Digital Commons Network^™

Tunable Shock And Vibration Damping In Metal Laser Powder Bed Fusion Components Via Controlled Post-Print Compaction Of Particle Damper Cavities, Joud N. Stame, Yanzhou Fu, Samuel Roberts, Austin Downey, Tianyu Zhang, Lang Yuan, Daniel Kiracofe

Faculty Publications

Components manufactured by Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) can incorporate particle dampers (PDS) by retaining unfused powder within internal pockets, providing inherent vibration suppression without added mass or separate damping components. This study investigates the damping performance of such LPBF-integrated PDs through two complementary approaches: (1) quantifying the effect of post-printing volume compression on energy absorption by mechanically indenting the damper pocket, and (2) evaluating how variations in particle packing density influence the dynamic response under both sinusoidal and transient impulse excitation. Experimental results from shaker and shock testing demonstrate that increased packing density, whether by compression or tighter confinement, …

Tax Avoidance And Esg Disclosure Mandates: International Evidence, Sadok El Ghoul, Omrane Guedhami, Yongtae Kim, Hyo Jin Yoon

Faculty Publications

This paper examines how regulations mandating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) disclosure affect corporate tax behavior. Using a difference-in-differences analysis on a sample of firms from 48 countries, we find that ESG disclosure mandates lead to significant reductions in tax avoidance, with stronger effects for mandates that include tax-relevant provisions. We identify increases in ESG information transparency and improvements in firms’ ESG performance as channels through which ESG disclosure mandates reduce tax avoidance. We further find that the decrease in tax avoidance following ESG disclosure mandates is more pronounced in countries with weaker financial disclosure requirements, legal and tax enforcement, …

Examining Reporting And Risk-Avoidance Intentions Among Residents Of High-Crime Neighborhoods: Results From A City-Wide Survey Experiment, Paige E. Vaughn, Matt Vogel

Faculty Publications

Objectives

Examine how offense severity and victim–offender relationship shape intentions to report violence and engage in avoidance behaviors among residents of high-crime neighborhoods.

Methods

A 2×2 factorial survey experiment was embedded in a community survey of 220 adults from nine high-crime St. Louis, MO neighborhoods. Logistic regression models estimated vignette effects on reporting and avoidance intentions.

Results

Firearm presence increased intentions to contact police and community workers and avoid risk. Simple assaults by strangers were more likely to be reported to police than those by acquaintances. Respondents expressed willingness to report to police and family or friends, but not community …

Psychosocial Mediators Of A Physical Activity And Dietary Intervention In Pregnant Women With Overweight Or Obesity, Meghan Baruth, Sarah Wilcox, Jihong Liu, Rebecca Schlaff

Faculty Publications

Background

Mediation analyses provide insight into both ‘pieces’ of the mediation chain; they allow us to look into the ‘black box’ that is behavior change. They allow researchers to better understand the ‘how’ of an intervention’s effects and/or the ‘why’ behind why an intervention worked or did not work. The lack of publications in pregnant populations highlights the need for additional studies to be conducted and published. The purpose of this study is to examine the psychosocial mediators of physical activity and dietary outcomes in a sample of pregnant women with overweight or obesity participating in the Health in Pregnancy …

Bgc-Argo Float Reveals Shifts In Nitrogen-Carbon Cycling In An Oxygen-Deficient Zone, Mariana B. Bif, Colette Kelly, Mark A. Altabet, Annie Bourbonnais, Claire Elbon, Edgart Flores, Alanna Mnich, Josh Plant, Kenneth S. Johnson

Faculty Publications

Oxygen-deficient zones are hotspots of marine fixed nitrogen loss, but the temporal dynamics of their microbial processes remain poorly resolved. Here we present a nearly three-year high-resolution record from a Biogeochemical Argo float in the Eastern Tropical North Pacific that captures a decline in nitrite concentrations, reflecting a shift in nitrogen redox balance. Using a stoichiometric mass-balance model, we quantify nitrogen transformations, including dissimilatory nitrate reduction to nitrite, denitrification, anammox, and nitrite oxidation, and their coupling to carbonate chemistry. The model shows that dissimilatory nitrate reduction to nitrite dominates nitrogen transformations, while denitrification and anammox vary over depth, biogeochemical transition, …

Riparian Ecosystem Condition And Impaired Floodplain Assessment In The Congaree River Watershed, South Carolina, Olusola-Ige O. Adetoro, Cuizhen Wang, Ayobami T. Salami, Olusegun O. Awotoye

Faculty Publications

Floodplain riparian ecological zones (FREZs) are transitional environments that facilitate interactions among hydrological, geomorphological, and environmental processes within aquatic and terrestrial systems. In the context of climate change, urban growth, and increased hydrologic modifications, these systems are experiencing accelerated degradation. This study employed a multi-criteria Riparian Condition Assessment (RCA) framework that combined the Riparian Condition Assessment Tool (RCAT) and a fuzzy inference system (FIS) to evaluate riparian corridor health in the Congaree River watershed, South Carolina, USA. Using 30 m LANDFIRE land-cover data, hydrologic segmentation (at 500 m reach scale), and transport infrastructure overlays, we quantified riparian vegetation deviation, land-use …

Hidden Costs Of Ethical Fashion: Sustainable Development Goals And Garment Worker Exploitation In Bangladesh, Md. Rafiqul Islam Rana M.S., Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

Across garment factories in the Global South, the promise of “ethical fashion” coexists with poverty wages and retaliation. This study examines why the global call for decent work has not improved labor conditions in Bangladesh's ready-made garment industry. Twelve semistructured interviews with production workers were thematically analyzed through Critical Theory and Labor Process Theory. Five persistent problems emerged: wage manipulation, audit and compliance evasion, silencing of worker voice, restrictions on mobility, and the disposal of older workers. A single positive theme, workplace safety and child-labor prevention, showed limited progress. Overall, sustainability rhetoric remains symbolic while buyer cost pressures drive exploitation. …

Hidden Costs Of Ethical Fashion: Sustainable Development Goals And Garment Worker Exploitation In Bangladesh, Md. Rafiqul Islam Rana M.S.,Ph.D

Faculty Publications

Across garment factories in the Global South, the promise of “ethical fashion” coexists with poverty wages and retaliation. This study examines why the global call for decent work has not improved labor conditions in Bangladesh's ready-made garment industry. Twelve semistructured interviews with production workers were thematically analyzed through Critical Theory and Labor Process Theory. Five persistent problems emerged: wage manipulation, audit and compliance evasion, silencing of worker voice, restrictions on mobility, and the disposal of older workers. A single positive theme, workplace safety and child-labor prevention, showed limited progress. Overall, sustainability rhetoric remains symbolic while buyer cost pressures drive exploitation. …

New Species Of Kronosvirus Bacteriophages That Infect Caulobacter Strain Cbr1, Tannaz Mohammadi, Austin Millwood, Maherah Shaik, Bert Ely

Faculty Publications

Caulobacter segnis strain CBR1 enhances the germination rate and total biomass of Arabidopsis plants. Since bacteriophages are usually present in the rhizosphere, we isolated three additional bacteriophages, designated TMCBR2, TMCBR3, and W2, that can replicate using CBR1 as the host strain. The genome sizes and morphologies of the new phages were similar to those of the previously isolated Kronos phage, and when we compared the nucleotide sequence of these new phage genomes, we found only minor differences among the four phage genomes. Pairwise sequence comparisons indicated that the phage genomes should be grouped into three separate species within Kronosvirus genus. …

Single State Agency Licensure Requirements For Substance Use Disorder Treatment Programs In The United States: Results Of A National Survey, Brooks Yelton Ma, Lmsw, Melissa A. Westlake, Amanda J. Abraham, Colleen M. Grogan, Olivia Hinds, Christina M. Andrews

Faculty Publications

Background

Substance use disorder (SUD) remains a critical public health crisis in the United States, with high prevalence and overdose mortality rates. Despite the availability of effective treatments, including medications that significantly reduce overdose risk, fewer than 20% of Americans with active SUD receive treatment annually. Single State Agencies (SSAs), which oversee federal funding and regulate SUD treatment programs, hold significant authority to impose licensure and reporting requirements intended to promote treatment quality.

Methods

This study presents findings from a national survey of SSAs across 50 states and the District of Columbia (94% response rate) conducted between 2020 and 2021, …

Rock On! Examining The Relationship Between Armed Conflict And Rock Protest Music, Dylan Conner Dunn

Senior Theses

This thesis explores the relationship between rock protest music and wars, armed conflicts, and other related events. The purpose of this research is to explore how such specific events, or war and conflict in general, influence rock songwriters. This paper examines a series of nine rock songs ranging across five decades, from the Vietnam War to the 2010s. A variety of artists wrote and recorded these songs, ranging from hard rock to classic rock, to folk rock and beyond. Some are more audially intense, lyrically visceral, and featuring explicit language, whereas others are much more stripped-back and “family-friendly.” Each of …

Unnoticed Witnesses Of History: First-Hand Accounts Of Ukrainian Women In South Carolina During Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine, Madeline R. Fyock

Senior Theses

Language and other cultural symbols have become widely contested in post-Soviet Ukraine, especially after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. The conflict prompted many in Ukraine and its diaspora to re-negotiate and affirm Ukrainian national identity through language, traditions, and culture. The ways in which national identity is signaled in Ukraine has been widely studied in the wake of 2022, but less research has investigated how similar trends are occurring in migratory contexts, where conflict and displacement play crucial roles in identity construction. This study examines the ways that Ukrainian immigrant women in South Carolina signal their …

If You Come Looking: A Novella, Rachael Davis

Senior Theses

My final product is a 26,000 word novella called If You Come Looking, following the journey of a young man named James Gibbard as he struggles with loneliness and tries to make sense of his family’s confusing history. The story alternates between memories of James’ childhood and his current-day cross-country journey as he heads toward the coast for a hidden reason.

Between flashbacks to James’ childhood and glimpses of his travels, the reader watches James struggle to connect with others, even those who show him kindness. The story alternates between James’ perspective and the perspective of strangers who he meets …

Heterogeneity Of Treatment Effects In Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation For Knee Osteoarthritis Pain And Symptoms, Chiyoung Lee, Xiaoxiao Sun, Juyoung Park, Chen X. Chen, Christine Pellegrini Ph.D., Nan-Kuei Chen, David O. Garcia, Heewon Kim, C. Kent Kwoh, Hyochol Ahn

Faculty Publications

Introduction: Although heterogeneity of treatment effects (HTEs) is commonly observed in clinical trials, it has received little attention in studies on transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS).

Objectives: This study identified the presence of HTE in tDCS treatment among participants with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis (KOA) and explored participant characteristics associated with this heterogeneity.

Methods: This secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial included 120 participants with symptomatic KOA who received 15 daily sessions of home-based 2-mA active or sham tDCS over 3 weeks. We used a multitrajectory analysis to identify distinct subgroups based on the longitudinal trajectories of KOA pain and …

Heterogeneity Of Treatment Effects In Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation For Knee Osteoarthritis Pain And Symptoms, Chiyoung Lee, Xiaoxiao Sun, Juyoung Park, Chen X. Chen, Christine Pellegrini, Nan-Kuei Chen, David O. Garcia, Haewon Kim, C. Kent Kwoh, Hyochoi Ahn

Faculty Publications

Introduction: Although heterogeneity of treatment effects (HTEs) is commonly observed in clinical trials, it has received little attention in studies on transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS).

Objectives: This study identified the presence of HTE in tDCS treatment among participants with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis (KOA) and explored participant characteristics associated with this heterogeneity.

Methods: This secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial included 120 participants with symptomatic KOA who received 15 daily sessions of home-based 2-mA active or sham tDCS over 3 weeks. We used a multitrajectory analysis to identify distinct subgroups based on the longitudinal trajectories of KOA pain and …

The Influence Of Mentoring On Educational Attitudes, Beliefs, And Behaviors (Eabbs): A Scoping Review, Amanda L. Davis, Jennifer Koide, Savannah B. Simpson, Samuel Mcquillin, Michael D. Lyons

Faculty Publications

Youth mentoring is a popular means for preventing negative psychosocial outcomes (e.g., high-risk behaviors, school dropout) and promoting positive ones (e.g., matriculation, goal setting). Mentors matched with youth through formal programs, such as Big Brothers Big Sisters, are uniquely positioned to promote the development of the mentee’s positive educational attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors (EABBs; e.g., academic engagement, grit, growth mindset). While school staff, such as school psychologists, are often unable to directly serve all students in need of support due to lack of time or large caseloads, youth mentoring may be a means to target EABB development. However, a critical …

Synthesis Of Copper-Phenanthroline Complexes: A Solvothermal-Compatible Approach For The Exploration Of Metal Complexes, Yunping Zhoujin, Michael Anim Safo, Navindra Keerthisinghe, Mark D. Smith, Sophya Garashchuk, Hans Conrad Zur Loye

Faculty Publications

Inorganic–organic hybrid materials have been widely investigated for their applications in catalysis, optics, magnetism, and biomedicine. Copper halide complexes are of particular interest due to their structural diversity and physicochemical properties. Conventional crystal growth approaches, such as slow evaporation and hydro(solvo)thermal synthesis, typically require extended reaction times and often favor thermodynamically stable phases. In this study, we prepared ten copper-phenanthroline halide (X = Cl, Br, and I) complexes using both traditional hydrothermal reactions and microwave-assisted hydrothermal methods and obtained [CuI(C₁₂H₈N₂)₂][I₃], [C₁₂H₉N₂][CuI₂]·(H_{2 …}

Roadmap On Artificial Intelligence-Augmented Additive Manufacturing, Ali Zolfagharian, Liuchao Jin, Qi Ge, Wei-Hsin Liao, Andrés Díaz Lantada, Francisco Franco Martínez, Tianyu Zhang, Tao Liu, Charlie C.L. Wang, Mohammad Hossein Mosallanejad, Reza Ghanavati, Abdollah Saboori, Alejandro De Blas De Miguel, William Solórzano-Requejo, Yi Cai, Xiangyang Dong, Huangyi Qu, Najmeh Samadiani, Guangyan Huang, Austin Downey, Yanzhou Fu, Lang Yuan

Faculty Publications

Artificial intelligence-augmented additive manufacturing (AI2AM) represents a transformative frontier in digital fabrication, where artificial intelligence (AI) is embedded not as a peripheral tool, but as a central framework driving intelligent, adaptive, and autonomous additive manufacturing (AM) systems. The objective of this Roadmap is to present a comprehensive vision of the state-of-the-art developments in AI2AM while charting the future trajectory of this rapidly emerging field. As AM applications continue to expand across diverse sectors, conventional design and control strategies face growing limitations in scalability, quality assurance, and material complexity. AI uses tools like computer vision, generative design, and large language models …

Redefining Purpose: The Effect Of The 2019 Business Roundtable Statement On Corporate Tax Strategies, Sadok El Ghoul, Rana Jamshed, Omrane Guedhami

Faculty Publications

Business Roundtable (BRT) firms have faced intense scrutiny from investors, media, and the public following their 2019 “Statement on the Purpose of a Corporation,” which marked a shift from shareholder-centric governance to a stakeholder-focused approach. This shift has sparked debate over whether BRT firms are genuinely committed to social responsibility or merely using it as a branding strategy without implementing meaningful changes. This paper contributes to the debate by empirically examining a key dimension of social responsibility—corporate tax behavior. Using a difference-in-difference analysis covering 2004–2022, we find that BRT firms engage in higher levels of tax avoidance than other publicly …

Caroliniana Columns - Spring 2026, University Libraries--University Of South Carolina

University South Caroliniana Society Newsletter - Columns

Fall Events Recap ... p.2

Letter from the President ... p. 4

Report from the Director/Letter from the Dean of Libraries ... p. 5

Echoes of Independence: 250 Years of Revolution and Memorialization ... p. 6

Primary Sources: Authors Rely on SCL Holdings for Their Research ... p. 14

A Dream Deferred: The Art and Activism of Edwin Augustus Harleston by M. Akua McDaniel ... p. 14

The Conise Guide to South Carolina State Government by Vincent Sheheen ... p. 15

South Carolina Scalawags by Hyman Rubin III ... p. 16

Mother Emanuel: Two Centuries of Race, Resistance, and Forgiveness …

Wildfires, Smoke Pollution, And Household Purchasing Behaviors, Tamara Sheldon, Crystal Zhan

Faculty Publications

In this paper, we investigate households’ behavioral responses to wildfires in California to understand their mitigation and adaptation strategies. We combine daily household-level consumer purchase data from the NielsenIQ Consumer Panel with detailed wildfire incident and smoke exposure data from various sources. Our analysis reveals that wildfires reduce retail trips and overall spending, both in-store and online, likely due to evacuations. However, wildfire-driven smoke increases purchases of essential goods, indicating adaptive behavior. More experienced households tend to respond more cautiously, and we observe heterogeneity in responses based on income, age, and pre-existing health conditions. These findings highlight the complexity and …

Inferring The Breakdown Scales Of The Chiral Expansions For GA And MN, Andreas Ekström, Daniel R. Phillips, Lucas Platter, Matthias Schindler

Faculty Publications

We apply Bayesian inference to the order-by-order chiral perturbation theory (χPT) expansions for the axial-vector coupling constant g_A and the nucleon mass m_N, and thereby infer the scales at which χPT breaks down for these two observables. Using a pointwise Bayesian analysis, we find that the inferred breakdown scales are notably different for the two observables. For the chiral expansion of g_A, we obtain 251⁺²⁰₋₅₀ MeV and 211⁺²⁰₋₃₀ MeV using two distinct sets of low-energy constants, while for the chiral expansion of m_N we infer a significantly …

Ready-To-Teach Reads: Standards-Aligned Novel Studies For Seventh Grade Using Contemporary Middle Grade Fiction, Elizabeth Duvall

Senior Theses

This project aims to provide middle school English teachers with an easy way to update their curriculum to be culturally relevant using ready-to-teach unit plans based on diverse novels. Since research shows students benefit from reading texts from diverse cultures, each novel features minority voices. Both units include lesson plans for each day, and resources like slideshows, worksheets, and discussion questions. They were created using the South Carolina College and Career Ready Standards for English Language Arts. While these units are tailored to South Carolina teachers, they can be used by any educator whose standards align with the units’ learning …

Physical And Behavioral Health Diagnoses And Comorbidities Associated With Transition From Military Health System To Veterans Health Care Among Post-9/11 Veterans, Nikki R. Wooten, Megan E. Amaun, Madeleine Myers, Price N.O. Addo, Jeffrey Bowers, Felicia R. Carey, Rudolph P. Rull, Edward J. Boyko, Nathaniel Bell Ph.D., Ana Defede-Lopéz, Mary Jo V. Pugh

Publications

Objective

To identify factors associated with transitioning from Military Health System (MHS) to Veterans Health Administration (VHA) care in post-9/11 veterans.

Study Setting and Design

Retrospective cohort study from the Long-Term Impact of Military-Relevant Brain Injury Consortium Phenotype Study.

Data Sources and Analytic Sample

Population-level data were analyzed from MHS and VHA electronic health data (FY2000-2020). Participants received ≥ 3 years of MHS care and separated from the military before October 1, 2016. The primary outcome was transition from MHS to VHA care after military separation. Covariates included demographic, military, and deployment characteristics at military separation; physical, mental, and substance …

"Ever Changing, Simply Amazing:" A Storymap Of Adaptive Reuse At Brookgreen Gardens, Lola G. Bellah

Senior Theses

In 1930, Archer Huntington, a scholar of Hispanic studies, used a portion of the fortune he inherited from the Central Pacific Railroad to purchase The Oaks, Brookgreen, Springfield, and Laurel Hill plantations in coastal South Carolina and build Atalaya Castle, a winter home on the Atlantic. His wife Anna Hyatt Huntington, a sculptor, led the effort to turn the 19,000 acres into America’s first public sculpture garden, known since as Brookgreen Gardens. In the construction process, some structures from Brookgreen Plantation were repurposed while others were removed from the landscape.

Though Brookgreen Gardens has since interpreted its plantation history through …

Beyond The Individual: Exploring Structural Explanations Of Homelessness Through Thematic Analysis Of Extant Research, Madison R. Mcclain

Senior Theses

This thesis examines how homelessness is defined, explained, and addressed within contemporary U.S. research using Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Intersectionality as guiding frameworks. Through a qualitative, deductive thematic analysis of 16 peer-reviewed articles, this study identifies six key themes related to structural causation, policy governance, measurement practices, racial inequality, dominant narratives, and intersecting systems of disadvantage. Findings reveal that while structural explanations of homelessness are widely acknowledged, they are inconsistently defined and often insufficiently theorized. Institutional systems primarily function to manage rather than resolve homelessness, while measurement practices and definitions actively shape who is recognized and prioritized. Additionally, structural …

Can Argentina Overcome The Lithium Natural Resource Curse? A Case Study Into Argentina's Institutional Framework For Lithium Supply Chain Development And Innovation, Colby Greene

Senior Theses

Through the analysis of the natural resource curse, the development of institutional frameworks in societal contexts, the nature of natural resource-based industry value chains, and value creation through institutions and value chains, all in the context of Argentina’s lithium industry, this paper finds that Argentina has failed to implement the necessary institutions and promote proper policy to promote value addition and real economic growth through the conduit of the development of the lithium industry, yet it is not actively a victim of the natural resource curse. In the hierarchical nature of mining value chains, Argentina has permitted their vast lithium …

Modernity And Transcendence: Gendered Subjectivity In Miss Lonelyhearts And A Spy In The House Of Love, Rachel Loging

Senior Theses

This thesis examines how Nathanael West’s Miss Lonelyhearts (1933) and Anaïs Nin’s A Spy in the House of Love (1954) represent gendered subjectivity under the conditions of modernity. Drawing on Ben Singer’s account of modern experience and Rita Felski’s analysis of modernity as a masculine structure organized around autonomy and production, it argues that both texts stage encounters between masculinity and femininity as sites of interpretive conflict. In Miss Lonelyhearts, masculinity remains tied to coherence, authority, and the paradigm of Christ, and repeatedly attempts to impose order through perception, relationships, and religion. These efforts ultimately collapse, exposing the futility and …

A Comparative Analysis Of Group Care: Trust, Professional Identity, And Health System Structure In The United Kingdom And The Netherlands, Samantha J. Kohlmann

Senior Theses

Group prenatal care (Group Care) has been associated with improved maternal experiences and select clinical outcomes, yet less is understood about how it functions within high-resource health systems and what mechanisms underlie its impact. This study examines how Group Care is implemented in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, with particular attention to professional roles, relational dynamics, and health system context.

I employed a qualitative, comparative design and conducted four semi-structured interviews with midwife researchers involved in Group Care implementation in both countries. Data were analyzed thematically, with attention to cross-context similarities and differences.

Findings indicate that Group Care operates …

Conservation Communication In Web 2.0: A Mixed Methods Analysis Of Alveus Sanctuary's Strategies On Twitch.Tv, Hope Denison

Senior Theses

This thesis examines how environmental creators can effectively transmit conservation messages in the evolving Web 2.0 media environment. The case of Alveus Sanctuary, a virtual sanctuary and education center on Twitch.TV, is used to explore the strategies currently used to engage audiences and raise ecological awareness online. Thematic analysis of interviews with the sanctuary’s founder revealed that Alveus combines traditional environmental education with an influencer business model to engage online audiences, leveraging parasocial behavior, interactivity, and collaboration to garner support. A quantitative content analysis of social media posts revealed that these strategies effectively induce parasocial engagement in online spaces. These …