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2012

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An Impossible Task? Implementing The Recommendations Of Child Abuse Inquiry Reports In A Context Of High Workloads In Child Protection And Welfare, Kenneth Burns, Joe Maccarthy Jan 2012

An Impossible Task? Implementing The Recommendations Of Child Abuse Inquiry Reports In A Context Of High Workloads In Child Protection And Welfare, Kenneth Burns, Joe Maccarthy

Irish Journal of Applied Social Studies

This paper examines the issue of social workers’ caseloads in child protection and welfare in the Republic of Ireland. High caseloads impact on the type and quality of service provided to children and families, and on worker retention and job satisfaction. This exploratory paper examines the limited available evidence on social workers’ caseloads in the Republic of Ireland and presents data on child protection and welfare social workers’ perspectives on their caseloads drawn from a qualitative study. These analyses are set in the context of the Irish State’s commitments since the publication of the Ryan report. A central argument of …

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Using Intelligence To Shape Reforms In Child Protection, Helen Buckley Jan 2012

Using Intelligence To Shape Reforms In Child Protection, Helen Buckley

Irish Journal of Applied Social Studies

The Ryan Report, published in 2009, was not the first review of child welfare services to raise disquiet. Nevertheless it was unique in that its recommendations went beyond the deficits exposed by the report to comment on the entire child protection system. It is generally acknowledged that the model of child welfare that was the object of the Ryan Report no longer operates, and has been replaced by community based services and a system of regulated out of home care. However, on publication of the report, the government appeared to question whether, with what we now know, we can be …

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Career Satisfaction Of Physicians Employed By Health Systems, Edward L. Heath Jan 2012

Career Satisfaction Of Physicians Employed By Health Systems, Edward L. Heath

All ETDs from UAB

CAREER SATISFACTION OF PHYSICIANS EMPLOYED BY HEALTH SYSTEMS EDWARD L HEATH, JR ADMINISTRATION-HEALTH SERVICES ABSTRACT Background:Higher career satisfaction has been shown to result in better patient outcomes, higher patient satisfaction and less turnover among physicians. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between physician employment and career satisfaction. Methods:Data from the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC) 2008 Health Tracking Physician Survey was used in the study. The study is a cross sectional, quantitative study of the relationship between physician employment and career satisfaction. A total of 4,720 respondents responded to the survey, with a weighted …

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Diagnostic Classifications For Bipedal Locomotion, Lois Deming Hedman Jan 2012

Diagnostic Classifications For Bipedal Locomotion, Lois Deming Hedman

All ETDs from UAB

Background: Analysis of and intervention for movement dysfunction, especially walking dysfunction, is the central expertise of physical therapists (PTs). PTs are called to establish a diagnosis prior to making patient management decisions yet no valid classification system for walking exists. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine if locomotor experts could arrive at consensus on the validity, mutual exclusivity and understandability of diagnostic classifications for bipedal locomotion. Methods: An electronic mail Delphi survey methodology was utilized. Experts were recruited purposefully through research and clinical leaders in the PT profession. Identified experts were then asked for their recommendations in …

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International Pen Pals Engaging In A Transformational Early Childhood Project, Marcie Hill Jan 2012

International Pen Pals Engaging In A Transformational Early Childhood Project, Marcie Hill

All ETDs from UAB

The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to utilize an international pen pal project to enact transformation education by enabling students to gain a stronger respect for cultural diversity and changing students' perceptions of a diverse culture. A total of 39 sixth grade students, 16 second grade students, and two teachers participated in this study. One sixth grade teacher in Jakarta, Indonesia and one second grade teacher in north Alabama were participants and served as collaborative member checkers. Limited literature exists on the topic of pen pal writing between children who live in different nations with the goal …

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C-C-Motif Chemokine Receptor/Ligand Gene Variants And Their Associations With Hiv-1 Transmission And Pathogenesis, Liangyuan Hu Jan 2012

C-C-Motif Chemokine Receptor/Ligand Gene Variants And Their Associations With Hiv-1 Transmission And Pathogenesis, Liangyuan Hu

All ETDs from UAB

Host factors including genes and their variants are important to HIV-1 acquisition, transmission and disease progression. In particular, chemokine (C-C motif) receptors 2 and 5 genes (CCR2 and CCR5) have multiple variants of interest. We first investigated the impact of CCR2-CCR5 haplotypes on several outcomes among 567 HIV-1 discordant Zambian couples. HHF*2 homozygosity was associated with significantly lower VL in seroconverters (mean beta=-0.58 log10 P=0.027) and the HHD/HHE diplotype was associated with significantly higher VL in the seroconverters (mean beta=0.54, log10 P=0.014) adjusted for age and gender in multivariable model. HHD/HHE was associated with more rapid acquisition of infection by …

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Subsistence Homesteads In Jefferson County: A Successful "Experiment"?, Susan Elizabeth Hunter Jan 2012

Subsistence Homesteads In Jefferson County: A Successful "Experiment"?, Susan Elizabeth Hunter

All ETDs from UAB

This work focuses on the history of subsistence homesteads built by the federal government in the 1930s. The homesteads were routinely referred to as "experiments." It is the intention of this author to examine the Jefferson County homesteads as successful or unsuccessful homesteads. Current research on this topic is sparse. The research contained in this thesis rests mainly on primary sources and focuses on the construction of the homes and the economic and social issues surrounding the homesteads. A brief synopsis of the condition of each of the Alabama homesteads is also included. This subsistence homestead program emerged from the …

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Travel Time Reliability Under Varying Freeway Operating Conditions, Md Saidul Islam Jan 2012

Travel Time Reliability Under Varying Freeway Operating Conditions, Md Saidul Islam

All ETDs from UAB

The performance of the transportation sector is popularly regarded as one of the key indicators of a nation's economic development. Travel time reliability is of paramount importance to the transportation sector performance as it relates to quality transportation network operation, improved traveler satisfaction, and on-time arrival of shipments of goods. Travel time reliability refers to the consistency in travel times over the day or across days. The objective of this thesis is to identify measures and methods appropriate to measure travel time reliability; and apply those methods to study the reliability of travel time along urban freeway corridors under varying …

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Secondary School Administrators' Perception Of Leading And Implementing No Child Left Behind Mandates For Alabama Students With Disabilities, Janet Mcconis Jenkins Jan 2012

Secondary School Administrators' Perception Of Leading And Implementing No Child Left Behind Mandates For Alabama Students With Disabilities, Janet Mcconis Jenkins

All ETDs from UAB

ABSTRACT This qualitative study looked at the lived experiences of middle school and high school administrators when leading and implementing the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) and additional mandates of NCLB of 2004 for students with disabilities in their schools. An attempt was made through face-to-face interviews to explore and exam-ine what experiences and training these administrators had as the instructional leader for students with disabilities. NCLB mandates placed stipulations for school success in the hands of the school administrators. In an era of high stakes accountability, the traditional role of the school administrator as the disciplinarian …

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The Role Of C-Reactive Protein In Arthritic Disease, Nicholas Ryan Jones Jan 2012

The Role Of C-Reactive Protein In Arthritic Disease, Nicholas Ryan Jones

All ETDs from UAB

C-reactive protein (CRP) is an acute phase protein that is commonly used to evaluate systemic inflammation level. Blood CRP level also correlates very well with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) disease severity. However, CRP has many biological actions that lead one to suspect that it may be playing a role in the development or pathology of the disease. We have directly addressed whether this is the case by the use of novel mouse models (CRP deficiency or transgenic overexpression). We have shown that CRP positively affects collagen-induced arthritis development and progression. In order to thoroughly address the question, we have also reported …

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The Use Of Red Rules In Patient Safety Culture, Lisa Kaye Jones Jan 2012

The Use Of Red Rules In Patient Safety Culture, Lisa Kaye Jones

All ETDs from UAB

This study examines the use of Red Rules in patient safety culture. The presence of a strong culture of patient safety has become a critical component in reducing medical errors. Some hospitals are implementing Red Rules as a patient safety strategy with disciplinary consequences if not followed. The use of Red Rules and patient safety culture seem to be inconsistent. The theoretical framework for control-based and commitment-based management was utilized to develop and address four hypotheses. The hypotheses address the impact of Red Rules on 1) staff perceptions of safety, 2) frequency of events reported, 3) number of events reported, …

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The Effects Of Stressors On Depressive Symptoms In A Sample Of Older Adults With Diabetes, Larita Clarice Jones Jan 2012

The Effects Of Stressors On Depressive Symptoms In A Sample Of Older Adults With Diabetes, Larita Clarice Jones

All ETDs from UAB

Objectives: The authors investigated the relationship between various factors related to stress--demographic variables, comorbid health problems, cognitive function, and disease-related distress--and depressive symptoms. Method: The sample included 234 older adults (65 years or older) who had been diagnosed with diabetes. These individuals completed a telephone interview related to living with diabetes. Results: Results in the final model indicated that high levels of diabetes-related distress (B = .49, p < .0001), suffering a stroke (B = .20, p < .0001), and reporting neuropathy (B = .13, p =.0102) were each individually associated with a greater number of depressive symptoms. Results also suggest that diabetes-related distress acts as a mediator of the association between cognitive function and depressive symptoms. Discussion: Findings suggest that interventions targeted to help older adults properly manage their diabetes and reduce the likelihood of experiencing additional complications may lead to a cost-effective option for reducing depressive symptoms within this population.

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"They Are Here To Stay:" How Rural Northeast Alabama Public Elementary Schools Create An Environment Inclusive Of Hispanic Students, Leah Keith Jan 2012

"They Are Here To Stay:" How Rural Northeast Alabama Public Elementary Schools Create An Environment Inclusive Of Hispanic Students, Leah Keith

All ETDs from UAB

Alabama has experienced a marked increase in the number of Hispanic students who have enrolled in its public schools. The Alabama State Department of Education's website shows that during the 2000-2001 school year, there were 9,541 Hispanic students enrolled in Alabama public schools in kindergarten through twelfth grades. By the 2010-2011 school year, that number had expanded to 33,260 Hispanic students enrolled in Alabama public schools. This increase reflects a 349 percent increase over a nine-year period. A lack of knowledge of how to work with Hispanic students often leads to barriers in the full inclusion of Hispanic students and …

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The Effect Of Structured Background On Smooth Pursuit With Real And Simulated Central Scotoma, Thomas Keith Jan 2012

The Effect Of Structured Background On Smooth Pursuit With Real And Simulated Central Scotoma, Thomas Keith

All ETDs from UAB

The purpose of the study was to better understand the role of the fovea in smooth pursuit eye movements in human subjects. The research entailed a systematical study of a previously unstudied condition where the foveal inputs of both the background and the pursuit target were eliminated through simulation but the anatomic fovea was intact; and a comprehensive study of smooth pursuit eye movements of human subjects with real central scotoma. Ten normally sighted subjects (NS) and three central scotoma subjects (CS) were asked to visually pursuit a 0.87o yellow dot moving along either a horizontal or a vertical trajectory …

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Mechanism Of Nfi-C Functionin During Tooth Root Formation, Ejvis Lamani Jan 2012

Mechanism Of Nfi-C Functionin During Tooth Root Formation, Ejvis Lamani

All ETDs from UAB

Currently, very little is known regarding tissue-specific gene regulation during the later stages of tooth development, especially those associated with root formation. Re-cent studies have identified nuclear factor I-C (NFI-C) as a critical factor for root for-mation in mammals. NFI-C functions as a cellular transcription factor and adenovirus DNA replication factor. Its role in root formation first became evident when Nfi-c null mice were shown to lack molar roots. A similar phenotype of incomplete or absent root formation is observed in patients with the autosomal dominant disease Radicular Dentin Dysplasia (RDD; MIM125400) also known as Rootless Teeth or Dentin Dysplasia …

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Academic Realignment: An Investigation Of Change Within A New Academic Unit At A Research University, Abbygail Tull Langham Jan 2012

Academic Realignment: An Investigation Of Change Within A New Academic Unit At A Research University, Abbygail Tull Langham

All ETDs from UAB

Even in normal times, limited resources require U.S. universities to be more open to change. In late 2007, however, a global recession, the worst since the Great Depression of the 1930s, intensified constraints on higher education. To achieve intended outcomes, leaders at colleges and universities often reorganize or realign their organizations during challenging times. Indeed, one public doctorate-granting research university with very high research activity in the southeastern United States has responded to the economic crisis by realigning four academic schools into one large college. Scholarly inquiry was needed to understand the impact of this realignment. The purpose of this …

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The Role Of The Mirror Neuron System In Mental State Attribution In Autism: An Fmri Study, Lauren E. Libero Jan 2012

The Role Of The Mirror Neuron System In Mental State Attribution In Autism: An Fmri Study, Lauren E. Libero

All ETDs from UAB

The ability to interpret others' intentions based on their actions is a vital skill that helps us infer and understand their thoughts and plans. However, individuals with autism have been found to have difficulty in attributing intentions to others (Baron-Cohen et al., 1985; Baron-Cohen, 1995; Happe & Frith, 1996; Williams et al., 2001). The present study investigated the neural mechanisms of inferring intentions from actions in high-functioning adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and typically developing control participants. fMRI data were acquired while participants made judgments about the means (how an action is performed) and intentions (why an action is …

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Memory Profiles In Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment And Their Associations With Other Cognitive Domains And Functional Abilities, Timothy J. O'Brien Jan 2012

Memory Profiles In Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment And Their Associations With Other Cognitive Domains And Functional Abilities, Timothy J. O'Brien

All ETDs from UAB

Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) is thought to represent the preclinical stage of Alzheimer's disease. Current criteria for amnestic-MCI do not specify the nature of memory impairments, which could be in learning or retrieval of information in verbal or visual domains. While 1.5 standard deviations (SD) below normative samples has been accepted to define cognitive impairment, this standard may be relatively stringent, or may lack specificity to identify mild functional impairment. Baseline data for 71 individuals with consensus-diagnosed MCI enrolled in the Measuring Independent Living in the Elderly Study (MILES) was utilized to investigate patterns of verbal and visual learning and …

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An Information Theoretical Modeling And Analysis Of Systems, Bunyamin Ozaydin Jan 2012

An Information Theoretical Modeling And Analysis Of Systems, Bunyamin Ozaydin

All ETDs from UAB

The growth of the service industry also comes with problems and complications because of its inherent error proneness. As the complexity of systems increases, whether the system of interest is a service product or a natural phenomenon, it only proves that there is always a need for improved modeling approaches. In this study, we approach systems from an information theoretical perspective. More specifically, we model systems by noisy communication channels and analyze them by a structure of relationships whose elements are commonly used analysis tools in science and engineering. We call this modeling approach and the structure of relationships it …

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A Repeated Measures Quantitative Prospective Inquiry Into The Change In Medical Student Self-Reported Empathy In Clinical Rotations, Kristina T C Panizzi Woodley Jan 2012

A Repeated Measures Quantitative Prospective Inquiry Into The Change In Medical Student Self-Reported Empathy In Clinical Rotations, Kristina T C Panizzi Woodley

All ETDs from UAB

This dissertation study examined whether or not there were quantitative changes in medical student self-reported empathy scores over time and across gender within third- and fourth-year cohorts enrolled in an integrated curriculum at a Southeastern U.S. medical school. The dependent variable was quantitative empathy scores at time 1 and time 2 using the Jefferson Scale of Empathy (JSE, medical student S-Version). Primary independent variables were cohort year and gender. Variables of clinical campus site, rotation orientation category, and specialty interest orientation category were also explored. The study found that empathy increased for the third-year complete cohort but decreased for the …

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Connectivity And Collaboration: The Use Of Blogs In First-Year Composition, Melissa Peterson Jan 2012

Connectivity And Collaboration: The Use Of Blogs In First-Year Composition, Melissa Peterson

All ETDs from UAB

In this thesis, I discuss the nature of digital communication at a very broad level, examine the evolution and definition of "blogs," and consider ways that blogs can be used in educational settings to improve the understanding and application of rhetorical principles. Although digital media have resulted in a dramatic shift in the way messages are created, transmitted, and consumed, digital technologies need not be viewed with skepticism and alarm. While these technologies present new challenges and opportunities for communication, the changes are more of a gradual evolution than a sudden overhaul. Within digital media, blogs are an incredibly difficult …

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Modeling And Multi-Objective Optimization For Energy-Based Target Localization Using Wireless Sensor Networks, Zhenxing Luo Jan 2012

Modeling And Multi-Objective Optimization For Energy-Based Target Localization Using Wireless Sensor Networks, Zhenxing Luo

All ETDs from UAB

This dissertation focuses on energy-based target localization in wireless sensor networks (WSNs). A WSN consists of a fusion center and a large number of sensors. The fusion center localizes a target using a maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) method based on decisions received from sensors whose positions are known. However, several factors may degrade localization performance, including imperfect communication channels, sensor faults, sensor position uncertainty, and sensor sleep. Localization performance may be improved if these factors are accounted for in the MLE framework. In this dissertation, models were developed that describe how localization performance is affected by imperfect communication channels, multi-hop …

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Localization Of Proteins Involved In Trafficking In Frog And Mouse Retina, Amie Marsh Jan 2012

Localization Of Proteins Involved In Trafficking In Frog And Mouse Retina, Amie Marsh

All ETDs from UAB

The connecting cilium serves as the major route for protein transport from the inner to outer segment of photoreceptor cells. The hypothesis that all Congenital Stationary Night Blindness (CSNB) rhodopsin mutants travel properly to the rod outer segment in Xenopus laevis will be tested by preparing transgenic X. laevis expressing a rhodopsin mutation found in human CSNB, A295V. In addition, probing for the existence of potential proteins involved in regulating rhodopsin trafficking and monitoring their localization will contribute to a better understanding of the underlying pathway of intracellular photoreceptor trafficking.

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An Examination Of The Relationship Between The External Environment And Care Coordination, Olena Mazurenko Jan 2012

An Examination Of The Relationship Between The External Environment And Care Coordination, Olena Mazurenko

All ETDs from UAB

This study addressed a gap in the care coordination literature by exploring the factors predictive of care coordination, with particular attention to the external environment. The first paper of this dissertation conducted a systematic review of empirical studies that looked at the predictors of care coordination. Based on the 22 papers that fulfilled the inclusion criteria, the evidence to support the relationships between care coordination and factors that are predictive of care coordination was shown to be weak to moderate depending on the types of factors you look at. This study has revealed a significant inconsistency in how predictors of …

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The Effects Of Venlafaxine On Functional Recovery Following Spinal Cord Injury, Don E. Mccormick Jan 2012

The Effects Of Venlafaxine On Functional Recovery Following Spinal Cord Injury, Don E. Mccormick

All ETDs from UAB

Spinal cord injury (SCI) can significantly alter a person's physical and psychological health over their lifetime. Depression in persons with SCI is often treated with antidepressants which alter serotonergic and adrenergic signaling, both regulators of plasticity. However, the effects of antidepressants functional recovery after SCI have never been evaluated. Therefore, we hypothesize that antidepressant therapy would alter functional recovery and neuropathic pain behaviors in a SCI rodent model. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of venlafaxine (VEN) administration on functional recovery in the rehabilitation setting using a SCI rodent model. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats received a …

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A Case Study Of Second-Grade Teachers' Comprehension Instruction, Rebecca Burdette Mckay Jan 2012

A Case Study Of Second-Grade Teachers' Comprehension Instruction, Rebecca Burdette Mckay

All ETDs from UAB

A CASE STUDY OF SECOND-GRADE TEACHERS' COMPREHENSION INSTRUCTION REBECCA BURDETTE MCKAY EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION ABSTRACT The dilemma of reconciling developmentally appropriate, constructivist reading instruction with mandated high-stakes tests was confronted by four second-grade teachers through their selection of two active professional development methods. To continue and deepen their use of an interactive model of reading focused on comprehension, the teachers worked as a professional community to renegotiate and reconstruct their professional knowledge and adapt their pedagogy to the school context. The goal of this research was to investigate how the teachers described their comprehension instruction as well as how they …

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A Study Of Early Adopters Of Innovation, John B. Mcwhorter Jan 2012

A Study Of Early Adopters Of Innovation, John B. Mcwhorter

All ETDs from UAB

This research study focused on identification of environmental and organizational variables that influence the rate of adoption of administrative innovation in organizations, and specifically hospitals that have adopted nurse magnet programs. The study identified both organizational and environmental factors as statistically significant among early adopters of magnet programs in hospitals, with organizational influences stronger than environmental influences in determining the rate of adoption of innovation. Organizational complexity, size, control of domain, presence of a competitor, and available resources were the factors identified as influencing the early adoption of innovation among hospitals.

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Permutation Notations For The Exceptional Weyl Group F4, Patricia Cahn, Ruth Haas, Aloysius G. Helminck, Juan Li, Jeremy Schwartz Jan 2012

Permutation Notations For The Exceptional Weyl Group F4, Patricia Cahn, Ruth Haas, Aloysius G. Helminck, Juan Li, Jeremy Schwartz

Mathematics Sciences: Faculty Publications

This paper describes a permutation notation for the Weyl groups of type F4 and G2. The image in the permutation group is presented as well as an analysis of the structure of the group. This description enables faster computations in these Weyl groups which will prove useful for a variety of applications.

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A New Qcd Effect: The Shrinking Radius Of Hadrons, Tamar Friedmann Jan 2012

A New Qcd Effect: The Shrinking Radius Of Hadrons, Tamar Friedmann

Mathematics Sciences: Faculty Publications

We propose an extended schematic model for hadrons in which quarks as well as diquarks serve as building blocks. The outcome is a reclassification of the hadron spectrum in which there are no radially excited hadrons: all mesons and baryons previously believed to be radial excitations are orbitally excited states involving diquarks. Also, there are no exotic hadrons: all hadrons previously believed to be exotic are states involving diquarks and are an integral part of the model. We discuss the implications of this result for a new understanding of confinement and its relation to asymptotic freedom, as well as its …

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The Influence Of Growth Factors Applied During Socket Conversion, On The Incidence Of Spontaneous Early Dental Implant Exposure, Michael Anh Minh Nguyen Jan 2012

The Influence Of Growth Factors Applied During Socket Conversion, On The Incidence Of Spontaneous Early Dental Implant Exposure, Michael Anh Minh Nguyen

All ETDs from UAB

Spontaneous early exposure of a dental implant's cover screw can result in a nidus for plaque accumulation, which may result in inflammation, damage to the peri-implant mucosa, and possible peri-implant bone loss. This study aims to investigate the effect of the addition of growth factors, specifically recombinant human platelet-derived growth factor, and platelet-rich plasma, at the time of socket conversion, on the incidence of early implant exposures. This retrospective study utilized data from a study involving a total of 80 implants that were placed in 4 different types of sites (Groups 1,2,3, and 4). Group 1 sites were extraction sites …

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