Middle Tennessee State University
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CHARACTERIZATION OF STEROLS IN THE DINOFLAGELLATE GAMBIERDISCUS CAROLINIANUS AND CHLOROPLAST-BASED GALACTOLIPIDS IN G. CAROLINIANUS AND PYRODINIUM BAHAMENSE: COMPARISON TO OTHER ARMORED DINOFLAGELLATES
No full textThis thesis delves into the chemotaxonomy of dinoflagellates. The first aspect of this study focuses on the galactolipids of Pyrodinium bahamense and Gambierdiscus carolinianus. C20/C18 galactolipids were predominant in G. carolinianus, just like other armored dinoflagellates. Conversely, P. bahamense displayed approximately equal amounts of 18:5/18:4 and 20:5/18:4 monogalactosyldiacylglycerol (DGDG), placing it in an intermediary position between the two clusters. P. bahamense also displayed a near near total lack of detectable monogalactosyldiacylglycerol (MGDG) with only trace amounts of 18:5/18:4 and 18:4/18:4 MGDG in some of the isolates. Other dinoflagellates possess more DGDG than MGDG but it was significant. These results were consistent for P. bahamense grown under two levels of irradiance (at below saturating intensities). This study presents the first characterization of galactolipid composition in these two species and the first description of a peridinin-containing species generally lacking MGDG. The second aspect of this study is also the first exploration of sterol composition in G. carolinianus. Nine sterols were identified, with cholesterol, 24-methylcholesta-5-en-3β-ol, and dinosterol being predominant. Comparative analysis with other armored dinoflagellates revealed shared sterols and distinct abundance patterns, notably a higher presence of 24-methylcholesta-5-en-3β-ol in G. carolinianus. This suggests its potential as a chemotaxonomic marker for the species. Overall, the study provides galactolipid profiles for P. bahamense and G. carolinianus and a sterol profile for G. carolinianus.M.S
Civic Vision for the University: Community Engaged Scholarship
No full textThis white paper documents the findings of a year-long study conducted by a faculty working group at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU). MTSU is dedicated to fostering community-engaged scholarship across its campus as a central institutional mission. The paper highlights the university's current strategies to accomplish the goal, outlines the need for systematic support in faculty promotion and tenure processes, and proposes recommendations to fully integrate community engagement into the university's culture
Write, Rewrite: a play highlighting how the fanfiction format and community help cultivate confidence in queer young adults
No full textThis undergraduate honors thesis is an exploration of fan fiction and its
connection to the queer community. I look at the recent history of treatment towards
queer people, especially from religious zealots. Additionally, I investigate how the
communities that flock around fan fiction are beneficial to anyone who joins, offering
critical feedback and advice to writers on how to strengthen their stories. To illustrate the
adaptability and interchanging nature of fanfiction, I wrote a one-act play titled Write,
Rewrite and held a reader’s theatre style performance on March 15th, 2024. Finally, I
received feedback from the audience and actors regarding the work
DISTRIBUTED LEADERSHIP IN EDUCATION: EMPOWERING TEACHERS AND SHAPING SCHOOL CULTURE
No full textFor the current research, the researcher set out to explore the impact of distributed leadership in terms of teacher empowerment and effects on school culture. The first main objective was to assess the approaches considered by school leaders when distributing tasks. The researcher also investigated the various factors considered by the leaders when distributing tasks, specifically the qualifications they recognized. The third and fourth objectives revolved around the teacher's experience and perception of the distributive leadership framework. Finally, the researcher investigated how distributive leadership impacted the school culture. This study was done at Walker High School, where the researcher interviewed two administrators and 20 teachers. 11 of the 20 teachers were under distributive leadership, and the remaining 9 wished for an opportunity or were uninterested. This study takes a qualitative approach as the researcher focuses on the experiences, perceptions, and impact of distributive leadership on the workplace atmosphere in general. Data was collected through tape recording, then transcribed and prepared for analysis. The collected data was coded and presented under each objective. The study’s findings indicated that administrators take a formal or informal approach to task distribution. Among the most considered qualifications for assignment included past performance, collaboration and initiative, communication and reliability, and professional relationships at the workplace. While teachers under distributive leadership appreciate the opportunity for professional development, they believe the institution’s decision-making framework could be more inclusive to ensure fair task distribution. A major concern was the favoritism impacting task assignments, leading to the nine teachers being left out and some of them feeling resentment towards the system.Ed.D
The Introverted Instructor: Tackling Library Instruction When It’s Out of Your Comfort Zone
No full textThis chapter examines the challenges that come with being an introverted library instructor, such as nervousness, being afraid to make a mistake, and imposter syndrome, and the author shares personal reflections about what helped her become comfortable in the library instructor role. It delves into what training helped and shares practical tips and strategies for how to prepare for teaching a library class.
KEYWORDS: library instruction, introvert, trainin
Congruence Effects, Types of Brands, and Celebrity Endorsement
No full textIn the past, many researchers have examined various aspects of celebrity endorsements such as the effects of celebrity credibility, brand-celebrity congruence, celebrity-consumer congruence, and consumer-brand congruence in terms of attitude toward the brand. This study builds on the literature on the various streams of the effectiveness of celebrity endorsement, with a particular focus on celebrity athletes. Despite existing research efforts, there is insufficient empirical evidence for celebrity endorsement effectiveness based on three pairs of congruence with different brand types. This study primarily focuses on three types of congruences such as brand-consumer congruence, consumer-celebrity athlete congruence, and celebrity athlete-brand congruence in terms of brand types (e.g., functional brand and symbolic brand) to present the extent to effect of each congruence on consumers’ behaviors such as brand attitude and purchase intention. Also, this study examines how consumers’ perceptions of self-image (actual or ideal) congruence with different types of brands affect their attitude toward the brand and their purchase intentions. The findings of this study indicate that the importance of congruences in shaping consumers' attitudes toward brands and their purchase intentions varies depending on the type of brand (functional or symbolic), which has implications for brand positioning.Ph.D
A Guide to Rerecording One's Music: A Taylor Swift Case Study
No full textIn 2019, Taylor Swift entered a public feud with her former label, Big Machine
Records, over the sale of her first six albums without her say. In 2021, Swift began to
rerecord her first six albums, starting with Fearless (Taylor’s Version), and rerelease these
albums with new artwork, additional songs, and updated production. Since then, she has
rerecorded and released four of these (Taylor’s Version)s to fantastic critical reception and
unprecedented success. The reason Swift is the first artist to rerecord with such success is
because of three factors: her marketing prowess, her fanbase of Swifties, and her timing.
Not only has Swift given other artists a cautionary tale to recall when signing their first
contracts—Taylor Swift has provided a blueprint for other artists looking to take control
of their work, while also creating something so grand that it has altered the way the music
industry operates
Alter Ethos: Feminist Ruptures in Digital Disciplinary Spaces
No full textThis dissertation project uses genre-inflected critical discourse analysis (CDA) to examine feminist ruptures within digital discourse communities in Rhetoric and Writing Studies that occurred in the wake of the 2017 #MeToo movement. These ruptures, often initiated or sustained by women, graduate students, and racially minoritized scholars, focus on specific instances of sexism and racism within our communities that represent concerns of discrimination within academia broadly. The corpus of texts includes listserv threads, spillover conversations into social media platforms, and statements published by pertinent individuals and organizations. Although this is not an exhaustive study of these ruptures nor the spaces in which they occurred, they are indicative of a broader gendered reckoning that continues to reverberate within academia and beyond. Using CDA to analyze these ruptures sheds light on how existing power dynamics reproduced through language serve to direct the conversations of our field by excluding or discriminating against certain members. Even though these ruptures occurred within various disciplinary spaces, each one is characterized by a discursive framework inductively developed from the research: a catalyzing event that prompts the dialogue, a text that acts as a breaking point, the dialogue surrounding the rupture, and then the larger impacts of the event on the discourse community and the field. This framework will allow scholars to discursively map what happens rhetorically during a rupture within their own disciplinary communities, and the accompanying heuristic in the conclusion can be used to further understand how and why these ruptures occur. Additionally, feminist discursive strategies such as rhetorical listening are suggested as important tools in moving forward from the ruptures and restoring community where it has been lost.Ph.D
“A Musket on His Shoulder and Bullets in his Pocket”: Armed Resistance to White Supremacy in Reconstruction Rutherford County, Tennessee
No full textFor decades Reconstruction Historiography has ignored the existence of widespread firearms ownership and usage in the South. Following a Civil War that destroyed the institution of Slavery and sent almost 200,000 African American men to the field in arms, Reconstruction saw the first chance for blacks to make a life for themselves, and prompted a violent backlash from whites bent on maintaining their antebellum racial structure. In response to this violence, many blacks took up arms to defend themselves. This thesis traces out that history within Rutherford County, TN. The area saw considerable violence during the Civil War, from one of the largest battles of the war to dozens of smaller conflicts and skirmishes. It also saw a significant presence of African American troops, a heavy Union occupation, and had heavily depended on enslaved labor prior to the war, all of which bred resentment in the populace that turned to violence after the conflict. In response to this violence, some African Americans in the county took to arming themselves and defending their lives from white supremacists. This action saw mixed success, while it would often allow them to survive the immediate attack, it did not appear to dissuade continued violence through the county. Many took actions ranging from accommodation to flight rather than fighting, and the failure of state and federal policy makers ultimately led to the defeat of any move toward equal rights in the county and may have convinced many of the futility of continued resistance.M.A
Beliefs in Ancient China and Egypt and the Justification for Ruling Classes
No full textThis thesis discusses the development of some of the earliest wide-scale belief
systems in two of the oldest civilizations in the world. Ancient China and Egypt
developed in very different natural environments, which helped shaped the ancient
people’s worldviews. As these civilizations grew in population and size, the elite and
ruling classes needed to justify their positions of power over the commoners. This thesis
analyzes and compares how the ruling classes of ancient China and Egypt used these
belief systems to justify and maintain their positions differently or similarly