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Convergence Of Dune Topography Among Multiple Barrier Island Morphologies, Jackie Ann Monge

Theses and Dissertations--Geography

Wave-dominated and mixed tidal and wave energy barrier islands are assumed to have characteristic dune topographies that link to their macroscale form. However, there has been no systematic attempt to describe the linkage between barrier island macroscale form and dune topography. The goal of this thesis was to investigate how dune topographies correspond to a number of barrier island morphologies found along the southeastern U.S. Atlantic coast. Macroscale process-form variables were used to classify 77 islands into seven morphologic clusters. Islands from each cluster were selected and sites characteristic of the range of dune topographies within islands were characterized using …

The Human–Hookworm Assemblage: Contingency And The Practice Of Helminthic Therapy, Sophia Anne Strosberg

Theses and Dissertations--Geography

Through a qualitative analysis of the use of intestinal parasites for treating immune system disorders, this research illustrates how contingency emerges in the context of the human relationship to hookworms. The affect of the human–nonhuman relationship is an important part of understanding the direction of evolutionary medicine today, and has implications for the politics of biological health innovations. The shift from the bad parasite to a parasite that at least sometimes heals, discursively and materially, has opened new spaces for patients to change the way they relate to medical knowledge, medical professionals, and pharmaceutical companies. Hookworms are banned by the …

Computational Identification And Molecular Verification Of Mirna In Eastern Subterranean Termites (Reticulitermes Flavipes), Tian Yu

Theses and Dissertations--Entomology

Reticulitermes flavipes is one of the most common termite species in the world, and has been an intriguing research model due to its ecological and biological and economic significance. The fundamental biological question addressed by this study is to elucidate the role of miRNAs in termite development and how miRNA can influence labor division. miRNAs are short non-coding RNAs that have an important role in gene regulation at post-transcriptional level, and can potentially be involved in the regulation of caste polyphenism. Using a computational approach, I identified 167 conserved and 33 novel miRNAs in the dataset. miR-iab-4 and 19 other …

Pretreatment Of Scenedesmus Sp. Biomass As A Potential Anaerobic Digestion Substrate, Xinyi E, Czarena Crofcheck

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Algal biomass can be a potential substrate for anaerobic digestion. However, raw algae cells show a resistance to biological degradation, resulting in a slower methane production rate. Varying thermal and chemical pretreatments of algal biomass were investigated in an attempt to increase soluble organic matter (SOM) yield, which would result in enhanced methane production during subsequent anaerobic digestion. Scenedesmus sp. was harvested using three different procedures: with flocculation, with flocculation and drying, and without flocculation or drying. For all pretreatments and algae types, fluorescence micrographs were obtained to visually confirm the degradation of the algal cell walls. A complete 2 …

Effects Of Locality And Risk Of Late Stage Breast Cancer Diagnosis In Kentucky Females, 2001-2011, Michael Jacob Sither

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Breast cancer survival is heavily dependent on stage at diagnosis. Recent evidence supports rural women are more likely than urban women to be diagnosed with advanced stage disease but historically these findings have been mixed when investigated at the state level. Cancer surveillance in the Appalachian region suggests Kentucky females are at significantly greater risk of premature breast cancer mortality due to consistently lower prevalence of screening mammography utilization. In the literature, disparities in breast cancer outcomes have been largely explained by population demographics, areabased measures of socioeconomic deprivation, shortages of referring providers as well as differences in spatial access …

Evaluating Oral Health Trends In Kentucky, 2006-2012, Briana Michelle Forsythe

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

According to the former US Surgeon General, C. Everett Koop, “You’re not healthy without good oral health.” Poor oral health, comprising of the presence of caries and/or periodontal disease, can lead to edentulism, which in turn can yield poor physical health, inability to communicate properly, poor mental health, and a lesser quality of life. In Kentucky, over one quarter of the adult population has lost six or more teeth due to decay or gum disease, a figure 10% higher than the national average. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine: a) Kentucky’s Statewide Oral Health Strategic Plan, implemented …

Influence Of Marianismo On Colorectal Cancer Screening Behavior Among Hispanic Women In The United States, Robin Thompson

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States (U.S).1 Although early detection and treatment can reduce CRC-related morbidity and mortality, almost twothirds of patients are diagnosed with advanced stage disease indicating non-adherence to recommended screening guidelines.1 Indeed, less than half of individuals over 50 years of age get screened at recommended intervals.2 More specifically, lower rates of CRC screening exist among these groups: those identifying as being of Hispanic origin, the uninsured, disabled individuals, and women.3 In a 2011 report from the National Center on Health …

Association Of Hiv Testing, Educational Attainment, And Age Among Black And Non-Black Men, Ashley N. Martell

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection can lead to a chronic condition, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), but can be well managed with a combination of medications, treatments, and remedies.1 The emergence of HIV in the United States in 1981 created an atmosphere unlike any other at that time. Overtime, the science community has worked diligently to combat this disease through research, practice, and intervention. Although many efforts have been put forth over the past thirty years, millions of Americans still remain infected with HIV.2 Among those who are infected with HIV/AIDS we see disproportionate rates among specific races and gender. Research …

The Power Of Multiplying: Reproductive Control In American Culture, 1850-1930, Virginia B. Engholm

Theses and Dissertations--English

Prior to the advent of modern birth control beginning in the nineteenth century, the biological reproductive cycle of pregnancy, post-partum recovery, and nursing dominated women’s adult years. The average birth rate per woman in 1800 was just over seven, but by 1900, that rate had fallen to just under than three and a half. The question that this dissertation explores is what cultural narratives about reproduction and reproductive control emerge in the wake of this demographic shift. What’s at stake in a woman’s decision to reproduce, for herself, her family, her nation? How do women, and society, control birth?

In …

Factors Influencing Peripheral Skin Temperature Circadian Rhythm In Young Adult Males, Hannah Tranel

Theses and Dissertations--Kinesiology and Health Promotion

Periodic cues, including scheduled exercise, social interactions, sleep habits, and feeding time, have been shown to alter the circadian system. A disruption in circadian rhythms has been shown to have negative effects on health. Frequent skin temperature measures have been shown to be a valid method of assessing circadian rhythm parameters. The purpose of this study was to determine group mean differences in temperature amplitude, stability and lag measures among groups of young men of varying (optimal, fair and poor) adiposities. The strength of the association among the temperatures parameters and measures of body composition, physical fitness and activity, nutritional …

Beyond Blue And White: University Of Kentucky Presidents And Desegregation, 1941-1987, Mark W. Russell

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation

This dissertation fills a gap in the historiography of southern higher education by focusing on five university presidents and their role in the desegregation of a non-elite flagship university in the Upper South. While historian Melissa Keane has studied the presidential role at elite private southern universities during the initial phase of the desegregation process, no study has yet examined desegregation from the president’s office at a southern land-grant university. Building upon historian Peter Wallenstein’s thesis that desegregation is not a single event in an institution’s history but rather an ongoing process, I argue that it was also process that …

Fourth And Eighth Grade Students' Conceptions Of Energy Flow Through Ecosystems, Ashlie Beals Arkwright

Theses and Dissertations--Education Sciences

This mixed methods status study examined 32 fourth grade students’ conceptual understandings of energy flow through ecosystems prior to instruction and 40 eighth grade students’ conceptual understandings of the same topic after five years of daily standards-based instruction in science. Specific ecological concepts assessed related to: 1) roles of organisms; 2) the sun as the original energy source for most ecosystems; and 3) interdependency of organisms.

Fourth and eighth grade students were assessed using the same three-tiered forced-choice instrument, with accompanying tasks for students to defend their forced-choice selections and rate their level of confidence in making the selections. The …

Control Of The Surficial Fine-Grained Laminae Upon Stream Carbon And Nitrogen Cycles, William I. Ford Iii

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

This dissertation investigated the impact of the Surficial Fine-Grained Laminae (SFGL) upon stream biogeochemical cycles to constrain stream C and N budgets. Collection and analysis of 8 years of transported sediment elemental and isotopic signatures, weekly, from a SFGL dominated stream, a novel dissolved C and N dataset, statistical and time-series analysis of sediment and dissolved data, and development of a comprehensive modeling framework that couples hydrodynamics, sediment, C and N biogeochemistry, and stable isotope sub-models to simulate fluvial C and N budgets was used. SFGL C modeling suggests benthic particulate C stocks and transport vary seasonally and annually but …

Stabilization Of Extended Diffuse Optical Spectroscopy Measurements On In Vivo Human Skeletal Muscle During Dynamic Exercise, Brad A. Henry

Theses and Dissertations--Biomedical Engineering

This research investigates various applications of diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS) on in-vivo human muscle tissue, both at rest and during dynamic exercise. Previously suspected muscle tissue relative blood flow (rBF) baseline shift during extended measurement with DCS and DCS-Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) hybrid optical systems are verified, quantified, and resolved by redesign of optical probe and alteration in optical probe attachment methodology during 40 minute supine bed rest baseline measurements. We then translate previously developed occlusion techniques, whereby rBF and relative oxygen consumption rV̇O₂ are calibrated to initial resting absolute values by use of a venous occlusion (VO) and …

Bioerodible Calcium Sulfate Bone Grafting Substitutes With Tailored Drug Delivery Capabilities, Bryan R. Orellana

Theses and Dissertations--Biomedical Engineering

Bone regeneration or augmentation is often required prior to or concomitant with implant placement. With the limitations of many existing technologies, a biologically compatible synthetic bone grafting substitute that is osteogenic, bioerodible, and provides spacing-making functionality while acting as a drug delivery vehicle for bioactive molecules could provide an alternative to ‘gold standard’ techniques.

In the first part of this work, calcium sulfate (CS) space-making synthetic bone grafts with uniformly embedded poly(β-amino ester) (PBAE) biodegradable hydrogel particles was developed to allow controlled release of bioactive agents. The embedded gel particles’ influence on the physical and chemical characteristics of CS was …

Mucoadhesive Films For Treatment Of Local Oral Disorders: Development, Characterization And In Vivo Testing, Sandeep K. Ramineni

Theses and Dissertations--Biomedical Engineering

Mucoadhesive drug delivery systems which are being used from 1980’s to avoid first pass metabolism of drugs, commercially exist for only systemic drug delivery with fast erosion times (15-60 min), that may not be appropriate for local oral disorders. The goal of this research was to develop and characterize mucoadhesive films with flexibility of carrying different drugs and proteins and provide sustained release for local treatment of oral disorders.

Mucoadhesive films composed of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and carboxymethlycellulose (CMC) were formulated with imiquimod, an immune response modifier. Problems such as solubilization of imiquimod to increase drug loading, uniformity in films and …

Precise Control Of Carbon Nanotube Membrane Structure For Enzyme Mimetic Catalysis, Nicholas W. Linck

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

The ability to fabricate a charge-driven water pump is a crucial step toward mimicking the catalytic ability of natural enzyme systems. The first step towards making this water pump a reality is the ability to make a carbon nanotube (CNT) membrane with uniform, 0.8 nm pore diameter. Proposed in this work is a method for synthesizing these carbon nanotubes via VPI-5 zeolite templated, transition metal catalyzed pyrolysis. Using a membrane composed of these CNTs, it is possible to get water molecules to flow single file at a high flow rate, and to orient them in such a way that would …

Clogging Of Fine Sediment Within Gravel Substrates: Macro-Analysis And Momentum-Impulse Model, Davis Huston

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

An understanding of the clogging of fine sediments within gravel substrates is advanced through the use of dimensional analysis and macro-analysis of clogging experiments in hydraulic flumes. Dimensional analysis is used to suggest that the dimensionless clogging depth can be collapsed using the original and adjusted bed-to-grain ratios, substrate porosity, roughness Reynolds number, and Peclet number. Macro-analysis followed by statistical analysis of 146 experimental test results of fine sediment deposition in gravel substrates suggests that the dimensionless clogging depth can be collapsed using the substrate porosity and roughness Reynolds number reflecting the processes of gravity settling and turbulence induced fluid …

Acoustic Epistemologies And Aurality In Sor Juana Inés De La Cruz, Sarah E. Finley

Theses and Dissertations--Hispanic Studies

This dissertation considers the intersection of aurality and visuality in seventeenth-century New Spanish poet Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz’s (1648/1651-95) acoustico-poetic discourse. Prior scholarship has focused either on the author’s engagement with Western music theory and compositional practices or else the role of musical references in her works. This has resulted in the marginalization of Sor Juana’s engagement with sound through disciplines that are not strictly musical or poetic, including: acoustics, cognitive theory and visual art. I address these lacunae by considering such concepts as echo, reflection, Ear, Voice, musica poetica (links between music and rhetoric) and musical pathos …

Temporal And Spatial Characterization Of Macondo 252 Signatures In Gulf Of Mexico Shelf And Slope Sediments, Olivia P. Woodruff

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

The long-term fate of hydrocarbons in the Gulf of Mexico (GOMx) following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill has yet to be fully characterized. Elemental (% C and % N), stable isotopes (δ¹³C_organic), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) molecular signatures were investigated in shelf and slope sediments collected in October 2010 and 2011 to gain insight into processes affecting the distribution and fate of spilled Macondo oil. Particulate organic carbon (POC) ranged between 1.55 and 2.22 wt. % in 2010 and 0.55 and 2.06 % in 2011 while the corresponding δ¹³C_organic ranges were …

Analysis Of The Role Of Two Autophagy Pathway Related Genes, Becn1 And Tsc1, In Murine Mammary Gland Development And Differentiation, Amber N. Hale

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

The mammary gland is a dynamic organ that undergoes the majority of its development in the postnatal period in four stages; mature virgin, pregnancy, lactation, and involution. Every stage relies on tightly regulated cellular proliferation, programmed cell death, and tissue remodeling mechanisms. Misregulation of autophagy, an intracellular catabolic process to maintain energy stores, has long been associated with mammary tumorigenesis and other pathologies. We hypothesize that appropriate regulation and execution of autophagy are necessary for proper development of the mammary ductal tree and maintenance of the secretory epithelia during late pregnancy and lactation. To test this hypothesis we examined the …

A Petrographic Characterization Of The Leatherwood Coal Bed In Eastern Kentucky, Michelle N. Johnston

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

The Eastern Kentucky Coal Field is located in the central portion of the Appalachian Basin. The Pennsylvanian Breathitt Formation in this region is characterized by numerous sequences of bituminous coal-bearing sedimentary rocks. These coals have distinct maceral compositions due to variations in depositional environments. Coal characterization is an important method for determining conditions that influenced peat accumulation and overall depositional settings of mires.

This study focuses on the characterization of the maceral composition of the Middle Pennsylvanian-age Leatherwood coal bed. It utilizes petrographical, palynological, and geochemical analyses to describe specific depositional environments and associated peat accumulation conditions.

Petrographic analyses indicate …

The Nature And Origin Of Cyclicity In The Cleveland Member Of The Ohio Shale (Upper Devonian), Northeastern Kentucky, U.S.A., Alice C. O'Bryan

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

The Cleveland Shale displays a characteristic and distinctive pattern of promontories and recessed intervals on weathered outcrops, which appears to represent cyclicity. This weathering pattern can be observed in other shales, both within and outside the Appalachian Basin; so determining the nature of these cycles may be critical for understanding the origin of, not only the Cleveland Shale, but also of black shales in general. Cyclicity in the Cleveland was examined on a decimeter-to-meter scale using lithologic characterization, gamma-ray stratigraphy and x-ray fluorescence, and on a millimeter-to-centimeter scale using organic petrography. Lithologic characterization and gamma-ray stratigraphy revealed Milankovitch-band fourth- and …

Renal Humoral, Genetic And Genomic Mechanisms Underlying Spontaneous Hypertension, Jason A. Collett

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

In spite of significant progress in our knowledge of mechanisms that control blood pressure, our understanding of the pathogenesis of hypertension, its genetics, and population efforts to control blood pressure, hypertension remains the leading risk factor for mortality worldwide. It’s estimated that 1 out of every 3 adults has hypertension. Hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and stroke, and is considered a primary or contributing cause of death to more than 2.4 million US deaths each year. Although spontaneous hypertension has been the subject of substantial research, many critical questions remain unanswered.

To investigate mechanisms underlying spontaneous …

Strong Angels Of Comfort: Middle Class Managing Daughters In Victorian Literature, Emily A. Dotson

Theses and Dissertations--English

This dissertation joins a vibrant conversation in the social sciences about the challenging nature of care labor as well as feminist discussions about the role of the daughter in Victorian culture.

It explores the literary presence of the middle class managing daughter in the Victorian home.

Collectively, the novels in this study articulate social anxieties about the unclear and unstable role of daughters in the family, the physically and emotionally challenging work they, and all women, do, and the struggle for daughters to find a place in a family hierarchy, which is often structured not by effort or affection, but …

Knowing And Being Known: Sexual Delinquency, Stardom, And Adolescent Girlhood In Midcentury American Film, Michael Todd Hendricks

Theses and Dissertations--English

Sexual delinquency marked midcentury cinematic representations of adolescent girls in 1940s, 50, and early 60s. Drawing from the history of adolescence and the context of midcentury female juvenile delinquency, I argue that studios and teen girl stars struggled for decades with publicity, censorship, and social expectations regarding the sexual license of teenage girls. Until the late 1950s, exploitation films and B movies exploited teen sex and pregnancy while mainstream Hollywood ignored those issues, struggling to promote teen girl stars by tightly controlling their private lives but depriving fan magazines of the gossip and scandals that normally fueled the machinery of …

Biomechanical Effects Of Trees And Soil Thickness In The Cumberland Plateau, Michael Shouse

Theses and Dissertations--Geography

Previous research in the Ouachita Mountains, Arkansas suggests that, on relatively thin soils overlying bedrock, individual trees locally thicken the regolith by root penetration into bedrock. However, that work was conducted mainly in areas of strongly dipping and contorted rock, where joints and bedding planes susceptible to root penetration are more common and accessible. This project extended this concept to the Cumberland Plateau, Kentucky, with flat, level-bedded sedimentary rocks. Spatial variability of soil thickness was quantified at three nested spatial scales, and statistical relationships with other potential influences of thickness were examined. In addition, soil depth beneath trees was compared …

Effectiveness Of A Farm Field Trip, Bonnie S. Sigmon

Theses and Dissertations--Community & Leadership Development

The annual Sigmon Farm Tour was started in 1992 as an agricultural education program where students could experience being on a farm with the goal of increasing the agricultural literacy levels of the participants. Every year the entire 4th grade student population of Rockcastle County spends the day touring the farm and participating in experiential mini lessons given by the cooperating farm service and health agencies. The program has continued for 20+ years without an evaluation as to whether it is achieving its objectives. This evaluation will also exhibit the programs strengths and weakness so it can continue to improve. …

Sequential Co-Culture Of Anaerobic Bacteria On Switchgrass In A Continuous Flow-Through Reactor For Biofuel Production, Noelia M. Elia

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Solid substrate cultivation (SSC) using lignocellulosic non-food feedstock, such as switchgrass, is an alternative for advanced biofuel production. Acetone-Butanol-Ethanol (ABE) fermentation in two stages using a sequential culture of microorganisms from the class Clostridia is an approach proposed to increase the butanol production.

The goal was to test the efficacy of a sequential culture on high solid substrate cultivation in batch and continuous cultivation, and to evaluate conditions to optimize butanol production using switchgrass as substrate.

Initial batch experiments were used to determine particle size effect, choice of solvent producer and pretreatment evaluation: The effect of particle size on gas …

Calpain 5: A Non-Classical Calpain Highly Expressed In The Cns And Localized To Mitochondria And Nuclear Pml Bodies, Ranjana Singh

Theses and Dissertations--Neuroscience

Calpain 5 (CAPN5) is a non-classical member of the calpain family. It lacks the EF-hand motif characteristic of the classical calpains, calpain 1 and 2, but retains catalytic and Ca²⁺ binding non EF domains. Tra-3, an ortholog of CAPN5, is involved in necrotic cell death in C.elegans; although specific role of CAPN5 has not been investigated in the mammalian CNS. I compared relative mRNA levels of calpains in rat CNS, which revealed that CAPN5 is the second most highly expressed calpain. We examined relative levels of CAPN5 from late embryonic day 18 to postnatal day 90 and …