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2015

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Accountable Care Organizations: A Summary Of The Challenges And Possible Solutions In The U.S. Health Care Marketplace, Kyle Ingram, Mark Wendling Md Jan 2015

Accountable Care Organizations: A Summary Of The Challenges And Possible Solutions In The U.S. Health Care Marketplace, Kyle Ingram, Mark Wendling Md

USF-LVHN SELECT

No abstract provided.

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Towards An Independent Future: Life Skills Training And Vulnerable Deaf Adults, Elizabeth S. Mathews Jan 2015

Towards An Independent Future: Life Skills Training And Vulnerable Deaf Adults, Elizabeth S. Mathews

Irish Journal of Applied Social Studies

This article presents results from a service evaluation of a life skills programme for Deaf adults that had been operating as a pilot for three years in Dublin until June 2013. The remit of the programme was to provide a short-term residential intervention service for Deaf adults who were perceived to be vulnerable and isolated from their community. Over the course of its three years in operation, the programme had seventeen Deaf participants. The literature on life skills and Deaf adults is sparse. Studies have tended to concentrate on barriers young people with disabilities face, and within that literature young …

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Technology As Scripting, Constructed And Relational: Three Narratives About Food Waste Recycling In Edinburgh, Judith Lorton Jan 2015

Technology As Scripting, Constructed And Relational: Three Narratives About Food Waste Recycling In Edinburgh, Judith Lorton

Irish Journal of Applied Social Studies

No abstract provided.

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Relationship And Trust As A Vehicle To Improved Health Outcomes: A Qualitative Study Of A Primary Health Care Programme For Travellers, Matt York, Marcella Stakem Jan 2015

Relationship And Trust As A Vehicle To Improved Health Outcomes: A Qualitative Study Of A Primary Health Care Programme For Travellers, Matt York, Marcella Stakem

Irish Journal of Applied Social Studies

Rapid changes in the control of health and social services have led to the increased adoption of narrow practice approaches driven by contemporary funding priorities, often running contrary to the wisdom, accumulated knowledge, experience, evidence and ethics of social and community development approaches. The Primary Healthcare Programme (PHCP) for Travellers has been developed nationally over the past two decades with the aim of improving the health of the Irish Traveller community. A particular emphasis has been placed upon the provision of health promotion, information, support and outreach through a range of peer delivered community based approaches. This study took place …

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Methods Of Suicide By Women In Ireland 1980-2009, Raegan Murphy, Siobhan O'Connor Jan 2015

Methods Of Suicide By Women In Ireland 1980-2009, Raegan Murphy, Siobhan O'Connor

Irish Journal of Applied Social Studies

Irish female methods of suicide from 1980 till 2009 were investigated in order to determine the likelihood of the method of suicide as determined by decade as well as the age at death. Secondary data analysis was conducted on the National Suicide Research Foundation (NSRF) dataset. Multinomial logistic regression was used to compare methods of suicide using odds ratios. Log-linear analysis was conducted in order to investigate possible interactions between the variables. A stepwise backward elimination procedure determined the most parsimonious model to account for the observed frequencies. Follow-up chi-square analyses were conducted on the three-way interaction in order to …

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Identifying Key Elements Of Social Care Practice In Successful Care Settings For Older People In Ireland: Steps Towards 'Wise' Social Care, Carmel M. Gallagher Dr, Ricca Edmondson Prof. Jan 2015

Identifying Key Elements Of Social Care Practice In Successful Care Settings For Older People In Ireland: Steps Towards 'Wise' Social Care, Carmel M. Gallagher Dr, Ricca Edmondson Prof.

Irish Journal of Applied Social Studies

This article examines wise social care practices in two elder care settings in Ireland, a day centre in Dublin and a nursing home in the West of Ireland. Based on interviews with staff and service-users as well as close observations of interactions in each setting, the paper describes social care practices which have empowering and enabling effects. These practices are explored in the light of understandings of practical wisdom and in the context of connectedness to surrounding communities. The article describes multi-dimensional and authentic relationships which extend beyond the centres themselves and represent a blend of affective, cognitive and ethical …

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Non Destructive Evaluation And Characterization Of Continuous And Long Fiber Reinforced Thermoplastic Composites, Ahmed Arabi Tawfic Mohamed Hassen Jan 2015

Non Destructive Evaluation And Characterization Of Continuous And Long Fiber Reinforced Thermoplastic Composites, Ahmed Arabi Tawfic Mohamed Hassen

All ETDs from UAB

Thermoplastic composites have advantages over other traditional materials, such as steel, aluminum and ceramics, in terms of lightweight, specific strength, corrosion resistance and superior damping capacity ability to recycle, shorter processing times, and lack of exothermic reactions or toxic emissions. These advantages allow them to be widely used in various high-end products used in many industrial applications such as marine, offshore, mass-transit and automotive industries. There are several factors that affect the mechanical and thermal properties of thermoplastic composites, such as fiber length, fiber volume fraction and fiber orientation to name a few. Fiber orientation plays a critical role in …

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Cortisol Regulation, Perceived Discrimination, And Ethnic Differences In Pain Responses Among Persons With Knee Osteoarthritis, Matthew Herbert Jan 2015

Cortisol Regulation, Perceived Discrimination, And Ethnic Differences In Pain Responses Among Persons With Knee Osteoarthritis, Matthew Herbert

All ETDs from UAB

Plasma cortisol concentrations obtained directly after the Trier Social Stress test are negatively associated with subsequent pain tolerances during the cold pressor task (CPT) among healthy non-Hispanic whites (NHWs), but not healthy African Americans (AAs). It is possible frequent exposure to perceived discrimination, a marker of chronic stress, explains this lack of association between cortisol regulation and pain tolerances among AAs. Our aim was to determine if 1) ethnic differences in pain sensitivity during the CPT could be partially explained by differences in cortisol regulation among persons with knee osteoarthritis (OA), 2) perceived discrimination was related to cortisol dysregulation, which …

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Nutrient Intake, Nutrient Targets And Feed Application To Promote Optimal Production And Feed Efficiency In The Sea Urchin Lytechinus Variegatus (Echinodermata: Echinoidea), Laura Elizabeth Heflin Jan 2015

Nutrient Intake, Nutrient Targets And Feed Application To Promote Optimal Production And Feed Efficiency In The Sea Urchin Lytechinus Variegatus (Echinodermata: Echinoidea), Laura Elizabeth Heflin

All ETDs from UAB

Important considerations for the development of sea urchin aquaculture will include understanding nutrition and feed management. These reported investigations contribute to knowledge of dietary protein and carbohydrate requirements in Lytechinus variegatus and feed management strategies. The first evaluation of economic feasibility of sea urchin aquaculture as related to feed costs is presented and the geometric framework (GF) to assess nutrient intake targets is first applied to cultured aquatic organisms to yield recommendations for nutrient balancing in formulated urchin feed. Data- derived models for dietary protein and carbohydrate intake predict increased rates of growth and production among urchins fed diets containing …

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Obesity Weighs Down Memory: Emerging Insights Into The Epigentic Basis Of Obesity-Induced Memory Impairment In Adult Mice, Frankie Darryn Heyward Jan 2015

Obesity Weighs Down Memory: Emerging Insights Into The Epigentic Basis Of Obesity-Induced Memory Impairment In Adult Mice, Frankie Darryn Heyward

All ETDs from UAB

A preponderance of evidence has established that obesity contributes to memory impairments in mid-age adults. Empirical evidence has revealed that diet-induced obesity contributes to memory impairments in adult rodents. Precisely how obesity disrupts memory remains an open question. Bourgeoning data indicate that molecular epigenetic mechanisms mediate the changes in gene transcription that are necessary for hippocampus-dependent memory consolidation. Epigenetic mechanisms, such as DNA methylation, stably regulate gene expression without affecting the DNA sequence. Moreover, DNA methylation of memory-related genes with in the hippocampus is indispensible for memory formation. There is recent evidence of obesity-induced aberrantions in DNA methylation both peripherally …

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Caenorhabditis Elegans Sperm Chemotaxis, Hieu Dinh Hoang Jan 2015

Caenorhabditis Elegans Sperm Chemotaxis, Hieu Dinh Hoang

All ETDs from UAB

Survival of animal species depends on fertilization, the union of an egg and a sperm. The sperm's ability to find an egg quickly allows it to pass on male genetic material. It is challenging to record sperm targeting or guidance efficiency and motility in utero. We use the Caenorhabditis elegans model organism to study sperm guidance, primarily because its epidermis is transparent, allowing the observation of live fluorescent sperm in the hermaphrodite uterus. Using genome-editing techniques, genetic analyses, fluorescent microscopy, and mass spectrometry, we aim to address the following two questions: how hermaphrodites regulate sperm motility in the uterus, and …

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Professional Rationality And The Emotional Labor Of Gendered Caring In Nursing, Beverly Kay Hogan Jan 2015

Professional Rationality And The Emotional Labor Of Gendered Caring In Nursing, Beverly Kay Hogan

All ETDs from UAB

ABSTRACT This dissertation offers an understanding of how the emotional labor of caring by female nurses is manifested, and whether this has changed from what has previously been described in the literature. A hybrid of Hochschild‘s (1983) theory of emotional labor is used with concepts from symbolic interactionist and critical theory to guide this inquiry. From this lens, relevant concepts affecting emotional labor are considered in order to examine how the organization of work roles for nurses enable or constrain their ability to manifest a caring presence. As the healthcare delivery system and nurses‘ roles have changed dramatically over the …

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Obesity And Mortality In Us-Residing Hispanic Adults, Carrie Howell Jan 2015

Obesity And Mortality In Us-Residing Hispanic Adults, Carrie Howell

All ETDs from UAB

Previous epidemiological studies observed the lack of an association between increased body mass index (BMI: kg/m2) and all-cause mortality in US-residing Hispanic adults. The purpose of this dissertation was to examine the validity of three hypothesized explanations for the absence of significant associations. Using data on Hispanic participants from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) [1988-1994 and 1999-2004] and the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), this dissertation examined whether: (1) BMI was associated with cause-specific mortality; (2) measures of body composition was associated with all-cause mortality; and (3) the BMI-all-cause mortality association differed as a function of Hispanic …

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Mechanisms Of Heme Oxygenase-1-Mediated Protection Against Tissue Injury, Travis David Hull Jan 2015

Mechanisms Of Heme Oxygenase-1-Mediated Protection Against Tissue Injury, Travis David Hull

All ETDs from UAB

Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) catalyzes the rate-limiting step in the catabolism of heme, which is released by necrotic cells in injured tissue. HO-1 expression is protective in cardiac and renal injury because it coordinates the degradation of pro-oxidant heme with the generation of equimolar quantities of iron (Fe2+) and the cytoprotective mole-cules carbon monoxide and biliverdin. While many studies have demonstrated that HO-1 expression is protective in numerous disease states, relatively few have examined the specific cellular compartment(s) through which HO-1 expression confers its protective effects. Our objective was to define the cellular compartments in which HO-1 expression is critical to …

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A Comprehensive Assessment Of Possible Links Between Digital Advertising Billboards And Traffic Safety, Md Mozahidul Islam Jan 2015

A Comprehensive Assessment Of Possible Links Between Digital Advertising Billboards And Traffic Safety, Md Mozahidul Islam

All ETDs from UAB

Advertising billboards are a common roadside object and a very efficient medium of outside advertising. For years, static billboards have been adopted by the billboard advertising companies. Most recently, a sizeable portion of the regular (static) billboards have been digitized to convey more information to the drivers, thus raising questions about their potential impact on traffic safety. Frequently changing images on digital advertising billboards may compel more glances, and sequential messages may hold drivers' gazes longer until the entire message is read. Earlier studies sponsored by billboard advertising companies did not report statistically significant correlations between the crash occurrences and …

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Mechanisms Of Resistance To Oncolytic Herpes Simplex Viruses In Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumors, Joshua Douglas Jackson Jan 2015

Mechanisms Of Resistance To Oncolytic Herpes Simplex Viruses In Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumors, Joshua Douglas Jackson

All ETDs from UAB

Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs) are rare but highly aggressive cancer of the peripheral nervous tissue. Median patient survival is approximately two years following diagnosis due in part to the ineffective options for treatment. As an alternative therapeutic approach to conventional radio- and chemotherapy, oncolytic herpes simplex viruses type-1 (oHSVs) have been proposed to treat MPNSTs. These oHSVs have been shown safe in clinical trials with associated tumor regression. However, there is evidence that resistance to the therapy should be anticipated in a subset of patients. Therefore, the goal of this dissertation has been to identify the primary obstacles …

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Zebrafish Wnt9b Patterns The First Pharyngeal Arch Into D-I-V Domains And Promotes Anterior-Medial Outgrowth, Henry Jackson Jan 2015

Zebrafish Wnt9b Patterns The First Pharyngeal Arch Into D-I-V Domains And Promotes Anterior-Medial Outgrowth, Henry Jackson

All ETDs from UAB

The secondary mouth and its associated face and jaws were an important evolutionary adaptation in the vertebrate lineage. The secondary mouth is formed from facial prominences including the fronto-nasal prominence and the 1st pharyngeal-arch derived maxillary and mandibular prominence. Cranial neural crest cells within these prominences give rise to the connective tissues of face and jaws, and strict spatio-temporal regulation of cranial neural crest cell fate patterning and subsequent prominence outgrowth is vital to normal facial development. Oral-facial clefting (OFC) is a common morbid human birth disorder characterized by disrupted oral and craniofacial morphogenesis. Our previous studies demonstrate that a …

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Hospital Community Orientation: Predictors And Performance Outcomes, J'Aime Jennings Jan 2015

Hospital Community Orientation: Predictors And Performance Outcomes, J'Aime Jennings

All ETDs from UAB

The three publishable manuscripts contained within this dissertation examine the predictors and performance outcomes of hospital community orientation. Community orientation is the customization of hospital services to meet identified community health needs. Together, these papers fill gaps in the literature regarding the factors that assist or hinder hospitals from being community-oriented, as well as the effects of community orientation. The first paper uses longitudinal data to examine the organizational and environmental factors that may influence how engaged hospitals are in a community orientation strategy based on the number of activities performed. The remaining papers consider the performance outcomes of community …

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Prevalence And Determinants Of High Risk Human Papillomavirus (Hpv) Among Wives Of Migrant Workers - A Study In Far - West Nepal, Derek Johnson Jan 2015

Prevalence And Determinants Of High Risk Human Papillomavirus (Hpv) Among Wives Of Migrant Workers - A Study In Far - West Nepal, Derek Johnson

All ETDs from UAB

This dissertation research focuses on the risk factors associated with high-risk HPV infection (HR-HPV) and abnormal cervical cytology in Nepali women residing in Nepal’s Far-West district of Achham. The first part of this dissertation assesses the HR-HPV test concordance of self-collected vs. clinician-collected cervico-vaginal specimens. Of 261 women with both clinician- and self-collected cervical samples, 25 tested positive for HR-HPV, resulting in an overall HR-HPV prevalence of 9.6% (95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 6.3 – 13.8). The overall Kappa value for clinician- and self-collected tests was 0.64 (95% CI: 0.48 – 0.84), indicating a “good” level of agreement. The second part …

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Exploring Body Image And The Association Between Body Image Dissatisfaction And Waist Circumference Among Overweight And Obese Rural African American Women Participating In A Weight Loss Program, Erica Rayshelle Johnson Jan 2015

Exploring Body Image And The Association Between Body Image Dissatisfaction And Waist Circumference Among Overweight And Obese Rural African American Women Participating In A Weight Loss Program, Erica Rayshelle Johnson

All ETDs from UAB

African American (AA) women are disproportionately burdened by obesity, an epidemic with implications that reach beyond physiological consequences. Given that perceptions of body image may impact health-promoting behaviors and weight management efforts, we sought to evaluate the presence and magnitude of body image dissatisfaction (BID) and explore its relationship with waist circumference (WC), independent of weight among overweight and obese treatment-seeking rural AA women. Participants referred to images from the Pulvers Figure Rating Scale that included nine body silhouettes to answer: “How I think I look now” (i.e., current body image) and “How I would like to look” (i.e., desired …

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Towards An Understanding Of Patient Satisfaction In The Military Health System, Alan Alexander Jones Jan 2015

Towards An Understanding Of Patient Satisfaction In The Military Health System, Alan Alexander Jones

All ETDs from UAB

The Military Health System (MHS) is the most expansive health care system in the world. The MHS provides health care services to 9.7 million eligible beneficiaries spread across six continents. The MHS budget exceeded $52 billion in 2013 or 10 percent of the total 2013 Defense budget. The cost of health care in the MHS is of great concern to the Department of Defense and the US Congress. The MHS needs a strong framework to measure the value of the health care it provides. The purpose of this study was to develop a framework to better understand Patient Satisfaction in …

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Statistical Methodology To Improve The Understanding Of Dna Methylation Data, Lindsay Leigh Waite Jones Jan 2015

Statistical Methodology To Improve The Understanding Of Dna Methylation Data, Lindsay Leigh Waite Jones

All ETDs from UAB

The study of epigenetics involves the investigation of genomic elements that do not directly affect DNA sequence but are stable and preserved during cell division. One of the most commonly studied epigenetic elements is DNA methylation, which occurs when a methyl group is added to a cytosine residue in the DNA sequence. The advancement of technology to quantify DNA methylation, including bisulfite sequencing and bisulfite microarrays, has led to a large amount of available data. However, many questions still remain as to how to statistically analyze this data. This dissertation addresses some statistical concerns related to the analysis of DNA …

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Joining And Assembly With Long Fiber Thermoplastic Composites, Danila Kaliberov Jan 2015

Joining And Assembly With Long Fiber Thermoplastic Composites, Danila Kaliberov

All ETDs from UAB

Thermoplastic composites are used extensively in automotive, mass transit, aerospace and other commercial industries. Current industry usage is typically limited to short fiber composites formed by injection molding processes, and continuous fiber reinforced composites through processes such as autoclave molding, filament winding etc. Long fiber thermoplastics (LFT) are a class of composites known for their specific strength, corrosion resistance, impact and damping properties, as well as high production rates, recyclability, and ability for complex part fabrication. The overall objective of this research was to investigate viability of joining and assembly with long fiber thermoplastic composites. This research deals with (1) …

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Simulation Of Bridge Responses To Heavy Vehicles, Rahul Kalyankar Jan 2015

Simulation Of Bridge Responses To Heavy Vehicles, Rahul Kalyankar

All ETDs from UAB

The main objective of this dissertation is to simulate dynamic heavy vehicle bridge interaction using advanced numerical models of heavy vehicle and bridges for the Next Generation Bridge Weigh in Motion (B-WIM) system. The traditional B-WIM system uses a simplified approach where the bridge is considered as a beam and the heavy vehicle is considered as a stable mass moving with constant speed. On the contrary, the moving heavy vehicle consists of a series of complex parts such as tire assembly, springs and dampers, rigid bodies, and types of materials. Along with the complexities of the heavy vehicle, the bridge …

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Examining The Interplay Of Diet Composition, Cardiometabolic Diseases, And Economics, Kenneth Patton Kell Jan 2015

Examining The Interplay Of Diet Composition, Cardiometabolic Diseases, And Economics, Kenneth Patton Kell

All ETDs from UAB

Despite the invaluable contributions that both randomized controlled trials and longitudinal studies have made to our understanding of the relationships between diet and cardiovascular disease (CVD), a comprehensive understanding of these relationships does not yet exist from birth to death. Furthermore, the longest running of these longitudinal studies have not included a representative portion of racial minority participants. Lastly, given the financial impacts of CVD, as well as how socioeconomic status (SES) can influence diet, the interplay between these three merits consideration. Therefore, the objective of this dissertation was to evaluate the associations between diet and cardiovascular disease (CVD): 1) …

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The Influence Of State Politics On State Rainy Day Funds, Nathaniel Franklin Kelley Jan 2015

The Influence Of State Politics On State Rainy Day Funds, Nathaniel Franklin Kelley

All ETDs from UAB

States often find themselves facing fiscal hardships due to such issues as their own revenue volatility or through federal recessions. The methods taken by the states have varied over the years, but rainy day funds are becoming one of the leading mechanisms for coping with economic disparity. As more state officials look to rainy day funds as a solution, the field for research regarding rainy day funds has expanded. The existing studies have focused on the best way to build and maintain these types of funds, but there has been little information put forth that helps understand how they work. …

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Changes In Gene Expression During Nitrogen Starvation Are Mediated By Targeted Degradation Of Translation And Mrna Decay Factors In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Shane Patrick Kelly Jan 2015

Changes In Gene Expression During Nitrogen Starvation Are Mediated By Targeted Degradation Of Translation And Mrna Decay Factors In Saccharomyces Cerevisiae, Shane Patrick Kelly

All ETDs from UAB

Autophagy is the cellular mechanism of recruitment and decay of cytoplasmic molecules, proteins, and organelles that are obsolete for a particular growth condition. Autophagic degradation is distinct from proteasomal degradation by the formation of a de-novo double membrane which engulfs its cargo to be delivered for degradation to the yeast vacuole. Once thought to be only a general phenomenon of bulk decay, several autophagic pathways have demonstrated selectivity. In the following work we show that during nitrogen starvation (a potent inducer of autophagy) in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a subset of translation factors are degraded selectively and rapidly. We go …

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Religious Affiliation As A Predictor Of Mental Health Outcomes Among Immigrants In The United States, Haley Medved Kendrick Jan 2015

Religious Affiliation As A Predictor Of Mental Health Outcomes Among Immigrants In The United States, Haley Medved Kendrick

All ETDs from UAB

Previous research largely (but not conclusively) suggests that religious participation is positively correlated with good mental health, but it is unclear what effect religion has on mental health outcomes of racial/ethnic and religious minorities. Prior findings that non-Christian (e.g. Muslim, Buddhist, etc.) migrants have lower levels of religious participation than Christian migrants suggest that there may be a disparity in mental health outcomes between religious groups. This study aims to fill the gap by comparing mental health outcomes (measured by four DSM-IV-based diagnoses) of Christian immigrants with non-Christian immigrants. The study uses data from the National Latino and Asian American …

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Automated Processing Of Continuous Glucose Monitor (Cgm) Data To Study Onset Of Diabetes, Aman Khatri Jan 2015

Automated Processing Of Continuous Glucose Monitor (Cgm) Data To Study Onset Of Diabetes, Aman Khatri

All ETDs from UAB

Diabetes is a long term condition that causes high levels of blood glucose, and it is necessary to get a complete picture of glucose levels which can lead to better treatment decision and better glucose control. The advent of Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) is helping researches to track the blood glucose levels continuously and to understand the effects of impaired glucose levels on human body which in turn can lead to better treatment of diabetes. Current CGM systems process enormous amounts of data and have limitations in regards to data accuracy, precision, and reliability of raw glucose data. The inaccuracy …

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Regulation Of Cks1 Protein Turnover In Cancer Cells, Vinayak Khattar Jan 2015

Regulation Of Cks1 Protein Turnover In Cancer Cells, Vinayak Khattar

All ETDs from UAB

Cks1 is a crucial cell cycle regulator which plays pleiotropic roles in cancer cell growth and is highly expressed at both the protein, and mRNA levels, in cancer cells. In contrast, normal cells exhibit barely detectable levels of this protein, even though they express substantial Cks1 mRNA. One reason for high Cks1 protein in cancers appears to be its stabilization in these cells. Cks1 is known to be ubiquitinated and degraded by the proteasome. Coordinated ubiquitination dependent proteasomal degradation of cell cycle proteins is a major mechanism that regulates their activity. Therefore aberrant accumulation of Cks1, frequently observed in cancer, …

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