Digital Commons Network^™

Vitamin D Receptor Deficiency And Postnatal Tooth Formation, Xueming Zhang

All ETDs from UAB

The reduction of caries is one of the major objectives of Healthy People 2010 (USDHHS, 2000). For individuals at risk for caries, early identification and interception before the occurrence of the disease are crucial to preventing the cariogenesis. However, host genetic variants that compromise the mineralization of dental enamel and dentin are unclear. The vdr mutation has been reported to be associated with bone loss. Therefore, it is likely that vitamin D resistance may affect dental enamel and dentin formation. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of VDR deficiency on postnatal tooth formation in a vdr …

Predictors Of Indoor Dust Mite And Cockroach Levels, J Mark Brooks

All ETDs from UAB

Exposures to dust mite and cockroach indoor allergens are important environmental risk factors in allergic sensitization and the development and exacerbation of asthma. To determine the relationship of indoor allergen levels and residence characteristics, dust samples were collected from indoor surfaces in residences in the Birmingham, Alabama area. The dust samples were analyzed for specific dust mite (Der p 1 and Der f 1) and cockroach (Bla g 1) antigens, the results of which were used to represent the level of indoor allergen present in each residence. The presence, and in some cases the degree, of potential allergen-predicting characteristics of …

Coupling Selection Of The Hiv- 1 Trna Primer Used For Reverse Transcription With Viral Translation And Encapsidation, Uros V. Djekic

All ETDs from UAB

HIV-1 belongs to the Retroviridae family. A hallmark of retroviral replication is the process of reverse transcription. Viral reverse transcriptase requires placement of a cellular tRNA primer onto the primer binding site (PBS) in order to initiate conversion of the viral RNA genome into a double stranded DNA copy. Mutation of the HIV-1 PBS forces the virus to utilize the non-cognate primer. Even though extensive studies have been done over the past 15 years, the mechanism of HIV-1 primer selection has yet to be completely elucidated. HIV-1 captures free tRNA during a yet undefined step in viral replication. However, our …

Protease Dysregulation: Role In Neutrophilic Inflammation In Cystic Fibrosis, Amit Gaggar

All ETDs from UAB

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a lethal disorder characterized by abnormal epithelial ion transport; this disorder is characterized by an ongoing airway remodeling and neutrophilic inflammation. Much of the airway remodeling is due to activation of a group of enzymes known as proteases; human neutrophil elastase (HNE) is a prominent protease found in the CF airway. While specific cytokines/chemokines are well-known for their role in the inflammation seen in CF, it is unknown how the protease-rich environment in CF lung disease influences airway inflammation. Recently, our group has characterized a novel collagen-derived fragment, proline-glycine-proline (PGP), which causes neutrophil influx through mechanisms …

Protein Interaction And Cell Surface Trafficking Differences Between Wild-Type And Δf508 Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator, Rebecca F. Goldstein

All ETDs from UAB

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is caused by mutation of one protein, the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), which normally functions as a chloride channel at the apical surface of epithelial cells. The most common CFTR mutation results in the deletion of a single amino acid (phenylalanine) at position 508, which causes the protein to fold improperly. The ΔF508 CFTR is a temperature-sensitive (TS) processing mutant: At the restrictive temperature, 37°C, ΔF508 CFTR misfolds in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and is degraded, but at the permissive temperature, 27°C, it is “rescued” from degradation (rΔF508). In particular, rΔF508 CFTR folds correctly enough …

Interference With Hiv-1 Primer Selection By Sirna Directed To The Hiv-1 Primer Binding Site, Wenlong Han

All ETDs from UAB

The replication of Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is characterized by the process of reverse transcription, which converts the viral RNA genome into a DNA intermediate prior to integration into the host cell chromosome. The initiation of reverse transcription needs a cellular tRNA primer, which binds to a region in the viral RNA genome, designated as the primer binding site (PBS). The 18-nucleotide PBS region of HIV-1, which is complementary to the 3′ terminal 18 nucleotides of tRNALys,3, is absolutely conserved among all HIV-1. The highly conserved PBS is a very good target for HIV-1 therapy. My dissertation research …

Regulation Of The Human Heme Oxygenase-1 Gene, Thomas D. Hock

All ETDs from UAB

The heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) gene encodes a microsomal enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of heme to carbon monoxide, Iron, and biliverdin. HO-1 transcription is induced upon a plethora of cellular stresses including heme, heavy metal exposure, hy-poxia, oxidative stress and many others. The goal of this work was to explore the molecu-lar regulation of HO-1 transcription. Four DNase 1 hypersensitive sites are detected within the HO-1 promoter extending from ~-40bp to ~-9.2kb relative to the transcription start site. Dimethylsulfate (DMS) in vivo footprinting is shown for two regulatory re-gions and reveals nine protected guanines in all. Mutational analyses indicates that …

Quantitation Of Antiretrovirals In Alternative Matrices, Chantelle Bennetto Hood

All ETDs from UAB

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) pandemic is a growing concern, affecting almost 40 million people worldwide. Treatment for HIV infection consists of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) to block different steps in the viral lifecycle, ultimately reducing HIV RNA to undetectable levels in the plasma. However, HIV RNA can be detected in numerous reservoirs outside of the blood despite the use of HAART. Therefore, measurement of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs in other biological matrices is important to broaden our understanding of HIV transmission, the development of viral resistance with sub-optimal ARV exposure, and fetal and neonatal drug exposure. This work describes …

The Educational And Psychological Experiences Of Children Orphaned By Aids In Western Kenya, Grace Jepkemboi

All ETDs from UAB

The purpose of this study was to describe the perceptions of teachers and caregivers concerning the psychological and educational experiences of children orphaned by AIDS in Western Kenya. On the basis of qualitative inquiry, the design of the study focused on phenomenology inquiry. Audio-taped interviews were used as the primary source to gather data for this study. The questions that guided the study were "What are the psychological characteristics of children orphaned by AIDS in Kenya?" "What are the educational experiences of children orphaned by AIDS?" and "What strategies do the teachers and caregivers at the orphanages use to help …

Synthesis And Control Of Microstructure, Mechanical Properties, And Bioactivity In Biphasic And Preferentially Oriented Calcium Phosphate Bioceramics, Hyunbin Kim

All ETDs from UAB

Calcium phosphate bioceramics are recognized as one of the most biocompatible materials and are widely used in systems for bone repair and regeneration. In this work, the pulsed laser deposition technique was chosen to produce calcium phosphate materials with different crystallographic texture and chemical composition for investigation of their structural, mechanical, as well as biological properties. Various calcium phosphate coatings were obtained on Ti6Al4V substrates using a KrF excimer laser (248 nm) with an energy density of 4−8 J/cm2 and substrate temperature of 625−730 °C. A method was developed that enables the deposition of highly textured hydroxyapatite by controlling the …

On The Immunological Roles Of Tlt2 And Hsh2, R Glenn King

All ETDs from UAB

The evolution of multicellular organisms necessitated the ability to detect and remove harmful parasitic microorganisms from the host. This simple requirement for self non-self discrimination has evolved in vertebrates into an elaborate system consisting of a variety of effector mechanisms to perform this process. The immune system is often described as consisting of two distinct yet complimentary components, the innate and adaptive immune systems. It is now recognized that the immune system relies on the highly coordinated interplay between a variety of cell types which cooperate to maintain the health of the organism. The work outlined in this dissertation addresses …

The Effect Of The Aml1-Eto Translocation On Cell Cycle Tumor Suppressor Gene Function, Rose Marie Ko

All ETDs from UAB

The t(8;21)(q22;q22) AML1-ETO translocation is one of the most frequent translocations in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), occurring in approximately 12% of cases. Our laboratory has generated a mouse model in which AML1-ETO is expressed in hematopoietic progenitor cells using a retroviral vector and assayed using bone marrow transplantation. Animals transplanted with AML1-ETO-expressing cells failed to develop leukemia. However, AML1-ETO promoted significant expansion of immature myeloid cells suggesting a “pre-leukemic” state that requires secondary mutations for disease progression. In addition, analysis of cell cycle kinetics in AML1-ETOexpressing myeloid progenitor cells showed that AML1- ETO slowed G1 to S phase progression compared …

When In Rome An Examination Of Women And Political Rhetoric, Christina Grace Juneau

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Cytoplasmic Assembly Of Human Cytomegalovirus., Jun-Young Seo

All ETDs from UAB

No abstract provided.

Varieties Of Evolutionary Psychology, David J. Buller

Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Brain Integrity And Cerebral Atrophy In Vietnam Combat Veterans With And Without Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Bruce L. Brown, Dawson W. Hedges, G. William Thatcher, Pamela J. Bennett, Shabnam Sood, David Paulson, Sarah Creem-Regehr, Steven Allen, Jamie Johnson, Brooke Froelich, Erin D. Bigler

Faculty Publications

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with decreased hippocampal volume, but the relationship between trauma and brain morphology in the absence of PTSD is less clear. In this study, measures of brain integrity were determined by estimating gray and white matter regional brain volumes using structural magnetic resonance imaging in six patients with PTSD and in five controls with comparable trauma exposure but without clinical evidence of PTSD. The only statistically significant volume difference between groups was observed multivariately in the white matter of the right temporal lobe (superior temporal gyrus, fusiform gyrus, parahippocampal gyrus, white-matter stem, middle temporal gyrus, …

Lost Paternity In The Culture Of Motherhood, Jeffrey A. Parness

Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship

In her recent Columbia Law Review article, "Infant Safe Haven Laws: Legislating in the Culture of Life," Professor Carol Sanger shows that American safe haven laws, viewed within a larger political culture, promote the goal of the culture of life: the reversal of Roe v. Wade. Their effectiveness in that pursuit, she correctly notes, depends on whether judges and others recognize the strong differences between varying culture of life settings. Like Professor Sanger, I see differences between safe haven abandonment and abortion. Unfortunately, Professor Sanger fails to note that American safe haven laws, within a larger political culture, also significantly …

Safe Haven, Adoption And Birth Record Laws: Where Are The Daddies?, Jeffrey A. Parness, Therese A. Clarke Arado

Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship

An earlier version of this paper was presented by Professor Parness at the Third Annual Wells Conference on Adoption Law under the title, "Safe Haven Laws: Where Are the Daddies?", at Capital University Law School on February 15, 2007. The paper explores the difficulties in American state safe haven, adoption and birth record laws, crystalized in the question: "Where are the daddies?" After briefly reviewing safe haven laws, the paper demonstrates how paternity interests are unreasonably, if not unconstitutionally, foreclosed when children are abandoned by their mothers. Comparable paternity losses due to maternal acts are then shown under adoption and …

Praying, Playing, And Successful Families: An Examination Of Family Religiosity, Family Leisure, And Family Functioning, Sarah Taylor Agate, Ramon B. Zabriskie, Dennis L. Eggett

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between family religiosity, family leisure, and family functioning. The sample consisted of 121 parents and 99 youth from various religious groups. Results indicated a positive relationship between family religiosity and family leisure. Both family religiosity and family leisure had a significant relationship with family functioning in this sample. Data collected from both parents and youth provided insight into the influence of family religiosity and family leisure on family functioning. Family religiosity was the strongest predictor of family functioning for parents. For youth, both family leisure and family religiosity were significant …

Cultural Competence And Instructional Design: Exploration Research Into The Delivery Of Online Instruction Cross, P. Clint Rogers, Charles R. Graham, Clifford T. Mayes

Faculty Publications

The amount of resources being poured by Western universities, companies, and governments into creating educational content to be exported (via the Internet) to other cultures is astounding. Those assigned to accomplish this task are left with the great challenge of meeting the needs of learners who come from cultures that are foreign to them, and who often have very different abilities and expectations than originally assumed. This study explores the cultural competence in the lived experience of 12 professionals who have been involved with such efforts. Often they have had to question their assumptions, recognizing flaws in their own thinking …

Empowering Or Compelling Reluctant Participators Using Audience Response Systems, Charles R. Graham, Tonya R. Tripp, Larry Seawright, George L. Joeckel Iii

Faculty Publications

This article investigates the impact of an audience response system (ARS) on student engagement in undergraduate university courses. A survey was administered to students in a dozen courses piloting the ARS system. On 13 out of 14 measures the majority of students thought the system was helpful. Overall, students were more positive about the use of the ARS in courses that used the tool for formative feedback (empowering) rather than for grading or attendance purposes (compelling). The authors discuss the positive impact of the ARS on the engagement of ‘reluctant participators’ or students who reported that they are least likely …

Noise Level Correlates With Manatee Use Of Foraging Habitats, Jennifer L. Miksis-Olds, Percy L. Donaghay, James H. Miller, Peter L. Tyack, Jeffrey A. Nystuen

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

The introduction of anthropogenic sound to coastal waters is a negative side effect of population growth. As noise from boats, marine construction, and coastal dredging increases, environmental and behavioral monitoring is needed to directly assess the effect these phenomena have on marine animals. Acoustic recordings, providing information on ambient noise levels and transient noise sources, were made in two manatee habitats: grassbeds and dredged habitats. Recordings were made over two 6-month periods from April to September in 2003 and 2004. Noise levels were calculated in one-third octave bands at nine center frequencies ranging from 250 Hz to 64 kHz. Manatee …

Resiliency Factors: Predictors Of Quality Of Life In Family Caregivers Of Patients With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Beatrice Hamblin Chakraborty

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive, neurodegenerative disease resulting from generalized degeneration of motor cells in the brain and spinal cord (The Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Association [ALSA], 2004). Also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, ALS has no conclusive etiology, no known cure, and death generally occurs within three to five years following the diagnosis (Rabkin, Wagner, & Del Bene, 2000). Given the devastating and predictable course of ALS, it is understandable that this disease can have a profound, adverse impact on the quality of life (QOL) of the patient and the caregiver. However, not all caregivers, particularly spouses who …

The Scales Are Still Unbalanced:A Phenomenological Study Of Parental Involvement Of Lower Socioeconomic Students Attending School In An Affluent Southeastern Educational Community, Debra Walker Smith

All ETDs from UAB

With the pressures of No Child Left Behind, and many schools being identified as failing, parents are willing to make major sacrifices in order to provide what they believe is a quality education. The research addressed what it meant for twelve low socioeconomic parents to be involved in their children’s education in an affluent educational environment. The researcher defined low socioeconomics as students participating in the National School Lunch Program, as this was one of the identifiers used to determine this subgroup for the State Department of Education’s Adequate Yearly Progress. A phenomenological study was conducted to answer the following …

Literary Representations: Reading And Writing Femininity In Eighteenth Century Novels., Jessika L. Thomas

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Fictional depictions of feminine reading and writing practices reveal transformations in expectations of women's roles due to changes in economic, political, social, and familial structures during the eighteenth century. Luce Irigaray's concern with the relationship between cultural influences and individual development offers a new perspective for considering female authors' representations of literary women and femininity. This dissertation utilizes Irigaray's cultural and psychoanalytic critiques of masculine discourse to develop a methodology for analyzing women's reactions, as they are revealed through fictional characters, against prohibitions that limited their engagement in literary activities. Female protagonists challenge social boundaries through their reading and writing …

Suicide Assessment With Residential Adolescent Substance Users: Risk And Resilience Factors., Elizabeth Ann Tyner

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Suicide remains stable as the third leading cause of death of adolescents in the United States (CDC, 2004). The rate of adolescent suicide is 10 per 100,000 or approximately one suicide every two hours (AAS, 2006). Adolescent substance abusers are a unique population with a high risk for suicide. The relation between suicide and substance abuse has been examined yet the nature of this relation is unclear (Goldston, 2004). This study added to the two published studies (Berman & Schwartz, 1990; Deykin & Buka, 1994) that examined suicidal behavior in residential adolescents with a primary diagnosis of substance abuse/dependence by …

Pi3-Kinase Mediates Csrc Activation And Podosome Formation Through The Adaptor Protein, Afap-110, In Response To Pkcî± Activation., Valerie Glynis Walker

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Significant evidence indicates the existence of cross-talk between PKCα, cSrc and PI3-kinase signaling pathways. Activation of each of these kinases results in substantial changes in actin filament concomitant with increased cell motility and invasive potential. The ability of PKCα to induce cSrc activation requires the adaptor protein, AFAP-110. This results in the disruption of the actin cytoskeleton and the formation of motility structures. Activation of PI3-kinase has been shown to direct up-regulation of PKCα activity. However the ability of PKCα to activate PI3-kinase remains controversial. Further, the integrity of the PH1 domain was required for PMA induced colocalization between AFAP-110 …

Molecular Mechanisms Of Nuclear Factor-Erythroid-2 Related Factor 2 (Nrf2) Regulation: Phosphorylation By Casein Kinase 2 (Ck2) And Interaction With Proto-Oncogene N-Myc In Neuroblastoma Cells., Patrick L. Apopa

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Environmental pollutants and toxicants expose cells to oxidative and electrophilic challenges. Oxidative and xenobiotic stresses caused by environmental toxicants are known to cause human diseases including cancer and diabetes. To protect against the insults, cells have developed detection and response mechanisms. One such sensor-defense cellular mechanism involves the Nrf2 pathway. The transcription factor Nuclear factor erythriod 2 related factor 2 (Nrf2), a member of the cnc bZIP transcription factors, regulates the expression and induction of phase II antioxidant and detoxification genes via antioxidant response element (ARE). In the presence of an antioxidant, Nrf2 has been shown to be activated, translocate …

The Politics Of Health Promotion: Analyzing Healthy Public Policy's Impact On Tobacco Control In United States And South Africa., Frederick Appah

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This public health policy, international organization and comparative public policy and politics research looks at the impact of health promotion on tobacco control in the United States and South Africa from the Canadian Lalonde report of 1974 to 2004. The healthy public policy concept is used as a tool to analyze the possible policy changes and outcomes that the health promotion perspective has brought to the national tobacco control policies, programs and strategies of the two developmentally and structurally different but strategically and institutionally similar countries. The study uses a combination of documentary and elite interview analysis. The research finds …

Effectiveness Of Reconstruction Of The Anterior Cruciate Ligament With Quadrupled Hamstrings And Bone-Patellar Tendon-Bone Autografts: An In Vivo Study Comparing Tibial Internal-External Rotation, Vasileios Chouliaras, Stavros Ristanis, Constantina Moraiti Moraiti, Nikolaos Stergiou, Anastasios D. Georgoulis

Journal Articles

Background: The 2 most frequently used autografts for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction are the bone-patellar tendon- bone and the quadrupled hamstrings tendon.

Hypothesis: Hamstring tendon graft is superior to patellar tendon graft in restoring tibial rotation during highly demanding activities because of its superiority in strength and linear stiffness and because it is closer morphologically to the anatomy of the natural anterior cruciate ligament.

Study Design: Case control study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods: Eleven patients with patellar tendon graft anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, 11 patients with hamstring tendon graft anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, and 11 …