Digital Commons Network^™

Political Trust In Kosovo: Exploring Cultural And Institutional Dynamics, Ermira Babamusta

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In this dissertation I examine political trust perceptions across different political-legal institutions and actors in Kosovo. I evaluate the levels of political trust using cultural and institutional performance explanations to investigate the key factors that have an impact on political trust. The study explores national political trust and international political trust, considering many domains of political trust: government, political leaders, political parties, Kosovo Courts, Kosovo Police, NATO, United Nations, European Union, and the Kosovo Specialist Court. There is growing concern about lower levels of political trust across Europe, especially in post-communist countries. In this study, I make the case that …

Demographic, Spatial, And Epigenetic Response Of The Louisiana Waterthrush (Parkesia Motacilla) To Shale Gas Development, Mack W. Frantz

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

My study centered on a bioindicator songbird, the Louisiana Waterthrush (Parkesia motacilla), hereafter waterthrush, an organism that co-occurs in both forested and aquatic habitat across the aquatic-terrestrial interface. This enabled the opportunity to quantify demographic, spatial, and epigenetic (i.e., DNA methylation) responses in a highly forested watershed of the Central Appalachians, the areas that have undergone the most rapid transformations over the last decade from unconventional shale gas development and activities. I organized my dissertation into 4 parts (Part 1: Introduction, Part 2: Louisiana Waterthrush Demography, Part 3: Spatial Assessment of Louisiana Waterthrush Foraging, Part 4: Louisiana Waterthrush …

The Impact Of Hii Regions On The Interstellar Medium Of Our Galaxy, Matteo Luisi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The interstellar medium (ISM) of our Galaxy contains low-density diffuse ionized gas known as the warm ionized medium (WIM). O- and B-type stars emit large amounts of ionizing radiation and it is believed that a fraction of this radiation escapes from their fully ionized HII regions and into the ISM where it is responsible for maintaining the ionization of the WIM. Here we aim to better understand how the radiation produced by OB stars is able to leak from the HII regions, how the radiation field changes during this process, and how the radiation affects the ambient ISM. Using Green …

Examining The Impact Of Treatment Fidelity On Client Outcomes In A Statewide Implementation Of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy, Mira D H Snider

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Clinician treatment fidelity, consisting of treatment adherence and clinician competence, is commonly assessed during the implementation of evidence-based treatments to ensure that clinicians are delivering care according to an intended service model. Although resources are often expended in fidelity measurement, associations between fidelity and client outcomes has not been well established in the psychotherapy literature. The relationship between clinician fidelity and treatment outcomes was investigated in a longitudinal sample of clinicians (n = 17) and parent-child dyads (n = 32) following a statewide implementation of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy. Observer-rated measures of adherence and coaching competence collected from early …

In Vitro Metabolism Of The Synthetic Cannabinoids Px-1, Px-2, Px-3 And A Comparison Of Their Clearance Rates In Human Liver Microsomes, Travon Cooman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Detection of SCs in body fluids continue to be a challenge because of limited metabolism data, lack of standards and reference mass spectrometry data. In vivo and in vitro experiments help elucidate metabolite markers for novel psychoactive substances and can prompt synthesis of standards to verify proposed metabolites. In this study, metabolism of three SCs N-(1-amino-1-oxo-3-phenylpropan-2-yl)-1-(5-fluoropentyl)-1H-indole-3-carboxamine (PX-1), N-(1-amino-1-oxo-3-phenylpropan-2-yl)-1-(5-fluropentyl)-1H-indazole-3-carboxamide (PX-2), and N-(1-amino-1-oxo-3-phenylpropan-2-yl)-1-(cyclohexylmethyl)-1H-indazole-3-carboxamide (PX-3) were investigated using human liver microsomes. Previous studies showed PX-3 as the most potent CB1 and CB2 receptor agonist.

Half-life and clearance data were acquired using liquid chromatography- tandem mass spectrometry. Metabolite elucidation was performed using liquid chromatography …

Impacts Of Climate Change On Water Balance Components In The Central Appalachian Mountains, Usa, Brandi Anne Gaertner

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This research investigated the impact of climate and land cover on water balance components including evapotranspiration and runoff in the mountainous central Appalachian region of the United States. The first studyanalyzed trends in climatologic, hydrologic, and growing season length variables, identified the important variables effecting growing season length changes, and evaluated the influence of a lengthened growing season on increasing evapotranspiration trends. The results showed that growing season length has increased, on average, by ~22 days and evapotranspiration has increased ~12 mm. The second study quantified long-term historical and future climate trends, evaluated water balance sensitivity to change, and quantified …

Automatic Kinship Verification In Unconstrained Faces Using Deep Learning, Naman Kohli

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Kinship verification has a number of applications such as organizing large collections of images and recognizing resemblances among humans. Identifying kinship relations has also garnered interest due to several potential applications in security and surveillance and organizing and tagging the enormous number of videos being uploaded on the Internet. This dissertation has a five-fold contribution where first, a study is conducted to gain insight into the kinship verification process used by humans. Besides this, two separate deep learning based methods are proposed to solve kinship verification in images and videos. Other contributions of this research include interlinking face verification with …

On Matching Faces With Temporal Variations Using Representation Learning, Daksha Yadav

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Developing automatic face recognition algorithms which are robust to intra-subject variations is a challenging research problem in the computer vision research community. Apart from the well-studied covariates such as pose and expression, temporal variations in the facial appearance also lead to a decline in the performance of face recognition systems. This research focuses on analyzing the temporal variations in facial features due to facial aging, facial plastic surgeries, and prolonged illicit drug abuse. The contributions of this dissertation are fivefold: (i) behavioral and neuroimaging studies are conducted to understand the human perception of faces affected by temporal variations, specifically facial …

On Generative Adversarial Network Based Synthetic Iris Presentation Attack And Its Detection, Naman Kohli

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Human iris is considered a reliable and accurate modality for biometric recognition due to its unique texture information. Reliability and accuracy of iris biometric modality have prompted its large-scale deployment for critical applications such as border control and national identification projects. The extensive growth of iris recognition systems has raised apprehensions about the susceptibility of these systems to various presentation attacks.

In this thesis, a novel iris presentation attack using deep learning based synthetically generated iris images is presented. Utilizing the generative capability of deep convolutional generative adversarial networks and iris quality metrics, a new framework, named as iDCGAN is …

Analysis Of User Preference With N95 And Powered Air-Purifying Respirators In A Healthcare Work Environment, Brittany Renee Carver

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

For those working in the healthcare field, personal protective equipment is vital. Healthcare workers are often first responders when it comes to dealing with patients who are infected or when a disease outbreak occurs. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires all healthcare operations to provide employee protection against blood borne pathogens. With the increase of life-threatening disease outbreaks, such as SARS in 2003 and Ebola in 2014, it is of the upmost importance to make sure respirators are best suited for users and acceptable for long term use. It has been shown through previous studies that due to …

Role Of Extracellular Vesicles In Neuroinflammatory Progression And Mitochondrial Functional Alterations, Ashley E. Russell

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Inflammation within the central nervous system (CNS), termed neuroinflammation, is a defining characteristic of many neuropathological conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and stroke. Certain inflammatory mediators activate the transcription factor NF-κB, which induces transcription of many pro-inflammatory genes, including miR-34a and miR-146a. Several target candidate genes of these miRNAs encode for proteins of the mitochondrial electron transport chain. In our studies, we demonstrate that in response to inflammatory stimuli, such as TNF-α, the expression of miR-34a and -146a is significantly increased in several CNS cell types, and in their secreted extracellular vesicles (EVs). Exposure to TNF-α-derived EVs significantly increases cellular …

Probability Discounting Of Lewis And Fischer 344 Rats: Strain Comparisons At Baseline And Following Acute Administration Of D-Amphetamine, Jenny E. Ozga

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Risky choice can be defined as choice for a larger, uncertain reinforcer over a smaller, certain reinforcer when choosing the smaller alternative maximizes reinforcement. Risky choice is studied using various procedures in the animal laboratory; one such procedure is called probability discounting. There are many variables that contribute to risky decision-making, including biological and pharmacological determinants. The present study assessed both of these variables by evaluating dose-response effects of d-amphetamine on risky choice of Lewis (LEW) and Fischer 344 (F344) rats. The probability-discounting procedure included discrete-trials choices between one food pellet delivered 100% of the time and three food …

Numerical Modeling Of Hydraulic Fracture Propagation And Comparison With Microseismic Data At A Field Site, Carter Lawrence Hulcher

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A hydraulic fracturing site in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA was selected to be a research site for the Marcellus Shale Energy and Environment Laboratory (MSEEL) project which was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The overall objective of the MSEEL research project is to evaluate and improve technologies to enhance shale gas recovery with minimal impacts on the environment. The field site has two previously drilled wells and two newly drilled wells for extracting natural gas. A separate exploratory well (or “science well”) was also drilled and includes a geophone array to extract important seismic/microseismic event information, which …

Characterization Of Major Flavonols In Ramps (Allium Tricoccum), Wijdan M. Dabeek

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Ramps (Allium tricoccum) is a traditional plant in the eastern Appalachian Mountains. Ramps have been used in Appalachian folk medicine for its health promoting roles in lowering blood pressure and cholesterol. Information on the chemical composition of bioactive components responsible for the potential health benefits are scarce. Analysis of the chemical composition in similar Alliumplants showed that flavonols, induced similar health benefits. Therefore, the aim of this work is to characterize major flavonol conjugates in ramps. The secondary aim is to develop a preliminary quantification protocol. Flavonol glycosides were extracted in 50% methanol and 3% acetic acid. …

A Framework For Energy Optimization Of Small, Two-Stroke, Natural Gas Engines For Combined Heat And Power Applications, Mahdi Darzi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This research was focused on the development of a framework for the energy optimization a natural gas engine for small combined heat and power (CHP) applications operating with low-pressure natural gas (NG) available at homes. The required targets of the ARPA-E GENSETS program for 1 kW electric power generation and previous GENSETS simulation at West Virginia University, suggested a design space for the engine which is currently dominated by simple two-stroke designs. Hence this research focused on screening, modeling, and experimentally evaluation of cost-effective technologies to achieve a system design that maximized thermal efficiency and utilization factor, while reducing emissions. …

Development Of Ni-Based Oxide Dispersion Strengthened (Ods) Powder Particles For Metal Additive Manufacturing (Am) Applications, Markova Dion Mcpherson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The capabilities of Additive Manufacturing (AM) techniques has grown rapidly in recent years, however, current available metal powders for AM processes, such as Powder Bed Fusion and Directed Energy Deposition, are limited and primarily fabricated through atomization processes; the atomization process is capable of producing metal powders 15 µm to 150 µm in size, uniform size distribution, and spherical shape. Despite the advantages of atomization process, iron or nickel-based Oxide Dispersion Strengthened (ODS) powders, with nanocrystalline microstructure, cannot be produced with the atomization process because of the high temperature of yttrium (III) oxide (Y₂O₃, 2425 °C) …

Ground Ingredients: Analysis Of Lead Exposure In The California Condor’S (Gymnogyps Californianus) Ground Foraging Habitat, Evan Michael Mcwreath

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus) is a critically endangered species that reached its nadir in 1987 with a population of 27 birds in the wild. Intensive management efforts have been implemented to aid the condors’ recovery, however, anthropogenic factors, like use of lead ammunition, continue to cause fatalities in this vulnerable population. Lead toxicosis, which is responsible for approximately 40% of all condor deaths since 1992, is one of the most significant threats to condors. In birds lead poisoning leads to neurological dysfunction, reproductive impairment, immune suppression, gastrointestinal disturbance, anemia, and ultimately increased vulnerability to predation, starvation, and infection. For …

Computer-Assisted Instruction Compared To Traditional Instruction On Letter Recognition For Preschoolers With Special Needs, Jamie Nicole Harvey

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The need to reach learners with disabilities in inclusive early childhood classrooms has grown with increasing legislative mandates. An essential area of focus is in early literacy and alphabet letter recognition. One such way to bridge the gap includes computer assisted instruction as an instructional method. A concurrent treatment single case design was used to compare the rate of letter acquisition in young children with disabilities (n=6) between computer assisted instruction program, Teach Town Basics™, and traditional teaching of concepts in early childhood inclusive classrooms. Participants received each treatment in random order and data were graphed daily on …

The Role Of Communication Accommodation In Mother-In-Law/Daughter-In-Law Relationships, Erin Claire Shelton

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The goal of this thesis was to further the literature on mother-in-law/daughter-in-law relationships by directly employing Communication Accommodation Theory (CAT) to examine relationships between categories of accommodation and relational quality in these relationships. Daughters-in-law (N= 677) were solicited via private Facebook groups to complete an online survey regarding accommodation (their own and their mothers-in-law’s), their feelings of shared family identity, and their relationship satisfaction in their relationship with their mothers-in-law. Results demonstrated relationships between mothers-in-law’s accommodation, overaccommodation, and underaccommodation of their daughters-in-law and daughters-in-law’s feelings of shared family identify and relationship satisfaction. Additionally, relationships were present between daughters-in-law’s …

In Situ Measurement Of Fatigue Induced Crack Growth In Inconel 718 Using Direct Current Potential Drop Method, Joel C. Lindsay

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

With recent advances in air breathable engines comes more extreme temperature environments that engine components must tolerate. During the design of these engines, it is necessary to understand how material fatigue failures occur at these new, higher operating temperatures. In providing understanding, the following fundamental study focuses on the statistical nature of crack jumps (changes in crack length over time) during fatigue in a polycrystalline nickel-based superalloy, Inconel 718 (IN718). In situ measurement of the crack length at several loading conditions were conducted using a direct current potential drop (DCPD) measurement method. Experimental data was collected at six different fatigue …

A Critical Assessment On The Resources And Extraction Of Rare Earth Elements From Acid Mine Drainage, Christopher R. Vass

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Rare earth elements (REEs) are crucial to many modern products used in both civilian and defense applications. Currently, a reliable supply of these elements is uncertain with the clear majority of REE production and refining occurring predominately in China. Furthermore, domestic ore deposits with commercially attractive concentrations of REEs are uncommon in the United States. As a result, the identification of a domestic supply of these technology metals is essential not only for manufacturing consumer merchandise but also for national security. Recently, one promising source of REEs has been identified: coal and coal-byproducts. One of those is acid mine drainage …

The Relationship Between Social Skills And Problem Behaviors In Adolescent Males With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Amanda Armstrong Randall

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Adolescent males with autism spectrum disorder commonly display an increased prevalence of problem behaviors and persistent deficits in social skills when compared to their typically developing peers. The present study deployed a single subject, multiple-baseline design to investigate the use of the social skills training program Super Skills: A Social Skills Group Program for Children with Asperger Syndrome, High-Functioning Autism and Related Challengesto promote enhanced social skills and minimize problem behaviors. Two groups of adolescent males with autism (N = 6) participated in weekly social skills training groups also containing typically developing peers (N = 3) once …

Chemical Analysis Of Firearm Discharge Residues Using Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy, Courtney Helen Vander Pyl

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

According to the Gun Violence Archive, in 2017, firearms were involved in 57,134 criminal incidents in the United States. The detection of firearm discharge residues (FDR), including inorganic and organic gunshot residues, can provide essential information in such investigations. For instance, when the question of suicide or murder arises, estimating the barrel to victim distance plays a critical role in the outcome of the case. In addition, clothing, wounds and other target materials are often inspected to determine if a bullet has produced an entry or exit orifice. Currently, the most common method for distance determination and identification of bullet …

Carbon Deposition On Ni/Ysz Anode Sofc For Direct Methane Steam Reforming, Haiyang Li

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs) are electrochemical devices that produce electricity directly from oxidizing fuels. Compared to direct combustion of hydrogen to generate power, it has a big advantage in aspects from efficiency and safety when using hydrogen as the fuel of SOFCs. Hydrocarbon reforming is one of the conventional methods to convert natural gas into hydrogen. While considering the difficulty in storage and transportation of hydrogen, we can utilize the supporting materials on the anode side of SOFCs as catalyst to generate hydrogen via hydrocarbon reforming process and pour the hydrogen as fuel into the SOFC system. Ni/YSZ is …

The Potential Promises And Pitfalls Of Using Local Norms For Gifted Identification, Marla S. Hartman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Who are the gifted? This question has plagued the field since its inception. Historically, gifted education has been predicated on the values of the Caucasian, upper- to middle-class majority. As a result, underrepresentation of students from economically disadvantaged and culturally diverse families have been well documented in the literature and continues to this day. Some scholars have suggested the use of expanded definitions of giftedness to increase participation of students from underrepresented segments of the population. This study used regression and hierarchical linear models to predict the proportion of students identified across various thresholds focusing on how definitions impacted differential …

The Environmental, Social, And Economic Benefits Of Blue Green Infrastructure In An Urbanized Area, Joseph L. Oguns

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

At present, it is evident that there is a shift from rural to an urban settlement which results in high demand for residential buildings and other urban infrastructure. Blue – Green Infrastructure (BGI) is a system of using blue (water) and green (nature) to address urban and environmental challenges. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the environmental, social, and economic benefits of blue-green infrastructure in an urbanized area in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. The study involves the utilization of Geographic Information System (GIS) to determine water quality level resulting from nonpoint source pollution through acquiring elevation data; watershed; and …

Genet-Cnv: Boolean Implication Networks For Modeling Genome-Wide Co-Occurrence Of Dna Copy Number Variations, Salvi Singh

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death in the world. Lung cancer can be categorized as non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and small cell lung cancer (SCLC). NSCLC makes up about 80% to 85% of lung cancer cases diagnosed, whereas SCLC is responsible for 10% to 15% of the cases. It remains a challenge for physicians to identify patients who shall benefit from chemotherapy. In such a scenario, identifying genes that can facilitate therapeutic target discoveries and better understanding disease mechanisms and their regulation in different stages of lung cancer, remains an important topic of research.

In this …

Shame And Guilt: The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly, Raika Sadeghein

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In the past few decades, we have witnessed a growing body of literature on emotions in the consumer behavior domain. Emotions are defined as “mental states of readiness that arise from appraisals of events or one’s own thoughts” (Bagozzi, Gopinath, & Nyer, 1999, p. 184). Marketers have examined the role of emotions as stimuli, mediators, moderators, and responses to the environment. The broad topic of emotions includes subtopics such as impact of emotions on consumption, attitudes, and behavioral intentions, emotional responses to market stimuli, and the impact of emotions on cognition. However, although the study of emotions is pivotal to …

Optimizing The Production And Injection Wells Flow Rates In Geothermal Field Using Artificial Intelligence, Muhammet Salih Ariturk

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In a geothermal field, power plants are designed for long-term electricity generation. Therefore, it is crucial to predict the future production and injection flow rates of the wells to determine the capacity of a power plant. In the designing of such power plants, calculations and estimations are based on the current future production, and injection flow rates and pressures in the geothermal field. Prediction of future production and injection flow rates also assist in building surface facilities with cost-efficient power plants. The most common problem in a power plant in geothermal fields is the inability to accurately estimate future expected …

Short Beam Shear Strength Evaluations Of Gfrp Composites: Correlations Through Accelerated And Natural Aging, William Todd Barker

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Fiber Reinforced Polymers (FRP) composites have been materials of interest in replacing or reinforcing steel, wood, and concrete, but lack of understanding of degradation under physical and chemical aging is a main concern. Through many years of research, the understanding of aging or durability of GFRPs has improved. To be able to evaluate aging related degradation rates, an accelerated aging methodology under varying environments is introduced. Accelerated aging is a concept used to age composites in a lab controlled environment under varying pH conditions (2 to 13) and temperatures (~ -20° to +160°F). Once acceleratedly aged testing is completed, Arrhenius …