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

Digital Commons Network™

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

2006

Discipline
Institution
Keyword
Publication
Publication Type
File Type

Articles 70651 - 70680 of 74540

Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network

Development And Content Validation Of A Survey Instrument To Assess Predisposing Factors Of Sun Protection In An Adolescent Population., Jason S. Fulmore Jan 2006

Development And Content Validation Of A Survey Instrument To Assess Predisposing Factors Of Sun Protection In An Adolescent Population., Jason S. Fulmore

All ETDs from UAB

No abstract provided.

Go to article

Sacred Swing: The Sacralization Of Jazz In The American Bahá'Í Community, E. Taylor Atkins Jan 2006

Sacred Swing: The Sacralization Of Jazz In The American Bahá'Í Community, E. Taylor Atkins

Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship

Much modern jazz performance is imbued with religious significance or “sacred intentionality”, as revealed in the Bahá’í conceptions of jazz as a vehicle for worship and spiritual transcendence. Although earlier generations of believers objected to jazz because of its presumed moral and aesthetic poverty, jazz has become a staple in Bahá’í public culture and proclamation activities, partially due to the influence of prominent jazz musicians who became Bahá’ís, such as Dizzy Gillespie, James Moody, Flora Purim, and Tierney Sutton. Oral history and textual research are used to explore the dialectic between jazz and Bahá’í spiritual teachings and practices, the impact …

Go to article

Change In Conduction Velocity Due To 2d Fiber Curvature In Cultured Neonatal Rat Ventricular Myocytes, Elliot Blake Bourgeois Jan 2006

Change In Conduction Velocity Due To 2d Fiber Curvature In Cultured Neonatal Rat Ventricular Myocytes, Elliot Blake Bourgeois

All ETDs from UAB

Continuum modeling of two-dimensional curved fiber fields has suggested that fiber curvature modulates conduction velocity (CV) in the myocardium. To verify the existence of this effect in living tissue, we measured CV in macroscopically anisotropic monolayers of cultured neonatal rat ventricular myocytes with controlled fiber curvature. A novel growthdirecting substrate was used to produce fiber fields with significant curvature (78°/cm to 333°/cm). Anisotropy ratios (longitudinal CV / transverse CV) measured in cultures grown using this method (n=32) were 2.3±0.3, which is similar to the anisotropy exhibited by human ventricular myocardium. Propagating wavefronts were initiated transverse to fiber orientation in two …

Go to article

Multiple-Locus Variable-Number Tandem-Repeat Analysis (Mlva) For Clonal Characterization Of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Strains, Matthew Box Jan 2006

Multiple-Locus Variable-Number Tandem-Repeat Analysis (Mlva) For Clonal Characterization Of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Strains, Matthew Box

All ETDs from UAB

Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains have been observed to be associated with community based individuals (CA-MRSA) and hospitalized patients (HA-MRSA). The CA-MRSA and HA-MRSA are no longer distinguishable based on the location of patient when the isolate was first obtained from the patient. These strains are now observed both in the hospital and community settings. While the origin of the isolate does not appear to be critical, it is important to genetically define these isolates to assist in epidemiological investigations and evaluation of infection control measures effectiveness. The conventional method for analyzing this genetic information has been pulsed-field gel …

Go to article

Network And Data Security, Chintan Dalwadi Jan 2006

Network And Data Security, Chintan Dalwadi

All ETDs from UAB

With a growing number of users getting connected to the Internet and given their growing reliance on computers, it has become increasingly important to protect the confidential information stored locally or on the Internet. There are people who greatly under estimate the threats posed in the world of information technology and believe that their identities and information are safe, and of those people who are actually concerned about security, most are unaware of the areas where they can be targeted. It is not surprising that there are very few areas in information technology that have not been compromised. It is …

Go to article

Micro-Computed Tomographic Analysis Of Bone Healing Subsequent To Graft Placement, Preeti M. Chopra Jan 2006

Micro-Computed Tomographic Analysis Of Bone Healing Subsequent To Graft Placement, Preeti M. Chopra

All ETDs from UAB

A MicroCT analysis of bone healing subsequent to graft (tri calcium phosphate/TCP) placement in the maxillary sinus prior to dental endosteal implant placement was the objective of the current study. Ten trephined rod shaped human bone cores were obtained three months after the placement of particulate graft material and the samples were stored immediately in 10% neutral buffered formalin. Using a Microcomputed tomography, the samples were evaluated at resolutions of 6 and 20μm. The thresholds for bone and graft material were determined using visual image, intensity (grey level) and histogram analyses. The graft and bone threshold was 235 greylevel and …

Go to article

Geometry Modeling For Patterned And Repetitive Configurations, Dipesh S. Dimble Jan 2006

Geometry Modeling For Patterned And Repetitive Configurations, Dipesh S. Dimble

All ETDs from UAB

Over the years, the use of computational engineering applications such as computer-aided design (CAD), computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and computational structural mechanics (CSM) has grown rapidly in the aerospace, automotive, electronics, biomedical, and many other industries. Various software tools have emerged and evolved to meet the user’s demand for solving the complex physics associated with complex configurations in the processes of design, analysis, and optimization. The value of computational tools in product designs is obvious: They can provide reliable data for improving the design, reduce the design cycle and product validation process, and provide on effective and efficient means for …

Go to article

Cross Chip Probe Matching Tool: A Tool For Linking Probes From Microarrays Within And Across Species, Ruchi Ghanekar Jan 2006

Cross Chip Probe Matching Tool: A Tool For Linking Probes From Microarrays Within And Across Species, Ruchi Ghanekar

All ETDs from UAB

raditionally, but not exclusively, a microarray experiment is conducted on a single type of microarray. However, different labs often use different chip types, and new versions of chips may be developed. Comparing experiments can be problematic in such cases, as it is not always clear which probe sets correspond to the same gene across experiments. The goal of this research was to develop a tool that allows investigators to identify probe sets that correspond to the gene within and across species. The Cross Chip Probe Matching Tool (CCPMT) makes use of the probe sequences for all features on arrays from …

Go to article

Energy Audits Of State Buildings In Alabama, Harshad Prakash Shetye Jan 2006

Energy Audits Of State Buildings In Alabama, Harshad Prakash Shetye

All ETDs from UAB

The purpose of this project was to perform preliminary energy audits at various state buildings in Alabama. Energy audits were conducted for a total of 18 buildings at the Department of Youth Services (Chalkville campus) and the Alabama State Capitol complex. Facility reports and summaries were prepared with the help of data obtained from building managers. Our research team identified areas in these facilties where energy conservation could be employed at no or low cost. The energy savings resulting from these audits were estimated based upon the guidelines presented in the Science Technology and Energy Division Guide for Calculating Program …

Go to article

Underlying Purinergic Signaling Important For Monociliumdependent Signaling In Ductal Epithelia: Implications For Polycystic Kidney Disease, Michael Hovater Jan 2006

Underlying Purinergic Signaling Important For Monociliumdependent Signaling In Ductal Epithelia: Implications For Polycystic Kidney Disease, Michael Hovater

All ETDs from UAB

This thesis concerns purinergic signaling in renal epithelial cells of normal and polycystic kidneys. The first section discusses first principles of “purinergic signaling” as they relate to the nephron and the urinary bladder. Remodeled and encapsulated cysts in autosomal dominant PKD (ADPKD) and remodeled “pseudocysts” in autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease (ARPKD) of the renal collecting duct create an ideal microenvironment for purinergic signaling. Once “trapped” in these microenvironments in a “closed system,” purinergic signaling becomes chronic and plays a significant epigenetic and detrimental role in the progression of ADPKD in particular, once the remodeling of the renal tissue has …

Go to article

Investigation Of Routing Protocols In A Sensor Network, Ramesh Praveenkumar Jan 2006

Investigation Of Routing Protocols In A Sensor Network, Ramesh Praveenkumar

All ETDs from UAB

The objective of this thesis is to model the communication and computation resources of the sensor netork, develop a framework for lifetime estimation and performance evluation of the network, and explore routing schemes so as to extend the functional lifetime of both the individual nodes and the entire network. The sensor network is severly constrained by limited resources, so, energy efficiency is the most important factor in designing the network. Designing an efficient routing protocol in a sensor network is challenging due to various factors, such as limited resources, concentration of load to a limited portion of the network, and …

Go to article

Speciation Of Alkali Metals In Biomass Combustion And Gasification, Pavankumar Bajrang Sonwane Jan 2006

Speciation Of Alkali Metals In Biomass Combustion And Gasification, Pavankumar Bajrang Sonwane

All ETDs from UAB

Electricity from biomass and biomass–derived fuels has become an attractive and viable alternative energy source. Alkali metals, mainly sodium and potassium, together with other ash forming inorganic components in biomass, increase fouling, slagging, and high temperature corrosion of heat transfer surfaces in boilers thus reduces efficiency during biomass combustion. Future biomass-to-electricity facilities will benefit from increased efficiencies, by incorporating integrated gasification combined cycle systems that use biomass syngas directly in gas turbine. These systems will have even lower tolerances for alkali vapor release, because accelerated erosion and corrosion of turbine blades results in shorter turbine life. One solution to the …

Go to article

Multimodality Image Registration, Persis Prasai Jan 2006

Multimodality Image Registration, Persis Prasai

All ETDs from UAB

Image registration has been a major area of research in the last few decades. It is a complex problem that involves handling large data sets. The relation between the real object and the image is very intricate and encompasses the object’s shape, surface properties, position, and illumination. In this thesis, a general solution to this problem was devised that can be applied to multimodality and within-modality image registration. The approach followed here is such that various factors such as illumination do not affect the algorithm. The algorithm considers the intensity of the images as raw data for the registration. The …

Go to article

A Framework For Improving Tractability In Software Development, Sambit Patnaik Jan 2006

A Framework For Improving Tractability In Software Development, Sambit Patnaik

All ETDs from UAB

Present software development methodologies suffer from a common disadvantage that they do not allow seamlessly mapping the final implementations to the originating requirements. Most of the advances made in this area have been in the form of policy rather than processes and framework which support that kind of tractability. New software environments constituting component-based software promise to change the present picture. Web services and semantic web are upcoming technologies. Their popular use in the software industry is inevitable, dependent only upon how fast they mature into reliable technologies. Web services evolved from component software technology which is based upon the …

Go to article

Interactions Between Trains Of Premature Stimuli And Anatomically Anchored Reentrant Wavefronts: Implications For Antitachycardia Pacing, Israel A. Byrd Jan 2006

Interactions Between Trains Of Premature Stimuli And Anatomically Anchored Reentrant Wavefronts: Implications For Antitachycardia Pacing, Israel A. Byrd

All ETDs from UAB

Implantable cardioverter defibrillators can terminate accelerated heart rhythms with either high energy shocks or antitachycardia pacing. Shocks are highly effective, but they reduce the quality of life in patients that receive them. Antitachycardia pacing is a train of pulses administered at a rate slightly faster than the arrhythmia rate. These pulses are low energy, and terminate ventricular tachycardia in patients without causing pain. The paced wavefronts penetrate the reentrant circuit, and interact with the underlying reentrant wavefront to block all arrhythmic activity. Currently, these interactions between paced wavefronts and reentrant wavefronts are not well understood. A better understanding of these …

Go to article

The Association Between 2002 Office Chlamydia Screening Rates, Physician Perception, And Physician Behavior, Blanche C. Collins Jan 2006

The Association Between 2002 Office Chlamydia Screening Rates, Physician Perception, And Physician Behavior, Blanche C. Collins

All ETDs from UAB

Background: Chlamydia prevalence in reproductive-age females is 3-20%. This study aimed to determine if physicians’: • sexual activity prevalence perceptions • Chlamydia prevalence perceptions • Sexual history-taking were associated with mean office screening rates; and if physicians’ perceptions of: • sexual activity • Chlamydia were associated with sexual history-taking. Methods: A national MCO’s physicians participated and were asked about their perceptions of sexual activity and Chlamydia prevalence and their sexual history-taking. Data sources included mean office screening rates, online surveys, and AMA’s masterfile. Results: Only 15% of at-risk females were screened (n = 75). Physicians who estimated lower 18 year-old …

Go to article

Gas Phase Dynamics Of Laser-Generated Nanoparticle Populations And Its Application To Nanomaterials Fabrication, Mevlut Bulut Jan 2006

Gas Phase Dynamics Of Laser-Generated Nanoparticle Populations And Its Application To Nanomaterials Fabrication, Mevlut Bulut

All ETDs from UAB

Naturally occurring materials often derive their outstanding properties from optimal anisotropic arrangements of nanoscale constituents. This requires a hierarchical organization of matter over several length scales, which is difficult to achieve in artificial materials made by conventional physical and chemical methods. This dissertation explores the combination of laser and aerosol processes as a novel approach to make thin film materials with a level of microscopic organization similar to that found in nature. Through a systematic investigation of the behavior of the gas-phase dynamics of nanoparticles generated by laser ablation of solid target materials in background gases and a study of …

Go to article

Optical And Electrical Characteristics Of Cr And Fe Doped Znse Thin Film And Bulk Materials For Optically And Electrically Pumped Lasers, Andrew Gallian Jan 2006

Optical And Electrical Characteristics Of Cr And Fe Doped Znse Thin Film And Bulk Materials For Optically And Electrically Pumped Lasers, Andrew Gallian

All ETDs from UAB

This work is devoted to evaluating new laser systems based upon chromium and iron doped ZnSe structures. These systems are based upon new materials and pumping schemes. These topics can be broken down into three major subgroups: new materials based upon Cr2+:ZnSe, Fe2+:ZnSe lasers and pump sources, and electrically pumped Cr2+:ZnSe systems. Both hot-pressed ceramic and thin film Cr2+:ZnSe samples were evaluated for their potential as laser gain media. This work entailed spectroscopic analysis of both their absorption and emission spectra as well as characterizing their lifetime of luminescence. For hot-pressed ceramic Cr2+:ZnSe the samples were tested in a laser …

Go to article

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

All ETDs from UAB

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 …

Go to article

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

All ETDs from UAB

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 …

Go to article

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

All ETDs from UAB

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 …

Go to article

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

All ETDs from UAB

No abstract provided.

Go to article

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

All ETDs from UAB

No abstract provided.

Go to article

Perceptual Paths To Accurate Production Of L2 Vowels: The Role Of Individual Differences, Wendy Baker-Smemoe, Pavel Trofimovich Jan 2006

Perceptual Paths To Accurate Production Of L2 Vowels: The Role Of Individual Differences, Wendy Baker-Smemoe, Pavel Trofimovich

Faculty Publications

This study investigated whether individual differences in learners’ age of arrival (AOA) and length of residence (LOR) in a country where a second language (L2) is spoken determine the relationship between L2 perception and production. In the first experiment, 40 Korean learners of English and 10 native English speakers participated in vowel perception and production tasks in English. Results demonstrated that the relationship between perception and production depended on learners’ AOA, not LOR. In the second experiment, the same Korean learners of English participated in a vowel perception task in which they judged the accuracy of their own production of …

Go to article

`Died In The Service Of Portugal': Legitimacy Of Authority And Dynamics Of Group Identity Among The Atsabe Kemak In East Timor, Andrea Molnar Jan 2006

`Died In The Service Of Portugal': Legitimacy Of Authority And Dynamics Of Group Identity Among The Atsabe Kemak In East Timor, Andrea Molnar

Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship

The paper examines the metaphors and dynamics of Atsabe Kemak group identity construction, with a strong emphasis on local cultural `remembering' of Atsabe history via-a-vis relations of power. The analysis utilizes the analytical frameworks of Foucault's notion of discourse and Bourdieu's concept of habitus. The secondary burial of a former chieftain highlights the dynamics of Atsabe Kemak responses to new nation-building processes and to international influences that have appeared during the United Nations' transitional administration.

Go to article

The Virtual Dialectic: Rethinking The Matrix And Its Significance, David J. Gunkel Jan 2006

The Virtual Dialectic: Rethinking The Matrix And Its Significance, David J. Gunkel

Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Go to article

Morphometric Analysis Of Martian Valley Network Basins Using A Circularity Function, W. Luo, A.D. Howard Jan 2006

Morphometric Analysis Of Martian Valley Network Basins Using A Circularity Function, W. Luo, A.D. Howard

Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship

This paper employs a circularity function to quantify the internal morphology of Martian watershed basins in Margaritifer Sinus region and to infer the primary erosional processes that led to their current geomorphologic characteristics and possible climatic conditions under which these processes operated. The circularity function describes the elongation of a watershed basin at different elevations. We have used the circularity functions of terrestrial basins that were interpreted as having been modified by (1) erosion related to primarily groundwater sapping and (2) erosion related to primarily rainfall and surface run-off, as well as the circularity functions of cratering basins on the …

Go to article

Bike Messengers And The Really Real: Effervescence, Reflexivity, And Postmodern Identity, Jeffrey L. Kidder Jan 2006

Bike Messengers And The Really Real: Effervescence, Reflexivity, And Postmodern Identity, Jeffrey L. Kidder

Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship

Out of more than two thousand bike messengers in New York City, a few hundred participate in alleycats—illegal races held in open traffic. Surrounding this racing scene is a vibrant messenger community. Messengers who race in or attend alleycats carry their messenger identity into all aspects of their lives. Through direct participant observation, this article proposes that alleycats function as Durkheimian rituals for these messengers. Alleycats express the central values of the social world. Lost in collective effervescence, the individual confronts these values as objectified truths, which allow messengers to form stable identities. Further, bicycles, messenger bags, and other objects …

Go to article

Improving Judicial Settlement Conferences, Jeffrey A. Parness Jan 2006

Improving Judicial Settlement Conferences, Jeffrey A. Parness

Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship

Professors Molot, Fuller, Fiss, and Resnik, among others, have expressed concerns about the unbounded, unchecked, unbridled, and virtually unfettered judicial discretion of American trial court judges who preside over civil case settlement conferences. I am also concerned. But the best response is not to abolish or severely restrict judicial settlement conferences. Rather, it is to add more formality and more written guidelines. New guidelines would discourage each trial court judge from marching to the beat of her own drummer. These guidelines should involve, as suggested by Professor Fuller, both more adversary control and more detailed and written criteria. In addition, …

Go to article

Family Acculturation, Family Leisure Involvement, And Family Functioning Among Mexican-Americans, Owen D. Christenson, Ramon B. Zabriskie, Dennis L. Eggett, Patti A. Freeman Jan 2006

Family Acculturation, Family Leisure Involvement, And Family Functioning Among Mexican-Americans, Owen D. Christenson, Ramon B. Zabriskie, Dennis L. Eggett, Patti A. Freeman

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between acculturation and family leisure involvement and aspects of family functioning ( cohesion and adaptability) from Mexican-American parent, youth, and family perspectives. Acculturation was measured using the Bidimensional Acculturation Scale for Hispanics (BAS), family leisure involvement was measured using the Family Leisure Activity Profile (FLAP), and family functioning was measured using the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales (FACES II). The sample was obtained from communities in Texas and Utah and consisted of 74 Mexican-American families, including a parent and child from each family. After adjusting for sociodemographic variables, the …

Go to article

First Prev Next Last