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Multifunctional Nanophosphors For Tissue Imaging And Drug Delivery, Hongyu Chen May 2013

Multifunctional Nanophosphors For Tissue Imaging And Drug Delivery, Hongyu Chen

All Dissertations

X-rays have been used for non-invasive high-resolution imaging of thick biological specimens since their discovery in 1895. They are widely used for structural imaging of bone, metal implants, and cavities in soft tissue. Recently, a number of new contrast methodologies have emerged which are expanding X-ray's biomedical applications to functional as well as structural imaging. However, traditional X-ray imaging provides high spatial resolution imaging through tissue but do not measure chemical concentrations. In this dissertation, we describe an X-ray excited optical luminescence (XEOL) technique which uses a scanning X-ray beam to irradiate Gd2O2S phosphors and detect the resulting visible luminescence …

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Sustained Release Of Estrogens From Pegylated Nanoparticles For Treatment Of Secondary Spinal Cord Injury, John Barry May 2013

Sustained Release Of Estrogens From Pegylated Nanoparticles For Treatment Of Secondary Spinal Cord Injury, John Barry

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Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) is a debilitating condition which causes neurological damage and can result in paralysis. SCI results in immediate mechanical damage to the spinal cord, but secondary injuries due to inflammation, oxidative damage, and activated biochemical pathways leading to apoptosis exacerbate the injury. The only currently available treatment, methylprednisolone, is controversial because there is no convincing data to support its therapeutic efficacy for SCI treatment. In the absence of an effective SCI treatment option, 17β-estradiol has gained significant attention for its anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic abilities, all events associated with secondary. Sadly, 17β-estradiol is associated with systemic adverse …

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Picture Superiority Effect In Prospective Memory: Examining The Influence Of Age And Attention Load, Nicole Fink May 2013

Picture Superiority Effect In Prospective Memory: Examining The Influence Of Age And Attention Load, Nicole Fink

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The picture superiority effect (i.e. better memory for pictures than words) is well established in retrospective memory, but the examination of the picture superiority effect in prospective memory has been underrepresented in the literature. Understanding if pictures lead to better prospective memory than words has the theoretical benefit of increasing our understanding of what particular factors lead to spontaneous retrieval and the practical benefit of informing the design of memory aids. Additionally, I examine if there are differences in ongoing task and prospective memory task performance between age groups (old and young) and under different loads of attention (non-divided and …

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Correlation Of Physicochemical Properties Of Chondroitin Sulfate To Its In-Vitro Absorption And Anti-Inflammatory Activity, Lahari Surapaneni May 2013

Correlation Of Physicochemical Properties Of Chondroitin Sulfate To Its In-Vitro Absorption And Anti-Inflammatory Activity, Lahari Surapaneni

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The purpose of this study was to investigate if the molecular weight and degree of sulfation of chondroitin sulfate (CS) has an impact on its in vitro absorption and anti-inflammatory activity.
For absorption studies, Caco-2 cells were incubated with eight CS samples of differing molecular weights (7 kDa - 35 kDa). The amount of CS transported into the basolateral side of the Caco-2 monolayer was quantitatively determined to calculate the permeability coefficients (Peff). The permeability coefficients of the eight different CS samples across Caco-2 cell monolayers were assessed. For anti-inflammatory studies, RAW 264.7 murine macrophage cells were pre incubated with …

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Effects Of Late Planting Dates, Maturity Groups And Management Systems On Growth, Development And Yield Of Soybean In South Carolina, Mengxuan Hu May 2013

Effects Of Late Planting Dates, Maturity Groups And Management Systems On Growth, Development And Yield Of Soybean In South Carolina, Mengxuan Hu

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Planting date plays a significant role in determining soybean growth, development and seed yield. The objectives of this experiment were to evaluate the effects of late planting date, management system, and maturity group on the growth, development and seed yield of maturity group VII and VIII soybean under dry land conditions in the Southeastern coastal plain of the United States. Plant growth and development, seed yield, yield components, and seed oil and protein concentrations were evaluated throughout the season. These experiments were conducted in South Carolina at the Edisto Research and Education Center near Blackville and the Pee Dee Research …

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Delayed Action Or Locomotion? Con/Versions Of Reality In Dramatism And Inception, Jacob Greene May 2013

Delayed Action Or Locomotion? Con/Versions Of Reality In Dramatism And Inception, Jacob Greene

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This essay seeks to draw out the connections between perceptual conversions of reality within the work of Kenneth Burke and the film Inception (Christopher Nolan 2010). By establishing the degree to which Inception portrays an impossible pursuit of objective reality, one can better understand how dramatism implicitly instigates a similar pursuit of a mythic reality separate from any kind of orientational contingency. As way of reacting to this misconception of dramatism made apparent through the metaphor provided by the film, I want to foreground the concept of 'delayed action' as the fundamental basis of Burke's formulation of dramatism in A …

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'Go Ahead Touch This Dinosaur Fossil': The Rhetoric Of Interactivity In Museum Culture, Steffanie Golliher May 2013

'Go Ahead Touch This Dinosaur Fossil': The Rhetoric Of Interactivity In Museum Culture, Steffanie Golliher

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In this essay, I will problematize the narrative housed within the Creation Museum in order to question the function of interactive exhibits and sensation in the museum space. The Creation Museum, like many science centers, utilizes displays with sensory triggers under the guise of visitor empowerment, yet their exhibits are sensational rather than interactive. Playing on conventions of science centers and the supposed visitor agency permitted by interactive exhibits, the Creation Museum asserts a narrative informed by the Bible and fueled by sensory stimulation. My analysis of the Creation Museum reveals the degree to which sensation for AiG is not …

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Organizational Communication And The Meanings Of Social Media As Cultural Mediums: A Case Study Of Intramural Sport Participants' Interpretations Of Online Presence, Madeline Blair May 2013

Organizational Communication And The Meanings Of Social Media As Cultural Mediums: A Case Study Of Intramural Sport Participants' Interpretations Of Online Presence, Madeline Blair

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This thesis analyzes the relationship between organizational communication and social media presence in organizational culture. Using a university intramural sport program (UIM) as a case study, this study addresses the role of organizational members' interpretations of the introduction of social media into organizational processes and culture. This study an attempt to reveal a disconnect between organizational communication techniques and social media as cultural mediums by offering an interpretive approach to analysis of the UIM culture using Craig and Tracy's (1995) grounded practical theory. Ten interviews with UIM student employees and sport players were conducted and data were analyzed qualitatively. Findings …

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'Pulse For Pulse, Breath For Breath:' Reconsidering Embodiment Through The Phenomenology Of Respiration, Erica Britenburg May 2013

'Pulse For Pulse, Breath For Breath:' Reconsidering Embodiment Through The Phenomenology Of Respiration, Erica Britenburg

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A phenomenological examination of the respiratory process reveals that possessing the ability to breathe carries with it more significance than an action that solely supports life: capable of leaving the immediate confines of the body, the breath is an enigmatic extension of the self. This particular traversing capability of the active body challenges notions of what it means to be fully embodied by indicating the possibility of subjective expansion outside that which is tangible and fleshly. Due to the intertwining and exchanging characteristics implicit within respirational activity, the sensational boundaries of subject and object become conflated with one another; the …

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Influence Of Compost Particle Size On Pathogen Survival Under Greenhouse Condition, Junshu Diao May 2013

Influence Of Compost Particle Size On Pathogen Survival Under Greenhouse Condition, Junshu Diao

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The number of foodborne pathogen outbreaks related to fresh produce has increased significantly in recent decades. Animal waste directly applied to agricultural field is one of the possible contamination sources for fresh produce. Composting is one of the recommended means for waste treatments to eliminate or reduce pathogens in manure on farms. Although pathogens can be eliminated by proper composting process, pathogens are able to survive, recolonize and regrow on compost heap surfaces under certain conditions. Due to the outdoor nature of composting process, bioaerosols with different particle sizes can be generated on compost surfaces which can carry pathogens, travel …

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The American Lawn: Culture, Nature, Design And Sustainability, Maria Ghys May 2013

The American Lawn: Culture, Nature, Design And Sustainability, Maria Ghys

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Abstract

This was an exploratory study examining the processes and underlying concepts of design nature, and culture necessary to discussing sustainable design solutions for the American lawn. A review of the literature identifies historical perceptions of the lawn and contemporary research that links lawns to sustainability. Research data was collected by conducting personal interviews with green industry professionals and administering a survey instrument to administrators and residents of planned urban development communities. Recommended guidelines for the sustainable American lawn are identified and include native plant usage to increase habitat and biodiversity, permeable paving and ground cover as an alternative to …

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Tourist Intentions To Continue Poverty Alleviation Actions After Participating In Microfinance Tourism, Michelle Nance May 2013

Tourist Intentions To Continue Poverty Alleviation Actions After Participating In Microfinance Tourism, Michelle Nance

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The tourism industry has begun to incorporate microfinance into a new type of niche tourism that integrates local entrepreneurs and tourists. This type of tourism is called microfinance tourism. The study investigates the tourist role in poverty alleviation using the Theory of Planned Behavior to explore how attitude, perceived behavioral control, and social norms impact intention to continue investment and/or donation to microentrepreneurs and microfinance organizations. The study was conducted in conjunction with Investours, a non-profit organization that offers `microfinance tours' in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The study found perceived behavioral control and attitude to be …

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Effect Of Forage Type And Corn Supplementation On Animal Performance And Meat Quality, Asher Wright May 2013

Effect Of Forage Type And Corn Supplementation On Animal Performance And Meat Quality, Asher Wright

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Angus x Hereford steers (441 ± 24 kg; n = 32) were used in a 2-yr study (2011 and 2012) to examine forage type (legume species, alfalfa and soybeans LG vs. grass species, tall fescue and sudangrass, GR) and daily corn supplementation (0%, NS, vs. 0.75% BW, CS) on animal performance and carcass quality. Steers grazed (May-August) for a total of 98 d and 105 d in 2011 and 2012 respectively. Upon completion of the finishing period, steers were slaughtered and carcass data were collected. Steaks (2.5 cm thick) from the longissimus dorsi muscle (LM) were collected for measurement of …

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Beyond Drawing The Line: A Study Of The Edge Structure Of Boston's Emerald Necklace, Priyanka Vankina May 2013

Beyond Drawing The Line: A Study Of The Edge Structure Of Boston's Emerald Necklace, Priyanka Vankina

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Landscapes are mosaics of patches and corridors which are formed by hills, different soils types, vegetation patchiness, natural disturbances and human activities. As humans have developed, the patches and corridors have become fragmented and edges have been created. These edges become the critical points of interaction for wildlife with their surroundings. This is especially true in urban areas where development has created harsh edge environments.
This study investigates the edge structure of Olmsted's Emerald Necklace to understand how edges can be designed to create habitat for wildlife in urban areas. The Emerald Necklace is located in Boston, MA and was …

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Neighborhoood Snapshot Inventories: A Study Of The Cooper River Bridge Tax Incremnent Financing District, Rebecca Anne Quandt May 2013

Neighborhoood Snapshot Inventories: A Study Of The Cooper River Bridge Tax Incremnent Financing District, Rebecca Anne Quandt

All Theses

Tax Increment Financing (TIF) is one of the most widely used economic development tools in the nation. In 2008, Charleston, South Carolina, designated the Cooper River Bridge neighborhood (CRBN) as its fourth TIF district. The planning process is now underway, and many large redevelopment projects have already started construction. Private investors will receive funding to develop vacant lots and revitalize dilapidated properties, and the City will benefit economically from new property taxes added to the revenue roll. City officials have anticipated the economic change this TIF district will provide, but have they properly anticipated the changes that will occur to …

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Exploration Of Mouth Shading And Lighting In Cg Production, Chaoren Li May 2013

Exploration Of Mouth Shading And Lighting In Cg Production, Chaoren Li

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The lighting and shading of human teeth in current computer animation features and live-action movies with effects are often intentionally avoided or processed by simple methods since they interact with light in complex ways through their intricate layered structure. The semi-translucent appearance of natural human teeth which result from subsurface scattering is difficult to replicate in synthetic scenes, though two techniques are often implemented. The first technique is to create an anatomically correct layered model, and render the teeth with both theoretically and empirically derived optical parameters of human teeth using physical subsurface materials. The second technique largely takes advantage …

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Pound's Occultism: The Development Of Automatic Writing And Occult Philosophy In The Pisan Cantos, Katrina Johnson May 2013

Pound's Occultism: The Development Of Automatic Writing And Occult Philosophy In The Pisan Cantos, Katrina Johnson

All Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to examine how occultism is a major influence within Pound's writing as a result of his mentorship under Yeats from 1909-1916. Chapter One examines the connections between Pound's time in London and his subsequent exposure to the occult. Alongside Yeats, Pound finds a use for his belief in the aristocracy of the arts through the occultist teachings of exclusivity and sharing of select knowledge. Chapter Two focuses on Pound's development of the occult practice of automatic writing and its later use in The Pisan Cantos . Chapter Three analyzes Pound's occultism by focusing on …

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A Feasability Study For Local Food System Application Of A Peer Group Lending Microfinance Model, Anna V. Whitener May 2013

A Feasability Study For Local Food System Application Of A Peer Group Lending Microfinance Model, Anna V. Whitener

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Economic development has evolved since the Great Depression era in the United States from a stance of pure “smokestack chasing” to a more diverse set of strategies aimed at business retention and expansion. One method that has been successfully used domestically and internationally is the use of microloans to finance small businesses. One major component of microfinance strategies used abroad that allows for lower transaction costs is the use of Peer Group Lending Programs (PGLPs). This paper first reviews the cited social, political, and financial reasons for the lack of such programs in U.S. microfinance initiatives. It simultaneously addresses why …

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Food Handling, Hygiene, And Sanitation Practices In The Child-Care Environment In North Carolina And South Carolina, Xi Chen May 2013

Food Handling, Hygiene, And Sanitation Practices In The Child-Care Environment In North Carolina And South Carolina, Xi Chen

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Introduction: Children between the ages of 37 and 54 months enrolled in child-care facilities (CCFs) are reported to be 2.3 to 3.5 times more likely to experience an acute gastrointestinal illness (AGI) than are children cared for in their own home. Identifying potential risk factors for the transmission of enteric pathogens in CCFs is essential to the prevention of AGI.
Methods: A convenience sample of CCFs in North Carolina and South Carolina was recruited to participate in this study. A survey was administered to all CCF directors to collect information about facility characteristics, meal preparation, staff training, hygiene policies and …

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Development Of An Ex Vivo Tissue Testing System For Three Dimensional Biomechanical Analysis Of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm, Bradley Johns May 2013

Development Of An Ex Vivo Tissue Testing System For Three Dimensional Biomechanical Analysis Of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm, Bradley Johns

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Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) are localized, progressive dilations of the aortic wall and are the 13th most common cause of death in the United States (~15,000 per year) and surgery is usually recommended when the aneurysm is 5 cm or larger in diameter. Because of this clinical parameter, previous studies of AAA biomechanics have utilized a one-dimensional analysis that focuses solely on changes in wall diameter and have attempted to model geometric changes with mathematical formulas, generally based on the LaPlace equation. This is not sufficient however, as the mechanical behavior of the tissue at sites of aneurysm have been …

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Bioelectrochemical Reduction Of Carbon Dioxide To Acetate Using A Microbial Consortium Derived From The Cow Rumen, Ryan Hammonds May 2013

Bioelectrochemical Reduction Of Carbon Dioxide To Acetate Using A Microbial Consortium Derived From The Cow Rumen, Ryan Hammonds

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Pure cultures of chemoautotrophic microorganisms have previously been reported to produce acetate from carbon dioxide using reductive electric current. We hypothesized that electrofuel precursors could be produced in a similar manner from a consortium consisting of microbial populations acting as a stable community. This approach might offer improved efficiency and selectivity, greater sustainability, a more diverse group of end products, and more opportunities for community optimization in electrofuel production than is possible with pure cultures. To evaluate this concept, bovine rumen contents were enriched for autotrophic, anaerobic microbes for several generations using hydrogen and carbon dioxide for growth and energy. …

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A Regenerative Medicine Approach To Improved Tendon Healing And Repair, Grace Margaret Dion May 2013

A Regenerative Medicine Approach To Improved Tendon Healing And Repair, Grace Margaret Dion

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Surgical repair of torn tendons is a common orthopaedic procedure in the United States, with nearly 400,000 repairs occurring annually. Despite improvements in surgical techniques used to re-attach the tendon to its boney insertion, clinically successful outcomes amongst patients are variable and re-tear rates can be exceedingly high. The use of stem cells as an adjunct to surgical repair to aid in improving tendon healing and repair strength has gained much interest amongst the clinical community. Accordingly, many investigators have begun examining the ability of stem cells to differentiate into tenocytes using various methodologies including the application of growth factors …

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Integrating A Lighting System With Objective Light Movement, Kiel Pease May 2013

Integrating A Lighting System With Objective Light Movement, Kiel Pease

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When applying a light design within computer graphics software, there is no clear-cut way to achieve accurate and noticeable light movement without rigorous work animating the lighting tools by hand. This task can be arduous and involve constant test renders throughout a single frame range. This project strives to explain the production of a short animated feature, by incorporating a video-based lighting system, which is intended to assist with scenes that require objective light movement. The video-based lighting method will strive to minimize (not eliminate) the need to animate by hand light motion from environment lighting. Since lighting design is …

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Systematic Comparison Of Two Habitat Connectivity Modeling Approaches: Least Cost Path And Circuit Theory, Adam Rose May 2013

Systematic Comparison Of Two Habitat Connectivity Modeling Approaches: Least Cost Path And Circuit Theory, Adam Rose

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Intensifying human development requires landscape-level planning to restore connectivity to fragmented and ecologically isolated habitats. The rapidly growing field of conservation planning has produced a variety of approaches to modeling habitat connectivity. The objective of this research is to inform the choice and use of appropriate software packages for connectivity conservation planning. I focused on comparing two prevalent approacheds, 1) least cost path, patch-patch modeling using CorridorDesigner software and 2) electrical circuit-theory based approaches for patch-patch and 'all points' connectivity using Circuitscape software. Additionally, I compared two dominant connectivity modeling approaches: 1) the focal species approach and 2) a generalized …

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Improving R-Value In Brick Systems Using Various Pore-Forming Agents, Graham Shepherd May 2013

Improving R-Value In Brick Systems Using Various Pore-Forming Agents, Graham Shepherd

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Energy efficiency and energy savings are two topics that have continued to gain momentum over the last decade. This topic is extremely important when it comes to the construction of buildings and homes. Efforts have been ongoing to increase the insulation value of brick systems to hinder the conductive heat transfer through the material. The use of pore-forming agents (PFA’s) have been studied to increase the porosity within a ceramic system, through sacrificial burnout or place–holder method, which leave a residual, defined pore size distribution. This increase in porosity leads to better insulating capabilities and inherently lower conductivity values. In …

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Cultivating America's Working Lands: A Study Of The Sociocultural Value Of Family Farms, Katherine Lloyd May 2013

Cultivating America's Working Lands: A Study Of The Sociocultural Value Of Family Farms, Katherine Lloyd

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Our ability to produce food in a sustainable, healthy and humane manner is threatened, both in the United States and on the global scale. This difficulty is exacerbated by expected population growth, creating a need for 60% more food worldwide by 2050 to feed a population of 9.3 billion (United Nations Chronicle, 2012). How we produce food affects local economies, the cultural vitality of communities, and the health of regional ecosystems. Industrial or conventional agriculture is damaging all three of these systems, by draining local economies through corporate business practices, isolating farmers and attributing to rural population losses, while depleting …

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Creating Dynamic Grass For Tartan Troubles, Nicholas Mcelveen May 2013

Creating Dynamic Grass For Tartan Troubles, Nicholas Mcelveen

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In computer animated movies, the setting and its environmental elements aid in storytelling. In Tartan Troubles, dynamic grass was created as a part of the highlands of Scotland set. This thesis discusses the importance of environmental elements in animation as well as the terminology, procedures, and techniques used to produce dynamic grass as seen in the animated short, Tartan Troubles. The scalability, control, and flexibility of the dynamic grass pipeline make this effect applicable for various solutions in computer animation.

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Adaptive Use Potential Of Kitchen And Carriage Houses Toward Smart Growth Goals In Charleston, South Carolina, Elizabeth A. Shaw May 2013

Adaptive Use Potential Of Kitchen And Carriage Houses Toward Smart Growth Goals In Charleston, South Carolina, Elizabeth A. Shaw

All Theses

Growth and historic preservation are typically framed as being mutually exclusive. Since growth is inevitable, it behooves cities and towns to focus on growth that collaborates with preservation. This can successfully be achieved by creating plans that use existing infrastructure, promote mixed-use neighborhoods, and encourage sustainable building efforts. In Charleston, the main dwelling of an individual lot was often accompanied by separate outbuildings such as carriage houses, kitchen houses, privies, and laundry buildings. Many of these out buildings remain, and provide an opportunity to create sustainable smart growth and sensitive density.
This thesis analyzes the way property owners in two …

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The Creation And Evolution Of The Acholi Ethnic Identity, Leslie Whitmire May 2013

The Creation And Evolution Of The Acholi Ethnic Identity, Leslie Whitmire

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Abstract
On March 5th, 2012, the Kony 2012 video was released by the authors and director of Invisible Children, and Uganda instantaneously became the center of young America's focus. This graphic video contained disturbing images of child soldiers and dead children, aiming to draw sympathy and awareness to the ongoing problem the Lord's Resistance Army's violent attacks on the Acholi of Northern Uganda and recruitment measures. While many Americans responded to the video's urgent request for support by encouraging the government to act, others adhered to the popular belief that this conflict was nothing more than another tribal conflict among …

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Middle Ground: Being Human, Reality & The Imaginary, Ann Pegelow Kaplan May 2013

Middle Ground: Being Human, Reality & The Imaginary, Ann Pegelow Kaplan

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Meandering through the seemingly endless spectrum that makes up contemporary Visual Arts, it is clear that many are taking stock of the past and wondering where we go from here. Looking back, documenting, accounting, excavating. Looking forward, wondering, daring to hope. My artwork embraces both the backward glance and the lean forward by considering the present moment and what constructs it. Within three interrelated series of photographic and video works, I consider and present for rumination our individual and shared human experience of the world and one another.
This body of work draws attention through a juxtaposition of the elevated …

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