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Showcase Of Undergraduate Scholars, Uk Office Of Undergraduate Research

Kaleidoscope

No abstract provided.

Beckman Scholar 2007-08, Edward Matin Kobraei

Kaleidoscope

No abstract provided.

Temporary Assistance For Needy Families, James P. Ziliak

University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research Discussion Paper Series

The provision of public assistance to families with children in America faced a watershed moment with the passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA). PRWORA replaced the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program, which was an entitlement funded via a federal-state matching grant, with Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), which is no longer an entitlement and is financed with a fixed federal block-grant to the states. The impetus for reform had been building for at least the two decades prior to passage, but took on greater currency with the dramatic growth …

Maintenance Of Brucellosis In Yellowstone Bison: Linking Seasonal Food Resources, Host-Pathogen Interaction, And Life-History Trade-Offs, John J. Treanor, Chris Geremia, Michael A. Ballou, Duane H. Keisler, Patrick J. White, John J. Cox, Phillip H. Crowley

Biology Faculty Publications

The seasonal availability of food resources is an important factor shaping the life-history strategies of organisms. During times of nutritional restriction, physiological trade-offs can induce periods of immune suppression, thereby increasing susceptibility to infectious disease. Our goal was to provide a conceptual framework describing how the endemic level bovine brucellosis (Brucella abortus) may be maintained in Yellowstone bison based on the seasonality of food resources and the life-history strategies of the host and pathogen. Our analysis was based on active B. abortus infection (measured via bacterial culture), nutritional indicators (measured as metabolites and hormones in plasma), and carcass …

Intracellular Na+ Concentration ([Na+]I) Is Elevated In Diabetic Hearts Due To Enhanced Na+–Glucose Cotransport, Rebekah Lambert, Sarah Srodulski, Xiaoli Peng, Kenneth B. Margulies, Florin Despa, Sanda Despa

Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Intracellular Na⁺ concentration ([Na⁺]i) regulates Ca²⁺ cycling, contractility, metabolism, and electrical stability of the heart. [Na⁺]i is elevated in heart failure, leading to arrhythmias and oxidative stress. We hypothesized that myocyte [Na⁺]i is also increased in type 2 diabetes (T2D) due to enhanced activity of the Na⁺-glucose cotransporter.

METHODS AND RESULTS: To test this hypothesis, we used myocardial tissue from humans with T2D and a rat model of late-onset T2D (HIP rat). Western blot analysis showed increased Na⁺-glucose cotransporter expression in failing hearts from T2D patients compared …

Economic Impact Of Net Carbon Payments And Bioenergy Production In Fertilized And Non-Fertilized Loblolly Pine Plantations, Prativa Shrestha, George A. Stainback, Puneet Dwivedi

Forestry and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

Sequestering carbon in forest stands and using woody bioenergy are two potential ways to utilize forests in mitigating emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Such forestry related strategies are, however, greatly influenced by carbon and bioenergy markets. This study investigates the impact of both carbon and woody bioenergy markets on land expectation value (LEV) and rotation age of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) forests in the southeastern United States for two scenarios—one with thinning and no fertilization and the other with thinning and fertilization. Economic analysis was conducted using a modified Hartman model. The amount of carbon dioxide (CO_{2 …}

Summer Research And Creativity Grants, Uk Office Of Undergraduate Research

Kaleidoscope

The abstracts in this section were submitted by students who received Research and Creativity Awards for the summer of 2009. Many are not final reports because the projects were still in process when the submissions were due. Rather, they are progress reports. However, these abstracts provide a clear and wonderfully diverse picture of the broad range of scholarly activities being undertaken by undergraduates at the University of Kentucky.

Showcase Of Undergraduate Scholars, Uk Office Of Undergraduate Research

Kaleidoscope

No abstract provided.

Childhood Obesity: What Role Does Public Policy Play?, Shannon Turbeville

Kaleidoscope

The purpose of this review is to explore public policies that impact the health of American children and adolescents. The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) has a significant impact on school-age children’s nutritional intake. Foods provided by the NSLP have been analyzed for their nutritional content. Although these foods did not exceed the recommended total caloric intake, they were below other nutritional standards, and these shortcomings are primarily attributable to cultural preferences. Other important contributors to childhood obesity are unregulated school food items sold in vending machines. These items are becoming increasingly more prevalent in schools. Public policy is an …

The Agricultural Footprints On The Environment, Philip Houtz

Kaleidoscope

Industrialized agricultural systems have given America a convenient and affordable means to supply a surplus of food products to its citizens. Transgenic technology, synthesized fertilizers, advanced pesticides, concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), and the use of farm machinery have all contributed to humanity’s ability to feed the world’s rapidly growing population. However, the energy-intensive food operation of today may not be as ideal as we assume. Fossil fuels are burned to meet the energy requirements for the continual production of large quantities of fertilizer and to keep farm machines operational. Fertilizer and pesticide runoff from farmland ultimately drains into rivers …

Compositional Differences In Simulated Root Exudates Elicit A Limited Functional And Compositional Response In Soil Microbial Communities, Michael S. Strickland, Rebecca L. Mcculley, Jim A. Nelson, Mark A. Bradford

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

Inputs of low molecular weight carbon (LMW-C) to soil - primarily via root exudates- are expected to be a major driver of microbial activity and source of stable soil organic carbon. It is expected that variation in the type and composition of LMW-C entering soil will influence microbial community composition and function. If this is the case then short-term changes in LMW-C inputs may alter processes regulated by these communities. To determine if change in the composition of LMW-C inputs influences microbial community function and composition, we conducted a 90 day microcosm experiment whereby soils sourced from three different land …

Assessment Of Accelerometers For Measuring Upper-Extremity Physical Activity, Elizabeth Lawinger, Timothy L. Uhl, Mark Abel, Srinath Kamineni

Physical Therapy Faculty Publications

Objective: The overarching goal of this study was to examine the use of triaxial accelerometers in measuring upper-extremity motions to monitor upper-extremity-exercise compliance. There were multiple questions investigated, but the primary objective was to investigate the correlation between visually observed arm motions and triaxial accelerometer activity counts to establish fundamental activity counts for the upper extremity.

Study Design: Cross-sectional, basic research.

Setting: Clinical laboratory.

Participants: Thirty healthy individuals age 26 ± 6 y, body mass 24 ± 3 kg, and height 1.68 ± 0.09 m volunteered.

Intervention: Participants performed 3 series of tasks: activities of …

Reversal Of Aging-Related Neuronal Ca2+ Dysregulation And Cognitive Impairment By Delivery Of A Transgene Encoding Fk506-Binding Protein 12.6/1b To The Hippocampus, John C. Gant, Kuey-Chu Chen, Inga Kadish, Eric M. Blalock, Olivier Thibault, Nada M. Porter, Philip W. Landfield

Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences Faculty Publications

Brain Ca(2+) regulatory processes are altered during aging, disrupting neuronal, and cognitive functions. In hippocampal pyramidal neurons, the Ca(2+)-dependent slow afterhyperpolarization (sAHP) exhibits an increase with aging, which correlates with memory impairment. The increased sAHP results from elevated L-type Ca(2+) channel activity and ryanodine receptor (RyR)-mediated Ca(2+) release, but underlying molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. Previously, we found that expression of the gene encoding FK506-binding protein 12.6/1b (FKBP1b), a small immunophilin that stabilizes RyR-mediated Ca(2+) release in cardiomyocytes, declines in hippocampus of aged rats and Alzheimer's disease subjects. Additionally, knockdown/disruption of hippocampal FKBP1b in young rats augments neuronal Ca(2+) responses. …

Smoking Duration, Respiratory Symptoms, And Copd In Adults Aged ≥45 Years With A Smoking History, Yong Liu, Roy A. Pleasants, Janet B. Croft, Anne G. Wheaton, Khosrow Heidari, Ann M. Malarcher, Jill A. Ohar, Monica Kraft, David M. Mannino, Charlie Strange

Preventive Medicine and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship of smoking duration with respiratory symptoms and history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in the South Carolina Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey in 2012.

METHODS: Data from 4,135 adults aged ≥45 years with a smoking history were analyzed using multivariable logistic regression that accounted for sex, age, race/ethnicity, education, and current smoking status, as well as the complex sampling design.

RESULTS:The distribution of smoking duration ranged from 19.2% (1-9 years) to 36.2% (≥30 years). Among 1,454 respondents who had smoked for ≥30 years, 58.3% were current …

Medicaid Crowd-Out Of Other Public Health Spending: Modeling Economic & Health Effects, Glen P. Mays

Health Management and Policy Presentations

MOTIVATION: Thirty states are expanding Medicaid eligibility under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) as of 2015, and while federal funds cover most costs for newly eligible recipients, states must share the additional costs of covering previously-eligible state residents who enroll in Medicaid. States, together with their local government counterparts, also provide the vast majority (87%) of public sector funds for public health programs designed to promote health and prevent disease and injury on a population-wide basis. Fiscal constraints and generous federal matching funds create strong budgetary incentives for states to channel their health-related spending to Medicaid rather than to other …

Southeastern Law Librarian Summer 2015, Seaall

Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Acute Or Atypical Interstitial Pneumonia (Aip), Michelle Arnold, Jeff Lehmkuhler

Agriculture and Natural Resources Publications

Acute or atypical interstitial pneumonia (AIP) is terminology used by veterinary pathologists to describe a characteristic pattern of damage in the lungs of cattle. At necropsy, the first indication of AIP-affected lungs is they fill the thorax and do not collapse like normal lungs when the chest cavity is opened. On further investigation, the AIP lungs are found to be semi-firm with a rubbery texture; not hard and consolidated as occurs in bacterial bronchopneumonia. Large air bubbles are found between portions of the lung (see Figure 1, “interlobular” or “bullous” emphysema) and the cut surface of the lung may appear …

Liver-Fibrostard Checklist And Glossary: Tools For Standardized Design And Reporting Of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies Of Liver Fibrosis Tests, Jérôme Guéchot, Jérôme Boursier, Victor De Ledinghen, Thierry Poynard, Fabrice Carrat, Vincent Leroy, Grace Lai-Hung Wong, Mireen Friedrich-Rust, Mirella Fraquelli, Mario Plebani, Giada Sebastiani, Robert Myers, Paul Angulo, Sandrine Bertrais, Dominique Wendum, Ivan Bricault, Paul Calès

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Serum Amyloid A Facilitates Early Lesion Development In Ldlr-/- Mice, Paulette A. Krishack, Clarissa V. Bhanvadia, John Lukens, Timothy J. Sontag, Maria C. De Beer, Godfrey S. Getz, Catherine A. Reardon

Physiology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disorder, and several studies have demonstrated a positive association between plasma serum amyloid A (SAA) levels and cardiovascular disease risk. The aim of the study was to examine whether SAA has a role in atherogenesis, the underlying basis of most cardiovascular disease.

METHODS AND RESULTS: Mice globally deficient in acute-phase isoforms Saa1 and Saa2 (Saa^-/-) were crossed to Ldlr^-/- mice (Saa^-/-Ldlr^-/-). Saa^-/-Ldlr^-/- mice demonstrated a 31% reduction in lesional area in the ascending aorta but not in the aortic root or innominate …

Soil Quality In Relation To Forest Conversion To Perennial Or Annual Cropping In Southern Brazil, Elcio Liborio Balota, Ines Fumiko Ubukata Yada, Higo Furlan Amaral, Andre Shigueyoshi Nakatani, Mariangela Hungria, Richard Peter Dick, Mark S. Coyne

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

Many forested areas have been converted to intensive agricultural use to satisfy food, fiber, and forage production for a growing world population. There is great interest in evaluating forest conversion to cultivated land because this conversion adversely affects several soil properties. We examined soil microbial, physical, and chemical properties in an Oxisol (Latossolo Vermelho distrófico) of southern Brazil 24 years after forest conversion to a perennial crop with coffee or annual grain crops (maize and soybeans) in conventional tillage or no-tillage. One goal was to determine which soil quality parameters seemed most sensitive to change. A second goal …

Performance Assessment In Academic Libraries Through Campus Collaboration, Debbie Sharp, Beth Fuchs

Library Presentations

Librarians and classroom faculty share the common goal of developing students’ research abilities. This session will describe a collaborative approach to performance assessment of information literacy learning outcomes, one of our general education competencies. Through collaboration with faculty, we create an assessment that aligns course requirements with information literacy learning outcomes, and that can be applied across disciplines, departments, teaching formats, and class sizes. We will model the assessment process, and participants will use our rubric to score sample responses.

Exogenous 17-Β Estradiol Administration Blunts Progression Of Established Angiotensin Ii-Induced Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms In Female Ovariectomized Mice, Sean E. Thatcher, Xuan Zhang, Shannon Woody, Yu Wang, Yasir Alsiraj, Richard Charnigo, Alan Daugherty, Lisa A. Cassis

Saha Cardiovascular Research Center Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) occur predominately in males. However, AAAs in females have rapid growth rates and rupture at smaller sizes. Mechanisms contributing to AAA progression in females are undefined. We defined effects of ovariectomy, with and without 17-β estradiol (E2), on progression of established angiotensin II (AngII)-induced AAAs in female mice.

METHODS: We used neonatal testosterone exposures at 1 day of age to promote susceptibility to AngII-induced AAAs in adult female Ldlr^-/- mice. Females were infused with AngII for 28 days to induce AAAs, and then stratified into groups that were sham, ovariectomized (Ovx, vehicle), or Ovx …

Inotropes Are Not Linked To Increased Mortality In Heart Failure, Maya Guglin

The VAD Journal

How to use inotropes is one of the most controversial topics in the management of heart failure. While most clinicians use these drugs, and recognize the state of inotrope dependency, current guidelines recommend them onlu as a bridge or palliation. Thus, inotropes are considered either neutral or detrimental in terms of outcomes. Meanwhile, properly designed randomized clinical trials testing the outcomes on inotropes, have never been performed and it is unlikely that they will ever be attempted. These trials would require randomizing patients with advanced heart failure, low output syndrome, and impaired end-organ perfusion into groups that received or not …

Procollagen C-Endopeptidase Enhancer Protein 2 (Pcpe2) Reduces Atherosclerosis In Mice By Enhancing Scavenger Receptor Class B1 (Sr-Bi)-Mediated High-Density Lipoprotein (Hdl)-Cholesteryl Ester Uptake, Ricquita D. Pollard, Christopher N. Blesso, Manal Zabalawi, Brian Fulp, Mark Gerelus, Xuewei Zhu, Erica W. Lyons, Nebil Nuradin, Omar L. Francone, Xiang-An Li, Daisy Sahoo, Michael J. Thomas, Mary G. Sorci-Thomas

Pediatrics Faculty Publications

Studies in human populations have shown a significant correlation between procollagen C-endopeptidase enhancer protein 2 (PCPE2) single nucleotide polymorphisms and plasma HDL cholesterol concentrations. PCPE2, a 52-kDa glycoprotein located in the extracellular matrix, enhances the cleavage of C-terminal procollagen by bone morphogenetic protein 1 (BMP1). Our studies here focused on investigating the basis for the elevated concentration of enlarged plasma HDL in PCPE2-deficient mice to determine whether they protected against diet-induced atherosclerosis. PCPE2-deficient mice were crossed with LDL receptor-deficient mice to obtain LDLr^-/-, PCPE2^-/- mice, which had elevated HDL levels compared with LDLr^-/- mice with similar …

Space Environmental Factor Impacts Upon Murine Colon Microbiota And Mucosal Homeostasis, Lauren E. Ritchie, Stella S. Taddeo, Brad R. Weeks, Florence Lima, Susan A. Bloomfield, M. Andrea Azcarate-Peril, Sara R. Zwart, Scott M. Smith, Nancy D. Turner

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

Astronaut intestinal health may be impacted by microgravity, radiation, and diet. The aim of this study was to characterize how high and low linear energy transfer (LET) radiation, microgravity, and elevated dietary iron affect colon microbiota (determined by 16S rDNA pyrosequencing) and colon function. Three independent experiments were conducted to achieve these goals: 1) fractionated low LET γ radiation (¹³⁷Cs, 3 Gy, RAD), high Fe diet (IRON) (650 mg/kg diet), and a combination of low LET γ radiation and high Fe diet (IRON+RAD) in male Sprague-Dawley rats; 2) high LET ³⁸Si particle exposure (0.050 Gy), 1/6 G …

Effects Of Sucroferric Oxyhydroxide Compared To Lanthanum Carbonate And Sevelamer Carbonate On Phosphate Homeostasis And Vascular Calcifications In A Rat Model Of Chronic Kidney Failure, Olivier Phan, Marc Maillard, Hartmut H. Malluche, Jean-Christophe Stehle, Felix Funk, Michel Burnier

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

Elevated serum phosphorus, calcium, and fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) levels are associated with cardiovascular disease in chronic renal disease. This study evaluated the effects of sucroferric oxyhydroxide (PA21), a new iron-based phosphate binder, versus lanthanum carbonate (La) and sevelamer carbonate (Se), on serum FGF23, phosphorus, calcium, and intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) concentrations, and the development of vascular calcification in adenine-induced chronic renal failure (CRF) rats. After induction of CRF, renal function was significantly impaired in all groups: uremic rats developed severe hyperphosphatemia, and serum iPTH increased significantly. All uremic rats (except controls) then received phosphate binders for 4 weeks. …

Learning From Delivery System Behavior, Dynamics & Interactions To Advance A Culture Of Health, Glen P. Mays

Health Management and Policy Presentations

A new "Systems for Action" national research program flows directly from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Culture of Health action framework. This program will build evidence on how best to align the delivery and financing systems for medical care, public health, and community services & supports so as to promote wellbeing and resiliency, realize efficiencies in resource use, and reduce inequities in health.

Akt Inhibition Overcomes Rapamycin Resistance By Enhancing The Repressive Function Of Pras40 On Mtorc1/4e-Bp1 Axis, Wenting Mi, Qing Ye, Side Liu, Qing-Bai She

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

The mTORC1 inhibitors, rapamycin and its analogs, are known to show only modest antitumor activity in clinic, but the underlying mechanisms remain largely elusive. Here, we found that activated AKT signaling is associated with rapamycin resistance in breast and colon cancers by sustained phosphorylation of the translational repressor 4E-BP1. Treatment of tumor cells with rapamycin or the AKT inhibitor MK2206 showed a limited activity in inhibiting 4E-BP1 phosphorylation, cap-dependent translation, cell growth and motility. However, treatment with both drugs resulted in profound effects in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistic investigation demonstrated that the combination treatment was required to effectively …

Calcium Channel Blockers, Progression To Dementia, And Effects On Amyloid Beta Peptide Production, Mark A. Lovell, Erin Abner, Richard Kryscio, Liou Xu, Shuling X. Fister, Bert C. Lynn

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

Previous epidemiologic studies suggest that antihypertensive drugs may be protective against cognitive decline. To determine if subjects enrolled in the University of Kentucky longitudinal aging study who used antihypertensive drugs showed diminished progression to dementia, we used a 3-parameter logistic regression model to compare the rate of progression to dementia for subjects who used any of the five common categories of antihypertensive drugs to those with similar demographic characteristics but who did not use antihypertensives. Regression modeling showed that subjects who used calcium channel blockers (CCBs) but not the other classes of antihypertensives showed a significant decrease in the rate …

Nutrition Regulation Of Male Accessory Gland Growth And Maturation In Tribolium Castaneum, Jingjing Xu, Ashlee L. Anciro, Subba R. Palli

Entomology Faculty Publications

Insulin/IGF-1 signaling (IIS) pathway is known to control growth, development and reproduction. Insulin-like peptide mediated body size plasticity in Drosophila melanogaster has been reported. Here, our studies showed that IIS pathway and nutrition regulate growth and maturation of the male accessory gland (MAG) in the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum. The size of MAG increased from day 1 to day 5 post-adult emergence (PAE). This increase in the size of MAG is contributed by an increase in cell size, but not cell number. The growth of MAG was impaired after double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)-mediated knockdown in the expression of genes …