Digital Commons Network^™

Opioid Overdose Epidemic Modeling, Chelsea Spence

All Dissertations

The opioid overdose crisis in the United States has led to thousands of lost lives and thousands more people struggling with opioid dependence. Disease modeling allows researchers to examine the course that the disease may take and to investigate policies to determine the effects they may have. Disease models can be used to model non-communicable diseases and have been used to study opioid use disorder. Many types of disease models exist with their own inherent benefits and drawbacks.

In this dissertation, we provide a scoping review of the disease models that have been used to study the opioid overdose epidemic. …

Course Syllabus - Democracy In Action, Sonalini Sapra

Civic Engagement & Voting Rights Teacher Scholars

No abstract provided.

Selecting Fertilizer Mixtures For Fertigation, Bhupinder Jatana, Tom Grayson Sanders Iii

Horticulture

Depending upon the physio-chemical properties of the fertilizer solution, many fertilizers, both solid and liquid, are suitable for fertigation (application of fertilizer dissolved in irrigation water). However, some fertilizer materials are incompatible with concentrated solutions, can react with minerals in irrigation water, or with pesticides in tank mixes, and form insoluble compounds and precipitates. Precipitation of fertilizers renders them unavailable for plant uptake and could further clog the micro-irrigation systems. This article talks about fertilizers, fertilizer formulations, fertilizer compatibility, and criteria for selecting fertilizer mixtures for fertigation. This information will be helpful for growers utilizing fertigation as a means to …

Clemson Commencement Program, May 2024, Clemson University

Clemson Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

Jane Jacobs, Cyclist, Peter L. Laurence

Publications

No abstract provided.

Exploring Creative Placemaking Of Americana Outdoor Music Festivals In The Southeastern United States, Tyler Spencer

All Theses

Large outdoor music festivals have been a part of the American experience since the 1930s and are creative gatherings, economic engines, and vehicles of place attachment. This research draws on theoretical constructs of Creative Placemaking, the Biophilia Hypothesis, and Musicophilia to understand outcomes of outdoor Americana music festivals in the Southeastern United States from the perspective of the managers/organizers of these events. Interview data was collected from managers/organizers representing fifteen outdoor Americana music festivals in the Southeastern United States. The data was organized into nine thematic categories, and these were distilled into five key themes associated with the outcomes of …

Changes In Soil Chemical Attributes, Horticultural Performance And Fruit Yield Of Peach Cultivars Following Preplant And Annual Applications Of Composted Mulch Amendments, Jeffrey Hopkins

All Theses

Southeastern peach orchards often have poor soil quality due to native soil composition, intensive farming practices and generational replanting of trees in the same locations. This study investigated using mulch amendments to improve the chemical and physical quality of soil prior to planting a new peach orchard. At the beginning of the four-year study, a single-ground municipal composted mulch was incorporated into the soil at two different rates and three cultivars of peaches, ‘Rubyprince’, ‘Julyprince’, and ‘BigRed’ were planted on berms. Thereafter, the same mulch product was annually applied to the top of the berms at two different rates to …

Nutrigenetic And Dietary Factors Impacting The Relationship Between Linoleic Acid And Apolipoprotein B, Gregory Nacarelli

All Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the relationship between the omega-6 fatty acid, linoleic acid (LA), and the cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk marker apolipoprotein B (apoB). ApoB is considered to be the most important causal marker of CVD. However, the impact of LA on CVD risk has been subject to debate within the scientific literature, with various studies showing LA can decrease or increase apoB concentrations. To foster more clarity regarding this relationship, we first investigated all dietary, macronutrient, micronutrient, and nutrigenetic factors that impact concentrations of apolipoproteins via a narrative analysis approach. We found that more Westernized diets containing more processed foods, …

The Female Werewolf: The Wolf, The Woman, And The Dunce Outcast, Melina Wallace

All Theses

This creative thesis blends literary theory, popular culture, and personal anecdote to create an analysis of feminist and disability rage through recent narratives of female werewolves. The form consists of paragraphs cycling among these three categories in a way that aims to be disruptive and without rhythm to create the sensation of transformation. These stylistic choices work together with the contents of the thesis to push thought forward regarding the absence of women’s presence within the depiction of the werewolves, which has traditionally been a male-focused image. The thesis aims to analyze not only the absence of women from the …

Deliberative Democracy, Political Strategy, And The Gop: A Habermasian Discourse Analysis Surrounding The Israel-Hamas War, William Nunley

All Theses

The realm of the digital public sphere remains an area of interest for scholarship concerned with the democratic project. Technology once promised an upward trajectory for democratic conversation and the transmission of ideas, yet the actualization of those technologies seemingly undermines the promises of a time passed. This thesis is concerned with social media, namely X (Twitter), as a realm for political engagement and the implications of digital discourse. I start by tracking deliberative democracy theory, as an ideal, and the practical functionalities of the theory outlined in the twenty-first century. For the process of deliberation to unfold, a healthy …

Illusions Of Freedom? A History Of Attitudes Toward Death, Dominick Bucca

All Theses

My thesis explores the historical question: “Is there any freedom from death?” through three figures within the Western metaphysical tradition: Thucydides (460-400 BCE), Augustine (354-430 CE), and Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547-1616). In so doing, my thesis suggests the following: for Thucydides, freedom from death arose through the immortality of empire; for Augustine, through the immortality of God’s grace; and for Cervantes, through the immortality of narratives/attitudes of immortality. Moreover, I nest my claim within an exploratory narrative. Which is to say that, lifting a page from Martin Heidegger (1889-1976), I have attempted to break away from the near total …

“No One Likes A Mad Woman:” A Modern Reclamation Of Solitude In The Domestic Space Through Women With Invisible Disabilities In A Post-Lockdown World, Marley Ashton Bickley

All Theses

This project weaves together critical and creative writing to highlight personal narratives from women with mental illnesses and invisible disabilities. Through a historical recognition of the "madwoman" who is framed as hysterical to be a scapegoat for patriarchal control, I examine societal attempts to immobilize women’s rights to free will and agency from the nineteenth century until today. My analysis of "madwomen" in domestic space takes up fiction writing such as Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper and Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre where women are forced into confinement against their will. In a flipped-script narrative, I reexamine how domestic space …

Tri-Colored Bat Habitat Use And Selection In Northwestern South Carolina, Eduardo Rosales

All Theses

North American bat populations continue to be decimated by many factors, with the largest contributor being white-nose syndrome (WNS). In recent years researchers have noted the importance of fat reserves pre- and post-hibernation (fall and spring) and how they may influence WNS survival and recovery respectively. Tri-colored bats (Perimyotis subflavus) are one of the four species most impacted by WNS but have received the least research. Further, thus far all research on tri-colored bat resource selection has been gathered during summer and winter, highlighting the need for habitat selection studies during the fall and spring pre- and post-hibernation …

Unmasking Justice: Racial Disparity Trends In Sentencing Before And After The Covid-19 Pandemic, Noah Samuel Reynolds

All Theses

The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic profoundly impacted every facet of the United States justice system, disrupting traditional systems and introducing a new era of virtual alternatives. This unprecedented crisis provides a unique opportunity to empirically study the interplay between health risks, shutdowns, and uncertainty and the foundational value of fair and impartial justice. Using North Carolina sentencing data from 2016-2022, this study delves into the consequences of the pandemic on sentencing outcomes after the virus was declared a national emergency in March 2020. Framed within the Focal Concerns (FC) theory, I expect judges to be more lenient in their …

Cloaked Trannies On The Silver Screen: "Evolutionary Derangement" And Cronenberg's Approach To Shaping A Critical Mindset Towards Trans Bodies, John David Hunter

All Theses

This thesis engages David Cronenberg’s 2022 film, Crimes of the Future, analyzing the text through the lens of Saul Tenser (Viggo Mortensten) as a transgender allegory. Through this, the project investigates the way in which Cronenberg’s text visually creates a Deleuzian language of the body, which is the body of becoming. This queer analysis of the film does so by utilizing the perspective of the trans body, through the character of Tenser, which more clearly illustrates the human body as one which is in a continual process of evolution. Following in the footsteps of scholars such as Susan …

Advancements Of A Breast Tissue Marker And Localization System, Azrin Jamison

All Theses

Breast cancer has become the most prominent cancer worldwide in women. Annual mammograms are encouraged for women of high risk to increase early detection allowing for lumpectomies rather than mastectomies to occur. Prior to a lumpectomy, a biopsy must be taken to determine if the tissue is cancerous, and a breast cancer biopsy marker (BBM) is left in the region of possible cancerous tissue. Wire localization has been the gold standard for localizing these BBMs. However, due to the reported patient discomfort and logistical inefficiencies faced by healthcare providers (HCP), non-wire localization solutions have been recently developed. This study aims …

Yield And Nutritive Quality Of Fresh And Ensiled Reduced Lignin Alfalfa In Monoculture And Diculture With Novel Tall Fescue, Morgan Boss

All Theses

The objectives of this research were to: (1) evaluate the yield, nutritional value, and digestibility of fresh and ensiled reduced lignin alfalfa (RLA; Medicago sativa L.) in monoculture and when mixed with novel endophyte-infected tall fescue (F; Festuca arundinacea) in comparison to a conventional alfalfa (CA) cultivar; and (2) evaluate ensiled samples under varying DM concentrations; with or without inoculant. A trial was prepared as a randomized complete block design with 4 replicates per treatment. Treatments included reduced lignin alfalfa (RLA), conventional alfalfa (CA) and tall fescue (F) plots as well as RLA/F and CA/F plots. Plots were harvested on …

The Post Pandemic Learner: How Spatial Dynamics & Accessibility Impact The Learning Experience, Erikka Misrahi

All Theses

The COVID-19 pandemic had unprecedented impacts on Generation Z (Gen Z) in regard to mental wellbeing and learning impacts. While the world shut down in March 2020, the majority of students who have since entered college were forced to attend some portion of high school using remote learning platforms. This transition, while necessary at the time, has had repercussions that are still being felt in higher education. These impacts, combined with the challenges that Gen Z were already experiencing due to the pressures of social media, and the impacts that technology has had on attention spans, have changed their learning …

An Exploration Of Non-Photorealistic Rendering Techniques And Styles To Bridge Mood And Style Using Unreal Engine, Ethan Richards

All Theses

Each story is married to unique styles in which the story is told. The study completed in this thesis explores the relationship between a story and the visuals created to display that story both artistically and technically through the development of A Fateful Night, a collection of two non-photorealistic 3D art pieces. This project explores and integrates the themes, motifs, architecture, composition, and color of Cosmic Horror and Gothic Horror art alongside modern non-photorealistic styles through the development of materials, shaders, and post-processing shaders within the real time graphics engine, Unreal Engine. The project successfully led to the development …

Animating Reality: Enhancing Immersion Through Secondary Animation Rigging Techniques In Video Games, Karim Hudson

All Theses

This thesis explores enhancing realism in video games by strategically applying secondary animation rigging techniques to intensify player immersion. The research adopts a novel approach by exploring hybrid methodologies that seamlessly integrate animator control with simulation techniques to imbue characters with dynamic movements and lifelike qualities. Specifically, the study focuses on simulating intricate aspects such as hair, clothing, and accessories, recognizing their potential to elevate character animation beyond static representations. Through practical experimentation, the thesis examines the symbiotic relationship between animator-driven control and simulation-based dynamics. By harnessing the capabilities of modern rigging tools and simulation algorithms, animators are empowered to …

Understanding The Traditions And Experiences Of African American Hunters, Ezekiel Adesawe

All Theses

Hunting is a significant cultural, economic, and wildlife management activity in the United States. However, African Americans remain underrepresented among hunters, with limited research to understand their perspectives and experiences. Hence, this study employed an exploratory focus group method design to profile African American hunters' real and perceived experiences, traditions, and needs. The interviews were conducted with 67 African American hunters from all regions across the country. The interview data were analyzed through thematic coding to construct key themes. Key findings from this study revealed that hunting is a strong tradition within African American communities that has been passed down …

Assessing Equitable Distribution Of The Urban Tree Canopy At The Neighborhood Scale In Greenville, South Carolina., April Riehm

All Theses

We are living in an era that necessitates adaptation and resilience. The Earth is warming. Our climate has changed (EPA, 2016). Our planet is also rapidly urbanizing. It is predicted that 68% of people will live in cities by 2050. The City of Greenville is a rapidly growing city in South Carolina that has been losing its tree canopy to development(City of Greenville, 2023). The Urban Tree Canopy (UTC) is a community asset that provides many quality-of-life benefits including improved air quality, stormwater management, carbon sequestration, mental and physical well-being, increased mobility and access, aesthetics, a reduction in energy costs, …

Modern Muses - An Exploration Of A Mind That Refuses To Cooperate, Carrie H. Bull

All Theses

Ancient scholars and artists turned to the classic muses for form, worship, and inspiration in pursuit of crafting their greatest works. In an information age rife with new ideas and new artists, it is inevitable that new creative obstacles will be encountered and new muses will be called upon to overcome them. This project is an exploration of the digital modeling pipeline through the formation of such muses. It begins with the creation and iteration of concept art for three original characters, moves on to the sculpting of the characters in Zbrush, creation of clothes in Marvelous Designer, posing, and …

The Effects Of Pre-Parturient Nutrient Restriction On Milk Production, Milk Fat Percentage, Milk Fatty Acid Profile, And Lamb Growth In Sheep, Dakota Murray

All Theses

Cross-bred ewes carrying twins, confirmed via ultrasound, were split into two groups: nutrient-restricted (NR), n=15, and control (CON), n=16. On day (d) 86, at 60% of the NRC requirements, nutrient restriction began and lasted until parturition, at which point ewes were placed back onto a regular diet. After parturition, milk samples and lamb weights were taken on days 1, 7, 14, and 21. Milk lipids were then extracted using modified methods proposed by Hara and Radin (1978). Lipid samples were weighed and then methylated following the procedure outlined by Lock and colleagues (2013). Methylated samples were then analyzed by gas …

Carved Wreaths And Mortuary Flowers: An Investigation Of A Mid-Century Southern Stone Carver’S Work In Magnolia Cemetery, Charleston, Sc, Jacquelyn Elie Nahman

All Theses

This study analyzes the work of Charleston stone carver William T. White in Magnolia Cemetery between 1850 and 1870. The purpose of this study is to survey the creations produced by a mid-nineteenth-century stone carver to better understand the patterns of iconographic styles and personalization of stones throughout his career. The attention of many cemetery studies in America is on the Northeast so focusing on the work of a Southerner’s work contributes to the regional gap in former studies. To perform this study, W. T. White’s signed stones were surveyed and documented throughout the cemetery using Esri’s ArcGIS Survey123, recording …

Refining Biodiesels Through Employment Of Cellulose Nanocrystals To Remove Metal Ions, Ryan Marasco

All Theses

none

Something Old, Something Blue: An Analysis Of Identification Methods For Determining The Presence Of Indigo Within Historic Textiles For The Charleston Museum, Chris Cone

All Theses

Identification methods for the analysis of indigo dye within textiles have been compiled in multiple studies. Though few examples demonstrate chemical analysis and phase separation as a technique that can assist in the identity of the dyestuff. The inclusion of nontechnical methods, techniques that require little knowledge of chemistry and can be completed without the assistance of high-tech machinery, can contribute toward these efforts. The goal of this thesis was to provide a simple testing procedure where eight historic textile samples dating from the mid-eighteenth to the mid-nineteenth centuries were subjected to chemical analysis and phase separation to determine the …

Ahead Of The Digital Curve: Digitally Documenting And Interpreting The Historic Built Environment In Museums, Hannah St. Onge

All Theses

Digital documentation technology came into the mainstream of preservation in the late 20^th and early 21^st centuries. These technologies have also begun to make their way into museums, another piece of the preservation field. Literature detailing the use of digital documentation technology in museums focuses largely on isolated case studies, often from museums in Europe and Asia. The research on the topic currently lacks a broad understanding of the use of these technologies in museums across the United States.

This thesis utilizes a survey method to determine the scope of digital documentation technologies usage to create 3D digital …

Evaluating Novel Approaches For Improving Anadromous Fish Passage In Coastal Rivers, Aaron Bunch

All Dissertations

Few of the world's rivers remain free-flowing for over 1000 km, significantly impacting anadromous fish populations due to dam-induced habitat fragmentation. Three partial migration barriers (low-head dams) on North Carolina's Cape Fear River (USA)—lock and dam 1 (LD1), lock and dam 2 (LD2), and lock and dam 3 (LD3)—impact American shad Alosa sapidissima, Atlantic sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus, and striped bass Morone saxatilis populations. Mitigation strategies to pass fish upstream have included conservation locking, nature-like fishway construction, and environmental flows (e-flows). This study introduced a novel e-flow (dam submergence flow), tested acoustic double-tagging techniques for tracking American …

Systematics And Biogeography Of Shallow Subterranean Carabidae In The Eastern United States, Curt Harden

All Dissertations

The shallow subterranean habitats (SSHs) of the eastern United States are reviewed, along with the associated ground beetles (Carabidae). Leaf litter, deep soil, fractured rock layers, and terrestrial epikarst are the predominant SSHs inhabited by Carabidae in the region. The long enigmatic genus Horologion is found, through study of morphology and DNA sequence data, to represent a paleoendemic lineage distributed only in West Virginia and Virginia; the likely sister to Horologion is the Gondwanan tribe Bembidarenini. A new species, Horologion hubbardi sp. n., is described from several individuals collected in or near drip pools in caves; the beetles probably …