Digital Commons Network^™

Immunomagnetic Beads Coupled With Anti-Ph-20 Antibodies To Isolate Sperm From Dna Mixtures For Sexual Assault Kit Application, Kayla Becks

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Sexual Assault Kits (SAKs) account for a large portion of DNA mixture samples that are processed within a forensic laboratory, most commonly in the form of vaginal swabs. A typical vaginal swab from a SAK contains the female victim's epithelial cells and varying concentrations of sperm cells left by the perpetrator. The key to analyzing these types of samples is to separate the mixture into male and female fractions. As such, there is a demand to develop novel techniques that have the capability of recovering as much of the male fraction as possible, specifically in cases where there is a …

The Evaluation Of The Rapidhittm 200 On Degraded Biological Samples, Alice Kim

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) has become an integral part of forensic science in the last couple of decades since its discovery to this application by Alec Jeffreys. Although there have been many advances throughout the years, the time it takes to obtain a DNA profile using conventional methods in a laboratory setting is approximately 24 to 72 hours. Due to this length of time and the increase in demand for DNA testing, it has caused a tremendous amount of backlog throughout the country. In 2009, the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) in collaboration with the US Department of Defense of Homeland …

Examining Musical Hybridity And Cultural Influences In Valerie Coleman’S Wish Sonatine And Fanmi Imèn, Brittany Marie Trotter

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this research document is to examine elements of musical hybridity and cultural influences in renowned African-American flutist-composer Valerie Coleman’s Wish Sonatine and Fanmi Imèn for solo flute and piano. Prominently known for her chamber music works, Coleman describes her compositional style as “urban-classical,” which infuses elements of popular American styles into modern Western art music traditions to highlight and encapsulate the cultural experiences of various diasporas of our time.

The most significant elements of hybridity and cultural influences examined in Wish Sonatine and Fanmi Imèn are programmatic imagery and compositional motifs. The programmatic imagery is represented through …

Can Fitts' Throughput Be A Predictor Of Muscle Fatigue – A Study Based On Metacarpal Gloves?, Sachin Sah

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In this study, Fitts’ throughput was used to estimate throughput for metacarpal gloves. Fitts’ throughput combines speed and accuracy during target transfer/movement tasks into a single performance index. It was hypothesized that the throughput will be affected by the glove condition and it will exhibit a relationship with the physiological response of hand muscles and perceived exertions. Fifteen healthy participants (10 males, 5 females) were recruited for data collection. Each participant performed a series of target transfer tasks using four glove conditions: (1) a pigskin leather (glove 1); (2) a synthetic fiber glove (glove 2); (3) a goat-grain leather glove …

Copper-Catalyzed Regioselective Boracarboxylation Of Vinyl Arenes: Catalytic Efficiency And Synthetic Utility, Trina M. Perrone

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Hetero(element) carboxylation is an appealing transformation that involves the installation of CO2 and another hetero(element) in one step. This transition metal-catalyzed one-pot synthesis provides a route to achieve highly functionalized carboxylic acid products with an abundant and cheap C1 feedstock. This difunctionalization also avoids the use of reactive metal hydride species, which is a prominent limitation of hydrocarboxylation chemistry. A copper-catalyzed regioselective boracarboxylation of vinyl arenes has been developed to access pharmaceutically relevant β-boryl-α-aryl propionic acid products. One drawback of this reaction is the necessity for high catalyst loading to achieve catalytic turnover. To circumvent this issue, the reduction of …

Association Genetics And Local Adaptation Of Populus Trichocarpa Torr. & Gray, Hari Bahadur Chhetri

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A major goal in plant science is overcoming the recalcitrance of plant biomass to cellulose extraction, to enable efficient production of cellulosic biofuel. We have started to understand the genetic basis of some important traits such as cell wall chemistry, but we do not know anything about the key structural and functional traits such as wood anatomy that greatly affect plant biomass recalcitrance. Furthermore, biofuel feedstocks have to be adapted to varied environmental conditions to ensure high productivity in plantations, but little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying local adaptation. With the advancement in sequencing and genotyping technologies, association …

Minimizing Trihalomethane Formation Through Source Water Monitoring And Optimizing Treatment Practices, Nashid Mirza

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Trihalomethanes, a family of halogenated disinfection byproducts, are prevalent in finished drinking water. According to USEPA’s Disinfectants and Disinfection Byproducts Rules (DBPRs), the regulatory standard of the total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) is 80 μg/L, and water treatment plant operators are required to closely monitor TTHMs in the finished water on a quarterly basis. Although total organic carbon (TOC) has been identified as a precursor for the TTHMs, knowledge gaps still exist in how specific water and treatment related factors (e.g., intake water quality, seasonal variation, contact time, and treatment train) affect TTHMs formation. Focusing on water treatment plants in southwestern Pennsylvania, …

Critical Physicochemical Properties For Nanoparticle Toxicity: Impact Of Surface Coating And Size On Particle-Induced Cell Transformation And Inflammatory Response, Tiffany Kornberg

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Nanoparticles, which measure 100 nm in at least one dimension, have surged in development, production, and use for a wide range of applications. However, the rapid pace of development for these emerging materials with unclear/unknown toxicity profiles makes it difficult to adequately assess health risk associated with exposure. One critical obstacle which limits scientific research to fill these critical knowledge gaps is the lack of accurate and predictive models for nanotoxicology studies, particularly those which involve occupationally relevant exposure scenarios (pulmonary exposure to low dose of particles in the circulating air). Typically, animal models are used to assess potential systemic …

Ecological Benefits Of Watershed-Scale Restoration In Two Intensively Mined Cold- And Warm-Water Ecosystems, Rebecca Anne Long

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Stream restoration projects are increasingly common. However, restoration projects that establish measurable goals, have pre- and post-restoration monitoring, and are implemented at the watershed scale are rare. We conducted a long-term (9-year) before-after-control-impact designed assessment of two watershed-scale acid mine drainage (AMD) remediation programs, one in a warm-water ecosystem and one in a cold-water ecosystem in West Virginia, USA. Restoration was strategically designed to recover biodiversity and improve the native fisheries by restoring chemically degraded water quality and re-establishing riverscape connectivity. We used analysis of variance to quantify responses in water chemistry, benthic macroinvertebrate communities, and fish community composition before …

In Vitro Metabolism Of The Synthetic Cannabinoids Px-1, Px-2, Px-3 And A Comparison Of Their Clearance Rates In Human Liver Microsomes, Travon Cooman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Detection of SCs in body fluids continue to be a challenge because of limited metabolism data, lack of standards and reference mass spectrometry data. In vivo and in vitro experiments help elucidate metabolite markers for novel psychoactive substances and can prompt synthesis of standards to verify proposed metabolites. In this study, metabolism of three SCs N-(1-amino-1-oxo-3-phenylpropan-2-yl)-1-(5-fluoropentyl)-1H-indole-3-carboxamine (PX-1), N-(1-amino-1-oxo-3-phenylpropan-2-yl)-1-(5-fluropentyl)-1H-indazole-3-carboxamide (PX-2), and N-(1-amino-1-oxo-3-phenylpropan-2-yl)-1-(cyclohexylmethyl)-1H-indazole-3-carboxamide (PX-3) were investigated using human liver microsomes. Previous studies showed PX-3 as the most potent CB1 and CB2 receptor agonist.

Half-life and clearance data were acquired using liquid chromatography- tandem mass spectrometry. Metabolite elucidation was performed using liquid chromatography …

Stream Salamander And Benthic Macroinvertebrate Community Responses To Imidacloprid Exposure, Sara M. Crayton

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The insecticide imidacloprid is widely used to mitigate hemlock (Tsuga spp.) mortality resulting from the invasive hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA), but evidence suggests that

imidacloprid can have negative effects on adjacent stream systems. Imidacloprid exposure causes physiological changes, bioaccumulation, and reduced survival in anurans, and induces physiological impairment and reduced survival in benthic macroinvertebrates. In this thesis, we assessed whether HWA treatments using imidacloprid affect stream salamander abundances and benthic macroinvertebrate community composition. We also investigated whether imidacloprid or its metabolites bioaccumulate in benthic macroinvertebrates or salamanders and cause sublethal effects. We conducted this study in two National Park …

Rule Extraction And Insertion To Improve The Performance Of A Dynamic Cell Structure Neural Network, Osama Amhamed Elsarrar

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Artificial Neural Networks are extremely useful machine learning tools. They are used for many purposes, such as prediction, classification, pattern recognition, etc. Although neural networks have been used for decades, they are still often not completely understood or trusted, especially in safety and mission critical situations. Typically, neural networks are trained on data sets that are representative of what needs to be learned. Sometimes training sets are constructed in order to train the neural network in a certain way, in order to embed appropriate knowledge. The purpose of this research is to determine if there is another method that can …

The Effects Hot Water Kill Time Has On Dna Degradation And Str Profiling From Lucilia Sericata (Diptera: Calliphoridae) Crop Contents, Nicholas Alexander Haas

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

he use of entomological specimens as a source of forensic DNA evidence has been studied since the late 20th century. Currently as it stands, to preserve both the minimum postmortem interval (mPMI) and DNA evidence within fly larvae, two standards of preservation exist. For mPMI, the use of hot water kill with near-boiling water is used to fix larvae size for accurate age estimation. For DNA evidence, the standard technique of preservation is submersion in 70% ethanol. To help reduce the number of standard preservation techniques for practitioners, this study assessed the feasibility of the hot water kill preservation technique …

Thermal Performance Of Growth At Consumption Maximum (C-Max) And Routine Metabolic Rate (Rmr) In Brook Trout Salvelinus Fontinalis From Four Populations In Central Appalachia, Cory Michael Hartman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Growth of an individual is the end result of many physiological processes stemming from the consumption of food items. These processes can be influenced by many variables including temperature. Current bioenergetics models for Brook Trout Salvelinus fontinalis suggest growth increases with temperature until an inflection point of 20.2°C. With a warming climate, and water temperatures expected to rise, the ability of a population to adapt to the warming environment is crucial to the survival of the species. For this study we sought to see how spatial variation would influence the specific consumption, conversion efficiency, and specific growth at consumption maximum …

Evaluation And Understandability Of Face Image Quality Assessment, Mohammad I. Nouyed

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Face image quality assessment (FIQA) has been an area of interest to researchers as a way to improve the face recognition accuracy. By filtering out the low quality images we can reduce various difficulties faced in unconstrained face recognition, such as, failure in face or facial landmark detection or low presence of useful facial information. In last decade or so, researchers have proposed different methods to assess the face image quality, spanning from fusion of quality measures to using learning based methods. Different approaches have their own strength and weaknesses. But, it is hard to perform a comparative assessment of …

Lignocellulosic Biomass Derived Activated Carbon For Energy Storage And Adsorption, Changle Jiang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Lignocellulosic biomass has been converted to hierarchical porous carbon materials which possess macro-, meso- and micro-pores. The natural structure of porous lignocellulosic structure was preserved during activation with further developed porosity by the activation. The activated carbon can be well applied to electrochemical double layer capacitor for transportation storage of ions as well as adsorbent materials for metal ion removal from wastewater.

The first chapter of this dissertation presents an introduction of biomass derived carbon and its applications. In the second chapter, both direct and indirect activation methods using carbon dioxide were adopted in this study. The results show that …

Chemometric Calibration Of Surface Enchanced Raman Spectra For Quantitative Analysis, Xiaofei Shi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Raman spectroscopy, recognized as a powerful analytical technique, has been widely employed in many fields especially in the detection of hazard material containing in food or water. However, multiplexed analyte quantification based on Raman spectra remains a challenge due to the difficulties in accurate and precise modeling of the relationship between multiple analyte concentrations and dense spectral data with noise.

In this work, a statistical procedure was developed to efficiently generate high-quality calibration models quantifying the analyte concentrations versus spectra relationship. The resulting calibration models are able to provide estimated concentration ranges (which reflect both point and uncertainty estimates) for …

Morphological And Phylogenetic Resolution Of Diplodia Spp., Emerging Canker Pathogens Of Oak (Quercus Spp.), In The United States, Savannah Lyn Ferreira

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In Mediterranean Europe and the United States, oak species (Quercus spp.) have been in a state of declining health and vigor for the past several decades. Several biotic agents have been found to contribute to this decline to varying degrees including Phytophthora cinnamomi and Armillaria spp., both causal agents of root rots, and various insect defoliators. In the U.S., Bretziella fagacearum, the causal agent of oak wilt, has also been implicated. More recently, Diplodia corticola (Dc) and other Diplodia spp. have been implicated in causing dieback and mortality of oak species in Europe and in …

Promoting Cognitive And Fine Motor Development In The Art Room For Young Students With Exposure To Trauma: An Exploratory Case Study., Tiffany Marie Minuci

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Despite the overwhelming research that suggests visual artmaking experiences can produce positive outcomes for individuals, many state art education policies fail to implement and integrate the arts into core academic curriculums. Specifically in the state of West Virginia, kindergarten through twelfth grade students often lack the access to a quality and consistent art education. With high teacher-pupil ratios and inclusive learning environments, educators face the difficult task of meeting all the individual needs of their students’ in the classroom. This not only affects whole student populations, but also poses risks for children who have been exposed to trauma. Traumatic experiences …

Induction Of Cerebral Hyperexcitability By Peripheral Viral Challenge: Role Of Cxcl10 Chemokine, Tiffany J. Petrisko

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Peripheral viral infections are po­tent comorbid factors that exacerbate neuro­degene­ration. Although the under­lying mecha­nisms have not been defined, neuronal hyperexcitability has been established as an underlying feature. Our lab has developed a preclinical model in which a viral mimetic, poly­inosinic-poly­cytidylic acid (PIC) is injected in­tra­peritoneally to induce an anti-viral acute phase response (APR). APR in turn elicits robust neuronal hyperexcitability. The present study was undertaken to characterize molecular mechanisms that mediate the development of hyperexcitability in response to PIC challenge. The analysis of brain tissue after PIC challenge revealed a robust elevation of CXCL10 chemokine, indicating its putative role in …

Comparing The Effects Of Swimming Exercise And Dissolved Oxygen On Important Performance Parameters Of Early-Rearing Atlantic Salmon Salmo Salar And Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus Mykiss., Thomas B. Waldrop

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Swimming exercise (bodylenghts/sec), and dissolved oxygen (DO), are important environmental variables in aquaculture. While there is an obvious physiological association between these two parameters, their interaction has not been adequately studied in Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar and Rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss. Since both variables can be easily manipulated in modern aquaculture systems, we sought to assess the impact of these parameters, alone and in combination, on the performance, health, and welfare parameters of the two species. Atlantic salmon and Rainbow trout were stocked into twelve circular 0.5 m³ tanks and exposed to either high (1.5-2 BL/s) or low …

Utilization Of Scale In Keypoint Detection And Feature Description, Andrew P. Rhodes

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Ubiquitous availability of inexpensive three dimensional (3D) sensors has led to an abundance of keypoint detection and feature description techniques for point-clouds. While some recent methods utilize color along with geometric information, most only implicitly discuss -- if not completely disregard -- the information provided by scale. Scale is an inherent characteristic of any keypoint or feature that describes its physical size or region of support.

Exploiting information provided by scale facilitates the processes of keypoint detection and feature description. A 3D scale-space, extended from robust and popular 2D methods, is constructed to diffuse a signal on triangulated meshes. Methods …

Evaluating The Potential Of Methyl Jasmonate Application As An Agricultural Practice On Phytochemicals In Brassica Vegetables: Sensory Quality, Cooking, And Cost-Benefit Analysis, Yu-Chun Chiu

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In the United States, Brassica vegetables, including broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica) and kale (Brassica oleracea var. acephala or Brassicae napus var. pabularia), are widely consumed and are easily accessible in farmer’s market or grocery stores with increasing interest of their health-promoting properties. For example, the consumption of broccoli has been associated with anti-cancer activity in in vitro and in vivo trails due to the high content of phytochemicals, minerals, vitamins, and fibers. Application of methyl jasmonate (MeJA) has been reported to enhance the potential health-promoting compounds in Brassica vegetables, glucosinolates (GS), especially indolyl GS neoglucobrassicin …

Performance Study Of An Unconventional Breathresponse Papr Against A N95 Ffr And Conventional Paprs, Huihui Yang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Healthcare workers (HCWs) are the first responders when infectious pathogens occur. Powered air-purifying respirators (PAPRs) are one of the most widely used personal protective equipment for healthcare workers. Currently, few studies have been performed with HCWs in the actual healthcare work environments to assess discomforts, acceptance and protective efficiency towards wearing and use of PAPRs. The main purpose of this dissertation was to introduce and assess a brand new unconventional PAPR (Koken breath-response PAPR). The protection performance and user preferance of this unconventional PAPR were studided and compared to that of a N95 FFR and traditional PAPRs.

Firstly, a laboratory …

Detecting Balsam Woolly Adelgid Infestations Using Tree Rings, Morgan Lane Leef

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Balsam woolly adelgid (BWA), Adelges piceae(Ratzeburg), is a sap-sucking, exotic invasive insect that arrived in North America from central Europe around 1900. Since then, its range has expanded from New Brunswick, Canada to the southern Appalachian Mountains. It is a threat to all North American true-fir species, but populations can be controlled by cold continental winters. Adelgid feeding leaves noticeable traces on the wood tissue (“rotholz”) and causes a temporary positive radial growth response among affected trees. The purpose of this research was to determine dates of initial outbreaks, balsam fir radial growth change during outbreaks, and the relationship …

Engineering Plasmonic Nanostructures For Light Management And Sensing, Sujan Phani Kumar Kasani

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The two major global problems are to provide health safety and to meet energy demands for ever growing population on a large scale. The study of light interaction with nanostructures has shown a promising solution in improving the fields of bio-sensor and solar energy devices which addresses above mentioned two major global problems. Nanostructures have tunable physicochemical properties such as light absorption, electrical and thermal properties unlike bulk materials, which gives an advantage in applications like bio-sensing and energy harvesting devices. The development of nanofabrication techniques along with the discovery of Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) and Plasmon Enhanced Fluorescence …

Delay Discounting And Cannabinoid Enzyme Inhibitors, Devin Andrew Galdieri

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Delay discounting is a measure of impulsive choice that is correlated with maladaptive behavior and psychological disorders. Disruptions to serotonin and dopamine pathways can cause changes in delay discounting, as can lesions to the prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens. The endocannabinoid system modulates other neurotransmitter systems, including dopamine and serotonin pathways. Cannabinoid receptors type 1 are found in relatively high concentrations in the nucleus accumbens and the prefrontal cortex. These receptors are activated by endogenous cannabinoids, which are synthesized on demand and broken down by catabolic enzymes. The action of these enzymes can be inhibited by a class of drugs …

Integrating Microscale Enzyme And Lectin Reactions Using Nanogel Assisted Capillary Electrophoresis, Srikanth Gattu

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Protein glycosylation is one of the most prevalent post-translational modifications which plays an important role in determining the structure, stability, and function of proteins. Changes in glycosylation patterns are a hallmark of cancer and other diseases. Characterizing glycosylation is difficult because these structures vary in their linkage and monomer sequence, which gives rise to vast microheterogenity that could affect the function of the molecule. A novel method using capillary gel electrophoresis by integrating microscale enzymes and lectin reactions in the capillary was developed to verify glycan structure by analyzing monosaccharides. Capillary electrophoresis (CE) improves upon conventional methods of glycan structure …

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 …

Habitat Suitability Of Restored Wetlands And An Investigation Of Sampling Bias For Freshwater Turtles In West Virginia, Alissa L. Gulette

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Loss and drainage of wetlands in the United States has been remediated in part by wetland restoration on agricultural lands through the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP), operated by the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Freshwater turtles are important components of wetland ecosystems, where they contribute to nutrient cycling, storage, and transfer between terrestrial and aquatic systems, and function as apex predators. In 2016 and 2017, we investigated use of wetlands restored through the ACEP program in West Virginia by two common freshwater turtle species, snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina) and painted turtles (Chrysemys picta), and obtained comparative data from reference wetlands. …