MRI is a medical spectroscopy that allows the noninvasive, high-resolution imaging of body organs and tissues by the use of contrast agents. Presently, MRI-contrast agents contain the metal Gadolinium (Gd) to help locate damaged or diseased organs. With recent studies relating Gd to certain Nephrogenic illnesses, current research is finding alternative metals that lack the side effects associated with Gd.

Shape memory polymers (SMPs) are functional polymers that are capable of fixing a transient shape and recovering to their original shape after a series of external stimuli, such as thermo-mechanical treatments. Applications exist in a broad range of temperature sensing elements and biological micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS).

Michael Brake will examine the effect that the Bible—in both its literary and cultural roles—has had historically on a Western literary and philosophical tradition, culminating in an investigation of the manner in which its historically iconic, culturally authoritative status has been altered in the wake of modernism and post-modernism.

The Freshman 15 weight gain study is currently following 214 freshmen over the course of their four years in college. First semester sophomores previously studied during the fall 2007 and spring 2008 semesters of their freshman year will be assessed again at the beginning and end of fall semester 2008. These data will be used to examine what changes occurred in body height, weight, lean body mass and fat mass.

Globalization and other international trends challenge both the delivery of health services and the way in which students in the health disciplines are prepared to meet the challenges of cross-cultural health care. An improved understanding of the development of partnerships required to influence these challenges is needed.

The purpose of this research is to understand how the global demand for energy affects population health by employing an Alabama case study. I am interested in the community impacts of coal mining. I am specifically studying the effect of coal mining on the perceptions of health in the local population.

The question of how mega-events like the Olympics and the Super Bowl affect the communities that host them is an important one. With promises of a better life and of a future that embraces the idea of “One Dream,” it is important to document how the Olympics will affect one of Beijing’s most stigmatized groups: migrant laborers. These workers have built the venues that will house the games and have built the roads and subways that will connect the venues. Despite their great contribution, there is talk of removing them while the Games are being held. This study hopes to determine how the Olympic Games has already affected the lives of migrant laborers in Beijing and how it will continue to affect those lives during and after the Games.

In plasma, dust floats

Laser imaging reveals

Mathematica

The present experiment assesses the dissimilar effects of acute MK-801 and ketamine administration on behavioral acquisition and performance using the incremental repeated acquisition procedure (IRA). The IRA requires the rats to learn a different series of lever presses in each session to gain reinforcement, as well as requiring performance of a previously learned series.

1,700 employees of the Kingsport Press in Kingsport, Tennessee elected to strike in March of 1963. In 1967, the strike officially ended when workers elected to forego union representation, making the Kingsport Press strike the longest continuous strike in the history of U.S. labor. Why was the strike initiated? Why was the strike so dismally unsuccessful?

Bright and colorful plumage has been shown in some bird species to be associated with female mate choice. This project will focus on testing if the blue plumage color of male Indigo Buntings is condition-dependent and affected by parasites and body condition during molt. If so, this could be used as an honest signal of condition by females when choosing a mate.

Observing the Acoustic Structures of the Complex 39 Pad at Kennedy Space Center in Merritt Island, Florida.
Left to right: Dr. Malcolm Crocker, Karen Kirk, and W. Everett Wilson

The goal of the research project is to create an accurate sound pressure field prediction model for the launch of the new NASA Orion/Ares manned space vehicle. The software will predict sound pressures on the space vehicle, launch tower structures, and other critical locations near the rocket exhaust centerline at launch. The purpose is to make the rocket exhaust noise prediction model useful for the design of improved and quieter launch facilities.

Childhood obesity is an epidemic. A sedentary lifestyle is a contributing factor to obesity. Few studies have explored physical activity participation in preschool populations. The purpose of the study is to investigate preschoolers’ physical activity levels during the school day and to examine the relationship of physical activity to sex and body weight.

This November, for the first time in history, an African American will run as the Democratic candidate for the Presidency. This study will focus on how differing forms of theatre depict African Americans, and how those depictions might challenge or reinforce audience preconceptions about race.

Ashlee Riopka’s research question will focus specifically on describing the ways that Flannery O’Connor’s fiction provides a timely and visionary critique of social problems in the American South, while placing her in the context of a longer tradition of Southern writing. Through the study O’Connor, Ashlee will also research this Southern literary tradition beginning with key writers of the late nineteenth century. By understanding the tradition that shaped O’Connor’s writing, which appeared in print during the crisis years of the American Civil Rights movement (1950-1965), she hopes to provide better perspectives on O’Connor’s unique place in Southern letters and in the ongoing discourse about race in America.

Suppose you injure your ankle; there is great pain and it’s swollen. Usually people would get an x-ray or MRI to see if it’s broken. This situation is very similar in a Biochemistry protein structure lab; the main goal is to calculate the 3-D structure of certain protein since structure correlates with function. We then want to find out if our protein structure is “broken,” “sprained,” or “twisted” in different environments or whether it interacts with other molecules which than can be used for drug design research or to help cure diseases.

This study is an effort to assist Alabama cattle producers. I believe that, by determining optimum establishment conditions, it should be possible to increase availability of pasture forage in autumn and winter, particularly with some varieties. The variables that I will manipulate to achieve this goal are pre-emergence irrigation and date of planting.

The current study is concerned with investigating the effects of mood and intelligence on individuals’ willingness and ability to fake responses on personality inventories. We hope to contribute to the faking debate, verify our previous findings that both mood and intelligence may reduce the effects of faking, and make suggestions to help organizations reduce faking in selection.

This project is a study of shelled protist called foraminifera on San Salvador in the Bahamas. I will look at a transact from shore to deep water to see which foraminifera live in which environments, focusing on ones that attach to rocks and coral. This information is used to evaluate ancient environments by looking at foraminifera fossils.

Edwardsiella ictaluri is the leading cause of mortality for aquaculture farmed channel catfish. Bacteriophages specific to E. ictaluri are being selected for phenotypes relevant for biological control of disease: 1) Increased infectivity in less-susceptible strains of E. ictaluri, and 2) Prolonged retention and stability in Ictalurus punctus’ circulation.

Halloysite, a tiny tube-like mineral, can be loaded with an antibiotic and then release the antibiotic into an environment. This research will study the effects of the environment on the release rate of the antibiotic by varying the pH, salinity, and temperature. This drug-loaded halloysite will then be incorporated into fibers to study the same effects.