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Alloying Effects On High-Temperature Deformation Behavior Of Nickel Aluminide Intermetallics, Robert Adrian Coulter Ii May 2000

Alloying Effects On High-Temperature Deformation Behavior Of Nickel Aluminide Intermetallics, Robert Adrian Coulter Ii

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The objective of this research is to examine the possibility of using nickel aluminide for high temperature structural applications. NiAl is a desirable candidate based on its low density, high thermal conductivity, high melting temperature, and its proven oxidation resistance. Currently, limited ductility at lower temperatures and low creep resistance at high temperatures limit the capabilities of NiAl.;For this research four different alloys were investigated to determine the effects of alloy strengthening. The three elements are next to one another on the periodic table, which will provide the electron number effect (Mo vs. Nb) and the atomic size effect (Cr …


Developing A Framework For Predicting The Impact Of Its/Cvo Technology In Developing Countries, Mazen Turk May 2000

Developing A Framework For Predicting The Impact Of Its/Cvo Technology In Developing Countries, Mazen Turk

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study focuses on freight mobility in developing countries. System improvements depend on state of the art technologies to be deployed in the Transportation Infrastructure. Intelligent Transportation Systems and Commercial Vehicle Operation technologies (ITS/CVO) although a significant investment, offer many improvement alternatives. This study develops a framework for predicting the impact of new technologies on the global transportation system in developing countries. This is done in an effort to reduce cost and improve safety, efficiency and level of service.;The task will be divided into three sections. The first will entail looking at prediction from a global perspective. This will specify …


Parental Influences On High School Student Achievement And Goals, Richard K. York May 2000

Parental Influences On High School Student Achievement And Goals, Richard K. York

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The present study examined parental influences on educational and career goals of high school students. Data on educational and career goals from the Perceived Life Chances Interview were derived from 124 rural adolescents. One hundred of their mothers and 36 of their fathers completed the Inventory of Parental Influence which consists of five subscales of Parental Involvement/Help, Psychological Support, Parental Pressure, Pressure for Intellectual Development, and Time Management/Monitoring. Responses from the Perceived Life Chances Interview were qualitatively analyzed in order to derive categories that reflected the varying responses from participants. These categories served as dependent variables in a series of …


Sedimentology Of Historic And Prehistoric Deposits In The Drainage Basin Of Deep River And Muddy Creek On The Piedmont Of North Carolina, Victoria Leanne Spurgeon May 2000

Sedimentology Of Historic And Prehistoric Deposits In The Drainage Basin Of Deep River And Muddy Creek On The Piedmont Of North Carolina, Victoria Leanne Spurgeon

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Deep River and Muddy Creek flow across a granitic and volcanic terrain intruded by diabase dikes in the Piedmont physiographic province of central North Carolina. Geoarchaeological and sedimentological investigation of these Piedmont streams included fourteen trenches dug at four floodplain localities. Soils in these trenches were described using standard soil taxonomy and sampled for particle-size, magnetic susceptibility, and mineralogical analyses.;Increased upland erosion rates, after European settlement, left more than a meter of historic sediments in some areas of the floodplains. A paleosol, indicated by an Ab horizon, records the floodplain surface at the time of European contact. This paleosol, dated …


Foodborne Pathogens In Poultry Production And Post-Harvest Control, Rajesh R. Nayak May 2000

Foodborne Pathogens In Poultry Production And Post-Harvest Control, Rajesh R. Nayak

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A comprehensive ecological survey was conducted from April 1997 to June 1999 on four turkey flocks (F5-F8) to identify the preharvest sources of Salmonella colonization. Generic E. coli and total coliforms were enumerated as indicators of fecal contamination in F7 and F8. Turkey cecal and crop contents, litter, drinkers, air, feed, feeder contents, and environmental swabs were sampled and tested for Salmonella and E. coli. Salmonella was isolated from 13% of litter, 11% of turkey ceca, 10% of drinkers, and 5% of swabs. Escherichia coli and total coliforms were detected in 45 and 53% of samples, respectively. Salmonella heidelberg was …


Predicting Permeability And Flow Capacity Distribution With Back-Propagation Artificial Neural Networks, Alexis Jose Riera May 2000

Predicting Permeability And Flow Capacity Distribution With Back-Propagation Artificial Neural Networks, Alexis Jose Riera

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The prediction of permeability is a critical, key step for reservoir modeling and management of oil recovery operations. Previous studies have successfully demonstrated that the new technology called Artificial Neural Network (ANN), a biologically inspired, massive parallel, distributed information processing system, is an excellent tool for permeability predictions using well log data. This technology overcomes the drawbacks caused by the inherent heterogeneity of the reservoir and lack of sufficient cores or pressure transient tests, allowing to define reservoir characterization within an acceptable accuracy while maintaining costs low. The methodology used in this study takes advantage of this technology to accomplish …


Il -10 Gene Therapy For The Treatment Of Pulmonary Inflammation, Sujatha Dokka May 2000

Il -10 Gene Therapy For The Treatment Of Pulmonary Inflammation, Sujatha Dokka

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is an anti-inflammatory cytokine that plays an important regulatory role in inflammatory diseases. The overall goal of this research is to investigate the potential therapeutic effect of IL-10 gene therapy for the treatment of pulmonary inflammation and to develop appropriate gene delivery and expression systems for efficient gene transfer to the lung. We evaluated various liposomal and non-liposomal agents including LipofectAMINE RTM, LipofectinRTM, DOTAP, DEAE-dextran, and the DNA condensing agent protamine sulfate for their ability to promote gene transfection in macrophages. We have developed an efficient transfection protocol which is at least 20--25 fold superior to frequently used …


Refined Turbulence Models For Simulation Of Ic -Engine Cylinder Flows, Ibrahim Yavuz May 2000

Refined Turbulence Models For Simulation Of Ic -Engine Cylinder Flows, Ibrahim Yavuz

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Turbulence and turbulent mixing are two of the most important factors that influence the efficiency and emissions level in internal combustion (IC) engines, particularly for diesel engines. This study has been performed with the premise to accurately predict in-cylinder turbulence by employing the large eddy simulation (LES) technique. In order to assess the turbulence scales involved correctly, a review of measured and computed scales relevant to IC engines is conducted. An assessment of these is made in comparison with the self-imposed scales of the engine itself. This assessment focuses on the influence of combustion, compression ratio, initial conditions and numerical …


Designing Neural Networks For The Prediction Of The Drilling Parameters For Kuwait Oil And Gas Fields, Abdulrahman F. Al-Rashidi May 2000

Designing Neural Networks For The Prediction Of The Drilling Parameters For Kuwait Oil And Gas Fields, Abdulrahman F. Al-Rashidi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In this study a new methodology was developed to predict the drilling parameters using the Artificial Neural Network. Three models were developed to predict bit type, rate of penetration (ROP), and cost-per-foot (cost/ft), respectively.;The prediction of bit type and other drilling parameters from the current available data is an important criterion in selecting the most cost efficient bit. History of bit runs plays an important factor in bit selection and bit design. Based on field data, the selection of bit type can be accomplished by the use of a neural network as an alternative bit selection method.;Three drilling parameters were …


Youth Leadership Life Skills Development Of Participants In The West Virginia 4-H Camping Program, Rebecca Diane Duncan May 2000

Youth Leadership Life Skills Development Of Participants In The West Virginia 4-H Camping Program, Rebecca Diane Duncan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Although the development of leadership skills through the 4-H camping program is highly valued, measurement of leadership skill development of West Virginia 4-H camping program participants has been lacking. Thirteen to fifteen year old 4-H members were targeted in this study in order to gather data about leadership development among this age group.;Significant relationships were found between the total YLLSDS score and years of participation in county camp and receiving the Spirit of Camp Award. Participants also reported higher leadership scores if they had served as a Chief or Sagamore of their 4-H tribe, if they were female, and if …


Predicting Habitat Suitability For American Woodcock And Landscape-Level Assessment Of Habitat In West Virginia, Ann Klein Steketee May 2000

Predicting Habitat Suitability For American Woodcock And Landscape-Level Assessment Of Habitat In West Virginia, Ann Klein Steketee

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The objectives of this study were to (1) develop models to predict potential habitat suitability for woodcock over large geographic areas in West Virginia (Chapter 4), (2) quantify and describe the local and landscape structural components and spatial patterns of woodcock habitat in the state (Chapter 3), and (3) to determine the current suitability and fate of woodcock habitat that was available in the mid-1970's (Chapter 5).;Differences between 165 woodcock flush points and 165 randomly generated points for proportion of 12 land-cover types and 4 metrics describing landscape composition and pattern were compared within 3 elevation groups and 8 spatial …


Ab Initio Studies Of Anisotropic Magnetism In Uranium And Cerium Monopnictides And Monochalcogenides, Eric Mason Collins May 2000

Ab Initio Studies Of Anisotropic Magnetism In Uranium And Cerium Monopnictides And Monochalcogenides, Eric Mason Collins

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

We have applied two ab initio based methods to investigate the origin in the electronic structure of the unusual magnetic behavior of the cerium and uranium monopnictides and monochalcogenides. First, we have carried out spin-polarized electronic structure calculations, based on the full potential linear muffin tin (FPLMTO) method, with spin polarization (orbital polarization only via spin-orbit coupling) and also with orbital polarization correction. Second, we have carried out ab initio based calculations synthesizing (1) a phenomenological theory of orbitally driven magnetism based on the Anderson and Kondo, lattice model which incorporates explicitly the hybridization induced and the Coulomb exchange interactions …


Contrawound Toroidal Helical Antenna Modeling Using The Fdtd Method, Khaled Mohammad Elsherbini May 2000

Contrawound Toroidal Helical Antenna Modeling Using The Fdtd Method, Khaled Mohammad Elsherbini

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The contrawound toroidal helical antenna (CTHA) is a patented antenna developed at the Center for Industrial Research Applications (CIRA) of West Virginia University. In this study, a computer numerical model was built to simulate the behavior of printed circuit board versions of the CTHA. The numerical model was built upon the finite difference time domain method (FDTD). The results were compared to results from physical antennas, obtained from the CIRA anechoic chamber located in the WVU hanger, to verify the validity of the results of the numerical model. The results from both the numerical and experimental models were also used …


Preliminary Investigation Of Culvert Outlet Baffle Block Geometry And Energy Dissipation, Conrad Russell Baston May 2000

Preliminary Investigation Of Culvert Outlet Baffle Block Geometry And Energy Dissipation, Conrad Russell Baston

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

One method used to attenuate high-energy flow at culvert outlets, is the construction of baffle blocks. Baffle blocks are devices, generally of simplistic geometry, that impact the flow and reduce energy. The current baffle design used by the WVDOH has in some instances experienced problems with excessive sedimentation to the extent of causing culvert failure. The purpose of this investigation was to construct a testing device to allow for the testing of physical culvert and baffle block models and produce a preliminary design that would perform more efficiently than the current design. The new design would need to meet the …


Virulence Of Cryphonectria Hypoviruses From Previous Release Sites, Paul Henry Chaloux May 2000

Virulence Of Cryphonectria Hypoviruses From Previous Release Sites, Paul Henry Chaloux

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In 1994 and 1995, Cryphonectria parasitica isolates singly or doubly infected with hypoviruses in the CHV3 genus, and lacking distinctive morphological abnormalities, were recovered near plots formerly used to release hypoviruses. This study tested the hypothesis that North American hypoviruses are evolving decreased virulence, and investigated hypovirus interactions affecting virulence in double-infections. Families of single conidial progeny (SCP), differing in infection status, and derived from six recovered, three release, and three comparison isolates were tested in three field experiments. All release isolates and four recovered isolates were debilitated by their CHV3-gh2-type hypoviruses. CHV3-sr2-type hypoviruses never caused debilitation. In family SG3-2 …


Determining The Influence On Technology Integration By The Problem Solving Styles Of Instructors Of History, Classics And Humanities Courses, Karl Nels Nelson May 2000

Determining The Influence On Technology Integration By The Problem Solving Styles Of Instructors Of History, Classics And Humanities Courses, Karl Nels Nelson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

More is spent on a single B-2 bomber than the combined annual budgets of the National Endowments for the Arts, the Humanities, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. History, classical, humanities studies instructors are traditionally the last to receive instruction on integrating technology in their fields. The purpose of this study was to investigate how history, humanities and classical studies instructors at a mid-Atlantic university used a web-page designed to supplement and/or support their traditional classroom instruction. This study looked at how individual problem solving styles of instructors influenced the level at which they integrated new Internet technologies in their …


Aspects Of Attention That Affect Compliance And General Behavior In Disruptive And Typical Children, Holly Ann Filcheck May 2000

Aspects Of Attention That Affect Compliance And General Behavior In Disruptive And Typical Children, Holly Ann Filcheck

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Currently, there is some controversy concerning whether praise affects compliance and behavior other than compliance (i.e., general behavior) in children with disruptive behaviors. It is unclear whether it is praise or other aspects of general attention, such as descriptions and enthusiasm, that influences children's behavior. The current study examined the effects of enthusiastic praise, non-enthusiastic praise, and non-enthusiastic description on child compliance (measured by the Compliance Test) and general behavior (measured by the Marble-in-the-Hole Game) in 15 children with disruptive behavior problems and 15 typical children. Results indicated that the participants had significantly higher rates of compliance in the non-enthusiastic …


Gas Production Forecasting Using Automatic Type Curve Matching, Walter Jonathan Diazgranados May 2000

Gas Production Forecasting Using Automatic Type Curve Matching, Walter Jonathan Diazgranados

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

As the demand for natural gas has increased in the last years, also the need for forecast reliable gas recoveries. Gas type curves are one of the methods utilized to estimate future well performance. The purpose of this study is the utilization of the Aminian et al type curves to model gas well performance. Unlike other studies developed in the past, Aminian et al type curves account for important factors ignored in the derivation of the proposed theoretical solutions. Thus, the pressure dependency of gas viscosity and compressibility, as well as the pressure loss owing to non-Darcy flow, make of …


Java-Based Midi Interface For Robot Control, Gaurav Subhash Harode May 2000

Java-Based Midi Interface For Robot Control, Gaurav Subhash Harode

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Robot offers an excellent means of utilizing high level technology to make a given manufacturing operation more profitable and competitive. Apart from manufacturing, robots are also being utilized in the areas of medicine and agriculture with great returns. Robotic applications now require multiple robots working in a coordinated manner, something similar to an orchestra. This lead to the concept of a Robotic Instrument Digital Interfacing (RIDI) system for real time coordinated control of robotic devices. It provides a novel runtime environment that supports the building and deployment of distributed robotic devices.;The objective of this research is to design and develop …


Inventory And Prediction Of Heavy-Duty Diesel Vehicle Emissions, Justin Michael Kern May 2000

Inventory And Prediction Of Heavy-Duty Diesel Vehicle Emissions, Justin Michael Kern

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A vehicle emissions inventory is an account of emissions produced by all vehicles in an area. Many different factors can affect the emissions and the measurement of the emissions that are used to create an emissions inventory. These factors for heavy-duty diesel vehicles have been addressed and their relative affect on emissions was evaluated from test data and analytical analyses. These elements can affect the emissions by a factor of 15 depending on testing conditions.;One purpose that an emissions database serves is to provide a source for predicting future emissions for a specific vehicle or many vehicles in a general …


Emissions Testing Of Two Recreational Marine Engines With Water Contact In The Exhaust Stream, Brian E. Mace May 2000

Emissions Testing Of Two Recreational Marine Engines With Water Contact In The Exhaust Stream, Brian E. Mace

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Recreational marine engine operation effects water quality as well as air quality. Significant quantities of hydrocarbons are discharged into the rivers, lakes, and estuaries used as recreational boating waters. In order to investigate the impact of recreational marine engine operation on water quality, a MerCruiser 3.0LX four-cylinder four-stroke inboard engine and a Mercury 650 two-cylinder two-stroke outboard engine were tested using EPA required certification procedures. Both engines were tested with exhaust gas/cooling water mixing (scrubbing) in the exhaust stream using both freshwater and saltwater. Additionally, the inboard engine was tested without exhaust scrubbing. Gaseous emissions (HC, NOx, CO, and CO2) …


Studies Of The Respiratory Chain Of Methylococcus Capsulatus (Bath), Timothy Brian Miley May 2000

Studies Of The Respiratory Chain Of Methylococcus Capsulatus (Bath), Timothy Brian Miley

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The methanotrophic bacterium, Methylococcus capsulatus, is capable of the conversion of methane to methanol at ambient temperature and pressure. In this manuscript, we show that quinols can provide reducing equivalents to the membrane-bound form of methane monooxygenase (pMMO), substituting for NADH in whole cells and membrane fractions. Additionally, quinols are shown to be effective reductants for the detergent-solubilized enzyme, whereas NADH is ineffective. The decyl-analog of plastoquinol and duroquinol provide the greatest MMO activity in whole cells and membrane fractions, as well as detergent-solubilized samples. Lauryl maltoside is by far the best detergent for solubilization of catalytically-active methane monooxygenase. This …


Inservice And Preservice Teacher Attitudes Toward Creative Writing As A Learning Mechanism, Edwin Davis Greenlee May 2000

Inservice And Preservice Teacher Attitudes Toward Creative Writing As A Learning Mechanism, Edwin Davis Greenlee

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Most of us in the teaching profession are aware by now that writing is inextricably interlocked with learning, thinking, and knowing. The more students write, the more knowledge they acquire. As Janet Emig informs us: "Writing serves learning uniquely because writing as process-and-product possesses a cluster of attributes that correspond uniquely to certain powerful learning strategies" (1983, 34). In other words, Emig (1971) believes that when using writing to learn, students can become involved in learning activities. Writing as learning permits students to integrate, connect, reconsider, evaluate, and personally shape their thoughts and ideas. By writing and rewriting, students can …


Fundamental Analysis Of Price On Chinese Steel Products, Jiang Xia May 2000

Fundamental Analysis Of Price On Chinese Steel Products, Jiang Xia

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The analysis of the determination of steel prices is of great importance particularly for the formulation of economic policy in less developed countries. Five fundamental factors influencing price of steel products are examined. A hedonic function which reflects the relation between prices of varieties or models of heterogeneous goods and the quantities of characteristics has been used and empirical tests applied to this function has been done using 1978--1998 Chinese annul data. Results are with the trend toward globalization China will become more market oriented and the factors analyzed in the paper would pay key role in determining Chinese steel …


Perception And Analysis Of Spanish Accents In English Speech, Corinne Ann Kropf May 2000

Perception And Analysis Of Spanish Accents In English Speech, Corinne Ann Kropf

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of the present study was to determine what relates most closely to the degree of perceived foreign accent in the English speech of native Spanish speakers: intonation, vowel length, stress, voice onset time (VOT), or segmental accuracy. Nineteen native English speaking listeners rated speech samples from 7 native English speakers and 15 native Spanish speakers for comprehensibility and degree of foreign accent. The speech samples were analyzed spectrographically and auditorally to obtain numerical values for each variable. These values and the average foreign accent scores were submitted to Pearson correlations. Results show that the average foreign accent scores …


Limits Of Behavioral Control By Temporally Extended Response -Reinforcer Relations, Todd Matthew Myers May 2000

Limits Of Behavioral Control By Temporally Extended Response -Reinforcer Relations, Todd Matthew Myers

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Three experiments were performed to determine the extent to which the behavior of rats can be controlled by response-reinforcer relations that are extended in time. In Experiment 1, bonus pellets delivered at the end of the session were contingent upon a shift in choice responding within the session. Experiment 2 examined control of aggregated responses by a delayed consequence over a much shorter time period than an entire session. The reinforcing efficacy of bonus pellets was assessed using a chained-schedule procedure. The relation between aggregated responses and a delayed reinforcing consequence was assessed several times per session and with shorter …


Investigating Spelling Through Generative Instruction, Linda Ross May 2000

Investigating Spelling Through Generative Instruction, Linda Ross

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The present study examined the components of generative instruction through the teaching of spelling rules. In Experiment 1, the effects of direct versus passive instruction and rate building versus equal-time practice were examined. Forty undergraduate students with below average spelling skills participated. Although there were better performances under passive instruction on some aspects of the posttests, and improved performance with rate-building practice on others, these results were not systematic and were contradicted by other results. The effects of rate building versus an equal amount of practice on the training and posttest application of spelling rules were examined in Experiment 2. …


Iron And Acid Removal From Acid Mine Drainage In Open Limestone Systems, Qingyun Sun May 2000

Iron And Acid Removal From Acid Mine Drainage In Open Limestone Systems, Qingyun Sun

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Passive systems, like wetlands, anoxic limestone drains, and open limestone channels, show promise for treating acid mine drainage (AMD) discharges. Open limestone channels have been developed for over ten years and the treatment effectiveness of AMD by open limestone systems shows wide variation. The variation is due to site conditions (slope and size of the limestone channel) but more importantly to the surface area of the limestone and iron concentrations in the water. Iron in AMD coats the limestone in open limestone systems thereby reducing the surface area available for reaction. Over time, the limestone appears to lose its ability …


Study Of Dispersal And Diversity Of Eriophyoid Mites (Acari: Eriophyoidea), Shifu Zhao May 2000

Study Of Dispersal And Diversity Of Eriophyoid Mites (Acari: Eriophyoidea), Shifu Zhao

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Eriophyoid mites represent a major, agriculturally important group of mites. The knowledge of dispersal biology and species diversity of eriophyoids is very limited, because their tiny body size makes observation and study difficult.;The current method of using sticky glass slides or plates to sample airborne eriophyoids is inefficient and inappropriate. A new method using water pan traps and vacuum-filtration proved far superior to the previous method.;A three year investigation using the water pan sampling method resulted in a total of 8,131 airborne eriophyoid specimens, 60.6% of which were collected from the roof of a 40m high building. Airborne eriophyoids were …


Review Of The Factors Influencing The Satisfaction Of Learning In Online Courses At Marshall University, Jan Isobel Fox May 2000

Review Of The Factors Influencing The Satisfaction Of Learning In Online Courses At Marshall University, Jan Isobel Fox

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study is to determine what factors influence online course satisfaction. Additionally, the study investigates differences in demographics between traditional student populations and those students attracted to online courses. Research questions were defined for investigating relationship between student satisfaction in the online course with the of the amount of learner interaction and feedback, the reason students enrolled in the course, faculty expertise in online technologies, the course pace, the combination of instructional strategies used in the course, and the students prior experience with the online course product. Additionally, course retention data was calculated as a secondary satisfaction …