Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Digital Commons Network™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Virginia Commonwealth University

Discipline
Keyword
Publication Year
Publication
Publication Type
File Type

Articles 3421 - 3450 of 7325

Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network

Radiation Sensitization Of Breast Cancer Cells By Vitamin D Through The Promotion Of Autophagic Cell Death, Eden Wilson May 2012

Radiation Sensitization Of Breast Cancer Cells By Vitamin D Through The Promotion Of Autophagic Cell Death, Eden Wilson

Theses and Dissertations

Radiation therapy is a widely used tool in cancer therapy and is frequently offered as the first line of treatment for cancers of the breast. While radiotherapy is often initially effective in killing tumor cells or suppressing their growth, there are factors that confer tumor cell resistance to irradiation. Development of resistance may lead to disease recurrence despite the use of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. A primary goal of the studies in Dr. Gewirtz’s laboratory is to develop strategies to overcome resistance to radiation (and chemotherapy) in breast cancer, with the ultimate goal of preventing or attenuating disease recurrence. …

Go to article

The Road Beyond Suffrage: Female Activism In Richmond, Virginia, Denise Gammon May 2012

The Road Beyond Suffrage: Female Activism In Richmond, Virginia, Denise Gammon

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis focuses on the continued activism in the YWCA, the Equal Suffrage League and the League of Women Voters after 1920. The work examines the uses of motherhood, social religion, race and traditions as tools for activism and compares the YWCA to the Equal Suffrage League and League of Women Voters after 1920. The date range is roughly from 1915 to 1925.

Go to article

Finite-Difference Time-Domain Modeling Of Nickel Nanorods, Joseph Steele Parris May 2012

Finite-Difference Time-Domain Modeling Of Nickel Nanorods, Joseph Steele Parris

Theses and Dissertations

Theoretical and experimental plasmonics is a growing field as a method to create near fields at sub-wavelength distances. In this thesis, a finite-difference time-domain method is used to simulate electromagnetic waves onto a thin film that present of nickel nanorods with sharp apexes. The absorbed, transmitted, and reflected fields were shown to depend linearly on silver film thickness and nanotip length. The electric field is visualized along the tip to show strong charge density along the base of the tip’s apex and how that density changes for wavelength, metal, and source tilt. Lastly, the study shows gold film on the …

Go to article

Commonwealth Times 2012-04-30 Apr 2012

Commonwealth Times 2012-04-30

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.

Go to article

Engineering Of Polyamidoamine (Pamam) Dendrimers For Gene And Drug Delivery, Quan Yuan Apr 2012

Engineering Of Polyamidoamine (Pamam) Dendrimers For Gene And Drug Delivery, Quan Yuan

Theses and Dissertations

Dendrimers are a class of polymers with a highly branched, three-dimensional architecture composed of an initiator core, several interior layers of repeating units and multiple surface groups. They have been recognized as the most versatile compositionally and structurally controlled nanoscale building blocks throughout the fields of engineering, materials science, chemistry, and biology, and they have been widely investigated for drug and gene delivery. Polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers have inherent properties for gene delivery because of their high buffering capacity, polycationic surface and numerous surface groups for biofunctionlization. This dissertation is organized into four independent sections. The first section investigates a series …

Go to article

Starting A Standardized Patient Program Using A Theatre Model, Richard Edward Carter Apr 2012

Starting A Standardized Patient Program Using A Theatre Model, Richard Edward Carter

Theses and Dissertations

The methods used to train actors can be modified to train standardized patients to simulate patient encounters with medical students. With some background in standardized patients and simulation, a member of Theatre Department can start a standardized patient program at their own institution. This is based on the pilot year of the VCU Standardized Patient Program which began in June, 2011.

Go to article

A Multifaceted Approach Identifies Erbb2 And Erbb3 Proteins And Microrna-125b As Key Contributors To Prostate Cancer Progression, Danielle Weaver Apr 2012

A Multifaceted Approach Identifies Erbb2 And Erbb3 Proteins And Microrna-125b As Key Contributors To Prostate Cancer Progression, Danielle Weaver

Theses and Dissertations

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer affecting men today. Therefore, there is a strong need for accurate biomarkers and successful therapeutic treatments. A novel approach combining a computationally built protein-protein interaction network of proven microRNA protein targets with high throughput proteomics identified ErbB2 and ErbB3 as key proteins in prostate cancer. These results coupled with microRNA array screening of an androgen-independent prostate cancer progression model, substantiated by single microRNA analysis, suggested miR125b as a key tumor suppressor contributing to prostate cancer progression. miR125b expression was shown to be substantially increased in the non-tumorigenic P69 cell line compared to its …

Go to article

Persistence To Doctoral Completion Of African American Men At Predominately White Universities In One Mid-Atlantic State, Kimberly Matthews Apr 2012

Persistence To Doctoral Completion Of African American Men At Predominately White Universities In One Mid-Atlantic State, Kimberly Matthews

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study examined the experiences of 20 African American men who graduated from predominately White institutions in one mid-Atlantic state between the years of 2001 and 2011 with doctoral degrees in Education or in a Humanities and Sciences field. Interviews were conducted to gather the lived experiences of the African American men in their own voices. The study addressed the following research questions: 1. Why do African American men persist to doctoral degree completion? 2. How do African American men perceive their doctoral student experience? A descriptive model that presents the internal and external factors revealed in the study …

Go to article

Quantitative Analysis Of Multiple Charged Large Molecules In Human Or Rat Plasma Using Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry, Matthew Halquist Apr 2012

Quantitative Analysis Of Multiple Charged Large Molecules In Human Or Rat Plasma Using Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry, Matthew Halquist

Theses and Dissertations

Immunoassays have traditionally been employed for the determination of plasma concentration-time profiles for pharmacokinetic studies of therapeutic proteins and peptides. These ligand binding assays have high sensitivity but require significant time for antibody generation (1 to 2 years) for assay development. Despite high sensitivity, these assays suffer from cross-reactivity that can lead to inaccurate results. As an alternative to immunoassays, this dissertation was focused on the development and validation of assays that can be used for quantitative analysis of peptides or proteins in plasma using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Two approaches were considered for measurement of proteins and …

Go to article

Commonwealth Times 2012-04-26 Apr 2012

Commonwealth Times 2012-04-26

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.

Go to article

Between City Street And River Bed: An Urban Indoor Park, Meredith Salley Apr 2012

Between City Street And River Bed: An Urban Indoor Park, Meredith Salley

Theses and Dissertations

A park is a place of many uses. A place to: walk, sit, reflect, eat, play, gather, people-watch, work, re-energize. A park can be quiet, loud, busy, or slow, sometimes all at once. Parks bring together friends, family, and people who may not otherwise ever interact with each other. Everyone has their own place in a park. This park intertwines open, public space with intimate, private space throughout. The question of how to attain privacy within a potentially very bustling public space is examined in depth and carefully considered throughout this design process.

Go to article

Synthesis And Characterization Of Doxorubicin Carrying Cetuximab-Pamam Dendrimer Bioconjugates, Gunjan Saxena Apr 2012

Synthesis And Characterization Of Doxorubicin Carrying Cetuximab-Pamam Dendrimer Bioconjugates, Gunjan Saxena

Theses and Dissertations

A tumor targeted dendrimer based drug delivery system was designed and synthesized to carry chemotherapy drug doxorubicin. Polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimer G4.5 was chosen as the underlying carrier. Anionic G4.5 is a good option for drug delivery as it consists of 128 surface groups, is less cytotoxic and favorably biodistributed. The delivery system was synthesized using a layer-by layer arrangement of three functional entities: chemotherapy drug doxorubicin, monoclonal antibody Cetuximab against EGF receptor, and polyethylene glycol (PEG). Doxorubicin was attached via an acid-sensitive hydrazon linkage to the dendrimer. Macromolecules are taken in by cells through endocytosis. pH inside the early endosomes …

Go to article

The Effect Of Minocycline Treatment On Cell Proliferation And Neurogenesis In The Hippocampus In Young And Aged Brains Following Traumatic Brain Injury, Ashley Harvin Apr 2012

The Effect Of Minocycline Treatment On Cell Proliferation And Neurogenesis In The Hippocampus In Young And Aged Brains Following Traumatic Brain Injury, Ashley Harvin

Theses and Dissertations

Following traumatic brain injury, there is an enhanced cell proliferative and neurogenic response in the young adult hippocampus, which may be associated with innate cognitive recovery. However, in the aged brain, an increased level of inflammatory cell responses was observed following injury concomitant to decreased hippocampal neurogenesis and cognitive recovery in the aging population. This suggests that excessive inflammation produced in the injured aging brain has a detrimental effect on neurogenesis and cognitive function. In this study, we examined the effect of anti-inflammatory treatment with minocycline on cell proliferation and generation of new neurons in the dentate gyrus (DG) of …

Go to article

The Current Status Of Social Media Use Among Nonprofit Human Service Organizations: An Exploratory Study, James Young Apr 2012

The Current Status Of Social Media Use Among Nonprofit Human Service Organizations: An Exploratory Study, James Young

Theses and Dissertations

Social media has proliferated throughout the nonprofit sector over the last five years and organizations use these new tools in a variety of ways. Little research is available on the use of social media within nonprofit human service organizations (HSO) specifically. This study is one of the first of its kind to explore how and why human service organizations are using social media. The aim of this study is to understand the current status of social media use among nonprofit human service organizations by exploring and describing the social media platforms in use, associated practices with social media, the frequency …

Go to article

Semi-Interpenetrating Nanofiber Scaffolds For Transbuccal Drug Delivery, Donald Aduba Jr. Apr 2012

Semi-Interpenetrating Nanofiber Scaffolds For Transbuccal Drug Delivery, Donald Aduba Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

The oral buccal mucosa is a promising absorption site for drug administration because it is permeable, highly vascularized and allows ease of administration. Although there are many platforms that have been used for drug delivery, nanofiber scaffolds as a platform for local or systemic drug delivery through the oral mucosa have not been fully explored. In this thesis, we fabricated a biocompatible electrospun gelatin nanofiber scaffold for local drug delivery at the oral mucosa. To stabilize the electrospun gelatin nanofibers and allow non-invasive incorporation of therapeutics into the scaffold, photo-reactive polyethylene-glycol (PEG)-diacrylate was employed to crosslink the scaffold to form …

Go to article

Score For The Big Bang: The Universe As Voice, Ander Mikalson Apr 2012

Score For The Big Bang: The Universe As Voice, Ander Mikalson

Theses and Dissertations

The thesis is a multimedia document, including a documentary video and audio recordings, that catalogues and unpacks the cross-disciplinary project Score for the Big Bang. On April 13, 2012, thirty-six vocalists sang the sound of the Big Bang in a historic church in downtown Richmond. For this project I worked with an astronomer, composer, choral director and organist to translate the primordial sound into musical notation. This is the universe as voice, through humans, recreating what we have come to understand was present at its birth.

Go to article

Socio Demographic And Motivational Differences Between Active Participants And Supporters In Pkk Terrorist Organization, Gokhan Koca Apr 2012

Socio Demographic And Motivational Differences Between Active Participants And Supporters In Pkk Terrorist Organization, Gokhan Koca

Theses and Dissertations

Especially for last three decades many of the scholars have tried to provide general terrorist profile, which is commonly usable for all terrorists. They were seeking to identify the process of becoming terrorist (Sageman, 2004; Russel&Miller, 1977; Strentz, 1988; Hassan, 2001). The main problem on those studies is that, without looking at degree of involvement of terrorist they just focus on “who becomes a terrorist and why” and they prefer to ignore different type of characteristics about terrorist. Yilmaz (2009) tried to underline and answer this subject by studying on arrest results about DHKP/C and Hizbullah terrorist organizations in Turkey. …

Go to article

Implementation And Outcomes Of An Online English-Portuguese Tandem Language Exchange Program Delivered Jointly Across A U.S.-Brazilian University Partnership: A Case Study, Anton Brinckwirth Apr 2012

Implementation And Outcomes Of An Online English-Portuguese Tandem Language Exchange Program Delivered Jointly Across A U.S.-Brazilian University Partnership: A Case Study, Anton Brinckwirth

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate a class-to-class online English-Portuguese "Teletandem” program that was conceived, negotiated, and implemented cross-collaboratively between the foreign language instructors and language resource center (LRC) staff at two large state universities—one in the United States and the other in Brazil. Ten English language students in Brazil were paired with 10 Portuguese language students in the U.S. for a 10-week Skype®-based tandem language exchange (TLE) project that was jointly delivered online across an international university partnership. A qualitative case study design was used to examine the attitudes, perceptions, views, and behaviors of the teachers, students, …

Go to article

Hearts And Trees, Hilary Woznica Apr 2012

Hearts And Trees, Hilary Woznica

Theses and Dissertations

The process of creating art is a visceral experience for me. Each piece is born from an inherent need to visually express and understand my experiences and emotions. I use a variety of materials to create mixed media sculptures, books, and two-dimensional images. Maps and trees are the common motifs and metaphors found in my work. I paint on the surface of maps to reference significant locations in my journey of personal growth. I incorporate found sticks and branches in my sculptures and paint images of trees to communicate my reverence for nature. I often use the tree as a …

Go to article

The Effectiveness Of Visual Aids In Motivational Counseling On Oral Health Literacy, Christian Peck Apr 2012

The Effectiveness Of Visual Aids In Motivational Counseling On Oral Health Literacy, Christian Peck

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine if motivational interviewing with written/illustrated infant oral health education provided to caregivers of pediatric dental patients increases caregivers’ oral health literacy compared to verbal only motivational instruction. Methods: This is a cohort study of caregivers and their child receiving oral health anticipatory guidance utilizing motivational interviewing with and without visual aids. Caregivers (N=20) of pediatric dental patients age 0-4 that presented to the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry for a new patient exam were recruited for the study. Caregivers were randomly assigned into 2 groups: the intervention group (IG), and …

Go to article

Endure, Jacob Copetillo Apr 2012

Endure, Jacob Copetillo

Theses and Dissertations

My thesis is an account of my research on Deconstruction as it relates to family structure and the making of the objects leading to, and consisting of, the work shown in the installation, Endure. The work is a product of my intercessory labor to make sense of the breakage within family structure. Through forced brokenness, domestic imagery, and intercessory reconstruction, I am building a memorial that expresses my concern with deconstruction and hope for reconciliation.

Go to article

Life, The Multiverse, And Everything: How Crisis On Infinite Earths Changed Dc Comics, Kate Simonsen Apr 2012

Life, The Multiverse, And Everything: How Crisis On Infinite Earths Changed Dc Comics, Kate Simonsen

Theses and Dissertations

Published from 1985 to 1986, DC Comics’ Crisis on Infinite Earths created the expectation that each crossover will result in numerous deaths and alter the structure or history of the DC Universe. Since many of these changes, such as the death of a popular or iconic character, cannot be sustained long term, the success and influence of Crisis on Infinite Earths led to the erosion of the very elements that made it shocking. Entire worlds can be destroyed, but superreaders eventually suspect that no change is ever permanent and, as more iconic characters are revived or rebooted, death is no …

Go to article

Commonwealth Times 2012-04-23 Apr 2012

Commonwealth Times 2012-04-23

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.

Go to article

An Analysis Of The Effect Of Lecture Capture Initiatives On Student-Athletes At An Ncaa Division I Institution, Gregory Smith Apr 2012

An Analysis Of The Effect Of Lecture Capture Initiatives On Student-Athletes At An Ncaa Division I Institution, Gregory Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Student-athletes often miss class due to travel and competitions (Diersen, 2005; F. Wiseman, personal communication, September 30, 2010; Hosick, 2010; NCAA On-line, 2008; Rhatigan, 1984). Missing class is negatively associated with grades (Park & Kerr, 1990; Romer, 1993; Schmidt, 1983). Therefore, as classroom instruction time is replaced by athletic-related commitments, student-athletes may be negatively affected academically. As technological advancements continue to evolve, it is possible to mitigate the effects of missed class time. One such technology being employed in 2012 is lecture capture. This case study examined the academic effect of lecture capture on student-athletes at Big Time University using …

Go to article

Thin Time, Jonathan Benjamin Apr 2012

Thin Time, Jonathan Benjamin

Theses and Dissertations

THIN TIME by Jonathan Benjamin, MFA in Sculpture + Extended Media A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts in Sculpture + Extended Media at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2012. Major Director: Corin Hewitt, Assistant Professor, Department of Sculpture + Extended Media This thesis is an honest attempt to put language to a non-lingual practice. It describes my studio process, my thoughts on materials and surface, and outlines some of the images and things out in the world that inform my work.

Go to article

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: Implications For School Systems And School Personnel, Carmen Y. Ward Apr 2012

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: Implications For School Systems And School Personnel, Carmen Y. Ward

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT A crucial issue facing our educational system is the changing family structure, particularly the increase in the number of children being raised by their grandparents. Many of these children live in a situation that places them at risk academically. Thus, it is vital that the educational system consider identifying the special needs of these children to provide supports. This study aimed to identify support services that middle school and high school grandparents perceived they needed from school systems and school personnel to ensure the educational success of their grandchildren. I developed a survey based on concerns and issues that …

Go to article

Influenced And Altered, David Didra Apr 2012

Influenced And Altered, David Didra

Theses and Dissertations

Artist Statement My work is about finding a balance between the natural environment and the challenges of our man made environment. A sunrise may spark my inspiration during my morning commute but then an intense flow of traffic disturbs the tranquil setting. I explore these contrasting and conflicting elements of harmony and discord in my work. To address these conceptual issues, I create visual tensions between form and color. The evidence of my physical process is recorded in my work. Harmonious elements are referred to through my use of complementary color and form. I use pure hues, gestural line, and …

Go to article

Commonwealth Times 2012-04-19 Apr 2012

Commonwealth Times 2012-04-19

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.

Go to article

Parent And Professional Perspectives About Autism Spectrum Disorders In South India: Beliefs, Practices, And Parent-Professional Relationships., Neeraja Ravindran Apr 2012

Parent And Professional Perspectives About Autism Spectrum Disorders In South India: Beliefs, Practices, And Parent-Professional Relationships., Neeraja Ravindran

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the experience of parents and professionals living in a large metropolitan city in South India who were raising and/or working with a child with an autism spectrum disorder. The study explored the unique perspectives of parents and professionals regarding their beliefs and practices about autism, as well as the nature of the parent-professional relationship. Nineteen parents (all mothers) and 21 professionals were interviewed in person at four schools, an early intervention program, a hospital clinic, and a physician’s office. Themes were developed using qualitative software, and reliability was established through multiple …

Go to article

School Leader Use Of Social Media For Professional Discourse, Candice Barkley Apr 2012

School Leader Use Of Social Media For Professional Discourse, Candice Barkley

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this case study was to explore how a group of principals from diverse backgrounds and different locations create and perpetuate a virtual community of practice. This investigation is a case study of Connected Principals, a group that has come together to create a regular blog on significant issues within education and the principalship. In addition, this group regularly disseminates pertinent information on Twitter via a hash tag. The study includes a content analysis of the blogs posted by Connected Principals as well as social network analysis of the group’s Twitter network and of the key players within …

Go to article

First Prev Next Last