Digital Commons Network^™

A New Fluid-Structure Interaction Point-Projection Method, Philip Robert Ivancic

Theses and Dissertations

A new point-projection method was developed to transfer loads and displacements in a two-way coupled fluid-structure interaction problem. The existing method involved projecting the load at each computational fluid dynamics (CFD) node onto a corresponding computation structural dynamics (CSD) element. The load is distributed to the CSD nodes on that element. However, the solution is not unique and will vary the projection. In the new method, a rigid pyramid element is built upon the CSD element and that encompasses the CFD node. Thus, the CFD load will be uniquely distributed to the CSD nodes. After the CSD code updates the …

A Synthetic Approach To The Biflavonoids Chamaejasmine And Isochamaejasmine, Verna B. Baron

Theses and Dissertations

Biflavonoids form a ubiquitous class of compounds in nature, which are well known for their numerous medicinal benefits. Biflavonoids such as chamaejasmine and isochamaejasmine have been shown to exhibit pharmacological activity such as anitidiabetic, anti-malaria, anti- HIV, anticancer etc. Biflavanones, chamaejasmine and isochamaejasmine are dimers of the flavanone narigenin at the C-3 position, which gives them a rare 3/3" C - C linkage. They are structurally similar in that they both have four stereocenters. The difference between these two compounds is the stereochemistry at the C-2" and C-3". In this study, installation of each of these stereocenters will be targeted …

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 …

Computational Methods For Solving Next Generation Sequencing Challenges, Tamer Ali Aldwairi

Theses and Dissertations

In this study we build solutions to three common challenges in the fields of bioinformatics through utilizing statistical methods and developing computational approaches. First, we address a common problem in genome wide association studies, which is linking genotype features within organisms of the same species to their phenotype characteristics. We specifically studied FHA domain genes in Arabidopsis thaliana distributed within Eurasian regions by clustering those plants that share similar genotype characteristics and comparing that to the regions from which they were taken. Second, we also developed a tool for calculating transposable element density within different regions of a genome. The …

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 …

Efficacy Of An Experiential, In-School Educational Program For Improving Elementary School Students' Attitudes And Knowledge About The Environment, Leslie M. Burger

Theses and Dissertations

Stagnant science achievement by students, greater demands and stresses on natural resources and environmental systems, and societal disengagement from nature highlight the need for education programs to ameliorate subsequent consequences. One attempt to address science performance and environmental apathy is Youth Environmental Science (YES), an environmental education program initiated in 2011 in a rural, minority-dominated, upper elementary school in Mississippi. The program provides five consecutive days (30 hours) of experiential learning in natural sciences. During 2011-2013, I studied cognitive and affective responses of fourth and fifth grade students to YES participation using a pretest-posttest-delayed posttest design. The influence of demographic …

A Climatology Of Prescribed Burn Day Criteria For The Southeastern Us, Brandon Harold Sylvester

Theses and Dissertations

The United States has arbitrary weather criteria for a prescribed burn day to happen. This arbitrary criteria gives prescribed-burn managers a limited amount of days they can burn. To solve this, I established a 30-year climatology based on daily mixing height (m). I then calculated burn-day thresholds based on different mixing heights. I found seasonal and spatial patterns of the amount of days that are prescribed burns. Southeastern United States was my study area. A small decrease in threshold values will lead to large increases in prescribed burn days. Digital maps were created to show the spatial variability of prescribed …

Assessment Of Secondary Agricultural Educators' Attrition Risk In The Southern Region Of The National Association Of Agricultural Educators, Roseanne Ellison Scammahorn

Theses and Dissertations

Attrition of secondary agricultural education professionals is a major concern to the educational system in the United States. A number of studies have documented that attrition is a very serious problem, especially for beginning teachers during his or her first years on the job. As the need for teachers continues to grow, it becomes progressively more difficult for school administration to recruit, identify, and hire highly qualified secondary agricultural education teachers. The purpose of this study was to examine the attrition risk factors among secondary agricultural education teachers in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee and …

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 …

Bounds For The Maximum-Time Stochastic Shortest Path Problem, Anara Bolotbekovna Kozhokanova

Theses and Dissertations

A stochastic shortest path problem is an undiscounted infinite-horizon Markov decision process with an absorbing and costree target state, where the objective is to reach the target state while optimizing total expected cost. In almost all cases, the objective in solving a stochastic shortest path problem is to minimize the total expected cost to reach the target state. But in probabilistic model checking, it is also useful to solve a problem where the objective is to maximize the expected cost to reach the target state. This thesis considers the maximum-time stochastic shortest path problem, which is a special case of …

Determining The Effect Of Auxin Herbicide Concentration And Application Timing On Soybean (Glycine Max) Growth And Yield, Alanna Blaine Scholtes

Theses and Dissertations

Auxin resistant cropping systems will provide producers with an alternative option for weed management, but with this new technology also comes the concern of off target movement of dicamba and/or 2,4-D to susceptible crops. Research was conducted over multiple site years in order to determine the effect of soybean response to different application timings and rates of 2,4-D and dicamba. 2,4-D was applied at 1X (0.56 kg ae/ha), 1/4X, 1/16X, 1/64X, and 1/256X rates, and dicamba was applied in a separate study at 1X (0.56 kg ae/ha), 1/4X, 1/16X, 1/64X, 1/256 and 1/1024X. All rates were applied at the V3 …

Effects Of Intercropping Switchgrass In Loblolly Pine Plantations On Bird Communities, Zachary G. Loman

Theses and Dissertations

Intercropping switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) between tree rows within young pine (Pinus spp.) plantations is a novel method to generate lignocellulosic biofuel feedstocks within intensively managed forests. Intensively managed pine supports diverse avian assemblages potentially affected by establishment and maintenance of a biomass feedstock. I sought to understand how establishing switchgrass on an operational scale affects bird communities within intercropped plantations as compared to typical intensively managed loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) plantations. I conducted breeding bird point counts, nest searching and monitoring, and coarse woody debris (CWD) surveys following establishment of intercropped switchgrass stands (6 replicates), traditionally-managed pine plantations, and switchgrass-only …

An Observation Of Displaced Manufacturing Workers In Their Transition For Successful Reemployment Through Community College Education/Retraining Programs, Christina Granderson

Theses and Dissertations

The economic changes that have occurred in this country over the course of this past decade have had a grave impact on manufacturing workers, which has forced many of these workers to transition into new career fields. As workers are faced with having to start new career paths, the community college has served as a hub of information and a source of inspiration to begin new careers. Through programs such as the federal Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program, these dislocated workers are able to acquire a new skill or trade. A qualitative study will investigate how dislocated workers make a …

Study Of The Mechanisms Of Heat Tolerance In Ivy Geraniums, Mingshu Zhang

Theses and Dissertations

Ivy geranium (Pelargonium peltatum) is a heat susceptible species with its heat tolerance varying among varieties. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and in-vivo defense systems are related to plant heat damage and heat tolerance. Application of chelated-iron has also been reported to enhance ivy geranium heat tolerance; however, the correlation of ROS, relative enzyme stability, and iron content to differences in heat tolerance in ivy geraniums is unknown. Here we show that the H2O2 content and ROS scavenging enzyme stability in ivy geranium varies with varieties and active iron is not related to heat tolerance in ivy geranium. H2O2 content in …

Summer Engineering Academies: Developing Participant Self-Efficacy In Engineering, Nathan Eric Heiselt

Theses and Dissertations

With the growing concern over the reduction of university students pursuing degrees in STEM fields, there are a number of entities sponsoring and implementing programs for young people in order to promote interest in and self-efficacy for these fields. Summer Engineering Academies (SEAs) are implemented in a variety of settings by stakeholders with a single purpose: to expose young people to the fields and work of engineers in the hope of recruiting them. This study is seeks to identify whether any positive changes to the self-efficacy of the participants occurs through the curricula of the program. This self-efficacy can be …

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 …

2014 Fall Commencement, Harding University

Commencement Programs

Program for the Harding University Commencement on December 13.

Commencement Speaker: Rex Nelson

Contributors, Advertisements, Issue 12

Ontario Review

No abstract provided.

Abrupt Mutilations (Paul Bowles’ Collected Stories 1939-1976), Irving Malin

Ontario Review

IRVING MALIN, a frequent OR contributor, publishes essays and reviews widely in American journals. He teaches at the City College of New York.

Three Poems, John Ditsky

Ontario Review

JOHN DITSKY, a former contributor, has published in many North American journals. He is Professor of English at the University of Windsor.

Imagined And Activated Capital Within Study Abroad: Ethnographic And Auto-Ethnographic Reflections, Amanda Miller, William Shaw

ISU Ethnography of the University Initiative

Through ethnographic interviews and auto-ethnographic reflections of Illinois State University students about the meanings and experiences of study abroad, demonstrates that students imagine the study abroad experience as that which is individually transformative, advantageous within the employment sector, and an experience that increases cultural competence and global citizenship. Study abroad participation is influenced by race and socioeconomic status; individual habitus is argued to factor into how study abroad is perceived. Focusing on how class and race determine the ways in which study abroad is constructed through analysis of the meanings of the study abroad experience through imagined, transformed, and activated …

Nutrition Interventions With Community Youth: Better Public Health Through Community Engagement And Neighbourhood Hubs, John L. Murnaghan

Social Justice and Community Engagement

No abstract provided.

Higher Wireless Connection Capacity Route Selection Algorithms For Automobiles Traveling Between Two Points, Brandon Sato

Open Access Theses

A GPS system selects routes between two points with minimum physical distance or minimum driving time. Here we address a different type of route selection problem. Given a road map with driving distance and wireless connectivity for each road segment, find a driving route that maximizes total wireless connectivity while its length is bounded by a predetermined value. In this thesis, we present three heuristic algorithms. Initially they compute the shortest path for determining a distance bound. The first modifies the road map by replacing each road segment with the ratio of the distance and wireless communication capacity, and selects …

2013-12-12 Aaf 100 What's Culture Got To Do With It?, Michael Vocino

Library Impact Statements

This is the Library Impact Statement for AAF 100: What's culture got to do with it? No new library resources are needed to support this course.

The Test-Retest Reliability And Minimal Detectable Change In The Modified Fresno Test In Doctor Of Physical Therapy Students, Erin Pike, Lisa Gerhardt

Research Report Papers

Background: The American Physical Therapy Association identified the need for training in evidence based practice (EBP) and set forth guidelines for doctor of physical therapy (DPT) curricula to educate practitioners who are efficient and critical users of best evidence. Since DPT programs are teaching EBP, educators need an assessment tool to evaluate the competence of students. The Modified Fresno Test (MFT) of EBP was validated for physical therapists and the test-retest reliability and minimal detectable change (MDC) has been found for first year DPT students.

Objective: The purpose is to determine the test-retest reliability and MDC of the MFT in …

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 …

Forget ‘Freakonomics.’ Three (Plus) Books For The Econ Buff On Your List, Louis D. Johnston

Economics Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

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, …

Kocherlakota To Step Down: Three Ways He Changed The Minneapolis Fed, Louis D. Johnston

Economics Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.