Digital Commons Network^™

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 …

Enclosure In Flesh And Stone: Intermediaries And Access To God In Revelations Of Divine Love, Emily Danuser

All Theses

In this thesis, I argue that in Revelations of Divine Love, Julian of Norwich uses the topic of enclosure (both in flesh and stone) as a means to delineate her arguments regarding the role of intermediaries and the way they can facilitate access to God while opening opportunities for dialogue within the broader public. Through a close-reading and historical contextualization of her writing on the topic of enclosure, I demonstrate that even some of Julian’s more controversial doctrinal claims can be reconciled if one understands the levels and role she assigned to intermediaries.

A Contribution To The Statistical Analysis Of Climate-Wildfire Interaction In Northern California, Adam Diaz

All Theses

Wildfires are extreme weather events that exist at the interface of atmospheric, ecological, and human processes. Ongoing anthropogenic climate change is expected to impact the distribution, frequency, and behavior of wildfires on a grand scale, however the exact nature of this change remains shrouded in a great deal of uncertainty. This study takes a statistical approach to the question over the fire-prone Northern California region of the western United states. Climate model projections are analyzed to investigate changes in a major driver of fire weather in the region. The relationship between wildfire severity and climate factors is then explored separately, …

Fabrication Of Hydrogel Microparticles For Acute Treatment Of Penetrating Brain Injuries, Isabell Foulger

All Theses

Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) are a type of acquired head trauma that results from an external force to the head. The development and severity of the secondary injury increases the risk of neurodegeneration and reduced cognitive recovery. Glucocorticoids are potent antiinflammatory therapeutics that have been investigated for potential treatment of TBIs, strokes, and other neuroinflammatory pathologies. However, their clinical application has been limited due to their ability to induce a variety of side effects, including adrenal suppression, edema, and reduced plasticity of the hippocampus. The use of a localized drug delivery system would overcome these systemic concerns. In previous studies, …

The Old Harbor: A Diachronic Study Of Charleston's Cooper River Waterfront, 1884-1990, Branden Gunn

All Theses

For the better part of three centuries, Charleston’s Cooper River waterfront functioned as an important commercial seaport complete with wharves, warehouses, offices, workshops, and other related buildings. These resources defined the area for nearly three centuries, yet today, most connections to the maritime past have been severed. Revitalization efforts and modern developments have redefined the area and filled voids created by the waterfront’s steady decline throughout the 20th century. With an aim to better understand the Cooper River waterfront’s developmental history, this thesis utilized historic Sanborn Fire Insurance maps to track the harbor’s physical and spatial changes from 1884 to …

Fate And Transport Of Toxoplasma Gondii Oocysts In Saturated Porous Media: Effects Of Electrolytes And Natural Organic Matter, Christian Pullano

All Theses

Toxoplasma gondii is a pathogenic microorganism that is currently a threat to public health. Understanding the fate and transport of T. gondii through the soil and groundwater is vital in determining the risk it poses to water resources and human health. The physico-chemical interactions between the groundwater and the bio colloid within an aquifer will dictate its mobility and its ability to infect humans. This research examines how various naturally occurring groundwater chemistries containing organic compounds and monovalent and divalent salt solutions will alter the fate and transport of T. gondii. Solutions containing various concentrations of humic acid, fulvic …

The Unarticulated Unseen: Britt Bennett’S “The Vanishing Half” And Her Intent On Revealing The Unseen In The Tradition Of Racial Passing, Caroline Maas Rue

All Theses

Throughout the trajectory of passing literature, there have been varying projections of racial identity as it is intertwined with choice and power. Despite the many commonalities between the archetypal passing novel, the differences in the way that passing is demarcated in various novels is indicative of the racial climate out of which it came. This paper considers Britt Bennett’s 2020 novel, The Vanishing Half, as a socio-political artifact of an allegedly post-racial era. In considering Bennett’s novel as a reflection of post-raciality, a comparative study incorporating Nella Larsen’s Passing, Douglas Sirk’s Adaptation of Imitation of Life, and Danzy …

Stepping Into The Past: A Spatial And Temporal Analysis Of Charleston’S Streetscape Through Imagery, Travis Galli

All Theses

The tradition of preservation has long focused on the built environment of historic buildings, while ignoring the very environment they reside in, specifically streetscapes. This thesis seeks to identify the spatial and temporal changes in streetscapes occurring on King Street and Chalmers Street from 1700 until 1971 and provide guidelines for the preservation and restoration of streetscapes to their periods of historic significance between ca. 1750-1971. By collecting and analyzing images of the streetscape at different period in time, specific features and materials were identified. Imagery included historic photos, paintings, and sketches. Broken into specific periods, this study tracks changes …

Identification Of Genetic Variants Underlying Maxillary Canine-Tooth Mesioversion And Small Body Size In Shetland Sheepdogs, Sydney R. Abrams

All Theses

The domesticated dog (Canis lupus familiaris) exhibits a unique population structure, with high levels of genetic homogeneity within breeds due to selective breeding. These closed breeding populations can result in breed-specific inherited disorders. Maxillary canine-tooth mesioversion (MCM) is a genetically complex dental anomaly observed nearly exclusively in the small Shetland Sheepdog breed. Here, we utilized a genome-wide approach to discover a locus of major effect on chromosome 9. Using whole-genome resequencing data from a bilaterally affected dog, we identified variants in two genes: FTSJ3, encoding an RNA methyltransferase, and GH1, encoding growth hormone. Independent genome-wide association …

“People Like They Historical Shit In A Certain Way”: The Civil War Plays Of Suzan-Lori Parks, Or Commercialized Memory And Black Lives, Brandon Eric Fisher

All Theses

Suzan-Lori Parks has explored the relationship between Blackness, slavery, and capitalism throughout her career. I argue that Parks’s three works—The America Play (1995), Topdog/Underdog (2001), and Father Comes Home from the Wars (2015)—should receive critical attention as her Civil War plays. By this phrase, I mean that Parks embeds her critiques of racial capitalism in historical narratives about America’s bloodiest conflict. In these three plays, she takes up several white supremacist Civil War tropes—tropes like what scholar Cody Marrs calls the “Father Abraham” story and the “Agrarian Imagination” myth—and criticizes them as narratives that deny African American history. To …

Effects Of Invasive Wild Pigs And Supplemental Feeding On Wildlife In The Piedmont Region Of South Carolina, Elizabeth A. Saldo

All Theses

Wild pigs (Sus scrofa), which are invasive in much of the world, can alter ecosystems and compete with native species through interference competition and resource exploitation. We assessed the potential for interspecific interactions between invasive wild pigs and other wildlife in the Piedmont region of South Carolina by examining their spatiotemporal overlap in a correlational field study and an experimental field study. Our correlational study used data from wildlife cameras in seasonal occupancy, N-mixture, and temporal overlap analyses. Both deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and coyote (Canis latrans) site use were negatively associated with wild pig …

Advancing Hymenocallis Coronaria Conservation And Restoration For Improved Habitat Management In Fall Line Streams Of The Southeast, Andrew Paul Grunwald

All Theses

The rocky shoals spider lily (Hymenocallis coronaria) is a culturally and ecologically important emergent macrophyte endemic to the biodiverse shoals of fall line streams in the southeastern United States. H. coronaria has declined throughout its range as shoal habitat has become increasingly threatened by flow modification and other anthropogenic stressors. The genetics and botany of H. coronaria have been given considerable attention, but quantitative habitat research has been lacking. Furthermore, despite substantial need, public interest, and its status as an indicator species for fall line streams, no research has been conducted on H. coronaria restoration. Our main objectives …

Design Of A Four Channel Pulsatile Perfusion Bioreactor For Ex-Vivo Study Of Vascular Grafts, Thomas M. Fair

All Theses

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in the United States. Atherosclerosis in peripheral arteries is a major contributing factor. Autologous saphenous vein grafts are the most common bypass grafts for treating peripheral artery diseases. A quarter of these grafts fail within a year, and around half have failed within 10 years of the initial surgery. Graft failure is attributed to the development of intimal hyperplasia indicated by the migration and proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells, fibroblasts, and the deposition of extracellular proteins.

Increases in flow, pressure, the pulse frequency, and the differential of pressure that model an …

Mechanochromic Tunable Emissions Of Hydrogel Encapsulated Radioluminescent Crystalline Colloidal Arrays, Sarah Mell

All Theses

Crystalline colloidal arrays (CCAs) are periodic dielectric arrays composed of monodisperse, negatively charged nanoparticles with unique optical characteristics. Poly(styrene-co-propargyl acrylate) (PS-PA) based copolymer nanoparticles synthesized via an emulsion polymerization form the basis of the CCAs in this work. The negatively charged surfaces result in the colloidal nanoparticles self-assembling into a face-centered cubic (fcc) crystal-like structure. The long-range order and spatial periodicity of the array result in a rejection wavelength, characteristic of CCAs, in which a specific wavelength of light is forbidden from propagating throughout the optical system. The CCAs exhibit mechanochromism through a rejection wavelength shift corresponding to a change …

An Experimental Analysis Of Thin Sheet Metal Bending By Ultrafast Laser Peen Forming, Bryce J. Tessmann

All Theses

This study demonstrates the viability of femtosecond laser peen forming for bidirectional sheet metal bending. Ultrafast laser forming is a valuable method thanks to its flexibility, negation of springback, no need for a confining or protective layer, and minimalization of thermal degradation in comparison to other forming processes. However, femtosecond lasers have traditionally been believed to be unsuitable for laser forming in comparison to nanosecond lasers, particularly bidirectional bending, because the induced shock waves were expected to be weak. Conversely, in this study it is elucidated that the femtosecond laser-induced shock waves are extremely strong (several hundred GPa) but the …

Effect Of Refrigerated Storage On Meat Quality, Jillian Reid Richardson

All Theses

Maintaining meat quality during cold temperature storage is an important goal for increasing consumer satisfaction and reducing food waste. Following a literature review on the importance of cold meat storage, a study was conducted as a part of Electrolux refrigerator research and development. Chicken breast and beef sirloin filets were stored at -2°C, -5°C, and -18°C and monitored for quality changes over a 7-day period. Temperature fluctuations and relative humidity data were monitored automatically by sensors. Meat quality was evaluated by measuring water activity, moisture content, pH, colorimetry, sensory, and drip loss. Microbial plate counts were used to monitor the …