Digital Commons Network^™

Enhancing Surface Texturing Of Zirconia Toughened Alumina Ceramic Through Optimized Electric Discharge Machining Utilizing The Assistive Electrode Method, Yazan Eyas Tuffaha

Theses and Dissertations

Zirconia toughened alumina (ZTA) is a durable and biocompatible ceramic material commonly used in prosthetic hip implants because of its excellent mechanical properties and wear/corrosion resistance. Surface texturing can improve the lubricity and longevity of hip implant bearing surfaces, but precision machining of ceramic materials such as ZTA is very difficult due to suboptimal surface integrity results of traditional machining techniques. This thesis explores the optimization of machining ZTA using electric discharge machining (EDM) - a process usually reserved for conductive metals - to machine holes into the ceramic to create surface textures. EDM is made possible through the assistive …

Implicit Vs. Explicit Approaches When Teaching Reflexive Structures In A Fifth-Grade Spanish Dual Immersion Classroom, Paula Valeria Ward

Theses and Dissertations

Dual language immersion (DLI) students can develop high levels of proficiency in their second language at a young age. However, they often have difficulties with their accuracy using advanced grammatical constructions (Watzinger-Tharp et al., 2018), such as using different verbs tenses or gender and number agreement in speaking and writing (Bateman et al., 2020). The goal of this study is to test whether explicit or implicit instructional approaches are more effective in the teaching of one such grammatical concept, specifically reflexive constructions, in two DLI classrooms. In this research, I investigated results from a five-lesson treatment in a case study …

The Effects Of Writing Groups On Student Self-Efficacy, Katie Francom

Theses and Dissertations

High school students often lack confidence in their writing. One way to change this is by increasing their self-efficacy regarding writing. Previous studies suggest that writing groups have effectively improved students' self-efficacy in higher education. However, more must be done to see if this same intervention would succeed in high school. This study aimed to test this hypothesis and answer the question: How does participating in writing groups shape adolescents' writing self-efficacy? To do this, 57 11th-grade students participated in writing groups in an Honors English 11 class over a semester. For the study, they were surveyed about their writerly …

Interventional Radiology's Exploration Into Artificial Intelligence, Raymond Nguyen

Master's Projects and Capstones

Background: Artificial intelligence (AI) has become more prominent in our daily lives in recent years. This includes various aspects of healthcare. Interventional radiology (IR) is one of these specialties that has taken strides in understanding how AI can be leveraged for patient care. This literature review aims to understand what areas will be most impacted by AI in IR and how it will influence both the patient and interventional radiologist.

Methods: Twenty-six publications from 2019-2024 were selected from PubMed and Scopus. Publications were sourced through a combination of keywords, subject headings (MeSH terms), and citation searching.

Results: This literature review …

Estuarine Microbial Community Composition And Efficiency Changes In Response To Vibrio Parahaemolyticus Exposure, Sarah Mulligan

Theses and Dissertations

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a pathogenic bacterium whose full impact on natural estuarine phytoplankton communities has not been fully resolved. The primary goal of this research was to test how the addition of V. parahaemolyticus to a natural estuarine microbial community would impact the other microbes present. We hypothesized V. parahaemolyticus exposure would reduce phytoplankton biomass and alter the composition of phytoplankton and bacterial communities. Experimental bioassays (60h) were used to assess the effects of the presence of V. parahaemolyticus . Samples for measurements of chemotaxonomic photopigment concentrations, 16S sequencing-based community composition, photosynthetic efficiency, cell density, and V. parahaemolyticus abundance were …

Mental Trauma, Colonial Mimicry, And Internalized Racism In Tsitsi Dangarembga's The Book Of Not, Lily Kay Lynn Cook

Theses and Dissertations

Tsitsi Dangarembga’s second novel in her Nervous Conditions trilogy, The Book of Not (2006) emphasizes the disabling nature of colonial domination and terror through pain and violence inflicted on the body and the mind. Through the use of Frantz Fanon’s colonial and post-colonial theory and Homi Bhabha’s concept of colonial mimicry the critical nature of Tambudzai—the main protagonist—position in the novel becomes apparent. Just as the title suggests, the novel becomes a book of negation and unbecoming as Tambudzai tries to find her place as a woman in Southern Rhodesia while attending a European colonial institution while war rages just …

Electronic Structure Investigation Of Photoswitch-Embedded Organic Frameworks And External Electric Field Effects On Carbon Dioxide, Austin Hill

Theses and Dissertations

Metal- and Covalent-Organic Frameworks (MOFs and COFs, respectively) are chemically versatile systems that have diverse applications, ranging from drug delivery to energy storage. This versatility is due to the highly tunable nature of organic frameworks, which utilize metal clusters, chemically diverse metals, and organic ligands. Researchers have recently demonstrated how MOFs and COFs can be remotely tuned through the use of photochromic organic linkers and light (Martin, et al., 2022). The implications of these findings are significant and have numerous applications, primarily in optical switching and energy storage. However, the photochromic mechanism within the organic framework must be investigated, which …

Molecular And Hybrid Catalysts For Selective Hydrodeoxygenation Of Lignin Model Compounds, Jacob G. Tillou

Theses and Dissertations

Lignin is a highly aromatic, branched polymer and could be utilized as a renewable source of liquid fuel. The advent of “lignin-first” depolymerization processes have allowed for the high-yield isolation of oxygenated aromatic monomers from lignin. These oxygenated aromatic compounds are lower in energy and stability than their deoxygenated counterparts. Selective deoxygenation of these compounds would result in stable, higher value liquid fuels. Using molecular catalysts, selective deoxygenation, or hydrodeoxygenation (HDO), of lignin-derived compounds in the presence of hydrogen is possible.

Immobilization of these molecular catalysts on metal oxide surfaces eliminates the possibility of bimolecular decomposition and allows for easier …

Medieval To Modern: Morgan Le Fay As Folk Icon Of Women In Power In Modern King Arthur Stories, Colleen Victoria Etman

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation interrogates the ways that society views women with/in power through Arthurian adaptation. The body of work that makes up the Arthurian story is a sort of folk legend, a myth being told and retold by various authors in their own way. By using folk studies to analyze both medieval and modern texts, we can dissect what is important enough to remain over time. This signifies cultural values; things that have remained over time are reflective of the values of the writers producing these works, as well as the audiences consuming them. By interrogating these stories, we can make …

Eco-Domestic Femininity: The Collapse Of Domestic And Wild In Southern Women’S Writing, Christina Xan

Theses and Dissertations

When the Agrarians set out to assert their definition of southern in I’ll Take My Stand (1930), they planted roots deep in the ground of the south that slowly wrapped its tendrils around its descendants. In the years that have followed, southern women have had to push back against these limiting boundaries. Their individual stories are linked by the communal lineage of the south, specifically the binary of domestic and wild. Traditionally, southern women have had to stay in the boundaries of the home, cultivating domesticity, ordering the space, and warming the hearth. The land itself, posed as opposite from …

Emerson And Nietzsche: Appropriation, Translation, And Experimentation, Maximilian Gindorf

Theses and Dissertations

The relationship between Friedrich Nietzsche and Ralph Waldo Emerson has been a matter of rumor, surprise, and denial for over a century. This dissertation sets out to provide the first complete and concise account of Emerson’s influence on Nietzsche’s texts throughout the German’s intellectual life. Additionally, it does not limit itself to just Nietzsche but places his readings of Emerson into the larger context of the American’s German readership. The project’s methodology uses 19^th century and early 20^th century sources of Emerson’s reception in Germany, such as newspaper reviews and journal essays, the German translations of Emerson’s works, …

Exiting Inflation With A Smooth Scale Factor, Harry Oslislo

Theses and Dissertations

The expectation that the physical expansion of space occurs smoothly may be expressed mathematically as a requirement for continuity in the time derivative of the metric scale factor of the Friedmann–Robertson–Walker cosmology. We explore the consequences of imposing such a smoothness requirement, examining the forms of possible interpolating functions between the end of inflation and subsequent radiation- or matter-dominated eras, using a straightforward geometric model of the interpolating behavior. We quantify the magnitude of the cusp found in a direct transition from the end of slow roll inflation to the subsequent era, analyze the validity several smooth interpolator candidates, and …

Placebos, Rhetoric, And The Power Of Expectation, Jennifer M. Reeher

Theses and Dissertations

Placebos, Rhetoric, and the Power of Expectation examines the relationship between persuasion and health to determine what interventions rhetoric could make in the interdisciplinary field of placebo studies. This exploration of the relationship between rhetoric and placebo responses relies on non-anthropocentric definitions and theories of rhetoric as well as a multifaceted archive that includes patient narratives, clinical intake forms, and peer-reviewed scientific studies of condition-specific placebo responses. The impact of this investigation spans the practical and the theoretical. First, rhetorical study highlights the importance of a patient’s perception of care in patient recovery. To this end, rhetoric offers audience-focused methods …

Unraveling The Structure And Star Formation History Of Polar Ring Galaxies, Kyle Lackey

Theses and Dissertations

Polar ring galaxies (PRGs) are a fascinating subgroup of early-type galaxies (ETGs) consisting of a central host galaxy - typically E/S0 - surrounded by a ring of gas, dust and stars orbitting perpedicular to the major axis of that host. In order to estimate physical properties and origins of five such objects taken from Whitmore's 1990 PRC catalog, we conduct a photometric study in optical and infrared wavebands. Data are taken from SDSS, GMOS-S, HST-WFPC2, and SST-IRAC. Each object was decomposed into a host galaxy bulge, host galaxy disk, and polar ring, and each component was fit with a Sersic …

Maternal-Child Cortisol Attunement Differs In Preschoolers With Autism, Fragile X Syndrome, And Neurotypical Development, Rachel Hantman

Theses and Dissertations

Early maternal-child attunement sets a critical foundation for later social development. While maternal and child cortisol attunement in neurotypical (NT) development has been clearly established, little research has examined these relations in neurodevelopmental populations, such as those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and Fragile X Syndrome (FXS). Given their elevated-risk for disrupted maternal-child attunement and given elevated stress and dysregulated cortisol patterns in both children with ASD and FXS and their parents independently, this is a critical gap. This study addressed this gap in the literature by examining early maternal-child cortisol attunement in 97 mother-child dyads (_nNT = …

Evaluating Nonlinear Relationships In Sem Models: An Example Of Parameter Estimation And Stability Using Expectancy Value Theory, Steven G. Barth

Theses and Dissertations

In structural equation modeling, relationships between exogenous and endogenous variables are often assumed to be linear though that is not a requirement. A recent trend in modeling latent interactions and moderations has stimulated further inquiry into nonlinear relationships and the analysis techniques associated with those types of models. However, rarely do investigators specify other potential nonlinear relationships such as quadratic relationships. This study explores the potential for quadratic relationships within Expectancy Value Theory when p the impact of high school students’ motivational beliefs on their pursuit of STEM-related activities. Using the High School Longitudinal Survey as a source of information, …

Housing Buyouts At The Intersection Of Flooding And Toxins: A Case Study Of Cheraw, South Carolina, Victoria Ponds

Theses and Dissertations

As climate change increases extreme weather events, efforts of managed retreat will also increase, particularly through housing buyout programs. The largest scale housing buyout programs are run through the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). These buyout programs focus primarily on flood hazards and exclude anthropogenic hazards. This policy is problematic in the modern technological age where compound hazards, including those involving toxin releases, are occurring more frequently. In this thesis, I investigate how disaster policies account for the intersection of these hazards in Community Development Block Grant-Mitigation buyouts in Cheraw, South …

Impaired Waters: New Treatments And Improved Methods For Pfas And Algae Toxins, Alexandria Forster

Theses and Dissertations

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are high-profile environmental contaminants, many having long persistence in the environment and widespread presence in humans and wildlife. Following phase-out of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in North America and restrictions in Europe, PFAS replacements are now widely found in the environment. While liquid chromatography (LC)-mass spectrometry (MS) is typically used for measurement, much of the PFAS is missed. To more comprehensively capture organic fluorine, we developed sensitive and robust methods using activated carbon adsorption, solid phase extraction, and combustion ion chromatography (CIC) to measure total organic fluorine (TOF) in industrial wastewaters, river …

Erlang-Distributed Seir Epidemic Models With Cross-Diffusion, Victoria Chebotaeva

Theses and Dissertations

We examine the effects of cross-diffusion dynamics in epidemiological models. Using reaction-diffusion dynamics to model the spread of infectious diseases, we focus on situations in which the movement of individuals is affected by the concentration of individuals of other categories. In particular, we present a model where susceptible individuals move away from large concentrations of infected and infectious individuals.

Our results show that accounting for this cross-diffusion dynamics leads to a noticeable effect on epidemic dynamics. It is noteworthy that this leads to a delay in the onset of epidemics and an increase in the total number of people infected. …

Institute Of Enslavement: Enslaved Lives At South Carolina College, Jill Found

Theses and Dissertations

“Institute of Enslavement: Enslaved Lives at South Carolina College” argues that enslaved people used the structure of the school, their own knowledge, and connections to other individuals and institutions to negotiate the terms of their enslavement. It examines how enslaved people on campus influenced their daily lives to the best of their abilities, in ways that were similar and different to other forms of enslavement. “Institute of Enslavement” considers how the unique structure of enslavement on a college campus, with multiple potential masters creating inconsistent authority for the school officials over enslaved people, created opportunities as well as moments of …

Statistical Inference Based On Elliptically Symmetric Distributions For Directional Data, Zehao Yu

Theses and Dissertations

Directional data arise in many scientific fields such as meteorology, oceanography, geology, zoology, and biomechanics. Geometrically, directional data lie in a spherical space. Although not in a spherical space, compositional data, such as microbiome data, can be mapped from a simplex to a spherical space via the component-wise square-root transformation. Other examples where compositional data emerge as a subject of interest include compositions of minerals in rocks, compositions of chemical mixtures, investment portfolios, and demographic composition of a population. This dissertation aims to develop inference procedures for analyzing directional data in general initially, with later focus shifted to the transformed …

From North To South: North Carolina's Black Union Veterans In The South Carolina Lowcountry, Elizabeth L. Laney

Theses and Dissertations

For the almost two thousand black Union veterans living in South Carolina following the end of the Civil War, the formation of robust social networks, particularly those composed of fellow veterans, would be the key to sustaining themselves and public memory of their service. This was especially true for the veterans of the 35^th US Colored Troops (USCT), formerly the 1^st North Carolina Colored Volunteers, who settled in smaller rural communities throughout the South Carolina Lowcountry. Establishing social networks through marriage, forming local veteran support systems and initiating local celebrations were just some of the ways that out-of-state …

The Importance Of Sense Of Community In Recovery For Individuals Living With Serious Mental Illness, Natalia Gomez

Theses and Dissertations

People with serious mental illness face a variety of barriers to participating in community life. Some of these barriers include limits in social functioning which can then affect social relationships and life satisfaction (Sanchez et al, 2016). Devaluation based on mental health status is an important barrier to address due to its connection to stigma and relationships. The more an individual fears that they will be undervalued and discriminated against, the more they may fear interacting with others. They may hide that they are in mental health treatment or avoid social encounters that they consider as possibly rejecting. These behaviors …

South Carolina School District Takeover: A Critical Policy Analysis, David Osworth

Theses and Dissertations

School takeover is a reform strategy where a school or district is placed into the control of a state or municipal government agency. Takeover has become increasingly popular in many states as an attempt to improve schools and district that are struggling either academically or financially. Takeover, however, is more likely to be implemented in districts serving a higher proportion of Black students. Due to the racialized nature of this policy this study uses a Critical Race Theory (CRT) methodology to engage in a critical policy analysis of school takeover in one rural school district in South Carolina. This study …

British Fortification Strategy In The South Carolina Backcountry During The Southern Campaign Of The American Revolution: Archaeological And Historical Perspectives On Infrastructure And Landscape, Charles Brian Mabelitini

Theses and Dissertations

During the Southern Campaign of the American Revolution, the British military established a series of fortified posts to secure the South Carolina backcountry. This chain of posts was comprised of at least 25 fortified positions that extended in an east-west arc from Georgetown, South Carolina, at the mouth of the Pee Dee River to the village of Augusta, Georgia, on the Savannah River. This dissertation examines the British fortification strategy in the South Carolina backcountry during the Southern Campaign from the anthropological perspective of infrastructure theory. It also examines the archaeological landscape of these positions to better understand their strategic …

The Effect Of Voluntarily Disclosing An Earnings Surprise On Management Operating Decisions, Jonathan Gay

Theses and Dissertations

Prior research extensively examines the external implications of voluntarily disclosing an earnings surprise, yet the internal implications remain understudied. Using two experiments, I examine whether the preemptive voluntary disclosure of an earnings surprise influences management operating decisions. Drawing upon mental accounting and the realization effect, I predict that managers are more likely to make inefficient operating decisions when an earnings surprise is expected and that a quantitative, but not qualitative, voluntary disclosure will mitigate this value-sacrificing behavior. I find that managers are more likely to make inefficient operating decisions when a negative, but not a positive, earnings surprise is expected …

Layers Of Support: Cognitive, Psychological, And Social Factors That Contribute To Success In The High School-To-College Transition, Paige Cristine Mckeown

Theses and Dissertations

The future of individual and societal progress is largely dependent on students’ success following completion of K-12 education. For most traditionally aged students, this entails a journey into higher education at colleges and universities. This transition is rife with pitfalls that may lead students to stop out, fail out, or make inadequate progress towards completion – which further compounds social, psychological, financial, and personal challenges they may be facing. However, the challenges that contribute to these outcomes can be addressed and interventions can be designed to best support students in transition. This dissertation addresses these factors through a thematic literature …

Enslaved Women: Reproductive Choices And Medicine, Adedoyin Adekunle

Theses and Dissertations

Enslavement in the American South persisted as a form of subjugation that endured into the nineteenth century. The origins of slavery stemmed from enslavers’ aspirations for dominance. This compelled displacement involved the removal of Africans from their native lands and their subsequent transport as chattels to America. Slavery gave rise to paternalism, an attempt to justify exploitation to resolve the fundamental contradiction inherent in slavery. Paternalism gave rise to the false idea of ultimate submission, which historians have agreed that most enslavers never attained because of slave resistance. However, the study of slave resistance had been primarily focused on enslaved …

Investigating Arctic Ocean Freshwater Content And Circulation In A Changing Climate, Emma Louise Hoffman

Theses and Dissertations

The Arctic Ocean is unique among the world’s oceans, characterized by its cold temperatures, salinity-driven vertical structure, and shallow shelf seas. It has warmed intensely since the 1980s at rates exceeding the global average. This Arctic Amplification drives variability in sea ice and salinity, affecting local circulation and exchange with other basins, leading to global changes in oceanic and atmospheric circulation and the biosphere. This thesis explores changing dynamics in the Arctic Ocean, in particular connecting modeled changes in liquid freshwater content (FWC) and its pathways with major ocean circulation patterns, atmospheric drivers, and large-scale climatic changes.

This research combines …

Global Well-Posedness Of Nonlocal Differential Equations Arising From Traffic Flow, Thomas Joseph Hamori

Theses and Dissertations

Macroscopic traffic flow models describe the evolution of a function ρ(t, x), which represents the traffic density at time t and location x according to a differential equation (typically a conservation law). Numerous models have been introduced over the years which capture the phenomenon of shock formation in which the solution develops a discontinuity. This presents difficulties from the standpoint of mathematical analysis, necessitating the consideration of weak solutions. At the same time, this undesirable mathematical behavior corresponds to unsafe driving conditions on real roadways, in which the heaviness of traffic may vary abruptly and dramatically. This thesis introduces and …