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Guided Exploration Of Military Servicewomen's Healthcare Experiences And Related Outcomes (Gems Hero), Princess Victoria Jane Nash Jan 2022

Guided Exploration Of Military Servicewomen's Healthcare Experiences And Related Outcomes (Gems Hero), Princess Victoria Jane Nash

All ETDs from UAB

Purpose: This study focuses on factors related to healthcare seeking behaviors and utilization of Veterans Affairs primary care services by female African American Veterans. The purpose of this mixed methods study is to assess what factors influence seeking care at VA healthcare facilities. Research Design: This study used a modified explanatory sequential mixed methods design to assess health services utilization and healthcare experiences of African American female Veterans. This research utilized items from the Health Belief model as a guiding framework to highlight factors that could impact VA healthcare utilization. Methodology: Health services utilization analysis used national data from the …

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Effects Of Exercise On Cerebral Oxygen Extraction Fraction, Hippocampal Subfields, And Cognition In Older Women, Amani M. Norling Jan 2022

Effects Of Exercise On Cerebral Oxygen Extraction Fraction, Hippocampal Subfields, And Cognition In Older Women, Amani M. Norling

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Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is associated with enhanced cognitive functions in aging. The relationship between fitness and brain function is supported by evidence of improvements or maintenance of gray matter volume, and cerebral blood flow (CBF). Research focused on interactions between CRF and changes in cerebral structure and function have not identified the underlying mechanisms of exercise-induced improvements, and none included the effects of CRF on cerebral oxygen extraction fraction (OEF), which is a measure of the ratio of oxygen that a tissue extracts from the blood to maintain morphological and functional integrity. Here, we present evidence from existing studies that …

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Renal Lactate Dehydrogenase A: Underlying Mechanisms And Inflammatory Roles In Acute Kidney Injury, Gunars Osis Jan 2022

Renal Lactate Dehydrogenase A: Underlying Mechanisms And Inflammatory Roles In Acute Kidney Injury, Gunars Osis

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Kidneys are physiologically vital organs responsible for blood homeostasis preservation through fluid balance maintenance, blood pressure regulation, hormone production, and toxic compound removal. Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a global condition affecting more than 13 million people yearly, and is characterized by a rapid decline in renal filtration capacity, consequent rise in serum creatinine and nitrogenous waste levels, and is associated with an elevated risk of morbidity in the form of progressive chronic kidney disease, kidney failure, and mortality. AKI-induced renal epithelial cell death forces surviving tubular cells to undergo de-differentiation, rapid proliferation to replace lost cells, and re-differentiation to …

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Study Of The Effects Of Contusion Spinal Cord Injury And Optogenetic Stimulation On Lower Urinary Tract Function, Salvador A. Lopez Jan 2022

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

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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.

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On The Privacy Leakage Via Neural Devices, Anuradha Mandal Jan 2022

On The Privacy Leakage Via Neural Devices, Anuradha Mandal

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Brain-computer interfaces, such as consumer-grade EEG headsets, are getting popularity in gaming and entertainment industries, and among people with certain disabilities. However, the increasing popularity of EEG headsets creates significant privacy risks. Silently conversing with the computing system is now possible using neuromuscular signals, for instance, untold digit recognition with higher accuracy is possible, which can inadvertently retrieve PIN or password merely from brainwave signals. These applications can reveal much more private information than their designated benign purpose, for instance, while detecting the job performance of a worker, sensitive information like Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, substance abuse disorder or heart disease, …

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Relationship Between Neighborhood Deprivation And Epigenetic Age Acceleration With Pain In Adults With Musculoskeletal Pain, Pamela Jackson Jan 2022

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

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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 …

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Impact Of Nontypeable Haemophilus Influenzae And Pseudo Aeruginosa Polymicrobial Infections On The Cystic Fibrosis Lung, Natalie R. Lindgren Jan 2022

Impact Of Nontypeable Haemophilus Influenzae And Pseudo Aeruginosa Polymicrobial Infections On The Cystic Fibrosis Lung, Natalie R. Lindgren

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Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) is a Gram-negative commensal of the healthy nasopharynx; however, this organism can function as an opportunistic pathogen as a result of disruptions to the microbiome, as is the case in cystic fibrosis (CF) disease. People with CF experience changes in microbial residents of the respiratory tract over the course of their lifespan, seen in shifts from early-life pathogens, such as NTHi, to late-stage pathogens, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, that accompany a decrease in organismal diversity of the microbiome. In this work, we characterized the pathogenicity of NTHi alone and in polymicrobial respiratory infections. Using CF specific …

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Three Heads Are Better Than One: A Structural Look At Staphylococcal Bacteriophage Capsids, N'Toia Chivon Hawkins Jan 2022

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

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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 …

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Hedgehog Signaling Rewires M2 Macrophage And Regulatory T Cell Metabolism Within The Tumor Microenvironment Of Breast Cancer, Dominique C. Hinshaw Jan 2022

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

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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 …

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Comprehensive Characterization Of Structural Variations Using Long-Read Sequencing Data, Yu Chen Jan 2022

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

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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 …

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Multilevel Influences On Physical Activity Participation In Rural And Cancer Populations With Obesity, Nashira Inika Brown Jan 2022

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

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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 …

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The Role Of International Faculty In Comprehensive Campus Internationalization, Melissa Williamson Hawkins Jan 2022

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

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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 …

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Adapting Nlp Techniques In Transfer Learning For Forensic Authorship Profiling, Esam Alzahrani Jan 2022

Adapting Nlp Techniques In Transfer Learning For Forensic Authorship Profiling, Esam Alzahrani

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Cybercrimes have risen and caused threats to regular internet users. In recent times, the increased use of online social networks (OSNs) allows people to easily share opinions, personal information, and others. Since a major part of OSNs content is textual content, immense research has focused on text analysis techniques using machine learning and Natural Language Processing (NLP). One important area of research focused on text analysis using machine learning is forensic text analysis. Digital forensics is a discipline concerns finding, preserving, and presenting admissible evidence in court. Sadly, the convenience of OSNs creates an optimal venue for cybercriminals to perform …

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A Value-Based Framework For Process Alignment In Complex Provisioning Systems, Michael Lipscomb Jan 2022

A Value-Based Framework For Process Alignment In Complex Provisioning Systems, Michael Lipscomb

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Provisioning systems are human-built, process-based systems whose activities are directed toward providing something of value to another entity. The things provided are not limited to any one type but may include, for example, objects, services, and information. Systems under consideration herein are limited to those that are human based, decentralized, and complex. “Human based” means that many of the agents and all the customers of the system are human. “Decentralized” means that agents act beyond central control. Such a system presents different challenges from one in which tasks are delegated from a central authority. In a decentralized system, agents are …

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Primary Cilia Regulate Inflammation And Macrophage Accumulation During Injury And Cyst Formation In Mouse Pkd Models, Zhang Li Jan 2022

Primary Cilia Regulate Inflammation And Macrophage Accumulation During Injury And Cyst Formation In Mouse Pkd Models, Zhang Li

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Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) is one of the most common inherited renal disorders. The most common form, autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), affects more than 13 million people around the world, and over 50% of them will develop end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Although ADPKD genetically is caused by mutations of PKD1 or PKD2 genes, there is increasing evidence showing that non-genetic factors such as renal injury and inflammation play important roles in cyst severity and progression in PKD. Macrophages are cells of the innate immune system known to be involved in kidney injury and repair. Data from our lab …

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Pkd-1 Signaling Inthe Regulation Of Cancer Stem Cell-Like Features And Cancer Cell Interactions With Endothelial Cells In Breast Cancer And Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumor, Yichen Hailey Guo Jan 2022

Pkd-1 Signaling Inthe Regulation Of Cancer Stem Cell-Like Features And Cancer Cell Interactions With Endothelial Cells In Breast Cancer And Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumor, Yichen Hailey Guo

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Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a subpopulation cancer cells that play critical roles in tumor progression, recurrence, metastasis, and drug resistance. CSCs are characterized by self-renewal and plasticity. Protein kinase D-1 (PKD-1) signaling regulates CSC/stemness features in both breast cancers and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. In PNETs, PKD-1 signaling regulates not only stemness properties of cancer, but also epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). PNETs are typically well vascularized and heterogeneous. Everolimus (an mTOR inhibitor and the 2nd generation derivative of rapamycin) has been approved as a targeted chemotherapy for PNET patients. Unfortunately, nearly all patients will progress on treatment due to drug resistance …

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The Role Of Protein Translation And Degradation In Aging And Alzheimer Disease Pathogenesis, Harper S. Kim Jan 2022

The Role Of Protein Translation And Degradation In Aging And Alzheimer Disease Pathogenesis, Harper S. Kim

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Protein translation (PT) is an essential cellular process playing crucial roles in growth and development. PT precipitously declines with age in multiple animal species, including humans. It has been implicitly assumed that elevated PT at young ages is beneficial to health while PT ends up dropping as a passive byproduct of aging. However, whether this holds true and how dynamic fluctuations in PT over time impact aging remain unknown. In Drosophila, we show that a transient PT spike in early-adulthood drives aging by triggering dysfunction in protein homeostasis (proteostasis) at old ages. We propose the early-adulthood spike in PT to …

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Determining The Impact Of Immune Dysregulation On Cd4 T Cell Responses To Hiv-1 And Sars-Cov-2, Jacob K. Files Jan 2022

Determining The Impact Of Immune Dysregulation On Cd4 T Cell Responses To Hiv-1 And Sars-Cov-2, Jacob K. Files

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CD4+ T cells, often referred to as helper T cells, play a crucial role in the formation of antiviral immune responses following infection and vaccination. However, this can be disrupted by various forms of immune dysregulation. Many groups have described how HIV-1 adaptation and immune escape can lead to dysregulated HIV-specific immune responses. Our lab has previously shown that predicted HLA-II associated HIV-1 adaptation leads to dysregulated, poorly immunogenic CD4+ T cell responses in HIV-1 infection. Here, we focus on the impact of this HLA-II associated viral adaptation in the setting of HIV-1 vaccination. We show that HLA-II associated, vaccine-matched …

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Driving Anger And Aggression In Persons With And Without Adhd, Maria T. Lechtreck Jan 2022

Driving Anger And Aggression In Persons With And Without Adhd, Maria T. Lechtreck

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Driving a motor vehicle is both a privilege and one of the primary activities of daily living for most persons in the U.S. and many persons abroad; however, motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) bring great costs both to individuals and society. Driver behavior is the critical factor in an estimated 94% of MVCs and aggressive driving is the cause of two-thirds of U.S. traffic fatalities. Certain populations are at an increased risk for MVCs including persons who are young (ages 15-24), persons who have developmental disabilities such as Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and persons who have a high propensity for driving-related anger. …

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Exploring The Influence Of Family History Before And After Type 2 Diabetes Development Through Statistical Analysis Of Biomarkers And An Educational Intervention, Jessica Johnson Denton Jan 2022

Exploring The Influence Of Family History Before And After Type 2 Diabetes Development Through Statistical Analysis Of Biomarkers And An Educational Intervention, Jessica Johnson Denton

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The prevalence of type 2 diabetes is increasing at an alarming rate in both children and adults worldwide. Timely identification of those at risk for type 2 diabetes is essential to reduce morbidity and mortality and to mitigate the toll on families and the healthcare system. Family history is an effective, universal tool that can be used to identify individuals at risk for type 2 diabetes before they acquire additional risk factors. Understanding how family history contributes to biomarkers associated with diabetes in healthy individuals could facilitate the creation of early screening and prevention strategies designed for this specific at-risk …

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Biomanufacturing Of Micro-Myocardial Tissue Through Suspension Differentiation With Improved Yields, Purity, And Quality, Asher M. Kahn-Krell Jan 2022

Biomanufacturing Of Micro-Myocardial Tissue Through Suspension Differentiation With Improved Yields, Purity, And Quality, Asher M. Kahn-Krell

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Despite major advances in revascularization and drug therapy for post-myocardial infarction (MI) heart failure (HF), heart transplantation remains the only curative therapy to prevent progressive and debilitating disease. Researchers have long sought a replenishable and expandable source of cardiomyocytes (CMs), the primary functional cell in the heart muscle, for a broad array of applications related to the treatment of HF ranging from direct implantation to high throughput drug testing. The lack of cell cycle activity and cell division in adult CMs prevented the development of an expandable primary cell line. However, with the discovery of high efficiency stem cell differentiation …

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Comparison Of The Condyle-Fossa Relationship And Resorption Between Patients With And Without Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (Jia): A Retrospective Three-Dimensional Cone-Beam Computed Tomography Study, Ahmet Arif Celebi Jan 2022

Comparison Of The Condyle-Fossa Relationship And Resorption Between Patients With And Without Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (Jia): A Retrospective Three-Dimensional Cone-Beam Computed Tomography Study, Ahmet Arif Celebi

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Introduction: The most common disease in pediatric rheumatology is juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). JIA is considered to be an autoimmune disease with an onset before the age of 16. The temporal mandibular joint (TMJ) has been reported to be involved in up to 87% of patients with JIA. Even though much research has been conducted on JIA, limited research has studied to understand its effect on the condyle-fossa relationship and to evaluate resorption amount on condyle by using a scoring system. Aim: The purpose of this study was (1) to evaluate the anatomical features of the glenoid fossa, (2) to …

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The Validation Of A Qualitative Analytical Method To Detect Nine Cannabinoids For Forensic Drug Analysis Using Gas Chromtography/Mass Spectrometry, Andrea Shipley Jan 2022

The Validation Of A Qualitative Analytical Method To Detect Nine Cannabinoids For Forensic Drug Analysis Using Gas Chromtography/Mass Spectrometry, Andrea Shipley

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Cannabis is the most commonly abused drug in the United States and the world. It contains at least 100 phytocannabinoids including tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol (CBD), cannabinol (CBN), and cannabigerol (CBG), each of which produce different pharmacodynamics in the human body. Different isomers of THC are present in marijuana, of which Δ9-THC is the main psychoactive chemical. While many states have legalized medical and recreational use of cannabis, marijuana and many other cannabis derivatives remain Schedule I controlled substances federally and in many states including Alabama. Exceptions to these laws include hemp-derived products with a Δ9- THC content of no more …

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Early Life Stress And Barrier Dysfunction Of The Blood-Brain Barrier, Margaret Ellen Lloyd Jan 2022

Early Life Stress And Barrier Dysfunction Of The Blood-Brain Barrier, Margaret Ellen Lloyd

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Early Life Stress (ELS) refers to any process or event of chronic and/or sever stress that occurs early in an individual’s development; this can be spurred by environmental or behavioral cues and helps predict inflammation later1 in life. ELS is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and other chronic conditions like depression. However, many of the physiological processes that lead to increased risk of chronic illness later in life have yet to be established or examined. The ELS mouse model is used to examine the unknown mechanistic links between childhood stress and risk for chronic disease in adulthood. …

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Method Development Of Drug Court Samples, Kourtney Michelle Steen Jan 2022

Method Development Of Drug Court Samples, Kourtney Michelle Steen

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This project was done in collaboration with the Jefferson County Drug Court system. The Drug Court program is available in Jefferson County to youth and adults to help first time offenders with felony drug offenses. Individuals can have their cases dismissed once they complete the rehabilitation program. There are three phases to the Drug Court program with random drug screens conducted through a color-coded selection system. The phases are correlated to completing screens weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly. The program is completed once the individual has a clean drug test for 90 days. The overall objectives of this research project were …

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An Evaluation Of The In Vitro Antibacterial, Biocompatibility, And Mineralization Properties Of Six Calcium Silicate-Based Pulp Capping Materials, Taimy Cruz Hondares Jan 2022

An Evaluation Of The In Vitro Antibacterial, Biocompatibility, And Mineralization Properties Of Six Calcium Silicate-Based Pulp Capping Materials, Taimy Cruz Hondares

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Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the antibacterial activity, biocompatibility, and mineralization-inducing potential of calcium silicate-based pulp capping materials. Methods: Six contemporary calcium silicate-based pulp capping materials were compared in this study, including ProRoot MTA, MTA Angelus, Biodentine, EndoSequence, NeoMTA 2 and NeoPutty. The antibacterial effects of these materials against Streptococcus mutans UA159 and Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29212 were determined by the agar-diffusion assay and the direct culture test. The biocompatibility and mineralization-inducing potential of these materials in preodontoblastic 17IIA11 cells were compared by the MTT assay and by evaluating alkaline phosphatase activity and calcium deposits, respectively. …

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Socioeconomic Status, Hbb, And Ttr Variants, And Cardiorenal Outcomes: The Regards Study, Onika E. Abrams Jan 2022

Socioeconomic Status, Hbb, And Ttr Variants, And Cardiorenal Outcomes: The Regards Study, Onika E. Abrams

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Blacks are disproportionately affected by heart failure (HF) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD). While poorer health outcomes in Blacks have been associated with social determinants of health, there are some biological differences worth noting, namely genetic risk variants for both TTR and HBB. These genetic risk variants are known to confer additional risk in the development of heart failure and end-stage renal disease, respectively. While we understand these genetic variants aren’t fully penetrant, and genetics and are not deterministic, we aimed to examine additional factors and mechanisms responsible for the increased risk in HF and ESRD in Blacks. Neighborhood socioeconomic …

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Optimal Antero-Posterior Position Of The Maxillary Central Incisors And Its Relationship To The Forehead In Adult Hispanic Females, Balraj Bains Jan 2022

Optimal Antero-Posterior Position Of The Maxillary Central Incisors And Its Relationship To The Forehead In Adult Hispanic Females, Balraj Bains

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Objective: The objective of this study is to investigate the relationship of forehead inclination to anteroposterior position (AP) of the maxillary central incisors in adult Hispanic females. Materials and Methods: 70 participants were recruited for this study and smiling profile photographs were taken. All images were deidentified and placed in standardized dimension of 7.5” by 6.5”, which were then added to a PowerPoint to be evaluated by a judging panel. 24 Adult Hispanic Females (AHF) made up the control group and were seen to have an optimal incisor AP position. 46 AHF were in the study group and were judged …

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Association Between Regional Covid-19 Vaccine Hesitancy And Reported Positive Covid-19 Cases In The Southern United States, Orielle Caudle Jan 2022

Association Between Regional Covid-19 Vaccine Hesitancy And Reported Positive Covid-19 Cases In The Southern United States, Orielle Caudle

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The use of vaccinations has been shown to be beneficial in pandemics in the past, and in some cases, it has led to elimination of a particular disease (i.e. polio). The COVID-19 vaccination can also serve the same purpose, however, vaccine hesitancy within specific regions of the country may prevent and/or dilute the effectiveness of the vaccine. Vaccine hesitancy can be defined as a delay in acceptance, or refusal despite the availability of vaccine services. Southern regions have consistently had the lower vaccination rates compared to its other regional counterparts, even as the pandemic progressed and death rates increased over …

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Evaluation Of Repair Strength Of Conventional, Milled, And Printed Resin Provisional Crown Materials With Different Surface Treatments And Repair Resins, Bright Jesuk Chang Jan 2022

Evaluation Of Repair Strength Of Conventional, Milled, And Printed Resin Provisional Crown Materials With Different Surface Treatments And Repair Resins, Bright Jesuk Chang

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Statement of Problem: Provisional (also known as interim or transitional) restorations are important in fixed prosthodontics to evaluate long-term esthetics, phonetics, and function while protecting the tooth preparation from bacterial infiltration and maintaining periodontal health. Recent advances in CAD/CAM technologies have allowed these restorations to be either milled or printed. However, there is a lack of literature regarding the repair and reline of these milled and/or printed restorations. Purpose: To evaluate the repair strength of conventional, milled, and printed resin provisional crown materials with different surface treatments and repair resins. Materials and Methods: This in vitro study examined the shear …

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