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Evaluation Of Different Sources Of Hydroxyl On Biomass Pretreatment And Hydrolysis, Carla Ines Soares Rodrigues

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Lignocellulosic biomass pretreatment is a fundamental step in the production of renewable fuels and chemicals. It is responsible for the disruption and removal of lignin and hemicellulose from the lignocellulosic matrix, improving the enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose. Alkaline pretreatment has been shown to be successful on agricultural residues and dedicated energy crops. The objective of this study was to evaluate the pretreatment of switchgrass, wheat straw, corn stover, and miscanthus using calcium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, and sodium hydroxide at the same hydroxyl concentration, 60% moisture content, and two temperatures for seven days. Enzymatic hydrolysis was also performed and the glucose …

Development Of A Method For In-Situ Testing Of Oxygen Concentrations In Compost Bedded Pack Barns, John T. Evans Iv

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Compost bedded pack barns are a relatively new type of dairy housing system that is being implemented in Kentucky. Extensive research has been done on the composting of animal manure, however, little has been done on composting animal manure in place. One of the most concerning challenges is aeration. Improper aeration can cause system failure. The ability to quickly and accurately measure the oxygen concentration would allow researchers the ability to determine which methods of tillage/aeration are most effective in compost bedded pack barns. The research in this thesis focused on the development of a method for simultaneously testing oxygen …

Evaluation Of The Performance Of Flocculation To Enhance Sediment Trap Efficiency, Derek Scott

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Weathered sandstone materials have seen increased use in reclamation due to the wide-spread adoption of the Forest Reclamation Approach (FRA) in Appalachia. Runoff from these newly FRA reclaimed sites has the potential to adversely impact aquatic environments without fine sediment retention. To reduce the size and capital investment of settling ponds, flocculant utilization was investigated. Preliminary jar tests were conducted using composite weathered mine spoil samples acquired from a surface coal mine in eastern Kentucky. Four flocculants from the Magnafloc family of products were investigated during the initial screening-level testing. Experiments were conducted at three initial sediment concentrations (500 mg/L, …

The Influence Of Media Ingredients And Ph On The Growth Of Chloromonas Rosae Var. Psychrophila, Caoli Zheng

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

In order to utilize algae to fix CO2 and reduce Greenhouse gas emissions, large-scale, year-round algae cultivation will be required. This will require alga species that thrive in colder weather with media recipes based on commercially available fertilizers. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effect of using commercial based media and the effect of pH when growing the cold-temperature algae Chloromonas rosae var. psychrophila. Commercial grade media ingredients urea, potash, triple superphosphate, and Sprint 330® were used to provide nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, and EDTA with iron, respectively. The commercial grade media supported growth similar to the growth …

Up Regulation Of Heat Shock Protein 70b (Hsp70b) And Ssa1 In Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii Via Hsp70a-Rbcs2 And Psad Promoter, B. Kirtley Amos

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Fabrication of effective algae cultivation systems adjacent to coal-fired power plants to fixate waste CO₂ would represent a sizable step towards achieving a carbon neutral energy cycle. However, emission gas would elevate the algal cultivation system temperature and decreases its pH without expensive preprocessing. Increased temperature and acidity constitutes a profound stress on the algae. Although stressed algae produce heat shock proteins (HSPs) that promote protein folding and protect against stress, the ordinary biological response is insufficient to protect against coal flue gas. Experimental upregulation of HSPs could make algae respond to the stress caused by high temperatures and …

Dietary Selenium Supplementation: Effects On Neurodegeneration Following Traumatic Brain And Spinal Cord Injury, Carolyn A. Crowdus Meyer

Theses and Dissertations--Neuroscience

Traumatic brain and spinal cord injury continue to be substantial clinical problems with few available treatment strategies. Individuals who are at a greater risk for sustaining a central nervous system (CNS) injury, such as professional athletes and military personnel, may benefit from a prophylactic supplement that would intervene in the neurodegenerative pathways immediately following injury. The high demand for selenium within the central nervous system, as well as the synthesis of selenoproteins by neurons and astrocytes suggests a critical role of selenium within the brain and spinal cord. Studies were designed to test the efficacy of enriched dietary selenium status …

Mitochondrial And Neuroprotective Effects Of Phenelzine Related To Scavenging Of Neurotoxic Lipid Peroxidation Products, John Cebak

Theses and Dissertations--Neuroscience

Lipid peroxidation is a key contributor to the pathophysiology of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Traditional antioxidant therapies are intended to scavenge the free radicals responsible for either the initiation or propagation of lipid peroxidation (LP). However, targeting free radicals after TBI is difficult as they rapidly react with other cellular macromolecules, and thus has a limited post-injury time window in which they may be intercepted by a radical scavenging agent. In contrast, our laboratory has begun testing an antioxidant approach that scavenges the final stages of LP i.e. formation of carbonyl-containing breakdown products. By scavenging breakdown products such as the …

The Intranasal Delivery Of Dnsp-11 And Its Effects In Animal Models Of Parkinson's Disease, Mallory J. Stenslik

Theses and Dissertations--Neuroscience

A major challenge in developing disease altering therapeutics for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease (PD) has been the delivery of compounds across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) to the central nervous system (CNS). While direct surgical infusion has been utilized to deliver compounds to the brain that don’t cross the BBB, issues of poor biodistribution in the CNS due in part to properties of the molecules being delivered and/or infusion device protocols have limited the widespread success of this invasive approach. To avoid the issues of surgically delivering compounds to the CNS, numerous studies have examined the use of intranasal administration …

Target-Directed Biosynthetic Evolution: Redirecting Plant Evolution To Genomically Optimize A Plant’S Pharmacological Profile, Dustin Paul Brown

Theses and Dissertations--Neuroscience

The dissertation describes a novel method for plant drug discovery based on mutation and selection of plant cells. Despite the industry focus on chemical synthesis, plants remain a source of potent and complex bioactive metabolites. Many of these have evolved as defensive compounds targeted on key proteins in the CNS of herbivorous insects, for example the insect dopamine transporter (DAT). Because of homology with the human DAT protein some of these metabolites have high abuse potential, but others may be valuable in treating drug dependence. This dissertation redirects the evolution of a native Lobelia species toward metabolites with greater activity …

Regulation Of Pancreatic Β-Cell Function By The Renin-Angiotensin System In Type 2 Diabetes, Robin C. Shoemaker

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences

Diet-induced obesity promotes type 2 diabetes (T2D). Drugs that inhibit the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) have been demonstrated in clinical trials to decrease the onset of T2D. Previously, we demonstrated that mice made obese from chronic consumption of a high-fat (HF) diet have marked elevations in systemic concentrations of angiotensin II (AngII). Pancreatic islets have been reported to possess components of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS), including angiotensin type 1a receptors (AT1aR), the primary receptor for AngII, and angiotensin converting-enzyme 2 (ACE2), which negatively regulates the RAS by catabolizing AngII to angiotensin-(1-7) (Ang-(1-7)). These two opposing proteins have been implicated in the …

Zhx2 Regulation Of Lipid Metabolism And The Balance Between Cardiovascular And Hepatic Health, Kate Townsend Creasy

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences

The growing obesity epidemic in America carries with it numerous health risks, including diabetes, increased serum lipid levels, and excess fat accumulation in the liver. If these conditions persist or become exacerbated, they may lead to the development of cardiovascular disease, the current leading cause of death among Americans, or to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) which can progress to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), one of the deadliest forms of cancer. Better understanding of the genes involved in these diseases can lead to improved identification of at-risk individuals and treatment strategies.

Our lab previously identified zinc fingers and homeoboxes 2 (Zhx2) …

Eating Spain: National Cuisine Since 1900, Matthew J. Wild

Theses and Dissertations--Hispanic Studies

Analyzing cookbooks, gastronomic guides, literature and film, this dissertationoutlines the creation of a Spanish national cuisine. Studying the works of Carmen de Burgos, Emilia Pardo Bazán, Dionisio Pérez, Ana María Herrera, Juan Mari Arzak and Ferrán Adrià among others, the project examines the evolution of this nationalist discourse by identifying common and recurring themes in an effort to extrapolate and describe the historical and cultural evolution of food from 1900 to the present day.

Within the framework of Food and Cultural Studies, this project treats cookbooks, culinary manifestos and guidebooks as texts. Influenced by a variety of culinary and gastronomic …

Living Without God: Female Atheists And Stigma Management In The South Of The United States, Jamie L. Pond

Theses and Dissertations--Sociology

This study focuses upon the experiences and perceptions of women Atheists in the Southern U.S., a region which is highly religious and, therefore, has comparatively low numbers of Atheists. Taking a Symbolic Interactionist approach, I examine how these Southern Atheists understood what it means to be an “Atheist,” how they became Atheist, their strategies to manage their stigmatized identity as Atheists, and finally the role gender has in managing this stigma. I utilize a Feminist methodology to investigate and foreground women’s experiences. I conducted participant observation at 23 Atheist and Humanist meetings in two southern cities in two different states; …

Roles Of Abcg5 Abcg8 Cholesterol Transporter In Lipid Homeostasis, Yuhuan Wang

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

The ABCG5 ABCG8 (G5G8) sterol transporter promotes cholesterol secretion into bile and opposes dietary sterol absorption in the small intestine. An emerging body of literature suggests that G5G8 links sterol flux to various risk factors for metabolic syndrome (MetS) and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Therapeutic approaches that accelerate G5G8 activity may augment reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) and provide beneficial effects in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular and liver disease.

Mice lacking leptin (ob/ob) or its receptor (db/db) are obese, insulin resistant in part due to the reduced levels of hepatic G5G8 and biliary cholesterol. …

Design, Synthesis, And Pharmacological Evaluation Of Three Series Of Lobelane Analogs As Inhibitors Of The Vesicular Monoamine Transporter (Vmat2), John P. Culver

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

Methamphetamine (METH) abuse is a serious problem in the United States and worldwide. The reward experienced by METH users is due to the increase in extracellular dopamine (DA) concentrations caused by an interaction between METH and the DA transporter (DAT) as well as the Vesicular Monoamine Transporter-2 (VMAT2). The reward felt by users of METH leads to further use of the drug and subsequent abuse. The current project examined the ability of three novel series of lobelane analogs to interact with a binding site on the Vesicular Monoamine Transporter-2 (VMAT2) in an attempt to inhibit the effects of METH. Lobelane …

Chemoenzymatic Studies To Enhance The Chemical Space Of Natural Products, Jhong-Min Chen

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

Natural products provide some of the most potent anticancer agents and offer a template for new drug design or improvement with the advantage of an enormous chemical space. The overall goal of this thesis research is to enhance the chemical space of two natural products in order to generate novel drugs with better in vivo bioactivities than the original natural products.

Polycarcin V (PV) is a gilvocarcin-type antitumor agent with similar structure and comparable bioactivity with the principle compound of this group, gilvocarcin V (GV). Modest modifications of the polyketide-derived tetracyclic core of GV had been accomplished, but the most …

Molecular And Functional Investigation Of Cancer-Type And Liver-Type Variants Of Organic Anion Transporting Polypeptide 1b3, Nilay Thakkar

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

OATP1B3 belongs to the OATP (organic anion transporting polypeptides) superfamily, responsible for mediating the transport of various endogenous and xenobiotic substrates. OATP1B3 was initially reported to be expressed exclusively in the hepatocytes where it mediates the uptake of numerous endogenous substrates (e.g. bile acids, steroid hormone conjugates) and several clinically relevant drugs including anticancer drugs. Later, a number of studies reported that OATP1B3 is also frequently expressed in multiple types of cancers and may be associated with differing clinical outcomes. However, a detailed investigation on the expression, localization and functions of OATP1B3 expressed in cancer has been lacking. In this …

Elucidating The Mechanism Of Lipl: A Non-Heme Fe(Ii), Α -Ketoglutarate: Uridine-5’-Monophosphate Dioxygenase, Anwesha Goswami

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

Several nucleoside natural product antibiotics from Streptomyces sp. and actinomycetes have recently been shown to target bacterial peptidoglycan cell wall biosynthesis by inhibiting the bacterial translocase I (MraY). The biosynthetic gene clusters for A-90289, liposidomycins and caprazamycins revealed a protein with sequence similarity to proteins annotated as α-KG:taurine dioxygenases (TauD). This enzyme (LipL) is a mononuclear, non-heme, Fe(II) dependent α-keto glutarate (α-KG) :uridine monophosphate (UMP) dioxygenase responsible for the net dephosphorylation and two electron oxidation of UMP to uridine-5’-aldehyde. The postulated reaction coordinates involving the activation of the C-5’ center in UMP and the corresponding formation of uridine-5’-aldehyde are modeled …

Nonlinear Hierarchical Models For Longitudinal Experimental Infection Studies, Michael David Singleton

Theses and Dissertations--Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Experimental infection (EI) studies, involving the intentional inoculation of animal or human subjects with an infectious agent under controlled conditions, have a long history in infectious disease research. Longitudinal infection response data often arise in EI studies designed to demonstrate vaccine efficacy, explore disease etiology, pathogenesis and transmission, or understand the host immune response to infection. Viral loads, antibody titers, symptom scores and body temperature are a few of the outcome variables commonly studied. Longitudinal EI data are inherently nonlinear, often with single-peaked response trajectories with a common pre- and post-infection baseline. Such data are frequently analyzed with statistical methods …

Computational Modeling Of Cardiac Biomechanics, Amir Nikou

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

The goal of this dissertation was to develop a realistic and patient-specific computational model of the heart that ultimately would help medical scientists to better diagnose and treat heart diseases. In order to achieve this goal, a three dimensional finite element model of the heart was created using magnetic resonance images of the beating pig heart. This model was loaded by the pressure of blood inside the left ventricle which was measured by synchronous catheterization. A recently developed structurally based constitutive model of the myocardium was incorporated in the finite element solver to model passive left ventricular myocardium. Additionally, an …

Emotional Enhancement And Repetition Effects During Working Memory In Persons With Mild Cognitive Impairment, Lucas S. Broster

Theses and Dissertations--Clinical and Translational Science

This dissertation introduces a framework for understanding differences in how emotional enhancement effects might influence memory in aging adults and then summarizes the findings of three studies of how repetition effects and emotional enhancement effects influence working memory in older adults without cognitive impairment (NC), older adults with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and older adults with mild Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In these experiments, individuals with AD showed cognitive impairment in terms of accuracy and reaction time, but individuals with MCI showed milder behavioral impairment that was confined to manipulations of working memory. Individuals with AD showed relative sparing of …

The Metabolomic Effects Of Metformin On Colon Cancer, Jennifer W. Harris

Theses and Dissertations--Clinical and Translational Science

Metformin is an oral biguanide that is prescribed to over 120 million people worldwide for the treatment of conditions including type II diabetes mellitus, polycystic ovarian syndrome, and gestational diabetes. This hypoglycemic agent is rapidly emerging as a potential cost-effective anti-oncogenic agent. Over the past decade multiple epidemiologic studies have consistently associated metformin with decreased cancer incidence and cancer-related mortality. More recently numerous preclinical and clinical studies have demonstrated anti-cancer effects of metformin, leading to the proposal of numerous clinical trials to better understand this drug and its mechanism of action.

Previously experts believed metformin primarily targeted AMP-activated protein kinase …

Novel Role Of Intestinal Lipid Transport In Food Allergy And Cholesterol Homeostasis, Jianing Li

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences

The small intestine is the main organ for food digestion and nutrient absorption. It is constantly exposed to antigen and immunomodulatory agents from diet and commensal microbiota. Thus, the intestine is the largest compartment of the immune system in the body. Peanuts and many other allergen resources contain triglycerides, which may affect the antigen absorption through the intestine, but their effects on sensitization and anaphylaxis are unknown. We found that medium chain triglycerides (MCT) promoted antigen absorption into Peyer’s Patches, rather than into the blood directly. Both gavage and feeding of MCT plus peanut protein induced spontaneous allergic sensitization. MCT-sensitized …

The Role Of Apob-Containing Lipoproteins In Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm, Jing Liu

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a devastating disease that exhibits permanent lumen expansion typically in the infrarenal aorta. AAA is prevalent among aged population, especially in males. Despite the incidence in women is lower, studies indicate the tortuosity is more severe and aortic rupture risk is higher in women. In most patients, AAA remains asymptomatic until it ruptures leading to sudden and fatal hemorrhage.

To date, there is no proven medical therapy that can prevent the expansion or rupture. Human observational studies implicate the presence of AAA is associated with both high plasma low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) and low plasma high-density …

Tumor-Derived Proteins And Mitochondrial Dysfunction In Lung Cancer-Induced Cachexia, Julie B. Mclean

Theses and Dissertations--Physiology

Lung tumors secrete multiple factors that contribute to cachexia, a severe wasting syndrome that includes loss of muscle mass, weakness, and fatigue. 80% of advanced lung cancer patients experience cachexia, which cannot be reversed by nutritional interventions, diminishes response to and tolerance of cancer treatments, and increases morbidity and mortality. Despite a multitude of clinical trials, there are currently no approved treatments. This deficiency suggests that not all of the factors that contribute to cachexia have been identified.

Cancer is frequently accompanied by an increase in cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), a hallmark of inflammation. Clinical trials for COX-2 inhibitors have resulted in …

The Skeletal Muscle Molecular Clock Regulates The Timing Of Substrate Metabolism And The Circadian Expression Of Titin-Cap, Brian A. Hodge

Theses and Dissertations--Physiology

Skeletal muscle is a major contributor to whole-body metabolism as it serves as a depot for both glucose and amino acids, and is a highly metabolically active tissue. An intrinsic molecular clock mechanism exists within skeletal muscle that regulates the timing of physiological processes. A key function of the clock is to regulate the timing of metabolic processes to anticipate time of day changes in environmental conditions. The purpose of this study was to identify metabolic genes that are expressed in a circadian manner and determine if these genes are regulated downstream of the intrinsic molecular clock by assaying gene …

Global-Scale Analysis Of The Dynamic Transcriptional Adaptations Within Skeletal Muscle During Hypertrophic Growth, Tyler Kirby

Theses and Dissertations--Physiology

Skeletal muscle possesses remarkable plasticity in responses to altered mechanical load. An established murine model used to increase mechanical load on a muscle is the surgical removal of the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles, thereby placing a functional overload on the plantaris muscle. As a consequence, there is hypertrophic growth of the plantaris muscle. We used this model to study the molecular mechanisms regulating skeletal muscle hypertrophy.

Aged skeletal muscle demonstrates blunted hypertrophic growth in response to functional overload. We hypothesized that an alteration in gene expression would contribute to the blunted hypertrophic response observed with aging. However, the difference in …

A Comparative Life Cycle Assessment Of Denim Jeans And A Cotton T-Shirt: The Production Of Fast Fashion Essential Items From Cradle To Gate, Tara Hackett

Theses and Dissertations--Retailing and Tourism Management

As a result of harmful textile production, sustainability has become the movement by which the apparel industry explores solutions to improve procedures in fashion design to maintain a healthy environment. However, the issue is consumers trust the sustainability claims and marketing materials of apparel products at face value without knowing its environmental impact. The overall purpose of this research was to compare the environmental implications of widely produced and owned apparel products through a life cycle assessment approach. This life cycle assessment study examines key environmental impact categories of the materials and production phase (cradle to gate) of a pair …

A Long-Term Investigation Of The Federally Threatened Desert Tortoise (Gopherus Agassizii) At A Wind Energy Facility In Southern California, Mirza Mickey Agha

Theses and Dissertations--Forestry and Natural Resources

With the recent increase in utility-scale wind energy development and current climate variation in the desert southwest US, researchers have become increasingly concerned with the reaction of wildlife and critical habitat. Understanding the relationships among monitoring efforts, climate, industrial landscapes and wildlife is critical to effective management. Given the need for information available on how these potential stressors affect terrestrial wildlife, my objective was to determine how climate variation, wind energy facilities (WEF) and monitoring efforts by researchers influence behavior and survivorship in a population of the federally threatened desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii). Data were collected via surveys, …

An Investigation Into The Occurrence Of Batrachochytrium Dendrobatidis Infection In Plethodontid Salamander Communities Of Robinson Forest, Sarah H. Spaulding

Theses and Dissertations--Forestry and Natural Resources

Environmental and anthropogenic stressors negatively affect amphibians in a variety of ways, often increasing their vulnerability to pathogen infection and mortality. Sampling for the pathogenic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) was conducted in order to: 1) determine the presence of chytrid infection in stream-associated plethodontid salamanders of southeastern Kentucky, and 2) evaluate differences in infection intensity between salamanders residing in intact forest streams, timber-harvested streams, and surface-mined streams. During 14 sampling sessions occurring between March, April and May of 2013, DNA samples from 306 individual salamanders within 8 species from the family Plethodontidae were collected; additional amphibians (i.e. frogs, newts) were …