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Serotype Association And Regulation Of The Hyaluronate Lyase Gene Of Streptococcus Pyogenes, Martha Stokes

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

S. pyogenes expresses many virulence factors, controlled by a complex regulatory network. These include hyaluronate lyase, an enzyme that degrades hyaluronic acid, a major component of the human extracellular matrix. Paradoxically, hyaluronic acid is also the sole component of the bacterium's capsule, a primary defense against the host immune response. The hylA gene, which encodes the enzyme, has been shown to take three structural forms: a full-length gene, one containing a 3' deletion and a gene that produces a prematurely truncated protein. This work was intended to show that the structure of hylA is associated with serotype, and …

Modeling Habitat And Environmental Factors Affecting Mosquito Abundance In Chesapeake, Virginia, Alan Scott Bellows

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The models I present in this dissertation were designed to enable mosquito control agencies in the mid-Atlantic region that oversee large jurisdictions to rapidly track the spatial and temporal distributions of mosquito species, especially those species known to be vectors of eastern equine encephalitis and West Nile virus. I was able to keep these models streamlined, user-friendly, and not cost-prohibitive using empirically based digital data to analyze mosquito-abundance patterns in real landscapes.

This research is presented in three major chapters: (II) a series of semi-static habitat suitability indices (HSI) grounded on well-documented associations between mosquito abundance and environmental variables, (III) …

Apres Le Deluge: Microbial Landscape Of New Orleans After The Hurricanes, Fred C. Dobbs

OES Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Sensitivity Of The Southwest Monsoon Phytoplankton Bloom To Variations In Aeolian Iron Deposition Over The Arabian Sea, Jerry D. Wiggert, Raghu G. Murtugudde

CCPO Publications

[1] A coupled, 3-D biophysical ocean general circulation model is used to investigate how aeolian iron deposition affects the Arabian Sea ecosystem. Two separate aeolian iron deposition fields, derived from the GISS and GOCART atmospheric transport models, have been applied as surface boundary conditions. The model results exhibit widespread biogeochemical sensitivity to the choice of deposition field. With GOCART deposition, SW Monsoon phytoplankton blooms in the western and central Arabian Sea are enhanced and exhibit greater realism. The central Arabian Sea bloom is supported by supplemental input of horizontally advected iron from a pool that undergoes a yearlong progression that …

A Study On The Effects Of Wheel Throwing And A Child Diagnosed With Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Jennifer Evans

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

It has been estimated that 3-7 percent of children are diagnosed with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) (Barkley, 2005). Research has found many treatment options to be effective; however, the most efficacious treatment is a combination treatment of medication and cognitive/behavioral therapy. Some art therapists have discussed the treatment of ADHD; however, few studies have large enough samples and repeatable results to provide empirical support. It was hypothesized that an eight week ceramic/wheel-throwing intervention in individual art therapy sessions would help calm and focus a child diagnosed with ADHD. This study consisted of a six week, six sessions, ceramic wheel-throwing intervention …

Toward An Understanding Of Serial Killers Through Their Artwork: Implications For Forensic Art Therapy, Kelly Macionis

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

This research study explored the formal elements and content of 258 images of artwork created by 47 serial killers to see if common themes or content could be discovered. The images were found on five Internet websites containing serial killer artwork. The 47 serial killer artists were all male and it was assumed they were imprisoned when they created their art. The artwork gathered was viewed on a laptop and analyzed using the methods of content analysis. After categories of content and formal elements in the images were entered into a spreadsheet, frequencies and percentages of each category and subcategory …

A School Art Therapy Group: Helping Eighth Grade Students Decrease Disruptive Behaviors And Increase Coping Skills Before The Transition To High School, Erin Spier

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

The transition to high school can be difficult for adolescents, especially those exhibiting disruptive behaviors and poor coping skills. This study was concerned with developing conducting a group art therapy intervention that would help increase coping skills and decrease disruptive behaviors in eighth grade students preparing for the transition to high school. Two girls and four boys from a private school in southeastern Virginia participated in the study after the start of their final semester in eighth grade. The study consisted of 8 sessions conducted on alternating days, twice a week for a four-week period.

During the group art therapy …

Albert Bierstadt's Images Of The American West: An Eco-Critical Reflection On Nature Painting, Sabine Wilke

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

In the Pacific Northwest we encounter images of the American West as place of utmost grandeur, i.e., picturesque images of spectacular Western landscapes that have circulated throughout history in specific ways that I wish to explore. These images of the American West - adopted, among others, by environmental organizations and the tourist industry - were, to some extent at least, shaped artistically by German-American painter Albert Bierstadt who lived and worked in the latter half of the nineteenth century and who was one of the first artists after the first generation of expedition painters who traveled West repeatedly and transformed …

Review Of Restoring The Connection To The Natural World: Essays On The African American Environmental Imagination, Uwe Küchler

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

[First paragraph]

In her introduction to The Ecocriticism Reader from 1995, a landmark in the short and dynamic development of this new field of knowledge, Cheryl Glotfelty anticipated that "Ecocriticism has been predominantly a white movement. It will become a multi-ethnic movement when stronger connections are made between the environment and issues of social justice, and when a diversity of voices are encouraged to contribute to the discussion" (Glotfelty 1996, xxv). The collection of essays reviewed here, published in 2003, fills this gap in ecocritical research. The nine contributors to Sylvia Mayer's edition have critically evaluated various aspects of African …

Jeffress Research Grant Awards - 2006

Virginia Journal of Science

List of winners of the Jeffress Research Grant Awards for 2006.

Predictors Of Student Success In An Entry-Level Baccalaureate Dental Hygiene Program, Mohammad J. Alzahrani, Evelyn M. Thomson, Deborah Blythe Bauman

Dental Hygiene Faculty Publications

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to measure the utility of various predictors used by the Old Dominion University Gene W. Hirschfeld School of Dental Hygiene baccalaureate degree dental hygiene program in selecting dental hygiene students who are most likely to graduate and be successful in passing the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination (NBDHE). The following factors were examined: grade point average (GPA); science GPA; final grade in various prerequisite courses; final grade in first-year dental hygiene courses; academic setting where prerequisite courses were completed; multiple attempts to achieve a passing course grade; and admissions criteria points (ACP).

METHODS: …

Trees On K-12 School Campuses In Virginia, Jeffrey L. Kirwan, P. Eric Wiseman, John R. Seiler

Virginia Journal of Science

Trees and saplings growing on K-12 school campuses were investigated in 105 school districts across Virginia. There were 2812 trees (>12.5 cm stem diameter at 1.4 m above ground level) inventoried across all campuses. The mean and median campus tree population was 27 and 18, respectively. Loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) was the most abundant species, accounting for 11% of all inventoried trees. Red maple (Acer rubrum L.) was the most frequently inventoried species, present on 44% of the campuses. Sapling (trees with 2.5-12.5 cm stem diameter at 1.4 m above ground level) populations were similar …

Addressing The Nature Of Gettysburg: 'Addition And Detraction' In Preserving An American Shrine, Brian Black

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

As Gettysburg's sacred meaning extends beyond its 140th year, the site's nature has become a primary source of contest or debate. With the acceptance of new National Park Service policies at the end of the twentieth century, the ecology of the Gettysburg battlefield became both aid and bane to the effort to preserve history. By making this ethical choice, the ecology of the battlefield became part of another historic altercation on this hallowed ground. The debate asks Americans to make severe judgments on basic values that concern the act of preservation. In short, this debate confronts difficult questions including: Is …

Gestures Toward Cross-Species Reciprocal Relations In Contemporary Poetics, Mary Newell

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

In this essay, I explore some embodied bases of ethical attitudes toward human/ animal exchanges in the texts of three contemporary authors: Mary Oliver, Heller Levinson, and Adrienne Rich. Since other species share with humans varieties of agency, sentience, and purposive activity, I suggest that reciprocity is a fundamental aim in cross-species relations. Phenomenological philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty depicts the correlation between embodied actions and attitudes, for example, between the hand movement of grasping and an appropriative attitude toward the natural world. His concept of reciprocity, grounded in the experience of one hand touching another, provides a reference for encounters that …

Translating Ecocriticism: Dialoguing With Michel Serres, Stephanie Posthumus

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

Since its humble beginnings in the Western United States, ecocriticism has grown under the banner of the Association for the Study of Literature and the Environment into an organization of over 1000 members with international affiliates in Australia-New Zealand, Canada, Europe, India, Japan, Koria and the UK. At first sight, it would seem that ecocriticism has achieved global status. But as Ursula Heise remarks in her assessment of ecocriticism, this process of globalisation has been mainly a process of becoming known internationally. In truth, ecocriticism has remained strongly rooted in Anglophone literary studies even as it has been exported to …

Reconciling Ethnicity, Subalternity And Chinese Eco-Aesthetics: Human And Animal Subjects In Lu Chuan's Kekexili: Mountain Patrol, Chia-Ju Chang

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

An ecological discourse has not yet arisen in the mainstream of Chinese film studies. Lu Chuan's Kekexili: Mountain Patrol (2004) is the first transnational feature film in China about the endangered Tibetan Antelope. This "eco-thriller" is based on a true event and is about a group of Tibetan volunteers trying to capture the leader of a poaching group who is responsible for mass-slaughtering and skinning the endangered Tibetan Antelope. The film engages a complicated politics of transnational capitalism, ethnicity, animal rights and aesthetics. In this paper, I first survey the history of animal poaching in the Kekexili area and the …

Bird Watching: Global-Natural Worlds And The Popular Reception Of Winged Migration, Lisa Uddin

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

This paper examines the contemporary visual cultures of economic globalization and natural history by considering the popular French wildlife film, Winged Migration (dir. Perrin 2001). Through the small-scale of a single film's reception, the paper offers a critique of the Euro-American tendency to conceptualize the global world and the natural world in totalizing and mutually constitutive terms. How have images of a timeless and universal global world become a way of imagining the natural world, and vice versa? How has Winged Migration's circulation amongst an American popular audience reproduced, but also undermined, these joint constructions? Analyzing the film's central theme …

Lynching The White Imagination: Changing The Dynamics Of Lynching And Rewriting The Cult Of True Womanhood In Grimke, Johnson, And Terrell, Melissa L. Antonucci

English Theses & Dissertations

Despite critics'ack and forth argument over the merits, or lack thereof, of a uniquely black theatre experience, black women playwrights, much like their male counterparts, were once wholly invisible to the white community. But what makes their invisibility unique is their absence in the black world and in literary scholarship. Unfortunately, modern scholarship has oftentimes dismissed these exceptionally powerful plays, cataloging them as poorly written and lacking stylistic and formal elements. It was only recently that they were included in a highly male-dominated history of African American theatre and art. The question of their use of sentimentality, however, remains unanswered. …

Effects Of Elevated Atmospheric Co2 On Root Dynamics, Biomass And Architecture In A Scrub-Oak Ecosystem At Kennedy Space Center, Florida, Daniel Benjamin Stover

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

A major gap in whole-plant ecology lies with our understanding of root system growth, function and distribution. Large belowground structures, in addition to fine roots, are of particular interest because of their role in carbon sequestration. Non-destructive methods, including ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and minirhizotron observation tubes, were used to investigate effects of elevated CO₂ on root biomass, dynamics (productivity, mortality, and turnover), root persistence and architecture in a fire dominated scrub-oak ecosystem. Open-top chambers have been exposed to elevated atmospheric CO₂ for the past eleven years at Kennedy Space Center, Florida. No significant sustained CO₂ treatment effects …

Interactions Between Phytoplankton And Bacteria In The Uptake Of Organic Compounds, Andrea Michel Rocha

OES Theses and Dissertations

The most common methods for estimating bacterial productivity are [³H]-leucine and [³H]-thymidine incorporation. Uptake of these compounds has been attributed primarily to bacteria; however, because dissolved organic nitrogen may be an important N source for some phytoplankton, the use of these compounds to estimate bacterial productivity needs to be reexamined. In order to ascertain whether phytoplankton could compete with bacteria on relevant timescales and thereby bias bacterial productivity estimates in estuaries, I examined the ability of cultured phytoplankton and size-fractionated natural populations to take up leucine and thymidine in systems seasonally dominated by phytoplankton mixotrophs. In …

Effects Of Five Different Finger Rest Positions On Arm Muscle Activity During Scaling By Dental Hygiene Students, Mary Elizabeth Cosaboom

Dental Hygiene Theses & Dissertations

This study was conducted to determine the effects of five different finger rest positions, (fulcrums: opposite arch, standard intra-oral, basic extra-oral, cross arch and finger on finger) on the muscle activity of four forearm muscles, (extensor carpi radialis longus, flexor carpi ulnar is, biceps brachii and pronator teres) during a simulated periodontal scaling experience. A convenience sample of 32 consenting right handed senior dental hygiene students who met inclusion criteria participated. The 32 students had no history of injuries or disabilities to the right arm, wrist, or hand. Pre-test maximum voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) scores were obtained prior …

Complexity, Fine-Tuning, And Multiple Universes: The Insufficiency Of Scientific Theories For Determining Metaphysical Views, Ashley Graham Kennedy

Institute for the Humanities Theses

Many argue that science can provide empirical evidence for the existence of God or a designer. In this thesis I examine three such arguments: the irreducible complexity argument from biochemistry, the fine-tuning argument from physics and the rare earth/privileged planet hypothesis from astronomy. I conclude that all three of the arguments fail to show whether or not the universe was designed, because science is not prepared to answer this question. Further, I argue that scientific theories, in general, cannot be used as the sole basis for metaphysical propositions.

Who Should Patients Turn To? A Look At Caregivers' Willingness To Perform Various Caregiving Tasks For Patients With Alzheimer's Disease, Melina L. Laroco

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

Research suggests that with baby boomers reaching the age of the retirement, life expectancy rising, and the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease, caregiving roles are almost becoming an established aspect of family obligation (Hoyert 2000). The purpose of this study is to examine and measure the willingness of caregivers to either help with or completely perform the necessary caregiving tasks required by the Alzheimer's.

The data utilized for this study is entitled, "REACH." REACH stands for Resources Enhancing Alzheimer's Caregiver Health. It was gathered by the National Institute of Health and led by the National Institute on Aging. Data were …

Behavioral Enhancement Of Onshore Transport By Postlarval Caribbean Spiny Lobster (Panulirus Argus), Jason Seth Goldstein

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The onshore transport of meroplanktonic marine larvae or postlarvae is often complex, involving both active (i.e., behavior, swimming) and passive (i.e., oceanographic elements) transport mechanisms. Behaviors that modify passive transport have presumably evolved to situate larvae in settlement habitats where survival is enhanced. Active transport mechanisms have not been described for the puerulus postlarvae of any species of spiny lobster, despite their extraordinary mobility and known preference for specific settlement habitats. In the Florida Keys, for example, Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) pueruli travel from oceanic waters into coastal areas where they settle within bushy, red macroalgae. I …

Influences Of The Family Environment And Parent-Child Relationships On The Executive Functioning Of Children With Adhd, Valarie M. Schroeder

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present study examined the relationships between executive functions, family environment, and parent-child relationships in ADHD diagnosed children as compared to non-ADHD diagnosed children. Participants were parents (N = 134) of children diagnosed with ADHD and children not diagnosed with ADHD. As hypothesized, as compared to reports from parents of children not diagnosed with ADHD, parents of children diagnosed with ADHD reported their children as exhibiting greater problems with behavioral control and metacognitive abilities. Compared to control parents, parents of children with ADHD also reported their family environments as less organized and reported more conflict in their homes. In addition, …

Bactericidal Effects Of Cold Plasma Technology On Geobacillus Stearothermophilus And Bacillus Cereus Microorganisms, Angela Dawn Morris

Dental Hygiene Theses & Dissertations

Non-equilibrium atmospheric pressure plasma, also known as cold plasma, is a state of matter that consists of a mix of neutral and charged particles. Plasma generates chemically reactive species and ultraviolet radiation making them useful in decontamination applications (Kong & Laroussi, 2003). Research regarding the inactivation of gram-positive bacteria, such as Bacillus atrophaeus, by cold plasma has been studied by Laroussi et al. (2003); however, there is limited research regarding the germicidal effectiveness of cold plasma on the microorganisms Geobacillus stearothermophilus and Bacillus cereus. The purpose of this study was to determine if cold plasma technology inactivates heat …

Peddling A Distinguishable Female Form: Late Nineteenth-Century Advertising Of Cosmetics Hair Products And Corsets In British Women's Magazines, Cathleen A. Rhodes

English Theses & Dissertations

This project examines advertisements for cosmetics, hair products, corsets, and various other mechanical and chemical body alteration devices to uncover an emphasis, manifested through the female body, on gendered differences. Beauty products accentuated feminine physical attributes in order to emphasize differences that were much subtler than the discourse on gender would suggest. In essence, to make the bodily difference closer to the differences the discourse on gender proclaimed.

Primary source material includes visual and textual advertisements from women's periodicals from 1870 — 1900. Periodicals have been chosen for popularity in their respective time periods as well as for their varied …

Simulation And Modeling Of Nerve Impulse Propagation And Its Blockage By External Electrical Stimulation, Nidhi Nahar

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The electric nature of biological tissues permits the transmission of signals for information and for control and is, therefore, of vital importance for life. The latest scientific achievements and nanoscale probing techniques now allow scientists to research at the subcellular level by measuring the electric current flows through a single ion channel of the cell membrane with the patch-clamp method. With the latter approach, the effects of electrical stimulation can be quantified, understood, and applied to molecular biology and the development of medical diagnostic and therapeutic methods.

In this thesis, the Hodgkin-Huxley approach for unmyelinated fibers, coupled with a transmission …

Molecular Dynamics Simulations To Probe Effects Of Ultra-Short, Very-High Voltage Pulses On Cells, Viswanadham Sridhara

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The use of very high electric fields (∼ 100kV/cm or higher) with pulse durations in the nanosecond range (Ultra-short) has been a very recent development in bioelectrics. Traditionally, the electric field effects have mostly been confined to: (a) low field, long-duration pulses, and (b) focused mainly on electroporation studies. Thus, aspects such as possible field-induced DNA damage, calcium release, alterations in neuro-transmitters, or voltage-gating have generally been overlooked.

Ultra-short, high-field pulses open the way to targeted and deliberate apoptotic cell killing (e.g., of tumor cells). Though experimental data is very useful, it usually yields information on macroscopic variables that is …

Adsorption Of Lead (Ii) Ions By Organosilicate Nanoporous Materials, Larry Keith Isaacs

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

As-synthesized organosilicate nanoporous (OSNP) materials HMS (hexagonal mesoporous structure) and MCM-41 were used as adsorbents for removal of lead (II) ions in laboratory batch and column studies. Mesoporous organosilicates were prepared from tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) and either an ionic (cetyltrimethyl-ammonium) or neutral (dodecylamine) surfactant. Batch reaction distribution coefficients for MCM-41 were K_D = 51.5 L/g (SD = 26.3) at 24 h and K_D = 73.7 L/g (SD = 40.5) at 7 d. OSNP lead (II) ion adsorption increased from pH = 3 until pH ca. 7.5 after which a sharp decrease in adsorption was noted. OSNP materials reflected a …