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The Effects Of Sub-Lethal Chlorine Induced Oxidative Stress On Biofilm Formation And Thermal Resistance Of Salmonella, Janak Dhakal

Theses and Dissertations

The effect of sub-lethal chlorine stress on various strains/serotypes of Salmonella on biofilm formation and thermal resistance was studied. The effect of oxidative stress (induced by 150 ppm of chlorine in TSB) on Salmonella biofilm formation on polystyrene and stainless steel surfaces at three temperatures (4°C, 30°C, and room temperature) in nutrient rich (full strength TSB) and nutrient limited conditions (1/10th TSB) was evaluated. On polystyrene surface, chlorine stressed S. Heidelberg (strain ID 72), S. Newport (strain ID 107) and S. Typhimurium (ATCC 14028) formed stronger (P < 0.05) biofilms at 30°C. On stainless steel, the chlorine stressed S. Heidelberg (ATCC 8326) and S. Enteritidis (ATCC 4931) at room temperature formed stronger (P < 0.05) biofilms as compared to the non-stressed control cells. The thermal resistance of short-term (1h) and long-term (27d) chlorine stressed Salmonella Heidelberg and S. Typhimurium were compared with the non-stressed controls at three different temperatures (55°C, 58°C and 61°C) and two growth phases (logarithmic and stationary). The short-term stressed log phase cells (both serotypes) were found to be more sensitive (P< 0.05) to thermal inactivation in TSB. Upon long-term sub-lethal chlorine exposure, Salmonella developed a rugose morphotype on tryptic soy agar at 37°C. The rugose morphotype provided significant thermal protection (P< 0.05) against heat stress as compared to smooth morphotype. In chicken broth, at 55°C, short-term chlorine stressed stationary phase S. Typhimurium displayed a higher D55 value compared to non-stressed cells. The findings from this research reveal that some Salmonella strains have the potential to form stronger biofilms and exhibit higher thermal tolerance upon exposure to sub-lethal chlorine concentration.

Canine Pure Platelet-Rich Plasma For Regenerative Medicine And Platelet Research: Protocol Optimization, Marina Mitie Monobe

Theses and Dissertations

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) can be widely used in veterinary medicine in different areas. Studies using PRP frequently use different methodologies making for difficult comparison. The objective of this study was to evaluate the purity and platelet activation of a PRP protocol. A total of 18 blood samples were drawn from six dogs, collected once per week over a total of three weeks. Blood samples were centrifuged six times at 300g for 5 min. Ultra-pure PRP (OP) was obtained by adding PRP a Optiprep 1.063g/mL density barrier and centrifuged at 350g for 15 min. Mean platelet recovery from whole blood was …

Patchiness Of Ciliate Communities Sampled At Varying Spatial Scales Along The New England Shelf, Jean-David Grattepanche, George B. Mcmanus, Laura A. Katz

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Although protists (microbial eukaryotes) provide an important link between bacteria and Metazoa in food webs, we do not yet have a clear understanding of the spatial scales on which protist diversity varies. Here, we use a combination of DNA fingerprinting (denaturant gradient gel electrophoresis or DGGE) and high-throughput sequencing (HTS) to assess the ciliate community in the class Spirotrichea at varying scales of 1–3 km sampled in three locations separated by at least 25 km—offshore, midshelf and inshore—along the New England shelf. Analyses of both abundant community (DGGE) and the total community (HTS) members reveal that: 1) ciliate communities are …

English Drama For Critical Pedagogy : Adapting Caryl Churchill’S Dramas As A Methodological Tool For Community-Engaged Theatre Workshopping In Post-Umbrella Movement Hong Kong, Hsiao Min Yu

Lingnan Theses

Tertiary-level drama is often condescendingly perceived in Hong Kong as either vocational or leisure-related, and tends to be marginalized in many – though not all – curricula as an activity for extra-curricular inter-university competition. This research aims at re-imagining Drama and Community Theatre as a critical pedagogy in promoting community culture. The aim of the research project is to strengthen the social functions of drama as community experience and as a tool for empowerment in the ‘glocal’ sociopolitical context of today. The study examines the methodology of a semi-scripted, community-engaged, theatre workshopping initiative with scenes adapted from Caryl Churchill’s plays, …

The Knowledge Gap In Workplace Retirement Investing And The Role Of Professional Advisors, Jill E. Fisch, Tess Wilkinson-Ryan, Kristin Firth

Duke Law Journal

The dramatic shift from traditional pension plans to participant-directed 401(k) plans has increased the obligation of individual investors to take responsibility for their own retirement planning. With this shift comes increasing evidence that investors are making poor investment decisions.

This Article seeks to uncover the reasons for poor investment decisions. We use a simulated retirement investing task and a new financial literacy index to evaluate the role of financial literacy in retirement investment decisionmaking in a group of nonexpert participants. Our results suggest that individual employees often lack the skills necessary to support the current model of participant-directed investing. We …

Regulating Public Offerings Of Truly New Securities: First Principles, Merritt B. Fox

Duke Law Journal

The public offering of truly new securities involves purchases by investors in sufficient number and in small enough blocks that each purchaser’s shares can reasonably be expected to be freely tradable in a secondary market that did not exist before the offering. Increasing the ability of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to make such offerings has been the subject of much recent discussion.

At the time that a firm initially contemplates such an offering, unusually large information asymmetries exist between its insiders and potential investors. These can lead to severe adverse-selection problems that prevent a substantial portion of worthy offerings …

How Understanding The Nature Of Corporate Norms Can Prevent Their Destruction By Settlements, James D. Cox

Duke Law Journal

Scholars have long celebrated the importance of norms in corporate law. Indeed, norms likely guide corporate actors more than the omnipresent threat of shareholder suits. This Article divides corporate norms into two distinct groups: aspirational norms and arbiter norms. Aspirational norms announce socially desirable objectives for corporate managers and encourage certain disclosure practices; arbiter norms identify distinct transactions for closer scrutiny by an independent body, the court. This Article shows that even though aspirational norms and arbiter norms serve different objectives, they share a common characteristic—overbreadth. This feature exists whether the norm is set forth by statute or found in …

“We Believe”: Omnicare, Legal Risk Disclosure And Corporate Governance, Hillary A. Sale, Donald C. Langevoort

Duke Law Journal

The Supreme Court’s decision in Omnicare Inc. v. Laborers District Council Construction Industry Pension Fund presents new challenges for boards of directors. The opinion speaks to whether and when an issuer’s statement of belief can be false or misleading other than by proof that the issuer’s genuine opinion was different from what it stated. Statements of opinion imply something about how the belief was formed, and that process implicates the role of directors as fiduciaries.

This Article uses Omnicare as a starting point for exploring and developing the interplay between disclosure, discourse, and fiduciary duties. Using the lens of corporate-discourse …

Symposium Caps Course Cluster, University Communications

News and Events (Discontinued Series)

No abstract provided.

Students Write For Human Rights, University Communications

News and Events (Discontinued Series)

No abstract provided.

Lindenwood Digest, December 9, 2016, Lindenwood University

Lindenwood Digest

The Lindenwood Digest has been an employee newsletter since 2009.

The Effects Of The Structural Components Of 4-H Residential Summer Programs On The Achievement Of The Essential Elements Of Positive Youth Development And The Acquisition Of Targeted Life Skills, Alayna Naro

Theses and Dissertations

Youth-serving organizations, such as 4-H, place a large emphasis on positive youth development and experiential learning in order to assist youth in acquiring specific life skills. The literature suggests that residential summer camps are one of the best ways to provide positive youth development, experiential learning, and targeted life skills. This study was a mixed methods design which utilized four residential summer programs throughout the state of Mississippi in order to compare the differences between the residential 4-H summer programs that took place on a university campus to those that took place within the naturalistic environment. The results of this …

The Influence Of A Graphing Calculator Program Policy Change On The Algebra I High Stakes Assessment In Mississippi, Elizabeth Anderson Repsher

Theses and Dissertations

Graphing calculator programs have been used on high-stakes tests and teacher-created assessments at the secondary and college level for many years. These programs- are even used on college-placement tests such as the ACT. Beginning with the 2011-2012 school year, the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) made the decision to no longer allow the use of graphing calculator applications and/or programs on the Subject Area Testing Program (SATP2) for Algebra I. Currently, limited research exists to address the influence of graphing calculator program use on high-stakes assessments. The programming capabilities of graphing calculators should not be ignored. Because of the 2011-2012 …

Relationships Among Environmental Attitudes, Environmental Knowledge, And Outdoor Recreational Habits Of Upper Elementary School Students In Mississippi, Katherine Elizabeth Abell

Theses and Dissertations

Research sought to evaluate environmental attitudes, environmental knowledge, and nature-based recreation in Mississippi upper-elementary adolescents, as delineated by race/ethnicity and gender. Research was conducted Spring 2015 in eight study schools using three survey instruments. Analysis was conducted using one-way ANOVA, univariate analysis of variance, and generalized linear mixed models. Results found that no gender differences exist between environmental attitudes or knowledge; however, Caucasian/White students displayed significantly higher environmental knowledge and attitudes versus their African American/Black peers. Additionally, a positive relationship was detected between attitudes and knowledge of study participants. Outdoor, nature-based recreation participation varied along race/ethnicity and gender, with Caucasian/White …

Relationships Between Information Technology Skills And Performance Evaluation Scores Of Mississippi State University Extension Service Agents, James R. Loper

Theses and Dissertations

A study was conducted to see if the level of use, expertise, and problem solving abilities using information technology among Mississippi State University Extension agents was positively correlated with the performance quality of the agent as measured in the Mississippi State University Extension Service agent evaluation system. A second purpose was to examine how well agents self-assess their technology skills. Lastly, the study attempted to determine if there was a set of factors (including information technology skills) that explained a substantial portion of the variation in performance evaluation scores. The results showed that the Mississippi State University Extension agent evaluation …

School Engagement Perceptions Influencing Attendance Reported By Ninth Grade Students At A High Performing Rural School, Jemmye Ann Helms

Theses and Dissertations

School attendance is a major component in the success of a student. School climate is a pivotal factor in why students come to school. The overarching goal of this research project was to determine why students at Hendersonville High School prefer to be absent and what they believe would motivate them to attend school regularly. In order to accomplish this task, quantitative and qualitative research questions were used. Quantitative 1. How do 9th grade students at Hendersonville High School rate items related to academic work and engagement on the HSSSE? 2. How do 9th grade students at Hendersonville High School …

Political Trust And Presidential Voting: A Changing Political Environment Inducing The End Of Traditional Politics In The United States, Brett Stephen Juraszek

Theses and Dissertations

Political climates are undoubtedly changing across the nation and creating volatile fluctuations of attitudes, beliefs, and behavior. In a more entertaining season of presidential primaries, both parties – Democratic and Republican – have nominees that will once again be scrutinized by many across the country. I argue the levels of scrutiny will more likely than not be enhanced to new proportions. Since a consistent reliance on media involvement and attack ads have grown immensely amongst presidential candidates, this will translate into a wider gap in party polarization and subsequently tie into the trust of American citizens. Previous scholars have shown …

Potential Of Unmanned Aerial Systems Imagery Relative To Landsat 8 Imagery In The Lower Pearl River Basin, John William Van Horn

Theses and Dissertations

Hurricane Isaac’s landfall on the coast of Louisiana spawned a hydrological research project between Mississippi State University (MSU), the Northern Gulf Institute (NGI), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the Lower Pearl River Basin (LPRB). Unmanned aerial systems data collection missions were scheduled every two months in the LPRB. This research provides a comparison between Landsat-8 imagery and corresponding UAS imagery with regards to the four remote sensing resolutions: spatial, spectral, radiometric, and temporal. Near-infrared (NIR) imagery from each platform was compared by land-water masks and statistical comparisons. A classification method known as natural breaks with Jenks …

Environmental Management System Optimization Focusing On The Waste Environmental Media In The Chemical Industry, Mesha Jones

Theses and Dissertations

The first part of this project focused on evaluating aspects of the environmental management practices of Texas chemical industries, particularly waste generation and management of the data related to these processes. The waste generation data included Texas notifications required to track wastes. The next phase consisted of characterizing industrial waste disposal methods, waste container management, and transportation including an overview of required documentation for each activity. This led to identification of issues encountered from inefficient recordkeeping, ineffective internal communication, or inadequate environmental management systems. The result of an ineffective hazardous waste data management program can be fines, damage to the …

Utilization Of Outdoor Resources To Enhance Understanding Of Geosciences, Sarah Radencic Lalk

Theses and Dissertations

Societal awareness and general understanding of the diversity of geosciences environments and phenomena across regions is vital. The primary method to obtain information about geosciences is through mass media. However, there is little coverage of geosciences information and the public may not trust it because of low geosciences awareness. Geosciences are rarely included as part of K-12 curricula and are optional at the collegiate level, contributing to the public deficiency regarding awareness and understanding of the geosciences. This research study investigated methods utilizing outdoor resources in an effort to increase region-specific understanding and awareness of geosciences among diverse groups. A …

Temporal Growth And Harvest Adjustment Procedures For Large-Scale Forest Inventory Data, Jacob R. Beard

Theses and Dissertations

The Mississippi Institute for Forest Inventory (MIFI) multi-product forest inventory divides Mississippi into five inventory regions with one region inventoried each year on a rotating basis. Resource analyses that overlap these temporally separated regions require adjustment to a common comparative time base by applying appropriate forest stand growth and harvest allocation models to the portions of a selected area not inventoried at the desired common time base. Currently the Mississippi Dynamic Inventory Reporter (MDIR) does not make adjustments to temporally synchronize portions of user selected working circles, polygons, or counties that occur in separate inventory regions. Separate inventory reports for …

Mathematical Motivation Beliefs: A Study On The Influences Of The Mathematical Motivation Beliefs Of Students In A Predominantly African American Environment In Mississippi, Kendrick Laterrell Savage

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine the influences certain factors have on the mathematical motivation beliefs of students in a predominantly African American setting. Mathematical motivation beliefs, for the purpose of this study, are defined as the components mathematical self-efficacy and mathematical value, both represented as dependent variables in the study. 4 independent variables were studied as potential influences regarding mathematical motivation beliefs. The variables included parental influences, teacher influences, mathematical anxiety, and the environment/setting. This research was conducted using 2 high schools in a rural area in East Mississippi. The 1st high school was predominantly African American …

Mental Illness In Starkville, Ms: A Cultural Consensus Analysis Of The Public Conceptions Of Mental Illness, Curtis Andrew Kennett

Theses and Dissertations

Mental illness is a complex phenomenon that is social and psychological as well as biological. But since the creation of the DSM-III in the 1980s, the landscape of mental health research and treatment in the United States has been heavily influenced by the biomedical model. The thoughts and beliefs of the lay public about mental illness are often ignored despite the push for greater cultural understanding among biomedical professionals. This disconnect, coupled with the poor mental health infrastructure, has left Mississippi with an inadequate ability to help Mississippians address mental illness. This research uses cognitive anthropological methods and biocultural theory …

Mexican And Central American Emigration: Exploring Recent Motivations And Challenges Of The Migrant Child Arriving To The U.S, Frank (Frank Edward) Bradford

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines several critical factors deemed to be important in examining why children from Mexico and Central America decide to take risks by traveling alone to unfamiliar places, such as the U.S., in such large numbers. An exploration of present day and historical backgrounds provide insight for social, political, and economic conditions that assist in shaping the landscape and outlook of Central Americans and Mexicans, particularly children on a daily basis.

Governing The Rurals: Food Security And Governance In The 21st Century, Gina Paola Rico Mendez

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation develops a theory about the consolidation of state legitimacy given transformations in food security. Food security has moved from a national food maximization effort to the provision of food to households and individuals, regardless of the production source. This definitional change was triggered by urbanization, industrialization of agriculture and liberalization of trade. These dynamics altered the formula for balance and control of a country’s territory; as agricultural output moved into a global context, urban centers became less reliant on its periphery for sustenance and thus governments have fewer incentives to provide governance of any quality to rural areas. …

Fall Migrant Waterbird Community Structure And Stable Isotope Ecology In The Mississippi Alluvial Valley And Northern Gulf Of Mexico: Use Of Migratory Bird Habitat Initiative Sites And Other Wetlands, Justyn Richard Foth

Theses and Dissertations

The Mississippi Alluvial Valley (MAV) was dominated by extensive lowland forests, but during the 20th century most of the MAV was converted to agricultural, aquaculture, and other human uses. These land-use changes created stopover migration and wintering habitats for waterfowl, shorebirds and other waterbird species. Before landscape modification of the MAV, shorebirds likely migrated past the MAV to wetlands along the northern Gulf of Mexico (NGoM). In 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill impacted coastal marshes of the NGoM. The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service implemented the Migratory Bird Habitat Initiative (MBHI) to provide waterbirds with wetlands inland of oil-impacted …

Adaptive Environments For Enabling Senior Citizens: An Holistic Assessment Tool For Housing Design And Iot-Based Technologies, Matteo Zallio, Damon Berry, Niccolò Casiddu

Conference papers

The population of older adults will continuously increase over the coming decades. As they get older, people will require assistance and regular monitoring, with higher costs for welfare system and families. Two vital aspects of a healthy lifestyle, are domestic autonomy and maintenance of relationships within the neighborhood. This leads to an interesting research issue: “Could houses and appliances have the potential to improve autonomy and quality of life of citizens? Which methods and tools could enhance wellbeing and healthy conditions? The house has the potential to be a safe, adaptive environment, integrated with technologies for life support. This work …

Multimodal Spontaneous Emotion Corpus For Human Behavior Analysis, Zheng Zhang, Jeffrey M. Girard, Yue Wu, Xing Zhang, Peng Liu, Umur Ciftci, Shaun Canavan, Michael Reale, Andrew Horowitz, Huiyuan Yang, Jeffrey F. Cohn, Qiang Ji, Lijun Yin

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Emotion is expressed in multiple modalities, yet most research has considered at most one or two. This stems in part from the lack of large, diverse, well-annotated, multimodal databases with which to develop and test algorithms. We present a well-annotated, multimodal, multidimensional spontaneous emotion corpus of 140 participants. Emotion inductions were highly varied. Data were acquired from a variety of sensors of the face that included high-resolution 3D dynamic imaging, high-resolution 2D video, and thermal (infrared) sensing, and contact physiological sensors that included electrical conductivity of the skin, respiration, blood pressure, and heart rate. Facial expression was annotated for both …

Newsroom, Georgia Southern University

Newsroom (2006-2023)

• Georgia Southern University donfers 1,700 graduate and undergraduate degrees during Fall 2016 Commencement
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The Parthenon, December 9, 2016, Lexi Browning

The Parthenon

No abstract provided.