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Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

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Asymmetric Synthesis Of Sl0101, Cyclitol And Jadomycin, Mingde Shan May 2009

Asymmetric Synthesis Of Sl0101, Cyclitol And Jadomycin, Mingde Shan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The carbohydrate portion of natural products plays a crucial role in biology, such as target binding, solubility, tissue targeting, and membrane transportation. The O'Doherty group has developed a de novo methodology to build the desired functionality and stereochemistry within each sugar, in contrast to the traditional approach using known carbohydrates as starting materials. This methodology relies on a highly diastereoselective palladium(0)-catalyzed glycosylation reaction to control the stereochemistry at the anomeric center and post-glycosylation transformation to introduce the corresponding functionality in the sugar moiety.;Continuing our investigations on the utility of this strategy, we turned our attention to the syntheses of the …

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The Effects Of Active Living Every Day Online On Physical Activity, Amy M. Sidwell May 2009

The Effects Of Active Living Every Day Online On Physical Activity, Amy M. Sidwell

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a 14-week intervention based on Active Living Every Day (ALED) Online. Outcomes of the 14-week online program and the process of delivering the program were analyzed. Outcome considerations included: whether ALED Online increased physical activity among participants (as measured through step counts), whether physiological changes (cholesterol and body mass index) were apparent throughout the intervention, and whether participants progressed or regressed through the Stages of Change (SOC). Process measures included examining the nature of retention of participants in the program and the quality of participants' responses to the "Life …

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The Content, Nature, And Ethics Of Pastoral Counseling By West Virginia Baptist Ministers, Nancy Landis-Taylor May 2009

The Content, Nature, And Ethics Of Pastoral Counseling By West Virginia Baptist Ministers, Nancy Landis-Taylor

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

While there is considerable literature available on pastors and the ministry and much writing concerning therapists and secular counseling as well as pastoral counseling, very little has been written concerning counseling by pastors without professional counseling training. This neglected area of research is unfortunate considering many pastors are considered or required to be counselors by their churches and denominations. In addition, there is minimal training in pastoral counseling in most seminaries, leaving many pastors to assume a role for which they may be unprepared. This exploratory study used a self-report instrument specifically developed for this research endeavor to collect information …

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Establishing The Digital Chain Of Evidence In Biometric Systems, Nick Bartlow May 2009

Establishing The Digital Chain Of Evidence In Biometric Systems, Nick Bartlow

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Traditionally, a chain of evidence or chain of custody refers to the chronological documentation, or paper trail, showing the seizure, custody, control, transfer, analysis, and disposition of evidence, physical or electronic. Whether in the criminal justice system, military applications, or natural disasters, ensuring the accuracy and integrity of such chains is of paramount importance. Intentional or unintentional alteration, tampering, or fabrication of digital evidence can lead to undesirable effects. We find despite the consequences at stake, historically, no unique protocol or standardized procedure exists for establishing such chains. Current practices rely on traditional paper trails and handwritten signatures as the …

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Effects Of Aging And Exercise Training On Enos Uncoupling And Reactive Oxygen Species Signaling In The Endothelium Of Skeletal Muscle Arterioles, Amy L. Sindler May 2009

Effects Of Aging And Exercise Training On Enos Uncoupling And Reactive Oxygen Species Signaling In The Endothelium Of Skeletal Muscle Arterioles, Amy L. Sindler

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of the first study was to determine the effects of aging and exercise training on endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) uncoupling in skeletal muscle arterioles. The results of this study confirmed our previous findings that aging impairs endothelium-dependent, NO-mediated vasodilation and tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) levels in rat skeletal muscle arterioles. Limited availability of BH4, as observed in old sedentary rats, may contribute to eNOS uncoupling, which decreases NO signaling and increases eNOS-derived O2- generation. Exercise training restored BH4 levels and improved flow-induced NO production in arterioles from aged rats. Furthermore, exercise training increased both NO and reactive oxygen species …

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Elemental Speciation Using Pulsed Glow Discharge Time-Of-Flight Mass Spectrometry, Na Zhang May 2009

Elemental Speciation Using Pulsed Glow Discharge Time-Of-Flight Mass Spectrometry, Na Zhang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Elemental speciation analysis is very important because the toxicity of the elements is dependent on their chemical structures. The coupling of Gas Chromatography (GC) with pulsed Glow Discharge Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (GDToFMS) provides real time speciation of volatile organic selenium compounds. The millisecond pulsed glow discharge is a versatile ion source for the determination of elemental composition, molecular structure, and molecular identification. The utility of this ion source to monitor a mixture of the selenium compounds dimethyl selenide (DMeSe) and dimethyl diselenide (DMeDSe) is illustrated in this work. Following the separation by GC, the compounds are readily characterized by pulsed …

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Employing Laboratory Physical Modeling To Study The Radio Imaging Method (Rim), Jun Lu May 2009

Employing Laboratory Physical Modeling To Study The Radio Imaging Method (Rim), Jun Lu

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Geological anomalies such as faults, sandstone intrusions, sudden thinning and severe undulation of coal seam will greatly affect the production and safety of mining operations. Since most of these geological anomalies in coal mines can increase the attenuation of the electromagnetic signal, the radio imaging method (RIM) is capable of locating the zones of geologic anomalies in underground mines. By using a low frequency EM signal, the RIM technology is the most promising geophysical tool for exploring the geological anomalies ahead of the modern longwall faces which are normally wider than 1,000 ft. However, when a number of anomalies co-exist …

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Determination Of The Range Of Safe-Comfortable Lifting Postures Using The Aesthetic Ergonomics Theory, Nicolas F. Salazar May 2009

Determination Of The Range Of Safe-Comfortable Lifting Postures Using The Aesthetic Ergonomics Theory, Nicolas F. Salazar

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Past research indicates that, in general, individuals performing material handling tasks tend to underestimate lower back stress, i.e. L5/S1 disk compression, adopting free style lifting postures that often results a greater biomechanical stress in the lower back, increasing their potential risk of developing low back injuries in the short, mid and long terms.;The main objective of this research was to identify within theoretically safe workstation layouts, the subgroup of layouts that would lead workers to adopt cognitively comfortable and at the same time physically safe lifting postures. This research objective was achieved through the use of the Aesthetic Ergonomics Dual …

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The Best Leadership Practices Of Principals In High Performing And High Poverty Schools In Ohio, Mark Furda May 2009

The Best Leadership Practices Of Principals In High Performing And High Poverty Schools In Ohio, Mark Furda

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The current accountability movement faced by schools throughout the country has prompted educators to close the achievement gap or else face a barrage of federal, state, and public backlash. Schools which have met overall standards will not be considered successful unless they have done something to close the achievement gap. The gaps generally occur among the economically disadvantaged students, minority groups, and those with learning disabilities. The subgroup of particular interest for this research is low socio-economic status students (SES). Principals are the instructional leaders of their buildings. This research focuses on how school leaders are helping disadvantaged students.;To determine …

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The Net Prices Of Attendance At Public Institutions Of Higher Learning And Their Relationships To Family Incomes, Edward Magee May 2009

The Net Prices Of Attendance At Public Institutions Of Higher Learning And Their Relationships To Family Incomes, Edward Magee

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Affordability of public higher education is a critical issue as the demand for college-educated citizens grows. This study examined the net prices paid by students to determine if affluent families pay less than market rates for public higher education. The history of public funding of higher education in the United States was studied to determine the historical sources of current public higher education funding policies. Current funding practices and the economic benefits of higher education were also examined.;A market theory for the funding streams of public higher education was developed as a framework for the analysis of public higher education …

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Behavioral Inhibition And Behavioral Activation In College Students: The Effects Of Aversive Control, Chad S. Brice May 2009

Behavioral Inhibition And Behavioral Activation In College Students: The Effects Of Aversive Control, Chad S. Brice

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Negative reinforcement is utilized in many contexts in our society but its differential effects in relation to individual differences are rarely studied. It is very similar in form to punishment in that they are both forms of aversive control, and only differs in the sense that negative reinforcement is a technique utilized to increase rather than reduce a behavior. Researchers, starting with Gray, have shown that individuals higher in inhibition and anxiety are more responsive to punishment, while individuals who are more impulsive are more sensitive to rewards. The positive relation between anxiety and sensitivity to punishment suggests that individuals …

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How Influential Are They? The Role Of Parents, Social Support, Attachment, And Autonomy In College Students' Likelihood To Experience Social Anxiety, Andrea M. Jones May 2009

How Influential Are They? The Role Of Parents, Social Support, Attachment, And Autonomy In College Students' Likelihood To Experience Social Anxiety, Andrea M. Jones

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Previous research has found that parental control predicts social anxiety and is moderated by parental proximity, as measured by the amount of contact one has with their parent; however there have been no studies examining how levels of parental proximity may change over the course of a young adult's life. The purpose of the current study was to examine how variables previously associated with social anxiety change across a semester of college. The current study examined parental proximity, autonomy, social support and social anxiety at three points across the semester. Thirty-nine undergraduate students at West Virginia University participated in the …

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Women As Classically-Trained Trumpet Players In The United States, Robyn Dewey Card May 2009

Women As Classically-Trained Trumpet Players In The United States, Robyn Dewey Card

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study identifies women in the United States who were trained in the classical tradition and chose to perform trumpet professionally as their full-time career choice during the period of the mid-nineteenth century to the late twentieth century. Although many classically-trained female trumpet players have developed successful professional careers in the genres of jazz and commercial music, specific focus for this study is on classical solo and chamber artists, members of full-time professional symphony orchestras, and members of professional bands. It examines the performance opportunities that were available to female trumpeters, the music they performed, and whether or not they …

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Impact Of Injecting Inert Cushion Gas Into A Gas Storage Reservoir, Sudheer R. Lekkala May 2009

Impact Of Injecting Inert Cushion Gas Into A Gas Storage Reservoir, Sudheer R. Lekkala

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Underground natural gas storage is a process which ensures constant supply of natural gas by storing the excess gas produced and quickly supply when required. The underground storage makes use of depleted reservoirs to store the natural gas. Cushion gas assists in delivering the natural gas (working gas) and maintains the adequate pressure in the reservoir. The key issue is that cushion gas cannot be produced and remains as a permanent inventory which accounts to about 30% of development cost in a typical storage reservoir. A part of cushion gas may be replaced with an inert gas such as nitrogen …

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An Investigation Into The Theoretical And Analytical Basis For The Spread Of Airborne Influenza, John B. Redrow May 2009

An Investigation Into The Theoretical And Analytical Basis For The Spread Of Airborne Influenza, John B. Redrow

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

With the threat of a pandemic drawing near and the possibility of a "new", more deadly, form of the influenza virus from genetic re-assortment of avian and human influenza viruses, there is dire need for a better understanding of the transmission mechanisms of this virus. The present study focuses on the aerosol mode of transmission, particularly via the mechanism of human cough. Utilizing computational fluid dynamics (CFD), an in-house code was developed to model the transport of a sputum droplet (cough expectorant) within a jet of air (representative of a human cough). A parametric study was conducted using the model, …

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A Study Of The Effects Of Well And Fracture Design In A Typical Marcellus Shale Well, Ross T. Schweitzer May 2009

A Study Of The Effects Of Well And Fracture Design In A Typical Marcellus Shale Well, Ross T. Schweitzer

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The problem with typical Marcellus shale wells is the lack of information that has been accumulated and the amount of information that is commercially available to the public. The Marcellus formation is a relatively new play and details involving ways to maximize production through well and fracture design has yet to be published. The Marcellus shale is important due to its large size and the economic impact that it could have on the U.S. While some companies have certain ideas about the best way to produce the Marcellus shale other companies have different ideas. Through reservoir simulation, the Marcellus could …

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Gourd'geous, A. Noel Slowikowski May 2009

Gourd'geous, A. Noel Slowikowski

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Finding a voice to articulate my passion for making utilitarian pottery has been the central focus of my graduate studies. As a ceramic artist, I strive to make work that celebrates clay's tactile qualities, history, environmental responsiveness, and beauty. My research involved investigating different clay processes, fabrication methods, glazes, and contemporary/historical influences. The end result is a body of work that expresses a balanced blending of clay, nature, and history.

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A Kinetic Study Of Decyl Phosphite Stabilizers, John K. Snodgrass May 2009

A Kinetic Study Of Decyl Phosphite Stabilizers, John K. Snodgrass

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Decyl phosphite stabilizers are used to improve the molecular stability of polymers during processing and end use giving durability to the many plastic products used in daily life. By understanding the governing kinetics of the decyl phosphite reaction system, improvements and alternative manufacturing methods may be possible. Diphenyl isodecyl phosphite, phenyl di-isodecyl phosphite, and tri-isodecyl phosphite are the products of reacting isodecanol and triphenyl phosphite in the presence a sodium methylate. Concentration and time data were collected by performing laboratory reactions at various reactant ratios and temperatures.;Analysis of laboratory data shows that the system can be adequately described by five …

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Production Decline Analysis Of Horizontal Well In Gas Shale Reservoirs, Folarin Adekoya May 2009

Production Decline Analysis Of Horizontal Well In Gas Shale Reservoirs, Folarin Adekoya

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The major factor influencing the increase of natural gas use is the rise in its global demand. Due to the relentlessly increasing demand, there have been improvements in the techniques and technology used in recovering natural gas from shale gas reservoirs, including drilling a horizontal well and hydraulic fracturing. One of the significant challenges associated with gas shale production is that it is difficult to reliably predict ultimate recovery and estimate reserves, leading to great risk in exploitation of these resources. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the current decline curve analysis techniques and provide a more reliable …

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Electronic Clinic Journaling: The Use Of Weblogs To Support Evidence -Based Practice In Doctor Of Audiology Students, Gayle B. Neldon May 2009

Electronic Clinic Journaling: The Use Of Weblogs To Support Evidence -Based Practice In Doctor Of Audiology Students, Gayle B. Neldon

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Evidence-based practice (EBP) is a strategy for the provision of high quality health care. The use of journals to document clinical experiences and reflection has been used in speech-language pathology as well as nursing and psychology. This study uses qualitative analysis to study what AuD students learn about evidence-based practice from writing and reading clinic Weblogs, as well as to investigate AuD students' reactions to writing and reading these Weblogs and evidence-based practice as they have experienced it. The value of sharing evidence supporting clinical practice via electronic clinic journals in the form of Weblogs among peers was explored. Analysis …

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Three Essays On Resources, Institutions, And Development Across U.S. States, Joab N. Corey May 2009

Three Essays On Resources, Institutions, And Development Across U.S. States, Joab N. Corey

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation is a collection of papers examining the relationship between resource intensity, institutional quality, and economic development across the United States. The first chapter introduces the empirical connection between high levels of resource abundance and low levels of economic development known as the resource curse. It then proceeds to briefly introduce the three papers that make up the next three chapters of the dissertation. Chapter two examines the formation of low-quality institutions in areas with a large amount of natural resources. It begins by providing a theoretical model to show that governments will execute more expropriative tax policies in …

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Assessment Of The Perceptions Of Principals About School Performance In West Virginia, Connie L. Myer May 2009

Assessment Of The Perceptions Of Principals About School Performance In West Virginia, Connie L. Myer

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study compares the perceptions of two groups of West Virginia school principals about the performance of their schools. Six hundred principals were sent an online, 70-item survey instrument aligned with the seven domains of the state's Framework for High-Performing Schools. Of the total 600 principals in the study, half had attended the West Virginia Institute for 21st-Century Leadership, and the other half had not. Both the parametric t-test and the non-parametric Mann-Whitney U were used to determine if there was a statistically significant difference between the mean scores of the two groups of principals. The results show a noteworthy …

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Mapping Subjectivities: The Cultural Poetics Of Mobility & Identity In South Asian Diasporic Literature, Aparajita De May 2009

Mapping Subjectivities: The Cultural Poetics Of Mobility & Identity In South Asian Diasporic Literature, Aparajita De

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

My dissertation examines fiction and autobiography by diasporic South Asian women writers to analyze the processes of subject formation in the diaspora. Analyzing the literary expressions of Jhumpa Lahiri, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, Shauna Singh Baldwin, and Meena Alexander on contemporary diasporic identities, I examine the critical insights they offer to understanding subjectivity. I argue that subjectivity in the diaspora develops in response to the individual's experience of location. By location I refer to both physical and ideological spaces the individual occupies over time. Examining subjectivity in the diaspora as an analytical and empirical category, I focus on the tactics and …

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The Effect Of C8-Arylguanine Adducts On B/Z-Dna Equilibrium: Implications In Aryl Hydrazine Carcinogenesis, Vorasit Vongsutilers May 2009

The Effect Of C8-Arylguanine Adducts On B/Z-Dna Equilibrium: Implications In Aryl Hydrazine Carcinogenesis, Vorasit Vongsutilers

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Aryl hydrazines and related compounds have been shown to be carcinogenic but the mechanism is still unclear. C8-Arylguanine adducts, formed from oxidative metabolites of aryl hydrazines, are suspected to be the cause of carcinogenesis. Z-DNA formation facilitated by the aryl adduct are among the potential mechanisms and has been investigated in this study. Z-DNA may be involved in carcinogenesis as several studies have indicated that Z-DNA may play an important role in gene expression and to induce mutagenic genetic deletions. C8-Arylguanine adducts may cause carcinogenesis by promoting the formation of Z-DNA which in turn disturbing gene regulation and leading to …

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Curriculum Assessment In The Division Of Sociology And Anthropology At West Virginia University, Jennifer Luise Mitchell May 2009

Curriculum Assessment In The Division Of Sociology And Anthropology At West Virginia University, Jennifer Luise Mitchell

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Program evaluation is essential for any organization to be successful. The purpose of this thesis is to contribute to the curriculum assessment in Division of Sociology and Anthropology and to make recommendations for next steps. Graduating senior surveys from 66 seniors during the Spring 2008 semester and transcripts from 504 students that graduated from the department between May 2004 through May 2008 were analyzed. Results suggest that department needs to improve upon advising, the coordination of internships, and the statistics requirement for their students. Through careful planning the department can improve upon these areas. To move forward with assessment in …

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Bidding At The Prison Auction House: An Exchange Of Prisoners' And University Students' Perceptions Of Crime And Punishment, Kate J. Dubois May 2009

Bidding At The Prison Auction House: An Exchange Of Prisoners' And University Students' Perceptions Of Crime And Punishment, Kate J. Dubois

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

During the spring of 2006, a new program was instated at West Virginia University that provided an arena for undergraduate Criminology majors and residents of a correctional facility to discuss and learn about issues within the criminal justice system. The class took place at a correctional facility. After leaving the class, the students were expected to write a reflection paper on the discussions that took place within the classroom to return at the next session. The purpose of this research is to conduct a thorough analysis of the reflection papers of each student across the 15 weeks. The findings suggest …

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Zoned Out: Conflict And Perceived Threat In A Rural-Urban Fringe Area, Jennifer Chambers May 2009

Zoned Out: Conflict And Perceived Threat In A Rural-Urban Fringe Area, Jennifer Chambers

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Zoning and other restrictive land use policies are quite common in the United States and are frequently enacted as a response to the rapid growth and change within a city or county. Past research on zoning has primarily examined the positive and negative consequences of zoning ordinances, often focusing the analysis on neighborhood change. This study inductively examines the conflict that emerged in one county when new zoning ordinances were proposed through an in-depth analysis of nearly 300 newspaper forums, observations of three public hearings, and interviews with key informants. Concerned with activists on both sides of the zoning issue, …

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Agent Based Modeling Of Power Distribution Systems, Sridhar Chouhan May 2009

Agent Based Modeling Of Power Distribution Systems, Sridhar Chouhan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The electric power system is a very vast network and becoming more complex each day. The traditional vertically monopolistic structure has been deregulated and replaced by gencos, transcos and, discos; increasing the power system intricacy. During the past few decades there has been remarkable development in software and hardware technologies for the analysis and design activities in power system planning, operation, and control. However, much still depends on the judgment of human experts. A single fault in power system can lead to multiple faults and can collapse the whole system. Power System needs a more decentralized control mechanism for solving …

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Circulation Control Improvements To Rotor Lift Asymmetry Due To Reverse Flow, Michael J. Lyons May 2009

Circulation Control Improvements To Rotor Lift Asymmetry Due To Reverse Flow, Michael J. Lyons

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Circulation control has been applied to airfoils since the late 1960's, and has been proven to change the aerodynamic performance by altering the interaction of the streamlines without changing the physical characteristics of the airfoil itself. This has many applications in fluid dynamics; the focus of this application is for the replacement of the conventional helicopter rotor blade system with a fly-by-wire, active circulation controlled system. Conventional helicopters use a swashplate and a series of mechanical linkages, bearings, and dampers to create a fully articulated rotor hub system. This system is required to achieve the blade characteristics required for stable …

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Numerical Modeling Of Nitrogen Injection Into Gas Condensate Reservoir, Candace L. Subero May 2009

Numerical Modeling Of Nitrogen Injection Into Gas Condensate Reservoir, Candace L. Subero

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Gas-condensate reservoirs differ from dry-gas reservoirs. Gas condensate production is predominantly gas from which a quantity of liquid is condensed; the amount condensed being based on the gas-oil-ratio, GOR, in surface separators. Condensate dropout occurs in the reservoir as the pressure falls below dew-point, as a result of which, the liquid production decreases significantly and the condensate formed in the reservoir is also unrecoverable. Injection and cycling of dry natural gas has been used to enhance the condensate production from these reservoirs. However natural gas has become more valuable and alternative gases must be investigated. One of such gas is …

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