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2016

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Identity, Relationships, And Culture: A Constitutive Model Of Coming Out, Jimmie Manning Jan 2016

Identity, Relationships, And Culture: A Constitutive Model Of Coming Out, Jimmie Manning

Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship

For several decades, researchers across many disciplines have developed a large body of research exploring the topic of coming out. This research has provided many insights about what it means for gay, lesbian, and bisexual people to acknowledge their sexualities and to share their sexual identities with others. As helpful as this research has been, little has been done to move scholarship toward a holistic theory of coming out. This chapter provides a step in that direction by offering a constitutive model of coming out. This three-level model proposes that culture informs a person’s viewpoints and personal acceptance regarding sexuality; …

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Density Functional Theory Calculations On The Doping Sequence Of Mnxfen(1-X)Ge, Jordan C. Ball Jan 2016

Density Functional Theory Calculations On The Doping Sequence Of Mnxfen(1-X)Ge, Jordan C. Ball

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

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Aconitic Acid, Glycerol And Cinnamic Acid Polyester Characterization For Bone Tissue Engineering, Katie Joanna Hogan Jan 2016

Aconitic Acid, Glycerol And Cinnamic Acid Polyester Characterization For Bone Tissue Engineering, Katie Joanna Hogan

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

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Increasing Accuracy Of Dietary Assessments By Regular-Shape Recognition And Photogrammetry, Ihsan K. Hakima Jan 2016

Increasing Accuracy Of Dietary Assessments By Regular-Shape Recognition And Photogrammetry, Ihsan K. Hakima

All ETDs from UAB

There is interest in determining the amount of food consumed during dietary studies using technology. Interviews of patients and/or participants can result in inaccuracies in reported food intake. Using food journals or diaries can be more accurate, but depends on participants' motivation to record food intake during meals. Technology can make it easier to record food intake. Previous work utilizing technology has included using single images and a virtual model for food estimation, projecting a circular light on the image to use as a reference, and using a device with a laser to determine distance. Another method uses a wearable …

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The Role Of Hydrogen Peroxide In The Modulation Of Capsule Biosynthesis In Streptococcus Pneumoniae Serotype 2, Jocelyn Renee Hauser Jan 2016

The Role Of Hydrogen Peroxide In The Modulation Of Capsule Biosynthesis In Streptococcus Pneumoniae Serotype 2, Jocelyn Renee Hauser

All ETDs from UAB

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a gram-positive bacterial pathogen that causes diseases such as pneumonia, meningitis, bacteremia and middle ear infections. The major virulence factor of S. pneumoniae is its polysaccharide capsule. The capsule enables the organism to evade host defenses by providing protection against complement-mediated opsonophagocytosis in systemic sites and by allowing the organism to successfully colonize the nasopharynx. The nasopharynx is the natural reservoir of S. pneumoniae. In the nasopharynx, S. pneumoniae is in a high oxygen (O2) environment, however when it has the opportunity to bypass host defenses and invade systemic sites, it reaches environments with low O2. Capsule …

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"Sleep Tight, Don't Let The Dysfunction Bite!" The Relationship Between Sleep Problems And Behavioral And Emotional Problems In Adolescence, Meredith Ashley Henry Jan 2016

"Sleep Tight, Don't Let The Dysfunction Bite!" The Relationship Between Sleep Problems And Behavioral And Emotional Problems In Adolescence, Meredith Ashley Henry

All ETDs from UAB

The effects of sleep on behavioral and emotional functioning in a low income, urban sample of 84 African American adolescents was investigated over 3 years (mean ages: 13.36, 14.76, and 16.14 years) of parent and child interviews. Results suggest child-reported sleep duration decreased while all other sleep variables remained stable. Substance use increased over time. Physical aggression and conduct problems decreased; depression, emotional problems, and hyperactivity/inattention remained stable until late adolescence and then decreased. Lower duration of sleep and more sleep problems at age 13 predicted more conduct problems at age 15 which, in turn, predicted less sleep duration and …

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Racial Disparities In Cognitive Performance In Older Adults With Diabetes, Samantha Kaytana Henry Jan 2016

Racial Disparities In Cognitive Performance In Older Adults With Diabetes, Samantha Kaytana Henry

All ETDs from UAB

ABSTRACT Racial disparities on measures of cognitive performance are well-documented. The purpose of the current study was to examine education quality and health factors in explaining racial differences in cognitive performance. It was hypothesized that significant differences in test performance between African Americans and Caucasians would remain robust despite controlling for demographics. However, accounting for education quality and diabetes-related factors was expected to reduce racial differences to nonsignificance. Additionally, racial differences between objective test performance and subjective memory ratings were anticipated. The sample consisted of 247 older African American and Caucasian adults with diabetes in the Birmingham area. Participants completed …

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What's Up, Dut? Help, Help I'M Being Derepressed; The Great Derepression Of Sapis Or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love Mobilization, Rosanne Lorin Lee Hill Jan 2016

What's Up, Dut? Help, Help I'M Being Derepressed; The Great Derepression Of Sapis Or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love Mobilization, Rosanne Lorin Lee Hill

All ETDs from UAB

Staphylococcus aureus is known to cause disease in both human and animal populations. Many of the virulence factors important for S. aureus pathogenesis are found on mobile genetic elements known as S. aureus pathogenicity islands (SaPIs). SaPIs can transduce into surrounding cells, giving those cells the ability to produce virulence factors. Derepression allows SaPIs to be excised from S. aureus genome to initiate mobilization. Derepressors have been identified for multiple SaPIs, but it remains unknown if the same SaPI can be derepressed by multiple derepressors. It has been shown that SaPIbov1 can be derepressed by the type 1 dUTPase from …

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Hospital Vertical Integration Into Sub-Acute Care Services, Carolyn Tory Harper Hogan Jan 2016

Hospital Vertical Integration Into Sub-Acute Care Services, Carolyn Tory Harper Hogan

All ETDs from UAB

The purpose of this dissertation was to examine the antecedents and outcomes of hospital vertical integration into Sub-Acute Care (SAC). Using a sequential quanqual mixed methods design, we examined why hospitals adopt a vertical integration strategy and the relationship this strategy has to performance. Findings from this dissertation are important to hospital administrators as they seek to find ways to respond to the changing payment structures established during the Affordable Care Act. The results of this dissertation suggest that not all market and organizational factors are associated with vertical integration strategies toward SAC. They also suggest that vertical integration into …

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The Effects Of Perceived Stress, Sleep, And Stress Response On Cancer Related Fatigue In 8- To 12-Year-Old Central Nervous System Cancer Survivors, Ann Johnson Jan 2016

The Effects Of Perceived Stress, Sleep, And Stress Response On Cancer Related Fatigue In 8- To 12-Year-Old Central Nervous System Cancer Survivors, Ann Johnson

All ETDs from UAB

Survivors of childhood cancer are a growing population, and knowledge of persistent cancer related fatigue (CRF) is integral to survivorship. CRF in central nervous system (CNS) cancer is multifactorial and may be unique based on treatment and stage of survival. There is a gap in evidence for school-age survivors, especially during early survivorship. Aims: The aim of this study was to examine factors that influence CRF in child CNS cancer survivors at least 6 months and less than 6 years post treatment. The purpose of this study was to examine relationships between select factors and CRF and to determine effect …

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Resveratrol And Pterostilbene: A Novel Combinatorial Epigenetic Therapy In Targeting Triple-Negative Breast Cancer, Rishabh Kala Jan 2016

Resveratrol And Pterostilbene: A Novel Combinatorial Epigenetic Therapy In Targeting Triple-Negative Breast Cancer, Rishabh Kala

All ETDs from UAB

Although the majority of breast cancers are estrogen receptor (ER)-positive, progesterone receptor (PGR)-positive and/or HER2 positive, approximately 20% of them are triple-negative and lack ER, PGR and HER2 protein expression. These cancers are robust and hard to treat with conventional hormone therapies. The plant-based dietary compounds resveratrol and pterostilbene (a dimethyl derivative of resveratrol) have been shown to modulate the growth of cancer cells individually via affecting genetic and epigenetic profiles, but none of the studies to date have addressed the effects of these two compounds in combination in targeting triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC). We have discovered a synergistic effect …

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Separate But Equal: A Phenomenological Study Of Teachers' Experiences With African American Males In Gender-Specific Classrooms In An Urban School Setting, Hamidah Elmore Jan 2016

Separate But Equal: A Phenomenological Study Of Teachers' Experiences With African American Males In Gender-Specific Classrooms In An Urban School Setting, Hamidah Elmore

All ETDs from UAB

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to illuminate teachers’ experiences with African American males in gender-specific classrooms in an urban school setting in an inner-city school system in Alabama. The central question, “What is it like to be a teacher of African American males within a gender-specific classroom?” guided this qualitative study. This question spawned several sub-questions: (1) “What characteristics are common in an African-American male gender-specific instructor?”, (2) “What strategies do successful African-American male gender specific instructors use in their teaching?”, (3) “What types of administrative support are useful for African-American male gender-specific instructors?”, and (4) “What types …

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Mechanical Properties Of The Growth Plate In A Rat Model Of Obesity, Patrick Neil Estep Jan 2016

Mechanical Properties Of The Growth Plate In A Rat Model Of Obesity, Patrick Neil Estep

All ETDs from UAB

The other group (group 2) of 50 women received the same intervention with heel QUS

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The Role Of Ppar-Delta In Regulating Cardiomyocyte Proliferation And Angiogenesis In Post-Myocardial Infarction Adult Heart, Yishu Ding Jan 2016

The Role Of Ppar-Delta In Regulating Cardiomyocyte Proliferation And Angiogenesis In Post-Myocardial Infarction Adult Heart, Yishu Ding

All ETDs from UAB

immediately before, soon after, and one month after intervention. Average daily calcium

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Examination Of 4-Hydroxy Tamoxifen- And Bh3 Mimetic-Induced Cell Death Pathways In Glioblastoma And Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor Cells, Christopher Dillon Graham Jan 2016

Examination Of 4-Hydroxy Tamoxifen- And Bh3 Mimetic-Induced Cell Death Pathways In Glioblastoma And Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor Cells, Christopher Dillon Graham

All ETDs from UAB

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and aggressive human primary malignant brain tumor with a 5-year survival rate of less than 5%. GBM is highly invasive, rendering complete surgical resection impossible. Additionally, this tumor type is relatively insensitive to radiotherapy. Thus, effective chemotherapeutic options present the last line of defense for GBM patients. Unfortunately, nearly 50% of all GBM tumors are resistant to the current chemotherapeutic standard, temozolomide (TMZ). TMZ is a DNA alkylating agent that promotes apoptosis via DNA damage. Resistance to TMZ-induced cell death is attributed to expression of the DNA repair enzyme O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) resultant from …

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Genome-Wide Transcription And Dna Methylation Profiling In An App Mouse Model Of Alzheimer’S Disease, Mikael C. Guzman Karlsson Jan 2016

Genome-Wide Transcription And Dna Methylation Profiling In An App Mouse Model Of Alzheimer’S Disease, Mikael C. Guzman Karlsson

All ETDs from UAB

The ability to encode information for long-term behavioral adaptation relies on experience-dependent alterations in neuronal plasticity. Neuronal plasticity encompasses the cellular and molecular changes that modulate synaptic communication between neurons as well as intrinsic electrophysiological properties within neurons. Epigenetic mechanisms, including DNA cytosine methylation and histone post-translational modifications, are powerful regulators of neuronal gene expression, allowing for dynamic, bidirectional regulation of transcriptional signatures necessary for neuronal plasticity. Emerging evidence using candidate-gene and microarray-based approaches suggest that the deficits in neuronal plasticity and cognitive impairment observed in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is attributable, in part, to aberrant cytosine methylation and transcription of …

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Role Of Autocrine And Paracrine Wnt Signaling In Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Stem Cells, Puneet Agarwal Jan 2016

Role Of Autocrine And Paracrine Wnt Signaling In Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Stem Cells, Puneet Agarwal

All ETDs from UAB

Treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) with BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) fails to eradicate the leukemia stem cells (LSCs) from which the disease arises. Previously, we and others have shown that LSC persistence is related to kinase-independent mechanisms and mediated in part by signals from the bone marrow microenvironment (BMM). Specifically, we found that WNT signaling from the BMM may contribute to preservation of CML LSC following TKI treatment. Wnt secretion and activity requires their palmitoylation by the Porcupine acyltransferase (PORCN). WNT974 (formerly LGK974) is a potent PORCN inhibitor that blocks WNT signaling and demonstrates in vivo efficacy against …

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Novel Biomarkers For Parkinson Disease, Kyle Bradley Fraser Jan 2016

Novel Biomarkers For Parkinson Disease, Kyle Bradley Fraser

All ETDs from UAB

Parkinson disease (PD) is the most common neurodegenerative movement disorder for which no treatments exist capable of slowing progression of the disease. One obstacle slowing the development of novel therapies is the lack of molecular biomarkers for PD prognosis, tracking of disease progression, and assessing efficacious target engagement of compounds that do reach clinical trials. Missense mutations in LRRK2 account for between 1-5% of late onset PD and lead to increases in LRRK2 kinase activity and LRRK2 autophosphorylation. This thesis characterizes the secretion of LRRK2 into extracellularly secreted microvesicles called exosomes. We find that kinase-active LRRK2 is secreted within exosomes …

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Capacity Of The 3m True Definition Scanner To Make Repeatable Impressions Depending On Placement Of Margins In Relation To Gingival Height., Ricardo Jose Galindo Ramirez Jan 2016

Capacity Of The 3m True Definition Scanner To Make Repeatable Impressions Depending On Placement Of Margins In Relation To Gingival Height., Ricardo Jose Galindo Ramirez

All ETDs from UAB

Purpose: To determine the precision and accuracy of the True Definition Scanner (3M) (TDS) to capture margins at different gingival heights. Materials and Methods: A typodont with soft gingiva and removable indexed Ivorine® teeth was used. Tooth #19 was prepared to fit an all-ceramic crown with a chamfer margin. Spacers placed beneath the prepared tooth elevated #19 in the typodont and controlled the tooth margin height relative to the gingival margin. The TDS was used as an intraoral scanner. A total of 50 scans were made with 5 groups of 10 scans each. In Group 1 (control) the prepared tooth …

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Chromatic Sensitivity: A New Insight Into Color Discrimination, Micah Jason Kinney Jan 2016

Chromatic Sensitivity: A New Insight Into Color Discrimination, Micah Jason Kinney

All ETDs from UAB

Color discrimination varies between individuals even in the absence of a congenital color vision defect. Attempts to explain this variation have shown no link to macular pigment optical density, L:M cone ratios, non-verbal IQ, or female carriers of color vision deficiencies. This study examined individuals’ relative luminance and color-opponent systems sensitivity to their Farnsworth-Munsell 100-Hue (FM-100) color discrimination ability. Thirty normal color vision subjects performed FM-100 and increment threshold testing for white, blue, green and red on a 150 cd/m2 white background. White increment thresholds were compared to colored increment thresholds to produce a luminance to color-opponent system sensitivity ratio …

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The Matricellular Protein Ccn1 Potentiates Fibrogenic Responses To Lung Injury, Ashish Kurundkar Jan 2016

The Matricellular Protein Ccn1 Potentiates Fibrogenic Responses To Lung Injury, Ashish Kurundkar

All ETDs from UAB

Normal wound healing is a well-coordinated reparative response to injury aimed at restoring the normal tissue function. The dynamic interactions between cells and ex-tracellular matrix (ECM) regulate and dictate the fate of tissue repair process. Fibrosis is a dysregulated wound healing with excessive deposition of ECM and loss of tissue func-tion. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic progressive fibrotic disease of lung with no cure. Matricellular proteins are non-structural matrix proteins which regulates the cellular functions by directly binding to cell surface integrins and/or indirectly modulating growth factor signaling. Matricellular proteins are emerging as critical mediators of tissue injury …

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Volumetric Analysis Of The Lips In Aging African American And Caucasian Females, David William Bowen Jan 2016

Volumetric Analysis Of The Lips In Aging African American And Caucasian Females, David William Bowen

All ETDs from UAB

The objective of this study was to perform a volumetric analysis of the lips at rest and upon smiling in African American and Caucasian females distributed throughout five age groups. Materials and Methods: Three-dimensional surface facial images of 100 African American females and 100 Caucasian females were obtained using the 3dMDTMface system (3dMDface, Atlanta GA). Images were analyzed using the Aging Evaluation Analysis (AEVA) software (Eotech, Paris, France) to assess lip volume at rest and upon smile. The following linear measurements were also calculated upon smiling and non-smiling: subnasale-stomion superius, commissure-commissure, stomion inferius-labiomental sulcus. Gingival display and crown length was …

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Sea Urchins Under Predicted Near-Future Ocean Conditions: The Effects Of Ocean Warming And Acidification On Physiology And Behavior, Cecilia Joy Brothers Jan 2016

Sea Urchins Under Predicted Near-Future Ocean Conditions: The Effects Of Ocean Warming And Acidification On Physiology And Behavior, Cecilia Joy Brothers

All ETDs from UAB

Sea urchins (Class Echinoidea) play important economic and ecological roles in the marine ecosystems they inhabit. However, climate change is causing seawater temperatures to increase and pH and the saturation state of polymorphs of calcium calcite to decrease at unprecedented rates, and these changes may have serious implications for the fitness and survival of sea urchin populations. The purpose of the present dissertation was to determine the effects of ocean warming and acidification on the physiology and behavior of sea urchins. This research was conducted on three sea urchin taxa (Lytechinus variegatus, Heliocidaris erythrogramma, and Sterechinus spp.) representing species that …

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Elementary Photoreceptor Signaling In Human Vision, Kady Scarlett Bruce Jan 2016

Elementary Photoreceptor Signaling In Human Vision, Kady Scarlett Bruce

All ETDs from UAB

To perceive a spot of light at photopic threshold, a minimum number of photons must be absorbed by cone photoreceptors. While many factors affecting psychophysical threshold have been studied, few have been examined at the single-cone level. Here we reveal how variation in synaptic weighting and signal integration among cones in the human retina occurs in vivo. Using an adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscope (AOSLO) equipped with stimulation capabilities, we targeted cone-sized stimuli to single cones. Perceptual increment thresholds were measured from individual cones and cone pairs in 7 subjects using a Bayesian-based staircase method of threshold estimation. In 42 …

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Mending Rural America: Disaster Recovery In Small Municipalities, Marybrook Burchfield Jan 2016

Mending Rural America: Disaster Recovery In Small Municipalities, Marybrook Burchfield

All ETDs from UAB

Long-term disaster recovery is an important aspect of public administration, especially as the United States is more frequently affected by natural disasters. Federal, state and local governments must adapt and respond to their citizens’ needs. This research analyzes one small Alabama community’s recovery following a devastating series of tornados. This case study on the City of Cordova is conducted via a document analysis of local newspaper articles, government documents and personal communication. The experiences of Cordova are analyzed using principles outlined in FEMA’s National Disaster Recovery Framework. The analysis suggests that disaster recovery in a small city or town is …

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Primary Visual Cortex And Plasticity Following Central Vision Loss, Wesley K. Burge Jan 2016

Primary Visual Cortex And Plasticity Following Central Vision Loss, Wesley K. Burge

All ETDs from UAB

Age-related macular degeneration is one of the most common causes of blindness in the industrialized world, and the advanced phase of the disease that causes significant vision impairment affects nearly 2 million individuals in the United States (Friedman et al., 2004). It is characterized by the degeneration and eventual death of retinal photoreceptors in the macula, which is the area of the retina that mediates central vision. The resulting loss of cells often leads to profound deficits in visual function. However, many individuals with age-related macular degeneration learn to use their spared peripheral vision for visual tasks such as reading, …

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Expanding Pulmonary Rehabilitation Access With Technology, Erica Mccarron Anderson Jan 2016

Expanding Pulmonary Rehabilitation Access With Technology, Erica Mccarron Anderson

All ETDs from UAB

ii EXPANDING PULMONARY REHABILITATION WITH TECHNOLOGY ERICA MCCARRON ANDERSON COMMUNITY HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES ABSTRACT Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a major cause of mortality and morbidity in the United States. COPD is a chronic, progressive lung disease characterized by irreversible airway obstruction. Symptoms include fatigue, chronic cough, excess mucus production and shortness of breath. These symptoms often impair quality-of-life. There are many interventions aimed at improving health related qualityof- life for patients living with COPD. Pulmonary rehabilitation is a multidisciplinary program exercise, education and psychosocial support. Pulmonary rehabilitation is well established to decrease symptoms in all stages of …

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The Relationships Between Patient Satisfaction, Market Share, And Hospital Financial Performance, David W. Au Jan 2016

The Relationships Between Patient Satisfaction, Market Share, And Hospital Financial Performance, David W. Au

All ETDs from UAB

Quantitative scores enumerating patient experience with care have been introduced to healthcare via the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010. Consumers can now compare with relative ease, different healthcare providers on the basis of standardized metrics. As government mandated transparency initiatives become commonplace as a result of the law, hospitals are more cognizant of how patient experience with care (operationalized using Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems: HCAHPS) has an impact on where patients decide to seek treatment. The proliferation of technological tools now enables patients to make meaningful quality and cost comparisons across providers. HCAHPS …

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Regulation Of Vibrio Cholerae Biofilm Formation By H-Ns Repression And Anti-Repression, Julio Cesar Ayala-Figueredo Jan 2016

Regulation Of Vibrio Cholerae Biofilm Formation By H-Ns Repression And Anti-Repression, Julio Cesar Ayala-Figueredo

All ETDs from UAB

The diarrheal disease cholera is caused by the Gram-negative and motile bacterium Vibrio cholerae of serogroups O1 and O139. V. cholerae can switch between planktonic (motile) and sessile (biofilm) lifestyles. Biofilms are sessile communities encased in a self-produced extracellular matrix mainly composed of exopolysaccharide, proteins and extracellular DNA. Biofilm formation enhances the capacity of V. cholerae to persist in environmental waters and increases its infectivity. The bacterial second messenger cyclic diguanylic acid (c-di-GMP) regulates the transition between motile and biofilm lifestyles in V. cholerae. At low cell density, two c-di-GMP receptors, the LuxR-type regulator VpsT and the NtrC-type regulator VpsR …

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Racial Segregation: Slum Clearance And Urban Renewal In Birmingham, Alabama, 1950-1960, Michael Barrett Jan 2016

Racial Segregation: Slum Clearance And Urban Renewal In Birmingham, Alabama, 1950-1960, Michael Barrett

All ETDs from UAB

RESIDENTIAL SEGREGATION: SLUM CLEARANCE AND URBAN RENEWAL IN BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA, 1950-1960 MICHAEL D. BARRETT HISTORY ABSTRACT In his Letter from a Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King, Jr. referred to Birmingham, Alabama as the “Most segregated city in America.” The city’s history of racial subjugation and conflict certainly validates King’s statement. Yet should Birmingham stand alone when it comes to racial segregation through the auspices of federal housing programs? The Housing Act of 1949 provided federal funds for slum clearance and urban renewal projects in city centers. Title I of the Act gave local housing agencies authority to determine the areas …

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