Digital Commons Network^™

Benefits And Barriers Of Using Prefilled Precedex Syringes In The Operating Room: A Cost Comparison, Ashley White

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

According to a report published by the Institute of Medicine, at least 44,000 and possibly up to 98,000 Americans die each year because of medical errors in hospitals. More than 7,000 of those deaths are from medication errors alone (Stucki et al., 2013). Anesthesia providers in the operating room (OR) are at even greater risk to commit medication errors due to their easy access to medications and their autonomy to make independent choices for medication administration. A small rural community hospital in Pennsylvania lacks a protocol for Precedex preparation. Evidence-based research show the benefit of prefilled ready-to-administer syringes, but the …

A Podcasting Series On The Historical Event Of Hawk’S Nest Tunnel Disaster, Hannah G. Morgan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This professional project will look into the Hawk’s Nest Tunnel Disaster – a disaster that was birthed due to extreme capitalism and exploitation during the 1930s. This project will explore historical documents, books and interviews with those who are passionate about the event. With that research material, I will produce an educational narrative podcast with a cohesive storyline detailing the event, including a beginning, middle and end. The podcast series will be uploaded to Apple Podcasts and Spotify. This professional project can be replicated and used for other similar projects.

Enhancing Pipeline Simulations Through Artificial Intelligence And Machine Learning: A Smart Proxy Modelling Approach, Afeez Shittu

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

ABSTRACT

Enhancing pipeline simulations is essential for improving operational efficiencies and effectively managing risks in the oil and gas industry. Traditional pipeline simulators, relying heavily on mathematical modeling assumptions, often face limitations due to their high energy and computational demands. This thesis addresses these challenges by introducing an innovative approach that integrates artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) through a smart proxy model, offering a more efficient, cost-effective, and flexible alternative to conventional full-physics models used in pipeline simulation software.

The primary aim of this research is to develop and implement a smart proxy model capable of accurately predicting …

Three Essays In Urban And Regional Economics, Bryan Khoo Wyng Wai

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation "Three Essays in Urban and Regional Economics" contains three chapters which explore urban and regional economics. The first chapters focuses on examining the effect of stadiums on congestion; the second chapter on the effect of military base closures on the housing market; and the third chapter is a meta-analysis on historical instrumental variables.

The first chapter examines the effect of National Football League games on traffic congestion in Cincinnati, Ohio; Seattle, Washington; and Santa Clara, California during the 2018 and 2019 seasons. By linking sporting events to traffic congestion, this paper provides the mechanism for stadiums generating additional …

Biology And Ecology Of Neonectria Magnoliae And Neonectria Punicea, Two Understudied Neonectria Species In West Virginia, Hannah Marie Petronek

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The family Nectriaceae includes numerous phytopathogenic fungi that cause canker diseases on both angiosperm and conifer hosts worldwide. Numerous Neonectria spp. cause cankers on hardwoods and conifers in North America, but their roles in contributing to tree decline and mortality outside of beech bark disease are largely understudied. One such pathogen, Neonectria magnoliae, causes perennial cankers on two native hosts in central Appalachia: Fraser magnolia (Magnolia fraseri) and tulip-poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera). We also recently confirmed N. magnoliae from non-native star magnolia (Magnolia stellata) in West Virginia. Both native hosts occur in the central …

Modification Of Gas Atomized Metal Powders Through Mechanical Chemical Bonding Technique, Philip Thomas Mallory

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Additive Manufacturing (AM) has become popular for commercial applications where high-performance parts can now be created, tested, and modified more efficiently thus expediting the design process. Because of its relatively easy access today a lot of research and improvements are coming out yearly for improved AM machines and the material used. At WVU, a new way of modifying as-receive commercial gas-atomized metal powders used in AM has been developed using Mechanical Chemical Bonding (MCB) methodology which uses high rotational blades to create an environment where it increases the particle-on-particle interaction. During this high energetic process all irregular shaped particles, with …

Assessing The Effectiveness Of Crime Scene Measuring Techniques, Lauren M. Fagan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Crime scene mapping is the process of measuring and fixing items present in the crime scene to obtain a detailed to-scale map of the scene as found by the crime scene investigators. When bloodstain patterns are present, investigators must analyze the bloodstains to assist in determining where the blood-shedding event occurred. The volume of origin is determined through a manual stringing method that is labor-intensive and destructive.

Technological advancements have been made in other fields, such as land surveying, and were adopted by law enforcement-related fields. These advancements include electronic terrestrial scanners, like the total station, and three-dimensional scanners, like …

Cleaning And Characterization Of Chemical Vapor Deposited Graphene For Nanoelectronic Device Development, Sakib Ishraq

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Nanoelectronic devices based on graphene are a promising technology that combines the sensitivity and specificity of ion and element recognition with the accuracy and precision of electronics. The detection principle is based on the interaction of the target molecules with the nanodevice surface, which generates a measurable electrical signal. In the current study, graphene and its derivatives, synthesis and fabrication of high quality, good uniformity, and low defects graphene have been investigated as they are critical for high-performance and highly sensitive devices. Among many synthesis methods, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), have been used that needs to be transferred from the …

Influence Of Scaling And Root Planing With Minocycline Microspheres On Clinical Outcomes Of Patients With Periodontitis, Nupoor Sandeep Kulkarni

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Background: Scaling and root planning (SRP) has been established as a “gold-standard” non-surgical initial treatment for periodontitis. Along with SRP, some systemic adjuncts like systemic antibiotics were used in the past to gain maximum benefits of SRP by reducing the need for further periodontal surgeries. Due to some drawbacks of systemic antibiotic use, like “transient antibiotic resistance”, “non-adherence” and “insufficient concentrations in the periodontal pockets to be clinically effective”, there was a shift towards the use of local antibiotic adjuncts to SRP like minocycline, tetracycline, chlorhexidine etc. Minocycline is a semi-synthetic tetracycline derivative which is available in a powder form, …

Building Better Biofuel Crops: A Field Evaluation Of Transgenic Populus Modified To Improve Feedstock Performance For Bioenergy Use, Molli Elisabeth Coombs

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A transition away from fossil fuel use is necessary for the future of energy production, and biofuels are a renewable energy option that can mitigate the impacts of fossil fuels through lowered carbon emissions and possible carbon sequestration. In order to successfully compete with fossil fuels, the production of biofuels must be sustainable and cost effective. Populus species are a biofuel crop used for bioenergy conversion from lignocellulosic biomass that have been proposed for use in feedstock plantations on marginal lands, which would avoid competition with agricultural production. Two challenges of feedstock production being faced are recalcitrance to chemical processing, …

Clinical Significance Of Gutta Percha Variability, Alex R. Pancake

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Introduction: The production of gutta percha points as root canal therapy filling materials vary from hand processing to machine processing with a range of acceptable levels of error (tolerance). Similarly, endodontic files manufactured to complement corresponding gutta percha points exhibit specified levels of tolerance. Investigations into the consistency among manufacturers of files and gutta percha points is limited. The aim of this study is to see how variability in apical gauge and taper of gutta percha points affected the clinical performance during cone try in. The null hypothesis of this study is that there is no difference in two gutta …

Comparing Resurgence Following Positive And Negative Reinforcement Using A Human-Operant Approach, Abbie Cooper

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Resurgence is a type of relapse that consists of the recurrence of a previously eliminated response following worsening reinforcement conditions for an alternative response. Resurgence can occur following a history of positive or negative reinforcement; however, no previous evaluations have directly compared resurgence following these processes. In the present set of experiments, college students responded on a computer program to earn points (positive reinforcement) and to avoid losing points (negative reinforcement). Experiment 1 evaluated resurgence when both target and alternative responses were maintained by the same reinforcer class (i.e., in the positive-reinforcement component the target and alternative responses were positively …

Evaluating The Role Of Glucocorticoids On The Host Response To Helicobacter Pylori Infection, Sara Druffner

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Gastric cancer is the fifth most common cancer and the fifth leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. Helicobacter pylori infection is the number one risk factor for gastric cancer development. Roughly 50% of the world’s population is infected with H. pylori, though only 1-3% of those infected will develop cancer. H. pylori drives chronic inflammation that creates the requisite environment for carcinogenesis, yet it remains unclear why some individuals develop cancer and others do not. Most mechanistic studies are done in mice, however H. pylori is not a natural mouse pathogen. Research is typically done either with mouse-adapted strains of …

Implementation Of Bayesian Statistics To Answer Diverse Engineering Questions: Applications In Cancer Immunology And Engineering Education, Anika C. Pirkey

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Quantitative Systems Pharmacology (QSP) refers to a mechanistic modeling approach used for assessing potential therapeutics by linking the molecular and cellular level mechanisms of the disease and therapeutic to the system-wide dynamics and clinical endpoints relevant to the disease. Although the field of QSP is still in its relative infancy, the mathematical methodology employed to predict the kinetics of these systems are not new and can be applied to a wide variety of systems. For instance, similar to QSP’s goal of guiding the development of novel therapeutics for various disease states, there exists a need to develop novel interventions in …

A Quality Improvement Initiative To Reduce Preanalytical Blood Gas Errors, Layla Haver Newbrough

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Abstract

Introduction: Laboratory testing is one of the most commonly performed procedures in healthcare and resulting data are paramount to clinical decision making. Background: Preanalytical blood gas laboratory errors often stem from the incorrect recording of a patient’s fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) within the laboratory collection application. Incorrect FiO2 may cause erroneous results or delays in reporting results that have the potential to negatively impact patient safety and medical management.

Purpose: The purpose of this quality improvement initiative was to reduce the occurrence of preanalytical blood gas laboratory errors. Methods/Interventions: This initiative combined modification of the laboratory collection application …

Ung: A Diagnostic Standard C Library, Jakob Knute Kaivo

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Undefined behavior in C programs is a major source of unreliable software. Many of the most common exploitable software vulnerabilities can be traced directly to undefined behavior. In the increasingly connected world, a successful attack can cost the victim millions of dollars to recover from. While static program analysis aids in identifying undefined behavior, testing indicates that even the best static analysis tools correctly identifies about 35% of these defects. This dissertation introduces UNG’s Not GNU (UNG), a standard C library designed to mitigate undefined behavior. Where others have seen opportunities for optimization, UNG makes every effort to identify undefined …

Something From Nothing: Reimaginings, A Resource Guide For The Horn Sonata By Frank Gulino, Albert J. Houde Iii

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Since publishing his first work in 2006, American composer Frank Gulino has been the driving force behind some seventy new pieces of music. With music commissioned and performed by top professionals around the world, Gulino’s star has risen quickly backed by his prowess for writing music for brass instruments in solo works and chamber music. The subject of this document is a sonata for horn and piano entitled Reimaginings, a work commissioned by the author in 2020. This document presents a biographical sketch of the composer, an interpretation for performing the work, and suggestions for learning key skills needed …

Characterizing 4,4’-Methylene Diphenyl Diisocyanate Exposure In Primary Human Epidermal Keratinocytes: A Multi-Omics Approach, Brandon F. Law

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Exploring the routes of exposure and biological fate of 4,4’-methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI) has been a challenge for many years. Occupational exposure to MDI can result in the development of occupational asthma (MDI-OA) which results in loss of productivity, large economic costs, and costs to the individual worker. Initially, it was thought that respiratory exposure to MDI was the most likely route leading to MDI-OA. Industries utilizing MDI have been successful at controlling airborne concentrations according to industrial hygiene assessment and newly diagnosed cases of MDI-OA decreased and plateaued. New research suggests that dermal exposures to MDI may explain this …

Pilot Quality Improvement Project To Update Surgeon Preference Cards Of A Community Hospital's Orthopedic Service, Jessica R. Mitchell

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Abstract

Implementation of a Pilot Quality Improvement Project to Update Surgeon Preference Cards

of a Community Hospital’s Orthopedic Service

Jessica R. Mitchell

Problem Statement: Over time, surgeons change preferences for surgical equipment, and their preference cards need updating. Failure to update preference cards leads to impaired staff communication, opening of unnecessary equipment, excess waste, increased cost to patients and facilities, and potential threats to patient safety.

Background: Members of the orthopedic surgical team in a community hospital in suburban West Virginia wanted to establish a process to regularly update outdated surgeon preference cards (SPC) for several common orthopedic procedures. The …

Inherently Porous Metal Structures With Sufficient Mechanical Properties Through Direct Writing Of Bio-Based Inks, Havva Eda Aysal

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

There is currently a burgeoning interest in developing 3D printed metal structures with inherent porosity and sufficient mechanical properties for mass customization in the biomedical field. Current approaches for 3D printing of biocompatible metals rely on powder-bed fusion methods which are energy intensive and utilize large amounts of metal powder that is challenging to recycle. In addition, such methods aim on producing dense parts and porosity generation, within the printed part, is challenging due to the complex physics of the melting pool. Here, a relatively new and promising approach is undertaken to study the 3D printing of inherently porous structures …

Genetic Knowledge And Causal Beliefs: Implications For Health Behavior In Clinical And Non-Clinical Samples, Jamey T. Brumbaugh

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Objective: As the genomic era in healthcare continues to surge, it is vital to examine genetically-related psychological concepts, such as genetic knowledge and genetic causal beliefs, in genetically relevant clinical groups. Parents /caregivers of children born with cleft lip and/or palate represent a population whose knowledge and beliefs about genetics may be influenced by their frequent utilization of genetically-related healthcare services (e.g., genetic testing and genetic counseling). To date, little is known about how such beliefs vary across disease types. Even less is known regarding how disease-specific genetic causal beliefs relate to perceived behavioral control for disease development. Method: A …

The Role Of Synaptic Zinc Signaling In Excitatory Circuits Of The Mouse Auditory Cortex, Philip T R Bender

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Synaptic zinc signaling modulates synaptic activity and is present in specific populations of cortical neurons, suggesting that synaptic zinc contributes to the diversity of intracortical synaptic microcircuits and their functional specificity. The pool of chelatable synaptic zinc is controlled by the zinc transport protein ZnT3, a protein which functions by moving free zinc into glutamatergic presynaptic vesicles, from which it is co-released with glutamate during synaptic transmission. Once synaptic zinc is released within the synaptic cleft, it acts on glutamate receptors on the post-synaptic spine, including ionotropic NMDA and AMPA receptors. While the inhibitory function of zinc on NMDA receptors …

Taking The Red Pill: A Content Analysis Of Ambivalent Sexism And Precarious Manhood In Alpha Male Podcasts, Madalen Lea Fields

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Podcasts have become increasingly popular across various platforms (e.g., Spotify or Apple podcasts). A more recent trend is the emergence of “alpha male” podcasts. The goal of these podcasts is to instruct young men how to stop being “betas” and on achieving “alpha male” status. These podcasts are a subset of the manosphere, a term used to describe media focused especially on hegemonic masculinity, which is characterized by their promotion of misogynistic beliefs and sexist rhetoric. Drawing upon social science research, three forms of sexism (i.e., ambivalent sexism, precarious manhood and violence against women) serve as analytical frameworks for understanding …

Low Power Remote Sensing System For Ceramic Thermocouples, Syed Khaleduzzaman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The ceramic thermocouple sensor is a promising alternative to traditional thermocouple due to their corrosion resistance and cost-effective manufacturing. Currently, no electronic Interface or Integrated Circuit solution is commercially available which can be used to interface these thermocouples at low-cost and low power for accurate temperature measurement. An electronic system is needed to use these ceramic sensors which consumes less amount of power for an extensive period of time with remote monitoring option.

This thesis proposes a low-power electronic remote sensing system that works for ceramic thermocouples. The system consists of three parts. They are battery-operated sensor node electronic circuit, …

An Examination Of The Underlying Implications Of Environmental, Social, And Governance Measures On Firm Practices, Lewis James Hardway

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation is comprised of three studies that seek to determine the impact environmental, social, and governance (ESG) policies and initiatives have on different levels within the firm. The first study takes a page from business management research. It proposes a moderated mediation model of leader-member exchange and its effects on corporate entrepreneurship. Corporate entrepreneurship seeks to engage employees in bringing forward new ideas to enhance the firm’s position and aligns with the social aspects of ESG, especially those concerning employee stakeholder matters. This study finds that through psychological empowerment, high-quality relationships can bring forward increased engagement by individuals in …

Experimental And Chemical Modeling Of Applied Dc Electric Field Induced H2 – Air Axisymmetric Laminar Co-Flow Diffusion Flames With Low Carbon Impurities, Susith Dilshan Pathmasiri Gunamuni Halowitage

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The effect of externally applied DC electric fields on flame structure was investigated in a stationary atmospheric axisymmetric laminar H₂–Air flame with less than 100 ppm carbon equivalent impurities. Flame OH chemiluminescence signals were recorded using a UV-sensitive CCD array as a function of voltage (+10 to -10 kV) applied to a stainless-steel ring electrode placed around the burner nozzle. Changes in chemiluminescence signal are reported as a function of electrode height above the burner, airflow, and fuel composition. Significant changes in OH* distributions were observed for voltages below -5 kV. Under optimum conditions, the height of the …

Testing A Conceptual Model Of Age, Gender, Perceived Discrimination And Well-Being, Kelly Smith

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Both age and gender are personal characteristics that are at least in part outwardly visible and act as a category for social judgments (Cuddy & Fiske, 2002). The current study examined associations among individuals’ views on their aging, their gender typicality, well-being, and perceived discrimination. Research Question 1 asked whether views on aging and gender typicality interact to influence perceptions of discrimination; Research Question 2 explored the same potential interactions’ influence on well-being. Research Question 3 explored whether any interaction between views on aging and gender typicality and well-being was mediated by perceptions of discrimination. Participants represented the adult life …

Lgbtq+ Clothing Habits In Appalachia, Kirstyn Korte

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study investigated clothing preferences among cisgender queer women within Appalachia and whether they used these preferences to identify their own peers. It also further investigated whether they use clothing as a tool to conceal or reveal their own LGBTQ+ identity. Participants were invited for two interviews each. Between interviews, there was a one-week rumination period for each woman. The women reported themes of using clothing to blend in with their hetero-normative surroundings as they grew up and now lean into a more alternative style and less narrow-minded view of clothing. Perspectives gained from interviewees lined up with current knowledge …

Development Of Dynamic Mass-Energy-Thermodynamics Constrained Hybrid Neural Network Models For Process Systems Applications, Angan Mukherjee

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

First-principles models can provide very good predictions even for cases when there are no data at all, or data are limited in certain range of operating conditions, or for cases where data collection is infeasible. However, the development of accurate first-principles models for complex nonlinear dynamic systems can be time consuming, computationally expensive, and may be infeasible for certain systems due to lack of sufficient knowledge (information). It is also challenging to adapt first-principles models for time-varying systems. Furthermore, it can be difficult, if not impossible, to develop accurate models for some complex phenomena that are poorly understood. On the …

Spatial Degradation And Livelihood Diversification In The Ever-Changing Landscape Of Pastoralist Kajiado, Kenya, John A. Paine

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The study centers on both internal and external pressures on Maasai communities, such as environmental changes and socio-economic shifts, all of which are rapidly changing. It further examines the historical colonial context in Kajiado that has led to spatial degradations - a decline in an objective geographic area's function, usage, or ecological health. Such degradation has taken on different forms based on varying cultural, environmental, and livelihood-centered understandings and motivations. Understanding this is particularly important to investigation of how the cultural identity of the Maasai shapes realities and informs decisions about livelihoods. This idea is especially relevant when, out of …