THE UNIVERISTY OF ALABAMA - Graduate School - The University ...

Visual fields of the central 10° and reading tests are better tools to monitor progression in thesepatients.Sheenal Patel, Department of Political ScienceFaculty Mentor: Dr. Utz McKnight, Department of Political ScienceRacial Discrimination on CampusI would like to do my research on racial discrimination in a social environment on collegecampuses. Particularly, I would like to examine the amount of discrimination that exists in smallcollege towns in the South, like Tuscaloosa. Do minority students have a harder time gettinginto bars or local nightclubs? Is racial discrimination increasing on college campuses? I want toconduct a study on some various race issues that may occur in the college scene.Bradford Patterson, Department of Economics, Finance, and Legal Studies, and Computer-Based Honors ProgramFaculty Mentor: Dr. James Cover, Department of Economics, Finance, and Legal StudiesThe Effects of Inflation Targeting on Monetary Policy GoalsIt has become increasingly popular around the world for countries to establish mandates forcentral bankers, rather than letting them use monetary policy instruments entirely at theirdiscretion. Ordinarily, a mandate comes in the form of a target inflation range. This project useseconometric analysis to attempt to observe the ceteris paribus effects of an inflation target onthree macroeconomic variables for about 40 countries: GDP variance, average annual GDPgrowth rate, and average unemployment rate. The goal is to evaluate a mandate’s success inmeeting the key priorities of maximizing long-term growth, maintaining stability, and keepingemployment high.Harrison Pearl, Department of Biological SciencesFaculty Mentor: Dr. Harriett Smith-Somerville, Department of Biological SciencesLack of Prenatal Antiretroviral therapy and High Rates of Breast feeding associated to VerticalHIV Transmission and Postnatal HIV Diagnosis Among Children in San Pedro Sula, HondurasThis experiment was intended to assess the epidemiology of pediatric human immunodeficiencyvirus infection at Hospital Mario Catarino Rivas in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. A retrospectivechart review of pediatric patients at the HMCR was performed. Demographic and clinical datawere obtained of patients diagnosed with HIV between 1994 and 2007. Results concluded thatthere is minimal prenatal screening and a high rate of late postnatal HIV diagnosis in children inthe study population. It is necessary to establish a more widespread process for prenatalscreening of HIV in pregnant mothers in this setting. In addition, methods that have been proveneffective in the prevention of perinatal HIV transmission, including prenatal administration ofARV therapy, delivering via cesarean section and avoidance of breast feeding need to beimplemented in order to decrease vertical transmission.Lauren Perry and Courtney Johnson, Department of Geological SciencesFaculty Mentor: Dr. Joshua Schwartz, Department of Geological SciencesTiming and Emplacement Conditions of the Gold Bug Pluton, Northeastern OregonThe Blue Mountains of northeastern Oregon consist of two island arc terranes (Wallowa andOlds Ferry) and an intervening mélange terrane known as the Baker terrane. The Baker terraneis comprised of two parts: the Bourne and the Greenhorn subterranes. The Greenhorn subterrane57