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Master's Portfolio, Alexis Joy Rizzolo

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

Genetic Characterization Of The Pee Dee Cotton Breeding Program, Grant T. Billings

All Theses

The history of cotton breeding in the southeastern United States is multifaceted and complex. Public and private breeding programs have driven cotton’s genetic development over the past two centuries. The Pee Dee breeding program in Florence, South Carolina, has had a substantial role in the development of well-adapted cotton cultivars with improved fiber strength, fiber length, and performance in farmers’ fields. Despite the historic importance of the cotton germplasm lines and varieties from the Pee Dee program, little has been done to characterize the population structure and genetic architecture of key traits in this closed breeding program. Here, I first …

The Frequency-Amplitude Response Of A Class Of Nonholonomic Systems, Colin Rodwell

All Theses

Nonholonomic systems have been investigated as models for locomotion due to the similarity between nonholonomic constraints and the no-slip condition of wheels or the Kutta condition of swimmers' tails. The focus of most past research has been on kinematic nonholonomic systems. However, an increasing body of research points to benefits that dynamic components of these systems, such as underactuated degrees of freedom, can provide.

This work investigates the effect of adding stiff degrees of freedom to the Chaplygin sleigh, a classical nonholonomic system that has been used in the past as a swimming model. Observed resonance behavior is shown to …

Navigating The Athletic Terrain For Transgender Athletes: Identity, Policy, And The Future, Lia M. Bevins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Transgender athletes face scrutiny because they do not fit within the traditional and constructed bounds of male and female. The objective of this study was to discover how to provide advocacy to this marginalized population amidst discriminating policies and transphobic environments. The research included a survey of high school coaches from thirty schools throughout Tennessee along with interviews with five transgender athletes from across the United States. All five athletes reported that leaders were the most impactful allies in their lives and can be the main sources of advocacy for transgender athletes. Survey findings showed that not every coach throughout …

Predator-Avoidance Of Larval Black-Bellied Salamanders (Desmognathus Quadramaculatus) In Response To Cues From Native And Nonnative Salmonids, Brian L. Dempsey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The introduction of nonnative salmonids into Southern Appalachia may pose a threat to resident salamander populations. In recent years, the stocking and encroachment of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) into headwaters where the black-bellied salamander (Desmognathus quadramaculatus) and brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) naturally coexist has raised concerns. In aquatic prey, predator-avoidance responses are primarily influenced through the detection of chemical cues released from predators. The objective of this study was to determine how co-occurrence with a predator influences black-bellied salamander predator recognition behavior. To evaluate this, salamander activity metrics (general activity, number of movements, and latency to move) were recorded before …

Immune Activation Induces Telomeric Dna Damage, Reduces Memory Precursors, And Promotes Short-Lived Effector T Cell Differentiation In Chronic Hcv Infection, Lam Nguyen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection exhibits persistent high viral load, inducing T cells differentiation and dysfunction in chronically infected individuals. Recent longitude studies in both HCV specific- and bulk T cells reveal that chronic immune stimulation is the driving force for the impaired T cell functions, however, the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we show that peripheral CD4⁺ T cells from chronically HCV-infected patients exhibit lymphopenia with the reduction of naïve population and expansion of effector memory T cells. CD4⁺ T cells from HCV patient also display elevated activation markers. including HLA-DR, GLUT1, Granzyme B, and short-lived …

The Relationship Between The Amount Of Time Spent In The Block Center And Gender Differences In Preschool Children’S Spatial Performance, Narges Sareh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current study investigated whether there is a relationship between the amount of time children spend in the block center and their spatial skills, as well as the gender differences in the amount of time children spend in the block center and in their spatial skills. In addition, other factors influencing spatial skills were examined (e.g. child’s age, parents’ level of education). Using a correlational quantitative design, 75 preschoolers in eight Head Start classrooms were observed three times during their free play time. An existing instrument was used (TOSA: Verdine & Golinkoff, 2018) to measure children’s spatial skills. In addition, …

Determining The Physiological And Behavioral Responses To Elevated Salinity In The Freshwater Bivalves, Corbicula Fluminea And Lampsilis Ovata, John W. Roden

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Salinization has been identified as an increasing threat to freshwater mussel diversity in recent years. Native mussels have been observed to display reduced salinity tolerance in comparison to some invasive bivalve species, but methods by which organismal tolerance is achieved are not well understood. This study was designed to compare the behavioral and physiological responses of the native Lampsilis ovata to that of the invasive Corbicula fluminea. Lampsilis were found to exhibit strong behavioral avoidance to salinity exposure, whereas Corbicula displayed very weak avoidance to comparable salinity concentrations followed by indications of osmotic conformation through physiological mechanisms. Prolonged valve …

Environmental Cybernetics: Technology And The Perception Of Remediated Space, Lucas Gentry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Moby Dick, House of Leaves, and Ex Machina portray characters that rely on a form of technology to navigate their respective environments. As such, their settings are remediated spaces – spaces understood through their relationship with technology. The inhabitants of remediated spaces inherently resemble the cyborg as their perspectives fuse with machines in their understanding of space. Captain Ahab from Moby Dick must rely on his ivory leg and ship for mobility, often merging himself with the machine of the vessel. House of Leaves provides a space and family that exist exclusively within the confines of found footage, …

Past, Current, And Future Potential Distributions Of Red Spruce And Fraser Fir Forests In The Southern Appalachians: Interpreting Possible Impacts Of Climate Change, Danika Mosher

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Spruce-Fir forests are relicts from the Pleistocene and can only be found within the Southern Appalachians. Analyzing the relationships between species distribution, climatic parameters, topography, and biotic interactions through ecological niche modeling creates prediction maps for conservation efforts. Maxent, Boosted Regression, and Random Forest were utilized to compare which model and variable combinations best approximate the unique mountain forest environment. Maxent with a bias file produced optimal results and was used to examine distributional changes that may occur in the future and how these changes compare to paleo-environmental distributions. Fraser fir has shown evidence of being influenced by changing climates …

A Comparison Of Methods To Measure Crop Water Use In South Carolina, Andrew C. Ewing

All Theses

The objective of this thesis was to compare cost-effective methods of measuring crop water use, known as evapotranspiration (ET), in South Carolina’s humid climate. The methods analyzed were the surface renewal method (SR), the Eddy Covariance method (EC), large in-field weighing lysimeters, a newly developed pressure differential device (PDD), a Class A Evaporation pan, and the Penman-Monteith equation. In the first chapter, ET measurements obtained by SR were compared to ET measured by EC and weighing lysimeters. For reference, EC and SR track the energy budget to estimate ET, while the weighing lysimeters used in this study are box-like containers …

Using Environmental Dna And Macroinvertebrate Biotic Integrity To Inform Conservation Efforts For The Carolina Heelsplitter, Benjamin Schmidt

All Theses

The Carolina Heelsplitter (Lasmigona decorata) is a federally endangered freshwater mussel endemic to North and South Carolina, USA. The species has experienced dramatic range-wide declines as a result of habitat fragmentation and water quality deterioration, and the remaining populations are isolated and extremely small. Conservation efforts for the Carolina Heelsplitter have been limited by a lack of knowledge regarding distribution, life history traits, and habitat requirements. Our objectives during this project were to 1. Evaluate the efficacy of an environmental DNA (eDNA) assay to detect the Carolina Heelsplitter and a known host fish, the Bluehead Chub, from stream …

A Reconsidering Of Place And Space, Megan Ashley Waller

All Theses

A Reconsidering of Place and Space is an autobiographical body of paintings that challenges the notion that the home is a place of familiarity, peace, connection, and comfort. I unmake the predictability of the spaces through either subtle or overt alterations of these once commonplace areas. While these spaces are grounded in observable reality, they are not entirely logical and operate as psychological environments that often enter the realm of the uncanny or melancholic.

This work operates within the context of the Covid-19 pandemic of 2020. Lockdowns, health conditions, and virus spikes have pushed people to stay home more. This …

Assessing The Markers Of Agency In Successful Recovery Journeys: A Constructionist Narrative Of Participants In An Assertive Community Engagement Modality, Sarah Elizabeth Goss

All Theses

The Faces and Voices of Recovery program in Greenville, South Carolina is part of a national recovery advocacy movement utilizing a harm-reduction framework. This study aims to identify how individual agency is accounted for in this harm reduction-based recovery group and by extension, the recovery process. Spanning a four-month discourse collection process, and incorporating partial and complete observations of participants this study identifies four tiers of participation and engagement (1) high engagement successful recovery (2) low engagement successful recovery (3) high engagement struggling recovery and (4) low engagement struggling recovery/disengaged.

An Efficient Distance Tracking Algorithm Using Near-Infrared Light For Biomedical Applications, Steven Thomas Manz

All Theses

In this article, a method for tracking distance between a medical scope and a subject is introduced. The method considers optical coherence of light scattering due to the topography of the subject and post-processing techniques to decrease high reflection interference. The application of distance tracking is extremely important in biomedical imaging because of the effect on variance and resolution due to a non-stationary scope. Near Infrared light is considered in this article because of the application to Near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent imaging in an emerging biomedical imaging field. Many scopes currently use time-of-flight sensors to track distance, but the increasing importance …

Machine Learning And Pedometers: An Integration-Based Convolutional Neural Network For Step Counting And Detection, Basil Lin

All Theses

This thesis explores a machine learning-based approach to step detection and counting for a pedometer. Our novelty is to analyze a window of time containing an arbitrary number of steps, and integrate the detected count using a sliding window technique. We compare the effectiveness of this approach against classic deterministic algorithms. While classic algorithms perform well during regular gait (e.g. walking or running), they can perform significantly worse during semi-regular and irregular gaits that still contribute to a person’s overall step count. These non-regular gaits can make up a significant portion of the daily step count for people, and an …

Assessing Climactic Effects On Yellow Perch (Perca Flavescens) Reproduction And Growth, John Cannaday

All Theses

Climate change is altering thermal regimes in aquatic systems worldwide, often impacting species on the southern edges of their ranges in the northern hemisphere. Yellow Perch, Perca flavescens, a cool water species, have a patchy distribution at the southern edge of their range in North American, occurring primarily in systems that provide coolwater refugia during summer months (e.g., tailwaters below hypolimnetic release dams). However, minimum winter temperatures are much warmer in these systems than in northern locations. In northern populations, egg quality is linked to overwinter thermal conditions, with long, cold winters resulting in higher quality eggs compared to …

Bullous Hemorrhagic Sweet Syndrome With Cryptococcoid Neutrophils In Patients Positive For Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody Without Primary Vasculitis., Alex Sherban, Collin Fuller, Mansha Sethi, Eleni Mcgeehin, Dawn Hirokawa, Courtney Guerrieri, Jason B. Lee, Md, Sherry Yang

Department of Dermatology and Cutaneous Biology Faculty Papers

No abstract provided.

Perceived Research Skills Of Graduating Library And Information Science (Lis) Undergraduates In A Nigerian University Of Education, Anuoluwa Feyikemi Awodoyin Dr., Niran Adetoro Prof, Precious Oke Miss

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Researchers in institutions of higher learning are required to conduct researches that will expand the frontiers of knowledge, drive innovation in industries, and the economy at large. Consequently, research has become an integral component of a university’s curriculum. However, there is an ‘assumption’ that undergraduates possess requisite research skills at the end of their training due to their exposure to research. To ascertain this, this study investigated the perceived research skills of graduating Library and Information Science (LIS) undergraduates in a Nigerian University of Education. The study is a survey of the ex post facto type. Total enumeration was used …

The Gut Bacterium Extibacter Muris Produces Secondary Bile Acids And Influences Liver Physiology In Gnotobiotic Mice, Theresa Streidl, Isabel Karkossa, Rafael R. Segura Munoz, Claudia Eberl, Alex Zaufel, Johannes Plagge, Robert Schmaltz, Kristin Schubert, Marijana Basic, Kai Markus Schneider, Mamdouh Afify, Christian Trautwein, Rene Tolba, Barbel Stecher, Heidi L. Doden, Jason M. Ridlon, Josef Ecker, Tarek Moustafa, Martin Von Bergen, Amanda Ramer-Tait, Thomas Clavel

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Extibacter muris is a newly described mouse gut bacterium which metabolizes cholic acid (CA) to deoxycholic acid (DCA) via 7α-dehydroxylation. Although bile acids influence metabolic and inflammatory responses, few in vivo models exist for studying their metabolism and impact on the host. Mice were colonized from birth with the simplified community Oligo-MM¹² with or without E. muris. As the metabolism of bile acids is known to affect lipid homeostasis, mice were fed either a low- or high-fat diet for eight weeks before sampling and analyses targeting the gut and liver. Multiple Oligo-MM¹² strains were capable of deconjugating …

The Battle Against Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Covid-19) In The Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia: Public Health Perspective, Sultan T. Al-Otaibi

Saudi Medical Journal

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) which was initially reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan has now spread unprecedented all over the world, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). The World Health Organization declared this outbreak as a public health emergency of international concern during late January 2020 while the announcement of this viral infectious condition was made as COVID-19 disease during February 2020. As of late May 2020, the global death rate due to COVID-19 was 357,714 and 441 in KSA alone. This review provides an overview of COVID-19 and the public health measures adopted by KSA in the …

A Preliminary Study Of Cytokine Gene Polymorphism Effects On Saudi Patients With Colorectal Cancer, Sarah A. Althubyani, Afrah F. Alkhuriji, Manal F. El-Khadragy

Saudi Medical Journal

Objectives: To determine the possible associations of polymorphisms in interleukin (IL)-8 ( rs4073 T/A), IL-10 ( rs1800896 A/G), IL-22 ( rs1179251 C/G and rs2227485 C/T), IL-27 ( rs17855750 T/G), and transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGFß1) ( rs1800469 C/T) with colorectal cancer (CRC) susceptibility in Saudi patients. Methods: The case-control study was carried out between July 2019 and January 2020 in King Khaled University Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A total of 70 patients with CRC and 70 healthy controls were included in the study. Single nucleotide polymorphisms of promoter regions were determined using TaqMan genotyping assays. Results: A statistically significant …

Thyroid Neoplasm In Makkah Region, Saudi Arabia: A Retrospective Epidemiological Study, Haddad H. Alkaff, Bayan O. Besharah, Deemah H. Bukhari, Suhail I. Sayed, Mohammad A. Alessa, Sherif K. Abdelmonim, Saeed A. Alghamdi, Fares E. Alghamdi, Anas H. Al-Tammas, Rajab A. Al-Zahrani, Osama A. Marglani, John C. Heaphy, Osama A. Bawazir, Ameen Z. Alherabi

Saudi Medical Journal

Objectives: To improve our local data and demographics of thyroid neoplasm in Makkah region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and provide some basic statistics for future studies in our local community. Methods: A record based retrospective epidemiological study was conducted and included 314 thyroid disease patients who were presented to our centers at Makkah region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia between December 2009 and December 2019. Results: A descriptive statistical analysis was carried out. The average age was 42.77 years, with a female-to-male ratio of 3:1, and most of the patients were Saudi (77%). Fifty-seven percent of cases were benign, while in …

Female Enrolments In Stem In Higher Education: Trend Analysis From 2003 – 2018: Knust As A Case Study, Mercy Vanessa D. Appiah-Castel,, Richard Bruce Lamptey, Kemi Titiloye, Welhemina Adoma Pels

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Tertiary education in Ghana has experienced rapid growth in accessibility and participation. It is evident that Ghana has made some positive and impressive progress towards increasing access to education and narrowing gender gaps at the pre-tertiary education levels, yet these developments have not translated commensurately in higher education level. This study investigates the effectiveness of the directives and the Vice-Chancellors' initiatives introduced and designed to increase female students' enrolment at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). The study used enrolment data from KNUST, the university’s initiatives and directives on female enrolments, KNUST recorders, online articles, publications and …

Why School Libraries Remain Underdeveloped In Nigeria, And The Way Forward, Olabode Olajide Mr, Sandy Zinn Prof

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Applying the lens of constructivism and inquiry-based learning, this study investigated why libraries remain underdeveloped in Nigerian schools, and the way forward. The study was motivated by the importance accorded to school libraries, being one of the most important educational services that could be used to achieve good standard education in Nigeria. The methodological approach adopted for this study was mixed methods. The study’s population comprised “school librarians”, principals, and science teachers in public senior secondary schools as well as major stakeholders in education connected with the provision, management and utilization of library resources for teaching science subjects. The instruments …

Renewal Of An Information Systems Curriculum To Support Career Based Tracks: A Case Study, Swapna Gottipati, Venky Shankararaman, Kyong Jin Shim

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

The pace at which technology redefines traditional job functions is picking up rapidly. This trend is triggered particularly by advances in analytics, security, cloud computing, Artificial Intelligence and big data. The purpose of this paper is to present a case study on our approach to renewing an undergraduate IS Major curriculum to align with the needs of the industry. We adopt a survey based approach to study Information Systems (IS) graduate skills requirements and re-design the curriculum framework for the IS program at our school. The paper describes in detail the process, the redesigned IS curriculum, the impact of the …

Activation Of The Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor: An Analysis Of 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-P-Dioxin Dose-Response On Antigen-Specific Antibody, Isabella Aspromonte

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor is a ligand-activated transcription factor of the Per-Arnt-Sim (PAS) family of proteins that regulates cellular functions including immunity. It has been shown that 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzodioxin (TCDD), a high affinity ligand for the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), suppresses immune responses in mice. AhR activation prior to immunization with cholera toxin results in suppression of anti-cholera toxin antibody responses. This is observed as lower immunoglobulin (IgA) levels in both feces and serum 14 days after immunization. Thereafter, cholera toxin (CT)-specific IgA fecal responses recover, where serum CT-specific antibody levels do not; something unexplained by the current paradigm for AhR …

The Effect Of Summer Drought On The Predictability Of Local Extinctions In A Butterfly Metapopulation, Erik Van Bergen, Tad Dallas, Michelle F. Dileo, Aapo Kahilainen, Anniina L.K. Mattila, Miska Luoto, Marjo Saastamoinen

Faculty Publications

The ecological impacts of extreme climatic events on population dynamics and community composition are profound and predominantly negative. Using extensive data of an ecological model system, we tested whether predictions from ecological models remain robust when environmental conditions are outside the bounds of observation. We observed a 10-fold demographic decline of the Glanville fritillary butterfly (Melitaea cinxia) metapopulation on the Åland islands, Finland in the summer of 2018 and used climatic and satellite data to demonstrate that this year was an anomaly with low climatic water balance values and low vegetation productivity indices across Åland. Population growth rates …

Dystonia 16 (Dyt16) Mutations In Pact Cause Dysregulated Pkr Activation And Eif2Α Signaling Leading To A Compromised Stress Response, Samuel B. Burnett, Lauren S. Vaughn, Nutan Sharma, Ronit Kulkarni, Rekha C. Patel

Faculty Publications

Dystonia 16 (DYT16) is caused by mutations in PACT, the protein activator of interferon-induced double-stranded RNA-activated protein kinase (PKR). PKR regulates the integrated stress response (ISR) via phosphorylation of the translation initiation factor eIF2α. This post-translational modification attenuates general protein synthesis while concomitantly triggering enhanced translation of a few specific transcripts leading either to recovery and homeostasis or cellular apoptosis depending on the intensity and duration of stress signals. PKR plays a regulatory role in determining the cellular response to viral infections, oxidative stress, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, and growth factor deprivation. In the absence of stress, both PACT and …

Immunogenetic And Tolerance Strategies Against A Novel Parasitoid Of Wild Field Crickets, Kristin L. Sikkink, Nathan W. Bailey, Marlene Zuk, Susan L. Balenger

Faculty and Student Publications

© 2020 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Among the parasites of insects, endoparasitoids impose a costly challenge to host defenses because they use their host’s body for the development and maturation of their eggs or larvae, and ultimately kill the host. Tachinid flies are highly specialized acoustically orienting parasitoids, with first instar mobile larvae that burrow into the host’s body to feed. We investigated the possibility that Teleogryllus oceanicus field crickets employ postinfestation strategies to maximize survival when infested with the larvae of the parasitoid fly Ormia ochracea. Using crickets from the Hawaiian …