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2014

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Bounds For The Maximum-Time Stochastic Shortest Path Problem, Anara Bolotbekovna Kozhokanova Dec 2014

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 …

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Growth Implant Timing And Effectiveness In Beef Cattle, Herschel Brad Jones Dec 2014

Growth Implant Timing And Effectiveness In Beef Cattle, Herschel Brad Jones

Theses and Dissertations

One hundred crossbred beef steers were used in two experiments to evaluate effects of growth implants on performance. Steers were implanted either at 3.5 months and weaning (CALF); at weaning (WEAN); or not implanted (NONE). In Experiment 1 implanted steers weighed more at weaning (P = 0.01), and had a higher ADG for the entire trial compared to non-implanted steers (P = 0.03). In Experiment 2, at 80 d post wean, implanted steers outweighed NONE (P = 0.09). Overall ADG (P = 0.01) was greater for cattle that were implanted. In the feedlot the CALF group had the lowest ADG …

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Habitat Use Of Shovelnose Sturgeon Scaphirhynchus Platorynchus In The Lower Mississippi River, Patrick Thomas Kroboth Dec 2014

Habitat Use Of Shovelnose Sturgeon Scaphirhynchus Platorynchus In The Lower Mississippi River, Patrick Thomas Kroboth

Theses and Dissertations

The habitat requirements of shovelnose sturgeon populations are unknown for the lower Mississippi River. Active acoustic telemetry was used to measure temporal variation in habitat use of shovelnose sturgeon and preference for depth, surface current velocity, and riverbed rugosity and slope by the population and within sandbar microhabitats. Shovelnose sturgeon occupied habitats differently throughout the year; and, within habitats, areas of moderate depth and surface current velocity and smooth riverbed were preferred. Within sandbars, environmental conditions did not differ from the surrounding environment, yet frequent aggregations of individuals in the lower portion of sandbars often in close proximity suggest habitat …

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Assessment Of Secondary Agricultural Educators' Attrition Risk In The Southern Region Of The National Association Of Agricultural Educators, Roseanne Ellison Scammahorn Dec 2014

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 …

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General Education Teachers Implementing Common Core With Students In Special Education: A Mixed Methods Study Of Teachers' Self-Efficacy Beliefs, Jon Leland Cash Dec 2014

General Education Teachers Implementing Common Core With Students In Special Education: A Mixed Methods Study Of Teachers' Self-Efficacy Beliefs, Jon Leland Cash

Theses and Dissertations

This embedded mixed method study addresses the problems teachers have reported in believing themselves capable to implement the Common Core State Standards with students in special education. This study examines the effect professional development on implementing the Common Core State Standards had on the participating teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs. The participants (N=21) in this study were drawn from a 20-day professional development for teachers based on implementing the Common Core State Standards. The instrument used in the study was the Teacher Efficacy Beliefs System-Self. Data were subject to both statistical and qualitative analysis. The results of this study provide insight into …

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Geologic Controls Of Sand Boil Formation At Buck Chute, Mississippi, Seth M. Martin Dec 2014

Geologic Controls Of Sand Boil Formation At Buck Chute, Mississippi, Seth M. Martin

Theses and Dissertations

Sand boil formation due to underseepage is a potential failure mechanism for levees in the Lower Mississippi River Valley. Sand boils were identified in the Buck Chute study area in the 1990s during high water events and during the 2009 Flood. The site is unique due to the presence of point bar and abandoned channel deposits. To understand the role of these alluvial deposits on sand boil formation at the site, a geologic investigation of the subsurface was conducted. Using shallow geophysics, cone penetrometer tests (CPT), borings, and a geographic information system (GIS), it was concluded that the thin blanket …

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Geologic Analysis Of The Upper Jurassic Cotton Valley Formation In Jefferson County, Mississippi, James Michael Brooke Dec 2014

Geologic Analysis Of The Upper Jurassic Cotton Valley Formation In Jefferson County, Mississippi, James Michael Brooke

Theses and Dissertations

Though the Cotton Valley Group is productive in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas, little is known about production potential of the Bossier Formation (Lower Cotton Valley Shale) in southwest Mississippi. The Bossier Formation in Jefferson County, Mississippi is an organic-poor, carbonate-rich mudrock with siliciclastic intervals. Examination of cuttings by petrographic and scanning electron microscopy revealed fractures that have been filled by calcite and poreilling pyrite. Porosity exists within and around pyrite framboids, in unfilled fractures, and within peloid grains. Organic matter is rare in Lower Cotton Valley samples suggesting it is not self-sourcing. Total Organic Carbon (TOC) values are low (0.86-1.1% …

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Self-Stigma, Social Stigma, And Attitudes Towards Seeking Professional Counseling: International Students At Mississippi State University, Susan Boafo-Arthur Dec 2014

Self-Stigma, Social Stigma, And Attitudes Towards Seeking Professional Counseling: International Students At Mississippi State University, Susan Boafo-Arthur

Theses and Dissertations

Each year, there is an increase in the number of international students pursuing higher education in the United States. These students often experience varying degrees of acculturative stress. International students are however not likely to seek counseling. Stigma has been identified as a major barrier to seeking psychological help. The study explored the relationship between self-stigma, social stigma, gender, and length of stay/residence as predictors of attitudes towards seeking professional psychological help of international students attending Mississippi State University. Results of the study indicated that between self-stigma and gender were statistically significant predictors of international students’ attitudes towards seeking professional …

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Soundscape Evaluation On Mississippi State University Campus, Yalcin Yildirim Dec 2014

Soundscape Evaluation On Mississippi State University Campus, Yalcin Yildirim

Theses and Dissertations

The term soundscape, used for the first time at the end of 1970s, refers to the sum of the sounds that can be heard and perceived by people in a specific environment. The concept of soundscape has recently received attention in planning and design disciplines. Recent studies on soundscape have shown that the acoustic environment plays an important role for the comfort of site users. Hence, this research investigates how objective measurement of soundscape might be different from subjective perceptions of users in the Mississippi State University Campus as a public open space due to demographic and climatic variations. The …

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Students' Perceptions Of The Adult Basic Education General Educational Development Program At A Rural Mississippi Community College, Trena Starlene Lee Dec 2014

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 …

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Study Of The Mechanisms Of Heat Tolerance In Ivy Geraniums, Mingshu Zhang Dec 2014

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 …

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Summer Engineering Academies: Developing Participant Self-Efficacy In Engineering, Nathan Eric Heiselt Dec 2014

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 …

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Protein-Protein Interaction Profile Of Viral Protein Bicp0 During Bovine Herpesvirus-1 Lytic Infection, Stephanie Elaine Ander Dec 2014

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 …

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Quantifying A Daily Light Integral For Warm-Season Putting Green Species, Benton Prichard Hodges Dec 2014

Quantifying A Daily Light Integral For Warm-Season Putting Green Species, Benton Prichard Hodges

Theses and Dissertations

A major constraint for ultradwarf bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. x C. transvaalensis) putting green cultivars is poor performance under reduced light environments (RLEs) due to the overall poor shade tolerance of bermudagrass. The objectives of this research were to quantify a daily light integral (DLI) requirement for warm-season putting green cultivar establishment, quantify a DLI requirement for established warm-season putting green cultivars, and identify differences in plant responses of warm-season putting green cultivars under RLEs during establishment and for established turf stands, as well. Using regression analysis, DLI requirements were generated to quantify the amount of light needed to …

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Petroleum Releases From Underground Storage Tanks In Northwest Indiana: Successful Remediation Techniques And Implications Of Cost Effectiveness, Richard Jason Lenz Dec 2014

Petroleum Releases From Underground Storage Tanks In Northwest Indiana: Successful Remediation Techniques And Implications Of Cost Effectiveness, Richard Jason Lenz

Theses and Dissertations

Prior to the passage of the 1976 Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) 1.6 million bare steel Underground Storage Tanks (UST) were in use in the United States. Many of them were leaking. In Indiana approximately 13,000 UST remain but have been upgraded to meet current industry and regulatory standards. Cleaning up the petroleum releases from leaking UST has continued since it became evident that bare steel underground tanks leaked. In Northwest Indiana glacial moraine and outwash deposits from the Wisconsin Ice Age that retreated 10,000 years ago left 200 feet of glacial till above the underlying bedrock. Soil Vapor …

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Picture Superiority Effect And Its Detrimental Effect In Memory Updating With Road Signs, Eumji Kang Dec 2014

Picture Superiority Effect And Its Detrimental Effect In Memory Updating With Road Signs, Eumji Kang

Theses and Dissertations

Classic studies found advantages of pictures over words in memory (picture superiority effect). This paper applied the picture superiority effect to road signs to examine whether people remembered picture road signs better than word road signs. People remembered picture road signs better than word road signs, as evidenced on a recognition test. However, in real driving situations drivers do not need to remember the meaning of one road sign for a long time; rather, they need to continuously update information from sequentially encountered road signs. Therefore, Experiment 2 explored the differences in updating memory between pictures and words. Memory for …

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Impact Of Early Childhood Classroom Resources On Process Quality Beyond Technical Assistance, Julie Anna Sims Dec 2014

Impact Of Early Childhood Classroom Resources On Process Quality Beyond Technical Assistance, Julie Anna Sims

Theses and Dissertations

This study sought to determine whether phase 1 early childhood classrooms receiving classroom resources and technical assistance for early childhood teachers through the Allies for Quality Care project would have greater improvements in process quality than phase 2 classrooms receiving only technical assistance. Process quality refers to what children experience in the early childhood classroom that directly impacts their development and was assessed through the Environment Rating Scales (ERS). Classroom resources were provided to improve the quality of the environment that children experience. The technical assistance was one-on-one to help early childhood teachers understand developmentally appropriate practices. The study examined …

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Impact Of Middle School Student Participation In The Whole Schools Initiative Arts Program, Glenda D. Nickson Dec 2014

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 …

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Improved Methods For The Analysis Of Estrogen Residues In Environmental Aqueous Matrices, Sameera Ranmal Gunatilake Dec 2014

Improved Methods For The Analysis Of Estrogen Residues In Environmental Aqueous Matrices, Sameera Ranmal Gunatilake

Theses and Dissertations

Improved analytical methods using novel cleanup techniques and inexpensive instrumentation for the determination of residue estrogens in municipal wastewater and swine lagoon wastewater have been developed. Presented approaches are less expensive, less time consuming, yet produce comparable detection limits and extraction efficiencies to existing methods. Chapter I provides an overview on environmental estrogens. Chapter II describes a novel method to quantify five estrogens including estriol, estrone, 17alpha-estradiol, 17beta-estradiol, and 17alpha-ethynylestradiol in influent and effluent municipal wastewater. The method includes sample preparation using solid-phase extraction followed by a “QuEChERS” cleanup, dansylation and LC/MS/MS detection. Hydrophilic-lipophilic balance solid phase extraction (SPE) was …

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Fall Prevention Through Proactive Toileting, Kristin Smith Dec 2014

Fall Prevention Through Proactive Toileting, Kristin Smith

Master's Projects and Capstones

This paper will summarize the quality improvement falls prevention project conducted by a University of San Francisco Clinical Nurse Leader student. Falls in the hospital setting are an ongoing problem in our healthcare system as they have great physical and financial impacts (Salamon, Victory, & Bobay, 2012). Hospital A, an urban teaching hospital, uses the Schmid scale for determining if a patient is a fall risk which includes the assessment of need for ambulatory aids, history of falls, and impaired cognition among other criteria (Schmid,1990). Fall rates are climbing in the United States and the trend is similar on Hospital …

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Aerodynamic Analysis Of A Tumbling American Football, Daniel Edmundson Hare Dec 2014

Aerodynamic Analysis Of A Tumbling American Football, Daniel Edmundson Hare

Theses and Dissertations

In this study, the aerodynamic effects on an American football are characterized, especially in a tumbling, or end-over-end, motion as seen in a typical kickoff or field goal attempt. The objective of this study is to establish aerodynamic coefficients for the dynamic motion of a tumbling American football. A subsonic wind tunnel was used to recreate a range of air velocities that, when coupled with rotation rates and differing laces orientations, would provide a test bed for aerodynamic drag, side, and lift coefficient analysis. Test results quantify effect of back-spin and top-spin on lift force. Results show that the presence …

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An Approach To Genetic Silencing Of Ricin In Castor (Ricinus Communis L.), Daniel Joseph Barnes Dec 2014

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 …

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The Contribution Of Outdoor Recreation On Rural Property Sales In Mississippi, Jerry Brashier Dec 2014

The Contribution Of Outdoor Recreation On Rural Property Sales In Mississippi, Jerry Brashier

Theses and Dissertations

To estimate the contribution of outdoor recreation on rural property sales in Mississippi, information was collected from lenders and appraisers associated with the Federal Land Bank, Mossy Oak Properties, and Rutledge Investment Company on properties sold from 2003-2008 in three regions of Mississippi: Mississippi Delta/Hills Region, North Mississippi Region and South Mississippi Region. Property sales information was collected on 102,747 hectares (ha) of rural properties valued at $475.1 million. Hedonic regression analysis was used to quantify the contribution of outdoor recreation on Total Sale Value (TSV). Outdoor recreation contributed $160.6 million of the TSV. Forests comprised 71% of land coverage …

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The Effect Of The July 1, 2012 Federal Student Aid Changes On The Annual Student Debt Of Community College Students In Mississippi, Albert Lee Collins Dec 2014

The Effect Of The July 1, 2012 Federal Student Aid Changes On The Annual Student Debt Of Community College Students In Mississippi, Albert Lee Collins

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of the changes to federal student aid, which were implemented on July 1, 2012, on student loan debt in Mississippi’s publicly-supported community colleges, particularly the change in the Estimated Family Contribution. The literature indicates a national epidemic of student borrowing. This research could provide Mississippi community college administrators the opportunity to observe and evaluate actual changes and to better understand the problem of student loan debt, which is escalating nationally. This study is expected to provide community college leaders a snapshot of the magnitude of the problem so that they …

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Molecular And Proteomic Analysis Of Components Involved In Abscisic Acid (Aba) Signaling Network, Jie Song Dec 2014

Molecular And Proteomic Analysis Of Components Involved In Abscisic Acid (Aba) Signaling Network, Jie Song

Theses and Dissertations

Abscisic acid is an important plant hormone in the responses to biotic and abiotic stresses, which also regulates various growth and developmental processes in plants. Three major components-receptors (PYRs), the PP2C type phosphatases and the SnRK2 subtype kinases form a double negative regulatory system: PYR/PYL/RCARs inhibit the activity of PP2Cs while PP2Cs inhibit that of SnRK2s in ABA signaling pathway. The results of my studies showed that ABA would directly affect the interaction between SnRK2.2 and ABI1 in absence of PYRs. Furthermore, ABA can inhibit the catalytic activity of the SnRK2.2 kinase. These findings indicated that ABA may directly interact …

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Multi-Year Trends In Community College Foundation Fundraising: An Examination Of The Effectiveness Of A State-Level System Foundation Led By A Vice President For Institutional Advancement, Leonard Keith Gaskin Dec 2014

Multi-Year Trends In Community College Foundation Fundraising: An Examination Of The Effectiveness Of A State-Level System Foundation Led By A Vice President For Institutional Advancement, Leonard Keith Gaskin

Theses and Dissertations

Community colleges generate only 2% of the total charitable funds raised by higher education institutions in the United States. In an era when America needs its community colleges to be active public sector partners in economic development and workforce training, state funding has been drastically cut, and other traditional funding sources are not making up for the much-needed funds. Forward thinking community college leaders must turn to their foundations as an important revenue source to offset the impact of budget cuts and sustain educational excellence and accessibility. But with limited resources for each institution to employ a professional fund raising …

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The Impact Of Principal Leadership Styles On School Accountability, Kimberly Nicole Bryant Dec 2014

The Impact Of Principal Leadership Styles On School Accountability, Kimberly Nicole Bryant

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the impact of principals’ leadership styles on the academic achievement of students as measured by the Mississippi Curriculum Test, Second Edition (MCT2). The 2013-2014 school year MCT2 mathematics and language arts scores were used as measures of student achievement and high-stakes testing. The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ5x) was distributed to 420 principals. However, because of incomplete information given by the principals on the questionnaire, and the fact that the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) did not report MCT2 scores for particular schools, some of the principals’ information was not useful; thus leaving the researcher with a sample …

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The Influences Of Geologic Depositional Environments On Sand Boil Development, Tara Wildlife Lodge Area In Mississippi, Ryan Charles Strange Dec 2014

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 …

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The Use Of Tonometry As A Diagnostic Tool To Evaluate Intraocular Pressures In Normal And Abnormal California Sea Lion Eyes, Johanna Del Carmen Mejia-Fava Dec 2014

The Use Of Tonometry As A Diagnostic Tool To Evaluate Intraocular Pressures In Normal And Abnormal California Sea Lion Eyes, Johanna Del Carmen Mejia-Fava

Theses and Dissertations

Ocular disease is one of the most common problems encountered in sea lions at various zoos and aquariums around the world.1 The California sea lion (Zalophus californianus) is one of the most common marine mammals maintained in zoos and is also the most commonly afflicted with ocular disease. Studies have shown that pinnipeds housed in captivity manifest an array of ocular lesions.2 Eye disease can range from a pinpoint corneal opacity to loss of vision due to keratopathy, cataracts and secondary glaucoma. Glaucoma is a disease that has not been extensively studied in the sea lion.3 Observation of clinical signs …

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The Utility Of Immediate And Delayed Feedback Within The Math To Mastery Intervention Package In A School Setting, Marylyn Woods Miller Dec 2014

The Utility Of Immediate And Delayed Feedback Within The Math To Mastery Intervention Package In A School Setting, Marylyn Woods Miller

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to use a single subject research design to examine the effects of immediate feedback and delayed feedback within the Math to Mastery Intervention Package. The participants were 6 elementary school students who were performing approximately 1 year below grade level in math. A combined simple phase change design was used for the study. 3 of the students experienced the design in the A/B/A/C order, while the other 3 students experienced the design in a reversed order for B and C. During this study, ‘A’ represented the baseline phase and the return to baseline phase, …

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