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Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis Methods For Prediction Of Brook Trout Salvelinus Fontinalis Percent Dry Weight, Andrew William Hafs
Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis Methods For Prediction Of Brook Trout Salvelinus Fontinalis Percent Dry Weight, Andrew William Hafs
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Reliable fish condition estimates are valued by fisheries ecologists and managers. Fish condition is used as an indicator of ecosystem health or to assess the population status for a species of interest. In aquaculture, proximate composition estimates are often wanted because of their relationship to fillet quality. Past researchers have used bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) to provide nonlethal mass based estimates of proximate composition for fish. Percent dry weight (PDW) of a fish is highly correlated to proximate composition values and energy density, therefore reliable predictions of PDW would eliminate the need for costly and laboratory analyses lethal to the …
A Legislative Review Of U.S. Aquaculture: A State Analysis Relating To West Virginia, Ryan M. Benninger
A Legislative Review Of U.S. Aquaculture: A State Analysis Relating To West Virginia, Ryan M. Benninger
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
This case study was designed and presented to allow a "reader-friendly" environment for aquaculture industry inquiry, specifically to pertain to West Virginia's recent surge in industry development. The sample for this thesis consisted of aquaculture producing states located within the continental U.S. The research design was qualitative descriptive that evaluated the legislative environments for each state aquaculture industry to ultimately pass recommendations for West Virginia. Of the states surveyed, it was found that 26 states enacted development acts for respective industries; 19 states were found to further develop with strategic plans. The greatest constraint discovered during this project was a …
Mine Safety Impoundment Inspection And Verification Tool: Mining And Industrial Safety Technology And Training Innovation, Eric W. Baker
Mine Safety Impoundment Inspection And Verification Tool: Mining And Industrial Safety Technology And Training Innovation, Eric W. Baker
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
The purpose of this investigation primarily focuses on coal impoundment safety and early hazard potential awareness as well as addressing the need for adapting a field hardened computer so that its more advanced technology may be applied to the mining industry. The purpose was to develop a protocol based on West Virginia State and federal laws and regulations and use a mobile field computer into the inspection system for coal waste impoundments. The inspection template was constructed using paper forms presently used by MSHA and the West Virginia Water Research Institute and iterated after conducting a number of field trials. …
Gis Assisted Problem Analysis Of Trail Erosion In Monongahela National Forest, Steven J. Storck
Gis Assisted Problem Analysis Of Trail Erosion In Monongahela National Forest, Steven J. Storck
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
This research investigates the frequency and patterns of trail erosion on purposefully selected natural surface trails in Monongahela National Forest. Trail erosion is considered a non-self-limiting process which degrades trail beds making them unattractive, difficult to travel on, and has the potential to impact local streams with the introduction of silt. Recreation ecology research delineates factors which influence the rate of erosion on a trail into three broad categories: recreational use, environmental conditions, and managerial actions. This study tests the relationship of variables from each of these categories to the local patterns of erosion. Three sampling strategies are used to …
Development Of Soil Lead And Tree-Ring Methods For Characterizing Atmospheric Deposition Gradients And Subsequent Tree Growth Responses, Bradley P. Breslow
Development Of Soil Lead And Tree-Ring Methods For Characterizing Atmospheric Deposition Gradients And Subsequent Tree Growth Responses, Bradley P. Breslow
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Atmospheric deposition of pollutants and nutrients can have a range of effects on aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Despite its ecological importance, it remains a challenge to model patterns of deposition across complex terrain and also to assess how forest ecosystems are reacting to chronic inputs of atmospheric deposition. I measured the lead (Pb) content of forest soils adjacent to atmospheric deposition monitoring stations throughout the central Appalachian Mountains to examine how well patterns of soil Pb relate to regional patterns of inorganic nitrogen (N) deposition. While I found no significant relationship between organic soil Pb content and N deposition, I …
Edaphic And Land Use Influences On Central Appalachian Fens, Sarah Deacon
Edaphic And Land Use Influences On Central Appalachian Fens, Sarah Deacon
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Local and landscape-scale factors influence peatland floristic assemblages. Our goal in this paper was to assess the interactions between wetland vegetation communities, edaphic factors, and surrounding land cover in central Appalachian peatlands. Specifically we quantified plant community dynamics in relation to edaphic factors and land cover and identified species level responses to human altered landscapes. Cluster analysis on vegetation data identified 3 vegetation groups; an emergent floristic assemblage, a shrub dominated group, and a group with mixed shrub and emergent vegetation. We found that wetlands with emergent vegetation cover were more often associated with natural land cover, higher pH and …
An Evaluation Of West Virginia's Non-Industrial Private Forest Landowner Participation In Conservation Easements, Matt D. Oliver
An Evaluation Of West Virginia's Non-Industrial Private Forest Landowner Participation In Conservation Easements, Matt D. Oliver
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Private forestland is an important resource to West Virginia. Timber production is vital to the state's economy and forestland is important for wildlife habitat, recreation and healthy watersheds. Non-Industrial Private Forest (NIPF) landowners control the majority of this commodity within the state and throughout the country. Development, fragmentation and parcelization are growing threats to landscape integrity and forest composition. Conservation easements are defined as contracts between private sector landowners and accredited institutions that preserve the conservation value of the land. They have become a popular land management tool in recent years. Conservation easements have also been widely accepted and utilized …
Impact Of Hydraulic Fractures On Type Curves For Horizontal Wells In Cbm Reservoirs, David Christopher Bell
Impact Of Hydraulic Fractures On Type Curves For Horizontal Wells In Cbm Reservoirs, David Christopher Bell
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
As production technologies continue to increase, more and more unconventional natural gas plays are becoming economical and attractive to produce. CBM, or coalbed methane, currently accounts for approximately ten percent of all natural gas production in the U.S., and that number is increasing. Therefore, it is critical to understand what makes a reservoir a viable option for production development.;Many current tools used to predict the performance of a reservoir rely heavily on unknowns about the formation, and are therefore risky and complex. Numerical methods and computer simulations can greatly aid in the evaluation, but still remain an incomplete description of …
Fish And Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Communities In The Cacapon River, West Virginia, Stephen Selego
Fish And Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Communities In The Cacapon River, West Virginia, Stephen Selego
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Stream restoration, involving both in-stream and riparian techniques, was conducted on an impaired stretch of the Cacapon River, West Virginia. Fish and aquatic macroinvertebrate communities were sampled before, during, and after restoration at the restoration site and four other sites (two impaired, two natural) to determine the success of the restoration project. Overall, bluntnose minnows (Pimephales notatus) were the most abundant fish, and riffle beetles (Stenelmis sp.) were the most abundant macroinvertebrates collected. Both communities were negatively impacted by the restoration efforts in the short-term, but recovered quickly. Fish communities returned roughly to the state observed pre-restoration. Macroinvertebrate communities increased …
Evaluating The Effects Of Morrow's Honeysuckle Control On Vertebrate And Vegetation Assemblages, And Small Mammal Foraging Ecology At Fort Necessity National Battlefield, Charnee Lee Rose
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Exotic, Japanese bush honeysuckles (Lonicera spp.; Caprifoliaceae) are tied to a variety of impacts on wildlife and ecosystems. Morrow's honeysuckle (Lonicera morrowii) has become a persistent invader in eastern North America. We organized a restoration initiative at Fort Necessity National Battlefield (FONE), Pennsylvania, USA from 2004--2010. Concurrently, we studied the consumption of Morrow's honeysuckle fruits by small mammals from October--November 2009 and July--August 2010, and determined habitat variables that affected visitation rate to foraging stations. Areas of FONE were invaded by Morrow's honeysuckle after the land had been cleared for agriculture, and routine mowing ceased in the mid-1980s. Our restoration …
A Landscape Analysis Of Surface Coal Mine Permits In The Coal River Watershed Of West Virginia, Lafe Joseph Kunkel
A Landscape Analysis Of Surface Coal Mine Permits In The Coal River Watershed Of West Virginia, Lafe Joseph Kunkel
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
In Appalachia, coal mining is a vital economic activity. Steps must be taken to ensure the future of the coal mining industry as well as the ecological sustainability of the landscape. By examining the effects of landscape disturbance on stream water quality, disturbance thresholds can be calculated from stream conductivity measurements in various segment level watersheds that contain varying levels of landscape disturbance. These thresholds can indicate how much landscape disturbance can be allowed in a segment-level watershed before water quality depreciates past certain conductivity levels or levels necessary to support macro-invertebrate life. This analysis was conducted on the Coal …
Impact Of Gas Desorption On Production From Multiply Fractured Horizontal Well In Shale, Abdallah O. Arwishad
Impact Of Gas Desorption On Production From Multiply Fractured Horizontal Well In Shale, Abdallah O. Arwishad
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
In recent years, the exploitation of unconventional gas reservoirs has become increasingly important to North American energy supply. Unconventional gas development depends on effective stimulation of low permeability reservoir by creating multiple hydraulic fractures which connects massive reservoir area to the wellbore. Hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling are primary techniques to obtain economical production from the shale gas reservoir. In addition to that, gas desorption can be a significant source of gas production in shale gas reservoirs.;This research will illustrate the impact of gas desorption on production from multiply fractured horizontal well in shale by using a reservoir model. This …