Digital Commons Network^™

Human Neural Progenitor Cells Are Productively Infected By R5-Tropic Hiv-1: Opiate Interactions On Infection And Function Involve Cdk5 Signaling, Joyce Magat Balinang

Theses and Dissertations

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is known to cause a spectrum of neurological, behavioral and motor deficits collectively termed as HIV-1 associated neurocognitive impairments (HAND). Opiates augment HIV-related CNS complications through both direct and indirect mechanisms that disrupt glial and neuronal function. All CNS macroglia and neurons derive from neural progenitor cells (NPCs) during development, and NPCs in the adult brain contribute to repair processes. Since disruptions in NPC function are known to impact CNS populations and brain function in a number of disease/injury conditions, we determined whether HIV ± opiate exposure affected the maturation and fate of human …

Information Needs And Information Sources Of Patients Diagnosed With Rare Cancers, Dana L. Ladd

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

INFORMATION NEEDS AND INFORMATION SOURCES OF PATIENTS DIAGNOSED WITH RARE CANCERS

By Dana L. Ladd, Ph.D., MS, SLIS

BACKGROUND: Approximately 25% of all cancers diagnosed are considered rare. Patients may face many significant challenges including difficulty obtaining information about their rare conditions. Patients often have high information needs and may seek desired information from a variety of informational sources including healthcare providers, media, print, government and non-profit organizations in order to meet their needs. Accessing reliable consumer-level information can be challenging and often information needs are unmet. Dissatisfaction with health information provision can result in negative health-related outcomes and …

Behaviorally Induced Insufficient Sleep Syndrome And Insomnia: Prevalence And Relationship To Depression In College Students, Allison Baylor

Theses and Dissertations

Background: College students are at increased risk for general sleep issues as well as specific disorders, including Behaviorally Induced Insufficient Sleep Syndrome (BISS) and insomnia. These disorders can have deleterious daytime consequences, which can be compounded by exacerbating depression. The present study aims to establish college prevalence of BISS/insomnia, to characterize sleep characteristics in this sample, and to compare depression across BISS/insomnia.

Methods: Data from a college risk behaviors and health study (n=989) was used. Insomnia and BISS were defined as mutually exclusive disorders, using ICD-10/DSM-5 criteria, and Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index items.

Results: Overall, the results of this study …

Examining The Effects Of Psychosocial Stress On The Hypertension Self-Management Behaviors Of African American Women, Michelle Laws

Theses and Dissertations

Hypertension is a preventable and yet major risk factor for early death and morbidity among African Americans. Compared to other women in the US, African American women continue to die earlier and more frequently from preventable and controllable chronic health conditions that are notably due to hypertension and hypertension-related illnesses. While there are multiple factors contributing to the high death rates of African American women, hypertension is one of the most common and modifiable risk factors associated with fatal health outcomes among African American women. The rate of death resulting from hypertension is more than double for African American females …

Genetic And Epigenetic Mechanisms Of Complex Reproductive Disorders, Bhavi P. Modi

Theses and Dissertations

Common, complex disorders are polygenic and multifactorial traits representing interactions between environmental, genetic and epigenetic risk factors. More often than not, contributions of these risk factors have been studied individually and this is especially true for complex reproductive traits where application of genomic technologies has been challenging and slow to progress. This thesis explores the potential of genetic and epigenetic components contributing to a better understanding of the biological pathways underlying disease risk in two specific female complex reproductive traits - polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM). The PCOS projects focus on characterization of a …

Non-Medical Use Of Prescription Stimulants For Weight Loss: Predictors, Consequences, And Implications For Intervention In A National Young Adult Sample, Amy J. Jeffers

Theses and Dissertations

The non-medical use of prescription drugs is an important public health concern. Non-medical use of prescription stimulants (NMUPS), specifically medications used to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), is particularly concerning. One timely concern regarding NMUPS, especially among young adults, is their role in appetite suppression/weight loss. Indeed, some individuals are motivated to misuse such drugs for the purpose of losing weight. Engaging in NMUPS for weight loss has been examined only minimally in the research literature. However, extant data demonstrate that this behavior is associated with other unhealthy behaviors and poor psychosocial health. Limitations of prior research include the …

Black Feminist Discourse Analysis Of Portrayals Of Gender Violence Against Black Women: A Social Work Dissertation, Avina Ross

Theses and Dissertations

This study explored media discourse of gender violence against Black women in Black contemporary films. Four Tyler Perry films were examined using a novel, qualitative and analytical framework: Black Feminist Discourse Analysis. Discourses that were studied include, but were not limited to: portrayals of gender violence and victims, character dispositions and interactions, stereotypes, relationship dynamics as well as portrayals of race, gender, sexuality and religion. The use of new and existing controlling images based on systems of race, gender, sexuality and religion were revealed in a transitional and systemic model. Common themes across the films are provided. This research closes …

Adopting Sustainability Innovations In Restaurants: An Evaluation Of The Factors Influencing Owner-Managers’ Decisions In Richmond, Virginia, Anna Salzberg

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors influencing restaurant Owner-Managers’ decisions to adopt sustainability innovations in restaurants. A cross-sectional survey research design is used for this study, which entails distributing a survey to restaurants in the City of Richmond, Virginia, to gain an understanding of the factors influencing sustainability innovation adoption. Drawing from both the innovation adoption theory and the theory of planned behavior, the researcher contributes a baseline of the restaurants’ sustainability and the Owner-Managers’ intrinsic motivations. By integrating innovation adoption theory’s perceived innovation characteristics and measuring restaurants’ past sustainability behavior, this study increases the overall …

The Relationship Between Program Quality Indicators And Student Achievement In A Braided Prekindergarten Program, Susan L. Flemmons

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between prekindergarten classroom quality indicators and student achievement at the prekindergarten level. Pre-existing data on prekindergarten classroom quality measures and student achievement was utilized. Quality indicators were assessed using the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) (Pianta, La Paro, & Hamre, 2008) and student achievement was measured by the end of year results on the Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS) (Invernizzi, Meier, Swank, & Juel, 2004) and the Bracken School Readiness Assessment end of year results (Bracken, 2007).

A quantitative ex post facto correlational research design was employed to identify relationships …

Propensity Score For Causal Inference Of Multiple And Multivalued Treatments, Zirui Gu

Theses and Dissertations

Propensity score methods (PSM) that have been widely used to reduce selection bias in observational studies are restricted to a binary treatment. Imai and van Dyk extended PSM to estimate non-binary treatment effect using stratification with P-Function, and generalized inverse treatment probability weighting (GIPTW). However, propensity score (PS) matching methods on multiple treatments received little attention, and existing generalized PSMs merely focused on estimates of main treatment effects but omitted potential interaction effects that are of essential interest in many studies. In this dissertation, I extend Rubin’s PS matching theory to general treatment regimens under the P-Function framework. From theory …

Resource Utilization And Costs Associated With Off-Label Use Of Atypical Antipsychotics In An Adult Population, Della Varghese

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Atypical Antipsychotics (AAPs) are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. AAPs are commonly used off-label to treat depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and neuropsychiatric symptoms in dementia due to lack of alternative treatment options and treatment resistance. Concerns for off-label use arise since AAPs increase the risk of cardiovascular events and death. The objectives were 1) describe patterns of RU and costs among off-label AAPs users in a nationally representative population 2) identify prevalence of off-label use in the Medicare population 3) compare RU and costs between off-label AAPs …

Interactomics-Based Functional Analysis: Using Interaction Conservation To Probe Bacterial Protein Functions, J. Harry Caufield

Theses and Dissertations

The emergence of genomics as a discrete field of biology has changed humanity’s understanding of our relationship with bacteria. Sequencing the genome of each newly-discovered bacterial species can reveal novel gene sequences, though the genome may contain genes coding for hundreds or thousands of proteins of unknown function (PUFs). In some cases, these coding sequences appear to be conserved across nearly all bacteria. Exploring the functional roles of these cases ideally requires an integrative, cross-species approach involving not only gene sequences but knowledge of interactions among their products. Protein interactions, studied at genome scale, extend genomics into the field of …

Methods For Predicting An Ordinal Response With High-Throughput Genomic Data, Kyle L. Ferber

Theses and Dissertations

Multigenic diagnostic and prognostic tools can be derived for ordinal clinical outcomes using data from high-throughput genomic experiments. A challenge in this setting is that the number of predictors is much greater than the sample size, so traditional ordinal response modeling techniques must be exchanged for more specialized approaches. Existing methods perform well on some datasets, but there is room for improvement in terms of variable selection and predictive accuracy. Therefore, we extended an impressive binary response modeling technique, Feature Augmentation via Nonparametrics and Selection, to the ordinal response setting. Through simulation studies and analyses of high-throughput genomic datasets, we …

Curcumin/Melatonin Hybrids As Neuroprotective Agents For Alzheimer's Disease, John Saathoff

Theses and Dissertations

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder and the leading cause of dementia, affecting ~5.2 million Americans. Current FDA approved medications provide mainly symptomatic relief and there are no agents available to delay or cure this disease. Multiple factors such as amyloid-β aggregates, dyshomeostasis of biometals, oxidative stress, and neuroinflammation have been implicated in the development of AD. Even though significant advances have been made in understanding the mechanisms leading to AD, the exact etiology still remains elusive. Given AD’s multifactorial nature, a multifunctional strategy of small molecule design would help to identify novel chemical templates. Recently our lab …

Representativeness Of Patients Enrolled In A Primary Care Clinical Trial For Substance Use Disorders, Sydney S. Kelpin

Theses and Dissertations

Understanding the characteristics of research participants is crucial to ensuring sample representativeness and generalizability of findings to broader patient groups with substance use disorders. Using anonymous computer-administered health survey data, the present study had a unique opportunity to compare patients who chose to participate in an RCT for heavy/problem drinking or drug use (N=713; consenters) with those that chose not to participate (N=625; non-consenters). The sample was 40% male, 76% African American, and had a mean age of 45.2 years. Using multivariate regression, the most parsimonious model found older age, unemployment, prescription misuse, positive screen for drug problems (CAGE), having …

Write To Work: The Use And Importance Of Writing As Perceived By Business Leaders, Clay Aschliman

Theses and Dissertations

The relation of English Language Arts (ELA) to the economy has played a historic role in educational policy, persisting to today’s corporate reform movement. It is, however, an area that remains under-researched. This study builds upon the limited existing literature base with a systematic replication of the College Board’s National Commission on Writing for America’s Families, Schools, and Colleges’ (NCW) 2004 report, “Writing: A Ticket to Work…Or a Ticket Out.” The guiding research questions for this study are 1) How important is writing in the workplace? 2) Is writing an important hiring consideration? 3) What kind of writing is expected …

Positivity Ratio: Predicting Sleep Outcomes Across The Adult Lifespan, Janna L. Imel

Theses and Dissertations

Although sleep has been linked to changes in positive and negative affect across the lifespan, the prediction of sleep from affect has not been explored completely. As such, the main objective of this study was to examine the association between affect and sleep across the adult lifespan, using a novel gauge of affect, the positivity ratio. Both subjective and objective assessments of sleep were used in analyses. This study was an archival analysis of data collected as a part of the Midlife in the United States Study (MIDUS-II), with participants ranging from 34 to 83 years of age. Results revealed …

The Role Of Procedural Justice Within Police-Citizen Contacts In Explaining Citizen Behaviors And Other Outcomes, Shana M. Mell

Theses and Dissertations

American policing is shaped by an array of challenges. Police are expected to address crime and engage the community, yet police are held to higher expectations of accountability, effectiveness, and efficiency than ever before. Police legitimacy is the ability of the police to exercise their authority in the course of maintaining order, resolving conflicts, and solving problems (PERF, 2014). The procedural justice and police legitimacy literature suggest that by exhibiting procedurally just behaviors within police-citizen encounters, officers are considered legitimate by the public (PERF, 2014; Tyler, 2004, Tyler & Jackson, 2012).

This study examines procedural justice through systematic observations of …

On Workaholism: Do Parental Work Behaviors Predict The Work Behaviors Of Undergraduates?, Jesse A. Wingate

Theses and Dissertations

This cross-sectional study examined the associations among perceived parental behavior and personality on work behaviors of undergraduate students from a large Southeastern university. Past research suggests that children who perceive their parents to be workaholics are more likely to exhibit workaholic behavior themselves (Chamberlin & Zhang, 2009). Moreover, personality factors including conscientiousness and neuroticism, have been categorized as antecedents of workaholic behavior in previous studies (Andreassen, Hetland, & Pallesen, 2010; Aziz & Tronzo, 2011; Burke, Matthiesen, & Pallesen, 2006). Students (N = 209) completed questionnaires assessing Big Five personality factors, dispositional optimism, and perceptions of parental work drive, parental …

Exploring The Concept Of Human Oct3 Inhibitors As A Novel Class Of Antidepressants, Kavita A. Iyer

Theses and Dissertations

The Dukat laboratory developed 2-amino-6-chloro-3,4-dihydroquinazoline (A6CDQ) as a 5-HT₃ receptor ligand. A6CDQ and one of its positional isomers, the 7-chloro analog A7CDQ, produced antidepressant-like effects in the mouse tail suspension test (TST). We investigated and systematically ruled out a solely 5-HT₃ receptor or hSERT mediated mechanism of antidepressant-like effect for both A6CDQ and A7CDQ.

The role of organic cation transporter 3 (OCT3) as an alternative mechanism in the regulation of neurotransmitters including serotonin (5-HT) and the therapeutic potential of targeting hOCT3 to achieve antidepressant effects has been established. By virtue of possessing protonatable nitrogen atoms, 2-aminodihyroquinazolines could potentially …

Exploring The Role Of Intersectionality On Cardiovascular Disease Risk In Sexual Minorities, Leia Harper

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Previous research has shown that sexual minority individuals (SM) are twice as likely to smoke, twice as likely to be overweight or obese, and less likely to be physically active than heterosexual persons; all of which place SMs at an increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). While information on CVD risk by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status is well documented, there is scant literature examining race, gender, and the potential CVD risk in SMs. The purpose of this study was to examine CVD risk in sexual minorities.

Method: The current study used data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent …

Is Your Student Fit For That College? A Study Of The Factors That Contribute To Students’ Academic Performance In College, Abdulaziz A. Alotaibi

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to expand the extent of available literature in regard to the factors that contribute to students’ academic performance in college. It focused on a neglected segment of the student population, which is Saudi Arabian students studying in the United States. This study utilized a nonexperimental quantitative research design in order to investigate the relationship between the independent variables (the characteristics of the student, the characteristics of the program, and the academic and social integration between the student and the program) and the dependent variables (degree GPA, ability to graduate within academic program time frame, …

Role Of Vav2 In Podocyte Inflammasome Activation And Glomerular Injury During Hyperhomocysteinemia, Sabena Conley

Theses and Dissertations

Hyperhomocysteinemia (hHcys) is a widely known pathogenic factor in the progression of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and it is also associated with an increased risk for injurious cardiovascular pathologies during ESRD. HHcys is linked to the formation and activation of the NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome, characterized as a critical early mechanism initiating the inflammatory response. NADPH oxidase (NOX)-derived reactive oxygen species (ROS) mediate the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome in podocytes in response to elevated levels of homocysteine (Hcys) in vitro and in vivo. However, it remains unknown how NLRP3 inflammasome activation is triggered by NOX. The …

Dimension Reduction And Variable Selection, Hossein Moradi Rekabdarkolaee

Theses and Dissertations

High-dimensional data are becoming increasingly available as data collection technology advances. Over the last decade, significant developments have been taking place in high-dimensional data analysis, driven primarily by a wide range of applications in many fields such as genomics, signal processing, and environmental studies. Statistical techniques such as dimension reduction and variable selection play important roles in high dimensional data analysis. Sufficient dimension reduction provides a way to find the reduced space of the original space without a parametric model. This method has been widely applied in many scientific fields such as genetics, brain imaging analysis, econometrics, environmental sciences, etc. …

What’S Real? What’S Not? : Reality Tv’S Effect On Relational Aggression Among Black College Women, Ashley N. Hill

Theses and Dissertations

Relational aggression, behaviors that manipulate social relationships, is a pressing issue among Black college women (Dahlen, Czar, Prather, & Dyess, 2013). As a result of experiencing and using relational aggression, Black women may experience diminished interpersonal interactions and poorer overall psychological well-being (Gomes, Davis, Baker, & Servonsky, 2009). The present study examined how Black reality television (BRTV) models relationally aggressive behaviors for viewers. According to Cultivation theory, television has the power to influence the social reality (i.e. attitudes and perceptions) of individuals who consume high amounts of television (Gerbner et al, 2002), while Identification theory suggests that deep cognitive and …

Nostalgia And Iphone Camera Apps: An Ethnographic Visual Approach To Iphoneography, Maria L. De Panbehchi

Theses and Dissertations

The iPhone is the most popular smartphone and camera on social media. iPhoneography, the photography taken or edited with the iPhone, has set the trend of nostalgic photography on social media during the 2010s; thus, the iPhone, a high-tech camera, produces low-tech-looking images. This dissertation attempts to find out why iPhone photographers (iPhoneographers) take, edit, and share images that mimic photographs taken with analog photographic equipment. I argue that nostalgia allows iPhoneographers to use the iPhone as a creative tool and to belong to a community. Based on the arguments of Vilém Flusser—who suggested that photographers are more interested in …

Valuing Natural Space And Landscape Fragmentation In Richmond, Va, Lee Wyatt Carpenter

Theses and Dissertations

Hedonic pricing methods and GIS (Geographic Information Systems) were used to evaluate relationships between sale price of single family homes and landscape fragmentation and natural land cover. Spatial regression analyses found that sale prices increase as landscapes become less fragmented and the amount of natural land cover around a home increases. The projected growth in population and employment in the Richmond, Virginia region and subsequent increases in land development and landscape fragmentation presents a challenge to sustaining intact healthy ecosystems in the Richmond region. Spatial regression analyses helped illuminate how land cover patterns influence sale prices and landscape patterns that …

Eeg Interictal Spike Detection Using Artificial Neural Networks, Howard J. Carey Iii

Theses and Dissertations

Epilepsy is a neurological disease causing seizures in its victims and affects approximately 50 million people worldwide. Successful treatment is dependent upon correct identification of the origin of the seizures within the brain. To achieve this, electroencephalograms (EEGs) are used to measure a patient’s brainwaves. This EEG data must be manually analyzed to identify interictal spikes that emanate from the afflicted region of the brain. This process can take a neurologist more than a week and a half per patient. This thesis presents a method to extract and process the interictal spikes in a patient, and use them to reduce …

The Role Of Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 And Osteopontin In Synaptogenesis And Reinnervation Of The Olfactory Bulb Following Brain Injury, Melissa A. Powell

Theses and Dissertations

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a serious health concern, causing cognitive, motor, and sensory deficits, including olfactory dysfunction. This dissertation explores the effects of TBI on synaptic plasticity within the olfactory system, seeking to define mechanisms guiding postinjury sensory reinnervation. Physical forces induced by TBI can axotomize olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs), which innervate olfactory bulb (OB). These axons regenerate OB projections after injury, a process involving growth through a complex extracellular matrix (ECM). As such, we investigated a potential molecular mechanism capable of modifying local OB ECM to support postinjury synaptogenesis. Since matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their ECM substrates are …

Characterization Of Poly(Dimethylsiloxane) Blends And Fabrication Of Soft Micropillar Arrays For Force Detection, Thomas J. Petet Jr

Theses and Dissertations

Diseases involving fibrosis cause tens of thousands of deaths per year in the US alone. These diseases are characterized by a large amount of extracellular matrix, causing stiff abnormal tissues that may not function correctly. To take steps towards curing these diseases, a fundamental understanding of how cells interact with their substrate and how mechanical forces alter signaling pathways is vital. Studying the mechanobiology of cells and the interaction between a cell and its extracellular matrix can help explain the mechanisms behind stem cell differentiation, cell migration, and metastasis. Due to the correlation between force, extracellular matrix assembly, and substrate …