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The Isolation and Characterization of Acidovorax and Brevundimonas Bacteriophages with Preliminary Biocontrol Study on Arabidopsis thaliana
Get PDFAs antibiotic-resistance becomes an increasing global concern, researchers are looking for alternatives to combat phytopathogenic rhizobacteria – one of which is through the application of phage biocontrol. To elucidate the complex tripartite relationships between phage, bacteria and plant interactions, nine novel phages were isolated from potential phytopathogenic strains of Acidovorax (RBW13) and Brevundimonas (RBW18). These phages were isolated from root samples obtained from the Rocky Branch Creek and the Broad River located in Columbia, SC. Using Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE), we identified seven “medium sized” phages (~40 kbp), one “large-sized” phage (~200 kbp), and one “small-sized” phage ( \u3c 25 kbp). Three phages were determined to be lambda-like due to their “ladder-building” patterns on PFGE. Although spot-tests revealed that all phages seemed to have broad host ranges that spanned over multiple genera, plaque-formations must be observed in future experiments to determine if these phages can infect their hosts productively. Preliminary in planta experiments were performed on Arabidopsis thaliana under the following conditions: water-only, bacteria-only, and phage- bacteria. Three RBW18 phages (R5, R6, and R7) were used for these experiments. The Brevundimonas strain RBW18 showed statistically significant inhibitory effects on the A. thaliana’s vertical root development after 13 days of germination. Plants treated with R5 and R7 phages exhibited statistically significant improvements on A. thaliana’s vertical root development after 13 days of germination. While plants treated with R6 also showed improvements in root growth, it was not statistically significant. None of the phages were successful in producing bactericidal effect, thus phage infection optimizations are required. These phages showed promising potentials to be used for phage biocontrol; however, further studies are required to enhance their effectiveness
Cultivate Community with Bilingual Programs and Services
No full textPatrons of all backgrounds feel welcome in the library when bilingual programs and services are prioritized. By providing programs and services in multiple languages, libraries bridge the language barrier and create more opportunities for the community. The Charleston County Public Library centers equity, diversity, and inclusion in its practices by prioritizing bilingual programs and services; creating and maintaining local partnerships; and sustainably enhancing library services for all
\u3cem\u3eCaroliniana Columns\u3c/em\u3e - Spring 2025
No full textHave Digital Exhibit, Will Travel: “Forest to Furniture” featured at Sumter Museum in early 2025 … p.3
Officers at War: Rethinking Southern Masculinity, Honor, and Violence in the Civil War Era / Dr. Patrick F. Doyle … p.10
Researching Politics, Finance, and Agricultural Subsidies in the Jim Crow Era / Robert Ferguson … p.14
The Unsung Heroes of History / Beth Bilderback … p.16
Primary Sources: Authors Rely on SCL Holdings for Their Research … p.20
The Cost of the Vote: George Elmore and the Battle for the Ballot … p.20
Empowering Communities: How Electric Cooperatives Transformed Rural South Carolina … p.21
A Gamecock Odyssey: University of South Carolina Sports in the Independent Era … p.21
The Santee Canal: South Carolina’s First Commercial Highway … p.22
The Slow Undoing: The Federal Courts and the Long Struggle for Civil Rights in South Carolina … p.22
Struggling to Learn: An Intimate History of School Desegregation in South Carolina … p. 23
Fall Events Recap … p.24
Researching Simms and Stowe / Dr. Alexander J. Ashland … p.25
A Thriving Business Community Built around Deathways / Dr. Aaron Brown … p.28
Welcome, Brittany Champion … p.33
A Fond Farewell: Beth Bilderback … p.34
Rowe Address One of Just Three Library Copies in the World … p.35
Memorials & Honoraria … p.36
In Memoriam [John Spratt] … p.36
Letter from the President / Beryl M. Dakers … p.37
Letter from the Dean of Libraries / David Banush … p.38
Report from the Director / Nathan Saunders … p.3
Warmth
Get PDFThe short story Warmth is about an unnamed character who encounters a violent fire elemental. It is an experimental piece about what it feels like to experience a traumatic burn and what the character went through afterward
Theodore B. Taverner
No full textA war veteran with PTSD wakes on abandoned train tracks, a gun in hand, blood on his clothes, and a body by his feet. Disoriented and haunted by fragmented memories, he struggles to piece together the truth as sirens close in
Wulver in Appalachia
No full textA poem about a mysterious figure who comes to the aid of a mountain community
2025 Persimmon Creek - Full Journal
No full textPersimmon Creek runs through the Susan B. Jacobs Arboretum, an oasis of nature in the center of our dynamic and thriving campus community at the University of South Carolina Upstate. My colleague Wayne Robbins and I were recently tasked with bringing back the student-edited literary journal formerly known as Writer’s Inc. Dr. Marilyn Knight stood at the helm of Writer’s Inc. for nearly twenty years, and when she retired, the journal left with her. We thought it would be an opportune time to pay homage to the legacy of Writer’s Inc. by renaming and reimagining our home department’s literary journal. On Earth Day 2019, Dr. Jack Turner, director of the Watershed Ecology Center, formally renamed our campus creek, which !ows into Lawson’s Fork. Persimmon trees grow near the banks. According to Dr. Jon Storm, Assistant Professor of Biology, our campus persimmons are the native variety (Diospyros virginiana). On warm, sunny days, I sometimes bring my students to the pavilion for a change of scenery. I can attest that the fruit on the persimmon trees will be sweet by the time Fall classes begin. We like the name Persimmon Creek for its uniqueness, its rootedness in our campus, and the poetic musicality of the word itself. In Dr. Turner’s announcement, he said that when we name something, we preserve, protect, and nourish it. That resonated with me. It is our mission to preserve, protect, and nourish the creative vitality of our campus and our region by featuring literary and artistic works curated by our staff of students in the pages of each issue. In his poem “Persimmons,” Li-Young Lee says: My mother said every persimmon has a sun inside, something golden, glowing, warm as my face. We hope you will find a sun inside each issue—a golden, perfectly ripe fruit that will sweeten and warm your day when you take the time to dwell among its pages. We look forward to growing Persimmon Creek beyond iv a literary journal, and into a creative movement that cultivates the voices and visions on our campus and in our region. While the shape the journal takes will depend on the hands collaborating in its creation, we envision expanding the journal’s contents to include interviews, translations, craft essays, featured writers, art contests, writing workshop series, and other forms of collaboration between our journal, our campus, and our greater Upstate community. We hope that you take time to enjoy the creative work of the contributors in our inaugural issue, which features former and current USC Upstate students. Thank you for reading! We look forward to your engagement as a reader, writer, artist, editor, or partner as Persimmon Creek evolves
Harnessing Big Heterogeneous Data to Evaluate the Potential Impact of HIV Responses Among Key Populations in Sub-Saharan Africa: Protocol for the Boloka Data Repository Initiative
No full textBackground: In South Africa, there is no centralized HIV surveillance system where key populations (KPs) data, including gay men and other men who have sex with men, female sex workers, transgender persons, people who use drugs, and incarcerated persons, are stored in South Africa despite being on higher risk of HIV acquisition and transmission than the general population. Data on KPs are being collected on a smaller scale by numerous stakeholders and managed in silos. There exists an opportunity to harness a variety of data, such as empirical, contextual, observational, and programmatic data, for evaluating the potential impact of HIV responses among KPs in South Africa.
Objective: This study aimed to leverage and harness big heterogeneous data on HIV among KPs and harmonize and analyze it to inform a targeted HIV response for greater impact in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Methods: The Boloka data repository initiative has 5 stages. There will be engagement of a wide range of stakeholders to facilitate the acquisition of data (stage 1). Through these engagements, different data types will be collated (stage 2). The data will be filtered and screened to enable high-quality analyses (stage 3). The collated data will be stored in the Boloka data repository (stage 4). The Boloka data repository will be made accessible to stakeholders and authorized users (stage 5).
Results: The protocol was funded by the South African Medical Research Council following external peer reviews (December 2022). The study received initial ethics approval (May 2022), renewal (June 2023), and amendment (July 2024) from the University of Johannesburg (UJ) Research Ethics Committee. The research team has been recruited, onboarded, and received non-web-based internet ethics training (January 2023). A list of current and potential data partners has been compiled (January 2023 to date). Data sharing or user agreements have been signed with several data partners (August 2023 to date). Survey and routine data have been and are being secured (January 5, 2023). In (September 2024) we received Ghana Men Study data. The data transfer agreement between the Pan African Centre for Epidemics Research and the Perinatal HIV Research Unit was finalized (October 2024), and we are anticipating receiving data by (December 2024). In total, 7 abstracts are underway, with 1 abstract completed the analysis and expected to submit the full article to the peer-reviewed journal in early January 2024. As of March 2025, we expect to submit the remaining 6 full articles.
Conclusions: A truly complete data infrastructure that systematically and rigorously integrates diverse data for KPs will not only improve our understanding of local epidemics but will also improve HIV interventions and policies. Furthermore, it will inform future research directions and become an incredible institutional mechanism for epidemiological and public health training in South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa
Investigation of Coordinated Visual Attention Using Head-Mounted Eye Tracking in Infants With an Elevated Risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder
No full textAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a prevalent condition characterized by persistent deficits in social communication and restricted, repetitive behaviors. Coordinated visual attention (CVA), the ability to share attention with others through gaze coordination, is a key component of early social development, and differences in CVA may serve as a potential early marker of ASD. Given the increased likelihood of ASD among siblings of diagnosed individuals, research has focused on studying CVA differences to improve early detection and intervention strategies. The thesis aims to examine group differences between elevated likelihood (EL) and low likelihood (LL) infant-parent dyads in toy-directed attention and CVA interactions during naturalistic play, using HMET to explore early differences in social attention which may be relevant to ASD risk. Data was collected during play sessions within home visits following a standardized protocol with pre-selected toys and included offline calibration and coding gaze behavior using Datavyu software. The study analyzed CVA in 8-month N=38 infant-parent dyads (EL=23, LL=15) using frame-by-frame coding of gaze behavior from synchronized videos, with instances of shared attention exceeding 100 milliseconds classified as CVA. The results concluded there was no significant difference between EL and LL groups in the proportion of time spent looking at the toy, but EL infants exhibited longer toy-looking durations than LL infants. While overall CVA measures did not significantly differ, EL dyads had longer CVA bout durations, and there appeared to be differences in the pathways to these CVA bouts. EL infants more frequently led CVA bouts, whereas LL infants followed a parent-led pathway. The findings suggest that while EL and LL infants do not differ in overall CVA measures, infant-led and parent-led pathways may reflect early differences in social development, potentially informing early ASD screening and early intervention efforts
Racial Contestations of Space: Rural Preservation and Black Municipal Development in the South Carolina Lowcountry
No full textAs newcomers flock to the South Carolina Lowcountry and drive development, the region has generally implemented strategies to preserve what remains of the region’s iconic rural landscapes by restricting new development in places that are designated as “Rural Areas”. These multi-scaler growth management strategies are problematic because they frame rural preservation as benefiting the greater good and prescribe a universal solution to urban sprawl, regardless of the individual needs of rural communities. This naturalizes and perpetuates forms of racial inequality across the landscape. Simultaneously, there are alternative spatial practices that aim to improve the quality of life for rural residents alongside rural preservation efforts. In this thesis, I examine racial contestations of place-production in Charleston County South Carolina, where there are tensions between white-led regional rural preservation strategies and Black-led municipal development in the Town of Awendaw. Awendaw is a Black-founded rural town located between two federally protected conservation areas. White-led governance at the federal and regional levels imagine Awendaw as a space for recreation, tourism, and resource management and prioritizes rural preservation efforts over the quality of life for the local community. Awendaw’s municipal incorporation emerged as a response to the systemic neglect under Charleston County and the Town adopted a development strategy that aimed to improve infrastructure and quality of life for residents. This transition challenged dominant rural preservation practices and asserted Black autonomy over development, thereby destabilizing racial hierarchies in the region. This prompted resistance from neighboring white municipalities, regional bodies of governance, and newcomers, who repeatedly attempted to undermine Awendaw’s development and spatial autonomy. White newcomers utilized discourses of development and rural preservation to construct a narrative that Awendaw’s Black long-time residents were unfit to lead the town to gain spatial control. Despite these challenges, the spatial practices devoted to sustaining Awendaw’s long-time community persist, signaling ongoing contestations over space