Digital Commons Network^™

Particle Slip Velocity Influences Inertial Focusing Of Particles In Curved Microchannels, Saurabh Deshpande, Phanindra Tallapragada

Publications

Size based separation and identification of particles in microfluidics through purely hydrodynamic means has gained significant interest due to a number of possible biomedical applications. Curved micro-channels, particularly spiral micro-channels with rectangular cross-section and the dynamics of particles in such channels have been extensively researched to achieve size based separation of particles. In this paper we present evidence that sheds new light on the dynamics of particles in such curved channels; that a unique particle slip velocity is associated with the focusing positions in the cross sections, which leads to a balance of forces. Our experiments therefore imply that the …

Sexual Selection And Mixed Sex Expression: Adolescent Protandry, Phenotypic Tradeoffs And ‘Unconventional' Sex Allocation Estimates In A Protandric-Simultaneous Hermaphrodite, J. Antonio Baeza

Publications

In protandric-simultaneous (PS) hermaphrodites, individuals invariably reproduce as males first and later in life as simultaneous hermaphrodites. In this study, the shrimp Lysmata wurdemanni (Gibbes, 1850) was used as a model to (i) test for the role of sexual selection (male-male competition) in explaining the early male phase and size-dependent sex allocation (SDSA) in PS hermaphrodites, (ii) examine the tradeoff between the male and female function in hermaphrodites, and (iii) determine if SDSA also takes place in the form of sex-specific behaviors and anatomical structures. In L. wurdemanni, male mating ability was size- and sex-dependent; greater for small than …

Modeling Dynamics Of Gel-Based Composites Under Ferromagnetic Resonance Heating, Oksana Savchak

All Theses

Designing soft, active materials that change their shape and properties depending on external stimuli is a rapidly developing area of research. Using theoretical and computational modeling, we focus on the dynamics of gel filled with uniformly distributed ferromagnetic nanoparticles exposed to electromagnetic (EM) waves in the GHz frequency range. For the polymer matrix, we choose Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) gels, which have a lower critical solution temperature and shrinks upon heating. When these composites are irradiated with EM waves that have frequency close to that of the Ferro-Magnetic Resonance (FMR) frequency, the heating rate increases dramatically. The magnetically induced heating inside the …

Flow Modeling Of Synthetic Pitch Extrusion Through Spinnerets For Continuous Fibers, Bushra Rahman

All Theses

The understanding of precursor flow profiles during melt spinning is a step towards producing desirable carbon fibers for structural applications from mesophase pitch. During the melt spinning process, flow during extrusion determines the cross-sectional fiber microstructure, which is crucial to carbon fiber strength. The subsequent fiber draw down is not known to alter the microstructure within the cross section. Also, prior modeling studies have varied fluid complexity but have not examined the details of spinneret geometry, such as a filter in the counterbore and capillary placement. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate fluid behavior during the extrusion component of melt …

Wishes: Modeling Characters And Environments For A Visual Narrative, Erik John Reed

All Theses

Wishes showcases character and environmental models designed for an original short animation. The story begins when a wishing coin comes to life and tries to interfere with the wish of its owner. The narrative, a quintessential romance, derives a timeless appeal from its locale, Paris. The design is inspired by digital artists like Cecille Carre, directors like Pete Docter, and painters like Eugene J. Paproski. Overall concepts and production of the models spanned five months.

On Quasi-Stationary Distributions Of Stochastic Sis Epidemic Models, Boyoung Hur

All Theses

We study a stochastic SIS (Susceptible-Infected-Susceptible) epidemic model, in which individu-als in a population are divided into two classes: “Susceptible” to the infection of a disease, and “Infected” by the disease. We assume the population size N is fixed. The state process, which measures the num-ber of infected individuals, is modeled as a continuous time Markov chain (CTMC). The CTMC has an absorbing state 0, and it will eventually die out by reaching the absorbing state. However, it appears to be persistent over a long time period before extinction. Such behavior can be understood by the study of quasi-stationary distributions. …

Dreams And Plans: A Case Study Of The Football Facilities Of The University Of Georgia, Misty B. Soles

All Dissertations

Intercollegiate athletics are an integral part of colleges and universities in the United States and have been for decades. Large athletic facilities expenditures began in the interwar period, the period between the two World Wars, with widespread construction of on-campus stadiums. Currently, athletic facilities expenditures are experiencing a second nationwide spending spree that began around the turn of the century. This study considers the types of athletic facilities, motivations for those facilities, and financial models used to pay for those facilities at the University of Georgia. The study concentrates on facilities constructed solely or primarily for football during two chronological …

Understanding Faculty Laggards' Adoption Of Administrative Technologies: A Phenomenological Study, Robert B. Simon

All Dissertations

Despite a lack of empirical research on the effectiveness of administrative technologies in higher education (Anderson, Banker, & Ravindran, 2003; Selwyn, 2011), universities have pursued these technologies, or enterprise solutions, at an aggressive pace. Spending more than six billion dollars per year on enterprise solutions, higher education sees as many as half of the innovations result in failure (Liang, Saraf, Hu, and Xue, 2007). Recognizing that technologies represent a change process in the organization (Stam & Stanton, 2010), my study explores the experiences of faculty laggards with administrative technologies, particularly during the innovation diffusion process. Higher education managers can benefit …

Development Of Biomimetic Models Of Human Cardiac Tissue, Dylan Jack Richards

All Dissertations

The leading cause of death worldwide is cardiovascular disease (CVD). Myocardial infarction (MI) (i.e., heart attack) makes up ~8.5% of CVD and is a common cause of heart failure with a 40% five-year mortality after the first MI. This highlights a substantial patient population and an urgent need to develop new therapeutic strategies (e.g., regenerative cell therapies). Moreover, this also indicates that current models may not sufficiently recapitulate human cardiac tissue. To date, drug development strategies have largely depended on high throughput 2D cell models and pre-clinical testing in animal models of MI leading to minimal improvements in the heart …

Connected And Autonomous Vehicles Applications Development And Evaluation For Transportation Cyber-Physical Systems, Md Mizanur Rahman

All Dissertations

Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) seamlessly integrate computation, networking and physical devices. A Connected and Autonomous Vehicle (CAV) system in which each vehicle can wirelessly communicate and share data with other vehicles or infrastructures (e.g., traffic signal, roadside unit), requires a Transportation Cyber-Physical System (TCPS) for improving safety and mobility, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Unfortunately, a typical TCPS with a centralized computing service cannot support real-time CAV applications due to the often unpredictable network latency, high data loss rate and expensive communication bandwidth, especially in a mobile network, such as a CAV environment. Edge computing, a new concept for the CPS, …

Selected South Carolina School Leaders' Experiences In Addressing Cyberbullying, Sheila Finley Hilton

All Dissertations

The focus of this study included selected South Carolina public high school leaders' experiences in applying district cyberbullying policies. With the increase in technology use by students, what was school-based bullying has expanded into cyberbullying, the application of electronic devices to harass and intimidate other students. Given the potential for psychological damage to students who are bullied, federal, state, and local policy-makers seek means to decrease, if not eliminate, both bullying and cyberbullying. In our litigious society, parents on both sides of bullying incidents often explore legal options to protect their children's rights and obtain justice whether their children bully …

Equipping Culturally Competent Students: The Development Of Cultural Intelligence In The Classroom And Beyond, Melody J. Harper

All Dissertations

In a globalized and multi-cultural world, it is increasingly important for universities to produce graduates with the intercultural competencies to excel in their professions, provide leadership in multi-national arenas and organizations, and thrive in diverse local communities. This quasi-experimental, quantitative study explored the effects of various methods of classroom instruction on participants' change in cultural competency as measured by the Cultural Intelligence Scale (CQS). The changes in CQS scores were analyzed across three groups: a traditional classroom setting, an experiential classroom setting, and an enhanced study abroad group. The results showed substantial and statistically significant change in both classroom groups, …

Exploring Destination Image Themes On Twitter, Before, During, And After Terror Attacks In Paris: An Application Of Agenda Setting Theory, Zeynep A. Gedikoglu

All Dissertations

Paris, France is one of the most popular tourism destinations in the contemporary tourism industry. In November 2015, Paris experienced the deadliest terror attacks in its history. Newspapers and broadcast media spread the information through news, while masses have utilized social media to get instant information. The main purpose of this study is to explore how the destination image of the capital of France, Paris, is affected by the terror crisis. The study has explored user-generated social media data before, during, and after the November 2015 terror attacks in Paris to understand factors of the destination image. Correspondingly, by accessing …

Now That I'M Gone, Let Me Tell You How I Feel: Former Employees' Perceptions Of Employer Image And Organizational Attraction, Jamie M. Fynes

All Dissertations

Exit interviews produce a wealth of information that organizations can use to inform strategic action that will, ideally, increase the satisfaction and engagement of employees and, in turn, improve retention. This information may include not only the reasons why employees left but also how they view various aspects of their experience with that organization. These aspects of organizational functioning can be viewed as attributes of employer image, which have been shown to influence organizational attraction. The purpose of this study was to examine employer image and organizational attraction in a novel way- from the perspective of former employees. Results show …

Modding The Apocalypse: (Re)Making Videogames As Post-Structuralist Free Play, Samuel Jackson Fuller

All Dissertations

This dissertation is about seeing videogames, and videogame design, through the lens of Gregory Ulmer"™s electracy apparatus theory. Videogame modding is emphasized an electrate approach to intervening in existing media. Mods have the potential to make potent rhetorical arguments, but they are little-understood in the field of rhet-comp, and there are numerous obstacles to carving a space for them in academic curricula; nevertheless, they are an increasingly common form of participatory engagement that make use of a broad digital skillset. Modders fit into Gregory Ulmer"™s electracy apparatus as egents"”agents of change in the Internet age"”and their playful appropriation of objects …

Synthesis, Biofunctionalization, And Application Of Magnetic Nanomaterials, Benjamin David Fellows

All Dissertations

Since their inception in the late 1970's magnetic nanomaterials have sparked heavy research into their use in the biomedical field. Their unique magnetic properties allow the magnetic particles to be the base for a large array of expiremental medical techniques, from treatments of disease, diagnostic tests, imaging aids, and more. In this manuscript, each stage starting from novel particle synthesis, functionalization with bioactive molecules, and innovative application is explored, specifically using the techniques magnetically mediated energy delivery, magnetophoresis, magnetic resonance imaging. The reproducible synthesis of nanomaterials is necessary if any further engineering application is going to be done. Using a …

Materials Science Of Blood Clot Formation In Insects: Experimental Methods For A Multiscale In-Situ Investigation, Patel Aprelev

All Dissertations

This dissertation is structured around the development of a micro and nano-rheological instrument capable of measuring mPa·s-level viscosity of nanoliter droplets and micron thick films in a 10-20 second timeframe and using it to study the kinetics of formation of a blood clot in insects. To understand the materials science behind this clot formation, we enrich the microrheological study with studies of extensional rheology of various maturity stages of clots as well as studies of the surface tension isotherms, dynamic surface tensions, and surface rheology. To study the rapidly changing structure of the clots, we employ high magnification microscopy and …

Investigation Of Molecular Mechanisms Involved In Retardation Of Immunosenescence In Caenorhabditis Elegans By Royal Jelly, Ojas Natarajan

All Dissertations

With recent advances in medicine, life expectancy has been steadily increasing. This increasing geriatric populous encounter various age-associated diseases including decline in immunity called immunosenescence, which renders them susceptible to an extended array of pathogens like Staphylococcus aureus. These nosocomial pathogens gain resistance to a variety of antibiotics, hence a strong innate immune system is important for host survival. Caenorhabditis elegans has no complex immune system. Hence, it is an excellent model to study the innate immune response.

Royal jelly, a nutraceutical has been previously shown to prolong the lifespan and UV, oxidative and heat shock resistance in C. …

Hbcus Matter: The Lived Experiences Of Involved Student-Athletes Changing The Game, Aris Lane Hall

All Dissertations

Students, faculty, staff, and surrounding communities form the environment, which knit the culture’s fabric of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Institutional culture and environment influence student engagement (Astin, 1984/1999); however, research rarely has focused on the engagement of student-athletes within HBCUs. I conceptualized this study of student-athlete leadership involvement phenomenon using two theories, student involvement theory (Astin, 1984/1999) and, given HBCUs social history (Abelman & Dalessandro, 2009; Albritton, 2012; Palmer, Arroyo, & Maramba, 2018), Tierney’s (1998) organizational culture theory. For this study, I selected a HBCU with National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I status to investigate the phenomena …

Development Of A Database-Driven Management System For Retail Food Packaging Eye Tracking Studies, Mengmeng Zhao

All Dissertations

Within the past three years, approximately two hundred one-off studies have occurred in developing eye tracking methodologies for quantifying consumer attention on packaging design preference. Due to restricted time and resources, most research analyzes consumer attention regarding a relatively small amount of products within specific planogram. However, larger questions concerning category trends and insights are not possible with these smaller, one-off studies. Broad data aggregation and analysis is important for understanding packaging design per product category in order to understand category-wide design trends and insights. Considering the excessive effort in manual data retrieval, analysis, and reporting, a method that can …

Select Psychological And Physical Impacts Of Therapeutic Yoga For Informal Caregivers: A Feasibility Study, Alysha Amber Walter

All Dissertations

An informal caregiver (ICG) is an individual who provides unpaid care to a person with a disease or disability. The psychological and physical well-being for care recipients are positively impacted by the ICG, but an ICG's psychological and physical well-being are often negatively impacted as a result of providing informal care. Yoga may be one therapeutic intervention for ICGs to improve psychological and physical well-being. A mixed methods concurrent design was utilized to examine select psychological and physical impacts for ICGs after participating in a therapeutic yoga intervention. After the 8-week intervention, participants (n = 8) experienced a statistically significant …

Secondlook: A Prototype Mobile Phone Intervention For Digital Dating Abuse, Tania Roy

All Dissertations

Digital dating abuse is a form of interpersonal violence carried out using text messages, emails, and social media sites. It has become a significant mental health crisis among the college-going population, nearly half (43%) of college women who are dating report experiencing violent and abusive dating behaviors. Existing technology and non-technology based intervention programs do not provide assistance at the onset of abuse. The overall goal of this dissertation is to create a mobile phone application that consists of a detection tool that classifies abusive digital content exchanged between partners, an educational component that provides information about healthy relationships, and …

Persuasive Intelligence: On The Construction Of Rhetor-Ethical Cognitive Machines, Nathan D. Riggs

All Dissertations

This work concerns the rhetorical and moral agency of machines, offering paths forward in machine ethics as well as problematizing the issue through the development and use of an interdisciplinary framework informed by rhetoric, philosophy of mind, media studies and historical narrative. I argue that cognitive machines of the past as well as those today, such as rapidly improving autonomous vehicles, are unable to make moral decisions themselves foremost because a moral agent must first be a rhetorical agent, capable of persuading and of being persuaded. I show that current machines, artificially intelligent or otherwise, and especially digital computers, are …

Living With Giants: Human-Elephant Conflict And Poaching In Myanmar, Christie Lynn Sampson

All Dissertations

To address both the impacts of poaching on the wildlife and human populations and create effective conservation policy, conservation efforts must engage communities and include their views as stakeholders in the development of the policy. The involvement of local people has been shown to increase the effectiveness and sustainability of conservation efforts. However, to appropriately engage local people, the government and conservationists must understand their experiences with wildlife, and how local communities' experiences with human-wildlife conflict and poaching influence their willingness to support wildlife conservation programs. Using the Asian elephant as an example, we developed what we consider to be …

The Clemson Ghost Tour: Disrupting Rhetorical Stagnation, Stephen Joseph Quigley

All Dissertations

How do we teach in sick places, physically and institutionally designed to exclude? Through activism? Through inquiry? Perhaps somewhere in-between? I argue that an understanding of rhetoric grounded in an early Greek understanding of space and place is of utmost importance to our students' ability to live among others in a more civil, just, and equitable society, a society that extends beyond physical spaces and places and into virtual ones. This dissertation explores our relationality through an ecological-ethical design approach that views writing and teaching not only as acts of disruption, but also as a means of attending to our …

Functional Comparison Of Two Virus Innexins, Peng Zhang

All Theses

Some Parasitoid wasps rely on Polydnavirus to determine suitable hosts and complete their parasitization. Ichnoviruses (IV), one subfamily of Polydnavirus, are associated with Ichneumonids, have one highly conserved gene family named vinnexins. It has been demonstrated vinnexins are homologues of insect gap junction genes (innexins). However, their functions to the virus, parasitoid wasp and secondary host are not fully understood.

In my thesis, I have focused on two vinnexins, vnxG and vnxQ2, to investigate their effects on insect cell line and caterpillar using recombinant baculoviruses. I expressed vnxG or vnxQ2 in Sf9 cells and compared their influence on cell physiology. …

The Experiences Of African American Participants In Organized Tennis Leagues, James P. Gremillion

All Theses

Previous research has shown that adult participation in sports leagues can have positive impacts on mental and physical health in addition to expanding a participant’s social network. However, a relatively small percentage of US adults participate in sports leagues, and an even smaller percentage of adult ethnic minorities participate in these leagues. The purpose of this study was to examine the lived experiences of African Americans participating in an organized tennis league in the southeast United States. The research objectives were to determine the impacts of participating in a United State Tennis Association (USTA) tennis league for African American adults …

Clemson Trustees Minutes, 2018 July 20, Clemson University Board Of Trustees

Minutes

No abstract provided.

In Vitro Mineral Nutrition Of Curcuma Longa L. Affects Production Of Volatile Compounds In Rhizomes After Transfer To The Greenhouse, Rabia F. El-Hawaz, Mary H. Grace, Alan Janbey, Mary Ann Lila, Jeffrey W. Adelberg

Publications

Background

Turmeric is a rich source of bioactive compounds useful in both medicine and cuisine. Mineral concentrations effects (PO43−, Ca2+, Mg2+, and KNO3) were tested during in vitro rhizome development on the ex vitro content of volatile constituents in rhizomes after 6 months in the greenhouse. A response surface method (D-optimal criteria) was repeated in both high and low-input fertilizer treatments. Control plants were grown on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium, acclimatized in the greenhouse and grown in the field. The volatile constituents were investigated by GC-MS.

Results

The total content of volatiles was affected by fertilizer treatments, and in …

Avian Tail Ontogeny, Pygostyle Formation, And Interpretation Of Juvenile Mesozoic Specimens, Dana J. Rashid, Kevin Surya, Luis M. Chiappe, Nathan Carroll, Kimball L. Garrett, Bino Varghese, Alida Bailleul, Jingmai K. O'Connor, Susan C. Chapman, John R. Horner

Publications

The avian tail played a critical role in the evolutionary transition from long- to short-tailed birds, yet its ontogeny in extant birds has largely been ignored. This deficit has hampered efforts to effectively identify intermediate species during the Mesozoic transition to short tails. Here we show that fusion of distal vertebrae into the pygostyle structure does not occur in extant birds until near skeletal maturity, and mineralization of vertebral processes also occurs long after hatching. Evidence for post-hatching pygostyle formation is also demonstrated in two Cretaceous specimens, a juvenile enantiornithine and a subadult basal ornithuromorph. These findings call for reinterpretations …