Digital Commons Network^™

Generation And Modeling Of Radiation For Clinical And Research Applications, Bishwambhar Sengupta

All Dissertations

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in today's world and also accounts for a major share of healthcare expenses for any country. Our research goals are to help create a device which has improved accuracy and treatment times that will alleviate the resource strain currently faced by the healthcare community and to shed some light on the elementary nature of the interaction between ionizing radiation and living cells.

Stereotactic radiosurgery is the treatment of cases in intracranial locations using external radiation beams. There are several devices that can perform radiosurgery, but the Rotating Gamma System is relatively …

Electrochemical Assessment Of Alumina-Tic Composite: A Potential Biomaterial, Hetal Umesh Maharaja

All Dissertations

Ceramic and ceramic composites are gaining popularity over their metallic counterparts for orthopedic applications. Metallic biomaterials, like titanium alloys and CoCrMo alloy, exhibit good performance under concentrated loads but there have been plenty cases of implant failure due to release of metallic debris causing osteolysis. The wear debris release is caused by mechanically assisted electrochemical degradation of contacting surfaces at the joint. Ceramic based biomaterials have shown to exhibit superior wear performance, but they are prone to brittle fracture. Hence modern ceramic materials are reinforced with oxides, nitride and carbides too improve fracture resistance. However, nitrides and carbides reinforcement impart …

Building A New Perspective On Unethical Workplace Behavior: A Qualitative Examination Of Former Employees' Recounted Experiences, Emily Burnett

All Dissertations

Unethical workplace behavior has long been a concern for organizations and a topic of interest for researchers. However, despite the vast body of research on the subject, there seems to be no definitive consensus concerning the breadth of the content domain within unethical workplace behavior, what (if any) meaningful dimensions exist within the construct, and which forms of unethical behavior are most prevalent in the workplace (Kaptein, 2008). This lack of construct clarity may in part be due to the fact that much of the research literature has focused on individual subsets of unethical workplace behavior, either studying a single …

Evaluation Of The Potential For Ecological Treatment Technologies To Remediate Species Of Phytophthora From Irrigation Runoff, Natasha Lynn Bell

All Dissertations

Increased incidences and severity of drought have reduced reliable access to freshwater sources for irrigation purposes by nursery and greenhouse plant producers. Many plant producers are now considering onsite remediation and reuse of water captured from irrigation runoff. However, potential contamination of recycled water with plant pathogens, primarily species of Phytophthora, is the primary concern preventing many growers from reusing their water. Species of Phytophthora are capable of infecting thousands of host plants and cause some of the most economically important diseases of nursery and greenhouse crops worldwide. Phytophthora spp. produce motile, swimming zoospores that often serve as propagules …

Sociocultural, Economic And Political Factors Shaping The U.S. Tourism Workforce: A Case Study Of New Orleans, Louisiana, Usa, Katherine Dudley

All Dissertations

Informed by critical race theory and critiques of neoliberal capitalist tourism development, this case study explores the ways in which sociocultural, economic and political factors shape the tourism workforce and the lived experience of tourism workers. It is driven by the following overarching question: How do sociocultural, economic and political factors affect tourism workers in New Orleans? And three sub-questions: 1) How have historic sociocultural, economic and political institutions shaped the structure of tourism workforce in the United States? 2) How has the discourse used directly following Hurricane Katrina shaped the position of workers within the New Orleans tourism complex? …

Last Chance To See? Motivations And Outcomes Of Last Chance Tourism Experiences In Arctic Alaska, Tana Kay Wilson

All Theses

The tourism market for endangered places and their vulnerable resources are booming and widely referred to as last chance tourism (LCT). People are planning trips to experience places or see species they may never have wanted to see until learning that the option to witness it could disappear in their lifetime. The notion of LCT was first introduced by the tourism industry to describe increasing tourist interest to endangered destinations. Utilizing visitor surveys, the purpose of this study was to identify LCT participants and quantify experiential outcomes of LCT (e.g., awe, epiphany and ambassadorship). This study specifically takes place at …

Porous Nanostructured 4Ï€ Neutron Conversion Layers For Improved Sensitivity And Gamma-Ray Rejection In Gas-Filled Radiation Detectors, Benjamin David Huffer

All Theses

This work investigated a neutron detection media comprising porous nanomaterial membranes to mitigate self-absorbance of neutron reaction products (α, 7Li) typical of micron-sized neutron conversion layers. Porous 3D layers fashioned from boron nitride nanotubes were suspended in parallel-plate and anode-wire chamber configurations to test their viability as effective conversion materials. It was hypothesized that this design further mitigated wall-effect issues (i.e. loss of one of the neutron reaction products) that create poorly defined energy peaks and lower neutron detection efficiency of boron-lined proportional counters. Parallel-plate electrostatic modeling of the proposed detector was performed using COMSOL Multiphysics® with additional particle tracking …

An Investigation Into The Use Of Yoga In Recreational Therapy Practice, Abby Wiles

All Theses

Yoga is used in healthcare with a variety of populations, but limited knowledge exists regarding credentials of yoga instructors, duration and frequency of sessions, style of yoga used in treatment, and how, where, and with what populations yoga is being used in Recreational Therapy (RT) practice. The purpose of this study was to investigate and describe how yoga is currently used in RT practice.

As part of a nation-wide survey and individual interviews, this secondary analysis investigated how yoga is being used in RT practice across the United States. Sixteen recreational therapists completed both a nation-wide online survey and semi-structured …

Characterization Of B-Lymphoblast Lines Derived From A Severely Autistic Child, Both Parents, And Donor Controls, Delia Juliana

All Theses

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition affecting approximately 1% of the population. It occurs roughly four times more in males than females, and includes individuals with classic autism, as well as those with "incomplete" forms. Behavioral characteristics include, but are not limited to: restricted, stereotyped, and repetitive actions, as well as impairments in communication and social interaction. At the Greenwood Genetics Center, Greenwood, SC, ASD patients and control donors provided peripheral blood as a source of lymphocytes, and a skin-scrape sample as a source of fibroblasts for genetic analysis. A severely autistic patient, coded as B26, his two …

An Ex Vivo Model Of Elastin Degradation In Porcine Carotid Arteries For The Study Of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms, Hannah Gore

All Theses

Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) are an area of dilation in the vessel that is greater than 3.0 cm in diameter or an area of the vessel that enlarged to greater than 50% of the vessel's original diameter. AAA are generally asymptomatic and if ruptured, have a mortality rate of 78-83%. AAA account for approximately 45,000 surgeries performed in the United States annually and are the 13th leading cause of death in the United States. Alterations of two extracellular matrix proteins, elastin and collagen, are associated with the formation of abdominal aortic aneurysms. AAA formation is marked by degradation of elastin …

Lectin Coated Electrodes For Biosensor Water Testing Applications, Aniqa Nuzhat Chowdhury

All Theses

Waterborne diseases account for millions of deaths each year. Developing countries struggle with infectious outbreaks occurring due to the presence of microbial agents in the water supply, and the morbidity rate remains high due to lack of detection. Even in the United States with modern water treatment facilities, lost productivity due to waterborne pathogens costs an estimated $20 million per year. There are many contaminants that are difficult and costly to detect even in developed countries, such as cyanobacteria. Cyanobacteria has particularly been a problem in upstate South Carolina, and the presence of this contaminant affects the quality of water …

Phenomenological Insights Into The Recruitment Process Of International Soccer Student-Athletes, Jonathan David Sutherland

All Theses

The migration of male international soccer student-athletes to American collegiate institutions has seen an ascending trend of participation popularity. Using a phenomenological research design, I sought to gain an in-depth understanding of how male international soccer student-athletes experienced their recruitment processes with National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I institutions. Seventeen participants from various universities engaged with me in semi-structured in-depth interview conversations. Analysis of the information they shared, suggested five significant themes rooted in the communicative nature of the recruitment process: 1) Social Acceptance, 2) Sense of Belonging, 3) Acceptance vs Rejection, 4) The Incognizant Reality, and 5) Increase …

A Longitudinal Study On The Drivers Of Forestation, Brady B. Finigan

All Theses

This paper studies the effects of population growth, income levels, and governance on forestation using longitudinal data covering 161 countries from 1996-2015. The study begins with a review of the empirical literature on deforestation and preservation of environmental quality. Then, we conduct our own empirical analysis through log differencing and analysis of annual percentage changes in forest area. We find evidence that these factors matter, but that the relationships are weak. The estimated effects do differ between our groupings of countries with regard to income levels as well as forest area sizes. Population growth generally leads to a reduction in …

Fertilizer And Paclobutrazol Effects On Petunia Production And Post-Production Performance, Jiwoo Park

All Theses

Reducing the amount of fertilizer applied to the plants in ornamental plant production industry is a growing trend due to rising environmental concerns; however, reduced fertilization can result in the failure to supply the retail customer with a plant that contains enough nutrients to sustain further growth in the consumer environment where fertilizer application is frequently lacking. Therefore, the objective of the first study was to examine alternative fertilizer delivery strategies that can maintain petunia quality during greenhouse production and continue to sustain plant growth and flowering in the post-production consumer environment. The fertilizer treatments applied to the plants were …

A Machine Learning Framework For Energy Consumption Prediction, Chakara Rajan Madhusudanan

All Theses

Energy needs to be used very efficiently in today's world. With fast paced improvements in the industrial sector, demand is increasing, and energy efficiency programs become vital to reduce the energy wastage while also meeting the demand. The analysis of several scenarios used by policy makers suggest that for the global temperature to raise by less than 2° C by the end of this century, it is necessary to reduce industrial energy consumption increase by at least a half. To be on track with these scenarios and to achieve the desirable targets, it is important that we incorporate a dependable …

Application Of Electrical Resistivity Geophysical Monitoring For Detection Of Preferential Flow, Jeffrey Britton Hundley Jr.

All Theses

Preferential flow is a common occurrence during infiltration yet is often not accounted for in predictive flow models. This has implications for contaminant transport in that the extent of constituent plumes are often underestimated, thereby reducing the effectiveness of any remediation efforts. Electrical resistivity monitoring could be a useful tool to determine if infiltration is bypassing parts of the subsurface through preferential flow pathways and to better inform predictive models. The viability of this method was evaluated through simple electrical simulations and with multiple column experiments across scales using advanced observation techniques like 4D computed tomography. Electrical resistivity was used …

Investigating Low Culture Temperature And Low Media Ph Of Two Chinese Hamster Ovary (Cho) Cell Lines With Next Generation Rna Sequencing (Rna-Seq) Technology, Timothy James Lindquist

All Theses

Biologic drugs, or large molecule drugs, such as monoclonal antibodies, are proteins that are manufactured in living cells. Many biologics, such as Humira and Enbrel, provide thousands of patients worldwide with lifesaving therapies. In order to produce these drugs, different expression systems, like Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, are used. CHO cells are the most widely utilized mammalian cell line for recombinant protein production due to a long history of regulatory approval for producing safe biologic drugs and have the ability to produce therapeutic proteins at an industrial scale. CHO cells have many advantageous characteristics, like producing proteins with desired …

Orange You Glad"¦You Can Spot The Difference? Color's Impact On Brand Awareness & Recognition In The Athletic Environment, Daniel Bryson Conti

All Theses

This study explores which color components of a color will enhance a viewer's ability to identify a specific college athletic team's color. The primary question of this research is: how does color impact brand awareness and recognition in the athletic environment? This experiment explores consumer's brand awareness and color construction across demographic differences. The research methodology consists of an online survey with the brand profiles of four college football teams. These profiles include the team's logo, colors, and content that has been created by the respective team. Clemson University, University of Alabama, University of Notre Dame, and University of Oregon …

The Effectiveness Of Multimedia Digital Graphics In The Context Of A Simulated Content Environment, Christopher Knox

All Theses

The overall purpose of this thesis was to evaluate the effectiveness and potential benefits or shortcomings of digital motion graphics when utilized in the context of a real-world marketing effort. It is vital to evaluate whether or not the understanding we currently have of motion graphics as a tool for effective communication still remains consistent when principles of visual noise, attention capacity limits, pairing with physical materials, and coordination across mediums are taken into consideration. Participants in this study were asked to interact with prepared content within the framing of a simulated social media feed viewed on a computer or …

What We Learned @ Ala Annual Conference 2019, Lisa Bodenheimer, Camille Cooper, Bob Freeman, Anne Grant, Janice Prater, Ed Rock, Suzanne Rook Schilf, Jessica Serrao

Presentations

Eight library colleagues talk about the sessions and meetings they attended at the ALA Annual Conference and what they learned.

Nuts & Bolts Of Library Research, Jessica Serrao

Presentations

This workshop outlines the basics of library science research. It covers the most common research designs used in librarianship and how those relate to the research question, how to plan a research project and the components of a research proposal, and provides a list of resources for each step of the research process. This presentation was given to Clemson Libraries employees as part of the 2019 Summer Workshop Series.

The Bone Houses, Maggie Mason Smith

Publications

No abstract provided.

Carbon Nanotube And Cellulose Nanocrystal Hybrid Films, Mingzhe Jiang, Robert Seney, Paul Charles Bayliss, Christopher L. Kitchens

Publications

The use of cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) in high performance coatings is attractive for micro-scale structures or device fabrication due to the anisotropic geometry, however CNC are insulating materials. Carbon nanotubes (CNT) are also rod-shaped nanomaterials that display high mechanical strength and electrical conductivity. The hydrophobic regions of surface-modified CNC can interact with hydrophobic CNT and aid in association between the two anisotropic nanomaterials. The long-range electrostatic repulsion of CNC plays a role in forming a stable CNT and CNC mixture dispersion in water, which is integral to forming a uniform hybrid film. At concentrations favorable for film formation, the multiwalled …

Take A Tour Of Tiger Prints, Kirstin O'Keefe

Presentations

No abstract provided.

Seeing The Forest And The Trees: A Historical And Conceptual Look At Danish Forest Schools, Steph N. Dean

Publications

This narrative review examines the history and future implications of Forest School, a pedagogical approach to early years outdoor education. Forest School is considered a philosophical perspective towards learning outdoors that values holistic development. There are numerous benefits to Forest School and the opportunities that it presents for young children to learn within a natural environment and to engage with nature. Due to the significance of a region’s culture and history, the consideration of education and outdoor learning differs greatly depending on the geographical context. The theory of social constructionism allows for a more precise analysis of Forest School’s history …

Clemson University Latino Voices: Past, Present, Future, Derek Wilmott

Presentations

The Creative Inquiry program combines engaged learning and undergraduate research at Clemson University. This project challenged a Creative Inquiry class to produce a mini-documentary film through research in the Special Collections of the Latinx community's early histories; interviewing students, alumni, faculty, and staff; and using the Libraries' Adobe Digital Studio.

Surprised By Science: The 'Original Errors' Of Paradise Lost, Michael Slater

Early Modern Culture

No abstract provided.

Empowering First-Generation Students: Bardolatry And The Shakespeare Survey, Cassie M. Miura

Early Modern Culture

No abstract provided.

Fostering Academic Self-Efficacy In First-Generation Students Through Shakespeare Reading Groups, Catherine E. Thomas

Early Modern Culture

No abstract provided.

Shakespeare And The “Live” Theatre Broadcast Experience / Pascale Aebischer, Susanne Greenhalgh, And Laurie E. Osborne, Eric Brinkman

Early Modern Culture

No abstract provided.