Digital Commons Network^™

Investigating The Role Of Oncogene C-Terminal Binding Protein (Ctbp) In Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma, Kranthi Kumar Chougoni

Theses and Dissertations

The transcriptional coregulator CtBP2 has been implicated as an oncogene in colon, prostate, breast and ovarian cancers. Previously, we reported overexpression of CtBP2 in human PDAC specimens. However, its exact role in PDAC is still unclear. In the current study, we attempt to delineate the oncogenic role CtBP2 in PDAC growth and metastasis. Using an orthotopic syngeneic pancreatic tumor mouse model (CKP), we found that deletion of Ctbp2 decreases PDAC tumor growth, proliferation, metastasis, EMT and significantly prolongs survival. Further, we identified significant downregulation of Erbb3 mRNA levels upon deletion of Ctbp2 in CKP PDAC cells As ErbB3 signaling was …

Strategies And Devices For Improving Respiratory Drug Delivery To Infants And Children With Cystic Fibrosis, Karl Bass

Theses and Dissertations

Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a degenerative disease, which causes thickening of the airway surface liquid and reduced mucociliary clearance, which provides an ideal habitat for bacterial infections. Early treatment of CF in children can prevent chronic infection, improve quality of life, and increase life expectancy. The most predominant bacteria found in CF-diseased lungs is Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Pa), which can be treated with inhaled tobramycin. Excipient enhanced growth (EEG) powder formulations are well suited for administering tobramycin to children, as the EEG approach provides minimal upper airway loss and targeted drug delivery. This method uses an initially small aerosol for high …

Three Studies Of Research-Based Pedagogy In Physical Chemistry: Development Of A Zno Thin Film Experiment, Analysis Of Student Discourse By Graph Theory And Cognitive Engagement, Building A Physical Chemistry Faculty Network., Dilhara Liyanage

Theses and Dissertations

Three research projects, each focusing on a different aspect, development of a ZnO thin film experiment, student’s cognitive engagement behavior, and building of a faculty network, are presented in this dissertation.

In the first project, a physical chemistry laboratory experiment was developed to answer the question, “How do electrons move in a solid?”. The experiment structure follows the POGIL-PCL (Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning - Physical Chemistry Laboratory) model. Students begin by using the PhET “Quantum Bound States” animation to compare energy levels for single atoms to energy levels of a lattice containing many potential wells, and they incorporate that …

Synthesis Of Supported Metal Nanoparticles On High Surface Area Supports For Application In Energy Conversion And Heterogeneous Catalysis, Nazgol Norouzi

Theses and Dissertations

Precise control of metal nanoparticles’ size, composition, and dispersity over high surface area supports are highly desirable to address current challenges in energy storage and conversion as well as catalytic processes involving precious metals. Therefore, developing viable synthetic routes that enable new catalytic systems derived from inexpensive transition metals or limited use of precious metals is vital for clean energy applications such as fuel cells and rechargeable batteries or affordable drugs in the pharmaceuticals arena. In addition to metal components of heterogeneous catalysts, the catalyst support is an integral part of catalyst design as it can impart both physical stability …

Mathematical Models Of Cellular Signaling And Supramolecular Self-Assembly, Pratip Rana

Theses and Dissertations

Synthetic biologists endeavor to predict how the increasing complexity of multi-step signaling cascades impacts the fidelity of molecular signaling, whereby cellular state information is often transmitted with proteins diffusing by a pseudo-one-dimensional stochastic process. We address this problem by using a one-dimensional drift-diffusion model to derive an approximate lower bound on the degree of facilitation needed to achieve single-bit informational efficiency in signaling cascades as a function of their length. We find that a universal curve of the Shannon-Hartley form describes the information transmitted by a signaling chain of arbitrary length and depends upon only a small number of physically …

Fabrication And Characterization Of Multicomponent Gradients Containing Weakly Acidic And Basic Functional Groups, Kallol Roy

Theses and Dissertations

Multicomponent synthetic chemical gradients containing amine (NH₂) and carboxylic acid (COOH) groups have been prepared on the silanol (Si-OH) containing a base-layer substrate by the controlled-rate infusion (CRI) method. The spatial variation of weakly acidic COOH and basic NH₂ functional groups on weakly acidic Si-OH surface was created in such a way that the two antagonist groups at high concentrations were in close proximity (aligned gradient) and were separated (opposed gradient). The difference in concentration of different components (acid, base, or silanol) along the length of aligned or opposed resulted in significantly different physicochemical properties …

Internalizing Data Collection: Personal Analytics As An Investigation Of The Self, Neal R. Swisher

Theses and Dissertations

Personal analytics, aka self-tracking, is the practice of using a digital device to track aspects of behavior, such as exercise habits, heart rate, sleep patterns, location, diet, and a host of other data points. This dissertation is an exploration of “self” in self-tracking, informed by theories of subjectivity, autonomy, power and knowledge. As a technological intervention, self-tracking devices change how we experience our own body and behavior. They also serve as methods to digitize human behavior. This data is combined with other data and processed using computational methods. Self-tracking devices are both personal and bureaucratic. They are devices used for …

A Theoretically-Based Mixed Methods Approach To Examining Mental Health Disorders And Help-Seeking Behaviors Among University-Enrolled African American Men, Kofoworola D.A. Williams

Theses and Dissertations

Recent studies show that African American men in college are disproportionately experiencing high levels of psychological distress, increasing their risk of developing mental health symptoms associated with depression and anxiety. Despite being at higher risk for developing mental health symptoms, university-enrolled, African American men are not seeking help even when experiencing high levels of stress and anxiety, impacting their academic performance. The evidence base describing mental health symptom prevalence and evidence-based prevention strategies among university-enrolled, African American men is limited. To that end, this dissertation work utilized a concurrent, mixed methods approach, theoretically-based in the Social Ecological Model (SEM), to …

Examining Body Mass Index And Sepsis Mortality At One Year After Sepsis, Jamie D. Robinson

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Sepsis is a serious and life-threatening syndrome affecting 1.7 million Americans annually and resulting in approximately 270,000 deaths. An “obesity paradox” where obese individuals have lower sepsis mortality than their non-obese counterparts has been described. The problem is that the longevity of the effect is unknown, and few studies have examined the obesity paradox after 1-2 months post-diagnosis.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study examined clinical, demographic, and biomarker variables thought to affect sepsis mortality at three-time points: 30 days, 180 days, and at one year post-sepsis diagnosis in order to shed light on specific factors that might define …

Kavana: Photography, Jewish Storytelling, And Memory, Hannah Altman

Theses and Dissertations

Jewish thought suggests that the memory of an action is as primary as the action itself. This is to say that when my hand is wounded, I remember other hands. I trace ache back to other aches - when my mother grabbed my wrist pulling me across the intersection, when my great-grandmother’s fingers went numb on the ship headed towards Cuba fleeing the Nazis, when Miriam’s palms enduringly poured water for the Hebrews throughout their desert journey - this is how the Jew is able to fathom an ache. Because no physical space is a given for the Jewish diaspora, …

Regulation Of Vascular And Lymphatic Endothelial Barrier Function By Sphingosine-1-Phosphate, Jacqueline Bellaci

Theses and Dissertations

Endothelial cells play an important role in maintaining homeostasis, and disruption of the endothelial barrier have been linked to a number of different pathologies, including cancer metastasis. The vascular endothelial barrier is known to be regulated by a variety of factors, including sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), a bioactive lipid metabolite, which has been shown to improve barrier function. However, most studies to date have been focused on the vascular endothelium, and the regulation of the lymphatic endothelial barrier has not been thoroughly investigated. We found that prior to any stimulation the lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs) had a lower trans-endothelial resistance (TER) in …

Structure, Morphology And Composition-Property Elucidation Of Ni–Mo And Ni−Mo−P Nanocrystals For Water Splitting Reactions And Group Iv Alloy And Silicate Nanocrystals For Visible To Near Ir Optoelectronics, Ebtesam Hassan Abuelenein Eladgham

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Structure, Morphology and Composition-Property Elucidation of Ni–Mo and Ni−Mo−P Nanocrystals for Water Splitting Reactions and Group IV Alloy and Silicate Nanocrystals for Visible to Near IR Optoelectronics

by

Ebtesam Hassan Abuelenein Eladgham

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

Advisor: Indika U Arachchige

Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry

Nanomaterials have gained a great attention because of their unique physical properties with size intermediate between molecular materials and extended solids. They have a large surface to volume ratio and display size tunable physical properties that was not …

Hopeless Heartland: Space And Labor In Virginia, Katrina Hamilton

Theses and Dissertations

In the US, labor market conditions vary by demographics and space. Though space has been shown to be highly related to labor force outcomes, lower-level analyses are under-utilized as statistical workforce analyses tend to rely on national or state-level data. This study addresses variability in labor markets by taking a spatial approach, using cluster analysis and logistic regression to explore variations in labor market variables across census tracts in Virginia. Cluster analysis reveals several hot and cold spots of key labor market indicators: rates of marriage, poverty, educational attainment, and income. In many cases, poor social conditions, such as low …

A Graph Theoretical Approach To The Dollar Game Problem, Rachel Koch

Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis we consider a problem in Graph Theory known as the Dollar Game. The Dollar game was first introduced by Matthew Baker of the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2010. It is a game of solitaire, played on a graph, and is a variation of chip firing, or sand-piling games. Baker approached the problem within the context of Algebraic Geometry. It is the goal of this paper to provide an overview of the necessary graph theory to understand the problem presented in this game, as well as background on chip firing games, their history and evolution. Finally we …

Martian Mother, Elizabeth Mcgrady

Theses and Dissertations

This paper examines the relationship between humans and land, through the lens of the scientific and religious, bridging the physical realm with the spiritual. It acts as accompanying material to the project titled Martian Mother, supplementary information to the visual work, and an extension of the proposal, the center of the work. The proposal exists to send myself, or a like-minded individual, to Mars with artificial insemination equipment to give birth to the first Martian, becoming the first Martian Mother. This work is rooted firmly in speculative fiction, creating a nonlinear future framework for a new society and space exploration.

Spit In My Mouth: Queer Intimacies, Material Intra-Actions, And Sensuous Becoming, Gm Keaton

Theses and Dissertations

This document describes my multidisciplinary art practice as it intersects with New Materialism, Queer and Affect theory, Ecology, and my embodied and experiential knowledge as a queer subject. The writing is divided into two categories. One is more theoretical, thinking through these different discourses. The other realizes them through relationships and intra-actions between my material kin and me. With these two modes of writing,I propose that embodied and felt knowing is as valid and illuminating as more traditional forms of knowledge. These sections are interdependent and resist linear logic, offering relational meanings to each reader as they find their way …

A Girl Is A Girl Is A Girl, Paige Lizbeth Morris

Theses and Dissertations

It is well known that Western society uses men’s visual pleasure as a means to determine womxn’s value; her success is dependent on her compliance with culturally determined beauty standards. This process turns womxn into commodities and reinforces notions of gender complementarity, perpetuating a lifetime of servitude to patriarchal ideologies. It reminds the non-male that she is incomplete, insufficient, insignificant, and so easily dismissable. It forces her to be dependent, to shut up, to sit down, and to enjoy it.

In an effort to reject these presumed histories and narrow connotations of womxn, I have analyzed my gender performance in …

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 …

Orbiting Forward (Thoughts On The Nature Of Conflict - Sighs On The Struggles Of Change), Bushra A. Alsughayer

Theses and Dissertations

Today’s world is a wide open hyper-connected sphere where human societies worldwide exist in a complex crossroads of historical conditions, ideologies, and power structures. A pool of constant confrontations, minor or major, between the traditional and the progressive, the local and the international, the materialistic and the transcendent, the pragmatic and the idealistic, and countless layers of meaning. For an individual who exists in such an intense moment of history, it seems almost inescapable to be exposed to, affected by, or even involved in a major conflict. A situation that makes individuals always in a critical position where every role …

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 …

Arabic Beyond Arabic, Abir Zakzok

Theses and Dissertations

Arabic is the best and the most complicated language of all time!” Even though this statement seems like an exaggeration, it is what I grew up hearing; from my Arab parents as a child, my Arab teachers as a student, and my Arab customers as a salesperson. The Arabic language has a significant role in Arabs’ identity, yet most Arabs only scratch the surface and do not fully grasp the embedded meaning of the language. I have long been fascinated by the relationship between language and community as well as how it translates to design - specifically, the relationship between …

Failing In My Own Class, Bryan Castro

Theses and Dissertations

This research statement summarizes how my artwork has shifted from my performance-lecture Say It After Me to the painting-installation Becoming Dysfluent. To understand that shift in my practice, an account of my performance-lecture Say It After Me is explained in order to understand how it’s similar and different to Joseph Beuys’s performances with blackboards. Next, the relationship between the American educational system and my identity is explained in order to understand how my experiences as an instructor in higher education informed the creation of my performance persona Professor Castro. After discussing my identity as a Puerto Rican-American, my decision …

Cultural Placemaking In Washington’S U Street Corridor: A Catch 22, Maya Coleman

Theses and Dissertations

Placemaking is a tool largely employed in gentrifying cities to create social and cultural character in space. However, the informal placemaking that naturally occurs in communities and public space is often left out of the placemaking planning process. Informal placemaking that existed in space before and after gentrification, often by the working class, may find itself the target of policing from class and racial power structures that new residents now making up the majority bring. Alongside gentrification is its use of placemaking as branding for space, which Black American culture is increasingly being operationalized. Using Washington D.C.’s U Street Corridor …

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 …

Current: The River City Library, Abigail Fundling

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis orients a public library toward the James River with the purpose of strengthening Richmond’s connection to this waterway. Adapting an existing warehouse with a history of river industry, this project used evidence-based design decisions to drive its development. Using interviews, surveys, and case studies, the design is organized around a central gathering space where the river enters the building and around which spaces for study, stacks, and children flow. It also incorporates an amphitheater that evokes the feeling of sitting on the river’s shore. Using panoramic views to the river and city skyline along with a material palette …

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 …