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September 10, 2025 Faculty Senate Minutes, University Of South Carolina

Faculty Senate

No abstract provided.

From Cocaine To Avocados: Criminal Market Expansion And Violence, Chelsea Estancona Ph.D., Lucía Tiscornia

Faculty Publications

Most of what we know about organized criminal violence comes from research on illicit narcotics markets. Yet criminal groups also fight to capture markets for licit commodities, as evidenced by Sicilian lemons and Mexican avocados. When do organized criminal groups violently expand into markets for licit goods? We argue that rapid increases in the share of a good’s export value create opportunities for immediate profit and future market manipulation. These opportunities lead to violence as groups expand their territorial holdings and economic portfolio. We provide subnational evidence of our mechanism using data on avocado exports from Mexico, and address reverse …

Out Of The Vacuum: The Effect Of Tax Liability Changes On Compliance In The Presence Of Withholding Position And Group Affiliation, Chelsea Rae Austin, Donna Bobek Schmitt, Spenser G. Seifert

Faculty Publications

Prior research has established that tax liability increases lead to decreased compliance. However, tax liability changes do not happen in a vacuum. Notably, prior research has also identified a withholding phenomenon: individuals in a tax due position are less compliant than those in a refund position. Additionally, tax law changes are often enacted in politically polarized environments. We examine how three factors—tax liability changes, withholding position, and group affiliation—combine to influence individuals' tax compliance decisions. Our experimental results show that a tax increase is universally experienced as a loss, even when coupled with a tax refund and enacted by an …

Physical Function And Pain As Predictors Of Movement Behaviors In Adults With Arthritis, Scott Jamieson, Sarah Wilcox Phd, Chih-Hsiang Yang Ph.D., Ye Sil Kim Phd, Christine Pellegrini Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

Purpose

Design

Setting

Subjects

Measures

Analysis …

Building Multimodal Knowledge Graphs: Automation For Enterprise Integration, Ritvik Garimella, Hong Yung Yip, Revathy Venkataramanan, Amit P. Sheth

Publications

As enterprises increasingly aim to incorporate artificial intelligence into their workflows to tackle complex, multimodal tasks, the demand for intelligent, robust, and trustworthy systems is paramount. While multimodal large language models offer initial capabilities for processing diverse data streams, their dependence on embedding-based representations limit their effectiveness in delivering semantically grounded explanations and reasoning, as well as qualities essential for enterprise-grade applications. Neurosymbolic approaches provide a promising alternative by enabling traceable, context-aware decision making. However, constructing enterprise-level multimodal knowledge graphs (MMKGs) that enable neurosymbolic approaches remains largely impractical. Although prior efforts have explored MMKG construction, they fall short in addressing …

An Investigation Of Sex-Specific Effects Of Nucleus Accumbens Dopamine Receptor Signaling In Persistent Reward Seeking Under Punishment, Anna Caroline Toburen

Theses and Dissertations

Addiction involves persistent reward-seeking behavior despite adverse outcomes, with the nucleus accumbens (NAc) critically mediating motivation and cost-benefit decision-making. Dopamine (DA)-responsive neurons in the NAc, specifically D1 and D2 receptors within the NAc are crucial in encoding motivated behavior. However, the specific role of D1/D2 receptors in driving reward-seeking under punishment remains unclear. Preliminary findings suggest a sex-specific effect, with females exhibiting greater sensitivity to the suppressive effects of footshock on natural reward-seeking compared to males. We investigated the differential roles of NAc D1/D2 receptors in modulating reward-seeking behavior under punishment, with a focus on potential sex-specific effects. Using a …

September 3, 2025 General Faculty Minutes, University Of South Carolina

Faculty Senate

No abstract provided.

Social Determinants Of Health In Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, And Other Sexual And Gender Minority (Lgbtq+) Older Adults: Impact Of Socioeconomic Disadvantage On Inpatient Hospitalizations, Jennifer T. May Phd, Rn, Anp-Bc, Devon Noonan, Susan G. Silva

Publications

Introduction

Little is known about the impact of socioeconomic disadvantage on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other sexual and gender minority (LGBTQ+) older adults (≥50 years). The aim of this study is to determine whether the distribution of LGBTQ+ inpatient hospitalizations are related to structural socioeconomic factors.

Methods

A secondary analysis of retrospective electronic health record data for LGBTQ+ older adults hospitalized from 2018 to 2022 was conducted at one large health system. The average county area deprivation index where the patient resided was calculated.

Results

The analysis included 2270 LGBTQ+ older adult inpatient hospitalizations, with 1508 (66.4%) from …

Dsm-5 Based Algorithms For The Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised For Children Ages 4–17 Years, Linnea A. Lampinen, Shuting Zheng, Lindsay Olson, Vanessa H. Bal, Audrey E. Thurm, Amy N. Esler, Stephen M. Kanne, So Hyun Kim, Catherine Lord, China Pareneau, Kerri P. Nowell, Jane E. Roberts, Nicole Takahashi, Somer L. Bishop

Faculty Publications

Background: The Autism Diagnostic Interview, Revised (ADI-R) is a caregiver interview that is widely used as part ofthe diagnostic assessment for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Few large-scale studies have reported the sensitivityand specificity of the ADI-R algorithms, which are based on DSM-IV Autistic Disorder criteria. Kim and Lord (Journalof Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2012, 42, 82) developed revised DSM-5-based toddler algorithms, which areonly applicable to children under 4 years. The current study developed DSM-5-based algorithms for children ages4–17 years and examined their performance compared to clinical diagnosis and to the original DSM-IV-basedalgorithms. Methods: Participants included 2,905 cases (2,144 ASD, 761 …

The Efficacy And Usability Of Motivational Interviewing Just-In-Time Trainings For Youth Mentors, Mackenzie J. Hart, Samuel Mcquillin, Aidyn Iachini, Daniel K. Cooper, Mark D. Weist

Faculty Publications

Using youth mentors to deliver evidence-based psychosocial services has been proposed to increase the reach of treatments, in part given the affordability and ubiquity of mentors in youth settings. Further, tests of mentor-delivered motivational interviewing (MI) have shown increases in youth mentees' academic performance and wellbeing. Yet, traditional methods of training mentors to use MI can be costly and time-consuming. Previous work has suggested the value of asynchronous, brief, just-in-time training (JITT) to help offset these challenges; however, MI JITT for mentors has not yet been formally evaluated. As such, here, we report on a preliminary study of MI JITT …

Preventing Suicidal Thoughts And Behaviors Among Youth: Integrative Data Analysis Of Crossover Impacts Of The Coping Power Preventive Intervention, Heather Mcdaniel, Alexa C. Budavari, Alexandra Tonigan, Ava E. Michael, Stephen G. West, Nisha Gottfredson O'Shea, Nicole P. Powell, Lixin Qu, Lissette M. Saavedra, Anna Yaros, Catherine P. Bradshaw, John E. Lochman, Antonio A. Morgan-López

Faculty Publications

Objective

Method

Root Exudates: The Rhizospheric Frontier For Advancing Sustainable Plant Protection, Muhammad Rahil Afzal, Misbah Naz, Youbo Yu, Lisha Yan, Peiyi Wang, Janaki Mohotti, Gefei Hao, Jing-Jiang Zhou, Zhou Chen, Libo Zhang, Qian Wang

Faculty Publications

Root exudates (REs), a diverse array of bioactive metabolites secreted by plant roots in response to environmental stimuli, serve as key mediators of rhizosphere ecology and plant defense responses, offering a promising avenue for sustainable pest management and eco-friendly plant protection. While earlier reviews primarily focus on root exudates in the context of general rhizosphere dynamics and plant-microbial interactions, critical knowledge gaps persist in REs-plant-pest tripartite interactions, the mechanistic basis of REs-mediated plant defense, and their practical integration with integrated pest management (IPM) frameworks. This review provides a synthesis of the latest literature on the biochemical diversity and functions of …

Monitoring Nutrition Security: Perspectives From A Workshop On Nutrition Security Measurement, Ximena Perez-Velazco, Edward A. Frongillo Jr. Ph.D., Joanne F. Guthrie, Alisha Coleman-Jensen, Mariah D. Ehmke, Christian Gregory, Hilary K. Seligman

Faculty Publications

Nutrition security, an emerging concept distinct from and complementary to food security, has gained increasing interest as a focus of efforts to reduce hunger, improve nutrition, and prevent diet-related health conditions. Yet, unlike food security, which has well-established measures, nutrition security lacks standardized measures for assessment. This gap hinders the ability to evaluate progress in improving nutrition security both in the United States and globally. In September 2024, a workshop to explore how to measure nutrition security was hosted by the United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service, in collaboration with the Southern University Agricultural Science Center of Excellence …

Social Determinants Of Health In Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, And Other Sexual And Gender Minority (Lgbtq+) Older Adults: Impact Of Socioeconomic Disadvantage On Inpatient Hospitalizations, Jennifer T. May Phd, Rn, Anp-Bc, Devon Noonan, Susan G. Silva

Publications

Introduction Little is known about the impact of socioeconomic disadvantage on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other sexual and gender minority (LGBTQ+) older adults (≥50 years). The aim of this study is to determine whether the distribution of LGBTQ+ inpatient hospitalizations are related to structural socioeconomic factors. Methods A secondary analysis of retrospective electronic health record data for LGBTQ+ older adults hospitalized from 2018 to 2022 was conducted at one large health system. The average county area deprivation index where the patient resided was calculated. Results The analysis included 2270 LGBTQ+ older adult inpatient hospitalizations, with 1508 (66.4%) from …

Open Tdm: How The Open Movement Is Transforming The Way Academic Libraries Support Text And Data Mining Research, Kate F. Boyd, John Knox

Faculty and Staff Publications

Edited volume, published by the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), the book provides librarians with the skills necessary to support researchers using text and data mining (TDM). Chapter 24 focuses on the open access aspects of TDM and how librarians and scholars are assisting each other in learning these new skills. Librarians from USC and UNC Wilmington share their paths to understanding and supporting TDM on their campuses.

Navigating Barriers: Examining Social Equality Through Transportation Disadvantages And Perceived Healthcare Accessibility In South Carolina, Yihong Ning, Songyuan Deng, Yuche Chen

Faculty Publications

Transportation inequities significantly contribute to health disparities, particularly in socially and geographically diverse regions like South Carolina. Prior research predominantly relied on objective measurements, like travel time or distance, to assess healthcare accessibility. However, limited attention has been given to the subjective perceptions of transportation barriers. To address this gap, we designed a comprehensive survey consisting of 61 questions (including 32 five-point Likert-scale items) capturing demographic, socioeconomic, and travel behavior data from a diverse sample of South Carolina residents. Urban and rural contexts were distinguished using county categorization and built environment measures. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was employed to identify …

Sleep Quality, Emotional Moods, And Cognitive Outcomes Among People Living With Hiv: An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study, Shan Qiao Ph.D., Abhishek Aggarwal, Camryn Garrett, Arielle N’Diaye, Atena Pasha, Irene Esu, Chih Hsiang Yang Ph.D., Xiaoming Li Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

Introduction Although studies have explored the relationship between sleep quality, mood, and cognitive outcomes among people living with HIV (PLWH), few use ecological momentary assessment (EMA) techniques to evaluate within-person associations between sleep quality and emotional/cognitive outcomes among PLWH at the day level. This study investigated the association between previous night’s sleep quality and momentary psychological outcomes in participants’ natural setting. Methods Study participants were PLWH in South Carolina who were at least 18 years old, diagnosed with HIV for at least 2 years, and able to operate a cellphone. Participants were sampled using posters posted in AIDS Service organizations, …

Effective Neural Connectivity Deficits During Speech Auditory Feedback Processing In Post-Stroke Aphasia: An Fmri Study, Kimaya Sarmukadam, Vahid Nejati, Roozbeh Behroozmand

Faculty Publications

Post-stroke aphasia often results in significant impairments in speech production and auditory processing, necessitating a deeper understanding of the underlying neural connectivity within sensorimotor networks. In this study, we investigated neural connectivity within sensorimotor networks in individuals with post-stroke aphasia (n = 16) compared to neurotypical controls (n = 16). Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data were acquired during speaking and listening tasks, accompanied by normal or randomly pitch-shifted (±100 cents) altered auditory feedback across trials. Dynamic causal modeling and parametric empirical bayes methods were used to analyze effective connectivity. The analysis revealed significant alterations in intrinsic and …

A Perspective On The Evolving Plug-In Electric Vehicle Landscape Amid Trade Tariffs And Strategic Responses, Tamara Sheldon, Rubal Dua

Faculty Publications

Various explanations have been put forward for the recent slowdown in global plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) sales growth. Additionally, considerable uncertainty remains regarding future PEV adoption rates, given evolving consumer adoption incentives and newly announced Western tariffs on Chinese PEV imports. This study offers an expert opinion-based perspective on how the PEV landscape may evolve amid ongoing policy and market shifts. In particular, we survey PEV experts in the U.S., Germany, and China to explore (i) reasons behind Western tariffs; (ii) the potential strategic responses of Chinese and Western policymakers and automakers, and (iii) how the PEV market might evolve …

Development Of Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia In Young Infants With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Preterm Birth, And Typical Development, Jessica Bradshaw, John E. Richards, Julia Yurkovic-Harding, Eilis Mclaughlin

Faculty Publications

Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) is a key index of parasympathetic function and environmental adaptability. Lower resting RSA has been linked to preterm (PT) birth in infancy and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in childhood, yet RSA across the first 2 years in young infants born PT or later diagnosed with ASD remains unknown. This study examined resting RSA and mean interbeat interval (IBI) development from 1 to 24 months in infants at varying ASD likelihoods, including infant siblings of children with ASD and those born PT. A longitudinal design tracked resting RSA and mean IBI in 137 infants from 1 to …

The Complexity Of Promoting Physical Activity In English State Primary Schools: An In-Depth Qualitative Analysis Of The Role Of Social Context, Robert Walker, Danielle House, Alice Porter, Ruth Salway, Simona Kent-Saisch, Michael Beets Ph.D., David Revalds Lubans, Frank De Vocht, Russell Jago

Faculty Publications

Background

Primary schools present an opportunity to equitably promote physical activity. To date, school-based interventions have had limited success. Contextual differences between schools could be a key factor that contributes to this lack of impact. However, the elements that constitute a school’s social context (i.e. the organisational, political, cultural, and sociodemographic characteristics) and how they might impact on primary school physical activity are unclear. The aims of this study were to conduct an in-depth qualitative analysis of state primary school social context related to physical activity and, using this analysis, provide recommendations for policy and practice.

Methods

We conducted one-to-one …

Decreasing Foraminiferal Flux In Response To Ongoing Climate Change In The Santa Barbara Basin, California, Emily Harvard, Katherine Cherry, Claudia R. Benitez-Nelson, Eric Tappa, Catherine V. Davis

Faculty Publications

The rapid response of foraminiferal assemblages to changing climate makes their shells an invaluable geological record of the past. However, the time frame over which foraminifera respond to climatic signals and the specific drivers influencing assemblage composition and abundance remain obscure. We focus on the impact of ongoing, anthropogenic climate change on planktic foraminifera in the California Current ecosystem, which would appear as a nearly instantaneous event in the sediment record. The Santa Barbara Basin sediment trap, located off the coast of California, USA since 1993, provides a record of more than 30 years of particulate and foraminiferal flux in …

Satellite-Based Identification Of Mesoscale And Submesoscale Eddies And Fronts In The Gulf Of Mexico, Ethan Cruz

Theses and Dissertations

Mesoscale and submesoscale processes in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) are fundamental in shaping the region’s physical and biogeochemical ocean dynamics. Advances in high-resolution satellite observations now allow detailed detection of submesoscale (< 25 km radius) and mesoscale eddies and ocean fronts, which drive heat, nutrient, and carbon fluxes. This dissertation integrates two complementary investigations: (1) a comparison of eddy-tracking algorithms: Contour Tracing (CT) and Temperature Thresholding (TT), applied to Optimum Interpolation Sea Surface Temperature (OISST, 1/4°) and Operational Sea Surface Temperature and Ice Analysis (OSTIA, 1/20°) products; and (2) a comparative evaluation of three ocean front detection algorithms: Canny Edge Detection (Canny), the Cayula–Cornillon Algorithm (CCA), and the Belkin–O’Reilly Algorithm (BOA), across multiple satellite-derived parameters, including sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface salinity (SSS), chlorophyll-a (Chl-a), and altimetry-derived absolute dynamic topography (ADT). The eddy-tracking analysis shows that the higher-resolution OSTIA consistently detected more eddies than OISST, with TT performing best during winter when SST gradients were strongest. The front detection analysis, incorporating datasets from the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) and Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, Ocean Ecosystem (PACE) missions, was evaluated under diverse conditions, including flood and drought periods, Loop Current phase changes, and extreme weather events. A machine learning–based Gaussian Mixture Modeling (GMM) approach was also developed, providing a novel framework for dynamic front detection. By benchmarking traditional and machine learning methods, this integrated study identifies optimal algorithm–dataset combinations for resolving submesoscale and mesoscale features in the GoM, with applicability to other regions.

Menopause-Related Changes In Sleep And The Associations With Cardiometabolic Health: A Narrative Review, Joshua R. Sparks, Xuewen Wang Ph.D., Faha

Faculty Publications

This narrative review examines the complex relationship between sleep changes during the menopausal transition and cardiometabolic risks. The most common complaint about sleep is increased awakenings during sleep. Other complaints include having trouble falling asleep, waking up too early, insufficient and non-restorative sleep, and overall poor quality. Sleep determined using objective methods also indicates that greater awakenings after sleep onset are associated with the period of menopausal transition. Polysomnography recordings suggest physiological hyperarousal during sleep. Changes in other sleep metrics, such as sleep latency and sleep duration, are less consistent, and some studies suggest they may not worsen during the …

Editorial: Disclosure In Sexual And Reproductive Health, Pooja Chitneni, Shan Qiao Ph.D., Simon M. Manga, Janet M. Turan

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Two Decapod Crustaceans, Panopeus Herbstii And Petrolisthes Armatus, Stabilize Their Gaze Using Achromatic Visual Cues, But Not The Angle Of Linearly Polarized Light, M. Janakis, S. Guirges, A. C. Grant, I. Paris, E. F. Lopresti, Daniel Isaac Speiser

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Exploring Different Metal-Oxide Cathode Materials For Structural Lithium-Ion Batteries Using Dip-Coating, David Petrushenko, Thomas Burns, Paul Ziehl, Ralph E. White, Paul T. Coman

Faculty Publications

In this study, a selection of active materials were coated onto commercially available intermediate modulus carbon fibers to form and analyze the performance of novel composite cathodes for structural power composites. Various slurries containing polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), active material powders, 1-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) and carbon black (CB) were used to coat carbon fiber tows by immersion. Four active materials—lithium cobalt oxide (LCO), lithium iron phosphate (LFP), lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC), and lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide (NCA)—were individually tested to assess their electrochemical reversibility. The cells were prepared with a polymer separator and liquid electrolytes and assembled in 2025-coin …

Little Cigar And Cigarillo Graphic Health Warnings And Quitting Behaviors A Randomized Clinical Trial, Adam O. Goldstein, Kristen L. Jarman, Leah M. Ranney, Jennifer Cornacchione Ross, Sarah D. Kowitt, Chineme Enyioha, Sonia A. Clark, Paschal Sheeran, James F. Thrasher Ph.D., Ma, Ms, Desmond Jenson, Nadja A. Vielot

Faculty Publications

IMPORTANCE Although little cigars and cigarillos (LCCs) are common combustible tobacco products, the effects of LCC warning labels on behavioral outcomes remain untested.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effects of LCC graphic health warnings (GHWs) on promoting LCC quitting intentions and behaviors.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This randomized clinical trial included 1029 adult LCC users from a Qualtrics online panel who were randomized to (1) LCC GHWs (n = 339), (2) existing US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) text-only warnings (n = 346), or (3) no stimulus control (n = 344). Participants accessed messages via email from May 1 to August …

Nitrogen Fertilizer Equivalence Of Red Clover When Inter-Seeded Into Corn, Hannah R. Francis, Ting Fung Ma, Rodrigo Werle, Chelsea H. Zegler, Daniel H. Smith, Douglas J. Soldat, Erika Marin-Spiotta, Matthew D. Ruark

Faculty Publications

Inter-seeding red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) provides an alternative method toincorporate cover crops into continuous corn (Zea mays L.) in the Upper US Midwest. Red clover is a leguminous cover crop that can grow in low-radiation environments and is winter hardy. Systems with red clover have demonstrated improved corn yield and a fertilizer N equivalence but understanding these effects with inter-seeding war-rants further investigation. The objectives of this study were to determine the effect of inter-seeding red clover on (i) plant-available N during and after red clover decomposition, (ii) optimum N rates for corn, and (iii) corn yields. The …

Nitrogen Fertilizer Equivalence Of Red Clover When Inter-Seeded Into Corn, Hannah R. Francis, Ting Fung Ma, Rodrigo Werle, Chelsea H. Zegler, Daniel H. Smith, Douglas J. Soldat, Erika Marin-Spiotta, Matthew D. Ruark

Faculty Publications

Inter-seeding red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) provides an alternative method to incorporate cover crops into continuous corn (Zea mays L.) in the Upper US Midwest. Red clover is a leguminous cover crop that can grow in low-radiation environments and is winter hardy. Systems with red clover have demonstrated improved corn yield and a fertilizer N equivalence but understanding these effects with inter-seeding warrants further investigation. The objectives of this study were to determine the effect of inter-seeding red clover on (i) plant-available N during and after red clover decomposition, (ii) optimum N rates for corn, and (iii) corn …