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Spatial And Seasonal Variation In Brook Trout Diet, Growth, And Consumption In A Complex Appalachian Watershed, David W. Thorne

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

I quantified brook trout diet, growth, and consumption in the upper Shavers Fork watershed from May 2002--October 2003. Seven study sites were selected to represent small tributary, large tributary, and mainstem habitats within the watershed. The objectives of the study were to determine if diet, growth, and consumption in brook trout were dependent on fish size, season, and location within the watershed. Fish diets were sampled and categorized into six prey type groups to determine variability in prey composition and diet mass. Mark-recapture was used to measure growth in individual fish between sampling seasons and the growth information was then …

Effectiveness Of Treatment And Diversity Of Microbial Populations Within A Constructed Wetland Treating Wastewater, Jolene M. Friedland

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Constructed wetlands are used as alternative on-site wastewater treatment systems. Microbiological dynamics in constructed wetlands are essential to adequate functioning and efficiency of these systems. The efficacy of wastewater treatment by a large subsurface flow wetland receiving wastewater from a multi-user facility was examined. Real-time monitoring with telemetry was combined with measurement of standard wastewater parameters such as biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), total suspended solids (TSS), and enumeration of fecal coliforms. Passage of wastewater through the wetland significantly reduced standard wastewater parameters in effluent samples. Heterotrophic bacterial diversity was examined using community level physiological profiling (CLPP) and molecular characterization of …

Factors Underlying Stalking And Harassing Behavior In A College Population, Jill Johansson-Love

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

At the high end of unwanted pursuit behavior is stalking. This study, using questionnaires, investigated a sample of 48, college females, identified as potential stalkers. Factors examined included: demographic information, social desirability, psychological functioning, attachment, motive, rape myth acceptance, adversarial sexual beliefs, criminal thinking styles, and the actual unwanted pursuit behavior. Hypotheses regarding the criminal thinking styles of the individuals engaging in harassing and stalking behavior were supported at the .05 level. These findings indicate that harassers and stalkers exhibit criminal thinking patterns, such as sacrificing internal control to exert control over the external environment and justifying behavior by externalizing …

Stream Ecosystem Response To Mitigative Limestone Treatment In Acid-Impaired, Central Appalachian Streams, Sarah Elizabeth Mcclurg

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

We quantified water chemistry, primary production, and benthic macroinvertebrate and fish community structure in 20 Central Appalachian streams: 4 acidic streams, 8 naturally circumneutral streams, and 8 historically acidic streams treated annually with limestone sand over varying lengths of time. The objective was to determine the extent of chemical and biological recovery and temporal trends in the recovery process of limestone treated streams compared to circumneutral reference conditions in Central Appalachia. Results indicate that the application of limestone sand to acidic streams is effective in fully and immediately recovering some of the chemical and biological characteristics of naturally functioning stream …

Starvation-Induced Alterations In Hepatic Lysine Metabolism In Different Families Of Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus Mykiss), Angela Higgins

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study focused on lysine catabolism by the lysine alpha-ketoglutarate reductase (LKR) pathway in rainbow trout (RBT). Selective breeding based on feed efficiency in 2 strains (A and B) of RBT generated 2 families within each strain. Eight fish from each of the four families were randomly allotted to individual tanks. Fish were fed until satiation for 3 wks at which time four fish within each family were randomly selected for 2 wks of starvation. After the 2 wk starvation, all fish were harvested. Hepatic in-vitro LKR activity and lysine oxidation (LOX) were measured as was LKR mRNA abundance. Strain …

Glaucomys Sabrinus Fuscus Habitat And Nest Box Use In West Virginia With Management Recommendations For Kumbrabow State Forest, Tamara M. Terry

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Nest site selection and habitat use of the endangered West Virginia northern flying squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus fuscus) is poorly understood. Because access to suitable nesting sites and habitats could be limiting factors, it is important to investigate these ecological requirements to further conservation efforts of the species. My study was conducted on the Kumbrabow State Forest and the MeadWestvaco Wildlife and Ecological Research Forest in Randolph County, West Virginia. I examined characteristics of 31 nest sites (22 cavity; 8 leaf; 1 undetermined) from 4 radio-collared West Virginia northern flying squirrels during the summers of 2002--2003. The nest trees used were …

Needed Communication Skills During Initial Employment As Perceived By Graduates Of The West Virginia University Davis College Of Agriculture, Forestry And Consumer Sciences, Jessica R. Rollins

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of the study was to determine communication skills used during initial employment by graduates of the Davis College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences who were enrolled in the agricultural and natural resources communications (AgEE 421) course. The population consisted of 70 2001--2002 graduates of West Virginia University Davis College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences who were enrolled in agricultural and natural resources communications (AgEE 421) during their collegiate careers. A descriptive research design was used for the study. A major finding of the study was the beneficial effects of educational training in communications skills prior to …

Geomorphic Analysis Of Stream Crossings In A Portion Of The Upper Cheat River Basin, Joshua A. White

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

An inventory and analysis of culverts as vertebrate migration barriers has been completed in a relatively pristine portion of the Upper Cheat River basin, Randolph and Tucker counties, West Virginia. Investigators in four different disciplines contributed to the project, including the geomorphological research represented by this thesis. This project had an underlying purpose to assess the potential for stream mitigation credits through a possible future stream mitigation banking program.;Several conditions appear correlated with problem culvert sites. Calvin high base substratum-Belmont-Meckesville soil association is associated with the greatest amounts of instability and aggradation at culvert sites. Three-quarters of the study area …

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 …

Biometric Analysis And Aversive Conditioning Of Black Bears In Southern West Virginia, Harley Wayne Weaver

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

During 2003, 11 male and 1 female black bear (Ursus americanus) were captured and fitted with radio collars. Individuals were randomly assigned to receive either treatment (n = 6) or control (n = 6). Upon release, treatment individuals received a conditional regimen comprised of rubber buckshot to the flank and a succession of shell crackers. Physical and auditory conditioning techniques we used did not appear to be an effective means of reducing repeat nuisance behavior.;West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR) captured 179 (151 males, 28 females) nuisance and 156 (77 males, 79 females) non-nuisance individuals from 1996 to 2003.;We …

Software Risk Assessment Based On Uml Models, Kalaivani Appukkutty

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Risk is the possibility of suffering loss. Risks identified during the early stages of software development are easier and cheaper to handle by making changes to the software architecture. This thesis presents methodologies to assess software risk using Unified Modeling Language (UML) specifications of the software from the early design stages. We present methodologies to assess two types of software risk: Requirements-based risk and Performance-based risk. In assessing requirements-based risk, each requirement is mapped to a specific operational scenario in UML. The risk factor of a scenario in a failure mode is obtained by combining the probability of failure of …

Hematotoxicity Of Heptachlor, Sarah Vanessa Meads Dodson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Hematotoxicity has been documented in adults exposed to high levels of organochlorine pesticides. Our studies revealed that prenatal exposure to the organochlorine pesticide heptachlor resulted in alteration of lymphocyte development, while myeloid cell development was spared. To further investigate effects of heptachlor on lymphoid cells, we evaluated direct exposure of this compound on pro-B and pre-B cells. In these studies, the pro-B cell line C1.92 and the pre-B cell line 70Z/3 demonstrated concentration-dependent decreases in proliferation following heptachlor exposure. Pro-B cell viability decreased significantly; however, pre-B cell viability was not altered. Further investigation into mechanisms of diminished cell proliferation revealed …

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 …

Caregiver Factors Related To Unintentional Burn Injuries In Young Children, Karen E. Joseph

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The main purpose of this study was to examine the contribution of caregiver behavioral versus demographic factors to the prediction of a child burn injury and caregiver safety behavior using a sample of primary caregivers of children (aged 0--5 years) with a burn injury (case participants) or without one (comparison participants). Case participants (n = 30) were recruited from a burn center in the Northeastern United States, whereas comparison participants (n = 30) were recruited from pediatric facilities, balanced to cases by child age, gender, race, and geography, and caregiver socioeconomic and marital status. Measures of demographic and burn information, …

System Identification And Control Of The Standpipe In A Cold Flow Circulating Fluidized Bed, Juchirl Park

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Circulating fluidized beds (CFB) have been widely applied to many areas of industry such as chemical processing, petroleum refining, catalytic cracker processing, power generation, and waste treatment.;Recently, a mathematical model of the CFCFB standpipe was successfully developed and tested using an extended Kalman filter (EKF) and an Hinfinity estimator algorithm. Using this standpipe mathematical model requires a solids circulation rate (SCR) to be a measurable variable offered from a spiral installed in the standpipe of the CFCFB. In this research, a linear state space system model is developed in order to estimate the solids circulation rate, using a least squares …

Synchronization For Capacity -Approaching Coded Communication Systems, Jian Sun

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The dissertation concentrates on synchronization of capacity approaching error-correction codes that are deployed in noisy channels with very low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). The major topics are symbol timing synchronization and frame synchronization.;Capacity-approaching error-correction codes, like turbo codes and low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes, are capable of reaching very low bit error rates and frame error rates in noisy channels by iterative decoding. To fully achieve the potential decoding capability of Turbo codes and LDPC codes, proper symbol timing synchronization, frame synchronization and channel state estimation are required. The dissertation proposes a joint estimator of symbol time delay and channel SNR for …

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 …

Pain-Related Acceptance And Physical Impairment In Individuals With Chronic Pain, Kevin E. Vowles

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Treatments using acceptance-based approaches have been utilized for a variety of health care concerns with data regarding their application to a chronic pain population recently emerging. These approaches may be particularly suited to chronic pain as they target potentially harmful avoidance and ineffective pain control strategies. Acceptance of chronic pain is related to psychosocial constructs generally (e.g., depression, pain-related anxiety); however, its relation to the overt behavioral variables associated with such states remains unevaluated. The present investigation assessed the specific effects of an acceptance-based versus control-based instructional set on demonstrated physical impairment in 74 individuals with chronic low back pain. …

Interactions Of Allelopathy And Competition Affecting Ziziphus Spina-Christi And Prosopis Juliflora Seedlings, Thobayet S. Alshahrani

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study consists of two parts, provides data on the interference between Ziziphus spina-christi, native to Saudi Arabia, and Prosopis juliflora, an introduced species. Dry leaves from both species were milled and used to prepare extracts using 0g/l, 5g/l, 20g/l, 40g/l, 60g/l, and 100 g/l of dried leaves. Leaf extract of P. juliflora was used to irrigate Z. spina-christi with 120 ml weekly over a 7-month growth period, and vice versa. Plant height, plant diameter, number of leaves, leaf area, chlorophyll content, total root length, number of root tips, root diameter, root surface area, root volume, shoot dry weight, root …

Augmentation Of The Differentiation Response To Antitumor Quinolines, Rayhana Rahim-Bata

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

An impeding challenge to breast cancer drug therapies is the availability of more effective and less toxic chemotherapeutic agents that do not relay harm to neighboring normal breast cells and tissues. Preliminary studies showed that the quinoline antimalarials, chloroquine (CQ and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), inhibit proliferation and induce differentiation in breast cancer cell lines without toxicity to normal MCF-10A breast cells. Hence, the goal of these studies was to explore: (1) whether a drug combination modulating epigenetic events would sensitize breast cancer cells to the antitumor activity of CQ or HCQ, (2) and if so, which would be the most promising …

Structure And Dynamics Of Interfaces In The Epitaxial Growth And Erosion On (110) And (100) Crystal Surfaces, Artem Levandovsky

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

We present unified theory of the far-from-equilibrium interfacial phenomena occurring in the multilayer homoepitaxial growth and erosion on (110) and (100) crystal surfaces. Within a unified model, here we elucidate the multitude of novel states on (110) and (100) surfaces as well as the transitions between them. In particular, by analytic arguments and numerical simulations, we address experimentally observed transitions between two types of rippled states on (110) surfaces. We discuss several intermediary interface states intervening, via consecutive transitions, between the two rippled states. One of the intermediary interface states, the Rhomboidal Pyramid State, was theoretically anticipated by us and …

Shrinkage And Strength Characterizations Of Concrete Containing Supplementary Cementing Materials, Aniruddha Chatterjee

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Considerable differences in drying shrinkage strains and compressive strengths are observed in HPC containing supplementary cementing materials from normal concrete (without any supplementary cementing material). The differences in these properties due to addition of supplementary cementing materials occur because of different quantity of C-S-H gel formation. This limits the application to HPC of standard prediction equation for shrinkage and strength of normal concrete.;Therefore in this study a novel technique has been used to estimate the C-S-H gel for cement pastes containing supplementary cementing materials in varying replacement proportions and combinations. New shrinkage and compressive strength models have been developed using …

Limiting Dns Covert Channels And Network Validated Dns, Rex D. Mccracken

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Despite the variety and number of network security devices and policies available, sensitive data, such as intellectual property and business data, can still be surreptitiously sent via the Internet to unscrupulous receivers. Furthermore, few security mechanisms address securing or limiting covert channels. This study defines a framework for determining a rule set to minimize covert channel capacity on the DNS protocol specifically. The information and techniques used in this study may be useful in aiding security professionals and developers with enforcing security policies on DNS and other Internet protocols.;This research resulted in the development of a rudimentary tool, referred to …

Behavior Of Frp Wrapped Concrete Cylinders, Renee R. Rajappa

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In this research, increases in strength, stiffness and ductility due to external wrapping of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) sheets on plain and steel reinforced concrete cylinders were studied. The research focused on behavior of plain and wrapped concrete cylinders with respect to parameters such as: (1) concrete compressive strength (fc'); (2) fiber orientation of CFRP wrap (0°, 45° and +/-45°); (3) cylinder size (3" x 6", 4" x 8", 6" x 12"); (4) number of CFRP wraps (1, 3, 6); (5) wrapping height and location (top and bottom, middle); (6) degree of fabric wetting; and (7) degree of bonding …

Development Of New Protocols To Evaluate The Transverse Loading Of Mine Ventilation Stoppings, Thomas M. Barczak

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The transverse loading requirement for stoppings as specified in the current Code of Federal Regulations is 39 psf. This measure is based on physical testing of a freestanding wall in accordance with ASTM E 72 specifications, where the dominant parameter is the tensile strength of the sealant. A new protocol based on rigid arching is proposed to determine the true transverse load capacity of stoppings. Arching is achieved by the restraint of the stopping against the mine roof and floor, whereby compressive forces are developed within the wall. A laboratory procedure using the NIOSH Mine Roof Simulator (MRS) to simulate …

Recycling Of Plastics Derived From End-Of-Life (Eol) Electronic Equipment, Xiufang Cheng

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This research work focuses on a chemical process to separate mixed plastics from EOL electronic equipment.;The most prominent components of waste plastics, PC (Polycarbonate), PS (Polystyrene) and ABS (Acylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) from obsolete computers are taken to be samples in this work. Qualitative analysis was carried out to identify these samples using FT-IR (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscope). Quantitative analysis was performed using Elemental Analyzer to get the calibration curves for PC/PS and PC/ABS. A number of organic solvents were investigated to dissolve the desired samples. A series of separation experiments were carried out with PC/PS, PC/ABS, and PC/PS/ABS mixtures under …

Visual Basic Time-Space Query Modeling For Geovisualization Of Life Paths, Ryan Heaslip

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The origins and incidence of many health problems are related to geographical circumstances. To be able understanding the underlying contributing factors requires conceptualizing the problem in geographical terms. A temporal dataset of individuals' locations was acquired from an annual census taken in Sweden. A space-time query model was constructed to explore associations between an individual's residential locations for given periods of time to those of other individuals with similar heath, or health related factors. The space-time query model was created in the Visual Basic extension of ArcGIS 8.3. Results were in the form of selections that could be exported into …

Yale Scientific Magazine: Volume 78, Number 2

Yale Scientific Magazine

No abstract provided.

Wisc-Iii Performance Differences Between Non-Referred Native American And Euro-American Children, Kandi Burr-Selle

Theses and Dissertations

The appropriateness of using standardized intelligence tests with minority populations has become a controversial topic for both researchers and practitioners. It has been suggested that the validity of such instruments is compromised due to biases in content and failure to consider culturally based learning style differences. A number of Familial variables such as socioeconomic status (SES) and cultural identification are also believed to impact performance.

Native American children typically score lower on the verbal scales of the Wechsler tests than non-Native children. Conversely, Native American children have demonstrated average or slightly superior perceptual skills that allow them to score higher …

Vice President Against President, Gleaves Whitney

Ask Gleaves

No abstract provided.