Digital Commons Network^™

Quantitative Analysis Of Rate Transient Analysis In Unconventional Shale Gas Reserviors, Gabriel Quintero

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Rate Transient Analysis is a quick reservoir modeling solution that has been used throughout the oil and gas industry over its continuous development and has provided breakthroughs for modeling conventional plays for decades. As the Marcellus Shale play continues to be a massive producer of Natural Gas in the world, operators look to find economical yet fairly accurate solutions to develop accurate reservoir models of their wells given the complex nature of unconventional reservoirs. Due to extremely low permeability and heterogeneity along with its complex fracture networks, it becomes an extremely difficult problem to model and predict the fluid flow …

Development Of An Innovative Co-Treatment Technology For Produced Water And Blowdown Water: A Regional Approach Of Water Management For Energy Production, Golnoosh Khajouei

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Freshwater use for power generation represents the second-largest water use globally. In the United States, freshwater withdrawals for thermoelectric power accounted for 38% of the total freshwater withdrawals for all uses in 2010. Cooling systems are the most water-intensive part of the thermoelectric generation process. For instance, one 300 MW power generator required about 20,000 m³/h circulating cooling water. The cooling operation discharges a large volume of wastewater in the form of blowdown water (10-20% of the consumed water) that requires treatment for reuse or surface discharge. Produced water (PW), the fluid which returns to the surface from …

Mechanical Response Of Vartm Infused Frp Composites, Andrew Kenney

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Mechanical Response of VARTM based FRP composites

Andrew Kenney

The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) recently created two new design specification for rail tank cars. These new types of classification, DOT-117 and DOT-117R, are designed with additional safety precautions to prevent hazardous chemicals from leaking out in case of a derailment. Features such as a thicker outer steel wall, head shield, and top and bottom valve protections provide additional protection compared to the current DOT-113 tank cars at the cost of additional weight. The WVU-CFC proposes a multifunctional, composite jacket that could be used in place of current tank …

On The Classification Of Generalized Pseudo-Orthogonal Lie Groups Via Curvature, Cohomology, And Algebraic Structure, Adam C. Fletcher

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

The study of Lie groups has yielded a rich catalogue of mathematical spaces that, in some sense, provide a theoretical and computational framework for describing the “world in which we live.” In particular, these topological groups that represent the rigid motions of a space, the behavior of subatomic particles, and the shape of the expanding universe consist of specialized matrices. In what follows, we define a new collection of matrices with a very specific transposition relation and attempt to classify this Lie group algebraically, geometrically, and topologically. We consider fields, $\Bbb{F},$ of characteristic zero and define the group of pseudo-orthogonal …

Raising Awareness Of Second Victim Phenomenon And Supportingyou: A Quality And Safety Initiative, Megan Renee Bryant

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Current literature has established a need for practice change in management of healthcare-related critical incidents. Peer-support programs have been cited as the most impactful resource healthcare professionals request following a critical incident (Daniels & McCorkle, 2016). SupportingYOU, a peer-support program, is in the process of expansion at a large academic children’s hospital in northern West Virginia in anticipation for the opening of a new facility. The specific aim of this project was to raise awareness of second victim phenomenon (SVP), SupportingYOU, and perception of awareness of resiliency. Interventions included multi-formatted educational sessions on SVP and SupportingYOU via PowerPoints, brochures, flyers, …

Autonomous And Non-Autonomous Requirements For The C-Jun N-Terminal Kinase Signaling Pathway In Early Forebrain Development, Jessica G. Cunningham

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

The cerebral cortex is responsible for a wide variety of high-level functions including cognition, sensory perception, fine motor control, and the orchestration of body movements. The cortex is comprised of cortical excitatory neurons and inhibitory interneurons, which are arranged in a highly organized fashion into different layers and regions. These two types of cells operate in a delicate balance between excitation and inhibition, which is critical for proper cortical circuitry. In order for the cortex to execute its numerous functions, it must both send and receive input to other brain regions through axonal connections. The organization within the cortex and …

An Action Research Evaluation Of An Online Inclusive Sport Peer Coach Training, Margaret Roberts Condon

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Background: Trained peer tutors are a proven pedagogical technique that can help eliminate barriers to inclusion in physical education and extracurricular sport, including a reported lack of training and experience of professionals. When adequately trained, peer tutors can encourage social interactions, provide constant feedback, and increase active learning and engagement. While recommendations for training peer tutors have been provided, there are currently no known studies examining a peer tutor training in an online format for middle and high school-aged students participating in an inclusive sport program.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an …

Seeing Our Voices: Using Photovoice With Trauma-Affected Black Women College Students Within A Pwi To Explore Success And Persistence, Dariane B. Drake

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

The number of students reporting or seeking assistance for trauma has steadily risen over time. Research suggests that between 67% and 84% of students in college will experience a potentially traumatic event (PTE) in their lifetime. This percentage increases for women and for Black students. As the number of PTE exposure rises so too does the need to understand how trauma impacts education, learning, and personal development. Researchers have expressed a growing concern over the needs of trauma-affected students in recent decades. There is a dearth of research on the experiences of trauma-affected students and their overall inability to persist …

A Preoperative Intervention To Improve Glycemic Control In Surgical Patients With Diabetes, Kelsey L. Boyd

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Perioperative hyperglycemia is reported in 20-40% of patients undergoing general surgery and is an independent risk factor for negative surgical outcomes. Patients with diabetes presenting to a local community hospital are at risk for negative surgical outcomes due to the lack of strategies to prevent perioperative hyperglycemia. This project aimed to implement and evaluate the usefulness of succinct diabetes education for preoperative total joint surgical patients with diabetes. The intervention was a nurse-led, face-to-face diabetes education session provided to total joint surgical patients with diabetes during a preoperative evaluation appointment, compared to usual care (no preoperative diabetes education). This project …

Physical Educators’ Socialization And Self-Efficacy Toward The Behavior Management Of Students With Disabilities, Amelia Chloe Simpson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Intro: Although studies have evaluated how physical educators learn behavior management, little effort has been made to identify the socializing experiences and sources of self-efficacy that influence how physical educators approach the behavior management of students with disabilities (SWD).

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to understand how physical educators develop self-efficacy toward the behavior management of SWD throughout the phases of occupational socialization theory.

Method: Data for the mixed-method study included 85 U.S. public (K-12) physical educators who completed a survey that collected demographic information and responses to the Teaching Students with Disabilities Efficacy Scale (Solomon & Scott, …

Evaluating Remote Economic Benefits Of Watershed-Scale Acid Mine Drainage Restoration, Rachel E. Pell

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

In 2011, the West Virginia Abandoned Mine Lands and Reclamation Program (WVAML) implemented a watershed-scale restoration project in Three Fork Creek, a 103 square-mile watershed in rural West Virginia impaired by acid mine drainage (AMD). This was accomplished through the installation of four in-stream lime dosers in 2011. Due to the great capital investment in the restoration of Three Fork Creek and an interest in applying this watershed-scale approach to other watersheds throughout West Virginia, it is of great interest to demonstrate the successes of this remediation. It has already been demonstrated that the watershed has visibly improved and is …

Bitter Sweet, Hanna M. Kesty

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

This written document is the accompanying thesis for my Master of Fine Arts Exhibition, Bitter Sweet. The exhibition featured traditional framed prints with sculptural accents that reveal brutally honest negative personal experiences, interactions, and emotions, paired with delicately cute aesthetics. My work embodies the necessity of personal artistic expression to process years of emotional repression. The prints and sculptures in the exhibition focus around a collection of insults and harsh comments coupled with feelings of loneliness and isolation. I allow personal vulnerability to show, to reinforce that these moments have molded and shaped who I am and will continue to …

Standardization Of Patient Handovers From The Operating Room To The Surgical Intensive Care Unit: A Quality Improvement Project, Jacob S. Key

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Background: Patient handovers from operating rooms (ORs) to intensive care units (ICUs) frequently endure communication breakdowns and poor staff satisfaction when standardized handover procedures (SHPs) are not in place. Purpose: The project’s purpose was to assess the impact of a SHP checklist on OR to surgical ICU (SICU) handover staff satisfaction and perceptions regarding the patient handover process at a Level 1-designated trauma academic hospital. Interventions: Pre- and post-project staff satisfaction surveys were conducted after four months of SHP checklist introduction and utilization. Methods: SHP checklist and survey formation were based on similar quality improvement (QI) project designs revealed during …

Possible Paths Forward For A Practice-Based Teacher Education Centered On Justice, Joshua Harlan Karr

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

This dissertation seeks to address limitations of Practice-Based Teacher Education (PBTE) in relation to (1) narrow conceptions of practice and teacher learning, and (2) peripheralization of equity and justice. After aiming to understand the landscape of limitations in PBTE, this study situates itself within specific manifestations of these limitations that exist in common conceptualizations of teacher learning and practice-based pedagogies. To (re)emphasize the situated nature of practice and center equity and justice in PBTE, I theorize an expanded notion of teacher learning, develop design features for contextually situated pedagogies of practice (Grossman et al., 2009), and implement the design with …

Examining Development And Function Of Pretectal Visual Neural Circuits In Gs Homeobox 1 Mutant Zebrafish, Alexandra Rose Schmidt

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Brain development requires a coordinated genetic code to regulate initial cell identity determination, migration, and connectivity, to establish function of neural circuits. Independent neural circuits underlie our ability to produce both complex and innate behavioral responses to sensory stimuli that are often conserved across vertebrate organisms. Sensory processing disruptions are associated with several neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). Therefore, gene mutations altering neurodevelopment can lead to changes influencing structure and function of individual neural circuits, causing behavioral deviations in sensory responsiveness. Crucial gene networks that define functional properties of sensory domains are often explored using non-mammalian vertebrate models, such as the zebrafish. …

Screen Media Use Among Children And Adolescents – Applications Of Supervised And Unsupervised Machine Learning And Sentiment Analysis, Yifan Zhang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Screen media has become increasingly pervasive in our everyday lives and has profoundly changed the way people communicate and interact with each other. However, we are still unclear about the long-term influence of screen media use on our physical health, mental health, and social wellbeing. Children and adolescents are in an important stage of brain development and are susceptible to the environmental influence that screen media possess. This dissertation pursued three aims to address research gaps related to screen media use among children and adolescents: 1) identify topics and knowledge gaps in screen media use research among children and adolescents …

A Tool For Biometric Interpretation Of Forensic Str Dna Profiles, Ahmad Jamal Baroudi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Rapid DNA biometric identification applications are becoming more essential and widely used in human identity validation processes. Despite their powerful identification capabilities, processing a sample to generate a forensic DNA profile still takes longer compared with other rapid biometric technologies. Methods used to speed up the analysis could lead to signal artifacts similar to those arising from low copy or degraded DNA samples, making the electropherogram unsuitable for forensic interpretation and analysis. The goal of this research effort is to apply biometrics and mathematical approaches to forensic STR (Short Tandem Repeat) profiles. To accomplish this goal, a multi-function software tool …

Ecology Of Black-Legged Ticks (Ixodes Scapularis) At Fort Drum Military Installation, New York, Lucas Eli Price

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

The number of confirmed cases of Lyme disease in the United States of America has risen from 12,801 cases reported in 1997, which is the earliest year these data are available, to 23,453 confirmed cases in 2019. In the eastern United States, black-legged ticks (Ixodes scapularis) are the primary vector of Lyme disease, which is caused by the spirochete bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi. Tick abundance tends to be highest in dense forest habitats and where wildlife diversity is low. Because wildlife species have varying levels of competency as reservoir hosts, sources of tick bloodmeals influence Lyme disease ecology. …

The Web And The Blockbuster Poster: An Examination Of The Impact Of Streaming Services On Movie Advertising, Holden Edward Strausser

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

The year 2020 brought a widespread closure of movie theaters, exacerbating a trend wherein streaming services gained an increasing importance in movie distribution. This study examines how the changing nature of the motion picture distribution market after the advent of the streaming service is reflected in movie advertising, specifically the movie poster. The research uses a content analysis methodology to compare film posters across time, from before the beginning of streaming services to the arrival of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Analysis is derived from Uses and Gratifications theory and scholarship on star power. The research shows …

Framing Fashion Sustainability In Fashion Magazines, Kristen Ann Mohammadi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

This study explores the framing, dominant frame, story focus, and tone of sustainable fashion coverage in prominent fashion magazines, Vogue and Refinery29, seeking to understand if the publications frame their coverage differently and if the framing changes after the emergence of COVID-19. To do so, this study uses a sample consisting of articles from summer months (May-August) spanning three years (2019, 2020, and 2021), as COVID-19 was first discovered in the United States in 2020. This study uses content analysis methodology to analyze a total of 206 articles. This kind of research is important, as environmental and social issues stemming …

Red Spruce Ecological Sites, Ecological States, And Restoration Pathways Quantified Through Soil Organic Carbon, James Edward Leonard

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Tools used by agencies and organizations like the Forest Service (FS), the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), the Nature Conservancy (TNC), and the Central Appalachian Spruce Restoration Initiative (CASRI) to help guide red spruce (Picea rubens) ecosystem restoration within Central Appalachia could better address outcomes from management practices implemented in terms of soil organic carbon (SOC) stock changes. These high-elevation landscapes have a natural capacity to produce diverse ecosystem services that affect humans, animals, and plants alike. Ecological site descriptions (ESD) are an important tool used to restore impacted landscapes and provide detailed management prescriptions specific to red spruce ecological …

Narrative Transportation In Documentary Film: How Immersion Into The Documentary Film Hillbilly Affects Viewers' Attitudes, Alayna G. Fuller

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

For decades, film has relied on stereotypical misconceptions to depict Appalachian people on screen. Research has demonstrated that visual narratives and the experience of narrative transportation has the power to change individuals’ perceptions about information conveyed implicitly or explicitly within a story. Presently, no empirical research has examined how viewer attitudes form based on their level of immersion into an Appalachian documentary film. To fill this gap, this study offers a quantitative approach to examine if the documentary Hillbilly narratively transports the viewer into the world of Appalachia and shifts audience perceptions of the stereotypical Appalachian persona or “hillbilly.” The …

Examining The Efficacy Of A Self-Paced Online Training For Goal Writing, Allison Rosborough

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Educational goals can control critical aspects of intervention and progress monitoring for students with disabilities and as such are a central feature of Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). Despite its importance, school staff frequently report not receiving enough training or support on IEP documentation. Rosborough and Brandel (2020) investigated the quality of IEP goals written in the state of West Virginia. Findings indicated that professional development activities needed to be designed and analyzed related to immediate and long-term efficacy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a self-paced, online training for goal writing. Participants were recruited by …

The Role Of Firm-Level Pdo In Asymmetrically Dependent Marketing Channel Relationships, Yuerong Liu

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

This dissertation introduces power distance orientation (PDO) at firm level to extend the traditional view of power/dependence asymmetry. The traditional view suggests that the powerful firm will exploit its power for its own interest, and the dependent firm will engage in a preemptive strike (e.g., engage in self-interested, guileful behaviors before the powerful partner exploits them) due to its fear of being exploited. As a result, power/dependence asymmetry leads to deleterious relationship outcomes. Yet, power dependence theory does not consider the role of power dependence orientation, which is a firm’s acceptance of unequally distributed power. This dissertation consists of three …

Association Of Early Life Stressors With Deficits In Child And Adolescent Cognitive Functioning, Emily M. Deming

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the ACEs questionnaire could be a viable screener tool for identifying children in need of neuropsychological testing. This study consisted of a sample of child participants aged 8-17 years (N=53) who were divided into a no ACEs group or the ACEs group (1 or more ACEs) depending on parental responses to the ACEs questionnaire. Participants completed a series of virtual neuropsychological tests that assessed overall neurocognitive functioning, memory, and attention. No significant differences between the no ACEs group and the ACEs group in performance of the overall Neurocognitive Index, …

Characterization Of Two Krab-Containing Zinc Finger Transcription Factors In Bovine Preimplantation Embryonic Development, Mingxiang Zhang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Oocyte developmental competence or oocyte intrinsic quality describes the capability of oocytes to resume meiosis, cleave and develop to blastocyst stage after fertilization, implant and develop to term in a good health. A growing number of evidences indicate that the majority of embryonic mortality occurs during early embryonic development in different species, including human, horse and cattle primarily due to poor oocyte quality. Maternal effect genes are key aspects of oocyte quality, which are transcribed during the process of oogenesis and folliculogenesis. The maternal factors are accumulated in oocytes, orchestrating various early developmental events including fertilization, epigenetic reprogramming and zygotic …

Machine Learning Based Real-Time Quantification Of Production From Individual Clusters In Shale Wells, Ayodeji Luke Aboaba

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Over the last two decades, there has been advances in downhole monitoring in oil and gas wells with the use of Fiber-Optic sensing technology such as the Distributed Temperature Sensing (DTS). Unlike a conventional production log that provides only snapshots of the well performance, DTS provides continuous temperature measurements along the entire wellbore.

Whether by fluid extraction or injection, oil and gas production changes reservoir conditions, and continuous monitoring of downhole conditions is highly desirable. This research study presents a tool for real-time quantification of production from individual perforation clusters in a multi-stage shale well using Artificial Intelligence and Machine …

Narrative Inquiry Of Early Career Teachers’ Experiences Teaching During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Kinsey Ann Wright

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

This study utilized narrative inquiry to learn the stories of early career teachers of students with disabilities as they navigated teaching during a global pandemic. Five early career teachers participated in a series of three semi-structured virtual interviews. Interviews were transcribed then analyzed using a six-phase approach to thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006). Nine themes were identified: Teaching, Communication, Parents, Special Education, Workload, Resources, Training and professional development, job satisfaction, and teacher preparation. Themes were organized and presented to answer the research questions of the study. The findings contribute to understanding pandemic-related challenges faced by early career teachers of …

An Exploration Of The Effects Of Mindfulness On Pain: The Role Of Pain Catastrophizing, Ilana Haliwa

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

Chronic pain is a complex global public health concern associated with a host of negative outcomes, including loss of productivity, decreased quality of life, and greater likelihood of developing a mental health disorder. Initial evidence indicates that mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) improve pain symptomatology. However, most MBIs are time and resource intensive, and it is unclear how mindfulness may improve the pain experience. The purpose of the present set of studies was to test the effects of a brief, app-based MBI on pain experience, and to examine whether pain catastrophizing was a statistical mediator of any effect. Two studies were conducted …

A Study On Supereulerian Digraphs And Spanning Trails In Digraphs, Omaema A. Lasfar

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

A strong digraph D is eulerian if for any v ∈ V (D), d+D (v) = d−D (v). A digraph D is supereulerian if D contains a spanning eulerian subdigraph, or equivalently, a spanning closed directed trail. A digraph D is trailable if D has a spanning directed trail. This dissertation focuses on a study of trailable digraphs and supereulerian digraphs from the following aspects.

1. Strong Trail-Connected, Supereulerian and Trailable Digraphs. For a digraph D, D is trailable digraph if D has a spanning trail. A digraph D is strongly trail- connected if for any two vertices u and …