Digital Commons Network^™

Restoration Of Tall Fescue Pastures To Native Warm Season Grasslands: Does A Fungal Endophyte Symbiosis Play A Role In Restoration Success?, Sarah Lynn Hall

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Tall fescue, a cool-season grass native to Europe, central Asia, and northern Africa, has been widely distributed throughout the U.S. for use as turf and forage. Following its widespread planting, its ability to associate with a toxic fungal endophyte, Neotyphodium coenophialum, was discovered. Research has linked this fescue-endophyte association with increased biotic and abiotic stress resistance in endophyte-infected (E+) versus endophyte-free (E-) plants, and these differences may affect the ability of land managers to eradicate tall fescue and restore native grasslands. I conducted three studies to examine whether E+ tall fescue plants respond differently to management than E- plants, …

Using Linked Household-Level Datasets To Explain Consumer Response To Bse In Canada, Xin Wang

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Household-level Canadian meat purchases from 2002-2008, a Food Opinions Survey conducted in 2008 at the national level and household-level egg purchases from 2002-2005 in Alberta and Ontario were used to explore consumer responses to Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) in Canada.

The opinions survey focused on nutritional priorities, general and specific food safety concerns, and trust in government and food industry decision makers. The egg data set contained specific product information allowing us to distinguish purchases of conventional eggs from those of value-added eggs with perceived health attributes. Thus, the egg purchase data appeared to be an interesting proxy of revealed …

Role Of Pi3k-Akt Pathway In The Age Associated Decline In Tlr Mediated Activation Of Innate And Adaptive Immune Responses, Mosoka Papa Fallah

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Immunosenescence results in reduced immune response to infections with Streptococcus pneumoniae as well as to pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccines. The antibody response to the capsular polysaccharide (CPS) provides protection against S. pneumoniae infection. CPS immunoresponse is T cell independent and needs the macrophage-derived cytokines such as IL-12, IL-6 and IL-1β to elicit an antibody response. We showed a cytokine dysregulation, i.e. a decrease in IL-12, IL-6 and TNF-α but an increase in IL-10, in the aged (18-24 months old comparable to >65 years in human) compared to young adult mouse (8-12 weeks less than 65 years old) splenic macrophages (SM) or …

Mississippi Period Occupational And Political History Of The Middle Savannah River Valley, Keith Stephenson

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Research focusing on the political economy of Mississippian mound centers in the middle Savannah River valley has prompted a reevaluation of current interpretations regarding societal complexity. I conclude the clearest expression of classic Mississippian riverine-adaptation is evident at centers immediately below the Fall Line with their political ties to chiefdom centers in the Piedmont, and especially Etowah. By contrast, those centers on the interior Coastal Plain were politically autonomous with minimal signatures in social ranking. The scale of appropriated labor and resulting level of surplus production, necessitated by upland settlement on the Aiken Plateau, fostered social contradictions making communally-oriented and …

Novel Mechanisms In Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Razvan I. Arsenescu

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative colitis, are idiopathic chronic conditions with multifactorial determinants. In general, terms, intestinal inflammation results from abnormal host-microbe interactions. Alterations in homeostasis involve host genetic factors, environmental cues and unique luminal microbial niches. We have examined the coordinated expressions of several molecular targets relevant to the mucosal immune system and identified signature biomarkers of IBD. Qualitative and quantitative changes in the composition of microbiota can be related to unique immuno-phenotypes. This in turn can have more systemic effects that involve energy metabolism. Adiponectin, an adipose tissue derived adipokine, can restore cellular ATP levels and …

The Ecology Of Disturbances And Global Change In The Montane Grasslands Of The Nilgiris, South India, Madhusudan P. Srinivasan

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Biodiversity rich regions worldwide face threats from various global change agents. This research quantifies environmental influences on vegetation, and the impacts of exotic woody plant invasion and anthropogenic nitrogen (N) deposition in a global biodiversity hotspot. The study was conducted in the montane grasslands of the Nilgiris, Western Ghats, and outlines potential management options for this region. Specifically, I examined (1) the role of environmental factors in influencing native plant distribution and ecosystem properties, (2) the status and impact of exotic shrub (Scotch broom, henceforth broom) invasion, (3) the role of disturbances in the success of broom, (4) the role …

Factors Influencing Community Response To Locally Undesirable Land Uses: A Case Study Of Bluegrass Stockyards, Terry Logan Lunsford

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Community development is an ongoing issue that faces communities as they develop. This is a case study where two communities where faced with an identical development proposal involving Bluegrass Stockyards. Bluegrass Stockyards a prominent livestock marketing business, located in Lexington, KY needed to relocate its facility and looked at communities in Lincoln and Woodford County Kentucky as possible new locations.

By looking at the case of Bluegrass Stockyards this study is able to use Conflict Theory, Growth Theory and Frame Analysis to look at the development process and issues that was associated with this development proposal. With the two communities …

Analysis Of Differential Gene Expression And Alternative Splicing In The Liver And Gastrointestinal Tract In The Lactating Rat, Antony Thomas Athippozhy

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Rat exon microarrays were utilized to detect changes in mRNA expression and alternative splicing in the liver, duodenum, jejunum, and ileum of the lactating rat when compared to age-matched virgin controls. Analysis of data at the level of gene expression revealed differential expression of genes involved in cholesterol biosynthesis in each tissue examined, suggesting increased Sterol Response Element Binding Protein activity. We also detected decreased mRNA from components of the T-cell signaling pathway in the jejunum and ileum. We characterized expression of solute carrier and adenosine triphosphate binding cassette proteins. In addition to characterizing genes by pathway, we have also …

Central Neural And Behavioral Correlates Of Voice Secondary To Induced Unilateral Vocal Fold Paralysis, Ashwini Joshi

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Understanding the involvement of the central nervous system (CNS) in voice production is essential to incorporating principles of neuroplasticity into therapeutic practice for voice disorders. Early steps to attaining this goal require the identification of specific neural biomarkers of the changes occurring in the CNS from a voice disorder and its subsequent treatment. In the absence of an adequate animal vocalization model, the larynx has not been acutely and reversibly perturbed to concurrently examine the effect on both peripheral and central processing of the altered input/output.

Using a unique, reversible perturbation approach, it was the purpose of this study to …

Seeing Subjects: Recognition, Identity, And Visual Cultures In Literary Modernism, George Micajah Phillips

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Seeing Subjects plots a literary history of modern Britain that begins with Dorian Gray obsessively inspecting his portrait’s changes and ends in Virginia Woolf’s visit to the cinema where she found audiences to be “savages watching the pictures.” Focusing on how literature in the late-19^th and 20^th centuries regarded images as possessing a shaping force over how identities are understood and performed, I argue that modernists in Britain felt mediated images were altering, rather than merely representing, British identity. As Britain’s economy expanded to unprecedented imperial reach and global influence, new visual technologies also made it possible to …

Evaluation Of Natural Antimicrobial Phenolic Compounds Against Foodborne Pathogens, Hayriye Cetin-Karaca

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Raw and processed foods are vulnerable to contamination during their production, distribution and sale. Thus, a wide variety of chemical preservatives are used in the food industry to prevent the growth of food spoilage and pathogenic bacteria. However, health and economic concerns have led to an intensive search for natural alternatives, such as plant extracts, that can safely be used as substitutes for synthetic antimicrobials and preservatives to partially or completely inhibit the growth of bacteria.

This study evaluated the antimicrobial effects of natural phenolic compounds extracted from vegetables, fruits, herbs and spices. The main objective was to determine the …

Artificial Neural Network Based Fault Location For Transmission Lines, Suhaas Bhargava Ayyagari

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

This thesis focuses on detecting, classifying and locating faults on electric power transmission lines. Fault detection, fault classification and fault location have been achieved by using artificial neural networks. Feedforward networks have been employed along with backpropagation algorithm for each of the three phases in the Fault location process. Analysis on neural networks with varying number of hidden layers and neurons per hidden layer has been provided to validate the choice of the neural networks in each step. Simulation results have been provided to demonstrate that artificial neural network based methods are efficient in locating faults on transmission lines and …

Gastronomy And Otherness In Alphonso X’S Works: Food Identities In Cartography, Dianne Burke Moneypenny

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

This thesis investigates Alphonso X's General Estoria, Estoria de Espanna, Cantigas de Santa María, Siete Partidas, and other writings in the alphonsine corpus to illustrate the concept of classification through diet. The work of this thesis is to reveal the gastronomic connections between central and peripheral relations in cartography. Through food symbolism and dietary behaviors, cuisine functions as the purveyor of an unrivalled sketch of a text’s characters and the social conditions of the text’s production. Once unraveled, these highly socialized norms of consumption confirm that diet and identity are inextricably linked and lead to a greater understanding of medieval …

Modeling And Quantitative Analysis Of White Matter Fiber Tracts In Diffusion Tensor Imaging, Xuwei Liang

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is a structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique to record incoherent motion of water molecules and has been used to detect micro structural white matter alterations in clinical studies to explore certain brain disorders. A variety of DTI based techniques for detecting brain disorders and facilitating clinical group analysis have been developed in the past few years. However, there are two crucial issues that have great impacts on the performance of those algorithms. One is that brain neural pathways appear in complicated 3D structures which are inappropriate and inaccurate to be approximated by simple 2D structures, …

The Absence Of Abcd2 Reveals A Novel Role For Peroxisomes In The Protection From Metabolic Syndrome, Jingjing Liu

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

ABCD2 (D2) is a peroxisomal ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporter that is expressed in brain, adrenal and liver. D2 is transcriptionally regulated by key transcriptional factors that control lipid and glucose metabolism. Therefore, we examined its role in adipose tissue. These studies revealed that D2 is highly abundant in adipose tissue and upregulated during adipogenesis. However, D2 deficiency does not affect either adipogenesis or lipid accumulation. An examination of the lipid profile of adipose tissue revealed the accumulation of C20 and C22 fatty acids in D2 deficient (D2‐/‐) mice. When challenged with a diet enriched in erucic acid (C22:1, 10% …

Conceptualizing And Improving Red Wine Grape Cultivars Grown In Kentucky, Matthew Simson

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Wine sensory attributes are associated with quality of wines. Cabernet Franc did not possess good coloration of its wine. Therefore, in the 2009 and 2010 growing seasons, studies including the sampling of four red wine grape cultivars from the end of flowering throughout the rest of the season and applying treatments to Cabernet Franc grapevines at veraison were commenced to address suitability and color enhancement, respectively. The study examining Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chambourcin, and Norton looked at sampling their grapes at two-week intervals from times post-flowering to understand the demands of each cultivar during key stages of berry development, …

Cooperative And Antagonistic Roles For Heterochromatin Proteins In Transcriptional Regulation Of The Drosophila Sex Determination Masterswitch Gene, Hui Li

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

HOAP was originally identified as a component of an ORC-containing multi-protein complex of Heterochromatin Protein 1 (HP1) from early Drosophila embryos. HOAP immunostaining showed prominent association of it with telomeres, and mutants for HOAP (cav¹) showed it functions along with HP1 in forming a telomere capping complex that prevents telomeric fusions.

Weaker HOAP immunostaining is also observed in regions of pericentric heterochromatin and euchromatin. To examine the role of HOAP at these non-telomeric sites, we applied Affymetric Drosophila Genome Arrays to undertake a microarray expression profiling study of genes that are mis-expressed in cav¹ mutant larvae. The …

Political Economy Of Exotic Trade On The Mississippian Frontier: A Case Study Of A Fourteenth Century Chiefdom In Southwestern Virginia, Maureen Elizabeth Siewert Meyers

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Although the Mississippian culture area has been studied for decades, the frontier of the Mississippian region is less understood. Various Mississippian frontiers appear to have been important for the obtainment of trade goods which were important symbols of chiefly power. Studying these frontiers will allow archaeologists to better understand the emergence and maintenance of power within Southeastern chiefdoms. This dissertation explores one frontier site, Carter Robinson (44LE10) in southwestern Virginia, and its role in Southern Appalachian chiefdom power through its control of trade at the border. This research identifies ceramic and non-utilitarian markers of trade and identifies changes at the …

The Effects Of Nutritionally‐Modulated Prepartum Bcs On Pre‐ And Postpartum Metabolic Responses, In Vitro Lipid Metabolism And Performance Of Multiparous Beef Cows, Melissa Dale Hudson

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Increased BCS at calving due to nutritional manipulation during the prepartum period resulted in greater mobilization of body fat after calving, regardless of plane of nutrition during the last 60 d of gestation. Although fatter cows were shown to have greater mobilization of reserves during the postpartum period, they maintained greater BCS at all points from calving to weaning compared to cows calving with fewer reserves at calving. A unique finding of this experiment was that the variation in BCS at calving was positively associated with BCS loss for cows fed to accrete BC during the prepartum period but was …

Nation, Fantasy, And Mimicry: Elements Of Political Resistance In Postcolonial Indian Cinema, Aparajita Sengupta

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

In spite of the substantial amount of critical work that has been produced on Indian cinema in the last decade, misconceptions about Indian cinema still abound. Indian cinema is a subject about which conceptions are still muddy, even within prominent academic circles. The majority of the recent critical work on the subject endeavors to correct misconceptions, analyze cinematic norms and lay down the theoretical foundations for Indian cinema. This dissertation conducts a study of the cinema from India with a view to examine the extent to which such cinema represents an anti-colonial vision. The political resistance of Indian films to …

The Response Of Tall Fescue And Its Fungal Endophyte To Climate Change, Glade Blythe Brosi

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Tall fescue is the most common cool-season grass in the eastern USA, with broad economic and ecological importance to the region. Tall fescue is known to associate with a fungal endophyte, Neotyphodium coenophialum, whose presence can decrease biotic and abiotic stress experienced by the plant. This thesis evaluates the response of tall fescue and the fungal endophyte symbiosis to predicted climate change. I participated in two multi-factor climate change projects where I investigated the response of tall fescue tissue chemistry and growth to various climate change factors. Endophyte-infected (E+) tall fescue had decreased alkaloid production under elevated CO_{2 …}

Optimization Of Coagulation And Syneresis Processes In Cheesemaking Using A Light Backscatter Sensor Technology, Tatiana Gravena Ferreira

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Curd syneresis, a critical step in cheesemaking, directly influences the quality of cheese. The syneresis process is empirically controlled in cheese manufacturing plants. A sensor technology for this step would improve process control and enhance cheese quality. A light backscatter sensor with a Large Field of View (LFV) was tested using a central composite design over a broad range of cheese process conditions including milk pH, calcium chloride addition level, milk fat to protein ratio, temperature, and a cutting time factor (β). The research objectives were to determine if the LFV sensor could monitor coagulation and syneresis steps …

Effects Of Adipogenic Compounds On Growth Performance, Hormonal Status And Fat Deposition Of Finishing Beef Steers, Susanna Elizabeth Kitts

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Processes that regulate site of fat deposition in beef cattle are poorly understood. For the producer to procure the greatest profit, it is ideal to maximize intramuscular fat. Furthermore, to understand the physiological mechanisms affecting fat depots, it is necessary to evaluate hormones involved in growth regulation. Using a 2 x 2 factorial design of treatments, four experiments were conducted to examine two adipogenic compounds, chlortetracycline and dexamethasone. Synovex-S® and Revalor-S® were used to investigate potential interactions between growth implants and adipogenic compound. Growth performance, carcass quality, organ and fat mass and plasma hormone concentrations were measured in these studies. …

Analyzing Educational Attainments And Occupational Outcomes Of Tibetan Refugees Living In India, Tenzin Palkyi

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Opportunities of mass education are a relatively new phenomenon in the Tibetan community. Following the incidents of 1959, the Dalai Lama and thousands of Tibetans fled into India. Mass education was implemented and sustained within the Tibetan community for the first time. The goal of this exploratory research is to study the impact of mass education on the first generations of Tibetans who experienced it in exile. This study analyzes the gendered pattern in subjects students choose to pursue, their educational attainment and the kinds of jobs they assume after graduation. The study presents a quantitative analysis of data spanning …

The Role Of The Nr4a Orphan Nuclear Receptor Nor1 In Vascular Cells And Atherosclerosis, Yue Zhao

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

The neuron-derived orphan receptor 1 (NOR1) belongs to the NR4A nuclear receptor subfamily. As an immediate early response gene, NOR1 is rapidly induced by a broad spectrum of physiological and pathological signals. Functional studies demonstrate NOR1 as a constitutively active ligand-independent nuclear receptor whose transcriptional activity is dependent on both expression level and posttranslational modifications. To date, an increasing number of studies have demonstrated a pivotal role of NOR1 in the transcriptional control of metabolism and the development of cardiovascular diseases.

In this dissertation, we demonstrate NOR1 expression in endothelial cells and sub-endothelial cells of human atherosclerotic lesions. In response …

Investigation Of The Toxicity And Efflux Of Polychlorinated Biphenyls And Hydroxylated Polychlorinated Biphenyls In Escherichia Coli, Shen Geng

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are persistent organic pollutants. Due to their properties, PCBs accumulate in the food-chain and post a threat to the health of human beings and wildlife. Hydroxylated PCBs (OH-PCBs) are oxidative metabolites of PCBs and are more hydrophilic than their parent PCBs. One of the best approaches to break down these contaminants is through bioremediation, which is an environmental friendly process that uses microorganisms to restore natural environment.

Towards this goal, we have investigated the toxicity and accumulation of PCBs and OH-PCBs in a Gram-negative bacterium, Escherichia coli. We have also determined the role played by a …

Comparison Of Digestive Function In Young And Mature Horses, Jennifer Elizabeth Earing

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

While forage plays an important role in equine nutrition, little research has been conducted evaluating fiber utilization by young horses. Therefore, studies were conducted to compare in vivo digestibility and digesta passage in weanlings and mature horses (Exp 1) and yearlings and mature horses (Exp 2). All horses were fed forage-based diets at the same rate (on a metabolic BW basis; Exp 1: 67% alfalfa cubes, 33% concentrate; Exp 2: 75% timothy cubes, 25% concentrate). Ytterbium labeled hay and cobalt-ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid were used to estimate digesta mean retention time (MRT), while in vivo digestibility (DM, OM, and NDF) was measured …

Use Of Copper Sulfate To Control Haemonchus Contortus Infestation In Hampshire Ewes, Melinda Mallory Simpson

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Two studies were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of using copper sulfate (CuSO₄) as a drench in Hampshire ewes to control stomach worms (Haemonchus contortus).

A study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of CuSO₄ to control gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) over a three year period. Ewes were FAMACHA scored, hematocrit evaluated for packed cell volume (PCV), and fecal egg counts (FEC) were determined from 2007 through 2009. Ewes received only CuSO₄ to control GIN. Ewes with FEC exceeding 6,000 eggs/g feces were drenched.

A separate study during the summer of 2008 assessed the potential …

Androgen Increases Angiotensin Receptor Type 1a On Smooth Muscle Cells To Promote Angiotensin Ii-Induced Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms, Xuan Zhang

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine whether androgen promotes AT1aR expression on smooth muscle to confer high prevalence of AngII-induced AAAs in hyperlipidemic mice. In addition, we also investigate the role of androgen in the progression of established AngII-induced AAAs.

First, we sought to examine the role of endogenous androgen in the growth of established AngII-induced AAAs. By castrating male mice, we demonstrated that removal of endogenous androgen significantly decreased the progressive lumen dilation of established AngII-induced AAAs in male ApoE-/- mice, but had no effect on external AAA diameters. These results suggest that androgen contributes to the …

Effects Of Corticosterone And Ethanol Co-Exposure On Hippocampal Toxicity: Potential Role For The Nmda Nr2b Subunit, Tracy Renee Butler

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Chronic ethanol (EtOH) exposure produces neuroadaptations within the NMDA receptor system and alterations in HPA axis functioning that contribute to neurodegeneration during ethanol withdrawal (EWD). Chronic EtOH exposure and EWD, as well as corticosteroids, also promote increased synthesis and release of polyamines, which allosterically potentiate NMDA receptor open-channel time at the NR2B subunit. The current studies investigated effects of 10 day EtOH and corticosterone (CORT) co-exposure on toxicity during EWD in rat organotypic hippocampal slice cultures, and alterations in function and/or density of the NR2B subunit of the NMDA receptor that may mediate CORT-potentiation of toxicity during EWD. We hypothesized …