Top Down Effects And Resource Selection By Coyotes In South Carolina, Alex Jensen

All Dissertations

Top predators play important roles in functioning ecosystems, including regulating the populations of prey species and competing with other predators. However, in the face of global change, many top terrestrial predators have declined in both range and abundance, making room for some smaller predators to expand into new niches. Coyotes (Canis latrans) in North America are a prime example of this – they have rapidly expanded their range in the last 120 years, raising concerns about their impacts on both domestic and wild species. In eastern North America, research has centered around their effects on white-tailed deer ( …

Conceptualizing Technology In Landscape Architecture (Tla) For The 21st Century, Xiwei Shen

All Dissertations

Technology in Landscape Architecture (TLA) has continually expanded from the 19^th century arts-science binary narrative (Beardsley, 2000). However, the current scholarly literature does not appear to acknowledge TLA as core to the discipline of Landscape Architecture (LA) and indicates a knowledge gap. The goal of this qualitative research is to explore TLA and clarify DTT and TLA’s relationship(s) with themes and topics in LA research, and LA core domains. Additionally, the aim is to reveal the meaning of TLA for LA research. This study draws from three realms of knowledge: 1) Digital Tools and Technology (DTT) in LA; 2) …

It’S Free Real Estate: Benthic Assemblage Composition On Bluehead Chub Nests In Southeastern Streams, Isabel Evelyn

All Theses

Positive interactions such as facilitative habitat modification are often strong drivers in structuring communities. The Bluehead Chub (Nocomis leptocephalus) is a common fish in Piedmont streams of the southeastern USA that builds gravel mound spawning nests that other native fish species utilize as critical spawning substrate. These nests are colonized by other freshwater benthic organisms, though few studies have investigated these colonizing assemblages. The goal of this study was to quantify differences in benthic assemblage composition and abundance between Bluehead Chub nests and unmodified streambed substrate as well as relative taxa microhabitat associations in relation to stream reach-wide …

Investigating Consistency Of Landscape-Scale Green Infrastructure In Local Government Policy, Anna Wilson

All Theses

Planning for Climate Change is multifaceted and requires effort across all scales. Green Infrastructure networks of green spaces, natural lands, reserves, working lands, core habitat, riparian corridors, parks, open spaces, private conservations lands, and other complementary land uses work together to support life on earth and human existence through the ecosystem services provided. Clean air, clean water, carbon sequestration, food production, recreation, pollination, and spiritual and cultural benefits are only a few of the services that natural lands provide society. With climate change occurring due to human actions such as land use, development, and energy use, to name a few, …

An Investigation Of How Lighting And Rendering Technology Affects Filmmaking Relative To Arnold’S Transition To A Gpu-Based Path-Tracer, Mohammad Saffar

All Theses

Computer Graphic (CGI) technology enables artists to explore a broad spectrum of

approaches and styles, from photorealistic to abstract, expanding the boundaries of traditional aesthetic choices.

Recent years have witnessed of 3D-CGI production shift towards greater physical fidelity driven by technological developments as well as consumer demand for realistic visuals; this trend can be found across various creative fields like film, video games, and virtual reality experiences with high-quality textures, lighting, rendering, and physics simulations providing enhanced levels of immersion for users.

Arnold is one of the famous rendering engines assisting artists to be more creative while producing photorealistic images. …

Analyzing The Influence Of Stale Data On Autonomous Intelligent Transportation Systems, August St. Louis

All Theses

Intelligent transportation has been at the forefront of recent technological advancement. Individuals have developed a number of algorithms intended to automate and improve essential intelligent transportation functions. New developments include the incorporation of vehicle platooning and path planning algorithms within a number of use cases. Data perturbation can affect both algorithms significantly. We define data perturbation as any natural or unnatural phenomenon that causes the data to be skewed in any way. Perturbations within either system can cause its respective algorithm to operate with stale or incorrect data. This can significantly affect performance. This paper conducts a fault injection campaign …

Was Jesus Christ Born A Jew Or Not? Luther And Protestant Anti-Judaism In Nazi Germany, Darian Sullivan

All Theses

Martin Luther’s role as the founder of German Protestantism placed him in a position where he was the hero for two opposing factions that formed within the German Evangelical Church in the wake of the Nazi party’s rise to power in 1933. The two factions were the pro-Nazi German Christians and the anti-Nazi Confessing Church. The two sides appealed to different aspects of Luther’s theology to defend their beliefs. Martin Luther’s theology, particularly his anti-Judaic beliefs was a crucial issue for the divided Protestant Church. Luther’s writings are crucial for determining how influential he was for both groups.

Immediate Response Of Bats To Prescribed Fire And Impact Of Experiences On Women's Self-Image In Natural Resources Professions, Zebria Hicks

All Theses

To inform use of prescribed fire management practice in the southeastern US, we studied its impact on bats, which are important and at-risk species. We evaluated if prescribed fire had a positive, neutral, or negative effect on bat activity in the two weeks following the burns. We recorded bat activity after prescribed burns in February and March 2022 in northwestern South Carolina in select hardwood and pine stands and control sites ≥ 500 m from burn boundaries. We measured insect abundance, canopy cover, basal area, and understory density at each site. We recorded 687 passes during our 45-day study period. …

Prey Preference Of Chrysoperla Rufilabris (Burmeister) (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) For Three Common Pest Species Of Greenhouse Crops, Caitlin Silva

All Theses

Chrysoperla rufilabris (Burmeister) (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) larvae are voracious generalist predators and important biological control agents on greenhouse crops. This study investigated the prey preference of second-instar C. rufilabris for three common greenhouse pests, namely the twospotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae), the Madeira mealybug, Phenacoccus madeirensis Green (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae), and the melon aphid, Aphis gossypii Glover (Hemiptera: Aphididae). This study also investigated the influence of prey density ratios on the preference of C. rufilabris larvae for T. urticae and A. gossypii. Prey species preference was evaluated in no-choice, two-choice, and all-choice laboratory bioassays. In the no-choice bioassays, …

Investigating Barriers To Conservation Of Freshwater Mussels In South Carolina, Olivia Poelmann

All Theses

Freshwater mussels are a diverse group of filter-feeding bivalves inhabiting freshwater systems; however, ~70% of U.S. species are imperiled. Many freshwater mussel species use fish hosts to complete juvenile transformation making host fish knowledge important for conservation efforts like captive propagation. While captive propagation programs have produced thousands of juveniles, survival post-release into natural systems is poorly studied. To address these absences of information, my first objective was to investigate differences among host use of naturally infested fishes and timing of larval release. My second objective was to evaluate survivorship of laboratory propagated juvenile Carolina Heelsplitter (Lasmigona decorata), …

Trauma, Found Family, And Their Influence On The Creation Of A Pitch Bible, David Scheele

All Theses

Trauma is a very common theme in works of fiction, as it is something that all of us
experience in our lives and as a result is emphasized in art. Whether it is injuries, abuse, the loss of loved ones, and much more, trauma is ubiquitous within the human experience. Sometimes trauma can have lasting impacts on an individual’s mental health, often taking the form of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD as it is more commonly known. We see this form of mental illness portrayed quite often in the media that we consume. Examples across various artistic mediums include Sarah …

The Invisible Influence: How Women And Enslaved People Shaped Colonial South Carolina, Abigail Doyle

All Theses

Colonial American studies often focus on the movements, actions and influences of white males and while their actions are significant to understanding the past, it leads to a one-sided view of history. In the colony of South Carolina, women and people of color were important figures that influenced society and made a lasting impact for future generations. Ann Drayton and Eliza Lucas Pinckney both became female planters in the absence of male figures in their life and thrived in their roles. Drayton and Lucas-Pinckney were legitimate agents of colonization and slavery. Quash/John Williams, who was a former slave of Eliza …

“Why I Sing The Blues”: The Blues And The Individuals Who Played Them, Daniel Byrd

All Theses

Blues music is profoundly important to not only Black history but also to American history as a whole. While the blues has been examined by several scholars and writers throughout the years such as Samuel Charters, Paul Oliver, and Elijah Wald, much of the work done seems to be geared toward biographical information on these artists or defining what exactly the blues is. In my thesis, I argue that blues is important for another reason: it speaks to the individualism that was found within the African American community following Emancipation and this can be found primarily through a robust examination …

Assessing Recreational User Impacts, Motivations, And Knowledge On The Spread Of Invasive Plant Species In A Managed, Multiple-Use Forest Ecosystem, Crystal Strickland

All Theses

The spread of invasive plants is ecologically and economically detrimental to native ecosystems, animals, and humans. Recreation is one factor that may influence plant dispersal. The impacts of recreation on invasive plant spread are multifaceted and include the physical act of spreading and transporting seeds and vegetation to new areas on clothes, pets, and equipment, as well as the social aspect of outreach and education. Therefore, I used a multifaceted approach to assess the impact of human trafficked areas where recreational activities frequently occur on four known invasive plant species in the Clemson Experimental Forest (CEF) in South Carolina: Microstegium …

Net-Zero Target And Emissions From Land Conversions: A Case Study Of Maryland's Climate Solutions Now Act, Philip Hutton

All Theses

Many climate change “solution” plans include net-zero goals, which involve balancing the anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) with their removal. Achieving net-zero goals is particularly problematic for soils because they are often excluded from GHG inventories and reduction plans. For example, Maryland’s Climate Solutions Now Act (Senate Bill 528) put forward a target of net-zero emissions by 2045. To achieve these goals, the state of Maryland (MD) needs to quantify GHG emissions. Soils are currently excluded from MD’s GHG assessments. This study examines the challenges in meeting net-zero goals by using carbon dioxide (CO₂). The current study quantified …

Are There Really Deaf People Who Are Languageless?, Kristin Snoddon

Society for American Sign Language Journal

No abstract provided.

Clemson Chronicle, Spring 2023, Clemson University

Clemson Chronicle

Clemson University's twice-yearly literary magazine, featuring creative prose, poetry, features, art and photography.

Clemson Board Of Trustee Minutes, Full Board Minutes, 2023 Februrary 2, Clemson University Board Of Trustees

Minutes

No abstract provided.

Clemson Board Of Trustee Minutes, Finance And Facilities Committee, 2023 Februrary 2, Clemson University Board Of Trustees

Minutes

No abstract provided.

The 5-Year Spam: Tracking A Persistent Chinese Influence Operation, Patrick Warren, Darren Linvill, Leland Fecher, Jayson Warren, Steven Sheffield, Jack Taylor, Alexa Gubanich, Parker Hundley, Josiah Lamont, Sarah Meadows, Josephine Rohrer, Molly Sutton, Shay Easler

Media Forensics Hub Creative Inquiry Reports

This report analyzes the behavior of a single, coordinated inauthentic information operator working within China and in the interests of the Chinese government. This operator has been called by different names by different analysts, including “Spamouflage Dragon“ (by the network analysis firm Graphika) and “Dragonbridge” (by the Google owned cybersecurity firm Mandiant) and has been operating continuously since, at least, April 2017. In this report we will refer to this actor as Dragonbridge. Section II of this report gives an update on several campaign this actor has engaged in recent months. Section III presents a synthetic overview of some of …

Rabbit Anatomy: A Brief Photographic Atlas And Dissection Guide - Part Ii: Cardiovascular System (Third Edition), Soma Mukhopadhyay, Lisa Ruggiero Wagner

Rabbit Anatomy: A Brief Photographic Atlas and Dissection Guide

No abstract provided.

Rabbit Anatomy: A Brief Photographic Atlas And Dissection Guide - Part I: Muscular System (Third Edition), Soma Mukhopadhyay, Lisa Ruggiero Wagner

Rabbit Anatomy: A Brief Photographic Atlas and Dissection Guide

No abstract provided.

Clemson Commencement Program, December 2022, Clemson University

Clemson Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

Triumph In The Suburbs: Richard Ford And The Spaces Of New Capitalism, John Gorton

All Theses

In his 1986 book America, Baudrillard noted that “the most banal suburb…is more at the centre of the world than any of the cultural manifestations of old Europe.” My thesis argues that this monumental shift from the suburbs as enclaves at the outer edges of cultural urban centers to “the centre of the world” is at the heart of Richard Ford’s realist project in his Pulitzer Prize winning Bascombe series starting with The Sportswriter in 1986. Emergent twentieth- and twenty-first-century literature scholars have been interested in the schism between the fictionalized representation and the lived experience of suburbia — while …

Aiii Sài Gòn Hông?, Jackie Ta, Ngoc Uyen Phuong Ta

All Theses

“Aiii Sài Gòn Hông?”

In Saigon, “Ai… hông?” is a phrase that street vendors often shout to advertise what they sell for the day. This body of work, “Aiii Sài Gòn Hông?” (Translates: “Saigon, anyone?”) invites the audience to take a glimpse into the vivid everyday life in contemporary Vietnam through a perspective of a Saigon local. Utilizing the modalities of painting and sculpture, I collect, accumulate and organize parts of the streets and marketplace by manipulating and amplifying certain key visual elements. The goal of the work is to reconstruct an experiential space that speaks not only to the …

The Role Of Vsmc Mir-33a Expression On Apoa-I Mediated Cholesterol Efflux And Macrophage-Like Cell Transdifferentiation, Ikechukwu Esobi

All Dissertations

Atherosclerosis is a condition caused by cholesterol accumulating in arterial intimal cells and is a disease that kills more people in the United States and globally than any other disease. Atherosclerosis is commonly recognized to arise from arterial intimal macrophage cholesterol accumulation, but cell lineage tracing technology has shown that a large majority of cholesterol-laden intimal cells found in atherosclerotic arteries are actually vascular smooth muscle cells that have switched phenotypes to a macrophage-like cell. This vascular smooth muscle cell to macrophage-like cell phenotypic switch is known as transdifferentiation and can be triggered by vascular smooth muscle cell cholesterol accumulation. …

Multiscale Topology Optimization With A Strong Dependence On Complementary Energy, Dustin Dean Bielecki

All Dissertations

A discrete approach introduces a novel deep learning approach for generating fine resolution structures that preserve all the information from the topology optimization (TO). The proposed approach utilizes neural networks (NNs) that map the desired engineering properties to seed for determining optimized structure. This framework relies on utilizing parameters such as density and nodal deflections to predict optimized topologies. A three-stage NN framework is employed for the discrete approach to reduce computational runtime while maintaining physics constraints.

A continuous representation that uses complementary energy (CE) methods to solve a representative element's homogenized properties consists of an embedded structure that is …

Addressing Meloidogyne Enterolobii Spread In The Sweetpotato Industry: Development Of A High Throughput Survey Detection Method For Root-Knot Nematodes And Quantification Of M. Enterolobii Damage On Storage Roots In Long-Term Assays, Julianna Culbreath

All Theses

Meloidogyne enterolobii is an aggressive root-knot nematode (RKN) species that has emerged as a significant pathogen of sweetpotato in the Southeastern US. Meloidogyne enterolobii is spread through the movement of infected ‘seed’ sweetpotatoes used for propagation, and the RKN resistance in commercial sweetpotato cultivars has proven ineffective against this nematode. This has prompted regulatory agencies to impose quarantines on regions infected with M. enterolobii. Sweetpotato storage roots can be rendered unmarketable due to M. enterolobii infection, resulting in potential overall yield loss. Visual detection of RKN in sweetpotato can be unreliable, and further distinguishing M. enterolobii from other RKN species …

Nepantla: The Space In-Between, Samantha Shamard

All Theses

The word Nepantla is from the Mesoamerican Nahuatl language and is used by theorist Gloria Anzaldúa to describe a space of mixed, and borderland identity. Nepantla: the space in-between creates a physical manifestation of my experience as a mixed Latina woman raised in American suburban culture. This series is made up of ceramic objects on wall-mounted altars made of wood panels adorned with wallpaper and paint. The surfaces utilize visual references and color schemes from 90s girls’ bedrooms and Mexican pop-culture. Ceramic bones and cacti mounted onto the altar forms are all made through molded ceramic processes, which for me …

If You Give A Beetle A Maple: Anoplophora Glabripennis Habitat Selection Patterns On An Island In South Carolina, Meredith Bean

All Theses

At the epicenter of the Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis Motschulsky) quarantine zone in South Carolina, a small island containing an actively growing subpopulation of A. glabripennis had not completely killed its 37 host trees in 2020. Before these trees were removed and destroyed according to the USDA Eradication Program protocols, I performed an observational study to examine the microhabitat selection tendencies of the invasive A. glabripennis within this satellite infestation. After cataloging >14,000 oviposition sites and >1,600 exit holes created by A. glabripennis, I found dispersal trends according to a host’s stem status (single or multi-stemmed), vertical …