Digital Commons Network^™

Impact Of Middle School Student Participation In The Whole Schools Initiative Arts Program, Glenda D. Nickson

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the impact of the Whole Schools Initiative arts program on the academic achievement of a group of middle school students as measured by the Mississippi Curriculum Test 2 (MCT2) language arts and mathematics assessment. School year 2012-2013 yearly assessment scores for sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students in 1 middle school in the State of Mississippi were analyzed to determine if a statistically significant difference in academic achievement existed between those who participated in the arts program in elementary school and those who did not. This study was guided by 4 research questions and employed 2 research …

An Approach To Genetic Silencing Of Ricin In Castor (Ricinus Communis L.), Daniel Joseph Barnes

Theses and Dissertations

Castor (Ricinus communis L.) is a high-yielding oilseed crop native to tropical Africa. The seed contains ~60% oil by weight, yielding approximately 1,200 kg of oil per hectare. The oil is composed of ~90% ricinoleic acid, a unique hydroxylatty acid. Its unique composition provides castor oil with distinctive characteristics important for industrial use. Unfortunately, this valuable oilseed has not been widely cultivated in the United States since 1972, due in part to the presence of ricin in the seed. Ricin is a highly toxic lectin found in the endosperm of mature castor seed. This project sought to silence ricin production …

Trauma As Evangelical Anti-Abortion Strategy: A Qualitative Study Of Post Abortion Groups And The Personhood Amendment In Mississippi, Jonelle Henry Husain

Theses and Dissertations

Post-abortion support groups are a new sub-movement or strategy of the broader anti-abortion movement that provide support to women who understand their prior abortions as problematic. These groups construct abortion as a form of trauma that causes post-abortion syndrome (PAS), a broad array of negative mental health and behavioral problems similar to post-traumatic stress disorder. Although these claims are not substantiated by empirical evidence, claims that abortion causes PAS are increasingly featured in the public domain to bolster national anti-abortion claims that abortion represents a public health issue. A majority of PAS support groups are offered by crisis pregnancy centers …

Woodrow Wilson's Lasting Impact On The Development Of Federal Budget Practice And Theory, Tyson Michael Elbert

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the legitimacy of the academic field of public administration and the subield of public budgeting. The intellectual foundations for each, established largely by the early writings of Woodrow Wilson, are analyzed in order to better understand the ways Wilson influenced and impaired the development of theory and practice of public budgeting at the federal level of American government. The thesis is divided into three parts. The first segment addresses the theoretical frameworks and research methods used throughout. The second segment discusses the impact of Wilson on the founding, growth, and development of public budget theory and practice …

The Influences Of Geologic Depositional Environments On Sand Boil Development, Tara Wildlife Lodge Area In Mississippi, Ryan Charles Strange

Theses and Dissertations

A comprehensive study of the subsurface geology in the Tara Wildlife Lodge area in Mississippi was undertaken to identify seepage pathways that lead to sand boils. After completing and reviewing drilling logs, geophysical surveys, and cone penetrometer test results, the subsurface in the Tara Wildlife area was better characterized with the creation of cross sections and imagery. Cross sections and imagery of the data helped to better understand the geologic phenomena that were occurring and causing sand boils. Results suggest that the Tara Wildlife Lodge area in the Talla Bena Quadrangle consists of point bar deposits consisting of noncohesive sands …

Associative Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteria And Their Potential To Support The Growth Of Bioenergy Grasses On Marginal Lands, Jayani Jeewanthi Wewalwela

Theses and Dissertations

Rising demands for both food and energy have lifted up the idea of producing renewable biofuels from bioenergy grasses that can companion with associative N2ixing bacteria. Associative N2ixing bacteria can partially fulfill the N requirements of bioenergy grasses enabling successful application for marginal lands. The overall objective of this study was to measure the potential N2ixation of bacteria associated with three bioenergy grasses, giant miscanthus (Miscanthus x giganteus), switchgrass (Panicum virgatum; ‘Alamo’) and energycane (hybrid of Saccharum spontaneum and S. officinarum; HO 02-147) as well as identifying N2ixing bacteria associated with these energy grasses and applying these isolates to grasses …

Biomass And Decomposition Dynamics Of Invasive Chinese Tallow (Triadica Sebifera) In The Southeastern United States, Allison M. Stoklosa

Theses and Dissertations

Recent and anticipated global change has focused concern on the role of forests in ecosystem functioning and carbon sequestration. Of key importance is identifying relevant factors that drive carbon and nutrient dynamics and the consequences of changes in these processes. Systems undergoing invasion by invasive woody species are particularly prone to changes. This study examined the branch and crown biomass and decay dynamics for the invasive Chinese tallow tree in Mississippi, USA as well as the influences of stand and site conditions on biomass modeling and arthropod contributions to fine woody debris decay. Coupling biomass and decay models presents a …

Protein-Protein Interaction Profile Of Viral Protein Bicp0 During Bovine Herpesvirus-1 Lytic Infection, Stephanie Elaine Ander

Theses and Dissertations

Bovine Infected Cell Protein 0 (bICP0) is an immediate-early protein encoded by Bovine Herpesvirus-1 that modulates host immune response, activates transcription for all viral promoters, and causes ubiquitin-dependent degradation of proteins. Presented herein is a bICP0 protein-protein interaction (PPI) profile, consisting of 98 cellular and 15 viral proteins, generated through co-immunoprecipitation of bICP0 and its binding partners. The PPI profile was analyzed computationally to identify potential sites of interaction with bICP0 and any cellular pathways that may be influenced by bICP0. Some interactors fall in conjunction with bICP0’s known roles during infection, and others are consistent with known associations of …

Students' Perceptions Of The Adult Basic Education General Educational Development Program At A Rural Mississippi Community College, Trena Starlene Lee

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine GED students’ perceptions of the ABE/GED program at a rural Mississippi community college. There were 64 GED students who participated in this study. A survey containing 15 questions was administered to the participants. Likert-scale response type questions were used to provide information particularly on students’ perceptions of the ABE/GED program. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Chi-square tests were run to determine if differences existed among students’ perceptions based on age, race, and gender. The findings of the study showed that overall the students had a positive perception of the ABE/GED …

Intensification As A Survival Strategy For Early Settlers On The Tombigbee National Forest, Jessica L. Gisler

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates the relationship between success and access to children, slaves, and kin as labor sources during the period of 1833 to 1865 in northeast Mississippi. The theoretical concepts of agricultural intensification and relative intensity were used to measure variability among the households. Artifacts from seven archaeological sites were used to establish mean dates. These sites were tied to their original occupants through historic records. A historic document search revealed the number of slaves and children each family had, and whether they had kin living nearby. Agricultural census records showed the productivity of each farm during the study period. …

Investigating Nondestructive Evaluation Of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer Beams Using Embedded Terfenol-D Particle Sensors, Jonathan D. Rudd

Theses and Dissertations

Reinforced fiber polymer composites are a class of materials that are composed of multiple constituents that work together to create a material specific for applications. By combining different fibers and matricies, laminates can be created that meet demands for high specific stiffness, damping specifications, and electrical resistance. However, their internal complexity subjects them to a number of internal failure modes that have the potential to fail the laminate. Those failure mechanisms are fiber breaking, microcracking in the matrix, debonding of the fibers from matrix, and delamination of ply layers. To assess these failures, nondestructive evaluation methods have been developed to …

Investigation Of The Beneficial Effect Of Enterobacter Cloacae Strain Jd6301 On Mice Challenged With Escherichia Coli O157:H7, Jessica Grissett Wilson

Theses and Dissertations

The environment of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract is an extremely complex system made up of not only host cells, but also many beneficial microbes. Disruption of this environment can often lead to disorders and health issues. To help balance this system, probiotics have often been administered to both humans and animals, such as livestock. This study aimed to determine what beneficial effects a novel strain of Enterobacter cloacae, strain JD6301, could offer to a host in the presence of an enteric infection with E. coli O157:H7. Upon administration of JD6301, supplemented animals had overall less E. coli present in the …

On A Ductile Void Growth Model With Evolving Microstructure Model For Inelasticity, Yustianto Tjiptowidjojo

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this work is to develop an evolution equation for the ductile growth of a spherical void in a highly strain rate and temperature dependent material. The material considered in this work is stainless steel 304L at 982 °C. The material is characterized by a physically-based internal state variable model derived within consistent kinematics and thermodynamics — Evolving Microstructure Model for Inelasticity. Through this formulation, the degradation of the elastic moduli due to damage has been naturally acquired. An elastoviscoplasticity user material subroutine has also been developed and implemented into a commercially available finite element software ABAQUS. The …

Finite Element Analysis Of Adhesive Bonding Performances Of Wooden Dowel Pin Joints In Furniture, Xin Sun

Theses and Dissertations

This study was performed to investigate how pressure, glue amount, dowel penetration depth and wood grain orientation affect direct withdrawal resistances of dowel pin joints both experimentally and numerically, and develop FE (finite element) models to simulate tensile strength, contact pressure, and shear stress occurred in dowel pin joints. Results indicated that the direct withdrawal resistance load of a dowel pin joints can be predicted based on knowing the glue bonding shear strength between dowel and joint member materials and the pressure between the contact surfaces of the dowel and hole of a connected joint member. The FE contact element …

The Primary Source, Vol. 33, Issue 2, Elizabeth La Beaud

The Primary Source

No abstract provided.

Victims Of Success: Managing The Consequences Of Digital Outreach , Sean Benjamin

The Primary Source

No abstract provided.

Barometric Readings (William Heyen, Geoffrey Hill, William Matthews, Ben Howard, Brian Swann, Reginald Gibbons, And Others), John R. Reed

Ontario Review

JOHN R. REED, a frequent OR contributor, has recently completed a study of H. G. Wells' work. His first collection of poems, A Gallery of Spiders, will be published in the fall by The Ontario Review Press. He teaches at Wayne State University.

Spatial Dynamics Of Vegetated Seascapes And The Influence On Fish And Crustaceans, Rolando O. Santos Corujo

Open Access Dissertations

My dissertation adopted concepts and spatial tools of seascape ecology, the marine counterpart of landscape ecology, to understand the broad-scale structural attributes that make submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) seascapes resilient to anthropogenic disturbances, drivers of fauna community structure, and productive fisheries habitats. My research was designed to address the relative and interrelated ecological effects of broad-scale changes in SAV habitat amount (habitat loss) and configuration (fragmentation). SAV seascapes in nearshore areas of Biscayne Bay have been subject to constant anthropogenic disturbances associated to freshwater pulses from canals over the last 50 years; thus, these seascapes served as a model system …

Forging A New Identity: Report Of The Metropolitan University Steering Group, Metropolitan University Steering Group

Strategic Planning

This report represents the consensus of a working group of faculty, staff, students, and community members appointed by the President of USM. Its membership was not necessarily intended to be representative of particular departments or academic units, but rather of its faculty members’ demonstrated commitment to public, civically engaged education and community action. The report is but the first step in the overall strategic transformation of USM. As a consensus document, it does not necessarily reflect the individual opinions of every member on every issue; a larger, more involved unfolding and participation of the entire USM community is now required …

Innovative Workforce Plan: Recently Graduated Nurses As Super Users For Ehr Implementation In A Multi-Hospital Organization, Katherine L. Bullard

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

A regional health system’s decision to rapidly implement a new electronic health record (EHR) in order to meet Stage 2 meaningful use requirements led to a need for innovative cost-containment strategies. Tapping the local pool of unemployed newly graduated nurses as half the required super user workforce leveraged the technology skills of novice nurses registered nurses as trainers of experienced nurses in five hospitals. The novel workforce migrated from hospital to hospital, thereby reducing the number of experienced nurses reassigned to super user duties in each hospital. This strategy also reduced the amount of contract labor required to backfill nurse …

Racial Justice Study: An Examination Of Ticket Citations In The City Of Mankato, Minnesota, Meagan Hammers, C. J. Hays, Hannah Laniado

Public Sociology Publications and Projects

This study examines if there is racial disparity in policing in the city of Mankato, Minnesota by examining all traffic ticket citations given for a six-month period in 2014. The authors created a data set and examined statistical relationships between the observed race of those receiving tickets and the types of tickets received. This study discovered statistically significant findings of over policing of minorities; while minorities represent roughly ten percent the population in Mankato, they make up approximately 22% of the population cited. Further, minorities were about three times more likely than whites to receive a ticket for administrative offenses, …

Francine Judon V. Travelers Property Casualty Co

2014 Decisions

USDC for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Understading "International": Faculty Perspectives On Study Abroad And Global Studies Education, Ethan Ingram

ISU Ethnography of the University Initiative

Little research has been devoted to critiques of study abroad programming coming from faculty perspectives. This research examines faculty critiques of study abroad arising from proposed changes in general studies education that would allow students to substitute study abroad for "global studies" coursework that specifically covers topics related to non-Western societies. While faculty are generally supportive of study abroad, opposition to this proposed policy change highlight questions of study abroad's role in higher education.

Controlling Pm2.5 In Chengdu: Analysis And Recommendations From The China, U.S. And California Experience, Weijia Li

Master's Projects and Capstones

Chengdu, China, is experiencing rapid economic growth and urbanization at a cost of serious air pollution problems. China has developed a series of policies to reduce PM2.5 emissions and to reform energy structure. However, problems exist which may prevent effectively implementation of the PM2.5 policies, include poor PM2.5 monitoring, isolated environmental management, lack of health improvement target, unclear consequence of non-compliance, and unequally distributed PM2.5 management.

This research reviews U.S. PM2.5 emission control technologies related to coal-fired boilers and iron and steel manufacturing industries, which represent major emission sources of Chengdu. Chengdu’s choice of PM2.5 control technology should always consider …

Increasing Parent Involvement For Esl Parents, Cristina N. Holmes

Master's Projects and Capstones

Parents of ESL students are often misguided and misunderstood. As educators, it is important to understand theory and applying teaching frameworks to various cutural backgrounds. This handbook addresses some of the needs of ESL parents, focusing on the parent involvement framework, and applies to the daily lives of parents. By focusing on the school, family, and community, this paper explains why it is important for ESL parents to be involved in their child's education and how they can become more involved on the path to academic success.

Remediation Options For Mercury-Contaminated Sediments Within The Yuba River Watershed, Tara Fitzgerald

Master's Projects and Capstones

Historical hydraulic mining activities in the Yuba River watershed have impacted the watershed and the San Francisco Bay. The research evaluates pathways for mercury entry into the watershed and potential remediation technologies to reduce the risk of future mercury contamination from hydraulic mining debris. Remediation technologies for the Yuba Goldfields and Englebright Reservoir are discussed and compared separately. The major pathway for mercury entry into surface water along Yuba Goldfields is within suspended sediment mobilized during flooding conditions. While multiple remediation options are available for the Yuba Goldfields, phytostabilization is the least costly and has the fewest environmental impacts. A …

Robert Lincoln V. District Attorney Philadelphia

2014 Decisions

USDC for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Haywood Chavis, Jr. V. Usa

2014 Decisions

USDC for the District of New Jersey

Usa V. Raymond Zareck

2014 Decisions

USDC for the Western District of Pennsylvania

Mary Batjer V. Ahs Hospital Corp

2014 Decisions

USDC for the District of New Jersey