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Linear Engine Development For Series Hybrid Electric Vehicles, Csaba Toth-Nagy
Linear Engine Development For Series Hybrid Electric Vehicles, Csaba Toth-Nagy
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
This dissertation argues that diminishing oil reserves, concern over global climate change, and desire to improve ambient air quality all demand the development of environment-friendly personal transportation. In certain applications, series hybrid electric vehicles offer an attractive solution to reducing fuel consumption and emissions. Furthermore, linear engines are emerging as a powerplant suited to series HEV applications. In this dissertation, a linear engine/alternator was considered as the auxiliary power unit of a range extender series hybrid electric vehicle. A prototype linear engine/alternator was developed, constructed and tested at West Virginia University. The engine was a 2-stroke, 2-cylinder, dual piston, direct …
Strategies For Sustainable Professional Development Programs To Promote Effective Pedagogical Use Of Instructional Technology In Teaching, Karla R. Assis Cezarino
Strategies For Sustainable Professional Development Programs To Promote Effective Pedagogical Use Of Instructional Technology In Teaching, Karla R. Assis Cezarino
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
The purpose of this study was to determine a set of common strategies employed by sustainable instructional technology professional development programs that are found to successfully promote educators' high-level use of technology in their teaching practice. Two questions guided this study: (a) Research Question 1: What do successful instructional technology professional development programs recognize as indicators of high-level use of technology? and (b) Research Question 2: Which instructional technology professional development strategies successfully promote high-level use of instructional technology in participants' teaching practice?;An online questionnaire consisting of close-ended questions and open-ended questions was used as the means of data collection. …
Using Dendrochronology To Identify Species-Specific Ice Storm Damage In Delaware, Matthew John Smolnik
Using Dendrochronology To Identify Species-Specific Ice Storm Damage In Delaware, Matthew John Smolnik
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Ice storms are recurrent disturbances that alter forest succession and retard tree growth rates throughout North America. Following a 1994 ice storm in Delaware, the Delaware Forest Service established seventy-five study plots to sample four species of trees (southern red oak [Quercus falcate ], white oak [Quercus alba], loblolly pine [ Pinus taeda], and yellow poplar [Liriodendron tulipifera ]) affected by the ice storm. The objectives of this study are to: (1) explore the species-specific growth rates and responses to the ice storm; and (2) determine which of the four species is best suited to provide dendroecological records of past …
Automatic Hydraulic Fracturing Design For Low Permeability Reservoirs Using Artificial Intelligence, Andrei Sergiu Popa
Automatic Hydraulic Fracturing Design For Low Permeability Reservoirs Using Artificial Intelligence, Andrei Sergiu Popa
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
The hydraulic fracturing technique is one of the major developments in petroleum engineering in the last two decades. Today, nearly all the wells completed in low permeability gas reservoirs require a hydraulic fracturing treatment in order to produce at an economical level. This study presents a new methodology, applicable to tight gas reservoirs, for designing hydraulic fractures.;This study is intended to develop an automatic hydraulic fracture design tool to help users design fracture jobs without being an expert in the art and science of hydraulic fracturing. This process is composed entirely of an integration of several artificial intelligence techniques.;The methodology …
Managing Classroom Behavior Of Head Start Children Using Response Cost And Token Economy Procedures, Jennifer D. Tiano
Managing Classroom Behavior Of Head Start Children Using Response Cost And Token Economy Procedures, Jennifer D. Tiano
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
The efficacy of three behavior management techniques used in a Head Start classroom was examined. The three techniques included: (a) techniques currently used by the teacher, (b) response cost, and (c) the Level System (token economy). The current study used an ABACA single subject withdrawal design with follow-up where all conditions were implemented until stability was reached. Classroom behavior was evaluated by both behavioral observation and teacher report. Children's behavior, teacher skill, number of time-outs, and satisfaction with behavior management techniques (i.e., teacher, parent, and child) were examined. No conclusions could be made concerning the efficacy (i.e., inappropriate behavior, class …
Multispectral Segmentation Of Whole-Brain Mri, Nitya Krishnan
Multispectral Segmentation Of Whole-Brain Mri, Nitya Krishnan
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a widely used medical technology for diagnosis and detection of various tissue abnormalities, tumor detection, and in evaluation of either residual or recurrent tumors. This thesis work exploits MRI information acquired on brain tumor structure and physiological properties and uses a novel image segmentation technique to better delineate tissue differences.;MR image segmentation will be important in distinguishing between boundaries of different tissues in the brain. A segmentation software tool was developed that combines the different types of clinical MR images and presents them as a single colored image. This technique is based on the fuzzy …
Manufacturing And Evaluation Of Structural Products With Recycled Polymers, Raghuram Phani Aditham
Manufacturing And Evaluation Of Structural Products With Recycled Polymers, Raghuram Phani Aditham
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
The rapid growth of Wastes from Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) can be attributed to the rapid developments in technology, leading to reduction in service life to less than 2 years in certain products. Thermoplastics such as Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene (ABS) and Polycarbonate (PC) form a significant percent of the Electronic Shredder Residue (ESR) that were used in this research to manufacture and evaluate structural products with recycled polymers.;In this research, offset blocks for highway and bridge guardrail systems were developed using recycled polymers reinforced with glass fabric as shell and discarded tire strips/wood as core materials. Optimum compression molding process parameters …
Exposures To Silica And Inducers Of Xenobiotic Metabolism In The Rat Lung, Lori A. Battelli
Exposures To Silica And Inducers Of Xenobiotic Metabolism In The Rat Lung, Lori A. Battelli
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
CYP1A1 metabolizes polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), such as those in cigarettes, to reactive intermediates which interact with DNA and lead to cancer. Silica is a lung carcinogen. Epidemiology studies of silica and lung cancer are not all positive. A possible explanation for these inconsistencies may be that silica is a modifier of PAH metabolism and, thus, cigarette smoke carcinogenesis. We hypothesize that crystalline silica exposure alters CYP1A1 expression, thereby modifying lung cancer risk. Rats exposed to both crystalline silica and the model PAH, beta-naphthoflavone (NF), a CYP1A1 inducer have significantly decreased CYP1A1 enzymatic activity and CYP1A1 protein expression. In the …
Caregiver Factors Related To Unintentional Burn Injuries In Young Children, Karen E. Joseph
Caregiver Factors Related To Unintentional Burn Injuries In Young Children, Karen E. Joseph
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
The main purpose of this study was to examine the contribution of caregiver behavioral versus demographic factors to the prediction of a child burn injury and caregiver safety behavior using a sample of primary caregivers of children (aged 0--5 years) with a burn injury (case participants) or without one (comparison participants). Case participants (n = 30) were recruited from a burn center in the Northeastern United States, whereas comparison participants (n = 30) were recruited from pediatric facilities, balanced to cases by child age, gender, race, and geography, and caregiver socioeconomic and marital status. Measures of demographic and burn information, …
Pain-Related Acceptance And Physical Impairment In Individuals With Chronic Pain, Kevin E. Vowles
Pain-Related Acceptance And Physical Impairment In Individuals With Chronic Pain, Kevin E. Vowles
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Treatments using acceptance-based approaches have been utilized for a variety of health care concerns with data regarding their application to a chronic pain population recently emerging. These approaches may be particularly suited to chronic pain as they target potentially harmful avoidance and ineffective pain control strategies. Acceptance of chronic pain is related to psychosocial constructs generally (e.g., depression, pain-related anxiety); however, its relation to the overt behavioral variables associated with such states remains unevaluated. The present investigation assessed the specific effects of an acceptance-based versus control-based instructional set on demonstrated physical impairment in 74 individuals with chronic low back pain. …
Factors Controlling Landslide Initiation As A Result Of July 2001 High-Precipitation Events In A Section Of The Lower New River Gorge, West Virginia, M. Patrick Kish
Factors Controlling Landslide Initiation As A Result Of July 2001 High-Precipitation Events In A Section Of The Lower New River Gorge, West Virginia, M. Patrick Kish
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Several geologic and physical factors affect the location of landslides associated with the July 2001 high precipitation events in Lower New River Gorge, West Virginia. The surficial geology of the heavily mined landscape was mapped using ArcGis 8.3 and four specific factors related to the landslides were identified. Road building was shown statistically to have a positive influence on the location of landslides. Slope aspect, slope angles, and elevation were also shown to have strong relationships with landslide initiations.;A landslide initiation risk map was created by overlaying the physical and geological factors favorable for landslide initiation. The risk map outlines …
Hematotoxicity Of Heptachlor, Sarah Vanessa Meads Dodson
Hematotoxicity Of Heptachlor, Sarah Vanessa Meads Dodson
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Hematotoxicity has been documented in adults exposed to high levels of organochlorine pesticides. Our studies revealed that prenatal exposure to the organochlorine pesticide heptachlor resulted in alteration of lymphocyte development, while myeloid cell development was spared. To further investigate effects of heptachlor on lymphoid cells, we evaluated direct exposure of this compound on pro-B and pre-B cells. In these studies, the pro-B cell line C1.92 and the pre-B cell line 70Z/3 demonstrated concentration-dependent decreases in proliferation following heptachlor exposure. Pro-B cell viability decreased significantly; however, pre-B cell viability was not altered. Further investigation into mechanisms of diminished cell proliferation revealed …
Structure And Dynamics Of Interfaces In The Epitaxial Growth And Erosion On (110) And (100) Crystal Surfaces, Artem Levandovsky
Structure And Dynamics Of Interfaces In The Epitaxial Growth And Erosion On (110) And (100) Crystal Surfaces, Artem Levandovsky
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
We present unified theory of the far-from-equilibrium interfacial phenomena occurring in the multilayer homoepitaxial growth and erosion on (110) and (100) crystal surfaces. Within a unified model, here we elucidate the multitude of novel states on (110) and (100) surfaces as well as the transitions between them. In particular, by analytic arguments and numerical simulations, we address experimentally observed transitions between two types of rippled states on (110) surfaces. We discuss several intermediary interface states intervening, via consecutive transitions, between the two rippled states. One of the intermediary interface states, the Rhomboidal Pyramid State, was theoretically anticipated by us and …
Modeling And Real-Time Feedback Control Of Mems Device, Limin Wang
Modeling And Real-Time Feedback Control Of Mems Device, Limin Wang
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Applying closed-loop control to a MEMS devices not only can handle the abnormal behaviors caused by manufactory imprecision or device failure, enabling MEMS devices to survive in critical conditions, but also can increase the application where MEMS devices are used to drive components under varying load conditions. This study mainly focuses on the effort of closed-loop control on the Lateral Comb Resonator (LCR) MEMS device. The success of closed-loop control has been achieved on lateral comb resonator with novel integrated through wafer optical monitoring technique.;Availability of a system model and feedback signals are mandatory conditions for the implementation of closed-loop …
Development Of A Test Method To Measure "In-Use" Emissions From Stationary And Portable Diesel Sources, Gurudutt A. Nayak
Development Of A Test Method To Measure "In-Use" Emissions From Stationary And Portable Diesel Sources, Gurudutt A. Nayak
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
A cost-effective, accurate and easy-to-use in-field test method was developed that would allow regulatory bodies, such as the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to determine in-use compliance with emission standards for newly manufactured portable and stationary engines. As emissions measured during an engine-dynamometer test do not faithfully reflect real-world emissions, a test method that functions like an Inspection and Maintenance (I/M) type test method was developed. Only concentration measurements of pollutants such as oxides of nitrogen (NO x) and carbon dioxide (CO2) are required to determine compliance using this "compliance factor, F" approach. Hence, errors introduced due to engine work …
Women And Social Services In Saudi Arabia, Khadija Nasseef
Women And Social Services In Saudi Arabia, Khadija Nasseef
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
This master thesis talks about social services for women that provided by social welfare agencies in Saudi Arabia. This thesis is a descriptive study that uses the content analysis as a method to investigate social services agencies that provides special services for women. This thesis also had special interest in social services that improve women's lives in Saudi Arabia. The content analysis is made on documents and brochures of 4 main social services agencies that offer services for women. The content analysis was made in term of these agencies main aim and target, their main massage, their programs for women, …
Constraint-Based Facilities Planning, Tafazzul Ahmed Khan
Constraint-Based Facilities Planning, Tafazzul Ahmed Khan
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
In recent years a large variation of production volume for the mass-production products happens frequently due to the changes in technology and market. Those changes cause introduction of new products having shorter life cycles, thus enforcing modification and renewal of production facilities much earlier than their lifetime. A model was built to assess the impact of manufacturing parameters on the effectiveness of the layout and the material handling system. A relationship was developed between variations in production oriented parameters and its impact on the facility size and final cost of the product being manufactured exclusively in terms of machine time, …
Experimental Validation Of The "Target Hood Static Pressure" Balancing Method For Exhaust Ventilation Systems, Michael Winifred Dodrill
Experimental Validation Of The "Target Hood Static Pressure" Balancing Method For Exhaust Ventilation Systems, Michael Winifred Dodrill
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
An experimental trial of a new method to balance industrial exhaust ventilation systems was performed. Although balance by design is considered preferable, many ventilation systems incorporate dampers to balance the system to a different airflow distribution after installation. The "target hood static pressure" method aims to minimize the time, effort, frustration and confusion invested in the balancing effort. It requires only one and one-half adjustment rounds, can be prepared as a computerized spreadsheet, and substitutes hood static pressure readings for airflow traverse readings. The method also minimizes the system static pressure to the least possible, thereby keeping friction losses at …
Specific Aspects Of Social Anxiety Related To Children's Peer Sociometric Status, Abby H. Friedman
Specific Aspects Of Social Anxiety Related To Children's Peer Sociometric Status, Abby H. Friedman
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
The present study examined the association between specific aspects of social anxiety and sociometric status. Participants included 268 children in grades 4, 5, and 6. The children completed the Social Anxiety Scale for Children-Revised (SASC-R) and the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory for Children (SPAI-C). A sociometric nomination procedure was used to categorize participants into sociometric status groups (i.e., neglected, rejected, controversial, popular, and average). Results replicated and extended previous literature. Neglected children scored the highest on both measures of social anxiety, followed by rejected children. This was one of the first investigations to associate socometric status with SPAI-C factor …
Geomorphic Analysis Of Stream Crossings In A Portion Of The Upper Cheat River Basin, Joshua A. White
Geomorphic Analysis Of Stream Crossings In A Portion Of The Upper Cheat River Basin, Joshua A. White
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
An inventory and analysis of culverts as vertebrate migration barriers has been completed in a relatively pristine portion of the Upper Cheat River basin, Randolph and Tucker counties, West Virginia. Investigators in four different disciplines contributed to the project, including the geomorphological research represented by this thesis. This project had an underlying purpose to assess the potential for stream mitigation credits through a possible future stream mitigation banking program.;Several conditions appear correlated with problem culvert sites. Calvin high base substratum-Belmont-Meckesville soil association is associated with the greatest amounts of instability and aggradation at culvert sites. Three-quarters of the study area …
West Virginia Coal Fly Ash Sorption Of Btex, Jerome C. Wentz
West Virginia Coal Fly Ash Sorption Of Btex, Jerome C. Wentz
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Sorption is a term used in the environmental field to describe how chemical contaminants in soil and groundwater adhere to solid particles such as: clay, peat and activated carbon for the purposes of remediation, fate and transport. A potential surrogate for sorption of chemical contaminants in groundwater is coal fly ash. Batch test experiments have demonstrated coal fly ash's ability to remove hydrophobic, organic petroleum contaminants including: benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes (BTEX) in groundwater through the processes of sorption. Coal fly ash is a byproduct material of coal fired power plants that is often disposed of on-site or at …
Resonant Optical Waveguide Biosensor Characterization, Shantanu Pathak
Resonant Optical Waveguide Biosensor Characterization, Shantanu Pathak
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
The importance of miniaturized sensors for quick and accurate assessments of a broad spectrum of hazardous biological agents has been highlighted by recent high profile events. Integrated optical devices based on evanescent wave interrogation techniques can register minute refractive index changes enabling detection of bioagents on the sensor surface and providing a potential for compact structure combined with a possibility of detecting several analytes simultaneously by fabricating multiple devices on the same chip. Most commonly integrated optical interrogation techniques suffer from issues of optical alignment and fabrication complexities. In addition the materials used to fabricate integrated optical devices experience drifts …
System Identification And Control Of The Standpipe In A Cold Flow Circulating Fluidized Bed, Juchirl Park
System Identification And Control Of The Standpipe In A Cold Flow Circulating Fluidized Bed, Juchirl Park
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Circulating fluidized beds (CFB) have been widely applied to many areas of industry such as chemical processing, petroleum refining, catalytic cracker processing, power generation, and waste treatment.;Recently, a mathematical model of the CFCFB standpipe was successfully developed and tested using an extended Kalman filter (EKF) and an Hinfinity estimator algorithm. Using this standpipe mathematical model requires a solids circulation rate (SCR) to be a measurable variable offered from a spiral installed in the standpipe of the CFCFB. In this research, a linear state space system model is developed in order to estimate the solids circulation rate, using a least squares …
Modified Delphi Investigation Of Exercise Science In Physical Education Teacher Education, Sean M. Bulger
Modified Delphi Investigation Of Exercise Science In Physical Education Teacher Education, Sean M. Bulger
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
As physical education teacher educators experiment with alternative pedagogical approaches to bridge the gap between subdisciplinary theory and professional practice, the need for enhanced multi-disciplinary research and communication continues. The purpose of this study was to determine the critical exercise science competencies, and associated instructional methods, that are recommended for inclusion in the physical education teacher education undergraduate curriculum. An initial list of theoretical and applied exercise science competencies was constructed using the knowledge, skills, and abilities recommended by the American College of Sports Medicine for individuals working in the field of exercise science. The two-round, modified Delphi procedure involved …
Software Risk Assessment Based On Uml Models, Kalaivani Appukkutty
Software Risk Assessment Based On Uml Models, Kalaivani Appukkutty
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Risk is the possibility of suffering loss. Risks identified during the early stages of software development are easier and cheaper to handle by making changes to the software architecture. This thesis presents methodologies to assess software risk using Unified Modeling Language (UML) specifications of the software from the early design stages. We present methodologies to assess two types of software risk: Requirements-based risk and Performance-based risk. In assessing requirements-based risk, each requirement is mapped to a specific operational scenario in UML. The risk factor of a scenario in a failure mode is obtained by combining the probability of failure of …
Synchronization For Capacity -Approaching Coded Communication Systems, Jian Sun
Synchronization For Capacity -Approaching Coded Communication Systems, Jian Sun
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
The dissertation concentrates on synchronization of capacity approaching error-correction codes that are deployed in noisy channels with very low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). The major topics are symbol timing synchronization and frame synchronization.;Capacity-approaching error-correction codes, like turbo codes and low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes, are capable of reaching very low bit error rates and frame error rates in noisy channels by iterative decoding. To fully achieve the potential decoding capability of Turbo codes and LDPC codes, proper symbol timing synchronization, frame synchronization and channel state estimation are required. The dissertation proposes a joint estimator of symbol time delay and channel SNR for …
Recycling Of Plastics Derived From End-Of-Life (Eol) Electronic Equipment, Xiufang Cheng
Recycling Of Plastics Derived From End-Of-Life (Eol) Electronic Equipment, Xiufang Cheng
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
This research work focuses on a chemical process to separate mixed plastics from EOL electronic equipment.;The most prominent components of waste plastics, PC (Polycarbonate), PS (Polystyrene) and ABS (Acylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) from obsolete computers are taken to be samples in this work. Qualitative analysis was carried out to identify these samples using FT-IR (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscope). Quantitative analysis was performed using Elemental Analyzer to get the calibration curves for PC/PS and PC/ABS. A number of organic solvents were investigated to dissolve the desired samples. A series of separation experiments were carried out with PC/PS, PC/ABS, and PC/PS/ABS mixtures under …
Models Of High-Temperature Desulfurization Using Zinc-Based Sorbents, Yong Zhang
Models Of High-Temperature Desulfurization Using Zinc-Based Sorbents, Yong Zhang
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
This study focuses on determining models that are currently available to describe gas-solid reactions to predict the observed (experimental) results from a series of TGA experiments. Variations of the GPM (Grainy Pellet Model) were used and shown to give good agreement with experimental conversion histories of zinc oxide particle undergoing sulfidation using H2S at temperature in the range of 482 to 593 degree centigrade.;By using SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope) and Visilog(TM) imaging analysis software, the grain size distribution and grain sphericity can be obtained.;The basic forms of the SCM (Shrinking Core Model) and GPM models could not predict correctly the …
Development Of A Program To Gather And Process Data From Oil And Gas Fields, Joshua R. Cook
Development Of A Program To Gather And Process Data From Oil And Gas Fields, Joshua R. Cook
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
In this thesis new software is developed to examine the needs and available options to gather information from oil and gas fields and to analyze data in an efficient manner. The program outlines potential setups as well as practical analysis techniques. The result is a program to store field data and capability to analyze input in different formats.;The developed system uses accounting, economics, engineering, and management concepts to process data. The program uses the relationships between field data gathered in a number of methods. The developed program provides a useful tool for the engineer to gather oil and gas field …
Impact Of Langmuir Isotherm On Production Behavior Of Cbm Reservoirs, Efundem Ndipanquang Arrey
Impact Of Langmuir Isotherm On Production Behavior Of Cbm Reservoirs, Efundem Ndipanquang Arrey
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Coalbed Methane is an unconventional gas resource that consists of methane production from the coal seams. CBM reservoir performance is also influenced by the interrelationship of reservoir, geologic, and operation parameters. Coalbed methane production performance is considered complex and difficult to analyze especially at the early stages of recovery.;This study was conducted to develop type curves which predict the impact of Langmuir Isotherms on production behavior on a Coalbed Methane reservoir in order to evaluate the economic feasibility and to maximize potential recovery. In order to achieve this objective, the impact of Langmuir isotherm constant on production type curves was …