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Senior Recital, Melanie Aldhizer, oboe
No full textSenior RecitalMelanie Aldhizer, oboeKasey Watkins, pianoSaturday, November 15, 2025 at 12:30 p.m.Recital HallJames W. Black Music Center1015 Grove Avenue | Richmond, VirginiaThe presentation of this senior recital will fulfill in part the requirements for the Bachelor of Music degree in Performance. Melanie Aldhizer studies oboe with Alyssa McKeithen
Laser Ablation-Induced Corrosion Resistance for Molten Salt Equipment Materials Evaluated Utilizing Electrochemical and Spectroscopic Analysis
No full textAdvanced reactors and used nuclear fuel separation (i.e. pyroprocessing technology) utilize high temperature salt as a thermal storage medium as well as an ionic solution for electrochemical processes. The use of these aggressive molten chloride and fluoride mediums requires specific materials or additional system alterations to extend the lifetime and structural integrity of equipment due to corrosion. Some materials, in the presence of inherently impure salt, will corrode and form oxide films in a specific formation that decreases corrosion rate by electrochemically and physically preventing elemental movement to the material surface. This is referred to as a passivation layer. However, this naturally forming passivation layer tends toward two flaws: 1) a spatially incomplete layer with imperfections that are prone to localized pitting and 2) for aluminum oxide or alumina-forming alloys specifically, the initial layer made of metastable alumina phases at molten salt temperatures is prone to lower density and therefore shows a smaller change in corrosion mitigation as compared to denser phase layers. By facilitating the pre-passivation of both alumina-forming alloys and approved molten salt structural material, this work proves the marked decrease in molten salt corrosion through forced high-density oxide layering via the use of laser ablation. Laser-Induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has been simultaneously used as a method of metal ablation as well as an initial verification tool for the successful application of the aforementioned passivation layer. This change in corrosion mitigation has then been verified via electrochemical testing, to include corrosion rate calculation and impedance-based film analysis. Ultimately, a comparison of laser treatment options, LIBS spectra, and corrosion rate data is provided to verify this claim, with planned future work required to increase the treatment viability as well as potential use cases for related work
Implementation of quantized artificial neural networks with spintronic stochastic computing
No full textArtificial intelligence or machine learning is going through a rapid expansion. It also incurs significant costs for power and device footprints. Various approaches are being explored to design energy and hardware efficient machine learning models. Stochastic computing has been proposed for efficient machine learning implementation. It requires a source of random number generation which poses some practical challenges. So spintronic solutions such as magnetic tunnel junction has been used for random number generation. Again, spintronic random number generation to implement high precision circuit is prone to device-to-device variations. Hence we designed quantized artificial neural network with spintronic stochastic computing which is shown to retain accuracy with lower energy consumption and latency and also resilient to device to device variations.
While we applied this approach for simple one hidden layer and three hidden layer architectures of deep neural networks, it can be extended to convolutional neural network which would enable it to be applicable for more complex image dataset.
Another perspective of spintronic application is spatiotemporal data classification with reservoir computing. Spatiotemporal data has a time dimension along with spatial dimension. A concurrent approach for spatiotemporal data analysis is convolutional neural network with long short term memory (CNN-LSTM). Spintronic systems have inherent memory property which allows to do memory based computations under certain limitations which can significantly improve energy efficiency for edge applications.
Overall, thesis Master’s thesis covers spintronic quantized neural network for spatial data classification and explores spintronic reservoir based model for spatiotemporal data classification
A Machine Learning and Radiomics-Based Framework for Predicting Cardiovascular Toxicity in Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy: Identifying High-Risk Individuals.
No full textThe advancement in cancer survivorship faces a potential setback as cardiovascular complications emerge as a prominent cause of non-cancer-related mortality among survivors. Anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity (AIC), one such complication, is related to structural and functional changes in the heart, including damage to cardiomyocytes, nonfocal fibrosis, and is reported to affect up to 34% of anthracycline-treated cancer survivors. Monitoring AIC through repeated LVEF assessment detects meaningful dysfunction only after significant myocardial injury has already occurred. It has been postulated that the harm caused by anthracyclines may outweigh the benefits in some patients, necessitating methods to identify those at higher risk of adverse cardiovascular outcomes who might benefit from early cardioprotective interventions. Prior efforts incorporating pretreatment clinical variables (e.g., baseline LVEF, BMI, hypertension, age) have shown limited predictive value.
This dissertation investigates myocardial tissue architecture as a source of preclinical biomarkers for AIC. Specifically, we explore radiomic texture features (RTFs) extracted from cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) T1 mapping to improve risk prediction. First, we assess the reliability of RTFs under varying imaging and preprocessing conditions, identifying features robust to pipeline variation. We develop a deep learning–based LV myocardium segmentation model to reduce operator variability and improve feature extraction efficiency, and integrate robust RTFs with clinical variables to build machine-learning models for pretreatment AIC risk prediction.
Together, these studies establish a framework for robust radiomics-based risk stratification in patients treated with anthracyclines. By enabling early identification of individuals at elevated CV risk, this work supports more personalized cancer treatment planning, targeted surveillance, and timely cardioprotective intervention, ultimately promoting safer chemotherapy delivery and improved long-term survivorship
The Use of the Sway Application to Measure Postural Control in Children with Developmental Motor Coordination Challenges
No full textThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of a novel technological measure of postural control in children with developmental motor coordination challenges (DMCC). Traditional methods used in occupational therapy to assess postural control often lack objectivity, rigor, specificity, and sensitivity. This study examined the test-retest reliability and discriminative ability of the Sway application in a group of children with DMCC and a typically developing (TD) control group. The study was conducted in a pediatric therapy clinic in Los Angeles using a non-experimental, cross-sectional design. Participants (N = 29; DMCC = 16; TD = 13; ages 5-9 years; 14 males, 15 females) were assigned to groups based on subtests from the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency–Second Edition. Postural sway was measured using the mobile phone integrated Sway application. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were used to estimate reliability, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) tested group differences. Results indicated moderate test-retest reliability for the Sway application across combined and separate analyses. Significant group differences supported the discriminative validity of this measure. While moderate reliability limits its use for individual diagnostic decisions, findings align with prior evidence of poorer postural performance in children with DMCC compared to TD peers. This study contributes to occupational therapy by emphasizing the value of objective measurement of postural control among the pediatric population, and introduces a technologically-based assessment tool for quantifying postural control in children. The Sway application offers a cost-effective and accessible adjunct tool for identifying group differences and monitoring general performance trends in children with DMCC
Why People Stay: Factors Contributing to Staff Retention in Community Mental Health Clinics
No full textThe current behavioral health crisis is exacerbated by a crisis in the behavioral health workforce. Recruiting and retaining workers in behavioral health has become a challenge, making access to services for those needing them even more difficult. This study aimed to examine which factors have the strongest influence on an employee’s work engagement and decision to remain employed at their current organization. This study used Aarons et al.’s multilevel, multiphase implementation model (2011), with a focus on inner contextual factors as a means to help inform potential interventions to address the factors and improve retention. This study also applied the Me-We-Us framework identified by Jarden and Jarden (2016), as the model represents an alternative way to organize the variables associated with turnover and retention while offering simpler language to discuss the ideas with community partners. Participants from two community mental health agencies that serve the Southwestern region of Virginia (Agency 1:n=426; Agency 2: n=247) completed a survey that contained 107 questions compiled from seven individual measures with established and supportive psychometric data. Regression analyses to test models predicting (a) intent to stay and (b) work engagement were conducted in a stepwise manner with the following variables: Step 1 (Me variables):(a) Work meaning (WAMI); Step 2 (We variables): (b) Psychological safety, and (c) Job embeddedness (On-Job Fit, Link, Sacrifice), and Step 3 (Us variables): (d) Organizational culture (Role Clarity, Role Conflict, Job Importance, Job Autonomy, Job Challenge, Job Innovation, Workplace Justice, Workplace Support), and (e) Organizational culture. Analyses were conducted separately for the two agencies. As a result, a total of four regression models were tested. Results revealed that for the staying employed variable, the We variables contributed the most variance for both agencies. However, for the level of work engagement, the Me variables were most potent. Overall, Us variables contributed a significant, though lower, variance to all four models
Advancing Rare-Earth-Free Permanent Magnets & Energy Efficient Switching
No full textMagnetic materials face two critical challenges that limit the scalability of modern energy and information technologies: supply-chain vulnerabilities associated with rare-earth permanent magnets, and excessive energy consumption in current-driven spintronic switching. While rare-earth-based magnets achieve energy products of 30–50 MGOe, global dependence on limited sources motivates the development of earth-abundant alternatives. Simultaneously, conventional spin-orbit-torque and spin-transfer-torque switching mechanisms consume orders of magnitude more energy than CMOS transistors, necessitating new low-power switching paradigms. This thesis addresses these challenges through micromagnetic simulation-based investigations of rare-earth-free permanent magnets and energy-efficient magnetic switching mechanisms. Using MuMax3, optimized ferromagnetic nanostrip arrays exploiting shape anisotropy are shown to achieve energy products of approximately 12 MGOe using earth-abundant FeCo-like compositions, corresponding to ~35–40% of rare-earth magnet performance. The results establish a fundamental upper limit imposed by dipole–dipole interactions, while proposed extensions incorporating exchange bias, defect pinning, and interface roughness optimization are expected to enhance energy products through cooperative multi-mechanism anisotropy. For energy-efficient switching, this work investigates hybrid surface acoustic wave (SAW) and spin-orbit torque (SOT) driven magnetization reversal in nanoscale magnetic elements. SAW-induced strain dynamically modulates magnetic anisotropy, creating temporal windows in which weak SOT enables deterministic switching with substantially reduced current density. Simulations demonstrate current reduction from ~3 × 10¹² A/m² to ~0.5 × 10¹² A/m² with sub-1.5 ns switching times. Additionally, a previously unexplored regime involving velocity mismatch between SAWs and spin waves is identified, leading to shock-like interactions that may enable ultrafast switching and controlled spin-wave generation for magnonic applications
Identity Formation of a Pre-Service Art Educator: An Arts-Based Approach to Data Visualization as a Means of Understanding Personal Experience
No full textThis research centers on the emotional experience of the author as a pre-service art educator during her student teaching semester. The research utilized art-based data collection methods and analyzed both written and visual reflections over an eight-week period of teaching art at the elementary school level. The culmination of findings is synthesized in the form of a body of four visual artworks, where each work reflects the data collected over a consecutive period of two weeks. The study investigated the causation and ramifications of certain emotions during a transitional time wherein the author existed in a liminal space between student and professional educator. This study contributes to existing scholarship on preservice art teachers’ identity formation and growth by offering insights into the use of data visualization to capture and examine the complexity of emotions
Girl Scouts, Citizenship in Action Around the World
No full textA photographic print of five individuals standing indoors looking at a tall structure of two columns with a banner which reads Citizenship in Action Around the World. A Girl Scout uniform, beret, and bag are pinned to the bottom of the columns. A plaque next to the uniform reads Girl Scouting an American Institution. Three of the individuals are young Girl Scouts in uniform, and the two others are adults in day clothes. All individuals appear to be Black. Mrs. Ann Abraham Mrs. Mary V. Bingo Senior Scout Lillian Turner Intermediate Joan Howell Brownie Emma Lee handwritten on back. Dementi Studio 219 E. Grace St. Richmond 19, Virginia. stamped on back.https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/girl_scouts/1456/thumbnail.jp
ASSESSING ELECTRONIC NICOTINE DELIVERY SYSTEM ABUSE LIABILITY AMONG PEOPLE WHO SMOKE CIGARETTES: IMPACT OF DEVICE CHARACTERISTICS, NICOTINE FLUX, AND FLAVOR
Get PDFThis clinical laboratory study utilizes subjective and behavioral economic measures to assess the abuse liability of own-brand cigarettes and six currently authorized ENDS products, examining how device characteristics, nicotine flux, and liquid flavor influence outcomes among adults who smoke cigarettes. Using a Latin-square-ordered, within-subject design, adults who smoke cigarettes (N = 30; N = 20 preferred menthol cigarettes) attended four clinical sessions: one to evaluate their own-brand cigarette and three to assess six NJOY ENDS products: 2.4% nicotine pods (~58 µg/s; tobacco and menthol flavor), 6% nicotine disposable products (~61-65 µg/s; tobacco and menthol flavor), and 5% nicotine pods (~118-123 µg/s; tobacco and menthol flavor). Outcomes included subjective effects measuring nicotine abstinence symptom suppression and acceptability and behavioral economic indices (e.g., price sensitivity, breakpoint, demand intensity, Omax, Pmax, and cross-price elasticity). Mixed ANOVAs were used to explore the impact of two within-subjects factors (nicotine flux, flavor) and one between-subjects factor (own-brand menthol cigarette status; yes vs. no). Findings revealed mixed effects of nicotine flux on nicotine abstinence symptom suppression and support for an interaction of ENDS flavor effects and menthol cigarette smoking status. Greater nicotine abstinence symptom suppression was observed when individuals used ENDS products that contrasted with their own brand cigarette menthol flavoring. For acceptability-related items, menthol-flavored ENDS were rated more positively in terms of taste, satisfaction, and cooling sensation. However, some of these effects also varied by menthol cigarette smoking status. The demand intensity and Omax behavioral economic task outcomes indicated that menthol-flavored ENDS were more preferred. For price sensitivity, a different pattern of results was observed; participants who smoked menthol cigarettes exhibited lower price sensitivity across ENDS conditions compared to those who smoked non-menthol cigarettes. In contrast, participants who smoked non-menthol cigarettes were less sensitive to price in tobacco-flavored conditions compared to menthol-flavored conditions. Results from the CP-DPT revealed most ENDS conditions substituted for OB cigarettes, with the 5% nicotine pod-based menthol-flavored product showing the strongest substitution. All ENDS served as substitutes among those who smoke menthol cigarettes, but substitution was more selective among those who smoked non-menthol cigarettes. Taken together, findings support that menthol flavoring can increase some ENDS abuse liability outcomes across nicotine flux and device type, but many of these effects were influenced by menthol cigarette smoking status. Regulatory policies aiming to reduce ENDS dependence while supporting harm reduction should account for these group differences