Digital Commons Network^™

Characterization, Community Structure And Ecological Importance Of Sponge-Associated Bacteria, Patrick M. Erwin

All ETDs from UAB

The study of sponge-bacteria symbioses is emerging as a prominent field in marine biology and biotechnology, with implications ranging from a fundamental understanding of sponge ecology and insight into the evolution of prokaryote-eukaryote symbiotic interactions to natural products prospecting and bioactive metabolite synthesis. The research conducted herein integrates molecular genetic techniques with ecological methodologies to address fundamental issues of sponge-microbe associations. Bacterial communities associated with the marine sponges Hymeniacidon heliophila and Xestospongia sp. were compared to microbial assemblages from ambient seawater and the sympatric tunicate, Didemnum sp, using replicated clone libraries of 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes and terminal restriction …

Characterization Of A Global Regulatory Pathway In Streptococcus Pneumoniae, Greer E. Kaufman

All ETDs from UAB

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a versatile organism that adapts to many different environments in the host. S. pneumoniae can asymptomatically colonize the nasopharynx of humans. However, dissemination of the bacterium from the nasopharynx to different locations in the body can lead to invasive diseases such as pneumonia, bacteremia, and meningitis. How S. pneumoniae modulates factors that are important for survival in these niches has not been well characterized. In the studies described here, we propose that S. pneumoniae may modulate gene expression in these niches by sensing the different glu-cose concentrations via carbon catabolite control protein A (CcpA). Initially we characterized …

Multiple Roles: Benefits Or Strain? An Examination Of The Effects Of Work And Mothering On Health Lifestyle Behaviors For Women Living With Hiv/Aids, Mercy W. Mwaria

All ETDs from UAB

Does occupying multiple roles cause strain or does it lead to health lifestyle practices for women living with HIV/AIDS? Previous research has established a relationship between multiple role occupation and physical and mental wellbeing for women. Health lifestyle modifications for persons living with HIV/AIDS benefit health by slowing down disease progression and enhancing the body’s tolerance to drug therapies. This study extends these findings to a specific population of women living with HIV/AIDS and examines health lifestyle outcomes for this population. Using data from the HIV Cost and Services Utilization Study (HCSUS), the study draws on a subsample of women …

Association Between The Exposure To Aflatoxin And Micronutrient Status Of Hiv Infected Adults In Ghana, Francis Ayodele Obuseh

All ETDs from UAB

Aflatoxins, found naturally in some foods are toxic metabolites of some Aspergillus species.They constitute the most potent hepatocarcinogens known and are also mutagenic and hepatotoxic. The preponderance of evidence indicates that aflatoxin is the major cause of hepatocellular cancer. In studies conducted in Africa, food-borne aflatoxin exposure is common (Oyelami et al. 1996; Egal et al. 2005). There is a critical need for additional information on health outcomes associated with exposure to aflatoxin in humans, especially in developing countries with a higher degree of malnutrition and likelihood of HIV infections. We sought to test the hypothesis that aflatoxin B1 and …

Insulin Dynamics In African Americans And European Americans: Mechanistic Aspects, And Association With Inflammation, Radhika P. Phadke

All ETDs from UAB

Identification and characterization of ethnic differences in insulin dynamics, insulin sensitivity (SI), and inflammation may shed light on the greater risk for type 2 diabetes in African Americans (AA), relative to European Americans (EA). Ideally, such studies should take into account the potential confounding roles of adiposity, fat distribution, genetic background, and socioeconomic status (SES). The objectives of this study were, 1) to evaluate ethnic differences in insulin dynamics in AA and EA children and adults using robust measures of insulin secretion and clearance; 2) to identify the contributions of genetic admixture and SES to insulin dynamics; 3) to examine …

Development And Initial Validation Of A Self-Efficacy Scale For Use With Registered Dietitians Working With Overweight Youth, Christopher M. Reinold

All ETDs from UAB

This study developed and validated the Youth-Directed Obesity Counseling Self-efficacy (Y-DOCS) Scale to evaluate the self-efficacy of registered dietitians (RDs) working with childhood overweight. The specific purpose of this study was to create an evaluation instrument that can measure the effectiveness of continuing education (CE) that provides behavioral counseling training. Two research questions guided this investigation into measuring the self-efficacy of RD’s: (a) Is the Y-DOCS scale for dietitians a reliable instrument for assessing self-efficacy among dietitians who receive training? (b) Is the Y-DOCS scale for dietitians a valid instrument for assessing self-efficacy among dietitians who receive training? The population …

A Grounded Theory Study: Hispanic Adolescents' Experience Of Being Overweight, Wilma Powell Stuart

All ETDs from UAB

The number of overweight adolescents worldwide has continued to increase over the past several decades. Intervention studies for weight management with overweight adolescents are challenged by high rates of attrition and have failed to achieve sustained outcomes. Hispanic adolescents have a higher risk of being overweight than their African American and White peers do. However, Hispanic overweight adolescents have been poorly represented in intervention studies with overweight adolescents. The factors that influence the Hispanic overweight adolescents’ perceptions of weight and weight loss management are not known. This qualitative study used ground theory methodology to identify the factors that influence perceptions …

Bacillus Anthracis Spore-Host Interactions, Melissa K. Swiecki

All ETDs from UAB

The use of Bacillus anthracis as a bioweapon depends on the dispersal of its spores into the environment, entrance into the body, spore uptake by human host cells, germination of the spores in the host and the pathological consequences of the virulence factors produced by the vegetative cells. Prior to 2001, very little was known about the mechanisms of spore entry into the host, including targeting cell types at airway, digestive and skin surfaces, potential spore receptors on these cells and spore encounters with cellular and humoral elements of the innate and adaptive immune systems. To this end, we have …

A Study Of Perceived Stress, Anxiety, Somatic Symptoms, And Spirituality In Practitioners Of The Martial Art Aikido, Howell E. Tapley

All ETDs from UAB

The purpose of this study was to examine relationships between physical, mental and spiritual health. An additional purpose was to determine if the practice of aikido was associated with measurable levels of somatic symptoms, perceived stress, anxiety and spirituality. Measurement instruments included Cohen’s 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Spielberger’s 20-item Trait Anxiety Inventory (TAI), the Patient Health Questionnaire-15 (PHQ-15), and the 16-item Daily Spiritual Experiences Scale (DSES). A cross-sectional research design was utilized in this study to test the following hypotheses: 1) After controlling for demographic variables, daily spiritual experience will explain variability in perceived stress, anxiety and somatic symptoms, …

An Evaluation Of Neighborhood Context And Health Lifestyles: Implications For Obesity Outcomes Among Children, Akilah Dulin

All ETDs from UAB

No abstract provided.

Prepubertal Bisphenol A Exposure In The Rat Mammary Gland: Mechanism Of Action For Carcinogenesis, Nandini Raghuraman

All ETDs from UAB

No abstract provided.

Aging Differences In Mechanisms Of Human Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy, David J. Kosek

All ETDs from UAB

No abstract provided.

The Specter Of Post-Communism : Competing Explanations For Health Crisis In The Post-Soviet States, Brian Philip Hinote

All ETDs from UAB

No abstract provided.

Akhuwat Issue No. 65, Aga Khan University

AKHUWAT Newsletters

• The Convocation Ceremony, 2006
• Workshop on Health Administration: Strategic Planning and Performance Management (SPPM)
• Patient Satisfaction Survey
• JCIA Dashboard of Clinical and Managerial Indicators
• Face to Face with Dr Zulfiqar Bhutta, Chair and Professor, Department of Paediatrics
• Visit of the Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Aga Khan University Advanced Nursing Studies Programme in Nairobi, Kenya
• Transition towards betterment of Nursing in Afghanistan
• Appointment of Dr. Mir Afzal Tajik as Head of Professional Development Central (PDC), Chitral
• AKU Student Night 2006
• Third Annual Olympiad held on 'Environment and Infections’ at AKU-IED
• Research Seminar on Adult Literacy and Academic Literacy
• Graduation …

Acetylcholinesterase In The Sea Urchin Lytechinus Variegatus : Characterization And Developmental Expression In Larvae, Natalie A. Jennings

All ETDs from UAB

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in a deuterostome invertebrate, the echinoid Lytechinus variegatus, has been characterized. Kinetic parameters Vmax, Km, Kss, and b were 453 ± 183 μM ATCh hydrolyzed/minute, 185 ± 11 μM, 308 ± 100 mM, and 0.2, respectively for the substrate acetylthiocholine (ATCh) and 3.1 ± 1.2 μM BTCh hydrolyzed/minute, 654 ± 424 μM, 36 ± 31 mM, and 0.6, respectively for substrate butyrylthiocholine (BTCh). Pharmacologic analyses were performed with four inhibitors of cholinesterases, physostigmine, BW284c51, ethopropazine, and iso-OMPA, and yielded IC50 values of 106 ± 4 nM, 718 ± 118 nM, 2.57 ± 0.6 mM, and > 0.0300 M, respectively. …

Using Genetic Admixture And Lipo Protein Lipase Polymorphisms To Explain Variations In Plasma Triglycerides And High Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol In Premenopauasal African And European American Females, Nihal Omar Natour

All ETDs from UAB

Although African Americans (AA) are well known to be more obese and more in-sulin resistant than European Americas (EA), several studies have shown that AA have lower plasma triglyceride (TG) and higher high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). The reasons for these levels of TG and HDL-C are not understood, and scientists have suggested a role of lipoprotein lipase (LPL), a key regulator of TG rich lipoproteins me-tabolism that is also thought to indirectly affect HDL-C metabolism. To investigate the extent to which these observed differences in TG and HDL-C are due to genetic makeup, we investigated the role of genetic …

Good Things Come In Small Packages: Tiny Plankton Producing Oxygen Near Dead Zone, Abbie Basile

Libraries Faculty & Staff Publications

(First paragraph) For many, the words “Lake Erie” bring to mind large things: big sport fish, sprawling waterfront homes, and an enormous body of water bordering four states and two countries. Similarly, much of the Lake Erie research of which the public is aware deals with larger biological organisms—larger algae and zooplankton, the small fish that eat the zooplankton, and the large fish that feed on those smaller fish. Over the years, the smaller lake life have been somewhat overlooked.

Alcohol-Induced Suppression Of Gluconeogenesis Is Greater In Ethanol Fed Female Rat Hepatocytes Than Males, Ken D. Sumida, Alma A. Cogger, Aleksey V. Matveyenko

Physical Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

The impact of alcohol-induced suppression on hepatic gluconeogenesis (HGN) after chronic ethanol consumption between males and females is unknown. To determine the effects of chronic alcohol consumption (8 weeks) on HGN, the isolated hepatocyte technique was used on 24 h fasted male and female Wistar rats. Livers were initially perfused with collagenase and the hepatocytes were isolated. Aliquots of the cell suspension were placed in Krebs-Henseleit buffer and incubated for 30 min with lactate, [U-C-14]lactate, and nine different concentrations of ethanol (EtOH). Dose-effect curves were generated for the determination of maximal and half-maximal alcohol-induced inhibition on HGN. There was no …

Teachers’ Conceptions Of Teaching Service Statistics Courses, Sue Gordon, Peter Petocz, Anna Reid

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

In this paper, we report on the results of a series of e-mail interviews with statistics educators around the world, focusing on their views of the nature of teaching statistics as a ‘service’ subject. What do they think are the important aspects of statistics to focus on in such servicing teaching? What do they think are the characteristics of good teachers? And how do they go about developing themselves as statistics teachers? We analyse their responses to these and other questions using a phenomenographic approach to identify an outcome space for their conceptions of teaching service statistics. We examine the …

The Bayh-Dole Act And Incentives For The Commercialization Of Government-Funded Invention In Developing Countries, Michael S. Mireles Jr.

McGeorge School of Law Scholarly Articles

No abstract provided.

Optimising School Nurse Involvement In Youth Based Tobacco Control Programs: Presented To The Western Australian Health Promotion Foundation, Child Health Promotion Research Unit, Edith Cowan University

Research outputs pre 2011

A significant proportion of youth smoke regularly, placing them at risk of addiction to cigarette smoking. It is known that adolescence is a critical period for the establishment of adult drug use behaviours. The key focus for this research program is the investigation of interventions addressing adolescent smoking cessation, with a particular emphasis on School Nurse involvement.

The research program aims to provide capacity building benefits at three levels: to secondary school nurses, to two post-graduate students, as well as school health promotion /smoking prevention/cessation practitioners and researchers. Ultimately this project may add previously underused but well trained, highly credible …

Technology And Older Faculty: A Descriptive Study Of Older Florida Community College Faculty, Christopher D. Van Der Kaay

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Institutions of higher learning across the United States are experiencing an aging faculty population. A significant proportion of college and university faculty are over 55, a growth expected to continue in future years. Parallel to this growth and change has been an expanding use of technology in higher education. Despite this trend and potential implications, few studies have provided in-depth insight into older faculty and technology. The study used a quantitative descriptive design to provide a comprehensive look at older community college faculty and various aspects of technology. Areas examined included older faculty's perceptions of technology, their attitudes toward institutional …

A New Questionnaire To Determine The Frequency And Severity Of Symptoms Caused By Inhaled Odors, Chemicals And Irritants In Normal Subjects And Their Relation To Health-Related Quality Of Life, Stephen E. Williamson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Individuals may develop symptoms in response to inhaled odors, chemicals, and irritants. This may affect their quality of life. Little is known about the prevalence and severity of symptoms that result from exposure to odors, chemicals and irritants. This study demonstrates the development of a new respiratory questionnaire to detect the prevalence and severity of symptoms experienced upon exposure to chemicals, odors, and irritants, and relates these symptoms to quality of life. This questionnaire was submitted to 96 volunteers at the University of South Florida College of Public Health who responded to items regarding symptoms developed in response to exposure …

Tourist, Shopertainment, Eatertainment, Edutainment, Nature Tourism, Mass Tourism, Stephanie Tomita Wong

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Predictive models for diffusion-controlled particle dissolution are important for designing advanced and efficient solid products for controlled release applications. A computer-aided modeling framework was developed to derive the effective dissolution rates of multiple particles as the solid surface material eroded gradually into the surrounding liquid phase. The mathematical models were solved with numerical methods using the computational software MATLAB. Results from the models were imported into COMSOL Script to create three-dimensional plots of the particle size data as a function of time. The release model found for the monodispersed particles was manipulated to incorporate polydisperse solids, as these are found …

Comparison Of Student Outcomes In Distance Learning Internships Versus Traditional Dietetic Internships, Lauri Y. Wright

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

One way in which higher education is responding to technology advances, demographics changes, and economic pressures is through the development of distance learning. Distance learning represents one of the most prominent trends in higher education today. Understanding the impact of this technologically driven change on student outcomes is unmistakably important. One example of this trend in higher education is the distance learning internship in dietetic training programs. The purpose of this study was to compare student outcomes in distance learning dietetic internships to student outcomes in traditional dietetic internships. The pass rate of the registration exam for dietitians, levels of …

Development Of Tomato Hybrids (Lycopersicon Esculentum X Lycopersicon Hirsutum F. Glabratum) Resistant To Robacco Spider Mite (Tetranychus Evansi), Everlyne Nafula Wosula

All Master’s Theses

This study revealed that the mite resistance in L. hirsutum is heritable in L. esculentum and therefore can be utilized to improve tomato production by breeding mite resistant varieties. Glandular trichomes type IV may be responsible for high levels of resistance in accession LA 2204 to T. evansi. The study was to initiate inter-specific crosses between Lycopersicon hirsutum f glabratum C.H. Mull accession LA 2204 and the cultivated tomato Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. variety "Money Maker", and evaluate their resistance to tobacco spider mite Tetranychus evansi Baker and Pritchard. Screening studies carried out earlier revealed that accession LA2204 is resistant, while …

The Use Of Hazelnut Meal As A Substitute For Soybean Meal In The Diets Of Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus Mykiss), Özlem Bi̇lgi̇n, Ali̇ Türker, Ahmet Adem Teki̇nay

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

Hazelnut meal as a substitute for soybean meal in extruded feeds of rainbow trout was investigated. The performance of extruded feeds containing hazelnut meal as a substitute for 20% of soybean meal (Diet 2) and 30% of soybean meal (Diet 3) was compared to a nutritionally balanced control (Diet 1) (a commercial trout feed formulation). Each diet was fed to 3 replicate groups (initial BW: 36 ± 1.37 g; mean ± SD); the fish were fed the equivalent of 2% of their body weight, 2 times daily (0800 and 1600) for 64 days at 15 ± 0.11 °C under a …

Violations Of Human Rights In The Russian Military, Cathy Smith

Human Rights & Human Welfare

In 2005, an estimated 450 deaths were caused by injuries due to internal military violence. The degradation inflicted on Russian soldiers within their regime necessitates reformation by the government and implementation of resolutions. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Russian military has been experiencing heightened levels of personnel decline despite the compulsory draft. The prestige that the Soviet Army of the 1950s received through the late 1980s is dwindling rapidly. Despite the military code of conduct, today’s army is afflicted with perpetual violations of human rights. For the future of the Russian military, extensive action must include systemic …

Productivity Management Of The Cacao Agro-Food System In Tabasco (Mexico): A Fitness Approach, Cesar Jesus Vazquez Navarrete

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

The farming industry and the agro-food system as a whole are now required to adapt to a challenging and more competitive environment. How the food industry can fit itself into such environment is the main question that is addressed in this study. The fitness approach, an exploratory framework, is applied in order to study the Cacao Agro-food System (CAPS) in Tabasco. Mexico. The final sample consisted of 356 farmers, 37 curing plants, 6 wholesaling firms, and 7 chocolate firms. An anatomical model using correspondence analysis was adopted to understand the main features of every industry in the CAPS. The Pitness …

Foundations In Wisconsin: A Directory [26th Ed. 2007], Marquette University - Funding Information Center, Mary Frenn, Jeremy Blackwood, Oana Deselnicu, Alexandria Innes, Sarah Martin, Katie Morrison, Vance Thomas

Foundations in Wisconsin: A Directory

The 2007 edition of Foundations in Wisconsin marks the 26th release of the print directory and the 7th year of the online version (www.wifoundations.org). The directory is designed as a research tool for grantseekers interested in locating information on private, corporate, and community foundations registered in Wisconsin. Each entry in this new edition has been updated or reviewed to provide the most current information available. Most of the data was drawn from IRS 990-PF tax returns filed by the foundations. However, additional information was obtained from surveys, foundation Web sites, annual reports, and newsletters.

Wisconsin foundations continue to grow in …