Digital Commons Network^™

A Survey Of Lichen Native To Three Of Mississippi’S National Forests, William S. Granberry Iii

Honors Theses

Lichens are a major part of the environment for telling the air quality and the impact humans have on the environment. These signs go into how many species of lichen are present in a general area, and there has been a lack of a list of lichens that call Mississippi their home. The goal of this research is to help create this list through a survey of lichen in three of Mississippi’s National Forests: DeSoto, Homochitto, and Holly Springs. These three forests are ideal because they cover differing ecosystems and are in different parts of the state, heightening the chance …

Identity, Masculinity, And Stigma: Understanding Barriers To Mental Health Care Among African American Men, Landon H. Jones

Honors Theses

African American men are documented to underutilize health care services. Although the reasons for this pattern are complex, research suggests that both historical mistrust of the medical system and sociocultural expectations of strength, rooted in intersecting racial and masculine identities, might play key roles. These same factors may also influence attitudes toward mental health care. In the study, 267 African American men were randomly assigned to listen to a brief pro-health message delivered by either an in-group community member, a religious figure, or a neutral control speaker. Participants completed measures of racial identity importance, conformity to masculine norms, anticipated stigma, …

Understanding Stakeholders’ Perceptions Of Liberia’S Accelerated Learning Program: A Generic Qualitative Study, Aagon Fremling Tingba, Jr.

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Exploring How Parental Substance Abuse Experiences Shape Black Women’S Interpersonal Relationships, Samele Mayfield

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Development Of An Evidence Based Pressure Ulcer Prevention Bundle For The Medical Surgical Unit, Fanhelea Morency

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Breaking Barriers: The Impact Of Recruitment And Retention On Black Educator Representation In K–12 Schools And Strategies For Advancing Equity, Wynter Williams-Adams

LMU Theses and Dissertations

The underrepresentation of African American teachers in California K–12 public schools remain a persistent and systemic issue that directly impacts student outcomes and school climate. This qualitative study investigates the barriers that affect both the recruitment and retention of African American teachers across multiple stages of the educator pipeline, including college seniors considering teaching, early-career teachers, veteran educators, and former teachers who exited the profession. Using a grounded theory approach (Glaser & Strauss, 1967; Charmaz, 2014) and guided by Critical Race Theory (CRT) (Bell, 1992; Crenshaw, 1996), Cultural Reproduction Theory (Bourdieu, 1977), and Organizational Theory (Fayol, 1949; Capper, 2018) this …

Development Of Novel Plasma Proteomic Biomarkers For Cancer-Associated Thrombosis In An Advanced Cancer Cohort, Preeti, Mrinal Ranjan, Dang Pham, Juan L Bueno, Micheline M Resende, Michael E Scheurer, Christopher I Amos, Chao Cheng, Ang Li

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

Background: Existing risk models for cancer-associated thrombosis (CAT) show suboptimal performance in selective high-risk populations with cancer. Affinity-based plasma proteomics offers a novel approach for detecting CAT risk.

Objectives: To identify plasma biomarkers for CAT using proximity extension assays in an advanced cancer cohort.

Methods: We performed a nested case-control study using the Olink Explore HT panel. The final cohort included 57 patients with CAT and 113 matched control patients from 5 selected cancer types who had samples collected between cancer diagnosis and chemotherapy initiation. Random survival forest model was used to assess nonlinear associations with CAT in 5416 normalized …

Thermal Management Of Electric Vehicle Batteries Using Multi-Directional Immersion Cooling Techniques, Lindsey T. Mcgee

Honors Theses

Through the years, liquid cooling has been the most prominent technique used to regulate the temperature in electric vehicle (EV) batteries. This involves a circulating coolant running through a closed-loop system that passes through each of the channels within the lithium-ion battery. While effective, this design has certain limitations. Since the coolant is not making direct contact with the battery cells, its’ capabilities to cool are greatly hindered. Immersion cooling techniques have shown to be an effective cooling method for lithium-ion batteries. This method involved running a dielectric fluid flow across the body of the battery cells. With the immersion …

Homelessness In The Caribbean: From Colonial Roots To Rights-Based Responses, Wilmy Dessalines, Tamar Ezer, Gabriela Valentín Diaz

University of Miami International and Comparative Law Review

This Article provides an analysis of homelessness across four Caribbean localities—the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico. Each locality brings a diverse history connected to colonial legacies and realities from Spain, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States. They capture a cross-section of the Caribbean and reveal that homelessness is shaped by legal and governance systems rooted in colonial inheritance that promote exclusion over social protection: from vagrancy laws that regulate presence in public space to land systems that legalize dispossession and facilitate displacement. Laws punishing vagrancy and life-sustaining activities serve as instruments of social control that systematically …

Plastic Material Analysis And Bonding In Small Aquatic Vessels, Andrew R. Orr

Honors College Theses

This project presents the design and development of a suitable vessel for small-scale aquatic applications. The developed project is used for a remote-controlled duck hunting system, and the parameters of the design are based on the requirements for the system as a whole. Traditionally, plastics are fabricated using blow molding to create a single seamless form. However, for small-scale prototyping with limited resources, this method of fabrication is unsustainable for short-term, non-industrial design applications. As a result, an existing longer hull is selected and shortened to meet the required project length. The project evaluates multiple initial hull designs, ultimately selecting …

Lived Experiences Of Homebound Adults With Health Access Needs, Margaret Henderson-Lee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Homebound adults represent a medically vulnerable and rapidly growing population at heightened risk for unmet healthcare needs. Although quantitative studies document disparities in utilization and outcomes, less is known about how homebound individuals experience healthcare access. Grounded in Husserlian transcendental phenomenology, this qualitative study explored the lived experiences of homebound adults facing healthcare access barriers and examined how those experiences align with Levesque et al.’s patient-centered conceptual framework of access. Twenty homebound adults were recruited from a single residential care setting in the southeastern United States. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using an inductive phenomenology approach. Initial …

Oxytocin And Vasopressin Receptors Mediate Dopamine Release In The Nucleus Accumbens, Rebecca Chari Crenshaw

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

Oxytocin (OXT) is a potential therapeutic target for substance use disorders due to its modulatory effects on mesolimbic dopamine function. While OXT activity in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) influences dopamine release, the receptor mechanisms underlying these effects remain unclear. Oxytocin receptors (OXTRs) and vasopressin 1A receptors (V1aRs) are both expressed in the NAc and may differentially regulate dopamine function. This study examined how selective activation and blockade of OXTRs and V1aRs within the NAc modulate phasic and tonic dopamine release using in vivo amperometry in male and female mice. Intra-NAc OXT decreased phasic, but not tonic, dopamine release. Similarly, activation …

The Battle Of Tupelo Hospital Cemetery National Register Nomination, Madeline K. Weems

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

On July 14, 1864, the Battle of Tupelo, or the Battle of Harrisburg as it is also known, occurred within fifteen miles of the community of Palmetto in northeast Mississippi. As the battle ensued, wounded and dying soldiers were transported to different sites in and around Tupelo, including the home of Dr. William Henry and Jane Calhoun in Palmetto that served as the main hospital. The bodies of some of those soldiers still remain on the former Calhoun Plantation, including the grave of D. D. Drake. This public history capstone thesis evaluates this Civil War era cemetery’s history and integrity, …

Strategies Leaders In The Financial Industry Use To Create A More Diverse, Equal, And Inclusive Culture To Improve Business Performance, Wendy Lynne Hines

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Improving Esi Triage Accuracy In The Emergency Department, Taibat Mursal Verdi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Staff Education To Implement The Phq-9 Assessment Tool In Crisis/Trauma Services, Lewis Wilson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Inner City Black Male Mentors’ Narratives Of Emerging Adulthood And Civic Engagement, Andrea Maria White

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

No abstract provided.

Mechanisms Underlying Diversity In Bacterial Biofilms, Jacob David Holt

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Bacteria commonly exist in natural environments as communities of multiple strains and species attached to surfaces and encased in an extracellular matrix of DNA, protein, and polysaccharides–termed biofilms. These biofilms contribute to diverse functions, from ocean carbon cycling via chitin degradation to pathogenic processes such as wound or implant colonization. The molecular mechanisms governing biofilm formation and composition have been well characterized in model pathogenic organisms, yet the extent to which aspects of biofilm formation contribute to the assembly and maintenance of diverse communities remains less well understood. Using microfluidics, confocal microscopy, and model biofilm-forming bacteria, this thesis details how …

Friedel–Crafts Addition Of 3-Alkylated Indoles To Aldehydes: 2-Hydroxyalkylation Promoted By Trimethylsilyl Trifluoromethanesulfonate, Eric Zhou, Helen Xia, C. Wade Downey

Chemistry Faculty Publications

In the presence of trimethylsilyl trifluoromethanesulfonate (TMSOTf) and 2,6-lutidine, 3-alkylated indoles undergo Friedel–Crafts silyloxyalkylation when treated with nonenolizable aldehydes. The reaction is general across a wide range of aromatic aldehydes and tolerates a variety of N-alkylated indoles. Deprotection of the silylated product occurs under standard conditions, and in certain cases the initial TMS-protected product can be isolated in high yield.

Gaboxadol Increases Resting Theta And Alpha Power Without Affecting Evoked Responses In Fragile X Syndrome In A Home-Based Setting., Lisa A. De Stefano, Hyeonseok Kim, Craig A. Erickson, Lauren M. Schmitt, Kelli C. Dominick, Ernest V. Pedapati, Richard Huckle, Robert Wilson, Walker S. Mckinney Ph.D., Debra L. Reisinger, Meredith N. Nelson, Ashley E. Dapore, Paul S. Horn, Makoto Miyakoshi

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: Fragile X syndrome (FXS) lacks FDA-approved treatments despite various small molecules contributing to phenotypic rescue in the FMR1 knockout (KO) mouse model. Translation from the mouse model has been hampered by phenotypic heterogeneity that contributes to participation barriers among participants who are most affected and may be unable to regularly visit the research laboratory. The current study utilized a crossover design to test the acute neural and behavioral effects of a single 10 mg dose of gaboxadol and the reliability of electroencephalography (EEG) and behavioral data collected in participant homes compared to the clinic.

METHODS: Ten adult males with …

Beyond Religious Narcissistic Identification: Agnostic And Atheistic Narcissism, Magdalena Żemojtel-Piotrowska, Jarosław Piotrowski, Bartłomiej Nowak, Vassilis Saroglou, John Maltby, Constantine Sedikides, Mladen Adamovic, Nur Amali Aminnuddin, Seth Christopher Yaw Appiah, Rahkman Ardi, Zana Hasan Babakr, Einar Baldvin Baldursson, Sergiu Bălțătescu, Muhammed Bilgehan Aytaç, Aidos Bolatov, Bruno Bonfá-Araujo, Matthias Burghart, Phatthanakit Chobthamkit, Marilyn Clark, Magali Clobert, Richard G. Cowden, Jesus Alonso Datu, Sandesh Dhakal, Sonya Dragova-Koleva, Begoña Espejo, Dmitry Grigoryev, Emanuela Gritti, Katherine Gundolf

All Works

Agnosticism and atheism are often grouped simply as nonreligious identities, yet emerging research highlights their distinct psychological profiles and social implications. Among these distinctions, collective narcissism–characterized by strong attachment to one’s group, exceptionalism, and grievance for recognition–offers a framework for understanding identity processes in both nonreligious groups. We examined whether agnostics and atheists exhibit collective narcissism and its forms (agentic–focused on exceptional effectiveness; communal–focused on exceptional morality) similarly to believers. We explored cross-denominational variance in agentic and communal collective narcissism levels relying on data from 77 countries (N = 3,570; 1227 agnostics, 2343 atheists). Agnostics and atheists from secular countries …

Tensions, Characteristics, And Methods Surrounding Critical Autoethnographic Narrative: A Dialogic Review Of Bedrettin Yazan’S Autoethnography In Language Education, Meryem Büşra Ünsal, Ufuk Keleş

The Qualitative Report

In this book review, the authors critically explore Bedrettin Yazan’s Autoethnography in Language Education, which addresses theoretical, methodological, and ethical dimensions of autoethnography in applied linguistics and teacher education. Organized as a reconstructed scholarly dialogue between a doctoral advisor - Ufuk, and a doctoral researcher - Meryem, the review systematically outlines the book’s central arguments, chapter structure, and contributions to qualitative research. Attention is given to Yazan’s positioning of autoethnography as an onto-ethico-epistemological stance, his engagement with debates surrounding legitimacy and rigor, and his discussion of reflexivity, identity, and emotional labor in research. The review also highlights the book’s practical …

Conscientiousness And Collegiate Athletes: An Item Response Theory Analysis, Tyler Hall

College Honors Program

The purpose of this study is to examine how the facets (Kitchenham, L. et al., 2019) and aspects (Roberts et al., 2005) of conscientiousness influence collegiate athletes and how this understanding can be applied to the development of athletes and coaches. Like everyone else, student-athletes face daily stressors that can hinder their performance both in the classroom and on the field. Personality traits play a significant role in an individual's ability to manage these stressors (Lopes Dos Santos, M., 2020). This study examined conscientiousness, one of the Big Five Personality Traits defined by McCrae and Costa (1986), which is characterized …

Social Prescribing For Refugee Populations: A Rapid Realist Review Of International Evidence, Victoria Touzel, Doreen Reifegerste, Luisa Bartz, Anna-Lena Esser, Kerryn Husk

Peninsula Medical School

BackgroundSocial prescribing offers potential for addressing social determinants of health and supporting health equity among disadvantaged groups. However, evidence for refugee populations remains limited, despite this group facing profound social and systemic barriers. This rapid realist review synthesizes social prescribing and comparable social-capital based intervention evidence to address this gap.MethodsWe conducted a RAMESES-compliant rapid realist review supported by an expert advisory board. Searches across six databases (2014–2024) were supplemented by grey literature and citation chasing strategies. Eligible studies included refugee, asylum-seekers and forcibly displaced populations engaged in either formal social prescribing or comparably operationalized social-capital interventions. Synthesis developed Context-Mechanism-Outcome configurations …

Left Out And At Risk: Post-Pandemic Continuation Of Organizational Service Reduction In Metropolitan New York City Coincides With Rise In Opiate Use And Mental Health Problems For Latinos, Ruth Lin Campbell, Smita Ekka Dewan

Publications and Research

Increasing opiate use and mental health problems among younger and older Latinos in urban US contexts prompted this investigation into the organizational resources that facilitate help-seeking efforts of Latinos in New York State (NYS). Guided by a Vulnerability Model and a framework of organizational enabling resources, this study used complementary longitudinal and cross-sectional designs. The longitudinal component examined changes in levels of organizational facilitators for Latino substance use disorder (SUD) help-seeking in Downstate NYS across three time periods, while the cross-sectional component compared post-pandemic facilitator levels across service types and regions. A convenience sample of 241 SUD clinicians participated in …

“The Right Of Black Folk To Love And Enjoy”: Black Romanticism, Pleasure, And Poetics, 1900-1920, John D. Hadlock

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores poetry written at the turn of the twentieth century in order to closely examine what I call the “Black Romantic” impulse of the Harlem and New Negro Renaissances. I argue that Black American poets turned to a Romantic notion of the poet as cultural representative and of poetry as a radical celebration of beauty that disavowed and disputed social ills, namely racist ideologies in America, while simultaneously demanding the right of Black pleasure-taking. However, I also contend that Black American poets of various backgrounds and identities used different poetic, rhetorical, and artistic strategies to elevate the status …

A Comparative Static Analysis Of Identifier Clones And Homonyms In Open Source Projects, Jose Palomino Lau

Theses

Identifier naming is a core element of software engineering and program comprehension. While existing literature suggests that naming consistency is ideal, there is limited empirical data on identifier homonyms, instances where the same name is used for different behaviors. This thesis investigates these naming patterns through a manual analysis inspired by grounded theory, supported by static analysis with srcML across three open source projects in Java, C and Python. By establishing a behavioral framework through axial coding, this research classifies 771 identifiers into functional categories to document their presence and role within the code. The results reveal that naming redundancy …

Inflammatory Markers In The Emergency Department And Ptsd Symptoms In The Aurora Study: A Longitudinal Cohort Study, Kristen Nishimi, Stacey L House, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

BACKGROUND: Systemic inflammation is hypothesized to contribute to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) vulnerability. Few studies have examined inflammation shortly after trauma as a predictor of later PTSD symptoms. We examined whether inflammation from the emergency department (ED) post-trauma is associated with PTSD symptom severity over the following 6 months.

METHODS: Our sample included 742 AURORA participants, a longitudinal cohort of patients in 29 EDs across the United States after a traumatic stressor, followed up to 6 months. Plasma cytokines were assessed from a study blood draw in the ED: an inflammatory index (standardized sum of generally pro-inflammatory markers interleukin [IL]-6, …

An Analysis Of Web-Based Languange Learning On Students Speaking Anxiety, Alfi Syahrina, Zarfina Yenti, Monalisa Monalisa

Jurnal Pendidikan: Teori, Penelitian, dan Pengembangan

This study explores the use of Duolingo as a web-based language learning tool and its influence on students’ speaking anxiety at MTs Nurul Falah Kota Jambi. Speaking anxiety remains a significant affective barrier in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learning, particularly in traditional classroom settings where students often experience communication apprehension, fear of negative evaluation, and test anxiety. Employing a qualitative case study design, this research involved approximately 15 students who had used Duolingo for at least six weeks, along with one English teacher for triangulation. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and classroom observations and analyzed using thematic …

The Genus Nebo Simon, 1878 (Scorpiones: Diplocentridae) In Oman, Graeme Lowe

Euscorpius

No abstract provided.