Digital Commons Network^™

Investigation Of The Toxicity And Efflux Of Polychlorinated Biphenyls And Hydroxylated Polychlorinated Biphenyls In Escherichia Coli, Shen Geng

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are persistent organic pollutants. Due to their properties, PCBs accumulate in the food-chain and post a threat to the health of human beings and wildlife. Hydroxylated PCBs (OH-PCBs) are oxidative metabolites of PCBs and are more hydrophilic than their parent PCBs. One of the best approaches to break down these contaminants is through bioremediation, which is an environmental friendly process that uses microorganisms to restore natural environment.

Towards this goal, we have investigated the toxicity and accumulation of PCBs and OH-PCBs in a Gram-negative bacterium, Escherichia coli. We have also determined the role played by a …

Initial Response Of Invasive Exotic Plant Species To Timber Harvesting In Southeastern Kentucky Forests, Kevin Patrick Devine

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

The responses of invasive exotic plant species (IES) to silvicultural treatments one growing season after timber harvesting were examined in the Cumberland Plateau region of Southeastern Kentucky. Treatments included a commercial deferment harvest and unharvested control applied to five watersheds within University of Kentucky’s Robinson Forest. The effects of harvesting were compared between treatments and between preharvest and postharvest samplings. The spatial distribution and abundance of targeted IES throughout forest sites and trail systems were calculated from several sampling schemes. Additional analyses were performed to quantify forest disturbances derived from harvest activities to determine the relationships between soil, light levels, …

Cultural Production And Ephemeral Art: Feminicide And The Geography Of Memory In Ciudad Juárez, 1998-2008, Alice Laurel Driver

Theses and Dissertations--Hispanic Studies

This dissertation examines representations of feminicide victims in documentary film, novels, non-fiction, art, and graffiti and argues that these images express anxiety about they way women traverse and inhabit the geography of Ciudad Juárez, often giving precedence to the idea of the public female body as hypersexualized. In order to reclaim memory of the victims some cultural producers focus on the testimonial form in which victims’ families and other activists share their stories or construct informal memorials in the city; these remembrances later appear in works of non-fiction, film, and art, as markers of the process of creating and preserving …

Artificial Neural Network Based Fault Location For Transmission Lines, Suhaas Bhargava Ayyagari

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

This thesis focuses on detecting, classifying and locating faults on electric power transmission lines. Fault detection, fault classification and fault location have been achieved by using artificial neural networks. Feedforward networks have been employed along with backpropagation algorithm for each of the three phases in the Fault location process. Analysis on neural networks with varying number of hidden layers and neurons per hidden layer has been provided to validate the choice of the neural networks in each step. Simulation results have been provided to demonstrate that artificial neural network based methods are efficient in locating faults on transmission lines and …

Deaf Or Hearing: A Hearing Impaired Individual’S Navigation Between Two Worlds, Brittany Nicole Lash

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

identity play an important role in how they communicate and interact with other individuals. One group in which identity construction and navigation is a difficult process is the hearing impaired population. In an effort to understand how these individuals construct their identity and navigate their hearing impairment, this study utilizes Communication Theory of Identity. Through the use of interactive interviews, the researcher was able to examine how 11 participants manage their identity as hearing impaired individuals. The interviews provided insight into the four layers of identity proposed by CTI – personal, relational, enacted, and communal – in the hearing impaired …

Control Characteristics Of An All-Digital Proportional-Integral-Derivative (Pid) Compensator, David Michael Feinauer

Theses and Dissertations--Electrical and Computer Engineering

The digitization of classical control systems presents a number of challenges and opportunities with respect to the miniaturization, distribution, reliability verification and obsolescence of both the controller and the underlying system under control. A method for the design of proportional-integral-derivative (PID) compensators realized in the form of all-digital components is presented. All-digital refers to a system implementation that is realizable with a wide range of digital logic components including discrete digital logic elements and programmable logic devices (PLDs) such as field-programmable gate arrays. The proportional, integral and derivative components of the classical PID control law were re-envisioned in terms of …

“All Must Combine In The Struggle Against The Microbes” Global Biopolitics And Twentieth-Century Health Organizations, Patrick Kothe

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

The following paper explores the rise of global biopolitics by focusing on the League of Nations Health Organization (LNHO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) as pivot points around which an international system transitioned into a global system. The central thesis of the paper is that the LNHO served as the first true site of deployment for global discourses on health and hygiene, not as recent scholarship has suggested, the WHO. The purpose of the paper, however, is to provide an overview of the larger transformation of public health in the twentieth century, beginning with the proliferation of nineteenth-­‐century international …

Conceptualizing And Improving Red Wine Grape Cultivars Grown In Kentucky, Matthew Simson

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Wine sensory attributes are associated with quality of wines. Cabernet Franc did not possess good coloration of its wine. Therefore, in the 2009 and 2010 growing seasons, studies including the sampling of four red wine grape cultivars from the end of flowering throughout the rest of the season and applying treatments to Cabernet Franc grapevines at veraison were commenced to address suitability and color enhancement, respectively. The study examining Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chambourcin, and Norton looked at sampling their grapes at two-week intervals from times post-flowering to understand the demands of each cultivar during key stages of berry development, …

Examining Gender Differences In Persistence In Higher Education Among African American Students, Yvonne Townsend

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

This Study examined issues related to persistence in higher education among African American students, using the prominent model proposed by Vincent Tinto. The intentions were to examine the growing gender gap among African American students. The study examines factors from the Tinto model such as high school GPA, College GPA, college social integration and academic integration to try and explain the effects of gender among African American students. This research also attempts to elaborate the Tinto model by considering high school extracurricular activities as a pre-entry attribute that has an effect on persistence in higher education. Use of the Tinto …

Fate Of Stable Isotope Label During Predation Of 15N-Tagged Wild-Type Escherichia Coli By Protozoa, Ashley M. Barton

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Currently, bacterial movement in karst aquifers is not well understood. Use of stable isotopes to label non-pathogenic Escherichia coli as a particulate groundwater tracer in karst systems has been examined in previous studies. Loss of the stable isotope signal is anticipated in traces greater than 500 m in length. Potential loss of ¹⁵N due to predation by protozoa was examined. Filter-sterilized water from Royal Spring in Georgetown, Kentucky, was inoculated with a mixture of either Tetrahymena pyriformis or Colpoda steinii and ¹⁵N-enriched E. coli and stored in the dark at 14°C. Samples were analyzed for their nitrogen isotope …

Predictors Of Food Bank Usage Among Those With Low Food Security: Analysis Of The Current Population Survey Food Supplement Data, Sarah Mcqueen

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Food insecurity is defined as the “access…at all times to the food needed for a healthy life” (Powledge 2010). According to the U.S. Census Bureau, approximately 15 percent of all Americans have experienced some measure of food insecurity. The issue is not new, but one that is ongoing and very complex and has impacts on individuals, households and society. In order to better understand the breadth and depth of the nation’s struggle with food sufficiency, an annual Food Supplement was attached to the Current Population Survey (CPS), a national labor force survey instrument. The CPS Food Supplement gathers information on …

An Analysis Of Quality Of Life Findings Among Money Follows The Person Program Beneficiaries, Mitch F. Ruscitti

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

This study will examine the quality of life survey findings of 154 recipients of services provided through the Kentucky Money Follows the Person program. In order to accomplish this, the term „quality of life‟ must first be defined and examined from the viewpoint of its role in the provision of health related services. Also, as a point of reference, a brief background concerning the Money Follows the Person program and its development will be provided. Lastly, after „quality of life‟ is defined for the purposes of this study, 183 surveys (154 baseline and 29 follow up) will be statistically analyzed …

Towards The Total Synthesis Of The Capuramycin Family Of Natural Products, Jesse M. Jacobsen

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Despite over a century of advancement, tuberculosis remains a grave threat to world health. In particular, third world countries continue to struggle with the crushing weight of the disease. Furthermore, the emergence of drug resistance in TB strains poses a significant threat to the first world where incidence and mortality is low. The dwindling efficacy of current drug regimens necessitates research into new small molecules capable of arresting the growth and spread of TB. The capuramycin family of nucleoside antibiotics shows strong potential to become part of this new generation of anti-TB small molecules. Indeed, their ability to inhibit Translocase …

Becoming Bodies: How Preadolescent Girls Consume And Produce Media In 21St Century America, Margaret Louise Mcgladrey

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

This study investigates preadolescent girls’ interpretations of images of and messages about women’s bodies presented in both traditional and online media in the American cultural context. Using qualitative methods including in-depth interviews, email diaries, and digital photo collages, this study gives voice to girls aged nine to eleven from diverse racial and socioeconomic backgrounds so that they might tell their stories about interacting with media that is relevant to their relationships with their bodies. Employing objectification theory as well as concepts from the cultural studies tradition, the findings suggest that the process of becoming a female body in the 21 …

High Speed Continuous Thermal Curing Microfabrication System, Franklin Dibartolomeo

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Rapid creation of devices with microscale features is a vital step in the commercialization of a wide variety of technologies, such as microfluidics, fuel cells and self-healing materials. The current standard for creating many of these microstructured devices utilizes the inexpensive, flexible material poly-dimethylsiloxane (PDMS) to replicate microstructured molds. This process is inexpensive and fast for small batches of devices, but lacks scalability and the ability to produce large surface-area materials. The novel fabrication process presented in this paper uses a cylindrical mold with microscale surface patterns to cure liquid PDMS prepolymer into continuous microstructured films. Results show that this …

Analyzing Educational Attainments And Occupational Outcomes Of Tibetan Refugees Living In India, Tenzin Palkyi

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Opportunities of mass education are a relatively new phenomenon in the Tibetan community. Following the incidents of 1959, the Dalai Lama and thousands of Tibetans fled into India. Mass education was implemented and sustained within the Tibetan community for the first time. The goal of this exploratory research is to study the impact of mass education on the first generations of Tibetans who experienced it in exile. This study analyzes the gendered pattern in subjects students choose to pursue, their educational attainment and the kinds of jobs they assume after graduation. The study presents a quantitative analysis of data spanning …

Strategies For Targeting Lentiviral Vectors, Christopher Matthew Trimby

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Lentiviral gene therapy has held great promise for treating a wide range of neurological disorders due to its ability to stably integrate into the genome of nondividing cells like neurons, in addition to dividing cells. The nervous system is a complex and highly heterogeneous system, and while a therapeutic intervention may have beneficial effects in one population of cells it may have severe side effects in another. For this reason, specific targeting of lentiviral vectors is crucial for their ultimate utility for research and clinical research use.

Two different approaches for focusing the targeting of lentiviral vectors were employed in …

Gene Expression Regulators Lin-11 And Let-711, In Modulating The Rate Of Aging And Lifespan, In C. Elegans., Tseten Yeshi Jamling

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

lin-11 and let-711 are early-developmental gene expression regulators with no previously known roles in aging regulation. Yet, they show strong aging-correlated expression profiles (Lund, Tedesco et al. 2002). lin-11 is strongly upregulated in very old worm populations, and let-711 is progressively downregulated in aging worm populations. Microarray studies were performed to identify their genome-wide targets, which were then subjected to further lifespan and genetic analysis to investigate their role in C. elegans aging.

The results indicate that the target pools of both lin-11 and let-711 are enriched for aging genes, since a significant number of tested genes increased lifespan. This …

Comparison Of Plant‐Adapted Rhabdovirus Protein Localization And Interactions, Kathleen Marie Martin

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Sonchus yellow net virus (SYNV), Potato yellow dwarf virus (PYDV) and Lettuce Necrotic yellows virus (LNYV) are members of the Rhabdoviridae family that infect plants. SYNV and PYDV are Nucleorhabdoviruses that replicate in the nuclei of infected cells and LNYV is a Cytorhabdovirus that replicates in the cytoplasm. LNYV and SYNV share a similar genome organization with a gene order of Nucleoprotein (N), Phosphoprotein (P), putative movement protein (Mv), Matrix protein (M), Glycoprotein (G) and Polymerase protein (L). PYDV contains an additional predicted gene between N and P, denoted as X, that has an unknown function. In order to gain …

Engineering Proteins With Unique Characteristics For Diagnostics And Biosensors, Smita Joel

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Proteins possess a broad range of structural and functional properties and, therefore, can be employed in a variety of biomedical applications. While a good number of protein-based biosensing systems and biosensors for target analytes have been developed, the search for versatile, highly sensitive and selective sensors with long term stability able to provide fast detection of target analytes continues to be a challenge. To that end, we now report the design and development of modified proteins with tailored characteristics and their further utilization in the development of biosensing systems.

We take advantage of binding proteins that undergo a change in …

Circadian And Homeostatic Regulation Of Sleep In Cast/Eij And C57bl/6j Mice, Peng Jiang

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Sleep is essential for mammals and possibly for all animals. Advancing our knowledge of sleep regulation is crucial for the development of interventions in sleep-related health and social problems. With this aim, this study utilizes laboratory mice to explore sleep regulatory mechanisms at behavioral, molecular, and genetic levels.

Sleep is regulated by the interaction of circadian and homeostatic processes. The circadian clock facilitates sleep to occur at a favorable time of the day. Normal mice, such as the C57BL/6J (B6) strain, sleep mostly during the day and initiate activities at dark onset. Here, I show mice of the CAST/EiJ (CAST) …

Genetically Engineered Aequorin For The Development Of Novel Bioanalytical Systems, Krystal Teasley Hamorksy

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

The ability to rationally or randomly modify proteins has expanded their employment in various bioanalytical applications. The bioluminescent protein, aequorin, has been employed as a reporter for decades due to its simplistic, non-hazardous nature and its high sensitivity of detection. More recently aequorin has been subject to spectral tuning. Techniques such as random and site-directed mutagenesis, the incorporation of coelenterazine analogues and the incorporation of non-natural amino acids have expanded the palette of aequorin by altering their emission wavelengths and/or half-lifes. Due to the increased diversity of aequorin, it can be used in multianalyte detection.

Although aequorin has been studied …

Restoration Of Tall Fescue Pastures To Native Warm Season Grasslands: Does A Fungal Endophyte Symbiosis Play A Role In Restoration Success?, Sarah Lynn Hall

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Tall fescue, a cool-season grass native to Europe, central Asia, and northern Africa, has been widely distributed throughout the U.S. for use as turf and forage. Following its widespread planting, its ability to associate with a toxic fungal endophyte, Neotyphodium coenophialum, was discovered. Research has linked this fescue-endophyte association with increased biotic and abiotic stress resistance in endophyte-infected (E+) versus endophyte-free (E-) plants, and these differences may affect the ability of land managers to eradicate tall fescue and restore native grasslands. I conducted three studies to examine whether E+ tall fescue plants respond differently to management than E- plants, …

Regulation Of Abcg5 And Abcg8 Sterol Transporters In Biliary Cholesterol Elimination, Reverse Cholesterol Transport And Dyslipidemia, Nadezhda Steliyanova Sabeva

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

ATP-binding cassette transporters ABCA1 and ABCG1 initiate reverse cholesterol transport generating HDL particles, whereas ABCG5/G8 promote biliary cholesterol secretion thereby facilitating the last step of reverse cholesterol transport. Mutations in the leptin axis result in obesity and dyslipidemia in ob/ob and db/db mice. These mice have defective HDL clearance, increased plasma cholesterol and decreased biliary cholesterol elimination. My studies demonstrate that ABCG5/G8 protein is low in these animals and can be restored with caloric restriction or leptin replacement. To directly test whether ABCG5/G8 alone is able to correct reverse cholesterol transport defect, liver specific ABCG5/G8 expression was achieved in db/db …

Role Of Pi3k-Akt Pathway In The Age Associated Decline In Tlr Mediated Activation Of Innate And Adaptive Immune Responses, Mosoka Papa Fallah

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Immunosenescence results in reduced immune response to infections with Streptococcus pneumoniae as well as to pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccines. The antibody response to the capsular polysaccharide (CPS) provides protection against S. pneumoniae infection. CPS immunoresponse is T cell independent and needs the macrophage-derived cytokines such as IL-12, IL-6 and IL-1β to elicit an antibody response. We showed a cytokine dysregulation, i.e. a decrease in IL-12, IL-6 and TNF-α but an increase in IL-10, in the aged (18-24 months old comparable to >65 years in human) compared to young adult mouse (8-12 weeks less than 65 years old) splenic macrophages (SM) or …

Boundaries And Breaches: Complexities And Strategies Down On The Farm, Debra S. Kershaw

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Employing a wide range of theoretical and methodological tools, practitioners within an array of disciplines have attempted to gain new understanding about the structural changes in the agricultural system in the United States and around the world. From Agricultural Economists to Sociologists, quantitative and qualitative research has attempted to shed light on structural change in agriculture and its implications for the real lives of farmers, their families, and consumers of their goods. The current research adopts a comparative-historical approach to examining the particular affects of structural change in six counties in central Nebraska. The general theoretical frame on which this …

T-Phylloplanin And Cis-Abienol, Two Natural Products From Tobacco Have Broad Spectrum, Anti-Fungal Activities, Brian Christopher King

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Tobacco phylloplanins (T-phylloplanin) are a group of closely-related glycoproteins that are formed and disposed at the interface between the plant aerial surface (the phylloplane) and the atmosphere. They are synthesized in short procumbent trichomes and are secreted to aerial surfaces where they are thought to serve the plant as a first line of defense against fungal pathogens. Here it is shown using in vitro and in planta assays that tobacco and sunflower phylloplanins have broad-spectrum antifungal activities against spores - and also hyphae for two species - of several true fungi. Field tests show that T-phylloplanin reduces diseases caused by …

Loss Of Bloom Syndrome Protein Causes Destabilization Of Genomic Architecture And Is Complemented By Ectopic Expression Of Escherichia Coli Recg In Human Cells, Michael Wayne Killen

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Genomic instability driven by non-allelic homologous recombination (NAHR) provides a realistic mechanism that could account for the numerous chromosomal abnormalities that are hallmarks of cancer. We recently demonstrated that this type of instability could be assayed by analyzing the copy number variation of the human ribosomal RNA gene clusters (rDNA). Further, we found that gene cluster instability (GCI) was present in greater than 50% of the human cancer samples that were tested. Here, data is presented that confirms this phenomenon in the human GAGE gene cluster of those cancer patients. This adds credence to the hypothesis that NAHR could be …

Computer Simulation Of A Hollow-Fiber Bioreactor: Heparan Regulated Growth Factors-Receptors Binding And Dissociation Analysis, Changjiang Zhang

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

This thesis demonstrates the use of numerical simulation in predicting the behavior of proteins in a flow environment.

A novel convection-diffusion-reaction computational model is first introduced to simulate fibroblast growth factor (FGF-2) binding to its receptor (FGFR) on cell surfaces and regulated by heparan sulfate proteoglycan (HSPG) under flow in a bioreactor. The model includes three parts: (1) the flow of medium using incompressible Navier-Stokes equations; (2) the mass transport of FGF-2 using convection-diffusion equations; and (3) the cell surface binding using chemical kinetics. The model consists of a set of coupled nonlinear partial differential equations (PDEs) for flow and …

Isolation And Elucidation Of The Chrysomycin Biosynthetic Gene Cluster And Altering The Glycosylation Patterns Of Tetracenomycins And Mithramycin-Pathway Molecules, Stephen Eric Nybo

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Natural products occupy a central role as the majority of currently used antibiotic and anticancer agents. Among these are type-II polyketide synthase (PKS)-derived molecules, or polyketides, which are produced by many representatives of the genus Streptomyces. Some type-II polyketides, such as the tetracyclines and the anthracycline doxorubicin, are currently employed as therapeutics. However, several polyketide molecules exhibit promising biological activity, but due to toxic side effects or solubility concerns, remain undeveloped as drugs.

Gilvocarcin V (GV) (topoisomerase II inhibitor) has a novel mechanism of action: [2+2] cycloaddition to thymine residues by the 8-vinyl side chain and cross-linking of histone …