Digital Commons Network^™

Applications Of Deep Learning For Optimizing Fingerphoto And Latent Fingerprint Biometrics, Amol Sanjay Joshi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Fingerprint-based biometric recognition remains one of the most dependable and widely adopted approaches for identity verification due to its permanence and distinctiveness. Recent advancements in mobile and contactless imaging have extended fingerprint acquisition beyond controlled environments into unconstrained, real-world conditions through fingerphotos, contactless fingerprint images captured by digital or smartphone cameras. While this paradigm shift enhances accessibility and user convenience, it introduces significant technical challenges. Variations in illumination, focus, and motion blur often degrade ridge patterns, making accurate feature extraction and matching more difficult. Similarly, in forensic applications, latent fingerprints, incomplete or smudged prints lifted from surfaces, pose unique challenges …

Weakly Reversible Deficiency Zero Realizations Of Polynomial Dynamical Systems, Neal Ryan Buxton

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Weakly reversible, deficiency zero (WR0) systems form a large class of polynomial ODEs modeling chemical reaction networks. Their behavior is exceptionally stable: they have unique positive steady states, which are locally asymptotically stable (they are also conjectured to be globally asymptotically stable). This powerful result (the Deficiency Zero Theorem) applies to a large class of high dimensional, nonlinear polynomial dynamics, and is independent of the choice of parameters in the model. In this dissertation we present two algorithms that expands the scope of the Deficiency Zero Theorem to:

1. Networks with WR0 realizations, i.e. networks that are not necessarily WR0 …

Pancreatic Cancer In Appalachia: An Examination Of Detection, Associated Factors, And Provider Experiences With A Focus On West Virginia, Melissa Mae Elder

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

ABSTRACT

Pancreatic Cancer in Appalachia: An Examination of Detection, Associated Factors, and Provider Experiences with a Focus on West Virginia

Melissa M. Elder

Introduction: The Appalachian population accounts for a substantial proportion of the United States and are uniquely susceptible to health care disparities. The Appalachian Regional Commission has reported on the inequities found within the Appalachian region as part of its formal establishment in 1965. When compared to the Non-Appalachian U.S., Appalachia experiences a higher incidence of chronic disease such as diabetes, cancer, lung, and liver disease; mortality from diseases of despair constituting prescription drug, alcohol, illegal drug use, …

Survival And Spatial Ecology Of North American River Otters (Lontra Canadensis) In West Virginia, Laurel Marie Glover

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Wildlife reintroductions function to regain wildlife populations in areas where they have been extirpated or greatly diminished. One such species that has been reintroduced to several states is the North American river otter (Lontra canadensis). The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR) conducted a river otter reintroduction effort between 1984-1997, releasing 245 individuals into the state. The reintroduction was deemed a success with the WVDNR opening a regulated trapping season for river otters in 2011, allowing trappers to take one river otter per season. As the population has reestablished in West Virginia, several management challenges have arisen …

2024-2025 Annual Report, Tennessee. Wildlife Resources Agency

Annual Reports

This annual report presents an overview of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency programs and management.

Probing The 10-23 Dnazyme Catalytic Core: Insights From Structural And Mechanistic Studies, Evan Rhyse Cramer

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The 10-23 DNAzyme is a catalytically active DNA oligonucleotide capable of cleaving RNA at purine-pyrimidine junctions in the presence of divalent metal ions, most notably magnesium. Despite its promise as a programmable RNA knockdown tool, its clinical and biotechnical utility has been hampered by limited structural characterization, low catalytic efficiency under physiological conditions, and poor understanding of its in-cell activity. This dissertation presents a comprehensive framework for the structural and functional analysis of DNAzymes using the 10-23 DNAzyme as a model system. In the absence of high-resolution structures, we first employed detailed in vitro biochemical assays to map essential residues …

Access And Entitlement: Investigating The Contours Of Public Health In Late Colonial Bengal And Post Colonial West Bengal (1920-1960), Ametasree Bhattacharya

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation employs the comparative framework of “Access and Entitlement,” which serves as a metric to measure the goods and services the state could responsively provide to the public. It utilizes this framework to analyze the realm of public health in Bengal/West Bengal before and after decolonization. The main body is divided into two parts: the first three chapters focus on malaria, and the last three on nutrition. The first chapter explores debates over malaria control between 1919 and 1935. The second examines anti-malarial efforts from 1935 to 1947, emphasizing the influence of communal politics and the Second World War …

A Durability Evaluation Of Class B Concrete Bridge Substructures Under West Virginia Freeze–Thaw Conditions, Nathaniel Wayne Dunbar

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study evaluates whether the West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH) Class B concrete specification for bridge substructures remains adequate under modern durability and design-life expectations. The current specification, which permits a minimum compressive strength of 3,000 psi, reflects practices established when shorter service lives were generally assumed. Modern AASHTO LRFD provisions are based on a 75-year design life, raising concern that this lower-strength concrete may not provide sufficient durability under West Virginia’s climatic conditions.

To address this issue, bridge inspection data, regional climate mapping, and durability modeling were used to assess the condition and performance of concrete substructures across …

This Is A War: The 1977-78 Coal Strike And The Fracturing Of The Postwar Social Compact, Christian B. Rowe

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The 1977–78 coal strike was a landmark moment for the American labor movement. Despite holding out for 110 days with no pay or benefits through a historically severe winter, miners were unable to advance their demands and achieve a progressive contract. By invoking the Taft–Hartley Act to end the strike, Jimmy Carter destabilized the New Deal political coalition by enraging one of its core constituencies and placing the needs of the state over the needs of unionized industrial workers. The BCOA’s immovable position in negotiations was an early sign that the labor-management accord that had governed industrial relations since World …

Characterizing Nursery Habitat For Juvenile Invasive Carp (Hypophthalmichthys Spp.) On The Ohio River, Rebecca Hiller

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Since their introduction to US waters, Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) and Bighead Carp (H. nobilis) have rapidly spread throughout the Mississippi River basin and its major tributaries, but their invasion has stalled within the Ohio River. Recent research has suggested this slowed spread could be due to a lack of suitable nursery habitat in the Ohio River, affecting recruitment of invasive carp. This study aims to characterize the habitats juvenile carp are utilizing by investigating three main lines of inquiry: that juvenile carp habitat use is limited by (1) the flow regime of the Ohio River …

Parameter Estimation Of A 100 Seater Simulated Passenger Aircraft, Michael James Winston

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Virtual flight test aircraft provide good opportunities to test new parameter estimation methods. However, good estimates for the parameters in VIRTTAC Castor, a virtual test aircraft, are unavailable. This thesis uses two well-established time domain methods, the Output Error Method and the Filter Error Method, to estimate the parameters of VIRTTAC Castor. Three standard maneuvers were used: Elevator 3-2-1-1, Rudder Doublet, and Aileron Multi-Step. The parameters were estimated across three different flight conditions: weight, altitude and air speed, which resulted in 27 tests for each maneuver. All parameters, and standard deviations estimated are included in the appendix as a table.

Effects Of Environmental And Anthropogenic Gradients On Fish Beta Diversity In Central Appalachian Streams, Alanna Kaylee Lowther Smith

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Understanding the environmental and spatial drivers of community composition is essential for conserving freshwater biodiversity. We examined how environmental gradients, land cover, and spatial structure influence fish beta diversity in wadeable streams across West Virginia, USA. We quantified total beta diversity and partitioned it into species replacement and richness difference components and used local contributions to beta diversity (LCBD) to identify compositionally unique sites. Community–environment relationships were evaluated with distance-based redundancy analysis (dbRDA), and a beta regression GLMM was used to test how elevation, slope, land cover, and stream order (factor) predicted LCBD while accounting for spatial structure (dbMEMs) and …

Development Of A Model To Estimate Engine Crankcase Methane Vent Emission Rates, Juan Pablo Rincon

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The primary focus of this research is the modeling and validation of crankcase methane emissions stemming from natural gas combustion engines commonly deployed in the natural gas compression industry. The models employed rely on equations predicting the flow rate and composition of losses, typically generated within reciprocating piston-cylinder systems. Since crankcase emissions originate in a piston–cylinder arrangement, multiple variables were considered in this study, including displaced volume, pressure, temperature, flow, and viscosity (with corrections applied to account for the thermal and compositional effects on the mixture of fluids). The initial data for this research was collected during three measurement campaigns …

Trauma-Informed Yoga As An Adjunct To Treatment As Usual Within Inpatient Substance Use Disorder Treatment: A Feasibility Trial., Suzanne Vogler

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Yoga interventions have been used more frequently in recent years within health and wellness settings to address both clinical and non-clinical issues. More specifically, yoga interventions and trauma-informed yoga (TIY) interventions are being explored within the treatment of substance use disorders (SUD). Initial research suggests that yoga interventions could be beneficial to the treatment of SUDs as an adjunct to treatment or a stand-alone intervention as part of continued recovery (post-clinical treatment) (Fitzgerald et al., 2021; Mallik et al., 2019). Although initial research is promising, the current quantity and quality of studies specifically exploring the feasibility and potential benefit of …

Modeling Relativistic Fluids In Dynamical Spacetimes, Terrence Alphonse Pierre Jacques

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Multi-messenger astrophysics opens a new era in our understanding of the most dynamic and energetic systems in the Universe. Correlating gravitational-wave and electromagnetic signals in space and time enables stringent tests of models for core-collapse supernovae, merging supermassive black-hole binaries with accretion disks and jets, and mergers of compact object binaries such as binary neutron stars (BNS) and white dwarfs. Comparisons between models and multi-messenger observations may be used to constrain the neutron-star equation of state (EOS), formation channels for compact-object binaries, and emission mechanisms behind short gamma-ray bursts.

In modeling such astrophysical systems, great success has been achieved by …

"She's Such A Nice Girl": Exploring The Literacy And Identity Formation Practices Of Black Girls In White, Appalachian Communities, Tamicah Tierra Owens

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study examines the experiences and stories of two Black girls in predominantly White Appalachian communities, focusing on the language and literacy practices they employ to navigate and make sense of their Black feminine identities. It focuses on how literacy and language skills acquired from spending quality time with their mothers, engaging in various spaces with friends, and engaging in interest-driven traditional media and/or social media helped them to analyze their communities’ and the larger landscapes’ discourses around race and gender to create and modify their desired identities. This qualitative study employs narrative case study to center the lived experiences …

Watershed-Level Survey Of Antimicrobial Resistance From Onsite Wastewater Systems, Trey Franklin Clark

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has quickly become one of the largest global health and development threats. Research related to environmental modes of transmission of AMR has accelerated in recent years, and the US Environmental Protection Agency is particularly interested in this emerging contaminant. Knowledge of how onsite (decentralized) wastewater treatment systems contribute to this issue is lacking, so this research serves to analyze and quantify the environmental dissemination of AMR and fecal contamination from these sources at a watershed level while using statistical analysis to assess relationships between physiochemical, spatial, and sampling parameters. This research surveyed four watersheds …

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 …

Analysis And Field Demonstration Of A Mobile Dewatering Cell For Acid Mine Drainage And Rare Earth Element Hydraulic Preconcentrate, Hunter David Vance

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A field scale mobile dewatering cell was constructed and demonstrated to investigate the filtration efficiency and dewatering characteristics of the cell. The cell was tested using hydraulic preconcentrate (HPC) from an active AMD treatment plant located in the Morgantown, WV area. HPC is a sludge-like material that comes from a two-stage treatment process of acid mine drainage, and it contains various rare earth elements. The cell was filled with HPC over time and the influent HPC and effluent water exiting the cell were tested each time the cell was filled. Taking these samples and other measurements, the filtration efficiency and …

Development Of Novel Carbohydrate-Based Nanoparticles For Precision Drug Delivery, Krystal Ann Hughes

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Nanoparticle-based drug delivery has made tremendous advancements in the last decade. However, several critical factors, including precision drug delivery at the site of interest, long-term storage stability, and controlling release profiles of drugs in the systemic circulation, need to be addressed for successful clinical translation of nanomedicine. This dissertation presents novel carbohydrate-based nanoparticles that achieve precise intracellular delivery and therapeutic release at the disease site. We present the formulation and optimization of polymeric and polymer-lipid hybrid nanoparticles that enable precision intracellular delivery and passive accumulation of therapeutics in the bone marrow. Intracellular delivery is highly impactful and sought after. One …

Novel Phenomena In Chiral And Disordered Crystals, Zachary Louis Romestan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The concept of symmetry is central to our understanding of the physical world. Core symmetries—comprising time reversal, charge conjugation, spatial inversion, and rotation—are integral in maintaining essential conservation laws. They also play a critical role in the manifestation of new quantum phases that arise when these symmetries are disrupted. At the heart of contemporary research in condensed matter physics is the exploration of how basic symmetries interact with material imperfections. This examination delves deeply into the ways that inherent symmetrical properties and structural anomalies within materials influence each other, providing crucial insights into the field. This dissertation presents an investigation …

Price Transparency And Patient Engagement: Social Messaging Matters, Jace B. Garrett, Keaton C. Helquist, Steven D. Smith, William B. Tayler

Faculty Publications

OBJECTIVES: To examine the effects of price transparency and prosocial messaging on price-protected consumers’ health care choices as a potential cost-saving strategy to manage rising US health care expenditures.

STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. Participants were recruited to complete a basic questionnaire via Amazon’s Mechanical Turk program. Participants’ selections were subsequently collected and analyzed.

METHODS: Participants (N = 567) selected a sleep study provider from 5 options, with manipulations including financial responsibility, provision of price information, and a prosocial message encouraging high-value options.

RESULTS: Price transparency increased the selection of lower-cost options among participants who were solely responsible for paying for …

Extinction Bursts Reexamined: The Role Of Consummatory Time And Response Reallocation, Braden Toler

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Two experiments were conducted to examine how the removal of the opportunity to consume reinforcement and the reallocation of that time might account for extinction bursts during within-session transitions from FR 1 to extinction. In Experiment 1, rats and pigeons were trained under FR 1 schedules and subsequently exposed to within-session extinction. Total counts of responses suggested that extinction bursts occurred for each subject, but when adjusted to exclude responses that would have overlapped with food consumption, no bursts were observed. In Experiment 2, pigeons experienced four extinction arrangements: conventional extinction, response-independent reinforcement, conditioned reinforcement, and differential reinforcement of alternative …

Copula-Based Bayesian Model For Detecting Differential Gene Expression, Prasansha Liyanaarachchi, N. Rao Chaganty

Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications

Deoxyribonucleic acid, more commonly known as DNA, is a fundamental genetic material in all living organisms, containing thousands of genes, but only a subset exhibit differential expression and play a crucial role in diseases. Microarray technology has revolutionized the study of gene expression, with two primary types available for expression analysis: spotted cDNA arrays and oligonucleotide arrays. This research focuses on the statistical analysis of data from spotted cDNA microarrays. Numerous models have been developed to identify differentially expressed genes based on the red and green fluorescence intensities measured using these arrays. We propose a novel approach using a Gaussian …

In Search Of The Rational Voter In The 2020 Presidential Election: Understanding The Impact Of Voter Costs And Benefits On Turnout, Norou Diawara, Tiffany Henley, Samuel L. Brown, Md Iqbal Hossain

Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications

The ability to vote is one of the most valuable rights and privileges afforded by the Constitution of the United States to its citizens. For many, voting is not just a civic duty; it is also a choice. Voting is crucial to our democracy, and any changes to it may affect the efficiency of the democratic process. The bigger question is whether voters behave rationally by engaging in a cost-benefit calculus in deciding whether or not to vote. Using data science, this paper will examine the probability of voting and investigate its impact via cost and benefit among other variables …

A Bridge Too Low, John Adam

Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications

The article "A bridge too low" in the Physics Teacher journal discusses a low bridge near the River Greta in Keswick, England, with an arch shaped like a semiellipse. It presents questions about the maximum height a person of a certain height can walk under the bridge without hitting their head, the cross-sectional area of the arch, its eccentricity, and perimeter. The article also mentions the approximation by Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan for the perimeter of an ellipse and invites readers to find the answers online.

A Question Of Transparency: Solutions For Fermi Questions, March 2025, John Adam

Mathematics & Statistics Faculty Publications

Question 1: Why is it easier to see through rain than fog?

Start thinking about this by imagining a fixed volume (V) of water being dispersed into, say, N identical droplets of diameter d. Surface area and volume considerations should lead to the answer in terms of V and d.

Solution to Question 1: N = VI(πd³/6) = 6V/πd³ ≈ 2V/d³.

The cross-sectional area A of each drop is πd²/4 ≈ 3d²/4, so the total area blocked off (assuming no overlapping drops—so this is an upper bound) is NA ≈ 1.5V/d, so the area blocked off is inversely proportional to …

Table Of Contents

Georgia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Public Constitutional Ai, Gilad Abiri

Georgia Law Review

We are increasingly subjected to the power of AI authorities. Machine learning models now underpin algorithmic markets, determine whose speech is amplified or restricted, shape government decisions ranging from resource allocation to predictive policing, and influence our access to information on critical issues such as voting and public health. As AI decisions become inescapable, entering domains such as healthcare, education, and law, we must confront a vital question: How can we ensure that AI systems, which increasingly regulate our lives and make decisions that shape our societies, have the authority and legitimacy necessary for effective governance?

To secure AI legitimacy, …

Surveillance As Retaliation, Daiquiri J. Steele

Georgia Law Review

Employers have a myriad of technologies at their disposal to help them surveil their employees, and they deploy these technologies for several reasons. Some of these reasons—e.g., monitoring time and attendance, ensuring compliance with occupational safety standards, protecting against certain data disclosure, etc.—are legitimate. Others are not. Chief among the illegitimate reasons is monitoring employees in retaliation for reporting alleged employer misconduct internally or externally. Just as terminating, demoting, or transferring an employee constitutes an adverse action for retaliation claims, subjecting an employee to surveillance because the employee has engaged in protected activity is also an adverse action. Courts and …