Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Digital Commons Network™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

All ETDs from UAB

Discipline
Keyword
Publication Year

Articles 301 - 330 of 2899

Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network

History Of Allergy, Atopy, Infectious And Autoimmune Disease And Risk Of Multiple Myeloma, Tony B. Zbysinski Jan 2022

History Of Allergy, Atopy, Infectious And Autoimmune Disease And Risk Of Multiple Myeloma, Tony B. Zbysinski

All ETDs from UAB

Multiple Myeloma (MM) is a plasma cell malignancy, which is defined in part by antibodies and complexes of immunoglobulin (Ig) heavy and light chains (IgH and IgL). Previous associations of immune-stimulating conditions such as allergic, autoimmune, and infectious conditions and the risk of multiple myeloma (MM) are inconsistent. However, these studies were conducted in populations of European ancestry, leaving the possibility that these conditions may contribute to the excess risk of plasma cell proliferative disorders observed among Black Americans. Therefore, we assessed MGUS, a precursor condition to myeloma, and MM risk related to a history of allergy, atopy, infections and …

Go to article

Epigenetic Regulation By O-Glcnac Alters Anti-Fibrotic Gene Expression In Ipf Fibroblasts, Qiuming Wu Jan 2022

Epigenetic Regulation By O-Glcnac Alters Anti-Fibrotic Gene Expression In Ipf Fibroblasts, Qiuming Wu

All ETDs from UAB

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is an age-related chronic disease with a me-dian survival period of 3-4 years [1]. Although FDA has approved two drugs that may slow the disease process, there is no effective treatment [2]. IPF is characterized by the excessive deposition of collagen, which leads to deformation of alveolar structure, loss of lung function, and ultimately death [3]. Anti-fibrotic genes such as cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and Heme Oxygenase 1 (HMOX-1) are usually suppressed in the pathogenesis of IPF [4-6], while the mechanisms responsible for the repression of anti-fibrotic genes in IPF are incompletely understood. More evidence has shown that …

Go to article

Engineering Studies Towards Simultaneous Imaging Of Membrane Potential And Calcium Transients In Beating Hearts, Garrett Wood Jan 2022

Engineering Studies Towards Simultaneous Imaging Of Membrane Potential And Calcium Transients In Beating Hearts, Garrett Wood

All ETDs from UAB

Optical mapping uses fluorescent reporters to image propagation of signals like transmembrane potential (Vm) and/or calcium transients (CaT) in the heart with high spatiotemporal resolution. Simultaneous optical mapping of transmembrane potential and intracellular free calcium has been described in motionless ex vivo heart preparations, but simultaneous optical mapping of voltage and calcium in beating hearts is complicated by motion artifact and has yet to be reported. Studying these two parameters in beating hearts could produce invaluable information about the interactions between them under normal and pathophysiologic conditions. This thesis presents hardware development and design studies to demonstrate the feasibility of …

Go to article

A Gastrointestinal-Specific Antibiotic As An Experimental Treatment For Anxio-Depressive Disorders, Yuang-Tai Huang Jan 2022

A Gastrointestinal-Specific Antibiotic As An Experimental Treatment For Anxio-Depressive Disorders, Yuang-Tai Huang

All ETDs from UAB

Chronic stress is a predisposing factor for various disease states, including neuropsychiatric disorders, such as depression and anxiety [1]. Stress-related disorders have complicated multifactorial etiologies [2]. Advances in psychotherapeutic and psychotropic treatments have occurred, but anxiety and depressive disorders are still prevalent and remain a burden to our societies [3]. More than 30% of major depressive disorder patients fail to remission despite an FDAapproved medication [4]. Meanwhile, the contribution of microbiota-gut-brain axis signaling in both etiologies and treatment of stress-related disorders is increasingly being recognized [5]. More evidence has shown that the gut microbiota has the potential to alter the …

Go to article

Adaptive Functioning And Academic Achievement In Survivors Of Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: Associations With Executive Functioning And Socioeconomic Status, Victoria C. Seghatol-Eslami Jan 2022

Adaptive Functioning And Academic Achievement In Survivors Of Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: Associations With Executive Functioning And Socioeconomic Status, Victoria C. Seghatol-Eslami

All ETDs from UAB

This study examined the associations of functional outcomes (adaptive functioning and academic achievement) with executive functioning and neighborhood-specific variables (area deprivation and child opportunity) and individualized education plan (IEP) support in survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). From a retrospective database, 44 patients (38.6% female, 72.7% non-Hispanic White, ages 6-17) previously diagnosed with low-risk or standard-risk pre-B cell ALL and treated with chemotherapy-only were identified. Participants were evaluated on performance-based measures of executive functioning and academic achievement, and parent-ratings of executive and adaptive functioning. Within adaptive functioning, 45.5% of patients showed impairment (≥ 1 SD above the normative mean) …

Go to article

Representing Motherhood And Aging In Leonora Carrington's Bird Iconography, Claire Lesar Jan 2022

Representing Motherhood And Aging In Leonora Carrington's Bird Iconography, Claire Lesar

All ETDs from UAB

This thesis investigates the evolution of animal representations in paintings and sculptures of Leonora Carrington (1917-2011). Writings on her early Surrealist work often draw attention to Carrington’s embrace of the horse as a representation of self. However, over her extensive career, the menagerie of animals she draws from to depict herself evolves. I suggest that Carrington’s horse is more broadly significant as a narrative model that she adapts later in her career and that Carrington’s use of bird iconography emerges as a new form to symbolize other “rebirths” or periods of transition in her life, such as motherhood and aging. …

Go to article

"The Cloak Of Social Feeling": Alfred Adler's Gemeinschaftsgefuhl In Practice And Memory, Esteban T. Arnold Jan 2022

"The Cloak Of Social Feeling": Alfred Adler's Gemeinschaftsgefuhl In Practice And Memory, Esteban T. Arnold

All ETDs from UAB

This thesis provides a comprehensive overview of the evolution of Alfred Adler’s concept of Gemeinschaftsgefühl (community feeling), a simple yet potent idea that started in a Viennese café and expanded far beyond it. Ideas have lives beyond that of their authors, and this thesis argues that Alfred Adler’s idea of Gemeinschaftsgefühl was pressed into the service of various social and political agendas. Adler was privately a socialist, but he never wished to see Gemeinschaftsgefühl become a tool for this or any other movement. With an idealistic worldview, Adler sought to challenge and transform the pervading medical and psychotherapeutic conceptions of …

Go to article

Adverse Childhood Experiences: Connecting The Dots Between Early Life Stress And Asthma Aming Children And Adolescents With Sickle Cell Disease, Brandi Mcclain Pernell Jan 2022

Adverse Childhood Experiences: Connecting The Dots Between Early Life Stress And Asthma Aming Children And Adolescents With Sickle Cell Disease, Brandi Mcclain Pernell

All ETDs from UAB

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an inherited red blood cell disorder plagued by increased morbidity and premature mortality. Asthma disproportionally affects individuals with SCD and is strongly associated with an increased incidence of pain, acute lung complications and death among this high-risk population. Psychological stress is a well-established contributor and trigger for asthma development and exacerbations. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are defined as traumatic experiences occurring before 18 years of age. ACEs occur at the individual, familial (Original-ACEs) and community level (Expanded-ACEs) and can accumulate with time. Chronic exposure to ACEs leads to toxic stress, widespread inflammation and risk for …

Go to article

Adolescent Alcohol, Tobacco, And Marijuana Use And Dma Methylation In Young Adulthood, Kristina Brooke Mcmahan Jan 2022

Adolescent Alcohol, Tobacco, And Marijuana Use And Dma Methylation In Young Adulthood, Kristina Brooke Mcmahan

All ETDs from UAB

Substance use, including the use of tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs, is most likely to begin during adolescence or emerging adulthood. Substance use during these developmental periods has been linked with a number of negative physical, mental, and cognitive health outcomes. Some of these long-term negative effects of substance use during adolescence and emerging adulthood may be explained by epigenetic changes through a process called DNA methylation. However, much of the research on substance use and DNA methylation has focused on prenatal drug exposure and its relationship to differential methylation profiles during childhood and young adulthood. By contrast, little …

Go to article

The Role Of Dock3 In Normal Skeletal Muscle Function And Metabolism, Adrienne Samani Jan 2022

The Role Of Dock3 In Normal Skeletal Muscle Function And Metabolism, Adrienne Samani

All ETDs from UAB

DOCK (dedicator of cytokinesis) are proteins of an 11-member family of typical guanine exchange factors (GEFs) expressed almost exclusively in the brain and spinal cord. Human pathogenic DOCK3 variants have been identified to cause debilitating neuromuscular phenotypes such as muscle hypotonia, ataxia, and intellectual disability. Our lab identified DOCK3 as being strongly upregulated in Duchene muscular dystrophy (DMD), specifically in the skeletal muscles of DMD patient and mouse skeletal muscles. Global Dock3 KO mice on the dystrophin-deficient background exacerbated skeletal muscle and cardiac phenotypes. Similarly, DOCK3 KO mice appeared to have poor muscle architecture, locomotive activity, reduced myogenic fusion, impaired …

Go to article

The Requirement Of Transcriptional Lim Complex Co-Regulators For Pancreatic Endocrine Cell Development And Function, Eliana Davi Toren Jan 2022

The Requirement Of Transcriptional Lim Complex Co-Regulators For Pancreatic Endocrine Cell Development And Function, Eliana Davi Toren

All ETDs from UAB

The prevalence and tremendous impact of diabetes mellitus has made glucose regulation of the insulin-producing -cell and surrounding pancreatic islet of Langerhans a center of public and research interests alike. A comprehensive understanding of these hormone-producing cells begins with their developmental origins. What are the genetic cues and participants in the tightly orchestrated process of their formation? Investigating the earliest determinants of islet-cell fate not only allows us to deeply understand mature - and islet-cell function, but also produces a data-driven template for how these cells can be reproduced in future stem-cell based diabetes therapies. LIM transcriptional complexes are indispensable …

Go to article

Superhero Media And Risk-Taking: Is Superhero Play A Risk Factor For Unintentional Injury In Preschool-Aged Children?, Casie H. Morgan Jan 2022

Superhero Media And Risk-Taking: Is Superhero Play A Risk Factor For Unintentional Injury In Preschool-Aged Children?, Casie H. Morgan

All ETDs from UAB

The preschool years represent a time of rapid human development, hallmarked by exploring one’s environment through gross and fine motor movement, touching and tasting physical objects, and imaginative pretend play. This exploration is developmentally appropriate, but also presents risks. Unintentional injury is the leading cause of death for preschool-aged children, and common injuries reflect exploration and risk-taking exhibited during play. Pretend play may be particularly risky if children imitate risky models like superheroes. Superhero media is extremely popular among young children, leading many children to identify closely with superheroes. Frequent exposure and subsequent identification with superheroes is concerning because media …

Go to article

Molecular Imaging Of Cancer For Detection And Monitoring Of Response To Combination Therapy, Tiara S. Napier Jan 2022

Molecular Imaging Of Cancer For Detection And Monitoring Of Response To Combination Therapy, Tiara S. Napier

All ETDs from UAB

Imaging is a primary component of cancer care and aids in diagnosing, response assessment, and monitoring. Molecular imaging techniques provide visualization of unique tumor biology that can be used to personalize treatment. Key features of an effective biomarker are sensitivity, specificity, and ability to provide clinical value beyond that of other types of information already available at the time of diagnosis. For particularly heterogeneous cancer subtypes, such as glioblastoma (GBM) and triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), reliable biomarkers can be challenging to identify and there are few tar-getable receptors for therapy. Our findings demonstrate that quantifying tumor EGFR (panitumumab-IRDye800CW), granzyme …

Go to article

Restoring The Sphingolipid Balance In Glioblastoma, Cyntanna C. Hawkins Jan 2022

Restoring The Sphingolipid Balance In Glioblastoma, Cyntanna C. Hawkins

All ETDs from UAB

Glioblastoma (GBM) is a highly aggressive brain tumor with a median survival of 15 months even with standard of care—surgical resection, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. Two of the key characteristics contributing to this malignancy are its highly invasive phenotype and resistance to the chemotherapy, temozolomide (TMZ). We, and others, have identified the sphingolipid balance as a driver of these phenotypes with dysregulated sphingolipid metabolism seen in GBM patient samples. The ceramidases, specifically acid ceramidase (ASAH1), mediate the balance between ceramides and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P). ASAH1 breaks down ceramides ultimately forming S1P. While ceramides induce cell death, S1P promotes migration and cell survival. …

Go to article

Cell Type-Specific Diurnal Variation In Hippocampus Physiology, Lacy Kathryn Goode Jan 2022

Cell Type-Specific Diurnal Variation In Hippocampus Physiology, Lacy Kathryn Goode

All ETDs from UAB

Circadian rhythms are biological processes that cycle across 24 hours. Driven endogenously by widely expressed and highly conserved clock genes that compose the circadian molecular clock, circadian rhythms are exhibited in numerous facets of physiology across nearly every tissue throughout the body. Diurnal rhythms in cognition, long-term potentiation (LTP), and the expression of clock genes in hippocampus subfields support a role for circadian regulation of hippocampus physiology. However, little is known regarding the circadian molecular clock and diurnal rhythms in neurophysiology at the cellular level. Here, we characterized diurnal differences in spatial memory, LTP, excitability of and synaptic transmission onto …

Go to article

Exploring The Influence Of Psychosocial Stress And Inflammatory Properties Of The Diet On Cardiometabolic Risk And Gut Microbiome Health Among Young Adult Women Of Birmingham, Alabama, Rachel Olivia Knight Jan 2022

Exploring The Influence Of Psychosocial Stress And Inflammatory Properties Of The Diet On Cardiometabolic Risk And Gut Microbiome Health Among Young Adult Women Of Birmingham, Alabama, Rachel Olivia Knight

All ETDs from UAB

Concerning trends for obesity, diabetes, heart attacks, and obesity-related cancers, or cardiometabolic disease (CMD), are developing within the emerging and young adult/adulthood (EYA) population. Evidence supports the concept that chronic stress leads to physiologic dysregulation, reduced mental health, chronic diseases, and reduced longevity; however, these are not inevitable outcomes, and resilience or vulnerability is determined by interacting environmental and biobehavioral factors. Although CMD manifests clinically in older adulthood, disease pathophysiology begins earlier, and thus, EYA is a critical time for observation and intervention. Growing evidence indicates inflammation is a major risk factor in CMD development and may be exacerbated by …

Go to article

Intrinsically-Photosensitive Retinal Ganglion Cells And Their Functional Roles, Kevin Q. Chang Jan 2022

Intrinsically-Photosensitive Retinal Ganglion Cells And Their Functional Roles, Kevin Q. Chang

All ETDs from UAB

This project was conducted in Old World monkeys and focused on characterization of the intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) as they pertain to the pupillary light reflex, as well as on the neuroanatomical and electrophysiological characterization of the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus as it pertains to circadian rhythms. A custom antibody was developed against the human melanopsin gene. We validated the antibody using western blot and immunohistochemistry. The functional role of ipRGCs in driving pupillary responses was investigated through immunotoxin-induced ablation in Rhesus macaques with the antibody conjugated to saporin. As hypothesized, the pupillary light reflex and …

Go to article

Il-22 Mediated Host Defense During Attaching-Effacing Pathogen Infection, Baiyi Cai Jan 2022

Il-22 Mediated Host Defense During Attaching-Effacing Pathogen Infection, Baiyi Cai

All ETDs from UAB

Intestinal infections are a cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide and remain a public threat. Interleukin (IL)-22 is central to host immune responses in the intestine during infection and inflammation. IL-22 can be produced by both innate and adaptive immune cells, yet their relative contributions to host protection remain unclear. Here we demonstrated the specific role and mechanism for IL-22 from innate and adaptive sources to protect the host. Using the Citrobacter rodentium (C.r) model, we found that IL-22 from innate cell, protect the host during early infection. IL-22 induces epithelial production of polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) recruiting chemokine CXCL1, CXCL2 …

Go to article

Distinct Clinical Manifestations Associated With Autoantibodies And Cytokines In Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Fatima K. Alduraibi Jan 2022

Distinct Clinical Manifestations Associated With Autoantibodies And Cytokines In Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Fatima K. Alduraibi

All ETDs from UAB

Objective: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by production of autoantibodies (autoAbs) and cytokines. Moreover, lupus nephritis (LN) occurs in approximately 50% of SLE patients. AutoAb and cytokine levels produced by B and T cells are high in LN patients, although their relationship with histological patterns requires investigation. Methods: We analyzed the relationship between B cell cytokines and major T cell cyto-kines, including their association with autoAbs, and the clinical manifestations of SLE, especially LN. We also analyzed endogenous intracellular interferon beta (IFNβ) expression in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells and serum circulating nephritogenic autoAbs from …

Go to article

Psychosocial Risk And Resiliency Factors For Pain Severity Among African Americans With Chronic Low Back Pain, Terence Matthew Penn Jan 2021

Psychosocial Risk And Resiliency Factors For Pain Severity Among African Americans With Chronic Low Back Pain, Terence Matthew Penn

All ETDs from UAB

Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is among the most prevalent, disabling, and painful health conditions worldwide, contributing to significant economic and societal costs. In the United States, the burden of chronic pain – including CLBP – disproportionately affects non-Hispanic Blacks (“Blacks”) compared to non-Hispanic Whites (“Whites”), with Blacks consistently displaying greater pain severity and frequency across multiple studies. To help understand these racial pain disparities, researchers have adopted a biopsychosocial model of chronic musculoskeletal pain, examining how cognitive, behavioral, social/environmental, and biomedical factors collectively influence pain outcomes. Different lines of research have investigated the impact of distressing social experiences on …

Go to article

The Impact Posttraumatic Stress Disorde On The Developing Brain And Educational Considerations, Kristen N. Buford Jan 2021

The Impact Posttraumatic Stress Disorde On The Developing Brain And Educational Considerations, Kristen N. Buford

All ETDs from UAB

About 90% of the population will experience a traumatic event within their lifetime, but only a small percentage of this population will develop Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). PTSD has a profound impact on the developing brain, specifically neural circuits that support fear learning, memory, and regulation processes. Child PTSD is associated with structural and functional abnormalities in the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, amygdala, and anterior cingulate cortex, which effect emotion regulation, memory, threat processing, and fear extinction. These neurological effects on the developing brain have serious implications for academic achievement, but with institutional interventions, schools have been able to effectively reduce …

Go to article

Production And Purification Of Titanium-45 For Imaging Of Psma+ Prostate Cancer, Ivis Francis Chaple Jan 2021

Production And Purification Of Titanium-45 For Imaging Of Psma+ Prostate Cancer, Ivis Francis Chaple

All ETDs from UAB

Positron Emission Tomography (PET) has revolutionized the world of molecular imaging, increasing the potential for improved diagnosis and characterization of various disease states, including cancer. Molecular biology has afforded the knowledge that each type of cancer cell is different, and these differences can be leveraged to develop methods for targeting these cells for imaging or therapy, as well as understanding of other characteristics. Due to the increased diversity in available targets, there has been an equal need to develop new agents used to image these receptors. Radioisotopes with varying halflives, chemical and nuclear properties have been studied in recent years …

Go to article

Stress, Inflammation, And Mood: A Role For Leptin?, Kathleen Hodgin Jan 2021

Stress, Inflammation, And Mood: A Role For Leptin?, Kathleen Hodgin

All ETDs from UAB

Prior research has suggested a possible role for the proinflammatory adipokine leptin in depression. Leptin has also been associated with stress, a known predictor of depression. The purpose of this project was to investigate associations between stress, leptin, and depressed mood. We used data from a larger observational study that collected daily levels of plasma leptin and self-reported stress and depressed mood from 55 women over 25 days. Women with and without chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) were included. We hypothesized the following: increased stress would be associated with both worsened mood and higher leptin, and that leptin would be positively …

Go to article

The Role Of Pim3 Kinase In Promoting Tumorigenesis, Tumor Metastasis, And Cancer Cell Stemness In Human Hepatoblastoma, Raoud Marayati Jan 2021

The Role Of Pim3 Kinase In Promoting Tumorigenesis, Tumor Metastasis, And Cancer Cell Stemness In Human Hepatoblastoma, Raoud Marayati

All ETDs from UAB

Hepatoblastoma is the most common primary liver tumor in children. Despite an increasing incidence and major advances in care for other pediatric solid tumors, therapy for hepatoblastoma has remained virtually unchanged for the last 20 years, and children with metastatic or relapsed disease continue to suffer from a dismal prognosis. Treatment strategies primarily rely on cisplatin, due to its role as the most active single agent in hepatoblastoma treatment. However, chemoresistance remains a significant challenge with 54-80% of patients developing resistance to chemotherapy after 4-5 cycles of treatment. We have previously demonstrated that Proviral Integration site in Maloney murine leukemia …

Go to article

Sites Of Memory In Lao Pdr: The Role Of Tourism In Post-Conflict Reconciliation Processes, Angela Morgan Jan 2021

Sites Of Memory In Lao Pdr: The Role Of Tourism In Post-Conflict Reconciliation Processes, Angela Morgan

All ETDs from UAB

During the Second Indochina War (known to Americans as the Vietnam War), the United States conducted a “secret war” from 1964 to 1973, dropping more than 2 million tons of bombs over Laos, including 270 million cluster sub-munitions. Up to 30% of ordnance did not detonate, leaving about 80 million live sub-munitions to contaminate the land (along with other live ordnance such as large bombs and landmines). Fourteen of Laos’ 17 provinces, and around 25% of its 10,500 villages, are contaminated by this unexploded ordnance (UXO). Clearance efforts have been underway since 1994, but progress is slow, and UXO impacts …

Go to article

Association Between Antioxidant Capacity And Vascular Hemodynamics In Premenopausal Women Following 12 Weeks Of Exercise Training, Aparna Tamhane Jan 2021

Association Between Antioxidant Capacity And Vascular Hemodynamics In Premenopausal Women Following 12 Weeks Of Exercise Training, Aparna Tamhane

All ETDs from UAB

Background: Oxidative stress induced by “free radicals” plays role in vascular dysfunction and cardiovascular health. Studies exploring beneficial effects of chronic aerobic training by enhancing antioxidant mechanisms in the body and thus, hemodynamic outcome measures are limited. Purpose: To assess effects of chronic aerobic exercise training on association between change (Δ) in antioxidant capacity, measured in terms of ferric reducing ability of plasma (ΔFRAP), and change in vascular hemodynamic (outcome) measures: systolic blood pressure (ΔSBP), diastolic blood pressure (ΔDBP), large arterial elasticity index (ΔLAEI) and small arterial elasticity index (ΔSAEI), in a cohort of healthy women. Methods: This was a …

Go to article

Regulation Of Nitric Oxide Syntahse 3 By Histone Deacetylase, Luke S. Dunaway Jan 2021

Regulation Of Nitric Oxide Syntahse 3 By Histone Deacetylase, Luke S. Dunaway

All ETDs from UAB

In the vasculature, nitric oxide is produced by nitric oxide synthase 3 (NOS3) and protects against the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The histone deacetylases (HDACs) are a family of enzymes responsible for lysine deacetylation of both histone and non-histone proteins. Understanding how NO signaling is regulated by HDACs will allow us to better understand how HDAC inhibitors may be of use in treating CVD. This dissertation seeks to provide novel insight into the regulation of NOS3 by this family of enzymes. Endothelial NO production is impaired in human subjects and rodents fed a high salt diet (HS). We have …

Go to article

Reducing Environmental Impacts Of Natural Gas Compressor Stations And Applicability Of The Current Regulatory Framework, Scotty Joel Moates Jan 2021

Reducing Environmental Impacts Of Natural Gas Compressor Stations And Applicability Of The Current Regulatory Framework, Scotty Joel Moates

All ETDs from UAB

The natural gas pipeline system is an integral part of the energy structure and critical to meeting energy demand in the United States. Natural gas compressor stations are the heart of the natural gas pipeline industry. Compressor stations compress the gas coming into the station and increase the pressure of the gas to ensure movement down the pipeline at the right operating pressure. This compression process is performed through natural-gas fire engines, such as reciprocating engines and turbines. Natural gas compressor station operations are subject to a wide range of environmental regulations. These regulations seek to mitigate the environmental impacts …

Go to article

Diurnal Variation In Hippocampal Neurophysiology And Pathophysiology, Allison R. Fusilier Jan 2021

Diurnal Variation In Hippocampal Neurophysiology And Pathophysiology, Allison R. Fusilier

All ETDs from UAB

Circadian rhythms are ~24-hour cycles in biological processes that are endogenously generated, entrained to light, and synchronized by the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus. One process that is influenced by circadian rhythms is cognitive function, which varies over the course of the day and is likely influenced by changes in neuronal physiology over the course of the day. Dysfunction in circadian rhythms has been documented in many diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). AD is a neurodegenerative disease most notably characterized by dementia, amyloid beta plaques, and tau tangles. There is currently no cure for AD, and treatments only slow disease …

Go to article

Suppressing Islet Graft Rejection With Antioxidant-Based Encapsulation Materials, Jessie Marie Barra Jan 2021

Suppressing Islet Graft Rejection With Antioxidant-Based Encapsulation Materials, Jessie Marie Barra

All ETDs from UAB

A hallmark of Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is the autoimmune destruction of insulin-producing pancreatic β-cells. Once the β-cells are lost, patients are reliant on less efficient exogenous insulin therapies to maintain glycemic control, leaving them at risk for secondary complications. Islet transplantation can restore the ability to regulate glucose levels without the need for exogenous insulin, however long-term islet graft survival has proven challenging in part due to ongoing immune-mediated destruction. Systemic immunosuppression strategies have proven somewhat effective at preventing rejection, but chronic use leaves the patient susceptible to opportunistic infections and organ toxicity. Reactive oxygen species (ROS), such as …

Go to article

First Prev Next Last