Digital Commons Network^™

Sustainable Sidedress Nitrogen Applications For Early Corn And Cotton Crops Using Small Unmanned Aerial Systems, James Nolan Parker

Theses and Dissertations

Nitrogen run-off from agriculture have been linked to human health problems on a global level. Large-scale conventional producers struggle to redefine themselves as sustainable because reducing nitrogen (N) inputs without justification or validation may lead to severe profit losses. Small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) sensing may allow for decreased N runoff. Failure to address this problem will exacerbate already excessive N runoff into the Mississippi River and beyond. The purpose of this study was to reduce fertilizer N input using sUAS technology to assess crop canopy needs. In 2020 and 2021, variable rate nitrogen (VRN) side-dress N application maps were …

Determining The Effects Of Elevated Carbon Dioxide On Soil Acidification, Cation Depletion, And Soil Inorganic Carbon And Mapping Soil Carbons Using Artificial Intelligence, Jannatul Ferdush

Theses and Dissertations

Soil carbon is the largest sink and source of the global carbon cycle and is disturbed by several natural, anthropogenic, and environmental factors. The global increase of atmospheric CO₂ affects soil carbon cycling through varied biogeochemical processes. The first chapter is a compilation of current information on potential factors triggering soil acidification and weathering mechanisms under elevated CO₂ and their consequences on soil inorganic carbon (SIC) pool and quality. Soil water content and precipitation were critical factors influencing elevated CO₂ effects on the SIC pool. The second chapter examines a detailed column experiment in which six soils …

Bayesian Network Development And Validation For Siting Selection, Abdullah Hassan Battawi

Theses and Dissertations

In this study, increasing electricity demand requires considerable attention to increasing the diversity of power generation. Alternative energy can produce heating and power systems and thermal storage. Our objective and every organization’s objectives are to minimize its energy consumption cost under electricity demand uncertainty. In rural areas, heat and power availability and stability are also crucial. Combined heat and power have proven their effectiveness as a subsequent to Electricity. This paper identified four criteria and eleven sub-criteria to determine the most appropriate structure location for combined heat and power in the rural community. The Bayesian Network technology has been applied …

Effects Of The In Ovo Administration Of The Poulvac E. Coli Vaccine In Layer Hatching Eggs On Hatchability, Hatchling Characteristics, And Early Posthatch Chick Performance, Lauren L. Lindsey

Theses and Dissertations

Avian Pathogenic E. coli can lead to infections in laying hens and wide-spread economic problems in the table egg industry. A vaccine widely used to combat APEC is the Poulvac E. coli vaccine, which is normally applied via spray vaccination. Application of this vaccine via in ovo injection has not been examined. The purpose of this series of studies was to determine the effects of injecting 50 μL of different dosages of the PECV into Hy-Line W-36 layer hatching eggs on the hatchability and characteristics of the hatchlings, and on the livability and characteristics of the chicks through 21 d …

Effectiveness Of Food-Grade Coating Treated Nets After Various Drying Methods At Controlling Mite Growth On Dry-Cured Hams, Sadie White

Theses and Dissertations

Tyrophagus putrescentiae, known as the ham mite, is the most difficult pest to control in the dry-cured ham industry. Food-grade propylene glycol coated nets have been studied as an alternative to conventional mite infestation treatments but were heavy and costly to ship. This study aimed to increase the ease of use of the coated nets via drying. Three drying treatments: oven dried for 7 min (OD7m), oven dried for 20 min (OD20m), and counter dried for 24 h (CD24h), were tested to determine the efficacy at controlling mites as well as the mechanical properties of the nets and sensory characteristics …

Backyard Grower-Consumer Perceptions Of Rabbit Meat Consumption In Rural Mississippi, Mildred Elizabeth Murphree

Theses and Dissertations

Every country in the world is affected by one or more forms of malnutrition. Malnutrition includes three conditions: undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies or excesses, or overnutrition. Obesity is a greater contributor to death than undernutrition. Age, sex, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and education level affect obesity. The rates of obesity vary considerably between states and regions of the country. The state of Mississippi is ranked as the poorest state in the nation and Mississippi has the highest adult obesity rate at 40.8% (Farberman & Kelley, 2020).

Rabbit meat production and consumption is a possible solution to malnutrition worldwide (Petrescu & Petrescu-Mag, 2018). …

Effects Of Mass Death On Community Structure And Ecosystem Function, Abby Kimpton Jones

Theses and Dissertations

Death and decomposition are natural processes that are generally well-understood. However, large events of death, such as mass mortality events (MMEs) are increasing in frequency and their impacts on the ecosystem are largely unknown. These events may have both bottom-up effects from increased nutrient input as well as top-down effects from loss of an ecological functional group by the affected population. Different functional MMEs may result in different top-down effects, creating cascading effects. In Chapter 1, I test the hypothesis that scavenger and herbivore simulated MMEs generate novel bottom-up and top-down effects. Results indicate that MMEs have a significant effect …

Developing Novel Optimization And Machine Learning Frameworks To Improve And Assess The Safety Of Workplaces, Amin Aghalari

Theses and Dissertations

This study proposes several decision-making tools utilizing optimization and machine learning frameworks to assess and improve the safety of the workplaces. The first chapter of this study presents a novel mathematical model to optimally locate a set of detectors to minimize the expected number of casualties in a given threat area. The problem is formulated as a nonlinear binary integer programming model and then solved as a linearized branch-and-bound algorithm. Several sensitivity analyses illustrate the model's robustness and draw key managerial insights. One of the prevailing threats in the last decades, Active Shooting (AS) violence, poses a serious threat to …

Evaluating Virtual Training Methods To Train Caregivers Of Individuals With Charge Syndrome To Conduct Brief Functional Analyses Conditions, Megan N. Anderson

Theses and Dissertations

Literature assessing behavior among individuals with disabilities largely focuses on individuals with high incidence disabilities leaving a gap for those with rare, or low incidence, genetic syndromes. Specifically, individuals with CHARGE syndrome who exhibit a unique behavioral phenotype, as a result of numerous medical complexities, are absent in literature functionally assessing behavior. Because of this unique behavioral phenotype, caregivers of individuals with CHARGE Syndrome are likely to be most familiar and knowledgeable about their child’s behavior and should therefore be trained to be included in the functional assessment of behavior. Because CHARGE Syndrome is rare, families may have limited access …

Does Anxiety Sensitivity Mediate Age-Related Differences In Anxiety In Middle-Aged And Older Adults?, Katherine F. Peterson

Theses and Dissertations

Anxiety is a mental illness that can have significant deleterious impacts on an individual’s functioning. Although anxiety has been studied in older adults, there is conflicting evidence on differences in anxiety as a function of age. Anxiety sensitivity is a construct that is positively related to anxiety but has limited research in older adults. Extant literature suggests that older adults experience less anxiety sensitivity than do younger adults. According to Socioemotional Selectivity Theory, this may be due to older adults letting go of the things that make them anxious. The current study proposed that age impacts self-rated anxiety such that …

The Level Of Burnout And Job Satisfaction Among Mississippi Agriculture Educators And The Potential Level Of Impact From The Covid-19 Pandemic, Anna Hollis

Theses and Dissertations

Many states across the country have felt the impact of a nationwide teacher shortage. Specifically, the state of Mississippi has experienced a shortage of certified agricultural education teachers. Unfortunately, during a time, a novel virus (Coronavirus or COVID-19) swept the entire world and shook the academic world to its core. Like the majority, educators were encouraged to adopt a variety of approaches to better flow with the changes in their “normal” routines. Many researchers have suggested that teachers are leaving education due to little resources, recognition, and high job demands, which correlates to poor job satisfaction and symptoms of burnout. …

The Impacts Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On The Food Security Of Mississippians, Hannah Noel Irwin

Theses and Dissertations

Mississippi leads the United States in food insecurity, with 15.3% of Mississippians experiencing food insecurity in a given year. To determine the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the food insecurity of Mississippians, a survey containing the USDA Household Food Security Questionnaire was distributed to adult Mississippi residents. By employing the USDA Household Food Security Scale and the Foster-Greer-Thorbecke Methodology, this study finds that the food insecurity rate, food insecurity gap, and squared food insecurity gap have worsened in Mississippi since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, this study finds that households which were food insecure prior to March …

Assessing Virtual Free-Choice Agricultural Learning: A Mixed Methods Approach, Richard John Kennedy

Theses and Dissertations

Since the mid-19th century, agricultural museums and living history sites, first in Scandinavia and then in the United States and Canada, have provided historical, cultural, and, sometimes, scientific information about farming to visitors. Many of these visitors have been school children on field trips. Assessment of this learning, however, has been scant, particularly within the free-choice style inherent in these types of educational venues. At the same time, assessment of free-choice learning, often analyzed through the Contextual Model of Learning (Falk & Dierking 2000), has taken place at educational sites like zoos, natural history museums, and science centers. This study, …

Using Stimulus Equivalence To Improve Portion Size Estimates In Emerging Adults With Developmental Disabilities, Laura M. Quintero

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this current study was to evaluate the use of a stimulus equivalence paradigm to teach emerging adults with developmental disabilities to accurately estimate portion sizes. This study also aimed to integrate nutritionally recommended foods to incorporate a socially significant component to promote health related behaviors. Three emerging adults with various developmental disabilities participated in this study. A pre/post-test embedded in a multiple baseline design across food was used to demonstrate experimental control. Results of this study indicated that all participants exhibited accurate portion size estimations following stimulus equivalence direct training trials and test of untrained relations. When …

Examining The Barriers To Building Multicultural Competence Of School Psychology Graduate Students, Jasmine C. Gray

Theses and Dissertations

Historically, school aged students from diverse backgrounds have experienced detrimental effects as a result of school psychologists who fail to consider cultural differences when providing services. The demographics of students in K- 12 schools have increasingly become more diverse which only exacerbates the need for multiculturally competent school psychologists. Research has identified graduate programs as an area to intervene and ensure future school psychologists are receiving training necessary for developing multicultural competence. Within the literature, graduate student attitude towards multiculturalism and program climate have been identified as barriers to developing multicultural competence in graduate students. Therefore, the purpose of the …

Inosine 5’- Monophosphate Derived Umami Flavor Intensity Of Beef Determination By Electrochemistry And Chromatography, Kezia Virellia To

Theses and Dissertations

The umami sensation contributes to beef flavor and acceptability. Inosine 5’- monophosphate (IMP) was the most abundant nucleotide in meat known to impart umami taste which thus far had been overlooked in meat flavor studies. The objectives of this study were to determine the umami taste threshold of inosine 5'-monophosphate (IMP), the effects of spiking IMP on the sensory descriptive attributes of various USDA graded beef strip steaks, and to differentiate beef by IMP content using electrochemistry. USDA Prime, Choice, and Select steaks were spiked with 0.3 and 0.6 mM IMP and analyzed chemically and organoleptically. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and …

How And With Whom You Spend Your Time Matters: An Examination Of Familial Relationships, Leisure Activities, And Dementia Development, Erika Cooksey Mcdaniel

Theses and Dissertations

Dementia is an interminable disorder characterized by a decrease in cognitive functioning behavioral and emotional changes, and an overall diminishment in quality of life that usually affects the older population. In the coming decades, scientists estimate that the number of sufferers will reach over 100 million worldwide. Though there is currently no cure for any form of dementia, the theory of cognitive reserve posits certain lifestyle characteristics (i.e., educational attainment, SES, and/or career path) can mitigate the risk of dementia by improving cognitive resilience over an individual’s lifetime. The current study sought to discover what, if any, effects familial relationships, …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of Behavioral Skills Training To Increase Stranger Safety Skills In Adults With Intellectual Disabilities, Lauren M. Meyers

Theses and Dissertations

Several research studies have suggested that individuals with ID are at an increased risk of being a target of victimization (Hughes et al., 2012; Wilson et al.,1992). Therapists, caregivers, primary care providers, and school staff may also undervalue or fail to teach critical safety skills early in childhood or in the adolescent years, which increases risk of victimization in adulthood (Dembo et al., 2018). The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effectiveness, generalizability, and maintenance of the use of behavior skills training to teach stranger safety skills to young adults with intellectual disabilities. Specifically, a two-step safety …

Maternal Nutrient Restriction And Melatonin Supplementation Alter Neurotransmitter Pathways In Bovine Fetal And Placental Tissues, Allison R. Harman

Theses and Dissertations

Nutrient restriction is a relatively common production insult to pregnancy in cattle. Recently, melatonin supplementation has been investigated as a possible therapeutic to rescue the negative effects of nutrient restriction. Neurotransmitters have been implicated as having negative programming effects in mouse and human pregnancies, manifested as metabolic and neurologic disorders. The role of neurotransmitters in fetal development has only begun to be understood in mice and humans. Neurotransmitters have not been analyzed in cattle, much less within the context of a compromised pregnancy. Brangus heifers were allotted to one of four treatments (ADQ-CON, RES-CON, ADQ-MEL, RES-MEL) in either Fall 2019 …

Jack And Phil: Associations Between Exposure To Television Parents, Parental Stress And Efficacy, Jane Elizabeth Shawcroft

Theses and Dissertations

Although parents in television are often depicted in negative patterns, little to no research has empirically examined the effect of viewing these depictions of parent efficacy and stress. The purpose of this study is to use experimental methods to assess the effect of viewing authoritative, authoritarian, and stereotypical depictions of parents in television on parental efficacy and parent stress. A sample of 122 parents of adolescents were randomly assigned to one of three condition groups: authoritarian, authoritative, and stereotypical. Each group watches a different clip from a television show, and then reported on their comparison of themselves against the parents …

When Helping Hurts: Validating A Measure Of Compulsive Helping And Exploring Potential Predictors, Katey L. Workman

Theses and Dissertations

Helping behavior is generally adaptive. However, optimal usage theory suggests that even helping might be taken to an unhealthy extreme, for example an individual serving someone to the extent that they neglect their own needs. Not a single dedicated measurement tool has been constructed to assess the tendency. Thus, the present study seeks to propose and validate a new measure of compulsive helping by assessing construct, convergent, and divergent validity. Using a sample (N=438) of emerging adults (Mage=20.29, SD=1.04, 51.71% Female) from the Flourishing Families Project, validity evidence supported the proposed measure, as well as convergent validity of the constructs …

Critical Conversations In A Second-Grade Classroom Using Diverse Literature, Joanne Susan Brown

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify the effects of reading diverse texts during SEL morning meeting time and observe how 2nd grade students engage in conversations. Diverse texts were selected related to themes of identity, race, poverty, gender, sexual identity, and gender identity. Data collected included student conversations and journals. After analyzing the data collected, it was found that the inclusion of diverse texts during SEL morning meetings yielded positive results. Students engaged in more personal conversations when they could connect to the text and speak freely, students spoke more when they had control of the conversations, …

Considerations For And Development Of Sound Level Maps For The M16a4 Rifle, Reese D. Rasband

Theses and Dissertations

Small firearms can create sound levels exceeding the safe threshold of human hearing with even one shot. Understanding how the sound propagates will lead to better range and military drill design. This thesis describes errors associated with different predictive interpolation models for the M16A4. Before directly discussing potential sources of error, the thesis first seeks to validate the data acquired. This is done through waveform inspection with a focus on shot-to-shot consistency. Finding the standard deviation in level between a 10-shot volley provides a good baseline with which other sources of error can be compared to. For both peak and …

Has Covid-19 Affected Patenting In The United States?, Johnny Allen Cope

Theses and Dissertations

Scholars have studied how exogenous shocks affect innovation, yet the effects of COVID-19 on one measure of innovative activity, numbers of patent applications, are not well understood. This study looks at what effect disruptions related to COVID-19 have had on numbers of patent applications submitted by inventors in the United States. Using the Patent Examination Research Dataset from the United States Patent and Trademark Office and the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker, I examine how numbers of patent applications have changed in 2020 and what effect economic disruptions, health disruptions, and nonpharmaceutical interventions related to COVID-19 have had on numbers …

A Machine Learning Approach That Integrates Clinical Data And Ptm Proteomics Identifies A Mechanism Of Ack1 Activation And Stabilization In Cancer, Eranga Roshan Balasooriya Loku Balasooriyage

Theses and Dissertations

Identification of novel cancer driver mutations is crucial for targeted cancer therapy, yet a difficult task especially for low frequency drivers. To identify cancer driver mutations, we developed a machine learning (ML) model to predict cancer hotspots. Here, we applied the ML program to 32 non-receptor tyrosine kinases (NRTKs) and identified 36 potential cancer driver mutations, with high probability mutations in 10 genes, including ABL1, ABL2, JAK1, JAK3, and ACK1. ACK1 is a member of the poorly understood ACK family of NRTKs that also includes TNK1. Although ACK1 is an established oncogene and high-interest therapeutic target, the exact mechanism of …

Interprofessional Education For School-Based Settings, Brittney M. Mack

Theses and Dissertations

Teamwork is essential to provide quality services to individuals with disabilities (Morrison & Gleddie, 2019). Deficits across a variety of domains make interprofessional practice even more crucial (Dobbs-Oates & Morris, 2016). Interprofessional education (IPE) provides preprofessionals the opportunity to gain experience collaborating with various disciplines, better preparing them for interprofessional practice (Anderson et al., 2011; Ruebling, et al., 2014). Most IPE research has been completed with preprofessionals engaged in medical cases. The existing evidence for IPE in school-based settings is limited, which creates a gap for speech-language pathologists (SLPs) who are pursuing work in school-based settings. The first purpose of …

Democracy Or Capitalism? The United States And Latin America, Grace Burgener

Theses and Dissertations

The democratic peace theory holds that democracies rarely, if ever, go to war with one another based on the institutional and normative features of democratic governments. Alternatively, the capitalist peace theory insists that, rather than the democratic nature of a government, states opt out of warfare when their economic interests are at play – whether that be trade interdependence or general market features. Traditionally, scholars have focused on explaining the causes of Militarized Interstate Disputes (MIDs) among advanced industrialized democracies. Based on the tenets of capitalism and a new outcome variable of intervention (e.g., coups), this thesis uses two instances …

The Acceptability And Feasibility Of Virtual Parent Acceptance And Commitment Therapy Groups: A Feasibility Study, Abigail Elizabeth Moretti

Theses and Dissertations

Parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience higher rates of anxiety, depression, and poor overall well-being, particularly when their child also engages in challenging behavior (e.g., self-injury, aggression, property destruction). Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), which encourages psychological flexibility and attending to the present moment, is particularly suited for this population because parents of children with ASD experience high stress levels and difficulty with adaptive coping. The aim of the current study is to examine the feasibility and acceptability of implementing virtual ACT groups with parents of children with ASD and co-occurring challenging behavior. Participants attended an in-person …

Thriving In College: The Contribution Of Career Services To Student Success, Jodi M. Chowen

Theses and Dissertations

Career services in higher education has a long history of supporting student development and post-graduation success (American Council on Education, 1937; Rayman, 1999; Dey & Cruzvergara, 2014). However, there is a dearth of research identifying specific connections between engagement with career services and student success. College student thriving has been established in previous studies as positively contributing to traditional measures of college student success, including intention to persist, grade point average, institutional fit and satisfaction, and self-reported learning gains (Schreiner, 2013). Examining the relationship of student experience with career services and thriving provides a new way to evaluate the contribution …

The Effects Of Parents' Socialization Goals, Responsiveness, And Psychological Control On Chinese Adolescents' Anxiety, Chunyue Tu

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the relationship of parents' achievement-oriented and self- development goals (for their children) on youth reported anxiety, while taking parents' psychological control and responsiveness into account as possible mediating factors. More specifically, the purpose of this study was to further investigate the direct/indirect effects of (a) parents' reported achievement-oriented goals on youth anxiety via parental psychological control in two types of schools (key school for more academically advanced students and typical school for students with lower academic achievement); and (b) parents' reported self-development goals on youth anxiety via parental psychological control in key and typical schools. The current …