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Aptamer Functionalized Zinc Oxide Field Effect Transistors For Odor Detection, Michael D. Aldridge

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Odor detection and identification are complex processes, and tasks that currently only animals do well. There is a pressing need for an electronic nose, or eNose, with good sensitivity, selectivity, and speed that mimics that ability. Food quality control operations, environmental sensing, occupational safety, and the defense sectors all require systems that can rapidly and reliably detect trace levels of volatile organic compounds. The goal of this work is to create a biologically inspired device which can accurately detect and identify odors at concentrations consistent with the most sensitive biological systems.

In order to mimic a natural olfactory system, we …

Experimental Measurement Of Dielectric Properties Of Powdery Materials Using A Coaxial Transmission Line, Robert Tempke

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study proposes a standard methodology for coaxial dielectric property measurements of powdery materials (1-10GHz) using a coaxial transmission line. Four powdery materials with dielectric constants ranging from 3.5 to 70 (SiO2, Al2O3, CeO2, and TiO2) were experimentally investigated at varying volume loading fractions in a paraffin mixture. A statistically significant number of paraffin heterogeneous-mixtures was synthesized for all dielectric powders. The dielectric properties of the constitutive materials were determined using appropriate mixture equations. The sensitivity of the equations dielectric prediction to volume loading is discussed with guidance on selecting the best mixing equation. It was determined that low volume …

Utilizing The Parts Of Common Food Products As Functional Ingredients Part 1: Separation And Concentration Of Ω-3 Pufa-Rich Phospholipids By Hydration Of Krill Oil Part 2: Functional Properties Of A Concentrated Egg Yolk Protein Powder Using A One-Step Organic Solvent Extraction Process, Casey Lynn Showman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The food industry separates food products into different parts to better utilize the functional and nutritional benefits of each fraction. The overall focus of this thesis is on separating and utilizing fractions and co-products from food manufacturing as functional ingredients. Therefore, the objective of this research was to 1) evaluate the effectiveness of water degumming to separate omega-3 PUFA-rich phospholipids from other lipids found in krill oil and 2) determine how different organic solvents would affect physiochemical and functional properties of egg yolk protein recovered from spray-dried egg yolk using a novel one-step organic solvent extraction method.

The aim of …

Textured Contact Lens Based Iris Presentation Attack In Uncontrolled Environment, Daksha Yadav

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The widespread use of smartphones has spurred the research in mobile iris devices. Due to their convenience, these mobile devices are also utilized in unconstrained outdoor conditions. At the same time, iris recognition in the visible spectrum has developed into an active area of research. These scenarios have necessitated the development of reliable iris recognition algorithms for such an uncontrolled environment. Additionally, iris presentation attacks such as textured contact lens pose a major challenge to current iris recognition systems.

Motivated by these factors, in this thesis, a detailed analysis of the effect of textured contact lenses on iris recognition in …

Using Social Media To Combat Opioid Epidemic, Yiming Zhang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Opioid addiction has become one of the largest and deadliest epidemics in the United States. To combat such deadly epidemic, there is an urgent need for novel tools and methodologies to gain new insights into the behavioral processes of opioid abuse and addiction. The role of social media in biomedical knowledge mining has turned into increasingly significant in recent years. The data from social media may contribute information beyond the knowledge of domain professionals (e.g., psychiatrists and epidemics researchers) and could potentially assist in sharpening our understanding toward the behavioral process of opioid addiction and treatment.

In this thesis, we …

Judged Facial Attractiveness Of Extraction And Non-Extraction Orthodontic Treatment In Repose And Smiling, Nicolette R. Chahin

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Background and Objectives: More so than ever, the public is becoming exceedingly aware of esthetics, and will evaluate their treatment outcome based upon the improvement to their smile and overall enhancement of their facial appearance. There exists a debate in orthodontics, as to whether or not extractions harm the profile. The aim of this study was to determine if facial attractiveness is harmed in subjects having completed orthodontic treatment involving the extraction of four premolars both in repose and smiling when viewed in lateral profile. Another objective is to identify any impact upper incisor retraction has on facial attractiveness. …

Development Of A Task Analysis Tool To Estimate Shoulder Strain During A Lifting Task, Christopher Wayne Moore

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Musculoskeletal disorders of the shoulder have a huge impact on the workplace and employees. Due to the complexity and high mobility of the shoulder, developing a task analysis tool with a focus on the shoulder is difficult, and while there are some ergonomic analysis tools that do consider the shoulder to varying degrees in the analysis, none focus purely on the shoulder. Therefore, this research was undertaken in an attempt to develop a shoulder-based task analysis tool for the shoulder. However, since the scope of work involving the shoulder is so vast, the tool in this research focuses on unobstructed, …

The Food Bank Fix: Hunger, Capitalism And Humanitarian Reason, Joshua David Lohnes

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Drawing on a five-year institutional ethnography of Humanitarian Food Networks (HFNs) in West Virginia, this dissertation explores the moral, political and economic place of the food bank in the corporate environmental food regime. I develop the concept of the food bank fix to theorize the paradoxical relationships between the state, the shadow state, food corporations, local charities and food banks that tie HFNs across the United States together through humanitarian reason. I argue that food banks damp the grinding contradictions of a society awash in food surpluses even as a significant proportion of the population remains at risk of hunger. …

Supporting The Injured Athlete: Coaches’ Perspectives On Providing Social Support, Stefanee Opal Maurice

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Injury is an inevitable facet of sport participation, and injured athletes require support from coaches. However, research on injured athletes highlights a lack of support from coaches. Building on the conceptual model proposed by Maurice et al., this study uses the International Sport Coaching Framework (ISCF) to examine ways contextual coaching knowledge is used to support athletes throughout rehabilitation. Previous research has focused on the knowledge types but has neither addressed the integration of the knowledges in a single study nor examined them in an injury context. A generic qualitative approach was used to examine 13 NCAA DI coaches’ perception …

Stream Salamander And Benthic Macroinvertebrate Community Responses To Imidacloprid Exposure, Sara M. Crayton

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The insecticide imidacloprid is widely used to mitigate hemlock (Tsuga spp.) mortality resulting from the invasive hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA), but evidence suggests that

imidacloprid can have negative effects on adjacent stream systems. Imidacloprid exposure causes physiological changes, bioaccumulation, and reduced survival in anurans, and induces physiological impairment and reduced survival in benthic macroinvertebrates. In this thesis, we assessed whether HWA treatments using imidacloprid affect stream salamander abundances and benthic macroinvertebrate community composition. We also investigated whether imidacloprid or its metabolites bioaccumulate in benthic macroinvertebrates or salamanders and cause sublethal effects. We conducted this study in two National Park …

Evaluation Of X-Ray Spectroscopic Techniques For Determining Temperature And Density In Plasmas, Theodore Scott Lane

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Temperature and density measurements of plasmas are important for understanding various phenomena. For example, equations of state, most scaling arguments for Inertial Confinement Fusion and laboratory astrophysics all rely upon accurate knowledge of temperature and density. Spectroscopy is a non-invasive technique to measure these quantities. In this work we establish a new spectroscopic technique by using it to determine temperature. We also compare and contrast the capability of two codes, PrismSPECT and ATOMIC, to infer electron density from experimentally acquired spectra via Stark broadening.

We compare and contrast the capability of isoelectronic line ratios and inter-stage line ratios in an …

Structural Style And Stratigraphic Architecture Of The Northeastern Brooks Range, Alaska, Benjamin G. Johnson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The Arctic Alaska–Chukotka microplate is a large Mesozoic–Cenozoic composite terrane that resides at the northern limit of the North American Cordillera. Although its Mesozoic origins are assuredly linked to the opening of the Amerasian Basin of the Arctic Ocean, its Paleozoic origins can be linked to at least three separate paleocontinents, including northern Laurentia, Baltica, and Siberia. Across the Arctic Alaska portion of the microplate, an internal, mid-Paleozoic suture zone presumably separates rocks of the North Slope subterrane (Laurentian affinity) from a collection of smaller subterranes in the southern Brooks Range and Seward Peninsula (Baltic affinity).

The mountains of the …

Soil Health Assessment In Reclaimed Mine Soils, Katie Danielle Stutler

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

West Virginia is one of the top coal-producing states in the nation, which has resulted in over 500,000 acres of highly disturbed, anthropogenic mine soils caused by surface mining. Mine soils are often rocky and contain low organic matter content, low plant-available nutrients, and toxic metals, which could result in poor soil health and low productivity. Soil health has been defined as the continued capacity of soil to function as a living ecosystem that sustains plants, animals, and humans. It is assumed that with time since reclamation, mine soil properties and related functions may change, and soil health will improve …

The Effects Of Obesity, Chronic Stress, And Exercise On Pancreatic Health, Abigail Tice

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Obesity is concomitant with hyperglycemic conditions, increased proinflammatory cytokines, and increased oxidative stress. Under hyperglycemia, thioredoxin interacting protein (TXNIP) is increased and causes increased oxidative stress and pancreatic b-cell apoptosis. Chronic stress is associated with increased glucocorticoid levels and a proinflammatory environment. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of obesity, chronic stress, and exercise on pancreatic health.

Lean Zucker Rats (LZRs) and Obese Zucker Rats (OZRs) were randomly assigned to four groups: 1) sedentary controls (C: n=8 per); 2) unpredictable chronic mild stress (UCMS) (S: n=8); 3) exercise (E: n=8); and 4) combined UCMS and exercise …

Lead Exposure Of North American Raptors, Vincent A. Slabe

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Lead is an anthropogenic threat to terrestrial wildlife, has no physiological benefits, and is considered a neurotoxin. Legislation adopted in many developed countries restricts the uses of lead in consumer and industrial products such as pipe fittings, petrol, paint, and shot for use in waterfowl hunting. However, lead is currently categorized by the United States (US) government as a critical metal and common uses of lead still persist in North America. These include the use of rifle ammunition, shot in upland gamebird hunting, and fishing sinkers. Lead is also a by-product of multiple industrial operations including smelters, coal power plants, …

Implications Of Sampling Methods On Geospatial Mapping Of Methane Sources, Dakota Wesley Oliver

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Natural gas is deployed as an alternative fuel due to its cost and post-combustion emissions. However, methane, the main component of natural gas, is a greenhouse gas with a global warming potential (GWP) of at least 28 over 100 years. Currently, natural gas and petroleum systems are the highest emitters of methane to the atmosphere. Using conventional methods, the detection of natural gas leaks is time consuming. Currently, natural gas production sites deploy the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Method 21 or optical gas imaging (OGI) for methane leak detection. Both methods require access to the natural gas site along with …

Assessing The Reliability Of Physical End Matching And Chemical Comparison Of Pressure Sensitive Tapes, Meghan Nicole Prusinowski

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Pressure sensitive tapes are a common evidence type in a variety of forensic cases, including violent crimes, drug trafficking, and terrorism. Forensic laboratories are often requested to analyze tape samples for composition and potential source identification. Tape samples manufactured from different sources are often distinguishable when using a combination of sensitive analytical techniques. Nonetheless, the interpretation of the data remains challenging due to a lack of standard criteria and guidelines from which examiners can support their conclusions. As a result, there is a need to standardize the protocols of interpretation of physical and chemical comparisons of tape evidence.

The manufacture …

Vi Et Armis: Londoners And Violent Trespass Before The Common Pleas In The Fifteenth Century, Lindsey Mcnellis

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Civil litigation in early fifteenth-century England encompassed a variety of actions, but only one writ covered acts of violence: trespass vi et armis. These writs, all before the central Court of Common Pleas, detail a variety of violent torts, or wrongs, such as housebreaking, theft, imprisonment, abduction, and assault. The Londoners who entered pleadings in this court between 1405 and 1415 have left a fascinating glimpse into both interpersonal violence and the world of savvy litigators. Through a close examination of eighty-two cases, I demonstrate that Londoners were knowledgeable litigants who used the Court of Common Pleas and its …

Development Of A Dynamic Model And Control System For Load-Following Operation Of Supercritical Pulverized Coal Power Plants, Parikshit S. Sarda

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Thermal power plants that have been designed to operate at their rated capacity are being forced to cycle their load and operate under low-load condition to meet changing load demands due to the increased penetration of renewables into the electric grid. The rapid load-following operation is leading to challenging control problems. The goal of this research is to develop dynamic model and control system for efficient load-following operation. The focus of this work is on supercritical pulverized coal (SCPC) power plants. The steady-state model is developed using Aspen Plus and Aspen Custom Modeler and then converted to a pressure-driven Aspen …

Identification Of Burnt Smokeless Gunpowders Through Physical Characteristics, Cameron Taylor Hartwig

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Firearms are one of the most commonly used weapons by violent criminals throughout the United States. In crimes involving the discharge of a firearm, residues from the combustion products are deposited on the shooter and in the firing direction. Some of the residues left behind are unburnt and partially burnt particles of the propellant. The most common propellant used in modern firearms is smokeless powder. The identification of particles as smokeless powder and the determination of the brand of the powder are two ways a forensic examiner may be able to utilize smokeless powder evidence. The determination of the brand …

The Impact Of Tree Species, Elevated Nitrogen Deposition, Stand Age, And Environmental Factors On Herbaceous Plant Communities In A Central Appalachian Hardwood Forest, Lacey J. Smith

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Although the herb layer represents less than 1% of the biomass of temperate forests, this layer may contain up to 90% of the plant species in the forest and can contribute up to 20% of the foliar litter, thus playing an essential role in forest biodiversity and nutrient cycling. The objectives of this study were to investigate the differences in cover, species richness, Shannon-Wiener diversity, and evenness of herb layer plants a) under tree species associated with contrasting soil nitrogen levels and b) in watersheds that vary in nitrogen deposition, stand age, and watershed aspect at the Fernow Experimental Forest …

Stories Of Deindustrialization: Exploring Narratives In Weirton, West Virginia, Ella Jennings

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Since the 1960s, cities throughout the world have confronted the phenomenon of deindustrialization, wherein economies advance and transition into a post-industrial environment. This evolution leads to complications on political, social, and economic scales, as localities struggle to find a path to the future that can guarantee the job security and community identity once offered by industry. Weirton, West Virginia, is one such place. The city, once home to Weirton Steel Corporation, a powerhouse steelmaker that employed 13,000 people, fell victim to the fall of the United States’ steel industry, and now is a shadow of its former self. This project …

Acute And Repeated Effects Of Synthetic Cannabinoid Agonism And Cannabinoid Receptor 1 Positive Allosteric Modulation, Kristen R. Trexler

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Recent years have seen a rise in the diversity and use of synthetic cannabinoids. Currently, there is little known about the effects of specific synthetic cannabinoid compounds. As such, little research has been done evaluating the acute and chronic effects of synthetic cannabinoid administration or the development of tolerance and withdrawal. The present study aimed, in part, to evaluate the acute and repeated effect of a third-generation synthetic cannabinoid, AB-FUBINACA. Mice were treated with AB-FUBINACA (0.1-3 mg/kg, i.p.) or vehicle and were tested repeatedly in the tetrad battery of assays, which included tests of catalepsy, antinociception, hypothermia, and locomotor activity. …

Development Of Improved Acellular Pertussis Vaccines Through Inclusion Of The Rtx Antigen Or Induction Of Mucosal Immunity, Dylan Tyler Boehm

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Pertussis is a human respiratory disease, primarily caused by the Gram-negative pathogen Bordetella pertussis. The infection is most severe and can be life-threatening in young children and infants where it manifests as a series of paroxysmal coughs. The disease is more commonly known as whooping cough, due to the whoop omitted during a massive inspiratory effort to bring air back into the lungs. Pertussis is a toxin-mediated disease that persists due to an early release of toxins that allow that bacteria to evade the cells of the innate immune response. The inhibition of the host response continues as toxin activity …

Modeling Movement Of Criminals Through Burglary Scenes, Veronica L. Herrmann

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Physical evidence plays a large role in the criminal justice system and in crime scene reconstruction. The purpose of evidence is to assist in connecting a person or persons to an incidence, which helps crime scene investigators in reconstructing the events that occurred at the crime scene. This concept is mainly based off Locard's Exchange Principle, which states that there is always an association between an offender and evidence. However, without patent evidence to lead the investigators to a possible route at the scene, determining the movements taken during the commission at a scene is needed.

Engineers have used simulations …

The Association Of Attitude, Perceived Behavioral Control, And Intention With Fruit And Vegetable Intake Among Rural West Virginian Residents With Pre-Diabetes In Mineral And Hampshire Counties, Diana Leigh Niland

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The Association of Attitude, Perceived Behavioral Control, and Intention with Fruit and Vegetable Intake among Rural West Virginian Residents in Mineral and Hampshire Counties with Pre-diabetes

Introduction: Pre-diabetes affects approximately 84.1 million adults in the United States. Pre-diabetes is one of the leading predictors of type 2 diabetes. West Virginia ranks number one in the prevalence of diabetes. Fruit and vegetable intake may assist in reducing risk for pre-diabetes. However, most adults do not consume the recommended daily amount. There are no studies investigating the fruit and vegetable intake (FVI) of rural West Virginian residents with pre-diabetes.

Method: After IRB …

Promoting Sense Of Belonging And Interest In Geosciences Among Undergraduate Women Through Mentoring, Wenyi Du

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether students’ university sense of belonging mediates the relationship between mentor network diversity and students’ interest development among undergraduate women in STEM majors. The sample for this study was consisted of 277 undergraduate women majoring in a STEM discipline with initial interests in geosciences across nine universities within the United States. A regression-based mediation analysis was performed using the Hayes’ (2013) macro to test the indirect effect of mentor support on interest through university sense of belonging. Consistent with our hypothesis, the analysis revealed a statistically significant and positive indirect effect of …

Three Essays In Applied Econometrics, Collin Dean Hodges

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The body of work presented here consists of a collection of research projects developed during my time as a graduate student at West Virginia University. As will soon become apparent, this collection of research topics is quite eclectic. This is, in part, due to the to the nature of the research process itself--where one often begins by asking one question and ends by answering a completely different one--but also due to the fact that my time at West Virginia University has provided me the opportunity to gain insight into a wide variety of economic fields as well as work on …

Crown-Level Mapping Of Tree Species And Health From Remote Sensing Of Rural And Urban Forests, Fang Fang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Tree species composition and health are key attributes for rural and urban forest biodiversity, and ecosystem services preservation. Remote sensing has facilitated extraordinary advances in estimating and mapping tree species composition and health. Yet previous sensors and algorithms were largely unable to resolve individual tree crowns and discriminate tree species or health classes at this essential spatial scale due to the low image spectral and spatial resolution. However, current available very high spatial resolution (VHR) remote sensing data can begin to resolve individual tree crowns and measure their spectral and structural qualities with unprecedented precision. Moreover, various machine learning algorithms …

Towards A Framework For Smart Manufacturing Adoption In Small And Medium-Sized Enterprises, Sameer Mittal

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Smart Manufacturing (SM) paradigm adoption can scale production with demand without compromising on the time for order fulfillment. A smart manufacturing system (SMS) is vertically and horizontally connected, and thus it can minimize the chances of miscommunication. Employees in an SME are aware of the operational requirements and their responsibilities. The machine schedules are prepared based on the tasks a machine must perform. Predictive maintenance reduces the downtime of machines. Design software optimizes the product design. Production feasibility is checked with the help of simulation. The concepts of product life cycle management are considered for waste reduction. Employee safety, and …