Digital Commons Network^™

Combating The Banality Of Evil: Portrayals Of The Literary Female Villain In Gã¼Nter Grass's Danziger Trilogie And Novella, Im Krebsgang., Joseph Ephraim Baumgarten

Theses and Dissertations

In Günter Grass's Danzig Trilogy and novella, Im Krebsgang, an antagonistic female type makes a repeated appearance. She appears in the guise of Susi Kater and Luzie Rennwand in Die Blechtrommel, and as Tulla Pokriefke in the other works, Katz und Maus, Hundejahre, and Im Krebsgang. This antagonistic female type is not like other women in these works. A review of Le Deuxième Sexe by feminist Simone de Beauvoir reveals several crucial components contributing to woman's position in society. Most essentially, a woman's natural attributes and (dis)abilities and the conventions of society have enforced her historical submission to man. This …

A Method For Characterizing The Properties Of Industrial Foams, Shaun M. Salisbury

Theses and Dissertations

Assessing the effect of foam layers on transport phenomena is of significant interest in many industries, so a method for predicting foam layer properties has been developed. A model of the propagation of radiation from an amplitude-modulated laser beam through a non-absorbing foam layer has been developed using diffusion theory. Measurements predicted by diffusion theory were compared to results generated using Monte Carlo methods for a variety of foam layer properties in both the time-domain and the frequency-domain. The properties that were varied include the layer thickness, the scattering coefficient, and the asymmetry parameter. Layer thicknesses between 8.5 mm and …

Simulated Vs. Actual Landsat Reflectance Spectra Of Bare Soils, Chandrapalsinh Ghanshyamsinh Chavda

Theses and Dissertations

Simulated Landsat reflectance spectra of soil samples were compared to actual Landsat radiance values of soils in two fields (1 and 3) near Vance, Mississippi. The simulated reflectance spectra were calculated by combining Landsat spectral sensitivity with laboratory-based spectrophotometer reflectance values. The actual radiance data were obtained by extracting pixel values from Landsat images. Simple linear regression (SLR) yielded significant linear relationships for 1997 field-1 and 2001 field-3 data. Multiple linear regression (MLR) and weighted linear regression (WLR), which indirectly accounted for moisture content and spatial resolution, respectively, yielded improvement in R2 for most of the studied bands. The analyses …

Incremental Learning Of Discrete Hidden Markov Models, German Florez-Larrahondo

Theses and Dissertations

We address the problem of learning discrete hidden Markov models from very long sequences of observations. Incremental versions of the Baum-Welch algorithm that approximate the beta-values used in the backward procedure are commonly used for this problem since their memory complexity is independent of the sequence length. However, traditional approaches have two main disadvantages: the approximation of the beta-values deviates far from the real values, and the learning algorithm requires previous knowledge of the topology of the model. This dissertation describes a new incremental Baum-Welch algorithm with a novel backward procedure that improves the approximation of the â-values based on …

Evaluation And Optimization Of Control Strategies For Management Of Disinfection Byproduct Precursors Within The Northeast Mississippi Water District, W Jeffrey Horne

Theses and Dissertations

As a result of the EPA?s Disinfection Byproduct Rule, the Northeast Mississippi Regional Water Supply District requested that the Environmental Technology and Applications Laboratory at Mississippi State University conduct a study to develop techniques to comply with new TOC regulations. This study involved the use of jar testing and Enhanced Coagulation in a laboratory setting over a period of twelve months to optimize the various coagulants evaluated in this study. Iron (III) sulfate, aluminum sulfate, aluminum chloride, aluminum chlorohydrate, and a number of polyaluminum chlorides were evaluated in this study. Coagulants were evaluated on both a treatment effectiveness and economical …

Memory-Efficient Graph Search Applied To Multiple Sequence Alignment, Rong Zhou

Theses and Dissertations

Graph search is used in many areas of computer science. It is well-known that the scalability of graph-search algorithms such as A* is limited by their memory requirements. In this dissertation, I describe three complementary strategies for reducing the memory requirements of graph-search algorithms, especially for multiple sequence alignment (a central problem in computational molecular biology). These search strategies dramatically increase the range and difficulty of multiple sequence alignment problems that can be solved. The first strategy uses a divide-and-conquer method of solution reconstruction, and one of my contributions is to show that when divide-and-conquer solution reconstruction is used, a …

Documentation Of Ad/Hd Diagnostic Practices In High Impact Korean Psychology And Psychiatry Journals, Ji Hee Hong

Theses and Dissertations

Diagnostic and sampling practices documented in studies of participants with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Korean journals were investigated. A reliable coding system was used under the supervision of a Korean psychology professor to analyze the diagnostic and sampling documentation practices in articles from high impact Korean journals. Interrater agreement was 88%. Articles in the Korean Journal of Clinical Psychology and the Journal of Korean Neuropsychiatry Association were reviewed and compared with one another and with archival data (Hartley, 2003) from leading American journals. Statistical comparisons were made between Korean psychology and psychiatry journals, Korean and American psychology journals, and Korean and …

Avian Response To Field Borders In The Mississippi Alluvial Valley, Ross Robert Conover

Theses and Dissertations

Dramatic alterations have occurred on agricultural landscapes throughout North America, reducing the quantities of herbaceous habitat that once dominated field margins. A concomitant decrease of grassland bird populations paralleled these modifications. Conservation buffers, in the form of field borders, are a method of habitat establishment that effectively balances wildlife and landowner needs. Recent popularity of field borders led to their establishment throughout the southeastern US despite a paucity of knowledge regarding avian response to management regimes. This research evaluated wintering and breeding avian communities, as well as nesting ecology in response to field border establishment. Results indicated that birds utilize …

Methods Of Cultivation Of Hyperthermophiles That Utilize Crude Oil, Erin Althaia Propst

Theses and Dissertations

This study demonstrated the presence of hyperthermophilic organisms in the upper Jurassic Smackover formation in Womack Hills, AL. Evidence for the presence of these organisms was shown by the cultivation of an aerobic and an anaerobic, oil-degrading hyperthermophilic culture from the cuttings of an oil well in the Jurassic Smackover at 90¢ªC. Viability of microorganisms in the formation was established through electron microscopy, by carbon dioxide production, and by protein production during incubation in medium at 90¢ªC. Not only was the presence of viable microorganisms in the reservoir established, but as a result of this study, new cultivation methods were …

A Spatial Decision Support System Utilizing Data From The Gap Analysis Program And A Bayesian Belief Network, Jeremiah Percy Dumas

Theses and Dissertations

With increased degradation of natural resources due to land use decisions and the subsequent loss of biodiversity across large spatial scales, there is a need for a Spatial Decision Support System (SDSS) which showcases the impacts of developments on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. The Gap Analysis Program (GAP) and a Bayesian Belief Network (BBN) were used to assess the impacts of an impoundment in the Bienville National Forest, Smith County, Mississippi on landcovers, threatened and endangered species, species richness and fish populations. A test impoundment site was chosen on Ichusa Creek and using GAP data, landcovers, species and species richness …

Frequency Of Instrumental Delivery Associated With Epidural Analgesia, Nicole D. Abrahamson

Theses and Dissertations

Presently, approximately two-thirds of all women in the United States receive obstetric analgesia for pain relief during labor. Much research has been done on the effects of epidural analgesia on the mother and infant including prolonged labor, lower rate of spontaneous delivery and increased risk of instrumental delivery. There is agreement in the research that epidural analgesia prolongs stage 2 labor, however, debate continues regarding the association of instrumental delivery and epidural analgesia. There is also lack of substantial research regarding discontinuing epidural analgesia late in labor and whether this affects rate of instrumental delivery.

The purpose of this study …

The Professionalization Of Naturopathic Medicine, Mindy Michelle Tyson

Theses and Dissertations

Use and interest in naturopathic medicine, a comprehensive alternative healing modality, has been on the increase in the United States for more than a decade. Proponents of the health discipline are working to move it from its current position as a partially professionalized heterodox medical system into mainstream medicine in the United States. Advocates for this form of primary care medicine claim that through its use of natural therapeutics and preventive medicine, naturopathic medicine has the ability to curb the ever- escalating costs of American health care and to slow the epidemic of preventable diseases occurring in the United States. …

Alchohol And Recognition Of Novel Faces: Does Alcohol Ingestion Increase The Rate Of False Identifications?, Brent M. King

Theses and Dissertations

The present study sought to investigate how alcohol, retention time, and presentation of stimuli lineups impact the rate of correct and incorrect identifications within an eyewitness recognition task. Sixty (60) male participants were divided into 4 different alcohol or placebo conditions. Two of the conditions are such that the participants were blind to what they were being given (alcohol or a placebo fruit drink). The final two conditions were such that the participants were either told falsely that they were receiving alcohol (misled placebo) or truthfully that they were only getting a fruit drink (informed placebo). Participants were shown 6 …

Interdisciplinary Teams And Collaboration In A Long Term Care Facility, Michelle Conley

Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this qualitative study were to discover what influences collaboration had on an interdisciplinary team practicing in a rural Midwestern long-term -care facility, to discover what factors influence collaboration, and to discover what barriers can hinder collaboration for the interdisciplinary team practicing in this facility. In this descriptive, qualitative study, eleven semi-structured in-depth interviews were completed, and a constant comparative method of data analysis was used.

The categories that emerged from the data analysis were (a) chronic health conditions, (b) collaboration, (c) communication, (d) expectations, (e) influences that enhance collaboration, and (f) influences that are barriers to collaboration. …

Predicting Body Mass Index In Northern Plains American Indian Children, Tami Jollie-Trottier

Theses and Dissertations

Obesity has become a major health concern for American Indians. Obesity prevalence is higher for minority groups, however American Indians consistently have higher rates than any other U.S. population. Of more concern is the trend towards higher rates of overweight and obesity in American Indian children. Obesity has been associated with many health concerns such as coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes mellitus in both American Indian adults and children. The purpose of this study is to identify predictor variables that may be contributing to the development or possibly maintenance of obesity in American Indian children. …

Reaction Of Tardigrades (Hypsibius) To Physical And Chemical Extremes, Limor Raz

Theses and Dissertations

The process of cryptobiosis is characterized by a complete state of body water dehydration and undetectable metabolic activity, which allows tardigrades {Hypsibius) to escape environmental stress when conditions become unfavorable. In our research, Hypsibius was tested in a laboratory under pH levels of 3 to 10 and a salinity concentration gradient. In the pH experiment, we placed tardigrades in petri dishes with agar solution in an experimental pH and measured the average distance traveled. We expected them to respond favorably to a neutral pH of 7 which is common in most living organisms by showing increased movement. In the salinity …

Nesting Automated Design Modules In An Interconnected Framework, Jared Matthew Young

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis seeks to extend the PDG methodology by developing a generalized formal method for nesting PDGs in an interconnected system. A procedure for decomposing an individual PDG into reusable modules will be defined and a software architecture will be presented which takes advantage of these reusable modules. This method breaks the PDG structure into discrete elements known as PDG objects, PDG modules and PDG services. Each of these elements forms a distinct unit of reuse and each can be seen as a "little" PDG. Two different industrial implementations of this method are presented. These examples show that it is …

Case Study Of A Client Diagnosed With Major Depressive Disorder, Barbara Ann Marie Allison

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the best practice for a client diagnosed with major depressive disorder who was referred for treatment at a community mental health facility. The client was assessed, diagnosed, and a treatment plan was developed. Implemented treatment consisted of combined cognitive behavioral oriented psychotherapy and psychotropic medication. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) was used to assess changes in depressive symptoms. Results indicated a significant decline in depressive symptoms over the course of treatment. At the onset of treatment, the client's BDI scores were in the clinically depressed range, while at the conclusion of treatment …

Facing The Caree/Family Dichotomy: Traditional College Women's Perspectives, Lisa Michelle Leavitt

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study explored the experience of 32 traditional college freshmen women as they sought to choose a career with the idea of balancing career and family in the future. A traditional woman was defined as a woman whose central value system and cultural mores emphasize homemaking and childrearing as their primary role. Guided interviews were conducted to obtain in-depth descriptions of participants' experience. The interviews were transcribed and interpreted using a synthesis of qualitative methods based on Kvale's method. The six themes were as follows: 1. The concept of balancing careers and family life is not being discussed or …

Biofilm Removal Using Bubbles And Sound, Michael R. Parini

Theses and Dissertations

Bacteria in biofilms adhere well to surfaces and are quite difficult to remove. Oral plaque is one example of a biofilm. Many researchers have studied ways to remove plaque and bacteria from surfaces. It has been found that the passage of a bubble across a surface to which bacteria has adhered can remove the bacteria from the surface. Biofilms of Streptococcus mutans were grown on glass coverslips as a simple model for oral plaque. The coverslips were mounted in a Plexiglas chamber filled with artificial saliva. A bubble stream was directed at the mounted biofilm. The velocity, gas fraction, median …

Land Grabbers, Toadstool Worshippers, And The Sagebrush Rebellion In Utah, 1979-1981, Jedediah S. Rogers

Theses and Dissertations

In 1979, a handful of Nevada state officials sparked a movement to transfer the large unappropriated domain to the western states. For two years what became known as the Sagebrush Rebellion swept across the American West like brushfire, engaging westerners of all stripes in a heated dispute over the question of the public lands. In Utah, as elsewhere in the West, public officials, rural ranchers, miners, developers, academics, environmentalists, and concerned citizens joined the debate and staked sides. This episode underscored western relationships between people and nature and featured contests over competing ideologies in the West. But it probably did …

Angiotensin Ii-Mediated Regulation Of The Human Angiotensin Ii Type 1 Receptor Gene, Xylophone Vijai Aasee Victor

Theses and Dissertations

The physiological responses of angiotensin II (Ang II) are mediated across the cell membrane through the angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R), a heptahelical membrane protein coupled to trimeric G-proteins on the cytosolic side. AT1R on binding its ligand, Ang II, leads to downregulation of cell-surface receptor and also its mRNA. We have investigated whether the 3'- and 5'-untranslated regions of the human AT1R mRNA mediate the degradation of hAT1R mRNA by post-transcriptional mechanisms in human adrenocortical carcinoma cell line (H295R cells). Protein kinase C (PKC) activator, phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA), showed that the downregulation of hAT1R mRNA is mediated by the …

Is The Party Over? Unmarried Fatherhood And Drug And Alcohol Use, Jonathan A. Jarvis

Theses and Dissertations

Using waves two and three of the National Survey of Adolescent Males (1990 and 1995) I examine the effects of marriage, paternity and father involvement on the use of drugs and alcohol by young men. Despite the importance of fatherhood as an adult role, I argue that commitment to the role of fatherhood and not paternity itself is what alters behavior. I hypothesize that young men who assume responsibility for fathering their children are more likely to reduce their drug and alcohol use over time than young men who father children but do not assume the role of parent. Results …

Visualizing And Interacting With Externally Coupled Engineering Analysis Results, Paul Frederick Nelson

Theses and Dissertations

Visualizing and interacting with engineering analysis results can provide valuable insights into a system's performance and aid in engineering decision-making. Currently, the majority of analysis codes are developed as isolated solutions focusing only on the most prominent physical influence to a system, such as thermal, structural, fluid, etc. Frequently, more than one of these physical influences combined to force engineers to evaluate complex, coupled systems. Coupled analysis codes are becoming more common place tools for engineers demanding high fidelity simulations of complex systems. External code coupling solutions are emerging to permit generic coupling of separate, world class CAE solvers thus …

Development Of A Model For The Kinetics And Mechanism Of Nitrogenase, Phillip E. Wilson

Theses and Dissertations

Nitrogenase has a central role in the global nitrogen cycle as the enzyme that catalyzes the reduction of atmospheric N2 to NH3. Fixed nitrogen is generally limiting in the environment and in agriculture, so nitrogenase has received much attention as an alternative to nitrogen fertilizers. Characterizing the mechanism of nitrogenase is the goal of this work. The molybdenum nitrogenase enzyme system is comprised of the MoFe protein and the Fe protein. Interactions between these proteins and nucleotides are crucial to catalysis. An important approach to characterize these interactions is to correlate the kinetics of nitrogenase catalysis to a mechanism based …

Homologous Strand Exchange And Dna Helicase Activities In Plant Mitochondria, Daqing Song

Theses and Dissertations

Homologous recombination is critical for generating genetic variation in living organisms by exchange and rearrangement of DNA. Most of our knowledge about homologous recombination is limited to processes in bacteria or in eukaryotic nuclei. In E. coli, homologous recombination is dependent on the RecA protein. Higher plant chloroplasts have RecA-like strand exchange activity. However, little is known about these mechanisms in higher plant mitochondria. I have detected a RecA-like strand exchange activity in soybean mitochondria. This activity forms joint molecules in the presence of ATP, Mg2+, and homologous DNA substrates. In addition, the E. coli single-stranded DNA binding (SSB) protein …

Genetic Analysis Of Conserved Residues In Phou Of Escherichia Coli, Stewart G. Gardner

Theses and Dissertations

The Pho regulon is controlled by the PstSCAB transporter, PhoU, and the two-component proteins, PhoB and PhoR. PhoU is a negative regulator of the Pho regulon under phosphate-replete conditions. How PhoU functions is unknown. Many PhoU homologues are found widely throughout prokaryotic domains. There are several conserved amino acid residues in the PhoU protein. It is hypothesized that these residues play an important role in the function of PhoU. To test this hypothesis, several site directed mutations in the phoU gene have been produced with single amino acid changes in conserved residues. After testing these mutants, it was found that …

Sibling Influence On Adolescent Cigarette, Alcohol, And Marijuana Use, Benjamin G. Gibbs

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to estimate the association between sibling drug use and adolescent alcohol, cigarette, and marijuana use. Research is conducted using survey data from a probability sample of 4,987 adolescents in grades 9–12 in Utah. To account for the limited frequency of drug use among respondents, Poisson regression is used to estimate models for each type of drug. In support of current literature, findings indicate that having a sibling who uses drugs increases the frequency of drug use substantially, even when peer influences are taken into account. Significant sibling associations with adolescent drug use found in …

Investigation Of The Mechanisms Of Ozone-Mediated Viral Inactivation, Seiga Ohmine

Theses and Dissertations

Previous studies have established that ozone-oxygen mixtures can be used to inactivate a variety of microorganisms including bacteria, fungi and viruses. Ozone is a potent reactive oxygen species (ROS) that rapidly decays into a variety of additional short half-life ROS which have been shown to cause oxidative damage to biological molecules. I hypothesize that controlled ozone exposure and the subsequent generation of additional ROS would reduce viral infectivity by lipid and/or protein peroxidation. A proprietary ozone-oxygen delivery system was used to inactivate a series of enveloped [herpes simplex virus type-1 strain McIntyre (HSV-1), vaccinia strain Elstree (VAC), vesicular stomatitis virus …

A Mathematical Model Of Adhesion Interactions Between Living Cells, Casey P. Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents a simple force-based model of moving and interacting cells that incorporates a realistic description of cell adhesion and applies it to a system of spherical cells. In addition, several results in matrix theory are proved with the end of showing that the equations produced by the model uniquely determine the motion of the system or cells.