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2014

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Evaluation Of Municipal Wastewater In The Vicinity Of Birmingham, Alabama For Estrogens Using Vitellogenin Gene Expression In Largescale Stonerollers (Campostoma Oligolepis), Shara Blackwell Legg Jan 2014

Evaluation Of Municipal Wastewater In The Vicinity Of Birmingham, Alabama For Estrogens Using Vitellogenin Gene Expression In Largescale Stonerollers (Campostoma Oligolepis), Shara Blackwell Legg

All ETDs from UAB

Environmental endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) have become a growing threat to the health of humans and wildlife. Numerous studies have demonstrated the presence of EDCs in freshwater aquatic environments. Environmental estrogens, both natural and synthetic, appear to be posing a threat to the reproductive fitness of aquatic organisms. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) have been identified as significant routes by which the EDCs enter waterways. The egg yolk precursor protein vitellogenin (VTG) has proven to be a useful biomarker that can be used to identify organisms that have been exposed to environmental estrogens. In this study, a quantitative RT-PCR assay for …

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Examining The Role Of G Protein-Coupled Estrogen Receptor 1 (Gper) Activation In 17beta-Estradiol-Mediated Protection In Traumatic Brain Injury, Nicole Day Jan 2014

Examining The Role Of G Protein-Coupled Estrogen Receptor 1 (Gper) Activation In 17beta-Estradiol-Mediated Protection In Traumatic Brain Injury, Nicole Day

All ETDs from UAB

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) affects millions of persons per year, potentially leading to permanent disability or death, and exacts a staggering financial toll. Despite the severity of this public health problem, there are no clinically proven pharmacotherapeutics available that effectively attenuate the secondary neurochemically-mediated damage that follows the initial biomechanical insult. In addition, the heterogeneous nature of TBI and complexity of secondary injury cascades suggest that a polytherapeutic approach could be a powerful strategy with which to simultaneously target more than one deleterious pathway. Recently, sex steroid hormones have sparked interest as possible neuroprotective agents after traumatic injury. One of …

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Alpha-Camkii-Induced Vegf Expression Is Critical For The Growth Of Human Osteosarcoma, Paul Glenn Daft Jan 2014

Alpha-Camkii-Induced Vegf Expression Is Critical For The Growth Of Human Osteosarcoma, Paul Glenn Daft

All ETDs from UAB

Osteosarcoma (OS) is among the most frequently occurring primary bone tumors, primarily affecting adolescents and young adults. Despite improvements in OS treatment, more specific molecular targets are needed. One target of interest is alpha-Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (α-CaMKII), a ubiquitous mediator of Ca2+-linked signaling, which has been shown to regulate tumor cell proliferation. Here, we show that α-CaMKII is highly expressed in primary OS tissue, and α-CaMKII deletion in human OS cell lines significantly reduces tumor burden in vivo. This inhibition of α-CaMKII results in decreased vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) protein secretion. Highly aggressive OS cells express VEGF receptor …

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Patient And System Level Factors As Predictors Of Adherence To Antiretroviral Therapy Appointment Schedules In Cambodia, Gary T. Daigle Jan 2014

Patient And System Level Factors As Predictors Of Adherence To Antiretroviral Therapy Appointment Schedules In Cambodia, Gary T. Daigle

All ETDs from UAB

PATIENT AND SYSTEM LEVEL FACTORS AS PREDICTORS OF ADHERENCE TO ANTIRETROVIRAL THERAPY APPOINTMENT SCHEDULES IN CAMBODIA GARY T. DAIGLE EPIDEMIOLOGY / INTERNATIONAL HEALTH ABSTRACT On-time attendance at clinical appointments by patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART) is essential to the prevention of medication interruptions, viral rebound, drug resistance, and long term mortality. An observational study conducted in 2010, Enablers and Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy in Cambodia, sought to identify factors that predict on-time clinical appointment attendance by patients on ART. These factors were classified as either ART patient level factors (e.g. demographic, clinical) or patient care and support system level factors …

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The Relationship Between Emergency Department Wait Times And Inpatient Satisfaction, Polly Jean Davenport Jan 2014

The Relationship Between Emergency Department Wait Times And Inpatient Satisfaction, Polly Jean Davenport

All ETDs from UAB

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Comparisons Between The Nod And Nor Mouse: Insight Into Diabetes Pathogenesis And Protection, Joseph Guy Daft Jan 2014

Comparisons Between The Nod And Nor Mouse: Insight Into Diabetes Pathogenesis And Protection, Joseph Guy Daft

All ETDs from UAB

Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) is defined as the selective immune destruction of insulin producing beta cells within the islet. A new emphasis has been put on the role of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract in T1D; however, there is much more to learn about this relationship. Distinct differences have been observed in the intestinal permeability, barrier function, commensal microbiota, and mucosal innate and adaptive immunity of patients and animals with T1D, when compared to healthy controls. The non-obese diabetic (NOD) mouse and the BioBreeding diabetes prone (BBdp) rat are commonly used to models to study T1D in humans. Most murine studies …

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Contribution Of Kv4.2 To Neuronal Hyperexcitability In A Mouse Model Of Alzheimer's Disease, Alicia Marie Hall Jan 2014

Contribution Of Kv4.2 To Neuronal Hyperexcitability In A Mouse Model Of Alzheimer's Disease, Alicia Marie Hall

All ETDs from UAB

may be advantageous for increasing seasonal and yearly variability in sex ratios.

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Imaging Biomarkers For Prediction Of Treatment Response In Schizophrenia, Jennifer Ann Hadley Jan 2014

Imaging Biomarkers For Prediction Of Treatment Response In Schizophrenia, Jennifer Ann Hadley

All ETDs from UAB

Schizophrenia affects approximately 1% of the population and is one of the top five causes of disability worldwide. Patient response to any particular drug is variable and currently unpredictable. Our overall goal is to identify imaging biomarkers that will distinguish patients with schizophrenia who will respond to an antipsychotic drug from those who will not. When considering potential biomarkers, it is important to note that schizophrenia is known to involve altered neuronal connections, thought to reflect pathologically relevant changes associated with the disease. We propose to utilize functional connectivity as a biomarker for treatment response to antipsychotic drugs in schizophrenia. …

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The Multifaceted Role Of Neutrophils In Hiv-1-Infection, Nathan Bowers Jan 2014

The Multifaceted Role Of Neutrophils In Hiv-1-Infection, Nathan Bowers

All ETDs from UAB

In recent years, a new appreciation of the role of neutrophils in regulating the immune system has emerged. Neutrophils are the most abundant leukocyte population and are traditionally recognized as essential effector cells of the innate immune system in the host defense against invading organisms. Neutrophils play a critical role in controlling bacterial and fungal infections by multiple mechanisms including phagocytosis, degranulation, and formation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). Neutrophils have been shown to play important roles in viral pathogenesis, a knowledge gap exists in our understanding of the function of neutrophils in individuals infected with human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1). …

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Depression And Alcohol Use Disorders As Gendered Phenotypes Of 5-Httlpr, Bryant Walker Hamby Jan 2014

Depression And Alcohol Use Disorders As Gendered Phenotypes Of 5-Httlpr, Bryant Walker Hamby

All ETDs from UAB

The serotonin transporter linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR) has been associated with both depression and alcohol use disorders in previous gene-environment interaction studies, but these associations have not been consistent. Previous research on mental health has posited that depression and alcohol use disorders are functionally equivalent manifestations of distress, with men displaying alcohol use disorders and women displaying depression in response to stress. This paper assesses whether the presence of the risk-conferring serotonin gene alleles increase an individual's chance of expressing distress as either depression or alcohol use disorders, depending on gender. The hypotheses that more symptoms of depression would be …

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Assessing System Congruence By Analyzing The Relationship Between Employee And Patient Driven Outputs, Timothy J. Harlin Jan 2014

Assessing System Congruence By Analyzing The Relationship Between Employee And Patient Driven Outputs, Timothy J. Harlin

All ETDs from UAB

Patients are at risk for employee driven preventable adverse events during hospital stays. These adverse events are varied and include such things as medication errors, pressure ulcers, hospital acquired infections, and falls. Preventable adverse events continue at alarming frequency despite significant academic, regulatory, and management attention to the topic over the past 14 years since the Institute of Medicine's (IOM) To Err is Human report. In addition to being at risk for preventable adverse events, patients experience aspects of the health care system such as ease of access, employee attitude, skill and efficiency of staff, and perceived value. Although purporting …

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An Evaluation Of The Healthy Eating Active Living (Heal) Alabama Program For Prevention Of Childhood Obesity Among Fifth Grade Students, Kelley Devane Hart Jan 2014

An Evaluation Of The Healthy Eating Active Living (Heal) Alabama Program For Prevention Of Childhood Obesity Among Fifth Grade Students, Kelley Devane Hart

All ETDs from UAB

Childhood obesity is a major public health concern. The multiple effects of obesity in childhood are long-reaching. Since weight loss and maintenance are very difficult, prevention of obesity is important. Schools have been identified as an important environment for obesity prevention interventions since most children spend a large portion of the day at school. The purpose of this secondary data analysis was to determine if the Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL) Alabama intervention improved weight status, fitness levels, and health knowledge and behaviors. A 2-by-2 repeated measures ANOVA was performed to determine whether differences exist between intervention and comparison students …

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Autism And Work: The Impact Of Comorbidity On Employment, Karen Harris Jan 2014

Autism And Work: The Impact Of Comorbidity On Employment, Karen Harris

All ETDs from UAB

included sex ratio predictions for every nest in the main egg corral for 2007 and 2008.

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An Examination Of The Services That Contribute To Positive Vocational Outcomes In Adults With Developmental Disabilities, Abbey N. Harris Jan 2014

An Examination Of The Services That Contribute To Positive Vocational Outcomes In Adults With Developmental Disabilities, Abbey N. Harris

All ETDs from UAB

One of the most pressing issues concerning persons with developmental disabilities is making sure their needs are met once they reach adulthood. As adults, they should have the abilities and skills to be as independent as possible and to be contributing members of society. Without the proper services and help, though, this may not be possible for a large portion of this population. Research suggests that supportive employment services alone may not be enough to meet their unique vocational needs and to improve the likelihood of their achieving personal and financial independence. The purpose of this study was to determine …

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Sialic Acid: A Signal For Pneumococcal Egress From The Nasal Mucosa Into The Central Nervous System, Brandon L. Hatcher Jan 2014

Sialic Acid: A Signal For Pneumococcal Egress From The Nasal Mucosa Into The Central Nervous System, Brandon L. Hatcher

All ETDs from UAB

Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) is one of the leading causes of bacterial meningitis world-wide. The classic paradigm in the establishment of bacterial meningitis is that in the absence of physical trauma, infection in the peripheral blood is needed to cause invasion of the central nervous system (CNS). Our previous studies have shown that pneumococci, a frequent colonizer of the nasopharynx, can cause bacterial meningitis through a nonhematogenous route by which bacteria appear to travel along the olfactory nerves, through the cribriform plate to the olfactory bulbs and into the rest of the CNS. However, with the frequency of nasopharyngeal colonization and …

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The Role Of Gene Fragmentation And Loss In Poxvirus Evolution, Eneida Hatcher Jan 2014

The Role Of Gene Fragmentation And Loss In Poxvirus Evolution, Eneida Hatcher

All ETDs from UAB

temperatures were near pivotal. The second chapter addresses the effects of fluctuating

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Phosphorus-Donor Substituted Transition Metal Complexes: Coordination And Alkene Hydroformylation, Samantha Delmont Hastings Jan 2014

Phosphorus-Donor Substituted Transition Metal Complexes: Coordination And Alkene Hydroformylation, Samantha Delmont Hastings

All ETDs from UAB

more refined estimate of the transitional range of temperatures (TRT) and pivotal

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Proteomic Analysis Of Rosenthal Fibers And The Development Of Software For Proteomics, Michael Raymond Heaven Jan 2014

Proteomic Analysis Of Rosenthal Fibers And The Development Of Software For Proteomics, Michael Raymond Heaven

All ETDs from UAB

The first aim of my thesis was to identify the protein composition of the protein aggregates, called Rosenthal fibers, which are the defining feature of Alexander disease (AxD). AxD is a rare neurodegenerative disease caused by mutations in the astrocyte specific protein, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). GFAP is a type III intermediate filament protein that is overexpressed in AxD. A guiding hypothesis of this project was that sequestration of vital cell proteins in the aggregates contributed to disease. The results of my research do not support this hypothesis, but do provide an in depth characterization of the protein composition …

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Sex Differences In Ss-Adrenergic Responsiveness Of Isolated Rabbit Hearts, Gregory Hoeker Jan 2014

Sex Differences In Ss-Adrenergic Responsiveness Of Isolated Rabbit Hearts, Gregory Hoeker

All ETDs from UAB

Stimulation of adrenergic receptors by catecholamines is the predominant regulatory mechanism for cardiovascular performance. Many cardiovascular diseases involve changes in ß-adrenergic signaling that often lead to decreased cardiac performance, cardiac arrhythmias, and/or sudden cardiac death. This has made ß-adrenergic receptors (ß-ARs) a significant therapeutic target in cardiovascular disease. Sex differences in ß-adrenergic responsiveness have been associated with cardioprotection in females, conferring a survival benefit in female patients with heart failure (HF). The heart contains three distinct ß-ARs: ß1-, ß2-, and ß3-AR. It is not known how each ß-AR subtype contributes to the sex differences in ß-responsiveness, let alone how this …

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Effect Of Protons On The Biology Of Human Gliomas, Avinash Vinayak Honasoge Jan 2014

Effect Of Protons On The Biology Of Human Gliomas, Avinash Vinayak Honasoge

All ETDs from UAB

Gliomas are the most common and most deadly primary brain cancer. Patient outcome for the most malignant variety, the World Health Organization (WHO) Type IV glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), has stagnated over the last several decades - the best combination treatment of surgical resection, radiation, and chemotherapy results in median survival of just over a year. To escape treatment, GBM must multiply and migrate in a confined brain environment. Both of these aspects of tumor cell invasion rely on the cell's ability to volume regulate; cell division involves a stage called "pre-mitotic condensation" in which the cells shrink immediately prior to …

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Nanodiamond Mediated Therapies For Prostate Cancer, Amanee Salaam Jan 2014

Nanodiamond Mediated Therapies For Prostate Cancer, Amanee Salaam

All ETDs from UAB

Enhancing therapeutic efficacy is essential for successful treatment of chemoresistant cancers such as metastatic hormone-refractory prostate cancer. Current chemotherapy regimens are plagued with issues such as toxicity, low bioavailability, and lack of specificity. To combat these issues, the feasibility of using nanodiamond particles (ND) to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of doxorubicin and resveratrol was investigated. The enhancement of chemotherapy using NDs was evaluated with three unique approaches: (1) drug mediation, (2) combination therapy, and (3) targeted drug delivery. The ND mediated doxorubicin system achieved a 50% improvement in therapeutic efficacy with over 60% cell death. The ND resveratrol combination therapy …

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Fabrication And Characterization Of Functionalized Polymer Systems Using Dip-Pen Nanolithography, Carrie Schindler Jan 2014

Fabrication And Characterization Of Functionalized Polymer Systems Using Dip-Pen Nanolithography, Carrie Schindler

All ETDs from UAB

As more technology shifts from the microscale to the nanoscale, the demand for new fabrication and characterization methods to investigate material properties on the nanoscale significantly increases. Dip-pen nanolithography is an innovative printing technique with the precision to deposit a multitude of inks with nanoscale dimensions on a variety of substrates. This bottom-up approach of high-throughput printing has enabled the study of nanomaterials spanning the gamut of disciplines from nanoelectronics to single-cell interactions to drug delivery. However, the scalability and reproducibility of the dip-pen nanolithography platform has yet to reach full potential in terms of large-scale material production. Specifically, the …

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Measuring The Relationship Between Contextual Factors, Nurse Staffing Patterns, And Hospital Performance, Dong Yeong Shin Jan 2014

Measuring The Relationship Between Contextual Factors, Nurse Staffing Patterns, And Hospital Performance, Dong Yeong Shin

All ETDs from UAB

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Role Of Immunoregulatory Cytokines Il-12 And Il-23 In Skin Cancer, Tahseen H. Nasti Jan 2014

Role Of Immunoregulatory Cytokines Il-12 And Il-23 In Skin Cancer, Tahseen H. Nasti

All ETDs from UAB

The incidence of new cases of skin cancer, which includes non-melanoma epithelial tumors and melanoma, has increased dramatically over the last few decades. Approximately 75% of all skin cancer-related deaths is due to melanoma, which is one of the most aggressive and difficult cancers to treat. The initiating events and mechanisms that influence melanoma development are not fully known, due in part to a paucity of animal models amenable to identifying new oncogenic mutations, and investigating mechanisms of immunosurveillance. Transgenic mouse models often harbor an activating mutation in a known oncogene in all somatic cells, and its widespread expression from …

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Dihydrofolate Reductase Inhibitors - Applications To Chagas Disease And Dental Caries, Thao Nguyen Jan 2014

Dihydrofolate Reductase Inhibitors - Applications To Chagas Disease And Dental Caries, Thao Nguyen

All ETDs from UAB

significantly influenced sex ratios by increasing the production of males when

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Coevolution Of Sponges And Microbial Symbionts Across Ocean Basins, Zachary Lee Nolen Jan 2014

Coevolution Of Sponges And Microbial Symbionts Across Ocean Basins, Zachary Lee Nolen

All ETDs from UAB

Sponges (phylum Porifera) can comprise a large portion of benthic communities in freshwater and marine environments. Because sponges possess simple body plans and can have substantial phenotypic plasticity within species, reconstructing phylogenies of Porifera based upon morphologies alone has proven difficult. With the advent of nucleic acid sequencing technologies, interest in sponge phylogenetics has significantly increased among researchers. Additionally, sponges host a wide range of microbial symbionts, including the cyanobacterium Synechococcus spongiarum. This study examined the evolution of both sets of organisms in the symbiotic relationship between Aplysina sponges and Synechococcus cyanobacteria. In Chapter 3, gene sequences coding for the …

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Three-Dimensional Photography Of Facial Morphology Of African-American Children Compared To Welsh Children, Don Franklin Norris Jan 2014

Three-Dimensional Photography Of Facial Morphology Of African-American Children Compared To Welsh Children, Don Franklin Norris

All ETDs from UAB

The purpose of this study is to compare the facial morphology of African-American children to Welsh children using three-dimensional imaging. Materials and Methods: Three-dimensional images were captured using a stereo-photogrammatic camera system (3dMDfaceTM). 107 African-American children were imaged with the 3dMDfaceTM system and were compared with 64 Welsh children which were previously imaged using two Minolta Vivid VI900 3D laser scanners arranged in a stereo pair. The subjects were between 10 and 13 years old, presented with a normal BMI, and had no major craniofacial deformity. The images were aligned, combined and averaged using Rapidform 2006 Plus Pack 2 software …

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Creating An Instrument To Examine Athlete Alumni Philanthropy, Megan Gormley Jan 2014

Creating An Instrument To Examine Athlete Alumni Philanthropy, Megan Gormley

Master of Education in Applied Human Development Graduate Projects

For many years, Bowling Green State University has had trouble getting athlete alumni to financially give back to their former program. While developing an instrument to survey the athlete alumni their reasons for giving or not giving, it was determined that no instrument was available to solicit responses. Each school has a unique culture and most surveys that have been used in previous research were very specific to that institution. This project developed a survey that can be easily adapted to any situation and culture so any university can use it as a template. When properly administered, this survey will …

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Pythagorean Formula In Baseball: Creation Of A Better Model Using Backward Elimination Stepwise Regression Analysis, Kellen R. Taylor Jan 2014

Pythagorean Formula In Baseball: Creation Of A Better Model Using Backward Elimination Stepwise Regression Analysis, Kellen R. Taylor

Master of Education in Applied Human Development Graduate Projects

Since the revealing of “Moneyball”, baseball organizations have increased its focus on the importance of statistical analysis (Lewis, 2003). This study attempts to create a model using baseball statistics that can predict a team’s wins, more accurately than the Pythagorean formula. The Pythagorean formula measures actual or projected runs scored against runs allowed and projects a team’s won-loss percentage (James, 1980). While this measure is accurate within reason, it excludes traditional and newer statistical measures from the equation. The author hypothesizes that a better model can be produced from more advanced statistical analysis, since Bill James’ developed the formula through …

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Nyar Savannah Program 2014, National Youth-At-Risk Conference, Savannah Jan 2014

Nyar Savannah Program 2014, National Youth-At-Risk Conference, Savannah

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

N/A

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