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Lmod1 Modulates Neointimal Lesion Size After Vessel Injury And Stabilizes Smooth Muscle Cell Gene Regulatory Networks During Atherogenic Stress, Sara Wennersten

ETDs from 2020-2029

Phenotypic switching of smooth muscle cells (SMCs) from a contractile to a synthetic state underlies the pathogenesis of several cardiovascular disease (CVD) pathologies, including restenosis and atherosclerosis. Leiomodin 1 (LMOD1), an SMC-enriched actin-binding protein, has been previously found to regulate SMC phenotypic modulation in vitro. However, its contribution to CVD development and progression, along with its influence on gene regulatory networks (GRNs) that inform underlying responses to stress, remains incompletely defined. Here, I combine a mouse injury model, bulk RNA sequencing, and GRN inference to define how reduced LMOD1 expression perturbs SMC physiology during vascular wall remodeling and lipid stress. …

Characterization Of Social Media Use Patterns Among Hispanic/Latinx Dementia Caregivers And Its Impact On Mental Health, Sofia Mildrum Chana

ETDs from 2020-2029

Hispanic & Latinx (H&L) family caregivers of people living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRDs) experience high levels of stress that can negatively impact their mental health and may turn to social networking sites (SNS, commonly known as ‘social media’) for coping or social support. However, no research has yet examined how SNS use influences H&L caregiver mental health. The primary purpose of the present study was to characterize patterns of SNS use among H&L ADRD family caregivers and examine the associations between SNS use and caregivers’ mental health and well-being. Data for the present study come from the …

Psychosocial Outcomes In Adults With Cleft Lip And Palate: Exploring The Relationship Between Cleft Severity, Mental Health, And Treatment Satisfaction, Haley Hannabass

ETDs from 2020-2029

Introduction:This study aimed to examine psychosocial outcomes in adults with cleft lip and palate (CL/P), focusing on how cleft severity (unilateral versus bilateral) influences depression, anxiety, social functioning, oral health–related quality of life, and satisfaction with treatment outcomes. Individuals born with clefts often continue to face psychosocial challenges even after surgical repair, and limited research has compared how these outcomes differ by cleft type in adulthood. Materials and Methods:A cross-sectional design was used, including 24 adults aged 18 years and older who had undergone cleft repair and were finished or in active orthodontic treatment at UAB. Participants completed an online …

Modulation Of The Cgas-Sting Inflammation Pathway In Mouse Models Of Accelerated And Slowed Aging, Benjamin David Heckman

ETDs from 2020-2029

Chronic sterile inflammation (inflammaging) is a core pillar of aging, and the cGAS-STING innate immune pathway has emerged as a key driver of this process. However, how this pathway intersects with systemic endocrine signaling remains poorly understood. Here, we investigated the intersection of endocrine signaling and cGAS-STING activation using two complementary mouse models with opposing lifespan phenotypes: a short-lived, liver-specific glucagon receptor knockout (LKO) mouse and a long-lived growth hormone-releasing hormone knockout (GHRH-KO) mouse. We demonstrate that despite presenting with a metabolically healthy phenotype, female LKO mice exhibited a significantly reduced lifespan. We link this premature mortality to a sex …

Examining Pain- Related Stigma And Sources Of Resilience In Children With Disorders Of Gut-Brain Interaction, Tolulope Adetayo

ETDs from 2020-2029

Background. Painful disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBI) affect approximately one in five children. In addition to functional impairments, DGBI increase risk for felt stigma (FS) from providers, school personnel, family members, and peers. Children with DGBI may also belong to other minoritized groups that intersect with pain-related FS. However, little is known about how intersectionality impacts the stigma and pain experiences of youth. Further, little is known about the protective capabilities of psychosocial resources (e.g., social support and hope) against FS. Thus, the current study aimed to investigate the impact of FS and its potential moderators in a sample of …

Posterior Cerebellar Lobe Deviations And Social Cognition In Individuals With Psychosis And Their Unaffected Relatives, Andreea Maria Stanica

ETDs from 2020-2029

Social cognition deficits observed in psychotic disorders contribute to functional impairments. The cerebellum has been identified as a critical brain region involved in social cognitive processes, but the relationship between cerebellar structural deviations and social cognition in individuals with psychosis (probands) and their unaffected relatives remains unclear. Using normative modeling, this study examined cerebellar volume deviations in probands and their unaffected first-degree relatives and investigated associations with social cognitive and motor performance. Probands exhibited significant theory of mind deficits compared to relatives. Probands showed negative deviations in anterior cerebellar lobe relative to the norm, whereas relatives did not. Deviations in …

The Effectiveness Of A Web-Based, Edutainment Intervention On Hiv-Related Stigma, Hiv Knowledge, And Condom Use Self-Efficacy Among Black/African American Emerging Adults, Shirlacia Gray

ETDs from 2020-2029

The Effectiveness of a Web-Based, Edutainment Intervention on HIV-Related Stigma, HIV Knowledge, and Condom Use Self-Efficacy among Black/African American Emerging Adults SHIRLACIA S. GRAY APPLIED DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY ABSTRACT Background: Edutainment interventions were developed to increase knowledge, to influence people’s attitudes and behaviors toward sexual, social and public health issues, and to promote behavior change. This current study implemented an edutainment intervention to examine its effectiveness on increasing HIV knowledge, reducing HIV-related stigma, and increasing condom use self-efficacy among Black/African American Emerging Adults in Birmingham, AL. Methods: This current study used longitudinal data from the City Health-II intervention for secondary data …

Exploring Criminality Through A Developmental Lens: Contextual Effects From Childhood To Emerging Adulthood, Abigail Jeanette Anderson

ETDs from 2020-2029

Adolescent delinquency is a key predictor of later criminal behaviors and is associated with negative outcomes across education, employment, and health. Despite extensive research, gaps remain regarding the interplay of individual- and context-level factors in the development of delinquency, as well as the reliance on cross-sectional or retrospective designs. Guided by a social-ecological framework, the present dissertation examines how family, school, and neighborhood contexts interact with individual behaviors to shape pathways toward delinquency and adult criminality across childhood, adolescence, and early adulthood. The first study investigated the cascading effects of paternal engagement, parental aggravation, and early child behavior problems in …

Reproductive System Variation In Tropical Red Macroalgae, Taylor M. Williams

ETDs from 2020-2029

The reproductive system encompasses the relative rates of sexual versus clonal reproduction and is responsible for partitioning genetic diversity within and among populations. However, the quantification of these rates remains limited in natural populations and has primarily focused on animals and angiosperms. This knowledge gap is particularly acute among tropical macroalgae. This dissertation addresses this by focusing on the cryptogenic invader Chondria tumulosa in the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument and the invasive species Acanthophora spicifera across the Hawaiian Archipelago, Australia, and Guam. For Chondria we developed nine microsatellite loci and found a dominance of tetrasporophytes, high clonal rates, and strong …

Amino Acid Pet Tracers For Cancer Imaging And Response Assessment, Ugur Akca

ETDs from 2020-2029

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and high-grade glioma (HGG) pose significant diagnostic and therapeutic challenges due to their aggressive biology and the limitations of [¹⁸F]FDG PET, which suffers from nonspecific uptake in inflammatory tissues, complicating differentiation of viable tumor from treatment-related effects. Computed Tomography, while strong for structural changes, has limited soft tissue contrast for distinguishing tumor from inflammation, and Magnetic Resonance Imaging, despite superior soft tissue resolution, struggles with differentiating active tumor from post-treatment changes like edema or necrosis due to nonspecific enhancement. These challenges highlight the necessity for complementary and advanced imaging strategies for improved diagnosis and monitoring. This …

Bidirectional Effects Of Transcutaneous Auricular Vagus Nerve Stimulation On Insomnia And Brain Health In Breast Cancer, Melissa Van Trang Do

ETDs from 2020-2029

Breast cancer remains the most frequently diagnosed cancer among women worldwide, with over 2.3 million new cases annually. While advances in treatment have improved survival, many women continue to suffer from persistent insomnia, fatigue, anxiety, depression, and cognitive dysfunction that collectively impair quality of life and recovery. These interrelated symptoms share common biological underpinnings, including autonomic dysregulation, vagal withdrawal, and chronic inflammation. Transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) is a non-invasive, bioelectronic therapy that modulates afferent vagal pathways via auricular branches of the vagus and trigeminal nerves. By engaging central autonomic and neuroimmune circuits, including the nucleus tractus solitarius and …

Sample Preparation Effects On Liquid Scintillation Counting Quench, Jason Rusch

ETDs from 2020-2029

Liquid Scintillation Counting (LSC) is a critical technique in operational health physics, particularly for contamination surveys. However, common, expedient sample preparation choices often introduce unpredictable levels of quench, compromising the accuracy of results. This thesis investigates the impact of common preparation variables including vial material, cap lining, solid sample matrix presence, cocktail volume, and radioactivity. The impact of these sample preparation variables were evaluated using the quench methods on two fundamentally distinct commercial LSC systems, the Perkin Elmer Tri-Carb 4910TR (employing tSIE correction) and the Hidex 600 SL (employing TDCR correction). A total of 320 samples were evaluated on each …

Physiological And Neuroimmune Effects Of Manual Therapy, Murdi S. Alanazi

ETDs from 2020-2029

Manual therapy (MT) is widely used across healthcare disciplines for the management of musculoskeletal conditions. Emerging evidence indicates that MT may also influence broader physiological systems such as the nervous and the immune systems. However, the mechanisms underlying these effects are still not well understood, and limited evidence exists regarding the neuroimmune effect of MT in neurologically impaired populations such as multiple sclerosis (MS). The overall aim of this dissertation was to investigate the physiological effects of MT, synthesizing current evidence across mechanistic domains, and generating pilot data to inform future research. This dissertation was structured around four manuscripts. The …

Clinical Decision Support Using Medical Imaging Artificial Intelligence, Yun-Chi Lin

ETDs from 2020-2029

Medical imaging plays a central role in modern clinical decision-making, yet its effective integration with artificial intelligence (AI) remains challenged by real-world clinical constraints. This dissertation investigates how medical imaging-based AI frameworks can be strategically designed to support clinical decision-making for two distinct but clinically critical scenarios: acute pandemic care and chronic neurodegenerative disease management. In acute pandemic settings, such as the COVID-19 crisis, healthcare systems face an urgent need for rapid risk stratification under conditions of data scarcity and operational stress including surges in patient volume and limited medical resources. This work explores strategies for developing deep learning models …

Investigating Stromal Cell-Mediated Biomechanics For Angiogenesis And Reperfusion In A 3d Microfluidic Model For Ischemic Vascular Disease, Vaishali Bala

ETDs from 2020-2029

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) affects millions worldwide, causing tissue ischemia and impaired healing due to insufficient blood flow. Current therapeutic strategies to promote revascularization remain limited, largely because the mechanical regulation of angiogenesis is poorly understood. While biochemical growth factors like VEGF have been extensively studied, the role of mechanical forces generated by stromal cells in the perivascular matrix remains underexplored. This dissertation investigated how stromal cell contractility drives vascular growth through mechanotransduction pathways and modulation of endothelial cell-cell junctions. Using 3D fibrin or fibrin-collagen-I-based microtissues and compartmentalized microfluidic devices, we characterized the mechanical phenotypes of multiple fibroblast populations and …

Integrated Proteomics To Understand The Role Of Neuritin-1 (Nrn1) As A Molecular Mediator Of Synaptic Resilience In Alzheimer’S Disease, Derian Pugh

ETDs from 2020-2029

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia in adults over the age of 65, and currently affects approximately 6.9 million people in the United States. By 2060, the number of people age 65 and older with AD is projected to reach 13.8 million, barring the development of disease-altering therapies to prevent, slow or cure AD. Thus, there is a need for progress in the understanding of AD pathophysiology, as well as in the development of diagnostic and therapeutic interventions. Approximately one-third of individuals without dementia at the time of death are found to harbor high levels of amyloid-beta …

Cbct Evaluation Of Planned Vs. Achieved Expansion And Buccal Bone Thickness In Phase I Orthodontic Cases Treated With Clear Aligners, Jared Teeples

ETDs from 2020-2029

Introduction: Within orthodontics, CBCT technology has been used to analyze tooth movement with both fixed appliances and clear aligners. However, little research has evaluated alveolar bone remodeling outcomes in growing patients treated with clear aligner expansion. Methods: This study compared pre-treatment (T0) and post-treatment (T1) CBCTs of Phase I patients treated with clear aligners who had expansion planned in the Invisalign® ClinCheck. CBCTs were collected and analyzed, including 27 maxillary and 22 mandibular arches. The aims were (1) to compare planned vs. actual expansion and (2) to evaluate the arch width (AW) and alveolar bone changes before and after treatment. …

Cysteine Protease Activity In Allergen Recognition And Initiation Of Th2 Allergic Responses, Audrey Rae Meloun

ETDs from 2020-2029

Allergens are non-infectious environmental proteins that can trigger T helper 2 (Th2) cell-mediated inflammation in atopic individuals. Allergens are structurally diverse and typically lack pathogen-associated molecules patterns (PAMPs), which are recognized by pathogen recognition receptors (PRRs). PRRs are the canonical sensors of the innate immune system that typically detect PAMPs in microbes, initiating signaling pathways that drive pathogen clearance. Because allergens generally do not activate PRRs in the same way as infectious agents, alternative detection mechanisms are likely responsible for their recognition and the subsequent initiation of Th2 cell-mediated inflammation. House Dust Mite (HDM), a major indoor allergen, and other …

Physical And Psychophysiological Responses To Self-Selected Music In Individuals With Parkinson's Disease, Sophia Porrill

ETDs from 2020-2029

Exercise is a cornerstone adjunct therapy for people with Parkinson’s Disease (PwP). However, exercise capacity is often impaired by non-motor processes including decreased motivation, arousal, and physical effort. Self-selected music (SSM) has been shown to improve motivation and arousal state in healthy individuals thereby leading to increases in exercise capacity. Whether these positive effects of SSM translate to PwP is unclear. The purpose of this study was to measure 1) the psychophysiological effects of SSM at rest, and 2) psychophysiological and physical responses during a 6-minute walk test (6MWT) in PwP. In a counterbalanced crossover manner, PwP (n=12) completed resting …

Biomineralization Of Low Temperature Plasma(Ltp) Modified Polymeric Biomaterials And Scaffolds, John Patrick Bradford

ETDs from 2020-2029

Bio-integration, specifically osseo-integration of bone implants and scaffolds, are vital for the success of implants and bone tissue engineering (BTE). Calcification can be defined as the deposition of calcium compounds as either calcium phosphate(CaP) minerals consisting of hydroxyapatite(HAP) or CaP salts. The significance of the variety of phases of CaP is that mature bone matrix is composed of 65% CaP mineral. Many investigators have attempted to model the natural matrix by producing materials containing calcium phosphate in both amorphous CaP or in the more crystalline HAP form, with biomaterials (both synthetic and biological). Biomimetic CaP formation is a sign of …

Development Of Human Trophoblast Cell Surface Antigen-2 (Trop-2) Specific Radiopharmaceutical Tracers, Arnav Vipulkumar Patel

ETDs from 2020-2029

Trophoblast cell surface antigen 2 (Trop2) is closely related to the development and progression of triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC) and is also being investigated as a pan-cancer biomarker. Trop-2 tumorigenesis is mediated by the calcium ion signaling pathways. By accurately predicting and targeting Trop-2 for immunotherapy, precision therapy is crucial. Trop-2 is overexpressed in tumor tissues compared to normal tissues, which makes it a promising molecular target for cancer-targeted therapy. This thesis reports the development and preclinical evaluation of two novel Trop-2-specific radiopharmaceutical tracers derived from the clinically approved antibody-drug conjugate Sacituzumab Govitecan (SG): a full antibody drug conjugate-based tracer …

January 23, 2026 Ereporter, University Of Alabama At Birmingham

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December 19, 2025 Ereporter, University Of Alabama At Birmingham

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Insights Into Cardiac O-Glcnacylation As A Link Between The Diabetic State And Increased Cardiovascular Disease Susceptibility And Pathology, Samuel Formosa Chang

All ETDs from UAB

With diabetes prevalence around the world nearing 10%, and half of the US population having either diabetes or pre-diabetes, many epidemiological studies show diabetic patients have both increased risk for developing major cardiovascular disease (CVD), and increased mortality rates due to CVD. Additionally, within this field, studies have shown that indi-viduals with previously higher HbA1C levels have higher long-lasting risk for major ad-verse cardiac events compared to those with previously lower HbA1C levels—establishing the concept of “metabolic memory”. Within the diabetic milieu, cardiac protein O-GlcNAcylation (O-linked B-N-acetyl-glucosamine) is important for cardiac pathology de-velopment. Specifically, our lab generated a cardiomyocyte specific, …

The Effects Of Dietary Protein Source On Spine Regeneration In The Sea Urchin Lytechinus Variegatus, Joseph Cortez, Jami De Jesus, Raven A. Edwards, Jeri L. Brandom, Stephen A. Watts

Expo Student Presentations

2025 Fall Expo Poster Presentation

• Biological & Life Sciences

Rodent Model Development: A Standard Operating Procedure (Sop), Shreya Hiwalkar, Noor Judge, Seong In Chi, Purva Desai, Akhsar Patel, Ho-Wok Jun, Kyounga Cheon

Expo Student Presentations

2025 Fall Expo Poster Presentation

• Health Sciences & Health Professions

Endocrine Gene Divergence Reflects Precipitation-Driven Adaptation In Sonoran Desert Rattlesnakes, Makinley Ross Kendrick, Austin Biddy, Greer Dolby

Expo Student Presentations

2025 Fall Expo Poster Presentation

• Biological & Life Sciences

Cellcounter: An Automated Cell Counting Tool For Faster Research Analysis, Marion Office, Avi Patel, Christopher Carlile, Beau Miller, Rizwan Khan

Expo Student Presentations

2025 Fall Expo Poster Presentation

• Physical & Applied Sciences

Recruitment Progress And Participant Characteristics In The Glo Study, Andre Odom

Expo Student Presentations

2025 Fall Expo Online Oral Presentation

• Biological & Life Sciences

Diet Impact On Depression And Anxiety, Rani Patel

Expo Student Presentations

2025 Fall Expo Online Poster Presentation

• Health Sciences & Health Professions
• Social & Behavioral Sciences