Digital Commons Network^™

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

Senior Theses

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

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

Senior Theses

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

Could It Be Cold War? How Sino-American Tensions Are Unfolding In The South Pacific., Peter R. Caldwell

Senior Theses

This thesis assesses the impacts of geopolitical competition between the United States and China, focusing on the South Pacific as a primary theatre for this great power contest, and investigating the uses of foreign aid by regional powers to effect both the geopolitical alignment and domestic policies of the developing states of the South Pacific. This paper finds that foreign aid to these South Pacific States is geopolitically motivated, and induces greater attention from competing regional powers, furthering the ongoing competition. This paper first provides an overview of the evolving political situation in Kiribati, a Pacific Island Country which has …

Act 388: An Examination Of How An Obscure Property Tax Law Revolutionized Property Tax Funding In South Carolina, Katie Boyette

The Journal of Law and Education

No abstract provided.

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

The Journal of Law and Education

No abstract provided.

No Child Left Behind Bars: The Educational Attainment Of Children With Incarcerated Parents, Nate Tackett

The Journal of Law and Education

No abstract provided.

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

Theses and Dissertations

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

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

Theses and Dissertations

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

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

Faculty Publications

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

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

Faculty Publications

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

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

Faculty Publications

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

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

Publications

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

Caroliniana Columns - Spring 2025, University Libraries--University Of South Carolina

University South Caroliniana Society Newsletter - Columns

Have Digital Exhibit, Will Travel: “Forest to Furniture” featured at Sumter Museum in early 2025 … p.3

Officers at War: Rethinking Southern Masculinity, Honor, and Violence in the Civil War Era / Dr. Patrick F. Doyle … p.10

Researching Politics, Finance, and Agricultural Subsidies in the Jim Crow Era / Robert Ferguson … p.14

The Unsung Heroes of History / Beth Bilderback … p.16

Primary Sources: Authors Rely on SCL Holdings for Their Research … p.20

The Cost of the Vote: George Elmore and the Battle for the Ballot … p.20

Empowering Communities: How Electric Cooperatives Transformed Rural South Carolina …

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

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Projects

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

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

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

Inclusion Criteria: The study included …

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

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Projects

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

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

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

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

Senior Theses

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

Suspended Agency And The Habitus Of Waiting In A Migrant Shelter In Tijuana, Liam K. Ogden Iii

Senior Theses

This thesis explores idea of suspended agency and the development of a habitus of waiting within a women and children’s migrant shelter in Tijuana, Mexico. Relying on ten days of participant observation and an interview with a shelter director, I examine the lived experiences of residents, workers, and myself as a researcher navigating humanitarian space. Shelters are designed to be short term spaces, but migrants are often forced into long-term, uncertain stays due to restrictive border policies and structural barriers, resulting in a social stasis defined by boredom, anxiety, and monotony within the shelter. Drawing on Bourdieu’s concept of habitus …

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

Senior Theses

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

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

Senior Theses

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

Combating Forced Labor In Global Supply Chains Through Modern Technology: A Case Study Of Uyghurs In Xinjiang, Samuel Donohue

Senior Theses

This thesis examines how modern traceability technologies can help combat forced labor in global supply chains, focusing on the case of Uyghur workers in Xinjiang, China. The research addresses the pressing challenge of verifying ethical labor practices in complex, multi-tiered supply networks, using the case study alongside an extensive literature review. It evaluates advanced technological solutions, including blockchain ledgers, isotope analysis, radio-frequency identification (RFID) tagging, and microbiome tracing as tools to improve supply chain transparency. Through qualitative case analysis and analysis of current research, the thesis assesses each technology’s capability to trace product origins and authenticate labor conditions. The findings …

Legacy - Spring 2025, South Carolina Institute Of Archaeology And Anthropology--University Of South Carolina

SCIAA Magazine - Legacy & PastWatch

Contents:

Lean Times for Archaeology, and Legacy Goes Digital

Director’s Notes

Maritime Research Division- A Year of Fieldwork in Review 2024

29 Years on the Camden Battlefield

The Reburial of a British Soldier on the Camden Battlefield

The Southeastern Paleoamerican Survey: 20^th Anniversary

Francis Marion Continues to Elude Both Enemies and Friends on Snow’s Island

Cosmic Impacts as Indicators of Abrupt Climate and Cultural Change

2024 Update on the Southeastern Paleoamerican Survey

SCIAA on Scholar Commons

The ART Board Research Grant Program

Annual Report for 2023 and 2024

Historic Archaeology: Chester DePratter Retires

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

Faculty and Staff Publications

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

This corpus is the …

Accommodations For Teachers With Disabilities, Macy Gault

The Journal of Law and Education

No abstract provided.

Lockdown Lessons: How Remote Proctoring Continues To Discriminate Against Disabled Students In A Post-Covid Era, Abigail Johanson

The Journal of Law and Education

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of The National Teacher Shortage On The Right To An Adequate Education, Anslee Wood

The Journal of Law and Education

No abstract provided.

From Victimization To Offense: A Scoping Review Of Attachment Theory And Social Learning Theory In Explaining Hypersexual Behaviors In Male Sexual Offenders With Histories Of Childhood Sexual Abuse, Madison R. Rivers

Senior Theses

The association between childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and hypersexual behaviors in both juvenile and adult male sexual offenders has been investigated; however, a clear theoretical framework explaining this connection remains debated. This review aims to evaluate which theoretical frameworks—such as Social Learning Theory and Attachment Theory—best explain the link between CSA and hypersexuality in male sexual offenders. A systematic search and analysis of existing literature was conducted, including studies on the psychological, behavioral, and developmental impacts of CSA on hypersexual behaviors. Both Social Learning Theory and Attachment Theory were critically assessed, particularly focusing on the pathways from victimization to offending …

Challenges In Higher Education For Latino U.S - Born Children Of Undocumented Immigrants, Lupita Gomez Benitez

Senior Theses

Latino native-born children of undocumented immigrants in the United States occupy a unique position within American society. They are citizens by birth and therefore, entitled to all the rights of a regular citizen. However, society does not treat them as such due to their parents' legal status. This paper analyzes the barriers that these students face during the higher education process, specifically in South Carolina. The study uses a review of existing literature and qualitative interviews to uncover some of these challenges and why these students do not ask for help. The findings suggest that these students do have certain …

Augmented, Not Replaced: The Impact Of Ai On Equity Research Analysts, Lawrence Carrea

Senior Theses

The adoption of AI tools into professional workflows has the chance to revolutionize major industries such as the financial services industry. Because equity research is a space that is heavily dependent on data aggregation, forecasting, and report generation, there is a threat of AI replacing human analysts in the next five years. The goal of this study is to determine how the adoption of AI tools will affect the equity research career field. To achieve this goal, a mixed-method approach is employed through a quantitative and qualitative survey. Results from the survey indicate that most finance professionals are already using …

Perceptions Of Internship Experiences For Environmental Science Undergraduates, Sydney Brock

Senior Theses

Internships are widely recognized as valuable components of undergraduate education, yet their accessibility, impact, and role in shaping student development vary significantly across disciplines and individual experiences. This thesis investigates the undergraduate internship experience within the School of the Earth, Ocean, and Environment (SEOE) at the University of South Carolina, drawing on survey data and reflective responses from students who participated in internships between 2022 and 2024. The study explores the professional, academic, and personal benefits of internships, with particular attention to how these experiences influence students' career direction, confidence, and skill development. Findings indicate that regardless of format, duration, …

Methods Comparison For Collecting Subjective Valence And Arousal Judgements, Esha Gandhi

Senior Theses

Human emotion and affect are critical for regulating behavior, guiding decision-making and facilitating social communications. In everyday language, emotion and affect are interchangeable. However, in psychology, they are conceptualized as two distinct constructs. Emotion refers to discrete, prototypical subjective experiences elicited by specific stimuli. Affect, in contrast, refers to more elementary feelings that can be described along two continuous dimensions: valence (positive-negative) and arousal (low-high). According to the circumplex model (Russell, 1980), emotion can be represented within a two-dimensional core affective space defined by valence and arousal. Although valence and arousal are conceptually interrelated, most studies measure them separately using …