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2021

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Shades Of Black: Black Collegiate Women And The Impact Of Colorism In Higher Education, Charletta Nickole Wiggins Jan 2021

Shades Of Black: Black Collegiate Women And The Impact Of Colorism In Higher Education, Charletta Nickole Wiggins

All ETDs from UAB

Colorism perpetuates the same variables that drive the principles of racism and has led to disparate treatment, lower self-esteem, and negative perceptions within communities of color for decades. Since Black women are considered second class citizens, behind both men and White women, it is vital to acknowledge that their experiences with racism, compounded by colorism, are most salient. The purpose of this qualitative research study is three-fold: (1) to explore colorism as a phenomenon while also investigating its impact on the higher education attainment of Black collegiate women, (2) to give these women a voice regarding their personal experiences with …


Effeccts Of Hiv-1 Tat On Tspo, A Biomarker Of Neuroinflammation, Nguyen Thuy Nhu Nguyen Jan 2021

Effeccts Of Hiv-1 Tat On Tspo, A Biomarker Of Neuroinflammation, Nguyen Thuy Nhu Nguyen

All ETDs from UAB

HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) produces serious neurological dysfunction for > 50% of people living with HIV (PLWH). As antiretroviral therapy (ART) has transformed HIV into a chronic disease, and since most ART does not effectively cross the blood brain barrier, HAND is predicted to further increase in prevalence in PLWH. The HIV-Trans-Activator of Transcription (Tat) is known to persist in the central nervous system (CNS) of chronically infected HIV+ individuals. In several preclinical studies, HIV-Tat has been shown to be neurotoxic and important for HIV pathogenesis. Translocator protein (TSPO), an 18 kDa mitochondrial protein, has been shown to be increased via …


Characterization Of Rna Polymerase I Trigger Loop Mutations, Collin Ainslie Jan 2021

Characterization Of Rna Polymerase I Trigger Loop Mutations, Collin Ainslie

All ETDs from UAB

RNA polymerases are primarily multi-subunit enzymes that synthesize RNAs from template DNA strands. RNA polymerase I (Pol I) is the eukaryotic RNA polymerase that synthesizes the majority of ribosomal RNA (rRNA) for ribosome production. These include the 5.8S, 28S, and 18S rRNAs which are synthesized from a polycistronic gene in the nucleolus. The rRNAs synthesized by Pol I, the 5S rRNA, & ribosomal proteins come together to synthesize ribosomes through ribosome biogenesis. Dysregulation of Pol I activity has been established to contribute to dysregulation of ribosome biogenesis and disease state development. These conditions include but are not limited to Cincinnati …


Examining Interpersonal Diffnces Among Caregivers In Health Outcomes Using A Stress Process Model: The Influence Of Adverse Social Experiences And Social Support, Wesley Browning Jan 2021

Examining Interpersonal Diffnces Among Caregivers In Health Outcomes Using A Stress Process Model: The Influence Of Adverse Social Experiences And Social Support, Wesley Browning

All ETDs from UAB

Many Americans are informal caregivers who are responsible for caring for their loved ones who have difficulty performing everyday functions. Black and White caregivers each have many of the same burdens associated with caregiving, but often the way in which burden is experienced differs between these two racial groups. Caregiving places unique burden on individuals, and this burden is associated with depression and worse quality of life (QoL). This study aimed to use the stress process model to describe differences between Black and White caregivers. This study also examined the role of adverse social experiences (negative interaction, experiences of discrimination …


The Marriage Of Public Issues And Civic Action: A Case On Integrating Public Issues Into The C3 Framework, Rebecca Macon Bidwell Jan 2021

The Marriage Of Public Issues And Civic Action: A Case On Integrating Public Issues Into The C3 Framework, Rebecca Macon Bidwell

All ETDs from UAB

This qualitative case study examined a teacher’s perceptions of implementing a research intervention that included the discussion of public issues and analyzed student artifacts from the intervention for ideas related to taking civic action. The research inter-vention was created using indicators from the Inquiry Arc of the C3 Framework pub-lished by the National Council of the Social Studies (NCSS, 2013). The researcher used purposeful sampling to choose who would implement the research intervention. The case study took place in an 11th grade U.S. history class during the 2020-2021 school year. The methods of data collection included teacher interviews and analysis …


Impact Evaluation Of Major Hurricanes On Designated Southeast Coast Counties Of Usa Using Multivariate Analysis And Forecasting, Mukti Patel Jan 2021

Impact Evaluation Of Major Hurricanes On Designated Southeast Coast Counties Of Usa Using Multivariate Analysis And Forecasting, Mukti Patel

All ETDs from UAB

The study includes four major analyses. Each analysis has its own uniqueness. The Temporal analysis intended to track the economic effect trends of major storms in small counties and large metro regions as well as compare how the percent GDP loss in these locations has affected. The study shows that unfavorable impacts of major storms of the same scale and intensity stood the greatest shift in GDP growth rate percentage along with greatest damage in terms of GDP particularly in the smaller counties during and after major storm event. In addition to that percentage change in population growth rate, personal …


Understanding The Role Of Biomechanics In Ovarian Cancer Biology, Alba Martinez Diaz Jan 2021

Understanding The Role Of Biomechanics In Ovarian Cancer Biology, Alba Martinez Diaz

All ETDs from UAB

Mechanical forces including compression, tension, and shear stress are increasingly implicated as instigators of tumor progression. Understanding how mechanobiology drives ovarian cancer is critical to identifying potential therapies. The effect of shear stress is beginning to be studied in ovarian cancer due to the presence of ascites in the peritoneal cavity that prompts tumor cells detachment and implantation in secondary sites. Therefore, mechanical cues are present within the peritoneal cavity. A growing ovarian tumor mass also experiences compressive and tensile forces, although their participation in tumor progression still remains unclear. Additionally, there is a specific lack of incorporation of mechanobiology …


From Classrooms To Polluted Communities: Scientific Inquiry In Birmingham, Alabama And Beyond, Sarah Jeanne Adkins-Jablonsky Jan 2021

From Classrooms To Polluted Communities: Scientific Inquiry In Birmingham, Alabama And Beyond, Sarah Jeanne Adkins-Jablonsky

All ETDs from UAB

Nearly half of all U.S. students who declare science majors in college do not graduate with science degrees within six years. Improvements in science outcomes are linked with active-learning pedagogies such as Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs). However, despite the need for education reform particularly in Alabama, active-learning interventions are severely understudied in Alabama universities. Chapter 1 describes novel CUREs at four colleges in Birmingham, AL: The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB); Jefferson State Community College (JSCC), Samford University (SU), and Birmingham Southern College (BSC). Chapter 2 shows how an agar art CURE, The Art of Microbiology, impacts student …


A Novel In Vitro Model To Study Immune Interactions In Glioblastoma, Hasan Alrefai Jan 2021

A Novel In Vitro Model To Study Immune Interactions In Glioblastoma, Hasan Alrefai

All ETDs from UAB

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and lethal primary brain tumor in adults. Despite decades of research, GBM has a median survival of approximately 14 months, necessitating the development of novel GBM therapeutics. The drug-development process has been hindered due to the lack of high-fidelity pre-clinical models. While in-vitro models of patient-derived xenografts (PDX) present an interesting approach to modeling GBM, they typically fail to incorporate the non-cancerous cells that support tumor growth and progression. Others have attempted to address this problem by using techniques such as 3D bioprinting to incorporate astrocytes and macrophages in an extracellular matrix; however, they …


Cultural Narratives Of Methamphetamine Using Parents And Children, Blake Beaton Jan 2021

Cultural Narratives Of Methamphetamine Using Parents And Children, Blake Beaton

All ETDs from UAB

People who use drugs are at a greater risk of being stigmatized than those who do not. Those who use drugs and parent children are at an even greater risk of stigmatization due to social expectations for parents to be accountable for their children. Therefore, it is acutely important that parents who use drugs form distinctions between themselves (i.e. good parents) and other drug using parents who are more deserving of social demonization. Previous research on drug users has demonstrated their attempts to distance themselves from other drug users using symbolic boundaries. These symbolic boundaries create clearer distinctions between oneself …


Structural Changes To Desmosomal Architecture During Assembly And Maturation, Reena R. Beggs Jan 2021

Structural Changes To Desmosomal Architecture During Assembly And Maturation, Reena R. Beggs

All ETDs from UAB

Desmosomes are macromolecular junctions important in adhesion and resisting mechanical stress in epithelial and cardiac tissue. Desmosomes have a complex architecture with transmembrane cadherins, desmogleins and desmocollins, constituting the adhesive interface and plaque proteins, including plakoglobin and desmoplakin, binding the cadherin tails and integrating with intermediate filaments. Dysregulation of desmosomes occurs in many disease states, such as cardiomyopathies, skin diseases, and various cancers. While mature desmosomes' structure is generally understood, less is known about desmosome architecture during assembly and recycling. Desmosomes are dynamic, biochemically intractable, and diffraction-limited, making them challenging to study. To overcome these obstacles, I applied the super-resolution …


Studies On The Influence Of Non-Equilibrium Plasma Irradiation On Polyester Scaffolds: Characterization And Evolution Of New Surface Properties Toward Potential Biomedical Applications, Bernabe Samuel Tucker Jan 2021

Studies On The Influence Of Non-Equilibrium Plasma Irradiation On Polyester Scaffolds: Characterization And Evolution Of New Surface Properties Toward Potential Biomedical Applications, Bernabe Samuel Tucker

All ETDs from UAB

A great need exists for innovative, functional materials. Specifically, functional materials must meet the necessary mechanical and interfacial properties for successful bio-integration for end goals such as medical implants. A gap in the knowledge existed before this work. This work addressed that gap through an experimental approach that employed low-temperature plasma (LTP) processing of fibrous, polyester constructs to produce functional materials. First, atmospheric-pressure plasma processing of electrospun polyester fibers, in a tubular geometry, was reported. Characterization of that system was conducted. Next, the effects of magnetized plasmas were reported. That report was a novel application of magnetized plasma and showed …


Choking Under Pressure Detection Model Based On Expert System Foundation Using Tennis Performance Variables For Individual Performance Enhancement, Stepan Vancurik Jan 2021

Choking Under Pressure Detection Model Based On Expert System Foundation Using Tennis Performance Variables For Individual Performance Enhancement, Stepan Vancurik

All ETDs from UAB

Choking under pressure is a phenomenon understood as underperformance or suboptimal performance in a particular task or an action that occurs due to the presence of pressure situations. The phenomenon is feared by many people, especially athletes. Choking has been heavily addressed and studied in psychology and behavioral science research. Research works addressing the phenomenon have also been occasionally published in scientific literature; however, a structural approach to objectively measure, analyze, identify, and define its determinants is absent. Therefore, this dissertation study attempts to add to the existing choking research by proposing a novel approach for choking identification, analyzing domain …


Polymeric Vesicles: Design, Synthesis And Characterization, Yiming Yang Jan 2021

Polymeric Vesicles: Design, Synthesis And Characterization, Yiming Yang

All ETDs from UAB

Synthetic nanovesicles, known as liposomes, are assembled from synthetic lipids as encapsulation devices for delivery of small molecules and are now a key component of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines. Due to their similarity to a cell membrane, liposomes also find use in anticancer treatment to reduce toxic side effects of chemotherapy. However, synthetic liposomes may require a multi-step synthesis, and very often show poor physical and chemical stability. In contrast, polymeric vesicles (polymersomes) assembled from synthetic polymers can boast much better mechanical and chemical stabilities and provide stimuli responsiveness that can enhance targeted drug delivery and provide drug release on-demand. Polymersomes …


Fqhcs, Health Center Controlled Network Affiliation And Performance, Armika Jessica Berkley Jan 2021

Fqhcs, Health Center Controlled Network Affiliation And Performance, Armika Jessica Berkley

All ETDs from UAB

Since the mid-1960s, Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) have been funded by the U.S. federal government to provide access to preventative and primary care for medically underserved communities. The federal government’s involvement in the funding of FQHCs was a response to extreme poverty, economic instability, and civil unrest related to the Civil Rights movement. Adoption of value-based care delivery practices to improve clinical and financial performances among FQHCs has been slow. This slow adoption has been attributable to cost, lack of expertise, and support. Since August 1994, the Department of Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the funding source for …


Evaluating The Effects Of Silver Diamine Fluoride On Microbiome Analysis Of Carious Lesions, Karol Fernanda Bryant Jan 2021

Evaluating The Effects Of Silver Diamine Fluoride On Microbiome Analysis Of Carious Lesions, Karol Fernanda Bryant

All ETDs from UAB

ABSTRACT Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate changes in the oral bacterial flora before and after application of 38% Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF, manufacturer and city/state) to carious lesions. Methods: Fifteen children with at least one cavitated carious tooth and one healthy tooth were enrolled and following examination, a carious tooth was selected to receive SDF treatment. Prior to SDF treatment, two supragingival plaque samples were obtained (using sterile cotton swabs, then storage in transport fluid and frozen at -80oC until DNA extraction) at the first appointment, one carious tooth, another from a non-carious tooth. At the …


Social Inclusion Among People With Mobility Limitations In The Global South, Shane Burns Jan 2021

Social Inclusion Among People With Mobility Limitations In The Global South, Shane Burns

All ETDs from UAB

An estimated 15% of the world’s population have a disability—roughly 80% of whom live in the Global South. People with disabilities experience profound social disparities that affect their quality of life and social inclusion. Due to the array of cultural perspectives and institutional capacities around the globe, provision of disability rights can come with its challenges. In many cultural contexts, people have moral beliefs about disability that result in shame. More medicalized beliefs toward disability are often the result of medical infrastructure that offers goods and services. Using a framework that arrays these moral and medical dimensions, I theorized that …


How Legitimate Companies Are Being Used For Sales For Illicit Online Products, Amanda Cetnarowski Jan 2021

How Legitimate Companies Are Being Used For Sales For Illicit Online Products, Amanda Cetnarowski

All ETDs from UAB

The opioid epidemic began in the early 1990s due to the misuse and misinformation of pharmaceutical opioids. Since then, the increase in opioid use ranging from hydrocodone to fentanyl has become a world-wide issue. Over time, opioid use has evolved in many ways with three major waves of opioid use beginning with oxycodone, moving to heroin, and finally to fentanyl. Usage of online platforms and forums to sell and buy illicit opioids has increased significantly due to easier internet capabilities and social media platforms. A total of 1,946 illicit online opioid sell sites were found in this study to show …


The Function Of Tgfβr3 (Betaglycan) In The Differentiation And Proliferation Of T Cells, Samuel Duesman Jan 2021

The Function Of Tgfβr3 (Betaglycan) In The Differentiation And Proliferation Of T Cells, Samuel Duesman

All ETDs from UAB

TGFβR3 is a membrane bound co-receptor to many members of the TGFβ superfamily of ligands and is broadly expressed in the human body. TGFβR3 is known to modulate immune system function, but its exact role is at this time poorly understood. Work by Aleman-Muench et al., (2012) suggests that TGFβR3 regulates T cell development in the thymus. In order to further investigate the role of TGFβR3 in the immune system our lab developed a mouse which lacks TGFβR3 selectively in mature T cells. The contribution of TGFβR3 on in vivo activation and differentiation of T cells was investigated by utilizing …


A Critical Discourse Analysis: The Ways In Which African American Male Administrators Talk About Race And Their Roles As Administrators In Public Schools In Alabama, Mathew Germayne Epps Jan 2021

A Critical Discourse Analysis: The Ways In Which African American Male Administrators Talk About Race And Their Roles As Administrators In Public Schools In Alabama, Mathew Germayne Epps

All ETDs from UAB

The purpose of this study was to describe ways that African American males were either motivated or demotivated to become school administrators. Because African American males only represent 2% of educators in the United States, the field for African American males to become administrators were limited (Woodson & Pabon, 2016). There is a paucity of literature on African American male administrators (Grauerholz & Turner, 2017); however, research that has been done on African American male administrators were on their lived experiences. This study was conducted in central Alabama and 10 participants who were high school administrators agreed to participate. The …


Policies Affecting Post-Traditional Students And Students Facing Economic Instability At The Community College, Joshua Patrick Bowens Jan 2021

Policies Affecting Post-Traditional Students And Students Facing Economic Instability At The Community College, Joshua Patrick Bowens

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The following dissertation in practice researches policies from the Colorado Community College System (CCCS) that relate to Post-Traditional students and students experiencing economic instability. Using a conceptual framework of Motivational Theory (Maslow, 1943; Harrigan & Lamport-Commons, 2015; Herzberg, 1959) and the Principal-Agent theory (Jensen, & Meckling, 1976), this dissertation focuses on how one community college (CC) within the CCCS system interprets and implements those policies both college and campus wide, as well as departmentally. Although many studies exist pertaining to community college students, literature pertaining to Post-Traditional students in a community college setting has not been fully explored. This will …


Evaluating Foundational Components Of Research Consultations In An Academic Library Research Center, Ryan F. Buller Jan 2021

Evaluating Foundational Components Of Research Consultations In An Academic Library Research Center, Ryan F. Buller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As our society continues to evolve at an ever-increasing rate, our higher education institutions, and the services they provide, must keep pace with societal changes in order to ensure that those services stay current and relevant. This program evaluation examines one such service, the research consultation model in University Libraries at the University of Denver. This evaluation was situated within the Human Ecological Theory Framework, to help understand how different environments can impact the recognition and value placed upon the foundational components of the service. An exploratory sequential mixed methods approach was used to determine what the foundational components of …


Exploring The Impact Of Leadership Values And Practices To Support Equity And Social Justice In An Urban School, Susan-Marie Farmen Jan 2021

Exploring The Impact Of Leadership Values And Practices To Support Equity And Social Justice In An Urban School, Susan-Marie Farmen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative case study explores the leadership values and practices of a principal in a sixth through twelfth-grade school in the Rocky Mountain West to determine how leadership values and practices support the implementation of equitable and socially just practices in the school. Five key themes emerged: (a) equity as a Black/non-Black construct; (b) a lack of knowledge and awareness of the historical contexts of marginalized populations; (c) moral courage for all members of the school; (d) equity as an initiative or program; (e) resistance to deep equity work. From these themes, I devise three recommendations to support substantial and …


Abolishing The Communications Decency Act Might Sanitize "Political Biased," "Digitally Polluted," And "Dangerously Toxic" Social Media? - Judicial And Statistical Guidance From Federal-Preemption, Safe-Harbor And Rights-Preservation Decisions, Willy E. Rice Jan 2021

Abolishing The Communications Decency Act Might Sanitize "Political Biased," "Digitally Polluted," And "Dangerously Toxic" Social Media? - Judicial And Statistical Guidance From Federal-Preemption, Safe-Harbor And Rights-Preservation Decisions, Willy E. Rice

Faculty Articles

Sitting and former U.S. Presidents, as well as members of the general public, financial, political and educational institutions, use social media. Yet, an overwhelming majority of users, content creators, parents, "conservatives," "progressives," Democrats, and Republicans distrust social media owners. Some critics allege that owners "digitally pollute" platforms by encouraging users to post "corrosive, dangerous, toxic, and illegal content." Other critics assert that service providers' purportedly objective content moderation algorithms are biased-discriminating irrationally on the basis of users' political association, ideology, socioeconomic status, gender, and ethnicity. Republicans and Democrats have crafted roughly twenty bills on this matter. In theory, the enacted …


Counting Certain Quadratic Partitions Of Zero Modulo A Prime Number, Wang Xiao, Aihua Li Jan 2021

Counting Certain Quadratic Partitions Of Zero Modulo A Prime Number, Wang Xiao, Aihua Li

Department of Mathematics Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Consider an odd prime number p Ξ 2 (mod 3). In this paper, the number of certain type of partitions of zero in ℤ/pℤ is calculated using a combination of elementary combinatorics and number theory. The focus is on the three-part partitions of 0 in ℤ/pℤ with all three parts chosen from the set of non-zero quadratic residues mod p. Such partitions are divided into two types. Those with exactly two of the three parts identical are classified as type I. The type II partitions are those with all three parts being distinct. The number of partitions of each type …


Latin American Film, Mirna Vohnsen Jan 2021

Latin American Film, Mirna Vohnsen

Articles

The scholarship on Latin American film in 2019 speaks of the rich and diverse critical studies that are being conducted in the field. This year the studies encompass a wide range of topics, like the role of Netflix in the production, distribution and consumption of Latin American films; the contention between national cinemas and transnationalism; and the re-examination of films made in the last century. Although publications showcasing the cinemas of Argentina, Mexico and Cuba continue to dominate the field, two special issues have been published shedding light on lesser-studied cinemas, Studies in Spanish and Latin American Cinemas has dedicated …


Upregulation Of Somatostatin Receptor 2 In Neuroendocrine Tumors Using Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors, Rachael Elizabeth Guenter Jan 2021

Upregulation Of Somatostatin Receptor 2 In Neuroendocrine Tumors Using Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors, Rachael Elizabeth Guenter

All ETDs from UAB

Neuroendocrine cancer is complex disease of the diffuse neuroendocrine system. Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) can arise throughout the body, including the lungs and pancreas. These tumors are phenotypically and genetically heterogeneous, making accurate diagnoses difficult with current imaging standards. New diagnostic options, coupled with a better understanding of neuroendocrine cancer etiology, is urgent and necessary to provide patients with better futures. Many NETs overexpress somatostatin receptor 2 (SSTR2) on their cellular surfaces, making patients eligible for [68Ga]-DOTATATE PET/CT imaging and SSTR2-based therapies. However, patients that lack sufficient SSTR2 overexpression cannot benefit from SSTR2-targeted imaging or therapeutic options. We found that histone …


The Effects Of A Social Skills Intervention On Neural Processing In Autism Spectrum Disorder, Abbey Jane Herringshaw Jan 2021

The Effects Of A Social Skills Intervention On Neural Processing In Autism Spectrum Disorder, Abbey Jane Herringshaw

All ETDs from UAB

Difficulties in social interaction are considered a core characteristic of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and have significant negative effects on quality of life in this population. Such deficits may reflect alterations in key areas of the “social brain” in ASD. Many clinical interventions for ASD seek to improve social interaction abilities, including the Program for Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS®). PEERS® has demonstrated significant benefits for participants, but little is known about: 1) generalizability of the specific social knowledge gained to broader social cognitive processes, and 2) potential neuroplastic changes within the social brain in response to social …


Man Enough: Exploring The Gendered Experiences Of High-Achieving Black Men In Higher Education, Christopher E. Jones Jan 2021

Man Enough: Exploring The Gendered Experiences Of High-Achieving Black Men In Higher Education, Christopher E. Jones

All ETDs from UAB

Research regarding Black males in higher education has become an important endeavor for colleges and universities seeking to increase their graduation rates. Much of the previous research and practices have used a deficit-based approach explaining Black males’ low levels of academic achievement as primarily the result of them being underprepared. This ignores the contributions of Black males who do excel academically while minimizing the role their racialized gender plays in their outcomes. This dissertation focuses on an anti-deficit approach by exploring how high-achieving Black college males’ perceptions of manhood and masculinity have contributed to their overall academic success. Even though …


On The Security And Usability Of New Paradigms Of Web Authentication, Mohammed Jubur Jan 2021

On The Security And Usability Of New Paradigms Of Web Authentication, Mohammed Jubur

All ETDs from UAB

Passwords are widely used by web services to authenticate their users. Unfortunately, passwords suffer from several well-documented security and usability issues. The two of the main techniques to address password problems are password managers and two-factor authentication (2FA), which form the central focus of this dissertation work. In particular, we explore the security and usability of newly proposed and emerging forms of password managers and 2FA systems. We first investigate a “store-less” online password manager that can prevent the leakage of the passwords from the password manager service itself. We also design and evaluate a new 2FA scheme that offers …