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Development And Validation Of Predictive Risk And Multiple Criteria Decision Analysis Models To Evaluate Cardiovascular Outcomes Among Cancer Patients, Purva N. Parab

Theses and Dissertations

Objective: The objectives of our study were to characterize the study population with cancer and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) both as compared to those without and to build a predictive model using machine learning (ML) algorithms that can predict the risk of CVD in cancer patients. In addition, our objective was also to evaluate characteristics associated with cardiotoxic adverse events of breast cancer therapies and develop a multiple criteria decision analysis (MCDA) model to conduct benefit-risk assessment of breast cancer therapy regimens. Methods: We used Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) and FDA Adverse Events Reporting System (FAERS) 2005-2015 files along with …

Characterizing Patterns Of Cannabis Use And Related Health Effects Among Young Adults Using Ecological Momentary Assessment, Alyssa Rudy

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Rapid changes in cannabis use policy and prevalence, particularly among young adults, and the lack of information regarding cannabis harms warrant investigation regarding the daily use patterns of cannabis users. Little is known regarding how variability in cannabis use frequency and administration method use patterns may be associated with differential acute cannabis-related health effects (i.e., subjective intoxication and respiratory symptoms). The purpose of the study was to characterize daily and weekly cannabis use patterns and associated cannabis-related intoxication and respiratory symptoms and test the interactions of cannabis use frequency and cannabis administration method use on cannabis-related intoxication and respiratory …

Ca2+/Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase Type Ii (Camkii) Regulates Histone Methylation To Promote Zebrafish Hematopoietic Stem Cell Specification, Sanyam Patel

Theses and Dissertations

Ca²⁺/calmodulin dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) is an important signaling molecule involved in many developmental processes. This project aims to understand the role of CaMKII in specification of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in zebrafish. HSCs undergo hematopoiesis to specify all cells that constitute blood. The process of hematopoiesis along with the specification of hematopoietic stem cells is conserved in vertebrates. CaMKII is expressed in tissues important for HSC specification, including the somites, notochord, and dorsal aorta. The dorsal aorta is the site of HSC specification in zebrafish. Injection of camk2g1 translational blocking antisense oligonucleotides (MO) or Cas9 guide …

The Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Interactome: Insights Into Srna-Mediated Regulatory Networks, Christine M. Van Duyn

Theses and Dissertations

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a Gram-negative bacterium found in various environmental niches including soil, water, hospital environments, and within a broad range of hosts. It is well known for its metabolic versatility and intrinsic and acquired resistance to a variety of antimicrobial agents. Moreover, this bacterium has a remarkable ability to adapt and survive in suboptimal environments by altering its transcriptional profile in response to nutrient deprivation, changes in temperature and pH, osmotic stress, the presence of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and exposure to antibiotics and host defenses. P. aeruginosa colonizes individuals with compromised immune systems and severe burn injuries and …

Interpersonal Competency Configurations And The School Adjustment Of Early Adolescents With Disabilities: A Person-Centered Approach, Brittany I. Sterrett

Theses and Dissertations

The transition to middle school is a critical time in adolescence. The more complex school environment provides opportunities for growth and challenges for students with disabilities. Although special education strives to provide individualized supports to students with disabilities through data-based decision-making, the tools used to understand and meet the needs of these students are often unresponsive to the dynamic nature of development and student adjustment as they age. Grounded in developmental science, this study sought to create a data collection framework through a person-centered approach to inform the individualization process. Specifically, this study: 1) explored a decision process that allows …

Mechanistic Study Of C-H Activation By Iridium Complexes, Rozalie S G Corea

Theses and Dissertations

C-H activation is considered the “holy grail” of chemistry. Remote, selective C-H activation has many applications such as modifying precursors, adding complexity to molecules, and modifying pre- existing structures in a reduced number of steps. Previous work by Swift and Gronert identified an iridium(III) phenanthroline complex that can activate C-H bonds of cyclohexane. The objective of this dissertation is to study the mechanism and regioselectivity of this complex in common precursors, namely 1-butanol, 1-methoxybutane and butyl acetate.

The studies were carried out in the gas phase on a modified mass spectrometer. Selectively deuterated alcohol, ether and ester were used to …

Comorbidity In Context: Identifying Patterns Of Depressive And Anxiety Symptoms In African American Early Adolescents, Kathryn Behrhorst

Theses and Dissertations

Depression and anxiety during adolescence includes symptoms of irritability, sleeplessness, feelings of guilt or worthlessness, worry, avoidance, and/or restlessness. Anxiety and depressive symptoms are often comorbid and are associated with impairments across academic, social, and emotional areas of functioning. No studies to date have examined patterns of depressive and anxiety symptoms together for African American adolescents using person-centered analyses. The current study examined patterns of symptoms and domains of anxiety and depression during early adolescence using latent profile analyses (LPA). A sample of 196 African American early adolescents in grades six through eight (M_age = 12.6; 50% female) were …

Analysis Of The Role Of Aminoacyl Trna Synthetase Genes In Global Protein Synthesis And Mrna Specific Regulation Of Translation In Cancer Cells, Elyse Nguyen, Dipak Poria, Esta Sterneck

Undergraduate Research Posters

Analysis of the Role of Aminoacyl tRNA Synthetase Genes in Global Protein Synthesis and mRNA Specific Regulation of Translation in Cancer Cells

Elyse Nguyen, Depts. of Biology and Chemistry, Dipak Poria, & Esta Sterneck, with Dr. Sarah Williams, Dept. of Forensic Science

Coordinated control of transcription and translation of gene expression impels cellular fate decision under different microenvironmental stresses. Cancer cells often usurp these regulatory machineries to adapt under microenvironmental stress or under therapeutic intervention. The transcription factor CEBPδ is induced by various stressors and mediates cellular adaptation and survival. RNA-seq analysis of a CEBPD-silenced human melanoma cell line, MB-435s, …

A Review And A Proposal For Reducing The Symptoms Of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder In Adolescents By Combining Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Training And Methylphenidate Medication As A Treatment, Kirti Sharma

Undergraduate Research Posters

A Review and a Proposal for Reducing the Symptoms of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Adolescents by Combining Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Training and Methylphenidate Medication as a Treatment

Kirti Sharma, Dept. of Biology, with Prof. Mary Boyes, VCU Honors College

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder among adolescents that may lead to impaired executive functioning and poor mental development. In 2018, the National Health Interview Survey reported that from 1997 to 2016, the prevalence of ADHD significantly increased from 6.1% to 10.2% in children and adolescents (age 4 to 17 years). Medication, such as methylphenidate, is considered as first-line therapy …

A Game-Theoretic Model Of Monkeypox To Assess Vaccination Strategies, Sri Vibhaav Bankaru, Samuel Kossol, William Hou, Parsa Mahmoudi, Jan Rychtar

Undergraduate Research Posters

A Game-Theoretic Model of Monkeypox to Assess Vaccination Strategies

Sri Vibhaav Bankaru, Depts. of Biomedical Engineering, Math, & Chemistry, Samuel Kossol, William Hou, & Parsa Mahmoudi, with Dr. Jan Rychtar, Dept. of Mathematics

Monkeypox (MPX) is a zoonotic disease similar to smallpox. Its fatality rate is about 11% and it is endemic to the Central and West African countries. In this paper, we analyze a compartmental model of MPX dynamics. Our goal is to see whether MPX can be controlled and eradicated by voluntary vaccinations. We show that there are three equilibria - disease free, fully endemic and previously neglected …

There's More To Sleep Than Counting Sheep: A Cross Sectional Analysis Of Sleep Health, Elizabeth Torres, Sanika Lawate, Hali Russell, Emily Donovan, Pablo Soto

Undergraduate Research Posters

There's More to Sleep than Counting Sheep: A Cross Sectional Analysis of Sleep Health

Elizabeth Torres, Depts. of Psychology, Biology, and Chemistry, Sanika Lawate, Hali Russell, and Emily Donovan, M.S., and Pablo Soto, Dept. of Psychology Graduate Students, with Dr. Joseph Dzierzewski, Dept. of Psychology

Background: Studies have supported the claim that good physical health and positive affect have a lasting positive impact on the body and the brain across all age groups. High levels of activity and positive affect can boost immunity, increase life expectancy, and promote resiliency. Studies have also shown that poor physical health and low affect …

Bptf Enhances Chemotherapy Induced Cytotoxicity, Valentina Posada

Undergraduate Research Posters

BPTF Enhances Chemotherapy Induced Cytotoxicity

Valentina Posada, Depts. of Biology, Chemistry, & Religious Studies, with Dr. Joseph Landry, Dept. of Human Molecular Genetics

New chemotherapies and immunotherapy treatments have greatly improved the outcomes of many cancers. However, for Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC), existing therapies are not very effective long term as the disease becomes resistant and has low immunogenicity. Here we show the early development of a new way to treat the disease by combining existing chemotherapies with depletion of the Nucleosome Remodeling Factor (NURF). NURF is an ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling complex that is over-expressed in cancers and has …

Mapping New Olfactory Bulb Neurons At The Single-Cell Level Using Iron Oxide- Assisted Mri, Sarah Izabel

Undergraduate Research Posters

Mapping New Olfactory Bulb Neurons at the Single-Cell Level Using Iron Oxide- Assisted MRI

Sarah Izabel, Dept. of Biology, with Dr. Jeffrey Dupree, Dept. of Anatomy and Neurobiology

Neurogenesis in the subventricular zone (SVZ) of adult mammalian brains persists throughout life. Precursor cells that are continuously born in the SVZ migrate long-distance to the olfactory bulb (OB), where they differentiate into specific neurons. The distribution of new neurons in the OB has been studied via histological and intravital techniques, which are limited longitudinally and in depth of imaging. In the past decade, in vivo studies using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) …

Identification Of Alternative Transcription Start Sites That Generate Neuron-Specific Nhsl1b Isoform That Regulates Neuron Migration, Abanoub Bector

Undergraduate Research Posters

Identification of Alternative Transcription Start Sites that Generate Neuron-Specific nhsl1b Isoform that Regulates Neuron Migration

Abanoub Bector, Depts. of Biology and Chemistry, with Dr. Sarah Golding, Dept. of Biology

A recently identified novel gene, nhsl1b, has been shown to be necessary for the caudal tangential migration of facial branchiomotor neurons (FBMNs) as an effector of planar cell polarity (PCP) signaling. The role of nhsl1b in regulating neuron migration remains unknown. Nhsl1b has six variants, termed ex1nhsl1b, ex1anhsl1b, ex1bnhsl1b, ex1cnhsl1b, ex1dnhsl1b, and ex1enhsl1b in exon 1 that then splices into the common portion of the transcript (exon 2 to exon 8). …

Phenotypic Expression Of Two Candidate Genes Of Nonsyndromic Craniosynostosis In Danio Rerio, Annemarie Carver

Undergraduate Research Posters

Phenotypic Expression of Two Candidate Genes of Nonsyndromic Craniosynostosis in Danio rerio

Annemarie Carver, Dept. of Biology with Dr. Rita Shiang, Dept. of Human and Molecular Genetics

Craniosynostosis, the premature fusion of cranial sutures, can be either syndromic or nonsyndromic. The majority of cases are nonsyndromic, the causes of which are rarely known. Craniosynostosis is relatively common and occurs in about 1 in every 2,000 babies. Bambia is suspected to cause craniosynostosis as a predicted deleterious stabilizing variant has been identified in affected individuals within one family, though when normally or under expressed no phenotypic differences are observed. Slc30a9, a …

Negative Assortative Mating In Prothonotary Warblers: Crown Feathers Reveal Mating Preference, Jordan Rasure, Elsa Chen

Undergraduate Research Posters

Negative Assortative Mating in Prothonotary Warblers: Crown Feathers Reveal Mating Preference

Jordan Rasure, Depts. of Biology, Spanish, & Chemistry and Elsa Chen, Dept. of Biology, with Dr. Lesley Bulluck, Center for Environmental Studies

While male ornamentation has been the subject of many avian studies, there is a dearth of studies on their female equivalents. Several studies have evaluated male ornamentation as an indication of individual quality and a driving factor in mate choice. Spectral analysis of feathers has revealed that color intensity can be interpreted as an indicator of both aggression and parental quality. We evaluated the correlation between male …

Assessing Sexual Differences With The Decision To Remain A Virgin, Jessica Del Rossi

Undergraduate Research Posters

Assessing Sexual Differences with the Decision to Remain a Virgin

Jessica Del Rossi, Depts. of Biology and Sociology, with Dr. Claire Kimberly, Dept. of Internal Medicine, VCU School of Medicine

In the transition to adulthood, the loss of virginity can be seen as an important step in personal development. The first sexual experience someone encounters is often memorable with a positive or negative interaction impacting sexual satisfaction and sexual communication in the future. People have different definitions of virginity which can lead to miscommunication in personal relationships, research and/or a therapy setting. People may remain a virgin till marriage due …

Static Degradation Of Electrospun Polycaprolactone Scaffolds, Emily Clement, Connor Donlan, Same Cole, Sarah K. Saunders, Johanna Bracamonte

Undergraduate Research Posters

Static Degradation of Electrospun Polycaprolactone Scaffolds

Emily Clement, Depts. of Biomedical Engineering and Electrical Engineering, Connor Donlan, Sam Cole, Sarah K. Saunders, and Johana Bracamonte, with Dr. Joao Soares, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering

Introduction: Engineered tissue vascular grafts (ETVGs), composed of cells seeded on a biodegradable scaffold, can be used to replace non-functional blood vessels. The scaffold acts as a replacement for the extracellular matrix, providing structural support to the developing tissue. A common biodegradable scaffold material is polycaprolactone (PCL). The main degradation mechanism of PCL is hydrolysis, which can be catalyzed by the use of NaOH solutions. Acceleration techniques …

The Role Of Acting With Awareness On Sleep Quality And Difficulties With Emotion Regulation, Victoria Rabii, Alexandra Martelli

Undergraduate Research Posters

The Role of Acting with Awareness on Sleep Quality and Difficulties with Emotion Regulation

Victoria Rabii, Depts. of Psychology and Biology, and Alexandra Martelli, Dept. of Psychology Graduate Student, with Dr. David Chester, Dept. of Psychology

About 60% of college students experience difficulties with proper sleep quality. Poor sleep quality challenges one’s ability to effectively regulate emotions, especially in college-aged adults. Emotion regulation, defined as the strategies utilized to alter or manage the experience of intense emotions, is beneficial to our health and social relationships. Mindfulness, how we focus our attention on internal feelings and emotions in relation to external …

Drugs And The Music Industry: How The Neurological And Visual Effects Of Lsd And Psilocybin Impact Creativity And Songwriting Abilities, Ammar Jawad

Undergraduate Research Posters

Drugs and the Music Industry: How the Neurological and Visual Effects of LSD and Psilocybin Impact Creativity and Songwriting Abilities

Ammar Jawad, Depts. of Biology and Chemistry, with Prof. Mary Boyes, VCU Honors College

The 5-hydroxy-tryptamine 2A receptor, 5-HT2A, is a G protein-coupled receptor that belongs to a subtype of receptors known as serotonergic receptors. The 5-HT2A receptor plays a wide variety of roles that are pivotal in the optimal functionality of the brain, such as mediating the neurological, visual, and auditory pathways of the central nervous system. Typical agonists of the 5-HT2A receptor include psychedelic or hallucinogenic drugs such …

A Comparison Of Ptsd, Aud, And Mdd Symptom Patterns In Different Trauma Types, Elizabeth Crump

Undergraduate Research Posters

A Comparison of PTSD, AUD, and MDD Symptom Patterns in Different Trauma Types

Elizabeth Crump, Depts. of Biology and Sociology, with Dr. Kaitlin Bountress, Virginia Institute of Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics

About 66% of college students have been exposed to a traumatic event (Read et al., 2011). Research thus far suggests that interpersonal trauma (IPT; e.g., physical or sexual abuse or assault) is linked to higher risk of developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), variability in PTSD symptom cluster presentation, and comorbidities with substance use compared to accidental trauma (e.g., natural disaster, motor vehicle accident; Kessler et al. 1995; Kelley et …

Vicarious Trauma Exposure And Its Effects On Mental Health Among Adolescents And Adults: A Narrative Research Review, Harrison Davis, Angel Whitfield, Sydney Judge, Bailee Beverly, Jenna Minter, Eryn Delaney, Chloe Walker

Undergraduate Research Posters

Vicarious Trauma Exposure and Its Effects on Mental Health among Adolescents and Adults: A Narrative Research Review

Harris Davis, Dept. of Psychology, Angel Whitfield, Sydney Judge, Bailee Beverly, Jenna Minter, Harrison Davis, and Eryn DeLaney and Chloe Walker, Dept. of Psychology Graduate Students, with Dr. Chelsea Williams, Dept. of Psychology

A narrative research review was conducted to examine studies that have tested the relation between vicarious trauma (i.e., witnessing abuse of others; Trautmann, S., Reineboth, M., Trikojat, K., Richter, J., Hagenaars, M. A., Kanske, P., & Schäfer, J. (2018). and mental health in adolescents and young adults. Using psycinfo to …

Physiology As A Mechanism Driving Early Fitness Responses In Cornus Florida, Brendan Finnie, Jane Remfert

Undergraduate Research Posters

Physiology as a Mechanism Driving Early Fitness Responses in Cornus Florida

Brendan Finnie, Depts. of Biology and Chemistry, and Jane L. Remfert, Graduate Student in Integrative Life Sciences, with Dr. Rodney Dyer, VCU Center for Environmental Studies

Urban encroachment into natural ecosystems can increase the chances cultivar gene escape from the urban environment into natural populations. Cultivar Cornus Florida, flowering dogwood, has been artificially selected for traits like larger floral displays, tolerance of high sunlight, and resistance to disease and occurs in close proximity to native populations. A common garden experiment was established to compare relative performance of cultivar and …

Aesthetic Chills: An Autoethnographic Study, Jessica Turner

Undergraduate Research Posters

Aesthetic Chills: An Autoethnographic Study

Jessica Turner, Dept. of Psychology, with Dr. Richard Bargdill, Dept. of Psychology

The purpose of this poster is to describe autoethnographic research that recorded experiences of aesthetic chills. Aesthetic chills are a psychophysiological response to stimuli that create pilo-erection and a “chill” effect on the body not related to temperature (i.e. goosebumps due to experiences of beauty). For the last two years, the researcher has made a written record of each instance of his experience of an aesthetic chill and the circumstances that triggered the chill. The data consists of brief descriptions of the triggering …

Targeted Bisulfite Pyrosequencing & Amplicon Bisulfite Sequencing Epigenetic Analysis, Charles Tran, Lin Xie, Min Zhao, Edwin Jcg Van Den Oord

Undergraduate Research Posters

Targeted Bisulfite Pyrosequencing & Amplicon Bisulfite Sequencing Epigenetic Analysis

Charles Tran, Dept. of Biology, with Dr. Karolina Aberg, VCU School of Pharmacy

Background: The Great Smoky Mountain Study is a longitudinal study that started in 1992 and includes 1,420 participants that were 9 to 13 years at intake and have since been revisited ~ every 2 years. Participants (and their parents) provided detailed assessment of stressors and health outcomes as well as blood samples at each interview. In a recent methylome-wide association study the samples were used to identify methylation marks associated with childhood trauma. In the current work, we …

Wham: Wellness, Happiness, And Mindfulness: A Pilot Class At Open High School For The Translational Application Of Well-Being Education, Emaan Dawood, Moorin Khan

Undergraduate Research Posters

WHAM: Wellness, Happiness, and Mindfulness: A Pilot Class at Open High School for the Translational Application of Well-being Education

Emaan Dawood, Depts. of Biology, Chemistry, & Spanish, and Moorin Khan, with Dr. Christy Tyndall, VCU Honors College

The education of student well-being is desired as evidence-based positive psychology principles explain how humans can better succeed in life despite surmounting obstacles. Based on a VCU honors class titled “Flourishing,” which educates incoming freshmen about the science of health and wellness, a similar pilot class titled “WHAM: Wellness, Happiness, and Mindfulness,” implemented at Open High School, targets younger students. The goals for …

Implementing Hsr Infrastructure In The United States To Improve Sustainable Development, Martin Gonzalez

Undergraduate Research Posters

Implementing HSR Infrastructure In The United States To Improve Sustainable Development

Martin Gonzalez, Dept. of Biology, with Dr. Sierra Beecher, Dept. of Biology

The United States has a need to improve sustainable development, which impacts the economy, society, and environment. High speed rail (HSR) funding and infrastructure can help the United States become much more sustainable within cities and surrounding areas. However, the United States has been trailing behind other countries when it comes to supporting HSRs. (Chakrabarti and Foster, 2013) The funding appropriated to mass transit systems have been disproportionately allocated to other mass transportation infrastructures and maintenance; and …

Medication Risk And Polypharmacy In Minority Older Adults, Rusha Patel

Undergraduate Research Posters

Medication Risk and Polypharmacy in Minority Older Adults

Rusha Patel, Depts. of Biology and Chemistry, with Dr. Youssef Roman, VCU School of Pharmacy, Dr. Elvin Price, VCU School of Pharmacy, and Dr. Lana Sargent, VCU School of Nursing

Introduction: Adverse drug events refer to an individual being harmed due to taking a medication. These risks can include side effects, damage to different organs, senses impairment and more. The older adult population has the highest risk for adverse drug events. Antibiotics and anticoagulants are some examples of medication that cause higher adverse events in the elderly. The Beer’s List also includes …

Owner-Intruder Contests With Information Asymmetry, Faheem Farooq, Jay Bisen, Manaeil Hasan, Akhil Patel

Undergraduate Research Posters

Owner-Intruder Contests with Information Asymmetry

Faheem Farooq, Depts. of Biology and Chemistry, Jay Bisen, Manaeil Hasan, and Akhil Patel, with Dr. Jan Rychtar, Dept. of Mathematics and Discrete Mathematics, and Dr. Dewey T. Taylor, Dept. of Mathematics and Discrete Mathematics

We consider kleptoparasitic interactions between two individuals - Owner and Intruder - and model the situation as a sequential game in an extensive form. Owner is in a possession of a valuable resource when it spots Intruder. Owner has to decide whether to defend the resource; if the Owner defends, the Intruder has to decide whether to fight with the …

Transit Manipulation By The Koch Brothers: Analyzing The Relationship Between The Division Of Power In The United States Government, Societal Benefits, Voter And Rider Composition, Referendum Language And Cost Of Improvement Under The Lens Of The 2018 Nashville Transit Improvement Program Referendum, Samantha Lee

Undergraduate Research Posters

Transit Manipulation by the Koch Brothers: Analyzing the Relationship between the Division of Power in the United States Government, Societal Benefits, Voter and Rider Composition, Referendum Language and Cost of Improvement Under the Lens of the 2018 Nashville Transit Improvement Program Referendum

Samantha Lee, Depts. of Biology and Chemistry, with Prof. Mary Boyes, VCU Honors College

In Nashville, Tennessee, Charles and David Koch, known as the Koch Brothers, manipulated these areas--the division of power in the United States government, change in leadership, societal benefits, voter and rider composition, referendum language and cost of the improvement--in order to turn what was …