Digital Commons Network^™

A Study Of Accidental Daughter Crystals In Fluid Inclusions In Bedded Halite From The Permian Opeche Shale And Cedar Hills Sandstone Of The Midcontinental United States, Ryan James Prchlik

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Ancient acid-saline lakes of the midcontinental United States deposited bedded halite during Permian time. These deposits are not typically preserved at the surface, but drill cores of the Opeche Shale of North Dakota and Cedar Hills Sandstone of Kansas contain preserved beds of halite. Halite from these ancient lakes have primary fluid inclusions that contain Permian lake water. Also included are accidental daughter crystals that were trapped inside the fluid inclusions at time of halite precipitation. Both the fluid and daughter crystals inside bedded halite can tell us about the geochemistry of original lake waters of Pangea.

Petrography and laser …

The Everyday Work-Lives Of Public Librarians In A Diverse Us City, Mariam Jalalifard

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation is situated within the context of the author's personal experience as a librarian of color and educator, exploring the dissonance between the perceived value of their role and their own understanding of its worth. The study aims to bring to light the processes that shape the experiences of female librarians, particularly those who are women of color. The research is informed by Institutional Ethnography (IE) and Narrative Analysis, which focus on the everyday lived experiences of people as the research problematic, and progress through layers to uncover how external power structures influence daily life. Five active female and …

Linkages Between Atmospheric Circulation, Weather, Climate, Land Cover And Social Dynamics Of The Tibetan Plateau, Shobha Kumari Yadav

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The Tibetan Plateau (TP) is an important landmass that plays a significant role in both regional and global climates. In recent decades, the TP has undergone significant changes due to climate and human activities. Since the 1980s anthropogenic activities, such as the stocking of livestock, land cover change, permafrost degradation, urbanization, highway construction, deforestation and desertification, and unsustainable land management practices, have greatly increased over the TP. As a result, grasslands have undergone rapid degradation and have altered the land surface which in turn has altered the exchange of heat and moisture properties between land and the atmosphere. But gaps …

Understanding The Relationship Between Landscape Characteristics And Public Preferences: A Case Study In A Proposed Appalachian Geopark Project In Southern West Virginia, United States, Ganga Nakarmi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this dissertation was to understand the relationship between landscape characters and public preferences in the proposed Appalachian Geopark (pAGP) in southern West Virginia, United States (U.S.). This region was well-known for industrial activities such as coal mining logging and railways during the 1800s. With the diminishing industrial activities, the region was left behind with degraded environmental factors including landscapes and an economically challenged society. Because of these conditions, there is a need to develop this region without further damaging the lands and implement proper land management policies and practices. Understanding characteristics of those lands from the past …

Synergies Between Residents: Evaluating Support And Concerns Of Recreation And Tourism Economic Development Within The Monongahela National Forest Region, Morgan R. Martin

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Tourism has continually been presented as a growing economic sector around the world. Having become an area of increased interest for diversifying rural economies, tourism is an attractive alternative to the declining traditional economic engines of rural communities like agriculture, forestry, and mining. Rural destinations have become increasingly attractive to outside visitors who seek to pursue activities embedded within the local culture and distinctive attractive assets available in rural regions. The USDA has recognized the increasing importance of recreation and tourism economies as an emerging or priority area of national need and an effective means for rural development. Even with …

Three Essays On Emotional Cues, Clay Collins

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The first paper investigates the relationship between intimate partner violence (IPV) and United States presidential elections. There exists a sizeable literature studying IPV that occurs during or after stressful events (such as a sports team loss), and a considerable non-economics literature examining election-related stress. However, very limited research has been done studying potential negative outcomes after a political loss (when one’s candidate loses), and these findings in other fields have not been synthesized into the economics lexicon. By interacting with the margin of victory for each state, I find large and significant decreases in IPV in states that vote for …

Using Extended Two-Step Floating Catchment Area To Map Children’S Level Of Access To Physical Books In West Virginia, Heather A. Maxey

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The state of West Virginia lacked a comprehensive, in-depth analysis of the availability of physical books across the state. Access to reading material is vital to a child’s educational development as well as lifelong learning beyond childhood. To guide policy decisions and planning for outreach which addresses reading levels and beyond, I mapped levels of access stemming from socioeconomic barriers, spatial barriers, and an integrated index of both types of barriers. To map spatial access, I utilized a modified Extended Two-Step Floating Catchment Area model, deriving techniques from Hong et al’s 2023 article addressing access for health care in WV. …

Source Credibility And Trust Of Media Information Based On Gender Of Reporter, Madison R. Urse

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

An experiment was used for this study to explore if the gender of a reporter impacts perceived source credibility and thus trust in information. Previous research has shown how gender biases can affect how topics are covered, reported on, perceived and marketed in the journalistic world. Modern media and newsrooms are meant to mirror reality as they convey information to the public, yet women continue to be gatekept out of reporting on certain types of news. Further, changes in the mode of delivery of news are also impacting the journalism landscape. Thus, this study employed a digital stimulus to explore …

Botanical Folktales, Jameson Frances Mulac

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This written document is the accompanying thesis for my Master of Fine Arts Exhibition, Botanical Folktales, shown in the Laura Mesaros Gallery at West Virginia University (displayed March 20-23, 2023). It documents the research, motivations, and processes presented in the artwork displayed throughout the gallery. Through prints and artist’s books this body of work represents my pursuit to connect, understand and share gratitude for native plants of Appalachia. Plants are my muse to reconnect and learn about the living environment. Not only do plants hold stories and signify different meanings in every culture, but also nourish our bodies and bring …

Ambient Ammonia Synthesis Via Microwave-Catalytic Materials And Plasma Chemistry, Siobhan Brown

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Ammonia is critical to supporting human life on earth because of its use as fertilizer. The Haber-Bosch process to produce ammonia has been practiced for over 100 years. This process operates at high pressure and temperature to overcome the thermodynamic and kinetic limitations of the ammonia synthesis reaction thus researchers have tried to overcome it for decades. At present this process represents 1% of global energy usage and 2.5% of global CO₂ emissions. The proposed chemical looping ammonia synthesis approach seeks to reduce the environmental impact of this critical process and to elucidate microwave-catalytic principles.

This research aims to …

Epistemological Insecurity In The Anthropocene, Dustin Purvis

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation analyzes how increased mainstream awareness of climate change and other complex environmental phenomena transforms some of the basic tools we use to understand the world, including notions of agency, evidence, and causality. More specifically, this project highlights numerous contemporary literary and cultural narratives that formally and thematically depict impromptu systems of action and comprehension developed by humans confronting the unique forms of information overload that result from damaged and rapidly changing environments. Following critics like Ulrich Beck, Rob Nixon, and Stacy Alaimo, I suggest our current era of ecological instability and destructive environmental practices dictate what I refer …

Rebuilding The Appalachian Economy From The Ground Up: Towards A Holistic Organizational Framework For Community And Economic Development In Rural Extractive Areas, Brandon M. Dennison

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Central Appalachia specifically and rural extractive areas more generally face some of the most challenging socio-economic realities in North America. Community-based organizations (CBOs) are an important tool for addressing these challenges. As governments intensify efforts to mitigate climate change, and as fossil-fuel industries contract, extracted communities are experiencing economic, cultural, and environmental upheaval. Many leaders call for a “just transition” away from fossil-fuels, which would make local extraction communities whole. However, achieving a truly just transition away from fossil fuels is extraordinarily challenging, and many extracted communities were never whole to begin with. I argue CBOs are the crucial vehicle …

Relationships Among Racism, Dental Care-Related Fear/Anxiety And Dental Care Utilization Among Black And African American Women In Appalachia, Kalo Sokoto

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation is a study of the implications of racism in oral health care settings for dental care-related fear/anxiety, and dental care utilization. One in five adults in the US have experienced discrimination while receiving health care. Even though racism is the most reported type of discrimination in health care, little is known about its impact on dental outcomes. There is a paucity of prior studies measuring experiences of racism in dental settings. The current study proposed the application of Krieger’s Ecosocial Theory of Health Equity to explore relationships among racism in oral health care settings, dental care-related fear/anxiety, and …

Retention And Persistence Of Low-Income, First-Generation Rural College Students From West Virginia, Rachel D. Nieman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A considerable body of research demonstrates that first-generation college students face greater obstacles to college retention, persistence and completion compared to their non-first-generation counterparts. However, the extant literature rarely explores rurality as a salient factor to understand these challenges. Even less visible in the literature are the experiences and voices of West Virginians. West Virginia is a predominantly rural state and ranks 49^th in the nation in terms of educational attainment, with only 19.6% of residents over the age of 25 having earned at least a bachelor’s degree. While rural areas may experience multifaceted struggles, the educational attainment of …

Natural Fracture Evolution: Investigations Into The Middle Devonian Marcellus Shale, Appalachian Basin, Usa, Natalie Abigail Mitchell

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Optimizing recovery from unconventional shale reservoirs has generated considerable research into optimal recovery methods through hydraulic fracturing design and shale reservoir characterization in the development of long-term hydrocarbon producers. Permeability at multiple scales from nanometer-scale pore sizes and nano-darcy permeability to completion-induced fractures defining a 100’s of meter stimulated reservoir volume plays a significant role in hydrocarbon flow during production in shale reservoirs. Preexisting cemented fractures in unconventional shale reservoirs are abundant and preferentially reactivate during induced hydraulic fracturing treatment to create necessary large-scale permeability. While previous investigations have significantly improved our knowledge of shale reservoirs, it has also highlighted …

Relationships Between Watershed Factors And Community Size Spectra Of The Fish And Macroinvertebrate Communities Of Mid-Appalachian Streams, Jarrett Hunter Landreth

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Freshwater lotic communities are complex, dynamic, and quick to respond to changes to their environment. However, some of the specific mechanisms driving those changes are yet to be fully understood. Here, I will use the community size spectrum (CSS) approach to assess how the CSS slope, elevation, and food chain length of the fish and macroinvertebrate assemblages as well as the combined CSS of 15 mid-sized (2nd-4th order) streams in north-central West Virginia respond across gradients of watershed factors (drainage area, mean drainage slope, mean drainage elevation, drainage % forest, and stream specific conductance). Field sampling was carried out in …

Production, Best Management Practices, And Market Impacts Of Forest Biomass Harvest And Collection In The Mid-Atlantic Region, William E. Smith

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Time motion studies were conducted at five mid-Atlantic sites that spanned various operations in West Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. The harvest systems included integrated harvests where chips were produced in the forest, roundwood systems where only roundwood was produced, and a centralized chipping system. The study collected overall productivity and machine utilization data at the various harvesting operations. The cost per green ton of woody biomass ranged from $18.46 to $39.8 resulting in an average of $30.33 among the five systems. Hauling had the highest average price per green ton at $9.10, while loading had the lowest at $1.73 per …

An Analysis Of Urban Land Use Land Cover (Lulc) Changes In Lilongwe City, Central Malawi (2002–2022), Zola Manyungwa

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Lilongwe, Malawi’s capital city, has grown nearly tenfold in the last 40 years with a 4-5% annual population growth rate, and the city’s population is projected to double over the next decade. Rural to urban migration and natural increase are the driving factors of the city’s urban expansion. Characterised by the urbanisation of poverty, Lilongwe is experiencing uncontrolled and unplanned urban expansion that has led to the growth of informal settlements. Urbanisation leads to land use land cover (LULC) changes that negatively impact the quality of life and the environment. Lilongwe faces many challenges, including high levels of poverty, inequality, …

Understanding Emerging Travel Behavior In New York City, Md Amdad Hossen

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Many large cities face significant challenges in providing safe, economical, equitable, reliable, and efficient mobility services. Moreover, mobility service options have been changing unprecedentedly due to the advent of emerging mobility services. Understanding the impacts of emerging mobility services (e.g., for-hire vehicles, bike sharing) on other travel modes (e.g., transit, non-motorized modes, personal car) and evolving travel behavior is critical to promote sustainable modes for urban residents and reduce auto-dependency. New York City (NYC) has been conducting annual mobility survey since 2017 to understand the emerging travel behavior and mode choice characteristics. This dataset presents a unique opportunity for conducting …

Spatial Variability In Above Ground Carbon Within An Appalachian Forest, Megan A. Ponczek

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Forests have long been recognized for their provision of air and water quality ecosystem services to society; but more recently, they have become valuable to the carbon credit markets used as a tool for mitigating climate change. Quantifying above ground carbon storage in forest ecosystems is essential for these carbon credit markets and can also provide insight into factors that control the spatial distribution of carbon in forests. The goal of this study is to assess the degree to which three factors: topography, tree species, and legacies of logging, impact the spatial variability in above ground carbon within a 400x500m …

Mitigation And Preparedness In Disaster Communication: Examining The Need For Closing The Loop In The Discourse Of Renewal Theory, Abigail Renee Riggs

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Flooding across rural Appalachia has historically negatively impacted communities, and flood frequency is only expected to increase in the region as global temperatures rise. This indicates a need for effective disaster and crisis communication in flood-prone communities within the region. The discourse of renewal and readiness for renewal theories provide potential avenues for improving crisis and disaster communication. Readiness for renewal in particular focuses on closing the gap between the pre and post-crisis phases. However, readiness for renewal has yet to be applied to disaster communication and has not been studied qualitatively. Additionally, ethical guidelines for communication within renewal have …

Bedrock Channel Geometry: Meter To Micron Scale Controls On Fluvial Incision, Nicholas J. Colaianne

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The relative resistance of various rock types to incisional processes vary widely and the properties governing bedrock erodibility are poorly understood. Lithologic properties influencing erodibility are the culmination of a rock’s depositional, diagenetic, and exhumation processes. Difficulty identifying a convenient physical proxy for erodibility suggests examining evidence of these processes holistically may offer insight into the role of each in setting a rock’s resistance to incisional forces. In this study we use measured channel geometries along a short stretch of the Dry Fork, WV hosting three distinct lithologic settings to infer relative erodibility against measured and observed fluvial, lithologic, and …

Abundance-Habitat Relationships And Aquatic-Terrestrial Habitat Selection Patterns For Wood Turtles (Glyptemys Insculpta) In The Upper Midwest, Jena Marie Staggs

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Due to range-wide population declines, wood turtles (Glyptemys insculpta) are under review for federal listing under the United States Endangered Species Act. Understanding how habitat associations and environmental conditions influence population dynamics and spatiotemporal activity patterns is fundamental for designing effective management strategies. Previous work on wood turtle abundance-habitat relationships focused on broad-scale habitat relationships in northeastern North America. However, regional differences in climate, habitat conditions, and land use patterns limit their applicability to much of the wood turtle’s Upper Midwest distribution. Much of our understanding of wood turtle activity patterns is based on radiotelemetry studies, which are biased towards …

Development Of A Hydrometallurgical Process For The Extraction Of Cobalt, Manganese, And Nickel From Acid Mine Drainage Treatment Byproduct, Alejandro Agudelo Mira

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Critical minerals (CMs) are defined as crucial elements for the country's economy due to the development of new cutting-edge applications and the risk of an eventual disruption in their supply chain. The unique chemical and physical properties of the CMs have made these elements decisive in the growth of industries such as telecommunications, army, medicine, Aerospace, etc. In 2022, the US Geological Survey established a list of 50 CMs, including manganese, cobalt, nickel, aluminum, magnesium, and others. Of the total of CMs, 26 are 100% imported from outside the United States (Venditti, 2022).

Driven by the ever-increasing demand for critical …

Comparing Activity-Based Market Segments On The George Washington And Jefferson National Forests Before And During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Eric Eugene Snyder

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Understanding market segments in forest-based tourism and their dynamics is integral for the tourism industry's ability to adapt and thrive in the ever-evolving market. The purpose of this research is to determine how recreation participation changed over a five-year period in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests before and during the COVID-19 global pandemic. Data were collected via the National Visitor Use Monitoring (NVUM) surveys in fiscal years 2016 and 2021. NVUM surveys are on-site exit interview surveys that produce descriptive information about forest visitors. NVUM utilizes a stratified random sampling methodology that captures data across different use levels, …

Examining The Spatial Relationship Between Maternal Morbidity, Access To Health Care, And Community Characteristics In West Virginia, Sarah E. Woolard

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Maternal-related morbidity rates in the United States have risen almost three fold since the early 1990’s. Issues related to rurality, socioeconomic disparities, and pre-existing health conditions increase the risk of poor pregnancy outcomes and introduce barriers to accessing advanced maternal health care. West Virginia (WV) has higher maternal morbidity rates than many other states in the United States (US), and is considered to be driven by all 55 counties being classified as Appalachian, possessing the highest prenatal smoking rate in the US, and having disparities in access to health care. Despite this, no previous studies have evaluated maternal morbidity in …

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 …

Climatic And Land Cover Sensitivities Of Stormwater Runoff In A Coastal Natural-Urban Basin Of Texas, Usa., Nusrat Nasrin Khan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Changes in climatic and land use drivers typically drive stormwater runoff quantity and quality. This study focuses on determining the stormwater runoff sensitivities to variation in climatic and land cover changes in a coastal natural-urban basin. A mechanistic hydrologic model was developed for the Spring San Jacinto Basin (SSJB) of Texas, USA considering the basin as a pilot study area by using the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s Storm Water Management Model 5.2. The SSJB drains an area of 1949 km² ultimately into the northern Gulf of Mexico, USA through peripheral neighborhoods of the Greater Houston area. The model …

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 …

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, …