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2014

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Studying The Looping Cycle In Early Childhood Public Education: A Multiple Case Study Analysis, Katherine Allsopp Thomas Jan 2014

Studying The Looping Cycle In Early Childhood Public Education: A Multiple Case Study Analysis, Katherine Allsopp Thomas

All ETDs from UAB

STUDYING THE LOOPING CYCLE IN EARLY CHILDHOOD PUBLIC EDUCATION: A MULTIPLE CASE STUDY ANALYSIS KATHERINE ALLSOPP THOMAS CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION, EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION ABSTRACT This study addressed the nature of the looping cycle in early childhood public education in central Alabama. In addition, factors were explored that influence a teacher's decision to loop as well as the reasons behind why the practice is not more prevalent in early childhood public education. The purpose of this research was to describe the nature of the looping cycle for early childhood public education teachers in central Alabama in order to understand why looping …

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Characterization Of Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-Bisphosphate Regulation Of The Electrogenic Na/Bicarbonate Cotransporter Nbce1, Ian Michael Thornell Jan 2014

Characterization Of Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-Bisphosphate Regulation Of The Electrogenic Na/Bicarbonate Cotransporter Nbce1, Ian Michael Thornell

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The electrogenic Na/bicarbonate cotransporter (NBCe1) is an acid/base regulator that is also involved in coordinating epithelial ion transport. Splice variants of NBCe1 differ at their cytosolic amino- (N-) and/or carboxy- (C-) termini. These different cytosolic termini impart differential regulation for each variant. For example, the N-terminus of NBCe1-A is autostimulatory, whereas the N-terminus of NBCe1-B and -C is autoinhibitory. We examine the regulatory role of PIP2 for NBCe1 splice variants. In the first study of this dissertation, we characterize the effect of increasing PIP2 on the activity of NBCe1-A, -B, and -C expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes. Injecting PIP2 stimulated …

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Validation Of A Cytometric Bead-Based Immunoassay For Tear Interleukin 8 And Interferon Gamma Inducible Protein 10, My-Tho Karin Tran Jan 2014

Validation Of A Cytometric Bead-Based Immunoassay For Tear Interleukin 8 And Interferon Gamma Inducible Protein 10, My-Tho Karin Tran

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ABSTRACT Background Interleukin 8 (IL-8) and Interferon gamma inducible protein 10 (IP-10) are pro-inflammatory chemokines that may play key antagonistic roles in regulating corneal immune privilege and angiogenesis prevention. Some groups have reported that tear levels of IL-8 and IP-10 measured by multiplexed antibody-based assay are artifact prone and therefore unreliable, leading to their under-utilization as ocular surface disease and dry eye biomarkers. The current study compares tear levels of IL-8 and IP-10 measured by multiplexed cytometric bead-based assay (CBA) with single analyte ELISA assay. Mass spectrometry, a non-antibody based method, was also used to obtain confirmation of tear levels. …

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Employer-Based Wellness Programs; Financial Value To The Organization, Ricky D. Wallace Jan 2014

Employer-Based Wellness Programs; Financial Value To The Organization, Ricky D. Wallace

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The health and wellness of employees is of strategic importance for healthcare organizations to achieve leadership in accountable care and health reform. This study sought to discover whether an organizational program, focused on health promotion and wellness for employees, has a value to the organization. This quantitative evaluation study examines variables of a wellness program implemented at a medical facility in the United States by determining the medical costs among participants and non-participants of the facility sponsored wellness program. The results of the study provide valuation evidence concerning the program's value to the organization.

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An Evaluation Of Sample Size Re-Estimation Adaptive Designs And Delayed-Start Designs For Alzheimer's Disease Trials, Guoqiao Wang Jan 2014

An Evaluation Of Sample Size Re-Estimation Adaptive Designs And Delayed-Start Designs For Alzheimer's Disease Trials, Guoqiao Wang

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The goal of this dissertation is to investigate the effect of novel clinical trial designs for Alzheimer's disease (AD), and to provide applications for their use in real trials. The data used for our simulation is a meta-data base of completed trials. In the first paper, we investigate the sample size re-estimation (SSR) adaptive design based on the effect size and the variance without taking into account the longitudinal feature of the trials. In the second paper, we take advantage of that feature to explore the SSR based on the variance of the rate of change in the longitudinal measurements. …

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Peripheral Neuropathy In The Teetering Mice Results From Mutation Of The Escrt Component Hrs, Jennifer Ashley Watson Jan 2014

Peripheral Neuropathy In The Teetering Mice Results From Mutation Of The Escrt Component Hrs, Jennifer Ashley Watson

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The sorting and degradation of endocytosed cargo by the endosome regulates many cellular functions common to all cells. Neural cells appear to be particularly vulnerable to perturbation in endo-lysosomal transport, and several neurological disorders are caused by a primary deficit in this pathway. In this dissertation, I show that the spontaneously occurring neurological mutation teetering (tn) is a single nucleotide substitution in the endosomal cargo-sorting component hepatocyte growth factor-regulated tyrosine kinase substrate (Hgs/Hrs) that reduces the abundance of HRS. By 3 weeks of age, the tn mice exhibit heightened pain sensitivity, muscle weakness and reduced muscle size. The loss of …

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A Longitudinal Study Relating Patient Care Outcomes To Nurse Magnet Designation In United States Academic Medical Centers, Thomas R. Hunt Jan 2014

A Longitudinal Study Relating Patient Care Outcomes To Nurse Magnet Designation In United States Academic Medical Centers, Thomas R. Hunt

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The purpose of this investigation is to determine whether the addition of the structural and process elements necessary for an academic medical center to garner its initial Magnet designation is associated with improved patient care. Donabedian's linear structure-process-outcome theory serves as the framework to empirically assess the relationship between Magnet status and patient care outcomes. The influence of such organizational factors as hospital size, clinical activity, and complexity of care is investigated. Secondary data from the American Nurse Credentialing Center (ANCC) and the University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC) is used as the basis of this empirical study. This investigation identified two …

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Using Neuroimaging To Predict Treatment Response In Patients With Schizophrenia, Nathan Lyle Hutcheson Jan 2014

Using Neuroimaging To Predict Treatment Response In Patients With Schizophrenia, Nathan Lyle Hutcheson

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Schizophrenia is a severe debilitating mental illness that affects approximately 1% of people worldwide. Compared to healthy controls (HC), patients with schizophrenia (SZ) have memory deficits, specifically prominent disruptions in their episodic memory. These memory disruptions are thought to be caused by altered structure and function of areas within the memory network, specifically the prefrontal and temporal lobe including the hippocampus. Recently, identifying biomarkers of treatment response by using neuroimaging has become a prominent area of interest in schizophrenia. Biomarkers in schizophrenia could help by allowing for more efficient treatment using current method and also the development of novel treatments. …

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Thermoplastic Pultrusion Development And Characterization Of Residual In Pultruded Composites With Modeling And Experiments, Khongor Jamiyanaa Jan 2014

Thermoplastic Pultrusion Development And Characterization Of Residual In Pultruded Composites With Modeling And Experiments, Khongor Jamiyanaa

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ABSTRACT Pultrusion processing is a technique to make highly aligned fiber reinforced polymer composites. Thermoset pultrusion is a mature process and well established, while thermoplastic pultrusion in still in its infancy. Thermoplastic pultrusion has not been well established because thermoplastic resins are difficult to process due to their high viscosity. However, thermoplastic resins offer distinct advantages that make thermoplastic pultrusion worth exploring. The present work centers on developing a method to design and validate a die for a thermoplastic pultrusion system. Analytical models and various software tools were used to design a pultrusion die. Experimental measurements have been made to …

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The Relationship Between Patient Complaints And Surgical Complications, Joseph Francis John Jan 2014

The Relationship Between Patient Complaints And Surgical Complications, Joseph Francis John

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THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PATIENT COMPLAINTS AND SURGICAL COMPLICATIONS JOSEPH F. JOHN ADMINISTRATION - HEALTH SERVICES ABSTRACT Background: Patient complaints are viewed as indications of dissatisfaction with the service received or experience at a health care institution. The prediction of patient complaints is not clearly understood, and to date, very little quantitative research has evaluated the relationship between patient complaints and health care quality. Objective: The objective of this study was to examine whether (1) surgeons that operate on patients with higher perioperative surgical risk are associated with higher levels of patient complaints and (2) surgeons with higher levels of patient …

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Development Of A High-Throughput Self-Interaction Chromatography System, David Johnson Jan 2014

Development Of A High-Throughput Self-Interaction Chromatography System, David Johnson

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The first recombinant human protein drug, insulin expressed in e.coli cells, was approved by the FDA in 1982. Since then, protein therapeutics have become the fastest growing segment of the pharmaceutical industry and include immunoglobulin-g (IgG) directed cancer and immune disorder treatments. A major difficulty to bring protein drugs to market is the requirement that they be concentrated up to 150 mg/ml without aggregation for efficacy in a small injection volume. One way to improve protein drug solubility is to include additives that reduce protein-protein attraction and increase protein-protein repulsion thereby preventing protein molecules from coming together to form aggregates. …

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An Investigation Of Organizational Health And Student Achievement In Urban Title I Elementary Schools In Alabama, Lora Ann Johnson-Perry Jan 2014

An Investigation Of Organizational Health And Student Achievement In Urban Title I Elementary Schools In Alabama, Lora Ann Johnson-Perry

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pattern similar to that of sea turtles. The results indicate that daily water treatments

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Damping Enhancement Of A Pneumatic Inflatable Structure, Gabriel D. Judd Jan 2014

Damping Enhancement Of A Pneumatic Inflatable Structure, Gabriel D. Judd

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In vehicles with stiff or no suspension systems, the pneumatic tires play a greater role in vibration control. The challenge is to find an approach that enhances vibratory damping in the tires without increasing the power losses due to rolling resistance effects. The goal of this thesis is to experimentally prove a novel concept of active damping within the tire while maintaining the rolling resistance found in a typical pneumatic tire. The pneumatic structure containing two chambers connected by orifices can enhance vibration damping using the force induced when air flows through the orifices. Passive damping is produced when a …

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Mechanisms Of At101 [(-)-Gossypol] Induced Cytotoxicity In Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumors, Niroop Kaza Jan 2014

Mechanisms Of At101 [(-)-Gossypol] Induced Cytotoxicity In Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumors, Niroop Kaza

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Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs) are aggressive Schwann cell-derived sarcomas and are the leading cause of mortality in patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). Current treatment modalities have been largely ineffective resulting in a high rate of MPNST recurrence and poor five year patient survival. This necessitates the exploration of alternative chemotherapeutic options for MPNST patients. By evading apoptosis and utilizing protective mechanisms such as autophagy, cancer cells develop resistance to chemo- and radio-therapy. The overall goal of my thesis studies is to evaluate chemotherapeutic agents that can modulate both apoptosis and autophagy, thus target both cell death pathways …

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Development Of An Axonal Outgrowth Assessment Methodology For Dorsal Root Ganglia Explants And Demonstration Of Method Efficacy On Electrospun Polymer Scaffolds, Sarah Margaret Kezar Jan 2014

Development Of An Axonal Outgrowth Assessment Methodology For Dorsal Root Ganglia Explants And Demonstration Of Method Efficacy On Electrospun Polymer Scaffolds, Sarah Margaret Kezar

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In chronic spinal cord injury (SCI), a glial encapsulated cyst develops at the injury site and acts as a physical and biochemical barrier to regeneration. Discussion has suggested that filling the cyst with a growth promoting scaffold is a promising approach to cure chronic SCI, though the research to date lacks a systematic approach. Dorsal root ganglia (DRG) explants are an extremely common tissue culture model of neural regeneration employed in this field, however there is no uniform method for objectively quantifying substrate biocompatibility and neurite outgrowth. Therefore, we aimed to develop a novel DRG growth assessment methodology and to …

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Contribution Of Hyperactive Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3 (Gsk3) To Impaired Neurogenesis And Cognition In Mice, Margaret Kimbrough King Jan 2014

Contribution Of Hyperactive Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3 (Gsk3) To Impaired Neurogenesis And Cognition In Mice, Margaret Kimbrough King

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The overall goals of this research were to examine the regulatory actions of glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK3) in adult mouse hippocampal neurogenesis and in mouse cognitive functions in order to gain further insight regarding the function of GSK3 in the healthy and diseased central nervous system. Focusing on differences between male and female mice, we found that hippocampal neurogenesis was impaired by hyperactive GSK3 in both sexes, but was improved by environmental enrichment in male, but not female, mice. Chronic stress reduced neurogenesis in male mice, but not in female mice. Environmental enrichment and chronic stress inhibited, and activated, respectively, …

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The Direct Effects And Vertical Transfer Of Carbonaceous And Metal-Loaded Hydrochars In Aquatic Organisms, Katie Lauren Kohlenberg Jan 2014

The Direct Effects And Vertical Transfer Of Carbonaceous And Metal-Loaded Hydrochars In Aquatic Organisms, Katie Lauren Kohlenberg

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Industrial use of reactive micro- and nano-sized carbonaceous hydrochar (CH) is expanding rapidly. These carbonaceous particulates are synthesized by the pyrolysis of biomass in an industrial process called hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) and have gained attention as a soil conditioner. Additionally, the HTC process is being expanded to coat heavy-metal nanoparticles, such as nano-copper and nano-iron, to prevent surface oxidation of these metals. These carbonaceous particles are likely to undergo secondary reactions with metals, toxicants, or other compounds. There is potential for these carbonaceous particulates to enter watersheds and have deleterious effects on aquatic food web dynamics. In this study, we …

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Effect Of Abutment Position On Retention After Cyclic Loading Of Cantilevered Y-Tzp Fpds, Aikaterini Kostagianni Jan 2014

Effect Of Abutment Position On Retention After Cyclic Loading Of Cantilevered Y-Tzp Fpds, Aikaterini Kostagianni

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Purpose: The influence of the vertical abutment positions on the retention of a three-unit implant supported cantilevered FPD restoration was measured and compared. Methods: The study included four groups (n=10) of cantilevered FPDs restorations, fabricated of monolithic zirconia. Prefabricated titanium implant abutments were used and connected to their analogs. The analogs were fixated on a split mold and their vertical position was adjusted on a 2 mm bases depending on the group, resulting also to an alteration of the occlusal thickness of the restorative material. The prosthesis were cemented to the abutments with Rely X Luting Plus resin modified glass …

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Evaluation Of Tau As A Target For Alzheimer Disease And Other Conditions With Epileptiform Activity, Zhiyong Li Jan 2014

Evaluation Of Tau As A Target For Alzheimer Disease And Other Conditions With Epileptiform Activity, Zhiyong Li

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Alzheimer disease (AD) is a devastating neurological condition that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills of the affected patients. No disease-modifying medications are available. While all the treatment against Aߒ (major component of one hallmark pathology of AD) failed in clinical trials, tau (major component of the other hallmark pathology of AD) is emerging as a better alternative. Germline knockout of tau does not cause overt abnormalities in young mice and prevents AD-like deficits in mouse models of AD. Germline knockout of tau also confers resistance to epileptiform activity in models of both AD and epilepsy. Therefore tau is proposed …

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Type I Interferons-Induced Follicular Translocation Of Lymphotoxin-Expressing Marginal Zone B Cells Initiates Lupus, Hao Li Jan 2014

Type I Interferons-Induced Follicular Translocation Of Lymphotoxin-Expressing Marginal Zone B Cells Initiates Lupus, Hao Li

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Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is characterized by elevation of type I interferon (IFN) signature genes and production of autoantibodies against apoptotic self-antigens. The complex nature of SLE, however, suggests that multiple immune dysregulations must integrate to initiate the disease. Here, we provided evidence that lupus can be initiated via type I IFNs-induced follicular translocation of membrane lymphotoxin (mLT)-expressing marginal zone (MZ) B cells in the spleen of lupus prone BXD2 mice. The mislocation of mLT+ MZ B cells induces two important pathogenic effects including deteriorations of marginal zone macrophages (MZMs) in the MZ, leading to defective clearance of apoptotic debris, …

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Poly(N-Vinylcaprolactam) Based Thermoresponsive Nanostructured Materials, Xing Liang Jan 2014

Poly(N-Vinylcaprolactam) Based Thermoresponsive Nanostructured Materials, Xing Liang

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Poly(N-vinylcaprolactam) (PVCL) is a temperature-responsive polymer displaying a low critical solution temperature (LCST) around 30 to 40℃ in aqueous solutions that is close to the human physiological temperature. In addition, compared to other ther-moresponsive polymers, PVCL is nontoxic and biocompatible. In this thesis, we will fo-cus on the synthesis, fabrication and characterization of PVCL-based thermoresponsive nanostructured materials, such as films, hydrogels and block copolymers and their poten-tial applications in biomedical and medical areas. In chapter 2, we report on nanothin multilayer hydrogels of cross-linked PVCL that exhibited distinctive and reversible thermoresponsive behavior. The single-component PVCL hydrogels were produced by selective …

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Anatomical And Neurochemical Investigation Of The Brain In Autism, Lauren E. Libero Jan 2014

Anatomical And Neurochemical Investigation Of The Brain In Autism, Lauren E. Libero

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Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder with widespread behavioral symptoms and a strong neurobiological origin. Neuroimaging studies of ASD have uncovered evidence for widespread abnormalities in brain anatomy and functioning. Abnormalities reported by structural brain imaging, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) studies have aided in characterizing ASD as a complex, systems-wide disorder. The overarching goal of this project was to use multiple modalities of neuroimaging to investigate the underlying neural mechanisms of ASD. The following techniques were used to collect and analyze multimodal neuroimaging data from a relatively large number of participants …

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Ksrp Ablation Enhances Lipolysis In White Adipose Tissue Through Reduced Mir-145 Expression, Yi-Yu Lin Jan 2014

Ksrp Ablation Enhances Lipolysis In White Adipose Tissue Through Reduced Mir-145 Expression, Yi-Yu Lin

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White adipose tissue (WAT) releases fatty acids from stored triacylglycerol (TAG) for energy source. Here, we report that null mice for KH-type splicing regulatory protein (KSRP), an RNA-binding protein, resisted high fat diet (HFD) induced obesity. Target of deletion of KSRP regulates gene expression at multiple levels and enhances lipolysis in epididymal WAT (eWAT) due to up-regulation of genes promoting lipolytic activity. Expression of miR-145 is decreased due to impaired pri-miR-145 processing in Ksrp-/- eWAT. We show that miR-145 directly targets and represses Foxo1 and Cgi58, activators of lipolytic activity, and forced expression of miR-145 attenuates lipolysis. This study reveals …

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Transmitted/Founder Siv In The Rhesus Macaque Model Of Hiv-1 Infection, Mike Lopker Jan 2014

Transmitted/Founder Siv In The Rhesus Macaque Model Of Hiv-1 Infection, Mike Lopker

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Vitally important to HIV-1 vaccine and prevention studies is a well-characterized animal model that recapitulates the salient features of HIV infection in humans. SIVmac and SIVsmm infection of rhesus macaques share key virological and pathological parallels with HIV-1 infection of humans including target cell entry via CD4 and CCR5 (Edinger et al., 1997), progressive T cell loss (Swanstrom & Coffin, 2012), generalized immune activation and preferential loss of mucosal Th17 cells (Brenchley et al., 2008; Klatt & Brenchley, 2010), and a vigorous but ultimately ineffective adaptive immune response. Though commonly used as a vaccine challenge strain in the macaque model, …

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Differences In How Bmi And Body Fat Distribution Influence Body Dissatisfaction And Self-Esteem In Caucasian And African American Early Pubertal Girls, Danielle Marie Lorch Jan 2014

Differences In How Bmi And Body Fat Distribution Influence Body Dissatisfaction And Self-Esteem In Caucasian And African American Early Pubertal Girls, Danielle Marie Lorch

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Body dissatisfaction is among many psychological concerns related to obesity, particularly among pre-adolescent females. Though obesity prevalence estimates are higher among African American (AA) adolescent females, the limited data available suggests that they are less susceptible to weight-related body dissatisfaction than Caucasians. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the relationship between BMI and body dissatisfaction and the relationship between BMI and self-esteem in obese AA and Caucasian girls, aged 7-11 years, and determine if these relationships are moderated by race. Furthermore, an examination of how total body fat and body fat distribution before and after a dietary …

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Exploring Intrinsic Biomarkers For Optical Assessment Of Outer Retina, Rongwen Lu Jan 2014

Exploring Intrinsic Biomarkers For Optical Assessment Of Outer Retina, Rongwen Lu

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The retina suffers pathological changes after attacked by eye diseases. The objective of my PhD dissertation is to explore intrinsic biomarkers for noninvasive assessment of retinal morphological structure and physiological function. Fundus autofluorescence (FAF), optical coherence tomography (OCT), etc. have provided indispensable information for eye disease detection. However, better understanding of the intrinsic biomarkers in FAF and OCT is desirable for quantitative interpretation of clinical outcomes. The first specific aim of the dissertation research was to characterize FAF signals across the whole retinal depth using two-photon excitation. FAF signals are usually attributable to fluorophores from the choroidal vessel and the …

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The Role Of The Autophagy-Lysosome Pathway In In Vitro Models Of Neurodegeneration, Burton Mader Jan 2014

The Role Of The Autophagy-Lysosome Pathway In In Vitro Models Of Neurodegeneration, Burton Mader

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Recent studies have provided strong evidence that alterations in protein degradation pathways, such as the autophagy-lysosome pathway (ALP), may contribute to neuronal dysfunction and death which lead to clinical symptoms diagnosed with various neurodegenerative diseases. Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by neuromuscular abnormalities resulting from the pathological loss of substantia nigra dopaminergic neurons and widespread detection of Lewy bodies, intracellular protein inclusions composed primarily of α-synuclein. Additionally, altered gene function regulating the expression of α-synuclein has been directly linked to the PD pathogenesis. Autophagy is an intracellular degradation process that when altered can lead to the accumulation neurotoxic proteins such …

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Enhancing The Social Interactions Of Preschool Children With Autism: The Effectiveness Of A Peer-Mediated Intervention, Marjorie Katherine Mccalla Jan 2014

Enhancing The Social Interactions Of Preschool Children With Autism: The Effectiveness Of A Peer-Mediated Intervention, Marjorie Katherine Mccalla

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Deficits in social interactions are considered the defining feature of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and are a powerful predictor of individual outcomes. Although a wide variety of methods for improving social skills in individuals with ASD have been examined, it is still unclear what approaches are most effective. This pilot study evaluated the efficacy of a new manualized social skills intervention package for preschoolers with ASD that integrated methods with demonstrated efficacy (i.e., ABA, peer training, and video modeling). Approximately two thirds of the intervention were delivered during free play in the classroom and on the playground, allowing children to …

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Night Comes Early To The Valley, Caitlin Murphree Miller Jan 2014

Night Comes Early To The Valley, Caitlin Murphree Miller

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Night Comes Early to the Valley is a collection of short stories about vulnerable, flawed people trying to discover the best way to live their lives. They are well-meaning mothers, fathers, children, and lovers, yet all struggle to balance the fulfillment of their personal responsibilities with the realization of their deepest individual desires. The collection highlights characters who are desperate to atone for their mistakes, build brighter futures, and live up to the expectations of their loved ones--only to realize, over time, that the most formidable judge they'll ever face is their own conscience.

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Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein And Gliosis: Is Gfap More Than A Marker?, Heather Renee Minkel Jan 2014

Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein And Gliosis: Is Gfap More Than A Marker?, Heather Renee Minkel

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Alexander Disease (AxD) is a `gliopathy' caused by toxic, dominant gain-of-function mutations in the gene encoding glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). Two distinct types of AxD exist. Type I AxD affected individuals develop cerebral symptoms by four years of age and generally suffer from macrocephaly, seizures, and physical and mental delays. As detection and diagnosis have improved, a larger portion, now about half of all AxD patients diagnosed, have onset >4 years and brainstem/spinal cord involvement. These type II AxD patients typically experience ataxia, palatal myoclonus, dysphagia and dysphonia. To date no study has examined a mechanistic link between the …

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