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2024

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Experimental And Numerical Investigation Of Phase Change Material Melting Cycle In Microgravity, Ethan Michael Schuetzle Dec 2024

Experimental And Numerical Investigation Of Phase Change Material Melting Cycle In Microgravity, Ethan Michael Schuetzle

Theses and Dissertations

Efficient thermal management of spacecraft systems is crucial to overcome the extreme thermal conditions in space. Phase change materials (PCMs) offer significant advantages in thermal energy storage (TES) systems due to their high latent heat of fusion, the amount of energy stored or released during phase transitions. However, PCMs face limitations due to low thermal conductivity, especially in microgravity where heat transfer is primarily through conduction. This research addresses this issue by incorporating a 3D-printed aluminum lattice structure to enhance heat transfer to PCMs. Experimental data from sub-orbital flight tests and ground-based experiments, coupled with numerical simulations, are used to …


Projecting Land Cover Changes And Impacts On Bird Conservation Using Geographic Information System, Remote Sensing And A Cellular Automata – Artificial Neural Network Model In Nairobi National Park, Kenya., Frank Juma Ong'ondo Dec 2024

Projecting Land Cover Changes And Impacts On Bird Conservation Using Geographic Information System, Remote Sensing And A Cellular Automata – Artificial Neural Network Model In Nairobi National Park, Kenya., Frank Juma Ong'ondo

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines land cover changes and their projected future impacts on bird species conservation in and around Nairobi National Park, Kenya. 2016 and 2023 Satellite imagery, analyzed through Google Earth Engine and the MOLUSCE plugin were used to assess changes in five land cover types: grassland, shrubland, forest, urban, and water. Bird population data from the Kenya Bird Map were used to evaluate birds' responses to land cover changes. Birds were categorized into five habitat guilds—grassland-dependent, shrubland-dependent, forest-dependent, water-dependent, and urban-dependent bird species. Between 2016 and 2023, grassland and shrubland decreased by 14.21% and 5.54%, respectively, and urban increased …


Discrimination The Roles Of Anthropogenic Greenhouse Gases And Aerosols On Tropical Cyclone Frequency From Downscaling Cmip6 Models, George Gyabaah Dec 2024

Discrimination The Roles Of Anthropogenic Greenhouse Gases And Aerosols On Tropical Cyclone Frequency From Downscaling Cmip6 Models, George Gyabaah

Theses and Dissertations

Tropical cyclones (TCs) are devastating disasters, yet predicting their future activity remains highly uncertain. To better understand the impacts of different anthropogenic forcings, specifically greenhouse gases (GHG) and aerosols on the TCs, I downscaled the single forcing experiments of 11 CMIP6 models in the Columbia HAZard Model (CHAZ). This analysis focused on changes in the distribution of the North Atlantic (ATL) and Western North Pacific (WNP) basins and explored the shift in environmental variables that drive them. We then used the formulation of the genesis component of CHAZ as a constraint to quantify the relative contribution of each predictor relative …


Exploring Single Particles Through Optical Trapping And Advanced Laser Spectroscopy Techniques, Haifa Hassan Alali Dec 2024

Exploring Single Particles Through Optical Trapping And Advanced Laser Spectroscopy Techniques, Haifa Hassan Alali

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores the innovative integration of optical trapping (OT) with advanced laser spectroscopy techniques to investigate the physicochemical properties of single particles from a variety of atmospheric aerosols, such as bioaerosols, terrestrial dust, and extraterrestrial dust. Each technique offers unique insights, significantly enhancing our understanding of these critical atmospheric components. The first work focuses on employing OT in conjunction with cavity ringdown spectroscopy (OT-CRDS) to measure the single-particle extinction of interplanetary dust particles at ultraviolet wavelengths (~308 nm). This method allows for the stable trapping of individual dust particles in air, facilitating precise characterization with minimal external interference. Our …


Changing Attitudes And Increasing Fruit And Vegetable Intake Of Elementary-Aged Children Through School Gardens, Hayley Rae Meriwether Dec 2024

Changing Attitudes And Increasing Fruit And Vegetable Intake Of Elementary-Aged Children Through School Gardens, Hayley Rae Meriwether

Theses and Dissertations

Fruit and vegetable consumption is critical for children’s health, yet many fail to meet recommended intake levels. School gardens have the potential to increase consumption and improve attitudes toward fruits and vegetables. This study examined the impact of a school gardening program on children’s attitudes and consumption of fruits and vegetables using a pre- and post-test design. While most children reported enjoying gardening and trying new produce, no significant changes were observed in overall attitudes or consumption patterns after the intervention. However, increased consumption of apples and green beans was noted. The findings suggest that while school gardens can spark …


Fisheries Management In Mississippi State-Operated Fishing Lakes: A Review And Look To The Future, Hayden Gregory Funk Dec 2024

Fisheries Management In Mississippi State-Operated Fishing Lakes: A Review And Look To The Future, Hayden Gregory Funk

Theses and Dissertations

The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks currently manages 18 State Lakes and 17 State Park Lakes to provide public fishing opportunities. My goal was to conduct a comprehensive analysis of monitoring and management activities in State Lakes to enhance understanding of lake dynamics, further develop existing management initiatives, and identify alternative avenues for effective management. To achieve this objective, I have undertaken a comprehensive examination and synthesis of the historical background pertaining to State Lakes and conducted an analysis of pertinent data regarding lake characteristics such as the physical and chemical attributes of the lakes, the features of …


Evaluation Of Current Management Strategies For The Tarnished Plant Bug And Tobacco Thrips In Midsouthern Cotton, Hunter Lane Lipsey Dec 2024

Evaluation Of Current Management Strategies For The Tarnished Plant Bug And Tobacco Thrips In Midsouthern Cotton, Hunter Lane Lipsey

Theses and Dissertations

The tarnished plant bug, Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois), is an important economic pest of cotton, Gossypium hirsutum (L.), in the Midsouth region of the United States. An experiment was conducted to determine the impact of insecticide class loss on yield and Lygus populations in the recently commercialized ThryvOn cotton technology. Data indicated no significant yield loss when excluding any currently utilized insecticide class for tarnished plant bug management. An additional objective was to reevaluate the sampling interval necessary to scout ThryvOn cotton for Lygus. No significant differences were observed between a 3 or 7-day sample interval compared to plots …


Mass Timber Utilization In Architecture: Carbon Sequestration, Building Materials And Construction Practices, Jacob Alan Gines Dec 2024

Mass Timber Utilization In Architecture: Carbon Sequestration, Building Materials And Construction Practices, Jacob Alan Gines

Theses and Dissertations

The built environment must innovate and adopt new materials and construction practices in order to meet current and forecasted environmental challenges, economic uncertainties and construction pressures. The specification of mass timber materials and building assemblies will play a major role in addressing these issues. The objectives of this research are fourfold: 1) Develop a deeper understanding among construction professionals of the role mass timber buildings can have in greatly reducing CO2 emissions through the use of renewable forest products and the storage of carbon in buildings; 2) Provide insights into the utilization of mass timber products for architectural application that …


Evaluating The Emergent Wetland Plant Juncus Effusus As A Tool In Phytoremediation Of Nitrogen And Copper, Jacob Aaron Hockensmith Dec 2024

Evaluating The Emergent Wetland Plant Juncus Effusus As A Tool In Phytoremediation Of Nitrogen And Copper, Jacob Aaron Hockensmith

Theses and Dissertations

Eutrophication is an increasing issue around the globe, including the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley where excess nitrogen runs into the Mississippi River and subsequently the Gulf of Mexico. The restoration of wetlands is one method that has been developed to help reduce nitrogen runoff, however, species selection should be done carefully as species selected must not only remove nitrogen but be able to compete with established species. Chapter II of this thesis investigates whether J. effusus is a viable candidate for use in this role. Additionally, copper contamination around the globe is increasing due to a variety of anthropogenic sources. …


Assessing Plate Load Testing And Modulus Of Subgrade Reaction Determination For Pavements, Jami Lynn Rushing Dec 2024

Assessing Plate Load Testing And Modulus Of Subgrade Reaction Determination For Pavements, Jami Lynn Rushing

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis aims to: 1) determine the effect of plate size on the modulus of subgrade reaction (k), 2) investigate the differences between the ASTM D1196-21 and CRD-C 655-95 plate load test methods, and 3) develop new effective k curves. 150 plate load tests were executed on three subgrade materials under varying base course thicknesses. Plate load testing was designed to evaluate various plate sizes and testing standards (e.g., the military standard – CRD-C 655-96 and the ASTM standard – ASTM D1196-21). By performing plate load tests on varying base course thicknesses, newly developed effective k curves were developed from …


Beyond Clear Paths: Training With Neural Style Transfer And Auto-Augmentation For Domain-Generalized Segmentation Of Soiled Images, Jacob Randall Kutch Dec 2024

Beyond Clear Paths: Training With Neural Style Transfer And Auto-Augmentation For Domain-Generalized Segmentation Of Soiled Images, Jacob Randall Kutch

Theses and Dissertations

The use of image segmentation within mission-critical autonomous vehicle applications is contingent on reliability of visual sensors, which may become significantly compromised by environmental occlusions such as mud, water, dust, or ice. This thesis explores semantic segmentation techniques tailored for identifying occluded regions, addressing the limitations of conventional methods under unpredictable real-world conditions. Given the scarcity of training datasets with realistic occlusions and the resulting reliance on synthetic data, this research leverages style transfer augmentations and a novel augmentation policy optimization framework to diversify training datasets and improve model generalization. A newly-curated dataset of naturally occurring occlusions evaluates the efficacy …


The Plastics Crisis: Responsible Recycling In Civil Engineering And Infrastructure, Jason Howell Stewart Dec 2024

The Plastics Crisis: Responsible Recycling In Civil Engineering And Infrastructure, Jason Howell Stewart

Theses and Dissertations

A global plastics crisis exists with around 400 million metric tons (MMT) of plastics production and 350 MMT of plastics waste generated annually around the globe. Plastics are durable and essentially non-biodegradable, so they accumulate in both terrestrial and marine environments as pollution and within landfills without breaking down over time. Plastics are ubiquitous in 21st-century society and culture, comprising essential elements in most industries including packaging, transportation, electrical/electronics, and building/construction. The role of civil engineering and infrastructure in addressing the plastics crisis was specifically explored. Responsible plastics recycling yields products with improved engineering properties, performance characteristics, marketability, and/or manufacturing …


Factors Influencing Quality Of Citizen Science-Collected Litter Data And The Retention Of Recruited Citizen Scientists, Jessi Alexandria James-Barry Dec 2024

Factors Influencing Quality Of Citizen Science-Collected Litter Data And The Retention Of Recruited Citizen Scientists, Jessi Alexandria James-Barry

Theses and Dissertations

There are many benefits to using citizen science in scientific research, however, there are several perceived limitations. One being that citizen science data are often viewed as inferior or unusable by the broader science community. A primary concern to the usability and accuracy of this data depends on the level of training a participant receives. Another limitation is the recruitment and retention of volunteers participating in the data collection process. To further understand how training level affects the accuracy of citizen science and how demographics may influence participation, this study evaluated 73 volunteers trained in two different marine debris data …


Plastic Contaminants Detection And Classification In Seed Cotton Using Customed Design Feeder Separator Unit And Convolutional Neural Network, Jonathan Harjono Dec 2024

Plastic Contaminants Detection And Classification In Seed Cotton Using Customed Design Feeder Separator Unit And Convolutional Neural Network, Jonathan Harjono

Theses and Dissertations

The thesis presents an application of a convolutional neural network (CNN) to detect and classify plastic contaminants in seed cotton in real-time, in a ginning environment. A multi-layered CNN was developed and used to detect plastic contaminants from images captured by a universal serial bus (USB) camera, in a flowing cotton stream, with an artificial lighting system. The CNN was trained using a collection of images captured in the dynamic setting that simulated real-time cotton flow using a custom design feeder system. The CNN was trained in Google Colaboratory (Colab) environment. After the training was completed, it was then converted …


A Case Against Exclusive Reliance On Volumetric Mixture Characterization For Future Asphalt Pavements And The Advancement Of A Viable Alternative, Jonathan Randy Easterling Dec 2024

A Case Against Exclusive Reliance On Volumetric Mixture Characterization For Future Asphalt Pavements And The Advancement Of A Viable Alternative, Jonathan Randy Easterling

Theses and Dissertations

Volumetric properties have been the cornerstone of asphalt mixture design and control dating back to the early 20th century. However, social and economic drivers have caused the asphalt industry to make changes in materials and processes used to produce mixtures that have stretched the limits of volumetric centric methodologies. The primary objectives of this dissertation were to present an extensive case on how volumetrics is limited in their ability to characterize asphalt mixtures and to advance the body of knowledge of a viable alternative. State agency specifications were examined and found that Departments of Transportation (DOTs) were using asphalt volumetric …


Advances In Cluster Detection Via Order Statistics, Renewal Processes And Model Selection Methods With Applications To Financial Forensic Statistics, Kwabena Ansong Boateng Dec 2024

Advances In Cluster Detection Via Order Statistics, Renewal Processes And Model Selection Methods With Applications To Financial Forensic Statistics, Kwabena Ansong Boateng

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation develops a novel method to detect clusters that appear in financial transaction data that are linked to fraud. The methods utilize properties of order statistics, renewal processes, and model segmentation. We apply the Minimum Description Length (MDL) principle to select the best model. Our technique makes use of a genetic algorithm to determine the number and location of anomalous cluster(s) embedded in a set of financial transactions. We apply our novel cluster detection method to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), a U.S. Government initiative launched in April 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic to aid small businesses affected by …


Accountability Matters: An In-Depth Analysis Of Institutional Faculty Support Programs And How They Impact Black Faculty., Lakan Lashona' Powell Dec 2024

Accountability Matters: An In-Depth Analysis Of Institutional Faculty Support Programs And How They Impact Black Faculty., Lakan Lashona' Powell

Theses and Dissertations

The experiences of Black faculty at predominantly White institutions have a complex history and have caused one glaring issue: a lack of retention. Specific calls to action have led to changes; however, more should be done to ensure this underrepresented group is utilized in the most effective manner. While most scholars focus on Black faculty who do not stay; it is critical to explore those who do. The purpose of this research was to distinguish what influences IFSPs played in the faculty success and ultimate stay of Black faculty at two predominantly White institutions in the state of Mississippi. This …


An Analysis Of Suspension Days Among Students In Special Education And General Education In A Rural School District, Lakesia Falanda Bryant Dec 2024

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 Dec 2024

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 Dec 2024

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 …


Identification Of Bacterial Species Composition And Diversity Of Chicken Breast Meat During Processing., Lizzie Raquel Zaldivar Dec 2024

Identification Of Bacterial Species Composition And Diversity Of Chicken Breast Meat During Processing., Lizzie Raquel Zaldivar

Theses and Dissertations

Understanding the bacterial profile of chicken during processing is essential to identify spoilage-related bacteria. Using advanced methods like Oxford Nanopore sequencing, specific bacterial species on chicken meat can be identified. This study aimed to characterize bacterial composition and diversity on chicken breast during processing. Results showed a reduction in aerobic bacteria, E. coli, coliform, and lactic acid bacteria counts. However, three thermophilic bacteria, Anoxybacillus contaminants, Neobacillus thermocopriae, and Anoxybacillus flavithermus, dominated across processing steps. Notably, Pseudomonas species were undetected by conventional plating but identified via Nanopore sequencing, highlighting the need for molecular detection methods. Although antimicrobial interventions significantly reduced bacterial …


The Effect Of Teacher Efficacy On Career Technical Education Program Participation In Select Mississippi Schools, Lori Parkman Nail Dec 2024

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 Dec 2024

"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 Dec 2024

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 Dec 2024

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 …


Predicting Vegetation Override Force For Off-Road Autonomy, Marc Nicholas Moore Dec 2024

Predicting Vegetation Override Force For Off-Road Autonomy, Marc Nicholas Moore

Theses and Dissertations

Vegetation override is an important aspect of off-road ground vehicle mobility. An autonomous ground vehicle’s (AGV) perception system must distinguish between vegetation that can be easily driven through from vegetation that cannot. Predicting the resistance of vegetation could allow path- planning systems to make this distinction. However, despite its importance, direct measurement of vegetation resistance is rare, as most studies use indirect proprioceptive data, such as inertial measurements, as proxies for override force. Notably, there is a lack of empirical data on the override resistance of small stems (< 2.5 cm) and clusters of vegetation on medium-sized (approx. 1000kg) vehicles. To address this gap, a comprehensive dataset of override measurements was collected for clumps of small vegetation relevant to intermediate-sized AGVs navigating off-road terrain. This dataset includes over 70 recordings using the Robot Operating System (ROS) during controlled driving experiments through small trees, grasses, and bushes. The collected data includes light detection and ranging (LiDAR) scans, imagery, force measurements from integrated load cells, and simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) information. A key contribution of this research is the development and calibration of a custom push bar system equipped with load cells to directly measure override forces. These measurements are compared to empirical models previously developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for larger single-stem vegetation. A preprocessing pipeline was developed to automatically extract and label LiDAR and camera data according to these force measurements. This self-labeled dataset was then used to train machine learning models that predict override resistance of vegetation from LiDAR and camera scans alone. This research characterizes the relationship between override forces and the observable features of vegetation as measured by LiDAR and camera sensors. Deep learning models were developed and trained to predict override forces based on different input modalities and features derived from point clouds and images. The performance of these models was compared across various input features to investigate how deep learning can create a generalizable and accurate force prediction system.


Bridging Scales Integrating Satellite Derived With Airborne And Uas-Collected Bathymetry For Coastal And Inland Water Management, Md Salman Bashit Dec 2024

Bridging Scales Integrating Satellite Derived With Airborne And Uas-Collected Bathymetry For Coastal And Inland Water Management, Md Salman Bashit

Theses and Dissertations

This study makes important scientific contributions by improving remote sensing methods for collecting bathymetric data. It demonstrates an improved and novel approach to utilizing Sentinel-2 reflectance data to extract satellite-derived bathymetry (SDB), validated against data from airborne LiDAR bathymetry (ALB). The study looks at how well SDB works in several coastal areas of the United States. It uses the Normalized Difference Turbidity Index (NDTI) and Total Suspended Solids (TSS) to see how water quality affects the accuracy of SDB. The study also analyzes how unoccupied aerial systems (UAS) can be combined with echo sounder systems to derive bathymetric maps with …


Development And Changes Over Time Of A Granola Bar Formulated With Sweet Potatoes, Meredith Kate Maynard Dec 2024

Development And Changes Over Time Of A Granola Bar Formulated With Sweet Potatoes, Meredith Kate Maynard

Theses and Dissertations

Sweet potatoes are a worldwide staple crop and granola bars are popular with consumers. This study aims to create a granola bar utilizing sweet potatoes and to assess its changes over time. Initial formulations tested minimum and maximum concentration of sweet potato (SP) puree, formulations, cooking type and time/temperature, humectants and preservatives. Bars containing 30 and 45% SP butter were chosen. Changes over time and descriptive sensory evaluation were conducted every 14d for 70d, with four treatments: a control bar and a bar with a preservative, each held at 25°C and 47°C. Water activity and moisture decreased by 0.05 and …


Invasive Bigheaded Carp Distribution Patterns In Oxbow Lakes Of The Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley, Michaela Ann Palmieri Dec 2024

Invasive Bigheaded Carp Distribution Patterns In Oxbow Lakes Of The Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley, Michaela Ann Palmieri

Theses and Dissertations

Large populations of Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) and Bighead Carp (H. nobilis), collectively called bigheaded carps, may have significant impacts where they are invasive. In the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley (LMAV), bigheaded carps have been documented in major rivers; however, knowledge of their distribution in oxbow lakes is lacking. Species distribution models are tools that can be used to estimate species distribution with presence data and environmental variables. As a cost-effective alternative to onsite sampling, I administered a questionnaire to biologists to inventory bigheaded carp presence and obtained environmental data from existing datasets. I used Maximum Entropy (Maxent) to illustrate …


A Comparison Of Reading Fluency Interventions: Group Repeated Reading And Rapid Read, Michelle Renee Poynter Dec 2024

A Comparison Of Reading Fluency Interventions: Group Repeated Reading And Rapid Read, Michelle Renee Poynter

Theses and Dissertations

Reading fluency is a crucial skill to learn to be successful in school and in life. Research indicates that the most effective and widely used group interventions to increase children’s reading fluency such as repeated reading have been used with minimal to no modifications since their development. Although there are many reading fluency strategies and interventions to select from, few group reading fluency interventions have emerged in the literature with enough evidence to support their use. It is crucial to implement effective and efficient group reading fluency intervention to decrease the time the student spends instructionally behind peers as well …