Digital Commons Network^™

From Bobcat To Bursts: Multi-Messenger Constraints On Supermassive Black Holes And Binaries, Jessica Sydnor

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Supermassive black hole binaries (SMBHBs) are a natural consequence of hierarchical galaxy formation and evolution. When galaxies merge, their central supermassive black holes (SMBHs) are expected to form bound pairs that evolve from kiloparsec to sub-parsec separations under the influence of dynamical friction, stellar scattering, and gas dynamics. Ultimately, these SMBHs reach the regime where gravitational wave emission dominates and drives the final inspiral and coalescence. Understanding the formation, evolution, and observational signatures of SMBHBs is critical to advancing multi-messenger astrophysics, particularly in the era of pulsar timing arrays (PTAs) and the upcoming Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), which opens …

Leveraging Physiological Signal Activity And Self-Report Data To Assess Students’ Trust In “My Friendly Mind” App And Its Impact On Their Mental Health Knowledge: A Mixed-Method Phase 1 Clinical Trial Focusing On Depression And Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder From Human Factors Standpoint., Yeganeh Shahsavar

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Mental health issues have become a significant global public health concern, especially among younger generations. The growing number of mental health challenges, combined with limited access to quality care, makes the problem even worse. Studies reveal that over 70% of individuals worldwide in need of mental health services do not receive appropriate care. Digital health technologies have the potential to enhance mental health services by making them more accessible and affordable. Despite the increasing popularity of mental health mobile applications (mHealth), there remains a lack of robust evidence of their effectiveness and the level of user trust, particularly in areas …

White Paper And Black Water: Environmental Control Of Labor In Appalachian Paper Mill Communities, Matthew C. Powell

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In several small Appalachian communities, the West Virginia Pulp & Paper Company dominated the local landscape. The company stripped the mountainsides of spruce trees for pulpwood and used rivers for industrial processes and waste disposal. The small towns along these rivers and between these mountains relied on paper mills for employment. Corporate control over the natural environment, and water more specifically, was a necessary requirement for paper production, but also acted as a source of power over employees and their communities. When paper workers sought to organize, the company responded by leveraging their control over the environment against them to …

The Effect Of Carrier Type And Material Used On Results Of 1,1,1,2-Tetrafluoroethane Application To Teeth, Jonathon Logan Williams Dds

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Introduction: The formulation of a pulpal diagnosis is crucial to prescribe appropriate treatment recommendations for endodontics. The application of a cold stimulus to the tooth’s surface utilizing the refrigerant 1,1,1,2-Tetrafluoroethane (R-134a) is a common way to obtain a pulpal diagnosis. Cotton as a form of applicator is used to absorb the R-134a and create a temperature change in the pulp. There is limited research if there is a better material than cotton to generate this cold response. No studies to date have been found to determine if a sponge as an applicator would generate a more significant cold response than …

Repeatability And Reproducibility Of Minutiae Mark-Up, Lyrek Lockley

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study investigated the repeatability and reproducibility of minutiae mark-up. The use of fingerprints as a mode of identification has been around for thousands of years with contributions from figures like Sir William Hershel, Thomas Taylor, Henry Faulds, Sir Francis Galton and many more. Latent fingerprint impressions can be deposited by the perpetrator of a crime on a variety of surfaces at a crime scene. Many times, fingerprints are the most widely recovered and used evidence from a crime scene. Once fingerprints are collected, they go through the analysis, comparison, evaluation, and verification (ACE-V) process. This study will focus on …

Simulation Of Annpet For Neural Network Training And System Performance Benchmarking, Pete Martone

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Monte Carlo (MC) simulations are often used to provide insight into complex physical phenomenon. They can generate realistic results without the necessity to construct costly and complex apparatus. The ultimate value of these simulations depend on how accurately the physics can be modeled and if a sufficient volume can be produced to account for statistical variance. In medical imaging device development, MC simulations of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanners have typically been used to model the performance of new systems. The imaging group in the Department of Radiology have developed a unique detector design for a pre- clinical PET scanner …

Reclaiming Revolutionary Relics: How Nineteenth-Century Americans Used George Washington’S Objects To Understand The Civil War, Abbi E. Smithmyer

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

By combining cultural, memory, and material culture studies, this dissertation examines the ways objects associated with George Washington became instruments within the proxy war over whether the United States or the Confederacy best represented the American Revolutionary era’s principal values of liberty and equality. Exploring monuments, statues, historic homes, relics, and mementoes, as well as antebellum speeches and schoolbooks, letters, diaries, military orders, newspapers, and memoirs, this work demonstrates how the relics linked to Washington and the nation’s founding shaped how the Civil War generation thought about America’s past.

The 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States has …

Nuclear Reactions: Making Sense Of The Accident At Three Mile Island, Jordan Emily Bennett

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This thesis examines the causes and consequences of the nuclear accident at Three Mile Island in March of 1979. First detailing the event, this thesis then examines activist narratives following the accident, with a particular focus on women’s “motherist” activism in the community outside the plant, before turning to questions of memory and the creation of a public memory of survivorship in the community surrounding the plant. In considering these questions, this thesis seeks to shed light on the differences between official and communal narratives of the accident in an effort to understand the impacts that the partial meltdown at …

Improving Large Scale Face Recognition With Identity Codes, Mohammad Saeed Ebrahimi Saadabadi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Despite significant advances in deep face recognition, current systems face several practical challenges in real-world scenarios. These include high computational cost of training on large-scale datasets, inefficient use of metric space, and mismatch between training and evaluation frameworks. This dissertation addresses these limitations through three completed studies. The first part presents a research effort aimed at addressing the computational bottlenecks of large-scale FR training. This work proposes a framework that replaces conventional scalar identity labels with structured identity codes, \ie, sequences of tokens optimized to preserve semantic and metric separation. The formulation is designed to reduce the computational cost of …

Non-Lethal Sampling Methods For Fish Health Assessments Using Smallmouth Bass Micropterus Dolomieu, Lindsey Nicole Hartzell

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In the early 2000s, fish kills of different species, including smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu, were reported in areas of the Potomac River drainage, including the Shenandoah River in Virginia. Since the first reports of fish kills and lesions affecting smallmouth bass, they have continued to show signs of adverse health effects. Additionally, in some areas of the Potomac River drainage, population declines have occurred, and lethal sampling is discouraged. To develop a holistic, integrative approach to assess fish health, Smallmouth Bass were collected and sampled using non-lethal techniques at three sites within the Shenandoah River drainage, VA and one …

Neural Network-Based Image Compression, Atefeh Khoshkhahtinat

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The rapid advancement of information technology and the exponential growth of digital communication have significantly increased the demand for efficient data compression techniques that reduce storage requirements, minimize bandwidth consumption, and accelerate data transmission—without substantially compromising data quality. This dissertation addresses these challenges by investigating and developing advanced learned image compression (LIC) methods, with a particular focus on lossy compression for both natural images and scientific imagery obtained from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) mission. Traditional image compression standards—such as JPEG, JPEG2000, BPG, and HEVC—rely on manually engineered transforms and heuristic rules, which often lack the adaptability required to accommodate …

The Effect Of Sars-Cov-2 On Bacterial Diversity And Abundance In Community Wastewater, Joshua Lambert

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) enters human respiratory cells through binding of its spike (S) protein to the ACE-2 receptor, which is highly expressed in lung cells, but is also found in over 150 other cell types encompassing major organs including GI enterocytes. SARS-CoV-2 causes gut dysbiosis in infected individuals and patients with COVID-19 and also coincides with lower alpha diversity of the individual’s gut microbiome. Certain gut microbiome-associated genera are lower in abundance in COVID-19 patients including Lachnospira, Prevetolla, Roseburia, Bifidobacterium, and Faecalibacterium while genera such as Bacteroides, Enterococcus and Proteobacteria are increased during a SARS-CoV-2 …

Synthetic Data–Driven Early Prediction Framework For Acute Kidney Injury In Patients Receiving Vancomycin And Ceftazidime/Avibactam, Maryam Ramazani

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Background: The nephrotoxic risks of combining ceftazidime/avibactam (AVI) with vancomycin (VAN) remain underexplored, despite both agents independently being linked to acute kidney injury (AKI). This study assessed the risk of AKI associated with concurrent VAN and ceftazidime/avibactam (VAN-AVI) therapy and developed synthetic data models to enable early prediction of AKI.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis using electronic health record data from hospitalized adults between 2015 and 2022. The incidence of AKI was compared among patients receiving VAN-AVI or VAN in combination with piperacillin/tazobactam (VAN-TPZ) versus VAN monotherapy. AKI was defined as a composite of de novo and recurrent AKI …

Dynamic Force Feedback Controller Improves Metrics Of Stepping In A Biomimetic Robot Leg, Isabella Mae Kudyba

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Force feedback is a type of robotic control where forces are measured, fed back into the control system, and actuation is adjusted to compensate for environmental forces, with the goal of quick and precise limb positioning in walking. Robots of today use single force sensors (e.g. pressure sensitive pads, load cells) per leg which are often bulky, expensive, and susceptible to crosstalk. Walking robots often employ model predictive controllers or policy controllers trained through reinforcement learning (RL) to actuate their limbs, but these methods are time and energy consuming. Biomimetic robots offer an alternative approach, investigating biological theories with the …

Modeling And Simulation Of A Process For Upcycling Of Low-Density Polyethylene Plastic Waste To Ethylene, Xiaoyan Wang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Ethylene is one of the most widely produced petrochemicals, with an estimated global output of 180 million metric tons in 2022. Approximately 82 million metric tons of ethylene are used annually for plastic production, primarily for polyethylene (PE), as well as polypropylene (PP) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). The CO₂ emissions associated with PE production were approximately 14 million metric tons in 2022. Globally, an estimated 70 million metric tons of PE are produced and consumed each year, with the majority (~79%) ending up in landfills or the environment.

This project proposes a novel process in which waste low-density polyethylene (LDPE) …

The Position Of The United States Of America Vis-A-Vis The Question Of Western Sahara: Assessing The Role Of Think Tanks In The Conflict, Hamid Baadeche

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

ABSTRACT

The Position of the United States of America Vis-à-vis the Question of Western Sahara: Assessing the Role of Think Tanks in the Conflict

Hamid Baadeche

Think tank organizations, particularly in the United States, have become a prominent feature of the political landscape. They act as advocates for specific policies that they consider beneficial for the country or a particular societal group. They function as a primary source of information, which they then aim to transform into well-informed policies and sound decisions. They are referred to as "the revolving doors," "idea brokers," and "idea factory." As such, their foremost objective …

Characterization Of Properties And Defects Of Alternative Matrix Materials For 3d Printed Continuous Carbon Fiber Reinforced Composites, Noah Darren Osborne

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Additive manufacturing, commonly known as 3D printing, has the potential to transform the production of end-use parts by facilitating the creation of complex shaped, low-volume components that are expensive to manufacture using traditional methods. However, thermoplastic polymer matrices currently utilized in 3D printing of carbon fiber composites, often lack the mechanical properties needed for aerospace applications. To address this issue, researchers have developed fiber-reinforced 3D-printed composites using an innovative two-step process which involves printing 3D preforms using fused deposition modeling, followed by compression molding. However, most previous work involves the use of nylon-based polymer matrices while there are a number …

Evaluation Of Small Unmanned Tailsitter Hybrid Air Vehicles Via Full Flight Simulation, Andrew Spencer Winters

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles have exploded in popularity in the past 15 years among researchers and for industrial uses such as agriculture, search and rescue, and infrastructure inspection. Fixed wing and multirotor designs present two major paths that can be taken with these technologies. Fixed wing platforms have superior aerodynamic efficiency but require large areas for takeoff/landing and cannot hold a constant position in space, limiting their use. Multirotor configurations offer a more versatile platform that can maneuver in 3 dimensions independently but lack the endurance of fixed wing vehicles. This thesis analyses a quadrotor biplane and a variable wingspan …

Recovery Of Iron And Aluminum From Acid Mine Drainage For Beneficial Uses, Katelyn Renee Pepe

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Acid mine drainage (AMD) is a widespread issue across the globe, in which some of the most critical cases are created by the mining industry. Researchers have investigated ways to derive benefits from AMD, such as precipitating rare earth elements (REEs) to generate potential revenue from AMD treatment and supplement market demand. However, the bulk of precipitated sludge is composed of iron and aluminum, which also have market value but are discarded in current practice.

Using the Omega site in West Virginia (WV) as a representative AMD source, the objectives of this study are (1) to determine a replicable precipitation …

Novel Design And Fabrication Of A High-Speed Transient Heat Flux Sensor For Application To Rotating Detonation Engines, Zachary Todd Tallman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Rotating detonation engine (RDE) combustion systems have been a topic of interest in the pressure gain combustion community for their benefits over traditional gas turbine engine combustors. However, cooling requirements for these engines are significantly higher and less predictable than those of non-detonating engines. To understand and quantify the high-speed heat transfer dynamics within an RDE, a novel high-frequency heat flux sensor is presented. This study aims to design a robust, single-sided sensor that can withstand the high temperature and harsh environment of an RDE for extended durations. Screen printing is used to deposit a layered, platinum-yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) film …

Imitation Learning In Robotic Manipulation Using Diffusion Models, Marlon Domingues De Oliveira

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This work deals with the problem of teaching robots by demonstration, also known by imitation learning. The main objective of this area of research is to enable the autonomous execution of complex robotic tasks using neural networks trained on expert-generated data, thus allowing the transfer of human knowledge to machines. To this end, this thesis describes an experimental setup especially designed for the study of imitation learning in robotic manipulation tasks and the adaptation and evaluation of a previously published technique to this setup. The experimental setup developed in this work is based on the Franka Emika Research 3 manipulator, …

Characterizing Nursery Habitat For Juvenile Invasive Carp (Hypophthalmichthys Spp.) On The Ohio River, Rebecca Hiller

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Since their introduction to US waters, Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) and Bighead Carp (H. nobilis) have rapidly spread throughout the Mississippi River basin and its major tributaries, but their invasion has stalled within the Ohio River. Recent research has suggested this slowed spread could be due to a lack of suitable nursery habitat in the Ohio River, affecting recruitment of invasive carp. This study aims to characterize the habitats juvenile carp are utilizing by investigating three main lines of inquiry: that juvenile carp habitat use is limited by (1) the flow regime of the Ohio River …

Novel Phenomena In Chiral And Disordered Crystals, Zachary Louis Romestan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The concept of symmetry is central to our understanding of the physical world. Core symmetries—comprising time reversal, charge conjugation, spatial inversion, and rotation—are integral in maintaining essential conservation laws. They also play a critical role in the manifestation of new quantum phases that arise when these symmetries are disrupted. At the heart of contemporary research in condensed matter physics is the exploration of how basic symmetries interact with material imperfections. This examination delves deeply into the ways that inherent symmetrical properties and structural anomalies within materials influence each other, providing crucial insights into the field. This dissertation presents an investigation …

Prioritizing Amd Impaired Watersheds For Watershed-Scale Restoration Using Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis, James Nicholas Marino

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) remains a significant environmental challenge in coal-mining and hard rock regions like West Virginia, degrading water quality and ecosystem health. Traditional site-specific remediation efforts often prove inefficient in addressing AMD at large scale. This study explores watershed-scale restoration as a more effective solution, leveraging centralized treatment facilities and multi-source pollution management. This study will follow Multi-criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA), specifically the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), to develop a structured rubric for grading watersheds. The process involves identifying critical criteria, organizing them into a hierarchy, and generating weights for clusters of criteria through collaboration with decision makers. …

Multifaceted Life Skills Training And Job-Orientation Supports For Individuals In Vocational Rehabilitation Programming, Laura R. Mccray

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

There is growing support for those with an intellectual or developmental disability (IDD) in the transition process and within the workplace, however, there are areas that need to be addressed to facilitate further inclusion and success in this domain. There are structured institutions within the community that extend support for those transitioning out of high school, focusing on aligning with life training and professional skills while promoting societal integration by delivering services directly and avoiding isolation within traditional service environments (Accardo & Whitman, 2011). Growing research highlights the necessity of providing resources that support individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities …

Experimental And Finite Element Analysis Of Vacuum Infused Frp Composite Π-Joints, Jared Cameron Short

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Composite π-joints are valued for their potential to reduce component weight, lower manufacturing costs, and simplify assembly. In aerospace applications, these qualities become even more valuable; however, these advantages must be carefully balanced with the safety requirements. Given the complexity of the π-joint geometry, it is crucial to determine and optimize the mechanical properties to ensure quality, performance, and safety throughout the lifetime of the part.

This thesis aims to investigate the effects of various factors on the mechanical properties of a composite π-joint manufactured using vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) processes. The discussion focuses on the effects of fabric …

Using Visual Prompts To Analyze Ejection Fraction In Echocardiograms, Kevin Reisch

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is a critical biomarker for heart failure, but manual estimation from echocardiograms is time-consuming. Artificial intelligence can be used to accelerate this process, allowing clinicians to focus on other critical tasks. Current methods typically train models from scratch on echocardiogram datasets; however, this approach is limited by the scarcity of large medical imaging datasets, which are expensive and difficult to acquire. We present a transfer learning approach that leverages pretrained models from massive datasets, enabling continuous improvement as foundation models advance. Our method employs visual prompting to generate trainable masks for echocardiogram videos, transforming the …

The Effect Of Facial Phenotypes On Differential Performance Of Facial Recognition, Evan R. Garrett

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Facial recognition technology is utilized in many facets of life. As the use has become more widespread these systems have improved in reliability and performance approaching the level of human accuracy. With these improvements the problem of bias still remains as a persistent problem. Efforts have been made to minimize the bias prevalent in the systems via studies into various demographic factors, creating training datasets that have a more uniform distribution of subjects, and other methods. As facial recognition is one of the most utilized forms of biometric recognition it is vital to analyze potential causes of bias to help …

Commissioning And Recording Project Of New Works For Saxophone Focused On Promoting Mexican Composers And Educating Future Commissioning Saxophonists, Andres Efrain Santana

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This document chronicles my process of commissioning and recording five new works by Mexican composers. To contextualize this experience, I provide a brief introduction of Mexican contemporary music history, an overview of second-hand accounts of the commissioning process, my personal experience of this process, and my assessment of the impact these works could have on the classical saxophone repertoire. As I have reflected on my own experience with historical and contemporary accounts of the commissioning process, it has become clear that personal connections between composers and performers and the patronage or funding linked to those relationships are just as important …

Academic Agency Within The Curricular Reform Of Gateway Stem Courses: A Faculty Perspective, Katie Beck

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The research regarding faculty agency during curricular reform is a burgeoning field within higher education as the faculty perspective within the current research concerning curriculum reform is limited. This study seeks to illuminate the faculty perspective of the curricular reform process of gateway STEM courses and how faculty experienced the reform process through a qualitative case study. The site of the case study is a public four-year institution on the eastern coast of the United States that has undergone and continues to undergo significant academic restructuring. The research utilized a structured survey and semi-structured interviews with seven total participants from …