Arts and Humanities Commons^™

The Implications Of The Intelligence Reform And Terrorism Prevention Act For U.S. Bureaucracies, Brennan Anderson Reeves

All ETDs from UAB

The United States faces a constantly evolving threat from terrorist organizations and individuals who wish to do harm to do harm to its assets and citizens. In 2004, as a response to the 9/11 attacks, the structural organization of the agencies that comprise the U.S. Intelligence Community was changed under the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act. The goal of the transformation was to enhance the ability and effectiveness of those that are supposed to maintain national security. Coordination and information sharing between the agencies in the IC is essential to ensure that the relevant actors have the knowledge and …

Characterization Of Emergent Spatial-Temporal Orders In Transcription Regulatory Networks Using Phase Locking Analysis, Herbert Keith Roberts

All ETDs from UAB

The study of gene regulatory networks (GRNs) is paramount for continued breakthroughs in understanding the genetic architecture of life and how alterations thereof contribute to disease. The complex spatio-temporal orders within GRNs are studied primarily through the modeling of time-course gene expression data. Recently, gene expression profiling technology has improved greatly in regards to accuracy and resolution, enabling novel methodology development and characterization of GRNs. Many methods have been utilized to model GRNs from gene expression data (correlational measures, time-warping, coherence, and/or causality, etc). In this study, we propose a new approach based on phase locking analysis that compliments existing …

The Relationship Between Inflammatory Biomarkers And Cognitive Function In Older Adults, Andrea C. Sartori

All ETDs from UAB

Recent literature indicates associations between inflammation, aging, and cognitive function. Inflammatory processes have also been implicated in the onset of pathological and neurodegenerative conditions. Current study aims were to examine the associations between inflammatory biomarkers and cognitive function in older adults, and to explore the interrelationships of inflammatory biomarkers, depressive symptoms, health conditions, and cognitive function. Two studies were utilized for the current project: 1) a cross-sectional sample of sedentary older adults aged 65+ from the Physical and Cognitive Exercise Study (PACES; n=54); and 2) a longitudinal study (UAB Study of Aging) of community-dwelling older African Americans and Caucasians (n=393). …

Reckless Reevaluated: Containment Theory And Its Ability To Explain Desistance Among Serious Adolescent Offenders, Stephanie Michelle Cardwell

All ETDs from UAB

Social control theorists posit that crime and delinquency occur among members in society because an individuals' behavior is not well regulated. Recent control theories have emphasized the importance of high self-control and strong bonds to society in deterring criminal behavior. However, one of the original theories of self-control has been largely ignored among scholars. Developed by Walter Reckless in the 1960s, containment theory suggests that individuals are pushed and pulled into crime. Pushes are elements that pressure individuals to engage in delinquency while pulls draw individuals away from accepted forms of behavior. The theory states that pushes and pulls are …

Drive-In Sin, Shelly Stewart Cato

All ETDs from UAB

Drive-In Sin is a collection of twenty-five poems. The poems include rhyming couplets, tercets, and quatrains, loosely-defined sonnets, triolets, and free verse. Most include a backbone of iambs, giving a sense of rhythm and continuity to the grouping. The subject matter is most often Southern, but vacillates between power-stripped resignation and brutal invective. A search for female empowerment often dictates the tone.

Application Of Next-Generation Sequencing And Bioinformatics Approaches For Elucidating Microbial Diversity And For Bioprospecting In Antarctic Freshwater Lake Ecosystems, Jonathan Huang

All ETDs from UAB

Antarctic freshwater ecosystems offer a unique opportunity to study the microbial biodiversity, adaptation, function, and interaction in extreme environments. In general, there is a dearth of higher trophic organisms in Antarctic freshwater lakes thus microbes are essential for the sustainability of biological life. This study describes the similarities and differences in microbial diversity among seasonal and perennially ice-covered lacustrine ecosystems from East and West Antarctica. In particular, we investigated the microbial diversity in three different freshwater lakes, (1) seasonal lakes of the Schirmacher Oasis, East Antarctica, (2) perennially ice-covered Lake Untersee, East Antarctica, and (3) perennially ice-covered Lake Joyce, West …

Microbial Responses To Mc252 In Gulf Of Mexico Sediments Using Btefap And Bioinformatics Tools, Hyunmin Koo

All ETDs from UAB

We investigated the changes of the bacterial community to treatment of Mississippi Canyon Macondo oil (MC252) in Gulf of Mexico (GoM) coastal sediment microcosms collected from Bayou La Batre, Dauphin Island, Petit Bois Island, and Perdido Pass. We utilized molecular methods by targeting the V3-V5 region of the16S rRNA gene from metacommunity DNA through culture-dependent and culture-independent (Bacterial Tag-encoded FLX Amplified Pyrosequencing; bTEFAP) methodologies and downstream bioinformatics tools. Through bTEFAP, we generated a total of 11,338 (Bayou La Batre) and 38,104 (Dauphin Island, Petit Bois Island, and Perdido Pass) reads. After quality-based trimming, a total of 8,430 (Bayou La Batre) …

Parenting And Parole: The Effects Of Incarceration On Motherhood, Latoya Ledyard

All ETDs from UAB

The female prison population is the fastest growing prison population in the United States. The rise in female incarceration over the past several years has become a growing concern partly due to the damaging effects on the family; a phenomenon largely attributed to mandatory sentencing guidelines and gender-neutral policies. Research literature on the unique challenges faced by parenting women and the development of reentry programs that foster family reunification has emerged in recent years, but there is still much work to be done. Using in-depth interviews with 14 residents of a transitional center for women in Alabama, I seek to …

Substrate Recognition And Translocation Catalyzed By Aaa+ Chaperones, Tao Li

All ETDs from UAB

Both E. coli ClpA and E. coli ClpB belong to the Clp/Hsp100 chaperone family. They share many common features, such as the same conserved motifs (Walker A, Walker B, Arginine finger, Pore loop, etc.), hexameric ring-shaped structure, and double nucleotide binding domains. ClpA and ClpB are closely related to each other. However, they participate in different protein quality control pathways. ClpA regulates cellular functions by either associating with ClpP to form the ClpAP complex (an ATP-dependant protease) to degrade unwanted polypeptides or remodeling inactive proteins to their biological active forms. ClpA can recognize specific sequences located on either N- or …

Immunoprotection Versus Immunopathogenesis Associated With Aspergillus Fumigatus Exposure, Lauren Lilly

All ETDs from UAB

Opportunistic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus can cause a wide range of disorders depending on the immunological state of the host. In individuals lacking a robust innate immune response, invasive aspergillosis (IA) within the lungs can occur. In contrast, patients with a hyperreactive immune response can develop an allergic disorder called Allergic Bronchopulmonary Aspergillosis (ABPA). Using mouse models, we investigated contributing factors of host defense in IA and fungal asthma induced by Aspergillus fumigatus. The connection between fungi and the development of allergic disease has long been of interest. Previously, we have shown that beta-glucan receptor, dectin-1, is required for clearance during …

The Flow Of The Social: Developing A Constructal Systemic Approach To The Study Of Health Inequalities, William A. Anderson

All ETDs from UAB

Society is a dynamic, living system. People, groups, institutions, and cultures are intricately interconnected. Changes in one area of society create changes in other areas. Causes and results may be closely linked or separated by time and space. Sociologists readily acknowledge this dynamic reality. However, our mainstream theories and methods often fail to account for it. Even after decades of research into social inequalities in health, medical sociology still seems far away from being able to offer any definitive ideas about why such inequalities exist and persist despite efforts to alleviate them. Medical sociology (and sociology in general) is centered …

The Interactional Effects Of Incentive Value And Task Difficulty: A Partial Explanation For Gender Differences In Cardiovascular Response To A Performance Challange., Patricia Barreto

All ETDs from UAB

Participants were presented an impossible or moderately difficult mental addition task; half of them were led to believe that they could win a traditionally masculine incentive by meeting a certain performance standard and half of them were led to believe that they could win a traditionally feminine incentive if they met the same performance standard. In the feminine incentive group, Systolic Blood Pressure (SBP) during the work period was stronger under difficult than impossible conditions among women, but low under both difficulty conditions among men. In the masculine incentive group, blood pressure measures (SBP, diastolic blood pressure, and mean arterial …

Implications Of Hatchling Sex Ratios And Survival In The Recovery Program For The Endangered Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle, Elizabeth Bevan

All ETDs from UAB

The Kemp’s ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) sea turtle neared extinction during the mid-1980s, but due to intense conservation efforts its population is now gradually recovering. Hatchling sex ratios and natural predation on nests and hatchlings have been monitored at Rancho Nuevo, Mexico to optimize this species’ recovery. Sand and nest temperatures were evaluated for the 2009 - 2012 nesting seasons in the egg corrals and on the nesting beach. Temperatures were cool during the start of the nesting seasons (i.e. below pivotal temperature), and gradually rose and were at or above pivotal temperatures by mid–May. Temperatures remained warm for the remainder …

The Molecular Basis Of Male Sex Determination During Temperature-Dependent Sex Determination, Kayla Bieser

All ETDs from UAB

The red-eared slider turtle (Trachemys scripta) possesses temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD) in which the incubation temperature of the developing embryo determines gonadal sex. Although a number of mammalian gene homologues have been identified in the sex determination/differentiation cascade of reptiles with TSD, the exact trigger(s) is not well understood. As such, this dissertation research addresses the mRNA expression profiles of putative sex-determining/differentiation genes (Dmrt1, Sox9, Amh, Lhx9, and Foxl2) with an emphasis on the male cascade in embryonic gonads of T. scripta. Additionally, this research addresses the influence of exogenous estrogen and aromatase inhibitors on gene expression. Lastly, this dissertation …

The Pusillanimous Denis: What "U.P: Up" Really Breens, Leah Harper Bowron

All ETDs from UAB

Denis Breen, a minor character in James Joyce's Ulysses, receives an unsigned postcard which reads "U.p: up". Scholars consider "U.p: up" to be a joke encoded in a puzzle or riddle. This paper proposes to decode the postcard message "U.p: up" and to identify its author. The postcard message "U.p: up" is read "you pee up" and refers to Denis Breen's unusual urination. Denis Breen "pees up" or sprays his urine upward when urinating from a standing position because he has hypospadias and his urethral opening is within or behind his testes. The symbol "p:" in the message "U.p: up" …

Uniqueness Of Potential In Schrã¶Dinger's Equation With One Boundary Measurement, Mitchell Wyatt

All ETDs from UAB

Given an open set ­ in RN, N≥2, and a single piece of Dirichlet-Neumann data for a solution u of an equation of the form -\Delta u + \chiAu=0, uniqueness of the set A is proven under some regularity assumptions and under the assumption of a so-called "i-contact" condition.

Environmental Specific Effects On Life History And Energy Metabolism Traits In A Permethrin Resistant Strain Of Anopheles Gambiae, Dennis Otali

All ETDs from UAB

Widespread use of pyrethroids for control of malaria vectors together with use in agriculture for pest control has led to an increase in emergence of populations of pyrethroid resistant phenotypes. Insecticide resistance can likely alter vector development time, reproduction, behavior, and longevity, all of which can affect the potential for disease transmission. In this study we assessed whether the genetic modifications (kdr mutation, cytochrome P450 and esterase detoxification) in a permethrin resistant strain of An. gambiae influence traits related to fitness. The performances of these traits were compared between two strains of An. gambiae, one permethrin susceptible (ASEMBO1) and the …

Computational Studies On Metal Bound Amyloid-Ss Peptide Complexes: Implications For Oligomerization, Lurong Pan

All ETDs from UAB

Amyloid-beta (Abeta) peptide is the primary component of the senile plaques that char-acterize Alzheimer's disease (AD). Numerous studies have shown that small soluble oligomers of Aß have higher neurotoxicity than large, insoluble aggregates and fibrils. Brain tissue analysis has shown that excessive metal ions including zinc, copper and iron are co-localized with the plaques. In addition, in vitro studies suggest that these ions play an important role in the aggregation and toxicity of Abeta. Nevertheless, due to the large number of variables that must be controlled it is difficult to characterize the detailed mechanisms by which metal ions modulate Abeta …

Moonlight Sprite, Sungho Kim

LSU Master's Theses

ABSTRACT Moonlight Sprite is a piece of orchestral music in a single movement. As a symphonic poem, this work describes the various landscapes of imaginary sprites in the moonlight in the huge mountain and forest. This imagination was inspired by composer’s overnight camping at Zion Canyon National Park in 2010. The composition is comprised of three main themes, which are developed and varied. The first theme describes the cheerful and playful aspects of sprites. The second theme describes elegant and mysterious character of sprites. The last theme describes grand and ancient sprites. At the end, all three themes come together. …

Framing Anorexia : A Play Script And Multidimensional Investigation Of Anorexia : A Play And Critical Essay, Louise Helfgott

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis explores anorexia nervosa in young people. It comprises two components: a play script, "Frames", about 16-year-old Elizabeth who is combating the disorder, her troubled friend Ben, and their families, and a critical essay that reviews qualitative and quantitative literature about anorexia and contextualises the play in relation to selected narratives, plays and films. In my field research, I interviewed a number of professionals working in the field of anorexia and the essay also discusses their views and insights.

Few plays deal with anorexia in an in-depth manner to explore the onset and development of the illness. "Frames" addresses …

Bury Me Deep In Isolation: A Cultural Examination Of A Peripheral Music Industry And Scene, Christina Ballico

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Since 1998, Perth bands have had a strong presence within the Australian music scene. Primarily, each year between 1998 and 2009, songs by indie pop/rock acts from Perth have charted within national broadcaster triple j’s Hottest 100 countdown. Many of the albums from which these songs have been taken have sold in excess of 35,000 copies, and a number of successful and recognised Perth bands have toured with the nation’s largest music festival, the Big Day Out as well as their own high profile national tours. At the same time, Perth’s local indie pop/rock music industry has undergone tremendous growth …

Between Law And Markets: Is There A Role For Culture And Ethics In Financial Regulation?, Dan Awrey, William Blair, David Kershaw

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

The limits of markets as mechanisms for constraining socially suboptimal behavior are well documented. Simultaneously, conventional approaches toward the law and regulation are often crude and ineffective mechanisms for containing the social costs of market failure. So where do we turn when both law and markets fail to live up to their social promise? Two possible answers are culture and ethics. In theory, both can help constrain socially undesirable behavior in the vacuum between law and markets. In practice, however, both exhibit manifest shortcomings.

To many, this analysis may portend the end of the story. From our perspective, however, it …

The Art Of Irene Chou (Zhou Luyun, 1924-2011) : A Case Study Of Ink Painting, Hung Sheng

Theses & Dissertations

Ink Painting was first initiated by Lui Shou Kwan (1919 - 1975) in the 1960s and it had a significant and remarkable influence on Hong Kong painters. It aimed to revitalize Chinese painting as a reaction largely triggered by the dominant trend of imitative practice of the Lingnan School in Hong Kong at the time. Lui stressed the importance of gen (根 root) and shi (適 adaption) and signaled many possibilities of ink painting as a new category. Gradually, a group of artists pursuing the same goal gathered and made the Ink Painting Movement possible. Irene Chou was one of …

屬靈戰爭與旅遊 : 一個短期宣教活動的個案研究, Lai Ieng Lau

Theses & Dissertations

本研究試圖描繪香港細胞小組教會網絡短宣參加者的歷程及屬靈體驗，指出他們在旅途內的所見所聞受到了特定的宗教論述及旅遊操作所形塑和建構，而在此脈絡下產生的屬靈經驗可能不再純粹是神秘的、超自然和非物質的力量，相反它是可預期的文化產物，甚至不是本真(authentic)的屬靈經驗。然而，這種被建構的宗教及屬靈視野選擇性地把某些社會文化或問題 (如貧窮、種族主義、色情和異教文化)簡約歸類為邪惡他者的陰謀和控制，巧妙地隱藏或迴避了問題背後複雜而糾結的社會、經濟、政治及文化張力；同時鞏固了基督徒的身份認同及基督教的優越感，並相信基督教的價值觀獲得超越而且凌駕一切文化的合法性，然後將短宣內的屬靈經驗視為經歷神的重要證據。

此研究亦有助我們反思全球靈恩運動(Global Pentecostalism)的擴張，全球靈恩運動是近年基督教內增長最迅速的宗教運動，以屬靈恩賜、屬靈戰爭及繁榮神學(Prosperity Gospel)為主要特徵。除了依賴龐大的宗教媒體和超級教會等意識形態機器宣傳外，透過細緻的旅遊操作、宗教論述及靈性實踐，使短宣成為全球靈恩運動擴張的途徑之一，甚至讓這場源自美國的宗教運動轉化成本土的宗教內容。

The Creation Of "A Single Revolution Of The Sun," A One-Person Play, Gregory Alan Leute

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis details the process of creating and performing A Single Revolution of the Sun, a one-act, one-man play by Gregory Leute. As a primary requirement in fulfillment of the Master of Fine Arts degree at LSU, MFA acting candidates were charged with the task of producing a devised work. I chose as the central premise of my piece the story of a father and his son, both army officers, inspired by a true event. The contemporary tale bore similarities to Matthew Arnold’s translation of Sohrab and Rustum , derived from the ancient Persian epic poem Shahnemah . The thesis …

Your Loss, Lauren Jean Hegge

LSU Master's Theses

Your Loss is an exhibition of drawings, photographs, intaglio prints, found objects and prose. Drawn from personal and anonymous archives, the works in the exhibition acknowledge various forms of breakdown, exploring individual reactions and attempts to rebuild from the fragments of loss. Inherent in the work are discussions of remembering and forgetting, finding and losing, building and destroying, growth and decay. This work is both recognition of the desire to hold on too tightly and an effort to learn to let go.

Reconsidering The Theoretical/Practical Divide: The Philosophy Of Nishida Kitarō, Lockland Vance Tyler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Over the years professional philosophy has undergone a number of significant changes. One of these changes corresponds to an increased emphasis on objectivity among philosophers. In light of new discoveries in logic and science, contemporary analytic philosophy seeks to establish the most objective methods and answers possible to advance philosophical progress in an unambiguous way. By doing so, we are able to more precisely analyze concepts, but the increased emphasis on precision has also been accompanied by some negative consequences. These consequences, unfortunately, are much larger and problematic than many may even realize. What we have eventually arrived in at …

Speaking Silence Fluently: Encouraging Student Understanding Of Counterhegemonic Strategies In African American Literature, Kathleen S. Decker

Masters Theses

This thesis suggests that while mainstream multicultural education claims to promote both diversity and equality, it fails to adequately address, let alone improve, the living conditions of minority students. It further suggests that when teachers help students read through the lenses of critical multiculturalism and critical whiteness studies, students can better see that both canonical and non-canonical African American authors deliberately employ nuanced strategies to resist white supremacy. Specifically through the use of purposeful and discreet silences, these authors serve to promote new and actively counterhegemonic ways of thinking in the classroom.

Each chapter pairs two texts--one canonical and one …

Desenvolvimento E Implementacao De Um Programa Estrategico De Plantio De Igrejas Na Associacao Paulista Leste-Sao Paulo, Erlo Braun

Professional Dissertations DMin

Problem. Biblical and contemporary authors point to church planting as one of the best strategies for the dissemination of the gospel. Despite that fact - on account of other critical issues concerning church growth in Sao Paulo, Brazil -, the administrators of the East Sao Paulo (ESP) Conference of the Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) church could not afford to implement this practice until 2009. The lack, therefore, of an intentionally organized effort to plant churches in the ESP Conference is a challenge that must be faced by the SDA church in that region. In Latin America, evangelicals such as the …

Brief History Of México, Irving W. Levinson

History Faculty Publications and Presentations

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