Digital Commons Network^™

Sibling Sex, But Not Androgens, Shapes Phenotypes In Perinatal Common Marmosets (Callithrix Jacchus), Brett M. Frye, Lisa G. Rapaport, Michael W. Sears, Talia Melber, Suzette D. Tardif

Publications

When offspring share a womb, interactions among fetuses can impart lasting impressions on phenotypic outcomes. Such intrauterine interactions often are mediated by sex steroids (estrogens and androgens) produced by the developing fetuses. In many mammals, intrauterine interactions between brothers and sisters lead to masculinization of females, which can induce fitness consequences. Many litter-bearing primates, though, seem to escape androgen-mediated litter effects, begging why? Here, we investigated how the sex composition (i.e., same- or mixed-sex) of litters influences perinatal outcomes in the common marmoset monkey (Callithrix jacchus), using a combination of physiological, morphological, and behavioural assays. We hypothesized that …

Parental Anxiety Associated With Summer Camp: A Comparative Analysis Across Camp Staffing Models, Barry A. Garst, Ryan J. Gagnon, Lisa K. Olsen, Megan L. Owens

ACA National Camp Research Forum Abstracts

No abstract provided.

Examining Adolescent Smartphone Use And Separation Anxiety At Residential Summer Camp, Victoria Povilaitis

ACA National Camp Research Forum Abstracts

No abstract provided.

Staff Senate Minutes, 2018 December 11, Clemson University

Staff Senate Minutes

No abstract provided.

Two Can Keep A Secret, Maggie Mason Smith

Publications

No abstract provided.

Online Child’S Health Assessment Tool For Obesity Prevention Programming, Laura Palmer, Kimberly Mccarthy, Daniel Perkins, Lynne Borden

Journal of Youth Development

To optimize public health in the next decade, prevention of childhood obesity will remain a central focus. To impact behavioral change, data must be linked to continuous quality improvements within existing nutrition and physical activity programming. The Children, Youth, and Families At-Risk Professional Development and Technical Assistance Center has developed a picture-based, online survey tool, the CYFAR Health Assessment Tool (CHAT), to assess health behaviors in youth ages 6 to18 years of age. Used for continuous program improvement, aggregate data results are coupled with tailored health recommendations in 4 domains (behavior and environmental modifications, education, and direct strategies) and evidence-informed …

Tissue Engineering Platforms For Cardiac Pathology In Diabetes: In Vitro And In Vivo Studies, Laura Elizabeth Mccallum

All Dissertations

425 million people have diabetes worldwide, and by 2045 this number is estimated to increase to 629 million. The risk for cardiovascular diseases such as cardiomyopathy, hypertension, and atherosclerosis increase 5 and 2-fold for diabetic women and men respectively. Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCMP) is a ventricular dysfunction that occurs in patients with diabetes independent of coronary artery disease, hypertension or valvular abnormalities. Hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia cause metabolic disturbances that adversely affect myocardial cells and extracellular matrix. These modifications alter overall myocardial structure and cardiac function, which can lead to heart failure.

As of now there is no specific marker for this …

Additive Manufacturing Of Ceramics With Multiscale Heterogeneous Microstructure, Yuzhe Hong

All Dissertations

The additive manufacturing (AM) of ceramic has gained significant attentions because of the difficulties in fabricating hard and brittle ceramics into complex geometry. In addition, AM provides the possibility of fabricating ceramic parts with heterogeneous microstructure on the multiscale, which cannot be achieved using the traditional methods. In today’s AM technologies, ceramics are often extruded for form a green body and then fired to a high density. However, two challenges are faced by the extrusion-based AM of ceramics with multiscale features. One is to depositing ceramics with submicrometer thickness. The other one is to embed microchannels in large-scale ceramic parts. …

Second Graders' Responses To And Application Of Word-Picture Relationships In Picturebooks: A Case Study, Koti Lee Hubbard

All Dissertations

Picturebooks are defined by the interaction of words and pictures to convey narrative (Bader, 1976; Kiefer, 1995; Sipe, 2011), referred to in this study as the word-picture relationship. This dissertation study extends on the work of others who investigated young children’s responses to picturebooks (e.g., Arizpe & Styles, 2016; Sipe, 2008a; Sipe & Bauer, 2001) and picturebook productions (e.g., Pantaleo 2017, 2018; Zapata, 2013) by placing word-picture relationships at the forefront of this study. This study employed an embedded, single-case study design to investigate second graders’ responses to word-picture relationships in contemporary realistic fiction and fantasy picturebooks during interactive read-alouds …

Influence Of Consumer Involvement In Tourist Information Search: Application Of Economics Of Information Theory In A Destination, Peter Judca Mkumbo

All Dissertations

In the modern digital world, it is increasingly challenging for destination marketers to design integrated marketing communication (IMC) strategies. The spectrum of information sources has become broader, serving for wider market interests. The importance of information in the modern world is increasing exponentially, and the tourism industry is traditionally information intense. There is an endless list of information outlets, and it is impossible to be present in all the information platforms. The spectrum of outlets includes old-school prints like magazines and newsletters on the one hand, while on the other hand there are modern advanced Web 2.0 technologies like social …

Cyber Physical System Security — Dos Attacks On Synchrophasor Networks In The Smart Grid, Xingsi Zhong

All Dissertations

With the rapid increase of network-enabled sensors, switches, and relays, cyber-physical system security in the smart grid has become important. The smart grid operation demands reliable communication. Existing encryption technologies ensures the authenticity of delivered messages. However, commonly applied technologies are not able to prevent the delay or drop of smart grid communication messages. In this dissertation, the author focuses on the network security vulnerabilities in synchrophasor network and their mitigation methods. Side-channel vulnerabilities of the synchrophasor network are identified. Synchrophasor network is one of the most important technologies in the smart grid transmission system. Experiments presented in this dissertation …

Interview With Niki Baras, Translators And Interpreters Australia -A Division Of Professionals Australia, Oktay Eser, Miranda Lai

International Journal of Interpreter Education

Niki Baras represents the Translator and Interpreter Division of Professionals Australia, an amalgamated organization representing professionals from various fields with a mission to ensure their work is recognised and rewarded appropriately. This interview looks at the social status, respect and sustainability issues of community interpreters in Australia from an industrial point of view. After a brief overview of how the Translator and Interpreter Division came about under the organization, Niki explains the historical contexts in which the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters in Australia was founded in 1977. After more than 40 years of development, community interpreting in …

Adolescent Health: Think, Act, Grow (Tag)— A Strengths-Based Approach To Promoting Health In Youth, Emily R. Novick, Jamie Kim, Yasmin Mazloomdoost, Courtney Barthle

Journal of Youth Development

Adolescent Health: Think, Act, Grow® (TAG) is a national call to action to promote adolescent health and healthy development. Led by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Adolescent Health and developed with the input of national organizations, it builds on the collective wisdom of youth-serving professionals and seeks to raise the profile of adolescent health in the national discourse. Using TAG, the Office of Adolescent Health conducts outreach and delivers tools and information that support the integration of positive youth development precepts into the ongoing work of federal, state, and local public agencies; youth-serving health, public health, …

The Fundamental Characteristics And Unique Outcomes Of Christian Summer Camp Experiences, Jacob Sorenson

Journal of Youth Development

Very little research is available on the unique characteristics and outcomes of Christian summer camps, in spite of their prevalence in the industry. The Effective Camp Research Project is a mixed-methods study seeking to close the research gap. This article presents the major findings of the study, detailing the emergence of a distinct Christian camp model with 5 fundamental characteristics: relational, safe space, participatory, unplugged from home, and faith-centered. A multi-test survey of campers provides compelling evidence for outcomes that are immediate, subsequent, and lasting. Some of these outcomes are common to all camp types, though many are unique to …

Examining The Role Of Summer Camps In Developing Academic And Workplace Readiness, Cait Wilson, Jim Sibthorp

Journal of Youth Development

Summer camps are an effective setting for youth to develop skills essential for academics and the workplace yet are often not recognized as such. Therefore, the primary aim of this study was to investigate learning outcomes from camp most applicable to academics and workplace readiness. As a secondary aim, the researchers sought to identify the mechanisms at camp that support this learning. Youths’ primary learning outcomes include relationship skills, teamwork, how to live with peers, self-confidence, organization, responsibility, independence, perseverance, career orientation, and emotion regulation. In general, mechanisms that supported participants’ learning of outcomes included experiential learning, camp as separate …

Diversity And Inclusion As Essential Elements Of 4-H Youth Development Programs, Rachel Sumner, Andy Turner, Anthony Burrow

Journal of Youth Development

Diversity and inclusion are essential elements of 4-H’s goals related to positive youth development, workforce development, and organizational sustainability. Previous research has examined Cooperative Extension professionals’ attitudes on this topic, demonstrating that most of them recognize the importance of diversity and inclusion in 4-H. Here we present results from a survey of adolescents participating in New York state 4-H programs assessing their endorsement of racial/ethnic diversity and inclusion in 4-H. Results revealed that, overall, youth felt positively toward this kind of diversity and inclusion in 4-H, and endorsement was most strongly predicted by a learning orientation that emphasizes acquiring new …

Does Theming Camp Experiences Lead To Greater Quality, Satisfaction, And Promotion?, Andrew Lacanienta, Gary Ellis, Allen Taggart, Jenny Wilder

Journal of Youth Development

Using themes (such as the Wild West or Survivor or Star Wars) in camp settings may enhance the quality of camp activities and youths’ overall camp experience. We evaluated the effect of theming camp experiences on the quality of subjective experiences of campers. Campers (N = 231) in 3 sessions of a residential 4-H camp participated in the study. One camp session was fully themed (all activities used tangible and intangible props, cues, and imaginary story contexts), a second was partially themed (intangible cues and stories only), and the third was not themed. Questionnaires measuring the quality of immediate subjective …

Camp And College Parallels: Crucibles For Transition-Linked Turning-Points, Lisa K.-P. Olsen, Gwynn Powell, Barry Garst, Robert Bixler

Journal of Youth Development

This conceptual paper explores how the system of experiences that children encounter in a traditional, residential summer camp setting parallel traditional, residential, college setting for first-year students. Camp is a complex system in the sphere of youth development programs (YDP) because of the expectation for rapid adjustment by the camper to a novel physical and social environment. Many YDPs have a moderate to high level of connection with the child’s normal life, defined as similar to school or home environments and the activities in which youth regularly participate. A traditional residential summer camp offers a different degree of novelty than …

Informing Youth Health And Well-Being Programs: A National 4-H Healthy Living Evaluation Study, Donna Peterson, Laura Downey, Joanne Leatherman

Journal of Youth Development

4-H Healthy Living programs address healthy eating; physical activity; social-emotional health and well-being; alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use prevention; and injury prevention. Using the Systematic Screening and Assessment Method, this paper identified 32 4-H Healthy Living programs across the nation ready for comprehensive outcome evaluation and/or national replication based on 6 criteria. Weaknesses in an additional 78 programs that did not meet the criteria were also identified. Programs that failed to meet the criteria did so primarily because they lacked a clearly delineated theory of change or appropriate evaluation. Implications for practice include ways to strengthen program planning and …

Curriculum Review: Relationship Smarts Plus 4.0, Alexander Chan

Journal of Youth Development

The Relationship Smarts Plus curriculum contains 13 lessons regarding identity, principles of healthy dating, and communication skills. Lessons also include warning signs of abusive relationship and address the issue of intimate partner violence. At its core, the curriculum is built to teach youth how to realistically assess their real and potential dating relationships before making commitments or engaging in behaviors that may lead to unintentional commitments. This is a useful curriculum for educators seeking to engage a teen audience with research-informed activities in an area where teens have few sources of reputable information.

Parents’ And Youths’ Solicitation And Disclosure Of Information In Today’S Digital Age, Jessie Rudi, Jodi Dworkin

Journal of Youth Development

Extensive research has identified parental monitoring to be a protective factor for youth. Parental monitoring includes parents’ solicitation of information from their child and the child’s voluntary disclosure of information. In today’s digital society, parental monitoring can occur using technology, such as text messaging, email, and social networking sites. The current study describes parents’ and youths’ communication technology use explicitly to solicit and share information with each other in a sample of 56 parent–youth dyads from the same family (youth were 13 to 25 years old). We also examined associations between in-person parental monitoring, parental monitoring using technology, parental knowledge, …

The Effects Of Using An Information Literacy Model On The Information Seeking Behavior Of Sixth-Grade Students, Jessica L. Kohout-Tailor

All Dissertations

This action research study describes how teaching an information literacy model affects the information behavior of sixth-grade students. The theoretical framework that supported this study was Carol Kuhlthau’s Information Search Process or ISP (1989). This study used a sequential mixed-methods design to examine the following questions: “How will teaching the Simple Four information literacy model (Alewine, 2006) to sixth-grade students affect their information seeking behavior?” The study also explored the effects the model had on students’ affective behavior through the second research question: “How will teaching the Simple Four information literacy model (Alewine, 2006) to sixth-grade students affect their confidence …

Interfacing The Liquid Sampling- Atmospheric Pressure Glow Discharge Ion Source With Orbitrap Mass Spectrometers For High Accuracy High Precision Isotope Ratio Measurements Of Uranium, Edward Dexter Hoegg

All Dissertations

The integration of the liquid sampling – atmospheric pressure glow discharge (LS-APGD) with Orbitrap mass spectrometers has led to a potential paradigm shift in the field of high certainty isotope ratio measurements. Since the dawn of the atomic age, mass spectrometry has played a critical role in performing isotope ratio measurements of uranium (U), plutonium (Pu) and other radionuclides. Traditionally, these measurements have been made using thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) instruments and, more recently, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) instruments. While the ability of these instruments to perform isotope ratio measurements with a high degree of certainty has …

The Effects Of Various Retort Motions On The Rate Of Heat Penetration Of A Food Simulant In Pouches, Mollye Macnaughton

All Dissertations

Processing foods in a retort is a reliable and established method of creating sterile and shelf stable products. The formula of the product and the package size dictates the processing time. Rotary retorts were invented to agitate cans to reduce the processing times and create uniform heating within the can. Recently, horizontal reciprocating agitation has become a feature of retorts referred to as Gentle Motion® and Shaka®. Oscillating agitation is an even newer possible retort motion. This research experiment was designed to (1) determine the effects of oscillating continuously and oscillating-dwell time on the rate of heat penetration in a …

Subventricular Zone Neural Stem Cells Release Extracellular Vesicles During Early Postnatal Neurogenesis, Mary C. Morton

All Dissertations

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are nanometer sized particles released from all cells. EVs are found in all biological fluids, including cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood. EVs modulate intercellular communication through the transfer of nucleic acids and proteins from donor to recipient cells. During early postnatal neurogenesis, subventricular zone (SVZ) neural stem cells (NSCs) asymmetrically divide to give rise to neuroblasts that migrate along the rostral migratory stream (RMS) and populate the olfactory bulb (OB). Other, non-neuronal cells populate the SVZ, such as microglia and endothelial cells. Microglia have been shown to regulate SVZ NSCs, but it remains unclear if this communication …

Development Of A Biomimetic, Collagen-Based Scaffold For The Repair And Regeneration Of The Annulus Fibrosus, Ryan Borem

All Dissertations

Annually, over 5.7 million Americans are diagnosed with two IVD-associated pathologies: IVD herniation (IVDH- a mechanical disruption of the concentric fibrous layers of the annulus fibrosus (AF)) and/or degeneration (IVDD- a multifactorial process which initiates within the inner gelatinous core (NP), and results in a biochemical degradation of NP tissue), with over 2.7 million requiring surgical interventions. Although both underlying pathologies are different, quite often they both lead to a decrease in IVD height, impaired mechanical function, and increased pain and disability. These pain symptoms affect approximately 80% of the adult population during their lifetime with estimated expenditures exceeding $85.9 …

Investigating The Use Of Streaming And Robotic Dielectrophoresis To Enable Continuous Cell Sorting And Automatic Cell Transfer In Sample Preparation, Rucha Natu

All Dissertations

The sorting of targeted cells or particles from a sample is a crucial step in the sample preparation process used in medical diagnosis, environmental monitoring, bio-analysis and personalized medicine. Current cell sorting techniques can be broadly classified as label based or label-free. Label-based techniques mostly rely on fluorophores or magnetic nanoparticles functionalized to bind with targeted cells. Although highly specific, this approach can be expensive and suffers from limitations in the availability of suitable markers. Label-free techniques exploit properties inherent to the cell, such as density and size, to simplify the sorting protocol and reduce cost by eliminating the need …

Surface Functionalized Gold Nanoparticle Applications In Catalysis And Lipid-Nanoparticle Assemblies, Saptarshi Chakraborty

All Dissertations

The general objectives of my dissertation are to devise strategies to impart unique functionality to gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) through surface modification and utilizing such surface-functionalized AuNP systems to 1) facilitate colloidal catalyst recovery and reuse while maintaining activity and 2) measure the interactions of engineered AuNPs with biological membranes as related to stimuli-responsive liposomal therapeutics.

AuNP surface functionalization is an essential step in the synthesis, stability and functionality-specific applications of AuNPs. Due to the ability to control AuNP shape, size and surface properties, AuNP applications have seen an exponential growth in various sectors that include catalysis, biomedicine, drug-delivery, sensing, imaging, …

Improving Deep Reinforcement Learning Using Graph Convolution And Visual Domain Transfer, Sufeng Niu

All Dissertations

Recent developments in Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) have shown tremendous progress in robotics control, Atari games, board games such as Go, etc. However, model free DRL still has limited use cases due to its poor sampling efficiency and generalization on a variety of tasks. In this thesis, two particular drawbacks of DRL are investigated: 1) the poor generalization abilities of model free DRL. More specifically, how to generalize an agent's policy to unseen environments and generalize to task performance on different data representations (e.g. image based or graph based) 2) The reality gap issue in DRL. That is, how to …

Understanding The Interactions Of Anions With Lewis Acids And Π-Acids To Develop Efficient Ion-Pair Receptors, Krishnendu Maity

All Dissertations

Anions play vital roles in many industrial, environmental, chemical, and biological processes. Due to their adverse effects on our health and ecosystem, precise regulation of toxic anions and ion-pairs are of prime importance. A majority of anion receptors rely on subtle supramolecular forces like electrostatic interactions and hydrogen bonding to bind anions, and the main source of selectivity comes from the shape and size complementarity of the receptors and guest anions. In aprotic solvents, interactions of anions with π-acidic receptors such as naphthalenediimides (NDIs) and perylenediimides (PDIs), and Lewis acids, such as silver ion, depend on their electron donating ability, …