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Utilization Of Structural And Biochemical Cues To Enhance Peripheral Nerve Regeneration, Balendu Shekhar Jha Nov 2011

Utilization Of Structural And Biochemical Cues To Enhance Peripheral Nerve Regeneration, Balendu Shekhar Jha

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the prospects of using the electrospinning process to fabricate tissue engineering scaffolds targeting a variety of regenerative applications, with a primary focus on the production of nerve guides for the treatment of long-defect nerve injuries in the peripheral nervous system. A basic overview of the conventional electrospinning process is provided, and the utility of this fabrication scheme in the production of collagen-based tissue engineering scaffolds is demonstrated. Next, a novel modification of the basic electrospinning process is presented. This process, called two pole air gap electrospinning, was developed to produce nerve guides that exhibit an anisotropic structure …

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A Time-Efficient Method For Accurate T1 Mapping Of The Human Brain, Yung-Yeh Chang Nov 2011

A Time-Efficient Method For Accurate T1 Mapping Of The Human Brain, Yung-Yeh Chang

Theses and Dissertations

The signal resulting from the IR-FSE sequence has been thoroughly analyzed in order to improve the accuracy of quantitative T1 mapping of the human brain. Several optimized post-processing algorithms have been studied and compared in terms of their T1 mapping accuracy. The modified multipoint two-parameter fitting method was found to produce less underestimation compared to the traditional multipoint three-parameter fitting method, and therefore, to result in a smaller T1 estimation error. Two correction methods were proposed to reduce the underestimation problem which is commonly seen in IR-FSE sequences used for measuring T1, especially when a large turbo factor is used. …

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Commonwealth Times 2011-11-21 Nov 2011

Commonwealth Times 2011-11-21

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.

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Evaluating The Incremental Validity Of The Mmpi-2-Rc Scales For Custody Litigants, Elizabeth Wheeler Nov 2011

Evaluating The Incremental Validity Of The Mmpi-2-Rc Scales For Custody Litigants, Elizabeth Wheeler

Theses and Dissertations

The use of psychological testing in child custody assessments has become more common and important as psychologists are increasingly used as expert witnesses in contested child custody and visitation cases. Currently, the MMPI-2 is the most commonly used psychological test in child custody cases, but there is no research indicating which version of the measure (K-corrected, non-K-corrected, or the RC scales) provides the most accurate picture of the custody litigant in terms of substantial correlations with external variables. This study represents the first examination of the convergent, discriminant, and incremental validity of the MMPI-2 K-corrected Basic Clinical Scales, the MMPI-2 …

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Shrubs As Sentinels Of Ordnance Contamination: Using Plant Physiology And Remote Sensing To Detect Tnt In Soils, Kathryn Rubis Nov 2011

Shrubs As Sentinels Of Ordnance Contamination: Using Plant Physiology And Remote Sensing To Detect Tnt In Soils, Kathryn Rubis

Theses and Dissertations

Methods for rapid, safe and effective detection of unmapped buried ordnance are vital to the protection of humans and environmental quality throughout the world. This study aimed to investigate the use of phytosensing and to understand the physiological response of woody plants to 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) contamination. Baccharis halimifolia were potted in soils containing various concentrations of TNT and physiological responses were observed over a 9-week experimental period. Measurements included the collection of remotely sensed data, such as hyperspectral reflectance and chlorophyll fluorescence, and traditional plant-level physiological data. In accordance with the hypothesis, low levels of TNT improved physiological response in …

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Tissue Engineering An Acellular Bioresorbable Vascular Graft To Promote Regeneration, Patricia Wolfe Nov 2011

Tissue Engineering An Acellular Bioresorbable Vascular Graft To Promote Regeneration, Patricia Wolfe

Theses and Dissertations

Tissue engineering is an interdisciplinary field that aims to restore, maintain, or improve diseased or damaged tissues. Electrospinning has become one of the most popular means to fabricate a scaffold for various tissue engineering applications as the process is extremely versatile and inexpensive. The ability for electrospinning to consistently create nanofibrous structures capable of mimicking the native extracellular matrix (ECM) is the basis behind why this technique is so successful in tissue engineering. Cardiovascular disease has been the leading cause of death in the United States for over 100 years, and because of this, the need for coronary artery replacements …

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Characterization Of The Effect Of Serum And Chelating Agents On Staphylococcus Aureus Biofilm Formation; Chelating Agents Augment Biofilm Formation Through Clumping Factor B, Nabil Mathew Abraham Nov 2011

Characterization Of The Effect Of Serum And Chelating Agents On Staphylococcus Aureus Biofilm Formation; Chelating Agents Augment Biofilm Formation Through Clumping Factor B, Nabil Mathew Abraham

Theses and Dissertations

Staphylococcus aureus is the causative agent of a diverse array of acute and chronic infections, and some these infections, including infective endocarditis, joint infections, and medical device-associated bloodstream infections, depend upon its capacity to form tenacious biofilms on surfaces. Inserted medical devices such as intravenous catheters, pacemakers, and artificial heart valves save lives, but unfortunately, they can also serve as a substrate on which S. aureus can form a biofilm, attributing S. aureus as a leading cause of medical device-related infections. The major aim of this work was take compounds to which S. aureus would be exposed during infection and …

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Investigation Of Biomolecular Interactions For Development Of Sensors And Diagnostics, Xiaojuan Zhang Nov 2011

Investigation Of Biomolecular Interactions For Development Of Sensors And Diagnostics, Xiaojuan Zhang

Theses and Dissertations

The highly specific recognition processes between biomolecules mediate various crucial biological processes. Uncovering the molecular basis of these interactions is of great fundamental and applied importance. This research work focuses on understanding the interactions of several biomolecular recognition systems and processes that can provide fundamental information to aid in the rational design of sensing and molecular recognition tools. Initially, a reliable and versatile platform was developed to investigate biomolecular interactions at a molecular level. This involved several techniques, including biomolecule functionalization to enable attachment to self-assembled monolayers as well as atomic force microscopy (AFM) based force spectroscopy to uncover the …

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Investigations On The Corrosion Resistance Of Metallic Bipolar Plates (Bpp) In Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (Pemfc) - Understanding Of The Effects Of Material, Coating And Manufacturing, Ender Dur Nov 2011

Investigations On The Corrosion Resistance Of Metallic Bipolar Plates (Bpp) In Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (Pemfc) - Understanding Of The Effects Of Material, Coating And Manufacturing, Ender Dur

Theses and Dissertations

Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) systems are promising technology for contributing to meet the deficiency of world`s clean and sustainable energy requirements in the near future. Metallic bipolar plate (BPP) as one of the most significant components of PEMFC device accounts for the largest part of the fuel cell`s stack. Corrosion for metallic bipolar plates is a critical issue, which influences the performance and durability of PEMFC. Corrosion causes adverse impacts on the PEMFC`s performance jeopardizing commercialization. This research is aimed at determining the corrosion resistance of metallic BPPs, particularly stainless steels, used in PEMFC from different aspects. Material …

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Commonwealth Times 2011-11-10 Nov 2011

Commonwealth Times 2011-11-10

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.

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An Examination Of Spiritual And Religious Coping And Well-Being And Their Impact On The Health-Related Quality Of Life For Patients With Mechanical Circulatory Support, Angela Hardy-Duncan Nov 2011

An Examination Of Spiritual And Religious Coping And Well-Being And Their Impact On The Health-Related Quality Of Life For Patients With Mechanical Circulatory Support, Angela Hardy-Duncan

Theses and Dissertations

Mechanical Circulatory Support (MCS) improves the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) for patients with end-stage heart failure (HF) (Friedrich & Bohm, 2007). Religious and spiritual practices positively influence health and well-being for cardiac patients (Ai, Park, Huang, Rodgers, & Tice, 2007; Blackhall, & Koenig, 1998). The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of spiritual well-being (SWB) and religious well-being (RWB) and coping styles and methods (CSM) on health related quality of life (HRQOL) of patients with MCS. This exploratory repeated measures study used Spearmans’ rho and Wilcoxons’ Signed Rank tests for correlation and comparison analyses. The study …

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Computational Modeling And Simulation Study Of Dermal Wound Healing Proliferative Phase, Le Yang Nov 2011

Computational Modeling And Simulation Study Of Dermal Wound Healing Proliferative Phase, Le Yang

Theses and Dissertations

Dermal wound healing proliferative phase is a complicated physiological process in which many growth factors, cell types and matrix components participate. The process must be well coordinated to restore the structural and functional integrity of tissue injured. Many disorders interrupting healing process result in abnormal healing such as chronic wounds or excessive scarring. Mathematical modeling has been used to investigate many aspects of wound healing. Angiogenesis is pertinent for dermal wound healing since the cellular activities involved in tissue repair requires oxygen and nutrients to be delivered to the wound site. By using a hybrid agent-based model, we investigated the …

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Commonwealth Times 2011-11-07 Nov 2011

Commonwealth Times 2011-11-07

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.

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Designing Allosteric Inhibitors Of Thrombin, Preetpal Sidhu Nov 2011

Designing Allosteric Inhibitors Of Thrombin, Preetpal Sidhu

Theses and Dissertations

Thrombin is a key enzyme of the coagulation cascade exhibiting important roles in both pro-coagulation and anti-coagulation processes. Most clinically used anticoagulant drugs, including polymeric heparin, warfarin, hirudin, argatroban and the recently approved dabigatran, aim to reduce thrombin activity. There are several binding domains on thrombin including the active site, anion-binding exosites I and II, and the sodium binding site. We hypothesized that thrombin may be better regulated through an allosteric process mediated by small molecules binding to either exosite I or II. An appropriately designed allosteric regulator that reduces the procoagulant signal in a finely tuned manner may maintain …

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Ink (2011-11) Nov 2011

Ink (2011-11)

Ink, 2008-

The student-run features magazine covering the fashion, art, music and culture worlds at VCU and in Richmond. Published annually in print and updated regularly online.

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Commonwealth Times 2011-10-24 Oct 2011

Commonwealth Times 2011-10-24

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.

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Indirect Screening: Enhancing Identification Of Illicit Drug Use During Pregnancy, Courtney Smith Oct 2011

Indirect Screening: Enhancing Identification Of Illicit Drug Use During Pregnancy, Courtney Smith

Theses and Dissertations

OBJECTIVE: Most drug use screening measures rely on and are validated against self-report. Fear of negative consequences often promotes denial of drug use. For pregnant women, social stigma and fear of legal consequences make underreporting of drug use even more likely. An indirect screener that could effectively identify pregnant women at risk for illicit drug use without reliance on disclosure would be clinically significant. The purpose of the current study was to develop and validate an indirect measure of prenatal drug use by comparing correlates of prenatal drug use to urinalysis results. METHOD: Pregnant women attending an OB appointment at …

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Characterization Of Cyclic-Di-Gmp Signaling With The Lyme Spirochete, Borrelia Burgdorferi, Jessica Kostick Sep 2011

Characterization Of Cyclic-Di-Gmp Signaling With The Lyme Spirochete, Borrelia Burgdorferi, Jessica Kostick

Theses and Dissertations

Lyme disease is a tick-borne infection caused by Borrelia burgdorferi, B. garinii, and B. afzelii. These spirochetes experience environmental fluctuations as they are passed between mammalian and Ixodes tick hosts throughout their enzootic cycle. Recent studies have suggested cyclic diguanylate (c-di-GMP), a ubiquitous secondary messenger, is a key modulator of B. burgdorferi adaptive responses and may play a significant role in cycle progression. In this study, we examined the impact of the sole diguanylate cyclase (Rrp1), c-di-GMP binding proteins (PlzA and PlzB), and HD-GYP-containing phosphodiesterase (PdeB) in disease establishment of both murine and Ixodes tick systems. Strains harboring targeted gene …

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Commonwealth Times 2011-09-22 Sep 2011

Commonwealth Times 2011-09-22

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.

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The Use Of Targeted Charge-Reversal Nanoparticles (Tcrns) To Investigate Nuclear Delivery Of Fluorescent Agents To Cancer Cells: Implications For Novel Prostate And Breast Cancer Therapy, Mario Dance Sep 2011

The Use Of Targeted Charge-Reversal Nanoparticles (Tcrns) To Investigate Nuclear Delivery Of Fluorescent Agents To Cancer Cells: Implications For Novel Prostate And Breast Cancer Therapy, Mario Dance

Theses and Dissertations

Nanotechnology has recently emerged as a strong contributor toward research efforts to develop targeted systems of drug delivery in cancer therapy. Our work investigates the therapeutic potential of Targeted Charge-Reversal Nanoparticles (TCRNs), a novel nanoparticle with in vitro evidence of nuclear drug delivery. Using M12 prostate cancer cells, MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells, and modified derivatives of these cell lines, we investigated the ability of Folic Acid-tagged TCRNs to deliver Nile Red and Dimethyl Indole Redfluorescent (DiR) fluorescent dyes to the nucleus of cells using confocal microscopy and in vivo biphontonic imaging using Xenogen® Technology. Confocal imaging with the SCP28 derivative …

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Composition Of Suspended And Benthic Particulate Matter In The Tidal Freshwater James River, Anne Schlegel Sep 2011

Composition Of Suspended And Benthic Particulate Matter In The Tidal Freshwater James River, Anne Schlegel

Theses and Dissertations

Investigating linkages between the compositions of suspended (seston) and benthic particulate matter is important to the understanding of organic matter (OM) cycling and nutrient retention in aquatic systems. We compared the quantity and quality of the truly suspended (TS) and settleable (SB) fractions of seston as well as benthic particulate matter in the tidal freshwater James River, Virginia. The mass of seston and OM was consistently higher in the TS fraction compared to the SB fraction. OM was preferentially retained in the TS fraction relative to seston. The proportional contribution of OM constituents (chlorophyll a, particulate organic carbon and nitrogen) …

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Characterization Of Hpk2-Rrp2, Two-Component Regulatory System In Treponema Denticola, Sarkar Juni Sep 2011

Characterization Of Hpk2-Rrp2, Two-Component Regulatory System In Treponema Denticola, Sarkar Juni

Theses and Dissertations

Treponema denticola levels in the gingival crevice become elevated as periodontal disease develops. Oral treponemes may account for as much as 40% of the total bacterial population in the periodontal pocket. The stimuli that trigger enhanced growth of T. denticola and the mechanisms associated with the transmission of these signals remain to be defined. A hypothesis was set that the T. denticola ORFs tde1970 (histidine kinase) and tde1969 (response regulator) constitute a functional two component regulatory system that regulates, at least in part, responses to the changing environmental conditions associated with the development of periodontal disease. The results presented demonstrate …

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Identity And Psychological Needs Among National Guard Service Members And Undergraduates, Bradley Antonides Sep 2011

Identity And Psychological Needs Among National Guard Service Members And Undergraduates, Bradley Antonides

Theses and Dissertations

This study measured identity style and identity status within military and academic populations (N = 286) to investigate whether low levels of identity commitment predict dissatisfaction in meeting basic psychological needs. Analysis of identity style and identity status subscales examined the reliability of traditional measures of identity in an atypical emerging adult population. Group comparisons based on participant characteristics (identity commitment, work experience, age, combat experience) explored differences between and within institutions. Results supported the reliability of traditional identity measures in a non-traditional population. A diffuse identity status and diffuse identity style both significantly predicted lower reported levels of psychological …

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Design Of Control Release Drug Delivery System (Dds) For Imaging And Therapeutic Applications, Sweta Naik Sep 2011

Design Of Control Release Drug Delivery System (Dds) For Imaging And Therapeutic Applications, Sweta Naik

Theses and Dissertations

The main challenge in disease treatment is no more the discovery of new therapeutic drugs, but to provide targeted delivery of therapeutic drugs to specific sites without incurring systemic toxicity effects. An efficient way of reducing the toxicity is by encapsulating the drug with a biodegradable matrix that can provide controlled release of the drug along with local heating of the drug. Local heating can be obtained by incorporating magnetic iron oxide particles that heat upon exposure to AC electromagnetic fields. The magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles are also gaining much attention as MRI contrast agents. Thus it would be of …

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Gene Expression In The Right Ventricle During Development Of Pulmonary Hypertension, Jennifer Drake Sep 2011

Gene Expression In The Right Ventricle During Development Of Pulmonary Hypertension, Jennifer Drake

Theses and Dissertations

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a disease of the lung vessels that causes severe effects on the right ventricle of the heart; ultimately, most patients with severe PAH die as a result of right heart failure. However, little is known about the causes of right heart failure. Here, we describe a pattern of gene expression that differs between the normal rat left ventricle (LV) and right ventricle (RV). These genes are known to be involved in the development of the heart as well as adaptations to the heart during stress. This gene expression pattern is used as a baseline to …

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Commonwealth Times 2011-09-01 Sep 2011

Commonwealth Times 2011-09-01

Commonwealth Times, 1969-

No abstract provided.

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Ink (2011-09) Sep 2011

Ink (2011-09)

Ink, 2008-

The student-run features magazine covering the fashion, art, music and culture worlds at VCU and in Richmond. Published annually in print and updated regularly online.

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Synthesis Of Cyclen Based Receptors And Their Use In Separations Biotechnology., Vivek Kaushik Aug 2011

Synthesis Of Cyclen Based Receptors And Their Use In Separations Biotechnology., Vivek Kaushik

Theses and Dissertations

A number of purification techniques such as adsorption, centrifugation, chromatography, extraction, distillation, filtration, precipitation etc. to name a few, are commonly used for the purification. However, due to a constant need of purification of even more complex crude mixtures, be it reaction mixtures, various proteins and DNA from cell extracts or medicinal compounds and fragrances from plant extracts, scientists needed to consistently develop new and improved techniques of purification. One such great advancement in the field of chromatography was the development of affinity chromatography. It revolutionized the field of bioseparations technology, and the dream of single stage purification of complex …

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Effect Of Combined Oral Contraceptives On Insulin Clearance In Lean And Obese Pre-Menopausal Women, Vidya Moorthy Aug 2011

Effect Of Combined Oral Contraceptives On Insulin Clearance In Lean And Obese Pre-Menopausal Women, Vidya Moorthy

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Obese women are predisposed to greater risks of insulin resistance and compensatory hyperinsulinemia. Likewise, African-Americans, appear to be inherently insulin resistant and hyperinsulinemic even after controlling for obesity. Hyperinsulinemia has been attributed to insulin resistance and a compensatory insulin hyper-secretion by the pancreas, as well as decreased insulin clearance, notably in obesity. Pharmacological agents that may worsen insulin resistance/hyperinsulinemia in obese women is of clinical relevance. Previous data from our group suggested that combined oral contraceptives (COCs) may worsen insulin sensitivity particularly in obese women, but limited information on insulin clearance is available in obese women or African-American women. …

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Enumerating Alternate Optimal Flux Distributions For Metabolic Reconstructions, Umaporn Siangphoe Aug 2011

Enumerating Alternate Optimal Flux Distributions For Metabolic Reconstructions, Umaporn Siangphoe

Theses and Dissertations

Metabolites consumed and produced by microorganisms for mass and energy conservation may cause changes in a microorganism’s environment. The microorganisms are unable to tolerate a particular environment for a long period. They may leave their old existence to find a new environment to sustain life. Essentially, organisms need to maintain their metabolic processes to survive in the new environment. Limitations of experimental studies to explore cell functions and regulations in detail result in insufficient information to explain processes of metabolic expressions under environments of organisms. Consequently, mathematical modeling and computer simulations have been conducted to combine all possible cellular metabolic …

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