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Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

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Creative Idea Generation: How To Incorporate Plussing Into Your Creative Thinking Sessions, Whitney Godwin May 2014

Creative Idea Generation: How To Incorporate Plussing Into Your Creative Thinking Sessions, Whitney Godwin

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The goal of this master's thesis is to evaluate Disney's "plussing" as a form of idea-generation for every type of organization and business. This method was assessed through a case study of two nonprofit organizations in Morgantown, West Virginia after developing three original plussing methods. Both organizations participated in plussing sessions. Sessions were followed up with a survey of each participant. Findings suggest "plussing" has proven more beneficial to the organizations than traditional brainstorming methods. Several participants stated that plussing provides a more effective way for organizations to produce the best idea and product possible without the fear of criticism …


An Evaluation Of State Employees' Preferences For Worksite-Based Physical Activity, Nutrition, And Stress Management Programs, Peter Kadushin May 2014

An Evaluation Of State Employees' Preferences For Worksite-Based Physical Activity, Nutrition, And Stress Management Programs, Peter Kadushin

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Worksite wellness programs (WWPs) have evolved over the last several decades as a way to positively impact employees' health, and to manage rising healthcare costs. Despite the impact that WWPs can have both clinically and financially, participation rates in many programs remain low. Some research has reported success in increasing participation and engagement through tailoring programs to fit employee preferences. The purpose of this study was to investigate the wellness programming preferences of state employees in West Virginia. A secondary purpose was to identify how these preferences differ by health risk, worksite wellness participation, age, and gender. Respondents (N = …


Addressing The Elephant In The Room: A Descriptive Analysis Of Weight-Based Harassment On College Campuses, Lynnsie Doty May 2014

Addressing The Elephant In The Room: A Descriptive Analysis Of Weight-Based Harassment On College Campuses, Lynnsie Doty

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

According to the bullying and harassment literature, over 50 percent of adolescents reported that they were targets of harassment at least once a month. A major gap within this literature is that most of these studies focus predominantly on adolescents and none focuses on older cohorts. To date only five studies have focused on college populations, but none focus on weight specifically as a factor. Although many individuals may disagree, weight-based harassment is comparable to harassment based on race and sexual orientation and affects victims just as negatively. Therefore, it is time to address the elephant in the room and …


Essays On Industrial Agglomeration And Input-Output Linkages, Zheng Tian May 2014

Essays On Industrial Agglomeration And Input-Output Linkages, Zheng Tian

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Industrial agglomeration is an important subject in the field of regional economics. It is an economic phenomenon with two dimensions---space and industry. These two dimensions call for research that can take both spatial and industry factors into consideration regarding industrial agglomeration. Despite the advance of economic theories on agglomeration, empirical studies that satisfactorily incorporate spatial and industrial dimensions are very few. My research aims to enrich the existing methodology for empirical studies by combining spatial econometrics and the input-output model to investigate the effects of input-output linkages on industrial agglomeration.;In this research I propose two methods to integrate spatial econometrics …


Identification And Genetic Diversity Of Lake Sturgeon Larvae On Artificial Reefs In The Huron-Erie Corridor, Jamie Marie Marranca May 2014

Identification And Genetic Diversity Of Lake Sturgeon Larvae On Artificial Reefs In The Huron-Erie Corridor, Jamie Marie Marranca

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

There are 27 species of sturgeon worldwide and most are currently extinct, endangered or threatened. Lake sturgeon, Acipenser fulvescens, one of the oldest species on the planet, evolved about 136 million years ago, and have had little morphological change, and are endemic to the freshwater lakes and rivers created by receding glaciers of the Laurentian ice sheet. Lake sturgeon have seen immense habitat loss due to human development and industrialization has nearly decimated populations. Changes to water and habitat quality, along with overharvesting, have caused declines to nearly 1% of their original population size. The Huron-Erie Corridor (HEC), includes the …


Political Sophistication: How Values And Social Capital Contribute To Political Knowledge And Cognition, Jonathan C. Young May 2014

Political Sophistication: How Values And Social Capital Contribute To Political Knowledge And Cognition, Jonathan C. Young

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study argues that value types defined by Shalom Schwartz should relate to social capital and political sophistication in particular ways. Individual value types that emphasize "other-orientation" should positively relate to social capital characteristics that increase information flows which in turn will relate to increased political sophistication. On the other hand, it is expected that individual value types that emphasize "self-orientation" will positively relate to social capital characteristics that decrease information flows which in turn would correlate to decreased political sophistication. Using post-materialism as a theoretical basis and a survey that measures political knowledge and ideology, value orientation, social network …


Effects Of Culverts On Brook Trout Genetic Diversity, Darren M. Wood May 2014

Effects Of Culverts On Brook Trout Genetic Diversity, Darren M. Wood

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) are a species of concern within their native range due to a historical loss of habitat, overfishing, and stocking of non-native salmonids. Road culverts have been recognized as an additional impediment to population persistence as movement between diverse habitat types has been identified as an alternative life-history strategy to maximize spawning and growth. Brook trout were genetically analyzed using a suite of 13 microsatellite loci above 7 culverts with varying levels of passability classified through a physical protocol. While most sites were not found to have losses in genetic diversity, populations above culverts with a high …


Police Officers Talking About Gun Control: A Case Study Of A Rural Sheriff's Department, Angela Sycafoose May 2014

Police Officers Talking About Gun Control: A Case Study Of A Rural Sheriff's Department, Angela Sycafoose

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This research examines how members of a rural police department view gun control, and the degree to which they think that gun control laws protect police officers and the public. Drawing on conclusions from interviews with twenty police officers within one local sheriff's department, three themes emerged: 1) the officers rejected gun control laws and deemed them ineffective for controlling criminal behavior; 2) the officers showed support for specific gun control measures such as, citizens obtaining concealed carry permits and expanding gun background checks; 3) the officers deemed guns to be an essential part of rural upbringing and identity. We …


Modeling And Analysis Of Distribution System With Demand Response And Electric Vehicles In Personal And Public Transportation, Venkata Satish Kasani May 2014

Modeling And Analysis Of Distribution System With Demand Response And Electric Vehicles In Personal And Public Transportation, Venkata Satish Kasani

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The government policies and cost benefits led to the surge in penetration of Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) and Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) into both public and private sectors, challenging the electric grid's potential to maintain its stability and efficiently serve the purpose. The penetration of PHEVs brings technological advancements and environmental benefits to the traditional transportation and electrical power systems. Designing of appropriate charging methods to satisfy PHEV owners helps to improve system performance and avoid transmission and distribution system expansion.;The primary objective of this thesis is to model a coordinated charging algorithm to charge maximum number of PHEVs …


Human Interaction Recognition With Audio And Visual Cues, Ranya Almohsen May 2014

Human Interaction Recognition With Audio And Visual Cues, Ranya Almohsen

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The automated recognition of human activities from video is a fundamental problem with applications in several areas, ranging from video surveillance, and robotics, to smart healthcare, and multimedia indexing and retrieval, just to mention a few. However, the pervasive diffusion of cameras capable of recording audio also makes available to those applications a complementary modality. Despite the sizable progress made in the area of modeling and recognizing group activities, and actions performed by people in isolation from video, the availability of audio cues has rarely being leveraged. This is even more so in the area of modeling and recognizing binary …


Examining Factors Associated With Faking-Good Responding On The Child Abuse Potential Inventory, Amanda H. Costello May 2014

Examining Factors Associated With Faking-Good Responding On The Child Abuse Potential Inventory, Amanda H. Costello

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Child maltreatment (e.g., physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect) remains a serious public health issue which affects an estimated 19% of victims in the United States (Fang, Brown, Florence, & Mercy, 2013; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2010), and therefore, it remains important to continue to engage in quality control of the assessment, prevention, and treatment services for parents and children who have been involved in child maltreatment. Parenting capacity assessments (PCAs) are typically ordered in these cases to offer diagnostic impressions of and treatment recommendations for the referred parent (Budd, Connell, & Clark, 2011). The …


Technology Use In The Treatment And Prevention Of Eating Disorders, Jessie T. Popelka May 2014

Technology Use In The Treatment And Prevention Of Eating Disorders, Jessie T. Popelka

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Technology is changing rapidly in this global world. A radically different delivery of nutrition information and counseling is technologically feasible in fewer than five years. With about half of girls and a quarter of boys being dissatisfied with their bodies during adolescence into young adulthood, some negative consequences including development of disordered eating, eating disorders (ED) and poor psychological well-being may increase. New methods of delivery, from social media to virtual worlds will allow health care providers (HCP) to reach and interact with patients in different cities or even countries. Simple "tweets" to online videos may have a place in …


Structural Elucidation Of Glycerophospholipids Using Metastable Atom-Activated Dissociation Mass Spectrometry (Mad-Ms), Robert E. Deimler May 2014

Structural Elucidation Of Glycerophospholipids Using Metastable Atom-Activated Dissociation Mass Spectrometry (Mad-Ms), Robert E. Deimler

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Recent developments in analytical instrumentation have allowed scientists to investigate systems that were unattainable in the past. In the biomedical community this increase in investigative power has allowed the exploration of biological components like proteins, lipids, and DNA and their role in the many different cycles necessary for human life. By understanding the nuances of these processes, medical professionals can more easily recognize the products of mutations or malfunctions that can lead to more accurate prognosis and diagnosis of disease. Typically, lipids are analyzed through hyphenated chromatography-mass spectrometry instruments and especially using collision-induced dissociation (CID). Low-energy CID typically produces both …


Local And Regional Controls Of Brook Trout (Salvelinus Fontinalis) Metapopulation Dynamics Within A Complex Appalachian Riverscape, Brock Miles Huntsman May 2014

Local And Regional Controls Of Brook Trout (Salvelinus Fontinalis) Metapopulation Dynamics Within A Complex Appalachian Riverscape, Brock Miles Huntsman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Brook trout have recently become a species of conservation focus due to their unique spatial structure and restricted thermal requirements. These life history characteristics make brook trout particularly vulnerable to major biodiversity threats, such as climate change and habitat loss. For appropriate conservation actions to be taken, it is imperative to identify the scale that limits brook trout productivity. The popular view of brook trout ecology indicates that populations exist as isolated fragments within watersheds, where productivity is concentrated in small, cold tributaries. This has led to management resources being allocated towards small tributaries with a goal to enhance local …


A Streptozotocin-Induced Model Of Alzheimer's Disease In Mice With Wild-Type Human Tau, Carolyn C. Rudy May 2014

A Streptozotocin-Induced Model Of Alzheimer's Disease In Mice With Wild-Type Human Tau, Carolyn C. Rudy

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Alzheimer's disease (AD) accounts for 60 to 80% of all dementias, affects over 5 million Americans, and incurs annual healthcare costs of over {dollar}200 billion (Alzheimer's Association, 2012). Hyperphosphorylation of tau, the main component of neurofibrillary tangles observed in AD, leads to deficits in cell structure and function. Because recent data suggest impairments in cerebral glucose utilization and energy metabolism play a prominent role in the pathogenesis of AD, we sought to create a mouse model that emulates the metabolic changes using intracerebroventricular infusions of streptozotocin (ICV-STZ) in transgenic mice expressing human tau. The Barnes maze, a test of spatial …


Vibration Attenuation Of Composite Moving Beams Using Active Vibration Control Techniques, Gouthami Polina May 2014

Vibration Attenuation Of Composite Moving Beams Using Active Vibration Control Techniques, Gouthami Polina

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Applications of axially-moving beams are found in earthquake engineering, robotic arms, conveyor belts, etc. Previous studies have shown that the amplitude of lateral vibration of moving beams is 40 percent higher than that of non moving beams. In this research a numerical model based on the finite element method is done to reduce the excess vibrations caused by the axial oscillation of the beam. A computer code is written in MATLAB to accomplish this.;The vibrational amplitude of composite moving beams is reduced by means of an active vibration control technique that employs the piezoelectric effect. Piezoelectric sensors and actuators are …


A Pedagogical Approach To Technique In Chopin's Preludes Op. 28, Sheila Kay Barnhart May 2014

A Pedagogical Approach To Technique In Chopin's Preludes Op. 28, Sheila Kay Barnhart

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The current project is a reference guide for using Chopin's Preludes in the applied studio to teach technique, and consists of three main components: determining the technical challenges of each prelude; categorizing each prelude by level of technical difficulty; compiling practice suggestions for successful navigation of each technique. The following technical challenges are represented throughout the set: voicing, passagework, cross-rhythms and tuplet rhythms, stretches, leaps, fingering, double notes, octaves, repeated notes, pedaling, hand coordination, hand independence. Each of these challenges is manifested in a multiple ways. While a variety of techniques are required to perform any given work, in the …


Stem Cell Matrix And Cartilage Regeneration, Jingting Li May 2014

Stem Cell Matrix And Cartilage Regeneration, Jingting Li

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Cartilage defects caused by injuries of the knee affect about 900,000 Americans annually, resulting in more than 200,000 surgical procedures. Cartilage repair remains a major challenge due to its limited healing capacity. Current cell-based therapy using autologous chondrocyte implantation has been developed for decades and promising results have been observed in clinic. However, the shortage of autologous chondrocytes and their uncertain long-term effectiveness have led researchers to find alternative solutions. Stem cells from various tissues have been shown to be potential sources of chondrocytes. Among them, synovium-derived stem cells (SDSCs) have been suggested as tissue-specific stem cells for chondrogenesis. However, …


The Effect Of Hegemonic Masculinity In The Proportion Of Women In Post-Communist Parliaments: A Case Study Of Estonia And Poland, Anne Moreland May 2014

The Effect Of Hegemonic Masculinity In The Proportion Of Women In Post-Communist Parliaments: A Case Study Of Estonia And Poland, Anne Moreland

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The under representation of women in national parliaments is a phenomenon that plagues much of the world, with the Baltic Sea Region being no exception. Two countries, Estonia and Poland, are chosen for comparative analysis in this paper, as they possess different cultures and histories, but have similar proportion of female representation at the national level. The comparison provides insight into the situation women face in politics in two post-communist states in Central and Eastern Europe. This paper will examine the trends in the proportion of female representatives in Poland and Estonia's national parliaments in the transition from communism to …


Hydrogen-Deuterium Exchange Studies By Mass Spectrometry: A Method For Obtaining Conformational Structures Of Proteins In Solution, Teerapat Rojsajjakul May 2014

Hydrogen-Deuterium Exchange Studies By Mass Spectrometry: A Method For Obtaining Conformational Structures Of Proteins In Solution, Teerapat Rojsajjakul

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Hydrogen-deuterium exchange (HDX) coupled with electrospray ionization (ESI) in mass spectrometry (MS) has become an important method in the study of protein structure and dynamics. It provides an opportunity for obtaining conformational structures of protein motions in physiological conditions and offers unparalleled limits of detection. This method relies on the fact that the accessibility of exchangeable amide hydrogens of a protein to D2O induces H/D isotopic exchange. The exchangeable amide hydrogens that lack hydrogen bonding when exposed to solvent are exchanged rapidly. Protected amide hydrogens from tightly folded elements and have hydrogen bonding exchange slow and can be detected by …


Flipping The Classroom In College Algebra: A Design And Development Study, Lori Ogden May 2014

Flipping The Classroom In College Algebra: A Design And Development Study, Lori Ogden

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation documents the development of a flipped classroom teaching model for teaching college algebra. The model supports the use of multiple teaching strategies including video lectures for students to view as homework, outside of class. A design and development framework is used to describe the design decisions, model implementation, and evaluation of the model across three deliveries, or case studies, of a college algebra course from fall of 2012 through fall of 2013. Design decisions included course sequence and instructional materials. Model implementation described the teaching and assessment strategies throughout each unit of material taught in the course and …


Conditional Clauses, Meghan Olson May 2014

Conditional Clauses, Meghan Olson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

My MFA written thesis addresses work completed and shown in a thesis exhibition at West Virginia University as well as significant influences to my studio process. While my stated focus is printmaking, the work presented in the exhibition consisted of six sculptural and installation pieces. This thesis, along with the supporting exhibition, will address my investigations into probing ordinary materials for juxtapositions and arrangements that lend themselves towards a conditional, not absolute, meaning. The work is created from an impulse to put everyday materials together in order to observe subtle relationships that ultimately transcend the ordinary and question what is …


Cabaret: A Lesson In Recovery, Jane Ryan May 2014

Cabaret: A Lesson In Recovery, Jane Ryan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This thesis chronicles the process of Scenic Designing and Paint Charging for West Virginia University School of Theatre and Dance's 2013 production of Cabaret. It details the entire process including research, design meetings, design and drafting process, construction and technical rehearsals. It discusses how the design changed due to issues such as over budgeting and time management.


Addressing The Role Of Health Literacy In Social Science: The Revision And Validation Of The Perceived Oral Health Literacy Scale, Sara Labelle May 2014

Addressing The Role Of Health Literacy In Social Science: The Revision And Validation Of The Perceived Oral Health Literacy Scale, Sara Labelle

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this dissertation was twofold. The first purpose was to develop a valid and reliable measurement of health literacy appropriate for use in social science. The second purpose was to determine whether health literacy is a skill set that can be increased through the intervention efforts of communication studies scholars. These purposes were addressed across four studies. The results of exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis provided support for a 26-item revised Perceived Oral Health Literacy Scale (LaBelle & Weber, 2013) which assesses individuals' Motivation and Ability to gain access to, understand, and use health information in order to …


User-Generated Content And Television News, Eva M. Buchman May 2014

User-Generated Content And Television News, Eva M. Buchman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this master's thesis is to investigate the relationship between television news stations and user-generated content. With the technological growth our society has experienced over the last several years, user-generated content has become a popular way for television stations to gather news. This relationship was investigated through a national online survey of news directors/executive producers at television stations. Also studied were policies at television stations regarding the use of user-generated content, whether they are formal, written policies, or informal policies, to determine how user-generated content is integrated into television news broadcasts. Findings suggest that television news stations exercise …


Effects Of Long-Term Phonological Knowledge On Learning New Words, Elizabeth S. Smith May 2014

Effects Of Long-Term Phonological Knowledge On Learning New Words, Elizabeth S. Smith

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Language learning has been attributed to multiple aspects of cognition; two primary components are phonological short-term memory and long-term knowledge. Short-term memory is responsible for the temporary storage and rehearsal of new information, and long-term knowledge is responsible for storing information gained throughout the lifetime. If one or both of these areas are found to be deficient, language impairments may be present. Although the role of short-term memory and long-term knowledge has been identified as important, their relative contributions to different language processes are not completely understood. This study used a novel within-subjects approach to examine the impact of long-term …


Bending And Shear Behavior Of Pultruded Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composite Beams With Closed And Open Sections, Daniel Douglas Estep May 2014

Bending And Shear Behavior Of Pultruded Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer Composite Beams With Closed And Open Sections, Daniel Douglas Estep

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Several advantages, such as high strength-to-weight ratio, high stiffness, superior corrosion resistance, and high fatigue and impact resistance, among others, make FRPs an attractive alternative to conventional construction materials for use in developing new structures as well as rehabilitating in-service infrastructure. As the number of infrastructure applications using FRPs grows, the need for the development of a uniform Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) approach, including design procedures and examples, has become paramount.;Step-by-step design procedures and easy-to-use design formulas are necessary to assure the quality and safety of FRP structural systems by reducing the possibility of design and construction errors. …


The Use Of Joint Mobilization On Mechanical Instability Deficits For A Lateral Ankle Sprain: A Systematic Review, Kathleen M. Kerecman May 2014

The Use Of Joint Mobilization On Mechanical Instability Deficits For A Lateral Ankle Sprain: A Systematic Review, Kathleen M. Kerecman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Context: The use of manual therapy in the athletic training setting is becoming more common place. While there is information on joint mobilizations, there are few systematic reviews that examine the use of joint mobilizations on mechanical deficits in chronic ankle instability and lateral ankle sprain. Objective: To understand the benefits of joint mobilization in the lateral ankle sprain (chronic and acute) and determine common parameters/techniques used in practice. Data Sources: Pub Med (1950-2013), CINAHL with full text (1982-2013), MEDLINE (1950-2013), SPORTDiscus with full text (1800- 2013), Science Direct(1950-2013), Google Scholar (1950-2013), and PEDro (1929-2013) were searched using the terms …


Understanding Chinese American Parents: The Interplay Of Chinese Tradition And Early Childhood Music Education In The United States, Juan Julie Yu May 2014

Understanding Chinese American Parents: The Interplay Of Chinese Tradition And Early Childhood Music Education In The United States, Juan Julie Yu

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study is to examine the acculturation experience of first-generation Chinese American parents and the values that inform their expectations for their children's early childhood music education. A primary goal of this research is to gain a deeper understanding of the interplay of Chinese traditional culture and early childhood music education in the United States. The six participants for this study were first-generation Chinese American immigrants who at the time of the interviews had children under age eight and who resided in Philadelphia. As a qualitative multiple-case study, the primary data for this study were six sets …


Volumetric, Planar And Linear Airway Comparison After Maxillomandibular Advancement Surgery, Deepa Vyas May 2014

Volumetric, Planar And Linear Airway Comparison After Maxillomandibular Advancement Surgery, Deepa Vyas

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Background and Objectives: Treatment of sleep apnea can be accomplished using both non-surgical and surgical methods. Surgical treatment is further classified into phase I and II surgery. When phase I treatment fails, orthognathic surgery is judged to be the subsequent step in treating these patients. Orthognathic surgery is considered phase II treatment and can consist of a maxillomandibular advancement (MMA)1-11. Until recently, most of the data gathered on patients how have had a maxillomandibular advancement has been completed using lateral cephalograms. The rationale for this study is to gain a better understanding of the alteration in linear, planar and volumetric …