Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Environmental Justice And The Role Of Social Capital In An Underserved Urban Community, Lorraine Ann Dillon

Community & Environmental Health Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative study was to evaluate a community's beliefs, attitudes, and experiences regarding their neighborhood's environmental health issues and the ways in which individuals utilize social capital (the degree to which a community collaborates and cooperates) to improve their environmental health. Research correlating social capital with health status shows that the higher the level of social capital in a community, the better the health. An understanding of why some groups exhibit more social capital than others is important in improving the public health system. The study was accomplished by comparing a convenience sample of two specific groups …

Changes In Immunological And Hematological Parameters Of Female Residents Exposed To Volatile Organic Compounds In The City Of Kaohsiung, Taiwan, Hueiwang Anna Jeng, I-Long Lee, Yang-Yen Gau, Ching-Tzu Yang, Chitsan Lin, Yu-Jue Hong

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

The objective of this study was to assess the effects, if any, of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the ambient air of Kaohsiuug, Taiwan, on certain hematological and immunological parameters of 153 female study participants. The major source of VOCs was vehicle emissions. The participants were selected from three areas, each area at a different distance from a freeway. Results indicated that total concentrations of VOCs and a subgroup of 25 VOCs (VOC₂₅.) ranged from 250 to 335 ppb and 89 to 113 ppb, respectively. The distribution of VOC concentrations did not correlate with distance from the freeway. …

Sulcular Sulfide Monitoring: An Indicator Of Early Dental Plaque-Induced Gingival Disease, Aleksandra Pavolotskaya, Gayle Mccombs, Michele Darby, Kenneth Marinak, Naik N. Dayanand

Dental Hygiene Faculty Publications

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between volatile sulfur compounds (VSC) and gingival health status and to determine if volatile sulfur compounds can detect early dental plaque-induced gingival disease. Methods. A split-mouth design with randomly selected quadrants of the mandibular arch enabled 39 participants to serve as their own controls. At baseline and at three subsequent appointments (days 7, 14, and 21) gingival inflammation (GI), bleeding on probing (BOP), and sulfide levels (SUL) were measured using the Gingival Index and the Diamond Probe/Perio 2000 System. For three weeks, participants refrained from brushing and flossing one …

Looking At Gender Differences Through The Lens Of Sport Spectators, Lynn Ridinger, Daniel C. Funk

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

This paper explores common assumptions about the intrinsic differences between male and female consumers within a subset of leisure consumption - sport spectating. This research utilized the Sports Interest Inventory (SII) (Funk, Mahony & Ridinger, 2002) to examine differences between spectators (N = 959) attending men's and women's basketball games at a NCAA Division I institution. MANOVA results revealed nine differences for Team-Gender, seven differences for Spectator-Gender, and three interaction effects. Multiple linear regression analyses revealed that three core interest factors (university pride, team interest, and vicarious achievement) explained a significant proportion of variance in commitment and attendance behavior for …

Effect Of A Single Bout Of Prior Moderate Exercise On Cutaneous Perfusion In Type 2 Diabetes, Sheri R. Colberg, Henri K. Parson, Tanja Nunnold, D. Robb Holton, Aaron I. Vinik

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

In diabetic individuals, increased shunting of circulation away from the skin may exist, contributing to their greater risk for ulcerations and poor cutaneous healing. In a prospective study (1), we previously found a lower skin perfusion during local heating in the foot dorsum of sedentary type 2 diabetic individuals compared with active people without diabetes. This defect was present despite normal increases in skin interstitial nitric oxide (NO), suggesting that NO is either ineffective or not involved (2). A prior bout of maximal exercise also lessened the impaired responsiveness to local heating of the dorsal foot in active type 2 …

The Use Of Proteomic Technologies To Identify Serum Glycoproteins For The Early Detection Of Liver And Prostate Cancers, Elizabeth Ellen Schwegler

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

The application of proteomic technologies to identify serum glycoproteins is an emerging technique to identify new biomarkers indicative of disease severity. Many of these newly evolving protein-profiling methodologies have evolved from previous global protein expression profiling studies such as those involving SELDI-TOF-MS technologies. Though the SELDI approach could distinguish disease from normal by utilizing protein patterns as shown herein with the HCC study of chapter II, it was unable to offer sequence information on the selected peaks, and did not have the ability to analyze the entire dynamic range of the serum/plasma proteome. To address these deficiencies, new strategies that …

The Politics And Economics Of Health: A Cross-National Comparison Of Civic Engagement And Health Status, Suzanne J. Wood

School of Public Service Theses & Dissertations

Over the past two decades, various structural modifications associated with the provision of national health and its systems have been undertaken. The preponderance of liberalization experiences have occurred in the absence of epidemiological, political, or social considerations associated with adoption and implementation. Often, financial and political manipulation by international organizations and powerful foreign governments has served as the impetus for fundamental shifts leading to an asymmetrical distribution of resources by population density, geography, and along various socio-cultural boundaries. Consequently, structural adjustments have resulted in unpredictable and divergent outcomes with regard to health status. The question of whether or not health …

The Criminal Justice Response To Elder Abuse In Nursing Homes: A Routine Activities Perspective, Brian K. Payne, Randy R. Gainey

Sociology & Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Politicians and researchers have begun to pay more attention to elder abuse in recent times. Most of the research on elder abuse has focused on cases of abuse perpetrated by family members, treating the phenomenon as a social problem, but it is increasingly being conceptualized as a crime problem. The current study examines elder abuse in nursing homes from a criminological perspective. Using routine activities theory as a guide, particular attention is given to the criminal justice system's response to abusive activities committed by nursing home employees. In all, 801 cases of abuse investigated by Medicaid Fraud Control Units are …

Never Let Me Clone? Countering An Ethical Argument Against The Reproductive Cloning Of Humans, Yvette Pearson

Philosophy Faculty Publications

In the March 2006 issue of EMBO reports, Christof Tannert, a bioethicist at the Max Delbrück Research Centre in Berlin, Germany, presented a moral argument against human reproductive cloning on the basis of Immanuel Kant’s categorical imperative (Tannert, 2006). In this article, I address some problems with Tannert’s views and show that our concerns about this prospective procedure should prompt us to scrutinize carefully the conventional procreative practices and attitudes. Indeed, if we set aside objections that are grounded in genetic determinism, many of the offensive features of human cloning are identical to problems with procreation by more conventional means, …

Are Residents' Extended Shifts Associated With Adverse Events, Mariana Szklo-Coxe

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

First paragraph:

Heated debates and controversies surrounding the regulation of medical residents’ work hours have raged for over twenty years. In the wake of Libby Zion’s untimely death in 1984 and resulting recommendations by the Bell Commission, New York State enacted legislation (Code 405.4) governing residents’ working conditions and supervision [1]. Since then, there has been growing interest in regulating residents’ work hours, culminating recently (2003–2004) in national guidelines and legislation on duty-hour restrictions both in the United States and Europe [2,3].

Engendering Student Empathy For Disabled Clients With Urinary Incontinence Through Experiential Learning, Karen A. Karlowicz, Kay L. Palmer

Ellmer School of Nursing Faculty Publications

As part of a rehabilitation clinical course for senior baccalaureate nursing students, a disability-incontinence experiential learning activity is required. The assignment is intended to familiarize students with some of the challenges encountered by a client with mobility problems, including continence management issues using disposable undergarments. Wearing the undergarments dry and wet while being confined to a wheelchair provides insight and promotes empathy for patients with bladder control problems.

Effects Of Gesture+Verbal Treatment For Noun And Verb Retrieval In Aphasia, Anastasia M. Raymer, Floris Singletary, Amy Rodriguez, Maribel Ciampitti, Kenneth M. Heilman, Leslie J. Gonzalez Rothi

Communication Disorders & Special Education Faculty Publications

Links between verbs and gesture knowledge suggest that verb retrieval may be particularly amenable to gesture+verbal training (GVT) in aphasia compared to noun retrieval. This study examines effects of GVT for noun and verb retrieval in nine individuals with aphasia subsequent to left hemisphere stroke. Participants presented an array of noun and verb retrieval deficits, including impairments of semantic and/or phonologic processing. In a single-participant experimental design, we investigated effects of GVT for noun and verb retrieval in two counterbalanced treatment phases. Effects were evaluated in spoken naming and gesture production to pictured objects and actions. Spoken naming improvements associated …

Word-Retrieval Treatment In Aphasia: Effects Of Sentence Context, Anastasia Raymer, Francine Kohen

Communication Disorders & Special Education Faculty Publications

Word-retrieval treatment studies in aphasia have reported the greatest influences on picture naming for trained words. To increase treatment effects to untrained words and sentence contexts, we investigated a sentence-reading treatment hierarchy that moves from errorless to generative production of sentences incorporating target nouns and verbs. In an individual with nonfluent aphasia, treatment resulted in improved picture naming for nouns and verbs and generalized increases in numbers of grammatical sentences and content words following noun therapy. A second individual with fluent aphasia improved little in picture-naming and sentence-generation tasks for both nouns and verbs. This sentence-based word-retrieval training, in which …

Oral Cancer Prevalence In Virginia, Karin C. Loftin, Michele Darby, Stacey Plichta, Sophie Thompson, Shreeram Kumar, Louis Abbey

Dental Hygiene Faculty Publications

Purpose. Oral and pharyngeal cancer affects 30,000 Americans a year and kills one fourth of those diagnosed. The primary risk factors for oral cancer are past or present cigarette and tobacco usage, and alcohol consumption in conjunction with tobacco use. Even though the prevalence of oral cancer is relatively low in the younger age groups, this group is most likely to benefit from intervention programs designed to change risky behavior such as smoking, and to prevent oral cancer in the later years. The goal of the study was to identify high-risk target areas for an oral cancer prevention program in …

The Comparative Effects Of 0.12% Chlorhexidine And Herbal Oral Rinse On Dental Plaque-Induced Gingivitis, Elizabeth N. Southern, Gayle B. Mccombs, S. L. Tolle, Ken Marinak

Dental Hygiene Faculty Publications

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of two oral rinses-one 0.12% chlorhexidine rinse (CHX) and one herbal rinse (HBR)-on gingival health status over time.

METHODS: Sixty-three participants were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups: CHX, HBR, or placebo. For three months, participants rinsed twice daily (morning and evening) with (1/2) ounce of allocated rinse after brushing and flossing. Individuals were given the same type of soft bristle toothbrush and whitening toothpaste. No attempt was made to modify participants' routine oral care, except they were advised to refrain from use of any other oral …

When A Killer Body Isn’T Enough: Cross-Gender Identification In Action-Adventure Video Games, Marc Ouellette

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

While sports games try to recreate the atmosphere of a stadium or of television broadcasts of games, role-playing and action-adventure games attempt to duplicate cinematography through animation. For Tomb Raider, the virtual reality created by the cinematic animation of the game produces an environment for male-to-female cross-gender identification, a topic that has received little critical attention. The sense of identification intended in this chapter comes from psychoanalysts Jean Laplanche and Jean-Baptiste Pontalis, who describe identification as a psychological process in which a subject assimilates an aspect, a property, a characteristic of another and transforms himself [or herself] totally or partially …

Understanding The Nature Of Surgical Excellence Using A Competency Modeling Approach, Hope S. Hanner-Bailey

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Currently, a thorough description of the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other personal characteristics (KSAOs) that distinguish an exceptional surgeon does not exist. This knowledge is pertinent to the development of selection, training, and performance assessment methods that can be used to develop high performing surgeons. Expert surgeons from around the country were recruited to participate in an interview to discuss the KSAOs (i.e., the competencies) needed to be exceptional in the field. A smaller number of novice surgeons were also interviewed. The expert interview data were distilled into a competency model that consists of ten competencies and patterns within the …

Wavelet Analysis In Virtual Colonoscopy, Sharon Greenblum, Jiang Li, Adam Huang, Ronald M. Summers, Armando Manduca (Ed.), Amir A. Amini (Ed.)

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

The computed tomographic colonography (CTC) computer aided detection (CAD) program is a new method in development to detect colon polyps in virtual colonoscopy. While high sensitivity is consistently achieved, additional features are desired to increase specificity. In this paper, a wavelet analysis was applied to CTCCAD outputs in an attempt to filter out false positive detections. 52 CTCCAD detection images were obtained using a screen capture application. 26 of these images were real polyps, confirmed by optical colonoscopy and 26 were false positive detections. A discrete wavelet transform of each image was computed with the MATLAB wavelet toolbox using the …

Automatic Colonic Polyp Detection Using Multiobjective Evolutionary Techniques, Jiang Li, Adam Huang, Jianhua Yao, Ingmar Bitter, Nicholas Petrick, Ronald M. Summers, Perry J. Pickhardt, J. Richard Choi

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Colonie polyps appear like elliptical protrusions on the inner wall of the colon. Curvature based features for colonie polyp detection have proved to be successful in several computer-aided diagnostic CT colonography (CTC) systems. Some simple thresholds are set for those features for creating initial polyp candidates, sophisticated classification scheme are then applied on these polyp candidates to reduce false positives. There are two objective functions, the number of missed polyps and false positive rate, that need to be minimized when setting those thresholds. These two objectives conflict and it is usually difficult to optimize them both by a gradient search. …

Hybrid Committee Classifier For A Computerized Colonic Polyp Detection System, Jiang Li, Jianhua Yao, Nicholas Petrick, Ronald M. Summers, Amy K. Hara, Joseph M. Reinhardt (Ed.), Josien P.W. Pluim (Ed.)

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

We present a hybrid committee classifier for computer-aided detection (CAD) of colonic polyps in CT colonography (CTC). The classifier involved an ensemble of support vector machines (SVM) and neural networks (NN) for classification, a progressive search algorithm for selecting a set of features used by the SVMs and a floating search algorithm for selecting features used by the NNs. A total of 102 quantitative features were calculated for each polyp candidate found by a prototype CAD system. 3 features were selected for each of 7 SVM classifiers which were then combined to form a committee of SVMs classifier. Similarly, features …

Teaching And Learning In Urology Nursing, Karen A. Karlowicz

Ellmer School of Nursing Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

The Use Of The Tripartite Model Of Attitudes To Explain Ems Providers' Attitudes About The Ems Agenda For The Future, Carolyn Angela Rinaca

Health Services Research Dissertations

A dynamic and revolutionary health care system compels the Nation to develop a more cohesive, unified healthcare workforce. The Emergency Medical Services (EMS) profession has contributed to this development with the publication of the EMS Agenda for the Future. The EMS Agenda for the Future describes the future direction for emergency medical services agencies and organizations within the nation. It is a vision that integrates EMS systems with other health care professions. The EMS Agenda for the Future is designed to assist EMS professionals in realizing their full potential for proficiency and contributes to the development of the EMS profession. …

A Cross-Cultural Study Of Hearing And Hearing-Impaired Children’S Human Figure Drawings, Chia-Liang Timothy Hu

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to further the research of human figure drawings as useful assessment tools and add to the understanding of children’s human figure drawings from a cross-cultural perspective.

In this quantitative study, 147 human figure drawings made by 59 hearing and 64 hearing-impaired Taiwanese children and 24 hearing-impaired American children were collected. In addition, 50 drawings done by hearing American children were randomly chosen from the children’s drawing database of Eastern Virginia Medical School Graduate Art Therapy Program. Five Formal Elements Art Therapy Scales (FEATS) scales were modified for use with human figure drawings and were …

Natural And Synthetic Viniferins Associated With The Grapevine Disease Young Vine Decline, David Michael Mcginnis

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

Grapevine disease has been thc subject of intense research amongst viticulturists over the last few decades, especially during the 1990's. There has been discoveries that suggest grapevine disease is commonly caused by fungal pathogens. One of the most common fungi that the vine may become infected by is known as Botrytis cinerea. B. cinerea is capable of attacking the grapevine which in turn will lead to bunch rot in the grape clusters. This disease has been researched in great detail during the past several years and is one of only few microorganisms that have actually been identified. Phaeoacremrmium chnlmydospnrum …

Chromosomal Localization Of The Islet Neogenesis Associated Protein (Ingap) Gene In Syrian Hamster By Tyramide Signal Amplification-Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (Tsa-Fish), Sallie A. Smith

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Diabetes mellitus is a group of conditions characterized by hyperglycemia due to an inability to produce or properly utilize insulin. The majority of cases fall into two categories, Type I and Type 2. Type I results from the autoimmune destruction of pancreatic β-cells of the islets. The beta cells are the exclusive source of insulin and the patient becomes entirely dependent on exogenous insulin to survive. Patients with Type 2 are distinguished by insulin resistance, a condition that develops due to the inability of the body to effectively use the insulin being produced. The β-cells gradually lose their ability to …

Second Graders' Favorite Weather Drawings, Ashley L. Sherman

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

The Favorite Weather Drawing has been used extensively as an art therapy assessment tool. It has been theorized to contain certain variables that relate to a child’s underlying mood or perception of his or her environment. Since neither the Favorite Weather Drawing nor the similar Favorite Kind of Day Drawing have been researched extensively or standardized with normative populations, there has been a lack of research that could provide a much-needed foundation for such a popular assessment technique. This study explored regional and gender differences in the Favorite Weather Drawing of 2nd grade students as a way to provide groundwork …

Characteristics Of Bipolar Disorder In Adult Favorite Weather Drawings, Carrie L. Elder

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify graphic indicators of Bipolar Disorder in Favorite Weather Drawings. The subjects in this study consisted of 9 individuals diagnosed with a Bipolar Disorder and 16 individuals without a Bipolar Disorder diagnosis. The age range was 22 to 64 years. It was hypothesized that Favorite Weather Drawings rendered by individuals diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder would differ in color, expansiveness, line quality, and weather themes from Favorite Weather Drawings rendered by individuals without a diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder. These differences were measured using a Favorite Weather Drawing Checklist and analyzed for resulting patterns.

This …

Use Of Miswak Versus Toothbrushes: Oral Health And Behaviors Of Jordanian Adults, Reem Saleem Tubaishat

Dental Hygiene Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the perceived relationship among miswak, the toothbrush, and toothbrush-plus-miswak usage on oral health beliefs and behaviors of Jordanians. To examine these relationships, a self-designed questionnaire was distributed to a convenience sample of 150 adult subjects (ages 18-60 years) seeking dental care at the health center, and two private dental clinics in Irbid, Jordan. Via the Oral Health Beliefs and Behaviors of Jordanian People Questionnaire, participants were asked to select one and sometimes more than one response regarding their perceived oral health status and oral care behaviors. Content validity of the questionnaire …

What Is Positive Disclosure And To Whom Do We Disclose? The Role Of Topics, Gender And Type Of Relationship In Positive Self-Disclosure, Elizabeth Landers Ford

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study examined what topics (including experiences, feelings, and thoughts) people define as positive self-disclosure. The study also looked at reasons people generate for self-disclosing versus not disclosing something positive. Male and female students spontaneously described a past experience or feeling they perceive to be personal and positive. They then indicated whether or not they disclosed about these experiences or feelings to their father, mother, same-sex friend, and a past or present significant other/spouse. These descriptions were coded into one of eight categories: Religion, Family Development, Friendship, Sex, Romance, Self-Confidence, Achievement, and Helping Behavior, plus a Miscellaneous category. There were …

Using Social Cognitive Theory To Model Health Behaviors Among Chinese Children, Yan Zhang

Health Services Research Dissertations

This study examined the usefulness of Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) to model fast-food intake, fruit/vegetable consumption, and regular physical activity among a group of Chinese-American children in a Southeastern Virginia urban area.

An observational cross-sectional survey research design and snowball sampling were used. The survey employed items from the Health Behavior Questionnaire, the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, and a 24-hour Diet Recall Form. Eighty-four children completed the self-administered survey; 54 of these were enrolled in a Chinese Weekend School. The mean age of the children was 10.5 years (range 6-18) and 43% were girls. Logistic regression models were used to …