Digital Commons Network^™

Chaos In Clinton., Heather Flood

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The integration of Clinton High School, located in Clinton, Tennessee captivated the nation in the fall of 1956. This paper depicts the events that occurred during that period. Also included are the events that occurred prior to the desegregation of the high school, the understanding of which is necessary to fully appreciate the events that unfolded in Clinton.

New Technique For Imputing Missing Item Responses For An Ordinal Variable: Using Tennessee Youth Risk Behavior Survey As An Example., Andaleeb Abrar Ahmed

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Surveys ordinarily ask questions in an ordinal scale and often result in missing data. We suggest a regression based technique for imputing missing ordinal data. Multilevel cumulative logit model was used with an assumption that observed responses of certain key variables can serve as covariate in predicting missing item responses of an ordinal variable. Individual predicted probabilities at each response level were obtained. Average individual predicted probabilities for each response level were used to randomly impute the missing responses using a uniform distribution. Finally, likelihood ratio chi square statistics was used to compare the imputed and observed distributions. Two other …

Sixth-, Seventh-, And Eighth-Grade Students' Experiences With The Internet And Their Internet Safety Knowledge., Tonya Berrier

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

According to a 2002 National Center for Education Statistics report, 98% of schools in 2001 were connected to the Internet and 63% of public classrooms had Internet connections. According to a 2003 United States Census Bureau report, 68.3% of homes with children subscribed to the Internet. These statistics reveal the scope of access children have to the Internet. This study focused on the children's voice by investigating the children's report of their online activities and their awareness of cyber security, ethics, and safety issues. The purpose of this study was to gain insight into the specific reported online activities and …

The Status Of Public Relations In Russia., Inga Lvovna Ragozina

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the status of public relations in the fledgling democratic Russian Federation. The purpose was to determine: whether public relations practitioners in Russia practice Grunig and Hunt's (1984) press agentry, public information, two-way asymmetrical, and two-way symmetrical models of public relations; how public relations has contributed to the political and economic transformation in Russia; and how the former communist propaganda has affected contemporary public relations.

Telephone interviews were conducted with 10 Russian public relations practitioners. The findings revealed that the 4 models of public relations are practiced in Russia; communist propaganda affected contemporary public relations; and, the field …

Examining Significant Differences Of Gunshot Residue Patterns Using Same Make And Model Of Firearms In Forensic Distance Determination Tests., Heather Lewey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In many cases of crimes involving a firearm, police investigators need to know how far the firearm was held from the victim when it was discharged. Knowing this distance, vital questions regarding the re-construction of the crime scene can be known. Often, the original firearm used in commission of a suspected crime is not available for testing or is damaged. Crime laboratories require the original firearm in order to conduct distance determination tests. However, no empirical research has ever been conducted to determine if same make and model firearms produce different results in distance determination testing. It was the purpose …

Proteomic Analysis Of Listeria Monocytogenes, Sana Mujahid

Theses and Dissertations

Listeria monocytogenes is a deadly, Gram-positive foodborne pathogen that is ubiquitous in the environment. The bacterium expresses a number of virulence and stress adaptation proteins that support its pathogenic capabilities. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) was used to map L. monocytogenes surface proteins, which play a central role in virulence, and to examine protein expression by L. monocytogenes grown on ready-to-eat meat, an important source of Listeria infections. A novel method for solubilization of surface proteins from L. monocytogenes for 2-DE was developed. Additionally, the unique proteome expressed by L. monocytogenes grown on a meat matrix was uncovered. The developed solubilization …

Movement And Habitat Use Of Selected Nongame Fishes In A Minnesota Lake, Michael David Habrat

Theses and Dissertations

Aquatic vegetation provides important habitats for fish, but these habitats are increasingly being altered anthropogenically. My research evaluated the movement and habitat use of three small rare fish species, the blackchin shiner Notropis heterodon (BCS), blacknose shiner Notropis heterolepis (BNS), and banded killifish Fundulus diaphanous, in a Minnesota lake. BCS and BNS traveled farther in spring than summer, but selection of habitat based upon macrophyte biovolume did not explain these differences. All three fish species traveled long distances (> 1,800 m) and were capable of reaching all available habitats in Square Lake. Macrophyte species richness and prey (zooplankton) abundance were …

Effects Of Soil Region, Litter Size, And Gender On Morphometrics Of White-Tailed Deer Fawns, Amy Castle Blaylock

Theses and Dissertations

Previous research documented that white-tailed deer body mass and antler size varied across physiographic regions of Mississippi. Deer from regions with greater soil fertility had greater body mass and antler size; however, this information is known only for individuals 6 months of age and older. I monitored birth mass and skeletal size of fawns produced by bred, adult, female white-tailed deer transplanted from the Delta, Thin Loess (Loess), and Lower Coastal Plain (LCP) soil regions to fawn in the Mississippi State University Rusty Dawkins Memorial Deer Unit. I evaluated the effect of soil region of origin, litter size, and fawn …

Understanding How And Why A First Year Teacher Implements Reading Instruction: A Case Study, Emily Reid Mulhollen

Theses and Dissertations

The National Reading Panel (2000) asserts that there is a lack of research related to beginning teachers once they enter the classroom for the first time. The purpose of this study was to understand how a first year teacher, who was a student in the researcher’s reading and language arts courses, used the knowledge she gained in her undergraduate program during her first year of teaching reading. Five research questions were posed for this study: (a) How did a first year teacher implement components associated with balanced literacy instruction, which she was taught in her undergraduate coursework? (b) How well …

Influence Of Habitat Associations And Distance From Low-Order Streams On Amphibian And Reptile Communities On Public Lands In East-Central Mississippi, Sarah Louise Gallagher

Theses and Dissertations

This project evaluated the influence of habitat parameters and distance from low-order streams on herpetofauna communities, in addition to evaluating the efficacy of 2 sampling methods. Amphibians were associated with mature hardwood forests with high density of large, highly decayed woody debris. Reptiles were associated with mixed pine-hardwood forests, woody debris, and vertical canopy structure. Overall, woody debris was an important habitat feature for amphibians and reptiles. Amphibians were detected in greater abundance and species richness near the stream. Reptiles were similar in abundance and species richness as distance increased from low-order streams. I recommend a SMZ width ¡Ý50 m …

Integrated Management Tactics For The Control Of Cogongrass [Imperata Cylindrica (L.) Beauv.], Matthew Thomas Myers

Theses and Dissertations

Cogongrass has become a major problem in many parts of the southern United States for several years. Hundreds of studies have been conducted upon this species with varying results. Management of cogongrass can be grouped into five major areas of control: preventive, cultural, mechanical, biological, and chemical. Each of these methods provides a certain level of control, but an integrated management strategy is the key to success. Three field studies were conducted from 2004 to 2006 in southern Mississippi to evaluate the most effective integrated management programs for cogongrass control. Results indicated that foliage removal either by fire or mowing …

Integrated Management Techniques Used For Cogongrass Control, Zackary B. Chesser

Theses and Dissertations

Invasive weeds are becoming a greater problem throughout the southeastern United States, which calls for drastic means of location, classification, and management in order to halt these undesirable invasions. Three experiments were initiated in 2005 and 2006, two of which were to examine the effects of additives, NIS, Dyne-a-Pak, AMS, and Valor used in cogongrass [Imperata cylindrica L. Beauve] control and the other to evaluate the effectiveness of a ropewick applicator applied to established cogongrass in juvenile longleaf pine stands. Through these experiments, it was found that Dyne-a-Pak can provide greater enhancement in cogongrass control compared to non ionic surfactant, …

A Multi-Scale Approach To Evaluate The Effect Of The Invasive Aquatic Plant Hydrilla (Hydrilla Verticillata) On Littoral Zone Habitat Of Juvenile Largemouth Bass (Micropterus Salmoides), Alexander James Perret

Theses and Dissertations

Two experiments were conducted to investigate the hypothesis that exotic macrophytes alter littoral zone habitat and impact fish that inhabit these areas. The pond experiment was conducted to explore impacts of exotic invasive plants on growth and condition of juvenile largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). The second experiment was conducted at a smaller scale in aquaria to simulate an invasion of hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillata) and its influence on juvenile bass foraging. Fish experienced slower growth in the hydrilla treatment than in the diverse, and the ability of bass to capture prey fish was impeded in hydrilla. Juvenile bass growth decreased in …

Birds And Small Mammals, Intensively Established Pine Plantations, And Landscape Metrics Of The Coastal Plain, Brice Bond Hanberry

Theses and Dissertations

I evaluated effects of 5 treatments for pine plantation establishment on breeding and wintering birds and small mammals during years one through 5 post-treatment in the Lower Coastal Plain of Mississippi. I modeled relationships between 8 vegetation variables and avian abundance to identify influential habitat components in pine plantations. At the landscape scale, I compared avian abundance of regionally important species with land class variables in the Coastal Plain of Georgia. In pine plantations, species richness, total abundance, and 2 conservation bird metrics generally decreased with increasing intensity of stand establishment. Thus, this study suggests that increasing standmestablishment intensity can …

Demonstration Of Scale-Down Dynamic Light Scattering And Determination Of Osmotic Second Virial Coefficients For Proteins, Arun Kumar Parupudi

Theses and Dissertations

Protein aggregation is a phenomenon that plays a major role in protein crystallization and in protein formulation. In protein crystallization, aggregation is the prerequisite step; however, in protein formulation it has to be suppressed to assure therapeutic efficiency of the product. Light scattering techniques are the most promising methods to study the hydrodynamic properties of macromolecular solutions, which directly measures protein aggregation. Unfortunately, the normal dynamic light scattering technique is regarded as expensive because of the amount of protein used for these experiments. In order to address this problem, a scale down dynamic light scattering device has been designed. The …

Biomechanical And Molecular Characteristics Of 'Hyperelastosis Cutis' In Quarter Horses, Jesse Glennan Grady

Theses and Dissertations

The biomechanical and molecular characteristics of equine hyperelastosis cutis (HC) are not fully known. This study sought to better characterize HC by analysis of ultimate tensile strength, modulus of elasticity, toughness, and thickness of skin from 23 affected and unaffected horses. In addition total soluble collagen and glycosaminoglycan concentrations of skin were analyzed from 26 affected and unaffected horses. Affected horses' skin proved to be significantly weaker at five of seven sample locations (p<=0.05). The modulus of elasticity proved to be significantly different at three of seven sample locations and toughness at two of seven locations (p<=0.05). No significant difference was proven to exist between HC affected and unaffected horses for skin thickness or total soluble collagen and GAG concentrations. Collectively this data demonstrates that HC animals' reduced skin tensile strength is not due to a deficit of either collagen or GAG, but likely a result of altered collagen micro-architecture.

Disease Management Strategies For Controlling Spring Dead Spot And Frequency Of Occurrence Of The Causal Organism Ophiosphaerella Korrae On 'Tifway' Bermudagrass (Cynodon Dactylon X C. Transvaalensis), Hunter D. Perry

Theses and Dissertations

Spring dead spot (SDS) is the most destructive disease of bermudagrass and its hybrids, affecting intensively managed bermudagrass turf that is at least three years old. This bermudagrass disease is most prevalent in the United States where winter temperatures become cold enough to induce dormancy. The symptoms of SDS appear as sunken, necrotic patches of turf ranging from several centimeters to greater than 0.5 m in diameter. Field studies were conducted at Old Waverly Golf Club in West Point, MS on a Tifway bermudagrass fairway beginning January of 2005 and concluding December of 2006 to determine the frequency and the …

A Study To Identify The Effects Of Community College Student Recruitment Marketing By Television On Prospective Students, Raymond Benjamin Denton

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to compare and to evaluate the television market segmentation suggested in Massey's 1997 study, to investigate the viewing habits of those potential community college students, and to look for the message that called them to action. Segmentation specifically refers to the difference in preferred call to action messages between directed students, lateopters and drifters. The demographics that make-up the college in this study (Meridian Community College) was of particular interest in determining the suggested segmentation. Research questions put forward in this study were: 1. What are the descriptive profiles of the respondents? 2. Is …

A Taxonomy Based Assessment Methodology For Small And Medium Size Manufacturers, Clayton Thomas Walden

Theses and Dissertations

The need for small and medium size manufacturing enterprises (SMEs) to have access to unbiased advice on best practices and related improvement approaches has been well established. However, this need was not found addressed very effectively in the research literature. Current practice is consultants peddling assessment tools which have the veneer of objectivity, but in reality only highlight the need to purchase their canned solutions. In response, this research attempts to synthesize previous research results and other published assessment methodologies into a taxonomy based assessment methodology (TBAM) which targets the delivery of focused recommendations which target improved performance of the …

An Anatomy Of An Unsuccessful School Bond Election In A Rural School District, Leigh Barrett Mobley

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to examine the failed bond attempt of the Community School District and investigate reasons for the failure. Specifically, the role of the superintendent, the opposition, the media, and the school board during the bond election process were examined to determine how their roles influenced the outcome of the election. This qualitative case study employed purposeful sampling. Data collection techniques included document analysis, audiovisual material analysis, and personal interviews. Participants included media representatives, community members who were opposed to the bond election, members of the bond election committee, members of the board of trustees at …

An Examination Of The Implementation Of The Americans With Disabilities Act (Ada) In Mississippi Community Colleges, John Carter Arnold

Theses and Dissertations

Community colleges face great challenges in dealing with students with disabilities. The purpose of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) is to extend protection against discrimination to individuals with disabilities. Although the Americans with Disabilities Act is very general and does not address specific situations, the fact is clear that colleges are mandated to provide equal educational opportunities for students with disabilities. Proper implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act is necessary not only to assure compliance with the law but also to assure that every student is afforded equal opportunity to achieve success in college. The problem …

Anglican Church Policy, Eighteenth Century Conflict, And The American Episcopate, Kenneth Ray Elliott

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines how leaders in the Church of England sought to reorganize the colonial church at critical moments, in the late 1740s, the early 1760s and the mid 1770s, by installing one or two resident bishops when the British government moved to bring the colonies into closer economic and political alignment with England. Examining Anglican attempts to bring bishops to the American colonies within the context of the Anglo-American world moves beyond the current literature and provides insight into the difficulties British political and ecclesiastical authorities had managing the colonies more efficiently. Even though the Church of England sustained …

Sandra Day O'Connor: Moderate Or Something More?, Patricia Arceneaux

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

In 2006 an historic era of the Supreme Court came to a close with the retirement of its first female justice, Sandra Day O'Connor. This paper attempts to expand judicial behavior scholarship by examining O'Connor's policy preferences for possible ideological change during her twenty-five year tenure on the Court. Average liberalism scores for her overall and civil rights/civil liberties issue area votes show an increase in liberalism over time. The researcher employs time series cross section analysis with panel corrected standard errors to determine factors responsible for this increase. Issue change, interagreement with the other justices, changes in Court membership, …

The Lsuno Workshop Theatre: The Little Theatre That Could, Pamela Graham Tanner

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This brief history of the Workshop Theatre at Louisiana State University in New Orleans (LSUNO -- now UNO) relates events that played an important part in defining the racial integration of all student extracurricular activities at the university and the genesis of the current University of New Orleans (UNO) Department of Film, Theatre, and Communication Arts, during the period between the early 1950s and the early 1970s. The origin of the university is discussed briefly to inform the reader about the university's origin, its location, and how racial integration was advanced by actions at the Workshop Theatre. The remainder of …

Fighting The Lethargy: Creating The Role Of Masha In Anton Chekhov's The Three Sisters, Lisa Picone

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This thesis serves as documentation of my efforts to define accurately my creative process as an actor in creating the role of Masha in The Three Sisters by Anton Chekhov. This includes research, character analysis, rehearsal journal and an evaluation of my performance. The Three Sisters was produced by the University of New Orleans Department of Film, Theatre and Communication Arts in New Orleans, Louisiana. The play was performed in the Thrust Theatre of the Performing Arts Center at 8:00 pm on the evenings of April 19 through 21 and April 26 through 28, with one matinee at 2:30 pm …

Reduced Intestinal Colonization Of Adult Beef Cattle By Escherichia Coli O157:H7 Tir Deletion And Nalidixic-Acid-Resistant Mutants Lacking Flagellar Expression, Gustavo Bretschneider, Emil M. Berberov, Rodney A. Moxley

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

The importance of the Escherichia coli O157:H7 translocated intimin receptor (Tir) protein in intestinal colonization and the effect of infection with Tir⁺ strains on protection against subsequent challenge was studied in adult beef cattle. Cattle were orally inoculated (C1) with a Shiga toxin-2⁺+ E. coli O157:H7 strain that was Tir⁺ or Tir^-, and 42 days later were re-challenged (C2) with the nalidixic acid (Nal) ^R parent strain to test whether prior infection had any effect on fecal shedding. During the first 14 days post-C1, the Nal^S wildtype (WT) strain was shed at significantly …

2007 Fall Commencement, Harding University

Commencement Programs

Program for the Commencement on December 15.

Commencement Speaker: Howard Wright

The Use Of School-Wide Positive Behavior Support At A Rural High School To Decrease Disruptive Behavior For Both Typical Students And Students Identified With Special Needs., Leia Dowdy Blevins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There is ever-increasing pressure on school officials to provide a safe school environment that is conducive to learning. There is also a growing concern from teachers and administrators that many students are unrecognized for their continual appropriate behavior(s), in part, because of the attention consumed by both challenging students and students with exceptional talents and abilities. In response, a School-Wide Positive Behavior Support (SWPBS) approach is growing in popularity to address both of these issues. SWPBS is implemented across an entire school population and involves all individuals whether they are challenging, exceptional, or typical. The initial research shows encouraging results …

Pamela On Directing Three The Hard Way: An Exploration Of Theatrical And Communicative Processes., Pamela S. Adolphi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The direction of the play Three the Hard Way by Linda Eisenstein achieved the playwright's intent and the super objective of the play. The application of theatrical and communicative processes facilitated the direction of the desired metacommunicatations associated with the family's dynamics by expressing the struggles and perceptions associated with the family and their relationships. The implementation of the director's prompt book illustrates the use of proxemics in creating picturizations for the stage. In addition, the exploration of the directing process and the progression of the production are examined in daily journal entries. The successes of the directorial approach and …

Human Activity Recognition And Pathological Gait Pattern Identification, Feng Niu

Open Access Dissertations

Human activity analysis has attracted great interest from computer vision researchers due to its promising applications in many areas such as automated visual surveillance, computer-human interactions, and motion-based identification and diagnosis. This dissertation presents work in two areas: general human activity recognition from video, and human activity analysis for the purpose of identifying pathological gait from both 3D captured data and from video. Even though the research in human activity recognition has been going on for many years, still there are many issues that need more research. This includes the effective representation and modeling of human activities and the segmentation …