Digital Commons Network^™

Assessment Of Nearshore Distribution And Abundance Of Echinoderms In The Vicinity Of Anvers Island On The Central Western Antarctic Peninsula, Brittny Alysha White

All ETDs from UAB

Antarctic nearshore benthic communities are known for their unique richness and diversity of marine invertebrates. Bryozoans, soft corals, tunicates, cnidarians, tunicates, sponges and echinoderms are among the dominant groups of marine invertebrates. All five classes of Echinodermata are represented in nearshore waters of Antarctica, however, brittle stars and sea stars are the most classes. Antarctic echinoderms are important in contributing to carbon cycles and benthic production, as well as playing significant roles as determinants of community structure. To date, no systematic quantitative study has been conducted on the echinoderm fauna in nearshore shallow waters of the Antarctic Peninsula. The present …

Characterization And Modeling Of Styrene Emission From A Thermoset Composite Material, Shaun Anthony Crawford

All ETDs from UAB

Diffusive emissions of volatile compounds from building materials have been well documented as a source of indoor air pollution. While laboratory testing can quantify these emissions and predict volatile concentrations in indoor air, the ability to precisely model emission rates from any given building material would provide a useful tool to air quality professionals to anticipate, identify and mitigate potential sources of indoor air pollution. Composite materials, some made with vinyl ester resins, are replacing metal in transportation applications (bus bodies, airplane fuselages) but contain volatile styrene. Here, a mass transfer model for predicting volatile emissions from a dry building …

Social Connectedness And Its Association With Violence Commission In Adolescents Living In Low-Income Inner-City Neighborhoods, Thomas Norton Creger

All ETDs from UAB

ABSTRACT For nearly two decades, violence has been viewed as a major public health issue. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4,141 young people between the ages of 10 and 19 were murdered in 2008, and over 480,238 young people were treated for violence-related injuries in U.S. emergency rooms that same year. That translates to an average of 11 young people murdered each day, and a daily average of 1,315 young people who sustained violence-related injuries so severe that they required treatment at a hospital. The purpose of this study was to test a multilevel model linking …

Mary Church Terrell: A Historical Case Study Of A Pioneer Of Froebelian Kindergartens For African American Children 1896-1901, Vernessa Curry

All ETDs from UAB

MARY CHURCH TERRELL: A HISTORICAL CASE STUDY OF A PIONEER OF FROEBELIAN KINDERGARTENS FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN CHILDREN 1896-1901 VERNESSA ELAINE CURRY EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION ABSTRACT The purpose of this historical case study was to explore the role of Mary Church Terrell in advancing Froebelian kindergartens for African American children 1896-1901. Historical documents, records, photographs, video, and observations were used in the data collection process. The following questions guided this study: "How did the social, political, and economic context of the Progressive Era affect African American women?" "How was Mary Church Terrell's family and educational history essential to her role in …

Determining The Functional Role Of Trem-Like Transcript 2 In The Innate Immune Response, Matthew Martin Halpert

All ETDs from UAB

TLT2 is one of four receptors conserved between mouse and human within the TREM locus, and is expressed on B cells, macrophages, and neutrophils. TLT2 ligation on murine macrophages induces the production of chemokines and growth factors, as evidenced by ex vivo treatment with anti-TLT2 mAbs. This treatment did not lead to the upregulation of activation markers such as CD69 or costimulatory molecules such as CD80 and CD86, indicating a specific response following TLT2 ligation. This is recapitulated in vivo following injection of anti-TLT2 mAbs resulting in the production of chemokines and growth factors, which ultimately lead to enhanced neutrophil …

The Role Of Mitochondrial Oxidative Stress In Cardiovascular Disease Development, Corey Michael Harrison

All ETDs from UAB

An estimated 70 million Americans have one or more types of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Although the sequence of events leading to CVD are still controversial, there is a general consensus that atherosclerotic lesions result from oxidative stress associated with risk factor. For this study, it was hypothesized that endogenous mitochondrial oxidative stress would influence susceptibility to atherogenesis and mitochondrial damage mediated by CVD risk factor exposure. To test this hypothesis, atherosclerotic lesion formation, oxidant stress, and mitochondrial DNA damage were assessed in hypercholestoremic mice (apolipoprotein E null - apoE -/- SOD2 +/+) and mice with significantly decreased levels of the …

The Role Of Ll-37 In Prostate Cancer And Its Potential As A Therapeutic Target, Jonathan Adam Hensel

All ETDs from UAB

LL-37 is the only cathelicidin-derived anti-microbial peptide in humans and has been shown to stimulate proliferation, angiogenesis, cellular migration and inhibit apoptosis, in addition to serving as a chemoattractant for leukocytes. It is produced primarily by epithelial cells and leukocytes, and has recently been discovered to be over-expressed in breast, ovarian and lung cancers. Based on these findings, we compared levels of LL-37 expression in benign and cancerous human prostate tissues. Results of this investigation demonstrated that LL-37 is increasingly over-expressed in primary prostate tumors in a grade dependent manner and in metastatic lesions. Since the physiological mechanisms of LL-37 …

Pax5 Controls B Lineage Specific Gene Expression Program Through Association With The Nuclear Matrix, Sang Yong Hong

All ETDs from UAB

Pax5 is an essential regulator for B lineage cell development and controls hundreds of positive and negative target genes. The nuclear matrix (NM) has long been proposed to provide a dynamic structural support for biological reactions inside of the nucleus, including DNA replication, RNA transcription, and RNA splicing. Although Pax5 binding sites have been identified in numerous Pax5 target genes, it is not clear how Pax5 controls so many target genes. In this dissertation, I demonstrate that Pax5 association with the NM is essential for regulation of the B lineage specific gene expression program. In part I, I found that …

Measuring Aniseikonia Using Scattering Filters To Simulate Cataract, Jason Anthony Wilson

All ETDs from UAB

MEASURING ANISEIKONIA USING SCATTERING FILTERS TO SIMULATE CATARACT JASON WILSON DEPARTMENT OF VISION SCIENCE ABSTRACT The relationship between anisometropia and aniseikonia (ANK) is not well understood. Ametropic cataract patients provide a unique opportunity to study this relationship after undergoing emmetropizing lens extraction. Because light scatter may affect ANK measurement in cataract patients, its effect should also be evaluated. The Basic Aniseikonia Test (BAT) was evaluated using afocal size lenses to produce specific changes in retinal height. Several light scattering devices were then evaluated to determine which produced effects most similar to cataract. Contrast sensitivity and visual acuity (VA) losses were …

Optimization And Characterization Of Multifunctional Polymeric-Nanodiamond Electrospun Scaffolds, Amanee Salaam

All ETDs from UAB

Due to the lack of treatment options available for patients suffering from bone abnormalities, current research focuses on developing novel biomaterials for bone tissue engineering. Since a tissue scaffold is implanted in vivo, it could also serve as a substrate for localized, systemic delivery of therapeutics. Particularly in primary bone cancer after removal of a cancerous lesion, there is a need for a system that can support the generation of new tissue while delivering localized chemotherapy. However, a complex molecule is needed to serve as a vehicle for delivering the drug and targeting only cancerous cells. Detonation nanodiamond (DND) is …

The Impact Of Endopytic Algae On Growth And Survival Of Antarctic Macroalgae (Rhodophyta), Kathryn M. Schoenrock

All ETDs from UAB

Filamentous algal endophytes are common in many species of chemically defended macroalgae along the western Antarctic Peninsula. Effects of filamentous algal endophytes in macroalgal hosts are unknown, but may be detrimental to host due to competition for light and nutrients or pathogenic effects. Growth of three species of red Antarctic macroalgae were examined in situunder varying loads of endophyte infection. The experiment occurred at the end of the Austral summer and lasted approximately six to nine weeks until population senescence was imminent. Growth was measured through change in mass, change in surface area, growth rate, relative growth rate and surface …

Ghosts Of The American Abram, Jonathan K. Dick

All ETDs from UAB

The subject of fathers and roles of fatherhood are ever present in virtually every facet of literature, no matter the culture or time period. From the Judeo-Christian myth of Adam's reluctant fatherhood of mankind to the cruel passivity and apathy of Jason Compson III in Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury, the role of father has been an archetype as readily accessible in reality as it is in fiction. This thesis, a story in the vein of Southern gothic literature, focuses on the relationship of a man struggling with those reflections of himself as a man in the present day …

Qualitative Analysis Of Hiv-1-Specific Cd8 T Cell Responses, Olusimidele Tolulope Akinsiku

All ETDs from UAB

In the absence of antiretroviral therapy (ART), the majority of individuals infected with human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) will develop AIDS. HIV-1-infected controllers are exceptions to the rule; without the use of ART, these individuals spontaneously control virus replication. A better understanding of the immune mechanisms that mediate delayed disease progression, as seen in controllers, will provide valuable insight to the design and development of an effective HIV-1 vaccine. CD8 T cells are important mediators of the antiviral immune response. However, it is unclear which components of the response are critical for long-lasting protection during HIV-1 infection. We first review methods …

Homelessness In Birmingham, Al: An Analysis Using The Local Homeless Management Information System And Surveys From Local Supportive Housing Programs, Adrian Kendall Smith

All ETDs from UAB

A homeless management information system (HMIS) records and stores a client's demographic information and his/her service utilization history while allowing for case management opportunities between the client and service provider. HMISs are changing the way communities serve their homeless populations and how agencies serving the homeless interact with their clients and other agencies. With a focus on the city of Birmingham, its local HMIS, and the local agencies using HMIS this research seeks to answer the following questions: How can the homeless management information system help us to better understand the homeless population in Birmingham? What are the different approaches …

Molecular Piracy In The Mobilization Of Staphylococcus Aureus Pathogenicity Island 1, Michael Spilman

All ETDs from UAB

Staphylococcus aureus bacteriophage 80α is a temperate, double-stranded DNA phage that serves as a "helper" phage for the mobilization of several S. aureus pathogenicity islands (SaPIs), including SaPI1. When mobilized by 80α, SaPI1 genomes are packaged into smaller phage-like transducing particles composed of 80α capsid (gp47), scaffolding (gp46) and portal (gp42) proteins. In this dissertation, I utilize electron microscopy and biochemistry to tease apart the structural and genetic controls and consequences of SaPI1 as a molecular pirate. More specifically, I show that two SaPI1 proteins shift assembly from 63-nm, T = 7 icosahedral capsids to 47-nm, T = 4 capsids, …

Protective Factors Against Relapse For Practicing Nurse Anesthetists In Recovery From Anesthetic Opiates, Elizabeth Laura Wright

All ETDs from UAB

Introduction: Addiction to anesthetic opiates is an occupational hazard for anesthesia providers, which includes nurse anesthetists. Several factors influence this hazard risk, including, genetic make-up, personality traits, and job stress. Also of great concern is the risk of relapse if an anesthesia provider returns to work, which can be as high as 40%. However, there are nurse anesthetists who have successfully returned to the practice of anesthesia while in recovery from addiction to anesthetic opiates. These nurse anesthetists have first-hand experience with the challenges of recovery when faced with continual access to opiates, and their experience can help others in …

Exhaustion Renders Cd8 T Cells Unresponsive To Antigen-Independent Activation And Is Characterized By Il-18 Receptor Downregulation, Jennifer T. Ingram

All ETDs from UAB

During many chronic infections virus-specific CD8 T cells succumb to exhaustion as they lose their ability to respond to antigenic activation. Combinations of interleukin (IL)-12, IL-18, and IL-21 have been shown to induce the antigen-independent production of IFN-γ by effector and memory CD8 T cells. In this study we investigated whether exhausted CD8 T cells are sensitive to activation by these cytokines. We show that effector and memory, but not exhausted, CD8 T cells produce interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and upregulate CD25 following exposure to certain combinations of IL-12, IL-18, and IL-21. This unresponsiveness was associated with downregulation of the IL-18 receptor …

Power Curve Data Analysis For Rim Driven Wind Turbine, Aerel J. Rankin, Svetlana V. Poroseva, Bob O. Hovsapian

Early Career Technical Journal (ECTJ)

Proceedings of the ASME Early Career Technical Conference, November 4-5, 2011. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia

pp. 27-32

Inquiro 5 (Front Matter), Inquiro Staff

Inquiro (undergraduate research journal)

pp. 1-3

Inquiro 5 (Complete Issue), Inquiro Staff

Inquiro (undergraduate research journal)

No abstract provided.

Nasa: Is It The End Or Only The Beginning?, Amlya Ahmed

Inquiro (undergraduate research journal)

p. 4

Nobel Prizes Awarded, Atbin Doroodchi

Inquiro (undergraduate research journal)

p. 5

The Aftershocks Of L’Aquila: The Indictment Of Italian Seismologists For Manslaughter, Helen Lin

Inquiro (undergraduate research journal)

pp. 6-7

Say Goodbye To Chronic Pain, Sadhvi Batra

Inquiro (undergraduate research journal)

p. 7

The Missing Link, Kavita Nadendia

Inquiro (undergraduate research journal)

p. 8

The Benevolence Of Rattus Norvegicus, Timothy Fernandez

Inquiro (undergraduate research journal)

p. 9

Glow-In-The-Dark Cats, Helen Lin

Inquiro (undergraduate research journal)

p. 10

Redefining Recovery: Applying Behavioral Techniques As Rehabilitation, Naveed Farrukh

Inquiro (undergraduate research journal)

pp. 11-13

Drug Discovery: A Potential Treatment For Heart Failure Patients, Ashruta Patel

Inquiro (undergraduate research journal)

p. 14

An Evaluation Of The Spoons Program On An Acute Care For Elders (Ace) Unit, Michael Chang

Inquiro (undergraduate research journal)

pp. 14-16