Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Digital Commons Network™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Discipline
Keyword
Publication Year
File Type

Articles 10261 - 10290 of 11863

Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network

Factors Found When Integrating Computer Technology In A Small Rural School District, Edward Dale Jeffreys May 2000

Factors Found When Integrating Computer Technology In A Small Rural School District, Edward Dale Jeffreys

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this research study was to provide school board members, school administrators, and teachers with information required in developing a successful plan for the integration of computer technology into the classroom curriculum. The stated problem of this research was to identify and analyze the factors that inhibit and enhance the implementation of computer technology into the classrooms of a small rural school district.;A review of the literature was conducted in the following areas: (a) the use of computer technology in K--12 rural school districts; (b) enhancers to the integration of computer technology into the classroom curriculum in small …

Go to article

Effects Of Aging On Bond Between Frp And Concrete, John Dyer Barger May 2000

Effects Of Aging On Bond Between Frp And Concrete, John Dyer Barger

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) composites are continuing to gain prominence for structural and non-structural applications all across the world. FRP composites are being used as complete structural systems or in conjunction with conventional materials leading to hybrid structures. The study of using FRP rebars and wraps to reinforce our nation's existing bridge decks, beams and columns is proving that they are economical as well as future material of choice.;This research deals with the bond behavior of FRP composite wraps adhered/bonded to concrete surface. Focus of the study is on the bond degradation when the hybrid structure is exposed to different …

Go to article

Point Doppler Velocimetry Measurements In Circular Jets, Patrick Michael Collins May 2000

Point Doppler Velocimetry Measurements In Circular Jets, Patrick Michael Collins

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Improvements have been made to an existing 2-component Point Doppler Velocimetry (PDV) system to improve instrument accuracy and repeatability and to reduce mean velocity offset. Most importantly, the original iodine cells have been replaced by vapor-limited iodine cells that are not influenced by room temperature variations. PDV is a non-intrusive laser based flow measurement technique with capabilities that are similar to hot wire anemometry, but without inserting a probe into the flow. The insertion of a probe into a flow can affect the flow, resulting in inaccurate measurements.;PDV measurements for 1 inch diameter standard, swirling, and annular jets have been …

Go to article

Training The Intuition, Paul M. Linhares May 2000

Training The Intuition, Paul M. Linhares

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This thesis is about the ceramic art of Paul Linhares. It deals with his many aesthetic theories about the form and function of his pottery. The thesis includes sections on motive, personal influences, descriptions of the pots themselves, white wood fire clay bodies, and images of some of the works included in Paul's thesis exhibition.

Go to article

Monsters Under The Bed, Joelle Spencer May 2000

Monsters Under The Bed, Joelle Spencer

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The exhibition, monsters under the bed is a representation of what occurs when the bedroom lights are turned on and monsters, born from childhood fear, refuse to retreat into the shadows. Cartoon illustrations of physical and mental martyrdom point to the theme of death, as seen through the psychical dysfunction of a child. monsters under the bed, is an autobiographical exploration of adult reflection about a child's world translated into objects of theatrical mythologies.;In order to make my objects and images materialize, I incorporate a broad range of traditional and non-traditional mixed-media techniques. The methods I utilize to make the …

Go to article

Evaluation Of Lubricants For Cold Forming Of Steels By Double-Cup Extrusion Tests, Shivakumaran Bharadwaj Venkataraman May 2000

Evaluation Of Lubricants For Cold Forming Of Steels By Double-Cup Extrusion Tests, Shivakumaran Bharadwaj Venkataraman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The double-cup extrusion testing method was chosen for measuring the pressure and material flow parameters in order to quantify the frictional shear factor between the workpiece and the forming tool in cold metal forming processes. The test was adapted to be used under production conditions and applied to characterize and compare the lubrication properties of different types of lubricants and coatings.;It was found to be a useful approach to estimate the relative efficiency of different lubricants and coating methods. It indicated that one specific lubricant has significantly superior lubricant characteristics than others.;FEA analysis of the experimental setup was constructed to …

Go to article

Manufacture And Rehabilitation Of Guard-Rail Posts Using Composites For Superior Performance, Swetha Anegunta May 2000

Manufacture And Rehabilitation Of Guard-Rail Posts Using Composites For Superior Performance, Swetha Anegunta

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The effectiveness of an external composite reinforcement in improving the strength and durability of a conventional CCA treated wood post was studied. A combination of HMR as primer and epoxy as adhesive was found to provide the best possible adhesion of a glass fibers to CCA treated wood. Wrapped samples, representing a scaled down version of the proposed posts were subjected to 6-cycle accelerated aging and freeze-thaw chemical aging (in acidic, alkaline, water and salt water solutions). The retention in mechanical properties was measured using flexure tests and DMTA. The performance in terms of modulus and rigidity was reduced the …

Go to article

Preliminary Investigation Of Energy Dissipation At Culvert Outlets Using A Riprap Step, Belinda M. Weikle May 2000

Preliminary Investigation Of Energy Dissipation At Culvert Outlets Using A Riprap Step, Belinda M. Weikle

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

One method used to attenuate high-energy flow at culvert outlets is the construction of a riprap energy dissipator. The current riprap design used by the WVDOH experiences problems with excessive sedimentation and is only applicable at culvert outlets where the flow velocity is low. The purpose of this investigation was to construct a testing device to allow for the testing of physical models and produce a preliminary riprap step design that would perform more effectively than the current design. The new design proposed meets the following criteria. It is: (1) Easily constructed on site using available materials; (2) Economically efficient; …

Go to article

Seepage Through Longitudinal Drainage Trenches, Benjamin T. Staud May 2000

Seepage Through Longitudinal Drainage Trenches, Benjamin T. Staud

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The objective of this study was to determine how the longitudinal drain system works under laboratory conditions. In this study, a bench-scale model was constructed to assess the flow patterns caused by a trench drain in a slope. The experimental variables include the trench spacing (w), seepage depth (h), and slope angle (theta). In the experimental program, four values of slope angle, three values of trench spacing and three values of seepage depth were considered. Each experiment was performed twice to ensure that the measurements are reproducible. The soil type for the experimental program was selected on the basis of …

Go to article

Substrate Cleaning Using A Remote Hydrogen Rf-Plasma, Srinivasan Prasanna May 2000

Substrate Cleaning Using A Remote Hydrogen Rf-Plasma, Srinivasan Prasanna

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The substrates (wafers) used in semiconductor processing have a surface oxide layer (the so-called native oxide layer) and a hydrocarbon contamination layer that must be removed before growing an epitaxial film of good quality. In this work, low temperature remote rf-hydrogen plasma cleaning of II-VI and silicon semiconductor surfaces was investigated as a preparation for subsequent deposition in molecular beam and gas source molecular beam epitaxy environments. The plasma was characterized using mass spectrometric methods to determine the identity and relative fluxes of ionic and neutral species and to determine the kinetic energies of the ionic species. Etching studies were …

Go to article

Prenatal Care Utilization And Its Effect On Pregnancy Outcome In West Virginia, Cortney Robyn Usakewicz May 2000

Prenatal Care Utilization And Its Effect On Pregnancy Outcome In West Virginia, Cortney Robyn Usakewicz

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of prenatal care utilization and maternal dietary intake on pregnancy outcome among West Virginia WIC participants. The sample size (102--155) used in this study varied, due to the number of subjects that provided complete information for specific variables. Data were obtained from survey questionnaires, participants' medical records and food frequency questionnaires. Data were analyzed by Statistica using Pearson's and Spearman's correlation.;Results of this study showed that women who experienced transportation problems or had problems with the father of the baby delayed initiation of prenatal care. In turn, these problems negatively …

Go to article

Web-Based Workflow In Secure Collaborative Telemedicine, Vijayanand Ranganath Bharadwaj May 2000

Web-Based Workflow In Secure Collaborative Telemedicine, Vijayanand Ranganath Bharadwaj

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Workflow involves the automation of a business process in whole or part with movement of information and tasks between parties according to a set of rules. The ubiquitous nature of the Internet and WWW prompts us to investigate how these entities can be fully exploited to improve the efficiency of any workflow process in a reliable, secure fashion.;This research effort alms to investigate the utility of the internet and specifically the WWW in providing a substrate for complex workflow and to demonstrate that workflow with a high degree of automation and ability to interface with disparate data sources can be …

Go to article

Sonovoltammetric Detection Of Cadmium (Ii) At Mercury Thin Film Electrodes, Stacey L. Clark May 2000

Sonovoltammetric Detection Of Cadmium (Ii) At Mercury Thin Film Electrodes, Stacey L. Clark

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The application of ultrasound has been used previously in many areas of chemistry. The use of ultrasound to enhance the mass transport of cadmium (II) to a mercury film electrode (MFE) was investigated using square wave stripping voltammety. Both platinum and glassy carbon electrodes were examined as support materials for the mercury film and the results were compared to a dialysis membrane-covered glassy carbon MFE. The platinum electrode behaved in an unusual manner and appeared to be greatly affected by the ultrasound. The glassy carbon MFE also exhibited loss of sensitivity after exposure to ultrasound; however, when the glassy carbon …

Go to article

Timing Of Alveolar Cleft Bone Grafting In Maxillary Alveolar Cleft Defects, Richard Morrow Crout May 2000

Timing Of Alveolar Cleft Bone Grafting In Maxillary Alveolar Cleft Defects, Richard Morrow Crout

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Numerous methods have been attempted to identify the best time for secondary alveolar cleft bone grafting, including chronological age, skeletal age, and dental age. However, few studies have employed objective methods of assessment that would permit statistical analysis. Fifty-nine patients with clefts of the alveolus who acquired secondary alveolar cleft grafts at the Lancaster Cleft Lip and Palate Clinic were studied. A total of 74 affected areas from 15 bilateral and 44 unilateral alveolar cleft patients were available. Timing of the graft was determined utilizing root development of the involved canine, as compared to crown length, from a high quality …

Go to article

Smart Card-Enabled Security Services To Support Secure Telemedicine Applications, Monoreet Mutsuddi May 2000

Smart Card-Enabled Security Services To Support Secure Telemedicine Applications, Monoreet Mutsuddi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The Internet is quickly evolving into a standard and widely used mode of information transfer. Therefore internet's information transfer capabilities could be exploited by Secure Telemedicine Applications to securely transfer medical information. However the current day internet protocol stack does not provide much in terms of security for the data being transferred across it. In this thesis we explore how Cryptography along with Smart Cards can be used to implement application layer protocols, to enhance the security of data flowing across the internet in a Secure Telemedicine environment. This thesis also discusses the design and implementation of various system software …

Go to article

Corrosion Between Orthodontic Archwires And Bracket Couples, Brian Costello O'Leary May 2000

Corrosion Between Orthodontic Archwires And Bracket Couples, Brian Costello O'Leary

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Nickel-containing orthodontic wires have been reported to cause allergic reactions in sensitive individuals. An allergic reaction is related to corrosion of the alloys and subsequent leaching of nickel ions into the oral cavity. The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a significant difference in the corrosive potential of stainless steel, NiTi and TMA wires either alone or when coupled with a stainless steel bracket.;Using potentiostatic anodic polarization, the samples were tested in 0.9% NaCl solution at room temperature with neutral pH. The breakdown potentials of stainless steel, NiTi, TMA, and the stainless steel bracket were 600 …

Go to article

West Virginia State Legislators' Opinions Of Local Mass Media, Timothy Shaw Penn May 2000

West Virginia State Legislators' Opinions Of Local Mass Media, Timothy Shaw Penn

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This survey of members of the West Virginia House of Delegates and Senate regarding their opinions of local mass media found that the majority of lawmakers felt local mass media had little influence on their decision making process. The legislators did not, however, view the media as neutral sources of political information. Self-described "conservative" lawmakers rated media sources described as "liberal" as being less accurate in their coverage of the legislature than did self-described "liberal" or "middle-of-the-road" lawmakers. The thesis used discriminate analysis to develop a statistically significant function able to classify, with high confidence, the political orientation of lawmakers, …

Go to article

Media Use And Perceptions Of Binge Drinking, Jason L. Price May 2000

Media Use And Perceptions Of Binge Drinking, Jason L. Price

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Examines media use by college students and their perceptions of campus alcohol use; literature review of binge drinking rates and studies, media use studies, and perceptions of alcohol use studies; overview of research methods and findings; analysis of data obtained through questionnaires distributed to undergraduates; conclusions.

Go to article

Magnetic Model Studies Of The New York--Alabama Lineament And Other Magnetic Anomalies In West Virginia, Tanner Anthony Sattler May 2000

Magnetic Model Studies Of The New York--Alabama Lineament And Other Magnetic Anomalies In West Virginia, Tanner Anthony Sattler

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study was undertaken to model magnetic anomalies observed in aeromagnetic data across the central Appalachian foreland of West Virginia. Total field intensity models of the New York Alabama magnetic lineament indicate that the maximum depth to the center of the source object could be approximately 20 kilometers and have dips anywhere between 32'NW to 27'SE. The models could not differentiate between suture zone (dipping) and transform zone (nearly vertical) origins.;Prominent alignments of residual highs and lows and magnetic anomaly terminations are present in the residual anomaly data. In the plateau, model studies show that disruptions of residual anomalies could …

Go to article

Secure Telemedicine System For Home Health Care, Sridhar Vasudevan May 2000

Secure Telemedicine System For Home Health Care, Sridhar Vasudevan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This thesis describes a low-cost telemedicine system that provides home based patient care by linking patients with skilled nurses at the home care agency. The system employs compact vital signs sensors and a two-way real-time video conference over telephone lines. It stores the patient's medical records, still images and enforces clinical pathways during the televisits. Physicians, paramedics, and nurses can then have access to these records from anywhere, securely, through a Web browser.;This document discusses the underlying technologies, the features implemented in the prototype, and the methodologies used in developing the software. The prototype uses the Enterprise Java Bean [EJB] …

Go to article

Food Habits Of The Allegheny Woodrat (Neotoma Magister ), Nikole Lee Castleberry May 2000

Food Habits Of The Allegheny Woodrat (Neotoma Magister ), Nikole Lee Castleberry

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Regional declines in Allegheny woodrat (Neotoma magister ) populations suggest a better understanding of the ecology of this species is needed for proper management. I described seasonal food habits of the Allegheny woodrat in the Ridge and Valley and Allegheny Plateau physiographic provinces of West Virginia and Virginia using microhistological techniques. In the Allegheny Plateau, the top 5 food items were fungi, blueberries ( Vaccinium spp.), acorns (Quercus spp.), ferns ( Dryopteris spp.), and lichens. In the Ridge and Valley woodrats ate primarily blackberry (Rubus spp.) leaves, fungi, greenbrier (Smilax spp.) leaves, acorns, and oak leaves. Additionally, we examined the …

Go to article

Factors Influencing Ruffed Grouse Productivity And Chick Survival In West Virginia, Christopher A. Dobony May 2000

Factors Influencing Ruffed Grouse Productivity And Chick Survival In West Virginia, Christopher A. Dobony

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

I examined productivity, chick mortality, and factors influencing ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus) chick survival in West Virginia during 1998--1999. The proportion of hens that attempted to nest, hen success, average clutch size, and hatch dates were similar between age classes, between sites, and between years. Hatch dates were similar between age classes and between sites. Depredation was the major cause of nest failure. I examined 2 types of radio transmitter attachment methods (glue-on and collar type) to determine mortality and survival in ≤3-day-old grouse chicks. Glue-on transmitters performed poorly, whereas collar types had excellent retention time. Chick survival was low …

Go to article

Pregnancy Intendedness Among A Low Income Population, Amy Nicole Thomas May 2000

Pregnancy Intendedness Among A Low Income Population, Amy Nicole Thomas

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Introduction. In the United States, approximately 3.1 million births per year are classified as unintended. Specific aims. This study will examine the association between pregnancy intendedness and support characteristics, key demographic factors and psychological factors in a low income population. Methods. Three interviews were conducted as part of the intensive evaluation. Questions focused on demographics, prenatal health behaviors and psychosocial factors. Results. Unintended pregnancy resulting in birth was most commonly found among non-White, poorly educated and those living in poverty. The support of the family or friends was not found to be significant when comparing it to the intendedness of …

Go to article

Heavy Metal Redistribution In Soils Using Compost As A Soil Amendment, Jason Thomas Morrison May 2000

Heavy Metal Redistribution In Soils Using Compost As A Soil Amendment, Jason Thomas Morrison

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Organic soil amendments such as compost can reduce the availability of heavy metal contaminated soil. The objectives of this study were (1) to evaluate the efficiency of compost as an soil amendment within heavy metal contaminated soil; (2) to determine the hypoaccumulation of heavy metals in the stem, shoot, and root systems of white clover and wheat; (3) to identify movement of heavy metals within the soil; (4) to evaluate the differences of nodule formation in Trifolim repens. Three volumes of compost were added to a heavy metal contaminated soil (additions of zero, 10, and 40 percent compost, by volume). …

Go to article

Hydrogeologic Analysis Of Streamflow In Relation To Underground Mining In Northern West Virginia, David Robert Gill May 2000

Hydrogeologic Analysis Of Streamflow In Relation To Underground Mining In Northern West Virginia, David Robert Gill

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Land subsidence, caused by longwall mining, has a negative effect on overlying watersheds. Nine streams were monitored from their headwaters to their mouths for discharge, temperature, conductivity, alluvium thickness, and alluvium sediment size. Seven streams are located over undermined longwall panels, with two located over non-undermined areas. Discharge data shows that non-undermined watersheds do not experience stream dewatering, regardless of alluvium thickness or sediment size. Streams located over active or recently mined longwall panels experience water loss that ranges from slight to total. Impacted streams with overall increases in conductivity and decreases in water temperature suggest that lost streamflow travels …

Go to article

Individual Differences And Suggestibility Of Children's Eyewitness Memory Reports, Robin Myers Bartlett May 2000

Individual Differences And Suggestibility Of Children's Eyewitness Memory Reports, Robin Myers Bartlett

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A significant amount of recent research in the area of children's eyewitness memory has been aimed at examining children's vulnerability to suggestion. Numerous experimental factors have been found to impact children's suggestibility including the use of leading questions. However, research in this area has yet to investigate whether characteristics of the child play a role in susceptibility to suggestion. Accordingly, the present study was designed to combine the experimental and individual differences approaches to research to achieve a better understanding of children's susceptibility to suggestive questioning techniques. Ninety-six 9--12-year-old children and a parent participated in the study. Children viewed a …

Go to article

Parent And Sibling Relationship Influences On Late Adolescent Social Anxiety And Other Adjustment Outcomes, Catherine Joan Massey May 2000

Parent And Sibling Relationship Influences On Late Adolescent Social Anxiety And Other Adjustment Outcomes, Catherine Joan Massey

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The primary objective of the present study was to examine associations among several family relationships and adolescent social anxiety utilizing a family systems perspective. The second objective was to investigate specific family relationships and their association with adolescent adjustment outcomes such as depression, general anxiety, global self-worth, and social acceptance self-worth. Social anxiety levels of only children and children with siblings also were compared. Five-hundred and fifteen (337 females, 178 males) participants in late adolescence completed a questionnaire packet according to whether or not they had siblings. The questionnaire packets contained all or most of the following measures depending on …

Go to article

Composition Effects On Macroscopic Solidification Segregation Of Superalloys, Wei Chen May 2000

Composition Effects On Macroscopic Solidification Segregation Of Superalloys, Wei Chen

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This research work investigates primarily the composition effects on solidification macrosegregation, i.e. freckles, in superalloys. First, the freckling mechanism of superalloys is developed using the physical simulation of freckle formation in specially designed model alloys. It is found that freckles originate from dendrite irregularities at the solidification front. The freckle channels flow downward in Nb-containing alloys and upward in T-containing alloy under horizontal solidification conditions. The horizontal solidification correctly simulates the horizontal component in remelt ingot where freckling potential is the highest. Based on the result, key control parameters for freckling are identified.;Thermodynamic simulation approach is employed to study the …

Go to article

Increasing Self-Efficacy With Diabetes Cooking Schools, Sheila Rye May 2000

Increasing Self-Efficacy With Diabetes Cooking Schools, Sheila Rye

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Dining with Diabetes, a diabetes cooking school program offered through West Virginia University Extension Service, targets dietary self-management and is guided by Social Cognitive Theory. This study compared two convenience samples of persons with diabetes. One group attended the program, (experimental, n = 34) the other, (comparison, n = 13) did not. The groups were evaluated at baseline and three-month post-test regarding knowledge about dietary management of diabetes, skill and self-efficacy in preparing simple recipes. Four participants in the experimental group (11.4%) and one person from the comparison group (7.7%) had increases in all three areas. The study also assessed …

Go to article

Porosity Distribution Prediction Using Artificial Neural Networks, Fahad Abdullah Al-Qahtani May 2000

Porosity Distribution Prediction Using Artificial Neural Networks, Fahad Abdullah Al-Qahtani

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Reservoir characterization plays a very important role in the petroleum industry, especially to the economic success of the reservoir development. Heterogeneity can complicate the evaluation of reservoir properties. Porosity is the primary key to a reliable reservoir model.;Several studies in the literature indicated that accurate evaluation of reservoir properties can be made by the analysis of electric logs. Stringtown oil field in Tyler and Wetzel counties in the northwestern part of West Virginia was selected to conduct this study.;Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) is one of the latest technologies available to the petroleum industry. The objective of this study was to …

Go to article

First Prev Next Last