Digital Commons Network^™

Characterization Of A Series Hydraulic Hybrid Diesel Vehicle, Joshua W. Flaugher

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance and emissions profiles of a prototype Series Hydraulic Hybrid Diesel Vehicle (SHHDV). The test vehicle was a collaborative effort between Parker-Hannifin and Autocar. The outcome of which was an extensive set of data and a compilation of "lessons learned," which were to be applied for further development of these vehicles. Research is needed in this area for developing a better understanding of the benefits from hydraulic hybrids. The vehicle platform used in this study was that of Autocar's Xpeditor model, a diesel powered cab-over refuse truck. The hydraulic hybrid and …

De Novo Asymmetric Synthesis Of Mannopeptimycin-E, Novobiocin And Methymycin Analogues, Sanjeeva Rao Guppi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The carbohydrate portion of the natural products plays a crucial role in biology, such as target binding, solubility, tissue targeting, and membrane transportation. The O'Doherty group use a de novo methodology to build the desired functionality and stereochemistry within each sugar, in contrast to the traditional approach using known sugar isomers as starting materials. Recently, we have developed a practical and highly diastereoselective palladium catalyzed glycosylation reaction to control the stereochemistry at the anomeric center. Continuing, our investigations on the utility of this strategy, we turned our attention to the syntheses of the bioactive carbohydrate-based natural product analogues. The targets …

Essays On The Economics Of Education, Joshua C. Hall

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The dissertation is a collection of essays examining three topics in the economics of education. The essays focus on the institutional structure of local and national education and the implications that demographics and institutional structure has on the productivity and financing of education. The first chapter introduces my essays by providing a brief overview of the economic study of education and highlights some of the major areas of research overlapping the topics covered in this dissertation. Chapter 2 looks at the impact of racial diversity on school performance. A measure of racial diversity is constructed for Ohio school districts to …

Study Of Reinforced Concrete Building Demolition Methods And Code Requirements, Haibin Huang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The life cycle of reinforced concrete buildings is usually 40 to 90 years. However, during this life cycle, buildings will often meet some circumstances, such as disasters, changing functions, city reconstruction, or higher demand for the residence etc.; all of these circumstances will lead to demolition or reconstruction of buildings. Moreover, many of Reinforced Concrete (RC) buildings in Asia or Europe built after World War II have been used for about 50 years or more, and now need to be rebuilt or demolished. But the current demolition methods are not safe enough, and the traditional building demolition project managing methods …

Productivity And Carbon Budgets Of Harvested Central Appalachian Forests, Sarah C. Davis

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Land conversion and industrial pollution are two of the most influential vehicles for anthropogenic perturbation of natural terrestrial processes and both have increased dramatically over the course of the last century. This research explores the role of Central Appalachian hardwood forests in the global carbon (C) balance during a century of regeneration with changing land use and atmospheric pollution. Most of the forests in this region were logged in the early 1900s. During the century the followed, nitrogen (N) deposition rates became especially high in parts of Central Appalachia where an increasing number of regenerated mature forests are now undergoing …

Nonindustrial Private Landowner's Characteristics And Their Forest Management Decisions, Sudiksha Joshi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Private forest landowners own the largest share of the forest land in the United States. Future timber supply requires forest management and investment by these private forest landowners. Since private forest landowners are diverse, understanding the factors affecting the forest management decisions of these individuals is important. Two analyses are presented in this study to characterize the forest management decisions of West Virginia NIPF landowners and to understand their forest management decisions. The data for the study was collected from a mail survey conducted in August 2005 to 2100 landowners in West Virginia. The survey resulted in 244 useful responses, …

Investigation Of Hole Cleaning Parameters Using Computational Fluid Dynamics In Horizontal And Deviated Wells, Nekkhil Mishra

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The need for technologies to reduce cost and improve recovery from existing hydrocarbon reservoirs is well established. One of the most effective methods of cost reduction relies on improvement of drilling technologies. Particularly, understanding the parameters that control hole cleaning is beneficial especially in both horizontal and deviated wells. For this purpose, a section of casing-drill pipe annulus section was simulated using Computational Fluid Dynamics to determine the effects of fluid velocity, cutting size, rate of penetration, drill pipe rotation and inclination angle in deviated wells. The Eulerian Model Simulations were conducted at steady state and the results of the …

Psychophysical Measures Of Detection & Discrimination And Effects Of Gaba Blockade In The Moth Manduca Sexta, Esther K. Mwilaria

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Olfactory systems must detect and discriminate odors while maintaining a degree of perceptual invariance of identity in a highly variable environment. Studies have suggested that olfactory systems of both vertebrates and invertebrates detect odors based on the interaction of specific molecular features of odorant molecules with olfactory receptor neurons. It has also been shown that changing stimulus concentration can elicit substantive changes in spatial representations of odorants. The first goal of our studies was to psychophysically characterize the ability of the moth Manduca sexta to detect and discriminate odors as a function of concentration using a Pavlovian olfactory-learning paradigm. Our …

Evaluation Of Longwall Face Support Hydraulic Supply Systems, Ted M. Klemetti Ii

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

With increases in panel size and production levels in longwall mining, the hydraulic flow rates required to allow the shields to keep pace with the mining operations have substantially increased. The panel size and production increases have also increased the hydraulic supply system's pressure losses. To quantitatively evaluate the possible design changes to the hydraulic supply system, a practical and accurate method of evaluating potential hydraulic supply systems for the shields is needed. This thesis endeavors to develop a method to evaluate the effects on pressure and flow rate from changes in a hydraulic supply system and to determine the …

Examining The Effectiveness Of Older And Younger Adults' Strategies For Solving Interpersonal And Individual Everyday Problems, Joseph P. Mcfall

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Individual difference characteristics (i.e., age, gender, self-efficacy beliefs, exposure to problems) and contextual characteristics (i.e., problem domain) of the everyday problem-solving process were considered in an examination of individuals' strategy effectiveness. Although prior research has examined problem-solving strategy effectiveness according to independent judges or experts (Allaire & Marsiske, 2002; Blanchard-Fields, Mienaltowski, & Baldi, 2007; Cornelius & Caspi, 1987; Galambos, MacDonald, Naphtali, Cohen, & de Frias, 2005; Marsiske & Willis, 1995), methodological weaknesses in determining the effectiveness of the strategies may have invalidated the findings. A group of seven highly reliable expert raters were recruited to provide effectiveness ratings of strategies …

Attitudes Of The Thai Press Toward Accepting Federal Money To Report On Hiv/Aids, Pattaraporn Niyamosoth

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study focuses on the HIV/AIDS story in Thailand, specifically the attitudes of the Thai press toward accepting federal money to report on HIV/AIDS, and explores the differences between government media roles and independent media roles regarding this issue. Using Siebert's four theories of the press, Thai journalists' ideas regarding the current state of Thai media also were secured. A snowball sample was used. Six government media journalists, six independent media journalists, and six Ministry of Public Health of Thailand officials were studied via in-depth interviews. Most of the journalists did not believe that accepting federal money to report on …

Promoting The Production Of Non-Timber Forest Products, Adam C. Riley

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) have long been collected for food, medicine, income, and pleasure, traditionally in rural areas. NTFPs include edible products (mushrooms, nuts, berries, etc), specialty wood products (hand carvings, walking canes, etc.), floral and decorative products (moss, vines, etc.), and medicinal products (ginseng, goldenseal, black cohosh, etc.) and reported sales contribute over {dollar}30 million each year to the West Virginia economy.;West Virginia landowners possess some of the most biologically diverse forest in the United States. Many plants and other products can be derived from these forests for social and economic value. In order to educate, arouse curiosity, and …

Inosine Ameliorates The Effects Of Hemin Induced Oxidative Stress In Broilers, Christen N. Seaman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Previous studies have shown that chronic treatment of broilers with hemin decreases plasma concentrations of uric acid and increases leukocyte oxidative activity (LOA) whereas the inclusion of inosine produces an inverse effect. The objective of these studies was to determine whether or not inosine could serve as a potential therapy for oxidative stress. Oxidative stress was induced in broilers by the administration of hemin. Dietary inclusion of inosine was then begun either before the onset of oxidative stress induced by hemin, or as a post treatment once oxidative stress was established. Four-week-old broilers were individually banded and divided into four …

Development Of A Separation Riser With Flow Pulsations For Small Coal Particles, Jordan M. H. Musser

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Removing sulfur before combustion is essential to lower the sulfur dioxide produced during combustion. Common separation processes have large obstacles including usage of large quantities of water, the need to dry the coal after separation, and additional environmental hazards created during the separation process. The current exploratory research concentrates on coal particles in the size range of 105< dp<210 microns. A small scale circulating fluidized bed was constructed with the addition of a gas pulsation generator. Various superficial gas velocities, u0, were used in conjunction with various rates of pulsations. The system was able to segregate dirtier coal from cleaner coal with various efficiencies for different flow conditions. The most favorable flow conditions were found to be: 1Hz flow pulsations and a superficial gas velocity of 0.8581ms-1 which reduced the mass percent sulfur of the initial sample of coal from 1.66% to 1.37%.

Natural Language Processing Framework To Assist In The Evaluation Of Adherence To Clinical Guidelines, Sushmitha Regulapati

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) is one of the leading causes associated with mortality and morbidity amongst the hospitalized patients and accounts to a major portion of health care costs in USA. Milliman Care Guidelines for CHF is used as a basis to develop a flowchart for representing the guidelines. Using Natural Language Processing techniques, a collection of sample discharge summaries from WVU university hospital are verified against the flowchart to check if they followed the Clinical Guidelines for CHF. The results suggest that it is feasible to evaluate clinical records against the clinical guidelines by representing the guidelines as a …

Fabrication And Functional Analysis Of Sparrow Biosensor, Praneetha Poloju

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Biosensors are powerful tools aimed at providing selective identification of toxic chemical compounds in industrial products, chemical substances, environmental samples or biological systems (e.g., bacteria, virus, or tissue components) for biomedical diagnosis. A new generation of biosensors are being developed, which combine the sensitivity and at the low cost of microelectronics.;The Nano/Micro Devices group at Microelectronics Systems Research Center (MSRC) has been researching stacked waveguide optical sensors useful for detecting and quantifying events in biological molecular chemistry, for example, binding events. This thesis describes the results of our initial research of (SPARROW) based technology. This study contains the design and …

Computational Analysis Of Airfoils In Ground Effect For Use As A Design Tool, Justin L. Smith

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

There has been interest shown in a recreational glider which operates primarily in the flight regime known as ground effect. Ground effect traditionally occurs when the airfoil is within a chords length of the ground. It is well known in the art that when the airfoil is present in ground effect the lift force is increased and the drag force is reduced on the lifting surfaces, in turn increasing the L/D ratio.;This recreational glider would have no internal power supply and only rely on the outside acting force. The considered force that would be used to propel this recreational glider …

Using Gain Of Function Genetics To Explore The Role Of Non-Histone Chromosomal Protein D1 In Drosophila Melanogaster, Marissa B. Smith

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The organization of eukaryotic genomes requires a harmony between efficient compaction and accessibility. This is achieved through the packaging of chromatin and the influence of chromosomal proteins, a topic not well understood. A chromosomal protein that remains a mystery at present is the D1 protein. Identified in 1974 by Alfageme et al., D1 has been highly characterized but its function remains unknown. The goal of this study was to elucidate the function of D1 by overexpression analysis using the GAL4/UAS system in Drosophila melanogaster. Analysis of gain-of-function phenotypes due to D1 overexpression in a variety of tissues determined that ectopic …

Age And Growth Of Appalachian Brook Trout In Relation To Life-History And Habitat Features, Jason Thomas Stolarski

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Currently, it is perceived that brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis ) are experiencing reductions in both range and abundance across their east coast distribution. Data identifying key habitat features influencing growth rates of these fish will be valuable to managers conducting remediation efforts as growth at age has important consequences to survival and fecundity. Of particular importance within Appalachia may be the influence of surficial geology as the mid Appalachian region receives some of the most acidic rain in the nation. Furthermore, endogenous characteristics such as variation in life-history strategy may also influence growth rates of Appalachian brook trout. However, as …

Watercress (Nasturtium Officinale) Production Utilizing Brook Trout (Salvelinus Fontinalis) Flow-Through Aquaculture Effluent, Erika Nichole Smith

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Dissolved nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) present in flow-through aquaculture effluent can pose the risk of eutrophication to receiving streams when discharged from flow-through systems. One potential solution to prevent nutrient loading is the establishment of an integrated system that cultures green plants in the effluent. The objectives of this research were to determine watercress' (Nasturtium officinale) growth and nutrient contents in both a hydroponic controlled environment and a flow-through aquaponic production system utilizing brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) aquaculture effluent; and to evaluate various treatments to determine the best cultural conditions for watercress in the aquaponic system for optimization as …

Evaluation Of Heavy Duty Diesel Engines Regulated Emissions Based On Variation Of Fuel Properties By Use Of Additives, Robert Ray Tincher

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Heavy-duty diesel engines exhaust emissions contribute to the ambient air quality; therefore, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and California Air Resources Board (CARB) have created stringent emissions standards. Since the implementation of these standards in the early 1970s, overall engine and fuel technology improvement have created a significant reduction in emissions. Many different factors, such as fuel composition, properties, additives, and engine technology, influence regulated emissions constituents.;This study was completed in order to evaluate engine emissions from several different diesel fuels with and without cetane improving additives on recent and early production electronically controlled heavy duty diesel engines …

Multiagent Approach For Power System Reconfiguration, Pinak Tulpule

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The objective of this thesis is to develop an agent based reconfiguration algorithm for power system application with termination detection and to provide communication architecture for these agents. The underlying maximum flow algorithm based on graph theory has proven the concept of autonomous distributed reconfiguration using multiagent systems. The new rule-based algorithm takes into account the requirement of bidirectional power flows, and special power routing for DC devices. Even though the algorithm is self-stabilizing and agents become idle after finite time, implementation of the solution within the actual power system requires that all agents be in an idle state. The …

Effects Of Ovulation Of Aged Follicles, Pregnancy Diagnosis By Ultrasonography, And Treatments During Lactation On Reproduction In Ewes, Aimee Kathryn Wurst

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Ewes are polyestrous and litter-bearing seasonal breeders. Although average ovulation rates are sufficient, many ovulations do not result in live offspring and ewes normally breed only once per year. As ovulation rate increases, so does the number of ovulations not represented by live births. When ultrasonographic analysis is limited to ovarian follicles that grow from 3 to 5 mm, follicular waves can be identified in sheep. In most cases, ovulatory follicle(s) develop from the ultimate follicular wave; however, ovulatory follicles can be derived from penultimate or earlier follicular waves. The relationship between lifespan of large follicles and fertility is controversial …

Characterization Of Myosin I In The Inner Ear, Kelli R. Phillips

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Specialized epithelial cells, called hair cells, detect stimuli perceived by the organs of the inner ear. Such stimuli deflect the sensing organelle of the hair cell, the hair bundle. This force is proposed to create tension in the tip link, an extracellular filamentous structure, and open mechanically-gated ion channels. This process, called mechanotransduction, allows ions to enter the hair cell and results in its depolarization. During prolonged stimuli, the sensitivity of the hair cell is maintained by adaptation. To date, little is known about the molecular mechanisms that regulate either mechanotransduction or adaptation.;Myosin-1c (Myo1c) has been proposed to be the …

Fine Particle Separation In A Riser With Flow Modifications, Bryan M. Wimer

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Fine particle separation is of great interest in industry. Coal and mineral processing industries are currently very interested in particle separation for its potential in cleaning coal matter. A circulating fluidized bed riser system has been constructed to investigate possible separation of coal containing pyrite from clean coal. The system was constructed to operate using compressed air in which an air-solid mixture would pass through the riser and the solids would enter in to a dense, product, or filter collection bin. Several different variables were investigated during the project such as the collection ring wall height, particle entrance size into …

Polypropylene-Based Wood -Plastic Composites Reinforced With Nanoclay, Shu-Kai Yeh

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The increase in modulus of polypropylene (PP) upon addition of montmorillonite (MMT) makes PP-based polymer nanocomposites (PNCs) ideal matrix materials for wood/plastic composites (WPCs) for decking, railing, roofing and siding applications, among others. In this work, the influence of maleated PP (that is used both as a coupling agent for WPCs and as a compatibilizer for the PNC) on increasing the modulus of extruded and injection molded PP-based WPCs is investigated. Also examined are the effects of the sequence of compounding steps and the use of different processing conditions. The improvement in mechanical properties is examined by varying the amount …

Analysis Of Water Monitoring Data For Longwall Panels, Joseph R. Zirkle

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

As the large coal reserves are depleted, the coal industry is forced to explore smaller coal seams with lower cover. The strict environmental regulations in today's coal industry will soon influence or prohibit mining the smaller, shallower coal reserves due to the land surface and subsurface subsidence affects from undermining. Therefore, an analysis of surface and subsurface affects has been conducted in to better understand the relationship between the subsidence mechanism and hydrological impact of subsidence in areas with low cover.;A field study near Waynesburg, Pennsylvania was undertaken from 1998 through 2004. The hydraulic pressure heads in the local aquifers …

Bismuth Surfactant Effects For Gaasn And Beryllium Doping Of Gaasn Grown By Molecular Beam Epitaxy, Ting Liu

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Bi was investigated as a possible surfactant for growth of GaAs1-xNx layers on (100) GaAs substrates by molecular beam epitaxy using an RF plasma nitrogen source. Bi extends the useable growth conditions producing smoother surfaces to a significantly higher N content than without Bi. The conductivity of Be-doped GaAsN decreased significantly with increasing N concentration. Temperature dependent Hall measurement suggests possible compensation and increased activation energy. SIMS and Raman measurements indicate that the N composition increased by introducing Be, and for low [N], Bi. The addition of Bi during growth of Be-doped GaAsN only produced semi-insulating layers.

GaAs1-xNx layers and …

Response And Time Allocation On Concurrent Variable -Interval Schedules Of Signaled And Unsignaled Reinforcement, Jeffrey Everly

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The present experiments were designed to evaluate accounts of how behavior is allocated on concurrent variable-interval (VI) VI schedules. The generalized matching law assumes that the proportion of behavior allocated to the two schedules will match the proportion of reinforcers obtained on the two schedules (Baum, 1974). An alternate view holds that under ideal conditions, behavior should "fix" almost exclusively at the richer schedule. The leaner schedule is only visited, or "sampled", when a reinforcer becomes available on that schedule (Houston & McNamara, 1981). Attempts were made to create optimal conditions for producing an ideal fix-and-sample response pattern. Pigeons were …

The Generalized Machine Layout Problem., Juan R. Jaramillo

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Businesses, including manufacturing companies, must reduce cost to survive in today’s economy. During the last several decades, to reduce cost, many companies began to focus on labor optimization and/or increasing productivity. This may require an increase in investment cost (e.g., equipment costs). Among the consequences of these policies is a significant reduction in direct labor cost. The necessity to reduce direct labor cost has made material handling cost more important than ever. Material handling cost reductions can be obtained by designing efficient layouts. Efficient layouts are obtained by solving machine and facility layout problems effectively. Commonly, facility and machine layout …