Digital Commons Network^™

Vitality: Wellness For Female Collegiate Athletes, Kristin Beach

Theses and Dissertations

Vitality is a wellness center for female collegiate athletes. It is rooted in female oriented design strategies for comfort, recovery, and wellbeing. This project aims to provide an inclusive environment in which women within the VCU athletics department can come and support their health and wellbeing.  Spaces include physical therapy, academic support, movement studios, gathering lounge, locker room, private therapy, and grab and go food options. This program aims to provide spaces that support the busy schedule of a collegiate athlete, while using design strategies that enhance social, mental, and physical wellbeing while visiting. Located in a historic sauers building, …

Not Just Cheap Labor: A Critical Mixed Methods Assessment Of Working Learner Supervision To Advance Equitable Work-Integrated Learning, Jonathan D. Fuller

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines how supervisory relationships shape the quality of on-campus student employment (OCSE) as a work-integrated learning (WIL) experience, with particular attention to the experiences of working learners (i.e., student employees). Situated in response to growing student demand for meaningful, career-relevant work opportunities in college, the study investigates how universities can leverage existing OCSE roles to expand access to WIL. Using a mixed methods explanatory social justice design, the research integrates working learner responses (N = 478) to the Student Supervisor Support Measure with interviews of students and supervisors in relationships characterized as both supportive and cross-identity.

Survey …

Maintaining Legitimacy While Managing Competition: Do Transplant Survival Ratings Affect Kidney Transplant Waitlisting?, Andrew Placona

Theses and Dissertations

Statement of problem and objectives: Waitlisting is an essential step towards kidney transplantation among people with end-stage kidney disease (ESRD). There are no universal standards for waitlisting ESRD patients and how waitlists are managed in kidney transplant programs is opaque and under-studied. This study investigated whether the quality ratings of kidney transplant programs based on their one-year survival rates were associated with waitlist outcomes, including the number of waitlist additions, waitlist removals, the risk profiles of patients added or removed from a kidney transplant program’s waitlist, and whether market competition among kidney transplant programs attenuated these relationships.

Procedure followed: …

Examining Youth Ethnic Identity And Parental Familismo As Protective Factors Against Bicultural Stress And Internalizing Symptoms In Latino Youth, Daniella Olivares

Theses and Dissertations

Adolescence is a critical developmental period marked by increased vulnerability to mental health challenges. For Latino adolescents living in the U.S., experiences of bicultural stress may heighten the risk for adverse mental health outcomes. However, cultural strengths–such as youth ethnic identity and parental familismo–may serve as protective factors. The current study examined whether youth ethnic identity and parental familismo moderated the relationship between bicultural stress and internalizing symptoms among a diverse sample of Latino youth in central Virginia. Latino adolescents (n = 60) completed measures assessing bicultural stress, ethnic identity, and internalizing symptoms, while parents (n = 60) reported on …

"It's The People, Not The Place:" Queering Shared Space In Richmond, Virginia, Kathleen Brown

Theses and Dissertations

The intersection of queerness and planning is an understudied subject area that has implications for equity and access. Queer communities face real barriers to equitable access of resources that stem from a long history of legal, cultural, and economic marginalization. Experiences of shared spaces for queer groups and organizations is important to understand, as outward expressions of queerness are not always welcome in shared spaces, depending on sociopolitical context. Richmond, Virginia has a rich queer history both filled with challenges as well as examples of queer success and joy that makes it a prime case study selection.

This thesis utilizes …

The Mundo I Imagine, Angeliky Castrellon

Theses and Dissertations

My work investigates the human experience of belonging and how the force of displacement alters the perception of one's present and enables dissociation. After leaving my home and starting a new life overseas, coming back never felt the same; I couldn’t find peace and comfort anywhere. This made me create an imaginary world called “Mundo.” Shelters for the souls of the displaced, looking for comfort. As I became a graduate student in the Craft/Materials Studies department, my perspective widened, and my work itself answered a question for me: I want to be comfortable everywhere; how can my home be everywhere …

Loved Right: Encouraging The Responsible Adaptive Reuse Of Historic Buildings In The Information Age, Christie Chirinos

Theses and Dissertations

This research contributes to interior design scholarship by situating immersive virtual reality (VR) as an efficiency tool and an architectural visualization tool within adaptive reuse and historic preservation practice. Interior designers are increasingly tasked with mediating between cultural heritage, community stakeholders, regulatory constraints, and economic feasibility, in buildings that already exist. By positioning VR as a tool with utility across every stage of the design process, this study expands interior design research beyond material and spatial interventions to include storytelling and technological innovation as drivers for design decision-making. The work bridges interior design, preservation, and participatory planning, demonstrating how immersive …

What’S Sleep Got To Do With It? A Mixed Methods Exploration Of The Feasibility, Acceptability, And Initial Outcomes Of Group Cbt For Insomnia In Parkinson’S Disease, Claire M. Williams

Theses and Dissertations

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that is commonly associated with sleep disturbances, affecting up to 80 percent of individuals with Parkinson’s. Effective and accessible treatments for sleep problems in Parkinson’s disease remain limited. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBTi) is a well-established, non-pharmacological treatment for insomnia but has been minimally studied in Parkinson’s populations. This study evaluated the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary outcomes of a group-based CBTi intervention adapted for individuals with Parkinson’s disease. Participants engaged in a six-week group intervention that incorporated Parkinson’s-specific adaptations. Preliminary findings indicated that the adapted group CBTi intervention was generally feasible and …

Early Math Readiness And Later Achievement: A Longitudinal Study, Bailey Bontrager

Theses and Dissertations

The current body of literature provides much evidence that mathematics skills at the start of kindergarten are predictive of later mathematics achievement, and that students enrolled in early childhood education (ECE) programs are better prepared for mathematics at the start of kindergarten. However, the potential for children to develop mathematical skills prior to entering kindergarten relies on access to ECE programs and resources in families’ surrounding communities. Recent use of geospatial data collection techniques and measures of community resource availability have enabled researchers to examine specific localities for the ways in which community organizations and institutions support residents in particular …

Endodontic Access Through Zirconia Crowns: A Comparative Evaluation Of 3d Guided Versus Free-Handed Techniques, Maryam Alrughaib

Theses and Dissertations

Objective:

Accessing canals through full-coverage zirconia crowns is challenging and may increase the risk of misdirection, excessive dentin removal, and prolonged chair time. Guided endodontic access has been proposed to improve efficiency and precision. This study compared the accuracy and time efficiency of guided versus free-hand endodontic access through zirconia restorations. The hypothesis was that guided access would enhance canal localization precision and significantly reduce access time.

Methods:

Thirty-two extracted maxillary premolars were restored with 1-mm–reduced monolithic zirconia crowns (3Y-TZP, Katana HTML, Kuraray, Japan) and mounted in Modupro models. Teeth were assigned to two groups (n = 16 each): guided …

Class-Aware Early-Exit Networks For Efficient And Secure Edge Deployment, Mohammed Ayyat

Theses and Dissertations

Edge devices increasingly run high-stakes machine learning workloads under strict latency, power, memory, and communication constraints. Deep neural networks provide the accuracy needed for tasks such as network intrusion detection, health monitoring, autonomous sensing, and human activity recognition, but conventional inference executes the same computational path for every input. Early-exit neural networks reduce average inference cost by allowing confident samples to terminate before the final layer. However, existing early-exit systems are largely class-agnostic: they allocate computation according to confidence or uncertainty, without considering that different output classes may carry different operational urgency. This dissertation develops class-aware early-exit inference, a framework …

Integration Of Whole Genome Sequence And Rna-Sequencing Data For Disease-Specific Phenotype Prediction, Leiliani M. Clark

Theses and Dissertations

Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease driven by complex genomic and transcriptomic alterations, making accurate phenotype prediction a challenging task. Recent advances in genomic foundation models and representation learning provide new opportunities to extract biologically meaningful features directly from sequencing data. The objective of this study was to develop and evaluate a multimodal framework integrating whole genome sequence (WGS) and RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) embeddings for breast cancer classification. DNABERT-2, a DNA foundation model, was evaluated for its ability to generate genomic representations from The Cancer Genome Atlas breast cancer (TCGA-BRCA) WGS data, and the impact of downstream fine-tuning on embedding …

Partisan Local Media And Corporate Voluntary Disclosures: Evidence From Sinclair Acquisitions, Ming Li

Theses and Dissertations

I investigate the impact of local media’s political orientation on firms’ voluntary disclosure, exploiting the acquisitions of local TV stations by Sinclair Broadcast Group, a conservative media conglomerate. Drawing on the media bias theory and implementing a staggered difference‐in‐differences design, I find that the local partisan media affects management earnings forecasts. Specifically, Conservative-leaning CEOs in designated market areas (DMAs) affected by Sinclair’s acquisitions forecast more optimistically, increasing forecast frequency and inflating forecasted earnings. The impact is stronger if the DMAs are more Liberal-leaning before the acquisitions and when firms have weaker corporate governance. I also find that the stock market …

Managing Identity, Claiming Expertise, And Emotional Labor: A Constructivist Grounded Theory Of The Experience Of People With Serious Mental Illnesses In Primary Care, Jeffrey Ciak

Theses and Dissertations

People with serious mental illnesses (SMI) die 15 to 20 years before their peers without mental illness primarily due to chronic physical health conditions. Preventative care and treatment for chronic physical health conditions primarily occurs through primary care, but the experience of people with SMI in primary care is understudied. This constructivist grounded theory dissertation explored the experiences of people with SMI in primary care. Theoretical sampling resulted in 19 participants who were adults with SMI and long-term anti-psychotic use. Data was collected through one-to-two-hour long intensive interviews. The analytical process occurred concurrently with data collection. The abductive analytical process …

Sex In Plants: Birth, Death, And Trying To Survive In Changing Climates, Elena M. Meyer

Theses and Dissertations

Plant mating systems are key determinants of fitness. Angiosperms exhibit a wide variety of reproductive strategies, including self-fertilization (or selfing), outcrossing, and mixed mating. It has been estimated that up to 43% of plant species are capable of selfing, and selfing has been hypothesized to provide reproductive assurance where opportunities for mating may be limited, such as in marginal environments. However, questions regarding the overall distribution of selfing rates across angiosperms, the maintenance of mixed mating in the face of inbreeding depression, and the impact of self-fertilization on diversification rates remain incompletely resolved. Here, we explore the dynamics of self-fertilization …

Empirical Dynamical Modeling Of Cortico-Hippocampal Information Transfer During Memory Encoding, Sam Y. Cole

Theses and Dissertations

Understanding how brain dynamics support successful memory formation remains a central challenge in neuroscience. This dissertation applies tools from empirical dynamical systems theory to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying episodic encoding, with a focus on cortico-hippocampal interactions. Using stereoelectroencephalography (sEEG) data recorded during a delayed free recall of word lists task, this work reveals nonlinear, state-dependent shifts in directed information flow between cortex and hippocampus that distinguish successful from unsuccessful encoding. To further characterize these dynamics, state-space trajectories are reconstructed using time-delay embedding and recurrence-based methods, and features derived from these trajectories are used to classify memory outcomes. By integrating …

Real-Life Health Applications Of Wireless Sensing Using Edge Devices, Md Touhiduzzaman

Theses and Dissertations

Wireless sensing has emerged as a transformative paradigm that leverages ubiquitous radio-frequency signals for environmental perception and human activity recognition beyond their primary role in data communication. Unlike wearable sensors and camera-based systems, wireless sensing offers a non-intrusive, privacy-preserving, and cost-effective alternative that operates seamlessly under low-lighting conditions, through walls, and in non-line-of-sight (NLoS) scenarios. The growing availability of edge computing devices further enables real-time on-device data processing, making wireless sensing solutions highly suitable for in-home health monitoring and smart living applications. This dissertation investigates real-life health applications of wireless sensing through four completed systems, each addressing a distinct challenge …

Modeling Of Laser-Produced Plasma Plumes: Expansion, Chemistry, And Thin-Film Deposition, Edmund Tsiri Semaha, Edmund Tsiri Semaha

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Laser-assisted material processing involves coupled plasma expansion, chemical reactions, and particle transport that govern the quality of thin-film deposition. This dissertation presents a comprehensive computational investigation of these processes using the OpenFOAM framework. First, the performance of the twoPhaseEulerFoam (tPEF), rhoCentralFoam (rCF), and sonicFoam (sF) solvers is evaluated for modeling laser-produced plasma plume expansion under atmospheric conditions, demonstrating that tPEF accurately captures shock-wave propagation, hydrodynamic behavior, and multispecies interactions. Building on this validation, the reactingFoam (rF) solver is employed to investigate the chemistry of aluminum plasma expanding into an air environment (Al–N₂–O₂). The model incorporates appropriate thermodynamic, transport, and …

Positive Body Image In Postpartum Women: A Psychometric Evaluation Of The Body Appreciation Scale-2 And A Phenomenological Exploration, Taylor Vashro

Theses and Dissertations

Postpartum women appear particularly vulnerable to body dissatisfaction due to the rapid physiological, emotional, and environmental changes that occur across the perinatal experience (Baskin et al., 2021; Nippert et al., 2021). Recent studies have demonstrated the experience of both negative and positive body image during postpartum (Rodgers et al., 2024; Watson et al., 2016). However, there is limited research regarding the measurement and exploration of positive body image in postpartum women. The current study aimed to: 1) evaluate the factor structure and psychometric properties of the Body Appreciation Scale-2 (BAS-2), a widely used measure of positive body image in postpartum …

Introducing Consensus Library, Joanne Romano

TMC Library Newsletter (2015-)

No abstract provided.

Assessment Of Major Adverse Cardiovascular Event Across Diverse Racial Groups Of Psoriasis Patients On Biologic Therapy: A Retrospective Cohort Study, Chunghwan Ro, Ana Ormaza Vera, Waleed Adawi, Clinton W. Enos

Department Dermatology Faculty Publications

Psoriasis is associated with an increased risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), and biologic therapy may reduce this risk by targeting systemic inflammation. However, limited data exist on whether long term MACE risk differs by biologic class or across racial groups. We conducted a retrospective cohort study to assess the risk of primary MACE in psoriasis patients receiving biological therapies, stratified by biological class, compared with biologic-naïve psoriasis patients. Whether MACE risk among biologic-treated patients varied by race was further examined. After 1:1 propensity score matching, 36 330 biologic-treated patients were compared with 36 330 non-biologic-treated patients. Incident MACE …

The Development And Initial Validation Of A Measure Of Professional Mentoring Engagement Among School Counselors, Emily Kitching

Theses and Dissertations

This study describes the development and initial validation of the Mentoring Engagement Scale (MES), a self-report instrument designed to measure a person’s level of engagement in professional mentoring. Despite emerging evidence that professional mentoring may serve as a protective factor against the burnout and stress associated with school counselors’ roles and responsibilities, existing measures of mentoring are limited by weak documentation of development procedures, mixed psychometric support, and limited practical applicability. In two phases, the present study aimed to (1) evaluate content validity and systematically refine items grounded in Kahn’s (1990) theory of engagement and (2) investigate the preliminary psychometric …

Dodgeballs And Dragons: Gamified Live Theatre In The Service Of Community Betterment, Teddy Mcpherson

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis qualifies and documents a new genre of interdisciplinary, interactive theatre called Dodgeballs and Dragons. It covers a brief history of Dungeons and Dragons and Theatre of the Oppressed (the two foundational works for the new genre) as well as previous uses of D&D as a form of theatrical entertainment. After establishing the precedence used to create this product, the rest of the thesis breaks down how to write, lead, and play these shows on a regular basis. The document culminates in collected data providing concrete evidence for the future of the form and its many applications.

Conceptual Concerns Regarding The Content Validity Of The Construct Of Gender Dysphoria In The Diagnostic And Statistical Manual Of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision, Waverley Vesely

Theses and Dissertations

The diagnostic classification of gender dysphoria in the DSM-5-TR elicits a number of clinical, political, and philosophical concerns, ranging from those that are diagnostic and taxonomical in nature to those that fall within the domains of ontology, phenomenology, and hermeneutics. Part of the reason for the complexity of studying the diagnostic and nosological validity of gender dysphoria as an extant diagnostic classification is that, unlike many disorders, gender dysphoria is inextricably tethered to identity. While the recent change from gender identity disorder to gender dysphoria has nominally removed the status of disorder, in practice, both clinicians and the general population …

Optimizing Markov Chain Monte Carlo Algorithms For Fairness, Scalability, And Interpretability In Electoral Redistricting, Madhukara Kekulandara

Open Access Dissertations

Gerrymandering undermines democratic representation by manipulating electoral district boundaries to dilute the political influence of targeted communities. While Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) based redistricting algorithms have become a standard computational tool for detecting partisan gerrymandering, their effectiveness in addressing racial gerrymandering and their scalability on modern computing systems remain limited. This dissertation advances the theory and practice of algorithmic redistricting by optimizing MCMC-based approaches across three dimensions: racial fairness, computational efficiency, and interpretability.

First, this work introduces the Partial Map MCMC algorithm, a novel redistricting method designed specifically to address racial gerrymandering under the legal framework of Section 2 …

Coached By A Custom Chatgpt And Ready For Trial, Staci J. Pratt

Publications

No abstract provided.

Developer Perspectives On Licensing And Copyright Issues Arising From Generative Ai For Software Development, Trevor Stalnaker, Nathan Wintersgill, Oscar Chaparro, Laura A. Heymann, Massimiliano Di Penta, Daniel M. German, Denys Poshyvanyk

Faculty Publications

Despite the utility that Generative AI (GenAI) tools provide for tasks such as writing code, the use of these tools raises important legal questions and potential risks, particularly those associated with copyright law. As lawmakers and regulators respond to these questions, the views of users can offer relevant perspectives. In this article, we provide: (1) a survey of 574 developers on the licensing and copyright aspects of GenAI for coding, as well as follow-up interviews; (2) a snapshot of developers’ views at a time when GenAI and perceptions of it were rapidly evolving; and (3) an analysis of developers’ perspectives, …

Spectrum Of Neurodevelopmental Disorders In Children Attending A Developmental Clinic In Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, Aleya Zulfikar Remtulla, Sumayyah Nasiruddin Saudin, Orujul Hassan, Mariam Noorani

Paediatrics and Child Health, East Africa

Background: Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) in children present significant challenges for healthcare systems globally. In Tanzania, children with NDDs and their families face significant challenges due to late diagnosis, lack of standardized screening tools, widespread stigma and cultural beliefs that deter health-seeking behaviours. Awareness about NDDs is low, and financial constraints further complicate access to necessary medical interventions. The country suffers from a severe shortage of specialized healthcare providers, and general healthcare providers often lack adequate training. Additionally, limited specialized facilities, high treatment costs and insufficient healthcare policies dedicated to NDDs make it difficult to manage these conditions effectively. Understanding the …

(Reverse) Piercing The Trust Veil, Eric Kades

Faculty Publications

Emergent doctrine deems trusts legal entities distinct from their trustees and beneficiaries. Venerable doctrine empowers creditors to "pierce the veil" separating entities' and their owners' property to avoid inequitable treatment. This article weaves together the new and old to craft a legal roadmap for reversing the ongoing race to the bottom among the states authorizing indefensible self-settled asset protection trusts (SSAPTs) designed solely for the purpose of swindling creditors. As a matter of both policy and doctrine, piercing (more precisely, reverse piercing) an entity's veil is ideally suited to empower the creditor of a SSAPT beneficiary to get paid from …

Firearms And Fora: Constructing Public Carry Doctrine, Timothy Zick

Faculty Publications

Where can a person lawfully carry firearms in public? Under what conditions can they do so? Now that the Supreme Court has formally recognized a Second Amendment right to public carry, these are among the most important unresolved questions regarding the right to bear arms. The Second Amendment’s public carry doctrine is in its infancy. How the doctrine develops will have a profound impact on the exercise of Second Amendment rights in public places and on the public square. Integrating a new constitutional right into the public square is not a novel problem. After the Supreme Court recognized First Amendment …