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2015

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Cheating Within Online Assessments: A Comparison Of Cheating Behaviors In Proctored And Unproctored Environment, Hannah Street Owens Dec 2015

Cheating Within Online Assessments: A Comparison Of Cheating Behaviors In Proctored And Unproctored Environment, Hannah Street Owens

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe the frequencies and types of cheating behaviors occurring within proctored and unproctored testing environments for students enrolled in online courses and taking assessments through an online format. In addition, this study sought to examine relationships between demographic variables of gender, age, GPA, discipline of study, undergraduate/graduate status and knowledge of the institutional honor code and online cheating behaviors for students who had taken online assessments through proctored methods. Participants in this study included students enrolled as distance learning campus students who took online courses and online assessments through a large, 4-year, public, …


Sexual Assault Among College Students: An Examination Of Demographic, Contextual, And Behavioral Factors, Sarah A. Rogers Dec 2015

Sexual Assault Among College Students: An Examination Of Demographic, Contextual, And Behavioral Factors, Sarah A. Rogers

Theses and Dissertations

Although studies examining sexual assault among college students are vast, the literature is somewhat lacking in discussions of contextualized sexual assault predictors and their relationship with sexual assault prevention. The purpose of this study is to examine whether demographic factors, contextual factors, and behavioral factors effect sexual victimization on college campuses. In this examination, I hope to show that the presence of these factors may be related to sexual victimization; however their existence does not necessitate the use of victim blame. By reviewing sexual assault prevention programming on college and university campuses across the United States, I provide alternate explanations …


Subspecies Composition, Genetic Variation And Structure Of Largemouth Bass In Puerto Rico Reservoirs, Nick Ryan Peterson Dec 2015

Subspecies Composition, Genetic Variation And Structure Of Largemouth Bass In Puerto Rico Reservoirs, Nick Ryan Peterson

Theses and Dissertations

Subspecies composition and genetic variation are important to the growth and survival of Largemouth Bass and information on these genetic characteristics is required for proper management of the species. In Puerto Rico, a genetic evaluation is needed to develop management plans for Puerto Rico reservoirs and maintain Florida Largemouth Bass at the Maricao Hatchery. Subspecies composition was characterized among reservoirs and the contemporary Maricao Hatchery broodstock in Puerto Rico, and metrics were compared between subspecies and hybrids among reservoir populations. Genetic variation and structure was determined and compared to Largemouth Bass populations in their native range. Florida subspecies were prevalent …


A Case Study Of An Elementary School's Reading Assessment Practices While Implementing Response To Intervention, Sandy A. Davidson Dec 2015

A Case Study Of An Elementary School's Reading Assessment Practices While Implementing Response To Intervention, Sandy A. Davidson

Theses and Dissertations

This case study, conducted during the 2014-2015 school year, examined the reading comprehension instruction and assessment practices at an elementary school implementing the Response to Intervention (RtI) framework. Observed assessment practices were compared to what the International Literacy Association (ILA) deems appropriate assessment standards for literacy achievement. 3 educators from an elementary school (~ 750 students) participated in this case study. The participants included females of various backgrounds; a school administrator, lead teacher, and fourth grade classroom teacher. 3 research questions guided this case study: (1) What does reading comprehension assessment look like in a school implementing RtI?; (2) What …


Characterization And Implementation Of Ground Tire Rubber As Post-Consumer Polymers For Asphalt Concrete, Gaylon L. Baumgardner Dec 2015

Characterization And Implementation Of Ground Tire Rubber As Post-Consumer Polymers For Asphalt Concrete, Gaylon L. Baumgardner

Theses and Dissertations

Asphalt binder modification is a common method of improving Hot-mix Asphalt (HMA) performance by enhancing mix properties and reducing or delaying three general HMA distress types: deformation (rutting and shoving), cracking (from repeated loads and low temperatures) and general deterioration (raveling and stripping). Since the early 1960’s, a common modified asphalt alternative has employed reclaimed rubber as an economical and environmental friendly method of recycling waste tires while improving asphalt physical and mechanical properties. Pavement network deterioration combined with increasing material costs makes polymer modification of asphalt binder desirable, with reclaimed rubber from waste tires being an attractive alternative which …


Cold In-Place Recycling Characterization Framework For Single Or Multiple Component Binder Systems, Ben C. Cox Dec 2015

Cold In-Place Recycling Characterization Framework For Single Or Multiple Component Binder Systems, Ben C. Cox

Theses and Dissertations

Cold in-place recycling (CIR) is a pavement rehabilitation technique which has gained momentum in recent years. This momentum is due partly to its economic and sustainability characteristics, which has led to CIR market expansion. When pavement network deterioration is considered alongside increasing material costs, it is not beyond reason to expect demands on CIR to continue to increase. Historically, single component binder (SCB) systems, those with one stabilization binder (or two if the secondary binder dosage is 1% or less), have dominated the CIR market and could be considered the general state of practice. Common stabilization binders are either bituminous …


Conserving The Mississippi Gopher Frog (Lithobates Sevosa) Through The Use Of Assisted Reproductive Technologies, Katherine Michelle Graham Dec 2015

Conserving The Mississippi Gopher Frog (Lithobates Sevosa) Through The Use Of Assisted Reproductive Technologies, Katherine Michelle Graham

Theses and Dissertations

The Mississippi gopher frog (MGF, Lithobates sevosa) is a critically endangered amphibian which requires the use of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) to successfully reproduce in captivity. Several challenges to successfully breeding MGFs were investigated to improve reproduction in this species. Accurate identification of biological sex is a necessary first step to reproducing species, thus several non-invasive techniques for sex identification were compared in the weakly dimorphic MGF. Reliably obtaining eggs from female MGFs has also proved difficult, therefore, four exogenous hormone therapies were compared for their success to induce ovulation. Ultrasound imaging was used alongside hormone treatments to improve understanding …


Design And Development Of A Stormwater Policy Decision-Making Tool, Stephanie Joy Sigman Dec 2015

Design And Development Of A Stormwater Policy Decision-Making Tool, Stephanie Joy Sigman

Theses and Dissertations

Municipalities tend to develop their stormwater management policy by examining those of their neighboring communities, chosen out of convenience and perception of similarity rather than a purposeful, directed search. Alternatively, having a policy that is backed by science creates regulations that policy makers can confidently support. To address this issue, the model used in this study incorporates local rainfall and development data to analyze stormwater runoff volumes for various storm events using one year of development data from Chattanooga, Tennessee. The runoff values are used to analyze several policy combinations based on simplified policies, model policies, and customizable policies. Outputs …


Detection Of Flavobacterium Columnare In Tissues And Pond Water Using Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction, Gordon Derek Gibbs Dec 2015

Detection Of Flavobacterium Columnare In Tissues And Pond Water Using Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction, Gordon Derek Gibbs

Theses and Dissertations

Flavobacterium columnare, a Gram-negative rod-shaped bacterium, is the causative agent of columnaris disease in a variety of fish hosts but is of particular significance to the catfish industry located in the southeastern United States. Columnaris infections are a leading cause of mortalities in catfish ponds, occurring alone or in conjunction with other diseases. Typical diagnostic methods for columnaris infections involve the use of selective media following the observation of gross signs of disease. A real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay to estimate the quantity of bacteria present in environmental and tissue samples was developed and validated. The genetic variability seen in …


Development Of White Crappie Pomoxis Annularis Reproduction Methods In Closed Aquaculture Systems, Charlie Marcus Culpepper Dec 2015

Development Of White Crappie Pomoxis Annularis Reproduction Methods In Closed Aquaculture Systems, Charlie Marcus Culpepper

Theses and Dissertations

Aquaculture methods are limited for white crappie (Pomoxis annularis), reducing production potential. Therefore, reproduction methods, including induced spawning, sperm cryopreservation and out-of-season spawning, were developed in tank systems. A two week acclimation period (15°C; 3-5 ppt salinity) was necessary to reduce disease-related mortality. Afterwards, four spawning induction hormones and a control were examined to induce spawning. Luteinizing hormone releasing hormone analogue and salmonid gonadotropin releasing hormone analogue performed the best in terms of spawning success and %ertilization. Sperm cryopreservation was effective using Hanks or Ca2+ree Hanks balanced salt solutions with 10%-methanol or 5%-dimethyl-sulfoxide as a cryoprotectant, frozen at 40°C/min. Out-of-season …


Towards A Genome Sequence Of The Brown Spot Needle Blight Pathogen (Mycosphaerella Dearnessii) Infecting Longleaf Pine, Benjamin Douglas Bartlett Dec 2015

Towards A Genome Sequence Of The Brown Spot Needle Blight Pathogen (Mycosphaerella Dearnessii) Infecting Longleaf Pine, Benjamin Douglas Bartlett

Theses and Dissertations

A major disease damaging seedlings of Pinus palustris is caused by the fungus Mycosphaerella dearnessii. Population structure of this pathogen was studied in a population in Mississippi. High genetic diversity (0.65) was measured using microsatellite markers and coincides with the high number of vegetative compatibly groups observed. A 30 Mb genome sequence for a single isolate of M. dearnessii was assembled, representing 65% of the estimated genome size. Nearly all (93%) of the core set of genes present in eukaryotes were detected from a total of 10,996 predicted genes. A total of 853 enzymatic associations were identified along with several …


Dual Enrollment And Dual Credit As Predictors Of Community College Graduation, Grade Point Average, And Credit Hour Accumulation, Nathan Ray Oakley Dec 2015

Dual Enrollment And Dual Credit As Predictors Of Community College Graduation, Grade Point Average, And Credit Hour Accumulation, Nathan Ray Oakley

Theses and Dissertations

A growing trend in high schools across the state is the use of dual credit and dual enrollment courses to better prepare high school students for college or the work force. Given the increase in dual credit and dual enrollment participation and the goal of creating a more seamless transition from high school to college, the effectiveness of these programs needs to be researched. The research hypothesis for this study states that students who participate in a dual credit and dual enrollment program during high school are more likely to complete an associate degree within 3 years than students who …


How County Supervisor Perceptions And Education Level Affect Local Community College Funding, Daryl Jason Dedwylder Dec 2015

How County Supervisor Perceptions And Education Level Affect Local Community College Funding, Daryl Jason Dedwylder

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine whether a significant correlation exists between a locally-elected supervisor’s perceptions about their local community college and their education level and the level of local tax support provided to the community college in their area. There were 3 research hypotheses established. A self-developed survey was used to gather supervisor perceptions in the following areas: 1) community college courses, programs, and workforce training services, 2) job attainment of students after attending the local community college, and 3) how well the local community college manages its resources. Additional information was gathered for inclusion in …


Impact Of Corn Earworm On Field Corn Yield And Grain Quality, Jenny Lee Bibb Dec 2015

Impact Of Corn Earworm On Field Corn Yield And Grain Quality, Jenny Lee Bibb

Theses and Dissertations

Field corn, Zea mays L., has been introduced to the market with pyramided Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) corn technologies. These technologies reduce kernel damage from ear feeding caterpillar pests, including corn earworm, Helicoverpa zea (Boddie). The first generation Bt traits in field corn demonstrated limited activity on corn earworm feeding on grain in ears. The pyramided corn technologies have greater cumulative protein concentrations and improved expression throughout the plant, so these corn traits should provide an effective management tool against these pests. In addition, reduced kernel injury may also have a direct effect on physical grain quality. The results for this …


Impact Of Irrigation Applications At Soil Moisture Deficits On Plant Development And Yield Of Indeterminate And Determinate Soybean Varieties, Andy J. Brown Dec 2015

Impact Of Irrigation Applications At Soil Moisture Deficits On Plant Development And Yield Of Indeterminate And Determinate Soybean Varieties, Andy J. Brown

Theses and Dissertations

As the Mississippi River Alluvial Aquifer declines, it is the duty of soybean producers to become more efficient irrigators. Research was established in 2012 and 2013 in the Mississippi Delta to evaluate plant development and yield of an indeterminate soybean variety with irrigation initiated at the R1 producer standard and compared to initiation timings at the R2, R4, and R5 growth stages once a 2” deficit was reached according to the FAO-56 Penman-Monteith model. Research was also conducted to evaluate seeding rates in irrigated and non-irrigated systems in Starkville and Stoneville, MS in 2013 and 2014. These data indicate that …


Interactive Whiteboards And Tpack For Technology-Enhanced Learning: Secondary Mathematics Teachers Barriers, Beliefs, And Support Needs In One Rural School District, Shelita Mccadney Brown Dec 2015

Interactive Whiteboards And Tpack For Technology-Enhanced Learning: Secondary Mathematics Teachers Barriers, Beliefs, And Support Needs In One Rural School District, Shelita Mccadney Brown

Theses and Dissertations

Low-income students and blacks make up nearly half of public school students, and on nearly every indicator of educational access, particularly technology, these students have less access than white affluent students (Darling-Hammond, Zielezinski, and Goldman, 2014). The National Center for Education Statistics (2005) reported that teacher quality and missed opportunities to learn accounted for 93% of African Americans, and 87% of Hispanics performing below proficiency in mathematics. Students that do not master mathematics standards by the end of compulsory education are less likely to complete general mathematics courses in upper secondary school and beyond successfully (Levpušček, Zupančič, & Sočan, 2013). …


Life Experiences Following Trauma For Three African American Females: A Qualitative Study, Gwendolyn Dale Tyson Dec 2015

Life Experiences Following Trauma For Three African American Females: A Qualitative Study, Gwendolyn Dale Tyson

Theses and Dissertations

Victims of trauma are likely to experience diverse social, psychological, and physical problems, but very little is known about how these experiences impact Vocational Rehabilitation employment outcomes and other aspects of life. This research provides detailed experiences of the impact of trauma on the lives of three young adult African American women with disabilities who live in one of the poorest states in the southern part of the country. Each participant shared their experiences of trauma and the onset of impairment early in their adult lives and the impact that it had on their employment and other aspects of life. …


Promoting The Interest Of African American Teenage Girls In Science: What Can We Learn From An Exemplary African American Science Teacher?, Cynthia Stewart Mcmath Dec 2015

Promoting The Interest Of African American Teenage Girls In Science: What Can We Learn From An Exemplary African American Science Teacher?, Cynthia Stewart Mcmath

Theses and Dissertations

This study focused on science teaching that promoted the interest of African American teenage girls in the science classroom of an exemplary African American science teacher. It focused on, observed and examined the planning, teaching and learning strategies used by the science teacher. It also described what the science teacher experienced during her high school years, during college, during her teaching career. The case study approach/method was used for this research to capture the description and examination of the practices of the science teacher. This research described how an African American female science teacher serves as a role model and …


Forest Management Under The Uncertainties Of Carbon Life Cycle, Zhuo Ning Dec 2015

Forest Management Under The Uncertainties Of Carbon Life Cycle, Zhuo Ning

Theses and Dissertations

Forests play an important role in mitigating climate change. It can not only provide carbon sequestration in standing forests and long-life forest products, but can also reduce carbon release by bioenergy’s substitution of fossil fuel. Therefore, a comprehensive impact from forest carbon on landowners’ forest management decisions should be analyzed when considering those uncertainties in carbon life cycle. The first part of the dissertation is a meta-analysis review, in which important factors that can influence the estimation of harvesting rotations under carbon sequestration are summarized and analyzed. It concludes that some issues as natural disturbances and forest bioenergy deserve more …


A Mixed-Integer Programming Approach For Jammer Placement Problems For Flow-Jamming Attacks On Wireless Communication Networks, Satish Vadlamani Dec 2015

A Mixed-Integer Programming Approach For Jammer Placement Problems For Flow-Jamming Attacks On Wireless Communication Networks, Satish Vadlamani

Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, we study an important problem of security in wireless networks. We study different attacks and defense strategies in general and more specifically jamming attacks. We begin the dissertation by providing a tutorial introducing the operations research community to the various types of attacks and defense strategies in wireless networks. In this tutorial, we give examples of mathematical programming models to model jamming attacks and defense against jamming attacks in wireless networks. Later we provide a comprehensive taxonomic classification of the various types of jamming attacks and defense against jamming attacks. The classification scheme will provide a one …


Act Workkeys As An Indicator Of Academic Success, Lucretia Kennedy Williams Dec 2015

Act Workkeys As An Indicator Of Academic Success, Lucretia Kennedy Williams

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of ACT WorkKeys assessments as an indicator of student success within the community college. The number of companies that are utilizing ACT WorkKeys as an indicator to determine work readiness has increased. As community colleges are challenged with training the current workforce for jobs that are in demand, skills gaps that exist have caused challenges that have created difficulties meeting these demands. Due to the responsibilities of the community college to train the workforce explored in this study will be the outcome of ACT WorkKeys as a mechanism that could …


An Experimental Investigation Of Crank-Resolved Exhaust Pressure Profiles In A Single Cylinder Research Engine With Emphasis On The Potential Of Harvesting Exhaust Energy, Taylor C. Bohach Dec 2015

An Experimental Investigation Of Crank-Resolved Exhaust Pressure Profiles In A Single Cylinder Research Engine With Emphasis On The Potential Of Harvesting Exhaust Energy, Taylor C. Bohach

Theses and Dissertations

The experiments detailed in this thesis give necessary preliminary information for analyzing the theoretical potential of direct exhaust pulse energy harvesting through expander devices. A detailed review of pertinent literature determined that there has been little specific focus on directly converting exhaust pulse energy into useful power. Crank position resolved exhaust pressure was measured as engine load and speed were varied to quantify their influences. Potential theoretical improvements average a 15.6% increase in overall fuel conversion efficiencies while indicated power can potentially be increased by an average of 14.3% for the operating conditions tested. A potential increase of up to …


The Effects Of Literacy Interventions On Reading Scores For Low-Achieving Students, Angela Jayroe Mulkana Dec 2015

The Effects Of Literacy Interventions On Reading Scores For Low-Achieving Students, Angela Jayroe Mulkana

Theses and Dissertations

As America’s schools strive to educate a diverse population of students, some of these students, who are identified as low-achieving, find school to be difficult. The need to improve low-achieving students’ reading skills has been the focus and concern of educators for many years. This study, which utilized a causal comparative research design, investigated third and fourth grade students’ literacy achievement scores for participation or non-participation in the Students Reading Enrichment Program (SREP), which is an in-school and/or after-school program, in the Jenkins School District (JSD). The SREP provides low-achieving students the opportunity to work in small groups with interventionists, …


The Impact Of Athletic Participation On At-Risk High School Students, Anthony D. Blevins Dec 2015

The Impact Of Athletic Participation On At-Risk High School Students, Anthony D. Blevins

Theses and Dissertations

The need to lessen the dropout rate for America’s high schools necessitated a search for answers by examining the impact of athletic participation on at-risk high school students. Research supports the contention that benefits athletics for students at-risk of dropping out. However, the majority of empirical research on athletic participation has been conducted on athletes and non-athletes, leaving a gap in regard to at-risk students. The study provides a comparison between athletic participation and non-participation with at-risk students. The goal of this study was to share the findings of an investigation of the impact of athletic participation on at-risk high …


The Keetch-Byram Drought Index And The Geographical Variability In Wildfire Size And Frequency In Eight Natural Areas Of The United States, Michael Tobit Gray Dec 2015

The Keetch-Byram Drought Index And The Geographical Variability In Wildfire Size And Frequency In Eight Natural Areas Of The United States, Michael Tobit Gray

Theses and Dissertations

A continental-scale study of historic wildfire data within and across ecoregion provinces was conducted and geographical gradients in seasonal measures of wildfire size and frequency were observed. In the conterminous United States, western ecoregion provinces show north-south gradients in duration of season (short-to-long) and peak of season (early-to-late). Across the continent a gradient of unimodal to bimodal seasonal distributions of wildfire size and frequency was shown: western ecoregions have a single summer fire season and eastern regions have spring and late-summer fire seasons separated by an intervening dip in wildfire activity. From the ecoregion provinces with the highest wildfire frequency, …


The Relationship Between School Counselor Beliefs Regarding The Asca National Model Components And Implementation Of A Comprehensive School Counseling Program, Rachael Gwin Ammons Dec 2015

The Relationship Between School Counselor Beliefs Regarding The Asca National Model Components And Implementation Of A Comprehensive School Counseling Program, Rachael Gwin Ammons

Theses and Dissertations

The American School Counseling Association (ASCA) created the American School Counseling National Model to guide best practices in the school setting. Professional school counselors are encouraged to implement this model in order to increase student achievement and personal/social growth through a comprehensive school counseling program. Although this is the recommended model for school counselors, many districts have failed to implement it. This study examined the relationship among beliefs, various demographic variables, and program implementation to determine the combination of variables that would best explain the variance in program implementation. Data collected through the School Counseling Program Implementation Scale (SCPIS) and …


Influence Of Market Setting And Time Of Purchase On Counts Of Aerobic Bacteria, Escherichia Coli, And Coliform And Prevalence Of Salmonella And Listeria In Beef, Pork, And Chicken In Vietnam, April Kathleen Mccain Dec 2015

Influence Of Market Setting And Time Of Purchase On Counts Of Aerobic Bacteria, Escherichia Coli, And Coliform And Prevalence Of Salmonella And Listeria In Beef, Pork, And Chicken In Vietnam, April Kathleen Mccain

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study was to determine the influence of market type and sampling time on Salmonella and Listeria prevalence and microbiological quality of 540 beef, pork, and whole chicken samples collected in 6 supermarkets (SM), 6 indoor markets (IM), and 6 open markets (OM) at opening (T0) and 4 h after the opening (T4) in Vietnam. Salmonella and Listeria prevalence ranged from 30.4 to 71.0% and 56.6 to 99.9 %, respectively, in beef, pork, and chicken in Vietnam. Aerobic bacteria counts ranged from 10.5 to 11.6 log CFU/g, whereas, E. coli and coliform counts ranged from 7.2 to …


Investigations At Kinlock (22su526), A Freshwater Mussel Shell Ring In The Delta Region Of Mississippi, James Bradley Carlock Dec 2015

Investigations At Kinlock (22su526), A Freshwater Mussel Shell Ring In The Delta Region Of Mississippi, James Bradley Carlock

Theses and Dissertations

Kinlock is a freshwater mussel shell ring site located in Sunflower County in the Mississippi Delta. Little work has been done at freshwater mussel shell rings, and therefore little is known about them. This thesis uses four different data collection methods to answer questions of chronology, site layout, etc. These four methods are controlled surface collection, excavation, coring, and magnetometry. Based on the results of these methods, Kinlock was found to be a Woodland period mussel shell ring with a later Mississippian period component built on top of the shell. This later component consisted of five mounds situated around a …


Modeling Susceptibility Of Forests To Hurricane Damage Based On Forest Ownership, Age, And Type, Rida Sadeq Sherif Dec 2015

Modeling Susceptibility Of Forests To Hurricane Damage Based On Forest Ownership, Age, And Type, Rida Sadeq Sherif

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the severity of wind damage created by Hurricane Katrina in southeast Mississippi to determine how the disturbance was influenced by fragmentation based on different forest ownership groups (Non-corporate private forest, corporate private forest and public forest). MODIS-NDVI percent change products were coupled with ownership, rainfall, and Landsat based thematic maps depicting forest age and forest types using GIS techniques to examine potential contributing factors to possible damage for the study area. Multiple linear and binary logistic regression methods were used to explain the relationship between severity of damage and forest age, forest type, ownership, and rainfall. Results …


Preventing Teacher Attrition: Expert Teachers' Sources Of Stress And Coping Strategies, Katherine Damaris Garth Dec 2015

Preventing Teacher Attrition: Expert Teachers' Sources Of Stress And Coping Strategies, Katherine Damaris Garth

Theses and Dissertations

Teaching is considered to be one of the most stressful occupations (Johnson et al., 2005). Not only is the profession highly stressful, it has the highest degree of career turnover of any profession (Ingersoll, 2001). Consistent stress can lead to burnout of the profession. McCarthy et al. (2009) noted that teacher burnout can be a result of inappropriate coping resources. The purpose of this study was to investigate the sources of stress, coping strategies, and learned coping strategies among expert elementary teachers. The sources of stress and coping strategies were examined using the Social Ecological Model which allowed for sources …