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Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

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Cellular Mechanisms Of Luteal Regression In The Bovine Corpus Luteum (Cl), Aritro Sen Dec 2005

Cellular Mechanisms Of Luteal Regression In The Bovine Corpus Luteum (Cl), Aritro Sen

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The corpus luteum (CL) is a transient endocrine gland that produces progesterone (P4) for the establishment and maintenance of pregnancy. In absence of pregnancy, timely regression of the CL is essential for normal ovarian cyclicity. Several factors are known to participate in luteal regression. In this study, two factors, PGF2 alpha and endothelin (ET-1) are being studied. Protein kinase C (PKC) and calcium are the two main intracellular mediators of PGF2 alpha. The role of ET-1 in the regulation of luteal regression is unclear. The early CL is insensitive to the luteolytic actions of PGF2 alpha and the cellular mechanism(s) …


Assessing The Effectiveness Of Descriptive And Experimental Analyses To Identify Variables Influencing Problem Behavior In Domestic Dogs, Susan D. Kapla Dec 2005

Assessing The Effectiveness Of Descriptive And Experimental Analyses To Identify Variables Influencing Problem Behavior In Domestic Dogs, Susan D. Kapla

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Problem behavior in dogs is a concern for pet owners. Many contemporary approaches to intervention first involve a process of diagnosis and classification which is often structural in nature. An accurate diagnosis is considered essential for effective treatment, however, outcome data validating the efficacy of this procedure are dubious. The success of strategies used to assess and treat behavior problems that identify behavioral function in humans (functional assessment), however, suggests the potential utility of such techniques in the assessment and treatment of behavior problems in dogs. Therefore, two separate assessments were conducted to identify and manipulate variables affecting problem behavior …


The Design, Construction And "Optimization" Of A Binder Pitch Refining Unit, Kevin D. Whiteman Dec 2005

The Design, Construction And "Optimization" Of A Binder Pitch Refining Unit, Kevin D. Whiteman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Pitches have been important to mankind for hundreds of years. One of the most important pitches used in industry today is binder pitch. Binder pitch is used to make anodes for the aluminum industry. The supply of high quality binder pitch has been steadily decreasing. A process has been developed to produce binder pitch from coal at West Virginia University, but this pitch in this process requires refining.;The focus of this thesis was to design, and construct a bench top wiped film evaporator system to refine that pitch. From the data collected in this thesis, the process was scaled up …


Learner Satisfaction And Learning Performance In Online Courses On Bioterrorism And Weapons Of Mass Destruction, Tatiana I. Solovieva Dec 2005

Learner Satisfaction And Learning Performance In Online Courses On Bioterrorism And Weapons Of Mass Destruction, Tatiana I. Solovieva

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study examined the relationships between measures of (a) learner satisfaction with online courses on weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and bioterrorism intended to address the educational needs of responder Communities of Practice (CoP) and (b) degrees of accomplishment by the learner with those online courses. Provided that course design characteristics were similar between courses and that content was different, it was important to examine learner satisfaction with course common aspects in relation to learning outcomes and identify the predictors of effectiveness and relations between the learner satisfaction with the course characteristics and the learner achievement for potential design improvements …


Multiagent Autonomous Energy Management, Shilpa B. Ganesh Dec 2005

Multiagent Autonomous Energy Management, Shilpa B. Ganesh

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The objective of this thesis is to design distributed software agents for reliable operation of integrated electric power systems of modern electric warships. The automatic reconfiguration of electric shipboard power systems is an important step toward improved fight-through and self-healing capabilities of naval warships. The improvements are conceptualized by redesigning the electric power system and its controls. This research focuses on a new scheme for an energy management system in the form of distributed control/software agents. Multiagent systems provide an ideal level of abstraction for modeling complex applications where distributed and heterogeneous entities need to cooperate to achieve a common …


Culvert Inventory And Effects On Fish Assemblages In A Central Appalachian Watershed, Ira O. Poplar-Jeffers Dec 2005

Culvert Inventory And Effects On Fish Assemblages In A Central Appalachian Watershed, Ira O. Poplar-Jeffers

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

We surveyed 120 state-owned culverts within the upper Cheat River basin, West Virginia, and used a fish passage evaluation filter to quantify passage barriers. We quantified the length of stream and weighted potential brook trout recruitment area isolated by each culvert. We also sampled fish communities upstream and downstream of 24 culverts to quantify the impacts of culvert-related isolation on fish assemblages. We found 69% of culverts to be completely impassable. We determined that 17% of the stream length and 23% of weighted potential recruitment area in the study area were isolated by impassable culverts. We found that impassable culverts …


Functional Evaluation Of Cytochrome P450 2d6 Allelic Isoforms, Weiyan Zhang Dec 2005

Functional Evaluation Of Cytochrome P450 2d6 Allelic Isoforms, Weiyan Zhang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Human CYP2D6 is one of the most important human P450s based on the number of its drug substrates. It shows an extensive genetic polymorphism that influences its expression and function. There are more than 80 different CYP2D6 alleles and allelic variants that have been identified in human. However, only a part of alleles have been characterized with respect to enzyme activity and substrate specificity. In the first project, three alleles CYP2D6*24 (1297L), CYP2D6*27 (E410K) and CYP2D6*26 (I369T) were constructed and expressed. The enzymatic activities were evaluated by the metabolic rates for dextromethorphan O-demethylation and N-demethylation; codeine O-demethylation and N-demethylation. For …


Factors Affecting Reproductive Efficiency Of Cattle, Melanie J. Starbuck Dec 2005

Factors Affecting Reproductive Efficiency Of Cattle, Melanie J. Starbuck

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Four experiments were conducted to evaluate two measures of reproductive efficiency in cattle, conception rate and retention of pregnancy. In experiment I, the relationship between concentrations of progesterone and retention of pregnancy was examined. The corpus luteum (CL) was removed on day 29 of pregnancy in 40 suckled, beef cows, and pregnancy was supported with exogenous progesterone to day 53. Concentrations of progesterone (1.8 +/- 0.1 ng/mL between days 30 and 38), were below those normally recorded for pregnant cows. Retention of pregnancy (77%) was monitored frequently using ultrasonography until day 53 and was negatively associated with age of cow, …


The Behavioral Functions Of Stimuli Signaling Transitions Across Rich And Lean Schedules Of Reinforcement, Jessica B. Long Dec 2005

The Behavioral Functions Of Stimuli Signaling Transitions Across Rich And Lean Schedules Of Reinforcement, Jessica B. Long

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The present experiment was designed to assess whether stimuli correlated with rich and lean fixed-ratio schedule components would function as conditioned reinforcers and conditioned punishers, respectively. Pigeons responded on a mixed schedule with fixed-ratio components leading to large or small food reinforcers. Pecks on either of two observing keys converted the mixed schedule to a multiple schedule by turning on a color associated with the current component. The stimulus consequences of the observing responses were manipulated across conditions. Pecks on one observing key produced the rich stimulus and the lean stimulus whereas pecks on the other observing key produced only …


The Influence Of Beaver Impoundments On Vegetative Composition, And Modeling Habitat Suitability As A Tool For Wildlife Management And Conservation, Jerry Leanne Bonner Dec 2005

The Influence Of Beaver Impoundments On Vegetative Composition, And Modeling Habitat Suitability As A Tool For Wildlife Management And Conservation, Jerry Leanne Bonner

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Beavers (Castor canadensis) can have dramatic effects on vegetative communities through impounding streams and wetlands. These alterations may influence rare plant species where beaver create ponds. We found that the youngest and oldest beaver ponds in Canaan Valley, West Virginia, USA had similar species richness. Rare plant species occurred most in oldest ponds, although no significant differences were detected. Species composition around ponds was found to be different between areas influenced by ponds versus those not affected, creating more obligate wetland communities when influenced by beaver. This information should be incorporated into management decisions when rare plant species conservation is …


An Ecological Study Of Panax Quinquefolius In Central Appalachia: Seedling Growth, Harvest Impacts And Geographic Variation In Demography, Martha E. Van Der Voort Dec 2005

An Ecological Study Of Panax Quinquefolius In Central Appalachia: Seedling Growth, Harvest Impacts And Geographic Variation In Demography, Martha E. Van Der Voort

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L.) is a long-lived, slow-maturing understory perennial herb found in eastern North American forests. The economic value of P. quinquefolius on the world market has remained strong for nearly 300 years. It has high economic and social value in the central Appalachians as well. Persistent harvest of ginseng combined with habitat loss has reduced populations in the wild, threatening the future of the species and its continued harvest. American ginseng was placed on the CITES Appendix II list in 1973 due to population declines. These concerns led to a series of studies investigating the population dynamics …


Ozone Forming Potential Of Exhaust Emissions From Heavy-Duty Diesel Engines, Ravi Kaklasaria Dec 2005

Ozone Forming Potential Of Exhaust Emissions From Heavy-Duty Diesel Engines, Ravi Kaklasaria

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This research aimed at determining the effect of exhaust aftertreatment devices and ultra low sulfur diesel (ULSD) fuel on the reactivity of exhaust emissions from heavy duty diesel (HDD) engines. Specifically, the objective of this research was to determine the effect of two diesel particulate filters: Engelhard DPX(TM) and Johnson Matthey CRT(TM), and two ULSD fuels, ECD and ECD1 on the ozone forming potential (OFP) of exhaust emissions from HDD engines. To achieve this objective, data was obtained from the "ECD Study" performed in the Spring 2001 to chemically characterize emissions from trucks and buses operating on the two test …


A Detailed Sequential Extraction Study Of Selenium In Coal And Coal-Associated Strata From A Coal Mine In West Virginia, Mimi Roy Dec 2005

A Detailed Sequential Extraction Study Of Selenium In Coal And Coal-Associated Strata From A Coal Mine In West Virginia, Mimi Roy

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study of the mode of occurrence and distribution of selenium in a rock core from southcentral West Virginia reveals that total selenium concentration varies by rock type. Rocks with total selenium >1 mg/kg were of circum-neutral pH based on acid base accounting data. No direct correlation was found between selenium concentration in the rocks and that of sulfur and/or total organic carbon. The distribution of total selenium was also controlled by stratigraphy. The amount of total selenium extracted from various rock types like coal, shale, sandstone, mudstone and "carbolith" materials ranged from 50%. Selenium extracted from coal was mostly …


The Effect And Mechanism Of Action Of Volatile Fatty Acids On The Catabolism Of Progesterone, Darron Louis Smith Aug 2005

The Effect And Mechanism Of Action Of Volatile Fatty Acids On The Catabolism Of Progesterone, Darron Louis Smith

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Factors that affect the clearance of progesterone by the hepatocyte were examined. In study one, the objective was to determine if increased hepatic portal acetate or propionate could alter hepatic metabolism of progesterone. Serum concentrations of progesterone after an oral gavage of either acetate or propionate began to diverge as early as 0.5 h and were different (P < 0.05) at 3-h and 4-h for ewe lambs gavaged with acetate or propionate, respectively. Increasing portal vein propionate reduced progesterone clearance. In study two, the objective was to determine the effect of a single oral gavage of either acetate or propionate on peripheral concentrations of insulin and glucagon in the ewe. Serum concentrations of insulin, after an oral gavage of either acetate or propionate, were different (P < 0.05) at 0.5 h and 1 h for ewe lambs orally-gavaged with acetate and propionate, respectively. Further, serum concentrations of glucagon, after an oral gavage of either acetate or propionate, were different (P < 0.05) at 0.5 h, 1 h and 2 h for ewe lambs orally-gavaged with acetate and propionate, respectively. The last study determined progesterone clearance in response to challenge with different concentrations of insulin, glucagon or a combination of insulin and glucagon in a hepatic cell line. In response to a challenge with insulin, there was a dose dependant decrease in the disappearance of progesterone. There was a reduction (P < 0.05) in the rate of decay with the addition of 0.1 nM insulin. Further, there was a greater reduction (P < 0.05) in the rate of decay in response to 1.0 and 10 nM insulin than control and 0.1 nM insulin. There was no observable change in the disappearance of progesterone with either physiological (0.01 nM) or pharmacological (0.1 and 1.0 nM) treatment with glucagon. Pharmocological concentrations of glucagon (1.0 nM) negated the effects of either 0.1 or 1.0 nM insulin on the clearance of progesterone. However, with physiological concentrations of glucagon (0.01 nM) and 1.0 nM insulin, glucagon was not able to negate the reduction in progesterone disappearance caused by insulin.


Post Retention With Mineral Trioxide Aggregate And Accelerated Portland Cement, Pamela P. Harrington Aug 2005

Post Retention With Mineral Trioxide Aggregate And Accelerated Portland Cement, Pamela P. Harrington

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Perforations occurring during post placement are problematic. Mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) is slow to set. A trial demonstrated that CaCl2 accelerated the set of Portland cement. Forty single-rooted teeth were sectioned, treated with endodontic therapy and post prepared. The first group contained 20 teeth, evaluated at 72 hours. MTA, Portland cement with 10% CaCl2, 15% CaCl2 and zinc phosphate were used as post cements. The second group was evaluated at 28 days. The posts were cemented with either MTA or zinc phosphate. Instron mechanical testing was used to determine forces needed for post dislodgement. The 72 hour group showed statistically …


Factors That Influence 4-H Club Membership Retention In West Virginia, David C. Hartley Aug 2005

Factors That Influence 4-H Club Membership Retention In West Virginia, David C. Hartley

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of the study was to determine retention rates among youth enrolled in West Virginia's 4-H youth programs and to identify characteristics or trends associated with 4-H club member retention. The population of the study consisted of youth enrolled in 4-H clubs during the years 2002, 2003, and 2004. Membership records were self-reported by West Virginia County Extension Offices. This study used an ex post facto research design and the variables explored closely were: county, age, gender, grade in school, years in 4-H, and projects attempted. Findings for this study were that 30% of members were retained for the …


Glutathione Conjugation Of A Cocaine Pyrolysis Product Aeme And Related Compounds, Alan Lewis Myers Aug 2005

Glutathione Conjugation Of A Cocaine Pyrolysis Product Aeme And Related Compounds, Alan Lewis Myers

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Free-base ("crack") cocaine smoking continues to be a popular method of drug abuse in the United States. Pyrolysis of free-base cocaine readily occurs, forming primarily benzoic acid and anhydroecgonine methyl ester (AEME), which structurally contains an alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl functional group. This electrophilic structure is suggestive of chemical reactivity with ubiquitously occurring cellular nucleophiles, such as glutathione. Glutathione adducts formed in vivo are metabolized to N-acetylcysteine derivatives by the enzymatically driven mercapturic acid pathway. AEME and its transesterification product in the presence of ethanol, anhydroecgonine ethyl ester (AEEE), were synthesized from cocaine hydrochloride. Glutathione (GSH) and mercapturic acid (NAC) conjugates of …


Gradient And Recurrence Analyses Of Four Marine Zones In The Glenshaw Formation (Upper Pennsylvanian, Appalachian Basin), Joseph G. Lebold Aug 2005

Gradient And Recurrence Analyses Of Four Marine Zones In The Glenshaw Formation (Upper Pennsylvanian, Appalachian Basin), Joseph G. Lebold

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The Upper Pennsylvanian Glenshaw Formation contains a series of marine zones that were deposited on the detrital slope of the Appalachian highlands during the last major transgressions from the Midcontinent Sea in the Paleozoic of eastern North America. These marine zones contain distinctive fossil assemblages characterized as biofacies that inhabited a variety of shallow marine environments.;The first chapter of this paper focuses on the Ames marine zone sampled along a northwest-southeast transect across the Appalachian Basin. The Ames marine zone was deposited during the most extensive marine transgression of the Pennsylvanian in this region. Gradient analysis of the proportional abundance …


Reservoir Characterization Using Intelligent Seismic Inversion, F. Emre Artun Aug 2005

Reservoir Characterization Using Intelligent Seismic Inversion, F. Emre Artun

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Integrating different types of data having different scales is the major challenge in reservoir characterization studies. Seismic data is among those different types of data, which is usually used by geoscientists for structural mapping of the subsurface and making interpretations of the reservoir's facies distribution. Yet, it has been a common aim of geoscientists to incorporate seismic data in high-resolution reservoir description through a process called seismic inversion.;In this study, an intelligent seismic inversion methodology is presented to achieve a desirable correlation between relatively low-frequency seismic signals, and the much higher frequency wireline-log data. Vertical seismic profile (VSP) is used …


Does Peripheral Concentration Of Progesterone Affect Ovulation And Lambing Rates In Barbados Blackbelly Ewes?, Ezra Devonish Aug 2005

Does Peripheral Concentration Of Progesterone Affect Ovulation And Lambing Rates In Barbados Blackbelly Ewes?, Ezra Devonish

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The hypothesis that concentration of progesterone influences number of follicles that mature during estrus, and thus ovulation rate, was tested in cycling ewes. Ewes were assigned at random to three treatments, and bred at estrus after treatment. Ewes in low (LP) and high (HP) groups received exogenous progesterone from day 4 to 14; control ewes (MP) were untreated. The LP ewes were given PGF2alpha on day 6 to regress corpora lutea (CL). Numbers of follicles and CL were observed by transrectal ultrasonography. Fewer follicles disappeared at estrus in ewes on HP than in MP or LP. Ewes on LP had …


Trout Movement And Habitat Use In The Upper Shavers Fork Of The Cheat River, West Virginia, Jeff Lee Hansbarger Aug 2005

Trout Movement And Habitat Use In The Upper Shavers Fork Of The Cheat River, West Virginia, Jeff Lee Hansbarger

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

I quantified brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) and brown trout (Salmo trutta) movement and habitat use in a central Appalachian watershed, the upper Shavers Fork of the Cheat River over three seasons (spring/summer 2000-01, fall 2000) with telemetry. The objectives of my study were to: (1) quantify trout habitat use among seasons, and between the mainstem and Rocky Run (a major tributary), (2) quantify the effect of temperature extremes on habitat use by brook trout, (3) quantify trout movement among seasons and between the mainstem and Rocky Run, and (4) relate movement to variations in stream flow, water temperature, and access …


Fish Response To Discharge Events From A Power Plant Cooling Reservoir In A River Affected By Acid Mine Drainage And Thermal Influences, Cara Chowning Hoar Aug 2005

Fish Response To Discharge Events From A Power Plant Cooling Reservoir In A River Affected By Acid Mine Drainage And Thermal Influences, Cara Chowning Hoar

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In the summer, a discharge from a power plant cooling reservoir (Mount Storm Lake) located on the Stony River can result in large increases in discharge and temperature. Further, the Stony River is affected by mining-impacted tributaries, which degrade water quality. To study the impact of reservoir discharges upon fish populations we evaluated community composition and smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) movement along a temperature gradient and relative to the mining-impacted tributaries. The fish community did not differ with discharge events, but community structure varied with mining-impacted inputs. Smallmouth bass avoided areas associated with mining-influenced inputs. Thermal increases associated with reservoir …


Prediction Of Forage Intake And Production Of Steers In A Winter Forage System, Taryn Romanczak Aug 2005

Prediction Of Forage Intake And Production Of Steers In A Winter Forage System, Taryn Romanczak

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Currently there are no means to accurately predict intake in grazing animals. Two experiments were conducted to determine and validate the use of intake markers in grazing ruminants as well as to compare performance of steers in winter forage systems. Six Angus-Hereford steers were halter and fecal harness broke. Entities commonly found in forages and used as markers were evaluated. Experiment 1 was conducted during the summer 2004, at the West Virginia University Livestock Farm, using animals in a confined area. Steers were fed timothy or orchardgrass hay chopped to fine or coarse lengths. Experiment 2 was conducted at the …


Response Of Clonal Genotypes Of Juncus Effusus L. To Different Environmental Regimes, Daniel Benjamin Stover Aug 2005

Response Of Clonal Genotypes Of Juncus Effusus L. To Different Environmental Regimes, Daniel Benjamin Stover

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A genetic tradeoff is hypothesized between resource use efficiency (RUE) and resource acquisition rate (RAR) in that it is impossible for selection to maximize both traits. In low-resource environments, RUE is expected to be favored while in high-resource environments RAR will be maximized. Growth rates and allocations of reciprocally transplanted clonal genotypes of J. effusus from differing nitrogen and elevation sites were examined. High-nitrogen populations outperformed their low-nitrogen counterparts, which were more nitrogen efficient. Plants originating from high-elevation sites grew larger irrespective of transplant environment. Elevation appears to be the dominant factor on biomass, nutrient allocation and growth at high …


The Role Of Reinforcement Rate On Fluency, Vennessa L. Walker Aug 2005

The Role Of Reinforcement Rate On Fluency, Vennessa L. Walker

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Building skills to high rates and accuracy has been purported to result in fluency, a set of behavioral outcomes identified as retention, endurance, application, problem solving, and stability (REAPS). These outcomes require that the skills persist under changing environmental conditions, and may be conceptualized as examples of resistance to change. As such reinforcement rate should be the critical factor. To test this conceptualization twelve subjects were trained on 5 algebra skills to specified rate and accuracy criteria. Feedback consisting of points, knowledge of results, and corrective feedback was delivered either every 1 or 5 minutes. Stability, application, and problem-solving were …


A Comparison Of The Growth And Asexual Reproduction By Cryphonectria Parasitica Isolates Infected With Hypoviruses Via Anastomosis And Transfection, Jenise M. Bauman Aug 2005

A Comparison Of The Growth And Asexual Reproduction By Cryphonectria Parasitica Isolates Infected With Hypoviruses Via Anastomosis And Transfection, Jenise M. Bauman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Transfection is an alternative laboratory method of hypovirus transmission that can be used to create hypovirulent strains. Results from a preliminary study at West Virginia University in 1998-99 indicated that recovery of hypovirulent isolates was similar between CHV1-infected anastomosed and transfected isolates. The objective of this research was to compare the two hypovirus acquisition methods in three experiments. The first study confirmed the performance of anastomosed and transfected isolates tested in a 1998-99 field study. In addition to the isolates previously evaluated, a third set of isolates containing CHV3-County Line was included. The size of cankers and the reisolation of …


Competing Fictions: Eighteenth-Century Domestic Novels, Women Writers, And The Trope Of Female Rivalry, Elizabeth Johnston Aug 2005

Competing Fictions: Eighteenth-Century Domestic Novels, Women Writers, And The Trope Of Female Rivalry, Elizabeth Johnston

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation focuses on mid to late eighteenth-century domestic fiction by Samuel Richardson, Sarah Scott, Frances Burney, and Maria Edgeworth, arguing that female rivalry in the novel performs a complex double function, both reinscribing domestic ideology and undermining it. I begin with the premise that Richardson's depiction of female rivalry differs significantly from those of the women writers who follow him. My chapter on Richardson's Clarissa examines his depiction of rivalry between Clarissa and all the other women of the novel, arguing that the "bad" women work to overshadow Lovelace's abuses; in other words, female rivalry effectively displaces a critique …


Fmri Studies Of Amblyopia: Pediatric And Adult Perspectives, Ian Patrick Conner Aug 2005

Fmri Studies Of Amblyopia: Pediatric And Adult Perspectives, Ian Patrick Conner

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is currently the technique of choice for mapping functional neuroanatomy in humans, and over the past 15 years there has been a dramatic growth in the number of studies that provide brain-behavior correlations in normal healthy adults. More recently, a few studies have begun to make such measures in healthy children. In addition, fMRI is increasingly being applied to study brain function in subjects with neurological disease. The overall aim of these studies was to apply fMRI methods to the study of amblyopia, the most prevalent developmental vision disorder. Amblyopia develops early in life, usually …


Crisis Manager Of The American Revolution: Henry Laurens, Jeffrey R. Gudzune Aug 2005

Crisis Manager Of The American Revolution: Henry Laurens, Jeffrey R. Gudzune

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

As President of the Continental Congress, Henry Laurens was a firm leader amid a time of national emergency. When a dispute within the Continental Army threatened both the continuation of General Washington's command and the American alliance with France, Laurens went beyond his limited sphere of political authority to settle the matter. When a peace commission from England arrived in the United States to begin discussing terms for an end to the hostilities, Laurens found himself in an increasingly difficult diplomatic situation. While wrestling with the question of whether or not to accept the British offer, Laurens was also forced …


Prediction Of Coalbed Methane Reservoir Performance With Type Curves, Amol Bhaskar Bhavsar Aug 2005

Prediction Of Coalbed Methane Reservoir Performance With Type Curves, Amol Bhaskar Bhavsar

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study presents a set of production type curves for CBM reservoirs that would help the producers to predict the production from their CBM wells. As a consequence, the producers would be able to make better, more informed decisions regarding the CBM resources in the region. A reservoir model that incorporates the unique flow and storage characteristics of CBM reservoirs was employed in this study to develop the type curves. The type curves provide a reliable tool to predict the production performance of CBM reservoirs during dewatering phase. The application and issues concerning the production performance of CBM reservoirs are …