Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Education And Religion In Shaping Support For Same-Sex Relations: Considering Differences Over Time And Across Geographical Areas, Amy Adamczyk, Ashely French

Publications and Research

Across the world, attitudes about same-sex relationships have become rapidly more supportive. While education is typically viewed as a liberalizing force, religious beliefs are often seen as restricting more tolerant perspectives and contributing to more conservative attitudes in general. Focusing on the United States this study examines the roles of religion and education, as individual and group properties, for understanding disapproval of same-sex relationships. Drawing on restricted information that makes it possible to identify where General Social Survey respondents lived, we find that graduating from college is associated with more support, but has less of an effect on Evangelicals and …

Revamping Email Communications: A Review Of Five Free Email Design Platforms, Karen Okamoto

Publications and Research

This article reviews five free online email design platforms that libraries can use to create visually appealing and engaging email newsletters and other email communications. The five platforms reviewed in this article – Beefree, Mosaico, Smore, Stripo, and Tabular – are assessed according to ease of use, the availability of pre-designed templates, and other features, such as the ability to add collaborators. This review begins with a summary of the library and marketing literature on email communications, including best practices, and ends with a brief overview of email marketing platforms and services.

Fat And Water Content Effects Of Three Food Substrates (Ground Veal, Ground Beef, And Beef Liver) On Lucilia Sericata (Diptera: Calliphoridae) Development And Mortality, Nicole Dailey

Master of Science in Forensic Science Directed Research Projects

Although temperature has been identified as the most important catalyst affecting blow fly larval development, other variables encountered by these species, such as the fat and moisture content of the food source, may have an impact on accurate estimations of the PMImin in forensic investigations. Thus, body composition differences between human carrion, such as variations in body fat and water percentages between younger and older individuals, or heavier persons, could affect blow fly developmental rates, and in turn cause over or under estimations of the PMImin. In this study, the weight, length, and development times of Lucilia sericata third instar …

The Development And Evaluation Of A Method For Complete Collagenase I Digestion Of Bos Taurus Bone Samples, Reilly Price

Master of Science in Forensic Science Directed Research Projects

Current methods for processing aged forensic bone samples for DNA analysis involve pulverization and organic extraction, which further destroys already degraded DNA and uses large amounts of limited samples. Additionally, the success rates for this type of analysis vary widely as homogenization incorporates PCR inhibitors into the sample. Little research has explored how pulverization results in DNA damage in profiles obtained from skeletal remains. This study proposes an enzymatic digestion method to separate osteocytes from PCR inhibitors in the extracellular bone matrix to improve the quality and quantity of DNA isolated from aged bone samples. The technique described here used …

A Comparative Analysis Of Swabbing Solutions For Sexual Assault Evidence: Direct Impact On Spermatozoa And Dna Recovery, Olivia Q. Kassie

Master of Science in Forensic Science Directed Research Projects

Forensic laboratories struggle with a backlog of sexual assault cases, prompting the need for effective techniques to develop consistent protocols and address scientific gaps. Challenges in recovering optimal DNA from assault evidence stem from factors like collection timing and sampling variables. Variations in lab protocols can lead to differences in DNA yields and profile success. This was observed in a state lab when protocols were developed allowing the use of acetone to swab sexual assault evidence. The use of acetone originated due to their case-routing protocols in multi-section cases involving latent fingerprints. While not necessary for sexual assault and porous …

Evaluation Of Charcoal Strip Extraction Efficiency Under Varying Substrate Conditions, Abby Wester

Master of Science in Forensic Science Directed Research Projects

The ability of a forensic examiner to identify the presence of ignitable liquids (ILs) in fire debris collected from the area of origin of a fire is an essential component for determining intent in fire investigations. However, this relies on an effective extraction method that provides a complete picture of what is present in the debris. In this study, eight substrate materials underwent three different treatments: a low-volume of substrate that was unburned, a low-volume of substrate that was burned, and a high-volume of substrate that was unburned. Each sample was spiked with a 1:1 mixture of gasoline and diesel …

Discrimination Of Blue Denim Fibers Utilizing Physical Characteristics, Optical Properties, Fluorescence Microscopy, Ultraviolet-Visible Microspectrophotometry, And Microchemical Testing, Elkin Howard

Master of Science in Forensic Science Directed Research Projects

Cotton, the most common natural fiber, has numerous uses in the textile industry. This fiber type is ubiquitous in forensic casework due to its prevalence, particularly in blue jeans. The abundance of blue cotton in society and its limited variations in features can diminish the probative value of its presence on items of evidence. While a pair of blue jeans may be constructed with a combination of natural and manufactured fibers, the most likely fiber type to be transferred between sources is cotton. In this study, a comprehensive analytical approach to blue jean fiber analysis was explored to determine if …

Cellular Autofluorescence Signatures For Determining Time Since Deposition Of Whole Blood, Hannah Lamer

Master of Science in Forensic Science Directed Research Projects

Knowledge of the relative window of time that evidentiary biological material was deposited at a crime scene, referred to as the time since deposition (TSD), would help investigators determine which evidentiary items are most probative and assist with scene reconstruction. One commonly encountered body fluid at a crime scene is blood. Various methods for estimating TSD of bloodstains have been developed, but none to date have been validated for use in the forensic laboratory. Recently, flow cytometry measurements of cellular autofluorescence and size/structure have been investigated as a signature for TSD of saliva and touch epidermal cells. This study assessed …

Overcoming The Effects Of Oily Contaminants On Dna Extraction Efficiency Using Dna Iq™ System, Elizabeth G. Gillece

Master of Science in Forensic Science Directed Research Projects

In forensic science DNA extraction and purification are crucial to DNA analysis as evidentiary items vary in DNA quantity and quality. In casework the goal to is maximize DNA yield, remove PCR inhibitors, and develop a full profile while preserving evidence. Extraction methods are developed to target the DNA for optimal isolation. Solid-phase extraction is advantageous as it can extract DNA from a variety of tissue types, it is amenable to automation, and it provides quick and efficient purification of DNA. Solid-phase extraction methods may have complications with contaminants that hinder the quantity and quality of the DNA recovered. In …

A Novel Dual Configuration Dart/Uhplc-Ms/Ms System For The Rapid Analysis Of Psilocybin-Containing Mushrooms And Other Seized-Drug Submissions, Aron R. Jaffe

Master of Science in Forensic Science Directed Research Projects

The use and availability of controlled substances is highly dynamic. When a classical or novel psychoactive substance becomes popular, an influx of seized-drug evidence submissions closely follows, contributing to an ever-growing backlog of exhibits awaiting identification. The need for inclusive, rapid, and robust analytical methods is apparent, as demonstrated by recent growth in hallucinogen use. Psilocybin and psilocin, among other entheogens, have become increasingly popular and an increase of psilocybin mushroom seizures by law enforcement has followed. The structural similarity and thermal lability of many entheogens preclude their identification using many conventional analysis techniques. A DART and UHPLC were interchangeably …

Using The Microbiome To Assess The Health Status Of The Individuals Recovered From The East Marshall Street Well, Arian Karim

Master of Science in Forensic Science Directed Research Projects

In 1994, during the construction of the Kontos Building on the Medical College of Virginia Campus, a well on East Marshall Street was discovered to contain artifacts and human remains of African descent. Upon archaeological analysis by the Smithsonian, the ancestral remains can be dated back to the mid-19th century, when grave robbing and the use of cadavers for anatomical purposes [BS1] in medical schools were common. The human oral microbiome is the second largest human microbiota, containing over 600 species of organisms. Dysbiosis of the oral microbiome can lead to the overgrowth of pathogenic species, resulting in illness and …

Temporal Discrimination Of Lucilia Sericata Pupae Using Dart- Tof-Ms And Statistical Analysis, Nguyen-Khoa N. Pham

Master of Science in Forensic Science Directed Research Projects

Lucilia sericata (Diptera: Calliphoridae) is a forensically important blow fly species. These flies have been extensively studied as they are one of the earliest colonizers of corpses. Adult females blow flies lay approximately 200-2,300 eggs, which upon hatching will feed off the body as they metamorphosize from first to second, and third instars. The third instar larvae then migrate away from the body in a stage known as pre-pupa, and develop into the puparial stage. The adults emerge from the pupa stage, leaving behind their empty puparium. These developmental stages are used by forensic entomologists to determine a minimum postmortem …

Quantitation And Visualization Of Epithelial Cells On Cartridge Cases, Paige Kibler, Christopher Ehrhardt, Katherine M. Philpott, Jody H. West, Stephanie Walcott

Master of Science in Forensic Science Directed Research Projects

Fired cartridge cases are a common type of evidence submitted to forensic DNA profiling but are challenging to analyze because they usually contain only trace amounts of biological material. As such, there is a significant need in caseworking units for new screening techniques to determine if biological material is present and is in high enough quantity to attempt DNA profiling. The goal of this study was to test a new method for quickly visualizing biological material on cartridge cases. Biological deposits were created by handling fired and unfired cartridge cases through a series of conditions. The biological material was collected …

Further Optimization Of A Simplified Protocol For Tooth Sample Preparation For Analysis Using The Applied Biosystems™ Rapidhit™ Id Instrument, Yen H. Dang

Master of Science in Forensic Science Directed Research Projects

Due to the destructive nature of mass casualty incidents (MCIs) or mass fatality events (MFEs), tooth samples are often one of the only viable sources for Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) because of the incredible integrity of the enamel layer surrounding the tooth. However, the resilient structure of the tooth requires harsh chemicals and a labor-intensive sample preparation protocol to ensure successful STR profile development. Considering this difficulty, one of the promising resolutions is the Applied Biosystems RapidHIT™ ID ID platform, which is a fully automated system that is designed to perform cell lysis, DNA isolation, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification, …

Mapping Media Literacy Impact In The U.S.: A Review Of Literature And Call For Equity, Shannon Burth, Emily Riewestahl, Srividya Ramasubramanian, Bobbie Foster, Patrick R. Johnson, Paul Mihailidis, Melissa Tully

College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications

While media literacy has grown to encompass many topics to provide learners with the skills required to be active citizens and savvy media consumers, there is no clear conceptual framework to define ‘impact.’ This review of literature aims to understand how recent U.S.-based media literacy scholarship defines impact. We analyzed 300 articles published from 2010 to 2020 on the impact of media literacy initiatives in the U.S. We propose the 6 E’s as a framework that captures six categories that media literacy researchers use to describe the impact of media literacy interventions: Evaluation Outcomes, Enquiry, Expression, Experiential Learning, Engaged Citizenship, …

Identifying Barriers: Analysis Of Federal Law Enforcement Social Media And Recruitment Efforts, Reena Desai, Edgar Greer, Meghan Waldron

Doctor of Education Capstones

The Federal Bureau of Investigation Richmond Field Office seeks to diversify their applicant pool. In an effort to provide information on how to meet this need, our doctoral team analyzed the social media sites of six federal law enforcement agencies to include: the Federal Bureau of Investigation- Headquarters, Federal Bureau of Investigation-Richmond Field Office, Alcohol Tobacco & Firearms, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the Drug Enforcement Agency, and the United States Marshal Service. By examining a 60-day window of images and their associated text on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram accounts, we wanted to gain a stronger understanding of …

Riverview Community Park Commoning Plan, Haley B. Keene

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Capstone Projects

Riverview Community Park began as an illegal DIY skatepark in the Maymont neighborhood of Richmond, Virginia. Now, although it is a city park, it is still entirely managed by volunteer community groups (skateboarders, the neighborhood Civic League, and a community garden) who view the park as a creative, experimental community-led spatial project. Due to a dearth of communication between the three groups, the park has suffered political strife between the groups and a chaotic physical atmosphere. This plan utilizes a commons governance framework and participatory, asset-based community design to usher in a new era of enhanced collaboration, common narratives, and …

Richmond Watts For Families: An Action Plan To Bring Multifamily Community Solar To The City Of Richmond, Daniel P. Rafferty

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Capstone Projects

Seeking to advance community solar energy for multifamily residents within the City of Richmond, Virginia, the Richmond Watts for Families (WFF) is a plan to guide the city in developing robust multifamily community solar program(s). Community (shared) solar has emerged as an alternative approach to traditional rooftop solar energy by allowing customers to subscribe to a portion of a solar array that is shared among other subscribers, which has the opportunity to increase participation by marginalized communities and those currently without the financial or physical means to install solar This plan aids the city in implementing its recently adopted climate …

Revitalize Wakefield: Charting A Course For Growth, Bannon T. Luckert

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Capstone Projects

This plan focuses on discovering the objectives and aspirations of residents and merchants to formulate a revitalization strategy comprising actionable steps that will contribute to the flourishing of a rural downtown. By leveraging Wakefield's rich history and existing assets, this plan aims to help realize the vision of revitalizing Wakefield.

The Green Infrastructure Network: Mapping Hopewell's Social & Natural Assets, Derek J. Cathcart

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Capstone Projects

This capstone plan provides a map of the network of physical green infrastructure (GI) and the actors involved in GI projects in Hopewell. Green Infrastructure is mapped spatially with GIS and distinguishes between the various forms of GI present in the city. A network map visualizes the relationships between actors and their relationships with GI in Hopewell. This plan analyzes Hopewell’s GI network of social-ecological assets and their relative interactions. While the capstone plan is not a resilience plan on its own, it fosters resilience in Hopewell by connecting actors like city departments, state agencies, residents, business owners, and local …

Assessing The Impact Of Permanent Supportive Housing On Property Values In Richmond, Virginia, Elaine Negasi

Master of Urban and Regional Planning Capstone Projects

The combination of affordable housing and supportive services in permanent supportive housing is a proven housing intervention effective in providing housing stability for people who have long been homeless, unstable, or socially marginalized. Virginia Supportive Housing provides crucial resources in addressing the root causes of homelessness in the region.

In many cases, opposition to permanent supportive housing is based on concerns that property values will decline. As a response to these concerns, this study will provide insight into the extent to which property values are affected. This study aims to change the perception of permanent supportive housing to foster community …

Msw Portfolio, Rachel Elizabeth Andrade

Graduate Student Portfolios, Professional Papers, and Capstone Projects

My MSW portfolio consists of my detailed journey throughout the coursework through U of M and practicum experiences.

Opioid System's Potential Involvement In Ketamine's Cognitive And Antidepressant-Like Effects In Rats, Fan Zhang

Theses and Dissertations

Depression stands as one of the most pervasive mental health challenges worldwide, including the United States. Conventional antidepressants typically display a delayed onset of therapeutic action (4-8 weeks) and lack efficacy in a substantial portion of patients (over 40% of depressed patients are treatment-resistant). The dissociative anesthetic ketamine, which is a glutamatergic N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) antagonist, has emerged as a promising novel treatment due to its rapid and prolonged antidepressant effects, and it is especially beneficial for treatment-resistant depression. Nevertheless, the precise neurochemical mechanisms underlying ketamine’s antidepressant properties remain elusive, hampering the development of safer and more efficacious treatments. The present …

Examining The Effects Of Parameter Correlation And Its Implications For Models Of Learning And Retention: A Large Scale Model Validation : Examining The Effects Of Parameter Correlation And Its Implications For Models Of Learning Andretention: A Large Scale Model Validation, Michael Gordon Collins

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Mathematical models of learning and retention have long been developed in psychology for both basic and applied research. For basic research, models of learning and retention attempt to explain how individuals acquire and retain information over time. While for applied research, models of learning and retention are used to inform education and training decisions. In both of these applications, the primary purpose of using a model is to fit and predict the performance of individuals. However, little attention has been paid to the interpretation of a model’s free parameters (i.e., learning and decay rates) and the effect that a model’s …

The Effects Of Actions And Characteristics In The Perception Of Aggressive Intentions : The Case Of Russia Border States After The 2022 Invasion Of Ukraine, Noah Duteil

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

How alliance structures form and why states balance, bandwagon, or remain neutral against other states is an enduring and important question in international relations. This thesis adds to the discussion of how states make alliance decisions by testing whether perceptions matter in predicting state balancing behavior and by proposing a new theoretical framework which allows for a better understanding of the mechanisms which drive the perception of aggressive intentions as a factor within Stephen Walt’s balance of threat theory. In this thesis, I explore the construction of threat through a comparative case study analysis of border states of Russia following …

Is There More To Organizational Justice Than "Just" Fairness? A Meta-Analysis On The Construct Validity Of Overall Justice, Alec C. Drabish

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Despite there being many meta-analyses on organizational justice in the last 25 years, no meta-analysis has focused on overall justice, a global perception of fairness in organizations. In light of this, my dissertation is a meta-analysis focused on the construct validity of overall justice and its integration with key models of organizational justice. To do this, I identified 183 independent samples from across the globe that use Ambrose and Schminke’s (2009) perceived overall justice scale. From there, I used a combination of traditional meta-analytic techniques and meta-analytic structural equation modelling to test my hypotheses. Foremost, I found that overall justice …

Attentional Demands Of Smooth Pursuit, Sasha Marie Willis

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

The current study investigates whether maintenance of smooth pursuit eye movements requires attention or if the traditional small-spot pursuit stimulus has propagated this long-held belief by imposing the attentional demands of the saccadic system (through foveation) onto the pursuit task. Using a within-subjects design, we compare single- and dual-task performance for two difficulty levels of an auditory tone discrimination task and a pursuit eye movement task with both small and large pursuit targets (N = 10). Pursuit performance improved when target size increased (for catch-up saccade rate and steady-state gain) and when auditory task difficulty increased (for catch-up saccade rate). …

Foreign Policy And International Power: The Effects Of The Us War In Afghanistan On India's Afghanistan Policy, Brian W. Storch

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

India’s compliance to the United States’ regional ambitions following the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan demonstrated a unique re-alignment that reversed India’s historic defiance of international powers pursued since its independence. Instead of resisting the United States or seeking to disengage from the Afghan conflict, India provided aid to the new regime but did not extend military assistance because of limits set by the United States to appease Pakistan. India complied and increased cooperation with the United States despite the disadvantages this compliance presented. It will be argued that the structure of the international system enforcing US hegemony primarily influenced India’s …

Engaging Sexual Minority Adolescents In Nationwide At-Home Hiv Prevention Research In The U.S, Ali J. Talan, Carly Wolfer, Nicola Tavella, Cynthia Cabral, Ricardo Despradel, H. Jonathon Rendina

Publications and Research

Objectives: This study examined research-related privacy and confidentiality concerns among adolescent sexual minority males (ASMM) and provides lessons learned to inform recruitment and enrollment strategies for this population.

Methods: Participants were a 2017-2018 internet-based U.S. national sample of sexual minority adolescents who responded to self-report measures of privacy and confidentiality concerns. Results: Bivariate chi-square tests were used to identify participants’ mean differences in worry and likelihood of privacy breach occurrences. Many participants reported privacy-related concerns within remote HIV prevention research.

Conclusions: Study protocols were designed to ensure participants felt safe participating in online HIV prevention research. However, there are challenges …

“Just Holding That Space”: Using Culturally Relevant Pedagogy To Create Counterspaces For Black College Students In Aanapisi/Hsi Classrooms, Nicholas B. Lacy, Yea-Wen Chen, Damariyé L. Smith

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

Black college students continue to face the specter of anti-Blackness which creates additional barriers to success and flourishing in higher education. This study investigates how instructors in higher education can provide racial equity to Black students in AANAPISI/HSI classrooms through counterspaces. We use culturally relevant pedagogy to investigate the experiences of 21 Black college students at an AANAPISI/HSI to understand better how higher education instructors can utilize counterspaces, places where Black college students can challenge dominant discourses and create a collegial learning environment. We identified three counterspace themes: (1) Mitigate Eurocentric Pedagogy, (2) Employ Black and Critical Scholarship, and (3) …