Promoting The Positive: A Case Study Of The Influence Of School Climate On One Turnaround School From 2016-2022, Cynthia Gunner

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Schools across the country are finding various means to address the social realities that often exist in high poverty schools. School climate is one of those social realities. While there is research related to school climate in high poverty schools, there are limited case studies related to this subject. This qualitative case study examined how one elementary school was transformed by creating a positive school climate between 2016-2022. This study also explored the impact that the pandemic and subsequent school lockdown had on the newly established school climate. Findings from this study indicated that PF Elementary School established a positive …

Recruitment Methods And Yield Rates For A Multisite Clinical Trial Exploring Risk Reduction For Alzheimer's Disease (Rrad), Amanda N Szabo-Reed, Monica Sewell, Ellen F Binder, Et Al.

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION: The risk reduction for Alzheimer's disease (rrAD) trial was a multisite clinical trial to assess exercise and intensive vascular pharmacological treatment on cognitive function in community-dwelling older adults at increased risk for Alzheimer's disease.

METHODS: Eligibility, consent, and randomization rates across different referral sources were compared. Informal interviews conducted with each site's project team were conducted upon study completion.

RESULTS: Initially, 3290 individuals were screened, of whom 28% were eligible to consent, 805 consented to participate (87.2% of those eligible), and 513 (36.3% of those consented) were randomized. Emails sent from study site listservs/databases yielded the highest amount (20.9%) …

Vancomycin-Induced Gut Microbial Dysbiosis Alters Enteric Neuron-Macrophage Interactions During A Critical Period Of Postnatal Development, Ellen Merrick Schill, Elisabeth L Joyce, Alexandria N Floyd, Sreeram Udayan, Brigida Rusconi, Shreya Gaddipati, Bibiana E Barrios, Vini John, Mitchell E Kaye, Devesha H Kulkarni, Jocelyn T Pauta, Keely G Mcdonald, Rodney D Newberry

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Vancomycin is a broad-spectrum antibiotic widely used in cases of suspected sepsis in premature neonates. While appropriate and potentially lifesaving in this setting, early-life antibiotic exposure alters the developing microbiome and is associated with an increased risk of deadly complications, including late-onset sepsis (LOS) and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). Recent studies show that neonatal vancomycin treatment disrupts postnatal enteric nervous system (ENS) development in mouse pups, which is in part dependent upon neuroimmune interactions. This suggests that early-life antibiotic exposure could disrupt these interactions in the neonatal gut. Notably, a subset of tissue-resident intestinal macrophages, muscularis macrophages, has been identified as …

The Relationship Between Adverse Childhood Experiences And Resilience Through The Eyes Of Transition, Andrew J. Dies

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This study focuses on the role that Adverse Childhood Experiences play in the lives of today’s college students and how Protective Factors can be integrated and enhanced to increase a student’s level of Resilience. This descriptive, causal-comparative quantitative study looked at participants’ levels of Resilience, what Adverse Childhood Experiences they entered college with, and what role Protective Factors played in mitigating the impacts of those Adverse Childhood Experiences on the levels of Resilience. Results indicated older students scored a higher Resilience score than their younger counterparts. Goal efficacy had the strongest effect on Resilience levels, while planning and goal efficacy …

Acute Effects Of Trunk Stretching On Aortic Arterial Stiffness And Central And Peripheral Blood Pressure In Middle-Aged Older Adults, Kylee West

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

BACKGROUND: Physical activity may alter the trajectory of age-related arterial stiffening, which is associated with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Trunk stretching has reduced arterial stiffness (AS) in young males, but its effect in middle-aged to older adults is unclear. This study examined the effects of passively assisted trunk stretching (PATS) on aortic arterial stiffness and central and peripheral blood pressure in middle-aged to older adults. METHODS: Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cf-PWV) and Augmentation Index normalized to a heart rate of 75 beats per minute (AIx75) were measured in 28 middle-aged to older adults (14M/14F; 72 ± 7 years; 28.5 …

“My Ob/Gyn Has The Worst Bedside Manner…” A Qualitative Analysis Of Patient-Provider Communication And Mental Health Outcomes Of Women In Rural Georgia, Tobi F. Oloyede

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Despite technological advances in medicine and public health innovations, maternal mortality in the United States remains significantly higher than in other developed countries. Specifically, Georgia ranks as the second worst place to give birth in the country. Maternal mental health conditions are common, manageable complications that can happen at any point during pregnancy, childbirth, or in the first year following delivery, with 1 in 5 women affected. Unfortunately, 75% of women who experience MMH symptoms are left untreated.

This study focuses on patient-provider communication through the birthing experiences of women who have been pregnant in Georgia to examine how their …

Factors Associated With Patient Portal Utilization, Preventive Services Utilization, And Health Promoting Behaviors Among Adults In The United States, Elizabeth Ayangunna

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Background: Nearly 60% of adults in the United States are estimated to have one or more chronic conditions, necessitating strategies to improve the health status of persons with chronic disease. Given that health information technology (HIT) is considered highly valuable for superior disease management, it is imperative to examine how HIT use can improve health behaviors, which can in turn improve health status. This study aimed to examine if there was an association between patient portal utilization and the use of preventive services & health-promoting behaviors. Also, this study examined the influence of self-efficacy on preventive health behaviors among adults …

Effects Of Occupational Tasks And Personal Protective Equipment On Static And Functional Balance Among Career Firefighters, Petra Kis

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

BACKGROUND: Musculoskeletal injuries are commonly incurred on the fireground among firefighters. Most injuries are attributable to overexertion, fall, jump, slip, and trip mechanisms. These injuries may be caused by many factors, including the independent and collective effects of wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) and the fatigue induced by performing occupational tasks. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of PPE and fire suppression tasks on static and functional balance among firefighters. METHODS: 32 healthy male career structural firefighters (Age: 31.8±9.5 yr) volunteered for this study. Static and Functional Balance Tests (FBT) were performed in …

The Relationship Between Chronotypes And Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors Among Law Enforcement Officers, Alyssa N. Fail

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Much of the data associated with cardiovascular disease risk factors and circadian rhythms are done on shift workers; due to their line of work typically causing circadian disruption and sleep loss (Loef et al., 2019). Previous research incorporating chronotype and its influence on shift work has been explored; however, there is limited research focusing on law enforcement officers. Additionally, no known research has investigated the effect of chronotype on CVD risk factors among law enforcement officers. The aim of this study was to investigate the cardiovascular disease risk factors in law enforcement officers and their relationship with chronotypes. This cross-sectional …

Evaluation Of The Loving Support Peer Counseling Program On Breastfeeding Duration Rates Among African American Women Enrolled In The Program (2017-2018), Nancy S. Jeffery

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Mothers and babies form an inseparable biological and social unit; the health and nutrition of one group cannot be divorced from the health and nutrition of the other.”-World Health Organization. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Loving Support Peer Counseling (LSPC) program, under the WIC program in the state of Georgia, on breastfeeding duration rates among African American postpartum primiparas women. This observational study analyzed state-level data from January 2017 through December 2018. A cross-sectional design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the Loving Support Peer Counseling Program (LSPC) in six of the …

Assessing The Influence Of Gender Equity In The Us State Legislatures On Prenatal Healthcare Utilization, Prachi Joshi

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Prenatal care is crucial for achieving public health and primary healthcare objectives. It is one of the goals of Healthy People 2030, which is the US federal initiative to improve the health and well-being of people nationwide. Unfortunately, despite the lofty goals, the United States has the highest maternal mortality rate among developed countries. In 2020, the maternal mortality rate in the US was 24 deaths per 100,000 live births, more than three times the rate in most high-income countries. What is concerning is that it is getting worse. Seven hundred women die of pregnancy-related complications. Among them, black and …

A Bone To Pick-Cellular And Molecular Mechanisms Of Bone Pain In Sickle Cell Disease, Jahnavi Gollamudi, Kristine A Karkoska, Oluwabukola T Gbotosho, Wei Zou, Hyacinth I Hyacinth, Steven L Teitelbaum

2020-Current year OA Pubs

The bone is one of the most commonly affected organs in sickle cell disease (SCD). Repeated ischemia, oxidative stress and inflammation within the bone is largely responsible for promoting bone pain. As more individuals with SCD survive into adulthood, they are likely to experience a synergistic impact of both aging and SCD on their bone health. As bone health deteriorates, bone pain will likely exacerbate. Recent mechanistic and observational studies emphasize an intricate relationship between bone remodeling and the peripheral nervous system. Under pathological conditions, abnormal bone remodeling plays a key role in the propagation of bone pain. In this …

Sea-Ice Conditions Predict Polar Bear Land Use Around Military Installations In Alaska, Eric V. Regehr, Kristin L. Laidre, Todd C. Atwood, Harry L. Stern, Benjamin Cohen

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) are threatened by sea-ice loss due to climate change, which is concurrently opening the Arctic to natural resource extraction and a broader scope of national security responsibilities. Mitigating the risk of human–bear conflicts is an emerging challenge as many polar bears spend longer ice-free summers on land where they have limited access to food and come into more frequent contact with people. We investigated a suite of physical and ecological variables that influence the timing of polar bear arrival on, and departure from, land using remote-sensing data on sea-ice extent and satellite telemetry data …

Comparative Analytics On Chilli Plant Disease Using Machine Learning Techniques, Sai Abhishta Roy Seelam

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This thesis concerns the detection of diseases in chilli plants using machine learning techniques. Three algorithms, viz., Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), Recurrent Neural Network (RNN), and Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP), and their variants have been employed. Chilli-producing countries, India, Mexico, China, Indonesia, Spain, the United States, and Turkey. India has the world’s largest chilli production of about 49% (according to 2020). Andhra Pradesh (Guntur) is the largest market in India, where their varieties are more popular for pungency and color. This study classifies five kinds of diseases that affect the chilli, namely, leaf spot, whitefly, yellowish, healthy, and leaf curl. A …

Demographic And Clinical Characteristics Predicting Missed Clinic Visits Among Patients Living With Hiv On Antiretroviral Treatment., Osaremhen Ikhile

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Background: Patients living with HIV (PLHIV) often face challenges that contribute to missed clinical care which can impact their health outcomes.

Purpose: The primary objective of this study was to examine associations of clinical and sociodemographic factors such as age at the entrance into antiretroviral treatment (ART), rurality-urbanicity, biological sex, province of residence, and viral load with PLHIV’s tendency to miss scheduled visits for ART among persons living with HIV (PLHIV) in the Kinshasa and Haut-Katanga provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) between 2018 and 2019.

Methods: The study participants for this quantitative study were 5338 adults …

How Do Cultural Norms Shape Healthy Eating In African Americans? The Role Of Cultural Congruence And Mindsets Of Health In Healthy Eating Intentions Among African American College Students, Danyel Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Targeting dietary behaviors is a predominant strategy to reduce rates of obesity among African Americans, across the lifespan. Notably, dietary behaviors are shaped by social, cultural and environmental affordances. This study integrated Theory of planned behavior (TPB), identity-based motivation, and mindset theory to unearth cultural mechanisms that inform motivations to eat healthy among African American college students. This project employed a cross-sectional (Study 1) and experimental design (Study 2) to contextualize the antecedents of intentions to eat healthy among African American college students. Recruitment occurred via university-wide digital channels. Eligible participants: were 18+ years; Black/African American; were undergraduate students; and …

Quantifying Insect Emergence In Tidal Freshwaters And The Importance Of Aquatic Prey In Wetland-Dependent Songbird Diet, Samantha L. Rogers

Theses and Dissertations

Insectivorous birds and their arthropod prey are experiencing widespread population declines, driven largely by anthropogenic disturbance and climate change. For wetland-dependent insectivores that consume a mixture of terrestrial and aquatic insects, understanding the availability, consumption, and nutritional qualities of aquatic diet subsidies is important for conservation. I use prothonotary warblers (Protonotaria citrea) as a model species throughout this work, because their breeding season aligns with aquatic insect emergence and they include aquatic insects when provisioning nestlings. In the first chapter, I estimate aquatic insect emergence from tidal freshwaters, which are understudied compared to nontidal systems. Using continuous field …

Food Deserts And Pediatric Oral Health Status In An Under-Resourced Urban Community, Jessica T. Mcauliffe

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: The aim of this analysis of survey data was to assess the influence of living within a food desert as a predictor of oral health problems among children of East Henrico County, Virginia.

Methods: Survey participants were recruited and questionnaires applied online. Residing in a food desert, using access to affordable produce as a proxy value, was the independent variable, while self- reported assessment of the child’s oral health status was the primary outcome variable. Analyses controlled for other indirect factors of pediatric oral health. Logistic regression was used to model the association between the self-reported access to healthy …

Cell Wall Composition In Cryptococcus Neoformans Is Media Dependent And Alters Host Response, Inducing Protective Immunity, Rajendra Upadhya, Woei C Lam, Camaron R Hole, Joseph G Vasselli, Jennifer K Lodge

2020-Current year OA Pubs

INTRODUCTION:

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine how different media influenced the amount of chitin and chitosan in the cell wall, which in turn impacted the cell wall architecture and host response.

METHODS: Yeast extract, peptone, and dextrose (YPD) and yeast nitrogen base (YNB) are two commonly used media for growing Cryptococcus before use in in vitro or in vivo experiments. As a result,

RESULTS: We observed that the growth of wild-type

CONCLUSION: These findings emphasize the importance of culture media and pH during growth in shaping the content and organization of the

Evaluating The Acute Effect Of Vaping On Food Intake, Gabrielle Maldonado

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Weight control is a common motive for continued cigarette smoking, and weight concerns pose a barrier to quitting. These effects are driven in part by nicotine’s ability to reduce overall appetite and ultimately body weight. Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) have been marketed and used for weight control, suggesting that the use of these products potentially may share similar effects as well as barriers to quitting as observed for cigarette smoking. However, little to no controlled clinical lab evidence exists supporting ENDS use for weight control. The present study tested the influence of an ENDS on acute eating behavior …

Ube2c Expression Is Elevated In Hepatoblastoma And Correlates With Inferior Patient Survival, Ruth Nousiainen, Katja Eloranta, Noora Isoaho, Stefano Cairo, David B Wilson, Markku Heikinheimo, Marjut Pihlajoki

2020-Current year OA Pubs

Hepatoblastoma (HB) is the most common malignant liver tumor among children. To gain insight into the pathobiology of HB, we performed RNA sequence analysis on 5 patient-derived xenograft lines (HB-243, HB-279, HB-282, HB-284, HB-295) and 1 immortalized cell line (HUH6). Using cultured hepatocytes as a control, we found 2,868 genes that were differentially expressed in all of the HB lines on mRNA level. The most upregulated genes were

“It's Just Not Enough”: Examining The Experiences Of School-Based Sexual Health Education And Conversation Engagement With Trusted Adults Among Black Boys In Richmond, Va, Sharyn A. Dougherty

Theses and Dissertations

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that youth make up a quarter of the sexually active population, yet account for half of the 20 million new sexually transmitted infections in the United States.In 2021, youth age 15-19 living in Virginia’s central region, which includes the Richmond Metropolitan area, had the second highest number of chlamydia cases and fourth highest number of gonorrhea cases among all age groups, with the highest rates among Black youth. The aim of this study is to explore the experiences of Black youth in Richmond, VA with school-based sexual health education (SHE) and their …

The Impact Of Patient Characteristics On Dysphagia Therapy Utilization And Feeding Outcomes For Premature Infants In The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Tiana Nguyen

Theses and Dissertations

Medical advances have significantly increased the survival rates of preterm infants at lower gestational ages. However, infants born at lower gestational ages have an increased risk for developmental disabilities and oral feeding difficulties. A stay in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is very costly and inadequate oral feeding is the most common barrier to discharge for premature infants. Infants can receive dysphagia therapy services during their NICU stay that focuses on the development of oral feeding and swallowing skills. However, literature to this date has mainly focused on the impact of therapy services for premature infants after NICU discharge. …

Treponema Denticola Synthesizes C-Di-Amp And Encodes The Cdaa-Type Diadenylate Cyclase Cdaa, Claire R. O'Brien

Theses and Dissertations

Periodontitis is a form of oral disease characterized by dysbiosis of the oral microbiome, leading to inflammation, bone resorption, and in severe cases, entire tooth loss, affecting 42% of adults in the US. One of the bacteria most associated with periodontal disease progression is Treponema denticola (Td), an oral spirochete which inhabits the mouth in small quantities during health but which can dominate the biofilms that form during periodontal disease. The ability of Td to survive in a disease environment and contribute to the progression of disease requires the use of robust signaling networks. Analysis of Td cultures …

Formation Of Vasculogenic Mimicry: Role Of Melanoma Differentiation Associated Gene-9 In Human Melanoma, Jinkal Shah

Theses and Dissertations

Malignant melanoma (MM) is the most aggressive skin cancer and the most frequent skin disorder in Caucasians. MM is associated with aggressive and progressive disease states, leading to major cancer-related morbidity and mortality. Recent investigations identify an alternative pathway -vasculogenic mimicry (VM), which is considered a cancer hallmark that can independently facilitate tumor neovascularization by the formation of fluid-conducting and vascular endothelial cells. MM cells undergoing VM can dedifferentiate into numerous cellular phenotypes and acquire endothelial-like features, resulting in the formation of the de novo matrix-rich vascular-like networks, such as plasma and red blood cells. The co-generation of endothelial cells, …

Sdf-1 Induces Directional Chemotaxis Of Endogenous Bmscs At The Intervertebral Fusion Site And Promotes Osteogenic Differentiation By Regulating Wnt/Ss-Catenin In The Bone Marrow Chimera Spinal Intervertebral Fusion Mouse Model, Qiwen Zhang, Ning Liang, Bin He, Siyou Wu, Depeng Wen, Xiaoyong Tang, Xiongcheng Shen

Turkish Journal of Biology

Clinical observations show that the current spinal fusion with internal fixation has a nonfusion rate of 5%-35%; however, methods to promote spinal fusion are limited. This study aimed to investigate the role of SDF-1-induced directional chemotaxis of BMSCs in bone marrow chimera spinal intervertebral fusion mouse model. BMSCs were isolated from bone marrow and identified by detecting CD44/CD34 positive cells. BMSCs (GFP-BMSCs) were labeled with GFP for tracking in vivo. Mice were inoculated with GFP-BMSCs to construct bone marrow chimera spinal intervertebral fusion model, which were divided into BM-SIF model, BM-SIF+SDF-1, BM-SIF+SDF-1-Anta group. The callus area of intervertebral fusion site …

Tsrna-15797-Modified Bmsc-Derived Exosomes Mediate Lfng To Induce Angiogenesis In Osteonecrosis Of The Femoral Head, Shanhong Fang, Mengqiang You, Jie Wei, Peng Chen

Turkish Journal of Biology

Background: Osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) is an ischemic disease characterized by the impairment of angiogenesis. We have previously elucidated the role of tsRNAs and BMSC exosomes in ONFH, but whether tsRNA-modified BMSC exosomes promote angiogenesis in ONFH remains unclear. Methods: The expression of angiogenesis-related tsRNA in plasma exosomes from ONFH patients was examined by q-PCR. The function of tsRNA in HUVECs was identified by CCK-8 and angiogenesis assay. Exosomes purified from tsRNA-15797 overexpressed BMSCs were cocultured with HUVECs to examine their role in angiogenesis. The molecule mechanism of tsRNA-15797-modified exosomes was explored by RNA sequencing, dual-luciferase assay, and …

Methionine Restriction And Cancer Treatment: A Systems Biology Study Of Yeast To Investigate The Possible Key Players, Esra Börklü

Turkish Journal of Biology

Background/aim: Dietary restriction, mainly carbon and/or methionine restriction are among the upcoming supporting interventions along with chemotherapy in various cancers. Although dietary restriction has been proven to be beneficial, the main cellular machineries affected by its administration lacks deeper information considerably, a notable pitfall in its use as a personalized nutritional approach. Materials and methods: In this study, cellular effects of methionine restriction on a yeast model are explored via systems biology approaches. The methionine biosynthesis network, constructed by integrating interaction data with gene ontology terms, was analysed topologically, and proved to be informative about the intertwined relationship of methionine …

Assessing The Entrepreneurship Ecosystem In Egypt Through A Gender Lens, Hala Wasef Hattab

Business Administration

Purpose: According to the Egyptian Start-up Ecosystem Report (ITIDA, 2021), Egypt has one of the foremost start-up ecosystems on Africa, both in terms of levels of start-up activity and inward investments. Yet the county lags in terms of women’s participation in founding start-ups. According to the latest Global Entrepreneurship Monitor report for Egypt, the entrepreneurial activity rate for women was 5.7%, while that of Egyptian men was 16.7%, despite women’s positive attitudes towards entrepreneurship. Methodology: The current research has an exploratory nature and aims at analysing entrepreneurship ecosystem in Egypt through a gender lens to highlight the factors that are …

Household Food Insecurity And Student Behavior: The Impact Of One School's Second Breakfast Program, Bradley S. Witzel, Elizabeth Wall-Bassett

Mid-Western Educational Researcher

Household Food Insecurity (HFI) is a frequent challenge for children living in poverty that impacts social, emotional, and behavioral development. Federally assisted meal programs, such as the National School Breakfast Program, address HFI for students living in poverty through free or reduced-price breakfast. However, there are challenges for students to take advantage of this opportunity, and it is underutilized. In this research, all middle school students at a high poverty school were offered a free of charge meal alternative called Second Chance Breakfast. Since this program was started, student participation in school breakfast increased and behavior incidences in school dropped …