University of South Alabama Institutional Repository
University of South Alabama Institutional RepositoryNot a member yet
5383 research outputs found
Sort by
AHS 014 Fredrick Randall 5-17-2024
Get PDFIn this recording, Fredrick “Fritz” Randall is interviewed by Amber Smith-Fillingim. Dr. Randall describes how he ended up at South, and his first impressions of campus life there, as well as some of the lasting impressions that the school and particular faculty made on him. He discusses the career options that South opened up for him, the path to his PhD, and his employment history up to the time of the interview. The interview concludes with some thoughts about where South is now, and some of the things he learned from attending South and living in Alpha Hall
AHS 028 Bonita Kuerner 6-25-2024
Get PDFIn this recording, Amber Fillingim interviews Bonita Kuerner about her experience living in the Alpha Halls in the early 1970s. Ms. Kuerner discusses activities that the residence halls would organize and some other events that the school would host. She also describes some of the rules within the dorms and marvels at how much they have changed over the years. She mentions the cafeteria on campus as well as eating at the snack bar where residents would play foosball in their free time. Ms. Kuerner is grateful for the friends and connections she made during her time at the University of South Alabama
AHS 031 Ellen Copeland 7-19-2024
Get PDFIn this recording, Amber Fillingim interviews Ellen Copeland about her experience attending the University of South Alabama in the 1970s. Ms. Copeland speaks about the lifelong friendships she made during her time at the university, and how the dorms created a community. She talks about the great music around Mobile, recalling that the school sponsored performances by Bruce Springsteen and Jimmy Buffett. Ms. Copeland explains that there were always activities going on, describing a Halloween costume party that the dorm hosted where students could meet each other and make connections. She also remembers supporting the school’s basketball team when they had games downtown
Fauna, Flora, and Land Cover Changes Over the Last Two Decades in the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta
Get PDFA technical report documenting ecosystem changes to the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta region due to urban expansion over approximately two decades (2001-2019)
Multi-Script Handwriting Identification by Fragmenting Strokes
Get PDFThis study tests the effectiveness of Multi-Script Handwriting Identification after simplifying character strokes, by segmenting them into sub-parts. Character simplification is performed through splitting the character by branching-points and end-points, a process called stroke fragmentation in this study. The resulting sub-parts of the character are called stroke fragments and are evaluated individually to identify the writer. This process shares similarities with the concept of stroke decomposition in Optical Character Recognition which attempts to recognize characters through the writing strokes that make them up. The main idea of this study is that the characters of different writing‑scripts (English, Chinese, etc.) may have common shapes which can be extracted and used in the handwriting identification process. The effectiveness of the stroke fragmentation described in this study is tested on the Chinese-English Database from the University of Groningen. While not achieving state of the art performance, the results of this study imply that simplifying characters shows promise in use for handwriting identification
Melting Point Predictions of Thermally Stable Ionic Liquids Using a Machine Learning Approach
Get PDFThermally robust ionic liquids hold promise as high temperature solvents, heat transfer fluids, and high-performance lubricants. These ionic liquids, inspired by thermoplastics like PEEK and PES, incorporate peraryl functional groups that lend them high thermal stability, however they often have melting points greater than 100 °C. A broad liquid range is usually desirable in most applications, so finding thermally robust ILs with lower melting points would significantly enhance their applicability. In this study, machine learning models are developed to make predictions of melting points for these thermally stable ionic liquids using a process called quantitative structure-property relationships (QSPR). The methodology used to model these ionic liquids was adapted from a previous study that examined multiple different machine learning techniques in depth. Modeling was performed on the large and diverse set of 929 ionic liquids from this study, then on a set of 53 thermally stable ionic liquids, then on the combined data set. The performance of each model was evaluated using 10-fold cross validation and the calculation of Q2, which measures the predictive capacity of the model. This cross validation only considered the predictions of thermally stable ionic liquids since that is the overall intent of the modelling. From this cross validation, it was found that the model trained on both sets of data and had no outliers removed showed the greatest predictive capability (with a Q2 of .677) for thermally stable ionic liquids. This model is then used to predict ionic liquids from the thermally stable family with low melting points
Evolution of Medical Ethics During American Civil War
Get PDFThis thesis will explore the relationship between medical ethics and the American Civil War through a microhistorical approach. This includes analyzing the ways in which the physician-patient relationship was conducted and which medical practices were deemed ethical and by whom. Changes that occurred in medical ethics during the war will be analyzed and explained.https://jagworks.southalabama.edu/honors_college_posters/1017/thumbnail.jp
Intergroup Contact, Beliefs About Gender, and Trans Prejudice
Get PDFGordon Allport first proposed the Intergroup Contact Theory in 1954. According to his theory, contact between ingroup and outgroup members, under certain conditions, would lead to positive effects, specifically the reduction of prejudice. Since then, this theory has been expanded to include members of other majority/minority groups. Research suggests intergroup contact has positive effects for reduction of anti-trans prejudice. To date, the focus has largely been on the mechanisms driving changes in attitudes and intentions towards trans individuals through intergroup contact interventions. It is unclear whether this intervention might also promote the acquisition of more nuanced sociocultural understanding about gender, which could also explain a reduction in trans prejudice. This Honors Thesis Project will test the hypothesis that there is a parallel mediating effect of 1) beliefs about gender and 2) attitudes towards trans individuals in the association between imagined intergroup contact and behavioral intentions towards transgender individuals.https://jagworks.southalabama.edu/honors_college_posters/1023/thumbnail.jp
Synthesis and Characterization of Ox-NAD Derivatives
No full textEnergy metabolism is complex, and NAD, or nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, plays a huge role as an organic redox cofactor, driving metabolic reactions. The abundance of pathways dependent on NAD has led to an increase in the studies of NAD and its precursors. As a result NR, or nicotinamide riboside, is now a popular pharmaceutical taken to increase levels of NAD in the body. NR is not only a precursor to NAD, but a metabolite that is found in extracellular regions such as urine and blood. While this molecule should be an intracellular molecule, the fact that it is found in extracellular regions using LCMS indicates that this unknown peak may not represent NR. However, isomers of NR, such as the 2’-deoxy-PYR, also known as the 2’-deoxy-pyridone riboside, could be responsible for this unknown peak. The 2’-deoxy-PYR is formed due to the hyper-oxidation of NAD. The 2’-deoxy-PYR molecules, specifically where the oxidation takes place at the 2, 4, and 6 position on the nicotinamide base, are not known and have not been successfully synthesized. Due to the molecules structure, it is hypothesized that the 2’-deoxy-PYR species could be a substrate for DNA polymerase, possibly introducing mutations into healthy DNA. Because the 2’-deoxy-PYR species is potentially biologically relevant, in order to test if these species are actually present in biological specimens, the synthesis of these molecules are of the utmost importance. Ultimately, the synthesis of the 2’-deoxy-PYR isomers was explored using glycosidic chemistry, in order to characterize this molecule through analytical techniques as well as investigate its presence in the human body. The development of the methods as well as the synthesis of the 2’-deoxy-PYRMP were also investigated for the same purpose
Graphic Novels as Learning Tools
Get PDFGraphic novels are not just for kids! Graphic novels can be used in nearly every aspect of teaching and learning. This presentation focuses on providing attendees with research on using graphic medicine in the classroom for retention. While the presentation focuses on Graphic Medicine, the principles can be applied to other disciplines.https://jagworks.southalabama.edu/cotl2024-talk/1001/thumbnail.jp