Digital Commons Network^™

The Requirement Of Transcriptional Lim Complex Co-Regulators For Pancreatic Endocrine Cell Development And Function, Eliana Davi Toren

All ETDs from UAB

The prevalence and tremendous impact of diabetes mellitus has made glucose regulation of the insulin-producing -cell and surrounding pancreatic islet of Langerhans a center of public and research interests alike. A comprehensive understanding of these hormone-producing cells begins with their developmental origins. What are the genetic cues and participants in the tightly orchestrated process of their formation? Investigating the earliest determinants of islet-cell fate not only allows us to deeply understand mature - and islet-cell function, but also produces a data-driven template for how these cells can be reproduced in future stem-cell based diabetes therapies. LIM transcriptional complexes are indispensable …

Superhero Media And Risk-Taking: Is Superhero Play A Risk Factor For Unintentional Injury In Preschool-Aged Children?, Casie H. Morgan

All ETDs from UAB

The preschool years represent a time of rapid human development, hallmarked by exploring one’s environment through gross and fine motor movement, touching and tasting physical objects, and imaginative pretend play. This exploration is developmentally appropriate, but also presents risks. Unintentional injury is the leading cause of death for preschool-aged children, and common injuries reflect exploration and risk-taking exhibited during play. Pretend play may be particularly risky if children imitate risky models like superheroes. Superhero media is extremely popular among young children, leading many children to identify closely with superheroes. Frequent exposure and subsequent identification with superheroes is concerning because media …

Molecular Imaging Of Cancer For Detection And Monitoring Of Response To Combination Therapy, Tiara S. Napier

All ETDs from UAB

Imaging is a primary component of cancer care and aids in diagnosing, response assessment, and monitoring. Molecular imaging techniques provide visualization of unique tumor biology that can be used to personalize treatment. Key features of an effective biomarker are sensitivity, specificity, and ability to provide clinical value beyond that of other types of information already available at the time of diagnosis. For particularly heterogeneous cancer subtypes, such as glioblastoma (GBM) and triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), reliable biomarkers can be challenging to identify and there are few tar-getable receptors for therapy. Our findings demonstrate that quantifying tumor EGFR (panitumumab-IRDye800CW), granzyme …

A Case Study Of Classroom Practices For Additional Strategies In First Grade, Lori Stclair Rhodes

All ETDs from UAB

This study addresses first graders’ conceptual knowledge exhibited in addition strategies in relation to instructional practices and teachers’ beliefs in a suburban Alabama school. To address the purpose of the study, the central question was “What is the nature of the relationship between curricular practices and beliefs and students’ advanced strategy use for addition in first grade?” The study employs a case study design to obtain a deeper and more comprehensive view of students’ conceptual understanding exhibited in advanced addition strategies in the context of the first-grade classroom. Student addition strategies were compared to instructional practices and teachers’ beliefs to …

Evaluating The Association Among Demographic, Disease, And Symptom Profiles And Quality Of Life In Connective Tissue Disease-Related Interstitial Disease, Lanier O'Hare

All ETDs from UAB

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Connective tissue disease-related interstitial lung disease (CTD-ILD) results in an unrelenting symptom burden and may progress to death. The morbidity and mortality associated with CTD-ILD likely has a profound impact on individuals’ quality of life (QOL). Quality of life is a phenomenon that has yet to be sufficiently described in the literature on CTD-ILD. The factors associated with QOL in other chronic lung diseases have been described, but because of the different clinical and demographic characteristics of CTD-ILD, it is unknown if these same factors are associated with QOL in CTD-ILD. The purpose of this study was to examine …

Study Of The Effects Of Contusion Spinal Cord Injury And Optogenetic Stimulation On Lower Urinary Tract Function, Salvador A. Lopez

All ETDs from UAB

Lower urinary tract (LUT) dysfunction is a detrimental ailment that negatively affects a person’s independence, health, and overall quality of life. More specifically, LUT dysfunction as a result of spinal cord injury (SCI) is seen in more than 17,000 cases per year and of those cases, <20% are discharged from care with normal micturition1. Initially, after SCI, there is an acute period of spinal shock when the urinary bladder is flaccid and underactive, while the external urethral sphincter (EUS) that constricts the bladder outlet quickly becomes tonically active. In days to weeks after injury, spinallymediated, reflex bladder contractions re-emerge2-4. Numerous studies have examined aspects of LUT function using various models of SCI, primarily utilizing complete transection injuries. This set of studies first examined the effect of moderate to severe midthoracic contusion SCI on LUT function by examining cystometrogram (CMG) and EUS recordings, bladder/spinal cord morphology, sensory innervation of bladder tissue, and spinal neuronal activation in female mice. This model of SCI produced significant changes in normal bladder function as well as altered bladder morphology, including a robust loss of bladder afferent nerve fibers necessary for micturition. Inhibition of histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) has been shown to prevent the loss of sensory nerve fibers in mouse hind paw tissue5, thus HDAC6 inhibition was examined as a possible strategy to prevent the observed loss of sensory nerve fibers in bladder tissue post-SCI. iv Mice were treated using intraperitoneal injections of inhibiting compounds ACY-1083 (10 mg/kg) or Tubacin (5 mg/kg). Treatment resulted in significant improvements in CMG measures and sensory innervation of the bladder wall. Finally, optogenetic stimulation was examined using an adenoassociated virus containing cre-recombinase for cre-dependent expression of channelrhodopsin (ChR2) in both spinal intact and SCI mice. The ability to spare afferent axons in bladder tissue post-SCI through HDAC6 inhibition allowed ChR2 expression in sensory nerve fibers. Direct photostimulation of the bladder using various parameters of duration (1, 2, 5, 10 sec continuous stimulation) and power (0.1mW/mm2, 0.95mW/mm2, 6.50mW/mm2) resulted in the ability to control bladder contractions in both spinal intact (SI) and SCI animals, allowing for on-demand voiding post-injury.

Nutrition Practices And Body Composition In Infants Born Preterm, Maggie Jerome

All ETDs from UAB

Adequate nutrition and optimal growth are critical goals of clinical care for premature infants in the NICU due to rapid brain growth and development that occur during this time. Emerging evidence suggests that body composition in preterm infants is predictive of neurodevelopmental and metabolic outcomes later in childhood. The objective of this dissertation is to investigate factors affecting premature infant growth and body composition, including high enteral protein supplementation, nutrition during the first two weeks of life, and race of infants born at 22-32 weeks gestational age admitted to the UAB NICU. In a pilot study, 56 preterm infants were …

Evaluation Of A Living Shoreline Technique On A Southeastern United States Reservoir, Eric V. Muth

All ETDs from UAB

The impoundment of rivers in the southeastern United States has led to the creation of reservoirs that have seen the riparian zone become heavily developed with residential real estate. As the hybrid river/lake systems started forming new shorelines, property owners reacted by attempting to reduce their losses. This has been done in a variety of ways, with the majority falling into the bulkhead category. The use of vertical hard armament has resulted in a loss of ecological function and an increase in erosion of the lakebed at the toe or escarpment. In response to this, the idea was proposed by …

Predicting Change In Quality Of Life In Patients With Advanced Cancer And Family Caregivers Using Gps Data, Kyungmi Lee

All ETDs from UAB

Patients with advanced cancer and their family caregivers often experience poor quality of life. Measuring patient and caregiver physical and mental quality of life is typically performed using participant reported outcome measures, especially validated questionnaires. However, this self-report approach has several limitations, including recall bias, respondent burden, and social desirability bias. One potential solution to these limitations may be to use passive data collected by personally owned smartphones (e.g., GPS data) to model and assess the quality of life in family caregivers and patients with advanced cancer. Yet, there is no evidence to date that passively collected smartphone data is …

Heart Rate Variability And Stress In The Intensive Care Unit Nursing Workplace, Paula Miller Levi

All ETDs from UAB

Intensive care unit (ICU) nurses work in a demanding environment, facing repeated encounters with trauma and ethical issues when caring for patients. Psychological stressors can include death of patients, violent acts by patients or their families, caring for suffering patients, and moral distress from performing futile care. These factors place ICU nurses at increased risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Suffering from chronic PTSD symptoms can negatively impact nurses’ psychological and physical health. There are also consequences for patients and hospitals, including increased risk for substandard care, decreased government reimbursements from poor patient satisfaction scores, and retention issues. Few …

Exploring The Influence Of Psychosocial Stress And Inflammatory Properties Of The Diet On Cardiometabolic Risk And Gut Microbiome Health Among Young Adult Women Of Birmingham, Alabama, Rachel Olivia Knight

All ETDs from UAB

Concerning trends for obesity, diabetes, heart attacks, and obesity-related cancers, or cardiometabolic disease (CMD), are developing within the emerging and young adult/adulthood (EYA) population. Evidence supports the concept that chronic stress leads to physiologic dysregulation, reduced mental health, chronic diseases, and reduced longevity; however, these are not inevitable outcomes, and resilience or vulnerability is determined by interacting environmental and biobehavioral factors. Although CMD manifests clinically in older adulthood, disease pathophysiology begins earlier, and thus, EYA is a critical time for observation and intervention. Growing evidence indicates inflammation is a major risk factor in CMD development and may be exacerbated by …

Relationship Between Neighborhood Deprivation And Epigenetic Age Acceleration With Pain In Adults With Musculoskeletal Pain, Pamela Jackson

All ETDs from UAB

Residents of high-deprivation neighborhoods shoulder a greater burden of age-related health conditions, including experiencing worse chronic musculoskeletal pain outcomes, compared to residents of more affluent neighborhoods. Advancing age is a risk factor for chronic health conditions, which epigenetic modifications may explain. Epigenetic age acceleration occurs when an individual’s epigenetic age is older than their chronological age, and that discordance has been identified as a strong predictor of age-related conditions. Epigenetic age acceleration has also been correlated with neighborhood deprivation. However, the mechanisms for neighborhood disparities in chronic musculoskeletal pain remain unclear. The purpose of this dissertation study was to examine …

Palliative Care Experiences And Educational Needs Of Healthcare Interprofessionals In Jamaica: A Mixed Methods Study, Rebecca L. Edwards

All ETDs from UAB

Universal access to palliative care (PC) is a human right that much of the world has not accomplished and educating a PC workforce is critical to PC advancement. Higher PC disparities exist in low-and-middle income countries, such as Jamaica. The World Health Organization Public Health Model and the International PC Initiative’s PC roadmap emphasize the importance of PC education. The purpose of this mixed methods dissertation study was to investigate the PC experiences and educational needs of healthcare interprofessionals who provide care for patients with late-stage serious illnesses in Jamaica. Three specific aims incorporated quantitative investigation of physicians’, nurses’, and …

The Role Of International Faculty In Comprehensive Campus Internationalization, Melissa Williamson Hawkins

All ETDs from UAB

Faculty engagement is an acknowledged imperative for accomplishing the goals of comprehensive campus internationalization. In addition, transformational international and intercultural experiences are known to motivate faculty involvement in internationalization (Childress, 2018). This study proposes that the large numbers of international faculty working in permanent positions on university campuses, who have already had these transformational experiences by having adapted to a new country and culture, are an underutilized resource towards internationalization goals. In a mixed methods study conducted at a large, research university in the southeastern United States, the perspectives of international faculty on their current and potential role in internationalization …

Cell Type-Specific Diurnal Variation In Hippocampus Physiology, Lacy Kathryn Goode

All ETDs from UAB

Circadian rhythms are biological processes that cycle across 24 hours. Driven endogenously by widely expressed and highly conserved clock genes that compose the circadian molecular clock, circadian rhythms are exhibited in numerous facets of physiology across nearly every tissue throughout the body. Diurnal rhythms in cognition, long-term potentiation (LTP), and the expression of clock genes in hippocampus subfields support a role for circadian regulation of hippocampus physiology. However, little is known regarding the circadian molecular clock and diurnal rhythms in neurophysiology at the cellular level. Here, we characterized diurnal differences in spatial memory, LTP, excitability of and synaptic transmission onto …

Synergy Between Stenotrophomonas Maltophilia And Pseudomonas Aeruginosa During Polymicrobial Airway Infections, Melissa Skye Mcdaniel

All ETDs from UAB

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is a Gram-negative bacillus that can act as an opportunistic pathogen in patients with respiratory diseases, including cystic fibrosis (CF) and ventilator-associated pneumonia. Infection with S. maltophilia is associated with worse lung function, but it remains unclear if this organism contributes directly to lung function decline. Lung infections are often polymicrobial, and S. maltophilia can be isolated from the lung with the key pulmonary pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In the first half of this work, we investigated the pathogenicity of S. maltophilia alone and during polymicrobial infection with P. aeruginosa. We used respiratory infections in mice to assess persistence …

Resonant Solutions To Gross-Pitaevskii Equation With Periodic Potential, Arien Duaibes

All ETDs from UAB

Over the years, many methods have been used for solving the Gross-Pitaevskii equation which is also known as a nonlinear Schrodinger equation. In this thesis, we study a nonlinear polyharmonic equation with a periodic potential and quasi-periodic boundary conditions in dimensions higher than one. A special case of the equation, in two dimensions, is the Gross-Pitaevskii equation. This thesis aims to find solutions close to combinations of two plane waves at high energy. To start with, we use a technique similar to that known for the linear case. Then, we construct a method of successive approximations. We obtain the desired …

Three Heads Are Better Than One: A Structural Look At Staphylococcal Bacteriophage Capsids, N'Toia Chivon Hawkins

All ETDs from UAB

Staphylococcal species such as S. aureus and S. epidermidis are opportunistic pathogens that are the leading causes of nosocomial infections. They have become of growing concern due to the virulence factors that they have acquired as well as their inability to be treated due to resistance to antibiotics. Bacteriophages have increasingly become a popular contender for eliminating these pathogens, however not every phage is suitable for the job. Size of the genome, life cycle, the ability to mobilize genomic material, and host range all factor into how well-suited a phage is to be used as a therapeutic. In this dissertation …

Spectrum-Efficient High-Density Data Communication For Wireless Sensor Networks, Md. Kamal Hossain

All ETDs from UAB

Spectrum-efficient data telemetry is critically important in high-density wireless sensor networks. The rapid expansion of the sensor network has generated a large volume of data on the limited bandwidth and brought new challenges, including transmission bottlenecks, latency, and congestion. The existing wireless technologies cannot support the proliferation of sensor devices for the limitations of spectrum and resources, including computational power, memory, and feature size that hinder the deployment of sophisticated signal processing. To overcome these limitations, orthogonal pulse-based telemetry provides an excellent alternative with reduced complexity, data compression, and efficient transmission. However, the number of data channels also limits the …

Health Disparities In Cardiometabolic Risk Among African American And European American Adults, Catharine A. Couch

All ETDs from UAB

African American (AA) individuals are disproportionately burdened by cardiometabolic disease, including type 2 diabetes (T2D) and cardiovascular disease (CVD), and associated risk factors. The objective of this dissertation research was to investigate pathophysiological and lifestyle contributors to racial disparities in cardiometabolic disease including beta-cell dysfunction, ectopic fat, the natriuretic peptide system, and diet. These first three risk factors, beta-cell dysfunction, ectopic fat, and the natriuretic peptide system, were explored in a cross-sectional study of young AA and European American (EA) adults. The fourth risk factor, diet, was explored in a large, national cohort of black and white adults. First, we …

Towards A Holistic Framework For Secure And Trustworthy Connected Autonomous Vehicles, Mohammad Aminul Hoque

All ETDs from UAB

Recently, Autonomous vehicles (AVs) have achieved tremendous improvement and started moving out to the road from laboratories and constrained testing environments. AVs are expected to significantly improve the urban transportation system by reducing accidents and drivers’ burdens. However, this complex cyber-physical system incurs some unique security challenges. Addressing such security issues is essential because AVs can directly impact the safety of human life. Current autonomous driving systems do not emphasize security issues. Therefore, sophisticated attack methodologies continue to evolve to threaten the safety of AVs. Although some research works have been proposed to enhance AV security, the holistic approach towards …

Hedgehog Signaling Rewires M2 Macrophage And Regulatory T Cell Metabolism Within The Tumor Microenvironment Of Breast Cancer, Dominique C. Hinshaw

All ETDs from UAB

Current treatments for breast cancer offer little relief to patients with metastatic disease. A contributory factor to tumor growth and metastasis is aberrant up-regulation of developmental signaling pathways such as the Hedgehog (Hh) signaling pathway. This pathway is aberrantly activated in breast cancer and contributes to tumor progression and metastasis. The success of these events is highly influenced by the surrounding immune microenvironment. Macrophages exist along a spectrum of M1 (tumor-eradicating) to M2 (tumor-promoting), while regulatory T cells (Tregs) are an immunosuppressive cell type. The predominant functions of M2 macrophages and Tregs include dampening the immune response and promoting wound …

Multilevel Influences On Physical Activity Participation In Rural And Cancer Populations With Obesity, Nashira Inika Brown

All ETDs from UAB

espite the strong evidence of physical activity benefits, the prevalence of physical inactivity and associated obesity continues to increase. Rural and cancer survivor populations with obesity, in particular, remain highly inactive and are at increased risk of comorbidities. Thus, physical activity interventions are needed to promote active lifestyles. However, before developing or adapting existing multi-level physical activity interventions, more research is needed to understand the necessary components to meet the needs and preferences of these unique populations. Therefore, this project involved identifying the gaps in literature followed by three studies to investigate the multilevel influences on physical activity in rural …

Intrinsically-Photosensitive Retinal Ganglion Cells And Their Functional Roles, Kevin Q. Chang

All ETDs from UAB

This project was conducted in Old World monkeys and focused on characterization of the intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) as they pertain to the pupillary light reflex, as well as on the neuroanatomical and electrophysiological characterization of the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus as it pertains to circadian rhythms. A custom antibody was developed against the human melanopsin gene. We validated the antibody using western blot and immunohistochemistry. The functional role of ipRGCs in driving pupillary responses was investigated through immunotoxin-induced ablation in Rhesus macaques with the antibody conjugated to saporin. As hypothesized, the pupillary light reflex and …

Comprehensive Characterization Of Structural Variations Using Long-Read Sequencing Data, Yu Chen

All ETDs from UAB

Structural variants (SVs) contribute to genomic diversity and play pathogenic roles in a wide range of genetic disorders. Accurate characterization of SVs is critical for genomic research and studies of disease mechanisms. The rapid development of Third-Generation Sequencing (TGS) technologies has largely increased sequencing read length compared to Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS), bringing both great potentials and challenges in SV discovery through alignment-based and assembly-based approaches. In order to take full advantage of TGS data, I have developed a suite of bioinformatics tools focusing on comprehensive characterization of SVs. For the alignment-based SV discovery, I have developed DeBreak to identify SVs …

A Hybrid Data And Hypothesis-Driven Model For Software Development In Support Of The Machine-Learning Paradigm, Anthony D. Bowman

All ETDs from UAB

istorically, research has often been conducted in a hypothesis-driven manner with software development methodologies created to support those efforts. However, in recent years data-driven approaches to research have seen a dramatic rise in prominence. While software development methodologies such as agile development, extreme programming, and the waterfall model have allowed developers to tackle increasingly complex problems, they were not designed to efficiently support data-driven approaches such as the machine learning paradigm. To address the need to support the different programmatic requirements of both classical, hypothesis-driven as well as data-driven development, novel development strategies are warranted. In this research, we adapted …

Self-Efficacy In Pulmonary Rehabilitation, Erica Anderson

All ETDs from UAB

the fourth leading cause of death in the United States, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a major contributor of morbidity and mortality. The disease is characterized by chronic irritation and inflammation of the airways. The most common symptoms include chronic cough and shortness-of-breath. Pulmonary rehabilitation is a comprehensive exercise and education program for people with lung disease. It is well-established as an intervention to improve symptoms and other qualityof- life outcomes in people with COPD. Self-efficacy is the belief in one’s own abilities. It is recognized by the American Thoracic Society and European Respiratory Society as an integral part …

Defining Genetic Underpinnings Of Cellular Diversity And Vulnerability In The Context Of Parkinson's Disease, Stephanie M. Boas

All ETDs from UAB

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a severe, progressive neurodegenerative movement disorder. Currently, there is no cure, nor effective treatments for prevention or modification of disease progression. Thus, novel approaches are required to understand etiological contributors to cell dysfunction and death in PD to enable rational drug design. Recently, huge advancements have been made in the technology involved in collection, storage, and processing of high-volume genetic information. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have been integral in identifying genomic loci with common, disease risk-associated variation. However, annotation and prioritization of GWAS-identified risk variants is far from straightforward, and the gap between the identification of …

Distinct Clinical Manifestations Associated With Autoantibodies And Cytokines In Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Fatima K. Alduraibi

All ETDs from UAB

Objective: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by production of autoantibodies (autoAbs) and cytokines. Moreover, lupus nephritis (LN) occurs in approximately 50% of SLE patients. AutoAb and cytokine levels produced by B and T cells are high in LN patients, although their relationship with histological patterns requires investigation. Methods: We analyzed the relationship between B cell cytokines and major T cell cyto-kines, including their association with autoAbs, and the clinical manifestations of SLE, especially LN. We also analyzed endogenous intracellular interferon beta (IFNβ) expression in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells and serum circulating nephritogenic autoAbs from …

Optical Absorption Of Point Defects In Doped Gallium Oxide Determined By Photo-Induced Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy, Suman Bhandari

All ETDs from UAB

Beta-gallium oxide (β-Ga2O3) is an ultrawide bandgap semiconductor with promising applications in high-power electronics. The ability of Ga2O3 to be grown from the melt will enable the production of potentially low-cost native substrates, unlike competing materials like GaN and diamond. To fully develop the potential of Ga2O3 as a material for device application, it is critical to have a thorough understanding and control of defects, as well as knowledge of the defect’s thermodynamic transition energy or defect level. This work investigates Fe or Mg, which are used to make semi-insulating Ga2O3 substrates useful for device fabrication, and determines the defect …