Digital Commons Network^™

Undergraduate Academic Advising Experiences With Confirmation And Supportive And Connected Communication Climate, Sara Pitts

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation examined undergraduate student perceptions of academic advisors use of communication confirmation and supportive and connected communication climate. Additionally, this dissertation investigated if academic advisors use of confirmation behaviors had an effect on student learning, specifically, cognitive learning outcomes, affective learning outcomes, and satisfaction. Focus groups were conducted with 33 current undergraduate students. First and second cycle coding of the data revealed four academic advisor confirming behaviors: (a) recognize students’ experiences outside the classroom, (b) collaborate on educational/career goals, (c) recall prior interactions with the student, and (d) offer praise and positive feedback. Additionally, students identified three disconfirming behaviors …

The U.S. Coal Industry: Market Structure & Implications, Sara Elizabeth Guffey

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The U.S. coal mining industry was once a booming industry which created and defined communities, particularly in Appalachia. The industry has, however, transformed significantly in the last couple of decades with the passage of environmental policies, with competition from the Shale Revolution, from changes in company ownership, and from mine safety regulation. Overall, the coal industry during this time has experienced a massive decline in production and employment. This dissertation is composed of three papers that investigate these mechanisms and their role in understanding market structure, coal transactions and prices, and mine safety outcomes. Motivated by the shutdowns of U.S. …

“The Illusion Of Collaboration”: An Integrated Examination Of The Antecedents, Processes, And Consequences Of Online Group Work, Jill Cathleen Woods

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) presents postsecondary educators with a conundrum: how to design and support small-group activities without stifling deep and meaningful learning. The literature indicates that students are not consistently practicing higher-order cognitive activities, educators are not reliably designing or facilitating them, and/or researchers are not locating or identifying them where they are occurring. The aim of this dissertation is to explore these deficits by identifying the antecedent conditions that most affect collaboration. Specifically, I answer the question, how do learner’s prior knowledge, characteristics, and experiences manifest in their collaborative processes. Addressing a gap in the literature, this study …

Learning Mathematics While Black In Rural Appalachia: Black Students' Counterstories And Freedom Dreams About Mathematics Education, Sean P. Freeland

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation aims to illuminate and uncover the experiences of Black students’ learning mathematics in rural Appalachia and specifically West Virginia. The focal theory for this study is Critical Race Theory (CRT) which centers the experience of Black students and their voices. The intersection of race, mathematics education, and the context of rural Appalachia contribute to the analysis of these experiences in specific ways. Participants for this study included six Black high school students from various communities throughout West Virginia. Through interviews and mathematical autobiographies, these students shared their experiences learning mathematics across their schooling experiences and also considering their …

Characterization Of Two Krab-Containing Zinc Finger Transcription Factors In Bovine Preimplantation Embryonic Development, Mingxiang Zhang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Oocyte developmental competence or oocyte intrinsic quality describes the capability of oocytes to resume meiosis, cleave and develop to blastocyst stage after fertilization, implant and develop to term in a good health. A growing number of evidences indicate that the majority of embryonic mortality occurs during early embryonic development in different species, including human, horse and cattle primarily due to poor oocyte quality. Maternal effect genes are key aspects of oocyte quality, which are transcribed during the process of oogenesis and folliculogenesis. The maternal factors are accumulated in oocytes, orchestrating various early developmental events including fertilization, epigenetic reprogramming and zygotic …

Machine Learning Based Real-Time Quantification Of Production From Individual Clusters In Shale Wells, Ayodeji Luke Aboaba

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Over the last two decades, there has been advances in downhole monitoring in oil and gas wells with the use of Fiber-Optic sensing technology such as the Distributed Temperature Sensing (DTS). Unlike a conventional production log that provides only snapshots of the well performance, DTS provides continuous temperature measurements along the entire wellbore.

Whether by fluid extraction or injection, oil and gas production changes reservoir conditions, and continuous monitoring of downhole conditions is highly desirable. This research study presents a tool for real-time quantification of production from individual perforation clusters in a multi-stage shale well using Artificial Intelligence and Machine …

Examining The Spatial Relationship Between Maternal Morbidity, Access To Health Care, And Community Characteristics In West Virginia, Sarah E. Woolard

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Maternal-related morbidity rates in the United States have risen almost three fold since the early 1990’s. Issues related to rurality, socioeconomic disparities, and pre-existing health conditions increase the risk of poor pregnancy outcomes and introduce barriers to accessing advanced maternal health care. West Virginia (WV) has higher maternal morbidity rates than many other states in the United States (US), and is considered to be driven by all 55 counties being classified as Appalachian, possessing the highest prenatal smoking rate in the US, and having disparities in access to health care. Despite this, no previous studies have evaluated maternal morbidity in …

Investigation Of A Novel Throughput Agent On Production Rate And Pellet Quality And The Development Of A Lab-Based Method To Predict Salmonella Reduction In Poultry Feed, Utilizing Varying Feed Manufacture Parameters, Timothy Paul Boltz

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate a novel throughput agent and its mechanisms on production rate and pellet quality. An additional experiment using lab-based methods and models was conducted to predict Salmonella reduction in mash broiler feed. Feed mill pellet production rate is of great importance to integrated meat bird production. Feed hygienics are also of increasing concern for poultry producers.

In chapter 2, the effect of AZOMITE® (AZM) and varying inorganic phosphate sources (IPS) on pellet mill production rate and pellet quality was assessed. It is documented that the naturally abrasive properties of inorganic phosphate sources may scour the …

Application Of Artificial Intelligence For Co2 Storage In Saline Aquifer (Smart Proxy For Snap-Shot In Time), Marwan Mohammed Alnuaimi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technology have grown in popularity. Smart Proxy Models (SPM) are AI/ML based data-driven models which have proven to be quite crucial in petroleum engineering domain with abundant data, or operations in which large surface/ subsurface volume of data is generated. Climate change mitigation is one application of such technology to simulate and monitor CO2 injection into underground formations.

The goal of the SPM developed in this study is to replicate the results (in terms of pressure and saturation outputs) of the numerical reservoir simulation model (CMG) for CO2 injection into …

The Exposome, Metabolic Dysfunction And Silicosis: A Pulmonary And Pathophysiology Study, Janet A. Thompson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The exposome encompasses the concept that an individual’s health is a combination of genetic, environmental, and occupational exposures. A worker’s exposomal profile could potentially influence their susceptibility to hazardous occupational exposures. Over 35% of adults in the United States have metabolic dysfunction (MetDys), yet interactions between MetDys and hazardous occupational exposures are generally unknown. MetDys is associated with HFWD-consumption and obesity and induces a chronic low grade systemic inflammation and alters serum adipokine profiles. Silicosis, a progressive inflammatory lung disease, results from occupational inhalation exposure to respirable crystalline silica particles. This research tests the hypothesis “Inflammation resulting from HFWD-induced …

Tetramerization Of Stat5 Has Opposing Roles In Governing Autoimmune Pathogenesis, Kelly Lynn Monaghan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Signal transducers and activators of transcription 5 (STAT5A and STAT5B) are members of the STAT protein family. STAT5 plays a critical role in mediating cellular responses following cytokine stimulation. Critical STAT5 signaling is achieved following functional dimerization, which occurs via SH2 domain interactions. The binding of two STAT5 dimers to tandemly linked TTCN₃GAA γ-interferon-activated sequence (GAS) motifs and N-terminal domain interactions, facilitates functional tetramerization. The biological role of STAT5 tetramers has been investigated using the Stat5a-Stat5b N-domain double knock-in (DKI) mouse strain, in which STAT5 tetramers cannot be formed due to substitutions in critical amino acid …

Preconception Substance Use And Risk Of Unintended Pregnancy, Saima Shafique

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Background: In the United States, unintended pregnancy is a serious public health issue due to its persistent high prevalence. In the series of three studies, our first two investigations examined the risk and potential determinants of unintended pregnancy among substance and polysubstance using women of childbearing age. In the third study, we conducted a systematic review (SR) with meta-analysis (MA) to assess the association of illicit and recreational drugs to the risk of unintended pregnancy.

Methods: We performed a secondary data analysis on a subset of Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) 2016-17 phase 8 data (n=75,543). The outcome variable …

An Examination Of Fraud From Three Perspectives: The Perpetrator, The Whistleblower, And The Examiner, Ali Abdullah Alhasan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation is made up of three studies that look at fraud from three different perspectives. The first study looks at fraud from the perspective of the perpetrator. The second study examines fraud from the whistleblower’s perspective. The third study studies fraud from the perspective of the investigator (internal auditor).

Study one utilized an online experiment via Amazon Mechanical Turk (M-Turk) to look at whether technology has a psychological distancing effect on humans, and how that may affect individuals to commit fraud. In addition, the study also examines how one’s familiarity with technology, measured via iPhone screen time, can moderate …

Hot-Carrier Dynamics And Transport Mechanisms In Inas/Alassb Multiple Quantum Wells, Herath Pathiranage Janaka Chathuranga Piyathilaka

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Semiconductor photovoltaics convert light into electricity through the extraction of photo-excited charge carriers. Among the most important parameters for a photovoltaic cell are good optical absorption in the desired region of the electromagnetic spectrum, and sufficient excited-state lifetimes and mobilities of the photocarriers to allow for charge separation and extraction before recombination. For solar cell applications there are significant challenges to overcome to improve the efficiency of the light-to-electricity conversion. The cells are most commonly made of silicon, which has a nearly perfect bandgap for absorbing the most solar radiation, an indirect bandgap to give a long photocarrier lifetime and …

Generation Of High Performing Morph Datasets, Kelsey Lynn O'Haire

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Facial recognition systems play a vital role in our everyday lives. We rely on this technology from menial tasks to issues as vital as national security. While strides have been made over the past ten years to improve facial recognition systems, morphed face images are a viable threat to the reliability of these systems. Morphed images are generated by combining the face images of two subjects. The resulting morphed face shares the likeness of the contributing subjects, confusing both humans and face verification algorithms. This vulnerability has grave consequences for facial recognition systems used on international borders or for law …

Landmark Enforcement And Principal Component Analysis For Improving Gan-Based Morphing, Samuel W. Price

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Facial Recognition Systems (FRSs) are a key target for adversaries determined to circumvent security checkpoints. Morph images threaten FRS by presenting as multiple individuals, allowing an adversary to swap identities with another subject. Although morph generation using generative adversarial networks (GANs) results in high-quality morphs without possessing the spatial artifacts caused by landmarkbased methods, there is an apparent loss in identity with standard GAN-based morphing methods. In this thesis, we examine landmark-based and GAN-based morphing methods to fuse the advantages of both methodologies. We propose a novel StyleGAN2 morph generation technique by introducing a landmark enforcement method. Considering this method, …

Characterization And Coherent Spin Selective Manipulation Of Quantum Dot Energy Levels, Tristan Anthony Wilkinson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) are promising candidates to fulfill a wide range of applications in real-world quantum computing, communication, and networks. Their excellent optical properties such as high brightness, single-photon purity, and narrow linewidths show potential utility in many areas. In order to realize long term goals of integration into complex and scalable quantum information systems, many current challenges must be overcome. One of these challenges is accomplishment of all necessary computing operations within a QD, which might be enabled by coherent manipulation of single QD energy level structures. In the realm of scalability for quantum devices, a way to …

Microvascular Consequences Of Engineered Nanomaterial Inhalation Exposure And Subsequent Reproductive Outcomes, Krista Lee Garner

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Nano-titanium dioxide (nano-TiO₂) is a commonly utilized engineered nanomaterial found ubiquitously in consumer products. While benefits of ENM utilization in are undeniable, nanoparticle inhalation has been linked to cardiovascular consequences and altered microvascular responses. Given these outcomes, it is important to explore vulnerable timepoints, such as gestation, as robust vascular adaptations are essential for maternofetal health.

The first aim of this dissertation was to assess myogenic responsiveness following maternal nano-TiO₂ inhalation. Fetal aortic responses were evaluated on gestational day (GD) 20 to assess how exposure may impact the F1 generation. Myogenic responsiveness within the uterine radial arteries …

Clitic Doubling: The Case Of Nariño Andean Spanish, Jessica Paola Jurado Eraso

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This thesis examines the behavior of clitic doubling in Nariñense, a little-studied Andean Spanish variety spoken in the southwest of Colombia, and compares it to well-studied varieties such as standard Peninsular, Rioplatense, and other Andean Spanish varieties. Its aim is to present novel data about clitic doubling in order to shed more light into the extensive literature about this phenomenon in Spanish. Through spontaneous speech recordings obtained from thirty native speakers of Nariñense, 133 sentences involving clitic doubling were analyzed. Features such as agreement matching between the clitic and the doubled NP, use of the preposition a to introduce the …

Frayed Connections: How Long-Term Nitrogen Additions Disrupt Plant-Soil Interactions And The Carbon Cycle Of A Temperate Forest, Brooke A. Eastman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Forests are expected to mitigate some of the negative effects of climate change by sequestering anthropogenic carbon (C) from the atmosphere, but the degree to which they drawn down C will depend on the availability of key nutrients, such as nitrogen (N). There is a fair amount of uncertainty in the future of the forest C sink, mostly owing to the fate of soil organic matter (SOM) and soil heterotrophic respiration to future conditions. In N limited systems, plants allocate a significant amount of their photosynthate belowground for the acquisition of nutrients, but under conditions of chronic N deposition, plants …

Appalachian Broadcast News Coverage Of The Coronavirus: A Content Analysis Of Media Framing In The Midst Of A Health Crisis, Jensen M. Mills

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Media framing of broadcast news is more than identifying an issue, but rather interpreting and explaining the issue for others to better understand. Previous framing scholarship in broadcast news, as well as COVID-19 specifically, has focused mostly on national or international news, so this research explores broadcast coverage from a local perspective in a rural location. During the health crisis of COVID-19, the specific use of media frames can impact how people made sense of the pandemic. Through a content analysis of 165 newscast scripts from five different local news stations in Appalachia, this study contributes to the understanding of …

The Vanishing Frontier: Economic And Social Change In Western North Carolina, 1945-1970, Elisabeth Avery Moore

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation works to integrate the growth of regional tourism into the existing historiography of economic development in Appalachia and the postwar American South. Regional leaders introduced an economic transition throughout western North Carolina that emphasized the growth of regional tourism. By centering this study on the growth of regional tourism, this research also analyzes regional boosters’ efforts to manufacture and commodify a racialized and classed folk culture within the region for tourist consumption. In the late nineteenth century, journalists and folklorists had emphasized the deviance of mountain life and simultaneously romanticized the area as a land of rugged, white …

The Bigger Picture: Wrongful Conviction Documentary Thematic Vs Episodic Framing, Alecsandra N. Vac

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

True crime documentaries have gained popularity in the past decade, but those focusing on wrongful conviction cases have been on the rise (Doughty, 2018). Advocates against wrongful conviction, such as the Innocence Project, have been utilizing entertainment media to increase awareness on the issues present in the criminal justice system. However, the framing of wrongful conviction causes and cases (ex: focusing on extreme accusations of police misconduct and intentional forensic evidence tampering) could lead to a bias in how the viewers understand how miscarriages of justice occur. The primary research question being investigated here is, how are these advocacy-recommended documentaries …

Evaluating Effects Of Sediment On Microbial Loading In A Drinking Water Distribution System, Erika Osborne

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Drinking water distribution systems (DWDS) are critical for protecting public health by ensuring safe water is transported from centralized treatment facilities to consumers. Sediment accumulation in DWDS is a common challenge that water utilities face that may pose some health risks when waterborne pathogens colonize biofilms formed on the sediment surface. Water utilities often establish flushing routines to help mitigate sediment accumulation in their system but the role that sediment plays in contributing to the total microbial loading in the system is unclear. The main objective of this study was to determine if sediment in a DWDS presents a significant …

Tandem Addition/Fragmentation Reactions Of Vinylogous Acyl Sulfonates, Kristen S. Nerbecki

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Fragmentation methodology has been used in organic synthesis to produce complex organic compounds. This work is focused on fragmentation reactions leading to the subsequent construction of neopentylene-fused carbocycles, which are found in several important natural products and are difficult to prepare. These are produced by utilizing an optimized fragmentation methodology from the Dudley group. The methodologies build starting materials called nonaflates and triflates with a gem-dimethyl substituent that is seen in many natural products. Nonaflates and triflates are similar in structure, but nonaflates pose benefits that are an advantage over triflates, like cost effective synthesis and more stable compounds. A …

An Exploration Of The Effects Of Mindfulness On Pain: The Role Of Pain Catastrophizing, Ilana Haliwa

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Chronic pain is a complex global public health concern associated with a host of negative outcomes, including loss of productivity, decreased quality of life, and greater likelihood of developing a mental health disorder. Initial evidence indicates that mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) improve pain symptomatology. However, most MBIs are time and resource intensive, and it is unclear how mindfulness may improve the pain experience. The purpose of the present set of studies was to test the effects of a brief, app-based MBI on pain experience, and to examine whether pain catastrophizing was a statistical mediator of any effect. Two studies were conducted …

Capillary Electrophoresis: Method Development And Application In Biomolecule Analysis, Lindsay Marie Veltri

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Abstract

Capillary Electrophoresis: Method Development and Application in Biomolecule Analysis

Lindsay Veltri

Biomolecule analysis is essential in disease diagnostics and the development of therapeutic agents. There is a vast array of methods available for biomolecule analysis, however, capillary electrophoresis is well-suited due to minimal sample consumption (~nanoliters of solution) and fast analysis times. In this report, capillary electrophoresis was used to analyze glycosylation of therapeutic proteins. Additionally, a capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry method is reported for the analysis of proteins.

Post-translation protein modifications like glycosylation, play an important in protein structure and function. Modifications of protein glycosylation can lead to improved …

Essays In The Consequences Of Occupational Regulation, Noah J. Trudeau

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Occupational regulation affects many people across many aspects of life. This dissertation research investigates the consequences of occupational regulation across three different areas of study: economic history, urban and regional economics, and health policy.

The first chapter investigates the historic licensing of emigrant agents. In the period following the US Civil War, firms wished to capitalize on the availability of African American labor. To do so they hired emigrant agents, also known as labor agents, to hire and help with the migration of individuals from the South. Faced with out-migration at the hands of the labor force, some southern states …

Comparison Of Antimicrobials And Delivery Methods On The Inactivation Of Listeria Monocytogenes On Apples, Rebecca B. Stearns

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Introduction: Due to multi-state outbreaks of listeriosis on apples in 2015, 2017, and 2019, Listeria Monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes) has been deemed an emerging, under researched pathogen by the USDA-NIFA. Therefore, this study evaluated the efficacy of SaniDate 5.0®’s (SD) ability to inactivate L. Monocytogenes on apples when delivered through electrostatic sprayer (ES), garden sprayer (GS), and dip methods.

Methods: Organic apples were dip-inoculated with L. monocytogenes for 5 min and then dried for 10 min. Once dried, the inoculated apples were untreated (control), sprayed with water only, or treated with SD, 0.0064, 0.1, 0.25 and 0.50% for 20 …

Modeling Post-Crisis Monetary Policy, James Dean

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Chapter 1, co-authored with Scott Schuh, examines whether the Taylor Rule still adequately captures monetary policy despite unconventional monetary policies (UMP) and the policy rate near zero in 2009-2015. We find structural breaks at 2007:Q3 in macro models with a shadow funds rate. Taylor Rule coefficients shift back toward pre-1984 estimates and breaks occurred in non-policy parameters. Results are similar with the effective funds rate, so either breaks are not due to UMP or the shadow rate is an insufficient specification of UMP. Chapter 2 incorporates the term structure and the Fed’s average inflation targeting (AIT) framework into the model …