Digital Commons Network^™

Comparison Of Professional Impressions Of Hikikomori Across Cultures: A Secondary Data Analysis, Marko Lamela

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the impressions of two hikikomori vignettes by professionals across different countries to determine possible similarities or differences across countries. Originally viewed as a cultural disorder, hikikomori has been observed in different countries. This study used an existing data set of a 2010 study to review diagnostic impressions using the ICD-10 and DSM-IV-TR coding systems, as well as a free response. Additionally, this study reviewed professional impressions on the best treatment for hikikomori. This study reviewed these responses based on country of origin and cultural type. A correlation was found between ICD-10 and DSM-IV-TR diagnosis, country, and cultural …

Identity Denial And Food Choice: Do Chinese Americans Reassert Their American Identity Through Food?, Shelagh Mahbubani

Theses and Dissertations

Food choice is impacted by a variety of different factors, including cultural, social and socioeconomic (Chen & Antonelli, 2020; Contento, 2008; Rozin, 2015). Food choice has a major impact on an individual’s health, and research has shown an association between the prototypical “American diet” and an increased risk for health conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, and stroke (Liu et al., 2020). One important social factor that can influence food choice is the desire to appear as a prototypical member of a social group (Cruwys et al., 2012). For example, when an individual’s social identity is questioned (identity threat), they may …

Is The Juridical Field Of Environmental Law In India Gendered? A Study Of Environmental Justice In Goa Through An Ecofeminist Lens, Shweta Dilip Singh Sinha

Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this study is to examine whether the “juridical field,” as defined by Bourdieu, of environmental law in India (Goa), is gendered. As per Bourdieu, the legal field is neither as neutral nor as autonomous as the legal profession asserts it is. It relies heavily on the juridical practices of universalization, appropriation, and naming or categorization in order to constantly reimagine and negotiate its own boundaries. This study examines these juridical practices including acts of symbolic violence committed in the process of ‘naming’ or ‘defining’ within legal terms extra-legal concepts, mainly environmental toponyms, such as, ‘“forest,” “CRZ” (Coastal …

What Motivates Authors To Include Religious Identity In Children's Picture Books?, Kenneth J. Eiker

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores children's authors' experiences of and motivations for including religious and spiritual themes in their picture books. It investigates the intricate connection between authors' backgrounds, including their cultural, spiritual, or religious, and familial roots, and how these elements permeate their writing. The study examines these authors' lived experiences and personal narratives, uncovering how their unique identities shape the portrayal of complex spiritual or religious themes in children's literature. Across the interviews, several themes were identified, including family teachings, religious upbringing, and personal spirituality. Authors draw from a wealth of personal experiences, such as Matt de la Peña's Christian …

Evaluation Of Microglia’S Structural Variations Within An Organotypic Hippocampal Slice Model After Regionalized Toxic Injury, Jesus Antonio Trejos

Theses and Dissertations

The dendritic cells of the CNS, the microglia (MG), are an initiation point of the immunological response within the post blood-brain barrier (BBB) compartment. Microglia morphology drastically changes in response to cell stress to a much different non-dendritic morphology. This investigation postulates that if the first MG responses to toxic injury are isolated and studied in greater morphological detail there is much to be learned about MG metamorphosis from a baseline (M2) to an activated (M1) state. The organotypic hippocampal slice was the experimental setting used to investigate microglial response to toxic injury. This isolates dendritic cellular responses and associated …

Insulin And Dma Suppress The Innate Immune Response Against Aav, Tianxiang Qi

Theses and Dissertations

Adeno-Associated Virus (AAV) is extensively utilized in various clinical trials and approved gene therapies. Despite its widespread use, the immune response to AAV vectors remains a significant limitation. Extensive research has been conducted to mitigate adaptive immune challenges, such as pre-existing antibodies and inhibiting the adaptive immune response. This study, however, centers on the innate immune response elicited by AAV, exploring the modulatory effects of insulin and DMA. Initially, we examined the impact of DMA and insulin on the human liver cell line Hep3B and the human macrophage cell line U937 by culturing together in transwell inserts. Following stimulation with …

Interplay Between Rna Editing And Alternative Splicing Modulates Biophysical And Pharmacological Properties Of The Ion Channel Cav1.3, Willy Munyao

Theses and Dissertations

Alternative splicing and adenosine-to-inosine (A-to-I) RNA editing are post-transcriptional mechanisms that promote proteomic diversity in the brain. The impact of RNA editing on brain physiology is underscored by its association with the etiology and pathogenesis of various neurological and neurodegenerative diseases. Alternative splicing of exon 43 within the CaV1.3 C-terminus produces long (CaV1.3L) and short (CaV1.343S) variants exhibiting distinct gating and pharmacological properties. While the physiological role of CaV1.3 A-to-I RNA editing in brain function is still unfolding, recent findings indicate that unedited CaV1.3 channels display larger calcium influx and enhanced neuronal excitability, suggesting that A-to-I RNA editing may act …

Mobocertinib Antagonizes Multidrug Resistance In Abcb1- And Abcg2-Overexpressing Cancer Cells, Xingduo Dong

Theses and Dissertations

The resistance of cancer cells to multiple drugs, known as multidrug resistance (MDR), remains a significant obstacle that leads to the ineffectiveness of cancer chemotherapy. The overexpression of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters, particularly ABCB1 and ABCG2, has been strongly correlated with MDR. There is an urgent need to explore and identify novel inhibitors targeting ABCB1 and ABCG2 to overcome the related MDR. Mobocertinib (TAK-788) is an orally administered, irreversible EGFR/HER2 inhibitor approved for the treatment of adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) harboring epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) exon 20 insertion mutations. This study …

Synthesis Of Leishmania Spp Antigens For The Development Of Vaccine Candidates, Dipesh Budhathoki

Theses and Dissertations

Leishmaniasis is a neglected tropical disease caused by the protozoan parasite of the genus Leishmania. Presently no vaccine against Leishmaniasis is available, so there is a need for new anti-leishmanial treatments, including an effective preventive vaccine. We focus on developing vaccine candidates based on leishmania’s cell surface carbohydrate antigens. Saccharides heavily envelop the cell surface of Leishmania, lipophosphoglycan (LPG) becoming a significant glycan in most leishmania species. Its intrinsic antigenicity makes this polysaccharide a useful target for developing conjugated vaccine candidates against all leishmaniasis variants. In this report, we present our progress towards the synthesis of the fragments of LPG …

Adaptive Multi-Label Classification On Drifting Data Streams, Martha Roseberry

Theses and Dissertations

Drifting data streams and multi-label data are both challenging problems. When multi-label data arrives as a stream, the challenges of both problems must be addressed along with additional challenges unique to the combined problem. Algorithms must be fast and flexible, able to match both the speed and evolving nature of the stream. We propose four methods for learning from multi-label drifting data streams. First, a multi-label k Nearest Neighbors with Self Adjusting Memory (ML-SAM-kNN) exploits short- and long-term memories to predict the current and evolving states of the data stream. Second, a punitive k nearest neighbors algorithm with a self-adjusting …

Investigation Of Brain Function And Structural Development As Risk Factors Of Suicidal Thoughts And Behaviors, Yi Zhou

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Identifying risk factors for suicidal thoughts and behaviors, especially causal ones, will be imperative to improving screening and treatment interventions. To identify replicable brain-based risk factors, there is increasing evidence indicating the need for large sample sizes, in the hundreds to thousands, in order to achieve a sufficient level of statistical power to detect them. Furthermore, longitudinal studies of brain and behavioral factors will be essential to understanding how suicide develops, especially the transition from suicide ideation to attempt. While experimental studies may not be feasible or ethical, genetically informed methods for testing evidence for causation are an alternative …

Sphingosine Kinase 2 Depletion Dysregulates Hepatic Redox Metabolism And Enhances Inflammation In Early Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatohepatitis (Mash), Kaitlyn Georgene Jackson

Theses and Dissertations

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) currently affects one in three people worldwide; its prevalence is growing alongside other cardiometabolic disorders. Aberrations to redox and sphingolipid metabolism contribute to MASLD pathologic progression. Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) is an active lipid, meaning that S1P participates in biochemical processes within the cell. S1P is generated by two distinct isoenzymes, sphingosine kinase (SphK)1 and SphK2. The localization of the SphK enzyme dictates S1P function. While cytosolic SphK1-generated S1P is well-characterized, nuclear and mitochondrial SphK2-generated S1P is less known. Moreover, SphK2 depletion effects on cellular redox processes and inflammation are not well-defined.

This study defines the …

The Role Of Hdac6 In Periodontal Inflammation, Hannah S. Lohner

Theses and Dissertations

Periodontal disease is a polymicrobial infection-induced chronic inflammatory disease and results in irreversible tissue damage and bone loss. While bacteria play a large role in the initiation of this disease, excessive and prolonged inflammatory immune responses are fundamental for its progression, making host directed therapy (HDT) a possible and potentially valuable treatment. Histone Deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) is an enzyme that removes acetyl groups from both histone and non-histone proteins, giving it a potential role in regulating inflammation initiated by pathogenic oral bacteria. Previous studies indicated that HDACs act as a bivalent regulator in inflammatory responses; however, the role that HDAC6 …

Plk1 Overexpression Drives Tumorigenesis In A Prostate Cancer Mouse Model, Emile Kachouh

Theses and Dissertations

Prostate cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among men worldwide, and the development of resistance to existing treatments necessitates the exploration of new therapeutic strategies, including combination therapies. This study investigates the role of Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1), located on chromosome 16p12.2, as an oncogene in prostate cancer. We generated a transgenic mouse model with prostate-specific overexpression of PLK1 to closely mimic human prostate cancer progression. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) analysis was employed to characterize the molecular profile of PLK1, revealing its implication in multiple pathways. To further elucidate the functional consequences of PLK1 overexpression, we confirmed phenotypic progression …

A Retrospective Chart Review Of Avulsion Injuries Treated At Virginia Commonwealth University., Ryan Hediger

Theses and Dissertations

A RETROSPECTIVE CHART REVIEW OF AVULSION INJURIES TREATED AT VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY. By: Ryan Hediger, DMD

Objective: Outcomes related to healing following an avulsion injury are multifactorial. However, contemporary literature suggests that tooth survival can be enhanced after such injuries by promptly replanting the tooth and adhering to proper management guidelines. Despite the abundance of resources available, the actions taken immediately after the avulsion injury play a pivotal role in determining the fate of an avulsed tooth. The primary objective of the current investigation is to unveil prognostic factors associated with the survival of avulsed teeth.

Methods: A chart review …

A Critical Perspective On Supporting Parents In Facilitating Informal Steam Learning On Children's Early Literacy Development, Suzanne G. Alexandre

Theses and Dissertations

Considering that parents/caregivers and home environment play an influential role in a child’s school readiness and future academic success, this study sought to support parents in using facilitation strategies to engage their child in informal learning at home. In order to examine if access to support for parents of preschoolers influenced parents’ confidence in their ability to facilitate informal learning at home, the project used informal STEAM learning, for context. The study also examines the potential impact of informal STEAM learning on children's school readiness and early literacy skills and the intersections of parent involvement, STEAM, and school readiness through …

Notes On A Centrifugal Chiller: Listening And Breathing The Boundaries Of Circulatory Architecture, Chrystine Rayburn

Theses and Dissertations

"Notes on a Chiller" unfolds as a series of site responsive and performative exercises that activate, modulate, and translate the immense voice of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Siegel Center water-cooled chiller, a climate control system that regulates the atmosphere of the university’s sports arena. Using individual and collective listening and sound-making practices to harness the building’s noisy system, the piece culminates in a multi-channel, audio-visual installation and performance that explores the multi-sensory exchange and entanglement of listening, breathing, and moving with a building’s circulatory system.

Biophilia: Developing A Taste For Care, Che'leah Shannon

Theses and Dissertations

People in materially developed cultures spend over 90% of their lives in buildings (Evans & McCoy, 1998). Commencing with the industrial revolution these materially developed cultures see most of their populus moving from the countryside to the city in search of work and better lives. The city, an urban and modern development of densely packed peoples, buildings, and infrastructure, has developed as an efficient solution to meet the needs of a cosmopolis.

The city has developed widely without a necessity or place for nature. The ground outside is paved with concrete, efficient and comfortable for travel, buildings are built high …

Threads Unbound, Yuan Xin

Theses and Dissertations

Threads Unbound investigated the formation of biased cognitive patterns within information ecosystems, examining the blend of reality and fiction in human perception. This project turns the 3 dimension space into an experimental field that prompts reflection on the mechanism of constructing narratives based on the subtle yet powerful forces of reading processes.

Moonshine Babies, Arghavan Heydareslam

Theses and Dissertations

Moonshine Babies is a two-screen film made of collage/cut-out stop-motion and live-action. It is a visual poem based on my journals from when I recently started living in the US as an outsider. The experience left me feeling divided between the empty present and memories of the past. suggesting that there are collective memories among a group of interconnected individuals that unite them within a single narrative.

There was a moment when I asked, "If you are your memories, what does it mean to be somewhere you have no memories of and no one has memories of you there?"

Memories …

The Role Of Notch1 Signaling In Regulating Neurogenesis In The Olfactory Bulb Following Traumatic Brain Injury, Sarah A. Baig

Theses and Dissertations

In the United States, more than 20.5 million adults over the age of 40 suffer from olfactory dysfunction, with TBI attributing to 5-17% of all olfactory dysfunction cases. Although often initially undetected and less conspicuous than other cognitive and behavioral impairments, olfactory dysfunction may have a significant negative impact on patients' quality of life and ability to accomplish activities of daily living, therefore the pathophysiology of these disorders should be understood. The production of neural stem cells enhances the repair and regeneration of the injured brain following a TBI. One of the primary endogenous neural stem cell generation sites in …

Unfolding Remembrance: Folding Islamic Principles Into Pondering Machines, Hind Al Saad Al-Kuwari

Theses and Dissertations

Principles of early Islamic art can be surveyed as a precursor to Western computational art. Though produced in different historical and cultural contexts, Islamic art and computational art are connected by underlying structures—arithmetic, harmony, and the concept of the Infinite.

Islamic developments in knowledge, like algebra, contributed to mathematics and mechanics—the building blocks of contemporary technology. Returning to Islam’s traditional harmony between religion and science, my creative practice constructs machines as an act of worship (ʿibadah), folding Islamic principles into the medium of computation.

Selected verses from the Quran are used as the core of each automaton (self-operating machine). Their …

Youth Literacy And Social Practices In A Gaming Club, Abdul R. Siddiqui

Theses and Dissertations

One of the growing phenomena of our digital age is the proliferation of digital fan spaces (Gee, 2018). Dedicated to a specific fandom or activity, these spaces have allowed participants to play competitively, share videos with each other, create fanfiction, provide feedback to one another and engage in a host of literacies around something they share an affinity for (Black, 2009; Gee, 2017a). Through advances in technology, access to multiple tools and highly specialized knowledge of specific subjects, youth can now create communities in online spaces where they can engage in complex activities with their friends and fellow gamers without …

Effects And Mechanisms Of Smartphone-Based Mindfulness Training On Emotional Experience, Polina Beloborodova

Theses and Dissertations

Emotional well-being is an important component of mental and physical health that includes both positive emotions and an absence of emotional symptoms (e.g., depressive- and anxiety-related). In this study, we examine psychological mechanisms that help to explain the effects of an digital mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) on emotional states. We conducted a randomized controlled trial wherein undergraduate student participants vulnerable to decreased positive and increased negative affect received a 2-week smartphone-based MBI or a structurally equivalent coping control intervention. Emotional experience, including depressive feelings, anxiety, and happiness, as well as subjective social well-being, including loneliness and felt connection to others, was …

Cardiometabolic Genomics And Pharmacogenomics In Filipino Americans: A Cross-Sectional Study, Khalifa Y. Alrajeh

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Heart disease remains a leading cause of death in the country, with significant ethnic disparities. Filipino Americans (FAs), the third-largest Asian subgroup in U.S., face an elevated burden of dyslipidemia, a primary modifiable risk factor for heart disease. Objectives: This community-based study addresses critical knowledge gaps by characterizing the cardiometabolic and genetic factors contributing to dyslipidemia among FAs and implications for personalized cardiovascular drug therapies, particularly statin pharmacogenomics (PGx). Methods: We characterized dyslipidemia prevalence in FAs and major ethnic subgroups using nationally representative NHANES data. We examined associations between uric acid (UA) levels and lipid profiles, …

Covid-19 Vaccine And Infection And The Relationship To Lichen Planus Flare-Ups: A Self-Reported Survey Study, Sara Kube

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine if there is an increased occurrence of oral lichen planus flare-ups after COVID-19 vaccination or infection.

Methods: An 11-item questionnaire was dispersed to patients with a diagnosis of oral lichen planus. The survey contained questions regarding the patient’s history of COVID-19 vaccination and infection as it relates subjective oral lichen planus flare-ups (i.e. oral redness, oral ulcerations, and/or oral pain/discomfort).

Results: Self-reported flares were significantly associated with whether or not vaccine side effects were also reported (p-value=0.0053). For those who reported experiencing side effects (tiredness, headache, muscle pain, chills, fever, nausea), …

Family Rejection And Affirmation Experiences Among Racially And Ethnically Marginalized Youth Who Identify As Transgender And/Or Gender Diverse, Angela Matijczak

Theses and Dissertations

Relationships with family members can be a vital source of support, and significant stressor, that contributes to mental health outcomes among transgender and gender diverse young adults who are racially and ethnically marginalized (TGD REMY). Guided by a life history narrative approach, this qualitative study explored family affirmation and rejection among TGD REMY across three aims: (a) how TGD REMY define their experiences of family rejection and/or affirmation, (b) whether and how experiences of rejection/affirmation change throughout the lifetime, and (c) whether and how experiences of rejection/affirmation differ by each family member. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 TGD REMY …

Identifying Mechanistic Pathways To Rigidity Associated With Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder Traits Using A Novel Decision-Making Paradigm, Hannah L. Heintz

Theses and Dissertations

Cognitive and behavioral rigidity is observed across several mental disorders and is a defining characteristic of Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD), a highly prevalent and debilitating, yet understudied, disorder. In particular, treatments for OCPD are underdeveloped due to our poor understanding of the mechanisms leading to the disorder’s key feature of rigidity. Two related disorders, anorexia nervosa (AN) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), have shown distinct mechanistic pathways leading to symptoms of rigidity, indicating that this trait can arise as a result of a number of differentially impaired cognitive processes, each requiring unique interventions. To examine the relationship between symptoms of OCPD …

A Bioarchaeological Overview Of The Late Woodland Period Gooden Mound Group, Fulton County, Illinois, Aaron M. Durchholz

Theses and Dissertations

Extensive research in paleopathology has documented adverse effects accompanying a shift in subsistence strategy from largely nomadic, hunting and gathering lifestyles to those of more sedentary, agrarian systems. Comparative assessment of the human skeletal remains of early foragers and later farmers recovered from archaeological sites around the world have consistently demonstrated a decrease in average age at death in the latter.

Across the pre-Columbian North American Midwest, the transitional period between the Late Woodland and Mississippian periods, sometimes referred to as the terminal or Mississippian Acculturated Late Woodland, portended establishment of semi-permanent to permanent hamlets, increasingly reliant upon the adoption …

Towards Machine Learning-Based Control Of Autonomous Vehicles In Solar Panel Cleaning Systems, Farima Hajiahmadi

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents a machine learning (ML)-based approach for the intelligent control of Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) utilized in solar panel cleaning systems, aiming to mitigate challenges arising from uncertainties, disturbances, and dynamic environments. Solar panels, predominantly situated in dedicated lands for solar energy production (e.g., agricultural solar farms), are susceptible to dust and debris accumulation, leading to diminished energy absorption. Instead of labor-intensive manual cleaning, robotic cleaners offer a viable solution. AVs equipped to transport and precisely position these cleaning robots are indispensable for efficient navigation among solar panel arrays. However, environmental obstacles (e.g., rough terrain), variations in solar panel …