Digital Commons Network^™

Adoptees’ Experiences With Direct-To-Consumer Genetic Testing: Emotions, Satisfaction, And Motivating Factors, Anna Childers

Theses and Dissertations

Public awareness of the role of genetics in disease continues to expand along with the use of direct-to-consumer genetic testing (DTC-GT). One subset of customers taking advantage of the growing DTC-GT market is adoptees. Prior research has shown that adoptees appear to be more motivated than non-adoptees to learn about their genetic disease risk but have similar responses to health-related information acquired through DTC-GT. In this exploratory qualitative study, fourteen adoptees were asked about their motivations for pursuing DTC-GT; satisfaction with results; emotions throughout the process; and interest in meeting with a genetic counselor. Motivations for pursuing DTCGT fell into …

Fast Scan Cyclic Voltammetry For Real-Time Metal Speciation Analysis, Hettige. M. Thushani Siriwardhane

Theses and Dissertations

Electrochemistry is a powerful analytical tool that has been widely used to detect trace metals in natural systems. However, studying the speciation of metals during dynamic events, such as storms and floods, is analytically challenging due to the limited temporal resolution of traditional electrochemical techniques. Additionally, most techniques report the total metal concentration (both complexed and free) that does not reflect the toxicity of these metals, which arise mostly from the free state. To overcome these issues, we previously pioneered the use of fast scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV) to measure free copper (Cu(II)) and lead (Pb(II)) in real-time in laboratory …

The Role Of Oral Language In Kindergarten Students Comprehension, Rebecca Kathleen Thompson

Theses and Dissertations

The present quantitative action research study examined two classes of Southern kindergarten students in a Title I school and their oral language and comprehension abilities as measured by standardized tests. The identified problem of practice involved incoming kindergarteners’ lack of preparedness for reading. The research question that guided this quantitative study was: How does a kindergarten student’s oral language ability relate to his or her ability to comprehend a wordless picture book and a text read to them? Assessments of overall oral language, wordless picture book comprehension, and listening comprehension comprise the data set. Data were collected at the beginning …

Urban Accessibility Measurement And Visualization — A Big Data Approach, Yuqin Jiang

Theses and Dissertations

Accessibility measurement has always been an important question in different areas including transportation, urban planning, politics, and sociology. However, how to measure transportation accessibility in different areas have been limited to data availability and technology. Recently, with increasing availability in public transportation data, we found a gap between current methods and large volume of data now available. This thesis developed a new method to measure multi-mode transportation data, including taxi, bus, and subway. Based on this measurement, we can visualize and understand the spatiotemporal patterns of accessibility in New York City (NYC). With historical travel records and public transit schedule, …

The Decision-Making Process For Individuals At Risk For Hereditary Diffuse Gastric Cancer, Alexa Prose

Theses and Dissertations

Hereditary diffuse gastric cancer (HDGC) is caused by mutations in the CDH1 gene. Individuals who carry mutations in the CDH1 gene have as high as an 80% lifetime risk for gastric cancer. To reduce the high lifetime risk of gastric cancer, CDH1 mutation carriers are recommended to undergo a prophylactic total gastrectomy (TG). Individuals within this at-risk population face a difficult task of deciding whether to have genetic testing for the CDH1 mutation and to have a prophylactic TG. Currently, there is little research that examines the factors influencing decision-making for this population and their specific informational and support needs. …

Recipients’ Perspectives Regarding Expanded Carrier Screening Of Gamete Donors, Erika Kristy Jackson

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: This study explored the perspectives of intended parents regarding genetic carrier screening of a gamete donor. The main goal of this study was to determine how much genetic carrier screening information a recipient would prefer to receive about potential donors. The study also aimed to identify factors that potentially influence a recipient’s choice of donor based on genetic screening results. Methods: An online questionnaire was developed to assess intended parents’ preferences regarding expanded carrier screening (ECS) of their donors. Participants were recruited from various online support groups and were eligible if they had previously utilized or were currently utilizing …

Odor And Power In The Americas: Olfactory Consciousness From Columbus To Emancipation, Andrew Kettler

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation analyzes discourses concerning odor within the Atlantic World from approximately 1492 until 1838. Numerous historians and philosophers have described how the Reformation’s emphasis on texts and an increased concentration on visual science during the Enlightenment influenced Western Europeans to heighten the importance of the eye to the detriment of the lower sense of smell. This dissertation begins by thinking about materialist contours of this olfactory decline through a linguistic analysis of sulfur within seventeenth century England. It then proceeds to examine how in the early Americas such a repudiation of the sense of smell did not occur. The …

Toward A Networked Feminist Pedagogy For Composition, Leah Vitello

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis seeks to offer a pedagogy that uses methods inspired by fourth-wave feminism, or what I name Networked Feminist Pedagogy, to address both the highlights and challenges we have seen in the multimodal and public turns in the field. First, I provide an overview of the ongoing relationship between feminist composition and digital and multimodal rhetorics in order to locate the spaces in which Networked Feminist Pedagogy can intervene. Then, based on work by fourth wave feminist writers and teachers, I outline what I see as central principles of a fourth wave pedagogy, including daily practices, assignment ideas, and …

The Effect Of Social Exclusion On Shoplifting, Christopher Ling

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the effect of social exclusion on shoplifting. Shoplifting is a serious problem for marketers, yet surprisingly little attention in the literature has been paid to its underlying social factors. The current research therefore seeks to document conditions under which, and the process through which, consumers may engage in aggressive behavior in the form of shoplifting. Supporting the proposition that shoplifting is an antisocial response to social exclusion that depends on prior shoplifting experience, four studies provide evidence that prior shoplifters (vs. nonshoplifters) are more likely to shoplift again when they are socially excluded because they expect that …

Effects Of Reading Eggs On Reading Proficiency Levels, Latisha D. Lowery

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the present action research study is to examine the effects of a technology based reading intervention program titled Reading Eggs on a small rural Title I elementary school. The identified problem of practice involves students reading below grade level by third grade, which is an indicator of future academic problems for students. To address this problem, Fairfield Magnet School for Math and Science (FMSMS) has implemented the use of Reading Eggs to supplement instruction. Reading Eggs is a web based literacy program in which modules and automated videos teach students skills to build reading comprehension, fluency, spelling, …

Synergism Of Quercetin And Sodium Butyrate For Controlling Growth Of Glioblastoma, Matthew Alan Taylor

Theses and Dissertations

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), or simply glioblastoma, is the most common and aggressive primary brain tumor, with a prevalence of approximately 20,000 new cases per year in the United States and a 3-year survival rate of just 2%. Quercetin (QCT) is a dietary flavonoid that can be found in common foods such as red kidney beans, cilantro, and onions. Despite little evidence showing any benefits through dietary intake of QCT, various studies show its promising anti-cancer results in vitro. In glioblastoma, QCT is able to cause significant amounts of apoptosis through a variety of mechanisms. These include activation of caspase-9 and …

Exercise Recommendations For Active Adults At Risk For Sudden Cardiac Death: “Can I Continue To Exercise?”, Kacie Lynn Baker

Theses and Dissertations

Sudden arrhythmic death syndrome (SADS) is due to genetic conditions associated with cardiac ion channelopathies and cardiomyopathies. Many of these conditions have exercise guidelines regarding eligibility and disqualification recommendations for competitive athletes through the American Heart Association and the American College for Cardiology. This study investigates how medical professionals communicate these exercise recommendations to patients, and in turn, how well patients understand these recommendations. The study also explores motivations for either continuing or discontinuing an exercise practice after a diagnosis. A questionnaire was distributed through cardiac disease-focused support groups and organizations. Data from 67 individuals with a SADS condition were …

The Role Of Weather In The Social And Economic Lives Of Plantation Owners In Antebellum Beaufort District, South Carolina, Jennifer A. Simmons

Theses and Dissertations

Weather can determine social, agricultural, and economic impacts on a society. There has been a lot of contemporary research on adaptation and experiences in severe weather events. However, there is a lack of historical research. This study uses primary sources, such as journals, newspapers, and maps, to look into the impact that weather has on people during a study time. Primary sources, like Thomas Chaplin’s Tombee Plantation Journal, provide more than a physical description of the event that occurred. These historical sources present various perspectives, such as personal and emotional, of people in South Carolina’s Beaufort District and its sea …

Mast Cells And Lipid Cross-Talk In Skin Inflammation, Piper Alexandra Wedman

Theses and Dissertations

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is an inflammatory skin disease whose pathogenic mechanisms remain unclear. Using a validated human AD-like mouse model, we observed that skin remodeling started at a pre-symptomatic stage of AD that included cellular infiltration of the hypodermis, accompanied with activated/degranulated mast cells (MC). Local MC activation was quantified using a novel method of computer-assisted image analysis we developed and reported. Using a variation of this method, we defined morphometric parameters allowing for quantitation rather than scoring of cellular infiltration. Cell recruitment correlated with MC activation, chemokine production and increased levels of sphingolipid sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), produced by sphingosine kinase-1 …

Engendering Ethics Through Practice In The Project-Based Business Communciation Course, Jonathan H. Jackson

Theses and Dissertations

Business related degrees perennially make up roughly 20% of all college degrees awarded. At the same time, business ethics continues to be a much-discussed problem. I capitalize on the close connection between communication and ethics in order to offer a partial solution to the problem in the form of a project-based business communication class. After establishing a complementary view of business ethics, I go on to suggest the ethical focus for the project-based communication class. I then argue for the special suitability of business communication for such an approach, after which I go on to discuss the work of Wittgenstein …

Manifestations Of Corporal Oppression – Embodiments Of Culturalpolitical Resistance: The Representation Of The Body In German Literature Of The Long Nineteenth Century, Hans Niehues

Theses and Dissertations

The “long nineteenth century” was subject to various social, economic, political and cultural changes that were propelled by the Enlightenment and industrialization. This alteration of human life also had a physical dimension. It generated new bodypolitics and conceptions of labor which had a significant impact on the human body. This project is concerned with the changing experience of human physicality in the long nineteenth century and how it is reflected in German literature of the time. I study the trope of the body in Gerhart Hauptmann’s Die Weber, Georg Büchner’s Woyzeck and Franz Kafka’s Die Verwandlung. I reveal how the …

A Quality Improvement Project To Reduce The Incidence Of Clostridium Difficile Infection Through Implementation Of Evidence-Based Terminal Clean Procedures, Tamara Cook

Theses and Dissertations

Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) are a huge economic burden and threat to patient health and outcomes. Clostridium difficile is the most common HAI. Effective hand hygiene and proper environmental cleaning procedures are significant to preventing the spread of C. difficile infections. The research question used to guide this project is: Does the use of a monitoring system for post C. difficile isolation terminal clean procedure reduce the rate of hospital-acquired C. difficile in the acute care population? A thorough organizational assessment was performed and directed this project to identify causes that may contribute to the recurrences of C. difficile infections. The …

The Perceived Utility Of Personalized Genomic Medicine In Individuals With A Family History Of Heart Disease: A Pilot Study, Dana Margaret Mittag

Theses and Dissertations

According to the World Health Organization (2005), cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the number one cause of death in most countries. Assessing a patient’s risk for heart disease may include incorporating factors such as their gender, age, weight, tobacco history, cholesterol, blood pressure, family history, and more recently, genetics. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have made it possible to identify risk loci for many of the common, complex disorders, including coronary artery disease (CAD). As the medical genetics community undergoes a shift from a genetics focus to a genomics oriented focus, genomic medicine is becoming more accessible. Research has begun to examine …

Endocrine Disruption In Largemouth Bass (Micropterus Salmoides) From A Pcb-Contaminated Reservoir, Stephanie B. Laplaca

Theses and Dissertations

There are numerous cases of intersex condition in fish, specifically immature oocytes in testicular tissue, documented in recent literature. Typically, these cases identify a point source input of endocrine disrupting compounds impacting the fish, such as wastewater treatment effluent. Legacy contaminants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been suggested as endocrine disruptors in fish species. The objective of this study was to assess endocrine disruption in wild largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) from exposure to PCBs at a Superfund site in South Carolina on Lake Hartwell (SV-107), where high levels of PCBs in sediment and fish tissue samples have been detected …

An Application Of Dempster-Shafer Fusion Theory To Lithium-Ion Battery Prognostics And Health Management, John Weddington

Theses and Dissertations

Prognostics and Health Management (PHM) is the discipline involving diagnostics and prognostics of components or systems, with the primary objective of increasing the overall reliability and safety of these components or systems. PHM systems convert raw sensor data into features, and utilize state observers to estimate the current damage state online. Popular state observers are the traditional Kalman filter, along with its non-linear extensions, and the particle filter. Each technique has differing advantages. This thesis investigates the fusion of results from different techniques in order to achieve a more trustworthy probability of detection (PoD) during diagnosis and a more reliable …

From Rice Fields To Duck Marshes: Sport Hunters And Environmental Change On The South Carolina Coast, 1890–1950, Matthew Allen Lockhart

Theses and Dissertations

In part because some historians are ethically opposed to their avocation, sport hunters of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era are an understudied group. As environmental actors, they have been virtually ignored. Based on the biological traits of their quarry, one particular subset of sportsmen, waterfowl hunters, were especially disposed to manipulating the environment in which they hunted. Their efforts to attract migratory waterfowl to privately owned wetlands through habitat management, which started nearly a half-century before federal engineers and biologists undertook similar work on the national wildlife refuges in the 1930s, were pioneering. By the midpoint of the twentieth …

The Nutrition Assistance Landscape In Afterschool Programs: Understanding The Gap Between Research, Policy, And Practice, Falon Elizabet Tilley

Theses and Dissertations

The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) aims to increase children’s access to healthful foods in out-of-home care. Approximately half of the 10.2 million children enrolled in afterschool programs (ASPs) are eligible for nutrition assistance through programs like CACFP. Despite awareness of its potential impact on the nutritional status of millions of children, CACFP is underutilized among ASPs and notably understudied in comparison to other federal nutrition assistance programs.

This dissertation addresses key gaps in CACFP research and provides a deeper understanding of the nutrition assistance landscape in afterschool programs by (1) assessing the type of afterschool snacks served …

Exploring Spatial Patterning And The Impact Of Obesogenic Built Environments For Youth Obesity, S. Morgan Hughey

Theses and Dissertations

Youth obesity is a major public health concern due to an array of physical, social, and psychological health consequences. Residential location, often referred to as ‘place’, has continued to emerge as a key health determinant with studies showing that where a child lives impacts their health. Environments where it is easy for individuals to have low levels of physical activity – either by discouraging active behavior or promoting sedentary behavior – and easy for individuals to consume unhealthful foods – either by the limited availability of healthful foods or increased availability of unhealthy foods – have been coined ‘obesogenic’. Additional …

Medical Homebound Services: Assisting Students With Chronic Illnesses, Melissa Johnson Allgood

Theses and Dissertations

The present action research study examined a group of chronically ill students approved for medical homebound services at a suburban high school located in the southwestern part of South Carolina. Students who have received or are currently receiving homebound services ranging from ninth through twelfth grade along with their teachers and parents/guardians were the subjects of the research. Semi-structured interviews and existing documents provided the data for this research.

The study explored how chronic illnesses affected a group of high school students when they were absent from school as well as ways to improve assisting them through medical homebound services. …

Impact Of Medicare Reimbursement Policy Change On The Utilization, Risks, And Costs Associated With Erythropoiesis-Stimulating Agents In Cancer Patients With Chemotherapy-Induced Anemia, Minghui Li

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) are biological drugs used to stimulate the production of red blood cells. ESAs are commonly prescribed for cancer patients with chemotherapy-induced anemia and chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients with low levels of hemoglobin. Due to the increasing safety concerns, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a Medicare reimbursement policy change for ESAs in cancer patients to regulate the utilization of ESAs. For chemotherapy-induced anemia, when patients had solid tumors, multiple myeloma, lymphoma, or lymphocytic leukemia, ESA treatment is reimbursable by CMS only when the hemoglobin level is < 10g/dL.

Objectives: The objectives of this study were …

Tuberculosis Screening In New Healthcare Employees: A Comparison Of Quantiferon®-Tb Gold In-Tube Test And Tuberculin Skin Test, Mary C. Giovannetti

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Streamlining onboarding processes for new hires to maximize efficiency and reduce costs while meeting regulatory requirements is a constant challenge for healthcare systems’ Employee Health staff. Health screening is a required step and includes obtaining a detailed health history, tuberculosis screening, drug screens, immunizations, fit for duty examinations, obtaining medical records, clarification of disability accommodations, pre-work screens, and other tests which are time consuming and result in delays in hire dates. Faced with a high volume of potential new employee hires a major southeast healthcare system was concerned about delays in new hire start dates. The two-step tuberculin skin …

Adherence Of Nurse Practitioners To Jnc 8 Guidelines, Stephanie E. Averette

Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of the evidence based project were to implement a best practice algorithm for treatment of hypertension (HTN) based on JNC 8 guidelines; compare nurse practitioners HTN pharmacotherapy prescribing practices before and after implementation of a HTN algorithm; and compare hypertensive adult patients’ systolic blood pressure (SBP) readings before and after the implementation of a HTN algorithm. A quasi-experimental pre-test and post-test design was used to collect and analyze data from 61 patient charts to compare nurse practitioner adherence to JNC 8 guidelines for NPs’ prescribing practices and subjects’ blood pressure (BP) outcome before and after the implementation of …

Impact Of Standards-Based Instruction On Achievement Levels Of Students With Moderate To Severe Intellectual Disabilities: An Action Research Study, Amy White Condon

Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of this qualitative research study was to describe the perceptions of middle school special education teachers in regards to the implementation of Unique Learning Systems (ULS) curriculum, a standards-based curriculum and assessment system designed to be used with students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities. The secondary purpose of this study was to describe the perceptions of the special needs students’ parents. The tertiary purpose was to design an action plan that will enable Ocean Front School District (OFSD) special education administrators and teachers to better determine if ULS’ content, instructional strategies, accommodations and modifications are effective. …

Arvo Part, Sieben Magnificat-Antiphonen: A Transcription For Wind Ensemble, Julian Hartridge Sconyers Iii

Theses and Dissertations

Amongst late twentieth and early twenty-first century music, Arvo Pärt’s compositional style is a unique musical voice and has led to the composer becoming the most performed living classical composer for multiple years. His unmistakable tintinnabuli style is often labeled as part of the post-modernist movement, the minimalist genre, sacred minimalism, or even as neo-medieval. Despite any label, his music is as distinctive as it is revolutionary, and many of his works are considered cornerstone works of the late-twentieth and early-twenty-first centuries. However, despite the popularity of his works, most of his music is written for choir, orchestra, small chamber …

In Your Experience: Pathways And Barriers For Female Students Of Stem, Elizabeth J. Hartnett

Theses and Dissertations

This study addresses the gender gap that exists in the STEM professions. The number of jobs in STEM is climbing rapidly, but participation by women is disproportionately low. Although they make up roughly half of the overall population, women account for only about one quarter of the STEM workforce. A similar gap exists among undergraduates majoring in STEM fields. This is an exploratory study intended to identify and explore factors contributing to this gender gap, as perceived by undergraduate students. Through an online survey and follow-up interviews of undergraduates at two universities in the southeastern United States, data were collected …