Digital Commons Network^™

The Encyclopedic Collections Of The Metropolitan Museum Of Art And The Rudolfine Kunstkammer As Expressions Of Power, Jennifer Ashley Pate

Theses and Dissertations

In Western Europe during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, collections were created as repositories of art, technology, ethnographic curiosities and natural wonders. Collecting first became a widespread practice among Italian humanists of the late Renaissance who, influenced by the work of Pliny, were driven by the desire to understand the world through the acquisition of universal knowledge. The physical configuration of such encyclopedic projects could be found in the museums created to organize and assimilate the explosion of knowledge experienced during this period.This thesis addresses the social significance of accumulating an encyclopedic collection in the form of a large, public …

Pedagogical Fusion, David Maurice White

Theses and Dissertations

During the five semesters that I have been at VCU I have learned a great deal from the courses that I have been enrolled in but I have learned the most through my experiences as a Teaching Assistant. These experiences have been so valuable because of the wide range of subject areas in which I have been involved and the diverse instructors that I have assisted. Although I hesitate to use the word "problem" I feel that there is a tendency in teacher training for a student to latch onto one professor and model their teaching practices after that one …

An Exploration Of The Influence Of Race And Gender On Sexual Beliefs And Attitudes Of Adolescents, Kristine Marie Vandenberg

Theses and Dissertations

This study explores factors that influence the sexual attitudes and behaviors of adolescents specifically through an examination of social constructs that measure sexual beliefs and attitudes of adolescents and the relationships between race and gender and sexual beliefs and attitudes. As the U.S. has maintained one of the highest rates of unplanned teen pregnancy and births among industrialized nations, schools and community groups have struggled to combat teen pregnancy and worked toward designing effective prevention programs. Through an emphasis either on abstinence or safe sex practices, these programs strive to influence adolescents' sexual behavior. However, studies and reports reveal a …

Induction Of Heme Oxygenase By A Carbon Monoxide-Releasing Molecule, Robert Andrew Kulina

Theses and Dissertations

We have recently demonstrated that heme oxygenase is expressed in both healing wounds and in pressure ulcers. Heme oxygenase has been shown to have important cytoprotective functions in myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury and organ allograft survival. The cytoprotective effects of heme oxygenase are multifactorial. Besides reducing levels of pro-oxidant heme, heme oxygenase products (bilirubin, carbon monoxide, and iron) have been demonstrated to possess anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, and anti-proliferative properties. These properties make heme oxygenase an attractive therapeutic target for the prevention and treatment of chronic wounds. The purpose of this study was two-fold: evaluate the effects of carbon monoxide (CO) on …

The Effect Of A Nominal Fee On Treatment Choices For Children Needing Dental Rehabilitation, D'Audra M. Cole

Theses and Dissertations

Objective: The purpose of the study was to determine if a co-payment resulted in a differential preference for general anesthesia (GA) or oral sedation (OS) and, if so, to examine whether age, the number of appointments, perceived risks of treatment, child's awareness during treatment, or insurance type appeared to play a role in this preference.Methods: Using a cross-sectional survey design, questionnaires were distributed to caregivers of patients in the waiting room of the Virginia Commonwealth University Pediatric Dental Clinic. Two different questionnaires were distributed randomly. Both surveys described a scenario with the need for dental treatment under general anesthesia (GA) …

The Quantitative Genetics Of Neurodevelopment: A Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study Of Childhood And Adolescence, James Eric Schmitt

Theses and Dissertations

Understanding the causes of individual differences in brain structure may give clues about the etiology of cognition, personality, and psychopathology, and also may identify endophenotypes for molecular genetic studies on brain development. We performed a comprehensive statistical genetic study of anatomic neuroimaging data from a large pediatric sample (N=600+) of twins and family members from the Child Psychiatry Branch at the NIMH. These analyses included variance decomposition of structural volumetric endophenotypes at several levels of resolution, voxel-level analysis of cortical thickness, assessment of gene by age interaction, several multivariate genetic analyses, and a search for genetically-mediated brain-behavioral relationships. These analyses …

Toward A New Kinship Constellation, Nellie Helen Frances Appleby

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis attempts to elaborate on my artwork during my graduate studies, while contextualizing it within the framework of the art world and the works of other artists. A main project during this time was to minimize the singular interpretation and framing of a fine art photographic print, while expanding its possibilities of meaning through the addition of important ephemera and objects such as plants, drawings, moving imagery, conversation and the unknown.

Beaut-Ease, Amanda Rae Douglas

Theses and Dissertations

The Beaut-Ease product line consists of several machines that are a hybrid between beauty products and infomercial products. Both industries flourish on a level of falsehood that teeters on the brink of hilarity.

Measuring Hispanic/Latino Satisfaction With Health Services In Chesterfield County, Virginia, Lynell H. Mcclinton

Theses and Dissertations

The objectives of this study were to measure and describe the overall satisfaction of Hispanics/Latinos with services they receive from Chesterfield County's Health Department and compare it to that of African Americans and Caucasians. Also, the objectives were to analyze reasons for different levels of satisfaction, assess the nature and degree of satisfaction with particular services, and suggest implications of the Hispanic/Latino opinions for public policy. While the empirical literature revealed that Hispanics/Latinos experience lower levels of satisfaction with health care services, this study did not provide evidence to support this theory.This is a multi-method non-experimental research design combining a …

Elementary School Principals' Perceptions Of The Instructional Role Of The School Library Media Specialist, Audrey Puckett Church

Theses and Dissertations

Studies conducted in numerous states by various researchers demonstrate that library media specialists who take an active role in the instructional process positively impact student achievement in their schools. Principals are the instructional leaders of their schools, yet the research indicates that they are not knowledgeable regarding the role of the library media specialist. This study explored Virginia elementary school principals' perceptions of the instructional role of the library media specialist, the effect of library schedule on these perceptions, and the origin of these perceptions. Principals who responded to the study strongly endorsed the role of library media specialist as …

Children With Special Needs Oral Health Quality Of Life Survey, Kristin Elizabeth Nelson

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to asses the oral health quality of life of children with special health care needs. This study examined the effects of oral health conditions on general well-being and family life of these children. A secondary aim of the study was to investigate correlations between specific health care conditions, gender, and age of these children and their global ratings of oral health and well-being.Methods: This study was a cross-sectional design with subjects who are members of the Virginia Care Connection for Children program, based at Virginia Commonwealth University. The oral health quality of life …

Study Of Covalent And Non-Covalent Interactions In Ternary Systems Involving: Metal/Dna-Rna/Protein, Where Metal = Platinum(Ii), Palladium(Ii), Anzellotti I. Atilio

Theses and Dissertations

Ternary systems comprising DNA/RNA, proteins and one (or more) metal ion are generating increased interest due to its biological relevance. The knowledge gained from the study of these systems could provide important clues regarding the precise mechanism for transcription factors, repair proteins and metal complexes with anti-tumoral/anti-viral activities.The interactions occurring among the components of these ternary systems can be broadly grouped into covalent and non-covalent. The first kind of interactions can lead to the irreversible transformation of the components in the system, while the second is thought to be reversible leading to transient states and fluxionality. Both kinds of interaction …

Within And Without, Shane Robert Rocheleau

Theses and Dissertations

Within and Without is a document which illustrates my personal and artistic research into the nature of the postmodern conception of the self: that self is unfixed, multiple, and reactive. It explicates my myriad and explorative approaches to photographic portraiture. Furthermore, it indicates many of my theoretical and artistic references and how I have applied my lessons both as an artist and a researcher to maximize the effect of my concepts within the formal and aesthetic confines of my photographs. Finally, this document explains my own beliefs concerning the nature of self and how a synthesis of my influences has …

Phase Ii Trials Powered To Detect Activity In Tumor Subsets With Retrospective (Or Prospective) Use Of Predictive Markers, Grishma S. Sheth

Theses and Dissertations

Classical phase II trial designs assume a patient population with a homogeneous tumor type and yield an estimate of a stochastic probability of tumor response. Clinically, however, oncology is moving towards identifying patients who are likely to respond to therapy using tumor subtyping based upon predictive markers. Such designs are called targeted designs (Simon, 2004). For a given phase I1 trial predictive markers may be defined prospectively (on the basis of previous results) or identified retrospectively on the basis of analysis of responding and non-responding tumors. For the prospective case we propose two Phase I1 targeted designs in which a) …

Intrapersonal Grief As A Clinical Entity Distinct From Depression: Does It Exist Among A Medically Ill Parkinson's Disease Population?, Rashelle Brown Hayes

Theses and Dissertations

There has been growing support for the idea that complicated grief symptoms following bereavement are independent of symptoms of depression and anxiety. However, the loss of a loved one is not the only or the most frequent type of loss to be encountered. The onset of an insidious medical illness may trigger a mourning process for the lost function or body part that is posited to also involve feelings of grief. While the risk of depression is high among a medical or rehabilitative population, the impact of grief over functional losses has never been empirically investigated as a contributing factor …

Mechanisms Of Accumulation And Biological Consequences Of Polynuclear Platinum Compounds, Peyman Kabolizadeh

Theses and Dissertations

The novel trinuclear complex, BBR3464 has undergone Phase II clinical trials and been shown to have greater cytotoxicity and cellular uptake than clinical anticancer platinum drugs such as cisplatin, oxaliplatin and carboplatin. The clinical efficacy of cisplatin, oxaliplatin and carboplatin is limited due to acquired resistance and dose limiting side effects. The three major pharmacological factors contributing to the intrinsic cytotoxicity of, and cellular resistance to, platinum drugs are (i) cellular uptake and efflux of platinum; (ii) the frequency and nature of Pt-DNA adducts; and (iii) deactivating metabolic reactions with sulfur-containing nucleophiles. Since decreased cellular uptake of platinum drugs is …

A Fugitive Sea, Marian Brunn Smith

Theses and Dissertations

I make images that are fragmented like ominous dreams. Described with sensuous marks of paint, they demand intimacy but reveal vulnerability as they threaten to break apart before the eyes. This thesis examines my journey over the past two years at VCU and describes my artistic beliefs and visions.

Raman Scattering In Gan And Zno, Shinobu Nagata

Theses and Dissertations

The Micro-Raman scattering technique has been used for the study of GaN and ZnO. Capabilities of the Raman technique and existing literature on Raman spectroscopy in GaN and ZnO are reviewed. About 50 GaN and ZnO samples with a wide range of properties are studied. From the analysis of positions of the E2H and A1(LO) phonon modes, biaxial stress and plasmon coupling of the Al(LO) mode are observed and compared to a bulk GaN sample. The stress-related shift rate for the AI(LO) mode in hexagonal GaN is established to be 2.7 ± 0.4 cm-1/GPa through series of GaN with low …

Merging Task-Centered Social Work And Motivational Interviewing In Outpatient Medication Assisted Substance Abuse Treatment: Model Development For Social Work Practice, Andreas Fassler

Theses and Dissertations

To advance social work practice and decrease the research practice gap, this dissertation followed a model development paradigm consisting of several phases. Based on the task-centered model of social work practice and motivational interviewing, a new combined model was construed. The two underlying models were analyzed and synthesized, using technical eclecticism as the integrative approach. The resulting combined model was described by guidelines and manualized. To test the combined model in an applied setting, a study was designed in collaboration with social workers at a substance abuse counseling center. There, the combined model intervention was implemented in an outpatient medication …

The Roles Of Exercise Habits, Gender Stereotype Of Exercise, And Self-Esteem In Sexual Victimization, Nicole Rene Harder

Theses and Dissertations

Anecdotal evidence suggests that women who exercise regularly increase not only their physical strength but also their mental strength, which has been conceptualized as self-confidence, assertiveness, and self-esteem. Empirical investigation into this area of research, however, is scarce. One study found that self-reported victimization rates of female athletes were significantly lower when compared with another study's female non-athlete sample. More recently, research found significant differences in levels of self-esteem and sexual victimization rates between female collegiate varsity athletes and the general female college population. The current study is a subsequent analysis of the data used in the aforementioned study.

Data …

Leveraging Lean Process Improvement Methodology To Promote Economic And Environmental Sustainability: Obstacles And Opportunities, Jennifer Doman

Theses

We are on the verge of a paradigm shift in the regulatory community in the United States. The EPA is slowly moving away from command and control to a more collaborative structure, and Lean process improvement is one of the primary catalysts of change. A significant percentage of American enterprises have some experience with Lean methods, and the EPA and others believe that Lean can be leveraged to promote environmental benefits while still delivering valuable business benefits, such as increased productivity and reduced costs. This research explores both the opportunities available for businesses today, and the current obstacles encountered when …

The International Intellectual Property Roots Of Geographical Indications, Ruth Okediji

Articles

No abstract provided.

Misuse, Thomas F. Cotter

Articles

The misuse defense in copyright and patent law is something of an anomaly. Under the approach favored by many courts that have considered the defense, misuse is defined as the broadening of one's copyright or patent with anticompetitive effect. When a defendant in a copyright or patent infringement suit succeeds in proving that the plaintiff has misused its copyright or patent, the court typically enters judgment that the copyright or patent is unenforceable until the misuse is purged. There is no necessary requirement that the copyright or patent defendant itself has been a victim of the misuse (the "standing" anomaly); …

Domestic Agreements, Brian H. Bix

Articles

In this Article I want to explore the treatment of certain domestic agreements in family law and to see what can be learned about law and families. It is a clich6, in discussions of family law and agreements, to point to Sir Henry Maine's famous quotation that society has moved "from Status to Contract."' I will not disappoint expectations here. The Maine quotation is usually offered ironically-and perhaps defiantly-in family law articles, as this is one area where status has stoutly, and largely successfully, resisted being overtaken by contract.

The Effects Of Histone H1 And Benzo[A] Pyrene On Chromatin Modifying Complexes., Zeina Salim Al Natour

Theses

Packaging of DNA into the condensed structure of chromatin presents a barrier to many cellular processes that require DNA access such as transcription and replication. This problem is solved, in part, by the action of various complexes that modify the chromatin structure so that it becomes more accessible and, therefore, a more suitable platform for these processes. ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling complexes and histone acetyltransferases are examples of many chromatin modifying complexes that work to alleviate chromatin-mediated repression. Histone H1 is an important component of chromatin which serves in both stabilizing and folding of chromatin into a higher order structure. Many …

Predictive Oncology: A Review Of Multidisciplinary, Multiscale In Silico Modeling Linking Phenotype, Morphology And Growth, Sandeep Sanga, Hermann B. Frieboes, Xiaoming Zheng, Robert Gatenby, Elaine L. Bearer, Vittorio Cristini

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Empirical evidence and theoretical studies suggest that the phenotype, i.e., cellular- and molecular-scale dynamics, including proliferation rate and adhesiveness due to microenvironmental factors and gene expression that govern tumor growth and invasiveness, also determine gross tumor-scale morphology. It has been difficult to quantify the relative effect of these links on disease progression and prognosis using conventional clinical and experimental methods and observables. As a result, successful individualized treatment of highly malignant and invasive cancers, such as glioblastoma, via surgical resection and chemotherapy cannot be offered and outcomes are generally poor. What is needed is a deterministic, quantifiable method to enable …

High-Resolution Vascular Imaging Of The Rat Spine Using Liposomal Blood Pool Mr Agent, K B Ghaghada, K H J Bockhorst, S Mukundan, A V Annapragada, P A Narayana

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: High-resolution, vascular MR imaging of the spine region in small animals poses several challenges. The small anatomic features, extravascular diffusion, and low signal-to-noise ratio limit the use of conventional contrast agents. We hypothesize that a long-circulating, intravascular liposomal-encapsulated MR contrast agent (liposomal-Gd) would facilitate visualization of small anatomic features of the perispinal vasculature not visible with conventional contrast agent (gadolinium-diethylene-triaminepentaacetic acid [Gd-DTPA]). METHODS: In this study, high-resolution MR angiography of the spine region was performed in a rat model using a liposomal-Gd, which is known to remain within the blood pool for an extended period. The imaging …

Differences In Types And Severity Of Consequences Of High-Stakes Testing As Realized Between Low And High Performing High Schools And The Impact On The Instructional Programs In Their Schools, Samuel Signorino

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) on the beliefs of teachers and principals, and the impact on the instructional program in their schools. This study collected data on (a) teachers' perceptions of the PSSA, (b) how the program affected instructional practices, and to what extent teachers changed their instructional practices, and (c) what factors, if any, may have influenced these changes. Certified teachers and principals from three high performing and three low performing secondary (9-12 grade) schools in northwestern Pennsylvania were included in this study. Teachers volunteering to …

Spin Flips And Precession In Black-Hole-Binary Mergers, Manuela Campanelli, Carlos O. Lousto, Z. Zlochower, Badri Krishnan, David Merritt

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

We use the “moving puncture” approach to perform fully nonlinear evolutions of spinning quasicircular black-hole binaries with individual spins unaligned with the orbital angular momentum. We evolve configurations with the individual spins (parallel and equal in magnitude) pointing in the orbital plane and 45° above the orbital plane. We introduce a technique to measure the spin direction and track the precession of the spin during the merger, as well as measure the spin flip in the remnant horizon. The former configuration completes 1.75 orbits before merging, with the spin precessing by 98° and the final remnant horizon spin flipped by …

Electromagnetic Strong Plasma Turbulence, A. Melatos, F. A. Jenet, P. A. Robinson

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

The first large-scale simulations of continuously driven, two-dimensional electromagnetic strong plasma turbulence are performed, for electron thermal speeds 0.01c⩽v⩽0.57c, by integrating the Zakharov equations for coupled Langmuir and transverse (T) waves near the plasma frequency. Turbulence scalings and wave number spectra are calculated, a transition is found from a mix of trapped and free T eigenstates for v⩾0.1c to just free eigenstates for v⩽0.1c, and wave energy densities are observed to undergo slow quasiperiodic oscillations.