Digital Commons Network^™

Can Parent-Child Interaction Therapy Improve Core Features Of Autism? Findings From A Comparison Of Pcit For Children With And Without Autism Spectrum Disorder, Robin C. Han

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Although there is a small yet growing body of evidence supporting Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) as an effective treatment for disruptive behaviors among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD; Scudder et al., 2019), further study is warranted, particularly with more robust methodology (e.g., larger sample sizes, comparison groups). Furthermore, preliminary studies have demonstrated improvements in symptoms of autism following the completion of PCIT, including improvements in frequency of child verbalizations (Hansen & Shillingsburg, 2016), caregiver report of social skills and social responsiveness (Zlomke et al., 2017), time spent in pretend toy play (Lieneman et al., 2019), and shared positive affect …

An Analysis Of Amy Beach's Variations On Balkan Themes, Op. 60, Yiwen Zhang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This research paper provides an analysis of Variations on Balkan Themes, Op. 60, one of Amy Beach’s most significant solo piano works. Variations on Balkan Themes exists in four different versions: the 1906 original solo piano version, a 1936 revised solo piano version, a 1942 two-piano version and fragments of an orchestral version. This paper is focused on Beach’s 1906 original solo piano work. The analysis includes descriptions of the character of each variation, the structure, the pianistic figures and selected harmonic analysis as well as information comparing the four different versions. Beach’s biographical information, historical background of the …

Analysis Of Cell Signaling Perturbations In Response To Chronic Localized Infections, Amber Nicole Prince

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The tissue-level response to pathogens involves an intricate series of signal transduction events, influenced by immune and healing mediators that alert the host to danger and eliminate the infection. Disruptions to normal signaling events can compromise the host’s ability to respond and lead to the development of chronic infections that cannot be resolved without clinical intervention. Prolonged inflammation due to chronic infection can damage tissues and compromise healing processes, thus, the interactions of immune and healing mediators in signaling cascades are intimately linked to tissue health outcomes. Studying signaling networks relevant to these responses provided a more thorough understanding of …

Single And Multi-Photon Laser Induced Fluorescence For Electric Thruster And Fusion Applications, Thomas E. Steinberger

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Single and Multi-photon Laser Induced Fluorescence for Electric Thruster and Fusion Applications

Thomas Edward Steinberger

Laser-based diagnostics are increasingly sought after to investigate a variety of plasmas due to their non-perturbative capabilities. Specifically, laser induced fluorescence (LIF) provides a highly localized and precise spectroscopic technique to measure absolute density, temperature, and bulk flow. In this work, LIF and two-photon absorption laser induced fluorescence (TALIF) are used to investigate electric propulsion and fusion-relevant plasmas, respectively. Ion velocity distribution functions (IVDF) of singly ionized atomic iodine (I II) are measured for the first time and lineshape characteristics are presented for the diagnosis …

Unconventional Gas Pipeline Right-Of-Way Influence On Wildlife, Samuel C. Knopka

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The development of horizontal drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale in 2004 resulted in rapid exploitation of the play in the Appalachian Basin. This “unconventional” gas well drilling accesses resources deeper beneath the surface and allows for multiple wells to be co-located on a single well pad. This results in fewer, but larger, well pads on the landscape than traditional vertical wells. Pipelines are required to transport the volumes of gas produced by unconventional wells to production facilities and market. The effects of gathering pipelines, which transport gas from well pads to larger transport pipelines, are poorly studied …

Evaluating Social Media As A Medium Of Private Communication Through Steganographic Images, Kendall Weldon Coles

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Social media is a vastly used communication tool with billions of users worldwide. These social networks provide users the ability to share their ideas and thoughts through the messages, videos, and images that they post. The images that are shared can possibly be embedded with private messages through the use of a steganographic tool. The messages are embedded in a fashion that doesn’t change the visual appearance of an image. This allows for these types of images to hide in plain sight, which creates the possibility of someone communicating privately in a public social media setting. This project proved how …

Meeting The Mental Health Needs Of Student-Athletes: A Descriptive Study Of Practitioners And Their Perspectives, William C. Way Iii

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Efforts are being made to promote mental health awareness and destigmatize help-seeking behavior among student-athletes (e.g., Kern et al., 2017). The availability and visibility of practitioners with specialized training in sport psychology can facilitate these efforts (e.g., Flowers, 2007; Carr, 2007; McDuff et al., 2005). However, some student-athletes have observed that the clinical sport psychology (CSP) practitioners who are available to them are being stretched thin (Way et al., 2020). In the context of collegiate mental health more broadly, many campus counseling centers are struggling to meet the demand for clinical services (e.g., Kafka, 2019). Research on the experiences and …

Iot Malicious Traffic Classification Using Machine Learning, Michael Austin

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Although desktops and laptops have historically composed the bulk of botnet nodes, Internet of Things (IoT) devices have become more recent targets. Lightbulbs, outdoor cameras, watches, and many other small items are connected to WiFi and each other; and few have well-developed security or hardening. Research on botnets typically leverages honeypots, PCAPs, and network traffic analysis tools to develop detection models. The research questions addressed in this Problem Report are: (1) What machine learning algorithm performs the best in a binary classification task for a representative dataset of malicious and benign IoT traffic; and (2) What features have the most …

Deep Models For Improving The Performance And Reliability Of Person Recognition, Sobhan Soleymani

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Deep models have provided high accuracy for different applications such as person recognition, image segmentation, image captioning, scene description, and action recognition. In this dissertation, we study the deep learning models and their application in improving the performance and reliability of person recognition. This dissertation focuses on five aspects of person recognition: (1) multimodal person recognition, (2) quality-aware multi-sample person recognition, (3) text-independent speaker verification, (4) adversarial iris examples, and (5) morphed face images. First, we discuss the application of multimodal networks consisting of face, iris, fingerprint, and speech modalities in person recognition. We propose multi-stream convolutional neural network architectures …

Mau Mau’S Moral War: The Sacralization Of Kenya’S Anticolonial Struggle, 1952–1956, Henry Muoki Mbunga

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation is a study of the ethical and religious history of the Mau Mau War in Kenya, 1952–1956. It breaks with a historiographical tradition that reduces Mau Mau’s ritual activities to stage props and backdrops on the historical stage. The project investigates two central questions: (1) why did Mau Mau members invent a variety of rituals during the anticolonial struggle in Kenya? and (2) how did the ethical and religious convictions of Mau Mau members shape their military campaign? Using rare archival sources and the oral histories and published memoirs of Mau Mau War veterans, this study argues that …

The Joyful Path Of Lifelong Mastery Of The Piano, John Alan Rose

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Designed to function as a handbook for pianists, this research project is written in a friendly manner. Organized by theme, it contains a multiplicity of approaches that pianists at all levels can apply to their daily piano practice to help deepen the meaning and efficacy of their work. No matter what role the piano plays in your life, there is much in this document that will help you find joy as you discover new things about yourself through practicing the piano. From methods of practice to philosophies by established performers, this project has enough material to be kept within arm’s …

Increasing The Reliability Of Software Systems On Small Satellites Using Software-Based Simulation Of The Embedded System, Matthew D. Grubb

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The utility of Small Satellites (SmallSats) for technology demonstrations and scientific research has been proven over the past few decades by governments, universities, and private companies. While the research and technology demonstration objectives that can be provided by these SmallSats are becoming similar to larger spacecraft, their reliability still falls behind. This is in part due to the reduced cost of SmallSat missions in comparison to large spacecraft, which requires cheaper components, rapid development schedules, and accepted risk. In these missions, the importance of the flight software is often overlooked, and the software is rushed through development and not fully …

Describing A Putative Corollary Discharge Circuit In Drosophila, Kaitlyn Nicole Boone

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Corollary discharge (CD) circuits provide critical information about movement and behavior to provide context to sensory processing. However, to date, there has not been a comprehensive study of CD circuits at a single-cell level. In this thesis, I aimed to resolve the connectivity of ascending histaminergic neurons, consisting of two pairs, the mesothoracic pair (MsAHNs) and metathoracic pair (MtAHNs) at a single-cell level and characterize contexts of activation. Using transgenic techniques, connectomics and transcriptomics, we identify neural populations receiving input from the AHNs and neural populations with significant output to the AHNs. We explored where the AHNs predominantly receive synaptic …

Erosion And Sediment Controls On Reclaimed Mine Refuse Impoundments, Sara Dalen

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

To ensure the sustainable use of one of West Virginia’s precious resources, conscientious long-term management of residual waste is of immense importance. This thesis examined two main topics: i) the dewatering process of acid mine drainage (AMD) sludge, and ii) an investigation of soil loss predictions of a reclaimed coal refuse impoundment.

The first aspect of this thesis addresses clarification and remediation of AMD prior to disposal is a prominent component to preventing runoff and seepage of environmentally detrimental byproducts. To examine the effects of flocculation and dewatering more closely by means of geotextiles, an AMD sludge was analyzed. The …

#Canceled: Positionality And Authenticity In Country Music’S Cancel Culture, Gabriella Saporito

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

From its beginning in film and television and its early adoption by Black Twitter, cancel culture has become a phenomenon in the era of social media. Marked by the popular hashtags #cancel, #canceled, #[InsertNameHere]isOverParty, and #Surviving[InsertNameHere], cancel culture is a practice which involves publicly denouncing and/or shaming a person or company when they do something that is considered offensive or objectionable. It saw a resurgence in the era of #MeToo that has not slowed down in an age dominated by social media presidents and global pandemics. Cancel culture has also seen a recent re-adoption by the political right, which begs …

Causal Determinants Of College Success, Benjamin Blemings

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The first essay focuses on alcohol access in college, which is an impediment to many students' success. Alcohol sales to general seating at college football games has been broadly adopted despite results suggesting greater alcohol availability increases crime and college alcohol abuse. Using differences-in-differences, this paper estimates how allowing alcohol sales in college football general seating sections affects crime. Reductions in crime are found after sales are allowed. After sales begin, those under the age of 21 are still not legally permitted to purchase in-stadium alcohol, but are still affected by changes in other stadium policies or law enforcement strategies. …

Three Essays On The Impact Of Cuteness On Consumer Behavior, Alexis Taeeun Yim

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Over the last decade, the world has seen a rise in the popularity of cute stimuli. Adorable baby pictures, fluffy puppy videos, and whimsical emojis seem ever-present in social media news feeds and friends’ posts. In addition, products marketed toward adults that feature cute characters drive sales worth billions of dollars. The growing presence of cute stimuli in our daily lives is accompanied by emerging research on their social and behavioral impacts. Correspondingly, the current dissertation consists of three essays that contribute to the literature on cuteness by empirically testing the impacts of cuteness in the marketplace. To extend the …

Supporting Student Success And Persistence In Stem With Active Learning Approaches In Emerging Scholars Classrooms, David Miller, Jessica Deshler, Tim Mceldowney, John Stewart, Edgar Fuller, Matt Pascal, Lynnette Michaluk

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Over the last several decades, Emerging Scholars Programs (ESPs) have incorporated active learning strategies and challenging problems into collegiate mathematics, resulting in students, underrepresented minority (URM) students in particular, earning at least half of a letter grade higher than other students in Calculus. In 2009, West Virginia University (WVU) adapted ESP models for use in Calculus I in an effort to support the success and retention of URM STEM students by embedding group and inquiry-based learning into a designated section of Calculus I. Seats in the class were reserved for URM and first- generation students. We anticipated that supporting students …

Fertilization And Tree Species Influence On Stable Aggregates In Forest Soil, Jacob E. Kemner, Mary Beth Adams, Louis M. Mcdonald, William T. Peterjohn, Charlene N. Kelly

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Abstract: Background and objectives: aggregation and structure play key roles in the water-holding capacity and stability of soils and are important for the physical protection and storage of soil carbon (C). Forest soils are an important sink of ecosystem C, though the capacity to store C may be disrupted by the elevated atmospheric deposition of nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) compounds by dispersion of soil aggregates via acidification or altered microbial activity. Furthermore, dominant tree species and the lability of litter they produce can influence aggregation processes. Materials and methods: we measured water-stable aggregate size distribution and aggregate-associated organic matter …

The Memorization, Preparation, And Performance Of Piano Music: Cognitive Foundations And Current Neuro-Music Research, Amy M. Simpson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Memorization of piano music for performance has often been shrouded in mystery. A body of neuro-music research has emerged, mostly in the last twenty years, that addresses how musicians perceive, learn, and memorize music, and how these processes operate in music performance. This paper is a compendium of current research on music perception, learning, memorization, and performance, specifically focused on piano music and piano performance. It is intended to benefit both pianists (performers, teachers, students), and neuro-music researchers.

This research explains the operation of human memory systems and, from this platform, addresses aspects of music memorization such as multi-modal approaches …

Shutting The Door On Voting: The Effects Of "The Great Poll Closure", Joshua Matthew Squires

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The 2016 election was the first presidential election following the landmark Shelby County v. Holder (2013) case that invalidated Section 4(b) of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The decision in Shelby meant that certain jurisdictions with histories of racial discrimination no longer needed permission or “preclearance” from the federal government before making changes to election administration procedures. Perhaps not coincidentally, voting jurisdictions across the United States also saw a record number of polling place closures - especially in formerly preclearance areas. Past research has studied the effects of precinct closures on voter turnout in individual counties and at the …

Transform Based Approaches For The Detection Of Astrophysical Signals, Marwan Mahfud Alkhweldi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Development of new algorithms for the detection of isolated astrophysical pulses is of interest to radio astronomers. Both Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) and several Rotating Radio Transients (RRATs) were detected through the application of a single pulse search algorithm. The conventional approach to detect astronomical pulses requires an exhaustive search for the correct dispersion measure. Its accelerated versions involve signal processing in Fourier transform space.

In this dissertation, we present several new transform-based approaches for the detection and analysis of astrophysical signals with the latest being the most effective and advanced of all. It is implemented in several steps. First, …

Using Molecular Dynamics To Characterize The Relationship Between Membrane Components And Dynamics And Supramolecular Organization Of Membrane Proteins, Eric Sefah

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have gained impetus as a technique for elucidating structural and dynamical information about membrane proteins (MP). In particular, coarse-grained (CG) MD simulations have provided valuable information about the relationship between membrane components and supramolecular organization of MPs. In this work MD simulations are used to characterize the effects of hopanoids on bacterial membrane dynamics and association in a model protein proteorhodopsin (PR), as well as the role of the extended C-terminus of the human adenosine receptor (A_2AR) on its dimerization. PR is found to dimerize in a manner that is dependent on both the …

Magnetic Properties Of Lsmo/Sto Thin Films: Magnetocaloric, Spin Dynamics And Magnetic Viscosity Investigations, Navid Mottaghi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

While other films are discussed, this dissertation will focus on detailed studies of the dc and ac bulk magnetometry in a characteristic 7.6 nm thin film of La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃ grown on SrTiO₃ (001). The dc bulk magnetometry measurements show that the sample is magnetically inhomogeneous. Temperature variation of magnetization (M vs. T) was measured in zero-field-cooled and field-cooled protocols to determine the blocking temperature T_B in different applied magnetic fields. The field variation of T_B is interpreted as the presence of embedded spin clusters of 1.4 nm. Moreover, the M vs. …

Arrow Spaces: A Unified Algebraic Approach To Euclidean Geometry And Inner Product Spaces, Hussin M. Albahboh

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Given a postulated set of points, an algebraic system of axioms is proposed for an ``arrow space". An arrow is defined to be an ordered set of two points (T,H), named respectively Tail and Head. The set of arrows is an arrow space. The arrow space is axiomatically endowed with an arrow space ``pre-inner product" which is analogous to the inner product of an inner product vector space over R. Using this arrow space pre-inner product, various properties of the arrow space are derived and contrasted with the properties of a vector space over R. The axioms …

Novel Mechanisms Of Neuronal And Hormonal Regulation Of Large Intestinal Electrolyte Transport, Andrew John Nickerson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The mammalian colon plays a vital role in maintaining overall electrolyte and fluid homeostasis in the body, and it possesses the ability to either secrete or absorb water depending upon the needs of the organism. Secretion or absorption of electrolyte ions, such as Na⁺, Cl^- and K⁺, drives the movement of water across the colonic epithelium – the inner gut lining where all transport takes place. Aberrant absorptive and/or secretory activity within the colonic epithelium is central to the pathogenesis of many gastrointestinal diseases, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), constipation …

Language Choice On Psychological Reactance In Instructor/Student Email Exchanges, Christiana Robey

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This thesis investigated undergraduate students’ perceptions and interpretations of language cues used within instructor email requests. Guided by Psychological Reactance Theory (PRT; Brehm, 1966; Brehm & Brehm, 1981), this thesis examined whether instructor email requests, containing different levels of powerful language and verbal immediacy cues, would impact students’ willingness to follow through with instructor requests. Two hundred thirty-four undergraduate students participated in the four-condition experiment which consisted of the email manipulation conditions containing varying levels of an instructors’ powerful language (e.g. “must;” Miller et al., 2007) and verbal immediacy (e.g., “our class;” Witt & Wheeless, 2001) cues. After reading an …

Investigating The Role Of Attention And Memory In Visual Exploration, Jacob E. Suffridge

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This research investigates the role that attention and memory plays in visual exploration through a comprehensive analysis of eye movement and behavioral data, alongside incorporation of a computational saliency model. The purpose of this project is to quantify differences in visual attention over repeated viewings of natural scene images by employing a free viewing task that contains a memory component. In Chapter 2, we explore the task’s behavioral data showing that participants generally memorize our images well before we investigate the effect of numerous object and individual feature inclusion. In Chapter 3, we develop four primary methods to quantify visual …

An End-To-End Face Recognition System Evaluation Framework, James Andrew Duncan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The performance of face recognition system components is traditionally reported using metrics such as the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC), Cumulative Match Characteristic (CMC), and Identification Error Tradeoff (IET). Recently, new metrics have been published to take advantage of annotation-dense datasets such as IARPA Janus Benchmark-Surveillance and IARPA Janus Benchmark-Multi Domain Face to describe end-to-end face recognition system performance. Unlike traditional (component-level) analysis, end-to-end analysis of a system produces a metric proportional to the experience of a user of a face recognition system. The End-to-End Cumulative Match Characteristic (E2ECMC) summarizes detection, identity consolidation, and identity retrieval performance. The End-to-End Subject Cumulative …

Pandemic Pedagogy: A Zoom Teaching Experiment Using Cognitive Theory Of Multimedia Learning Principles Of Multimedia Design, Kevin C. Knoster

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this dissertation was to conduct an experimental study exploring the applicability of multimedia principles of effective instructional design to Zoom teaching. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, educators across higher education were forced to rapidly transition from traditional face-to-face instruction to online teaching. One of the most common ways in which colleges and universities navigated this transition in the United States was via mass adoption of the video conferencing platform Zoom. However, best practices have not yet been identified to assist instructors inexperienced with online teaching in adapting to remote instruction via Zoom. This dissertation argued …