Life Sciences Commons^™

Two Genetic Effects At The Irf5/ Tnpo3 Locus Are Independently Associated With The Development Of Specific Lupus Symptoms, Samantha Hawtrey

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disorder that can affect every tissue in the body. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the IRF5 and TNPO3 genes are statistically associated with the development of SLE. My research identified correlations between IRF5/TNPO3 SNPs and specific lupus symptoms. Logistic regression analyses were conducted using 101 genetic variants in the IRF5/TNPO3 region that were genotyped in over 6,000 lupus patients of different ethnicities, with admixture covariates applied. Three clinical phenotypes displayed significant correlation (p < 1.6x10-5) in subjects of European ancestry. For each of these phenotypes, a step-wise conditional analysis was conducted using two lupus associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at this genetic loci. In Europeans, lupus disease onset (p-valueEU=2.44x10-16, OR=0.67*) and the presence of anti-Ro (p-valueEU=2.09x10-7, OR=0.67) and anti-dsDNA (p-valueEU=4.15x10-7, OR=0.75) antibodies were associated with SNPs in the IRF5/TNPO3 genes. SNPs in the IRF5 promoter and those spanning IRF5 and TNPO3 were both associated with disease onset. The presence of anti-Ro and anti-dsDNA antibodies is only associated with SNPs in the IRF5 promoter. Genetic variants at the IRF5/TNPO3 locus are associated with lupus disease onset and production of anti-dsDNA and anti-Ro antibodies in lupus patients. SNPs in the promoter region of iii IRF5 (associated with rs4728142) and SNPs spanning the IRF5 and TNPO3 genes (associated with rs12534421) contribute independently to these symptoms.

Population Genetics Of The Western Toad (Bufo Boreas) In The Central Valley Of California, Morgan Murrell

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

A worldwide decline in amphibian populations has intensified the need for data comparing the influence of habitats on population dynamics and the potential for local extinction. From a conservation perspective it is important to understand the connections between ecology, geography, and genetics across landscapes that are increasingly affected by human influences and other uncontrollable environmental events such as climate change. The purpose of this study is to examine the landscape-level genetic patterns of Western toads, Bufo (Anaxyrus) boreas, and to conclude if gene flow is occurring between ponds. This will allow conservation practitioners to understand geographic features that might impede …

Ogden College Of Science & Engineering Newsletter (Winter 2013), Cheryl Stevens, Dean

Ogden College of Science & Engineering Publications

No abstract provided.

Novel Applications Of Multivariate Methods For Exploring Personality In African Elephants, Shilo Kimberly Felton

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Investigators have shown that elephants exhibit consistent individual differences in behavior by rating elephants using personality adjectives. These adjectives, however, are not based on pre-defined measurements of the behaviors performed. Instead, they are based on the observers’ interpretations of an animal’s behavioral patterns, therefore making them subject to observer bias. Furthermore, elephants have a capacity for learning; thus, they may alter their behavioral patterns over time. This behavioral plasticity in itself might be a way of measuring consistent behavioral differences among individuals. With this in mind, I approached elephant personality as a multivariate problem. I used behavioral observations collected from …

Landscape Genetics Of The Marbled Salamander (Ambystoma Opacum) At Mammoth Cave National Park, James Kyle Martin

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Habitat connectivity is important to maintain in order to prevent loss of genetic diversity, reduce inbreeding depression, and decrease extinction risk in threatened or endangered species. Here I present a landscape genetics study on marbled salamanders (Ambystoma opacum) in highly connected forested habitat at Mammoth Cave National Park. This investigation of gene flow among ponds within a mostly continuous landscape provides data that can be compared with patterns observed in more fragmented landscapes. These comparisons can provide a means of investigating the separate effects of structural and functional habitat connectivity on amphibian genetic population structure. Structural connectivity refers to the …

Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms Linked To Essential Hypertension In Kasigau, Kenya, Julia Carol Freeman

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Hypertension, or high blood pressure (BP), is an ever-growing epidemic in the developing world. Understanding the genetics behind essential hypertension (EH), or hypertension with no known cause, is especially important. In this study, three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) known to be linked to an increase in susceptibility to EH were quantified from a cohort of Kenyans living in the Kasigau region. The SNPs are located in three genes that are part of the renin angiotensin system, the primary regulatory pathway in humans controlling BP. They include: AGT (rs699), AGTR1 (rs5186), and HSD11β2 (rs5479). Overall, by using a fluorescent-based RT-PCR technique, …

Interference In White Bass Reproduction By Two Introduced Predators In Barren River Lake, Kentucky, Jacob Franklin Fose

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

White bass Morone chrysops are native to the Mississippi River and its tributaries. This range includes the Barren River in south central Kentucky. Over the last thirty years, the population of white bass in Barren River Lake, a reservoir of the Barren River, has been in decline. During that same time, two congeners of white bass have been introduced to the lake. Hybrid striped bass Morone chrysops × Morone saxatilis were introduced in 1979 and yellow bass Morone mississippiensis were first discovered in 2000. Due to the similar life histories and spawning strategies of all three Morone species, I hypothesized …

Wallace And Incipient Structures: A World Of "More Recondite" Influences, Charles H. Smith

DLPS Faculty Publications

Alfred Russel Wallace is well-known for his co-discovery of the principle of natural selection. Natural selection is usually considered a process, but it is not clear that Wallace regarded it in exactly these terms. In fact he more likely thought of the relationships involved as representing what we would now term a “state space,” a negative feedback loop wherein populations are maintained at healthy levels through elimination of the unfit. Both before and after the advent of natural selection Wallace clung to the idea that “more recondite forces” were shaping the nature and direction of evolution; this is especially evident …

Fluttering Beauty, Jonathan Jeffrey

SCL Faculty and Staff Publications

This article chronicles the efforts of Lillian Iona (Tyne) Pace (1925-2010) in getting the Viceroy butterfly designated as the Kentucky state butterfly.

Kentucky Warbler (Vol. 89, No. 4), Kentucky Library Research Collections

Kentucky Warbler

No abstract provided.

Early Humboldtian Influences On Alfred Russel Wallace's Scheme Of Nature [Presented At The Alfred Russel Wallace And His Legacy Royal Society Of London Meeting, 21 October 2013], Charles H. Smith

DLPS Faculty Publications

Alfred Russel Wallace’s 1858 Ternate paper on natural selection is a famous work in the history of science. Beyond his co-discovery of the principle, moreover, Wallace is known for a large number of early applications of the idea, both to biological and biogeographical subjects. Yet how much do we really know about Wallace’s own evolution of thought, and his actual intentions before his views were swallowed up by the inertia of Darwin’s revolution? A number of differences between Wallace’s and Darwin’s views are apparent and have been much treated over the years, but related discussions dwell more on effects than …

Moore, Carlos Wright, 1884-1951 (Mss 156), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 156. Family and business papers of Warren County, Kentucky farmer Carlos W. Moore and school teacher Mae White, who became his wife. Topics include courtship, farming and school teaching.

Borders, Forest, 1893-1971 (Sc 1173), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Small Collection 1173. Miscellaneous materials from Forest Borders, including newspaper clippings, magazine articles, and advertising related to his Borders Pure Milk Company of Bowling Green, Kentucky. Also includes a soil conservation plan with maps for his Warren County farm.

Comparisons Of Genetic Diversity Among Disjunct Populations Of Magnolia Tripetala, Victoria A. Gilkison

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Plant ranges are often made up of core areas where the distribution is continuous and the population density is high with small disjunct populations at the margins of the core. One well-studied type of disjunct population is formed by long distance dispersal as plants migrate away from disjunct Pleistocene refugial populations. The retreat of the Wisconsinan glaciation resulted in the outward dispersal of many plant species from their refugial locations to areas with suitable habitat. Many plants expanded their ranges through rare-long-distance dispersal.

This study used microsatellites to compare the genetic diversity, inbreeding levels, and gene flow frequency of disjunct …

The Creation Of Α2nc1 Transgenic Drosophila Melanogaster, Jordan Olberding

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The α2 isoform of collagen IV’s noncollagenous 1 domain (α2NC1 or canstatin) has shown promise as an anti-cancer molecule, possessing both angiostatic and pro-apoptotic properties. This work aims to further the knowledge of α2NC1 by conducting a truly in vivo study in which the Gal4-induced endogenous overexpression of α2NC1 in Drosophila melanogaster will be used to assess the effects of α2NC1 upon normal development as well as tumorigenesis. To this end, transgenic fly lines capable of overexpressing α2NC1 were created. Initial overexpression studies indicated no developmental phenotype was caused by abundance of α2NC1. However, future overexpression studies in which α2NC1 …

Defining The Requirements For Early Gene Expression In Bacteriophage Hk639, Amanda L. Seaton

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Lambdoid phages suppress transcription termination to fully express their genes. Antitermination of early gene expression in most lambdoid phages is mediated by an interaction between the N protein and a number of host-encoded factors. Bacteriophage HK022 does not rely on a protein for antitermination. To promote full expression of early phage genes, the transcripts of the HK022 put sites interact directly with RNA polymerase to convert it to a termination resistant form. Bacteriophage HK639 also uses RNA-mediated antitermination. However, it only possesses a single put-like element in its left operon. Because most lambdoid phages, including HK022, have antiterminator elements in …

Kentucky Warbler (Vol. 89, No. 3), Kentucky Library Research Collections

Kentucky Warbler

No abstract provided.

Cultivar, Mowing Height, And Herbicide Effects On Bermudagrass, Cynodon Dactylon [L.] Pers., Suppression In Tall Fescue, Schedonorus Arundinaceus [Schreb.] Dumort., Nom. Cons., Daniel S. Sandor

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

In the fall of 2011, a study was initiated at the Western Kentucky University Farm in Bowling Green, Kentucky on a Crider silt loam (Typic Paleudalf). The objective of this study was to determine cultivar, mowing height, and herbicide effects on bermudagrass, Cynodon dactylon [L.] Pers., suppression in tall fescue, Schedonorus arundinaceus [Schreb.] Dumort., nom. cons. The experimental design was a split plot design with whole plots consisting of varying mowing heights and split plots consisting of different herbicide treatments with three replications. Two separate experiments were conducted. The tall fescue variety ‘KY 31’ was utilized for one study and …

Single Step Synthesis Of Antibiotic Kanamycin Embedded Gold Nanoparticles For Efficient Antibacterial Activity, Shravan Gavva

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Nanotechnology has become the most advanced type of drug delivery system within the last decade. This advancement shifted the focus on small carriers to increase the efficiency of the drugs. Among these, gold nanoparticles (GNPs) were found to have profound biomedical applications. In current research, kanamycin embedded GNPs were prepared in a single step, single phase, and bio-friendly (green synthesis) procedure. The synthesized Kanamycin-GNPs (Kan-GNPs) were spherical in shape and had a size range of 15 ± 3 nm. The chosen kanamycin is an aminoglycosidic antibiotic that is isolated from Streptomyces kanamyceticus. These special antibiotic GNPs are further characterized using …

Development Of Tools To Assess The Effects Of Lunasin On Normal Development And Tumor Progression In Drosophila Melanogaster, Gillian E. Jones

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Soy contains many bioactive molecules known to elicit anti-cancer effects. One such peptide, Lunasin, has been shown to selectively act on newly transformed cells while having no cytotoxic effect on non-tumorigenic or established cancer cell lines. In this study we attempt to understand the developmental effects of Lunasin overexpression in vivo and create reagents that will help us understand Lunasin’s anti tumorigenic effects in an intact organism. cDNA encoding lunasin and EGFP-lunasin were cloned into pUAST and microinjected into Drosophila embryos. Tissue-specific overexpression of EGFP-Lun in the resulting transgenic lines was accomplished by crossing transgenics to various GAL4 driver lines. …

Effects Of Xanthan/Locust Bean Gum Mixtures On The Physicochemical Properties And Oxidative Stability Of Whey Protein Stabilized Oil-In-Water Emulsions, Goutham Puli

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Scientific evidence shows that dietary intake of the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids is beneficial to human health. Fish oil is a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids. However, fish oil with high levels of omega-3 PUFA is very susceptible to oxidative deterioration during storage. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of xanthan gum (XG)-locust bean gum (LBG) mixtures on the physicochemical properties of whey protein isolate (WPI) stabilized oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions containing 20% v/v menhaden oil. The O/W emulsions containing XG/LBG mixtures were compared to emulsions with either XG or LBG alone. The emulsions were prepared …

Chhs July E-Newsletter, Dr. John Bonaguro, Dean, Vashon S. Wells, Editor, College Of Health & Human Services, Western Kentucky University

College of Health & Human Services Publications

No abstract provided.

Devine, Lillian K., 1895-1990 (Mss 463), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 463. Farm ledgers for the Devine family farm in Grass Township, Spencer County, Indiana, as well as personal daily dairies of Lillian K. Devine, 1960-1981.

Wallace On Natural Selection: What Did He Really Have In Mind?, Charles H. Smith

DLPS Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Holder, Earl, 1909-2005 (Sc 1026), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 1026. Transcription of a 1985 interview by Ray Buckberry with Earl Holder regarding the development of the dairy business in Warren County, Kentucky from 1926 to 1973.

Habitat Use Analysis Of A Reintroduced Black Rhino (Diceros Bicornis) Population, John H. Clark

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Prior to the 20^th century black rhinos (Diceros bicornis) were the most prevalent rhino species with population estimates reaching 850,000 individuals (Rhino Resource Center, May 2013). The black rhino underwent the single fastest and most severe decline of all large mammal species from the 1960s to the 1990s, resulting in current population estimates of 3,600 animals (Emslie, 2012; Hillman-Smith and Groves, 1994). Reintroduction efforts are taking place to restore this species and 19 animals were reintroduced to a Kruger Associated Private Nature Reserve, six of these individuals were accessible for study. Animals were monitored on a regular …

Trends In Avian Populations Of Kentucky And Implications In Conservation, Sara K. Wigginton

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) and other avian monitoring projects have been used as evidence that many bird species are declining. Two guilds which have seen major declines are the grassland obligate and woodland species (Wentworth et al 2010; Peterjohn and Sauer 1994). Some species have been experiencing an increase, including the Brown-headed Cowbird; a brood-parasite which can cause decreased fitness in host species (Brittingham and Temple 1983). BBS data collected in Kentucky from 1998-2011 was used for statistical analysis for this project. This data was used to answer 4 questions. The first was did the Kentucky Upper …

Molecular Mechanics Of Oxaliplatin And An Oxaliplatin Derivative With Their Relevant Biological Targets, Daniel C. Jackson

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Molecular mechanics and dynamics calculations were used to simulate reactions of oxaliplatin and Pt(Me₂dach)(oxalate) with methionine and guanine, where Me₂dach is N,N-dimethyl-1,2-diaminocyclohexane. The results were consistent with steric effects that resulted in chelation when Pt(Me₂dach)(oxalate) reacted with N-acetylmethionine experimentally (Williams et al., 2013). The energy difference due to ligand bulk that was predicted using molecular mechanics was also consistent with experimental results: oxaliplatin’s ligand bulk did not prevent the formation of bis products with 9-ethylguanine and N-acetylmethionine, but the ligand bulk of Pt(Me₂dach)(oxalate) did prevent bis product formation with N-acetylmethionine, resulting in …

Prophylactic Effect If Growth Hormone On Zebrafish Auditory Hair Cell Damage, Mackenzie C. Perkins

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Growth hormone (GH) has been shown to play a role in and improve hair cell regeneration when injected intraperitoneally in zebrafish post-sound exposure. The purpose of this study was to examine whether exogenous GH has a prophylactic effect on auditory hair cell damage when injected prior to acoustic trauma. Groups of zebrafish were injected with either GH or buffer. Immediately following the injection, auditory hair cell damage was induced through exposure to acoustic overstimulation. Hearing tests were then performed on the fish by measuring auditory evoked potentials. Then, the fish ears were dissected either immediately post-trauma or at one, two, …

Rainwater Harvesting: Examining The Potential Of Rainfall Collection As A Stormwater Best Management Practice And A Supplement To Municipal Water At Wku, Ashley C. Mccloughan

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

This study seeks to quantify the potential amount of rainwater that could be harvested from Western Kentucky University’s main campus roof spaces and to evaluate the potential environmental and economic value of such an initiative in light of the global water crisis. Roof areas and historic rainfall data were used to enumerate the potential quantity of water averted by the selected buildings. Limited literature exists on the potential for rainwater harvesting in reducing quantity of surface runoff and what that means for stormwater management, so an evaluation was performed on the implications these installations could have specifically for WKU’s stormwater …