Digital Commons Network^™

Virginia Commonwealth University Courses [2018], Virginia Commonwealth University

VCU Bulletins

Listing of courses for the 2018-2019 year.

Mental Health First Aid Training For Vcu Faculty And Staff, Grace E. Harris Leadership Institute, Virginia Commonwealth University, Roy Brown, Kendra Gerlach, Cristen Jandreau, Jennifer Lee, Anne Massey, Jennifer Tennison, Peter Uetz

The Grace E. Harris Leadership Institute Publications

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA), an international training program, teaches participants to notice and support individuals experiencing a mental health or substance use issue and connects them to appropriate resources. While resources exist for students, this project aims to implement MHFA as a professional development opportunity for VCU faculty and staff. A successful pilot training held this summer demonstrates the need and desire for training in the VCU community. Evidence shows mental health issues lead to absenteeism, employee turnover and increased healthcare costs, costing organizations billions in recruitment that may have been avoided. Through state partnerships, trainers are available to …

Virginia Commonwealth University Commencement Program [2018], Virginia Commonwealth University

VCU Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

Virginia Commonwealth University Professional Bulletin [2018], Virginia Commonwealth University

VCU Bulletins

Professional programs bulletin for Virginia Commonwealth University for the academic year 2018-2019. It includes information on academic regulations, degree requirements, course offerings, faculty, academic calendar, and tuition and expenses for graduate programs.

Ram Essential, The Grace E. Harris Leadership Institute At Virginia Commonwealth University, Sompop Bencharit, Cait Burns, Kristen Caldwell, Muthoni Imungi, Matt Lovisa, Magdalena Morgan, Bert Waters

The Grace E. Harris Leadership Institute Publications

The underlying causes of food insecurity are complex and often intertwined with related issues that affect a student’s ability to meet even basic needs, such as housing, employment and health care, forcing them to choose between their well-being and their education. The latest Hunger in America report finds that about 10 percent of Feed America’s 46.5 million adult clients are college students. That equates to 2 million full-time college students. “Of those surveyed by the emergency food services network, roughly 30.5 percent of students reported that they were forced to choose between food and educational expenses at some point over …

Mediational Model Of Multiple Sclerosis Impairments, Family Needs, And Caregiver Mental Health In Guadalajara, Mexico, Melody N. Mickens, Paul B. Perrin, Adriana Aguayo, Brenda Rabago, Miguel A. Macías-Islas, Juan Carlos Arango-Lasprilla

Psychology Publications

Individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS), especially those living in Latin America, often require assistance from family caregivers throughout the duration of the disease. Previous research suggests that family caregivers may experience positive and negative outcomes from providing care to individuals with MS, but few studies have examined the unmet needs of individuals providing care to family members with MS and how these unmet needs may mediate the relationship between MS symptoms and caregiver mental health. The current study examined the relationships among MS impairments (functional, neurological, cognitive, behavioral, and emotional), unmet family needs (household, informational, financial, social support, and health), …

Heroic Helping: The Effects Of Priming Superhero Images On Prosociality, Daryl R. Van Tongeren, Rachel Hibbard, Megan Edwards, Evan Johnson, Kirstin Diepholz, Hanna Newbound, Andrew Shay, Russell Houpt, Athena Cairo, Jeffrey D. Green

Psychology Publications

Two experiments examined how exposure to superhero images influences both prosociality and meaning in life. In Experiment 1 (N = 246) exposed individuals to scenes with superhero images or neutral images. Individuals primed with superhero images reported greater helping intentions relative to the control group, which, in turn, were associated with increased meaning in life (indirect effect only; no direct effect). In Experiment 2 (N = 123), individuals exposed to a superhero poster helped an experimenter in a tedious task more than those exposed to a bicycle poster, though no differences were found for meaning in life. These …

Virginia Commonwealth University Graduate Bulletin [2018], Virginia Commonwealth University

VCU Bulletins

Graduate bulletin for Virginia Commonwealth University for the academic year 2018-2019. It includes information on academic regulations, degree requirements, course offerings, faculty, academic calendar, and tuition and expenses for graduate programs.

Fostering Democratic Patriotism Through Critical Pedagogy, Hillary Parkhouse

Teaching and Learning Publications

When I was a high school US history teacher in the Washington Heights neighborhood of New York City, I sometimes wondered about the relationship between patriotism and critique of one’s nation. Specifically, I questioned just how critical students could be without becoming disaffected toward the United States. I tried to be honest with my students about the nation’s mixed record of democracy—how the country was founded on ideals of equality and yet stole land from Native Americans, kidnapped millions of Africans as part of a massive system of chattel slavery, and denied the vote to women until 1920. But I …

Pattern Research Project: An Investigation Of The Pattern And Printing Process - Who's Afraid Of St. Luke, Bella Ayer

Pattern Research Project

2018 Pattern Research Project

Bella Ayer – Who’s Afraid of St. Luke

The Pattern Research Project involves research and analysis of contemporary patterns found in the textiles and wallcoverings of the built interior environment. Patterns use motif, repetition, color, geometry, craft, technology, and space to communicate place, time, and concept. Through this research and analysis, built environments - their designers, occupants, construction, and context - can be better understood.

Bella Ayer, VCU Interior Design BFA 2021, selected the Who’s Afraid of St. Luke pattern for the 2018 Pattern Research Project. The text below is excerpted from the student’s work:

“The …

Medical Literary Messenger (Vol. 6, No. 1, Fall/Winter 2018)

Medical Literary Messenger

Lucky / Erika Walker -- What I Fear / Kathleen Walsh Spencer -- Swimming Alone / Charles Grosel -- This Is What We Had / Marissa S. McNamara -- Study of Skull / Annalyn Welp -- Origin of an Epidemic / John Graham-Pole -- Shedding Light / Sharon Fain -- Beam of Healing: The Trigeminal Neuralgia Series / Douglas W. Johnson -- First Shower / Tracy Rothschild Lynch -- Death Sentence / Barry Peters -- The Diagnosis / Roger Hart -- Drive By / Tony Reevy -- Heart (Ink), 2017 / Laurie Wacks -- Brain (Ink), 2015 / Laurie Wacks …

Virginia Commonwealth University Undergraduate Bulletin [2018], Virginia Commonwealth University

VCU Bulletins

Undergraduate bulletin for Virginia Commonwealth University for the academic year 2018-2019. It includes information on academic regulations, degree requirements, course offerings, faculty, academic calendar, and tuition and expenses for undergraduate programs.

Identifying Medication Management Smartphone App Features Suitable For Young Adults With Developmental Disabilities: Delphi Consensus Study, Teresa M. Salgado, Alexa Fedrigon, Donna Riccio Omichinski, Michelle A. Meade, Karen B. Farris

Pharmacotherapy and Outcomes Science Publications

Background: Smartphone apps can be a tool to facilitate independent medication management among persons with developmental disabilities. At present, multiple medication management apps exist in the market, but only 1 has been specifically designed for persons with developmental disabilities. Before initiating further app development targeting this population, input from stakeholders including persons with developmental disabilities, caregivers, and professionals regarding the most preferred features should be obtained.

Objective: The aim of this study was to identify medication management app features that are suitable to promote independence in the medication management process by young adults with developmental disabilities using a Delphi consensus …

Crossing The Digital Divide: Monism, Dualism And The Reason Collective Action Is Critical For Cyber Theory Production, Christopher Whyte

L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs Publications

In studying topics in cyber conflict and cyber-security governance, scholars must ask—arguably more so than has been the case with any other emergent research agenda—where the epistemological and ontological value of different methods lies. This article describes the unique, dual methodological challenges inherent in the multifaceted program on global cyber-security and asks how problematic they are for scholarly efforts to construct knowledge about digital dynamics in world affairs. I argue that any answer to this question will vary depending on how one perceives the social science enterprise. While traditional dualistic perspectives on social science imply unique challenges for researcher, a …

Ramerican Political Science Review (Vol. 3, 2018)

Ramerican Political Science Review

Letter from the Department of Political Science -- To What Extent Will Peaceful Korean Reunification Impact Both the North and South Korean Economies? / Hayne Noh -- The Impact of Gender Mainstreaming on Sexual Exploitation and Abuse by UN Peacekeepers / Katilyn Thomas -- Bangladesh and Its Quest to Become A Middle Income Country: An Evaluation of the Relationship Between Higher Education in Women and Economic Development / Thomas Fratkin -- Framing Bias and Identity Characteristics in the Portrayal of Terrorists in American News Media / Saffeya Ahmed -- The “Drone Memo” and the Targeted Killing of Anwar al-Aulaqi / …

Virginia Dental Journal (Vol. 95, No. 3, 2018)

Virginia Dental Journal

No abstract provided.

Training Neurodegenerative Disease Support Group Leaders: A New Support Group Functioning Scale, Therese V. Cash, Christopher Kilbourn, Sarah K. Lageman

Neurology Publications

Support group leaders play pivotal roles in maintaining healthy community support groups; however, these leaders also have personal support needs and typically lack formal training in managing complex behaviors of neurodegenerative disorders. A support group well-being questionnaire, assessing support group functioning, was developed and piloted among participants of an educational training program designed for support group leaders of various neurodegenerative disorder-specific support groups. An exploratory factor analysis evaluated the questionnaire’s psychometric properties and identified a reliable single factor five-item solution, which was titled the Support Group Functioning Scale (SGFS). Preliminary interpretation guidelines were proposed. Development of this scale is a …

An Assessment Of Health Disparities Among A Community Sample Of Lgbq College Students, Ashlee Sawyer, Paul Perrin, Eric Benotsch

Psychology Publications

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer (LGBQ) individuals are a marginalized population in the United States, and this status places them at a greater risk for adverse health outcomes, such as tobacco and substance use, obesity, cancer, sexually-transmitted infections, violence, mental health issues, and suicide. The present study used individual- and microsystem-level data from the American College Health Association (ACHA)-National College Health Assessment (NCHA) to compose a risk assessment for LGBQ students at a mid-Atlantic university. The study incorporated various levels of the ecological social model in an analysis of potentially influential factors on the development of LGBQ health disparities. 856 …

Study Protocol For Investigating Physician Communication Behaviours That Link Physician Implicit Racial Bias And Patient Outcomes In Black Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Using An Exploratory Sequential Mixed Methods Design, Nao Hagiwara, Briana Mezuk, Jennifer Elston Lafata, Scott R. Vrana, Michael D. Fetters

Psychology Publications

Introduction Patient-physician racial discordance is associated with Black patient reports of dissatisfaction and mistrust, which in turn are associated with poor adherence to treatment recommendations and underutilisation of healthcare. Research further has shown that patient dissatisfaction and mistrust are magnified particularly when physicians hold high levels of implicit racial bias. This suggests that physician implicit racial bias manifests in their communication behaviours during medical interactions. The overall goal of this research is to identify physician communication behaviours that link physician implicit racial bias and Black patient immediate (patient-reported satisfaction and trust) and long-term outcomes (eg, medication adherence, self-management and healthcare …

Triangulating Abuse Liability Assessment For Flavoured Cigar Products Using Physiological, Behavioural Economic And Subjective Assessments: A Within-Subjects Clinical Laboratory Protocol, Catherine S. Wall, Rose S. Bono, Rebecca C. Lester, Cosima Hoetger, Thokozeni Lipato, Mignonne C. Guy, Thomas E. Eissenberg, Warren K. Bickel, Andrew J. Barnes, Caroline O. Cobb

Health Policy Publications

Introduction
In the USA, Food and Drug Administration regulations prohibit the sale of flavoured cigarettes, with menthol being the exception. However, the manufacture, advertisement and sale of flavoured cigar products are permitted. Such flavourings influence positive perceptions of tobacco products and are linked to increased use. Flavourings may mask the taste of tobacco and enhance smoke inhalation, influencing toxicant exposure and abuse liability among novice tobacco users. Using clinical laboratory methods, this study investigates how flavour availability affects measures of abuse liability in young adult cigarette smokers. The specific aims are to evaluate the effect of cigar flavours on nicotine …

Demographic Variations In Achievement Goal Orientations Among Prisoners On Formal And Vocational Training In Uganda, Irene Aheisibwe, Aloysius Rukundo

Journal of Prison Education and Reentry (2014-2023)

Educating Prisoners has become a worldwide concern as a measure that can save community costs associated with criminal behavior. In Uganda, there is low participation in formal and vocational training among prisoners which can be associated with lack of knowledge on achievement goal orientations. This is central for adequate implementation of academic and vocational education in prisons, otherwise it may lead to wasted Government initiative and commitment on education as a rehabilitation strategy for prisoners. The purpose of the study was to assess demographic variations in achievement goal orientations among prisoners on formal and vocational training in Uganda.

This study …

Breastfeeding As A Mechanism To Reduce Postpartum Depression With Weight As A Major Contributing Factor In Hispanic Women, Celia Wilson

AUCTUS: The Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship

Postpartum Depression (PPD) is the most common childbearing-related illness around the globe affecting both mothers and their children; yet minimal longitudinal research has been done to study the effect of depressive symptomatology on breastfeeding. This study analyzes how the benefits of breastfeeding past six months, postpartum, can be used as a treatment mechanism for postpartum depression (PPD) with the major contributing factor of gestational weight gain (GWG) in Hispanic women recently immigrated to the United States. I investigated journal articles in four main domains: the likelihood of women presenting with depressive symptomatology as a result of weight gain to initiate …

Hip Hop, Religion And The Youth Of Romania: A Preliminary Study, Oana Alexandra Chirilă, Cassandra D. Chaney

Journal of Hip Hop Studies

For the past two decades, Hip Hop has attained a significant presence in Romania. The fall of Communism as well as growing social unrest has led a growing number of Hip Hop artists to incorporate strong Orthodox and nationalist messages into their lyrics. However, not all Hip Hop fans advocate this stance. This essay argues for an investigation of how Romanian youth respond to the religious and spiritual lyrics in Hip Hop. This mixed-methods study examines whether Romanian youth gravitate toward "spiritual-oriented messages or religious-oriented messages" and are thus, "hardcore listeners" or "casual listeners." The results of the study highlight …

"Is There A Heaven For A Gangsta?": Hip Hop, Spirituality, And Heaven, Cassandra D. Chaney

Journal of Hip Hop Studies

A content analysis was conducted on the lyrics of 24 Hip Hop songs to identify how Black male Hip Hop artists discuss heaven. The songs were released between 1993 and 2015 and phenomenology was the theoretical foundation on which the themes were identified. I propose that Black Hip Hop artists create a heaven that reflects their own experiences, values, and traditions, envision a heaven where the weak and oppressed receive vindication from the indignities suffered on earth as well as a way to connect with dead loved ones. Essentially, Black Hip Hop artists’ expressions of heaven acknowledge racial experiences, demonstrates …

The Use Of Rhyme, Rhythm, And Melody As A Form Of Repetition Priming To Aid In Encoding, Storage, And Retrieval Of Semantic Memories In Alzheimer’S Patients, Faiz Plastikwala

AUCTUS: The Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship

Millions are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease annually which can have debilitating effects on patient memory. Thus, finding new ways to help facilitate memory in these patients, especially through non-pharmaceutical means, has become increasingly important. I examined the use of melody, rhyme, and rhythm as encoding mechanisms to aid in the retrieval of long term semantic information by juxtaposing scholarly articles detailing experiments, each of which examined the effects of various facets of memory facilitation; this helped produce an idea of which devices are most effective. Additionally, I surveyed studies highlighting limitations of song implementation to craft an effective plan to …

Submission Or Subversion: Women With Shaved Hair In Media, Thea Cheuk

AUCTUS: The Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship

“It is quite obvious that the shaving of heads fundamentally damages the physical and moral integrity of those people for whom it was intended,” Fabrice Virgili asserts in his book Shorn Women: Gender and Punishment in Liberation France (135). For centuries, hair has been held as a standard of feminine beauty, therefore a lack of it has a long and storied history as well. Records of head shaving as a form of punishment for women can be traced back to Ancient Greek and Roman times. Shaving a woman’s head was a sign of sin and shame, and stripped them of …

Racial Prioritization In Black-White Relationships, Nia Tariq

AUCTUS: The Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship

The utilization of race as a proxy for evaluating different characteristics of others contains risk because it results in stereotyping and potential alienation of individuals from negatively judged groups. This concept motivated me to uncover the extent to which race affects intimate relationships amongst the historically opposed groups of blacks and whites in the United States. I am studying the historic racially-driven marginalization of blacks and the resulting relationship to recent dating and marriage patterns between black-white interracial pairs. I want to find out why the socioeconomic advantage held by whites is transmutated into dating culture, in order to understand …

How Personal Names Shape The Way Society Sees People As Individuals In The United States., Rand Gabriel M. Buenaventura

UROP Posters

In a world where people are disadvantaged by first impressions and implicit bias, names factor a lot into a person’s successes in life. Whether it be first names, last names, the number of middle initials, the gender and racial implications of a person’s name, and societal standards surrounding names and naming systems, there are multiple ways names shape a person’s identity. Thus, it is important to ask how personal names shape the way people are seen as individuals in the United States and contribute to their identity. Names are a trait that people are born with, usually determined before anything …

Effects Of Nostalgia On Responses To Negative Feedback, Michaela K. Avino, Thomas Cotter, Simron Richard, Athena Cairo, Jeffrey Green

UROP Posters

Nostalgia is a bittersweet emotion evoked by memories of cherished personal experiences. Though nostalgia is a self-focused emotion, it has many interpersonal effects as well. Feeling nostalgia increases feelings of social connectedness and self esteem, and may protect against negative effects of existential threat (Wildschut et al., 2006). However, less is known about the extent to which nostalgia relates to anger and aggression. We hypothesized that nostalgia would buffer against the effect of negative feedback on feelings of anger and motivation to aggress. Undergraduate students wrote about a nostalgic or objective memory, and then received negative feedback about another personal …

Community Engagement For Health And Wellness In Aging Populations: Institute For Inclusion, Inquiry, And Innovation (Icubed), Naziirah Vines

UROP Posters

The Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Institute for Inclusion, Inquiry and Innovation (iCubed) is a cutting-edge institute focused on creating collaborative connections between the university and Richmond through innovative academic and research programs. iCubed consists of six transdisciplinary cores which unite faculty members and students to work with key community members to develop holistic solutions to 21st century urban challenges. One of these cores, the Health and Wellness in Aging Populations (HWAP) core, was designed to educate and assist low-income older adults in becoming self-sufficient in navigating healthcare services. The HWAP core is centered within the Richmond Health and Wellness Program, …