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2019

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Geographical Variability In Antibacterial Chemical Defenses Of The Caribbean Sponge Xestospongia Muta, Coleman Sisson Jan 2019

Geographical Variability In Antibacterial Chemical Defenses Of The Caribbean Sponge Xestospongia Muta, Coleman Sisson

Honors Theses

Coral reefs are important and diverse marine ecosystems, and sponges represent the majority of species in Caribbean reefs. Xestospongia muta is a giant barrel sponge that is one of the most abundant and visible sponges on Caribbean reefs, and has been the subject of many studies. Xestospongia muta produces a diversity of secondary metabolites that have various ecological functions including allelopathy, anti-fouling, predation deterrence, and antibacterial activity. The chemical defenses produced by a sponge can change in response to various biotic and abiotic stressors, including water temperature, sedimentation, nutrient runoff, and predation. This study compared the antibacterial activity of X. …

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Super Pacs: Where They Came From And What We Know About Dark Money Seven Years Later, Catrina Curtis Jan 2019

Super Pacs: Where They Came From And What We Know About Dark Money Seven Years Later, Catrina Curtis

Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to explore Super PACs as a source of campaign finance and their impact on the federal elections process. After explaining the history of federal campaign finance law in the United States, the role of anonymity by Super PACs is questioned. This thesis argues that two court case decisions are responsible for the creation of Super PACs: Citizens United v. FEC and SpeechNOW.org v. FEC. The cases, and their conflicting interests, are both summarized and analyzed. Next, using federal campaign finance data from the past decade, the impact of Super PACs on campaign finance is …

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Active Shooters On Campus: University Of Mississippi Employees’ Perceptions And Preparedness, Calli Faye Holland Jan 2019

Active Shooters On Campus: University Of Mississippi Employees’ Perceptions And Preparedness, Calli Faye Holland

Honors Theses

The objective of this study was to examine university employees’ perceptions, knowledge, and preparedness of active shooter situations on campus, and how gender influences these factors. This study collected data from a broader survey of faculty and staff that examined crime on a college campus, perceptions about crime on campus, and knowledge about crime on campus. This research also serves as a companion piece to the research conducted by Mulvey (2018), where similar research questions were posed to a large sample of undergraduate students. As in Mulvey’s study, it was hypothesized that participants would report generally low levels of confidence …

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Effects Of Kanglaite, An Anticancer Herbal Medicine, On Breast Cancer Cell Metabolism, Sarah A. Hillhouse Jan 2019

Effects Of Kanglaite, An Anticancer Herbal Medicine, On Breast Cancer Cell Metabolism, Sarah A. Hillhouse

Honors Theses

Kanglaite (KLT) is an anticancer herbal medicine developed in China that consists of mainly fatty acid triglycerides from Coix lacryma-jobi L. var. mayuen (Roman.) Stapf. In this study, we analyzed the effects of KLT on normal versus breast cancer cell metabolism using the C2C12, MCF-7, and MDA-MB-231 cell lines. Each cell line was divided into controls (n=3), cells with 1 μM of rotenone (n=2), or cells 0.3%, 1%, and 1.72% KLT concentrations. Cells were cultured in serum containing regular FCS and serum containing charcoal-stripped FCS in order to examine the full effects of KLT on the cell. Cell energy phenotype …

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Using Labeling Theory As A Guide To Examine The Patterns, Characteristics, And Sanctions Given To Cybercrimes, Brian K. Payne, Brittany Hawkins, Chunsheng Xin Jan 2019

Using Labeling Theory As A Guide To Examine The Patterns, Characteristics, And Sanctions Given To Cybercrimes, Brian K. Payne, Brittany Hawkins, Chunsheng Xin

Sociology & Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Over the past decade, reports of cybercrime have soared across the globe. Criminologists agree that the increase in cybercrime stems from technological advancements that have changed all facets of societal interactions. While it is agreed that technology has shaped cybercrime, there is less understanding about the dynamics of cybercrime. In particular, some researchers have explored whether these offenses are simply traditional types of crime that are now carried out through different strategies, while others have argued that cybercrimes are, in fact, new types of crime. This ambiguity potentially limits prevention and intervention strategies. In an effort to build our understanding …

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Defining "Evangelicals" In Print Journalism, Logan D. Williamson Jan 2019

Defining "Evangelicals" In Print Journalism, Logan D. Williamson

Honors Theses

Evangelicalism, a movement grounded in faith and individual morality, appeared to integrate into the GOP in the late-1970s and 1980s. In 2016, national newspapers reported that 81% of white evangelicals voted for Donald Trump, prompting a question of how the movement is defined today. I look at the recent history of the evangelical movement and the troubles that scholars, analysts and other cultural observers have had in offering a conclusive definition for the term. Next, I seek to answer how print journalists define the term and how that influences or is informed by polling results on Election Day. I interview …

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Conflict Or Cooperation: How Climate Change Is Transforming Geopolitics In The Arctic, Mcrae E. Mayfield Jan 2019

Conflict Or Cooperation: How Climate Change Is Transforming Geopolitics In The Arctic, Mcrae E. Mayfield

Honors Theses

The purpose of this project was to show how climate change is transforming geopolitics in the Arctic by creating new economic opportunities leading to the increased militarization of Arctic nations. This thesis triangulates the current Arctic policy of member nations, economic resources and opportunities in the region, and the increased military presence in the region to demonstrate how a potential conflict may occur in the region if the current trend continues. This thesis aims to show how resource greed over non-contiguous territory and an increased military presence escalated tensions in the Arctic.

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Foreign Direct Investment And Migration To The Persian Gulf, Paul Hunt Jan 2019

Foreign Direct Investment And Migration To The Persian Gulf, Paul Hunt

Honors Theses

This thesis studies the effect of foreign investment policy in the Gulf Cooperation Council member nations on labor migration to the Persian Gulf. The study uses a difference in differences regression to estimate coefficients for financial liberalization, special economic zones, and foreign direct investment on total immigrant stocks. The regression analysis finds a weakly negative association between special economic zones and immigration, and no significant effect of foreign investment.

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Commodity Fetishism And Performative Identity: Studying The Effects Of Neoliberal Reform On The Work Of Non-Governmental Organizations In Cairo, Cynthia N. Bauer Jan 2019

Commodity Fetishism And Performative Identity: Studying The Effects Of Neoliberal Reform On The Work Of Non-Governmental Organizations In Cairo, Cynthia N. Bauer

Honors Theses

This paper explores the economic dimension of identity politics, exemplified in the case study of the NGO Safarni in Cairo, Egypt. In doing so, I argue that neoliberal economic reform has led to an expansion of the capitalist mindset to include new subjectivities, one of which is the categorization of identity. By teaching values of "diversity" and "openness," and getting significant international funding to do so, Safarni is participating in a system that is creating a new type of labor and laborer, and where this labor is one in which the self objectifies itself.

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The Latino South: Race And Racialization, Brittany M. Brown Jan 2019

The Latino South: Race And Racialization, Brittany M. Brown

Honors Theses

Taking into consideration the South’s historic black-white racial binary, this multi-media research project documents the place-specific experiences of 23 Latinos living in Oxford, Mississippi, using anthropologic methods. A digital archive accompanies the written thesis. Through interdisciplinary methods, this research examines and seeks to understand how the Latino community is conforming to or challenging the staunch view of race and identity in the U.S. South, where race is and has always been at the forefront of culture and society. Through knowing the history of race in the South and understanding the black-white racial binary, the presence of Latinos is creating space …

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Investigating The Rho-Kinase (Rock) Signaling Pathway As A Therapeutic Target In Alzheimer’S Disease, Benjamin Wade Henderson Jan 2019

Investigating The Rho-Kinase (Rock) Signaling Pathway As A Therapeutic Target In Alzheimer’S Disease, Benjamin Wade Henderson

All ETDs from UAB

Current estimates project that there are approximately 5.4 million Americans affected by Alzheimer’s disease (AD). While this number is expected to dramatically increase in the years to come, there is currently no disease modifying therapeutic to prevent or slow AD progression. Cognitive decline is a clinical hallmark of AD, while accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ) is a pathological hallmark. Work in the field has demonstrated that mitigating Aβ levels may serve as a rational therapeutic avenue to slow progression of the disease. Pharmacologic inhibition of the Rho-associated protein kinases (ROCK1 and ROCK2) is proposed to curb Aβ levels, and mechanisms that …

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Perceptions Of African-American Teachers Concerning African-American Youth, D'Antranett Hicks-Stewart Jan 2019

Perceptions Of African-American Teachers Concerning African-American Youth, D'Antranett Hicks-Stewart

All ETDs from UAB

Perceptions of African American youth have been illustrated by how they are perceived on television: as deviants, criminals and unteachable. These perceptions are also illustrated in the behaviors of teachers in both inner-city and suburban schools. African American teachers in the inner-city schools have hope of changing the world for the better until they are met with difficult challenges presented by African-American students. Some students are excellent and some not so excellent. The structural environment of African-American youth can so strongly influence their behavior, that they begin to take on their perceptions. This can be seen in their choice friends, …

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Social And Emotional Development In Early Childhood: Examining The Relationship Between Teacher Beliefs, Assessment, And Teaching Practices, William Hooper Jan 2019

Social And Emotional Development In Early Childhood: Examining The Relationship Between Teacher Beliefs, Assessment, And Teaching Practices, William Hooper

All ETDs from UAB

The purpose of this sequential explanatory mixed methods study was to examine the relationship between teachers’ perceptions of the effectiveness of both the Devereux Early Childhood Assessment (DECA-P) and the Conscious Discipline program and their connections with teaching practices that support children’s social and emotional development. Quantitative data collected during phase one of the study examined the relationship between teachers’ perceptions of the effectiveness of the DECA-P and the Conscious Discipline program used for undertaking social and emotional assessments and supports for teaching practices. Quantitative data was collected through the distribution and completion (n = 72) of an adapted Treatment …

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The Initiation: Relations Of Power In Women-Forward Indie Horror Films, Shannon House Jan 2019

The Initiation: Relations Of Power In Women-Forward Indie Horror Films, Shannon House

All ETDs from UAB

This thesis aims to investigate the role of female characters in three recent horror indie films: It Follows, Hereditary, and The Witch. Current criticism of these films regale them as women-forward stories of what it means to struggle with mental illness, religious beliefs, or long-held virtues of womanhood. Before analyzing the relations of power between male and female characters in these films and their placement in a patriarchal dystopia or matriarchal utopia, the horror film genre as a whole is discussed to bring context to the prevailing attitudes against horror films for their overt violence or sexualization of female characters. …

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A Low-Cost Planar Inkjet-Printed Carbon Nanotube Field Effect Transistor For Sensor And Circuit Applications, Md Toriqul Islam Jan 2019

A Low-Cost Planar Inkjet-Printed Carbon Nanotube Field Effect Transistor For Sensor And Circuit Applications, Md Toriqul Islam

All ETDs from UAB

The semiconductor-based transistor is an essential building block of electronic components, computing applications, and sensors. However, the fabrication of this primary electronic element is complex and costly, especially when considering flexible electronics for bio-sensing applications. This thesis work proposes a new circuit manufacturing technique to print planar inkjet-printed carbon nanotube field effect transistor (CNTFET), sensor and circuits on paper and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film substrate to reduce the complexity of the system and to lower the cost of conventional fabrication schemes. Single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) are being used as semiconductor ink for an inkjet-printer to facilitate and fabricate two …

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Structural And Functional Insights Into Influenza A Virus Ns1-Mediated Rig-I Antagonism, Alexander Jureka Jan 2019

Structural And Functional Insights Into Influenza A Virus Ns1-Mediated Rig-I Antagonism, Alexander Jureka

All ETDs from UAB

The influenza virus non-structural protein 1 is well known to antagonize the host innate immune response through its interaction with the innate immune sensor, retinoic acid induc-ible gene I (RIG-I). While the complete mechanism of the NS1:RIG-I interaction remains unclear, we were the first to demonstrate a direct interaction between the NS1 RNA-binding domain (NS1RBD) from the 1918H1N1 influenza virus and the second caspase activa-tion and recruitment domain (CARD2) of RIG-I using NMR. In addition, we also identi-fied that mutation of Arg 21 in the 1918H1N1 NS1RBD to Gln (R21Q) completely abrogated the NS1:CARD2 interaction. Given that CARD2 plays a …

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The Effects Of Saha And Egcg On Metastatic Potential In Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells, Kayla Lewis Steed Jan 2019

The Effects Of Saha And Egcg On Metastatic Potential In Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells, Kayla Lewis Steed

All ETDs from UAB

About 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer at some time in their lives, and more than 40,000 women will die due to breast cancer this year. Women do not die from localized breast cancer cases but from metastatic, or Stage IV, breast cancer (MBC). Over 150,000 women are currently living with MBC, and treatments focus on length and quality of life considering there is no cure. Triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC) do not respond to targeted therapies as they are lacking estrogen receptor alpha (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2). They …

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The Mechanism Of Glucose-Induced Trib3 Expression In Myoblasts And Myotubes, Xiaobing Liu Jan 2019

The Mechanism Of Glucose-Induced Trib3 Expression In Myoblasts And Myotubes, Xiaobing Liu

All ETDs from UAB

Our previous data indicates that glucose-toxicity is dependent upon upregulation of TRIB3 expression in muscle. TRIB3 is a glucose-responsive gene and, as a pseudokinase, it blocks phosphorylation of AKT resulting in insulin resistance. The purpose of the current study was to identify the role of the differentiation process and the minimal functional sequence of TRIB3 promoter region in modulating glucose-induced TRIB3 gene expression in C2C12 myocytes. First, C2C12 myocytes were collected every 48 hours during the whole differentiation, totally 4 intervals. Before collection, cells were treated with either 5mmol glucose or 25mmol glucose for 24 hours. Under 5mmol glucose, the …

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Design, Develop And Manufacture A Low-Cost 32-Channel Biosignal Amplifier And D/A Converter Device For Multi- Electrode Neural Recording, Yen-Tze Liu Jan 2019

Design, Develop And Manufacture A Low-Cost 32-Channel Biosignal Amplifier And D/A Converter Device For Multi- Electrode Neural Recording, Yen-Tze Liu

All ETDs from UAB

In the current market, there are many multichannel neural recording devices are available. However, they are either very expensive or physically big so that it cannot be used too close to the specimen because of the space limitations due to experimental setting such as Faraday cage, microscope, and other stimuli apparatus. In addition to that, the large electronic devices in the cell recording area are susceptible to create electrical noise, especially if they are not battery operated. This thesis work will try to deliver solutions following three main problems. The first problem we address is the device cost per recording …

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Early Life Stress And Immune Responses In Adult Rat Kidneys, Ijeoma E. Obi Jan 2019

Early Life Stress And Immune Responses In Adult Rat Kidneys, Ijeoma E. Obi

All ETDs from UAB

Globally, human studies show overwhelming associations between adverse childhood experiences and cardiovascular disease (CVD) and CVD risks throughout adult life. As early as 6 years old, there are significant associations between childhood adversity and inflammation, and those association are observed throughout adult life as well. Over a decade ago, rodent models were used to establish the importance of the immune cells in hypertension, which is the major risk factor in developing CVD. Although these associations in humans are important, they pose several limitations that can be overcome by the use of animal models to study the molecular mechanisms that are …

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A Deep Learning Approach For Identifying Key Biomarkers In Medical Imaging Applications, David Odaibo Jan 2019

A Deep Learning Approach For Identifying Key Biomarkers In Medical Imaging Applications, David Odaibo

All ETDs from UAB

Although Deep Leaning has achieved great success in many domains in recent years, research into its applicability and effectiveness in medical applications has been limited for various reasons. Some of these barriers are related to the historic impression that neural networks are black boxes, especially when applied to medical diagnosis and offer no in terpretation into prediction. In this dissertation, I demonstrated that deep learning can be an effective utility in medical diagnosis and biomarker detection. In particular, I have developed deep learning models that can identify biomarkers in brain hemorrhage, brain tumor, pneumonia, diabetic retinopathy and Parkinsons disease, with …

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Framework For Validation Of Different Media Types Using A Model Based On Consensus, Adilahmed Patel Jan 2019

Framework For Validation Of Different Media Types Using A Model Based On Consensus, Adilahmed Patel

All ETDs from UAB

Increasingly people of all ages consume news and entertainment through electronic media and social media [1]. As the internet in general and social media in particular are a recent phenomenon, the laws governing them and the technologies to monitor them are still evolving. There is a general consensus on the ubiquity and power of these media, hence the worry of how to handle these media. In this context, validating the online content becomes of paramount importance. Fighting fake content is not only relevant to news and current affairs but is very useful in other areas like technical content, legal content …

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Examining Teachers' Perceptions And Practices Of Family Engagement With Families Of Emergent Bilinguals In Pre-Kindergarten And Kindergarten Classrooms: A Mixed Methods And Multiple Case Study, Julie I. Paul Jan 2019

Examining Teachers' Perceptions And Practices Of Family Engagement With Families Of Emergent Bilinguals In Pre-Kindergarten And Kindergarten Classrooms: A Mixed Methods And Multiple Case Study, Julie I. Paul

All ETDs from UAB

This study addressed pre-K and kindergarten teachers’ perceptions and practices of family engagement with families of students who are Dual Language Learners/Emergent Bilinguals. The study employed an explanatory sequential mixed methods design (Quan --> QUAL) (Creswell & Plano-Clark, 2018). To address the purpose of the study, the overarching mixed methods question was: How do pre-K and kindergarten teachers engage families of all their students and families of students who are emergent bilinguals? Mixing of the strands occurred after the quantitative data was collected. Quantitative results helped develop the semi-structured interview protocol for the qualitative phase of the study. Qualitative results …

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Enhanced Proangiogenic Activity Of Endothelial Cells In Response To Polyglutamate Domain-Modified Qk Peptides Delivered On Bone Grafting Materials, Nicholas Weldon Pensa Jan 2019

Enhanced Proangiogenic Activity Of Endothelial Cells In Response To Polyglutamate Domain-Modified Qk Peptides Delivered On Bone Grafting Materials, Nicholas Weldon Pensa

All ETDs from UAB

Over 2 million bone grafting procedures are performed annually. To meet the high demand for these surgeries, commercial grafting materials sourced from allograft, xenograft, and synthetic calcium phosphate have become widely popular clinically. One limitation of these grafts, however, is their lack of growth factors that drive angiogenesis during bone tissue regeneration. Insufficient revascularization of the injured bone tissue leads to poor fracture healing. However, reincorporating angiogenic factors on grafting materials has proven challenging due to limited surface interactions between the protein and mineral graft surface. To address this challenge, we have synthesized a polyglutamate domain to the VEGF mimetic …

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Ventral Hippocampal Input To The Medial Prefrontal Cortex Regulates Social Memory, Mary Leann Phillips Jan 2019

Ventral Hippocampal Input To The Medial Prefrontal Cortex Regulates Social Memory, Mary Leann Phillips

All ETDs from UAB

Both the ventral hippocampus (vHIP) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) are active participants in the neural circuitry activated by social interaction, and are both necessary for certain aspects of social behavior. Additionally, synaptic projections from the ventral hippocampus (vHIP) to the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) are implicated in several neuropsychiatric disorders. Using the Mecp2 knockout (KO) mouse model of Rett syndrome, an autism-associated disorder with network level deficits in the vHIP and mPFC as well as aberrant social behavior, we strove to determine the role of vHIP-mPFC in social behavior. Here, we show that the vHIP-mPFC projection is hyperactive in …

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Quantifications Of Theranostic Polymer-Based Particles For Image-Guided Drug Delivery, Sithira Ratnayaka Jan 2019

Quantifications Of Theranostic Polymer-Based Particles For Image-Guided Drug Delivery, Sithira Ratnayaka

All ETDs from UAB

Modern medicine employs many drugs in its disease treatment methods. This is because they provide the best permanent solutions to complicated ailments. However the usefulness of these drugs is mitigated by several factors, namely that of specific release. Common drug delivery mechanisms lack the specificity needed to ensure that release is limited to the diseased area, which can lead to unnecessary side effects. By utilizing medical imaging, both drug delivery devices and physiology can be observed by physicians, which can greatly increase the specificity of drug delivery. Specifically, utilizing a very inert medical imaging modality, such as ultrasound, guarantees minimum …

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Impact Of Environmental Exposures On Respiratory Health, Lawrence Rasmussen Jan 2019

Impact Of Environmental Exposures On Respiratory Health, Lawrence Rasmussen

All ETDs from UAB

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality around the world. Cigarette smoking is a leading cause of COPD; similarly, individuals exposed to secondhand smoke (SHS) are also vulnerable to COPD and other airway diseases; however, distinct molecular mechanisms involved in SHS-induced lung effects that result in COPD are poorly understood. Mucociliary clearance (MCC) is a primary lung defense against inhaled particulate matter and pathogens. Thus, understanding how inhaled irritants such as SHS disrupt MCC will promote improved scientific understanding and better public health initiatives to prevent respiratory illnesses. Using a variety of in vitro …

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Uncovering The Role Of Women In Two Social Movements: The Intricacies Of Black Feminine Leadership, Ajanet Schauron Rountree Jan 2019

Uncovering The Role Of Women In Two Social Movements: The Intricacies Of Black Feminine Leadership, Ajanet Schauron Rountree

All ETDs from UAB

ABSTRACT The historical conceptualization of social movements on the space-time continuum is often androcentric. Heavy reliance on male leadership perspectives negates the female point of view and creates what Marable labels an “idealized interpretation” that skirts the actual relationship between individuals and the evolution of history. This research is the deliberate recovery of the purposefully omitted while elucidating the intricacies of the leadership of Black women. It foregrounds and clarifies the leadership narratives of Black women who navigated the gendered and racialized spaces of their churches and communities in the struggle for civil and human rights during the Civil Rights …

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Healthcare Cybersecurity: Building A Cyber Vulnerability Profile For U.S. Hospitals, Gemini O. Majkowski Jan 2019

Healthcare Cybersecurity: Building A Cyber Vulnerability Profile For U.S. Hospitals, Gemini O. Majkowski

All ETDs from UAB

Digital transformation in healthcare has offered exponential advances in capabilities and efficiencies improving access, quality of care, chronic disease management, public health surveillance, and population health. However, the speed of change left security lagging, exposing cyber vulnerabilities that cost the U.S. $6.2 billion dollars annually, at an average cost of $2.2 million dollars, and 3,128 records breached per incident. Despite significant investments to close the gap on cyber vulnerabilities, cybersecurity remains a critical issue. Little research has been done to build a cyber vulnerability profile for U.S. hospitals. In this study, U.S. hospitals with reportable breach and without reportable breach …

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Endothelial N-Glycan Hypoglycosylation Enhances Cd16+ Monocyte Adhesion: A Role For Alpha-Mannosidases, Kellie Regal Mcdonald Jan 2019

Endothelial N-Glycan Hypoglycosylation Enhances Cd16+ Monocyte Adhesion: A Role For Alpha-Mannosidases, Kellie Regal Mcdonald

All ETDs from UAB

Monocyte extravasation through the endothelial layer is a hallmark of atherosclerotic plaque development and is mediated by heavily glycosylated surface adhesion molecules, such as intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1). Human monocytes have been classified into three distinct groups: classical (anti-inflammatory; CD14+/CD16-), nonclassical (patrolling; CD14+/CD16++), and intermediate (pro-inflammatory; CD14++/CD16+). The CD16+ nonclassical / intermediate monocytes have been implicated in atherosclerosis progression and their levels positively associate with adverse cardiac events. However, there is a relative lack of understanding as to whether there are distinct mechanisms that regulate CD16+ vs. CD16- monocyte adhesion to the inflamed endothelium. Our previous data identified a high-mannose …

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