Digital Commons Network^™

Coplanar Pcb-Induced Inflammation And Dietary Interventions, Katryn Elizabeth Eske

Theses and Dissertations--Nutritional Sciences

Diseases, such as cardiovascular disease (CVD), are linked to chronic low levels of inflammation. This inflamed state is the product of risk factors including exposure to environmental pollutants, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which are correlated with increased risk for CVD and diabetes. In response to this health risk, our research addresses the mechanisms by which coplanar PCBs elicit an inflammatory response and the mitigation of PCB-induced inflammation through dietary intervention using docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an omega-3 lipid. Investigators from the University of Kentucky Engineering Department are developing remediation technologies that detoxify PCBs through dechlorination. We studied the cellular toxicity …

Novel Insights Into The Function And Regulation Of Group X Secretory Phospholipase A2, Joseph D. Layne Jr

Theses and Dissertations--Nutritional Sciences

Group X secretory phospholipase A₂ (GX sPLA₂) hydrolyzes membrane phospholipids producing free fatty acids and lysophospholipids. Previous studies from our lab suggest that mice with targeted deletion of GX sPLA₂ (GX KO) have increased age-related weight gain due to an increase in overall adiposity. Paradoxically, this increased adiposity is associated with improved age-related glucose intolerance. GX KO mice also demonstrate a reduced inflammatory response to lipopolysaccharide injection. In vitro studies indicate this phenotype may be attributable to blunted macrophage mediated inflammatory responses. Given the role of macrophages in promoting adipose tissue (AT) inflammation and metabolic dysfunction …

Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute Annual Technical Report Fy 2012, Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute, University Of Kentucky

KWRRI Annual Technical Reports (USGS’s 104b Grant Program)

The 2012 Annual Technical Report for Kentucky consolidates reporting requirements for the Section 104(b) base grant award into a single document that includes; 1) a synopsis of each research project that was conducted during the period, 2) citations for related publications, reports, and presentations, 3) a description of information transfer activities, 4) a summary of student support during the reporting period, and 5) notable awards and achievements during the year.

An Exploratory Study Of User-Centered Indexing Of Published Biomedical Images, Sujin Kim

Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Faculty Publications

User-centered image indexing—often reported in research on collaborative tagging, social classification, folksonomy, or personal tagging—has received a considerable amount of attention [1-7]. The general themes in more recent studies on this topic include user-centered tagging behavior by types of images, pros and cons of user-created tags as compared to controlled index terms; assessment of the value added by user-generated tags, and comparison of automatic indexing versus human indexing in the context of web digital image collections such as Flickr. For instance, Golbeck's finding restates the importance of indexer experience, order, and type of images [8]. Rorissa has found a significant …

Peripheral T-Cell Lymphoma With Aberrant Expression Of Cd19, Cd20, And Cd79a: Case Report And Literature Review, Rahul G. Matnani, Rachel L. Stewart, Joseph Pulliam, Chester D. Jennings, Melissa Kesler

Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Faculty Publications

A case of lymphoma of T-cell derivation with aberrant expression of three B-cell lineage markers (CD19, CD20, and CD79a), which was diagnosed on a left axillary excision, is described. Immunohistochemical studies and flow cytometry analysis demonstrated neoplastic cells expressing CD3, CD19, CD20, and CD79a with absence of CD4, CD8, CD10, CD30, CD34, CD56, CD68, TDT, MPO, PAX-5, and surface immunoglobulin. Gene rearrangement studies performed on paraffin blocks demonstrated monoclonal T-cell receptor gamma chain rearrangement with no evidence of clonal heavy chain rearrangement. The neoplastic cells were negative for Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) or Human Herpes Virus 8 (HHV-8). At the time …

Reviving The Federal Crime Of Gratuities, Sarah N. Welling

Law Faculty Scholarly Articles

The federal crime of gratuities prohibits people from giving gifts to federal public officials if the gift is tied to an official act. Both the donor and the donee are liable. The gratuities crime is dysfunctional in two main ways. It is overinclusive in that it covers conduct indistinguishable from bribery. It is underinclusive in that it does not cover conduct that is clearly dangerous: gifts to public officials because of their positions that are not tied to a particular official act.

This Article argues that Congress should extend the crime of gratuities to cover gifts because of an official’s …

Comparative Study Of Environmental Factors Influencing Motor Task Learning And Memory Retention In Sighted And Blind Crayfish, Sonya M. Bierbower, Zhanna P. Shuranova, Kert Viele, Robin L. Cooper

Biology Faculty Publications

In classical conditioning, an alteration in response occurs when two stimuli are regularly paired in close succession. An area of particular research interest is classical conditioning with a chemical signal and visual and/or tactile stimuli as the unconditional stimuli, to test manipulative and motor behaviors in a learning paradigm. A classical learning task chamber was developed to examine learning trends in a sighted surface-dwelling crayfish, Procambarus clarkii, and in a blind cave-dwelling crayfish, Orconectes australis packardi. We examined whether learning is influenced by environmental factors and/or reliance on different primary sensory modalities. Crayfish were trained to manipulate a large, cumbersome …

Genomics Of A Metamorphic Timing Qtl: Met1 Maps To A Unique Genomic Position And Regulates Morph And Species-Specific Patterns Of Brain Transcription, Robert B. Page, Meredith A. Boley, David K. Kump, Stephen R. Voss

Biology Faculty Publications

Very little is known about genetic factors that regulate life history transitions during ontogeny. Closely related tiger salamanders (Ambystoma species complex) show extreme variation in metamorphic timing, with some species foregoing metamorphosis altogether, an adaptive trait called paedomorphosis. Previous studies identified a major effect quantitative trait locus (met1) for metamorphic timing and expression of paedomorphosis in hybrid crosses between the biphasic Eastern tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum tigrinum) and the paedomorphic Mexican axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum). We used existing hybrid mapping panels and a newly created hybrid cross to map the met1 genomic region and …

Bioavailability Of Manufactured Nanomaterials In Terrestrial Ecosystems, Jonathan D. Judy

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

Manufactured nanomaterials (MNMs) from the rapidly increasing number of consumer products that contain MNMs are being discharged into waste streams. Increasing evidence suggests that several classes of MNMs may accumulate in sludge derived from wastewater treatment and ultimately in soil following land application as biosolids. Little research has been conducted to evaluate the impact of MNMs on terrestrial ecosystems, despite the fact that land application of biosolids from wastewater treatment will be a major pathway for the introduction of MNMs to the environment. To begin addressing this knowledge gap, we have conducted a series of experiments designed to test how …

Evaluating The Sustainability Of Four Organic Vegetable Production Systems, Delia W. Scott

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

A field study evaluating the sustainability of four organic vegetable production systems was conducted in Lexington, Kentucky in 2006 and 2007. The four systems included no-till, raised beds covered with biodegradable black mulch, bare ground with shallow cultivation, and bare ground with shallow cultivation and wood chip mulch. The two-year study compared yield, weed control, labor, and costs associated with each system, as well as physical, chemical, and microbiological soil characteristics. In 2006, tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) were grown in the four systems, with no significant difference in yield. Summer squash (Cucurbita pepo L.) was grown in the …

Land Use Impact On Soil Gas And Soil Water Transport Properties, Sleem Kreba

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

The consequences of land use choices on soil water and gas transport properties are significant for gas and water flux in agricultural environments. Spatial and temporal patterns and associations of soil water and soil gas characteristics and processes in different land uses are not well understood. The objectives of this study were to 1) characterize soil structure under crop and grass systems, 2) quantify spatial patterns and associations of soil physical characteristics in crop and grass systems, and 3) quantify spatial and temporal patterns and associations of CO₂ and N₂O fluxes. The research was conducted in a …

“Advise Me!” Understanding Undergraduate Student Perceptions Of Learning In Academic Advising, Schyler Simpson

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

This dissertation is a theoretically driven empirical analysis of instructional communication in academic advising. It explores the effects of perceived advisor accommodation on advisee learning. Specifically, it examines whether academic advisors employ accommodation communication that influence affect, cognitive learning, and behavioral learning outcomes in advisees. Four hundred and seventeen students were asked to report on their perceptions of learning through an online cross-sectional survey that addressed communication accommodation strategies employed in the advisor/advisee experience. Results show that behavioral learning (measured by intentions) was significantly predicted by advisor inquiry of school-related content (β = .391, p < .01); advisor attentiveness (β = -.169, p < .01); affect toward advising content (β = .154, p < .01); and cognitive knowledge (β = .244, p < .01)].

Both Sides Of Our Mouths: Contemporary Legends As A Means Of Dissent In A Time Of Global Modernism, Gerald D. Abbott Jr.

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

The legend is a permanent fixture of human societies. Though the legends themselves are permanent, their functions and meanings can fluctuate as the context in which they are told and retold shifts. As societies move through history, certain authoritative institutions create narratives that direct those societies and frame debates within them. Issues neglected by these institutions yet experienced by members of the population can be said to be unconstructed. Social problems that have achieved some level of construction inevitably provoke those who dissent from those constructions.

In these situations, members of a society look for alternative means for talking about …

Organizational Response To Perceptual Risk: Managing Substantial Response To Unsubstantiated Events, Elizabeth L. Petrun

Theses and Dissertations--Communication

Analysis and perceived severity of risk influences organizational decisions to anticipated threats. As economic development and technology improve our standards of living, they also create new challenges to conceptualizing concrete and abstract threats. Organizations that face new threats, along with agencies that oversee these organizations, produce tightly coupled systems that increase risks for direct, indirect, and future stakeholders (Perrow, 1999). Natural disasters, political misbehavior, organizational corruption, financial collapse, food and water contaminations, chemical or nuclear accidents, international tension, to name a few, all present risks and challenges. Unfortunately, many of these situations endanger the lives and well-being of persons. The …

Acoustic Emission Signal Of Lactococcus Lactis Before And After Inhibition With Nan3 And Infection With Bacteriophage C2, Debasish Ghosh, John M. Stencel, Clair D. Hicks, Frederick Payne, Didem Ozevin

Animal and Food Sciences Faculty Publications

The detection of acoustic emission (AE) from Lactococcus lactis, ssp lactis is reported in which emission intensities are used to follow and define metabolic activity during growth in nutrient broths. Optical density (OD) data were also acquired during L. lactis growth at 32°C and provided insight into the timing of the AE signals relative to the lag, logarithmic, and stationary growth phases of the bacteria. The inclusion of a metabolic inhibitor, NaN₃, into the nutrient broth eliminated bacteria metabolic activity according to the OD data, the absence of which was confirmed using AE data acquisition. The OD …

Evaluating Food Safety Systems Development And Implementation By Quantifying Haccp Training Durability, Marienne A. Anandappa

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

HACCP-based food safety programs have been widely acclaimed, accepted and implemented as an effective means of managing food safety risks. While HACCP training is a cornerstone of managing HACCP programs, there is little information about the effectiveness of HACCP training and the durability of HACCP knowledge. Findings reveal a link between involvement level in HACCP activities and the accuracy of HACCP knowledge over time. Opportunities for peer training in HACCP, irrespective of overall experience in the food industry provide favorable circumstances for maintaining accuracy of HACCP knowledge. The optimal window for engaging employees in HACCP is directly following the completion …

Estimating The Economic Losses From Diseases And Extended Days Open With A Farm-Level Stochastic Model, Di Liang

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

This thesis improved a farm-level stochastic model with Monte Carlo simulation to estimate the impact of health performance and market conditions on dairy farm economics. The main objective of this model was to estimate the costs of seven common clinical dairy diseases (mastitis, lameness, metritis, retained placenta, left displaced abomasum, ketosis, and milk fever) in the U.S. An online survey was conducted to estimate veterinary fees, treatment costs, and producer labor data. The total disease costs were higher in multiparous cows than in primiparous cows. Left displaced abomasum had the greatest costs in all parities ($404.74 in primiparous cows and …

Effects Of Endophyte Infected Fescue Alkaloid Ingestion On Energy Metabolism, Nitrogen Balance, In Situ Feed Degradation, And Ruminal Passage Rates, Anne F. Koontz

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

The decrease in productivity caused by fescue toxicosis has been estimated to cost the United States livestock industry more than $1 billion per year due to reduced growth and diminished reproductive efficiency. This goal of the research presented in this dissertation is to enhance the knowledge base concerning the underlying physiological changes that occur during fescue toxicosis that lead to reduced intake and weight gain in cattle.

As one of the factors associated with fescue toxicosis is a reduction in feed intake, achieving a consistent and adequate intake of toxins can be a complication. Results from experiment 1demonstrate that ruminal …

Evaluation Of The Effects Of Vitamin K On Growth Performance And Bone Health In Swine, James S. Monegue

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

The role of vitamin K in the blood clotting cascade has been well documented. Vitamin K has recently been implicated in improving bone health. The current studies were conducted to determine the effects of vitamin K in diets with and without mycotoxin contaminated corn on growth performance, bone characteristics, and related blood metabolites in pigs from weaning to market. Menadione sodium bisulfite complex (MSBC, 33% vitamin K) was chosen as the source of supplemental vitamin K because it is the most common form fed to swine. Vitamin K was tested at 0, 0.5, and 2.0 ppm in a corn-soybean meal …

The Effects Of Hydrostatic Pressure On Early Endothelial Tubulogenic Processes, Ryan M. Underwood

Theses and Dissertations--Biomedical Engineering

The effects of mechanical forces on endothelial cell function and behavior are well documented, but have not been fully characterized. Specifically, fluid pressure has been shown to elicit physical and chemical responses known to be involved in the initiation and progression of endothelial cell-mediated vascularization. Central to the process of vascularization is the formation of tube-like structures. This process—tubulogenesis—is essential to both the physiological and pathological growth of tissues. Given the known effects of pressure on endothelial cells and its ubiquitous presence in the vasculature, we investigated pressure as a magnitude-dependent parameter for the regulation of endothelial tubulogenic activity. To …

Role Of Satellite Cells In Long Term Fiber Type Shifts, Honglu Liu

Lewis Honors College Capstone Collection

Muscle fiber type shifts in respect to satellite cells, muscle stem cells, are not well understood currently. The Peterson Lab has generated a mouse model (PAX7-DTA) that ablates satellite cells to determine if these muscle stem cells contribute to mouse muscle fiber type changes over an eight week period. In the study, control and satellite-cell-ablated mouse groups were split into control and overload groups (via synergist ablation surgery) and placed under similar environmental conditions. Eight weeks post-experiment, muscles were dissected to obtain the plantaris muscles of animals from all groups. Muscle cross-sections obtained were immunohistochemically stained, imaged, quantified by fiber …

Use Of Mtb-100tm, Provided Through A Mineral Mix, To Reduce Toxicity When Lactating Beef Cows Graze Endophyte-Infected Tall Fescue, Melanie E. Hoar

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

Two experiments were conducted at the University of Kentucky, Eden Shale Farm, Owenton, KY to evaluate the use of MTB-100^TM (Alltech, Inc., Nicholasville, KY) to alleviate the symptoms of fescue toxicity when lactating Angus x Beefmaster cows and their calves grazed endophyte-infected KY-31 tall fescue. Experiment 1 provided a carbohydrate based toxin adsorbent, MTB-100^TM, ad libitum in a commercial mineral supplement to project a daily consumption rate of 0, 20 or 40 g of MTB-100^TM per cow. Cows were weighed, assigned a body condition score (BCS) and hair coat score (HC), rectal temperatures were recorded and …

The Nature And Perceived Influence Of Lifestyle Discussions With Older Adults In Primary Care, Shoshana H. Bardach

Theses and Dissertations--Gerontology

The Nature and Perceived Influence of Lifestyle Discussions with Older Adults in Primary Care Rationale: A healthy diet and physical activity help with disease prevention and disease management and can promote quality of life regardless of the age at which an individual begins engaging in these behaviors. Despite the value of these health behaviors, many older adults do not follow lifestyle recommendations. Given that older adults frequently interact with the healthcare system, primary care providers are well situated to counsel older adults to improve their health behaviors. Unfortunately, we do not know how to most effectively engage in this counseling. …

Redox-Regulated Relb-Ar Axis Mediates Prostate Specific Antigen Expression: Insight In Prostate Cancer Response To Radiation Therapy, Lu Miao

Theses and Dissertations--Toxicology and Cancer Biology

Although the prostate specific antigen (PSA) test is widely used in clinical settings for prostate cancer (PCa) diagnosis and post-treatment follow-up monitoring, false positive PSA test results, which contribute to over-diagnosis of PCa, and false negative results, which miss some patients with aggressive PCa, remain problems of clinical importance.

Our study demonstrates that radiation therapy, which is widely used for treatment of localized PCa, generates TNF-α in tumor cells and stromal fibroblasts, redox dependently. Interestingly, TNF-α rapidly and transiently triggers the RelA-mediated NF-κB canonical pathway, but its effect on RelB expression is more robust and long lasting, which leads to …

Cofilin Navigates Cellular Cytoskeleton And Invasion Responses To Tgf-Β Towards Prostate Cancer Metastasis, Joanne Collazo Santiago

Theses and Dissertations--Toxicology and Cancer Biology

Cofilin’s activity to nucleate actin filament assembly, is regulated by phosphorylation at a single site on the amino terminus, Serine 3. Phosphorylation at this site abolishes the ability of ADF/cofilin to bind to F-actin and inhibits its severing function. This work characterizes the ability of dephosphorylated cofilin (mutation at Serine 3 site) to navigate prostate cancer actin cytoskeleton and metastatic properties in response to TGF-β. TGF-β increased Lim Domain Kinase 2 (LIMK-2) activity leading to cofilin phosphorylation and decrease actin filament severing in wild type cofilin (WTCFL) PC-3 cells. Constitutively active cofilin in Serine 3 cofilin mutants (S3ACFL) promoted prostate …

Modeling Bedrock Mining Hotspots Within The Ouachita National Forest, Arkansas, Stephanie H. Mehlhope

Theses and Dissertations--Geography

This study, concentrating on the Ouachita Mountain Range in western-central Arkansas, extends prior work on treethrows and their influence on soil development in the region by supplying a method of determining hotspots of bedrock mining by treethrow. Binary logistic regression analysis was employed to determine the abiotic and biotic factors that are highly correlated with the rate of bedrock detachment found in uprooted rootwads from three study sites within the Ouachita National Forest. The produced logistic regression models suggest topographic factors, tree specific characteristics, as well as the local geology and soil characteristics all have a significant effect upon the …

Data Mining And Pattern Discovery Using Exploratory And Visualization Methods For Large Multidimensional Datasets, Hsin-Fang Li

Theses and Dissertations--Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Oral health problems have been a major public health concern profoundly affecting people’s general health and quality of life. Given that oral health data is composed of several measurable dimensions including clinical measurements, socio-behavioral factors, genetic predispositions, self-reported assessments, and quality of life measures, strategies for analyzing multidimensional data are neither computationally straightforward nor efficient. Researchers face major challenges to identify tools that circumvent the processes of manually probing the data.

The purpose of this dissertation is to provide applications of the proposed methodology on oral health-related data that go beyond identifying risk factors from a single dimension, and to …

The Hero With No Face: An Appalachian Narrative, Mary Jennings

Gaines Fellow Senior Theses

No abstract provided.

The Scopes Monkey Trial Revisited: How The Coal Industry And The Surface Mining States Ignore Science To The Detriment Of The Appalachian Environment, Sarah J. Surber

Kentucky Journal of Equine, Agriculture, & Natural Resources Law

No abstract provided.

Description And Service Innovation In Adolescent Transition Within Kentucky State Agency Education Programs, Amy C. Marshall

Theses and Dissertations--Rehabilitation Sciences

Of all Kentucky youth, state agency children are at the highest risk of making unsuccessful post-secondary transitions to adulthood. The intent of both studies comprising this dissertation was to understand and guide transition planning to make future improvements to transitions of adolescents in state agency programs.

The Kentucky Youth at Risk in Transition Study was a mixed methods study that identified and described the understandings of student transitions in state agency education programs from the perspectives of youth and administrators. The study included 105 nontraditional education programs funded and supervised by the Kentucky Educational Collaborative for State Agency Children (KECSAC). …