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Ccit Report 2022, Critical Creative Innovative Thinking

Critical Creative Innovative Thinking (CCIT) Archives

Content

• About us
• Incubation
• National Health Incubation Program (2021-2022)
• what we do
• System Innovation
• Research & Communication
• Our path in Education
• 2023: onwards & upwards

Synergy Between Stenotrophomonas Maltophilia And Pseudomonas Aeruginosa During Polymicrobial Airway Infections, Melissa Skye Mcdaniel

All ETDs from UAB

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is a Gram-negative bacillus that can act as an opportunistic pathogen in patients with respiratory diseases, including cystic fibrosis (CF) and ventilator-associated pneumonia. Infection with S. maltophilia is associated with worse lung function, but it remains unclear if this organism contributes directly to lung function decline. Lung infections are often polymicrobial, and S. maltophilia can be isolated from the lung with the key pulmonary pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In the first half of this work, we investigated the pathogenicity of S. maltophilia alone and during polymicrobial infection with P. aeruginosa. We used respiratory infections in mice to assess persistence …

Nutrition Practices And Body Composition In Infants Born Preterm, Maggie Jerome

All ETDs from UAB

Adequate nutrition and optimal growth are critical goals of clinical care for premature infants in the NICU due to rapid brain growth and development that occur during this time. Emerging evidence suggests that body composition in preterm infants is predictive of neurodevelopmental and metabolic outcomes later in childhood. The objective of this dissertation is to investigate factors affecting premature infant growth and body composition, including high enteral protein supplementation, nutrition during the first two weeks of life, and race of infants born at 22-32 weeks gestational age admitted to the UAB NICU. In a pilot study, 56 preterm infants were …

Evaluation Of A Living Shoreline Technique On A Southeastern United States Reservoir, Eric V. Muth

All ETDs from UAB

The impoundment of rivers in the southeastern United States has led to the creation of reservoirs that have seen the riparian zone become heavily developed with residential real estate. As the hybrid river/lake systems started forming new shorelines, property owners reacted by attempting to reduce their losses. This has been done in a variety of ways, with the majority falling into the bulkhead category. The use of vertical hard armament has resulted in a loss of ecological function and an increase in erosion of the lakebed at the toe or escarpment. In response to this, the idea was proposed by …

Molecular Imaging Of Cancer For Detection And Monitoring Of Response To Combination Therapy, Tiara S. Napier

All ETDs from UAB

Imaging is a primary component of cancer care and aids in diagnosing, response assessment, and monitoring. Molecular imaging techniques provide visualization of unique tumor biology that can be used to personalize treatment. Key features of an effective biomarker are sensitivity, specificity, and ability to provide clinical value beyond that of other types of information already available at the time of diagnosis. For particularly heterogeneous cancer subtypes, such as glioblastoma (GBM) and triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), reliable biomarkers can be challenging to identify and there are few tar-getable receptors for therapy. Our findings demonstrate that quantifying tumor EGFR (panitumumab-IRDye800CW), granzyme …

Restoring The Sphingolipid Balance In Glioblastoma, Cyntanna C. Hawkins

All ETDs from UAB

Glioblastoma (GBM) is a highly aggressive brain tumor with a median survival of 15 months even with standard of care—surgical resection, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. Two of the key characteristics contributing to this malignancy are its highly invasive phenotype and resistance to the chemotherapy, temozolomide (TMZ). We, and others, have identified the sphingolipid balance as a driver of these phenotypes with dysregulated sphingolipid metabolism seen in GBM patient samples. The ceramidases, specifically acid ceramidase (ASAH1), mediate the balance between ceramides and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P). ASAH1 breaks down ceramides ultimately forming S1P. While ceramides induce cell death, S1P promotes migration and cell survival. …

Cell Type-Specific Diurnal Variation In Hippocampus Physiology, Lacy Kathryn Goode

All ETDs from UAB

Circadian rhythms are biological processes that cycle across 24 hours. Driven endogenously by widely expressed and highly conserved clock genes that compose the circadian molecular clock, circadian rhythms are exhibited in numerous facets of physiology across nearly every tissue throughout the body. Diurnal rhythms in cognition, long-term potentiation (LTP), and the expression of clock genes in hippocampus subfields support a role for circadian regulation of hippocampus physiology. However, little is known regarding the circadian molecular clock and diurnal rhythms in neurophysiology at the cellular level. Here, we characterized diurnal differences in spatial memory, LTP, excitability of and synaptic transmission onto …

Resonant Solutions To Gross-Pitaevskii Equation With Periodic Potential, Arien Duaibes

All ETDs from UAB

Over the years, many methods have been used for solving the Gross-Pitaevskii equation which is also known as a nonlinear Schrodinger equation. In this thesis, we study a nonlinear polyharmonic equation with a periodic potential and quasi-periodic boundary conditions in dimensions higher than one. A special case of the equation, in two dimensions, is the Gross-Pitaevskii equation. This thesis aims to find solutions close to combinations of two plane waves at high energy. To start with, we use a technique similar to that known for the linear case. Then, we construct a method of successive approximations. We obtain the desired …

The Use Of Vesgen For Analysis Of Retinal Vasculature In Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension, Mariana Desiree Dupont

All ETDs from UAB

Pulmonary artery hypertension is a chronic and progressive disease leading to right heart failure and, ultimately, death if untreated. The goal of the studies in this dissertation was to determine if fluorescein angiography (FA), and color fundus angiography (CF) imaging could be used to garner critical information about retinal changes in individuals with pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH). VESsel GENerational Analysis (VESGEN) is a noninvasive computer program that assigns branching generation to large and small vessels. VESGEN was utilized to investigate vascular alterations in FA, and CF imaging investigating disease progression in PAH. This dissertation demonstrated that PAH patients had aberrant …

Exploring The Influence Of Psychosocial Stress And Inflammatory Properties Of The Diet On Cardiometabolic Risk And Gut Microbiome Health Among Young Adult Women Of Birmingham, Alabama, Rachel Olivia Knight

All ETDs from UAB

Concerning trends for obesity, diabetes, heart attacks, and obesity-related cancers, or cardiometabolic disease (CMD), are developing within the emerging and young adult/adulthood (EYA) population. Evidence supports the concept that chronic stress leads to physiologic dysregulation, reduced mental health, chronic diseases, and reduced longevity; however, these are not inevitable outcomes, and resilience or vulnerability is determined by interacting environmental and biobehavioral factors. Although CMD manifests clinically in older adulthood, disease pathophysiology begins earlier, and thus, EYA is a critical time for observation and intervention. Growing evidence indicates inflammation is a major risk factor in CMD development and may be exacerbated by …

Predicting Change In Quality Of Life In Patients With Advanced Cancer And Family Caregivers Using Gps Data, Kyungmi Lee

All ETDs from UAB

Patients with advanced cancer and their family caregivers often experience poor quality of life. Measuring patient and caregiver physical and mental quality of life is typically performed using participant reported outcome measures, especially validated questionnaires. However, this self-report approach has several limitations, including recall bias, respondent burden, and social desirability bias. One potential solution to these limitations may be to use passive data collected by personally owned smartphones (e.g., GPS data) to model and assess the quality of life in family caregivers and patients with advanced cancer. Yet, there is no evidence to date that passively collected smartphone data is …

Spectrum-Efficient High-Density Data Communication For Wireless Sensor Networks, Md. Kamal Hossain

All ETDs from UAB

Spectrum-efficient data telemetry is critically important in high-density wireless sensor networks. The rapid expansion of the sensor network has generated a large volume of data on the limited bandwidth and brought new challenges, including transmission bottlenecks, latency, and congestion. The existing wireless technologies cannot support the proliferation of sensor devices for the limitations of spectrum and resources, including computational power, memory, and feature size that hinder the deployment of sophisticated signal processing. To overcome these limitations, orthogonal pulse-based telemetry provides an excellent alternative with reduced complexity, data compression, and efficient transmission. However, the number of data channels also limits the …

Palliative Care Experiences And Educational Needs Of Healthcare Interprofessionals In Jamaica: A Mixed Methods Study, Rebecca L. Edwards

All ETDs from UAB

Universal access to palliative care (PC) is a human right that much of the world has not accomplished and educating a PC workforce is critical to PC advancement. Higher PC disparities exist in low-and-middle income countries, such as Jamaica. The World Health Organization Public Health Model and the International PC Initiative’s PC roadmap emphasize the importance of PC education. The purpose of this mixed methods dissertation study was to investigate the PC experiences and educational needs of healthcare interprofessionals who provide care for patients with late-stage serious illnesses in Jamaica. Three specific aims incorporated quantitative investigation of physicians’, nurses’, and …

Intrinsically-Photosensitive Retinal Ganglion Cells And Their Functional Roles, Kevin Q. Chang

All ETDs from UAB

This project was conducted in Old World monkeys and focused on characterization of the intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) as they pertain to the pupillary light reflex, as well as on the neuroanatomical and electrophysiological characterization of the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus as it pertains to circadian rhythms. A custom antibody was developed against the human melanopsin gene. We validated the antibody using western blot and immunohistochemistry. The functional role of ipRGCs in driving pupillary responses was investigated through immunotoxin-induced ablation in Rhesus macaques with the antibody conjugated to saporin. As hypothesized, the pupillary light reflex and …

Health Disparities In Cardiometabolic Risk Among African American And European American Adults, Catharine A. Couch

All ETDs from UAB

African American (AA) individuals are disproportionately burdened by cardiometabolic disease, including type 2 diabetes (T2D) and cardiovascular disease (CVD), and associated risk factors. The objective of this dissertation research was to investigate pathophysiological and lifestyle contributors to racial disparities in cardiometabolic disease including beta-cell dysfunction, ectopic fat, the natriuretic peptide system, and diet. These first three risk factors, beta-cell dysfunction, ectopic fat, and the natriuretic peptide system, were explored in a cross-sectional study of young AA and European American (EA) adults. The fourth risk factor, diet, was explored in a large, national cohort of black and white adults. First, we …

Longitudinal Investigation Of Financial Capacity And Driving Performance In Mild Cognitive Impairment, Tyler P. Bull

All ETDs from UAB

Previous research has shown that Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) is an intermediary between normal aging and dementia that is associated with declines in financial capacity and driving performance, two important instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs). Both financial capacity and driving performance have been studied cross-sectionally within an MCI population, but there is limited information on the changes in performance over time. The present study utilized data from a recent longitudinal clinical trial of speed of processing training to further examine changes in driving performance and financial capacity over time. Participants included seventy-five older adults with MCI who completed an …

Il-22 Mediated Host Defense During Attaching-Effacing Pathogen Infection, Baiyi Cai

All ETDs from UAB

Intestinal infections are a cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide and remain a public threat. Interleukin (IL)-22 is central to host immune responses in the intestine during infection and inflammation. IL-22 can be produced by both innate and adaptive immune cells, yet their relative contributions to host protection remain unclear. Here we demonstrated the specific role and mechanism for IL-22 from innate and adaptive sources to protect the host. Using the Citrobacter rodentium (C.r) model, we found that IL-22 from innate cell, protect the host during early infection. IL-22 induces epithelial production of polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) recruiting chemokine CXCL1, CXCL2 …

Self-Efficacy In Pulmonary Rehabilitation, Erica Anderson

All ETDs from UAB

the fourth leading cause of death in the United States, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a major contributor of morbidity and mortality. The disease is characterized by chronic irritation and inflammation of the airways. The most common symptoms include chronic cough and shortness-of-breath. Pulmonary rehabilitation is a comprehensive exercise and education program for people with lung disease. It is well-established as an intervention to improve symptoms and other qualityof- life outcomes in people with COPD. Self-efficacy is the belief in one’s own abilities. It is recognized by the American Thoracic Society and European Respiratory Society as an integral part …

Distinct Clinical Manifestations Associated With Autoantibodies And Cytokines In Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Fatima K. Alduraibi

All ETDs from UAB

Objective: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by production of autoantibodies (autoAbs) and cytokines. Moreover, lupus nephritis (LN) occurs in approximately 50% of SLE patients. AutoAb and cytokine levels produced by B and T cells are high in LN patients, although their relationship with histological patterns requires investigation. Methods: We analyzed the relationship between B cell cytokines and major T cell cyto-kines, including their association with autoAbs, and the clinical manifestations of SLE, especially LN. We also analyzed endogenous intracellular interferon beta (IFNβ) expression in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells and serum circulating nephritogenic autoAbs from …

Participation And Perceptions Of Resistance Training In Former Female High School Athletes, Craig Heuring

Master of Education in Applied Human Development Graduate Projects

Resistance training (RT) has been shown to better prepare athletes for the physical demands of their sport. However, former female high school athletes’ participation rates and perceptions of RT are unknown. The aim of this study was to identify key factors and themes influencing participation and perceptions of RT in this population. Former female high school athletes (n=73) between the ages of 18-24 years old completed an electronic questionnaire-based survey. The survey included a RT questionnaire and background questions regarding each participant’s high school athletic environment. We examined responses to identify how high school athletic environments may influence …

Establishing Safe Thresholds To Improve Exercise Capacity In Collegiate Athletes With Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Ibd): A Critically Appraised Topic, Emily C. Roberts

Master of Education in Applied Human Development Graduate Projects

Clinical Scenario: Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) can present several challenges to athletic participation due to unpredictable disease activity and uncontrollable systemic symptoms that severely impact daily activities, and limit exercise/sports participation. Limited studies and a lack of standard guidelines for physical activity (PA) and exercise are additional barriers for patients. Limited sources have determined that exercise interventions of low-to-moderate intensity are safe and feasible for IBD patients. In theory, such interventions could promote improvements in exercise capacity and overall well-being. Focused Clinical Question: Is there evidence to suggest that a baseline of established safe exercise-intensities promote improvements in exercise capacity …

The Effects Of A Mental Skills Training Program On Rotc Cadets’ Physical Fitness Scores, Mackenzie Piatka

Master of Education in Applied Human Development Graduate Projects

The purpose of this study was to implement a mental skills training (MST) intervention to an Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) cadets’ regular physical fitness routine and examine effects and relationships with the cadets’ physical fitness scores and mood states. Male (n = 22) and female (n =9) cadets from the Army ROTC branch at Bowling Green State University completed a series of questionnaires at two time points, pre-mental skills training and post-mental skills training. The pre- and post-intervention questionnaires included: demographic and informational surveys, the Profile of Mood States (POMS), Test of Performance Strategies

2- Short …

Confidently Successful! Cultivating Confidence In College Athletes, Claire Ferrell

Master of Education in Applied Human Development Graduate Projects

During competition, athletes are expected to perform well and have confidence in their abilities. Sport confidence represents an athlete’s belief in their abilities to perform successfully in sport (Vealey & Chase, 2008). Consistently, research reveals a positive relationship between sport confidence and performance (Vealey & Chase, 2008). Benefits of confidence in college athletes include low anxiety, a focus on goals, experiencing flow, and successful performance (Machida et al., 2012; Rintaugu et al., 2018). The sport confidence model (Vealey & Chase, 2008), that describes sources of athlete confidence, provides the framework for Confidently Successful! This program is developed so that a …

Beyond The Box Score: An Analysis Of Student-Athlete Profiles As A Marketing Strategy For Collegiate Athletic Departments, Wesley Mayberry

Master of Education in Applied Human Development Graduate Projects

The purpose of this creative project was to research best practices in the realm of collegiate athletics marketing and implement those findings into a new initiative aimed at increasing stakeholder awareness and interest in the athletics programs at Ohio Northern University. Much of the existing literature that explores marketing within collegiate athletics describes understaffed departments continually trying to formulate innovative ideas to promote their programs. The staffing shortages are undoubtedly most evident at schools within NCAA Division III, which have smaller operating budgets and often rely on their sports information staffs for the production of marketing content. As such, Division …

Annual Report Designs Today: A Paradigm Shift In Purpose, Imene Friday Oghenefegha

DLSU Business & Economics Review

This paper focused on reemphasizing the original purpose of the annual report which lies in its use as a medium of communication between preparers and users; whereby the former report stewardship while the latter evaluate stewardship to make buy/sell/hold decisions. To achieve this objective, opinions were collected from a sample of 150 preparers and users of annual reports, while the contents of 100 annual reports from 20 listed firms over a period of 5 years were also analyzed. The result showed that the preparers and users of annual reports agree that such content as advertisements and images, as well as …

Motivating Factors For Academic Dishonesty And Reoccurrence Prevention Of These Behaviors, Andrew Bryzgornia

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Teachers often turn to assessments to measure a student’s learning in a class. The intent is for the student to complete this assessment by meeting the instructor’s requirements, but often they look for alternate means to aid in the assignment’s completion, which is known as academic dishonesty or cheating. While students may illegally use notes, partner with others, and more, it is common for the students to have other justifications beyond simply desiring a better grade in the class. Not knowing they are cheating, believing cheating is not wrong, believing the class is too difficult, distrusting the instructor, and having …

The Impact Of Classroom Management On Behavior Regulation For Students In Early Childhood And Elementary School Classrooms, Katherine S. Winters

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A significant obstacle for teachers in early childhood and elementary classrooms is regulating negative student behavior. The implementation of classroom management programs is a strategy used by school districts worldwide to lessen learning distractions caused by negative student behavior to improve classroom quality. This thesis is a review of studies specifically linking the impact that classroom management interventions have on behavior regulation. Review of both preventative and reactive classroom management practices were discussed as well as the training process and implementation fidelity. The consistent trend in the research related to increasing positive student behavior in the classroom, is that positive …

The Importance Of Building Positive Classroom Community For Adolescents After The Relational Disconnect From The Covid-19 Pandemic, Jessica Ann Swanson

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This paper aims to analyze the importance of providing students with a positive classroom environment that supports adolescent mental health. Middle school can be a time when students feel lonely, isolated, and oftentimes, it can be physiologically confusing as the body is transforming to becoming an adult. The Covid-19 pandemic exemplified the negative characteristics of normal adolescence. Research suggests that schools that incorporate belonging, relationship building, resilience training, community, and conflict resolution into the classroom can translate to academic success. Social-emotional learning programs can build community and improve adolescent mental health by promoting well-being. Addressing mental health through these types …

The Influence Of Differentiation: Student Engagement, Academic Achievement, Classroom Management And Barriers To Successful Implementation, Elise E. Erlandson

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Differentiation is the instructional practice founded on the belief that every student deserves to receive the instruction that they need on an individual basis. When successfully implemented, it can positively influence student engagement, academic achievement, and classroom management. While each of these components of a classroom space are interconnected and interdependent, the positive influence of differentiation can be seen throughout. This may look like a higher percentage of student engagement in instruction, higher academic achievement, and more positive, collaborative classroom communities. However, there are definite barriers to a successful, effective implementation of differentiation in an individual classroom or within larger …

The Role Of Inclusion In Creating A Positive Learning Experience And Outcomes For Students With Disabilities, Jacob Rath

All Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This paper reviews the current research regarding the inclusion of students with special education services in the general education setting and what steps would be necessary to effectively implement more inclusive approaches in schools today. There has been considerable debate about the potential effects of inclusion on students with and without disabilities in recent years. All students have the potential to make a positive impact in the classroom. Students with special needs deserve to learn in the least restrictive environment possible, having access to the same resources and socialization as their peers. In creating an inclusive education plan for any …