Digital Commons Network^™

Ramerican Political Science Review (Vol. 8, 2023)

Ramerican Political Science Review

Does Low Socioeconomic Status Affect Voter Turnout in Elections? A Comparative Case Study between Iraq, Lebanon, and Tunisia / Mariam Al-khafaji -- Colonial Legacies on African Development / Jack Normile -- The Median Voter Model Applied to Federal Infrastructure Investment / Anna L Meyer -- Burkina Faso: Conflict and Development / Jack Normile

Review Of Policies Addressing The Viewing Of Legal Pornography In Arl Libraries, M. Teresa Doherty, Jennifer Stout

VCU Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

This article uses document analysis to review the content of the policies available on the library websites of 119 academic member institutions of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) for policies that address viewing legal visual (video or images) pornography on computers within library spaces. The authors seek to answer the question: How do ARL member libraries address the viewing of legal online pornography by adults in their library spaces as noted in policies or guidelines on their website?

Away From Home: William Gifford Palgrave's Letters From India, 1847-1848, David E. Latane

English Publications

William Gifford Palgrave (1826-1888) became one of the great Victorian travelers, immortalized in a poem by Alfred Tennyson, “To Ulysses,” in 1888. The letters transcribed here are the record of his first voyage outward in 1847 as an Ensign in the 8th Bombay regiment of native infantry, just after his graduating with a First from Oxford. The letters are found in volume 5 of the Palgrave papers (British Library Add. MS 45738). The first letter is to his mother, dated 28 January 1847 from “Off Cape Mondego” in Portugal, and it describes life on board an outbound steamer. The last …

Public Transit Agency's Management Strategies During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Xueming Chen

L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs Publications

Like the rest of the USA, the Greater Richmond, Virginia (RVA) region severely suffered from the COVID-19 pandemic impacts in multiple areas. The Greater Richmond Transit Company (GRTC) took big hits in its system transit ridership in fiscal years (FY) 2020 and 2021. In response to this emergency, GRTC immediately implemented bold management strategies to protect its operators and riders, serve essential trips, adjust operating schedules, offer free transit services, and broaden funding sources. As a result of implementing these emergency management strategies, GRTC successfully overcame the pandemic crises and embarked on the road to full recovery in its transit …

How Pulse Width Affects Laser Ablation Of Organic Liquids, Laysa M. Frias Batista, Ella Kaplan, Chamari Weththasingha, Benjamin Cook, Samuel Harris, Ashish B. Nag, Katharine M. Tibbetts

Chemistry Publications

Laser synthesis in liquids is often carried out in organic solvents to prevent oxidation of metals during nanoparticle generation and to produce tailored carbon-based nanomaterials. This work investigates laser ablation of neat organic liquids acetone, ethanol, n-hexane, and toluene with pulse widths ranging from 30 fs to 4 ps through measurements of reaction kinetics and characterization of the ablation products with optical spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. Increasing the pulse width from 30 fs to 4 ps impacts both the reaction kinetics and product distributions, suppressing the formation of solvent molecule dimers and oxidized molecules while enhancing the yields of …

Going The Extra Mile To Increase The Wilder School’S Student Enrollment, Xueming (Jimmy) Chen

The Grace E. Harris Leadership Institute Publications

To align with the themes and goals of VCU Quest 2028: One VCU Together We Transform, the Wilder School has prepared and will implement a schoolwide strategic plan to guide its development to 2028. In this strategic plan, one of the metrics of student success is student enrollment, which is of paramount importance.

After the background introduction, this report gives an overview of the student enrollment data of the five academic programs within the Wilder School during the past 5 years and takes a snapshot of the 2022 MURP student demographic data. Afterward, it briefly introduces the enrollment management strategies …

Vcu Day Of Service Toolkit (Vcu-Dst), Christie Atkins, Jeff D'Ambrosio, Ann Deppmann, Keith C. Ellis, Alex Fisher, Javeria Kazi, Emilie Raymond, Lachelle Waller

The Grace E. Harris Leadership Institute Publications

This team designed and developed a digital Day of Service Toolkit (VCU-DST) to help facilitate the planning and execution of community service projects by VCU students, faculty and staff. The VCU-DST includes guidance and relevant procedures for all the aspects of planning needed to execute both large-scale and small-scale projects, including resources for strategic partnerships, financial planning and event logistics and evaluation. The VCU-DST is designed to be utilized for day-of-service projects planned and initiated by VCU students, student leaders, and organizations at all levels (undergraduate, graduate, and professional). The VCU-DST is designed to be flexible and adaptable, assisting in …

Balancing The Benefits And Risks Of Ai Large Language Models In K12 Public Schools, Jesse Senechal, Eric Ekholm, Samaher Aljudaibi, Mary Strawderman, Chris Parthemos

MERC Publications

With artificial intelligence (AI) models rapidly emerging, the potential implications for K12 education are imminent. To illuminate the potential impacts on public schools, this MERC research brief answers the following questions: 1) What is AI? What are AI large language models? How do they work?, 2) What are the implications of large language models for teaching and learning?, 3) What are the main concerns with the use of AI large language models? What are the concerns for use within public schools?, 4) What are the considerations for school district policy on AI large language models?, and 5) What are the …

Forging A Liaison Team For The Future Through Renewed Onboarding Practices, Bettina Peacemaker, Emily Hurst

VCU Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

Welcoming new employees is one of the most important jobs of a manager, but it is not an easy one. Guidance from the literature specific to academic liaison librarian onboarding is minimal and fails to address current workforce and workplace realities. This poster will explore how a team of liaison librarian managers used reflective and informed feedback to build a strong onboarding process to successfully welcome eight liaisons in two years and detail how the managers recently renewed their onboarding process to account for new, hybrid work environments and prepare new liaisons for the future of work in academia.

Dermatologic Manifestations Of Rheumatic Disease: Cutaneous Manifestations Of Vasculitides, Julianna S. Kang, Julia Nunley, Tiffany Ho, Mavra Masood, Fnu Nutan, Beth Rubinstein

Open and Affordable Course Content at VCU

No abstract provided.

Moving From Craap To Act Up As A Source Evaluation Tool!, M. Teresa Doherty

VCU Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

Tired of teaching CRAAP (currency / relevance / authority / accuracy / purpose) as a source evaluation method as part of your information literacy lesson plan? Consider transitioning to ACT UP instead! ACT UP (Author | Currency | Truth | Unbiased | Privilege) incorporates the concept of privilege in publishing into the conversation, and encourages students to discover and share the work of often overlooked researchers in their own work. Includes a variety of links to site where researchers who self-identify as women, Black/POC, or LBGTQ share their publications.

Marketing Reimagined: The Effect Of Tiktok’S Success On Social Media Advertisement, Ryan Roberts

AUCTUS: The Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship

In 2021, the average TikTok user spent 19.6 hours a month on the platform, equivalent to the time spent by users on the leader of Social Media, Facebook (Sweeney, 2022). This year, TikTok is projected to triple its global advertisement revenues to 11.6 billion dollars, surpassing the 10.44 billion dollars global advertisement take of Snapchat and Twitter combined (Sweeney, 2022). TikTok is one of the most recent and successful social media platforms. It has gained worldwide renown for its unique, rapid presentation of content and addictive structure that has engaged a large audience in a short time. With attention increasing …

Observing Ceramide Pathway With Ferroptosis Via Mia Paca-2 Cell Treatment With Rsl3, Tazrin Rahman

AUCTUS: The Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship

Composed of sphingosine and a fatty acid, ceramides are lipid molecules that serve as key metabolic signaling molecules of a sphingolipid pathway. While it acts as a precursor of complex sphingolipids, inducing ceramide generation can cause cell stress leading to subsequent cell death via apoptosis, necrosis, and even mitophagy. With regards to cell death specifically, a novel form of regulated cell death, ferroptosis, has recently been recognized of necrotic nature. Its unique morphological features and distinct properties have been observed over the last several decades; however, the molecular features were not identifiable as pure evidence of cell death, until recently …

Masculinity, Pornography, And Inceldom: The Use Of American Ideals Of Masculinity And The Consumption Of Heterosexual Pornography To Radicalize Young Men Into Inceldom, Adelaide Verdugo-Thomson

AUCTUS: The Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship

The increased presence of the internet has granted many young American men a safe space to share beliefs and experiences, access new materials, and reach wider audiences. At the same time, heterosexual pornographic content has become increasingly accessible, and misogynistic beliefs are protected on various user-run forums. Male dominance in heterosexual pornography, the prevalence of rape myth acceptance, Incel slang, and the strong brotherhood bonds present in Incel communities may be radicalizing factors to encourage young American men to adopt Incel ideology. This literature review seeks to highlight the relationship between American masculinity, consumption of heterosexual pornography, and Inceldom in …

Emerging Issues And Innovations In Public Pk-12 Education: Implications For Strategic Planning, David B. Naff, Lisa Gwyn, Fred Gatty, Tara Willging, Marzia Farhana, Jill Flynn, Cammie Justus-Smith, Jean Samuel, Alexander Campbell, Ciana Cross, Jamie Nervil, Michael L. Schad

MERC Publications

This research and policy brief from the Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium (MERC) explores emerging issues and innovations that PK-12 school districts should consider when engaging in strategic planning. It includes a discussion of peer reviewed literature related to how PK-12 school districts engage in strategic planning, a thematic analysis of strategic plans across Virginia (as well as the largest school districts in the United States), and an exploration of Google trends related to prominent topics in PK-12 education over the previous five years. It explores the following questions: 1) How do PK-12 school systems engage in strategic planning?, 2) What …

Vcu Job Shadowing, Austin Adam, Nora Bloch, Sue Kurgatt, Ezrah Medina, Erin Pacelli, Rebecca Segal, Stephanie Thulin

The Grace E. Harris Leadership Institute Publications

Job shadowing is an initiative aimed at bolstering students' career preparedness through an immersive exploration of the multifaceted landscape of career opportunities within higher education. By facilitating these experiential learning opportunities, this program endeavors to achieve a twofold objective. Firstly, it seeks to enhance the student experience at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) by cultivating meaningful interactions between students and VCU's typically non-student-facing staff and faculty members. Secondly, by facilitating direct engagement with our students, it is our aspiration that every member of the VCU community, regardless of their traditional roles, will have the opportunity to support our students' personal and …

17th Annual Higher Ground Women's Leadership Conference, The Grace E. Harris Leadership Institute At Virginia Commonwealth University, Vickisha D. Harris, Antoinette Allen

The Grace E. Harris Leadership Institute Publications

Abstract: This year we invite women from diverse backgrounds to embark on a transformative journey of overcoming grief, grudges, and guilt. This empowering event aims to provide a safe and supportive space for women to share their stories, find solace, and embark on a path of healing and self-discovery. Grief, grudges, and guilt are powerful emotions that can burden our minds and hinder personal growth. This conference recognizes that many women face these emotional challenges, whether due to loss, conflicts, or self-imposed expectations. Through a combination of insightful workshops, thought-provoking panel discussions, and uplifting keynote speeches, participants will gain the …

Adolescent Thc Usage In Virginia: Post-Legalization Challenges And Strategies For Schools, David Naff, Meg Sheriff, Jill Flynn, Marzia Farhana, Kris Herakovich-Curtis, Gerron Scott, Fred Gatty, Priyadarshini Pattath, Diane Williams, Kiana Bradford, Reena Desai, Lauren Powell, Lisa Gwyn

MERC Publications

Recreational marijuana was legalized for anyone over the age of 21 in Virginia in 2021. This research and policy brief explores evidence of the impact of such legalization on Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) usage in PK-12 aged youth, including smoking, vaping, edibles, and dabbing. It addresses the following questions: 1) What are the recent trends in marijuana usage among PK-12 aged youth? 2) What are the impacts of THC usage in schools, particularly after legalization? 3) How can schools and school systems effectively respond to THC usage? 4) What are relevant federal, state, and school division policies that guide responses to youth …

Adapting Higher Education: Revamping Curricula For The Inclusion Of Theatre Students With Disabilities, Kevin Kemler

Theses and Dissertations

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion initiatives in higher education have been largely driven by administrators who have little to no contact with the students for whom they are working for. This top-down approach negatively impacts marginalized students and disproportionately affects the quality of experience for students with Disabilities, an often-overlooked demographic. For Disabled students enrolled in performance programs, barriers to access and inclusion don’t just exist at the institutional level, they also exist in the traditional classroom or studio as well. Through a dismantling of ableist structures inherent within higher education (i.e., American grading practices, the Western and Theatrical Canons), I …

Utilization Of Intraoral Scanners For Fabrication Of Obturators For Patients Born With Cleft Lip/ Palate (Clp), Swara Fadnis

Theses and Dissertations

Objective: The goal of this cross-sectional study was to assess the knowledge and attitude of providers regarding incorporating a digital scanner for impression taking in children born with cleft lip and/or palate (CLP). Methods: A survey was sent out to members of the American Association of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD). The survey included questions regarding the providers’ perception of incorporating digital intraoral scanners for impressions for fabrication of obturators. The survey also included questions about the providers’ reservations in using this technology in practice, what their experience has been with the incorporation of this technology into practice, and what is …

Bet Inhibition As A Strategy For Enhancing The Response To Estrogen Antagonism/Cdk4-6 Inhibition In Er Positive Breast Cancer, Ahmed M. Elshazly

Theses and Dissertations

Breast cancer is the most commonly occurring malignancy in females, accounting for the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths. ER+ breast cancer constitutes approximately 70% of all breast cancer cases. The standard care of therapy comprises endocrine antagonists together with adjuvant therapy; however, the recovery from the therapy-suppressive state is associated with further drug resistance together with increasing tumor aggressiveness and with possible metastasis. Autophagy induction has been shown to be associated with various therapeutic modalities, with different functions, including cytotoxic, cytoprotective, cytostatic as well as non-protective forms. The triggering of autophagy may be responsible for resistance development and …

Effects Of Hiv-1 Tat And Opiates On Gene Regulation Of Oligodendrocyte Lineage Cells: Identification Of Myrf As A Novel Target, Kelly M. Flounlacker

Theses and Dissertations

HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders remain pervasive even with increased efficacy/use of antiretroviral therapies. Opioid use/abuse among HIV+ individuals is documented to exacerbate deficits. White matter (WM) alterations (myelin pallor, volume/structural) detected by diffusion tensor imaging, are common observations in HIV+ individuals. Using transgenic mice expressing HIV-1 Tat, we examined effects of 2-6 weeks of Tat/morphine exposure on WM using genomic/biochemical methods. RNA sequencing of striatal tissue after 2-weeks revealed robust changes in mRNAs associated with oligodendrocyte populations/myelin integrity, including Transferrin, Ndrg1, and myelin regulatory factor (Myrf/Mrf), an oligodendrocyte-specific transcription factor involved in differentiation/maturation. Immunoblots conducted after 6-weeks exposure in …

Novel Development Of A Low-Cost, Micrometer-Scale Tip-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy System, John Yates

Theses and Dissertations

Modern scientific instruments are significant capital investments for universities. These investments can be outside of the funding capabilities of some smaller universities or departments and can be a significant barrier in the pursuit of scientific breakthroughs. This project aims to provide a template for universities or research groups to upgrade, at a reasonable price, an existing Raman spectroscopy system to a Tip-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (TERS) system. This system can serve as a permanent upgrade to an existing system or as a bridge necessary to prove the viability of a research path before significant capital investment in a commercial TERS system. …

Biting Range, Effie Bowen

Theses and Dissertations

Biting Range is an essayic text about dogs, process, order, and memory. Structured as a conceptual material list, the writing addresses experiential textures and tensions gleaned from observation. Writing within and against the margins, I address the performativity of the page as its own form to be agitated.

How Stromal Interactions Play A Role In The Quest For Human Papillomavirus Specific Cancer Therapeutics, Alexis-Leigh A. Fakunmoju

Theses and Dissertations

High-risk human papillomaviruses (HPV), like HPV16 and HPV18, are associated with malignant cancer growth within the oropharynx and cervix. Globally, HPV-induced cancers, including oropharyngeal and cervical cancers, contribute 5% to the overwhelming burden of all cancers. HPV is highly transmissible by sexual contact via micro abrasions to the mucosa. Once exposure occurs, the virus begins replication and creates an intimate relationship with the host’s cellular proteins. While most HPV is cleared quickly by our immune system, persistent infections, or infections in immune compromised individuals, are susceptible to transformation and tumor progression. Early detection measures like PAP smears and preventable measures …

Totem Impulse, Tendai T. Mupita

Theses and Dissertations

In this reading, I explore the performative and complexities of indigenous mythologies, cosmologies, and epistemologies, through totems, folklore, architecture, and games. This paper extracts references from indigenous philosophies in thinking about form and image. These forms and images are my sculptures, my installations, and my lines.

Discovery: A Visual Arts Elementary School, Cindy J. Perdomo

Theses and Dissertations

On average, school-age children spend more time in the classroom environment than they do at home. Why not provide environments that stimulate children’s curiosity to learn through visual arts? Including visual arts in educational programs can enhance students’ cognitive development, problem-solving abilities, cultural awareness, and critical thinking skills.

As someone who has attended various public schools in Florida, I’ve found that incorporating arts education into the curriculum can enhance students’ overall engagement with learning. Unfortunately, many students lack access to arts education due to a lack of funding and resources. Traditionally, the arts have been viewed as an opportunity for …

Behind The Gate: Syrian Women In Soap Operas - Perception Vs. Reality, Tasnim J. Rahimah

Theses and Dissertations

Syria has witnessed what is known as al-fawra al-drameya, an eruption of drama since 2000. Every year, especially during Ramadan, dozens of Syrian soap operas are aired across the Arab world and beyond, depicting Syrians’ historical struggles as they fought for liberation from the French mandate at the beginning of the 20th century. Although women of those days were a vital part of that liberation movement and had prominent societal roles, these historical fiction soap operas chose to portray only the demure and dismissive female figures and not mention the women who were independent, courageous, and active members of the …

“Trans Broken Arm Syndrome”: Examining Causal Antecedents Of Gender-Related Medical Misattribution And Invasive Questioning In An Analogous Healthcare Setting Through The Lens Of Person Perception, Catherine Wall

Theses and Dissertations

Transgender individuals face particular challenges when interacting with a cisgender focused medical system. Gender-related medical misattribution and invasive questioning (GRMMIQ), colloquially known by the tongue-in-cheek named “trans broken arm syndrome,” is a form of medical discrimination wherein a healthcare provider assumes that a transgender patient’s medical complaints, regardless of origin, result from their gender identity or medical transition. Previous research has suggested that this, and other forms of identity-related discrimination both in and outside of healthcare, might be understood either using a top-down approach focused on stereotypes founded in schema, or a bottom-up approach examining perceived typicality. One additional theory, …

Evaluating The Acute Effect Of Vaping On Food Intake, Gabrielle Maldonado

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Weight control is a common motive for continued cigarette smoking, and weight concerns pose a barrier to quitting. These effects are driven in part by nicotine’s ability to reduce overall appetite and ultimately body weight. Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) have been marketed and used for weight control, suggesting that the use of these products potentially may share similar effects as well as barriers to quitting as observed for cigarette smoking. However, little to no controlled clinical lab evidence exists supporting ENDS use for weight control. The present study tested the influence of an ENDS on acute eating behavior …