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Evaluating Water Management Policy In Saudi Arabia Using A Bilevel, Multi-Objective, Multi-Follower Programming Approach, Jawad Alhashim

Theses and Dissertations--Agricultural Economics

Over the past five decades, the Saudi government has adopted many agricultural policies aimed to: achieve self-sufficiency of food, increase the participation of the agricultural sector in the economy, and reduce the consumption of irrigation water. Due to conflicts among government objectives and the incompatibility of farmers' objectives with those of some agricultural policies, the government has not been able to fully achieve its objectives.

To accomplish its goals the government, or decision maker needs to understand the farmer, or follower, reaction when s/he adopts a new decision. The dissertation aims to build a model that achieves government goals of …

Three Essays On Saudi Arabia Agricultural Markets, Yosef Abdulrahman Alamri

Theses and Dissertations--Agricultural Economics

The first essay compares six common models, linear, quadratic, Cobb-Douglas, translog, logarithmic, and transcendental, to estimate wheat yield and area functions for Saudi Arabia. Data cover 1990-2016 for all the variables that affect wheat supply. After testing the models using Box-Cox, multicollinearity, and autocorrelation tests, we decide that the Cobb-Douglas models provide the best fit for both yield and area. We find the price elasticity of wheat is inelastic. Yield price elasticities are more inelastic than area elasticities. The impact of government policy number 335 has a larger effect on area than yield. The cultivated area of wheat, the one-year …

Berrycare: A Sustainable Community-Academia Nutrition Based Collaborative Program To Promote Well-Being In Older Adults, Abbey L. Moellering

Theses and Dissertations--Nutrition and Food Systems

With medical advancement and technology, generations are living longer. The process of aging is accompanied by development of chronic disease, reduced physical function, and increased risk of mortality. Older adults do not meet dietary requirements for fruits and vegetables due to lack of access, early satiety, socioeconomic factors, etc. Without proper attainment of fruit and vegetable recommendations, older adults are placed at risk of chronic disease. Interventions exist to help bridge the gap between older adult nutrition and currently established dietary guidelines. Built environments, such as community gardens, have received attentions in the public health arena as a successful way …

Development And Evaluation Of Nonradioactive Methods For Monitoring T Lymphocyte Response To Equine Arteritis Virus (Eav) In Horses, Annet Kyomuhangi

Theses and Dissertations--Veterinary Science

Target cell lysis is the hallmark of immune effector responses of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL), natural killer (NK) cells, and monocytes. The most commonly used assay to measure target cell lysis is the 51Cr release assay and is considered the ‘gold standard’. However, this assay has many disadvantages that limit its use by most laboratories. Thus, several alternative assays have been developed. Some of these alternative assays are more sensitive, easy to perform and do not use radioactive elements.

In this study, four of these assays were evaluated for their ability to detect antigen- specific CTL responses in equine blood. …

Biology And Management Of The Soybean Stem Borer, Dectes Texanus Leconte, In Kentucky, Izabela Gomes

Theses and Dissertations--Entomology

Dectes texanus LeConte (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) is a longhorn beetle species endemic to eastern United States. Originally described as a pest of weeds from the family Asteraceae, D. texanus has expanded its host range and is found infesting the stems of soybeans, Glycine max (L.) through the southwestern and middle United States. Female D. texanus chews a hole in the epidermis of a petiole and oviposits on it. Then, the D. texanus larva depletes all the pith of the stem making a tunnel down to the base of the plant and girdle the stem about 5 cm above the …

The Functional Role Of Rna Binding Protein Rbms3 As A Tumor Promoter In Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells, Yuting Zhou

Theses and Dissertations--Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry

RBMS3 belongs to the family of c-myc gene single-strand binding proteins (MSSPs) that play important roles in transcriptional regulation. Here, we show that RBMS3 functions as a tumor promoter in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), a highly aggressive BC subtype. Analysis of RBMS3 expression shows that RBMS3 is upregulated at both mRNA and protein levels in TNBC cells. Functionally, overexpression of RBMS3 increases cell migration, invasion and cancer stem cell (CSC) behaviors. Moreover, RBMS3 induces expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and CSC markers. Conversely, loss of RBMS3 in TNBC BT549 cells inhibits cell proliferation, migration and mesenchymal phenotype. Correlation analysis shows …

Effects Of Yeast-Derived Microbial Protein On Transition Dairy Cow Health And Performance, Gustavo Mazon Correa Alves

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

The transition period for dairy cows is defined as the three weeks pre and postpartum. During the transition period, dairy cows experience a myriad of metabolic, managerial, and nutritional requirement changes. These changes lead to stress and increased susceptibility to diseases which can negatively affect lactational performance in the short and long term. However, dietary amino acid availability can have a dramatic impact on the health and performance of dairy cows around parturition. Thus, the objective of the thesis was to evaluate the effects of supplementing yeast-derived microbial protein, as an alternative protein source for dairy cows during the transition …

Promotion Of Fruit And Vegetable Intake Through Recipe Card Distribution And Sampling At Farmers’ Markets Throughout Kentucky, Umaima Sidra Afsheen Syeda

Theses and Dissertations--Nutrition and Food Systems

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports indicate that 8% and 6.3% of Kentuckians consume enough fruits and vegetables, respectively. The Plate It Up! Kentucky Proud (PIUKP) project is a recipe-development project that aims to boost produce consumption by incorporating local fruits and vegetables. The purpose of this study was to implement promotional strategies using PIUKP recipes at farmers’ markets and determine their effects on consumers’ intent of purchasing and preparing the produce. The study was conducted at nine farmers’ markets across Kentucky (n=300) in collaboration with Cooperative Extension agents/assistants.

The consumers’ impression of the sample was positively …

Tgf-Β, Wnt, And Fgf Signaling Pathways During Axolotl Tail Regeneration And Forelimb Bud Development, Qingchao Qiu

Theses and Dissertations--Neuroscience

Tgf-β, Wnt, and Fgf signaling pathways are required for many developmental processes. Here, I investigated the requirement of these signaling pathways during tail regeneration and limb development in the Mexican axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum).

Using small chemical inhibitors during tail regeneration, I found that the Tgf-β signaling pathway was required from 0-24 and 48-72 hours post tail amputation (hpa), the Wnt signaling pathway was required from 0-120 hpa, and the Fgf signaling pathway was required from 0-12hpa. Tgf-β1 was upregulated after amputation and thus may mediate Tgf-β signaling pathway during tail regeneration. Both Smad-mediated and non-Smad mediated Tgf-β signaling …

Holocene Hydroclimatic And Vegetation Reconstruction In The Sierra Nevada Using Pollen And Stable Isotopes From Convict Lake, Morgan Black

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

The forested environments of the subalpine and upper montane zones of the eastern Sierra Nevada mountains (California) are biodiverse and valuable ecosystems that are sensitive to hydroclimate changes. The history of high-altitude vegetation changes in the eastern Sierra Nevada is underexplored, and this knowledge gap can be addressed using a paleolimnological approach. In this study, we use a long (~9.5 m) sediment core from Convict Lake, a glacial lake situated in the upper montane zone of California’s Sherwin Range, to assess Holocene changes in terrestrial vegetation. The core was dated using radiocarbon, and studied with palynology, elemental analysis, and stable …

Long-Term Effects Of Different Fat Sources And Vitamin E Supplementation On Growth Performance, Antioxidant Status, Carcass Characteristics, Meat Quality, And Immune Capacity Of Pigs With Heavy Slaughter Weight Up To 150 Kg, Ding Wang

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

Two experiments were used to evaluate the potential interaction of fat source and vitamin E (VE) in heavy slaughter weight pigs. In Experiment 1, a total of 64 individually-fed pigs (28.41 ± 0.83 kg) were randomly assigned to 8 dietary treatments in a 4×2 factorial arrangement. Fat treatments included cornstarch (CS), tallow (TW), corn-oil (CO), and coconut-oil (CN). VE treatments were dietary α-tocopheryl acetate (ATA) at 11 and 200 ppm. In Experiment 2, a total of 72 individually fed pigs (28.55 ± 1.16 kg) were randomly assigned to 12 dietary treatments in a 2 × 6 factorial arrangement. Fat treatments …

Multigenerational Genomic And Epigenetic Effects Of Manufactured Silver Nanomaterials In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Anye Wamucho

Theses and Dissertations--Toxicology and Cancer Biology

There has been an increase in the incorporation of silver nanomaterials into consumer products due to their antimicrobial properties. Therefore there is potential for silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) to leach out into the environment during different life-cycle stages of these nanomaterial-containing products. Concern about the toxicity of Ag-NPs has led to investigations into their toxic effects on a variety of organisms mainly using acute and sub-chronic, single-generation exposures. The focus of this project was to understand the effects of long-term continuous multigenerational exposure to AgNO₃ and Ag-NPs in both pristine and environmentally transformed forms, on the model organism, Caenorhabditis elegans …

Mechanisms Of Trinucleotide Repeat Instability During Dna Synthesis, Kara Y. Chan

Theses and Dissertations--Toxicology and Cancer Biology

Genomic instability, in the form of gene mutations, insertions/deletions, and gene amplifications, is one of the hallmarks in many types of cancers and other inheritable genetic disorders. Trinucleotide repeat (TNR) disorders, such as Huntington’s disease (HD) and Myotonic dystrophy (DM) can be inherited and repeats may be extended through subsequent generations. However, it is not clear how the CAG repeats expand through generations in HD. Two possible repeat expansion mechanisms include: 1) polymerase mediated repeat extension; 2) persistent TNR hairpin structure formation persisting in the genome resulting in expansion after subsequent cell division. Recent in vitro studies suggested that a …

Longitudinal Descriptive Profile Of Collegiate Pitchers Participating In A Summer Baseball League, Isabelle Leslie Gillis

Theses and Dissertations--Kinesiology and Health Promotion

The purpose of this study was to provide a longitudinal profile of pitching performance in a cohort of pitchers over two collegiate seasons and a summer league. Thus, this study utilized a longitudinal design to evaluate the impact of summer league participation on subsequent collegiate regular season pitching performance. Specifically, the performance of a cohort of Division 1 collegiate baseball pitchers during the 2018 Spring collegiate season, 2018 Summer League season, and the 2019 Spring collegiate season was evaluated and stratified by pitcher designation, arm dominance, and academic status. Analyses of variance were used to identify main and interaction effects …

Two Essays On Input Substitution And Optimal Decision Making In Crop And Livestock Production Systems, John T. Allison Jr.

Theses and Dissertations--Agricultural Economics

The thesis presented consists of two essays that analyze input substitution and decision making in crop and livestock production systems. The first essay consists of a whole-farm analysis that sought to optimize feed mixes and enterprise combinations for an organic dairy operation in the Southeastern United States. This was accomplished through mathematical programming where whole-farm net returns were maximized, and total feed costs were minimized simultaneously for four milk production level cases. Additionally, the sensitivity of the system and break-even milk price were explored. Results suggest substitutability in ration components where an increase in supplemental feeds is justified by additional …

Tanglewood Trail Walking And Voucher Program, Kelci Marie Mchugh

Theses and Dissertations--Nutrition and Food Systems

Rural Appalachian populations have greater rates of obesity and chronic diseases attributed to lesser consumption of fruits and vegetables (F/V) and physical inactivity. Barriers to F/V consumption and physical activity include poor access and affordability. To help overcome these barriers, a community-initiated walking and farmers market F/V voucher program was implemented.

Participants were encouraged to walk (1.2 miles roundtrip) to the local farmers market to redeem a $10 voucher which could only be spent on F/V. The 16-week program (June – Sept) included 121 participants. Data was analyzed by creating two groups, low-engagers and high-engagers that differed significantly in the …

Multi-Camera Surveillance System For Time And Motion Studies Of Timber Harvesting Operations, Rafael Luiz Santos De Freitas

Theses and Dissertations--Forestry and Natural Resources

Timber harvesting is an important activity in the state of Kentucky; however, there is still a lack of information about the procedure used by the local loggers. The stump to landing transport of logs with skidders is often the most expensive and time-consuming task in timber harvesting operations. This thesis evaluated the feasibility of using a multi-camera system for time and motion studies of timber harvesting operations. It was installed in 5 skidders in 3 different harvesting sites in Kentucky. The time stamped video provided accurate time consumption data for each work phase of the skidders, which was used to …

Ecology, Monogamy, And The Evolution Of Animal Families, Jacqueline Rae Dillard

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

Family-living has been recognized as a necessary prerequisite for the evolution of advanced cooperative societies, yet the evolutionary and ecological processes that drive the coupling of different forms of cooperation in family-based societies are still poorly understood. In my dissertation, I investigate the correlated evolution of parental care, monogamy, and cooperative breeding in a variety of family-based taxa. I explore the mating and social behavior of family-living beetles with incipient cooperation to better understand the factors driving these social traits. Specifically, I evaluate different causes of extra-pair mating in socially monogamous beetles, the potential benefits that young adult offspring may …

Effects Of Abiotic Stresses On Sorbitol And Ribitol Accumulation And Sorbitol Biosynthesis And Metabolism In Tomato [Solanum Lycopersicum L.], Afaf Almaghamsi

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

Abiotic stresses are responsible for limiting crop production worldwide. Among diverse abiotic stresses, drought and salinity are the most challenging. Plants under these conditions have diverse strategies for tolerating stress. Osmotic adjustment and osmoprotection occur in plants during salinity and drought stress through accumulation of compatible solutes to a high level without interfering with cellular metabolism. Polyols (sugar alcohols) including sorbitol and ribitol are one such class of compatible solutes. Using plants of wild-type (WT) and three genetically-modified lines of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum cv. ‘Ailsa Craig’), an empty vector line ‘TR22’, and 2 sdh anti-sense lines ‘TR45’, and ‘TR49’ …

Impact Of A Warmed Environment, Spike Morphology And Genotype On Fhb Levels In A Soft Red Winter Wheat Mapping Population, Elisane Weber Tessmann

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a serious disease of wheat (Triticum aestivum) and other small grains; disease severity is affected by temperature and rainfall. This research comprised three studies: an artificially warmed experiment during 2016-2017, a morphology study and an FHB resistance screening study in 2015-2016, using approximately 250 wheat cultivars and breeding lines from programs in the eastern US. The location was the University of Kentucky Spindletop Research Farm in Lexington, KY. Higher levels of Fusarium damaged kernels and the toxin deoxynivalenol (DON) were observed in the warmed treatment compared to the control, and plant development was …

Targeting Maladaptive Plasticity After Spinal Cord Injury To Prevent The Development Of Autonomic Dysreflexia, Khalid C. Eldahan

Theses and Dissertations--Physiology

Vital autonomic and cardiovascular functions are susceptible to dysfunction after spinal cord injury (SCI), with cardiovascular dysregulation contributing to morbidity and mortality in the SCI population. Autonomic dysreflexia (AD) is a condition that develops after injury to the sixth thoracic spinal segment or higher and is characterized by potentially dangerous and volatile surges in arterial pressure often accompanied with irregular heart rate, headache, sweating, flushing of the skin, and nasal congestion. These symptoms occur in response to abnormal outflow of sympathetic activity from the decentralized spinal cord typically triggered by noxious, yet unperceived nociceptive stimulation beneath the level of lesion. …

Anthelmintic Resistance In Equine Parasites: Mechanisms And Treatment Approaches, Jessica Scare Kenealy

Theses and Dissertations--Veterinary Science

Anthelmintic resistance of parasites infecting livestock animals is a global problem resulting in decreased animal welfare and production losses. Horses are not exempt from this issue as wide-spread anthelmintic resistance exists among the equine cyathostomins and Parascaris spp. Of the three drug classes available for treating equine intestinal helminths anthelmintic resistance, defined as less than 90-95% drug efficacy, exist to all three. New pharmaceutical control regimens and the elucidation of parasite drug response mechanisms are needed.

Two studies were carried out evaluating combination deworming regimens. A population of cyathostomins with known resistance to the benzimidazole (BZ) and pyrimidine drug classes …

Automatic 13C Chemical Shift Reference Correction Of Protein Nmr Spectral Data Using Data Mining And Bayesian Statistical Modeling, Xi Chen

Theses and Dissertations--Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is a highly versatile analytical technique for studying molecular configuration, conformation, and dynamics, especially of biomacromolecules such as proteins. However, due to the intrinsic properties of NMR experiments, results from the NMR instruments require a refencing step before the down-the-line analysis. Poor chemical shift referencing, especially for ¹³C in protein Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) experiments, fundamentally limits and even prevents effective study of biomacromolecules via NMR. There is no available method that can rereference carbon chemical shifts from protein NMR without secondary experimental information such as structure or resonance assignment.

To solve this problem, we …

Computational Tools For The Dynamic Categorization And Augmented Utilization Of The Gene Ontology, Eugene Waverly Hinderer Iii

Theses and Dissertations--Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry

Ontologies provide an organization of language, in the form of a network or graph, which is amenable to computational analysis while remaining human-readable. Although they are used in a variety of disciplines, ontologies in the biomedical field, such as Gene Ontology, are of interest for their role in organizing terminology used to describe—among other concepts—the functions, locations, and processes of genes and gene-products. Due to the consistency and level of automation that ontologies provide for such annotations, methods for finding enriched biological terminology from a set of differentially identified genes in a tissue or cell sample have been developed to …

Computational Tools For The Untargeted Assignment Of Ft-Ms Metabolomics Datasets, Joshua Merritt Mitchell

Theses and Dissertations--Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry

Metabolomics is the study of metabolomes, the sets of metabolites observed in living systems. Metabolism interconverts these metabolites to provide the molecules and energy necessary for life processes. Many disease processes, including cancer, have a significant metabolic component that manifests as differences in what metabolites are present and in what quantities they are produced and utilized. Thus, using metabolomics, differences between metabolomes in disease and non-disease states can be detected and these differences improve our understanding of disease processes at the molecular level. Despite the potential benefits of metabolomics, the comprehensive investigation of metabolomes remains difficult.

A popular analytical technique …

Biochemical Approaches For The Diagnosis And Treatment Of Lafora Disease, Mary Kathryn Brewer

Theses and Dissertations--Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry

Glycogen is the sole carbohydrate storage molecule found in mammalian cells and plays an important role in cellular metabolism in nearly all tissues, including the brain. Defects in glycogen metabolism underlie the glycogen storage diseases (GSDs), genetic disorders with variable clinical phenotypes depending on the mutation type and affected gene(s). Lafora disease (LD) is a fatal form of progressive myoclonus epilepsy and a non-classical GSD. LD typically manifests in adolescence with tonic-clonic seizures, myoclonus, and a rapid, insidious progression. Patients experience increasingly severe and frequent epileptic episodes, loss of speech and muscular control, disinhibited dementia, and severe cognitive decline; death …

Spatial And Temporal Patterns Of Invasive Exotic Plant Species In Response To Timber Harvesting In A Mixed Mesophytic Forest Of Eastern Kentucky, Benjamin Christopher Rasp

Theses and Dissertations--Forestry and Natural Resources

Invasive exotic species (IES) responses to silvicultural treatments eight years after timber harvesting were examined and compared to one-year post-harvest IES survey in University of Kentucky’s Robinson Forest. The temporal effects of harvesting were further compared between harvested and non-harvested watersheds. Analyses were performed to identify IES spatial distribution and determine the relationships between IES presence and disturbance effects, biological, and environmental characteristics. IES prevalence was higher in the harvested watersheds and was influenced by canopy cover, shrub cover and disturbance proximity. Ailanthus altissima and Microstegium vimineum presence in the study area has decreased over time. Comparing to the 1-yr …

Effects Of Agricultural Loans In Developing Countries – Benin Case Study, Nicaise S. M. Sagbo

Theses and Dissertations--Agricultural Economics

Limited access to financial services is known as a major constraint to agricultural development (FAO, 2002). Farmers need liquidity to face agricultural expenses throughout the production cycle but mainly at the beginning. Mainstream financial institutions are reluctant to serve the agricultural sector for several reasons. First, they consider the sector to be highly risky with low performance. Also, agricultural activities depend on the weather, they take place in remote rural areas, and commodities prices are volatile. All these aspects make it hard for standard banks to reach their profit goals when lending to farmers. Since microfinance was conceived, it has …

Utilizing Large Scale Datasets To Evaluate Aspects Of A Sustainable Bioeconomy, Gwanseon Kim

Theses and Dissertations--Agricultural Economics

This dissertation combines large scale datasets to evaluate crop prediction, land values, and consumption of a crop being considered to advance a sustainable bioeconomy. In chapter 2, we propose a novel application of the multinomial logit (MNL) model to estimate the conditional transition probabilities of crop choice for the state of Kentucky. Utilizing the recovered transition probabilities the forecast distributions of total acreages for alfalfa, corn, soybeans, tobacco, and wheat produced in the state from 2010 to 2015 can be recovered. The Cropland Data Layer is merged with the Common Land Unit dataset to allow for the identification of crop …

Impact Of Conformational Change, Solvation Environment, And Post-Translational Modification On Desulfurization Enzyme 2'-Hydroxybiphenyl-2-Sulfinate Desulfinase (Dszb) Stability And Activity, Landon C. Mills

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Naturally occurring enzymatic pathways enable highly specific, rapid thiophenic sulfur cleavage occurring at ambient temperature and pressure, which may be harnessed for the desulfurization of petroleum-based fuel. One pathway found in bacteria is a four-step catabolic pathway (the 4S pathway) converting dibenzothiophene (DBT), a common crude oil contaminant, into 2-hydroxybiphenyl (HBP) without disrupting the carbon-carbon bonds. 2’-Hydroxybiphenyl-2-sulfinate desulfinase (DszB), the rate-limiting enzyme in the enzyme cascade, is capable of selectively cleaving carbon-sulfur bonds. Accordingly, understanding the molecular mechanisms of DszB activity may enable development of the cascade as industrial biotechnology. Based on crystallographic evidence, we hypothesized that DszB …