Characterization Of Suppressor Of Ikkepsilon Function Using Immunofluorescence Assays And Quantitative Colocalization Analysis, Kenneth F. Lawrence

Theses and Dissertations

During viral infections, Toll-like receptor-3 (TLR3) stimulation initiates signaling to activate transcription of pro-inflammatory cytokines and type-1 interferons. Suppressor of IKK-ε (SIKE) interacts with two kinases in the signaling pathway, IKK-ε and TANK-binding kinase 1 (TBK1), inhibiting the transcription of type I interferons. Recently, this laboratory discovered that SIKE blocks TBK1-mediated activation of type I interferons by acting as a high affinity, alternative substrate of TBK1. Co-immunoprecipitation (co-IP) assays suggested that the SIKE interaction network impinged upon the cytoskeleton and RNA transport. To characterize SIKE’s function within the antiviral response, SIKE’s role in RNA transport and cytoskeletal rearrangements was targeted …

The E-Volving Picturebook: Examining The Impact Of New E-Media/Technologies On Its Form, Content And Function (And On The Child Reader), Stella K. Reinhard

Theses and Dissertations

The technology of the codex book and the habit of reading appear to be under attack currently for a variety of reasons explored in the Introduction of this Dissertation. One natural response to attack is a resulting effort to adapt in a bid to survive. Noël Carroll, leading American philosopher in the contemporary philosophy of art, touches on this concept in his discussion of the evolution of a new medium in his article, “Medium Specificity Arguments and Self-Consciously Invented Arts: Film, Video, and Photography,” from his Cambridge University Press 1996 text, Theorizing the Moving Image. Carroll proposes that any …

Regulation Of Ykl-40 In Sterile Inflammation And Its Role In Glioblastoma In Vivo, Reetika Bhardwaj

Theses and Dissertations

YKL-40 is a secreted glycoprotein, which is a shared biomarker of chronic inflammation and oncogenic transformation. Indeed, YKL-40 expression is up-regulated in many diseases including multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer disease, viral encephalitis, HIV-associated dementia, brain infarction, and traumatic brain injury. YKL-40 is also expressed by several solid tumors, such as osteosarcoma, ovarian carcinoma and glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). It promotes the migration and invasion of astrocytes as well as GBM cells. Serum YKL-40 levels have been shown to directly correlate with tumor grade and potentially tumor burden in GBM. In contrast to the numerous reports documenting elevated expression of YKL-40, relatively little …

Electrospinning Applications Air Filtration And Superhydrophobic Materials, Negar Ghochaghi, Adetoun Taiwo

Graduate Research Posters

Electrospinning is a widely applicable technique that generates non-woven fibers in the micro and nano range. In this project two of its applications are highlighted namely filtration media and enhancement of wettability. The first project demonstrates that electrospinning can be used to produce new fiber filtration media with controlled microstructure. The bimodal and unimodal orthogonal and random filters were made and characterized against their filtration efficiency and pressure drop. Figure of Merit (FOM) was also calculated and discussed. It is shown that the FOM increases when the electrospun fibers are arranged into alternating layers of aligned course and fine fibers. …

A Study Of A Professional Development Initiative To Increase Cultural Competency, Jennifer C. Coleman

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

A STUDY OF A PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE TO INCREASE

CULTURAL COMPETENCY

By Jennifer Crowe Coleman, Ph.D.

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Virginia Commonwealth University, 2014

Major Director: Charol Shakeshaft, Ph.D.

Professor, Department of Educational Leadership

School of Education

While there are broad, societal forces that contribute to achievement gaps, the professional development of teachers is one way educational leaders have sought to improve schools, improve teacher performance, and increase teacher knowledge and skills. Given the achievement and cultural gaps that exist between teachers and …

Novel Compounds As Potential Alzheimer's Disease Therapeutics And Inhibitors Of The Nlrp3 Inflammasome, Jeremy E. Chojnacki

Theses and Dissertations

Alzheimer’s disease is a devastating neurodegenerative disorder and the leading cause of dementia. The disease manifests via several pathologies including neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, metal ion dyshomeostasis, and cell death. To address the multifaceted nature of this disorder, the design of several diverse compounds, targeting many pathological effects, was generated. First, a series of compounds based on curcumin and diosgenin were synthesized following the bivalent design strategy. Two compounds were discovered to have neuroprotective ability, anti-oxidative function, and anti-Aß oligomerization (AßO) properties. A second set of molecules was also designed, wherein a hybrid compound strategy was utilized. Three hybrids were to …

Light Mediated Drug Delivery Using Photocaged Molecules And Photoswitchable Peptides, Deboleena Mitra

Theses and Dissertations

There are many different types of targeted therapy for cancer treatment. The method of light mediated targeted therapy that we have developed uses photocaged molecules and photoswitchable peptides.

In photocaging, a biologically active molecule is made inactive by the attachment of a photocleavable blocking group. On exposure to UV radiation the photocleavable entity is removed and the biologically active molecule is released. Using this concept we have designed a prodrug that consists of a cell impermeable hydrophilic molecule attached to a photocaged doxorubicin. Upon irradiation with UV light the photosensitive group is removed and cytotoxic doxorubicin is released at the …

Fred Kabotie, Elizabeth Willis Dehuff, And The Genesis Of The Santa Fe Style, Jessica W. Welton

Theses and Dissertations

Those scholars who have overlooked the relevance of Fred Kabotie and the Santa Fe Style he developed have missed an important historical segment of early Native American painting. This dissertation underscores the convergence of diverse intellectual, artistic and cultural backgrounds, especially those of Kabotie and Elizabeth Willis DeHuff, his first art teacher, which led to the formation of the Santa Fe Style in 1918. This style was formative for Dorothy Dunn’s later Studio School at the Santa Fe Indian Boarding School.

This first generation of the Santa Fe Style of watercolor painting was empowered by highly educated men and women, …

Portraiture And Text In African-American Illustrated Biographical Dictionaries, 1876 To 1917, Dennis Williams Ii

Theses and Dissertations

Containing portraiture and biography as well as protest text and affirmative text, African- American Illustrated biographical dictionaries made from 1876 to 1917 present Social Gospel ideology and are examples of Afro-Protestantism. They are similar to the first American illustrated biographical dictionaries of the 1810s in that they formed social identity after national conflict while contesting concepts of social inferiority. The production of these books occurred during the early years of Jim Crow, a period of momentous change to the legal and social fabric of the United States, and because of momentous changes in modern American print industries. While portraits within …

Usability And Ux For Libraries, Erin White

VCU Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

This presentation provides a brief overview of user experience design principles and their applications for library web design, including heat mapping, personas, guerrilla usability studies, and analytics tools.

Advance Graduate Research: Re-Examining Outreach With Workshops, Bettina Peacemaker, Martha Roseberry

VCU Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

Academic Outreach librarians at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) offer a full range of instructional services to support upper-level and graduate students. Like most academic libraries, this includes workshops as well as course-integrated instruction and small group or individual consultations. While the latter have grown over the years, workshop attendance has dwindled. Offerings were cut until almost none were left, leaving a void but more importantly providing an opportunity to re-envision the role of workshops in outreach efforts.

The Advance Your Research workshop series was developed to go beyond traditional instruction to explore new and different themes and audiences, demonstrating the …

Reach Out In A New Direction: Applying Public Relations Best Practices To Academic Outreach, Bettina Peacemaker, Sue Robinson, Marilyn Scott

VCU Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

Public relations isn’t just for Fortune 500 companies or high-profile celebrities. The Public Relations Society of America defines public relations as “a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.” Thinking about outreach in these expansive terms goes beyond simple promotional activities, media relations, or marketing tactics, and the message should resonate with librarians. Building “mutually beneficial relationships” is at the very core of public services, and serving multiple publics should also be a familiar concept as libraries strive to reach a multitude of audiences.

This poster presentation explores key public relations best practices to …

Digital Portfolio: Storytelling From Student To Professional, Kim Hanneman, Bettina Peacemaker

VCU Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

The Digital Portfolio helps employers validate skills and employability. For students, the digital presentation of creative material, skills and competencies becomes a life-long resource. This presentation, by a business research librarian and a career and industry adviser, will provide participants examples of students transitioning their digital storytelling. The presenters will share resources and strategies to coach students from simply managing a collection of digital material through to a Digital Portfolio demonstrating a professional identity.

The Roles Of Krüppel-Like Factor 1 (Klf1) In The Human Fetal Erythroid Compartment., Safa Mohamad

Theses and Dissertations

Erythroid Krüppel-like factor (EKLF or KLF1) is a transcription factor with roles in embryonic and adult erythropoiesis. KLF1 knockout mouse embryos die due to severe anemia. Dominant human mutations in KLF1 can cause hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin. We show that KLF1 positively regulates β-globin and Bcl11A gene expression using KLF1 knockdown in in vitro-differentiated CD34+ human umbilical cord blood cells. -globin expression appears dependent on KLF1; it is increased with modest KLF1 knockdown but not in cells with low KLF1. KLF2 mRNA amounts are usually increased in KLF1 knockdown. KLF1 knockdown in CD34+ cells results in reduced colony forming …

Materials And Meaning, Michael Corigliano

Theses and Dissertations

Decisive moments and their fleeting experiences are born from an individual’s interaction within a defined physical space. It is here at the intersection of environment and context that my work in site-specific art begins. I endeavor to create an examination of socio-political and environmental issues through a manipulation of materials, thereby altering one’s private, communal, and cultural response to them. My installations are comprised of slip casted multiples which reference the human form. I place these forms in galleries and specific exterior locations, and incorporate materials that are charged with societal discord, such as used motor oil and post-consumer detritus, …

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’S Multivalent Tower Of Faces, Grace Astrove

Theses and Dissertations

Holocaust survivor Dr. Yaffa Eliach collected over 6,000 photographs depicting residents of Eishyshok, a small Jewish settlement in Eastern Europe, taken between 1890 and 1941. Eliach survived the Nazi-led massacre in 1941 that killed nearly the entire Jewish population of Eishyshok. As a way to commemorate the destroyed town of her youth she began to collect photographs from other survivors and residents who fled Europe prior to the Holocaust. She subsequently selected 1,032 photographs from the Yaffa Eliach Shtetl Collection for display in The Tower of Faces, a permanent exhibition in The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, located in Washington, …

A New Beginning, Nancy Rae Habit

Theses and Dissertations

Artist Statement My artwork reflects elements of simple, everyday life. I find poignancy in people as they go about their daily business, children playing on the beach or an elderly woman at her kitchen stove. And, it’s not just people in whom I find intrigue. The creases and folds of crumpled, brown paper bags; fresh fish lying on crushed ice in outdoor markets; and household objects, such as chairs, irons, and wooden spoons are the types of things that are also evidence of daily life. In my work, I strive to replicate with both accuracy and emotion all of these …

Dissecting Emotion, Jennifer Lopresti

Theses and Dissertations

My art making approach has enabled me to focus on the connection between our anatomical makeup and the inner workings of the mind. It has been a journey to personally bridge the gap between the two and to make sense of the overlapping functions. Anatomical imagery has lent itself to my exploration into the topics of transformation and social interaction, and the emotions that are tied to these concepts. My body of work consists of mixed media and sculptural pieces. I make use of found objects such as vinyl records, rotary phones, and old black and white photographs. These items …

Forced Kinship, Lauren Leake

Theses and Dissertations

My oil paintings, glass works, and mixed media are abstract meditations on familial relationships and their boundaries. The interaction between colors and layers of pigment reference human interaction. I apply veils of colors, which obscure, alter, or blend into previous layers of color. These layers metaphorically reference how family relationships affect the person we are and influence who we become. I approach my oil paintings serially and often refer to them as sisters or a family. I often work on two or more canvases at a time allowing each painting to share palettes and a similar language of shapes. When …

Transcriptional Crosstalk Between Helper Bacteriophages And Staphylococcal Aureus Pathogenicity Islands, Kristin Lane

Theses and Dissertations

Acquisition of a superantigen pathogenicity island (SaPI) significantly increases virulence in Staphylococcus aureus. Horizontal transfer of SaPIs occurs at high frequency and depends upon a helper bacteriophage, either through direct infection or SOS-mediated induction of a lysogen. SaPIs hijack the packaging machinery of the helper phage, leading to the formation of SaPI-containing transducing particles that can introduce the pathogenicity island into neighboring SaPI-negative cells. All SaPIs contain a conserved core of genes, some of which are co-transcribed as an operon and encode functions involved in helper exploitation. The goal of this study was to more fully understand the intricate relationships …

Speech In America: Tracking The Evolution Of Speech Pedagogy In Theatre Training, Zachary Campion

Theses and Dissertations

Speech work, as it relates to actor training, has undergone many important changes since its formal introduction to the field over a century ago by Edith Skinner. Unfortunately, there are many who hold on to antiquated, misinformed and often harmful approaches to this kind of training. This thesis questioned the traditional models of speech pedagogy by creating a narrative for its development, questioning its efficacy, and exploring the alternatives that have developed over the years. I looked at the texts and approaches of Edith Skinner, Patricia Fletcher, Louis Coliaini, and Dudley Knight/Phil Thompson. I acknowledge that each practitioner has made …

Metabolic Remodeling And Mitochondrial Dysfunction In Maladaptive Right Ventricular Hypertrophy Secondary To Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension, Jose Gomez-Arroyo

Theses and Dissertations

Right ventricular dysfunction is the most frequent cause of death in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. Although abnormal energy substrate use has been implicated in the development of chronic left heart failure, data describing such metabolic remodeling in failing right ventricular tissue remain incomplete. In the present dissertation we sought to characterize metabolic gene expression changes and mitochondrial dysfunction in functional and dysfunctional RV hypertrophy. Two different rat models of RV hypertrophy were studied. The model of right ventricular failure (SU5416/hypoxia) exhibited a significantly decreased gene expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor- coactivator-1α, peroxisome proliferator- activated receptor-α and estrogen-related receptor-α. The …

Reichenbachia, Imperial Edition: Rediscovering Frederick Sander’S Late-Victorian Masterpiece Of Botanical Art, Erica Borey

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis project examines the history, provenance, and contemporary treatment of a rare Imperial Edition of Frederick Sander’s print collection Reichenbachia, Orchids Illustrated and Described, a high-quality orchid compendium dating to the late-nineteenth century. A local philanthropist loaned the Imperial Edition Reichenbachia, number 86 of 100 to Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in 2011 on a long-term basis as a promised donation. Research into the origins of this collection involves several disparate historical topics, including the Victorian period of “orchid mania,” imperialist business practices, and chromolithographic printmaking. Discussion of the transition of this collection into a museum art collection covers its …

The Design And Synthesis Of Magnetic Nanocomposites, Daniel Hudgins

Theses and Dissertations

Magnetism lies at the core of modern technology and can be found in industries such as oil refining, automotive, telecommunications, personal electronics, and power generation that are integral to our day to day lives. This permeation into everyday life has been enhanced in the past several decades with improvements in material design based upon the principles of nanotechnology leading to smaller, faster, and more efficient devices. The presented research will discuss the synthesis and processing of multiple magnetic nanoparticle structures designed for the enhancement of various, application specific, properties. In the first experiments a tunable core/shell structure was developed with …

Commonwealth Times 2013-12-02

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.

Maternal Monitoring And Maternal Psychological Well-Being: Important Components In Treating Conduct Disorder, Benjamin Rosen

Theses and Dissertations

Conduct disorder is characterized by behaviors that take a large toll on the individuals, families, and communities afflicted. Thus, improving treatment effectiveness should be a high priority. Currently, common intervention programs do not address parental depression, even though it has been linked to adolescent conduct disorder behaviors in some studies. The current study assessed whether the relation between maternal depression and adolescent conduct disorder behaviors is mediated by another factor which has been linked to conduct disorder behaviors, maternal monitoring. Results did not support the hypothesized mediated association, but did show significant individual associations for both maternal depression and maternal …

Longitudinal Relations Between Dating Violence Victimization And Perpetration And Substance Use: The Moderating Role Of Gender And School Norms For Dating Violence, Katherine Taylor

Theses and Dissertations

Adolescent dating violence is commonly experienced by adolescents and is associated with a variety of negative outcomes. Stress and coping and social learning theories suggest that dating violence victimization may predict increased substance use and dating violence perpetration. However, few studies have assessed these relations over time, and existing studies have not assessed physical and psychological dating violence victimization separately nor focused on early adolescent populations. The current study addressed these gaps by examining longitudinal relations between physical and psychological dating violence victimization and substance use and physical and psychological dating violence perpetration among early adolescents. The extent to which …

Enigmatic Allegory, Sara Virginia Kinsey

Theses and Dissertations

My artwork is autobiographical and shaped by my experiences. Collectively, it serves as a visual journal expressing a range of emotions honoring meaningful people, portraying important places, and commemorating significant events in my life. My art documents the progression from turmoil, despair, and isolation to growth, recovery, and gratitude. I utilize a recurring set of subjective symbols which hold personal significance. These symbols, which include robots, eggs, chairs, shoes, and trash cans, help me create narratives and visual continuity across my body of work. I purposefully omit some information to mask the entirety of the story being told. Typically, these …

Commonwealth Times 2013-11-25

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.

"Dae Scotsmen Dream O 'Lectric Leids?" Robert Crawford's Cyborg Scotland, Alexander Burke

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis applies a Cybernetic interpretation to a selection of poetry by the Scottish Informationist poet Robert Crawford, drawn mostly from two collections: A Scottish Assembly (1990) and Sharawaggi: Poems in Scots (1990). Crawford is contextualized by observing the poetic influences of Robert Burns, John Davidson, and Hugh MacDiarmid, as well as the philosophical influence of George Elder Davie’s The Democratic Intellect. This paper argues that, in response to the Two Cultures hypothesis put forth by C. P. Snow and the widely-held belief that Scotland is irrevocably fractured, the shifting boundaries of the many disparate Scottish cultures are mediated by …