University of Alabama

About: University of Alabama is a education organization based out in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Poison control. The organization has 27323 authors who have published 48609 publications receiving 1565337 citations. The organization is also known as: Alabama & Bama.

Risk Factors for Progression of Common Carotid Atherosclerosis: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study, 1987–1998

Abstract: Intima-media thickness of the common carotid arteries is a marker of atherosclerosis and has been shown to be associated with prevalent and incident coronary heart disease and with coronary heart disease risk factors. The authors examined the association of baseline risk factors or change in risk factors with change in intima-media thickness over follow-up (1987-1998) in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) population-based cohort (baseline: age 45-64 years, n = 15,792). Subjects were members of households sampled in four areas of the United States. Either not adjusting for baseline intima-media thickness or doing so with correction for its measurement error resulted in statistically significant associations of change in intima-media thickness with baseline diabetes, current smoking, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, pulse pressure, white blood cell count, and fibrinogen. The associations were of a similar order of magnitude as anticipated from the authors' cross-sectional findings. Statistically significant associations were found between change in intima-media thickness and change in low density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides and with onset of diabetes and hypertension. In summary, established risk factors for coronary heart disease are associated with the rate of change of subclinical atherosclerosis.

Global path planning using artificial potential fields

Abstract: The author describes a path planning technique for robotic manipulators and mobile robots in the presence of stationary obstacles. The planning consists of applying potential fields around configuration-space obstacles and using these fields to select a safe path for the robot to follow. The advantage of using potential fields in path planning is that they offer a relatively fast and effective way to solve for safe paths around obstacles. In the proposed method of path planning, a trial path is chosen and then modified under the influence of the potential field until an appropriate path is found. By considering the entire path, the problem of being trapped in a local minimum is greatly reduced, allowing the method to be used for global planning. The algorithm was tried with success on many different realistic planning problems. By way of illustration, the algorithm is applied to a two-dimensional revolute manipulator, a mobile robot capable of translation only, and a mobile robot capable of both translation and rotation. >

Financial Knowledge and Best Practice Behavior

Abstract: The current research examines the relationship between personal financial knowledge (both objective and subjective), financial satisfaction, and selected demographic variables in terms of best practice financial behavior. Data are taken from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s (FINRA) National Financial Capability Study, a nationally representative sample of 1,488 participants and are analyzed using multiple regression analysis. Findings suggest that both objective and subjective financial knowledge influence financial behavior, with subjective knowledge having a larger relative impact. Other variables that have a significant impact on financial behavior include financial satisfaction, income, education, age, race, and ethnicity.