Digital Commons Network^™

A Framework For Forming Resident-Controlled Manufactured Housing Communities In Richmond, Linwood Rogers

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Capstone Projects

Despite manufactured housing representing one of the most affordable, unsubsidized housing options for families in the United States, the nature of ownership in many manufactured housing communities places families at constant risk of displacement. In mobile home parks, where a household owns their manufactured home but rents the land underneath it from a park owner, residents have few protections from eviction. Richmond contains 58 mobile home parks housing nearly 6,000 households, but poor park conditions and neglect from park owners has threatened the viability of many communities. In other parts of the country, residents have gained control of their communities …

Parks & Equity: A Framework For Equitable Access In Richmond, Va Parks, Kendra Norrell

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Capstone Projects

Increasingly, cities are investing in their green spaces, such as open spaces and parks, as a strategy to improve the livability of the city, but also to improve the health of its residents. Research finds that access and proximity to green spaces provides a host of benefits to humans, including mental and physical health improvements. However, not all residents have equal access to these green public amenities.

Research focuses on best practices for identifying minimum basic standards for DPR parks and the importance and limitations of green spaces in urban design. Basic standards include: setting the minimum limit for amenities …

Centering Social Equity In The Climate Action Planning Process: Lessons For Richmond, Virginia, Melissa M. Marquette

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Capstone Projects

The client of this plan is the City of Richmond's Office of Sustainability. The purpose is to assist RVAgreen 2050's in its equity-centered climate action planning and to reach the City of Richmond's frontline communities (those impacted first and worst to climate impacts of intense heat, low-lying flooding, and severe storm events). The method and approach include the content analysis of ten cities' climate action, sustainability, or resiliency plans. It makes suggestions of best practices and recommendations for the City of Richmond to reach those historically left out of the planning process and to shift power from the local government …

Transit Feasibility Study For Chesterfield County, Va, Taylor D. Jenkins

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Capstone Projects

This capstone presents a transit feasibility study for Chesterfield County, VA in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Urban and Regional Planning in the VCU Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs. GRTC Transit System (GRTC) is the primary public transportation operator for the Richmond region. In 2016, the Greater Richmond Transit Vision Plan created a regional transit network that would guide cohesive future transit development in the region. This plan intends to support building the bridge between the existing state of transit in Chesterfield County and implementation of the transit vision plan. Through the completion of …

3014 Meadowbridge Rd: A Community-Engaged Opportunity-Based Re-Investment Action Plan, Antwan L. Hoy

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Capstone Projects

This plan is an asset-based community response for 7^th Street Memorial Baptist Church CDC as a way to revitalize and uplift the Six Points neighborhood of Highland Park. This plan was designed to provide a template for community engagement that would reintroduce a legacy of service to the community while partnering with other community assets to reinvest into the community. The primary action that makes this a prime engagement opportunity is the restoration of 7^th Street Memorial Baptist Church location at 3014 Meadowbridge Rd. Treating the building as an asset for the community and not only the church …

Lower Appomattox River Water Trail Plan, Mark Glass

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Capstone Projects

Water Trails are designated boating trails along rivers, lakes, or other waterways, and typically include features associated with land trails. For example, signage, restrooms, and other amenities that support users. Generally, water trails are for paddlecraft: kayaks, canoes, rafts, stand-up paddle boards, and other human powered watercraft. Although the lower Appomattox River has been a source of water recreation for many years, there are opportunities to enhance paddling experiences. Using the water trail concept, and the information provided by community members - along with the information collected through a look at the existing conditions - this plan offers improvement recommendations …

Exploring The Use Of A Mindfulness Based Yoga Intervention For Children With Severe Asthma, Sharon Lack

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: A diagnosis of severe asthma greatly impacts the physical and psychological health of children. Often experiencing increased stress, decreased physical activity, and increased exacerbations, children with severe asthma frequently exhibit poor health outcomes. Mindful yoga is a complementary health approach that may improve the physical and psychological well-being of children with severe asthma. The aims of this research were to evaluate the tolerability, feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of a mindful yoga intervention in children with severe asthma. A novel theoretical framework encompassing concepts from three vulnerability nursing theories guided the research.

Methods: A mixed methods pilot …

A Eukaryotic Signature Based Method For Identification Of Saliva, Feces, And Urine, Alyssa Daniels

Master of Science in Forensic Science Directed Research Projects

The conception of the Human Microbiome Project advanced the understanding of microbial communities in the human body and previous research has established that unique microbial signatures can help distinguish each body fluid. While these signatures have been developed for the prokaryotic microbiome, the next step is the examination of the eukaryotic microbiome. Eukaryotic signatures could provide a greater specificity and statistical weight when discerning between body fluids. These microbial markers can be implemented to develop a confirmatory assay for body fluid identification that works in tandem with other DNA based methods in the forensic workflow. Using a VCU approved IRB …

The Clinical Inquiry Process Diagram, Roy E. Brown

VCU Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Validation Of The 4-Aminophenol Chemical Test And Analytical Testing Scheme To Distinguish Marijuana And Hemp, Kenna Lewis

Master of Science in Forensic Science Directed Research Projects

With the passing of the 2018 Farm Bill, which legalized hemp, law enforcement agencies and forensic laboratories needed a more efficient testing scheme to differentiate marijuana and hemp Cannabis plants. The validation of the 4-aminophenol chemical test and the subsequent analytical scheme allows for this differentiation to be performed. The evaluation of eighteen different cannabinoids, including acids, demonstrated that compounds with structures similar to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) produced a blue result and compounds with structures similar to cannabidiol (CBD) produced a pink result. Several titration curves with varying concentrations of cannabinoids indicated a pink result when the THC concentration was less …

Mass Grave Localization Prediction With Geographical Information Systems In Guatemala And Future Impacts, Perla Santillan

Master of Science in Forensic Science Directed Research Projects

Conducting physical searches for mass grave locations based on anecdotal evidence is a time consuming and resource intensive endeavor in circumstances that often pose a threat to personal safety. The development of tools and procedures to speed such searches can greatly reduce the risk involved, increase the number of individuals whose remains are recovered and identified; and, more importantly, reunite these remains with their loved ones to provide them with a proper burial. Geographic information systems (GIS) software, which can analyze and manipulate the spatial characteristics of known mass grave data, represents a powerful tool that can be used to …

Non-Destructive, Rapid Differentiation Of Cell Types Relevant To Sexual Assault Investigations Utilizing Morphological And Autofluorescence Signatures, Taylor R. Moldenhauer

Master of Science in Forensic Science Directed Research Projects

Current methods for confirming the presence of spermatozoa in sexual assault samples can be time-consuming and often lack sensitivity; however, this remains the most definitive test for the presence of semen. Additionally, male DNA can be deposited without the presence of intact sperm as may be the case with seminal fluid from vasectomized individuals or sexual activity where seminal fluid is not recovered (e.g., perpetrator wears a condom, penetration without ejaculation, etc.). The ability to detect bodily fluids, as well as quantify their presence in a sample, could aid in forensic DNA analysis by limiting the amount of time performing …

Calling Home, Laura Bender

Mighty Pen Project Anthology & Archive

A navy chaplain fights for the medical unit's right to call their loved ones.

Articles, stories, and other compositions in this archive were written by participants in the Mighty Pen Project. The program, developed by author David L. Robbins, and in partnership with Virginia Commonwealth University and the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond, Virginia, offers veterans and their family members a customized twelve-week writing class, free of charge. The program encourages, supports, and assists participants in sharing their stories and experiences of military experience so both writer and audience may benefit.

Discovery, Kathleen Harrison

Mighty Pen Project Anthology & Archive

A Marine reflects on the cyclic nature of mental health through her experience with depression and recovery.

Articles, stories, and other compositions in this archive were written by participants in the Mighty Pen Project. The program, developed by author David L. Robbins, and in partnership with Virginia Commonwealth University and the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond, Virginia, offers veterans and their family members a customized twelve-week writing class, free of charge. The program encourages, supports, and assists participants in sharing their stories and experiences of military experience so both writer and audience may benefit.

Going Ashore In Thule, David Schlitz

Mighty Pen Project Anthology & Archive

A Coast Guard member aboard The Westwind recounts his team’s adventures during the summer of 1961 in Thule.

Articles, stories, and other compositions in this archive were written by participants in the Mighty Pen Project. The program, developed by author David L. Robbins, and in partnership with Virginia Commonwealth University and the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond, Virginia, offers veterans and their family members a customized twelve-week writing class, free of charge. The program encourages, supports, and assists participants in sharing their stories and experiences of military experience so both writer and audience may benefit.

Stress And Positive Coping In Older Adults, Jazzmin-Guy Swain

UROP Posters

Stress and Positive Coping in Older Adults

Jazzmin-Guy Swain, Dept. of Exercise Science, with Dr. Faika Zanjani, Dept. of Gerontology

Stress can become a huge health risk factor for older adults. Stress occurs when individuals experience demands or threats without sufficient resources to meet these demands or mitigate threats. Everyone has some form of the same stressor(s), money job/school, health and family, which are the main common stressors. In every population, if those stressors are prolonged the stress can become chronic and become detrimental to a person's health. The reason stress often becomes chronic is because individuals may not know …

Psychometric Assessment Of The Spanish Score-15 For Families Of Individuals With Parkinson's Disease In Mexico, Jack Watson

UROP Posters

Psychometric Assessment of the Spanish SCORE-15 for Families of Individuals with Parkinson's Disease in Mexico

Jack Watson, Dept. of Psychology, Dr. Grace McKee, Mid-Atlantic MIRECC, Dr. Sarah Lageman, VCU School of Medicine and Dept. of Psychology, Dr. Teresita Villaseñor, University of Guadalajara, and Dr. Paul Perrin, Dept. of Psychology

Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder and can lead to a number of mental health problems for both patients and caregivers. Research has suggested that worse caregiver mental health predicts greater patient mortality for individuals with neurodegenerative diseases, and caregiver mental health is best when family …

Characterizing E-Cigarette Use Among Virginia Middle And High School Youth Using Confiscated Products, Sohee Ha, Cindy Miranda, Alisha Eversole

UROP Posters

Characterizing e-cigarette Use among Virginia Middle and High School Youth Using Confiscated Products

Sohee Ha, Dept. of Psychology, Cindy Miranda, Dept. of Psychology, & Alisha Eversole, Dept. of Psychology Graduate Student, with Dr. Caroline O. Cobb, Dept. of Psychology

Introduction: There has been heightened research interest on JUUL use among youth, but less information is available on the use of other electronic cigarette (e-cig) brands, like NJOY or Smok. Other than self-report, methods such as collection of confiscated e-cigs may provide an unbiased estimate of youth e-cig use behavior. This study aims to characterize e-cig use using confiscated products among …

The Impact Of Acculturation On Help-Seeking And Mental Health Among Refugees In Minnesota, Analynne Escobar

UROP Posters

The Impact of Acculturation on Help-Seeking and Mental Health Among Refugees in Minnesota

Analynne Escobar, Depts. of Social Work and Psychology, with Dr. Hyojin Im, School of Social Work

This study looks at how acculturation affects mental health and help seeking attitudes among refugees in Minnesota. There is a need to address high levels of acculturative stress, mental health, and a lack of trust with human services for this population. Secondary data was utilized from the University of Minnesota Survey of Housing Questionnaire, with those identifying as Librarian, Oromo, Karen, Hmong, and Somali, for this study. A Pearson’s Correlation test …

Wham: Wellness, Happiness, And Mindfulness: A Pilot Class At Open High School For The Translational Application Of Well-Being Education, Emaan Dawood, Moorin Khan

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WHAM: Wellness, Happiness, and Mindfulness: A Pilot Class at Open High School for the Translational Application of Well-being Education

Emaan Dawood, Depts. of Biology, Chemistry, & Spanish, and Moorin Khan, with Dr. Christy Tyndall, VCU Honors College

The education of student well-being is desired as evidence-based positive psychology principles explain how humans can better succeed in life despite surmounting obstacles. Based on a VCU honors class titled “Flourishing,” which educates incoming freshmen about the science of health and wellness, a similar pilot class titled “WHAM: Wellness, Happiness, and Mindfulness,” implemented at Open High School, targets younger students. The goals for …

An Analysis Of The Uk And Us On The Perceived Adequacy Of Workplace Mental Health Programs, Julia Woods

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An Analysis of the UK and US on the Perceived Adequacy of Workplace Mental Health Programs

Julia Woods, Depts. of Business and Psychology, with Dr Deborah DiazGranados, VCU School of Medicine

Research examining employee provided health benefits typically concentrate on evaluating a program’s impact on organizational outcomes such as retention, absenteeism, presenteeism, and cost-effectiveness (Cuffel, Goldman, and Schlesinger, 1999; Munz & Kohler, 1997). The typical methods used for evaluation of these programs tend to be quantitative in nature, however, qualitative methods could help organizations better understand how its employees react to and view such programs. This paper explores employee’s perceptions …

Gabra2 And Alcohol Dependence In College-Aged Students, Abaiz Chaudhri

UROP Posters

GABRA2 and Alcohol Dependence in College-aged Students

Abaiz Chaudhri, Depts. of Biology and Chemistry, with Dr. Amy Adkins and Dr. Sally Kuo, Dept. of Psychology

Problematic alcohol use and associated consequences is a major problem in college-aged students. These outcomes, and alcohol dependence (uncontrolled alcohol consumption despite consequences), are complex and influenced by genetics and environmental factors, and the interplay between both. Variants in the gene GABRA2 have been shown to be associated with alcohol dependence in adolescents and older adults, yet the association is not studied nearly enough in the college-aged population, a high-risk period for the development of …

The Role Of Cultural Competency On Treatment Adherence And Health Literacy For Persons Of Color Living With Hiv/Aids, Rohan Arora

UROP Posters

The Role of Cultural Competency on Treatment Adherence and Health Literacy for Persons of Color Living with HIV/AIDS

Rohan Arora, Depts. of Psychology, Medical Humanities, & Chemistry, with Dr. Faye Pritchard, VCU Honors College

For decades, the American medical establishment has been a notable perpetrator in the mass marginalization of minority groups, leading to a variety of health disparities. Given that the existing healthcare institution is not culturally equipped to serve the evolving American demographic, experts have called for the greater usage of cultural competency in medicine; however, little research has been done to better understand how the degree of …

Latinx Immigrants' Healthcare Access: Barriers, Consequences And Strategies For The Future, Ashley Victor, Farheen Zaman, Mijin Cho, Paola Callejas

UROP Posters

Latinx Immigrants' Healthcare Access: Barriers, Consequences and Strategies for the Future

Ashley Victor, Depts. of Bioinformatics and Product Innovation, Farheen Zaman, MiJin Cho, and Paola Callejas, with Dr. Indira Sultanić, School of World Studies

As the largest minority group in America, the Latinx population faces significant obstacles to receiving equitable healthcare. The Collective Corazón—a VCU student organization that addresses Latinx healthy equity through service and advocacy—performed a meta-analysis to pinpoint the barriers that the Latinx population faces in health care, determine the consequences in the community, and formulate strategies for the future. This study found that overall, immigrants tend to …

Targeted Bisulfite Pyrosequencing & Amplicon Bisulfite Sequencing Epigenetic Analysis, Charles Tran, Lin Xie, Min Zhao, Edwin Jcg Van Den Oord

UROP Posters

Targeted Bisulfite Pyrosequencing & Amplicon Bisulfite Sequencing Epigenetic Analysis

Charles Tran, Dept. of Biology, with Dr. Karolina Aberg, VCU School of Pharmacy

Background: The Great Smoky Mountain Study is a longitudinal study that started in 1992 and includes 1,420 participants that were 9 to 13 years at intake and have since been revisited ~ every 2 years. Participants (and their parents) provided detailed assessment of stressors and health outcomes as well as blood samples at each interview. In a recent methylome-wide association study the samples were used to identify methylation marks associated with childhood trauma. In the current work, we …

A Review And A Proposal For Reducing The Symptoms Of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder In Adolescents By Combining Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Training And Methylphenidate Medication As A Treatment, Kirti Sharma

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A Review and a Proposal for Reducing the Symptoms of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Adolescents by Combining Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Training and Methylphenidate Medication as a Treatment

Kirti Sharma, Dept. of Biology, with Prof. Mary Boyes, VCU Honors College

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder among adolescents that may lead to impaired executive functioning and poor mental development. In 2018, the National Health Interview Survey reported that from 1997 to 2016, the prevalence of ADHD significantly increased from 6.1% to 10.2% in children and adolescents (age 4 to 17 years). Medication, such as methylphenidate, is considered as first-line therapy …

The Role Of Acting With Awareness On Sleep Quality And Difficulties With Emotion Regulation, Victoria Rabii, Alexandra Martelli

UROP Posters

The Role of Acting with Awareness on Sleep Quality and Difficulties with Emotion Regulation

Victoria Rabii, Depts. of Psychology and Biology, and Alexandra Martelli, Dept. of Psychology Graduate Student, with Dr. David Chester, Dept. of Psychology

About 60% of college students experience difficulties with proper sleep quality. Poor sleep quality challenges one’s ability to effectively regulate emotions, especially in college-aged adults. Emotion regulation, defined as the strategies utilized to alter or manage the experience of intense emotions, is beneficial to our health and social relationships. Mindfulness, how we focus our attention on internal feelings and emotions in relation to external …

Pelvic Binding Protocols In Ems, Tarek Haggy

UROP Posters

Pelvic Binding Protocols in EMS

Tarek Haggy, Depts. of Science and Chemistry, with Dr. Susan Bodnar-Deren, Dept of Sociology

Background: Pelvic fractures are typically a result of high energy collisions, such as motor vehicle accidents (MVAs). For this reason, pelvic trauma is usually accompanied by a myriad of other injuries. Due to the potentially fatal nature of the injury, Emergency Medical Service (EMS) providers are often the first to administer treatment to patients with suspected pelvic fractures. While difficult to make a proper diagnosis in the field, it is essential to properly stabilize the pelvis whenever a fracture is suspected. …

Establishing A Community-Academic Partnership To Investigate The Sociopolitical Context Of Oral Care Among Refugees Resettled In Richmond, Virginia, Tatiana Brown, Ashley Koo, Matthew Tessama, Jay Lawson

UROP Posters

Establishing a Community-Academic Partnership to Investigate the Sociopolitical Context of Oral Care Among Refugees Resettled in Richmond, Virginia

Tatiana Brown, Depts. of Anthropology, Medical Humanities, & Mathematics, with Dr. Dina Garcia, Dept. of Health Behavior and Policy

This study has established a community-academic partnership between four organizations and VCU Health Behavior and Policy’s Kalpulli Research Team to investigate the sociopolitical context of oral health needs among refugees resettling in Richmond, Virginia. In the year 2018, 1,689 refugees resettled in the state of Virginia; 47.7 percent of this population reported oral health needs during their initial health assessment screening. Despite the …

Using Asset Mapping To Identify Health Needs Of A Latinx Population In Rural Virginia, Sara Debab

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Using Asset Mapping to Identify Health Needs of a Latinx Population in Rural Virginia

Sara Debab, Interdisciplinary Science, with Dina Tamar Garcia, Health Behavior & Policy, VCU School of Medicine

According to the Virginia Department of Health, the Commonwealth’s Latinx population sees worse health outcomes compared to other ethnic groups in the state. Latinx living in rural areas of the state are of particular concern due to federally-recognized physician shortages and various social determinants that exacerbate the situation. We studied Galax, Virginia, a rural city in southwest Virginia that is more than 14% Latinx, a rarity in the Appalachian region. …