Digital Commons Network^™

Helping Families Play: Developing A Framework For Family Recreation Programming, Sarah Agate

All Dissertations

Family recreation is an important part of life for many families, but many people may not be participating in as much family recreation as they would like, or some people may not be enjoying the family recreation activities in which they participate. The purpose of this study was to develop a framework for providing family recreation activities that can help all family members have enjoyable experiences. Ecological theory and leisure constraints theory were used to frame the study. The family accessibility conceptual framework was developed, tested, and modified for providing family recreation activities. A collective case study was conducted using …

Mobility Of Plutonium In Zea Mays (Corn): Determination Of Transport Velocities, Spatial Distribution And Correlations With Iron., Shannon Thompson

All Dissertations

Understanding the environmental behavior of plutonium (Pu) is essential for proper radioactive waste disposal or for remedial activities following an accidental release of Pu. The environmental behavior of Pu is influenced by physical, chemical, and biotic factors, such as the simultaneous existence of multiple Pu species, redox transformations at mineral surfaces, colloid formation, and the potential of microbes and plants to affect its sorption to soil. Plant Pu studies have been conducted for quantifying bioaccumulation or phytoremediation. Until now, experimental studies have not focused on the capacity of plants to affect the transport behavior and distribution of Pu in the …

The Population Genetics Of The Endangered Scalloped Hammerhead Shark, Sphyrna Lewini, Across Its Eastern Pacific Range, Holly Nance

All Dissertations

I have characterized the population genetic structure, inferred the evolutionary processes shaping it, and estimated effective population size (Ne) using different contemporary and coalescent methods in the endangered scalloped hammerhead shark, Sphyrna lewini, throughout its Eastern Pacific (EP) range. I found significant genetic differentiation among seven coastal sites between Mexico and Ecuador using 15 microsatellite loci, and significant isolation by distance among samples of mtDNA control region haplotypes. While Bayesian statistical analyses and coalescent-based methods revealed low levels of ecological connectivity between most sampled sites (point estimates of Nm = 0.6 - 7.3), mismatch analyses showed that all populations experienced …

Occurrence And Formation Of Disinfection By-Products In Indoor Swimming Pools Water, Amer Kanan

All Dissertations

Chlorination is used to prevent the spread of waterborne infectious diseases from swimming pools. This required disinfection practice also results in the formation of undesirable disinfection by-products (DBPs) from the reactions of chlorine with the organic matter (released by swimmers or present in the filling water of the pool) and bromide. Some of these DBPs have important adverse public health effects; as a result their concentrations in drinking waters are regulated. Unfortunately, DBPs formation and control in swimming pools have not been studied and investigated to the same extent as their formation and control in drinking water.
The main objective …

The Study Of Binary Steering Algorithms In Discrete Tomography, Brittany A. Cole

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

In this research project we will study the binary steering technique in iterative methods for image reconstruction in discrete tomography (DT). We will compare the effectiveness of three common algorithms to solve binary systems. The methods used are the Algebraic Reconstruction Technique (ART), Cimmino (CIM), and Diagonally-Relaxed Orthogonal Projections (DROP) algorithms. These reconstruction algorithms will be transformed into binary reconstruction algorithms through the binary steering technique. A new binary steering technique was developed to improve the convergence of the binary steering algorithms. Numerical experiments were performed to demonstrate these improvements.

Exploiting Query Logs For Cross-Lingual Query Suggestions., Wei Gao, Cheng Niu, Jian-Yun Nie, Ming Zhou, Kam-Fai Wong, Hsiao-Wuen Hon

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Query suggestion aims to suggest relevant queries for a given query, which helps users better specify their information needs. Previous work on query suggestion has been limited to the same language. In this article, we extend it to cross-lingual query suggestion (CLQS): for a query in one language, we suggest similar or relevant queries in other languages. This is very important to the scenarios of cross-language information retrieval (CLIR) and other related cross-lingual applications. Instead of relying on existing query translation technologies for CLQS, we present an effective means to map the input query of one language to queries of …

The Impact Of Racial Microaggressions On Black Athletes: Implications For Counseling And Sport Psychology, Terrence A. Jordan

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore Black collegiate athletes experiences with racial microaggressions. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine Black student athletes regarding their experiences of subtle forms of racism within sport and academia. Findings of the analysis indicated that eight primary these emerged which included ascription of intelligence/status, assumed superiority of White cultural values and communication styles, exoticism, second class citizenship, assumed universality, denial of individual racism, coping strategies, and underdeveloped incidents and responses dealing with racial microaggressions.

Monitoring Drop Jump Height And Psychological Measures Throughout Competitive In-Conference Division 1 Collegiate Basketball Season "An Exploratory Study", Michelle Dyke

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the physiological and perceived stress and recovery response in Division 1 women basketball players across a competitive in-conference basketball season. Methods: 9 female Division 1 female collegiate basketball players volunteered and completed 5 testing sessions throughout in-conference play. The team was separated into starters (S) (n= 5;mean ± SD;19.4±1.5 y) and non-starters(NS)(n= 4;mean ± SD;19.2±0.5 y) Testing began during conference play and consisted of two drop jump trials and completion of the Recovery-Cue seven (RC7). Subjects also completed the Recovery-Stress questionnaire (REST-Q) on weeks 1 and 5. Results: A significant increase …

Evaluation Of Recovery In Female Swimmers During A Competitive Season, D'Arcy Wiart

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Objective: To monitor the stress and recovery of college swimmers throughout a competitive season. The priori hypothesis was that RESTQ-SPORT scores will change with changes in training load through the season Patients or Other Participants: 23 female swimmers (mean age = 19.48±1.16, mean height = 168.6 cm ± 5.5, mean weight = 65.91kg ± 7.78) that were members of a southeastern Division I intercollegiate swim team. Interventions: The training load was measured using session rate of perceived exertion (RPE). RPE uses a 0-10 Borg scale to define effort. Each individual's daily score was multiplied by practice duration to give a …

The Village Mother In Selected Works Of Toni Morrison, Taqwaa Falaq Saleem

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This thesis uses Beloved, The Bluest Eye, Sula, and Song of Solomon to discuss Toni Morrison's presentation of women as biological and surrogate mothers and the relationships those mothers have to their children. These mother-child relationships take place in African American "villages" and each chapter displays the relationship between the community (village) and the biological and surrogate mothers. Beloved represents the ultimate biological mother and Song of Solomon represents the ultimate surrogate mother. The Bluest Eye shows negative surrogacy and Sula shows the positives and negatives of biological and surrogate motherhood. Considered together, the novels work to form a village …

Administrators' Beliefs Regarding The Effectiveness Of Alternatively Certified Teachers, Jack D. Arrington

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This study examined the beliefs held by school administrators regarding the effectiveness of alternatively certified teachers in the Georgia Teacher Academy for Preparation and Pedagogy (GaTAPP). The study sought to identify specific strengths and weaknesses of alternatively certified teachers. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with eight public school administrators, four from the middle school level and four from the high school level, in an eastern Georgia county. The interview questions were developed using the categories of evaluation outlined in the Georgia Teacher Observation Instrument. A demographic questionnaire was also given to enrich the data in this study. This study generated data …

The Role Of Teacher Expectation On Disproportionality Of African American Males In Special Education In Middle Schools In Richmond County School System, Claudette Jackson Palmer

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This research study examined the problems of disproportionality of African American males in special education in middle schools in Richmond County, Georgia. Disproportionality occurs when the risk for being identified in a particular disability category is not proportional to the population being considered. The issue of disproportionality of African American males and other minority students in special education has been studied and debated well over thirty years and today continues to be a problem for the education community. The purpose of this study was to understand the role teacher expectations play in disproportionality of African American males in special education. …

Development Of Fourier Transform Mid-Infrared Spectroscopy As A Metabolomic Technique For Characterizing The Protective Properties Of Grain Sorghum Against Oxidation, Emily Diane Sitorius

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

DEVELOPMENT OF FOURIER TRANSFORM MID-INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY AS A METABOLOMIC TECHNIQUE FOR CHARACTERIZING THE PROTECTIVE PROPERTIES OF GRAIN SORGHUM AGAINST OXIDATION

Emily D. Sitorius, M.S. University of Nebraska, 2010 Advisor: Vicki L. Schlegel

Cellular oxidative damage has been linked to many chronic diseases including Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and cancer. Recent studies have shown that foods rich in antioxidants (i.e., grain sorghum) can protect against oxidative stress and thus reduce the risk of disease. However, a significant gap in knowledge exists in that dietary antioxidants are usually characterized by methods that determine free radical and reactive oxygen species’ scavenging capacity that are not …

Dynamic Predictive Model For The Growth Of Salmonella Spp. In Liquid Whole Egg And Risk Evaluation Of Egg White Hydrolysates Manufacturing Process For Spore Formers: Bacillus Cereus And Clostridium Perfringens, Aikansh Singh

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

A dynamic model for the growth of Salmonella spp. in liquid whole egg under continuously varying temperature was developed and validated. A primary model (Baranyi model) was fitted to each temperature growth data and corresponding maximum growth rates were estimated. Pseudo-R² values were greater than 0.97 for primary models. The maximum growth rates obtained from each primary model were then plotted against temperature and modeled using the modified Ratkowsky model. The pseudo-R² and root mean square error were 0.99 and 0.06 h^-1, respectively for the secondary model. A dynamic model for the prediction of Salmonella spp. …

Impact Of Forest Management Techniques On Bats With A Focus On The Endangered Indiana Myotis (Myotis Sodalis), Jermey J. Sheets

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Understanding how forest management practices impact bats is important for maintaining a diverse bat community; rare species, especially the federally endangered Indiana myotis (Myotis sodalis) need special consideration. Bats play an important role in the environment because they prey on insects, especially pest species, and conservation of viable foraging and roosting habitats is critical. Positive and negative aspects of the implementation of forest management techniques are discussed for each bat species. Bats were sampled using mist nets at four locations in Morgan-Monroe and five locations in Yellowwood State Forests twice during each summer 2006-2008. Netting locations were adjacent to or …

Extracellular Matrix Proteins: Implications For Angiogenesis, Kent Edward Williams

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The extracellular matrix (ECM) is an essential requirement for maintaining permanent shape and rigidity in multicellular organisms. The ECM serves two main functions: scaffolding and signaling. Insoluble collagen and soluble proteoglycans, glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), and glycoproteins allow for water retention and flexibility. The signaling role of the ECM is essential for a multitude of events including vascular development and angiogenesis. Via interactions with vascular endothelial cells, proteins of the ECM can induce or repress angiogenesis.

A Proposal For An Art Therapy Intervention For The Reduction Of Dementia Caregiver Stress, Eileen Douglas

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis was to develop an art therapy intervention program to test the efficacy of art therapy in the mitigation of stress among informal caregivers who are caring for individuals suffering from dementia. The design of this program is a prospective, randomized, controlled study of informal caregivers. This program will run for a period of 2 months, with a 30 day follow-up session. The study is designed to recruit at least 20 participants. Participants will be randomized into two separate groups, an art therapy intervention group and a controlled art making group. The Zarit Burden Interview, Cohen …

A Study Of Artwork By Individuals With Eating Disorders, Michelle L. Mong

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

This study explored formal elements and content of 200 images created by eating disordered individuals to identify common themes or content. Images were found on 24 websites containing eating disordered artwork. Gathered artwork was viewed on a laptop and analyzed using methods of content analysis. After categories of formal elements and content were entered into a spreadsheet, percentages of categories and subcategories were calculated. The majority of images, 96.5%, were created with representational, rather than abstract, content. Other high percentages were in the subcategories of drawings (67.5%), vertical orientation (63%), color (61%), and partial figures (53%). Common themes noted in …

A Proposed Bereavement Art Therapy Group For Children Who Experienced A Loss, Laurie Mcarthur

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

Bereavement, grief, and loss have been topics of interest to many individuals (Bowlby, 1969; Freud, 1917; Kubler-Ross, 1969) over the years, whereas child bereavement has become a more recent topic of interest. Recently, however, researchers (Lowenstein, 2006; Rogers, 2007; Trozzi, 1999) have gained an awareness of the importance of child bereavement as it pertains to developmental level, support systems, and circumstances surrounding the loss. Typically, both non-clinical and clinical interventions are used as forms of treatment for children who are experiencing grief and loss. Art therapy provides individuals with the opportunity to express themselves through their artwork. Individuals suffering from …

The Effect Of Art Therapy On The Working Memory Of Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Kelly N. Lee

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

This study explored the effect of a short-term art therapy intervention on the working memory and behavior of male children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The methodology was quasi-experimental, involving a two-group controlled design with three objective pretest and posttest measures and one observer behavior report. Four subjects ages 7 to 9 were recruited for this study, and they were randomly divided between the experimental (i.e. art making) and control (i.e. board game play) conditions. Each subject participated in four individual sessions with the investigator, and completed two working memory measures at pretest and posttest administration. One parent for each child …

Art Therapy And Anorexia: A Heuristic Self-Study From Treatment To Career, Katie Kiskinis

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this self-study was to explore the personal experience had during treatment for anorexia nervosa that included an art therapy component and what impact this has had on subsequent recovery, current healthy functioning, and the career decision to become an art therapist.

The total duration of the study was 13 weeks. Thirty-minute reflection sessions supplemented with writing were scheduled for the first four days of the study, during which there was a submersion in artwork made during treatment (Treatment Artwork) for anorexia nervosa and any related memories. On the fourth day, eight themes were identified to be the …

Conservation And Ecology Of The Yellow-Blotched Sawback (Graptemys Flavmaculata), William Winsyl Selman Ii

Dissertations

The role of species conservation is becoming increasingly important due to the mounting pressures from humans on habitats and populations of organisms. This is particularly evident in riverine ecosystems throughout the world where the human demand for freshwater resources is increasing, and consequently, the number of imperiled aquatic organisms is also growing. The seven chapters of this dissertation primarily focus on the Yellow-blotched Sawback, Graptemys flavimaculata, an endangered riverine turtle that is endemic to the Pascagoula River system of southeast Mississippi, USA. At the population level, we aimed to study the impacts of Hurricane Katrina on two study populations within …

Nanomaterials From Biologically Active Molecules: Self-Assembly And Molecular Recognition, Min Yu

Dissertations

This dissertation describes the development of molecular assemblies and molecular recognition of phospholipids (PLs) that exhibit potential applications in emerging nanotechnologies. It consists of two parts: (1) structural features of PLs responsible for recognition of synthetic copolymers, and (2) design, synthesis and analysis of magnetic nanotubes obtained from PLs with a common theme of colloidal synthesis served as a platform for film formation and nano-assemblies of nanotubes. Poly(methyl methacrylate/n-butyl acrylate) (p-MMA/nBA) colloidal particles that were stabilized by 1,2-dilauroyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DLPC) PLs were synthesized, and upon the particle coalescence, PL stratification resulted in the formation of surface localized ionic clusters (SLICs). These …

Aqueous Raft Synthesis Of Stimuli-Responsive, Amphiphilic Block Copolymers And Self-Assembly Behavior In Solution And Incorporation Into Lbl Films, Matthew Grady Kellum

Dissertations

Of all the living radical polymerization techniques, reversible addition– fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization is arguably the most versatile in terms of the reaction conditions (e.g. temperature and solvent selection), monomer selection (e.g. neutral, anionic, cationic, and zwitterionic), and purification. Since the introduction of RAFT in 1998, the McCormick research group and others including the Lowe, Sumerlin, and Davis research groups have synthesized a wide range of (co)polymers with predetermined molecular weights, low polydispersities, and advanced architectures utilizing aqueous RAFT (ARAFT) polymerization. These research groups have also studied how various block copolymers exhibit stimuli-responsive behavior due to a change in …

The Use Of Multiple Intelligence Concepts With Middle School Students And Future Academic Achievement, Christa Fountain Glenn

Dissertations

This quantitative quasi-experimental study examined the variables of student’s grade point averages when Multiple Intelligences were introduced and implemented in a study in 2007. To examine this information, in 2007 a study was conducted of 115 eighth grade students from a single grade school in the southern United States. At the conclusion of the study in 2007, it was the researchers’ belief that students may possibly utilize the Multiple Intelligences in their upcoming years as high school students, therefore, the study continued and the academic achievement by way of grade point averages of 94 of the original students now ending …

Rational Design Of Self-Assembled Nanostructures Based On Polymers Synthesized Via Aqueous Reversible Addition-Fragmentation Chain Transfer Polymerization, Stacey Kirkland York

Dissertations

Recent advances in reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization have allowed the rational, bottom-up design of biorelevant assemblies. Utilizing foresight, polymers can be tailored to self-assemble into nano-, micro-, and macroscopic structures. Given the size scale on which rationally-designed polymers can be tailored, they hold significant promise in the biomedical field. For example, nanoscale materials can be designed to carry small-molecule and gene therapeutics while macroscopic structures can be tailored for cell growth scaffolds. The design process begins by selecting monomers, chain transfer agents, and reaction conditions which will yield the desired polymer architecture and composition.

The work herein builds …

Developing A Biosensor For The Detection Of Bacteria: A Comparison Of Methods For Isolating Bacteria-Specific Antibodies, Scott Allen Walper

Dissertations

The antigen-antibody interaction is known to be a high affinity and highly specific interaction that can readily be used for the detection and identification of biological and chemical agents. These studies were conducted to develop an efficient and cost-effective method of obtaining bacteria-specific antibody molecules for integration into a fielddeployable biosensor. Antigen-binding molecules were obtained both as full-length IgG molecules from a hybridoma cell line and as recombinant single-chain Fv (scFv) antibodies isolated from naïve and immunize libraries. Monoclonal and recombinant antibody systems were compared on the effectiveness of producing new, target-specific molecules; the efficiency of production and purification of …

The Natural Provenance: Ecoliteracy In Higher Education In Mississippi, Sarah Elizabeth Wheeless

Dissertations

Researchers have suggested that there is an increasing apathy in the study of natural history both in academic settings and in the scientific community (Schmidly, 2005). Natural history is the cornerstone of ecological literacy. However, most studies of environmental knowledge do not directly address knowledge of local natural history. Instead, they concern knowledge of human environmental issues, environmental concepts, or broad ecological knowledge. Ecoliteracy established the study of natural history as fundamental to environmental knowledge and seeks to determine levels of knowledge of local environments and factors associated with that knowledge (Pilgrim et al., 2007).

This study investigated ecoliteracy in …

A Longitudinal Study Of Block Scheduling Versus Traditional Scheduling In Mississippi Schools: Utilizing The Mississippi Student Assessment System And Administrators’ Perceptions, Linda Oettiker Smith

Dissertations

Accountability has become increasingly important in an era of financial stress coupled with the demand for continuous improvement, demonstrated through state mandated tests. In order to address the accountability issues associated with No Child Left Behind and in all probability the future Elementary and Secondary Education Act, it is critical to have current data regarding issues related to student achievement. For over a decade, school leaders have been encouraged to examine instructional time, or the use of scheduling formats, such as block scheduling.

This study was intended to provide school and district-level administrators with additional data relevant to the effect …

A Study Of The Effective Interfacial Tension Between Miscible Fluids By Spinning Drop Tensiometer And Microfluidics, Gloria Dollie Viner

Dissertations

A miscible system is a system in which two fluids can completely dissolve in one another. A sharp concentration gradient can be observed in miscible systems. We studied the concentration gradient or miscible interface between IBA (isobutyric acid) and water, a miscible system near a consulate point (close to the system’s upper critical solution temperature [UCST]). The original hypothesis was that the sharp concentration gradient of IBA/water was due to barodiffusion, a diffusion effect driven by pressure. We tested this hypothesis by studying IBA/water at five different rotation rates and three different temperatures. At 20 oC, increasing rotation acceleration from …