Digital Commons Network^™

Conditional Well-Posedness And Error Bounds For The Groundwater Inverse Problem, Mary Antoinette Larussa

All ETDs from UAB

Inverse problems involving elliptic partial differential equations have many physical applications. In 1993, Knowles & Wallace published a variational method of numerical differentiation involving minimization of an energy functional formed from the solution of an associated elliptic equation. This method has been successfully used to estimate the values of the parameters of the groundwater flow equation. The primary focus of this dissertation will be a proof of the stability of this inverse problem. Additionally, I will present theoretical error bounds on the data surface that is constructed for the parameter recovery and results of testing a new numerical algorithm.

Effect Of Overexpressing Apolipoprotein A-I In An Animal Model Of Alzheimer's Disease, Terry L. Lewis

All ETDs from UAB

Apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) is the major protein component of high density lipoprotein (HDL) in circulation and is expressed mainly by the liver and intestine. The levels of apoA-I/HDL are inversely related to the incidence of cardiovascular disease. Because of the connections between heart disease and Alzheimer's disease (AD), it is conceivable that high levels of apoA-I/HDL may be protective against AD. However, the limited literature shows mixed results on the role of apoA-I/HDL in the development of AD. It is hypothesized that increased expression of human apoA-I will ameliorate the behavioral deficits and characteristic amyloid-ß (Aß) plaque formation in a …

Assessing Knowledge, Attitudes, And Beliefs Of Teachers In Alabama Concerning Comprehensive Hiv Education, Steven Brent Powell

All ETDs from UAB

The Alabama State Department of Education has guidelines for educators to insure HIV information is taught by teachers starting in fifth grade (Alabama Course of Study: Health Education, 2009). As assessed by The School Health Profile (Profiles), 55% of Alabama teachers received professional development on HIV/AIDS. In addition, less than half of grades 9-12 teachers taught how condoms work, the importance of consistent condom use, and how to obtain condoms (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2009). The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey (YRBSS) administered to grades 9-12 determined that 57% of youth in Alabama are sexually active, with …

Small Molecule Inhibitors Of Acid Sensing Ion Channel-1, Yawar J. Qadri

All ETDs from UAB

Acid Sensing Ion Channel 1 is one of the many proteins in the Epithelial Sodium Channel/Degenerin family. The proteins in this family interact to form cation channels with unique biophysical properties and can all be inhibited by the small molecule amiloride. Their expression in many different cell types underlies their involvement in a large variety of physiological and pathophysiological processes. ASIC-1 containing channels, specifically, are an important therapeutic target for ischemic stroke, nociception, the invasiveness of glioblastoma cells, and many other processes including anxiety and memory formation. Of the members of the ENaC/Deg family, chicken ASIC-1 is the only protein …

Othering Obama : How Whiteness Is Used To Undermine Authority, David S. Owen

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

In this paper, I argue that the sociocultural structuring property of whiteness has been utilized to marginalize President Obama and effectively undermine his presidential authority. Whiteness functions in a largely invisible and ostensibly deracialized way to normalize the interests, needs, and values of whites, while at the same time marginalizing and devaluing the voice of people of color. Analyzing the health care debate through this theoretical lens generates insights into how the debate reproduced the system of racial oppression, and how whiteness functions in political discourse.

Drawing A Bath: Works By Robert Henri And George Bellows At The Birmingham Museum Of Art, Mary K. Russell

All ETDs from UAB

This thesis discussing bathing images by Robert Henri and George Bellows located at the Birmingham Museum of Art.

Food Consumption Trends And Drivers, John Kearney

Articles

A picture of food consumption (availability) trends and projections to 2050, both globally and for different regions of the world along with the drivers largely responsible for these observed consumption trends are the subject of this review. Throughout the world, major shifts in dietary patterns are occurring, even in the consumption of basic staples towards more diversified diets. Accompanying these changes in food consumption at a global and regional level have been considerable health consequences. Populations in those countries undergoing rapid transition are experiencing nutritional transition. The diverse nature of this transition may be the result of differences in socio …

Differential Genome-Wide Array–Based Methylation Profiles In Prognostic Subsets Of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, Meena Kanduri, Nicola Cahill, Hanna Göransson, Camilla Enström, Fergus Ryan, Anders Isaksson, Richard Rosenquist

Articles

Global hypomethylation and regional hypermethylation are well-known epigenetic features of cancer; however, in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), studies on genome-wide epigenetic modifications are limited. Here, we analyzed the global methylation profiles in CLL, by applying high-resolution methylation microarrays (27 578 CpG sites) to 23 CLL samples, belonging to the immunoglobulin heavy-chain variable (IGHV) mutated (favorable) and IGHV unmutated/IGHV3-21 (poor-prognostic) subsets. Overall, results demonstrated significant differences in methylation patterns between these subgroups. Specifically, in IGHV unmutated CLL, we identified methylation of 7 known or candidate tumor suppressor genes (eg, VHL, ABI3, and IGSF4) as well as 8 unmethylated genes involved in …

Translocation And Function Of Akt In The Mitochondria, Keri A. Mans

All ETDs from UAB

The ubiquitously expressed kinase Akt is a known survival protein, and is involved in multiple cell signaling cascades, notably the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway. Active Akt translocates from the plasma membrane to different subcellular compartments, including mitochondria, where it phosphorylates compartment-specific substrates. The mechanism of this translocation and the specific function of Akt within the mitochondria remains a mystery. The goals of this study were to elucidate the mechanism by which Akt enters the mitochondria and examine the role of Akt in mitochondrial function. Finally, the possibilities of using post-mortem human brain tissue to study mitochondrial function in normal and …

What It Means For Grandparents To Raise Their Grandchildren As Primary Caregivers, Annette I. Mohan

All ETDs from UAB

ABSTRACT For generations, grandparents have taken a special role in the lives of their grandchildren- to nurture, love, encourage and support them to achieve their goals. However, in the past fifteen years, the definition of family has become more flexible, as it accommodated the increasing number of grandparents raising grandchildren as primary caregivers. This research studies this family structure, which was seen as a solution to raise young children whose parents were unfit to perform their role as parents or because of a crisis. Grandparents who raise their grandchildren as primary caregivers were chosen using purposeful snowball sampling. The grandchildren …

Genotyping Of Streptococcus Mutans Using Multilocus Sequence Typing, Stephanie Momeni

All ETDs from UAB

ABSTRACT The role of Streptococcus mutans has been extensively studied using a variety of genotyping techniques. Repetitive extragenic palindromic polymerase chain reaction (rep-PCR) is an effective tool for screening large-scale epidemiological studies with high discriminatory power and reproducibility. For this study, multilocus sequence typing (MLST) analysis is used to evaluate genotypes previously identified as unique using rep-PCR. Twenty-two unique S. mutans rep- PCR genotypes were selected from a longitudinal study. Four additional isolates were selected from each genotype group of the 6 most commonly occurring genotypes (n=30) for further analysis. Real-time PCR was performed using eight housekeeping S. mutans gene …

Spectral Properties Of Structurally Disordered Media, Roger Allen Nichols

All ETDs from UAB

Central to the study of the motion of an electron in a structurally disordered medium under a tight-binding approximation is the family of discrete Schrodinger operators of the form h +V. The h term models the kinetic energy of the electron and the potential term V models the medium, the environment through which the electron moves. The potential V, indexed by a so-called displacement configuration, is formed by summing identical single-site potentials which have been displaced from the points of a sublattice of Z. The goal of this work is to investigate certain spectral properties of the operators h + …

The Effects Of Weight Reduction On Obesity-Related Cancer Biomarkers And In Vitro Cancer Cell Growth, Maria Azrad

All ETDs from UAB

Obesity increases the risk for breast and endometrial cancers while weight loss reduces the risk for these cancers. One aim of this dissertation was to determine the effects of weight loss from an overweight state [body mass index (BMI) 27-30] to a normal weight state on several obesity-related cancer biomarkers in African-American (AA) and European-American (EA) premenopausal women. We also sought to determine whether the method of weight loss, caloric restriction alone (CR) or combined with exercise resulted in similar changes in cancer biomarkers. The biomarkers of interest were urinary estrogen metabolites, and serum adiponectin, leptin, insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1, …

Canonical Wnt Signaling By The Proteolytic Processing Of Lrp6, Brandon Richard Beagle

All ETDs from UAB

Low density Lipoprotein receptor Related 6 (LRP6) functions as an essential co-receptor for Wnt/Beat;-catenin signaling as pathway activation, reflected by cytosolic Beta-catenin stabilization and TCF/LEF-1 transactivation, requires Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3Beta(GSK3Beta)-mediated phosphorylation of multiple PPP(S/T)P motifs within the membrane anchored LRP6 intracellular domain. Additionally, LRP6 undergoes a proteolytic cleavage event resulting in the formation of a soluble LRP6 intracellular domain (LRP6-ICD). LRP6-ICD can function within the Wnt/Beta-catenin pathway by interacting with GSK3Beta and attenuating the phosphorylation of GSK3Beta substrates such as cytosolic Beta-catenin as well as stimulate TCF/LEF-1 activity. However, LRP6-ICD's role(s) within the Wnt/Beta-catenin pathway and the mechanism(s) that …

Teaching Literature Online In The 21st Century, Virginia Beale

All ETDs from UAB

Online learning is expanding rapidly in higher education, a development which has led many scholars and educators to examine the benefits and weaknesses of instructional technology. While many scholars have written about the use of technology in teaching composition and English studies in general, there is a lack of scholarly research addressing the specific concerns of college-level literature teachers. In contrast to prevalent practice in the field of literary studies, my thesis addresses both pedagogical and technological questions. I believe that thinking critically about teaching practices in the field of literary studies is particularly important in the 21st century, when …

Molecular Mechanisms Of Breast Cancer Metastasis: Gap Junction Intercellular Communication And The Bone Microenvironment, Thomas Morgan Bodenstine

All ETDs from UAB

Metastatic disease accounts for the overwhelming majority of cancer related deaths. More specifically, breast cancer remains one of the leading causes of death in women and breast cancer cells metastasize to bone more than any other secondary site. Upon arriving within the bone microenvironment, breast cancer cells interact with bone marrow cells, leading to changes in bone biology that favor growth of the cancer cells. Additionally, some cancer cells are capable of direct cellular communication with cells at metastatic sites via dysregulation of a family of proteins known as connexins. This direct, physical communication is known as gap junctional intercellular …

Role Of Transient Receptor Potential Canonical Channels In Glioma Cell Biology, Valerie Christine Bomben

All ETDs from UAB

ROLE OF TRANSIENT RECEPTOR POTENTIAL CANONICAL CHANNELS IN GLIOMA CELL BIOLOGY VALERIE C. BOMBEN DEPARTMENT OF NEUROBIOLOGY ABSTRACT Gliomas, primary brain tumors derived from glial cells, constitute the majority of malignant tumors within the central nervous system. The most malignant of these tumors, grade IV Glioblastoma multiforme, are characterized by extensive proliferation, cellular and nuclear atypia, angiogenesis, areas of necrosis, and widespread invasion into the brain parenchyma. Data from our lab and others have implicated ion channels in the invasion and proliferation of glioma cells. Moreover, calcium signaling in gliomas and other cells has been implicated in both migration and …

Membranes For Periodontal Regeneration: From Commercially Available To Spatially Designed And Functionally Graded Materials, Marco Cicero Bottino

All ETDs from UAB

The aging of the global population will lead to a considerable increase in the number of surgical and restorative procedures related to oral rehabilitation or periodontal regeneration. Periodontitis is one of the most aggressive pathologies that concern the integrity of the periodontal system that can lead to the destruction of the periodontium. Guided tissue and guided bone regeneration (GTR/GBR) have been used for the repair and regeneration of periodontal tissues by utilizing an occlusive membrane.The goal of this dissertation is to advance the knowledge in the area of periodontal regeneration by investigating the properties of a commercially available freeze-dried collagen-based …

Evolution Of Pneumococcal Serogroup 6, Preston Eugene Bratcher

All ETDs from UAB

Serogroup 6 of Streptococcus pneumoniae has been known to contain three serotypes, named 6A, 6B and 6C, with highly homologous capsule gene loci. The 6A and 6B capsule gene loci consistently differ from each other by only one nucleotide in the wciP gene. The 6A capsule gene locus has a galactosyltransferase (wciNα), which has been replaced with a glucosyltransferase (wciNß) in the 6C capsule gene locus. We considered that a new serotype, 6D, would be possible if the glucosyltransferase found in 6C strains was combined with the wciP gene from a 6B strain. We demonstrate that this gene combination yields …

Hpv Dna Partitioning During Mitosis As Followed By Fluorescence Microscopy, Robert J. Carter

All ETDs from UAB

Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are small, double-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) tumor viruses capable of establishing persistent infections in the epithelia. After infecting actively-dividing basal cells, the papillomavirus (PV) genome is main-tained as extrachromosomal nuclear plasmids. It is largely unknown how the viral ge-nome is maintained in actively-dividing cells. Our lab demonstrated that several HPV genotypes appear to employ a distinct strategy to facilitate partitioning of HPV DNA into daughter cells during mitosis. Association of the HPV-11 origin of replication (ori)-binding protein E2 with the mitotic apparatus via cellular adapter proteins is thought to mediate equal partitioning of HPV genomes into daughter …

A Dangerous Undertaking Indeed: Juvenile Humor, Raunchy Jokes, Obscene Materials And Bad Taste In Copyright, David E. Shipley

Kentucky Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Remembering The Endangered "Child": Limiting The Definition Of "Safe Haven" And Looking Beyond The Safe Haven Law Framework, Lucinda J. Cornett

Kentucky Law Journal

No abstract provided.

English Only?--The "Power" Of Kentucky's Official Language Statute, Mark A. Flores

Kentucky Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Betting Against The House (And Senate): The Case For Legal, State-Sponsored Sports Wagering In A Post-Paspa World, Anthony G. Galasso Jr.

Kentucky Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Gender, Law, And Detention Policy: Unexpected Effects On The Most Vulnerable Immigrants, Carla L. Reyes

Faculty Journal Articles and Book Chapters

The United States immigration system is especially difficult for children to navigate. Advocates commonly argue that this difficulty stems largely from the poor fit resulting from the application of a system designed for adults to the reality of the child immigrant experience. Advocacy efforts, including those that resulted in changes to detention policy and substantive immigration law regarding Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC), therefore focus on modifying the system to recognize children as subjects, rather than objects, of immigration law. This article argues that the present efforts to streamline the immigration detention and relief experience for UACs by combating adult-centered bias …

“Save The Land From Uncle Sam”: Using Life Insurance Premium Financing In Estate Planning, Lee Lytton

Faculty Articles

T

he federal estate tax can be particularly destructive to estates where there is a desire to pass on legacy holdings to succeeding generations. The estate lacks adequate cash for families to pay the resulting taxes. Therefore, life insurance premium financing may help families pay the estate taxes. An estate planning strategy utilizes life-insurance-premium financing that generates a ready cash pool to pay estate taxes is not universally applicable, but it can provide a cost-effective option for legacy preservation.

Life insurance is often used as part of an estate plan to generate and maintain separate cash reserves to pay death …

Four Critical Tips For Taking Your First Witness, David A. Grenardo

Faculty Articles

There are four crucial tips for a junior attorney examining his or her first witness at trial. One must know the rules, both evidentiary and procedural. Stick to the basics of questioning at trial and the examination will go more smoothly. Something unexpected always happens at trial. Being organized and prepared allows an attorney to deal with those surprises much easier. Finally, think about the trier of fact in every question asked or statement made. Relentlessly search out the opportunity to take a witness at trial. When that opportunity arises, follow these four simple tips to make sure to do …

A Timp2-Armed Conditionally-Replicating Adenovirus For The Treatment Of Ovarian Cancer, Sherry Wei Yang

All ETDs from UAB

Ovarian cancer remains the most lethal gynecological malignancy in the U.S. Conventional therapies have limited therapeutic value due to advanced stage of the disease at diagnosis. Conditionally-replicating adenoviruses (CRAds) are promising, novel anti-cancer agents that are designed to selectively replicate in and lyse tumor cells. In clinical trials, CRAds exhibited limited efficacy thus far. Second generation CRAds are being developed to express a therapeutic protein to further enhance antitumor efficacy. One attractive target in ovarian tumor microenvironment is the matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) that degrade the extracellular matrix. Thus, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 2 (TIMP2), an endogenous inhibitor of MMPs, is …

Cardiovascular Endothelial Regeneration On An Electrospun Scaffold, Xing Zhang

All ETDs from UAB

A bi-layer electrospun nano-fibrous scaffold comprising synthetic polymers and natural proteins was constructed as the prototype of an arterial substitute for coronary ar-tery disease. This scaffold featured a highly porous microstructure analogous to native extracellular matrix. Uni-axial tensile test suggested that its excellent mechanical strength could restore normal blood flow immediately after implantation. Subsequent biocompati-bility study demonstrated that scaffolding materials, either traditional or degraded, were non-toxic to the regenerated human endothelium on the luminal layer. Moreover, this re-generated endothelium possessed critical functions, such as the formation of tight junc-tions, the secretion of prostacyclin, and the prevention of platelet adhesion. Thereafter, …

A Ck2-Dependent Mechanism For Activation Of The Jak-Stat Signaling Pathway: Implications For Cancer Biology, Ying Zheng

All ETDs from UAB

Janus Kinase (JAK)-Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription (STAT) signaling is involved in regulation of cell survival, proliferation and differentiation. JAK tyrosine kinases can be transiently activated by cytokines or growth factors in normal cells, while they become constitutively activated as a result of mutations that affect their function in tumors. Specifically, the JAK2V617F mutation is present in the majority of patients with myeloproliferative disorders (MPDs) and is implicated in the pathogenesis of these diseases. In this dissertation, we report the identification of the serine/threonine kinase CK2 as a novel interactor and important regulator of activation of the JAK-STAT signaling …