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University of Alabama at Birmingham

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The Role Of Sperm Protein 17 (Sp17) In Somatic Cells And Cancer, Jasmine P. Gaines Jan 2006

The Role Of Sperm Protein 17 (Sp17) In Somatic Cells And Cancer, Jasmine P. Gaines

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Sperm protein 17 (Sp17) was initially described as a member of the rabbit sperm autoantigen family and was proposed to participate in the acrosome reaction during fertilization. Sp17 was reported to be expressed only in the testes and flagellar tails of spermatozoa, with no expression in normal somatic tissues. In contrast to early reports of its limited expression in somatic tissues, recent studies have detected Sp17 in somatic cells, most prominently in the cilia of normal epithelial cells of the larynx, trachea, fallopian tube, lung, and olfactory epithelium. It has also become apparent that Sp17 is expressed at moderate to …

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Modulation Of Cell Signaling By Tomoregulins In Embryogenesis And Cancer, Paul William Harms Jan 2006

Modulation Of Cell Signaling By Tomoregulins In Embryogenesis And Cancer, Paul William Harms

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Growth factor signals often regulate similar cellular processes both during embryogenesis and in adult homeostasis. Stringent control of these signals ensures proper embryonic development and correct cell physiology in mature individuals. Recently, a family of two members of Tomoregulin (or transmembrane protein with epidermal growth factor-like and two follistatin domains [TMEFF]) was found to interact with transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) and ErbB signaling pathways, both of which are implicated in development and in cancer biology in the adult. The function as well as the mechanisms of TMEFFs in modulating these two signals has not been elucidated in detail. In this …

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Double-Matching In Anti-Correlated Random Dot Stereograms Of Panum's Limiting Case Reveals The Interactions Among The Elementary Disparity Signals Across Scale, Hwan Sean Lee Jan 2006

Double-Matching In Anti-Correlated Random Dot Stereograms Of Panum's Limiting Case Reveals The Interactions Among The Elementary Disparity Signals Across Scale, Hwan Sean Lee

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A fundamental problem in binocular vision is to understand the rules that govern matching of features in the two eyes. We adopted Panum’s limiting case (PLC) into random-dot stereograms (RDS) to determine whether our visual system permits non-unique binocular matching for stereopsis. Using PLC RDS, we found that i.) the PLC-defined depth was compatible with the disparity-defined depth, which suggests that our visual system detects the relative disparity in PLC; ii.) the upper depth limits discriminating the PLC-defined surfaces and disparity-defined surfaces were almost identical, which suggests that there is a common mechanism – correlation-based stereopsis – responsible for the …

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Lawrence County's Dropouts' Perceptions Of Why They Chose To Become Early Leavers., Jewell C. Satchel Jan 2006

Lawrence County's Dropouts' Perceptions Of Why They Chose To Become Early Leavers., Jewell C. Satchel

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No abstract provided.

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The Effect Of Environmentally-Related Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors On Mitochondrial Damage And Atherogenesis., Zhen Yang Jan 2006

The Effect Of Environmentally-Related Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors On Mitochondrial Damage And Atherogenesis., Zhen Yang

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No abstract provided.

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A Survey Assessment Of Veterinarians To Determine The Level Of Preparedness For An Infectious Disease Outbreak, Tamara Crutchley Bushell Jan 2006

A Survey Assessment Of Veterinarians To Determine The Level Of Preparedness For An Infectious Disease Outbreak, Tamara Crutchley Bushell

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Safeguarding animal health is of paramount importance to the US economy, public health and food safety. One of the most important causes of contamination in food products and of food-borne disease in humans is microorganisms that reside in the intestines of animals, such as Salmonella species and Escherichia coli O157:H7. A fundamental knowledge of the epidemiology of diseases, including an understanding of the agents and hosts, is a critical component of early (front-line) detection and prevention of contamination by microorganisms. Front-line detection is provided by animal handlers and personnel working with animals on a day-to-day basis, such as veterinarians. Currently …

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Model-Driven Integration Of Software And Service Components, Wei Zhao Jan 2006

Model-Driven Integration Of Software And Service Components, Wei Zhao

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Building applications by composing pre-developed components has much prom-ise for reuse and software engineering industrialization. Expressing integration require-ments in a model and its supporting tools not only elevates the abstraction of the devel-opment and automates reoccurring low-level integration code, but also leverages the inte-gration tools for various supporting functionality such as analysis, transformation, simu-lation, optimization, and monitoring. This dissertation addresses integration of compo-nents using two model-driven approaches. 1. There is an ongoing demand and trend of exposing software applications as IT services and utilities. We first discuss a model-driven approach to integration of service components. The integration requirements are depicted …

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Evalutation Of Sediment-Sensitive Biological Metrics As Bio-Monitoring Tools On Varied Spatial Scales, Janna Yvonne Smithey Owens Jan 2006

Evalutation Of Sediment-Sensitive Biological Metrics As Bio-Monitoring Tools On Varied Spatial Scales, Janna Yvonne Smithey Owens

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Sediment is one of the principal causes of water-quality impairment in surface waters of the United States. Although biological assessments are useful for characterizing the status of aquatic communities, reasons for impairment cannot be identified without quantifying associated variables physical variables that can be adequately related to bio-logical functions. Our objective was to explore potential relations between fish and ben-thic macroinvertebrate community structures and variables of sedimentation processes on a watershed and channel-reach scale. Biologic collections and habitat evaluations were conducted using the EPA’s Rapid Bioassessment Protocol over a period of three years (2000-2003) at sites in the upper Cahaba …

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Increased Hexosamine Biosynthesis And Protein O-Glcnac Protect Isolated Rat Heart From Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury, Jia Liu Jan 2006

Increased Hexosamine Biosynthesis And Protein O-Glcnac Protect Isolated Rat Heart From Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury, Jia Liu

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Increased levels of protein-associated O-linked N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) have been correlated with increased tolerance to stress. Therefore the goal of this study was to determine whether enhanced flux through the hexosamine biosynthesis pathway (HBP), which leads to elevated levels of O-GlcNAc, increased the tolerance of the heart to ischemia and reperfusion (I/R). Hearts from male rats were isolated and perfused with Krebs-Henseliet buffer containing 5mM glucose, and global, no-flow ischemia was induced for 20min followed by 60 min reperfusion. 20 min pre-treatment with 10 mM glucosamine, which enters the HBP directly, significantly improved functional recovery and decreased cardiac Troponin I release …

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Congregation For Public Health Examines Community Engagement Knowledge Of Program Administrators And Community Health Advisors Using Social Capital And Community Capacity, Kimberly Mccall Jan 2006

Congregation For Public Health Examines Community Engagement Knowledge Of Program Administrators And Community Health Advisors Using Social Capital And Community Capacity, Kimberly Mccall

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This research study was designed to examine and compare how community engagement knowledge of Program Administrators and Community Health Advisors (CHAs) can be shaped and affected by social capital and community capacity. This was achieved by analyzing the Congregations for Public Health’s Search Your Heart Program. The analysis used a three one-way fixed-effects ANOVA model, one for each of the three research questions. Overall, the results showed that upon examination of each of the three relationship hypotheses there were no primary differences in average knowledge among the groups. The relationships were examined by characteristics such as project role, CHA training …

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Finite Element Modeling And Computer Simulation Of Stresses And Strains In Diamond Anvil Cell Devices, Andreiy I. Kondrat’Yev Jan 2006

Finite Element Modeling And Computer Simulation Of Stresses And Strains In Diamond Anvil Cell Devices, Andreiy I. Kondrat’Yev

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Diamond anvil cells (DAC) are extensively utilized in the study of material proper-ties at extreme conditions of pressures and temperatures. The pressures in excess of 400 GPa and temperatures in excess of 4000 K have been reported in DAC devices. Most studies on the optimization of diamond geometry and gasket materials used in diamond anvil cell devices have been carried out by trial and error using experimental high pressure data. This dissertation addresses design and optimization issues in DAC using finite element modeling (FEM) and computational analysis. The computational approach is centered around the recent advances in the growth of …

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Regulation Of Ss-Catenin By Gli1 In Epithelial Transformation, Xingnan Li Jan 2006

Regulation Of Ss-Catenin By Gli1 In Epithelial Transformation, Xingnan Li

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Gli family members-mediated continuous Hedgehog (Hh) pathway activity plays a role in the growth of a number of human cancers, including the common malignancy of skin, basal cell carcinoma (BCC), and other highly aggressive tumor types. However, the mechanism by which Gli proteins act to promote the outgrowth of cancer in response to stimulation of Hh signaling is poorly understood. Identified as zinc finger transcriptional factors, the Gli family of proteins has been shown to be involved in multiple cellular processes through activating its target genes. Therefore, to study the function of Gli target genes is important for our understanding …

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Klf4 Regulates Notch1 Expression And Signaling During Epithelial Transformation, Zhaoli Liu Jan 2006

Klf4 Regulates Notch1 Expression And Signaling During Epithelial Transformation, Zhaoli Liu

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Notch1 and KLF4 function in the specification of epithelial cell fates, and each can act as a context-dependent oncogene or tumor suppressor. We report that KLF4 directly regulates transcription of Notch1 and that cleavage of full-length Notch1 to the active intracellular form, N1IC, is necessary for transformation by KLF4. Paradoxically, KLF4 suppresses canonical Notch1-CSL signaling by up-regulating Hairless, an antagonist of this pathway. Dominant-negative inhibitors of the canonical Notch1 signaling pathway do not block transformation of epithelial cells by KLF4, while they greatly reduce the efficiency of transformation by N1IC. Thus, N1IC can transform cells by two distinct mechanisms: the …

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Students' Perceptions Of Mentoring In A University Cooperative Education Program, Matthew M. Fifolt Jan 2006

Students' Perceptions Of Mentoring In A University Cooperative Education Program, Matthew M. Fifolt

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The purpose of this study was to examine students’ perceptions of mentoring in a university cooperative education (co-op) program. Within this setting, students report to a supervisor. This supervisor has direct responsibility for the student and may influence the quality of the co-op experience by providing a mentoring role. A need existed to examine the interactions between students and supervisors during this transitional phase between school and work. Results from this study could be used as a source of information for enhancing student-supervisor interactions in co-op and for increasing awareness of the role mentoring may play in shaping the co-op …

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Kiss1 Metastasis Suppressor Secretion Is Required For Metastasis Suppression, Kevin T. Nash Jan 2006

Kiss1 Metastasis Suppressor Secretion Is Required For Metastasis Suppression, Kevin T. Nash

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Failure to reduce the number of cancer deaths over the last 50 years is due to the inability to selectively target metastatic disease. Recently, the KISS1 metastasis suppressor has emerged as a promising molecular agent for the management of metastatic disease. Although KISS1 has been implicated in the regulation of the metastatic phenotype in human cancers and in in vivo mouse models, little is known about its mechanism. Recent evidence suggests that KISS1 is a neuropeptide that is processed and secreted to interact with its cognate receptor GPR54 in the hypothalamus to trigger puberty and maintain the reproductive state. However, …

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The Influence Of Retroviral Codon Usage On The Acquisition Of The Trna Used To Prime Reverse Transcription, Matthew T. Palmer Jan 2006

The Influence Of Retroviral Codon Usage On The Acquisition Of The Trna Used To Prime Reverse Transcription, Matthew T. Palmer

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An essential step in retrovirus replication is the conversion of the genomic-length viral RNA into a DNA copy, a reaction which is catalyzed by reverse transcriptase and primed by a host cell tRNA. The nearly continuous association of tRNA with the various components of translation, as well as the severely limited time in which a tRNA molecule spends in an uncharged state, constitute seemingly formidable barriers to the acquisition and use of host cell tRNA as primers. The mechanism by which retroviruses acquire this implausible primer are unknown. Naturally occurring isolates of most retrovirus species show a conserved use of …

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Intestinal Peptides And Ethnic Differences In Insulin Secretion, Paul B. Higgins Jan 2006

Intestinal Peptides And Ethnic Differences In Insulin Secretion, Paul B. Higgins

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African Americans (AA) exhibit greater insulin responses following either an oral or intravenous glucose challenge relative to their European American (EA) counterparts. The etiology of this difference is not fully understood nor has it been confirmed with a more physiologically relevant mixed meal. Insulin secretion is regulated by a variety of factors. Significant among these are the enteric peptides glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP). The role of the incretin system in the ethnic differences in post challenge insulinemia has received little attention. Hence, the purpose of the study was two-fold. First, determine whether AA have higher fasting …

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Simultaneous And Sequential Multi-Site Impact Response Of Composite Laminates, Shane D. Bartus Jan 2006

Simultaneous And Sequential Multi-Site Impact Response Of Composite Laminates, Shane D. Bartus

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The unique feature in this study was the investigation of the response of polymer composite material to impact by multiple high velocity projectiles. Energy absorption, new surface creation, and failure mechanisms from both sequential and nearsimultaneous multi-site, high velocity impact were compared to assess synergistic and cumulative effects. A single-stage light-gas gun capable of launching three projectiles with controlled impact location and velocity in both near-simultaneous and sequential impact modes was developed to study these effects. Two test programs were conducted to evaluate these impact scenarios on thin S-2 glass/epoxy laminates. In the first program, the effect of laminate thickness …

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Surface Reconstruction Using Gamma Shapes, Ying Sun Jan 2006

Surface Reconstruction Using Gamma Shapes, Ying Sun

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Surface reconstruction from a set of sample points is important in many applications, including computer graphics, reverse engineering, computer vision and medical imaging. In this dissertation, several surface reconstruction techniques are investigated and the Alpha Shapes method is studied in detail. A new method, called Gamma Shapes, is introduced and implemented for reconstructing surfaces from a set of unorganized sample points. The Alpha Shapes method requires that the data point set be uniformly sampled in order to reconstruct an acceptable surface. Gamma Shapes method is an extension of the Alpha Shapes method with the advantage that the Gamma Shapes method …

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Development Of Efficient Algorithms For Fluid-Structure Interaction Framework And Its Applications, Young Ho Kim Jan 2006

Development Of Efficient Algorithms For Fluid-Structure Interaction Framework And Its Applications, Young Ho Kim

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Computer-based simulation tools are becoming integrated to solve multiphysics and interactions between different disciplines. One of such problems that is of importance is fluid structure interaction (FSI). The goal of this study is to develop efficient and robust algorithms for a FSI framework. Due to the advantages of reusability of wellvalidated simulation codes for fluid and structural analysis, loosely-coupled methods are now dominant over directly-coupled methods. In loosely-coupled methods, it is important to transfer data efficiently and accurately between inherently unmatched grids used in different disciplines. In addition, efficient moving grid algorithms and time mapping techniques are essential. A new …

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Attitude And The Ada: A Survey Of Public Employees In Alabama., Amy Philips Jan 2006

Attitude And The Ada: A Survey Of Public Employees In Alabama., Amy Philips

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No abstract provided.

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The Spirit Of The Ancestors: New World Afrikan Matriarchy In Three Novels By Afro-Feminist Writers., Susan Diane Mitchell Jan 2006

The Spirit Of The Ancestors: New World Afrikan Matriarchy In Three Novels By Afro-Feminist Writers., Susan Diane Mitchell

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No abstract provided.

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Molecular Regulation Of Neural Stem Cell Apoptosis., Rizwan S. Akhtar Jan 2006

Molecular Regulation Of Neural Stem Cell Apoptosis., Rizwan S. Akhtar

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No abstract provided.

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Behavioral And Neurochemical Consequences Of A History Of Human -Like Dieting., Paula C. Chandler-Laney Jan 2006

Behavioral And Neurochemical Consequences Of A History Of Human -Like Dieting., Paula C. Chandler-Laney

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No abstract provided.

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The Ionic Mechanism Of Action Potential Duration Restitution, Its Memory Effect, And Stability., Xiaozhong Chen Jan 2006

The Ionic Mechanism Of Action Potential Duration Restitution, Its Memory Effect, And Stability., Xiaozhong Chen

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No abstract provided.

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Role Of Growth Factor Receptor Tyrosine Kinases And Downstream Signaling Kinases In Cancer Cell Phenotypes., Norman Robert Estes Jan 2006

Role Of Growth Factor Receptor Tyrosine Kinases And Downstream Signaling Kinases In Cancer Cell Phenotypes., Norman Robert Estes

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No abstract provided.

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A Trust-Relationship Management Framework For Federated Virtual Organizations., Jill Gemmill Jan 2006

A Trust-Relationship Management Framework For Federated Virtual Organizations., Jill Gemmill

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No abstract provided.

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Assessment Of The Influence Of Intramuscular Lipids On The Pathology Of Insulin Resistance., Jeannine C. Lawrence Jan 2006

Assessment Of The Influence Of Intramuscular Lipids On The Pathology Of Insulin Resistance., Jeannine C. Lawrence

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No abstract provided.

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Deep Level Defect Studies In Semi-Insulating 4h- And 6h-Silicon Carbide Using Optical Admittance Spectroscopy., Wonwoo Lee Jan 2006

Deep Level Defect Studies In Semi-Insulating 4h- And 6h-Silicon Carbide Using Optical Admittance Spectroscopy., Wonwoo Lee

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No abstract provided.

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Development, Validation, And Use Of A Novel [2-Carbon-13] Uracil Breath Test To Detect Dihydropyrimidine Dehydrogenase Deficiency., Lori K. Mattison Jan 2006

Development, Validation, And Use Of A Novel [2-Carbon-13] Uracil Breath Test To Detect Dihydropyrimidine Dehydrogenase Deficiency., Lori K. Mattison

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No abstract provided.

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