Digital Commons Network^™

Overbite Correction And Smile Esthetics, Kevin Erick Kelleher

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this prospective clinical study was to investigate differences in outcomes from two common treatment modalities used to reduce deep overbite: maxillary incisor intrusion using an intrusion arch and posterior tooth eruption using an anterior bite plate. Pre-treatment, post-overbite correction and post-treatment records were gathered from 32 patients who presented with deep overbite malocclusions to the Virginia Commonwealth University orthodontic clinic. Both groups of patients experienced reductions in overbite and maxillary incisor display as well as maxillary and mandibular incisor proclination and mandibular incisor occlusal movement during treatment. In the intrusion arch group, the center of resistance of …

Obesity As A Risk Factor For Preeclampsia: Role Of Inflammation And The Innate Immune System, Tanvi Jayendra Shah

Theses and Dissertations

Obesity is a known risk factor for preeclampsia, but the reason for this risk is unknown. We sought to demonstrate how obese individuals are predisposed to preeclampsia by mechanisms involving inflammation and the innate immune system. First, we used immunohistochemical studies to identify neutrophil infiltration, NF-κB activation and COX-2 expression in vascular tissue of obese women. We then demonstrated similar neutrophil infiltration and vascular inflammation in preeclamptic women.We used in vitro experiments to test if neutrophils and their products, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα) can activate NF-κB and cause expression of its inflammatory products, COX-2, thromboxane …

Merging Task-Centered Social Work And Motivational Interviewing In Outpatient Medication Assisted Substance Abuse Treatment: Model Development For Social Work Practice, Andreas Fassler

Theses and Dissertations

To advance social work practice and decrease the research practice gap, this dissertation followed a model development paradigm consisting of several phases. Based on the task-centered model of social work practice and motivational interviewing, a new combined model was construed. The two underlying models were analyzed and synthesized, using technical eclecticism as the integrative approach. The resulting combined model was described by guidelines and manualized. To test the combined model in an applied setting, a study was designed in collaboration with social workers at a substance abuse counseling center. There, the combined model intervention was implemented in an outpatient medication …

The Effects Of Concerted Cultivation On Academic Achievement, Jeremy Brandon Redford

Theses and Dissertations

Anne Lareau (2003) argues that parents' child-rearing practices have a profound effect on academic and later occupational success for children, even holding constant such important factors as gender, race and school effects. She says that social class impacts these child-rearing practices and that middle-class families use a specific type of practice called concerted cultivation. Concerted cultivation involves parents organizing children's daily activities, using reasoning skills in talking with children, and teaching them how to interact with the institutions around them. Using the National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS) of 1988, the current study tests the theoretical validity of concerted cultivation. Results …

A Survey On The Usage Of Articaine Among General And Pediatric Dentists, Robert Louis Hollowell Iii

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine the impact that the introduction of articaine has had on local anesthetic selection by general and pediatric dentists for use in three different age groups of children.Methods: Using a cross sectional survey design, a questionnaire regarding the use of local anesthetics in children was mailed to a random sample of 500 general dentists from North Carolina, 500 general dentists from Virginia, and all 230 pediatric dentists from North Carolina and Virginia. The 16-item questionnaire included questions regarding the preferred local anesthetic to use in three different age groups, 2-3 years of …

A Life In Words, Thoughts, Ideas, Images And Movement, Randy Houston Mercer

Theses and Dissertations

I know it is my core, my purest nature to incessantly question myself and everything around me; as we pertain to the universe. As Robert Wilson suggests "I will always ask 'What is it?' before telling you what it is." My goal is to present you with some tools with which to approach your craft, your life, your uncertainties. And though I may not always be the best example, I still wish to encourage all that read this or spend time with me to see this craft/business and indeed your life as a great, happy adventure; guided by love. Because …

The Effect Of A Nominal Fee On Treatment Choices For Children Needing Dental Rehabilitation, D'Audra M. Cole

Theses and Dissertations

Objective: The purpose of the study was to determine if a co-payment resulted in a differential preference for general anesthesia (GA) or oral sedation (OS) and, if so, to examine whether age, the number of appointments, perceived risks of treatment, child's awareness during treatment, or insurance type appeared to play a role in this preference.Methods: Using a cross-sectional survey design, questionnaires were distributed to caregivers of patients in the waiting room of the Virginia Commonwealth University Pediatric Dental Clinic. Two different questionnaires were distributed randomly. Both surveys described a scenario with the need for dental treatment under general anesthesia (GA) …

The Quantitative Genetics Of Neurodevelopment: A Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study Of Childhood And Adolescence, James Eric Schmitt

Theses and Dissertations

Understanding the causes of individual differences in brain structure may give clues about the etiology of cognition, personality, and psychopathology, and also may identify endophenotypes for molecular genetic studies on brain development. We performed a comprehensive statistical genetic study of anatomic neuroimaging data from a large pediatric sample (N=600+) of twins and family members from the Child Psychiatry Branch at the NIMH. These analyses included variance decomposition of structural volumetric endophenotypes at several levels of resolution, voxel-level analysis of cortical thickness, assessment of gene by age interaction, several multivariate genetic analyses, and a search for genetically-mediated brain-behavioral relationships. These analyses …

Antecedents And Consequences Of Lifestyle Choice In Public Accounting, Ambrose Jones Iii

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines the effects of healthy lifestyle of auditors in public accounting as a mitigating influence between role stress and job outcomes (performance, satisfaction, and turnover). Based on coping and self-determination theories, the study was designed to investigate the impact of healthy lifestyle as a coping measure that is within the control of the individual, regardless of firm policies or the firm's work environment.To address the research issues, a survey was conducted of professional auditors employed by a large national public accounting firm with offices located throughout the United States. The sample included 1,026 auditors from various regions of …

Identification And Characterization Of Helper Phage Gene Products Involved In Mobilization Of Staphylococcal Pathogenicity Island Sapi1, Sandra Mckenzie Tallent

Theses and Dissertations

Staphylococcal pathogenicity island SaPI1 is excised from genomic DNA and extrachromosomal copies are amplified during the vegetative growth of staphylococcal phage 80α. The amplified genetic element is subsequently encapsidated and transduced at very high frequency. Previous studies have demonstrated that the transducing particles have virions with tails that appear identical to those of helper phage 80α but have smaller capsids, commensurate with the smaller genome of the SaPI (Lindsay et.al., 1998). The morphology of the transducing particles, coupled with the observation that the genomic sequence of SaPIl (GenBank U93688) does not reveal any obvious phage structural proteins, has led to …

Vcu Gives Back, The Grace E. Harris Leadership Institute At Virginia Commonwealth University, Michal Zivan Coffey, Patricia Flanagan, Justin Harris, Ella Maokhamphiou, Debbie Quick, Melissa Tyler, Shawn Utsey

The Grace E. Harris Leadership Institute Publications

We propose the establishment of an organization wide series of community service events beginning at homecoming and culminating in April during National Volunteer Week with a large scale event, in an effort to bring a sense of unity among the students, faculty and staff within the organization while helping the communities surrounded by VCU.

Virginia Dental Journal (Vol. 84, No. 2, 2007)

Virginia Dental Journal

No abstract provided.

Virginia Dental Journal (Vol. 84, No. 4, 2007)

Virginia Dental Journal

No abstract provided.

Virginia Dental Journal (Vol. 84, No. 1, 2007)

Virginia Dental Journal

No abstract provided.

Virginia Dental Journal (Vol. 84, No. 3, 2007)

Virginia Dental Journal

No abstract provided.

Cannabinoid Modulation Of Chemotaxis Of Macrophages And Macrophage-Like Cells, Erinn Shenee Raborn

Theses and Dissertations

Exogenous and endogenous cannabinoids have been reported to modulate functional activities of macrophages. It is recognized that macrophages express primarily the CB2 cannabinoid receptor, but recent studies indicate that its expression is differential in relation to activation state with maximal levels occurring when cells are in "responsive" and "primed" states. The functional activities of macrophages when in these states of activation are the most susceptible to the action of cannabinoids, at least in terms of a functional linkage to the CB2. To assess the effect of cannabinoid treatment on macrophage chemotaxis and test the hypothesis that cannabinoids inhibit the chemotactic …

Supporting Data-Intensive Wireless Sensor Applications Using Smart Data Fragmentation And Buffer Management, Mbonisi Masilela

Theses and Dissertations

Recent advances in low power device technology have led to the development of smaller powerful sensors geared for use in Wireless Sensor Networks. Some of these sensors are capable of producing large data packets in a single reading. This becomes a challenging problem given the constraints imposed by current MAC and Transport Layer implementations since a single data packet can exceed the MTU of the protocol stack. Little has been done in the way of addressing this issue in Wireless Sensor Networks. This paper proposes a novel solution to this issue. Proposed is a Lightweight Data Transportation Protocol that uses …

Interactions Of Mtfabh With Its Substrates And Inhibitors Reveal Novel Mechanistic Insights, Sarbjot Singh Sachdeva

Theses and Dissertations

Tuberculosis emerged from its grave to be one of the deadliest diseases of the present time after recently developing a synergy with AIDS. A fatty acid condensing enzyme-mtFabH has been proposed to connect the key processes involved in biosynthesis of mycolic acids, an important component of mycobacterial cell wall. It condenses long acyl Coenzymes A (CoA; up to C20CoA) with malonyl Acyl Carrier Protein (ACP) to form the elongated β-ketoacyl-ACP which further undergoes rounds of elongation to form mero-mycolate branch of mature mycolic acids. Owing to its proposed central position in mycolic acid synthesis, mtFabH has attracted considerable attention as …

Vocational Rehabilitation Of Clients With Brain Injury: An Investigation Of Racial Disparity Within The Rehabilitation Services Administration (Rsa) 911 Database, Stephanie A. Kolakowsky-Hayner

Theses and Dissertations

Finding and maintaining employment is an ongoing problem for persons with disabilities, especially those with brain injuries. State vocational rehabilitation agencies are the primary authority responsible for providing employment-related services for individuals with disabilities throughout the United States. Little effort has been committed to identifying disparities in health and rehabilitation services provided to Americans with disabilities, particularly those with brain injuries. The purpose of this investigation was to utilize Aday and Andersen's Framework for the Study of Access to examine racial disparity within the Rehabilitation Services Administration 911 Database, and thus the vocational rehabilitation system, among clients with brain injury. …

An Examination Of The Relationships Among Health Literacy, Social Support, And Patient Activation In Community Residing Older Adults, Brenda L. Harding Hage

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the relationships among the variables health literacy, social support, and patient activation. The subjects were 90 elderly, community residing adults meeting the inclusion criteria and who volunteered to participate in the study and completed three survey instruments: the Short Form of Functional Health Literacy (Parker, Baker, Williams & Nurss, 1995); the Medical Outcomes Survey (MOS) Social Support Survey Instrument (Sherboume & Stewart, 1991); the Patient Activation Measure (PAM) Short-Form (Hibbard, Mahoney, Stockard, & Tusler, 2005); and a demographic form.

A correlational design was used to test the hypotheses that social support and health literacy are positively related …

Stress And Anxiety In Adhd: Links To Sensory Over-Responsivity, Stacey E. Reynolds

Theses and Dissertations

Sensory Modulation Dysfunction (SMD) is characterized by an inability to consistently and accurately grade responses to sensory information. SMD, and specifically sensory over-responsivity (SOR), has been correlated with stress and anxiety in some developmentally delayed populations and has been associated with structures and functions of the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis. Recent attention has been given to HPA functioning in children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), with a majority of studies identifying blunted or diminished cortisol patterns. In contrast, elevated cortisol has been associated with anxiety and anxious behaviors in both animal and human studies. The purpose of this study …

Building As An Instrument, Catherine Irene Grottenthaler

Theses and Dissertations

The proposal of this thesis project is an exploration of the relationship between music and the built space. The space chosen for design is the first two floors of the Lady Byrd Hat factory located at 140 Virginia St. in the Shockoe Slip area of Richmond, VA. This project proposes the design of the building for the purposes of a music center that will benefit the community by providing music therapy, music and vocal classes, a performance space, and a café. It is to be used as an instrument for communication, health, and education. The main users of the space …

Determinants Of Obesity: Racial Differences, Nikkia L. Goforth

Theses and Dissertations

BACKGROUND: Obesity is a major public health problem. Studies have shown that there are racial and ethnic differences in the prevalence of obesity. However, there is limited research that examines the effects of sedentary and poor lifestyle behaviors and obesity among different racial and ethnic groups. Furthermore, most studies focus on the problem of obesity among children. This study was conducted to examine racial differences in determinants of obesity in adults in the United States. METHODS: Data from the 2005 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System was used for this analysis. Demographics, lifestyle behaviors, and existence of chronic diseases were assessed. …

The Making Of The Trafficking Victims Protection Act Of 2000: Viewed Through The Lens Of The Advocacy Coalition Framework, Nicole Kristine Footen

Theses and Dissertations

The U.S. Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA) was the first piece of legislation designed to combat human trafficking on all fronts, both domestically and internationally, and was upheld as a model worldwide. Although human trafficking as an issue seemed to appear out of nowhere onto the congressional agenda and a number of heated debates ensued during .the making of the TVPA, the legislation passed quickly by an unlikely coalition of players. The purpose of this dissertation research was to gain insight into the forces which led to the making of the TVPA through the lens of the Advocacy …

Supporting Personhood In Dementia: Examining The Impact Of Volition On Function In Everyday Occupations, Christine L. Raber

Theses and Dissertations

Understanding volition and preferences for occupation is a critical underpinning of effective occupational therapy services that promote and preserve identity for persons with moderate dementia. Although it has been posited that this population has significant difficulty expressing volition for daily occupations, little research has examined the role of volition in guiding engagement in occupations. This phenomenological study provides an in-depth description and analysis of volition in eight persons with moderate dementia. Guiding questions related to understanding patterns of past life interests, outward demonstration of volition, volitional continuity. and the relationship of the social environment to volition and engagement in daily …

Transition From Health Maintenance Organizations To Consumer Driven Health Plans: Measurement Of Initial Impacts For Members With Chronic Conditions, Carl F. Goff

Theses and Dissertations

New consumer driven health insurance products are designed to contain health care costs by making consumers more accountable for the care they receive through being responsible for more cost sharing, making decisions regarding health care providers they will use, and increasing exposure to and use of health information for services and providers. Potential benefits of consumer driven products include increased information regarding personal health and a more knowledgeable patient base. Potential drawbacks of consumer driven products include negative impacts on consumers with chronic and complex health conditions.

The purpose of this study was to ascertain differences in health services utilization …

Lets Make It Outback Tonight, Michael Douglas Erickson

Theses and Dissertations

When I was younger, shortly after my father died, my mother bought me a t-shirt that I loved and wore till it was worn out. On the shirt there was an image of a man, strapped into an electric chair, holding pieces of bread in each hand. A sign above him read, "Making the best of a bad situation." That statement became a mantra I held onto in the early years after my father's death. It still guides my personal philosophy---humor is key to survival. Particularly a type of humor that celebrates the fact that "shit happens", while highlighting and …

Roles And Attitudes Of Males And Females In The Anarchist Punk Community, Donna M. Manion

Theses and Dissertations

Sexism is a widespread social problem that exists throughout the world today. It persists within the dominant culture, as well as in various subcultures, including the punk subculture (Daugherty 2002; Leblanc 1999; McRobbie 1991; Rosenberg and Garofalo 1998). Nijole Benokraitis and Joe Feagin's (1995) theory of sexism posits that subtle sexism is the unequal and harmful treatment of women that is typically less visible than blatant sex discrimination. This particular type of sexism may often go unnoticed, as society has internalized subtle sexist behaviors. Empirical research on subtle sexism has been conducted in various settings, such as the employment, academic, …

Modeling Racial Differences In Colorectal Cancer Screening: Evidence From A Nationally Representative Sample, Ryan J. Ehrensberger

Theses and Dissertations

Despite strong evidence that screening for Colorectal cancer (CRC) can reduce cancer incidence and mortality, screening adherence remains low. Racial differences in CRC incidence and mortality are well documented in the literature. Racial differences in CRC screening use remain mixed with most studies using race as an independent variable and focusing on racial differences in CRC screening rates. Few studies have examined correlates of CRC screening use, stratifying by race. The purpose of this study was to determine if there are racial differences in correlates of CRC screening, using the Health Belief Model as the theoretical framework. Data analyzed in …

On The Binding Of N1-Substituted Tryptamines At H5-Ht6 Receptors, Abner Nyamwaro Nyandege

Theses and Dissertations

Serotonin was first discovered in the late 1940s as a vasotonic factor and is now considered a principal neurotransmitter in the nervous system. 5-HT6 receptors are one of the most recently identified members of the serotonin receptor family which consists of seven classes (5-HT1-5-HT7). 5-HT6 receptors are G-protein coupled, positively coupled to an adenylate cyclase second messenger system and are primarily found in the central nervous system (CNS). The exact functional role of 5-HT6 receptors has not been determined, but is implicated to have possible involvement in certain neuropsychiatric disorders and cognition. To investigate the functional role of these receptors, …