ground-based Halo Photonics, Ltd. Stream Line 75 Lidar acquired Doppler wind velocities and backscatter intensity in and around the fire plume from multiple vertically pointing, PPI, and RHI scans while a ASC miniSodar obtained vertical wind and turbulence profiles downwind. These observations allowed for the study of the kinematic structure and spatial and temporal evolution of the fire plume. Observations showed velocities accelerating …

Modeling Wildfire Hazard In The Western Hindu Kush-Himalayas, David Bylow

Master's Theses

Wildfire regimes are a leading driver of global environmental change affecting diverse ecosystems across the planet. The objectives of this study was to model regional wildfire potential and identify environmental, topological, and sociological factors that contribute to the ignition of regional wildfire events in the Western Hindu Kush-Himalayas. The environmental, topological, and sociological factors were used to model regional wildfire potential through multi-criteria evaluation using a method of weighted linear combination. Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and geographic information systems (GIS) data were integrated to identify regional wildfire factors. Point pattern and inferential statistical analysis were used to analyze regional …

Geography And Social Structure Of Monasteries: Cultural Diffusion Or Convergent Evolution?, Constance Powell Chin

Master's Theses

At both ends of the Eurasian continent, cenobitic monasticism took root and flourished in the fourth century. This parallel development at roughly the same time in regions so different and distant from each other as Egypt and China lends itself to an interesting comparison and a large question. Is this a case of cultural diffusion, a borrowing of ideas and attitudes and perhaps even monastic rules and practices from India, which lies midway between the two? Is it instead a case of convergent evolution?

Monastic rules and behaviors, the archaeology of monasteries, and the functions of early monasteries are explored …

Maintenance Of Polish Language And Culture Among First Generation Polish Immigrants Living In The Southern San Francisco Bay Area, California., Dominika Bialek

Master's Theses

The focus of this thesis research is to investigate the extent to which first

generation Polish immigrants living in the southern San Francisco Bay Area in California maintain their native Polish language and culture. Qualitative data were collected in the form of interviews and survey questionnaires. The major findings show that in this small immigrant community (1) maintenance of Polish language and culture happens primarily at home; (2) females married to first generation Polish immigrants are more likely than others to maintain Polish language and culture; (3) the small size of the Polish community, knowledge of English at the time …

Dynamics Of Vibrio With Virulence Genes Detected In Pacific Harbor Seals (Phoca Vitulina Richardii) Off California: Implications For Marine Mammal Health, Stephanie Nichole Hughes

Master's Theses

Given their coastal site fidelity and opportunistic foraging behavior, harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) may serve as sentinels for coastal ecosystem health. Seals using urbanized coastal habitat can acquire enteric bacteria, including Vibrio, that may affect their health. To understand Vibrio dynamics in seals, demographic and environmental factors were tested for predicting potentially virulent Vibrio in free-ranging and stranded Pacific harbor seals (P. v. richardii) off the coast of California. Vibrio prevalence did not vary with season and was greater in free-ranging seals (29%, n = 319) compared with stranded seals (17%, n = 189). Of …

The Effects Of Restored Aquatic Large Woody Debris Structures On Invertebrate Populations In The Napa River, Clayton Christopher Leal

Master's Theses

Agricultural encroachment and habitat destruction within the riparian zone of many California ecosystems have created a need for restoration of stream hydrology in order to enhance and support native flora and fauna. On the Napa River, adjacent vineyards have caused the channel to become deeply incised, so that the stream now lacks geomorphic variability and biodiversity. In order to restore channel complexity, large woody debris (LWD) structures were installed in the river in the summer of 2010. In this study I evaluated the effects of installing LWD structures within the Napa River on benthic invertebrates in the first year after …