Digital Commons Network^™

Phosphorus Enriched Modified-Douglas Fir Biochar As A Soil Amendment, Beatrice Arwenyo

Theses and Dissertations

Biochar application as a soil additive is gaining global acceptance. In this era of climate change, biochar use for improved soil productivity is not just a sustainable eco-friendly substitute to synthetic fertilizer, but a noble contributor to the fight against climate change. Although biochar has been accredited with some environmental and agricultural benefits, most studies concentrated on agricultural and biowaste products as feedstocks. This research was designed to explore P-enriched modified-Douglas fir biochar potential as a soil additive. Using corn as a test crop, greenhouse studies were performed on acidic sandy soil, comparing phosphorus enriched modified-Douglas fir biochar efficacy to …

Against The Clock: Uncovering Diurnal Time Interval Decision Differences During Tornado Warnings For Lower Mississippi Valley Residents, Stephen Holden Wooten

Theses and Dissertations

With a higher number of nocturnal tornado events, I surveyed residents of Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee (N = 487 for each sample) to determine the time, in minutes, it took to reach a decision on shelter-seeking. I utilized latent class analysis (LCA) to create class memberships, based on diurnal and nocturnal scenarios, to associate with time intervals. Four actors were identified for each scenario: Tech Users, Typical Actors, Non-Reactors, and Social Actors for the day sample, Tech Users, Typical Actors, Passive Actors, and Non-Reactors for the night sample. Time intervals were created and applied to each class. All …

Procedures For Genetic Modification Of Miscanthus X Giganteus, A Biomass Crop, Anjali Arpan

Theses and Dissertations

Development of genetic improvement procedures for the bioenergy crop, Miscanthus × giganteus (M×g; triploid), are desired for trait improvement. Agrobacterium tumefaciens has been used in other Miscanthus spp. for genetic improvement, but not in M×g, nor have more than a few genes been introduced at a given time. Transformation procedures for M×g were developed; studies included use of A.tumefaciens (strain LBA4404) and A. rhizogenes (strain A4) for introduction of seven genes isolated (by other researchers) from Sorghum bicolor involved in sorgoleone biosynthesis (an allelopathic compound), and selectable marker gene neomycin phosphotransferase II. Procedural development included generation of …

Growing Tea In Mississippi, Qianwen Zhang

Theses and Dissertations

Tea is the most popular beverage worldwide, second only to water. The United States is the third largest importer of tea in the world, importing a total of about 260 million pounds tea annually. With increased demand for locally sourced food products, questions are raised regarding whether domestic production of tea is feasible. Compared to major tea producing countries with centuries of growing history, tea production in the U.S. is limited and requires research support in many aspects of tea production. The objectives of this study were to investigate plant growth, leaf morphology, and seasonal chemical compositions in tea leaves …

Design, Construction, And Characterization Of A Test Stand Used To Test Filter Media, Adam W. Parsons

Theses and Dissertations

Air filters are routinely used to remove various aerosols ranging from radioactive particles to airborne viruses. The overall performance of a filter may be simplified to consider only two main performance characteristics: 1) the efficiency at which particles are removed by the filter, and 2) the filter’s resistance to air flow. Per the DOE Nuclear Air Cleaning Handbook, HEPA filters require a minimum filter efficiency of 99.97% for particles 0.3 micrometers in diameter. Understanding how filters will perform with respect to time and mass loading is essential towards building more robust filters that operate more efficiently and safely. Analyzing the …

Attitudes And Perceptions Of College Students And Recent College Graduates Towards Forestry And Wood Products Science Fields, Amanda Peres Vieira Bedette

Theses and Dissertations

Over the past few decades, university level US Forestry and Wood Science and Technology programs have faced declining enrollment. As a result, the seeming disinterest of younger generations has impacted employment in these sectors. In an attempt to bridge the communication gap among colleges/industries, this study was created to attract the interest and maintain the enthusiasm of new generations of professionals and currently enrolled college students in the United States. In September 2021, an online survey was created and distributed to over 1500 alumni and students and received 1,495 usable surveys. Analysis performed on the resultant data included descriptive statistics …

Non-Classroom Involvement Among Rural Community College Students: An Application Of Tinto And Astin’S Models, William Johnson Bowlin

Theses and Dissertations

Participation in non-classroom activities has been documented to extend the intellectual, social, and psychosocial outcomes of the college experience. However, the benefits of non-classroom activities are often difficult to quantify due their voluntary nature, with findings mostly related to students within four-year institutions. The purpose of this study was to determine whether rural community college full-time freshman students who participate in non-classroom activities differ from nonparticipants with regard to self-identified values of academic integration, social integration, degree commitment, collegiate stress, and institutional commitment. These five factors have been demonstrated to influence student persistence and were adopted from Davidson et al.’s …

Improving Deep Neural Network Training With Batch Size And Learning Rate Optimization For Head And Neck Tumor Segmentation On 2d And 3d Medical Images, Zachariah Douglas

Theses and Dissertations

Medical imaging is a key tool used in healthcare to diagnose and prognose patients by aiding the detection of a variety of diseases and conditions. In practice, medical image screening must be performed by clinical practitioners who rely primarily on their expertise and experience for disease diagnosis. The ability of convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to extract hierarchical features and determine classifications directly from raw image data makes CNNs a potentially useful adjunct to the medical image analysis process. A common challenge in successfully implementing CNNs is optimizing hyperparameters for training. In this study, we propose a method which utilizes scheduled …

Health-Related Caretaking In An Institutionalized Setting: Applying The Index Of Care To Burial 1 From The Mid-19th To Early-20th Century Mississippi State Asylum, Jackson, Ms., Darcie Badon

Theses and Dissertations

This project employs a modified version of the Bioarchaeology of Care (BoC) in an analysis of Burial 1 from the Mississippi State Asylum, Jackson, MS. Burial 1 is a skeletal individual recovered from the historic MSA cemetery. Notably, Burial 1 exhibits recidivistic cranial trauma in the form of cranial depression fractures (CDFs) and significant entheseal changes in the upper extremities. However, because there is no identifying information associated with Burial 1, interpretations of the caretaking they may have received, both prior to and after institutionalization, include short- and long-term outcomes from their community and the MSA. Additionally, Burial 1’s CDFs …

The Role Of Knowledge Representations In Rule Transfer On A Novel Problem-Solving Task, Megan J. Raden

Theses and Dissertations

Although the independent roles of working memory capacity (WMC) and knowledge in problem solving have been thoroughly researched, there is significantly less work that has explored how WMC and knowledge interact during problem solving. The present study investigated how the quality of knowledge representations contribute to rule transfer in a problem-solving context and how WMC might contribute to the subsequent failure or success in transferring the relevant information. Participants were trained on individual figural analogies rules and then asked to rate how similar they thought the rules were to determine how stimulispecific or abstract their rule representations were. Their rule …

Barker V. Cruz

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Body Image And Relationship Satisfaction In Middle-Aged Women, Julia C. Solem

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The purpose of this study is to examine the connection between positive body image and relationship satisfaction with middle-aged women. Current research (Ambwani & Strauss, 2007) suggests body image and relationship satisfaction has a bidirectional influence. However, much of the current research focuses on a younger demographic, and middle-aged women are often a neglected population. This study seeks to better understand the interpersonal nature of healthy development in body image and relationships in middle-aged women. A phenomenological approach is utilized to observe the lived experiences of middle-aged women in committed relationships with positive body image. Six participants, between the ages …

Influencing Well-Being: A Study Of Childhood Risk Factors As Predictive Indicators For Future Mental Health Difficulties, Jennifer Sahr

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Previous literature demonstrates common childhood characteristics of adults with mental health problems and children with internalizing and externalizing behavior challenges (Fatori et al., 2013; Jaffee et al., 2002; Koegel et al., 1995; Morrissey et al., 2014). Still, little research exists having associated school-based internalizing and externalizing behavior screening scores with the risk factors described in the literature (i.e., low socioeconomic status, office discipline referrals, homelessness, low academic achievement, low attendance rates, and ethnicity- and gender-based issues). This quantitative correlational study aimed to estimate the predictive value the childhood risk factors had on the results of the Student Risk Screening Scale …

Sheltered Math Curriculum For Middle School English Learners, Jasmine Ercink

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Language barriers have shown a need for differentiation and sheltered instruction in the classroom for English Learners (ELs) to be successful in the United States public school system. This project proposes a mathematics curriculum using SIOP so that both groups of students in the middle school level can increase their proficiency in the mathematics content area as well as experience opportunities for academic and social language development. The purpose of this report is to describe the processes, methods, data, and intent of the mathematics curriculum for these learners. The curriculum acts as an effective intervention to fill gaps in both …

Factors Related To Rural Superintendent Retention And Turnover In North Dakota, Wayne Heckaman

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

This quantitative exploratory survey research aims to understand the factors or combination of factors that may influence the superintendent's decision to stay or leave a school district, specifically among North Dakota superintendents. This study focuses on the perspectives of North Dakota rural superintendents remaining in their positions or leaving without regard to years of experience. The central question to guide this study is, what are the factors that influence rural superintendents’ decision to stay or leave their school district? The overall goal is to provide information so that school districts and communities have greater success in retaining a superintendent which …

Targeting A Chemo-Induced Adaptive Signaling Circuit Confers Therapeutic Vulnerabilities In Pancreatic Cancer, Xu Feng, Mengfan Tang, Merve Dede, Dan Su, Guangsheng Pei, Dadi Jiang, Chao Wang, Zhen Chen, Mi Li, Litong Nie, Yun Xiong, Siting Li, Jeong-Min Park, Huimin Zhang, Min Huang, Klaudia Szymonowicz, Zhongming Zhao, Traver Hart, Junjie Chen

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Exploiting cancer vulnerabilities is critical for the discovery of anticancer drugs. However, tumor suppressors cannot be directly targeted because of their loss of function. To uncover specific vulnerabilities for cells with deficiency in any given tumor suppressor(s), we performed genome-scale CRISPR loss-of-function screens using a panel of isogenic knockout cells we generated for 12 common tumor suppressors. Here, we provide a comprehensive and comparative dataset for genetic interactions between the whole-genome protein-coding genes and a panel of tumor suppressor genes, which allows us to uncover known and new high-confidence synthetic lethal interactions. Mining this dataset, we uncover essential paralog gene …

X-Ray And Mri Theory For Mineral-Rich Fruits Affected By Heat Waves During Climate Change, Daler Djuraev, Somdat Kissoon, Robert O'Brien, Nino Jvarishvil

Publications and Research

Conventional Nutrition facts data relays the amounts of different minerals in apples. This information from such analysis may not connect these minerals with their natural biochemical or functional state for health or disease. These minerals may also be part of different particle sizes that affects X-ray transmission, absorption and scatter. The minerals may also redistribute within the tissue over time with or without heat shock. Current Medical Imaging procedures (Xray and MRI) do not localize such minerals. Our work offers a way to increase detection sensitivity of transition metals in various apple varieties non-invasively. This can constitute a step in …

Rapid Acceleration Of Kras-Mutant Pancreatic Carcinogenesis Via Remodeling Of Tumor Immune Microenvironment By Pparδ, Yi Liu, Yasunori Deguchi, Daoyan Wei, Fuyao Liu, Micheline J Moussalli, Eriko Deguchi, Donghui Li, Huamin Wang, Lovie Ann Valentin, Jennifer K Colby, Jing Wang, Xiaofeng Zheng, Haoqiang Ying, Mihai Gagea, Baoan Ji, Jiaqi Shi, James C Yao, Xiangsheng Zuo, Imad Shureiqi

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PanIN) is a precursor of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), which commonly occurs in the general populations with aging. Although most PanIN lesions (PanINs) harbor oncogenic KRAS mutations that initiate pancreatic tumorigenesis; PanINs rarely progress to PDAC. Critical factors that promote this progression, especially targetable ones, remain poorly defined. We show that peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-delta (PPARδ), a lipid nuclear receptor, is upregulated in PanINs in humans and mice. Furthermore, PPARδ ligand activation by a high-fat diet or GW501516 (a highly selective, synthetic PPARδ ligand) in mutant KRASG12D (KRASmu) pancreatic epithelial cells strongly accelerates PanIN progression to PDAC. This …

Assessment Of Fish Vending Parameters In Sta. Rosa Wet Market, Sabrina Cheyenne E. Chavez, John Louis M. Grecalda, Rylan A. Recto, Martin Lorenzo L. Rosanes

DLSU Senior High School Research Congress

The diversity of the fishes in the Philippines is massive considering the fact that the Philippines is known as one of the major fish producers in the world. Knowing this, it is difficult to manage and protect marine biodiversity in order to maintain the quality of the fish being sold to the people. This study aims to identify different fish stock data collected from the Santa Rosa Wet Market from December 2021 to February 2022, correlate the data, and compare the results with the previous studies. The study adopted the research designs and the pre-made questionnaires of related previous studies, …

Transforming Curriculum: A Process For Implementing Problem-Based Learning In A College-Level Course, Morgan Robertson, Marla K. Robertson

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version of this article here.

Transforming curriculum by implementing Problem-Based Learning (PBL) in the college-level classroom helps students internalize the concepts of a course, improve their critical and reflective thinking skills, learn to problem-solve using questioning, and ultimately construct a better understanding of course concepts in a personally relevant way. This article introduces a process for implementing PBL in a college-level course. Each of the four main ideas in PBL, motivation, collaboration, reflection, and facilitation, are addressed with a particular focus on the role of the educator in designing and implementing PBL in the classroom. An …

Checking In: Learner Perceptions Of The Value Of Language Study In College, Julian Ledford, Tijá Odoms

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version of this article here.

An understanding of the products that Generation Z students value the most from their college-level language study is essential for instructors who must effectively unpack second language theories within the context of their classroom instruction. This preliminary study examines the value system regarding language study as revealed in the language-learning perceptions of a group of current language learners (n = 53) and recent college graduates (n = 49) at a small, private, liberal arts college in the southeast. Through qualitative analysis of student responses, the following emerged as language-learning …

The Meaning Women University Basketball Athletes Ascribe To Gender Inequality And Their Lived Experiences With It, John Carlo S. Capuz, Kristina Elaine C. Delos Santos, Margarette P. Lombos, John Kenneth E. Pamatian, Liezl Rillera Astudillo

DLSU Senior High School Research Congress

The fight for gender equality for women is still happening even up to this day. Gender inequalities seem to have a significant effect on the performance of an athlete. The gap in the possibility of marginalization of women basketball players in universities. In light of this, the present study aims to analyze their lived experiences with gender imbalance in the context of their sport. The following questions were addressed in the study: (1.) How do women athletes interpret gender inequality in general? (2) How did these athletes experience gender inequalities in their sport? (3) What were their responses to their …

Minimalist Space: The Influence Of Interior Design On The Mental Health Of Teenagers, Zhyrine Ann Nicole K. Datinguinoo

DLSU Senior High School Research Congress

Because mental health is one of the most prevalent health concerns among teens, one of the most influential variables contributing is their personal surroundings. According to research, an interior space design and its design components have the capacity to impact an individual's mental health either favorably or adversely depending on how they are communicated. This research seeks to produce an interior design of a bedroom that embraces a Minimalist idea suitable for improving one's mental health and well-being. A literature study was undertaken to get a better knowledge of the impact of interior design. The review identifies the aspects and …

Alpas: Fast Fashion As A Means To Promote Gender Equality To Filipino Young Adults, Mariella Isabelle D. Balaoro

DLSU Senior High School Research Congress

Alpas is a clothing collection that promotes the Filipino identity in genderless clothing in the fast fashion industry. The researcher hopes to use fashion to eliminate inequalities between men and women in the Philippines. The Philippines is recognized for being conservative and traditional, which factors to current gender inequalities. Those who defy fashion conventions are humiliated and harassed. This motivated the researcher to make an innovation in fashion. This collection is a fusion of modern and traditional clothing that may be worn casually outdoors. Because of its affordability and style, fast fashion is the most accessible to the majority of …

My Eyes Are Up Here!: Defining The Female Gaze Through A Comparative Analysis Of Films Throughout The Decades, Anka A. Delos Reyes

DLSU Senior High School Research Congress

The male gaze is a trend that has been observed in film for decades, and the oversaturation of inaccurate portrayals of women can be harmful as these portrayals affect women’s self-perception and regress the efforts of feminst movements. Given this, the study aims to define, characterize and illustrate an alternative to the male gaze through My Eyes are up Here! A digital zine that reimagines films adopting the female gaze, rather than its objectifying counterpart. To collect data for the study, visual content analysis of films from different genres and decades was conducted following a set of codes, and the …

#Nostudentsleftbehind: The Role Of Digital Inclusion In The Academic Performance Of Senior High School Students Amid The Pandemic, Karina Leancel A. Dapal, Gaea Ayn Maui E. Entico, Kimberly Anne A. Lontok, Ariana Mariel D. Magdalena

DLSU Senior High School Research Congress

As society continually progresses in the 21st century, there is evident advancement in the utilization of digital devices and the internet. With this, digital inclusion, or an individual’s ability to use and access information and communications technology (ICT), is particularly relevant in the present day. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated the need for adequate digital inclusion levels among students. This paper describes the relationship between the digital inclusion levels and the academic performance of senior high school students during the pandemic, and determines the sociodemographic and socioeconomic characteristics that influence both digital inclusion and academic performance. Using a …

Igotchu Covered: Understanding Female Instagram Users' Reliance On Beauty Filters, Aubrey A. Audije, Lara Francesca M. Carpena, Kaye Ashny Mariana A. Leonizo, Liezl Rillera Astudillo

DLSU Senior High School Research Congress

The study sought to explicate the influence of female Instagram users' attributes on their dependence on aesthetic enhancers or filters. There are minimal studies involving the actual grounds of beauty enhancement usage, as most studies are concentrated on its effects. Therefore, this study aims to determine the factors that affect a late adolescent female’s tendency to use beauty filters on Instagram, what motivates them in using these beauty enhancers, and the effects of Instagram usage on the desire to enhance their physical appearance. With that said, it is hypothesized that the intensity of social media use, social media awareness, the …

The Influence Of Parasocial Relationships On Celebrity Credibility And Consumer Behavior Before And After A Tv Show Finale, Renzo Josh M. Bugarin, Quijana Jynnyll A. Samilo, Articus Filipe E. Tolentino

DLSU Senior High School Research Congress

Parasocial relationships (PSR) are characterized by the feeling of intimacy or personal connection by media consumers to media characters through one-sided interactions. In recent years, studies revealed that people have become increasingly dependent on online personas or celebrities to seek comfort and fulfill self-indulgent interactions during the pandemic. However, previous literature on PSR fails to monitor the development of investigated factors over impactful changes in the media such as the airing of a finale. This study is therefore conducted to fulfill two main objectives: a) to determine the relationship of PSR with celebrity credibility and consumer behavior and b) to …

Motivational Factors And Participation Of Senior High School Students In Attending Online Masses, Yuval C. Adera, Herlyn Angel P. Barilla

DLSU Senior High School Research Congress

The COVID-19 Pandemic has prompted the suspension of masses. Thus, this started online masses and has been used by schools to allow students to attend virtually the sacraments. The study investigates how motivated and participative students are in online masses. The researchers investigated the degree of motivation and level of participation of students, the differences when grouped according to the demographics, and if there exists a significant relationship between the two. A study from Dioso (2014) has specified four motivational factors for students to attend masses: requirement, meaningfulness, liturgical celebration, and parental influence, and served as the main theoretical framework …

The Interaction Of Topological Defects In Anisotropically-Elastic Nematic Liquid Crystals, Carter J. Swift

Macalester Journal of Physics and Astronomy

Topological defects are very well understood so long as the medium in which they exist is isotropically-elastic. They lead to director fields which are easy to calculate and superpose linearly so that a system with any number of defects is analytically treatable. They also have an interaction which is simple in form and can be accurately described by the Peach-Koehler force. In an anisotropically-elastic medium, however, such defects are very poorly understood outside of the single-defect case which was solved by Dzyaloshinskii. In this project, numerical and approximate analytical techniques are applied in order to better understand the interaction between …