Digital Commons Network^™

Development Of Photocatalysts Supported On Graphitic Carbon Nitride For The Degradation Of Organic Water Pollutants, Atanu Giri

Theses and Dissertations

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) heterojunction composites with the semiconducting metal oxides, CeO₂, ZnO and TiO₂ are prepared in situ by co-calcination of the precursor materials or by a solvothermal method. The structural, morphological and the optical properties of the prepared materials are studied using various microscopy and spectroscopy techniques. The synthesized composite materials, CeO₂/g-C₃N₄, ZnO/g-C₃N₄ and TiO₂/g-C₃N₄ are more efficient in the photocatalytic degradation of the water pollutants indigo carmine (IC) and atrazine than the pure metal oxide, g-C …

The Impact Of Mother–Father Relationship, Social Support And Neighborhood Context On Preterm Birth, Timothy O. Ihongbe

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Preterm birth is a major public health concern in the US. Previous studies have suggested that quality of the mother-father relationship, social support, and neighborhood violence may be associated with preterm birth; however, findings are equivocal.

Objectives: The main objectives of this dissertation were: 1) to determine the modifying effect of perceived residential environment on the association between quality of mother–father relationship and preterm birth in a sample of African-American women, 2) to examine whether the receipt of social support modifies the association between neighborhood violence exposure and preterm birth in a nationally representative sample of US women, and …

Effects Of A 2-Week Exercise Intervention On Heart Rate Variability In Individuals With Low And High Anxiety Sensitivity, Hannah M. Kotarski

Theses and Dissertations

Anxiety Sensitivity (AS), the belief that anxiety-related sensations may have harmful implications, can alter autonomic nervous system (ANS) function. Exercise has previously been shown to reduce AS; however, the effects of an exercise intervention on heart rate variability (HRV), a measure of ANS function, has not been evaluated in individuals with high AS. This study sought to 1) compare resting HRV in individuals with either low (LAS) or high AS (HAS) and 2) evaluate the effects of a 2-week exercise intervention on HRV and AS. Using the Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI-3), participants were identified as LAS (n=9; ASI-3=5.89±1.39) or HAS …

Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Dependent Effects Of Nicotine On Hek293t And Hbo Cells, James D. Larsen

Theses and Dissertations

T2R receptors are the classical bitter taste receptors which detect and transduce bitter taste in a subset of taste receptor cells (TRCs). The TRPM5-dependent T2Rs are G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) and are linked to G protein, gustducin to initiate an intracellular signaling cascade for the transduction of bitter tastants. Nicotine is bitter. However, at present the transduction mechanisms for the detection of nicotine in are poorly understood. Previous studies from our laboratory using TRPM5 knockout (KO) mice demonstrated that the T2R pathway is insufficient in explaining the taste perception of nicotine. TRPM5 KO mice elicited chorda tympani (CT) taste nerve …

One-Third Of A Nation, The Second Amendment, A Living Newspaper Play, Linda Ann Watt

Theses and Dissertations

One-Third of a Nation, the Second Amendment, a Living Newspaper Play

Thesis By Linda Ann Watt for a MFA Degree in Theatre Pedagogy

Documentary theatre, including living newspapers and verbatim theatre, use socio-political commentary at critical moments in history to disseminate facts and offer ideological critique dramatizing the crisis through the lens of emotion, which can incite societal change. This thesis explores this didactic medium with a written play about the second Amendment and gun violence.

Toxicological Inhalation Effects Of Metal-Based Nanoparticle Aerosols As Studied By A Portable In Vitro Exposure Cassette, Lynn E. Secondo

Theses and Dissertations

The toxicology of aerosols in occupational settings is often performed through particle collection on a filter followed by reconstitution into cell culture media which can alter the biological effects. Current in vitro exposure systems require additional instruments to control temperature and humidity, making the system bulky and difficult to take to the field. The Portable In Vitro Exposure Cassette (PIVEC) was designed for personal monitoring, characterized using copper nanoparticles, tested with alveolar cells, and set-up for real-time monitoring. Three differently sized copper nanoparticles, 40-800 nm, were dispersed as a dry aerosol and measured gravimetrically and on a number concentration basis …

The Effect Of Biologic Materials And Oral Steroids On Radiographic And Clinical Outcomes Of Horizontal Alveolar Ridge Augmentation., Amy Reichert

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate if the addition of biologic materials and/or oral steroids would affect horizontal bone gain, or the bone density of the grafted bone in horizontal alveolar ridge augmentations. A retrospective chart review was completed to assess the clinical and radiographic outcomes of 53 ridge augmentation patients. An average bone gain of 3.6mm of width was found in our study based on radiographic analysis. There were no statistically significant differences found in the linear bone gain with the addition of biologic materials and steroids. A marginally statistically significant difference was found in the bone …

Bed And Breakfast: The Role Of Sleep And Affect In Breakfast Intake, Ashley R. Macpherson

Theses and Dissertations

Breakfast intake is associated with numerous positive physical and mental health outcomes, yet breakfast skipping remains common in adults. Chronotype and sleep show potential as predictors of breakfast intake; however the existing literature has methodological limitations and fails to examine how psychological mechanisms might explain the relation between sleep and breakfast. The current investigation explored the association of means and variability of sleep behaviors (bedtime, midsleep, sleep duration) as predictors of breakfast intake frequency and high-protein breakfast intake frequency. Additionally, the role of positive and negative affect as mediators in the sleep—breakfast association was examined. Hierarchical regressions and PROCESS parallel …

A Stakeholder Examination Of Gestational Weight Gain Guidelines, Melissa Kwitowski

Theses and Dissertations

Obesity is a significant health concern for women of childbearing age. More than 40% of women have a Body Mass Index (BMI) in the overweight or obese ranges at the time they conceive, posing significant health risks for both mother and child. Excessive weight gain during pregnancy is common and associated with numerous deleterious complications. The Institute of Medicine published gestational weight gain (GWG) guidelines based on prepregnancy BMI. However, more than 50% of women gain in excess of these recommendations. Further, many women report receiving minimal guidance from their healthcare providers regarding weight gain, nutrition, and physical activity during …

Novel Roles Of Relb In Neuroinflammation, Angela Gupta

Theses and Dissertations

Neuroinflammation is hallmark of almost all central nervous system diseases. Along with infiltrating immune cells, resident glial cells of the central nervous system play a critical role in modulating inflammation and thus regulating disease severity. The NF-kB family of transcription factors are major transcriptional regulators of inflammation. RelA (p65) is the most well studied NF-kB family member; it has been well established that p65 functions to increase cytokine transcription in a variety of disease models. However, other NF-kB family members, namely RelB, have not been studied extensively as regulators of neuroinflammation. This report describes the both the function of RelB …

Assessing The Relative Influences Of Abiotic And Biotic Factors On A Species’ Distribution Using Pseudo-Absence And Functional Trait Data: A Case Study With The American Eel (Anguilla Rostrata), Taylor E. Woods

Theses and Dissertations

Species’ distributions are influenced by abiotic and biotic factors but direct comparison of their relative importance is difficult, particularly when working with complex, multi-species datasets. Here, we present a flexible method to compare abiotic and biotic influences at common scales. First, data representing abiotic and biotic factors are collected using a combination of geographic information system, remotely sensed, and species’ functional trait data. Next, the relative influences of each predictor variable on the occurrence of a focal species are compared. Specifically, ‘sample’ data from sites of known occurrence are compared with ‘background’ data (i.e. pseudo-absence data collected at sites where …

Estimating The Respiratory Lung Motion Model Using Tensor Decomposition On Displacement Vector Field, Kingston Kang

Theses and Dissertations

Modern big data often emerge as tensors. Standard statistical methods are inadequate to deal with datasets of large volume, high dimensionality, and complex structure. Therefore, it is important to develop algorithms such as low-rank tensor decomposition for data compression, dimensionality reduction, and approximation.

With the advancement in technology, high-dimensional images are becoming ubiquitous in the medical field. In lung radiation therapy, the respiratory motion of the lung introduces variabilities during treatment as the tumor inside the lung is moving, which brings challenges to the precise delivery of radiation to the tumor. Several approaches to quantifying this uncertainty propose using a …

Targeting Monoacylglycerol Lipase For The Reversal And Prevention Of Paclitaxel-Induced Allodynia In Mice, Zachary Curry

Theses and Dissertations

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a side-effect of chemotherapy causing pain in the hands and feet. In particular, paclitaxel causes CIPN lasting for years without effective treatment. There is a strong need for analgesics to both treat and prevent CIPN. One system containing multiple targets to treat CIPN is the endogenous cannabinoid system. This system consists of cannabinoid type 1 (CB₁) and type 2 (CB₂) receptors primarily expressed on presynaptic neurons and cells of the immune system, respectively. Inhibition of monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL), which hydrolyzes the endogenous cannabinoid 2- arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), with JZL184 or MJN110 produces …

Glycosaminoglycan Lyases In The Preparation Of Oligosaccharides, Alhumaidi B. Alabbas

Theses and Dissertations

Glycosaminoglycans are heterogeneous polysaccharides that mediate important biological functions. There has been considerable interest in deciphering the precise GAG sequences that are responsible for protein interactions. In fact, several GAG oligosaccharides have been discovered to date as targeting proteins with higher level of specificity. Yet, it has been difficult to develop GAG oligosaccharides as drugs. One of the key reasons for this state of art is that GAG synthesis is extremely challenging and is highly structure-specific. Thus, much of the biology and pharmacology of GAG remains unknown and unexploited to date.

An alternative approach is to prepare GAG oligosaccharides using …

Mental Health Difficulties And Service Use Of Incarcerated Women: The Influence Of Violence Perpetration And Victimization, Rachel C. Casey

Theses and Dissertations

The present study aimed to expand the knowledge base regarding incarcerated women’s experiences with violence and their mental health with the goal of identifying avenues for more tailored, compassionate responses to their mental health difficulties in both macro and direct practice contexts. To achieve this aim, a secondary data analysis was performed using data from the Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities (SISCF) completed by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) in 2004. Six research questions pertaining to women’s experiences with violence and their mental health difficulties and service utilization guided the inquiry, which involved univariate, bivariate, and multivariate …

Counterregulatory Effects Of Ptx3 On Inflammation And Cellular Aging, Aaron L. Slusher

Theses and Dissertations

Pentraxin 3 (PTX3) is a vital regulator of innate immune function that has been shown to counterregulate pro-inflammatory signaling and protect against the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Less is known about how PTX3 may mitigate against CVD risk by regulating the pro-inflammatory response at the cellular level. Therefore, this dissertation details four manuscripts which aimed to examine the capacity of PTX3 to regulate the innate immune response of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) isolated from healthy adults. Manuscript 1 examined the capacity of PTX3 to alter the inflammatory milieu following in vitro stimulation of isolated PBMCs with the pro-inflammatory …

Gastrointestinal Microbiota Modulate Antinociceptive Tolerance Development In Mice With Chronic Morphine Exposure, Ryan A. Mischel

Theses and Dissertations

In October 2017, the United States government declared a state of public health emergency in response to the burgeoning prescription opioid epidemic. Opioid analgesics are the gold standard of therapy for moderate to severe pain, but their clinical utility is greatly limited by analgesic tolerance – a primary driver of diminished pain control and opioid dose escalations. Integral in this process are primary afferent sensory neurons in dorsal root ganglia (DRG), the first-order components of nociceptive sensation. With surmounting evidence that morphine and other narcotics can alter gut microbial composition and promote bacterial translocation to other tissues, a question arises …

The Periodontal Specialty: A Survey Regarding Our Future, John H. White

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: To determine the characteristics influencing periodontal practices in Virginia and report on the anticipated changes in practice.

Methods: A REDCap survey was emailed to Virginia based American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) members assessing personal and practice demographics, trends in dental treatment and practice models, and how periodontists will adjust to account for these trends.

Results: The response rate was 31% (n=46). Respondents report greater referrals from more experienced general practitioners (GPs). Student debt was associated with age. Respondents ranked biologic advances, treatment of peri-implantitis, digital dentistry, development of corporate and group practice models, and GPs incorporating more periodontal …

A Comparison Of Quality Indicators Between Medicare Accountable Care Organizations And Health Maintenance Organizations Using Publicly Available Data, William W. Campbell Iii

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to explore differences in quality between Medicare Accountable Care Organizations (ACO) and Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO). Three outcomes measures reported by these plans use different methodologies but possess enough alignment to permit comparison: percent of diabetic patients with last HbA1c > 9.0%, colon cancer screening rate and ER visits per 1,000. These outcomes are the dependent variables (DV). A secondary purpose is to explore differences in quality based on the size of the beneficiary population served, using the same measures.

As the Medicare program faces threats to its solvency in coming decades, with 10,000 baby …

Longitudinal Relations Between Adhd Symptoms And Substance Use Across The Transition To College And Evaluation Of Promotive And Protective Factors, Melissa R. Dvorsky

Theses and Dissertations

The prevalence of substance use and related problems increases during adolescence and peaks in young adulthood with substantial increases during the transition from high school to college (Johnston et al., 2018). However, these increases are not universal for all students (White et al., 2006), and there is substantial variation in rates of substance use during the first year of college (Borasri et al., 2007; Frisher et al., 2007). It is important to identify the individual and environmental factors that serve as risk factors for substance use as well as factors that may promote or protect against use during the high …

Investigating The Presence And Correlates Of Anti-Thin Bias In Adults, Alexandria Davies

Theses and Dissertations

Weight stigma is associated with negative health outcomes across the BMI continuum. However, few studies have examined weight discrimination targeting people with low body weights. This investigation explored the presence of anti-thin bias, defined as the belief that people with low BMIs have undesirable personality characteristics. Participants were randomly assigned to read one of six vignettes about women that differed by race (White and Black) and weight status (slightly underweight, normal weight, and slightly overweight). Negative personality characteristics were more likely to be ascribed to both underweight and overweight women, compared with normal weight women. Furthermore, participants were significantly more …

A Comparison Of The Antimicrobial Efficacy Of Silver Diamine Fluoride And Silver Nitrate: An In Vitro Study, Nicholas L. Luke

Theses and Dissertations

A COMPARISON OF THE ANTIMICROBIAL EFFICACY OF SILVER DIAMINE FLUORIDE AND SILVER NITRATE: AN IN VITRO STUDY

By: Nicholas L Luke, D.D.S.

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Dentistry at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Virginia Commonwealth University, May 2018

Thesis Advisor: William O. Dahlke Jr., D.M.D.

Pediatric Dentistry, Department Chair

Purpose: To determine the antimicrobial efficacy of SDF and SN/NaF.

Methods: Three bacterial species were combined to create an in vitro biofilm. Treatment was completed with SN, SN/NaF, SDF, SDF½ or untreated (control).

Results: The untreated group demonstrated significantly higher …

Strengthening Social Networks Of Youth Aging Out Of Foster Care: Promoting Positive Adult Outcomes, Rachel D. Rosenberg

Theses and Dissertations

During the transition to adulthood, youth often rely on the people in their life for support. However, for transition-aged foster youth, these supports may not be available or may look different than supports available to youth in the general population. Relationships with supportive adults have been found to help former foster youth transition to adulthood, but little is known about the adults youth have in their network. Foster youth who report increased levels of social capital have been shown to experience higher levels of success in young adulthood. However, as former foster youth transition to adulthood, a lack of in-depth …

Assessing Feasibility And Effectiveness Of Pediatric Dental Provider’S Role In Oral Health And Prevention Education In The Care Of Children With Leukemia, Hannah Rustin

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: Pediatric dentists could serve a role in care of children with leukemia. Oral sequelae of cancer therapies are well documented. The purpose of this study is to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of the pediatric dentist in the care of patients with leukemia. Methods: Pediatric Hematology and Oncology at Virginia Commonwealth University was educated on the proposed protocol and administered a questionnaire to assess feasibility of implementing prevention education by the pediatric dentist. Patients were randomized into two groups at diagnosis: one receiving current oral health protocol and those receiving one-on-one prevention education with the pediatric dentist at three …

Does Emotion Regulation Moderate The Association Between Impairment And Depression In Adolescents With Adhd?, Laura D. Eddy

Theses and Dissertations

In comparison with their peers, adolescents with ADHD are at increased risk for developing depression, with prevalence estimates for comorbid depression ranging from 14% to 20%. Youth with comorbid ADHD and depression are at greater risk for multiple negative outcomes compared to youth with ADHD alone, including suspension from school, failing a grade, or difficulties in peer relationships. Identifying risk factors for depression among adolescents with ADHD is important for facilitating early identification and treatment efforts. Research completed to date indicates that interpersonal impairment and emotion regulation may mediate the relationship between ADHD and depression. However, a comprehensive longitudinal model …

Improving The Performance And Energy Efficiency Of Emerging Memory Systems, Yuhua Guo

Theses and Dissertations

Modern main memory is primarily built using dynamic random access memory (DRAM) chips. As DRAM chip scales to higher density, there are mainly three problems that impede DRAM scalability and performance improvement. First, DRAM refresh overhead grows from negligible to severe, which limits DRAM scalability and causes performance degradation. Second, although memory capacity has increased dramatically in past decade, memory bandwidth has not kept pace with CPU performance scaling, which has led to the memory wall problem. Third, DRAM dissipates considerable power and has been reported to account for as much as 40% of the total system energy and this …

Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor 2 Activation: Computational Predictions And Experimental Validation, Amr Ellaithy

Theses and Dissertations

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are the largest family of signaling proteins in animals and represent the largest family of druggable targets in the human genome. Therefore, it is of no surprise that the molecular mechanisms of GPCR activation and signal transduction have attracted close attention for the past few decades. Several stabilizing interactions within the GPCR transmembrane (TM) domain helices regulate receptor activation. An example is a salt bridge between 2 highly conserved amino acids at the bottom of TM3 and TM6 that has been characterized for a large number of GPCRs. Through structural modeling and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, …

A Multi-Objective Framework For Information Security Public Policy: The Case Of Health Informatics, Kane Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Detailed holistic patient data is critical for healthcare organizations to better serve their patient populations. This information allows healthcare organizations to create a detailed and holistic record of a patient’s health. However, this large aggregation of personally identifiable patient data raises serious privacy and security concerns amongst patients. For this reason, patient concerns around the privacy and security of information retained by healthcare organizations must be addressed through the development of effective public policy. This research, therefore argues that any decision making process aimed at developing public policy dealing with patient data privacy and security concerns should not only address …

The Influence Of Clinically Meaningful Factors On The Performance Of The Recommended Annual Diabetic Foot Screening, Trisha A. Sando

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Diabetic foot ulcers are the result of multiple complications from hyperglycemia and lead to poor quality of life and high healthcare costs. The annual diabetes foot screening exam (ADFSE) and prevention interventions can reduce DFUs up to 75%. In 2015, 71% of the US population received the ADFSE.

Objectives: The main objectives of this dissertation were: 1) to determine the association between adherence to diabetes self-management behaviors and the ADFSE, 2) to determine the association between concordant and discordant comorbidities and the ADFSE and 3) to determine the association between the performance of diabetes preventive care processes, number of …

Loyalty Program Effectiveness: An Examination Of Mainstream And Niche Sport Fan-Team Relationships, Lisa S. Rufer

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the efficacy of using loyalty programs on sport fans’ relationship quality and fan engagement toward sport organizations. This study also sought to explore which relationship quality and fan engagement factors potentially differed as a result of using loyalty programs. Since there are two major defined sport levels, differences were explored across niche and mainstream sport organizations. Using relationship marketing as the theoretical framework, participants (n = 678) were administered a 55-item instrument that included revised relationship quality and fan engagement scales. Quantitative data were used to run confirmatory factor analyses, analyses of …