Digital Commons Network^™

Selected Topics On Corruption: An Interdisciplinary Approach, Fidelis O. Okonkwo

All Dissertations

This dissertation contains a series of essays that focus on corruption and its policy implications.The study begins by providing an overview of corruption research and the contribution of this study to the field. The first essay explores the relationship between corruption and various forms of information and communication technologies (ICT). The analysis suggests that internet awareness of corruption could potentially act as a deterrent to corruption, however the impact of e-government may depend on the quality of institutions. The second essay uses data from the Afrobarometer survey to explore perceptions of corruption across states in Nigeria. Using a mixed effects …

Evaluating The Effects Of Immersive Embodied Interaction On Cognition In Virtual Reality, Dhaval Parmar

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Virtual reality is on its advent of becoming mainstream household technology, as technologies such as head-mounted displays, trackers, and interaction devices are becoming affordable and easily available. Virtual reality (VR) has immense potential in enhancing the fields of education and training, and its power can be used to spark interest and enthusiasm among learners. It is, therefore, imperative to evaluate the risks and benefits that immersive virtual reality poses to the field of education. Research suggests that learning is an embodied process. Learning depends on grounded aspects of the body including action, perception, and interactions with the environment. This research …

Exploring The Key Determinants Of Bicycle Share Program Use In A Leisure Context, Li-Hsin Chen

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Over the past two decades, bicycle share programs (BSPs) have developed rapidly around the world, with studies finding that people use such service not only for commuting but also for leisure. However, compared to utilitarian BSP users, limited research has focused on the factors influencing BSP use for leisure experiences. To begin this limitation in the current cycling literature, this dissertation explores the key determinants of leisure BSP use. The extended unified theory of acceptance and use of technology proposed by Venkatesh, Thong, and Xu (2012) and the dual-attitudes model conceptualized by Wilson, Lindsey, and Schooler (2000) provided the theoretical …

The Transmission Of Environmental Values From Sources Of Influence To Young Adults: Toward An Understanding Of The Process Leading To Environmental Values Internalization, Gina L. Depper

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The world faces significant environmental challenges due largely to unsustainable human behavior. Values have been found to be a direct and indirect predictor of human behavior and understanding how they are formed/influenced is critical to any strategy of behavioral change. Our understanding of how environmental values are transmitted and internalized is sorely deficient. This dissertation partially addresses this gap in knowledge by examining how environmental values are transmitted by influential sources (e.g., parents, friends and family) and internalized by young adults. Specifically the research examines the salience of different sources on young adults' environmental values and the level of consonance …

Radio-Frequency Sensors For Detection And Analysis Of Chemical And Biological Substances, Yan Cui

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Dielectric spectroscopy (DS) is an important technique for scientific and technological investigations in various areas. DS sensitivity and operating frequency ranges are critical for many applications, including lab-on-chip development where sample volumes are small with a wide range of dynamic processes to probe. In this dissertation, the design and operation considerations of radio-frequency (RF) interferometers that are based on power-dividers (PDs) and quadrature-hybrids (QHs) is presented. The effective quality factor (Qeff) of the sensor is as high as ∼3.8×10^6 with 200 μL of water samples. Such interferometers are proposed to address the sensitivity and frequency tuning challenges of current DS techniques. …

Laboratory Evaluation Of Natural And Enhanced Remediation Of Chlorinated Ethenes In Fractured Sandstone, Rong Yu

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Chlorinated ethenes are common industrial chemicals and among the most frequently detected groundwater contaminants. Behavior and remediation of chlorinated ethenes in unconsolidated aquifers composed of granular materials (e.g., sand, silt and gravel) has been extensively studied for several decades. Nevertheless, it was not until the end of twentieth century that the role of matrix diffusion in plume persistence gained widespread acceptance. Matrix diffusion commonly occurs in complicated hydrogeological settings such as fractured sedimentary bedrock aquifers, where the permeable fractures act as the major conduit for groundwater flow and the less permeable but high capacity matrix acts as the primary storage …

Design, Synthesis And Sustainable Applications Of Animal Protein-Based Thermoset Polymers And Covalent Organic Frameworks, Xiaoyan Yu

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Extensive research has been undertaken in recent times on finding suitable, alternative, non-feed and non-fertilizer applications for proteinaceous materials in the animal rendering industry. In this regard, use of such proteins to derive plastics, especially thermoplastics and derived composites, has emerged as a potentially acceptable choice. However, the widespread use of such proteins for aforementioned applications is limited by their poor mechanical properties, high moisture absorption and their inherent odor. In this study, we have engineered, for the first time, high-strength, toughened thermoset polymers from proteinaceous materials obtained from the rendering industry so that they can be employed in high …

Essays On Flood Disaster Relief Recovery Practices And Policy: Applying The Lens Of Service Operations Strategy, Niratcha Tungtisanont

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This dissertation uses a service operations lens to investigate flood disasters’ recovery phase, the least-studied area of Humanitarian Operations and Crisis Management (HOCM). Comprising three essays, my dissertation deepens our knowledge of disaster recovery by using two different units of analysis, including province (state) and household levels.

In Essay 1, entitled “The Influence of Industrialization and Internet Usage on Per-Capita Income: A Longitudinal Analysis of Flood Events in Thai Provinces,” we introduce a novel approach to research HOCM by using econometric analyses. We use panel data as a tool to guide decision makers in understanding the notion of flood recovery, …

Radioanalytical Methods For Characterization Of The Surface Modification Of Nanoparticles, Kathleen Davis

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The use of iron oxide nanoparticles for a variety of applications has grown over the past few decades. Manipulation of surface chemistry of these materials is critical to customizing the properties of the particles for desired applications. Ligand exchange is a common and versatile tool for surface modification. There are many factors which affect ligand exchange including ligand chain length, number of binding groups, binding group chemistry, and particle aging and oxidation. Furthermore, ligand exchange may not always occur to completion. Therefore, it is important to characterize the surface of the particles to determine the extent of exchange. Current techniques …

Acetate Metabolism: The Physiological Role Of Adp-Forming Acetyl-Coa Synthetase And Acetate Kinase In Entamoeba Histolytica, Thanh Dang

All Dissertations

Entamoeba histolytica is a protozoan parasite that causes amoebic colitis and liver abscess in approximately 90 million people each year, resulting in 50,000-100,000 fatalities. Even though Entamoeba poses a significant public health problem worldwide, research dedicated to understanding the biology of this unique protozoan has been limited. This amitochondriate parasite lacks many essential biosynthesis pathways including the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle and oxidative phosphorylation. As a result, substrate level phosphorylation plays a necessary role in ATP production. Unlike the standard glycolytic pathway, E. histolytica glycolysis requires pyrophosphate (PPi) by replacing ATP - dependent phosphofructokinase and pyruvate kinase with PPi - …

Time-Dependent Stokes-Darcy Flow With Deposition, Javier Ruiz Ramirez

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This thesis investigates two nonlinear systems of time-dependent partial differential equations that model a filtration process. Existence and uniqueness results for the governing equations is established. For each system, a finite element scheme capable of approximating the solutions is investigated. Accompanying numerical experiments corroborate the analytical findings. Finally, an optimization application concerning the design of a filter is discussed and supported with a numerical study.

Survival, Recovery, And Inactivation Of Human Norovirus Surrogates, Feline Calicivirus And Murine Norovirus, On Carpets, David Buckley

All Dissertations

Worldwide, enteric viruses are the main cause of acute gastroenteritis (AGE). Among these viruses, human noroviruses (HuNoV) are leading cause of AGE and account for ca. 20% of all diarrheal cases, a top-five cause of death worldwide. In humans, these viruses spread via person-to-person contact, food, water, and/or the environment. Person-to-person contact is the most common mode of HuNoV transmission. Yet, environmental transmission has been linked to several outbreaks and prolonged others. HuNoV survival and inactivation on hard environmental surfaces have been extensively studied. However, nonlaunderable soft surfaces, such as carpet, have received little attention despite epidemiological evidence suggesting their …

Characterization And Evaluation Of Ground Glass Fiber As A Cementitious Component In Portland Cement And Geopolymer Concrete Mixtures, Hassan Rashidian Dezfouli

All Dissertations

A large amount of glass fiber is commercially produced for use in various applications. However, this process generates millions of tons of waste glass fiber annually around the world. This material has an amorphous structure that is rich in silica, alumina and calcium oxides, and if milled into a fine powder, it could potentially be used a supplementary cementitious material (SCM) in portland cement mixtures; or as a source material for production of geopolymer. So, the first objective of this research work, is to evaluate the utilization of ground glass fiber (GGF) as a SCM in portland cement mixtures, and …

Superfine Powdered Activated Carbon (S-Pac) Coupled With Microfiltration For The Removal Of Trace Organics In Drinking Water Treatment, Erin Partlan

All Dissertations

Anthropogenic contaminants - such as pharmaceuticals and personal care products - are an area of emerging concern in the treatment of drinking water. An integrated activated carbon membrane coating consisting of superfine powdered activated carbon (S-PAC) with particle size near or below one micrometer was explored to enhance removal of trace synthetic organic contaminants (SOCs) from water. S-PAC was chosen for its fast adsorption rates relative to conventionally sized PAC and atrazine was chosen as a model SOC. S-PAC and microfiltration membranes have a symbiotic relationship; membrane filtration separates S-PAC from water, while S-PAC adds capacity for a membrane process …

Using Botnet Technologies To Counteract Network Traffic Analysis, Yu Fu

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Botnets have been problematic for over a decade. They are used to launch malicious activities including DDoS (Distributed-Denial-of-Service), spamming, identity theft, unauthorized bitcoin mining and malware distribution. A recent nation-wide DDoS attacks caused by the Mirai botnet on 10/21/2016 involving 10s of millions of IP addresses took down Twitter, Spotify, Reddit, The New York Times, Pinterest, PayPal and other major websites. In response to take-down campaigns by security personnel, botmasters have developed technologies to evade detection. The most widely used evasion technique is DNS fast-flux, where the botmaster frequently changes the mapping between domain names and IP addresses of the …

How The Best Get Better: An Analysis Of Self-Monitoring Strategies Used By Collegiate Tennis Coaches, Jose Gerardo Meza Paniagua

All Theses

This research sought to better understand the self-monitoring strategies used by collegiate tennis coaches. The research replicated Schempp, Webster, McCullick, Bush, and Mason's (2007) study of expert golf instructors' self-monitoring strategies. Tennis coaches completed an online survey identifying strategies to maintain strengths and improve weaknesses as coaches. Data was analyzed a priori using the themes golf instructors identified while looking for emergent themes from the tennis coaches' responses. Data analysis results demonstrated that the coaches recognized goals and actions in their responses. In goals, the themes replicated from Schempp's et al. (2007) study included (1) personal lifestyle, (2) learning, and …

Modeling Clemson Football Traffic: New Techniques For Small Communities, Stephen Daniel Fry

All Theses

Many communities host planned special events that generate several times the communties' AADT around the event period (e.g. pro and college football games). Larger metropolises benefit from ITS to collect data from, model, plan for, and analyze potential solutions to event-caused congestion. The smaller communities, which do not have the resources for traffic management centers, could benefit from more cost-appropriate methodologies. This thesis presents a cost-effective methodology for traffic data collection before and after these events. Modelers can then use this data in a microsimulation package, such as VISSIM, to model how the transportation network performs during this period, to …

Preferential Flow Systems Amended With Biogeochemical Components: Imaging Of A Two-Dimensional Study, Ashley Rose Pales

All Theses

The rhizosphere is the region of soil directly impacted by a plants roots, both physically (root growth) and chemically (water and nutrient uptake via organic compounds). The chemical components exuded by a plants roots can be lumped into two categories; mucilage and exudates. Mucilage effects on flow have been widely studied, though the independent effects of exudates have not. The objective of this research is to investigate the effects of plant root exudates on the infiltration processes through a porous media. This is done by (1) characterizing the solid-liquid and liquid-gas interfaces of the exudate solutions used for the flow …

Biosorption And Bioreduction's Impact On The Mobility Of Uranium And Cesium, Sarah Tandy Hennessy

All Theses

Microbial interactions with radionuclides in the environment are multi-faceted and play an important role on the fate and the extent of transport of these metals within the biosphere. Understanding how these biotic interactions affect radionuclides could prove useful in developing more suitable waste containment facilities and improve the overall risk management strategies at legacy waste sites around the world. This study investigates two microbial interactions with these metals: biosorption and bioreduction. To elucidate the impact of biosorption on uranium and cesium, active and inactive biomass were analyzed using batch sorption experiments in the presence of complexing ligands, EDTA and citrate, …

Investigation Of Uranium And Thorium Uptake In Pinus Taeda (Loblolly Pine) And Dichanthelium Commutatum (Variable Panicgrass) From A Naturally Occurring Source, Sam Santoso

All Theses

Mobilization of radioactivity from natural sources could lead to concentrations of naturally occuring radioactive material (NORM) in groundwaters past the EPA maximum concentration limit (MCL) for drinking water (Hughes et al., 2005; Powell et al., 2007). The Piedmont and Blue Ridge aquifers are a continuous source of water for much of the Eastern U.S., however there are sources of natural contamination due to the area's geologic history. In the Tamassee and Salem Quadrangles (N 34° 56.152' W 83° 00.284) area of Upstate South Carolina off Highway 130 near Burgess Creek, an abandoned logging road dug through a sandy loam unit.This …

Stark Contrasts In Incumbency Effects, Priyanka Prayag Jha

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Recent studies of electoral accountability show that in countries like India, Brazil and some Eastern European countries incumbents face a disadvantage compared to their challengers. These results are in contrast to evidence from the US and other western democracies where incumbents enjoy a significant advantage. In order to examine this difference in the effects of incumbency status we analyze the Indian parliamentary elections between 1998 and 2014. We use Regression Discontinuity (RD) Design to study how being an incumbent affects the contestants' margin of victory and probability of winning in a reelection. The results from the study show that incumbents …

Detection And Quantification Of Biological And Physiochemical Parameters In Porous Media, Biting Li

All Theses

Three studies were conducted in this thesis, and all were related to measurement of biological and physiochemical parameters in porous media. The first study focused on the detection of biological parameter, and investigated the effects of cerium oxide nanoparticles on soil enzyme activity. Different concentrations of soil-NP mixture were applied, and exposure time length in addition to the harvest events were considered during the experiments. The second study focused on the quantification of physical parameter, and revealed water saturation percentage profiles during infiltration process along the preferential flow fingers. Two microbial exudates, catechol and riboflavin, with varying concentrations were applied …

Development Of Microfiltration Membrane Cell For Uvc Dose-Response Studies, And Determination Of Methods For Prevention Of Membrane Biofouling Using Uvc Radiation, Matthew Vawter

All Theses

Biofouling is considered to be one of the greatest operational challenges of reverse osmosis (RO) filtration for the production of potable water. Biofilms that form on the surface of a membrane filter quickly reduce the performance of the filter, and therefore these filters require constant treatment. Radioluminescence membrane biofouling control (RMBC) has been proposed as an alternative to the prevalence of chemical disinfection for the control of biofouling on RO units. Ultraviolet-C (200-280 nm) radioluminescence (UVC-RL) phosphors can convert a single beam of X-rays into large quantities of UVC. In RMBC, incorporating these phosphors into the feed spacers of an …

Assessment Of Impacts Of Repealing The Universal Helmet Law In South Carolina, Nancy Khanal Chhetri

All Theses

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) statistics shows that South Carolina is one of the state with the highest number of the motorcycle fatalities and the fatal crashes. South Carolina repealed its Universal Helmet Law in 1980 which might be one of the reason for the increment of crashes and fatalities in South Carolina. Head and facial injuries are main causes of death in case of motorcycle fatal crashes. Helmet use can save number of lives and reduce the head and facial injuries. The thesis focuses on the advantages of the helmet use and necessity of Universal Helmet Law …

Synthesis And Alkaline Stability Study Of Cationic Perfluoroalkyl Sulfonamide Model Compounds, Yutung Chen

All Theses

Much interest exists in alkaline exchange membrane (AEM) fuel cells, not just because of the higher efficiency for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) under alkaline conditions, but also because of their inexpensiveness due to the possibility of using low-cost materials, such as non-platinum-group catalysts. Due to their high chemical stability and conductivity, tetrafluoroethylene (TFE)/ trifluorovinyl ether (TFVE) anion-exchange copolymers having pendant cationic groups attract great attention. In many cases the cationic group, often a quaternary ammonium group, is attached to a fluoropolymer major chain via a sulfonamide linkage. Alkaline stability of these ionomers is critically important for AEM fuel-cell applications. …

Colleges And Universities: Prime Habitat For Hunter Recruitment And Retention, Brett Jonathon Stayton

All Theses

Hunting has played a prominent role throughout American history and continues to serve many important social, economic, and ecological functions in our society today. However, hunting participation in the United States is in a gradual state of decline. Today, less than 5% of the population hunts. In hopes of reversing these trends, many state fish and wildlife agencies, conservation organizations, and hunting and shooting sports industries have increasingly invested in new programs designed to enhance the recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3) of new hunters from non-traditional hunting backgrounds. For example, many R3 initiatives have been designed to focus on women, …

Madness In The Media: Demystifying The Emergence Of An Ocd Trope In Television, Sam Martin

All Theses

To live with Obsessive-Compulsive disorder is to live a life constantly misrepresented and misunderstood. By investigating the types of representations of the disorder found in popular visual media, one can surmise the drastic disparity that exists between the lived experience of OCD and the visually locked in version commonly shows to audiences. Comparing these representations with clinical, experiential, and anecdotal evidence leads to the conclusion that popular media, as well as society writ large, are primarily focused on appropriating and trivializing the compulsive behaviors of those with OCD while altogether neglecting the harsh reality of the intrusive thoughts that drive …

Formulating A Composite Scaffold With Tissue Regeneration And Anti-Cancer Activity, Kendyl Marie Williams

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Breast cancer affects 1 in 8 women in the United States and is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer among women. Many treatment options, such as chemotherapy or surgery, are invasive, ineffective, or detrimental to the body. It has been previously demonstrated that tannic acid has anti-cancer properties and is effective in killing cancer cells while not adversely affecting healthy cells. Tannic acid crosslinks collagen type I. We have proposed using tannic acid crosslinked collagen type I beads to fill in the void left after surgery while simultaneously treating any remaining cancer cells after a breast cancer patient has a …

Multifuntional Nanotherapeutics For The Combinatorial Drug And Gene Therapy In The Treatment Of Glioblastoma Multiforme, Breanne Hourigan

All Theses

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), a grade IV glioma, is the most common primary brain tumor, affecting about 3 out of 100,000 persons per year in the United States. GBM accounts for about 80% of primary malignant brain tumors, and is also the most aggressive of malignant brain tumors. With exhaustive treatment, survival only averages between 12 and 15 months, with a 2-year survival rate less than 25%. New therapeutic strategies are necessary to improve the outcomes of this disease. Chemotherapy with temozolomide (TMZ), a DNA alkylating agent, is used as a first-line of treatment for GBM. However, GBM tumors develop resistance …

Kingdom Rush Tribute: Porting A 2d Tower Defense Game To A 3d World Using Unreal Engine 4, Christian Stith

All Theses

Video game remakes are a popular modern phenomenon in which an existing game is remade to target a different platform, a higher resolution, or simply a different audience. Seldom, however, are video games remade into a different genre altogether. In this paper, we describe the process of remaking Kingdom Rush, a popular top-down 2D tower defense game, into a 3D third-person shooter in Unreal Engine 4. In addition to recreating all visual components of the game in 3D, this process revealed several challenges that arose related to transferring the gameplay from a 2D screen to a 3D world. We describe …