Digital Commons Network^™

Musical Stairs: Encouraging Physical Activity Through Persuasive Technology, Meagan Combs 15

Honor Scholar Theses

This study examined persuasive technology and its effect on participants’ motivation to engage in physical activity. A set of musical stairs was built using infrared proximity sensors, designed to make the experience of climbing the stairs more “fun”. The software was written in such a way that each step a participant took on the stairs provided a musical response. The experiment tested three conditions: the control condition (without sounds), a condition with piano note sounds, and a condition with guitar chord sounds. The results suggest that more participants interacted with the stairs during the conditions with sound compared to the …

Pharmacologic Induction Of The Melanocotin 1 Receptor (Mc1r) Pathway Provides Protection Against Sunburn And Enhances Expression Of Antioxidant Enzymes In The Skin, Alexandra Amaro-Ortiz

Theses and Dissertations--Toxicology and Cancer Biology

The inability to tan properly after sun exposure strongly correlates with increased incidence of skin cancer. The melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) is a transmembrane Gs-coupled cell surface receptor found on epidermal melanocytes that transmits pro-survival and pro-differentiation signals mediated by the second messenger cAMP. Humans carrying loss-of-function polymorphisms in MC1R signaling exhibit higher incidences of skin cancers including melanoma.

This study focused on the physiologic effects of topical application of forskolin, an adenylate cyclase activator, in extension (Mc1r^e/e) K14-SCF animals, which model the fair-skinned UV-sensitive human. Twice daily application of the drug promoted accelerated pigmentation, increased skin darkening …

Role Of Caveolin-1 And Nrf2 In Nutritional Modulation Of Pcb Toxicity, Michael C. Petriello

Theses and Dissertations--Toxicology and Cancer Biology

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality in Western societies and is linked to multiple modifiable risk factors including lifestyle choices. Emerging evidence implicates exposure to persistent environmental pollutants, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), as a risk factor for the development or progression of cardiovascular disease. To reduce disease risks, it is critical to identify sensible means of biomedically reducing the toxicity of persistent organic pollutants and related environmental stressors.

First, we tested a hypothesis that endothelial cell inflammation and subsequent cardiovascular toxicity initiated by coplanar PCBs is modulated by the crosstalk between caveolae and Nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like …

Open Source Business Models And Synthetic Biology, Tej Singh

Law Student Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Ecohydraulic Investigation Of Diatoms In A Bedrock-Controlled Stream, Alex M. Rittle

Theses and Dissertations--Geography

Recent studies within the past decade or so have shown the importance of algae in geomorphic and hydrologic processes of lotic systems. However, the ecohydraulic role of algae in bedrock systems has largely been ignored. In addition, the utility of algae as indicators of channel dynamics have often been assumed by geomorphologists, but relatively few studies have examined this relationship. The purpose of this study was to determine whether algae, specifically diatoms, are useful indicators of channel geomorphological dynamics, and to examine if distinct habitats or biotopes typical in fluviokarst and bedrock systems provide unique habitat space for diatoms, and …

Environmental Governance In The Carbon Economy: Regulating Greenhouse Gas Emissions In California's Cap-And-Trade Program, Patrick M. Bigger

Theses and Dissertations--Geography

Since 2006 California has been pursuing the most ambitious climate change policy in the United States, implementing a suite of greenhouse gas reduction measures ranging from automobile refrigerant disposal rules to clean energy standards for electric power utilities. The most significant of these measures is the creation of a cap‐and‐trade program. Through this program, regulators seek to create a knowable price‐signal to incentivize emissions reductions among polluters. Using a suite of ethnographic methods, this dissertation looks at the people, ideas, and institutions that have been mobilized in the creation of California’s cap‐and‐ trade program.

Substantively, the dissertation engages with three …

A Comprehensive Understanding Of Corpse Management In Termites, Qian Sun

Theses and Dissertations--Entomology

Undertaking behavior is the disposal of dead individuals in social colonies to prevent potential pathogenic attack. This behavioral trait has convergently evolved in social insects (primarily termites, ants, and honeybee), and is considered an essential adaptation to social living. In honey bee and ants, workers recognize dead colony members through the postmortem change of chemical profile, and corpses are usually removed out of nest. However, in termites, little is known about the behavioral pattern, chemical cue or molecular basis. In the eastern subterranean termite, Reticulitermes flavipes, this study investigated undertaking behavior toward corpses of different origins and postmortem times. …

Wbwg News, Volume 10, No. 1, Winter 2015, Bronwyn Hogan

WBWG News

Contents: WBWG News -- North America -- Canada -- USA -- Announcements -- PDF Corner -- Upcoming Events

The Medicalization Of Nonhuman Animal Rights: Frame Contestation And The Exploitation Of Disability, Corey Lee Wrenn, Joanne Clark, Maddie Judge, Katharine A. Gilchrist, Delanie Woodlock, Katherine Dotson, Riva Spanos, Jonothan Wrenn

Animal Rights Movement Collection

Nonhuman Animal rights activists are sometimes dismissed as ‘crazy’ or irrational by countermovements seeking to protect status quo social structures. Social movements themselves often utilize disability narratives in their claims-making as well. In this article, we argue that Nonhuman Animal exploitation and Nonhuman Animal rights activism are sometimes medicalized in frame disputes. The contestation over mental ability ultimately exploits humans with disabilities. The medicalization of Nonhuman Animal rights activism diminishes activists’ social justice claims, but the movement’s medicalization of Nonhuman Animal use unfairly otherizes its target population and treats disability identity as a pejorative. Utilizing a content analysis of major …

Resiliency And Self-Care For Pastors In Japan Facing A Disaster, John G. Houlette

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

For Japanese pastors facing a disaster, exercising resiliency and self-care is an enormous task as clergy deal with varying disaster-related attitudes, impact within the church and overwhelming need and opportunity in the community. In addition to surveying seminary students, pastors who experienced the 1995 Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake as well as pastors who lived through the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and seminary professors who train next generation pastors were interviewed using co-inquiry and a 360-degree data gathering approach. Results showed that managing stress, loss, relationships, compassion fatigue and burnout were common challenges. The data indicated that practicing resilient leadership entails …

Rediscovering The Urgency Of Intentional Discipleship In The Naga Churches In Nagaland, Orenvungo Ngullie

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The problem this research addressed was the lack of intentional discipleship which has resulted in spiritual apathy and has hampered the development of leadership in the local churches in Nagaland, rendering Christians ineffective to impact the community. The study involved evangelical churches in Nagaland from various denominations, such as Baptist, Pentecostal, Revival and a couple of independent churches. In response to this problem, the researcher drew important lessons from the Great Commission passage (Matt. 28:19-20) highlighting the importance of discipleship as an intentional pursuit instead of an accidental venture. The literature review dealt with the current and relevant issues that …

A Qualitative Study Of Doubt In The Evangelical Tradition, Benjamin B. Young

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project explored the difference between evangelicals who doubted and stayed in the evangelical Christian faith and those who left the fold. Grounded theory was the primary research methodology and data was gathered from interviews with people who struggled with doubt. This data was used to develop a strategy for people going through doubt and for pastors helping others process doubt. Pastors need to provide a safe a place to doubt by listening and being patient, and by waiting to see how God will work in the lives of the people who are struggling with doubt.

Stages Of Change For Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision And Sexual Risk Behavior In Uncircumcised Zambian Men: The Spear And Shield Project, Colleen A. Redding, Deborah Jones, Robert Zulu, Ndashi Chitalu, Ryan Cook, Stephen M. Weiss

Psychology Faculty Publications

Background: Dissemination and scale up of voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) programs is well supported by evidence that VMMC reduces HIV risk in populations with high HIV prevalence and low rates of circumcision, as is the case in Zambia.

Purpose: At both individual and population levels, it is important to understand what stages of change for VMMC are associated with, especially across cultures. This study evaluated VMMC knowledge, misinformation, and stages of change for VMMC of uncircumcised men and boys (over 18 years), as well as the concurrent relationship between VMMC stages of change and sexual risk behaviors.

Method: Uncircumcised …

The Social Conscience Of The Saint John's Bible Ii -- On Syrian Refugees And The Reversals Of Christmas, Paul N. Anderson

Faculty Publications - George Fox School of Theology

No abstract provided.

Domestic Violence, Gun Possession, And The Importance Of Context, Wesley M. Oliver

Indiana Law Journal

Context is everything.

A federal law prohibits those convicted of committing an act of domestic violence from possessing weapons. 1 This term, the U.S. Supreme Court decided that this statute would apply even to those convicted of crimes that did not necessarily involve violent acts.2 This conclusion strains the ordinary meaning of language, but is quite consistent with a long tradition in criminal cases that favors a pro-government interpretation of a statute when the public welfare is at stake. And domestic violence, Justice Sotomayor stressed in her opinion, has reached epidemic levels, prompting Congress to get guns out of the …

Independent Monsters With No Friends: Digital Monsters And The Social Effects Of The Internet, George Evans

Vulcan Historical Review

pp. 150-159

Inquiro 9 (Complete Issue), Inquiro Staff

Inquiro (undergraduate research journal)

https://www.uab.edu/inquiro/issues/past-issues/volume-9

A Review Of An Anthropologist On Mars By Oliver Sacks, Amy Stewart

Inquiro (undergraduate research journal)

pp. 13-14

https://www.uab.edu/inquiro/issues/past-issues/volume-9/a-review-of-an-anthropologist-on-mars-by-oliver-sacks

The Effects Of An American Diet On Health, Courtney Walker

Inquiro (undergraduate research journal)

pp. 18-20

https://www.uab.edu/inquiro/issues/past-issues/volume-9/the-effects-of-an-american-diet-on-health

Retinitis Pigmentosa: A Brief Review Of The Genetic And Clinical Aspects Of The Disease, Itia Dowdell

Inquiro (undergraduate research journal)

pp. 53-59

https://www.uab.edu/inquiro/images/2016_Issue/Retinitis_Pigmentosa.pdf

Tannic Acid-Containing Nanothin Coatings Dampen Innate Immune-Derived Pro-Inflammatory Chemokine Synthesis, Dana Pham-Hua, Lindsey Padgett, Bing Xue, Veronika Kozlovskaya, Eugenia Kharlampieva, Hubert Tse

Inquiro (undergraduate research journal)

pp. 59-65

https://www.uab.edu/inquiro/images/2016_Issue/Tannic_Acid.pdf

“Is There A Basement In This Poem?” On Making Story Of Verse, Susannah Mintz

Birmingham Poetry Review

pp. 23-32

Emerging Adulthood And Faith (Calvin Shorts), Jonathan P. Hill

Calvin Press

Is the Church losing the next generation of young people? Jonathan P. Hill critically examines this question, interpreting sociological data that takes into account the broader cultural and historical context. He challenges common assumptions and draws conclusions that are counterintuitive, complex, and encouraging.

Naturalism, Causality, And Nietzsche's Conception Of Science, Justin Remhof

Philosophy Faculty Publications

There is a disagreement over how to understand Nietzsche’s view of science. According to what I call the Negative View, Nietzsche thinks science should be reconceived or superseded by another discourse, such as art, because it is nihilistic. By contrast, what I call the Positive View holds that Nietzsche does not think science is nihilistic, so he denies that it should be reinterpreted or overcome. Interestingly, defenders of each position can appeal to Nietzsche’s understanding of naturalism to support their interpretation. I argue that Nietzsche embraces a social constructivist conception of causality that renders his naturalism incompatible with the views …

Dividing Nature By The Joints, Chad Wiener

Philosophy Faculty Publications

Most scholars of Aristotle’s biology have accepted the view of D. M. Balme and Pierre Pellegrin that the History of Animals is devoid of any systematic classification of animals. I challenge this reading. I show that Aristotle can produce a taxonomy of animals kinds that are found in the essences of atomic species, or, to borrow from Plato, divide nature by the joints. I start from Aristotle’s positive views of division stated in APo. II.13–14 and how they imply a taxonomic order of a genus. I then develop my interpretation of how Aristotle can divide nature by the joints in …

Characterization Of Brd4 During Mammalian Post-Meiotic Sperm Development, Jessica M. Bryant, Greg Donahue, Xiaoshi Wang, Mirella Meyer-Ficca, Lacey J. Luense, Angela H. Weller, Marisa S. Bartolomei, Gerd A. Blobel, Ralph G. Meyer, Benjamin A. Garcia, Shelley L. Berger

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

During spermiogenesis, the post-meiotic phase of mammalian spermatogenesis, transcription is progressively repressed as nuclei of haploid spermatids are compacted through a dramatic chromatin reorganization involving hyper-acetylation and replacement of most histones with protamines. Although BRDT functions in transcription and histone removal in spermatids, it is unknown whether other BET family proteins play a role. Immunofluorescence of spermatogenic cells revealed BRD4 in a ring around the nuclei of spermatids containing hyper-acetylated histones. The ring lies directly adjacent to the acroplaxome, the cytoskeletal base of the acrosome, previously linked to chromatin reorganization. The BRD4 ring does not form in acrosomal mutant mice. …

Pathology In Practice - Fascioliasis In A Dahl Sheep, David J. Wilson, T. J. Baldwin, Kerry A. Rood

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

In early fall 2012, a 48-kg (106-lb) sexually intact male Dahl ram in fair body condition was found dead; the owner observed no clinical signs prior to death. The ram was part of a flock of 50 game animals used for high-fence hunting that was moved among pastures in Idaho, Utah, and Montana. The ram was housed primarily on flood-irrigated pasture in common with approximately 170 captive Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus canadensis). The owner reported that 12 other sheep had died over the past year without observed clinical signs, but none were submitted for postmortem examination. Both sheep and elk …

Tanacetum Erzincanense (Asteraceae), A New Species From Erzincan, Turkey, Mustafa Korkmaz, Ali̇ Kandemi̇r, Veli̇ İlhan, Nalan Yildirim Doğan

Turkish Journal of Botany

In this study, Tanacetum erzincanense Korkmaz, Kandemir & İlhan is described as a new species for science from Erzincan Province. It was compared with close species by using morphological and random amplified polymorphic DNA data. It resembles T. germanicopolitanum (Bornm. & Heimerl) Grierson and T. pinnatum Boiss. It is closer to T. germanicopolitanum in terms of genetic and morphological aspects. Morphologically, it differs from T. germanicopolitanum by having oblong-oblanceolate basal leaves in outline with flabelliform and fewer leaf segments, less dense indumentum, smaller and globose capitula, and shorter apical appendage in inner phyllaries. T. pinnatum shows difference from T. erzincanense …

A Computerized Image Database For Freshwater Algae Recorded In Turkey, Bülent Şen, Feray Sönmez, Ahmet Kadri̇ Çeti̇n, Mehmet Tahi̇r Alp, Tülay Özer, Kazim Yildiz, İlkay Açikgöz Erkaya, Abel Udo Udoh, Fatma Çevi̇k

Turkish Journal of Botany

A computer-based image database for freshwater algae recorded in Turkey has been established. A separate page was prepared for each algal taxon and each page includes images and taxonomic and ecological information related to the taxon. Algal images were obtained mainly from authors of algal studies previously carried out in various freshwater bodies in Turkey. Data were then standardized in accordance with that of the central database of Turkish herbaria and a database for Turkish freshwater algae, which were previously established through TÜBİTAK projects. The database program Access was used to enter data, as this program recognizes Turkish characters. A …

Assessment Of Species Diversity And State Of Stipa Tenacissima Steppes, Wahida Ghiloufi, Jose Luis Quero Perez, Miguel Garcia Gomez, Mohamed Chaieb

Turkish Journal of Botany

North African steppes are subjected to extreme degradation resulting in the reduction of their surface, genetic erosion of resources, and decrease in biodiversity. Stipa tenacissima steppes, which constitute one of the most representative vegetation types in the driest areas of the Mediterranean basin, are continuously degrading. With the aim of contributing to a better knowledge of the floristic composition and diagnosing the state of degradation of these steppes, we conducted a phytoecological analysis of 10 S. tenacissima sites in Tunisia. Floristic inventory compiled a systematic list of 46 vascular plant species belonging to 43 genera and 26 families. Species richness …