Digital Commons Network^™

The Impact Of Rising Trade On Wage Inequality: An Empirical Study On U.S.-China Trade From 2000-2010, Jie Chen

All Theses

International trade has been cited as a source of widening wage inequality in industrial nations. In this paper, I investigate how the structure of the wage premium has been impacted within the United States due to rising trade with China. Using the U.S. Census data, since China joined WTO, I find the presence of the skill premium and over time the skill premium is higher. A counterfactual exercise indicates rising U.S. exports to China increase the wages of workers, especially for high-skilled laborers, and the effect is more pronounced in 2010. At the same time, increasing imports from China increase …

Hexavalent Chromium Reduction Using Supported N-Zvi And Metalloporphyrin Matrices, Jonathon Ball

All Theses

Chromium (Cr) can exist in the environment in many valence states ranging from -2 to +6. Hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI) and trivalent chromium (Cr(III) are the most stable forms of Cr and therefore are the most common in the environment. Cr(VI) is very toxic and has been considered a hazardous material and danger to society for many years. One of the main locations of Cr(VI) contamination in the environment is in groundwater aquifers. A simulation of this system coupled with a reduction-precipitation remediation method was utilized. In this research, n-ZVI was used in a supported silica sol-gel matrix by itself and …

Secret Sharing And Network Coding, Fiona Knoll

All Theses

In this thesis, we consider secret sharing schemes and network coding. Both of these fields are vital in today's age as secret sharing schemes are currently being implemented by government agencies and private companies, and as network coding is continuously being used for IP networks. We begin with a brief overview of linear codes. Next, we examine van Dijk's approach to realize an access structure using a linear secret sharing scheme; then we focus on a much simpler approach by Tang, Gao, and Chen. We show how this method can be used to find an optimal linear secret sharing scheme …

Co-Production Of Nitrogen-15 And Oxygen-18 In Explosive Helium Burning And Implications For Supernova Graphite Grains, Michael Bojazi

All Theses

My Masters research involves simulations of a supernova whereby a shock wave of constant Mach number is sent through a 15-solar-mass star evolved to the point of core-collapse. The resulting nucleosynthesis is examined with the intent of explaining the overproduction, relative to solar values, of nitrogen-15 and oxygen-18 abundances in supernova presolar graphite grains, as experimentally determined by Groopman et al. via a NanoSIMS analysis. We find such overabundances to be present in the helium-rich zone. Oxygen-18 is leftover from presupernova helium burning while nitrogen-15 is produced by explosive helium burning. Interestingly, anomalous excesses in molybdenum-95 and molybdenum-97 abundances in …

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

All Theses

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 …

Eugene Genovese And Elizabeth Fox-Genovese: Partners In Life And History, Emily Chandler

All Theses

This study examines both the personal and professional relationships of historians Eugene D. Genovese and Elizabeth Fox-Genovese. Considered by many to be a `power couple' in the historical academy, they were pioneers in the field of southern history and offered a number of contributions to a Marxist interpretation of the antebellum South. They also wielded a considerable amount of influence within their discipline. Previous studies have largely focused on the Genoveses' professional collaboration and scholarship, but have neglected to explore their marriage. This study takes a closer look at their personal lives and marriage and seeks to determine the influence …

Corporate Income Tax And Investment: Evidence From Panel Data In 22 Oecd Countries, Byung Gyu Jeong

All Theses

Using panel data for 22 OECD countries during 1985-2010 and 1970-2010, the author re-evaluates the existing evidence on the effects of corporate income taxes on four kinds of investments: foreign direct investment inflows, net domestic investment, total investment, and foreign direct investment outflows. The corporate income tax rate with a one-year lag has a statistically significant and negative effect on foreign direct investment inflows, but it has no clear relationship with the other three types of investments. This finding suggests that investment from the corporate sector will go to the domestic non-corporate sector in order to equalize the actual rate …

Classification Of Biological Phenomena To Aid In Search And Retrieval For Biomimicry, Kevin Murray

All Theses

Biomimetic design offers an avenue for designers to expand the solution realm by offering surface dissimilar analogies. However, a significant challenge within biomimetic design has been offering a suitable method for discovery and retrieval of inspiring biological phenomena to aid in conceptual design. This research proposes an approach for classifying both biological systems and engineering products into the type of problem being addressed. This allows designers to search for inspirational phenomena based on the type of problem that they are trying to solve. Initially this classification is performed with product-phenomenon pairings that have already been attributed to biomimetic design from …

Evaluation Of Dormant-Season Herbicide Treatment Methods For Chinese Privet At Congaree National Park, Karen Vaughn

All Theses

Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense Lour.) is a non-native invasive shrub that has become ubiquitous throughout the southeastern United States. There is a large infestation of privet at Congaree National Park in South Carolina, and the National Park Service is interested in controlling it with dormant-season foliar herbicide treatments. The primary objective of this study was to determine which combination of herbicide and applicator provides the most effective control of privet, while minimizing damage to non-target plants. Another objective was to document impacts of privet invasion on Congaree's plant communities.
Seven vegetation plots were installed in each of five large privet …

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

All Theses

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 …

A Model-Free Approach To Vehicle Stability Control, Chinmay Pandit

All Theses

This project explored the feasibility of using measured responses of a passenger car together with a fuzzy logic based control algorithm to sense the onset of under-steer (or loss of steering control) and mitigate or eliminate it. The controller is simple and robust and, unlike existing controllers, instead of comparing the vehicle response to that of an idealized model it makes decisions based solely upon the measured response of the car.
Simulations were conducted (using CarSim) of various vehicles executing the skid pad and the double lane change tests to characterize the vehicle behavior. Consistent and qualitatively similar patterns in …

The Effect Of Applying Established Color Theory To Packaging When Visible Product And External Labels Exist Simultaneously, Rachel Randall

All Theses

Color is affected by what is around it. A color doesn't necessarily look the same when its placed against two different colored backgrounds (Ryan, William, and Theodore Conover, 2004) Oftentimes, designers are given a blank package and given the task of creating a label or package for the product. What is missing is the product, which can be an integral part of this design process. What is not yet to be determined by current packaging research is how colors work together through the product and package. One way to determine this would be through transparent bottled packages that contain external …

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

All Theses

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 …

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

All Theses

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 …

The Tiger Vol. 107 Issue 11 2013-04-12, Clemson University

Tiger Newspapers

No abstract provided.

8th Annual Focus On Creative Inquiry Poster Forum Program, Clemson University

Focus on Creative Inquiry

The poster forum today displays a few of the more than 400 projects initiated by Clemson University Creative Inquiry teams.

What is Creative Inquiry? It is small-group learning for all students. It is the imaginative combination of engaged learning and undergraduate research. Ultimately, it is the creation of an Ah-ha! Moment — and it is unique to Clemson University.

Creative Inquiry establishes small teams of undergraduate students that work with faculty mentors to take on problems that spring from their own curiosity, from a professor’s challenge, or from the pressing needs of the world around them. Students take ownership of …

X-Ray Source Variability Study Of The M31 Central Field Using Chandra Hrc-1, F. Hofmann, W. Pietsch, M. Henze, F. Haberl, R. Sturm, M. Della Valle, Dieter H. Hartmann, D. Hatzidimitriou

Publications

Context. The central field of the Andromeda galaxy (M 31) has been monitored, using the Chandra HRC-I detector (about 0.1-10 keV energy range) from 2006 to 2012 with the main aim to detect X-rays from optical novae. We present a systematic analysis of all X-ray sources found in the 41 nova monitoring observations, along with 23 M 31 central field HRC-I observations available from the Chandra data archive starting in December 1999. Aims. Based on these observations, we studied the X-ray long-term variability of the source population and especially of X-ray binaries in M 31. Methods. We created a catalogue …

The Tiger Vol. 107 Issue 10 2013-04-05, Clemson University

Tiger Newspapers

No abstract provided.

Group Testing Models With Unknown Link Function, Dewei Wang, Karunarathna B. Kulasekera, Colin M. Gallagher, Christopher S. Mcmahan

Graduate Research and Discovery Symposium (GRADS)

Group testing through the use of pooling has proven to be an efficient method of reducing the time and cost associated with screening for a binary characteristic of interest such as infection status. A topic of key interest in this area involves the development of regression models that relate the individual level covariates to the binary pool testing responses. The research in this area has primarily focused on parametric regression models. In this poster, we will introduce a new estimation method which can handle multi-dimensional covariates while assuming the link is unknown. The asymptotic properties of our estimators are also …

Habitat Mediated Raccoon Response To An Artificial Increase In Coyote Activity, Cady Etheredge, Greg Yarrow, Patrick Gerard, Jamie Dozier

Graduate Research and Discovery Symposium (GRADS)

Most predator control programs treat species in isolation, never considering how competition between predators as predicted by the mesopredator release hypothesis (MRH) can result in indirect benefits to ground nesting prey. Understanding these dynamics will be especially important in the southeastern United States, where recent coyote invasions may provide systems with a new top predator capable of suppressing booming mesopredator populations. This project indirectly tests the MRH by examining the spatial avoidance of raccoons to areas with artificially increased coyote activity. Radio-collared raccoon home ranges were intensely mapped for one week before and after test plots were treated with coyote …

Finite Element Modeling Of Concrete Based On Quantitative Computed Tomography (Qct), Arash Razmjoo, Amir Poursaee

Graduate Research and Discovery Symposium (GRADS)

Models have been used before to predict the mechanical and transport behavior of concrete. In most of these studies, aggregates were considered either circle or sphere and the impact of the aggregates geometry and in-homogeneities in concrete structure is ignored. The objective of this study is to develop a novel method for accurate prediction of the mechanical behavior of concrete using quantitative computed tomography (QCT)-based finite element analysis. Concrete cylinders were cast and cured for 28 days. The QCT scans were carried out on the samples using a clinical CT scanner. An image processing method was applied to detect aggregates, …

Nanobiotechnology Can Boost Crop Production And Quality: First Evidence From Increased Plant Biomass, Fruit Yield And Phytomedicine Content In Bitter Melon (Momordica Charantia), Chittaranjan Kole, Phullara Kole, K Manoj Randunu, Poonam Choudhary, Ramakrishna Podila, Pu Chen Ke, Apparao M. Rao, Richard K. Marcus

Publications

BACKGROUND:

Recent research on nanoparticles in a number of crops has evidenced for enhanced germination and seedling growth, physiological activities including photosynthetic activity and nitrogen metabolism, mRNA expression and protein level, and also positive changes in gene expression indicating their potential use in crop improvement. We used a medicinally rich vegetable crop, bitter melon, as a model to evaluate the effects of seed treatment with a carbon-based nanoparticle, fullerol [C60(OH)20], on yield of plant biomass and fruit characters, and phytomedicine contents in fruits.

RESULTS:

We confirmed the uptake, translocation and accumulation of fullerol through bright field imaging and Fourier transform …

Nature Of The Gas And Dust Around 51 Oph, W F. Thi, F Menard, G Meeus, A Carmona, P Riviere-Marichalar, J C. Augereau, I Kamp, P Woitke, C Pinte, I Mendigutia, C Eiroa, B Montesinos, Sean D. Brittain, W Dent

Publications

Circumstellar disc evolution is paramount for the understanding of planet formation. The GASPS program aims at determining the circumstellar gas and solid mass around ~250 pre-main-sequence Herbig Ae and TTauri stars. We aim to understand the origin and nature of the circumstellar matter orbiting 51 Oph, a young (Myr) luminous B9.5 star. We obtained continuum and line observations with the PACS instrument on board the Herschel Space Observatory and continuum data at 1.2 mm with the IRAM 30m telescope. The SED and line fluxes were modelled using the physico-chemo radiative transfer code ProDiMo. We detected a strong emission by OI …

Academic Major Choice Of International Student-Athletes Competing In The Ncaa, Robin Hardin, Sylvia Trendafilova, Sarah Stokowski, Gi-Yong Koo

Publications

No abstract provided.

Connecting To Our Community: Utilizing Photovoice As A Pedagogical Tool To Connect College Students To Science, Kristin Cook, Cassie F. Quigley

Publications

In this study, we investigated the ways in which university students connected with science through the use of photovoice (Wang & Burris, 1994) as a pedagogical tool. Results indicated that students came to appreciate their connections to the science that operates in their lives as they reflected on and became empowered with regard to the science content behind environmental issues of interest to them on campus. Photovoice allowed students to authentically inquire about local science, as well as the potential to generate change in their own community. This understanding is significant to science educators because first, it empowers learners to …

In Silico Modeling The Effects Of Missense Mutations Causing Snyder-Robinson Syndrome And Rescuing The Effects By Small Molecules Binding, Zhe Zhang, Charles Schwartz, Virginie Martiny, David Lagorce, Yoshihiko Ikeguchi, Maria A. Miteva

Graduate Research and Discovery Symposium (GRADS)

Snyder-Robinson Syndrome (SRS) is an X-linked mental retardation disorder. Three missense mutations (G56S, V132G and I150T) on human spermine synthase (SMS) were reported to cause SRS. SMS is an important enzyme which converts spermindine into spermine, both of which are two polyamines controlling the normal cell growth and development. In vitro experiments showed that the dimer conformation played a crucial role on the SMS function. Our in silico studies including energy calculation, pKa calculation and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation based on the available 3D structure of SMS revealed that these mutations affected SMS function by affecting the dimer affinity, monomer …

The Tiger Vol. 107 Issue 8 2013-03-08, Clemson University

Tiger Newspapers

No abstract provided.

Progress In Developing Poisson-Boltzmann Equation Solvers, Chuan Li, Marharyta Petukh, Emil Alexov

Publications

This review outlines the recent progress made in developing more accurate and efficient solutions to model electrostatics in systems comprised of bio-macromolecules and nano-objects, the last one referring to objects that do not have biological function themselves but nowadays are frequently used in biophysical and medical approaches in conjunction with bio-macromolecules. The problem of modeling macromolecular electrostatics is reviewed from two different angles: as a mathematical task provided the specific definition of the system to be modeled and as a physical problem aiming to better capture the phenomena occurring in the real experiments. In addition, specific attention is paid to …

A Rational Free Energy-Based Approach To Understanding And Targeting Disease-Causing Missense Mutations., Zhe Zhang, Shawn Witham, Marharita Petukh, Gautier Moroy, Maria Miteva, Yoshihiko Ikeguchi, Emil Alexov

Publications

BACKGROUND AND SIGNIFICANCE:

Intellectual disability is a condition characterized by significant limitations in cognitive abilities and social/behavioral adaptive skills and is an important reason for pediatric, neurologic, and genetic referrals. Approximately 10% of protein-encoding genes on the X chromosome are implicated in intellectual disability, and the corresponding intellectual disability is termed X-linked ID (XLID). Although few mutations and a small number of families have been identified and XLID is rare, collectively the impact of XLID is significant because patients usually are unable to fully participate in society.

OBJECTIVE:

To reveal the molecular mechanisms of various intellectual disabilities and to suggest …

Enhancing Human Spermine Synthase Activity By Engineered Mutations, Zhe Zhang, Yueli Zheng, Margo Petukh, Anthony Pegg, Yoshihiko Ikeguchi, Emil Alexov

Publications

Spermine synthase (SMS) is an enzyme which function is to convert spermidine into spermine. It was shown that gene defects resulting in amino acid changes of the wild type SMS cause Snyder-Robinson syndrome, which is a mild-to-moderate mental disability associated with osteoporosis, facial asymmetry, thin habitus, hypotonia, and a nonspecific movement disorder. These disease-causing missense mutations were demonstrated, both in silico and in vitro, to affect the wild type function of SMS by either destabilizing the SMS dimer/monomer or directly affecting the hydrogen bond network of the active site of SMS. In contrast to these studies, here we report an …