Digital Commons Network^™

From Experience To Reasoning: Offline Rl Subroutines And Llm-Based Grounding For Sample-Efficient Reinforcement Learning, Jianhai Su

Theses and Dissertations

Improving the learning efficiency of reinforcement learning (RL) agents remains a fundamental challenge, particularly in environments characterized by sparse rewards, long horizons, or partial observability. This dissertation investigates how RL agents can learn more efficiently through two complementary forms of guidance: mechanisms derived purely from an agent’s own experience and mechanisms that leverage reasoning priors from pretrained large language models (LLMs).

On the experience-driven side, the frst study develops a general framework for incorporating ofine RL algorithms as subroutines within an online RL process. In this framework, an agent periodically repurposes its replay bufer as an ofine dataset and applies …

Patient-Centered Insights Into The Triage And Diagnostic Experience Of Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome In Clinical Genetics Services., Rylan Makenzie Sweitzer

Theses and Dissertations

Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS) is the only form of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) without a known genetic etiology. One of the criteria for diagnosing hEDS is the exclusion of other possible causes. This often leads to referrals for a clinical diagnosis with a medical geneticist or genetic testing for other forms of EDS. This study aimed to investigate the education that individuals diagnosed with or suspected to have hEDS are receiving and what genetic providers include in their appointments with these patients. This study included two original online surveys. The first was sent to patients through providers at Indiana University and …

The Practice Of Being Human: Reflections On The Evolution Of My Acting Process, Elaine Christine Werren

Theses and Dissertations

An actor’s work is defined by process. Growth occurs not only through performance, but through examination and reflection on how this work is made. This thesis explores the evolution of my acting process as I created a variety of characters in shows performed on the mainstage at the University of South Carolina. Each role tested previous approaches, led to new ideas, challenged assumptions, and shaped my opinions about this craft. With the passage of time and new roles explored, my reflections have revealed that my process is not purely a technical pursuit, but a human one. Through sustained efforts and …

Collaborative Technology, Collaborative Technology Integration, Digital Literacy Skills, Teacher Self-Efficacy, Bailey Christine Coen Tucker

Theses and Dissertations

Effective technology implementation occurs when the technology being used in the classroom provides students the opportunity to collaborate and communicate with each other. Additionally, collaboration is an effective pedagogical strategy for building student digital literacy skills. At East Caraway Valley High School, educators seldom utilize collaborative technologies to further their students’ digital literacy skills. This mixed-methods research study aims to explore educator perceptions about their self-efficacy with collaborative technology integration and the practices of using collaborative technologies in the classroom to identify the reasons for a lack of collaborative technology integration and devise strategies for supporting educators to overcome barriers …

The Importance Of Being Present: Presence Over Performance, De'on Turner

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the development of presence as the foundational element of the actor’s craft through a sustained analysis of four major roles performed during the Master of Fine Arts Acting program at the University of South Carolina: Walter Lee Younger in A Raisin in the Sun (Spring 2024), Kesi/the Astronaut in Moon Man Walk (Fall 2024), Dennis in Mauritius (Spring 2025), and Jack Worthing in The Importance of Being Earnest (Fall 2025).

The central argument of this thesis is that the actor does not bring the character to life — at full depth; it is the character who brings …

Caribbean Movements In Alejo Carpentier’S Écue-Yamba-Ó And Maryse Condé’S Traversée De La Mangrove, Gisselle Lopez

Theses and Dissertations

One of the broad questions this essay examines is how literature represents Caribbean cultural identity. This essay continues the conversation of how Caribbean cultures are formed, depicted, and defined in twentieth-century literature, specifically, in Alejo Carpentier’s Écue-Yamba-Ó and Maryse Condé’s Traversée de la mangrove. Although the novels are published within about fifty years from one another, both writers consider the question of what Caribbean cultural identity may look like. Carpentier’s Écue-Yamba-Ó follows the life of Menegildo, an Afro-Cuban man who works in the sugar plantations, who ends up killing a Haitian man. In his first novel, Carpentier writes from a …

Beyond The Binary: Examining The Impact Of A Restorative Justice Intervention On Administrator Perceptions And Disciplinary Disparities For Black Male Students, Arianne A. Booker

Theses and Dissertations

For decades, black students have experienced educational inequalities, particularly when it comes to academic achievement and school discipline. The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to investigate the factors leading to the racial discipline gap among Black male students in middle schools. Black males face more punitive consequences that often result in exclusionary practices than their peers. This problem is due to cultural differences between teachers and students, where teachers’ subjective interpretations of behavior—such as disrespect or defiance—lead to removal from the general education classroom. The theoretical framework that guided this study was Critical Race Theory and Culturally Responsive Teaching. …

Paisajes Virales: Vih/Sida En La Literatura Cuir Latinoamericana Contemporánea, Cristian Camilo Garcia Tengono

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis proposes the concept of viral landscapes as a critical tool for analyzing representations of HIV/AIDS in contemporary Latin American ‘queer’ literature. Drawing on Gaston Bachelard's notion of poetic space and Sara Ahmed's theory of bodily orientation, this work understands the landscape not as a descriptive backdrop but as a principle of literary creation. Similarly, it adopts cuir — a phonetic and political adaptation of the English ‘queer’ into Spanish — as a critical position specific to the Latin American context, one that inscribes sexual dissidence within genealogies shaped by coloniality, racialization, and structural inequality. From this framework, the …

The Czech Double Bass School: The History And Development Of Bass Education Through The Prague Conservatory, Geordan Raisler

Theses and Dissertations

As a member of the violin family, the double bass has existed for the majority of the instrument's history in an ephemeral state. Across Europe the instrument varied regionally, and differing performance practices hampered the development of pedagogical materials for the instrument, of which wouldn't be developed until the turn of the 19th century when the instrument’s construction began to stabilize.1

The focus of this document emerged from noticing a pattern between the increasing quality of bassists in Central Europe, particularly in the genre of solo music, and the development of pedagogical materials for the double bass during this time. …

A Dynamical Systems Analysis Of Amyloid-Beta Production, Caroline Lloyd

Theses and Dissertations

Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by the presence of beta-amyloid (A𝛽) plaques in the brain, caused by an accumulation of misfolded A𝛽 proteins. Research suggests that hallmark proteins involved in neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) exhibit prion- like behavior. This means that the misfolded, pathogenic proteins influence non- pathogenic proteins to misfold. There is also a small rate of spontaneous conversion which causes A𝛽 to misfold without the presence of pathogenic proteins. Additionally, events that limit blood flow to the brain, such as strokes or direct trauma, are known to increase A𝛽 in …

A Tail Of Consumption: Essays On Pet-Person Identities And Their Effects On Consumers, Mackenzie Micheala Volk

Theses and Dissertations

This work examines how exposure to pet-person identities — identifying as a dog person or a cat person — affects consumer behavior. Across two chapters, results show that exposure to dog-person cues increases preferences for bold and conspicuous product features through heightened desire for dominance-based status signaling. Additionally, exposure to cat-person cues activates a cat-person mindset, boosting support for inclusive businesses and policies by increasing minority support and justice sensitivity. Together, these findings suggest that subtle identity cues in the marketplace can meaningfully shape consumer preferences and social attitudes, with implications for how brands position themselves and how policymakers and …

Quantifying And Characterizing Microplastics In North Inlet And Winyah Bay Estuaries, Sc, Emily Grace Contract

Theses and Dissertations

Microplastics (1 μm to 5 mm) accumulate in the bodies of marine organisms and negatively impact their health. Microplastics have also been linked to birth defects, endocrine disruption, and cancer in humans. This study quantified, characterized, and compared microplastics in a protected estuary (North Inlet Estuary, South Carolina) and an estuary impacted by anthropogenic activities (Winyah Bay, South Carolina). Water samples were taken from three sites in each estuary from February 2025 to December 2025. The samples were digested, filtered, then examined visually for microplastics. Plastic particles were extracted and analyzed by Raman microscopy to obtain polymer content. Results indicate …

Coastal Development Effects On Estuarine Benthic Microalgal Communities, Henry Christopher Guy

Theses and Dissertations

As key drivers of neritic primary productivity, benthic microalgae (BMA) play essential roles in biogeochemical cycling and estuarine food webs. When considered alongside their shallow, restricted habitats, BMA contribute disproportionately to global carbon fixation. However, the extent of human impact on BMA communities is largely unknown. This study aimed to quantify anthropogenic forcing through specific abiotic drivers of benthic microalgal success. BMA biomass, community composition, porewater nutrients, and sediment composition were measured within two South Carolina Estuaries. North Inlet and Murrells Inlet share similar geographic and morphological characteristics but differ significantly in terms of watershed population. Dissolved phosphate, nitrate, and …

Reimagining Math Instruction: An Improvement Science Study On Student Choice And Teacher Support Systems In 5th Grade, Nikki G. Gilmore

Theses and Dissertations

This improvement study investigates the potential impact of implementing choice-based assignments on student performance in fifth-grade mathematics. Recognizing that traditional, one-size-fits-all instructional models often limit student engagement and ownership, this study explores how offering students meaningful choices in their learning tasks can improve academic outcomes. Grounded in the principles of improvement science, the study began with an examination of student data, empathy interviews, and root cause analysis using tools such as the Five Whys, fishbone diagram, and driver diagram to better understand the problem of practice. This process positioned choice not as a luxury but as a strategic lever for …

Navigating Digital Margins: Folk Theories Of Content Moderation And The Information Practices Of Nonsuicidal Self-Injury Communities On Tiktok, Valerie Angela Vera

Theses and Dissertations

Content moderation can reinforce stigma and limit access to much-needed information, including information on nonsuicidal self-injury. Despite its prevalence, the behavior remains highly stigmatized, prompting individuals to turn to social media platforms like TikTok for social support and harm reduction information. However, as algorithms are known to disproportionately moderate stigmatized content, users must navigate a careful balance between visibility and concealment, altering their information practices to avoid detection. Using an explanatory sequential mixed methods design, this study explored how users navigate content moderation, negotiate visibility, and adapt their information practices in anticipation of and in response to moderation to create …

When One Size Does Not Fit All: Helping Teachers Adapt Scripted Curricula For Students With Disabilities, Julie Elizabeth Broad

Theses and Dissertations

Special education teachers are responsible for differentiating instruction so students with disabilities can access the general education curriculum and meet their IEP goals. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act requires that students eligible for special education receive specially designed instruction aligned with their individual needs, yet at the time of this qualitative action research study, I served as a special educator in a district that mandated the use of scripted curricula for math and language arts. To resolve this problem of practice, I sought to understand elementary teachers’ lived experiences with the scripted curricula, including their effectiveness for students with …

Teacher Self-Confidence And Cultural Responsiveness With Multilingual Students: A Mixed Methods Study, Stasha Renee Grooms

Theses and Dissertations

This is an action research study that examined how an eight-week Culturally Responsive Instruction (CRI) Cohort influenced teachers' self-confidence when working with multilingual (ML) students. The primary objective was to explore changes in teachers' empathy toward ML students, uncover shifts in unconscious bias, assess the impact of translanguaging integration on teacher confidence, and evaluate overall self-confidence in serving ML learners. The study used a mixed-methods approach, combining pre- and post-intervention surveys, weekly reflective discussions, and practical classroom assignments to measure growth in teaching strategies and cultural mindset. Findings indicated that participants learned strategies to make instruction more accessible for ML …

The Art Of Dicky Wells: An Analysis Of Improvisational Style From 1927-1948, Larry Nathan Duvall Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

William “Dicky” Wells was a swing era trombone soloist for the bands of Lloyd and Cecil Scott, Fletcher Henderson, Buck Clayton, Jimmy Rushing, Rex Stewart, Count Basie, and countless others throughout a career that spanned more than five decades. During his career, Wells recorded albums with famed artists Django Reinhardt, B.B. King, James Brown, Dizzy Gillespie, and Buddy Tate, as well as his own albums as band leader. His time with the Count Basie Orchestra coincided with the height of the band’s popularity, 1938-1945 and 1947-1950, totaling nearly eleven years and eighteen records. Through a selection of exemplary recordings spanning …

Intimate Networks: Sapphic Women’S Activism In Revolutionary Dublin 1916, Justine Nicole Rennekamp

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the often-overlooked role of sapphic women in the Easter Rising of 1916, arguing that queer intimacy and political activism were deeply intertwined within Irish revolutionary networks. While traditional historiography has privileged male, Catholic nationalist narratives of the Rising, this study foregrounds the lives of Dr. Kathleen Lynn, Madeleine ffrench-Mullen, Margarett Skinnider, Elizabeth O’Farrell, and Julia Grenan to demonstrate how women’s same-sex relationships influenced their political participation, modes of survival, and visions of national belonging. Drawing on diaries, letters, witness statements, photographs, and archival silences, this thesis employs queer theory to read practices of visibility, gender performance, and …

Convivios Familiares: Interactions And Shifts In Language(S) To Support Teacher Efficacy And Parent Engagement Of Emergent Bilinguals, Lydia Claire Carnesale

Theses and Dissertations

Within early childhood classrooms of today, many languages and cultures are represented. Both caregivers and educators need to be aware of how to best support children who speak a language other than English to prepare them to be capable members of their home and school community.

This requires reimagined family engagement and professional development for both caregivers and teachers to support the growth of linguistic skills of early childhood Emergent Bilinguals. This study explores how through family engagement sessions, caregivers and teachers recognize the language development of Emergent Bilinguals. Through a qualitative research case study, the findings reveal how collaboration …

Between Traditions And Techniques: The Growth Of An Actor Across Styles And Cultures, Didem Ruhi Karci

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis reflects on my artistic development during the Master of Fine Arts in Acting program at the University of South Carolina through an analysis of several performance processes, including The Visit, the Commedia dell’arte devised piece Mad Love, Antigone, Twelfth Night, and The Importance of Being Earnest. Drawing from rehearsal experiences, performance practices, and classroom training, the thesis examines how different acting techniques and theatrical traditions shaped my approach to character creation and performance. Throughout these productions, I explored the relationship between voice, body, and emotional truth while applying tools such as the Alexander Technique, Lessac voice work, Michael …

Leadless Pacing And The Emerging Era Of Combined Procedures In Adult Congenital Heart Disease

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

No abstract provided.

Training Language Models For Bilateral Trade With Private Information, Dirk Bergemann, Soheil Ghili, Xinyang Hu, Chuanhao Li, Zhuoran Yang

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

Bilateral bargaining under incomplete information provides a controlled testbed for evaluating large language model (LLM) agent capabilities. Bilateral trade demands individual rationality, strategic surplus maximization, and cooperation to realize gains from trade. We develop a structured bargaining environment in which LLMs negotiate via tool calls within an event-driven simulator, separating binding offers from natural-language messages to enable automated evaluation. The environment serves two purposes: as a benchmark for frontier models and as a training environment for open-weight models via reinforcement learning. In benchmark experiments, a round-robin tournament among five frontier models (15,000 negotiations) reveals that effective strategies implement price discrimination …

From Conversations To Mechanisms: Aligning Advertiser Incentives In Ai-Powered Product Recommendations, Dirk Bergemann, Marek Bojko, Paul Dütting, Renato Paes Leme, Haifeng Xu, Song Zuo

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

We study the design of efficient dynamic recommendation systems, such as AI shopping assistants, in which a platform interacts with a user over multiple rounds to identify the most suitable product among those offered by advertisers. Advertisers have multi-dimensional private information: their private value from a purchase and private information about the user’s preferences. In each round, the platform displays recommendations; the user learns product characteristics of the shown items and then chooses whether to purchase, exit without purchasing, or submit a new query. These actions generate a stream of feedback—purchase, exit, and follow-up queries—that is informative about the user’s …

Organizational Targets In General Equilibrium, Joel P. Flynn, George Nikolakoudis, Karthik Sastry

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

We build a general equilibrium model in which firms endogenously choose whether to target prices or quantities. We characterize how these choices of organizational targets depend on firms' uncertainty about microeconomic and macroeconomic factors. In equilibrium, the transmission of both nominal and real shocks hinges on firms' organizational targets. For example, under otherwise identical microfoundations, money is neutral under quantity targets and non-neutral under price targets. We further characterize how targets shape firms' strategic interactions and prove that the macroeconomic uncertainty that arises from each choice of targets reinforces incentives to choose that target. That is, choices of organizational targets …

Measuring Atonomy: Local Llms Orchestrating Reconnaissance And Exploitation, Bryston Ahrendt

Honors

This study evaluates the ability of locally hosted large language models (LLMs) to autonomously preform multi-step offensive tasks against a vulnerable target. Tested in this study are three publicly obtainable LLMs; Qwen3.5, Llama3.1, and Gemma4 configured to use Model Context Protocol (MCP) in a host-only virtual network comprising of a Kali Linux attacker system and a Metasploitable 2 target. Each model executed five independent attempts across two phases; reconnaissance (service and port discovery) and exploitation (attempt to open a session). This study measured phase success rate, tool call counts, redundant and erroneous calls, and human interventions. Results indicate that all …

Can Collegiate Success Be Accurately Predicted From High School Metrics?, Reese Henrie

Honors

This study examines how accurately collegiate success can be predicted using high school academic metrics. Using an anonymized dataset, statistical and artificial intelligence–based models are applied to high school and early collegiate data to predict performance based on a constructed college success metric. Model predictions are compared to observed student outcomes to evaluate predictive accuracy and identify limitations.

Reexamining Consumer Memory In The Age Of Artificial Intelligence, Suwakitti Amornpan, Sasawan Heingraj, Manisha Mathur

AMTP Proceedings 2026

This conceptual paper reexamines consumer memory in the age of artificial intelligence (AI) by proposing a comparative framework of memory practices across three eras: pre-technological embodied memory, technologically mediated memory, and AI-mediated memory co-creation. We argue that generative AI transforms memory from a primarily archival practice into an interactive, generative, and sometimes synthetic process. Drawing on consumer research, psychology, and media studies, we develop a trichotomy of memory practices along key dimensions, including primary memory artifacts, mode of validation, emotional logic, friction in remembering, and identity implications. We theorize how AI’s participation in memory reconstruction reshapes consumer behavior in practice, …

From New Orleans To Orléans: How Perceived Connections Shape Destination Image, Hilmi A. Atadil, Helena F. Allman, Erol Pala, Qiulin Lu, Alison J. Green, Felicia N. Morgan

AMTP Proceedings 2026

Have you ever enjoyed a dish so much that it sparked an interest in experiencing the place where it was originally created? Culinary encounters may spark interest in distant destinations, but broader cultural, historical, and symbolic meanings often drive this interest through perceived connections. For example, exposure to French-influenced cuisine in New Orleans may draw individuals to France, driven not only by culinary authenticity but also by historical ties to Orléans. Grounded in social exchange theory, this study pursues two objectives: (1) to examine the underlying dimensions of perceived connections between destinations, and (2) to assess how these dimensions influence …

A Parsimonious Model Of Social Crm And Reciprocal Social Media Behaviors Among Colombian Consumers, Ainsworth Anthony Bailey Phd, Carolyn M. Bonifield Phd, Juliana Villegas Phd, Alejandro Arias Phd

AMTP Proceedings 2026

The current study explored Colombian consumers interactions and engagement with marketers on social media and the outcome of those interactions and engagement. In particular, the study explored the impact of marketers' support for social media interactions on perceived social customer relationship marketing (SCRM) commitment and consumer satisfaction, as well as their impact on eWOM and consumer social media engagement. The study's model had social exchange theory, commitment-trust theory of relationship marketing, and the S-O-R framework as theoretical underpinnings. Data to test the model's nine (9) hypotheses were collected by survey from among Colombian consumers. Analysis showed support for eight of …