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Nondestructive Evaluation Of Frp Composite Bridge Componenets Using Infrared Thermography And Digital Tap Tesing, Ruben Mangal Joshi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Aging of civil infrastructures is one of the major problems faced by the engineering industry today, with the concrete structures cracking and the steel reinforcement corroding due to exposure to deicing chemicals, resulting in shorter service life. An alternative to the degrading infrastructures made of concrete and steel is the use of Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) composites, which are noncorrosive. Use of FRP as structural components such as bridge decks and retrofitting jackets can solve the problem of aging with enhanced durability in future constructions. But, proper installation of newer material in structurally important infrastructure requires a reliable method of …

Feasibility Analysis Of Establishing Charging Stations For Electrical Vehicles In Public Facilities, Vivek Komarina

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

To overcome the transportation sector's dependency on fossil fuels, electric vehicles appears to be a better alternative with a number of impressive benefits. Enhancing the utilization of electric vehicles not only reduces global gasoline and diesel consumption but also helps in running an environmentally cleaner road transport system with zero tailpipe emissions. As road transport involves substantial gasoline and diesel consumption, Plug-in Electric Vehicles (EVs) being more energy efficient and environment friendly can have direct impact on reduction of fuel reliance. One of the important limitations influencing the penetration of electrical vehicles in the global market is the lack of …

Energy Efficiency Effectiveness Of Smart Thermostat Based Bems, Koushik Mandlem

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Building Energy Management System (BEMS) is a computer-based system that can control, monitor and optimize energy consumption of the buildings. Though there are many advancements in this technology, many residential users who plan to install this technology are unaware of its economic feasibility. To determine the economic feasibility, the user should know the energy costs associated with the current HVAC system and the proposed HVAC system after installing BEMS and the implementation costs associated with the installation of the system. The work that is being proposed here is to develop a software that allows the user to observe the estimated …

Evaluation Of An Event Detection System To Identify Spill Events Related To Marcellus Shale Development, Joseph C. Wickline

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

There has been an extraordinary growth in the production of natural gas within the Marcellus Shale region in the past two decades. This sharp increase in production corresponds to an increased risk to surface waters from spill events related to the industry. At present, there are some private organizations and government agencies which monitor water quality in the region using continuous monitoring. However, there are no protocols in place to use data from continuous monitoring stations to quickly detect contamination resulting from spills.;Previous research has found that standard water quality parameters, such as specific conductivity, pH, and dissolved oxygen, measured …

Developing A Framework To Understand Teachers' Self-Efficacy In The Teaching Of Writing, Barbara J. Wierzbicki

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to explore the ways in which the domain specific self-efficacies manifest themselves in the teaching of writing. A teachers' sense of efficacy is a multidimensional construct and is a significant construct in how teachers' view themselves as writers and teachers of writing. This study explored how five elementary classroom teachers viewed these domain specific self-efficacies and the ways in which the various sources of efficacy influenced their self-efficacy as writers and teachers of writing. The researcher collected and analyzed domain specific self-efficacy scales and individual interviews to capture the experiences of these teachers. There …

A Study On Graph Coloring And Digraph Connectivity, Murong Xu

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation focuses on coloring problems in graphs and connectivity problems in digraphs. We obtain the following advances in both directions.;1. Results in graph coloring. For integers k,r > 0, a (k,r)-coloring of a graph G is a proper coloring on the vertices of G with k colors such that every vertex v of degree d( v) is adjacent to vertices with at least min{lcub}d( v),r{rcub} different colors. The r-hued chromatic number, denoted by chir(G ), is the smallest integer k for which a graph G has a (k,r)-coloring.;For a k-list assignment L to vertices of a graph G, a linear …

Impact Of Inquiry-Based, Question-And-Answer Instruction In High-Enrollment Classes, Matthew R. Schraeder

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Lecturing is a common way to teach large classes, especially in mathematics. Other styles of instruction have been proven to be more effective in small classroom settings, but those styles are not always practical (or even feasible) in classes with 200+ students. The lecturing dialogue primarily exists at the intersection of Spectrum Theory and the Socratic Method, utilizing inquiry-based learning within the realm of active learning, experiential learning, and constructivism to appeal to learners with various learning styles, which helps students to discover new information (specifically, why things occur in the way that they do) and make connections between old …

Understanding The Novice Decision-Making Process In Forensic Footwear Examinations: Accuracy And Decision Rules, Madonna A. Nobel

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The reproducibility of experienced-based forensic pattern interpretation is founded on the notion that domain-specific knowledge can be successfully distributed and applied among experts within a group. This assumption persists, even when the examination is complicated by variations in case circumstances, such as impression clarity and totality, as well as media, substrate, collection mechanism and enhancement. While it is further theorized that many of these factors (as well as additional confounding factors) are at play during an examination, the manner and extent to which these sources of variability affect the examination of footwear evidence remain unclear. In order to explore this …

Flexor Dysfunction Following Unilateral Transient Ischemic Brain Injury Is Associated With Impaired Locomotor Rhythmicity, Kiril Tuntevski

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Functional motor deficits in hemiplegia after stroke are predominately associated with flexor muscle impairments in animal models of ischemic brain injury, as well as in clinical findings. Rehabilitative interventions often employ various means of retraining a maladapted central pattern generator for locomotion. Yet, holistic modeling of the central pattern generator, as well as applications of such studies, are currently scarce. Most modeling studies rely on cellular neural models of the intrinsic spinal connectivity governing ipsilateral flexor-extensor, as well as contralateral coupling inherent in the spinal cord. Models that attempt to capture the general behavior of motor neuronal populations, as well …

Application Of Machine Learning On Fracture Interference, Dennis Wayne Chamberlain Jr.

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A method has been developed that locates and determines well-to-well hydraulic fracture interference (frac-hit) in shale plays using hard data. This method uses Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) with designated parameters and target outputs in conjunction with graphs of gas flowrate, tubing pressure, and cumulative gas prediction. The method was created to address the significant increase in frac-hit occurrences due to the infill wells being completed in shale plays. The production data of the well is first cleaned to eliminate outliers in the initial timeframe of the well and periods of no production so that the ANN model can be accurately …

Laser And 3-Dimensional Printers: Characterizing Emissions And Occupational Exposures, Alyson R. Johnson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Introduction: Toxicology and epidemiology studies have observed an association between ultrafine particles (UFPs) and respiratory, cardiovascular, and neurological health effects. While there is a paucity of data in the literature on the potential toxicity and health effects from indoor UFP exposure, more exposure assessment studies and research evaluating the efficacy of controls is merited. An increased demand for efficiency, productivity, and manufacturing has led to conception of laser and 3- dimmensional (3-D) printers in various indoor workplaces. The indoor environment is one of the most important determinants of personal exposure. Introducing laser and 3-D printers to indoor workplaces, introduces a …

Boundization, Closure And Convergence For The Ultra Extended Complex Banach And Hilbert Spaces With Applications, Salah Hamad

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

We study Boundization, Closure and Convergence of Complex Banach and Hilbert spaces. We augment a Banach space with elements “infinity” and turn the augmented set into a metric space by appropriate distance functions. This new metric space is called the Ultra Extended Banach Space. A new family of bijections, motivated by nonlinear projections, take an Ultra Extended Banach Space into bounded subsets of a “larger” Banach space. We compare the family of new metrics induced and show which ones are equivalent and which ones are unexpectedly not equivalent. Some applications are provided.

Parametric Study Of Coal Liberation Behavior Using Silica Grinding Media, Adewale Wasiu Adeniji

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study evaluates the coal liberation behavior using silica as the grinding media by assessing the effects of four operating factors including nominal feed size, media size, shaft speed and grinding time, each of three levels on two response variables, the product P₈₀ and the specific energy. The coal material used in this study was mixed-phase particles commonly referred to as middlings, sampled from dense medium circuit at the Leatherwood preparation plant in Kentucky. One-third fractional factorial design of resolution III was implemented. Since silica was obtained in three standard size ranges as per manufacturer’s design, media size was …

An Experimental Investigation Of The Cooling System For A Free Piston Stirling Engine, Akshay Milind Gupte

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Free-Piston Stirling Engine (FPSE) has been identified as a good candidate for combined heat and power application (CHP). FPSE being highly efficient and environmentally friendly promises to facilitate the increasing demand in waste heat energy recovery systems. FPSE system consists of three important components: (1) hot side heat exchanger; (2) regenerator; and (3) cold side heat exchanger. The cold side heat exchanger is a crucial part as it enables to maintain an optimal temperature of the working fluid by rejecting heat.

This research contributes to the design of heat exchanger test rig and experimental measurement of cooling heat exchanger. The …

Multi-Telescope Radio Observations For Low Frequency Gravitational Wave Astrophysics, Megan L. Jones

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves (NANOGrav) has the principal goal of detecting gravitational waves (GWs) in the nanohertz part of the spectrum using pulsar timing. This thesis presents results from radio campaigns at frequencies from 322 MHz to 10 GHz aimed at both multi-messenger constraints on GW sources and improving the timing sensitivity. The primary expected source of GWs at the nanohertz frequencies to which pulsar timing is sensitive are supermassive black hole (SMBH) binaries. We investigate a purported SMBH displaced from the galactic photocenter in NGC 3115. We explore the possibilities that the source is a …

Wintering American Black Duck Ecology Of Central Appalachia, Sara E. Yannuzzi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The American black duck (Anas rubripes) is a species of dabbling duck found only in the northeastern part of North America, and widely hunted until its decline. Since the 1950s, the total population has decreased by 53%. Habitat degradation and decline of wintering and breeding wetlands, historic overharvest, and interactions with the mallard (A. platyrhynchos) are attributed as some of the main causes of the black duck population’s decrease. Many policies and taxa- and habitat-specific joint ventures have since been created to aid in studying and improving North American wetlands and black duck populations throughout both their breeding and wintering …

Qualitative And Quantitative Analysis Of Carbonate Waters In The Peters Mountain Region Of Monroe County, Wv, Emily A. Bausher

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Water in Monroe County, WV is used extensively for public and private supply and requires quantification, chemical analysis, and assessment for contamination susceptibility. Over 250 springs were previously identified in the eastern side of Monroe County on or near Peters Mountain; 14 were continuously monitored in this study. Springs were grouped based on geologic and spatial distribution: interbedded clastic-rock springs on the mountain flanks, carbonate springs in the valley, and a thermal spring associated with the St. Clair thrust fault. Clastic and carbonate springs have calcium-magnesium-bicarbonate chemistries, neutral pHs and high alkalinities; the thermal spring has calcium-magnesium-sulfate-carbonate chemistry, low pH, …

Analysis Of The Gas Production From Marcellus Shale Horizontal Wells Using Decline Curves, Dalal Alsaadoun

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Many challenges present themselves when production is being forecasted in ultra-low permeability unconventional reservoir systems. Some of the major challenges are the lack of understanding of the interaction among the fluid flow, the hydraulic fracturing, the reservoir characteristics in these complex systems, and the limited production history. Therefore, the production performance of the shale gas wells over the longer time periods has not been established. A familiar technique for predicting the future production rates, when the only available data are past production rates, is Decline Curve Analysis (DCA). Several DCA methods have been proposed for shale wells, but their application …

An Interspecies Investigation Of Thyroid Plasma Hormone Concentrations, Histology, And Gene Expression, Emily A. Underwood

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A high prevalence of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in Great Lakes Areas of Concern (AOCs) has raised concerns as to the health and fitness of fish and wildlife. It is not well understood to what extent existing contaminants, many with continuing inflows into the environment, may impact fish populations. This study provides an initial characterization of thyroid endocrine-related effects in two indigenous fish species sampled from Great Lakes AOCs. Biomonitoring was conducted on a pelagic, top predator species, smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) and benthic, omnivorous brown bullhead (Ameiurus nebulosus) at 7 sites in spring and fall …

Effects Of Delay And Signals On Choice Between Delayed Food Alone And Immediate Food With Delayed Shock, Forrest James Toegel

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Much of the research in the area of self-control has examined choice between small immediate reinforcers and large delayed reinforcers, but many problems result from situations in which a single choice produces consequences of conflicting valence: Those in which the immediate outcome is reinforcing and the delayed outcome is aversive. Recent research has evaluated how preference for a large reinforcer which is followed by a delayed shock changes as a function of the delay to shock and how the intensity and duration of delayed shock affects the value of a large reinforcer. The present set of experiments investigated how the …

Syntheses Of Azepinoindole Alkaloids Cimitrypazepine, Fargesine And Hyrtioreticulins C & D, Ganesh Ghimire

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The Watanabe-Cenini-Söderberg reductive N-heterocyclization has emerged as a powerful tool for the synthesis of a variety of functionalized indoles. Söderberg’s elaboration of this methodology has been utilized as a late-stage cyclization protocol for the synthesis of azepinoindole alkaloids, a class of natural products characterized by an azepane skeleton fused with an indole ring. Short syntheses of the naturally occurring azepino[5,4,3-cd]indole alkaloids, cimitrypazepine, fargesine, and the diastereomeric hyrtioreticulins C & D have been completed starting from commercially available tetra-substituted benzene derivatives. The key azepinoindole core in each case was assembled via an intramolecular Mizoroki-Heck reaction followed by a …

Stationary Automata, Anaam Mutar Bidhan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In this dissertation, we investigate new automata, we call it stationary automata or ST-automata. This concept is based on the definition of TF-automaton by Wojciechowski [Woj2]. What is new in our approach is that we incorporate stationary subsets of limit ordinals of uncountable cofinality. The first objective of the thesis is to motivate the new construction of automata. This concept of ST-automata allows us to make a connection with infinite graph theory. Aharoni, Nash-Williams, and Shelah [AhNaSh] formulated a condition that is necessary and sufficient for a bipartite graph to have a matching. For a bipartite …

Application Of Molecular Pathology Techniques To Understand Mechanisms Of Disease In Smallmouth Bass, Heather Leigh Walsh

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In the Chesapeake Bay drainage, smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu are used as an indicator species of estrogenic contaminant exposure and have been implicated in fish kills and disease since 2005. In the Potomac River drainage, adult smallmouth bass have experienced mortality and disease and males have a high prevalence of intersex (testicular oocytes). Conversely, in the Susquehanna River drainage mortalities and disease of young-of-the-year smallmouth bass (YOY SMB) have occurred and resulted in a population shift to older and larger fish. The exact cause of these events remains unknown; however, factors such as poor water quality, contaminants, pathogens and parasites, …

Nickel-Catalyzed Oxidative Decarboxylative (Hetero)Arylation Reactions, Aaron P. Honeycutt

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Transition-metal-catalyzed decarboxylative coupling reactions have gained considerable attention over the past decade as an efficient route to form heterobiaryls. However, current methods for oxidative decarboxylative (hetero)arylation with unactivated C-H bonds have been limited by poor substrate scope, control of regioselectivity, and chemospecificity. This thesis describes the development of a new nickel-catalyzed oxidative decarboxylative coupling (ODC) with unactivated C-H bonds. The first chapter discusses the development of the new nickel-catalyzed ODC reaction to enable the coupling of a N,N'-bidentate directing group with a broad scope of heteroaromatic carboxylates and ortho-substituted benzoates, a scope that has not been achieved in previous …

Design And Optimization Of A 1 Kw Stirling Engine, Garrett Tyler Rinker

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Stirling engines are often overlooked as a means of energy conversion, though its versatility offers many advantages. Since it is an external combustion engine, it can be supplied with heat through the combustion of a variety of fuels. Its maintenance- and degradation-free aspects, as well as its excellent turn down ratio, make it a suitable candidate for applications such as remote power generation, combined heat and power (CHP), cryogenics, solar power, and even space exploration. The continual advancement of additive manufacturing (AM) offers opportunity to potentially further improve the already efficient Stirling cycle. This dissertation presents the design and optimization …

Study Of The Resonance Spectrums Of The Flute And The Effect Of Different Stable Vowels On Formant Tuning With Violin And Clarinet, Alyssa M. Schwartz

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

"In the long history of scientific investigation of musical instruments, the flute has been given particular attention, primarily because of its apparent simplicity. Yet many of the physical factors that determine its behavior have not been well documented." This is especially true when it comes to modern understanding of the way in which changes in the shape of the oral cavity affect the resonance spectrum of the flute.;Creating different monophthongs, or stable-vowel positions, while playing the flute changes the spectral slope and strength of the overtones in the flute tone. This affects the ability of the flute to successfully blend …

Effect Of Chamber Pressure On The Quality Of Breech Face And Firing Pin Impressions, James A. Hamilton

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Firearms evidence plays a vital role in shooting incident investigations. Included in this type of evidence is the comparison of fired cartridge casings. The evaluation of cartridge casings can inform investigators as to the number of firearms used in an incident. This evaluation includes the observation of breech face impressions imparted on the cartridge casing by the firearm. The comparison of these markings can assist investigators in the apprehension of perpetrators. However, the quality of these impressions may vary based on the pressures generated within a single system during firing leading to the appearance of multiple firearms being involved. Investigation …

The Relationship Between Oil Prices And Us Dollar Exchange Rates In Short And Long Scales, Mostafa Hashemi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study is to revisit the relationship between US dollar exchange rates and crude oil prices in the post-2000 era, when both oil prices and USD exchange rates experienced record-high volatility. Specifically, I aim to answer: (1) do oil prices drive US dollar exchange rates or vice versa, (2) are oil prices and US dollar exchange rates integrated in the long-run, and (3) are the conflicting results found in previous studies on the relationship between the two due to the use of different frequencies of data (e.g. daily, weekly, and monthly). To answer these questions, I applied …

The Influence Of Foot Posture And Load On Lumbar Biomechanics During Trunk Bending, Atefeh Malekinezhad

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Low back pain imposed huge expenditures to the industry with many days away from work. Despite industrialization, statistics show the number of work injuries, work transfer, work restriction and absenteeism in recent years is still high. Various factors are involved in low back injuries, which make it complicated to deal with. In many industries (such as construction, transportation, and healthcare) low back pain is highly prevalent.;In the current study, we recruited 14 participants to investigate the effect of staggered foot posture on lifting biomechanics and to understand if maintaining a staggered foot posture could reduce spinal tissue loading and its …

Molecular Simulation Of Transport And Storage In Shale, Mohammad Kazemi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Over the past few years, the production of shale hydrocarbons has seen a renewed interest both in science and industry. Indeed, these fluids today constitute a significant energy and economic stake to compensate for the scarcity of so-called conventional resources. This is due to the fact that shale gases and oils represent enormous potential resources and are present all over the world. In shales, hydrocarbons are generally contained in microporous organic nanopores: kerogen. The kerogen is both the source rock of hydrocarbons and their reservoir. In shales, the extreme confinement of fluids in organic matter, high pressure-high temperature thermodynamic condition …