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2012

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Difference In Health Literacy Level Between Older Adults With And Without Low Vision, Mary L. Warren Jan 2012

Difference In Health Literacy Level Between Older Adults With And Without Low Vision, Mary L. Warren

All ETDs from UAB

Functional health literacy is the ability to understand and apply health information from printed documents and is dependent on reading. Few studies have examined functional health literacy levels in visual impaired older adults despite the fact low vision is common among older adults and impairs reading performance. This study investigated whether community dwelling older adults with moderate visual impairment from age-related macular degeneration had lower health literacy levels compared to older adults without low vision. The Test of Functional Health Literacy for Adults (TOFHLA) was administered to 50 adults aged 65- 94 years with AMD and 50 normally sighted adults …


"The Soul To Feel The Flesh, And The Flesh To Feel The Chain": The Anticipation Of Nietzsche's Apollonian And Dionysian Duality In The Works Of The Brontës, Holly Watson Jan 2012

"The Soul To Feel The Flesh, And The Flesh To Feel The Chain": The Anticipation Of Nietzsche's Apollonian And Dionysian Duality In The Works Of The Brontës, Holly Watson

All ETDs from UAB

From their earliest reception, the works of Charlotte, Anne, and Emily Brontë have been met with hostility and confusion as a result of their deviation from the standards adopted by a majority of their contemporaries. While the works of the three sisters are anomalous within the context of their peers, both reader and critic alike have observed the similarities that exist among the family of works. As a result of their departure from societal norms, the Brontës have been recognized for their harshness and apparent rebellion; however, they were neither concerned with complete social upheaval, nor were they opposed to …


Facilitating The Use Of Implicit Memory And Learning In The Physical Therapy Management Of Individuals With Alzheimer's Disease; A Case Series., Laura White Jan 2012

Facilitating The Use Of Implicit Memory And Learning In The Physical Therapy Management Of Individuals With Alzheimer's Disease; A Case Series., Laura White

All ETDs from UAB

Background and Purpose: Physical rehabilitation of individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD) is often complicated by impairments in explicit memory and learning. Rehabilitation strategies that facilitate use of the preserved implicit memory system may be effective in treating patients with AD. The purpose of this case series is to describe the application of these strategies, including high-repetition practice, errorless learning (EL), and spaced retrieval (SR), to the physical therapy management of individuals with moderate AD. Case Description: Three women aged 89 to 95 years old with moderate AD who resided in an assisted living facility participated in physical therapy to address …


Biochemical And Cellular Mechanisms For The Antineoplastic Properties Of Sulindac, Jason Derek Whitt Jan 2012

Biochemical And Cellular Mechanisms For The Antineoplastic Properties Of Sulindac, Jason Derek Whitt

All ETDs from UAB

ABSTRACT The nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) sulindac has displayed the ability to inhibit the proliferation of colorectal cancer (CRC) cells and to increase the sensitivity of multidrug resistant (MDR) cancer cells to a wide variety of chemotherapeutic agents. The antineoplastic activity of sulindac has been attributed to inhibition of the prostaglandin producing enzyme COX-2, but the exact mechanism remains elusive and the inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis can result in gastrointestinal, hepatic, and cardiovascular toxicities. Enzymatic, cellular, and imaging assays were used to identify mechanisms that could contribute to the antiproliferative and apoptotic activity of sulindac. Screening of more than 500 …


The Association Of Perceived Neighborhood Problems And Hypertension In The Jackson Heart Study, Corey Cortez Wiggins Jan 2012

The Association Of Perceived Neighborhood Problems And Hypertension In The Jackson Heart Study, Corey Cortez Wiggins

All ETDs from UAB

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in adults with a tremendous cost burden to the United States. Hypertension, a risk factor for CVD, affects approximately 65 million people in the United Sates and is a major cause of health disparities between African Americans and white Americans. Previous research suggests that environmental factors are likely to be important in shaping the distribution of cardiovascular risk factors including hypertension. However, this research has been limited to the analysis of census and administrative data. Utilizing the Jackson Heart Study, a longitudinal cohort study aimed at investigating the causes of CVD …


Regulation And Function Of Interleukin-21-Producing T Cells And Immune-Mediated Control Of Hiv-1 Infection, Latonya Denise Williams Jan 2012

Regulation And Function Of Interleukin-21-Producing T Cells And Immune-Mediated Control Of Hiv-1 Infection, Latonya Denise Williams

All ETDs from UAB

CD8 T cells play a critical role in controlling intracellular pathogens, particularly viruses. However, during persistent viral infections, such as human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) infection, virus-specific CD8 T cells become increasingly impaired by poorly understood mechanisms. Massive CD4 T cell depletion is a hallmark of HIV-1 infection and is associated with CD8 T cell dysfunction and ineffective viral containment. CD4 T cells provide critical helper signals to CD8 T cells, especially during uncontrolled viral infections. Mouse models of chronic viral infection implicate interleukin-21 (IL-21), produced primarily by CD4 T cells, as a vital factor necessary for the maintenance of fully …


Evaluating The Efficacy Of Computer Social Skills Game In Improving The Social-Emotional Development Of Head Start Children, Trista Perez Jan 2012

Evaluating The Efficacy Of Computer Social Skills Game In Improving The Social-Emotional Development Of Head Start Children, Trista Perez

All ETDs from UAB

The preschool years are an important time for cognitive and social development. Children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are often subject to difficulties in social-emotional competence. Head Start programs have a goal of improving social-emotional development of children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. Social skills interventions teach fundamental social skills. FaceSayTM, a computer-based intervention teaches skills such as eye gaze and face processing with a goal of improving face and emotion recognition. FaceSayTM performance was not predictive of post intervention face and emotion recognition. Based on the results, cognitive scores predicted increased face recognition scores post intervention; however, the assignment to FaceSayTM …


Development Of Electrospun Bone-Mimetic Matrices For Bone Regenerative Applications, Matthew Christopher Phipps Jan 2012

Development Of Electrospun Bone-Mimetic Matrices For Bone Regenerative Applications, Matthew Christopher Phipps

All ETDs from UAB

Although bone has a dramatic capacity for regeneration, certain injuries and procedures present defects that are unable to heal properly, requiring surgical intervention to induce and support osteoregeneration. Our research group has hypothesized that the development of a biodegradable material that mimics the natural composition and architecture of bone extracellular matrix has the potential to provide therapeutic benefit to these patients. Utilizing a process known as electrospinning, our lab has developed a bone-mimetic matrix (BMM) consisting of composite nanofibers of the mechanically sta-ble polymer polycaprolactone (PCL), and the natural bone matrix molecules type-I colla-gen and hydroxyapatite nanocrystals (HA). We herein …


The Antecedents And Consequences Of Public Hospital Privatization, Zo Harivololona Ramamonjiarivelo Jan 2012

The Antecedents And Consequences Of Public Hospital Privatization, Zo Harivololona Ramamonjiarivelo

All ETDs from UAB

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to explore the antecedents and consequences of public hospital privatization with special attention to financial distress and financial performance. A national sample of public hospitals using secondary longitudinal data from 1997 to 2009 was used in this study. Data set from the American Hospital Association, the Area Resource File, the Medicare Cost Report and the Local Area Unemployment Statistics were merged to test the hypotheses pertaining to each research question. Based on the resource dependence theory, both environmental variables and organizational variables were included in the analyses. This study adopted the Altman Z-score …


Evaluating The Reproductive Ecology Of The Diamondback Terrapin In Alabama Salt Marshes: Implications For The Recovery Of A Depleted Species, Taylor Matthew Roberge Jan 2012

Evaluating The Reproductive Ecology Of The Diamondback Terrapin In Alabama Salt Marshes: Implications For The Recovery Of A Depleted Species, Taylor Matthew Roberge

All ETDs from UAB

The diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin) was once an abundant and economically important species in the salt marshes of Alabama. A variety of threats have impacted this species over the past century, resulting in a drastic decline in the population. Diamondback terrapins are currently considered a "priority one species (highest conservation concern)" in Alabama. The largest nesting aggregation documented to date in Alabama is on the 1.8 km long shell-hash nesting beach bordering the western edge of Cedar Point Marsh (CPM). The current studies address several aspects of the reproductive ecology of the diamondback terrapin in Alabama. Nesting beach surveys were …


Stress And Job Performance: The Roles Of Salivary Cortisol And Social Support, Tracy Shamburger Jan 2012

Stress And Job Performance: The Roles Of Salivary Cortisol And Social Support, Tracy Shamburger

All ETDs from UAB

Perceived stress may negatively affect job performance. Perceived stress is known to alter physiological responses, including cortisol response. Cortisol affects working memory and may explain how stress affects performance. Aeromedical crewmembers transport wounded soldiers in the austere aeromedical environment. The demands of the Aeromedical Evacuation (AE) may lead to stress and impact job performance. The AE training mission simulates real world operational missions and this setting was used to examine the effects of perceived stress on job performance among aeromedical crewmembers at different time points during the mission (Time 1- baseline, Time 2 - pre-flight, Time 3 - in-flight, Time …


Antiphagocytic Factors Of Mycoplasma Pulmonis, Brandon Michael Shaw Jan 2012

Antiphagocytic Factors Of Mycoplasma Pulmonis, Brandon Michael Shaw

All ETDs from UAB

Mycoplasma pulmonis is a murine respiratory pathogen and is used as a model for studying chronic mycoplasmal respiratory disease. This organism has been used by many in vivo and in vitro studies to gain a better understanding of host-pathogen interactions in chronic respiratory infection. Studies have shown that alveolar macrophages play an important role in the removal of this pathogen from the host. Given that M. pulmonis is able to produce a chronic disease state, this organism should produce antiphagocytic factors that aid in avoidance of killing by alveolar macrophages. The Vsa proteins are involved in the avoidance of killing …


How Negative Affectivity Moderates The Relationship Between Shocks, Embeddedness And Worker Behaviors, Brooks C. Holtom, James P. Burton, Craig D. Crossley Jan 2012

How Negative Affectivity Moderates The Relationship Between Shocks, Embeddedness And Worker Behaviors, Brooks C. Holtom, James P. Burton, Craig D. Crossley

Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship

We integrated the unfolding model of turnover, job embeddedness theory and affective events theory to build and test a model specifying the relationship between negative shocks, on-the-job embeddedness and important employee behaviors. The results showed that embeddedness mediates the relationship between negative shocks and job search behaviors as well as counterproductive work behaviors. The study further examines the role of dispositional influences on reactions to negative workplace shocks and how these reactions affect organizational citizenship behavior, counterproductive work behavior and job search behavior. Results indicated a moderated-mediation effect of negative affectivity on each of these outcomes.


Improving Performance: Examining The Link Between Self-Efficacy And Support For Secondary Female Math Teachers, Veronique Demetria Zimmerman-Brown Jan 2012

Improving Performance: Examining The Link Between Self-Efficacy And Support For Secondary Female Math Teachers, Veronique Demetria Zimmerman-Brown

All ETDs from UAB

The purpose of this study was to explore the possible relationship between teacher self-efficacy among secondary math teachers in Alabama and administrative support, teacher/colleague support, and support through resources. The study also examined whether gender or race related to teachers' sense of self-efficacy. Examining self-efficacy for secondary math teachers is an important step in the strategic support of these individuals and improving student achievement in mathematics. Indeed, a closer look at district and school level support factors related to the self-efficacy of teachers is warranted, given continuing concerns over student math performance. A quantitative study of 105 Alabama secondary math …


Evaluating The Efficacy Of Radiofrequency Amplitude-Modulated Electromagnetic Fields As A Novel Treatment For Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Jacquelyn Winifred Zimmerman Jan 2012

Evaluating The Efficacy Of Radiofrequency Amplitude-Modulated Electromagnetic Fields As A Novel Treatment For Hepatocellular Carcinoma, Jacquelyn Winifred Zimmerman

All ETDs from UAB

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) incidence in the US is dramatically increasing. Five-year survival has remained 3-5% for the past several decades, demonstrating urgent need for additional therapies. Intrabuccal administration of amplitude-modulated radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF EMF) is a novel, minimally invasive treatment modality. Clinical evidence demonstrates this treatment approach elicits therapeutic responses in cancer patients. In vitro we have described a phenotype in HCC cells following RF EMF exposure that included proliferative inhibition, modulation of gene expression, and disruption of the mitotic spindle. This phenotype was specific for HCC cells exposed to HCC-specific RF EMF. We have demonstrated similar efficacy in …


Grace Like Snow, Jessica Lowe Jan 2012

Grace Like Snow, Jessica Lowe

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.


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 …


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, …


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.


Neighborhood Context And Birth Outcomes: Preconception Diet And Physical Activity Level As Intervening Behavioral Variables, Lee Anne Flagg Jan 2012

Neighborhood Context And Birth Outcomes: Preconception Diet And Physical Activity Level As Intervening Behavioral Variables, Lee Anne Flagg

All ETDs from UAB

Using a human ecological model of health, preconception diet and physical activity level were hypothesized to mediate the association between neighborhood disadvantage and disorder and birth weight. It was also hypothesized that these factors would mediate the association between neighborhood disadvantage and disorder and preterm birth. Secondary data analyses were conducted using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. The final analytic sample consisted of 523 adolescent and young adult mothers giving singleton live births between 1997 and 1998. The primary dependent variables were birth weight (grams) and gestational age (weeks). An index of various census tract-level indicators …


The Effects Of Mucoid Phenotype And Cftr Genotype On Pneumococcal Lung Disease And Biofilm Development, Evida Adiko Dennis Jan 2012

The Effects Of Mucoid Phenotype And Cftr Genotype On Pneumococcal Lung Disease And Biofilm Development, Evida Adiko Dennis

All ETDs from UAB

Streptococcus pneumoniae (SP) is a respiratory pathogen and leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, but its role in cystic fibrosis (CF) has not been well studied. While prospectively examining the incidence of SP infection, a high number of SP were recovered from the sputum of pediatric CF patients. The predominant serotypes identified were 3, 19A, and 19F. Serotype 3 was isolated more readily in CF patients than from patients without CF (P=0.0159). All serotype 3 isolates were mucoid and produced high levels of polysaccharide capsule compared to others in the collection. Mucoid bacteria, predominately Pseudomonas aeruginosa, are commonly associated …


Structural And Molecular Studies Of Nucleic Acid Chaperones, Lei Ding Jan 2012

Structural And Molecular Studies Of Nucleic Acid Chaperones, Lei Ding

All ETDs from UAB

Nucleic acids are the storage of genetic information that needs to be expressed and inherited. As abundant cellular macromolecules they are also major players of a wide variety of biological processes. They usually undergo post-transcriptional modifications and/or fold into higher order structures in order to accomplish their distinct functions. Most biological events involving nucleic acids are achieved by proteins that interact with them. The functionality requires specific recognition of nucleic acids by proteins at molecular level. Nucleic acid chaperones are a group of nucleic acids binding proteins that associate with structured RNAs or DNAs and assist correct folding of their …


The Effect Of Liver X Receptor Α Deficiency In Skeletal Muscle On Lipid Content In Mice, Yishu Ding Jan 2012

The Effect Of Liver X Receptor Α Deficiency In Skeletal Muscle On Lipid Content In Mice, Yishu Ding

All ETDs from UAB

Liver X receptors (LXRs) are important regulators of cholesterol, fatty acid, and glucose homeostasis. Many researchs focus on the liver, but tissue-specific roles of LXRs in other tissues remain elusive. Based on in vitro studies on cultured cells, the roles of LXRs in skeletal muscle have been proposed. Nevertheless, the in vivo roles of LXRs in skeletal muscle remain lacking. Skeletal muscle is an important insulin targeting tissue, which plays a key role in regulating insulin sensitivity. Abnormal lipid metabolism and homeostasis have been demonstrated to play a crucial role in the development of insulin resistance in skeletal muscle. To …


Modulation Of Autoimmune Diabetes By B Cells Specific For N-Acetyl-D-Glucosamine, Brian L. Dizon Jan 2012

Modulation Of Autoimmune Diabetes By B Cells Specific For N-Acetyl-D-Glucosamine, Brian L. Dizon

All ETDs from UAB

Type I diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease in which ß cells are destroyed by the immune system; however, role of infections in type I diabetes (T1D) pathogenesis is unclear. Reports suggesting that childhood Group A Streptococcal (GAS) infections protected against T1D prompted us to study how antibodies to N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (GlcNAc), which are induced by GAS infection, influenced T1D development. We found that GlcNAc-specific antibodies reacted with ß cell secretory granules, and neonatal NOD mice immunized with GAS or given GAS-immune sera were protected from spontaneous diabetes. Monoclonal GlcNAc-specific IgM blocked activation and effector responses to islet antigens by diabetogenic …


Engineering Of Pulsed Laser Deposited Calcium Phosphate Biomaterials In Controlled Atmospheres, Saulius Edmundas Drukteinis Jan 2012

Engineering Of Pulsed Laser Deposited Calcium Phosphate Biomaterials In Controlled Atmospheres, Saulius Edmundas Drukteinis

All ETDs from UAB

Synthetic calcium phosphates (CAP) such as hydroxyapatite (HA) have been used as regenerative bone graft materials and also as thin films to improve the integration of biomedical implant devices within skeletal tissue. Pulsed laser deposition (PLD) can deposit crystalline HA with significant adhesion on titanium biomaterials. However, there are PLD processing constraints due to the complex physical and chemical interactions occurring simultaneously during PLD, which influence ablation plume formation and development. In this investigation PLD CAP films were engineered with a focus on novel decoupling of partial pressure of H2O (g) (P(H2O)) from total background pressure, in combination with substrate …


Does Homophily Predict Similarities In The Frequency Of Heroin Use? An Analysis Of Heroin-Using Dyads, Ben Gibson Jan 2012

Does Homophily Predict Similarities In The Frequency Of Heroin Use? An Analysis Of Heroin-Using Dyads, Ben Gibson

All ETDs from UAB

Recent work in social network analysis has focused on the spread of health behaviors, including smoking, obesity, and exercise, through social networks (Fowler and Christakis 2007, 2008; Centola 2011). Studies suggest that health behaviors are often "contagious," particularly when respondents share similar characteristics, such as race, education, and BMI. In this study, I extend recent work on the spread of health behavior through social networks to a hard-to-study population - heroin users. I aim to compare the frequency of injection (FOI) for dyads of users who share the same race, education, or age (i.e., homophilous ties) versus those who do …


Benefits And Barriers To Medically Supervised Pediatric Weight-Mangement Programs, Cindy Grimes-Robison Jan 2012

Benefits And Barriers To Medically Supervised Pediatric Weight-Mangement Programs, Cindy Grimes-Robison

All ETDs from UAB

Abstract is in paper


A Yeast Model For High Throughput Screening Of Gene-Gene Interactions Relevant To Cftrδf508 Protein Biogenesis, Jingyu Guo Jan 2012

A Yeast Model For High Throughput Screening Of Gene-Gene Interactions Relevant To Cftrδf508 Protein Biogenesis, Jingyu Guo

All ETDs from UAB

Much remains unknown about gene interaction in the context of human disease. In cystic fibrosis (CF) a single mutation of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR-deltaF508) accounts for most disease. In cell models, CFTR-deltaF508 causes defective protein biogenesis and degradation rather than proper trafficking to the plasma membrane where CFTR normally functions in ion transport. Numerous genes function in the biogenesis of CFTR and influence the fate of CFTR-deltaF508 in cell models. However it is not known whether natural genetic variation in such genes contributes to disease severity in patients. Moreover, there is no easy way to predict how …


Development And Content Validity Of The Military Concussion Readiness Inventory For Service Members, Michelle L. Gutierrez Jan 2012

Development And Content Validity Of The Military Concussion Readiness Inventory For Service Members, Michelle L. Gutierrez

All ETDs from UAB

The aim of this study was to develop and establish content validity of a new questionnaire entitled the Military Concussion Readiness Inventory (MCRI). The MCRI was designed to identify functional impairments and predict readiness for return-to-duty in service members (SM) who experienced mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) due to a blast. The items on the MCRI were linked to the The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) classifications. Nineteen male SM participated in a nominal group technique process to generate items for the MCRI. The items were classified according to the ICF before sending items to the Delphi …


Hcn Channels And Regulation Of Neocortical Network Activity, Asher Albertson Jan 2012

Hcn Channels And Regulation Of Neocortical Network Activity, Asher Albertson

All ETDs from UAB

Hyperpolarization activated non-specifc cation (HCN) channels are unique channels that activate following membrane hyperpolarization. Expressed primarily along the apical dendrites of pyramidal neurons, they pass a non-inactivating, inward current (Ih). HCN channel activation at resting membrane potentials profoundly impacts the synaptic and intrinsic properties of pyramidal neurons. Activated channels decrease intrinsic membrane excitability, hyperpolarize the resting membrane potential, and increase excitatory post-synaptic potentials (EPSP) summation. Loss of HCN channels is commonly observed in models of epilepsy. This dissertation tests the hypothesis that the influence of HCN channels on individual neuron excitability translates to an influence on network excitability. Furthermore, we …