Digital Commons Network^™

The Effects Of A Summer Reading Program On Reading Achievement And Reading Motivation, Marcia Seawright

Theses and Dissertations

Research shows that children who read books often, both in and out of school, are likely to develop better reading skills than children who have fewer opportunities to read. (Allington, 2012). While many school districts are successfully implementing various opportunities to support students’ reading development during the academic year, problems arise when students are away from school during the summer months. Studies also show that students who read below grade level at the end of third grade are six times more likely to eventually leave school without a high school diploma (National Research Council, 1998). The purpose of this combined …

Environmental Negotiations Cherokee Power In The Arkansas Valley, 1812-1828, Cane West

Theses and Dissertations

In the early 19th century, the Arkansas River Valley existed as a borderlands region of powerful Indian nations and immigrant Euro-American and Native American settlers. In the resulting contests over settlement, Cherokee chiefs recreated the Arkansas Cherokees' ecological identity from hunters to agrarians to differentiate themselves from their Osage and white rivals. During the 1820s, Cherokee chiefs expanded on their agrarian rhetoric by appropriating American scientific systems in order to stymie white settlement. By the end of the 1820s, Arkansas Cherokee chiefs had infused their arguments of preferred agricultural lands, appropriate survey methods, and accurate cartography into the debates over …

Toward A Theory Of Full Life Cycle Recruiters, Michael C. Campion

Theses and Dissertations

Despite their operational and strategic importance to their firms, recruiters remain virtually invisible within management scholarship today. In this dissertation, I draw on research from a variety of theoretical perspectives and use role theory as a foundation for developing a theory intended to generate insight into the major individual, social, and contextual factors that underpin their behavior and performance. I define full life cycle recruiters as quasi-agentic brokers of resources among parties internal and external to a firm who operate at the intersection of social systems, are involved in recruiting, assessment, and onboarding processes, and adopt multiple micro roles with …

Far-Field Optical Microscopy Based On Stimulated Emission Depletion, Yunxia Wang

Theses and Dissertations

Conventional lens-based (far-field) fluorescence microscopy is a widely used imaging technique with spatial resolution up to 150–350 nm. However, this technology cannot discern very small structural features, because the spatial resolution is limited by diffraction to about half of the wavelength of light (λ/2，λ is the wavelength of light). Hence, most of the developments in microscopy aim at improving resolution. In the past decades, stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy has been developed to bypass the diffraction limit for the application in biological imaging with resolution approaching the nanoscale. The basic principle of STED microscopy is to employ a doughnut-shape laser …

Framing Perceptions Of Justice In A Public Goods Dilemma, Hatice Atilgan

Theses and Dissertations

Provision of public goods often requires sufficient contributions from group members, and improper contributions are likely to produce feelings of injustice. Building on previous research, I develop a justice theory that explains how framing social comparisons in particular ways will make actors more or less sensitive and reactive to departures from fair contributions. In turn, this is predicted to impact justice-restoring behaviors such as reducing subsequent contributions to a public good, punishing group members, or exiting the group. This integrated theory shows how varying the way key pieces of information are framed affects fairness perceptions and subsequent behaviors in social …

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 …

Stories: From Foreign To Fluent!, Kurt Hoberg

Theses and Dissertations

These nine stories depict characters in migration and the consequences of that migration.

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 …

Meigallo, Julia Velasco Espejo

Theses and Dissertations

This work explores the figure of the witch as seen in traditional Galician folklore and in relation to female empowerment and traditional representations of women. It follows two women throughout two distinct timelines (1940s and 1980s) in the region of Galicia, northwest of Spain. The narrative also examines the relationship between social and institutional power, as well as the ways in which folklore can shed light on timeless topics such as gender relations and a community’s interactions with the supernatural.

Intermodal Network Design And Expansion For Freight Transportation, Fateme Fotuhiardakani

Theses and Dissertations

Over the last 50 years, international trade has grown considerably, and this growth has strained the global supply chains and their underlying support infrastructures. Consequently, shippers and receivers have to look for more efficient ways to transport their goods. In recent years, intermodal transport is becoming an increasingly attractive alternative to shippers, and this trend is likely to continue as governmental agencies are considering policies to induce a freight modal shift from road to intermodal to alleviate highway congestion and emissions. Intermodal freight transport involves using more than one mode, and thus, it is a more complex transport process. The …

An Evaluation Of Scenic Design, William Baxter Engle Iii

Theses and Dissertations

“…Allow me to explain about the theatre business. The natural condition is one of insurmountable obstacles on the road to imminent disaster… Strangely enough, it all turns out well… I don’t know. It’s a mystery” -Tom Stoppard

I embraced this quote a long while ago in a moment of disgust and defeat while working through a flawed process of making theatre. Everything takes too long to complete, nothing works right the first time if ever at all, and ultimately the entire process is a maddening mess. It seems to me that the study and practice of the trade can work …

The Reflection, Tamara Joksimovic

Theses and Dissertations

The Reflection– focuses on analysis of two realized Production of University of South Carolina Theatre, and my learning experience during my Professional Internship in The Theatre Company- La Fura Dels Baus, Barcelona, Spain. The Productions that will be the subject are Scapin, written by Bill Irwin and Mark O'Donnell, and directed by Louis Butelli, school year- 2015/2016; and Grounded, written by George Brant, and directed by Robert Richmond, school year- 2016/2017. The analysis will explore the importance of collaboration within the Production process and an understanding of the text and its transposition to theatrical space. It will deal with important …

The Summerville Formation: Evidence For A Sub-Horizontal Stratigraphic Sequence Below The Post-Rift Unconformity In The Middleton Place Summerville Seismic Zone, Joseph Edward Getz

Theses and Dissertations

The Middleton Place Summerville Seismic Zone (MPSSZ) near Summerville, South Carolina was the site of renewed extensive investigation, beginning in the 1970’s, for the source of the 1886 Charleston earthquake. Reactivation of faults associated with a putative fault-bounded Triassic rift basin through analysis of seismic reflection, seismic refraction, and well data has since become the favored interpretation for the source of MPSSZ seismicity. Critical to this interpretation is the association of continental redbed sedimentary rocks in Triassic basins throughout the North American Atlantic margin. Reanalysis of 18 seismic reflection profiles and 25 seismic refraction profiles within the MPSSZ suggests that …

Three Essays On Privatization, State Ownership, And Corporate Policies, Ruiyuan Chen

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the impact of state ownership on corporate policies in the context of privatization. The first essay provides new evidence about the agency costs of state ownership on corporate cash holdings and new insight into the corporate governance role of country-level institutions. Consistent with agency theory, we find strong and robust evidence that state ownership is positively related to corporate cash holdings. Moreover, we find that the strength of country-level institutions affects the relation between state ownership and the value of cash holdings. In particular, as state ownership increases, markets discount the value of cash holdings more in …

Role Of The Principal In Implementing Blended Learning In Algebra I Courses In South Carolina Public Schools, Corey J. Murphy

Theses and Dissertations

In the state of South Carolina, the primary indicator of student achievement in high schools is the End of Course Test. In order to increase passing rates on this test, many schools are turning to online tutorials or more advanced online intelligent tutoring systems. Any combination of online delivery of educational content with classroom interaction and live instruction is known as blended learning. This study examined the role of the principal in implementing blended learning in Algebra 1 courses in South Carolina public schools.

This study was guided by three primary research questions: What is the self-perceived role of the …

Pedagogical Practices In Homogeneous And Heterogeneous Ability Grouped Classrooms, Theresa Marie Kinsey

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative action research study was to describe one sixth grade English Language Arts (ELA) teacher’s pedagogical practices in her heterogeneous grouped classroom and her homogeneous grouped classroom. The focus of this study was on instructional practices in two classes, one homogeneously grouped based on high English Language Arts ability; the other heterogeneously grouped. Through the data generated, the participant-researcher reflected upon the English Language Arts instruction in both classes and described the teacher’s instructional practices in this middle school. Semi-structured interviews, a questionnaire, field observations, videotapes and lesson plans provided the qualitative research data for this …

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 …

Elsewhere, Then, Tracie Renée Dawson

Theses and Dissertations

Elsewhere, Then is a cross-generational road novel that traces the sociopolitical and personal narrative of a family through a musician making her way from Savannah to San Francisco. Traditional road narratives have long depicted the lone female traveller as being subject to violence when stepping outside the domestic sphere, which echoes history's larger and pervasive trend of denying women agency through silence and subjugation—in life, as in stories. The novel interrogates how (and by whom) narratives are created, embellished, changed, and/or discarded through the narrator's temporal and spatial journey. A guiding force behind the novel is William H. Whyte's idea …

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 …

Examining The Impact Naming One’S Beliefs Has On One’S Practice: The Journey Of Three English Language Arts Teachers, Jessica Lynn Price

Theses and Dissertations

In this study, I sought to understand how naming one’s beliefs about teaching reading and writing impacted reading and writing practices. I used action research design (McNiff & Whitehead, 2010; Mills, 2011) to examine three teachers’ journeys as they gave name to their beliefs. I made audio recordings and transcriptions of small group sessions and interviews, observed teachers, asked for and collected teacher reflections, and kept a researcher’s journal. I used thematic analysis to identify patterns across data points. What I found varied for each participant, influenced by the degree that each participant was present and reflective throughout the process. …

Forum Non Conveniens And Chapter 15 Bankruptcy, Tyler Levine

Bankruptcy Research Library

(Exceprt)

When pursuing a case under Chapter 15 of Title 11 in the United States, Code (the “Bankruptcy Code”) a plaintiff can litigate all claims in a single forum or in certain cases they may be able to pursue additional claims stemming from the same case in a foreign forum. Many parties will want to litigate all of the claims in a single forum and will file a forum non conveniens motion when their adversary tries to pursue claims in multiple forums. Forum non conveniens is a discretionary power that allows courts to dismiss a case where another court, or …

Application Of Safe Harbor Provisions To Early Termination Of Swap Agreement, William Accordino Jr.

Bankruptcy Research Library

(Excerpt)

Credit default swap agreements (“swaps”) are contracts between two entities in which the counterparties are effectively taking opposing positions on the credit worthiness of a debt instrument that acts as the collateral underlying the swap. For example, counterparty A makes payments to counterparty B in the hopes that the debtor defaults or a counterparty commits an event of default specified in the agreement, such as filing for bankruptcy. Swaps are generally executory contracts and thus may generally be rejected by a trustee or a debtor in bankruptcy pursuant to section 365 of the United States Bankruptcy Code (“the Code”). …

Property Of The Estate And Creditors Rights To Bring Individual Suits, Ryan Dolan

Bankruptcy Research Library

(Excerpt)

Once bankruptcy proceedings begin, section 541 of the United States Bankruptcy Code (the “Bankruptcy Code”) defines the scope of a debtor’s property as including all legal and equitable interests of the debtor. Courts have adopted an expansive interpretation of this section, noting that “every conceivable interest of the debtor, future, nonpossessory, contingent, speculative, and derivative, is within reach of the bankruptcy estate.” As a result, a trustee of the debtor’s estate, or a debtor-in-possession, obtains standing to assert general claims which are common to the creditors, and creditors are thus bound by the outcome of the trustee’s actions.

If …

Metal-Organic Frameworks: A Versatile Platform For Light Harvesting And Energy Transfer, Derek E. Williams

Theses and Dissertations

The global energy demand is undoubtedly rising at an alarming rate, and as a result, humanity faces the problem of finding alternative energy supplies. Approximately 80 percent of the world’s energy currently comes from fossil fuels, and only a small fraction, 10 percent, from renewable energy sources. The study of energy transfer (ET) processes is a rapidly developing area of interest due to the necessity for more efficient photovoltaic devices, which are crucial to meet the growing energy demand. A promising approach to further advance organic photovoltaics is to precisely arrange many lightharvesting chromophores (e.g., porphyrin derivatives), attainable through a …

Understanding The Relationship Of Contextual Support, Peer Risk Trajectories, And School Outcomes For At-Risk Youth, Emily B. Mancil

Theses and Dissertations

High school dropout (HSDO) is associated with poor life outcomes across many domains. As such, it is crucial to understand and identify the factors that contribute to HSDO risk early to increase the chance of positive student outcomes. Because students at-risk are heterogeneous, researchers recommend using pattern-centered approaches to identify subpopulations with similar risk profiles to better understand various typologies of risk. This may be a more comprehensive and accurate way to understand students atrisk for HSDO and may facilitate the development of more effective interventions. To date, seven empirical studies have used a pattern-centered approach to examine HSDO. However, …

Characterizing The Role Of The E3 Ligase Itch In Gut Mucosal Homeostasis, Heather L. Mentrup

Theses and Dissertations

The mucosal barrier of the small intestine is highly dynamic, enabling the passage of nutrients that are necessary for the body’s function while simultaneously preventing a breach by harmful microorganisms that are damaging to the host. The effectiveness of the mucosal barrier is dependent on the cohesive relationship established between the luminal mucosal epithelium and the underlying immune compartment in the small intestine. The epithelium provides the first line of defense against pathogens by establishing a physical barrier separating the external environment from the body’s internal milieu, while the immune system secondarily responds to clear bacteria that have breached the …

Spatial Optimization Methods And System For Redistricting Problems, Hai Jin

Theses and Dissertations

Redistricting is the process of dividing space into districts or zones while optimizing a set of spatial criteria under certain constraints. Example applications of redistricting include political redistricting, school redistricting, business service planning, and city management, among many others. Redistricting is a mission-critical component in operating governments and businesses alike. In research fields, redistricting (or region building) are also widely used, such as climate zoning, traffic zone analysis, and complex network analysis. However, as a combinatorial optimization problem, redistricting optimization remains one of the most difficult research challenges. There are currently few automated redistricting methods that have the optimization capability …

The Use Of Print Referencing Techniques Through Preschoolers’ Play-Based Creative Writing Experiences: The Impact On Oral Language Development, Print Awareness, And Literacy Abilities With Children Diagnosed With Language Disorder, Catherine Ann Sanderson

Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, I explored the lives of 10 children who were diagnosed with a language disorder. The children were enrolled in a therapeutic half-day speech-language preschool classroom for 3- and 4-year-old children within a public-school system in the rural Southeast. The research included a 15-week mini-ethnographic case study utilizing participant observation. Through a sociocultural Vygotskian approach used to meet their language and literacy needs holistically, I encouraged the children to use meaningful artifacts from which their play, talk, and stories developed. I collected both qualitative and quantitative data to assess how creative writing experiences including print referencing approaches impacted …

Heritage Without History: The 1960 South Carolina Secession Reenactment And The Desertion Of Historical Authority In Confederate Commemoration, Joshua Whitfield

Theses and Dissertations

In 1960 the South Carolina Confederate War Centennial Commission sponsored a reenactment of the 1860 secession convention as the keystone event for state observances of the Civil War Centennial. Local organizations such as the Richland Country Historical Society and WIS Television produced the reenactment, which featured politicians like Strom Thurmond and George Bell Timmerman in leading roles as secession delegates. The pageant had three live showings, and a televised version of the reenactment aired on WIS-TV, which broadcast the program across the state. Following the production’s open-circuit broadcast, the SC Educational Television Center continued broadcasting it in state public schools …

Modeling Instruction In Ap Physics C: Mechanics And Electricity And Magnetism, Nathan Tillman Belcher

Theses and Dissertations

his action research study used data from multiple assessments in Mechanics and Electricity and Magnetism to determine the viability of Modeling Instruction as a pedagogy for students in AP Physics C: Mechanics and Electricity and Magnetism. Modeling Instruction is a guided-inquiry approach to teaching science in which students progress through the Modeling Cycle to develop a fully-constructed model for a scientific concept. AP Physics C: Mechanics and Electricity and Magnetism are calculus-based physics courses, approximately equivalent to first-year calculus-based physics courses at the collegiate level. Using a one-group pretest-posttest design, students were assessed in Mechanics using the Force Concept Inventory, …