Digital Commons Network^™

Exploring The Role Of Pain Severity Versus Central Sensitization In Predicting Opioid-Related Outcomes Among Adults With Chronic Pain, Miyah Taylor, Taylor Crouch Ph.D.

IRBEH/Spit for Science Publications and Presentations

Chronic opioid therapy is widely used for managing persistent pain, yet its long-term efficacy is questionable and often associated with adverse outcomes such as opioid misuse and dependence. This study investigated whether central sensitization (CS), a condition of heightened neural response to pain stimuli, better predicts opioid-related outcomes compared to self-reported pain severity. Among adults with chronic pain currently using long-term opioid therapy, participants completed measures assessing CS, pain severity, and opioid-related outcomes including readiness and confidence to change opioid use, misuse, and dependence. Regression analyses revealed that while CS did not significantly predict readiness or confidence to change opioid …

Vcu And The 2025 Virginia Course Materials Survey, Abbey Childs

Scholarship about Open Education

In 2025, VIVA distributed an updated Virginia Course Materials Survey. Its goal was to build on the first iteration of the survey, providing updated data for the areas explored in the original survey, along with new data to address the changing open and affordable landscape in Virginia. The 2025 survey aimed to answer the following questions:

1. What is the impact of course material costs on educational equity among Virginia students?

2. What course content materials do students find to be most beneficial to their learning?

3. What barriers are presented to students due to course material costs and how can those barriers …

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Beyond Homogeneity: Exploring Causal Heterogeneity In Psychopathology, Philip B. Vinh

Theses and Dissertations

Traditional models in psychiatric research often impose assumptions of causal homogeneity, treating population-level associations as reflective of uniform underlying mechanisms. This dissertation challenges that assumption by introducing statistical and machine learning frameworks designed to detect and model causal heterogeneity in the development of psychopathology. Central to this approach is the advancement of finite mixture structural equation modeling (FM-SEM) to identify latent subgroups characterized by distinct, and sometimes opposing, causal pathways.

The dissertation comprises three integrated empirical studies. The first introduces mixDoC, a finite mixture extension of the classical Direction of Causation (DoC) model applied to twin data, enabling the detection …

Mctr3 Mitigates Cigarette Smoke-Induced Pulmonary Inflammation And Damage, Yu Par Aung Myo

Theses and Dissertations

Smoking is deleterious to our lungs and can precipitate in a multitude of diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD is primarily caused by smoking cigarettes and is a major public health issue. Current therapies only treat symptoms without halting or reversing disease progression, thus highlighting a large unmet need to develop new therapies. We address this gap by investigating maresin conjugate in tissue regeneration 3 (MCTR3) which is a newly discovered specialized pro-resoling mediator (SPM) that has the novel property of promoting tissue repair and regeneration in addition to being anti-inflammatory and pro-resolving. For the first time, we …

Virginia Commonwealth University Courses (2025), Virginia Commonwealth University

VCU Bulletins

Listing of courses for the 2025-2026 year.

Virginia Commonwealth University Graduate Bulletin (2025), Virginia Commonwealth University

VCU Bulletins

Listing of courses for the 2025-2026 year.

Virginia Commonwealth University Undergraduate Bulletin (2025), Virginia Commonwealth University

VCU Bulletins

Undergraduate bulletin for Virginia Commonwealth University for the academic year 2025-2026. It includes information on academic regulations, degree requirements, course offerings, faculty, academic calendar, and tuition and expenses for undergraduate programs

Assessing Electronic Nicotine Delivery System Abuse Liability Among People Who Smoke Cigarettes: Impact Of Device Characteristics, Nicotine Flux, And Flavor, Elizabeth Oluwapelumi Ogunleye

Theses and Dissertations

This clinical laboratory study utilizes subjective and behavioral economic measures to assess the abuse liability of own-brand cigarettes and six currently authorized ENDS products, examining how device characteristics, nicotine flux, and liquid flavor influence outcomes among adults who smoke cigarettes. Using a Latin-square-ordered, within-subject design, adults who smoke cigarettes (N = 30; N = 20 preferred menthol cigarettes) attended four clinical sessions: one to evaluate their own-brand cigarette and three to assess six NJOY ENDS products: 2.4% nicotine pods (~58 µg/s; tobacco and menthol flavor), 6% nicotine disposable products (~61-65 µg/s; tobacco and menthol flavor), and 5% nicotine pods (~118-123 …

Just Give Me A Reason: Developing A Scale To Explore The Drive For Seeking Provocation, Sydney R. Kavanaugh

Theses and Dissertations

Provocation seeking (PS) is defined as the deliberate choice an individual makes to enter into a situation wherein other people are likely to provoke (e.g., threaten, insult) them towards some type of dispute. Rooted in the broader framework of situation selection, which describes how individuals choose environments that align with their goals and emotional states, PS specifically captures the tendency to seek out contexts likely for conflict. The present studies represent an initial step in investigating the novel concept of PS by identifying commonly endorsed PS behaviors and developing a measure to assess them. Given the lack of existing research …

Housing Quality For Whom? Housing Quality As A Form Of Housing Insecurity And Housing Inequality For Black Women Renters, Jenee Lee

Theses and Dissertations

Housing quality is an often overlooked but critical aspect of housing insecurity that often impacts one’s well-being physically, mentally, and socially. As a compromise for affordable housing, some individuals reside in substandard conditions, often lacking essential safety measures and amenities needed for a comfortable and secure living environment. Consistent with broader patterns of housing disparities, Black women renters are disproportionately affected by housing insecurity and more likely to live in substandard housing. Although previous literature has explored the impact of poor-quality housing and its characteristics, there is a gap in understanding how Black women renters uniquely perceive and experience housing …

Mutual Realm, Tyna Ontko

Theses and Dissertations

mutual realm is a container for my many meandering thoughts on speculative futures, present-day-truth-telling, and the everyday construction of histories. Informed by systems of belief and power that humans have created to grapple with the unknown, the writing illustrates how storytelling builds worlds, assigning value to things by inscribing them with desire. In parts fact and fantasy, sculpture is considered as a form of sorting, making known the ways in which my experience of living between publics whose methods for demarcating boundaries, communally agreed upon superstitions, and algorithms for assigning meaning have marked my unconscious and affect my daily trajectories. …

Into Thick Air: Adapting Cultural Practices Into Solutions For Modern Wicked Problems, Syed Muhammad Erzum Naqvi

Theses and Dissertations

Into Thick Air argues that cultural practices can inspire solutions

to challenging modern problems. This project employs the Basant

festival as a case study to critically reimagine kite flying as a

collective practice with the potential to contribute to the reduction

of air pollution in Lahore, a city consistently ranked among those

with the poorest air quality globally. By building kites from fabric

treated with nanoparticle coatings, Into Thick Air transforms a

traditional community activity into an accessible, citizen-driven

method for removing pollutants from the air. The treated kites

empower Lahoris to take charge of their environment while

encouraging collective …

A Qualitative Exploration Of The Employment Experiences And Coping Strategies Among Transgender Women In Medellín, Colombia., Paola Marcela Roldan

Theses and Dissertations

Transgender individuals face disproportionate employment discrimination, with unemployment rates five times higher than the general population. Despite growing awareness of workplace diversity, transgender women continue to experience systemic barriers to economic security and professional fulfillment. This dissertation examines the employment experiences and coping strategies of transgender women in Medellín, Colombia, a city characterized by both progressive policies and persistent challenges. Using an exploratory-descriptive qualitative design, this study employed reflexive thematic analysis of in-depth interviews with 18 transgender women. Two theoretical frameworks—Puwar's "Bodies Out of Place" and Minority Stress Theory—guided the analysis of how transgender women navigate predominantly cisgender employment environments. …

Searching Effectively: Basic Principles And Practical Tips For Better Results, Roy E. Brown

VCU Libraries Faculty and Staff Publications

This handout updates Doing a Good Search: Basic Rules and Search Tips, originally published in 2024. It outlines the basic principles of doing a good search, from identifying a topic and formulating a clear question to selecting and searching at least two databases. It also includes information on Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT), subject headings, and Google Scholar. New to this iteration of the document are best practices for using artificial intelligence in literature and evidence searches.

Remember: Searching is an iterative process, which involves repeated cycles of refinement. Your approach will shift depending on the specific question you're trying …

Hauntings Of Transnational Art Learning And Teaching: A Duo-Ethnography Of Two Asian Art Educators’ Transformative Experiences, Hayon Park, Sohee Koo

Journal of Social Theory in Art Education

Reflecting on lived experiences as art learners in South Korea and professional practices in the United States as art educators, the authors draw from Derrida’s (1994) “hauntology” and present how their transnational experiences continue to conjure up and affect the everyday lives of Asian women junior faculty today in the US through duoethnographic approaches. Posing the question “how might personal lived experiences of an educator foster art pedagogy and research?” and interviewing each other on aesthetics, education, and identity, this article seeks to: 1) inform others about how Korean art educators navigate matters of transnational education experience and colonization and …

Fuel To The Fire: Experimenting With Care Ethics In Museum Education, Jenna S. Green

Journal of Social Theory in Art Education

This article suggests museum theory and practice needs to shift its ideological foundation from storage, preservation, restoration, exhibition making, and learning, to one of radical care. Responding to the questions posed by the Journal of Social Theory in Art Education and drawing focus around the theme of (re)activating theory to envision an alternative educational model, I engage with Dana Carlisle Kletchka’s (2023) introduction of care ethics to art museum education. I suggest that care ethics, as a growing theory in museums, is interdisciplinary and should include contemplative scholarship and practices to embody its guiding tenants. I then take up Kletchka’s …

From Objects To Relationships: Reviving Connectivity Through Collaborative Artmaking, Carolina Blatt-Gross

Journal of Social Theory in Art Education

A shortage of pro-social opportunities during the pandemic brought to the fore a longer, deeper trend toward disconnection. With the broader emphasis on individualized academic achievement compounding pandemic-induced social disenfranchisement, schools and communities are struggling to revive a sense of connectivity and belonging. The arts, on the other hand, have long been associated with social outcomes, historically generating group cohesion and inherently offering participants a sense of unity and synchronicity through collaborative artmaking. Applied to educational settings, pinpointing the concrete aspects of art education that beget social capital and connectedness is a more difficult task. This investigation examines the potential …

Jstae V44 Full Issue: Navigating Collapse: Re-Envisioning Educational Structures, Jstae Editor

Journal of Social Theory in Art Education

No abstract provided.

Amendment: Literary And Art Journal (2025)

Amendment, 2004-

Amendment is a VCU student-produced progressive literature and art journal that provides a platform for students to promote equality, tolerance, and social progression through artistic expression.

Reimagining Education: Revisiting A Quantitative Study Of Naea Members, Hannah K. Sions

Journal of Social Theory in Art Education

In 2020, (anti)racism, implicit bias, and white supremacy were topics that were becoming highlighted in school systems across the country (Krauth, 2021). However, as stay-at-home orders relaxed, the same educators who were regarded as heroes at the beginning of the pandemic were suddenly criticized for trying to teach anti-racism, equity, and other systemic social issues (Graham, 2021). The inability to acknowledge uncomfortable truths about history has highlighted a major shortcoming of education in the United States: we can continue to teach in ways that we know oppress students from the Global Majority or we can reexamine education and move towards …

Dialogic Praxis And Racialized Embodiment In Art Education, Emily J. Hood, Sarah T. Travis, Kathy Brown, David Herman Jr., Injeong Yoon-Ramirez

Journal of Social Theory in Art Education

In this paper, the authors discuss how conversations on racial embodiment can be dialogic praxis that builds solidarity and moves towards anti-racist pedagogy. For the conversations, the authors met via videoconference on several occasions to discuss their experiences on the topic of racialized embodiment from their varied sociocultural perspectives and considered implications for visual art teaching, learning, and research. They recorded the audio and video of these conversations and collaged portions of the transcripts of these talks together to present a single curated conversation that serves as primary content for this paper. The decision to “speak” this article into existence …

Physiological Responses And Plant Trait Interactions With Coastal Dune And Swale Development, Emily C. Riffe

Theses and Dissertations

Vegetation is crucial to coastal ecosystems experiencing climate change and storm-induced disturbance. Plant species interact with the physical environment and are considered “ecosystem engineers.” Sand dunes and barrier islands are at the forefront of climate change impacts as they are barriers that protect landward habitat and communities. Nature based solutions are utilized to protect infrastructure on developed coastlines. Understanding how dominant plant species interact with and alter the physical environment enhances our understanding of the mechanisms of change and consequences to the system. The goal of this research was to quantify physiological and functional trait differences in dominant species found …

Glossed Over, Rebecca Oh

Theses and Dissertations

Glossed Over is a collection of interdisciplinary artworks exploring my Korean-American diasporic identity and how gender, queerness, religion, neurodivergence, and internet culture intersect within that experience. Through a blend of painting, woodworking, and sculpture, this installation carries the various elements of undefinable 한 (pronounced: han), a concept I attempt to define and contextualize in the Introduction and throughout this thesis. Each artwork operates through coded language, metaphor, and partial disclosure, offering space for the othered to find recognition through subtle cues and signifiers. Through Glossed Over and this thesis, I scratch the surface of my journey in reconciling generational trauma …

Non-Enzymatic Glycoxidation Reports On Society, Environment And Biology To Inform On Enduring Cancer Disparities, Fariha Imtiaz, Boxiao Ding, Bradley A. Krisanits, Katherine A. Walter, Lindsay L. Peterson, Susan Steck, Marvella E. Ford, Gayenell Magwood, Victoria J. Findlay, David Turner

Annual Research Day

Background: Despite advancements in cancer treatment, disparities in incidence and mortality persist among different races and ethnicities. These disparities are influenced by an intricate interplay between environmental, biological and social factors that underscore the need for a multifaceted approach to understand this relationship. Objective/Aim: To show that advanced glycation end products (AGEs) due to non-enzymatic glycoxidation represent informative and functional markers that report on the combined impact of environmental, biological and social factors on enduring cancer disparities. Methods: To address this objective, a more holistic approach to disparities research was used ranging from basic research, population-based investigations, preclinical and clinical …

The Compass, Summer 2025

The Compass, 2018-

The Compass is an annual orientation guide for VCU students produced by the Student Media Collective in the VCU Student Media Centered. The guide is distributed physically during summer orientation sessions for new and transfer students. The publication includes short articles, illustrations, letters of welcome from students and administrators, comics, and advertisements from VCU and Richmond organizations.

The Diseased Extracellular Matrix In Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Modeling, Leigh-Ann M. Antczak

Theses and Dissertations

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is currently the fourth leading cause of death in the world, with an increasing prevalence as the world’s population ages. In the distal regions of the lungs, COPD is characterized by progressive emphysema due to an imbalance of proteases that continuously degrade essential extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins within the alveolar walls, causing fatal tissue impairment. This dissertation examines the unique properties of this diseased lung ECM in two parts: (1) As a key constituent in inflammatory signaling that leads to increased inflammation and progression of COPD, and (2) as a tool in three-dimensional (3D) in …

Wiring Attachment, Alexander K. Bacon

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis began with a question: can diagrams create understanding, or only reflect it? Through paintings that layer automotive wiring schematics with family photographs, I explore how the human attachment system resists easy mapping. Using digital tools like Photoshop and scanning, alongside analog methods such as papier-collé and photo transfer, I examine how systems built for clarity—like wiring diagrams—contrast with the layered, often messy realities of human relationships. Drawing from attachment theory’s empirical foundation, rather than the metaphorical leanings of psychoanalysis, my work investigates how emotional bonds form, falter, and repair over time. Material loss and layering are not flaws, …

The Dance Of Human Affairs: Public Administration Leaders’ Perceptions Of Candor’S Impact On A Sense Of Belonging, Aaron Dimmock

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines public administration leaders’ perceptions within the executive branch of the state government studied to determine if the components of radical candor, care personally and challenge directly, are associated with the sense of belonging in a public administration setting. Questions from surveys conducted by the state government studied were used to create the variables analyzed in this study. To the researcher’s knowledge, this is the first study to apply components from the Radical Candor® Framework to determine a relationship with sense of belonging in a public administration setting.

The significance of these components was tested through a quantitative, …

Transforming Numbers And Narratives Into Impact At The Richmond Ed Fund, Jasmine C. Brown, Rochelle Clarke, Truc-Mai Nguyen

Doctor of Education Capstones

The Richmond Ed Fund (REF) has been a nonprofit partner to Richmond Public Schools (RPS) for over two decades. During this time, they provided valuable support through enrichment programs, scholarships, and teacher development to the RPS community. In 2019, the organization shifted its focus from direct program operation to major gifts fundraising to align with the RPS strategic plan’s five priorities. To better reflect its renewed mission and enhance its visibility within the community, in 2024 REF underwent a major rebranding focused on expanding impact, increasing collaboration, and fostering innovation. The Executive Director of REF submitted a Request for Partnership …

Elements Of A Talent Information System For The Shenandoah Valley Partnership, Jake Thompson

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Capstone Projects

This study examines the development of a comprehensive talent information system for the Shenandoah Valley Partnership (SVP), addressing the region’s prioritized need for talent attraction and retention. Through a mixed-methods approach combining literature review, demographic analysis, and qualitative interviews with comparable regional economic development organizations, the research identifies effective strategies for collecting, managing, and analyzing workforce data. The Shenandoah Valley region, comprising twelve localities in Virginia, faces challenges in educational attainment and healthcare provision despite possessing significant natural and cultural assets. Findings reveal three key components for effective talent information systems: (1) ambassador programs that provide qualitative insights on regional …