Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Digital Commons Network™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

2007

Discipline
Institution
Keyword
Publication
Publication Type
File Type

Articles 361 - 390 of 29680

Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network

Sediment Budget Template Applied To Aberdeen Pool, Jeremy A. Sharp Dec 2007

Sediment Budget Template Applied To Aberdeen Pool, Jeremy A. Sharp

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this work is to create a sediment budget template (SBT) with Aberdeen Pool on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway as the demonstration site. The first task is to define the sediment behavior for the system in question. USGS data are used for sediment concentrations and flows. The USGS data are the basis for the Power Curve Program which defines the sediment behavior in terms of a power function. The second program, Tier 1 Program, uses the power curve coefficients along with the bankfull discharge to define the sediment fluxes. Thirdly, the Tier 2 Program uses power curve coefficients with …

Go to article

Illinois State University, One Hundred And Forty-Eighth Annual Commencement, December 15, 2007, Illinois State University Dec 2007

Illinois State University, One Hundred And Forty-Eighth Annual Commencement, December 15, 2007, Illinois State University

Commencement Programs

Normal, Illinois
Illinois State University
One Hundred and Forty-Eighth Annual Commencement
December 15, 2007

Go to article

Nonindustrial Private Forest Landowner Participation In Incentive Programs And Regeneration Behavior, Xing Sun Dec 2007

Nonindustrial Private Forest Landowner Participation In Incentive Programs And Regeneration Behavior, Xing Sun

Theses and Dissertations

Nonindustrial private forest (NIPF) landowners have been major players in increasing forest productivity and improving forest health. Understanding what factors influence landowner participation in government programs, and furthermore, what factors determinate how quickly after harvest landowners regenerate, is critical for developing policies to improve landowner participation in government assistance programs and timely regeneration of harvested lands. Two studies were conducted to investigate these issues. The necessary data were obtained through a 2006 telephone survey of randomly selected Mississippi NIPF landowners. Factors considered included an array of land, ownership, management, and demographic characteristics. In the first study, a two-step landowner behavior …

Go to article

Knowledge, Efforts, And Associated Expenses Of Complying With Stormwater Phase Ii Regulations By Community Leaders In Small Municipal Storm Sewer Systems (Ms4s) Of Mississippi, Britt Adam Hubbard Dec 2007

Knowledge, Efforts, And Associated Expenses Of Complying With Stormwater Phase Ii Regulations By Community Leaders In Small Municipal Storm Sewer Systems (Ms4s) Of Mississippi, Britt Adam Hubbard

Theses and Dissertations

In March 2003, many communities in Mississippi fell under National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) regulations and were required to develop Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plans (SWPPPs). This study surveyed those in charge of SWPPPs in Mississippi’s regulated communities to determine the knowledge, efforts, and associated expenses, of complying with Stormwater Phase II regulations as well as what attempts regulated communities made to include urban forestry in their SWPPPs. While results indicated that all respondents were compliant with Stormwater Phase II regulations, regulated communities can improve efforts in several areas to best mitigate stormwater runoff pollution (e.g., public education and urban …

Go to article

Movement And Habitat Use Of Selected Nongame Fishes In A Minnesota Lake, Michael David Habrat Dec 2007

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 …

Go to article

Effects Of Soil Region, Litter Size, And Gender On Morphometrics Of White-Tailed Deer Fawns, Amy Castle Blaylock Dec 2007

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 …

Go to article

Integrated Management Tactics For The Control Of Cogongrass [Imperata Cylindrica (L.) Beauv.], Matthew Thomas Myers Dec 2007

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 …

Go to article

Factors That Influcence African Americans To Enroll In Agricultural Science Programs, Levar Desmond Graham Dec 2007

Factors That Influcence African Americans To Enroll In Agricultural Science Programs, Levar Desmond Graham

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to identify the factors that most influence African Americans to enroll in agricultural science programs at 1890 and 1862 Land Grant universities. This study used a quantitative approach in researching the problem of identifying the factors that led minorities to enroll in agricultural science programs at 1862 and 1890 land-grant institutions. A survey instrument was designed which collected the factors, demographics, and attitudes that influenced minority enrollment in agricultural sciences at 1890 and 1862 universities. The setting for the data collection in this study is 1890 and 1862 land grant universities in the southern …

Go to article

A Simple Two-Equation Turbulence Model For Transition-Sensitive Cfd Simulations Of Missile Nose-Cone Geometries, Joseph Matthew Jones Dec 2007

A Simple Two-Equation Turbulence Model For Transition-Sensitive Cfd Simulations Of Missile Nose-Cone Geometries, Joseph Matthew Jones

Theses and Dissertations

This study reports the development and validation of a modified two-equation eddy-viscosity turbulence model for computational fluid dynamics prediction of transitional and turbulent flows. The existing terms of the standard k-w model have been modified to include transitional flow effects, within the framework of Reynolds-averaged, eddy-viscosity turbulence modeling. The new model has been implemented into the commercially available flow solver FLUENT and the Mississippi State University SimCenter developed flow solver U2NCLE. Test cases included flow over a flat plate, a 2-D circular cylinder in a crossflow, a 3-D cylindrical body and three conical geometries, which represent the nose-cones of aerodynamic …

Go to article

A Study Examining The Experiences Of Community College Students Who Are Members Of Phi Theta Kappa, Teresa Lashone Houston Dec 2007

A Study Examining The Experiences Of Community College Students Who Are Members Of Phi Theta Kappa, Teresa Lashone Houston

Theses and Dissertations

Community colleges are in a unique position in the hierarchy of higher education. They provide quality education at an affordable price. They are strategically located in communities to provide educational opportunities for everyone. The latest prediction is that enrollment at two-year institutions is expected to increase from 5.7 million students to 6.3 million students by 2012 (Gerald & Hussar, 2002). However, research indicates that the retention and transfer rates of community college students are low. This is problematic due to the increased calls for accountability on the national education agenda which are linked to student outcomes. This is astounding for …

Go to article

Use Of Corn Forage For Grazing Lactating Dairy Cows, Brandon Jermaine Mcclenton Dec 2007

Use Of Corn Forage For Grazing Lactating Dairy Cows, Brandon Jermaine Mcclenton

Theses and Dissertations

Two lactation trials were used to investigate corn grazing as a management tool for dairies. Control (n = 18) cows, housed in free-stall barns were allowed ad libitum access to TMR while Grazing (n = 18 to 36) cows were limited TMR down to 70% of that in Controls and allowed 24-h access to corn plots. By wk 3, Grazing cows consumed 7.9 +/- 1.5 kg/hd/d of standing corn. By wk 7, the crop had matured and Grazing cows consumed 11.42 kg/hd/d of corn grain. Intake of TMR by Controls was 20.07 +/- 0.46 kg DM/hd/d, 19.78% greater than Grazing …

Go to article

Comparing The Performance Of Heterogeneous And Homogeneous Swarms, Jason Alexander Hales Dec 2007

Comparing The Performance Of Heterogeneous And Homogeneous Swarms, Jason Alexander Hales

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis compares the performance of heterogeneous and homogenous swarms. Swarms are defined as particles or agents which react to their environment and fellow particles or agents according to social rules. The weights of three attributes of an individual agent were varied for these experiments: Collision Avoidance with individual agents in the swarm, Center of Mass of the swarm and the parameter that controls Velocity Matching in the swarm. In homogenous swarms, all individuals had the same attribute weights while in heterogeneous swarms weights for one attribute were taken from a normal distribution for the population. These swarms were then …

Go to article

Demonstration Of Scale-Down Dynamic Light Scattering And Determination Of Osmotic Second Virial Coefficients For Proteins, Arun Kumar Parupudi Dec 2007

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 …

Go to article

Design And Structural Analysis Of Sofa Frames, Li Dai Dec 2007

Design And Structural Analysis Of Sofa Frames, Li Dai

Theses and Dissertations

This project’s goals are to evaluate the structure and strength design of Schnadig three-seat sofa frames, summarize current available information on engineering design, derive cyclic schedules for durability evaluation of frame components, and improve the design to meet product performance requirement specified by Schnadig. The target goal of medium or above acceptance level of General Service Administration (GSA) performance test was expected for the improved design. The design procedures and testing results in the study are also applicable to other frames, and can be used as a guideline for product engineering and reengineering. In this study, the mechanical and strength …

Go to article

Selection For Reduced Seed Dormancy In Seven Native Grass Species, Kyle Bradley Holmberg Dec 2007

Selection For Reduced Seed Dormancy In Seven Native Grass Species, Kyle Bradley Holmberg

Theses and Dissertations

Lowland switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii), indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans), upland switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), beaked panicum (Panicum capillare), and purpletop (Tridens flavus) all show strong signs of seed dormancy which contributes to extremely poor field establishment. The objective of this work was to reduce seed dormancy by selecting individuals that exhibited reduced pre-stratification dormancy in laboratory tests. The classical breeding method of phenotypic recurrent selection was used to enhance germination. Of the three tall-stature species, lowland switchgrass made the greatest improvement in pre-stratification germination, followed by indiangrass and big bluestem. The four short stature species …

Go to article

Effect Of Distance Learning Technology As A Training Delivery System For Rural And Small Law Enforcement Agencies, Thomas C. Johnson Dec 2007

Effect Of Distance Learning Technology As A Training Delivery System For Rural And Small Law Enforcement Agencies, Thomas C. Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the perceptions of law enforcements officers employed by rural and small law enforcement agencies on the effectiveness of the use of distance education technology as a delivery system for training programs. Four research questions were designed to assess officers’ perceptions. This study used both quantitative and qualitative analysis of data to assess these questions. Quantitative data were collected through the use of a pretest and post-test, and a survey. Qualitative data were collected through observations of subjects’ interaction with the treatment, interviews with participants, reviews of survey comments, and analyses of budget documents. The results of this …

Go to article

Effects Of Nitrogen Deficiency On Plant Growth, Leaf Photosynthesis, And Hyperspectral Reflectance Properties In Castor (Ricinus Communis L.), Satyasai Kumar Matcha Dec 2007

Effects Of Nitrogen Deficiency On Plant Growth, Leaf Photosynthesis, And Hyperspectral Reflectance Properties In Castor (Ricinus Communis L.), Satyasai Kumar Matcha

Theses and Dissertations

Influence of nitrogen (N) deficiency on castor cv. ‘Hale’ growth, physiology, and leaf reflectance properties were investigated. Treatments imposed were complete Hoagland’s nutrient solution (control, 100N), reduced N to 20% of the control (20N) and withheld N from the solution (0N) from 34 to 66 days after sowing (DAS) in 12-L pots grown out doors. N deficiency significantly reduced leaf area, chlorophyll and photosynthesis resulting lower total biomass. Leaf and stem growth rates were more sensitive to leaf N concentration than photosynthesis and leaf addition rates. N deficiency stress increased leaf reflectance at R555 and R715 nm and caused a …

Go to article

A Description Of A Gifted Program In A Rural Mississippi County School District Through The Perceptions Of Its Student Participants, Theresa Young Dumas Dec 2007

A Description Of A Gifted Program In A Rural Mississippi County School District Through The Perceptions Of Its Student Participants, Theresa Young Dumas

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe a gifted program in a rural Mississippi county school district through the perceptions of its student participants. This study consisted of a total of 19 participants. Thirteen participants in this study were students in grades 7-8 who were currently enrolled in the gifted program and six participants were students in grades 11-12 who had previously been enrolled in the gifted program. The researcher interviewed each focus group on two separate occasions using a tape recorder to record the participants’ responses. Each focus group interview lasted about one hour. This study used qualitative …

Go to article

"W"- Men: Male Nurses' Negotiation Of Masculinity In A Predominantly Female Profession, Deborah Yoder (Deborah Jane Yoder) Miranda Dec 2007

"W"- Men: Male Nurses' Negotiation Of Masculinity In A Predominantly Female Profession, Deborah Yoder (Deborah Jane Yoder) Miranda

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study explores male nurses’ negotiation of masculine gender identities in the nontraditional work of registered nursing. Few registered nurses in the United States are men, and men leave the profession within the first four years after graduation at twice the rate of women. This study builds on previous work by seeking to understand why male nursing graduates of an institution formerly for women only, made the decision to become nurses, how they decided to attend a women’s college over a more gender balanced campus experience, and in what ways they negotiate gender identities in the configuration of nursing …

Go to article

A Correlational Study Of Adoption Of Instructional Technology By Higher Education Faculty And Their Social Communications Network, Amy Huff Berryhill Dec 2007

A Correlational Study Of Adoption Of Instructional Technology By Higher Education Faculty And Their Social Communications Network, Amy Huff Berryhill

Theses and Dissertations

Colleges and universities continue to make huge financial investments in instructional technology for the classroom. Mississippi State University faculty, assigned to teach in technology enhanced classrooms, are expected by administration, as well as students, to incorporate the technology into their instruction. This study examines whether faculty consider themselves adopters or nonopters of the instructional technology provided in the Technology Classrooms and if relationships exist between this adoption status and demographics, personal social network, and training source. The data was gathered from faculty assigned to teach in the Technology Classrooms at Mississippi State University using an online survey. Demographic data was …

Go to article

Development Of Fuel And Valueded Chemicals From Pyrolysis Of Wood/Waste Plastic Mixture, Priyanka Bhattacharya Dec 2007

Development Of Fuel And Valueded Chemicals From Pyrolysis Of Wood/Waste Plastic Mixture, Priyanka Bhattacharya

Theses and Dissertations

Highly oxygenated compounds in bio-oil produce negative properties that have hampered fuel development. Copyrolysis with plastics has increased hydrogen content in past research. Py-GC/MS analyses for two wood types (pine and oak) and three plastic types (polystyrene, polypropylene and high density polyethylene) established temperature, heating rate and residence time to produce a typical bio-oil. Analysis of various plastics to wood ratios by Py-GC/MS showed that a 50:50 wt/wt ratio produced the highest level of low molecular weight compounds best for fuel viscosity. Copyrolysis was performed on a laboratory-scale reactor at these temperature and wood-to-plastic ratios. Copyrolysis lowered bio-oil oxygen content …

Go to article

Traction-Induced Injury Of Rat Achilles' Tendon: New In Vivo Biomechanical Model For The Assessment Of Tendon Disease And Injury, Edward Brown Silverman Dec 2007

Traction-Induced Injury Of Rat Achilles' Tendon: New In Vivo Biomechanical Model For The Assessment Of Tendon Disease And Injury, Edward Brown Silverman

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this project is to advance the understanding of tendon disease and injury through the design and validation of a new model of tendon injury. Controlled, mechanically-induced traction injury was created in rat Achilles’ tendons with a tensioning apparatus through a minimally invasive surgical approach. Tendons were tensioned to subailure loads. Assessments of damage to tendons included gross morphology, evaluation of biomechanical of load strain curves, histopathology under light microscopy (H&E), collagen fibril structure and disruption under scanning electron microscopy, and immunohistochemical study of MMP-13 expression under confocal laser microscopy. Tendon injuries were found to be more severe …

Go to article

Treatment Acceptabilty Of Teachers Of Adolescents By Level Of Intervention Intrusiveness And Type Of Disorder, Sarah E. Graves Dec 2007

Treatment Acceptabilty Of Teachers Of Adolescents By Level Of Intervention Intrusiveness And Type Of Disorder, Sarah E. Graves

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the current study was to examine the treatment acceptability ratings of teachers of adolescents on three different types of commonly used interventions: (a) positive verbal praise, (b) token economy with response cost and extinction, and (c) psychotropic medication. Ratings of treatment acceptability were also assessed according to type of disorder (i.e., externalizing or internalizing). The participants were 101 teachers of adolescents recruited from a midwestern public school district. Participants were asked to read two case studies presented in a counterbalanced format. One case study focused on a youth who displayed symptoms related to an internalizing disorder (Major …

Go to article

Development Of A Tungsten Carbide-Nickel Braze Alloy Hardface Coating, Travis Earl Puzz Dec 2007

Development Of A Tungsten Carbide-Nickel Braze Alloy Hardface Coating, Travis Earl Puzz

Theses and Dissertations

If an expensive part such a turbine blade or high quality tool needed to be refurbished instead of discarded, the part would have be coated in a way that would resemble or even exceed its previous surface properties. In this regard, this work studies a tungsten carbide-nickel braze alloy hardface composite prepared by liquid infiltration. A unique polymeric binder system was used to form the brazing cloth which formed the carrier for the tungsten carbide and nickel braze alloy particles. After thermal pyrolysis of the binder, the nickel braze alloy would infiltrate into a porous tungsten carbide layer becoming a …

Go to article

Occurrence Of Diseases And Insect Pests In Select Soybean (Glycine Max (L.) Merr.) And Sorghum (Sorghum Bicolor (L.) Moench) Rotations In Mississippi, Sergio Tomas Pichardo Dec 2007

Occurrence Of Diseases And Insect Pests In Select Soybean (Glycine Max (L.) Merr.) And Sorghum (Sorghum Bicolor (L.) Moench) Rotations In Mississippi, Sergio Tomas Pichardo

Theses and Dissertations

Field and greenhouse studies were conducted during 2004 through 2006 at the Rodney R. Foil Plant Science Research Center, Starkville, MS. Six sorghum and soybean rotation treatments were tested to determine their effect on plant pathogen, insect, and nematode diversity and density levels. Treatments included 1) continuous sorghum, 2) continuous soybean, 3) sorghum-soybean-sorghum rotation, 4) soybean-sorghum-soybean rotation, 5) sorghum-soybean-soybean rotation, and 6) soybean-sorghum-sorghum rotation. Several nematode and insect species were identified during the study, but were always below economic thresholds. Six insect species were identified on soybean during each growing season and used as the indicator species for this study. …

Go to article

A Dual-Agent Approach For Securing Routing Protocols, Brian Lee Gaines Dec 2007

A Dual-Agent Approach For Securing Routing Protocols, Brian Lee Gaines

Theses and Dissertations

Ad hoc routing inherently serves two separate and conflicting divisions of interest: the needs of the user or individual and the needs of the network or community. These interests should be secured differently. The proposed research is a dual-agent approach for securing ad hoc routing protocols. This approach assumes a physical division of tasks into user agent tasks and tasks performed by a trustworthy network agent. The research, motivated by the need to reduce the tasks of the network agent, investigates strategies for an optimal division of labor while promoting the faithful execution of the routing protocol. This investigation employs …

Go to article

A Simplified Model Of Heat And Mass Transfer Between Air And Falling-Film Desiccant In A Parallel-Plate Dehumidifier, Anna Kathrine Hueffed Dec 2007

A Simplified Model Of Heat And Mass Transfer Between Air And Falling-Film Desiccant In A Parallel-Plate Dehumidifier, Anna Kathrine Hueffed

Theses and Dissertations

A simplified model is developed to predict the heat and mass transfer between air and fallingilm liquid desiccant during dehumidification in a parallel-plate absorber. Compared to the second-order partial differential equations that describe fluid motion, first-order, non-coupled, ordinary differential equations are used to estimate the heat and mass transferred and explicit equations are derived from conservation principles to determine the exiting conditions of the absorber for different flow arrangements. The model uses a control volume approach that accounts for the change in desiccant film thickness and property values. The model agreed with a more complicated parallel flow model in literature. …

Go to article

A Study To Identify The Effects Of Community College Student Recruitment Marketing By Television On Prospective Students, Raymond Benjamin Denton Dec 2007

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 …

Go to article

A Taxonomy Based Assessment Methodology For Small And Medium Size Manufacturers, Clayton Thomas Walden Dec 2007

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 …

Go to article

Agronomic Performance And Beef Cattle Grazing Preference Among Three Prairie Bromegrasses, Allen Stewart Hubbard Dec 2007

Agronomic Performance And Beef Cattle Grazing Preference Among Three Prairie Bromegrasses, Allen Stewart Hubbard

Theses and Dissertations

Prairie bromegrass is a cool-season perennial bunchgrass with potential as a valuable forage crop in the southeastern USA. The objective of this study was to compare dry matter production, persistence, nutritive value, and beef cattle grazing preference of two experimental lines and a commercial species (cv. Matua) of prairie bromegrass. Plots were established in a randomized complete block design with four replications. When each plot accumulated at least 20 cm of growth, plots were grazed with Hereford x Angus steers at a stocking rate of 8400 kg/ha until the first plot was grazed down to 7 cm in height. Pre- …

Go to article

First Prev Next Last