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Paleolithic Protection In A Western World: A Look Into Preagricultural Nutrition As A Remedy For The Diseases Of Civilization, Emilie R. Caron

Honors Theses

The aim of this investigation is to discover the associations of the Western diet to noncommunicable diseases and to determine if a reversion to a Paleolithic diet will provide treatment and prevention of these diseases. Noncommunicable diseases, otherwise known as Diseases of Civilization, are lifestyle influenced diseases and encompass obesity, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, and associated cancers. Incidences of these diseases have skyrocketed in the past century and show no signs of decline. Since 1900, the death rates due to heart disease and cancer have risen to account for 47% of total deaths in the United States in 2010. (Tippett, …

Delta Air Lines: A Financial Analysis And Corresponding Recommendations For Delta Air Lines, Inc., Emily Bush

Honors Theses

This alternative thesis project is a financial analysis of Delta Air Lines, Inc. Utilizing the 10-K Financial Statements from 2009 to 2013, along with some correlating outside resources, a full business and financial analysis was completed. Starting with the business background and operations, and then working into analysis of the Financial Statements, corresponding recommendations were created for tax, audit and advisory planning strategies.. The bulk of the analysis utilized the 10-K data provided by the SEC, only using minimal other resources for background research. The research found that since filing Chapter 11 bankruptcy Delta Air Lines has improved substantially. Delta's …

Strange Gospels, Emily R. Duhe

Honors Theses

This thesis is a collection of poetry and short stories dealing with different kinds and perspectives of strangeness, particularly with the concept of the Other.

Eliminating Magnetic Forces From The Surface Tension Measurement Of Magnetic Surfactants, Emily Koehler

Honors Theses

Surfactants have many applications due to their ability to reduce the surface tension between two phases. Magnetic surfactants, a relatively new form of surfactants, offer the possibility of further controlling a surfactant system by using an external magnetic field to induce alignment on the molecular level. One method of studying a magnetic field's effect on the magnetic surfactant system involves analyzing the change in surface tension at varied solution concentrations both in and outside a magnetic field. The pendent drop method uses the downward gravitational force on a droplet suspended from a needle to find the surface tension based on …

Providing A Prescription Of School Choice To Improve Mississippi's K-12 Educational System: A Dose Of Education Savings Accounts Mixed With Charter Schools And Private School Vouchers, Eric Bennett

Honors Theses

This thesis investigates the research surrounding school choice programs, such as charter schools, private school vouchers, and education savings accounts (ESAs). My research investigates academic effects, fiscal effects, impact upon low-income and minority students, parental involvement and satisfaction, and public opinion of school choice programs. The ultimate goal of this thesis is to answer my central research question of, What is the ideal school choice picture for Mississippi, with two goals in mind: 1.) To rescue children currently trapped within underperforming schools without the means to transfer to a higher quality school. 2.) To reform the K-12 educational system in …

An Experimental Investigation Of A Reinforced Steel Frame Via Structural Dynamics, Ethan Baker

Honors Theses

With the current decaying condition of America's infrastructure, a need for a more efficient inspection method is evident. The combination of Structural Health Monitoring data and data analysis tools could be a solution. In this study, laboratory data was captured for both a baseline bare-frame and a wooden wall reinforced steel structure. A MATLAB®-based computer program, the in-house SHE™ accomplishes an array of tasks, including signal processing and modal decomposition among others. A SAP2000® model contextualized the experimental data by producing trend behaviors, such as mode order or common mode shapes. Both sequential and cumulative reinforcement detection was performed on …

Elevated Corticosterone Levels Decrease Vocal Attractiveness And Elicit Non-Calling Mating Tactics In Male Green Tree Frogs, Hyla Cinerea, Hannah Burroff

Honors Theses

Condition-dependent male alternative tactics are often driven by competition among males for females. The expression of alternative male mating tactics can be influenced by the external social environment as well as internal physiological state. Recent models predict that circulating levels of stress hormones (i.e., glucocorticoids) and androgens may be particularly important in determining mating tactic expression under varying social circumstances. This study intergrates both components to investigate the cause of alternative tactic adoption in male green tree frogs, Hyla cinerea. Males of this species produce acoustic signals that are critical for attracting females and male vocalizations stimulate production of the …

Supporting Sustainability Through Developing A Learning Network Among Traditional Food Producers: Applications Of Action Learning, Paul Coughlan, David Coghlan, Denise O'Leary, Clare Rigg, Doireann Barrett

Articles

Purpose: The chapter describes and reflects upon an EU-funded research initiative, TRADEIT, which has attempted to develop a learning network among European traditional food producers as one way of contributing to the economic sustainability of the ventures, the social sustainability of the food’s regional character, and the environmental sustainability of food production through the use of traditional methods.

Design/methodology/approach: The chapter describes TRADEIT before moving on to an exploration of learning in organizations and networks. It outlines the action learning research methodology developed and implemented to explore the development of a learning network in TRADEIT. A single case history …

The Effects Of High Literacy Demands In Mathematics On International Students, Fiona Faulkner, Clare O'Hara, Mark Prendergast

Articles

Project Maths is an ambitious reform of Irish post-primary education. It involves changes to what students learn in mathematics, how they learn it and how they will be assessed. There is a much greater emphasis placed on student understanding of mathematical concepts, with increased use of contexts and applications that will enable students to relate mathematics to their everyday experiences. The assessment reflects the different emphasis on problem solving and applications in the teaching and learning of mathematics and there is a much greater emphasis on reading and understanding the problems. Hence there is a greater emphasis on student’s English …

“Some Of Them Are Alright”: The Effects Of Experiences With Community Police Officers On Irish Young People’S Attitudes Toward The Police, Helen Gleeson, Molly Byrne

Irish Journal of Applied Social Studies

Community policing is regarded as a more proactive policing policy compared to traditional methods of detecting and punishing crimes already committed. Few studies have investigated the effect of such policing on young people’s attitudes toward the police and to date no research in this area has been conducted in the Republic of Ireland. Semi-structured interviews with 20 young people (12 to 18 years old) from the West of Ireland explored the effects of interactions with a community officer on overall attitudes toward the police. Findings suggest that young people make distinctions between different types of officers. While the community officer …

Three-Dimensional Age-Related Changes Of The Adult Male Face, Catherine Haynie Haynie

All ETDs from UAB

Objectives: The adult population is a fast growing subgroup of orthodontic practices. The facial soft tissues of adults are different from adolescents, and there is significant sexual dimorphism in the aging of facial soft tissue. It is imperative for the orthodontist to understand how aging effects the soft tissues of the face, and to know how male and females differ in this process. The objectives of this study include: 1.) Identification of trends in facial aging among a Caucasian male and African American male sample utilizing three-dimensional surface imaging technology. 2.) Comparison of the aging effects between the Caucasian and …

Toward A Scalable, Transactional, Fault-Tolerant Message Passing Interface For Petascale And Exascale Machines, Amin Hassani

All ETDs from UAB

was needed to increase calcium and vitamin D intake and positively change osteoporosis

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 …

"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 …

The Cost Of Home Rule: An Alabama Case Study, Mary Elizabeth Hendrix

All ETDs from UAB

increase calcium and vitamin D consumption in young women is needed.

Genetic Enhancer Screen With Transition Zone Mutant Nphp-4 Reveals Novel Interactions With Mutation Affecting Intraflagellar Transport And Endocytic Pathways, Scott Henke

All ETDs from UAB

to suggest an association between log(CRP) and smoking, controlling for WC and race.

Andy Loves Richard: The Revelations Of Vote Mcgovern (1972), Amelia Hobson

All ETDs from UAB

In 1972, Pop artist Andy Warhol was asked by the Democratic National Convention to design a poster for the campaign of George McGovern in his race against presidential incumbent Richard Nixon. The final print was produced in an edition of 250 prints and sold at auction with the proceeds donated to McGovern’s campaign. The work commands almost immediate attention as it depicts not George McGovern, as might be expected, but his opponent President Richard Nixon. Nixon’s head consumes the greater portion of the print and looms over the scrawled text, “VOTE MCGOVERN.” Nixon’s eyes are yellow and his face green …

The Use Of An Open-Label Placebo To Treat Cancer-Related Fatigue In Cancer Survivors, Theresa Walker Hoenemeyer

All ETDs from UAB

Background: A placebo is an inert substance (e.g., sugar pill) or procedure (e.g., sham surgery) that should confer no beneficial effects. Nonetheless, typically, 30-50% of those randomized to placebos report significant benefits. New studies indicate that the use of disclosed or open-label placebos reduces self-reported symptoms among patients with irritable bowel syndrome, migraine attacks, and major depression. Methods: The investigator conducted a 7-week pilot study to evaluate the feasibility and effects of an open-labeled administration of placebo pills on patient-reported clinical and psychosocial outcomes among cancer survivors seeking relief from cancer-related fatigue. The specific aims of this study were to: …

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 …

The Effect Of Proinflammatory Cytokines On Thioredoxin-Interacting Protein In Pancreatic Beta-Cells, Kyunghee Hong

All ETDs from UAB

Pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as Interleukin (IL)-1β, Tumor necrosis factors (TNF) α, and Interferon (IFN)γ, have been implicated as critical mediators of β-cell destruction in diabetes. In addition, although a combination of these three cytokines has been used to mimic the inflammatory conditions of type 1 diabetes in vitro, the mechanisms underlying the effect are not fully understood. Previously, we discovered Thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP) as a key regulator of glucotoxicity-induced β-cell apoptosis and β-cell dysfunction, while deletion of TXNIP prevented type 1 (T1D) and type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, the effects of proinflammatory cytokines on the regulation of TXNIP have not …

An Investigation Into The Developmental Response Of The Amphipod Hyalella Azteca To Different Predator-Related Chemical Cues, William Ryan James

All ETDs from UAB

Predator chemical cues have been widely demonstrated to influence developmental plasticity in aquatic prey. However, understanding the role that conspecifics have on an individual’s anti-predator response has received little attention. The present thesis investigated the developmental plasticity of individual and groups of the amphipod Hyalella azteca chronically exposed to kairomones from predatory sunfish. Previous field studies have suggested that small body size in H. azteca is a likely adaptive response to reducing predation by sunfish, but no experimental studies have been carried out to test if the amphipods have a developmental response to the presence of sunfish. Containers with single …

Administrative Challenges In Pediatric Long-Term Care, Holly Elaine Jarek

All ETDs from UAB

ABSTRACT This research used a Delphi methodology to solicit challenges that significantly impact the operational success of pediatric long-term care facilities. Further, this study sought to understand the ability of pediatrics administrators to impact, affect, overcome, or resolve these challenges. Round 1 accomplished the desired goal of eliciting a substantial amount of new qualitative information regarding administrative challenges in pediatric long-term care, which previously had been extant in the literature. In Round 2, data were distilled into categories and unique exemplars which in turn were validated by participants. In Round 3, administrators ranked and rated categories and individual challenges in …

Egesta Of The Sea Urchin Lytechinus Variegatus Promote Weight Gain In The Shrimp Litopenaeus Vannamei, Karen Elizabeth Jensen

All ETDs from UAB

Long-term economic and environmental sustainability of aquaculture will be dependent on utilization of novel nutrient sources and remediation of effluent streams. Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) is a method intended to maximize productivity and minimize waste by strategically reusing effluent from a primary, fed species in the production of one or more secondary, extractive species. Such relationships are based on the trophic role of the fed and extractive species in question. Sea urchin egesta are thought to play a role in nutrient cycling in natural habitats by providing an energy source for many coprophagous deposit feeders, suspension feeders, and microbes. The …

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 …

Extrema Based Signal Transforms For Biomedical Signal Analysis, Bhadhan Roy Joy

All ETDs from UAB

Signal transforms are very important tools to extract useful information from scientific, engineering, or medical raw data. Unfortunately, traditional transform techniques impose unrealistic assumptions on the signal, often producing erroneous interpretation of results. Well-known integral transforms, such as short time Fourier transform, though have fast implementation algorithms (e.g., FFT), are still computationally expensive. They have multiple parameters that should be tuned, and it is not readily clear how to tune them for long-duration nonstationary signals. To solve these problems, one needs a computationally inexpensive transform with no parameters that will highlight important data aspects. We propose a simple transform based …

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 …

Malaria, Changes In Angiogenesis Factors, Cytokine Profiles And Birth Outcomes, John A. Keenan

All ETDs from UAB

Malaria remains an important public health problem, with over three billion people at risk of infection and as many as 214 million new cases each year. Of particular concern is the effect Plasmodium falciparum malaria has on reproductive health. Malaria is responsible for a wide array of adverse birth outcomes including infant death, low birth weight, preterm delivery and small for gestational age. The mechanism by which malaria influences adverse birth outcomes remains poorly understood. Cross-sectional data from 291 women delivering infants in Ghana are used to investigate whether malaria during pregnancy was associated with select cytokines or angiogenesis factors …

Fastnumerics: Compiling Matlab To C++, Sujan Khadka

All ETDs from UAB

and bone strength feedback. Participants, through computer surveys, rated perceived

Towards Trustworthy Authentication In Service Oriented Computing, Rasib Hassan Khan

All ETDs from UAB

Today's Internet and network-based applications are highly driven by the service-oriented architecture model. Given the variety of online services, we hypothesized that there is a significant non-uniformity in the behavior of users pertaining to security-oriented practices on the Internet. We performed statistical analysis on open source user-survey datasets to establish the validity of the statement. We performed further study with respect to the security-oriented behavioral practices in developing countries. We were able to determine certain traits and insecure practices that general Internet users from both developed and developing countries adopt, and addressed the corresponding issues to devise secure authentication technologies …

Perturbation Formulas For Gross-Pitaevskii Equation With Periodic Potential, Seonguk Kim

All ETDs from UAB

Gross-Pitaevskii equation (GPE), which was introduced in early 1960s, is widely used in several areas, such as condensed matter physics, and nonlinear optics. The purpose of this thesis is to carry out mathematical studies for GPE. We concentrate on extended solutions of GPE. This thesis mainly contains three parts. The first part is to investigate explicit perturbation formulas for stationary solutions close to a plane wave and their corresponding energies for the nonlinear polyharmonic equation when 2l > n, where n is dimension and l is a power of the Laplacian. The main idea is to consider a non-linear term as …