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Virginia Commonwealth University

2008

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Flexible Screw Design For Bone Implant Application, Seule Kabir Dec 2008

Flexible Screw Design For Bone Implant Application, Seule Kabir

Theses and Dissertations

Disruption of the scapholunate ligament can result in significant immediate and long-term disability. Of the available current acute and subacute treatment strategies for this disorder, the use of a solid screw to stabilize the scapholunate relationship has been proposed. However, subsequent carpal bone loss is an inherent risk to this technique. The goal of this study was to design a flexible orthopedic screw that can be placed between the scaphoid and lunate to restore more normal biomechanics without the risk of osteolysis. Several ideas were generated during the course of the study to create a moveable section in a bone …

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Find Meaning Make Meaning, Karen Stein Dec 2008

Find Meaning Make Meaning, Karen Stein

Theses and Dissertations

Employing the designer William Morris as a source of inspiration, this project seeks to explore the call for nature and beauty as a part of our lives. Moreover, it interweaves the necessity for experience of the sensual world (the five senses) with the cerebral world (a requisite to igniting the internal imagination)—a concept embodied in the form of the book. It advocates a redefining of the book as an imagination sculpture (the external and the internal) reflecting this new definition.

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Physiological Correlates Of Aggression In Adolescent Females, Ashley Dibble Dec 2008

Physiological Correlates Of Aggression In Adolescent Females, Ashley Dibble

Theses and Dissertations

Recently, with the development of new technology, researchers have focused on physiological predictors of aggressive behavior, specifically cortisol and alpha amylase. Gordis, Granger, Susman, and Trickett (2006) found the interaction between cortisol and alpha-amylase significantly predicted parent reports of aggression indicating that low levels of physiological reactivity was associated with higher levels of problem behavior. While this research has provided valuable information about aggressive behavior, a major limitation is the majority of research focuses on males, or has not examined gender differences explicitly. This study expanded on work by Gordis et al. (2006) and other researchers on the HPA axis …

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The Beekeepers, Richard Robinson Dec 2008

The Beekeepers, Richard Robinson

Theses and Dissertations

The Beekeepers complements a film/digital video of the same name. It documents my process in creating alternative films/digital videos while pursuing my MFA at Virginia Commonwealth University. It starts with my first film/digital video, “Redemption,” and traces my progression over two years culminating with the 25 minute experimental documentary, “The Beekeepers

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Social Support, Weight Loss Attempts And Satisfaction, Allison Drew Dec 2008

Social Support, Weight Loss Attempts And Satisfaction, Allison Drew

Theses and Dissertations

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which the presence of social support correlates with attempts at weight loss in the past 12 months, attempts not to gain weight in the past 12 months, and participants’ satisfaction with their weight status. Methods: We used a cross-sectional study design using data collected by the 2003-2004 and 2005-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) (CDC). For this study we included males and females, of multiple ethnicities, and a range of ages from 40 to 70 + years. Participants with missing data on height and weight were …

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Applications Of Operations Research In Domestic Electric Utilities, Jametta Myers Dec 2008

Applications Of Operations Research In Domestic Electric Utilities, Jametta Myers

Theses and Dissertations

Since its inception in the 1950s, operations research has been used in a number of industries, including the energy industry. Documentation of its use in exploration, production, gasoline blending, oil spill management, coal mining, coal handling, and coal mixing is extensive. However, considerably less documented research exists for one significant customer of many of these products: the electric utility. This work reviews refereed literature from United States operations research journals that document the use of operations research in United States electric utility operations. Applications that centered specifically on the areas of thermal energy generation, transmission, distribution, capacity planning, electric power …

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New Museum Theory In Practice: A Case Study Of The American Visionary Art Museum And The Representation Of Disability, Amanda Bryan Dec 2008

New Museum Theory In Practice: A Case Study Of The American Visionary Art Museum And The Representation Of Disability, Amanda Bryan

Theses and Dissertations

Since the inception of new museum theory, and the emphasis it places on the social purpose of museums within society, museum professionals and museum studies theorists have struggled to define what role museums must take in combating prejudices and fostering better understating of difference. Richard Sandell is one such theorist who writes about the importance of, and need for, greater inclusion of disabled artists and works of art containing themes of disability into exhibitions and display. This thesis examines Sandell’s scholarship, noting its foundation in new museum theory and disability studies, and then, employing a case study of the American …

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Development Of An Inexpensive, Haptic Graphical Display Device, David Burch Dec 2008

Development Of An Inexpensive, Haptic Graphical Display Device, David Burch

Theses and Dissertations

A finger-worn haptic device capable of rendering 2-D graphics through vibrotactile feedback is presented. The device development is presented from its initial stages of being a stylus design using a photo-interrupter optical sensor and pager-motor actuator to a small case worn on the finger using a RGB color sensor and a piezoelectric actuator. Testing of the latest prototype design shows that it has a spatial sensitivity (<2mm) comparable to natural touch (~1mm) and can be used to output a variety of vibrotactile textures. The design can be expanded for a multiple finger, independent device, while remaining affordable (<$100) and highly portable (<500g).

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Defining Value Based Information Security Governance Objectives, Sushma Mishra Dec 2008

Defining Value Based Information Security Governance Objectives, Sushma Mishra

Theses and Dissertations

This research argues that the information security governance objectives should be grounded in the values of organizational members. Research literature in decision sciences suggest that individual values play an important role in developing decision objectives. Information security governance objectives, based on values of the stakeholders, are essential for a comprehensive security control program. The study uses Value Theory as a theoretical basis and value focused thinking as a methodology to develop 23 objectives for information security governance. A case study was conducted to reexamine and interpret the significance of the proposed objectives in an organizational context. The results suggest three …

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A Space For Absence, Timothy Dalton Dec 2008

A Space For Absence, Timothy Dalton

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis focuses on the evolution of my work created during my two years of study at Virginia Commonwealth University. Although I touch upon my influences what I am writing is a reflection after the fact that does not necessarily encompass my original intent or inspirations for these works. I find my inspiration from personal discoveries within my daily life. Light flickering through the rails of a fence as I walk by makes me more aware of my body's movement in space. Watching the steady condensation of water droplets forming on a fountain creates a moment of pause within the …

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Effects Of Metal Protoporphyrins On Burn Wound Conversion, Katie Braun Dec 2008

Effects Of Metal Protoporphyrins On Burn Wound Conversion, Katie Braun

Theses and Dissertations

A murine model was utilized to test the influence of heavy metal protoporphyrins on burn conversion, heme oxygenase – 1 (HO-1) expression, and inflammation. Heavy metal protoporphyrins, such as cobalt protoporphyrin (Co PP) and tin protoporphyrin (Sn PP), were used to influence the heme oxygenase activity. The effects of these heavy metal protoporphyrins on burn wound conversion were examined using a burn comb model in rats. In addition to assessing the extent of conversion, HO-1 expression and parameters of inflammation were also examined in the area of injury (interspace region) subject to conversion. These studies demonstrate proof in principal that …

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Effects Of Light Exposure On The Release Of Oxygen From Hemoglobin In A Red Blood Cell Suspension, Tanikka Toler Dec 2008

Effects Of Light Exposure On The Release Of Oxygen From Hemoglobin In A Red Blood Cell Suspension, Tanikka Toler

Theses and Dissertations

The main function of the cardiovascular system is to deliver a sufficient quantity of oxygenated blood to the tissues, cells, and organs of the body in order to provide the cells with essential nutrients for metabolism and for the removal of waste products. All cells require and utilize oxygen. Oxygen is transported to various cells and tissues via red blood cells flowing through the microcirculation of an organism. Measurement of oxygen transport in the microcirculation has shown that about ten times more oxygen appears to leave the blood of arterioles than can be accounted for by diffusion. One possibility to …

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Energy Efficient Embedded System Design For Medical Care System Using Wireless Sensor Network, Qi Li Dec 2008

Energy Efficient Embedded System Design For Medical Care System Using Wireless Sensor Network, Qi Li

Theses and Dissertations

Recent surveys on medical service systems show that the cost of patient monitoring has grown significantly. The widespread use of portable digital medical device makes it possible to provide a more comprehensive tracking of patient conditions. However, the development of a full scale, distributed health monitoring system is much delayed due to the lack of efficient wireless communication in a large distributed network. This becomes a challenging research topic which is to find a way to provide accurate and real time patient information to medical experts in a fast, efficient and cost effective fashion. This paper proposes a novel solution …

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Asian American Social Workers: Exploring Relationships Among Factors Influencing Career Choices, Soon Min Lee Dec 2008

Asian American Social Workers: Exploring Relationships Among Factors Influencing Career Choices, Soon Min Lee

Theses and Dissertations

Asian Americans are one of the fastest growing minority groups in the United States. One of the stereotypes associated with Asians is that they are more likely to choose careers in science, medicine, and engineering rather than social science, inclusive of social work, mass communication, or humanities (Leong & Serafica, 1995; Tang et al., 1999). This occupational stereotyping of Asians is not just a myth in that descriptive studies have shown that only a few Asians choose social work as a career (Lennon, 2005; NASW, 2006). Few studies exist on Asian Americans who do not choose Asian stereotypical career choices, …

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Season Of Birth And Risk For Schizophrenia, Seth Roberts Dec 2008

Season Of Birth And Risk For Schizophrenia, Seth Roberts

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Schizophrenia is a chronic, debilitating mental disorder characterized by positive (e.g., hallucinations, delusions) and negative (e.g., catatonia, flat affect) signs and symptoms. Many studies suggest that individuals born in winter or spring months are at increased risk for schizophrenia. Study Objectives: 1) To determine whether season of birth affects risk for schizophrenia in the Irish Study of High Density Schizophrenia Families (ISHDSF). 2) To examine, by computer simulation, power to detect genetic associations with schizophrenia under a variety of conditions and using different analytic strategies. 3) To test whether specific genes are associated with schizophrenia in the Irish Case …

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An Exploration Of The Effects Of Long-Term Intimate Partner Violence: Listening To Older Women, Suzanne Lowe Dec 2008

An Exploration Of The Effects Of Long-Term Intimate Partner Violence: Listening To Older Women, Suzanne Lowe

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract AN EXPLORATION OF THE EFFECTS OF LONG-TERM INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE: LISTENING TO OLDER WOMEN By Suzanne Faries Lowe, Ph.D. A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2008 Chairman of Committee Laura J. Moriarty, Ph.D. Professor of Criminal Justice Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs There has been a great deal of research during the past four decades on the topic of domestic violence. Very little research has been conducted, however, on the effects of long-term intimate partner violence on older women. The …

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Wireless Intelligent Structural Health Monitoring System, Belle Ashwin Dec 2008

Wireless Intelligent Structural Health Monitoring System, Belle Ashwin

Theses and Dissertations

Metal structures are susceptible to various types of damages, including corrosion, stress damage, pillowing deformation, cracks etc. These kinds of damages in the metal structures occur mainly due to operational conditions and exposure to the environment. Our research involves a portable integrated wireless sensor system with video camera and ultrasound capabilities which is being developed to investigate corrosion damage on real structures in real time. This system uses images of the metal surfaces, which are captured from an integrated wireless sensor and then quantified and analyzed using computational intelligence. The quantification of the obtained images is done with specialized component …

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Performance Analysis Of A Light Weight Packet Scanner, Paras Gandhi Dec 2008

Performance Analysis Of A Light Weight Packet Scanner, Paras Gandhi

Theses and Dissertations

The growth of networks around the world has also given rise to threats like viruses and Trojans. This rise in threats has resulted in counter measures for these threats. These counter measures are in the form of applications called firewalls or IDS. The incorporation of these applications in the network results in some delay in communications. The aim of the experiment in this thesis is to measure the delay introduced by such a firewall in the best case and compare it with the communication done on a network without such an application. These experiments are done using a special miniature …

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Effect Of Metro Living On Oral Cancers In Virginia: 2001-2005, Preeti Sastry Dec 2008

Effect Of Metro Living On Oral Cancers In Virginia: 2001-2005, Preeti Sastry

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Forty percent of all head and neck cancers occur in the oral cavity. According to ICD-O (International classification of diseases for oncology) C00-C14 includes cancers of the lip, oral cavity and pharynx. Studies have indicated that increased population density or Metro living have increased oral cancer incidence. The objectives of this study are to look at the distribution of Oral and Oro pharyngeal Cancers in Virginia from 2001-2005 The study aims to determine if there is an association between metro living (beale code 3) and advanced Oral Cancers. This study is also being done to determine if Metro living …

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Fetal And Early Neonatal Death: Do The Determinants Vary?, Ashley Carter Dec 2008

Fetal And Early Neonatal Death: Do The Determinants Vary?, Ashley Carter

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: To compare the determinants and distribution of fetal and early neonatal deaths in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Background: Much attention is devoted to reducing the infant mortality rate which was declining up until 2002. The recent rise was parsed and found to stem from an increase in deaths during the early neonatal period. Fetal deaths are not well understood and are not routinely included when evaluating infant mortality. Methods: Using data collected from 2001 to 2006 fetal death and linked infant birth and death certificates by the Virginia Department of Health, crude mortality rates and leading causes of death …

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Do Black Msm Have More Idu And Hiv Positive Partners Compared To White Men Having Sex With Men ?, Shankar Krishnappa Dec 2008

Do Black Msm Have More Idu And Hiv Positive Partners Compared To White Men Having Sex With Men ?, Shankar Krishnappa

Theses and Dissertations

Objectives: This study estimates the proportion of intravenous drug use (IDU) partners and HIV positive sexual partners among black and white and examine the association between repeat HIV testing and sex with high risk partners. Methods: A cross-sectional study of MSM was conducted by using pooled data from counseling, Testing, Referral services in Virginia, USA 2002-2007. Results: We obtained a sample of 19679 MSM out of which 10924(56%) and 6739(34%) were white and black MSM respectively. The proportion of IDU partners and HIV positive partners were among white MSM (5% and 11%) and black MSM (3% and 9%) respectively. Age …

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Warm Hydroforming Characteristics Of Stainless Steel Sheet Metals, Eren Billur Dec 2008

Warm Hydroforming Characteristics Of Stainless Steel Sheet Metals, Eren Billur

Theses and Dissertations

For numerical modeling and predictive analysis of warm hydroforming, better understanding of material properties (i.e. Flow curves) is required at elevated temperatures and high strains. Hydraulic bulge testing is a suitable method to obtain this information. However, analysis of the test data is not standardized as there are numerous approaches developed and adopted throughout the years. In this study, first, different approaches for hydraulic bulge analysis were compared with stepwise experiments to determine the best combination of approaches in obtaining accurate flow curves at different temperatures and strain rates. Then, three different grades of stainless steels (AISI 201, 301 and …

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Molecular Mechanisms Involved In Oligodendrocyte Development, Rochelle Coelho Dec 2008

Molecular Mechanisms Involved In Oligodendrocyte Development, Rochelle Coelho

Theses and Dissertations

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic disease of the central nervous system (CNS) characterized by demyelination and loss of oligodendrocytes (OLGs), the CNS myelin-producing cells. Thus, understanding the mechanisms that control OLG development can provide valuable knowledge regarding remyelination therapies for MS. This disease is thought to result from an autoimmune attack towards myelin. FTY720, an immunomodulator under evaluation for MS treatment is a sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) analog. We found before that S1P plays a crucial role in the NT-3-mediated survival of OLGs, an observation that led us to investigate whether FTY720 could have any effect on these cells. Our studies …

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Medicare Managed Care Penetration And Prevalence Of Older Adult Disability, Christine Moe Dec 2008

Medicare Managed Care Penetration And Prevalence Of Older Adult Disability, Christine Moe

Theses and Dissertations

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between Medicare Managed Care (MMC) penetration and percentage of disability in older adults (individuals age 65 and older). Considering disability as an indicator of one or more unsuccessfully managed chronic diseases, this study investigates the assumption that managed care improves coordination of care, as well as access to preventive care. If managed care’s mandate is being met, then it should be evidenced in decreased prevalence of older adult disability. METHOD: Taking an ecological approach, this study used data from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ, 2003) to compare the percentage of older adult …

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Regulation Of Mdm2 Mediated Nfκb2 Pathway In Human Lung Cancer, Lathika Mohanraj Dec 2008

Regulation Of Mdm2 Mediated Nfκb2 Pathway In Human Lung Cancer, Lathika Mohanraj

Theses and Dissertations

Overexpression of oncoprotein MDM2 and mutations of tumor suppressor p53 are frequently observed in human cancers. The NFκB pathway is one of the deregulated pathways in oncogenesis. The overall goal of the project was to study the regulation of NFκB pathway by MDM2 in lung cancer. Our first effort was to determine the frequency of MDM2 overexpression in human lung tumor samples and to identify co-occurring abnormal gene expression by studying the levels of MDM2 and members of NFκB pathway with respect to p53 status. Higher than normal levels of MDM2 were found in approximately 30% of the cancer samples …

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Student Success In College: An Examination Of The Relationship Between Institutional Expenditures And Persistence, Ibironke Lawal Dec 2008

Student Success In College: An Examination Of The Relationship Between Institutional Expenditures And Persistence, Ibironke Lawal

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the relationships between 1. institutional expenditures on academic support as measured by total amount and student persistence; 2. institutional expenditures on academic support as measured by amount per student FTE and student persistence; 3. institutional expenditures on student services as measured by total amount and student persistence; and 4. institutional expenditures on student services as measured by amount per FTE. It also explored the relationship between student engagement as measured by the five benchmarks (Academic Challenge, Active & Collaborative Learning, Student Faculty Interaction, Enriching Education Experience, and Supportive Campus Environment) and student persistence. Finally, it explored relationships …

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Co-Administration Of Sildenafil Potentiates Doxorubicin-Induced Apoptosis In Prostate Cancer: The Role Of Nf-Kappab, Sarah Hassanieh Dec 2008

Co-Administration Of Sildenafil Potentiates Doxorubicin-Induced Apoptosis In Prostate Cancer: The Role Of Nf-Kappab, Sarah Hassanieh

Theses and Dissertations

Our recent studies have shown that that erectile dysfunction (ED) drugs including Sildenafil (Viagra), Vardenafil (Levitra) and Tadalafil (Cialis) enhance killing of several types of cancer cells by anticancer drug, Doxorubicin (DOX). We observed increased cell death by apoptosis in response to the combined treatment with ED drugs and DOX. However, the mechanism of such enhancement of cell death by combined treatment of ED drugs and DOX is not fully understood. Nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) is an oxidant-sensitive transcription factor that plays a critical role in the immediate-early activation of a multitude of genes that have been documented to play critical …

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Commonwealth Times 2008-12-04 Dec 2008

Commonwealth Times 2008-12-04

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.

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Why Do People Use Or Not Use An Information Technology: An Interpretive Investigation On The Adoption And Use Of An Electronic Medical Records System, Li Long Dec 2008

Why Do People Use Or Not Use An Information Technology: An Interpretive Investigation On The Adoption And Use Of An Electronic Medical Records System, Li Long

Theses and Dissertations

In the literature of information technology acceptance, much empirical evidence exists that is inconsistent with Technology Acceptance (TA) Models. The purpose of this study is to find out why the extant TA models fail to predict in reality as they purport to in theory. This research argues that the extant literature has not been able to explain how individuals actually form their perceptions about using an information technology. Since past research attempting to do this has been unsuccessful or empirically refuted, this research uses an interpretive case study to investigate the experiences of professionals’ adoption and use of an information …

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Pathways To Drug Use Among Rural And Urban African American Adolescents: The Mediating And Moderating Effects Of Parent And Peer Influences, Trenette Clark Dec 2008

Pathways To Drug Use Among Rural And Urban African American Adolescents: The Mediating And Moderating Effects Of Parent And Peer Influences, Trenette Clark

Theses and Dissertations

African American adolescents have traditionally engaged in drug use at disproportionately lower rates than youth of other ethnic groups. Nonetheless, African American youth and adults suffer disproportionately higher rates of drug-related consequences. This paradox is a health and social disparity that has been given fair attention but needs additional culturally intelligent theoretical and empirical explanations. Research that targets African American adolescent drug use has emerged but has failed to fully or moderately explain this paradox. The purpose of this study was to fill a gap in the literature by helping to explain the first part of the paradox, African American …

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