Hidden Workload In Emergency Medicine: Examining The Role Of Outside-Of-Shift Duties In Emergency Physician Fatigue, Sarah Meyer

All Theses

Emergency physicians (EPs) face high rates of burnout. In addition to well-known stressors, such as fatiguing shift work schedules and intense emotional and cognitive demands faced during clinical shifts, many EPs must also attend to certain outside-of-shift duties (OSDs)–extra-clinical role responsibilities that are expected but not always formally tracked or compensated. These duties often occur during times when EPs are expected to rest and recover from shift work. Despite concerns surrounding burnout in emergency medicine and beliefs among EPs that OSDs contribute to burnout, the effects of OSDs have rarely been studied. Using daily and weekly surveys across 28 days, …

Confronting The Darkness: Nightmare Distress, Fear, And Avoidance Through The Lens Of Courage, Casidee Gonzales

All Theses

Nightmares are an infamous phenomenon where subjective meaning and objective implications meet. This thesis examined nightmare distress’ impact on fear of sleep and nightmare processing avoidance, a novel construct measured with a pilot survey; it also investigated the moderating roles of courage and neuroticism, with PTSD included as a covariate. The research was rooted in the dual-process model of courage and a phenomenology to assess approach and avoidance through goals and risks.

Participants were primarily recruited through Clemson’s SONA system, were mainly White, women, and young adults (N = 351); measures were administered via Qualtrics. Four hypotheses were tested, …

Laser-Induced Acoustic Signal Generation, Resonance Characterization, And Optical Sensing In Metallic Plates, Xinghang Zhao

All Theses

This thesis investigates laser-induced acoustic signal generation, resonance characterization, and optical sensing in metallic plates as a foundational study for damage-sensitive inspection. Rather than presenting a complete defect-detection system, the work focuses on how measurable acoustic responses can be generated, amplified, and interpreted in a controlled laboratory setting. Experiments showed that pulsed-laser excitation can produce strong and repeatable acoustic responses in metallic structures. Repetition-rate sweeping identified narrow resonant responses, including a cantilever resonance at 57.862 kHz and a maximum circular-disk response at an FFT frequency of 48.8 kHz with a laser repetition rate of about 49.1 kHz. High-Q resonances exceeding …

Quantifying Macrophyte Ecosystem Services And Improving Environmental Nonprofit Messaging, Peyton R. Hughey

All Theses

Environmental nonprofits are essential to the management and restoration of our natural spaces. They are also tasked with engaging the public via outreach, education, and advocacy. As natural spaces are degraded, the ability of environmental nonprofits to deliver on their missions will become increasingly important. This study aimed to improve two approaches to environmental nonprofits’ missions: ecological restoration and social media communication.

Environmental nonprofits operate with limited resources, and ecological restoration can be an exhaustive task; therefore, we explore functional restoration as a tool. In this study, we focus on the use of functional, trait-based restoration to restore ecological function …

Commodified Suffering: True Crime Podcasting, Gendered Violence, And The Culture Of Apathy”, Alaysia Lewis

All Theses

This study examines the linguistic patterns of true crime podcast hosts, as well as what potential impacts these language choices have on audiences. Through an analysis of literature regarding true crime media, listener motivations, and the effects of true crime media consumption on listeners, themes of apathy and desensitization, female pain as entertainment, and commodification of harm against women were found. This serves as a case study of the popular true crime podcast Crime Junkie, observing the language patterns used by the hosts before and after their involvement in a controversy that included accusations of plagiarism, commodification, and unethical journalistic …

Between Chronicle And Legend: A Two-Scene Environment And Visual Effects Examination Of Physical Accuracy And Emotional Exaggeration On The Honey Creek Bridge Collapse, Alison R. Gaddy

All Theses

This thesis explores how truth and dramatization intersect in digital storytelling by comparing realistic and stylized simulations of the Honey Creek bridge collapse within the context of the Kate Shelley animated short. At the core of storytelling lies a tension between factual accuracy and dramatic stylization. We investigate that tension by examining how narrative truth is conveyed, distorted, or enhanced through visual dramatization by focusing on the psychology of audience perception and the motivations behind creative embellishment. The practical contribution of this research is the development of two distinct digital scene setups depicting the same Honey Creek bridge collapse event. …

Identity, Party, And Politics: A Discourse Analysis Of Democratic Elites In Pod Save America, Geneva Lei P. Luteria

All Theses

The rise of popular podcasts has shaped public discourse and influenced millions worldwide on how they ought to think, imagine, and act about controversial subjects. Podcasts create an avenue for stories about power and technology to co-create a narrative that viewers buy into. This thesis analyzes one of these essential podcasts, Pod Save America, in how Democratic elite guests approach identity politics, a phenomenon best described as advocacy based on one position’s in society. I begin the thesis by considering the differences in scholarly interpretation of how identity politics functions conceptually and practically. Then, I integrate ideas about how …

Romanticizing 'Monsters': Sexualized Digital Fandom Of The Menendez Brothers, Kimberly M. Brooks

All Theses

This study was conducted to explore the expressions of sexualized fandom and parasocial relationships within the context of true crime. The Menendez Brothers were chosen as the case to focus on due to the Netflix dramatization ‘Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story’ release and online popularity. Reddit was the platform chosen for data collection because of the longstanding presence of true crime followers participating in dialogue on the platform. The r/MenendezBrothers thread was chosen to collect data from because of its large following and large number of weekly contributions. Sprinklr, the social media analytics platform, was employed to gather …

The Impact Of Dipeptides On Product Quality In Chinese Hamster Ovary Cells, Louise C. Herman

All Theses

Biopharmaceuticals are medicines produced in cells which are used to treat diseases such as cancer. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) represent the majority of approved biotherapeutics. MAbs are mostly produce using Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. CHO cells are favored for resiliency, scalability, and established safety, and are considered the “workhorse” organism for biopharmaceuticals.  Amino acids are a key component of cell culture media, however several amino acids have solubility limits, such as cysteine, cystine, and tyrosine.  At neutral pH, these amino acids are poorly soluble.  However, dipeptides, such as N,N'-di-L-Alanyl-L-Cystine (ACCA) have been reported to increase cysteine and cystine availability. Further, …

How Mindfulness Influences The Frequency Of Flow In Collegiate Athletes, Kelly Torres

All Theses

Flow is defined as a state of optimal experience characterized by deep focus and total absorption that has been consistently linked to enhanced performance (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990; Jackson and Csikszentmihalyi, 1999). Mindfulness, defined as present-moment awareness with acceptance and nonjudgement, has been widely used in sport psychology interventions to improve both performance and well-being (Harris et al., 2023; Kabat-Zinn, 2015; Reive, 2019). However, less is known about how and why mindfulness contributes to performance outcomes and what role flow plays. This study examined the relationship between trait mindfulness and dispositional flow among Clemson University collegiate athletes (N=144), while exploring …

Desert Ghost, Jessica Downs

All Theses

This thesis explores the relationship between landscape, memory, and the body through handmade paper installations inspired by the deserts of southwestern Utah. Drawing from personal experience of place and the loss of a childhood home, the work considers how environments are internalized and persist as shifting, sensory impressions rather than fixed geographies. The desert becomes a generative site for examining presence, transformation, and the passage of time, both geologic and personal.

I use handmade paper and installation to translate my experience of place into physical form. Paper serves as both material and metaphor; its fibers, textures, and muted tones emulate …

The Cost Of Her Journalism: Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence Against Women Journalists In The Former Soviet Union Countries, Kamila Eshalieva

All Theses

Although offline gender-based violence has been studied for decades, technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TFGBV) remains a prevalent yet underrecognized phenomenon. Journalism is a field in which this form of violence is especially persistent, and women journalists face disproportionate targeting. From cyberbullying and harassment to doxxing and disinformation, TFGBV comes in a myriad of forms, each leaving lasting scars on reporters who already face elevated professional risks. The post-Soviet region is particularly concerning, given its history of repressive regimes and hostile environments for journalism. While technology has expanded the ways for new forms of violence to emerge, these incidents are often not …

Portrayals Of Miscarriage In Film And Television: A Qualitative Analysis, Geovana Leonetti Saraiva

All Theses

Entertainment media may serve as a primary source through which individuals learn about miscarriage; however, little research has examined how miscarriage is portrayed in film and television. This study addresses this gap by conducting a textual analysis of five films and five television shows using a constructivist grounded theory approach. Guided by the model of stigma communication (MSC), communication privacy management theory (CPM), and social support frameworks, the analysis explores how miscarriage is represented in entertainment media.

Findings indicate that the analyzed content frequently includes stigma-related cues—such as marks, labels, responsibility, and peril—that may contribute to the formation and reinforcement …

Design And Development Of A Perfusable Hydrogel Platform With Bioprinted Human-Endothelialized Microvascular Channels, Calvin A. Chernyatinskiy

All Theses

We developed an integrated bioprinting and perfusion platform to generate vascularized hydrogel constructs that support perfusable microchannel networks. Multiple hydrogel formulations, sacrificial ink systems, device geometries, and perfusion conditions were systematically evaluated to optimize print fidelity, mechanical stability, and cellular compatibility. Internally gelling alginate–calcium carbonate hydrogels were identified as a robust matrix, providing tunable gelation kinetics and structural stability during embedded printing. In parallel, Pluronic F-127 fugitive ink enabled reliable fabrication of continuous hollow channels due to its shear-thinning behavior and efficient post-print removal.

The finalized platform integrates stereolithographically fabricated perfusion chambers with extrusion-based bioprinting to produce three-dimensional, perfusable vascular …

Biology, Ecology And Control Of Eye Gnats In An Open Pine Ecosystem, Leela Hospach

All Theses

Eye gnats of the genus Liohippelates are bothersome flies of the family Chloropidae. They breed in moist, disturbed, sandy soils that contain organic matter, and have been implicated as vectors of conjunctivitis, bovine mastitis, and yaws. We conducted research into some basic biological and ecological characteristics. Using wild-caught gnats in a temperature-controlled incubator, we found that their activity peaks between 27°C and 41°C. Trapping at different heights above the forest floor in an open-pine savannah, we captured most gnats at 7.5 m off the ground. This may have to do with the attractiveness of the rotten egg lures we used, …

Scrolling For Support: Social Media Use, Health Information Seeking, And Social Support In Individuals With Type 1 Diabetes, Loren Myers

All Theses

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a lifelong chronic illness that is rapidly increasing in prevalence. Continuous treatment is necessary for proper management, but barriers to care can cause some to turn to other sources for health-related information, like social media. Given the limited research on social media use and health information seeking behaviors in people with T1D, this study aims to gain an understanding of how people with T1D use social media, where they get their health information, and how social support is related to social media behaviors among people with T1D. Adult T1D participants completed an online survey that …

Addressing Medical Mistrust Among Women: Effects Of Narratives Acknowledging Mistrust On Identification, Credibility, And Persuasive Outcomes, Kylie A. Friday

All Theses

This study examines the effectiveness of narratives addressing medical mistrust in addressing medical mistrust and promoting preventive sexual health behaviors among women. Drawing on narrative persuasion frameworks, this research investigates how tailoring to aspects of medical mistrust influences identification, transportation, credibility, emotions, and persuasive outcomes. Particular attention is given to the role of medical mistrust as a key audience characteristic that may influence how individuals engage with and interpret health messages. By considering both emotional and cognitive mechanisms of persuasion, this study advances a more nuanced understanding of how narratives may function differently across audiences with varying levels of trust …

Using Large Language Models To Assess Entrepreneurial Personality In Generation Z College Students, Xianyong Wang

All Dissertations

As entrepreneurial personality (EP) plays a critical role in Generation Z’s (Gen Z) long-term success, it is crucial to understand the EP of Gen Z college students. To date, little is known about what EP is and how it can be assessed in Gen Z. Therefore, this dissertation presented two sequential studies to address two closely related research foci. The first study examined the scope and dimensionality of EP in Gen Z college students using topic modeling. In the second study, pre-trained LLMs were fine-tuned to predict self-reported EP levels from personal narrative responses. To collect data, college students (N …

Reimagining Access: Gentrification, Race And Youth Engagement In Outdoor Recreation, Cameron Smith

All Dissertations

Outdoor recreation has proven beneficial for youth, providing mental, social, and physical health benefits that last a lifetime. However, there is a gap in Black and Brown youth's participation in structured outdoor activities due to a multitude of structural factors. An overarching systemic factor that has affected these youths' participation in outdoor recreation is Gentrification, and its derivative, Green Gentrification, which specifically refers to how green amenities and infrastructure drive displacement of long-term communities. As a result of the displacement, Black and Brown youth are placed in a society where they are forced to navigate spaces that were intentionally designed …

Assessing Neurodiverse Inclusion In Zoos, Aquariums, And Nature Centers: A Secondary Analysis Of The Mozaics Project, Jennifer N.K. Garcia

All Dissertations

Playful experiences are found to promote positive youth development (Burdette & Whitaker, 2005; Gray, 2011; Sobel, 2018; Watchman & Spencer-Cavaliere, 2017). Additionally, playing in nature can improve attention and mood and reduce stress (Greenleaf, 2014; Kaplan & Kaplan, 1989; Shin & Swank, 2018; Ulrich ,1991). Unfortunately, neurodiverse youth, especially those with autism, can often experience barriers that limit access to play (Pynn et al., 2018; Stern, 2003) specifically play in nature (Barnes, 2007; Wolfberg, 2009). Yet, community organizations that offer playful experiences in nature, such as zoos, aquariums, and nature centers, could be uniquely positioned in the community to support …

Virtual Reality In Informal Education: Trends, Frameworks, And Implementation Strategies, Allison Maynard

All Dissertations

The rapid evolution of immersive technologies presents informal education settings with a complex dual challenge: while virtual reality (VR) offers compelling opportunities for engagement and experiential learning, its adoption demands significant institutional resources and may require a meaningful departure from established interpretive practice. As informal education institutions face decisions about whether to adopt emerging technologies, a critical gap remains in understanding how VR should be designed and integrated to serve both organizational missions and the needs of frontline interpreters and audiences. This dissertation moves beyond the technical novelty of VR to empirically examine its purposeful positioning within informal education settings, …

Towards Dementia-Inclusive Digital Text-Based Health Information: A Multi-Method Investigation Of Cognitive And Affective Accessibility, Margi Engineer

All Dissertations

This dissertation examines the accessibility, readability, emotional tone, and trustworthiness of digital, text‑based dementia information and investigates how older adults with and without dementia cognitively and affectively engage with such content. It further explores the potential of generative AI to improve dementia information delivery through the development of a domain‑specific retrieval‑augmented generation (RAG) large language model (LLM) chatbot designed to deliver accessible, stigma‑free information. The dissertation comprises four studies using complementary quantitative and qualitative methods. Study I conducts a large‑scale content analysis of 300 medical articles, 35 websites, and 50 blogs, applying readability metrics, LIWC‑based linguistic and sentiment analysis, and …

Towards Generalizable Representation Learning Across Domains, Hossein Kashiani

All Dissertations

Despite remarkable progress in deep learning, a major challenge remains: machine learning models often struggle to generalize to unseen domains under distribution shift. In real-world settings, data often differ from training conditions due to changes in lighting, sensor type, image resolution, and style. These differences can significantly degrade performance, highlighting the need for representations that are both robust and generalizable. This thesis addresses this challenge by developing a set of frameworks for generalization across domains in anomaly detection, deepfake detection, and vision-language image recognition. For anomaly detection, this thesis introduces ROADS, a robust prompt-driven framework for multi-class unified anomaly detection. …

Progressive Digital Health Engagement And Genetic Testing Intention: Evidence From The Genetic And Rare Disease Evaluation (Garde) Health System Trial And The Health Information National Trends Survey (Hints7), Emma Coen

All Dissertations

Background Digital health technologies including patient portals, internet based health information seeking, and electronic communication platforms are central mechanisms for genomic risk communication and recruitment into genetic testing. Engagement with these tools occurs progressively rather than uniformly, and structural inequities may contribute to staged disengagement along digital health pathways. Identifying where disengagement occurs and whether it differs by demographic and contextual characteristics is critical for advancing equitable genomic implementation.

Objectives This dissertation evaluates progressive digital engagement and genetic testing intention across two complementary data sources. Aim 1 examines sequential engagement within a health system genomic outreach trial. Aim 2 evaluates …

Livestock Poultry Health Committee Minutes, Clemson University Board Of Trustees, 2026 April 28, Clemson University Board Of Trustees, Clemson University Board Of Trustees

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No abstract provided.

Crop Pest Committee Minutes, Clemson Board Of Trustees, 2026 April 28, Clemson University Board Of Trustees, Clemson University Board Of Trustees

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No abstract provided.

Full Board Meeting Minutes, Clemson University Board Of Trustees, 2026 April 24, Clemson University Board Of Trustees, Clemson University Board Of Trustees

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No abstract provided.

Executive And Audit Committee Minutes, Clemson University Board Of Trustees, Minutes 2026 April 23, Clemson University Board Of Trustees, Clemson University Board Of Trustees

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No abstract provided.

Research And Economic Development Committee Minutes, Clemson University Board Of Trustees, 2026 April 23, Clemson University Board Of Trustees, Clemson University Board Of Trustees

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No abstract provided.

Finance And Facilities Committee Minutes, Clemson University Board Of Trustees, 2026 April 23, Clemson University Board Of Trustees, Clemson University Board Of Trustees

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No abstract provided.