No one is hurt forever

Many events take place during a person's life that will always have a particular influence on him. Some of these are humorous, some tragic, others "disturbing." Some are never able to be completely defined by the person to whom they occur. It is a paradox that an outsider often formulates a clearer picture of a writer who attempts to put some of these events onto paper than the writer himself. All this is by way of saying that the following four stories are based on personal experiences. This, of course, may or may not be recognized by those who read them, but this admission will refute those who say, "What does he know about a monastery?" for I was in one. The other stories are also extremely personal

THE ROLE OF EMOTION IN VISUALIZATION

The popular notion that emotion and reason are incompatible is no longer defensi- ble. Recent research in psychology and cognitive science has established emotion as a key element in numerous aspects of perception and cognition, including attention, memory, decision-making, risk perception, and creativity. This dissertation centers around the observation that emotion influences many aspects of perception and cog- nition that are crucial for effective visualization. First, I demonstrate that emotion influences accuracy in fundamental visualiza- tion tasks by combining a classic graphical perception experiment (from Cleveland and McGill) with emotion induction procedures from psychology (chapter 3). Next, I expand on the experiments in the first chapter to explore additional techniques for studying emotion and visualization, resulting in an experiment that shows that performance differences between primed individuals persist even as task difficulty in- creases (chapter 4). In a separate experiment, I show how certain emotional states (i.e. frustration and engagement) can be inferred from visualization interaction logs using machine learning (chapter 5). I then discuss a model for individual cognitive dif- ferences in visualization, which situates emotion into existing individual differences research in visualization (chapter 6). Finally, I propose an preliminary model for emotion in visualization (chapter 7)

A Concept Paper for a VCU Social Sciences Initiative

This project proposes the development of a Social Sciences Initiative at the undergraduate and graduate levels that will provide educational, research and service opportunities for faculty and students. These opportunities are envisioned as interdisciplinary, with a focus on community issues and priorities, and with the potential to create new links among existing educational/research units within the University. The development of a Social Sciences Initiative provides a direct link to the Mission of VCU through several of the Mission’s intents: “activities that increase knowledge and understanding of the world and inspire and enrich teaching” The Social Sciences Initiative will expand current activities and promote innovative teaching in an interdisciplinary manner. “diverse educational programs” The Social Sciences Initiative increases the diversity of educational program offerings. “development of innovative approaches to meet the changing needs of our society” The Social Sciences Initiative will directly address the changing societal needs through support of interdisciplinary education, research, and service. Further, this initiative is consistent with the VCU Vision in that it will “advance a climate of scholarly inquiry…serve as a model of diversity in higher education…addressing urban issues in the nation and the world…build upon its substantial foundations in the…applied social sciences.” (VCU Strategic Plan for the Future of Virginia Commonwealth University, Phase II, 1998)

Identifying Multivariate Vulnerability Of Nursing Home Facilities Throughout The Southeastern United States

To identify nursing home vulnerability attributable to location using a triangulated approach that includes historic natural hazards, community vulnerability and nursing home attributes, we use an inductive-hierarchical vulnerability index construction model. Principal components analysis (PCA) is used for two inductive models of community (CLI) and natural hazard (HLI) vulnerability. Analytical hierarchy process (AHP) is used to determine weights, according to expert ranks, for a hierarchical model of nursing home facility level vulnerability (NHLI). These three sub-indices are combined using an equal weights hierarchical approach to create a multivariate nursing home vulnerability index (MNHVI). Hazard level vulnerability is predominantly attributable to storm surge, minor hurricanes, and inland flooding. Drivers of community level vulnerability were found to be poverty and minority population, age, income and housing, Hispanic population, family status, employment type and female gender, and nursing home population. Nursing home vulnerability is found to be higher for tracts and counties that house nursing home residents with decreased or limited mobility. The clusters throughout the study area that were identified as the most vulnerable for the MNHVI are predominantly attributable to their geographic location along the coastline. The mapped outputs can provide nursing homes with an easily distributable form of visual and quantitative information to share with emergency management agencies, family members or representatives of residents in nursing homes. This study can also assist administrators in risk assessment, development of policies and procedures, communication planning, and personnel training to comply with emergency preparedness regulations

Building and refinement of an in silico homology model of a novel G protein-coupled receptor: GPR35

Human GPR35 (hGPR35), a recently deorphanized Class A G-protein coupled receptor, has been shown to exhibit prominent expression in immune and gastrointestinal tissues, with additional expression in pancreatic islets, skeletal muscle, lung tissue, and the dorsal root ganglion. The rat GPR35 (rGPR35) analog, which has 72% sequence identity with human GPR35, has been shown to have expression in similar tissues as with human GPR35. GPR35 has been suggested to be involved in metabolism, heart failure, inflammation, asthma, a mental retardation syndrome associated with the deletion on 2q37.3, type II diabetes, as well as gastric cancer formation, making GPR35 a potential target for the treatment of multiple diseases. Both zaprinast, the well characterized cGMP-PDE inhibitor, and pamoic acid, a compound which the FDA has classified as an inactive compound, act as agonists at GPR35. However, interesting species differences have been found with these agonists and key mutations have also revealed differences between these two ligands. Pamoic acid is considerably lower in potency in rat GPR35, while zaprinast has increased efficacy in rat GPR35. Further, mutation studies suggest an increase in the potency of zaprinast in a human GPR35 R6.58A mutation. Pamoic acid, on the other hand shows similar potency to wild-type in this same mutant. To probe the molecular origins of these differences, three separate homology models, an active (R*) hGPR35, an R* hGPR35 R6.58A(240) mutant, and an R* rGPR35 model, were constructed and docking studies were performed with the aforementioned ligands. These studies revealed that the change in residue 5.43 (P5.43 in human; S5.43 in rat) alters the shape of the binding pocket for pamoic acid. In addition, arginines which contribute significantly to the interaction of pamoic acid in hGPR35 (R6.58 and R7.32) become uncharged residues (Q6.58 and S7.32) in rat GPR35. The increase of the potency of zaprinast in the hGPR35 R6.58A mutant receptor is due to the loss of bulk at position 6.58 (R6.58(240)¨ A6.58(240)), that allows for additional interactions with the ligand. The statistically equivalent potencies of pamoic acid for the wild-type and R6.58A(240) mutant hGPR35 receptors is due to the isoenergetic interchange of the direct interaction residue R6.58(240) with R7.32(255) in the R6.58(240)A mutant

Single vision

If there is ambivalence in the title poem of this thesis, "SINGLE VISION," then it is the result of inadequate empirical information provided by irrelevant measuring devices from a technology whose capability remains somewhere this side of infinity. By imposing empirical limits on things of this world such as poems and photographs, a potential other-world is precluded. Precluding those things outside of the empirical precludes "spherical vision" and limits seeing to the one perspective of "single vision." The two facts, that this thesis contains poems and photographs, and that it is sectioned into six general parts, is a reflection of my own interpretation of the material of this thesis, and my own interpretation is a function of "single vision." By preceding most of the poems with carefully selected, printed, manipulated photographs, I have imposed my own evaluation and decisions concerning the intrinsic, as well as superficial, aspects of the poems and photographs. Some "combinations" which work toward a mutually intrinsic level of expression may seem related only on the surface level. But in these pairings, it is hoped that a much stronger relationship may evolve expressing an intrinsic convergence of meaning. Other combinations of poems and photographs may seem to have little in common on the illustrative level. Usually several photographs precede a single poem, though in a few instances one photograph will precede and converge quintessentially with the essential meaning of several poems which follow it

COVID-19 And Nursing Home Care In The US: Regional Differences Associated With Disparities In Race, Ethnicity And Community And Facility Characteristics

Purpose: To investigate U.S. nursing homes associated COVID-19 cases in relation to county-level and nursing home facility characteristics. Study Motivation: As of July 2020, there were approximately 1.3 million people residing in 15,483 nursing homes in the United States. Nursing homes account for approximately 40% of COVID-19 deaths in the United States, and many individuals residing in nursing homes have underlying respiratory conditions, making them especially susceptible to increased severity and harm from the virus. Infection control deficiencies are the most common deficiency nursing homes receive with almost 40% of the nation's nursing homes having at least one infection control deficiency in 2017. Media reports indicate that nursing homes that have more staff shortages, and experience more survey deficiencies have a larger number of staff and residents who are positive for COVID-19

The Dispositions in Action of Lateral Entry and Traditionally Certified Elementary Teachers in North Carolina.

This case study examined the dispositions in action of alternatively certified (lateral entry) and traditionally certified elementary teachers in North Carolina and how those dispositions manifest in the classroom as revealed through teacher and administrator interviews, teacher card sorts, analysis of student products, and prolonged classroom observations. Dispositional manifestation was measured using the Dispositions in Action Instrument (Thornton, 2006) which addressed three domains of teaching: classroom management, instruction, and assessment. Research questions focused on the dispositions that both alternatively certified and traditionally certified teachers' possess, how those dispositions manifest themselves in the classroom, and the factors that seem to mediate the development of those dispositions. Lateral entry and traditionally licensed elementary teachers in North Carolina did display different dispositions in terms of classroom management, instruction, and assessment. In regard to management, lateral entry teachers showed a greater amount of empathy towards their students while traditionally licensed teachers focused primarily on established procedures and routines. However, both were effective classroom managers. In terms of instruction, lateral entry teachers displayed a technical disposition in action focusing on worksheets and textbooks. On the other hand, the traditionally licensed teachers displayed more responsive dispositions in action where differentiation and integration were evident in the teaching. However, one lateral entry teacher with a year of experience substitute teaching displayed dispositions in action similar to the traditionally licensed teachers and one traditionally licensed teacher who obtained her degree over twenty years ago did display technical dispositions in action. Student assessment was a common weakness for both groups of teachers. The factors that seemed to mediate the development of dispositions in action of the participants were the presence of a strong instructional leader, experience within an educational setting, ILT meetings, and a profound sense of empathy among those participants who had their own children

The association of structural and process factors with medication errors for residents entering a nursing home

Objective: The purpose of the study is to elucidate the relationships and inter- relatedness of specific structure, process, and outcome elements contributing to harmful medication errors for the vulnerable people who reside in nursing homes by exploring the inter-relationships between structure and process factors in relationship to medication errors and medication errors associated with harm. Methods: The Medication Error Quality Initiative-Individual Error (MEQI-IE) Data for North Carolina nursing homes for FY 2007 was used for analysis. A multivariable model was used which controlled for facility and resident characteristics, phases of the medication use process, reported causes of the error, primary type of error, personnel involved, and number of medications. Results: Ownership status does not directly impact the number of medication errors reported or a more harmful error being reported. Chain affiliation was found to interact with ownership status; a not-for-profit nursing home that is a member of a chain is predicted to have half the rate of medication errors that a for-profit nursing home that is not part of a chain has. Prescribing errors are associated with harm more often than administering errors during the medication use process; and a dose omission error is less likely to be associated with harm than a wrong dose error. Conclusions: Over two-thirds of the nursing homes reported a medication error during the first seven days of a resident's admission. Chain affiliation interacts with ownership status and is associated with a decrease in incidence rate of reported medication errors. Medication errors during the administration phase account for one third of the errors, but prescribing errors, which account for only 4.8% of all errors, are associated with more harmful events. Wrong dose errors are associated with harm twice as often as dose omissions even though dose omissions were reported in over one third of the errors. Almost one half of the wrong dose errors occurred during the documenting phase with 42.7% a recording issue. The processes surrounding and related to documentation and recording of the medication use process are critical to medication safety for residents during their first seven days of admission into the SNF

Effects of skilled nursing facility structure and process factors on medication errors during nursing home admission

Background: Older adults are at greatest risk of medication errors during the transition period of the first 7 days after admission and readmission to a skilled nursing facility (SNF).Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate structure- and process-related factors that contribute to medication errors and harm during transition periods at a SNF.Methodology/Approach: Data for medication errors and potential medication errors during the 7-day transition period for residents entering North Carolina SNFs were from the Medication Error Quality InitiativeVIndividual Error database from October 2006 to September 2007. The impact of SNF structure and process measures on the number of reported medication errors and harm from errors were examined using bivariate and multivariate model methods. Findings: A total of 138 SNFs reported 581 transition period medication errors; 73 (12.6%) caused harm. Chain affiliation was associated with a reduction in the volume of errors during the transition period. One third of all reported transition errors occurred during the medication administration phase of the medication use process, where dose omissions were the most common type of error; however, dose omissions caused harm less often than wrong-dose errors did. Prescribing errors were much less common than administration errors but were much more likely to cause harm. Practice Implications: Both structure and process measures of quality were related to the volume of medication errors