Digital Commons Network^™

Prediction Of Thrombus Formation In Ladder Network And Stability Of Thrombus In A Bifurcation, Hari Hara Sudhan Lakshmanan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Thrombus formation on complex branched networks like extracorporeal membrane oxygenators (ECMO) is poorly understood. In this work, we built a COMSOL model on branched networks, to understand and predict the thrombus formation under blood flow. A microfluidic ladder network design was used to study the change in hemodynamics. The microfluidic ladder sizes are chosen to mimic the physiologically relevant shear rates of 300 s--1 and 700 s--1 in main channels and bypasses respectively. The COMSOL model results were analyzed to understand the flow dynamics inside the ladder network. We predicted the thrombus nucleation points in the ladder network, based on …

Parental Knowledge Of Concussion: Evaluation Of The Cdc's "Heads Up To Parents" Educational Initiative, Teresa A. Rice

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Background: A majority of youth club sport organization coaches have well-established concussion knowledge gaps. Potential negative outcomes associated with sport-related concussion drive the need for resources to educate parents about prevention, recognition, and management of concussion in the youth athlete. Parents play a critical role in management of concussion for their child.;Purpose: This study aims to (1) investigate current knowledge of concussion among parents whose children age 5--18 years play a club sport and (2) identify effects of an online video versus online print educational intervention on concussion knowledge change and learning.;Methods: 140 parents whose children played a club sport …

A Long Short-Term Memory Neural Network For Improved Twins' Voice Differentiation, Stallone Bruno-Ray Sabatier

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Although successfully implemented in certain situations, the reliability of speaker recognition (SR) decreases due to speaker and channel variability present between enrollment and evaluation samples, as well as the available length of speech utterances. The issue of speaker variability becomes more pronounced when the number of speakers in the evaluation set increases, as there is a higher probability that two voices may sound more alike. The differentiation of intra-twin pairs' voices can be beneficial to general SR because inclusion can simulate this effect. This is due to the fact that their shared voice similarities are comparable to the potential inter-speaker …

The Influence Of Instructional Design Decisions On Student Motivation In Online Courses, Robin E. Youger

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The goal of higher education is to educate, train, and motivate people (Hunt, 1998). Typically, best practices and accepted design strategies are used to develop online courses that fulfill the needs of the university, faculty, and student stakeholders. This study examines two methods of instructional design -- the Quality Matters (QM) process, and Keller's ARCS motivational design process -- to understand if instructional design decisions have influence on student motivation in online courses. Quality Matters (QM) offers a well-researched process of designing online courses based on nationally-recognized standards. The QM format provides an ideal objectives-based course design; however, it does …

“Couldn’T It Be Birth To Five?”: Parents’ Perceptions Of Early Intervention For Their Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Hilary R. Bougher-Muckian

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this Grounded Theory study was to understand parents of children with autism’s perceptions of early intervention involvement, satisfaction, transition into and out of EI, and goals for their children’s development. Twenty parents participated in initial interviews and 13 parents participated in follow-up interviews. Data were analyzed and a theory was generated to describe parents’ experiences. Parents described their experiences and goals for their children in three stages: before, during, and after EI. In each of these stages, social and language/communication were a primary focus of parents’ goals for their children’s development. Prior to EI, parents expressed a …

Risk And Protective Factors In African American Anxiety, Patricia Hopkins

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

No abstract provided.

Economic Diversity And Regional Development: Geographical Scale, Structural Measurement, And Modeling Method, Jing Chen

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

No abstract provided.

Perceptions Of Students, Faculty, And Staff Concerning Visitation Dogs On College Campuses, Brieanna Hughes

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

No abstract provided.

Characterizing The Pore Structure Of The Marcellus Shale, Liaosha Song

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

No abstract provided.

Evaluation And Testing Of Eye, Nose, And Mouth Protection For Biological Hazards To Support A Consensus Standard, Jeremy R Gouzd

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

No abstract provided.

Protein And Lipid Characterization Of Acheta Domesticus, Bombyx Mori, And Locusta Migratoria Dry Flours, Emily N. Brogan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Cricket (Acheta domesticus), silkworm pupae (Bombyx mori), and locust (Locusta migratoria) dry flours were obtained to examine the biochemical properties and composition of the flours. This study aimed to characterize the protein and lipid components of three insect species utilizing proximate composition analyses, amino acid composition analysis, protein solubility, SDS-PAGE, fatty acid composition analysis, and thin layer chromatography to determine lipid classes, and lipid extraction efficiency. Kjeldahl determined the cricket, locust, and silkworm flours contained 72.0%, 53.1%, and 71.2% protein, respectively. All proximate composition analyses were significantly (p< 0.05) different between species. Amino acid composition analysis revealed that the flours contained 3.6-3.9% and 0.90-1.5% of lysine and methionine, respectively. Many countries have cereal grains and legumes as a staple in their diet that contain these limiting amino acids. Essential amino acids were 22% of total amino acids. Protein solubility revealed that the three species studied were most soluble in alkaline environments with highest protein solubility occurring at pH 13 at 66% solubility in silkworm. Lowest solubility occurred in more acidic conditions between pH 4-5. SDS-PAGE revealed five major protein fractions with estimated molecular weights of 27 (cuticle proteins), 41 (arginine kinase), which has been identified as an allergen in shrimp, 42 (actin), 71 (hemocyanin), and 220 myosin) kDa. Soxhlet extraction determined cricket, silkworm, and locust flours contained 15.4%, 33.3%, and 11.4% lipid, respectively. The only omega-3 fatty acid found in the flours was α-linolenic acid. Silkworm flour contained the most α-linolenic acid at 33.3% of total fatty acids, followed by locust (13.7%), and cricket (0.6%). TLC resolved lipids for typical lipid classes. The four major lipid classes noted were triacylglycerol, free fatty acid, cholesterol, and phospholipid. Lipid extraction efficiency found that the organic solvents chloroform and methanol had the highest lipid extraction yield in both cricket (69.3%) and locust (93.0%). Methyl-tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE) extracted lipids most efficiently in the silkworm. Proteins and lipids found in insects need to be isolated to further or commercial use.

The Determination And Evaluation Of Pyrolytic Products: A Focus On Synthetic Cannabinoids, Stephen Raso

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Synthetic cannabinoids have become a ubiquitous challenge in forensic toxicology and seized drug analysis. Acute toxic effects associated with these drugs include tachycardia, seizures, depression, possible suicidal tendencies, and the onset of psychotic episodes. Synthetic cannabinoids were initially synthesized for research purposes in understanding the receptor-ligand interactions at the CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors. They are similar to Delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and also act as agonists at the cannabinoid receptors. Originally it was hoped that this class of drug would be useful for pain relief, but instead this class of compounds has become widely abused, typically via smoking or heated vapor …

Personality, Sleep, And Mortality, Shantel Spears

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Personality traits and sleep are associated with health and longevity; however, no investigation has examined whether sleep is a pathway linking personality to mortality risk. Thus, we tested this effect across a 20-year mortality follow-up period in the Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS) cohort (N = 3,253; M age = 47.03 years, SD = 12.39, range = 20-75), using proportional hazards in a structural equation modeling (SEM) framework. Openness was the only trait predictor of death risk. Daytime sleepiness and short and long sleep duration also emerged as predictors of mortality risk. We found indirect effects for neuroticism, …

Market-Based Aid And Economic Reform, Neron R. Thomas

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study examines the empirical links between market-based aid and economic reform in sub-Sahara Africa. My research question: Is market-based aid necessary for economic reform across sub-Sahara Africa? To answer that question, I applied both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Specifically, regression analyses were conducted to determine whether or not causality could be established between my dependent and independent variables. 22 sub-Saharan states were used. In addition, two case studies (Ghana and Senegal) were conducted to help explain some of the cultural nuances that may be missing from the statistical analysis. As a result of the Washington Consensus, International Financial Institutions …

Development Of Enhanced Emission Factor Through The Identification Of An Optimal Combination Of Input Variables Using Artificial Neural Network, Tse-Huai Liu

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A great deal of attention is being paid worldwide to particulate matter (PM), which is now considered a significant component of air pollution. Specifically, in this thesis, road dust is a primary source of PM that is having a significant impact on human health and air quality. For example, impaired visibility due to road dust can cause more vehicle accidents. Hence, in order to efficiently develop PM control strategies, it is critical to improve the estimation of PM concentration levels generating from paved and unpaved roads. Since 1979, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has developed emission factor equations to …

Preference And User Experience With Powered Air- Purifying Respirators In Healthcare Workers In A Simulated Work Environment: A Pilot Study, Lauren Macdowell

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Powered air-purifying respirators (PAPRs) are protective devices commonly utilized by healthcare workers in environments with infectious airborne diseases. A review of the current PAPR literature indicated a shortage of studies that focus on user experience of PAPRs and the types of PAPRs that healthcare workers prefer. This study focused on three different PAPR models: the MAXAIR CAPR RTM 710, the 3M(TM) Versaflo (TM) TR-600-ECK and the 3M(TM) Air-Mate(TM). A typical hospital patient work environment was simulated at the West Virginia Simulation Training and Education for Patient Safety on West Virginia University's Health Sciences Campus. Eight subjects total were recruited and …

Spatiotemporal Controls And Scaling Of Stream Water Quality Across The East Coast Of U.S.A, Shakil Ahmed

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Stream water quality and ecosystem health are controlled by a multitude of complex, interacting anthropogenic and natural processes. A generalized understanding of stream water quality dynamics under diverse hydro-climatic and biogeochemical conditions therefore still remains elusive, particularly in the context of coastal urban/natural environments. This dissertation focuses to investigate the major spatiotemporal controls of stream water quality, and leverages the knowledge to investigate stream biogeochemical-ecological similitude (parametric reduction), scaling, and emergent patterns across the East Coast of U.S.A. Total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), chlorophyll-a (Chla), and dissolved oxygen (DO) were used to represent the stream water quality. Pearson correlation …

Environmental Controls, Similitude, And Scaling Of Stream Dissolved Oxygen Across The Pacific Coast Of U.S.A, Filmon Araya

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Dissolved oxygen (DO) is a key indicator for water quality and the general health of stream ecosystems. However, the dynamics of stream DO is controlled by myriad interacting environmental drivers. This thesis investigates the major environmental drivers, emergent similitude (similarity leading to parametric reductions), and scaling of stream DO across the Pacific Coast of U.S.A. The research was conducted by assembling a dataset for 1998--2015 at 35 water quality monitoring stations of U.S. Geological Survey and Environmental Protection Agency. Pearson correlation matrix, principal component analysis, and factor analysis were employed to identify the interrelations and groupings of stream DO and …

An Examination Of Cyanotoxins And Environmental Estrogens In The Middle And Upper Potomac River Watershed, Usa, Ryan Patrick Braham

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The Potomac River is a large tributary of the Chesapeake Bay. Large fish die-offs were reported in the Potomac watershed (specifically the South Branch of the Potomac) in 2002 and 2005, as well as smaller episodic events in recent years which have no clear correlation to any one pathogen or contaminant. Although a variety of pathogens have been identified (such as trematodes, myxozoans, Aeromonas hydrophila, A. salmonicida, Flavobacterium columnare , and largemouth bass virus) in recent die-offs of smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu, no clear cause has been derived. Additionally, reproductive endpoints were reported in smallmouth bass and likely associated with …

Regulatory And Financial Influence Of Federal Government Activities On Local Economies: A Three Essay Approach, Brianne Renee Firth

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation examines the effects of federal government activities on local economies. Three research questions are addressed: How do federal environmental regulations influence local economic growth?, What regional factors influence the spatial distribution of federal conservation programs?, and How does location-based federal funding effect economic resilience within the targeted region? Regional economic analysis, spatial analysis, and spatial econometric techniques are implemented to answer these questions.

The first essay examines the effects of the air pollution standards on county level economic growth. The results illustrate, in the long run, the impacted regions have adapted to the changes in the pollution standards. …

A Comparison Of Child Abuse Potential Inventory And Parenting Stress Index With Families In The Parent-Child Interaction Therapy And Treatment As Usual Groups, Keri B. Whitacre

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study compared Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) in a group format to a Treatment as Usual (TAU) group format within a community setting. PCIT is typically conducted individually with caregiver and child in a clinical setting. Results showed decreases on the Parenting Stress Index (PSI-SF), for both treatment groups over time with the PCIT group reporting less parental stress than the TAU group. However, there was no difference between groups over time on the Child Abuse Potential Inventory (CAPI). This study provides preliminary evidence for the efficacy of delivering PCIT in a community setting. The implication for child welfare clinicians …

Factors Related To The Career Intentions Of Senior Athletic Training Students Approaching Graduation, Rae Lee Emrick

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This research inquiry examined the factors that influence soon-to-be graduating senior athletic training major’s decisions on their career intentions. Two research questions guided this study: What are the factors, experiences, and/or circumstances that contribute to senior athletic training students approaching graduation planning to persist in or pursue the athletic training profession? and What are the factors, experiences, and circumstances that contribute to senior athletic training students approaching graduation leading to displacement and students not planning to seek employment in the athletic training profession? Qualitative research methods employed a multiple case approach examining four different CAATE accredited athletic training programs …

100 Days In Appalachia: Publication Building Toolkit, Kassandra Taylor

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This is an analysis of the multimedia news outlet 100 Days in Appalachia. It is an attempt to examine the publication in order to further understand the purpose, the successes and the contributions it has made to journalism. 100 Days in Appalachia is delivering groundbreaking journalism from the heart of the region Appalachia, to help change perceptions about a part of the country that is widely misunderstood. This analysis will use 100 Days in Appalachia as a guideline to develop a journalists' toolkit for other communities throughout the United States to create a publication. It will also use information and …

Urban Exile: City Poetry By Modern American Women, Hatley Clifford

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Urban Exile: City Poetry by Modern American Women examines women's experience of urbanism in the early twentieth century, as depicted in the poetry of four modernist American women writers: Edna St. Vincent Millay, Amy Lowell, Evelyn Scott, and Lola Ridge. I bring to light a common experience of urban exile: a persistent state of insecurity, displacement, damage, and marginalization of women in cities. My work brings women and American women's poetry into the critical conversation about city literature, a conversation that has mostly focused on the experience of men in cities told by male writers. Recuperating the theme of urban …

Automotive Crisis: Volkswagen's Emissions Scandal & Response Strategies., Kelsey Plute

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study is to explore the use of crisis communication strategies (i.e. Coomb’s Situational Crisis Communication Theory and Bradford & Garrett’s Communicative Response Model) by examining Volkswagen’s key messages in U.S. commercial ad campaigns, individual vehicle commercials, and print ads before, during and after the emissions scandal. The content analysis also identified these specific crisis response strategies in the company’s 2015 through 2018 annual reports, press releases and letters to the company shareholders.

Exploring The Use Of Sport As A Platform For Health Promotion With Youth In Africa: A Scoping Review., Adam H. Hansell

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

According to the World Health Organization, Africa has the highest rates of disease and child mortality in the world. Previous research suggests that sport may be an effective vehicle to enhance health knowledge and behaviors among at-risk youth. The primary purpose of this review was to analyze and synthesize published interventions exploring the use of sport or physical activity for health promotion with children and youth in Africa. A total of 916 articles were retrieved from ten electronic bibliographic databases with 28 meeting inclusion criteria. Targeted health outcomes in sport-based interventions included HIV-related knowledge and behaviors, essential health practices, physical …

Canal Transportation After Instrumentation Utilizing Different Endodontic Access Design; A Comparative Study With Micro-Ct., Travis Moore

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Introduction Access cavity design is known to affect theefficiency of instrumentation. Canal transportation occurs primarily in the apical region and to the outside of curvature when dentin is removed in a single direction. The goal of all cleaning and shaping procedures is to preserve the original root canal anatomy while removing sufficient amounts of injured pulp tissue, microorganisms, toxins and instrumentation byproducts. It is understood that the desired shape of the finished root canal is a continuous tapering funnel from the coronal to the apex. The aim of this study is to construct detailed three-dimensional images of root canal systems …

A Quality Improvement Project To Increase Hepatitis A And B Vaccination In Adults With Hepatitis C In A Federally Qualified Health Center, Virginia M. Selanik

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Problem Statement: Despite long-standing recommendations for vaccination against hepatitis A virus (HAV) and hepatitis B (HBV) in persons with chronic liver disease and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and the life-threatening complications suffered from cirrhosis and hepatocellular cancer (HCC), vaccination rates for HAV and HBV in adults are suboptimal in clinical practice.;Theoretical Framework: Based upon published clinical guidelines and performance measures for optimal care of HCV-infected persons, a quality improvement project was implemented guided by Kotter's eight-step change model. Strategies adopted from the 4 Pillars(TM) Practice Transformation Program, including staff/provider education, standing orders, immunization champions, open access/walk-in vaccination during office …

Practical Oxygen Carrier Development Of Unique Trimetallic Oxide For Chemical Looping Combustion Of Carbonaceous Fuels, William J Benincosa Iii

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

No abstract provided.

A Numerical Investigation Of Natural Gas-Diesel Dual Fuel Engine Combustion And Emissions Using Cfd Model, Yu Li

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

No abstract provided.