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Theses and Dissertations

Electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs) make VCU student research and creativity available online as full-text documents and multimedia presentations for use by the university community and others involved in research.

See the VCU Libraries Dissertations Research Guide for information on submitting your ETD, accessing older dissertations from VCU, and finding dissertations from other universities.

The majority of VCU theses and dissertations may be found in Special Collections and Archives at James Branch Cabell Library or the Health Sciences Library. Use VCU Libraries Search to locate individual theses and dissertations.

Part of University Archives: This series has been selected for inclusion in the VCU University Archives for its enduring administrative, fiscal, legal, or historical value.

Theses/Dissertations from 2011 2011

Theoretical and experimental studies of noise limited phenomena in nanowires, Pratik Agnihotri

Water Molecules: A Closer Look at Their Behavior at Protein-Protein Interfaces and Their Contributions to the Docked Model of Pyridoxal Kinase - Serine Hydroxymethyltransferase Complex, Mostafa H. Ahmed

Aging Effect in the Wettability of Nickel Nanorod Arrays, Nahla Albarakati

An In Vitro Comparison of Cyclic Fatigue of Profile® Vortex™ and Endosequence™ Rotary Nickel-Titanium Files, Fawaz Al-Foraih

Changes in the Expression of Thin Filament-Associated Proteins in Colonic Smooth Muscle from Mice During Inflammation, Reem Alkahtani

Developing a Hybrid Model to Predict Student First Year Retention and Academic Success in STEM Disciplines Using Neural Networks, Ruba Alkhasawneh

Biobehavioral Relationships and Health Related Quality of Life in Persons with End Stage Renal Disease on Hemodialysis, Avis Allen

EVALUATING THE SUCCESS OF BENEFIT FRAUD AND COMPLIANCE ACT IN AFFECTING WAGES AND OFFERS FOR SEVEN COMMON H1B OCCUPATIONS IN VIRGINIA, 2002-2010, Khalafala Alsadig

Differential regulation of MLC20 phosphorylation in tonic and phasic smooth muscles of the stomach, Othman Al-Shboul

Designing a Musical Theatre Curriculum for the Modern University, Justin Amellio

Kinase pathways underlying muscarinic activation of colonic longitudinal muscle, Charles Dudley Anderson Jr.

African American Males Diagnosed With Schizophrenia: A Phenomenological Study, Lorraine Anderson

IDENTITY AND PSYCHOLOGICAL NEEDS AMONG NATIONAL GUARD SERVICE MEMBERS AND UNDERGRADUATES, Bradley Antonides

How Virginia Public School Superintendents Spend Their Time, Eric Armbruster

EVALUATION OF A COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH CENTER’S ASSESSMENT CLINIC: DEVELOPMENT OF A NOVEL ASSESSMENT EVALUATION TOOL, Cassidy C. Arnold

Cis 3,4', 5-trimethoxy-3'-aminostilbene (stilbene 5c) induces apoptosis and protective autophagy in B16F10 melanoma cells, Betelehem Asnake

The Alliance-Outcome Association in CBT and Usual Care for Youth Depression Delivered in Community Settings, Shelley Avny

Approaches for Enhancing Therapeutic Efficacy of a Novel IL-10 Gene Family Member: MDA-7/IL-24, Belal Azab

Relations Among Media, Eating Pathology and Body Dissatisfaction in College Women, Carrie Bair

Understanding Mothers of Late Preterm Infants, Brenda Baker

The Determinants of a Nurse's Discretionary Decision to Respond to Situations that Place Patients at Risk for Safety Events but Requires a Response that is Beyond the Scope of Nursing Practice, Kathy Baker

Synthesis, Screening and Cocrystallization of Adenosine Based Inhibitors with Methyltransferases, ErmC' and KsgA, Matthew Baker

Integration/Interpretation: The Stylistic Motifs of Mughal Architecture at Fatehpur Sikri, Glenna Barlow

Spatial Parameters in Therapeutic Spaces: Design of a Residential Treatment Facility for Eating Disorder Patients, Sarah Beth Basinger

LEADING WITH EMOTIONAL LABOR AND AFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP CLIMATE AS ANTECEDENTS TO ENTREPRENEURIAL EFFECTIVENESS, John Batchelor

The Relationship of Physical Activity, Eating Behaviors, and Hunger Control to Weight Loss and Quality of Life in Gastric Banding Patients, Nancy Baugh

An Iron Catalyst: Virginia’s Roadside Historical Markers and the Shaping of a Historical Consciousness, Joseph Bayless

Judging the Rational and the Dead: Ann Radcliffe and Feminist Theology, Garland Beasley

Place Removed: A Study of Authenticity in Remote Locations, Emily Shea Beck

Snake Box, Avery Beckendorf

Shaken and Stirred: Tactile Imagery and Narrative Immediacy in J. D. Salinger's "Blue Melody," "A Girl I Knew," and "Just Before the War with the Eskimos", Angelica Bega-Hart

STABILITY AND SPECTROSCOPIC PROPERTIES OF NEGATIVE IONS, Swayamprabha Behera

Age Dependent Spatial Characteristics of Epileptiform Activity in Malformed Cortex, L. Andrew Bell

Drug Design, Biological Activity, and Metabolic Consequences of Cytotoxic Platinum Compounds: Utilizing Fluorescent Tagging to Understand Drug Action and Metabolism, Brad Benedetti

TO THE AGES OF AGES: RECONCEPTUALIZING HIGH SCHOOL ART HISTORY CURRICULUM, Amy Bergh

A Parallel Genetic Algorithm for Placement and Routing on Cloud Computing Platforms, Jacob A. Berlier

DISTINCT T CELL CLONES ARE ASSOCIATED WITH GRAFT-VERSUS-HOST DISEASE (GVHD), AND POTENTIALLY GRAFT-VERSUS-TUMOR (GVT), RESPONSES FOLLOWING ALLOGENEIC STEM CELL TRANSPLANTATION, Jennifer Berrie

The Protective Role of Psychological Empowerment on Tobacco Use Behaviors, Brittany Berry

Teachers' Perception of Computer Use and Technical Support in a Rural Virginia School Division: A Case Study, Rodney Berry

Organizational Capacity to Absorb External Knowledge: An Exploratory Study of Public and Nonprofit Decision Makers' Perceptions of Impediments and Facilitators, Linda S. Birtley

Bethlehem Lutheran Church: Can a Building Teach?, Tyler Bland

The Role of the Propeptide and its Residues in Activation and Secretion of Elastase, an M4 Metalloprotease Secreted by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Emily Boice

Targeting the endocannabinoid system to reduce nociception, Lamont Booker

The Land of Make-Believe, Lacey Bowman

Is gait training with the elliptically based robotic gait trainer (EBRGT) feasible in ambulatory patients after stroke?, J. Cortney Bradford

Investigation of pre- and post-zygotic reproductive barriers between two host-plant complex races of the parasitic wasp Cotesia congregata (Say) [Hymenoptera: Braconidae], Justin Bredlau

Quick Xlthlx Fish, Andrew Brehm

I Wanna Rock!, Amanda Briede

Three Quarter Plackett-Burman Designs for Estimating All Main Effects and Two-Factor Interactions, Bridgette Briggs

ROLE OF AUTOPHAGY IN RADIOSENSITIZATION OF BREAST TUMOR CELLS, Molly L. Bristol

The INDEPENDENT SET Decision Problem is NP-complete, Andrew Bristow IV

Enhancing family functioning to buffer risk during middle school transition: Development of the Multiple Family Group Weekend Retreat., Robert Broce

Embody - Encode, Mary Catherine Brooks

USE OF HISTORIC TAX CREDITS FOR SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION IN VIRGINIA: COSTS, BENEFITS, ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS, AND PUBLIC POLICY ISSUES, Paola Brooks

Learning Communities or Support Groups: The Use of Student Cohorts in Doctoral Educational Leadership Programs, Christy J. Brown

A Municipal Exigency: An Exploration of the Correlation of Physical and Social Incivilities on the Decline of Residential Property Values in Richmond, VA, Jay Brown

The Development of the Common Factor Therapist Competence Scale for Youth Psychotherapy, Ruth Brown

The Relationship Between Physicians‘ Ownership of Physical Therapy Services and Referral Patterns to Hospital-Based Outpatient Rehabilitation Centers, Joy Bruce

Acquired Cytogenetic Changes in Adult Twins Discordant for a History of Childhood Sexual Abuse, Jenni Brumelle

Can Interior Design Erase Architecture? The Integration of a Pet Care Facility into The Fan, Erin Brunner

PROCESSING AND CLASSIFICATION OF PHYSIOLOGICAL SIGNALS USING WAVELET TRANSFORM AND MACHINE LEARNING ALGORITHMS, Abed Al-Raoof Bsoul

Meeting Sanford Meisner: An Investigation of the Origins, Development, and Practical Application of the Meisner Technique, Mandy Butler

LIMBS IN SURF, Caroline Cahill

Rethinking Success: A Person-Based Approach to Service Learning, Ryan Cales

Functional Characterization of the Streptococcus sanguinis com Regulon, Jill Callahan

EXAMINATION OF NAK-ASSOCIATED PROTEIN-1 (NAP1) HOMO AND HETERO-INTERACTIONS IN THE INTERFERON PATHWAY”, Richard Call

Epicuria: The Dichotomy of Richmond's Urban and Suburban Landscape in a Market Environment, Kate Canale

Beating Back Babylon, Nicholas Candela

The Actor as Vessel: A Journey Towards Citizen Artistry, Joseph Carlson

THE ANSWER TO A MAIDEN’S PRAYER: HOMER CUMMINGS AND THE ORIGINS OF THE 1937 COURT PACKING PLAN, Jason Carmichael

THE SAYLOVE PROJECT: Conception to Fruition and Everything in Between, Jennifer Catton

A Time-efficient Method for Accurate T1 Mapping of The Human Brain, Yung-Yeh Chang

Mosaicism for trisomy21: Utility of array-based technology for its detection and its influence on telomere length and the frequency of acquired chromosome abnormalities, Chariyawan Charalsawadi

What are the Educational Aspirations of African American Males Raised in Mother-Only Households?, Patsy Chavis

RATE-LIMITING STEP OF CONE PHOTOTRANSDUCTION RECOVERY AND OGUCHI DISEASE MECHANISMS, Frank Chen

WILMS’ TUMOR-1 (WT1) PROTEIN EXPRESSION IN GLIOMA CELLS ACTUATES CELLULAR INVASIVENESS- IDENTIFYING ITS TARGET GENES, Archana Chidambaram

DETERMINANTS OF CLERGY BEHAVIORS PROMOTING SAFETY OF BATTERED KOREAN IMMIGRANT WOMEN, Yoon Joon Choi

Homage to Everyday People, Sang Ja Chun

Fused, Lauren Cifranic

Giving Voice To Student And Alumnae Opposition During The Transition To Coeducation By A College For Women, Rebecca Grandstaff Clarke

SOCIAL SUPPORT RECEIVED ONLINE AND OFFLINE BY INDIVIDUALS DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER, Jessye Cohen

Response to and Recovery from Endotracheal Suctioning in Preterm Infants Using Routine Versus Four-handed Care, Sharon Cone

The Influence of Perceptual Accuracy on Willingness to Seek Help Among College Freshmen, Kathryn Conley

Characterization of a Blast Wave Device and Blast Wave Induced Traumatic Brain Injury in a Rat Model by Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopy, Frank Corwin

ANALYZING THE ASSOCIATION OF CERTIFICATE OF NEED REGULATIONSON VOLUME AND QUALITY INDICATORS FOR HEART AND KIDNEY TRANSPLANTATION, Courtney Cosby

SPECIES LEVEL DIFFERENCES IN THE ECOLOGY OF TWO NEOTROPICAL TADPOLE SPECIES: RESPONSES TO NONLETHAL PREDATORS AND THE ROLES OF COMPETITION AND RESOURCE USE, Zacharia Costa

Teaching Mourning, Julie Crowder

The Konami Code: An Experiment in Dialect Pedagogy, Thomas Cunningham

THE PROGRAM PATHING TRUST MODEL FOR CRITICAL SYSTEM PROCESS AUTHORIZATION, Robert Dahlberg

Assessing the Role of Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) in Improving Functional Recovery Following Spinal Cord Injury, Dustin Dalton

Helper phage capsid size redirection by staphylococcal pathogenicity island SaPI1 involves internal scaffolding proteins., Priyadarshan Damle

The Use of Targeted Charge-Reversal Nanoparticles (TCRNS) To Investigate Nuclear Delivery of Fluorescent Agents to Cancer Cells: Implications for Novel Prostate and Breast Cancer Therapy, Mario Dance

Cycles of Nature, Heather Darby

Anesthesia Recordkeeping: Accuracy of Recall with Computerized and Manual Entry Recordkeeping, Thomas Corey Davis

Conrad Wise Chapman and the Mexican Landscape, Marisa Day

VISIBLE TRACE A series of selected projects reflecting my graduate school experience, my interest in mark making, typographic collage, and serendipity., Meaghan Dee

Characterization and genetic analysis of the cellulolytic microorganism Thermobifida fusca, Yu Deng

DETECTION OF SECRETED PROTEASES AND A MEMBRANE PROTEASE IN PATHOGENIC ACANTHAMOEBA CULBERTSONI, Shivdeep Deo

Impact of Medicare Part D coverage gap on beneficiaries' adherence to prescription medications, Urvi Desai

MATERNAL INFLUENCES ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF INFANT ORAL BIOFILM, James Dibelka