Digital Commons Network^™

The Impact Of Accelerated Reader (Ar) Program On Students' Mct Reading Scores, Kenyartic Lewon Brown

Theses and Dissertations

This study was needed to determine if the Accelerated Reader (AR) program made a positive impact in schools, which were attempting to increase student achievement in reading. The purpose of this study was to determine if students who received reading instruction supplemented with the AR Program achieved higher reading scores as measured by the Mississippi Curriculum Test (MCT) than students who were instructed using only traditional basal reader textbooks. 6 school districts were selected to participate in this study. There were 1,111 3rd — 5th grade students in the 6 districts between the years 2004 and 2007. Of those 1,111 …

The Impact Of The Accelerated Reader Software On The Reading Achievement Of Third Grade Students In A Rural Southeastern Mississippi School District, Suzanne Mckee Waddell

Theses and Dissertations

This study was conducted to determine if a significant difference existed based on the reading achievement of 3rd grade students as measured by the Mississippi Curriculum Test Reading Scaled Score of those students who utilized the Renaissance Learning’s Accelerated Reader Software Management Program and those who did not participate in the program. The impact of gender and ethnicity on reading achievement and the relationship between the STAR Test for Assessment of Reading and the Mississippi Curriculum Test (MCT) as measures of reading achievement were also studied. The findings indicate students who participated in the Accelerated Reading Program achieved significantly higher …

The Use Of General Land Office Records And Geographical Information Systems For Restoration Of Native Prairie Patches In The Jackson Prairie Region In Mississippi, Michael Tobit Gray

Theses and Dissertations

The Jackson Prairie Region represents a rare, poorly understood and threatened ecosystem. A review of the literature concerning the ecology, physiography and geology of the Region was undertaken, along with a search of General Land Office (GLO) records for locations of historic prairie patches. The prairie patch location data was transcribed, digitized and inserted as a base map in a Geographical Information System (GIS). A set of current, local conditions indicating suitability for conservation or restoration, along with importance weights for each condition, was derived from stakeholder input. A simple additive weighting technique was used to rank the locations in …

Physical And Mechanical Properties Evaluations Of A New Engineered Wood Product, Jonathan Michael Linton

Theses and Dissertations

Finding alternative uses for small diameter raw materials is a critical problem throughout the United States. Insufficient markets for small diameter, southern yellow pine (Pinus spp.) trees from first plantation thinnings are impacting silvicultural practices on millions of acres of land. In western states, the lack of markets for small diameter ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) and lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) creates multiple problems in terms of excess material in the forest. This excess material enhances fire potential and reduces land management practices. This research deals with a new structural composite from small diameter raw logs using a technology called steampressed …

Winter Food And Waterfowl Dynamics In Managed Moist-Soil Wetlands In The Mississippi Alluvial Valley, Heath Michael Hagy

Theses and Dissertations

Moist-soil wetlands that are seasonally flooded provide important habitats for waterfowl in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley (MAV). These wetlands often contain tall and dense vegetation that may constrain waterfowl use before natural openings form. During winters 2006–2009, I estimated abundances of waterbirds, seeds and tubers, and invertebrates in response to autumn, prelooding treatments of light disking, mowing, and no manipulation (control) of vegetation in 26 moist-soil wetlands in the MAV. Seeds and tubers were most abundant in control and mowed plots in late autumn. Decomposition was least and invertebrate abundance was greatest in control plots during winter. Dabbling ducks were …

Distributed State Estimation With Phasor Measurement Units (Pmu) For Power Systems, Qinghua Huang

Theses and Dissertations

Wide-area monitoring for the power system is a key tool for preventing the power system from system wide failure. State Estimation (SE) is an essential and practical monitoring tool that has been widely used to provide estimated values for each quantity within energy management systems (EMS) in the control center. However, monitoring larger power systems coordinated by regional transmission operators has placed an enormous operational burden on current SE techniques. A distributed state estimation (DSE) algorithm with a hierarchical structure designed for the power system industry is much more computationally efficient and robust especially for monitoring a wide-area power system. …

Kindergarten Through Third Grade Reading Tutors In Northeast Mississippi, Angela Williams

Theses and Dissertations

All public schools in the United States have been caught up in educational reform. This has especially been true since the 1980’s. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 was a major component in how schools have changed the process of educating students. In response to reform efforts, many schools have relied on their own knowledge to achieve higher test scores. In the last several years, accountability standards have been increasing. Schools are being assessed according to national standards. Because of this, many schools are using different methods of instruction for students at-risk of failing. One method of instruction …

Cultural Predilection On Design In Planning Ecological Sanitation In Northern Uganda, Charles K. Mccall

Theses and Dissertations

Poor sanitation and open defecation is a major concern in many parts of the world. Ecological sanitation is a possible alternative to the global issue by using dry toilet systems that allow for recycling the waste for other uses. The purpose of this thesis is to determine the cultural perception and design implications toward ecological sanitation in developing countries. By surveying the local population in the proposed environments and implementing a corresponding system, the sanitation system has a much higher chance of sustainability and success. In Northern Uganda, the population was surveyed through a questionnaire and a Visual Preference Survey …

Deconvoluting The Link Between Weld Tool Geometry And Process Parameters, Joseph Andrew Querin

Theses and Dissertations

Advancing the process of friction stir welding (FSW) currently relies on a trial and error approach toward selecting tool geometries and determining process parameters. Before a more formalized design process can be established, a methodology for process parameter selection must be developed. In FSW, various flow paths, as influenced by the tool design, have been proposed to explain the formation of a high quality weld. Central to the discussion is whether the metal is extruded around the tool or whether the metal crosses a shear zone which differentiates the stir zone from the parent material. Probing the interaction between the …

Density Functional Theory And Modified Embedded-Atom Method: Applications To Steel, Magnesium Alloys, And Semiconductor Surfaces, Jeff Lynn Houze

Theses and Dissertations

We performed atomistic modeling to study structural and mechanical properties of materials. We used density functional theory (DFT) for all the studies presented and constructed a method for quickly optimizing semi-empirical modified embedded atom method (MEAM) potentials. In our first study, we show that the reconstruction model in the literature for GaSb(001) is not predicted to have the lowest surface reconstruction energy. A modification was proposed that improves the energy. The second study tries to validate a crystal structure for the Φ Phase of Al-Mg-Zn. The third study deals with plain carbon steel, including some microalloying of Vanadium and vacancy …

Development Of Current Injection Based Three Phase Unbalanced Continuation Power Flow For Distribution System, Shilpa Toppo

Theses and Dissertations

Voltage stability studies (VSS) of the electric network is a crucial factor to make the system operate in stable region and to prevent power blackouts. There are several commercial tools available for VSS of electric transmission systems (TS) but not many for distribution systems (DS). With increasing penetration of distributed renewable generations and meshed network within DS, shipboard power system (SPS) and microgrid, these VSS tools need to be extended for DS. Due to inherent characteristic like high R/X ratio, three phase and unbalanced operation, DS or SPS requires different mathematical approach than TS. Unbalanced three phase power flow and …

Comparing Detection Methods Of Aflatoxin And Exploring Aflatoxin Decontamination Methods, Rebecca Burgett Singleterry

Theses and Dissertations

Ethanol fermentation of highly concentrated aflatoxin-contaminated corn (Zea mays) was conducted on a lab scale to determine if aflatoxin concentrated in the distilled ethanol and/or dry distillers grain end-products. Alliquots of fermented mash, distilled ethanol, stillage, and dry distillers grain (DDG) were analyzed via LC-MS/MS and immunoassay detection methods for aflatoxin. Results indicate that aflatoxin does not greatly concentrate during fermentation in the DDGs and is undetectable in distilled ethanol. Addition of binders, MTB-100®, to aflatoxin-contaminated DDGs showed great reduction in aflatoxin concentrations when analyzed via LC-MS/MS. Also, an experiment investigating detoxification of aflatoxin using Clorox® was conducted. Results obtained …

Economic Impact Of On-Board Module-Building Cotton Harvesters On Replacement Schedule And Harvest Costs, Matthew Alan Farrell

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to further understand the economic impact of the new on-board module-building cotton harvesters that both John Deere and Case IH have introduced to the market. This study will examine two different areas, the optimal asset replacement schedule and a machine’s performance rate’s effect on harvest costs due to rainfall loss. Using data collected from Willcut (2008), USDA crop progress reports, and a USDA weather station, models will be used to study the areas in question. The findings are that, the age of the associated assets begin replaced with the conventional harvester and the number …

Effects Of Prescribed Fire And Selective Herbicide (Imazapyr) On Biodiversity In Intensively Managed Pine Stands Of Mississippi, Raymond Bruce Iglay

Theses and Dissertations

Prescribed fire and imazapyr are two silviculture tools used to control hardwood midstory competition in intensively managed, mid-rotation pine (Pinus spp.) stands but also may support conservation of biodiversity in the southeastern United States. Therefore, I investigated select measures of biodiversity response, small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, carabid beetles, songbirds, and vegetation communities, to fire and imazapyr treatments in intensively managed, mid-rotation pine stands of east-central Mississippi. I used a randomized complete block design of 6 stands (blocks) with 4, 10- ha treatment plots assigned randomly a treatment of burn only, herbicide only, burn + herbicide, or control. I applied dormant …

Evaluating Interactions Of Task Relevance And Visual Attention In Driver Multitasking, Teena Marie Garrison

Theses and Dissertations

Use of cellular phones while driving, and safety implications thereof, has captured public and scientific interest. Previous research has shown that driver reactions and attention are impacted by cellular phone use. Generally, previous research studies have not focused on how visual attention and driver performance may interact. Strayer and colleagues found lower recognition for items present in the driving environment when drivers were using a cellular phone than when not using the phone; however, the tested items were not directly relevant to driving. Relevance to driving may have an impact on attention allocation. The current project used a mediumidelity driving …

Understanding Of Digital Copyright Issues Among Business Career And Technical Educators In Mississippi, Jean Alice Walke Mcdavid

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the understanding of digital copyright issues among business career and technical educators in Mississippi. The areas considered were knowledge; perceptions of knowledge; areas of copyright knowledge including computers and software, the Internet, video, and multimedia; and demographics of teaching level, gender, participation in professional development activities, and teaching experience. Participants included 75 Mississippi business career and technical educators at both the secondary and postsecondary levels. The knowledge level of participants was judged to be low; only four participants reached the established competency level of 70%. Their self-rated perception level was higher than their knowledge level, with the …

The Conditioning Effects Of Religiosity On The Relationship Between Strain, Negative Emotions, And Delinquency: A Longitudinal Assessment Of General Strain Theory, Christopher W. Purser

Theses and Dissertations

Robert Agnew’s (1992) General Strain Theory significantly revitalized traditional scholarship in the anomie/strain tradition by offering a general theory of crime; purported to account for both criminal and analogous behaviors. GST specifically extends anomie/strain theory by introducing new sources of strain (i.e. loss of positively valued stimuli, presentation of noxious stimuli) into the theoretical framework, as well as elucidating the causal pathways (including mediating and moderating effects) leading from the experience of strain to deviant coping mechanisms. An emerging trend within GST is the identification of previously untapped sources of strain (e.g. victimization, discrimination) that ostensibly have deviancegenerating properties. Concerning …

Influences Of Artificial Reefs On Juvenile Red Snapper Along The Mississippi Gulf Coast, Jason Robert Brandt

Theses and Dissertations

Artificial reefs are important management tools for red snapper, Lutjanus campechanus, fisheries in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. I deployed fish traps (0.97 m long; 0.64 m height; 175 x 115 mm funnel mouth size) to collect red snapper < 406 mm total length (TL) associated with pyramid-shaped artificial reef structures (3.7 m triangular base; 2.4 m height; 3.2 metric tons) to evaluate two reef distribution designs: (1) five closely-spaced pyramid units, and (2) five closely-spaced pyramids with two sets of two pyramids at 30.5, 61.0, and 91.5 m from the five pyramids. In 26 sampling trips, 927 red snapper were captured. Catch per unit effort (fish/hour) did not differ significantly among patterns (P= 0.396). Red snapper lengths differed significantly among patterns (P= 0.005), with the largest mean total length (235 mm, SE= 5.14) occurring at the pattern with 61.0-m spacing.

Impact Of Wind Farms With Energy Storage On Transient Stability, Douglas A. Bowman

Theses and Dissertations

Today’s energy infrastructure will need to rapidly expand in terms of reliability and flexibility due to aging infrastructure, changing energy market conditions, projected load increases, and system reliability requirements. Over the few decades, several states in the U.S. are now requiring an increase in wind penetration. These requirements will have impacts on grid reliability given the inherent intermittency of wind generation and much research has been completed on the impact of wind on grid reliability. Energy storage has been proposed as a tool to provide greater levels of reliability; however, little research has occurred in the area of wind with …

Exploration Of Microbial Deposits Known As Giant Hams From The Lower Permian Laborcita Formation, Sacramento Mountains, New Mexico, Kevin Martin Moore

Theses and Dissertations

The Lower Permian Laborcita Formation, Sacramento Mountains, New Mexico crops out along a narrow, 27 km strip, and is 240 m at its thickest. The objective of this study was to document ham-shaped microbial deposits through petrography and scanning electron microscopy. The study concluded that the hams began as microbial oncoids, and only the third growth zone exhibited in situ growth giving the deposit its shank-like shape. They are believed to have originated as oncoids on the presence of irregular, concentric, biogenic micritic laminae surrounding a nucleus. A microbial origin is based upon the presence of irregular laminations, fenestral fabrics, …

A Concept Mapping Case Domain Modeling Approach For Digital Forensic Investigations, April L. Tanner

Theses and Dissertations

Over the decades, computer forensics has expanded from primarily examining computer evidence found on hard drives into the examination of digital devices with increasing storage capacity, to the identification of crimes and illegal activities involving the use of computers, to addressing standards and practices deficiencies, and to addressing the need to educate and train law enforcement, computer forensic technicians, and investigators. This dissertation presents the concept mapping case domain modeling approach to aid examiners/investigators in searching and identifying digital evidence and analyzing the case domain during the examination and analysis phase of the computer forensic investigation. The examination and analysis …

2010-12-10 General Education Council Meeting Minutes, Morehead State University. Faculty Senate.

Faculty Senate Records

General Education Council meeting minutes from December 10, 2010.

Chimes: December 10, 2010, Calvin College

Chimes

'Wednesday' hits stage by Jasmine Wilson

Calvin gets new land for Christmas by Amanda Elliott

Foreign students face mistreatment by Rachel Hekman

Humans are a species unlike any other on the planet by Matthew Koh

Make, bake, share Christmas chear by Kendra Haan

Hope slashed and iced in Knight victory by Tim Clover

Swim and dive teams host annual Calvin Winter Invitational by Luke Leisman

Fatigue Behavior Of A Sic/Sic Composite At 1000⁰C In Air And In Steam, Michael W. Knauf

Theses and Dissertations

Tension-tension fatigue behavior of a prototype Silicon Carbide/Silicon Carbide (SiC/SiC) ceramic matrix composite (CMC) material was investigated at 1000°C in laboratory air and in steam environments. The material consists of a SiC matrix reinforced with CG NICALON™ fibers woven in an eight harness satin weave (8HSW) and coated with a BN/SiC dual-layer interphase. The composite was manufactured by a Polymer Infiltration and Pyrolysis (PIP) process. A seal coat of SiC and elemental boron was applied to the test specimens after machining. The tensile stress-strain behavior was investigated and the tensile properties were measured at 1000°C. Tension-tension fatigue behavior was studied …

Performance Characterization Of A Three-Axis Hall Effect Thruster, Spencer E. Temkin

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Prior Aging At 274⁰C In Argon On Inelastic Deformation Behavior Of Pmr-15 Polymer At 288⁰C: Experiment And Modeling, Joseph A. Wahlquist

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Network Security Toolkit Including Heuristic Solutions For Trust System Placement And Network Obfuscation, Gabriel H. Greve

Theses and Dissertations

For Part I, a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) network consists of a group stations and substations in a portion of the power grid. The use of Internet technology in SCADA communications as well as other factors has caused vulnerabilities. One idea to help mitigate this risk is to strategically place trust nodes to compartmentalize and secure the SCADA systems without disturbing its finely honed processes. The trust nodes combine firewall and intrusion detection technology to provide more secure communication. An optimal solution to this problem has already been developed using a mixed-integer linear programming model. Because the problem …

A Linear Combination Of Heuristics Approach To Spatial Sampling Hyperspectral Data For Target Tracking, Barry R. Secrest

Theses and Dissertations

Persistent surveillance of the battlespace results in better battlespace awareness which aids in obtaining air superiority, winning battles, and saving friendly lives. Although hyperspectral imagery (HSI) data has proven useful for discriminating targets, it presents many challenges as a useful tool in persistent surveillance. A new sensor under development has the potential of overcoming these challenges and transforming our persistent surveillance capability by providing HSI data for a limited number of pixels and grayscale video for the remainder. The challenge of exploiting this new sensor is determining where the HSI data in the sensor's field of view will be the …

Tunable Optical Delay In Doppler-Broadened Cesium Vapor, Monte D. Anderson

Theses and Dissertations

Variable-delay tunable optical delay line or optical buffers are critical for the development of all-optical networks components as well as interferometry and analytic instruments. Recent research on slow light may hold the key for the development of the first practical tunable optical delay device. In this research the linear dispersion delay effects in an alkali vapor. The hyperfine relaxation observations present insight into the complex bleach wave dynamics during a high-intensity pulsed pump in DPAL systems.

A Space Acquisition Leading Indicator Based On System Interoperation Maturity, Jason T. Shibata

Theses and Dissertations

The Department of Defense‘s space acquisition enterprise has experienced numerous challenges since the advent of space power. Space borne capabilities are needed more than ever, but space acquisition frequently fails to meet its goals. The decades of space acquisition experience form a rich history that can be used to build a leading indicator of success to enable effective program execution. First, the space acquisition areas of greatest concern were determined to be cost, schedule and requirements. These areas are considered as systems composed of the people, processes and products that execute the program. Second, the vital interoperation characteristics, or attributes …