Digital Commons Network^™

Evaluation Of Turbidity Reduction Using Polyacrylamide With Linear Sediment Control Best Management Practices, Jacob O. Burkey

All Theses

Accelerated erosion and highly turbid stormwater runoff from construction sites are known to cause a variety of environmental and economic problems. To reduce turbidity and keep eroded sediment on site, this research was conducted to evaluate the potential for turbidity reduction using polyacrylamide (PAM) flocculants with sediment control best management practices (BMPs).

Previous research has shown significant turbidity reduction when applying granular PAM to linear sediment control BMPs. Numerous studies indicate that PAM loses efficacy if it becomes wet and then dries. This makes PAM reapplication a necessary part of maintaining sediment control BMPs using PAM and suggests that further …

The Effects Of Applied Hydrostatic Pressure On Osteogenic Differentiation Of Mouse Mesenchymal Stem Cells In An In Vitro 3d Culture, Brittany Mcgowan

All Dissertations

Changes in the mechanical loading on the skeleton have been shown to influence bone density. In bone disorders, such as disuse osteoporosis, the reduction of loading on bone leads to reduced bone mineral density and thus increased risk of fracture. Previous studies have suggested this may be caused by a change in the mechanical environment, specifically hydrostatic pressures, of the bone cells, resulting in a change in cellular activity. However, the pressure parameters and mechanisms involved in the promotion/suppression of osteogenesis in 3D in vitro culture of bone cells are not well understood. This doctoral thesis sought to investigate the …

Assessing College Students' Understanding Of Acid Base Chemistry Concepts, Yanjun Wan

All Dissertations

Typically most college curricula include three acid base models: Arrhenius', Bronsted-Lowry's, and Lewis'. Although Lewis' acid base model is generally thought to be the most sophisticated among these three models, and can be further applied in reaction mechanisms, most general chemistry curricula either do not include Lewis' acid base model, or quickly mention it at the end of the acid base chapter, because of the concern that Lewis' model may confuse general chemistry students (Shaffer 2006). While such a disconnection in curriculum might put students to disadvantage as they try to construct solid and coherent acid base mental models, there …

The Role Of Human Norovirus Surrogates, Feline Calicivirus And Murine Norovirus, On Non-Porous And Soft Porous Surfaces, Thomas Yeargin

All Theses

Human Noroviruses (HuNoV) are the leading cause of acute gastroenteritis worldwide as well as the leading cause of foodborne disease in the U.S. HuNoV can persist in the environment even after proper disinfection, making preventing HuNoV infections and controlling subsequent outbreaks extremely challenging. Epidemiological evidence suggests that soft surfaces may be a relevant source of HuNoV due to the inability to effectively decontaminate. The objectives of this study were to: 1) review the current published literature on prevalence, transmission, and disinfection pertaining to HuNoV and surrogates with an emphasis on soft surfaces as fomites, 2) optimize a recovery method capable …

Detroit's Theaters: A Study Of Significance And Reuse, Leigh Schoberth

All Theses

Detroit is frequently a case study for contemporary urban and economic issues. A specific component of Detroit's built fabric that requires preservation attention in light of the city's struggles is the undervalued theater district. Several of the theaters in the central district of Detroit are now threatened by demolition after years of neglect. The history and significance of the theaters, as well as careful consideration of the range of acceptable preservation treatment options, stand to inform a preservation plan for these and other cities' theaters. One of the options is the reuse of the theaters. While the large scale of …

Birding By Ear: A Study Of Recreational Specialization And Soundscape Preference, Zachary D. Miller

All Theses

Soundscapes have become recognized as an important natural resource. The traditional human-made versus natural soundscape comparison currently used in recreational resource management is challenged by borrowing soundscape components (i.e., biophony, anthrophony, and geophony) from soundscape ecology. This study is designed to evaluate the soundscape preference of birders. A three-component model of recreational specialization was used to evaluate how recreationists may differ in their preference for soundscape components. Data from in-person surveys collected at The Audubon Center and Sanctuary at Francis Beidler Forest in Harleyville, South Carolina were used in combination with surveys from online birding list servers to obtain a …

Improved Oxidative Stability In Biodiesel Via Commercially-Viable Processing Strategies, Gregory Lepak

All Theses

Biodiesel made from waste cooking oil (WCO) frequently requires antioxidants to meet oxidation stability specifications set forth in ASTM D6751 or EN 14214. In contrast, unrefined cottonseed oil (CSO), containing tocopherols and high concentrations of gossypol, a toxic polyphenolic antioxidant, is unique for biodiesel processing because it produces biodiesel resulting in higher oxidation stability. During biodiesel production, however, only a portion of these endogenous natural antioxidants are suspected to be retained. Because the economics of biodiesel manufacturing rely upon inexpensive sources of triglycerides, emphasis was placed upon developing improved alternative commercially-viable processing strategies where WCO is the main source of …

Biomass And Lipid Production Of Chlorella Protothecoides Under Heterotrophic Cultivation On A Mixed Waste Substrate Of Brewer Fermentation And Crude Glycerol, Xiaoyu Feng

All Theses

Biodiesel production using Chlorella protothecoides microalgae species has become an attractive topic due to the intense requirements of renewable energy in past decades. While, the expensive capital cost of the carbon and nitrogen substrates for algae growth is becoming a restrictive problem in this filed. In this study, heterotrophic cultivation of Chlorella protothecoides in the dark was conducted in 500mL shake flasks. Chlorella protothecoides growth in mixed substrate of brewer fermentation and biodiesel crude glycerol by-products containing a relatively high concentration of carbon and nitrogen was discussed and compared with that in microalgae basal medium which was supplied with 30 …

Volumetric Cloud Rendering: An Animation Of Clouds, Zhaoxin Ye

All Theses

This paper demonstrates a production workflow for a volumetric-rendering-based short animation about clouds. The animation is based on the concept of a giant fish swimming in the sky from Zhuangzi's philosophical story. The algorithm and implementation for the modeling and rendering of clouds are also presented. A renderer was developed that uses the OpenVDB library for data storage, fast retrieving and grid manipulation. A user-friendly pipeline was also developed for cloud modeling and rendering, which used Python and XML for adjusting rendering parameters. The pipeline includes Maya to build the rough cloud model and Houdini to calculate the interior light …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Polymeric Micelle Delivery System As A Drug And, Justin Nice

All Theses

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. There is currently no effective therapeutic for the treatment of TBI. Primary injury, from the initial injury, causes contusions and hemorrhaging at the site of impact. Diffuse damage is caused throughout the brain from the impact; this includes axonal injury, hypoxic brain damage, brain swelling and vascular injury. Brain damage continues as the secondary injury; which is characterized by hypoxia, hypotension, amino acid excitotoxicity and ionic imbalance. All of these conditions cause additional cell death and damage. Inflammation, brought about by reduced cyclic AMP levels is also …

Faces As Ambient Displays: Assessing The Attention-Demanding Characteristics Of Facial Expressions, Brock Bass

All Theses

Ambient displays are used to provide information to users in a non-distracting manner. The purpose of this research was to examine the efficacy of facial expressions as a method of conveying information to users in an unobtrusive way. Facial expression recognition requires very little if any conscious attention from the user, which makes it an excellent candidate for the ambient presentation of information. Specifically, the current study quantified the amount of attention required to decode and recognize various facial expressions. The current study assessed the attention-demanding characteristics of facial expressions using the dual-task experiment paradigm. Results from the experiment suggest …

An Automated Build System For Articulated Characters, James Sledge

All Theses

Rigging is the process of designing and implementing the manipulation architecture for an animated three-dimensional character. Rigs that give the animator the most control tend to be the most difficult to set up and maintain. Due to the linear nature of some elements of rigging, the more complicated a rig, the more time-intensive--and therefore more expensive--to achieve a high quality rig. A solution to complex rig iterability is to automate as much of the process as possible. The topic of this thesis is a framework for modular rigging automation, with a focus on quick and efficient rig iteration. A rigger …

Phenological Relationships Of Nesting Barn Swallows In A Swallow-Fly-Cattle System And Their Potential Role In Suppression Of Pest Flies In A Warming Climate, Claire Stuyck

All Theses

Conservation efforts for birds that provide ecosystem services in agricultural systems require management approaches that cross disciplines. This information is communicated through a variety of outlets but rarely in ways that interface effectively with normal management approaches. The disconnect between agriculture and wildlife conservation reduces the likelihood that ecosystem service benefits will be realized. One understudied ecosystem service provided by birds such as barn swallows (Hirundo rustica) is their role in suppression of flies that are pests to livestock. Climate change, however, may differentially affect flies that respond largely to temperature, and swallows that migrate and respond to photoperiod and …

Assessing The Response Of Small Mammal Functional Guilds To A Simulated Pathogen Attack In A Deciduous Forest Ecosystem, Katie Keck

All Theses

Oak trees (Quercus species) are a foundation species that influence the population dynamics of other organisms by stabilizing ecosystem processes. Globally, oak-dominated forests have experienced widespread mortality due to the fungal pathogen, Phytophthora ramorum, which causes the disease Sudden Oak Death (SOD). I investigated the impact of a simulated pathogen attack such as SOD on the small mammal assemblage of an oak forest in Cornwall, New York. Specifically, I tested the hypothesis that specialist species are most impacted by the loss of foundation species and that they would decline in abundance because of changes in food and habitat resources. In …

Lighting And Compositing For Qa-Arm-A, Mandy Madigan

All Theses

This thesis focuses on lighting, rendering, and compositing for the short film, QA-ARM-A. The goal of this project was to create a photorealistic short film centered on an interesting story. During this project, aesthetic direction, rendering requirements, and technical challenges arose. Issues of primary importance included: the proper render system to employ, the division of render layers, the selection of render passes, the combination of those layers and passes in compositing, and techniques for lighting each scene. As a result, many of the collaborative techniques and methods can be directly employed in future productions.

Spectrum Of The Spirit: Interpreting The Material Connotations Of Ecclesiastical Stained Glass In Charleston, South Carolina, Valerie J. Mccluskey

All Theses

The City of Charleston is known colloquially as 'The Holy City,' and many of its holy structures display stained glass windows. Long admired for their aesthetic qualities, these stained glass windows are under-examined examples of the city's material culture. A careful reading of these windows has uncovered information about the artifacts themselves and the cultural, religious, and geographic identities of the societies who created and commissioned these windows. This thesis examines how ethnography, religion, and geography influenced the artistic styles and iconography of the stained glass windows of Charleston's ecclesiastical structures and mausoleums. The stained glass windows of Peninsular Charleston …

Persistence Of A Vulnerable Semi-Aquatic Turtle In An Intensively-Managed Forest Landscape, Christopher O'Bryan

All Theses

Understanding spatial and population ecology of organisms allows land managers to predict how changes in distribution and composition of landscape features influence persistence. Our goal was to investigate body size, sex ratios, survival, individual movements, and habitat selection of a vulnerable freshwater turtle species, the spotted turtle (Clemmys guttata), in an intensively-managed forest landscape in eastern North Carolina, USA. Spotted turtles naturally occur in wetland-dominated landscapes, but this system is heavily-altered, with >222,000 hectares of pine plantations and >10,000 km of ditches managed by Weyerhaeuser Company. During 2012-2013, we captured and individually marked 280 turtles, and used radio-telemetry (n = …

The Rusterizer: An Art-Directable And Semi-Procedural Tool For Generating Rust Surfaces, Karen Stritzinger

All Theses

The Rusterizer is an art-directable tool designed to facilitate the creation of rust on the surfaces of 3d models. Cellular automata are combined with a procedural shader to create an animated growth effect. A workflow for using the tool is provided. The result is demonstrated with a time-lapse animation of a robot in an alley as it rusts. Future extensions and improvements to the tool are suggested.

Domestic Cisterns In Charleston, South Carolina: Public Health And Private Water In An Antebellum City, Brittany Mckee

All Theses

This study is the first comprehensive analysis of domestic cisterns in the antebellum United States. Cisterns, traditionally defined as catchment or storage facilities for rainwater collected by means of a drainage system, became a common domestic utility in Charleston, South Carolina during the nineteenth century. The earliest cisterns on the peninsula were constructed in the city's more affluent properties. By 1870 they were a household feature in all areas of the city. Two primary factors motivated Charlestonians to install domestic water collection systems. First, the city urbanized with little to no sanitation policy. As a result the city experienced frequent …

Preliminary Evaluation Of Kenaf As A Structural Material, Andrew Sheldon

All Theses

Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) is an annual fiber plant that is kin to cotton and okra and native to east-central Africa, though it is currently grown in numerous locations around the globe. The plant's apparent high strength and light weight along with its environmental and sustainability advantages makes it a good candidate for use in structural materials. The goal of this study was to design a kenaf product that resembled parallel strand lumber and required minimal processing of the kenaf. The mechanical properties of the two main components of kenaf, the bast fibers and the core, were evaluated using experimental …

A Forgotten Castle: Archer And Anna Huntington's Winter Residence Atalaya In Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, Kelly Morgan Herrick

All Theses

This thesis examines Atalaya, the winter residence Archer and Anna Huntington, New York artists and philanthropists, built at Murrells Inlet, South Carolina in 1934. Atalaya is an architecturally unique Spanish Revival residence that resists categorization. However, scholarly writing about the Huntingtons overlooks Atalaya and considers it a mere backdrop for the couple's lives and accomplishments. By compiling an accurate account of Atalaya's construction, this thesis investigates whether Atalaya's significance comes from its design or from Anna Hyatt Huntington's prominence as a sculptor. This thesis makes use of newspapers, Anna Huntington's personal diaries, and papers from the Huntingtons' estate. From these …

Developing A South Carolina Traffic Incident Management Plan Along The I-26 Corridor Between Columbia And Charleston, Laura Rowe

All Theses

Traffic Incident Management (TIM) programs are used in many states across the nation to efficiently clear interstate incidents and alleviate congestion in response to incidents. The overarching goal of this research is to maintain safety of the motoring public and incident responders while reducing congestion, secondary collisions, and traffic delays from incidents that occur on South Carolina highways. To reduce incident clearance times along the I-26 corridor between Columbia and Charleston through the implementation of a Traffic Incident Management (TIM) Program, several objectives for this thesis were established to move toward the goal, including; defining gaps between national TIM best-practices …

Acquiescence: Stories, Justyna Anna Pekalak

All Theses

This creative thesis consists of two short stories centered on implications of immigration and uprooting: the possible loss of control and the self, and as a result, existing solely as a body in transit, all of which may lead to a threat of violence. Both stories discuss the immensely radical act of migration, but are set in different landscapes (Polish and American) in order to explore the issue from two different viewpoints: that of someone returning to a place they had left, and that of a person living on still foreign soil. The issue of movement is especially important in …

Density Functional Theory Study Of The Thermodynamics Of Catalytic Remediation Of Nitrate In Water, Lizzie Bollmann

All Theses

Over 1 billion people worldwide lack access to safe drinking water and 5,000 people die each day due to drinking contaminated water. With the development of new industries, new substances and chemicals are entering the waters every day, and the current water treatment processes are unable to remove them entirely. For example, agriculture is the world's heaviest consumer of water, and nitrates and nitrites from fertilizers are washed away with the water to rivers and streams. These chemicals can cause problems to humans and to the environment. To humans, they can cause methemoglobinemia, also known as 'blue baby syndrome'. To …

Effect Of Bromelain On Duck Breast Meat Tenderization, Ahmet Buyukyavuz

All Theses

ABSTRACT This study was conducted to determine the effect of bromelain on duck breast meat tenderization. Duck breasts were marinated with different concentrations (0, 1.5, 3 and 4.5%; C2, B1.5, B3 and B4.5, respectively) of bromelain and a solution composed of 92% refrigerated water, 6% salt and 2% sodium tripolyphosphate by using a vacuum food tumbler machine. A second non-marinated control (C1) was also included. Marination tumbling was operated at 8 RPM for 8 minutes. Physico-chemical and quality parameters were determined on raw and cooked samples. A significant reduction (p<0.05) in pH was observed in all bromelain treated samples when compared to C2. Although there was a significant reduction in pH of B1.5 when compared to C1, there was no significant difference among B3, B4.5 and C1. A significant increase was observed in water holding capacity of B3 and B4.5 when compared to C1. While a significant reduction was observed in lightness (L*), no differences were observed in redness (a*) and yellowness (b*) values of marinated samples (C2, B1.5, B3 and B4.5) when compared to C1. However, a significant increase in lightness (L*), and a significant decrease in redness (a*) and yellowness (b*) were observed in cooked bromelain treated samples. No differences were observed in razor shear forces, moisture content and water activity between treatments. There was no significant difference in cook yield of all marinated samples (C2, B1.5, B3, and B4) when compared to the C1. A significant reduction (p<0.05) in Warner-Bratzler shear force values was observed in all marinated samples when compared to untreated control (C1). Based on results, use of bromelain in marination solutions under the conditions tested here would not be cost effective.

Meshpotato: A C++/Python Api For Production Volumetric Rendering, Kevin Coley

All Theses

MeshPotato is a production volume rendering API written in C++. Its purpose is to simplify the creation of high quality volumetric effects such as fire, smoke, clouds and explosions. MeshPotato has been designed to be extensible and flexible for quick changes. Python bindings have been implemented with this library to allow for tools that are scripted and integrated within popular 3D modeling applications such as Maya and Houdini. The design of MeshPotato is discussed along with its plugin system, volume rendering API and some results from using the tool.

The Salient Traditional Medicinal Plants And Conservation Strategies Of The Loita Maasai Of Kenya, Jedidah Nankaya

All Theses

Approximately 80% of the rural population in developing countries relies on traditional medicinal plants for their health care needs. As a result, people have developed their knowledge of these traditional medicines through their experiences and daily observations. In the Maasai community, this information is deeply rooted in their culture, transferred from one generation to the next orally and along gender lines. This study explored the traditional medicinal plants used by the Loita Maasai to treat human health problems with the aim of identifying the salient medicinal plants of the Loita Maasai and their uses (Chapter 2). In addition, due to …

Investigating The Impact Of Novel Iron Oxide Nanoparticles On Legionella Pneumophila Biofilms And Trophic Interactions, Brennen Jenkins

All Theses

Microbial biofilms serve as the base of food webs and are important for nutrient cycling in aquatic ecosystems. Nanoparticles (NPs) that enter into these aquatic systems have the potential to settle and become trapped within biofilms. As NPs become further integrated into consumer products, understanding their fate and effects on aquatic ecosystems is of paramount importance. Previous studies from our lab show that gold NPs induce dispersal of Legionella pneumophila biofilms. NPs with platinum and iron oxide core chemistries also lead to similar dispersal events, however, silver core NPs do not seem to induce these events due to NP aggregation. …

Real-Time Particle Simulation And Motion Capture Interaction, Amanda Morland

All Theses

This thesis presents the design and development of a program that allows artists to explore and create visual effects from the interaction between a particle system and motion captured data. A spatial subdivision scheme was developed to ensure fast and efficient particle-mesh collisions, allowing the user to interact with the system as it runs. Motion captured data was applied to create different animation routines which include a tango electronica dance and a tribal magician choreography. The particle system was created to work in conjunction with these animations and developed to be as versatile as possible, allowing for a multitude of …

Discovery Of Variants Underlying Simple And Complex Traits Through Genome-Wide Association Study And Whole-Genome Resequencing, Rooksana Elizabeth Noorai

All Dissertations

If no reference genome exists, then the generation of a de novo genome assembly of an organism is necessary because having a reference genome expedites the discoveries for simple and complex traits. Reference genomes for the domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris) and chicken (Gallus gallus) have resulted in the development of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays for use in genome-wide association studies (GWAS). Next-generation sequencing technologies provide a rapid, increasingly affordable method for the generation of genome resequencing data. The first objective of this work was to utilize existing genomic resources to investigate the genetic basis for traits of the …