Digital Commons Network^™

Chronic Health Conditions As A Risk Factor For Falls Among The Community-Dwelling Us Older Adults: A Zero-Inflated Regression Modeling Approach, Yoshita Paliwal, Patricia W. Slattum, Scott M. Ratliff

Pharmacotherapy and Outcomes Science Publications

Falls are an important health concern among older adults due to age-related changes in the body. Having a medical history of chronic health condition may pose even higher risk of falling. Only few studies have assessed a number of chronic health conditions as risk factor for falls over a large nationally representative sample of US older adults. In this study, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) 2014 participants aged 65 years and older (n = 159,336) were evaluated. It was found that 29.7% (n = 44,550) of the sample experienced at least one fall and 16.3% (n = 20,444) …

Variation In Growth And Developmental Responses To Supraoptimal Temperatures Near Latitudinal Range Limits Of Gypsy Moth Lymantria Dispar (L.), An Expanding Invasive Species, Lily M. Thompson, Trevor M. Faske, Nana Banahene, Dominique Grim, Salvatore J. Agosta, Dylan Parry, Patrick C. Tobin, Derek M. Johnson, Kristine L. Grayson

Biology Publications

Variation in thermal performance within and between populations provides the potential for adaptive responses to increasing temperatures associated with climate change. Organisms experiencing temperatures above their optimum on a thermal performance curve exhibit rapid declines in function and these supraoptimal temperatures can be a critical physiological component of range limits. The gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar (L.) (Lepidoptera: Erebidae), is one of the best-documented biological invasions and factors driving its spatial spread are of significant ecological and economic interest. The present study examines gypsy moth sourced from different latitudes across its North American range for sensitivity to high temperature in constant …

Genetic Differentiation Of Spring-Spawning And Fall-Spawning Male Atlantic Sturgeon In The James River, Virginia, Matthew T. Balazik, Daniel J. Farrae, Tanya L. Darden, Greg C. Garman

Biology Publications

Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus, Acipenseridae) populations are currently at severely depleted levels due to historic overfishing, habitat loss, and pollution. The importance of biologically correct stock structure for effective conservation and management efforts is well known. Recent improvements in our understanding of Atlantic sturgeon migrations, movement, and the occurrence of putative dual spawning groups leads to questions regarding the true stock structure of this endangered species. In the James River, VA specifically, captures of spawning Atlantic sturgeon and accompanying telemetry data suggest there are two discrete spawning groups of Atlantic sturgeon. The two putative spawning groups were …

Green On What Side Of The Fence? Librarian Perceptions Of Accepted Author Manuscripts, Jimmy Ghaphery, Sam Byrd, Hillary Miller

VCU Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

INTRODUCTION There is a growing body of accepted author manuscripts (AAMs) in national, professional, and institutional repositories. This study seeks to explore librarian attitudes about AAMs and in what contexts they should be recommended. Particular attention is paid to differences between the attitudes of librarians whose primary job responsibilities are within the field of scholarly communications as opposed to the rest of the profession. METHODS An Internet survey was sent to nine different professional listservs, asking for voluntary anonymous participation. RESULTS This study finds that AAMs are considered an acceptable source by many librarians, with scholarly communications librarians more willing …

Company Health Dashboard, Zachary Raney, Ahmad Shahir Abdul Satar

Capstone Design Expo Posters

Company Health Dashboard is a web application that serves as a tool to display information in dynamic grid-like modules. This application displays viewer-friendly information on the televisions around the company office using Raspberry Pi devices. In order to benefit different types of users, the application divides the screen into multiple customizable modules, with each module representing different information. Company employees, for example, can view information about company news, upcoming events, or even what’s on tap for that day. Visitors or clients, on the other hand, can see information about the company while waiting for their meeting.

The design of the …

Portable Pure-Tone Audiometer, Zachary Conner, Zachary Clute, Min Su Ju, James Le

Capstone Design Expo Posters

This project addresses the issue of making hearing tests available to more people, specifically those who live in parts of the world where audiologist are not readily available. Most countries around the world, including first-world countries, have a large gap in hearing testing when put in the perspective of the amount of hearing loss in their people. Most portable audiometers only perform air conduction hearing tests, yet physicians are in need of vital bone conduction information for proper diagnosis. To address this need, we developed an audiometer that is portable, yet also supports air and bone conduction testing. Features that …

Progressions: Assembled By The Horn Rva & Amendment Literary Journal (2017)

Amendment, 2004-

"Each semester the Horn RVA collects recordings from diverse performers in the Richmond, Virginia, to produce The Horn RVA Presents, a free compilation cd featuring original artwork from VCU students. After releasing three samplers of local music in the past two years, The Horn’s staff felt it was time to expand the project to include voices from the entire music scene with an emphasis on originally generated content. Our goal is to feature narrative perspectives from all sides of the music scene to mirror the inclusivity of the music community in Richmond. To meet the needs of the expanding project, …

Virginia Dental Journal (Vol. 94, No. 4, 2017)

Virginia Dental Journal

No abstract provided.

Application Of Incident Command Structure To Clinical Trial Management In The Academic Setting: Principles And Lessons Learned, Penny S. Reynolds, Mary J. Michael, Bruce D. Spiess

Anesthesiology Publications

Background

Clinical trial success depends on appropriate management, but practical guidance to trial organisation and planning is lacking. The Incident Command System (ICS) is the ‘gold standard’ management system developed for managing diverse operations in major incident and public health arenas. It enables effective and flexible management through integration of personnel, procedures, resources, and communications within a common hierarchical organisational structure. Conventional ICS organisation consists of five function modules: Command, Planning, Operations, Logistics, and Finance/Administration. Large clinical trials will require a separate Regulatory Administrative arm, and an Information arm, consisting of dedicated data management and information technology staff. We applied …

Directed Evolution Provides Insight Into Conformational Substrate Sampling By Srta, Muna Suliman, Vishaka Santosh, Tom C. M. Seegar, Annamarie C. Dalton, Kathryn M. Schultz, Candice S. Klug, William A. Barton

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Publications

The Sortase family of transpeptidases are found in numerous gram-positive bacteria and involved in divergent physiological processes including anchoring of surface proteins to the cell wall as well as pili assembly. As essential proteins, sortase enzymes have been the focus of considerable interest for the development of novel anti-microbials, however, more recently their function as unique transpeptidases has been exploited for the synthesis of novel bio-conjugates. Yet, for synthetic purposes, SrtA-mediated conjugation suffers from the enzyme's inherently poor catalytic efficiency. Therefore, to identify SrtA variants with improved catalytic efficiency, we used directed evolution to select a catalytically enhanced SrtA enzyme. …

Aggregate Stability And Water Retention Near Saturation Characteristics As Affected By Soil Texture, Aggregate Size And Polyacrylamide Application, Amrakh I. Mamedov, Chi-Hua Huang, Fazil A. Aliev, Guy J. Levy

Biology Publications

Understanding the effects of soil intrinsic properties and extrinsic conditions on aggregate stability is essential for the development of effective soil and water conservation practices. Our objective was to evaluate the combined role of soil texture, aggregate size and application of a stabilizing agent on aggregate and structure stability indices (composite structure index [SI], the and n parameters of the VG model and the S-index) by employing the high energy (0-5.0 J kg(-1)) moisture characteristic (HEMC) method. We used aggregates of three sizes (0.25-0.5, 0.5-1.0 and 1.0-2.0 mm) from four semi-arid soils treated with polyacrylamide (PAM). An increase in SI …

Rebels With A Cause: Vcu Student Emergency Fund, The Grace E. Harris Leadership Institute At Virginia Commonwealth University, Brian Canaday, Julie Gorlewski, Courtney Leahman, Kim Lewis, Hillary Miller, Jaime Petrasek, Eileen Truax

The Grace E. Harris Leadership Institute Publications

The project’s mission is to establish a VCU Student Emergency Fund to support the well-being of students who face financial emergencies and to increase student retention and academic success. The fund will provide financial relief to students facing sudden and unexpected financial hardships that can impact their financial stability, academic success, and ability to remain enrolled at VCU. The project will support the work of student support services personnel administering the fund by providing a campus outreach plan to those who can recognize students in financial crises and refer them to the fund's administrators. The project will also support the …

Assessing Efficiency Of Public Health And Medical Care Provision In Oecd Countries After A Decade Of Reform, Yasar A. Ozcan, Jaya Khushalani

Health Administration Publications

The objective of this study was to examine the change in efficiency of health care systems of 34 OECD countries between 2000 and 2012, a period marked by significant health reform in most OECD countries. This paper uses a novel Dynamic Network Data Envelopment Analysis (DNDEA) model to analyze the efficiency of the public health system and the medical care system of these OECD countries independently along with assessing the efficiency of their overall health system. This helps understand the relative priorities for improving the overall health system. The data for this study was obtained from the OECD Health Facts …

Targeting Hepatocellular Carcinoma Through Tgf-Β Pathway E3 Ligases, Kazufumi Ohshiro, Jian Chen, Shulin Li, Jon White, Asif Rashid, Lopa Mishra

Hepatobiliary Cancers: Pathobiology and Translational Advances

No abstract provided.

The Role Of Uridine-Cytidine Kinase 2 In The Development Of Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Dehai Wu, Song Tao, Keunsoo Ahn, Nicha Wongjarupong, Lewis Roberts

Hepatobiliary Cancers: Pathobiology and Translational Advances

No abstract provided.

The Scaffolding Protein Iqgap1 Promotes Hepatic Proliferation And Protects The Liver From Injury, Hanna Erickson, Sayeepriyadarshini Anakk

Hepatobiliary Cancers: Pathobiology and Translational Advances

No abstract provided.

Cca Development In The Background Of Congenital Hepatic Fibrosis/Caroli Disease, Eleanna Kaffe Mrs, Carlo Spirli, Luca Fabris, Massimiliano Cadamuro, Mario Strazzabosco

Hepatobiliary Cancers: Pathobiology and Translational Advances

No abstract provided.

Commonly Used H1 And H2 Histamine Receptor (Hr) Blockers Decrease Cholangiocarcinoma Xenograft Tumor Growth, Angiogenesis And Emt, Lindsey Kennedy, Laura Hargrove, Jennifer Demieville, Walker Karstens, Steven Smith, Heather Francis

Hepatobiliary Cancers: Pathobiology and Translational Advances

No abstract provided.

Perfluorocarbon Emulsions Radiosensitise Brain Tumors In Carbogen Breathing Mice With Orthotopic Gl261 Gliomas, Lisa A. Feldman, Marie-Sophie Fabre, Carole Grasso, Dana Reid, William C. Broaddus, Gregory M. Lanza, Bruce D. Spiess, Joel R. Garbow, Melanie J. Mcconnell, Patries M. Herst

Neurosurgery Publications

Background

Tumour hypoxia limits the effectiveness of radiation therapy. Delivering normobaric or hyperbaric oxygen therapy elevates pO2 in both tumour and normal brain tissue. However, pO2 levels return to baseline within 15 minutes of stopping therapy.

Aim

To investigate the effect of perfluorocarbon (PFC) emulsions on hypoxia in subcutaneous and intracranial mouse gliomas and their radiosensitising effect in orthotopic gliomas in mice breathing carbogen (95%O2 and 5%CO2).

Results

PFC emulsions completely abrogated hypoxia in both subcutaneous and intracranial GL261 models and conferred a significant survival advantage orthotopically (Mantel Cox: p = 0.048) in carbogen breathing mice injected intravenously (IV) with …

Antimicrobial Stewardship Practices In Virginia, Kimberly B. Lee, Jesus Aaron Ramirez, Rebeccah Collins, John Bucheit, Kakotan Sanogo, Michael P. Stevens

Family Medicine and Population Health Publications

The Society of Healthcare Epidemiology of America, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology recognize the need to combat antimicrobial resistance through the promotion of antimicrobial stewardship programs. Health care facilities in Virginia were surveyed using a 23-item survey focused on facility characteristics and antimicrobial stewardship strategies. Antimicrobial stewardship activities were highly variable and many are missing key personnel and resources.

Medical Literary Messenger (Vol. 4, No. 2, Spring/Summer 2017)

Medical Literary Messenger

Solicitude / Dan Campion -- R & R / Claude Clayton Smith -- Alopecia Areata / Will Justice Drake -- Guide to Nether-Land / Tanmoy Das Lala -- The Wolf / Rebecca Taksel -- Life Support / Lindsay Rutherford -- Tuesday Mermaids / Connie Zumpf -- Transition / Vernita Hall -- Admissions / Kathryn Eberly -- The Vote / Alisa Olmsted -- Health & Healing in Honduras / Michael P. Stevens and Nadia Masroor -- Lamentation of a Night-Shift Nurse / Mallory Drake -- Blues from the Stepdown Ward / Terry Sanville -- Nectarines / Lindsay Rutherford -- Alzheimer’s / …

Aldh2*2 And Peer Drinking In East Asian College Students, Karen G. Chartier, Taryl O'Shea, Nathaniel Thomas, Bradley Todd Webb, Danielle M. Dick, Kenneth S. Kendler

Social Work Publications

Background: The ALDH2*2 allele (A-allele) at rs671 is more commonly carried by Asians and is associated with alcohol-related flushing, a strong adverse reaction to alcohol that is protective against drinking. Social factors, such as having friends who binge drink, also contribute to drinking in Asian youth. Objectives: This study examined the interplay between ALDH2*2, peer drinking, and alcohol consumption in college students. We hypothesized that the relationship between ALDH2*2 and standard grams of ethanol per month would vary based on the level of peer drinking. Methods: Subjects (N = 318, 63.25% female) were East Asian …

Management Of Children With Chronic Wet Cough And Protracted Bacterial Bronchitis Chest Guideline And Expert Panel Report, Anne B. Chang, John J. Oppenheimer, Miles M. Weinberger, Bruce K. Rubin, Cameron C. Grant, Kelly Weir, Richard S. Irwin, Chest Expert Cough Panel

Pediatrics Publications

BACKGROUND: Wet or productive cough is common in children with chronic cough. We formulated recommendations based on systematic reviews related to the management of chronic wet cough in children (aged
METHODS: We used the CHEST expert cough panel's protocol for systematic reviews and the American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) methodologic guidelines and GRADE framework (the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation). Data from the systematic reviews in conjunction with patients' values and preferences and the clinical context were used to form recommendations. Delphi methodology was used to obtain consensus for the recommendations/suggestions made.

RESULTS: Combining data from the …

Impaired Myocardial Relaxation With Exercise Determines Peak Aerobic Exercise Capacity In Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction, Cory Trankle, Justin M. Canada, Leo Buckley, Salvatore Carbone, Dave Dixon, Ross Arena, Benjamin Van Tassell, Antonio Abbate

Pharmacotherapy and Outcomes Science Publications

Background

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is a clinical syndrome characterized by impaired exercise capacity due to shortness of breath and/or fatigue. Assessment of diastolic dysfunction at rest and with exercise may provide insight into the pathophysiology of exercise intolerance in HFpEF.

Aims

To measure echocardio-Doppler-derived parameters of diastolic function as they relate to various indices of aerobic exercise capacity in HFpEF.

Methods

We selected 16 subjects with clinically stable HFpEF, no evidence of volume overload, but impaired functional capacity by cardiopulmonary exercise testing [peak oxygen consumption (VO₂)]. We measured the transmitral E and A flow …

Economic Impact Of The James River Park System, Victoria A. Shivy, I-Shian Suen

Psychology Publications

The James River Park System (JRPS), “a Little Bit of Wilderness in the Heart of the City,” is a unique part of Richmond’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities. With 550 acres of shoreline and islands in the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the JRPS extends in 14 sections from the Huguenot Bridge (West) to a half mile beyond the I-95 Bridge (East). It includes most of the fall line of the James River, and features rocks, rapids, meadows, and forests that make for an area of unspoiled natural beauty.

Large cities around the United States routinely engage …

Rape And Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (Ptsd): Examining The Mediating Role Of Explicit Sex-Power Beliefs For Men Versus Women, Daniel J. Snipes, Jenna M. Calton, Brooke A. Green, Paul B. Perrin, Eric G. Benotsch

Psychology Publications

Many rape survivors exhibit symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and recent literature suggests survivors' beliefs about sex and control may affect PTSD symptoms. The present study examined beliefs about sex and power as potential mediators of the relationship between rape and PTSD symptoms for men versus women. Participants (N = 782) reported lifetime history of rape, current PTSD symptoms, and beliefs about sex and power. Women reported higher levels of lifetime history of rape than men (19.7% for women; 9.7% for men). While rape history predicted PTSD symptoms for both genders, beliefs about sex and power were shown to …

Knowledge And Understanding Of Health Insurance: Challenges And Remedies, Andrew J. Barnes, Yaniv Hanoch

Psychology Publications

As coverage is expanded in health systems that rely on consumers to choose health insurance plans that best meet their needs, interest in whether consumers possess sufficient understanding of health insurance to make good coverage decisions is growing. The recent IJHPR article by Green and colleagues—examining understanding of supplementary health insurance (SHI) among Israeli consumers—provides an important and timely answer to the above question. Indeed, their study addresses similar problems to the ones identified in the US health care market, with two notable findings. First, they show that overall—regardless of demographic variables—there are low levels of knowledge about SHI, which …

A Comparison Of Parameter Covariance Estimation Methods For Item Response Models In An Expectation-Maximization Framework, Joshua N. Pritikin

Psychiatry Publications

The Expectation-Maximization (EM) algorithm is a method for finding the maximum likelihood estimate of a model in the presence of missing data. Unfortunately, EM does not produce a parameter covariance matrix for standard errors. Both Oakes and Supplemented EM are methods for obtaining the parameter covariance matrix. SEM was discovered in 1991 and is implemented in both opensource and commercial item response model estimation software. Oakes, a more recent method discovered in 1999, had not been implemented in item response model software until now. Convergence properties, accuracy, and elapsed time of Oakes and Supplemental EM family algorithms are compared for …

Symptom Domain Groups Of The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Tools Independently Predict Hospitalizations And Re-Hospitalizations In Cirrhosis, Kavish R. Patidar, Leroy R. Thacker, James B. Wade, Melanie B. White, Edith A. Gavis, Andrew Fagan, Richard K. Sterling, Michael Fuchs, Mohammad S. Siddiqui, Scott Matherly, Richard T. Stravitz, Arun J. Sanyal, Puneet Puri, Velimir A. Luketic, Jasmohan S. Bajaj

Psychiatry Publications

Background

Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) tools can identify health-related quality of life (HRQOL) domains that could differentially affect disease progression. Cirrhotics are highly prone to hospitalizations and re-hospitalizations, but the current clinical prognostic models may be insufficient, and thus studying the contribution of individual HRQOL domains could improve prognostication.

Aim

Analyze the impact of individual HRQOL PROMIS domains in predicting time to all non-elective hospitalizations and re-hospitalizations in cirrhosis.

Methods

Outpatient cirrhotics were administered PROMIS computerized tools. The first non-elective hospitalization and subsequent re-hospitalizations after enrollment were recorded. Individual PROMIS domains significantly contributing toward these outcomes were generated …

A Power Calculator For The Classical Twin Design, Brad Verhulst

Psychiatry Publications

Power is a ubiquitous, though often overlooked, component of any statistical analyses. Almost every funding agency and institutional review board requires that some sort of power analysis is conducted prior to data collection. While there are several excellent on line power calculators for independent observations, twin studies pose unique challenges that are not incorporated into these algorithms. The goal of the current manuscript is to outline a general method for calculating power in twin studies, and to provide functions to allow researchers to easily conduct power analyses for a range of common twin models. Several scenarios are discussed to demonstrate …