Digital Commons Network^™

An Applied Market Area Study Of The Harley-Davidson Motor Company In The New York City Region., Harry O. Nichols

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study evaluates Harley-Davidson dealer market areas based on motorcycle sales and profiles market area ZIP codes base on their demographic make-up. There are three research objectives addressed. Objectives one and two utilize Arc View® geographical information system (GIS) to display ZIP code referenced sales data. The first objective is to map and compare 14 Harley-Davidson dealer defined market area boundaries using motorcycle sales data. In mapping motorcycle sales it was found that certain dealer sales fit their defined market area boundaries better than others did. The average percent of motorcycles being sold by dealers within their home market area …

Effects Of Mutations On The Function And Assembly Of The Iron-Sulfur Protein Into The Cytochrome Bc(1) Complex Of Yeast Mitochondria., Victor Hosea Obungu

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The iron-sulfur protein, a subunit of the bc1 complex, is encoded in the nucleus and subsequently imported into the mitochondria where it is assembled with the rest of the subunits into a functional cytochrome bc1 complex. The assembly of deletion mutants of the iron-sulfur protein into the bc1 complex has been investigated by immunoprecipitation by specific antisera against either the iron-sulfur protein or the intact bc1 complex. These studies have suggested that the iron-sulfur protein may be integrated into the bc1 complex of mitochondria through multiple interactions of different regions of the protein with other subunits of the bc1 complex …

An Examination Of Child, Family And Professional Factors That Influence The Use Of Assistive Technology In Early Intervention., Erin Denise Hider

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Technology is becoming more commonplace in our society. It is being used with young children in every setting to improve quality of life and increase educational opportunities. Many parents and service providers have not been adequately trained on how to use assistive technology with young children. Camp Gizmo was set up as a forum for parents, professionals, and college students to learn what assistive technology is available and how to use it to meet the needs of children. The camp gave parents an opportunity to try different technologies with their children. These children, their siblings and the children of camp …

Trade And The Environment: A Political Model Of International Public Goods Problem., Qingshui Zhou

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In recent decades there has been a debate over the entwined issues of trade and the environment, and the 1990s witnessed a great rise in global environmental concerns. The purpose of the present study is to seek a cooperative solution to these concerns. Postwar environmental movement, interaction of trade and the environment, and the reconciliation issues are reviewed. Methodologies to studying these issues are categorized into (1) international trade approaches, and (2) environmental economics approaches. A political model-cost sharing game is then proposed. Specifically, environmental problems resulting from trade are treated as international public goods and the issue of optimal …

The Use Of Propositional Structures And Subgoals In Solving Multi-Step College Statistical Word And Formula Problems., Deborah Joan Hendricks

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This experiment studied the effect of size and format of instructions given to college students enrolled in an introductory statistics course on the number of errors committed and the amount of time required in order to complete a problem. A 3 (size) by 2 (format) factorial design was used. The three sizes of instruction given were propositional structures, subgoals, and complete algorithm. The two formats used were word and formula. The dependent variables used to study errors were Completed Errors, Total Errors, and Accuracy. The dependent variables used to study time were Solution Time, Steps Attempted, Errors per Minute, and …

"To Make The Crooked Ways Straight And The Rough Ways Smooth": The Federal Government's Role In Laying Out And Building The Cumberland Road., Billy Joe Peyton

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

By 1800 the United States had emerged from the turmoil of its Revolutionary era to begin focusing on economic growth and westward expansion. To open up the vast trans-Appalachian region the federal government in 1802 began formulating plans to fund and build a "national road to connect the eastern seaboard with the "western waters. After considerable debate, Congress in 1806 passed an act that called for laying out and making a road from the Potomac River at Cumberland, Maryland, to the Ohio River at Wheeling, (West) Virginia. A six-member surveying team led by three presidentially-appointed commissioners completed the arduous task …

Development Of And Measurement Using A Point Doppler Velocimetry (Pdv) System., David L. Webb

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A two component Point Doppler Velocimetry (PDV) system has been developed and tested. Improvements were made to an earlier PDV system, in terms of experimental techniques, as well as the data acquisition and reduction software. Measurements of the streamwise and spanwise mean and fluctuating velocities for flows from a rectangular channel and over an NACA 0012 airfoil were made, and the data were compared against hot wire data. The closest to the airfoil surface that PDV measurements could be made was on the order of 0.005 m (0.2”, z/c = 0.0169). When the PDV and hot wire data were compared, …

The Development Of A Droplet Formation And Entrainment Model For Simulations Of Immiscible Liquid-Liquid Flows., Wesley Michael Wilson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Droplet formation is a common phenomenon in turbulent mixing and has many practical applications in emulsion technology, surface agents, and liquid-liquid extraction. The ability to predict the relative sizes and distributions of fluid droplets formed from mixing events is a complex problem which is dependent on many different parameters including geometric considerations, the nature and physical properties of the fluids in question, turbulence parameters, buoyancy and body forces, and flow history. While there have been many researchers who have analyzed this problem for both liquid-liquid and gasliquid systems, the present study will focus only on droplet formation in immiscible liquid-liquid …

Politicians And The Internet, Melody Kay Gwilliam

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The topic for this thesis examines the utilization of senatorial websites by United States Senators as a new communication tool. Three different areas of content will be examined: informational content, interactive content and audio-visual content. Those three areas will be used to examine the differences between Senators in several different ways: gender and race, party affiliation, length of service in the senate, region of the country they represent, urban and rural states, and age of the Senators. The results showed 6 significant findings in the areas of content: Democrats had more informational content; Northern Senators had the best and Midwestern …

Development Of Murine Leukemia Virus-Based Vectors For More Effective Gene Therapy: Genetic Analysis Of Direct Repeat Deletions., Krista Anda Delviks

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Retroviral vectors containing direct repeats of homologous sequences constitute a powerful in vivo model system to analyze reverse transcriptase (RT) template-switching events. Directly repeated sequences in retroviral genomes are unstable and frequently deleted from the final integrated provirus due to RT's low template affinity and processivity. We developed murine leukemia virus (MLV)-based self-inactivating and self-activating vectors containing 701-bp direct repeats composed of segments of the herpes simplex virus-1 thymidine kinase gene (HTK). After one cycle of retroviral replication, we demonstrated functional reconstitution of the HTK suicide gene at a frequency of 57% when the direct repeats were adjacent to one …

The Effect Of Graphing Calculators On College Students' Ability To Solve Procedural And Conceptual Problems In Developmental Algebra., Mark Andrew Shore

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of the graphing calculator (namely the Casio 9850 or the TI-85) on college students' procedural skills and conceptual understanding in two different developmental mathematics courses. The developmental mathematics college courses that were used in this study were Elementary Algebra and Intermediate Algebra. For this study, both the non-graphing calculator group and the graphing calculator group were taught with the same goals. The students in the graphing calculator groups were allowed to use the graphing calculator in place of performing paper and pencil procedures in class and on all tests. Students …

The Effect Of Product Design And Packaging Parameters On Effective Storability And Retrieval: A Computer-Based Approach., Srinath Srivatsavan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The product life cycle begins with the feasibility study, design, manufacturing, and moves towards storage, retrieval, and distribution, ultimately ending the life in retirement. The design and manufacturing functions, in this product life cycle, are far apart from the storage, retrieval, and distribution functions. However, the effect and impact of the design function on the storability, retrieval, and distribution functions is significant. The significance is seen in the form of the costs incurred and committed to the storage infrastructure and materials handling activities. The product design parameters also influence the unit design aspects when the products are packaged as units …

Electron-Nuclear Double Resonance Studies Of Point Defects In Silver Gallium Selenide And Zinc Germanium Phosphide., Kevin Taylor Stevens

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and electron-nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) studies have been performed on two chalcopyrite crystals grown by the horizontal-gradient-freeze technique. An impurity defect has been characterized in silver gallium selenide (AgGaSe2) and has been identified as a Ni+ ion substituting for a Ag+ ion. This nickel defect exists in as-grown crystals in the paramagnetic state. A complete ENDOR angular dependence study provided spin-Hamiltonian parameters for the 61Ni isotope as well as the neighboring selenium ions (77Se) and gallium ions (69Ga and 71Ga). Optical absorption data taken at room temperature and low temperature showed a broad band peaking near …

The Effects Of Environmental Aging On The Durability Of Glass/Epoxy Composites., Somjai Kajorncheappunngam

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Glass fiber reinforced plastics (GFRPs) are beginning to be used as structural materials in construction. However, their mechanical properties can degrade after prolonged exposure to the environment. Understanding this degradation was the focus of this research. Epoxy neat resin and glass/epoxy composite samples were soaked in four different solutions (distilled water, saturated salt solution, 5 M NaOH, and 1 M HCl solution) for 5 months. The samples were also subjected to a combination of temperature and sustained load at room temperature and at 60°C. The glass transition temperature (Tg), storage modulus, tensile strength, and strain at failure were measured. The …

A Study To Identify Operational Computer Lab Models And To Develop An Instrument To Assist In Evaluating Programs That Provide Computer Technology To Accommodate Needs Of Students With Disabilities In Higher Education., Carol H. Kann

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The problem of this research is to identify operational computer lab models and to develop an instrument to assist in evaluating programs that provide computer technology to accommodate needs of students with disabilities in higher education. The following research questions were answered: (1) What operational models for adaptive computer labs are currently being used within college and university environments? (2) What criteria are used to evaluate these operational models? (3) Can a self-evaluation instrument be designed to assist institutions of higher education determine the quality of their adaptive computer labs? A modified Delphi technique was used to arrive at consensus …

The Relationship Of Leadership Frame Use Of Departmental Chairs To Faculty Job Satisfaction As Perceived By Selected Departmental Faculty Members., Saralyn Grenga Mathis

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study was designed to examine the relationship between faculty job satisfaction and the leadership frame use of that faculty member's immediate superior, usually the departmental chair, as perceived by the faculty member. One hundred and seventy-two faculty members who had no administrative title and who held a full-time position as a professor, associate professor, or assistant professor at any of the five West Virginia public, Southern Regional Education Board four-year VI institutions of higher education completed The Mohrman-Cooke-Mohrman Job Satisfaction Scale and Bolman and Deal's Leadership Orientations Instrument (other version). Descriptive statistics and one-way analyses of variance were used …

Safety By Design: An Expert Systems Approach., Magdy Akladios

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Industries may require the application of new technologies. In recent years, these technologies have undergone rapid development. Intensely scrutinized in terms of design, new technologies surprisingly receive little attention when assessing the hazards they might pose to worker health and safety. These technologies are usually designed by experts who know very little about safety and health issues. A user-friendly, easily accessible system that is devised to assist designers during the design phase by pointing out the different downfalls of their design with respect to safety and health issues and impacts, can dramatically improve safety, reduce costs, and most importantly, reduce …

Labor For Bread: The Exploitation Of Polish Labor In The Soviet Union During World War Ii., Jean C. Bingle

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In the summer of 1939, the Soviet Union signed a nonaggression pact with Nazi Germany, which not only reassured Stalin of Russia's security, but also sealed the fate of hundreds of thousands of unsuspecting inhabitants of Poland's eastern provinces who were subsequently deported to the Soviet interior between 1939 and 1941. Beginning with community leaders and their families, the arrests and deportations ultimately permeated the entire social hierarchy. The exact number of those deported will never be known, but the Polish survivors from the depths of the GULag do provide valuable information about the conditions under which they lived and …

African Rural Women And Land Reform In South Africa: Case Studies From The Midlands Region Of Kwazulu-Natal Province., Urmilla Bob

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The South African land reform program is aimed at redressing inequalities in access to land and security of tenure. The intention is to redress the racially biased land policies of the past by developing a long-term national land reform program. Land reform is viewed as one of the key means for positively changing people's lives. The land reform program has identified specific beneficiaries that are to be targeted in particular projects. Poor women and rural people are the key groups to be targeted. This study provides a gendered analysis of the land reform program. In particular, the incorporation of women's …

A Neural Network-Based Bottom-Up Approach For Building A Software Reuse Economic Model., Gary Dawson Boetticher

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This work describes and presents a process for building a neural network-based reuse economic model. This study adopts a bottom-up perspective where granularity moves from the developer (software program) level to the enterprise level. The goal of the proposed process is to create a model which provides accurate and reliable results which can be applied to various forms of software reuse in various programming paradigms. The current state-of-practice for measuring effort and reuse effort is extended, leading to improvements in accuracy. Furthermore, in order to accomplish this goal, it becomes necessary to address different forms of reuse: black-box and white-box …

Fertilizing The Weeds: The New Deal's Rural Poverty Program In West Virginia., Kevin John Cahill

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In 1933, the New Deal launched its rural poverty program to mitigate suffering and rectify some of the underlying causes of chronic rural poverty. The rural rehabilitation program, which was the New Deal's primary method of assisted low-income commercial farmers, provided low-interest loans and supervision. The rural resettlement and land retirement program resettled families living on submarginal land and converted submarginal farmland to public forestland, game refugees, or recreational parks. Despite the fact that the New Deal's rural poverty program was reorganized several times, and was administered by several different agencies including Federal Emergency Relief Administration, the Resettlement Administration, the …

Localized Innovation: A Geography Of The Petro-Chemical Industry In The Kanawha Valley Of West Virginia., Jay Dean Gatrell

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation investigates the Kanawha Valley petro-chemical industry. By identifying an intersection between the local dependence and the more applied innovation-based economic development literatures, this research operationalizes theories of local dependence. Conceptually, it is observed that the local dependence of Kanawha Valley residents, politics, and industry are the result of local decision making. Based on these decisions and experiences, ad hoc and planned social structures are constructed that reproduce the conditions of everyday life. Drawing on the case study, the dissertation expands the definition of local social structures to include innovation infrastructures. These specialized structures maintain, promote, and expand high …

The Utilization Of Electronically Disseminated Research In Academic Personnel Decisions., Sylvia Anne Hawranick

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study examined the current status and use of electronically disseminated research (EDR) in academic personnel decisions. The population included 236 institutions classified as Research 1 or 2, or Doctoral 1 or 2, according to the Carnegie Foundation's Classification. The Chief Academic Officer of each institution was identified as the contact person. A cover letter and survey were sent to each institution, and 100 institutions (44.1%) responded.

The data was analyzed by institution type, and the results were reported based on responses to each survey question. Key findings included:

1. Technology Usage: Over 97% of respondents had access to a …

The Agglomeration Of Cement To Facilitate Transportation., Huma E. Hakim

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The objective of this research was to develop a technique to agglomerate cement powder. This was done to facilitate its transportation and to prevent problems faced in conveying cement powder such as cement dusting as well as respiratory problems for workers coming in contact with cement dust. The final agglomerates formed were required to produce concrete with properties as close as possible to that of concrete formed from untreated cement. The agglomeration was carried out in a blender by adding a binder solution. A number of binder-solvent combinations were tested. Successful formation of granules was achieved and subsequently these were …

The Bond Of An Enduring Relationship: United States-China Scientific Relations, 1949-1989., Yuegen Yu

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Science has long been a principle driving force in United States-China relations. It has served as the lasting bond of the two countries, enduring but often turbulent relationship. This dissertation is a study of the development of United States scientific relations with the People's Republic of China (PRC) from 1949 to 1989. Science was a key element in America's historical “special relationship” with China. The rich tradition of Sino-American scientific cooperation dated back to the 1840s. From the establishment of the PRC in 1949 to the Sino-American rapprochement in 1972, despite inactivity in scientific discourse between the two countries as …

An Application Of The Delphi Method Of Forecasting To The Future Of Public Education In West Virginia, Carl H. Friebel Jr.

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study investigated the nature and types of events that will affect the future of public education in West Virginia. A three round modified Delphi design was used to identify the events, estimate when each might occur, and determine their level of impact and desirability.

In Round 1, surveys were mailed to forty-seven educational leaders representing various educational agencies and constituencies in West Virginia. In response to the first survey, panelists generated a total of one hundred thirty-four events which had at least a 50 percent probability of occurrence between the present and the year 2020. In Round 2, panelists …

Effect Of Maturity And Divalent Salts On Quality Of Low-Fat, Low-Sodium Restructured Beef., Sharon L. Pojedinec

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Manipulation of product formulation protocols and ingredients to optimize texture development and processing yields provides opportunity to produce high quality, low sodium, low-fat restructured beef. The objective of this experiment was to determine effect of preblending with MgCl2 and/or CaCl2 on functionality of A- and C-maturity, in low-sodium, low-fat restructured beef. Addition of CaCl2 decreased (p< 0.001) raw and cooked pH. For both maturities, raw products with CaCl2 had more soluble protein (p< 0.05) than products without CaCl2. C-maturity products contained more soluble myosin (p< 0.10) than A-maturity products. In C-maturity treatments, MgCl2 increased (p< 0.005) myosin solubility. Products with CaCl2 decreased (p< 0.01) actin solubility. In A-maturity products, MgCl2 had less (p< 0.05) soluble actin than treatments without MgCl2. In C-maturity products, MgCl2 contained more (p< 0.05) soluble actin than treatments without MgCl2. Addition of CaCl2 decreased (p< 0.005) cook yield and addition of MgCl2 increased (p< 0.005) cook yield. In C-maturity products, treatments without CaCl2 had a higher (p< 0.0005) peak force than treatments without CaCl2 in A maturity products. In A-maturity products, treatments without MgCl2 had lower (p< 0.005) peak force than the same treatment in C-maturity products and lower (p< 0.05) than MgCl2 containing treatments. C-maturity products were more cohesive (p< 0.08) than A-maturity. Addition of CaCl2 increased (p< 0.05) cohesiveness and added MgCl2 decreased (p< 0.05) cohesiveness. Addition of MgCl2 and CaCl2 and beef maturity affect protein-water interactions and texture development of low-sodium, low-fat restructured beef.

From Turnpikes To Railroads: Antebellum Transportation Improvements And Community Development In Taylor County, Virginia, Scott W. Daley

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In the 1820s, a revolution in transportation technology changed forever the shipment of goods, travel, and the process of communication as overland transportation shifted from turnpikes to railroads. This study examines the affect on community formation and development in two turnpike villages and one town along the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, America’s first inter-regional commercial railroad line. Between the mid-1830s and 1860, as railroads replaced turnpikes, the villages of Fetterman and Pruntytown, Virginia, came into existence, flourished, and began to decline as railroads passed along the lower Tygart River in 1850, directly competing with turnpikes. The town of Grafton in …

May Ayim And Alev Tekinay: Writing To Raise Critical Consciousness., Jennifer Lynn Burkart

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

May Ayim and Alev Tekinay are two contemporary German writers whose works can play a significant role in transforming German feminism so that it becomes a movement concerned with ending all forms of social domination. Ayim is Afro-German, and her essays and poetry, written primarily in the 1990s, reflect the experiences of a dark-skinned woman who was raised in an almost all-white society. Alev Tekinay is Turkish-German. She attended a German Gymnasium in Turkey, came to Germany at the age of 18 to study German literature, and is now an assistant professor at the University of Augsburg. Although the life …

Javadiff: A Chicory Tool For File Comparison., Lingyi Zheng

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The application (javaDiff) has been developed as a tool for Chicory project during one year of work for me as a graduate student in computer science department, West Virginia University. The purpose of this project is to compare files, visualize file differences, edit files and merge files. The work consists of object oriented design, algorithm implementation, user interface programming, updating Java code from Java awt (JDK1.1.2) to Swing, system integration, etc. The purpose of this thesis is to introduce javaDiff. We will discuss the whole application from designing to integration. Some important information like user menu will be attached in …