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Protein Templated Silver Nanoclusters
Get PDFNanoclusters are smaller than their nanoparticle counterparts and have unique properties. Most research has been done on gold nanoclusters, but silver nanoclusters are said to be more robust. During the process of trying to create nanoclusters, several methods in the procedure were changed when gathering data: determining a successful silver concentration, working with the correct buffer, mixing gold and silver metals together, observing the effects of pH, and finding a good reducing agent. After experimenting with those changes, a successful protocol was adapted and modified from literature (Journal of Materials Chemistry, 2011, 21, 11205-11212) to produce the protein-templated Ag clusters. By using both NaOH and NaBH4 as reducing agents, silver nanoclusters were formed and a brown color change was observed. Different silver concentrations were created. The results from the MALDI and native gel suggest that the formation of silver nanoclusters can be created at different sizes
Generational Marketing: an IMC Approach to Increase Non-Profit Awareness and Giving in North Mississippi
Get PDFThe number of Americans giving and advocating for non-profits has decreased from 2012 to 2019. While the amount of dollars donated has increased, money is coming from significantly fewer sources. Giving and awareness advocacy for non-profit organizations differ among generations. Non-profits are having to market to multiple generations in different ways to gain advocacy and support for their organizations. The historical, cultural, economic, and social experiences of people’s lifetimes shape the way individuals perceive the world and their place in it. Each American generation has different traits and characteristics that makes it unique, and non-profit organizations can target each generation differently in order to gain awareness, advocacy, donations, and volunteer time. While each generation offers an integral part to the success of non-profits, millennials and Generation Z, will be the increased focused of non-profit marketing and advertisement because of the amount of wealth and influence these generations carry on a significant portion of the U.S. population.
The purpose of this study is to compare and contrast giving motivations for non-profit organizations by generational segmentation to determine effective ways to positively affect fundraising campaign initiatives, as well as increased donation, advocacy, and volunteer support. Generational segmentation is a marketing technique for identifying the influencing motivations, perceptions and values that people of different generations hold and use to make decisions.
Methodology used to examine effective marketing and fundraising techniques for generations include the examination of published literature, execution of a survey to understand generational giving motivations, and interviews conducted with non-profit stakeholders in North Mississippi. Two generations, millennials and Generation Z, will be specifically scrutinized to identify the marketing techniques that can be used to be targeted by non-profits to enhance non-profit awareness, build brand equity, increase donation and monetary support, and sustain future growth of non-profit organizations
Country Roads, Take Me Away: Coal Mining and Migration in West Virginia, 1971-2010
Get PDFWest Virginia’s population peaked in 1950. Parallel to this, employment in the coal mining industry peaked in 1948. Popular discourse links these two trends together. It is suggested that the decline of the coal mining industry, which was previously a stable source of employment, has led West Virginians to leave the state searching for better job opportunities elsewhere. This thesis uses first-difference regression models to analyze the relationship between lagged year-to-year changes in coal-mining employment and year-to-year changes in net-migration to and from West Virginia. A positive and statistically significant relationship is found between 1-year lagged changes in coal mining employment and changes in net-migration. Specifically, the average effect is that as coal employment increases (decreases) by 100 people in year t-1, then net-migration increases (decreases) by 59 people in year t. The relationship remains when using coal mining employment as a percentage of total employment in West Virginia. The average effect is that as coal mining employment as a percentage of total employment increases (decreases) by one percentage point in year t-1, there is an increase (decrease) in net-migration of approximately 4,438 people in year t. Evidence is also presented that net-migration is positive if per capita personal income in West Virginia grows faster than that of neighboring states. The implications of these results for understanding the decline of coal mining and population decline are discussed
Trafficking of Haitians on the Island of Hispaniola after the 2010 Earthquake
Get PDFOn January 12th, 2010 a 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit the nation of Haiti. The people of Haiti suffered many losses of life, homes, and livelihood. Later that year, as a result of the earthquake, a cholera outbreak occurred in Haiti taking the lives of thousands more. This study attempts to determine if Haitians were at a higher risk of being trafficked and if human trafficking increased on the island after the earthquake. I analyze how human trafficking in Haiti and the Dominican Republic was impacted as a result of the earthquake and the consequent reaction of the Dominican Republic in both policies and public attitude towards Haitians. Using past studies on factors that affect levels of trafficking I form the theoretical framework for my argument. The factors from the literature on trafficking that pertain to the case of Haiti and the Dominican Republic are economic levels, discrimination, and immigration policies. I measure and analyze these three factors in order to determine if Haitians were more vulnerable to trafficking and if trafficking increased after the 2010 earthquake. The results suggest that, after the earthquake, economic conditions in Haiti worsened, levels of discrimination towards Haitians in the Dominican Republic increased greatly, and that the Dominican-Haiti border was patrolled in such a way that increased levels of trafficking. I thus conclude that, it is likely that Haitians were increasingly susceptible to being trafficked after the earthquake and trafficking increased on the island
Classically Biased: A Quantitative Analysis of Gender & Writing Styles in Classical Literature
Get PDFThis thesis is a first attempt in assessing patterns related to gender in classical literature prior to the 21st century, specifically looking at the way writing styles and language di↵er among female and male authors; e.g., sentence structuring, lexical diversity, and dictionary similarities. Further topics of analysis included gender distribution and sentiment within the novels themselves. Seventy-eight open-source novels were used in the analysis, with thirty-one books by female authors and forty-seven by male authors. Data from the novels was acquired using Python, natural language processing, and the Natural Language Toolkit (NLTK). Graphs and visuals were then created to summarize data gathered. This information was then used to explore whether bias or patterns existed among authors in their writing style or in their descriptions and references of gender within their novels. It is concluded that while no distinctive pattern of bias or prejudice exists among authors, there is a strong correlation in writing styles and vocabulary to author gender
The End Times
Get PDFThe End Times is a collection of apocalyptic short stories set within the same universe. The stories employ elements of magical realism and grit lit. It is the author's hope that each story deal with at least one external societal issue (such as digital discourse and sexual aggression) and one internal psychological issue (such as depression, obsession/compulsion, and survivor's guilt). Each story is told in the first-person in an effort to best demonstrate the various psychologies of its protagonist. In these stories, God has decided to punish humanity for their transgressions. The devices of this God are fantastic: limbs disappear, women speak under pools of water, and dark creatures come out of the ground in droves. The stories are set in Georgia and South Carolina. Rural, suburban, and urban locales are utilized. Though religious allegories and references are present, this book is not concerned in any way with religion. The intention of this work is to explore issues of violence, judgment, punishment, mental health, and redemption. Two stories, "Hammerless" and "Rednecks of the Universe," exist outside of The End Times thematically and universally. "Hammerless" deals with sexual liberation and gender discrimination. "Rednecks of the Universe" deals with the ironies of class. Both stories take place primarily in the Midwest. These stories are meant to showcase interests and abilities of the author outside of those demonstrated in The End Times, for better or for worse
What We Could Do: Stories
Get PDFA collection of fiction and creative non-fiction—short stories and personal letters—exploring the lives, fears, anxieties, and joys of characters who grew up gay in southern, religious families. (Under the direction of Beth Spencer
Methods Utilizing the Phenomena of Light Scattering to Measure Microscopic Aluminum Oxide Particle Size in both Solution and Turbulent Air Flow
Get PDFLawrence Deese: Methods Utilizing the Phenomena of Light Scattering to Measure Microscopic Aluminum Oxide Particle Size in Both Solution and Turbulent Air Flow
The purpose of this research project was to measure microscopic aluminum oxide (alumina) particle size both in solution and in air flow. Experimentally, the process of sizing microscopic particles is technically challenging. Two methods were used for measuring the sizes of 4 different manufacturer labeled aluminum oxide particles sizes. The first method was using Dynamic Light Scattering analyzed by a LS Spectrometer to measure the alumina particle size while suspended in solution. The second method was using the forward angle scattering transmissometer (FAST) technique to measure alumina particle size while subjected to a turbulent air flow. Accurately measuring these particle sizes, with the aim of confirming the manufacturer labeled size, ultimately helps validate experiments which use these particles performed at the National Center Physical Acoustics (NCPA)
Incorporating African American Vernacular English in Education: Fostering Linguistic Diversity Within Mississippi K-12 Classrooms
Get PDFIn the United States, the language of education is American English; although everyone speaks a dialect, the institution of education values a standard, which devalues nonstandard varieties of English like African American Vernacular English (AAVE). Because language is intricately connected to identity, the way that AAVE is or is not included in classroom pedagogy points to the inclusion, or lack thereof, of students who speak vernaculars of English. Research shows that AAVE is related to Southern American English and exists proportionately in the south. Because Mississippi, a southern state, continuously ranks as one of the states with the lowest test scores, it is necessary to investigate how AAVE-speaking students, comprising nearly half of the student population, are integrated into a classroom that teaches to a standard. Additionally, since a standard is required, one must consider how to teach in a way that includes dialects of English but allows for student and teacher success in the classroom. How can Mississippi K-12 educators incorporate dialects, specifically AAVE, in their classrooms? Thus, the thesis presented will investigate prior research regarding the incorporation of AAVE in the classroom to build a teacher’s guide for Mississippi educators. To begin, the thesis will build a foundational knowledge of dialect features of AAVE and explain replacive and additive attitudes toward the dialect’s incorporation in the classroom from a linguistic standpoint to better understand how to guide teachers. Next, the thesis will explore the experiences of students who speak AAVE, as they hold an equal share of the classroom environment. The thesis will look at the linguistic approach to fostering dialectal diversity in the K-12 classroom, then investigate the classroom practices already in use to build upon for Mississippi educators. Finally, the thesis will culminate in the creation of a guide for educators in K-12 Mississippi classrooms. Through this research, the thesis aims to understand the previous research and suggest a potential model for education in Mississippi to better serve student AAVE speakers
Solvation of Isoelectronic Halide and Alkali Metal Ions by Noble Gas Atoms
Get PDFAlkali metal cations (M+ = Li+, Na+, K+, and Rb+), as well as their corresponding isoelectronic atomic anions (X− = H−, F−, Cl−, and Br−) were solvated with argon atoms (i.e., M+Arn and X−Arn where n=1−6). Full geometry optimizations were performed using the MP2 electronic structure method with a series of correlation consistent basis sets augmented with diffuse functions on argon and the anions (aug-cc-pVXZ) and weighted core valence basis sets were used for the cations (cc-pwCVXZ) that include the appropriate pseudopotentials for K+ and Rb+ (cc-pwCVXZ-PP). The basis sets for a particular cluster are, hereafter, simply denoted as XZ where X = T, Q, or 5. A series of single point energies and scans were also performed using MP2 and CCSD(T) methods with basis sets as large as 5Z for smaller clusters to gauge basis set and electron correlation effects. These computations were performed to explore similarities and differences between the isoelectronic cation and anion pairs (Li+ vs. H−, Na+ vs. F−, K+ vs. Cl−, and Rb+ vs. Br−)