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April 2, 2025 Faculty Senate Minutes, University Of South Carolina

Faculty Senate

No abstract provided.

Hedging Energy Transition: Green Hydrogen, Oil, And Low-Carbon Resilience As State Strategy In Namibia, Meredith J. Deboom

Faculty Publications

Policy frameworks increasingly portray energy transition as a mechanism for achieving a range of resilience- related goals, including socio-economic development and energy security. Energy transition is often character ized as a particularly important resilience strategy for lower-income states in the Global South, which face the simultaneous challenges of decarbonization and development. Yet these states, many of which have fossil fuel resources, face distinct constraints and risks in navigating energy transition, including the possibility that promised funding for low-carbon energy projects will never come to fruition or that global decarbonization will be deferred or abandoned completely. This article uses the case …

Representation Of South Asians In U.S. American Children’S Picture Books, Eman A. Chaudhry

Senior Theses

One potential cause of racism against South Asian Americans in school could be the lack of authentic representation of South Asians in the media. A method to properly depict them is via children’s picture books, which can be used to explore different cultures within the classroom. I examined the current landscape of American children’s picture books that depict South Asians and found that the most authentic portrayals included characters embracing certain holidays or traditions. Additionally, I researched issues that affect the South Asian community, one of which includes the stigmatization of mental health. Drawing on my own experiences, I wrote …

Vital Language Practices And Attitudes Among The Lumbee, Deven A. Hull

Senior Theses

The longstanding interest among linguists and linguistic anthropologists in Indigenous languages has increasingly adopted a Critical Indigenous framework, which has been promoted by Indigenous scholars and community leaders as a means of decolonizing “salvage” collection of Indigenous language materials. An important aspect of Critical Indigenous theory is the framework of vitality—that is, an emphasis in literature and community practice on the everyday living and lived elements of culture. One means of promoting Indigenous language within this Critical framework of vitality that is community-centered is centering vital language practices in community-based archives, which seek not to document the language as it …

Articulation As A Predictor Of Cognitive Decline, Sarah G. Hammons

Senior Theses

Background: Speech production is facilitated by motor neural networks that are proximal to neural substrates of general cognitive functions in the frontal lobe. However, the precise relationship between these brain networks supporting articulatory control and more general cognitive functioning has not been determined. A relation may be expected due to the anatomical proximity of specific networks, or due to more global aspects of brain health in individuals, affecting cognitive and motor functions across the board. Lower motor function is expected to affect the stability of speech production, but the extent to which this is also associated with lower cognitive functioning …

Are The Kids Alright? An Analysis Of Sex Education, The Sexual Behaviors Of Minors And Age Of Consent Laws In The United States, Monica L. Johnston

Senior Theses

This paper explores the sexual development of children, the sexual education they receive, as well as the history of sex laws in the United States, to determine whether the laws regarding education and age of consent adequately protect children. A qualitative survey is also conducted with undergraduate students at the University of South Carolina to determine what topics were discussed in their sexual education curriculum, as well as their sexual behaviors as a minor. While the push for comprehensive sexual education models has been growing, millions of dollars are still being allocated to promote Abstinence Only Until Marriage programs, which …

The Stigma Surrounding Sex And Sexuality In American Culture, Sophia L. Pollock

Senior Theses

An important question to examine is the origin and implications of the taboo against sex and sexuality. The stigma against these topics encourages negative public health implications like poor sex education, high rates of sexually transmitted infections, and teen pregnancy. History of sexual stigma was examined through physical media and digital articles from the Thomas Cooper Library databases. The background and global perspective of these stigmas are covered, examining how past and distant cultures deal with sex. How sex is portrayed in the media, why a healthy sex life is important, and the subject of sex education are also addressed. …

How Do Children Learn How To Learn? Promoting Early Development At Home Through Play: A Scoping Review, Annika J. Larson

Senior Theses

Early childhood is a critical time in human development, during which children are discovering and practicing countless skills, from basic motor and language skills to problem-solving, self-regulation, memory, and other foundational abilities like literacy and math skills. From infancy through childhood, play is thought to be the primary condition under which most early skills are developed and perfected. During this time, young children are especially vulnerable to adversity and negative environmental influences due to their brains’ high plasticity; adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) impact an individual well beyond early childhood, specifically in early skills deficits. Play is known to be a …

Raising Red Flags: Exploring Phenotypic Change In Tiger Moths (Apantesis) Of Coastal Sc Over 50 Years' Time, Allison K. Fletcher

Senior Theses

Organismal phenotypes play a critical role in ecological interactions and individual fitness, and they may undergo rapid shifts through evolutionary adaptation or phenotypic plasticity in response to climate change and environmental disturbances. As morphological traits such as body size, melanization, and aposematic coloration are especially significant for thermoregulation and predator deterrence, it is important to understand the ways in which these traits may be changing on a regional level. Here, I examined the change in phenotype in populations of three tiger moth (Apantesis) species from a single site in coastal South Carolina over a fifty-year period, testing for differences in …

Physiological Indicators Of Social Anxiety In Preschoolers With The Fragile X Premutation, Olivia Cyburt

Senior Theses

The Fragile X premutation (FXpm) is a common genetic disorder often characterized by psychiatric impairments, including anxiety. It results from a trinucleotide repeat expansion (CGG) of 55-200 repeats on the FMR1 gene. Despite its association with psychiatric symptoms, there is limited research regarding the relationship between FXpm and anxiety, particularly social anxiety. Early detection of social anxiety is essential for timely intervention, yet it remains challenging to identify in young individuals with FXpm due to limited research. The present study aimed to bridge this gap by examining social anxiety in preschoolers with the FXpm, utilizing both a physiological and behavioral …

The Art Of Advocacy Revealed Through Law School Curriculum, Ashley Jones Hall

The Journal of Law and Education

No abstract provided.

Neural Network-Based Low-Level 3d Point Cloud Processing, Pingping Cai

Theses and Dissertations

3D computer vision is a promising research field with the potential to revolutionize future lifestyles. Among various 3D representation formats, point clouds stand out for their efficiency in depicting 3D objects using a set of coordinates, enabling advancements in fields such as autonomous driving, virtual reality, and robotics. Due to the limitations of sensor fields of view and scanning trajectories, the collected point clouds are usually sparse, noisy, and incomplete, impeding the performance of many downstream applications. Thus, the tasks of low-level point cloud processing are proposed to refine and generate dense, clean, and complete point clouds. To accomplish these …

Unaccompanied Double Bass Literature: History, Pedagogy, And Performance Practice, Joseph Lee Gaskins

Theses and Dissertations

While most solo recitals featuring the double bass employ the piano as accompaniment, this ensemble configuration presents several problems for the performer in terms of balance and sound production. These challenges can cause students who are still developing their technique and musicianship to form bad habits in an effort to meet the demands of playing with piano. Over time, double bassists have developed a multitude of strategies to solve the problem of projecting a soloistic sound that will project over the accompaniment. However, the question must be asked: Why not remove the accompaniment from the equation entirely? While the double …

Athlete Decision-Making Process In The Liminality After Career-Ending Injuries, Grace Davie

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study explored the decision-making process of athletes in the liminal period immediately following career-ending injuries. While existing research has examined transition challenges and coping strategies, there remains a critical gap in understanding how athletes actively make decisions that shape their post-sport trajectories during this crucial period. Using Crisis Decision Theory (CDT) as a theoretical framework, this study investigated athletes' overall experience, support systems, injury severity assessment, and response option determination and evaluation during the immediate post-injury decision-making process. Key findings demonstrated that athletes' decision-making processes closely aligned with CDT's three-stage framework: assessing injury severity, determining response options, and …

Endothelial Dysfunction Promotes Age-Related Reorganization Of Collagen Fibers And Alters Aortic Biomechanics In Mice, Liya Du, Jeffrey Rodgers, Nazli Gharraee, Olivia Gary, Tarek Shazly, John F. Eberth, Susan M. Lessner

Faculty Publications

Endothelial dysfunction, defined as a reduction in the bioavailability of nitric oxide (NO), is a risk factor for the occurrence and progression of various vascular diseases. This study investigates the effect of endothelial dysfunction on age-related changes in aortic extracellular matrix (ECM) microstructure and the relationship between microstructural adaptation and the mechanical response. Here, we used groups of NOS3 knockout (KO), NOS3 heterozygotes (Het), and wild-type (WT) B6 mice (controls) to study changes in hemodynamic parameters, collagen fiber organization, and both active and passive aortic mechanics using biaxial pressure myography over a time course from 1.5 to 12 mo. Our …

Revitalizing Passenger Rail: A Sustainable Solution To Environmental And Public Health Challenges In South Carolina, Benjamin Cochran

Theses and Dissertations

South Carolina, a historic leader in passenger rail, has become a heavily vehicle-dependent state. As the population rapidly grows, so does the number of vehicles, vehicle miles traveled, and vehicle emissions, including the greenhouse gas pollutants carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (N2O), and particulate matter (PM2.5), significantly contributing to air pollution and deteriorating health and environmental outcomes. Despite this, mass transit is nonexistent for the three largest cities in South Carolina, Charleston, Columbia, and Greenville, forcing residents and travelers to drive. This study evaluates the feasibility and the environmental, public health, environmental justice, and economic implications of a passenger rail …

Tobacco Package Health Warnings About Product Manipulations: An Experimental Study Among Australian Adults Who Smoke, Emily Brennan, Claudia Gascoyne, Kimberley Dunstone, Amanda Vittiglia, Gayathri Srinivasan, Jim Thrasher Ph.D., Ma, Ms, Janet Hoek, Melanie Wakefield, Sarah Durkin

Faculty Publications

The tobacco industry manipulates cigarettes to provide sensory cues that mislead people who smoke. We assessed the effectiveness of health warnings (HWs) focussed on the impact of misleading product attributes, including filter ventilation, menthol, and roll-your-own tobacco, which were called Product Attribute HWs. Australian adults who smoke (n = 2544) were randomly assigned to view: control medication warnings; new Standard HWs with smoking harm images; Product Attribute HWs; or Product Attribute HWs plus a video. At baseline, participants were exposed to seven condition-specific warnings (+ video for those in the Product Attribute HWs + Video condition), then they were …

Research Priorities For Drivers Of Food Choice For Food System Transformation In South Asia: Proceedings Of A Collaborative Workshop, Christine E. Blake Ph.D., Rd, Sunny S. Kim, Edward A. Frongillo Ph.D., Purnima Menon

Faculty Publications

Agrifood systems in South Asia are highly productive, but substantial challenges including poverty, climate change, and environmental degradation complicate progress toward achieving sustainable healthy diets for all. The dynamics of food systems and the consequence of their rapid transformation for food choice behaviors that contribute to healthy and unhealthy diets are not well understood. Food choice is defined as a decision-making process through which individuals and households consider, acquire, prepare, distribute, and consume foods and beverages. Understanding drivers of food choice (DFC) is important for achieving sustainable healthy diets, but evidence is lacking. This article outlines collectively derived priorities for …

Telehealth Or In-Person Hiv Care? Qualitative Study Findings On Decision-Making From People With Hiv And Hiv Care Providers In South Carolina During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Valerie Yelverton, Salome Joelle Gass, Daniel Amoatika, Christopher Cooke, Jan Ostermann, Nabil Natafgi, Nicole L. Hair Ph.D., Bankole Olatosi Ph.D., Otis L. Owens, Shan Qiao Ph.D., Xiaoming Li Ph.D., Caroline Derrick, Sharon Weissman, Helmut Albrecht

Faculty Publications

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted HIV care services across the United States. Telehealth was rapidly implemented to ensure HIV care continuity. Despite the evidence of unequal telehealth uptake among some people with HIV (PWH), the decision-making processes to determine who received telehealth or in-person care are under-researched. This study assessed which decision criteria and processes determined which HIV care visit type was used by PWH and HIV care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Qualitative in-depth interviews with 18 PWH and 10 HIV care providers from South Carolina assessed PWHs’ and HIV care providers’ decision-making criteria and processes for telehealth HIV care …

Adipocyte-Derived Cchamide-1, Eiger, Growth-Blocking Peptide 3, And Unpaired 2 Regulate Drosophila Melanogaster Oogenesis, Chad Simmons, Isaiah Williams, Tancia Bradshaw, Alissa R. Armstrong

Faculty Publications

In addition to energy storage, adipose tissue communication to other organs plays a key role in regulating organismal physiology. While the link between adipose tissue dysfunction and pathophysiology, including diabetes, chronic inflammation, and infertility, is clear, the molecular mechanisms that underlie these associations have not been fully described. We use Drosophila melanogaster as a model to better understand how adipose tissue communicates to the ovary. In this study, we utilized D. melanogaster’s robust genetic toolkit to examine the role of five adipokines known to control larval growth during development, CCHamide-1, CCHamide-2, eiger, Growth-blocking peptide 3, and unpaired 2 in regulating …

Monitoring Opioid-Use-Disorder Treatment Adherence Using Smartwatch Gesture Recognition, Andrew Smith, Kuba Jerzmanowski, Phyllis Raynor Phd, Aprn, Pmhnp-Bc, Cynthia F. Corbett Phd, Rn, Faan, Homayoun Valafar

Publications

The opioid epidemic in the United States has significantly impacted pregnant women with opioid use disorder (OUD), leading to increased health and social complications. This study explores the feasibility of using machine learning algorithms with consumer-grade smartwatches to identify medication-taking gestures. The research specifically focuses on treatments for OUD, investigating methadone and buprenorphine taking gestures. Participants (n = 16, all female university students) simulated medication-taking gestures in a controlled lab environment over two weeks, with data collected via Ticwatch E and E3 smartwatches running custom ASPIRE software. The study employed a RegNet-style 1D ResNet model to analyze gesture data, achieving …

Standardizing Heart Failure Discharges: Reducing 30-Day Readmission Rates, Angela Keziah

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Projects

Problem Statement: Patients readmitted with heart failure (HF) suffer increased mortality, reduced quality of life, and heightened medical expenses, though most readmissions are preventable with a consistent HF discharge regimen.

Purpose: To determine if a consistent HF discharge regimen using an evidence-based HF discharge checklist tool, including standardized HF education and a scheduled follow-up appointment with their cardiologist within 7-10 days post-discharge, impacted HF 30-day readmission rates.

Methods: An evidence-based HF discharge checklist tool was placed on participants’ charts on the Progressive Care Unit (PCU) and utilized by the PCU nurses to standardize HF discharges.

Inclusion Criteria: The study included …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of A Behavioral Emergency Response Team In An Emergency Department, Kim Jai

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Projects

Problem Statement: The increasing incidence of occupational workplace violence (OWPV) in hospitals, especially in emergency departments (EDs), has become a significant concern in the United States. Given the increasing risk of the occurrence of workplace violence (OWPV) from patients and family members, hospitals have instituted the Behavioral Emergency Response Team (BERT) protocol, comprising trained staff members with expertise in acute psychiatric disorders and de-escalation techniques for managing assaultive behaviors.

Purpose: Evaluate a Behavioral Emergency Response Team (BERT) protocol implemented in an emergency department and make recommendations for improvement.

Methods: Using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Logic Model, this …

Endothelial Dysfunction Promotes Age-Related Reorganization Of Collagen Fibers And Alters Aortic Biomechanics In Mice, Liya Du, Jeffrey Rodgers, Nazli Gharraee, Olivia Gary, Tarek Shazly, John F. Eberth, Susan M. Lessner

Faculty Publications

Endothelial dysfunction, defined as a reduction in the bioavailability of nitric oxide (NO), is a risk factor for the occurrence and progression of various vascular diseases. This study investigates the effect of endothelial dysfunction on age-related changes in aortic extracellular matrix (ECM) microstructure and the relationship between microstructural adaptation and the mechanical response. Here, we used groups of NOS3 knockout (KO), NOS3 heterozygotes (Het), and wild-type (WT) B6 mice (controls) to study changes in hemodynamic parameters, collagen fiber organization, and both active and passive aortic mechanics using biaxial pressure myography over a time course from 1.5 to 12 mo. Our …

Kinetic Control And Trapping In The Supramolecular Polymerization Of M-Terphenyl Bis-Urea Macrocycles, Sophya V. Garashchuk, Gamage Isuri P. Wijesekera, Isabella G. Rushton, Vaibhavi A. Samant, Fahidat A. Gbadamosi, Dr. Md Faizul Islam, Sophya V. Garashchuk, Prof. Dr. Linda S. Shimizu

Faculty Publications

Herein, we examine pathway complexity in the supramolecular polymerization of a novel m-terphenyl bis-urea macrocycle. Designed to induce kinetically metastable states, the macrocycle‘s concentration-dependent aggregation was studied via 1H NMR and IR spectroscopy in THF and CHCl₃. Temperature-dependent UV-Vis spectroscopy in water/THF revealed a cooperative nucleation-growth mechanism, indicated by a shift in λmax to longer wavelengths upon cooling. Morphological studies using DLS, AFM, and SEM demonstrated fibrous aggregate formation. Thermal hysteresis observed in assembly-disassembly cycles indicated kinetically trapped species, with cooling governed by kinetic control and heating by thermodynamic processes. Deviations in ΔH values during cooling, compared to van′t …

Shear-Thinning Hydrogel For Delayed Delivery Of A Small Molecule Metalloproteinase Inhibitor Attenuates Myocardial Infarction Remodeling, Joshua E. Mealy, William M. Torres, Lisa A. Freeburg, Shayne C. Barlow, Alison A. Whalen, Chima V. Maduka, Tarek Shazly, Jason A. Burdick, Francis G. Spinale

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Understanding The Relationship Between Executive Function And Language During The Preschool Period, Haya Q. Kidwai

Senior Theses

Executive functions (EFs) are abilities that help us to control our actions, pay attention, and go against automatic responses. EF skills include working memory, inhibition, and cognitive flexibility, all of which develop rapidly during early childhood alongside other developmental abilities like language. In fact, previous research has found a relationship between EFs and language abilities. Therefore, the current study investigated the correlation between EFs and language in the preschool period, a pivotal moment in their development. Specifically, the current study examined the relationship between working memory and inhibition and expressive vocabulary and morphosyntax measures in 7 children 4-6 years old. …

A Score For The Outdoors: A Study Of Hayao Miyazaki's Environmentalism And Joe Hisaishi's Score In Princess Mononoke, Jasper E. Vasilevskis

Senior Theses

This honors thesis explores the role of composer Joe Hisaishi’s score in relation to director Hayao Miyazaki’s environmental perspective in Princess Mononoke (1997). Miyazaki’s belief that, regardless of the target audience, a story cannot be told without presenting “the ecological issues”[1] leads to the production of films that have rhetoric in support of environmental appreciation and conservation embedded throughout. When read through an environmentalist lens, Princess Mononoke becomes a critique of “human-centric” thinking, instead supporting an ideology similar to “deep ecology,” which considers humans to be intrinsically linked to nature. Despite Hisaishi and Miyazaki’s close collaboration that leads to …

Charter Schools And Students With Disabilities: Admissions Equity, Kelly L. Carrick

Senior Theses

Many states are now offering parents a choice in where their child attends school, typically offering charter schools as the alternative to public schools. With charter school enrollment on the rise, questions have begun to arise regarding the acceptance rates of students with disabilities, specifically, how do students with disabilities fare in the process of being admitted to charter schools? This research examines the admissions policies of charter schools, the admission rates for students with disabilities, as well as the legality and equity of this topic. Previous research has found that charter schools typically do not accept as many students …

On The Books In South Carolina Corpus: Acts Passed By The Sc General Assembly, 1868-1968, Identified By Machine Learning As Likely To Be Jim Crow Laws, Kate F. Boyd, Vandana Srivastava, Kristin Harrell, Christopher Frear, Jalen Freeman, Nitin Gupta, Taylor Callahan, Lance Dupre, Rebekah Turnmire, Bobby Donaldson

Faculty and Staff Publications

This corpus was created for a text analysis project, On the Books in South Carolina: Mining for Jim Crow Laws, a collections-as-data and machine learning project by the University of South Carolina Libraries (USC), sub awarded by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), and made possible by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, for the period of May 2022 - December 2024. On the Books focused specifically on the laws passed during the Jim Crow Era, which is defined for this project as the period between Reconstruction and the Civil Rights Movement (1868-1968).

This corpus is the …