Mental Health Help-Seeking Behaviors And Service Utilization Of Black College Students, Troy J. Keys

Theses and Dissertations

Black college students are less likely to seek mental health services compared to other students. While previous research has identified barriers and facilitators contributing to Black college students’ help-seeking behaviors, the current political and social climate and pandemic have negatively impacted their mental health thus warranting the exploration of these factors again. This study aimed to identify the mental health help-seeking behaviors and attitudes of Black college students, the barriers and supports for help-seeking behaviors, their preferred service utilization providers, and their thoughts about promoting mental health help-seeking among their peers. Black college students (n = 21) enrolled at an …

Assessing Providers’ Readiness To Integrate Mat Services In A Primary Care Setting, Carmen Ingram-Thorpe

Theses and Dissertations

Opioid use disorder is a growing concern in the United States. Despite medication-assisted treatment (MAT) being a more effective treatment option than behavioral treatment alone, primary care providers’ rate of adoption and utilization of MAT has not matched the demand of the opioid crisis. The largest barrier facing our local community is the availability of organizations and providers that can and will actually provide MAT services. The purpose of this study was to identify factors that impact primary care providers’ readiness to treat individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) using MAT. This study used the ADKAR model as framework, which …

Mindfulness, Moral Outrage, And The Climate Crisis: A Novel Approach Toward Motivating Pro-Environmental Behaviors, Erika Blair

Theses and Dissertations

The consequences of anthropogenic climate change are severe, continuously accelerating, and pose serious threats to the human and natural world. It is imperative to address the climate crisis from a psychosocial perspective and incite lasting, individual-level behavioral change. Various theoretical models have been adapted or developed to explain pro-environmental behaviors. However, the predictive powers of the most commonly used models have proven to be limited, and the underlying psychological processes of pro-environmental behavior constitute a significant gap in the literature. The present study identifies two psychological processes that show significant promise in motivating pro-environmental behaviors: moral outrage and mindfulness. Moral …

Investigating The Impact Of Chronic Inflammatory Pain On Ethanol Consumption In Mouse Models., Joshua L. Hunt

Theses and Dissertations

Chronic pain affects nearly 20% of Americans annually and for many alcohol provides a convenient and legally acquired palliative. Population-based studies have suggested a link between increased alcohol use and reduced pain, but chronic or excessive alcohol use potentiates the risk to develop alcohol dependence and neuropathy. However, sex differences in chronic pain and alcohol abuse are still not well understood. In the present study, we investigated whether chronic inflammatory pain using the inflammatory agent Complete Freund’s Adjuvant (CFA) model could alter ethanol consumption in male and female C57BL/6J mice. We observed that only CFA-treated male mice increased their ethanol …

Memory Impairments Due To Binge Ethanol Are Impacted By Age And Sex, Maria Alexis M. Bent

Theses and Dissertations

Ethanol is the most consumed drug among adolescents, which can cause long-term effects on memory and changes in gene and protein expression. While both adolescents and adults engage in binge drinking, the neurological and behavioral effects differ, with adolescents showing fewer adverse physiological effects but greater memory deficits than adults. Sex differences related to ethanol occur with women showing higher BEC than men and similar cognitive deficits despite fewer years of ethanol consumption. During adolescence the mPFC and dHPC undergo maturation development with both brain regions playing a role in spatial and recognition memory. Proteins critically involved in memory and …

Exploring The Role Of Senescence In Disuse-Induced Bone Loss And Therapeutic Strategies For Prevention, Steven J. Meas

Theses and Dissertations

Both age-related and disuse-related bone loss result in decreases in bone mineral density, cortical thickness, and trabecular thickness and connectivity. Disuse induces physiological changes in bone similar to those seen with aging. This study compared age- and disuse-related bone loss using C57BL/6J mice of various ages that were hind-limb unloaded (HLU). In male and female mice, HLU induced a bone phenotype between those of 6-month-old and 22-month-old control mice. Gene analysis suggested that HLU leads to mitochondrial dysfunction, while aging primarily downregulates cell cycle processes. Although, the specific response to HLU appeared to be dependent on age. The study identified …

A Qualitative Analysis Of Section 1983 Filings By Incarcerated Plaintiffs, Hollie Macdonald

Theses and Dissertations

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic was a “watershed moment" in human history, transcending its role as a mere health crisis to reveal deeper fissures within societies. The present retrospective longitudinal study examined COVID-19 as an “era” of complexity utilizing it as an intermediate construct that delineates “pre-COVID” and “post-COVID.” In order to understand the impact of the COVID-19 era, the design of the study and hypotheses stem from an assumption of the interconnectedness of issues related to health, social justice, racial justice, politics, and information dissemination.

This study utilized both manifest and latent content analysis to explore the most …

The Relationship Between Outcomes Associated With Patient Blood Management Programs And Transfusion Safety Officers, Gary Morral

Theses and Dissertations

BACKGROUND: Patient Blood Management (PBM) has become the standard of care for transfusion services in hospitals. Transfusion Safety Officers (TSOs) have been identified by some as being a crucial part of a successful PBM program; however, no studies have been done to show their effectiveness, or if there is even a relationship between having a TSO and outcomes associated with PBM programs. The purpose of this study was to describe and test the relationship between having a TSO and six outcomes associated with PBM programs including blood product wastage (red blood cells, plasma, and platelets), hospital lengths of stay, rates …

Modeling The Radiation Shielding Effectiveness Of Hafnium Diboride Reinforced Epoxy Composites Using Mcnp, Randolph Snook

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis uses MCNP simulations to evaluate the performance of a radiation shielding material consisting of Hafnium Diboride (HfB₂) powder in an epoxy matrix. Comparing the results to previously measured data against both gamma and neutron sources, suitability for other applications can be confirmed. The model simulated the epoxy material with different weight percentages of HfB₂ and thicknesses. It was compared to other shielding materials such as pure epoxy and 5% Borated High Density Polyethylene (HDPE-B). The HfB₂-epoxy composite was tested against a wide energy range gamma spectrum from a ¹⁵²Eu source, and neutrons …

Enhancing Chemotherapeutic Efficacy Of Doxorubicin Through Combination Therapy With Rapamycin And Sildenafil, While Providing Cardioprotection In Breast Cancer Models, Rebecca Mathew

Theses and Dissertations

Doxorubicin (DOX) is a common chemo-drug for breast cancer, but it causes severe cardiotoxicity. This study explores combining Sildenafil (Sild) and Rapamycin (Rapa), which inhibit phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE5) and mTOR, respectively, to boost DOX’s anticancer, but provide cardioprotection. Triple negative human (MDA-MB-231) and murine (4T1) breast cancer cells were treated with DOX (1 µM) with/without Rapa (100 nM) and Sild (10 µM) for 24-72 hours to analyze cell death, cell viability assays and protein expression. Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive breast cancer (SKBr3) spheroids were treated with the same concentrations of DOX and/or AG825 (5µM) with/without Rapa and/or Sild for …

Exploring Emerging Adults' Consideration Of Future Cancer Risk Reduction: Opportunity For Shifting Prevention Paradigms?, Jacqueline Knight Wilt

Theses and Dissertations

Background
Early onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC) among individuals younger than age-based population prevention screening guidelines has been linked to lifestyle-related risk factors. Emerging adulthood (18-25 years) is when elevated autonomy can alter health behaviors with implications for future health. Greater consideration of future consequences for behavior predicts several lifestyle health behaviors. Future consideration is sensitive to resource availability, and thus may differ between students who are first-generation and/or from low-income households (FGLI) compared to Non-FGLI. This dissertation study aimed to (1) characterize college students’ consideration of future cancer risk (CFC-Cancer), perceived colorectal cancer (CRC) risk and associations with EOCRC risk …

Explore Security And Machine Learning Applications In Next Generation Wireless Networks, Haolin Tang

Theses and Dissertations

Next-generation (NextG) or Beyond-Fifth-Generation (B5G) wireless networks have become a prominent focus in academic and industry circles. This is driven by the increasing demand for cutting-edge applications such as mobile health, self-driving cars, the metaverse, digital twins, virtual reality, and more. These diverse applications typically require high communication network performance, including spectrum utilization, data speed, and latency. New technologies are emerging to meet the communication requirements of various applications. Intelligent Reflecting Surface (IRS) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are two representatives that have been demonstrated as promising and powerful technologies in NextG communications. While new technologies significantly enhance communication performance, they …

Behavioral Effects Of Adolescent Social Isolation Stress And/Or Binge Drinking And The Role Of The Vhip --> Mpfc Circuit, Jyoti Lodha

Theses and Dissertations

Adolescence is characterized by heightened social interaction and risk-taking behavior. Disruptions to cortical development by binge ethanol or social isolation can lead to attention, social, and cognitive deficits later in life, and increase risk for alcohol use disorders. During adolescence, proper development of a monosynaptic connection from the ventral hippocampus (vHip) to the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is critical to proper social and working memory. We ask whether these factors affect neurobiological factors such as gene expression and the role of the vHipmPFC circuit in these behaviors. Social stress was modeled by social isolation (aSI) during adolescence. We expect aSI …

Exploring Serotonin 1b Autoreceptor Mediated Regulation Of Serotonin Transporter In Female Mice, Sanyukta Jalihalkar

Theses and Dissertations

Rationale: Serotonin (5-HT) is a crucial neurotransmitter involved in regulating various physiological processes. Dysregulation of the serotonergic system has been implicated in several neuropsychiatric disorders. Though numerous 5-HT receptors exist, the 5-HT transporter (SERT) is responsible for 5-HT clearance in the brain and periphery. 5-HT_1Bautoreceptors regulate 5-HT release and interact with glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK3β), which can modulate SERT function via specific Ser44/48 phosphorylation sites. While these findings suggest a potential interplay between 5-HT_1Band GSK3β-mediated SERT phosphorylation in regulating extracellular 5-HT, the primary causal molecular link remains unknown.

Objectives: To investigate if 5-HT_1B activation by …

Transforming Children's Oral Health: The Impact Of Oral Healthcare Policies On Virginia Medicaid Dental Health Outcomes., Anita M. Kumar

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract: Transforming Children's Oral Health: The Impact of Oral Healthcare Policies on Virginia Medicaid Dental Health Outcomes.

Objectives: This dissertation uses Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) administrative files at the individual and provider level from fiscal years (FY) 2011 to 2021 to systematically study the effect of recently implemented oral health policies (EBD guidelines on sealants, CMS updated quality measures, expansion of Medicaid oral healthcare for qualifying pregnant women) on oral health outcomes of Virginia Medicaid-enrolled children.

Methods: The studies employ a difference in differences regression methods (negative binomial, Poisson, and logistic) to examine the effects of oral health …

Exploration Of Dopaminergic And Serotonergic Pathways Utilizing Pleiotropic Agents, Charles B. Jones Iii

Theses and Dissertations

2-(Benzoyl)piperidines (BPs) are at a crossroads of therapy and abuse. These compounds are a hybrid between the ADHD medication methylphenidate and abused stimulant cathinones. Here we use computational molecular modeling, synthesis, mutagenesis, and epifluorescence microscopy to further improve the understanding of and potential treatments for several neuropsychiatric disorders. Utilizing the BP scaffold and controlling chirality and aryl substitution, these agents were examined at DAT and SERT. From these investigations it has now been established that R isomer BPs are favored for DAT while S isomer BPs are favored for SERT. Aryl-substitution can greatly affect the selectivity of these agents with …

Muscle-Nerve Signaling And Its Role In Myogenesis, Synaptogenesis, And Regeneration, James T. Redden

Theses and Dissertations

Despite only comprising 0.1% of the myofiber surface area, a healthy motor endplate is densely packed with acetylcholine receptors (AChRs) responsible for mediating activity between the connected motor neuron and skeletal muscle via the neurotransmitter, acetylcholine. Loss of the endplate, known as fragmentation, is caused by car crashes, deep lacerations, and other traumatic injuries to the innervating nerve or direct injuries to the limb muscle(s) with intramuscular denervation as a common comorbidity. In both cases, endplate fragmentation begins within a week of injury proceeding muscle atrophy causing decreased mobility, paralysis, and quality of life. Endplate fragmentation of intact muscle fibers …

The Many Impacts Of The Covid-19 Pandemic On Latinx College Students’ Mental Health: Exploring The Role Of Sleep, Social Support, And Familismo, Mayra S. Ramos

Theses and Dissertations

College students experienced a multitude of disruptions to their daily life, and changes to their physical (i.e., sleep quality) and mental health (e.g., anxiety and depressive symptoms) because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Though the field has identified the factors that have contributed to negative physical and mental health changes, there remains much to be known about social and cultural protective factors that could buffer the negative role of the COVID-19 pandemic on Latinx college students. The current study contributed to the literature on the mental health outcomes of Latinx college students by identifying a possible mediator and moderators between the …

Mild Traumatic Brain Injury In Yucatan Minipigs: Assessing Changes In Approachability And Mechanical Nociception Following Diffuse Central Fluid Percussion Injury, Mark D. Pavlichenko

Theses and Dissertations

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major healthcare concern affecting millions. Symptoms of TBI include sensory sensitivity and social changes that may persist long-term. Due to similarities in cytoarchitecture, metabolism, and inflammation, higher order minipig models are advantageous for translational TBI research, however, there remains a shortage of information regarding their behavioral and sensory sequelae following injury. Therefore, in this study, we assessed changes in sociability and somatosensation in adult male and female Yucatan minipigs for up to one-week following a sham or central fluid percussion injury (cFPI). Specifically, the voluntary human approach task (VHAT) and the forced human approach …

Neurodevelopmental Trajectories As An Explanatory Mechanism For Adverse Mental Health Outcomes Following Child Maltreatment, Casey Burton Corso

Theses and Dissertations

Affecting one in every seven children in the United States, child maltreatment (CM) is a major public health issue associated with a myriad of adverse outcomes (e.g., alcohol and drug abuse, mental illness, interpersonal violence, sexual risk taking, etc.). While any subtype of CM (e.g., physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect) increases the likelihood of subsequent psychopathology, heterogeneity in psychiatric sequelae of CM is associated with different CM subtypes. Elucidating the underlying mechanisms of this heterogeneity is vital for improving intervention and treatment of CM, and research aimed at accomplishing this is a critical need. One possible explanatory …

Potential Treatments For Epileptiform Activity In Microgyral Cortex, Eliot R. Niessen

Theses and Dissertations

In this study, the effects of several drug treatments on epileptiform activity in the freeze lesion (FL) mouse model of epilepsy have been evaluated and compared. The FL model replicates the histopathology and epileptiform activity that occurs in humans with the developmental cortical malformation of polymicrogyria (PMG). While Gabapentin is already used in a clinical setting to treat seizures, there are other alternatives that have not been fully tested. Rapamycin, for instance, has been shown to reduce seizures in other models of epilepsy. It is an inhibitor of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway, which regulates the function of …

Mathematical Modeling Of Phage-Bacteria Population Dynamics, John Lawrence D. Palacios

Theses and Dissertations

Bacteriophages are viruses that infect and replicate within bacteria. Lytic phages cause the bacterial cell to burst, killing the bacteria. These types of phages can be used to treat patients with antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections. As a step in developing successful treatment protocols, we aim to understand the population dynamics of phages and bacteria using an in vitro model. We model the dynamics using the Campbell model, which consists of a delay differential equation (DDE), as a base model. We extended the model by including the emergence of phage resistance. We then compared the DDE model with a parallel ordinary differential …

T Cell Polarization Regulates The Inflammatory Response And Tissue Regeneration At The Peri-Implant Interface, Derek Avery

Theses and Dissertations

Unresolved healing and localized chronic inflammation are common occurrences after biomaterial implantation, resulting in unfavorable clinical outcomes such as implant failure or fibrous encapsulation. T cells are adaptive immune cells found in lymph nodes, thymus, spleen, bone marrow, and around biomaterials, significantly impacting the degree of inflammation and wound healing. T cells are vital for inflammatory cytokine production and modulation of innate immune cells, including neutrophils and macrophages. T cells can be differentiated into two primary subsets, CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells, playing distinctive roles in various pathologies and disease states. While T cells have been characterized well …

Using Asset-Based Community Development To Increase Student Engagement And Improve Student Experience In Schools, Jacqueline Hopkins

Theses and Dissertations

The following is a dissertation in the three-paper dissertation format. The first section will give background information on the issue of alienation in schools and how asset-based community development (ABCD) could be an effective tool for educators to combat alienation and disengagement, especially with students with marginalized identities. This first section will also show the significance of the three papers as a whole and how they connect to one another. The first paper is the conceptual literature review, the second paper is an empirical study of the ABCD model in schools, and the dissertation will end with a practitioner's article …

How Ebony Transcends In The Ivory Tower: Unveiling Transformational Black Women Forging Leadership Paths In Historically White Institutions, Lauren N. Jackson

Theses and Dissertations

Considerable literature has amplified the perceived challenges and deficits of Black women as they advance in their careers within historically white institutions (HWI). As a result, there is a notable absence of anti-deficit explorations of the inherent abilities and strengths that contribute to Black women’s professional mobility. Grounded in anti-deficit achievement framework and Black feminist leadership, this study aimed to illuminate the assets and factors that influence the professional ascension of seven, current/former senior-level Black women in a HWI within the Southeastern region of the U.S. By adopting a qualitative, phenomenological framework, this study provides in-depth insights into the participants’ …

Genetic And Transcriptomic Investigations Of Progressive Ethanol Consumption In The Diversity Outbred Mouse, Zachary Tatom

Theses and Dissertations

As a complex genetic disorder, alcohol use disorder (AUD) is thought to be influenced by many genes each contributing only a small effect to the overall disease liability. Dozens of genes have been implicated as potentially affecting risk for AUD and alcohol consumption. However, understanding the full genetic architecture of AUD – what genes are involved, to what extent, and how these genes are regulated – remains a challenging step in identifying novel treatments. Gene expression studies in humans have attempted to augment GWAS of alcohol consumption but are often confounded by environmental factors; the difficulty of collecting tissue from …

Longitudinal Analysis Of Maternal Depression, Physical Work Demand, And Working Hours Before, During, And After Pregnancy On Offspring Blood Pressure Trajectories, Medhin Tsegaye Haile

Theses and Dissertations

Overall Abstract

Background: Pediatric high blood pressure (BP) is a growing global concern, with 1 in 7 adolescents in the U.S. experiencing elevated BP or hypertension. Maternal lifestyle factors, including depressive symptoms, physically demanding work, and work hours during pregnancy, may influence offspring BP trajectories. However, prior studies often focus on single time points or specific age groups, limiting understanding of long-term effects. This study investigates the associations between maternal depressive symptoms, physically demanding work-related factors, and work hours before, during, and after pregnancy with offspring systolic blood pressure (SBP) trajectories from early childhood to adolescence.

Methods: We utilized …

Cellular Metabolism Is A Viable Therapeutic Target For Radiation-Induced Pulmonary Fibrosis, Josly Pierre-Louis Odoom

Theses and Dissertations

Herein, we provide evidence for cellular metabolic reprogramming as a driver of radiation-induced pulmonary fibrosis (RIPF). We are the first to identify a distinct metabolic signature for RIPF in a cohort of patients with radiographic sequela. We also used a RIPF mouse model to detect the metabolic pathways that enrich during pathogenesis. Our previous work highlighted the importance of lactate, a derivative of the glycolysis end-product pyruvate. Consequently, we took a special interest in the effects of radiation on the glycolysis pathway. We learned that radiation accelerates and reprograms glycolysis to an anabolic state in a pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2)-dependent …

Examining Parent Behavior And Adolescent Outcomes In A Pediatric Obesity Intervention, Madison W. Weinstock

Theses and Dissertations

Pediatric obesity is a major public health concern that affects over 14.4 million children and adolescents in the United States. Multiple short- and long-term health complications are associated with obesity. Therefore, effective treatment methods are needed in order to ameliorate the effects of said complications, particularly among adolescents. This dissertation investigated potential associations between parent eating behaviors and the outcomes of adolescents enrolled in a pediatric weight loss trial (TEENS+; PI: Bean, R21HD084930). The TEENS+ intervention offered a comprehensive behavioral weight intervention for parent-adolescent dyads. Given the well-established importance of parents in the development of an adolescent’s health behavior, this …

Life After Discharge: Predicting Longitudinal Trajectories Of Community Integration And Global Functioning In Black Individual With Traumatic Brain Injury, Chimdindu Ohayagha

Theses and Dissertations

The onset of traumatic brain injury (TBI) begins a chronic health pathway that contributes to various impairments and comorbidities across the lifespan. Common consequences of TBI include mental health issues, cognitive impairments, and reduced functional independence, all of which impact how an individual integrates into their community. Community integration is a primary goal for rehabilitation after TBI. Studies show that racially/ethnically minoritized individuals have a higher incidence of TBI, higher rates of mortality, and report poorer functional and community integration outcomes. Limited studies have explored longitudinal outcomes of community integration in a Black-only sample of individuals with TBI. Additionally, no …