Digital Commons Network^™

Ink (2021)

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 2021-04-28

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.

Commonwealth Times 2021-04-21

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.

Commonwealth Times 2021-04-14

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.

Commonwealth Times 2021-04-07

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.

Commonwealth Times 2021-03-17

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.

Commonwealth Times 2021-03-10

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.

Commonwealth Times 2021-03-03

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.

Commonwealth Times 2021-02-24

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.

Commonwealth Times 2021-02-17

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.

Commonwealth Times 2021-02-10

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.

Commonwealth Times 2021-02-03

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.

Commonwealth Times 2021-01-27

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.

Commonwealth Times 2021-01-20

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.

Acute Fish Oil Supplementation And Aspirin Treatment Modulates Lipid Profile In Platelet Rich Plasma: A Randomized Pilot Trial, Joshua M. Morriss, Lisa A. Turner, Danielle M. Mccormack, Daniel Contaifer, Naren Gajenthra Kumar, Saidheeraj Paravataneni, Monther Alsultan, Suad Alshammari, Silas Contaifer, Parthasarathy Madurantakam, Dayanjan Wijesinghe

Pharmacotherapy and Outcomes Science Publications

Aims: Platelet rich plasma (PRP) has been used in tissue repair to treat numerous inflammatory pathophysiologies. Recent studies have elucidated that the bioactive lipid fraction of PRP significantly contributes towards the resolution of inflammation. There has been great interest in how therapeutics could modulate the PRP lipidome to formulate a more pro-resolving matrix. Many of the pathways used to produce either pro-resolving or pro-inflammatory lipids are shared between ω-3 and ω-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). Here, we explored the separate and interacting effects acute exogenous ω-3 PUFA supplementation and aspirin had on the lipidome of PRP within 6 hours.

Methods: …

When Black [Girls’] Lives Really Matter, Angela Patton

Richmond Racial Equity Essays: Individual Essays

The author outlines ways Richmond can support Black women and girls. Her vision of an equitable Richmond is one where we see, hear, and celebrate Black girls. It’s one where we experience Black girl “magic,” and we give them every opportunity and resource to achieve and thrive.

The Dream And Reality Of An Afro-Latina: El Sueño Y La Realidad De Una Afrolatina, Shanteny A. Jackson

Richmond Racial Equity Essays: Individual Essays

The author explores the state of Latinos and Afro Latinos in Richmond in the context of her goal of creating culturally sensitive spaces for dialogue and celebration of Latino ancestry, history, and culture; promoting leadership that reflects the community being served; and establishing equitable distribution of power.

A Rich Education, Benjamin P. Campbell

Richmond Racial Equity Essays: Individual Essays

The author outlines the background of Richmond (and Virginia)'s educational inequity, stating that the most direct route to racial equity in metropolitan Richmond is what he calls a Rich Education for all, by way of Rich Schools. He demonstrates how poverty must be addressed to bring about racial equity, by first addressing educational equity, which must address educational wealth.

Expanding The Geography Of Opportunity And Ownership, Maritza E. Mercado Pechin

Richmond Racial Equity Essays: Individual Essays

The author, a city planner, defines an equitable Richmond as a city where all Richmonders have equal or equivalent access to goods, services, status, rights, power, and amenities. She outlines four ideas to help Richmond expand physical and ownership access: rewriting the zoning ordinance; reconnecting the city; establishing programs that increase generational wealth; expanding engagement and education of city planning.

Neighborhood Self-Determination And The Vision For Racial Equity, Michael H. Smith

Richmond Racial Equity Essays: Individual Essays

The author outlines his ideas of how values of the Black Baptist church can inform the development of racial equity in methods of engagement, decision-making, and economic investment in Richmond neighborhoods. These values are respect of elders, solidarity in the pursuit of joy, trust and love of one's neighbor, and determination for collective liberation.

Xylitol In Preventing Dental Caries, Nicholas Fields, Tu Bui

Dental Hygiene Student Scholarship

Abstract

Problem: Dental caries is a common form of tooth infection among adults and children. The disease is easily transmissible, and therefore a great focus should be put on prevention to ensure healthy and proper oral hygiene for the population. Xylitol use has been proposed as one of the most effective preventive interventions against dental caries.

Methods: The literature review engaged different electronic databases such as PubMed, MEDLINE, Google Scholar, and Cochrane Library in evaluating the effectiveness of xylitol use in preventing dental caries in both children and adults. Articles used in the review were published between 2016 …

Can Botox Be The Cure For Tmj Associated Pain And Dysfunction?, Haley Headley, Bella Pollard

Dental Hygiene Student Scholarship

Problem: Over 10 million Americans suffer from pain, headaches, and jaw dysfunction associated with temporomandibular joint disorders. Traditionally, when diagnosed, patients are given conservative treatment option recommendations such as an occlusal bite guard, stabilization splint, and over-the-counter pain medication, such as Ibuprofen. These conservative treatment options are meant for short term use. What is the long term answer to temporomandibular joint pain and dysfunction? Surgical replacement of jaw joints with artificial implants has been considered; however, the effectiveness of this irreversible procedure is inconclusive and highly controversial. Botulinum toxin type A injections, or botox, offers an alternative treatment that …

The Effects Of Covid-19-Related Stressors On Bruxism And Temporomandibular Disorders, Hagir A. Saleh, Samantha Smith

Dental Hygiene Student Scholarship

Problem: COVID-19 has proven to be a major public health emergency, with an array of physical and emotional complications. While COVID-19 has its own effects on the human body, anxiety induced by the pandemic has shown to take a toll on the human oral cavity by means of causing individuals to grind and clench their teeth due to anxiety/stress, potentially leading to temporomandibular disorders and orofacial pain.

Methods: A thorough review of literature was conducted by consulting credible studies published on online databases such as PubMed, Dentistry & Oral Sciences Source, Google Scholar, and Academic Search Complete. The studies examined …

Applying Model Approaches In Non-Model Systems: A Review And Case Study On Coral Cell Culture, Liza M. Roger, Hannah Reich, Evan Lawrence, Shuaifeng Li, Whitney Vizgaudis, Nathan Brenner, Lokender Kumar, Judith Klein-Seetharaman, Jinkyu Yang, Hollie M. Putnam, Nastassja Lewinski

Chemical and Life Science Engineering Publications

Model systems approaches search for commonality in patterns underlying biological diversity and complexity led by common evolutionary paths. The success of the approach does not rest on the species chosen but on the scalability of the model and methods used to develop the model and engage research. Fine-tuning approaches to improve coral cell cultures will provide a robust platform for studying symbiosis breakdown, the calcification mechanism and its disruption, protein interactions, micronutrient transport/exchange, and the toxicity of nanoparticles, among other key biological aspects, with the added advantage of minimizing the ethical conundrum of repeated testing on ecologically threatened organisms. The …

Ripple Effects: How Teacher Action Research On Culturally Relevant Education Can Promote Systemic Change, Hillary Parkhouse, Julie Gorlewski, Jesse Senechal, Chu Yi Lu Qiu

Teaching and Learning Publications

Teacher action research has been shown to both promote professional growth in teachers as well as produce gains for students. However, to date, little research has examined how action research might contribute to systemic changes in schools and school districts. This qualitative study of six teachers from various districts, subject areas, and grade levels, illustrates how action research can have simultaneous impacts on teachers, their students, and their schools and districts. The teacher action research projects all focused on culturally relevant education and the pursuit of equity. Impacts included teachers’ deepened understandings of equity and inclusivity; students’ diversity awareness, positive …

Massive Resilience: An Emergent Strategy For Racial Equity In Richmond, Va, Ram Bhagat

Richmond Racial Equity Essays: Individual Essays

To counteract the educational harms caused by racism and poverty, transformative cultural experiences designed to increase social emotional competence and eliminate racist policies are required. One such experience is Massive Resilience, a framework and set of practices the author developed to build resilience for challenging systemic racism based on the universal values of Ubuntu, Sawubona, and Sankofa; centered on the principles of interconnectedness, inter-relatedness, and inter-resilience, which collectively promote compassion, courage, and creativity.

Climate Resilience And Justice In Richmond, Jeremy Hoffman

Richmond Racial Equity Essays: Individual Essays

The author examines climate change inequity in Richmond and discusses strategies to deal with it in the long and short term in ways that would lead to climate resilience policy decisions that incorporate the values of community members, demonstrably improve community health and wellbeing, and bolster socioeconomic equity across the city.

Disentangling Social-Genetic From Rearing-Environment Effects For Alcohol Use Disorder Using Swedish National Data, Aiman Hanif, Han Tran

VCU's Medical Journal Club: The Work of Future Health Professionals

The presentation introduces Dr. Jessica Salvatore and colleagues’ work, Disentangling Social-Genetic From Rearing-Environment Effects for Alcohol Use Disorder Using Swedish National Data, on the social-genetic effects of having a spouse whose parent(s) is/are affected by alcohol use disorder (AUD). After collecting personal data of over 300,000 Swedish opposite-sex couples, the study used actor-partner interdependence model and logistic regression model to examine the association between a spouse’s AUD predisposition and the proband’s risk of developing AUD. The results showed that the proband is at a high risk of developing AUD upon marrying an AUD-predisposed spouse. The authors concluded that this relationship …

Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy For Knee Osteoarthritis: 5 Years Follow- Up Of Three Patients, Shahad Musa

VCU's Medical Journal Club: The Work of Future Health Professionals

This presentation is on the effects of mesenchymal stem cells on osteoarthritis in the knees. Osteoarthritis is the degeneration of cartilage and has very little long-term treatments. Most treatments are geared towards pain management and surgery is an option, but no cure exists to reverse or stop degeneration. Embryonic stem cell research is severely limited, meaning mesenchymal stem cells (adult-derived stem cells) are more accessible to research. In this study, stem cells from the patient’s bone marrow were derived and then injected into the severely damaged knees. Results were conducted six months and five years after. Six months after the …

Β-Amyloid Accumulation In The Human Brain After One Night Of Sleep Deprivation, Shahad Musa

VCU's Medical Journal Club: The Work of Future Health Professionals

This presentation is on the effects of sleep deprivation on β-amyloid accumulation in the brain. During sleep, the glymphatic system is involved in the clearance of metabolic including metabolic wastes. β-amyloid accumulation is directly correlated to impairment of brain function and Alzheimer's disease. Increased sleep or ways to decrease β-amyloid accumulation could be beneficial in the prevention of Alzheimer's. Data collected in the article published by Shokri-Kojori, E. et al. suggests that sleep deprivation negatively affected mood and was correlated with increases in amyloid- β burden in the right hippocampal cluster. Further research on how sleep impacts β-amyloid accumulation should …