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2020

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Articles 17731 - 17760 of 18167

Full-Text Articles in Arts and Humanities

Denervation Supersensitivity Of Βeta-Adrenergic Receptors In A Prodromal Model Of Alzheimer's Disease, The Tgf344-Ad Rat, Anthoni Goodman Jan 2020

Denervation Supersensitivity Of Βeta-Adrenergic Receptors In A Prodromal Model Of Alzheimer's Disease, The Tgf344-Ad Rat, Anthoni Goodman

All ETDs from UAB

The central noradrenergic (NA) system is critical for maintenance of attention, behavioral flexibility, spatial navigation, and learning and memory, those cognitive functions lost first in early Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In fact, the locus coeruleus (LC), the major source of norepinephrine (NE) in brain, is the first site of pathological tau accumulation in human AD associated with axon loss throughout forebrain, including hippocampus. The dentate gyrus (DG) is heavily innervated by LC-NA axons, where released norepinephrine (NE) acts on β adrenergic receptors (ARs) at excitatory synapses from entorhinal cortex (EC) to facilitate long-term synaptic plasticity and memory formation. These synapses show …

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Examining The Role Of Neighborhood Quality On The Association Of Mammography Adherence Among Racial/Ethnic Groups, Roman Johnson Jan 2020

Examining The Role Of Neighborhood Quality On The Association Of Mammography Adherence Among Racial/Ethnic Groups, Roman Johnson

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Although several racial/ethnic minority women groups (e.g., Latina, Black, Asian-American, and Native-American women) have lower breast cancer incidence than white women, they are more likely to die from breast cancer. One possible explanation for this discrepancy is racial/ethnic differences in mammography use. Mammography has been shown to contribute to the discovery of tumor proliferation earlier which translates to less breast cancer complications like greater risk of breast cancer-related mortality. Previous studies on racial/ethnic differences in mammography adherence (e.g., annual and biannual mammography adherence) have been inconclusive, and they generally overlook important contextual factors, namely neighborhood quality and geographic location (e.g., …

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Is Ambition Consequential? Exploring The Association Between Depressive Symptomatology And The Educational Expectation Trajectories And Achievements Of Immigrant Youth, Fabrice Stanley Julien Jan 2020

Is Ambition Consequential? Exploring The Association Between Depressive Symptomatology And The Educational Expectation Trajectories And Achievements Of Immigrant Youth, Fabrice Stanley Julien

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Concerning mental health outcomes, immigrant youth are a particularly vulnerable population. The lack of health care access contributes to aggrandized and unmet mental health needs. This research explores how the social positions of immigrant families influence stress exposure and contribute to a worsening of well-being. Past research points to the societal stressors experienced by these young people, as significant predictors of their well-being. But what occurs when the source of stress originates within the home? Specifically, this study examines how stress, educational expectations and academic achievement influence the depressive symptomatology of immigrant youth. Education is a widely recognized predictor of …

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Mendicant Enterprise And Human Rights In New Spain, Elliot Nicholson-Cox Jan 2020

Mendicant Enterprise And Human Rights In New Spain, Elliot Nicholson-Cox

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In 1521, the destruction of Aztec leadership created a disjointed network of native communities in what is now Mexico but would come to be known as New Spain. Until 1572 New Spain was an open and contested space for political, economic, and religious dominance among various Spanish factions. This dominance was predicated upon an evangelical mission in service to the conversion of native people from “pagans” to Christians. Religious education and evangelization by mendicant friars may have, either as a deliberate or consequential outcome, promoted or enforced collaboration and minimized direct and violent conflict during this period. Some religious friars …

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Between Breaths, Kristin Entler Jan 2020

Between Breaths, Kristin Entler

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This collection evaluates, primarily, the nature of absence through a study of negative space, which acts as the common thread that stitches this collection together into a cohesive whole. Through evaluation of relationships, both familial and romantic, with the external world and with the self, I’ve worked to evaluate the space that’s left behind. Each poem features the absence of something or someone that then acts as a mirror to reflect the self, the emotional state that remains. In many, the loss of a close friend is in the fore, where that absence is taken up by grief, longing, and …

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Parent Reactions To Sexual And Gender Identity Disclosure Events In The Deep South, Allison Claire Estep Jan 2020

Parent Reactions To Sexual And Gender Identity Disclosure Events In The Deep South, Allison Claire Estep

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Disclosure of sexuality by coming out is a central part of the process of self-identification for LGBT youth (Denes & Afifi, 2014). Parents’ initial response to their child’s coming out is linked to parent-child relationship satisfaction and if the child will later feel the need to come out for a second time or to clarify their sexual identity (Denes et al. 2014). Parental acceptance of LGBT youth’s disclosure has been linked to higher self-esteem and lower rates of suicidal tendencies, depression, and substance abuse (Needham & Austin, 2010; Ryan, Russell, Huebner, Diaz, & Sanchez, 2010). Current research regarding parent reactions …

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Public Participation As Peacebuilding: A New Model For Environmental Justice Communities, Kathryn E. Fagan Jan 2020

Public Participation As Peacebuilding: A New Model For Environmental Justice Communities, Kathryn E. Fagan

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Environmental justice seeks to address the unequal burden of environmental problems experienced by minority and low-income communities and to ensure their meaningful participation in decision-making processes. While there is increasing attention being paid to the unequal distribution, there is a lack of work that focuses explicitly on public participation in an environmental justice context. Environmental problems, in general, are complex and involve a variety of stakeholders, and environmental justice problems are further complicated by the interconnections of structural racism, historical trauma, and damaged relationships. Many of these complexities can be seen in the ongoing efforts at the 35th Avenue Superfund …

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Functionalized Aromatic Organic Scintillators As Tools For Non-Invasive Optogenetics, David French Jan 2020

Functionalized Aromatic Organic Scintillators As Tools For Non-Invasive Optogenetics, David French

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Optogenetics is a growing discipline of neuroscience that attempts to control brain circuits using light. Current techniques involving surgically implanted light-emittingdiodes are highly invasive. This limitation could be avoided by the use of a tissuepenetrative light source, such as x-rays, and a locally applied down-converting material. This work describes the design, optimization, and proof-of-concept application of organic aromatic-based scintillators as non-invasive tools for optogenetics. The first chapter describes the synthesis of 2-anthryl methacrylate-co-methyl methacrylate copolymers and an evaluation of their use as x-ray induced scintillators (radioluminescence). The 2-anthryl methacrylate monomer and the copolymers all exhibited radioluminescence in the solid state. …

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Optical And Electrical Characterization Of Transition Metal And Rare-Earth Metal Doped Ii-Vi Semiconductors For Mid-Ir Laser Applications, Ozarfar Gafarov Jan 2020

Optical And Electrical Characterization Of Transition Metal And Rare-Earth Metal Doped Ii-Vi Semiconductors For Mid-Ir Laser Applications, Ozarfar Gafarov

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The middle-infrared (mid-IR) 2-8 μm and long-wavelength-infrared (LWIR) 8-20 μm spectral range enjoys a lot of attention from the scientific, medical, and industrial communities. A number of applications such as spectroscopy, medical diagnosis, surgical procedures, materials processing, remote detection of organic compounds, free-space-communication, and many others are possible. Transition metal (TM) doped II-VI semiconductors are the materials of choice for accessing the mid-IR. The II-VI host materials feature broad infrared transparency, low phonon frequency, and low optical losses. When doped with TM ions, these media exhibit a four-level energy structure, the absence of excited state absorption, and broad absorption and …

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The Non-Protostegid Cretaceous Marine Turtles Of Alabama And Their Bearing On The Evolution Of Extant Chelonioids, Andrew Gentry Jan 2020

The Non-Protostegid Cretaceous Marine Turtles Of Alabama And Their Bearing On The Evolution Of Extant Chelonioids, Andrew Gentry

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The non-protostegid marine turtle fossils recovered from the Late Cretaceous of Alabama may represent some of the most recent common ancestors of modern marine turtles. Despite their evolutionary significance, almost no formal studies have been conducted on these animals for more than 60 years. Many of these species are known from incomplete holotypes which has led to decades of systematic ambiguity and made specific referrals of recently collected fossil material exceedingly challenging. The aim of this study is to review and describe the specimens of Cretaceous marine turtles collected from Alabama to determine if this material can be used to …

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The Validation Of The Synthetic Cannabinoid 5-Fluoro Pb-22, Trista M. Gray Jan 2020

The Validation Of The Synthetic Cannabinoid 5-Fluoro Pb-22, Trista M. Gray

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The first synthetic cannabinoid was developed in the late 1980s by chemist John W. Huffman in an effort to understand the two cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2). The cannabinoid receptors are not only involved in the high experienced by marijuana users, but also the control of appetite, pain, and sleep. While the development of synthetic cannabinoids led to a greater understanding of the cannabinoid receptors, it also precipitated an entirely new drug market. Clandestine chemists hijack scientific research, using methods published in scientific articles to synthesize cannabinoids for distribution in the gray market. Products containing synthetic cannabinoids are marketed as …

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Proving Their Worth: Exploring Refugee-Specific Barriers To Providing Evidence Of Overseas Education, Courtney Cook Jan 2020

Proving Their Worth: Exploring Refugee-Specific Barriers To Providing Evidence Of Overseas Education, Courtney Cook

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For immigrants to the United States, a credential evaluation can be the key to a stable and happy future. A credential evaluation allows individuals to access higher education or qualify for professional jobs. Unfortunately, refugees, and other groups in a refugee-like situation, are often unable to obtain an evaluation of their credentials due to barriers related to their status or experiences. These individuals are often unable to provide the official copies of their credentials required by credential evaluation companies and higher education institutions, in order to issue an evaluation. This paper seeks to enrich understanding of this issue by answering …

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A Comparison Of Collection Materials And Differential Dna Extraction Methods Used To Extract Sperm And Buccal Cell Mixtures, Tyler Lawayne Corbin Jan 2020

A Comparison Of Collection Materials And Differential Dna Extraction Methods Used To Extract Sperm And Buccal Cell Mixtures, Tyler Lawayne Corbin

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This study focuses on two areas of interest when performing differential extractions for sexual assault kit analysis. By choosing different collection substrates, a traditional cotton swab, a nylon flocked swab, and a teased cotton swab, cellular elution capabilities were compared using two different semen dilutions. Nylon flocked swabs showed the most promise in obtaining a better male DNA yield compared to other swab types of similar dilution sets. Differential extraction methods introducing enzymatic digestion steps were modified and paired with the Qiagen DNA Investigator kit protocol to investigate their effects on cellular elution, cell separation, and time. These modified methods …

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Early Childhood Quality Of Education And Late-Life Cognitive Function In A Population-Based Sample From Puerto Rico, Cheyanne Celine Barba Jan 2020

Early Childhood Quality Of Education And Late-Life Cognitive Function In A Population-Based Sample From Puerto Rico, Cheyanne Celine Barba

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In general, greater years of education is associated with reduced risk of cognitive impairment in older adulthood, but the strength of this association has been found to differ by study population. Additionally, quality of education is understudied, despite evidence that quality of education and, in turn, literacy, may be additional indicators of cognitive reserve. This thesis examined years of education, literacy, and childhood quality of education indicators in relation to late-life cognitive outcomes in an older Puerto Rican population. We hypothesized that greater years of education, literacy, and quality of childhood education would be positively associated with each other, as …

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Laser Cooling Transitions In Atomic Gadolinium, Kevin Battles Jan 2020

Laser Cooling Transitions In Atomic Gadolinium, Kevin Battles

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Ultra-cold samples of atomic Gadolinium (Gd) are of interest for developing novel time-frequency standards, investigating strongly correlated Rydberg atoms, and state-of-the-art nanoscale applications. In this work, I present previous work in which the hyperfine coefficients and isotope shifts were measured for the first time in spin-forbidden transitions of atomic Gd, which are of interest for experiments investigating dipolar physics. The spin forbidden transitions are found to be too weak for use as laser cooling lines but would prove useful for developing a novel optical frequency standard due to the suppression of background blackbody radiation shifts and laser frequency shifts from …

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The Evolution Of Racism Through The Lens Of Lynching Rhetoric And Memory, Tammy Blue Jan 2020

The Evolution Of Racism Through The Lens Of Lynching Rhetoric And Memory, Tammy Blue

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The Evolution of Racism Through the Lens of Lynching Rhetoric and Memory, examines the use of ‘lynching’ in its definition, legislation and politics. Rhetoric has the power to influence and persuade, therefore when public figures manipulate lynching rhetoric, the meaning of lynching becomes distorted. In part, this thesis explores the difficulty of defining lynching. Among others, key players in this process included Walter White of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Monroe Work of the Tuskegee Institute, and Jessie Daniel Ames of the Association of Southern Women for the Prevention of Lynching (ASWPL). Their battle to …

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Assessment Of Neuropsychological Outcomes After Traumatic Brain Injury And Association With Early Orientation Performance, Christina Diblasio Jan 2020

Assessment Of Neuropsychological Outcomes After Traumatic Brain Injury And Association With Early Orientation Performance, Christina Diblasio

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Moderate-severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of permanent disability, and cognition plays a critical role in overall function and life after TBI. Moderate-severe TBI often creates long-term deficits in the domains of attention, processing speed, memory, and executive function. Given the prevalence of cognitive deficits following injury and the debilitating effects these deficits can have on functioning, it is important to monitor cognition directly following injury and across recovery. Routine cognitive assessment is essential in order to identify deficits, track recovery, and better guide rehabilitation and educational efforts. It is also critical to identify accurate and feasible …

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Adolescent Fast Food Consumption: Underlying Factors And Related Health Outcomes, Lindsay Marie Stager Jan 2020

Adolescent Fast Food Consumption: Underlying Factors And Related Health Outcomes, Lindsay Marie Stager

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Obesity represents one of our nation’s leading public health issues. In 2017, over 30% of U.S. high school students presented with either overweight (15.6%) or obesity (14.8%). These trends are alarming as early childhood and adolescence are critical developmental periods for establishing healthy eating and exercise behaviors. Though past research has uncovered many factors related to adolescent eating behaviors, few studies have examined the longitudinal impacts of parenting and family variables on diet across the transition from adolescence to adulthood. Further, there is a lack of longitudinal research regarding health outcomes of fast food consumption during this same developmental period. …

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Self-Awareness Of Functional Deficits In Older Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment, Kayla Ann Steward Jan 2020

Self-Awareness Of Functional Deficits In Older Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment, Kayla Ann Steward

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Performance of instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) can become compromised in older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Poor self-awareness of deficits, also known as anosognosia, occurs in a substantial minority of those with MCI and varies in extent depending on the domain examined. This dissertation attempts to explain the inter- and intra-patient variability in anosognosia by examining (1) differences in objective IADL performance and self-awareness of functional difficulties between those with amnestic single- (-ASD) and multi-domain (-AMD) MCI, and by examining (2) the neuropsychological and (3) neuroanatomical correlates of anosognosia for IADLs in older adults across a broad …

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Novel Methods For Establishing The Capacity For Nociception And Cognition In The Zebrafish Danio Rerio, Chris Taylor Jan 2020

Novel Methods For Establishing The Capacity For Nociception And Cognition In The Zebrafish Danio Rerio, Chris Taylor

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Here we demonstrate the utility of a zebrafish-based model of nociception to serve as a novel screening tool for analgesic drugs. Zebrafish swimming behavior was measured following administration of various algogens used in rodent research. All compounds reduce distance traveled, thought to be an expression of nociception. Furthermore, we undertook to investigate the contribution of sex and feeding history on the acetic acid-evoked nociceptive response in zebrafish. Data suggest that male fish were more sensitive to pain than females, and that females recovered from pain faster than males. Dietary restriction increased pain sensitivity in zebrafish. We then tested the viability …

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The Journey Journals, Alayziah Diana Torres Jan 2020

The Journey Journals, Alayziah Diana Torres

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My love of travel started from a young age. My family and I would drive to New Mexico every summer to see extended family. I remember the eager anticipation of packing bags and grabbing my notebook for the long journey, playing the ABC game on the road, listening to my favorite CDs on repeat on my portable CD player, fighting with my older brother about which of us gets to stretch our legs in the backseat and for how long. But we never really went anywhere besides that annual trip to New Mexico and the occasional Panama City Beach weekend …

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Synthesis, Characterization, And Applications Of Highly Modular Polyphosphonates, Timothy Ross Totsch Jan 2020

Synthesis, Characterization, And Applications Of Highly Modular Polyphosphonates, Timothy Ross Totsch

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Main-chain phosphorus polymers are still relatively unexplored, especially those of the polyphosphonite class in which phosphorus remains in a reactive P3+ oxidation state. This work established and builds upon a novel approach for generating these polymers from the reaction of a diol and bis(diethylamino)phosphine reagent and their subsequent conversion to variable polyphosphonates (P5+). Further, it explores their structure-function relationship through the use of NMR characterization, thermal analysis and molecular weight analysis. The applications of these polymers are also investigated based on their functional structure. The first chapter reports the first case in which polyphosphonites of reasonably high molecular weights and …

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The Seventh Rider, Gregory Lallone Jan 2020

The Seventh Rider, Gregory Lallone

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The Seventh Rider is a genre-bending novel best described as a dark fantasy western with horror elements. It takes place in a fictional fantasy setting imitating and, to a degree, satirizing the real colonial and imperial culture of the mid-19th century in which the classic American Western novel generally takes place. It follows Marlough, a former highwayman and scalphunter and participant in a colonial genocide and Van Alleyn, a bounty hunter who first arrests Marlough and then forces him into a journey seeking a legal pardon and eventually a moral redemption for his past crimes. The novel adapts the “mythology” …

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Your Friendly Neighbhorhood Superkid: The Influence Of Superheroes On Children's Risk-Taking Behaviors, Casie Morgan Jan 2020

Your Friendly Neighbhorhood Superkid: The Influence Of Superheroes On Children's Risk-Taking Behaviors, Casie Morgan

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Unintentional injuries are the leading cause of injury and death among children in the United States. A variety of behavioral factors place children at heightened risk for injury. Risky play is one of these factors. This study investigated factors that might lead to risky play. Specifically, some scholars argue that we are currently amidst the “Golden Age of Superhero Movies,” and multiple sources of evidence suggest children as young as four-years-old are exposed to superhero television shows and adult-themed movies with great frequency. The current study evaluated children’s exposure to risk behaviors present in superhero media and how those risk …

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Psychosocial And Physiological Correlates Of Chronic Pain In Persons Living With Hiv, Michael Owens Jan 2020

Psychosocial And Physiological Correlates Of Chronic Pain In Persons Living With Hiv, Michael Owens

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Due to recent advancements in antiretroviral therapy (ART), people living with HIV (PLWH) who respond well and remain adherent to their medication regimens are achieving “near normal” life expectancies. As a result, HIV is no longer considered a death sentence, but rather a chronic health condition to be managed. However, the longer a person lives with the virus, the more prone to HIV-associated chronic diseases he or she becomes. One particularly important health condition with the potential to significantly and negatively impact quality of life is chronic pain. The prevalence rates of chronic pain in PLWH are estimated to be …

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Single Cell Proteins Affect Growth Performance And Body Composition Of Pacific White Shrimp Litopenaeus Vannamei, Yuan Yuan Jan 2020

Single Cell Proteins Affect Growth Performance And Body Composition Of Pacific White Shrimp Litopenaeus Vannamei, Yuan Yuan

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The globally growing human population has increased the needs for protein based food. Single cell proteins (SCPs) as unconventional protein source, when coupled to aq-uaculture production, offer a means to ensure future protein needs can be met. To demon-strate a given type of SCP has potential as a protein source for use in aquaculture feed; a number of investigations are needed including demonstrating that the SCP is attractable and accepted by the animals, leads to equivalent survival, growth and nutritional compo-sition. This dissertation represents a series of investigations designed to evaluate the fea-sibility of using a bacterial based (MRD-Pro) and …

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The Benefits Of Automation In Forensic Toxicology: A Lean Six Sigma And Cost-Analysis Approach, Sarah Guertin Jan 2020

The Benefits Of Automation In Forensic Toxicology: A Lean Six Sigma And Cost-Analysis Approach, Sarah Guertin

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Reducing backlogs, improving case turnaround times, and streamlining methodologies are major focus points for forensic toxicology laboratories. In order to reduce expenses and save time, some laboratories have implemented protocols that limit their scope of testing for driving under the influence (DUI) cases. However, this approach will not only provide less information toward DUI investigations but also limit the data available to fully capture the drugged-driving problem in the United States and inhibit offenders from receiving rehabilitation. This research project explored the impact of incorporating fully automated methods into the forensic toxicology laboratory as a solution to saving money and …

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Religious/Spiritual And Secular Coping Among Individuals With Cystic Fibrosis And Their Caregivers, Christina Marie D'Angelo Jan 2020

Religious/Spiritual And Secular Coping Among Individuals With Cystic Fibrosis And Their Caregivers, Christina Marie D'Angelo

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Cystic fibrosis (CF) – a genetic, progressive disease affecting approximately 30,000 individuals in the United States – has been linked with psychological maladjustment and clinical difficulties among both affected individuals and their caregivers, specifically as the disease progresses and becomes more difficult to treat. Religious/spiritual and secular coping strategies, however, can offset many of the detrimental effects. Yet despite the salient effects that coping can have, aspects of coping among individuals with CF and their caregivers are still largely understudied and poorly understood. In general, less is known about religious/spiritual coping specifically including how it changes across the lifespan, how …

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Stimuli Response In Ph And Temperature-Responsive Hydrogels As Probed By Neutron Reflectivity, William Todd Higgins Jan 2020

Stimuli Response In Ph And Temperature-Responsive Hydrogels As Probed By Neutron Reflectivity, William Todd Higgins

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Polymer materials can be used as platforms to incorporate sensing materials, and increasingly the structure and chemistry of polymer chains is exploited in new and novel way and the unique nanoscale properties are studied. Polymers which can be dissolved in water are particularly interesting as primary components or for modifications in biomaterial applications, as many of them can have variable solubility in response to pH, temperature, or other solution conditions. This can allow the formation of microcapsules, for example, which can release drug triggered via specific solution conditions to release chemotherapeutic drug; in comparison to traditional injection or slow-release bulk …

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Use Of Lc-Qtof-Ms For Determining The Presence Of Illicit Substances In Urine, Rebecca Howell Jan 2020

Use Of Lc-Qtof-Ms For Determining The Presence Of Illicit Substances In Urine, Rebecca Howell

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Confirmation testing for drug screens has most commonly been conducted using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), but the use of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) methods has been gaining popularity in recent years. This can be attributed to several advantages that LC-MS has over GC-MS including the ability to detect non-volatile, thermolabile and polar compounds. Additionally, most compounds can be analyzed without any previous derivatization steps, meaning that sample prepara-tion is simpler, cheaper and faster. The method used for this study consisted of using a nano-LC-electrospray ionization (ESI) system in conjunction with a hybrid Quadrupole OrthogonalTime-of-Flight mass spectrometer (QTOF-MS), which yields high …

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