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2013

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Uniqueness Of Potential In Schrã¶Dinger's Equation With One Boundary Measurement, Mitchell Wyatt Jan 2013

Uniqueness Of Potential In Schrã¶Dinger's Equation With One Boundary Measurement, Mitchell Wyatt

All ETDs from UAB

Given an open set ­ in RN, N≥2, and a single piece of Dirichlet-Neumann data for a solution u of an equation of the form -\Delta u + \chiAu=0, uniqueness of the set A is proven under some regularity assumptions and under the assumption of a so-called "i-contact" condition.

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A Study Of Multi-Group And Multivariate Tests Of Equivalence With Application To Microarray And, Celeste Yang Jan 2013

A Study Of Multi-Group And Multivariate Tests Of Equivalence With Application To Microarray And, Celeste Yang

All ETDs from UAB

In this dissertation we have adapted two multi-group equivalence tests to be performed on high-dimensional data. The F and Range test for multi-group equivalence were applied to the public microarray dataset GSE11291 to detect equivalently expressed genes. They were also evaluated in terms of type I error and power using single gene simulation and a high-dimension simulation. The F test has higher power than the Range for the same simulated data and parameter settings, in the single gene simulations. The power of the two tests is similar in the high-dimension simulation. The multi-group equivalence tests that were applied to the …

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Characterization Of The Mumps Virus Replicase, Robert Marsden Cox Jan 2013

Characterization Of The Mumps Virus Replicase, Robert Marsden Cox

All ETDs from UAB

Negative strand RNA viruses (NSV) are unique because their nucleocapsids are used directly as the template for both transcription and replication. The viral genomic RNA is coated by the nucleoprotein (N) for the entirety of the NSV replication cycle. The viral polymerase, which is composed of the L and P proteins, can only recognize encapsidated RNA as the template for RNA synthesis. Our previous studies have solved the EM structure of the MuV N-RNA complex at 25Ņ. This structure revealed how the nucleocapsid is assembled and provides an initial model for examining how the viral polymerase may recognize the …

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Using A Mixed Methods Sequential Design To Identify Factors Associated With African American Mothers' Intention To Vaccinate Their Daughters Aged 9 To 12 For Hpv With A Purpose Of Informing A Culturally-Relevant, Theory-Based Intervention, Jennifer Cunningham Jan 2013

Using A Mixed Methods Sequential Design To Identify Factors Associated With African American Mothers' Intention To Vaccinate Their Daughters Aged 9 To 12 For Hpv With A Purpose Of Informing A Culturally-Relevant, Theory-Based Intervention, Jennifer Cunningham

All ETDs from UAB

The purpose of this sequential, explanatory mixed methods research study was to understand what factors influenced African American maternal intentions to get their daughters aged 9 years to 12 years vaccinated in Alabama. In the first, quantitative phase of the study, the research questions focused on identifying the predictive power of eleven variables, representing selected factors associated with maternal intentions to vaccinate their daughters. The data were collected via a self-developed instrument that used a mixed mode survey design that was web-based (N = 14) and paper-based (N = 228). Participant demographics were analyzed using descriptive statistics. A binary, logistic …

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Indebtedness, Debt Stress, And Health-Related Behaviors: A Study Of Alabamians' Financial Well-Being And Physical Health, Lingfei Guo Jan 2013

Indebtedness, Debt Stress, And Health-Related Behaviors: A Study Of Alabamians' Financial Well-Being And Physical Health, Lingfei Guo

All ETDs from UAB

In order to better understand the SES-health relationship and gain a more accurate estimation of SES on physical health, the primary objectives of this research are: (1) to test the relationship between Alabamians' indebtedness and their health-related behaviors; (2) to test the mediating effect of Alabamians' socioeconomic and sociodemographic status in the relationship of indebtedness and health-related behaviors; and, (3) to test the possible mediating effect of debt stress on indebtedness and health-related behaviors. The health lifestyle theory guides this research. Research has advanced two views that explain the interrelationship between socioeconomic status and physical health. The first view deals …

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Sulindac Sulfide Amide As A Novel Agent For The Prevention And Treatment Of Lung Cancer, Evrim Gurpinar Jan 2013

Sulindac Sulfide Amide As A Novel Agent For The Prevention And Treatment Of Lung Cancer, Evrim Gurpinar

All ETDs from UAB

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as sulindac sulfide (SS) have shown promising antineoplastic activity in multiple tumor types, but toxicities resulting from cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibition limit their use in cancer prevention. We recently described a N,N-dimethylethyl amine derivative of SS, sulindac sulfide amide (SSA), that does not inhibit COX-1 or -2, yet displays potent tumor cell growth inhibitory activity. Here, we studied the basis for the growth inhibitory effects of SSA on human lung adenocarcinoma cell lines and evaluated its preclinical pharmacology. SSA potently inhibited the growth of lung tumor cells with IC50 values of 2-5 μ compared with 44-52 …

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Comparison Of Low Abundance Biomarker Levels In Capillary-Collected Non-Stimulated Tears And Washout Tears Of Aqueous-Deficient And Normal Patients, Nicole Guyette Jan 2013

Comparison Of Low Abundance Biomarker Levels In Capillary-Collected Non-Stimulated Tears And Washout Tears Of Aqueous-Deficient And Normal Patients, Nicole Guyette

All ETDs from UAB

Purpose: For patients suffering from aqueous-deficient dry eye, non-stimulated (NS) tear collection can be challenging and time-consuming. Adding a small volume of sterile saline to the eye allows a "washout" (WO) tear collection that takes considerably less time. The primary goal of this project was to determine if WO tear collection is a viable alternative to NS tears for comparing the levels of common ocular surface biomarkers in patients with and without aqueous-deficient dry eye (AD). Stimulated (Stim) tears were also investigated as a second possible alternative to NS tears. Methods: Two studies were conducted, tear cytokine levels being measured …

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The Effects Of Sleep Restriction On Adolescents' Pedestrian Safety, Aaron Leah Davis Jan 2013

The Effects Of Sleep Restriction On Adolescents' Pedestrian Safety, Aaron Leah Davis

All ETDs from UAB

Introduction. Over 8,000 American adolescents ages 14 and 15 require medical attention due to pedestrian injury annually. Psychosocial factors contributing to pedestrian safety include reaction time, impulsivity, risk-taking, attention, and decision-making. These characteristics are also influenced by sleep restriction. Adolescents require 8.5 hours of uninterrupted sleep each night. Despite requiring more sleep than other children, adolescents often do not obtain adequate sleep due to delayed circadian, academic demands, extracurricular activities, media use, and minimal parental supervision. This combination of factors may place adolescents at risk for pedestrian injury. Method. This study investigated whether sleep restriction reduces adolescents' pedestrian safety. Using …

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Pain In The Everyday: Torture And Imprisonment In The Works Of Harold Pinter, Kacey Gill Davis Jan 2013

Pain In The Everyday: Torture And Imprisonment In The Works Of Harold Pinter, Kacey Gill Davis

All ETDs from UAB

The focus of this research is to investigate the influence of torture on the development of Harold Pinter's plays throughout his career. Although torture has a strong presence in Pinter's more political works, there has been little scholarship in examining this same presence in his earlier plays such as The Dumb Waiter, The Birthday Party, and The Homecoming. By reading these works with the processes of torture and power structures as defined by Elaine Scarry's The Body in Pain as well as Michel Foucault's Discipline and Punish, the otherwise comedic interactions in the initial plays become something far more sinister …

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Predictors Of Colorectal Cancer Surveillance Among Survivors Of Childhood Cancer At High Risk For Subsequent Colorectal Malignancies, Casey Leigh Daniel Jan 2013

Predictors Of Colorectal Cancer Surveillance Among Survivors Of Childhood Cancer At High Risk For Subsequent Colorectal Malignancies, Casey Leigh Daniel

All ETDs from UAB

Childhood cancer survivors who were treated with ionizing radiation are at a significantly higher risk of developing a subsequent colorectal cancer (CRC) compared to the general population. The Children's Oncology Group (COG) recommends that children and adolescents who were treated with radiation therapy of 30 Gy or more to the abdomen, pelvis, or spine undergo a colonoscopy every five years, beginning at age 35 or 10 years after completion of radiation. Despite these recommendations, research indicates low adherence rates to CRC screening among high-risk childhood cancer survivors. Determining the predictors of attending subsequent colorectal cancer surveillance among individuals in this …

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The Pusillanimous Denis: What "U.P: Up" Really Breens, Leah Harper Bowron Jan 2013

The Pusillanimous Denis: What "U.P: Up" Really Breens, Leah Harper Bowron

All ETDs from UAB

Denis Breen, a minor character in James Joyce's Ulysses, receives an unsigned postcard which reads "U.p: up". Scholars consider "U.p: up" to be a joke encoded in a puzzle or riddle. This paper proposes to decode the postcard message "U.p: up" and to identify its author. The postcard message "U.p: up" is read "you pee up" and refers to Denis Breen's unusual urination. Denis Breen "pees up" or sprays his urine upward when urinating from a standing position because he has hypospadias and his urethral opening is within or behind his testes. The symbol "p:" in the message "U.p: up" …

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Clinical Consequences Of Micrornas In Colorectal Cancer, Liselle C. Bovell Jan 2013

Clinical Consequences Of Micrornas In Colorectal Cancer, Liselle C. Bovell

All ETDs from UAB

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a heterogeneous disease, and factors such as tumor location, the environment, genetics, and ethnic differences, can influence its development and progression. Over the last few decades, overall CRC mortality rates have declined; however, racial disparities in mortality rates have increased. The discovery of biomarkers that focus on identifying individual differences based on confounders such as tumor stage and patient race/ethnicity is needed, for such biomarkers can lead to development of personalized therapeutic approaches to target these molecules. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small molecules that regulate genes at the post-transcriptional level. Altered miRNA expression levels …

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The Effect Of Surface Indications On The Tensile Properties Of Cast Steel, Jeff Hamby Jan 2013

The Effect Of Surface Indications On The Tensile Properties Of Cast Steel, Jeff Hamby

All ETDs from UAB

The objective of this thesis was to study the effect of surface indications on the tensile properties of cast steel. Four cast steel grades were selected for evaluation; these grades include three carbon and low alloy steels (110/80, 165/135, and Eglin) and one high alloy steel (CF8M). Using these steels, tensile specimens were produced, inspected via MT/PT, categorized by surface indications (as-cast or machined), and tested. Bars with natural surface indications were tensile tested and the properties recorded. The presence of a 1/16 inch, 1/8 inch, or 1/4 inch flat-bottomed hole drilled through half the thickness mimicked a similar nonlinear …

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Tuberculosis Screening And Treatment Outcomes In Zambia, Jennifer Harris Jan 2013

Tuberculosis Screening And Treatment Outcomes In Zambia, Jennifer Harris

All ETDs from UAB

Zambia is a country in Southern Africa with dual HIV and tuberculosis (TB) epidemics. The annual TB incidence is 444/100,000 and 64% of TB patients are co-infected with HIV. Accurate screening and diagnosis for TB is challenging since it often presents with non-specific signs and symptoms and the available diagnostics are neither sensitive nor specific. Papers one and two of this dissertation focus on the derivation of TB screening rules to more accurately identify high-risk persons in two Zambian populations: inmates and HIV clinic patients. Among inmates, being HIV positive and having a body mass index < 18.5 most strongly predicted HIV disease. Chest pain was also strongly associated, but this may have been a chance finding. For HIV clinic patients, we developed four rules with increasing complexity of clinical tools used for screening. Sensitivity was very high with all rules; the addition of vital signs and pulmonary exam findings to symptom-based screening rules greatly increased the rules' specificity. Furthermore, a rule incorporating pulmonary exam findings performed similarly to a rule with chest radiography suggesting pulmonary exam may be an inexpensive alternative to x-ray. The final paper looks at TB incidence, mortality and intermediate clinical outcomes in a cohort of HIV clinic patients with and without TB during their first 12 months of HIV care. TB incidence was very high during this time period, despite thorough screening at baseline. Mortality was elevated in both culture-confirmed and clinically-diagnosed TB patients, with much of the elevated risk concentrated in TB patients who had culture-confirmed but clinically-unapparent disease. Looking at intermediate outcomes among patients who started anti-retroviral therapy, the change in CD4 cell count was similar for patients with and without TB. TB patients started off with lower mean body weights and hemoglobin concentrations but also showed greater increases over 12 months, thus `catching up' with the TB-negative patients. If these findings are replicable in other cohorts they could have substantial impact on TB screening and diagnostic procedures in resource limited, high burden countries like Zambia.

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Oak Hill Cemetery: A Reflection Of Early Birmingham, 1871-1913, Terri L. Hicks Jan 2013

Oak Hill Cemetery: A Reflection Of Early Birmingham, 1871-1913, Terri L. Hicks

All ETDs from UAB

OAK HILL CEMETERY: A REFLECTION OF EARLY BIRMINGHAM 1871 - 1913 TERRI L. HICKS ABSTRACT Oak Hill Cemetery, Birmingham's first city cemetery, is located north of the downtown area and within its walls are the gravestones of many of the city's founders, including Birmingham's first mayor, Robert Henley; William Mudd, who built Arlington Antebellum Home; several governors, and veterans from every war. Strolling through the cemetery is like walking into an outdoor classroom. From a preservation perspective, cemeteries provide essential elements of societies' collective history, including insight into past burial customs, religious beliefs, cultural and ethnic influences, community origins and …

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Therapeutic Potential Of Genetically-Engineered Mesenchymal Stem Cells In Multiple Myeloma, Jerome T. Higgs Jan 2013

Therapeutic Potential Of Genetically-Engineered Mesenchymal Stem Cells In Multiple Myeloma, Jerome T. Higgs

All ETDs from UAB

ABSTRACT Multiple Myeloma (MM) remains the second most common hematologic malig-nancy occurring in adults, which primarily affects the skeletal system causing severe bone destruction, spinal cord compression and hypercalcemia. Current therapies, which include chemotherapy, radiotherapy, autologouos stem cell transplantation and in some cases surgery, have extended the median survival between 3 and 10 years. However, MM is still incurable and therefore improving current therapies or developing newer ones to reduce the burden of osteolytic damage and extend survival rate will be highly beneficial for patient management. The long-term goal of this study is to develop a novel therapeutic approach to …

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Exploring Rti Reading Intervention For Hispanic English Learning Kindergarten Students In Central Alabama:, Kelly Leah Hill Jan 2013

Exploring Rti Reading Intervention For Hispanic English Learning Kindergarten Students In Central Alabama:, Kelly Leah Hill

All ETDs from UAB

This study addressed issues in implementing RTI Tier II reading intervention in kindergarten classrooms which contained Hispanic students learning English. In addition, the scope of reading progress of Hispanic students learning English was explored. The purpose of this research was to examine the frequency in providing RTI reading interventions and how they were implemented in kindergarten with Hispanic children who are learning English. This study employed an explanatory sequential (Quan QUAL) mixed methods design (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2011). To address the purpose of the study, the overarching mixed methods question was: What is the frequency of RTI Tier II …

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Regulation Of Glioma Cell Migration And Proliferation By A Non-Selective Cation Channel., Arun Kumar Rooj Jan 2013

Regulation Of Glioma Cell Migration And Proliferation By A Non-Selective Cation Channel., Arun Kumar Rooj

All ETDs from UAB

Two of the most striking features of brain tumors are their unusual ability to robustly proliferate and migrate in the brain. Previous results from our laboratory suggest that glioma cells express a non-selective cation channel that is composed of Epithelial Sodium Channel (ENaC) and Acid Sensing Ion Channel (ASIC) subunits. We hypothesize that this glioma specific current regulates glioma cell migration and proliferation by modulating an intracellular signaling pathway. To test our hypothesis, we have attenuated this cationic conductance by either pharmacological blockers (psalmotoxin-1 and benzamil), or by knocking down expression of a particular subunit of this cross-clade ion channel …

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Determinant Of G-Chain Mediated Fc Receptor Signaling, Spandan Shah Jan 2013

Determinant Of G-Chain Mediated Fc Receptor Signaling, Spandan Shah

All ETDs from UAB

Fc receptors provide an interface between humoral immunity and cellular immunity by binding to the Fc portion of immunoglobulin and mediating effector functions. Cells expressing Fc receptors play a major role in immune complex clearance via phagocytosis, leading to a context dependent pro- or anti-inflammatory environment. Signaling by multi-chain Fc receptor complexes, including FcgRI, FcgRIII, FceRI and FcaRI is mediated by the ITAM-containing common FceRIg (g-chain) subunit. However, despite the use of a common g-chain, different Fc receptor complexes elicit specific cellular programs, suggesting additional layers of regulation of tyrosine based signaling by g-chain. We hypothesized that the unique g-chain …

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Automatic Segmentation Of Teeth In Digital Dental Models, David Anton Mouritsen Jan 2013

Automatic Segmentation Of Teeth In Digital Dental Models, David Anton Mouritsen

All ETDs from UAB

Introduction: Within the last decade, there has been an increase in the use of digital records in orthodontics. An orthodontic diagnostic setup is a simulated treatment outcome prepared from dental models. To create a diagnostic setup from digital dental models, the first step is to segment the models, or identify the boundaries of each tooth. In the past, a human operator would manually segment the models using a computer program to draw the boundary that separates the teeth from each other and the gingiva. The ideal, fully automatic, segmentation algorithm would not require a user to interact with the digital …

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Neuropathological Alterations In Alzheimer's Disease: An Up Close Look At Sympathetic Sprouting, Amy Renee Nelson Jan 2013

Neuropathological Alterations In Alzheimer's Disease: An Up Close Look At Sympathetic Sprouting, Amy Renee Nelson

All ETDs from UAB

Pathological hallmarks of AD include neurofibrillary tau tangles, amyloid beta (Abeta) accumulation and cholinergic degeneration. Cholinergic degeneration can be mimicked in rats by lesioning cholinergic neurons in medial septum. Hippocampal cholinergic denervation disrupts retrograde transport of nerve growth factor (NGF), leading to its accumulation, which subsequently triggers sprouting of noradrenergic sympathetic fibers from the superior cervical ganglia into hippocampus. Dr. McMahon's lab previously reported that coincident with this sprouting, there is an increase in cholinergic innervation that correlates with a recovery of M1 muscarinic receptor dependent plasticity at CA3-CA1 synapses and visual cortex. These findings suggest that noradrenergic sympathetic sprouting …

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Repellency Efficacy Of Essential Oils Of Selected Plants Growing In Western Kenya And Their Eag-Active Constituent Blends Against Anopheles Gambiae, David Otieno Ywaya Jan 2013

Repellency Efficacy Of Essential Oils Of Selected Plants Growing In Western Kenya And Their Eag-Active Constituent Blends Against Anopheles Gambiae, David Otieno Ywaya

All Master’s Theses

Control of disease vectors by use of synthetic chemical pesticides has been associated with a series of problems, including resistance development, environmental pollution, and safety risks for humans and domestic animals. Plant-based products have been used for generations in traditional practices to control different arthropods. These have been used in space or personal protection either to repel the arthropods from distance or to deter them from blood-feeding on contact. In the present study, the repellence of essential oils of three plants (Ocimum gratissimum L., Vitex keniensis Turill and Hyptis suaveolens (L.) Poit used in Siaya County in western Kenya were …

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Structure Of The 40 S Ribosomal Subunit From Plasmodium Falciparum By Homology And De Novo Modeling, Harrison N. Mwangi Jan 2013

Structure Of The 40 S Ribosomal Subunit From Plasmodium Falciparum By Homology And De Novo Modeling, Harrison N. Mwangi

All Master’s Theses

Generation of the three dimensional structures of macromolecules using in silico structural modeling technologies such as homology and de novo modeling has improved dramatically and increased the speed in which tertiary structures of organisms of interest can be generated. This is especially the case if a homologous crystal structure is already available. High resolution structures can be rapidly created using only their sequence information as input and thus increasing the speed of scientific discoveries. In this study, a host of homology modeling and structure prediction tools such as RNA123 and SWISS MODEL among others, were used to generate the 40S …

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Editor's Note, Marites Tiongco Jan 2013

Editor's Note, Marites Tiongco

DLSU Business & Economics Review

No abstract provided.

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Work And Life Harmony: An Exploratory Case Study Of Entrepinays, Divina M. Edralin Jan 2013

Work And Life Harmony: An Exploratory Case Study Of Entrepinays, Divina M. Edralin

DLSU Business & Economics Review

This study aims to explore how Filipina entrepreneurs (EntrePinays) harmonize their work demands with their family responsibilities and personal needs in order to sustain their business and at the same time live a meaningful and happy life. As an exploratory study utilizing nine participants, the case study approach based on the multiple case dimensions was used. Findings revealed that there are positive and negative spillover effects of work-life relationships. The negative spillover induces stress among the EntrePinays and the positive spillover can lead to their high levels of life satisfaction. Results also showed that EntrePinays are able to harmonize their …

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Eastern Europe: Introductory Thoughts, Barbara Ann Milewski Jan 2013

Eastern Europe: Introductory Thoughts, Barbara Ann Milewski

Music Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

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Poland, Barbara Ann Milewski Jan 2013

Poland, Barbara Ann Milewski

Music Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

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Comment On “Excessive Ambitions (Ii)” By (Jon Elster), Donald L. Horowitz Jan 2013

Comment On “Excessive Ambitions (Ii)” By (Jon Elster), Donald L. Horowitz

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

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Twelve-Person Federal Civil Jury In Exile, Thomas D. Rowe Jr. Jan 2013

Twelve-Person Federal Civil Jury In Exile, Thomas D. Rowe Jr.

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

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Better Ways To Study Regulatory Elephants, Jonathan B. Wiener, Brendon Swedlow, James K. Hammitt, Michael D. Rogers, Peter H. Sand Jan 2013

Better Ways To Study Regulatory Elephants, Jonathan B. Wiener, Brendon Swedlow, James K. Hammitt, Michael D. Rogers, Peter H. Sand

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

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