Digital Commons Network^™

Even Start Family Literacy Program's Effects For Parents: Why Do They Participate?, Deborah A. Farrer

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Parents are recognized as the first and most important teachers of their children and their influence on children has been well documented. The Even Start Family Literacy program targets both parents and children fostering a home-school-community partnership of shared authority and responsibility for the educational development of children and adults. The purpose of the present study was to examine parents who participated in the Even Start program in terms of results/effectiveness of the program for them and in turn for their families. The investigation was an attempt to unveil the effects of the Even Start program on the parents in …

A Hermeneutics Approach To Studying Agenda-Setting: The Postwar Education Agenda (1945-1998)., Jennifer Lynn Fisher

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The study of bill introductions can broaden our understanding of how policy alternatives are formed by and for congressional actors. This agenda setting study builds on the work of Baumgartner and Jones (1993), King (1997), Kingdon (1989), Schiller (1995), Worsham (1997), and Wilkerson, Feeley, Schiereck, and Sue (1999). Specifically, the focus will be on education policymaking—an agenda that has ascended to higher status over the last fifty years. Three basic objectives will undergird the analysis. The first is to learn what the education agenda has been in order to understand more about where it is going. Second, is to understand …

The Effect Of Individual Difference Variables, Learning Environment, And Cognitive Task On Statistical Learning Performance., Ernest Frank

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The problem of this research was to determine the effect of six independent individual difference variables (cognitive control, learning style, achievement motivation, locus of control, learning environment, and cognitive task) on the dependent variable of learning performance. Post facto research was conducted that resulted in significant findings for two of the twelve research hypotheses postulated. Specifically, the mean performance score of field independent students was found to be significantly higher than that of field dependent students and the mean performance score of the web-based learning environment condition was found to be significantly higher than that of the traditional learning environment …

Analysis Of Paramagnetic Point Defects In Potassium Dihydrogen Phosphate And Potassium Titanyl Phosphate Crystals., Nelson Yovanny Garces

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A series of paramagnetic defects have been characterized in KH2 PO4 (KDP) and KTiOPO4 (KTP) using optical absorption, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), and electron-nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) techniques. In KDP, one hole-like center and five electronlike centers were investigated. Spin-Hamiltonian parameters were obtained for the holelike center and two electronlike centers. The hole center consists of a hole trapped on an oxygen ion adjacent to a silicon impurity substituting for a phosphorus ion. The electron centers are oxygen vacancies with one trapped electron, i.e., they are (PO3)2− molecular units. Both the hole center and the electron centers can be formed …

Attribution: A Political Psychology Perspective On The Democratic Peace., Edward Michael Goldcamp

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Currently there appears to be irrefutable evidence of the existence of a democratic peace. The concept of pacific interaction between democratic nations has become a virtual law in the study of Political Science. Many explanations exist, generally following one of two tracts. There are both structural and normative explanations. The premise of this dissertation is that neither current set of explanations is adequate. Therefore, it is necessary to pursue a third type of explanatory theory. This study examines the role of culture and attribution in foreign policy. The notion of polity similarity is replaced with cultural similarity. I examine the …

Mean Reversion In United States Stock Prices: A Panel Approach., Jeffrey Michael Gropp

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The existence of market anomalies has long been recognized in the finance literature. Several studies have documented the effects of size, dividend yields, E/P ratios, book-to-market value ratios, turn of the year (January effect), investor overreaction, and mean reversion on market returns. Still, much controversy surrounds the existence of, and explanations for the observed market anomalies. In this dissertation, I attempt to overcome such difficulties in analyzing the existence of the market anomalies of investor overreaction and mean reversion, while providing recommendations for future research. In the first chapter of the dissertation I briefly discuss past research in the areas …

Strategic Verbal Aggression: Attacking The Self-Concept To Enhance Motivation In The Classroom., Alan D. Heisel

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Numerous studies have identified a variety of negative consequences associated with the use of verbal aggression. This study examines the impact of verbal aggression in the instructional context as strategic verbal aggression. A self-report survey of 552 students enrolled in basic communication courses at West Virginia University was collected. Participants received measures reflecting the teacher's immediacy, competence, character, and perceived caring, as well as indices of the participants' argumentativeness, self-esteem, verbal aggressiveness, and Machiavellianism. Each Participant received a scenario reflecting either high/low intensity verbal aggression or high/low intensity no verbal aggression. Finally, participants were asked to evaluate the appropriateness, future …

Evaluation Of Vibration Response Of Ceramic Candle Filters Using An Accelerometer And A Laser Vibrometer., Ye Hone Lin

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Ceramic candle filters are key components for a successful coal-based power-generation system. The ceramic candle filter is a hollow cylindrical structure made of a porous material. One end is closed with a cap and the other end is open. Ceramic candles are one of the few clean-up technologies that can protect the heat exchanger and consistently meet the gas turbine manufacturer’s inlet particulate requirement to prevent erosion. A total of three ceramic candle filters were tested nondestructively to investigate the boundary conditions of the filters using a laser vibrometer and an accelerometer. The study includes evaluation of vibration data from …

An Exploratory Study Of Policy, Procedures, And Programs For Students With Special Needs Assigned To Alternative Schools In North Central West Virginia., Richard Michael Belcastro

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Using an exploratory method this study examined the policies, procedures, and programs for students with special needs assigned to alternative schools in North Central West Virginia. Initially, twelve special education directors in West Virginia's RESA VII were surveyed to determine what approach was being used to serve students with special needs assigned to alternative schools. Four alternative school staffs were selected to be interviewed to determine what were the policies, procedures, and programs in serving students with special needs assigned to alternative schools. Disruptive and at risk students have long presented a dilemma for local school administrators. While trying to …

The Effect Of Calcination Conditions On The Graphitizability Of Novel Synthetic And Coal-Derived Cokes., Barbara Ellen Bennett

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The effects of calcination heating rate and ultimate calcination temperature upon calcined coke and subsequent graphitic material microstructures were studied for materials prepared from three different precursors. The pitch precursors used were Mitsubishi AR pitch (a synthetic, 100% mesophase pitch), the NMP-extracted portion of a raw coal, and the NMP-extracted fraction of a coal liquefaction residue obtained from an HTI pilot plant. These materials were all green-coked under identical conditions. Optical microscopy confirmed that the Mitsubishi coke was very anisotropic and the HTI coke was nearly as anisotropic. The coke produced from the direct coal extract was very isotropic. Crystalline …

An Examination Of The Significance Of Demographic Characteristics On The Preference Of White American Therapy Clients For Counselors: Their Relationship To Within -Group Differences., Justin Leon Boyce

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study examined White clients' preference for counselor characteristics. A paired comparison format was used to generate participants' preferences. The study also examined the relationship of clients' within group differences (i.e., level of racial consciousness, age, educational level) to their preference for counselors. The study found that when asked to indicate a preference between a counselor of similar ethnicity and one of dissimilar ethnicity, clients indicated a preference for a counselor of similar ethnicity. However, when other counselor attributes were included in the choice, a counselor of similar ethnicity was not the primary preference. The study was able to demonstrate …

A Comparison Of The Profiles Of Successful And Unsuccessful Candidates For College Presidencies In The State College System Of West Virginia., Marie Ellen Carter

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Candidates (N = 609) for six presidencies in the State College System of West Virginia between 1995 and 1998 were studied and a comparison was made between successful candidates (n = 93) and unsuccessful candidates (n = 516). Successful candidates were defined as those who were judged by the search and screening committees to be best qualified to be interviewed. Candidate application packets and search committee records were the source of data. Independent variables included positions held by candidates at the time of application, baccalaureate graduation dates, education levels, major fields of graduate study, gender, and locations at the time …

A Comparison Of Collaborative And Individualistic Problem Solving In Younger And Older Adults On An Everyday Task., Suling Cheng

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Researchers examining everyday problem solving in adulthood have focused mainly on age differences in performance (e.g., Denney & Palmer, 1981). Older adults are often found to be poor problem solvers in comparison to younger adults because older adults use problem-solving strategies that are defined as less effective by researchers. Furthermore, researchers have focused on problem solving as a solitary activity and not as a collaborative activity. In addition, the problem-solving tasks researchers have used to measure everyday problem solving often resemble traditional problem-solving tasks. Thus, attention should be directed toward comparing younger and older adults on ecologically valid collaborative problem-solving …

An Integrated Cost Model For Software Reuse., Senta Fowler Chmiel

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Several cost models have been proposed and assessed in the past for predicting and analyzing the costs associated with software reuse. The integrated cost model, which is presented in this thesis, is based on the premise that there are four decisions in the software reuse lifecycle: the decision to adopt a reuse-based software paradigm; the decision to initiate a domain engineering initiative; the decision to use reusable assets in the development of a given application; and the decision to develop reusable assets. The integrated cost model further considers that all these decisions must be justified by an economic rationale, and …

The Natural Rate Of Unemployment, Its Estimation, And Evaluation Of Its Estimators., Victor Vyron Claar

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation estimates a time series of the natural rate of unemployment via competing methods, and evaluates such methods both within sample and for forecasting purposes. The methods used include the Kalman and Hodrick-Prescott filters. Evaluation proceeds along two lines. First, a Phillips curve is used in order to assess how well deviations of actual inflation from expected inflation are explained by deviations of the actual unemployment rate from estimated natural rates within a given sample period. The evaluative criterion is the overall fit of each regression. The analysis indicates that the in-sample fit of the Phillips curve changes little …

Use Of Track-Etched Polycarbonate Filters In Series To Mimic The Total Human Lung Deposition In The Ultrafine And Fine Particle Range From 0.03 To 0.40 Microns., Jennifer Lynn Hornsby-Myers

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Three 3.0m polycarbonate track-etched filters were used in series in a 37 mm cassette and tested at 2.2 L/min using an automated filter tester to determine the filter assembly’s deposition curve as a function of particle size from 0.03 to 0.4 m. The filter assembly’s efficiency curve was compared to Stahlhofen’s resting with nose breathing and working with mouth breathing human total lung deposition curves used by the ICRP. Bias maps show that the shape of the filter assembly’s deposition curve matches the two lung deposition curves in the ultrafine range under these specific test conditions. The efficiency curve of …

Modelling And Control Of The Unified Power Flow Controller (Upfc)., Azra Hasanovic

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The focus of this thesis is a FACTS device known as the Unified Power Flow Controller (UPFC). With its unique capability to control simultaneously real and reactive power flows on a transmission line as well as to regulate voltage at the bus where it is connected, this device creates a tremendous quality impact on power system stability. These features become even more significant knowing that the UPFC can allow loading of the transmission lines close to their thermal limits, forcing the power to flow through the desired paths. This will give the power system operators much needed flexibility in order …

Whole-Body Vibration And The Lower Back: The Effect Of Whole-Body Vibration On Pain In The Lower Back., Erik W. Gregory

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study utilized six subjects from the West Virginia University Motor pool, whose exposure to whole-body vibrations were measured and reported as root mean squared (r.m.s.) values in accordance with ISO standard 2631. Each subject completed a questionnaire regarding their general health, and specifically whether they experienced low back pain, and if so, the extent and severity of this pain. It was expected that the individuals subjected to the highest vibration levels would tend to report LBP, with severity of pain increasing with the intensity of exposure. This study did not support that belief. However, it may be that chronic …

The Fracture Analysis And Remaining Life Estimation Of The Avlb Sub-Components., Jeong-Hoon Choi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The Armored Vehicle Launch Bridge (AVLB) is subjected to cyclic loading during its launching as well as tank crossing. The cyclic loading causes crack to initiate in critical bridge components, and to propagate. Unless these cracks are detected and repaired before they rapidly grow to reach their critical stage of propagation, the failure of bridge components can occur. According to the Preventive Maintenance Checks and Services (PMCS) from the U.S. Army, three AVLB components, the splice doubler angle, the splice plate, and the bottom chord, are susceptible to fatigue damage. In the present study, the laboratory fatigue tests on the …

An Economic Analysis Of The Relationship Of Poverty And Income Inequality In Rural West Virginia., Semoa Costa Batista De Sousa

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

There have been numerous research studies on poverty, income inequality, economic growth, and the relationship between these variables at national and regional levels. This thesis focuses on poverty and income inequality, in 38 rural counties of West Virginia. The study examines the possibility of simultaneity between poverty and income inequality (Gini index) using a two-stage least square regression with cross-sectional data for 1980 and 1990. Furthermore, ordinary least square regressions are used to investigate the main determinants of poverty and income inequality. The results confirm the possibility of simultaneity between poverty and income inequality. The proportions of the population in …

The Role Of Lois Marie Gibbs In The Love Canal Crisis And Its Effect On Federal "Superfund" Legislation, 1973-1981., Daniel Victor Kahler

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In the spring of 1978, a young homemaker named Lois Marie Gibbs discovered that her child was attending an elementary school built on top of a 20,000 ton, toxic chemical dump in Niagara Falls, New York. Out of desperation, she organized her neighbors into the Love Canal Homeowners Association and struggled more than two years for relocation. Opposing the group’s efforts were the chemical manufacturer, Hooker Chemical Corporation, and local, state, and federal government officials who insisted that the leaking toxic chemicals, including dioxin the most toxic chemical known to man, was not the cause of high rates of birth …

Language Attitude Study: The Perceptions Of The New Jersey And The Southern West Virginia Students, At West Virginia University, Of The New Jersey And Southern West Virginia Dialects., Leigh Anne Scalise

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The language attitude study of the two dialect groups: New Jersey and southern West Virginia on the West Virginia University, encompasses the lexicon of each group and the breakdown of communication between the two groups. The differences in lexicon and societal stereotypes keep the two groups from interacting on a personal and equal level of respect and kindness. The West Virginia students foster a strong resentment towards the students from New Jersey, and the feelings are reciprocated in that the New Jersey students prefer to associate with students from their home state. The dialect study proves the members of each …

Data Points Or Cultural Entities: A Gis-Based Archaeological Predictive Model In A Post-Positivist Framework., Linwood Jesse Rouse

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Archaeological predictive models have been used in conjunction with sampling strategies, in large scale archaeological surveys, for over thirty years. During this time, these models have undergone many conceptual and theoretical changes. Archaeological predictive models stemmed from the positivist Processual Archaeology, but the shift from positivism has precipitated the need to reconsider the ideas from which they are based. There is a general trend within the current spectrum of ideologies to support the importance of cultural information in archaeological research. The following research contends that cultural information has not been utilized to its full extent in archaeological models and that …

The Relationships Between Snags And Cavity-Nesting Birds In A Gypsy Moth-Impacted Forest., Christopher Ryan Showalter

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Gypsy moth defoliation can result in the death of trees and create snags (standing dead trees), a resource vital to cavity-nesting species. With this in mind, population trends of 11 cavity-nesting birds and their relationship to snags were investigated from 1984 to 1999 in an area that was impacted by gypsy moth defoliation. Data from before a major gypsy moth outbreak (1984-1986), during (1987-1988), and after (1989-1999) enabled inferences about this forest bird community to be made. The combined abundance of the 11 cavity-nesting species examined increased significantly during the years immediately after the outbreak (1989 – 1993) followed by …

Benefits Of The West Virginia School For The Deaf Horticulture Program To Past Graduates, 1984-1997., Edgar Aldine Leatherman Iii

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of the study was to assess the WVSD horticulture program in relation to the value of the technical and leadership skills it imparts as perceived by past WVSD horticultural graduates. The study focused on three questions related to the employability of the 41 graduates of the years 1984-1997 and their use of the skills learned through the horticulture program and FFA organization. Data were obtained from 29 of the 41 graduates through mail questionnaires and personal interviews. As a result of this study the following items of importance were found: 69% of the graduates were presently employed, another …

Recent Paintings: Untitled., Naijun Zhang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

My paintings explicitly convey the tension inherent in the current Chinese social construct. As a painter my career journeyed through the education of Communist system during the Cultural Revolution and Post-Mao era. I have also experienced a cultural rupture upon my subsequent study in the United States. For me, figurative imagery provides a fulcrum for meditations on a wide variety of social and political issues. Basically the human figure functions as a metaphoric vehicle that conveys political or social content through pictorial appropriation of photojournalism. My figure also represents inner states of being which often theatrically expands or reinvents accepted …

Culture-Specific Issues In Feminist Voices: A Comparative Study Of "The Bell Jar" And "Cronica Del Desamor"., Sonia Lagunas

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This thesis discusses the importance of the cultural elements within a literary text when an analysis of the text is accomplished. Two novels are analyzed in terms of their cultural setting: The Bell Jar , an American novel set in the 1950s written by Sylvia Plath, and Crónica del desamor , a Spanish novel set in the late 1970s, written by Rosa Montero. A cultural analysis of the novels appears necessary in order to develop a more comprehensive understanding of them. At the same time, a cultural analysis based on literary works is a valuable instrument in investigating the cultural …

The Coaxial Cavity Resonator As A Prototype Rf Ic Engine Ignition Source., Dustin Langdon Mcintyre

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The Quarter Wave Coaxial Cavity Resonator (QWCCR) plasma igniter is designed, from requirements drawn from previous theoretical work, as an ignition source for an internal combustion engine. The present research has explored the implementation of the QWCCR into anICengine. The QWCCRdesignparameters of inner conductor length, loop geometry, and loop position were varied for two igniters of differing operating frequency. Variations of the QWCCR RF parameters as a function of engine geometry were studied by placing the igniter in a combustion chamber and manually varying the crank position. Three identical igniters were fitted with dielectric inserts and the parameters were studied …

Evidence For Fluvial-Controlled Coal Deposition In The Upper Tongue River Member (Fort Union Formation, Paleocene) Powder River Basin, Wyoming., Coen Michael Bauders

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Recent exploration in the Powder River basin has targeted shallow, coal-bed methane, and basin reserves may be as high as 39 trillion cubic feet. Both coal and sandstone beds serve as target methane reservoirs; however, the thick, persistent nature of the upper Tongue River Member coals makes them easier to correlate and map than any sandstone body. Correlating these coals and considering the differential compaction model for shallow structural development may help shed light on recognizable patterns in clastic-sediment and coal distribution. This study had a threefold purpose: (1) establish a regional stratigraphic framework for the upper Tongue River Member …

Advancement In Frp Composites Using Three-Dimensional Stitched Fabrics And Enhancement In Frp Bridge Deck Component Properties., Vimala Shekar

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Use of FRP composites in construction industry has been growing rapidly. However, currently all composite products are manufactured with one and/or two dimensional fibers and fabrics (1-D or 2-D). A shortcoming thick composite (> 0.75 in.) made of 1-D or 2-D fabrics is its dramatic reduction in strength, i.e., up to 50% of thin (<0.5 in.) composites. This can be attributed to shear lag leading to ply-by-ply failure; in addition, premature failure of matrix and fibers or the interface failure is very common in thick composites. Therefore, the motivation of the present work is to fabricate and test composites with 3-D stitched fabrics, which overcome the limitations in composites made of 1-D or 2-D fabrics.

In this study, composites were fabricated using 3-D stitched fabrics with different: (1) fiber architecture; (2) stitch density; (3) stitch material; and (4) manufacturing process. Strength and stiffness of composites with 3-D stitched fabrics (at coupon level) under tension, bending and shear loads were experimentally …