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Constitutional Amendments And The Consolidation Of The Rule Of Law In Democratizing Francophone West Africa: Case Study Of Benin, Burkina Faso, And Senegal, Bagnini Kohoun

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Constitutional stability is usually perceived as an invaluable asset in democratic regimes. Constitutional amendments become suspicious when they occur too often, particularly in countries newly engaged in the democratic process. This dissertation argues that recent constitutional amendments in democratizing Francophone West African countries are not necessarily made to advance democracy or the rule of law. Instead, they are designed to reinforce the political agenda of incumbent power-holders. Using a case study of three Francophone African countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, and Senegal), I try to understand why there are so many constitutional amendments in so short a period of time in …

In Vitro Recapitulation Of Functional Microvessel Using Microfluidic Platform, Xiang Li

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Microfluidic technologies have enabled in vitro studies to mimic in vivo microvessel environment with sufficient complexity. However, there are still existing knowledge gaps and lack of convincing evidence to demonstrate and quantify key features of a functional microvessel. In this dissertation, a physiologically realistic microvessel model was developed with a stable and mature endothelium for studying complex vascular phenomena, such as endothelial cell signaling and barrier functions with the microscopic resolution at individual cellular levels. With advanced micromanufacturing and microfluidic technologies, two types of cost-efficient, easy to operate and reproducible microchannel network devices were fabricated, and the fabricated microchannels mimicked …

The Effects Of Hypnosis And Symptom Interpretation On Jurors' Perceptions Of Recovered Memories Of Child Sexual Abuse, Sarah Nunley

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The current study examined mock jurors' perceptions of recovered memories of child sexual abuse. Participants were presented with one of four written vignettes of an adult female who recovers memories of child sexual abuse during therapy. Two variables in the vignettes were manipulated: the method of memory recovery (hypnosis informed vs. control uninformed) and presentation of psychological symptoms commonly related to history of sexual maltreatment (symptoms informed vs. symptoms uninformed). Participant mock jurors were asked to respond to questions regarding credibility, defendant guilt, and award of monetary damages. The continuous dependent variable analyses found significant results with regard to plaintiff …

Comparing The Educational Preferences And Management Roles Of West Virginia's Male And Female Woodland Owners, Tiffany Fegel

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Non-industrial private forest owners (NIPF) make up the majority of the landscape in the eastern United States. Historically NIPF owners have been treated as a homogenous group. This however does not adequately represent the diversity of this population's ownership objectives, management concerns, and land values that are important in understanding how to tailor educational outreach programs to this group. Butler (2008) called for the need to separate this large population into smaller populations that are more homogenous in order to better reach them with educational programs. To answer this call we divided NIPF owners into two distinct groups, male and …

Using Bayesian Networks To Identify Control Topography Between Cancer Processes And Immune Responses Via Metagene Constructs, Jacob Kaiser

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Cancer arises from a deregulation of both intracellular and intercellular control systems. Understanding the architecture of these control systems and how they are changed in diseases could present opportunities for therapeutic targets to restore normal control. However, since intercellular control structures only appear in intact systems, it is difficult to identify how these control structures become altered using in vitro models and it can be difficult to determine if an in vivo model system appropriately replicates what occurs in human disease. In order to overcome this, we use the diversity in normal and malignant human tissue samples from the Cancer …

Specification Of Energy Assessment Methodologies To Satisfy Iso 50001 Energy Management Standard, Harish Kanneganti

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Energy management has become more crucial for industrial sector as a way to lower their cost of production and in reducing their carbon footprint. Environmental regulations also force the industrial sector to increase the efficiency of their energy usage. Hence industrial sector started relying on energy management consultancies for improvements in energy efficiency. With the development of ISO 50001 standard, the entire energy management took a new dimension involving top level management and getting their commitment on energy efficiency. One of the key requirements of ISO 50001 is to demonstrate continual improvement in their (industry) energy efficiency. The major aim …

Shedding Light On Gis: A 3d Immersive Approach To Urban Lightscape Integration Into Gis, Andrew Kaufman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have the ability to map, model, and analyze real world data and phenomena, and yet visibility and lighting conditions are rarely considered or researched in Geographic Information Science (GISci). Lighting technologies have been created and implemented to overcome the darkness of night and other issues of visibility, and in no place is that more evident than urban areas. Though not researched heavily in GIS, it is now possible to model and analyze lighting of the built environment using GIS, 3D modeling and rendering software. This thesis explores the night time urban lightscape, its spatial aspects and …

Effects Of Ethanol On Pigeons' Near-Win Responding In A Slot-Machine Analog, Alexander A. Ward

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In slot machine play, near wins are losses that are visually similarity to wins and increase gambling persistence, but provide no reinforcer. To measure effects of ethanol on near-win responding, pigeons pecked for food in a slot-machine analog following ethanol administration. In any given trial, one of four outcomes was signaled by consecutive presentations of red or green key lights, followed by a white "collect key." Three red lights signaled a win and three green lights signaled a loss. Two red lights followed by a green light signaled a near win. On winning trials, food was delivered 5 s after …

Neutral Hydrogen In The Local Group And Around The Milky Way, Spencer A. Wolfe

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Galaxies in our universe must acquire fresh gas to continue forming new stars. A likely source of this material may be the gas that resides between galaxies. We do not, however, have a clear understanding of the specifics, such as its distribution. The first claimed detection of this "cosmic web" of material directly in emission was published a decade ago using the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope in the Netherlands while surveying neutral hydrogen in the Local Group of galaxies. Later evidence, in the form of stellar surveys and test particle simulations, showed that a tidal origin of the gas was …

Analysis Of Haul Truck- Related Fatalities And Injuries In Surface Coal Mining In West Virginia, Meng Zhang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Trucks are the primary means of haulage in surface coal, metal, and nonmetal mining operations. The number of fatal accidents involving trucks is higher when compared to all other mining equipment. The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) reports that 137 fatalities were haul truck- related in the United States between 1995 and 2011. A total of 12 truck-related accidents, including 13 fatalities, were recorded in surface coal mining operations in West Virginia (WV) during this period. The objectives of this research were to (i) analyze the root causes of these accidents, and (ii) develop effective intervention strategies to eliminate …

Development Of A Portable Mass Spectrometer For Operation At 1 Torr, Feng Jin

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Portable mass spectrometers have obtained increased interests because they show great potential in different fields such as the industrial process analysis, forensics, environmental monitoring, space exploration and homeland security. Current major standard laboratory mass spectrometers have been miniaturized and their characteristics were investigated. The advantages and disadvantage of these different types of mass analyzers are also compared and examined.;Loeb-Eiber mass filter was proposed and reexamined as an alternate portable mass analyzer. Its unique paradigm makes it very suitable for development for portable mass spectrometers. The second generation Loeb-Eiber mass analyzer uses an array of short wires attached on the base …

Clinical Practice Guideline For Venous Thromboembolism, Angela Miller

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Background: The morbidity associated with venous thromboembolism often goes unrecognized. Identifying patient populations at risk for venous thromboembolism and implementing evidence-based guidelines can decrease the number of untoward effects of this disease. Clinical pathway guidelines are valuable tools needed by nurses in the prevention and treatment of disorders for patients. Education of the guideline can increase knowledge and understanding of what prevention, interventions, and treatment are available for the orthopaedic patient and how to apply this knowledge to everyday patient care.;Objective: To educate orthopaedic nurses on the clinical practice guidelines of thromboembolism.;Method: Incorporate the education of thromboembolism in an orthopaedic …

Fault-Tolerant Trajectory Tracking Of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Using Immunity-Based Model Reference Adaptive Control, Brenton K. Wilburn

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation presents the design, development, and simulation testing of an adaptive trajectory tracking algorithm capable of compensating for various aircraft subsystem failures and upset conditions. A comprehensive adaptive control framework, here within referred to as the immune model reference adaptive control (IMRAC) algorithm, is developed by synergistically merging core concepts from the biologically- inspired artificial immune system (AIS) paradigm with more traditional optimal and adaptive control techniques. In particular, a model reference adaptive control (MRAC) algorithm is enhanced with the detection and learning capabilities of a novel, artificial neural network augmented AIS scheme. With the given modifications, the MRAC …

Electroplating Of Cr-Ni Alloy And Ni-Cr/Ni Multilayer Coatings, Liaowang Liu

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The major interests of developing Ni-Cr alloy plating lie in the possible formation of a passive film by chromium and its good chemical and mechanical properties. And nano scale multilayer coatings exhibit improved properties due to nano scale effects (e.g.: high hardness and strength) and they combine and enhance different properties from individual components. Thus, electroplating of Ni-Cr multilayer coatings could have high potential for numerous engineering applications. Electroplating in aqueous and in organic solution by direct current were studied for Ni-Cr alloy coatings, and Ni-Cr multilayer coatings were prepared by pulse current electroplating in single bath.

Traditionally, chromium or …

Online Geometric Human Interaction Segmentation And Recognition, Harika Bharthavarapu

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The goal of this work is the temporal localization and recognition of binary people interactions in video. Human-human interaction detection is one of the core problems in video analysis. It has many applications such as in video surveillance, video search and retrieval, human-computer interaction, and behavior analysis for safety and security. Despite the sizeable literature in the area of activity and action modeling and recognition, the vast majority of the approaches make the assumption that the beginning and the end of the video portion containing the action or the activity of interest is known. In other words, while a significant …

Factors That Are Associated With Readiness To Transition From Pediatric To Adult Health Care In Cystic Fibrosis, Lindsay A. Corman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Life expectancy of patients with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) has been increasing, with most children with CF expected to live at least into middle age adult years. Consequently, the majority of patients with CF will have to transition from a pediatric to an adult clinic. Unfortunately, few transition programs exist that attend to the physical, developmental, and psychological factors of adolescents with CF who need to transfer to adult clinics. Moreover, to date, there is a dearth of quantitative research that has been conducted to assess factors that may influence readiness to transition. The purpose of this study is to examine …

Comparison Of Two Protocols For Maxillary Protraction: Tooth Anchored Versus Bone Anchored Protraction Facemask, Nicole M. Deshon

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Early orthopedic interventions have been advocated for patients presented with Class III malocclusion. However, many conventional treatment modalities have negative dental changes that accompany the positive skeletal changes. There is a lack of literature on comparing a new hybrid hyrax bone anchored maxillary protraction to conventional tooth anchored maxillary protraction. The objective of this retrospective study is to quantify and compare differences in craniofacial morphology, if any, between patients treated with tooth anchored versus bone anchored maxillary protraction. A total of 40 patients (16 males, 24 females) with Class III malocclusion who had received early orthopedic treatment with tooth anchored …

Effects Of D-Amphetamine On Temporal Control In A Peak-Interval Procedure In Lewis And Fischer 344 Rats, Meagan E. Follett

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The present study assessed temporal control in LEW and F344 rats using a peak-interval procedure, in which fixed-interval (FI) trials were randomly presented with peak-interval (PI) trials, during which the interval was extended and no reinforcement was delivered. The peak time, or the average time at which response rates were the highest, was compared to the FI value as a measure of temporal control across three FI/PI conditions (10/30, 30/90, 60/180 seconds). There were no significant differences in temporal control as assessed by the PI procedure between LEW and F344 rats across three different conditions as well as following acute …

Desired Leadership Styles In Classroom And Court: Comparing Ideal Coaching And Teaching Styles Of Collegiate Student-Athletes, Elzbieta Klein

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to compare student-athletes' ideal coaching leadership styles and teaching leadership styles. Further, this study examined the relationship between student-athletes' level of argumentativeness and verbal aggressiveness and their ideal leadership styles. Student-athletes (N=67) were surveyed about their ideal coaching and teaching leadership styles and their communication traits. The averages of each leadership styles were compared to rank them from most ideal to least ideal. Student-athletes prefer the leadership styles of Paternalistic, Democratic, and Transformational for coaches and the leadership styles of Laissez-Faire and Transactional for teachers. Student-athletes' argumentativeness and verbal aggressiveness were related to some …

Interoperability Of Fingerprint Sensors And Matching Algorithms, Luca Lugini

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Biometric systems are widely deployed in governmental, military and commercial/civilian applications. There are a multitude of sensors and matching algorithms available from different vendors. This creates a competitive market for these products, which is good for the consumers but emphasizes the importance of interoperability. In fingerprint recognition, interoperability is the ability of a system to work with a diverse set of fingerprint devices. Variations induced by fingerprint sensors include image resolution, scanning area, gray levels, etc. Such variations can impact the quality of the extracted features, and cross-device matching performance. This is true even when dealing with fingerprint sensors of …

The Denaturalization Of Miguel De Cervantes Saavedra's El Igenioso Hidalgo Don Quijote De La Mancha In Children's Entertainment In The United States, Danielle Vincenza South

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Versions of Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra's El ingenioso hidalgo don Quijote de la Mancha for United States children have been adapted to fit the North American target market. This research aims to identify what changes have occurred and the impact the United States' cultural touch could have on the comprehension of the original text. In the analysis to follow, the four chosen works, two books and two cartoons, demonstrate American beliefs that appeal to the intended audience. One book, entitled Adventures of Don Quixote written by Argentina Palacios, conveys the concept of the American Dream to her readers. UB IWERKS's …

The Role Of Self-Efficacy In Predicting Treatment Adherence In Youth With Cystic Fibrosis, Margo M. Szabo

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Adolescents with cystic fibrosis (CF) demonstrate relatively poor treatment adherence in comparison to other age groups, which can lead to adverse health outcomes. Though previous research has examined various factors associated with treatment adherence in pediatric CF samples, no studies to date have explored the interrelations among self-efficacy, parental style, level of responsibility for CF care, and treatment adherence in this population. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the role of self-efficacy, parental style, and level of responsibility for CF care in predicting treatment adherence in adolescents with CF. A sample of 59 adolescents with CF (M …

Examining Childbirth-Related Trauma And Its Effect On Maternal Self-Efficacy And Appraisal Of Infant Temperament, Teresa B. Stire

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

It is estimated that 3--9% of women will meet full diagnostic criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following childbirth, with another 20 to 40% being partially symptomatic for the disorder. While precedents and associated factors leading to childbirth related PTSD have been fairly well researched, the postpartum outcomes such as the mother's perception of herself in the parenting role, and her appraisal of her infant's temperament have been far less studied. Other psychiatric disorders have been linked to lower estimations of parental self efficacy and more negative views of infant temperament. This study examined childbirth related trauma and its effect …

"I Feel That Our House Is The Future As Well As The Past": Architecture, Monumentality And Form In The Modernist Novel, Harrington Weihl

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Questions of how literary modernism and literary realism can be distinguished from one another, particularly in the transitional period at the beginning of the twentieth century, are central concerns in the study of literature. I argue here that in E.M. Forster's 1913 novel Howards End, the 'monumentality' of the titular house is the key to its inclusion in the modernist canon. This monumentality is incomplete, I claim, and as such formally replicates the impossibility of comprehending or representing modern life. I conclude with a similar reading of Elizabeth Bowen's 1929 novel The Last September in order to demonstrate that this …

Effects Of The Popcorn Flavorings, Diacetyl And 2,3-Pentanedione, In The Airways, Eric J. Zaccone

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

"Popcorn workers' lung" (PWL) is a bronchiolitis obliterans-like obstructive disease caused by inhalation of butter flavoring vapor during the manufacture of microwave popcorn. Lung function tests of employees at several microwave popcorn plants revealed that the severity of abnormal lung function correlated with increasing cumulative exposure to the butter flavorant, diacetyl. Recently, the diacetyl substitute, 2,3-pentanedione, has also been identified as a respiratory hazard. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) demonstrated in rats that inhalation of occupationally-relevant concentrations of diacetyl and 2,3-pentanedione vapor for 6 h resulted in airway epithelial necrosis and apoptosis in the nasal passages …

Influence Of Geochemical Processes On The Geomechanical Response Of The Overburden Due To Co2 Storage In Saline Aquifers, Sai Bharath Kumar Varre

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Saline aquifers have been identified as desirable geologic formations, suitable for the storage of carbon dioxide (CO2) in large amounts. While the impermeable caprock layer(s) in the overburden provide(s) the primary trap for injected carbon dioxide, other trapping mechanisms, such as solubility, residual, ionic or mineral trapping, help contribute to CO2 storage. Geochemical reactions alter the petrophysical properties such as porosity in the target reservoir, and may have an influence on the reservoir storage capacity. When CO2 is injected for long periods of time, it changes the fluid pressures and the overburden geomechanical response. The geomechanical response associated with time-dependent …

The Role Of The Error Correction Journal On The Written Performance Of Foreign Language Students, Budimka Uskokovic Tenney

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study focuses on the effects of error recording and analysis in the form of an Error Correction Journal (ECJ) on the linguistic accuracy of students of German and on their motivation to learn the language. It focuses on three groups of students, one that completed the ECJ, one that received coded feedback, and one that was given direct correction. The goal of the study was to check for improved accuracy and increased motivation based on the use of a journal to analyze and to raise awareness about errors. Through the use of the ECJ, students became more aware of …

Transient Studies Of A Sodium Sulfur Cell, Sarah Caprio

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Modern grids will include input from fossil-fueled power generation facilities as well as renewable energy sources, and these are expected to work together actively. One major problem with this integrated power production is that most renewable energy sources are intermittent and variable, and thus introduce a very challenging situation with regard to grid stability and reliability. Also, fossil-fueled power generation facilities have load cycles based on expected usage. A non-reliable power source cannot feasibly be used to supply the grid with proper amounts of energy needed in peak times. A solution to this dilemma is power storage. The sodium-sulfur battery …

Patch-Based Ensemble Learning Scheme For Heterogeneous Face Recognition, Cunjian Chen

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The problem of Heterogeneous Face Recognition (HFR) involves comparing and matching face images that look significantly different primarily due to variations in their photometric composition. Examples include matching face images acquired in different spectral bands (e.g., visible versus thermal spectrum), or before and after the application of makeup. In this dissertation, we develop and evaluate a robust face recognition method to address this challenge.;The first part of the thesis deals with the topic of facial cosmetics. In this regard, we demonstrate the negative impact of facial cosmetics on existing face recognition as well as gender and age estimation systems. Next, …

Face Recognition With The Rgb-D Sensor, Cesare Ciaccio

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Face recognition in unconstrained environments is still a challenge, because of the many variations of the facial appearance due to changes in head pose, lighting conditions, facial expression, age, etc. This work addresses the problem of face recognition in the presence of 2D facial appearance variations caused by 3D head rotations. It explores the advantages of the recently developed consumer-level RGB-D cameras (e.g. Kinect). These cameras provide color and depth images at the same rate. They are affordable and easy to use, but the depth images are noisy and in low resolution, unlike laser scanned depth images. The proposed approach …