Digital Commons Network^™

Building Capacity Through The Use Of A Strategic Prevention Framework System In Communities, Duncan Meyers

Theses and Dissertations

The Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF) is a planning and implementation model that mobilizes communities to collaborate on developing and implementing an evidence-based prevention system. This model follows a structured five-step process with two cross-cutting elements (cultural competence and sustainability) that emphasizes building capacity of coalitions to strategically plan, implement, and sustain evidence-based prevention services to reduce adolescent substance use. This study utilized a repeated cross-sectional design. Participating youth were in grades 6, 8, 10, and 12 and lived in one of 27 counties in a Southeastern state that was funded through the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention’s SPF State Incentive …

The Impact Of Sports Dropout On Adolescent Functioning, Brittany Skiles Cook

Theses and Dissertations

Sports is the most commonly participated in extracurricular activity during adolescence. Aligned with the Positive Youth Development theoretical framework, previous research has shown that sports participation offers youth a context rich in resources found to promote positive adjustment into adulthood. However, around one third of the youth participating in sports drop out each year, and little research has examined the impact of sports dropout on indicators of youth adjustment. This study examines the relation between sports dropout and academic achievement, self-esteem, depression, perceived school climate, perceived support from adults in school, and alcohol use. The moderating effect of sports engagement …

Campus Knowledge Of Esports, Kenny Sugishita

Theses and Dissertations

This research study investigates private college and university admission’s officers levels of familiarity of the electronic sports (eSports) industry along with determining the level of emphasis universities place on academics and co-curricular activities. A thorough examination of the professional eSports space is extensively detailed providing information about the history of video games, the development of professional eSports, and the development of collegiate eSports. Additionally, examination of trends in higher education, especially as it relates to private institutions, is explained in detail. With the eSports industry continuing to expand, this study is timely as small private colleges and universities are searching …

Defining The Effects Of Gdf-2 On TgfB Signaling In Tumorigenic Epithelial Cells, Tirthankar Bandyopadhyay

Theses and Dissertations

Cancer cells can be viewed as such cells, which have disrupted/aberrant signaling pathways for maintaining cellular homoeostasis. Identifying such altered signaling mechanisms can help us target these pathways in a better way. GDF-2 (Growth and differentiation factor – 2) or BMP9 (Bone morphogenetic protein – 9), a multifunctional cytokine, is a member of the Bone Morphogenetic Protein subfamily, under TGFβ superfamily, with roles distinct from BMP2/4/7. While GDF-2 is known to be one of the most potent ectopic inducers of bone and cartilage formation, it rose to significance with the identification of its receptor ALK1 in endothelial cells. TGFβ’s role …

Modeling, Simulation, And Applications Of Fractional Partial Differential Equations, Wilson Cheung

Theses and Dissertations

The Black-Scholes model is commonly used to track the price of European options with respect to maturity in many financial markets. This model degenerates into a partial differential equation that relates the European-style option price to the underlying price and time of expiry. Black-Scholes assumes that underlying prices satisfy a geometric Brownian motion.

After the U.S. stock market crash of 1987, this assumption becomes inaccurate as it fails to represent the behavior of S&P 500 European vanilla option prices. Specifically, under the measure of moneyness, the volatility smirk does not flatten out and the resulting conditional return distribution does not …

Low-Intensity Physical Activity And Cardiometabolic Risk Factors Among Older Adults With Multiple Chronic Conditions, Yueyao Li

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death among older adults in the Unites States and is driven largely by cardiometabolic risk factors including elevated blood pressure and blood glucose. Studies have found the protective effect of moderate intensity physical activity (MIPA) and vigorous intensity physical activity (VIPA) on cardiometabolic risk factor; however, the association between light physical activity (LIPA) and cardiometabolic risk factor among older adults is not clear. Objectives 1). Examine the association between LIPA and cardiometabolic risk factors. 2). Examine whether the association between LIPA and cardiometabolic risk factor is moderated by multiple chronic conditions. …

Experimental Study Of Longitudinal Sorting Of Particles Differing In Size And Density, Nabila Mahjabeen

Theses and Dissertations

Transport, deposition and erosion of sediment particles differing in size, shape and density may result in particle segregation, which in geosciences applications is generally referred to as sediment sorting. A thorough understanding of sediment sorting processes is important to describe and model a wide variety of natural processes such as the decrease in particle size and/or density in a fluvial system (downstream fining and/or lightening), the formation of economic placers, concentration of heavy minerals, chemical and metal pollutants etc. Sorting of sediment grains associated with sediment transport in the streamwise direction results in the development of longitudinal sorting patterns. Vertical …

Nd − Pdpa: N Dimensional Probability Density Profile Analysis, Arjang Fahim

Theses and Dissertations

Proteins are often referred as working molecule of a cell, performing many structural, functional and regulatory processes. Revealing the function of proteins still remains a challenging problem. Advancement in genomics sequence projects produces large protein sequence repository, but due to technical difficulty and cost related to structure determination, the number of identified protein structure is far behind. Novel structures identification are particularly important for a number of reasons: they generate models of similar proteins for comparison; identify evolutionary relationships; further contribute to our understanding of protein function and mechanism; and allow for the fold of other family members to be …

Physical Activity And Breast Cancer In South Carolina, Chisom Onyeuku

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the relationship between breast cancer incidence and recreational physical activity. It was one of the first studies in the southeastern US to examine incident breast cancer and physical activity in an ethnically diverse cohort of women. In terms of physical activity, both lifetime and recent physical activity were analyzed. All physical activity data were from validated self-reported surveys. The study examined BMI, menopausal status and race as key confounders and effect modifiers. The study found evidence that for Black women, there was a positive relationship between the amount of lifetime physical activity and the odds of incident …

A Multiphysics Modeling Of Solid Oxide Metal-Air Redox Battery, Md Ahsan Uddin

Theses and Dissertations

Cost-effective and large scale energy storage is essential for the growth of the future’s ‘‘green energy’’ infrastructure. Among the energy storage technologies currently being used, rechargeable batteries represent a class of advanced electrical energy storage (EES) mechanisms that can be valuable for the future renewable integration and smart grid. Rechargeable batteries have innumerous advantages over the conventional pumped hydro and compressed-air energy storage system. Now days, There are various types of rechargeable batteries available to work as an energy storage device in a smart grid but it still needs many breakthroughs to become commercially viable for stationary energy storage. First …

"Very Many More Men Than Women": A Study Of The Social Implications Of Diagnostics At The South Carolina State Hospital, Clara Elizabeth Bertagnolli

Theses and Dissertations

Treatment and understanding of mental illness has vastly changed in the past century and a half, leading many historians and psychiatrists to puzzle over the logic and motivations driving the once-abundant mental institutions known as insane asylums. Though a great deal of literature has emerged in this burgeoning historical field, few have looked at the diagnostics used by psychiatrists of the past to see what they reveal about the former system of mental health. This paper uses the South Carolina State Hospital as a case study to demonstrate how diagnostic trends can be used to understand the gender and racial …

Two-Dimensional Transient Spectroscopy Measuring Heterogeneity In Electronic And Rotational Dynamics, Haorui Wu

Theses and Dissertations

Multiple population-period transient spectroscopy (MUPPETS) is a picosecond, time resolved experiment that uses a sequence of six laser pulses. It was previously known that MUPPETS could measure heterogeneity in electronic-state decay. This dissertation presents two projects that extend MUPPETS to new processes. One process is the extension from 2-level system into 3-level system, another new process extends the kinetics from electronic decay to rotational decay. In addition, a third, ongoing project on rotational dynamics in ionic liquids will also be discussed briefly. The first project consisted of two main parts. The first part focused on the biexciton decay in semiconductor …

Molecules And Metals In The Distant Universe: Sub-Mm And Optical Spectroscopy Of Quasar Absorbers, Sean Stephen Morrison

Theses and Dissertations

In order to gain a complete understanding of galaxy formation and evolution, knowledge of the atomic and molecular gas in the interstellar medium (ISM) is required. Absorption-line spectroscopy of quasars offers a powerful and luminosity independent probe of gas in distant galaxies. The Damped Lyman- systems (DLAs; 20.3 . log NHI ), are the highest neutral hydrogen column density quasar absorbers and contain a substantial fraction of the neutral gas available for star formation in the high-redshift Universe. This thesis presents a study of the metal content in some DLAs, based on optical spectroscopy, and a search for molecules based …

Integration Of Impulse-Variability Theory And The Speed-Accuracy Trade-Off In Children's Multijoint Ballistic Skill Performance, Sergio Lupe Molina

Theses and Dissertations

A major purpose of the motor learning and motor control literature is to provide principles and theories (e.g., speed-accuracy trade-off) that can inform the instruction of young learners in motor skill competence. To be optimally effective, these principles and theories must be understood and applied in relation to authentic instructional contexts, complex motor patterns, and specific developmental levels of young learners. It is insufficient, for instance, to generalize research results with adults learning simple movements in controlled laboratory settings to an understanding of how children learn from fundamental movement skills in physical education classes. Based on this premise, the work …

Optimization Of Shell Growth And Influence Of Surface Ligands For Colloidal Cdse/Cds Core/Shell Quantum Dots, Rui Tan

Theses and Dissertations

Progress in the colloidal synthesis of semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) has triggered a burst of research toward applications in QD based light emitting diodes, biological imaging as fluorescent tags, and advanced solar cell designs. In order to adjust and optimize the photo physical properties of QDs, QD heterostructures have been introduced and widely explored. This dissertation is focused on studies of growth of semiconductor colloidal CdSe/CdS core/shell quantum dots and the influences of neutral surface ligands to their photo-physical properties. Chapter 1 provides an introduction of the concept of semiconductor colloidal nanoparticles, core/shell heterostructures and the synthesis methods as well …

Establishing The Microcrustacean Daphnia As A Model System For Research On Aging, Charles Andrew Shumpert

Theses and Dissertations

Aging is a ubiquitous process pertaining to all biological systems around the planet. Although much has been learned from studies so far on the molecular mechanisms that lead to aging, a complete understanding of a healthy life span and longevity still eludes us. In this dissertation, we will examine the use of a freshwater microcrustacean Daphnia as a model system for studies on the biology of aging. The Introduction chapter presents a review of the general molecular alterations associated with cellular and organismal aging, and discusses the core model organisms currently used to study the aging process. The introduction chapter …

Assessment Of Classifiers For Potential Voice-Enabled Transportation Apps, Md Majbah Uddin

Theses and Dissertations

Transportation apps are playing a positive role for today’s technology-driven users. They provide users with a convenient and flexible tool to access transportation data and services, as well as collect and manage data. In many of these apps, such as Google Maps, their operations rely on the effectiveness of the voice recognition system. For the existing and new apps to be truly effective, the built-in voice recognition system needs to be robust (i.e., being able to recognize words spoken in different pitch and tone). The goal of this study is to assess three post-processing classifiers (i.e., bag-of-sentences, support vector machine, …

Exploring Listwise Deletion And Multilevel Multiple Imputation In Linear Two-Level Organizational Models, Whitney Flemming Smiley

Theses and Dissertations

Problems of missing data are pervasive in social science research. Because of this, researchers have begun to use techniques after data collection to deal with missing data, including traditional methods (i.e. listwise deletion, pairwise deletion, and single imputation procedures) and modern procedures (i.e. multiple imputation and full information maximum likelihood). In the past, several organizations and researchers have warned that traditional missing data techniques (MDTs) can introduce bias into parameter estimates, and can result in a loss of statistical power (e.g., Becker & Powers, 2001; Wilkinson & the APA Task Force on Statistical Inference, 1999). However, previous research has shown …

Post-Fall Decision Making Among Older Women Living In Continuing Care Retirement Communities: A Mixed Methods Study, Caroline D. Bergeron

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: One in every three adults over the age of 65 experiences a fall every year, with women experiencing more falls than men. Falls can affect how older women perceive themselves and their independence. The purpose of this study was to examine older women's health decision making after experiencing a fall. Methods: I conducted semi-structured interviews with 17 older women living independently in continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) who had experienced a fall within the previous six months and 11 individuals the women identified as being involved in their post-fall decision making. I also conducted an exploratory survey on post-fall …

An Integrative Model Of Muslim Students' Religiosity And Travelling Behavior To Gaming Destinations, Dawood Sulaiman Al Jahwari

Theses and Dissertations

Scholars in the tourism industry are continuously looking for new knowledge related to travel behavior, motivations, and the preferences of the main tourist segments. Demographic, socioeconomic, and cultural variables can all influence the demand for travel. Despite numerous studies on most of the demographic and socioeconomic variables, scholars have paid very little attention to religiosity with regard to travel decision-making. Specifically, no researchers have investigated the role of Islamic religiosity in predicting Muslims’ destination choice decisions. The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the role of attitudes, subjective norms, travel motivations, Islamic religiosity, self-efficacy, travel constraints, constraints negotiation strategies, …

Refinement And Pilot Testing Social Networks For Encouraging Healthy Behaviors: The Social Pounds Off Digitally (Social Pod) Study, Sarah B. Hales

Theses and Dissertations

Currently about 71% of adults in the US are considered overweight or obese. Overweight and obesity are associated with higher risk of developing many chronic diseases; however, health risks associated with overweight and obesity can be reduced by as little as a 3% to 5% reduction in weight. Mobile health (mHealth) has shown promise as a way to deliver weight loss interventions, yet maintaining participant engagement over time has been a challenge. The purpose of this study was to develop, refine, and pilot test the Social Pounds Off Digitally (POD) Android app for personalized health monitoring and interaction; revise the …

Regulation Of Stress Response And Innate Immunity By DsRna-Binding Proteins Pact And Trbp, Lauren S. Vaughn

Theses and Dissertations

An integral aspect of innate immune response to viral infections is the ability to detect non-self molecules to initiate antiviral signaling via pattern recognition receptors (PRRs). One subset of these receptors are cytoplasmic receptors that contain double stranded (dsRNA) binding domains, which allow them to identify non-self dsRNA produced during a viral infection and mount a protective cellular response. PKR is a dsRNA-activated eIF2α kinase that is a key regulator of cellular antiviral and stress response pathways. Activation of PKR’s catalytic activity requires binding to one of its activators, viral dsRNAs or the cellular protein PACT (PKR activator). Although PACT …

Statistical Power In Meta-Analysis, Jin Liu

Theses and Dissertations

Statistical power is important in a meta-analysis study, although few studies have examined the performance of simulated power in meta-analysis. The purpose of this study is to inform researchers about statistical power estimation on two sample mean difference test under different situations: (1) the discrepancy between the analytical power and the actual power and (2) the influence of unequal sample size and unbalanced design on the power. Results indicated that there are noticeable discrepancies between the estimated power and actual power under certain conditions. In general, unbalanced design decreases the statistical power in the meta-analysis. Recommendations are provided for researchers …

Individual- And Neighborhood-Level Determinants Of Emergency Department Utilization Among Patients With Diabetes In South Carolina, Charity B. Breneman

Theses and Dissertations

AIM: The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the geographic variation in emergency department (ED) use in South Carolina using geographical information systems (GIS) and to examine the effects of both individual- and neighborhood-level characteristics on frequent ED use among patients with diabetes. METHODS: ED discharge data for 2013 was geocoded based on patients’ residential ZIP code using GIS. Frequent ED use among patients with diabetes was defined as three or more ED visits between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2013. The boundaries for each neighborhood were defined by the U.S. Census Bureau ZIP Code Tabulation Areas …

The Wind Ensemble Trilogy Of Joseph Schwantner: An Examination Of The Close Musical Relationship Between "And The Mountains Rising Nowhere," "From A Dark Millennium," And "In Evening's Stillness..." With An Approach To Programming The Works As A Trilogy, James Willson Taylor Ii

Theses and Dissertations

Joseph Schwantner’s Trilogy for Wind Ensemble consisting of and the mountains rising nowhere (1977), From a Dark Millennium (1981), and In evening’s stillness… (1996) presents a unique problem. While it is clear that the composer’s intent is that the works be considered smaller parts of a whole, there are several complications to negotiate in order to both perform and appreciate the works as a trilogy. This document is a study of the characteristics that bind these pieces despite their seemingly disparate qualities, including such major components as programmatic inspiration, instrumental requirements, compositional traits, and pitch and rhythmic material. Additionally, it …

Confluence Of Density Currents Over An Erodible Bed, Hassan Ismail

Theses and Dissertations

Results from laboratory experiments on conservative density current confluence are reported. Hydraulic characteristics and morphodynamic consequences of the confluence of two continuous release density currents in a horizontal, 45 degree asymmetrical junction are examined and compared to those of terrestrial river junctions. It was observed that density current confluence is markedly different than those in river junctions primarily due to the ease of the dense fluid to convect into the ambient fluid in the junction zone. Upward convection in the junction resulted in low horizontal velocity and shear stresses on the bed of the junction zone, followed by re-plunging to …

Viruses And Metals In Ocean Food Webs: Top-Down And Bottom-Up Effects Of Marine Viruses And Trace Elements On Marine Picophytoplankton, Brady Robert Cunningham

Theses and Dissertations

Viruses are the most numerous biological entities in the ocean, playing a key role in microbial ecology and biogeochemical cycling. In order to replicate, viruses must first infect a host and then use the host’s cellular machinery to produce new viral particles. Some of the most abundant viral hosts in the subtropical open ocean are picophytoplankton. However, picophytoplankton growth is typically constrained by nutrient availability. In many regions of the ocean, iron (Fe) is only available in very low concentrations causing growth-limitation of picophytoplankton. Interestingly, the interactions between Fe-limitation and viral infection of picophytoplankton have not been extensively studied. This …

Approaching Aromatic Interactions With Small Molecule Model Systems: Assessing N-Heteroarene In ∏ -Stacking And Ch-∏ Interactions, Crystal Engineering Of Atropisomeric Rotors, And Developing Responsive Organic Charge-Transfer Complex, Ping Li

Theses and Dissertations

Non-covalent interactions involving aromatic species are important in many areas in chemistry, biochemistry, and materials sciences. During the past two decades, small molecule model systems have emerged as a powerful tool to advance our knowledge of the stability trends for aromatic interactions in the condensed phase. Among these, the Cshape N-arylimide molecular balances developed by our laboratory have proven to be one most successful and versatile model systems that can be readily adapted to investigate various types of aromatic interactions. These molecular balances are particularly apt at isolating and accurately measuring the targeted weak aromatic interaction energies for different geometries. …

H. Villa-Lobos' Concerto Para Piano E Orquestra N. 4: A Stylistic Analysis, Vicente Della Tonia Junior

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to provide a stylistic analysis of Heitor Villa- Lobos’ Concerto No. 4 for piano and orchestra through investigation of its form, thematic materials, harmony, orchestration, stylistic influences and keyboard usage. The secondary purpose of this study was to offer the historical background, including the commission of the work, its première, reception and publication, which, along with the composer’s influences, will further illustrate his style and contribution to the genre. This study helps to fill a research gap by promoting and educating performers about Villa-Lobos’ writing. The ultimate goals are to encourage informed performances of …

Sustainable Polymeric Materials Derived From Novel Soybean Based Monomers And Polymers: From Synthesis To Applications, Nathan Trenor

Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, monomers and polymers derived from high oleic soybean oil are investigated. The properties of these monomers and polymeric materials are characterized and discussed. Chapter 1 describes an overall background of bio-based resources, monomers, polymers, and their potential impact on society. Polymerization techniques are introduced, and the overall objective of my research is described. Chapter 2 outlines the large scale preparation of a soybean based monomer and the use of this monomer in thermoset elastomers. The synthetic procedures and characterizations of the monomers and polymers are discussed. A model study using oleic acid is described and proved to …