Digital Commons Network^™

Explaining Benefit Utilization Variability In Fmnp In Kentucky: An Application Of Pierre Bourdieu’S Theory, Stephanie M. Holcomb-Kreiner

Theses and Dissertations--Sociology

Research has demonstrated the crucial role fresh fruit and vegetable consumption plays in maintaining good health. However, most Americans do not consume adequate amounts, and low-income Americans consume the lowest quantities of fresh fruits and vegetables. The Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) and Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) attempts to rectify this situation by providing vouchers to low-income women, children, and elders that can be used only at farmers’ markets for the purchase of locally grown, fresh fruits and vegetables. Unfortunately, FMNP and SFMNP exhibit variable and often low benefit utilization. This variable and often low benefit utilization is …

Ecosystem Impacts Of The Invasive Shrub Lonicera Maackii Are Influenced By Associations With Native Tree Species, Megan Marie Poulette

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

Invasive species are significant drivers of global environmental change, altering the stability and functioning of numerous ecosystems. The exotic shrub Lonicera maackii is an aggressive invader throughout much of the eastern United States. While much is known about its population and community impacts, little is known about effects on ecosystem processes.

This dissertation documents changes in ecosystem processes associated with L. maackii growing beneath three native tree species (Fraxinus quadrangulata, Quercus muehlenbergii, Carya ovata) in a savanna in Kentucky. Like many invasive plants, L. maackii litter decomposed and lost nitrogen (N) rapidly, especially in comparison with …

Empirical And Conceptual Approaches To Life-History Trade-Offs: The Size And Number Of Offspring In Broods Of A Parasitoid Wasp, Yoriko Saeki

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

Trade-offs in resource allocation underlie key life history traits of organisms. My dissertation focuses on the size-number trade-off in clonal broods of offspring using the polyembryonic wasp, Copidosoma bakeri parasitizing immature stages of the moth Agrotis ipsilon. I aim to characterize responses of wasp brood size and individual body mass by manipulating the environments in order to understand the allocation pattern in the size number trade-off. In reviewing the functional forms of trade-off relationships in relation to resource constraints, I distinguish among three main trade-off types based on graphical representations of the relationship between the trade-off variables: linear, convex …

Ecology Of Mating Patterns And Sexual Selection In Dickcissels Breeding In Managed Prairie, Bridget Frances Sousa

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

Males of many species have elaborate phenotypes that are absent in females and that are thought to be the result of sexual selection. Sexual selection requires: (i) variance in male mating success, (ii) variation in male phenotype, and (iii) covariation between male mating success and male phenotype. Environmental conditions influence these factors, and management practices that alter environmental conditions have the potential to shape mating patterns and sexual selection. I investigated the hypothesis that the frequency of fire, used to manage tallgrass prairie, affects the mating patterns and process of sexual selection in the organisms breeding in managed prairies.

I …

Adult Bmi Change And Risk Of Colon Cancer In Postmenopausal Women, Lyla Blake-Gumbs, Zhengyi Chen, Cheryl L. Thompson, Nathan A. Berger, Thomas C. Tucker, Li Li

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Purpose. We recently reported an association of adult BMI change with colon cancer risk. Here, we sought to further explore this association with respect to postmenopausal HRT use in a larger study population. Methods. We included 1,457 postmenopausal women participating in an ongoing population-based case-control study of colon cancer. Results. We confirmed a previously reported association of adulthood weight gain and increased risk of colon cancer: compared to those with <5 kg/m² change of BMI, women who reported moderate (5–10 kg/m²) and large (>10 kg/m²) BMI changes since their 20s had OR estimates …

The Effect Of Integrated Weed Management Strategies On Weed Populations And Biomass, Pasture Productivity, Economic Returns, And Forage Quality With And Without Grazing, Joshua Allen Tolson

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

Field studies examined the strategies of mowing, herbicide, fertility, and all combinations on tall ironweed populations, weed biomass, pasture yield, grazing, economics, and forage quality at three Kentucky locations. Mowing was performed in July 2008 and 2009, herbicide applied in August 2008, and fertilizer applied in September 2008 and 2009 at all locations. Weed populations were measured in 2008, 2009, and 2010, and forage and weed biomass collected in May or June of 2009 and 2010. Herbicide treatments reduced weed biomass at all locations, and reduced tall ironweed stems by 64% or greater in 2009 at all locations. Weed biomass …

Evaluation Of Vascular Changes In Cattle Relative To Time-Off Endophyte-Infected Tall Fescue, Jessica R. Bussard

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

Twenty-four steers were grazed on endophyte (Neotyphodium coenophialum)-infected [[Lolium arundinaceum (Schreb.) Darbysh]; E+] tall fescue (TF) and exposed to ergot alkaloids for an 106-d grazing period. Cattle were removed from pasture, placed in dry lots, and fed a non-toxic diet to evaluate changes in vascular contraction relative to time-off E+ TF pasture. Lateral saphenous veins (SV) were biopsied from steers at 0-, 21-, 42-, and 63-d off TF pasture and from 6 control steers at 0- and 63-d off bermudagrass (BG) pasture. To evaluate contractile response, biopsied SV were exposed to increasing concentrations of ergotamine in a multimyograph. Cross-sectional scans …

Steer And Tall Fescue Pasture Responses To Grazing Intensity And Chemical Seedhead Suppression, Ben M. Goff

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

Tall fescue (Lolium arundinaceum) is the principal cool-season species within pastures of the southeastern USA and is known to have a mutualistic relationship with a fungal endophyte (Neotyphodium coenophialum) that produces the ergot alkaloids responsible for tall fescue toxicosis. Management of the reproductive growth of tall fescue is necessary, as the seedheads contain the highest concentrations of ergot alkaloids, and livestock have been documented to selectively graze these tissues. Recently, the herbicide Chaparral^™ has been shown to be an effective method to prevent seedhead production in tall fescue pastures while also increasing steer gains at …

Driving Qi With Research: Findings From Public Health Pbrns, Glen P. Mays

Health Management and Policy Presentations

Public health agencies are increasingly experimenting with quality improvement (QI) strategies designed to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of their efforts. Does QI work in public health, and if so for whom and under what circumstances? What QI strategies work best for which types of public health process failures, and at what cost? Research underway through the Public Health Practice-Based Research Networks (PBRN) Program is examining these types of questions to build an evidence base for public health QI.

Juvenile Hormone Regulates Vitellogenin Gene Expression Through Insulin-Like Peptide Signaling Pathway In The Red Flour Beetle, Tribolium Castaneum, Zhentao Sheng, Jingjing Xu, Hua Bai, Fang Zhu, Subba R. Palli

Entomology Faculty Publications

Our recent studies identified juvenile hormone (JH) and nutrition as the two key signals that regulate vitellogenin (Vg) gene expression in the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum. Juvenile hormone regulation of Vg synthesis has been known for a long time in several insects, but the mechanism of JH action is not known. Experiments were conducted to determine the mechanism of action of these two signals in regulation of Vg gene expression. Injection of bovine insulin or FOXO double-stranded RNA into the previtellogenic, starved, or JH-deficient female adults increased Vg mRNA and protein levels, thereby implicating the pivotal role for …

Forage News [2011-12], Department Of Plant And Soil Sciences, University Of Kentucky

Forage News

• Heart of America Grazing Conference
• UK Forage Variety Tests
• Forage Dynamics and Calf Behavior in Two Creep Grazing Systems
• Testing and Feeding Tobacco-Brown Hay and Silage
• World Population Hits Seven Billion
• Farmers Use of Broadband Internet
• High Cattle Prices to Continue, Analysts Say

Removing Aluminum From Solution Using Chelating Compounds And Immobilized Tethered Chelators, Robert A. Yokel, Wesley R. Harris, Christopher D. Spilling, Chang-Guo Zhan

Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Patents

Methods are described for removing aluminum from a solution using novel di- and tripodal compounds as chelators.

Autoimmune Enteropathy With A Cd8+ Cd7- T-Cell Small Bowel Intraepithelial Lymphocytosis: Case Report And Literature Review, Shrinivas Bishu, Violeta Arsenescu, Eun Y. Lee, H. David Vargas, Willem J. S. De Villiers, Razvan Arsenescu

Surgery Faculty Publications

Background

Adult onset autoimmune enteropathy (AIE) is a rare condition characterized by diarrhea refractory to dietary therapy diagnosed in patients with evidence of autoimmune conditions. Auto-antibodies to gut epithelial cells and other tissues are commonly demonstrated. Despite increasing awareness, the pathogenesis, histologic, immunologic and clinical features of AIE remain uncertain. There remains controversy regarding the diagnostic criteria, the frequency and types of auto-antibodies and associated autoimmune conditions, and the extent and types of histologic and immunologic abnormalities. CD4+ T-cells are thought to at least responsible for this condition; whether other cell types, including B- and other T-cell subsets are involved, …

The Science Of Public Health Delivery: Evidence, Uncertainties & Research Needs, Glen P. Mays

Health Management and Policy Presentations

Policy initiatives to reform the nation's health system increasingly recognize the need to incorporate public health and prevention strategies. The nation's delivery system for public health, however, varies widely across states and communities in its structure, authority, and capabilities. This session examines research from the growing field of public health services and systems research to identify directions for improving public health delivery.

Fungal Desaturases And Related Methods, David F. Hildebrand, Suryadevara S. Rao, John Thoguru

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Patents

The presently-disclosed subject matter provides isolated nucleic acid and amino acid sequences encoding mushroom desaturase polypeptides that are active with both palmitic and stearic acid, as well as vectors and transgenic plant cells comprising nucleic acids of the presently-disclosed subject matter. The presently-disclosed subject matter further provides methods of producing monounsaturated fatty acids, such as palmitoleic acid (16:1), and monounsaturated fatty acids prepared by the methods disclosed herein.

Age-Associated Disruption Of Molecular Clock Expression In Skeletal Muscle Of The Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat, Mitsunori Miyazaki, Elizabeth Schroder, Stephanie E. Edelmann, Michael E. Hughes, Karl Kornacker, C. William Balke, Karyn A. Esser

Physiology Faculty Publications

It is well known that spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) develop muscle pathologies with hypertension and heart failure, though the mechanism remains poorly understood. Woon et al. (2007) linked the circadian clock gene Bmal1 to hypertension and metabolic dysfunction in the SHR. Building on these findings, we compared the expression pattern of several core-clock genes in the gastrocnemius muscle of aged SHR (80 weeks; overt heart failure) compared to aged-matched control WKY strain. Heart failure was associated with marked effects on the expression of Bmal1, Clock and Rora in addition to several non-circadian genes important in regulating skeletal muscle phenotype including …

Showcase Of Undergradutae Scholars, Uk Office Of Undergraduate Research

Kaleidoscope

No abstract provided.

Thrombospondin1 Deficiency Reduces Obesity-Associated Inflammation And Improves Insulin Sensitivity In A Diet-Induced Obese Mouse Model, Yanzhang Li, Xiaopeng Tong, Courtney Rumala, Kate Clemons, Shuxia Wang

Graduate Center for Nutritional Sciences Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Obesity is prevalent worldwide and is associated with insulin resistance. Advanced studies suggest that obesity-associated low-grade chronic inflammation contributes to the development of insulin resistance and other metabolic complications. Thrombospondin 1 (TSP1) is a multifunctional extracellular matrix protein that is up-regulated in inflamed adipose tissue. A recent study suggests a positive correlation of TSP1 with obesity, adipose inflammation, and insulin resistance. However, the direct effect of TSP1 on obesity and insulin resistance is not known. Therefore, we investigated the role of TSP1 in mediating obesity-associated inflammation and insulin resistance by using TSP1 knockout mice.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Male TSP1-/- mice …

Anatomical Correlates To Nectar Feeding Among The Strepsirrhines Of Madagascar: Implications For Interpreting The Fossil Record, Magdalena N. Muchlinski, Jonathan M. G. Perry

Neuroscience Faculty Publications

One possible ecological scenario for the origin of primates is the archaic pollination and coevolution hypothesis. Its proponents contend that the consumption of nectar by some early primates and the resulting cross-pollination is an example of coevolution that drove adaptive radiations in some primates. This hypothesis is perhaps ecologically sound, but it lacks the morphology-behavior links that would allow us to test it using the fossil record. Here we attempt to identify cranial adaptations to nectar feeding among the strepsirrhines of Madagascar in order to provide such links. Many Malagasy strepsirrhines are considered effective cross-pollinators of the flowers they feed …

Taking “Grazing” To The Next Level, Edward N. Ballard

Kentucky Grazing Conference

Since the late 1980’s, producer awareness of pasture management has been increasing. A number of factors have brought this about. Mainly, economic conditions have forced producers to look at their bottom line and this has reflected the low returns from mismanagement of forages and pastures. Also, advancements in the technology of pasture management and improvement have made more intensive utilization of the forage resource more economically viable. Advances in equipment, especially fencing and water equipment, have also helped bring about the increased interest in better grassland management.

Pre- And Post-Bronchodilator Lung Function As Predictors Of Mortality In The Lung Health Study, David M. Mannino, Enrique Diaz-Guzman, Sonia Buist

Preventive Medicine and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is supposed to be classified on the basis of post-bronchodilator lung function. Most longitudinal studies of COPD, though, do not have post-bronchodilator lung function available. We used pre-and post bronchodilator lung function data from the Lung Health Study to determine whether these measures differ in their ability to predict mortality.

METHODS: We limited our analysis to subjects who were of black or white race, on whom we had complete data, and who participated at either the 1 year or the 5 year follow-up visit. We classified subjects based on their baseline lung function, according …

Epithelial Interleukin-8 Responses To Oral Bacterial Biofilms, Rebecca Peyyala, Sreenatha S. Kirakodu, Lucia Novakova, Jeffrey L. Ebersole

Center for Oral Health Research Faculty Publications

An in vitro model of bacterial biofilms on rigid gas-permeable contact lenses (RGPLs) was developed to challenge oral epithelial cells. This novel model provided seminal data on oral biofilm-host cell interactions, and with selected bacteria, the biofilms were more effective than their planktonic counterparts at stimulating host cell responses.

Global Ky (Fall 2011), University Of Kentucky International Center

Global Kentucky

No abstract provided.

Atypical Clinical And Diagnostic Features In Ménétrier's Disease In A Child, Michael Chung, Jaime Pittenger, Deborah Flomenhoft, Jeffrey Bennett, Eun Young Lee, Harohalli Shashidhar

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

Ménétrier's disease is one of the rarest protein-losing gastropathies in childhood. It is characterized clinically by non-specific gastrointestinal symptoms and edema, biochemically by hypoalbuminemia, and pathologically by enlarged gastric folds. In adults, this disease can be devastating with significant morbidity and mortality. In childhood, it is a self-limiting, transient and benign illness. Its treatment is largely supportive with total parenteral nutrition (TPN) while oral intake is encouraged. Acute onset of vomiting in healthy school age children can be initially explained by acute viral gastroenteritis. However, persistent vomiting associated with hematemesis and severe abdominal pain should warrant further work-up. This case …

Recent Developments In Antipoverty Policies In The United States, James P. Ziliak

University of Kentucky Center for Poverty Research Discussion Paper Series

I survey recent developments in antipoverty policy in the United States over the past decade and examine how the safety net and tax system affects poverty and its correlates using data from the 2000 to 2010 waves of the Current Population Survey-Annual Social and Economic Supplement. Unlike the 1980s and 1990s, and until the health care overhaul in 2009, the first decade of the 21st Century was relatively tepid in terms of major transfer policy reforms. However, real spending on most major social program increased significantly, and in some cases doubled or tripled, in response to demographic shifts and the …

Forage News [2011-09], Department Of Plant And Soil Sciences, University Of Kentucky

Forage News

• KFGC Awards and Forage Spokesman Nominations
• Kentucky Grazing School
• Kentucky Grazing Conference
• Heat Damage to Moist Hay
• Forage Quality, Ergot Alkaloid Concentrations, and Species Composition from Toxic Wild-Type and Non-Toxic, Novel Endophyte Infected Tall Fescue Pastures Grazed by Cow-Calf Pairs
• Yield Response of Summer-Dormant and Active Tall Fescue to Stockpiling
• Round-Bale Feeder Design Affects Hay Waste and Economics During Horse Feeding
• Determining Profitability is a Cost Thing

Srt1720 Improves Survival And Healthspan Of Obese Mice, Robin K. Minor, Joseph A. Baur, Ana P. Gomes, Theresa M. Ward, Anna Csiszar, Evi M. Mercken, Kotb Abdelmohsen, Yu-Kyong Shin, Carles Canto, Morten Scheibye-Knudsen, Melissa Krawczyk, Pablo M. Irusta, Alejandro Martín-Montalvo, Basil P. Hubbard, Yongqing Zhang, Elin Lehrmann, Alexa A. White, Nathan L. Price, William R. Swindell, Kevin J. Pearson, Kevin G. Becker, Vilhelm A. Bohr, Myriam Gorospe, Josephine M. Egan, Mark I. Talan, Johan Auwerx, Christoph H. Westphal, James L. Ellis, Zoltan Ungvari, George P. Vlasuk, Peter J. Elliott, David A. Sinclair, Rafael De Cabo

Graduate Center for Nutritional Sciences Faculty Publications

Sirt1 is an NAD(+)-dependent deacetylase that extends lifespan in lower organisms and improves metabolism and delays the onset of age-related diseases in mammals. Here we show that SRT1720, a synthetic compound that was identified for its ability to activate Sirt1 in vitro, extends both mean and maximum lifespan of adult mice fed a high-fat diet. This lifespan extension is accompanied by health benefits including reduced liver steatosis, increased insulin sensitivity, enhanced locomotor activity and normalization of gene expression profiles and markers of inflammation and apoptosis, all in the absence of any observable toxicity. Using a conditional SIRT1 knockout mouse and …

Reduced Viscosity Barley Β-Glucan Versus Placebo: A Randomized Controlled Trial Of The Effects On Insulin Sensitivity For Individuals At Risk For Diabetes Mellitus, Harold Bays, Joy L. Frestedt, Margie Bell, Carolyn Williams, Lore Kolberg, Wade Schmelzer, James W. Anderson

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Prior studies suggest soluble fibers may favorably affect glucose/insulin metabolism.

METHODS: This prospective, randomized, placebo controlled, double blind, parallel group trial evaluated 50 generally healthy subjects without prior diagnosis of diabetes mellitus (44 completers), who were administered beverages containing placebo (control), lower dose (3 g/d), or higher dose (6 g/d) reduced viscosity barley β-glucan (BBG) extract. Subjects (68% women) mean age 56 years, Body Mass Index (BMI) 32 kg/m2 and baseline fasting plasma glucose 102 mg/dl were instructed to follow a weight-maintaining Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) diet and consumed three 11 oz study beverages daily with meals for 12 …

Dietary Triglycerides Profoundly Affect Oral Sensitization To Peanut Protein In An Adjuvant-Free Mouse Model Of Peanut Allergy, Erik Eckhardt, Jianing Li

Internal Medicine Presentations

Peanuts and peanut butter contain significant amounts of long-chain triglycerides (LCT), which stimulate lymphatic chylomicron transport. We have recently reported that intestinal absorption of a dietary antigen (ovalbumin; (OVA)) is significantly enhanced when chylomicron formation is induced. This prompted us to investigate the effect of LCT on oral sensitization to concomitantly ingested protein antigens.

Sr-A Ligand And M-Csf Dynamically Regulate Sr-A Expression And Function In Primary Macrophages Via P38 Mapk Activation, Dejan Nikolic, Lindsay Calderon, Liqin Du, Steven R. Post

Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Inflammation is characterized by dynamic changes in the expression of cytokines, such as M-CSF, and modifications of lipids and proteins that result in the formation of ligands for Class A Scavenger Receptors (SR-A). These changes are associated with altered SR-A expression in macrophages; however, the intracellular signal pathways involved and the extent to which SR-A ligands regulate SR-A expression are not well defined. To address these questions, SR-A expression and function were examined in resident mouse peritoneal macrophages incubated with M-CSF or the selective SR-A ligand acetylated-LDL (AcLDL).

RESULTS: M-CSF increased SR-A expression and function, and required the specific …