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2013

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Articles 14761 - 14790 of 15232

Full-Text Articles in Arts and Humanities

Amatory Conventions, Luxury Trade, And The Culture Of Excess In The Rape Of The Lock, Roxana, And Gulliver's Travels, David Glennon Vinson Jan 2013

Amatory Conventions, Luxury Trade, And The Culture Of Excess In The Rape Of The Lock, Roxana, And Gulliver's Travels, David Glennon Vinson

All ETDs from UAB

This thesis expands scholarship in the study of amatory fiction by introducing three male canonical authors--Pope, Defoe, and Swift--into a body of criticism typically focused on female non-canonical authors. The authors' awareness and engagement of the amatory template calls for a reconsideration of the profound role in which the amatory genre plays in the novel tradition. I examine how amatory tropes are used in The Rape of the Lock, Roxana, and Gulliver's Travels to satirize sexual politics in the domestic sphere, but I also extend amatory studies by positioning the authors' satire in the public setting of a changing Britain. …

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Synthesis Of Ph-Responsive Multilayer Hydrogels And Amphiphilic Block Copolymers, Yun Wang Jan 2013

Synthesis Of Ph-Responsive Multilayer Hydrogels And Amphiphilic Block Copolymers, Yun Wang

All ETDs from UAB

The research presented in this thesis is focused at the design and fabrication of pH-responsive layer-by-layer (LbL) hydrogels and the synthesis of the ABA block copolymer poly(2-methyloxazoline)-block-poly(dimethylsiloxane)-block-poly(2-methyl-oxazoline) (PMOXA-b-PDMS-b-PMOXA). Ultrathin stimuli-responsive layer-by-layer hydrogels, as compared to bulk hydrogels, can respond to external stimuli in a short time range (usually within seconds) which renders them particularly useful in sensing. Moreover, layer-by-layer technique allows the hydrogel film to be deposited with controlled thickness growth. However, the fabrication of LbL hydrogels with controllable cross-linking density and swelling degree still remains challenging. In chapter two, novel pH-sensitive LbL hydrogels based on poly(4-vinyl pyridine) (P4VP) were …

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Application Of Next-Generation Sequencing And Bioinformatics Approaches For Elucidating Microbial Diversity And For Bioprospecting In Antarctic Freshwater Lake Ecosystems, Jonathan Huang Jan 2013

Application Of Next-Generation Sequencing And Bioinformatics Approaches For Elucidating Microbial Diversity And For Bioprospecting In Antarctic Freshwater Lake Ecosystems, Jonathan Huang

All ETDs from UAB

Antarctic freshwater ecosystems offer a unique opportunity to study the microbial biodiversity, adaptation, function, and interaction in extreme environments. In general, there is a dearth of higher trophic organisms in Antarctic freshwater lakes thus microbes are essential for the sustainability of biological life. This study describes the similarities and differences in microbial diversity among seasonal and perennially ice-covered lacustrine ecosystems from East and West Antarctica. In particular, we investigated the microbial diversity in three different freshwater lakes, (1) seasonal lakes of the Schirmacher Oasis, East Antarctica, (2) perennially ice-covered Lake Untersee, East Antarctica, and (3) perennially ice-covered Lake Joyce, West …

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The Link Between Pharmaceutical Spam And Illicit Online Pharmacies, Brandi L. Jefferson Jan 2013

The Link Between Pharmaceutical Spam And Illicit Online Pharmacies, Brandi L. Jefferson

All ETDs from UAB

Spam, or its more formal name, unsolicited commercial e-mail, is a problem for every person in the world that uses the internet. Spam is mostly illegal but there are legal types of spam. The spam found in emails that are not requested, or that are on social net-works and search engines can be illegal spam. Illegal spam masks the original destination and normally leads a consumer to a harmful site. Pharmaceutical spam leads to an affili-ate site selling prescription drugs without requiring a prescription, along with other ques-tionable products. These drugs range from erectile dysfunction drugs to pain medications. All …

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Homoepitaxial Deposition Of Boron-Doped Single Crystal Diamond, Sunil Kumar Lal Karna Jan 2013

Homoepitaxial Deposition Of Boron-Doped Single Crystal Diamond, Sunil Kumar Lal Karna

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The boron-doped single crystal diamond films were grown homoepitaxially on synthetic (100) Type Ib diamond substrates using a microwave plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition. The optical transmittance of the films was observed to change with the increasing boron content in the film. The effect of boron and nitrogen on the surface morphology of the film has been studied using atomic force microscopy. Use of nitrogen in process gas during boron doping improves the surface topography as well as gives rise to an increase in growth rate of diamond film. However, presence of nitrogen in the process gas significantly lowers the …

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Optical And Electrical Characterization Of Transition Metal Doped Ii-Vi Mid-Ir Laser Materials, Tetyana Konak Jan 2013

Optical And Electrical Characterization Of Transition Metal Doped Ii-Vi Mid-Ir Laser Materials, Tetyana Konak

All ETDs from UAB

Transition metal doped II-VI mid-IR lasers feature a broad (50% of the central wavelength) tuning range, high (tens of Watts) output power, close to theoretical limit quantum efficiency of lasing, and are capable to operate at room temperature over 1.8-6.1µm spectral range. However, these lasers work only under optical excitation. The goal of the research is to study physical processes and elements of technology essential for TM:II-VI lasing under direct electrical excitation. Gamma-irradiation of II-VI crystals was studied as a possible way to produce electrical conductivity in these media. It was found that color centers can be formed in gamma-irradiated …

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Microbial Responses To Mc252 In Gulf Of Mexico Sediments Using Btefap And Bioinformatics Tools, Hyunmin Koo Jan 2013

Microbial Responses To Mc252 In Gulf Of Mexico Sediments Using Btefap And Bioinformatics Tools, Hyunmin Koo

All ETDs from UAB

We investigated the changes of the bacterial community to treatment of Mississippi Canyon Macondo oil (MC252) in Gulf of Mexico (GoM) coastal sediment microcosms collected from Bayou La Batre, Dauphin Island, Petit Bois Island, and Perdido Pass. We utilized molecular methods by targeting the V3-V5 region of the16S rRNA gene from metacommunity DNA through culture-dependent and culture-independent (Bacterial Tag-encoded FLX Amplified Pyrosequencing; bTEFAP) methodologies and downstream bioinformatics tools. Through bTEFAP, we generated a total of 11,338 (Bayou La Batre) and 38,104 (Dauphin Island, Petit Bois Island, and Perdido Pass) reads. After quality-based trimming, a total of 8,430 (Bayou La Batre) …

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Small Perturbations In Hard Balls Dynamics, Alexey Korepanov Jan 2013

Small Perturbations In Hard Balls Dynamics, Alexey Korepanov

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This dissertation consists of three articles written in cooperation with F. Bonetto, N. Chernov, J. Lebowitz and N. Simanyi. The common theme is small perturbations of hard balls dynamics on a flat table with obstacles. While the original dynamics preserves the Lebesgue measure and is hyperbolic and ergodic for all models that we have considered, even smallest perturbations may significantly change the nature of the dynamics. Physically observable invariant measure may become singular with respect to Lebesgue measure, or even fail to exist. In some cases the dynamics collapses to a continuum of degenerate stable regimes. In Spatial Structure of …

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Parenting And Parole: The Effects Of Incarceration On Motherhood, Latoya Ledyard Jan 2013

Parenting And Parole: The Effects Of Incarceration On Motherhood, Latoya Ledyard

All ETDs from UAB

The female prison population is the fastest growing prison population in the United States. The rise in female incarceration over the past several years has become a growing concern partly due to the damaging effects on the family; a phenomenon largely attributed to mandatory sentencing guidelines and gender-neutral policies. Research literature on the unique challenges faced by parenting women and the development of reentry programs that foster family reunification has emerged in recent years, but there is still much work to be done. Using in-depth interviews with 14 residents of a transitional center for women in Alabama, I seek to …

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From Family Violence To Dating Violence: Testing The Dual Pathway Model, Anjana Madan Jan 2013

From Family Violence To Dating Violence: Testing The Dual Pathway Model, Anjana Madan

All ETDs from UAB

Family violence in childhood is an established predictor of later adolescent dating violence. Additional predictors of adolescent dating violence include individual beliefs about violence, peer interactions, aggressive behavior, and cross-gender violence. However, these factors have not been integrated into a single comprehensive model of dating violence development. Thus, using the proposed dual pathway model, the present study examined prospective links between family violence exposure in pre-adolescence; proviolent beliefs, aggression, deviant peer affiliation, and cross-gender violence in early adolescence; and dating violence involvement in late adolescence; as well as examined gender and ethnic differences in these relationships. A sample of 456 …

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Re-Visioning Composition: Exploring How Creative Nonfiction Might Invigorate Composition Studies, Melba Major Jan 2013

Re-Visioning Composition: Exploring How Creative Nonfiction Might Invigorate Composition Studies, Melba Major

All ETDs from UAB

My thesis explores and advances the discussion of how easing the boundary between creative nonfiction and composition studies might invigorate composition studies by moving from theory to practice. Building upon work by Wendy Bishop, Douglas Hesse, Robert L. Root, Jr., and Andrew Bourelle, it offers a study of the impact of introducing creative nonfiction texts and creative writing pedagogy into the composition classroom. Composition studies and creative writing currently exist in separate worlds. Those teaching composition tend to focus on the social-epistemic, while creative writing pedagogy focuses on expressivism. Negative stereotypes have evolved about both departments based on their approaches …

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Temp, Callie Gartrell Mauldin Jan 2013

Temp, Callie Gartrell Mauldin

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Temp is a collection of short stories about four young women living in New York City. Each woman struggles with her own identity while tethered to a family past that informs her current situation. Through failures and flirtations with disaster, Hannah, Anna, Liz, and Rachel learn how to accept themselves and the lives they've been dealt. The stories, ultimately, explore loss and acceptance through connections and relationships with others.

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Non-Random Mutations In Yeast: An Examination Of Yeast Genetics During Selection Cycling, Christopher Mcatee Jan 2013

Non-Random Mutations In Yeast: An Examination Of Yeast Genetics During Selection Cycling, Christopher Mcatee

All ETDs from UAB

The appearance of genomic mutation is generally considered a random process, during which single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and other DNA alterations are selected and fixed by virtue of beneficial effects on fitness. Recent studies have provided examples of induced mutations in response to stress, including the suggestion of biased SNP formation that favors certain adaptations. This project analyzed the appearance and accumulation of mutations in S. cerevisiae following exposure to two lethal forms of selective pressure. A mutation/reversion cycle was established in which 5-fluoroorotic acid (5-FoA) served as an environmental stress to identify the functional loss of URA3 (a gene …

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Science Of Sleep: Tracing The Visual Language Of Dreams From Fuseli To Gondry, Bethany Mcclellan Jan 2013

Science Of Sleep: Tracing The Visual Language Of Dreams From Fuseli To Gondry, Bethany Mcclellan

All ETDs from UAB

Periods of intense visual and scientific exploration of dreams include the late eighteenth and early nineteenth-century Romantic movement, the early twentieth-century publication of Sigmund Freud's Interpretation of Dreams and corresponding Surrealist movement, and the contemporary era. Primary themes established by Romantic scholars and artists and expanded upon by Freud and the Surrealists resonate in contemporary dream theory and visual art. These themes include: an interest in the relationship between the dreaming mind and the creative process, childhood cognition, perceptual effects of visual art, the purpose and function of dreams, and the associational abilities of the dreaming mind. Using Michel Gondry's …

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Cooking With Caste Iron: Food System Modernization In Birmingham, 1910-1964, Thomas Carl Mclemore Jan 2013

Cooking With Caste Iron: Food System Modernization In Birmingham, 1910-1964, Thomas Carl Mclemore

All ETDs from UAB

This thesis aims to capture the social and political conditions that contributed to the rise of class and racial disparities in Birmingham's food system. The way in which all Birmingham residents located, grew, raised, purchased, cooked, and consumed food reinforced and furthered a caste system of social dispossession and black oppression. An overview of the poor health conditions of the pre-modern, industrial city provides a basis for understanding the reasoning of later efforts in systematic modernization. These efforts took place amid broader, national contexts of political and social Progressivism and the emerging paradigm of the New South. These trends contributed …

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An Examination Of The Molecular Mechanism Of E. Coli Clpap Catalyzed Polypeptide Translocation, Justin Mark Miller Jan 2013

An Examination Of The Molecular Mechanism Of E. Coli Clpap Catalyzed Polypeptide Translocation, Justin Mark Miller

All ETDs from UAB

ATP-dependent proteases catalyze the removal of both misfolded and properly folded proteins in cellular quality control pathways. ClpAP shares a structural homology with other ATP-dependent proteases where a hexameric ring of ClpA associates with one or both ends of the cylindrically-shaped protease ClpP, which contains serine protease active sites sequestered in its inner core. ClpA contains two nucleotide binding domains where ATP is bound and hydrolyzed, termed Domain 1 (D1) or 2 (D2). D1 has been shown to be primarily responsible for ClpA oligomerization, but both domains appear to support polypeptide translocation independently. We previously reported a molecular mechanism for …

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The Effects Of Extremes Of Ph On The Growth And Transcriptomic Profiles Of Three Haloarchaea, Aida Moran-Reyna Jan 2013

The Effects Of Extremes Of Ph On The Growth And Transcriptomic Profiles Of Three Haloarchaea, Aida Moran-Reyna

All ETDs from UAB

The Archaea represent a fascinating domain of life where each species comprises a hybrid of bacterial and eukaryal features. Unfortunately, there have been few investigations of the Archaea and many fundamental questions remain regarding their biochemistry, genetics, and genomics. One reason for this is that few archaea are amenable to detailed experimental analysis; however, a few halophilic archaea (haloarchaea) can be easily manipulated in the laboratory and contain a sequenced genome, allowing for bioinformatics studies, such as recording changes in the transcriptomes. Haloarchaea are found wherever seawater is concentrated above 2 M NaCl and contain a similarly high concentration of …

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Computational Studies On Metal Bound Amyloid-Ss Peptide Complexes: Implications For Oligomerization, Lurong Pan Jan 2013

Computational Studies On Metal Bound Amyloid-Ss Peptide Complexes: Implications For Oligomerization, Lurong Pan

All ETDs from UAB

Amyloid-beta (Abeta) peptide is the primary component of the senile plaques that char-acterize Alzheimer's disease (AD). Numerous studies have shown that small soluble oligomers of Aß have higher neurotoxicity than large, insoluble aggregates and fibrils. Brain tissue analysis has shown that excessive metal ions including zinc, copper and iron are co-localized with the plaques. In addition, in vitro studies suggest that these ions play an important role in the aggregation and toxicity of Abeta. Nevertheless, due to the large number of variables that must be controlled it is difficult to characterize the detailed mechanisms by which metal ions modulate Abeta …

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Review Of Schwam-Baird, Shira, Ed. And Trans. Valentin Et Orson: An Edition And Translation Of The Fifteenth-Century Romance Epic, Steven Millen Taylor Jan 2013

Review Of Schwam-Baird, Shira, Ed. And Trans. Valentin Et Orson: An Edition And Translation Of The Fifteenth-Century Romance Epic, Steven Millen Taylor

French and Francophone Languages and Literatures

No abstract provided.

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Understanding The Relation Between Routines And Problem Behaviors In Children With Clinical Diagnoses, Mark Ryan Pennick Jan 2013

Understanding The Relation Between Routines And Problem Behaviors In Children With Clinical Diagnoses, Mark Ryan Pennick

All ETDs from UAB

The current study investigated the impact of routines on problem behaviors in children with the clinical diagnoses of either PDD, ADHD, or depression/anxiety. Previous research has identified negative relations between externalizing behaviors and routines as well as a link between using routines and having positive parenting. The study extends these findings to children with these various diagnoses and also to internalizing symptoms. In our sample negative relations were found between routines, as measured by the Child Routines Inventory (CRI), and both internalizing and externalizing symptoms when all groups were examined together. Additionally routines were found to moderate the relation between …

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Impulsivity As A Predictor Of Smoking Cessation Outcomes In Bupropion Treatment Of Community Corrections Smokers, Adam Clay Perkins Jan 2013

Impulsivity As A Predictor Of Smoking Cessation Outcomes In Bupropion Treatment Of Community Corrections Smokers, Adam Clay Perkins

All ETDs from UAB

Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of death and disability in the United States. Prevalence of smoking among participants in community corrections far exceeds those in the general population. The purpose of the study was to examine predictors of smoking cessation outcome among community correction participants who were enrolled in a randomized control trial that used bupropion to treat tobacco dependence. This study found that inattention was a significant barrier to treatment. Specifically, performance on measures of attention including number of omissions errors on the Conner's Continuous Performance Task - Second Edition (CPT-II) and time to complete Trails A were …

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Non-Random Snp Formation And Contextual Bias Within Murine And Hominid Genomes, Zackery Ezekiel Plyler Jan 2013

Non-Random Snp Formation And Contextual Bias Within Murine And Hominid Genomes, Zackery Ezekiel Plyler

All ETDs from UAB

Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) are traditionally seen as forming in a stochastic manner, with final distribution ascribed to processes such as purifying natural selection, genetic drift, shift, etc. The present study investigated contextual biases that underlie SNP patterns in 16 distinct murine strains, and tested relevance of these observations to human genomic DNA. We establish stereotypic nucleotide motifs that surround single base replacements in mammalian genes and propose a novel mechanism of SNP regulation. The findings contrast traditional notions in which SNPs occur `randomly' followed by purifying selection or are attributable to more `neutral' (unselected) formation. Instead, we propose that …

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Plant Selection, Community Dynamics, Ecophysiology, And Stormwater Mitigation On Green Roofs In The Southeastern U.S., Julie G. Price Jan 2013

Plant Selection, Community Dynamics, Ecophysiology, And Stormwater Mitigation On Green Roofs In The Southeastern U.S., Julie G. Price

All ETDs from UAB

Green roofs offer the opportunity to transform impervious surfaces into multifunctional constructed ecosystems. Plant selection for green roofs is often limited to drought-tolerant succulent species, but more diverse assemblages enhance habitat and biodiversity in urban areas and have the potential to improve green roof performance. Nineteen taxa were evaluated under irrigated and non-irrigated conditions over three growing seasons. Individual taxa were evaluated for survival and amount and mechanism of colonization, and the effect of irrigation on plant community structure and vegetation coverage was examined. Only succulent species survived under non-irrigated conditions. Irrigated plots had more taxa, higher diversity index, less …

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Laminations And The Dynamics Of Iterated Cubic Polynomials, Ross Ptacek Jan 2013

Laminations And The Dynamics Of Iterated Cubic Polynomials, Ross Ptacek

All ETDs from UAB

In this dissertation we study the Julia sets of cubic polynomials using both analytic and topological methods. The main topological method that we employ is the use of invariant laminations to model polynomial Julia Sets. Our particular focus is on polynomials from the boundary of the degree three Principal Hyperbolic Domain. Such polynomials have simple yet nontrivial dynamics. Furthemore, they satisfy certain conditions on their periodic cut points. We call the set of polynomials which satisfy these conditions the Main Cubioid and characterize laminations that correspond to such polynomials. Small perturbations of a quadratic polynomial with an indifferent fixed point …

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Epigenetic Regulation Of Hippocampus-Dependent Learning, Laura Qadri Jan 2013

Epigenetic Regulation Of Hippocampus-Dependent Learning, Laura Qadri

All ETDs from UAB

Knowledge of the molecular mechanisms that underlie learning and memory has advanced a great deal. Research into the role of epigenetics, or modifications above the genome, has the promise of providing an even greater understanding of the precise mechanisms involved in memory formation. Studies of epigenetic regulation of memory in the rodent hippocampus have primarily focused on associative learning using contextual fear conditioning. While these studies have provided valuable insight into the role that epigenetics plays in cognition, it remains to be seen whether the findings generalize to other forms of hippocampus-dependent learning. This work examines the role of epigenetic …

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External Aid And Its Effectiveness In The Reconstruction And Development Of Afghanistan - An Analysis Of The Years 2002-2014, Muneeb Raqeebi Jan 2013

External Aid And Its Effectiveness In The Reconstruction And Development Of Afghanistan - An Analysis Of The Years 2002-2014, Muneeb Raqeebi

All ETDs from UAB

After more than twelve years of major humanitarian, security and development aid and assistance from international community, the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan prepares to shift back security arrangements throughout the country from the International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF) to Afghanistan National Security Forces (ANSF). As this transition takes place, the majority of Afghan population and a large number of donor nations and international aid organizations that provided aid to Afghanistan since 2002 are concerned as whether or not this transition will also result in the transition of Afghanistan from conflict to stability, confirming success of the international …

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The Implications Of The Intelligence Reform And Terrorism Prevention Act For U.S. Bureaucracies, Brennan Anderson Reeves Jan 2013

The Implications Of The Intelligence Reform And Terrorism Prevention Act For U.S. Bureaucracies, Brennan Anderson Reeves

All ETDs from UAB

The United States faces a constantly evolving threat from terrorist organizations and individuals who wish to do harm to do harm to its assets and citizens. In 2004, as a response to the 9/11 attacks, the structural organization of the agencies that comprise the U.S. Intelligence Community was changed under the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act. The goal of the transformation was to enhance the ability and effectiveness of those that are supposed to maintain national security. Coordination and information sharing between the agencies in the IC is essential to ensure that the relevant actors have the knowledge and …

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Characterization Of Emergent Spatial-Temporal Orders In Transcription Regulatory Networks Using Phase Locking Analysis, Herbert Keith Roberts Jan 2013

Characterization Of Emergent Spatial-Temporal Orders In Transcription Regulatory Networks Using Phase Locking Analysis, Herbert Keith Roberts

All ETDs from UAB

The study of gene regulatory networks (GRNs) is paramount for continued breakthroughs in understanding the genetic architecture of life and how alterations thereof contribute to disease. The complex spatio-temporal orders within GRNs are studied primarily through the modeling of time-course gene expression data. Recently, gene expression profiling technology has improved greatly in regards to accuracy and resolution, enabling novel methodology development and characterization of GRNs. Many methods have been utilized to model GRNs from gene expression data (correlational measures, time-warping, coherence, and/or causality, etc). In this study, we propose a new approach based on phase locking analysis that compliments existing …

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Clear Cut Lines:Reconsidering Max Beckmann's Influences, Annie Suzanne White Jan 2013

Clear Cut Lines:Reconsidering Max Beckmann's Influences, Annie Suzanne White

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Max Beckmann came of age when the art world was rapidly changing in the early twentieth century. Beckmann did not fall into any one artistic movement and was often at odds with his contemporaries. Because of these factors it is difficult to discuss his influences without hyper-focusing on just one influence as a way to explain his artistic progression and style. The scholarship has tended to place specific chronological frames around parts of Beckmann's work and focus on just one influence in isolation. Beckmann's influences need to be viewed in a more holistic continuous fashion. This thesis examines the most …

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Executive Functions And Cardiorespiratory Fitness In Survivors Of Pediatric Posterior Fossa Tumor, Kelly Ross Wolfe Jan 2013

Executive Functions And Cardiorespiratory Fitness In Survivors Of Pediatric Posterior Fossa Tumor, Kelly Ross Wolfe

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As survival rates for pediatric posterior fossa tumor have improved, issues related to survivorship have become increasingly important. Foremost among these are cognitive difficulties, particularly in the domain of executive functions. The first manuscript reports on a systematic, comprehensive literature review of studies examining executive deficits in survivors of pediatric posterior fossa tumor, including the intervention studies that have attempted to ameliorate these difficulties. The second manuscript establishes the safety and feasibility of peak cardiorespiratory fitness testing in a cohort of pediatric posterior fossa tumor survivors. Survivors had lower fitness than typically developing children and children with cystic fibrosis, and …

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