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Women And The Experience Of Pain And Opioid Use Disorder: A Literature-Based Commentary, Andrew L. Koons, Marna R. Greenberg Do, Mph, Facep, Robert D. Cannon Do, Gillian A. Beauchamp Md

Department of Emergency Medicine

It is generally understood that pain experience and opioid abuse have relied on male-dominated models. However, sex and gender play a role in both pain experience and opioid use disorder.

Using the previously validated Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Sex and Gender Specific Health PubMed Advanced Search Tool, the authors used pertinent literature to develop this literature-based commentary on sex and gender differences in pain experience and opioid use disorder. Women report their experience of pain more frequently, have increased rates of diagnoses related to pain, have increased pain sensitivity, and have a variable response to pain and analgesia. …

The Bulletin: Sidney Kimmel Medical College At Thomas Jefferson University, Volume 67, Issue 1, Winter 2018

The Bulletin (formerly the Jefferson Medical College Alumni Bulletin)

This issue includes:

• Dean's Column
• Findings: "Living Electrodes" may change neurological device design
• Ch-ch-ch-changes: Jefferson's realignment of departments and programs
• The Difference Alumni Make: A message from Elizabeth Dale
• A Fighting Chance: Harrisburg's boxing scene has an unlikely ally in cardiologist Andrew Foy, MD '08
• Alumni Weekend
• 2017 Jefferson Gala: Gathering to celebrate our shared success
• Time Capsule
• The Shot Doc: Meet Herb Magee, head coach of Jefferson's men's basketball team, the Rams
• Going the Distance: Students bring compassion into the clinic in Nicaragua's remote mountains
• On Campus
• Stephanie Moleski, MD '05: Jefferson doctor moves from board room to exam …

Reconstructing Insect Pursuit Flight Kinematics In The Wild, Haribabu Boddeeti

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

With their agile maneuvers and aerodynamic feats, flying insects continue to inspire the design, sensing, and control of unmanned aerial vehicles. Among the different behaviors that such insects perform, the mating pursuit stands out in terms of the high speeds and quick turns that each insect performs during the chase. Despite their frequent occurrence in nature, pursuit events between mating insects are rarely analyzed. This is because mating events are difficult to film in the wild or elicit in laboratory settings. The long-term goal of this research is to quantify the kinematics of flying insects in pursuit. The specific objective …

Multifunctional Nanocomposites In Coating Technology: Synthesis, Characterization, Formulation, Evaluation And Application, Sudeshna Chakraborty

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Application of Nanomaterials using nanotechnology has gained significant

attention in the coating industry in recent years. Their application has had a great

impact, particularly in the 3C industries (computer, communication, and construction).

Incorporation of nanomaterials into polymer carriers through a systematic approach to

coating processes can enhance various physical properties, such as mechanical,

optical, electrical and thermal properties. The current dissertation focused on the

synthesis and characterization of new nanomaterials like mesoporous silica or

nanocomposites like copper-doped zinc oxide that can be used in the coating to study

thermal cooling performance and enhancement of thermal conductivity. New thermal

devices will …

Effects Of Management On Functional Diversity In Restored Tallgrass Prairie Plant Communities, Anna K. Farrell

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

While recent studies have embraced evaluating ecosystems through functional diversity, the focus on interspecific trait changes may limit their usefulness and application. Functional traits (traits that explain species’ responses to environmental conditions and their ecosystem roles) can provide a more nuanced understanding of how disturbances shape plant communities and the functions they perform. Further, the inclusion of intraspecific trait responses can explain a significant portion of these relationships. In ecosystem restorations, management strategies can act as environmental drivers and disturbances that affect community structure. This study examined how three environmental drivers (grazer presence, prescribed fire, and age) in restored grasslands …

Evaluation Of Ispe For Inhibitor Design In The Non-Mevalonate Pathway, Kataryzna Barbara Hoerchler

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

There is an urgent need to discover new antibiotics to combat the emergence of drug resistant Novel antibiotics that target unique pathways different from existing therapies are promising targets. The non-mevalonate pathway (MEP), which was discovered in the 1990’s, is essential for most bacteria, plants and apicomplexan parasites. Inhibition of the non-mevalonate is an attractive pharmaceutical target, since it is not present in mammals. Many compounds have surfaced as potential inhibitors, but none have made it to market. This thesis investigates the fourth step in the MEP pathway involving the enzyme 4-diphosphocytidyl-2-C-methyl-D-erythritol kinase (IspE) from Escherichia coli (Ec), Burkholderia thailandensis …

Investigating The Effects Of Orientation Control Of Graphene Nanoplatelet Suspensions By A Magnetic Field On The Viscosity Of A Nanofluid System, Radhika Iyer

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

In this investigation, the rheological behavior of paraffin oil containing diamagnetic suspensions is characterized under varying magnetic field conditions. The particles suspended in the white paraffin oil at mass concentrations of 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7 and 1% m/m are two-dimensional graphene nanoplatelets with an average thickness of 2 – 8 nm. Rheological experiments were conducted using a Brookfield DV2T viscometer with a modified cylindrical spindle over the range of shear rates between 192 s-1 to 1928 s-1. A Neodymium N42 ring magnet with a surface strength of 1.32 T generated the magnetic field conditions for the rheological experiments and was …

Don't Take 'No' For An Answer, Beth Liechti

Mighty Pen Project Anthology & Archive

Two veterans, an retired Army officer and a World War II Women's Army Corp veteran. find common ground in the bonds of shared military service.

Articles, stories, and other compositions in this archive were written by participants in the Mighty Pen Project. The program, developed by author David L. Robbins, and in partnership with Virginia Commonwealth University and the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond, Virginia, offers veterans and their family members a customized twelve-week writing class, free of charge. The program encourages, supports, and assists participants in sharing their stories and experiences of military experience so both writer and audience …

A Tongan Cultural Model Of Identity, Tevita Molisi Manu'atu

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This thesis examines Tongan people's assumptions and perspectives about the Tongan identity as expressed through discourse in relations to the subject. The data from these discourses were collected by conducting semi-structured interviews with twenty-eight participants from various backgrounds, focusing on two representative populations; The Kingdom of Tonga and the United States of America. The collective data was then analyzed using cultural model theory and background as a framework. This thesis examines how Tongan identity is affected from the perspectives of Tongans themselves, and what the shared conceptualization---cultural model---of Tongan identity is. This study uncovered five main components of the Tongan …

A Transverse-Wakefield Streaking Technique For Measurement Of Ultra-Fast Electron Pulses, Jinlong Wang

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The development of future free electron lasers (FELs) requires reliable time-resolved measurements of ultrashort (less than ps) electron-bunches, especially their temporal distribution. A possible technique is to streak the bunch in the transverse direction by means of time-dependent external electromagnetic fields. A passive deflector, consisting of a dielectriclined waveguide, is used to produce electromagnetic wakefield that impart a time-dependent transverse kick to a relativistic electron bunch that propagates off-axis. The present work explores the possible use of the self-generated electromagnetic fields.

Student, Instructor, And Observer Agreement Regarding Frequencies Of Scientific Teaching Practices Using The Measurement Instrument For Scientific Teaching-Observable (Misto), Mary F. Durham, Jennifer Knight, Emily K. Bremers, Jameson D. Defreece, Alex R. Paine, Brian A. Couch

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Background: The Scientific Teaching (ST) pedagogical framework encompasses many of the best practices recommended in the literature and highlighted in national reports. Understanding the growth and impact of ST requires instruments to accurately measure the extent to which practitioners implement ST in their courses. Researchers have typically relied on students, instructors, or observers to document course teaching practices, but it remains unclear whether and how these perspectives differ from each other. To address this issue, we modified our previously published instrument to generate the Measurement Instrument for Scientific Teaching-Observable (MISTO), which can be completed by students, instructors, and observers, and …

Development Of A Multi-Robot Testbed For Direct Human-Swarm Interaction, Venkata Satya Kiran Maridi

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Robotic swarms are well suited for missions that involve covering large areas such as environmental monitoring, search-and-rescue operations, as well as those that require fusing information from multiple sources such as target tracking and machine inspection. However, navigating a swarm of robots effectively requires performing higher-level functions that are typically executed by humans such as commanding them to stay close and guiding them along with a preplanned route. In this context, the ability of multiple robots to stay together autonomously significantly reduces the cognitive load on a human operator. The goal of this thesis is to design and build a …

Exploring African American Students’ Perceptions Of Belonging At An Urban Community College In The Western United States, Sylinda Nicole Gordon Musaindapo

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

African American students’ perceptions of belonging impact their experiences on community college campuses and in their local communities. This research study explores the impact of gentrification on a group of resilient African American college students in an urban community college located in the western region of the United States. Participants used negative experiences with onlyness and otherness as opportunities to build community for other African Americans.

Cohens On The Move: Jewish Residential Dynamics In Cincinnati, Ohio, 1940-2000, Carmi J. Neiger

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

In the 1960s and 1970s, as many large US cities experienced rapid racial and ethnic demographic shifts, the intra-urban residential settlement and migration patterns of American Jews came to the attention of sociologists and urbanists. Although the interest in this population has waned in favor of more recent immigrant groups, patterns of Jewish residential dynamics continue to evolve, reflecting changes over time in both Jewish religious and ethnic identity and assimilation into mainstream American society. The lack of Census data identifying households by religious affiliation requires an alternative approach to the study of this group. In the first section of …

Hydrogen, Carbon, And Oxygen Isotopes In Prosopis Sp. Trees: A New Climate Proxy For Holocene Paleoclimate In The Atacama Desert, Chile, Elizabeth Joy Olson

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The spatial ubiquity of trees in terrestrial ecosystems worldwide facilitates the use of stable isotope research in tree-rings to address a wide-range of interdisciplinary questions related to climate, ecology, archaeology, and hydrology. This dissertation focuses on the development and application of Prosopis tamarugo tree-ring stable isotope records as a paleoclimate proxy for the Atacama Desert, Chile. Current paleoclimate proxies from this region lack the spatial and temporal resolution to quantify a causal mechanism for observed Holocene hydroclimate variability. P. tamarugo tree-ring isotopes provide a high-resolution proxy that facilitates the reconstruction of hydroclimate variability at a regional scale. In order to …

Modulation Of Autophagy In Gbm Cells By Clinical Doses Of Gamma Radiation, Devron Ozgen

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Glioblastoma (GBM) is a highly aggressive cancer that forms from the astrocytes of the brain. Poor prognosis and rather unsuccessful treatment regimens have left researchers and patients looking for new therapeutic strategies to combat this dreadful disease. Following tumor resection and radiotherapy combined with temozolomide, survival only remains around 15 months. Recurrence is very commonly seen, and urgently needs to be further understood. Autophagy is an important mechanism within cancer cells, which allows for cellular organelle/amino acid recycling and thus contributes to energy metabolism. Autophagy machinery has been shown to control cell death within cancer cells, leading to our interest …

Does Infant Negative Affect Moderate The Impact Of Parenting On Effortful Control? A Test Of The Differential Susceptibility Hypothesis, Anton Petrenko

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Parenting and early temperament characteristics have previously been shown to impact development of children’s self-regulation, which is in turn linked to a variety of developmental outcomes. However, few studies have evaluated interactions between difficult temperament and parenting, and only four published studies have specifically tested whether infants’ difficult temperament serves as a maker of differential susceptibility to parenting on self-regulatory development. The current study evaluated whether infant negative affectivity (NA) serves as a marker of differential susceptibility to positive and negative parenting on levels of effortful control (EC) at 18 months, which is at an earlier time point than has …

Implementation Of Systems-Level Learning In A Community College Mechatronics Program, Margie N. Porter

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This is a qualitative case study of the complete implementation of systems-level learning (SLL) pedagogy throughout a mechatronics engineering department in a community college in the United States. SLL was developed from the German engineering apprenticeship model, resulting in engineering graduates with what our German counterparts call Handlungskompetenz. Graduates of these programs have the flexibility to quickly adapt to new engineering systems and situations in a self-directed way without months of on-the-job training. This skill is related to adaptive expertise and is not the type of skill traditionally taught to engineering students.

Chronological and descriptive analyses were performed on semi-structured …

Understanding Carbohydrate Recognition Mechanisms In Non-Catalytic Proteins Through Molecular Simulations, Abhishek A. Kognole

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Non-catalytic protein-carbohydrate interactions are an essential element of various biological events. This dissertation presents the work on understanding carbohydrate recognition mechanisms and their physical significance in two groups of non-catalytic proteins, also called lectins, which play key roles in major applications such as cellulosic biofuel production and drug delivery pathways. A computational approach using molecular modeling, molecular dynamic simulations and free energy calculations was used to study molecular-level protein-carbohydrate and protein-protein interactions. Various microorganisms like bacteria and fungi secret multi-modular enzymes to deconstruct cellulosic biomass into fermentable sugars. The carbohydrate binding modules (CBM) are non-catalytic domains of such enzymes that …

Application Of Process Systems Engineering Tools And Methods To Fermentation-Based Biorefineries, Kwabena Darkwah

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Biofuels produced from lignocellulosic biomass via the fermentation platform are sustainable energy alternatives to fossil fuels. Process Systems Engineering (PSE) uses computer-based tools and methods to design, simulate and optimize processes. Application of PSE tools to the design of economic biorefinery processes requires the development of simulation approaches that can be integrated with existing, mature PSE tools used to optimize traditional refineries, such as Aspen Plus. Current unit operation models lack the ability to describe unsteady state fermentation processes, link unsteady state fermentation with in situ separations, and optimize these processes for competing factors (e.g., yield and productivity). This work …

Design And Analysis Of Curcumin Conjugated Poly(Beta-Amino Ester) Networks For Controlled Release In Oxidative Stress Environments, Carolyn T. Jordan

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Oxidative stress, the imbalance of free radical generation with antioxidant defenses, leads to cellular inflammation, apoptosis and cell death. This compromised environment results in debilitating diseases, such as oral mucositis (OM), atherosclerosis, and ischemia/reperfusion injury. Antioxidant therapeutics has been a proposed strategy to ameliorate these imbalances and maintain homeostatic environments. However, the success of these approaches, specifically curcumin, has been limited due to characteristics such as hydrophobicity and high reactivity when released as bolus doses to contest to oxidative stress induced diseases. The development of a controlled release system to aid in protection of the antioxidant capacity of curcumin, as …

The Development Of Microfluidic Devices For The Production Of Safe And Effective Non-Viral Gene Delivery Vectors, Jason Matthew Absher

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Including inherited genetic diseases, like lipoprotein lipase deficiency, and acquired diseases, such as cancer and HIV, gene therapy has the potential to treat or cure afflicted people by driving an affected cell to produce a therapeutic protein. Using primarily viral vectors, gene therapies are involved in a number of ongoing clinical trials and have already been approved by multiple international regulatory drug administrations for several diseases. However, viral vectors suffer from serious disadvantages including poor transduction of many cell types, immunogenicity, direct tissue toxicity and lack of targetability. Non-viral polymeric gene delivery vectors (polyplexes) provide an alternative solution but are …

Synthesis Of Biologically-Inspired Nanofiltration Membranes Using Protected, Mutated, And Simulated Aquaporins, Priyesh Ashokrao Wagh

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Gram-negative bacterial cells are surrounded by a cell membrane which protects the cell and controls the transport of nutrients and waste products in and out of the cells at a fast rate. This rapid transport of nutrients and wastes through the cell membrane is made possible by channel proteins called porins. Various types of porins present in the cell membrane have specific functions depending on their selectivity towards different nutrients, and channel proteins selective towards water are called aquaporins. These proteins restrict the passage of all entities except water molecules and they provide a fast transport rate of water molecules …

Surface Functionalization Via Photoinitiated Radical Polymerization For Rare Cell Isolation And Mechanical Protection, Calvin Frank Cahall

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Surface functionalization of living cells for cell therapeutics has gained substantial momentum in the last two decades. From encapsulating islets of Langerhans, to cell laden gels for tissue scaffolds, to individual cell encapsulation in thin hydrogels, to surface adhesives and inert surface camouflage, modification of living cell surfaces has a wide array of important applications. Here we use hydrogel encapsulation of individual cells as a mode of protection from mechanical forces for high throughput cell printing, and chemical stimuli for the isolation of rare cells in blood.

In the first study, we review methods of surface functionalization and establish a …

The Role Of Contact And Empathy In Stigma Toward Individuals With Mental Illness Among Mental Health And Non-Mental Health Professionals, Quincy A. Knolhoff

Masters Theses

This study was designed to help identify the factors that predict people's stigmatized attitudes toward individuals with mental illness. Corrigan (2002) suggested that stigmatized beliefs about individuals with mental illness may be detrimental to the potential recovery of these individuals, their self-esteem, empowerment, and their integration into society. One factor that has been found to reduce this stigma is personal contact with mentally ill individuals (Corrigan et al., 2002). Additionally, research has shown that empathy and principled moral reasoning are negatively correlated with prejudice, or stigma (McFarland, 2010). The current study examined level of contact, employment in a mental health …

Social Anxiety And Problematic Drinking In College Students: Examining Potential Mediators, Carissa Gutsmiedl

Masters Theses

Social anxiety and problematic drinking are among the most prevalent disorders present in the college population. Having one or both of these disorders while in college can be detrimental to academic performance and can increase dropout rates. Social anxiety has been found to precede problematic drinking in previous research. The purpose of this study was to help determine what variables may explain this relationship (i.e., mediators). The current study tested whether emotion regulation difficulties, drinking motives, alcohol outcome expectancies, and self-discrepancy mediated the relationship between social anxiety and problematic drinking among college undergraduates (N = 135). Results indicated that emotion …

A Qualitative Case Study On Best Practices Of Emotional Support Animal Policies, Jordan E. Dadez

Masters Theses

This study sought to understand the best practices and protocols of Emotional Support Animal policies in residential life. A qualitative case study was conducted to provide insight on the best practices of residential life Emotional Support Animal Policies. Four participants from institutions with established policies were interviewed to gain understanding of these protocols and policies, what is involved in the approval and accommodations process, and what challenges the participants face. The results showed a need to evaluate and change the current process that most institutions utilize for Emotional Support Animal approval. The approval process and accommodations process are two separate …

The Meaning Of A Woman's Work: Refugees, Statelessness, Nationality, And The Women's International League For Peace And Freedom, 1918-1931, Monica Burney

Masters Theses

This work analyzes how the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) sought to influence how the League of Nations approached questions of nationality and statelessness between 1918 and 1931. Especially important were the WILPF's efforts to aid women and children who remained in Turkey following the Armenian genocide, as well as the organization's efforts to address the statelessness crisis that arose following the dissolution of Austria-Hungary. Their activism helped to pressure the League of Nations into creating the Commission of Enquiry on Deported Women and Children in Turkey and Asia Minor. Their efforts to end statelessness culminated in …

Professional And Technical Writing In The High School Setting, Kristy C. Bennett

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Influences On International Students' Selection Of A Regional U.S. Institution: A Descriptive Study, Yazmin Rodriguez

Masters Theses

This study examined the factors influencing international students' election to study in the United States in general and at a regional four-year institution, specifically. Furthermore, it was designed to gather descriptive information about the barriers and challenges they face. A triangulation mixed methods approach was utilized based on a previously described push-pull model. The findings indicated that Availability of scholarships or work, cost and fees, and Visa processing and visa cost are the most difficult factors that international students face when making the decision to study in the U.S. This corresponded well with the qualitative responses from the …