Digital Commons Network^™

On Paradoxical Examples Of Real Functions, Cheng-Han Pan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation is a summary of the author's research work, supervised by Professor Krzysztof Ciesielski, based on three published articles in the Journal of Mathematical Analysis and Applications and one published article in the Banach Journal of Mathematical Analysis. Our work focuses on the study of paradoxical real functions regarding differentiability and generalized continuity within the foundations of real analysis. The reasons why they are paradoxical are directly connected to their definitions, which will be provided and explained in the later texts. Note that all functions discussed in the dissertation are single-variable and real valued, that is, well-defined from a …

Machine Learning Approaches To Improve Prediction In Health Care, Sadaf Kabir

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The availability of data and advanced data analysis tools in the health care domain provide great opportunities for the discovery of unknown or hidden patterns in clinical data. However, medical data is often incomplete and has poor quality, e.g., it contains missing values or too many unnecessary features. Majority of these issues are induced by uncertainty in clinical trials and examinations, such as human error, patients’ withdrawal during studies, malfunctioning of data collection equipment, and are generally inevitable. Properly addressing these issues can lead to the development of precise predictive models and consequently more reliable clinical decision making. Accurate predictive …

Three Essays On Information Asymmetry Across Heterogenous Agents, Shenru Li

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This thesis models and explores agents’ decisions in reaction to events that serves to increse the heterogeneity among agents. The analysis is conducted on three aspects of financial economics. In chapter 2, we empirically examine how trading by peers on a new platform influences others’ adoption decision. We model the adoption process and find the relationship to be U-shaped, with first movers greatly discouraging their peers from adoption, while late movers slightly discouraging or encouraging their peers.

In chapter 3, we investigate how managerial incentives influence corporate social responsibility (CSR). We examine the staggered adoption of corporate opportunity waiver laws …

Tesol And Feminist Pedagogy: The Application Of Feminist Pedagogy In Esl Versus Efl Settings, Emil Asanov

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Feminist pedagogy, which emerged in the United States in the 1980s, is an-anti oppressive pedagogy that invites students to build community, fosters an inclusive learning environment for everyone to succeed and lead, and encourages power sharing among and between students and teachers. With feminism spreading and varying across the world, feminist pedagogy advertently or inadvertently manifests itself in the work of some English as a second language (ESL) and English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers. Feminist pedagogy has received popularity in English classrooms all over the world, which is evidenced by increasing research on the topic (e.g., Vandrick, 1994, …

Modeling, Simulation, And Hardware-In-The-Loop Implementation Of Distributed Voltage Control In Power Systems With Renewable Energy Sources, Ali Dehghan Banadaki

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation develops and analyzes distributed controllers for power systems with renewable energy sources. A comprehensive state space modeling of voltage source inverters (VSIs) is developed specifically to address the secondary voltage control. This model can be used for simulation and control design. Unlike frequency, voltage is a local phenomenon, meaning that it cannot be controlled from a far distance. Therefore, a voltage zoning matrix that relates the sensitivity of the loads to the sources is proposed. The secondary voltage control is designed by applying the eigenvalue decomposition of the voltage zoning matrix to obtain the reference generators voltages. The …

Bitter Sweet, Hanna M. Kesty

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This written document is the accompanying thesis for my Master of Fine Arts Exhibition, Bitter Sweet. The exhibition featured traditional framed prints with sculptural accents that reveal brutally honest negative personal experiences, interactions, and emotions, paired with delicately cute aesthetics. My work embodies the necessity of personal artistic expression to process years of emotional repression. The prints and sculptures in the exhibition focus around a collection of insults and harsh comments coupled with feelings of loneliness and isolation. I allow personal vulnerability to show, to reinforce that these moments have molded and shaped who I am and will continue to …

Experimental And Design Evaluation Of Multi-Bolted Gfrp Joints, Amir Hossein Houshmandyar

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

For infrastructure system implementation, high strength/stiffness to self-weight ratio, corrosion resistance and ease of fabrication are just a few of the many advantages of pultruded fiber reinforced polymer (PFRP) composites over traditional construction materials. However, challenges of engineered FRP materials are addressed via continuous updating of design codes. For example, the anisotropic nature of FRP composite materials includes different mechanical properties in different directions (pull or longitudinal direction vs. transverse to pull direction) of a structural member, resulting in design complexities over isotropic materials. Typically, infrastructure systems are built by bolting FRP structural members because of certain advantages of bolted …

Mechanisms Of Nourishment, Raymond Lloyd Brown Iii

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This written thesis is a description and analysis of the ceramic work of Ray Brown. Included in this thesis is an explanation and defense of my work in my exhibition Mechanisms of Nourishment. It also unpacks the conceptual, technical, and formal aspects of the work.

The research explored in this written thesis discusses the relationship between the aesthetic and utilitarian components of pottery. From an analytical, iterative approach to form, I strive to isolate proportions that evoke a sense of volume and repetition. My references to Mid Century Modern and Streamlining Era design guide my efforts into dynamic mechanisms of …

Detecting Adverse Drug Events Using A Deep Neural Network Model, Saminur Islam

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Adverse drug events represent a key challenge in public health, especially with respect to drug safety profiling and drug surveillance. Drug-drug interactions represent one of the most popular types of adverse drug events. Most computational approaches to this problem have used different types of drug-related information utilizing different types of machine learning algorithms to predict potential interactions between drugs. In this work, our focus is on the use of genetic information about the drugs, in particular, the protein sequence and protein structure of drug protein targets to predict potential interactions between drugs. We collected information on drug-drug interactions (DDIs) from …

Stil-Life, Yi Xiong

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This written thesis is the supporting documentation for Still-Life, my Master of Fine Arts thesis exhibition. I use handmade ceramic still-life objects to depict my specific memories and experiences about my life before and after the pandemic. Death, hope, time, and emotion are the themes explored in this exhibition.

This installation of ceramic sculptures not only recreates a historical moment in the pandemic but also captures the current times that we live in. It records the artist's life and time during the COVID-19 pandemic. The selection of still-life objects for the exhibition often has special significance on a personal, cultural, …

Stormwater Runoff Response Under Changing Climate And Land Uses Across Gradients Of Inland And Coastal Urban-Natural Basin, Mahmood Khan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Climatic variability has caused significant shifts in the magnitude, frequency and spatiotemporal distribution of precipitation, generating excessive runoff that leads to frequent occurrences of extreme hydrologic events such as the pluvial (rainfall accumulation) and fluvial (riverine) floods. The conversion of natural areas into urban lands is further exacerbating the rainfall accumulation by increasing surface imperviousness that hinders infiltration of water into the soil. This dissertation predicts and characterizes potential shifts in the future annual stormwater runoff
volumes and runoff extremes under the standalone and coupled changes in climate and land use across inland and coastal urban-natural settings. The research was …

Simulated Annealing Heuristics For The Dynamic Generalized Quadratic Assignment Problem, Yugesh Dhungel

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The Dynamic Generalized Quadratic Assignment Problem (DGQAP) is the task of assigning a set of facilities to a set of locations in a multi-period planning horizon such that the sum of the transportation and assignment/reassignment costs is minimized. The facilities may have different space requirements, and the capacities of locations may vary during the multiple-period planning horizon. Also, multiple facilities may be assigned to each location without violating the space capacity of the location. This research presents a formulation and applications of DGQAP in various layout and assignment problems encountered in the literature. Two Simulated Annealing (SA) metaheuristics named SA …

Do Different Learning Environments Influence Graduate Students’ Professional Communication?, Lacey M. Beam

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of two educational environments (jigsaw learning activity and standardized patient encounters) on speech-language pathology students’ professional communication when assessing and treating a voice disorder case study. Jigsaw activities are cooperative learning experiences that provide students opportunities to learn from one another. Studies have shown that students have improvements in learning new material, self-confidence, and communication skills (Wong & Driscoll, 2008; Asif et al., 2021). A standardized patient encounter provides a real-life clinical experience for students. There has been a mixed response to students improving their communication skills through …

Identifying Factors That Increase Sustainability Of Swpbis In Us Middle Schools, Heather L. Hoffert

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

School-wide positive behavior interventions and supports (SWPBIS) is a multi-tiered framework with decades of documented success in reducing problem behavior, increasing academic achievement, and promoting positive school climates. Approximately 20% of schools nationwide (n=26,000) implement SWPBIS (Kittleman et al., 2020). However, many schools that adopt SWPBIS abandon the program after only a few years of implementation. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate factors that promote sustainability of SWPBIS. By identifying factors that increase schools’ likelihood to sustain practices, we can target our implementation efforts both effectively and efficiently thereby improving student outcomes. The Benchmarks of Quality (BoQ) is used annually …

Development Of An Expert Algorithm For Substance Identification (Easi) To Discriminate Between Spectrally Similar Fentanyl Analogs In Mass Spectrometry, Alexandra Adeoye

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Fentanyl is an opioid that is about 100 times more potent than morphine, and its analogs are just as potent, and some like carfentanil are even more so potent. In recent years, fentanyl and its analogs have been responsible for over 50% of overdose-related deaths. In response, the DEA has placed all fentanyl analogs as Schedule I compounds because of their non-medicinal use and high potential for abuse and physical dependence. However, fentanyl analogs have high structural and mass spectral similarities due to the extremely conservative nature of the core fentanyl structure, which makes the differentiation and identification of fentanyl …

Knowledge And Training In Language Sample Analysis Of Us Speech-Language Pathology Graduate Students, Allegra Cornaglia

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Purpose: Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) play an integral role in identification and treatment of developmental language disorders (DLD). Best practices include the use of language sample analysis (LSA) as part of a comprehensive evaluation. However, LSA requires a specific set of foundational morphological and syntactic knowledge. Previous studies have shown a knowledge gap for both SLPs and SLP graduate students for other areas of morphosyntax and phonology. This study examined the language analysis skills of current SLP graduate students on a test of Mean Length of Utterance (MLU) analysis and Clausal Density (CD) and whether there were possible factors associated with …

Detection Of Fecal Bacteria In Watersheds Impacted By Acid Mine Drainage, Claire Addison Mcdonald

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Escherichia coli, a fecal coliform, is an essential component of water quality monitoring, entering waterways through sewage deposits, agricultural land and livestock, and wildlife. Various fast and user-friendly methods for quantifying E. coli make it the principal indicator bacteria for fecal contamination. The most common methods for E. coli quantification are culture-based and involve cultivating samples onto nutrient agar and counting the visible colonies. However, E. coli can enter a viable but non-culturable (VBNC) state in stressful environments. Bacteria in a VBNC state are still alive but reduce key metabolic activities that typically encourage growth and division, allowing them …

Black Walnut Plantations In West Virginia: Maximizing Financial Returns Through Decision Modeling And Cash Flow Analysis, Erin Duffy Shaw

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to identify the management strategies that lead to maximum financial returns from a black walnut plantation. To evaluate a selection of plantation establishment scenarios, thinning treatments, and product objectives, an Excel-based black walnut financial model was updated and revised. Key updates to the model included incorporating three cash flows for 1) the collection and wholesale of black walnut sap, 2) producing black walnut syrup, and 3) leasing black walnut trees for tapping. Additionally, outputs from the Forest Vegetation Simulator were integrated into the model’s growth and yield projections as a means of more accurately …

Needs Assessment Of Diabetes Self-Management Education And Support Within West Virginia From Provider Viewpoints, Kasey M. Yost

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Diabetes is a chronic health condition that affects millions of Americans. It can have significant, lasting effects on an individual’s mental and physical wellbeing, especially when it goes unmanaged or untreated. Diabetes has been a growing problem in West Virginia (WV), which has the highest adult rate of diabetes at 15.7% in the US. Furthermore, WV has the highest mortality rate associated with diabetes at 36.2%. An effective method of management is through diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES). DSMES is a critical component of care for all individuals with diabetes. It is defined as the ongoing process of facilitating …

Care To Walk In My Shoes? Repairing Trust After Violations Of Benevolence, Luke Aaron Langlinais

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation examines how perceived perspective taking relates to trust repair, specifically in the context of a benevolence-based violation. I draw on perspective taking theory, attribution theory, and the integrative model of organizational trust to explore a model of interpersonal trust repair. The extant literature on trust repair primarily focuses on violations of ability and integrity, leaving the third dimension of trustworthiness, benevolence, largely unexplored. Yet, research suggests as many as 96% of workplace employees have been victims of benevolence-based offenses, such as disrespect, condescension, or degradation. The present research expands the theoretical bounds of the extant trust repair literature …

Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus Dolomieu) Population Characteristics And An Evaluation Of Management Responses In Two West Virginia Watersheds, Jacob D. Harrell

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus dolomieu) population characteristics were examined within the Tygart and Cheat River watersheds of north-central West Virginia. Growth, mortality and recruitment were examined for each individual population prior to modeling potential effects of various management schemes. Smallmouth Bass were sampled for total length and weight, aged using sagittal otoliths and sexed through observations of gonadal or ovarian development. Growth for each population was examined using von Bertalanffy growth models and assessed for variation among populations. Population demographic characteristics differed between and among populations, most noticeably between riverine and lacustrine habitat, whereby growth, mortality and recruitment were higher …

Assessment Of The Geographic Distribution And Tools To Assist With Conservation Of Spotted Turtles (Clemmys Guttata) In West Virginia, Joel Leal Mota

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Turtles are one of the most globally threatened vertebrate groups, largely due to habitat loss, commercial exploitation, climate change, disease, and invasive species. In the United States, the spotted turtle (Clemmys guttata) is among over 50 amphibian and reptile species recently petitioned to be listed under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA). The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service subsequently determined the spotted turtle to be a candidate species for listing. Historically, spotted turtles were known to occur at a few locations in the eastern panhandle region of West Virginia. However, previous attempts to determine the distributional extent …

Evocations Of Nature In Selected Piano Works By Debussy, Heah Zi-Ling

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The connection between nature and the music of Claude Debussy is unique and fascinating, with nature serving as a source of influence and inspiration for Debussy. Debussy looked upon nature with veneration and this viewpoint helped to form the musical ideals that he pursued while breaking with the traditional forms of music. References to nature appear in the descriptive titles of many works by Debussy, but this research focuses on selected piano works from his two books of Images. Debussy’s sense of connection to nature in his music, especially when viewed through the lenses of the Impressionist and Symbolist movements, …

Passive Self-Ligating Brackets Vs. Conventional Brackets: Is There A Difference In The Transverse Dimension? A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Justin Scott Tenbrook

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Background and Objectives:

Self-ligating brackets have risen in popularity in clinical orthodontics, but many claims made by their manufacturers have been made without substantial evidence. Any differences among the bracket types are very small when consulting new peer reviewed literature testing their differences. Nevertheless, self-ligating brackets are still purported to be able to increase the dental transverse dimension more effectively than conventional brackets. In 2018, Yang et al. performed a systematic review on the transversal changes, space closure, and efficiency of conventional and self-ligating appliances. Since then, there were several clinical trials published in the literature comparing the mandibular arch …

From Evaluating The Performance Of Approximations In Density Functional Theory To A Machine Learning Design, Pedram Tavazohi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Density-functional theory (DFT) has gained popularity because of its ability to predict the properties of a large group of materials a priori. Even though DFT is exact, there are inaccuracies introduced into the theory due to the approximations in the exchange-correlation (XC) functionals. Over the 50 years of its existence, scientists have tried to improve the design of the XC functionals. The errors introduced by these functionals are not consistent across all types of solid-state materials. In this project, a high throughput framework was utilized to compare the theoretical DFT predictions with the experimental results available in the Inorganic Crystal …

Efficacy Of Reported Issue Times As A Means For Effort Estimation, Paul Phillip Maclean

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Software effort is a measure of manpower dedicated to developing and maintaining and software. Effort estimation can help project managers monitor their software, teams, and timelines. Conversely, improper effort estimation can result in budget overruns, delays, lost contracts, and accumulated Technical Debt (TD). Issue Tracking Systems (ITS) have become mainstream project management tools, with over 65,000 companies using Jira alone. ITS are an untapped resource for issue resolution effort research. Related work investigates issue effort for specific issue types, usually Bugs or similar. They model their developer-documented issue resolution times using features from the issues themselves. This thesis explores a …

Summer Habitat Use, Home Range, And Effect Of Catch And Release Mortality On The Trophy Potential Of Muskellunge, (Esox Masquinongy, Mitchill, 1824), In A Southern Reservoir Population, Peter Isaac Jenkins

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Research on Muskellunge (Esox masquinongy, Mitchill, 1824) catch-and-release mortality has been historically focused on the Midwest, Great Lakes, and Ontario. In the southern portion of their range, which we consider to be the portion of the species distribution south of the Mason-Dixon Line (~40°N), Muskellunge, may experience significantly warmer temperatures than those in previous studies and anglers have expressed concern about summer catch-and-release mortality. As part of a broader study to quantify catch-and-release summer mortality in the southern range of Muskellunge, we utilized radio telemetry and active tracking to verify individual movement and survival of Muskellunge in Stonewall …

Teachers’ Perceptions Of Causes Of Academic Difficulties Experienced By Students Who Are Culturally And Linguistically Diverse, Courtney D. Miller

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of the study was to identify in-service general and special educators’, counselors’, and English as a Second Language educators’ perceptions of the cause of academic difficulties for students who are culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD). A mixed-methods sequential explanatory design was used to initially collect quantitative data though an online survey with more in-depth qualitative data collected through subsequent focus groups. This design allowed the researcher to better interpret and explain the quantitative data by exploring general and special educators’, counselors’, and ESL teachers’ perceptions of the causes of academic difficulties experienced by students who are CLD, to …

Borderlands And Mestiza Consciousness In Appalachia: Latina Undergraduate Experiences In A Predominantly White Institution, Susana Mazuelas Quirce

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This qualitative phenomenological study explores the experiences of eight undergraduate Latinas in a Predominantly White Institution in the Appalachian region using Gloria Anzaldúa’s insights on Borderlands and Mestiza consciousness. A vast majority of the studies focused on the Latinx college student population that takes place in states and tertiary institutions with a dense concentration of Latinx population, leaving rural areas—especially the Appalachian region— unexplored. There is, as well, a scarcity of studies in research focused on four-year-degree-granting institutions in which Latinx are highly underrepresented. A substantial number of studies continue presenting Latinx students as a homogenous group despite their heterogeneity …

Global Engagement Model For Land-Grant Universities, A Grounded Theory., Lorena Ivonne Ballester

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study is to examine how land-grant universities engage with the public in the era of globalization; to explain the institutionalization of engagement processes accounting for the global context; and, to integrate this analysis into a Global Engagement Model for Land-Grant Universities (GEM) implementing a grounded theory research methodology.

GEM’s foundation is both theoretical and empirical. Applying the intensity sampling method, the universities selected for the empirical base were: The University of California, Davis, Michigan State University, and The Pennsylvania State University. Rather than an exact representation of individual universities’ engagement models, the model is the researcher’s …