Digital Commons Network^™

Piloting Brief, Just-In-Time Training Videos For Mentors: Expanding And Strengthening Motivational Interviewing For Youth, Mackenzie J. Hart

Theses and Dissertations

Having paraprofessional providers, such as youth mentors, deliver evidence-based services, has been posited to increase the reach of youth services given the affordability and ubiquity of mentors in school settings. Further, examinations of mentor-delivered Motivational Interviewing (MI) have shown promise in increasing youth mentees’ academic performance and wellbeing. Yet, traditional methods used for training mentors to use MI effectively and sustainably can be costly and time-consuming processes. Previous work has suggested the value of asynchronous, brief, just-in-time trainings (JITTs) to help offset these challenges; however, MI JITTs for mentors have not yet been formally evaluated. As such, the present study …

The Effect Of Antibiotics On Immune Cell Infiltration Of Colon In A Mouse Model Of Early Onset Colorectal Cancer, Valerie Hinsch

Theses and Dissertations

Early onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC) is an aggressive form of colorectal cancer diagnosed before the age of 50. While colorectal cancer cases in patients 50 years and older have been declining, EOCRC cases have been steadily increasing globally in the last few decades, and the cause is unknown. Many agents, called exposomes, have been associated with EOCRC based on their emergence and prevalence prior to and in parallel with the rise in EOCRC cases. Among these are antibiotics (Abx). Abx are indispensable in our fight against infectious diseases, however their overuse is becoming a global epidemic. They are prescribed globally, …

Creative Insights On The Commissioning, Analysis, And Performance Of Four New Works For Saxophone, Andrew Joseph Hutchens

Theses and Dissertations

This document explores, in detail, four works for saxophone, which the author commissioned. These pieces were performed on the author’s degree recitals prior to the writing of this document. The selected works are At the Seams by Baljinder Singh Sekhon II, Intrepid by Russell Wharton, Unity Synonym by Michael Laurello, and Third Rail / Revelation by Stephen Karukas. This document focuses on the commissioning process, musical performance, and theoretical aspects of these four pieces. Interviews were conducted virtually via Zoom and then transcribed for inclusion in this document. There have been no previous studies that have explored these four works. …

Decoding Trustworthiness And Helpfulness Of Online Reviews In Hospitality: A Reader-Centric Perspective, Xiaonan Zhang

Theses and Dissertations

Online review is an ongoing popular topic for both researchers and practitioners. Consumers’ decision-making is largely influenced by the online reviews, especially those that are perceived as trustworthy and helpful given the information overload issue and existence of fake reviews. This dissertation consists of three independent but closely related studies focusing on trustworthiness and helpfulness of online reviews in hospitality industry. The objectives of this dissertation are to explore the factors affecting review trustworthiness and helpfulness as identified in previous research and determine their relevance to consumers' real-world reading and decision-making experiences, as well as the impact of message framing …

Eugene O’Neill Returns: Theatrical Modernization And O’Neill Adaptations In 1980s China, Shuying Chen

Theses and Dissertations

After nearly vanishing from the Chinese literary world map for thirty years from 1949 to 1979, Eugene O’Neill’s works underwent a reevaluation and resurgence in the reform era of the 1980s. This decade witnessed a wide range of introductions to, research on, translations, and productions of O’Neill’s play in the Chinese theatrical and cultural landscape. Chinese theater practitioners staged some thirty adaptations of O’Neill’s works in both domains of spoken drama and traditional opera, including productions by colleges, state-owned troupes, and independent theater groups. This dissertation contextualizes some of O’Neill adaptations in the socio-cultural context of the transitional period and …

Probabilistic Cable Aging Diagnosis And Prognosis With Reflectometry And Capacitance Methods, Xuan Wang

Theses and Dissertations

Safe and reliable operation of power plants and power transmission are critical to economy and society. Cables in power generation and transmission are subject to various thermal, chemical, and mechanical stresses, which generally lead to aging and degradation of cable insulation. It is reported that some cables with a projected lifetime of 40 years need to be replaced in 10-15 years. Poorly maintained aged cables can adversely affect power delivery and lead to catastrophic events, such as blackout, fires, and loss of lives. The current research on cable is mainly focused on the detection and localization of hard faults, which …

Understanding The Corrosion And Discharge Behaviour Of Zinc Anodes In Primary Alkaline Batteries, Brian James Lenhart

Theses and Dissertations

Primary zinc alkaline batteries power a wide array of everyday use electronic devices such as remote controls, calculators, cameras, and flashlights and will own an appreciable share of the battery market for the foreseeable future. Primary alkaline batteries generally utilize carbon, gas diffusion air, or manganese dioxide cathode but always coupled with a slurry zinc anode. There are several issues with this primary alkaline platform, largely emphasized by the performance of the zinc anode, such as a gassing phenomenon which leads to battery rupture and under certain circumstances, low material utilization leading to low energy density. The gassing and material …

Enhancing Relation Database Security With Shuffling, Tieming Geng

Theses and Dissertations

Database security holds paramount importance as it safeguards an organization's most valuable assets: its data. In an age marked by escalating cyber threats, protecting sensitive information stored in databases is essential to preserve trust, prevent financial losses, and maintain legal compliance. In this dissertation, an exploration into the realm of relation database security is undertaken. The research introduces a cryptographic secure shuffling algorithm designed to fortify database security. Additionally, the dissertation presents a series of innovative solutions aimed at bolstering both the security and efficiency of the shuffling algorithm. Encryption algorithms have long served as a mean of safeguarding sensitive …

Race Dynamics And Mentoring Experiences Of Aspiring Black Principals, Tiwana Richardson Meggett

Theses and Dissertations

This study aimed to investigate the dynamics of race and mentorship while capturing the lived experiences of Black principals as they were in the pipeline to the principalship. Although America’s public schools are becoming increasingly more diverse with students of color, the number of principals of color is relatively low; Blacks account for 10.7 % of the principalship, while whites account for 68.1% (School Principal Demographics and Statistics in the US, 2022). This qualitative study used Critical Race Theory (CRT) as a framework to inform the reader of racial trends, dynamics and/or thematic parallels of the participants in the study. …

Engineering Hybrid Colloidal Systems Formed By Charge-Driven Assembly Between Spherical Soft Nanoparticles And Discotic Nanoplatelets, Gelareh Rezvan

Theses and Dissertations

Soft matter, a fascinating class of materials, holds a paramount significance in the realm of material design and engineering. Within this broad category, colloidal gels with their unique characteristics have drawn tremendous attention in a variety of applications, spanning from biomedical engineering to oil and gas recovery. Meeting the specific requirements and criteria of these diverse fields necessitates the development of colloidal gels with highly tunable properties to optimize their performance for a wide range of applications. Hence, both scientific and industrial advancement call for more control over the gel properties by exploring novel practical parameters. This dissertation describes an …

A Field-Programmable Metamaterial Using Memristor As A Stable Switcher, Taekuk Hong

Theses and Dissertations

Before the memristor was discovered, there were RLC circuits as representative passive devices. However, the fourth fundamental two-terminal circuit has been discovered by Dr. Leon Chua in 1971 and has been called a memristor. The memristor is a compound word of memory and resistor, and is an element whose resistive value is not constant and whose resistive value changes depending on the applied voltage and is recorded as a memory. It is mainly used in resistive switching and is the center of this research theme. A metamaterial is artificially created material that has never been found in nature. The theory …

Impact Of Steroid Receptor And Hormone Manipulation In Skeletal Muscle: Implications For Glucose Metabolism And Insulin Sensitivity In Male Mice, Christian Aaron Unger

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation aimed to investigate the influence of modifying steroid receptor content and steroid production within skeletal muscle on glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity within the context of diet-induced obesity. Specifically, our research focused on three key aspects:1) determining the role that skeletal muscle androgen receptor has on glucose metabolism and insulin action in male mice fed a high-fat diet and 2) determining if inducible skeletal muscle aromatase overexpression improves glucose intolerance and insulin action in male mice fed a high-fat diet and 3) determining if inducible skeletal muscle estrogen-receptor alpha (ER-α) overexpression improves glucose intolerance and insulin action in …

Understanding The Impact Of Adverse Childhood Experiences On Borderline Features And Deliberate Self-Harm Behaviors Among College Students: The Mediating Roles Of Emotion Regulation And Interpersonal Functioning, Sydney Mari Levine

Theses and Dissertations

Research has established ACEs as significant predictors of deliberate self-harm (DSH) in both clinical and community populations. Further, adults meeting criteria for borderline personality disorder (BPD) are nearly 14 times more likely to report childhood adversity. No previous studies have examined the critical roles of emotion regulation and interpersonal functioning as mediating mechanisms in these relations. Thus, the current study explored the mechanism by which ACEs affect borderline personality features (BPF) or deliberate self-harm through emotion regulation and interpersonal functioning in a sample of emerging adult college students. Participants (N = 2,255, M age = 19.25) included college students from …

Interfacial Ligand Transformation On Plasmonic Nanostructures: Mechanistic Insights Unraveled By Plasmon-Enhanced Spectroscopy, Kexun Chen

Theses and Dissertations

We employ surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) as an in situ spectroscopic tool, in conjunction with density functional theory (DFT) calculations, to develop a detailed mechanistic understanding of plasmon-driven photocatalytic reactions and heterogeneous transfer hydrogenolysis reactions of molecular adsorbates on metallic nanostructure surfaces. The excitation and decay of plasmon resonances in metallic nanostructures give rise to intriguing photophysical and photochemical effects, including the generation of hot charge carriers, local field enhancements, and photothermal transduction. These effects can be intentionally harnessed to drive or enhance interfacial molecular transformations along unconventional reaction pathways. The first part of the thesis focuses on the plasmon-driven …

A Comparative Measure Of Judicial Legitimacy, Rahul Hemrajani

Theses and Dissertations

In the Federalist papers, Hamilton emphasized the vulnerability of courts as the weakest branch of government, lacking both the power of the "purse" and the "sword." Consequently, courts can secure compliance with their decisions only if people believe in the legitimacy of their actions. Courts that are seen as legitimate by the public can better prevent governmental overreach, enhance the rule of law, and protect democratic rights. However, there is no consensus on how to validly measure the legitimacy of courts. Additionally, existing research on legitimacy focuses on courts in the United States; we know little about judicial legitimacy in …

Supporting Our Heroes: The Need For A Community Of A Community Of Practice Dedicated To The Support Of Military-Connected Families Living In The Southeastern United States, Ashley Gwyneth Monier

Theses and Dissertations

Military families face unique challenges that many civilian families may not be familiar with, to include frequent geographical relocations and extended periods of separation due to military deployments. This study aims to identify the resources available to military families and identify gaps in services and programming to highlight the need for a Community of Practice dedicated to addressing issues that impact our all-volunteer force in the southeastern United States. Furthermore, this study aims to give a voice to the military community regarding the unique difficulties that are commonplace within the military life, to include regular mandated geographical relocations and extended …

Supporting Self-Efficacy Through Mindset: The Impact Of A Growth Mindset Innovation On The Self-Efficacy Of Middle School Students In A Teen Leadership Course, Shannon J. Kojah

Theses and Dissertations

Understanding how the disposition of a student interacts with or influences a behavior plays a central role in cognitive theories. Middle school years have been accounted for as being difficult, awkward, and sometimes downright stressful. The overall purpose of this action research was to examine the impact of a growth mindset innovation using a digital portfolio on the self-efficacy of middle school students in a leadership course. The research questions were: (1) How can a growth mindset intervention using a digital portfolio support self-efficacy improvement in middle school students taking a leadership course? (2) What are students’ perceptions on their …

Quantification Of The Internalization Of A Commercially Available Silver Nanoparticle To The Bacterium Escherichia Coli, Samantha Mcneal Case

Theses and Dissertations

Nanoparticles (NPs), materials with dimensions ranging from 1 to 100 nanometers, are widely used in various consumer products, with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) being the most prominent. Exposure to AgNPs occurs through multiple sources, including food packaging, supplements, and disinfectants, owing to their antimicrobial properties. Prior research has identified adverse health effects, such as cytotoxicity, toxicity, and Ag bioaccumulation resulting from AgNP exposure to bacteria in biological systems and the environment. However, most studies employ pristine, highly concentrated NPs, which may not accurately represent realistic exposure scenarios at environmentally relevant concentrations. This project investigates the fate and internalization of AgNPs, found …

Social Connectedness Between Family Caregivers And Older Adults Living In Long-Term Care Homes In The Context Of Covid-19, Anna Garnett, Hannah Pollock, Natalie Floriancic, Kristin Prentice, Lorie Donelle Phd, Rn, Fcan, Carri Hand, Abe Oudshoorn, Yolanda Babenko-Mould, Cheryl Forchuk

Publications

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and resulting restrictions on physical access to long-term care homes culminated in health declines for older adults living there and their families. Knowledge gaps exist regarding maintaining social connectedness when physically separated. The study aimed to explore family members' perceptions of the impact that restrictions on physical access to long-term care homes had on the experience of social connectedness between family members and older adults living in long-term care. The method used was a qualitative description, using in-depth semi-structured interviews. Themes arising from inductive qualitative content analysis of 21 interviews with family members included: (a) …

The Daily Gamecock, September 2023, University Of South Carolina, Office Of Student Media

September

No abstract provided.

September 13, 2023 Faculty Senate Minutes, University Of South Carolina

Faculty Senate

No abstract provided.

Dispute Resolution In The Badminton World Federation: Sui Generis Expert Determination?, Ilias Bantekas

South Carolina Journal of International Law and Business

The Badminton World Federation (BWF) has set up a poly-tiered dispute resolution mechanism to deal with alleged breaches of its institutional statutes. It calls these ‘judicial’ bodies even though they are not established by law. They consist of the Independent Hearing Panel (IHP) and the Sports Dispute Panel (SDP). The former entertains mostly governance-related disputes while the SDP enjoys jurisdiction for substantive sports disputes. The IHP also serves as an appellate forum against SDP decisions. Neither of these entities has been endowed with arbitral qualities and the BWF dispute settlement architecture is paradigmatic of expert determination. The two ‘judicial’ entities …

Challenges Of Merger Control In The Ggc, Talal Al Awadhi

South Carolina Journal of International Law and Business

This research study investigated the challenges confronting Gulf Corporate Council (GCC) states in merger control. For the purpose of this research, the term merger control is used to refer to the law and regulations on how anticompetitive mergers should be identified, controlled and/or prevented. This research study was carried out using a secondary data analysis. The secondary data was collected from the literature. Research findings indicate that mergers in general are underdeveloped in GCC states. As a result, the law on merger control has lagged severely behind developed states. Research findings also indicate that there are four main challenges to …

Identification Of A Small Regulatory Rna Usps Associated With The Universal Stress Protein In Lactobacillus Species, Zarah M. Fowler, Sasha S. Bronovitskiy, Finn K. Rose, Brian M. Lee

Journal of the South Carolina Academy of Science

The gut microbiome is a complex habitat with many bacterial species, each playing crucial roles in regulating various physiological processes in the body. As the use of probiotics to combat human disease continues to increase, it is important to understand the mechanisms by which probiotic bacteria regulate their interactions with other bacteria and their host. Our exploration of the physiological functions of probiotic bacteria hopes to elucidate the role of small regulatory RNA (sRNA) in regulating gene expression within the microbiome. The goal of this project was to characterize the structure and function of the sRNA, UspS, which is found …

Developing An Ethical Framework-Guided Instrument For Assessing Bias In Ehr-Based Big Data Studies: A Research Protocol, Shan Qiao Ph.D., George Khushf, Xiaoming Li, Jiajia Zhang Ph.D., Bankole Olatosi Ph.D.

Faculty Publications

Introduction The emergence of Big Data health research has exponentially advanced the fields of medicine and public health but has also faced many ethical challenges. One of most worrying but still under-researched aspects of the ethical issues is the risk of potential biases in data sets (eg, electronic health records (EHR) data) as well as in the data curation and acquisition cycles. This study aims to develop, refine and pilot test an ethical framework-guided instrument for assessing bias in Big Data research using EHR data sets.

Methods and analysis Ethical analysis and instrument development (ie, the EHR bias assessment guideline) …

Redesigning A Library Website, Virginia Cononie

Faculty and Staff Publications

Developing a website that meets branding guidelines, prioritizes student-focused user needs, and caters to library professional user quirks can be tricky and, at times, downright impossible. This session explores redesigning a library homepage, including planning, building, implementing, and assessing a new library website. A robust resource list is provided to help start the redesign process, along with guidance on developing a unique website schema and layout. Conflict between university branding guidelines and EDU platforms is discussed. Attendees with zero coding experience, those with little to low budget for web redesign, and those from small libraries are all encouraged to attend.

Archival Research In The Time Of Coronavirus, Kelly K. Hudson, Heather Gilbert

South Carolina Libraries

Two Special Collections directors explore the challenges and strategies of delivering archival services during a global pandemic at their respective academic repositories: Special Collections at the College of Charleston and the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas.

Goofus And Gallant’S Guide To Textbook Cataloging, Scott M. Dutkiewicz, Tomeka Jackson

South Carolina Libraries

This article presents an overview of the 2022 SCLA presentation "Goofus and Gallant's Guide to Textbook Cataloging," presented by Scott Dutkiewicz. This presentation was inspired by the Highlights for Children comic strip “Goofus and Gallant. The reader will learn about five common cataloging mistakes associated with textbooks. Areas discussed are call numbers and classification, editions, pagination, subject and genre access, and indication of audience.

Perceptions Of Covid-19 And The Use Of Health Information Technology Among People Who Are Uninsured: Multimethod Survey Study, Khushi S. Patel, Cynthia F. Corbett Phd, Rn, Faan, Elizabeth M. Combs, Sara B. Donevant, Margaret J. Selph, Lynette M. Gibson, Robin Dawson Phd, Rn, Cpnp-Pc, Amit P. Sheth, Ronda G. Hughes

Publications

BACKGROUND: As of May 2023, the novel SARS-CoV-2 has claimed nearly 7 million lives globally and >1.1 million lives in the United States. Low-income populations are often disproportionately affected by risk factors such as lifestyle, employment, and limited health literacy. These populations may lack the knowledge of appropriate infection precautions or have reduced access to care during illness, particularly in countries without universal health care.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to explore the perceptions and experiences of COVID-19, including symptoms and risk factors among uninsured individuals seeking care at a free medical clinic, and to obtain respondents' perceptions of and suggestions for …

Pcos Health-Related Quality-Of-Life And Depressive Symptoms Across The Lifespan: Comparative Study, Pamela J. Wright Phd, Ms, Med, Rn, Cen, Abbas S. Tavakoli, Cynthia F. Corbett Phd, Rn, Faan

Publications

The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to compare health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and depressive symptoms among peri-postmenopausal women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) aged ≥43 years relative to premenopausal women with PCOS aged 18-42 years. An online survey link comprising questionnaires about demographics, HRQoL, and depressive symptoms was posted onto two PCOS-specific Facebook groups. Respondents (n = 1,042) were separated into two age cohorts: women with PCOS aged 18-42 years (n = 935) and women with PCOS aged ≥43 years (n = 107). Data from the online survey were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, and multiple regression …