Digital Commons Network^™

Development And Evaluation Of A Patient Decision Aid For The West Virginia Physician Order For Scope Of Treatment (Post), Jarred V. Gallegos

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Decision aids have been shown to be helpful for patients making medical decisions. The use of decision aids can increase patient knowledge, decrease decisional conflict, and increase overall satisfaction with the treatment decision made. The purpose of the study was to develop and evaluate a novel video decision aid for the West Virginia Physician Orders for Scope of Treatment (POST). There are no known decision aids developed to assist patients completing POST forms, thus there is a paucity of research investigating the nature, quality, and outcomes of the decision-making process of patients completing a POST form. Fifty English-speaking, community-dwelling older …

Field Performance Evaluation Of A Disposable Sampler For Inhalable Heavy Metal Aerosols, Peter John Grimson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Reliably sampling worker exposures to aerosolized particulates is an integral part of many industrial operations. The production of inhalable particulates in the presence of workers is a common issue and one that should be closely monitored by health and safety professionals. Regulatory agencies such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Mine Safety and Health Administration have specific standards that are legally enforceable pertaining to particulate aerosol exposure limits. Therefore, in many industrial operations, air sampling of workers is an essential part of maintaining regulatory compliance.;Although many airborne particulates can pose significant health risks, the costs of air …

Robust Specularity Removal From Hand-Held Videos, Priyaankadevi Guggilapu

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Specular reflection exists when one tries to record a photo or video through a transparent glass medium or opaque surfaces such as plastics, ceramics, polyester and human skin, which can be well described as the superposition of a transmitted layer and a reflection layer. These specular reflections often confound the algorithms developed for image analysis, computer vision and pattern recognition. To obtain a pure diffuse reflection component, specularity (highlights) needs to be removed. To handle this problem, a novel and robust algorithm is formulated. The contributions of this work are three-fold.;First, the smoothness of the video along with the temporal …

Characterization Of The Immune Response To Lipopolysaccharide In Early Pregnant Ewes As A Model To Study Bacterial Infection Induced Embryonic Loss, Jessalyn Marie Hadfield

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

An immunological balance has to be established during pregnancy that protects the mother yet tolerates the semi-allogenic fetus. To understand the innate immune response during bacterial infections that may cause early embryonic loss, a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treated sheep model was used. Two objectives of this study were to examine if omega-3 PUFAs in the form of supplementary whole flaxseed could reduce the inflammatory response to an LPS challenge and to examine if there is a differential immune response to LPS in Suffolk and Dorset ewes. A total of 3 experiments were conducted; two investigating the effect of supplement and one …

An Examination Of The Consultation Component Of A Training Protocol For Parent-Child Interaction Therapy, Carrie B. Jackson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

There is a growing need to train clinicians in evidence-based treatments (EBTs) to increase the accessibility of research-informed treatments in community settings (Herschell, Kolko, Baumann, & Davis, 2010). Multi-component trainings, which commonly include ongoing support, are more effective than one-day workshops, reading treatment manuals, and other brief training methods. The present study examines the effectiveness of one form of ongoing support, consultation, as part of a multi-component training protocol. Thirty-two community-based clinicians were trained in Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) as part of a statewide implementation effort, and data were collected on several training (e.g., knowledge) and implementation (e.g., acceptability) outcomes …

Academic Integrity Violation Detection For Wvu Cs101, Lakshman Chandrasekaran

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

We developed a software system to detect academic integrity violations within the course of Computer Science 101 taught at West Virginia University. In this course students are instructed on how to use the Microsoft Office suite of applications, including Access, Excel, PowerPoint, and Word for data analysis. Academic integrity is taken seriously at West Virginia University. The current system of checking for academic integrity violations has been effective, but there is room for improvement. The new software system for detecting academic integrity violations is user-friendly, computationally efficient, and time-saving for instructors of Computer Science 101. The underlying idea is to …

A Qualitative Study Of Family Forest Owners' Experiences With Timber Transactions, Adam Maltempie

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The majority of forestland in America is privately owned. Family forest owners own 62% of all private forestland in America. In West Virginia family forest owners own 6.5 million acres (53%) of all forestland in the state. Timber harvesting from these family forests is crucial to the states and nations timber industry. We examined family forest owners' experiences during the complex timber transaction process. This process covers the time from when the landowner decides to sell timber until all harvest, legal, and financial aspects are completed. We conducted a focus group with nine participants representing eight different family owned forests …

Examining The Efficacy Of A 1-Session Brief Behavioral Activation Intervention With University Students With Mild To Moderate Depressive Symptoms, D. Lee Mccluskey

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Early intervention may increase the likelihood that students with depressive symptoms complete degree requirements and reduce the likelihood of negative outcomes associated with depression in adults. The goal of this study was to assess the efficacy of a 1-session version of Brief Behavioral Activation Treatment for Depression-Revised (BATD-R; Lejuez, Hopko, Acierno, Daughters, & Pagoto, 2011) with university students with mild-to-moderate depressive symptoms. Participants (N = 39) were randomly assigned to either a clinical or a control group. Participants completed measures of depression, negativity bias, mindfulness, and experiential avoidance at pre-intervention, two-week follow-up, and one-month follow-up. Both ITT and study completer …

The Economic Benefits Of Portable Instrumentation On The Criminal Justice System: A Comprehensive Return-On-Investment Analysis, Korina Menking-Hoggatt

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Prosecuting crime is an expensive endeavor. This thesis compiles data from a variety of sources to show that, in 2015, the average cost of prosecuting a seized-drug case in the United States was about {dollar}26,000. Of that amount, crime laboratories only cost about {dollar}275 per seized-drug case, or less than ~1% of the total cost of prosecuting a drug case. We show that the criminal justice system could save millions of dollars per year by strategically investing in portable chemical instrumentation and conducting seized-drug confirmatory analyses at the scene of the crime, or at booking, instead of in the laboratory. …

Using Carbon And Oxygen Isotopes To Monitor Water-Rock Interaction Under Simulated Geothermal Conditions, Stephen J. Henry

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Engineered or Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) have to potential to unlock vast high-temperature energy resources that lack the natural permeability and fluid flow required for power generation. In order to ensure sustained fracture connectivity in EGS, water-rock interactions must be understood in high temperature and pressure systems. Using cores from Brady's Field Well BCH-03, investigations were conducted to test the feasibility of using carbon and oxygen isotopes to monitor water-rock interactions under simulated geothermal conditions. Reactions were examined in a series of high-temperature pressure vessels and a high-temperature flow-through system in which a calcium bicarbonate solution was exposed to meta-volcanic …

Differential Response Policy And Child Maltreatment Re-Report, Amy A. Hunter

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Child maltreatment is a serious public health issue. The decisions made by Child Protective Services (CPS) in response to reports of maltreatment may influence a child's risk of subsequent maltreatment. Studies have found a direct relationship between adverse childhood events (ACEs), (e.g., experiencing maltreatment, exposure to violence) and negative health outcomes across the lifespan (e.g., disease, developmental delays, suicidality, injury and death). Traditional CPS investigations focus on determining details of abuse events, and use that information to assess child safety and risk of future harm. The introduction of differential response policy provides supportive and preventive services to mitigate the risk …

Spatial Centering Of A Quadcopter In An Underground Coal Mine, Jonathan Itschner

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The recent proliferation of smaller and more affordable sensing and computing has contributed to an increased availability of unmanned aerial vehicles, UAV's. Specifically, quadrotor platforms have become popular due to their low cost, versatility, and relative ease of operation. There are a variety of applications for this type of aerial vehicle, ranging from hobbyist photography to search and rescue operations. This thesis documents the feasibility of using a quadrotor UAV within the confined space of an underground coal mine during an emergency. Additionally, this paper notes in the Appendix an experiment to remotely operate a quadcopter that is located underground. …

Bank Branching Deregulation And High School Graduation, Patrick Reilly

Economics Faculty Working Papers Series

This paper utilizes variation in timing of deregulation to investigate the relationship between bank branching deregulation and educational outcomes for individuals in 39 states over the period 1977 - 1999. In order to investigate the labor market channel, this paper focuses on the relationship between deregulation and high school graduation, as opposed to recent studies focusing on the relationship between deregulation and college attendance via the credit market channel. Results indicate increases in the likelihood of graduating high school after deregulation. Results also suggest heterogeneity in effects due to race and age at deregulation. Finally, models testing the relationship between …

Cultural Superstitions And Residential Real Estate Prices: Transaction-Level Evidence From The Us Housing Market, Brad R. Humphreys, Adam D. Nowak, Yang Zhou

Economics Faculty Working Papers Series

In Chinese culture, the number 8 is considered lucky and 4 is considered unlucky. We analyze the relationship between the presence of 8 s and 4 s in addresses and transaction prices paid by Chinese home buyers and sellers in a novel setting, Seattle, Washington, from 1990 to 2015. In the absence of explicit identifiers for Chinese individuals, we develop a probabilistic model for identifying ethnicity based on name alone. The results indicate Chinese buyers pay a 1-2% premium for addresses that include an 8 and 1% less for properties with a 4 in the address. These results are not …

Strengths And Limitations Of Forensic Science: What Dna Exonerations Have Taught Us And Where To Go From Here, Vanessa Meterko

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Folklore And Forensics: The Challenges Of Arson Investigation And Innocence Claims, Parisa Dehghani-Tafti, Paul Bieber

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Scandal, Fraud, And The Reform Of Forensic Science: The Case Of Fingerprint Analysis, Simon A. Cole

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

An Uncivil Action: Criminalizating Daubert In Procedure And Practice To Avoid Wrongful Convictions, Jessica G. Cino

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Building The Infrastructure For "Justice Through Science": The Texas Model, Sandra Guerra Thompson, Nicole Bremner Cásarez

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Tightenting The Loophole: The Role Of Fee-Shifting Statutes In Resolving The Growing Problem Of Servicing America's Student Loan Debt, Katheryn E. Marcum

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Legal Research Plan And The Research Log: An Examination Of The Role Of The Research Plan And Research Log In The Research Process, Caroline L. Osborne

Law Faculty Scholarship

This paper reviews the current status of the concept of the legal research plan. It summarizes the basic elements of the legal research plan, reviews the current literature and recommends a design of a plan for use in first year legal research programs and by novice researchers. Also, it considers the use of the research log in the research process.

Testing For Regulatory Penalties: Insuring The Health Of Fedrealism In The Age Of Obamacare, Steven Z. Hodaszy

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Professional Speech And The First Amendment, Rodney A. Smolla

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Legislation's Culture, Richard K. Neumann Jr.

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Enhancing Ongoing Royalties: The Inequitable Equitable Remedy, Layne S. Keele

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Land, Slaves, And Bonds: Trust And Probate In The Pre-Civil War Shenandoah Valley, Alfred L. Brophy, Douglas Thie

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Writing Better Jury Instructions: Antitrust As An Example, Joshua P. Davis, Shannon Wheatman, Cristen Stephansky

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Strip Clubs, “Secondary Effects,” And Residential Property Prices, Taggert J. Brooks, Brad R. Humphreys, Adam Nowak

Economics Faculty Working Papers Series

The "secondary effects" legal doctrine allows municipalities to zone, or otherwise regulate, sexually oriented businesses. Negative "secondary effects" (economic externalities) justify limiting First Amendment protection of speech conducted inside strip clubs. One example of a secondary effect, cited in no fewer than four United States Supreme Court rulings, is the negative effect of strip clubs on the quality of the surrounding neighborhood. Little empirical evidence that strip clubs do, in fact, have a negative effect on the surrounding neighborhood exists. To the extent that changes in neighborhood quality are reflected by changes in property prices, property prices should decrease when …

Jazzing Up Next-Gen Librarians For Freshman Engineering Instruction Delivery, Marian G. Armour-Gemmen, Chanelle Pickens, Robin A.M. Hensel, Mary L. Strife, Mariam Jalalifard

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Because of the need for science and engineering librarians, both nationwide and at West Virginia University (WVU), a model of Introduction to STEM Disciplines’ Information Use and Mentoring

occurred at WVU. The engineering librarians introduced new resident librarians and a graduate research assistant to the Freshman Engineering program and involved them in teaching several engineering information literacy sessions. The goal of engaging the new librarians into the educational activities was to motivate their learning, gain feedback on current teaching strategies and fresh ideas for possible future implementation, and facilitate buy-in of the need for and role of STEM-specific librarians. The …

Growth And Variability Of School District Income Tax Revenues: Is Tax Base Diversification A Good Idea For School Financing?, Joshua C. Hall, Antonis M. Koumpias

Economics Faculty Working Papers Series

School districts in Ohio have the option of diversifying their revenue base by adopting income taxes. Using a panel of Ohio school districts that adopted a local income tax from 1990 to 2008, we find that revenues are pro-cyclical and fluctuate only mildly. For every dollar increase in average school district income, tax revenues increased by 21 and 3 cents in the long- and short-run. We also find that the school district tax base fully adjusts to its long-run equilibrium within three years. Our results highlight a revenue-stabilizing role of income tax bases on total school district tax revenues.