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The Effect Of Esthetic Crown Lengthening On Perceptions Of A Patient’S Attractiveness, Friendliness, Trustworthiness, Intelligence, And Self-Confidence, Samuel Lyon Malkinson Apr 2012

The Effect Of Esthetic Crown Lengthening On Perceptions Of A Patient’S Attractiveness, Friendliness, Trustworthiness, Intelligence, And Self-Confidence, Samuel Lyon Malkinson

Theses and Dissertations

BACKGROUND: Smile esthetics play a major role in the perception of a person’s attractiveness, as well as other social parameters. The study aim was to see if altering the gingival display of patients would affect perceptions of the aforementioned social parameters. METHODS: Smiling photographs were taken and then digitally altered so as to lengthen the teeth and reduce the amount of gingiva. These photographs were shown to a group of senior dental students, and a group of evaluators with no formal dental training. Groups were asked to rate each picture’s attractiveness, friendliness, trustworthiness, intelligence, and self-confidence. RESULTS: The digitally altered …


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 …


Blues Trope As A Cultural Intersection In Alice Walker's The Temple Of My Familiar And Sherman Alexie's Reservation Blues, Julia Leuthardt Apr 2012

Blues Trope As A Cultural Intersection In Alice Walker's The Temple Of My Familiar And Sherman Alexie's Reservation Blues, Julia Leuthardt

Theses and Dissertations

Though bound historically through hundreds of years, the African-Native American relation has not received much attention by scholars of literature; hence, the emphasis of this thesis is to investigate the literary portrayal of the interethnic relation between African Americans and Native Americans through the blues trope. The blues trope provides an intriguing literary platform for the psychological and physical struggles in finding an identity within such a diverse multiethnic society like the United States. For African American writer Alice Walker and Native American author Sherman Alexie the blues trope is a successful literary device in expressing long lost and rediscovered …


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 …


Dispositional Mindfulness And Cardiovascular Functioning Under Stress: Predictions Of Social Evaluative Stress Reactivity And Recovery, Melissa P. Holt Apr 2012

Dispositional Mindfulness And Cardiovascular Functioning Under Stress: Predictions Of Social Evaluative Stress Reactivity And Recovery, Melissa P. Holt

Theses and Dissertations

Mindfulness – a receptive attentiveness to present experience – has been shown to promote more adaptive emotion regulation (Brown et al. 2008). Additionally, dispositional mindfulness has been shown to predict reduced cortisol response to social stressors (Brown et al, in press) and mindfulness training has been shown to promote more adaptive cardiac functioning at rest (Ditto et al., 2006; Tang et al., 2009; Telles et al., 2005; Zeidan et al., 2010) and in response to social stressors (Kemeny et al., 2012). To better understand the regulatory potential of a mindful disposition on cardiovascular functioning in healthy adult participants (N = …


A Brief Problem-Solving Intervention For Caregivers Of Children With Cancer, Jennifer Lamanna Apr 2012

A Brief Problem-Solving Intervention For Caregivers Of Children With Cancer, Jennifer Lamanna

Theses and Dissertations

OBJECTIVE: Pediatric cancer treatment is stressful for caregivers. Research has indicated that problem-solving coping reduces stress related to caregiving. The current study examines the effects of a problem-solving intervention (Parent Empowerment Program), based on Problem-Solving Therapy, for caregivers of children on active cancer treatment. It was hypothesized that participants who received the intervention would show decreases in caregiving stress and posttraumatic stress symptoms, and increases in problem-solving ability between baseline and post-test assessments compared to those who received an attention control. METHOD: Thirty-nine caregivers (all parents; 48% participation rate) participated. The majority were mothers (90%), married or partnered (59%) and …


Attitudinal Responses To Mixed Evidence: The Role Of Attitude Extremity And Political Ideology In Effecting Change Versus Resistance, Jessica Barber Apr 2012

Attitudinal Responses To Mixed Evidence: The Role Of Attitude Extremity And Political Ideology In Effecting Change Versus Resistance, Jessica Barber

Theses and Dissertations

Four studies investigated the effects of attitude extremity and political ideology on the degree and direction of changes in issue attitudes following the presentation of mixed evidence. Based upon previous work, it was predicted that those holding relatively more extreme attitudes would resist changing those views when presented with a mixture of supporting and opposing statements and would potentially adopt more extreme evaluative positions – a phenomenon known as attitude polarization (Lord, Ross, & Lepper, 1979). Evaluative entrenchment or intensification was also expected among more politically conservative participants, based upon prior work describing cognitive rigidity and resistance to change as …


Performing Tennessee Williams, Augustine Correro Iii Apr 2012

Performing Tennessee Williams, Augustine Correro Iii

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is dedicated to illustrating the unique challenges of staging works by the playwright Tennessee Williams, and to making suggestions on how to avoid common pitfalls in production, performance, and direction of his plays. It uses evidence from the playwright’s various biographical works as well as insight and conjecture from the author’s experience to illuminate these challenges and help the reader to avoid hackneyed or ineffective staging practices. It touches on the effect of film adaptations on stage performances; the typical portrayal of American Southern characters onstage; the aural ramifications of Williams’s poetry to a now-visually-centered audience; stylistic elements …


Method In Motion: Grounding A Movement Pedagogy In The Lessons Of Stanislavski, Kevin Inouye Apr 2012

Method In Motion: Grounding A Movement Pedagogy In The Lessons Of Stanislavski, Kevin Inouye

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is an exploration of movement pedagogy as a continuation of basic acting lessons from Stanislavski. Using the example of an introductory semester of movement instruction, physical acting and movement concepts are explained in terms of their connection to and derivation from universally accepted acting terminology and ideas. This is put forth as a way to facilitate the synthesis of movement instruction with other acting curriculum, as well as providing a new way to view some familiar acting concepts. Several specific examples are explored in more depth as case studies in physical equivalents to the intellectual, visual, or emotional …


Evaluating The Acute Effects Of Caffeinated Waterpipe Tobacco In Waterpipe Users, Caroline Cobb Apr 2012

Evaluating The Acute Effects Of Caffeinated Waterpipe Tobacco In Waterpipe Users, Caroline Cobb

Theses and Dissertations

Caffeine and nicotine are the two most commonly consumed licit psychoactive drugs in the world. In addition, they are frequently co-administered with over 86% of cigarette smokers reporting caffeine use versus 77% of non-smokers. Research suggests the combination of nicotine and caffeine produces effects that are more rewarding or pleasurable than either drug alone, and this potential reward enhancement may influence patterns of tobacco use initiation and maintenance. Waterpipe tobacco smoking is an alternative tobacco use method that is increasing in prevalence in the U.S. and offers a novel opportunity for nicotine and caffeine co-administration via a caffeinated tobacco product …


Commonwealth Times 2012-04-19 Apr 2012

Commonwealth Times 2012-04-19

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.


The Play's The Thing: An Examination Of Play's Role In The Cognitive Development Of Adolescents, Ian Scheu Apr 2012

The Play's The Thing: An Examination Of Play's Role In The Cognitive Development Of Adolescents, Ian Scheu

Theses and Dissertations

The study explored the relationship of play and development in adolescents. It was developed to determine if play in adolescents has a cognitive developmental purpose. The research design was a quantitative study with qualitative elements. The design of the study consisted two groups of participants who engaged in either a computer program to test cognitive skills or a computer game which contains the same tests. The participants (N = 216) were adolescent males and females (ages 12-19) from urban mid-Atlantic Catholic high schools. After vetting the data, the total was N = 167 and only included males (ages 14-19). The …


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 …


Choosing Surgical Birth: Personal Choice And Medical Jurisdiction, Alexandria Vasquez Apr 2012

Choosing Surgical Birth: Personal Choice And Medical Jurisdiction, Alexandria Vasquez

Theses and Dissertations

This is an exploratory study of women’s childbearing decisions and outcomes in non-medically indicated cesarean section childbirths (CS). Focusing on the structure-agency dichotomy, the research is guided by Anthony Giddens’ theory of structuration used in the context of the medicalization framework in order to analyze elements of personal choice and medical jurisdiction in childbearing methods. Quantitative analysis of secondary data and a thematic content analysis of Internet forums are conducted in order to analyze women’s perceptions of autonomy and constraint in their childbearing decisions and outcomes. The findings suggest that the polarization between second- and third wave feminist critiques on …


The Eliza-Higgins Model: The Ideology, Rapport And Methods Of Dialect Acquisition, Stacey Cabaj Apr 2012

The Eliza-Higgins Model: The Ideology, Rapport And Methods Of Dialect Acquisition, Stacey Cabaj

Theses and Dissertations

George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion (1912) and its musical adaptation, My Fair Lady (1956) offer 20th century’s most famous example of dialect acquisition: the transformation of Eliza Doolittle under the tutelage of Professor Henry Higgins. The opportunity to work on Barksdale Theatre’s production of My Fair Lady (2012), both as the actress playing Eliza Doolittle and as a dialect coach for the production, prompted an analysis of the dialect pedagogy of Henry Higgins. The centenary of Pygmalion is also a prime juncture to document, in contrast or complement to Higgins’ model, contemporary theories and techniques of dialect pedagogy. Chapter one of …


Effect Of Local Anesthesia On Postoperative Pain With General Anesthesia, Belinda Campbell Apr 2012

Effect Of Local Anesthesia On Postoperative Pain With General Anesthesia, Belinda Campbell

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine if the use of local anesthesia with general anesthesia results in less postoperative pain. The alternative hypothesis is that children will experience less postoperative discomfort when utilizing intraligamental local anesthetic during the intra-operative time period. Methods: Patients were recruited for this single blind, randomized, prospective cohort study with the following inclusion criteria: English speaking children age 3-6 years, ASA I/II requiring general anesthesia for dental treatment. Randomization was done to place patients in groups of no local anesthetic vs. local anesthetic administration. A Wong-Baker Faces Pain Scale was utilized to evaluate …


Commonwealth Times 2012-04-16 Apr 2012

Commonwealth Times 2012-04-16

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.


Exploring The Social Determinants Of Sexually Transmitted Disease And High-Risk Sexual Behaviors, River Pugsley Apr 2012

Exploring The Social Determinants Of Sexually Transmitted Disease And High-Risk Sexual Behaviors, River Pugsley

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract 1: A multi-level assessment of disproportionate population sex ratios and high-risk sexual behaviors among STD clinic patients Low male-to-female sex ratios in a population may influence high-risk sexual behaviors, such as multiple sex partners and inconsistent condom use, which facilitate the transmission of STDs. This study used multi-level modeling to assess whether population sex ratios were associated with these two individual-level behaviors. All analyses were stratified by gender. Interview data were collected from patients (N = 9,203, 48% male) attending participating STD clinics. Interviews included information on socio-demographics and sexual behavior, including number of sex partners in the previous …


Unaccompanied Refugee Minors And Their Strategies To Navigate A New World: A Grounded Theory, Justin Scott Lee Apr 2012

Unaccompanied Refugee Minors And Their Strategies To Navigate A New World: A Grounded Theory, Justin Scott Lee

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT UNACCOMPANIED REFUGEE MINORS AND THEIR STRATEGIES TO NAVIGATE A NEW WORLD: A GROUNDED THEORY By Justin Scott Lee A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2012 Chair: Pamela J. Kovacs, Ph.D. Associate Professor This study explored how unaccompanied refugee minors (URMs) define success. The population of URMs consists of individuals who, through forced migration from their country of origin, were resettled in the United States through the URM program. Little is known about the ways in which refugee adolescents view the resettlement process …


Workplace Discrimination And The Perception Of Disability, William Draper Apr 2012

Workplace Discrimination And The Perception Of Disability, William Draper

Theses and Dissertations

Decisions by the EEOC in favor of claimants perceived to have disabilities disproportionately exceeded those in favor of claimants with documented disabilities. This finding lends support to the assertion that unconscious/implicit bias is persistent in the workplace.


Poppies And Ptsd: Opioid Influence On A Preclincal Model Of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder., Sarah Vunck Apr 2012

Poppies And Ptsd: Opioid Influence On A Preclincal Model Of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder., Sarah Vunck

Theses and Dissertations

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that affects over 7.7 million adults and carries an estimated societal cost of $3.1 billion every year. People develop PTSD after exposure to a traumatic event. Alone or combined, approved pharmacotherapies or psychotherapy are somewhat effective, but symptoms for many remain refractory. Emerging evidence suggests that opiate systems may modulate the development and expression of PTSD, and their role can be investigated preclinically. Pavlovian fear conditioning is a preclinical model which elicits behaviors mirroring those that occur in humans during and after exposure to trauma. This presents an experimental tool that can …


Assessing The Effects Of Stress Resilience Training On Visual Discrimination Skills: Implications For Perceptual Resilience In U.S. Warfighters, Andrea Taylor Apr 2012

Assessing The Effects Of Stress Resilience Training On Visual Discrimination Skills: Implications For Perceptual Resilience In U.S. Warfighters, Andrea Taylor

Theses and Dissertations

Current military operational environments are highly improvised and constantly evolving, threatening the lives of U.S. warfighters. For instance, since 2001, 60% of all hostile casualties and 65% of hostile injuries in the Middle East theater have been attributed to improvised explosive devices (IEDs). IEDs are powerful physical weapons, and the stressful atmosphere they, and other operational challenges create, can also result in a range of psychological dysfunctions, including anxiety, depression, alcohol abuse, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Not only are these issues concerning for mental health reasons, they are also problematic in terms of combat performance. Extreme arousal (i.e., stress) …


The Portrait Prints Of Mehmed Ii, Saskia Turpijn Apr 2012

The Portrait Prints Of Mehmed Ii, Saskia Turpijn

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines four European portrait prints of Ottoman sultan Mehmed II, dated 1470 to 1493. At the center of this study is a formal and iconographical analysis that indicated all are rooted in traditional artistic conventions of both Western princely portraiture and stereotypical imagery of evil doers. Part of a feverish textual and visual discourse that was the result of great fear for the Ottoman aggression, they all adhere to a conventionalized type for the Eastern despot. The portraits employ to varying degrees a general pictorial language of evil, based on medieval folk imagery, that employed sartorial and physical …


Reducing Recidivism In Returning Offenders With Alcohol And Drug Related Offenses: Contracts For The Delivery Of Authentic Peer Based Recovery Support Services, Sarah Scarbrough Apr 2012

Reducing Recidivism In Returning Offenders With Alcohol And Drug Related Offenses: Contracts For The Delivery Of Authentic Peer Based Recovery Support Services, Sarah Scarbrough

Theses and Dissertations

In collaboration with Sheriff C. T. Woody, the Deputies and other jail personnel, Kingdom Life Ministries (KLM) operates in the City of Richmond Jail. Aimed at serving individuals who suffer from alcoholism and other drug addictions, KLM’s programs offer peer-to-peer recovery support services; meaning people who are successful in their recovery deliver the recovery message. On any given day, rehabilitation and recovery services are provided to 120 men in what used to be the worst tier of the Richmond City Jail. A large portion of these men battle substance abuse disorders and have exhibited habitual criminal behavior over an extended …


Commonwealth Times 2012-04-02 Apr 2012

Commonwealth Times 2012-04-02

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.


American Beauties: The Cult Of The Bosom In Early Republican Art And Society, Emily Gerhold Apr 2012

American Beauties: The Cult Of The Bosom In Early Republican Art And Society, Emily Gerhold

Theses and Dissertations

This interdisciplinary project offers new research to introduce the American cult of the bosom, which emerged in the years following the Revolutionary War and helped shape the discourse around women’s roles in the early republic. The cult of the bosom sought to shift the way in which the female body, and especially the bosom, was regarded and represented by identifying it as the locus of a number of positive qualities associated with women, including virtue, modesty, beauty, and grace. This shift constituted, in the minds of citizens, a significant way in which American culture honored and celebrated women. Additionally, the …


Light Affect, Brandon Irwin Mar 2012

Light Affect, Brandon Irwin

Theses and Dissertations

My faith is an important factor in my art making. I believe the ability to create is endowed by an original Creator. My work continues this initial creative legacy while confronting viewers with a storyline of beauty, truth, justice, and redemption. I am a realist oil painter devoted to portraiture and figurative work. Human form, gesture, and facial expression provide inexhaustible subject matter. I depict narratives from antiquity to the present day. Some of my paintings contain spiritual elements based on biblical writings presented in a contemporary context. I work from photos that I take of family, friends, and strangers …


Myelin Gene Expression: Implications For Alcohol Abuse And Dependence, Sean Farris Mar 2012

Myelin Gene Expression: Implications For Alcohol Abuse And Dependence, Sean Farris

Theses and Dissertations

Acute behavioral responses to ethanol have predictive value for determining an individual's risk of long-term drinking behavior. Although the neurobiology of alcohol abuse is complex, prior studies from our laboratory demonstrated differential myelin-associated gene expression (MAGE) in medial prefrontal cortex (PFC) as one potential mechanism influencing acute ethanol behaviors between C57BL/6J (B6) and DBA/2J (D2) mice. Our laboratory and others have also shown MAGE is reduced in PFC of alcoholics. Herein, I have extended these findings through expression profiling of PFC into chronic models of ethanol self-administration from non-human primates and mice. Together, these results suggest that regulation of MAGE …


Antinociceptive Effects Of Monoamine Reuptake Inhibitors In Assays Of Pain-Stimulated And Pain-Depressed Behaviors, Marisa Rosenberg Mar 2012

Antinociceptive Effects Of Monoamine Reuptake Inhibitors In Assays Of Pain-Stimulated And Pain-Depressed Behaviors, Marisa Rosenberg

Theses and Dissertations

ANTINOCICEPTIVE EFFECTS OF MONOAMINE REUPTAKE INHIBITORS IN ASSAYS OF PAIN-STIMULATED AND PAIN-DEPRESSED BEHAVIOR By Marisa B. Rosenberg A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2012 Advisor: Sidney Stevens Negus, Ph.D. Professor, Department of Pharmacology/Toxicology Noxious stimuli can produce pain-related stimulation of some behaviors (e.g. withdrawal responses) and depression of other behaviors (e.g. feeding, locomotion, responding maintained by many types of positive reinforcement). Monoamine reuptake inhibitors are used clinically to treat depression and to manage some types of pain. This study examined the antinociceptive properties …


Assessing Deployment Risk And Resiliency Factors And The Adjustment Outcomes Of Police Officers Serving In Operation Iraqi Freedom And Operation Enduring Freedom, Paula Barrows Mar 2012

Assessing Deployment Risk And Resiliency Factors And The Adjustment Outcomes Of Police Officers Serving In Operation Iraqi Freedom And Operation Enduring Freedom, Paula Barrows

Theses and Dissertations

ASSESSING DEPLOYMENT RISK AND RESILIENCY FACTORS AND THE ADJUSTMENT OUTCOMES OF POLICE OFFICERS SERVING IN OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM AND OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM By Paula Barrows Davenport, MS A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2012 Director: Dr. Janet R. Hutchinson Professor and Chair of the Department of Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies The goal of this exploratory study was to evaluate risk and resiliency factors from the Deployment Risk and Resiliency Inventory (DRRI) in predicting post-deployment adjustment outcomes among police officers who served in …