Digital Commons Network^™

Smarter, Better, Stronger Together: Working In Community-University Partnerships, Valerie Holton

Division of Community Engagement Resources

This presentation was facilitated by Valerie Holton at Florida Atlantic University on April 15, 2016.

High Impact Practices (Hips) Assessment Model: 2015-2016 Pilot Mid-Year Report, Lynn E. Pelco, Janice Baab

Division of Community Engagement Resources

A systematic institutional assessment model was developed to investigate the impact of high impact educational practices (HIPs) on undergraduate student success at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). The proposed VCU HIPs Assessment Model provides a systematic framework for assessing the impact of high impact educational practices on VCU undergraduates. Recommendations for institutionalizing the VCU HIPs Assessment Model are made.

Constitutive Association Of Tie1 And Tie2 With Endothelial Integrins Is Functionally Modulated By Angiopoietin-1 And Fibronectin, Annamarie C. Dalton, Tomer Shlamkovitch, Niv Papo, William A. Barton

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Publications

Functional cross-talk between Tie2 and Integrin signaling pathways is essential to coordinate endothelial cell adhesion and migration in response to the extracellular matrix, yet the mechanisms behind this phenomenon are unclear. Here, we examine the possibility that receptor cross-talk is driven through uncharacterized Tie-integrin interactions on the endothelial surface. Using a live cell FRET-based proximity assay, we monitor Tie-integrin receptor recognition and demonstrate that both Tie1 and Tie2 readily associate with integrins α5ß1 and αVß3 through their respective ectodomains. Although not required, Tie2-integrin association is significantly enhanced in the presence of the extracellular component and integrin ligand fibronectin. In vitro …

Data Network Visualization, Marcangelo Dilinila, Carl Miranda, Chase Keech

Capstone Design Expo Posters

Data visualization is an essential component of any data analysis. A visual image can aid in more in-depth analysis of any researched data. Although there are data visualization products that already exist on the market, such as Gephi, yEd Graph editor, and OmniGraffle, they are platform-dependent and can be difficult for novice users to install and get started. Data Network Visualization eliminates these weaknesses by being fully accessible through the web, while having a less cluttered user interface. This allows a user to take advantage of a variety of visualization tools without the need to download a program.

To achieve …

Pulmonary Patency Stent, Kranthidhar Bathula, Suraj Kandalam, Akhil Kolluri, Roshni Malik

Capstone Design Expo Posters

Patients with malignancies in the central airways often experience significant breathing difficulties due to occlusion of the airways. One common palliative treatment option for this is a stent placement procedure. While patients often experience immediate symptom relief, long term use can result in the formation of granulation tissue, causing restenosis of the airway. The objective of this project is to design and prototype a modification to the Boston Scientific Ultraflex partially-covered stent in order to reduce granulation tissue and maintain airway patency. Deliverables include the detailed design, a working prototype, and supporting data. The main product specifications include effectiveness in …

Can Plan Recommendations Improve The Coverage Decisions Of Vulnerable Populations In Health Insurance Marketplaces?, Andrew J. Barnes, Yaniv Hanoch, Thomas Rice

Health Administration Publications

Objective

The Affordable Care Act’s marketplaces present an important opportunity for expanding coverage but consumers face enormous challenges in navigating through enrollment and re-enrollment. We tested the effectiveness of a behaviorally informed policy tool—plan recommendations—in improving marketplace decisions.

Study Setting

Data were gathered from a community sample of 656 lower-income, minority, rural residents of Virginia.

Study Design

We conducted an incentive-compatible, computer-based experiment using a hypothetical marketplace like the one consumers face in the federally-facilitated marketplaces, and examined their decision quality. Participants were randomly assigned to a control condition or three types of plan recommendations: social normative, physician, and government. …

How Do Police Brutality Videos Affect Us?, Joseph Forcier

The Scope

Videos of encounters between police and citizens can be used to hold police accountable or determine whether officers’ actions were justified. But those videos and related comments on social media could cause viewers to experience stress and other emotions, says a researcher at VCU’s Robertson School of Media and Culture.

A Snail Shell Process Model For Knowledge Discovery Via Data Analytics, Yan Li, Manoj A. Thomas, Kweku-Muata Osei-Bryson

Management Publications

The rapid growth of big data environment imposes new challenges that traditional knowledge discovery and data mining process (KDDM) models are not adequately suited to address. We propose a snail shell process model for knowledge discovery via data analytics (KDDA) to addrets these challenges. We evaluate the utility of the KDDA process model using real-world analytic case studies at a global multi-media company. By comparing against traditional KDDM models, we demonstrate the need and relevance of the snail shell model, particularly in addressing faster turnaround and frequent model updates that characterize knowledge discovery in the big data environment.

Regulation Of Reactive Oxygen Species And The Antioxidant Protein Dj-1 In Mastocytosis, Do-Kyun Kim, Michael A. Beaven, Joseph M. Kulinski, Avanti Desai, Geethani Bandara, Yun Bai, Calman Prussin, Lawrence B. Schwartz, Hirsh Komarow, Dean D. Metcalfe, Ana Olivera

Internal Medicine Publications

Neoplastic accumulation of mast cells in systemic mastocytosis (SM) associates with activating mutations in the receptor tyrosine kinase KIT. Constitutive activation of tyrosine kinase oncogenes has been linked to imbalances in oxidant/antioxidant mechanisms in other myeloproliferative disorders. However, the impact of KIT mutations on the redox status in SM and the potential therapeutic implications are not well understood. Here, we examined the regulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and of the antioxidant protein DJ-1 (PARK-7), which increases with cancer progression and acts to lessen oxidative damage to malignant cells, in relationship with SM severity. ROS levels were increased in both …

Day 2. Don't Let Your Data Management Plan Kill Your Grant, Margaret E. Henderson

Ready, Set, Grant! Presentations

The National Science Foundation has rejected grants with bad Data Management Plans (DMPs). And now, most Federal agencies, and some private funders, will require these plans with your grant application. You will also need to provide public aces to you digital data. Learn how to write a competitive plan and share your data so you don’t miss out on an award. This session will focus on writing DMPs for NSF, Department of Defense, Department of Energy, NASA, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and USDA grant applications.

Burden And Depression Among Caregivers Of Visually Impaired Patients In A Canadian Population, Zainab Khan, Puneet S. Braich, Karim Rahim, Jaspreet S. Rayat, Lin Xing, Munir Iqbal, Karim Mohamed Mohamed, Sanjay Sharma, David Almeida

Ophthalmology Publications

Purpose/Background. This study reports the degree of burden and the proportion at risk for depression among individuals who provide care to visually impaired patients. Study Design. This is clinic-based, cross-sectional survey in a tertiary care hospital. Methods. Caregivers were considered unpaid family members for patients whose sole impairment was visual. Patients were stratified by vision in their better seeing eye into two groups: Group 1 had visual acuity between 6/18 and 6/60 and Group 2 were those who had 6/60 or worse. Burden was evaluated by the Burden Index of Caregivers and the prevalence of being at …

Burden And Depression Among Caregivers Of Visually Impaired Patients In A Canadian Population, Zainab Khan, Puneet S. Braich, Karim Rahim, Jaspreet S. Rayat, Lin Xing, Munir Iqbal, Karim Mohamed, Sanjay Sharma, David Almeida

Ophthalmology Publications

Purpose/Background. This study reports the degree of burden and the proportion at risk for depression among individuals who provide care to visually impaired patients. Study Design. This is clinic-based, cross-sectional survey in a tertiary care hospital. Methods. Caregivers were considered unpaid family members for patients whose sole impairment was visual. Patients were stratified by vision in their better seeing eye into two groups: Group 1 had visual acuity between 6/18 and 6/60 and Group 2 were those who had 6/60 or worse. Burden was evaluated by the Burden Index of Caregivers and the prevalence of being at risk for depression …

Citizen Journalist To Activist: The Language Behind Black Lives Matter, Valeriana Colon

Teaching and Learning Publications

This study explores the discourse surrounding an event in the social movement, Black Lives Matter_, to gain insights into how digital literacy practices influence and mediate participation in the 21st century civil rights movement for a new generation of activist. This study examines three points of engagement, (1) the experience of the event as it is initially interpreted and shared online, (2) the intermingling of consciousness through social media, and (3) the post social media interpretation and action. Data was collected from Twitter analyzed using discourse analysis.

The Lived Experience Of Bipolar Disorder: A Systematic Review And Meta-Synthesis, Joseph Walsh, Jacqueline Corcoran, Paula Crooks, Nathan Cooke, Cory Cummings

Social Work Publications

The purpose of this meta-synthesis was to review the available qualitative research on the lived experience of persons with bipolar disorder in order to find common themes that may enhance practitioner understanding. In this meta-synthesis, limited to studies conducted in the United States, 12 studies involving 234 participants met the authors’ inclusion criteria, and the following four major crosscutting themes, with subthemes, were identified: the process of acceptance of the diagnosis; its negative impact on relationships; internal coping strategies; and reliance on social support. Implications of these findings for direct practice are explored.

Crowdsourcing The Worlds, Tim Bajkiewicz, Jeff South

Great VCU Bike Race Book Faculty Reflections

Faculty reflection on VCU Great Bike Race Book course.

Course Description: Students in this track will collaborate in telling the untold stories of Richmond 2015 in words, pictures and video.

Bike Athlete Performance, R. Lee Franco

Great VCU Bike Race Book Faculty Reflections

Faculty reflection on VCU Great Bike Race Book course.

Course Description: This track will focus on nutritional and training practices of cyclists competing in the UCI Worlds.

YouTube Videos referenced in reflection:

VCU Exercise Science: Christian Vande Velde Interview

VCU Exercise Science - Sports Nutritionist Dr Janet Rankin Interview

Fuel for a 5 Hour Ride

Assignment 3: My Musette

Assignment 4: Bike Athlete Performance

VCU Exercise Science: Professional Cyclist Evie Stevens Interview

The Nature And Nurture Of Sports Performance, Jessica E. Salvatore

Great VCU Bike Race Book Faculty Reflections

Are world-class athletes born or raised? In this track, we will consider the nature and nurture of sports performance. The primary objective of this course is to expose students to the ways scientists try to disentangle genetic and environmental influences on human behavior. Course materials will include a variety of formats: selected chapters from David Epstein’s New York Times bestseller “The Sports Gene,” scientific articles, podcasts and videos. Students will use social media to record their reactions to course materials, and will further discuss readings/podcasts/videos with one another and the instructor via live chat sessions.

Race, Gender, Sexuality, Ability, Identity And Cycling, Erin White

Great VCU Bike Race Book Faculty Reflections

Faculty reflection on VCU Great Bike Race Book course.

Course Description: Students will think critically about the intersections of cycle culture, race, gender, sexuality and ability.

New Media Photojournalism, Gary Garbett

Great VCU Bike Race Book Faculty Reflections

Faculty reflection on VCU Great Bike Race Book course.

Course Description: Students will explore documentary photography, creative storytelling and editing experimentation solely through mobile devices.

Adaptive Response Modeling Using Gis, Jennifer M. Ciminelli

Great VCU Bike Race Book Faculty Reflections

Faculty reflection on VCU Great Bike Race Book course.

Course Description: Students will incorporate social media feeds with geospatial technology to map, analyze and deploy real-time UCI event response to sustain and respond to waste and recycling needs.

What Is Safe Cycling?, Julie Arendt

Great VCU Bike Race Book Faculty Reflections

Faculty reflection on VCU Great Bike Race Book course.

Course Description: Students will find and read sources about bicycle safety, observe cyclists during the race and create a Web presentation.

Social Media Immersion Experience, Judi Crenshaw

Great VCU Bike Race Book Faculty Reflections

Faculty reflection on VCU Great Bike Race Book course.

Course Description: An integrated social media immersion experience for students during the UCI Road World Championships.

Neighborhood Walkability And Health, Edward F. Ansello

Director's Editorials from Age in Action

The apparent benefit of neighborhood walkability suggests that it may be an important health-related consideration in the lives of everyday people. Most of the elements in the walkability index reflect components in the environment, so these may be relevant across the continuum of impairments, meaning that walkable neighborhoods themselves may have positive impact on the daily lives of people with physical or intellectual disabilities.

Palette: An Intergenerational Art Program To Improve Health Care Delivery And Health Outcomes Of Older Adults, Sadie Rubin

Case Studies from Age in Action

Educational Objectives:

1. Demonstrate the positive out-comes of the PALETTE model in training and educating health pro-fessional students in gerontological experiences.

2. Describe the partnerships devel-oped and their importance in exe-cuting PALETTE programs.

3. Highlight student experiences in intergenerational visual arts and intergenerational movement arts.

Rnaseq Analyses Identify Tumor Necrosis Factor-Mediated Inflammation As A Major Abnormality In Als Spinal Cord, David G. Brohawn, Laura C. O'Brien, James P. Bennett

Human and Molecular Genetics Publications

ALS is a rapidly progressive, devastating neurodegenerative illness of adults that produces disabling weakness and spasticity arising from death of lower and upper motor neurons. No meaningful therapies exist to slow ALS progression, and molecular insights into pathogenesis and progression are sorely needed. In that context, we used high-depth, next generation RNA sequencing (RNAseq, Illumina) to define gene network abnormalities in RNA samples depleted of rRNA and isolated from cervical spinal cord sections of 7 ALS and 8 CTL samples. We aligned >50 million 2X150 bp paired-end sequences/sample to the hg19 human genome and applied three different algorithms (Cuffdiff2 …

Krüppel-Like Transcription Factor Klf1 Is Required For Optimal Γ- And Β-Globin Expression In Human Fetal Erythroblasts, Divya Vinjamur, Yousef N. Alhashem, Safa Mohamad, Parth Amin, David C. Williams Jr., Joyce A. Lloyd

Human and Molecular Genetics Publications

In human adult erythroid cells, lower than normal levels of Krüppel-like transcription factor 1 (KLF1) are generally associated with decreased adult β- and increased fetal γ-globin gene expression. KLF1 also regulates BCL11A, a known repressor of adult γ-globin expression. In seeming contrast to the findings in adult cells, lower amounts of KLF1 correlate with both reduced embryonic and reduced fetal β-like globin mRNA in mouse embryonic erythroid cells. The role of KLF1 in primary human fetal erythroid cells, which express both γ- and β-globin mRNA, is less well understood. Therefore, we studied the role of KLF1 in ex vivo differentiated …

24r,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 Protects Against Articular Cartilage Damage Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Transection In Male Rats, Barbara D. Boyan, Sharon L. Hyzy, Qingfen Pan, Kayla M. Scott, Richard D. Coutts, Robert Healey, Zvi Schwartz

Biomedical Engineering Publications

Osteoarthritis (OA) in humans is associated with low circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 [25 (OH)D3]. In vitamin D replete rats, radiolabeled 24R,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [24R,25 (OH)2D3] accumulates in articular cartilage following injection of [3 H]-25(OH)D3. Previously, we showed that 24R,25(OH)2D3 blocks chondrocyte apoptosis via phospholipase D and p53, suggesting a role for 24R,25(OH)2D3 in maintaining cartilage health. We examined the ability of 24R,25(OH)2D3 to prevent degenerative changes in articular cartilage in an OAlike environment and the potential mechanisms involved. In vitro, rat articular chondrocytes were treated with IL-1β with and without 24R,25(OH)2D3 or 1α,25(OH)2D3. 24R,25(OH)2D3 but not 1α,25(OH)2D3 blocked the effects of IL-1β …

The Pathogen-Occupied Vacuoles Of Anaplasma Phagocytophilum And Anaplasma Marginale Interact With The Endoplasmic Reticulum, Hilary K. Truchan, Chelsea L. Cockburn, Kathryn S. Hebert, Forgivemore Magunda, Susan M. Noh, Jason A. Carlyon

Microbiology and Immunology Publications

The genus Anaplasma consists of tick-transmitted obligate intracellular bacteria that invade white or red blood cells to cause debilitating and potentially fatal infections. A. phagocytophilum, a human and veterinary pathogen, infects neutrophils to cause granulocytic anaplasmosis. A. marginale invades bovine erythrocytes. Evidence suggests that both species may also infect endothelial cells in vivo. In mammalian and arthropod host cells, A. phagocytophilum and A. marginale reside in host cell derived pathogen-occupied vacuoles (POVs). While it was recently demonstrated that the A. phagocytophilum-occupied vacuole (ApV) intercepts membrane traffic from the trans-Golgi network, it is unclear if it or …

Virginia Commonwealth University Commencement Program [2016], Virginia Commonwealth University

VCU Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

Phosphate And Selective Anion Removal Of Waste Water In Industrial Systems, Daniel Dillon, Campbell Mccolley, Laura Strukl

Capstone Design Expo Posters

Phosphorous is an essential nutrient for a functioning water ecosystem, however, heightened levels caused by waste water and agriculture can be damaging. High levels of PO43- cause toxic algae blooms, which kill wildlife and contaminate drinking water supplies. Therefore, cheap, efficient phosphate removal systems are beneficial for commercial settings in order to meet governmental standards. Similar research and technology can aid in the removal of toxic heavy metals in industrial waste water. Using a packed column with solid supported media, both phosphate and other selective anions were successfully removed from water. This was confirmed by inductively coupled plasma analysis. Constraints …