Digital Commons Network^™

Social Justice On Campus: Does It Really Fight Hate? An Exploratory Study, Caitlin Elizabeth Beard

All ETDs from UAB

This exploratory study expands upon information from a previously conducted pilot study involving schools from states in two regions of the United States—the Southeast and the West Coast—which compared the number of social justice organizations at four universities from every state to the number of bias incidents in each state from 2010 through 2016. While no statistically significant relationship was found, the pilot study suggested a negative relationship between the number of social justice organizations and the occurrence of hate crimes. This thesis uses data from forty-nine states and the District of Columbia to create a larger data pool consisting …

Mechanisms Of Acute Kidney Injury: The Role Of Ferritin Heavy Chain In Renal Heme-Unology, Laurence Marie Black

All ETDs from UAB

The kidneys are complex, multi-faceted organs that are responsible for regulatory processes, such as fluid homeostasis, hormone production, blood pressure regulation, and systemic toxin removal. Sudden disruption of these processes by acute kidney injury (AKI) causes rapid decline in renal function as well as significant morbidity and mortality. AKI is a significant clinical concern, affecting up to 13.3 million people globally each year and has the propensity to progress to chronic kidney disease (CKD), though the mechanism remains undefined. One reason for this is due to the lack of understanding of models used to study both AKI and CKD, hindering …

The Relationship Between Cortical Excitability And Neuropsychological Functioning In Patients With Idiopathic Generalized Epilepsies (Iges), Lauren Bolden

All ETDs from UAB

Recent advances in neurostimulation and neuromodulation techniques, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), may offer alternative treatment options to patients with idiopathic generalized epilepsies (IGEs). In a previous study, we utilized TMS to demonstrate a relationship between increased cortical excitability (i.e. hyperexcitability), attentional dysfunction, and mood disturbance in a sample of healthy adults. In general, patients with IGEs are found to exhibit cortical hyperexcitability, cognitive dysfunction, and mood problems; however, a relationship between these variables in IGEs has not yet been investigated. Importantly, patients with treatment-resistant IGEs (trIGEs) are shown to demonstrate greater cortical excitability, cognitive deficits, and mood problems …

Low-Cost Wastewater Treatment Using Agricultural Waste Materials, Seyma Demirci

All ETDs from UAB

Wastewater generated from human activities is one of the biggest problems polluting in the world. Currently, in order to reduce pollution and to limit the effects on the environment, researchers are investigating new methods and innovative materials for use in wastewater treatment. A goal of environmental engineers is to lower the coagulant cost and to improve the characteristics of the produced purification. This presented work investigates the role of agricultural materials (woodchips, banana fibers, and straw) to use in the treatment of municipal wastewater and to study their physicochemical characteristics (pH, COD, BOD, TSS, Conductivity, Turbidity, and Fecal Coliforms) of …

Concurrent Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma And Synovial Cfarcinoma Of The Neck In An Adult Male, Haissan Iftikhar, Shabbir Akhtar, Nasir Ud Din

Section of Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery

INTRODUCTION:
Synovial sarcoma makes up 8-10% of all soft tissue sarcomas, and constitutes 3-10% of all sarcomas occurring in the head and neck region. It shows male predominance (3:2), and the mean age of presentation is 30 years. CASE REPORT:
A 51-year-old gentleman presented with right-sided neck swelling which had been progressively increasing in size for the past 2 years. A computed tomography (CT) scan revealed a large heterogeneously enhancing mass on the right side of the neck measuring 7.5 × 6.2 cm. Biopsy of an enlarged node revealed papillary thyroid carcinoma. The patient subsequently underwent total thyroidectomy with right …

Assessment Of Factors Affecting Quality Of Life In Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patients Using University Of Washington Quality Of Life Questionnaire, Syed Abbas, Muhammad Usman Tariq, Abdul Rehman, Javeria Saeed, Syed S. Hashmi, Musa Karim, Mazhar Ali

Section of Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery

Introduction Post-treatment Quality of Life (QOL) is considered an important outcome in cancer patients. A number of questionnaire tools have been designed for its assessment. University of Washington Quality of Life (UW QOL) questionnaire version four is a reliable tool for assessment of post-treatment QOL in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) patients. Our aim was to identify the post-treatment problems faced by OSCC patients and to assess the impact of clinical factors affecting post-treatment QOL by using UW QOL (version four) questionnaire. Methods The study was conducted on 59 patients with OSCC who were treated with curative intent at Patel …

Randomized Controlled Trial Of Influenza Vaccine In Patients With Heart Failure To Reduce Adverse Vascular Events (Ivve): Rationale And Design, Mark Loeb, Hisham Dokainish, Antonio Dans, Lia M. Palileo-Villanueva, Ambuj Roy, Ambuj Roy, Kamilu Karaye, Jun Zhu, Yan Liang, Gerald Yonga

Internal Medicine, East Africa

Background: Influenza is associated with an increase in the risk of cardiac and other vascular events. Observational data and small randomized trials suggest that influenza vaccination may reduce such adverse vascular events.

Research Design and Methods: In a randomized controlled trial patients with heart failure are randomized to receive either inactivated influenza vaccine or placebo annually for 3 years. Patients aged ≥18 years with a clinical diagnosis of heart failure and NYHA functional class II, III and IV are eligible. Five thousand patients from 10 countries where influenza vaccination is not common (Asia, the Middle East, and Africa) have been …

Physical Activity Promotion Among Adolescents With Pediatric Onset Multiple Sclerosis, Elizabeth Morghen Sikes

All ETDs from UAB

Pediatric onset multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic and disabling disease of the central nervous system with an onset before 18 years of age. Youth with pediatric onset MS may benefit from physical activity as evidenced by past research suggestsing higher levels of physical activity are associated with reduced physical and psychosocial disease manifestations. Unfortunately, published estimates of physical activity participation among those with pediatric onset MS are very low (<10 min/day). This dissertation aimed to describe the current literature regarding physical activity among youth with pediatric MS, and to further explore experiences, patterns, correlates, and potential confounders of physical activity for the ultimate purpose of informing future behavior change interventions. Results are presented through five single study chapters. Briefly, interventions developed to promote physical activity for adolescents with pediatric onset MS should be individually tailored, include a strong social component, aim to educate regarding safety and outcomes of physical activity, and differentially target weekday and weekend day activity and sedentary behavior. Social cognitive theory (SCT) is an appropriate method for promoting physical activity behavior change among youth with pediatric onset MS, and SCT constructs including exercise goal setting, barriers self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and social support should be incorporated in the intervention as appropriate. Further, physical activity is seemingly an appropriate method for the management of functional limitations for youth with pediatric onset MS. Clinicians and researchers seeking to promote physical activity among those with pediatric onset MS may find this dissertation especially useful in providing a framework for the development of behavior change interventions.

Characterization Of Chemical Uptake And Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Mutations In Zebrafish, Jaclyn Paige Souder

All ETDs from UAB

In a society driven by technology and industry, we must be increasingly aware of how changes to our environment impact our health. This is especially true concerning embryonic development, which is easily influenced by extra-embryonic factors, including environmental contaminants. Determining how exogenous compounds are absorbed, which receptors they act through, and how these receptors act endogenously is important to fully understand to what extent developmental exposures impact fetal and adult health. I have used the zebrafish model system to address these questions for two classes of environmentally-relevant chemicals—estrogens and dioxins. First, I developed an assay to measure the uptake of …

The Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence And Leadership Styles In School Principals, James Dale Stripling

All ETDs from UAB

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND LEADERSHIP STYLES IN SCHOOL PRINCIPALS EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP ABSTRACT This quantitative research study was designed to examine the relationship between emotional intelligence and leadership styles among principals and assistant principals in two districts located in central Alabama. There were 75 schools included. Seventy-two administrators participated. The surveys gauged the administrator’s emotional intelligence and leadership style. The emotional intelligence survey was designed by Daniel Goleman. The leadership style survey was designed by Peter Northouse. The participants also answered questions concerning their age, administrative experience and gender. After the surveys were returned, the data was entered into …

Examining Teacher Perceptions Of Professional Learning Teams And Teacher Professionalism, Rebecca Thomas Stripling

All ETDs from UAB

EXAMINING TEACHER PERCEPTIONS OF PROFESSIONAL LEARNING TEAMS AND TEACHER PROFESSIONALISM This study explores the perceptions of teachers’ professionalism as they participate in professional learning teams. Through a qualitative lens, teacher perceptions of how their own professionalism (as indicated by the Professionalism Index by McMahon & Hoy, 2009) is influenced or affected as a result of their participation in a PLT were examined from the perspective of teachers that fell into three categories, those teachers that scored high on the Professionalism Index, those teachers that scored low on the Professionalism Index and those teachers that had a medium score on the …

An Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Study Of The Magnesium Acceptor In Gallium Nitride In Different Crystal Field Environments, Ustun Robert Sunay

All ETDs from UAB

Non-uniform strain phenomena localized to Mg acceptor sites were investigated in Mg-doped GaN single crystals using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. Samples in this study were grown either as µm thick thin film or mm thick free standing samples with the Mg concentration ranging from 3 150 x1018 cm-3. In all samples, the Mg related EPR signal was observed but the g-factor, intensity, and lineshape anisotropy characteristics varied significantly depending on the magnitude of the bi axial crystal field Δx local to the Mg acceptor. By modelling the Mg acceptor as basal atomic 2p orbitals, the angular dependent intensity could …

Deciphering The Roles Of Hopd1 In Carbon Metabolism During Pathogen Infection, Yali Sun

All ETDs from UAB

Plants are equipped with various immune responses including MAMP-triggered immunity (MTI) and effector-triggered immunity (ETI) to fight against pathogens, while virulent pathogens release virulent proteins (effectors) and phytotoxins to compete with host immune responses. Comprehensively, plant-pathogen interactions involve multi- layered and highly coordinated processes, and dynamic regulation at both transcriptional and translational levels plays a pivotal role in plant defense. For example, NPR1, a key immune regulator, is regulated by hosts and manipulated by pathogens at different levels during different stages of plant-pathogen interaction. However, besides the competition over immune responses, bacterial pathogens also need to gain nutrients from host …

Drive-By Bridge Monitoring And Damage Detection, Chengjun Tan

All ETDs from UAB

Bridges are key components of the transportation network, and their safety is essential to maintain effective and safe operation of the transportation facilities. To maintain the structural integrity of the bridges, it is essential to estimate the extent and location of the structural damage through periodic monitoring. Therefore, there is considerable interest in bridge damage detection and considerable progress has been made in recent years. The traditional bridge health monitoring requires many sensors installed on the bridge to collect vibration data for damage assessment, which is expensive, time-consuming, and even dangerous in-site. Compared with traditional ways, the concept of indirect …

Acetylcholine Signaling In Glioblastoma Invasion And Peritumoral Hyperexcitability, Emily Grace Thompson

All ETDs from UAB

Glioblastomas are the most common and deadly form of primary brain cancer in adults. Current treatment strategies are aggressive, including a combination of surgical resection, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. However, median patient survival has remained stagnant at 12 to 15 months for the last several decades. This dismal patient outcome has prompted efforts to understand the unique characteristics of these tumors, since traditional therapeutics have not been efficacious. Extensive invasion is a salient feature of glioblastomas that significantly diminishes the effectiveness of current treatment strategies and is ultimately the cause of tumor recurrence within 2 years in approximately 80% of patients. …

Intraocular Pressure Dynamics, Daniel Coleman Turner

All ETDs from UAB

While cataracts (the leading cause of blindness worldwide) can be reversed surgical-ly, glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness, affecting over 70 million people worldwide [1]. Elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) and age are the primary risk factors for glaucoma [2] and lowering IOP is the only proven treatment for the disease [3]. IOP and its fluctuations affect nearly every aspect of ocular physiology and homeo-stasis, as well as playing a dominant role in glaucoma pathophysiology, yet very little is known about IOP due to the current clinical standard of measuring mean IOP during infre-quent clinic visits. We use a …

Recognizing Compound Expressions And Emotion Intensity, William Wagner

All ETDs from UAB

Six facial expressions of emotion (anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, and surprise) have been identified as panculturally recognizable. Though recognition of those facial expressions appears to be developmentally innate, there is variation in emotion recognition between individuals. Specifically, those with autism spectrum disorder often have difficulty with this skill, contributing to issues in their social interactions. Another important skill for social interactions is identifying when someone feels more than one emotion at a time, and some evidence suggests that those emotional states are expressed with panculturally recognizable affects, termed compound expressions. Yet another skill involves determining the intensity of someone’s …

The Anti-Tumor Effects Of Hur Inhibition In Glioblastoma, Jiping Wang

All ETDs from UAB

Glioblastomas (GBMs) are the most malignant primary brain tumor. GBMs represent 14.7% of total primary CNS tumors and 47.7% of malignant CNS tumors. The median survival of GBM is 18-20 months, while five-year survival rate is only 5.6%. GBMs are maintained by glioma stem cells (GSCs), and poor treatment outcomes are linked to the high resistance of GSCs to radiation and chemotherapy, and the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. The mRNA binding protein HuR is a key regulator of tumor growth and development based upon the fact that HuR targets mRNAs that are broadly involved in tumorigenesis. We have previously shown that …

Obesity In People With Spinal Cord Injury: Secondary Data Analysis Of National Spinal Cord Injury Database, Huacong Wen

All ETDs from UAB

People with disabilities are 1.5-2.5 times more likely to be obese than those without disabling conditions. We have learned a lot about obesity in the general population. However, the neurological deficits of people with spinal cord injury (SCI) make it difficult to generalize the findings in the general population to the SCI population. Therefore, the purposes of this dissertation were to 1) assess racial differences in body mass index (BMI) change over 5 years; 2) evaluate the role of neighborhood in the relationship between race and obesity; 3) examine the impact of BMI at the time of injury on 1-year …

Exploring Dose Effect Of An Early Palliative Care Intervention For Advanced Heart Failure Patients, Rachel Duncan Wells

All ETDs from UAB

Heart failure (HF), a progressive condition with reduced quality of life (QoL) and high healthcare use, affects 6.5 million US adults. Research supports positive effects of palliative care integration into HF care, but there is limited consensus about the most beneficial intervention ‘dose’ (e.g. amount, duration, frequency, intensity). To date, no studies examining dose in palliative care HF interventions have been completed. Therefore, we examined dose using an existing data from the ENABLE CHF-PC trial (Educate, Nurture, Advise, Before Life Ends Comprehensive Heart Care for Patients and Caregivers; NCT02505425). Operationalizing dose as dichotomous complete/noncomplete of all intervention components (6-weekly, psychoeducational …

Characterization Of The Tgfb Pathway And Its Role In Prostaglandin Metabolism In C. Elegans, Muhan Hu

All ETDs from UAB

Cell to cell communication is fundamental to all life processes, from fertilization to death. The TGFߟ superfamily is a large family of proteins that is involved in a wide array of physiological and pathological processes, including development, wound healing, immune system function, cancer, and reproduction. This group of signaling peptides is well conserved across many organisms, from basic nematode to humans. While many studies have aimed to delineate the functions of TGFߟ, they have also unveiled the complexity of this multifunctional family of ligands. In this thesis, I take advantage of the simple C. elegans model system to study the …

Mike And Ikes 'N Buttered Bricks: My Adventures In Scouting, Kasey Duane Hullett

All ETDs from UAB

I started my time in the Boy Scouts of America at age eight. Some of my earliest memories in the cub program consisted of pine wood derbies, tying square knots, and looking up at the stars at Moundville Archaeological Park. I was a kid tied to the outdoors and the organization always allowed me to nurture that relationship. Over the years, I went up in the ranks. I made it through the five ranks of the Cub Scouts to get my Arrow of Light to transition to the Boy Scouts. Once there, I earned over 50 merit badges that ranged …

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 …

The Role Of The St6gal-I Sialyltrasferase In Protecting Tumor Cells From Hypoxic Stress, Robert Brent Jones

All ETDs from UAB

An emerging concept in cancer biology is that surface glycosylation can play important roles in the regulation of cancer development and progression. Our group and others have shown that ST6Gal-I, a sialyltransferase that adds α2-6-linked sialic acids to N-glycosylated proteins, is upregulated in many cancers. Furthermore, data has indicated that ST6Gal-I acts as a pro-survival factor in a variety of settings, including resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs, radiotherapy resistance, and serum deprivation. The work presented in this dissertation adds to this understanding of ST6Gal-I’s role as a potent pro-survival factor and explores ST6Gal-I’s function in aiding tumor cells to survive hypoxic …

Bk Polyomavirus Activates The Dna Damage Response To Hijack Host Cell Cycle Control, Joshua L. Justice

All ETDs from UAB

BK Polyomavirus (BKPyV) is a DNA tumor virus that latently infects the >90% of humanity. BKPyV infection is inconsequential in healthy individuals; however, the immunocompromised carry increased risk of viral reactivation that can lead to a number of genitourinary diseases. Overall, BKPyV reactivation is a major risk factor for kidney dysfunction and failure following solid organ transplantation. There are no approved therapeutics to treat BKPyV infection, therefore studies have focused on understanding the host/virus interactions that drive infection to identify therapeutic targets. The PyV genome is small and does not encode a polymerase. Cellular transformation by the viral oncogene, T …

A Microfocal Effect In Photoreceptor Light Capture, Vasantha Kumari Kanukuntla

All ETDs from UAB

In human eyes, accomodation brings light rays into focus on the retina in order to achieve a clear images. The plane of best focus within the depth of the retina is thought to be within the photoreceptor layer, but pinpointing the exact focal position axially has not been determined. With help of adaptive optics aberration correction and its ability to have microscopic control of a retinal stimulus, we explored how sensitive human subjects are to defocus on the micron scale. We found that focal position can be reliably judged within 0.02 D, which is equivalent to about 6 microns in …

The Electronic Health Record And The Clinical Informatics Researcher: A Journey To Predicting False Positive Alerts With Patient Characteristics, Timothy Kennell

All ETDs from UAB

Since their introduction in the 1960s, electronic medical systems have brought with them tremendous opportunities and difficult challenges. In order to address patient safety, Clinical Decision Support (CDS) was added to the system, many times in the form of "pop-up" alerts. However, traditional alert typically do not incorporate enough patient-specific context resulting in inaccurate warnings. In response, clinicians override many of them. However, the high exposure to false positive alerts results in alert fatigue, a desensitization to future ones. This issue decreases patient safety by causing clinicians to ignore legitimate alerts. Despite some shortcomings, the data in modern Electronic Health …

Sexual Health Risk And Hiv Prevention: An Exploratory Study Of Behavior Among Heterosexual, African American Men And Women In Birmingham, Alabama., Kiko J. King

All ETDs from UAB

ABSTRACT The Deep South of the U.S. continues to have increased incidence of new cases of HIV since its inception, despite many advancements in HIV testing, treatment, and prevention. According to data by the CDC, rates are increasingly high among heterosexual African American (AA) men and women compared to their non-AA counterparts (CDC/HIV, 2017). In 2015, heterosexual transmission accounted for a share of new diagnoses for AA men and is the most common transmission route for AA women (KFF, 2017). The primary population affected by HIV/AIDS in Alabama is men who have sex with men (MSM) at 62.2%, followed by …

Structural And Functional Insights Into The Influenza A Virus Non-Structural Protein 1 Effector Domain, Alex Kleinpeter

All ETDs from UAB

The influenza A virus (IAV) non-structural protein 1 (NS1) is a highly multifunctional viral protein responsible for antagonizing the type-I interferon (IFN) response to infection. NS1 has therefore been identified as a potentially effective target for the development of novel anti-influenza compounds. Furthermore, it is important to understand the molecular underpinnings driving NS1 function to more effectively elucidate antiviral targets. In this dissertation, we have contributed significant insight into NS1’s potential as an antiviral target, and the structure-function relationships driving its activity in an infected cell. First, we structurally characterized the binding of two known influenza inhibitors (A9 and A22) …

Rapid Melting Of Aluminum Alloys By Induction Melting, Carlos Alfonso Larrazabal Colina

All ETDs from UAB

RAPID MELTING OF ALUMINUM ALLOYS BY INDUCTION MELTING CARLOS ALFONSO LARRAZABAL COLINA MATERIAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING ABSTRACT Die-casting and high-pressure die-casting are manufacturing processes meant to produce high volumes of parts. However, the die-casting industry suffers when the market is low or when short quantities of a part are needed, because this process may not be as flexible in small quantities. In such situations, one piece of the operation that is inflexible is running excess melting and holding furnace capacity. Rapid induction melting systems are proposed here as an alternative to big furnaces to provide amounts of molten metal in …