Digital Commons Network^™

The Tamads2-Tatbl21 Module Enhances Wheat Resistance To Stripe Rust By Activating Tagkl-Mediated Immunity, Shijia Zhao, Hao Chu, Yanan Lu, Jiaqi Chen, Xu Wang, Guangxiang Tian, Mingjing Zhang, Pengyu Song, Yanhui Zhang, Guihua Bai, Gangming Zhan, Zhensheng Kang, Wenming Zheng, Zhengqing Fu, Na Liu

Faculty Publications

Wheat stripe rust (Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici, Pst) poses a catastrophic threat to global food security. While MADS-box transcription factors regulate development and abiotic stress, their roles in plant-pathogen immunity remain enigmatic. In this study, we identified TaMADS2, a Pst-induced MADS-box gene, as a positive regulator of wheat resistance. Functional analyses demonstrated that TaMADS2 overexpression significantly enhanced Pst resistance, whereas its knockdown rendered wheat more susceptible. Further investigation revealed that TaMADS2 interacts with trichome birefringence-like protein 21 (TaTBL21) to activate glycerol kinase-like (TaGKL) expression. Silencing TaGKL in wild-type or TaMADS2-overexpressing lines …

The Impact Of Geographic And Community Diversity On The Transitionary Experiences Of International College Athletes, Marek Taškár, Chris Corr, Nicole Sellars, Sarah Stokowski, Karina Jolly, Trevor Bopp

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics

International college athletes migrating to the United States for athletic competition encounter unique challenges such as language barriers, cultural adjustment, and familial detachment. These obstacles can hinder international college athletes’ transition compared to those of domestic athletes. While supportive programming and personnel have been illustrated to ease the transition and foster acculturation among international college athletes, the impact of the geographic location of an institution may impact the acculturation process for international college athletes. Given the importance of acculturation to athletic and academic success, this study examined how cultural diversity within communities hosting NCAA member institutions affects international college athletes’ …

New Frontiers In Stand-Alone Digital Obesity Treatment, Delia West, Rebecca A. Krukowski

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Toward A Feminist Geo-Legal Reading: Us Country-Of-Origin Information In Asylum Adjudication, Malene H. Jacobsen, Austin Crane, Elise Dosch

Faculty Publications

In this article, we offer what we call ‘a feminist geo-legal reading’ of documents used in spaces and practices of law. Legal cases and decisions are often based on different legal and non-legal documents, including laws, explanatory memorandums, testimonies, medical reports, and so forth. In contemporary asylum adjudication, country-of-origin information reports (COIs) have become a crucial source of authoritative evidence as asylum officers and immigration judges use these reports in their determination of a person's need for and right to protection. However, there is no straight line from COIs' substance to the prevailing authority that they command within asylum adjudication. …

What Drives Advanced Practice Nurses To Stay In Rural America? Insights From The 2022 National Survey Of Registered Nurses, Esita Patel, Chris Gillette, Jan Ostermann Phd, Chris Everett, Dawn Caviness, Sarah Garvick

Faculty Publications

Purpose: Recruiting and retaining a robust rural health care workforce is critical to advancing health outcomes in rural communities. Although increasing the rural provider workforce has been a policy focus for decades, rural access continues to worsen. Using a strengths-based approach, we identify factors that influence the decisions of advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) to leave or stay in their jobs.

Methods: Secondary analysis of data from the 2022 National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses. We describe rates of turnover, retention, intention to leave, and reasons for leaving and staying by job rurality. We compare reasons by rurality using Pearson …

A New Low-Rate Stable Hydrogel Cathode For Aqueous Zn-Ion Batteries, Roya Rajabi, Shichen Sun, Jamil A. Khan, Morgan Stefik, Kevin Huang

Faculty Publications

Aqueous Zn-ion batteries (ZIBs) are attractive candidates for large-scale energy storage owing to the abundance, low cost, and intrinsic safety of Zn metal. However, their practical application is hindered by poor cycle stability, especially at low current densities, due to cathode dissolution and limited electrochemically active sites (EAS). Herein, a hydrogel-based cathode comprising ammonium vanadate, carbon black, and a Zn-ion-conducting carboxymethyl chitosan–acrylamide hydrogel matrix doped with Zn(ClO4)2 is reported. This design establishes a continuous Zn-ion-conducting network, thereby maximizing EAS density throughout the electrode volume. The ZIB with the hydrogel cathode exhibits outstanding cycling stability, with 77% capacity retention after 2000 …

Vertical Sorting Of Bed Material In Gravel-Bed Streams-- Insights From Long-Term Observations In East Creek, British Columbia, Marwan A. Hassan, Tianqi Xing, Conor Mcdowell, Kevin J. Pierce, Mike Turley, Sol Leader-Cole, Enrica Viparelli

Faculty Publications

The vertical sorting of streambed grains is a key control on river channel stability and sediment transport rates. In this study, we report on burial depths and mobility characteristics of coarse sediment in a small gravel-bed stream using an extensive data set of nearly 1,500 magnetically tagged tracer grains, deployed and annually surveyed between 2004 and 2018. We observe that sediment burial correlates with grain size and event magnitude, and we identify correlations between the burial depths of coarse grains and their mobility, residence time, and travel distance characteristics. A particularly large event in 2007 produced significant vertical sorting which …

October 15, 2025 Faculty Senate Minutes, University Of South Carolina

Faculty Senate

No abstract provided.

It Just Means More: The Cultural Bond Between The South And Sec Football, Ryan Stinson

Senior Theses

With the success of programs like Vanderbilt and Georgia Tech in the early 1900s, college football quickly became means of establishing Southern superiority over the northern U.S. Their success continued into the 20th and 21st centuries with the creation and rise of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). During and prior to the existence of the SEC, rivalries, traditions, and pageantry developed and thrived in communities across the southeast. These aspects created a unique environment that drew in fans of college football across the region. This resulted in a unique bond between fan, university, team, and community that has thrived within all …

The Economic Impact Of The Soda City Market In Columbia, Sc, Sarah E. Lillard

Senior Theses

This study examines the role of Soda City Market in the economic and social revitalization of Columbia, South Carolina’s Main Street district. Since relocating downtown in 2012, the market has evolved from a small farmers market into a major cultural and entrepreneurial hub attracting more than 300,000 visitors annually. To evaluate its impact, the study integrates two primary methods: a vendor survey capturing business characteristics and an IMPLAN input–output model estimating the market’s economic effects within Richland County. Survey results from 25 vendors reveal a diverse and culturally representative business community in which Soda City serves as both an incubator …

Labour And (Class) Struggle In James Barke’S Compositionist Imaginaries: Dreaming With Rob Roy, Marx & Burns, Arianna Introna

Studies in Scottish Literature

James Barke’s literary imagination of working lives is primarily concerned with how different modes of labour generate a tension between refusal of work and the material constraints on fully engaging in it. Putting into conversation the Marxist autonomist method of ‘compositionism’ with Barke’s own theories of art and class struggle, this article traces how Barke’s fiction represents toil on the one hand, and the yearning for a life beyond the tyranny of capital on the other, as defining the horizons of working-class life.

Teaching While Stressed: How Mental Support Is Impacting The Teaching Experience In South Carolina, Olivia Striedl

Senior Theses

Teacher shortages are a widespread issue within both the United States and South Carolina. One cause of high numbers of teachers leaving their positions is low job-satisfaction and high stress levels. In this study of teacher mental health in South Carolina, eight teachers were interviewed regarding their experience with job-related stress and support offered to them. The interviews revealed that teachers experience high levels of stress, with many interviewees having stressors in common. Many participants had at least one experience in which stressors pushed them to leave or almost leave their position, showing the importance of mental health when considering …

The Role Of Language Ideologies In Saudi Elementary English Education: Efl Teacher’S Perspectives And Experiences, Ghanem Saad S Alghuwainem

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines how Saudi elementary English teachers understand and enact language ideologies in a period of rapid educational change and national reform. Using a comparative case study of five teachers in Al-Ahsa, the study triangulates semi-structured interviews, classroom audio recordings, and teaching materials to compare stated beliefs with observable practice. The analysis is guided by the theories of English hegemony and language and gender ideology, which together illuminate how global linguistic hierarchies are localized through teachers’ beliefs and practices. Findings reveal that teachers occupy an ideologically complex position as they balance the national push for English proficiency under Vision …

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 …

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 …

An Evidence-Based Intervention To Increase Trypanosoma Cruzi, A Neglected Parasitic Infection, Diagnosis In Rural And Moderate-Size-City Us Clinics, M K. Lynn, Hunter M. Boehme, Jeffrey Hall, Patrick Kent, Alain H. Litwin, Quang H. Pham, Melissa Nolan Ph.D., Mph, Prisma Chagas Team

Faculty Publications

Background

Chagas disease is a chronic, insidious parasitic infection (Trypanosoma cruzi) that slowly develops to irreversible organomegaly over several decades. The disease is traditionally acquired in endemic Latin American countries during childhood; < 1% of foreign-born adult residents in the United States have been diagnosed or treated with this potentially fatal disease. Low physician knowledge is a primary factor leading to misdiagnosis.

Methods

Starting in April 2022, a 4-part T cruzi clinical education intervention began, which included (i) 2 grand rounds presentations to >100 internal medicine providers; (ii) implementation of a “clinical Chagas champions program” incorporating 14 key clinical staff at varying departments and administrative levels educated on their specific role related to T cruzi screening, diagnosis confirmation, clinical management, and medical billing; ( …

An Upper-Mesopelagic-Zone Carbon Budget For The Subarctic North Pacific, Brandon M. Stephens, Montserrat Roca-Martí, Amy E. Maas, Vinícius J. Amaral, Samantha Clevenger, Shawnee Traylor, Claudia R. Benitez-Nelson, Philip W. Boyd, Ken O. Buesseler, Craig A. Carlson, Nicolas Cassar, Margaret Estapa, Andrea J. Fassbender, Yibin Huang, Phoebe J. Lam, Oliver Marchal, Susanne Menden-Deuer, Nicola L. Paul, Alyson E. Santoro, David A. Siegel, David P. Nicolson

Faculty Publications

Mesopelagic zone (MZ) carbon budgets comparing supply with demand can be difficult to constrain due to the temporal and spatial offsets between key sources and sinks, their associated uncertainties, and potential sampling biases. To address these challenges, the EXport Processes in the Ocean from RemoTe Sensing (EXPORTS) campaign increased the number and variety of simultaneous measurements to monitor temporal variability in the MZ carbon budget using both a Lagrangian frame of reference and long-term autonomous observations. In this study, we collate a comprehensive combination of new and previously published organic carbon supply and demand measurements collected from the surface (5 …

Seeding Science: Exploring Impacts From Interdisciplinary Project-Based Learning Experiences On Preservice Teachers Science Teaching Self-Efficacy, Kathryn Ruth Madden

Theses and Dissertations

Early childhood and elementary education preservice teachers often report having limited firsthand experiences in constructivist, inquiry-based science instruction. This can be a factor in contributing to nervous or anxious feelings about teaching science to young learners. To address this critical problem, this study explored the impact of interdisciplinary project-based learning (PBL) experiences on preservice teachers' selfefficacy. The study extended over six weeks of the preservice teachers' science methods courses. The early childhood participants engaged in interdisciplinary PBL by designing and exploring schoolyard gardens. The elementary participants investigated the local saltmarsh ecosystem focusing on the plants and animals. The PBL experiences …

Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos: Hip-Hop And The Carceral State In The East San Francisco Bay Area, William Maclane Hull

Theses and Dissertations

“Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos: Hip-Hop and the Carceral State in the East San Francisco Bay Area” explores the histories of urban redevelopment and deindustrialization, racialized poverty, police and the carceral system, and hip-hop culture in Oakland and other parts of the eastern San Francisco Bay Area. It explores East Bay politics and urban development in the 1900s, which resulted in the flight of industries and wealthy white residents to the suburbs and the erosion of public services. Black community organizations and funk music alike articulated the damages done by these processes in the 1960s. Subsequently, politicians and …

Clusters In The Storm: Regional Economic Specialization Before And After Hurricane Harvey, Gwyneth King Waddington

Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, large-scale disaster events have dominated headlines. As the world faces an increasing number of such disasters, it is crucial to understand their impacts beyond immediate monetary losses. Disasters not only directly impact individuals and businesses but may also reshape the spatial patterns of the regional economy. Through a case study of Hurricane Harvey in Texas and Louisiana, this study examines how disaster events influence regional economic specialization patterns and contribute to uneven impacts across economic supersectors and geographies. Expanding on previous methodologies, this study incorporates temporal analysis tools to identify and investigate case studies of economic change. …

First Detrital Zircon Provenance Data From Oligocene-Pleistocene Sediment In The Beaufort-Mackenzie Basin, Arctic Ocean, Joseph Martina

Theses and Dissertations

Sediment, runoff, and nutrient input to the Arctic Ocean plays a critical role in both physical and biological processes that impact regional and global systems. The Beaufort-Mackenzie Basin, situated in the Arctic Ocean offshore northwestern Canada, contains more than 14 km of clastic strata and provides a record of erosion and sediment transport from the Cretaceous to present. Pliocene sedimentation rates within the basin jump nearly 2000% relative to underlying units, but the cause of this shift remains unknown. We used cuttings from the N. Issungnak L-86 well, focusing on the Oligocene-lower Miocene Kugmallit and Mackenzie Bay sequences and the …

Information Literacy In Charter Schools: An Institutional Ethnography, Katherine Klein

Theses and Dissertations

A strength of US charter schools is their opportunity to carve out an educational niche. Without the same regulation and district control present in traditional public schools, a charter school’s approach can seriously impact how the school addresses information literacy. In our current culture, we are saturated with media and technology, and students learn about navigating, evaluating, and using information responsibly and creatively at school. However, there is currently no published research on how charters do this critical work with their students, particularly with fewer libraries and librarians in the sector. This study uses institutional ethnography to map ruling relations …

Using Critical Literacy To Illuminate Multicultural Perspectives In A Second Grade Classroom, Amelia Marzieh Hecker

Theses and Dissertations

Teaching about equity and diversity can be a challenge for elementary school teachers due to many factors including lack of understanding, resistance from parents, and discomfort due to the current political climate. This action research aims to examine the experiences of the teacher and second grade students as they use cultural literacy to explore multicultural texts. This action research took place in an upper-middle class community in the suburban area of Long Island, near New York City, where most participants identified as white. The data for this research took place over a six-week period. Observations, transcripts, journaling, and artifacts were …

Enhancing Self-Efficacy In Ap Psychology Through Targeted Intervention Strategies, Felicia Jennifer Butler

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed-method action research case study was to measure the effects of an individualized intervention on academic self-efficacy and academic achievement in an Advanced Placement (AP) psychology class. The study focused on four students who received a failing grade on the first unit test and took place over an eight-week period. Quantitative data was collected in the form of assessment data (both formative and summative), survey questions modeled after the General Academic Self-Efficacy Scale (GASE), and assignment completion. Qualitative data was collected in the form of semi-structured interviews and open-ended reflection questions. The findings suggest that psychology …

Separate But Not Equal: A Sequential Explanatory Mixed Methods Study Of Adjunct Structural Empowerment, Experiences, And Perceived Needs In A Midwestern Community College, Shauna Sowga

Theses and Dissertations

Higher education institutions are increasingly reliant on contingent or gig-based labor in the form of adjunct faculty. Adjunct faculty make up the majority of community college faculty, yet they tend to receive the least support, resources, and training investments from colleges. This is no different at Metro Community College, a large, urban college in the Midwest. The problem of practice for this study revolves around Metro Community College social sciences adjunct faculty’s needs for support, resources, and training to do their jobs effectively. This sequential explanatory mixed methods study examined these adjuncts’ structural empowerment, experiences, and perceived needs for support …

Spatio-Temporal Modeling & Goodness Of Fit Testing For Ecological Fire Data, Jedidiah Olof Lindborg

Theses and Dissertations

An analysis of fire data sets resulting from controlled burns was performed. Spatio-temporal models were applied to the data sets to determine which covariates are significant in predicting fire temperature. The data sets were censored and only contain temperatures above 300C, due to a limitation in the measuring device. To handle the censoring, an extrapolation was used to reconstruct the temperatures below 300C. Models were created and run for a data set with the extrapolated temperatures and a data set with all censored temperatures removed. Several aspects of the model were evaluated, such as the chosen hyperparameters, the spatial covariance …

Cultivating Smiles On The Frontier: The Making Of Brazil’S Soybean Capital And Community Building In Sorriso, 1980-2020, Nathalia Francio Cocenza

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores the transformation of Sorriso, a small municipality in Mato Grosso, Brazil, into one of the world's leading soybean producers, placing its local history within the broader context of global agricultural and economic shifts from 1980 to 2020. Sorriso represents the unique convergence of local, regional, and international forces that reshaped Brazil's agricultural landscape. This study critically examines the political, environmental, and social dynamics that positioned Sorriso at the forefront of soybean production, illuminating the town's transition from a remote frontier settlement to a global agribusiness hub.

Through a detailed analysis of previously unstudied archival sources, interviews with …

Apathy Or Agency: Exploring Civic Engagement With Ap Psychology Students, Regina Dilley

Theses and Dissertations

Sensing my high school students’ apathy toward civic engagement, I used a community of inquiry framework to address this problem of practice. Through mixed-methods action research, I explored participants’ perspectives on community, civic engagement, and their involvement in both spheres. A community of inquiry framework was the foundation for my research questions, and as I collected data, I launched an intervention based upon my findings. Although the results of this study were not statistically significant and are not generalizable, I collected a wealth of survey, interview, and reflection data from 48 students across two classes. Analysis grounded in my observations …

Relative Hazard Losses Along The Atlantic And Gulf Coasts, Erin Kemp

Theses and Dissertations

Coastal areas face a variety of natural hazards, many of which are increasing in frequency or severity due to climate change. Continued coastal development emphasizes the need for a better understanding of the impact of these hazards on coastal communities. This study aims to improve this understanding by investigating temporal, spatial, and causal patterns in county-level relative losses (RL) from hazards along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts from 2001 to 2021. Three research questions are addressed: 1) Are relative losses increasing over time in coastal counties? 2) Where are the highest relative losses among coastal counties? and 3) Which hazards …