Digital Commons Network^™

West Virginia Coal Fly Ash Sorption Of Btex, Jerome C. Wentz

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Sorption is a term used in the environmental field to describe how chemical contaminants in soil and groundwater adhere to solid particles such as: clay, peat and activated carbon for the purposes of remediation, fate and transport. A potential surrogate for sorption of chemical contaminants in groundwater is coal fly ash. Batch test experiments have demonstrated coal fly ash's ability to remove hydrophobic, organic petroleum contaminants including: benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes (BTEX) in groundwater through the processes of sorption. Coal fly ash is a byproduct material of coal fired power plants that is often disposed of on-site or at …

Resonant Optical Waveguide Biosensor Characterization, Shantanu Pathak

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The importance of miniaturized sensors for quick and accurate assessments of a broad spectrum of hazardous biological agents has been highlighted by recent high profile events. Integrated optical devices based on evanescent wave interrogation techniques can register minute refractive index changes enabling detection of bioagents on the sensor surface and providing a potential for compact structure combined with a possibility of detecting several analytes simultaneously by fabricating multiple devices on the same chip. Most commonly integrated optical interrogation techniques suffer from issues of optical alignment and fabrication complexities. In addition the materials used to fabricate integrated optical devices experience drifts …

Effects Of Herbivory By White -Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus Zimm.) On The Population Ecology And Conservation Biology Of American Ginseng (Panax Quinquefolius L.), Mary Ann Furedi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L.) is a long-lived understory herb considered rare within its range. Harvesting pressures and habitat degradation/destruction are thought to be the primary causes of population decline although others factors such as browsing by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus Zimm.) have not yet been explored. To understand the effects of deer browsing on natural ginseng populations, my research focused on four specific objectives. First, I investigated how plant characteristics and microsite conditions influence the susceptibility to being browsed. I found that apparency plays a role in influencing browse selection, such that large, reproductive plants in visible and accessible …

Three Essays On The Profitability, Risk, And Viability Of Family Firms In A Developing Economy, Kamol Khaemasunun

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The objective of this dissertation is to examine the family firms in term of profit, risk and the probability of their survival in developing countries. The first chapter gives an introduction to this study. The second chapter provides an analysis of family businesses in regard to their performance, since there have been claims in the popular press that family-centered "crony capitalism" significantly contributed to the Asian financial crisis of 1997. Small, tightly focused firms can, however, be well managed by family hierarchies. As firms grow and diversify, family management is often displaced by diffuse ownership and independent managers. Between these …

Architectural Level Risk Assessment, Ahmed E. Hassan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Many companies develop and maintain large-scale software systems for public and financial institutions. Should a failure occur in one of these systems, the impact would be enormous. It is therefore essential, in maintaining a system's quality, to identify any defects early on in the development process in order to prevent the occurrence of failures. However, testing all modules of these systems to identify defects can be very expensive. There is therefore a need for methodologies and tools that support software engineers in identifying the defected and complex software components early on in the development process.;Risk assessment is an essential process …

Modified Delphi Investigation Of Exercise Science In Physical Education Teacher Education, Sean M. Bulger

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

As physical education teacher educators experiment with alternative pedagogical approaches to bridge the gap between subdisciplinary theory and professional practice, the need for enhanced multi-disciplinary research and communication continues. The purpose of this study was to determine the critical exercise science competencies, and associated instructional methods, that are recommended for inclusion in the physical education teacher education undergraduate curriculum. An initial list of theoretical and applied exercise science competencies was constructed using the knowledge, skills, and abilities recommended by the American College of Sports Medicine for individuals working in the field of exercise science. The two-round, modified Delphi procedure involved …

Strength Evaluation Of Honeycomb Frp Sandwich Panels With Sinusoidal Core Geometry, An Chen

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In recent years, the demands in civil infrastructure have provided opportunities for development and implementation of Honeycomb Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (HFRP) sandwich panels, both in rehabilitation projects and new constructions.;This dissertation is the first study on strength evaluation of HFRP sandwich panels with sinusoidal core geometry. Core materials for sandwich structures are primarily subjected to out-of-plane compression and shear. Therefore, three major contributions are included in this dissertation: out-of-plane compression, out-of-plane shear, and study on facesheet laminates. Two analytical models, corresponding to pure compression and elastic buckling failure, respectively, are provided for panels subject to out-of-plane compression. The facesheet and core …

Design And Flight Testing Actuator Failure Accommodation Controllers On Wvu Yf-22 Research Uavs, Yu Gu

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation describes the design, development, and flight testing of a Neural Network (NN) based Fault Tolerant Flight Control System (FTFCS) with the ability to accommodate for actuator failures. The goal of this research was to demonstrate the ability of a specific set of control laws to maintain aircraft handling qualities in the presence of failures in the actuator channels. In this study, two-failure scenarios have been investigated: aileron failure (locking of the right aileron at a trim position) and elevator failure (locking of the right elevator at a trim position). A fleet of WVU YF-22 research aircraft test-beds were …

Using Dendrochronology To Identify Species-Specific Ice Storm Damage In Delaware, Matthew John Smolnik

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Ice storms are recurrent disturbances that alter forest succession and retard tree growth rates throughout North America. Following a 1994 ice storm in Delaware, the Delaware Forest Service established seventy-five study plots to sample four species of trees (southern red oak [Quercus falcate ], white oak [Quercus alba], loblolly pine [ Pinus taeda], and yellow poplar [Liriodendron tulipifera ]) affected by the ice storm. The objectives of this study are to: (1) explore the species-specific growth rates and responses to the ice storm; and (2) determine which of the four species is best suited to provide dendroecological records of past …

Tracking The Sea-Level Signature Of The 8.2 Ka Cooling Event: New Constraints From The Mississippi Delta, Torbjörn E. Törnqvist, Scott J. Bick, Juan L. Gonzalez, Klaas Van Der Borg, Arie F. M. De Jong

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

The ever increasing need for accurate predictions of global environmental change under greenhouse conditions has sparked immense interest in an abrupt, century‐scale cooling around 8200 years ago, with a focal point in the North Atlantic and with hemispheric teleconnections. Despite considerable progress in the unraveling of this striking feature, including a conceivable driving mechanism (rapid drainage of proglacial Lake Agassiz/Ojibway and a resulting reduced strength of North Atlantic thermohaline circulation), several key questions remain unanswered. One salient aspect concerns the total amount of freshwater released during this catastrophic event, likely echoed by a near‐instantaneous eustatic sea‐level rise. So far, no …

Is The International Court Of Justice Biased?, Eric A. Posner, Miguel F. P. De Figueiredo

Coase-Sandor Institute for Law & Economics Research Paper Series

The International Court of Justice has jurisdiction over disputes between nations, and has decided dozens of cases since it began operations in 1946. Its defenders argue that the ICJ decides cases impartially and confers legitimacy on the international legal system. Its critics argue that the members of the ICJ vote the interests of the states that appoint them. Prior empirical scholarship is ambiguous. We test the charge of bias using statistical methods. We find strong evidence that (1) judges favor the states that appoint them, and (2) judges favor states whose wealth level is close to that of the judges' …

Minimalism At War, Cass R. Sunstein

Coase-Sandor Institute for Law & Economics Research Paper Series

No abstract provided.

The Decline Of The International Court Of Justice, Eric A. Posner

Coase-Sandor Institute for Law & Economics Research Paper Series

The International Court of Justice is the judicial organ of the United Nations and the preeminent international court, but its caseload is light and has declined over the long term relative to the number of states. This paper examines evidence of the ICJ’s decline, and analyzes two possible theories for this decline. The first is that states stopped using the ICJ because the judges did not apply the law impartially but favored the interests of their home states. The second is that the ICJ has been the victim of conflicting interests among the states that use and control it.

Microwave Pretreatment Of Corn Stover For Anaerobic Digestion, Abhishek D. Saxena

Masters Theses

Anaerobic digestion is one of the several technologies used for biomass conversion to electricity or heat. This thesis focused on microwave irradiation of corn stover as a pretreatment for anaerobic digestion, and studies its impact on methane production.

The first run comprised three sets of stover soaked overnight in water, dilute sulfuric acid and dilute acetic acid, and each treated to three different levels of microwave irradiation. The results indicated a high variability in the data of the water set, which showed that there was no clear impact of microwave pretreatment on methane production. The dilute sulfuric acid and dilute …

The Role Of Vitamin E In The Prevention Of Coronary Events And Stroke. Meta-Analysis Of Randomized Controlled Trials, Abdullah H. Alkhenizan, Mohammed A. Al-Omran

Saudi Medical Journal

Cardiovascular disease CVD is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the world. Vitamin E as an anti-oxidant vitamin, was suggested to have a role in the prevention of CVD. We did a meta-analysis, using the Cochrane Group Methodology, of all available randomized controlled trials RCTs to evaluate the role of vitamin E in the prevention of CVD. Nine studies met inclusion criteria, including 80,645 participants. Vitamin E supplementation was not associated with a reduction in total mortality or total CVD mortality, but it was associated with a small statistically significant reduction in non-fatal myocardial infarction in patients with …

Building Bridges Between Community Based Organizations And Technology: Exploring Tools For Community Participation And Economic Development For The Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative, Michelle M. Thompson Phd, Gisp, Leila Aman, E.J. Neafsey, Anna Karwowska, Kyu-Sang (Josh) Lee, Jason Luger, Julienne Chen

Planning and Urban Studies Reports and Presentations

Technology plays a vital role in public and private businesses, governments, and organizations, and can be especially useful to organizations that may know the least about it. Unfortunately, many Community Based Organizations (CBOs) have traditionally been unable to embrace contemporary tools due to lack of capacity, time or money. This paper begins to identify issues related to the technology gap faced by CBOs in a case study that examines community economic empowerment for the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative® (DSNI). The problem was approached through a community-university partnership between the Cornell University CRP 607 GIS Workshop Class (Sibley Consulting) and DSNI. …

Psychological Distress Between American Indian And Majority Culture College Students Regarding The Use Of The Fighting Sioux Nickname And Logo, Angela Laroque

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to investigate to what extent, the “Fighting Sioux” Nickname and Logo affects American Indian and Majority Culture college students emotionally. This study compared American Indian and Majority Culture students’ differences of emotional reactions and distress to twc different slide presentations using images of the “Fighting Sioux” Nickname and Logo found around the campus of the University of North Dakota (UND). The main focus was to examine the possible psychological side effects.

Participants consisted of 36 Majority Culture and 33 American Indian College students in attendance at UND. Each participant filled out an informed consent …

Why Faculty Use A Course Management System (Blackboard) To Supplement Their Teaching Of Traditional Undergraduate Courses, Lori Anne Swinney

Theses and Dissertations

Use of course management systems (CMS) in higher education has risen dramatically since their development in the late 1990s. This qualitative study investigated the use of a course management system (CMS) by faculty teaching undergraduate, traditional courses in a Midwestern liberal arts university. The focus of the study was on the reasons faculty stated for their adoption of a course management system in their course. Three faculty members were interviewed over a three-month time period. The participants in this study were not mandated to use a CMS by their department or the institution. Initially faculty members were asked questions regarding …

Thelma Daggs - Recollections Of A "Negro" Teacher At The Fort Totten Indian Boarding School: Pte Wa Uspewicakiyapi (Buffalo Teacher), Patricia R. Maggard

Theses and Dissertations

Black teachers’ unique historical experiences are often completely overlooked or amalgamated with those of White teachers in states such as North Dakota, where the population is predominantly White and the study of African Americans is particularly sparse. This study examines the life experiences of Thelma Bertha Daggs (now deceased), an African American teacher at the Fort Totten Indian Boarding School, Devils Lake, North Dakota from 1949 - 1967. Emphasis was placed on describing and understanding past events and the particular life experiences of Thelma Daggs through collection, evaluation, analysis and interpretation of data, including a range of historical sources from …

Information Structure In Narrative Texts In Byali (A Gur Language Of Benin), John J. Berthelette

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is an application of Knud Lambrecht’s 1994 work, Information structure and sentence form, to Byali, a Gur language of northwestern Benin (West Africa). In particular, it concerns an analysis of how the different focus structures are marked in Byali, according to Lambrecht’s framework.

Given that this is an application of a theoretical framework in order to describe a language, the thesis has three purposes: (1) to provide an overview of Lambrecht’s framework; (2) to provide an analysis of Byali data using this framework; and (3) to evaluate the suitability of Lambrecht’s framework for analyzing Byali focus structure.

Commerce, Contraband And Intrigue: Thomas O'Gorman In The Río De La Plata, 1797-1806, Jerry W. Cooney

Colonial Latin American Historical Review

No abstract provided.

El Último Asalto: El Arzobispo Toribio De Mogrovejo Y Los Jesuitas De Santiago Del Cercado En Lima Colonial, 1595-1606, Alexandre Coello De La Rosa

Colonial Latin American Historical Review

No abstract provided.

Jorge Luis Chinea, Race And Labor In The Hispanic Caribbean: The West Indian Immigrant Worker Experience In Puerto Rico, 1800-1850, Ileana M. Rodriguez-Silva

Colonial Latin American Historical Review

No abstract provided.

El Sol De Las Provincias Unidas: Un Comentario Sobre El Periodismo, La Revolución Y La Difusión De Ideas En Montevideo A Fines De La Época Colonial, Wilson F. González Demuro

Colonial Latin American Historical Review

No abstract provided.

Jane E. Mangan, Trading Roles: Gender, Ethnicity, And The Urban Economy In Colonial Potosi, Timothy E. Anna

Colonial Latin American Historical Review

No abstract provided.

M. Mónica Ghirardi, Matrimonios Y Familias En Córdoba, 1700-1850: Prácticas Y Representaciones, Donna J. Guy

Colonial Latin American Historical Review

No abstract provided.

Gabriela Siracusano, El Poder De Los Colores: Do Lo Material A Lo Simbólico En Las Prácticas Culturales Andinas, Siglos Xvi-Xviii, Guillermo Delgado-P

Colonial Latin American Historical Review

No abstract provided.

Timothy Hawkins, José De Bustamante And Central American Independence: Colonial Administration In An Age Of Imperial Crisis, Robert W. Patch

Colonial Latin American Historical Review

No abstract provided.

Full Issue, Spanish Colonial Research Center

Colonial Latin American Historical Review

No abstract provided.

The Long Term Effects Of Short-Wave Diathermy And Long-Duration Static Stretch On Hamstring Flexibility, Daniel Joseph Graham

Theses and Dissertations

Objective: To compare changes in hamstring flexibility from treatments of pulsed short- wave diathermy and prolonged stretch versus sham diathermy and prolonged stretch and control and to observe how long those changes last.

Background: Heat and stretch techniques have been touted for years. To date, the effect of short-wave diathermy and hamstring stretching has not been thoroughly studied. Because diathermy heats a large area and penetrates deep into the muscle, use of this device prior to or during hamstring stretching may increase flexibility and these gains may last longer.

Study Design: A randomized, counterbalanced 3x2x6 repeated measures design. The 3 …