Digital Commons Network^™

The International Criminal Court And Civil Resistance, Anne E. Yamamoto

Master's Theses

There has long been work and research on international criminal justice in the face of great and tragic atrocities. One mechanism established to confront these atrocities and create international criminal justice is the International Criminal Court. Since its inception the court has drawn criticism both for its infringement on state sovereignty and its focus on Africa. My research looks at how the International Criminal Court can best work to address these critiques and continue to provide international criminal justice. I believe one facet of this can be found in the adoption of the normative framework of a Right to Assist …

My Generation Will Never Forget: Oral Histories Of Chinese American Students In “Separate But Equal” Oriental Schools, Kelsey Owyang

Master's Theses

Asian Americans occupy a contradictory position in the American educational landscape, at once glorified for their academic success and vilified for their “invasion” of White academic spaces. This narrative first took root in the 19^th century, when the California Supreme Court ruled in the 1885 case Tape v. Hurley that Chinese American youth had a right to public education. Simultaneously, the state legislature declared that Chinese Americans must be educated in separate facilities from Whites. The first segregated “Oriental school” opened in San Francisco Chinatown that year. This study explores the oft-erased history of Asian American school segregation in …

Can Social Support Ameliorate Burnout?, Timothy Finney

Master's Theses

Mental health provides different areas of interest compared to physical health when looking at general health. Social support decreases the negative impacts of burnout while positively influencing productive components of the economy. Social sciences other than economics such as sociology and psychology take notice of the impact of social support on burnout. Pronto Soccorso e Medicina d’ Urgenza Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria in Parma, Italy provides high quality health care services before and throughout the COVID-19 pandemic while anticipating continuing to administer care well into the future. Here we show social support effecting workers in the health care industry. Work colleagues influencing …

Investigation Of Dna Variability And Phylogenetic Relationships Of Perlesta (Plecoptera: Perlidae) In Mississippi, James C. Valentine, Mac H. Alford

Master's Theses

The genus Perlesta Banks, 1906 (Plecoptera: Perlidae) consists of 35 species, 33 native to the United States and Canada and two native to China. For over a century these small, brown stonefly adults and freckled yellow nymphs have gone by the name of the type species of the genus, Perlesta placida, but taxonomic work in the genus since 1989 has resulted in the recognition of additional species. These species were mostly recognized and described using morphological characteristics, but two areas that are lacking include (1) linking nymphs to adults and (2) phylogenetic analysis of all species occurring in Mississippi …

Induced Spawning Of Captive Tripletail Lobotes Surinamensis, Nicholas Adams

Master's Theses

The Tripletail, Lobotes surinamensis, is an emerging candidate species for U.S. marine aquaculture. This work aimed to address two bottlenecks for hatchery production of the species by developing a hormonal induction protocol to obtain fertile spawns from captive brooders and a method for sex identification of candidate brooders.

Single pairs selected among a captive-held broodstock conditioned under a natural photothermal cycle were induced with one of five treatments (n = 5 or 6 replicates per treatment). Control (no hormone) and hCG (1,100 IU.kg^-1 for females, 550 IU.kg^-1 for males) pairs did not spawn. Pairs treated with GnRHa …

The Politicization Of School Reopenings: Media Coverage Of Teachers Unions, Sarah King

Master's Theses

The process of school reopenings during the COVID-19 pandemic has garnered a significant amount of attention from various stakeholders including parents, school administrators, teachers, teachers’ unions, and the media. Negotiations over elements of school reopening policies, such as mask mandates and remote-learning options have, in certain school districts, been fraught with contention. The politicization of school reopening policies has been the source of a growing body of research, which tends to analyze policy decisions in conjunction with COVID data. However, a large gap in the literature has appeared concerning the politicization of school reopenings and the impact of the media, …

Bon Appѐtit: Faunal Subsistence At Fort Tombecbe (1su7)​, Sarah Coffey

Master's Theses

The frontier fort known as Tombecbe is situated on the Tombigbee River in present day Epes, Alabama. Tombecbe was constructed in 1736 as a staging point for Bienville’s campaign against the Chickasaw and to block encroachments by the British military. Following the Treaty of Paris, the fort was occupied successively by the British and then Spanish in the eighteenth century. Fortunately, historic documents and physical modifications to the fort suggest that it is possible to isolate and examine the French, British, and Spanish separately, however the breadth of the faunal analysis leaves this for future research. The soldiers at Tombecbe …

"Yours For Freedom": The Life And Legacy Of Civil Rights Leader Victoria Gray Adams, Meridian Mcdaniel

Master's Theses

Understanding the life and legacy of Victoria Gray Adams (1926-2006) is key to appreciating the role of middle-aged African-American women activists in Mississippi during the Civil Rights Movement. She was born and raised in Palmers Crossing, a self-sustaining black community just south of Hattiesburg. Her upbringing fostered pride and a sense of independence in herself as a black person, which eventually influenced her efforts to inspire the local community’s involvement in the movement. Her participation and remarkable leadership in various Civil Rights groups helped solidify her role as a local, state, and national leader. The roles she held throughout her …

Large Scale Disease Modeling, Walker Mattox

Master's Theses

In this we study large scale disease modeling. After understanding the mechanics behind the SIR disease model in an ODE sense, we will apply this knowledge to model disease spread in more and more increasing advanced cellular automata. Eventually, some of our cellular automata will include long distance travel. From this discrete data, we can then build an SIR model in the PDE sense to display large scale disease spread.

Knowledge And Perceptions Of Slp Graduate Students Regarding Multiculturalism, Evy Jewell Hayes

Master's Theses

Populations in the United States rise daily, as do the number of people who are considered multicultural. With this comes a greater need for speech-language pathologists (SLPs) who are able to assess and treat such individuals – a training process that begins in graduate programs. The primary objective of this study was to determine the knowledge and perceptions of graduate students in speech-language pathology as it pertains to multiculturalism. A survey was conducted to explore graduate students’ knowledge and perceptions of multicultural topics. Participants were recruited from programs in the southeastern United States via email. Just under 400 surveys were …

The Knives I Used, Katelin Carsrud

Master's Theses

The Knives I Used is a collection of short stories written between August 2020 and April 2022, while the author was a student at The University of Southern Mississippi. This thesis contains stories joined by the thematic thread of self-harm and demonstrates the spectrum of ways it presents itself in individuals.

The Impacts Of Cooperative Learning In Classrooms On Student Social Skills, Joseph Larson

Master's Theses

This mixed-methods action research study investigates potential effects of cooperative learning strategies on observed and self-reported student social skills in a fourth grade classroom. Baseline data is collected at a time when the classroom is predominantly whole-group and is then compared to ensuing data collected during and after cooperative learning interventions. Opportunities for students to work in interdependent partnerships and small groups ramps up gradually and culminates in a 3-week period which includes 3 different jigsaw-style lesson activities. Data suggests that students who are unaccustomed to working with peers may struggle to exhibit required social skills that make cooperative learning …

The Impact Of Peer Tutoring On Elementary Students’ Mathematical Education, Kristen Clapp

Master's Theses

This action research study utilized a mixed-methods approach to determine the impact peer tutoring can have in mathematical instruction within a fourth-grade classroom. Data was collected using student-surveys, personal journal entries, and student work samples over the course of a four-week time frame. Report findings show both unchanged and positive impacts in students’ achievement in math as well as data supporting the idea that students who present high mathematical comprehension prior to the study result in no significant impact in mathematical achievement through peer tutoring. This study also displays how student skill and personalities impact effectiveness and ineffectiveness in mathematical …

Impact Of Movement Breaks On Student Focus, Marissa Malyszek

Master's Theses

This action research study focused on the impacts that movement breaks had on student focus during math lessons. This was a mixed-methods study with data collection occurring over a time period of three weeks while in a third grade classroom. Students were given 60-180 second movement breaks during math lessons over the course of the study. Movement breaks were classified in this study as any activity that required movement of one or more parts of the body. Data was collected in the form of observational analysis as well as through the use of student surveys. The findings of this study …

Body Dissatisfaction In Division Iii Collegiate Male Athletes: An Exploratory Study, Andria Merrill

Master's Theses

Given the paucity of literature investigating body dissatisfaction in collegiate male athletes, more work is necessary to establish the extent and consequences of that phenomenon in this population. The purpose of this study was to explore body dissatisfaction in collegiate male athletes participating in varsity sports at SUNY Cortland. The specific aim was to determine the prevalence of body dissatisfaction in collegiate male athletes and other intra-individual factors that may exist within varsity men's sports. Thirteen participants completed electronic surveys for the Weight Pressures Scale for Male athletes (WPS-M), the Drive for Muscularity Scale (DMS), and the Body Esteem Scale …

Morning Meeting And Closing Circles: A Sense Of Community, Positive Learning Environment, And Increased Social Interactions In An Elementary Classroom, Samantha Ryan

Master's Theses

This action research study was implemented over a three-week period in a first-grade classroom, collecting qualitative and quantitative data. The purpose of the study was to determine the effects of Morning Meetings and Closing Circles on a sense of community in an elementary classroom. Preliminary findings show an increase in student social interactions, positive learning environment, and a climate of belonging. This presentation will also provide information on Morning Meetings and Closing Circles as an intervention to combat social and emotional competencies lost during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Influence Of Short-Term Goal Setting On Student Performance And Motivation, Amber Lefever

Master's Theses

Student goal setting is one powerful tool that can influence students' attitudes and achievements. This mixed-methods study examines the effects of short-term goal setting on the performance and motivation of students in a fifth-grade classroom. Students set weekly goals and tracked their performance through daily self-reflection. The goal-setting intervention provided students an opportunity to gain success through intrinsic rewards and strengthen their self-efficacy skills. Data were collected and analyzed over a three-week time frame. This presentation provides details on the effectiveness of goal setting in the classroom and procedures for structuring goal-setting interventions for upper elementary students.

The Mythos Of Lilith: A Collection Of Madwomen, Megan Mau

Master's Theses

For too long, women’s stories have been mitigated, translated, truncated, and censored, if they were even recorded at all before the world could hear them. What could women be writing that would be so threatening to incite such censorship? To a male-dominated world, anything that could disrupt their illusions of power is a threat. If a woman penned a narrative of her experiences in this world, or if she were to begin speaking on a new way of thinking that called for change, that must be stopped. The ultimate goal is to prevent women from writing or stepping out of …

Developing Continuous Measures Of Trust For Human-Automation Systems, Jack Marzullo

Master's Theses

Decision aids are developed to ease cognitive load on operators interacting with complex automation systems; however, critical human components are often ignored during design. Finding an appropriate balance of automated assistance and operator trust is paramount in achieving optimal output from the human-automation interaction. Establishing a consistent metric of trust measurement will enhance the functional design of automated decision aids, especially as the use of eye tracking opens the field to the use of real-time measurements. This study will task participants to make measurements, assisted by a decision aid system, within a bone defect model image. The study will test …

Exploring The Benefits Of Peer Tutoring On Elementary Students' Academic Outcomes, Jacqueline Gardner

Master's Theses

This action research study was created to determine if students’ motivation plays an important role in their academic outcomes in a sixth-grade classroom. Peer tutoring was implemented as an intervention throughout a six-week duration to promote students’ intrinsic motivation and to identify any associated student academic outcomes. Preliminary findings showed that students liked to connect with academic content, and they liked to work with their peers. This presentation will provide information about the positive effects of students having or gaining intrinsic motivation, and it will have recommendations about different classroom tools that can have a positive impact on elementary students’ …

Social Emotional Learning In An Elementary School, Abigail Cook

Master's Theses

This action-research study used a mixed-methods approach to help determine and observe the benefits of social emotional journaling in the classroom, specifically its impact on a students ability to recognize their personal emotions and self-concept. Data was collected both quantitively [sic] and qualitatively in a fifth-grade classroom to note the changes before implementing social emotional learning and after implementing it. This study discusses the term “social emotional learning” and provides a discussion on the impact of journaling for the students and any other implications observed. Although the results are mostly positive, the research discovered during the study concluded …

F. Scott Fitzgerald’S Homme Épuisé: Usurping The “Madwoman” In Tender Is The Night (1934) [2022], Emma Hill

Master's Theses

Nineteenth-century women writers commonly use themes of entrapment and madness in what are now classified as gothic novels. In texts such as Jane Eyre, Frankenstein, and The Yellow Wallpaper, confinement and madness are synchronous in developing the figure of “the madwoman.” These texts were written during a time when it was uncommon for female writers to seek publication, and many used pseudonyms to get their works published or to be taken seriously by critics. The “madwoman” emerged as a powerful trope to articulate what writing under a patriarchal system feels like. That is to say, confinement scenarios resulting from female …

Analytic Hierarchy Process Is Not A Suitable Method For The Comprehensive Rating, Sai Nethra Betgeri

Master's Theses

The Pipeline Assessment and Certification Program (PACP) was developed by the National Association of Sewer Service Companies, the industry-accepted protocol for condition rating of sewer pipes in the US. The PACP method relies exclusively on visual inspections performed using Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV), where existing structural and operation and maintenance (O&M) defects are observed by certified operators. A limitation of the PACP method is that it does not use pipe characteristics, depth, soil type, surface conditions, pipe criticality, and capacity, nor the distribution of structural defects or history of preventative maintenance to determine the condition rating of the sewer pipe segment. …

Effects Of Dietary Creatine Monohydrate Supplementation On Doxorubicin-Induced Hydrogen Peroxide-Mediated Global Cysteine Sulfenylation Of Rat Cardiac Tissue, Rachel Flowers

Master's Theses

Creatine monohydrate is prolifically used as an ergogenic aid but is less commonly used for its antioxidant properties. The use of creatine, as an antioxidant, has been studied in multiple disease domains as an intervention to improve skeletal muscle quality for Duchenne muscular dystrophy by impacting calcium ion sensitivity in myocytes, Huntington’s disease by facilitating regulation of succinate dehydrogenase in the citric acid cycle and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis by positively impacting muscular atrophy. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) impact both physiological and pathophysiological roles in aerobic life such that an imbalance to the redox environment of the cell can cause intracellular …

Musical Narrative And Cultural Context In The Animated Miniseries Over The Garden Wall, Chloe Resler

Master's Theses

Over the Garden Wall, a television miniseries that aired in 2014 on Cartoon Network, is a distinctly American fantasy in the young adult genre. It is comprised of ten episodes, each set in a different historical period. The music of the series was written and performed by The Blasting Company and drew from a variety of historical influences, including Sacred Harp singing, ragtime, early jazz, Stephen Foster, Balkan folk music, and classic cartoons. The music serves several purposes throughout the miniseries: it helps set each episode in its respective historical period, aids in character development, and moves the narrative forward. …

Composing Mortality: The Voice Of Death In The Music Of Frédéric Chopin, Jessica Castleberry

Master's Theses

The constant presence of mortality in Frédéric Chopin’s life, writings, and music resulted in his obsessive fascination with death, informed both by his individual experiences and cultural milieu. Through topical analysis of the programmatic, texted, and operatic repertoire of the nineteenth century, a body of musical gestures used to depict the varying aspects of mortality can be codified into a single style––the macabre style. This codification allows for a historically informed hearing of the instrumental repertoire of composers such as Chopin. Analyzing Chopin’s works that directly evoke the foundational genres of the style, the funeral march and lament, provides a …

Examining The Association Between Fictive Kin Care, Parental Attachment And Emotional Distress In College Students, Roxanne Watts

Master's Theses

Having a supportive and secure relationship with parents can predict less emotional distress in college students. In addition to parental support, many families leverage fictive kin caregivers to provide support. This is especially true in communities of racial and ethnic minorities. The present study investigated the association between fictive kin care, parental relationships, and emotional distress in college students. One hundred fourteen (N = 114) college students completed measures that assessed parental and fictive-kin relationships, social support, and emotional distress. A COVID-19 pandemic-related distress measure was also administered. Three hypotheses were tested. First, it was hypothesized that fictive kin …

Teaching Old Calipers New Tricks: Using Craniometrics For Ancestry Admixture Estimation Via Fuzzy Math, Kristi Carnahan

Master's Theses

Cranial measurements have been a cornerstone of physical anthropology since its formation as a discipline in the early 1900s. However, most other ancestry determination methods come with a significant epistemological issue: they differentiate individuals into discrete categories without accounting for the issue of admixture. Advances in data mining and analysis techniques can now be used to help resolve this issue through soft computing, also known as “fuzzy math”. This type of advanced computational math requires specialized knowledge in computer programming, statistics, and data analysis techniques unless one is using computer programs specially designed to run these analyses.

This project compiled …

Assessing The Effect Of Negative Mood States On Valence-Dependent Belief Updating, Aleksandr Karnick

Master's Theses

Individuals consistently tend to underestimate the likelihood of negative events happening to them and fail to update these beliefs adequately when provided with statistical evidence. However, depressed populations are better able to accurately update beliefs. It is not clear if the ability to update beliefs effectively is due to overall dysphoria or are partially due to momentary fluctuations of acute affective states. Undergraduates (N=83) completed a belief updating task where they estimated the likelihood of a negative event happening to them, were presented with the actual likelihood of the event, and then re-estimated the likelihood of the event happening to …

Using Deep Learning And Uav Imagery To Detect Elkhorn Coral In St. Croix’S East End Marine Park, Samuel Wyatt

Master's Theses

Elkhorn coral, or Acropora palmata, is an important reef building species that promotes species abundance and other ecological services to the communities in the US Virgin Islands. We captured high resolution imagery of a reef in St. Croix’s East End Marine Park using a Wingtra One UAV. We then used deep learning techniques to detect individual coral colonies. We compared two deep learning models, FasterRCNN and MaskRCNN, and found that the models achieved accuracy shores up to 0.78. These scores improved when examining only larger corals in shallow waters. The model was able to both detect Elkhorn coral and …