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The Tiger Vol. 106 Issue 15 2012-09-14, Clemson University Sep 2012

The Tiger Vol. 106 Issue 15 2012-09-14, Clemson University

Tiger Newspapers

No abstract provided.


The Tiger Vol. 106 Issue 13 2012-08-31, Clemson University Aug 2012

The Tiger Vol. 106 Issue 13 2012-08-31, Clemson University

Tiger Newspapers

No abstract provided.


Clemson Commencement Program, August 2012, Clemson University Aug 2012

Clemson Commencement Program, August 2012, Clemson University

Clemson Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.


Analyzing Nurse-Physician Discursive Practices In Acute Patient Care, John Dinolfo Aug 2012

Analyzing Nurse-Physician Discursive Practices In Acute Patient Care, John Dinolfo

All Dissertations

This mixed methods study in inter-professional health communication assesses the pedagogical role of writing and visual communication in the education of non-traditional and traditional Nursing students as they interpret and apply the concepts of message framing and message reception in nurse-physician communication. To achieve that goal, this study analyzes the dynamics of terministic screens as message frames that can determine message reception in nurse-physician communication regarding the status of an acute care patient.
The study was conducted in two Nursing writing and communication classes during the Spring 2011 semester. Two study groups (combined across classes) included a mixed population of …


A Genome-Wide Over-Expression Screen Identifies Genes Involved In Phagocytosis In The Human Protozoan Parasite, Entamoeba Histolytica, Ada V. King, Brenda H. Welter, Amrita B. Koushik, Lindsay N. Gordon, Lesly A. Temesvari Aug 2012

A Genome-Wide Over-Expression Screen Identifies Genes Involved In Phagocytosis In The Human Protozoan Parasite, Entamoeba Histolytica, Ada V. King, Brenda H. Welter, Amrita B. Koushik, Lindsay N. Gordon, Lesly A. Temesvari

Publications

Functional genomics and forward genetics seek to assign function to all known genes in a genome. Entamoeba histolytica is a protozoan parasite for which forward genetics approaches have not been extensively applied. It is the causative agent of amoebic dysentery and liver abscess, and infection is prevalent in developing countries that cannot prevent its fecal-oral spread. It is responsible for considerable global morbidity and mortality. Given that the E. histolytica genome has been sequenced, it should be possible to apply genomic approaches to discover gene function. We used a genome-wide over-expression screen to uncover genes regulating an important virulence function …


2012 Summary Report On Institutional Effectiveness, Clemson University Aug 2012

2012 Summary Report On Institutional Effectiveness, Clemson University

Institutional Effectiveness Reports

No abstract provided.


Effects Of Physiological Dynamic Compression Loading On Gold Nanoparticle Permeation Of Articular Cartilage, Britton Mccaskill Aug 2012

Effects Of Physiological Dynamic Compression Loading On Gold Nanoparticle Permeation Of Articular Cartilage, Britton Mccaskill

All Theses

Articular cartilage is essential part of the human body that aids in support and locomotion. It has unique biochemical and biomechanical properties that allow it to act as a shock absorber to disperse and distribute loading of the joints. However, it has a limited capacity to repair itself because it is not vascularized and must receive its nutrients from the surrounding synovial fluid. Articular cartilage damage can lead to many pathological conditions, including osteoarthritis. Currently, there are many surgical treatment methods that repair some of the damage if it is localized, but for widespread degradation seen in osteoarthritis, there are …


Association Between Nutrition And Cognitive Function In Costa Rican Older Adults, Maria Aragon Aug 2012

Association Between Nutrition And Cognitive Function In Costa Rican Older Adults, Maria Aragon

All Theses

Older adults are among the fastest-growing segment of the world's population. In Costa Rica, life expectancy is comparable to developed countries, such as the United States and Western European countries. The loss of cognitive capacity is one of the most significant issues affecting the quality of life of older adults and their families. Although the causes of cognitive decline remain uncertain, it has been linked to cardiovascular risk factors such as diabetes mellitus and high blood pressure. Dietary fatty acids have an important role in these conditions, making it is plausible that they could play a role in cognitive deterioration …


Producing An Animated Tattoo Visual Effect, Zachary Trabookis Aug 2012

Producing An Animated Tattoo Visual Effect, Zachary Trabookis

All Theses

Throughout society tattoos have established a mode of expression for individuals
that allows them to communicate without verbal means. This form of interaction may
appear somewhat static to the observer, but significant meaning and emotion are often
conveyed. With the advent of visual effects tools available today, tattoo representation
can be enhanced by including motion. This thesis presents a solution for illustrating this
form of visual communication using two-dimensional compositing and three-dimensional
techniques in a short animated film entitled '< italic>Legion.'


The Effects Of Drought On The Abundance Of The Blue Crab, Callinectes Sapidus, In The Ace Basin Nerr In South Carolina, Kirk Parmenter Aug 2012

The Effects Of Drought On The Abundance Of The Blue Crab, Callinectes Sapidus, In The Ace Basin Nerr In South Carolina, Kirk Parmenter

All Dissertations

Blue crabs make up one of the most important commercial fisheries in the U.S. but there has been some concern over the health of blue crab populations due to large declines in landings seen in recent years. There is a significant positive correlation between river discharge and commercial landings suggesting that drought may be to blame for the recent decline in crab numbers. The work I completed for my dissertation tested multiple hypotheses examining the link between decreasing freshwater discharge, the subsequent rise in salinity, and the abundance of blue crabs in the ACE Basin National Estuarine Research Reserve.
To …


A Novel Haptic Simulator For Evaluating And Training Salient Force-Based Skills For Laparoscopic Surgery, Ravikiran Singapogu Aug 2012

A Novel Haptic Simulator For Evaluating And Training Salient Force-Based Skills For Laparoscopic Surgery, Ravikiran Singapogu

All Dissertations

Laparoscopic surgery has evolved from an 'alternative' surgical technique to currently being considered as a mainstream surgical technique. However, learning this complex technique holds unique challenges to novice surgeons due to their 'distance' from the surgical site. One of the main challenges in acquiring laparoscopic skills is the acquisition of force-based or haptic skills. The neglect of popular training methods (e.g., the Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery, i.e. FLS, curriculum) in addressing this aspect of skills training has led many medical skills professionals to research new, efficient methods for haptic skills training.
The overarching goal of this research was to demonstrate …


Camera Creatures: Rhetorics Of Light And Emerging Media, Anthony Collamati Aug 2012

Camera Creatures: Rhetorics Of Light And Emerging Media, Anthony Collamati

All Dissertations

Camera Creatures addresses the new media landscape in which cameras, in most situations, outnumber pens. The dissertation argues that despite the accessibility and power of imagemaking devices, there persists in the humanities and social sciences a hesitation to engage the possibilities for composing with optical media. A number of factors contributing to this trend are addressed, including the preference for image analysis over imagemaking practices, persistent assumptions of the camera's mechanical objectivity, and a tendency to teach visual invention as collage. As a counter-measure, a proposal is made for investment in the mediation of light, or 'photonic rhetorics.' To explore …


Oral Delivery Of Peptide Drugs For Mitigation Of Crohn's Disease, Paul Blichmann Aug 2012

Oral Delivery Of Peptide Drugs For Mitigation Of Crohn's Disease, Paul Blichmann

All Theses

Protein drugs are typically administered intravenously, but this practice has clear disadvantages such as widespread circulation and swift clearance from the body. Orally delivered protein drugs are not yet available but potentially offer improved distribution, retention, and activity by use of protective matrices and cell-specific targeting. Much work has been done on delayed release formulations for the upper intestine, but there has not been overwhelming evidence of protection of peptides from gastric conditions. In many instances the large intestine may be a better release target due to lower proteolytic activity. Afflictions of the colon such as Inflammatory Bowel Disease and …


Considerations For Creating A Believable Creature For The Short Film Li Fe, Matthew Prestridge Aug 2012

Considerations For Creating A Believable Creature For The Short Film Li Fe, Matthew Prestridge

All Theses

This thesis illuminates the specific methods undertaken to achieve of a realistic computer-animated creature that consumes light and dwells in a cave. The animation short, Li Fe, contains seven such creatures whose anatomy required various production techniques to achieve a believable appearance appealing to viewers in a strong way. In most animations all areas of production need to be optimized for fast rendering as well as easily adaptable to change. The modeling, texturing, shading and lighting methods for Li Fe underwent such optimization to achieve a truly believable creature. The look of the creatures was made possible by relying on …


Assessing Maasai Attitudes And Perceptions Toward Vultures: A Case Study Of Resident Maasai Around Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya., Eric Reson Aug 2012

Assessing Maasai Attitudes And Perceptions Toward Vultures: A Case Study Of Resident Maasai Around Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya., Eric Reson

All Theses

The vulture population is declining globally, a situation that is more acute in the Maasai Mara region of Kenya where studies report over 60% decline in the last few years, resulting primarily from loss of habitat and poisoning by the Maasai pastoralist. This rate of decline is devastating and will result in the extinction of vultures in the region. Given that the causes of the decline are as a result of detrimental human activities, it is important to understand the Maasai attitude and perception toward vultures, particularly factors that determine their behavior to favor or oppose vulture conservation. In this …


A Mathematical Framework For Volume Modeling And Simulation, Brandon Pelfrey Aug 2012

A Mathematical Framework For Volume Modeling And Simulation, Brandon Pelfrey

All Theses

Rendering, modeling, and simulating processes in spatially-varying media are complex tasks
which typically require tedious mathematical derivations and long development and programming.
In this thesis, a framework is presented which allows for fast and casual exploration of ideas for
volume-based simulation and modeling. Several applications of the framework are shown, including
the simulation of fluid dynamics for computer graphics applications. A procedure for automatically
generating OpenCL code from these is given, along with rudimentary examples.


Novel Data As A Source For Assessing Breeding Phenology Of White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) In South Carolina, David Stone Aug 2012

Novel Data As A Source For Assessing Breeding Phenology Of White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) In South Carolina, David Stone

All Theses

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) breeding phenology varies temporally throughout the species' range and is critical to population management and hunter enjoyment. The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) demographic and reproductive data, collected primarily from 1970-1992, suggest that 81.86% of conceptions in the Coastal Plain occur between 6 October and 16 November. However, current data regarding conception dates are lacking for a variety of reasons including the current absence of check stations and the use of hunter surveys as the primary means of data collection. To more closely examine recent characteristics of the white-tailed deer breeding season phenology, we …


The Role Of Acetyl-Coa Carboxylase In The Survival Of Trypanosoma Brucei During Infection, Ciara Mcknight Aug 2012

The Role Of Acetyl-Coa Carboxylase In The Survival Of Trypanosoma Brucei During Infection, Ciara Mcknight

All Theses

This master's thesis focuses on how disruption of fatty acid metabolism affects both host adaptation and immune evasion in the deadly eukaryotic parasite, Trypanosoma brucei. In Chapter 1, I review the current literature on African trypanosomiasis, fatty acid synthesis, immune evasion, and lipid metabolism. In Chapter 2, I investigate how disruption of the fatty acid synthesis pathway affects the parasite's ability to evade the host immune defenses. When T. brucei acetyl-CoA carboxylase (TbACC) is knocked down by RNA interference (RNAi), fluid phase and receptor mediated endocytosis pathways are greatly affected, suggesting that fatty acid synthesis is necessary for both endocytic …


The Explosion Effect: A Custom Volume Fx Production Pipeline, Hongyuan Jia Aug 2012

The Explosion Effect: A Custom Volume Fx Production Pipeline, Hongyuan Jia

All Theses

Explosions are very important elements in film FX production. This paper introduces a custom volume FX production pipeline and how to use the pipeline to produce explosion FX. A detailed explanation is given of the pipeline artistic and technical aspects.


Stabilization Of Extracellular Matrix Components In Bioprosthetic Heart Valves Using Neomycin And Pentagalloyl Glucose Enhanced Crosslinking, Daniel Tripi Aug 2012

Stabilization Of Extracellular Matrix Components In Bioprosthetic Heart Valves Using Neomycin And Pentagalloyl Glucose Enhanced Crosslinking, Daniel Tripi

All Theses

Bioprosthetic heart valves (BHVs) fail within 12-15 years of implantation due to limited durability. This limits their application to elderly population. Younger patients with contraindications for long-term anticoagulant therapy necessary for mechanical heart valves may also receive BHVs. Investigation into improving valve durability can lead to longer implant life, increased quality of life for patients receiving BHVs, and a broadened patient demographic.
Current BHVs are chemically treated with glutaraldehyde (GLUT) to stabilize collagen via chemical crosslinking and to reduce tissue antigenicity. GLUT fails to adequately stabilize elastin and glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), essential extracellular matrix components for valve function and durability. Degradation …


Lead And Cadmium In Seabirds Of South Africa, Carly Summers Aug 2012

Lead And Cadmium In Seabirds Of South Africa, Carly Summers

All Theses

Levels of lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) were investigated as potential stressors in adult African penguins (Spheniscus demersus) in the Western Cape Province, South Africa and in nine species of breeding seabirds on Marion Island, South Africa. Seabirds are sentinels of environmental pollution and allow researchers to study contaminant dynamics in marine ecosystems. Many seabirds occupy high trophic positions, which gives them the potential to highlight threats to other apex predators from environmental pollutants. They also accumulate contaminants in higher concentrations because of their greater size and lifespan than may be detectable in lower trophic organisms. Blood samples were collected …


Developing Value-Added Peptide Antioxidants From Rendering Products, Xiaoting Xing Aug 2012

Developing Value-Added Peptide Antioxidants From Rendering Products, Xiaoting Xing

All Theses

Synthetic antioxidants, such as butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), Vitamin E and ethoxyquin, have been commonly added to formulated animal feeds in order to delay discoloration and deterioration due to oxidation. However, these synthetic antioxidants have been limited in their applications as food additives because of potential health hazards. Specifically, synthetic antioxidants have been considered to be linked to various forms of cancer, most commonly kidney, liver and bladder cancer. In this work, value-added peptide antioxidants from rendering products were developed for use in potential aquaculture and pet food markets as natural antioxidant substitutes for synthetic antioxidants. The antioxidant …


The Influence Of Dissolved Organic Carbon And Surface Chemistry On The Toxicity Of Silver Nanoparticles In Daphnia Magna, Kim Newton Aug 2012

The Influence Of Dissolved Organic Carbon And Surface Chemistry On The Toxicity Of Silver Nanoparticles In Daphnia Magna, Kim Newton

All Theses

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are by far the most extensively used nanomaterial in general consumer products. Concurrent with this use is the major concern regarding the toxicity of AgNPs to aquatic organisms. The most persistent question regarding the toxicity of AgNPs is whether this toxicity is due to the nanoparticles (NPs) themselves or the ions they release. Two primary factors influencing the aquatic toxicity of AgNPs are the surface coating, which presumably controls the release of Ag+, and the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) of the media, which serves as a source for ligands to bind the Ag+ and reduce bioavailability to …


Self-Actualization And Peak Experiences In Outdoor Recreation, Jonathan Vogler Aug 2012

Self-Actualization And Peak Experiences In Outdoor Recreation, Jonathan Vogler

All Theses

While a positive correlation has been illustrated between peak experiences in outdoor recreation and self-actualization, there has been little to no research on the detailed components of peak experiences that might influence self-actualization. The purpose of this study was to explore individuals' perceptions of peak experiences in outdoor recreation and their potential influence on the process of self-actualization. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 criteria recruited participants that had a long experiential history with outdoor recreation. A phenomenological approach was used to explore the essence of the peak experience as well as perceptions of self-actualization, as described by each participant. …


New Directions Of Play: Native American Origins Of Modern Lacrosse, Jeffrey Carey Aug 2012

New Directions Of Play: Native American Origins Of Modern Lacrosse, Jeffrey Carey

All Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to provide a history of lacrosse from the seventeenth century, when the game was played exclusively by Native Americans, to the early decades of the twentieth century, when the game began to flourish in non-Native settings in Canada and the United States. While the game was first developed by Native Americans well before contact with Europeans, lacrosse became standardized by a group of Canadians led by George Beers in 1867, and has continued to develop into the twenty-first century. The thesis aims to illuminate the historical linkages between the ball game that existed among …


Fast And Efficient Classification, Tracking, And Simulation In Wireless Sensor Networks, Hao Jiang Aug 2012

Fast And Efficient Classification, Tracking, And Simulation In Wireless Sensor Networks, Hao Jiang

All Dissertations

Wireless sensor networks are composed of large numbers of resource-lean sensors that collect low-level inputs from the physical world. The applications present challenges for programmers. On the one hand, lightweight algorithms are required given the limited capacity of the constituent devices. On the other, the algorithms must be scalable to accommodate large networks. In this thesis, we focus on the design and implementation of fast and lean (yet scalable) algorithms for classification, simulation, and target tracking in the context of wireless sensor networks. We briefly consider each of these challenges in turn.
The first challenge is to achieve high precision …


Opportunities To Develop Programs And Engage Amish Youth In Safety Education, S Dee Jepsen, Joseph Donnermeyer Aug 2012

Opportunities To Develop Programs And Engage Amish Youth In Safety Education, S Dee Jepsen, Joseph Donnermeyer

Journal of Youth Development

Understanding and designing appropriate educational youth safety programs for the Amish requires an appreciation of their history, their distinctiveness in an American society built on economic, social and cultural change, and how the Amish themselves have changed over the years. The qualitative research study highlighted in this paper sought to determine culturally and age-appropriate curricula useful to community educators interested in youth safety programs for Amish and other conservative Anabaptist groups. Researchers identified rural safety topics of interest to Amish families to include lawn mowers, string trimmers, chemicals, water, livestock, confined spaces, tractors and skid loaders. Parents regularly involved children …


Enzyme Actuated Bioresponsive Hydrogels, Andrew Wilson Aug 2012

Enzyme Actuated Bioresponsive Hydrogels, Andrew Wilson

All Theses

Bioresponsive hydrogels are emerging with technological significance in targeted drug delivery, biosensors and regenerative medicine. Conferred with the ability to respond to specific biologically derived stimuli, the design challenge is in effectively linking the conferred biospecificity with an engineered response tailored to the needs of a particular application. Moreover, the fundamental phenomena governing the response must support an appropriate dynamic range and limit of detection. The design of these systems is inherently complicated due to the high interdependency of the governing phenomena that guide the sensing, transduction, and the actuation response of hydrogels. To investigate the dynamics of these materials, …


Factors Affecting The Production Of Concentrated Blue Cheese Flavorings, Jason Raines Aug 2012

Factors Affecting The Production Of Concentrated Blue Cheese Flavorings, Jason Raines

All Theses

The effects of media type and culture selection on the aroma profile of Blue cheese flavorings produced using submerged culture fermentation were studied. Fermentations were carried out for 16 hours then compared using sensory analysis and GC/MS SPME. The differences between samples were minimal. Samples produced with adjunct media were found to have higher concentrations of methyl ketones and more &ldquo'creamy'&rdquo aroma character than samples produced from standard media. Higher levels of free fatty acids were found in standard media samples. Adjunct cultures appear to enhance the &ldquo'creamy'&rdquo character of Blue cheese flavorings.
Near-critical and supercritical carbon dioxide were used …


Continuum Limbed Robots For Locomotion, Alper Mutlu Aug 2012

Continuum Limbed Robots For Locomotion, Alper Mutlu

All Theses

This thesis focuses on continuum robots based on pneumatic muscle technology. We introduce a novel approach to use these muscles as limbs of lightweight legged robots. The flexibility of the continuum legs of these robots offers the potential to perform some duties that are not possible with classical rigid-link robots. Potential applications are as space robots in low gravity, and as cave explorer robots.
The thesis covers the fabrication process of continuum pneumatic muscles and limbs. It also provides some new experimental data on this technology. Afterwards, the designs of two different novel continuum robots - one tripod, one quadruped …