Digital Commons Network^™

Cause For Alarm: Punk Rock, Politics, Race, And The Problem Of Irony In Modern America, Colin Shea Campbell

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation traces the history of punk rock and the birth and progression of the “punk ethos,” the principles and stylistic choices that characterized punk as a subculture and lifestyle of which music was a part. It argues that the punk ethos emerged as a result of two interrelated tensions within punk – the first between an inclusive vision of punk that welcomed new people and an exclusive vision that aimed, for various reasons, to limit the genre’s appeal to a select few. The second tension that defined the punk ethos related to the question of whether punk would be …

Critical (Re)Approach To Higher Education Admission Policy: The Impact Of Open Enrollment Policy Implementation, Shirdonna Yvonne Lawrence

Theses and Dissertations

Federal and state policies affecting higher education, like the Morrill Land Grant Act of 1832, Brown vs. Board of Education, and Higher Education Act of 1965 have posited change regarding the proliferation of diversity and expansion of access (Thelin, 2011).

I analyzed BOT policies for enrollment and conducted a socio-diagnostic CDA on the implementation of admission policy to understand the impact of the policies’ implementation. I focused on 1) exploring how open enrollment (OE) policies were constructed, 2) how institutions adopt and interpret these policies, and 3) how individuals at the institution enact these policies, by conducting a discourse-historical analysis …

Losing Longleaf: Forestry And Conservation In The Southern Coastal Plain, Fraser Livingston

Theses and Dissertations

From the end of Reconstruction to the beginning of World War II, no other ecological change affected as great a part of the southern landscape as the loss of the longleaf pine from the southeastern coastal plain. This dissertation examines the causes and consequences of the species’ disappearance. In the span of just decades, lumber operations and naval stores producers descended upon longleaf pine woodlands with a voracious appetite that greatly contributed to the demise of the pine. However, as this dissertation argues, exploitation by the hands of the timber and turpentine industries was not the only agent that transformed …

Empathy And Cultural Involvement As Pathways To Resilience In The Face Of Adverse Childhood Experiences Among Native American Indians, Joy Rodriguez

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to examine two specific pathways to resilience for Native American Indians (NAIs) that have experienced at least one adverse childhood experience (ACE) and are seeking behavioral health services on the Choctaw Indian reservation: empathy and cultural involvement. The study is an examination of the effects of empathy and cultural involvement on the resilience of NAIs with one or more ACEs. The researcher also investigated the type of ACEs reported among adult NAIs seeking behavioral health services on the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indian (MBCI) Reservation. Lastly, the association between ACEs and resilience was …

A Multi-Method Exploration Of Health Disparities And Covid-19 Incidence And Mortality In The United States, S M Asger Ali

Theses and Dissertations

The 21^st century experienced several health crises, especially in the form of infectious disease outbreaks such as the SARS outbreak in 2003, the H1N1 in 2009, and Ebola outbreaks in 2013. However, none has produced a worldwide socio-economic and health impact compared to the recent pandemic, known as COVID-19. As of October 4, 2022, more than 614 million cases with 6 million deaths have been reported worldwide. The United States is currently in the leading position with more than 98 million cases and 1 million deaths. The pandemic, however, did not impact the entire region similarly, and the infections …

Non-Traditional Adjuvants And Methods For Applying Root-Promoting Compounds In Commercial Cutting Propagation, Anthony Turner Bowden

Theses and Dissertations

The nursery/greenhouse industry is innovative. There have been several reports in the popular literature of non-traditional adjuvants used in plant propagation; however, these claims have never been evaluated in a scientific setting. Five studies, conducted at the South Mississippi Branch Experiment Station in Poplarville in 2019 and 2021 determined the impact that adding honey to water-soluble auxin solutions and surfactants to foliar applied auxin solutions on physiological responses associated with adventitious root formation. Treatments in studies presented in chapters two and three included three honey sources (multiflora, local, and Manuka). Honey-infused water-soluble auxin solutions affected plant species but not in …

Surficial Geologic Mapping Of The Starkville 7.5-Minute United States Geological Survey Quadrangle 33088d-7 In Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, Jonathan Leard

Theses and Dissertations

The Starkville Quadrangle is a hotspot for geological research. The Late Cretaceous is represented by the Demopolis Formation in the northeast corner of the quadrangle, followed by the Ripley Formation, and the Prairie Bluff Formation. The K-Pg boundary is exposed in the quadrangle, and the remarkable paleontology is of global importance. The Clayton Formation is the first Paleocene unit. Where the Clayton Formation channel sands are in contact with the underlying Prairie Bluff Formation, springs occur. Springs were a rare source of water in the Black Prairie and spurred the settlement of the area over 10,000 years ago. The Paleocene …

Assessment Of Simulated And Real-World Autonomy Performance With Small-Scale Unmanned Ground Vehicles, William Peyton Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

Off-road autonomy is a challenging topic that requires robust systems to both understand and navigate complex environments. While on-road autonomy has seen a major expansion in recent years in the consumer space, off-road systems are mostly relegated to niche applications. However, these applications can provide safety and navigation to dangerous areas that are the most suited for autonomy tasks. Traversability analysis is at the core of many of the algorithms employed in these topics. In this thesis, a Clearpath Robotics Jackal vehicle is equipped with a 3D Ouster laser scanner to define and traverse off-road environments. The Mississippi State University …

From The Sky To The Smartphone: Communicating Weather Information In A Digital Age, Cole M. Vaughn

Theses and Dissertations

As new technology has emerged in the digital era, the public can now choose from a variety of new media from which to get weather information. Weather applications (apps) and social media have emerged as some of the popular new media. This study sought to understand the extent to which these new media are used, how weather apps are perceived, how the news media used Twitter during Hurricane Irma, and how the public engaged with the news media’s tweets. A survey and dataset of tweets were used to evaluate the research questions and hypotheses of this research. The study found …

Ex Vivo Biomechanical Comparison Of Four Center Of Rotation Angulation Based Leveling Osteotomy Fixation Methods, Melody E. Whitney

Theses and Dissertations

Thirty-two canine tibiae with patellae and patellar tendons were harvested from 17 skeletally mature cadavers. Each tibia was randomly allocated to a construct group: plate and pin (Plate), plate with countersink compression screw (HCS), plate with tension band (TB), or plate with HCS and TB (HCSTB). Samples were loaded by distraction until failure. The stiffness, yield load, and ultimate load were compared between each fixation method. No difference in stiffness of the constructs was detected between groups. Yield load and ultimate load for the HCSTB group was greater than the TB group, the HCS group, and the Plate group. CBLO …

Healthy Eating Index And Body Fat Distribution, Masar Ozrail

Theses and Dissertations

Body fat distribution has been identified as a more significant risk factor for metabolic-related diseases. This study investigated whether body fat distribution affects dietary outcomes (quality and intake), anthropometric measures, body composition, and skin carotenoid levels. A cross-sectional study with 91 female students was conducted. Thirty-one percent of participants (n=28) had an android body fat distribution. Body fat distribution was associated with WC and WHtR (p

Mobile Learning: Examining The Relationships Between The Use Of Mobile Devices And Student Performance In Ela And Math Within Technology And Non-Technology Districts, Gabrielle S. Jones

Theses and Dissertations

Mobile and other internet-connected devices infiltrate society, including K-12 classrooms. A large body of research indicated that these devices might distract students; however, other studies have revealed many benefits when the devices are used for educational purposes. This study aimed to examine the relationships between the use of mobile devices and student performance in mathematics (MA) and English Language Arts (ELA). The study compared two districts, one that had implemented a 1:1 technology infrastructure for learning and one that had not. Archival data on the Mississippi Academic Assessment Program (MAAP) standardized test were accessed from the two districts, containing fourth-grade …

Understanding The Relationship Among Cool Temperatures, Growth, Metabolism, And Energy Use Of Ictalurus Spp., Abby Vaughn

Theses and Dissertations

Although U.S. commercial catfish aquaculture ponds are in temperate regions and experience cool to cold temperatures during the winter, few studies have investigated the effects of low temperatures on catfish physiological processes. Therefore, growth, metabolism, swimming performance, and blood variables were compared between channel (Ictalurus punctatus), blue (I. furcatus), and hybrid (I. furcatus x I. punctatus) catfish at 10 and 20°C. Accelerometers were also used to evaluate relationships among acceleration, metabolism, and tail beat frequency (TBF) during swimming performance tests. Channel catfish experienced the greatest growth, yet growth was diminished across all fish types at 10°C. Metabolic processes, swimming performance, …

Comparing Importance Of Knowledge And Professional Skill Areas For Engineering Programming Utilizing A Two Group Delphi Survey, John F. Hutton

Theses and Dissertations

All engineering careers require some level of programming proficiency. However, beginning programming classes are challenging for many students. Difficulties have been well-documented and contribute to high drop-out rates which prevent students from pursuing engineering. While many approaches have been tried to improve the performance of students and reduce the dropout rate, continued work is needed. This research seeks to re-examine what items are critical for programming education and how those might inform what is taught in introductory programming classes (CS1). Following trends coming from accreditation and academic boards on the importance of professional skills, we desire to rank knowledge and …

Combined Effects Of Cyclosporine And Prednisone On T-Cell Cytokine Production In Healthy Dogs, Brittany Moore-Henderson

Theses and Dissertations

Cyclosporine and prednisone are immunosuppressive drugs that are commonly used in combination for the treatment of immune-mediated diseases, and have been shown to individually cause significant suppression of IL-2. Currently, no studies have been performed to determine how a combination of the two drugs would impact suppression of IL-2, and if an additive or synergistic effect on cytokine production could be demonstrated, as in studies of other species. An additive effect of immunosuppression associated with this drug combination could allow clinicians to decrease dosages of drugs, thereby reducing drug costs and minimizing adverse drug side effects. In a cross-over study …

A Call For Research: Ethical Dilemmas Of Autonomous Vehicle Manufacturers, Remy Harwood

Cybersecurity Undergraduate Research Showcase

While autonomous vehicles accounted for about 31.4 million vehicles on the road in 2019 (Placek). They have continued to flood the market and have a projected growth to 58 million in just 8 years from now (Placek) As well as a market cap in the billions of dollars. Even the comparatively new AV company Tesla has over 3 times the market cap value of the leading non AV brand Toyota (Market Cap) who are also working toward AVs as well, like their level 2 teammate driver assistance. Following Moore’s Law, as technology continues to improve, their social impact and ethical …

Hydraulic Redistribution Under Saline Conditions, Josh Gottlieb

Civil and Environmental Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Water scarcity and soil salinity are dual stressors for plants in arid, salt-affected ecosystems. Hydraulic redistribution, a hydraulic adaptation which moves water through plant roots into dry or saline soil regions along potential gradients, aids plant survival in stressful environments. Recent theory regarding hydraulic redistribution proposes limitations on the process within saline soils. This study applies a minimalist resistor-capacitor model of the soil-plant-atmosphere system to the experimental conditions of a 2010 study investigating hydraulic redistribution in a salt affected area. The effectiveness of the model is evaluated, and a sensitivity analysis is conducted to identify key dynamics affecting the moisture …

Balancing Free Play And Structured Learning Opportunities In Early Childhood Education Classrooms: Contrasting Perceptions Of Teachers And Researchers, Logan Mentzer

University Honors Theses

This study explored how early childhood education classrooms can provide a balance of learning opportunities that are both initiated by the child and facilitated by the teacher. Three transitional/preschool teachers were interviewed along with two researchers who study preschool/kindergarten classrooms. The results of this study found four strategies that are used in early childhood education classes that allow both child exploration and adult facilitation: 1) creating close teacher-child relationships; 2) creating close lead-assistant teacher relationships; 3) using both mental and physical planning; 4) using guided questions to teach. There were interesting differences in contrasting perspectives of early childhood education teachers …

The Restoration Potential Of Offshore Mussel Farming On Degraded Seabed Habitat, D Bridger, Mj Attrill, Bfr Davies, La Holmes, A Cartwright, Se Rees, Lm Cabre, Ev Sheehan

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

The United Kingdom's first large-scale, offshore, long-line mussel farm deployed its first ropes in 2013 in Lyme Bay, southwest United Kingdom, located in an area of seabed that was heavily degraded due to historic bottom-towed fishing. It was hypothesised that due to the artificial structures that accumulate mussels and exclude destructive fishing practices, the seabed could be restored. To assess the restoration potential of the farm and its ecosystem interactions over time, a multi-method, annual monitoring approach was undertaken. Here, we tested the effects of the farm trial stations on the seabed habitat, epifauna and demersal species over 5 years. …

Utilizing The Private Sector To Address California’S Shortage Of Qualified Public School Teachers, Christopher J. Lacreta

Pepperdine Policy Review

Over the past decade, the State of California has been running a deficit of well-qualified teachers in its public education system. School districts consistently report the need to hire substandard teachers who differ from well-qualified teachers in that they generally have far less schooling and experience and usually receive emergency credentials so that each school can achieve its minimum number of necessary educators to conduct operations. The main reason for this shortage is that California’s public schools are almost exclusively funded by the state budget and they do not receive significant funding from local property taxes. This has contributed to …

Vol. 19 No. 12 - Whole No. 31, David Bratman

Mythprint

Mythprint is the monthly bulletin of the Mythopoeic Society, a nonprofit educational organization devoted to the study, discussion and enjoyment of myth and fantasy literature, especially the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and Charles Williams. To promote these interests, the Society publishes three magazines, maintains a World Wide Web site, and sponsors the annual Mythopoeic Conference and awards for fiction and scholarship, as well as local and written discussion groups.

Vol. 19 No. 11 - Whole No. 30, David Bratman

Mythprint

Mythprint is the monthly bulletin of the Mythopoeic Society, a nonprofit educational organization devoted to the study, discussion and enjoyment of myth and fantasy literature, especially the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and Charles Williams. To promote these interests, the Society publishes three magazines, maintains a World Wide Web site, and sponsors the annual Mythopoeic Conference and awards for fiction and scholarship, as well as local and written discussion groups.

Documents And The Malady Of Truth, Ronald E. Day

Proceedings from the Document Academy

This article discusses documents, knowledge, and truth through a conceptual examination and through an examination of Flaubert's 19th century novel Madame Bovary. It argues that the main characters of Madame Bovary deceive themselves by believing that the contents of the fictional and medical texts they read convey truth. In contrast, the article argues that modern knowledge is constituted by documentary evidence operating in knowledge networks and processes where the result of such operations is what can be claimed to be true about the world through such processes. The representational malady that Madame and Doctor Bovary suffer in the novel was …

“Arsip Kacau”: How Messy Records Are Perceived By Indonesians In The Context Of Document Disease, Suprayitno Suprayitno, Rahmi Rahmi, Dian Novita Fitriani

Proceedings from the Document Academy

This paper examines how the Indonesian people perceive and construct arsip kacau (messy records). Messy records as documents seem to have the power to make humans psychologically ill by becoming uneasy, discomfort, stressed, burnout, and uncomfortable, all of which are diseases. This is similar to documentality introduced by Frohmann that documents can enable, produce, encourage, permit, and influence a person to experience document disease. This paper uses a qualitative approach with data collection in the form of literature and surveys from Indonesian people. The perception of archivists and the general public in Indonesia concerning the cause of the “messy records” …

Translation Disease: Proximity Gone Awry, Laurie J. Bonnici, Brian C. O'Connor

Proceedings from the Document Academy

We present here considerations of three trans-medial translations that have caused dis-ease. We look at novel to film, poem to cantata, and novel to film to television series translations to examine various strains of dis-ease. Upon early consideration, we realized Wilson’s call for a “turn to the functional” provides a means of determining whether a translation is “inadequate” – has gone awry. We then fit the concept of translation into our model of proximity as a way to consider whether a “putative translation really [is] a translation of some text.” Ultimately, we argue that one person’s disease may be another’s …

Books Of Note

Appalachia

No abstract provided.

Mr. Snow: John Fry's Influence On Skiing In The East, Peter Bronski

Appalachia

No abstract provided.

Passing Time On A Mountain: Building Walls And Reaching Beyond Them On Denali, Brian J. Glenn

Appalachia

No abstract provided.

Waterman Fund Essay Contest Winner: Hunting The Woolly Adelgid, Dianne Fallon

Appalachia

No abstract provided.

Mountain Voices: Ben English, Jr.: Quiet And Unassuming, His Reach In The White Mountains Is Far And Wide, Doug Mayer, Rebecca Oreskes

Appalachia

No abstract provided.