Digital Commons Network^™

A Brief Values-Based Intervention For Increasing Distress Tolerance In Overcontrol, Katherine Hyde Brott

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Overcontrol is a transdiagnostic personality syndrome underlying difficult-to-treat psychopathology. Current treatments options are limited, and those that do exist are both cost- and time-prohibitive. Brief interventions are one pathway to improving the care of people with overcontrol. This study had two major aims: (1) evaluate a brief values-based intervention to increase distress tolerance in people with overcontrol and (2) examine the correlates of overcontrol using a novel, theoretically derived transdiagnostic measure of overcontrol. Participants (n = 177) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: values clarification only, linking values to emotion, or a control condition. They then completed a …

How Supply Chains Respond To Disruptions: Three Essays On Responses To Operational, Geopolitical, And Natural Disaster Disruptions, Travis Kulpa

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The ability to respond to supply chain disruptions efficiently and effectively is a highly sought after capability, particularly in light of recent events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitical conflicts, and major natural disasters. These events have led researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to ask: how can we better use our resources to respond to supply chain disruptions? This dissertation examines responses to the three main types of supply chain disruptions: operational disruptions, geopolitical disruptions, and natural disasters. The first study examines how US importers adjust between air and containerized transportation in response to shipment delays and abnormally high demand from …

Proton-Coupled Electron Transfer To Drive Biomass Conversion, Cody Canote

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Meeting rising demands for commodity chemicals while simultaneously easing reliance on fossil fuels presents one of the most substantial challenges for chemistry to date. Biomass has emerged as a sustainable precursor to commodity chemicals but requires substantial deoxygenation to displace petrochemicals. Development of efficient catalysts to achieve these transformations remains one of the central goals of inorganic and organometallic chemistry. Electrochemical strategies to propel biomass conversion are attractive, providing the driving force for reactivity and insights into catalyst mechanism. This work focuses on proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) to facilitate redox catalysis in biomass up conversion and homolytic bond cleavage in …

Modeling, Optimization, And Characterization For Choke Horn Antennas, Ibrahim Nasser I Alquaydheb

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents a comprehensive study focusing on the modeling, optimization, and characterization of choke horn antennas (CHAs). An analytical model designed to capture the parameters of CHA and derive the total radiated fields from the choke and waveguide elements is primarily focused on in this work. Compared to the use of simulation software, such as ANSYS HFSS (High Frequency Structure Simulator) or CST Studio, which employs numerical methods to simulate and calculate antenna performance, numerous advantages are offered by the analytical model. Analytical models provide deeper insight into electromagnetic interactions and the principles governing antenna behavior, leading to a …

Rock Wall Fracturing As A Potential Control On River Valley Width In The Buffalo National River, Arkansas, Kindle Hon

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Quantifying bedrock properties that control the persistence of fallen rock material (talus) along bedrock walls bounding river valleys may be a key factor in understanding what controls the rate at which these river valleys widen. My work is a component of a collaborative research project focused on the overarching hypothesis that the persistence vs. erodibility of talus that buffers river valley walls can be a first-order control on valley widening rates. I hypothesize that the primary control for creating erodible or persistent talus is the fracture spacing of bedrock valley walls as it sets the maximum block size of collapsed …

Effects Of Measurement Error In Student Pre-Post Test Score On The Recovery Of The Estimates Of Teachers Value-Added Scores, Merlin J. Kamgue

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Abstract Background: Value-added models (VAMs) are statistical tools used to gauge a teacher’s impact on student performance by analyzing standardized test scores. These models project students’ future performance based on past scores and compare the projection to actual outcomes, accounting for differences in student backgrounds. However, the standard error of measurement (SEM) inherent in all measurement tools is often overlooked in VAMs. Aims and Objectives: This study aims to investigate the impact of test reliability on teacher and school score estimates within a Bayesian framework. We will precisely manipulate the reliability of standardized tests by adjusting the standard error of …

Tissue Engineered Models Of Environmental And Metabolism-Driven Cancer-Nerve Crosstalk, Emory Gregory

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: Within the last 30 years, cancer-nerve interactions have garnered attention for causing patient pain, increasing the risk of recurrence, and decreasing patient prognosis. There are 2 key forms cancer-nerve crosstalk takes: perineural invasion (PNI), in which cancer cells infiltrate nerves as a route for metastasis, and tumor innervation (TI), in which neurites penetrate solid tumors to promote tumor progression. Present in vitro models of cancer-nerve crosstalk primarily include Matrigel® mouse matrix and collagen I hydrogels; whereas collagen I hydrogels neglect tumor extracellular matrix (ECM) complexity, Matrigel® is controversial for its batch-to-batch inconsistencies and inclusion of experiment-altering growth factors. Decellularized …

Approaches To Controlling Palmer Amaranth And Its Interference In Furrow-Irrigated Rice, Tanner Austin King

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Palmer amaranth (Amaranthus palmeri S. Wats) is the most troublesome and problematic weed in most mid-southern U.S. row crop production systems. With the increased adoption of furrow-irrigated rice (Oryza sativa L.), there is a greater occurrence of Palmer amaranth due to sustained moist conditions allowing continual emergence of the weed throughout the growing season. Palmer amaranth has previously been shown to negatively affect crop yields when left unmanaged. Therefore, there is a high potential for rice yield loss due to the weed’s ability to emerge over an extended period and interfere with crop development. However, there is a lack of …

Remodel-Fpga: Reconfigurable Memory-Centric Array Processor Architecture For Deep-Learning Acceleration On Fpga, Md Arafat Kabir

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Deep-Learning has become a dominant computing paradigm across a broad range of application domains. Different architectures of Deep-Networks like CNN, MLP, and RNN have emerged as the prominent machine-learning approaches for today’s application domains. These architectures are heavily data-dependent, requiring frequent access to memory. As a result, these applications suffer the most from the memory bottleneck of the von Neumann architectures. There is an imminent need for memory-centric architectures for deep-learning and big-data analytic applications that are memory intensive. Modern Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) are ideal programmable substrates for creating customized Processor in/near Memory (PIM) accelerators. Modern FPGAs contain …

Environments And Controls Of Erosional Bedforms In Soluble Channels, Ethan W. Oleson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Erosional bedforms, such as scallops, preserve valuable information on the paleohydrologic conditions forming soluble channels in karst systems. While these bedforms are commonly used to interpret past conditions, questions about their formation remain. Mathematical models of speleogenesis in turbulent flow predict that the conditions for forming scallops do not occur in natural carbonate systems. However, scallops are readily found in caves throughout the world. This conundrum has several possible resolutions, but each lacks field-based observations. We present a field-based study of the environments and controls of scallops in gypsum, limestone, and dolostone caves. Our results are based on field observation, …

Understanding The Emergence Of Self-Determination In Children With Disabilities Through Family Experiences In Early Childhood: A Qualitative Study, Karen K. Lange

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Abstract A person’s ability to be self-determined begins to develop through the earliest interactions in life within the context of the family and caregiving environments. This qualitative phenomenological study of the experiences of eight parents representing seven families of young children explored how families promote their children’s early development of the skills, abilities, and attitudes of self-determination. The critical importance of the family context for the promotion of self-determination in young children is seen in the four themes that emerged from the experiences shared by these families. (1) The family context is transformed by a child with a disability, changing …

Investigation Of Optically Pumped Gesn Quantum Well Lasers, Grey Steven Abernathy

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Silicon photonic integrated circuits enable the capability of producing on-chip processing of photonic signals, including both emission and detection. Emission materials, however, have been limited for monolithic integration due to high processing temperatures, indirect bandgap materials, and material integration complications. The (Si)GeSn material system has recently attracted attention due to the bandgap transition from the Si and Ge, naturally indirect bandgap, to direct bandgap with sufficient Sn incorporation. Additionally, the low growth temperature (CMOS compatible; <400 >°C) of (Si)GeSn materials can enable the monolithic integration of the highly desired mid-infrared light emission on the Si Photonic platform. This dissertation first discusses …

Smartphone Gaming And International Students: Exploring The Experiences Of Hypercasual Gameplay For Practicing English Vocabulary And Learning About The United States Culture In Mediated Action, Se He Hwang

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The use of smartphones in everyday settings is widespread, and people around the world use smartphones not only for making phone calls and sending text messages but also as a tool for searching for information and playing smartphone games during their free time. Since people around the world have easy access to smartphones regardless of their physical locations, smartphones can function as a tool for learning purposes, and playing games for learning purposes also supports the students to learn information in less stressful settings since playing games is predominantly for entertainment. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study in mediated …

Computational Alchemy: Pioneering Spintronic, Thermoelectric, And Optoelectronic Materials Design Through First-Principles Calculations And Machine Learning, Eesha Sanjay Andharia

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Intelligent materials discovery and design plays a pivotal role in advancement of spintronics, optoelectronics and thermoelectric devices and technology. In this study, we investigate three types of materials using first principles calculations. First, the structural, electronic, and magnetic properties of CrTiCoZ (Z = Al, Si) equiatomic quaternary Heusler alloys were investigated. CrTiCoAl compound was found to exhibit a half metallic ferromagnetic structure and Curie temperature above room temperature, which makes it an ideal candidate for magnetic tunnel junction, the basic building block of Spintronic devices. Second, we use Green’s function to obtain the finite temperature phonons by including quartic anharmonicity …

Quantifying Physical Function: Moving Towards A New Definition And Better Assessment, Anthony Campitelli

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Though poor physical function (PF) and disability are two of the most impactful problems facing older adults today, the field of kinesiology has not yet devised a method of measuring PF, thus limiting investigations with the potential to lead to improved PF interventions and assessments. This dissertation aimed to develop a single, continuous measure of PF using a latent variable modeling approach, and then use the generated scores to evaluate the role of lower body muscular power in PF assessment and to construct an improved PF assessment battery for predicting overall PF. Each aim of this dissertation was addressed through …

Understanding And Control Of Frustration And Topological Defects In Ferroic Matter, Suyash Rijal

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Ferroic matter are of great importance as they provide a platform to extend the understanding of many-body physics and also for their amazing functional properties relevant for technological advancements. The work in this dissertation is dedicated to two of such ferroic materials.

First is CrGeTe₃ (CGT), a two dimensional (2D) magnet discovered in 2017. The discovery of two-dimensional magnetism has invigorated the research community as their low dimensionality offers a unique avenue to understand and investigate the origin of magnetism in these atomically thin systems and harvest diverse application such as information processing, storage and transfer using their magnetic …

Contributors To Faculty Wellness In An Academic Emergency Department Before And During The Pandemic: A Qualitative Study, Nicholas D. Hartman, Casey Glass, Manoj Pariyadath, Kathleen Hosmer, Meagan Hunt, Nicklaus Ashburn, Cedric Lefebvre

Journal of Wellness

Introduction: Burnout is well known as a prevalent hazard in emergency medicine (EM) careers, but the literature is less clear about what specific work-related factors actually contribute to wellness and burnout among academic EM faculty.

Objectives: 1) To explore themes and specific concerns that contribute to faculty wellness in an academic emergency department, in a qualitative fashion. 2) To determine whether these themes and concerns changed appreciably in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: EM faculty members at an academic institution were invited to participate in the study, including an on-line survey and a structured interview. Survey results were …

Nano Curcumin As A Photosensitizer For Photodynamic Therapy Treatment Of Oral Lesions, Sudip Pokhrel

Graduate Masters Theses

The capability of curcumin and its analogs to inhibit various processes involved in cancer development and progression has been extensively studied. Curcumin is also a photoactive compound, which can be activated with blue light to initiate photochemistry. Motivated by this and its inherent anti-cancer properties, we examined the practicality of using a commercially available nano-cumin formulation as a photosensitizer for the photodynamic therapy (PDT) treatment of oral cancers. Despite the significant limitation of curcumin in only absorbing blue light, which lies outside the optical window and suffers from poor penetration depths, we meticulously investigated its potential. Our systematic examination using …

Gray Seal (Halichoerus Grypus) Diet And Microplastic Ingestion On Great Point, Nantucket, Shannon R. Brown

Graduate Masters Theses

Due to their semi-aquatic lifestyle, pinnipeds are an ideal sentinel group used to study anthropogenic threats to the marine environment. Microplastics, primarily transported to the ocean through river discharge or weathering of larger plastics, are a threat to both pinnipeds and humans. Bioaccumulation of microplastics within the marine food web has been observed, with pinnipeds indirectly ingesting microplastics through their prey. As generalists, gray seals (Halichoerus grypus) are a pinniped species that can provide information on microplastic exposure to many lower trophic level organisms. This thesis explores the relationship between the diet and microplastic ingestion of gray seals on Great …

Derogatory, Racist, And Discriminatory Speech (Drds) In Video Gaming, Sean Woodford

Dissertations

Video games have been examined for their effects on cognition, learning, health, and physiological arousal, yet research on social dynamics within video gaming is limited. Studies have documented the presence of derogation, racism, and discrimination in this anonymous medium. However, gamers‟ firsthand experiences are typically examined qualitatively. Thus, this study aimed to establish a quantitative baseline for the frequency of derogatory, racist, and discriminatory speech (DRDS) in gaming. DRDS frequency, sexual harassment, and hate speech measures were administered to 150 individuals from online forums and social media groups. Descriptive and inferential analyses were used to gauge which factors affected DRDS …

The Association Between Social Media, Toxic Masculinity, And Depression In Young Adult Males, Anthony Warren

Dissertations

The world is shaped by diverse influences that significantly affect individuals’ internal landscapes, leading to both positive and negative effects with profound implications for society. Role models play a pivotal role in shaping the aspirations of young adult males by providing direct and indirect lessons that leave lasting impressions and influence their worldview. In recent years, social media use, toxic masculinity, and mental health have garnered significant attention in understanding the experiences of young adult males. The focus in this study was to examine the relationships between social media use, toxic masculinity, and depression in young adult males ranging in …

Energetics And Passivation Of Surface Defects In Hgte Colloidal Quantum Dots, Jacob D. Eisensmith

Theses

Colloidal quantum dots (CQDs), and especially HgTe CQDs, have the potential to disrupt traditional solid-state manufacturing of sensitive infrared photodetectors. Here we produce a surface model for (111) HgTe surfaces present in tetrahedral CQDs and attempt to use density functional theory (DFT) to explore various issues in the fabrication and performance of HgTe CQD photodetectors. One such concern is the presence of mid-gap trap states that can hurt device performance. In this work, we demonstrate that an abundant source of these trap states is unpassivated mercury at the surface of the nanocrystal, which can be corrected with passivation procedures. Furthermore, …

Enhancing Thermal Stability Of Perovskite Solar Cells Through Thermal Transition And Thin Film Crystallization Engineering Of Polymeric Hole Transport Layers, Sanggyun Kim, Sina Sabury, Carlo A. R. Perini, Tareq Hossain, Augustine O. Yusuf, Xiangyu Xiao, Ruipeng Li, Kenneth R. Graham, John R. Reynolds, Juan-Pablo Correa-Baena

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Organic hole transport layers (HTLs) have been known to be susceptible to thermal stress, leading to poor long- term stability in perovskite solar cells (PSCs). We synthesized three 2,5-dialkoxy-substituted, 1,4-bis(2-thienyl)phenylene (TPT)-based conjugated polymers (CPs) linked with thiophene-based (thiophene (T) and thienothiophene (TT)) comonomers and evaluated them as HTLs in n-i-p PSCs. TPT-T (MB/C6), which has branched 2- methylbutyl and linear hexyl (MB/C6) side chains, emerged as a promising HTL candidate, enabling power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) greater than 15%. In addition, PSCs with this HTL showed an improvement in long-term stability at elevated temperatures of 65 °C when compared to those …

Unveiling The Intercompartmental Signaling Axis: Mitochondrial To Er Stress Response (Mersr) And Its Impact On Proteostasis, Jeson Li

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Maintaining protein homeostasis is essential for cellular health. During times of protein stress, cells deploy unique defense mechanisms to achieve resolution. Our previous research uncovered a cross-compartmental Mitochondrial to Cytosolic Stress Response (MCSR), a unique stress response activated by the perturbation of mitochondrial proteostasis, which ultimately results in the improvement of proteostasis in the cytosol. Here, we found that this signaling axis also influences the unfolded protein response of the endoplasmic reticulum (UPRER), suggesting the presence of a Mitochondria to ER Stress Response (MERSR). During MERSR, the IRE1 branch of UPRER is inhibited, introducing a previously unknown regulatory component of …

South Carolina Instructional Leaders’ Conceptualization And Perception Of Learning Thrill: An Exploratory Interview Study, David Paul Cupolo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Numerous students across the United States are observed as being disengaged and bored in several of their learning experiences. Similarly, innumerable students also self-report being bored and disengaged. Over 40% of South Carolina (SC) students in Grades 3–8 report being compliant, disengaged, or mixed in all three domains (behaviorally, cognitively, and emotionally). Hattie and Donoghue propose a new conceptual learning model—skill, will, and thrill. They suggest that this model will improve student learning experiences to the transfer level, which is thrill. At the thrill level, students can then apply their learning to similar or different contexts. As the concept of …

Characterizing Groundwater Flow Across The Barrier Island-High Marsh Interface, Dean Michael Wrobel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The freshwater resources of barrier islands are influenced by a variety of hydrogeologic factors, which create unique regions of groundwater composition. Factors including evapotranspiration, geologic constraints, tidal forcing, and meteoric inputs influence subterranean flow creating a groundwater salinity gradient throughout the island-marsh setting which directly influences the spatial distribution of dominant vegetation on the island. Rising sea levels and variation in local climate may alter the hydrologic balance on barrier islands, potentially shifting salinity gradients and ecological baselines on short timescales. The intrusion of saltwater into the barrier island freshwater system could result in the shifting of ecotones and potential …

Navigating The Black Student First-Year Experience: Exploring Ways Peer Mentoring Can Enhance Engagement And Belonging At A Pwi, Richard V. Frazier Iii

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Studies indicate that minoritized students attending Predominantly White Institutions (PWI) may struggle with engagement and establishing a sense of belonging. Peer mentoring may play a role in enhancing these opportunities to foster academic performance and retention. The sense of belonging and engagement for minoritized students at a PWI is essential to their academic sustainability. This qualitative narrative analysis study uses Strayhorn’s (2012) theory of college students’ sense of belonging as the theoretical framework to explore the peer mentoring experiences of 10 Black first-year students participating in a stand-alone model. Interviews were used to acquire insight into peer mentoring’s influence on …

Tidal Creeks As Conduits Of Land-Derived Nutrients To The Coastal Ocean, Christianna R. Morton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A common feature of the coastline of South Carolina are small, low relief, tidal creek systems. Due to their tidally dominated nature, these systems can act as conduits of land-based nutrients to the coastal ocean. As development along the coastline increases, the volume of nutrients entering tidal creeks will likely exhibit an associated increase. The focus of this research is an investigation of the input of nutrients into White Point Swash, a tidal creek located in northern South Carolina, via point and nonpoint sources, the behavior of nutrients once they enter this system, and the potential removal of nutrients by …

Exploring The Community Standards Review For College Admission: A Comparative Case Study, Kayla E. Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many higher education institutions review the disciplinary and criminal history of applicants to assess potential threats and ensure a safe learning community in the college admissions process. This review is often criticized for exacerbating the opportunity gap and racial disparities for marginalized populations and creating barriers to college admission. This study explores the institutional processes for community standards review at four public regionally accredited 4-year institutions and how diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) influence the community standards review process. Three research questions guided the study: How do college administrators at 4-year public universities describe their perceptions of the community standards …

Synthesis Of Selenium Nanostructures: Rods, Wires, And Fibers By Pulsed Laser Ablation In Liquids, Atikur Rahman

Theses and Dissertations

Selenium is a semiconductor that has a bulk energy bandgap of 1.74 eV, is mainly used in sensors, rectifiers, and advanced photovoltaic solar cells. Selenium is very important for the energy applications and was declared as Energy Critical Element (ECE) by the American Physical Society (APS) and the Materials Research Society (MRS). The goal of this dissertation was to control the growth of selenium when being irradiated by a pulsed laser within a liquid environment. The method called “Pulsed Laser Ablation in Liquids” is a green synthesis technique that allows for ligand-free nanoparticles to be created. Laser repetition rates were …