Digital Commons Network^™

The Effect Of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury On Perineuronal Nets Surrounding Neocortical Parvalbumin Interneurons, Olivia Lowman

Theses and Dissertations

Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is an extremely common affliction with an estimated 42 million people being affected by it worldwide each year. It can lead to a range of long-term chronic issues and the underlying pathology is not well understood. Several previous studies have shown that parvalbumin inhibitory interneurons (PV+) are injured during TBI, therefore altering the excitatory to inhibitory ratio in neural networks which can lead to several neurodegenerative disorders such as epilepsy. Perineuronal nets (PNNs) are an extracellular matrix element that preferentially surround PV+ neurons in the neocortex and are recently thought to have important roles in …

Building A Macrosystems Ecology Framework To Identify Links Between Environmental And Human Health, Felisha N. Walls

Theses and Dissertations

The structure and functions of natural systems continue to be degraded by human activities such as land-use change. One potential consequence that has received relatively little attention is a corresponding decline in human health. Altered ecosystems can present a host of risks to human health. Yet the consequences of environmental degradation are rarely considered in national-scale research on human well-being. The guiding objective of this work is to compare stream health and socioeconomic metrics with spatially congruent human health metrics throughout the conterminous United States, then to identify potential links between environmental health, socioeconomic factors and human health. Environmental health …

Population Demography Of A Neotropical Migratory Songbird In The Face Of A Changing Climate, Adele Balmer

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the population dynamics and demographic trends of the Prothonotary Warbler (Protonotaria citrea), a migratory songbird that breeds in North America during the spring and summer and overwinters in Central and northern South America. The primary objective of this dissertation is to examine the combined implications of variation in weather and individual traits on demographic traits and to project the effects of climate change on population trajectories of the Prothonotary Warbler.

The analyses conducted in this dissertation centered around female Prothonotary Warblers; however, visual identification of a nestling’s sex is impossible in most altricial bird species, …

Integrative Post-Gwas Analyses Of Psychiatric Disorders: Identifying Putative Risk Genes And Gene Sets Using Transcriptome, Proteome And Methylome Information, Huseyin Gedik

Theses and Dissertations

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of psychiatric disorders (PD) yield numerous loci with significant signals, but often they do not implicate specific protein coding genes. Because GWAS risk loci are enriched in expression/protein/methylation quantitative loci (e/p/mQTL, hereafter xQTL), transcriptome/proteome/methylome-wide association studies (T/P/MWAS, hereafter XWAS), which integrate information from GWAS and x-level (mRNA, protein or DNA methylation levels) coming from largest xQTL studies, can link GWAS signals to effects on specific genes. For gene level analyses, researchers use mendelian randomization (MR) methods to fine-map the association between x-levels and trait. However, none of the previous studies ever jointly analyzed XWAS of multiple …

The Living Legends Of Sholoukh – شلوخ الأساطير Facial Scarification In Sudan, Ayah S. Elnour

Theses and Dissertations

Sholoukh — ritual face scarring—is a dying art form in Sudan.

Used to distinguish members of one tribe from another,

Sholoukh reflects the tribal pride of an individual. In the past,

sholoukh was seen as important as having a passport for a tribe

member, however, it was not always applied by choice. Using

just a razor blade, the wisest, most senior tribal elder would scar

the face of a child, initiating them into the tribe for life.

As this tribal art form fades away, the dwindling Sholoukh-bearers

have become living legends in Sudan. To honor them, I create

a collage …

Kpt-330 Synergizes With Everolimus To Reduce Mtorc1-Overactive Basal-Like Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Brain Metastasis Burden, Aaron D. Valentine

Theses and Dissertations

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), a highly metastatic breast cancer subtype, accounts for approximately 20% of all breast cancer diagnoses. Basal-like TNBC is notably difficult to treat due to the lack of actionable drug targets such as estrogen and progesterone receptors, as well as HER2. Due to the deficiency in TNBC-targeting drugs that are able to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) for breast-to-brain metastasis, there is a need to develop novel BBB-permeable treatments. After preliminary testing, KPT-330 (XPO1 inhibitor) and everolimus (FKBP1A/mTOR inhibitor) were selected as drug candidates for this study. Patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models for in vitro and in vivo …

Effect Of Apical Preparation Size On Endodontic Treatment Outcomes, Joseph Vaughn

Theses and Dissertations

Objective: Previous authors have attempted to identify the ideal apical preparation size needed to achieve endodontic treatment objectives. Despite vast literature on the topic, there exists a lack of consensus on ideal apical enlargement, with few studies discussing the effect of apical prep enlargement on clinical outcomes. The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate the effect of final apical preparation size on endodontic outcomes in maxillary and mandibular molars treated in both a graduate endodontic clinic and a private practice.

Methods: A chart review was conducted for patients seen at the VCU graduate endodontic clinic as well as …

Methodological Considerations In Pisces 3: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Study Of Intracerebral Stem Cells In Subjects With Disability Following An Ischemic Stroke, Daniel T Laskowitz, Keith W Muir, Sean I Savitz, Lawrence R Wechsler, Julie G Pilitsis, Scott Y Rahimi, Richard L Beckman, Vincent Holmes, Peng R Chen, Laura Juel, Deborah Koltai, Brad J Kolls

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background and hypothesis: At present, there are no medical interventions proven to improve functional recovery in patients with subacute stroke. We hypothesize that the intraparenchymal administration of CTX0E03, a conditionally immortalized neural stem cell line, linked with a standardized rehabilitation therapy regimen for the upper limb, would improve functional outcomes in patients 6-12 months after an index ischemic stroke.

Study design: PISCES III was designed as a multicenter prospective, sham-controlled, outcome-blinded randomized clinical trial. Eligibility required a qualifying ischemic stroke 6-12 months prior to surgical intervention. Patients must be between 35 and 75 years of age and have residual moderate …

Nonhuman Animals And Hope: Kazuo Ishiguro’S Never Let Me Go And Philip K. Dick’S Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?, David P. Rando

English Faculty Research

What can critical animal studies learn by temporarily directing attention away from representations of nonhuman animals in literature? Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go and Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? allow readers to experience the hopes of engineered or artificial nonhuman creatures. Without presuming to know the unknowable or to make the animal speak, these novels help to further animal liberation discourses by democratizing the ostensibly human concept of hope, opening new paths of empathy between nonhuman and human animals while making it harder to accept the instrumentalization of nonhuman animals under anthropocentric capitalism.

Comparing & Contrasting Economic And Natural Law Approaches To Policymaking, Eric Kades

Faculty Publications

Eric Claeys’s monograph, Natural Property Rights, offers a comprehensive and thoughtful articulation of a general theory of property rights rooted in the natural law tradition. This detailed review compares Claeys’s work with the consequentialist law and economics perspective on property. After contrasting their objectives, assumptions, and methodologies this article concludes that, unlike more absolutist approaches, Claeys’s flavor of natural property rights places a modicum of weight on the welfare effects central to economic analysis. This restrained nod in the direction of practicality, however, does not eliminate some of the long-known weaknesses of natural law. Perhaps the most glaring gap …

Climate Entrenchment In Unstable Legal Regimes, Martin Lockman

Faculty Publications

American climate law is the subject of serious and ongoing debate, and policy change is part of the ordinary process of democratic governance. However, in recent years some policymakers have deliberately undermined climate action by injecting legal instability into American climate law. This Essay addresses a simple question: how can Americans build necessary climate infrastructure in the face of an unstable political and legal regime?

Some readers may be shocked by this question. Indeed, this framing is intentionally provocative. However, this Essay recognizes a simple fact: not all American polities, and not all American policymakers, are trustworthy and predictable partners …

Subordination Through Schedules, Nicole Buonocore Porter

Faculty Publications

Our jobs are not only about the work we do—they are also about when and where we do that work. For a variety of reasons, employees with disabilities often seek modifications of their employers’ policies regarding when and where work is performed. These accommodations are often necessary for the employee to remain employed. The Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to employees with disabilities, and these accommodations can include schedule changes. But research demonstrates that when responding to accommodation requests under the ADA, employers are often reluctant to grant requests to modify the rules regarding …

Mirabile Dictu: The Bryn Mawr College Library Newsletter 26 (2023), Bryn Mawr College Library

Mirabile Dictu: Newsletter of the Bryn Mawr College Libraries

No abstract provided.

Investigating Ru(Ii) Anticancer Agents With Non-Canonical Mechanisms Of Action, Richard Joseph Mitchell

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Platinum(Pt)-based agents are used in approximately 50% of all cancers that are treated with chemotherapy. Unfortunately, the dose-limiting toxicity of these agents remains problematic for patients undergoing treatment. Additionally, Pt(II) therapeutics suffer from transporter-dependent uptake, limited chemical functionalization, and high susceptibility to inactivation by free thiols within the cytosol. Developing small molecules with non-canonical mechanisms of action is one strategy that can be employed to circumvent these limitations. Utilization of coordination complexes with ruthenium(Ru) metal centers is one attractive strategy. Ru(II) compounds are often octahedral, facilitating greater accessibility for chemical diversity; Ru(II) complexes use passive transport and transferrin-mediated transport for …

Development Of An Effective Au:Pd Bimetallic Heterogeneous Catalyst For Oxidative Lignin Depolymerization To Low Molecular Weight Aromatics, Gayan P. Karunasinghe

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

The principal concept behind biorefining involves the transformation of lignocellulosic biomass into valuable products and energy resources. Historically, biorefinery strategies for lignocellulosic biomass have primarily focused on improving the conversion of cellulose into ethanol, often neglecting the underutilized lignin component. Lignin consists of phenolic subunits, from which it follows that value-added products can be obtained from lignin depolymerization. Unfortunately, lignin utilization is particularly challenging due to its high structural irregularity and recalcitrance. The goal of this study was to develop an AuPd/Li-Al layered double hydroxide (LDH) bimetallic catalyst for efficient lignin depolymerization, resulting in the production of high-value aromatic compounds. …

Sea Level Rise And Vulnerable Infrastructure: Wells, Virginia Coastal Policy Center, William & Mary Law School, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science

Virginia Coastal Policy Center

No abstract provided.

An Interdisciplinary Theological Method From The Knowledge Of The Forgotten, Alexandre A. Martins

Theology Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Dialogue After Dobbs: Introduction, M. Therese Lysaught, Mari Rapela Heidt, Mary Doyle Roche, Kate Ward

Theology Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Christianity And Mental Health Counseling: Voices Of The Black-Negro American Experience, Kyle Preston Goodwin

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The narration of the lived experiences of Black-Negro Christian Americans in relation to mental health counseling services is vital because opportunities for researchers and clinicians to hear their voices instead of a story written for them by the leading culture is created. Specifically, when it comes to Black-Negro spirituality and religion as part of Black-Negro culture, it is one of the most beautiful and intriguing experiences that exists. A critical theory paradigm is being used for how knowledge is created and disseminated for the purposes of social change. Narrative Qualitative research is used to capture the Black-Negro voice, along with …

Engineering Ph-Dependent Antibody Interactions Through Introduction Of Linked Protonation Equibria Within The Antigen Binding Interface Or Linked Oligomeric Interfaces, Tosha Laughlin

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Antibodies are widely applied as affinity reagents across a variety of fields, due to their high affinity and specificity. While high affinity across a range of conditions is useful for many applications, the ability to modulate affinity with environmental conditions (e.g., pH) opens new opportunities for antibody applications. This dissertation focuses on exploring the impact of an antibody’s interface size on engineered pH dependence, as well as exploring engineered pH-dependence through perturbing oligomerization equilibria that are linked to target binding. An anti-maltose binding protein (MBP) Fab 7O antibody fragment was used as a large protein-protein interface model to explore a …

Exploring Beaver-Facilitated Restoration In Grassland Channelized Streams, Jessica L. Sikora

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Freshwater streams provide vital ecosystem services, but their ecological function is gravely impacted by agricultural practices especially in grassland ecosystems. Though there is evidence that the re-introduction of beavers can help restore the ecological function of streams, little is known about their restorative impacts in grasslands. At Nachusa Grasslands Preserve in Franklin Grove, IL, we investigated the presence and impact of beaver dams on their waterways. With increasing beaver dam volume, we found an increase in sediment retention and less sediment retention with increasing beaver dams upstream from a dam. Though we did not find evidence that beaver dam volume …

K-12 Teachers’ Perceptions And Experiences In Their Teaching Practices Of Utilizing Multimedia Integrating With Online Classroom Technology, Rateeba Turki Algoufi

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation aimed to explore how teachers perceive and engage with multimedia integration in their online teaching practices to effectively involve students. The study specifically focused on teachers in grades three through seven at an international school in Saudi Arabia. The research questions delved into teachers' descriptions of their perceptions and experiences when using online technology and utilizing appropriate multimedia to engage students. The literature review highlighted the existing gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application when it comes to integrating technology and multimedia in the learning environment. The research presented the TPACK framework and multimedia cognitive theory as guiding …

Attending, Ben Mcintire

The Art of Medicine

No abstract provided.

Jody, John Price

Mighty Pen Project Anthology & Archive

A young man learns some valuable life lessons before joining the army when he gets involved with a soldier's wife.

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

Fraternal New Member Processes: An Alumni Perspective, C J. Gibson

Masters Theses

Hazing has always been an issue in fraternities and sororities. Even though there has been a push to reduce the amount of hazing through research and trainings, it continues to cause harm to the community. The purpose of this study is to gain incite from fraternity alums toward understanding the use of hazing activities while orienting fraternity men to the organization. This study examined the issue from the individuals experience, to their role in inducting new members, and now as alums to gain insight in to why chapters continue to that cycle. Results showed that individuals in groups social construct …

A Non-Profit As A Branded House: Douglas-Hart Nature Center And Foundation Branding Alignment, Skylar Fushi

Masters Theses

Branding plays a significant role in representing an organization and can help further its mission (Kylander & Stone, 2012). The purpose of this creative thesis is to help the Douglas-Hart Foundation and its three nature locations: the Douglas-Hart Nature Center, Friendship Garden, and the Whiteside Garden assess its branding and establish fitting strategies for the branding of the organization moving forwards. The method used to accomplish this was a brand audit of several key communication channels and documents of the organization and a SWOT analysis of these aspects along with suggested strategies and examples showing how the organization might integrate …

Assessing The Knowledge On Sustainability And Barriers To Daily Sustainable Practices Among Faculty And Students In Higher Education: The Case Of Eastern Illinois University, Joel Edem Holison

Masters Theses

The concept of sustainable development gained prominence with the publication of the Brundtland Report, which emphasized economic progress without jeopardizing future generations' well-being. Following that, the Education for Sustainability (EfS) program was created by the United Nations to raise sustainability awareness. However, the transition to sustainable living is fraught with difficulties, including a lack of knowledge, financial constraints, infrastructure gaps, and political ideologies. This study focuses on sustainable practices among Eastern Illinois University (EIU) students and faculty, as well as the barriers to daily sustainable behaviors. As independent variables influencing sustainable practices, the study evaluates sustainability knowledge/awareness, personal financial situation, …

Development Of A Chemical Biology Approach To Uncover The Influence Of Sequence Variations On Ces1 Activity In Live Cells, Samuel James Knebel

Masters Theses

Drug metabolism is the biochemical process of modifying drugs to detoxify and remove them through enzymatic transformations. These biotransformation’s occur primarily in the liver and are critical to understanding how pharmaceutical compounds are chemically altered inside the human body. Human carboxylesterases (CESs) catalyze the hydrolysis of esters, amides, thioesters, and carbamates. CES-mediated hydrolysis plays an important role in the metabolism of many drugs including the first FDA approved antiviral treatment for COVID-19, remdesivir (Veklury), the seizure control medication rufinamide (Banzel), and the flu antiviral drug oseltamivir (Tamiflu). CES activity is known to be influenced by a variety of factors including …

Triclosan Degrading Bacteria From Wastewater Treatment Plants In Central Illinois, Mohammed Alsulami

Masters Theses

Triclosan is an antimicrobial agent that has been used in personal care products and has been identified to cause malformation on cartilage and bone development in zebrafish and influence on thyroid hormone system in humans. Due to its widespread usage and insufficient removal from wastewater treatment plants, triclosan has emerged as a pervasive contaminant that poses a potential threat to the environment and human health. The goal of the study was to isolate and characterize triclosan-degrading bacteria from WWTPs in central Illinois. Using enrichment culture with NMS media containing triclosan as sole carbon source, eighteen bacterial strains were isolated. The …

The Amulet Of Nethelar, Sarah J. Brown

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.