Digital Commons Network^™

Supporting Elementary Teachers’ Enactment Of Nature Of Science Instruction: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Jennifer L. Maeng, Randy L. Bell, Tyler St. Clair, Amanda L. Gonczi, Brooke A. Whitworth

Publications

This embedded mixed method study used a randomised controlled⁠ trial design to examine two cohorts of upper (grades 4–6) elementary teachers’ classroom implementation of nature of science (NOS) instruction following their participation in a statewide professional development (PD). The treatment group (n = 145) was compared to a control group (n = 90), which received no PD. The PD included a summer institute that situated explicit NOS instruction within the context of problem-based learning (PBL). Data sources included videotaped classroom observations across four time points and teacher-generated descriptions of lessons preceding and following the observed lesson including learning …

Cardiovascular Biomechanical Models, Ethan Kung

Publications

Computational and in vitro methods offer powerful means to model the cardiovascular system and investigate biomechanics related to blood flow, cardiovascular tissue, and medical devices. These models can be constructed to directly describe human anatomy and physiology, and can be more highly controlled compared to animal models. Low-order models composed of lumped-parameter elements and simplified descriptions of cardiac function can capture the global physiology, while high-order models exhibiting detailed 3D anatomy and dynamics can provide highly realistic replication of biomechanical interactions in a small region of the circulation. Multiscale models offer the freedom to capture biomechanics in different regions at …

Justin Between Paul And The Heretics: The Salvation Of Christian Judaizers In The Dialogue With Trypho, Benjamin L. White

Publications

Justin Martyr makes the surprising concession in the Dialogue with Trypho 47 that Gentile Christians who convert as proselytes to Christ-believing Judaism “will likely be saved.” Given Justin’s larger project in the Dialogue of creating a Verus Israel distinct from historical Judaism, his admission of salvation to these ultimate Judaizers is hard to understand. The following article examines this fissure in his project by positioning Justin in tension between Paul and Marcion. Dialogue 47, which takes up the relationship between Christ-faith and the law, is shot through with the language of Galatians and Romans 14–15, and Justin tends in a …

Avs Corner, December 2017, Farzana Ferdous (Advisor), Caitlin Mathews, Emily Alexander, Brooke Redmond, Meghan Courey, Erika Jones, Wendy Guzman, Peyton Voirin, Morgan Forte

AVS Corner

No abstract provided.

Clemson Commencement Program, December 2017, Clemson University

Clemson Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

Improving Cell Seeding Of Decellularized And Porated Porcine Arterial Scaffolds, Harrison Smallwood

All Theses

Coronary artery disease is one of the number one killers in the U.S. Current treatment of using CABG surgery has limitations from availability of autologous grafts, and low patency of artificial grafts. Tissue engineered grafts would ideally provide more availability, while also replicating the mechanical properties of the native grafts. Current issues in tissue engineering arteries lie in using an effective scaffold to get correct mechanical properties, and allowing for cell infiltration to assist in integrating with native tissue once implanted. This study shows the use of a decellularized and chemically and mechanically porated porcine carotid artery in mechanical characterization …

The Human Journey As Work In Progress, Kymberly Day

All Theses

Sampling gesture, form, and monumentality from Classical figure sculpture, art history becomes an avenue for exploring tropes of the parallels between man and animal. Raw construction and shipping materials comprise these figures, interrupting conventions of display, archive, transport, and institution. Species are spliced and integrated into the human figure in each of the compositions. Traditionally, the animal is used as metaphor for different human conditions, emotions, and behaviors; our relationships to animals is one that stands the test of time in art. The animal becomes an extension of the figure's human-ness, while also acting as mere prop for the figure. …

Towards A Better Understanding Of The Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Plant Development And Stress Response, Peipei Wu

All Dissertations

The spectacular array of diverse plant forms as well as the predominantly sessile life style of plants raises two questions that have been fascinating to scientists in the field of plant biology for many years: 1) how do plants develop to a specific size and shape? 2) how do plants respond to environmental stresses given its immobility?

Plant organ development to a specific size and shape is controlled by cell proliferation and cell expansion. While the cell proliferation process is extensively studied, the cell expansion process remains largely unknown, and can be affected by several factors, such as cell wall …

Accounting For Soil Inorganic Carbon In The Ecosystem Services Framework For United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, Garth Raymond Groshans

All Theses

Soil inorganic carbon (SIC) is currently not included in the list of key soil properties related to ecosystem services (e.g., provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting services). Soil inorganic carbon is a dynamic key soil property used in soil classification, taxonomy and fertility, therefore its inclusion in the framework of ecosystem services is important. With soils rapidly changing due to human use and climate change, the soil ecosystem services framework should not include only soil organic carbon (SOC), but SIC as well since it is of global importance to soil fertility and the long-term carbon cycle, especially in semiarid and arid …

Effects Of Rider Experience Level On Horse Kinematics And Behavior, Rebekah Strunk

All Theses

Large riding lesson programs are an essential part of the horse industry. To meet demand and remain profitable, lesson barns sometimes require horses to work multiple times a day with different rider levels. There is little guidance as to the behavioral and physical effects of such protocols, so lesson program managers have limited scientific evidence upon which to base horse management and welfare decisions. The current data regarding horse and rider interactions includes motion pattern variability, trunk and spine kinematics and force plate analyses. While these data are helpful to explain scenarios that can affect the horse with an accomplished …

Neonatal Growth Measurements, Umbilical Concentrations, And Differential Gene Expression In The Placenta Of Swine In Relation To Placental Efficiency, Shanice Katelin Krombeen

All Theses

Placental efficiency (PE) describes the relationship between placental and fetal weights and is defined as fetal weight divided by placental weight. Within pig litters, PE can vary drastically, resulting in similarly sized pigs associated with very different placenta, up to a 50% weight difference. However, the means enabling the smaller placenta to grow a similarly sized littermate is unknown. The main objectives of this study were to (1) determine the concentration of glucose and cortisol in venous umbilical blood of pigs at birth and evaluate if a relationship existed between concentration and PE, and (2) determine the expression level of …

The Effect Of Hydrostatic Pressure On Neuronal Cell Morphology In Vitro, Kallie Etten

All Theses

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) and subsequent rises in intracranial pressure (ICP) are associated with high mortality and has a number of physical and behavorial consequences to which the specific causes are unknown. We hypothesized that exposure of neuronal cells to elevated pressure can cause neurite retraction and / or apoptosis. Loss of communication between neurons due to these cellular-level events may play a part in complications seen in TBI patients, such as neurodegenerative diseases, increased anxiety, fear, depression, cognitive problems, as well as motor and visual deficits. In the present study, the effect of elevated hydrostatic pressure was evaluated at …

In The Kitchen, Amber Eckersley

All Theses

This series of work explores the fragmented nature of memory, investigates the dynamism of my grandma's kitchen, and subverts nostalgia typically associated with the South. Each image in the series represents a particular memory, set of memories, or fragment of memories from my childhood of planting, growing, and picking food with my grandma as well as preserving it and cooking it with her. The ordering and decision making of what fragments go in which image is imprecise. The imprecision is a reflection of how memory operates - fragmented, mutable, and fleeting. The markings on the pots, remnants of food processes, …

Resistance Against Futility In The Name Of Convenience, Dalia Karina Delanuez

All Theses

While utilizing plastics, my primary motivation as an artist is to understand how this material can disassociate the body from its natural environment and its subsequent effects. In my work, I speak of three spaces that are not distinct but that overlap each other. I analyzed my interaction with plastics as an intermediate space. This space of transition and domestic use is explained through sculpture in several modalities. My first sculpture is a fragmented installation. My second is a video projection of my body within a sculptural surface and a filmed documentation. My third sculpture is participatory and includes a …

Virtual Reality Based Simulation Testbed For Evaluation Of Autonomous Vehicle Behavior Algorithms, Vibhor Rastogi

All Theses

Validation of Autonomous Vehicle behavior algorithms requires thorough testing against a wide range of test scenarios. It is not financially and practically feasible to conduct these tests entirely in a real world setting. We discuss the design and implementation of a VR based simulation testbed that allows such testing to be conducted virtually, linking a computer-generated environment to the system running the autonomous vehicle's decision making algorithms and operating in real-time. We illustrate the system by further discussing the design and implementation of an application that builds upon the VR simulation testbed to visually evaluate the performance of an Advance …

An Evaluation Of Methodologies For Measuring Antibacterial Activity Of The Epithelial Mucosa Of Farmed Tilapia (Oreochromis Niloticus) Against Streptococcus Agalactiae And Streptococcus Iniae, Betsy Virginia White Presgraves

All Theses

Tilapiine cichlids are the third largest farmed fish worldwide and are among the easiest and most profitable fish to farm. The most common pathogens affecting farmed tilapia are Streptococcus agalactiae and Streptococcus iniae, which together account for losses of more than 150 million dollars annually. Fish are at the highest risk for developing a Streptococcus infection when they are in high density stock conditions. Research indicates that the secondary effects of high stock density such as low dissolved oxygen and high ammonia levels are of less significance to infection and mortality than the damage that over stocking causes to …

Assessing The Predictability Of Highway Safety Manual Crash Prediction Models In The State Of South Carolina, Mahdi Rajabi

All Dissertations

Crash frequency has been identified by many experts as one of the most important safety measures, and the Highway Safety Manual (HSM) encompasses the most commonly accepted predictive models to predict the crash frequency for specific road segments and intersections. The HSM recommends that the models should be calibrated using data from a jurisdiction where the models will be applied. Large amounts of data collection and data analysis are required for this purpose, which presents numerous challenges. The HSM further recommends that, in case of available data and expertise, local agencies may develop jurisdiction-specific models. In this dissertation, the process …

Clemson Commencement Program, December 2017, Clemson University

Clemson Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

Video Game Evaluation Based On Player Decision Cycles, Adam Wentworth

All Theses

In this thesis we describe a three pronged framework that captures the important aspects of player engagement in a video game. The focus of the framework is the Player Decision Cycle, which refers to the overlapping decisions that players make during game play. These various decisions must be made many times, but each type of decision has to be made at different rates. These decisions interact to produce the pacing of the gameplay experience. To illustrate the framework we have designed and implemented two prototype RPGs. These two RPGs are Dragon Mist and Radium Seas. These games exemplify adherence to …

Comparison Of Growth And Reproductive Traits Of Young Growing Beef Bulls Developed On Forage With Or Without Concentrate Supplementation, Graham Scott Sell

All Theses

The objective of this study was to evaluate the growth and reproductive development of young growing beef bulls on a complete forage ration (F) to development of similar young growing beef bulls on a forage ration supplemented with concentrate (CT). Data was collected from the 665 beef bulls, grouped into breed codes (BC) of continental (CN; n = 103) or British (B; n = 562) that participated in the Edisto Forage Bull Test (EFBT) in Blackville, SC from 2006 to 2016 with the exception of 2012. Data from 2012 was lost in a clerical mishap. All Angus, red Angus, and …

Interleukin-12/Hfasti: A Humanized Bifunctional Fusion Protein For Cancer Immunotherapy, Chelsea Anne Pennington-Krygier

All Theses

Cancer remains a major health issue worldwide, and the leading cause of death in nearly half the states in America. As our understanding of the immune system has improved, so too has our ability to create and tailor immunotherapy and gene therapy for cancer treatment. Therapy with cytokines to boost immune activity against cancer cells has had limited success, but is largely restrained by the toxicity of systemic administration of the high doses needed to elicit the desired effect. Also limiting the effect of such cytokine therapy is the issue of cancerous cells already implementing tactics to evade immune detection, …

Green Salamander Distribution, Abundance, And Physiology In The Southern Blue Ridge, Jillian C. Newman

All Theses

Green salamanders, Aneides aeneus, are a priority species throughout their range and have been negatively affected by habitat loss, climate change, disease, and over-collection. Many historical locations for this species in the Blue Ridge Escarpment have not been visited for ~25 years and thus were in need of a status update. I constructed both small-scale and large scale distribution models for green salamanders. For the small-scale distribution model, I conducted visual encounter surveys across three counties in South Carolina using a headlamp to search rock outcrops and binoculars to search trees. I detected green salamanders at 30 of the …

Tactile Interactions, Lacy Ann Miller

All Theses

This installation of utilitarian ceramics developed from the value I place on function, ergonomics, tactility, and surface decoration which abstractly reference the biological structures facilitating our perception. I bring together these elements to playfully explore our relationships with objects - my pots are intended to be filled with food or drink, picked up, passed to a neighbor, and enjoyed in lively daily use. Audiences are familiar with tableware, its use and purpose in the home are common across history and culture. This intimate acquaintance places my work closer to its intended destination- people's lives and hands. Referring to this phenomenon …

Precision Agriculture Technology Development And Utilization For Hay Production, Perry Jonathan Loftis

All Theses

Mass flow sensor algorithms were developed for a hay yield monitoring system using ultrasonic sensors to measure windrow height. The algorithms indicated accuracies of 17.34% to 9.51%, with a wide tolerance to mounting positions. The developed mass flow algorithms were used in a nitrogen rate strip test on a 25 ac irrigated Tifton 85 bermudagrass field. Results suggested that yield, crude protein content and profit was maximized with the highest nitrogen rate only during the first harvest of 2017. All other harvest suggested a lower rate of nitrogen should be applied in order to maximize profit. A second method of …

Persistence Of Escherichia Coli O157:H7 And Listeria Monocytogenes On The Exterior Of Common Packaging Materials, Duleeka Prasadani Kuruwita Arachchige

All Theses

Acute gastroenteritis (AGE), a major cause of illness, results in 179 million AGE cases every year in the United States. AGE bacteria that have low-infectious dose include E. coli O157:H7 (<10-100 cells) and L. monocytogenes (<1000 cells). Because of their low-infectious dose and high environmental resistance, contaminated surfaces, such as the exterior surface of food packages, could be a source for disease transmission. Our aim was to determine the persistence of E. coli O157:H7 and L. monocytogenes on three packaging materials - oriented polyethylene terephthalate (OPET), oriented polypropylene (OPP), and nylon-6. Coupons (25 cm2) from each material were sterilized under ultraviolet light for 5 minutes. Spot and spread inoculation was done on treatment coupons with ca. 7 log CFU of a 3-strain-mixture of green fluorescent protein (GFP)-labeled E. coli O157:H7. All the coupons were incubated at Technical …

Hierarchical Off-Road Path Planning And Its Validation Using A Scaled Autonomous Car', Angshuman Goswami

All Theses

In the last few years. while a lot of research effort has been spent on autonomous vehicle navigation, primarily focused on on-road vehicles, off-road path planning still presents new challenges. Path planning for an autonomous ground vehicle over a large horizon in an unstructured environment when high-resolution a-priori information is available, is still very much an open problem due to the computations involved. Localization and control of an autonomous vehicle and how the control algorithms interact with the path planner is a complex task. The first part of this research details the development of a path decision support tool for …

A Hybrid Approach For Treatment Of Naphthenic Acid Fraction Compounds In Oil Sands Process-Affected Water, Daniel Peter Gaspari

All Theses

Extensive volumes of oil sands process-affected waters (OSPWs) are produced at surface mines in the Athabasca Oil Sands. OSPW contains constituents, including a complex mixture of refractory organics known as naphthenic acid fraction compounds (NAFCs), that require treatment prior to government-mandated reclamation of mining leases. Hybrid constructed wetland treatment systems (CWTSs) implementing film-based TiO2 photocatalysis were investigated as a passive, low-energy method for treatment of constituents of concern (COCs) in OSPW.

Bench-scale settled TiO2 batch reactors were assembled and degradation of NAFCs in a specific OSPW was measured as a function of cumulative solar ultraviolet radiation (UV insolation) and by …

Development Of New Bioinformatic Approaches For Human Genetic Studies, Jose Andres Guevara Coto

All Dissertations

The development of bioinformatics methods for human genetic studies utilizes the vast amount of data to generate new valuable information. Machine learning and statistical coupling analysis can be used in the study of human diseases. These diseases include intellectual disabilities (ID), prevalent in 1-3% of the population and caused primarily by genetics. Although many cases of ID are caused by mutations in protein-coding genes, the possible involvement of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in ID due to their role in gene expression regulation, has been explored. In this study, we used machine learning to develop a new expression-based model trained using …

Flow Assessment Using Optical Coherence Microscopy Based Particle Image Velocimetry, Siyu Ma

All Dissertations

Congenital heart diseases (CHDs) are the most common forms of congenital malformation in newborns. Among all types of CHDs, a large portion is contributed by malformation of endocardial cushion malformation during early heart development. Although the etiology of endocardial cushion malformation is unclear, it is a result of interactions between genetic and environmental factors has been confirmed. There is hypothesis indicating that malformation of endocardial cushion is caused by altered shear stress conditions where in cushion forming area the shear stress is supposed to be high compare with other area in congenital heart. However it is difficult to justify due …

Interrelationships Between Carbohydrate Fractions, Starch Degradability, And Unsaturated Fatty Acids In The Rumen And The Effects On Milk Fat Depressing Conditions, Louisa E. Koch

All Dissertations

Diet-induced milk fat depression is a multifactorial disorder characterized by sustained reduction in milk fat. Feeding high amounts of starch and unsaturated fatty acids have been shown to reduce milk fat yield and concentration, and alter ruminal biohydrogenation. In addition, starch with high rates of degradability may lead to a decrease in ruminal pH and an increase in the outflow of ruminal biohydrogenation intermediates. It is possible that starch sources of high degradability could still be utilized in diets for the recovery of milk fat depression, provided the unsaturated fat level is reduced. Replacing a portion of the starch, especially …