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Coastal And Inland Flooding - From Advanced Hydrodynamics And Data-Driven Modeling To Multi-Variate Coastal Vulnerability Assessment, Ahad Hasan Tanim

Theses and Dissertations

Flood risks in coastal and inland areas have historically been underestimated and underpredicted, resulting in increased flood damage and loss of human life. Flood risk under climate change and sea level rise will disproportionately impact low-wealth and marginalized communities, as they are often located in areas with less flood protection and have limited resources to adapt to the impacts of flooding. The systematic workflow of the life cycle of FRM is frequently disengaged in the current state of flood hazard assessment with system vulnerability assessment. This research aims to improve the life cycle of FRM by incorporating flood observation, monitoring, …

Modulation Of Neurodegenerative Disease Progression By Antioxidant Status, Elena Kelety

Theses and Dissertations

Neurodegenerative diseases, including Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease, profoundly impact the brain and nervous system. In 2019, the United States reported the highest global prevalence of neurological disorders. This thesis approaches neurodegenerative diseases by emphasizing the critical role of a well-maintained antioxidant system, its intricate relationship with dietary patterns, and proposes an alternative fate of the antioxidant urate.

Neurodegenerative disease pathogenesis involves a complex interplay of neuroinflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, misfolded proteins, and oxidative stress. Oxidative stress arises from an imbalance in the antioxidant defense system and the production of reactive oxygen species. Synergistic antioxidant interactions are vital …

Association Between Autoimmune Diseases And Lymphoma Risk Using The Uk Biobank, Hannah Grace Dice

Theses and Dissertations

Background. Lymphoma is a blood cancer that develops when white blood cells multiply in an abnormal way and collect in the lymph nodes. Autoimmune diseases result when the immune system is overactive, causing it to attack and damage the body’s own tissues. Limited studies have been conducted to investigate the association between autoimmune diseases and lymphoma risk.

Literature review. Based on prior research, six autoimmune diseases (rheumatoid arthritis (RA), lupus, Sjögren’s syndrome, sarcoidosis, Crohn’s disease, and ulcerative colitis (UC)) were examined to better understand their association with lymphoma risk. Prior research has concluded that certain aspects of these autoimmune diseases …

Housing Buyouts At The Intersection Of Flooding And Toxins: A Case Study Of Cheraw, South Carolina, Victoria Ponds

Theses and Dissertations

As climate change increases extreme weather events, efforts of managed retreat will also increase, particularly through housing buyout programs. The largest scale housing buyout programs are run through the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). These buyout programs focus primarily on flood hazards and exclude anthropogenic hazards. This policy is problematic in the modern technological age where compound hazards, including those involving toxin releases, are occurring more frequently. In this thesis, I investigate how disaster policies account for the intersection of these hazards in Community Development Block Grant-Mitigation buyouts in Cheraw, South …

Placebos, Rhetoric, And The Power Of Expectation, Jennifer M. Reeher

Theses and Dissertations

Placebos, Rhetoric, and the Power of Expectation examines the relationship between persuasion and health to determine what interventions rhetoric could make in the interdisciplinary field of placebo studies. This exploration of the relationship between rhetoric and placebo responses relies on non-anthropocentric definitions and theories of rhetoric as well as a multifaceted archive that includes patient narratives, clinical intake forms, and peer-reviewed scientific studies of condition-specific placebo responses. The impact of this investigation spans the practical and the theoretical. First, rhetorical study highlights the importance of a patient’s perception of care in patient recovery. To this end, rhetoric offers audience-focused methods …

An Investigation Of University General Education Assessment Practice, Joseph H. Hanks

Theses and Dissertations

Many-facets Rasch modeling (MFRM) is an effective way to compensate for rater effects (e.g., rater leniency/severity) in the ratings assigned during rater-mediated assessment. While a fully crossed MFRM rating design, in which all raters rate every rating object, is the ideal from a psychometric standpoint; fully crossed designs are rarely implemented in practice because of the resource burden they impose on assessment personnel. Thus, incomplete rating designs, where each rater does not rate all rating objects, are the norm. However, unless assessment personnel consciously attend to a variety of aspects of rating design, incomplete rating designs may suffer from design …

Emergent Leadership, L2 Oral Proficiency, And Social Networks During Study Abroad, Nicole C. Whitby

Theses and Dissertations

Research shows that study abroad (SA) provides a unique, yet varied outcome for students seeking to improve their target language oral proficiency during study abroad SA (Freed et al., 2004). Contemporary work in second language acquisition (SLA) during SA has looked beyond individual behaviors of sojourners to analyze social networks as a structure with significant influence on outcomes, yet emergent leadership has not been addressed within social network analysis in SA. To address this gap the current study employed a computational social network approach. This mixed methods study analyzes the social networks of 30 SA sojourners from a large private …

Linking Geospatial Trends And Geochemical Fingerprints To Anthropogenic Phosphorus Dust Deposition In Subalpine Soils, Austen Michael Lambert

Theses and Dissertations

This study shows that fugitive emissions associated with the surface mining of phosphate rock are a significant phosphorus (P) source to surface soils in northeastern Utah. Phosphorus is a nonrenewable resource essential for all life. Anthropogenic alterations to the P-cycle have led to widespread P pollution, and the unsustainable management of P has led to the threat of global depletion of P resources. Thus, accounting for both natural and anthropogenic flow paths of P is essential for the conservation and pollution reduction of P. One such source of human alteration to the P-cycle is the mining of phosphate rock. Mining, …

Microbial Hydrolysis Process To Improve Anaerobic Digestion For Biofuel Generation, Caleb Michael Jensen

Theses and Dissertations

Human development results in billions of tons of waste per year, which contributes to major issues such as pollution, climate change, and habitat destruction. In this study, we explored the impact of bacterial inoculation on volatile fatty acid (VFA) production, volatile solids (VS), and gas output in anaerobic digesters under different substrate treatments. Our results reveal that bacterial inoculation significantly boosts VFA levels, especially acetic acid, with both Caldicellulosiruptor bescii and mixed Caldicellulosiruptor, cultures showing notable differences compared to controls, especially in untreated manure and WAS treatments. Acetic acid and VS/TS increased in untreated WAS when inoculated with C. bescii …

A Comparative Analysis Of Human And Machine Translation Quality, Catherine Marshall

Theses and Dissertations

A common question raised by both translators and Machine Translation developers is Will Machine Translation (MT) ever attain the level of Human Translation (HT) quality? Researchers have argued that MT will likely never replace HT completely because MT systems cannot anticipate all the specifications for possible translation projects (Melby & Hague, 2019) and because MT systems lack cultural understanding (Latief et al., 2020). Researchers have also argued that the use of machines should be focused on augmenting humans, rather than trying to imitate them (Brynjolfsson, 2022). The purpose of this study is to determine how the quality of MT differs …

Zno Based Chemiresistive Sensor For Ammonia Detection, Anna Thomas

Theses and Dissertations

This work aims on the development of nanostructured sensing elements based on ZnO for detecting ammonia, specifically designed for applications in poultry and farm fields. To achieve this objective, we prepared sensing elements, including ZnO, CuO, WO3, NiO, ZnO/CuO, ZnO/WO3, ZnO/NiO, and rGO/ZnO, using the spray pyrolysis technique. Structural, morphological, and compositional analyses were studied using X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Field Emission Microscope (FESEM), and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), respectively. The vapour/gas detection studies of fabricated sensing elements were carried out in a home built sensing chamber.

The single oxides, ZnO, CuO, WO3, demonstrated ammonia detection in the range of 5-100 …

Evaluation Of Maternal Behavior At Calving On Beef Cattle Traits, William Cobie Rutherford

Theses and Dissertations

The objectives of the study were to create a scoring system to assess maternal behavior within 24-h of calving in crossbred beef cows; determine the impact of maternal scores on cow productive responses and evaluate how maternal score varies over animal lifetime; and assess the effect of maternal aggression and perceived mothering ability on calf survivability and growth performance. Calving observations (n = 1,832) were conducted across 12 calf crops from 2017 to 2022 from 680 unique crossbred cows at the Prairie Research Unit, Prairie, MS. Along with routine data collection, dams were subjectively scored for the traits maternal aggression …

Microgreen Production: Impact Of Sanitization Methods On Germination Percentage, Mold Suppression, Microbial Load, And Survival Of Salmonella Spp. On Allium Porrum Leek Seeds., Zonia Elizabeth Caro-Carvajal

Theses and Dissertations

Seed sanitization is crucial for microgreen production to prevent pathogens that compromise quality and safety. This study examined the effects of various sanitization methods on germination, mold suppression, microbial load, and Salmonella spp. survival on leek (Allium porrum L.) seeds. Seeds were treated with Hydrogen Peroxide (HP) at 0.27%, Hot Water (HW) at 85 ± 2°C, Tsunami® 100 (TS) at 0.04%, Vinegar (VN) at 1.1%, and Deionized Water (DI). Germination and mold percentages were recorded over 5 days. HW and HP treatments resulted in significantly higher germination rates (72% and 71.4%) compared to other treatments, with HW effectively preventing mold …

Enhancing Afm Particle Analysis And Shape Factor Identification With Machine Learning, William David Mckelvey

Theses and Dissertations

Through enhancing aerosol particle measurement accuracy by determining particle shape factors using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) combined with machine learning techniques, this study aims to provide a methodology that will improve the precision of aerosol measurements and contribute to the development of more effective filtration technologies. Accurate shape factor measurement is crucial for devices such as the Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer (SMPS), which often assume spherical particles of uniform density. By identifying and analyzing particles in AFM scans using machine learning techniques, this research provides a better understanding of shape factors, improving the quality of aerosol measurements. These advancements contribute …

Performance Evaluation Of Deep Learning Object Detectors For Weed Detection And Real Time Deployment In Cotton Fields, Abdur Rahman

Theses and Dissertations

Effective weed control is crucial, especially for herbicide-resistant species. Machine vision technology, through weed detection and localization, can facilitate precise, species-specific treatments. Despite the challenges posed by unstructured field conditions and weed variability, deep learning (DL) algorithms show promise. This study evaluated thirteen DL-based weed detection models, including YOLOv5, RetinaNet, EfficientDet, Fast RCNN, and Faster RCNN, using pre-trained object detectors. RetinaNet (R101-FPN) achieved the highest accuracy with a mean average precision ([email protected]) of 79.98%, though it had longer inference times. YOLOv5n, with the fastest inference (17 ms on Google Colab) and only 1.8 million parameters, achieved a comparable 76.58% [email protected], …

The Conservation Of Brain Folding Mechanics, Amber Cook

Theses and Dissertations

The pattern and complexity of cerebellar folding varies across vertebrates. However, little is known about how the tissue-level mechanics are adjusted to create species-specific folding patterns. Here, we utilize a variety of species with differences in cerebellar folding amount to investigate two tissue-level mechanics known to affect folding—differential expansion and outer layer thickness. We found that the level of differential expansion between the outer and inner layers of the cerebellum broadly correlates with folding amount and that the thickness of the outer layer is important as thicker outer layers require more differential expansion to fold. Additionally, we find that both …

Sexual Attitudes And Knowledge Of Southern United States College Students On Risky Sexual Behavior: Moderation By Conservative Religiosity, Sex, And Sexual Double Standards, Andreana Durham

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the current study was to examine the relation of sexual attitudes and knowledge on risky sexual behavior (RSB), while including sex, sexual double standards (SDS), and conservative religiosity as moderators. Findings suggested that sexual knowledge, sexual attitudes, and conservative religiosity associated negatively with RSB for female participants. SDS positively associated with RSB for male participants. The interaction of sexual knowledge and SDS on RSB was significant in male participants and indicated that higher sexual knowledge is associated with higher RSB when SDS is higher. The interaction of sexual knowledge and conservative religiosity on RSB was significant in …

Efficacy Of Recycled Glass Cullet As A Soil Substrate For U.S. Gulf Coast Salt Marsh Restoration, Ansley Levine

Theses and Dissertations

Recycled glass cullet is a potential alternative to fill substrate in salt marsh restoration projects, given its similarity to natural silica sands. However, the ability for common salt marsh plants to grow in glass cullet has not yet been tested. An outdoor mesocosm experiment assessed the ability of the dominant mid-marsh plant Juncus roemerianus and the upland marsh plant Spartina patens to grow in various mixtures of glass cullet versus fill soil. Results showed that J. roemerianus can survive in glass cullet, but growth declined as the proportion of cullet increased. However, S. patens grew comparably, if not better, in …

Examination Of The Impact Of Discriminatory Legislation On Gender Minority Stress And Suicide Desire And Intent In Gender Minority Adults, Ashley R. Pate

Theses and Dissertations

Suicidal ideation and suicide attempt rates are far higher among gender minority individuals than in the general population. In the wake of an unprecedented number of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation being proposed and passed in 2023 in the United States, this study sought to examine the impact of this legislation on gender minority stress and suicidal desire and intent among gender minority adults. Results indicated that anxiety about the legislation was associated with the desire to die, perceived burdensomeness, thwarted belongingness, and the likelihood of attempting suicide in the future. The perceived impact of the legislation was associated with intent to die …

A Multivariate Analysis Of Coliform Microbial Dynamics And Intervention Efficacy In A Complex Ready-To-Eat (Rte) Beef Value Stream, Benjamin Adam Miles

Theses and Dissertations

A complex multi-vector processed beef value stream was biomapped and work-in-process (WIP) was sampled at various processing points that affected the product microbiome. Coliform Petrifilm™ was used to analyze samples qualitatively and quantitatively across the meat and glaze vectors. There was an impact (p≤0.05) of the glaze distribution system on coliforms. The pumps of the glaze system were fully disassembled and additional microbial data were obtained through swabbing. WIP and sponge samples were subjected to 16S V1/V2 gene amplification with primers designed for taxonomic identification. Sequencing was conducted on the Illumina MiSeq platform and bioinformatics were developed in QIIME 2 …

Special Educators’ Attrition And Retention In The Post-Covid-19 Era: A Systematic Literature Review, Brandi J. Young Sumrall

Theses and Dissertations

Special education faces persistent challenges with teacher attrition and retention in the ever-changing landscape of education post COVID-19. Using empirical research and scholarly insights, this systematic review investigates the factors that influence whether special educators choose to continue or leave their jobs following the pandemic. Central to this investigation are the aspects that influence educators' career decisions pre pandemic, such as job satisfaction, working conditions, support systems and opportunities for professional growth. Through this exploration, we gain insights into the reasons why special education teachers choose to stay or leave their roles. The study emphasizes the pressing need to address …

Durability Of 34-Year-Old Preservative Treated Test Structures In Mississippi, Brianna A. Duquette

Theses and Dissertations

Boron treated test houses at Mississippi State University’s Dorman Lake test site in Starkville, MS were built in 1989 to investigate the effectiveness of boron treatments with exposure to natural weathering. After being undisturbed for more than 20 years, samples were taken to evaluate the remaining levels of original treatments in the test houses. Visual evaluation of the test structures, curcumin test, and ICP-MS analysis of the borate content shows borates are a capable and effective long-term treatment for wood used in construction. No appreciable damage due to termite feeding was observed. Boron was still detectable by curcumin staining and …

The Loggerhead Sea Turtle Nesting Habitat Suitability Index Validation And Workflow Modernization For Habitat Monitoring And Coastal Management Best Practices, Brooke Marlo Walker

Theses and Dissertations

The Caretta caretta, or Loggerhead sea turtle, is a protected species found across all temperate and subtropical oceans. Previous research has identified that the Caretta caretta has preferences for nesting sites based on beach width, beach slope, and vegetation coverage, which facilitated the development of a nesting site suitability index. In this thesis, these indices were integrated with standard coastal geomorphology metrics in the ESRI Suitability Modeler to pinpoint potential nesting locations for the C. caretta on various beach reaches. The results were then validated against observed nesting site data. The results of this study can inform critical decisions regarding …

Ultrasonographic Appearance Of The Spleen Of Growing Kittens Using A High Frequency Linear Transducer, Catana M. Capps

Theses and Dissertations

A reticulonodular splenic pattern is commonly associated with neoplastic or infectious etiologies. However, this has been described as an age-related variant in both humans and dogs, likely representing lymphoid follicles. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the ultrasonographic appearance of the spleens of growing kittens mimics the canine presentation. This was a prospective, descriptive study design. Healthy kittens up to 18 months old were scanned using a high frequency linear transducer. A reticulonodular pattern was present in (89%) of spleens. After 4 months of age, there was an overall negative correlation with age and the grade of …

Factors Associated With Undergraduate Students Pursuing Health And Dietetic Careers, Claire Bolen Hardin

Theses and Dissertations

This descriptive cross-sectional study investigated factors that influenced undergraduate students’ career paths within health care and the dietetics field. A 34-item Qualtrics survey was emailed to undergraduate students. Most of the participants (N=355) were females (72.2%), 72.9% were white students and 21.6% were black or African Americans. Results indicated the main reason students chose their major was personal interest. Other reasons included lifestyle, family, potential financial success, and friends. More than 50% of students indicated they personally knew someone who has the job they desire after college. Diversity within majors and health-related professions could be influenced by gender and ethnicity. …

Three Rival Versions Of Physical Education: A Macintyrean Analysis Of The Field, Clayton Michael Whalen

Theses and Dissertations

At both the theoretical and applied levels of analysis, the field of physical education is all too often completely incoherent. There appears to be little agreement as to how school-based programs ought to be implemented or what the goals of such programs really are. No two physical educators run their programs exactly the same and, chances are, those physical educators likely have wildly different understandings of their field and its proper place within the education of our youth. Borrowing from the title of moral philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre’s (1990) book, Three Rival Versions of Moral Enquiry, I’ve chosen to describe the …

Expanding The Emotional Cascade Model Of Borderline Personality Disorder With Negative Thoughts, Thought Control Strategies, Suicide Attempts, And Non-Suicidal Self-Injury, Courtney K. Mason

Theses and Dissertations

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is an impairing mental illness and has a core component of emotional dysregulation. Evidence suggests the emotional cascade model describes how this emotional dysregulation leads to engaging in risky and life-threatening behaviors, such as non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). Specifically, this model describes rumination as a cognitive component that links the emotional and behavioral dysregulation. The current study aimed to expand the model by investigating how individuals with heightened BPD traits engage in NSSI and in cognitive strategies to cope with their negative affect. Specifically, it was investigated whether behaviors like suicide attempts and cognitions differentiated between those …

Examining The Impact Of De-Escalation Training For Rural Mississippi Leos: Using Simulation To Assess Behavioral Outcomes, Deepali Manoj Dhruve

Theses and Dissertations

People with mental illness (PMI) are at a 67% greater risk of arrest and 16 times greater risk of being killed during a police incident than other civilians. Indeed, law enforcement officers (LEOs) report lacking expertise when addressing mental health calls, and existing trainings aimed at reducing violence in LEO encounters with PMI do not account for challenges specific to rural LEOs. Additionally, many trainings are severely lacking in assessing outcome changes pre- and post-training with more than half of trainings relying on survey-based knowledge subject to social desirability bias and inaccurate self-assessment. This study aimed to address limitations in …

Time After Time: Deciphering Structural Violence And Vulnerability Using Postmortem Recovery Time Data And Demographics Throughout The Southeast Region Of The United States, Elise J. Adams

Theses and Dissertations

Over the last few decades, forensic anthropological research has made significant strides in developing better methods for decedent identification and increasing the accuracy of time since death/postmortem interval (PMI) estimations within medicolegal contexts. Until recently however, there has been little emphasis placed on how socioeconomic considerations might be connected, especially regarding recovery times for individuals from various demographic backgrounds. Using intersectional and biocultural frameworks and data collected from forensic anthropologists and medicolegal labs throughout the Southeastern US, this research aims to decipher the role that inequality, through instances of social vulnerability and structural violence, plays in recovery time data throughout …

Diffusion Of Water Conserving Irrigation Practices In The Mississippi Delta, Eugene Oku

Theses and Dissertations

The expanding irrigated acreage in the Mississippi Delta has resulted in increased withdrawals that exceed the recharge rate of the Mississippi River Valley Alluvial Aquifer (MRVAA), leading to a decline in water levels. This trend poses a threat of rapid depletion, potentially resulting in deteriorating water quality and increased pumping costs in the region. Water-conserving irrigation practices are a key component to any potential solution, promising enhanced water use efficiency and sustainable agricultural practices. Nonetheless, farmers adopt these practices at different times. This study used a duration model to identify the factors that influence the timing of adoption of computerized …