Digital Commons Network^™

Prey Begins With Play, Seren C. Moran

Theses and Dissertations

My work examines the lasting psychological and emotional torment of trauma focusing on sexual violence against women. My thesis consists of five short animated films recounting non-fiction experiences of sexual assault. To contextualize my work within cultural and historical representations of sexual violence, this text reflects my research on the mishandling of rape in Western art history as well as contemporary politics and cinema. In both my work and research, I address the complicated, and often contradictory, internal reality of experiencing and remembering trauma and how this relates to artistic strategies such as collage and maximalism. My personal struggles recovering …

Structural Features Contributing To Methylenedioxypyrovalerone (Mdpv) Analog Inhibition Of The Human Dopamine Transporter, Zachary R. Spires

Theses and Dissertations

Monoamine transporters (MATs) are transmembrane neurotransmitter sodium symporters consisting of the dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin transporters: DAT, NET, and SERT, respectively. Following an action potential and neurotransmitter vesicular release, MAT-mediated reuptake of these neurotransmitters in the presynaptic membrane contributes to the termination of monoaminergic neurotransmission. MATs are the targets of many drugs providing therapeutic benefits or taken recreationally. One of these drugs is methylenedioxypyrovalerone (MDPV), an abused synthetic cathinone that is a high potency uptake inhibitor of the human DAT (hDAT). In contrast, MDPV is a low potency uptake inhibitor of the Drosophila melanogaster dopamine transporter (dDAT). The reasons for …

Ghost Signs Are More Than Paintings On Brick, Eric Anthony Berdis

Theses and Dissertations

My work embraces a maximalist aesthetic that incorporates, archival research, personal secrets, and pubescent gay boy glamour. I seek to create a stimulating yet jarring experience, while building a world that is both familiar and inherently strange to the viewer. Thrift store cast-offs, hobbyist craft supplies, and saturated drawings are reassembled into a cast of characters and costumes that balance on the line between ghosts, creatures, and friends. While we often think of costume and even art installations as meant to cover bodies and walls, my work tends to reveal more than conceal. I aspire through this work to shine …

(Re)Forming And (Re)Fusing The Sub-Divided Self, Laura Boban

Theses and Dissertations

The split between the individual and being part of a social body is addressed in this paper. I begin with my suburban upbringing; applying notions of separate and sub-divided to the construction of one’s aspirations, gender expression(s), and one’s ideological alignment. I contemplate the forces directing individual and shared desires and the persistent messaging of individual pursuits over efforts that benefit many. What does it mean to participate in a collective dreaming of one’s own wealth, happiness, and power? Can one cultivate an integrated art practice and sense of self? In the studio, I layer and abstract figures, stack household …

On-Demand Electrically Induced Decomposition Of Thin-Film Nitrocellulose Membranes For Wearable Or Implantable Biosensor Systems, Benjamin M. Horstmann

Theses and Dissertations

Implantable or subcutaneous biosensors used for continuous health monitoring have a limited functional lifetime requiring frequent replacement and therefore may be highly discomforting to the patient and become costly. One possible solution to this problem is use of biosensor arrays where each individual reserve sensor can be activated on-demand when the previous one becomes inoperative due to biofouling or enzyme degradation. Each reserve biosensor in the array is housed in an individual Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) well and is protected from exposure to bodily fluids such as interstitial fluid ( ISF) by a thin-film nitrocellulose membrane. Controlled activation is achieved by decomposing …

Machine Girl, Yutong Liu

Theses and Dissertations

Machine girl is a character that mimics biology, labor, and humanity.

She relates to machine sympathy and machine learning; She is updating and processing of big data. During the interaction between me and the machine, I found you --- Machine girl.

Machine girl is a brilliant girl. She is an excellent translator and communicator, which is determined by her ability for machine learning. The cyber living space gives her a fundamental learning gift with a mathematical algorithm. She uses this gift to mimic everything from the human brain. She is not reasonable but sensitive. There are many different versions of …

Development Of A Torque-Based Device For The Quantification Of Arm Rigidity In Patients With Parkinson’S Disease, Georgina O. Miller

Theses and Dissertations

Parkinsonian rigidity is caused by the inability of the muscles to relax and extend properly, due to reduced dopamine levels and often begins on one side of the body before spreading contralaterally. The current standard for determining joint rigidity in a clinical setting is a test completed by the clinician based on the feel of the relaxed wrist and elbow joints as they are passively flexed and extended and a series of ordinal rating scales, the Movement Disorder Society’s – Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS), Hoehn and Yahr Scale (H&Y), and Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire-39 (PDQ-39). These methods are used …

Is Direct Transport To A Level I Trauma Center Associated With Better Outcomes In Patients With Traumatic Brain Injury Compared To Patients That Are Transferred To Trauma Level I From Other Hospitals, Narad Mishra

Theses and Dissertations

Transferring patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) to trauma level I hospital from other lower level hospitals has been shown to increase the mortality compared to when patients are directly transported to trauma centers. Despite the results from studies and the field triage recommendation of transporting the TBI patients to trauma center, nearly half of the TBI cases are transported to other hospitals before transferring to the trauma center. A retrospective analysis of patients with TBI in the state of Virginia was carried out to access if direct transport of patients with TBI to trauma center improves the outcome compare …

Implementation Of A Hierarchical, Embedded, Cyber Attack Detection System For Spi Devices On Unmanned Aerial Systems, Jeremy J. Price

Theses and Dissertations

Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) create security concerns as their roles expand in commercial, military, and consumer spaces. The need to secure these systems is recognized in the architecture for a Hierarchical, Embedded, Cyber Attack Detection (HECAD) system. HECAD passively monitors the communication between a flight controller and all its peripherals like sensors and actuators. It ensures the functionality of a UAS is within the set of defined behavior and reports all potential problems, whether the errors were caused by cyber attacks or other physical faults. A portion of the design for Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) devices on board a flight …

Development Of Dexamethsone Sodium Phosphate Loaded Nanoparticles For Treating Corneal Allograft Rejection, Vineet R. Kulkarni

Theses and Dissertations

Corneas are the most commonly transplanted tissue worldwide, with approximately 80,000 transplantations performed in the United States in 2018 alone. Corneal transplantation is used to restore the vision due to opaque corneas in various diseases such as fungal keratitis, keratoconus, Fuchs’s dystrophy, corneal ulceration, traumatic injury, abrasions or scarring, inflammation, and infection. Corneal transplant surgery could involve replacing the entire cornea (penetrating keratoplasty) or selective replacement of the corneal layers (e.g. Descemet’s membrane endothelial keratoplasty and deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty). Immunologic graft rejection is one of the main causes of graft failure in these corneal transplantations. The 2-year rejection rate …

A Qualitative Analysis Of Caregiver Goals For Urban Children With And Without Asthma, Megan M. Carlson

Theses and Dissertations

Pediatric asthma is a major public health concern that disproportionately affects children of color and youth living in low-income, urban areas. The implications for public health, child health, and family functioning necessitates our understanding and addressing experiences by families who are facing barriers within their socio-demographic context in addition to the stressors associated with managing pediatric asthma. The current study applied qualitative methods to interviews with caregivers of children with and without asthma in an effort to more deeply connect with caregivers’ experiences and yield richer information about the intersection of identities as Black caregivers living in an urban setting …

Reaction Profiling Of Extracellular Protein Phosphorylation Through A Microfluidic Reactor Coupled With Raman Spectroscopy, Abigail Casey

Theses and Dissertations

Diseases and disorders in the human body are considered abnormalities of proper cellular function. Understanding the signal transduction mechanisms that cause these abnormalities is crucial to developing earlier detection methods, better treatment options and effective cures. While current diagnostic procedures are powerful tools in diagnosing diseases, they are ineffective in informing physicians on the real-time behavior of the signal transduction mechanisms associated with diseases and disorders. Currently, disease progression is monitored over time through routine patient visits and testing by one or more of the above techniques. By developing an approach that can monitor structural and conformational changes of proteins …

Education Support For Foster Care Youth: The Impact Of Federal Spending On Employment Outcomes, Carlisle C. Bates

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the extent to which supportive services funded through the federal John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Program (CFCP) are associated with academic success and employment in foster care youth. Studies suggest that this group experiences poorer employment outcomes (Gypen, Vanderfaeillie, De Maeyer, Belenger, & Van Holen, 2017; Okpych & Courtney, 2014) and earn less money annually (Gypen et al., 2017; Okpych & Courtney, 2014; Pecora, 2012). Despite a 29.4-billion-dollar annual budget for foster care services, individuals with a foster care history struggle after they transition out of care.

The CFCP is intended to help states improve education …

Characterization Of The Gonococcal Calprotectin Zn-Acquisition System, Tdfh, And The Efficacy Of Metal Starvation For Treating Gonococcal Disease, Michael T. Kammerman

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Characterization of the Gonococcal Calprotectin Zn-Acquisition System, TdfH, and the Efficacy of Metal Starvation for Treating Gonococcal Disease.

By Michael T. Kammerman, B.S.

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

Virginia Commonwealth University, 2020

Major Director: Cynthia Nau Cornelissen, Ph.D.

Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology

Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the bacterial agent that is responsible for the human disease gonorrhea, has had a steady increase in the number of infections per year. In 2018 the WHO estimated over 87 million infections occurred world-wide, and the CDC …

Investigation Into The Reaction Profile Of A Bioinspired Nickel Complex, Denver Heitger

Theses and Dissertations

Metal complexes that can activate natural oxidants like H₂O₂ and O₂ have become a key research topic in many labs in hope of mimicking nature, by generating a bioinspired complex that can perform unique chemistry through green processes. To prepare the perfect catalyst, this has lead scientists to explore numerous avenues, including the use of both natural and artificial oxidants, to tease apart the reaction pathway taking place. A ligand system dear to the Lucas Lab (13-DOB) has been metalated with nickel, a cheap and earth abundant transition metal. Our bioinspired metal-(di)oxygen adducts can be formed …

The Quantified Elf, Umico Niwa

Theses and Dissertations

The Quantified Elf is an ongoing collection of scientific, medical, archaeological articles and excerpts from my personal journal. It is a way by which I explore the various ways Western notions of personhood subsume human life into constructs of sexuality and gender, overlooking the various other modes of unbridled existence: plant, microbial. fungal, animal, celestial bodies. The speculative medical papers propose novel forms of body modification to combat gender dysphoria.

Predators And Principles: Think Tank Influence, Media Visibility, And Political Partisanship, Timothy Beryl Bland

Theses and Dissertations

By some measures, the major U.S. political parties have become more extreme in their political positions in recent decades, and scholars have raised concerns about whether the policy expertise provided by today’s think tanks has become similarly partisan and polarized. Furthermore, there is a perception that certain overtly partisan and highly visible think tanks wield considerable and growing influence over the policy platforms of the major U.S. parties, using their media presence to shape public and policymaker views of particular issues. Using publicly accessible tax, media, and congressional data, my proposed study assesses the extent to which media visibility and …

A Meta-Analysis Investigating The Correlation Between Treatment Integrity And Youth Client Outcomes, Ruben G. Martinez

Theses and Dissertations

Objective: The relation between treatment integrity and youth client outcomes in psychosocial treatment research has implications for therapist training, study design, and study interpretation. Despite work done in this area, this relation remains unclear. The aim of the current study was to meta-analyze and describe characteristics of investigations of integrity and outcome in youth.

Method and Analytic Plan: A total of N = 30 studies were identified. Conceptual and methodological factors were coded. Pearson’s r represented the magnitude of the integrity-outcome correlation. Robust variance estimation was used to account for dependency of within-study effect sizes. Two models were run with …

The Impact Of Aging And Mechanical Injury On Alveolar Epithelial And Macrophage Responses In Acute Lung Injury And Inflammation, Michael S. Valentine

Theses and Dissertations

Patients with severe lung pathologies, such as Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), often require mechanical ventilation as a clinical intervention; however, this procedure frequently exacerbates the original pulmonary issue and produces an exaggerated inflammatory response that potentially leads to sepsis, multisystem organ failure, and mortality. This acute lung injury (ALI) condition has been termed Ventilator-Induced Lung Injury (VILI). Alveolar overdistension, cyclic atelectasis, and biotrauma are the primary injury mechanisms in VILI that lead to the loss of alveolar barrier integrity and pulmonary inflammation. Stress and strains during mechanical ventilation are believed to initiate alveolar epithelial mechanotransduction signaling mechanisms that contribute …

Epigenetic Regulation Of Drug Metabolizing Enzymes In Normal Aging, Mohamad M. Kronfol

Theses and Dissertations

Geriatric populations are at a higher risk for adverse drug reactions (ADRs). This may be partly due to changes in drug metabolism in old age, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Prior research in humans and mice has shown age-associated changes to the expression of several genes involved in drug metabolism. Furthermore, studies of human blood showed that epigenetic regulation of genes encoding drug metabolizing enzymes change with age. However, it is unknown if genes in the liver are similarly affected. Therefore, we hypothesize that genes encoding drug metabolizing enzymes may show differential epigenetic regulation in the liver with …

3-D Homology Modeling Of Organic Anion Transporters (Oats): Defining The Biochemical Basis For Oat-Substrate Interactions, Christopher Jay

Theses and Dissertations

A goal in the drug development process, as indicated by the FDA, is to evaluate a drug’s ADME profile, as potential drug interactions could exist, leading to adverse drug reactions or loss of efficacy. Transport proteins, specifically organic anion transporters (OATs) are involved in the absorption, distribution, and elimination of small, negatively charged compounds. Although there is an exhaustive list of structurally diverse organic anions which interact with OATs, interactions at a molecular level are still shrouded in mystery particularly due to the lack of a solved crystal structure. Therefore, in silico homology models (hOAT1, 2, 3) were generated using …

Signaling Mechanism Responsible For 5-Ht2a Receptor Tolerance To Psychedelic Induced Head-Twitch Behavior In Mice, Audrey R. Mcmurtrie

Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in psychedelic compounds stemming from their promising use as therapeutic agents and research tools that can be used to treat and study several neuropsychiatric disorders. Psychedelics have proven useful in a broad range of these diseases - they serve as models for psychosis in schizophrenia but have also had promising results in treating major depressive disorder, anxiety, and other common disorders. Decreased stigmatization surrounding psychedelics has further increased their use in research and clinical settings. In light of these trends and the promising nature of their use, a thorough understanding of …

The Impact Of Registered Apprenticeships On The Middle-Skills Gap In Virginia, Yolanda Macklin Crewe

Theses and Dissertations

The skills gap debate has raged among scholars and policymakers for the last few decades. The key questions are whether the gap exists, the extent of the gap and how to minimize the gap. Of particular concern is a skills gap for middle-skills occupations. Since 2014, the federal government has invested over $500 million in registered apprenticeships as a strategy to address the skills gap. Likewise, Virginia has invested over $7.5 million and implemented policies such as VA Executive Order 49 (EO49), to expand registered apprenticeships as a workforce strategy to diminish the skills gap.

The goal of this research …

Novel Bayesian Techniques For Dose Response Data, Faten Alamri

Theses and Dissertations

All forms of life are being exposed to different levels of harmful chemicals that can cause various and serious side effects. Toxicological experiments enable researchers to test these chemicals on animal to determine their major effects. Although optimal and acceptable dose levels have been investigated, researchers continue to strive to minimize side effects and the chemical dosages. Dose-response models and other benchmark approaches play a role in determining the acceptable exposure levels of hazardous chemicals. Parametric techniques, used to determine the tolerable dosages, utilizing ANOVA and non-linear regression models are well represented in the literature. We determined the benchmark dose …

Psychological Effects Of Reading: The Role Of Nostalgia In Re-Reading Favorite Books, Margaret A. Kneuer

Theses and Dissertations

There are many positive outcomes from feeling nostalgic, including reductions in loneliness and greater meaning and social connectedness. My primary research goal was to investigate whether I could trigger feelings of nostalgia from re-reading an old favorite book, and whether this elicited nostalgia would increase feelings of connectedness and meaning in life and reduce loneliness. I designed a two-study package (one correlational study and one experiment) to assess re-reading novels. Trait nostalgia was positively associated with enjoyment of re-reading books (Study 1). Re-reading a favorite novel, relative to reading a new novel or a set of newspaper articles, elicited nostalgia. …

A Microlongitudinal Study Of Menopause Symptoms And Problematic Eating In Midlife Women, Dana R. Schreiber

Theses and Dissertations

Women in midlife are at risk for engagement in problematic eating behavior which is associated with negative mental and physical health outcomes. Despite this risk, little is known about precipitating factors that may increase risk in this population. One specific, yet unstudied, factor that may increase risk for problematic eating in midlife women is menopause, which is characterized by distinct symptomatology (e.g., vasomotor symptoms, negative mood, sleep). The purpose of the current study was to investigate the associations among psychological, behavioral, and social symptoms of menopause and problematic eating behavior in midlife women using both retrospective and prospective methodologies. As …

Effects Of Gestational Ozone Exposure On Privileged Placental And Brain Barrier Integrity, Alexander I. Hamm

Theses and Dissertations

Ambient outdoor ozone, a common of component of photochemical smog and urban air pollution, is linked to various neurological and vascular pathologies. Its immediate reaction with lung surfactant after inhalation results in complete reactivity of the gas, with no active ozone passing into circulation. This indicates the presence of secondary and tertiary mediators in ozone-related systemic pathologies after pulmonary insult. In vasculature, ozone exposure is associated with an acute hypertensive phenotype apparent at least 24 hours after dose, such as experienced on a hot summer afternoon in a large metropolitan area like Los Angeles or Mexico City. However, the effects …

An Integrated Exploration Of The Contextual, Relational, And Individual Factors That Impact High School Completion Among African Americans, Lesley B. Winchester

Theses and Dissertations

African American students are consistently reported as having among the lowest high school graduation rates when compared to other races (U.S. Department of Education, 2018). While many studies have sought to explore the potential risks of high school dropout, the intention of this study is to examine the factors that support the exemplary resilience of those students who do complete high school. The present study adopts the framework of García Coll et al.’s, (1996) integrative model of developmental competencies in minority children, as it seeks to identity whether and how contextual (spiritual, educational, cultural); relational (caregiver psychological and physical …

Mef2-Bound Genes May Influence Ethanol Sedation In Drosophila Melanogaster, Katlyn M. Myers

Theses and Dissertations

Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) is a global health issue that affects millions of people every year. This disorder has serious negative mental and physical consequences. Currently, treatment options for this disorder are largely limited to psychological therapy, with very few medications available to treat it. Being able to identify the environmental and genetic components that influence AUD can help improve diagnosis and treatment options. Previous studies in humans have shown a link between initial sensitivity and risk for alcohol abuse. Our laboratory uses Drosophila melanogaster as a model to study the genetic and environmental components of alcohol-related behaviors. Previous lab …

An Identification Of Tgf-B'S Role In Ischemic Cholangiopathy, Courtney Chmielewski

Theses and Dissertations

Organ transplants are a necessary intervention for many diseases that result in end stage organ failure. The donation pool cannot match the demands of the transplant list, so expanding the pool to include donation after cardiac death (DCD) is desired. However, there are increased odds of graft failure and ischemic cholangiopathy leading to inferior outcomes when DCD livers are used. Ischemic cholangiopathy consists of multiple diffuse strictures and fibrosis of the bile ducts leading to a loss of epithelialization and fibrosis. The cellular mechanism is proposed to be epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). TGF-�� is seen as a key initiator of EMT, …