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All ETDs from UAB

Theses/Dissertations

2018

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Elevated Blood Lead Levels, Cancer Incidence, And All-Cause Mortality In Adults, Sherri L. Davidson Jan 2018

Elevated Blood Lead Levels, Cancer Incidence, And All-Cause Mortality In Adults, Sherri L. Davidson

All ETDs from UAB

Epidemiologic studies have indicated an association between lead exposure and cancer. Although lead exposure has declined in recent decades, from removal of lead in gasoline and paint, lead exposure remains a health concern from environmental and occupational sources including aging water systems. In a retrospective cohort study, Adult Blood Lead Epidemiology and Surveillance (ABLES) records in Alabama were linked to cancer incidence data in the Alabama Statewide Cancer Registry and mortality data from the Alabama Center for Health Statistics, using a probabilistic linkage program. Blood lead level (BLL) measurements were used to categorize exposure levels. Odds ratios approximated relative risks. …

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Towards A Holistic Framework For Secure, Privacy-Aware, And Trustworthy Internet Of Things Using Resource-Efficient Cryptographic Schemes, Md Mahmud Hossain Jan 2018

Towards A Holistic Framework For Secure, Privacy-Aware, And Trustworthy Internet Of Things Using Resource-Efficient Cryptographic Schemes, Md Mahmud Hossain

All ETDs from UAB

The increased deployment of Internet of Things (IoT) based systems make smart devices target for malicious attacks. These devices can also be used as tools for committing crimes, such as cyber espionage and user-targeted attacks. However, IoT devices cannot adopt the conventional security protocols as is to defend against malicious activities. The existing security schemes are primarily designed for resource-rich computing devices, such as personal computers, laptops, and smartphones, while IoT devices are resource-constrained and operate in low power and lossy networks. Additionally, traditional digital forensics tools and techniques are not suitable to investigate cybercrime in IoT. These tools and …

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Design And Development Of An Affordable Telemetry System For Navigation Of Autonomous Vehicle, An Liu Jan 2018

Design And Development Of An Affordable Telemetry System For Navigation Of Autonomous Vehicle, An Liu

All ETDs from UAB

Nearly 1.3 million people die in road crashes each year, which is on average 3,287 deaths a day. An addition to the death toll, another 20-50 million are injured or disabled [1]. These are the huge deal of damage to the human’s body. Therefore, in this thesis, we implement autonomous navigation and find the safe path for travel, in which the vehicle can find the most feasible path and drive along this path independently. In order to gain insight and have an opportunity to investigate further on autonomous vehicles field, we define the aim of this project to design, develop, …

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The Impact Of Hospital Change Of Ownership On Hospital Quality Of Care As Evidenced By Patient Satisfaction Scores And Readmission Rates, Ian Edward Mcfadden Jan 2018

The Impact Of Hospital Change Of Ownership On Hospital Quality Of Care As Evidenced By Patient Satisfaction Scores And Readmission Rates, Ian Edward Mcfadden

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THE IMPACT OF HOSPITAL CHANGE OF OWNERSHIP ON HOSPITAL QUALITY OF CARE AS EVIDENCED BY PATIENT SATISFACTION SCORES AND READMISSION RATES IAN E. MCFADDEN DOCTOR OF SCIENCE IN ADMINISTRATION-HEALTH SERVICES ABSTRACT Much of the literature on current hospital consolidation activity reveals that hospitals and health systems are experiencing an inordinate amount of increased merger and acquisition activity due to the impact of healthcare reform legislation. The implementation of the Affordable Care Act of 2010 resulted in many hospital and health system providers seeking consolidation as a means to enhance resources and capital. These efforts have resulted in many hospitals changing …

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Gender Differences In The Metabolism And Antidepressant Effects Of Ketamine, Emily Hugo Jan 2018

Gender Differences In The Metabolism And Antidepressant Effects Of Ketamine, Emily Hugo

All ETDs from UAB

Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic that interacts with the glutamatergic system, acting as an N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist. At higher doses, ketamine produces negative psychotomimetic side effects, including hallucinations and delirium, leading to its abuse in the 1980s and 90s. Recently, it has been determined that at sub-anesthetic doses, it is a fast-acting antidepressant. Because ketamine elicits fast and long-lasting antidepressant responses in patients, it is being studied as a possible treatment option for those with major depressive disorder and treatment-resistant depression. Further, studies have shown that men and women respond to ketamine treatments differently, especially in long-term treatment, suggesting …

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Relationship Of Body Composition With Muscle Performance In Older Adults, Bethany Ann Moore Jan 2018

Relationship Of Body Composition With Muscle Performance In Older Adults, Bethany Ann Moore

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Background and Purpose: There is a well-established association between loss of muscle mass and decline in muscle strength and neuromuscular performance in older adults. However, fat mass may diminish the effect of muscle mass on functional performance in older adults. The relationships between percent total body fat, muscle strength, and neuromuscular performance in older adults is unknown. The purpose of this study is to assess the independent relationships between percent total body fat, muscle strength, and neuromuscular performance in older adults. Methods: Dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) was used to measure fat mass and leg lean mass in 60 older adults …

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Nf-Κb And Methyl-Lysine Signaling In The Epigenetic Regulation Of Memory, William Mitchell Webb Jan 2018

Nf-Κb And Methyl-Lysine Signaling In The Epigenetic Regulation Of Memory, William Mitchell Webb

All ETDs from UAB

Epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation and histone methylation are critical regulators of gene transcription during memory consolidation and retrieval. However, the means by which these mechanisms are themselves initiated and directed to specific gene regions, and the extent to which these marks coordinate control of gene expression, remain poorly understood. In this dissertation, we explore the role of methyl-lysine signaling in the epigenetic regulation of gene expression in two contexts. First, we investigated the role of histone H3 lysine 4 tri-methylation (H3K4me3) and DNA 5-hydroxymethylation (5hmC) during memory retrieval, finding that these marks increased globally and at CpG-enriched coding …

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Hippocampal Ca1 Dentation And Its Relationship With Episodic Memory In Healthy Children, Julia Beattie Jan 2018

Hippocampal Ca1 Dentation And Its Relationship With Episodic Memory In Healthy Children, Julia Beattie

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Hippocampal dentation is a morphological feature present on the inferior surface of the human hippocampus, most clearly visible in the sagittal view in structural neuroimaging. This dissertation examines the development of hippocampal dentation during childhood and adolescence, as well as its functional relationship with episodic memory performance. Our previous work in examining hippocampal dentation in healthy adults represented the first systematic description as well as the first indication of functional significance of this feature (i.e., both verbal and visual memory performance). In this new series of studies, two large, NIH-funded databases were utilized to examine this feature in samples of …

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Diet, Physical Activity, And Healthy Aging In People Living With Hiv, Josh Newson Muhammad Jan 2018

Diet, Physical Activity, And Healthy Aging In People Living With Hiv, Josh Newson Muhammad

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As life expectancy for people living with HIV (PLWH) has increased, healthy aging in this community has become an emerging public health concern. Although the benefits of adopting healthy diets and regular physical activity are well-documented, implementing strategies for lifestyle modifications among older PLWH remains a challenge. The complex milieu of social, physiological and economic burdens encountered by PLWH exposes this population to increased risk for adverse health outcomes, especially from preventable metabolic diseases. The interaction of diet, physical activity and social determinants of health in persons who are HIV positive is an understudied area. The aim of this dissertation …

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Culture And Patient Safety Outcomes: Examining The Impact Of The Departmental Work Environment On Outcomes, Dawn Ahner Jan 2018

Culture And Patient Safety Outcomes: Examining The Impact Of The Departmental Work Environment On Outcomes, Dawn Ahner

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This study examined the relationship between the departmental work environment and patient safety outcomes to determine if there were particular subcomponents of a department’s work environment that had a more significant impact on patient safety outcomes. The work environment was defined as the culture of an individual nursing department which consisted of the employee’s perception of engagement and patient safety culture. The research was informed by the commitment-based theory. Based on this theory, it was predicted that a team-based approach in the work environment would lead to a learning and positive environment, which would be positively associated with quality of …

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Preliminary Thermal And Stress Analysis Of An Electrical Connection Acting As A Thermal Dam On A Nitinol Wire, Lloyd D. Balfour Jr Jan 2018

Preliminary Thermal And Stress Analysis Of An Electrical Connection Acting As A Thermal Dam On A Nitinol Wire, Lloyd D. Balfour Jr

All ETDs from UAB

The type of actuator studied in this paper is a joule heated shape memory alloy (SMA) thermal actuator. The electrical connections of the actuator electrically partition the SMA in a binary fashion with the section either fully actuated or not. This method creates a digital actuator rather than an analog actuator. Heat from an energized partitioned section will conduct to adjacent partition sections which may partially activate the adjacent partitioned sections. The connections will act as heat sinks to mitigate this effect. The thermal SMA actuator is referred to as a Diginol actuator. This paper includes the thermal analysis of …

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The Mechanism Of Tgf-Β Function In Development Of The Axial Skeleton, Ga I Ban Jan 2018

The Mechanism Of Tgf-Β Function In Development Of The Axial Skeleton, Ga I Ban

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THE MECHANISM OF TGF-β FUNCTION IN DEVELOPMENT OF THE AXIAL SKELETON GA I BAN CELL, MOLECULAR DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY ABSTRACT Back pain is caused by degeneration of intervertebral discs (IVD). IVD consists of two compartments: the annulus fibrosus (AF) and the nucleus pulposus (NP). One strategy for treatment of IVD degeneration is stem cell therapy, which would require an in-depth knowledge of how the IVD develops. Currently, the molecular mechanism of IVD development are not well defined. AF and vertebral bodies (VB) are derived from the same embryonic progenitor, sclerotome. Specification of sclerotome is determined by complex interactions among various growth …

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Photographs Of The Children’S March And Their Afterlives, Carmen Gonzalez Fraile Jan 2018

Photographs Of The Children’S March And Their Afterlives, Carmen Gonzalez Fraile

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ABSTRACT This thesis examines the photographs taken during “The Children´s March” on May 3, 1963 in Birmingham, Alabama. These images of dog attacks and people being sprayed down by water hoses are considered some of the most representative images of the Civil Rights struggle. They were published in national newspapers and magazines and made visible the social injustice suffered by African Americans in Birmingham. Civil Rights photographs have engendered different readings and interpretations over time, and their presence in American history has been a constant from the 1960s up to the present. This thesis analyzes the roles Civil Rights photographs …

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Optical Mapping Of Cardiac Electromechanics, Hanyu Zhang Jan 2018

Optical Mapping Of Cardiac Electromechanics, Hanyu Zhang

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Sudden cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death in the world. One of the common causes of sudden cardiac arrest is acute regional ischemia due to coronary occlusion. However, the mechanism of arrhythmia onset in this setting is still unclear. Previous stud-ies suggest that abnormal mechanical stretch during acute regional ischemia may play a role in initiating arrhythmia through triggering ectopic electrical activation. Optical map-ping has been widely used in cardiac electrophysiological research in the past decades. Compared with conventional electrical mapping techniques, optical mapping offers a number of advantages. But a major limitation of optical mapping is that …

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Genetic Influences On Rheumatoid Arthritis In Global Populations, Vincent Albert Laufer Jan 2018

Genetic Influences On Rheumatoid Arthritis In Global Populations, Vincent Albert Laufer

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Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a complex disease having numerous genetic and environmental risk factors the interplay of which produces RA pathobiology. While the sheer number of genetic and environmental risk factors complicates understanding of disease biology, understanding has progressed far enough for insight into the most likely mechanisms for the development of the disease. Modern studies of the genetics of RA are massively parallel, enabling researchers to systematically interrogate variants throughout the human genome for associations in genome-wide association studies or GWAS. Such studies have been carried out in European and Asian cohorts many times, and the most recent RA …

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Synaptic Mechanisms Underlying The Integration Of Adult-Generated Neurons In The Dentate Gyrus, Ryan Vaden Jan 2018

Synaptic Mechanisms Underlying The Integration Of Adult-Generated Neurons In The Dentate Gyrus, Ryan Vaden

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The dentate gyrus is a region in the adult brain where new neurons continue to be generated throughout life. While most adult-generated neurons undergo apoptosis within the first few weeks of maturation, a fraction survives and integrates into the existing circuit. It is well established that γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor-mediated mechanisms contribute to the activity-dependent regulation of adult-neurogenesis. GABAergic interneurons regulate stem cell quiescence, progenitor proliferation, and the synaptic integration of newborn neurons, however the synaptic interactions underlying integration are not fully understood. Furthermore, the impact of adult-generated neurons integrating into the existing circuit is not completely known. The collective …

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Efficiency Of Structurally Integrated Surface Articulation (Sisa) Panels For Structural Engineering Applications, Feyza Nur Yildirim Jan 2018

Efficiency Of Structurally Integrated Surface Articulation (Sisa) Panels For Structural Engineering Applications, Feyza Nur Yildirim

All ETDs from UAB

The objective of this project is to investigate the efficiency of a newly developed structurally integrated surface articulation (SISA) building system for encapsulating an extensive range of specific and multi-purpose functions such as exterior panels for buildings and solar panels for structural engineering applications. SISA is a modular system, consisting of a 3-space, dynamically configured, geometrically need renewal surface panels that are internally supported by a "wire-frame" space frame structure. The appropriate articulations to these different methods will vary from one element to another. Surface articulation development is an efficiently developing issue, especially in continuing research on new generational frame …

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Securing Authentication And Communications Amidst Humans-In-The-Loop, Maliheh Shirvanian Jan 2018

Securing Authentication And Communications Amidst Humans-In-The-Loop, Maliheh Shirvanian

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Authentication is one of the most crucial security aspects of almost any system that demands interaction between humans and machines, often serving as the pre-requisite for secure communications. Besides, authentication usually involves a human user in the loop (i.e., as a verifier, a verifiee, or a facilitator), which implies the significance of the usability of any authentication scheme. Numerous authentication schemes exist today, namely, “something you know” (e.g., passwords), “something you are” (e.g., voices), “something you have” (e.g., mobile phones), and combinations thereof. However, most of them suffer from various well-documented security and usability issues. In this dissertation work, we …

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The Habitual Offenders, Beth Storr Jan 2018

The Habitual Offenders, Beth Storr

All ETDs from UAB

The Habitual Offenders is a work of literary journalism, written as a piece of first-person creative nonfiction. The collection of chapters explores a specific class of prison inmates in Alabama, sentenced to life without parole under a three strikes law. Major themes include fairness and disparity in the criminal justice system, politics, race and the community fallout from mass incarceration. This work reflects writing traditions from both investigative/narrative journalism and personal memoir.

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Pharmacological Inhibition Of Thioredoxin-Interacting Protein To Protect Against Diabetes, Lance Thielen Jan 2018

Pharmacological Inhibition Of Thioredoxin-Interacting Protein To Protect Against Diabetes, Lance Thielen

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The loss of functional beta cell mass represents a major factor in the pathogenesis of type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Inadequate production of insulin, a glucose-lowering hormone, and elevated glucagon production, a gluconeogenic hormone, contribute to impaired glycemic control and hyperglycemia. This promotes a vicious cycle involving glucotoxicity and additional beta cell dysfunction. Currently there are no therapies that halt this process; however, thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP) has recently emerged as a promising therapeutic target. TXNIP was found to be the top glucose-induced gene in a human pancreatic islet microarray, is increased in mouse models of diabetes and diabetic human …

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Analysis Of The Gtp Cyclohydrolase I/Tetrahydrobiopterin Pathway In Glioblastoma Biology, Anh Tran Jan 2018

Analysis Of The Gtp Cyclohydrolase I/Tetrahydrobiopterin Pathway In Glioblastoma Biology, Anh Tran

All ETDs from UAB

Glioblastomas (GBMs) are the most common primary malignant brain tumors in adults and one of the most aggressive cancers with high rates of recurrence and therapeutic resistance. In GBMs, subpopulations of highly tumorigenic cells called brain tumor initiating cells (BTICs) have the unique capacity to promote tumor maintenance, therapeutic resistance, and angiogenesis. Depending on the level, differentiation state, and tumor stage, reactive nitrogen and oxygen species inhibit or increase cancer growth and BTIC maintenance. GTP cyclohydrolase 1 (GCH1) is the rate limiting enzyme in a pathway that can regulate reactive species production but has not been thoroughly investigated in GBM. …

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How School District Secession Impacts The District Left Behind, Christopher Tyler Burks Jan 2018

How School District Secession Impacts The District Left Behind, Christopher Tyler Burks

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This is the first national analysis of school district secessions that predicts which kind of school districts are likely to have a secession attempt and measures the impact of secession on the per-pupil revenue of the district left behind. Data on school district secessions was limited prior to EdBuild’s 2017 report, Fractured. This thesis combines data from the National Center for Education Statistics with EdBuild’s data on secessions. Using a linear probability model, I find that larger districts in urban areas with more disadvantaged students receiving free and reduced-price lunch are more likely to experience a secession attempt. I then …

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Immunosuppression And Risk Prediction Of Sepsis Following Solid Organ Transplantation, John Patrick Donnelly Jan 2018

Immunosuppression And Risk Prediction Of Sepsis Following Solid Organ Transplantation, John Patrick Donnelly

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Solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients typically need immunosuppressive therapy (IST) to protect graft function and regimens may include an induction agent (e.g., anti-thymocyte globulin [ATG] or alemtuzumab) with maintenance medications (e.g., tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil [MMF], mycophenolic acid [MPA], or azathioprine [AZA]). Sepsis, or organ dysfunction resulting from a dysregulated host response to infection, is a common complication among SOT recipients. Using national data from the United States Renal Data System (USRDS), we sought to determine the associations of IST regimens and maintenance medication exposure with sepsis risks and outcomes among kidney transplant recipients (KTRs). Using USRDS and single center data, …

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Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy To Improve Gait And Mobility Of People With Chronic Stroke: A Mixed Methods Study, Sarah Monteiro Dos Anjos Jan 2018

Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy To Improve Gait And Mobility Of People With Chronic Stroke: A Mixed Methods Study, Sarah Monteiro Dos Anjos

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Walking impairment after stroke impacts on participation and quality of life. Different techniques have been developed in the last decades to overcome walking difficulties after stroke, however, few have been shown to be efficacious. Constraint-induced Movement Therapy (CIMT) is a family of techniques that has been reported as one the most effective intervention for improving functional use and motor skills of a more-affected upper extremity (UE). The intervention protocol includes: 1) intensive supervised training; 2) use of shaping as a strategy for the motor training, 3) a group of behavioral strategies called the transfer package, and 4) procedures to increase …

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Examination Of The Dynamic Assembly Mechanism Of E. Coli Clpa, Elizabeth C. Duran Jan 2018

Examination Of The Dynamic Assembly Mechanism Of E. Coli Clpa, Elizabeth C. Duran

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E. coli ClpA is an AAA+ (ATPase Associated with diverse cellular Activities) chaperone that catalyzes the ATP-dependent unfolding and translocation of substrate proteins targeted for degradation into a protease, ClpP. ClpA, like many other AAA+ proteins, assembles into a hexameric ring competent for binding polypeptide substrate clients in the presence of ATP. Each ClpA protomer contains two nucleotide binding domains, NBD1 and NBD2. Recently, our lab applied hydrodynamic techniques to quantify the self-assembly mechanism of a closely related AAA+ chaperone, E. coli ClpB. Here we apply the techniques and analysis from that work to investigate the nucleotide-linked self-assembly mechanism of …

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Comparison And Spectral Theory For Ordinary Differential Equations With Distributional Coefficients, Ahmed Ghatasheh Jan 2018

Comparison And Spectral Theory For Ordinary Differential Equations With Distributional Coefficients, Ahmed Ghatasheh

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In this dissertation we cover two main topics in Sturm-Liouville theory, namely comparison theory and spectral theory. First we give a brief introduction to the classical Sturm-Liouville equations, the development of comparison theorems, and the classical first order system of differential equations. Second we provide a flexible comparison theorem for two Sturm-Liouville equations with distributional coefficients, and we provide some applications of our result. Finally, we investigate spectral theory of first order system of differential equations whose coefficients are distributions of order zero. We define maximal and minimal relations and classify boundary conditions that produce self-adjoint restrictions of the maximal …

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African American Caregivers’ Decision To Use Hospice Services For A Loved One: A Grounded Theory Study, Paula M. Gordon Jan 2018

African American Caregivers’ Decision To Use Hospice Services For A Loved One: A Grounded Theory Study, Paula M. Gordon

All ETDs from UAB

This qualitative grounded theory study explored the process of decision making for African American family caregivers in the southeastern United States, as they make hospice decisions for their loved ones, Although hospice use in the United States has grown over the last decade, a disparity continues to exist between African American and Caucasian populations. African Americans represent a small percentage of hospice users in the United States, despite research that has found that patients who use hospice experience improved symptom control, fewer unmet needs, and better end of life care. Research has identified many reasons for this disparity; however, little …

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Interactions Between Posture And Locomotion In Nonimpaired And Poststroke Walking, Sarah Anne Graham Jan 2018

Interactions Between Posture And Locomotion In Nonimpaired And Poststroke Walking, Sarah Anne Graham

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Background: Inappropriate paretic-limb force generation is a hallmark of impaired walking function poststroke. In addition to weakness, the paretic limb misdirects foot forces during stance, which may be due to inappropriate postural influence over weakened locomotor control. Purpose: Investigate neural control interactions between posture and locomotor functions by manipulating postural influence during walking of nonimpaired and individuals poststroke. I present four studies investigating measures associated with locomotor function and foot-force direction under varying postural demands during walking. Methods: Study 1 compared comfortable walking speed (CWS) outcomes following two body-weight-support (BWS) training protocols for N=29 participants with chronic (≥5 months) poststroke …

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Improving The Quality Of Public Service In Developing World: A Case Study Of Governmental Organizations In Herat City, Afghanistan, Firooz Jahani Jan 2018

Improving The Quality Of Public Service In Developing World: A Case Study Of Governmental Organizations In Herat City, Afghanistan, Firooz Jahani

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Since the Taliban collapse in 2001, Afghanistan has made progress in providing public services to its citizens. The quantity of public services provided by governmental agencies has increased but whether the quality of these services has increased remains a question. The purpose of this thesis is to study the quality of public services delivered by governmental agencies in Herat City, Afghanistan. A modified Gap Model of Service Quality (SERVQUAL) Scale was used in this study to assess the citizens’ perceptions and expectations of public services. A survey was administered to a sample of 2,565 citizens receiving services from 57 governmental …

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Edge-Wave Formation During Multi-Stand Tube Mill Operation, Daniel Lerew Jan 2018

Edge-Wave Formation During Multi-Stand Tube Mill Operation, Daniel Lerew

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Cold-Formed (CF), High-Frequency (HF), Electric-Resistance-Welded (ERW) tubing is manufactured using a continuous roll forming process where a flat steel strip is progressively formed into a round which is then passed through an induction coil to be heated prior to having the heated edges forged to make a weld. A somewhat common issue, particularly as the thickness decreases and outside dimension increases, is an elastic edge wave that ultimately sets into a plastically deformed strip edge that cannot be successfully joined into a welded tube. Many variables can cause or exacerbate this effect including strip not centered in the mill, significant …

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