Digital Commons Network^™

Restoring Paradise Through Providence: The Emergence Of The Serendipitous Hero In The Hunger Games, Alexandra Elizabeth Oberempt

Theses and Dissertations

Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games enhanced the popularity of post-apocalyptic, young adult literature written between 2004 and 2014 (a genre I call millennial dystopia). A government that sends its people to war, spies on them, and sacrifices the sanctity of the community for personal profit while the powerful and wealthy watch from a secure distance is an anxiety addressed in this fiction. The hero of millennial dystopias satiates the suffering that emerges from this angst.

Through her story, Katniss is pushed to her destiny on a path that leads her to become the hero of The Hunger Games trilogy. In …

Sex (Work) And The City: Sex Work In Columbia, South Carolina, 1860-1880, Presley Mckalyn Ramey

Theses and Dissertations

Nineteenth-century sex work in the American south has long been neglected in sex work historiography. Formerly Confederate states have red-light districts rich in history, and stories of the South waiting to be told. The city of Columbia has great significance as the capital of the first southern state to secede from the Union, and this thesis acts as a local history of the city’s red-light district. Utilizing city ordinances, court cases, census records, city directories, probate records, and wills, the lives of Columbia’s sex workers and how they interacted with the growing city around them are brought to the forefront. …

Gonorrhea: Core Areas And State Policies, Jessica Purser

Theses and Dissertations

This research looked at gonorrhea rates both from a community perspective and at the state level. Using hot spot analysis, means differences, and quantile regression, we found that education, specifically the percent of people over the age of 25 with less than a high school education, was the dominant factor at the state level while core areas of gonorrhea exist in the PeeDee and western Lowcountry regions of South Carolina in 2017 and 2018. Risky sexual behaviors are well-defined in the literature for individual persons, but this shows that looking at societal and community factors is important.

This is a …

Essays On Multichannel Retailing, Arkapravo Sarkar

Theses and Dissertations

Many upscale retailers operate discounted versions of their premium stores to engage with value-conscious customers, often as a separate channel. In the first essay, we empirically examine the effects of a high-end department store retailer’s opening of discounted store on customer shopping behavior. Leveraging a unique customer-level transaction dataset that spans pre- and post-opening of multiple discounted stores across the United States by the focal retailer, this essay seeks to disentangle the effects of discounted store opening (DSO) on the incumbent channels, namely the upscale regular physical stores and the online stores and to document the possible mechanisms that …

S-Equol: A Novel Therapeutic For Hiv-1 Induced Gut Dysbiosis, Mason T. Rodriguez

Theses and Dissertations

HIV-1 infection affects approximately 38 million people around the world. The advent of cART has greatly improved the quality of life of infected individuals; however, roughly 50% of these individuals will still experience HIV-1 associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND). Additionally, the gut microbiome has been reported to be dysbiotic in HIV-1 infected individuals, regardless of adherence to cART. Current research has pointed to the gut-brain-microbiota axis as a potential target to treat both cognitive deficits and microbial changes. The present study investigated S-equol (SE) as a potential therapeutic for HAND by modulating the gut microbiome. The study included 21 HIV-1 Tg …

Three Essays In Behavioral Economics, Foteini Tzachrista

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation includes three essays on behavioral economics with applications in health, strategic thinking, and labor.In the first essay titled ``The Effect of Nudging on the Utilization of Counseling Services and the Implications on College Student Involvement'', I examine the effect of nudging on the utilization of mental health services and the impact on college student involvement. To improve the utilization of mental health services for college students I designed and implemented an intervention promoting a pro-counseling social norm on campus. More specifically I sent campus-wide emails to inform students of the mental health services offered on campus. Randomly selected …

First-Principles Based Heterogeneous Catalyst Design For Energy Conversion And Plastics Upcycling Processes, Kyung-Eun You

Theses and Dissertations

Replacing scarce and expensive Pt-group metals (Pt, Pd, Ir, Rh, and Ru) commonly used in heterogeneous catalysis with earth-abundant and inexpensive materials is an important challenge to achieve sustainability

The main focus of the first project is to develop highly selective non-precious metal catalysts for the hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of biomass-derived polyols and we chose to examine the HDO of glycerol and its deoxygenated reaction products (1,2- and 1,3- propanediol) over Cu modified Mo₂C (Cu/Mo₂C) catalysts. In this study, we combined experimental and density functional theory (DFT) results to reveal that the Cu modifier can significantly reduce …

Mining For Progress: Copper, Conflict, And Corporate Social Responsibility, Fritz Culp

Theses and Dissertations

My dissertation examines how transnational mega-mines efface non-Western ways of knowing and being from the Andes. A growing branch of research is questioning the socio-environmental impacts of mining and the influence of regulatory institutions. Despite remarkable scholarship on the ongoing environmentalism of modern-mining, little critical attention has been given to the industry’s pivot to ‘sustainable’ development and its objectives that remain epistemologically centered on the West. My project addresses these gaps by examining Las Bambas—a large-scale copper mine located in South-Central Peru—and its contrasting objectives that emphasize both environmental ‘conservation’ and the ‘modernization’ of non-Western spaces. Building upon the critical …

Trajectories And Psychiatric Consequences Of Inhibitory Control In Young Males With Fragile X Syndrome, Erin Hunt

Theses and Dissertations

Inhibitory control (IC), the ability to suppress inappropriate responses, emerges late in the first year of life and improves across typical development, concurrent with brain maturation. The development of IC is critical to various social-emotional and behavioral functions, with IC deficits being linked to numerous psychiatric conditions, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is a single-gene disorder characterized by IC deficits, and elevated rates of ADHD and ASD, making it a useful model for understanding the early development and consequences of IC. In this longitudinal study, we characterized IC trajectories across multiple time …

Fundamentals Of Adsorption And Large Scale Pressure Swing Adsorption (Psa) Process Design, Huan Jiang

Theses and Dissertations

This work focused on both fundamental of adsorption and large-scale PSA design. Chapter 1 and 2 addressed the analysis of conditions for formation of adsorption azeotropes in binary systems. Chapter 1 theoretically assessed the necessary and sufficient conditions for the formation of an adsorption azeotrope in a binary gas mixture when this mixture exhibits either intersecting or non-intersecting single gas isotherms. Chapter 2 confirmed theoretically whether adsorption azeotropes can form in a binary mixture at a pressure below the intersection pressure of the corresponding single gas isotherms. Analytical expressions derived for both general and dual thermodynamically consistent process Langmuir (DPL) …

The Impact Of Cannabis And Alcohol Use On The Management Of Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus, Joshua Eric Sellner

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation sought to contribute to the evidence-base of diabetes management and acute complications associated with alcohol and cannabis use among individuals with Type 1 Diabetes (T1DM). Three interconnected studies were initiated to complete this goal. First, existing literature surrounding the potential consequences of cannabis consumption among individuals with T1DM were summarized within a systematic review. Study results were combined to provide a single measure of association through a meta-analysis. Second, identified associations were further investigated through a cross-sectional study using the SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth data on alcohol and cannabis use on diabetes management and acute complications including …

Associations Of The Fto Gene And Risk Of Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Avery Ulrich

Theses and Dissertations

Background Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) is a blood cancer that affects ~70,000 people each year in the US. The Fat Mass and Obesity (FTO) gene on chromosome 16 has been reported to be associated with obesity, solid tumor cancers (lung, renal, breast, prostate, pancreatic, endometrial), and more recently with hematologic malignancies, like AML. In this thesis, we test the hypothesis that inherited variants within the FTO gene are associated with an increased risk of AML. Methods Using the DISCOVeRY-BMT (Determining the Influence of Susceptibility COnveying Variants Related to one-Year mortality after Blood and Marrow Transplantation), a well-powered genome-wide association study …

Mechanistic Understanding Of Catalytic Processes For Sustainable Chemical Transformations, Pooja J. Ayare

Theses and Dissertations

The current field of catalysis is notably advanced in terms of both conceptual and technical innovation. There is a constant need to design new catalysts and develop catalytic processes to improve the scope, efficiency, and selectivity of various chemical transformations. It is also imperative to design catalytic systems which are effective, truly-recyclable and energy efficient for a sustainable future. This can be done through comprehensive knowledge and understanding of catalyst behavior, reaction kinetics and process designing.

For most industrial processes, the preferred catalysts are heterogeneous because these solid catalysts can be easily separated from the final product. However, they often …

Interrogating Rosa Montero’S Transition To Consensus: The Literary Interview As Lieu De Mémoire, Adrienne D. Banko

Theses and Dissertations

Looking from our 21st century viewpoint, the collection of interviews España para ti…para siempre (1976) and Cinco años de País (1982) can be seen as artifacts of the Spanish Transition to democracy and should be regarded as collections of “places of memory.” Many scholars chronicling the Transition and its impacts have positioned Rosa Montero as a prominent feminist writer of the period. However, her journalistic writing demonstrates her mediatic role as linchpin between the social and political transitions interwoven into the foundation of Spain’s democratic emergence from Francoism. These works were published at a particular moment of consensus in …

Emotional And Rational Decision-Making In Strategic Studies: Moving Beyond The False Dichotomy, Samuel Zilincik

Journal of Strategic Security

It is common, though erroneous, to think of rational and emotional decision-making as being opposed to each other. The binary distinction originated in Western philosophy and subsequently spread to other fields, including strategic studies. Strategic studies scholarship has nurtured this binary in two mainstream traditions, classical strategic theory and the coercion school. The distinction is fallacious because all strategically relevant decisions are emotional, and many of these decisions can be rational. Abandoning the false dichotomy is necessary for the field to remain relevant and for strategists to better understand their choices and the decisions made by their adversaries. Accordingly, this …

Promoting Cognitive Complexity Among Violent Extremist Youth In Northern Pakistan, Feriha Peracha, Sara Savage, Raafia Khan, Asma Ayub, Andleeb Zahra

Journal of Strategic Security

This article reports on the results of an intervention to promote cognitive complexity (measured by integrative complexity, IC) and perspective taking for youth detained for violent extremism at the Sabaoon Center for Deradicalization and Rehabilitation in northern Pakistan. Participants are sixty-four males (mean age 19.77, SD = 3.26) comprising three cohorts: CVE Detained, CVE Reintegrated, and PVE At-risk.

The Sabaoon IC intervention consists of eight sessions with action learning contextualized according to an assessment of the push, pull and personal factors that shape the life experience of the youth. Pre and post testing results show significant gain in IC in …

Revisiting Domestic Intelligence, John P. Sullivan, Genevieve Lester

Journal of Strategic Security

This article looks at the evolution of US domestic intelligence prior to and since 9/11 in light of the Capitol attacks. It also reviews the literature and practice of intelligence reform in the context of foreign comparative experience (France, UK, Canada, Australia). It looks at the promise of fusion centers, cocontemporay domestic intelligence models, and the continuing need for domestic intelligence reform.

Additional Keywords: Domestic Intelligence, Intelligence Reform, Intelligence Fusion

Drawn In: An Exploration Of The Graphic Narrative, Celia Casciani

Senior Theses

This thesis project aims to explore ordinary stories told through the graphic narrative. The goal is to understand what intrigues us about ordinary stories and what is gained through the use of comics form to tell these stories. The project portion of the thesis consists of a website showcasing comics based on narratives told by students at the University of South Carolina. The research portion uses existing literature, as well as reflections from the creation of the project, to answer the above questions. In the end, I found that we are drawn to ordinary stories through the process of identification, …

In Search Of Divine Liberated Love: A Yoga Memoir, Katie D. Davidson

LMU Theses and Dissertations

I opted to write a memoir about my personal experiences in yoga, rather than a traditional research-based thesis. A key distinction between memoir and autobiography or auto-ethnography is that it’s not linear—much like my yoga journey. Often, experiences, particularly around healing emotional trauma, are more circular in nature, perhaps even more of a spiral. According to Carl Jung, “The spiral in psychology means that when you make a spiral you always come over the same point where you have been before, but never really the same, it is above or below, inside, outside, so it means growth.” (Jung 5, p. …

Dulce, Christopher Espinal

LMU Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Lamentations For Liberation: A Theological Analysis Of The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill, Sophia Gilmour

LMU Theses and Dissertations

While exploring the history of liberation theology themes appearing in Black musician’s work (in Dr. Daniel Smith-Christopher’s class Bible and the Blues), it came to my attention that there are many more contemporary artists whose work also touches on these themes, such as Lauryn Hill. My thesis argues with the help of Black and Womanist scholars that the naming of one’s reality through musical lamentations is a healing act. Further, musical lamentation is an act to carry forth communities and provide them with healing because the act of acknowledging and lamenting the suffering of a marginalized community is liberating in …

From An Ambivert's Perspective: The Relationships Between Personality Types, Attachment Styles, And Behavioral Tendencies Of Introverts And Extroverts, Andrew Chang

Senior Theses

Over the years, there has been continuous discussion around the idea that extroverts dominate the business workplace over introverts and vice versa. However, depending on the work setting and skillsets needed, it is imperative to realize how certain business practices, personality styles, and relationship approaches are different in every scenario. For this research thesis, the goal was to compare the personality and attachment styles of students who study in two different cultural environments, seeing if there were any apparent relationships between the two variables and student behavioral tendencies. Previous studies have shown that personality, behaviors, and attachment levels can predict …

Determinants Of Hiv Treatment Disparities In The Latino Population Of South Carolina, Elizabeth G. Caulk

Senior Theses

The Latino population in the United States faces a heightened risk in terms of contracting HIV/AIDS and experiencing negative health outcomes from said infection. HIV/AIDS continues to disproportionately impact ethnic/racial minorities, and the Latino population exemplifies this unfortunate trend, with Latino Americans making up around 18.4% of the national population, but nearly 30% of the HIV/AIDS infections (US Office of Minority Health, 2021). More enduring changes to the current resources available to this population will need to be made in order to address this disparity. Thus, the current study examined social determinants, how they increase risk of infection, and how …

Secret To Success: A Survey Of The University Of South Carolina Student Success Center, Lilian Mitchell

Senior Theses

This paper seeks to survey the practices of the Student Success Center (SSC) at the University of South Carolina (USC) and show the effectiveness of those practices. Through the analysis of the history of student success in higher education, current literature on student success, and the 2020- 2021 Blueprint for the SSC at USC, it is clear that the SSC has developed a successful and effective method of guaranteeing student success on USC’s campus. At USC, the main focus is on Supplemental Instruction, Peer Tutoring, and Academic Coaching (a.k.a. Success Consultations). By setting goals and measuring the outcome of those …

Which Motivations Impact The Relation Between Adhd Symptoms And Simultaneous Use Of Alcohol And Marijuana?, Caroline Hough

Senior Theses

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms are associated with greater risk for substance use and abuse. About one in four adults with ADHD has a comorbid substance use disorder. Polysubstance use, or mixing multiple drugs, is becoming increasingly prevalent on college campuses. The simultaneous use of alcohol and marijuana (SAM) is a particular polysubstance use pattern that is significantly correlated with more risky behaviors (e.g., reckless driving, unprotected sex) and adverse consequences (e.g., blackouts, physical injury) than using one substance alone. An estimated 15% of 18- to 29-year-olds engage in SAM each year, while recorded rates of SAM in college students are …

Rolando Hinojosa - From Belken County And Beyond, Manuel F. Medrano, Teresa Cadena

History Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Growing Up Water, Dominique Barbee

Theses and Dissertations

“Growing Up Water” is a full-length manuscript consisting of one long poem in two parts. Louisiana is one of the most verdant naturally fertile states in the U.S. The state loses a football field of land almost every one-hundred minutes. This is largely due to climate change, oil drilling in the gulf, the cutting of canals, the waste poured in to the Mississippi river by the chemical plants that line this area (known as “Cancer Alley”), the onslaught of invasive species, the list goes on. Furthermore, due to global warming, “big” hurricanes are only becoming stronger and more frequent. Any …

The Effect Of Explicit Vocabulary Instruction On Elementary Students’ Vocabulary Knowledge And Reading Comprehension: An Action Research Study, Tonia Bauer

Theses and Dissertations

Reading comprehension seems to be a significant challenge for rising fifth graders with limited vocabulary knowledge. A possible solution is to provide them with explicit vocabulary instruction which may positively impact their reading comprehension. This action research aimed to evaluate the effect of implementing explicit vocabulary instruction delivered through Schoology on fifth graders’ vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension at an urban elementary school in the southeastern United States. This study also sought to analyze students’ perceptions of the usefulness of the online vocabulary learning modules. A convergent mixed-method approach was applied to answer the research questions. The quantitative data (e.g., …

Mechanistic Multiphysics Modeling Of Cladding Rupture In Nuclear Fuel Rods During Loss-Of-Coolant Accident Conditions, Kyle Allan Lawrence Gamble

Theses and Dissertations

The Loss of Coolant Accident (LOCA) is a design basis accident that is included as part of the safety analysis of nuclear power plants. As the nuclear industry desires to increase the cycle length and discharge burnup of existing nuclear power plants they must demonstrate safe operation during a LOCA on high burnup fuel. During a LOCA transient on high burnup fuel rods, the rods may undergo a process known as fuel fragmentation, relocation, and dispersal (FFRD). To permit dispersal, the cladding encapsulating the fuel must rupture with an opening size large enough to allow the fragmented fuel particles to …

Fireweed, Robert Kopfensteiner

Theses and Dissertations

Fireweed is a novel following a family in the North American fur trade of the 1830’s. The son of a mixed race parentage and only surviving child of a natural disaster, the protagonist, titled only as the boy, must navigate the complex relationships his father has established between independent trappers, the burgeoning United States military, and the Anishinaabe peoples. The father’s dealings have culminated in the loss of the mysterious iron safe he possesses, which houses what each interested party desires, as well as a truth the boy fears the most.

The novel examines time and the American identity through …