Digital Commons Network^™

An Analysis Of Suspension Days Among Students In Special Education And General Education In A Rural School District, Lakesia Falanda Bryant

Theses and Dissertations

An Analysis of Suspension Days Among Students in Special Education and General Education in A Rural School District, is designed to look at those disciplinary trends that directly affect our most vulnerable population of students, with an emphasis on suspension, expulsions and the rates at which special education students are suspended and/or expelled as compared to their non-disabled peers in a rural district in Mississippi. As the Mississippi State Department of Education cited this district for its high rate of suspension and/or expulsions of students with Individualized Educational Plans, this study is of significant importance in identifying those factors that …

Applied Behavior Analysis: Perspectives Of Mississippi Students Before They Enter The Educational Behavioral Consulting Field, Lauren Ashley Besong

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis analyzes how prospective Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) professionals are enculturated through their educational pathways at one public university in Mississippi. I surveyed 24 current and prior students of the ABA program, as well as interviewed 1 prior and 10 current ABA students. Findings captured their perceptions of the field they are entering, through their experiences within the program. Results found that the ABA field appears to be split in a dual identity, existing in both educational and clinical spaces. Results showed that external perceptions of the institution viewed the ABA program as more clinical, while the students were …

Effects Of Eugenol And Carvacrol In Combination Against Salmonella In Hummus, Lauryn Ashley Heidelberg

Theses and Dissertations

Hummus consumption has risen but multiple foodborne outbreaks due to Salmonella contamination have been reported. Essential oils (EOs) eugenol and carvacrol have been found to inhibit the growth and survival of Salmonella in food products. The objective was to evaluate antibacterial properties of various concentrations of eugenol (EU) and carvacrol (CA), alone or in combination (EUCA) against Salmonella in vitro and in hummus. Eugenol demonstrated a MIC of 0.125 mg/mL and an MBC of 0.25 mg/mL, while carvacrol showed a MIC of 0.0625 mg/mL and an MBC of 0.125 mg/mL. In the hummus study, 2% EUCA was the most effective …

The Effect Of Teacher Efficacy On Career Technical Education Program Participation In Select Mississippi Schools, Lori Parkman Nail

Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to determine to what degree school staff understood the benefits and outcomes of Career Technical Education programs and how this level of understanding impacted Career Technical Education program enrollment in five selected schools in Mississippi. The levels of understanding keyed in on three pivotal factors. First, perceptions of the availability and accessibility of Career Technical Education programs to students in the participating schools were measured. Second, the perceptions of the benefits students reap from being involved in Career Technical Education programs were examined. Next, the perceptions of the benefits Career Technical Education programs …

"We Don't Say That, Margaret!" : Narratives Of White Women Admissions Officers And Their Exploration Of Whiteness And White Racial Identity, Kelsey Aline Walker

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative narrative inquiry study examined the narratives and experiences of White women admissions officers at predominantly white institutions (PWIs) and explored how they engaged with the development of their white racial identity throughout their professional careers. Using Critical Whiteness Studies (CWS) and Helms’ (1990) white racial identity development model, the research questions were: What are White women admissions officers’ narratives of their experiences with whiteness at predominately white institutions? How do White women's admission officers make meaning of their racial identity? Data was collected from seven White women admissions officers through a demographic survey and two 45-60-minute interviews. The …

Greener On The Other Side: Latinx Migrants’ Perspectives On The Importance Of Climate Change On Their Decisions To Relocate To Mississippi, Maria Claire Regalado Schrupp

Theses and Dissertations

As climate change continues to progress and impact people around the world, its impact on human migration has become a topic of increasing study and discussion. Debates over climate migration terminology and the extent to which it is a useful area of study have emerged in recent years. Yet, the opinions of migrants themselves are often missing from these conversations. Using mixed methods, this study uncovers the extent to which migrants from Latin America view climate change as relevant to their own migrations and, which factors, if not climate change, are most prevalent in inducing international migration to the United …

Description And Influence Of Diseases On The East Mississippi Catfish Industry, And The Role Of Clay Minerals, Iron, And Aluminum Salts In The Susceptibility Of Channel Catfish To Aeromonas Hydrophila And Edwardsiella Ictaluri, Mark Alan Peterman

Theses and Dissertations

In 2014, a virulent clonal group of Aeromonas hydrophila (VAH) was the predominant disease impacting the east Mississippi (EMS) commercial catfish industry. The EMS aquatic ambulatory service observed an area not prone to VAH outbreaks. In addition, frequent underestimations of the scope and economic impact of the EMS catfish industry and its diseases warranted a descriptive effort. Therefore, the EMS catfish industry, its economic impact, the diseases of this region and their economic impact were described. Further, differences in water and geological chemistry of the area not prone to VAH outbreaks, and the sensitivity of VAH and Edwardsiella ictaluri to …

Multi-Cloud Identity Security Utilizing Self-Sovereign Identity, Morgan Lee Reece

Theses and Dissertations

With the increasing use of multi-cloud environments, security professionals face challenges in configuration, management, and integration due to uneven security capabilities and features among providers. As a result, a fragmented approach toward security has been observed, leading to new attack vectors and potential vulnerabilities. Other research has focused on single-cloud platforms or specific applications of multi-cloud environments. Therefore, there is a need for a holistic security and vulnerability assessment and defense strategy that applies to multi-cloud platforms. This dissertation explores risk and vulnerability analysis to identify attack vectors from software, hardware, and the network, as well as interoperability security issues …

Examining Special Education Programming Through The Lens Of Upper Elementary And High School General Education Teachers In Select Black Rural Schools In Mississippi - Do They Feel Prepared To Serve?, Natasha Michelle Porter

Theses and Dissertations

The present study investigated the perceptions of upper elementary and high school general education teachers towards special education programming and whether they felt prepared to meet the needs of students with Individualized Education Plans. The literature review provided a comprehensive synthesis of existing research on the topic researched, offering an in-depth exploration of key themes, trends, and findings in the relevant academic literature. It critically examined assorted studies, theories, and methodologies researchers employ, identifying gaps and areas of consensus. The purpose of this study was to build from the foundation set by existing bodies of related literature, to gain formal …

Beyond The Classroom: Leveraging P-12 Education Brand Equity To Cultivate Community Capitals And Drive Economic Growth In Rural Mississippi, Patrick Braden Miller

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores the relationship between education brand equity and community-economic development in rural Mississippi as a result of a consumer-oriented approach to education and manifested through the modern school choice movement. A survey of public school superintendents (n=28) found a statistically positive correlation, suggesting that a strong school brand leads to increased community-economic development. The Community Capitals Framework suggests this connection is due to interconnected capitals like human and social capital but helps other capitals rise as well. Additionally, superintendents overwhelmingly agreed collaboration between education and community-economic development is essential. The research also examined perceptions of school choice. Superintendents’responses …

Serving Students With Specific Learning Disabilities: Identifying Prevalent Eligibility Practices In Mississippi, Phyllis Marie Yucatonis

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the determination eligibility practices for Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) within Mississippi school districts, framed by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 2004 (IDEA) and Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) guidelines. A survey of 139 educational professionals in Mississippi offered insights into the methods preferred for determining SLD eligibility and the decision-making factors at the district level. The study examined commonly used methods for determining SLD, the challenges faced during the process, the need for professional development, the impact of educator demographics on SLD determination eligibility and general satisfaction with the SLD eligibility determination process. It also explored …

Review Of Inverter Functionality Requirements In Ieee 1547 For Voltage Fault Ride-Through, Tyler Coby Jonathan May

Theses and Dissertations

The introduction of Distributed Energy Resources such as energy storage systems, solar, and wind create system dynamics which modern electric grids cannot reliably handle in such large quantities without properly coordinated protections. One such tool is the concept of Fault Ride Through, which allows a system to continue operation during a long-term minor or short-term major disturbance. Standards are in place to control and monitor the operation and recovery of this capability but are meant to be minimum or maximum requirements. Since these standards must be used nationally, or sometimes internationally, they tend to be left very flexible. The rise …

Mapping Invasive Aquatic Plants Using Deep Learning Classification And Segmentation Models, Ruchitha Yadav Prakash

Theses and Dissertations

High-resolution imagery from Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) equipped with multispec tral(MSI) and RGB sensors can be used for mapping invasive aquatic species. This research employs classification models like CNN, AlexNet, VGG16, ResNet, and DenseNet, alongside segmentation models such as FCN, U-Net, SegNet, DeepLabV3+, and Mask R-CNN, to analyze and visualize four invasive aquatic species including Cuban Bulrush (Oxycaryum cubense), Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes), Juncus (Juncus effusus), and Cattail (Typha latifolia). Among the tested models, ResNet (97.44% for RGB)andDenseNet(96.20%forMSI)exhibitedthehighest classification accuracies. For segmentation tasks, FCN (75.5% for RGB) and SegNet (79.6% for MSI) excelled. The study also examines the computational complexity …

A Supervised Machine Learning Statistical Design Of Experiment Approach To Modeling The Barriers To Effective Snakebite Treatment In Ghana, Eric Nyarko, Edmund F. Agyemang, Ebenezer Kwesi Ameho, Louis Agyekum, José María Gutiérrez, Eduardo Alberto Fernandez

School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Faculty Publications

Background

Snakebite envenoming is a serious condition that affects 2.5 million people and causes 81,000–138,000 deaths every year, particularly in tropical and subtropical regions. The World Health Organization has set a goal to halve the deaths and disabilities related to snakebite envenoming by 2030. However, significant challenges in achieving this goal include a lack of robust research evidence related to snakebite incidence and treatment, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. This study aimed to combine established methodologies with the latest tools in Artificial Intelligence to assess the barriers to effective snakebite treatment in Ghana.

Method

We used a MaxDiff statistical experiment design …

Development Of Robotic Sampling Method For Rees In Gps-Denied And Hazardous Environments, Alan Arthur

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

In recent times, the demand for rare earth elements (REEs) has been fueled by industry shifts towards energy efficiency and climate neutrality, as well as the great potential for the use of REEs in all sectors of our daily lives. Currently, China accounts for over 75% of global REE production (Dal, 2024). Various REE producers are gearing up to produce significant amounts of REEs to solve the issue of global supply and break China’s monopoly. A spike in REE prices of nearly tenfold in 2011 provided the impetus for accelerating over 400 REE exploration projects around the world (Barakos, 2017). …

Five Key Lessons For Five Core Groups Shaping Place-Based Policy, Kathleen Bolter, Timothy J. Bartik, Brad J. Hershbein, Michelle Miller-Adams, Alfonso Hernandez, Kyle Huisman, Bridget Timmeney

Reports

No abstract provided.

Re: Comment Letter For Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit (Bpsou) Residential Metals Abatement Program (Rmap) Plan (Dated October 29, 2024), Molly Roby

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

An Exploration Of The Contributions Of Parenting Styles And Peer Relationships On The Emotional Expression Of Second-Generation Indian-Americans, Smitha M. Kashi

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation used a qualitative analysis methodology to study the contributions of parenting styles and peer relationships on the emotional expressivity of second generation Asian Indian-Americans. Seven participants participated in a 60 - 90 minute long semi-structured interview and the content was analyzed using a thematic analysis approach. Most previous research regarding this topic has been conducted on White American or European individuals and does not take into consideration the many intersectionalities that second-generation Indian-Americans hold. Many participants discussed the lack of direction they experienced in regards to learning about their emotions and disclosed that college and young adulthood provided …

Decolonial Possibilities For Non-Indigenous Environmental Educators, Emeric Bisbee

Master's Theses

Non-Indigenous environmental educators must incorporate Indigenous knowledges and worldviews to successfully teach about contemporary environmental problems such as sustainability. However, there are several barriers for non-Indigenous environmental educators to incorporate Indigenous knowledges, such as (a) Western science as the primary epistemology of environmental education, delegitimizing Indigenous ways of knowing, (b) non-Indigenous peoples’ reliance on the privileges gained by settler colonialism which works to erase and replace Indigenous peoples and knowledges, and (c) the historical and current injustices experienced by Indigenous peoples in schools because of settler colonialism. This study explored how experienced non-Indigenous environmental educators who incorporate Indigenous knowledges and …

How Do Religious Women Cope With Marital Conflict And Hardship? Article 2, Elizabeth M. Lyman, Loren D. Marks, David C. Dollahite, Chelom E. Leavitt, Tamara M. Chamberlain, Christina N. Cooper

Faculty Publications

Frequent and unresolved conflict is a significant relationship risk factor for divorce, but it has also been shown that religion strengthens marriages, specifically in ways that give direction and motivation for couples in resolving marital conflict or other marital hardships. Thus, a study of how successful religious couples resolve conflict is pertinent in helping us better understand how to strengthen marriages and families. Our qualitative study of 113 highly religious women of diverse faiths and races found that women’s perceived relationship or connection with God reportedly impacted conflict resolution and coping with marital hardship. Results suggest greater reconciliation and unity …

Depaul Digest

DePaul Magazine

English Professor and author Francesca Royster discusses her book, Black Country Music. News briefs on exciting developments at DePaul University’s 10 colleges and schools, from a school principal mentoring program to a trumpeter who scored a comic book award nomination. Lisa Young, director of DePaul's School of Hospitality and Sports Business shares tips on understanding wine from her popular course. DePaul Magazine celebrates 90 years of publication. Photos from 2024's Alumni and Family Weekend celebration.

And Climate Justice For All

DePaul Magazine

DePaul is taking its environmental sustainability and equity prowess to the next level through its Just DePaul and President's Sustainability Committee initiatives that incorporate a climate action plan and student voices. Plus, community partnership courses that involve students in environmental action and justice efforts.

Class Notes

DePaul Magazine

From promotions to performances, see the latest accomplishments by DePaul alumni across class years and generations.

Courting Success

DePaul Magazine

DePaul men’s basketball shoots for a comeback with new head coach Chris Holtmann and a revitalized program.

Full Issue: Fall 2024

DePaul Magazine

In DePaul Magazine's fall 2024 issue, DePaul’s new men’s basketball coach draws up plays for a revitalized hoops program, the DePaul Art Museum provides a home for marginalized artists and social justice, environmental sustainability initiatives cultivate community equity, and career changers get trained to teach in high-need public schools.

Disturbance Observer-Based Control Schemes For Off-Grid Renewable Energy-Based Distributed Generation Systems Feeding Unbalanced And Nonlinear Loads, Samantha Sasi Stephen

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

This thesis addresses two critical issues in Renewable Energy-based Distributed Generation (REDG) systems that operate autonomously to supply unbalanced and nonlinear loads. The first issue concerns voltage regulation in grid-forming three-phase Pulse Width Modulation Voltage Source Inverters (PWM VSIs), which convert DC power generated by Distributed Generators (DGs) into three-phase AC power. These inverters often face challenges when feeding unbalanced and nonlinear loads, leading to poor voltage quality. To address this, a voltage controller was developed for grid-forming three-phase PWM VSIs to deliver symmetrical and high-quality voltage to such loads. The proposed controller integrates a Disturbance Observer (DO) into a …

Ecological Niches Applied To Socioeconomic Phenomena: The Case Of The Colombian Internal Conflict, Alexander Alegría, Laura Jiménez, Jhon Jairo Alvarado-Quintero

Peace and Conflict Studies

Recent studies of the Colombian conflict have shown that struggle for resource accumulation and territorial control, in a very competitive and violent environment in which the illegal armed groups are involved, is crucial to their survival and development. Here, we applied a highly successful methodology from ecology (Ecological Niche Modelling) to the problem of identifying the ideal socioeconomic conditions for the presence of a Colombian illegal armed group, named the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). We analyzed some determining factors of FARC´s presence and permanence within the Colombian territory that reflect aspects of the socioeconomic dynamics and productive capacity …

Subsyndromal Delirium And Postoperative Pain In Older Adults, Dawn Lujean Denny

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between subsyndromal delirium and pain in older adults following major elective orthopedic surgery. The design of this correlational study was based on Inouye and Charpentier's (1996) multifactorial model of delirium.

Prostate Cancer Screening Survey Among African-American And Their Partners, Angela James

Dissertations

The purpose of this translational research project was to survey adult African-Americans and their partners to explore inhibitors and facilitators to PC screening.

Evaluating The Impact Of Post Discharge Callback On Patients With Copd Exacerbation, Stephanie L. Staten

Dissertations

The purpose of this project was to evaluate the impact of a post-discharge callback within 72 hours of discharge on medication adherence, attendance to post discharge follow up clinic visit, and 30-day readmissions in COPD patients. A secondary purpose was to explore reasons why patients who are discharged with a diagnosis of COPD exacerbation, did or did not adhere to their medications and keep their post-discharge follow up clinic visit during the 30-days following hospital discharge.