Digital Commons Network^™

Mammary Epithelial Cells Cultured Onto Non-Woven Nanofiber Electrospun Silk-Based Biomaterials To Engineer Breast Tissue Models, Yas Maghdouri-White

Theses and Dissertations

Breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancer affecting women in the world today. To better understand breast cancer initiation and progression modeling biological tissue under physiological conditions is essential. Indeed, breast cancer involves complex interactions between mammary epithelial cells and the stroma, both extracellular matrix (ECM) and cells including adipocytes (fat tissue) and fibroblasts (connective tissue). Therefore, the engineering of in vitro three-dimensional (3D) systems of breast tissues allows a deeper understanding of the complex cell-cell and cell-ECM interactions involved during breast tissue development and cancer initiation and progression. Furthermore, such 3D systems may provide a …

An Examination Of The Relationship Of Abo Blood Group And Lifespan In A Hospitalized Population In The Southeastern United States, Tara Moon

Theses and Dissertations

The clinical significance of ABO blood group is evident and universally accepted with regards to blood transfusion and pregnancy; however, the importance of ABO blood group as it relates to other diseases or disorders and overall mortality is not fully understood by the scientific community. Many studies have suggested associations between blood groups and disease, but consensus has not been reached regarding overall survival or longevity. This epidemiological, retrospective review of ABO blood group and age at the time of death in a hospitalized population in the Southeastern United States is the first multi-site study to examine this relationship. The …

An Intuitive Approach, Fonda Cody

Theses and Dissertations

Artist Statement I explore the inherent features of painting, glass, and ceramics. I focus on the materials and work in a spontaneous, exploratory manner. This process of discovery fuels my creativity in working with each media as I develop an awareness of their possibilities and limitations. The better I know my materials, the easier it becomes to be expressive with them. In my paintings, I am interested in exploring my own personal response to paint and the weight of color on canvas. In these works, I often depict stylized architecture in a landscape. My glasswork focuses on color as inspired …

Gene Therapy Evolution: How Gene Therapy Has Evolved Preventive Medicine, Kayuri Shah

UROP Posters

Gene therapy technologies offers a prospect for preventive medicine; before the trait can harm the recipient, genetically engineered transgenes will either alter the genetic disorder beforehand, or allow for regeneration of the tissue. The basic goal in bone formation and regeneration is to find a quick, easy, and cost-effective method to help bone growth, formation, and regeneration where surgery may be impossible or too risky. Gene therapy provides that, whether as a technology or product. Cells have the ability to be engineered, or manipulated, within the recipient’s body, or by removal and reimplantation. While treatments such as surgery are available, …

Peta's Objectification Of Women, Abir Malik

UROP Posters

Over the last few decades, advertisements have objectified and sexualized women as a tactic to attract men into supporting causes and buying products. This research project focuses on the advertisements published by the animal rights group, PETA, People for the Ethical Treatments of Animals, and its deliberate use of degrading images of women to support its cause. PETA advertisements juxtapose barely clad women with animals or animal references, making the viewer see women as animalistic, out of control, and in need of taming or saving. Research shows that the results of such negative advertising tactics are correlated with increased aggression …

Have I Made My Point?, John Bush, John Bush

UROP Posters

The purpose of my research is to use Experimental Archaeology to explore how individuals relate to, and behave in, their environment. For this study, I chose to use materials and techniques that would have been available to pre-contact populations in what is now the Commonwealth of Virginia, to manufacture lithic tools, or projectile points and knives (PP/Ks).

Factors Influencing Personality In Prothonotary Warbler Nestlings?, Jenna Dodson

UROP Posters

Animal personality is defined as consistent expressions of an individual’s behavior when exposed to stressful conditions. Avian nestling personality traits can be determined through simple stress handling tests that measure breath rate and docility. Individuals with lower measures tend to be more bold and aggressive adults, traits that are correlated with increased fitness. Other developmental factors that correlate with increased fitness include egg size, parental provisioning rates, and body condition. The objective of this project was to determine if there is a relationship between handling stress and: egg size and parental provisioning in the migratory songbird, Prothonotary warbler (PROW). This …

Virtually Scanning Jamestown 1607-1610, Lauren Volkers

UROP Posters

The Virtual Curation Laboratory, located at Virginia Commonwealth University, has been 3D scanning artifacts in collaboration with Jamestown Rediscovery from a very narrow period of time,1607 to 1610. This short time period includes the founding of the Jamestown colony and the Starving Time, where colonists consumed dogs, their seven horses, and at least one young woman. The intersection of Native Americans and Europeans can also be seen with native-made artifacts found in European contexts or altered by European contact. This poster will feature a butchered dog mandible and a butchered horse tibia from the Starving Time, native-made and European-made pipes …

Examining A Link Between Paraquat, Alpha-Synuclein Fibrillation And Neurodegeneration: A Review, Nikhil Ailaney

UROP Posters

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive and chronic disorder that causes motor system dysfunction due to a lack of dopamine in the central nervous system. Although this disorder has been researched extensively, the etiology of Parkinson’s disease remains unknown. Paraquat, a commonly used pesticide, is a known neurotoxin and is used extensively worldwide. In order to determine if people who live in agricultural regions that use paraquat are more susceptible to Parkinson’s disease I examined a possible link between paraquat, the fibrillation of the protein alpha-synuclein and neurodegeneration. To conduct this review, I analyzed epidemiological studies on the correlation between pesticides …

The Role Of P2x Receptors In Hiv And Opiate-Related Neurotoxicity, Mary Sorrell

Theses and Dissertations

Emerging evidence suggests that opioid drugs can exacerbate neuroAIDS. Microglia are the principal neuroimmune effectors thought to be responsible for neuron damage in HIV-infected individuals, and evidence suggests that drugs acting via opioid receptors in microglia aggravate the neuropathophysiological effects of HIV. The P2X family of ATP activated ligand-gated ion channels regulates key aspects of microglial function. In addition, opioid-dependent microglial activation has been reported to be mediated through P2X4 signaling, prompting us to investigate P2X receptors contribution to the neurotoxic effects of HIV and morphine. In vitro experiments showed treatment with TNP-ATP prevented the neurotoxic effects of morphine and/or …

Understanding Collaboration Among Political Subdivisions Of State Government: Examining The Perceptions And Use Of Collaboration By Virginia's Soil & Water Conservation Districts, Kendall Tyree

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the definitions, benefits, challenges, methods and perceived levels of current collaboration of Virginia’s 47 Soil and Water Conservation Districts, each a political subdivision of state government. The study was guided by the following questions (1) What is collaboration and how is it used by political subdivisions of state government? (2) What collaborative strategies are used specifically by soil and water conservation districts? (3) At what level are districts currently collaborating? (4) At what level do districts prefer to collaborate? A mixed methods research survey was used. The quantitative section measured current perceptions …

Ink (2014-04)

Ink, 2008-

The student-run features magazine covering the fashion, art, music and culture worlds at VCU and in Richmond. Published annually in print and updated regularly online.

Commonwealth Times 2014-03-31

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.

Multi – Modality Molecular Imaging Of Adoptive Immune Cell Therapy In Breast Cancer, Fatma Youniss

Theses and Dissertations

Cancer treatment by adoptive immune cell therapy (AIT) is a form of immunotherapy that relies on the in vitro activation and/or expansion of immune cells. In this approach, immune cells, particularly CD8+ T lymphocytes, can potentially be harvested from a tumor-bearing patient, then activated and/or expanded in vitro in the presence of cytokines and other growth factors, and then transferred back into the same patient to induce tumor regression. AIT allows the in vitro generation and activation of T-lymphocytes away from the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, thereby providing optimum conditions for potent anti-tumor activity. The overall objective of this study is …

Behavioral Assessment And Hplc/Ms/Ms Identification Of The Synthetic Cannabinoid, Cp47,497, In Mice, Kimberly L. Samano

Theses and Dissertations

CP47,497 and other synthetic cannabinoid compounds were incipiently synthesized as research tools to investigate the mechanisms by which marijuana affects the brain and to aid in the development of therapeutic agents. Recently, these cannabinoid compounds have resurfaced in the designer drug market, marketed as “herbal incense products” (HIPs). Their popular use has resulted in an alarming rate of reported adverse effects and toxicities. Current legislation classified CP47,497 and several other synthetic cannabinoids compounds as Schedule I agents, but abuse of these compounds persists with serious consequences to public health and safety. In vivo studies examining the behavioral consequences of abused …

Multimodality Molecular Imaging Of [18f]-Fluorinated Carboplatin Derivative Encapsulated In [111in]-Labeled Liposome, Narottam Lamichhane

Theses and Dissertations

Platinum based chemotherapy is amongst the mainstream DNA-damaging agents used in clinical cancer therapy today. Agents such as cisplatin, carboplatin are clinically prescribed for the treatment of solid tumors either as single agents, in combination, or as part of multi-modality treatment strategy. Despite the potent anti-tumor activity of these drugs, overall effectiveness is still hampered by inadequate delivery and retention of drug in tumor and unwanted normal tissue toxicity, induced by non-selective accumulation of drug in normal cells and tissues. Utilizing molecular imaging and nanoparticle technologies, this thesis aims to contribute to better understanding of how to improve the profile …

Old World, New Media: Cross-Cultural Explorations With Camera And Analytic Text In Cusco, Peru, Scott Dupre Mills

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract OLD WORLD, NEW MEDIA: CROSS-CULTURAL EXPLORATIONS WITH CAMERA AND ANALYTIC TEXT IN CUSCO, PERU By Scott DuPre Mills, PhD. A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2014 Major Director: Dr. Nicholas A Sharp, Assistant Professor, Department of English This dissertation draws on my field research in Cusco, Peru, documenting Old World methods of making Andean musical instruments. The cross-cultural interactions I engaged in are concretized and documented in the ethnographic film I shot at the time and in my experimentation with original music …

English Composition 100: Best Practices For Online Instruction, David Paschal Narendra Makhanlall

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this dissertation is to explore the process of teaching English Composition in the asynchronous online format and to make recommendations for the best possible approach for continued student success. The teaching of English Composition is a complex subject and no two teachers will have the same approach. This matter is further complicated when online instruction is explored. An instructor cannot transplant an in-class course into the online format and expect the same results. This dissertation explores the best possible approach to teaching English Composition in an online environment with the use of multimedia applications. This exploration will …

Hydroxocobalamin Treatment For Carbon Monoxide Exposures: Characterizing Hemoglobin Changes And Testing For Neurological Sequelae, Leonardo Somera

Theses and Dissertations

Prior work in our lab has indicated that reduced Hydroxocobalamin (B12r) can be added to human blood and is able to convert carbon monoxide (CO) into carbon dioxide. This has great potential as a direct antidote to mitigate the toxic effects of CO poisoning which is a public health risk. In the first part of our work, we use highly specific wavelengths of light and Raman spectroscopy to study changes in Carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) between blood treated with oxygen and blood treated with oxygen and B12r in a flowing circuit of blood. Using Raman spectroscopy, we found that the addition of …

Commonwealth Times 2014-01-27

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.

A Direct And Indirect Mechanism For Ccr5 In Morphine And Hiv-1 Mediated Neurodegeneration, Elizabeth Podhaizer

Theses and Dissertations

A DIRECT AND INDIRECT MECHANISM FOR CCR5 IN OPIOID AND HIV-1 MEDIATED NEURODEGENERATION By Elizabeth M. Podhaizer, 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, 2014 Major Director: Kurt F. Hauser, Ph.D., Professor of Pharmacology & Toxicology Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 infection currently affects over 34 million people worldwide, and despite the use of cART, the prevalence of HIV-1 associated neurocognitive impairments (HAND) has not declined. Additionally, other co-morbid factors such as the abuse of injection drugs (i.e. heroin, morphine) increase both the frequency …

Targeting The Endocannabinoid Metabolic Enzymes To Reduce Inflammatory Pain, Sudeshna Ghosh

Theses and Dissertations

Pain is a debilitating condition that presents a problem of clinical relevance. Common analgesics include opioids and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSIADs). Despite different degrees of effectiveness, a major drawback of these analgesic classes is their side effects. For example, side effects associated with opioids include pruritus, respiratory depression, hyperalgesia, constipation, dependence. In addition, chronic use of NSAIDs can cause gastric ulcers. Delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive constituent of marijuana, produces antinociception in various preclinical models of pain. Similarly, many synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists produce antinociception in preclinical models of pain. However, their psychomimetic effects dampen interest for their therapeutic …

Combined Antiproliferative Effects Of The Aminoalkylindole Win55,212-2 And Radiation In Breast Cancer Cells, Sean Emery

Theses and Dissertations

The potential antitumor activity of mixed CB1/CB2 cannabinoid receptor agonists, such as the aminoalkylindole WIN55,212-2 (WIN2), has been extensively studied, but little information is available as to their potential interaction with conventional cancer therapies, such as ionizing radiation (IR). In the present work, we investigated the effects of WIN2 on the antiproliferative effects of radiation in human (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231) and murine (4T1) breast cancer cells, as well as an immortalized human breast epithelial cell line (MCF-10A). WIN2 or radiation alone inhibited breast tumor growth, while the combination of WIN2 and radiation was more effective than either agent alone in …

Specific Localization Of Β-Arrestin2 In Myenteric Plexus Of Mouse Gastrointestinal Tract, Hercules T. Maguma, Dipanjana D. De, Sukhada Bhave, William L. Dewey, Hamid I. Akbarali

Pharmacology and Toxicology Publications

Abstract

β-arrestin2 is a key molecule involved in signaling and internalization of activated G protein-coupled receptors including µ-opioid receptors (MOR). Previously we have shown that decreased expression of β-arrestin2 upon chronic morphine is associated with the development of opioid tolerance in the gastrointestinal tract. However, the localization of β-arrestin2 within the gastrointestinal wall is not known. In this study we found that β-arrestin2 is localized in the soma of a select group of neurons in the myenteric ganglia but not in smooth muscle. The density of β-arestin2 was significantly higher in the ileum than the colon. We identified four variants …

Activation Of Nlrp3 Inflammasomes Enhances Macrophage Lipid-Deposition And Migration: Implication Of A Novel Role Of Inflammasome In Atherogenesis, Xiang Li, Yang Zhang, Min Xia, Erich Gulbins, Krishna M. Boini, Pin-Lan Li

Pharmacology and Toxicology Publications

Although Nlrp3 inflammasome activation in macrophages has been shown to be critical for the development of atherosclerosis upon atherogenic stimuli, it remains unknown whether activated Nlrp3 inflammasomes by other non-atherogenic stimuli induce alterations in macrophages that may contribute in the concert with other factors to atherogenesis. Thus, the present study tested the hypothesis that activation of Nlrp3 inflammasomes by ATP, which is a classical non-lipid danger stimulus, enhances the migration of macrophage and increases lipids deposition in macrophages accelerating foam cell formation. We first demonstrated that extracellular ATP (2.5 mM) markedly increased the formation and activation of Nlrp3 inflammasomes in …

Virginia Commonwealth University Undergraduate Bulletin Courses [2014], Virginia Commonwealth University

VCU Bulletins

Listing of undergraduate courses for 2014-2015.

Virginia Commonwealth University Graduate And Professional Programs Bulletin [2014], Virginia Commonwealth University

VCU Bulletins

Graduate and professional programs bulletin for Virginia Commonwealth University for the academic year 2014-20015. It includes information on academic regulations, degree requirements, course offerings, faculty, academic calendar, and tuition and expenses for graduate programs.

Framing Ethnic Variations In Alcohol Outcomes From Biological Pathways To Neighborhood Context, Karen G. Chartier, Denise M. Scott, Tamara L. Wall, Jonathan Covault, Katherine J. Karriker-Jaffe, Britain A. Mills, Susan E. Luczak, Raul Caetano, Judith A. Arroyo

Social Work Publications

Background

Health disparities research seeks to eliminate disproportionate negative health outcomes experienced in some racial/ethnic minority groups. This brief review presents findings on factors associated with drinking and alcohol‐related problems in racial/ethnic groups.

Methods

Those discussed are as follows: (i) biological pathways to alcohol problems, (ii) gene × stress interactions, (iii) neighborhood disadvantage, stress, and access to alcohol, and (iv) drinking cultures and contexts.

Results

These factors and their interrelationships are complex, requiring a multilevel perspective.

Conclusions

The use of interdisciplinary teams and an epigenetic focus are suggested to move the research forward. The application of multilevel research to policy, …

Medical Literary Messenger (Vol. 2, No. 1, Fall 2014)

Medical Literary Messenger

Quiet Please Sickness / Cathleen Calbert -- Helping a seven year old with inoperable brain cancer write a poem for her sister / Kate Peterson -- Asking My Liver for Forgiveness / Rob Cook -- Synesthesia 2 / Catherine Harnett -- Tic / Molly Lazer -- The Bridge / Alexander Schloe -- Mother’s Milk and Cystic Fibrosis / Lizabeth Berkeley -- Fanny Brawne / William Miller -- artwork / Venus -- Cure / Anne Spollen -- Gene / Kate Peterson -- The Love Song of Elliot Blue / Jacqueline Kirkpatrick -- “Next” / Michael P. Stevens -- Structures / C.I.L. …

Temporary Sculpture: Activating The Ordinary, Julia Mack

Teaching Resource Archive

Invite students to use everyday objects as art making materials. Through this lesson students will be challenged to consider how everyday objects can be re- imagined as art making materials. In this lesson students will research and discuss every day materials from the art room as materials for sculptures. Students will also consider how the ordinary spaces around them could be activated by the addition of a sculpture.