Digital Commons Network^™

Engineering Surface Properties To Modulate Inflammation And Stem Cell Recruitment Through Macrophage Activation, Kelly M. Hotchkiss

Theses and Dissertations

Biomaterials are becoming the most commonly used therapeutic method for treatment of lost or damaged tissue in the body. Metallic materials are chosen for high strength orthopaedic and dental applications. Titanium (Ti) implants are highly successful in young, healthy patients with the ability to fully integrate to surrounding tissue. However the main population requiring these corrective treatments will not be healthy or young, therefore further research into material modifications have been started to improve outcomes in compromised patients. The body’s immune system will generate a response to any implanted material, and control the final outcome. Among the first and most …

Adolescent Emotion Expression, Emotion Regulation, And Decision-Making In Social Context, Tennisha N. Riley

Theses and Dissertations

Adolescents engage in risk behaviors at an alarming rate, and particularly when they are with peers. Despite efforts to develop prevention and intervention programs, rates of risk-taking among adolescents is still relatively high. Adolescents continue to engage in physical fights and aggressive behavior, use substances such as alcohol and illicit drugs, and make decisions that impact driving and motor vehicle incidents. The regulation of emotions plays a significant role in adolescents’ decisions to engage in such risk behaviors.Examining adolescents’ emotion expression and regulation is therefore critical to identifying ways to support positive development.

This dissertation project explored important regulatory mechanisms …

Converging Objects Of The Universe, Everett Hoffman

Theses and Dissertations

Reconfigured found objects shape scenes of everyday life, questioning the structural histories that go into defining an identity. Engaging in a multidisciplinary approach of making, my work reimagines the function of ornamentation and its relationship to the body. I approach new materials and found objects with the eye of a jeweler, highlighting and exploiting the subtle, and often invisible, links between material histories and their connection to identity. Material debris patinated with age like skillets, baseballs, and furniture are used to penetrate normative structures around identity, gender, and sexual desire. Using adornment as a support in my installations I propose …

Isolation, Hollis B. Mccracken

Theses and Dissertations

My work investigates a lifelong passion for buildings, homes, and architecture. Buildings are more then shelters made of wood and screws; I personify them as if they were living breathing creatures. I’m particularly drawn to rundown and abandoned structures because I empathize with these sad looking buildings that were once majestic. This personal connection exists because I view them as versions of my former self, rough around the edges with a promising interior. Expanding beyond vacant and decaying buildings, I portray my experiences within fabricated architectural systems. I communicate with building materials and architecture through their many layers of physical …

Edgelands, Anne Bujold

Theses and Dissertations

Animal imagery has been part of the human effort to understand our place in the world since the beginning of recorded history. Through examining the role and use of animal imagery in the creation of cultural signals, I have developed a framework for my practice. Edgelands employs representations of feral animals as symbols for the “misfit” to emphasize the value of those who do not fit in. My experience as a woman in the field of metal work informs my material choice and process, subverting ironwork motifs and the purpose of gates and boundaries. Edgelands overlaps a series of material …

Victims, Victors, Or Bystanders? African American College Students' Perceptions Of African American Agency During The Civil War, Stephanie L. Hooks

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines African American students’ perspectives of African American agency during the Civil War. It also seeks to understand where their knowledge of African Americans during the Civil War comes from. The topic fits within the Critical Race Theory framework and utilized a mixed methods approach to understand the study findings. The methodology included an online survey completed by forty-two participants at a Historically Black university and 3 semi-structured interviews using the interview protocol. Descriptive statistical demographic data, open-ended responses and interview transcripts were analyzed using the agency rubric developed by the researcher. The themes that emerged from the …

What Lies Beneath, Meg Wachs

Theses and Dissertations

What is the very first thing you notice about a person? Appearance? What if the first thing you saw was everything that they were trying to hide? We would see every flaw but we would also see every truth. What Lies Beneath is an exploration of interior and exterior and an exposure to the dark and abject inside all of us; the parts we keep hidden and the things that build up until they have no place else to go. Rooted in an examination of the human psyche, my thesis explores the difference between the facade we project to the …

Stat3 In The Regulation Of Brown Adipocyte Differentiation, Marc Cantwell

Theses and Dissertations

Thermogenic fat is a promising target for new therapies in diabetes and obesity. Understanding how thermogenic fat develops is important to develop rational strategies to treat obesity. Previously, we have shown that Tyk2 and STAT3, part of the JAK-STAT pathway, are necessary for proper development of classical brown fat. Using primary preadipocytes isolated from newborn mice we demonstrate that STAT3 is required for differentiation and robust expression of Uncoupling Protein 1. We also confirm that STAT3 is necessary during the early induction stage of differentiation and is dispensable during the later terminal differentiation stage. Without STAT3, the brown preadipocytes have …

High-Throughput Prediction And Analysis Of Drug-Protein Interactions In The Druggable Human Proteome, Chen Wang

Theses and Dissertations

Drugs exert their (therapeutic) effects via molecular-level interactions with proteins and other biomolecules. Computational prediction of drug-protein interactions plays a significant role in the effort to improve our current and limited knowledge of these interactions. The use of the putative drug-protein interactions could facilitate the discovery of novel applications of drugs, assist in cataloging their targets, and help to explain the details of medicinal efficacy and side-effects of drugs. We investigate current studies related to the computational prediction of drug-protein interactions and categorize them into protein structure-based and similarity-based methods. We evaluate three representative structure-based predictors and develop a Protein-Drug …

Understanding The Role Of Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase And Its Function As A Driving Force Behind The Er Stress Response In Fibrostenotic Crohn’S Disease-Affected Ileal Smooth Muscle Cells, Prashant Yadav

Theses and Dissertations

Crohn’s disease (CD) affects about 780,000 people in the United States alone, and it is estimated that 6-15 per 100,000 persons will receive a diagnosis of this disease each year. There currently is no cure for Crohn’s disease, and available medical therapies simply serve to alleviate the inflammation. This does not help treat fibrostenosis that Crohn’s disease patients may develop, which can only be treated surgically. Finding alternatives to treat CD requires an understanding of mechanisms at the biochemical level. In this thesis, we attempted to gain a better understanding of certain pathways found to be active in Crohn’s disease-affected …

Evaluating The Effects Of A Flipped Classroom Compared To A Traditional Classroom On Retention Of Information And Course Engagement In A Radiation Safety Course, Stephanie A. Mchugh

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to compare the flipped and traditional classroom pedagogies in relation to retention, critical thinking skills, and student engagement as measured by the multiple choice and short answer questions on the final exams, course evaluations, and CUCEI scores. Radiologic technologists, nuclear medicine technologists, and radiation therapists play vital roles in both diagnostic and therapeutic applications in patient care. Employers today are seeking graduates who know more, are better able to apply this knowledge, and solve more challenging problems (McLean, et al., 2016). This quasi-experimental study aimed to compare the flipped and traditional classroom pedagogies at …

Big Networks: Analysis And Optimal Control, Hung The Nguyen

Theses and Dissertations

The study of networks has seen a tremendous breed of researches due to the explosive spectrum of practical problems that involve networks as the access point. Those problems widely range from detecting functionally correlated proteins in biology to finding people to give discounts and gain maximum popularity of a product in economics. Thus, understanding and further being able to manipulate/control the development and evolution of the networks become critical tasks for network scientists. Despite the vast research effort putting towards these studies, the present state-of-the-arts largely either lack of high quality solutions or require excessive amount of time in real-world …

Advanced Imaging Analysis For Predicting Tumor Response And Improving Contour Delineation Uncertainty, Rebecca N. Mahon

Theses and Dissertations

ADVANCED IMAGING ANALYSIS FOR PREDICTING TUMOR RESPONSE AND IMPROVING CONTOUR DELINEATION UNCERTAINTY

By Rebecca Nichole Mahon, MS

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

Virginia Commonwealth University, 2018

Major Director: Dr. Elisabeth Weiss,

Professor,

Department of Radiation Oncology

Radiomics, an advanced form of imaging analysis, is a growing field of interest in medicine. Radiomics seeks to extract quantitative information from images through use of computer vision techniques to assist in improving treatment. Early prediction of treatment response is one way of improving overall patient care. This work …

8917: Athletic Training Student Application Of Quality Improvement During Clinical Education: A Report From The Athletic Training Clinical Education Network, B. C. Jones, C. E. Welch Bacon, J. M. Cavallario, S. E. Walker, R. C. Bay, B. L. Van Lunen

Rehabilitation Sciences Faculty Publications

Context: A component of quality improvement (QI) is the ability to reflect on the effectiveness of one's practice. Past research has demonstrated that QI is more frequently implemented in patient encounters (PEs) in which athletic training students (ATSs) are assisting the preceptor. As one of the core competencies, QI will be a required curricular content component in all professional athletic training programs in 2020.

Objective: To assess whether ATSs are integrating concepts of QI during PEs as a part of their clinical experiences.

Design: Multisite, panel design.

Setting: Three Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education-accredited professional athletic training programs …

2018-00-00 Water Quality Report, Morehead State University. Water System Office.

Staff Congress Records

Water quality report for Morehead State University for 2018.

2018 Msu Benefits Guide, Morehead State University. Office Of Human Resources.

Staff Congress Records

2018 Morehead State University Benefits Guide.

Dicarbon­Yl{[(E,E)-(2,3,4,5-Η)-6-Meth­­Oxy-6-Oxo-2,4-Hexa­Dien­Yl]Tri­Phenyl­Phospho­Nium}(Tri­Phenyl­Phosphane-ΚP)Iron(1+) Hexa­Fluorido­Phosphate, Yuzhi Ma, Sergey V. Lindeman, William A. Donaldson

Chemistry Faculty Research and Publications

In the title compound, [Fe(C₂₅H₂₄O₂P)(C₁₈H₁₅P)(CO)₂]PF₆, the Fe atom adopts a square-based pyramidal coordination geometry with the carbonyl groups and the two C=C bonds of the diene defining the basal sites and the phosphane ligand the apical position. The diene ligand has an E,E geometry, with the phospho­nium fragment pointed away from the Fe atom. The crystal structure displays C—H⋯F and C—H⋯O hydrogen bonding. The PF₆⁻ anion is rotationally disordered over four orientations.

Mazanet's 1693 "Report To The Viceroy:" The Role Of Alterity, Bare Life, And Agency In The Attitude Of A Spanish Friar Against Texas Amerindians, Pedro Cebollero

The Coastal Review

This study evaluates Spanish missionary Damián Mazanet’s beliefs and attitudes about the Texas Indians expressed in a 1693 letter. In order to control the Amerindians, Mazanet represents them as beings with bare life, which gives him permission to implement biopolitical tactics such as the reorganization of Indian populations around the mission, their removal from their own lands, and their conversion by force. In spite of this, the examination of textual silences in the letter shows such Amerindians as agents who actually refuse to be subjected by the Spanish friars and soldiers.

Special Issue: Protestantism In The Balkans (Macedonia, Serbia, And Albania), Ruzhica Cacanoska

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

This issue of Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe is published as part of the celebration of the 500-years of the Protestant Reformation. In fact, this issue contains the works presented by its authors at the scientific gathering organized within the anniversary by the Institute for Sociological, Political and Juridical Research, a branch of “St. Cyril and Methodius University” in Skopje, Macedonia). The program, Scientific Wednesday, was held on November 1 , 2017. The scholarly gathering was titled Protestantism in the Balkans. Prof. Ruzica Cacanoska, as a member of the advisory editorial board of this journal, and also as …

Protestantism In Macedonia Today, Ruzhica Cacanoska

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

Protestantism arrived in Macedonia in the second half of the nineteenth century. Since then, a number of Protestant communities were established and their current membership is relatively small. The United Methodist Church in the Republic of Macedonia is considered to be traditional and is listed as such in the Constitution of the Republic of Macedonia. The contemporary Protestant structure is composed of 12 Evangelical-Protestant churches. The subject matter of this paper is a sociological research on the Protestant communities in Macedonia and it will focus on key issues related to the structure and functioning of their communities, their mutual cooperation, …

Protestantization Of The Roma From Southeastern Serbia, Dragan Todorović

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The Protestantization of the Roma refers to the recent process of mass involvement of Serbian Roma in small religious communities of Protestant provenance.

The research was conducted using the deep interview method on the basis of a structured questionnaire with baptized believers of Roma nationality belonging to the Christian Baptist Church, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Christian Adventist Church, and Evangelical Pentecostal Church in the territory of Southeastern Serbia. The sample included both Roma and non-Roma high clergy of the abovementioned religious communities, as well as religious leaders of major religions of the region (Serbian Orthodox Church and Islamic Community).

This paper describes …

Congretional/Methodist Church In Macedonia, Paul Mojzes

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

Prior to the end of the Balkan Wars of 1912-1913 and during portions of World War I, the territory of Macedonia was served by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (hereafter ABCFM) with headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts. The form of Protestantism promoted by ABCFM was Congregationalism but in the Balkans, they called their churches Evangelical, which is often used as a synonym for Protestants. After the end of World War I, the ABCFM was unable to continue to financially support and staff this mission field outside of Bulgaria as proper and turned their work in Macedonia (which had …

Medieval Heresis And Protestantism, Maja Angelovska-Panova

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

In addition to the current social and political circumstances, the appearance of heresies and reform movements during the Middle Ages. was largely determined by the educational tendencies and movement of humanism, which concentrated on the matter of the human being. Thisarticle offers a digressive analysis that examines the appearance, essence, and significance of Bogomilism, Catharism, Waldensians and their implications for later reform movements—more specifically Protestantism. It should be emphasized that in this context, such ideas, characteristic of medieval heresies, impacted Protestantism, as seen in the works of John Wycliffe (1328-1384) and Jan Hus (1369-1415). In fact, they were qualified to …

Search For C P Violation In The D + → Π + Π 0 Decay At Belle, V. Babu Et Al., D. Joffe, Ratnappuli L. Kulasiri

Faculty Articles

We search for CP violation in the charged charm meson decay D+→π+π0, based on a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 921 fb−1 collected by the Belle experiment at the KEKB e+e− asymmetric-energy collider. The measured CP-violating asymmetry is [+2.31±1.24(stat)±0.23(syst)]%, which is consistent with the standard model prediction and has a significantly improved precision compared to previous results.

The Principles And Rhetoric Of Autarky: Debate And Decision-Making In Early Colonial Kenya, Ian Michael Ferguson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study seeks to understand the decision-making process of the colonial government of the East Africa Protectorate by articulating the principles of autarky: financial independence, development, and effective occupation. The principles of autarky, which are both goal and process for the colonial government, strove to bring that government to a state of self-sufficiency, or autarky. These principles created their own rhetoric within official correspondence which dominated the decision-making process. By looking at three different periods, Foreign Office control, the transition to Colonial Office responsibility, and the Soldier Settlement Scheme of 1919, the importance of the principles and rhetoric of autarky …

Resilience Modeling Of Surface Transportation System In Mixed Traffic Environment, Shofiq Ahmed

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Large-scale natural disasters challenge the resilience of surface transportation system. The objective of this research was to develop a resilience model of surface transportation system in mixed-traffic environment considering varying Connected and Automated Vehicle (CAV) penetration scenarios. As deployment of CAVs are expected to improve traffic operations, a resilience model was developed in this research to evaluate the resilience performance of a transportation system with several CAV penetration levels (0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%) for a given budget and recovery time. The proposed resilience quantification model was applied on a roadway network considering several disaster scenarios. The network capacity …

Lynne Ramsey, Violist: Biography, Pedagogical Background, Teaching Techniques, And Career Advice, Ignacio Cuello

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This research document explores teaching methods, career advice, and major influences that shaped the professional course of the violist Lynne Ramsey. Ramsey teaches viola at the Cleveland Institute of Music and is first assistant principal viola in the Cleveland Orchestra. For over thirty years, she has taught countless viola students in the US while maintaining a full-time performance career.

The introductory chapter covers Ramsey’s biographical and educational backgrounds during her time as a student of Ramon Scavelli, David Dawson, and Karen Tuttle. It is worth mentioning that Tuttle was the primary student of one of the best-known violists in …

Roofing Practices And Fall Prevention In The Construction Industry, Hadi A. Shishtar

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Roofing is an important profession in the construction industry yet there is a lack of understanding of its safeness. It is generally believed that roofing is an occupation that can be easily practiced by anyone. However, there are many key factors that are associated with roofing, which may impact the lives of roofers who often face major risks at work. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), roofing is one of the leading causes of falling deaths among construction workers. The Bureau of labor statistics has reported that roofers are highly exposed to non-fatal injuries. They have also …

The Determination Of The Concrete Tensile Creep At Early Age Using The Ring Test, Tadamon Mohammed

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In this study, the modified double power law (MDPL) model is used to determine the tensile creep of concrete at an early age based on the ASTM C1581 restrained shrinkage ring test. Three concrete mixes using Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) were tested. The three concrete mixes were cast, and each underwent the ring tests up to cracking. Mechanical properties of concrete at the age of 1, 3, 7, 14, and 28 days were tested to find the compressive strength, tensile strength and Young’s Modulus of concrete. The strength tests results were obtained from both 4x8 inch and 6x12 inch cylinders. …

Growth Media Alternatives For Mine Refuse Cap And Cover Systems, Sitraka Jean D'Annie Rabemanjakasoa

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In 1999, Royal Scot Minerals based in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, USA went bankrupt and abandoned a 47-acre coal refuse pile, which currently presents environmental and economic issues. The primary objective of this problem report is to identify an effective approach to create a growth layer that establishes a sustainable vegetation on this pile. Using available data in the relevant literature, this report evaluates topsoil substitutes using three materials: papermill sludge, sewage sludge and lumber mill waste application for coal refuse piles. Like papermill sludge, sewage sludge reduces erosion/sedimentation by improving the soil water holding capacity and decreases the surface …