Digital Commons Network^™

Simulation Tools And Pastoral Resources Dynamics In Sahelian Area: The Senegalese Example, Alassane Bah, Ibra Touré, Alexandre Ickowicz, Amadou Tamsir Diop

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

No abstract provided.

Survey Of Dc-Dc Non-Isolated Topologies For Unidirectional Power Flow In Fuel Cell Vehicles, Mahajan Sagar Bhaskar, Vigna K. Ramachandaramurthy, Sanjeevikumar Padmanaban, Frede Blaabjerg, Dan M. Ionel, Massimo Mitolo, Dhafer Almakhles

Power and Energy Institute of Kentucky Faculty Publications

The automobile companies are focusing on recent technologies such as growing Hydrogen (H2) and Fuel Cell (FC) Vehicular Power Train (VPT) to improve the Tank-To-Wheel (TTW) efficiency. Benefits, the lower cost, `Eco' friendly, zero-emission and high-power capacity, etc. In the power train of fuel cell vehicles, the DC-DC power converters play a vital role to boost the fuel cell stack voltage. Hence, satisfy the demand of the motor and transmission in the vehicles. Several DC-DC converter topologies have proposed for various vehicular applications like fuel cell, battery, and renewable energy fed hybrid vehicles etc. Most cases, the DC-DC power converters …

The Centrality Of Disclosure Decisions To The Illness Experience For Youth With Chronic Conditions: A Qualitative Study, Roberta Lynn Woodgate, Pauline Tennent, Sarah C. Barriage, Nicole Legras

Information Science Faculty Publications

The aim of this paper is to illuminate findings of disclosure experiences for youth living with chronic illness using a non-categorical approach. The findings were derived from a larger qualitative study framed by social constructivist grounded theory that sought to understand youth's involvement in healthcare decision-making in the context of chronic illness. Fifty-four youth participated in the study, ranging from 9 to 24 years. Three main themes representing the youth's perspectives and experiences of disclosing chronic illness were identified: (1) disclosure is central to the illness experience; (2) spectrum of disclosure; and (3) navigating others' reactions to disclosure. The findings …

Tdp-43 Mediated Blood-Brain Barrier Permeability And Leukocyte Infiltration Promote Neurodegeneration In A Low-Grade Systemic Inflammation Mouse Model, Frank Zamudio, Anjanet R. Loon, Shayna Smeltzer, Khawla Benyamine, Nanda K. Navalpur Shanmugam, Nicholas J. F. Stewart, Daniel C. Lee, Kevin Nash, Maj-Linda B. Selenica

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Neuronal cytoplasmic inclusions containing TAR DNA-binding protein 43 (TDP-43) are a neuropathological feature of several neurodegenerative diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Emerging evidence also indicates that systemic inflammation may be a contributor to the pathology progression of these neurodegenerative diseases.

METHODS: To investigate the role of systemic inflammation in the progression of neuronal TDP-43 pathology, AAV9 particles driven by the UCHL1 promoter were delivered to the frontal cortex of wild-type aged mice via intracranial injections to overexpress TDP-43 or green fluorescent protein (GFP) in corticospinal motor neurons. Animals were then subjected …

A Rapid Assessment Technique To Evaluate Rangeland Health, Michael Pellant, Jeffrey E. Herrick, P. L. Shaver, F. Busby, D. A. Pyke

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

No abstract provided.

Neutrophil: A New Player In Metastatic Cancers, Mengyue Wu, Mutian Ma, Zhenya Tan, Hong Zheng, Xia Liu

Toxicology and Cancer Biology Faculty Publications

The interaction between cancer cells and immune cells is important for the cancer development. However, much attention has been given to T cells and macrophages. Being the most abundant leukocytes in the blood, the functions of neutrophils in cancer have been underdetermined. They have long been considered an “audience” in the development of cancer. However, emerging evidence indicate that neutrophils are a heterogeneous population with plasticity, and subpopulation of neutrophils (such as low density neutrophils, polymorphonuclear-myeloid-derived suppressor cells) are actively involved in cancer growth and metastasis. Here, we review the current understanding of the role of neutrophils in cancer development, …

Repurposing Anti-Inflammasome Nrtis For Improving Insulin Sensitivity And Reducing Type 2 Diabetes Development, Jayakrishna Ambati, Joseph Magagnoli, Hannah Leung, Shao-Bin Wang, Chris A. Andrews, Dongxu Fu, Akshat Pandey, Srabani Sahu, Siddharth Narendran, Shuichiro Hirahara, Shinichi Fukuda, Jian Sun, Lekha Pandya, Meenakshi Ambati, Felipe Pereira, Akhil Varshney, Tammy Cummings, James W. Hardin, Babatunde Edun, Charles L. Bennett, Kameshwari Ambati, Benjamin J. Fowler, Nagaraj Kerur, Christian Röver, Norbert Leitinger, Brian C. Werner, Joshua D. Stein, S. Scott Sutton, Bradley D. Gelfand

Ophthalmology and Visual Science Faculty Publications

Innate immune signaling through the NLRP3 inflammasome is activated by multiple diabetes-related stressors, but whether targeting the inflammasome is beneficial for diabetes is still unclear. Nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI), drugs approved to treat HIV-1 and hepatitis B infections, also block inflammasome activation. Here, we show, by analyzing five health insurance databases, that the adjusted risk of incident diabetes is 33% lower in patients with NRTI exposure among 128,861 patients with HIV-1 or hepatitis B (adjusted hazard ratio for NRTI exposure, 0.673; 95% confidence interval, 0.638 to 0.710; P < 0.0001; 95% prediction interval, 0.618 to 0.734). Meanwhile, an NRTI, lamivudine, improves insulin sensitivity and reduces inflammasome activation in diabetic and insulin resistance-induced human cells, as well as in mice fed with high-fat chow; mechanistically, inflammasome-activating short interspersed nuclear element (SINE) transcripts are elevated, whereas SINE-catabolizing DICER1 is reduced, in diabetic cells and mice. These data suggest the possibility of repurposing an approved class of drugs for prevention of diabetes.

Organic Field-Effect Transistors As Flexible, Tissue-Equivalent Radiation Dosimeters In Medical Applications, Andrew M. Zeidell, Tong Ren, David S. Filston, Hamna F. Iqbal, Emma Holland, J. Daniel Bourland, John E. Anthony, Oana D. Jurchescu

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Radiation therapy is one of the most prevalent procedures for cancer treatment, but the risks of malignancies induced by peripheral beam in healthy tissues surrounding the target is high. Therefore, being able to accurately measure the exposure dose is a critical aspect of patient care. Here a radiation detector based on an organic field‐effect transistor (RAD‐OFET) is introduced, an in vivo dosimeter that can be placed directly on a patient's skin to validate in real time the dose being delivered and ensure that for nearby regions an acceptable level of low dose is being received. This device reduces the errors …

Academic Libraries As Enablers To Prepare Graduate Students For Open Scholarship, Adrian K. Ho

Library Presentations

A plethora of digital tools have become available in the past decade to facilitate different tasks in the scholarly communication process. Meanwhile, research funders have established policies that require grant recipients to practice open scholarship by sharing their research deliverables online. Graduate students as junior scholars may feel overwhelmed due to their unfamiliarity with some digital tools and how to be in compliance with research funders’ requirements. To prepare them for academic success and open scholarship, academic libraries have partnered with graduate schools to educate students about scholarly communication issues.

With the focus on a public university in the U.S., …

Combining Agroecological Knowledge And Empirical Knowing To Build Pastoral Management Guidelines Within Multipurpose Land Use, D. Magda, N. Girard, P. Gascouat, D. Lassalle

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

No abstract provided.

Case Studies In Developing Rangeland Sustainability Indicators: Scale Matters, B. H. Allen‐Diaz, Lynn Huntsinger, J. W. Bartolome, L. D. Ford

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

No abstract provided.

Indicators Of Sustainability For Production And Biodiversity Conservation In Australian Rangelands, Margaret H. Friedel, G. N. Bastin, A. K. Smyth

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

No abstract provided.

Functional Search Problems Among Medline Databases, C. Sean Burns

Information Science Presentations

The National Library of Medicine's (NLM) MEDLINE database is the most important bibliographic database in the bio and related sciences. MEDLINE is freely accessible via the PubMed web interface, but NLM also licenses MEDLINE data to information service providers including EBSCOhost, ProQuest, Ovid, and Web of Science. The talk covers a longitudinal study of these five MEDLINE-based bibliographic database platforms. The goal of the study is to identify where and how these platforms differ when searched with semantically and logically equivalent search queries. The results have implications for literature searches, including systematic reviews.

Misinformation More Likely To Use Non-Specific Authority References: Twitter Analysis Of Two Covid-19 Myths, Joseph Mcglynn, Maxim Baryshevtsev, Zane A. Dayton

Communication Graduate Research

This research examines the content, timing, and spread of COVID-19 misinformation and subsequent debunking efforts for two COVID-19 myths. COVID-19 misinformation tweets included more non-specific authority references (e.g., “Taiwanese experts”, “a doctor friend”), while debunking tweets included more specific and verifiable authority references (e.g., the CDC, the World Health Organization, Snopes). Findings illustrate a delayed debunking response to COVID-19 misinformation, as it took seven days for debunking tweets to match the quantity of misinformation tweets. The use of non-specific authority references in tweets was associated with decreased tweet engagement, suggesting the importance of citing specific sources when refuting health misinformation.

Precision Pastoralism‐Advanced Systems For Management And Integration Of Livestock And Forage Resources In The Semi‐Arid Rangelands In South Eastern Australia, Ronald B. Hacker, T. J. Thompson, W. K. Murray, Yohannes Alemseged, P. K. Timmers

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

No abstract provided.

Mitochondrial Oxidative And Nitrosative Stress And Alzheimer Disease, D. Allan Butterfield, Debra Boyd-Kimball

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Oxidative and nitrosative stress are widely recognized as critical factors in the pathogenesis and progression of Alzheimer disease (AD) and its earlier stage, amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI). A major source of free radicals that lead to oxidative and nitrosative damage is mitochondria. This review paper discusses oxidative and nitrosative stress and markers thereof in the brain, along with redox proteomics, which are techniques that have been pioneered in the Butterfield laboratory. Selected biological alterations in—and oxidative and nitrosative modifications of—mitochondria in AD and MCI and systems of relevance thereof also are presented. The review article concludes with a section …

Everything Is Science: A Free City-Wide Science Festival, Jarrod W. Creameans, Michelle G. Pitts, Olivia White, Kellen M. Greenwell, Kristie Colón, Sylvie Garneau-Tsodikova, Vincent J. Venditto

Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

A week-long, city-wide science festival called Everything is Science (EiS) was developed to educate the community in an informal manner. The festival serves as a platform for presenters from diverse professions to give engaging talks (without PowerPoint slides) to the public, free of charge, in restaurants and bars around town. Over 350 people attended the events over 5 days with 33 presenters. Surveys completed by attendees and session coordinators indicate strong support for this festival. Altogether, the EiS festival serves as a no-cost method to engage with the community and improve science literacy with potential for adoption in other cities.

Managing Natural Grasslands In A Changing World: Grazing Ecology Insights To Accomplish Re‐Oriented Management Expectations, Paulo C. De F. Carvalho, Sila C. Da Silva, Carlos Nabinger, Anibal De Moraes, Teresa C. M. Genro

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

No abstract provided.

Forage News [2020-09], Department Of Plant And Soil Sciences, University Of Kentucky

Forage News

No abstract provided.

Breaking Up The Grade, Thomas R. Guskey

Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology Faculty Publications

To make grading more meaningful, course grades should reflect a range of distinct criteria that make up student learning.

Lessons Learned From Six Different Structural Health Monitoring Systems On Highway Bridges, Abheetha Peiris, Charlie Sun, Issam E. Harik

Kentucky Transportation Center Faculty and Researcher Publications

Structural health monitoring has been utilized in numerous ways to investigate the performance and integrity of highway bridges. This paper highlights the use of six structural health monitoring systems, which were deployed to monitor distinct behaviors on six bridges in Kentucky. The structural health monitoring systems are as follows: (1) Over-height truck impact detection and monitoring on the I-64 over US 60 bridge, (2) Barge impact detection and monitoring on northbound US 41 over the Ohio River, (3) effectiveness of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer retrofit evaluation based on prestressed concrete I-girder crack movement on the I-65 elevated expressway in Louisville, (4) …

Some Basics Of Capitalism And Socialism And Implications For Human Liberty, Morality, And Fairness, John Garen

Institute for the Study of Free Enterprise Working Papers

This essay outlines the big-picture aspects of capitalism and socialism, and uses this overview to discuss human liberty and economic liberty in each system. Additionally, I note that some have argued that capitalism is unfair or immoral and so I consider three specific and common moral standards in this regard. They are: (i) “From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs;” (ii) “People should get what they earn;” and (iii) “’Agreement without conformity’ or ‘conformity without agreement.’” Capitalism is centered on individual rights and private ownership, while socialism awards decision-making powers to government. The former is …

Teaching Undergraduates With Primary Sources 2020 Research Study Report, Jay-Marie Bravent, Deirdre Scaggs, Matthew Strandmark, Danielle Gabbard

Library Reports and White Papers

This report presents the findings of an exploratory examination of the pedagogical practices of social sciences and humanities instructors who teach undergraduates with primary sources at the University of Kentucky (UK). Conducted in December 2019 and January 2020 by a research team from the University of Kentucky Libraries Special Collections Research Center, the study reveals areas of success within existing programs and services, the benefits and drawbacks of teaching with digitized primary sources, as well as inherent pedagogical challenges to overcome. A list of recommendations based on the findings seeks to address these challenges and concludes the report. As part …

Pathways To Social Evolution And Their Evolutionary Feedbacks, Yimen G. Araya-Ajoy, David F. Westneat, Jonathan Wright

Biology Faculty Publications

In the context of social evolution, the ecological drivers of selection are the phenotypes of other individuals. The social environment can thus evolve, potentially changing the adaptive value for different social strategies. Different branches of evolutionary biology have traditionally focused on different aspects of these feedbacks. Here, we synthesize behavioral ecology theory concerning evolutionarily stable strategies when fitness is frequency dependent with quantitative genetic models providing statistical descriptions of evolutionary responses to social selection. Using path analyses, we review how social interactions influence the strength of selection and how social responsiveness, social impact, and non-random social assortment affect responses to …

Eight Essential Principles For Improving Grading, Susan Brookhart, Thomas R. Guskey, Jay Mctighe, Dylan Wiliam

Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology Faculty Publications

Done well, grading can play a key role in a balanced district assessment system.

Vulnerabilities To Online Social Network Identity Deception Detection Research And Recommendations For Mitigation, Max Ismailov, Michail Tsikerdekis, Sherali Zeadally

Information Science Faculty Publications

Identity deception in online social networks is a pervasive problem. Ongoing research is developing methods for identity deception detection. However, the real-world efficacy of these methods is currently unknown because they have been evaluated largely through laboratory experiments. We present a review of representative state-of-the-art results on identity deception detection. Based on this analysis, we identify common methodological weaknesses for these approaches, and we propose recommendations that can increase their effectiveness for when they are applied in real-world environments.

Calcineurin, Trevor P. Creamer

Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry Faculty Publications

The serine/threonine phosphatase calcineurin acts as a crucial connection between calcium signaling the phosphorylation states of numerous important substrates. These substrates include, but are not limited to, transcription factors, receptors and channels, proteins associated with mitochondria, and proteins associated with microtubules. Calcineurin is activated by increases in intracellular calcium concentrations, a process that requires the calcium sensing protein calmodulin binding to an intrinsically disordered regulatory domain in the phosphatase. Despite having been studied for around four decades, the activation of calcineurin is not fully understood. This review largely focuses on what is known about the activation process and highlights aspects …

Network Architecture For Generating A Labeled Overhead Image, Nathan Jacobs, Scott Workman

Computer Science Faculty Patents

A computer-implemented process is disclosed for generating a labeled overhead image of a geographical area. A plurality of ground level images of the geographical area is retrieved. A ground level feature map is generated, via a ground level convolutional neural network, based on features extracted from the plurality of ground level images. An overhead image of the geographical area is also retrieved. A joint feature map is generated, via an overhead convolutional neural network based on the ground level feature map and features extracted from the plurality of ground level images. Geospatial function values at a plurality of pixels of …

Barriers And Facilitators Of Parent Engagement With Health Promotion In Child Care: A Mixed-Methods Evaluation, Courtney T. Luecking, Phillip Dobson, Dianne S. Ward

Dietetics and Human Nutrition Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Early care and education providers cite lack of parent engagement as a central barrier to promoting healthy behaviors among young children. However, little research exists about factors influencing parent engagement with promoting healthy eating and activity behaviors in the this setting.

AIMS: This study aimed to address this gap by examining low and high parent engagement with the Healthy Me, Healthy We campaign to identify barriers and facilitators of parent engagement with the intervention.

METHOD: This comparative case study used an explanatory sequential mixed-methods approach. We created center-level parent engagement scores using process evaluation data from the effectiveness trial …

Scaling Realistic Fire Scenarios, James G. Quintiere

Progress in Scale Modeling, an International Journal

A review is made of work on scale modeling in fire and presented from the experience of the author. Primarily, scale modeling in air is discussed but there is a brief discussion of a scale model with salt and fresh water for smoke movement. A complete set of dimensionless groups is presented for fire, then it is illustrated how selections were made for the partial scaling of specific fire scenarios. Studies have been motivated by basic research interests as well as for fire investigations. The dynamics of floorcovering fire spread in a corridor is studied to reveal many features of …