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Nonlinear Optical Microscopy Assessment Of Tissue Structure And Chondrocyte Viability Of Articular Cartilage, Michael Le

All Theses

Articular cartilage functions to protect the ends of bones by providing a surface that can withstand compressive forces and minimize friction during movement. Collagen fibers form the organizational backbone of the extracellular matrix (ECM) in cartilage. Proteoglycans within the ECM function to retain water and provide the tissue with the swelling pressure needed to withstand compressional forces. Chondrocytes, the only type of cell found in articular cartilage, produces these collagen fibers and proteoglycans to maintain the tissue structure and function. Significant injuries to articular cartilage can damage the chondrocytes and disrupt their ability to maintain homeostasis in the tissue. Therefore, …

An In Vitro Approach To Identify Sources Of Resistance To Fusarium Wilt Caused By Fusarium Oxysporum F. Sp. Vasinfectum Race 4 In Domesticated Cotton, Stephen Parris

All Theses

Cotton lint produced by the plants Gossypium barbadense L. (pima cotton) and Gossypium hirsutum L. (upland cotton) is the world’s leading source of renewable textiles. The fibers of the cotton plant have been woven so intricately into our society that it would be hard to imagine life without their products. Cotton breeders must then not only continue to work to improve the quality of cotton fibers (fineness, strength, dyability, etc.) but also to improve the resilience of the plant against biotic and abiotic factors. Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. vasinfectum race 4 (FOV4) is an aggressive fungal pathogen, which causes Fusarium …

Interdiction Models To Disrupt The Operations Of Sex Trafficking And Other Forced Illicit Labor Networks, Michael T. Clark

All Theses

Sex traffickers often force their victims to work in both commercial sex markets and perform other illicit activities (e.g., drug dealing, theft, and fraud). Current literature has failed to address interdiction models that aim to disrupt all components of a sex traffickers’ operation, including these other illicit activities. In this thesis, we present a interdiction problem, and its single-level linear optimization reformulation, to reduce the profit of a human trafficking network concurrently operating in the commercial sex market and other illicit activity markets. Our novel formulation aims to investigate the practical implications of interdiction decisions made to disrupt a human …

Outreach As Dialogue: Lessons From University Forests, Kelly M. Alvidrez

All Theses

University and school forests are managed for a unique set of multiple uses from research and teaching to recreation and forestry. Understanding how outreach is employed in these settings as a component of their land management strategy can offer insights to school forests generally as well as other complex land management efforts. Using outreach, a forest can facilitate communication as a dialogue, connecting to forest participants and stakeholders. This qualitative research study uses a multi-scale case study approach to examine a recent harvest and outreach efforts at the Clemson Experimental Forest, as well the outreach efforts at eight other university …

Structural Evolution During Synthesis And Annealing Of Platinum-Nickel Bimetallic Nanoparticles, Xiner Lu

All Theses

In the past years, there has been an increasing interest in synthesizing Pt alloy nanocrystals to achieve high catalytic performance for energy-related applications. Pt-Ni nanoparticles (NPs) have shown high electrocatalytic activity for electrocatalysis and thermal catalysis. However, the stability of surface structures and compositions still needs to be improved to obtain better long-term catalytic stability. It is noted that thermal annealing can adjust the surface structures and compositions to improve the stability. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) plays a vital role in characterizing the morphology, structure, and composition of nanoparticles. Specifically, the utilization of in situ TEM can allow for observing …

Effects Of 2,4-Di-Tert-Butylphenol On Osteogenic And Myogenic Differentiation Of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells, Thanh-Bình Dương

All Theses

Synthetic phenolic antioxidants (SPAs) are a class of compounds used to increase the durability of polymers as well as to increase the shelf-life of food, cosmetics, and other personal care items. Of these SPAs is 2,4-di-tert-butylphenol (2,4-DBP). 2,4-DBP is primarily used in polyethylene crosspolymer pipes, which are now used as a replacement for the traditional copper pipes for household water distribution. However, 2,4-DBP has been found to leach from these pipes into the water, enabling a mode of exposure to humans. 2,4-DBP has been detected in human urine, serum, but more importantly, maternal serum, placenta, and cord blood. …

Evaluating The Accuracy And Quality Of Microgreens Training Materials Available On The Internet: A Content Analysis, Supun Chathuranga Nabadawa Hewage

All Theses

Microgreens are the young, edible seedlings of various vegetables, spices, herbs, and considered as the intermediate stage of sprouts and mature greens, suggesting microgreens may share similar food safety risks with both of these produce. Even though there are no known outbreaks due to contaminated microgreens, multiple product recalls have been reported, indicating food safety risks associated with microgreens should not be underemphasized. A recent national survey of the U.S. microgreens industry reported that almost half of growers (48.3% of 176) learned to grow microgreens by viewing websites and videos on the internet.¹ However, it is unknown whether the …

Inclusive Pedagogy: Connecting Disability And Race In Higher Education, Meredith Persin

All Theses

Higher education was never made for marginalized people. The academy was created based on the privileged white, able-bodied, males who preoccupied higher education for the longest time. While that has certainly changed over the years, the institution itself is still in the past resulting in BIPOC students and disabled students continuing to struggle within higher education. While instructors have begun to take interest in the need for inclusive pedagogy within the last decade, it still has a far way to come in order to help the marginalized students with intersecting identities and students who may not benefit from a one …

Pasture Biomass Estimation Using Crop Surface Modeling And Vegetation Indices, Brendan Macinnis

All Theses

Biomass estimations are a critical function of any grazing or haylage system. Determination of ideal harvesting or grazing times help optimize the quality and quantity of above-ground biomass (AGB). The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for Alfalfa and Tall Fescue biomass estimations. Using a DJI Mavic Pro, RGB and NDVI images were taken and used to create orthomosaic images. Structure-from-motion (SfM) techniques were used to developed digital elevation models to evaluate the change in canopy height (∆H) between pre- and post-harvests. Change in canopy height (∆H) was shown to provide the …

Addressing The Performance Of Distance Relays In Presence Of Inverter Based Resources, Prabin Adhikari

All Theses

The transition towards clean energy initiatives to reduce global greenhouse emissions and the dependence on fossil fuels requires the interconnection of large-scale renewable energy power plants to high voltage transmission networks via inverters. These inverter interfaced power sources, popularly known as inverter-based resources (IBRs), pose several technical challenges to the existing distance protection infrastructures widely deployed in transmission systems.

Fault characteristics of IBRs are significantly different from those shown by synchronous generators (SGs). With IBRs taking a large share of generation, their increasing penetration at the transmission level causes incorrect operation of existing distance protection schemes designed for systems dominated …

Identification Of Cytospora Species Isolated From Canker In Peach Trees In South Carolina, Stephen T. Baker

All Theses

In 2016, a survey was conducted into the causes of twig blight on peach (Prunus persica) in five orchards across South Carolina. From this survey, isolates from the fungal genus of Cytospora (Sordariomycetes, Diaporthales) were reported on peach, for the first time, within the state. Cytospora species are known to cause oozing cankers on a wide range of woody hosts leading to dieback, loss of limbs, and reduction in yield, prompting concern for important economic crops. Past methods of identification of Cytospora species have been confounded by indistinguishable morphology, overlapping host preference among species, and genetic sequencing …

Insect Antennae As Bioinspirational Superstrong Fiber-Based Microfluidics, Griffin J. Donley

All Theses

Nature is frequently turned to for inspiration for the creation of new materials. Insect antennae are hollow, blood-filled fibers with complex shape, and are cantilevered at the head. The antenna is muscle-free, but the insect can controllably flex, twist, and maneuver it laterally. To explain this behavior, a comparative study of structural and tensile properties of the antennae of Periplaneta americana (American cockroach), Manduca sexta (Carolina hawkmoth), and Vanessa cardui (painted lady butterfly) was performed. These antennae demonstrate a range of distinguishable tensile properties, responding either as brittle fibers (Manduca sexta) or strain-adaptive fibers that stiffen when stretched (Vanessa cardui …

Floating Treatment Wetlands For Brackish Waters: Plant Selection And Nutrient Uptake Potential., Andrea Landaverde

All Theses

Brackish water bodies in coastal regions provide critical ecosystem services that support human and environmental health. Anthropogenic activities such as agricultural and industrial activities, construction, urban settlements, and tourism contribute to increased inputs of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in brackish coastal ecosystems. Excess nutrients can lead to impaired water quality and affect marine organisms. Floating treatment wetlands (FTWs) are a vegetated-base technology used to remove contaminants from water column, that has been mainly studied and applied in freshwater systems. Application of FTWs in brackish systems requires further investigation, as high salinity in brackish waters could result in toxicity to …

Phosphorus Dynamics And Remediation Within Overwintering Floating Treatment Wetlands, Jack Dekle

All Theses

Excessive phosphorus (P) accumulation and internal P cycling processes within surface waters can contribute to eutrophication, which poses a risk to aquatic ecosystem health and clean water availability. The development of low-cost methods for removing P from water is imperative to reduce the environmental impacts of P pollution. Floating treatment wetlands (FTWs) are a type of modified constructed wetland that can be installed within existing water containment infrastructure, where plants facilitate nutrient removal by direct contact with the water column. FTW plants demonstrate peak growth and nutrient uptake periods in the summer months, though some nutrients, notably P, can be …

Understanding User Perceptions Of Voice Personal Assistants, Ha Young Kim

All Theses

As the artificial intelligence (AI) technique improves, voice assistant (smart speaker) such as Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant are quickly, surely permeating into people's daily lives. With its powerful and convenient benefits and the circumstances that people started to stay at their home longer due to the pandemic, reliance on smart speakers has increased rapidly. But at the same time, concerns of security on smart speakers have increased.

In this thesis, we conducted an online user survey of smart speaker users with five different perspectives – 1) Users’ engagement with privacy policy; 2) Awareness of different policy requirements defined by …

Coordination In Healthcare Multiteam Systems: A Qualitative Study Of Healthcare Meetings, Anna Wolf

All Theses

To facilitate optimal patient care and outcomes for in-patent cancer patients, healthcare organizations often rely upon the coordinated efforts between specialized teams of healthcare providers, working interdependently in a structure known as a Multiteam System (MTS). Healthcare meetings, such as Rounds, particularly those with an interdisciplinary element, may act as care coordination mechanisms for in-patient MTS. This research investigates an MTS operating within the Southeastern United States whose teams use Rounds and other meetings called SNAP Huddles, to facilitate patient care. Through qualitative analysis using interviews and observations, this exploratory study aims to elucidate research questions relating to how Rounds …

Investigating The Efficacy Of Mental Health App Features On Depressive Symptoms And Adherence: The Airheart Pilot Study, Stephanie G. Six

All Theses

Mental health apps have shown promise for improving mental health and quality of life in a variety of contexts, such as depression, anxiety, and stress. However, a limited amount of research aimed at understanding how app features and design can optimize the therapeutic benefits and adherence of such mental health apps exists. Consequently, the primary purpose of the current pilot study is to investigate the effect avatar customization on depressive symptoms, adherence, and motivation to use a mental health app. Furthermore, the secondary aim of the current pilot study is to examine whether specific app features, including journaling, mood tracking, …

Prediction Of Pathogenic Mutations In Spermine/Spermidine Synthases, Shannon Bonomi

All Theses

As genetic technology and information become continuously more sophisticated and applied to the prevention and treatment of diseases, the need to understand the effects of genetic variants becomes an important task with regards to assessing disease risk. In the specific case of intellectual disabilities, prenatal screenings is an important diagnostic tool that prepares families and health professionals for the arrival of a child who may need immediate, specialized care. Cell Free DNA screenings are routine for determining sex and provide the opportunity to discover genetic anomalies. However, this has little value unless mutations can be recognized as pathogenic and are …

The Role Of Consumers In The Adoption Of Alternatively Fueled Vehicles And Mitigation Of Vulnerabilities Associated With Electric Vehicle Charging, Elaina D. Stuckey

All Theses

Electric vehicles have the potential to replace traditional automobiles as the primary form of transportation. Despite major improvements in technology and an expanding focus on climate change making electric vehicles more practical than ever before, consumers are still wary of adopting them for legitimate reasons such as costs and charging infrastructure. Therefore, a concerted effort must be made to persuade individuals and companies to adopt this beneficial technology to reduce the carbon footprint and catalyze the construction of important charging infrastructure.

Though there are a multitude of benefits to adopting electric vehicles, there will be some negative effects on the …

Recreational Cannabis Legalization And Homelessness In The U.S.: A Quasi-Experimental National Policy Analysis, James A. Sanderson

All Theses

In analyzing rising homelessness across the country, a comparison of state policies uncovered a trend: many states which were early adopters of adult-use recreational cannabis law also exhibited a high incidence of homelessness. As legalizing cannabis undoubtedly affects the number of substance users who are imprisoned, such changes to drug enforcement policy may also be impacting homeless populations. Now, there is substantial research on the relationship between incarceration and homelessness, and on co-occurring mental health and substance use problems known to be prevalent among these populations. Despite such similarities, and the impacts of recreational cannabis legalization on jail populations, there …

Identifying Noisy Labels In The Ground Truth Of Eating Episodes Self-Reported By Button Press On A Wrist-Worn Device, Tianyi Zhang

All Theses

This thesis considers the problem of identifying noisy labels in the ground truth of eating episodes (meals, snacks) as self-reported by participants collecting data in the wild. Participants wore a smartwatch-like device that tracked their wrist motion all day. They were instructed to press a button on the device at the start and end of each eating episode. The device and instructions were designed to be as simple to use as possible, but post-review of the ground truth provided by participants revealed a strong likelihood that a significant portion of the button presses may contain errors. For example, an error …

Near-Earth Ion Irradiation Effects On Functional Ceramic Materials: A Combined Experimental-Monte Carlo Approach, William J. Sands

All Theses

The near-Earth space radiation environment is a complex system that creates a harmful environment for materials to operate in. Motivated by the search for using optical defects as an indicator of radiation damage, five single-crystal functional ceramic materials were selected to undergo ion irradiation at conditions found in the near-Earth space environment. Due to the complex nature of ion irradiation effects in ceramic materials, a host of calculations and experimental characterization methods were used. Calculations using the 2013 SRIM code were used to evaluate the ion projected range and the type and number of defects (vacancies) created by ion irradiation. …

Investigating The Effects Of Sic Abrasive Particles On Friction Element Welding, Gaurav Awate

All Theses

The growing demands on reducing the harmful emissions from automobiles have forced automakers to reduce the weight of the vehicle. The increasing demands on improving the fuel economy also has challenged automotive manufacturers to make the vehicle as lightweight as possible. However, the challenge is also to ensure that the vehicle meets safety standards. For the vehicle to meet these standards, it needs to be of adequate strength as well. Automotive manufacturers have adopted a strategy of using multi-material construction to achieve the target. But with multi-material construction comes the requirement of advanced joining techniques that are capable of joining …

"Custome Is An Idiot": How Genre Bending Opens New Meanings For Hæc Vir, Or The Womanish Man, Stephen Montgomery-Anderson

All Theses

Hæc Vir, or the Womanish Man is often conceived of as a satirical pamphlet. Moreover, scholars such as Linda Woodbridge and Simone Chess read the pamphlet as ultimately and explicitly arguing for a normative rendering of gender. Such readings, while acknowledging the rhetorical power and feminist nature of the crossdressed female character Hic Mulier’s arguments, invariably discount them in favor of a supposed return to normalcy. I instead suggest that Hic Mulier’s arguments be read as genuine and potentially altering. I further argue that we should read Hæc Vir as a closet drama. Bending the genre of the …

Battery Energy Storage System Mitigation Strategies For The Grid Impacts Of Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure, Chance Stowe

All Theses

The face of transportation is changing as a greater number of companies and private individuals switch from traditional automobiles to electric vehicles. This surge has been bolstered by improvements in technology, increased marketing, and a heightened focus on the role humanity plays in climate change. This advancement brings a growth in electrical demand caused by the charging loads of these vehicles. Due to the quick, sudden rise of this technology, the utility energy industry is still in the early stages of preparing for electric vehicle loads beyond the traditional load growth.

Though the technology for battery energy storage has been …

A Performance Evaluation Of Architectural Coatings To Preserve Aerosol Paint On Concrete, Riley Morris

All Theses

The growing movement of assigning cultural and heritage value to graffiti and street art is one without a preservation solution to ensure the longevity of these works in-situ in an outdoor environment. The goal of this thesis was to provide a comprehensive evaluation of six architectural topcoats’ performance when applied as a conservation treatment to outdoor aerosol graffiti and street art on concrete substrate. An artist’s quality, durable, color-fast spray-paint was applied to twenty-eight concrete test panels to mimic the application of graffiti or street art. Six topcoats, Prosoco SC-1, Prosoco Gloss n’ Guard WB, Keim Faceal Oleo HD®, Keim …

Vermont Global Warming Solutions Act: The Costs Of Inaction From Land Conversions, Grayson L. Younts

All Theses

The Vermont (VT) Global Warming Solutions Act (GWSA, 2020) sets greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets as 26% below 2005 by 2025, 40% below 1990 by 2030 and 80% below 1990 by 2050 for energy-related emissions only. Vermont’s omission of GHG emissions from land conversions can result in significant costs of inaction (COI), which can hinder state’s mitigation and adaptation plans and result in a climate crisis-related risks (e.g., credit downgrade). Science-based spatio-temporal data of GHG emissions from soils as a result of land conversions can be integrated into the conceptual framework of “action” versus “inaction” to prevent GHG emissions. …

The Industrial Landscape Of Charleston, South Carolina From 1884 To 1955, Elizabeth Bellersen

All Theses

This study investigates the location and density of industrial sites in Charleston, South Carolina across the years 1884, 1902, 1944, and 1955. The purpose of this study is to draw attention to the industrial past of Charleston in order to better understand the city’s historic spatial organization and identify sites for future preservation. To do this, Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps were used to find, map, and categorize industrial sites in downtown Charleston, south of Line Street. These maps were then analyzed for locational patterns and patterns of various attributes such as industry type, size, and building material. This research found …

Perception And Play: Consumer Perceptions Of Craft Breweries And The Impacts Of Tourism Expenditures On Economic Health, Anne Wade

All Theses

This thesis evaluates two different strategies local leaders use to support and grow their economies. The first evaluates how residents from across the American South view and understand their experience of local craft breweries. The second evaluates the effects of direct tourism spending and direct tourism tax receipts on important measures of resident well-being in the twenty-three county Western North Carolina region. The first chapter in this thesis evaluates the overall consumer perception of the growing craft brewing industry within the states of Kentucky, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, and Louisiana and what factors affect this perception. It uses …

Effects Of Thermal Processing On Peach Puree Of Different Cultivars: Analysis Of Biochemical Alteration, Non-Enzymatic Browning Reaction, And Color Changes, James Hayes

All Theses

The effects of pasteurization temperature and time on the change in seven peach puree variables over a 6-week accelerated shelf-life test (35°C) were evaluated. The variables of interest were three color measures [ L* (lightness), a* (redness), and b* (yellowness)]; two brown pigment measures [spectrophotometric absorption at 420 nm (Browning Index) and 443 nm (Hydroxymethylfurfural)]; °Brix; and pH). Puree was collected from three different cultivars (2 freestone and 1 clingstone) and puree samples from each cultivar were subjected to 20 combinations of pasteurization temperatures (70°C, 80°C, 90 °C, 100°C) and same hold times (0 minutes, 1 minute, 3 minutes, 5 …