Increasing awareness of hypoxia in coastal marine regions across the globe has led to creation of nutrient reduction strategies to protect water resources and organisms living in affected waters. In the Mississippi River Basin, the Governor’s Action Plan has called for a 45% load reduction of both, total nitrogen (N) and total phosphorus (P), to reduce the Gulf of Mexico hypoxic zone to a manageable size. Objectives of this dissertation aimed to determine nutrient reduction efficiencies of low-grade weirs, and to evaluate abundance and composition of microbial communities involved in key processes of denitrification following low-grade weir implementation in the Mississippi Delta. Results of this dissertation evidenced the efficiencies of low-grade weirs to reduce nutrient runoff to downstream waters as a viable BMP. Average median load reductions in N, P, and sediment of -5%, 23%, and 29%, respectively, were determined in ditches with low-grade weirs. Results highlighted more efficient reductions in P and sediment, and greater variability in N reductions during storm events, prompting management considerations toward BMP successes and limitations. Valuable insight towards seasonal nutrient fluxes in agricultural runoff due to spring fertilizer applications, increased rainfall patterns in the winter and spring, and drying-wetting cycles, was also evidenced by the data collected. It was determined that utilizing a three-scale sampling regime was most effective for capturing patterns of microbial community abundance and composition in ditches with low-grade weirs. Preliminary evidence towards weir proximity influencing microbial community abundance, and relationships between microbes and soil carbon and N was also found. Utilizing the three-scale sampling regime, microbial communities in multiple drainage ditches, with and without weirs, were investigated. Outcomes showed that weirs increased soil moisture, which subsequently increased functional gene abundance of 16S rRNA and nirS. Furthermore, weir implementation and associated constructions were not found to directly influence microbial community diversity, abundance, or chemical parameters. Results from this dissertation support the potential benefits of weirs to create suitable environments to physically reduce P and sediment loads and for denitrifying microbes to remediate N from agricultural runoff.

Bottomland hardwood stands of the Mid-South region of the United States are some of the most productive forests in the country. A large percentage of these stands are owned by nonindustrial private forest landowners, who have little information on which to base management decisions. These stands are, therefore, a largely unmanaged and under-utilized reserve of high quality hardwoods. To provide landowners with a decision-making tool for comparing management scenarios, a growth and yield study was initiated in 1981. One hundred and fifty permanent plots were installed in red oaksweetgum stands. The study has been remeasured three times over the past 35 years. New plots were added when losses occurred due to natural disasters or harvesting. Stand level (Iles 2008), log grade volume distribution (Banzhaf 2009), and diameter distribution (Howard 2011) models were developed as component models of the overall growth and yield system. This study completes the modeling effort by developing individual tree equations for percent annual diameter growth and survival. Equations were constructed using linear, non-linear, and logistic regression techniques. The best set of developed equations was selected based on biological consistency, joint behavior when inserted into the growth and yield computer model, and the performance of each plot’s predicted future yield when compared to its observed data at the next projection period. Final independent stand level variables for the two models included age, diameter at breast height, trees per acre, and average height of dominant trees. Percent diameter growth and survival equations exhibited high fit statistics and when coupled with the other equations in the computer model, produced estimates for trees per acre, basal area, arithmetic and quadratic mean diameters with low bias and root mean squared error. The resulting growth and yield simulator implemented in Microsoft Visual Basic® Editor within Microsoft Excel® enables forest professionals and landowners to make better management decisions for their red oak-sweetgum mixture bottomland hardwood stands by projecting current forest inventories into the future, predicting average yields, and evaluating and comparing forest management scenarios.

Dry-cured hams often become infested with ham mites (Tyrophagus putrescentiae) during the aging process. Methyl bromide has been used to fumigate dry cured ham processing plants and is the only known fumigant that is effective at controlling ham mite infestations. However, methyl bromide will be phased out of all industries by 2015. This research was designed to 1) determine the efficacy of phosphine fumigation at controlling ham mites and red-legged beetles and its impact on the sensory quality and safety of dry cured hams, and 2) to develop and evaluate the potential of using food-grade film coatings to control mite infestations without affecting the aging process or sensory properties of dry-cured hams. Fumigation trials were conducted in simulated ham aging houses and commercial ham aging houses. Mite postembryonic mortality was 99.8% in the simulated aging houses and >99.9% in commercial aging houses two weeks post fumigation. Sensory tests with trained panelists indicated that there were no detectable differences (P>0.05) between phosphine fumigated and control hams. An analytical method was developed to determine phosphine concentration in ham. In addition, residual phosphine concentration was below the legal limit of 0.01 ppm in ham slices taken from phosphine fumigated hams. Coating trials were conducted on ham cubes and slices. Cubes coated with xanthan gum+20% propylene glycol and carrageenan/propylene glycol alginate+10% propylene glycol were effective at controlling mite infestations under laboratory conditions. Barrier properties (water vapor permeability and oxygen permeability) were measured to estimate the impact of coatings during the aging process. It was evident that carrageenan/propylene glycol alginate were permeable to moisture and therefore could potentially be applied to the hams during the aging process.

The number of African American males who are incarcerated is extremely high and alarming. African American males have the lowest attainment of associate degrees when compared to other ethnicities and to females. This places a monumental task on institutions of higher education, particularly community colleges, to enroll, retain, and graduate African American males. The purpose of this study was to examine the performance of an African American male initiative program at a small, rural community college in Mississippi. This study utilized a quantitative, cross-sectional research design to look at variables of Grade Point Average (GPA) and number of credits earned between African American male participants of the program and those who did not participate in the program over a period of six semesters. Results from this study showed a significant difference in number of credits earned between the students who participated in the program and those who did not, with non-participants earning an average of one to two credits more than participants. The study also showed that students who did not participate in the program had a slightly higher GPA than the students who did participate in the program for three out of the six semesters. This study enhances the ability for community college and university administrators to implement policies and best practices to engage African American male students.

Distillate solutions that were derived from concentrated ferment were incorporated into either a carrageenan (CG) and propylene glycol alginate (PGA) gum blend or into a CG, PGA, and xanthan gum (XG) blend. Distillate treatments were compared against a 10% propylene glycol treatment, a gum only control, and negative control using three hams that were cut into 2.5 cm thick slices and then cut into 2.5×2.5×2.5cm cubes (n=50) that were dipped into solutions prior to conducting mite bioassays. Coated and control ham cubes were inoculated with 20 adult mites from the species T. putrescentiae (Schrank), and incubated for 2 and 3 weeks. The distilled treatments with CG + PGA + XG had a greater reduction (P<0.05) in mite populations than all other treatments with the exception of the 10% PG coated treatments. In addition, there were no differences between treatments with respect to sensory texture, flavor, and moistness.

No description available.

The focus of this project is on the use of the reader-response orientation in the development of a poetry unit for grade seven. The reader-response orientation is a literary theory which suggests that the meaning of any literary work is the result of the interaction between the text and the reader. In this project, the emphasis is on providing a bridge between this theory and the practice of teaching poetry. To implement the reader-response orientation into teaching practices, it is important for teachers to understand how theory affects classroom activities. If the theory behind the reader-response orientation is understood, then teachers may be better able to change their teaching approaches. In the classroom, reader-response activities involve students in ways that encourage interest and personal response to poetry. Understanding the reader-response critical theory can help teachers plan their poetry lessons and develop more effective teaching practices. This project begins with a survey of the literature of the reader-response criticism and provides a summary of the theory. The link between theory and practice is demonstrated with a review of a current curriculum project that uses the reader-response orientation. Chapter Five is a poetry unit, for grade seven, designed to embody the reader-response theory in actual classroom practices. In my conclusion I briefly highlight some concerns and give suggestions for further research direction. / Thesis / Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT)

The focus of this project is on the employment of reader response theory, methodology and strategy in the development of poetry units for grades nine through twelve for university-bound students. The purpose of the project is to introduce teachers to various reader-response theories, demonstrate how a curriculum may be designed using the transactional reader-response methodology, and provide units of study which are founded on the transactional theory and methodology, and also support the expectations for students established in the various Ministry documents. / Thesis / Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT)

No description available.

This study undertook to present and evaluate the ways in which the social needs of the first-grade child are being met by teachers in North Texas. Based on the data presented in the study, eleven definite conclusions have been drawn.