Digital Commons Network^™

Soil Microbial Nitrogen-Transforming Genes Influenced By Tree Species And Fertilization In An Appalachian Hardwood Forest, Emma G. Fox-Fogle

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Many forest ecosystems have been receiving elevated nitrogen (N) deposition due to human activity. Increased ecosystem N threatens soil fertility, water and air quality, and modifies the soil microbially-mediated N cycle in complex ways. The current study investigates how the abundance of key functional N cycling genes within soil bacteria is altered by N deposition and further mediated by different dominant tree species at the Fernow Experimental Forest, WV. Soils were analyzed from two watersheds, where watershed 3 (WS 3) has been receiving experimental applications of N fertilizer that are 2x historic ambient N deposition and 5x the current ambient …

Effect Of Fecal Egg Count Estimated Breeding Value On Antibody Production In Katahdin Lambs, Kelsey L. Bentley

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

With current pressures to seek out genetic solutions to combat antimicrobial resistance, genetic resistance to the gastrointestinal nematode Haemonchus contortus may reduce need for prophylactic antibiotic use. The Katahdin breed has effectively utilized post-weaning fecal egg count estimated breeding value (PFEC EBV) to reduce parasitism within their flocks, but there still remains significant opportunity for selection within breed. In a previous study, Katahdin sheep sired by low PFEC sires had greater survivability to weaning than lambs sired by high PFEC rams and preweaning was caused by other diseases than parasitism. Those data lead to the hypothesis that selection for PFEC …

Analysis On Combined Heat And Power, And Combined Heat And Power Hybrid Systems For Unconventional Drilling Operations, Diego G. Dranuta Ferrer

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The United States (U.S.) has experienced a natural gas “boom” due to the development of unconventional shale plays, but well development is energy intensive. Operations use electric drilling rigs typically powered by either three high-horsepower diesel engines (HHPDE) or three dedicated natural gas engines (DNGE) and associated generators. From a first law analysis, HHPDEs peak at 42% efficiency at full load, while DNGE peak at about 30%. Most of the fuel energy is lost as heat rejected by the exhaust and radiators. Concurrently, during cold seasons rigs utilize boilers to provide steam throughout the rig to prevent freezing and provide …

Effects Of Different Liquid Smoke Treatments On Osmotic Dehydration Of Apple Cubes, Rohit Singh

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Refined Liquid Smoke (RLS) (1%) was incorporated during osmotic dehydration of apple cubes (10 mm each side) to observe its effect on solid gain, water loss, yield, water activity, product quality, and consumer preference. Three different treatments, POD (pure osmotic dehydration, no RLS), LSISS (RLS inside sugar solution) and PTLS (pre-treatment with RLS), were compared in this study. Osmotic dehydration was carried out using 42 °Brix sugar solution, and the fruit to solution ratio was kept at 1:4. The osmotically dehydrated apples were evaluated for soluble solid content (SSC), water loss, and solid gained. After osmotic dehydration, apple cubes were …

Employing Exoglycosidase And Transferase Enzymes In Capillary Nanogel Electrophoresis For The Determination Of N-Glycan Linkages And Enzyme Michaelis-Menten Constants., Lloyd Bwanali

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

As a post translational modification protein glycosylation plays a crucial role in protein signaling, binding, kinetics and folding. In disease diagnosis and prognosis, monitoring glycosylation has been identified as a biomarker. Sialylation and sialic acid linkage in N-glycans are markers of cancers including liver, pancreatic and kidney cancer. Quantification of sialic acid linkage is analytically challenging because of the diverse linkages and the presence of heterogenous branching. A capillary electrophoresis method is reported that integrates a unique combination of enzymes and lectins to modify sialylated asparagine-linked glycans (N-glycans) in real time in the capillary so that N-glycan structures containing α2–6-linked …

Covid-19 Vaccine Rollout: Examining Covid-19 Vaccination Perceptions And Intention Among Nurses, Emilee T. Austin

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Nurses’ COVID-19 vaccination rates have been reportedly low for being among the first prioritized for vaccination. To understand and potentially explain uptake barriers, this thesis utilized the 5c Model, the Integrative Model, the Extended Parallel Process Model, Uncertainty Management Theory, and the Theory of Motivated Information Management. This project used an online survey with a convenience sample recruited through the WV Nurses Association. Specifically, there were 328 nurses recruited, then screened for fully vaccinated participants leaving an analytic sample of 174 West Virginia nurses who had not yet been vaccinated. Participants were asked about their nursing role, threat perceptions, susceptibility …

Women, Water, And Well-Being: Gendered Experiences Of Household Water Contamination In Parkersburg, West Virginia, Emily Brooke Tingler

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

DuPont Washington Works chemical plant knowingly pumped hundreds of thousands of pounds of toxic C8 waste into local waterways, water tables, and landfills for over 40 years, contaminating the drinking water for more than 100,000 residents in and around Parkersburg, West Virginia. Drawing on feminist political ecology and the political ecology of water with literature on perceptions of risk in contaminated communities, environmental reproductive justice, modern water, and hydrosocial waterscapes, I examine, through a qualitative case study, the lived experiences of women who have an intimate understanding of C8 water contamination from the DuPont Washington Works chemical plant. Specifically, I …

“Geeks And She-Eks”: The Relationship Between Younger Women’S Experiences In Popular Geek Culture And Their Interest In Stem Fields, Madeleine D. Butcher

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

There is conflicting evidence about whether women’s participation in recreational, popular geek culture (e.g., gaming, fandom, science fiction consumption) can help close the gender gap in STEM fields. On one hand, these leisure activities can give women skills and experience that they can employ in STEM activities and culture. However, research also suggests that experiencing sexism while participating in geek culture activities can lower women’s motivation to participate in STEM. This thesis proposed that womens’ engagement in geek culture correlated with STEM efficacy and an interest in the STEM field. However, the type of experiences women have in geek culture …

A Selective Study On Chinese Art Songs After 1950, Gehui Zhu

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this paper is to provide an insightful study of Chinese art songs after 1950. A number of works have been written in English about the repertoire of Chinese art songs, but most of these studies concentrated on songs written before 1950. It is difficult for English speakers to find and study Chinese art songs after 1950. In fact, they have largely been ignored. However, these songs have significant pedagogical and aesthetic values. This study aims to provide musicians and voice teachers a handy and practical tool to study and sing Chinese art songs composed after 1950.

This …

Independent, Semi-Automated Classification Of Petrographic Features In Volcanic Rocks Using Fiji And Weka, Holly Danielle Pettus

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Traditional methods of collecting quantitative petrographic data from thin sections (modal mineralogy, size distribution, shapes, etc.) are time- and labor-intensive, and rarely have sample sizes adequate to statistically describe complex rocks (i.e. volcanic rocks). Although manual counting and measurements are now routinely supplemented by digital image analysis, the majority of quantitative petrographic studies still go through a manual digitization stage where object classes are traced before further analyses. This is a major rate-limiting step that reproduces the same problems of small n-values resulting from significant effort. We have valuated the potential and limitations of using the Trainable Weka Segmentation (TWS) …

Metal Supported Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Using Proton Conducting Electrolyte For Direct Ammonia Utilization, Edwin Vega Hiraldo

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Transportation represents about 27% of global warming greenhouse gas emissions nowadays. To reduce these emissions, fuel cell electric vehicles have been poised to be a new trend to provide zero-emission transportation. Among them, solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) offer efficient, clean energy, especially when powered by carbon-free fuel, such as ammonia. To enable onboard ammonia-fed SOFCs, a metal-supported, proton-conducting SOFC is investigated in this study. The metal support would provide physical robustness for thermal shock during vehicles’ quick start-up and shutdown, reduce internal temperature gradients due to the greater thermal conductivity of the metal, and enable conventional metal joining for …

Examining West Virginia's Economic Development: Natural Resources, Development Agencies, And Labor Force Development, Gaillynn Marie Bowman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Examining West Virginia's Economic Development: Natural Resources, Development Agencies, and Labor Force Development Gaillynn Bowman Economic development is well-recognized as being fundamental to facilitating an overall improved quality of life for communities and their residents. Throughout West Virginia’s history, the state has experienced economic hardships caused by boom and bust cycles associated with resource extraction. This dissertation consists of three essays that explore the impacts of economic development activities, including conservation programs, economic development agency initiatives, and workforce development agencies. The first essay explores the relationship nonresident landowners have with the conservation programs within West Virginia, specifically the Natural Resources …

The Effects Of Genetic Differences In An Innate Immune Receptor On Immune Responses To Haemonchus Contortus In Sheep, Denzel Deshawn Middleton

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Little is known about differences observed in early immunological signaling events that result in cellular infiltration and Th2 cytokine production that mediate parasite expulsion. Parasite resistant St. Croix (STC) sheep have been used as model for full host protective immunity as they present the ability to respond to larval stages of H. contortus. RNA sequencing analysis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) stimulated with H. contortus larval antigen (HcLA) revealed significant upregulation in NLRP3 and its pathway component TLR4. Predicted protein structural software identified distinct differences in NLRP3 protein structure in STC and parasite susceptible Suffolk (SUF) sheep. NLRP3 …

Energy Policy Dynamics In The European Parliament And In The Lithuanian Seimas, Vaida Lilionyte Manthos

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study is to apply punctuated equilibrium theory to better understand the development of energy policies in the European Parliament and in the Lithuanian Parliament – Seimas. In the first empirical chapter I analyze written questions that members of the European Parliament submitted to the EU Commission to study whether members of the European Parliament respond to punctuating events such as the Fukushima nuclear accident. I also study party groupings in the European Parliament to evaluate how punctuating events alter the policy behavior and priorities of these party groupings. In the second empirical chapter I analyze whether …

Recovery Of Phosphorus From Florida Phosphatic Waste Clay, Amir Eskanlou

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This MS thesis examines the recovery of phosphorus (P) from Florida waste clay (WC). A comprehensive literature review revealed that: (i)-The most important values being lost to WC are P and rare earth elements (REEs). For the recovery of these values from WC, two crucial attempts are the removal of extremely fine-sized clays, followed by the recovery of phosphate content, which can pave the path for the recovery of REEs; (ii)-Any scientific/ technological solution should, at the same time, be economically and environmentally attractive to the industry. As such, moving from mostly chemical separation processes to the primarily physical/ physicochemical …

Next-Generation Re-Entry Aerothermodynamic Modeling Of Space Debris Using Machine Learning, Nicholas Sia

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The number of resident space objects re-entering the atmosphere is expected to rise with increased space activity over recent years and future projections. Predicting the survival and impact location of the medium to large sized re-entering objects becomes important as they can cause on ground casualties and damage to property. Uncertainties associated with the re-entry process makes necessary a probabilistic approach, which can be computationally expensive when using high-fidelity numerical methods for estimating aerothermodynamic properties. To date, object-oriented analysis is the dominant tool used for atmospheric re-entry modeling and simulation, where aerothermodynamic coefficients are used to determine the risk a …

Exploring Early Signaling Associated With Complex Stressors, Julia A. Penatzer

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Humans are constantly exposed to a vast number of stressors in our everyday lives from social interactions to physical activity to chemical exposures, to name a few. These stressors have significant impacts on an individual, from the cellular to whole organismal level. The body contains an intricate communication system that elicits a number of both biological and physiological responses as it attempts to maintain homeostasis. Observing these responses to stressors, can offer insight into a number of outcomes, which can be beneficial (increasing life longevity) or detrimental (leading to a disease state). By measuring specific biological adaptations at particular time …

Language Choice On Psychological Reactance In Instructor/Student Email Exchanges, Christiana Robey

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This thesis investigated undergraduate students’ perceptions and interpretations of language cues used within instructor email requests. Guided by Psychological Reactance Theory (PRT; Brehm, 1966; Brehm & Brehm, 1981), this thesis examined whether instructor email requests, containing different levels of powerful language and verbal immediacy cues, would impact students’ willingness to follow through with instructor requests. Two hundred thirty-four undergraduate students participated in the four-condition experiment which consisted of the email manipulation conditions containing varying levels of an instructors’ powerful language (e.g. “must;” Miller et al., 2007) and verbal immediacy (e.g., “our class;” Witt & Wheeless, 2001) cues. After reading an …

Grouping Algorithms For Informative Array Testing In Disease Surveillance, David Sokolov

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In order to maintain normal operations and prevent unnecessary morbidity and mortality during times of disease outbreak, institutions find a need to conduct frequent and widespread testing of their constituents, often under significantly limited testing resource constraints. Faced with the challenge of how best to allo- cate these limited resources to maximum effect, institutions are increasingly turning to group (or “pooled”) testing, which involves testing strategically-chosen groups of patient samples rather than individual samples, producing significant testing resource savings under certain regimes of disease prevalence. While group test- ing can be conducted without any a priori knowledge of individual disease …

Getting Connected: Exploring The Role Of Sustainability Labels In Tourism Marketing Communications, Elvira Kizilova

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

While sustainability has become an important brand differentiator in many industries, current research suggests that tourism businesses rarely use sustainability labels in their communications, e.g., on their websites or other types of advertisements.

This dissertation examines the role of sustainability labels in increasing consumer preferences for sustainable travel destinations. Drawing on social exchange theory and anthropomorphism framework, we propose that sustainability labels increase consumer visit intentions, willingness to recommend a destination to someone else, and willingness to pay price premium for the sustainable offer. These effects are mediated by perception of goal congruence and connectedness with a destination. We further …

Transform Based Approaches For The Detection Of Astrophysical Signals, Marwan Mahfud Alkhweldi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Development of new algorithms for the detection of isolated astrophysical pulses is of interest to radio astronomers. Both Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) and several Rotating Radio Transients (RRATs) were detected through the application of a single pulse search algorithm. The conventional approach to detect astronomical pulses requires an exhaustive search for the correct dispersion measure. Its accelerated versions involve signal processing in Fourier transform space.

In this dissertation, we present several new transform-based approaches for the detection and analysis of astrophysical signals with the latest being the most effective and advanced of all. It is implemented in several steps. First, …

Biocompatible And Multifunctional Trityl Spin Probes For Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy, Teresa D. Gluth

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The primary objective of my thesis was to develop and utilize a biocompatible multifunctional trityl spin probe for concurrent measurement of pO₂, pH_e, and [P_i] in vivo by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy (Chapter 2). My first goal was to synthesize the proposed probe we are terming HOPE71. Secondly, HOPE71 was characterized by X-band and L-band EPR spectroscopy. Next, the biocompatibility of HOPE71 was assessed through an albumin binding test, cytotoxicity assays, and in vivo intravenous tolerance. Then, the use of HOPE71 to measure the target parameters was demonstrated in a breast cancer …

Arrow Spaces: A Unified Algebraic Approach To Euclidean Geometry And Inner Product Spaces, Hussin M. Albahboh

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Given a postulated set of points, an algebraic system of axioms is proposed for an ``arrow space". An arrow is defined to be an ordered set of two points (T,H), named respectively Tail and Head. The set of arrows is an arrow space. The arrow space is axiomatically endowed with an arrow space ``pre-inner product" which is analogous to the inner product of an inner product vector space over R. Using this arrow space pre-inner product, various properties of the arrow space are derived and contrasted with the properties of a vector space over R. The axioms …

Magnetic Properties Of Lsmo/Sto Thin Films: Magnetocaloric, Spin Dynamics And Magnetic Viscosity Investigations, Navid Mottaghi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

While other films are discussed, this dissertation will focus on detailed studies of the dc and ac bulk magnetometry in a characteristic 7.6 nm thin film of La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃ grown on SrTiO₃ (001). The dc bulk magnetometry measurements show that the sample is magnetically inhomogeneous. Temperature variation of magnetization (M vs. T) was measured in zero-field-cooled and field-cooled protocols to determine the blocking temperature T_B in different applied magnetic fields. The field variation of T_B is interpreted as the presence of embedded spin clusters of 1.4 nm. Moreover, the M vs. …

Comparing Depression And Anxiety Among Athletes And Nonathletes In A College Counseling Center Population., Alexandria Kinder

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study focused on self-reported rates of anxiety and depression when first presenting to a college counseling center at a state university in the mid-Atlantic region. The self-reported measures are the Counseling Center Assessment of Psychological Symptoms-62 (CCAPS-62) and Standardized Data Set (SDS), data forms that are supported through the electronic medical record system, Titanium. The data compared clinical populations of non-student-athletes and student-athletes to understand how the additional athlete identity may contribute to mental health. This study employed a between-subjects, quantitative-descriptive, cross-sectional, design to define and describe the nature of the relationships between one continuous dependent (anxiety or depression) …

Huntingtin Aggregation At Interfaces Associated With Membranes And Organelles, Adewale Vincent Adegbuyiro

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Huntington’s Disease (HD) is a genetic neurodegenerative disease caused by the expansion of polyglutamine (polyQ) domain within the first exon (exon1) of the huntingtin (htt) protein. Due to this mutation within the polyQ domain, htt aggregates into various toxic species such as oligomers, fibrils, and other amorphous aggregates. While the aggregation of htt strongly correlates with polyQ length, other factors, e.g. interaction with membranes or organelles and posttranslational modifications (PTMs), modulate aggregation. The first 17 N-terminal amino acids (Nt17) that precede the polyQ in htt-exon1 enhances aggregation and facilitated binding of htt to membranous organelles, promoting morphological changes and disfunction. …

Heterogeneous Generalizations Of Vertex Coloring, Lucia Ciletti Mazza

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation proves a collection of results in some heterogeneous generalizations of vertex coloring, i.e. generalizations in which the relationship between the colors of two adjacent vertices may differ throughout the graph. For the most part, the results are from group coloring, group list coloring, and DP coloring. The main results are as follows: a group list coloring analogue of Brooks' Theorem for multigraphs, a result linking group structure (rather than only group size) with group coloring, some results involving coloring edge-disjoint unions, and an examination of the relationship between the group and DP coloring numbers of a multigraph and …

The Effects Of Dementia Knowledge On Dementia Worry, Attitudes, Social Comfort, Empathic Concern, And Personal Distress, Alexandria Rose Ebert

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The present study examined the effects of different types of dementia knowledge on attitudes and affective reactions towards persons with dementia. Work has demonstrated that individuals with higher levels of personhood-based knowledge have lower levels of personal dementia fear and higher levels of social comfort. However, to our knowledge, work has not examined dementia attitudes more broadly or differentiated causal relations among different forms of dementia knowledge and attitude outcomes. Participants (N = 334) aged 19-78 (M = 44.53, SD = 16.57) were randomized into one of five experimental conditions: (1) biomedical-knowledge (BK; read biological and medical facts about …

Implications Of Fraud Detection Decisions, Marie Rice

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation is comprised of three studies that examine the implications of fraud detection decisions. The first study examines whether auditors’ mindfulness practices influence their ability to accurately detect fraud risk factors. The second study evaluates whether organization type influences whether and how perpetrators are punished. The third study evaluates whether management’s decision to increase controls when fraud occurs has unintended negative consequences for other employees. Together, these studies contribute to accounting literature related to fraud detection.

The Receptor Basis Of Serotonergic Modulation In An Olfactory Network, Tyler Ryan Sizemore

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Neuromodulation is a nearly ubiquitous process that endows the nervous system with the capacity to alter neural function at every level (synaptic, circuit, network, etc.) without necessarily adding new neurons. Through the actions of neuromodulators, the existing neural circuitry can be adaptively tuned to achieve flexible network output and similarly dynamic behavioral output. However, despite their near ubiquity in all sensory modalities, the mechanisms underlying neuromodulation of sensory processing remain poorly understood. In this dissertation, I address three main questions regarding the mechanisms of one modulator (serotonin) within one sensory modality (olfaction). I begin by establishing a "functional atlas" of …