University of Southern Mississippi
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Modeling Food Assemblage Dynamics in Western Mississippi Sound Regarding Eastern Oyster (Crassostrea virginica) Larval Performance
No full textWestern Mississippi Sound is home to historical eastern oyster reefs that serve as an economically important yet decimated environmental habitat for coastal Mississippi (Pace et al. 2020, Pruett et al., 2024). Previous studies speculate upon the potential of food particle size as a food limitation for emerging larval cohorts resulting in limiting successful recruitment into the reefs (Klein et al. 2024a,b). Utilizing ambient salinity and temperatures outlined in Klein et al. (2024a), simulated food profiles with respect to food size organized into three sequential size classes: \u3c 5, 5-20, and \u3e20 µm were provided to simulated oyster larvae through the use of a biochemically-based Larval Performance Model. Findings from the following studies yield four main conclusions and recommendations: (1) further investigations into the relationship between food size composition and larval performance and monitoring of food quality within targeted food particle size categories is important for future oyster management including the evaluation of habitat suitability underpinning restoration goals; (2) the proportion of available smaller-sized food particles (\u3c 5 µm) is crucial for early larval development; (3) larval growth is maximized when food is protein-rich; (4) successful metamorphosis is best achieved in food profiles of balanced nutrition, particularly a balanced ratio of protein to lipid, paired with a high abundance of food \u3c 5 µm in size
Praise in Preschool: Exploring Classroom Dynamics
No full textThe purpose of this study was to find the average rate of behavior specific praise (BSP) and reprimands for teachers in childcare programs, Head Start programs, and university-based preschool settings, determine whether BSP and reprimands are provided at significantly different rates between settings, and understand the relationship between preschool teachers’ natural use of BSP and reprimands and child disruptive behavior (DB) and appropriately engaged behavior (AEB) in each setting. Participants included four preschool teachers and their four to five-year-old preschool children. The planned activity check (PAC) method for AEB and frequency within intervals for BSP, DB, and reprimands were used to collect data during 31 total 20-minute observations across settings. Descriptive statistics indicated that rates of BSP were .22 per minute in the childcare setting, .08 in the Head Start setting, and .09 in the university-based preschool setting. Reprimands were .78 per minute in the childcare setting, .54 in the Head Start setting, and .6 in the university-based setting. A Kruskal-Wallis test indicated that there was a significant difference in BSP across three preschool settings, but no significant difference in reprimands across settings. Post-hoc comparisons using Dunn’s method with a Bonferroni correction indicated that there were no significant differences in BSP across settings after correcting for multiple tests. Spearman’s correlations indicated that there is no significant relationship between BSP and AEB or DB or reprimands and AEB or DB in the Head Start or university-based settings. Within the childcare setting, there was no significant relationship between BSP and AEB. However, there was a significant positive correlation between BSP and DB and reprimands and DB, and a significant negative correlation between reprimands and AEB
A Meta-Analysis Of Group Contingency Interventions For Students With Neurodevelopmental Disorders
No full textStudents with the special education eligibility rulings of Specific Learning Disability (SLD), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Developmental Disorder (DD), and Intellectual Disability (ID) make up over 50% of those receiving special education services. Also, these rulings do not account for students who may be receiving services under an Other Health Impairment (OHI) ruling for an Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) diagnosis. Due to the large number of students with neurodevelopmental disorders who are receiving special education (SPED) services or supports within the tiers of Multitiered Systems of Support (MTSS), it is vital that we evaluate the benefit of these practices for students with similar diagnoses. Much of the existing literature on a common behavior management strategy, group contingencies, has been completed in general education settings or with students not receiving special education services. The current meta-analysis aims to further the existing literature of group contingency interventions by evaluating their usefulness when it is implemented with students who have neurodevelopmental disorders. It was hypothesized that group contingencies would also result in positive outcomes, but there would be moderators that impact the degree of benefit for students with neurodevelopmental diagnoses. The current study identified that studies targeting behavioral outcomes resulted in larger outcomes, and that significant changes was seen across all diagnoses for both effect sizes, with the exception of ID. The study also identified moderators that resulted in statistically significant differences among student grade and classroom setting
An Alternative Approach to Non-Relativistic Quantum Mechanics in Curved Space
No full textIn the research presented in this dissertation, we propose an alternative formulation of non-relativistic quantum mechanics in curved spaces (Riemannian manifolds). Some toy quantum models (2D quantum harmonic oscillator in Poincaré half-plane model and the flat chart model of hyperbolic 2-space) are studied to understand the physical implications of this alternative formulation
Building Grassroots Politics-The Roots and Rise of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, 1961-1964
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Stakeholder Perspectives on the Status and Conservation Management of Critically Endangered Nassau Grouper in The Bahamas
No full textEnsuring the sustainability of marine resources that provide food, economic security and other critical ecosystem services is a major challenge globally. Assessing stakeholders’ knowledge and perceptions of the status of fisheries and how they should be managed can yield important insights to facilitate the development of management frameworks that are likely to assist with achieving sustainability. As a socioeconomically and culturally important and critically endangered species, evaluating stakeholder perspectives on the status of the Nassau Grouper fishery is critical to help inform policy. Knowledge and perceptions of stakeholders working in The Bahamas were assessed using voluntary participatory approaches, including a workshop, questionnaires and in-person interviews. Analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data highlighted similarities and differences between and within stakeholders. Perceptions about the status of Nassau Grouper, threats that impact the species, how the fishery should be managed, and the effectiveness of enforcement methods varied across stakeholder groups. However, stakeholders demonstrated support for science-based changes to current Bahamian fishery regulations along with the implementation of new regulations and increased capacity to better enforce and manage the fishery. The desire of stakeholders to support sustainable management for Nassau Grouper was primarily based on concerns over ecosystem health, economic stability of the fishery, and the potential loss of the species
Analyzing the Impact of Diet on Dusky Gopher Frog (Lithobates sevosus) Development in Head Start Programs
No full textSpecies are constantly impacted by human activity, directly or indirectly. One critically endangered species under investigation is the dusky gopher frog (Lithobates sevosus), which is an endemic species of frog found in the southeastern United States. Historically found from Louisiana to Alabama, a drought in 2002 narrowed the dusky gopher frog range even further. Head start programs have been shown to be effective in increasing population numbers; however, there is not much published data on the effectiveness of captive rearing diets for these programs. The dusky gopher frog head start program at the University of Southern Mississippi’s Lake Thoreau Environmental Center is part of a larger collection of conservation breeding and translocation programs throughout the region. Egg masses are collected from recovery ponds, and the resultant tadpoles are raised in captivity to metamorphosis. The resulting metamorphosed frogs are released back into recovery ponds. This study examined the effects of two common diets, mealworms and crickets, on the growth of captive frogs. Over six months, frogs were fed either crickets or mealworms, and standard growth parameters were measured (weight and snout-vent length). Fulton’s Condition Index, a common parameter that accounts for isometric growth, was also calculated. Significant differences between diets were found for overall weights, weight gain, and snout-vent lengths. However, these differences were time-dependent. In general, mealworms produced faster growth in the early part of the study; however, crickets produced heavier and longer frogs by the end of the study. The results indicate the importance of selecting proper diets to meet translocation goals. These findings provide valuable data for refining the feeding protocols of captive-reared dusky gopher frogs in head start programs. Healthier and more robust head-started individuals will increase the fitness of future populations