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Parental And Family Predictors Of Adolescent Weight Loss And Health Change In A Multidisciplinary Obesity Intervention, Jacqueline Woods May 2012

Parental And Family Predictors Of Adolescent Weight Loss And Health Change In A Multidisciplinary Obesity Intervention, Jacqueline Woods

Theses and Dissertations

The home environment, parental health attitudes, and parental diet and exercise behaviors have been associated with childhood obesity. The current study utilized a family systems framework to examine the effect of these variables on weight and health changes in a primarily Black sample of 530 parent-adolescent dyads enrolled in a multidisciplinary weight loss intervention. Parent-reported psychosocial variables and demographic information were used to test models predicting changes in adolescents’ body mass index, cholesterol, and percentage body fat over the first six months of the intervention. The effect of parent participation in a psycho-education parent group on adolescent health outcomes was …


The Dragons In Your Dreams, Jacquelyn Walther May 2012

The Dragons In Your Dreams, Jacquelyn Walther

Theses and Dissertations

What if every craving that you ever felt stayed with you forever? Suppose facades couldn’t exist, and what should only be the deepest, densest core of a desire was formed into a mass, a body. Its will matching yours in its physical presence. I make creatures that are embodiments of emotions. In this study I mainly focus on desires and inhibitions surrounding romance. I explore anatomical structures and how material make-up can directly reflect emotional character. In this exploration, the materiality of clay allows for a thorough manipulation of the composition of the creatures. In this I am also able …


Reflections On Sexuality, Sensuality, And Painting, Loie Hollowell May 2012

Reflections On Sexuality, Sensuality, And Painting, Loie Hollowell

Theses and Dissertations

The written component of my thesis will take the form of an extended artist statement in which I discuss all six paintings included in my thesis exhibition. A major theme of my work is sexuality, specifically female sexuality. This thesis will begin by looking at the three miniature paintings that spearheaded the investigation of this theme. I will examine the generalized and personal feminist symbolism that these paintings contain. The two works that followed the miniatures are depictions of sexual interactions between my husband and myself. I will explain the significance of my depictions and relate them to the work …


Reckless Hope, Jesse Potts May 2012

Reckless Hope, Jesse Potts

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is an approximation of several years spent in the studio. It represents an equitable exercise of memory and speculation.


Identification Of Latent Subgroups Of Obese Adolescents Enrolled In A Healthy Weight Management Program, Cassie Brode May 2012

Identification Of Latent Subgroups Of Obese Adolescents Enrolled In A Healthy Weight Management Program, Cassie Brode

Theses and Dissertations

In obesity research, it is assumed that the population is homogeneous. While this approach has yielded important insights, testing this supposition might reveal information that could impact our understanding of the phenomena and its treatment. In this study, data from obese teenagers (N = 248, Mean BMI percentile = 99%; Mean age = 13.9, SD = 1.8) who were predominantly minority (n = 182), female (n = 169), and enrolled in a weight loss intervention were analyzed. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was used to segment patients into groups based on their scores on PedsQL 4.0 scales (physical-, emotional-, social-, and …


Efficacy Of Reach Forgiveness For Foreign And Virginia Students, Yin Lin May 2012

Efficacy Of Reach Forgiveness For Foreign And Virginia Students, Yin Lin

Theses and Dissertations

People agree that forgiveness is a virtue in essentially all countries. However, different cultures have different ideas about how willing one should forgive and under what circumstances. Although the study occurred in the USA, I recruited both foreign-extraction and Virginia born-and-raised female college students (N=102) to participate a six-hour REACH forgiveness intervention, promoting their forgiveness through psychoeducational groups. In my thesis, I investigated whether students of foreign extraction and Virginia-born students would respond similarly to the intervention. I operationalized culture in two ways—by country and by individual self-reported self-construal. I measured forgiveness using two measures—decisional forgiveness and emotional forgiveness. I …


The Three Principles (For -2012), Nikolai Noel May 2012

The Three Principles (For -2012), Nikolai Noel

Theses and Dissertations

Utilizing alchemy as an allegory for the political, social, cultural history and present of the Caribbean, I discuss critical themes, approaches, methodologies their development, application and evidence in my thinking and art practice.


Predictors Of Sexual Relationship Power, Communication And Sexual Decision Making Among Latino Couples, Yui Matsuda May 2012

Predictors Of Sexual Relationship Power, Communication And Sexual Decision Making Among Latino Couples, Yui Matsuda

Theses and Dissertations

Unintended pregnancy (UP) is increasing among Latinos in the United States. Unintended pregnancy contributes to many negative consequences for infants, mothers and families. Concurrently, various factors affect Latino couples’ sexual relationship power, communication and decision making about family planning, including sexual relationship power, relationship commitment, dyadic adjustment, individual background, and cultural characteristics. Previous research has not focused on understanding the factors that affect Latino couples’ sexual relationship power, communication and sexual decision making from each partner’s perspective. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between sexual relationship power, communication, and sexual decision making from each partner’s perspective …


Multisource Feedback Leadership Ratings: Analyzing For Measurement Invariance And Comparing Rater Group Implicit Leadership Theories, Kim Gower May 2012

Multisource Feedback Leadership Ratings: Analyzing For Measurement Invariance And Comparing Rater Group Implicit Leadership Theories, Kim Gower

Theses and Dissertations

This research outlines a conceptual framework and data analysis process to examine multisource feedback (MSF) rater group differences from a leadership assessment survey, after testing the measures for equivalence. MSF gathers and compares ratings from supervisors, peer, followers and self and is the predominant leadership assessment tool in the United States. The results of MSF determine significant professional outcomes such as leadership development opportunities, promotions and compensation. An underlying belief behind the extensive use of MSF is that each rater group has a different set of implicit leadership theories (ILTs) they use when assessing the leader, and therefore each group …


Combining Electrospun Polydioxanone Scaffolds, Schwann Cells, And Matrigel To Improve Functional Recovery After A Complete Spinal Cord Transection In Rats, Ashok Kannan May 2012

Combining Electrospun Polydioxanone Scaffolds, Schwann Cells, And Matrigel To Improve Functional Recovery After A Complete Spinal Cord Transection In Rats, Ashok Kannan

Theses and Dissertations

Spinal cord injury (SCI) has presented itself as a multifaceted pathology that is largely inhibitory to regeneration, and therefore to functional recovery, even though spinal cord neurons have been found to be innately regenerative. Thus, having identified the key players in the inhibition of this innate regeneration, SCI researchers have focused on two major types of approaches: (1) blocking inhibitory cues and (2) promoting innate regeneration. Schwann cells (SCs) have long been shown to promote and enhance functional recovery after SCI through providing supplemental myelination and trophic and tropic factors to regenerating axons, though singular approaches rarely address the complex …


Blurring The Lines Of Traditional Gender Roles: Beliefs Of African American Women, Jasmine Abrams May 2012

Blurring The Lines Of Traditional Gender Roles: Beliefs Of African American Women, Jasmine Abrams

Theses and Dissertations

Gender role beliefs of African American women in the United States should be investigated in a manner that considers their unique experiences and the distinct background of her cultural sharing group. In this study, gender role beliefs of African American women were examined by addressing the research question: What are the gender role beliefs of African American women for African American men and women? Eight focus groups comprising 44 African American women were conducted. Women were diverse in terms of age, religion, and socio-economic status. An ethnographic phenomenological approach was used to explore views related to gender roles among African …


Evaluation Of Psychological Services Provied In A University-Based Primary Care Clinic, Elizabeth Sadock May 2012

Evaluation Of Psychological Services Provied In A University-Based Primary Care Clinic, Elizabeth Sadock

Theses and Dissertations

Primary care clinics are increasingly integrating psychological services into their service programs; however few studies have provided quantitative data to support these services. This study served as a program evaluation of the psychological services provided at the Ambulatory Care Clinic at the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center in Richmond, Virginia. It includes: 1) a description of the program, including types of patients served, their presenting problems, and treatments administered and 2) evidence of the impact of mental health services on primary care patients’ emotional adjustment and progress on behavioral goals. Data on exposure to stressful life events and intake and …


Mapping Women's Movement In Medieval England, Claire Clement May 2012

Mapping Women's Movement In Medieval England, Claire Clement

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates women’s geographical movement in medieval England from the perspective of mobility and freedom. It uses pilgrimage accounts from medieval miracle story collections and to gather information about individual travel patterns. The study uses GIS to analyze gendered mobility patterns, and to investigate whether there were noticeable differences in the distance which men and women traveled and the geographical area of the country they originated. It also analyzes the nearness of men’s and women’s respective origin towns to alternative pilgrimage locations, as a means of examining the factors determining gendered travel mobility. The study finds that women’s travel …


The Reciprocal Relation Between Maternal Depressive Symptomatology And Adolescents’ Aggression: The Role Of Parenting Practices And Family Functioning, Kelly Pugh May 2012

The Reciprocal Relation Between Maternal Depressive Symptomatology And Adolescents’ Aggression: The Role Of Parenting Practices And Family Functioning, Kelly Pugh

Theses and Dissertations

Research on family influences on adolescents’ aggression has revealed a relation between maternal depressive symptoms and adolescents’ frequency of aggression. A recent cross-sectional study of these relations (Pugh & Farrell, 2011) indicated that maternal depressive symptoms had a significant relation with teachers,’ students,’ and mothers’ reports of adolescents’ aggression. This effect was mediated by parenting practices and family functioning. The cross-sectional designs used in previous studies examining relations between maternal depressive symptoms and adolescents’ aggression make it difficult to draw clear inferences regarding the causal nature of this association. The present study used longitudinal data across five waves of data …


Commonwealth Times 2012-04-30 Apr 2012

Commonwealth Times 2012-04-30

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.


Law Enforcement Intelligence Recruiting Confidential Informants Within “Religion-Abusing Terrorist Networks”, Hursit Ucak Apr 2012

Law Enforcement Intelligence Recruiting Confidential Informants Within “Religion-Abusing Terrorist Networks”, Hursit Ucak

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the motivation factors that make some individuals (terrorists) confidential informants. The study is based on the assumptions of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and Herzberg’s motivation-hygiene theories. Accordingly, main assumption of the present study is that some individuals with unsatisfied needs in religion-abusing terrorist (RAT) networks choose to become confidential informants to satisfy their predominant needs. The main hypothesis for the purpose of this study is “The individuals’ decision-making processes to cooperate with law enforcement intelligence (LEI) as a confidential informant is affected by some motivation factors during recruitment process.” The present study tests 27 hypotheses in order …


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.


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 …


The Effect Of The Advanced Placement Training And Incentive Program On Increasing Enrollment And Performance On Advanced Placement Science Exams, Susan Ramsey Apr 2012

The Effect Of The Advanced Placement Training And Incentive Program On Increasing Enrollment And Performance On Advanced Placement Science Exams, Susan Ramsey

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of the National Math and Science Initiative’s Advanced Placement Training and Incentive Program (APTIP) on the number of students taking AP science courses and their performance. The study evaluated 39 schools over a six-year period in six states that participate in the APTIP. The National Math and Science Initiative provided data for cohort I. A general linear model for repeated measures was used to evaluate the data. Data was evaluated three years prior to the intervention and three years during the intervention, which will actually continue for two more years …


Improving Nutrition In Toddlers And Preschool Children With Cystic Fibrosis: Behavioral Parent Training Intervention, Shannon Estelle Hourigan Apr 2012

Improving Nutrition In Toddlers And Preschool Children With Cystic Fibrosis: Behavioral Parent Training Intervention, Shannon Estelle Hourigan

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this single-case study was to pilot a developmentally sensitive adaptation of an evidence-based intervention aimed at improving nutrition in children with cystic fibrosis (CF). Children with CF must adhere to a high-calorie diet to prevent malnutrition and maintain health. Toddler and preschool age children present a unique feeding challenge to parents as they begin to exert independence and exhibit a variety of challenging behaviors. Parents trying to adhere to CF nutrition guidelines often use ineffective strategies that inadvertently encourage children not to eat. This six-week group parent-training intervention combined nutrition and behavior elements to provide parents with …


Design Invites Stories: A Mental Health Facility, Christina Lee Waters Apr 2012

Design Invites Stories: A Mental Health Facility, Christina Lee Waters

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis documents the design process for an out-patient mental health facility for veterans of war. Here are some questions that drove my design work. How are stories told in design? How are stories generated from users within a designed space? Can users participate in contributing to a space's design? Many structures create psychological stories through graphics, color, and layout to involve users in their procedures. For example, commercial retailers will setup a story line to promote a more personalized connection with their customers which encourages repeat business, while places of worship also use this narrative strategy to evoke a …


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.


Perceived Social Attributes Of College Students With Ideal Versus Non-Ideal Dental Esthetics Judged By Peers., David Jones Apr 2012

Perceived Social Attributes Of College Students With Ideal Versus Non-Ideal Dental Esthetics Judged By Peers., David Jones

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of dentofacial appearance on perceived social attributes of college-aged adult males and females as judged by their peers. Specifically, the objective was to determine if ideal smile esthetics positively influenced this age group’s perception of opposite-sex peers based on ratings of the following psychosocial characteristics: attractiveness, desire to spend time with, desire to date, and desire for a long-term relationship. Evaluators were shown digital photographs of subjects with ideal and nonideal smiles and asked to rate those 4 attributes using a visual analogue scale (VAS). The subjects’ photographs with ideal …


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. …


Associations Between Binge Eating And Executive Functioning Among Young Women, Nichole Kelly Apr 2012

Associations Between Binge Eating And Executive Functioning Among Young Women, Nichole Kelly

Theses and Dissertations

Binge eating is a pervasive disordered eating behavior associated with numerous psychological and physical comorbidities. Preliminary research indicates that emotion regulation difficulties, behavioral impulsivity, and executive dysfunction may contribute to the onset and/or maintenance of these behaviors. However, few studies have utilized neuropsychological measures to examine this link, and the assessment of behavioral and cognitive emotion regulation strategies are limited in scope. The purpose of the current study was to gain a deeper understanding of the emotional, behavioral and cognitive processes associated with binge eating behavior. Greater clarity regarding how these factors relate to binge eating is critical to the …


The Social Work Perspective On English Language Learners Entering Special Education, Kerry Fay Vandergrift Apr 2012

The Social Work Perspective On English Language Learners Entering Special Education, Kerry Fay Vandergrift

Theses and Dissertations

Grounded theory was used to examine the social work perspective on English language learners (ELLs) entering special education. Fourteen interviews were conducted with 11 current school social workers from seven counties and cities in Virginia. The resulting theory is that the core variable, supporting ELLs, is the best attempt to resolve the main concern, the disconnect between the needs of ELLs and the resources available to them. This grounded theory suggests social workers and other school personnel can support ELLs and avoid an inappropriate referral to special education through: (1) culturally and linguistically appropriate assessment outside of the special education …


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, …


“The Nonmusical Message Will Endure With It:” The Changing Reputation And Legacy Of John Powell (1882-1963), Karen Adam Apr 2012

“The Nonmusical Message Will Endure With It:” The Changing Reputation And Legacy Of John Powell (1882-1963), Karen Adam

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the changing reputation and legacy of John Powell (1882-1963). Powell was a Virginian-born pianist, composer, and ardent Anglo-Saxon supremacist who created musical propaganda to support racial purity and to define the United States as an exclusively Anglo-Saxon nation. Although he once enjoyed international fame, he has largely disappeared from the public consciousness today. In contrast, the legacies of many of Powell’s musical contemporaries, such as Charles Ives and George Gershwin, have remained vigorous. By examining the ways in which the public has perceived and portrayed Powell both during and after his lifetime, this thesis links Powell’s obscurity …


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 …


Dismemory: On History, The Southern Imaginary, And Abusing The Visual Record, Matthew Pendleton Shelton Apr 2012

Dismemory: On History, The Southern Imaginary, And Abusing The Visual Record, Matthew Pendleton Shelton

Theses and Dissertations

Using the literary device of a fictional interview between the artist and a sympathetic intellectual, I explore concepts relating to subjectivity, pedagogy, memory, “Southernness,” whiteness, the deceptive nature of images, social justice, and 20th century art as they relate to a contemporary artistic practice.