Digital Commons Network^™

Protective Factors Against Alcohol Use In High-Risk College Students, Delani F. Warner, Karen G. Chartier Phd, Msw, The Spit For Science Working Group

IRBEH/Spit for Science Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Racial Discrimination On Hours Of Sleep And Sleep Dissatisfaction: Examining The Moderating Role Of Social Media And Television Use Among Students Of Color, Mehwish Safdar, Karen Saint Fleur, Arlenis Santana, Chelsea Williams Phd, The Spit4science Working Group, Danielle Dick Phd

IRBEH/Spit for Science Publications and Presentations

Racial discrimination negatively affects psychological and emotional well-being of individuals (e.g., depression, suicide risk, and anger) Chao et al., 2012). Discrimination may also act as a stressor that disrupts sleep quality (Hale & Do, 2007). Additionally, studies have found an association between social media and TV usage on sleep. High social media usage increases the risk of poor sleep (Gündoğmuş, et al., 2019). Extensive TV viewing is associated with elevated amounts of sleep problems (Brunborg et al., 2011; Johnson et al., 2004; Vallance et al., 2015). There is limited work on the moderating effect of social media and TV usage …

The Role Of The Nlrp3 Inflammasome In Alzheimer's Disease, Ethan Terman

IRBEH/Spit for Science Publications and Presentations

This study examines the consequences of Alzheimer’s in rat and mice test subjects. The goal is to identify the effects of certain NLRP3 inhibiting drugs and to see if there are any noticeable effects in regards to impeding the pathological development of Alzheimer’s disease. The results are visualized by implementing the immunohistochemical process to identify neurodegeneration in the brain and to assess the expression levels of amyloid beta as an indicator of Alzheimer’s pathology. Other tests are also conducted on these transgenic mice to gauge cognitive functioning levels during the onset of their disease, those being behavior tests, but not …

Trends In Dental Workforce In Virginia, Reem Hashmi, Shillpa Naavaal Bds, Ms, Mph

IRBEH/Spit for Science Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

An Analysis Of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury And Problematic Alcohol Consumption Amongst Post-9/11 Veterans, Anika Tosh, Christina Sheerin Phd

IRBEH/Spit for Science Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Have Conditions Improved? Disparities In Health Care Quality Among Asian Children With Special Health Care Needs, Kayla Van, Ruth Brown Phd, Esther Son Phd

IRBEH/Spit for Science Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

T1 (Spring 2019) Ethnic-Racial Identity Affirmation Predicting T2 (Spring 2020) Romantic Partner/Friend Relationship Changes Predicting T3 (Fall 2021) Alcohol Use And Anxiety Symptoms Among Latinx Emerging Adults, Vanessa Olazabal, Mehak Ahmed, April Koontz, Arlenis Santana, Chelsea Williams Phd, The Spit For Science Working Group, Danielle Dick Phd

IRBEH/Spit for Science Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Adverse Childhood Experiences And The Risk Of Drug Overdose In Adulthood, Samantha E. Wright

Graduate Research Posters

Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) encompass a variety of traumatic events that occur during one’s youth. ACEs may be physical, mental, emotional, or sexual in nature, and they are often associated with long-term negative consequences such as alcoholism, substance abuse, and criminal justice involvement. The global rise of the opioid epidemic has intensified the need to better understand and address factors associated with illicit substance use. The current study will investigate the relationship between exposure to ACEs, onset of drug use, and history of drug overdose.

Methods: This study will utilize an observational design in which participants will be asked …

Children's Perceptions Of Parent-Child Relationships: A Narrative, Inductive Approach, Casey Burton M.Ed, Ariana Samuel, Hailie Suarez-Rivas, Sydney Sumrall, Robin S. Everhart, Ph.D, Marcia A. Winter, Ph.D

Graduate Research Posters

Background: Narrative methods can allow researchers to gather rich data from children regarding their perceptions of their relationship with parents that may not otherwise be captured using tasks, questionnaires, or structured interviews; however, existing coding systems have been established with samples that are largely White and middle class. The current study sought to establish child-inspired codes that would better reflect the sample.

Methods: Children aged 5-12 years (M=8.82, 48.9% female) and their caregivers were recruited from high-poverty urban US areas. All participants identified as Black or African American. Children were audiotaped while speaking, uninterrupted, for three minutes about …

Pathways To Belonging And Engagement: Testing A Tailored Social Belonging Intervention For University Students, Molly L. Taylor, Danielle N. Berry, Kali A. Delay, Viyana Banjade, Jeen Joy, Korinthia D. Nicolai, Erica Ross, Navdeep Sekhon, Tanya Wineland, Sharon K. Zumbrunn Dr.

Graduate Research Posters

Background: Prominent theories of motivation suggest that belonging plays a critical role in student success (Connell & Wellborn, 1991). Social-belonging interventions have been shown to improve student belonging, well-being, engagement, and more—especially those from traditionally disadvantaged backgrounds (Walton & Brady, 2017). The current study aimed to explore the effects of a tailored social-belonging intervention delivered in introductory classes at VCU on students’ belonging, engagement, persistence, and achievement.

Methods: A diverse sample of first-year undergraduate students at VCU participated. To create authentic intervention materials, we collaborated with a diverse group of upper-level undergraduate student researchers who wrote narratives to present vivid …

Relationship Between Religion And Native American Identity, Gennaro W. Milo

Graduate Research Posters

The purpose of this study was to determine whether there is a relationship between religious affiliation and Native American Identity. Based on the findings of this study, a component of a Native American's Identity is their religious affiliation. To contribute to the research on Native American and Alaskan Native identity, this study targeted the teenage demographic of ages 12 to 19 years old. Over growing concern, expressed by tribal elders, about a loss of cultural identity amongst teens, this study investigates a connection between a teen’s sense of identity and their religious affiliation (Quigley, 2019). This study used a multiple-choice …

A Marginal Identity Model For Those In The "In-Between", Francine S. Singson, Sonia Meyer, Christine A. Reid

Graduate Research Posters

Background: In existing models exploring the formation cultural identity, there is emphasis on development from the perspective of race or country of origin. While these models have made significant contributions to the study of identity development in the fields of counseling and psychology, research on the identity development of people who exist within the spectrum between traditionally acknowledged identities (Deaf/Hearing, LGBTQIA+, first/second generation) is lacking.

Methods: To explore the merit of establishing a distinct theory exploring development of individuals whose identities exist between the existing binaries of identity, a systematic review and analysis of current literature was performed. …

The Analysis Of Commercially Available Kratom Products In Richmond, Virginia, James H. Fleming Jr, Justin Poklis, Michelle R. Peace, Emanuele A. Alves

Graduate Research Posters

Kratom is a novel psychoactive substance that has gained popularity within the past ten years. Originating from Southeast Asia, the leaves of the Mitragyna speciosa tree contain two principal alkaloids, mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine, that play a key role in opioid-like effects. Twenty-nine kratom products were obtained from tobacco shops in the Richmond, Virginia area, including powders, teas, capsules, extracts, and a carbonated beverage. Samples were analyzed using Direct Analysis in Real Time-Mass Spectrometry (DART-MS) for kratom alkaloids, labeled ingredients, and other possible organic compounds. Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES) was used to quantitate aluminum, arsenic, copper, iron, magnesium, nickel, …

Vcu Research Festival: From Ideas To Impact, The Grace E. Harris Leadership Institute At Virginia Commonwealth University, Samsam Ali, Marlo Brown, Elizabeth Fredericksen-Trent, Catherine Ham, Carly Katz, Tiffany Murray-Robertson, John Quillin

The Grace E. Harris Leadership Institute Publications

Since its beginning, VCU has been inextricably intertwined with the Richmond community - physically, socially, and economically. That dynamic interdependence, if leveraged correctly, can help us achieve the vision of Quest 2028. VCU’s website notes, “...our past has made us who we are…” And that past has not always helped maintain our critical relationship with the surrounding community. It is telling that this year’s VCU Common Book is Organ Thieves — a book about VCU’s own Henrietta Lacks story. Research at VCU led to Virginia’s first organ transplants, but there are different stories we can tell about VCU’s historic roads …

Objectified: Forced Marriages And Bitter Reality Of Violence Against Women In India, Anurag Wallace

Theses and Dissertations

Domestic violence against women is an ongoing problem in India. With cases rising ever higher, the time has come to talk openly about the uncomfortable truths behind arranged marriages, which foster injustice and often lead to violence against women. The wedding dress is a symbol of purity in traditional Indian weddings, but in the case of marriages that turn abusive, it can become a symbol of oppression and patriarchy. During the research phase of this investigation, women once stuck in abusive marriages—treated as objects—talked about the objects that made them feel trapped and explained how these everyday objects became silent …

Eadah: Tools For Celebrating Qatari Wellness Rituals, Abdulrahman Al Muftah

Theses and Dissertations

Friday prayer is an essential congregational practice in Muslim communities. To prepare for Friday prayer, worshippers groom and cleanse themselves ahead of time, according to Islamic ablution rituals, and dress in their best attire.

Eadah is a collection of contemporary tools designed to facilitate the pre-prayer cleansing ritual, inspired by traditional Qatari remedies and wellness practices. The tools reflect three balanced considerations: touch, meditative making, and cultural preservation. They are used to prepare natural ingredients through mindful making that produce remedies with stimulating scents and sensations through touch. An emphasis on cultural preservation differentiates Eadah from other tools offered by …

Viral Overexpression Of Rprd2 In Mouse Nucleus Accumbens Induces Anxiety-Like Behavior And Regulates Genes Associated With Microtubule Transport, Claire Nuhad Atiyeh

Theses and Dissertations

Anxiety disorders are the most prevalent mental illness in the United States with many individuals underdiagnosed and undertreated (Anxiety & Depression Association of America, 2021; Bandelow et al., 2017). While stress is a known risk factor for developing anxiety disorders, there is emerging evidence that biological variability in the expression of key proteins in the brain may contribute to regulating an organism’s stress-related behaviors. Earlier work from our laboratory identified a protein, called Regulation of Nuclear Pre-mRNA Domain Containing 2 (RPRD2), that was differentially expressed in the brain of mice stratified in terms of their phenotypic response to chronic stress …

She: Performing Biography As A Dramatic Narrative, Ashley J. Love

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

SHE: PERFORMING BIOGRAPHY AS DRAMATIC NARRATIVE

By Ashley Love, Master of Fine Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University

Partial Fulfillment Statement:

Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for a Master of Fine Arts in Theatre Pedagogy at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Director: Dr. Aaron Anderson

Interim Director of Graduate Studies, Theatre Department

Amid the current wave of feminism, women continue to strive for equal ground within societal constructs. Progress is being made in the workplace, the arts, and media presence, but why does it seem that women’s stories of the past continue to be overlooked as if insignificant? This …

Holler: An Exploration Of Appalachian Performativity, David Powell

Theses and Dissertations

Holler: An Appatragedy is a play written in order to indict, examine and contemplate the toxic ideals of Appalachian culture. The play and the following in-depth character analysis are meant to portray a quartet of siblings who have been abandoned by their parents due to undisclosed issues (potentially addiction or mental health issues) and left to be cared for by their grandparents.

Throughout the events of the play, the culture is questioned as the elder siblings return from their lives outside Appalachia to attend the grandmother’s funeral, colliding with their brother and scheming to help their youngest brother escape from …

Alternatively Spliced Csf3r In Human Health And Disease, Borwyn A. Wang

Theses and Dissertations

Elevated alternative colony stimulating factor 3 receptor (CSF3R) isoforms are observed in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and other myeloid neoplasms, but their role in driving disease progression has not been fully explained. In this study we report on the role of an MDS-associated splicing factor SRSF2 and its effects on the production of Class III and Class IV CSF3R isoforms and granulopoiesis. Class IV add-back in Csf3r-null mice showed impaired neutrophil differentiation with increased number of CFU-G, which largely consisted of metamyelocytes, while Class III showed greater dysgranulopoiesis accompanied by dysmorphic neutrophils. Alternative CSF3R isoforms were elevated in …

Splanchnic Oxygenation And Feeding Intolerance In The Very Low Birthweight Infant, Melissa C. Dollings

Theses and Dissertations

SPLANCHNIC OXYGENATION AND FEEDING INTOLERANCE IN THE VERY LOW BIRTHWEIGHT INFANT

By Melissa C. Dollings, 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, 2022

Major Director: Lisa F. Brown, Ph.D., RN, School of Nursing

Background. Feeding intolerance is common in preterm infants but can be an ominous precursor of necrotizing enterocolitis, a life-threatening gastrointestinal disease. The definition and management of feeding intolerance vary widely. This research examined the relationship

between feeding intolerance, intrauterine factors, extrauterine factors, and intestinal immaturity and circulatory immaturity in the …

The Role Of Irf-1 In Spontaneous Mouse Glioma, Aakash B. Vaidya

Theses and Dissertations

Glioblastoma Multiforme has been shown to be one of the deadliest primary brain cancers. One of the reasons why GBM is so deadly, is a unique immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment that promotes GBM growth and progression. Both astrocyte and microglia have been implicated in immunosuppression. In this study, we explored the role of Interferon Regulatory Factor 1 (IRF-1) in astrocytes and glioma cells on the growth of spontaneous glioma tumors. IRF-1 is regulated by the JAK/STAT pathway and induces expression of Programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1). PD-L1 downregulates immune responses to glioma. We found that IRF-1 had no effect on spontaneous …

Supporting The Mental Health Of Black Students: A Framework For Comprehensive School-Based Mental Health Systems, Shenita Williams

Theses and Dissertations

School-based mental health is plagued with two primary challenges: (a) design and (b) service delivery. The design of school-based mental health is often comprised of fragmented, individual programs and services, and the delivery of mental-health services and support are culturally insensitive. The purpose of this Delphi study, grounded in African-centered thought (Afrocentricity), was to identify essential components of a comprehensive school-based mental-health system necessary to adequately address and support the mental health of Black students in K–12 public school settings. Through the cultural lens of Black experts, the needs of Black students along a continuum of mental health was highlighted. …

Racism Experiences And Mental Health: An Examination Of Direct, Vicarious, And Appropriated Racism Experiences On Mental Health Symptom Expression, Christina Barnett

Theses and Dissertations

The current study aimed to corroborate existing models of racism-related experiences by creating an explanatory model that operationalized direct, vicarious, and appropriated racism experiences. This study explored whether the factors of direct and vicarious racism experiences influenced mental health outcomes via appropriated racism experiences in a sample of Black women. This association was not present. However, results showed a positive association between vicarious and direct racism experiences, as well as predictive relations between direct and vicarious racism experiences and depression and trauma symptoms. Results, limitations, implications, and recommendations for future research are included.

Keywords: vicarious racism, appropriated racism, direct racism, …

Outcome Of Endodontic Microsurgery: Success And Survival Rates At Virginia Commonwealth University, Abdullah Alawadhi

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Endodontic microsurgery treatment is an option for teeth with apical periodontitis and may be indicated for teeth with previous endodontic treatment that have not healed, teeth with canal obstructions which would impede a non-surgical approach, and where a biopsy is needed. The purpose of this study is to evaluate healing after endodontic microsurgery in 2-dimensional PA radiographs and 3 dimensional CBCT imaging. Methods: Patient records were pooled from graduate resident cases completed at Virginia Commonwealth University in the Graduate Endodontic Clinic between the years 2010 to 2020. Cases were identified using the CDT codes and a key word search …

Adaptations In Orthodontics For Current And Future Covid-19 Best Practices, Jordan Lamb

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: To determine what adaptations orthodontists made in their practices during the COVID-19 pandemic in response to safety recommendations and to determine which of these adaptations orthodontists plan to continue to implement after resolution of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: An original 34-question survey was sent by mail to a randomized and geographically proportionate selection of actively practicing orthodontic specialists (N = 1000). Questions asked orthodontists about the changes they made during the pandemic in four overarching categories (infection control, social distancing, appliance use, and tele-orthodontics) and whether they anticipated keeping those changes post-pandemic. The data were compared between categorical responses …

The Effect Of Er:Yag, Nd:Yag And Co2 Laser Combined With Hydrogen Peroxide, Sodium Hypochlorite, Chlorohexidine Or Fluoride On Reducing Oral Bacterial Count Implicated In Root Caries, Nitya Reddy

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: Lasers have been used for treatment of dentinal hypersensitivity and for various bacterial reduction indications in periodontology. Their effectiveness in killing oral bacteria is not well known. The compounding effect of the combination of a laser treatment and adjunct antimicrobial agent use on bacterial viability is still evolving. The purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate the effect of three lasers commonly used in dentistry in conjunction with chlorhexidine (CHX), hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl), or sodium fluoride (NaF) on viability of oral bacteria associated with root caries.

Methods: Three …

Changes In Physical Activity And Relationships To Submaximal Exercise Capacity And Cardiac Function During Breast Cancer Therapy, Moriah P. Bellissimo

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Breast cancer (BC) survivors are at high risk for heart failure due to curative cancer therapies. In non-cancer populations, physical activity is a first line treatment for preventing cardiovascular disease. This study examined whether more physical activity was associated with better submaximal exercise capacity and cardiac function during the first three months of cancer therapy.

Methods: Participants included 223 women with stage I-III BC before therapy and after three months of undergoing treatment and 126 controls. Leisure time physical activity was reported using the Godin Sheppard leisure time exercise questionnaire. Cardiac function was assessed by cardiac magnetic resonance, and …

Characteristics Of Posterior Permanent Teeth With A Periradicular Diagnosis Of Symptomatic Apical Periodontitis: A Retrospective Study, Christina A. Martin

Theses and Dissertations

The diagnosis of apical periodontitis is based on radiographic manifestations and the results of the various clinical tests that can be performed as part of a routine dental examination. Apical periodontitis producing clinical symptoms involving a painful response to biting and/or percussion or palpation is given the diagnosis of symptomatic apical periodontitis (SAP). This study aimed to determine associations of SAP with gender, age, radiographic findings, diagnostic testing, pulpal diagnosis, and location of the tooth in the arch. Data for this study were obtained from patients of record treated at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry in the Department of …

Budget Impact Analysis Of Upadacitinib For The Management Of Moderate-To-Severe Atopic Dermatitis In Patients Treated With Systemic Therapies In The United States, Haya O. Alobaid

Theses and Dissertations

Objective: This study evaluated the budget impact of introducing upadacitinib for patients with uncontrolled moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD) from a United States (U.S.) private payer perspective.

Methods: The model estimated costs before and after the adoption of upadacitinib for a hypothetical one million covered lives over 3 years. The model included immunosuppressant agents and dupilumab. Market uptake was assumed to be 2% per year. Treatments incur a cost for drug acquisition, and the costs associated with drug administration, laboratory testing, and clinic visits. The model calculated the impact on the budget in 2022 U.S. dollars. Various assumptions on market …