Digital Commons Network^™

Translucency, Stain Resistance And Hardness Of Composites Used For Invisalign Attachments, Katelyn Bowman Feinberg

All ETDs from UAB

The purpose of this study is to compare the translucency parameter, stain resistance and hardness of dental restorative composites and orthodontic adhesives in order to determine an ideal esthetic attachment material for Invisalign® treatment. Materials and Methods: Two dental restorative composites (Filtek™ Supreme Ultra, Tetric EvoCeram®) and three orthodontic adhesives (L.C.R.™, Transbond™ XT, Phase II® Dual Cure) were used in this in-vitro study. 2.0 mm thick samples of each material were fabricated in silicone molds covered with a flat sheet of Invisalign attachment template material. To evaluate the translucency parameter and stain resistance, initial L*a*b* values of each material were …

Long-Term Stability Of Lefort I Maxillary Downdraft With Rigid Internal Fixation, Stephen Leonard Strickland

All ETDs from UAB

ABSTRACT Objective: The objective of this study is to evaluate the skeletal and dental stability of a Le Fort I maxillary downgraft after a minimum 4year follow up period. Methods: This retrospective cohort study evaluated 18 patients' post-surgical stability after Le Fort I maxillary downgraft performed by a Z-osteotomy. Pre-surgical (T1), post-surgical (T2), post-orthodontic (T3), and long-term follow-up (T4) cephalometric radiographs were digitized and analyzed with Dolphin Imagining via a custom analysis to evaluate linear and angular skeletal and dental relapse. Results - The average Le Fort I maxillary down graft was 3.6mm. The average post-surgical orthodontic phase was 7.4 …

Three-Dimensional Age-Related Changes Of The Adult Face; African American Female Population, Christina Theresa Sutherland

All ETDs from UAB

Objectives: Treatment of older adults is one of the fastest growing areas in orthodontic practice. The objectives of this study are to: 1. Investigate the aging of the female African American face using three-dimensional surface imaging to understand how the soft tissue of the face matures in relation to the teeth and 2.) Compare the effects of aging on African American female faces to aging of Caucasian female faces. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study of 100 African American females with balanced faces. Five age groups (in years) were included: [20-30], [31-40], [41-50], [51-60], [61-70]. Three-dimensional (3D) surface images of …

Deleterious Effects Of Hyperglycemia On Cognitive Functioning In The Cardia Study Cohort, Michele Holland Talley

All ETDs from UAB

DELETERIOUS EFFECTS OF HYPERGLYCEMIA ON COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING IN THE CARDIA STUDY COHORT MICHELE LYN HOLLAND TALLEY SCHOOL OF NURSING ABSTRACT With an aging society, maintaining cognitive functioning into older age is becoming more important. Because of the impact cognitive functioning has on daily activities, any disruption may inhibit the ability to perform such daily activities successfully. To prevent disruptions, determinants of cognitive functioning must be considered. Such determinants may or may not be modifiable. Some predictors may be demographic, metabolic, or inflammatory in nature. In addition, predictors or determinants may differ based on genetic predisposition to Alzheimer’s disease. As part …

A Novel Role For Usp14 In Regulating Non-Proteolytic Ubiquitin Signaling, Jada Hallengren Vaden

All ETDs from UAB

Loss of the deubiquitinating enzyme (DUB) USP14 in the ataxia (axJ) mice leads to altered neuromuscular junction (NMJ) structure, reduced synaptic transmission at the NMJ, and decreased mobility. However, the types of processes that USP14 regulates in the nervous system remain unclear. Because association with the proteasome stimulates USP14's ubiquitin hydrolase activity, it is thought to act primarily on proteasomal substrates. Therefore, one way for USP14 to support nervous system function is by modulating protein turnover. While a number of studies done in yeast and immortalized cell lines demonstrate that loss or inhibition of USP14 alters proteasome function, there is …

The Effects Of The Initially Transcribed Sequence On Reiterative Transcription In Escherichia Coli, Jeffery Michael Vahrenkamp

All ETDs from UAB

Transcription, the synthesis of a ribonucleic acid transcript using a nucleic acid template, is the first step in gene expression for all life. In most organisms, high fidelity transcription is achieved through the formation of an RNA:DNA hybrid which allows the RNA polymerase to maintain the correct register. Slippage, which would lead to improper base pairing, is prevented by the heterogeneous sequence of the DNA template. However, when homogenous tracts of bases are present in the template, slippage can occur, allowing a single base in the template to encode multiple bases in the transcript in a process called reiterative transcription. …

Characterization Of The Gtpase Rac1 As An Electrophilic-Sensitive Protein In Vascular Cells, Stephanie Brook Wall

All ETDs from UAB

The GTPase Rac1 is a protein which has been shown to be dysregulated in the context of a number of inflammatory diseases including atherosclerosis. Rac1 responds to extracellular signals and is involved in cellular cytoskeletal rearrangement, reactive oxygen species generation and cell cycle progression. When activated Rac1 interacts with effector proteins on the plasma membrane. This activation has recently been shown to be modulated by redox signaling via an active site cysteine. However, it is not known whether other redox signaling compounds can modulate Rac1 activity. An important redox signaling mediator is the electrophilic lipid, 15-deoxy-Δ12,14-prostaglandin J2 (15dPGJ2). This lipid …

Web Computing For Bioinformatics Applications, Sean Wilkinson

All ETDs from UAB

This work explores web computing as a solution to current problems in informatics, including algorithm delivery, distributed computation, and data visualization. A novel computing platform called QMachine has been developed for use in clinical research environments for computationally intensive applications like medical image processing and genomics sequence processing. In such applications, the emergence of Big Data as the inevitable reference for the analysis of local (“small”) data from individual experiments or patients has presented numerous challenges. In particular, computational workflows that handle Big Data need significantly greater processing and memory resources. Advances in virtualization – especially in cloud computing – …

“The Ladies” Who Founded Moma: How Three Female Art Collectors Created One Of The World's Leading Museums, Amy Katherine Williamson

All ETDs from UAB

This thesis examines three visionary women who were instrumental in founding the Museum of Modern Art in 1929: Lillie P. Bliss, Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, and Mrs. Cornelius Sullivan. In reaction to the lack of modern art in New York City’s museums, these women combined their collections, money, and resources to present Matisses, Picassos, and other modern masters to create what would become the core of the museum’s permanent collection. Both challenging and accepting the limitations of gender, the women enlisted the help of A. Conger Goodyear and Alfred Barr to help them navigate the art world whilst they built …

Power Of K Choices And Rainbow Spanning Trees In Random Graphs, Deepak Bal, Patrick Bennett, Alan Frieze, Paweł Prałat

Department of Mathematics Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

We consider the Erdős-Rényi random graph process, which is a stochastic process that starts with n vertices and no edges, and at each step adds one new edge chosen uniformly at random from the set of missing edges. Let G(n, m) be a graph with m edges obtained after m steps of this process. Each edge ei (i = 1, 2,…, m) of G(n, m) independently chooses precisely k ∈ N colours, uniformly at random, from a given set of n–1 colours (one may view ei as a multi-edge). We stop the process prematurely at time M when the following …

A Knowledge-Driven Distributed Architecture For Context-Aware Systems, Dennis Lupiana

Doctoral

As the number of devices increases, it becomes a challenge for the users to use them effectively. This is more challenging when the majority of these devices are mobile. The users and their devices enter and leave different environments where different settings and computing needs may be required. To effectively use these devices in such environments means to constantly be aware of their whereabouts, functionalities and desirable working conditions. This is impractical and hence it is imperative to increase seamless interactions between the users and devices,and to make these devices less intrusive. To address these problems, various responsive computing systems, …

Refraction In Mozambique: Evaluations Of Practice And Development Of Competency Frameworks For Eye Care Personnel, Kajal Shah

Doctoral

Purpose The development of competency- based education for optometrists and mid-level eye-care personnel has been identified as an important component in the elimination of avoidable blindness and vision impairment. The Mozambique Eye care Project (MEP) is a multi-institutional collaboration, which seeks to facilitate greater access to training in eye health professions, which will ultimately contribute to providing affordable and accessible eye care within the public health system in Mozambique. An important tenet of the MEP is to develop and enhance the refraction training of all existing (ophthalmic technicians) and new eye care personnel (four-year training of optometrists and eighteen-month training …

Reference Material Development For Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning Toxins And Associated Analytical Applications, Stephen Burrell

Doctoral

Food poisoning incidences relating to marine biotoxins are a global phenomenon and have the potential to severely impact the aquaculture industry. As a result, and as a legislative requirement in the European Union (EU), many countries have implemented monitoring programmes for these compounds but their success relies on the availability of certain quality assurance tools, two of which are reference materials (RMs) and proficiency testing. The limited amounts of RMs, in particular matrix certified reference materials (CRMs) for paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxins has been a limiting factor in the implementation of alternatives to the mouse bioassay for routine monitoring …

Drive-Based Utility-Maximizing Computer Game Non-Player Characters, Colm Sloan

Doctoral

This research examines the emergence of the five-string fiddle in contemporary North American fiddle culture within the past ten years. By interacting with leading artistlevel practitioners, the research documents the evolution and impact of the instrument to date in exploring the possibilities the five-string fiddle presents for musical performance and innovation. North American vernacular music and, in particular, the contemporary fiddle playing landscape, exemplifies virtousic and innovative idiomatic technique and improvisation as central to an overarching musical explosion, evidenced in the music of many high level, multi-stylistic contemporary practitioners. Within contemporary American fiddle performance, it is compelling to observe how …

Atmospheric Cold Plasma As A Tool For Microbiological Control, Dana Ziuzina

Doctoral

Outbreaks of foodborne human illnesses resulting from contaminated raw or minimally processed fruits and vegetables have been widely reported globally. The microbiological challenges associated with fresh produce are diverse and respond differently to minimal processing technologies. Atmospheric cold plasma is a relatively new technology and represents a potential alternative to traditional methods for decontamination of foods. The objective of this work was to determine the influence of extrinsic atmospheric cold plasma (ACP) treatment control parameters and to optimize treatment parameters for decontamination with respect to different forms of key safety challenges pertinent to fresh produce.

The optimisation studies demonstrated that …

Community College Developmental Education Services: Perspectives Of Spanish-Speaking Latino Early Childhood Educators, John Edward Eberly

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this single case study was to understand the perceptions of Latino Spanish-speaking English learners on the efficacy of developmental education services at a western United States community college. The conceptual frameworks used in the investigation included critical theory related to human emancipation, social learning theory aligned to second language acquisition, and contemporary adult learning theories. The goal of the investigation was to understand how students used and perceived the developmental education services to transition from Spanish language instruction to English coursework. Research questions focused on how the developmental education services contributed to the successful completion of the …

Program For Healthcare Personnel To Improve Anti-Hypertensive Medication Adherence In Black Adults, Verena D. Johnson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Medication nonadherence is a healthcare problem that costs the United States billions of dollars annually. The purpose of this project was to propose an evidence-based program for healthcare personnel to increase the rate of medication adherence in hypertensive Black adults who require daily, oral medication. The transtheoretical model of change was used to explain the process of change and to identify approaches to changing non-adherent behaviors related to medications. Motivational interviewing was used to explain the process that nurse-educators would use to guide patients through the stages of change. In the initial step of this quality improvement program, a convenience …

The Role Of Online College Courses In Rehabilitating Offenders, Niares Hunn

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Research and testimonial evidence indicate the importance of postsecondary education in the rehabilitating inmates and in decreasing reoffending. However, limited research exists on improving critical thinking skills and cognitive processing among inmates. The purpose of this quantitative study was to (a) examine the influence of a psychology course on the critical thinking scores for individuals who took an online psychology course and to (b) analyze how the scores of inmates and other students in the course differed. Using a social cognitive theoretical framework, pretest and posttest scores were compared using a paired t test of statistical analysis of secondary, archival …

The Influence Of The Ready Intelligence Program On Crewmembers' Perception Of Proficiency In An Air Force Weapon System, James Martin Bane

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A lack of evaluation and evidence of effectiveness prompted this study of the Distributed Common Ground System's (DCGS) proficiency maintenance tool, Ready Intelligence Program (RIP). The goal was to close the gap between research and practice and inform stakeholders at the local Distributed Ground Station (DGS) of evaluation results. Guided by a logic model as the theoretical foundation, this study examined how proficiency is perceived by DCGS crewmembers because of RIP at a military installation with intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions. This qualitative study used an outcomes-based program evaluation report based on interviews with 5 crewmembers, observations of program participant …

The Effects Of Barriers Toward Fighting Childhood Obesity Within Head Start, Vanessa Chaney

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Childhood obesity is associated with significant morbidity and mortality and poses a health care burden. Child care facilities serve at the forefront in fighting childhood obesity among preschoolers. Since 2009, a significant shift has occurred in studying child care settings among children aged 3-5 in North Carolina and South Carolina in response to the rising rates of obesity in this population. Some of the hypothesized determinants of childhood obesity among preschoolers in North Carolina and South Carolina are outdoor activity, staff behavior, center's size and location. The purpose of this study was to investigate if significant relationships exist between childhood …

Mind Mapping: Overcoming Problems Of Writer Identity And Convention For Academic Writing By Student Collaboration, Carmel O'Reilly

Articles

This article will consider Mind Mapping as an eLearning tool for the enhancement of learning and assessment within the discipline of academic writing. Building on research which relates to the use of Mind Mapping by students of English as a foreign language (EFL), this article will reflect specifically on students taking a module in Applied Writing on a Mature Access Foundation Programme (MAFP), at Institution X. It goes on to explore existing research in order to highlight two key problems student writers have in common: firstly, writer identity and the affective domain of writing and second, the conventions of academic …

Government Senior Executives' Perceptions Of Brain Drain On Leadership In The United States Virgin Islands, Shurla Jeffers-Knight

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Highly qualified individuals are leaving the Caribbean and relocating to the United States and other developed countries. Researchers describe this resulting flight of human capital, or brain drain, from the Caribbean as a problem which has no clear definition or immediate solution. This phenomenological study explored perceptions of government senior executives in the United States Virgin Islands (USVI) of the cause and impact of brain drain. Burns' and Bass's transformational and transactional leadership theories were used as the framework for this study. Data were collected through a demographic questionnaire and semistructured interviews with a snowball sample of 10 participants. Data …

Exploring The Experiences Of Call Center Employees Regarding Business Scripting, Roman Dzuba

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Scripting, defined as the mechanization of business processes through automated tools or orchestrated responses, has played a significant role in shaping call center activities and the resultant customer relationship. However, findings of industry research have shown that the use of scripting to maximize operational efficiency has had a disempowering effect on call center employees by lowering their job-skill and knowledge requirements. Grounded in the concepts of knowledge management and knowledge transfer, this study explored the experiences of frontline call center employees on the effects of scripting on customer problem solving. A single-case study design with semistructured interviews was used with …

Risk Factors And Food-Borne Illness: An Analysis Of Restaurant Violations In Georgia, Jovan Harris

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Restaurant managers complete certification in food safety in order to ensure that food is handled and prepared in a manner that decreases risk factors associated with food-borne illness. However, the literature has been inconclusive concerning the connection between manager certification and the incidence of critical food-safety violations. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationship between the presence or absence of a certified food safety manager (CFSM) and the number of risk factors cited on food inspection reports and the food safety score. In addition, this study was designed to determine whether operation type (i.e., chain vs. …

The Association Of Gender And Socioeconomic Position With Cardiorespiratory Fitness In Adolescents, Quentin Oliphant

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This meta-analysis investigated the association of gender and socioeconomic position with cardiorespiratory fitness in adolescents. Public health professionals know the importance of physical activity level as a modifiable behavior; however, the literature has revealed that more research is needed on the association of sociodemographic variables like gender and socioeconomic position with cardiorespiratory fitness in adolescents. Using the physical fitness and health outcomes conceptual model as a guide, the overall effect sizes across studies were assessed as well as the moderators of study design, sample size, age, and country. A systematic review of literature identified a total of 18 peer-reviewed studies …

Three Studies On Cardiovascular Health: Modifiable Risk Factors And Health Expenditures In Medicare, Kristal Jo Aaron

All ETDs from UAB

This dissertation comprises a series of studies conducted on modifiable risk factors as they contribute to cardiovascular health and disease and their associated health service expenditures and utilization. Specific topics in this compilation include (1) exploring the role of dietary sodium and potassium intake in cardiovascular health and disease; (2) examination of direct health expenditures in the Medicare-linked REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) cohort as associated with Life’s Simple 7 (LS7), a composite measure of cardiovascular health defined by the American Heart Association (AHA) that is based on seven modifiable risk factors (blood pressure, blood cholesterol, …

The Regulation Of Vitamin A Metabolism, Mark Adams

All ETDs from UAB

Bioactive vitamin A takes form as several molecules, among them all-trans-retinoic acid (RA) is the major form and influences a wide range of biological processes. RA must be synthesized through a two-step mechanism, where all-trans-retinol is first oxidized to all-trans-retinaldehyde by retinol dehydrogenases (RDHs) and retinaldehyde is further oxidized to RA by retinaldehyde dehydrogenases (RALDHs). The first step, retinol to retinaldehyde conversion is the rate limiting step and therefore a likely target of mechanisms that modulate RA synthesis. Despite this, many of the enzymes that are involved in retinol and retinaldehyde interconversion have yet to be identified and thus many …

Competition From New Neurons Drives Circuit Refinement In The Adult Dentate Gyrus, Elena W. Adlaf

All ETDs from UAB

The hippocampus encodes sensory information into memories. The dentate gyrus (DG) region is viewed as the entry point into the hippocampus, receiving sensory and spatial signals from perforant path axons of the entorhinal cortex (EC). Ever since researchers discovered a neurogenic niche in the subgranular zone (SGZ) of the DG in adult animals and humans, many studies have been aimed at discovering how these continually proliferating granule cells (GCs) contribute to the network. Immature GCs have dendrites that project densely into the molecular layer alongside mature GCs and there is morphological evidence that immature excitatory spines preferentially synapse onto existing …

Pathophysiology And Metabolic Dysfunction Following Polytrauma, Robert Mackay Akscyn

All ETDs from UAB

Polytrauma, a combination of injuries to more than one body part or organ system, is common in modern warfare and in automobile and industrial accidents. The combination of injuries can include burn, fracture, hemorrhage, trauma to the extremities, and trauma to specific organ systems. These injuries are highly survivable when occurring singly. However, when they occur in combination the prognosis is worsened. To investigate the effects of combined injuries, we have developed a new and highly reproducible model of polytrauma. This model combines burn injury with soft tissue and gastrointestinal (GI) tract trauma. Male Sprague Dawley rats were subjected to …

Subsurface Parameter Estimation In Oilfield Modeling, Fatin Alawam

All ETDs from UAB

Inverse problems involving partial differential equations have many physical applica- tions. One of the most important applications is in petroleum reservoir modeling. The estimation of petroleum reservoir properties is an essential component in predicting reservoir behavior. Generally, oil and water are present together in petroleum reservoirs and the resulting reservoir model consists of two nonlinear partial differential equations. Much research deals with two phase flow in porous media assuming incompressibility, but a few researchers consider the weakly compressible case which generally applies when the reservoir model does not include a gas phase. In this thesis we assume the weakly compressible …