Digital Commons Network^™

Extra Bucks, Joseph Stanley Maslanka

Mighty Pen Project Anthology & Archive

A young married man, fresh out of the Marine Corps, has to decide whether it's worth joining the Army Reserves just for a few extra bucks every month. For a Marine, that's a heavy lift.

Articles, stories, and other compositions in this archive were written by participants in the Mighty Pen Project. The program, developed by author David L. Robbins, and in partnership with Virginia Commonwealth University and the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond, Virginia, offers veterans and their family members a customized twelve-week writing class, free of charge. The program encourages, supports, and assists participants in sharing their stories …

A Medal For My Cat, Margaret Serig

Mighty Pen Project Anthology & Archive

“A Medal for My Cat” chronicles the support and sacrifice that family provide to service members, as seen through the eyes of a cat. CiCi graduates from a PetSmart adoption program only to find herself enlisted as a lifelong wingman. She takes on her new role with gusto, usually leading the way, but sometimes… needing to stop and lick her wounds.

Articles, stories, and other compositions in this archive were written by participants in the Mighty Pen Project. The program, developed by author David L. Robbins, and in partnership with Virginia Commonwealth University and the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond, …

Inshallah, Phillip Trezza

Mighty Pen Project Anthology & Archive

Set during a deployment in Iraq, Inshallah follows a U.S. Army medic reflecting on the chaos, camaraderie, and moral ambiguity of war. As his platoon conducts a routine patrol, they encounter violence, uncertainty, and a wounded enemy combatant whose life hangs in the medic’s hands. Through moments of tension, dark humor, and introspection, the story explores the psychological toll of combat and the fragile line between duty and humanity. Ultimately, the medic chooses compassion over vengeance, leaving the outcome to fate—Inshallah, if God wills it.

Articles, stories, and other compositions in this archive were written by participants in …

Taken For A Ride, Reinetta Van

Mighty Pen Project Anthology & Archive

The author recounts a moment of realization about her fiancé Frank’s drinking during a bike ride, which leads to a deeper conversation at home about alcohol’s impact on their relationship.

Articles, stories, and other compositions in this archive were written by participants in the Mighty Pen Project. The program, developed by author David L. Robbins, and in partnership with Virginia Commonwealth University and the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond, Virginia, offers veterans and their family members a customized twelve-week writing class, free of charge. The program encourages, supports, and assists participants in sharing their stories and experiences of military experience …

Con Thien - The Ambush, Richard Michael Everington

Mighty Pen Project Anthology & Archive

This true story takes place just below the DMZ of South Vietnam, during the undeclared war years of 1967- 1968, at Con Thien. The Marine forward combat base had sustained constant artillery bombardment and enemy attacks for a year. The Marine’s newly acquired night vision scopes discovered that North Vietnamese recon teams were coming in at night to spy on the base. An ambush was put together to eliminate the enemy reconnaissance team and to get revenge from loses from the week before. The plot revolves around Rick and Smitty, two of the lowest ranking Marines in the platoon.

Articles, …

A Quality Improvement Initiative To Decrease Sugammadex Expenditures, Jordan Austin Gardo

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Abstract

A Quality Improvement Initiative to Decrease Sugammadex Expenditures

Jordan Gardo

Introduction/Background: The manufacturer’s suggestion in the dosing of the Sugammadex is

generally dosed at 2-4 mg/kg of total body weight (TBW) depending on the extent of

neuromuscular blockade. Evidence suggests that in the morbidly obese population, this

can lead to excessive dosing due to the drug's hydrophilic properties, making it less cost-

effective. Dosing based on adjusted body weight (ABW) leads to dose reductions while

achieving full reversal of neuromuscular blockade as measured by quantitative train-of-

four monitoring, resulting in lower costs from decreased vial usage.

Purpose: The purpose …

Vital Rates And Nest Site Selection Of Merriam’S Wild Turkeys (Meleagris Gallopavo Merriami) In South-Central, South Dakota, Luke N. Mccray

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) are an economically and culturally significantly game species throughout much of the United States. Within South Dakota, spring turkey hunting generates approximately $20 million in expenditures annually to local economies. Merriam’s wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo meriami) were reintroduced to the Missouri River Breaks of Gregory County, South Dakota, USA, between the 1950s and 1980s, and was one of the most successful reintroductions in the state. However, a recent decline in gobbler harvest suggests a potential decline in this population. To estimate survival and reproduction and evaluate nest site selection, we captured 121 …

Molecular Characterization Of Fungus-Arthropod Associations, Angie M. Martin

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Arthropods, or phylum Arthropoda, are the largest group of animals, accounting for over three quarters of all animal records on NCBI Taxonomy. And yet, only 40% of all deposited sequences on NCBI Nucleotide come from arthropods. Clearly, arthropods are an understudied group of animals: they are small, often drab, and lead lives very alien to our own. Arthropods have chitinous exoskeletons, segmented bodies, and jointed appendages, and include crabs, barnacles, insects, spiders, and millipedes. Since the era of DNA based studies took off in the 1980s, DNA and other small molecules have been integral to our understanding of the Earth …

Investigating The Physiological, Metabolomic, And Transcriptomic Changes In Response To Telomerase Deletion In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Taizina Momtareen

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Telomerase is an enzyme found in rapidly dividing cells that maintains chromosome ends and prevents the loss of genetic information during cell division. When telomerase is inactive, cells gradually lose their telomeres and eventually stop dividing. In yeast, a rare subset of cells can bypass this growth arrest by switching to a recombination-based mechanism to maintain telomeres. Therefore, yeast provides a powerful system to study this adaptation, as telomerase-deficient strains can generate 'survivors' that mimic the Alternative Lengthening of Telomeres (ALT) pathway observed in some human tumors. In this work, my goal was to examine how a telomerase-null (TLC1 …

Characterization Of A Descending Neuron That Modulates Flight Performance And Provides Input Onto A Flight-Related Predictive Motor Circuit, Andisheh Balouchi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Descending neurons (DNs) play a critical role in sensorimotor integration by relaying motor information to the ventral nerve cord (VNC). Within the VNC, local interneurons, other DNs, and ascending neurons (ANs) make circuits with sensory and motor neurons to modify flies’ behavior. One important AN pair in Drosophila Melanogaster is mesothoracic ascending histaminergic neurons (MsAHNs), which are known to convey predictive wing motor signals to the brain. DNg32 is the primary upstream synaptic partner of MsAHNs, integrating DNg32 input with other inputs to generate predictive motor signals. The goals of this study were to 1) map the synaptic connectivity of …

Police Abuse In America And The Search For Remedy, Howard Ryan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The dissertation contends that, despite many diligent efforts—from mass protests to a presidential task force—America is not yet on path to remedying its outsized patterns of police abuse. The abuse problem is broadly characterized herein through a “triad” of over-enforcement, excessive force, and racial discrimination. The Washington Post’s “Fatal Force” database, covering the years 2015 through 2024, is offered as a bellwether of American progress in addressing its police abuse; and, it is observed, the nation’s yearly count of fatal police shootings of civilians has been increasing, rather than decreasing.

To help make sense of our lack of national progress, …

Application Of Machine Learning And Natural Language Processing To Understand The Partisan Mobilization Of Ethnic Minorities, Ani Tepnadze

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation explores how competing interests across secondary dimensions of identity shape marginalized groups' capacity to institutionalize their grievances, particularly ethnic minorities. More specifically, I explore two mechanisms, intragroup cohesiveness and distinctiveness, as a driving force of grievance mobilization. This research is interdisciplinary, drawing on theories from political sociology, political communications, and computational social science. I examine the question of ethnic group particization in two stages. In the first stage, I developed an original machine learning pipeline to process large text corpora and identify the indicators of the strength of collective ethnic grievances in online group discussions. In the second …

Individuals' Trust Of Bank Acquisitions, Christy Mccollum Knight

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Recent transactions within the financial services industry have seen an uptick in credit unions acquiring traditional community banks. Between the years 2020 and 2024, there were 64 announced bank mergers and acquisitions by Credit Unions, and this trend is expected to continue (S&P, 2025). As there are fundamental differences between credit unions and traditional community banks, the question arises, “How will consumer confidence and trust be affected by these mergers and acquisitions?”

This dissertation investigated how consumer trust would be affected by their propensity to trust others (Disposition to Trust), their perception of the financial services industry (Institution-Based Trust), their …

Development And Applications Of Capillary Vibrating Sharp-Edge Spray Ionization Coupled With Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Ionization (Cvssi-Apci), Madison Elizabeth Pursell

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Mass spectrometry (MS) is a technique that is used in fields in which both complex and non-complex mixtures are analyzed. The state-of-the-art ion sources that are utilized for MS are being demonstrated to be functional for direct infusion of samples as well as for use with online separations. However, ion sources, such as electrospray ionization (ESI) and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) can encounter problems such as ion suppression and an inability to ionize based on size and/or polarity, respectively. Further these sources are bulky and require gas flow, heat sources, and additional high voltage power supplies for optimal performance. …

Synthetic Data–Driven Early Prediction Framework For Acute Kidney Injury In Patients Receiving Vancomycin And Ceftazidime/Avibactam, Maryam Ramazani

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Background: The nephrotoxic risks of combining ceftazidime/avibactam (AVI) with vancomycin (VAN) remain underexplored, despite both agents independently being linked to acute kidney injury (AKI). This study assessed the risk of AKI associated with concurrent VAN and ceftazidime/avibactam (VAN-AVI) therapy and developed synthetic data models to enable early prediction of AKI.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis using electronic health record data from hospitalized adults between 2015 and 2022. The incidence of AKI was compared among patients receiving VAN-AVI or VAN in combination with piperacillin/tazobactam (VAN-TPZ) versus VAN monotherapy. AKI was defined as a composite of de novo and recurrent AKI …

Parametric Analysis Of Proppant Selection Impact On The Hydraulic Fracture And Productivity Of Extended-Reach Marcellus Shale Wells, Nicholas Hunter Lapinski

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Hydraulic Fracture Proppant is the gateway to reservoir connectivity, allowing for decades of natural gas production from hydraulically fractured wells in the Marcellus Shale. The proper selection of proppant can have major ramifications on the productivity of the extended-reach Marcellus shale wells. The proppant penetration into the induced fracture attempts to close the gap between the realistic non-uniform fracture conductivity and the idealistic uniform fracture conductivity. Consequently, the more proppant residing within these fractures, the more likely the proppant is to resist crushing due to the compaction. Phenomena, Advancements have been made to create more durable proppant types or proppant …

The Effects Of Operatic Voice Type On Singer Identity, Adelaide J. Mcdonald

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Within Western art music, voices are typically classified using the Fach system, which is based upon vocal characteristics and separates singers into the categories of soprano, mezzo soprano, contralto, counter tenor, tenor, bass, and baritone. Over time, these categories have become embedded with social and cultural meaning within the operatic world, leading to the development of stereotypes and expectations surrounding singers, as well as social categories and identities, referred to in this study as “sociocultural vocal categories” and “sociocultural vocal identity,” respectively. Currently, there are limited explorations of the sociocultural vocal categories and their associated stereotypes, with research on singer …

Recovery Of Iron And Aluminum From Acid Mine Drainage For Beneficial Uses, Katelyn Renee Pepe

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Acid mine drainage (AMD) is a widespread issue across the globe, in which some of the most critical cases are created by the mining industry. Researchers have investigated ways to derive benefits from AMD, such as precipitating rare earth elements (REEs) to generate potential revenue from AMD treatment and supplement market demand. However, the bulk of precipitated sludge is composed of iron and aluminum, which also have market value but are discarded in current practice.

Using the Omega site in West Virginia (WV) as a representative AMD source, the objectives of this study are (1) to determine a replicable precipitation …

Raman Spectroscopy For Rapid Quantification Of Macronutrients In Heirloom Beans, K. Chandler Williams

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Quantification of macronutrients in food requires a large investment in facilities and instrumentation as well as ongoing expenses of labor, reagents, and hazardous waste disposal. These costs pose a significant barrier to determining macronutrient quantities in the thousands of uncharacterized landrace and heirloom crops and discourage traditional crop breeding projects from ensuring that their selected crops maintain desirable macronutrient profiles in addition to target agronomic traits. Our objective was to test whether a hand-held Raman spectrometer—a technology which has found use in plant disease diagnostics but remains largely overlooked in nutrient quantification-- could provide a feasible means for quantifying the …

A Learning History Of A State Physical Activity Plan, Jessica Nicole Riffee

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Physical inactivity remains a persistent public health concern in the United States, disproportionately affecting rural populations like West Virginia. To address statewide physical activity challenges, West Virginia developed one of the nation’s first state level physical activity plans, ActiveWV: 2015, that was revised to ActiveWV: 2030. Limited research has investigated how statewide physical activity plans unfold over time or how stakeholder learning can drive improvement.

This dissertation employed a learning history action research methodology to construct a collective narrative of the development, dissemination, implementation, and evaluation activities across both iterations of the West Virginia Physical Activity Plan. Reflective interviews with …

Motivation And Well-Being: A Study Of Wvu Extension Volunteers, Amber Renae Goff

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Volunteers are the heart of the land-grant outreach model. They bring education and resources to communities across West Virginia. Volunteers have been relied upon in many aspects of Extension programming and current budget conditions have reduced the level of staffing within WVU Extension. There may be an increased demand for volunteers to help with programming. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between motivation and the perceived level of well-being within the WVU Extension volunteer programs. The study yielded 464 responses from a descriptive survey. Based on the results, WVU Extension volunteers are motivated based on their …

Redox Control In A Fused Electron Transfer Flavoprotein From A Thermophilic Archaeon And Expanded Significance Of A Hydrogen Bond From A Conserved Histidine Residue That Contributes To Flavin Redox Tuning And Activation For Covalent Modification, Debarati Das

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

In absence of O₂ as terminal electron acceptors in anaerobic bacteria and archaea, carbohydrate metabolism is 15 times less efficient compared to aerobic energy metabolism resulting in energy deficit conditions. Despite their meager resources these anaerobes were able to generate H₂ and a chemiosmotic potential able to drive energy demanding reactions such as CO₂ or N₂ fixation. These observations raised concerns as production of high energy reductants (H₂) from mediocre fuels (NADH) defied the laws of thermodynamics.

In 2008, a known mechanism “electron bifurcation” but with flavins as redox mediators instead of quinones was …

Towards Automating The Study And Discovery Of Electroactive Π-Conjugated Molecules, Rebekah Ann Duke-Crockett

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Chemistry is entering a new paradigm of automation and data-driven discovery. Automated discovery is grounded in well-curated “big data.” As generative and predictive models fueled by simulation data see growing success, emerging robotic automation enables the generation of unprecedented volumes of experimental data. Automation-powered, data-driven approaches hold tremendous potential for groundbreaking insights and innovations, particularly in the study and discovery of electroactive π-conjugated molecules. Realizing this potential, however, requires democratizing chemical data and the automation needed to generate and use it. There is a need to expand access to the tools for findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR) data management …

Design And Synthesis Of Novel Ligands For Bioorthogonal Catalysis, Asymmetric Synthesis, And Ferromagnetic Behavior, Alexander G. Olivelli

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Small molecule metal complexes have diverse applications including usage as catalysts, single molecule magnets, photosensitizers and pharmaceuticals. The first research project in this work reports a new ligand which dimerizes upon coordination to afford a trinuclear Cu(I) complex. Due to the coordination geometry of the Cu(I) metal centers, paired with the strong nitrogen coordinating groups, the resulting complex is resistant to oxidation even in the presence of strong oxidants. The complex is shown to be efficient in the CuAAC reaction and used to tag anticancer drug candidates in vitro. The next project focuses on a series of amidine-based ligands featuring …

Machine Learning Models For Molecular-Based Functional Organic Materials, Moses Ogbaje

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Organic semiconductors (OSC) are of interest for a wide range of flexible optoelectronics applications, including transistors, solar cells, and sensors, to name a few. Despite their promise, the design and optimization of OSC pose significant challenges due to the complexity of the structures of the molecular building blocks, varied packing configurations of these building blocks in the solid state, which impacts the optical and electronic response, and sensitivity of the solid-state packing to material processing conditions. Accurately predicting the solid-state properties of OSC traditionally requires high-level quantum mechanical methods. These methods, however, can be computationally demanding, particularly for large molecules …

Investigation Of D-Π-A Re (1) Complexes For The Homogenous Photocatalytic Reduction Of Co2, Ryan M. Chafin

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Increasing anthropogenic emission of CO₂ into the atmosphere is a global issue that shows no signs of deceleration due to the current trends in dependencies on fossil fuels for energy demand. Although deleterious in nature, this greenhouse gas can serve as a useful feed-stock for the production of small-carbon-chain commercial chemicals if the factors owing to its inertness can be overcome. Fortuitously, CO₂’s chemically inert nature is already circumvented in nature through an elegant cascade of biochemical reactions known as photosynthesis, which nearly all plants and some families of bacteria exploit to produce simple sugars for metabolic …

For Her Horror: Sociopsychological Gratifications Obtained By Fem Fans Of The Slasher, Brooke Eaglesong Wilson

Masters Theses

Those who side with the unjustified killer in slasher films are doing so to fulfill sociopsychological needs that are not being met in social reality. There were three main findings found in this study. First, participants sided with the unjustified killer in slasher films to gratify needs that were not being fulfilled in their careers such as the need to perform without having to consult mentors, not unlike how the unjustified killer murders victims without discussing with others. Second, participants sided with the unjustified killer in slasher films to gratify needs in their romantic relationships such as the need to …

The Impacts Of International Students’ Membership In Co-National Student Organizations, Krofaa Otuo-Srebour

Masters Theses

This study explores the impact of international students' membership in co-national student organizations on their adjustment to U.S. higher education institutions. Despite significant literature on the psychological predictors of adjustment, there is a gap in examining the social support gained through non-academic student organizations composed of individuals from the same country or region. Using a qualitative phenomenological approach, the study investigated challenges international students face in the U.S. and how culturally specific groups impact their adjustment. The findings underscore the importance of co-national student organizations in supporting international students’ adjustment processes and suggest practical implications for university administrators to enhance …

The Forgotten Student Leader: The Leadership Experiences Of Ncaa Division I Team Captains, Alex Warrick

Masters Theses

In the modern era, NCAA Division I sports fans and the media fixate on which teams have the biggest stadium, the implications of the transfer portal, which of their favorite players has the largest Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) or scholarship deal, and who has the most accolades. Due to this, what goes on behind the scenes for the athletes that are impacted by these headlines and tall ordeals often gets lost. The purpose of this narrative, qualitative study was to examine the leadership experiences of the student athletes who have been historically forgotten in discussions about student leadership, the …

Sustainable Hemp Industrial Panels (Ship) And Its Industrial Possibilities For The Replacement Of Oriented Strand Board (Osb), Anthony Ollins

Masters Theses

This study explores the feasibility of using industrial hemp fiber to create composite panels—termed Sustainable Hemp Industrial Panels (SHIP) as a potential competitor for oriented strand board (OSB), a commonly used structural wood product. Given hemp's historical and environmental advantages, including rapid growth, carbon sequestration capacity, and material strength, this research investigates its performance when combined with Urea-Formaldehyde (UF) resin, and in a hybrid form with Southern Yellow Pine (SYP). Two hemp-based composites were produced and tested: one with hemp and UF, and another with hemp and SYP. Using a custom-built hydraulic press, composite panels were fabricated and subjected to …