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2016

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Telephone Versus Face To Face Palliative Care Consults During Referral, John Weru Jan 2016

Telephone Versus Face To Face Palliative Care Consults During Referral, John Weru

Internal Medicine, East Africa

Introduction: Palliative care aims at ameliorating patients and families suffering when they are faced with life-limiting illnesses. It involves symptoms management as well as psychosocial, spiritual support. As such, proper communication between clinicians taking care of the patient is an important aspect of this care. Studies have shown that errors in communication are common and relevant in palliative care as they negatively impact on the quality of care provided. The service at Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi (AKUHN) provides both in and out patient consult services. Primary physicians to patients consult the palliative care team via telephone models as well …

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Measuring Reproductive Norms And Stigma And Examining Their Roles In Unintended Pregnancy-Related Health Behavior Among Young Adult Women, Whitney Smith Jan 2016

Measuring Reproductive Norms And Stigma And Examining Their Roles In Unintended Pregnancy-Related Health Behavior Among Young Adult Women, Whitney Smith

All ETDs from UAB

Substantial disparities are observed in rates of unintended pregnancy and the health consequences of unintended pregnancy in the United States, with these events and outcomes occurring more frequently among young adult women and women in the southern region. The contribution of social norms and stigma to these disparities is unclear. This dissertation is comprised of three manuscripts examining unintended pregnancy-related norms and stigma, and their health implications among young adult women aged 18-24 in Birmingham, Alabama. The aims of the dissertation are to (1) elucidate perceptions of norms and stigma regarding unintended pregnancy and pregnancy decisions (abortion, adoption, and parenting), …

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The Function Of Prmt1 In Normal And Abnormal Megakaryopoiesis, Hairui Su Jan 2016

The Function Of Prmt1 In Normal And Abnormal Megakaryopoiesis, Hairui Su

All ETDs from UAB

Protein arginine methylation is a common type of post-translational modifications. Protein arginine methyltransferase 1 (PRMT1) is the predominant PRMT that is involved in diverse physiological and pathological processes in mammalian cells. Dysregulation of PRMT1 is often positively correlated with cancer development, yet many aspects of PRMT1’s role in cancer, especially in acute megakaryoblastic leukemia (AMKL) remain unclear. We identified two PRMT1-methylated substrates and how they impact normal and abnormal megakaryopoiesis. In this dissertation, we demonstrate that dual-specificity protein phosphatase 4 (DUSP4) and RNA binding motif protein 15 (RBM15), two crucial factors for megakaryocytic (MK) differentiation, are methylated by PRMT1 and …

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The Lived Experiences Of African American Students In A Suburban High School: A Qualitative Case Study., Steven Marlon Tarver Jan 2016

The Lived Experiences Of African American Students In A Suburban High School: A Qualitative Case Study., Steven Marlon Tarver

All ETDs from UAB

an association between log(CRP) and smoking, controlling for WC and race. Yet, when

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Natural Variation Of The Ire1a Gene Of Arabidopsis Thaliana And Its Effects On Abiotic Stress Tolerance, Brenna Cathryn Terry Jan 2016

Natural Variation Of The Ire1a Gene Of Arabidopsis Thaliana And Its Effects On Abiotic Stress Tolerance, Brenna Cathryn Terry

All ETDs from UAB

The IRE1a protein is a key player in the response of plant cells to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress by activating bZIP60, a transcription factor implicated in effective ER stress response. Natural variation has been observed in the expression of the IRE1a gene in natural accessions of Arabidopsis thaliana, a model plant organism. Here, an attempt is made to correlate basal natural variation of IRE1a with response of the plant to abiotic stress. Abiotic stress response through IRE1a activity, specifically bZIP60 transcript splicing, does correspond to basal IRE1a expression. Additionally, alleles of the IRE1a gene were determined to exist as a …

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Managing Data Flow Through The Storage Hierarchy Of Extreme Scale Hpc Systems, Sagar Thapaliya Jan 2016

Managing Data Flow Through The Storage Hierarchy Of Extreme Scale Hpc Systems, Sagar Thapaliya

All ETDs from UAB

Scientific applications running on extreme scale high performance computing (HPC) machines require high performance I/O and storage system to carry out operations including checkpointing, analysis and visualization of simulation outputs. However, there is significant imbalance in I/O and compute capabilities in HPC systems, and as a result, applications often have to spend a large amount of time to complete I/O. Such imbalance is projected to be higher in the future exascale systems. The I/O problem is exacerbated by I/O interference that occurs when processes of an application or multiple applications simultaneously access the shared storage systems, such as a parallel …

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The Roles Of Il-21 And Il-10 In Cellular And Humoral Immune Responses, Yuan Tian Jan 2016

The Roles Of Il-21 And Il-10 In Cellular And Humoral Immune Responses, Yuan Tian

All ETDs from UAB

values, it may be more appropriate to use CH

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How Does Principal Leadership Influence Improved Graduation Rates In Urban High Schools In The Greater Metropolitan Area Of Birmingham, Alabama?, Chris Aaron Trawick Jan 2016

How Does Principal Leadership Influence Improved Graduation Rates In Urban High Schools In The Greater Metropolitan Area Of Birmingham, Alabama?, Chris Aaron Trawick

All ETDs from UAB

HOW DOES PRINCIPAL LEADERSHIP INFLUENCE IMPROVED GRADUATION RATES IN URBAN HIGH SCHOOLS IN THE GREATER METROPOITAN AREA OF BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA? CHRIS TRAWICK EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP ABSTRACT Principals of urban high schools are under extraordinary pressure to improve graduation rates of high school seniors (Zepeda, 2013). According to Layton (2014), urban high schools graduate approximately 55% of students, which is well below the national average of 80%. Greater expectations have been placed on principals to improve student achievement. Marzano, Sims, and Warrick (2014) noted that principals are required to improve student achievement. Zepeda (2013) described the role of principal as the instructional …

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Torsion Analysis Of A Cantilever Sign Support Structure From Natural Wind Gusts, Lonny Charles Traylor Jan 2016

Torsion Analysis Of A Cantilever Sign Support Structure From Natural Wind Gusts, Lonny Charles Traylor

All ETDs from UAB

Many DOTs mainly across America and some departments outside the states have been experience fatigue failures of some highway cantilever support structures. Fatigue of these structures have been analyzed intensively for research purposes, but the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) have adopted fatigue design pressures for cantilevered signals, signs, and light supports introduced by the researchers extend the life of new structures. The fatigue design pressures were developed by applying virtual wind spectrums on various computer models of cantilever support structures and luminaire structures. The main goal of this thesis was to utilize experimental natural wind …

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Liberty And Collaboration For All: A Case Study On Collective Impact, Social Capital, And Community Inclusion, Laura Peyton Vickery Jan 2016

Liberty And Collaboration For All: A Case Study On Collective Impact, Social Capital, And Community Inclusion, Laura Peyton Vickery

All ETDs from UAB

Disenfranchised communities often face exclusion at the hands of outside organizations trying to assist. Citizens within the community are excluded and left with few means of actively participating in the conversation and development surrounding these communities. This paper takes the position that the imbalance of power dynamics, where citizens become subjects, does not fully utilize the potential of those inside and those from outside the community. As discussed in Chapter 1, utilizing social capital to build networks and integrate insider and outsider organizations and resources will ultimately create optimization. Chapter 2 uncovers historical examples of civic life and a new …

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Investigating The Mechanisms Of Dopaminergic Signaling In Regulating Refractive Error, Alexander Hadwyn Ward Jan 2016

Investigating The Mechanisms Of Dopaminergic Signaling In Regulating Refractive Error, Alexander Hadwyn Ward

All ETDs from UAB

Myopia is a significant public health problem. Most juvenile-onset myopia occurs because the eye becomes too long for its own optics. We study mechanisms regulating refractive error in an animal model, the tree shrew (Tupaia glis belangeri), a mammal closely related to primates. We use translucent diffusers to induce form deprivation myo-pia (FDM). A role of the retinal dopaminergic system has been validated during the de-velopment of FDM. In this study, in Specific Aim 1, we used intravitreal injections as a way to deliver sub-stances to the retina to investigate their effect on eye growth and induced myopia. However, a …

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An Investigation Into The Developmental Response Of The Amphipod Hyalella Azteca To Different Predator-Related Chemical Cues, William Ryan James Jan 2016

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 …

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Egesta Of The Sea Urchin Lytechinus Variegatus Promote Weight Gain In The Shrimp Litopenaeus Vannamei, Karen Elizabeth Jensen Jan 2016

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 …

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Comparing The Quality Of End Of Life Cancer Care In The Medicare Population Prior To And After The Enactment Of The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement And Modernization Act Of 2003, Rene Jooste Jan 2016

Comparing The Quality Of End Of Life Cancer Care In The Medicare Population Prior To And After The Enactment Of The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement And Modernization Act Of 2003, Rene Jooste

All ETDs from UAB

Reimbursement for chemotherapy could account for two thirds of the income for oncologists in private practice. The Medicare prescription drug improvement and modernization act of 2003 (MMA) brought about a dramatic change in the way physicians were reimbursed for delivering chemotherapy in an attempt to slow the skyrocketing costs of drugs and Medicare costs for covering these drugs . The MMA reduced Medicare reimbursements for covered outpatient prescription drugs from 95% to 85% of the average wholesale price. In 2005, a new payment system was instituted that reimbursed fee-for-service providers for drugs at the national average sales price plus 6%. …

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Extrema Based Signal Transforms For Biomedical Signal Analysis, Bhadhan Roy Joy Jan 2016

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 …

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Malaria, Changes In Angiogenesis Factors, Cytokine Profiles And Birth Outcomes, John A. Keenan Jan 2016

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 …

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Motor Unit Remodeling During Neuromuscular Degeneration In Aging And Parkinson's Disease, Neil Anthony Kelly Jan 2016

Motor Unit Remodeling During Neuromuscular Degeneration In Aging And Parkinson's Disease, Neil Anthony Kelly

All ETDs from UAB

The human neuromuscular system deteriorates progressively with age and disease. This results in denervation events and ultimately motor unit remodeling, which is revealed by abnormal “groups” of myofibers expressing the same myosin protein isoform – a phenomenon described as myofiber type grouping. Despite the acceptance of myofiber type grouping as a hallmark indicator of motor unit remodeling, traditional techniques of detecting it lack quantitative parameters and therefore comparative data in aging and disease are scarce. The purpose of this dissertation is to establish a statistically-driven, quantitative method for detecting myofiber type grouping and to use it to characterize the effects …

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Fastnumerics: Compiling Matlab To C++, Sujan Khadka Jan 2016

Fastnumerics: Compiling Matlab To C++, Sujan Khadka

All ETDs from UAB

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

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Perturbation Formulas For Gross-Pitaevskii Equation With Periodic Potential, Seonguk Kim Jan 2016

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 …

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The Lived Experiences Of African American Male School Leaders In Suburban School Districts, Dexter Clayton Leblanc Jan 2016

The Lived Experiences Of African American Male School Leaders In Suburban School Districts, Dexter Clayton Leblanc

All ETDs from UAB

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the personal, professional, and social experiences of African American male school leaders in suburban school districts. Suburban school districts were defined as residential areas on the outskirts of metropolitan areas that often have higher standardized test scores and successful programs with higher rates of college attendance. The area also has higher family incomes and few African American residents. Using a phenomenological design allowed the researcher to inquire and gather data through open-ended, face-to-face, interviews with study participants. Critical Race Theory was used to frame this study. The researcher identified 10African American …

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The Effect Of The Combination Of Low Income And Low Education, Access To Care, And Social Isolation On Chd Outcomes In The Reasons For Geographic And Racial Differences In Stroke (Regards) Cohort Study, Marquita Lewis Jan 2016

The Effect Of The Combination Of Low Income And Low Education, Access To Care, And Social Isolation On Chd Outcomes In The Reasons For Geographic And Racial Differences In Stroke (Regards) Cohort Study, Marquita Lewis

All ETDs from UAB

Coronary heart disease (CHD) disparities persist for low socioeconomic populations, in spite of declines globally. In order to reduce these disparities, it is critical that investigators better understand determinants of health that exacerbate these disparities. This study investigated the association between the combination of low income and low education on CHD incidence, and the mediating effects of access to care and social isolation on this association. Data was used from participants recruited between 2003-2007 free of CHD at baseline from the national biracial prospective Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) cohort study of participants aged >45 years. …

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Regulation Of Breast Cancer Metastasis By Sin3 Chromatin Remodeling Complexes, Monica Jeanene Lewis Jan 2016

Regulation Of Breast Cancer Metastasis By Sin3 Chromatin Remodeling Complexes, Monica Jeanene Lewis

All ETDs from UAB

Metastasis continues to be the most difficult clinical challenge for breast cancer. Survival rates for patients with metastatic breast cancer have not significantly changed in the past 20 years. Therefore, we need a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms that regulate breast cancer metastasis to develop effective therapies. SIN3 chromatin remodeling complexes have been implicated in breast cancer progression. Mammalian cells have two paralogs of SIN3 (SIN3A and SIN3B) that are encoded by distinct genes and have unique functions during development. However, specific roles for SIN3A and SIN3B in breast cancer progression have not been characterized. To better understand how …

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Non-Violent Resistance Vs. Passivity: A Look Into Percy Shelley's Politics In Prometheus Unbound, The Mask, And The Cenci, Kayla Lashae Light Jan 2016

Non-Violent Resistance Vs. Passivity: A Look Into Percy Shelley's Politics In Prometheus Unbound, The Mask, And The Cenci, Kayla Lashae Light

All ETDs from UAB

This thesis explores the differences between passiveness in Percy Shelley and Martin Luther King Jr.’s works by sectioning it off into types of passiveness: positive and negative passivity. Positive passivity is equated with a non-violent resistance, and negative passivity is the refusal or fear of acknowledging evil. Shelley and King agree that this type of evil is the most prominent among common people. In Shelley’s, Cenci, Mask of Anarchy, and Prometheus Unbound, readers can see how he is using minor characters and some major characters to illustrate oppression. King’s works, however, use personal examples and a more direct narrative. Even …

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Development Of A Split Luciferase Complementation Assay To Investigate Growth Hormone Receptor/ Prolactin Receptor Homo-/ Hetero-Association, Ying Liu Jan 2016

Development Of A Split Luciferase Complementation Assay To Investigate Growth Hormone Receptor/ Prolactin Receptor Homo-/ Hetero-Association, Ying Liu

All ETDs from UAB

Growth hormone receptor (GHR) and prolactin receptor (PRLR) are transmembrane glycoproteins cytokine receptors that are structurally homologous. Each can pre-homodimerize and ligand binding of each activates JAK2-STAT signaling pathways by inducing conformational change within the receptor homodimer. Human GHR can be activated by growth hormone (GH) while human PRLR can be activated by both GH and prolactin (PRL). We devised a split luciferase complementation assay, in which one receptor is fused to the N-terminal fragment of luciferase and the other receptor is fused to the C-terminal fragment of luciferase. When the two receptors approximate, luciferase activity (complementation) results. Using this …

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Histopathology And Image Validation Of Outer Retinal Tubulations In Age-Related Macular Degeneration, Katie M. Litts Jan 2016

Histopathology And Image Validation Of Outer Retinal Tubulations In Age-Related Macular Degeneration, Katie M. Litts

All ETDs from UAB

High-resolution imaging of the retina using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (AOSLO) is revealing new information about photoreceptor degeneration in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and other diseases impacting rod and cone photoreceptors. By SD-OCT, the hyperreflective outer retinal bands are visible due to the precise vertical compartmentalization and horizontal alignment of outer retinal cells and tissues (Müller cells, photoreceptors, RPE, and Bruch’s membrane). Validating these bands with normal eyes is difficult because the outer retina is very delicate making accurate histology requiring attached retina and vertically aligned photoreceptors challenging. Conversely, the bands are …

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Understanding Protein-Protein Interactions In Plantae In Network Biology Utilizing A Novel Y2h Liquid Assay Approach, Jessica Lopez Lopez Jan 2016

Understanding Protein-Protein Interactions In Plantae In Network Biology Utilizing A Novel Y2h Liquid Assay Approach, Jessica Lopez Lopez

All ETDs from UAB

The Yeast-2-Hybrid (Y2H) assay is a heterologous system that is expanding network biology knowledge via in vivo investigations of binary protein-protein interactions. Traditionally, the Y2H protocol entails the mating or co-transformation of yeast in solid agar media followed by visual analysis for diploid selection. Having played a key role in identifying protein-protein interactions for nearly three decades, the Y2H system includes the interaction between two proteins of interest which result in a reconstituted transcription factor allowing a reporter gene to be transcribed. In this thesis, two primary objectives were pursued to expand the knowledge of protein-protein interactions. The primary objective …

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A Wavelet Representation For A Fractional Brownian Motion, Robert Mann Jan 2016

A Wavelet Representation For A Fractional Brownian Motion, Robert Mann

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like adequate calcium and vitamin D intake, to prevent osteoporosis and osteoporosisrelated

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Changes In Intrinsic Local Functional Connectivity In Children With Autism Followed By A Visualizing/Verbalizing Reading Intervention, Jose Omar Maximo Jan 2016

Changes In Intrinsic Local Functional Connectivity In Children With Autism Followed By A Visualizing/Verbalizing Reading Intervention, Jose Omar Maximo

All ETDs from UAB

Deficits in language are a major clinical feature of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Previous studies suggest that individuals with ASD may rely on visuospatial skills to compensate for these deficits. Existing intervention programs in autism have not been tested at the neural level, thus falling short of quantifiable neurobiological changes underlying behavioral improvement. The current study takes a translational neuroimaging approach to test the impact of a structured visual imagery-based reading intervention on improving reading comprehension and its underlying neural circuitry. Changes in connectivity of a set of brain regions commonly known as the “reading network” were examined in children …

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Rural Hos[Ital Closure In Alabama - Post Aca, Dennis Otto Mccay Jan 2016

Rural Hos[Ital Closure In Alabama - Post Aca, Dennis Otto Mccay

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RURAL HOSPITAL CLOSURES IN ALABAMA: POST ACA DENNIS O. MCCAY HEALTH SERVICES ADMINISTRATION ABSTRACT Rural hospitals differ from their urban counterparts with regard to two main areas. First, rural hospital patients are usually older, of lower income, and less healthy than those in urban areas. Second, their facilities tend to be smaller, older, and more prone to staff shortages than those in an urban environment. Rural hospitals have been closing at higher rates than their urban counterparts for a number of years, but more so since the implementation of the Affordable Care Act in 2010. The objective of this research …

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Cell-Specific Pgc-1Α-Dependent Transcription: Implications For Cognitive And Motor Dysfunction, Laura Mcmeekin Jan 2016

Cell-Specific Pgc-1Α-Dependent Transcription: Implications For Cognitive And Motor Dysfunction, Laura Mcmeekin

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health beliefs in young women. The Prevention of Osteoporosis in Women (POW)

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