Digital Commons Network^™

Identity Politics, State Standards, And On The Ground Realities: A Critical Policy Analysis Of Teaching/Learning Gender/Sexuality In A Virginia Elementary School, Stefanie Hudson

Theses and Dissertations

Even though America has seen an increase in the level of acceptance for people who identify as LGBTQ and/or gender non-conforming, certain aspects within society continue to hinder their rights, especially within public education. Specifically, there are insufficiencies regarding content of and attitudes toward including LGBTQ issues in teaching and leadership training programs. Add to that, the deficits in most Family Life Education (FLE) programs in elementary schools as they lack adequate coverage of developmentally appropriate teaching and learning about gender and sexuality. Taken together, it remains questionable whether the needs of LGBTQ and/or gender non-conforming children can truly be …

The Influence Of Family Composition On Adolescent Problem Behavior: The Moderating Roles Of Gender And Adult Support, Jasmine Coleman

Theses and Dissertations

There is convincing support for the link between family composition and adolescents’ problem behaviors. What is less clear is the extent to which these relations exist for African-American adolescents. Previous studies have demonstrated that this relation varies by gender. However, there is limited evidence to suggest the potential moderating influence of adult support. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of family composition on adolescents’ physical aggression, delinquency, and substance use. The study comes from secondary analyses of a larger study that evaluated the effectiveness of a violence prevention program. The current study included 1,116 African-American middle …

Managing Sociality Of A Captive Female Bornean Orangutan From Breeding To Post-Partum At The Smithsonian's National Zoo, Marie Vergamini

Theses and Dissertations

The Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Orangutan Species Survival Plan® aims to maintain 100 Bornean orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus) in captivity. Because investment in breeding these lineages is high, properly managing sociality of potential mothers is essential. This study assessed how behaviors of a captive breeding female at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo changed from pre-gestation through the offspring’s sixth month of age to improve breeding recommendations.

The infant Bornean orangutan was born September 2016. Results indicate that during breeding, the mother socialized most with two adult females. During pregnancy, the pregnant female socialized in less energy-consuming ways, i.e. grooming. …

Integrating Genetics And Neuroimaging To Study Subtypes Of Binge Drinkers, Megan E. Cooke

Theses and Dissertations

Risky alcohol use is a major health concern among college students, with 40.1% reporting binge drinking (5 or more drinks in one occasion) and 14.4% reporting heavy drinking (binge drinking on 5 or more occasions) in the past month. Risky alcohol use is thought to be the result of a complex interplay between genes, biological processes, and other phenotypic characteristics. Understanding this complex relationship is further complicated by known phenotypic heterogeneity in the development of alcohol use. Developmental studies have suggested two pathways to risky alcohol use, characterized by externalizing and internalizing characteristics, respectively. However, the underlying biological processes that …

Modulating The Innate Immune Response To Electrospun Scaffolds And Polymer Degradative Byproducts, Daniel Abebayehu

Theses and Dissertations

Implanted biomaterials often induce inflammation that frequently leads to the foreign body response, fibrosis, and the failure of the implant. Thus, it is important to evaluate how cells interact with materials to promote a more regenerative response. It is critical to determine how to modulate the response of tissue resident innate immune cells, as they are among the first cells to interact with implanted materials. Among tissue resident innate immune cells are mast cells, which are inflammatory sentinels that degranulate and orchestrate the fate of other cell populations, such as monocytes/macrophages and lymphocytes. Mast cells have also been reported to …

A Comparative Study Of Intraradicular Enterococcus Faecalis Biofilm Removal With Three Root Canal Treatment Systems: A Scanning Electron Microscopy Evaluation, Cyrous Ardalan

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study was to evaluate the biofilm removal efficacy of three root canal treatment systems: ProUltra® PiezoFlow™, traditional needle irrigation, and the GentleWave® system in an ex-vivo benchtop study. Twenty-four extracted maxillary and mandibular molars were selected. Teeth were all instrumented to a master apical file size #25 with 4% taper. Teeth were then randomly divided into four experimental groups and two control groups. The root canals were inoculated with a culture of Enterococcus faecalis and incubated for five weeks to form a biofilm. Each group was then treated with one of the different root canal treatment …

Tumor-Intrinsic Inflammatory Pathways Associated With Tumor Dormancy And Recurrence, Savannah E. Butler

Theses and Dissertations

The successful treatment of breast cancer is limited due to a fraction of tumor cells escaping drug-treatment by entering a dormant state, only to relapse years or decades later at distant sites. Host-driven chronic inflammatory cells such as M2 macrophages play an important role in tumorigenesis, but the role of tumor-intrinsic inflammatory signaling involved in tumor dormancy and recurrence is unknown. We sought to determine the role of tumor-intrinsic inflammatory pathways in mouse mammary carcinoma cells (MMC) treated with Adriamycin (ADR), a clinically relevant chemotherapeutic drug. We found that ADR-induced dormant tumor cells autonomously produced pro-inflammatory cytokines, in vitro. …

Orthodontists' And Parents' Perspective Of Occlusion In Varying Anterior-Posterior Positions: A Comparative Study, David H. Lindsey

Theses and Dissertations

Objective: The purpose was to compare orthodontists’ and parents’ perception of orthodontic treatment outcomes in the anterior-posterior (AP) dimension. Assessment of treatment time and compliance were also investigated.

Material and Methods: Parallel surveys for orthodontists (n=1000) and parents (n=750) displayed occlusions from 3 mm Class III (Cl III:3) to 3 mm Class II. Participants rated occlusal relationships on a 100 mm VAS from least to most acceptable (0-100).

Results: 233 orthodontists (23%) and 243 parents (32%) responded. Orthodontists (mean=93.9, 25.9) and parents (mean=80.7, 40.9) rated Class I (Cl I) occlusion most and Cl III:3 least acceptable. No significant difference was …

Weighted Quantile Sum Regression For Analyzing Correlated Predictors Acting Through A Mediation Pathway On A Biological Outcome, Bhanu M. Evani

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Weighted Quantile Sum Regression for Analyzing Correlated Predictors Acting Through a Mediation Pathway on a Biological Outcome

By

Bhanu M. Evani, Ph.D.

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Virginia Commonwealth University, 2017.

Major Director: Robert A. Perera, Asst. Professor, Department of Biostatistics

This work examines mediated effects of a set of correlated predictors using the recently developed Weighted Quantile Sum (WQS) regression method. Traditionally, mediation analysis has been conducted using the multiple regression method, first proposed by Baron and Kenny (1986), which has since …

Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Dentists And Orthodontists, Natalie R. La Rochelle

Theses and Dissertations

WORK-RELATED MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS AMONG DENTISTS AND ORTHODONTISTS

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of

Master of Science in Dentistry at Virginia Commonwealth University.

by

Natalie R. La Rochelle

Thesis Director: Dr. Eser Tüfekçi, D.D.S., M.S., Ph.D., M.S.H.A.

Professor, Department of Orthodontics

Virginia Commonwealth University

Richmond, Virginia

May 2017

The practice of dentistry is physically demanding due to static and dynamic postures sustained daily throughout careers. Previous literature suggests that work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD) are not solely the result of work habits, but also due to the individual, his or her physical makeup, genetics, and …

Thyroid Hormone As A Method Of Reducing Damage To Donor Hearts After Circulatory Arrest, William P. Adams

Theses and Dissertations

There is a chronic lack of donor hearts to meet the need for heart transplant both in the US and worldwide. Further, the use of available hearts is limited by the short period between collection and implantation during which the heart can be safely preserved ex vivo. Using mid-thermic Langendorff machine perfusion, we have been able to preserve the metabolic function of a healthy heart for up to 8 hours, twice the limit for current static cold storage. We have also been able to preserve the metabolic function of a damaged DCD Heart collected 30 minutes after cardiac arrest …

Efficient Integration Of Plasmonic And Excitonic Properties Of Metal And Semiconductor Nanostructures Via Sol-Gel Assembly, Dilhara Liyanage

Theses and Dissertations

Research in nanoscience has gained noteworthy interest over the past three decades. As novel chemical and physical properties that are vastly different from extended solids are realized in nanosized materials, nanotechnology has become the center of attention for material in research community. Much to our amazement, investigations in the past two decades revealed that the nanocrystalline semiconductors are “THE PRIME CANDIDATES” to meet the growing energy demand, sensor development, cellular imaging and a number of other optoelectronic applications. Nonetheless, synthesis of nanostructures with control over physical parameters is not sufficient, yet assembling them into functional nanoarchitectures with unique and tunable …

The Role Of The Nucleosome Remodeling Factor Nurf In Inhibiting T And Natural Killer Cell Mediated Antitumor Immunity By Suppressing Tumor Antigenicity And Natural Cytotoxicity Receptor Co-Ligands, Kimberly Mayes

Theses and Dissertations

Tumor immunoediting is a dynamic process in which the immune response attacks tumor cells by detecting danger signals and tumor antigens. In order to survive, tumor cells develop mechanisms to avoid detection or destruction by the immune system. To counteract this, several strategies are being developed to enhance the antitumor immune response, including the depletion of immunosuppressive cells, enhancing the activation of antitumor immune cells and increasing tumor cell immunogenicity. These therapies have seen limited success individually, however, and it is likely that combination therapy with novel targets will be necessary to see reproducible beneficial responses. Epigenetic modifications are attractive …

Design, Synthesis, And Biological Screening Of Selective Mu Opioid Receptor Ligands As Potential Treatments For Opioid Addiction, Samuel Obeng

Theses and Dissertations

Today, more Americans die each year because of drug overdoses than are killed in motor vehicle accidents. In fact, in 2015, more than 33,000 individuals died due to an overdose of heroin or prescription opioids. Sadly, 40-60 % of patients on current opioid addiction treatment medications relapse. Studies have shown that the addiction/abuse liability of opioids are abolished in mu opioid receptor (MOR) knock-out mice; this indicates that the addiction and abuse liability of opioids are mainly mediated through MOR. Utilizing the “message-address concept”, the our laboratory reported a novel non-peptide, reversible MOR selective ligand 17-cyclopropylmethyl-3,14β-dihydroxy-4,5α-epoxy-6α (isoquinoline-3-carboxamido)morphinan (NAQ). Molecular modeling …

Design For Disassembly - A Circular Approach, Wajiha Pervez

Theses and Dissertations

As the world becomes increasingly aware of the need to better care for the environment, innovative business models are helping to counter the damage of the fast fashion system - a phenomenon in the fashion industry whereby production processes are expedited in order to get new trends to the market as quickly and cheaply as possible.

Designing products with a focus on their renewability can shift the product-consumer relationship. The closed loop concept of a “circular economy” is emerging as a viable and promising solution to the current linear business model.

This study explores the possibilities of a more mindful …

Diabetes-Induced Expression And Regulation Of Glp-1 Levels By Bile Acid Receptors (Tgr5 & Fxr), Joseph R. Spengler

Theses and Dissertations

Diabetes Mellitus has continued to drastically affect the health of the world and many complications can prove fatal. As long as this metabolic disease persist, research discoveries will need to continue to be made so that patient outcomes and healthcare are dramatically enhanced. In recent years, GLP-1 has been the topic of conversation for diabetes research, due to its promising effects in promoting insulin sensitivity. Furthermore, bile acids and their receptors (TGR5 & FXR) have shown promise in their actions in the regulation of GLP-1, and thus glucose homeostasis. Here we have shown the detection and increased expression of TGR5 …

Low-Temperature Fabrication Process For Integrated High-Aspect Ratio Metal Oxide Nanostructure Semiconductor Gas Sensors, William Paul Clavijo

Theses and Dissertations

This work presents a new low-temperature fabrication process of metal oxide nanostructures that allows high-aspect ratio zinc oxide (ZnO) and titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanowires and nanotubes to be readily integrated with microelectronic devices for sensor applications. This process relies on a new method of forming a close-packed array of self-assembled high-aspect-ratio nanopores in an anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) template in a thin (2.5 µm) aluminum film deposited on a silicon and lithium niobate substrate (LiNbO₃). This technique is in sharp contrast to traditional free-standing thick film methods and the use of an integrated thin aluminum film …

Socioecological Aspects Of Tobacco Use In College Populations, Michael D. Sawdey

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Although cigarette smoking is decreasing in the US and among college students, tobacco use remains a major public health problem. Specific socioecological gaps in the literature related to college tobacco use exist including: trends of tobacco use, combinations of polysubstance use, and availability of tobacco products around college campuses.

Objectives: The main goal of this research was the understand interrelationships that exist within a socioecological framework of college tobacco use. Specifically, this project aims to: 1) examine trends of tobacco and polytobacco use by gender and associations of polytobacco use and perceived peer tobacco use, 2) examine …

Optimization Of In Vitro Transcription/Translation Conditions For In Vitro Compartmentalization Studies And Synthesis Of 4-Fluorohistidine, Christine Ring

Theses and Dissertations

Genetic code expansion allows the incorporation of non-canonical amino acids with a variety of new functional groups: fluorescent amino acids,^1-3 azides,^4-6 alkynes,^5-10 and photocrosslinkers.^4,11,12 This incorporation requires the evolution of new tRNA/aminoacyl tRNA sythetase pairs. Traditionally screenings of novel tRNA/aminoacyl tRNA synthetase pairs have been done in vivo. While these in vivo screenings have proven robust, they are limited in multiple ways: non-canonical amino acids (ncAAs) must be nontoxic and bioavailable. Furthermore, library size is limited by transformation efficiency. Lastly, in vivo screenings require substantial amounts of the target ncAA, which is often not available …

Salvianolic Acid B For Pulmonary Delivery Towards Reversal Of Emphysema, Sneha Dhapare

Theses and Dissertations

A new pathobiologic hypothesis has recently emerged that the alveolar structural destruction and loss in emphysema are caused by the deficiency of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Therefore, this project hypothesized that such pathobiologic VEGF deficiency of emphysematous lungs can be recovered with a natural caffeic acid tetramer, salvianolic acid B (SalB), through activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), so that emphysema can be reversed as a result of inhibition of induced cell death, stimulation of cell proliferation and migration, and promotion of stem cell recruitment to the lungs.

SalB was first shown to be potently …

“The Heighe Worthynesse Of Love”: Visions Of Perception, Convention, And Contradiction In Chaucer’S Troilus And Criseyde, John J. Hertz

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines three images associated with the manuscripts and early printed editions of Chaucer’s Troilus and Criseyde which I have dubbed “Prostrate Troilus,” “Pandarus as Messenger,” and “Criseyde in the Garden.” These images are artifacts of contemporary textual interpretation that “read” Chaucer’s text and the tale of Troilus. They each illustrate the way in which Troilus, Pandarus, and Criseyde “read” images, gestures, symbols, and speeches within the narrative, and they show how these characters are constrained and influenced by their individual primary modes of perception. Troilus reads but does not analyze. Pandarus actively reads his own meanings into messages. …

Below The Neck, Above The Knees, Desiree Dawn Kapler

Theses and Dissertations

My thesis explores the act of violation in the context of trauma and healing through the use of personal narratives and experimental film. My research allows personal storytelling to transform into a larger and more universal theme of generational trauma and dysfunction. Through a feminist lens, I challenge social norms of body autonomy for the sick and abused, capitalism’s social effects on the poor, and passed down maternal lessons from the women who are doing the best that they can with the lives and opportunities that they have been given.

This work is created in spite of the labels my …

Biochemical Analysis Of Putative Single-Stranded Nucleic Acid Binding Proteins In Porphyromonas Gingivalis, Steve H. Kokorelis

Theses and Dissertations

Proteins that bind to both DNA and RNA embody the ability to perform multiple functions by a single gene product. These nucleic acid binding proteins in prokaryotes can play a vital role in many cellular processes, including replication, transcription, gene expression, recombination, and repair, to name a few. Nucleic acid binding proteins have unique functional characteristics that stem from their structural attributes that have evolved in a widely-conserved manner. In Escherichia coli (E. coli), the highly-conserved histone-like protein, HU, which predominates as a heterodimer of HUα and HUβ, has been found to bind to both dsDNA and ssDNA. …

Nanocomposite Bioelectronics For Biopotential Enabled Prosthesis, Dong Sup Lee

Theses and Dissertations

Soft material-enabled electronics can demonstrate extreme mechanical flexibility and stretchability. Such compliant, comfortable electronics allow continuous, long-term measurement of biopotentials on the skin. Manufacturing of the stretchable electronic devices is enabled by the recent development combining materials transfer printing and microfabrication. However, the existing method using inorganic materials and multi-layered polymers requires long material preparation time and expensive processing cost due to the requirement of microfabrication tools and complicated transfer printing steps. Here, this study develops a new fabrication method of soft electronics via a micro-replica-molding technique, which allows fast production, multiple use, and low cost by avoiding microfabrication and …

The Role Of Mindfulness In The Regulation Of Behavior Among Those Prone To Negative Urgency, Alexandra M. Martelli

Theses and Dissertations

Negative emotions can be challenging to regulate, and for some individuals can lead to failures of behavior regulation. The present study is an initial effort to explore the role that mindfulness may play in fostering effective behavior regulation among those prone to high negative urgency (NU). Eighty undergraduate students were recruited based on their high or low scores of NU. First, participants completed a self-report measure of mindfulness (Mindful Attention Awareness Scale; MAAS), an Emotional Go/No Go task in an fMRI scanner, and then reported alcohol consumption. Results showed that those with high in NU had low levels of mindfulness …

Characterizing The Role Of Key Planar Cell Polarity Pathway Components In Axon Guidance, Grayland W. Godfrey Ii

Theses and Dissertations

An essential process to the development of the neural network of the nervous system is axon guidance. The noncanonical Wnt/Planar Cell Polarity pathway has been identified as an integral component in controlling the projection of axons during axon guidance. Prickle, ROR1 and ROR2 are PCP related proteins that do not have clearly defined roles in the process. This study aims to use zebrafish CoPA neurons as a model to study the roles of Prickle, ROR1, and ROR2 in axon guidance. Using in situ hybridization, morpholino knockdown, and CRISPR/Cas9 loss of function experiments were able to identify ror1, ror2 and …

Niche Conservatism Or Divergence: Insights Into The Evolutionary Histories Of Pinus Taeda, Pinus Rigida, And Pinus Pungens, Constance E. Bolte

Theses and Dissertations

Environmentally related selective pressures and community interactions are well-documented drivers for niche differentiation, as natural selection acts on adaptive traits best fit for survival. Here, we investigated niche evolution between and within Pinus taeda, Pinus rigida, and Pinus pungens and sought to identify which climate variables contributed to species divergence. We also sought to describe niche differentiation across genetic groupings previously identified for P. taeda and P. rigida. Ecological niche models were produced using Maximum Entropy followed by statistical testing based on a measure of niche overlap, Schoener’s D. Both niche conservatism and niche divergence were …

Combining Noxa-Inducing Drugs With Abt-263 To Efficiently Increase Cell Death In Head And Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (Hnscc), Sung Woo Kim

Theses and Dissertations

Head and neck cancer is the sixth leading cancer worldwide. Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) accounts for more than 90% of incident cases. Despite intense, multimodality treatment regimens for HNSCC including surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, little progress has been made over the past 30 years in improving overall survival rates. Tumor cell death induced by both conventional and targeted chemotherapy is often mediated by the BCL-2 family-dependent mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. However, initiators of this apoptotic pathway, such as p53, are more than 50% of the time mutated or deleted in HNSCC rendering the disease refractory to treatment. To …

Hydrogen Peroxide And Pharmacological Agent Modulation Of Trpv2 Channel Gating, Tuoxin Cao

Theses and Dissertations

Transient receptor potential vanilloid 2 channel (TRPV2) is a Ca²⁺-permeable ion channel that is highly expressed in leukocytes but is also present in skeletal and cardiac muscle and endocrine cells. The TRPV2 function is implicated in a number of physiological processes, including bacterial phagocytosis, pro-inflammatory cytokine production, cardiac hypertrophy, and cancer development. TRPV2 knockout mice exhibit a high incidence of perinatal mortality, arguing that the channel plays essential roles in physiology. Despite the importance of TRPV2 for normal homeostasis, the mechanisms that control TRPV2 gating in response to pharmacological agonists, heating, membrane stretch, bioactive lipids and reactive oxygen …

Tissue Factor Expression, Regulation, And Signaling In Human Airway Cells, Michael D. Davis

Theses and Dissertations

Rationale: Tissue Factor (TF) is a transmembrane glycoprotein that canonically functions as the initiator of the coagulation cascade. Increased levels of TF have been associated with inflammatory airway diseases. Since lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is known to elicit and inflammatory response in airway epithelium, we hypothesized that airway epithelial cells release TF when exposed to LPS. Since TF aids in local wound healing, we also hypothesized that inhibition of TF would decrease NHBE growth. The specific aim of this work was to evaluate the effects of LPS exposure on TF production and release from airway epithelia and determine the signaling pathways involved. …