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Historical Evolution of the Late 20th-Century Maritime Claims, the Concept of the Nine-Dash Line, and the Dispute in the South China Sea
Get PDFThis study discusses the origins and development of the South China Sea dispute. It briefly analyzes the overlapping maritime claims, their justifications and legal aspects, and key clashes between the actors across the second half of the 20th century. It uses a historical perspective to assess the present-day conflict. The study discusses the impact of international agreements, national policies, claimants\u27 domestic factors, and external influences connected to the geopolitical situation of the period to determine how they influenced the dispute. The analysis reveals that amidst more pressing global events, the South China Sea issue was frequently overlooked by the international community, and coupled with the region\u27s volatile environment, the dispute escalated gradually. This process further accelerated from the mid-20th century onward. While activities of the involved states in the late 20th century show they often prioritize self-interest over the risks of conflict exacerbation, their policymaking was and remains largely determined by domestic nationalist pressure and issues of political legitimacy. Meanwhile, the role of the US in the region is significant. However, it brings contradictory results. International agreements have had mixed effects on the conflict as well. The most recent 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea established clearer rules than its predecessor. However, it lacks enforcement mechanisms to regulate the conflict. Moreover, it indirectly enabled the South China Sea nations to assert excessive and largely intractable claims. This study concludes that, given the limited effectiveness of international law and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), along with China\u27s rise and the United States\u27 countering activities, the region will likely remain turbulent, and the dispute might escalate further. It is suggested that claimant states increase multilateral cooperation and combat domestic nationalist pressures by justifying it as a necessary response to the environmental crisis of the sea, which indeed slowly started to affect numerous nationals\u27 livelihoods
Investigating the role of spinal motoneuron organization in human motor control
Get PDFMechanisms of voluntary motor control are complex and require inputs via cortical centers, peripheral sensory systems, and spinal inputs such as central pattern generators. It is hypothesized that control is simplified via utilization of motor primitives, which may rely on structures within the spinal cord, however this remains unknown in both human and non-human primates. The goal of this dissertation is to characterize muscle activity in the upper extremity in relation to the corresponding anatomical organization of spinal motoneurons to provide insight into how primitives are both organized and activated to produce movement.
The first aim of this work was to quantify the relationship between the anatomical location of motoneuron pools in the spinal cord and agonistic or antagonistic activity of the corresponding muscles. I hypothesize that the anatomical substrate of motoneurons in the spinal cord embeds musculoskeletal organization for simplified sensorimotor control. To test this hypothesis, a three-dimensional model of motoneurons innervating upper extremity musculature in the macaque was developed and compared to simulated muscle activity from musculoskeletal models. Using these models, it was demonstrated that spinal motoneuron pools innervating muscles with agonistic activity or shared innervation were positioned relatively close together in the cord. Additionally, antagonistic muscles were primarily located adjacent to these agonistic pairs. This structure-function relationship supports the hypothesis that organization of spinal structures helps to simplify motor control.
The second aim of this thesis was to characterize changes in muscle activity as it relates to spinal motoneuron anatomy across reaching versus grasping tasks, in healthy subjects and those with a history of nontraumatic spinal cord injury. Changes in muscle activation patterns were briefly characterized in a patient with a history of degenerative cervical myelopathy performing a functional assessment of upper extremity function. Compared to the healthy controls, the myelopathy patient exhibits distinct patterns of muscle activity that display less task-specific bursting. Furthermore, muscle coactivation is distinct in the DCM patient, both when compared to controls and during different movement phases of reaching and grasping tasks. Data generated from the models and simulations developed here will potentially aid in design and construction of devices utilizing neural interfaces or aiding in improvement of diagnosis and assessment of various neurological injuries
Cleaning and Characterization of Chemical Vapor Deposited Graphene for Nanoelectronic Device Development
Get PDFNanoelectronic devices based on graphene are a promising technology that combines the sensitivity and specificity of ion and element recognition with the accuracy and precision of electronics. The detection principle is based on the interaction of the target molecules with the nanodevice surface, which generates a measurable electrical signal. In the current study, graphene and its derivatives, synthesis and fabrication of high quality, good uniformity, and low defects graphene have been investigated as they are critical for high-performance and highly sensitive devices. Among many synthesis methods, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), have been used that needs to be transferred from the metal substrates on which it is grown onto insulating substrates for practical applications. A novel complete pathway for fabrication of graphene-based devices is studied and comprehensively stated that addresses the challenges the separation and transferring of graphene onto insulating substrates i.e., glass slides, for a uniform single atomic layer without damaging or affecting graphene\u27s structures and properties. Polymethyl Methacrylate (PMMA) assisted graphene transferring approach, fabrication of graphene devices, and electrical signal detection were demonstrated. To attend to the cleaning issue of residual PMMA from PMMA assisted graphene transfer, acetone vapor acetone cleaning protocol has been devised and demonstrated. RAMAN Spectroscopy and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) have been applied to characterize and ensure the quality of monolayer graphene. The method is shown to be a practical approach for transferring clean and residue-free graphene while preserving the underlying graphene lattice onto an insulating substrate for electronics or sensing applications
Retrospective Accessibility
Get PDFThis section of the WVU Libraries Retrospective includes a statement on virtual programs and accessibility
Retrospective: Health Sciences Section
Get PDFThis section of the WVU Art in the Libraries Retrospective (2015-2024) exhibit includes a summary of exhibitions and projects that have been based at the WVU Health Sciences Library
Caulophyllum giganteum
No full texthttps://researchrepository.wvu.edu/berberidaceae/1153/thumbnail.jp
Medicago sativa ssp. sativa
No full texthttps://researchrepository.wvu.edu/fabaceae/3541/thumbnail.jp
