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Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

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Digital Eye Modification A Countermeasure To Automated Face Recognition, Domenick Poster Iii Jan 2015

Digital Eye Modification A Countermeasure To Automated Face Recognition, Domenick Poster Iii

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This thesis describes and assesses a series of subtle digital eye modification techniques and their impact on automated face detection and recognition. The techniques involve altering the relative positioning of a person's eyes in a photograph using a variety of horizontal and vertical movements local to the eye regions. Testing with Eigenfaces, Fisherfaces, and Circular Local Binary Pattern face recognition algorithms on a database of 40 subjects and over 4000 modified images shows these subtle geometric changes to the eyes can degrade automated face recognition accuracy by 40% or more. Certain modifications even lower the chance a face is detected …

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An Examination Of Households' Willingness-To-Pay For Wetlands Biodiversity Conservation In The United States: A Benefit Transfer Approach, Rajendra Prasad Poudel Jan 2015

An Examination Of Households' Willingness-To-Pay For Wetlands Biodiversity Conservation In The United States: A Benefit Transfer Approach, Rajendra Prasad Poudel

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This research paper provides a benefit transfer model of willingness-to-pay (WTP) for wetlands' biodiversity conservation in the United States. The validity of the estimated wetland's willingness-to-pay values is also examined. While valuation of the services provided by wetlands may be challenging due to their non-market nature, estimation of values is important. Conducting a primary study is the best option for precise results. However, researchers may recommend the benefit transfer approach in wetland valuation when there are limited time, budgetary constraints, and administrative urgency.;The benefit transfer approach involves transferring of value estimates from study sites (where research was already undertaken) to …

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Performance And Stability Of Large Planar Solid Oxide Fuel Cells Using Phosphine Contaminated Hydrogen Fuel, Timothy B. A. Ross Jan 2015

Performance And Stability Of Large Planar Solid Oxide Fuel Cells Using Phosphine Contaminated Hydrogen Fuel, Timothy B. A. Ross

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The objective of this work was to investigate how fuel utilization and method of fuel delivery for a large planar fuel cell with co-flow configuration will affect the degradation rate and mechanism of phosphine poisoning of a solid-oxide fuel cell (SOFC). Coal syngas, a potential fuel source for SOFCs, contains gas phase impurities such as PH3, which rapidly degrade Ni-based SOFC anodes. Researchers have shown significant reconstruction of Ni-anodes in button cell configurations with ~0.5 mV hr-1 degradation rates, but it is not evident that these rates will occur in actual stack applications. A singular planar stack repeat unit was …

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Optical Spectroscopy Of Nanoscale And Heterostructured Oxides, Tess R. Senty Jan 2015

Optical Spectroscopy Of Nanoscale And Heterostructured Oxides, Tess R. Senty

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Through careful analysis of a material's properties, devices are continually getting smaller, faster and more efficient each day. Without a complete scientific understanding of material properties, devices cannot continue to improve. This dissertation uses optical spectroscopy techniques to understand light-matter interactions in several oxide materials with promising uses mainly in light harvesting applications. Linear absorption, photoluminescence and transient absorption spectroscopy are primarily used on europium doped yttrium vanadate nanoparticles, copper gallium oxide delafossites doped with iron, and cadmium selenide quantum dots attached to titanium dioxide nanoparticles.;Europium doped yttrium vanadate nanoparticles have promising applications for linking to biomolecules. Using Fourier-transform infrared …

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Comparison Of The Fatigue Characteristics Of Recycled Asphalt Pavements, Lara Smith Jan 2015

Comparison Of The Fatigue Characteristics Of Recycled Asphalt Pavements, Lara Smith

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

When the service life of asphalt pavement has expired, it can be reclaimed and reused as a percentage of new pavement. This recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) usually is exposed to years of environmental conditioning and oxidation, which stiffens the asphalt binder. As the binder stiffens, certain engineering properties change, such as dynamic modulus, and the pavement begins to experience distresses.;The asphalt mixture performance tester (AMPT) is a new performance testing machine that applies load cycles within a cell that also acts as an environmental conditioning chamber. This research focused on the using the AMPT to determine dynamic modulus and fatigue …

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Do Humans Drive Spinal Cord With Limb Velocity Signal?, Kyla Galbreath Jan 2015

Do Humans Drive Spinal Cord With Limb Velocity Signal?, Kyla Galbreath

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The ability to move in the environment is crucial to the survival of all animals. Neural pathways that control locomotion can be described as a hierarchy, with multiple levels of control, and those ultimately converge on spinal pattern generators. Neural pathways controlling locomotion are hierarchical, highly integrated, and well characterized anatomically, but functional explanations are lacking. Previous computational modeling of the CPG has proposed that they essential signal driving these spinal networks are expressed in the modality of desired velocity. To date, no published research has empirically tested velocity as being the control signal of locomotion. The purpose of this …

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A Consensus Based Decentralized State Estimation For Power Distribution Networks, Varun Garaga Jan 2015

A Consensus Based Decentralized State Estimation For Power Distribution Networks, Varun Garaga

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This thesis presents a new Decentralized State Estimation algorithm using agents directed mainly to distribution power systems. This new algorithm solves problems that occur when one tries to estimate the state of the distribution power systems. By various reasons such as high levels of quality of service, automation capabilities and comparatively less size, those problems do not occur so frequently on the transmission systems. A consensus based static state estimation strategy for radial power distribution systems is proposed in this research. This thesis concentrates on the balanced systems.;There are buses acting as agents using which we can evaluate the local …

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Saprophytic Colonization And Sporulation Of Virulent And Hypovirulent Cryphonectria Parasitica On American Chestnut (Castanea Dentata) And Scarlet Oak (Quercus Coccinea), Eric Shelton Goddard Jan 2015

Saprophytic Colonization And Sporulation Of Virulent And Hypovirulent Cryphonectria Parasitica On American Chestnut (Castanea Dentata) And Scarlet Oak (Quercus Coccinea), Eric Shelton Goddard

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Colonization and sporulation (stroma production) of virulent (V) and hypovirulent (HV) Cryphonectria parasitica, were evaluated on two hosts to better understand the saprophytic stage of the fungus and its ability to produce HV inoculum. Both the V and HV C. parasitica strains were isolated from an existing chestnut orchard at the test site. Castanea dentata (American chestnut) and Quercus coccinea (scarlet oak) were used as test hosts. Sixty centimeter long stems of both species were cut from saplings and placed as pairs in three-layer, triangular stacks. Each stack was wound inoculated with either V, HV or water agar (control) inoculum. …

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A Good Persuasion: Becoming Lysander In William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream", Landon Green Jan 2015

A Good Persuasion: Becoming Lysander In William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream", Landon Green

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

"Lysander" is likely a title borrowed from the ancient Spartan admiral whose naval command was crucial to the resolution of the Peloponnesian War (Plutarch). His exploits as a Spartan navarch and steward against the forces of Athens, and then Thebes in the Corinthian War, were romanticized, as were many of the legends and history of Greece and Rome, by the time of William Shakespeare's writing of A Midsummer Night's Dream . Shakespeare must have felt it appropriate to set his fantasy romance in Athens, and to name the plot propellant lover after one of its most renowned conquerors. Lysander, for …

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Validation Of An Experimentally Motivated Predictive Model For The Spontaneous Clustering Of Receptors On The Cell Membrane, Emine Guven Jan 2015

Validation Of An Experimentally Motivated Predictive Model For The Spontaneous Clustering Of Receptors On The Cell Membrane, Emine Guven

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Membrane receptors are specialized membrane-bound proteins that facilitate communication be- tween the intracellular and extracellular membrane. They control signal initiation in many im- portant cellular signaling pathways. Cell signaling (or signal transduction) provides the logical inputs individual cells need in order to perform their role in the context of the organism. Signal- ing molecules such as hormones, neurotransmitters or growth factors, are secreted by cells in the organism as a result of certain conditions; the cells receiving the signal change (or maintain) their state in response to the signaling input. The incoming information is processed and the response is formulated …

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Investigating Stuttering Attitude Change Of Middle School Students In A Rural Appalachian School, Chelsea D. Kuhn Jan 2015

Investigating Stuttering Attitude Change Of Middle School Students In A Rural Appalachian School, Chelsea D. Kuhn

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Effects of the Stuttering: For Kids, By Kids video on stuttering attitudes was investigated with middle school students in a rural Appalachian middle school in West Virginia. Participants completed the Public Opinion Survey of Human Attributes-Stuttering (POSHA-S) before (PRE) and immediately after watching the video (POST1) to measure attitude change following the intervention. The participants again completed the POSHA-S one month later (POST2) to determine the stability of their attitudes. Tabular and graphic comparisons were generated for each of the three administrations of the POSHA-S. For PRE versus POST1 and POST1 versus POST2 analyses, individual item and combined item ratings …

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Development Of Drilling Control Technology To Reduce Drilling Noise During Roof Bolting Operations, Mingming Li Jan 2015

Development Of Drilling Control Technology To Reduce Drilling Noise During Roof Bolting Operations, Mingming Li

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Noise induced hearing loss is a serious health issue among coal mine workers. The roof bolting operation is one of the noisiest underground mining operations. It is second among all equipment in underground coal mines whose operators exceed 100% noise dosage according to MSHA data. In roof bolting, the noise generated in the roof drilling normally contributes a major proportion to the noise exposure to this particular group of miners. This study is to develop a drilling control technology to reduce noise generated during roof bolting drilling.;Previous research shows that the specific energy consumed in drilling bolt holes is inversely …

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Thermal Stress Analysis For Early Age Mass Concrete Members, Yun Lin Jan 2015

Thermal Stress Analysis For Early Age Mass Concrete Members, Yun Lin

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Research findings in the past have demonstrated that the heat of hydration can induce thermal cracking in early age concrete. The disproportionate thermal expansion can cause considerable tensile stresses at concrete surfaces. The minimum size of mass concrete has remained unsolved due to the complexity of the problem. In this study, a way to predict early age concrete temperature and associated thermal stresses is described, including the needed experimental testing and finite element modeling technique.;In thermal analysis, an adiabatic calorimeter was designed and built to measure the adiabatic temperature rise of the concrete. The measured adiabatic temperature rise was converted …

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Semi-Supervised And Active Learning Models For Software Fault Prediction, Huihua Lu Jan 2015

Semi-Supervised And Active Learning Models For Software Fault Prediction, Huihua Lu

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

As software continues to insinuate itself into nearly every aspect of our life, the quality of software has been an extremely important issue. Software Quality Assurance (SQA) is a process that ensures the development of high-quality software. It concerns the important problem of maintaining, monitoring, and developing quality software. Accurate detection of fault prone components in software projects is one of the most commonly practiced techniques that offer the path to high quality products without excessive assurance expenditures. This type of quality modeling requires the availability of software modules with known fault content developed in similar environment. However, collection of …

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The Impact Of Autonomous Vehicles On Freeway Throughput, Abdullah Maarafi Jan 2015

The Impact Of Autonomous Vehicles On Freeway Throughput, Abdullah Maarafi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Autonomous vehicles are expected to provide a number of benefits to the individual, road infrastructure and the society from the perspective of safety and efficiency. The use of autonomous vehicles is expected to increase freeway throughput, allowing vehicle groups travelling together with a shorter headway time resulting in a reduction of traffic congestion.;The purpose of this research was to use microsimulation software, VISSIM, to test the impact of autonomous vehicles on freeway throughput, delay, and travel time. A realistic corridor of I-79 and a conceptual corridor were modeled to understand how mixed traffic flow conditions could impact the freeway throughput. …

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Acceleration Of Non-Equidiffusive Flames In Channels: Computational Simulations And Analytical Studies, Serdar A. Bilgili Jan 2015

Acceleration Of Non-Equidiffusive Flames In Channels: Computational Simulations And Analytical Studies, Serdar A. Bilgili

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

When a premixed flame front spreads in a narrow pipe, wall friction continuously distorts the flame shape. As a result, the flame front acquires a larger surface area, consumes more fuel per unit time and, thereby, propagates faster. While this mechanism of flame acceleration due to wall friction has widely been studied, especially within the last decade, the analytical and computational studies were mostly devoted to equidiffusive flames, where the Lewis number, defined as the thermal to mass diffusivity ratio, is unity, Le = 1. However, in reality thermal and mass diffusion are typically not balanced, especially in rich and …

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Identification Of A Critical Gene In The Dihydroergot Alkaloid Pathway, Yulia Bilovol Jan 2015

Identification Of A Critical Gene In The Dihydroergot Alkaloid Pathway, Yulia Bilovol

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Ergot alkaloids, bioactive compounds produced by some species of fungi, have had significant impacts on agriculture and medicine. Claviceps purpurea and Epichloe spp. are ergot alkaloid producers associated with agricultural commodities and negatively affect humans and grazing animals, respectively. Another ergot alkaloid-producing fungus called Aspergillus fumigatus is ubiquitous in the environment; infections arising after inhaling the spores may kill immunocompromised persons. Ergot alkaloids and their derivatives are utilized by the pharmaceutical industry for the development of drugs. Some of these drugs are derived from lysergic acid, whereas others are derived from dihydrolysergic acid. Lysergic acid derivatives have vasoconstrictive properties and …

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Upscaling Of The Acidizing Process In Heterogeneous Porous Media, Vahidreza Bitarafhaghighi Jan 2015

Upscaling Of The Acidizing Process In Heterogeneous Porous Media, Vahidreza Bitarafhaghighi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Coupled fluid flow, reaction and transport in porous media has been the topic of research in various disciplines for the past few decades. Conventional approach assumes a homogeneous and isotropic porous media, and simplifies the nature of coupling between fluid and rock interactions. However, including the reality of the process, i.e. assuming heterogeneous and anisotropic porous media with fully coupled rock fluid interaction, can lead to more advanced understanding of the fundamental physics behind the problem and developing efficient industrial applications. In the oil and gas industry optimization of different well stimulation techniques such as matrix acidizing in order to …

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The Impact Of Model-Lead-Test Coaching On Parents' Implementation Of Reinforcement, Prompting, And Fading With Their Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Liyu Chen Jan 2015

The Impact Of Model-Lead-Test Coaching On Parents' Implementation Of Reinforcement, Prompting, And Fading With Their Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Liyu Chen

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Parents play an essential role in furthering the development of their children with special needs. They are being trained to be co-therapists for their own children. The goal is to improve the ways they interact with their children in order to create improvements in their children's everyday functioning. If the proper teaching strategies are consistently applied, a learner can significantly improve his/her performance of various life skills, including communication, self-care, social skills, along with other skill sets. Because adults' learning processes differ substantially from children's, it will be critical to utilize the "coaching" method that employs a Model-Lead-Test (MLT) approach …

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You Can't Fight City Hall: Organization And Success In West Virginia, Theodore Malone Jan 2015

You Can't Fight City Hall: Organization And Success In West Virginia, Theodore Malone

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This research centers on the question of 'Who wins?' in criminal and civil cases heard by West Virginia's Supreme Court of Appeals. The study examines litigant characteristics and whether court winners are favored by virtue of their higher organizational levels, such as being business or government affiliates. The study is a partial small-scale replication of the prior research by Songer and Sheehan (1992) who determined that litigation resources that resulted from higher organizational levels predicated higher win rates in the United States Courts of Appeals. I utilized an array of cross-tabulations of success and litigant organization for a two-year sample …

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Remote Sensing For Monitoring The Mountaintop Mining Landscape: Applications For Land Cover Mapping At The Individual Mine Complex Scale, Aaron E. Maxwell Jan 2015

Remote Sensing For Monitoring The Mountaintop Mining Landscape: Applications For Land Cover Mapping At The Individual Mine Complex Scale, Aaron E. Maxwell

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The aim of this dissertation was to investigate the potential for mapping land cover associated with mountaintop mining in Southern West Virginia using high spatial resolution aerial- and satellite-based multispectral imagery, as well as light detection and ranging (LiDAR) elevation data and terrain derivatives. The following research themes were explored: comparing aerial- and satellite-based imagery, combining data sets of multiple dates and types, incorporating measures of texture, using nonparametric, machine learning classification algorithms, and employing a geographical object-based image analysis (GEOBIA) framework. This research is presented as four interrelated manuscripts.;In a comparison of aerial National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP) orthophotography …

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Ethical Diversity In Strategic Communications: The Hiring, Training, And Mentoring Of Millennial Minorities, Rashidah C. R. Mccoy Jan 2015

Ethical Diversity In Strategic Communications: The Hiring, Training, And Mentoring Of Millennial Minorities, Rashidah C. R. Mccoy

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this research is to examine the challenges and opportunities diversity has for Strategic Communications practitioners and scholars. Its primary aim is to more fully understand this growing phenomenon in the industry, without undervaluing its complexity and abundance and to move towards a more inclusive and truly committed investor approach. This study used triangulated research methods to explore these factors. An online survey of people who have experience with Millennial minorities and reverse mentoring in the Strategic Communications industry was conducted. A series of in-depth interviews was conducted with individuals who have unique experiences with cultural diversity. The …

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Integrated Geochronology And Petrogenesis Of Volcanic Suites For Tectonic Sedimentary Studies: Karoo Basin, South Africa, Matthew P. Mckay Jan 2015

Integrated Geochronology And Petrogenesis Of Volcanic Suites For Tectonic Sedimentary Studies: Karoo Basin, South Africa, Matthew P. Mckay

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

By integrating high-precision, U-Pb zircon geochronology with zircon and whole rock/ tuff geochemistry, the tectonic history of an active margin can be assessed independently from strata preserved in sedimentary basins. This approach is particularly useful in regions where subsequent active tectonism has resulted in extensive igneous intrusion, tectonic dissection, or structural deformation of crustal suites, obscuring the record of previous geologic events. In this work I present 603 U-Pb zircon age coupled with zircon geochemical analyses collected from Sensitive High Resolution Ion Microprobe (SHRIMP) microanalyses, 15 U-Pb zircon Thermal Ionization Mass Spectrometry (TIMS) ages, and 109 U-Pb Laser Ablation-Inductively Coupled …

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Development And Evaluation Of An Objective Method For Forensic Examination Of Human Head Hairs Using Texture-Based Image Analysis, Allyce S. Mcwhorter Jan 2015

Development And Evaluation Of An Objective Method For Forensic Examination Of Human Head Hairs Using Texture-Based Image Analysis, Allyce S. Mcwhorter

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In response to criticism of traditional forensic methods of human head hair examination, the goal of this study was to develop and evaluate an objective method using texture-based image analysis. 120 individuals, including 20 from six different maternal groups, were sampled and their hairs evaluated using the developed method. Different variables were evaluated to develop the most efficient method to increase intra/inter ratio, as well as the percentage of well-classified hairs. The variables included different microscope systems, objective lenses, number of hairs examined per individual, hair shaft regions, focus methods, and normalization filter techniques. Statistical analyses included one-way analysis of …

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The Environmental Effects Of Geologically Sequestered Carbon Dioxide Gas And The Enhanced Recovery Of Coal Bed Methane From An Unmineable Coal Seam, Brad David Hega Jan 2015

The Environmental Effects Of Geologically Sequestered Carbon Dioxide Gas And The Enhanced Recovery Of Coal Bed Methane From An Unmineable Coal Seam, Brad David Hega

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The need to mitigate the alleged effects of anthropogenic carbon dioxide gas (CO2(g)) generation has led to the exploring of specific subsurface environments to house the gas. The geology of the subsurface underlying Marshall County West Virginia makes the area an ideal setting for use as a CO 2(g) repository. A cooperative, pilot study was undertaken by CONSOL Energy Inc., which owns and operates the selected CO2(g) sequestration site, along with personnel from West Virginia University (WVU) and other agencies under the United States Department of Energy (DOE) funded Zero Emissions Research Technology or ZERT program. The repository is an …

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Development Of An Erosion Control Seed Mixture That Includes Native Species, George A. Hilvers Jan 2015

Development Of An Erosion Control Seed Mixture That Includes Native Species, George A. Hilvers

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The West Virginia Divisions of Highways (WVDOH) utilizes the establishment of grass cover as a temporary and permanent management practice to mediate the effects of erosion on highway construction sites. Current West Virginia regulations include five seed mixtures for permanent applications that include combinations of nine species. Six of these species are identified as invasive, and all nine species are considered introduced or both native and introduced. This research developed alternative seed mixtures that included low threat or native species. The alternative seed mixtures were then evaluated in a field test. The research also examined seedbed preparation techniques, the performance …

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Myosin Ii Isoforms In Breast Cancer: Role Of Contractility In Matrix Organization, Cell Migration, And Endothelial Barrier Function, Bridget Ruth Hindman Jan 2015

Myosin Ii Isoforms In Breast Cancer: Role Of Contractility In Matrix Organization, Cell Migration, And Endothelial Barrier Function, Bridget Ruth Hindman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Breast cancer is a devastating and complicated disease. A large proportion of breast cancer related deaths are due to metastasis. Metastasis is when cancer cells leave the primary tumor, travel through the bloodstream, and proliferate in distant sites. Cell contractility is involved in a number of cellular processes associated with metastasis including matrix organization, tumor cell migration, and endothelial cell barrier function. The main regulator of contractility in nonmuscle cells is nonmuscle myosin II. There are three isoforms of this protein: myosin IIA, IIB, and IIC. The specific roles of the individual isoforms in cancer progression and metastasis have yet …

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On The Roles Of Drosophila Notch Signaling And Atonal Autoregulation In The Specification Of R8 Photoreceptors, Adam T. Majot Jan 2015

On The Roles Of Drosophila Notch Signaling And Atonal Autoregulation In The Specification Of R8 Photoreceptors, Adam T. Majot

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Drosophila retinogenesis has long served as a paradigm of tissue patterning. Notch, an anciently conserved signaling pathway, is critical to both the formation of and proper spacing of founding R8 photoreceptors. Notch is intimately interwoven into the activity of Atonal (Ato), a proneural basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) that is required for R8 specification. Ato is expressed through dual enhancers: ato-3' and 5'-ato. ato-3' is activated in response to Notch-independent signaling cues whereas 5'-ato exhibits complex dependence on Notch signaling. First, Notch is required for 5'-ato activation, eliciting formation of Ato intermediate groups (IGs, evenly spaced clusters of 10--20 cells). Subsequently, Notch …

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Acute Sleep Organization Following Unanesthetized Circumcision Of Neonates, Margeaux M. Gray Dec 2014

Acute Sleep Organization Following Unanesthetized Circumcision Of Neonates, Margeaux M. Gray

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Sleep changes in response to environmental pressures and the needs of individuals. The adaptability of sleep is noticeable following largely stressful or adverse events, and is understood to facilitate recovery. Rapid changes in sleep occur in-utero, during the days following birth, and across the first few postnatal years. These rapid changes are considered adaptive and indicative of normal and healthy development. Elective surgical intervention, such as circumcision, may influence the organization and quality of sleep during this developmentally sensitive period. Neonates undergoing circumcision, a prevalent procedure in the U.S. (American Academy of Pediatrics Circumcision Policy Statement [AAP], 1999, 2005, 2012), …

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A Multi-Agent Design For Power Distribution Systems Automation, M. Jawad Ghorbani Aug 2014

A Multi-Agent Design For Power Distribution Systems Automation, M. Jawad Ghorbani

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A new Multi Agent System (MAS) design for fault location, isolation and restoration in power distribution systems is presented. In proposed approach, when there is a fault in the Power Distribution System (PDS), MAS quickly isolates the fault and restores the service to fault-free zones. Hierarchical coordination strategy is introduced to manage the agents which integrate the advantages of both centralized and decentralized coordination strategies. In this framework, Zone Agent (ZA) locate and isolate the fault based on the locally available information and assist the Feeder Agent (FA) for reconfiguration and restoration. FA can solve the restoration problem using the …

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