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Molecular Analysis Of Epigenetic Memory Of Stress Establishment And Long-Term Maintenance In A Perennial Woody Plant, Jia Wen Tan

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

Plants adapt to extreme environmental conditions through physiological adaptations, which are usually transient. Recent research has suggested that environmental conditions can activate a memory of stress that can result in a primed response to subsequent stress events. While the effect of priming has been observed in many plants, the underlying mechanisms are puzzling and seldom studied. A large body of research has been developed in the last decade linking response to stress, stress priming, and memory of stress with epigenetic mechanisms. This understanding of plant epigenetics has opened the door to the application of epigenetics to crop improvement, such as …

Building A Kentucky Baguette: Agronomic Traits, Bread Baking Quality Measurements, And Sensory Evaluation Of Modern And Landrace Wheat Cultivars Grown Under Conventional And Organic Nitrogen Management, Bryan Brady

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

The demand by artisan bread bakers across the United States for local wheat varieties has increased in recent years. The southeast is traditionally a soft winter wheat (SWW) region, producing low gluten flours more suitable for biscuits and cookies. Recently, hard winter wheat (HWW) varieties have been bred to produce acceptable yields in the high humidity environment of the southeastern United States. Artisan bread bakers in Kentucky would like to create a niche food value chain benefitting farmers, small-scale millers, bakers, consumers, and their local and regional food systems (LRFS). The increased demand and the availability of adapted hard wheat …

Understanding Cancer Patients' Desire To Quit Tobacco Without Assistance: A Mixed-Methods, Longitudinal Study, Tia Borger

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Introduction: Unassisted attempts to quit tobacco are a well-established reason for quit failure. Nonetheless, many cancer patients prefer to make a quit attempt without using evidence-based tobacco treatment. This study aimed to understand the rationale that underlies cancer patients’ desire to quit tobacco without assistance and to track longitudinally the smoking cessation outcomes of patients with this preference. Method: In a mixed-methods, longitudinal study, 35 cancer patients who were current tobacco users and declined tobacco treatment because of the desire to quit on their own provided data via three questionnaires and 1-2 semi-structured interviews across 60 days. Participants were recruited …

Dietary Antioxidant Insufficiency Is Associated With Increased Inflammatory Markers And Poorer Health-Related Quality Of Life In Patients With Heart Failure, Jia-Rong Wu, Eun Kyeung Song, Debra K. Moser, Terry A. Lennie

UK CARES Faculty Publications

Background: Antioxidant insufficiency, elevated inflammatory markers, and poor health-related quality of life (HRQOL) are prevalent in patients with heart failure (HF). Objective: The objective of this study was to examine the associations among dietary antioxidant intake, inflammatory markers, and HRQOL in patients with HF. Methods: This was a secondary analysis of 265 patients with HF who completed a 4-day food diary. We assessed intake of 10 antioxidants: alpha carotene, beta carotene, beta cryptoxanthin, lutein, zeaxanthin, lycopene, vitamins C and E, zinc, and selenium. Antioxidant insufficiency was reflected by a measured level for each antioxidant that was below the estimate average …

Range-Based Livestock Production In Turkmenistan, R. H. Behnke, G. Davidson

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Turkmenistan retains a centralized system of livestock production in which many critical assets are owned by the state. Though technically in the temperate zone, the country's climate is harsh and unstable. Groundwater resources are unevenly distributed, leaving many potential grazing areas seasonally inaccessible due to lack of drinking water for livestock. This paper summarizes the results of a three-year study of rangelands, livestock production, flock economics and land tenure at two study sites, one in central and the other in eastern Turkmenistan. The results of this study suggest that pastoral communities in Turkmenistan have coped remarkably well with the institutional …

Assessment Of Nitrogen Nutrition Status Of Grasses Under Water Deficit And Recovery, V. G. Dugo, Jean-Louis Durand, F. Gastal

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Grasslands are rarely irrigated. They are therefore systematically submitted to more or less severe water deficits: as well as mineral deficiencies, water scarcity often also results in a reduction of nitrogen (N) status. Although identified some time ago, qualitatively, the interaction with N still remains difficult to take into account in quantitative analyses of crop physiology under water deficits. This paper illustrates how the nitrogen (N) status of the crop changes under water deficits. A N nutrition index (INN) was defined as the ratio of the actual N concentration of forage with the theoretical N concentration under optimal conditions, the …

Diet Effects On Dairy Manure Nitrogen Excretion And Cycling, J. M. Powell, T. H. Misselbrook

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The amount and forms of (nitrogen) N excreted by ruminant livestock and post excretion manure N cycling are highly influenced by what is fed. For example, the relative amount of urinary N, faecal endogenous N of microbial and gut origin, and faecal undigested feed N is affected by how much dietary fibre and secondary compounds (e.g., tannins, polyphneolics) are consumed. Each manure N component has a different propensity for loss; for example via ammonia (NH3) volatilisation (Misselbrook et al., 2004), leaching, and cycles differently in the soil-plant continuum (Powell, 2003). We evaluated dairy diet effects on amount and forms …

Benomyl Effects On Plant Productivity Through Arbuscular Mycorrhiza Restriction In A Greek Upland Grassland, M. Orfanoudakis, A. P. Mamolos, F. Karanika, D. S. Veresoglou

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Interactions between plants and microbes are important for plant community structure. Many plants establish symbioses with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, which play a central role in soil fertility, plant nutrition and the maintenance of stability and biodiversity within plant communities by improving uptake of nutrients and water. AM fungi can improve growth/performance in a variety of plant species by influencing intra- and interspecific competition of neighbouring plants and thus regulate coexistence and diversity in mixed communities. The aim was to study AMF effects on plant productivity and diversity in Greek upland grasslands.

Integrating Below-Ground Ecology Into Sustainable Grassland Management, R. D. Bardgett

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Key points

1. Grasslands produce soils that sustain an abundant and diverse soil food web, providing tremendous opportunity for below-ground interactions to influence nutrient cycling processes and plant production.

2. Fast developing areas of ecological science offer scope to harness positive outcomes of below-ground ecology for enhancing efficient cycling of nutrients in sustainable grassland systems.

Chemical Components And Effects On Soil Quality In Temperate Grazed Pasture Systems, M. H. Beare, D. Curtin, S. Thomas, P. M. Fraser, G. S. Francis

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Key points

1. Legume/grass pastures retain feedbacks on N supply that may help to reduce losses of N to the wider environment.

2. Intensive use of N fertilisers tends to increase SOM turnover and increase losses of N to the environment.

3. Increased use of fertilisers has contributed little to soil organic matter storage in grazed pastoral systems.

Physical Constraints In Grassland Ecosystems, I. M. Young, K. Ritz, C. S. Sturrock, R. Heck

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Key points

1. Grassland system management must account adequately for biophysical and biochemical processes.

2. Amenity turf, especially sports turf, provides an excellent case study on how biology and physics interact to impact on the functioning of a grass ecosystem.

3. Microorganisms produce hydrophobic compounds that act to decrease water ingress and alter the function of the soil-grass ecosystem.

Improved Livelihoods From Grasslands; The Case Of Napier Grass In Smallholder Dairy Farms In Kenya, David Miano Mwangi, D. Romney, S. Staal, I. Baltenweck, S. Mwendia

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In Kenya, smallholder farmers produce about 80% of the marketed milk. The farming systems vary from mixed farms with up to 10 ha of land and < 10 dairy cows (Gitau et al., 1994; Anon., 1985), to intensive smallholder dairy producers in the high human population central Kenya region with 0.9 to 2 ha of land and 3-4 dairy cows (Staal et al., 2001a). Milk production depends heavily on the cultivation of forages, with Pennisetum purpureum (Napier grass) by far the most important. An estimated 350,000 of the 600,000 smallholder farms in Kenya grow and utilize P. purpureum on their farms.

There are …

Computer-Based Forage Management Tools: Historical, Current, And Future Applications, David B. Hannaway, C. Daly, D. F. Chapman, B. B. Baker, A. S. Cooper

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Forage management has been an important human activity since the beginning of civilization. By comparison, the personal computer has been available only in the immediate past. The software developed to deal with the complexity of climate, soil, plant, animal, and socioeconomic factors has seen huge changes in a few decades. Mainframe computers facilitated numerical calculations for exploring relationships among dozens of variables. Personal computers opened the door for more individual scientist creativity and routine communication. Web-based communication globalised the option for multidisciplinary teams to tackle problems. Forage-related computer applications abound, allowing farmers, ranchers, and others to more effectively manage the …

Paying For Our Keep: Grasslands Decision Support In More-Developed Countries, Andrew D. Moore

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

“Models in grassland science have come to stay, and so they must be made to pay for their keep. To do that, it will be necessary to improve their scientific sophistication and their management relevance...” (Seligman, 1993).

Decision support (DS) tools in grassland agriculture have also come to stay. This review will examine the ways and means by which DS tools are being made to pay for their keep, with a focus upon DS efforts from the last decade and on the lessons that arise for those who develop DS tools for grasslands. A survey of the present state of …

Decision Support For Grassland Systems In Developing Countries, P. K. Thornton

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Key points

1. Information flows in complex systems are often themselves highly complex, and decision support approaches based on linear input-output processes may have only limited impact.

2. How decisions are made, and how they can be appropriately supported, is often incompletely understood, in part because of inadequate understanding of the objectives and attitudes of all the decision makers involved.

3. Much of the developing world faces daunting problems in the coming 30 years, and appropriate information could play a critical role in dealing with these.

4. System complexity, household variability, and institutional intricacies have to be embraced rather than …

Hay Feeding Strategies To Build Fertility In Grazing Systems, Nick Roy, Fred Thomas

Kentucky Grazing Conference

No abstract provided.

A Pilot Study On The Impact Of The Bumptup® Mobile App On Physical Activity During And After Pregnancy, Rachel A. Tinius, Maire M. Blankenship, Allison M. Colao, Gregory S. Hawk, Madhawa Perera, Nancy E. Schoenberg

Statistics Faculty Publications

To combat maternal morbidity and mortality, interventions designed to increase physical activity levels during and after pregnancy are needed. Mobile phone-based interventions show considerable promise, and BumptUp® has been carefully developed to address the lack of exercise among pregnant and postpartum women. The primary goal of this pilot study was to test the potential efficacy of BumptUp® for improving physical activity among pregnant and postpartum women. A randomized controlled clinical trial was performed (N = 35) with women either receiving access to the mhealth app or an educational brochure. Physical activity and self-efficacy for exercise data were collected at baseline …

Key Issues Generated From The Xi International Rangeland Congress 2021: Summary And Way Forward, D. L. Coppock, A. J. Ash, B. Irving

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The important issues, knowledge gaps, and evolving research approaches for the global rangelands are summarised in this review of submissions to the Joint XXIV International Grasslands and XI International Rangelands Congress (IGC/IRC). In the big picture, it is concluded that stand-alone studies of livestock production are becoming rare compared to that of the past International Rangelands Congresses (IRC). Rather, added effort is now being directed at understanding the fuller context of social-ecological systems (SESs) on rangelands in a quest to improve the prospects for sustainable resource management as well as the enhancement of human welfare. Although climate change is upon …

Joint International Grassland And International Rangeland Congress Kenya 2021: Grasslands Summary, James L. Klotz, J. H. Bouton

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

This summary used as its main sources the plenary and keynote papers and talks in Sub-theme 2: Forage Production and Utilization and Sub-theme 3: Livestock Production Systems as well as a sampling of oral talks presented at the XXIV International Grassland Congress (IGC). This IGC was held virtually and jointly with the International Rangeland Congress and hosted in Nairobi, Kenya during 23-29 October 2021. The XXIV IGC was also the first to be held on the African continent in Congress' 94-year history. The summary is further focused on that information presented under the concept "cultivated grasslands" (e.g., a small number …

Forage News [2022-10], Department Of Plant And Soil Sciences, University Of Kentucky

Forage News

No abstract provided.

Role Of Sympathetic Pathway In Light-Phase Time-Restricted Feeding-Induced Blood Pressure Circadian Rhythm Alteration, Tianfei Hou, Aaron Chacon, Wen Su, Yuriko Katsumata, Zhenheng Guo, Ming Gong

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

Disruption of blood pressure (BP) circadian rhythm, independent of hypertension, is emerging as an index for future target organ damage and is associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular events. Previous studies showed that changing food availability time alters BP rhythm in several mammalian species. However, the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. To address this, the current study specifically investigates (1) the relationship between rhythms of food intake and BP in wild-type mice; (2) effects of light-phase time-restricted feeding (TRF, food only available during light-phase) on BP circadian rhythm in wild-type and diabetic db/db mice; (3) the roles of the …

Forage News [2022-09], Department Of Plant And Soil Sciences, University Of Kentucky

Forage News

No abstract provided.

Biomonitoring Of Polybrominated Dioxins & Furans, Polychlorinated Dioxins & Furans, And Dioxin Like Polychlorinated Biphenyls In Vietnamese Female Electronic Waste Recyclers, Jenevieve S. Peecher, Arnold J. Schecter, Helen Lu, Hoang Trong Quynh, Arnold Stromberg, Jiaying Weng, Riley Crandall, Linda S. Birnbaum

Statistics Faculty Publications

Objective: E-waste is rising globally. This is a follow up to our study reporting metals/polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE’s)/polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in female e-waste recyclers. Here we report polybrominated, polychlorinated dioxins/furans, and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls in these same workers. Methods: Female Vietnamese recyclers and non-recyclers recruited; blood samples collected. Polybrominated, polychlorinated dioxins/ furans, and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls levels compared in recyclers, non-recyclers, and National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES). Results: Recyclers >non-recyclers: 12378-PBDD, 2378-TBDF, 12378-PCDF, 123478-HxCDF, 123678-HxCDF, 1234678-HpCDF, PCB-126. Non-recyclers >NHANES: 123478-HxCDF, 123678-HxCDF, 234678- HxCDF, PCB-126, PCB-169. NHANES >non-recyclers: 12378-PCDD, 123478-HxCDD, 123678-HxCDD, 123789-HxCDD, 1234678-HpCDD, 123789-HxCDF, 1234678-HpCDF, 1234789-HpCDF, OCDF, PCB-81, PCB-114, …

Maternal Proximity To Mountain-Top Removal Mining And Birth Defects In Appalachian Kentucky, 1997–2003, Daniel B. Cooper, Courtney J. Walker, W. Jay Christian

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

Extraction of coal through mountaintop removal mining (MTR) alters many dimensions of the landscape. Explosive blasts, exposed rock, and coal washing have the potential to pollute air and water. Previous research suggests that infants born to mothers living in areas with MTR have a higher prevalence of birth defects. In this cross-sectional study, we further examine the relationship between MTR activity and several types of birth defects. Maternal exposure to MTR was assessed using remote sensing data from Skytruth, which captures MTR activity in the Central Appalachian region of the United States. Active MTR area was quantified within a five-kilometer …

Evaluating Social Support And T2d Risk Factors Among Members Of Rural-Dwelling Grandparent-Headed Households, Brittany L. Smalls, Abebola Adegboyega, Kelly Nb Palmer, Jennifer Hatcher

Journal of Appalachian Health

Purpose: This study examines the associations of social support and type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk factors among members of rural-dwelling, grandparent-headed households (GHH).

Methods: Prospective data were collected from rural-dwelling members of GHH with no known diagnosis of T2D. Data collected on family characteristics, T2D clinical risk factors, and social support were assessed.

Results: Sixty-six grandparents and 72 grandchildren participated in the study. The average age and HbA1Cs were 59.4 years and 6.2% ± 1.4 for grandparents and 11.8 years and 4.9% ± 0.6 for grandchildren. Most grandparents were found to have prediabetes or undiagnosed diabetes. The number of people …

Covid-19 Pandemic Impact On Essential Public Health Services And Online Health Communication—Appalachian Kentucky, March–December 2020, Margaret A. Riggs, Kenny Ortiz-Jurado, Keith Klein

Journal of Appalachian Health

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic posed many challenges for local health departments (LHDs). This study examines how stay-at-home orders impacted the provision of essential public health services and subsequent increased use of online health communication by LHDs for rural populations in Appalachian Kentucky during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: A survey to gather information about provision of essential public health services was administered to five LHDs representing 13 counties between June 2020 and December 2020. Additionally, demographic and health-outcome data from LHD, state health department, and CDC websites were reviewed, alongside health communications posted on LHD social media …

Forage News [2022-06], Department Of Plant And Soil Sciences, University Of Kentucky

Forage News

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Reduced Cp, Synthetic Amino Acid Supplemented Diets On Growth Performance And Nutrient Excretion In Wean To Finish Swine, Caitlin E. Vonderohe, Kayla M. Mills, Shule Liu, Matthew D. Asmus, Emily R. Otto-Tice, Brian T. Richert, Ji-Qin Ni, John Scott Radcliffe

Animal and Food Sciences Faculty Publications

Mixed sex pigs (n = 720) were placed in 12 rooms (Purdue Swine Environmental Research Building) to measure the effect of reduced crude protein (CP), amino acid (AA)-supplemented diets on growth and the carcass. Pigs were blocked by body weight (BW) and gender and allotted to room and pen (10 mixed-sex pigs/pen). Pigs were fed a nine-phase, wean-finish program. Control pigs consumed corn-soybean meal-distiller’s dried grains with solubles (DDGS) diets containing no to minimal (Met) synthetic AA. The 2X diet was formulated to meet the seventh most-limiting AA, and balanced using synthetic AAs to meet all AA needs. The 1X …

Ethanol Exposure Up-Regulates Pd-L1/Pd-1 Immune Checkpoint Pathway And Promotes Mammary Tumor Development, Wenhua Xu, Linqing Wu, Mei Xu, Jia Luo, Gang Chen

Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences Faculty Publications

Alcohol consumption in women enhances breast cancer incidence and ethanol is the main causal factor. Compromised host immunity through immunosuppression facilitates the development of many types of cancer, including breast cancer. Immune cells in breast tissues, particularly tumor-infiltrating CD8 cytotoxic T cells, play a critical role in the host anti-tumor immunity against breast tumorigenesis. These cytotoxic T cells are the major immune cells to carry out anti-tumor immunity through their cytotoxic effector function, which can be regulated by immune checkpoint pathways. The PD-1/PD-L1 pathway (the interaction between programmed death-1, PD-1, and its ligand, programmed deathligand 1, PD-L1) is the best …

Exploring Extension Agent Capacity And Readiness To Adopt Policy, Systems And Environmental Change Approaches, Lisa T. Washburn, Heather Norman-Burgdolf, Natalie Jones, Lauren E. Kennedy, Soghra Jarvandi

Dietetics and Human Nutrition Faculty Publications

Introduction: Enhanced Extension outreach strategies combine traditional direct education programs with public health approaches like policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) change. However, the Cooperative Extension system and county-based Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) Extension agents have historically prioritized direct education programming and diffusion of enhanced outreach strategies has varied. Extension personnel may lack capacity and readiness for successful PSE change implementation. This study explored perceived acceptability, capacity, and readiness for PSE change work among FCS Extension agents in two states.

Method: A survey was developed framed by selected domains from the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research: Intervention Characteristics, Inner Setting, …