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Ai-Based Smart Proxy Modelling Of Ibdp Field Reservoir Pressure Of Carbon Sequestration, Idongesit Bassey Ansa

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The application of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in engineering holds great promise for addressing the challenge of climate change. One key focus in the fight against climate change is the geological storage of CO2, which has gained significant attention as a crucial strategy for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. The primary objective is to ensure the safe and controlled containment of injected CO2 over an extended period, which has proven to be a major challenge in the journey toward carbon capture, and geologic storage (CCS). To achieve this goal, several critical tasks must be accomplished. These include ensuring …

The Effect Of Different Fracturing Fluids On The Productivity Of Multi-Staged Fractured Marcellus Shale Horizontal Wells, Vida Gyaubea Matey-Korley

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

While hydraulic fracturing has undeniably improved the production from oil and gas reservoirs, this technology is not without limitations. The primary hurdles lie in the areas of proppant transport, fluid rheology, and stress management. Despite the extensive research conducted in this domain, there remains a considerable amount of work to be done for comprehensive solutions that account for the complex interactions among fracturing fluid, proppant distribution, and geomechanical conditions. Achieving this will then make room for a holistic and efficient hydraulic fracturing strategy.

This study addresses the above-mentioned problem by examining the impact of fluid type on proppant transport and …

Design And Manufacture Of An Aerodynamic Body That Meets Scaling Law Requirements And Survives Severe G-Load Environment For Free-Flight Testing, Anthony R. Gonzalez

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Design and Manufacture of an Aerodynamic Body that Meets Scaling Law Requirements and Survives Severe G-load Environment for Free-Flight Testing

Anthony Gonzalez

Developing scale models to test functionality and ascertain aerodynamic properties is critical before manufacturing full-size products. Through dimensional analysis and similitude, engineers create scale models to test any parameter of interest. This research aims to design a scale model of an aerodynamic body for repeated free-flight testing. The Froude number is the dominant scale model law used to determine the geometric, mass, and inertia scaling laws. A critical requirement for this research is that the model should be …

Enhancing Vehicular Perception: A Comprehensive Analysis Of Sensor Fusion Performance Through Weighted Averages And Fuzzy C-Means For Optimal Data Association, Zachary Brian Flanigan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This work explores the implementation of sensor fusion and data association for autonomous vehicle design. Advancements in Adaptive Driver Assistance System (ADAS) technology have driven the development of perception algorithms required for higher levels of autonomy in vehicles. Perception algorithms process data collected from radar, camera, and LiDAR sensors to generate a complete model of the ego vehicle’s surrounding environment. Fusion of data from these sensors is important for accurate measurement of longitudinal and lateral distances to surrounding objects. Sensor fusion associates sensor detections to each other through different data association techniques. Data association techniques can consist of independent assignment …

Development And Validation Of Improved Live Load Distribution Factors For Moment In Press-Brake-Formed Steel Tub Girder Bridges, Brook Teklu Woldegabriel

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Press-brake-formed tub girders (PBFTGs) offer innovative solutions for short-span steel bridge applications, possessing efficiency, versatility, and sustainability. These girders are galvanized shallow trapezoidal boxes fabricated from cold-bent structural steel plates. Depending on the design requirements, a concrete deck or other deck options, such as a steel sandwich plate system, can be placed on the girders. The Short Span Steel Bridge Alliance (SSSBA) extensively researched the steel PBFTG bridge system. As a testament to its potential, the AASHTO Innovation Initiative (AII) recognized it as a 2021 Focus Technology. AII has shown commitment to promoting the adoption of PBFTG among its member …

Exploiting The Advantages And Overcoming The Challenges Of The Cable In A Tethered Drone System, Rogerio Rodrigues Lima

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation proposes solutions for motion planning, localization, and landing of tethered drones using only tether variables. A tether-based multi-model localization framework for tethered drones is proposed. This framework comprises three independent localization strategies based on a different model. The first strategy uses simple trigonometric relations assuming that the tether is taut; the second method relies on a set of catenary equations for the slack tether case; the third estimator is a neural network-based predictor that can cover different tether shapes. Multi-layer perceptron networks previously trained with a dataset comprised of the tether variables (i.e., length, tether angles on the …

Examining The Relations Among Academic And Non-Cognitive Factors And Student Achievement, Dona Sachini Hasanjalie Hewagallage

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Since the 1980s, Physics Education Research (PER) has explored the factors influencing students' success in college. This manuscript reports three different studies to understand the impact of different factors on students' college physics achievement. The first study explored several academic (high school physics preparation, high school preparation, math readiness, and ACT or SAT verbal and mathematics scores) and non-cognitive (self-efficacy, personality, belonging, grade expectation, and demographic) factors using correlation and linear regression analysis to understand their relation to students' physics conceptual understanding measured by the Force and Motion Conceptual Evaluation (FMCE). High school preparation was found to be the most …

Spiking Neural Network That Maps From Generalized Coordinates To Cartesian Coordinates, Chloe K. Guie

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In this thesis, I look to understand how insects compute task-level quantities by integrating range-fractionated sensory signals to create a sparse-spatial coding of Cartesian positions. I created biologically plausible 2-D and 3-D models of one species of the stick insect (Carausius morosus) leg and encoded the foot position through a spiking neural network. This model used spiking afferents from three angles of an insect leg which are integrated by one non-spiking interneuron. This model contains many dendritic compartments and one somatic compartment that encode the foot’s position relative to the body. The Functional Subnetwork Approach (FSA) was used …

Investigating The Interactions Of The Iron-Sulfur Mitochondrial Protein, Mitoneet With Its Binding Partners, Ebenezer Osei Newton

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

MitoNEET belongs to the CDGSH Iron-Sulfur Domain (CISD)-gene family of proteins and is a [2Fe-2S] cluster-containing protein found on the outer membrane of mitochondria. The specific functions of mitoNEET/CISD1 remain to be fully elucidated, but the protein is involved in regulating mitochondrial bioenergetics in several metabolic diseases. Unfortunately, drug discovery efforts targeting mitoNEET to improve metabolic disorders are hampered by the lack of ligand-binding assays for this mitochondrial protein. We have developed a protocol amenable for high-throughput screening (HTS) assay, by modifying an ATP fluorescence polarization method to facilitate drug discovery targeting mitoNEET. Based on our observation that adenosine triphosphate …

Impacts Of Error Rate And Therapist Appearance On The Accuracy Of Fidelity Data Collection, Marisela A. Aguilar

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Procedural fidelity is the extent to which a procedure is implemented as designed. Analyzing procedural-fidelity data can improve treatment outcomes. Fidelity data are generally collected by a supervisor or trained data collector using a checklist that operationalizes each component of the procedure and accounts for errors in implementation of the components. However, little is known about variables that may affect the accuracy of supervisor-collected data generally, and even less is known about variables that may affect the accuracy of procedural-fidelity data. Therefore, the current studies explored the extent to which Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) accurately detected programmed fidelity errors …

Implementing Test Automation With Selenium Webdriver, Ramana Inturi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Many software programs, such as applications for designing, modeling, simulating, and analyzing systems, are now commonly available as web-based applications. The testing of such sophisticated web applications is highly challenging and can be extremely tedious and error-prone if done manually. Recently automation tools have become increasingly used for testing web-based applications, as they minimize human involvement and repetitive work.

For this problem report project, we have built and implemented an automation testing framework for web applications. The project specifically uses a tool called Selenium WebDriver, which has been used to develop the testing framework. By using this framework, testers may …

Spatio-Temporal Deep Learning Approaches For Addressing Track Association Problem Using Automatic Identification System (Ais) Data, Md Asif Bin Syed

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In the realm of marine surveillance, track association constitutes a pivotal yet challenging task, involving the identification and tracking of unlabelled vessel trajectories. The need for accurate data association algorithms stems from the urge to spot unusual vessel movements or threat detection. These algorithms link sequential observations containing location and motion information to specific moving objects, helping to build their real-time trajectories. These threat detection algorithms will be useful when a vessel attempts to conceal its identity. The algorithm can then identify and track the specific vessel from its incoming signal. The data for this study is sourced from the …

Experimental And Design Evaluation Of Multi-Bolted Gfrp Joints, Amir Hossein Houshmandyar

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

For infrastructure system implementation, high strength/stiffness to self-weight ratio, corrosion resistance and ease of fabrication are just a few of the many advantages of pultruded fiber reinforced polymer (PFRP) composites over traditional construction materials. However, challenges of engineered FRP materials are addressed via continuous updating of design codes. For example, the anisotropic nature of FRP composite materials includes different mechanical properties in different directions (pull or longitudinal direction vs. transverse to pull direction) of a structural member, resulting in design complexities over isotropic materials. Typically, infrastructure systems are built by bolting FRP structural members because of certain advantages of bolted …

Tesol And Feminist Pedagogy: The Application Of Feminist Pedagogy In Esl Versus Efl Settings, Emil Asanov

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Feminist pedagogy, which emerged in the United States in the 1980s, is an-anti oppressive pedagogy that invites students to build community, fosters an inclusive learning environment for everyone to succeed and lead, and encourages power sharing among and between students and teachers. With feminism spreading and varying across the world, feminist pedagogy advertently or inadvertently manifests itself in the work of some English as a second language (ESL) and English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers. Feminist pedagogy has received popularity in English classrooms all over the world, which is evidenced by increasing research on the topic (e.g., Vandrick, 1994, …

Efficacy Of Reported Issue Times As A Means For Effort Estimation, Paul Phillip Maclean

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Software effort is a measure of manpower dedicated to developing and maintaining and software. Effort estimation can help project managers monitor their software, teams, and timelines. Conversely, improper effort estimation can result in budget overruns, delays, lost contracts, and accumulated Technical Debt (TD). Issue Tracking Systems (ITS) have become mainstream project management tools, with over 65,000 companies using Jira alone. ITS are an untapped resource for issue resolution effort research. Related work investigates issue effort for specific issue types, usually Bugs or similar. They model their developer-documented issue resolution times using features from the issues themselves. This thesis explores a …

Analyzing The Viability Of Direct Pcr For Use In Conjunction With Cyanoacrylate Enhanced Fingerprints, Coral M. Smith

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Efficient methods for DNA analysis are desperately needed in laboratories due to the influx in DNA analysis requests. The current DNA processing methods are costly, time consuming, and involve multiple tube changes, increasing the risk of contamination. However, the use of direct PCR can simplify the DNA analysis process by eliminating the extraction, purification and quantitation steps. Presently, the FBI Quality Assurance Standard 9.4 requires all evidence samples to be quantitated. As a result, the direct PCR method of DNA processing cannot be implemented on evidence samples at this time. Direct PCR presents the opportunity to provide efficient DNA analysis, …

Studies Of Electromagnetic Counterparts To Gravitational-Wave Sources And The Nonlinear Gravitational-Wave Memory Effect, Ashok Choudhary

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In this dissertation, theoretical/computational results are presented from the investigations of three different topics within the general research areas of gravitational wave astrophysics and electromagnetic counterparts. First, general relativistic force-free electromagnetic theory and its application to black hole magnetospheres are discussed. In this connection, simulations of a binary black hole merger are examined using the open-source software, GiRaFFE, which is used to model black holes’ magnetospheres and to study supermassive black-hole binary mergers in an external magnetic field. In the simulations, a helical magnetic field structure around each black hole is observed. Electromagnetic energy flux is observed during the inspiral …

Application Of Artificial Intelligence For Co2 Storage In Saline Aquifer (Smart Proxy For Snap-Shot In Time), Marwan Mohammed Alnuaimi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technology have grown in popularity. Smart Proxy Models (SPM) are AI/ML based data-driven models which have proven to be quite crucial in petroleum engineering domain with abundant data, or operations in which large surface/ subsurface volume of data is generated. Climate change mitigation is one application of such technology to simulate and monitor CO2 injection into underground formations.

The goal of the SPM developed in this study is to replicate the results (in terms of pressure and saturation outputs) of the numerical reservoir simulation model (CMG) for CO2 injection into …

Regional Correlation And Depositional History Using Well Log And Core Data Of The Geneseo-Burket From The Poseidon 8m Well, Westmoreland County Pa, Usa, Spencer Leonard Williams Jr.

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Abstract

Regional Correlation and Depositional History using Well Log and Core Data of the Geneseo-Burket from the Poseidon 8M Well, Westmoreland County PA, USA

Spencer Williams

Natural gas producers have invested billions of dollars in Pennsylvania and West Virginia to establish significant gas production from the Devonian Marcellus Shale and the deeper Ordovician Utica-Point Pleasant interval. In addition, commercial gas production has been reported from several other Devonian shale units in the Appalachian region, including the Rhinestreet, Levanna, and Geneseo-Burket. The Marcellus Shale is the largest natural gas play in the United States. The Marcellus is located directly under the …

Investigating The Marketing Language Among Online Retailers Of Violin Strings To Determine The Implied Aesthetic, Kira Kay Browning

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The aim of this research is to determine if language in the advertising of violin strings is acting as an exclusionary tool in favor of a Western art music “sound” produced by “classical” violinists. It posits that the marketing of strings to violinists is a topic laden with unacknowledged biases and values of musicians within Western art music. The aesthetic values attached to playing Western art music for the violin in the United States are passed on through pedagogic practice and acculturation of language. Product descriptions for strings in the United States employ language which adheres to these cultural values …

Face Recognition With Attention Mechanisms, Qiangchang Wang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Face recognition has been widely used in people’s daily lives due to its contactless process and high accuracy. Existing works can be divided into two categories: global and local approaches. The mainstream global approaches usually extract features on whole faces. However, global faces tend to suffer from dramatic appearance changes under the scenarios of large pose variations, heavy occlusions, and so on. On the other hand, since some local patches may remain similar, they can play an important role in such scenarios. Existing local approaches mainly rely on cropping local patches around facial landmarks and then extracting corresponding local representations. …

A Monte Carlo Simulation Of Rat Choice Behavior With Interdependent Outcomes, Michelle A. Frankot

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Preclinical behavioral neuroscience often uses choice paradigms to capture psychiatric symptoms. In particular, the subfield of operant research produces nested datasets with many discrete choices in a session. The standard analytic practice is to aggregate choice into a continuous variable and analyze using ANOVA or linear regression. However, choice data often have multiple interdependent outcomes of interest, violating an assumption of general linear models. The aim of the current study was to quantify the accuracy of linear mixed-effects regression (LMER) for analyzing data from a 4-choice operant task called the Rodent Gambling Task (RGT), which measures decision-making in the context …

Development Of An Expert Algorithm For Substance Identification (Easi) To Discriminate Between Spectrally Similar Fentanyl Analogs In Mass Spectrometry, Alexandra Adeoye

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Fentanyl is an opioid that is about 100 times more potent than morphine, and its analogs are just as potent, and some like carfentanil are even more so potent. In recent years, fentanyl and its analogs have been responsible for over 50% of overdose-related deaths. In response, the DEA has placed all fentanyl analogs as Schedule I compounds because of their non-medicinal use and high potential for abuse and physical dependence. However, fentanyl analogs have high structural and mass spectral similarities due to the extremely conservative nature of the core fentanyl structure, which makes the differentiation and identification of fentanyl …

In Darkness There Is Light: Designing For The Insect Play, Seret Teresa Cole

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This serves as documentation of my scenic design process for the School of Theatre & Dance at West Virginia University’s production of The Insect Play by Karel Čapek. This thesis includes a plot summary, text analysis, and historical context. It also contains conversations with the director and design team, as well as a description of my design process befitting the needs of the play. The design aspects will be presented through research photos, models, drafting plates, and execution photos. It will conclude with a self-reflection of the overall production process.

Essays In The Consequences Of Occupational Regulation, Noah J. Trudeau

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Occupational regulation affects many people across many aspects of life. This dissertation research investigates the consequences of occupational regulation across three different areas of study: economic history, urban and regional economics, and health policy.

The first chapter investigates the historic licensing of emigrant agents. In the period following the US Civil War, firms wished to capitalize on the availability of African American labor. To do so they hired emigrant agents, also known as labor agents, to hire and help with the migration of individuals from the South. Faced with out-migration at the hands of the labor force, some southern states …

Assessment Of Quechers Extraction Protocol For The Lc-Ms/Ms Detection Of Emerging Fentanyl Analogs In Biological Specimens For Clinical And Forensic Purposes, Kylea M. Morris

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Drug abuse within the United States is a dynamic and pervasive issue that affects the quality and life expectancy of our society. One of the major drug classes that are constantly utilized is opioids. Opioids are prescribed for pain management in patients suffering from cancer and other medical illnesses. Long-term use of opioids could lead to tolerance in humans, which poses a risk of reaching fatal overdose levels. Unfortunately, opioids are abused recreationally, and in some instances, individuals are unaware of the presence of dangerous synthetic drugs like fentanyl, hidden in materials such as heroin, cocaine, oxycodone, and methamphetamine. Recent …

Gan-Based Super-Resolution And Segmentation Of Retinal Layers In Optical Coherence Tomography Scans, Paria Jeihouni

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) has been identified as a noninvasive and cost-effective imaging modality for identifying potential biomarkers for Alzheimer's diagnosis and progress detection. Current hypotheses indicate that retinal layer thickness, which can be assessed via OCT scans, is an efficient biomarker for identifying Alzheimer's disease. Due to factors such as speckle noise, a small target region, and unfavorable imaging conditions manual segmentation of retina layers is a challenging task. Therefore, as a reasonable first step, this study focuses on automatically segmenting retinal layers to separate them for subsequent investigations. Another important challenge commonly faced is the lack of clarity …

Integrated Large Discontinuity Factor, Lamodel And Stability Mapping Approach For Stone Mine Pillar Stability, Mustafa Baris Ates

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The objective of this research is to develop a software tool that integrates the large discontinuity factor (LDF) and the Boundary Element Method software (BEM), LaModel, to allow stone mine operators to assess the impact of the large discontinuities on local pillar stability. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) published design guidelines for underground stone mines to guide the industry in designing pillar and roof support. These guidelines emphasize the impact of large, angular discontinuities on pillar strength. Esterhuizen et al. (2011) derived the large discontinuity factor (LDF) to account for the impact of discontinuities on pillar stability …

A Case Study Of Poland Regarding The Utility Of Strategic Culture, Christian Pierce Griffith

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

From the Cold War until today, researchers and strategists have worked to find better ways of understanding the strategic decisions of other countries. Many diplomats and international decision makers subscribed to the idea that countries always acted rationally with a rational, cost-benefit analysis approach to problems that laid before them. Others, however, wished to explain the seemingly irrational actions countries have taken, and proposed that not all countries share the same objective values and goals. Academic authors and political strategists claimed that countries have Strategic Cultures, defined as frameworks that policy makers operate within where they are influenced by cultural …

The Burning Bush: Linking Lidar-Derived Shrub Architecture To Flammability, Michelle S. Bester

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Light detection and ranging (LiDAR) and terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) sensors are powerful tools for characterizing vegetation structure and for constructing three-dimensional (3D) models of trees, also known as quantitative structural models (QSM). 3D models and structural traits derived from them provide valuable information for biodiversity conservation, forest management, and fire behavior modeling. However, vegetation studies and 3D modeling methodologies often only focus on the forest canopy, with little attention given to understory vegetation. In particular, 3D structural information of shrubs is limited or not included in fire behavior models. Yet, understory vegetation is an important component of forested ecosystems, …