Digital Commons Network^™

Functional Characterization Of Scaffold Protein Shoc2, Hyein Jang

Theses and Dissertations--Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry

Signaling scaffolds are critical for the correct spatial organization of enzymes within the ERK1/2 signaling pathway and proper transmission of intracellular information. However, mechanisms that control molecular dynamics within scaffolding complexes, as well as biological activities regulated by the specific assemblies, remain unclear.

The scaffold protein Shoc2 is critical for transmission of the ERK1/2 pathway signals. Shoc2 accelerates ERK1/2 signaling by integrating Ras and RAF-1 enzymes into a multi-protein complex. Germ-line mutations in shoc2 cause Noonan-like RASopathy, a disorder with a wide spectrum of developmental deficiencies. However, the physiological role of Shoc2, the nature of ERK1/2 signals transduced through this …

Conservation Limnogeology And Benthic Habitat Mapping In Central Lake Tanganyika (Tanzania), Joseph S. Lucas

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

Small scale protected zones are valuable for helping the health and productivity of fisheries at Lake Tanganyika (East Africa). Spatial placement of protected areas relies on accurate maps of benthic habitats, consisting of detailed bathymetry data and information on lake-floor substrates. This information is unknown for most of Lake Tanganyika. Fish diversity is known to correlate with rocky substrates in ≤ 30 m water depth, which provide spawning grounds for littoral and pelagic species. These benthic habitats form important targets for protected areas, if they can be precisely located.

At the NMVA, echosounding defined the position of the 30-m isobath …

Physio-Chemical And Functional Properties Of Nine Proso Millet Cultivars, Manjot Singh, Akinbode A. Adedeji, Dipak Santra

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Evaluation of the postharvest properties of nine proso millet cultivars was carried out to determine their physical and engineering properties, which are very useful for designing appropriate systems for process operations such as sorting, drying, heating, cooling, and milling. Nine cultivars of proso millet comprising waxy and non-waxy types, namely Cope, Earlybird, Huntsman, Minco, Plateau, Sunrise, Rise, Dawn, and Panhandle, were obtained from the Panhandle Research and Extension Center, University of Nebraska, Scottsbluff. Results showed significant (p < 0.05) differences in their physical properties, such as sphericity, volume, bulk density, porosity, and angle of repose, which ranged from 0.86 to 0.91, from 3.94 to 5.14 mm³, from 765.49 to 809.67 kg m^-3, from 42.49% to 44.20%, and from 22.98° to 25.74°, respectively. The cultivars were …

Stored Grain Pack Factor Measurements For Soybeans, Grain Sorghum, Oats, Barley, And Wheat, Rumela Bhadra, Mark E. Casada, Aaron P. Turner, Michael D. Montross, Sidney A. Thompson, Samuel G. Mcneill, Ronaldo G. Maghirang, Josephine M. Boac

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Grain and oilseed crops stored in bins undergo compaction due to overbearing pressure of the grain inside the structure. Thus, volume measurements of grain in bins need to be combined with the amount of packing (usually called pack factor) in addition to the initial density so that the mass in the structure can be calculated. Multiple pack factor prediction methods are in use in the grain industry, but they have only been validated in the literature and compared with field data for corn and hard red winter wheat. Predictions from WPACKING, the program in ASABE Standard EP413.2, and two standard …

Influence Of Kernel Shape And Size On The Packing Ratio And Compressibility Of Hard Red Winter Wheat, Marvin C. Petingco, Mark E. Casada, Ronaldo G. Maghirang, Sidney A. Thompson, Samuel G. Mcneill, Michael D. Montross, Aaron P. Turner

Research and Education Center at Princeton Faculty Publications

Grain compaction occurs during bin storage, and its determination is important for the grain mass estimation needed for inventory and auditing. The degree of compaction is dependent on grain type, bin type, moisture content, amount of grain, initial grain bulk density, coefficients of friction, lateral-to-vertical pressure coefficient, and variation in kernel size. Previous studies have correlated several of these parameters, such as bulk density and grain packing, with moisture content. This study investigated the influence of wheat kernel shape and size distribution on packing ratio and compressibility. Two dockage-free hard red winter (HRW) wheat samples, with no shrunken or broken …

Kentucky Soil Atlas, Anastasios D. Karathanasis, Usda Natural Resources And Conservation Service

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Book Gallery

From preface:

Kentucky has a diverse array of geologic, topographic, physiographic, ecological, and aquatic features that have contributed to the development and present characteristics and productivity of the soils in the state. This Soil Atlas has been prepared as an aid to further the knowledge of soils in our state and provide a basic exposure of Kentucky’s soil resources to educators, students, natural resource planners, policy makers, citizens and visitors. The objective of the publication is to present the prominent characteristics of representative soils and how they may affect soil use and management. The Atlas is meant to give a …

Objectively Measuring Effects Of Electro-Acupuncture In Parkinsonian Rhesus Monkeys, Rui Zhang, Anders H. Andersen, Peter A. Hardy, Eric Forman, April Evans, Yi Ai, Jin Yue, Guihua Yue, Don M. Gash, Richard Grondin, Zhiming Zhang

Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopy Center Faculty Publications

Acupuncture has increasingly been used as an alternative therapy for treatment of Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, the efficacy of acupunture for PD still remains unclear. The present study was designed to objectively and safely monitor anti-parkinsonian effects of electroacupuncture (EA) and brain activity in nonhuman primates modeling human PD. Six middle-aged rhesus monkeys were extensively studied by a computerized behavioral testing battery and by pharmacological MRI (phMRI) scans with specific dopaminergic drug stimulations. All animals were evaluated for behavior and phMRI responses under normal, parkinsonian, parkinsonian with EA treatment and parkinsonian after EA treatment conditions. Stable parkinsonian features were observed …

Cgas Drives Noncanonical-Inflammasome Activation In Age-Related Macular Degeneration, Nagaraj Kerur, Shinichi Fukuda, Daipayan Banerjee, Younghee Kim, Dongxu Fu, Ivana Apicella, Akhil Varshney, Reo Yasuma, Benjamin J. Fowler, Elmira Baghdasaryan, Kenneth M. Marion, Xiwen Huang, Tetsuhiro Yasuma, Yoshio Hirano, Vlad Serbulea, Meenakshi Ambati, Vidya L. Ambati, Yuji Kajiwara, Kameshwari Ambati, Shuichiro Hirahara, Ana Bastos-Carvalho, Yuichiro Ogura, Hiroko Terasaki, Tetsuro Oshika, Kyung Bo Kim, David R. Hinton, Norbert Leitinger, John C. Cambier, Joseph D. Buxbaum, M. Cristina Kenney, Bradley D. Gelfand, Jayakrishna Ambati

Ophthalmology and Visual Science Faculty Publications

Geographic atrophy is a blinding form of age-related macular degeneration characterized by retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE) death; the RPE also exhibits DICER1 deficiency, resultant accumulation of endogenous Alu-retroelement RNA, and NLRP3-inflammasome activation. How the inflammasome is activated in this untreatable disease is largely unknown. Here we demonstrate that RPE degeneration in human-cell-culture and mouse models is driven by a noncanonical-inflammasome pathway that activates caspase-4 (caspase-11 in mice) and caspase-1, and requires cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS)-dependent interferon-β production and gasdermin D-dependent interleukin-18 secretion. Decreased DICER1 levels or Alu-RNA accumulation triggers cytosolic escape of mitochondrial DNA, which engages cGAS. Moreover, caspase-4, gasdermin …

Review Of Literature And Maintenance Practices At State Transportation Agencies, Bryan Gibson, Nancy Albright, Candice Y. Wallace, Christopher Van Dyke, Doug Kreis

Kentucky Transportation Center Technical Assistance Report

No abstract provided.

Kentucky River Watershed Watch: Summary Of 2017 Sampling Results, Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute

Kentucky River Watershed Watch

No abstract provided.

The Legalization Of Sports Betting: A Federalism Framework And The Horse Racing Model, Douglas L. Mcswain

Kentucky Journal of Equine, Agriculture, & Natural Resources Law

No abstract provided.

Kentucky's Agricultural And Ecological Future: Designing Legal And Policy Initiatives For The Commonwealth To Develop Tomorrow's Foodcrops, John W. Head

Kentucky Journal of Equine, Agriculture, & Natural Resources Law

No abstract provided.

The "Moo"Ve To Renewable Energy In Kentucky Begins With The Dairy Industry, Lucero Tennis

Kentucky Journal of Equine, Agriculture, & Natural Resources Law

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Clove Oil (Eugenol) On Proprioceptive Neurons, Heart Rate, And Behavior In Model Crustaceans, Samuel Wycoff, Kristin Weineck, Shannon Conlin, Chinni Suryadevara, Elizabeth Grau, Alec Bradley, Danielle Cantrell, Samantha Eversole, Carolyn Grachen, Kaylee Hall, Danielle Hawthorne, Claire Kinmon, Paula Ortiz Guerrero, Bhavik Patel, Kaitlyn Samuels, Gia Valdes, Andrew J. Ray, Leo J. Fleckenstein, Elena Piana, Robin L. Cooper

Biology Faculty Publications

Clove oil contains eugenol as an active ingredient and is used as a topical anesthetic in mammals to remedy pain and to anesthetize fish and other seafood for short periods; however, the exact mechanism of action of eugenol is not fully understood. We examined use of eugenol as a reversible anesthetic in crustaceans by examining its effect on sensory and motor neurons in the Red Swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii), Blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) and Whiteleg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) with electrophysiological recordings. The neurogenic heart rate in the three species was also monitored along with …

Cold Exposure Effects On Cardiac Function And Synaptic Transmission At The Neuromuscular Junction In Invertebrates, Yuechen Zhu, Robin L. Cooper

Biology Faculty Publications

This review emphasizes how ectothermic animals respond physiologically to environmental temperature changes and cold stress. Generally ectothermic animals cannot generate heat to maintain their body temperature but they can still survive in various temperature zones. Various organisms have been analyzed anatomically and physiologically in the attempt to understand the underlying mechanisms of this temperature adaptation. A few of the changes in the metabolic and molecular function of proteins are discussed. The potential of how hormonal modulation of cardiac and nervous systems which influences responses during exposure cold exposure is also addressed. The focus of this review is on the effect …

Investigating The Effects Of Homocysteine As An Agonist On Invertebrate Glutamatergic Synapses, Elizabeth Grau, Alexandra E. Stanback, Alec Bradley, Danielle Cantrell, Samantha Eversole, Carolyn Grachen, Kaylee Hall, Danielle Hawthorne, Claire Kinmon, Paula Ortiz Guerrero, Bhavik Patel, Kaitlyn Samuels, Chinni Suryadevara, Gia Valdes, Samuel Wycoff, Robin L. Cooper

Biology Faculty Publications

Hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) in mammals can produce neurological deficits, such as memory loss. The cause of the neurological issues is assumed to be due to homocysteine (HCY) binding to glutamatergic receptors in the central nervous system (CNS). High levels of HCY in the CNS are also associated with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Parkinson’s disease. Thus, understanding the detailed mechanisms of HCY in model preparations could be useful in developing potential treatments to neurodegenerative diseases with overlapping symptoms to HHcy. The aim of this study is to investigate the efficacy of HCY as an agonist at glutamatergic synapses in invertebrates. The …

Predictors Of Pm 2.5 And Radon Concentrations In Residences Of Central Kentucky: A Cross Sectional Study, Kyle T. Hancock

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Aim: To measure levels of respirable particles (PM 2.5) and radon in homes in Central Kentucky and assess modifiable risk factors that could reduce the morbidity and mortality of cardiovascular and respiratory disease.

Methods: PM 2.5 and radon samples were taken in homes (n=21) in Central Kentucky. An in- home checklist was completed for each home that assessed a variety of potential environmental respiratory exposures.

Results: The geometric mean of PM 2.5 for all 21 homes was 8.4 μg/m³ which was well below the EPA air quality standard of 35 μg/m³. Smoking status, burning candles, and general …

Analytical High-Resolution Electron Microscopy Reveals Organ-Specific Nanoceria Bioprocessing, Uschi M. Graham, Robert A. Yokel, Alan K. Dozier, Lawrence Drummy, Krishnamurthy Mahalingam, Michael T. Tseng, Eileen Birch, Joseph Fernback

Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

This is the first utilization of advanced analytical electron microscopy methods, including high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, high-angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy, electron energy loss spectroscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy mapping to characterize the organ-specific bioprocessing of a relatively inert nanomaterial (nanoceria). Liver and spleen samples from rats given a single intravenous infusion of nanoceria were obtained after prolonged (90 days) in vivo exposure. These advanced analytical electron microscopy methods were applied to elucidate the organ-specific cellular and subcellular fate of nanoceria after its uptake. Nanoceria is bioprocessed differently in the spleen than in the liver.

The Impact Of Insulin Dysregulation On Protein Metabolism In Horses, Caroline Margot Marcelle Loos

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

Insulin plays a vital role in whole-body metabolism and provides a major anabolic stimulus for cellular signaling pathways, including those involved in the metabolism of glucose and protein. Consequently, insulin dysregulation (ID) is known to alter molecular signal transduction in insulin-sensitive tissues such as skeletal muscle, thereby disrupting glucose metabolism and compromising protein synthetic capacity. Our first objective was to induce ID in healthy horses by administering dexamethasone (DEX), a potent glucocorticoid, for 21 days. We evaluated the effects on insulin-stimulated muscle protein signaling components involved in the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway. DEX-induced ID reduced insulin-stimulated activation of …

Factors Influencing Phosphorus Excretion By Horses, Ashley Lauren Fowler

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

Excessive phosphorus (P) excreted by animals can affect water quality and cause eutrophication. Better understanding of factors that influence P utilization and excretion in horses may reduce the environmental impact of P. Two animal experiments were conducted that examined P excretion by horses. The efficacy of titanium dioxide as an external marker to calculate digestibility was studied concurrently with both animal experiments. Additionally, pasture P concentrations were evaluated over the growing season using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). Experiment 1 examined P excretion by post-lactational mares fed a low P diet immediately prior to weaning compared to non-lactating controls fed an adequate …

On-Farm Utilization Of Precision Dairy Monitoring: Usefulness, Accuracy, And Affordability, Elizabeth A. Eckelkamp

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

Precision dairy monitoring is used to supplement or replace human observation of dairy cattle. This study examined the value dairy producers placed on disease alerts generated from a precision dairy monitoring technology. A secondary objective was calculating the accuracy of technology-generated disease alerts compared against observed disease events. A final objective was determining the economic viability of investing in a precision dairy monitoring technology for detecting estrus and diseases.

A year-long observational study was conducted on four Kentucky dairy farms. All lactating dairy cows were equipped with a neck and leg tri-axial accelerometer. Technologies measured eating time, lying time, standing …

Dairy Cattle Hoof Disease Costs And Considerations For Prevention, Karmella A. Dolecheck

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

Lameness is considered one of the most important health and welfare issues in the dairy industry. Understanding the total cost per case of disease-specific lameness can help producers select better treatment, prevention, and control strategies for their herds. The first objective of our research was to calculate the costs associated with 3 lameness causing hoof diseases: digital dermatitis, sole ulcer, and white line disease. To accomplish this, a survey of hoof health professionals (hoof trimmers and veterinarians) was conducted to identify treatment related expenditures per case. Data from the hoof trimmer responses to the survey and previously published research were …

An Evaluation Of Physiological And Behavioral Indicators Of Postpartum Diseases And Heat Stress In Dairy Cows, Amanda Renee Lee

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

Precision dairy monitoring technologies can be used to monitor changes in physiology and behavior associated with transition period postpartum diseases and heat stress. Research Objective One was to evaluate how traditional visual examination, body condition, and locomotion with and without blood, milk, and urine variables and precision dairy monitoring technologies determine variable association with hyperketonemia, metritis, mastitis, hypocalcemia and retained placenta,. This was accomplished by monitoring cows 2 weeks before calving to 3 weeks after calving for any postpartum diseases using daily visual examination and automatically detected variables including activity, milk yield, milk components, lying behavior, feeding behavior, rumination time, …

The Effects Of Housing On Dairy Cow Comfort, Immune Function, Stress, Productivity, And Milk Quality, Matthew Richard Borchers

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

Mastitis and milk quality affect every dairy farmer across the globe. Sand bedded freestalls are the industry standard for cow comfort, welfare, and the control of environmental mastitis. Compost bedded packs may be a viable alternative to the sand bedded freestall.

Compost bedded packs are maintained at a consistent level of moisture, nutrients, and aeration to favor compost microorganisms. Greater bacteria counts in bedding have traditionally been associated with increased mastitis rates and mastitis pathogens can be found in the pack and on the teats of cattle housed in even well managed compost bedded pack barns. In spite of this, …

Assessment Of The Serum Amyloid A Assay For Diagnosing Disease In Neonatal Foals, Samantha W. Strouss

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

Diagnosing disease in equine neonates poses a challenge for the equine industry because of the nonspecific manifestations of many diseases and the rapid deterioration that occurs. The differential diagnostic procedure requires many laboratory tests, whose results take days to receive. Serum amyloid A (SAA) is the only major acute phase protein identified in the horse; it exists in low levels in the healthy horse and increases over 100 fold in response to inflammatory stimulus 6-8 hours post stimulus. A point of care test allows veterinarians to obtain a SAA concentration within minutes that indicates the existence of infection. Being able …

Whole-Body Protein Metabolism In Mature And Growing Horses Receiving Predominantly Forage Diets, Sophie A. Stratton

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

There has been limited investigation as to whether a predominantly forage-based diet can provide adequate amounts of limiting amino acids (AA) to horses. The first objective was to determine if AA supplementation of AA believed to be limiting to protein synthesis in forage-based diets would affect measures of whole-body protein metabolism in sedentary mature horses. The effect of forage type (timothy or alfalfa) and AA supplementation (lysine, threonine or histidine) on plasma urea nitrogen (PUN) and AA concentrations and measures of whole-body phenylalanine kinetics were evaluated. There was no effect of either forage type or AA supplement on rates of …

Older Adult Men’S Emotional Bonds With Their Dogs, Ranell L. Mueller

Theses and Dissertations--Gerontology

Knowledge of the deeper meanings of attachment to companion animals is limited, particularly in terms of older adults. This study employed a modified grounded theory method, a phenomenological lens and a life course perspective to gather and analyze data garnered from individual interviews and panel discussions in order to investigate the multiple dimensions of older adult men’s relationships with their companion animal dogs. Individual audio-recorded in-depth interviews and repeated panel discussions with a sub-group of the participants, convened as a panel over a three-month period, explored behavioral and emotional manifestations of attachment and the emotional bond to their companion animal …

Music Training As A Neuro-Cognitive Protector For Brain Aging: Cognitive And Neuropsychological Profiles In Professional Musicians, Catherine E. Schneider

Theses and Dissertations--Gerontology

The proportion of older adults living with cognitive impairments is increasing rapidly. This shift will likely increase mortality rates, reduce perceived quality of life, and cause economic burden to patients and health care systems. Currently evidence of highly effective and noninvasive interventions that prevent or slow the onset of cognitive impairment are limited. This study aims to better understand what drives cognitive aging variability among musicians versus non-musicians. Music playing has been shown to improve brain and cognitive functions by engaging networks of brain areas, simultaneously involving cortical mechanisms associated with executive, high-level cognitive and motor functions, and multiple sensory …

Role Of Oxidized Extracellular Vesicles As Early Biomarkers And Inflammatory Mediators In Chemotherapy-Induced Normal Tissue Injury, Chontida Yarana

Theses and Dissertations--Toxicology and Cancer Biology

Significant advances in the efficacy of cancer therapy have been accompanied by an escalation of side effects that result from therapy-induced injury to normal tissues. Patients with high grade cancer or metastasis are often treated with chemotherapy, 50% of which are associated with reactive oxygen species generation and cellular oxidative stress. Heart is the normal tissue most susceptible to chemotherapy-induced oxidative stress and heart disease is the most common leading cause of death in cancer survivors. However, early and sensitive biomarkers to identify heart disease are still lacking. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are released from cells during oxidative stress and send …

The Impacts Of Honey Bee Queen Stress On Worker Behavior And Health, Sarah R. Preston

Theses and Dissertations--Entomology

Pesticides, poor nutrition, parasites and diseases work synergistically to contribute to the decline of the honey bee. Heritable sub-lethal behavior/immune effects may also contribute to the decline. Maternal stress is a common source of heritable immune/behavior deficits in many species. A stressed honey bee queen has the potential to pass such deficits on to worker bees. Using a repeated measures design, this study will determine whether the health of worker bee is reduced by a cold stress on the queen by analyzing egg hatch rate and protein content, emergence rate, and adult aggression and immune function for offspring laid before …