Validation Of Shoulder Strain Index, Fabiha Islam

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) of shoulder are one of the most frequent and major causes of morbidity and pain among full-time workers in the USA. In 2018, shoulder disorders were the most severe type of MSDs in terms of lost workdays. Recent epidemiological studies have identified several biomechanical, organizational, and psychological factors that increase the risk of shoulder MSDs. Though multiple biomechanical studies have evaluated physical causal factors of shoulder MSDs with a goal of risk mitigation, literature lacks a standardized risk assessment tool. The main objective of this study was to validate a previously developed shoulder strain index. The strain …

Nondestructive Condition Assessment Of Civil Infrastructure Using Ultrasonic Technique, Tyler Keith Ashbrook

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Civil Infrastructure controls the way people live by providing safe passage and shelter across the entire globe. Since safety leads the concern in infrastructure, it is essential to ensure that these structures have been adequately tested and analyzed periodically. Testing these structures can be extremely expensive when parts are required to be removed to capture the flaw, which is why nondestructive testing (NDT) continues to grow in demand since it can evaluate the structural component in-situ without causing any damage. Ultrasonic testing (UT) helps to adequately sustain and advance the safety in existing and future infrastructure across the globe. Continual …

Neutral Isn’T Neutral: An Analysis Of Misinformation And Sentiment In The Wake Of The Capitol Riots, Daniel Robert Walsh

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

January 6th, 2021 was a significant moment in the history of the United States of America. Protestors stormed the Capitol building over the results of the 2020 presidential election in which Joseph R. Biden defeated incumbent president Donald J. Trump. The Capitol riots were partially incited by the presence of misinformation on social media and was an example of the power misinformation has. This study presented two questions. Question one pertains to the sentiment analysis of verified Twitter users and their sentiment towards Trump. Question two pertains to analyzing tweets from verified accounts for misinformation between the dates of January …

Doctors, Miners, And Black Lung: A Transatlantic Comparison Of Organized Medicine's Role In The Fight For Black Lung Recognition In West Virginia And Wales, Mollie M. Cecil Md

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Black lung disease is a crippling occupational lung disease experienced by coal miners throughout the world. However, this disease was not always recognized by the medical profession and required significant efforts on the part of miners’ unions to force mainstream recognition. The historiography on the subject is limited, especially with respect to the relationship between organized medicine and organized labor. This work further explores this relationship, particularly how this relationship differed between the parties in Wales and in West Virginia. In doing so, it portrays a more detailed picture of the fight for black lung recognition as well as highlights …

Effects Of Acute And Chronic Nicotine Administration On Choice Of Probabilistic Outcomes, Katya A. Nolder

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Risky choice can be operationally defined as the choice for a larger, uncertain reinforcer over a smaller, certain reinforcer. Research suggests smokers engage in more risky or maladaptive decisions when compared to nonsmokers. The relation between nicotine and risky choice could benefit from further investigation, since nicotine is the active substance of tobacco products that maintains tobacco addiction. Acute nicotine administration has shown to alter risky choice; however, since the everyday smoker uses nicotine repeatedly, more research on chronic administration is warranted and would allow for assessment of tolerance or sensitization of these effects. The present study investigated effects of …

Mitochondrial Aspects Of Neuronal Pathology In Triple-Transgenic Alzheimer’S Disease Mice, John Zachary Cavendish

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a fatal, progressive neurodegenerative disease afflicting millions of people in the United States alone and is the only one of the top leading causes of morbidity and mortality with no effective disease-modifying therapies. It is the most common form of dementia, affecting one in three people over the age of 85. While the hallmarks of the disease include accumulation of beta-amyloid-based extracellular plaques and hyperphosphorylated tau-based intracellular neurofibrillary tangles, treatment strategies centered on removing or mitigating these components of AD have all failed in humans. Mitochondrial dysfunction has been increasingly recognized as an early and consistent …

Effects Of Changes In Land Use Land Cover And Climate On Long-Term Total Dissolved Solids Trends In The Mid-Atlantic Region Of The United States, Melaine Edouard Kolimedje

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The Mid-Atlantic region (MAR) of the U.S. is subjected to a variety of stressors that affect the headwaters of the major rivers. Some of these stressors are abandoned mine drainage, agriculture, municipal point sources, urban areas, out-of-basin diversions, competing water uses, rapid population growths in the lowlands, alterations in water availability due to climate change and habitat alteration. In addition to these regional stressors, the rapid population growths and energy sources shifting have resulted in changes in land use and land cover (LULC) over the last few decades. The interactive effects of LULC and interannual/long-term climate changes have resulted in …

Effect Of Pad Design And Bracket Manufacturing Method On Bracket Bond Strength, Dustin Osborne

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Objective: The objective is to determine if there is a significant difference in shear bond strength and debonding characteristics between one-piece metal brackets made by metal injection molding (MIM) and multi-piece metal brackets made by machining then soldering/brazing with differing pad designs. Methods: A total of thirteen metal orthodontic brackets manufactured by 8 different companies were divided into two groups: one-piece MIM and multi-piece brackets. Each group consisted of 10 brackets for a total of 130 brackets. Brackets were bonded to stainless steel tubes with a universal bonding technique. Samples were tested on the universal Instron testing machine to measure …

A Performance Guide To Prokofiev: Romeo And Juliet For Solo Tuba, John Christopher Dicesare

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

As the most recent brass instrument to be added to the standard orchestra, the tuba’s solo repertoire is relatively new compared to other orchestral instruments. Ralph Vaughan Williams composed the first major concerto for tuba in 1954, over 100 years after the tuba’s creation in 1835 by Wilhelm Friedrich Wieprecht and Johann Gottfried Moritz. Though many composers — including Bruce Broughton, Eric Ewazen, Paul Hindemith, Gunther Schuller, and John Williams — have written solos for the tuba since Vaughan Williams, performers rely on arrangements and transcriptions of existing works to fill gaps in the repertoire. In 2011, Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s …

Covid-19 Vaccine Rollout: Examining Covid-19 Vaccination Perceptions And Intention Among Nurses, Emilee T. Austin

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Nurses’ COVID-19 vaccination rates have been reportedly low for being among the first prioritized for vaccination. To understand and potentially explain uptake barriers, this thesis utilized the 5c Model, the Integrative Model, the Extended Parallel Process Model, Uncertainty Management Theory, and the Theory of Motivated Information Management. This project used an online survey with a convenience sample recruited through the WV Nurses Association. Specifically, there were 328 nurses recruited, then screened for fully vaccinated participants leaving an analytic sample of 174 West Virginia nurses who had not yet been vaccinated. Participants were asked about their nursing role, threat perceptions, susceptibility …

Independent, Semi-Automated Classification Of Petrographic Features In Volcanic Rocks Using Fiji And Weka, Holly Danielle Pettus

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Traditional methods of collecting quantitative petrographic data from thin sections (modal mineralogy, size distribution, shapes, etc.) are time- and labor-intensive, and rarely have sample sizes adequate to statistically describe complex rocks (i.e. volcanic rocks). Although manual counting and measurements are now routinely supplemented by digital image analysis, the majority of quantitative petrographic studies still go through a manual digitization stage where object classes are traced before further analyses. This is a major rate-limiting step that reproduces the same problems of small n-values resulting from significant effort. We have valuated the potential and limitations of using the Trainable Weka Segmentation (TWS) …

Investigating The Role Of Attention And Memory In Visual Exploration, Jacob E. Suffridge

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This research investigates the role that attention and memory plays in visual exploration through a comprehensive analysis of eye movement and behavioral data, alongside incorporation of a computational saliency model. The purpose of this project is to quantify differences in visual attention over repeated viewings of natural scene images by employing a free viewing task that contains a memory component. In Chapter 2, we explore the task’s behavioral data showing that participants generally memorize our images well before we investigate the effect of numerous object and individual feature inclusion. In Chapter 3, we develop four primary methods to quantify visual …

Financial Literacy, Experience, And Age Differences In Monetary Sequence Preferences, Jenna M. Wilson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The emerging research on age differences in monetary sequence preferences suggests that older adults make decisions that are normatively correct from the standpoint of economic theory when choosing to receive larger versus smaller amounts of money sooner than later, but make non-optimal decisions about paying money. In an adult life-span sample (N = 594, aged 20-88, M_age = 46.48, SD= 15.16) recruited through MTurk, the present study examined age differences in monetary sequence preferences. Participants received eight hypothetical scenarios that described monetary events, and completed measures of financial literacy and financial experience. Older age was associated with …

Investigation Of Ions Accelerated Through Electrostatic Menisci In An Inductively Coupled Plasma, David D. Caron

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Plasmas are used in semiconductor fabrication as they allow for very precise control over processes such as etching and doping. This is achieved by extracting a beam of ions from the plasma to interact with and modify the surface of a silicon wafer. However, conventional fabrication methods are reaching spatial limitations as semiconductor features reach the atomic scale. Therefore, in order to better control the fabrication processes and facilitate the transition to three-dimensional architecture, a greater understanding of ion beam formation is needed. Ion beams are extracted at the boundary between the Debye sheath and an externally applied potential, which …

Staying Power: Examining Resistance In West Virginia, Beth Nardella

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

West Virginia has been plagued with high unemployment rates, high rates of addiction and poverty, and some of the worst health outcomes in the country. Outmigration has been the paradigm for many, but why do some people choose to stay? Numerous scholars have written about outmigration, but there is little information on why people stay. After decades of people leaving, many who remain have made a choice to stay. This choice can be seen as an act of resistance against the problematic discourses surrounding the Appalachian region and the economic disparities found within rural communities. West Virginians are often dependent …

Mycorrhizal Type Dictates Soil Microbial Diversity And Function And The Integrated Root-Microbial Response To Water Stress In Temperate Forests, Nanette C. Raczka

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Our understanding of the mechanisms that control the magnitude of the temperate forest carbon (C) sink and its response to global change remain uncertain. Much of this uncertainty lies in the extent to which differences between tree species in their mycorrhizal symbionts and corresponding nutrient acquisition strategies control the activity of soil microbes that mobilize nutrients and decompose soil organic matter. ECM trees allocate substantial amounts of C to ECM fungi and rhizosphere microbes to mine soil organic matter for nutrients. By contrast, AM trees invest less C belowground and rely on AM fungi to scavenge for nutrients. While these …

Deep Fingerprint Matching From Contactless To Contact Fingerprints For Increased Interoperability, Alexander James Wilson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Contactless fingerprint matching is a common form of biometric security today. Most smartphones and associated apps now let users opt into using this form of biometric security. However, it’s difficult to match a finger-photo to a fingerprint because of perspective distortion occurring at the edges of the finger-photo, so direct matching using conventional methods will not be as accurate due to a lack of sufficient matching minutiae points. To address this issue, we propose a deep model, Perspective Distortion Rectification Model (PDRM), to estimate the fingerprint correspondence for finger-photo images in order to recover more minutiae points. Not only do …

Janus Kinase 1 Drives Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress-Induced Transcriptional Reprogramming In Astrocytes, Savannah Graham Sims

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Neurological and neurodegenerative diseases are heterogenous and devastating diseases with limited therapeutic options and no cures. The broad, long-term goal of this project was to elucidate therapeutic targets for neurodegenerative conditions that attenuate damaging inflammation while leaving the beneficial immune response intact and avoiding broad immunosuppression. Inflammation and the accumulation of misfolded proteins are associated with a wide variety of neurological diseases. Here, we have examined how the accumulation of misfolded proteins shapes inflammatory signaling in the glial cell population astrocytes. Astrocytes are the most populous cell in the central nervous system (CNS) and provide physical and trophic support to …

Determining The Effects Of Imidacloprid On Non-Target Soil Organisms In Hemlock Stands, Braley Burke

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA), Adelges tsugae Annand (Hemiptera: Adelgidae), is an invasive insect that is causing mortality of eastern hemlock trees, Tsuga canadensis, and Carolina hemlock trees, Tsuga caroliniana, across the eastern United States. To protect these ecologically important tree species, a neonicotinoid insecticide, imidacloprid, is commonly used. Imidacloprid is an effective treatment and can remain effective against HWA for four to six years but long-term (≥ one year after application) non-target effects of imidacloprid on forest ecosystems are not well-studied. This study examined terrestrial non-target effects of imidacloprid in hemlock stands with different treatment histories to …

The Media's Framing Of Incarceration In West Virginia, Patrick John Orsagos

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The following is a professional project that examines the way in which the mass incarceration of West Virginians has been framed by the news media. The research presented explains the scope of the problem of mass incarceration, followed by an explanation of research conducted on framing. The literature review explores what other media scholars have published about framing and argues which frame is most dominant in crime reporting by state media. Following this is a methodology for production of a podcast series that utilizes a thematic frame and the practice of solutions journalism to promote dialogue around the systemic issues …

Investigation Of Foundation Failures, Ali Buabbas

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

ABSTRACT

Investigation of Foundation Failures

Ali Buabbas

Foundations form a very critical component of any structure. The integrity and lifespan of the structure are dependent on the strength and durability of the foundation. Under ideal conditions, immediately after the structure is constructed, the foundation meets all the requirements of the structure. However, after a while, due to the action of many other factors, the structure’s foundation may no longer satisfy the needs of the structure.

Some of the factors contributing to the failure of the foundation can be due to natural events. Construction engineers should anticipate these factors to minimize …

Jurors' Perceptions Of False Confessions, Madison G. Gallimore

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study examined the effect of mock jurors’ perceptions of a defendant’s false confession vs. no confession (false confession presence), coercive interrogation techniques vs. panic-escape (false confession reason), and expert witness testimony vs. defendant explanation vs. expert witness testimony plus defendant explanation for his false confession (source). The four hypotheses and one research question pertained to main effects and interaction effects of false confession presence, false confession reason, and source (separately) and expert witness conditions combined on five outcome variables. Outcome variables were defendant’s guilt, trustworthiness, suggestibility, susceptibility to external influences, and juror’s likelihood of changing their verdict. Using Amazon …

Development Of Synthetic Coal Char Simulant For Microwave Conversion Studies: A Computationally-Driven Approach, Kevin A. Hager

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Recent experimental demonstration of new reaction windows for coal char/methane reactions that are less energy-intensive, provides innovation for modular reactors. However, the correlation of the exact mechanism for the enhancement of these reaction windows is not certain. This study investigates the simplification of these experimental studies by developing a well-characterized coal char simulant. The approach involves using a computational approach to screen macroscopic composition to replicate the dielectric and compositional response of actual char. This study is focused on PRB coal char. A discrete element method (DEM) technique was used to simulate the packing of coal chars to give the …

Design Of Bending Moment And Load Capacity Test For Frp Sheet Piles, Joshua Larry Wilt Mr.

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Sheet piles consist of numerous interlocked segments that form temporary or permanent support walls and serve as the primary foundational component across a variety of civil infrastructural applications, such as below-grade parking structures or sea walls. The installation of sheet piles is particularly advantageous in coastal areas, as dewatering of the site is unnecessary. Steel is commonly used for sheet piles due to its strength and ease of manufacturing; however, in the presence of saltwater steel begins to rust. Contrary to steel and concrete, fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composite sheet piles are resistant to chlorides and have considerably higher corrosion …

Analyzing And Measuring Petrophysical Properties Of Marcellus Shale, Yahia Mustafa Yassin Mustafa

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Unconventional oil and natural gas play a key role in our nation's future. The U.S. has vast reserves of such resources that are commercially viable as a result of advances in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing technology. These technologies enable greater access to oil and natural gas in shale formations. Responsible development of America's shale gas resources offers important economic, energy security, and environmental benefits. Hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling apply the latest technologies and make it commercially viable to recover shale gas and oil.

In order to estimate the original gas-in-place, predict the production rates, and optimize the hydraulic …

The Impact Of Driver Reaction In Cooperative Vehicle Safety Systems, Elwarfalli Ibrahim

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Cooperative Vehicular Safety (CVS) has recently been widely studied in the field of automated vehicular systems. CVS systems help decrease the rates of accidents. However, implementing and testing CVS applications in real world is very costly and risky. Hence, most of the related research studies on CVS applications have relied mainly on simulations. In simulated CVS systems, it is important to consider all critical aspects of used models, and how these models affect one another.

The movement model is a key component in the simulation study of CVS systems, which controls the mobility of vehicles (nodes) and responses to the …

Implementation Of Fuzzy Logic Control Into An Equivalent Minimization Strategy For Adaptive Energy Management Of A Parallel Hybrid Electric Vehicle, Jared Alexander Diethorn

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

As government agencies continue to tighten emissions regulations due to the continued increase in greenhouse gas production, automotive industries are seeking to produce increasingly efficient vehicle technology. Electric vehicles have been introduced by the industry, showing promising signs of reducing emissions production in the automotive sector. However, many consumers may be hesitant to purchase fully electric vehicles due to several uncertainty variables including available charging stations. Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) have been introduced to reduce problems while improving fuel economy. HEVs have led to the demand of creating more advanced controls software to consider multiple components for propulsive power in …

Evaluation Of Lidar Systems For Rock Mass Discontinuity Identification In Underground Stone Mines From 3d Point Cloud Data, Mario Alejandro Bendezu De La Cruz

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The goal of this thesis is to compare the accuracy and precision of the discontinuity identification results obtained by three active remote sensing technologies along with a point cloud processing program, and the results obtained by conventional methods. For this research, the active remote sensing devices were terrestrial LIDAR, mobile LiDAR with Simultaneous localization, and mapping (SLAM), and LIDAR/Camera on an autonomous UAV. The open-source point cloud data processing programs Discontinuity Set Extractor (DSE) and the Cloud Compare were used to process point cloud data.

The results of this research found that it is possible to identify certain geological structures …

Hearing Ourselves Speak: Finding The Trans Sound In The Ohio River Valley, Gwendolyn Patricia Saporito-Emler

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This thesis discusses at length the experiences of four interviewees, selected for being both musicians as well as transgender people. From the author’s shared perspective as a trans woman, this work addresses the issues and boons of being trans musicians. It reflects their experiences, both positive and negative, as well as provides conjectural analyses of the respondents’ shared stories. It identifies common themes, issues regularly experienced by trans people, and offers arguments on why ending this hate is so vitally essential.

Accuracy Of Implant Placement Utilizing Stereolithographic Guides Printed With And Without Cross-Arch Stabilization Struts, Caitlin Libby Dds

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the accuracy of implant placement using stereolithographic guides printed with and without stabilization struts by comparing the post-operative position to the planned implant position.

Methods: A pre-operative cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) of a drillable maxillary model was obtained and data was uploaded into coDiagnostiX for preoperative planning. The implant position was planned in an edentulous space of #5 using a 3.3x10mm Bone Level Tapered (BLT) implant (Straumann). Ten surgical guides were designed utilizing a stabilization strut (Group A), while ten guides were designed without the stabilization strut (Group B). Twenty guides …