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Single Crystal To Single Crystal Polymerization Of A Columnar Assembled Diacetylene Macrocycle, Weiwei Xu

Theses and Dissertations

Organic tubular materials have attracted lots of attentions for their potential applications as nanoscale fluidic transport systems, specific ion sensors, molecular sieves and confined molecular reaction containers. While conjugated polymers, due to delocalized Pi electrons, exhibit interesting solar cells and sensors applications. In this thesis, we developed a conjugated polymer which combines the attributes of conjugated polymers with tubular materials, which should have great potential to work as a sensing material.

We reproduced and scaled-up the synthesis of a polymerizable macrocycle 1 that contains two rigidly separated diacetylene units. We found that, through hydrogen bonding, 1 can assemble into columnar …

Instrument And Method Development For Single-Cell Classification Using Fluorescence Imaging Multivariate Optical Computing, Joseph Swanstrom

Theses and Dissertations

Multivariate optical computing (MOC) is an all-optical approach of predictive spectroscopy that utilizes multivariate calibration and spectral pattern recognition techniques while operating in a simple filter photometer instrument, removing the need for expensive instrumentation and post-processing of spectral data. This is accomplished with specially designed interference filters called multivariate optical elements (MOEs). MOC can provide analytical solutions for applications requiring low cost, rugged, and simple to operate instrumentation for use in remote and hazardous environments such as open ocean waters. These instrument specifications are central for developing a method for classifying phytoplankton in their natural environment. Phytoplankton are photosynthetic single …

Hiding In Plain Sight: The Rhetorical Workings Of Simone De Beauvoir's Feminist Language, Emily Crawford

Theses and Dissertations

Simone de Beauvoir's 1952 English rendering of The Second Sex translated into instant U.S. feminist acceptance, but by 1981 Julia Kristeva's call for "Women's Time" coupled with the rise of poststructuralism in the academy essentially sounded the death knell for Beauvoir in the world of feminist language theories. Where the new French feminists explored experimental ecriture feminine, Beauvoir's language appeared unsophisticated and outdated. In the past twenty years a handful of feminists have slowly and intermittently begun to reconsider Beauvoir's language from a variety of post-poststructuralist perspectives. My dissertation adds to this growing scholarship by exploring the rhetorical workings of …

High Quality Silicon Carbide Epitaxial Growth By Novel Fluorosilane Gas Chemistry For Next Generation High Power Electronics, Tawhid Rana

Theses and Dissertations

High quality, thick (~100µm), low doped and low defect density SiC epitaxial films are essential for high voltage (blocking voltage >10kV), light, compact and reliable next generation power devices. One of the significant challenges in obtaining high quality thick SiC epitaxial films is to restrict/eliminate the Si gas-phase nucleation or aerosol formation during growth. The generated aerosol particles adversely influence growth by reducing the growth rate due to precursor losses, and also affect crystal quality, since the Si droplets are carried to the crystal growth surface. Moreover, liquid aerosol particles adhere to the various reactor parts (parasitic deposition), and contribute …

An Assessment Of Injury Presentation To Determine Elder Abuse Prevalence In South Carolina, Brittani L. Harmon

Theses and Dissertations

As the number of individuals age 60 years of age and older continues to rise in the United States, the care and safety of this population will be a growing issue. There are many contributing factors and reasons why elder abuse occurs. Elder abuse is an emerging issue; however there is limited research and understanding in the area. There are barriers to the detection and prevention of the issue. Emergency department staff is essential to the identification and detection of possible abuse, and it is important that these providers understand the risk factors and physical manifestations of abuse and neglect …

Development Of High-Throughput Catalyst Screening For Ammonia Based Selective Catalytic Reduction Of Nitric Oxide With Parallel Analysis Using Fourier Transform Infrared Imaging, Shahriar Salim

Theses and Dissertations

Lean-burn engines, which operate under excess air to fuel ratio offer significant fuel efficiency as well as contribute to the reductions of greenhouse gas emissions. However, lean burn engines produce three main pollutants carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and unburned or partially burned hydrocarbons (HC), which have detrimental effect on both environment and human life. The conventional three way catalyst (TWC) which was designed to reduce NOx under stoichiometric conditions is not effective under lean-burn engine exhaust condition. Recent studies have shown that copper (Cu) exchanged chabazite (CHA) type zeolites are very promising catalysts for urea or ammonia (NH3) …

The Development Of The Femme Fatale On Stage As Seen In The Works Of Jesse Lynch Williams And Edna St. Vincent Millay, Hillary Elizabeth Macarthur

Theses and Dissertations

The Femme Fatale in the United States developed from certain characteristics represented by the New Woman movement of the 1920's. Jesse Lynch Williams and Edna St. Vincent Millay capture the identifying factors of what a Femme Fatale is and should be. This paper will explore the differences and similarities in the images of the Femme Fatale and New Woman, and discuss how those differences are related to origins of the image of the New Woman.

Environmental Footprints Of Violent Conflict, Swapna Pathak

Theses and Dissertations

The effects of militarized conflict pervade countless aspects of society, yet scholars have focussed very little attention on the consequences of conflict. My dissertation assesses the cost of war by examining the relationship between violent conflict and the environment. I argue that the effect of conflict on the environment is an im- portant consequence of war that is often overlooked in favor of other repercussions such as economy and health that are more politically expedient . I study this effect in the light of components of national environmental capacity and hypothesize that conflicts result in short-term and long-term impact on …

Child Sexual Abuse In The Media: Is Institutional Failure To Blame?, Jane Long Weatherred

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents a longitudinal content analysis study of child sexual abuse (CSA) in the United States national news media from 2002 through 2012. It finds that the U.S. national news media have shifted their focus from individual level causes to societal level causes for CSA. This shift has implications for changes in institutional policies and child protection laws throughout the country.

Surgency Characteristics Relating To Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder And Autism Spectrum Disorders In Boys With Fxs, Marjorie Lee Grefer

Theses and Dissertations

Children with fragile X syndrome (FXS) are at high risk for developing a range of behavioral disorders, including Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorders (ASD). However, very few studies have investigated the comorbid profile of FXS and ADHD and the possible dissociation from the FXS and ASD profile. The present study examined the relationship of childhood temperament characteristics of the Surgency facet (activity level, impulsivity, approach, shyness, and smiling and laughter) and the severity of ADHD and ASD features at two measurement time points in childhood, preschool (ages 3-4) and at school entry (ages 5-6). The study consisted …

An Analysis Of The Current Use And Future Intentions To Use Mobile Learning Strategies Among Full-Time Community College Faculty, Stephanie Denise Frazier

Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative study examined how full-time community college faculty members in southern states use mobile learning (m-Learning) strategies as tools for student engagement. Specifically, research questions were designed to measure the current use of six key m-Learning strategies: augmented reality, file/resource sharing, gaming/simulation, reference/research applications, social media, and text messaging. This study also probed into faculty attitudes and beliefs in four areas: performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions. Statistical analyses were conducted to determine existing relationships between these four determinants and the intentions of faculty members to use m-Learning strategies in the forthcoming academic year. Additionally, research …

Cortisol And Working Memory In Boys With Fragile X Syndrome, Jessica F. Scherr

Theses and Dissertations

Fragile X Syndrome (FXS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder and the most common cause of inherited intellectual disability. Although FXS is associated with global cognitive impairments, specific deficits in working memory have been reported in young males with FXS. Working memory is an important cognitive process that involves the ability to temporarily store and manipulate information over a short period of time. Deficits in working memory can negatively impact an individual's academic, behavioral, and social functioning. Chronic stress can adversely influence working memory performance and can be measured physiologically through salivary cortisol. It is important to study the complex relationship of …

Executing And Teaching Science--The Breast Cancer Genetics And Technology-Rich Curriculum Professional Development Studies Of A Science Educator, Regina Evarn Wragg

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents my explorations in both molecular biology and science education research. In study one, we determined the ADIPOQ and ADIPORI genotypes of 364 White and 148 Black BrCa patients and used dominant model univariate logistic regression analyses to determine individual SNP and haplotype associations with tumor or patient characteristics in a case-case comparison. We found twelve associations between individual SNPs and patient or tumor characteristics that impact BrCa prognosis. For example, the ADIPOQ rs1501299 C allele was associated with ER+ tumors (OR=4.73, p=0.001) among White women >50 years of age at their time of diagnosis. Also, the A …

The Artist's Gauntlet: A Singers' Physiological Responses To The Stimuli Of Rehearsing And Performing, John H. Pritchard

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the relationship of a subject's heart rate variability, respiration rate and other vital statistics to rehearsing and performing as a singer. Among the events used for data collection were individual lessons of undergraduates and a lecture-recital presented by a graduate student. Findings indicate a general upward trend in HRV and an increase in range of HR%MAX among subjects while singing, along with a general decrease of respiration rate.

Non-Offending Mothers Of Sexually Abused Children: How They Decide Whom To Believe, Lynn Mcmillan

Theses and Dissertations

Professionals continue to study and refine their understanding of the complex dynamics of child sexual abuse and the role of the non-offending mothers. Of particular clinical and research interest is the response of the mother once she learns that her child disclosed being sexually abused and named the mother's intimate partner as the perpetrator. This qualitative study (n=20) uses in-depth interviews and constructivist grounded theory methods. The focus is how women decide about believing their children's disclosures of sexual abuse, both in terms of what happened to the children and who perpetrated the abuse. The study addresses various factors that …

Re-Examining The Past And Rethinking The Future At Mount Mulanje Forest Reserve, Malawi: New Directions For Local Engagement, Mary Christian Thompson

Theses and Dissertations

Since the 1980s, broad recognition has been given to the need for and the benefits of aligning the protection of biodiversity in threatened forest ecosystems with measures to address the needs and desires of people living near and depending on those ecosystems. With this research project I focus on one such ecosystem found at the Mulanje Mountain Forest Reserve (MMFR) in southern Malawi. Large amounts of money and time have been put forth by local, national, and international donors and conservation organizations to support the goals of biodiversity conservation and social development at MMFR. In order to explore how managers …

Programmable Polymers Preparation Optimization And Applications On Solute Templates, Yinyan He

Theses and Dissertations

Programmable polymer is a type of stimuli-responsive polymer which can keep their induced properties after removal of the stimulu, as well as programmable polymers maintain the general properties as stimuli-responsive polymers, such as recognize and respond to the stimulus. The previous reported solvent Caryl-Nimide bonds based programmable polymers (SPP-1) can freely rotate and change the carboxylic acid recognition group orientation in response to templates. Solvent templates were used in the SPP-1. One potential application for SPPs is using their recognition and memory properties for the identification and separation of mixture solutions of various analytes. In my first project, I wanted …

Phylogeny And Ancestral Genome Reconstruction From Gene Order Using Maximum Likelihood And Binary Encoding, Fei Hu

Theses and Dissertations

Over the long history of genome evolution, genes get rearranged under events such as rearrangements, losses, insertions and duplications, which in all change the ordering and content along the genome. Recent progress in genome-scale sequencing renews the challenges in the reconstructions of phylogeny and ancestral genomes with gene-order data. Such problems have been proved so interesting that a large number of algorithms have been developed rigorously over the past few years in attempts to tackle these problems following various principles. However, difficulties and limitations in performance and scalability largely prevent us from analyzing emerging modern whole-genome data, our study presented …

The Role Of Gender In Intergenerational Transmissions Of Education And Occupational Promotion, Si Wang

Theses and Dissertations

While several studies have suggested the importance of maternal schooling to children's outcomes during childhood, less is known about the role when the child is older. In the first chapter, I estimate the relationship between maternal education and children's college attendance. After developing a theoretical model to consider the transmission of education across generations, I use the NLSY79 Child and Young Adult Surveys for empirical analysis. College proximity is used as an instrument for mother's schooling. All else equal, results suggest that maternal schooling significantly increases a child's probability of attending college by about 2 to 3 percentage points. The …

Quantifying The Effects Of Antibiotics Upon Benthic Diatoms And Marine Benthic Algal Communities, Isaac M. Hagenbuch

Theses and Dissertations

Antibiotics are a cornerstone of modern medicine. Their ability to impair prokaryotic metabolism has saved the lives of many millions of humans in the decades since wide antibiotic usage began. Antibiotic compounds are also widely used in the husbandry of animals that are used for food but, unfortunately, much of the antibiotic mass that goes into humans and animals is excreted unchanged. Those excretions go, directly or indirectly, into aquatic ecosystems. The discovery of this fact has led to a growing global concern about the fate of antibiotics in the environment. This concern is driven by no fewer than three …

Nanoparticle Self-Assembly And Ultrafast Nanomagnet Switching Dynamics, Longfei Ye

Theses and Dissertations

A novel manufacturing technology that offers a low-cost alternative for creating more complex optical materials that are assembled with single-nanometer precision is demonstrated. Using the enormous magnetic field gradients present near the surface of magnetic recording media, colloidally suspended superparamagnetic nanopartilces are self-assembled into patterned microstructures.

The position and shape of these microstructures are precisely controlled by magnetic patterns on the template. The template that can be reprogrammed and reused is magnetically recorded using commercial magnetic recording technology. These microstructures consisting entirely of self-assembled magnetic nanoparticles are then transferred to flexible polymer thin films with patterns maintained. In particular, all-nanoparticle …

The Compact Implicit Integration Factor Scheme For The Solution Of Allen-Cahn Equations, Meshack K. Kiplagat

Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis we apply the compact implicit integration factor (cIIF) scheme towards solving the Allen-Cahn equations with zero-flux or periodic boundary conditions. The Allen-Cahn equation is a second-order nonlinear PDE which has been the focus of many applications spanning a wide range of fields, such as in material science where it was first introduced to model the phase separation of two metallic alloys, and in biology to study population dynamics, just to name a few. The compact implicit integration method works by first transforming the PDE into a system of ODEs by discretizing the spatial derivatives using the central …

Improved Limits And Portability Over Currently Employed Cadmium Monitoring Systems Through Preconcentration For Detection By Way Of Micro-/Nanofluidic Mechanisms, Paul F. Wach

Theses and Dissertations

Due to risk of environmental and biological accumulation of Cadmium (Cd), improved methods of early detection and monitoring must be explored as a preventative measure. Listed as one of the top three toxic heavy metals by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the effects on ecological and human systems have well documented side-effects of physical mutation, reproductive sterility, kidney failure, liver disease, bone loss, and death. Found in batteries, metal plating, pigments, plastics, and cigarettes, Cd is also used as a neutron absorber in the nuclear industry as well as having 3 known radioactive isotopes. Urine Cd levels, which have been …

The Effect Of Radiation On Myofiber Properties In Mouse Skeletal Muscle, Dennis K. Fix

Theses and Dissertations

Radiotherapy has been proven as an effective and necessary treatment for cancer. The dose given is dependent on cancer type and location. It has been previously established that skeletal muscle is the most radiation tolerant tissue in the body. With that being said there is a current gap in the literature that is missing the effect of radiation doses on the histological properties of skeletal muscle. The overall purpose of this study is to determine the effect that a single unfractionated dose of 16Gy radiation has on histological properties of myofibers when compared to 4 fractionated doses of 4Gy . …

Adverse Outcome Pathways: A Framework For Identifying Chemical Mode Of Action During Zebrafish Embryogenesis, Krystle Yozzo

Theses and Dissertations

Human health and ecological risk assessors are currently facing increased demands and public pressure to evaluate the potential risk of hundreds to thousands of chemicals based on limited toxicity data. Therefore, scientifically sound models are needed to predict toxicity without sole reliance on conventional whole-organism (vertebrate) bioassays. To help address this challenge, adverse outcome pathways (AOPs) have recently been proposed as conceptual tools to help link direct, molecular-level initiating events to adverse outcomes at higher levels of biological organization. Additionally, using AOPs as frameworks, high-throughput screening (HTS) and high-content screening (HCS) assays have been recently proposed as key components of …

Structural Origin Of Mechanical Prowess In Conch Shells, Haoze Li

Theses and Dissertations

Conch shells are natural nanocomposites with an exquisite multiscale hierarchical architecture which exhibit coupled ultrahigh mechanical strength and toughness. What materials design strategy renders conch shells such mechanical prowess? In this study, micro/nanoscale structural and mechanical characterization of conch shells (Busycon carica) has been carried out. We demonstrate, for the first time, direct evidence that the previously claimed single-crystal third-order lamellae - the basic building blocks in conch shells are essentially assembled with aragonite nanoparticles of the size ranging from 20 to 45 nm. The third-order lamellae exhibit not only elasticity but also plasticity with the strain up to 0.7% …

Toward Directing Cell Fate: Carbon Nanotubes As Modulators Of Extracellular And Transporters Of Intracellular Cues, Qingsu Cheng

Theses and Dissertations

The unique properties of CNTs lead CNTs attractive in biological engineering applications. It is expected to use CNT based biomaterials for clinic use in the near future. CNTs can be used to tune cellular fate through bother extracellular pathway and intracellular pathway. CNT based biomaterials has been applied into bone, nerves, and cardiovascular system. There has also been progress in the use of CNTs in controlling cellular alignment, to enhance tissue regeneration, growth factor delivery and gene delivery.

Pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) offer a promising tool in tissue engineering strategies, as their differentiated derivatives can be used to reconstruct most …

Synthesis And Characterization Of One Dimensional Boron-Based Nanomaterials, Rui Li

Theses and Dissertations

One dimensional (1D) metal borate and boride nanomaterials have attracted tremendous attention due to their good chemical inertness, high-temperature stability, excellent mechanical properties, and low thermal expansion coefficient.

Beta-BaB2O4 (BBO) is a well-known nonlinear optical material with a high second-order nonlinear susceptibility, wide transparency range, and high damage threshold. Using a low temperature, organic-free hydrothermal technique, single-crystalline barium polyborate Ba3B6O9(OH)6 (BBOH) nanorods were synthesized. It was found that BBO nanospindles can be achieved by annealing the BBOH nanorods at a relatively low temperature of 810 oC. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) techniques were …

Parsing The Effects Of Physical Microenvironmental Cues On Stem Cell Adhesion And Lineage Specification, Greg M. Harris

Theses and Dissertations

Tissue engineering is a broad field geared toward improving or replacing biological material and comprises an immense collection of biological nuances to consider before strategies for clinical applications can be fully realized. Physical and biochemical signals are responsible for making up a cell's microenvironment to guide morphology and function through cell-extracellular matrix signaling, cell-cell signaling, and soluble signaling. In particular, a deeper understanding of these cell-extra cellular matrix factors guiding stem cell adhesion, spreading, and differentiation is crucial to harnessing the potential to develop tissue for regenerative purposes. Mounting evidence suggests that physical cues are a key to understanding the …

The Effect Of Thymidylate Synthase Inhibitors On Bone Marrow Derived Cells In The Intestinal Tumor Microenvironment, Grishma Acharya

Theses and Dissertations

Tumors have come to be known as independently functioning complex organs consisting of cancer cells coexisting with a heterogeneous mixture of host-derived non-neoplastic cells that form the tumor stroma. Tumor survival, progression, and metastasis depend on multiple close interactions between the cancer cells and the tumor stromal cells. These tumor stromal cells are mainly bone marrow derived cells (BMDCs) that are recruited to the primary tumor and sites of metastasis by a variety of signals secreted by the cancer cells. Because of the close interaction between the tumor and the tumor stroma, we propose that tumor stromal cells play an …