Digital Commons Network^™

Geospatial Business Location Implications For Mississippi-Based Nissan Group Changing To Electrical Vehicle (Ev) Production, Sudheer Galla

Master's Theses

This research examines the shift from conventional Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) to Electric Vehicle (EV) production in the automotive industry. Utilizing the JobsEQ Input-Output model, it reveals complex economic interdependencies and highlights the concentration of Nissan Tier 1 suppliers around its Canton manufacturing operations in the Midwest and Southern U.S., indicating an efficient supply chain and regional economic impact.

In Mississippi, the transition to EV production is projected to create 4,415 jobs and increase compensation by $295.5 million, presenting a competitive edge in automotive employment opportunities. However, it emphasizes the need to retain and upskill the existing workforce, especially for …

Whose Woods These Are: Human-Environment Relationships Among Stakeholders Of South Mississippi's Longleaf Pine Ecosystem, Helen Greene

Master's Theses

Between 1870 and 1920, the longleaf pine belt of the southeastern United States experienced an extensive and unsustainable period of logging. In the years after the logging boom the landscape of the Southeast was reforested, but fire suppression and a preference among landowners for loblolly pine resulted in a dense and less resilient forest with reduced biodiversity. This research looks at the human geography of remnants of the longleaf pine ecosystem in South Mississippi and the nature of contemporary relationships between South Mississippi residents and this ecosystem.

In an effort to make sense of the complex relationships between people and …

The Classroom Password Group Contingency With Randomized Reinforcers, Emily Maxime

Master's Theses

From the principles of reinforcement and punishment established by operant conditioning, there have been a variety of different behavior modification methods explored. Group contingencies are one of these behavior modification procedures that can be applied at a class-wide level by teachers who are seeking to improve student behavior as a group or individually. The three types of group contingencies are independent, interdependent, and dependent group contingency. Additional components, such as randomization within a group contingency, have been seen to further the effectiveness of behavioral strategies. A novel independent group contingency that has recently been investigated and demonstrated some promise as …

College Athletes As Endorsers: A Study Of Nil Advertising, Zach Johnson

Master's Theses

The objective of this study is to determine how effective the newly enforced NIL deals among college athletes are in terms of social media advertising. With the rise of social media and the amount of people using social media daily, it is imperative for advertisers to understand various ways of promoting brands on social media. A 2x2x2 mixed experimental design was used to investigate the effects of college athletes-sponsored Instagram posts among college students, specifically source relevance, product relevance, and message authenticity. Findings suggested positive effects of using college athletes as sponsors. Source relevance, product relevance, and message authenticity played …

The Examination Of A Teacher Mentorship Intervention On Junior Teachers' Stress And Self-Efficacy, Cagla Cobek

Master's Theses

This study examined a daily Check-In/Check-Out mentorship intervention for junior teachers. Changes in junior teachers’ stress level and their sense of self-efficacy were measured. Researchers collected data from three junior teachers and mentor dyads in a Southeastern school district. A Multiple Baseline Design across three teachers was used in this study to examine the impact of the daily mentorship intervention. The results suggested that daily Check-Ins and Check-Outs with mentor teachers decreased all three junior teachers’ daily stress. The intervention did not impact significantly on junior teachers’ perceived stress and their sense of self-efficacy. Overall, this study supports a promising …

An Analysis On Wildfire Mitigations Employed By Utilities In California, Evan Luu

Master's Theses

As climate change continues to worsen, environmental effects are felt by many people around the world. In California, some of its most damaging wildfires have been found to be started by utilities. As the state continues to suffer from worsening wildfire conditions, the utilities need to implement a variety of wildfire mitigations to help reduce the risk of wildfires that can affect the state and its residents. This paper analyzes the effectiveness of four mitigations employed across three California utilities and suggests potential ways for the mitigations to be used together. The technologies evaluated are covered conductor, rapid earth fault …

Development Of Load Measurement Technique For Arbitrary Shapes, Quintin J. Cockrell

Master's Theses

Obtaining aerodynamic forces and moments about all three orthogonal axes for arbitrary shapes at arbitrary orientations in a fast manner via a measurement technique specific to Cal Poly’s low-speed wind tunnel to continually obtain the forces and moments under quasi-steady conditions is explored. A Continuous Rotation Technique (CR) uses a 6-DOF load cell and stepper motor to rotate an object about an axis for a complete rotation. The forces and moments acting upon the object pass through the stepper motor and interface plates and recorded by the load cell as the object is rotated continuously a finite number of rotations. …

An Ecological Assessment Of An Endangered Lichen From Central California: Sulcaria Isidiifera, The Splitting Yarn Lichen, Elijah C. Balderas

Master's Theses

Lichens are an underrepresented group of organisms when it comes to both research and conservation efforts. At the same time, lichens face increasing threats from anthropogenic sources including wildfires, climate change and urbanization. With this thesis, I seek to ascertain and publish ecological data on a critically endangered lichen to inform future conservation designations and efforts to preserve and protect the species in perpetuity.

In Chapter 1, I provide an ecological overview of the known range of Sulcaria isidiifera and assess the status of Sulcaria isidiifera via a population count. Sulcaria isidiifera occurs in maritime chaparral habitat in the Los …

Smartphone Based Object Detection For Shark Spotting, Darrick W. Oliver

Master's Theses

Given concern over shark attacks in coastal regions, the recent use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones, has increased to ensure the safety of beachgoers. However, much of city officials' process remains manual, with drone operation and review of footage still playing a significant role. In pursuit of a more automated solution, researchers have turned to the usage of neural networks to perform detection of sharks and other marine life. For on-device solutions, this has historically required assembling individual hardware components to form an embedded system to utilize the machine learning model. This means that the camera, neural processing …

Guilty As Charged: The Role Of Judge Instructions On Metaphor Produced Biases In Jury Decision Making, Gina N. Rita

Master's Theses

In this study, we hope to determine if the placement of judge instructions mitigates our previous study’s effect of metaphors on memory and verdict decisions. Our previous study showed in the metaphor condition, participants were more likely to vote guilty and remember more metaphor-related evidence compared to those in the control group. In addition to replicating the previous study’s results, we hypothesize judge instructions stated at the beginning of the trial will have little influence on the metaphor effects, and judge instructions at the end of the trial will weaken these effects. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of …

"It's Good To Doubt Saints, Vladim.": Medieval Constructions Of Sainthood, Their Histories, And Their Cults In Leigh Bardugo's Shadow And Bone, Kacie Barrett

Master's Theses

The Grishaverse is the fictional world created by author Leigh Bardugo that encompasses three separate series and ten different books. First published in 2012, the Shadow and Bone trilogy introduces readers to the world of Ravka, its Grisha, and its saints. The story follows Alina as she moves from orphan and soldier to saint and martyr. Sankta Alina becomes a character of its own – a version of Alina communicated to the people of Ravka as a banner to rally behind. She is made into living saint. The questions raised by Leigh Bardugo are echoed in church history. Sainthood is …

Feigning Goodness: Considering The Presence And Absence Of Aristotelian Ideas In Character Education Through Thematic Analysis, Mylo Apollo Parker-Emerson

Master's Theses

In the past 15+ years in the fields of psychology, philosophy, education, and at a federal level within the U.S. Department of Education, there has been a push to incorporate social emotional learning in schools, namely through character education (Berkowitz, 2021; Federal Commission on School Safety, 2018; Hatchimonji et al., 2020; Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues, 2022). Character education as an educational reform works to accomplish the functions of education through a focus on building good character, sometimes categorized as soft skills. Many schools have incorporated curriculums of character education to provide a more holistic education. Through the many …

“But You Don't Look Sick…:” Shedding Light On The Socially Constructed Problems Of Invisible Chronic Illness And The Benefits Of Shifting To A Dynamic Illness Framework, Samantha Susan Ropski

Master's Theses

Invisible chronic illness is a common, complex phenomenon that applies to any illness, disease, or collection of symptoms that is not always or ever outwardly apparent or discernable to onlookers, even in biomedical contexts. Interestingly, despite 96% of those with chronic illness fitting under the “invisible” umbrella, patients are frequently misdiagnosed, invalidated, dismissed and marginalized because they do not “look sick” enough within the context of the disease-focused medical model. This thesis aims to argue that many of the most significant and damaging problems associated with chronic illness are not due to the actual illnesses themselves but rather, are socially …

Cell Membrane Lipid Alterations In Blood Plasma At Pre-Conception And During Pregnancy Are Associated With Gestational Diabetes Development, Jennifer J. Luevano

Master's Theses

Introduction: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a metabolic disorder that has been defined as glucose intolerance that is first identified during pregnancy. The etiology of GDM is not yet fully understood, but there are several risk factors that appear to contribute to its development such as advanced age at pregnancy, family history of type 2 diabetes mellitus, and a previous history of GDM. The discovery of predictive GDM biomarkers has the potential to enable early GDM detection and lead to earlier diagnosis and preventative interventions.

Objective: Perform metabolomics analysis on plasma samples collected at pre-conception and at 26-weeks gestation to …

A Study On Api Security Pentesting, Hadi Asemi

Master's Theses

Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) are essential in the digital realm as the bridge enabling seamless communication and collaboration between diverse software applications. Their significance lies in simplifying the integration of different systems, allowing them to work together effortlessly and share data. APIs are used in various applications, for example, healthcare, banks, authentication, etc. Ensuring the security of APIs is critical to ensure data security, privacy, and more. Therefore, the security of APIs is not only urgent but mandatory for pentesting APIs at every stage of development and to catch vulnerabilities early. The primary purpose of this research is to provide …

Factors Affecting California Grassland Biodiversity: Two Case Studies, Nora Bales

Master's Theses

Biodiversity loss over the last century has been significant and is projected to increase. Biodiversity loss is accelerating due to climate change and habitat loss and degradation. Biodiversity supports key ecosystem services including pollination services, climate regulation, and water filtration. Biodiversity conservation is a top priority for land managers and researchers, however many ecological studies with practical applications lack a thorough understanding of the soil environment in their study system. We conducted two case studies integrating soil and plant data to answer management questions. The first case study investigated the relationship between a threatened plant, Hooveria purpurea var. purpurea and …

Nira Ya Mtumwa Aliye Huru: Granville Kachipumo's Life Of Slavery And Redemption In Nineteenth-Century East Africa, Zachary Tyler Levy

Master's Theses

Granville Kachipumo was the Universities Mission to Central Africa’s African-born teacher at Mkului in East Africa near today’s Muheza district of Tanga, Tanzania. He was taken from his home along River Lintipe at 10 to 12 years old. Granville Kachipumo’s life began with his family west of Lake Nyasa. Ripped from the arms of his parents, Granville Kachipumo faced two inland journeys, each with its complex forms of slave trade. From the inland environment, Granville Kachipumo navigated to the mission halls of Masasi and beyond. Kachipumo’s story is, as Arthur Cornwallis Madan stated, “a story of an intelligent boy who …

Nanodiscs: A Novel Approach To The Study Of The Methionine Abc Transporter System, Michael T. Winslow

Master's Theses

Membrane transporter proteins play the vital role of moving compounds in and out of the cell and are essential for all living organisms. ATP Binding Cassette (ABC) family transporters function both as importers and exporters in prokaryotes. MetNI is an E. coli Type I ABC transporter responsible for the uptake of methionine into the cytosol from the cell periplasmic space through the cell membrane to maintain intracellular methionine pools. ABC transporters, like other membrane proteins, are most often mechanistically and structurally studied in vitro, solubilized by detergents. However, detergent micelles may affect the conformational changes of membrane proteins relative to …

Synchrotron Photoionization Study Of Two Reactions, Alpha Angelica Lactone And Propargyl Alcohol Oxidation Initiated By O(3p) Atoms, Golbon Rezaei

Master's Theses

This work describes the oxidation behavior of biofuels, Alpha Angelica Lactone, and Propargyl Alcohol through combustion experiments conducted at the chemical Dynamics Beamline 9.0.2 of the Advanced Light Source (ALS) situated at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories (LBNL) in Berkeley, CA. The combustion process of these two biofuels was initiated by O(3P), and they were analyzed using a multiplexed chemical kinetics photoionization mass spectrometer with tunable synchrotron radiation. The primary products of these two reactions were identified by kinetic time traces and characterized using the photoionization spectra.

The initial chapter of this work describes the importance of using biofuels instead …

An Examination Of School Resource Officers' Self-Perception Of Role, Student Encounters And Duties, Alexandra Swanty

Master's Theses

As the rates of school shootings and school violence rise, the effectiveness of school resource officers (SROs) has come into question. As of now, there is no nationwide standard for the role and duties of school resource officers. Therefore, these differ from state to state and even school district to school district. One variable that had yet to be examined was the impact that location has on the roles of school resource officers. From this, three different school resource officer roles were identified: teaching-based role, community-based role, and law enforcement-based role. To determine the relationship between these variables, an online …

Experiences And Perspectives Of A Speech-Language Pathologist On Strategies And Challenges For Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder In The General Education, Inclusion-Focused Classroom Post Distance Learning, Hayley Mahnke

Master's Theses

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects an individual’s communication and social skills (Ibrahimagic et al., 2021). The impacts vary across individuals but often includes struggles with transitions, flexibility, and organization (Ibrahimagic et al., 2021). Students with ASD frequently struggle with pragmatic skills that are the foundation for academic experiences and peer relationships (Ibrahimagic et al., 2021; Sutton et al., 2018). These skills are often important speech-language therapy targets that are challenged by faculty buy-in, school resources, and peer acceptance (Garrote et al., 2017; Kasari et al., 2011; Koster et al., 2009; Lloyd et al., 2016; Sutton …

Comparing Effects Of Praise Rates On Classroom Behavior, Brittany Pigg

Master's Theses

High-quality academic instruction, and, in turn, student success, are correlated with effective classroom management (Gage, Scott, Hirn, & MacSuga-Gage, 2018; Johnson, 1997; Stronge, Ward, & Grant, 2011; Wang, Haertel, & Walberg, 1993). Students are spending up to 50% of their instructional time engaged in non-instructional activities such as classroom procedures, transitions, and discipline (Codding & Smyth, 2008). However, academic activities should account for at least 70% of classroom time (Little & Akin-Little, 2008). Praise, a simple classroom behavior management procedure, includes statements commending behavior and is intended to increase the future probability of the behavior that warranted praise. Behavior-specific praise …

Exploring And Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Greeley’S Mental Health Co-Responder Program And “Squad 1”, Mikelle Angiuli

Master's Theses

Law enforcement officers are often the de facto emergency response for mental health crises despite having little to no mental health training. With nearly 20% of U.S. adults reporting experiencing a mental illness and recent police reform movements bringing attention to alternative policing practices and policies, there is arguably a need for comprehensive mental health treatment and emergency response in the U.S. (Mental Health America, n.d.). The cities of Greeley and Evans, Colorado have implemented a mental health co-responder program that involves individual mental health clinicians and a mental health ambulance, Squad 1, responding alongside police on mental health calls …

Restrictions And Criteria For Obtaining Funds After A Victimization: A Content Analysis Of Victim Compensation Statutes In The United States, Taylor Brake

Master's Theses

Of the lasting effects after a victimization, a common denominator is the cost of services needed to heal from the harm caused. Since 2002, all states and territories in the United States have fully developed victim compensation programs to provide aid to victims in combating the financial impacts after a crime. The Victims of Crime Act and the Office for Victims of Crime have created requirements and suggestions for states to follow within their compensation programs. Unfortunately, there is no federal authority enforcing these requirements or ensuring consistency in state statutes surrounding victim compensation. Although there are multiple rationales as …

An Overview Of Speech-Language Pathologists’ Current Practices For Bilingual Children With Childhood Apraxia Of Speech, Yessica Villanueva Guerra

Master's Theses

Purpose: This study aimed to explore and describe current practices of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) who presently work or have worked with bilingual children with Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) in diverse settings. Exploration of this topic may contribute to the need for more knowledge in the Speech-Language Pathology field regarding evidence-based practices for the target population. The primary aims addressed in this study were: 1) To describe the assessment procedures currently used by speech-language pathologists to diagnose bilingual children with Childhood Apraxia of Speech, 2) To describe the intervention approaches currently used by speech-language pathologists to treat bilingual children with …

Co-Simulation Of Active Magnetic Bearing Rotors Using Adams, Msc Apex, And Simulink, Shea A. Charkowsky

Master's Theses

Apex-Adams-Simulink co-simulation is applied to active magnetic bearing (AMB) rotors, demonstrating results unshown in literature, including continuous frequency response, and unavailable in known rotor dynamics software, including touchdown bearing impact. AMBs levitate rotors without contact, so they involve no friction, wear, lubrication, pollution, or shaft speed limits and are thus valuable for large, high-speed applications. Modeling of such rotors, necessary for safety and performance, simultaneously requires flexible body dynamics and advanced control design, but simulation programs tend to specialize in only one or the other. The co-simulation method combines multiple such programs—MSC Apex (finite element modeling), Adams (multibody dynamics), and …

Animal Abuse And Psychopathy: Examining Psychopathic Personality Traits In Both Animal Abusers And Non-Abusers, Allison Renegar

Master's Theses

Despite the soaring popularity of household pets in America, very little thought is given about the rights of our domesticated animals to exist free from harm and abuse. Little research has been done concerning animal abuse as most studies measured animal abuse dichotomously, providing essentially no contextual information. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between psychopathy and animal abuse using the Psychopathic Personality Traits Scale (PPTS; Boduszek et al., 2016) and the Boat Inventory on Animal-Related Experiences (Boat Inventory; Boat, 1994) while accounting for other factors including what types of animals are abused and the methods …

Auto-Resistance Toward Snake Venom Metalloproteases In United States Pitvipers, Kaleb Hill

Master's Theses

Analysis of natural snake venom inhibitors in snake blood began in the 18th century with the pioneering work of Fontana on European vipers (Hawgood, 1995). Serum resistance to conspecific and heterospecific venoms has subsequently been identified in many snakes, but results vary. Many of these snakes demonstrating resistance are either allopatric or distantly related, making the ecological explanation of this resistance unclear. Auto-resistance to one’s own venom for protection against self-envenomation has been suggested to be provided by endogenous serum-based protective molecules that bind to the venom components. Toxin resistance could develop in venomous organisms resulting from the physiological production …

Structural And Kinematic Investigation Of The Dadeville Complex-Brevard Zone Contact (Southern Appalachians): Polyphase Emplacement Of An Allochthonous Terrane On The Laurentian Margin, Andrew Williams

Master's Theses

The Dadeville Complex (DC) lies in the Inner Piedmont of eastern Alabama and western Georgia. The DC formed as a volcanic island arc during the Taconic orogeny (Ordovician Period) and was accreted onto Laurentia during the Acadian orogeny (Devonian-Mississippian Periods); however, the mechanism and role of accretion during the Acadian orogeny is not well constrained. Three proposed emplacement mechanisms for the DC include: (1) orogen-perpendicular translation; (2) orogen-parallel translation; (3) orogenic channel flow.

Today, the DC is a major (over 100 kilometers long) allochthonous terrane composed mostly of meta-igneous rocks. This study investigated structural fabrics and kinematic indicators in the …

The Mental Health Of Lgbtq+ Graduate Students: Examining The Role Of Lifestyle Factors, Lindsey Ostermiller

Master's Theses

The are many well-documented disparities among LGBTQ+ individuals and a rising concern about mental health in higher education, as LGBTQ+ graduate students may face unique and specific vulnerabilities in relation to their overall health compared to their peers. Part of what might be driving the mental health crisis among LGBTQ+ graduate students are poorer lifestyle factors. There is limited research that examines the impact of health-related lifestyle factors on mental health among LGBTQ+ graduate students, exacerbating our lack of insight into specific problems that may affect LGBTQ+ individuals’ mental health. As such, the present study examined mental health in LGBTQ+ …