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Computer-Based Methods For Constructing Two-Level Fractional-Factorial Experimental Designs With A Requirement Set, Steven L. Forsythe

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation developed four methodologies for computer-aided experimental design of two-level fractional factorial designs with requirement sets (DOE/RS). The requirement sets identify all the experimental factors and the appropriate interaction terms to be evaluated in the experiment. Taguchi graphs and similar manual methods provide techniques for solving the DOE/RS problem. Unfortunately, these methods are limited because they become difficult to use as the number of factors or interaction terms exceeds ten. This research showed that the DOE/RS problem belongs to a class of difficult-to-solve problems known as NP-Complete. It is the combinatorial nature of NP-Complete problems that causes them to …

Differences In Groupings Of Students' Academic Achievement, Attendance And Attitude As They Move From A Traditional To A Modified 4 X 4 Block Schedule, Charles Theodore Keenan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this investigation is to identify the differences in groups of high school students' achievement, attendance, and attitude as they move from a traditional schedule to a modified 4 x 4 block schedule. The population for this study consisted of all 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students at a high school during the 1998--1999 school year. There were four samples taken from this population, the first, second, third, and fourth quartiles of students. A survey questionnaire was used to determine student attitude. This survey was distributed to all 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students at the high school …

Assessing Computer -Mediated Communication Discourse Of A Traumatic Brain Injury Survivor, Cheryl L. Fickey Prichard

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Speech-language pathologists and audiologists have begun using computer technology for information storage and retrieval and as one means of providing clinical services to communication-disordered patients. The purpose of this study is to develop a protocol to assess the written communication of brain-injured clients whose communication therapy milieu includes interactions with the world outside the treatment room through computer-mediated communication (CMC).;A panel of experts reviewed a series of discourse analysis procedures and rated their perceptions of validity, reliability, and ease-of use for the procedures as means of evaluating CMC discourse. The Computer-Mediated Communication Evaluation Protocol (CMC-EP) was developed based on the …

Evaluation Of Opacity, Particulate Matter, And Carbon Monoxide From Heavy-Duty Diesel Transient Chassis Tests, Ronald Page Jarrett

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Opacity and emission data were collected from heavy-duty diesel engines exercised through snap-acceleration tests and transient chassis dynamometer tests. Emission data were gathered using the West Virginia University (WVU) Transportable Heavy Duty Vehicle Emission Testing Laboratories (THDVETL) and opacity data were collected from two opacity meters; the Wager 650CP full flow opacity meter and the Bosch RT 100 partial flow opacimeter. Results showed that the Bosch peak opacity readings were consistently higher than the Wager peak opacity readings, and both meters showed little correlation with filter-captured particulate matter (PM). It was also observed that the snap-acceleration test did not identify …

Effects Of Ownership And Circulation On Editorial Presentation In West Virginia Newspapers, Matthew E. Umstead

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This thesis, which focuses on the post-yellow journalism era in West Virginia, further develops the body of research done on the influence of chain ownership in newspapers.;Historically, strong political biases in news coverage were found in the yellow journalism, early 20th century period. And this study finds a conservative bias on the opinion-editorial pages in a traditionally Democratic state with few competing media markets and reliance upon newspapers for local news. This thesis finds ownership status and circulation size affects the balance and variety of feature items presented within the opinion editorial content. Thus, previous research suggesting chain ownership influence …

West Virginians' Perceptions And Use Of Complementary Medicine, Joshua David Blevins

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to determine how West Virginian's perceive and use complementary medicine. The first objective was to determine the frequency of respondents who had used at least one complementary therapy in the last year. The second objective was to determine the most commonly used complementary therapies among respondents. The third objective was to examine the demographic characteristics of respondents who used complementary therapies. The fourth objective was to determine if certain types of medical problems led to complementary medicine use among respondents. The fifth objective was to show the percentage of users who informed their physician …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Metal Oxide Nanoparticles, Heidi Jo Magnone

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Nanoparticles of CuO, Co3O4 and Mn5O 8 were prepared via sol-gel chemical routes. Thermal treatments of the gels were used to obtain particles of different sizes, as determined by the widths of the Bragg lines in x-ray diffraction. To prepare CuO nanoparticles, a Cu(OH)2 gel was first produced by reacting copper nitrate with sodium hydroxide, followed by annealing the gel at temperatures between 160°C to 1,000°C to produce particles in the 6 to 36 nm range. Nanoparticles of Co3O4 in the size range of 9 to 45 nm were prepared in an analogous manner by reacting cobalt nitrate and sodium …

Subjective Norms, Attitudes, Body Mass Indices, And Self Esteem As Influences On Women's Body Image Behavior, Amy Martha Rogers

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to demonstrate associations between perception of body image among women and their body image behaviors. A study was needed to determine the extent to which subjective norms, attitudes, beliefs, Body Mass Index, and self esteem were associated with body image behaviors. The target population in this study was female students at West Virginia University. Data collection was facilitated through an anonymous mailed questionnaire sent to 400 female students at West Virginia University. Components of Theory of Reasoned Action were used to develop a questionnaire. Questions assessed participants' attitudes and beliefs, subjective norms, and outcomes …

Mapping Appalachia, Jennifer Hall Boggess

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The complexities of natural and human events that make up the history of a place also create components of its image. Images, even those that are meant to describe limited, specific information, often reveal more than that which they were designed to tell. The maps that have been used in conjunction with traditional notions of landscape painting suggest that there is no single way to understand a place. They also hint of something ineffable but true emerging from their forms. The history of movement of people and natural forces, the arriving and leaving of individuals and cultures change the landscape. …

Business Case For Traffic Engineering, Dave Hartzell

Masters Theses & Doctoral Dissertations

This project and the accompanying case studies attempt to investigate and implement new network technologies in the realm of Traffic Engineering. Traffic Engineering provides a set of tools for network engineers and administrators that allow them to manipulate the network's behavior in a manner that better suites the needs of the users and their applications. There is a legitimate business case for Traffic Engineering. New applications and uses for the Internet are causing a shift in the type of traffic that was once common. This shift includes new traffic patterns that are generated by services like voice and video, peer-to­peer …

Commercialism, Subsistence, And Competency On The Western Virginia Frontier, 1765--1800, John M. Boback

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Since the early nineteenth century, Americans have frequently associated the pioneers of the Appalachian Mountains with subsistence farming, economic independence, and a certain degree of hostility toward capitalism. This thesis disproves the myth of pioneer self-sufficiency by demonstrating how the men and women who settled in western Virginia during the final third of the eighteenth century used a variety of tactics in their struggle to achieve a competency. Although subsistence activities, such as hunting and farming, undoubtedly held an important place in the backcountry domestic economy, the settlers also interacted with the commercial market as both producers and consumers of …

Effects Of Gender And Gender Role On Cardiovascular Reactivity And Anger Experience During An Interpersonal Interaction, Andria Leigh Black

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study examined gender and gender role differences in cardiovascular reactivity and anger experience during an interpersonal interaction. Ninety-six participants interacted in dyads (traditional masculine men with traditional feminine women, and androgynous men with androgynous women). Agency (degree of challenge; High versus Low) and Communion (degree of agreement; Agree versus Disagree) were manipulated. Heart rate (HR) and systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP and DBP) were assessed. Participants completed questionnaires assessing state and trait anger, and angry thoughts. Traditional women exhibited higher HR during speaking and listening intervals than other groups. Higher levels of state anger were reported for individuals …

An Analysis Of Financial Issues Faced By Microenterprises In Mexico, Heikki Heino

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The economic and social role of microenterprises in developing countries is well recognized. Research has shown that the importance of microenterprises in economic development derives from the fact that small firms use labor intensively rather than capital. In the case of Mexico, microenterprises employ over 20 percent of the working age population. Moreover, from 1991 to 1995 the number of microenterprises operating in Mexico increased from 5.7 to 6.1 million firms.

Given the role that microenterprises play in employment creation, a natural research question that arises is then, “how microenterprises are created and survive under credit market imperfections.” A general …

Evangelical Episcopalians And The Church Of Jesus In Mexico, 1857–1906, John Steven Rice

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Shortly after the adoption of the 1857 Constitution in Mexico, a small group of Mexican priests left the Roman Catholic Church and attempted to establish a national catholic apostolic church in Mexico. This movement became known as the Church of Jesus. With the help of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States it continued until 1906 when it ceased to be independent and officially became a mission project of the American Episcopal Church. Historians have placed the burden of failure of the Church of Jesus on factors in Mexico and have not taken into account the party strife within …

Syllable Structure Development Of Toddlers With Expressive Specific Language Impairment, Aimée Baird Pharr, Nan Bernstein Ratner, Leslie Rescorla

Psychology Faculty Research and Scholarship

A total of 35 children - 20 with expressive specific language impairment (SLI-E) and 15 typically developing (TD) peers - were compared longitudinally from 24 to 36 months with respect to their production of syllable shapes in 10-minute spontaneous speech samples. SLI-E 24-month-olds predominantly produced earlier developing syllable shapes containing vowels, liquids, and glides. TD 24-month-olds and SLI-E 36-month-olds produced approximately the same proportion of syllable types, with the exception of consonant clusters, where TD 24 month-olds produced more than SLI-E 36-month-olds. TD children at 36 months showed the greatest use of syllable shapes containing two different consonants and consonant …

Concurring In Result Without Written Opinion: A Condemnable Practice, Ira Robbins

Scholarly Articles in Law Reviews & Journals

No abstract provided.

Employment-Based Health Insurance In New Mexico: An Analysis Of The 2000 Health Policy Commission Statewide Employer Survey Of Health Insurance, Lee A. Reynis, Dolores Busch-Demarcus, Tony Sylvester

BBER Publications

This report presents and analyzes the results of the 2000 Health Policy Commission Statewide Employer Survey. A statewide telephone survey of New Mexico businesses was conducted by the Gilmore Research Group, and a mail-out survey of New Mexico public sector employers was conducted by BBER. The surveys were designed to collect information on employer characteristics, employee benefits, health insurance plans with the largest enrollment, and recent changes in employee health insurance plans and programs. In addition, the private sector survey gathered employers opinions, including policy preferences and factors for employee insurance availability. Illustrated with tables. Appendices include the survey methodology, …

The Effects Of Eldercare Responsibilities On Employed Caregivers, Nancy Jean Mcenroe

Theses and Dissertations

The number of people in the older population will continue to grow as the decades progress. The most rapid increase expected would be between the years 2010 and 2030 when the “baby boom” generation reaches 65 years or older. By the year 2030, there will be about 70 million older persons, more than twice the number than for the year 1998.

More and more people will live long enough to experience multiple chronic illnesses, disability, and dependency; in addition there will be more relatives in their fifties and sixties who will be facing the concern and expense of caring for …

An Interview Study Of Educational Success Among American Indian Doctoral Recipients, Linda L. Neuerburg

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to better understand the successful educational experiences among Native American doctoral recipients and why they succeeded where so many others have failed to reach that level of education. The participants' individual experiences were recorded during the in-depth interviews. Their own voices have indicated their path to success.

Qualitative research methods were used in the study including interviews, participant observation, and follow-up telephone interviews. Data were analyzed for themes and results were discussed in reference to the literature. Recommendations for parents, teachers, school administrators, mentors, faculty, and college administrators were provided.

The study allowed the …

Social Climate In The University Social System, Peter L. Groff

Theses and Dissertations

Social climate (campus climate), which is defined as "Equal Opportunity Climate, 1" has been deemed important by recent legislation requiring that federally funded institutions demonstrate a good faith effort to assess "climate" as an ongoing concern. The 1991 Civil Rights Act has expanded the working definition of social climate by including both the atmosphere and the behavior of discrimination. Social climate then becomes a legally recognized dimension of the workplace that is assumed to be a measurable concept, as an organizational level characteristic, that can be measured by individual perceptions and experiences with the social climate. One purpose of this …

Alternative Solutions For The Use Of Outdated Computer Hardware, Benjamin Erickson

Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

What Makes A Pastor Effective?, Roger Dudley, H. Peter Swanson

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Alexander Von Humboldt And Nineteenth-Century Ideas On The Origin Of American Indians, Michael Anthony Wadyko

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation revolves around Alexander von Humboldt's research on Indian origins. Humboldt conducted investigations on Indians during his precedent-setting scientific expedition to Meso- and South America during the years 1799--1804. Officially sponsored by the Spanish crown, the main purposes for this expedition were twofold: to examine, evaluate, and discredit Buffon's "degeneracy" claims about America and its inhabitants, and to gather empirical evidence on geography, climate, flora, fauna, and the indigenous cultures. From these results Humboldt published three major works about the expedition, particularly a thirty-volume work condensed to two volumes, Vues de Cordilleres et monuments des peuples d' Amerique.;From this …

Burnout, Stress And Social Support Among Doctoral Students In Psychology, Kelli Lee Weaver

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The relationships between burnout, stress, and social support have been evaluated across a number of populations within the helping professions. However, no published studies have addressed the relationships between the aforementioned variables among doctoral students in psychology. As a result, the current study attempted to expand knowledge of the relationships between burnout, stress, and social support specifically among Clinical, Counseling, and School Psychology doctoral students. Results suggested that Clinical, Counseling, and School Psychology doctoral students are generally similar in their reports of burnout, stress, and social support. However, several differences were observed between the groups, and these differences are reported. …

Three-Dimensional Image Reconstruction Of Skeletal Tissue From Computed Tomography, Sundareswar Bangalore Jayashekar

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Edge Detection Techniques play a very important role in medical imaging. Pre-operative diagnosis of diseases such as cancer, tumors, bone fractures etc. depend on edge detection techniques to identify the malignant growths. In orthopedics, edge detection techniques are used in the reconstruction of the skeletal system from modalities such as MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) and CT (computed tomography).;In this thesis, we develop a simple process for the three dimensional image reconstruction of the human knee, starting from computed tomography scans. Designing a digital image processing technique which successfully separates the bone from the surrounding flesh and muscle tissue is the …

Approaches To Creating Anonymous Patient Database, Shijun Shen

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Health care providers, health plans and health care clearinghouses collect patient medical data derived from their normal operations every day. These patient data can greatly benefit the health care organization if data mining techniques are applied upon these data sets. However, individual identifiable patient information needs to be protected in accordance with Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and the quality of patient data also needs to be ensured in order for data mining tasks achieve accurate results. This thesis describes a patient data transformation system which transforms patient data into high quality and anonymous patient records that is …

Hazardous Materials Database, Veena Vadiala

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Handling and disposal of a retired object can be a major component of its Life Cycle Cost. Often, during dismantling of a retired object many hazardous materials are released. Disposal of hazardous materials also need to comply with various federal regulations. Agencies like Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) set these safety regulations. It is possible to apply generic exposure and release controls to protect workers from hazardous materials. For the most cost effective hazard controls it is necessary first to identify the materials and their properties of primary concern. There is a need …

Factors Influencing Brook Trout (Salvelinus Fontinalis ) Abundance In Forested Headwater Streams With Emphasis On Fine Sediment, James Philip Hakala

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The influence and relative importance of fine sediment on wild brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) population size was assessed. Brook trout production in headwater streams was inversely proportional to substrate permeability in one of two years, suggesting substrate composition influenced production. Results suggest the critical fine sediment size for brook trout in this study, is between 0.063 mm and 1.0 mm. Further, fine sediment (<0.063 mm) should not exceed 0.6--1.0% of spawning substrate, or negative population effects may be incurred. Under normal flow conditions, fine sediment was a principal determinant of juvenile trout abundance relative to other physical and biological factors. Adult trout abundance was principally a function of stream discharge, and is potentially further influenced by fine sediment impacts on juvenile recruitment. Spatially restricted food resources, created by drought-induced low flows in year 2 of the study, are believed to have over-powered mechanisms influencing trout abundance under normal flows.

Diversity Of Ectomycorrhizal Fungi On Two Reclaimed Surface Mines Differing In Soil Properties, Betsy S. Kurnik

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

I analyzed community structure of ectomycorrhizal fungi on white pine (Pinus strobus) on two reclaimed surface mines in eastern Ohio. One site was acidic and metal-stressed, the other was alkaline. Completely different community composition was found on the two sites by PCR/ITS/RFLP analyses of field collected mycorrhizae. However, Shannon-Wiener index values indicated that the two communities were equally diverse. A population of isolates of one species common to both sites was obtained from trap cultures planted with white pine. The identity of this species as Wilcoxina mikolae was established through DNA sequencing of the ITS region. The W. mikolae populations …

Increasing Nutrition Knowledge And Food-Related Behavior Practices Among Participants In The "Dining With Diabetes" Program In West Virginia, Amy B. O'Dell

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Diabetes is a serious disease that effects a large number of West Virginia's population. A study was conducted using 591 diabetic and non-diabetic subjects who attended the "Dining with Diabetes" program. Subjects completed a demographic form, pretest, and posttest. Pearson's correlation and ANOVA were used to determine the effect of a diabetes intervention program on nutrition knowledge, diabetes behaviors, and practices. The results indicated that there was no significant difference in nutrition knowledge between diabetic and non-diabetic subjects. Interaction was noted when subjects were placed into groups based on their pretest score (p < 0.07). The change in score (posttest score-pretest score) was negatively correlated with pretest score (r = -0.75, p < 0.00). Significant association was also noted between nutrition knowledge score and several behavior and diabetic practices. The results conclude that diabetes education programs may significantly affect some behaviors and diabetic practices.