Digital Commons Network^™

Phenotypes And Variants In Cases Submitted For X-Linked Intellectual Disability (Xlid) Gene Panel Testing, Michael J. Friez

Theses and Dissertations

Intellectual disability (ID) refers to reduced cognitive function, apparent before the age of 18, that negatively affects a person's learning and adaptive capacity. Approximately 1-3% of the population is affected with ID, males more than females, and most in the mild-to-moderate range. ID creates financial, logistical and psychosocial challenges for affected persons and their families and caregivers. It is estimated that up to 50% of ID has a genetic cause. Molecular genetic diagnosis may help in obtaining services and has important implications for family members, but can be elusive. Genes causing ID are known to be over-represented on the X …

Methanol And Ethanol Modulate Responses To Danger- And Microbe- Associated Molecular Patterns In Tomato, Tobacco And Arabidopsis, Claire Teresa Hann

Theses and Dissertations

Methanol is a byproduct of cell wall modification. It is released through the action of pectin methylesterases (PMEs), which demethylate cell wall pectins. Plant PMEs play not only a role in developmental processes but also in responses to herbivory and infection by fungal or microbial pathogens, resulting in increased methanol release. To break down the cell wall barrier, pathogens employ their own PMEs. Interestingly, the infection process also regulates the expression of certain plant PMEs. Methanol is toxic to a number of herbivores and reduces their fitness. At high concentrations, it upregulates signaling and defense genes. However, molecular mechanisms that …

The Paternal Age Effect: A Preliminary Study Of Current Challenges For Prenatal Genetics Care, Andrew Tyler Gunter

Theses and Dissertations

Advanced paternal age (APA) is related to various genetic conditions, behavioral disorders, and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Since the publication of ACMG's practice guidelines on APA in 2008, much has been learned about the causes of paternal age effect (PAE) mutations and their clinical implications. However, no guidelines exist to refer these high-risk pregnancies to prenatal genetics care, nor are effective screening techniques presently available. As such, many patients are not fully-informed about the risks to their pregnancies due to possible APA effects, and neither are are the men who have fathered these pregnancies.

Our findings support that limited APA principles …

Advancements In The Design, Synthesis, And Application Of Polybenzimidazoles, Alexander Lanier Gulledge

Theses and Dissertations

The overall goal of the work presented within this thesis is to investigate, understand, and develop structure-property relationships in regards to polymer structure, membrane stability, and device performance. Previous work has shown that material properties such as acid loading, proton conductivity, mechanical integrity, and device performance can be attributed to polymer structure, chemical functionality, and polymer architecture (homo, random, co-polymer etc.). Developing and understanding these relationships is critical to the advancement of fuel cell technology. Within this thesis, several of these relationships are investigated and reported.

Novel polymers and copolymer systems have been developed in this research and have significantly …

Identifying Identity: An Archaeological Investigation Of The Intersection Of Place And Identity At An African American Lowcountry Site, Katherine Elisabeth Goldberg

Theses and Dissertations

African and African American communities have faced pressures of marginalization and racism in the South Carolina Lowcountry since their arrival with Europeans in the seventeenth century. These pressures have been felt physically, socially, economically, politically, and even academically, through misrepresentations in historical portrayals. The field of historic archaeology is uniquely situated with access to informative sources from both the past and the present, and as such exhibits great potential in taking strides to replace the limiting presentation of a static and homogenous single African American culture with views that instead emphasize a focus on unique cultures and identities. This thesis …

Arts Entrepreneurship: An Essential Sub-System Of The Artist's Meta-Praxis, Jonathan Gangi

Theses and Dissertations

As the field of Arts Entrepreneurship education continues to grow, the barriers it confronts prevent maximum vitality. Leading scholars and administrators indicate that program development and formal accreditation standards are important components supporting the field's growth. As such, this document explores next steps and examines how to move the field towards academic maturity.

First, notable Arts Entrepreneurship academic programs are compared and contrasted as a representative sample of existing curricular approaches. Second, issues of accreditation are analyzed as barriers preventing growth, followed by recommendations for removing these obstacles. Third, the Artist's Meta-Praxis conceptual framework is presented as a way to …

Gender-Specific Instructional Strategies And Student Achievement In 5th Grade Classrooms, Millicent Whitener Dickey

Theses and Dissertations

There are three purposes of this mixed methods phenomenological case study. First, the researcher attempted to determine if there is evidence that teachers in single-sex classes adjust the delivery of the academic content when compared to coeducational classes. Secondly, while trying to understand the phenomenon of learning in a single-sex classroom, the researcher tried to determine which specific instructional strategies are considered most beneficial by male and female students. The researcher also looked for evidence of differences in achievement between students in single-sex and coeducational environments. Data collection occurred primarily through surveys, interviews, focus groups, and classroom observation over the …

Defect Mediated Electrochemical Hydrogenation Of Epitaxial Graphene: Towards Graphene Based Microbial Fuel Cells, Kevin Michael Daniels

Theses and Dissertations

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are seen as a promising complementary technology to alleviate the exponentially increasing worldwide energy demand. MFCs use bacteria to extract energy from biomass, where choice of electrode materials has a strong impact on energy extraction and efficiency. Graphene, a single monolayer of carbon with exceptional electrical conductivity and high surface area, is seen as a promising material with the potential of improving charge transfer and bacterial adhesion. To probe this reactivity, a novel means of hydrogenation of graphene by electrochemistry is demonstrated.

In this thesis, electrochemical hydrogenation of epitaxial graphene (EG), graphene grown on silicon carbide …

Population Analysis And Protein Stability Assays Illustrate Xenobiotic Metabolizing Enzymes Have No Detectable Effect On Breast Cancer Development And Progression, Thomas Daniel Crowder

Theses and Dissertations

Xenobiotic Metabolizing Pathway works to detoxify the cell from numerous carcinogenic, mutagenic, and toxic hydrophobic compounds. As a member of the phase I enzymes (the first phase in the Xenobiotic Metabolizing Pathway) the Cytochrome P-450 Family 1 Sub-family B Protein 1 (Cyp1B1) works to attach an oxygen molecule to its hydrophobic substrate. In performing this reaction, Cyp1B1 often increases the reactivity of the xenobiotic compound. If these reactive Cyp1B1 products migrate into the nucleus and they can cause damage by reacting with DNA. However, the Glutathione S-Transferase Theta 1 (GSTT1) and Glutathione S-Transferase Mu 1 (GSTM1), members of the phase …

A Quantitative Analysis Of White-Tailed Deer Harvest Across States And Counties, Rebecca Lynne Cain

Theses and Dissertations

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) have gone from locally extirpated to overabundant in many areas in the United States since the early 1900s. Ecosystems with chronically overabundant populations experience many disastrous effects resulting from the selective browsing behavior of deer. White-tailed deer are managed at the state level resulting in different management strategies, harvest data collection, and deer management goals between states. However recreational hunting is the primary tool used by wildlife agencies to control population growth. As such, it is beneficial to understand the influence each regulatory variable has on white-tailed deer harvest.

For this research, I compiled historical harvest …

Best Practice For Antipsychotic Medication Management In Community Dwelling Older Adults With Schizophrenia, Estelle Marie Brown

Theses and Dissertations

Schizophrenia, aging, and medication factors combine to present a very complex clinical presentation in caring for the elderly population with schizophrenia. The aging body displays a slowing of physiological processes, which alters the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of medications prescribed. Multiple comorbid health factors and the medications recommended for treatment may become detrimental to the overall body health, causing more problems for the older individual. This evidence based practice project reviewed literature and evidence to focus on the question, "In community dwelling older adults with schizophrenia, what is best practice for antipsychotic medication management?" The literature search resulted in classifying 16 …

The Development Of A Performance Progression For Science Teachers' Implementation Of Model-Based Teaching, Christopher Bogiages

Theses and Dissertations

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) call for science teachers to implement pedagogical strategies that can approximate authentic scientific practices. One such strategy, Model-Based Teaching, engages students in learning the disciplinary core ideas of science through the process of developing and using Scientific Models. Model-Based Teaching is a difficult pedagogical strategy for teachers to learn and implement. Factors such as Knowledge of Scientific Models and Modeling (KSM), understanding of the Nature of Science (NOS), and use of questioning to facilitate whole class discussions play important roles in the development of teachers' ability to implement Model-Based Teaching. This study employed a …

Bluefield, Jennifer Sharain Bartell

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis uses poetry to explore the history of my childhood neighborhood Bluefield, which lies outside of the city of Johnsonville. Several factors have gone into the writing of this manuscript: interviewing elders of the neighborhood; researching land deeds; conducting water and soil samples to explore the possibility of environmental causes of high cancer rates; and exploring my individual grief and the collective grief of an aging and dying community. Bluefield is a community that is Southern, predominately Black, and low income; the voices of its residences, along with my poetic voice, pervade the manuscript, which includes elegies for the …

Cellular And Biochemical Effects Of Sparstolonin B On Endothelial Cells To Inhibit Angiogenesis, Marwa Belhaj

Theses and Dissertations

Angiogenesis is the process of new blood vessel development by endothelial cells from pre-existing vasculature; however, abnormal angiogenesis contributes to the pathogenesis of many disorders such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and chronic inflammation. Angiogenesis in atherosclerotic plaques contributes to their instability and therefore increases the risk of plaque rupture and thrombus formation. Sparstolonin B (SsnB) is a novel bioactive compound isolated from Sparganium stoloniferum, an herb that has been used historically in the Chinese herbal medicine "SanLeng" as an herbal remedy for the treatment of several inflammatory diseases. In this study, we have explored the anti-angiogenic properties of SsnB in …

The Effects Of Snmp-2 Gene Expression On Mating Discrimination In Male Drosophila Melanogaster, Kristen Taylor Ashourian

Theses and Dissertations

In order to distinguish between relevant and extraneous stimuli, insects have adapted specialized processes to perceive cues that are beneficial for survival and proliferation. Volatile molecules in the environment can stimulate olfactory receptors (ORs) and gustatory receptors (GRs) in chemosensory organs called sensilla. Specialized proteins located within these sensilla guide and assist chemosensory molecules to the receptors, which then trigger a transduction pathway that elicits behavioral responses. Sensory Neuron Membrane Proteins (SNMPs) are transmembrane proteins found on both gustatory and olfactory sensory organs in insects. There are two forms of these proteins, SNMP-1 and SNMP-2. InDrosophila melanogaster, the function of …

The Remaking Of An American Opera: A Detailed Look At Carlisle Floyd's Grand Opera 'The Passion Of Jonathan Wade', Joshua R. Wentz

Theses and Dissertations

Carlisle Floyd's single grand opera, The Passion of Jonathan Wade, premiered in 1962 in New York City only to be placed on a shelf for the next twenty-eight years to collect dust. In 1990, David Gockley at Houston Grand Opera commissioned a revival of the work, prompting Floyd to write eighty percent new music and libretto. The two versions are similar in plot but are set very different musically.

This document examines the composer, a historical background of the American landscape at the time of each premiere, and a brief analytical examination of The Passion of Jonathan Wade in both …

An Experimental Investigation Of Reciprocity And Formal Controls With Labor Market Competition, Michael John Majerczyk

Theses and Dissertations

DISS_abstract> Most experimental research related to agency settings, such as participative budgeting, has examined how formal controls, such as audits and reviews, influence the behavior of managers. Alternatively, a growing literature in managerial accounting examines the effects of using informal social controls. Some of these studies have examined the ability of the gift-exchange model from economics, founded on reciprocity, to function as a suitable control. Within the social context of an experimental labor market, I examine the relationship between the type of control employers implement (i.e., reviews, a formal control versus reciprocity, an informal control) and the amount of budget …

Hydrological Influences On Ecological Zonation In A Salt Marsh Tidal Creek Basin: Crab Haul Creek, South Carolina, Usa, Elizabeth Madsen

Theses and Dissertations

Ecological zones in a salt marsh are controlled by many factors, including hydroperiod, elevation, soil salinity, groundwater flow, competition, and nutrient/oxygen availability. The primary driving factor(s) are still debated, but most models of zonation consider elevation or hydroperiod as the key factor. This project is designed to gather high-resolution aerial images from a helium balloon kite (Helikite) to improve our understanding of the influence of hydroperiod on zonation. The Helikite was used to capture aerial photographs of Crab Haul Creek Basin, the most landward salt marsh basin in North Inlet, South Carolina. Near-IR photographs were taken from 75-100m altitude to …

Understanding Hydrothermal Carbonization Of Mixed Feedstocks For Waste Conversion, Xiaowei Lu

Theses and Dissertations

Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) is an environmentally beneficial means to convert waste materials to value-added solid and liquid products with minimal greenhouse gas emission. Research is lacking on understanding the influence of critical process conditions on product formation and environmental implication associated with HTC of waste streams. This work was conducted to determine how reaction conditions and heterogeneous compound mixtures (representative of municipal wastes) influence hydrothermal carbonization processes. The specific experiments include: (1) determine how carbonization product properties are manipulated by controlling feedstock composition, process conditions, and catalyst addition; (2) determine if carbonization of heterogeneous mixtures follows similar pathways as that …

Improvisation In A Fourth-Grade Music Class, Lauren Julia King Driscoll

Theses and Dissertations

With the intent of improving the understanding of music learning, I investigated the processes of tonal, rhythm, melodic, and harmonic improvisation among my fourth-grade students and me. The following were the guiding research questions. 1. How did I adapt music improvisation strategies for my intact class of fourth-grade students? 2. How did those students participate in music improvisation experiences? 3. How did those students describe their music improvisation experiences? Seventeen fourth-grade students participated in this study, and I participated in this study as a participant observer. Over the course of five weeks, I taught ten 50-minute music classes, where I …

A Study Of The Relationship Between Public K-8 And Middle Schools And Student Achievement In One South Carolina School District, Marc Gardner Zachary

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract This study examined the impact of grade configuration on academic achievement. Specifically compared were 6-8 middle schools versus a K-8 school in one upstate South Carolina district. One purpose of this study was to determine if the performance, as indicated by the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) reading and math tests, was different for students enrolled in grades 6-8 in a certain school configuration. The other purpose was to determine if reading and math growth during the transition year from elementary to middle school is higher in 6-8 middle schools or K-8 schools. The researcher utilized data from 3 …

The Effect Of Winning Football And League Affiliation On Academic Achievement In The Southeastern Conference (Sec) Does Winning Football And Conference Improve Student Related Academic Indicators ?, A. Wayne Alexander Ii

Theses and Dissertations

Numerous researchers have attempted to study the effect of winning football on a university’s academic standing. To this point, the results have been varied and inconclusive. The answer is unclear and the research does not examine a conference as a whole in comparison to other conferences since the Bowl Championship Series (BCS)- era (1998-2012). The current study examines whether the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and the success of the conference’s football teams, in terms of winning games and conference membership, improves the conference's member schools academic indicators. Using factors such as SAT scores, application rate, retention rates, and graduation rates, this …

Pursuing Justice For The Child: The Forgotten Women Of In Re Gault, David S. Tanenhaus

Scholarly Works

In this article, I first draw on my recent book The Constitutional Rights of Children to introduce the facts of the case and place the case in the larger context of the history of American juvenile justice. I then focus specifically on the role of four remarkable women in the history of this landmark decision: Marjorie Gault, Gerald's mother; Amelia Lewis, Gerald's lawyer; Lorna Lockwood, an Arizona lawyer who became the first woman to serve as the Chief Justice of a State Supreme Court; and Getrude "Traute" Mainzer, who assisted in the litigation of Gerald's case before the U.S. Supreme …

Concussions And Sports: Introduction, David Orentlicher

Scholarly Works

No abstract provided.

Writing (And Reading) Appellate Briefs In The Digital Age, Mary Beth Beazley

Scholarly Works

In this essay, Professor Beazley briefly reviews a slice of the voluminous research about how human beings read digital as opposed to paper text. In particular, she discusses studies of knowledge workers (defined to include those who use or generate knowledge in their work)4 and those who engage in active reading (defined as a reading process that includes nonsequential reading, searching a text, comparing texts, annotating, bookmarking, and the like).She concludes by making suggestions for legal readers, legal writers, courts, and database providers as to how best to accommodate the process of digital reading.

Student, Esquire?: The Practice Of Law In The Collaborative Classroom, Nantiya Ruan

Scholarly Works

Law faculty and non-profit lawyers are working together in a variety of partnerships to offer students exposure to "real life" clients in the first year of law school, as well as in advanced courses in substantive areas. Teachers engaged in this client-centered advocacy through experiential frameworks have broken out of their isolated silos in the law school (e.g., legal writing, clinical, externship, and doctrinal) and begun to work together. To help students develop a sense of professional identity, cultivate professional values, and tap into key intrinsic motivations for lawyering, such as serving the public good, collaborative classrooms have an important …

The Postcolonial Problem For Global Gay Rights, Stewart Chang

Scholarly Works

As the United States and Europe have progressed to the issue of same-sex marriage, countries that are still working through antecedent issues, such as the decriminalization of anti-sodomy laws, are regarded by international gay rights advocates as lagging behind the times. This often leads to pressures from the Western-dominated international community for reform. Through this Article, Professor Stewart Chang contributes to the ongoing scholarly debate between international human rights activists who desire to advance gay rights by utilizing the same rights-based models that prevail in the United States and Europe and critics of this approach who deem the universal imposition …

Dreams Of My Father, Prison For My Mother: The H-4 Nonimmigrant Visa Dilemma And The Need For An "Immigration-Status Spousal Support", Stewart Chang

Scholarly Works

In this article, Professor Stewart Chang uses the situation of H-4 visa derivatives in the Asian Indian immigrant community as a case study to expose and critique larger incongruities within current American immigration policy, which on the one hand has historically extolled individuality, equality, and workforce participation as avenues to the American Dream, while enforcing gender hierarchy and dependency through requirements that prioritize family unity on the other. These incongruities remain largely unnoticed because the culture of dependency is often attributed to traditional ethnic culture, which then becomes the site of scrutiny and blame. The H-4 visa dilemma in the …

Racial Upside: Deconstructing The "Merits" Of Jeremy Lin's Nba Contract, Stewart Chang

Scholarly Works

In this Article, Professor Stewart Chang disputes the common misperception that sports are a colorblind meritocracy that should serve as a model for the rest of society. The capacity of players to break into and succeed in professional sports is believed to be based purely on merit, with no consideration of race. Controversies that surfaced around the rise of professional basketball player Jeremy Lin, an Asian American not expected to succeed in a sport dominated by blacks and whites, challenged this popularly-held notion. He argues, not in a derisive way, that Lin's ability to secure a lucrative $28.8 million contract, …

Central Cascadia Subduction Zone Creep, Gina M. Schmalzle, Robert Mccaffrey, Kenneth C. Creager

Geology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Central Cascadia between 43ºN and 46ºN has reduced interseismic uplift observed in geodetic data and coseismic subsidence seen in multiple thrust earthquakes, suggesting elevated persistent fault creep in this section of the subduction zone. We estimate subduction thrust "decade-scale" locking and crustal block rotations from three-component continuous Global Positioning System (GPS) time series from 1997 to 2013, as well as 80 year tide gauge and leveling-derived uplift rates. Geodetic observations indicatecoastal central Oregon is rising at a slower rate than coastal Washington, southern Oregon and northern California. Modeled locking distributions suggest a wide locking transition zone that extends inland undercentral …