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The Contribution Of Two Related Bbp-Binding Gyf Proteins, Smy2 And Syh1, To Cellular Rna Abundance And Genome Stability, Min Chen

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

Nuclear precursor of mature messenger RNA (pre-mRNA) splicing is one of the most highly regulated processes in eukaryotic organisms. In addition to its role in the removal of constitutive or alternative introns present in the pre-mRNA, splicing is also highly integrated into other layers of gene expression. This study investigates the potential role of the nuclear branchpoint binding protein (BBP) outside of the pre-mRNA splicing cycle. More specifically, we were interested in the biological relevance of its association with two cytoplasmic proteins Smy2 and Syh1. Smy2 and Syh1 belong to the GYF family of poly-proline binding proteins, and their roles …

Distribution And Impacts Of Petroleum Hydrocarbons In Louisiana Tidal Marsh Sediments Following The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Rachel S. Hatch

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

Following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon (DWH) spill, sediment cores were analyzed from marshes at various levels of oiling to determine how deeply oil penetrated sediment in these marsh environments, and if at these sites it had quantifiably affected benthic ecosystems. Minimum mixing depths were determined from penetration of the lithogenic radionuclide ²³⁴Th, which ranged from 0.25 to 4.5 cm. Sediment accumulation rates were determined using ²¹⁰Pb, with verification from ¹³⁷Cs in selected cores. Lead-210 profiles revealed long-term (decadal) mixing. Bay Jimmy, Louisiana was significantly affected by the DWH oil spill, as indicated by total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon …

Mobile Health Technology And Health Behavior: A Look Into The Workplace Setting, Rachel C. Bolin

Theses and Dissertations--Community & Leadership Development

Obesity is a widespread topic across the country as healthcare costs continue to rise. The field of health communication encompasses many efforts made by scholars and those working in health education and promotion to help individuals live healthier lives. As technology continues to evolve, e-health and mobile health programs are being explored as creative avenues for this endeavor. This study takes a mixed methods approach consisting of an experiment and a series of in-depth interviews. Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior, the experiment examines the effects of a popular mobile phone application, “my fitness pal,” on the users’ attitude, …

Identifying Risk And Protective Factors Of Preparatory And Non-Preparatory Students In Agricultural Education Programs Of A Rural Kentucky High School, Randy J. Adams

Theses and Dissertations--Community & Leadership Development

Today there is an increased demand for secondary agriculture education programs to prepare students to be college and career ready through a program of study. The purpose of this study was to identify risk and protective factors of preparatory and non-preparatory students within an agriculture education program at Anderson County High School in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky. The results of this study did not determine that there was a difference in risk and protective factors between preparatory and non-preparatory students within agriculture education courses. The study concluded that students among both categories were equally exposed to risks such as family conflict and …

Impact Of Transformational Leadership: Exploring The Transformational Leadership Qualities Of Selected Secondary Agriculture Teachers, Ryan H. Thomas

Theses and Dissertations--Community & Leadership Development

The purpose of this study is to determine if transformational leadership styles of agriculture teachers in Jessamine County has an impact on successful transitions of program completers. To be more specific, the focus was to look at agriculture teachers at Jessamine Career and Technology Center (JCTC) to see if they exhibit components of transformational leadership. If so, does transformational leadership of those teachers assist students with successful transitions after graduation? Successful transition is deemed by the Kentucky Department of Education as students that seek post-secondary education, employed full-time or enlist in a branch of armed services.

The population for this …

Analyzing Healthy, Local Food Systems: A Case Study Of Owensboro, Kentucky, Callie Hayden

Theses and Dissertations--Community & Leadership Development

Across the US, support is ever-growing for the local food movement. This growing trend promotes food security, supports farming families, ensures universal access to safe and healthy food products, enhances local economies, and encourages environmental and social well-being. People around the US are implementing sustainable local food systems as a means of meeting their individual community’s needs. While this movement is being popularized dramatically around the world, many cities and regions have yet to address it. This study reviews the existing literature on local food system models in an effort to answer the research question: What are the “ingredients” of …

Investigation Of Media Ingredients And Water Sources For Algae Co2 Capture At Different Scales To Demonstrate The Correlations Between Lab-Scale And Large-Scale Growth, Tabitha Graham

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

As energy use increases globally the environmental burdens increase alike. Many accusations have been made that carbon dioxide is a culprit of climate change. The University of Kentucky and Duke Energy Power have partnered to test carbon capture technology in a large scale project. To this end, the objective of this thesis is to investigate potential water media sources and nutrient sources at different volume scales for algae cultivation to help create a more environmentally viable and economically feasible solution. This work will conduct a life cycle assessment of water media sources and the effects of the inputs and outputs …

Hydrologic Characterization Of A Rain Garden Mitigating Stormwater Runoff From A Commercial Area, John T. Mcmaine

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Impervious surfaces such as roads, sidewalks, and roofs increase the volume of runoff generated in a watershed. Traditional stormwater management techniques emphasize conveyance of runoff away from impervious surfaces in order to reduce flooding. Rain gardens are becoming popular as a different means to manage stormwater in such a way that runoff is captured and infiltrated onsite rather than conveyed offsite. A stormwater management system consisting of a rainwater harvest system, rain garden, and infiltration chamber was built at the Coca-Cola Refreshments USA, Inc. distribution center in Lexington, Kentucky during the fall of 2011. Precipitation, inflow, and water level were …

Nutrients Recycling Strategy For Microalgae-Based Co2 Mitigation System, Xinyi E

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Coal-fired electricity production is the major emitter of CO₂ and other greenhouse gases including NO_x and SO_x. Microalgae-based CO₂ mitigation systems have been proposed to reduce the net CO₂ emission from coal-fired power plants. This study focused on developing an optimum culture media and exploring the possibilities for recycling nutrients, which were added as commercial mineralized chemicals at the beginning of cultivation.

In order to release the nutrients embedded in the cells so that they can be used as a nutrient source for new cells, Scenedesmus biomass was digested by anaerobic bacteria. Results showed …

Changes In Sleep Architecture And Cognition With Age And Psychosocial Stress: A Study In Fischer 344 Rats, Heather M. Buechel

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences

Changes in both sleep architecture and cognition are common with age. Typically these changes have a negative connotation: sleep fragmentation, insomnia, and deep sleep loss as well as forgetfulness, lack of focus, and even dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Research has shown that psychosocial stressors, such as isolation from family and friends or loss of a loved one can also have significant negative effects on sleep architecture and cognitive capabilities. This leaves the elderly in a particularly vulnerable situation: suffering from cognitive decline and sleep dysregulation already, and more likely to respond negatively to psychosocial stressors. Taking all of these factors …

Sex Differences In Cell Death And Steroid Hormone Receptors In Cortical Explants, Amanda L. Trout

Theses and Dissertations--Physiology

Estrogens, such as the biologically active 17-b estradiol (E2) have many actions in the male and female brain. Not only does E2 regulate reproductive behavior in adults, it organizes and activates the brains of younger animals in a sex-specific manner. In addition, many human studies have shown E2 to provide protection against a variety of neurological disorders, including stoke. These studies have been controversial and depend largely on the type and timing of hormone replacement. Animal studies are much less controversial and clearly demonstrate a neuroprotective role for E2 following ischemic brain injury. Because much of E2 neuroprotection requires sex …

Mechanistic Basis For Atrial And Ventricular Arrhythmias Caused By Kcnq1 Mutations, Daniel C. Bartos

Theses and Dissertations--Physiology

Cardiac arrhythmias are caused by a disruption of the normal initiation or propagation of electrical impulses in the heart. Hundreds of mutations in genes encoding ion channels or ion channel regulatory proteins are linked to congenital arrhythmia syndromes that increase the risk for sudden cardiac death. This dissertation focuses on how mutations in a gene (KCNQ1) that encodes a voltage-gated K⁺ ion channel (Kv7.1) can disrupt proper channel function and lead to abnormal repolarization of atrial and ventricular cardiomyocytes.

In the heart, Kv7.1 coassembles with a regulatory protein to conduct the slowly activating delayed rectifier K^{+ …}

A Tale Of Two Envys: A Social Network Perspective On The Consequences Of Workplace Social Comparison, Christopher M. Sterling

Theses and Dissertations--Management

My dissertation examines how individuals respond to workplace social comparisons. I measure the explicit set of referent others that individuals compare themselves against in order to evaluate their own level of performance. I examine how the social context of these comparisons impact discretionary performance related behaviors by examining how an individual’s position within a social network and the structural characteristics of an individual’s reference group influences the experience of discrete emotions. Specifically, I examine how malicious envy and benign envy mediate the relationship between social comparison and workplace behavior in a field setting. Results indicate that social network structure plays …

Assessing Self-Efficacy Of Cultural Competence With Lesbian, Gay, And Bisexual Clients: A Comparison Of Training Methods With Graduate Social Work Students, Steven D. Johnson

Theses and Dissertations--Social Work

Graduate social work students are mandated to be cultural competent to work with lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) clients. This exploratory study examined how best to teach graduate social work students to be culturally competent in working with LGB clients by assessing their perceived competence of attitudes, knowledge and skills as well as their demonstrated competence through case vignettes.

The study compared a current pedagogical method of infusing LGB material across the curricula with two types of brief trainings (didactic lecture and experiential) . This mixed methods study utilized a pretest/posttest design to examine the effects of the trainings as …

Rampage School Shootings: A Content Analysis Of Media And Scholarly Accounts Of Perpetration Factors Associated With The Phenomenon, Philip Mongan

Theses and Dissertations--Social Work

When school shootings occur in primary or secondary schools they draw a massive amount of media attention. Frequently, after the shooting stops, the media begins to prognosticate about the factors that led to the occurrence of the tragedy. However, there is a dearth of research examining those factors that are perpetuated by the media, as well as the factors that are most discussed in scholarly publications. Therefore, the aim of this research project was to explore the perpetration factors that have been perpetuated by the media, and compare those to the perpetration factors that are most frequently discussed by researchers. …

A Framework For Understanding The Public's Perspectives Of Mining Applied To The Kentucky Coal Industry, Joshua M. Hoffman

Theses and Dissertations--Mining Engineering

People’s perceptions of mining are heavily based on the media they consume and the messages therein. News outlets ordinarily report on mining only when there is an accident or environmental concern. When messages that the public is exposed to are negative, it is no wonder that there are negative perceptions about mining.

Current public relations campaigns on the behalf of specific companies or select sectors do exist; however, this is often a reactionary move in response to recent shifts in the socio-political environment. The details of these campaigns are often tied up in proprietary information or withheld by public relations …

Enhanced Phosphate Flotation Using Novel Depressants, Lingyu Zhang

Theses and Dissertations--Mining Engineering

Froth flotation is the most efficient method for phosphate separation, which is a physic-chemical separation process based on the difference of surface properties between the valuable minerals and unwanted gangue minerals. However, the presence of clay slimes in the slurry after grinding consumes a large amount of reagents, decreases the collision probability between bubbles and minerals, prevents phosphate particle attachment to air bubbles, and thus considerably reduces flotation recovery and concentrate grade. Georgia Pacific Chemical, LLC has recently developed novel depressants, i.e., clay binders, which are a series of low molecular weight specialty polymers to help improve phosphate flotation performance …

Assessing And Mitigating Airborne Noise From Power Generation Equipment, Limin Zhou

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

This dissertation examines the assessment and mitigation of airborne noise from power generation equipment.

The first half of the dissertation investigates the diagnosis and treatment of combustion oscillations in boilers. Sound is produced by the flame and is reflected downstream from the combustion chamber. The reflected sound waves perturb the mixture flow or equivalence ratio increasing the heat release pulsations and the accompanying sound produced by the flame. A feedback loop model for determining the likelihood of and diagnosing combustion oscillations was reviewed, enhanced, and then validated. The current work applies the feedback loop stability model to two boilers, which …

Advanced Studies On Transfer Impedance With Application To After-Treatment Devices And Micro-Perforated Panel Absorbers, Xin Hua

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

This work is primarily comprised of five self-contained papers. Three papers are applications oriented. A common element in the first three papers is that micro-perforated panels (MPP), the permeable membranes in diesel particulate filters, and a source impedance are all modeled as a transfer impedance. The first paper deals with enhancing the performance of micro-perforated panels by partitioning the backing cavity. Several different backing schemes are considered which enhance the performance without increasing the total volume of the MPP and backing. In the second paper, a finite element modeling approach is used to model diesel particulate filters below and above …

Experimental Investigation To Inform Optimal Configurations For Dynamic Near-Field Passive Uhf Rfid Systems, Donnie E. Proffitt Ii

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

RFID has been characterized as a “disruptive technology” that has the potential to revolutionize numerous key sectors. A key advantage of passive RFID applications is the ability to wirelessly transmit automatic identification and related information using very little power. This paper presents an experimental investigation to inform the optimal configuration for programming passive ultra-high frequency (UHF) RFID media in dynamic applications. Dynamic programming solutions must be designed around the tag’s functionality, the physical programming configuration and environment. In this investigation, we present a methodology to determine an optimal configuration to maximize the systems programming efficiency for dynamic applications.

Defining The Role Of Reactive Oxygen Species, Nitric Oxide, And Sphingolipid Signaling In Tumor Necrosis Factor - Induced Skeletal Muscle Weakness, Shawn Stasko

Theses and Dissertations--Physiology

In many chronic inflammatory diseases, patients suffer from skeletal muscle weakness, exacerbating their symptoms. Serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF) and sphingomyelinase are increased, suggesting their possible role in the progression of this weakness. This dissertation focuses on the role that reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO) play in mediating TNF-induced skeletal muscle weakness and to what extent sphingolipid signaling mediates cellular response to TNF.

The first aim of this work was to identify which endogenous oxidant species stimulated by TNF contributes to skeletal muscle weakness. In C57BL/6 mice (n=38), intraperitoneal injection of TNF elicited a 25% …

Influence Of Coping Styles On Emotional State, Illness Perception, And Information Sources Of Men With Prostate Cancer, Gwendolyn M. Hooper

Theses and Dissertations--Nursing

Prostate cancer (PCa) has been the leading cause of cancer death in men since1930. While studies pertaining to PCa have primarily focused on the disease and the subsequent side effects of treatment, psychological distress in this group has yet to be adequately addressed. The purpose of this dissertation was to: 1) conceptualize health related quality of life (HRQL) and health seeking behavior of men by describing lifestyle, cultural and health risks associated with being male, 2) evaluate the psychometric properties of the SF-12 Health Survey (SF-12) combined with the urinary and sexual portions of the UCLA PCa Index (UCLA-PCI), 3) …

The Factors That Influence Duration Of Exclusive Breastfeeding: A Mixed Methods Design, Roxanne K. Bowman

Theses and Dissertations--Nursing

Breastfeeding is the gold standard of infant feeding and its benefits extend beyond the mother and child. Multiple organizations recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of an infant’s life. Exclusive breastfeeding rates nationally and in the state of Kentucky fall below the Healthy People 2020 goals. A mother’s intention to breastfeed has been shown to impact actual breastfeeding behavior. The current state of the measurement of intention was explored through a literature review. A majority of the measures were single item scales. The reliability and validity of the scales should be further tested in diverse populations.

The purposes …

Preclinical And Clinical Development Of The Lipophilic Camptothecin Analogue Ar-67, Eleftheria Tsakalozou

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

AR-67 is a lipophilic third generation camptothecin analogue, currently under early stage clinical trials. It acts by targeting Topoisomerase 1 (Top1), a nuclear enzyme essential for DNA replication and transcription and is present in two forms, the pharmacologically active lipophilic lactone and the charged carboxylate. In oncology patients participating in a phase I clinical trial, AR-67 lactone was the predominant species in plasma. Similarly to other camptothecins, the identified dose-limiting toxicities for AR-67 were neutropenia, thrombocytopenia and fatigue. In addition, in vitro metabolism studies indicated AR-67 lactone as a substrate for CYP3A4/5 as well as the UGT1A7 and UGT1A8 enzymes …

The Critical Role Of Mechanism-Based Models For Understanding And Predicting Liposomal Drug Loading, Binding And Release Kinetics, Sweta Modi

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

Liposomal delivery systems hold considerable promise for improvement of cancer therapy provided that critical formulation design criteria can be met. The main objective of the current project was to enable quality by design in the formulation of liposomal delivery systems by developing comprehensive, mechanism-based mathematical models of drug loading, binding and release kinetics that take into account not only the therapeutic requirement but the physicochemical properties of the drug, the bilayer membrane, and the intraliposomal microenvironment.

Membrane binding of the drug affects both drug loading and release from liposomes. The influence of bilayer composition and phase structure on the partitioning …

Amalgamation Of Nucleosides And Amino Acids In Antibiotic Biosynthesis, Sandra H. Barnard

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

The rapid increase in antibiotic resistance demands the identification of novel antibiotics with novel targets. One potential antibacterial target is the biosynthesis of peptidoglycan cell wall, which is both ubiquitous and necessary for bacterial survival. Both the caprazamycin-related compounds A-90289 and muraminomicin, as well as the capuramycin-related compounds A-503083 and A-102395 are potent inhibitors of the translocase I enzyme, one of the key enzymes required for cell wall biosynthesis. The caprazamycin-related compounds contain a core nonproteinogen b-hydroxy-a-amino acid referred to as 5’-C-glycyluridine (GlyU). Residing within the biosynthetic gene clusters of the aforementioned compounds is a shared open reading …

The Pharmacokinetics Of Metal-Based Engineered Nanomaterials, Focusing On The Blood-Brain Barrier, Mo Dan

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

Metal-based engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) have potential to revolutionize diagnosis, drug delivery and manufactured products, leading to greater human ENM exposure. It is crucial to understand ENM pharmacokinetics and their association with biological barriers such as the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Physicochemical parameters such as size and surface modification of ENMs play an important role in ENM fate, including their brain association. Multifunctional ENMs showed advantages across the highly regulated BBB. There are limited reports on ENM distribution among the blood in the brain vasculature, the BBB, and brain parenchyma.

In this study, ceria ENM was used to study the effect of …

Formulation Optimization For Pore Lifetime Enhancement And Sustained Drug Delivery Across Microneedle Treated Skin, Priyanka Ghosh

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

Microneedle (MN) enhanced drug delivery is a safe, effective and efficient enhancement method for delivery of drug molecules across the skin. The “poke (press) and patch” approach employs solid stainless steel MN to permeablize the skin prior to application of a regular drug patch over the treated area. It has been previously shown that MN can be used to deliver naltrexone (NTX) at a rate that provides plasma concentrations in the lower end of the therapeutic range in humans. The drug delivery potential of this technique is, however, limited by the re-sealing of the micropores in a 48-72h timeframe. The …

Biosynthetic Pathway Of The Aminoribosyl Component Of Lipopeptidyl Nucleoside Antibiotics, Xiuling Chi

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

Several lipopeptidyl nucleoside antibiotics that inhibit bacterial translocase I (MraY) involved in peptidoglycan cell wall biosynthesis contain an aminoribosyl moiety, an unusual sugar appendage in natural products. A-90289 and muraminomicin are the two representative antibiotics that belong to this family. Bioinformatic analysis of the biosynthetic A-90289 gene clusters revealed that five enzymes are likely involved in the assembly and attachment of the aminoribosyl unit. These enzymes of A-90289 are functionally assigned by in vitro characterization. The results reveal a unique ribosylation pathway that highlighted by uridine-5′-monophosphate as the source of the sugar, a phosphorylase strategy to generate a sugar-1-phosphate, and …

Microglia Activation In A Rodent Model Of An Alcohol Use Disorder: The Importance Of Phenotype, Initiation, And Duration Of Activation, Simon A. Marshall

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

Chronic ethanol exposure results in neuroadaptations that drive the progression of an alcohol use disorder (AUD). One such driving force is alcohol-induced neurodegeneration. Neuroinflammation has been proposed as a mechanism underlying this damage. Although neuroinflammation is a physiological response to damage, overactivation of its pathways can lead to neurodegeneration. A hallmark indicator of neuroinflammation is microglial activation, but microglial activation is a heterogeneous continuum of phenotypes that can promote or inhibit neuroinflammation. Furthermore acute microglial activation is necessary to restore homeostasis, but prolonged activation can exacerbate damage. The diversity of microglia makes both the level and timecourse of activation vital …