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Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

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Actin Nanokinematics Under The Influence Of Dc Electric Fields, Raghu Chilakamarri Dec 2005

Actin Nanokinematics Under The Influence Of Dc Electric Fields, Raghu Chilakamarri

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Molecular shuttles are nanometer-sized machines capable of transporting single molecules over small distances under user control. Actin-myosin system is a motor protein system, which naturally evolved within the cell for the nanoscale transport. The Acto-Myosin system is fuelled by ATP, converting chemical energy into linear motion. The gliding geometry movement of actin wherein the tails of the motors are adsorbed to the surface and the heads of the motors move the actin filaments across the surface can be exploited to achieve the directional control. The motion of actin in a specific direction and the surface of travel can be modified …

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Characterization And Investigation Of Molybdenum Carbides On Activated Carbon As Hydrogenation Catalysts, Christopher H. Clark Dec 2005

Characterization And Investigation Of Molybdenum Carbides On Activated Carbon As Hydrogenation Catalysts, Christopher H. Clark

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The formation of Mo2C and MoC supported on activated carbon was investigated in three different flowing reaction gas environments: H2, He, and CO. Additionally, benzene hydrogenation activity was studied for the catalysts reduced in each of these three different gas environments.;It was found through in-situ x-ray diffraction (XRD) that reducing in H2, ammonium heptamolybdate impregnated on activated carbon yielded 1-3 nm Mo2C particles. When the same material was calcinced in inert, 9 nm Mo2C particles were formed. If the reduction gas were CO, MoC particles having size less than 3 nm were formed. In all three reduction environments, the in-situ …

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Assessment Of Application, Effectiveness, And Compliance Of Forestry Best Management Practices In West Virginia, William A. Goff Dec 2005

Assessment Of Application, Effectiveness, And Compliance Of Forestry Best Management Practices In West Virginia, William A. Goff

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The application, effectiveness, and compliance of forestry best management practices (BMPs) were assessed based on 116 randomly selected sites harvested between November 2003 and March 2004 in West Virginia. Landowners were contacted to gain permission for site visits according to the random list. The landowners were also asked a series of questions to identify their knowledge and satisfaction about the harvest and BMPs. A series of eight checklists were used to assess 26 BMPs on haul roads, skid trails, landings, and in streamside management zones (SMZs). Thirty three out of 116 sites with SMZs were further evaluated for BMP applications …

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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 …

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Optical Detection Of Multiple Faults Of A Mems Based Linear Comb Resonator, Lakshmi Deepasree Konduparthi Dec 2005

Optical Detection Of Multiple Faults Of A Mems Based Linear Comb Resonator, Lakshmi Deepasree Konduparthi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Investigating the dynamic behavior of any Micro Electro Mechanical system is critical for better control and fault prediction. Linear Comb Resonator is one such MEMS generic device that exhibits motion parallel to the plane of the chip. The dynamic motion of the Linear Comb Resonator is characterized by various parameters such as mass, force applied and also the stiffness constant of the flexure that holds the device. The aim of the project is to determine the changes caused by the asymmetry in the flexure design and the fluctuations in the behavior of the resonator due to this. The changes in …

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Investigation Of Moisture Sensitivity Of Hot Mix Asphalt Concrete, Anu Ganesan Viswanathan Dec 2005

Investigation Of Moisture Sensitivity Of Hot Mix Asphalt Concrete, Anu Ganesan Viswanathan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The objective of this research project is to evaluate impact of change in AASHTO T 283 test method on Superpave mix designs in West Virginia. The Lottman test method and Tunnicliff and Root test method were combined into Modified Lottman test procedure and published as AASHTO T 283 in 1985 and revised in 1989. Research was done to establish how the Superpave compaction and conditioning method affect the test results. As a result of this research, AASHTO T 283 test method was revised in 2003. In the 2003 version, use of gyratory compactor was allowed and changes were made to …

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Computer Aided Detection Of Defects In Frp Bridge Decks Using Infrared Thermography, Gajanan M. Lonkar Dec 2005

Computer Aided Detection Of Defects In Frp Bridge Decks Using Infrared Thermography, Gajanan M. Lonkar

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The objective of this research is to develop a turn-key system that is able to interface with the FLIR ThermaCAM S60 infrared camera and automatically capture and analyze defects in infrared images of FRP bridge decks. Infrared thermography is one of the nondestructive evaluation (NDE) techniques that are being used to locate defects (debonds and delaminations) in bridge components. It is a rapid data collection and interpretation technique having high sensitivity and reliability. Analysis of infrared images by human interpretation is dependent on the users knowledge and hence introduces ambiguity in the defect detection process.;This thesis investigates the use of …

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Error And Attack Tolerance Of Complex Real Networks, Vamsi Salla Dec 2005

Error And Attack Tolerance Of Complex Real Networks, Vamsi Salla

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Real networks are often subjected to failures and attacks. Real networks are found to be robust to errors and vulnerable to attacks. This behavior of real networks is attributed to their non-homogeneous degree distribution. Non-homogenous networks are also known as scale free networks. Real networks along with the scale free property show high modularity.;Many network models have been proposed to model real networks. Erdos-Renyi Random network model is the first attempt, but fails to incorporate both properties - scale free as well as the high modularity of the real networks. Small world model shows high clustering but lacks non-homogeneous distribution. …

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Characterization Of Web Server Workload, Amit Sangle Dec 2005

Characterization Of Web Server Workload, Amit Sangle

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Realistic and formal mathematical description of web-server workload forms a fundamental step in the design of synthetic workload generators, capacity planning and accurate predictions of performance measures. In this thesis we perform detailed empirical analysis of the web workload by analyzing access logs of nine web-servers. Unlike most previous work that focused on request-based workload characterization, we analyze both request and session characteristics. We perform rigorous statistical analysis to determine the self-similarity of web traffic and heavy-tailedness of the distribution of different session parameters. Our analysis shows that web traffic is self-similar and the degree of self-similarity is proportional to …

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Ensemble Learning For Ranking Interesting Attributes, Erik W. Sinsel Dec 2005

Ensemble Learning For Ranking Interesting Attributes, Erik W. Sinsel

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Machine learning knowledge representations, such as decision trees; are often incomprehensible to humans. They can also contain errors specific to the representation type and the data used to generate them. By combining larger; less comprehensible decision trees, it is possible to increase their accuracy as an ensemble compared to the best individual tree. The thesis examines an ensemble learning technique and presents a unique knowledge elicitation technique which produces an ordered ranking of attributes by their importance in leading to more desirable classifications. The technique compares full branches of decision trees, finding the set difference of shared attributes. The combination …

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Development Of A Vehicle Road Load Model For Ecu Broadcast Power Verification In On-Road Emissions Testing, Nathan A. Moynahan Dec 2005

Development Of A Vehicle Road Load Model For Ecu Broadcast Power Verification In On-Road Emissions Testing, Nathan A. Moynahan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

West Virginia University (WVU) has become an industry leader in heavy-duty emissions testing and is continuously improving and updating their testing goals, procedures, and quality. As emissions testing is conducted at WVU in a real-world, on-road environment, engine parameter values are read through the test vehicle's electronic control unit (ECU) and recorded for use in data reductions. One significant value that is recorded by the WVU emissions measurement system is the ECU engine power output. Theses values are recorded and used to report vehicle's brake specific emissions values over a prescribed open-road test route. Because of the fact that the …

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Investigation Of Internal Fluid Pressure In Cells, Jayendran Srinivasan Dec 2005

Investigation Of Internal Fluid Pressure In Cells, Jayendran Srinivasan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Articular cartilage is a connective tissue that covers the ends of bones in joints, providing a nearly frictionless bearing surface for efficiently transmitting loads to the underlying joint. It is made up of specialized cells called chondrocytes that are responsible for its growth and maintenance. Studies indicate that cells remodel the tissue in response to mechanical loading. However the mechanism by which cells sense and respond to mechanical signals is poorly understood.;Studies also suggest the presence of internal fluid pressure in cells and change in this fluid pressure is believed to play a role in cellular mechanical signal transduction. This …

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Prosody In Text-To-Speech Synthesis Using Fuzzy Logic, Jonathan Brent Williams Dec 2005

Prosody In Text-To-Speech Synthesis Using Fuzzy Logic, Jonathan Brent Williams

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

For over a thousand years, inventors, scientists and researchers have tried to reproduce human speech. Today, the quality of synthesized speech is not equivalent to the quality of real speech. Most research on speech synthesis focuses on improving the quality of the speech produced by Text-to-Speech (TTS) systems. The best TTS systems use unit selection-based concatenation to synthesize speech. However, this method is very timely and the speech database is very large. Diphone concatenated synthesized speech requires less memory, but sounds robotic. This thesis explores the use of fuzzy logic to make diphone concatenated speech sound more natural. A TTS …

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Reconstruction Of Fingerprints From Minutiae Points, Jidnya A. Shah Dec 2005

Reconstruction Of Fingerprints From Minutiae Points, Jidnya A. Shah

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Most fingerprint authentication systems utilize minutiae information to compare fingerprint images. During enrollment, the minutiae template of a user's fingerprint is extracted and stored in the database. In this work, we concern ourselves with the amount of fingerprint information that can be elicited from the minutiae template of a user's fingerprint. We demonstrate that minutiae information can reveal substantial details such as the orientation field and class of the (unseen) parent fingerprint that can potentially be used to reconstruct the original fingerprint image.;Given a minutiae template, the proposed method first estimates the orientation map of the parent fingerprint by constructing …

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Isolation And Preparation Of Naturally Occurring Aluminum Ligands Using Immobilized Metal Affinity Chromatography For Analysis By Electrospray Ionization-Mass Spectrometry, Carson Baldwin Dec 2005

Isolation And Preparation Of Naturally Occurring Aluminum Ligands Using Immobilized Metal Affinity Chromatography For Analysis By Electrospray Ionization-Mass Spectrometry, Carson Baldwin

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Typically, Al3+ is bound to minerals, but its toxicity towards vascular plants increases with increasing soil acidity. Ectomycorrhizal fungi often confer Al3+ resistance to host plants by unknown mechanisms. The objective of this research was to develop a method for the successful separation of Al3+ binding fungal exudates produced by the fungus Pisolithus tinctorius. A novel Al3+ immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC) technique was developed to extract exudates involved in Al3+ binding. Recovery of exudates from the IMAC column was dependent on elutor type and pH, with ammonium hydroxide being most effective. Exudates exhibited strong binding with Al3+, allowing their …

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Resistance Of Temporally Controlled Behavior To Change, Mirari Elcoro Dec 2005

Resistance Of Temporally Controlled Behavior To Change, Mirari Elcoro

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

To extend research on the relation between temporal control and resistance to change, the temporal location of response-independent food was examined in a modified peak-interval procedure (PIP) with pigeons. Sequences of the PIP consisted of 2, 3, 4 or 5 FI 30-s trials followed by a 90-s peak trial, each separated by a 90-s blackout. In different conditions, response-independent food was delivered within the first, last, or a randomly selected FI trial of each sequence. Overall, quarter-life values, peak times, and peak rates showed the highest decrease in temporal control relative to baseline when disruption occurred in the last FI …

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Real-Time Measurements Of Space Potential In Magnetized Plasma Using A Baffled Langmuir Probe, Sean M. Finnegan Dec 2005

Real-Time Measurements Of Space Potential In Magnetized Plasma Using A Baffled Langmuir Probe, Sean M. Finnegan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

An electrostatic probe for real-time measurements of space potential in magnetized plasma is tested in fully ionized, barium, Q-machine plasma. The tungsten wire probe tip, oriented perpendicular to the magnetic field, is partially shielded by ceramic baffles (masks). Rotation of the probe about its cylindrical axis, changes the fraction of electrons that can reach the probe tip along the magnetic field, enabling the ratio between the electron and ion saturation currents to be adjusted without changing the probe bias. When optimally shielded, accurate, real-time measurements of space potential can be acquired.

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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 …

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Parents' Perceptions Of The Gluten-Free Casein-Free Diet For Their Children With Autism, Annette Puglisi Dec 2005

Parents' Perceptions Of The Gluten-Free Casein-Free Diet For Their Children With Autism, Annette Puglisi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study examined the factors that affected parent's decision for putting their autistic children on a gluten free casein free diet (gfcf diet). Parents completed a fifteen question survey relating to multiple factors affecting their lives while having their children on a gfcf diet. In addition, parents were asked to fill out a three day diet history for their child for a nutrient analysis.;Fifty three surveys (21%) and ten diet histories were returned. The majority of parents first heard of the gfcf diet either on the Internet (28%) or from Parent Magazine (32%). Desperation (25%) was the main reason parents …

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Temporal Trends In Consumption, Growth, And Successful Feeding Traits Of A Central Appalachian Brook Trout Population At The Watershed Scale, Ryan Michael Utz Dec 2005

Temporal Trends In Consumption, Growth, And Successful Feeding Traits Of A Central Appalachian Brook Trout Population At The Watershed Scale, Ryan Michael Utz

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) in Appalachia frequently experience limitations in food availability. In order to determine temporal variation in consumption, successful feeding, and corresponding population patterns and growth, the feeding dynamics of a population of brook trout were monitored throughout a headwater watershed over the course of two years. The Middle Fork River brook trout experienced food limitation throughout summer and fall, however, mean consumption estimates fell below maintenance ration only during the winter seasons. Consumption estimates were significantly related to watershed position, as fish in low density, downstream reaches consistently consumed significantly more energy than fish upstream during warm …

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Small Particle Separation In A Circulating Fluidized Bed Riser System, Robert R. Almond Dec 2005

Small Particle Separation In A Circulating Fluidized Bed Riser System, Robert R. Almond

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Particle separation is an important area of interest in many fields, such as the coal and mineral processing industries. A circulating fluidized bed riser system has been built to investigate the separation processes. The system separated the particles into three streams which lead to the dense bin, the product bin, and the filter chamber. Promising results have been obtained which may lead to a system which is viable for commercial separation. The following categories of separation were investigated: separation based on size difference of the particles, separation based on density difference of the particles, and the practicality of separating mineral …

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Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy As A Diagnostic Tool For Coal Fines, I. Andrew Aurelio Dec 2005

Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy As A Diagnostic Tool For Coal Fines, I. Andrew Aurelio

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) is a technique that uses a laser, to focus down and atomize a sample of desired material. Focusing of the laser onto the material causes a plasma formation, which the material is broken down into excited ionic and atomic states. The atoms then emit characteristic optical radiation. Collection of the emitted light can be used to provide information on the elemental composition of the material. This research investigates a fundamental study of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) applied to coal samples, coal fines, and fly ash. During this research, apparatus and methodology were developed to quantify …

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Robust Pre-Processing Techniques For Non-Ideal Iris Images, Purva M. Barve Dec 2005

Robust Pre-Processing Techniques For Non-Ideal Iris Images, Purva M. Barve

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The human iris has been demonstrated to be a very accurate, non-invasive and easy-to-use biometric for personal identification. Most of the current state-of-the-art iris recognition systems require the iris acquisition to be ideal. A lot of constraints are hence put on the user and the acquisition process.;Our aim in this research is to relax these conditions and to develop a pre-processing algorithm, which can be used in conjunction with any matching algorithm to handle the so-called non-ideal iris images. In this thesis we present a few robust techniques to process the non-ideal iris images so as to give a segmented …

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America And China: Cultural Differences In Online Learning Motivation, Zongxiang Mei Dec 2005

America And China: Cultural Differences In Online Learning Motivation, Zongxiang Mei

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

There are learning motivation differences among students from different countries. And differences between American and Korean online learners were identified. This study was to identify whether American and Chinese online learners' motivation differed and what were the learner characteristics that affected the motivation of online learners. This study was conducted in May-June, 2005, West Virginia University, the United States of America, and Fudan University, China. Findings revealed that there was a significant difference in learning motivation between the U.S. and Chinese online learners. And there were some learner characteristics affected the learning motivation of online learners as well, such as …

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The Influence Of Humanism On The Handwriting Of Michelangelo Buonarroti, Robert J. Tallaksen Dec 2005

The Influence Of Humanism On The Handwriting Of Michelangelo Buonarroti, Robert J. Tallaksen

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The handwriting of Michelangelo Buonarroti underwent a distinct and permanent change between 1497 and 1502. The handwriting of his early letters of 1496 and 1497 is merchantescha, the gothic cursive mercantile script which he would have learned at school. The later handwriting is cancellarescha, a humanistic cursive. It is present in letters, contracts, memoranda, records of accounts, and in annotations on drawings. Both scripts as written by Michelangelo are analyzed paleographically and are compared to examples from instructional writing books of the period. The impossibility of evolution from one script to the other is demonstrated through analysis of the scripts …

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Production Of Conjunctions And T-Units By The Elderly, Benjamin Haymond Dec 2005

Production Of Conjunctions And T-Units By The Elderly, Benjamin Haymond

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Recent research indicates a change in healthy elderly adult language capabilities. More specifically, Shadden (1997) and Ryan (1996) state that language competence is less affected by the processes of aging than production. The topic of this research examined specifically the production of conjunctions from the perspective of Halliday and Hasan (1976) in procedural and narrative discourse by the elderly. The hypothesis stated that the relationship between age and conjunctions produced would be non-significant. In a cross-sectional study, 17 subjects between the ages of 60-86 were interviewed and the transcripts analyzed.;Results supported the hypothesis of a non-significant relationship between age and …

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Automated Dental Identification: A Micro-Macro Decision-Making Approach, Diaa Eldin M. Nassar Dec 2005

Automated Dental Identification: A Micro-Macro Decision-Making Approach, Diaa Eldin M. Nassar

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Identification of deceased individuals based on dental characteristics is receiving increased attention, especially with the large volume of victims encountered in mass disasters. In this work we consider three important problems in automated dental identification beyond the basic approach of tooth-to-tooth matching.;The first problem is on automatic classification of teeth into incisors, canines, premolars and molars as part of creating a data structure that guides tooth-to-tooth matching, thus avoiding illogical comparisons that inefficiently consume the limited computational resources and may also mislead the decision-making. We tackle this problem using principal component analysis and string matching techniques. We reconstruct the segmented …

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Strategies Nurse Educators Use To Integrate Computer -Assisted Instruction Into Their Courses To Teach Clinical Decision-Making, Beverly J. Schaefer Dec 2005

Strategies Nurse Educators Use To Integrate Computer -Assisted Instruction Into Their Courses To Teach Clinical Decision-Making, Beverly J. Schaefer

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The strategies nurse educators' use to integrate computer-assisted instruction (CAI) designed to teach clinical decision-making into their courses were investigated to determine their frequency of use and effectiveness. The "Integration of CAI Questionnaire," an on-line electronic survey designed by the investigator, was used to collect data. A stratified randomly-selected group of 109 schools of nursing that was a statistically representative mix of baccalaureate (BSN), associate (AD) and diploma schools from each of six geographic regions of the United States comprised the sample.;The study questions were as follows: (1) What integration strategies have nurse educators used to integrate CAI? (2) How …

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Nesting Success And Nest Site Characteristics Of Four Thrush Species On A Managed Forest, Rachel Dellinger Dec 2005

Nesting Success And Nest Site Characteristics Of Four Thrush Species On A Managed Forest, Rachel Dellinger

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Four thrush species breed sympatrically in the Allegheny Mountain region of West Virginia, U.S.A.: American Robin (Turdus migratorius), Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus), Veery (Catharus fuscescens), and Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina). How nesting habitat is partitioned among the species is unclear, as is the effect of logging activities on the guild. My objectives were to identify nesting habitat characteristics that are partitioned among the species and to determine their effects on nest survival.;I conducted point count surveys and monitored nests of four thrush species on a managed forest. I measured habitat variables at three scales: (1) nest substrate, (2) nest site, …

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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 …

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