Digital Commons Network^™

Underrepresentation Of Black Participants In Drug Court: Reasons Reported For Non-Admission In Six Jurisdictions, Kathryn J. Genthon

Theses and Dissertations

Despite the beneficial impacts of drug court participation, access to these programs may not be equitable across racial groups. The reasons behind racial disparities in access to these programs are not well-documented in the current literature. This study investigates disparities in access to drug court and the possible reasons they occur. Chi-square tests are used to assess for disparities in admissions between Black and White individuals referred to drug court. Additional statistical analyses addressed the association of sex and age with admission to provide a broader picture of the impact of a variety of demographic characteristics on admission to drug …

Cooperative Driving Automation For Self-Interested Agents, Adam Morrissett

Theses and Dissertations

Driving is inherently interactive, and drivers must coordinate with other vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians to avoid collisions. Furthermore, drivers typically prefer some interaction outcomes over others. People in a rush typically cut others off and drive aggressively, while those on a leisurely outing tend to move slowly and behave more altruistically. Even as passengers in autonomous vehicles, people may exhibit these preferences. Unfortunately, autonomous vehicles do not share these preferences, instead sharing only minimal information or operating in isolation. Existing coordination and management methods do not consider these preferences when making decisions. They focus specifically on minimizing the trip duration …

Vesptures, Nyasha T. Chigama Ms

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

This is an invitation into the delicate space of living between two worlds, of having feelings of happiness and sadness at the same time. Delicate emotions and situations which are not easy to share but are paramount in my research of what it takes to want more out of being just a parent, come from a certain country than the one I am living in, and navigate between two cultures. This is a journey around some of the experiences I have faced when I found myself in a different space other than the one I grew up in. The …

Psychiatric Diagnostic Decision-Making: Investigating The Theory Of The Dual-Process Model, Christopher S. Kleva

Theses and Dissertations

Diagnostic decision-making is an important component of clinical practice; however, there is substantial diagnostic unreliability within mental health diagnoses. The lack of reliability emphasizes the importance of investigating diagnostic decision-making; however, the research to date is limited, primarily relying on a vague definition of decision-making based on the dual-process model. The present study is an exploratory attempt to apply the dual-process model to explain how mental health clinicians (n = 30, 73.3% cisgender female, 96.7% psychologists) arrive at making diagnostic decisions through the use of an interactive interview mechanism. For each participant, we are able to create a figure …

Addressing School Bullying Since The Onset Of Covid-19: A Merc Research And Policy Brief, David Naff, Morgan Meadowes, Kim Dupre, Alicia Gaston, Fatemah A. Khawaji, Christina Tillery, Makeba Lindsay D'Abreu, Lauren Powell, Deanna Fierro

MERC Publications

Among the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic is a shift in the nature and intensity of school bullying, perhaps symptomatic of the rapid changes and stressors that PK-12 students have endured since 2020. In this MERC research and policy brief, we explore how school bullying has changed since the onset of COVID-19 as well as research-based strategies for how educators and division leaders can best respond to it. The brief answers the following questions: 1) What is the nature of school bullying since the onset of COVID-19? 2) Which students have been particularly impacted by bullying since the pandemic? …

Understanding The Implications Of Work Based Learning For Students Pk-12 School Systems Institutions Of Higher Education And Hosting Organizations, David Naff, Amy Corning, Meleah Ellison, Albion Sumrell, Zehra Sahin Ilkorkor, Jennifer Murphy, Ciana Cross

MERC Publications

This literature review by the Metropolitan Educational Research Consortium (MERC) and Institute for Collaborative Research and Evaluation (ICRE), in partnership with the Virginia Talent + Opportunity Partnership (V-TOP) and State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) explores work-based learning and its implications for PK-12 institutions, institutions of higher education, and hosting organizations (e.g. employers). The report also provides background information about the foundations of work-based learning and concludes with a series of recommendations for practice, policy, and future research related to work-based learning. There is also an accompanying podcast episode where report authors discuss the key takeaways with …

Molecular Target And Circuitry Underlying The Preclinical Effects Of Psychedelics In Models Of Opioid Use Disorder, Alaina M. Jaster

Theses and Dissertations

Opioid use disorder (OUD), like other substance use disorders (SUD), is characterized by maladaptive behavioral allocation away from other rewarding aspects of life following prolonged use, as well as large rates of relapse. While pharmacotherapies exist for OUD, they tend to only target the opioid receptors rather than the underlying mechanisms behind the maladaptive behaviors. Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) is involved in modulation of cravings and regulation of motivational reward-related behaviors, thought to be due to a top-down processing method of external and internal stimuli. Serotonin 2A receptors (5-HT_2AR) are widespread throughout the brain and most densely populate layer …

Assessing The Perceived Impact Of A Local, Community-Engaged Mural Project On Preservice Art Educators In Foundational Coursework, Caitlin M. Black

Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study merged the methodological frameworks of qualitative case study and narrative inquiry (Sonday et. al, 2020) to assess the perceived impact of a local, community-engaged mural art project (Mending Walls) on undergraduate preservice art educators in foundational coursework. The study was grounded in existing research in three areas: community-engaged murals, community-engaged pedagogy, and community-engaged teacher preparation. These concepts were used to frame the study and provide further rationale for the inquiry. The purpose of this case study was to understand how undergraduate preservice art educators perceived the impact of using a local, community-engaged mural project (Mending Walls) in …

X-Ray Crystallography: A Tool For Understanding Protein Function And Drug Discovery, Akua K. Donkor

Theses and Dissertations

Structural biology has become an indispensable tool for determining the 3D structures of proteins for a comprehensive understanding of their functions on molecular level, and for elucidating binding cavities that can be targeted for structure-based drug discovery. X-ray crystallography, the most widely used structural biology technique was utilized in addition to other techniques to: (1) understand the role of pyridoxal reductase (PDXI) in pyridoxal 5’-phosphate (PLP) homeostasis; (2) Determine whether the putative PLP binding protein, YggS, is involved in PLP homeostasis; (3) Elucidate the molecular basis underlying Agrobacterium receptor VirA pathogenesis; and (4) Elucidate the structural basis of aromatic aldehydes …

Demonstrated Sensitivity, Kate Crankshaw

Theses and Dissertations

Flameworking is a tedious process that demands all of your attention and focus. Making multiples of a shape in this process allows my body and mind to fall into a rhythm. During these times, it allows my anxious mind to be quieted and helps me dive into processing past memories, trauma, and grief. It is commonly suggested in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy practices to find an activity to do that is both physical and repetitive to work through grief. This stimulates the physical and mental parts of the body, both areas where the effects of grief and trauma are held. Relaxing …

The Impact Of A Parent-Only Pediatric Obesity Intervention Program On Quality Of Life In Racially Diverse Children, Taylor Vashro

Theses and Dissertations

Pediatric obesity has been associated with significant decrements in pediatric quality of life (QOL) comparable with severe pediatric diseases such as cancer. Parenting interventions have yielded health benefits for children with obesity; however, few studies have investigated the impact of parent-focused interventions on QOL in children with overweight and obesity. This study investigated the impact of a 6-week intensive parenting intervention program on the QOL of 5-12 year old, predominantly Black children with overweight and obesity. Parents were randomized into either the parenting intervention (NOURISH+) or a control group, and QOL, as well as variables related to child and parenting …

An Arbitrary Aesthetic: Cultural Reproduction And Hegemonic Canonical Formations In The Western Theatrical Academy, Sim C. Rivers

Theses and Dissertations

Theatre as an artistic practice has often been celebrated as an art of and for the people, being a modality that in theory the common person has access to learn, explore and experience. In recent years I have become preoccupied with the growing rarification and privileging of this art form, particularly in how it is cognized and taught in the academic world. As such, I set out to investigate the mechanisms at work at levels structural, artistic, and personal that determine how theatre is taught and understood within the western academy.

This thesis seeks to examine and unpack the perceived …

Examining Genetically-Informed Etiologic Models Of Co-Occurring Posttraumatic Stress Disorder And Recreational Cannabis Use Among College Students, Terrell A. Hicks

Theses and Dissertations

The college years encompass a period of increased risk recreational cannabis use (RCU), as well as a time of increased risk for trauma exposure and developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Given the high co-occurrence between RCU and PTSD, and the potentially negative consequences of the two (e.g., worse academic outcomes), there is a need to understand the etiologic mechanisms of these commonly co-occurring conditions. Two primary phenotypic models exist: self-medication model (i.e., PTSD to RCU) and the high-risk model (i.e., RCU to PTSD). To date, there are two existing studies longitudinally examining the etiologic models proposed to explain co-occurring RCU …

Correlates Of Current Tobacco Use Among Cancer Survivors: Examining The Role Of Posttraumatic Growth And Family Conflict, Kendall Fugate-Laus

Theses and Dissertations

Cancer survivors who use tobacco are at a greater risk of death and poor health outcomes. Although tobacco use during cancer survivorship is associated with poor psychosocial functioning, it is relatively unknown how tobacco use is associated with other variables important to cancer survivorship, such as family functioning and posttraumatic growth. Thus, the current study aims to contribute to this gap within the literature by investigating the association between family conflict, posttraumatic growth, and current tobacco use status among cancer survivors. Participants were recruited from Virginia Commonwealth University’s Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center and eligible to participate if they received any …

"Always A Rocky And Rippling Stream": The Penobscot River And War, 1604-1869, Mary Moody Mclean

Theses and Dissertations

This paper broadly examines how rivers can be used as a pawn in war and, more specifically, how the Penobscot River, located in Penobscot County, Maine, influenced significant battles in America and the fabric of the developing nation due to its geographical location and geological development. This analysis focuses on one critical aspect of the Penobscot River that motivated attacks: the fur, fish and lumber trades, all of which were established due to the proximity of the coast and how the land developed during the Holocene era.

My thesis illustrates how North Americans, British and French used the Penobscot River …

The Five Senses: Fundamentals In Acting Training, Landon A. Nagel

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

THE FIVE SENSES: FUNDAMENTALS IN ACTING TRAINING

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MFA Theatre Pedagogy at Virginia Commonwealth University

by

LANDON NAGEL

Thesis Chair: Aaron Anderson, PH.D.

Theatre Graduate Program Director, Department of Theatre

The following is presented as a tool for new acting teachers, students and potentially parents. It identifies and explores the fundamental lessons that I believe are necessary inside a beginning acting studio, inspired by that which I believe is necessary when raising a young child. Rather than focusing on one particular technique, system or method - I …

Investigations In The Semi-Strong Product Of Graphs And Bootstrap Percolation, Kevin J. Mccall

Theses and Dissertations

The semi-strong product of graphs G and H is a way of forming a new graph from the graphs G and H. The vertex set of the semi-strong product is the Cartesian product of the vertex sets of G and H, V(G) x V(H). The edges of the semi-strong product are determined as follows: (g₁,h₁)(g₂,h₂) is an edge of the product whenever g₁g₂ is an edge of G and h₁h₂ is an edge of H or g₁ = g₂ and h₁h_{2 …}

Strength Scaling A Generic Upper Limb Musculoskeletal Model To Represent Individuals With Paraplegia, Yeajin Cho

Theses and Dissertations

Musculoskeletal (MSK) modeling and simulation of human movement is needed to estimate biomechanical quantities which cannot be directly measured, including muscle and joint contact forces during wheelchair propulsion. When accurate representation of an individual's muscle strength and musculoskeletal anatomy is needed, a generic upper limb MSK model can be scaled, or a subject-specific model can be developed. A generic MSK model can be scaled with regard to strength to represent an individual nonimpaired adult or child based on limb lengths and muscle volumes, or other techniques. Developing a subject-specific model requires MSK and physiologic data typically derived from medical imaging …

Qvoices: Queer Voices In Oncology Igniting Change Through Empowered Stories Of Survivorship, Viktor Clark

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Each year in the United States there are roughly 2 million new cancer diagnoses, with over 600,000 deaths due to cancer. The National Cancer Institute developed a six-stage cancer control continuum framework ranging from etiology to survivorship to organize the cancer experience. Sexual and gender minorities (SGM) are comprised of multiple communities representing ~23.6 million adults in the US, SGM face disparities at each stage of the cancer control continuum. This study emphasizes three stages, prevention, detection, and treatment. Engagement in prevention can prevent or prolong cancer, early detection through engagement in cancer screening improves cancer trajectories and compliance …

Breaking Bread & Boundaries : Finding Home In Every Bite, Steffi Ann Braganza

Theses and Dissertations

Raised outside of their “passport” countries, Third Culture Individuals (TCIs) often experience a lack of rootedness and belonging, and home is often everywhere and nowhere. Childhood food memories can provide the sense of connection and identity TCIs crave. Four Qatar-raised TCIs, from very different backgrounds share memories of their childhood comfort foods, now hybridized dishes, that reflect their unique third culture experiences. Each dish, in turn, inspired the creation of a bespoke set of cooking /dining ware designed to trigger a specific sensory memory: the sight, smell, touch, or sound associated with the original comfort dish. This specialized cooking/dining ware …

Refashioning Style From The Outside-In: A Pakistani Diasporic Response, Sidra Sohail Khawaja

Theses and Dissertations

Pakistan’s traditionalists and modernists hold opposing political, religious, social and nationalist views creating a constant tension within the culture. This tension creates a fashion industry with two extremes, one side reflecting traditional influences and the other reflecting western trends. I address the tension by analysing the craft and context of traditional Pakistani men’s clothing and incorporating traditional construction techniques into garments that reflect aspects of both points of view. In a series of five looks, I extract from influences like Persian, North Indian, Afghani, Colonial and Neo-Colonial, to generate hybridized garments that offer a new perspective, blending traditional elements with …

Examining Allostatic Load As A Biological Mechanism Linking Childhood Adversity And Pediatric Pain, Angela Pascale

Theses and Dissertations

Despite a strong literature base relating childhood adversity to pain, the biological mechanisms underlying these associations remain unclear. Theoretical and preliminary empirical evidence supports allostatic load as a potential biological mechanism, though prior studies investigating associations between childhood adversity and elevated allostatic load and/or between elevated allostatic load and poorer pain outcomes have primarily focused on adult populations and individual allostatic load indicators rather than a comprehensive index. Thus, the current study built upon prior literature by testing longitudinal relationships between childhood adversity and multiple biological indicators spanning across physiological systems (i.e., comprehensive allostatic load index) and pediatric pain outcomes …

Strong Homotopy Lie Algebras And Hypergraphs, Samuel J. Bevins, Marco Aldi

UROP Posters

We study hypergraphs by attaching a nilpotent strong homotopy Lie algebra. We especially focus on hypergraph theoretic information that is encoded in the cohomology of the resulting strong homotopy Lie algebra.

Respire: A Technological Tool To Navigate Mechanical Ventilation In Patient Care And Educational Settings, Swara Chokshi

UROP Posters

Around the world, more than 20 million patients rely on mechanical ventilators annually; however, not enough individuals understand how to operate ventilators, posing a risk to the health of many. Moreover, it is increasingly difficult to determine optimal mechanical ventilator settings in a timely fashion, especially in low-resource countries and critical care areas. Respire is a mobile application that bridges this gap in a twofold manner: it is designed to assist healthcare workers around the world navigate and use mechanical ventilators effectively as well as educate the general public about mechanical ventilation. Respire offers a user-friendly yet educational interface that …

Analysis Of Fiber Uv Degradation Through An Environmental Chamber, Davis A. Eames

UROP Posters

Environmentally degraded fibers could impact multiple aspects of a fiber comparison, considering that collected weathered fabrics/fibers may express an altered chemical structure and/or colorimetric property compared to their unexposed counterparts. Depending on the amount of degradation the evidence has suffered, it could be challenging for forensic scientists to make conclusions from their comparative analyses. Observations presented in this study were orchestrated to test the possible outcomes that sunlight has on fabric-based materials. Photodegradation of fabrics was investigated through the use of an environmental chamber for a duration of six weeks, which would be equivalent to three months of real-world UV …

Finite Element Analysis Of 3d-Printed Pcl Scaffolds, Ireolu K. Orenuga, Joao Soares, Phillip D. Glass, Daeha Joung Ph.D.

UROP Posters

Finite Element Analysis of 3D-printed PCL Scaffolds for Synergizing Cellular Micro-Environment and Mechanical Stimuli to Enhance Engineered Tissue Growth in Vitro

Ireolu Orenuga,1 Phillip Glass,2 Daeha Joung,2 Joao S. Soares1

1. Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, College of Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University
2. Department of Physics, College of Humanities & Sciences, Virginia Commonwealth University

Introduction: Tissue engineering aims to create viable and functional engineered tissues via biodegradable scaffolds and autologous cells. Scaffolds play an essential part in organizing the architecture of developing tissues and aid in the proper function of implants acutely by serving as mechanical support and long-term by …

Assessing The Relationships Between Direct And Vicarious Exposure To Healthcare Discrimination And Erasure, Mistrust In Healthcare, And The Healthcare Utilization Behaviors Among Transgender And Gender Independent Individuals, Kyle L. Mason

Theses and Dissertations

Healthcare inaccessibility through direct exposure (i.e., personal) to myriad forms of gender identity-related discrimination and erasure among the Transgender and Gender Independent (TGI) population has been documented by prior studies. The myriad barriers that individuals who embody TGI identities encounter to accessing healthcare are associated with the underutilization of healthcare, which may further exacerbate the health disparities that exist between this population and cisgender individuals in the United States (U.S.). Although the impacts of the harm that direct exposure to healthcare discrimination and erasure may have on TGI individuals are known, their exposure to such harm vicariously (i.e., through observation …

The Environment Of Interprofessional Education In Graduate Education: Exploring Professional Programs Of Occupational Therapy, Physician Assistant, And Physical Therapy, Allison R. Kaczmarek

Theses and Dissertations

Interprofessional education (IPE) is an educational approach of increasing popularity in professional schools for the preparation of a collaborative ready healthcare workforce. The accrediting bodies of professional education programs in occupational therapy (OT), physician assistant (PA), and physical therapy (PT) have incorporated standards for outcomes addressing IPE. Although they have endorsed the Health Professions Accreditors Collaborative (HPAC) consensus document on quality IPE, we do not have a contemporary snapshot of the IPE environments in the curriculum of their accredited programs. This dissertation, a collection of three distinct inquiries, has two aims: first, to provide a description of IPE as it …

Applications Of Urban Land Evaluation And Site Assessment (Ulesa) In Chesterfield County, Virginia, Emily Hastings

Theses and Dissertations

Urban and suburban agriculture is increasing in popularity across the United States. However, many of these farms are short-lived due to a combination of human factors (e.g., managerial, economic, cultural) and environmental or spatial factors (e.g., zoning, soil quality, distance to markets). Geospatial analysis, in the form of suitability modeling, could aid in locating suitable sites for these activities. Land Evaluation and Site Assessment (LESA) is a suitability modeling technique that generates a score for agricultural land use in traditionally rural spaces. This research explores adapting this method to encompass the complexities of placing diverse, in-ground agriculture in urban and …

Using Bovid Tribe Proportions To Reconstruct Paleoenvironments Of Eastern African Paranthropus, Lisa Day

Theses and Dissertations

There are conflicting theories about the eating habits and corresponding environmental needs of Paranthropus boisei and Paranthropus aethiopicus, two species of extinct hominins that existed ~2.8 to ~1 Ma in eastern Africa. Paranthropus species are well-known for their unusually large molars and sagittal crest (a bony ridge on their skulls which allowed for large chewing muscle attachments), these skeletal adaptations were once thought to be due to their feeding on hard foods; however, recent isotope data and dental microwear studies question the simplicity of this assumption. This has revealed a gap in our understanding of the environmental needs of …