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Evaluating The Greet-Stop-Prompt Intervention In Decreasing Racial Disparities In School Discipline, Alexandra Utley

Theses and Dissertations

Exclusionary discipline practices are often considered to be generally ineffective and inequitable, however, they are one of the more common disciplinary practices used in schools today. Although there are many positive alternatives to school exclusion, there are limited disciplinary practices specifically intended to target discipline with racial equity in mind. The GREET-STOP-PROMPT (GSP) intervention, developed by Cook and colleagues (2018), is one intervention found in the literature explicitly created to reduce racial discipline disparities. Although there is currently limited research evaluating the GSP intervention, the results indicate it to be a potentially promising method of equitably addressing student behavior. The …

Study Of Surface And Groundwater Quality And Quantity At Watershed Scale In Mississippi, Dipesh Nepal

Theses and Dissertations

Hydrology and water quality are affected by land use and climate changes. Mississippi’s diverse agro–ecosystem comprises of a range of land use land cover (LULC) including agriculture, forest, wetlands, urban, and grasslands. The objectives of this study were to investigate the impacts of various factors such as Best Management Practices (BMPs), wetlands, LULC, and climate changes on water quality and quantity. The hydrologic and water quality responses to dynamic LULC input in Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) were evaluated. Results showed that agricultural and forest expansion were major drivers of hydrologic and water quality changes in Big Sunflower River …

Network Layer Reliability And Security In Energy Harvesting Wireless Sensor Networks, Jing Yang

Theses and Dissertations

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have become pivotal in precision agriculture, environmental monitoring, and smart healthcare applications. However, the challenges of energy consumption and security, particularly concerning the reliance on large battery-operated nodes, pose significant hurdles for these networks. Energy-harvesting wireless sensor networks (EH-WSNs) emerged as a solution, enabling nodes to replenish energy from the environment remotely. Yet, the transition to EH-WSNs brought forth new obstacles in ensuring reliable and secure data transmission.

In our initial study, we tackled the intermittent connectivity issue prevalent in EH-WSNs due to the dynamic behavior of energy harvesting nodes. Rapid shifts between ON and OFF …

Moisture Effects On Visible Near-Infrared And Mid-Infrared Soil Spectra And Strategies To Mitigate The Impact For Predictive Modeling, Francis Hettige Chamika Anuradha Silva

Theses and Dissertations

Instrumental disparities and soil moisture are two of the key limitations in implementing spectroscopic techniques in the field. This study sought to address these challenges through two objectives. The first objective was to assess Visible-near infrared (VisNIR) and mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopic approaches and explore the feasibility of transferring calibration models between laboratory and portable spectrometers. The second objective addressed the challenge of soil moisture and its impact on spectra. The portable spectrometers demonstrated comparable performance to their laboratory-based counterparts in both regions. Spiking with extra-weight, was the most effective calibration transfer method eliminating disparities between instruments. The samples were rewetted …

Cement Stabilization Of Poorly Graded Sand, Lana Grayson Brown Sisung

Theses and Dissertations

Stabilization of poorly graded sand in full-scale applications is challenging. This thesis evaluated cement-stabilized sand and had two objectives: (1) evaluation of stabilized material using the PM device to quantify engineering properties for future comparison to alterative materials and to investigate the effectiveness of the device with sand and (2) investigation of the merits of alternative application of cement to sand to benchmark against other topically applied materials. The PM device was successfully used to recommend 10% cement for field studies with one sand, successfully allowed data collection in laboratory and field applications, and its potential in sand seems promising …

Effects Of Wet Aging On Water-Soluble Flavor Compounds, Descriptive Flavor, Consumer Acceptability, And Willingness-To-Pay Of Beef Longissimus Lumborum Steaks, Shangshang Wang

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the effects of wet aging on water-soluble flavor compounds, descriptive flavor, consumer acceptability, and willingness-to-pay of beef strip steaks. Twenty USDA Select boneless beef loins (NAMP #180) were dorsally divided into four equal portions, which were randomized to receive either 0, 7, 14, or 21 d of wet aging. Short-chained peptide concentration increased from 4.11 mg/g on d 0 to 5.12 mg/g on d 7 (P = 0.011) and subsequently increased to 7.14 mg/g on d 21 (P < 0.001). Cooked beef contained 1.85 mg/g less short-chained peptides than raw beef (P < 0.001). Wet aging for 21 d increased the concentrations of amino acids, which are precursors for the Maillard reaction, including methionine, threonine, cystine, serine, tryptophan, and phenylalanine (P < 0.001). Wet aging decreased the nucleotide concentrations (P ≤ 0.003) and increased hypoxanthine concentration, a compound that imparts bitter flavor (P …

Heirs' Property Disputes On Forestlands, Partition Actions, And The Determinants Of Court Verdicts, Mahesh Prasad Tiwari

Theses and Dissertations

Heirs' property is generated through the intergenerational transfer of a property to several co-owners when the original owner dies without a will. Such co-owners hold undivided fractional interest in the entire land but lack a clear title. Co-owners face several legal, financial, and technical constraints to manage the forestlands and often seek partition of the land. However, the legal environment and empirical assessment of partition actions on forestlands owned as heirs' property has not been examined. This thesis evaluates statutory laws relevant to forestland partition and the factors instrumental in adjudicating partition lawsuits. The findings reveal that partition lawsuits are …

Traffic Light Detection And V2i Communications Of An Autonomous Vehicle With The Traffic Light For An Effective Intersection Navigation Using Mavs Simulation, Mahfuzur Rahman

Theses and Dissertations

Intersection Navigation plays a significant role in autonomous vehicle operation. This paper focuses on enhancing autonomous vehicle intersection navigation through advanced computer vision and Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) communication systems. The research unfolds in two phases. In the first phase, an approach utilizing YOLOv8s is proposed for precise traffic light detection and recognition, trained on the Small-Scale Traffic Light Dataset (S2TLD). The second phase establishes seamless connectivity between autonomous vehicles and traffic lights in a simulated Mississippi State University Autonomous Vehicle Simulation (MAVS) environment resembling a small city with multiple intersections. This V2I system enables the transmission of Signal Phase and Timing …

Computational Studies Of The Human Cardiac Sodium Channel, Torien M. Beard

Theses and Dissertations

Computational methods such as Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations and Molecular Mechanics generalized Born surface area solvation (MM-GBSA) binding affinity calculations have been utilized to determine the binding modes and final binding affinities of small molecules that are known to interact with the heart sodium channel NaV1.5. Lidocaine, ranolazine, and flecainide are FDA approved arrhythmia drugs that are prescribed to patients in the event of heart disease. Here, we demonstrate the likely binding preferences and modes of action of all molecules with NaV1.5, the stability of the systems, and overall final binding affinities of the small molecules with the protein. To …

Employee Job Satisfaction Of Public Sector Professionals: The Roles Of Public Safety Work And Public Service Motivation, Victor Flomo

Theses and Dissertations

Employee job satisfaction of public sector professionals: The roles of public safety work and public service motivation

Opportunities For Mental Health Interventions In Rural Mississippi Communities During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Quantitative Analysis, Brice Fortinberry

Theses and Dissertations

COVID-19 presented unique challenges for rural Mississippi communities including impacts on the mental health of rural individuals. This research study aimed to identify opportunities for mental health interventions to provide health promotion professionals with quantitative data on the accessibility and the likelihood of engagement with mental health-fostering behaviors. A secondary objective of this research was to categorize these behaviors within the constructs of the Social Ecological Model. Demographics for rural Mississippi communities were collected and displayed, and using multivariate analyses including Spearman’s correlation and a Mann-Whitney U test the correlation between mental health fostering behaviors and demographic factors was obtained. …

Increased Coding Potential Of Bovine Herpesvirus 1, Victoria Jefferson

Theses and Dissertations

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) costs the cattle industry millions of dollars in costs in treatment and loss every year in the United States. A significant pathogen often contributes to BRD is Bovine Herpesvirus 1 (BoHV-1), a double stranded DNA virus with the ability to establish latency in the trigeminal ganglia and neurons. Primary infection with BoHV-1 results in immunosuppression that increases the risk of secondary bacterial infection and pneumonia. Because herpesviruses infect their hosts for life and can be reactivated in times of stress, BoHV-1 can present a recurring risk of BRD. The following research aims to expand the knowledge …

Modeling Compound Effects Of Earthquakes And Flooding On The Failure Probability Of Earthen Levees, Mohammad Reza Mahdavizadeh

Theses and Dissertations

Earthen levees are crucial components of a nation's flood protection system. However, in some regions, these levees face the unique challenge of being subjected to both floods and earthquakes throughout their lifespan, an aspect that is relatively unexplored in the existing literature. The primary aim of this research is to examine earthquakes' and floods' effects on earthen levee failures. Using numerical simulations, the seepage, slope stability, and liquefaction potential of an earthen levee were modeled by considering compound of different floods and earthquakes scenarios. Elkhorn Levee in Sacramento, CA, was used as a representative case study for the simulations. The …

Improved Herbicide Selectivity In Tomato By Safening Action Of Benoxacor, 2,4,6-T, Melatonin, And Fenclorim, Tabata Raissa De Oliveira

Theses and Dissertations

Safeners protect crops by enhancing their ability to metabolize various compounds, including herbicides. They primarily work by increasing the crop's tolerance to herbicide damage, activating herbicide-metabolizing proteins, and aiding in their detoxification. This study aimed to investigate the chemical effects of safeners in tomato cultivation and focus on injury reduction and tissue protection. The experiment followed a randomized factorial design (5x4) with four replications repeated twice. We evaluated the effects of herbicides (dicamba, 2,4-D, metribuzin, and sulfentrazone at 1/100) and safeners (benoxacor, fenclorim, melatonin, 2,4,6-T, and an untreated control). Safeners were applied to the seeds before sowing, and herbicides were …

A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis Of Recent Randomized Controlled Trials Evaluating Effects Of Psychosocial Interventions On Perinatal Depression, Anisha Satish

Theses and Dissertations

Depression is among the most common and burdensome health problems affecting pregnancy and the first-year postpartum (collectively, the perinatal period). Prior quantitative reviews have established both the overall efficacy of psychosocial interventions for perinatal depression and benefits of specific approaches. However, there are important knowledge gaps. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of peer-reviewed articles published from 2021 and 2022 describing randomized controlled trials evaluating psychosocial interventions for perinatal depression. We aimed to evaluate the durability of intervention benefits, whether effects differ when interventions are embedded within medical settings, and whether effects differ across trials using mental health professionals …

Leucine Lock: An Amplified Rapid Antigen Detection System, Matthew David Goff

Theses and Dissertations

Rapid diagnostic tests for COVID-19, influenza, and blood analytes currently have many drawbacks. They vary greatly in accuracy, are expensive to manufacture, and can be insufficiently sensitive to small antigen loads. Leucine lock is designed to rectify these issues that exist in current rapid diagnostics by creating a rapid antigen test with minimal background activity, tunable sensitivity, and low manufacturing cost. Leucine lock consists of a novel leucine zipper containing an intramolecular hairpin, an ScFv antigen binding domain, and a fluorophore reporter in a FRET combination. By altering the number of hydrophobic and electrostatic mismatches in the intramolecular hairpin, as …

Drop Retention And Departure In Shear Flow On Structured Superhydrophobic Surfaces, Blake Morgan Lyons

Theses and Dissertations

Water is often found adhering to surfaces in droplet form. Droplets can develop as a result of precipitation, condensation, or chemical reactions. Drops are retained or held on a surface due to a retention force exerted on the drop by the surface. This retention force is a function of the surface tension of the liquid, drop geometry, and the contact angle between the drop and the surface. When external or body forces exceed this retention force the drop begins to move. This thesis seeks to understand and quantify the forces present at the point of droplet departure once it begins …

The Role Of Myocyte Enhancer Factor 2d In Beta-Cells: Implications For Glucose Homeostasis And Cell Survival, Jacqueline Elise Crabtree

Theses and Dissertations

Myocyte Enhancer Factor 2D (Mef2D) is a member of the Mef2 family. As a transcription factor, Mef2D regulates the expression of genes that impinge on cellular viability, tissue development, and fuel metabolism. Interestingly, Mef2D function appears to be tissue dependent. The function of Mef2D appears to be tissue-specific, with differences in activity in the immune system, neuronal tissue, and muscle. Here, we review the published literature describing the role of Mef2D across tissues. Little is known about the role of Mef2D in the beta-cell. To determine the function of Mef2D in the beta-cell, we built overexpression and knockdown cell lines. …

Development Of A Submerged Hydraulic Jump Prediction Method Using Documented Fatal Incidents At Low-Head Dams, Caleb Mccurry

Theses and Dissertations

Low-head dams are known to be dangerous due to a recirculating current that, when formed, drowns recreationalists who become trapped in the current. Efforts to mitigate the hazard of low-head dams have led to the compilation of a database of low-head dams with proven fatalities. Additionally, flume-based experiments along with well-known hydraulic equations have been used to create a spreadsheet-based system for predicting the occurrence of the dangerous recirculating current, otherwise known as a submerged hydraulic jump. The premise of the spreadsheet is that if the normal depth calculated with the Mannings Equation for the downstream reach is between the …

The Effect Of Percussive Massage On The Maintenance Of Skeletal Muscle Health During Limb Unloading, Mohadeseh Ahmadi

Theses and Dissertations

A period of skeletal muscle disuse leads to muscle mass and strength loss and compromised metabolic health. Several studies suggest that passive mechanical stimulation may protect against the detrimental effects of disuse in skeletal muscle. This study assessed the effect of the twice-daily application of percussive massage in mitigating the adverse effects of muscle disuse during ten days of leg unloading. Seventeen participants (7 women and 10 men; 18-35 yrs.) were randomly assigned to either control or massage groups, both undergoing leg unloading. The data revealed that both groups similarly experienced significant reductions in muscle strength (-14%±5.9; p<.0001), quadriceps volume (-4.2%±2.8; p<.0001), myofiber cross-sectional area (-8.2%±1.8; p<.0001), and maximal mitochondrial respiration (-20%±9.1; p<.0001). Fatty acid-supported respiration decreased in the control group (-30.4±18.5%; p= 0.0008) and remained unchanged in the massage group. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) flux normalized to oxygen consumption exhibited a significant interaction between group and time, particularly in the absence of ADP, where H2O2 flux increased only in the control group (control: 29.9±26.5%, massage: -13±22.6%; p=0.01). There was no change in the H2O2 flux after the addition of ADP. In conclusion, ten days of limb unloading resulted in diminished muscle size, strength, and mitochondrial respiration. Percussive massage was insufficient to prevent the loss of muscle mass, force production, or carbohydrate-supported respiration. However, it exhibited potential protective effects against the decline in mitochondrial fatty acid-supported respiration.

Managing Behavior In Middle School Special Education Classrooms Using Cw-Fit Ms: A Single Subject Study, Kelsey Ann Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

Teachers have the responsibility of managing the behavior in their classrooms. The positive effects of evidence-based classroom management methods, like Class-Wide Function-related Intervention Teams (CW-FIT), have been generalized to a variety of classroom settings, among a range of ages and types of classes; however, the literature on its efficacy in special education classrooms is scarce. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of CW-FIT in special education classrooms at a middle school. Two teachers of eighth grade special education math classes chose to participate in the study. One teacher alternated between using an audible and inaudible timer, …

View Dependent Simplification And Tessellation For Real-Time High Quality Rendering Of 3d Meshes, Dallin M. Hagman

Theses and Dissertations

The increasing complexity of 3D meshes and growing disparity in performance between high and low-end hardware necessitates more efficient rendering techniques that do not sacrifice visual quality. To support as many hardware configurations as possible, producers of 3D content provide several resolutions of each mesh. Low-end hardware is typically restricted to low-resolution meshes to maintain performance similar to their high-end counterparts, sacrificing visual appeal. However, the presence of hardware tessellation in nearly all modern GPUs presents the opportunity to render high-resolution versions of simplified meshes on low-end hardware with little computational cost. Some research has been conducted into this opportunity, …

The Effectiveness Of A Signature Strengths Intervention On Maternal Well-Being Among Mothers Of Children With Autism, Tawni Nicole Poole

Theses and Dissertations

Mothers of children with autism face unique challenges that can negatively impact their well-being. Frequently, these challenges require elevated amounts of time, energy, and money to address. In an effort to investigate a low-demand approach to improving well-being, this study employed a signature strengths intervention with mothers of children with autism. Thus far, research on signature strengths with this specific population is very limited. Five mothers of children with autism participated in the study. All were married and highly educated. Four identified themselves as white, one as Hispanic. They ranged in age from 25-44. Each mother had between one and …

Understanding The Process Of Persistence In Non-Traditional Adult Education Students, Stephanie Nuttall Patton

Theses and Dissertations

In the state of Utah, adult education students often leave their programs before 100 hours of instruction. This can leave students without the necessary academic knowledge, skills, and credentials to move forward with postsecondary education and training or employment opportunities. This phenomenological study examines the key factors of persistence in non-traditional students ages 25 and over in an urban adult education program who continued beyond 100 hours of instruction. Fourteen students were interviewed using a semi-structured interview protocol to identify factors that caused them to stay in an adult education program. The interviews with students examined dispositional, institutional, situational, and …

Self-Efficacy, Locus Of Control, And Their Effect On Online Returning Students' Graduation, Matthew Dean Greene

Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this study was to understand the factors that affect returning students' ability to complete their degrees through online degree programs. Logistic regression was used to determine which factors had a significant relationship with persistence to graduation and how they contributed to the odds of students graduating. The findings show that academic locus of control and academic self-efficacy had a significant positive relationship with returning student persistence to graduation, with the locus of control contributing to the odds of graduation more than self-efficacy. Additionally, the amount of time between the student's initial dropout and subsequent return to complete …

Invisibility, Confusion, And Adjustment:Exploring The Grief Experience Of Grandmothers Supporting Their Bereaved Grandchildren, Jordan Robertson

Theses and Dissertations

Bereavement is painful at any time of life. For young children experiencing bereavement, grandmothers are often the first line of defense. Grandmothers are frequently called upon when their family members experience an out-of-order death, and while they are willing to provide care, grandmothers don't always know the best way forward. This qualitative study sought to learn more about the grief experiences of 22 grandmothers who had lost a family member prematurely through semi-structured interviews and Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis. Findings suggest (a) grandmothers experience layered grief in that they grieve the loss of the family member, experience the pain of the …

Genomic And Proteomic Analysis Of Five Vi01-Like Phages Reveals Wide Host Range And Multiple Tail Spike Proteins, Evan Harris

Theses and Dissertations

The number of illnesses attributable to antibiotic resistant bacterial infections are on the rise. According to the CDC, by 2050, complications due to antibiotic resistant infections are set to become the most prevalent cause of death worldwide, overtaking both cancer and heart disease in number. We are required to look for supplements to aid antibiotics in the fight against bacteria because it's becoming increasingly clear that antibiotics alone will fail in the face of multidrug-resistant strains. Bacteriophages are natural killers of bacteria and can thus be weaponized to treat multidrug-resistant infections. When a phage is discovered, our databases need to …

Investigating The Magnetic And Electronic Properties Of Cobalt(Ii) Heteroscorpionate Isomers, Jamie Dawn Freeman

Theses and Dissertations

Cobalt(II) scorpionates possess distinct electronic and magnetic properties in comparison to other first-row transition metal complexes in this ligand class. One unique property is their significantly downfield paramagnetically shifted 11B NMR signals. The utilization of a heteroscorpionate ligand Tp’ introduces asymmetry to metal scorpionates, producing cis and trans isomers. cis- and trans-Co(Tp’)2 were synthesized and separated by column chromatography. 11B NMR data show cobalt(II) homoscorpionates resonances in a narrow 20 ppm shift range around 270 ppm while cis- and trans-Co(Tp’)2 differ with signals at 230 ppm and 140 ppm, respectively. Paramagnetic NMR studies indicate both isomers maintain the same spin …

Role Of The Chief Data Officer In Government, Adita Karkera

Theses and Dissertations

Government data, whether in physical or digital form, has been collected for as far as memory can take us. However, government entities today are grappling with complex heterogeneous data systems. The transformation in data collection and management was profound in 2018 due to the enactment of the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act. This legislation heightened the emphasis on curating, analyzing, and utilizing data to enhance decision-making, mandating federal agencies to appoint a Chief Data Officer (CDO) responsible for orchestrating the strategic use of data within the organization. While the overarching goal of a government CDO is to strategically harness an …

Evaluating A Video Peer-Modeling Intervention On The Acquisition And Maintenance Of Social Skills For Adults With Autism In A Transition Setting, Adam K. Hammond

Theses and Dissertations

This study evaluated the use of a peer video modeling and prompting intervention used to teach three adults with autism to give a specified verbal and physical response when greeted. This intervention used a six-step task analysis to verify correct completion of the target behavior. At baseline, each of the three participants gave little to no response when greeted but after the video modeling and prompting intervention all three had acquired at least five out of six (83%) of the target behavior steps. Follow-up probes demonstrated that all three of the participants had maintained at least 4 out of 6 …