Digital Commons Network^™

Changes In The Frontal Soft Tissue Of The Lower Face By Age And Sex, Maggie Law

All ETDs from UAB

The purpose of this study is to determine age-related changes of the lower face by age and by gender. The secondary purpose of this study is to stress the importance of the clin-ical exam for orthodontic patients in the frontal view, the way most patients perceive themselves. Also, individualized treatment planning with age-appropriate incisor display is crucial for esthetic outcomes. Materials and Methods: Specific dimensions of the lower face were measured at patients initial clinical exam before starting orthodontic treatment. All patients were from Dr. David Sarver's private practice in Vestavia Hills, AL collected from 1/1/2002-11/4/2014. The following parameters were …

Gene Replacement Therapy For Sickle Cell Disease, Chao Li

All ETDs from UAB

Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) is a devastating inherited disorder resulting from a single DNA base pair (bp) mutation in the sixth codon of the β-globin gene. It causes severe tissue damage that can result in strokes, splenic infarction, kidney failure, liver and lung disorders, painful crises, and other complications. Currently, the only cure for the disease is allogenic stem cell transplantation, which is only available to limited patients with histocompatible donors. In order to overcome this limitation, CRISPR/Cas enhanced gene correction in sickle patient iPS and CD34+ hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells as a therapy strategy was explored. Keratinocytes from skin biopsies …

Linking Adiponectin And Autophagy In The Regulation Of Breast Cancer Metastatic Potential, Emily Libby

All ETDs from UAB

Curative approaches for metastatic breast cancer remain elusive. Adiponectin is the most abundant of the adipocyte-secreted adipokines, and there is recent interest in development of adiponectin-based therapies for this disease. Yet, while multiple epidemiological studies have indicated that low levels of circulating plasma adiponectin portend poorer prognosis, recent work has reported that elevated adiponectin expression in breast tissue correlates with advanced disease. Further, isoform-specific roles of this molecule are not well understood. Thus, the overarching purpose of this work was to elucidate how adiponectin isoforms contribute to the microenvironmental regulation of the early steps of breast cancer metastasis. We show …

The Jak/Stat Pathway In Neuroinflammatory Diseases, Yudong Liu

All ETDs from UAB

Dysregulation of the Janus Kinase/Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription (JAK/STAT) pathway is critically involved in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS)/experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). Suppressor Of Cytokine Signaling (SOCS) proteins are the negative regulators of the JAK/STAT pathway. To determine the role of SOCS3 in myeloid cells in EAE, mice with conditional SOCS3 deletion in myeloid cells (LysMCre-SOCS3fl/fl) were created and tested. LysMCre-SOCS3fl/fl mice develop a severe, non-resolving atypical form of disease, characterized by lesions and extensive neutrophil and other inflammatory cell infiltrates in the cerebellum and brainstem, elevated STAT activation, elevated cytokine, chemokine and iNOS expression, and prominent …

Structural And Biochemical Charactereization Of Lrrk2, Zhiyong Liu

All ETDs from UAB

Mutations in the leucine rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) gene are the most common known genetic cause of Parkinson disease (PD) , with pathogenic mutations located within each of the two catalytic cores of the protein, the GTPase and kinase domains. The most prevalent pathogenic mutation, G2019S increases kinase activity up to 5-fold, causing significant changes in the protein’s biochemical behavior. Other mutations such as R1441G and I2020T have also been demonstrated to increase LRRK2 kinase activity, however, the detailed mechanisms remains unclear. A major limitation in the field is the lack of structural information of LRRK2. This dissertation detailed …

Spatial Analysis Of Hypertension Prevalence Using A Large Us Cohort, Matthew Loop

All ETDs from UAB

Stroke mortality rates are highest in the Southeast US, and the cause for this "Stroke Belt" is not well understood. We investigate the spatial distribution of hypertension, an important risk factor for stroke. This investigation explores statistical issues in performing spatial analysis in a large cohort (over 30,000 participants), relating to type 1 error rate control and geocoding error. Recommendations for handling these statistical issues are made. In an applied analysis, we find that hypertension prevalence varies across the continental US, and is highest in northeast Louisiana, southeast Arkansas, west Mississippi, and east Michigan. These areas are not concordant with …

Assessment Of Antipsychotic Medication Effects On Dynamic Functional Network Connectivity In Patients With Schizophrenia, Kristin Lottman

All ETDs from UAB

Schizophrenia, a psychiatric disorder affecting approximately 1% of the population, is often characterized as a disorder of dysconnectivity. Evaluation of the dysconnectivity hypothesis of schizophrenia has been extensively examined via functional neuroimaging studies in order to enhance insight into the disorder’s pathology. In particular, resting-state functional connectivity analyses have reported widespread aberrant network connectivity between brain regions in patients; however, consistencies in the directionality of abnormalities are often variable across studies. Recent investigations have begun to analyze functional connectivity dynamically as it is likely these inconsistencies may be a result of the static nature of traditional connectivity measures. In this …

Assessing Potential Diesel Exhaust Exposure In Truckers Resting At Truck Stops, Gumindenga Farayi Mabvuta

All ETDs from UAB

The nature of long haul truck driving places workers in this occupation in a peculiar setting for chronic exposure to diesel exhaust which is a known carcinogenic. These drivers endure exposure to diesel exhaust in traffic and potentially greater exposure at truck stops where they park for rest breaks as mandated by DOT regulations. This study looked at the potential exposure to diesel exhaust in long haul truck drivers resting at truck stops where up to two hundred trucks are left idling for air conditioning and other reasons. Two different trucks were used consecutively over the 21 days of sampling. …

Some Contributions To Bayesian Regularization Methods With Applications To Genetics And Clinical Trials, Himel Mallick

All ETDs from UAB

Variable selection refers to the class of problems where one tries to find an optimal subset of relevant variables, which can be used to accurately predict the outcome of a certain response variable. Typically, a large number of variables are often collected; however, all but a few important variables are relevant for the prediction of the outcome, so the underlying representation is sparse. To this end, variable selection is fundamental in high-dimensional data analysis, playing a crucial role in important scientific discovery and decision-making, and has received enormous attention in the literature. Regularization method is one attractive approach that has …

The Business Of Forgetting: How Atlanta Became A Future-Oriented City, 1865-1895, Tyler Malugani

All ETDs from UAB

Modern Atlanta contains very few physical representations of its history. This stems from an ideal created by businessmen and New South boosters who placed profits and capitalistic endeavors above history and tradition. After the Civil War when General William Tecumseh Sherman left the city of Atlanta in ashes, this ideal was put into practice. The emphases and style of both the physical and economic reconstruction show the beginnings of Atlanta’s future-orientation. Likewise, the urge to promote Atlanta and its economy through national and world expositions in the 1880’s and 1890’s illustrate how this ideal matured into second-nature. The three decades …

Spectroscopic Characterization Of Iron-Doped Ii-Vi Compounds For Laser Applications, Alan David Martinez

All ETDs from UAB

The middle Infrared (mid-IR) region of the electromagnetic spectrum between 2 and 15 μm has many features which are of interest to a variety of fields such as molecular spectroscopy, biomedical applications, industrial process control, oil prospecting, free-space communication and defense-related applications. Because of this, there is a demand for broadly tunable, laser sources operating over this spectral region which can be easily and inexpensively produced. II-VI semiconductor materials doped with transition metals (TM) such as Co2+, Cr2+, or Fe2+ exhibit highly favorable spectroscopic characteristics for mid-IR laser applications. Among these TM dopants, Fe2+ has absorption and emission which extend …

Synaptic And Neurochemical Profiles Of The Nucleus Accumbens In Postmortem Schizophrenia, Lesley Mccollum

All ETDs from UAB

Schizophrenia is a mental illness affecting 1% of the population worldwide. Treatment options are limited for patients, due in part to the lack of understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms of schizophrenia. In order to improve treatment, it is vital to gain a better understanding of the underlying pathology of the disorder. One region of particular interest is the nucleus accumbens (NAcc). Part of the ventral striatum, this region is thought to play a role in schizophrenia pathology for multiple reasons: afferent input of many brain regions implicated in schizophrenia is integrated here; the dopamine and glutamate systems, both known to …

Emergency Department Wait Time Communication Strategies And Patient Throughput Efficiency, Tom R. Mcdougal

All ETDs from UAB

This study investigates hospital strategies used to inform patients of anticipated wait times in the Emergency Department (ED) and the association of such strategies with patient throughput efficiency. When hospitals are inefficient in ED patient throughput, conditions of overcrowding often occur. Overcrowding of the ED is a problem for many hospitals. When such conditions exist, there is evidence in the literature that it leads to lower patient satisfaction, care quality, and financial position of the hospital. Therefore, improving patient throughput efficiency is a priority for hospitals. To improve patient throughput efficiency, hospitals use a variety of strategies. This study focuses …

They Pull Your Grown Up Card For This, Jamie Mcfaden

All ETDs from UAB

THEY PULL YOUR GROWN-UP CARD FOR THIS JAMIE MCFADEN MASTER OF ARTS IN ENGLISH ABSTRACT They Pull Your Grown-Up Card for This is a collection of six nonfiction pieces. The majority of the pieces in the collection are personal essays with the exception of one written specifically as nonfictional prose and another that adheres to the memoir tradition. Major themes coursing through this body of work include notions of family, friendship, and self-awareness.

A New Form Of Rod Photoreceptor Light Adaptation, Alex S. Mckeown

All ETDs from UAB

In the first step in light perception, rod and cone photoreceptors convert photon absorption into an electrical impulse that is transmitted through the visual pathway. While the biochemistry and the signaling physiology have largely been defined in dark-adapted, isolated mammalian rods, there are still unanswered questions regarding photoreceptor light adaptation processes that involve extracellular components. In particular, the proteins of the interphotoreceptor matrix have not been considered in the studies of rod signaling and adaptation. This thesis details a new form of light adaptation, now known as adaptive potentiation (AP), in which extracellular components act on rods to transiently increase …

Effect Of Vigilance On Driving Performance In Commercial Motor Vehicle Drivers, Ben Mcmanus

All ETDs from UAB

Driving is a complex task requiring constant information processing made possible by attention. Because there are 5.7 million commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers in the United States, it is imperative to investigate factors affecting driving performance as well as methods to reduce motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) with the primary goal of eliminating transportation-related unintentional fatal and nonfatal injuries. Vigilance is a cognitive processing component that may play an important role in CMV driving safety. Two experiments were conducted to examine the effect of vigilance on simulated driving performance in varying conditions. Experiment 1 focused specifically on the effect of vigilance …

Malware Detection Through Disassembled Function Analysis, Ralph Frank Mcsweeney

All ETDs from UAB

Antivirus software vendors have been forced into an industry of reaction because an abundance of new malware is discovered daily. The antivirus industry, handicapped by a low ratio of malware analysts to malware and antiquated techniques, floods the market with products with regrettably low detection rates, often only marginally outperforming competitors. This thesis presents a new function-edge-based set detection and identification method which significantly outperforms traditional antivirus techniques. The technique used reduces a malware binary to its fundamental assembly code and performs functional analysis using a newly created function hashing technique. Function hash edges are created by combining calling and …

Dna Methylation Regulates Neuronal Synaptic Scaling And Intrinsic Membrane Excitability, Jarrod P. Meadows

All ETDs from UAB

Learning and memory rely on long-lasting, experience-dependent adaptations in synaptic and non-synaptic forms of neuronal plasticity. Previous evidence implicates transcriptional and epigenetic mechanisms, including DNA cytosine methylation, as critical regulators of site-specific, Hebbian alterations in synaptic efficacy such as long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD). However, whether DNA methylation modulates cell-wide, non-Hebbian homeostatic adaptations like synaptic scaling and intrinsic plasticity (IP) is unclear. Whereas synaptic scaling involves bidirectional changes in postsynaptic receptor density in response to chronic alterations in neuronal activity, IP involves the activity-dependent attunement of passive and/or active membrane properties that govern action potential (AP) firing. This …

The Impact Of Meal Timing On Cardiometabolic Syndrome Indicators In Shift Workers, Hylton Elisabeth Molzof

All ETDs from UAB

Shift workers exhibit a greater risk for several cardiovascular and metabolic diseases including heart disease, obesity, hypertension, and type II diabetes (Boivin, Tremblay, & James, 2007; Chen, Lin, & Hsiao, 2010; Knutsson, Jonsson, Akerstedt, & Orth-Gomer, 1986; Kroenke et al., 2007). Shift workers have been reported to consume more pro-inflammatory diets than day workers (Wirth, Burch, Shivappa, Steck, et al., 2014) and to redistribute their food intake to the night during work (Lennernas, Hambraeus, & Akerstedt, 1995; Pasqua & Moreno, 2004). Numerous studies in animal models and humans have shown that eating during the sleep or inactive period is associated …

High Pressure High Temperature Phase Diagrams Of Heavy Rare Earth Metals, Jeffrey M. Montgomery

All ETDs from UAB

Two new high-pressure apparatus are developed and used to explore the phase diagrams of rare earth metals gadolinium, thulium, and lutetium. The first device incorporates natural diamond anvils that have been surface modified with a homoepitaxially-grown chemical-vapor-deposited layer of conducting boron-doped diamond. This layer is used as a direct electrical heating element to heat the diamond anvils independently of the rest of the diamond anvil cell. This allows for comparatively rapid, but controlled, changes in temperature at high pressure, primarily while cooling of a sample without a large energy or time expenditure. The second device incorporates a homoepitaxially-grown micro-anvil on …

Self-Perceptions And Social Comparison With A Primary Focus On Racial Identity In African American, Hispanic And Caucasian Fifth-Grade Children, Jeffrey G. Moore

All ETDs from UAB

Understanding the significance of one’s ethnic group is pivotal to comprehending and defining one’s overall process of self-perception, its influence on academic achievement, and probability for future success as well as personal fulfillment, especially among adolescents (Hill, Mance, Anderson, & Smith, 2012). Consequently, an adolescent’s view of self is often directly associated with personal interactions with individuals closest in nature and proximity. To explore the effects of self-perception among fifth-grade adolescents, a quantitative study was conducted to examine physical appearance and self-worth disparities among pre-adolescent Black, Hispanic, and White youth. For this research, three racial identity developmental theories were applied, …

Nadph Oxidase-Derived Superoxide: A Potentiator Of Autoimmune Responses In Type 1 Diabetes, Lindsey E. Padgett

All ETDs from UAB

Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease culminating in pancreatic β-cell destruction, inducing reactive oxygen species (ROS), pro-inflammatory cytokines, and islet-infiltrating leukocutes. Macrophages, one of the first islet-infiltrating cells in T1D, secrete ROS and pro-inflammatory cytokines, which lyse pancreatic β-cells and activate diabetogenic T cells to further propagate β-cell destruction, while autoreactive CD4 T cells recruit islet-infiltrating, pro-inflammatory, M1 macrophages, and enhance CD8 T cell cytotoxicity. We previously demonstrated the importance of NADPH oxidase (NOX)-derived ROS synthesis in T1D, as Non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice lacking NOX-derived superoxide (NOD.Ncf1m1J) exhibited a delay in spontaneous and adoptive transfer of T1D. In …

Comparison Of Three Fluoride Dentifrice Products In The Prevention Of White Spot Lesions In Orthodontic Treatment, Anna B. Palombini

All ETDs from UAB

Introduction:. During the course of orthodontic treatment, enamel decalcification is a common problem. Demineralized enamel, the precursor to caries formation, can be attributed to fixed orthodontic appliances and prolonged exposure to bacterial plaque. Progression to clinically detectable white spot lesions may occur as early as one month following the placement of orthodontic appliances. Such problems have influenced clinicians to search for a solution. Because fluoride treatment immediately upon debonding is not advocated, clinicians have proposed fluoride treatment and fluoride-releasing materials at the commencement of the therapy. The two new anti-cavity toothpastes, ClinproTM 5000 with 1.1% Sodium Fluoride and ClinproTM Tooth …

Akhuwat Issue No. 98, Aga Khan University

AKHUWAT Newsletters

• Dr Sadia Rasul receives Order of British Columbia
• Dr Bhutta receives CPBC's Professional of the Year Award
• AKU and DW sign a memorandum of understanding to develop world-class professional development programmes
• Farewell to Dr Greg Moran and Dr Yasmin Amarsi
• A time to bid farewell
• Leadership workshop to accelerate reduction of maternal and newborn deaths
• Africa's First Ladies visit AKUH Heart and Cancer Centre
• Enhancing Research Ethics Committee Reaccredited
• First PGME Open Day in East Africa
• Grid Station to meet University's future needs
• AKU-EB Middle School Programme Developing 21st Century Skills
• AKU-EB's unwavering commitment to education
• The Spirit of Service! …

The Role Of C-Reactive Protein In Acute Kidney Injury, Melissa A. Pegues

All ETDs from UAB

Acute kidney injury (AKI), which manifests as an abrupt decline in renal function, occurs in ~1% of all hospitalization. Ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI), a common cause of AKI, can occur in any situation where blood flow to the kidney is significantly reduced such as hypertensive crisis, cardiovascular surgery, and inevitably during renal transplantation. Mortality from AKI is up to 80% due to incomplete knowledge of the pathogenesis of IRI and the lack of an effective therapy. It is thought that cellular damage as a result of hypoxia signals the release of proinflammatory cytokines that lead to a systemic inflammatory response. …

With Love, Flint, Sharanna Polk

All ETDs from UAB

While With Love, Flint includes nine short stories that work together to tell the story of a slave woman’s descendants, each story is written so that it can stand separate from the entire piece. With Love, Flint begins in the year 1849 in Madison Mississippi, and travels through Memphis, New Orleans, Mobile and finally settles in Flint, Michigan, ending in 2013. The first five stories detail how each character eventually arrives in Flint, detailing some of America’s history along the way. The stories and characters are meant to reflect and offer exploration of Flint Michigan’s detriment. Through the characters, the …

Orthogonal Pulse Based Wideband Communication For High Speed Data Transfer In Sensor Applications, Kushal Prasad Pradhan

All ETDs from UAB

There has been an ever increasing demand and need for high speed and reliable data transfer between a remote transmitter and a receiver station. We have proposed a novel scheme for Ultra Wide Band (UWB) communication technology, to enhance the data rate in single user scenario and to increase the number of sources for simultaneous data transmission in the multi-source scenario. We have proposed to exploit the orthogonal property of Modified Hermite Pulse (MHP) by transmitting the composite pulse (Pulse shape modulation, PSM) instead of transmitting a single orthogonal pulse. With the proposed scheme for data modulation with 4 different …

Teacher And Student Perceptions Of What Motivates Reading In African American Males Enrolled In Developmental Reading Classes: A Qualitative Multiple Case Analysis, Dominique Prince

All ETDs from UAB

TEACHER AND STUDENT PERCEPTIONS OF WHAT MOTIVATES READING IN AFRICAN AMERICAN MALES ENROLLED IN DEVELOPMENTAL READING CLASSES DOMINIQUE PRINCE EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP ABSTRACT Research has indicated that effective literacy skills are needed participate fully in society and become productive employees. Still, many high school graduates lack the essential literary skills needed. In spite of African American males continuing to value literacy, some are not performing to levels of proficiency. Understanding the impact teachers and educational leaders have on students’ reading achievement, attention has been placed on students’ motivation to read. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case analysis was to explore …

Bond Of Dual Cure Resin Cements To Enamel And Dentin In Self Cure Mode, Rashmi Radhakrishnan

All ETDs from UAB

Dual cured resin cements are frequently used to cement all ceramic restorations. The increased thickness and /or opacity of restorations block light transmission. In these situations, where little or no light can be transmitted through the restorations, the polymerization of the cement is in the self-cure mode. Purpose: This study measures the bond strength and mode of failure of dual cure resin cements to enamel and dentin in a self-cure mode using e.max rods. Methods: 160 extracted human molars were ground to mid-coronal dentin (N=80) or superficial enamel (N=80) and finished to 320 grit disks. Four adhesive/cement combinations - Multilink …

Cash, Conscience, Corpse: The Culture Of Death In The Victorian Novel, Harvey Ragland

All ETDs from UAB

ABSTRACT This thesis discusses Victorian notions of respectability at death and burial as they are portrayed in Jane Eyre, David Copperfield, Middlemarch, and The Nether World. Because such notions are, by nature, fluid in that the death of an individual is spread across a canvas of public ritual, the novel provides a better way than newspaper accounts or diaries to bring together divergent and competing perspectives to form a more complete account of respectability's meaning for Victorians. Each of the four novels takes a different position on the idea of the respectable death and customs associated with it. From the …