Digital Commons Network^™

The Odyssey Of The Lotus: The Evolution And Journey Of Buddhism's Most Egalitarian Teaching From Asia To America, Samuel Dale Davis

All ETDs from UAB

Nichiren Buddhism, based on the teachings of the 13th century Buddhist sage Nichiren (1222-1282 CE), ultimately originating with the Lotus Sutra, came to the United States in the 1960s, primarily through the efforts of young Japanese women who married U.S. servicemen stationed in their native land following World War II. The women, converts to Nichiren Buddhism through the lay organization Soka Gakkai, managed by the late 1960s to attract thousands of young Americans to the practice. During the years that followed, thousands of Americans not directly connected with the counterculture also converted to Nichiren Buddhism. Buddhist ideas reverberated with some …

The Role Of Vpr-1 Msp Signaling In C. Elegans, Sung Min Han

All ETDs from UAB

In C. elegans, the major sperm protein (MSP) is the most abundant protein in sperm and functions as an intracellular cytoskeleton protein and a secreted extracellular signal that induces oocyte maturation and sheath contraction. Evolutionarily, MSP domain-containing proteins originate from the VAPs (VAMP/synaptobrevin-associated proteins), which comprise a highly conserved protein family with an MSP domain at the N-terminus and a transmembrane domain at the C-terminus. I have been studying the signaling role of VAP MSP domains using the C. elegans model system. In collaboration with Hugo Bellen's lab at Baylor College of Medicine, we have shown that C. elegans, Drosophila, …

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 …

High-Risk Human Papillomavirus And Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia Among Foreign-Born Latinas At Colposcopy, Bertha Hidalgo

All ETDs from UAB

Although the literature is quite extensive with regard to the human papillomavirus (HPV) among many racial/ethnic populations, there continues to be a paucity of information regarding the prevalence of HPV types as well as of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN among Latinas, specifically foreign-born Latinas. Some studies have reported prevalence of HPV among Latinas, but very few have differentiated between US- and foreign-born Latinas. This nuance is essential to understanding the true effect contributed by each group to HPV and CIN incidence and prevalence rates. Therefore, this dissertation aimed to assess differences in the prevalence of high- and low-risk types and …

Effect Of Childhood Obesity On Risk Of Pelvic Bone Fracture In Simulated Sideways Fall, Min-Heng Hsieh

All ETDs from UAB

Since the number of obese children in the U.S. has been increasing, the question arises whether obese children could be at higher or lower risk compared to nonobese children. The objective of this research was to investigate the risk of pediatric pelvic bone fracture in sideways falls using computational modeling and simulation considering various levels of obesity. Two sets of models were developed and tested. The first set was body component models. Several 10-year-old pelvis-femur complex models were developed. The models included biological soft tissue layers to reflect various levels of obesity, and they were validated against published experimental data. …

Model System Using Controlled Receptor Expression For Molecular Ultrasound Imaging Applications, Reshu Saini

All ETDs from UAB

Ultrasound is a noninvasive, inexpensive imaging modality used to characterize biological tissues. Targeted contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging is an emerging preclinical strategy which uses contrast agents for characterization of biological processes on a molecular level. These microbubble agents are lipid shelled micron-sized particles that have the capability to be coated with ligands such as antibodies or small peptides in order to bind to their target receptors. Molecular ultrasound imaging, using these targeted contrast agents, allows for a quantitative assessment of molecular targets with a high sensitivity. Although this technique is in preclinical research, further advances in contrast agent design and potential …

Mitochondrial Morphology And Function In Neuronal Cells Under Stress, Lonnie Schneider

All ETDs from UAB

Neurodegenerative disease encompasses a wide range of conditions and pathologies that can manifest at any age depending on the etiology. A major factor in both early onset and age-related neurodegeneration is mitochondrial dysfunction. To investigate how mitochondrial bioenergetics is affected by cellular stress, we used an in vitro culture system to examine mitochondrial function in response to oxidative stress. We also studied an in vivo model of neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis to determine the impact of deficient autophagy-lysosomal activity on mitochondrial morphology, composition and function. In vitro we found that retinoic acid-induced differentiation of dopaminergic neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells exhibited increased mitochondrial …

Early-In-Life Bladder Inflammation Alters Kappa-Opioid Modulation Of Inflammatory Bladder Pain, Amber Dianne Shaffer

All ETDs from UAB

In adult female rats, zymosan-induced inflammation of the bladder leads to bladder hypersensitivity, as reflected in augmented visceromotor reflex (VMR) responses to urinary bladder distension (UBD). Prior early-in-life (EIL) experience with bladder inflammation further increases bladder hypersensitivity. Naloxone increases bladder hypersensitivity in animals inflamed only as adults, but not in animals inflamed EIL, indicating that bladder inflammation recruits an inhibitory opioid system which may be impaired by EIL inflammation. This thesis examined what role the dynorphin/κ-opioid system played in mediating bladder hypersensitivity through the impairment of opioid inhibition. In all experiments, animals were treated EIL (P14-P16) and as adults with …

Screening For Medical Referral: Determining Variables That Influence Accuracy, Heather Ellis Mount

All ETDs from UAB

SCREENING FOR MEDICAL REFERRAL: DETERMINING VARIABLES THAT INFLUENCE ACCURACY HEATHER E. MOUNT DOCTOR OF SCIENCE IN PHYSICAL THERAPY ABSTRACT Background: Screening for medical referral is essential to autonomous practice; however, no studies have examined the medical screening abilities of physical therapists in various settings. Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine if physical therapists in various practice settings could appropriately screen for medical referral, given brief clinical vignettes. Methods: A Delphi study was performed to enhance the content validity of the vignettes. After reviewing the vignettes, survey participants determined if they would provide intervention, provide intervention and refer, …

Innate Immune Mechanisms Against The Atypical Fungal Pathogen Pneumocystis Murina, Michael Paul Nelson

All ETDs from UAB

Pneumonia caused by the fungal pathogen Pneumocystis continues to be the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in AIDS patients. In addition, there are a number of other non-HIV-associated diseases that render an individual susceptible to Pneumocystis infection, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Innate immune mechanisms are important for controlling Pneumocystis lung infection. As alveolar macrophages serve the front lines of lung host defense, our goal was to elucidate their responses during lung Pneumocystis infection. Here, we established a role for Src family kinases in the lung immune response to Pneumocystis, which uncovered a role for alternatively activated alveolar macrophages. …

Construction Of Polynomials And Linear Weight Calculation For Weno Schemes, Jacob Alan Nelson

All ETDs from UAB

Many applications of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) require higher order spatial accuracy to resolve the flow field. A few examples of these complex flows include heat transfer problems associated with hypersonic flows, flapping wing simulations, turbo-machineries, rotorcrafts, aero-acoustic problems, and transition to turbulence. Methods being used within the CFD community to achieve higher order spatial accuracy include discontinuous Galerkin schemes, weighted essentially non-oscillatory schemes (WENO), and spectral volume (SV) schemes. Complex flow problems involving complex geometries may necessitate the use of generalized grids for the discretization of the domain. Generalized grids contain elements of multiple types and allow for a …

Electrophysiological Investigation Of Rabbit Retinal Ganglion Cells, Przemyslaw Nowak

All ETDs from UAB

The retina is the first stage of the visual system, responsible for transducing light into the neural signal and for subsequent processing of this signal before sending it to the higher visual centers in the brain. The output to the higher visual centers is mediated by retinal ganglion cells, which not only relay the signal, but also substantially contribute to its processing. Depending on what computations they perform, they are subdivided into different types. These cells have been extensively studied in various spices, one prominent example being the rabbit. In rabbits, one characteristic type comprises On-Off directionally selective retinal ganglion …

Association Between Cc Chemokine Ligand 3-Like-1 (Ccl3l1) Gene Copy Number And Rheumatoid Arthritis In African Americans, Mawuli Kwame Nyaku

All ETDs from UAB

Gene copy number of the CC Chemokine ligand 3-Like-1 (CCL3L1) located on chromosome 17 position q12 varies between ethnicities. Previously, gene copy number of CCL3L1 greater than the ethnic median copy has been associated with an increased risk of Rheumatoid Arthritis. Three later studies found no association between CCL3L1 and RA. All studies were conducted in non-African Americans and an objective of this study was to determine this association in an African American cohort. CCL3L1 shares significant homology with three other genes within the same cluster; CC Chemokine ligand 3 (CCL3), CC Chemokine ligand 3-Like-2 (CCL3L2) and CC Chemokine ligand …

Male Hypogonadism At A Tertiary Care Hospital In Karachi, Pakistan, Nanik Ram, Ali Asghar, Fauzan Hashmi, Najmul Islam

Section of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism

Background: Male hypogonadism is defined as 'inadequate gonadal function, manifested by deficiency in gametogenesis and/or secretion of gonadal hormones'. Signs and symptoms of hypogonadism depend primarily on the age of onset. It can be classified according to the site primarily involved: the gonads, the hypothalamus, or the pituitary gland. The objective this study was to determine the presentation and aetiology of male hypogonadism seen in a tertiary care hospital.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Endocrine Clinics, Aga Khan University Hospital Karachi. Data of male patients with hypogonadism who attended clinics during January 2009 to August 2011 were …

Empirical Study On The Existence Of Long-Term Memory In The Philippine Foreign Exchange Market, Ahmadreza Fouladi

DLSU Business & Economics Review

This article examines twenty-two foreign exchange currencies vis-a-vis the Philippine peso for evidence of long-term dependence. This study uses three different methods: the classical rescaled range and the modified rescaled range of Andrew Lo (1991), and the rescaled variance statistic of Giraitis et al. (2003). This study also makes a comparative analysis using these three methods between the peso and twenty-two other foreign currencies. These empirical tests are conducted with daily data obtained during the period of January to December 2010. Using the modified rescaled range and the rescaled variance methods, we show that there is no significant long-range dependence …

Thomas Jefferson University, Department Of Pathology, Anatomy And Cell Biology, Oral Administration Of Apigenin Inhibits Metastasis Through Akt/P70s6k1/Mmp-9 Pathway In Orthotopic Ovarian Tumor Model., Jun He, Qing Xu, Min Wang, Chongyong Li, Xu Qian, Zhumei Shi, Ling-Zhi Liu, Bing-Hua Jiang

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

Apigenin, a flavonoid commonly present in the daily diet, is known for its potential anti-tumor properties. However, the effect of apigenin via oral administration on tumor growth and metastasis remains unknown. In this study we developed an orthotopic ovarian tumor model in nude mice to test the effect of apigenin oral administration, and showed that apigenin inhibited the micrometastasis of cancer cells in the animal tumor model. To understand the mechanism of apigenin in inhibiting metastasis, we found that apigenin greatly inhibited MMP-9 expression and p-AKT and p-p70S6K1 levels in the tumor tissues compared to the control group. We further …

Transition To Democracy In Post-Soviet States: Success Or Failure. Case Study Analysis, Ceyhun Valiyev

Khazar Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

The democratization of Post-Soviet states in past two decades is the subject of this academic study. The main question of this research is that why most of the PostSoviet states haven’t gone through successful transition to democracy. Five countries; Azerbaijan, Belorussia, Georgia, Lithuania and Uzbekistan are the cases of this study to analyze and evaluate as empirical part of this work. I haven’t chosen the countries that have standard and equal level of success or failure. For instance, Lithuania is among those countries that have gone through quite successful process of democratization, whereas others have similar or different problems hindering …

Panorama Sociolingüístico Del Caribe Hispánico Insular, Orlando Alba

Faculty Publications

El presente artículo ofrece una visión panorámica del español en el Caribe hispanico insular. Después de repasar brevemente los temas de investigación más relevantes, se describen los puntos de contacto entre las tres Antillas y se realiza una serie de precisiones sociolingüísticas. Estas puntualizaciones permiten destacar las peculiaridades, poniendo en evidencia que, a pesar de las conocidas semejanzas existentes en su modo de hablar, Cuba, la República Dominicana y Puerto Rico mantienen su propia identidad dialectal. La personalidad lingüística de cada una de las islas se revela tanto por medio de un análisis de las diferencias objetivas, como de la …

Using Php To Parse Ebook Resources From Drupal 6 To Populate A Mobile Web Page, Junior R. Tidal

Publications and Research

The Ursula C. Schwerin library needed to create a page for its mobile website devoted to subscribed eBooks. These resources, however, were only available through the main desktop website. These resources were organized using the Drupal 6 content management system with contributed and core modules. It was necessary to create a solution to retrieve the eBook databases from the Drupal installation to a separate mobile site.

The Bearable Light Of Openness: Renovating Obsolete Peer-Review Bottlenecks, Aaron Barlow

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Vitamin D: Implications Of The Institute Of Medicine Report For Clinical Practice, Dorothy Grasso, Margaret A. Rafferty

Publications and Research

In November 2010, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium and Vitamin D, a radical departure from previous advice given regarding these two nutrients that have been reported in respected health journals. The 14-member expert committee found clear and convincing evidence to support the association between adequate levels of vitamin D and bone health. The IOM committee did not find enough evidence to support claims that inadequate levels of vitamin D are linked to increased risks for cancer, cardiovascular disease, or diabetes. In this article, the authors discuss the controversy surrounding vitamin D and provide guidance …

Encyclopedia Of Wellness: From Açai Berry To Yo-Yo Dieting, Elisabeth Tappeiner

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Virtualization And Shared Infrastructure Data Storage For It In Kosovo Institutions, Gani Zogaj

Theses

This capstone project addressed the need to strengthen the centralization and security of the electronic data from various national institutions in Kosovo. Most of the electronic data in Kosovo Institutions are separated in so many server rooms in different institutions and different locations. The Republic of Kosovo institutions have different systems of data stored in different physical spaces. Most of these data should be exchangeable in different systems and different data bases. The country lacks physical security in the current system of data security and professional staff for maintaining such data (databases, applications, and other electronic data). The budget of …

Necessity Defense To Felon-In-Possession Charges: The Third Circuit Justifies A Federal Justification Defense In Virgin Islands V. Lewis, Kathryn Maza

Villanova Law Review (1956 - )

The article presents information on the conceptions of morality and justice and the maximization of social welfare. The defense of necessity, its common law justification and the recognition of federal justification defense are discussed. The decisions made by the Third Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals in the trial of Virgin Islands v. Lewis, the judicial duty and the justification doctrine are also discussed.

Electrospun Carbon Nanofibers Decorated With Various Amounts Of Electrochemically-Inert Nickel Nanoparticles For Use As High-Performance Energy Storage Materials, Liwen Ji, Zhan Lin, Mataz Alcoutlabi, Ozan Toprakci, Yingfang Yao, Guanjie Xu, Shuli Li, Xiangwu Zhang

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

Carbon nanofibers decorated with various amounts of electrochemically-inert metallic nickel nanoparticles are synthesized through electrospinning and carbonization processes. The morphology and composition of Ni nanoparticles in carbon nanofibers are controlled by preparing different nanofiber precursors. The lithium-ion battery performance evaluations indicated that the content of electrochemically-inert Ni nanoparticles in carbon nanofibers has a great influence on the final electrochemical performance. For example, at certain Ni contents, these composite nanofibers display excellent electrochemical performance, such as high reversible capacities, good capacity retention, and excellent rate performance, when directly used as binder-free anodes for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. However, when the Ni content …

Shoulder-And Back-Muscle Activation During Shoulder Abduction And Flexion Using A Bodyblade Pro Versus Dumbbells, Joseph S. Parry, Rachel Straub, Daniel Cipriani

Physical Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

Context: The Bodyblade Pro is used for shoulder rehabilitation after injury. Resistance is provided by blade oscillations—faster oscillations or higher speeds correspond to greater resistance. However, research supporting the Bodyblade Pro’s use is scarce, particularly in comparison with dumbbell training. Objective: To compare muscle activity, using electromyography (EMG), in the back and shoulder regions during shoulder exercises with the Bodyblade Pro vs dumbbells. Design: Randomized crossover study. Setting: San Diego State University biomechanics laboratory. Participants: 11 healthy male subjects age 19–32 y. Intervention: Subjects performed shoulder-flexion and -abduction exercises using a Bodyblade Pro and …

Loss Of Axonal Mitochondria Promotes Tau-Mediated Neurodegeneration And Alzheimer's Disease-Related Tau Phosphorylation Via Par-1., Kanae Iijima-Ando, Michiko Sekiya, Akiko Maruko-Otake, Yosuke Ohtake, Emiko Suzuki, Bingwei Lu, Koichi M Iijima

Farber Institute for Neuroscience Faculty Papers

Abnormal phosphorylation and toxicity of a microtubule-associated protein tau are involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD); however, what pathological conditions trigger tau abnormality in AD is not fully understood. A reduction in the number of mitochondria in the axon has been implicated in AD. In this study, we investigated whether and how loss of axonal mitochondria promotes tau phosphorylation and toxicity in vivo. Using transgenic Drosophila expressing human tau, we found that RNAi-mediated knockdown of milton or Miro, an adaptor protein essential for axonal transport of mitochondria, enhanced human tau-induced neurodegeneration. Tau phosphorylation at an AD-related site Ser262 …

Glucose Decouples Intracellular Ca2+ Activity From Glucagon Secretion In Mouse Pancreatic Islet Alpha-Cells., Sylvain J Le Marchand, David W Piston

Farber Institute for Neuroscience Faculty Papers

The mechanisms of glucagon secretion and its suppression by glucose are presently unknown. This study investigates the relationship between intracellular calcium levels ([Ca(2+)](i)) and hormone secretion under low and high glucose conditions. We examined the effects of modulating ion channel activities on [Ca(2+)](i) and hormone secretion from ex vivo mouse pancreatic islets. Glucagon-secreting α-cells were unambiguously identified by cell specific expression of fluorescent proteins. We found that activation of L-type voltage-gated calcium channels is critical for α-cell calcium oscillations and glucagon secretion at low glucose levels. Calcium channel activation depends on K(ATP) channel activity but not on tetrodotoxin-sensitive Na(+) channels. …

Lawyers Intentionally Inflicting Emotional Distress, Alex B. Long

Seton Hall Law Review

No abstract provided.

Supervisory Liability Post-Iqbal: A "Misnomer" Indeed, Desiree L. Grace

Seton Hall Law Review

No abstract provided.