Digital Commons Network^™

The Characterization Of The Sars-Cov-2 Receptor Binding Domain Interaction With The Human Ace2 Receptor And Potential Small Molecule Inhibitors, Camryn Carter

Honors Theses

In December 2019, a novel coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), was identified in Wuhan, China after numerous patients experienced pneumonia symptoms, but existing medicinal treatments were ineffective.1 The global spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus caused an outbreak of the infectious disease, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which was soon after declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization, referred to as the COVID-19 pandemic. According to John Hopkins University, over 1,000,000 people have died from SARS-CoV-2 infection and about 104,000,000 cases have been confirmed in the United States (US). An infection of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is caused by the …

A Differential Equations Model Of Circulatory System Hemodynamics, Allison Newman

Honors Theses

Our model successfully uses the ventricles to pump blood across the blood vessels, lungs, and an organ for multiple cardiac cycles. We can hypothesize that this model will be able to pump blood to multiple organs that are connected in a parallel circuit. A new compartment would be465 added for the addition of each major organ system, and new rate functions that connect the organs to their local arteries and veins would be necessary.

In-Person Vs Telephonic Interpretation: A Case Study From The Perspective Of Providers And Interpreters At A Virginia Free Clinic, Lucy Cummins

Honors Theses

High-quality medical interpretation is critical to ensuring that patients with limited English proficiency, a rapidly growing group in the US, receive equitable care. Today, as federally-funded hospitals and clinics are legally required to offer language services, a myriad of interpretation options are available and used by providers across the country, including both telephone and in-person interpreters. Though these two options both allow for translation of dialogue between patients and providers, they differ in the communicative and interpersonal experiences they offer.

Tuberculosis And Poor Health Among Migrant And Seasonal Farmworkers In The United States, Lucy Cummins

Health Studies Capstones

The following paper will explore the prevalence of TB among migrant and seasonal farmworkers in the United States, and the systemic forces that contribute to that prevalence. Cyclical of poverty, dangerous working conditions, and barriers to healthcare overall have all led to increased risk of TB infection for farmworkers and their families. Moreover, structural violence traps these farmworkers in conditions of increased risk that have a major impact on their general health. Thus, the issue of TB is not a single issue, but one that relates to a range of social, economic, and political factors. Improving TB outcomes for farmworkers …

Essure: The Iud Story We Should Have Seen Coming, Jessica Mahoney

Health Studies Capstones

Female sterilization is the second most common contraceptive method used by women in the U.S.. Historically, the procedure was done via laparoscopic surgery. However, in 2002, Bayer’s new female contraceptive device called Essure was approved by the FDA, allowing hysteroscopic sterilization. The Essure device is essentially a small metal coil that is inserted into each fallopian tube with the intention of causing swelling and scarring that closes off the tubes. The device was attractive for many women and physicians because the procedure could be performed in a doctor’s office rather than an operating room. As of 2015, 750,000 women had …

Nonprofits And Government Agencies Addressing The Needs Of Mental Health Community, Wyatt Ulrich

School of Professional and Continuing Studies Nonprofit Studies Capstone Projects

Nonprofit organizations have been utilizing cross-sector collaboration to address problems that are not able to be solved on their own. A partner to make said collaboration can be with any organization, business, or volunteer who has the same goals as the nonprofit organization. Mental health nonprofit organizations specifically need more partners due to how little the world knows about mental health and mental illnesses. The government is one partner many mental health organizations aim to collaborate with. Government contracts have been known to help with the many challenges nonprofit organizations face like funding and services. Previous research has suggested this …

Evaluating A Culprit: A Review Of The Biochemical Mechanisms Of Non-Celiac Gluten Intolerance, Callie Cinque

Honors Theses

Non-Celiac Gluten Intolerance (NCGI) has evaded biological and chemical mechanisms since it was first reported in 1978. Celiac Disease, a multi-system immune mediated disorder has long served as the most similar counterpart to NCGI. Less cases of celiac disease are going undiagnosed reflecting an improvement on sensitive and decisive diagnostic tools. However, NCGI has been significantly growing as a diagnosis over the past decade with little match or similarity to the markers found in celiac disease patients. Critical evaluation of NCGI theories, experimentation, and existing hypotheses is necessary. This review seeks to synthesize multiple disciplines of gluten research and enhance …

Self-Efficacy And Performance Of Younger And Older Adults In Verbal, Reasoning, And Spatial Domains, Judy L. Thompson

Master's Theses

Age-related decline in intellectual abilities is domain-specific; that is, whether older adults show decreased intellectual performance depends on the type of ability being assessed (Foster & Taylor, 1920; Horn & Cattell, 1967; Kaufman, Reynolds & McLean, 1989; Sattler, 1982). Specifically, verbal abilities tend to decrease with older age (Botwinick, 1977; Cornelius, 1984; Horn & Cattell, 1967; Lachman & Jelalian, 1984). This prevalent finding has been labeled the "classic aging pattern" (Botwinick, 1977). Beyond mere descriptions, however, researchers have begun addressing explanatory mechanisms that underlie age patterns of intellectual decline, maintenance, and growth. What factors might mediate age-related decline on certain …

Mutuality And Intimacy In Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder And Normal Boys' Friendship Relations, Anna Loring Tyler

Master's Theses

The present study explored both the frequency and patterns of affective expression, play duration, and communicative exchange among dyads of boys diagnosed with ADHD with their friend. As expected, few significant differences between the two groups were revealed through frequency analyses, but interesting findings resulted from the examination of the patterns of behaviors (through sequential analyses). Overall, the results supported the hypothesis of less mutuality and intimacy in the friendships of boys diagnosed with ADHD. The boys in the ADHD/friend dyads were found to spend more time in nonassociative play during free-play and to be less likely to return to …

Classroom Observation Of School-Age Addh, Conduct Disorder, And Depressed Children, Kristin S. Allan

Honors Theses

Eight subjects were observed during classroom activity to determine the context of their social behavior. Four subjects were internalizers and the other four were externalizers. Subjects were observed at an inpatient psychiatric facility for children. It was hypothesized that externalizers would exhibit more off-task behaviors and internalizers would engage in solitary play more often. Results showed trends which supported the hypotheses. Implications of medication effects, as well as further research using a more molecular coding scheme were discussed.

Stress Coping Abilities Of Individuals High And Low In Social Anxiety, Rita Marie Wittmer

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the nature of socially anxious persons' tendencies to cope with social stress and to examine the differences in the coping abilities of i ndividuals high and low in social anxiety. The differential coping potential of the cognitive coping technique reversal of affect was tested.

Sixty four {32 control, 32 treatment) college students participated in the pretest and posttest of the experiment in which they self-disclosed information in a stressful situation. Self-report, physiological and behavioral measures of anxiety were recorded. Subjects in the treatment group received the coping skills training to deal with …

Number Conservation As Related To Type Of Transformation, Marsha Taliaferro Will

Master's Theses

In order to assess the negative effects of color, size, shape, and spacing (length) transformations on conservation judgements sixty-four 3, 4, 5, and 6 year old children were tested on four Piagetian type conservation of number tasks each containing one reversible color, size, shape or spacing transformation. Order of transformation presentation was counterbalanced and number of objects used per transformation were varied from 3 to 5 to 7 to 9. Results show that spacing (when compared to color, size and shape) is a prepotent cue for non-conserving 3, 4, and 5 year olds but not for 6 year olds. Results …

Causes Of Obesity, Barbara Brown

Honors Theses

The preoccupation with obesity finds expression in the popularity of books and articles dealing with dieting and weight control, the rapid growth of weight reduction groups such as Tops and Weight Watchers, as well as the full marketing of numerous low calorie and dietetic foods. Much of the interest in weight control is a consequence of the current standards of physical beauty in our society. But another more pressing reason for interest in weight control is the documented evidence relating obesity to various somatic disorders.

Sequential Processing Deficits In Reading Retardation, Sara Gambrell Tarver

Master's Theses

Doehring (1968) hypothesized that a basic sequential processing deficit underlies specific reading disability. To investigate sequential processing deficits in reading retardation, four tasks involving the reproduction of stimuli in a particular sequence were administered to a group of retarded readers and a group of normal readers matched on age, sex, race, educational opportunity, sociocultural environment, and Non-Language IQ on the CTMM. The normal readers were significantly superior to the retarded readers on the four sequential processing tasks and on two other tests, vocabulary and rhyming. The two groups did not differ significantly on reversals discrimination, perceptual speed, or cumulative learning. …

Partial Reinforcement With A Small Number Of Acquisition Trials : The Effects Of Reward Technique, Samuel Joseph Thios

Master's Theses

There have been a number of investigators who have noted superior resistance to extinction of a runway locomotion response by rats which were trained under partial reinforcement schedules as compared with rats trained under continuous reinforcement schedules (e.g., Logan, Beier & Kincaid, 1956; Weinstock, 1954; Badia, 1965; McCoy & Marx, 1965; Black & Spence, 1965).

The present experiment, involving four acquisition trials and nine extinction trials, was designed to investigate the influence of reward technique in an experimental context which systematically examined the effects of thwarting and nonthwarting reward techniques.

An Evaluation Of The Effectiveness Of Moderator Variables Developed By Three Techniques, James Porter Tucker Jr.

Master's Theses

In a recent article, Hobert and Dunnette (1967) maintained that compared to the Absolute-difference and Algebraic-difference techniques Quadrant Analysis should yield the more effective moderators. Their assertion was based on the reasoning that more homogenous subgrouping should yield moderators with increased sensitivity to error. The present study was carried out as an empirical investigation of their assertions. Further, the design of the study permitted an investigation of moderator function.

The total sample (n=333) of male college students was randomly divided into a developmental sample and a cross-validation sample. Employing the aforementioned techniques a total of five moderator scales were developed …

The Effects Of Readership Selectivity On The Reading Of Controversial Material Dealing With The Reader's Personal Prejudices : A Test Of The Theory Of Cognitive Dissonance, John Marshall Tucker

Master's Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to test the theory of cognitive dissonance as it relates to a reader's selectivity in reading controversial material involving his personal prejudices or attitudes. Festinger states that forced or accidental exposure to new information which tends to increase dissonance will frequently result in misinterpretation and misperception of the new information by the individual thus exposed in an effort to avoid a dissonance increase. Therefore, cognitive dissonance theory would predict that a person's prejudiced attitude would negatively effect his reading comprehension on material which was disharmonious with his attitude. The dissonance situation examined here is …

Construction And Validation Of A Forced-Choice Scale For Rating Clinical Performance Of Physical Therapy Students, Margot Trimble

Master's Theses

One of the major objectives of education in the profession of physical therapy is to prepare the student to adequately perform in a clinical setting. A part of the education of each physical therapy student is devoted to full-time clinical experience under the supervision of qualified therapists. These therapists, designated as clinical supervisors or clinical instructors, are faced with the problem of evaluation of each student's performance during the period of clinical education. The problem of providing valid evaluation of clinical performance by a student is one common to many professions. It is not unlike the problem faced by many …

Oxamates As Intermediates, Linwood Powers Tenney

Master's Theses

This thesis concerns the use of ethyl N-substituted oxamates and ethyl N, N-di-substituted oxamates as intermediates in the synthesis of large molecules.

Richardson et al. (1) showed that ethyl N-aryloxamates were effective in differentiating between primary and secondary alkyl amines.

This thesis makes use of such differentiating ability in order to obtain preferential reaction on series of compounds, each compound containing both primary and secondary amino groups.

Further, the oxamates have been modified in an attempt to find compounds with greater differentiating ability than those used by Richardson et al., (1).

The use of oxamates describes herein offer a synthetic …

Density Measurements Of Urea Adducts, Pascal Angelo Tarantino

Master's Theses

The principal objective of this thesis is to investigate the densities of four different homologous series of urea adducts to discover the effect functional groups have on the density and molar ratio of the adducts. The four series selected are straight chain saturated hydrocarbons of the following types: n-paraffins, alcohols, acids and bromides. The number of carbon atoms contained in the chains are 8, 10, 14 and 18 for each of the respective series.

Since the discovery of urea complexes in 1939 by Frederick M. Bengen, an exceedingly high interest has been awakened in many chemical laboratories all over the …

Predictive Measurements Of College Success : A Study Of The Relationship Between The Freshman Testing Program And College Success At The University Of Richmond, Walter Nelson Taylor

Master's Theses

The writer undertook this study with several objectives in view. Primarily it was desired to study the exact statistical relationship between academic success at University of Richmond and each of several scores obtained in the freshman testing program. More specifically, it was desired to check the predictive ability of: (1) the "Q" or quantitative score, (2) the "L" or linguistic score, (3) the "T" or total score, (sum of "Q" and "L" scores) obtained from the American Council on Education Psychological Examination for College Freshmen.

In addition to this, it was desired to compute the validity coefficient for another test …